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CHRONICLES 



OF 



ENGLAND, EKANCE. SPAIN. 



AND 



Y7 ^ 



THE ADJOINING COUNTRIES, 

FROM THE LATTER PART OF THE REIGN OF EDWARD 11. TO THE CORONATION OF HENRY IV. 

BY SIR JOHN FROISSART. 



TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH, 

WITH VARIATIONS AND ADDITIONS, FROM MANY CELEBRATED MSS. 

BY THOMAS JOHNES, ESU. 



TO WHICH ARE PREFIXED 



A LIFE OF THE AUTHOR, AN ESSAY ON HIS WORKS, AND A CRITICISM ON HIS HISTORY. 



WITH AN 



ORIGINAL INTRODUCTORY ESSAY 

ON THE CHARACTER AND SOCIETY OF THE MIDDLE AGES, 

BY REV. JOHN LORD. 



*■ 

{ 

NEW YORK: ■ 

I 
J. WINCHESTER. NEW WORLD PRESS,, % 

XXX ANN STREET. ^ 



■> 



W^-' 









■'t 
i 



AN ORIGINAL INTRODUCTORY ESSAY 



ON THE 



CHAEACTEK AND SOCIETY OF THE MIDDLE AGES. 



BY REV. JOHN LORD. 



*' Did vou ever rend Froissart V said Claverhouse. 

" No 1" was Morton's answer. 

"I have half a mind," returned Claverhouse, " to contrive you should have si.t months 
imprisonment, in order to procure you that pleasure. His chapters inspire me with more 
enthusiasm than even poetry itself. And the noble Canon, with what true chivalrous 
feeling he confines his beautiful expressions of sorrow for tlte deatli of the gallant and 
high-bred knight, ol' whom it was a pity to see the fall, such was his loyalty to his king, 
pure faith to his reUgion, hardihood toward tiis enemy, and fidelity to his lady love 1" 

Old Mort.\lity. 



One of the last things to be expected in an essay like this, is a 
panegyric of those Chronicles which have stood the test of nearly 
five centuries, and, from the time they first appeared, have been the 
admiration of genius in every country of Europe. Who can add to 
the praises of St. Palaye, of Montaigne, of Gray, and sir Walter 
Scott ! Froissart — " the Herodotus of a barbarous age, with his sim. 
pie curiosity and religious credulity," has been the delight, for ages, 
of all who love to read 

"Of bold men's bloody combatings and gentle ladies' tears." 

He has presented a living picture of Europe in its boisterous 
spring-time, with all its tumultuous pleasures, its chivalric glories, 
and its magnificent superstitions. He has given us a type both of 
the splendor and the decline of the heroic world. He has transmitted 
to posterity brilliant examples of dauntless heroism, and perfect 
models of reproachless chivalry. With the sympathy and spirit of 
an eye-witness, and with the frankness of an old priest, anxious to 
entertain his noble patron with as good a story as was consistent 
with truth, he has detailed the most eventfiil exploits of our ances. 
tors, in one of the most interesting periods of English history, and 
one of the most exciting epochs in the progress of civilization. He 
has described, with a most charming simplicity, even with dramatic 
power, all that can excite curiosity in the usages of feudal warfare, 
in the lives and ibrtunes of nobles, in the squabbles of priests, and in 
the amusements of that class with whom he associated. It is trae, 
that his Chronicles chiefly pertain to battles and sieges, to marches 
and warriors, to tournaments and tills, to loves and wassailings ; but 
his age was warlike, and none for whom he wrote had an ear for 
anything but the martial and the romantic. He describes the spirit 
«/ his age, with fidelity and minuteness, without stopping to make 
philosophical generalizations, and ingenious theories on the progress 
of civilization. He did not pretend to be an historian in the modern 
sense, and he did not profess to reason concerning the interests of 
society with the spirit of a philosopher. He was a chronicler — a 
story-teller — a delineator of men and manners as he saw them — as 
he knew them. And it is his candor, his talent of observation, and 
his liveliness in detail, which give value to the book on which he 
spent his life. " It is history," says Montaigne, " naked and un- 
adorned; every one may profit from it according to the depths of his 
understanding." ^ 

Nor are the subjects which he narrates with so much spirit, with- 
out interest. " The age of chivalry indeed is gone." We have 
piled away its helmets and its spears : and its blazonry is invested 
with a more poetic charm. Still we love the past — we love the 
heroic in man's history. We hate to divest it even of its fictions. 
Sir Walter Scott proved how deep the sympathy exists for the chiv- 
alric glories. The independent spirit of chivalry, bent on the accom- 
plishment of lofty ends, without calculation of chances, or fear of 
failure, so generous in action, so munificent in courtesy, so frank in 
friendship, and so gallant in danger, ever must have rare attraction 
to the enthusiastic and the aspiring. There is something peculiarly 
delightful and exciting in those stories which represent the hero of 
the middle ages, loyal and brave, superbly mounted, cased in oUtter- 
ing steel, surrounded by his men-at-arms, and is.suing forth from his 
lordly castle, in quest of adventures, or on an errand of love. Who 
does not love to read of the fair and haughty dames encouraging 
their champions al the tilt, and rewarding their valor with sacred 
banners and embroidered scarfs, worked with their own hands ? 



Who does not dwell with delight on the gorgeous description of the 
tournament, where the place inclosed for combat " is surrounded 
with sovereigns and bishops and barons, and all that rank and beauty 
had ennobled among the fair ; when the combatants, covered with 
shining armor, and only known by a device or emblazoned shield, 
issued forth, not without danger, to win the prize of valor, bestowed 
by the queen of beauty, amid the animating music of minstrels, and 
the shouts of the assembled multitude ?" 

The Chronicles of Froissart are not only a faithful mirror of his 
age, which is all we want in chronicles, but the age itself is one of 
the most interesting in the history of Europe. It was an epoch. 
Society was passing through a new transformation. It was the 
j spring-time of European society, when the principles, which now 
agitate it, were then in the process of development, and when the 
institutions, which now are our pride and glory, were springing up 
amid chills and storms. A brilliant morning had dawned upon 
Europe, and the noxious vapors of a long night of one thousand years 
were vanishing away before the rising sun of modern civilization. 
In the fourteenth centurj', commenced the strife of new principles, 
the clash of new interests, and the rise of new powers. We behold 
a period of experiments, of combinations, and of reform. We see 
the conflict of factions, and orders, and interests, and new and grand 
developments of character and passion. We contemplate the con. 
fliet of faith with reason, of aristocracy with democracy, of monarchy 
with republicanism, and of papacy with dis.sent. In the whirl of 
contending principles and interests, we see the bursting forth of new 
and unknown energies. Commerce, manufactures, and agriculture 
received a new impulse. The fine arts attained the perfection of the 
antique models. Poetry became again inspired, and science sought 
for elementary principles. There was no monument of ancient 
genius which was not rivalled. There was no subject which philos. 
ophy did not investigate. There was no climate which adventurous 
curiosity did not explore. There was an unprecedented brilliancy 
of intellectual effort, and an unknown energy of moral purpose. 
Everywhere there was a vast expenditure of physical, intellectual 
and moral energies. To this era we trace the admission of commons 
into legislatures, the disfranchisement of slaves, and the freedom of 
cities. This was the period of popular insurrections, and of general 
fermentation. In this period Roman jurisprudence was revived, 
universities were established, the modern languages created, the 
Bible was translated, printing, gunpowder and the mariner's com- 
pass were invented, and religious and civil liberty dawned. 

Since the introduction of Chiistianity, there have been, strictly 
speaking, but two great epochs in European society. The one was 
that just referred to, the other that which succeeded the dissolution 
of the Roman Empire. When the vices of self-interest had eaten 
out the vitals of the state ; when there was left no longer a material 
on which either Christianity or literature could work, and both were 
equally corrupted ; when luxury, egotism, sensuality and unreasona. 
ble pride characterized the privileged classes ; while poverty, mean, 
ness and e.vcessive degradation were the misfortunes of the mil. 
lions ; when all the wealth of the empire was concentrated among 
a few enervated aristocrats, and there was no longer a central 
power to preserve order or law in the provinces, or even to keep 
the emperors on their throne ; when, in short, there was a dissohi. 
tion of all the bonds of society, then God sent violence on the earth. 
The barbarians advanced from their forests, to conquer, to deso. 
late, and to reconstruct. In the fifth and sixth centuries was that 
mixture of races and languages and institutions, when all the 
elements of the Roman and Barbaric world were mingled together 
that forms the first great epoch of European society. And this era 
was disastrous in the extreme. Society was depressed to a greater 
degree than at any other time in the hi? tory of Europe. There was 
incessant anarchy. The strong preyed upon the weak, and the law 
of brute force was terribly triumphant. Christianity was only " a 
dim taper which had need of snuffing." Moral power was weak. 



ORIGINAL INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 



Treachery, rapine, last and murder were the characteristic vices of 
the times. Europe seemed destined to worse evils than tliose which 
disgraced the Roman world. But these evils passed away. Crea. 
tioii succeeded destruction. From the disordered elements of human 
strife, and the restless hcavings of human passion, there was heard, 
at last, a "melodious birth-song,'' and in praise o{ Him who overrules 
disastrous changes for the ultimate good of man. 

But the great evils and commotions incident to such a revolution 
did not pass away until Charlemagne, after a long reign of fiftyyears, 
had ful tilled his mission ; until he had stopped Barbarian invasion, 
liad centralized power, and had given to ecclesiastics authority, as a 
counterpoise to the power of nobles. 

From his death, may be dated what historians have been pleased 
to call the " dark ages," the period of repose between two e.xciting 
epochs. Society settled down under the control of two great princi- 
ples, the aristocratic and the autocratic, the government of nobles, 
and of priests. Then feudalism and the papacy were ripened into 
universal coercive systems. 

Under the operation of these systems, society seemed both slug- 
gish and torpid. During the 500 years in which they flourished, 
there is but little to interest the superficial or unreflecting mind. 
There were no great political events, no great military enterprises, 
except the Crusades, no brilliant discoveries, no great attainments, 
no striking advances in civilization. Society seemed to move round 
in a continual circle, as incapable of progression as it was of rest. 
Barons and priests shared between them the government and the 
wealth of Europe. 

Neither of the systems, which form the chief object of our interest 
In the history of Christendom for 500 years, are to be praised or 
admired, except so far as they were adapted to the times. In view 
of the times, however, theybotli answered useful ends, and are never 
to be spoken of with unmitigated contempt or censure. 

The feudal system prevented the people from roving robbers, and 
from tlie aggressions of powerful chieftains, except those who were 
licensed to oppress them. Oppression ever has been the fate of the 
poor man. It was less, however, under baronial rule than before 
feudalism was established. The serf was indeed compelled to labor 
like a slave. He was crushed beneath the iron weight of a martial 
aristocracy. His tears were often unheeded, and his sorrows re- 
ceived no sympathy. Feudalism begat in the breast of the haughty 
and isolated baron, the pride of birth, and the feeUng of personal con- 
sequence. It developed all the selfishness of an uncultivated nature, 
and prevented the appreciation of the miseries of dependents ; and it 
destroyed elevation of sentiment among the people themselves, led 
to mean servility, to poverty and dependetice ; and, for these rea- 
sons, the system was detestable, and the remembrance of it painful 
to the peasantry of Europe. But it had a bright side, if we consider 
the limes in which it flourished, and that state of utter disorganiza- 
tion and wretchedness, from which it rescued society in the seventh 
century. It developed the character of woman, and led to the 
appreciation of her virtues. The Germanic nations had ever held 
woman in veneration. In their ancient forests they looked upon 
her as a superior being. But this natural veneration, which neither 
Greek nor Roman shared, even in the most brilliant periods of an- 
cient civilization, even when Christianity had developed the heroism 
of the female martyr, was ripened into idolatry under the influence 
of feudalism. Woman, shut up in a castle with her lord, made her 
influence felt. The baron perceived her virtues, and honored them. 
He made her his equal companion. He made her the object of his 
devotion. In the feudal castle of the dark ages, woman's worth was 
first perceived, and first acknowledged; and the appreciation of this 
worth led to enthusiasm. Chivalry received its attractive form. 
" The love of God and the ladies, was enjoined as a simple duty, 
and he who was faithful to his mistress, was sure of salvation in the 
theology of castles, if not of cloisters." Women were present in 
tournaments, and in feasts, and in all amusements. A lady did not 
disdain to have a falcon on her wrist, and a grayhound following 
her. For her, the wandering minstrel sang the strains of heroism 
and love. Under her protection, sentimental poetry was cultivated. 
Not only were knights proud to utter her praises in the songs of 
Provence, but grave scholars forgot their studies in the composition 
of lyrics, whose pensiveness and devotion would have surprised and 
amused the amatory poets of antiquity. " You composed," said 
Eloise to Abelard, who had learned on the banks of the Seine the 
amorous dialect of 'I'houlouse, " many verses, so sweet both in their 
language and melody, that your name was incessantly in the mouths 
of all." 

Feudalism not only led to the appreciation of woman's worth, and 
ripened respect for her into devotion and gallantry, but it devel- 
oped, in the minds of the people, the sentiment of loyalty, attach- 
ment to country, attachment to friends, attachment to truth. This 
loyalty, applied to everything, was an antidote in the midst of pris- 
ons ; in the minds of serfs ; in the minds of barons. Treachery and 
hypocrisy became detestable. Courtesy, magnanimity, courage, hos- 
pitahty, became the virtues of the age. Great deeds were done in 
obedience to this principle, by the fraternity of knights. The baren 
forsook Ids castle, and the peasant his hut, to maintain the honor of 
a family, or to preserve the sacredness of a vow. It was this senti- 
ment of loyalty, which made the poor serf patient in his toils, and 



serene in his sorrows. It enabled his master to brave all physical 
evils, and enjoy a sort of spiritual romance. It bound the peasant to 
his master, and his master to his king. It was the principle needed 
to counteract the miseries of an infant state of civilization. 

So of the other institution which exercised so powerful an influ- 
ence in the middle ages : it is to be respected amid all its evills. 
No Protestant can love that system of ecclesiastical encroachment 
and fraud which the papacy encouraged, and no one would wish to 
see it restored ; nor should its corruptions be excused, or denied. 
Still, the papacy fulfilled a noble mission in a turbulent and ignorant 
age. It was a paternal authority, congenial to the minds and cir- 
cumstances of the Gothic races. They beheld, in the pope, their 
spiritual father, the vicegerent of the Invisible King, who held in 
his hands the keys of heaven and hell. When no earthly influ- 
ence could restrain the lawless passions of the violent nobility, they 
were curbed by the power of a ghostly superstition. They could 
not see their children refused the rights of baptism : they could not 
behold their relatives refused admission into heaven : they could not 
stand before the terrors of that awful anathema which consigned 
them to the wrath of God. Priestly power is bad enough, especially 
when abused ; but it is better than none. I question whether any 
other power than that which the Christian clergy exercised in the 
middle ages, though based on supersitious fear, could have restrained 
the outbreak of fiery and destructive passions in the breasts of 
the impetuous barons. Moreover, the papacy was a great central 
power, needed to control the princes of Europe, and settle the diffi- 
culties wliich arose between them. The popes, whatever may have 
been their personal character, were conservators of peace. They 
preserved unity amid anarchy, and restrained the impulses of pas- 
sionate kings. Again, the papacy, in its best ages, is thought by 
many profound historians to have been democratic in its sympathies. 
It guarded the interests of the people : it preserved them from the 
violence of their oppressors : it furnished a retreat, in monasteries, 
for the contemplative, the suffering, the afflicted, and the poor. The 
monks and nuns were taught by their quiet and industrious life, that 



-" There exists 



Aji higher tiian the warrior's excellence ; 

Tlmt vast and sudden deeds of violence. i 

Adventures wild, and wonders of tlie moment. ^* 

These are not tijey whicli generate 

The calm and i/lissful and otduring miglity." 

From their " beehives of industry," probably disgraced by the vices 
of concubinage and the follies of asceticism, they only issued to relieve 
the helpless, to succor the distressed, to teach the ignorant, and to ad- 
minister celestial consolation. 

It is in this view that the civil and religious structure of society in 
the dark ages should be viewed — as full of defects, if it were applied 
to modern life, when the blessings it formerly bestowed now proceed 
from other sources : but, after all, as admirably adapted to the times, 
and as indicating that superintending power which only gradually 
renovates the condition of society. And, so long as this structure 
was adapted to the times, it is both uncharitable and nnphilosophical 
to condemn it, certainly with wholesale abuse. 

It is also in view of the evils attending the new structure which 
the barbarians, unenlightened by science, and uninstructed by the 
experience of past generations, erected upon the bleeding surface of 
the earth, so long disgraced with every crime, and marked by every 
calamity, that so many have denounced the middle ages as a period 
of such unmitigated darkness and gloom. The times were dark and 
gloomy enough, every one knows. No one, in this age, but a vision- 
ary rhapsodist of the olden time, would deny the despotism of an 
iron age, and the countless miseries of a second infancy of society. 
Who would cover up the cruelties of the feudal system, or excuse 
the impostures of papal Rome? But in a formative state of society 
we expect disasters. The objects of nature, moral as well as phys- 
ical, arc ever slow in arriving at maturity. Barbarians could not be 
civilized in a day, especially under the guidance of a corrupted 
Christianity. It is something if we discern in them the elements of 
a noble people. Time and the Gospel would develop their wasted 
anergics. They were inexperienced, and could not be e.\pected to 
erect upon the ruins of the old world a faultless structure. They 
were not to be absolved from the penalty of violating natural laws. ■ 
They were ignorant, and hence could not but be exposed to the arts 
of designing priests. They were rude, and hence must endure 
poverty. They were obliged to develop from themselves the sleeping 
germs of a new civilization. They were doomed to many sufTerings, 
and disgraced by many crimes in the days of their pilgrimage ; but 
they were guided by the light of faith, and the impulses of generous 
youth. When, at last, they reached the promised land of liberty and 
light, they found many treasures which had escaped the wreck of the 
old classic world. And, then, of these well-preserved, but long-des- 
pisud ruins, they erected a far nobler temple than pagan antiquity 
had seen, which, dedicated to the God of Love, still remains a proud 
monument of their native genius, and a glorious emblem of their 
Christian faith. 

Christianity, in that dark age, while it shed a darkened light, while 
it introduced into Europe "the gloomy monk,'' " the military prophet," 
" the priestly despot," " the superstitious devotee," still preserved the 
beautiful flowers of humanity to more fortunate times. In the moral 



ORIGINAL INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 



power of learning and sanctity we are tempted to exclaim, with 
Digby, these surely " were ages of highest grace to man." 

Again, the Germanic nations, with the profoundest respect for reli- 
gious institutions, and for the ministers of even a corrupted Chris, 
tianity, had also other most interesting qualities which should never 
be overlooked, even in their barbarism and superstition. They had 
a lofty sense of personal independence. They cherished the virtues 
of disinterestedness and fidelity. They loved social pleasures, the 
exercise of generous courtesies, and the e.\hibition of manly and 
heroic energies. They never desponded in adversity. They grew 
stronger after defeat and disaster. They were ever greater than 
their circumstances. There was an undying energy in their souls. 
Nor were they entirely deficient in intellectual force, as some histo- 
rians, who did not sympathize with their physical and intellectual 
toils, would lead us to suppose. True, they made no valuable addi- 
tions to physical science. Utility was unto them the perfection 
of wisdom. But did not the earlier schoolmen speculate on the 
highest truths of philosophy, and teach the most elevated lessons of 
moral wisdom, while the Norman and Provencal poets excited, by 
their romantic and allegorical songs, the enthusiasm of a passionate 
people ? It was in the " dark ages," that twenty-five thousand stu- 
dents flocked to Oxford, and thirty thousand to Paris, to learn theol- 
ogy, and jurisprudence, and medicine. It was in these slandered ages 
that we perceive the " living, precious germ of thought," the most 
wonderful intellectual activity since the age of Pericles. The eight- 
een folio volumes of Thomas Aquinas were filled with much else 
besides mere barbarous wranglings. " The schoolmen,'' says Schle. 
gel, " displayed not only the most subtle reasonings of the human 
mind, but the most refined tenderness of the enamored heart." Even 
Guizot admits " that they had merits as brilliant as they were varied, 
devoid of affectation and free from pedantry." And they were ele- 
vated in their solitary toil by the contemplation of boundless truth. 
Life, to them, was not in palaces and gardens, in velvets and wines, 
in chariots and liorscs. They made wisdom to consist in the tri- 
umph of the spiritual over the animal, and prized life for its simple 
pleasures, and devout contemplation. They may not have attained 
these exalted ends, but their respect for the spiritual in man was pro- 
found. In the chaos of a turbulent age, their minds acquired force 
and fire : they shone as morning stars in the intellectual and moral 
firmament of Europe. 

But, after all, the middle ages can never be adduced to show a 
high state of humanity. It was a period in which great energies 
were preparing. It was a state favorable to grand developments, 
and to the birth of new ideas. It was not a period of revolution or 
excitement, but of repose. Everything was settled. There was no 
breaking the iron fetters which feudalism had forged. There was 
no resisting the spiritual despotism which the clergy exercised. The 
thraldom of opinions was too strong to be assailed. Those who 
were impatient and inquiring were persecuted. The church was 
opposed to reformation of any sort, and was particularly hostile to 
free inquiry. 

But the age is instructing to contemplate, as a preparation for a 
great and new order of things, and for the gradual development of 
Christian ideas. It is only these ideas which can give grandeur to 
any history. Since these ideas are seen in all the struggles of our 
fathers in their long pilgiimage, let us be impressed with the morals 
which they teach. It may be sad to see so much human suffering, 
so many misdirected energies, such incessant blunders and follies. 
But then we are cheered with the view of the suftcring poor 
man, gradually breaking his fetters, becoming civilized by art, en. 
riched by industry, and powerful by association. We see him at 
length learning his duties from the Bible, and his politics from 
advancing civilization. His mind was soon to receive light from 
Heaven, and his soul to catch fire from the new impulses in action 
around him. 

y It is this awakening mercy in the prospects of the poor man, which 
constitutes the second grand epoch in European history. This is 
the epoch in which Froissart lived, and which he described, with so 
much beauty and so much fascination. As the high-born old canonist 
did not much concern himself with such vulgar aftairs as commerce, 
and the revival of the .spirit of liberty, and the progress of manufac- 
tures, or even the studies of old meditative monks ; and as all these 
things are worthy of our attention in the lustory of the times, and 
indeed according to modern historians, the 7itost icorthj, because they 
are based on great spiritual ideas, I proceed to offer a few remarks 
on the spirit of activity, which in various ways, was developed in the 
thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. A glance at the main points of 
interest, in this exciting era, especially after allusion to the sluggish 
and sleepy times which preceded it, may prepare the reader for the 
greater enjoyment of the inimitable Chronicler, whose writings are 
fortunately placed so easily within his reach. 

It must be remembered the Crusades were ended. Five millions 
of men had been bnried in the plains of Asia. No immediate tro- 
phies consoled Europe for the loss. These religious wars had proved 
an unmitigated calamity. The object of the brave warriors was not 
attained, although at one time, the bloody victors, amid the loud an- 
thems of the clergy, had ascended the hill of Calvary, and bedewed 
with their tears the monument of their redemption. Never before, 
was such a waste of treasure and blood. For two centuries, Europe 



had precipitated itself into Asia, and had gained nothing but a few 
cities which were afterwards lost. Nor can these martial expeditions 
be justified on any principles, either of Christianity or enlightened rea- 
son. Their principle was a savage fanaticism and a deadly hate of 
Mohammedanism, because chiefly it did not encourage, and perhaps 
persecuted the pilgrims. Yet the power by which they were sus- 
tained, was grand, because it was spiritual. None but the Italian 
merchants ever dreamed of gain ; those adventurers sought at the 
holy sepulchre, no religious consolations, but only the treasures con- 
nected with it. But the gallant, brave, old knights, though collected 
from every country of -Europe, were bound together by a spiritual 
idea. It was to rescue the sepulchre from pollution ; it was to get a 
sight of the holy places connected with the sufferings of the Saviour, 
not to get treasures and kingdoms, which sustained, for two centu- 
ries, the most disastrous wars recorded in history. The enthusiastic 
and chivalrous heroes of the middle ages were animated by loftier 
desires than avarice or ambition, or even glory can excite. They 
showed that material interests can never be so strong as spiritual 
cravings, even though they may be fanatical. 

This is not the place to paint the history of the Crusades. But was 
there no good to result from them ? Were such enthusiasm and he. 
roism to be wasted, without accomplishing anything ? Was the 
flower of European chivalry, led on by such princes as Godfrey and 
Hugh the great, and Raymond, and the valiant Bohemond, and the 
heroic Tancred ; and, afterwards, by Richard Coeur de Lion, and 
Philip of France, and Frederic of Germany, the great Barbarossa — 
were all the vast forces which the great monarchs of Europe com- 
manded in person, and inspired with all the enthusiasm which reli- 
gion and chivalry and patriotism could e.xcite — were these to be 
buried with the broken columns of Asia Minor for nothing ? No. 
Providence is prodigal of courage, of virtues, of sacrifices, of men, 
in order to secure important ultimate good. From the graves of the 
Crusades there arose a spirit which gave the first great impidse to 
civilization. They gave the first shock to the political importance 
of the feudal aristocracy. The estates of the nobles were wasted in 
these wars, but the gainers were, first, the monarchs who gathered 
around their thrones despotic power ; and, secondly, the people who 
secured their farms and their shops. The cities increased in popu- 
lation, in consequence of the impulse which arts and manufactures 
and commerce received, and then the people in the cities aspired to 
political independence. By clubbing together, they discovered they 
could cope successfully with any feudal force which could be aiTayed 
against them. They formed political combinations as a counter- 
poise to the power of the barons. Europe passed from feudal vassal- 
age to the dominion of centralized power, whether collected around 
the thrones of princes, or emanating from republics and free cities. 

The Crusades encouraged commercial enterprise. The warriors 
needed ships, and the Italian merchants lent them and sold them. 
Every returning vessel from Asia brought the luxuries of the East. 
The silks and spices of India were thus exchanged, at the great Eu- 
ropean markets, for iron and flax and wool and skins. 

Thus an active intercourse was soon established between the 
north and south of Europe. Intercourse brought wealth. It brought 
more than wealth, liberality of mind, intelligence, refinement of man- 
ners, courteous habits, generosity and faith. It is this liberality and 
enlargement of mind, which is the greatest moral effect of 4he Cru- 
sades, although, in many cases, it was indirect. It was the insnla- 
tion of nations in the middle ages, which was a great cause of bar- 
barism. But, by the Crusades, nations became intermingled, and 
learned each other's customs and laws. Not only were the minds of 
the Crusaders divested of many prejudices against each other, but 
also against the .Saracens. Saladin was discovered to be as cour- 
teous and brave as Richard. The habits of the Musselmen were 
found to be more courteous and generous and refined, than even those 
of their invaders ; and the Eastern warriors no longer appeared as 
monsters, but as elegant strangers, with a love of science and song, 
a taste for architecture, and an appreciation of the beautiful. The 
luxury of their tents, the richness of their dresses, the polish of their 
manners, the vivacity of their wit, and the munificence of their coun. 
try struck the rude barbarians, nt least, with surprise. They could 
not detest them as cordially as before. They saw much to admire. 
.A.nd then they ceased to exterminate them. The Crusades could 
not be sustained so soon as the European learned liberality of mind. 
Fanaticism had no element to feed on, and died. When the Crusa. 
ders returned, the storming of castles seemed a small affair. They 
longed for great conquests. As they could not subdue the Moham. 
medans, they resolved to subdue each other. Hence those wars be. 
tween England and France which Froissart chronicled. 

When Froissart appeared, then the Crusades had ended, but mili- 
tary enthusiasm was not extinct. Chivalry, as an institution, was at 
its height. A spirit of enterprise and restless excitement pervaded 
the European mind. The rust of barbarism was worn off, but a true 
civilization was not established. The Hermit's voice had not been 
heard in vain. He had inspired Europe with the passion he had felt 
Those passions, being fanatical, had led their victims into the fire. 
But, from the fire, there issued a voice proclaiming liberty to the 
poor man. Evil was succeeded by good. The " world-Phoen;x" 
immolated herself in flame, that she might sing the clearer and soar 
the higher. 



ORIGINAL INTRODUCTORY ESSAY 



Having now alluded to tliohc events which prepared the age for 
tlie great convulsion and agitation which Froissart witnessed and 
described, 1 proceed to offer a few observations on those agitations. 

What were they ? They were the conflict of spiritual agencies — 
of great principles, in government, and in religion, and in social life. 
What were these principles ? 

One of the most important was the principle of association. This 
taught the people their strength. They always had the power, but 
not the wisdom to combine it. Until after the Crusades, they had 
never dreamed how strong they were when united for the attainment 
of noble ends. Hence, formerly, they were oppressed and crushed and 
mocked — in Greece, in Rome, in Europe, under the feudal system. 
But, by combinations, they could resist a feudal army, they could 
equip a merchant fleet, they could establish a foreign factory. This 
idea of association became the soul of commerce and of manufac- 
tures. It even led to political liberty. It extorted from monarchs 
those charters which secured the farm of the peasant and the shop of 
tlio artificer. It restored a substance and a life to the people in all 
of their relations and transactions with superiors. This idea is at 
the basis of popular representation. Nothing could resist it. It 
contained a great source of power and popular improvement. The 
people, having learned the secret of strength, never for a moment 
forgot it, even though sometimes repelled by a superior force. Under 
Wat Tyler, they marched in a body to London, and, had they pos- 
sessed a little more experience, would have extorted from the trem- 
bling monarch as great a charter of privileges as the barons obtained 
from John. It is singular to sec how this idea has become more and 
more important, with the progress of society. Nothing now is at. 
tempted, of any magnitude in a free country, without a combination. 
It is seen in all the ramifications of business, in all the mazes of 
politics, and in all the movements of philanthropy. The mill, the 
rail-road, the insurance office, and the missionary station, prove its 
present and increasing agency. It breaks the chains of despotism, 
rebukes injustice, gives teachers to the people, and missionaries to 
the heathen. It gives strength to the people, so long crushed and 
mocked by their superiors, even as the hair of Samson enabled him 
to pull down, upon the heads of his exulting enemies, the ancient 
temple of the Philistines. 

While, in the age of Froissart, the principle of association was 
building free cities, and encouraging commerce, and reviving arts, 
apd breaking fetters, and securing wealth and political importance 
to the people, the idea that men had a right to think for themselves 
was agitated. It had not, indeed, become established, nor was po- 
litical liberty established ; but the idea was born which was after- 
wards to secure it. The old scholastics had emancipated human 
reason from the trammels of priestly authority. They did not seek 
so much to change religious opinions, as to secure the light of free 
inquiry ; and this was the great point of dispute between the church 
and men of letters. As early as the first Crusade, the scholars of 
Abelard had requested him to give them " some philosophical argu- 
ments — such as- were fit to .satisfy their minds." "They begged," 
says G\iizot, " that he would instruct them not only to repeat what 
he taught them, but to understand the same. Especially, said they, 
is it necessary that we should strengthen one another with all the 
pov/ers of reason, so that in questions so difficult and complicated as 
compose the substaticc of the Christian faith, we may be able to hin. 
der the subtiUies of its enemies from too easily corrupting its purity.'' 
Thus, the scholastic philosophy endeavored to satisfy human reason, 
and to triumph over an imperious authority. Its whole tendency, 
tlierefore, was to lead to intellectual independence, and thus the old 
Doctors were the true precursors of the reformation in religion and 
philosophy. By the temerity of their speculations, they taught the 
human mind to think boldly, and raised an inquisitive spirit which it 
was impossible to repress. It is this inquisitive spirit which is the 
greatest glory of the age of Froissart. Not only did it seek to explore 
unknown seas, and discover new kingdoms, but incited students to 
pursue every department of literature and science. It was this which 
revived law, and medicine, and experimental philosophy. It sent 
scholars over every country of Europe to ransack libraries, and col. 
lect manuscripts, and study Greek. The whole lives of Italian scho- 
lars were spent in collecting and collating manuscripts, and the re- 
covery of one was regarded almost as important as the discovery of 
a kingdom. Emanuel Chryolorus revealed to the enthusiastic crowds 
who flocked to his lecturo-room in Florence, the richness and copious- 
ness of the Greek language, as gloriously as Abelard taught his dis- 
ciples in the wilderness of Paraclete, the depths of scholastic lore, 
when he was driven from Paris for his heresy and his crime. And 
even the early poetry of the moderns breathed the very spirit of free 
inquiry. The divine comedy of Dante is thought by some of the 



most distinguished critics to be merely allegorical of hatred to papal 
usurpation and love for intellectual freedom. Petrarch was as gre»t 
an enthusiast in liberty as in love, and his alliance and sympathy 
with Rienzi are well known. During the time the Popes had retired 
to Avignon — their Babylonian captivity — the main pillars of their 
throne were assaulted with weapons which no power could ever 
resist, by the invisible power of ideas and truth. Men dared to spe. 
culatc on their assumed right to impose their dogmas. The church, 
in this age, was still strong enough to put down open rebellion, but 
it could not extinguish the spreading fires of intellectual independ- 
ence. It was the strile for this right, not the possession of it, which 
was a grand feature of the times. It was the idea that the church 
had no right to shackle the human soul in his lofty inquiries, which 
was the spiritual cause of some of the mightiest movements, if not 
of the fourteenth century, at least of the succeeding ones. It was 
like the mighty fire which was smouldering in the bosom of volca- 
noes. Thefire was there, although repressed. Had this not existed, 
the volcano would not have burst forth, and its flames ascended to 
Heaven. 

It was, however, not until the time of Luther, that the European 
mind was awakened to the noble idea that men have a right to think 
for themselves. The right of private judgment is the bequest of the 
Reformation, and to all coming time. That right may be disputed 
by some romantic lovers of the dark ages, and of papal superstition, 
but it can never be put down. It is an idea, not only congenial to 
the wants of an improving age, but the very genius of the German 
race. 

It is astonishing what a stride Europe made in civilization so soon 
as the idea was agitated of the right of free inquiry, or rather as soon 
as it was established, which was not until the Reformation. Then 
new ideas, equally important, flashed upon the popular mind. The 
people, feeling that they had a right to thmk for themselves, soon felt 
that they had a right to rule themselves. This idea was at the basis 
of Puritan movements in England. The idea has never yet been 
realized as perfectly as the friends of freedom have desired. But it 
has prompted to the noblest struggles ever made by man. It has 
inspired the people with loftiness of ambition, and with the hope of 
a glorious destiny. Nor can it ever be relinquished, especially in a 
country like this, so long as Saxon blood flows in our veins ; so long 
as such heroes as Cromwell and Washington are remembered, and 
so long as the spiritual in man shall be more honored than the clay. 

It would be uncalled for in an essay like this, to show how the 
spirit of inquiry, in the exciting age of Froissart was directed to ev- 
erything which can interest the human mind, or how this spirit, dis- 
couraged and opposed in his day, by a church ever hostile to it, was 
triumphant in succeeding centuries. 

It is the object of the writer of this essay merely to hint to the two 
grand spiritual agencies which were in existence during the brilliant 
epoch to which the Chronicles of Froissart refer — the one applied to 
material life, the other to the intellectual. Other agencies might be 
mentioned, but those alluded to are sufficient to give the fourteenth 
century an unusual attraction. It was the forming period of modern 
civilization ; and a new civilization was established, after one thou- 
sand years of suffering and disaster, on the ruins of the old, estab- 
lished by the beautiful union of native genius with the treasures of 
the old classic world which had escaped the wreck. 

Tliis new formation, after a lapse of so many years of prepara- 
tion — this second grand epoch in European history — teaches one 
great truth. The new structure which arose from the old Gothic 
edifice shows that there is a Providence, and there is a progress. 
Progress is the central truth which all history reveals ; not that all 
generations are better than that which immediately preceded them, 
but that society, on the whole, through a superintending power, is 
advancing, and will continue to advance until the consummation of 
human happiness. He who cannot see this sublime truth, amid the 
revolutions and sorrows which have been sent upon mankind, has 
no eye to the only thing that can cheer us amid the ruin of private 
hopes, and the wreck of immediate interests. Progress is seen in 
those systems of fraud and tyranny which succeeded the dissolution 
of the Roman world. The epoch of misfortunes passed, and was 
succeodcd by eight hundred years' repose. Those sluggish times, 
disgraced by ignorance, superstition and imposture, were succeeded 
by a glorious awakening and uprising of disenthralled humanity in 
the fourteenth century. For five centuries, the European nations have 
been reaping the fruit of those ideas which were then advanced. 
There is now need of new combinations and reforms. Who shall 
say that Christendom is net now passing through a new transforma- 
tion ? 



CONTENTS. 



CBAF. ^J^Ot. 

Original Introduction •••••• 

Life of the Author 1 

Essay on his Works 6 

Criticism on tlie History of Froissart 9 

1. Of the bravest knights of this present book 14 

2. or some of the predecessoi-s of king Edward of 

England — 15 

3. Of the relations of kins Edward the third 15 

4. The occasion of iJie wars between the kings of 

England and France 15 

5. How earl Thomas of Lancaster and twenty-two 

of the greatest nobles in England, were beheaded.15 

6. The queen of England goes to complain of sir 

Hugh Spencer to her brother the king of France. .15 

7. Sir Hugh Spencer causes the queen Isabella to be 

sent out of France 16 

8. The queen Isabella leaves France and goes to 

Germany 16 

9. Q,ueen Isabella anives in England with sir Jolm 

de Hainault 17 

10. The queen of England besieges her husband in 

the city of Bristol 17 

11. Sir HuKh Spencer Uie elder, and the earl of Arun- 

del, are adjudged to death 18 

13. The king of England and sir H. Spencer are taken 
at sea, as they were endeavoring to escape from 
Bristol castle 18 

13. Sir Hugh Spencer Judged and executed 19 

14. The coronation of king Edward HI 19 

15. Robert Bruce, king of Scotland, defies king Ed- 

ward 19 

16. A dissension between the archers of England and 

the Hainaulters 30 

17. Of the manners of the Scots, and how tliey carry 

on war 20 

18. King Edward's first expedition against the Scots. ..21 

19. King Edward marries the lady Philippa of Hain- 

ault 23 

SO. Robert, king of Scotland, dies 24 

£1. Philip of Valoii crowned king of France 25 

23. The battle of Cassel in Flanders 25 

SS. The earl of Kent and sir Roger Mortimer put to 

death 25 

S4. King Edward pays homage to the king of France 

for the duciiy of Guienne 26 

95. Robert, count d'Arlots, banished France 27 

26. King Edward lakes the city of Berwick 27 

27. King Philip of France and several other knights 

put on the cross 29 

^. King Edward is advised by his council to make 
wf-r against king Philip of France 29 

29. Jacob Von Arlaveld governs ali Flanders 30 

30. Certain nobles of Flanders defend the island of 

Cadsant against the English 31 

31. The battle of Cadsant, between the English and 

the Flemings attached to the earl of Flanders. . . .31 
39. King Edward makes great alliances in the empire. 31 

33. Oavid, king of .Scotland, forms an alliance with 

Philip, king of France 32 

34. King Edward of England made vicar of the em- 

pire of Germany 32 

35. King Edward and his allies send cliallenges to the 

king of France ^ 

36. Sir Walter Manny, after tlie challenges had been 

sent, makes the first incursion into France 33 

37. The French, after the challenges, invade England. 33 

38. King Edward besieges tlie city of Cambray 34 

39. King Edwfird creates sir Henry of Flanders a 

knight, and afterwards marches into Picardy 34 

40. The kings of France and England appoint a day 

for their armies to engage 35 

41. The kuigs of France and England draw up their 

armies in battle array at Vironfusse 36 1 

42. The two kings retire from Vironfosse without 

giving battle 36 

43. King Edward assumes the arms and title of king 

of France 36 

44. The French destroy the territories of sir John of 

Hainault j 37 

45. The earl of Hainault takes and destroys Auben- 

ton. in Tierachc 38 

46. Those of Tournay make an incursion into Flan- 

ders 33 

47. John, duke of Normandy, marches into Hainault. .39 

48. The gaiTison of Douay makes an incursion into 

Ostrevant, during the absence of the earl of 

Hainault in England and in Germany 41 

4?. The duke of Normandy lays siege to Thin 
L'Eveque 41 

50. The naval engagement between the king of Eng- 

land and the French, before Sluys 42 

51. Robert, king of Sicily, endeavors to make peace 

between the kings of France and England 43 

53. The king of England and Ids allies hold a confer- 
ence at Vilvorde 43 

63. The king of England besieges the city of Tour- 
nay with a powerful army 43 

54. The earl ofllainault destroys the towns of Seclm 

andOrcliies 44 

j5. The Scots recover great part of their country 
during the siege of Tournay |....,,44 



CHAP. PA.GE. 

56. The king of France assembles a large army in 
order to raise the siege of Tournay 45 

S!. Some of the garrison of Bouchain defeat a body 
of soldiers from Mortatiue before the town of 
Conde 45 

58. Sir William de Bailleul and sir Vauflarts de la 

Croiz, make an excursion to Pont-k-Tressin 45 

59. The earl of Hainault attacks the fortress of Mor- 

taque in various manners 46 

60. Theeari of Hainault takes the town of St.Ar-js-. 

mand, during the siege of Tournay 46 

61. Sir Charles de Montmorency, and many others of 

the French, captured at Pont-a.-Tressin 47 

63. The Flemings advance at St. Omer during the 

siege of Tournay 47 

68. The siege of Tournay raised by means of a truce.. 48 
61. The duke of Brittany dies without heirs; upon 

which a war ensues for the succession 48 

65. The earl of Montfort takes the town and castle 

of Brest 49 

■d6. The eari o*'Montfort takes the city of Rennes 50 

67. The earl of Montfort takes the town and castle of 

Hennebon 50 

68. The earl of Montfort does homage to the king of 

England for the dukedom of Brittany 51 

69. Theeari of iSlontfort summoned before the parlia- _ 

ment of Paris, at the request of the lord Charles 
de Blois 51 

70. The duchy of Brittany adjudged by the parlia- 

ment of Paris to the lord Charles de Blois 51 

71. The lords of France enter Brittany with lord 

Charles de Blois 53 

72. The earl of Montfort taken prisoner at Nantes, 

- and the manner of his death 52 

73. The kingof England for the third time makes war 

upon the Scots 53 

74. King David of Scotland advances with a large 

army to Newcastle-upon-Tyne 53 

75. King David of Scotland takes and destroys the 

city of Durham &1 

76. The king of Scotland besieges Wark Castle, be- 

longing to the earl of Salisbury 54 

77. The king of England is enamored with the count- 

ess of Salisbury 55 

78.^he eorls of SaUsbury and Moray are set at lib- 
erty in exchange for each other - 56 

79. Lord Charles de Rh>''^ «'it»» ^ome other lords of 

Frnncw take tiie city of Rennes 56 

80. The lord Charles de Blois besieges the countess 

of IMontfort in Hennebon 56 

81. Sir Walter Manny conducts the English into 

Brittany 57 

82. The castle of Conquet twice taken 67 

83. The lord Lewis takes the towns of Dinant and 

Guerrande 53 

84. Sir Walter &lanny defeats the lord Lewis of 

Spain, at Q,uimperle 58 

K. Sir Walter Manny takes the castle of Guy la 

Foret 50 

56. The lord Charles de Blois takes the town of Car- 

haix 59 

87. Sir John Boteler and sir Matthew Trelawney are 

rescued from death 59 

S8. Lord Charles de Blois takes tlie town and castle 

of Jugon 60 

89. The king of Eaglajid makes great feasts and tour- 

naments at London, through affection for the 
• countess of Salisbury 60 

90. The king of England sends the lord Robert d'Ar- 
tois into Brittany 61 

91. A sea engagement, off Guernsey, between the 

lord Robert d'Artois and the lord Lewis of Spain. 61 

92. The lord Robert d'Artois takes the city of Vannei.62 

93. The death of the lord Robert d'Artois 62 

94. The king of England continues tlie war in persen 

in Brittany 63 

95. The lord of Clisson and sir Herve de Leon are 

taken prisoners by the English 63 

96. The king of England takes the town of Dinant. 

The lord Lewis of Spain makes some cruises at 
sea "3 

97. The duke of Normandy brings with him some 

lords of France, to oppose the king of England 
in Brittany 64 

98. The king of England and the duke of Normandy 

encamp their armies opposite to each other, near 
to Vannes 64 

99. The king of France orders tlie lord of Clisson, 

and many other lords of Brittany and Nor- 
mandy, to be beheaded 64 

100. King Edward institutes the order of St. George 

at Windsor 64 

101. The king of England sets at liberty sir Herve de 

Leon , 65 

102. The king of England sends the earl of Derby to 

make war in Gascony. 65 

103. The eari of Derby conquers Bergerac .66 

104. The earl of Derby conquers many towns and 

fortresses in Upper Gascony 66 

105. The earl of Oxfbrd ii taken prisoner in Gascony, 

but set at liberty bj- exchange 87 

106. The count de Lisle, lieutenant for the king of 



CHAP. not 

France in Gascons^, la7s siege to the castle of 
Auberoche CT 

107. The earl of Derby makes the count of Lisle, and 

nine more counts and viscounts, prisoners, be- 
fore Auberoche. . 68 

108. The eari of Derby takes different towns in Gas- 

cony. in his road toward La Reole 69 

109. Theeari of Derby lays siege to La Roche, which 

surrenders to him 69 

110. Sir Waher Manny finds, in La Reole. the sepul- 

chre of his father 70 

111. The earl of Derby conquers the castle of La ReoIe.Tl 

112. Theeari of Derby takes castle Moron, and after- 

wards Villefranche, in Perigord 71 

113. The earl of Derby conquers the city of Aogou- 

leme 71 

114. Sir Godfrey de Harcourt banished from France. . . .78 

115. Jacob Von Artaveld is murdered at Ghent ,78 

116. William earl of Hainault is slain in Friezland, 

and many noblemen with him ,73 

U7. Sir John of Hainault quits the alliance of Elng- 

!and for that of France 7J 

118. The duke of Normandy marches with a great 

army into Gascony, against the earl of Derby 7J 

119. Sir John Norwich escapes from Angoulerae, 

when that town surrenders to the French 74 

120. The duke of Normandy lays siege to Aiguillon, 

with a hundred tliousand men ...74 

121. The king of England marches into Normand/ 

with his army, in three battaUons 7S 

122. The king of France collects a large force to op- 

pose the king of England 75 

128. The battle of Caen. The English take the town. ,77 

124. The English commit great disorders in Norman- 

dy. SirGodfreydeHarcourtencountersthemeo - - 
of Amiens, on their way to Paris, and king Ed- 
ward marches into Picardy 7B 

125. The king of France pursues the king of England 

in the country of Beauvais ..73 

126. The battle of Blanchetaque, between the king of 

England and sir Godemar du Fay 73 

127. The order of battle of the English at Crecy, who 

were drawn up in three battalions on foot .89 

128. The order of the French army at Crecy 80 

129. Tlie battle of Crecy, between the kings of France 

and of England .81 

130. The English, on the morrow, again defeat the 

French 82 

131. The English number the dead slain at the battle 

of Crecy 8} 

132. The king of England lays siege to Calais. The 

poorer sort of the inhabitants are sent out of it. . . .8S 

133. The duke of Normandy raises the siege of Aguil-. -"^ 

Ion „ , .. ^ 88 

134. Sir William Manny, by means of a passport, rides 

tiirough France i^om Aiguillon to Calais 83 

1^. The earl of Derby takes many towns and castles 

in Poitou, and the city of Poitiers 81 

136. The king of Scotland, during the siege of Calais, 

invades England 84 

137. The battle of Nevii's Cross 85 

138. John Copeland takes the king of Scotland pris- 

oner, and receives great advantages from it 8T 

139. The young earl of Flanders is betrothed, through 

the constraint of the Flemings, to the daughter 
of the king of England. He escapes to France 
in a subtle manner 87 

140. The lord Robert de Namur does homage to the 

king of England before Calais 88 

141. The English conquer La Roche-d*Errien, to 

which place the lord Charles de Blois lays siege... 88 

142. The combat of La Roche- d'Errien, where the 

lord Charles de Blois is made prisoner.... 83 

143. The king of France collects a. great army, to 

raise the siege of Calais 89 

144. The king of England guards all the passes round 

Calais, so that the king of France cannot ap- 
proach to raise the siege 90 

145. The town of Calais surrenders to the king of Eng- 

land 90 

146. The king of England re-peoples Calais 91 

147. A robber of the name of Bacon does much mis- 

chief in Languedoc 93 

148. A page, of the nameofCroquart, turns robber.... 93 

149. Sir Amery de Pavie plots with sir Geoffry de 

Chargiiy.to sell the town of Calais 93 

150. The battle of Calais, between the king of Eng- 

land, under the banner of sir Walter Manny, 
with sir Geoffry deChargny and the French 93 

151. The king of England presents a chaplet of pearls 

to sir Eustace de Ribeaumont 94 

Additions from two MSS. in the Hafod Library, 
not in any of the printed copies ..W 

152. The death of king Philip, and coronation of his 

son John >9S 

153. The king of Navarre causes the lord Charles of 

Spain, constable of France, to be murdered: 
w ith other matters 97 

154. The tax of the gabelle imposed throughout 

France, by the three estates, on account of the 

war W 

lo5.^The kins of France arrests the '^^"S of Navarre. 



vni 



CONTENTS. 



CaiJ- TASB. 

and orders the carl of Haicourt and otJiers to be 
beheaded at Rouen ^ 

166. The king of France issues out summons for as- 
sembling an army to combat the prince ofWales, 
who was overrunning the province of Berry 100 

1B7. The prince of Wales takes the castle Romorantiii.lOl 

158. The king of France leads a great army to the bat- 
tle of Poitiers 101 

359. The disposition of the French before tlie battle of 

Poitiei-s 102 

260. The cardinal de Perigord endeavors to make 
peace between the king of France and the 
prince of Wales, previous to the battle of 
Poitiers 103 

161. The battle of Poitiers, between the prince of 

Wales and the king of France 103 

162. Two Frenchmen, running away from the battle 

of Poitiers, are pursued by two Englishmen, 
who are themselves made prisoners 105 

163- The manner in wliich king John was taken pris- 
oner at tlie battle of Poitiers 105 

364. The prince of Wales makes a handsome present 
to the lord Jameb Audley, after ihe battle of 
Poitiers 106 

165. The Englisli gaiu very considerably at the battle 

of Poitiers 106 

166. The lord James Audley gives to his squires the 

pension of five hundred marcs he had received 
from Uie prince 107 

167. The prince of ^V'ales entertains the king of 

■' France at supper, the evening after the battle... 107 

168. The prince of Wales returns to Bordeaux, after 

the battle of Poitiers 108 

169. The three estates of France assemble at Paris, 

after Uie battle of Poitiers 108 

170. The three estates send men-at-arms against sir 

Godfrey de Harcourt 109 

371. The battle of Coutantin, between sir Godfrey de 

Harcourt and sir Raoul de Reyneval 109 

372. The prince of Wales conducts the king of France 

from Bordeaux to England 110 

173. Pavid Bruce, king of Scotland, obtains his lib- 

erty 110 

174. Theduke of Lancaster lays siege to Rennes Ill 

176. A knight of tlie county of Evreux, called sir 

William de Graviile, reconquers tlie city and 
castle of Evreux from tlie king of France, who 
had taken it from the king of Navarre Ill 

176. The Archpriest assembles a company of meu-at- 

r arms. He is mucti honored at Avignon Ill 

177. A Welclunan, of the name of RufBn, commands 

a troop of free companies 113 

178. The provost of tlie merchants of Paris kills three 

knights in the apartment of the regent 112 

iJ9. By what means the king of Navarre escapes out 

of prison 112 

180. The king of Navarro makes a solemn harangue 

to the Parisians 112 

381. The commencement of the infamous Jacquerie of 

Beauvoisis 112 

183. The kiiig of Navarre defeats many of the villains 
in Beauvoisis. The provost of merchants builds 
a wall round Pari? .113 

1B4. The battle of RIeaux in Brie, where tlje villains 
are discomfited by the earl of FoLx and the cap- 
tal of Buch 113 

185. Paris besieged by tlie duke of Normandy, regent 

of France 114 

386. Some Parisians are slain at St. Cloud, by the Eng- 
lish, who had been soldiers in Paris 114 

167. The death of the provost ofthe merchants of Paris. 115 

JS8. The king of Navarre declares war against France, 
the French king being at tlie time a prisoner in 
England 116 

JS&. The Navarrois are besieged in the castle of Mau- 

conseil by the menof Picardy 116 

190. Several ofthe citizens of Amiens attPuipt lo give 
up that city to the Navarrois. A famine in 
France 117 

Ifil. The menof Picardy besiege the Navarrois in St. 
Valery. The kingdom of France is filled with 
Navarrois 117 

192. The canon de Rohesart defeats" tlio Navarrois in 

the Laonnois, near to Creil 118 

193. The Navarrois surrender St. Valery to the 

French, wlio had besieged it a long time 118 

194. The lord Philip de Navane assembles three thou- 

sand men to raise the siege of St. Valery 118 

195. Sir Peter Audley leads a party of Navarrois. in 

the night, to take Chalons Il9 

396. The earl de Roucy taken a second time 120 

197. Three queens, with Uie Navarrois, are besieged 

in ftlelun 120 

398. Sir Broquart de Fenestrages. with many French, 

draw up in battle array against t^ir Eustace d'- 

Amhretiroiirt and the English in Chanipngne.. .120 

199. The battle of Nugent-snr-Seine, between sir Bro- 

quart de Fenestrages and the French, and sir 
Eustace d'Ambreticourt and the English 121 

200. The pillagers, who had kept possession of different 

fortresses in France, begin wonderfully to fall off.131 
301. The French refuse to ratify the treaty which king 

John had entered into with England 122 

303. Sir Eustace d'Ambreticourt obtains his liberty by 

a great ransom 122 

203. Sir Brcquart de Fenestrates forces payment from 

the duke of Normandy, regent of France 122 

304. Sir Robert Knolles makes an excursion into Berry 

and Auvergne. Jle is pursued by the gentlemen 
of those countries 122 



CHAP. PAGB. 

303. SomeGermanswait for the king ofEngland at Ca- 
lais, to attend him in his expedition into France, 
during the time king John was in England 123 

206. The king of England leads a great army into 

France, during the time the king of France was 
a prisoner in England. The anangement ofthe 
army of England 123 

207. The king of England leaves Calais. The order 

of his army in their march througli Picardy to- 
ward Rheims 124 

208. The king of England lays aioeo to the cily of 

Rheims, and to the castle of Chargny. The war 
recommences between the duke of Normandy 
and the king of Navarre. ... 125 

209. The lord of Roye and his company defeat the re- 

mainder of the troops of the lord of Gomegines. 
The castle of Commercy surrenders to tlie Eng- 
lish 127 

210. ThekiiigofEngland, after he had raised the siege 

of Rheims, wastes and destroys all the countries 
he passes through. He comes to Guillon, where 
he remains. Great quantities of provisions fol- 
low the army 128 

211. The king of England lays tliekingdom of France 

under great tribulation. A Cordelier friar pro- 
phecies. The English place an ambuscade for 
those wlio should come out of Paris 129 

212. The form and tenor of the paper drawn up as ar- 

ticles of the peace which was concluded before 
Chartres, between the kings of France and 
England 130 

213. The transactions of the two kings of France and 

England, when at Calais, respecting tlie duchy 
of Brittany and some lands ofthe late Godfrey 
de Harcourt. King John set^ out from Calais 
and returns home in freedom 133 

214. Commissioners appointed on botli sides to see the 

garrisons in the kingdom of France evacuated. 
Different bodies of armed men overrun tlieking- 
dom, and do much mischief. 134 

215. The lord James de Bourbon and his army are de- 

feated by these freebooting companies. The 
pope orders a crusade to he proclaimed, after 
they have taken the Pont du St. Esprit, and finds 
means to get rid of them 135 

216. The deaths of the dukes of Lancaster and Bur- 

gundy, which last causes new dissensions be- 
tween the kings of France and Navarre. The 
prince of Wales crosses tlieseato Aquitaine 137 

217. The kings of France and of Cyprus undertake and 

swear to perform a crusade against the infidels. 
The king of Cyprus makes earnest solicitations 
for assistance to many kings and princes in di- 
vers places oi ciii LitRiidoni 138 

218. The king of England detains the hoaia^es as pri- 

soners. The king of Cyprus uses great entreaties 
with the kings of Navarre and England, and 
the prince of Wales, to induce them to under- 
take this croisade against the Saracens 139 

219. King John returns, of his own free will, to Eng- 

land, and dies there 140 

220. King Charles of France makes wise preparations 

against the king of Navarre, immediately after 
the death of John his father, and before his coro- 
nation 141 

221 The king of Cyprus returns to Paris. The funeral 
of king John at St. Denis. The captal de Buch 
makes nn attack on sir Bcitrand du Guesclin 143 

222. The battle between the French under sir Bertrand 

du Guesclin, and the Navarrois under the captal 
de Buch, at Cocherel in Normandy. Tlte captal 
is made prisoner, and victory declares for the 
French 144 

223. Charles v., sumamed the Wise, is crowned king 

of France. His brother Philip is invested witli 
the duchy of Burgundy, and sent against the 
free companies of pillagers 146 

224. The lord Lewis of Navarre makes incursions into 

France. The duke of Burgundy plans several 
expeditions against him, Imt is forced to go into 
Burgundy, to defend it against the eari de Mount- 
beliart .147 

225. King Charles orders the duke of Burgundy to be- 

siege La Charit6. He wants it to surrender un- 
conditionally, that he may send assistance to 
lord Charles de Blois, who is contesting the 
duchy of Brittany with the earl of Montfort 148 

22C. The lord Charles dc Blois advances against the 
earl of Montfort in order of battle. Sir John 
Chandos, after having drawn up the battalions 
of the earl of Montfort, prevents the treaty from 
taking place whicli the lord de Beaumanoir was 
negotiating between tlie two pretenders to tlie 
duchy of Brittany 149 

227. The battle of Auray, in which sir Bertrand du 
Guesclin is made prisoner, Chas. de Blois is slain, 
and John de Montfort is victorious 150 

2'2S. Tlie chiefs attached to the earl of Montfort retire 
after the victory at Auray. The earl's conduct 
on seeing Charles de Blois dead. Truces granted 
for burying the sin in. In what manner the kuig 
of England was informed ofthe event of this 
battle of Auray 151 

229. The earl of Montfort conquers Auray and several 
other places from the widow of lord Charles de 
Blois. King Charles interposes between them 
and makes peace. A peace is also made between 
the kings of France and Navarre, through the 
medium ofthe captal de Buch 152 

'ZiO A war in Spain between the king, Don Pedro, of 



CHAP. PAe«. 

Castille. and his bastard brother Henry, to whose 
aid the lord Johnde Bourbon and sir Bertrand du 
Guesclin lead their pUlaging companies. Henry, 
by tlieir means. Is crowned king of Ci.stille 153 

231. King Don Pedro sends to entreat the prince of 

Wales' assistance against his brother Henry the 
Bastard. He retires into Guienne, where he is 
well received by the prince 155 

232. The prmce of Wales holds a grand conference at 

Bordeaux on the afftfirs of the king of Castille. , 
He receives letters from the king of England to 
assent to the proposals of agisting Don Pedro. 
He makes overtures to the king of Navane, for 
a free passage through his kingdom, to enable 
him to conduct Don Pedro back to CastUle 156 

233. The prince of Wales makes preparations for re- 

placing Don Pedro on his throne of Castille. 
Henry the Bastard, though late informed of it, 
endeavors to prevent it 1?7 

234. The viscount of Narbonne, the seneschal of Tou- 

louse, with other French lords, having attacked 
some ofthe free companies, that were come into 
France according to theorders ofthe prince, are 
discomfited near Montauban. The pope forbids 
the prisoners whom the companies liad taken, 
and set free on their parole after the combat, to 
keep their faitli, or to pay any ransom 158 

235. During the time tlie prince of Wales is preparing 

for his expedition into Castille, the king of Ma- 
jorca seeks refuge with liim against the king of 
Arragon. The prince displeases the lord d'Albret.l59 

336. The birth of Richard, son ofthe prince of Wales. 
The arrival ofthe duke of Lancaster to accom- 
pany his brother on his intended expedition. 
New treaties with the king of Navarre, for the 
security of passing through hi? kingdom. Sic 
Bertrand du Guesclin returns to the assistance 
of king Henry 160 

237. The prince of Wales and his army pass the 
mountains of Navarre, and arrive at Pampe- 
luna. King Henry of Castille writes letters to 
him. Sir William Felton commands an ad- 
vanced party of tlie army 161 

338. The king of Navarre is made prisoner by sir Oh- 
vier de Mauny, a Breton and partisan of king 
Henry. TJie prince of Wales advances to Sal- 
vatierra in Spain. Sir William Felton skirm- 
ishes with tlic enemy, near the quarters of the 
king of Spain. The two armies advance toward 
each other 163 

239. The arrival of sir Bertrand du Guesclin to the aid 

of king Henry. Don Tello attacks the advanced 
guard of the prince of Wales, defeats sir Wil- 
ham Felton and his body of men 164 

240. Sir Arnold d'Andreghen gives good advice to 

king Henry of Castille. The prince of Wales 
sends a tardy answer to the king's letter 164 

241. The battle of Navaretta, which the prince of 

Wales, supporting the part of king Don Pedro 
against his brother the bastard, gains. Sir Ber- 
trand du Guesclin is made prisoner, and king 
Henry fjrced to fly, after having fought moat 
valiantly 165 

242. All Castille, after the battle of Navaretta, ac- 

knowledge Don Pedro. He protracts the stay 
of the prince of Wales at Valladohd, while he 
seeks for money to pay the army 168 

243. King Henry of Castille, having escaped from the 

battle of Najnrra. makes ^var upon Aquitaine. 
I'he prince of Wales leaves Spain discontented 

with tlie king Don Pedro 163 

344. After the return ofthe prince to Aquitaine, Henry 
king of Castille leaves Bagnieies in Bigorre, and 
retires to the kingdom of Arragon. Sir Bertrand 
du Guesclin obtains his ransom. The free com- 
panies of the prince enter the kingdom of 
France. Some of tlie great barons of Aqui- 
taine complain to king Cliaries of France of a 
certain tax, called Fouage, which the prince 
was about to lay on their lands 170 

245. The bastard Henry of Castille, by the assistance 

of the king of Arragon and sir Bertrand du 
Guesclin, again makes war upon his brother 
Don Pedro. Having defeated him in a battle, 
he is made prisoner, and murdered. Henry re- 
mains king of Spain 172 

246. King Charles V. is advised to declare himself lord 

paramount of Guienne and Aquitaine, on ac- 
count ofthe hearth fax which the prince of Wales 
was about to raise. This causes a renewal of 
the war between tlie French and English 174 

247. The king of France sends a summons to the 

prince of Wales, to appear in the chamber of 
peers at Paris, in the matter of an appeal from 
the barons of Gascony 176 

248. The prince of Wales imprisons the commission- 

ers from the king of France, who had brought 
him the summons of appeal from the lords of 
Gascony to the court of Fiance 176 

249. The duke of Berry and several mare lords who 

had been hostages in England, return to France, 177 

250. The earl of Perigord, the viscount of Carmaing, 

and other barons of Gascony, defeat the high 
steward of Rouergue 177 

251. The king of France gains over several captains of 

the fi-ee companies. He sends his defiance to 
the king of England 178 

252. Challenges from France are delivered to tlie king 

of England. The eari de Saint Pol and the lord 
deChalillon conquer the county of Ponlhieu.,- 178 



CONTENTS. 



rBAP. PAGE- 

363. The hing of Engla.iid sends a large body of men- 
it-arms to the bordei^ of Scotland. The dukes 
of Berry and Aiyou issue their orders for Iheii 
■vassals to attack the prince of W a!e« 179 

S35j. [Several captains of companies side with different 
parties. The king of England sends the earl of 
Cambridge and llie earl of Pembroke to the as- 
sistance of his son the prince of Wales. They 
paes through Brittany 179 

2Sq. The earls of Cambridge and of Pembroke arrive 
at Angouleme. The prince sends them to over- 
run the country of Perigord. Some English are 
defeated near Lusignan 180 

!B6. Sir Jolin Chandos tabes Terrieres. The earl of 
Perigord and many other knights lay siege to 
Realviile in Quercy 180 

357. The arclibishop of Toulouse turns the city of 
Cahors and several other towns to the party of 
the king of France. The dukes of Gueldres and 
of Juliers send defiances to tlie king of France. . .181 

2£B. The duke of Burgundy, brother to king Charles 
v., marries the daughter of the earl of Flanders. 
The king of Eiiglaiid enters into negotiations 
witli tlie king of Navarre 182 

259. The constables of France and of Hainault under- 
take a grand expedition to attack Ardres. The 
fortress of Realviile is taken, and all ilie English 
who were in it put to the sword 183 

360. The French lake La Roche Posay. The sene- 
schal of Poitou burns and destroys the lands of 
the lord de Chauvigny, and takes by assault his 
principal town of Brux 183 

S6I. Sir Robert Knolles is appointed captain of the 
prince's company. He causes sir Perducas d'Al- 
bret t-s turn to the English. He besieges the 
French companies in the furt of Purmcl 183 

368. Sir Robert Knolles and sir John Chandos raise 

the siege of Durmel. They lay siege to the cas- 
tle of Domme 184 

363. Sir Robert Knolles and sir John Chandos march 
from Domme without doing anything. They 
lake Gavaches, Rochemador, and several other 
towns which had turned to the party of the 
French 184 

3^. The earls of Cambridge and of Pembroke con- 
quer the garrison of Bourdeilles 185 

SiM. Sir Robert Knolles, sir John Chandos, and sir 
Thomas Felton, marshal their men, and return 
to the prince of Wales 185 

366. The free companies attached to the English lake 
tiie castle of Belleperche, and the mother of the 
duke of Bourbon who was in it. They also 
take the strong castle of St. Sauveurin Berry 186 

267. The king of France, intending to send a large 

naval armament to the English coast, is pre- 
vented by the arrival of the duke of Lancaster 
at Calais 186 

268. The castle of La Roche Sur Yon surrenders to 

the English. The governor of it put to death, 
by orders from the duke of Anjou 186 

369. The duke of Burgundy marches from the city of 

Rouen, with the intention of coiijbnting tlie 
duke of Lancaster and the English. The two 
armies are encamped opposite to each other at 

Tourneheim 187 

TiQ. Sir John Chandos does great mischief to the pro- 
vince of Anjou. He despoils the estates of the 
viscount de Roche-Chouart. except the fortresses 
and strongholds 187 

271. The lord Louis de Sancerre surprises tlie earl of 

Pembroke. Several of his men are slain, and 
the earl is besieged in a house at Puirenon 188 

272. Sir John Chandos comes to the assistance of the 

earl of Pembroke, besieged in Puirenon 189 

273. The death of queen Philippa of England i she 

makes three requests to the king on her death- 
bed. Some Frenclimen, iiaving attacked the 
English camp at Tourneheim, are repulsed by 

sir Kobeit de Xamur 1^ 

274- The duke of Burgundy and his anny decamp 
without a battle. The duke of Lancaster re- 
turns to Calais 190 

275. The earl of Pembroke, desirous of avenging liim- 

self for the defeat he received at Puirenon, 
makes an incursion to Anjou. The Abbey of 
St. Salvia in Poitou is betrayed to the French 
and forfeited 191 

276. The county of St. Pol in Picardy is pillaged and 

ruined by the English. Sir Hugh de Chastillon 
is taken prisoner 191 

2/8. Sir John Chandos is slain in a skirmish. The 
FrencI), at first victorious, are in tlie end de- 
feated 192 

279. The lord de Coucy and the lord de Poinmiers are 
unwilling to take part with either side in this 
war. The lords de Maleval and de Maraeil turn 
to the French 194 

3B0. The form of the letter which the English king sent 
into Aquitaine. Chatelherant is taken by the 
French, and Belleperche is besieged 194 

2Si. The earls of Cambridse and Pembroke cany off 
the mother of the duke of Bourbon with the 
ganison of Belleperche. The duke of Bourbon 
takes possession of that castle 195 

9SS. The four brothers of France have a meeting. 
Their preparations for tlie war. The mother of 
the duke of Bourhon obtains her liberty. A 
treaty entered into hetweeu the kings of France 
and Navarre 196 

S88- SirBertranddu Guesclin leaves Spain and arrives 



CHAP. PAOt:. 

at Toulouse, where the duke of Anjou receives 
him with great joy. They take together several 
castles from the English..... 197 

284. The duke of Berry invades Limousin 197 

285. Atruce is established between England and Scot- 

land. Sir Robert Knolles overruns, bums and 
ravages the whole countries of Picardy and Ver- 
mandois ..~. 158 

286. The garrison of Noyon make the English prison- 

ers who had set fire to Pont L'Eveque. The 
king of France sends for sir Bertrand du Guesc- 
lin 198 

2S7. The prince of Wales assembles his army at Cog- 
nac, where he meets his brother the duke of 
Lancaster. The dukes of Anjou and Berry 
break up their expedition, Limoges having 
turned to the French 199 

288. The prince of Wales, anxious to recover Limo- 

ges, lays siege to it, and undermines it 199 

289. Sir Robert Knolles, in continuing his incursions 

through different provinces of France, advances 
near to Paris. A knight of his anny, in return- 
ing from a vain-glorious expedition, is slain by a 
butcher of Paris 20O 

290. Sir Bertrand du Gueschn takes tlie fortress of St. 

Vvrier in Limousin. The prince of Wales re- 
conquers Limoges 330 

291. Sir Bertrand du Guesclin is made constable of 

France 201 

293. Sir Bertrand du Guesclin and the lord de Clissou 
defeat Uie forces of sir Robert Knolles at Pont- 
Valin 203 

293. Sir Eustace d'Ambreticourt is made prisoner and 

ransomed. Sir Raymond de Marneih a partisan 
of France, is taken, and in imminent danger, 
but saved by his keeper 202 

294. The prince of Wales, having lost by death iiis 

eldest son, gives up the duchy of Aquitaine to 
the careofthedukeof Lancaster. Fourkoights 
of Brittany take the castle of Mont-Paon 203 

295. The four kniglits defend themselves against the 

duke of Lancaster. Tlie duke, on takuig the 
place, admits them to ransom 203 

296. The duke of Lancaster disbands his army, and 

returns to Bordeaux. The lord dePons turns to 
the French party 204 

297. The English take the castle of Montcontour 204 

298. Sir Bertrand du Guesclin, constable of France, 

besieges the town of Uses, which surrenders to 
him upon capitulation 205 

299. The king of England's anger ngainst sir Robert 

Knolles is appeased. Peace is made between tlie 
English and Flemings 205 

300. Tlie king of Majorca is ransomed from king Henry 
of Spain. lie makes war on the king of Arra- 
gon 206 

301. The duke of Lancaster espouses the eldest daugh- 
ter of the late Don Pedro, king of Spain. Treat- 
ies of alliance are entered into between the kings 
of France and Spain 206 

302. The duke of Lancaster appoints governors in 

Guienne: he returns to England, and carries 
his lady willi him. Sir Walter Manny dies in 
London 206 

303. The king of England appoints tiie earl of Pem- 

broke governor of Aquitaine. The Spaniards, 
being allies of France, attack him atsca. off La 
Rochelle 207 

304. The inhabitants of La Rochelle refuse to assist 

the earl of Pembroke. The seneschal and the 
lord de Tannaybouton, with others, come to his 
aid 208 

305. Tlie earl of Pembroke is defeated, and made pris- 

oner by the Spaniards. Tliey sail from La 
Rochelle with their prisoners. The captal de 
Buch arrives there, but too late 208 

306. Evan ofWalesdefeau the English off the island 

of Guernsey. The king of France sends him to 
Spam to seek for men-at-arms, to lay siege to 
La Rochelle 209 

307. The king of England is much cast down at the 

capture of the earl of Pembroke. Evan of Wales 
meets tlie earl a prisoner in Spain 209 

308. Tlie constable du Gueschn takes the castle of 

Monmorillon, and other places m Poitou 210 

309. The constable of France takes Moncontour by a 

capitulation. He marches from thence to form a 
junction with tlie duke of Berry in the Limousin, 
when they lay siege to St. Severe 210 

310. The garrison of St. Severe, after a sharp assault, 

surrender? to sir Bertrand du Guesclin. The 
city of Poitiers turns to the French party 311 

311. The Frencli make the captal de Buch prisoner. 

La Rochelle turns to the French 211 

312. Sir Bertrand du Guesclin takes several castles in 

the Rochellois. Tlie king of England embarks 
to come to the assistance of Tiiouars, but is 
prevented by contrary winds : upon which those 
of Tbouar«, and many others in Poitou, surren- 
der to the French 213 

313. The duke of Brittany dares not openly declare for 

the king of England. Sir Bertrand du Guesclui 
lays siege to Civray. The Entjlish aredefeatcd, 
and the whole of the countries of Puitou, Sain- 
tonge, and La Rochelle, are given up to the 
French ^ 214 

314- The siege of Becherel. Peace between the kings 
of France and Navarre. The death of the king 
of Scotland 315 

315. The earl of Salisbury, sir Williana Neville, sir 



CHAP. PAOl- 

Philip Co urte nay, with many other men-at-arms, 
land in Brittany. The constable of France 
marches thither ; on which the duke of Brittany 
goes to England 216 

316. The French besiege four different places. La 
Roche-Eur-Yon surrenders to the French. The 
siege of Brest is raised by a capitulation, wliich 
is not kept 217 

217. The duke of Lancaster lands at Calais, and in- 
vades Picardy. A part of his army defeated by 
the lord de Boursiers before Ribemont. Another 
part of his army is t!efeated near Soiisonb by an 
ambuscade of Burgundians and French 218 

318. The hostages sent from Derval are beheaded. Sir 

Robert Knolles retaliates on those prisones whom 
he had taken. The duke of Lancaster finishes 
his expedition 219 

319. The duke of Anjou's campaign into Upper Gas- 

cony 220 

320. The earl of Pembroke and his companions are 

ransomed. A short truce between the French 
and English. Becherel surrenders on terms. 
The death of the earl of Pembroke 230 

321. Several towns in Gascony surrender to the king of 

France. Sir Hugh de Chastillon returns from 
prison. The castle of Becherel surrenders to the 
French 230 

322. A truce agreed on at Bruges between the kings of 

France and England. The duke of Bnttany re- 
tires to his own country, and regains some of his 
towns and castles 231 

323. Some Breton lords of the French party are near 

being taken by tlie duke of Brittany, but are de- 
livered by the treaties at Bruges 222 

334. St. Sauveur Le Vicomte surrenders to the French. 
The lord de Coucy leads a large army into Aus- 
tria, which he claims as his uiheritance 222 

325. The truce between Fiance and England is pro- 
longed. The death of the Black Prince. The 
lord de Coucy returns, having had indifferent 
success 23} 

336. Richard, son to the prince of Wales, is ackow- 
ledged as presumptive heir to the crown of Eng- 
land. The negotiations for peace having failed, 
and the truces expired, the war is renewed be- 
tween the French and English 223 

327. Pope Gregory XI. leaves Avignon, and returns to 

Rome. On the 'death of Edward HI.. Richard, 
son of the late prince of Wales, is crowned king 
of England 234 

328. The king of France equips for sea a large fleet, 

which burns several towns in England 225 

329. The town of Ardres surrenders to the French. The 

deatli of the captal de Buch and ofthe queen of 
France 225 

330. The warrecommences between iheki-^gofFronce 

and the king of Navarre. The siege of Cher- 
bourg. Thedukeof Lancasterinvades Brittany. 
The castle of Auray surrenders to the French 2S 

331. The French garrison of Montbourg is defeated by 

the Eiifihih at Cherbourg 236 

voLuaiE n. 

1. The duke of Anjou undertakes an expedition 

against the Enghsh in the Bourdelois 227 

2. Sir Thomas Felton is defeated and made prisoner, 

with many uf the principal lords of Gascony, by 
a party of French at the siege of Bergerac 238 

3. Bergerac surrenders to :he duke of Anjou. The 

lords de Duras and de Rosem, after having pro- 
mised to be of the French interest, return agaiD 
to the English £B9 

4. Castillon, Sauveterre, and several other places in 

Gascony, surrender to the duke of Anjou 230 

5. The duke of Anjou takes the town and castle of 

St. iMacaire by capitulation. The town of Du- 
ras by storm, but the castle receives quarter 230 

6. The duke of Anjou returns to the duchess at Tou- 

louse, and the constable to the king of France. 
Evan of Wales lays siege to MoTtain-sur-Mer....231 

7. King Charles of France instigates the Scots to 

make war on England. The Scots take the cas- 
tle of Ber^vick 232 

8. The earl of Northumberland retaken the castle of 

Berwick 232 

9. The earls of Northumberland and Nottingham 

enter Scotland with a large army 238 

10. Sir Thomas Mu^grave and the English under his 

command are defeated by the Scots 23A 

U. The deaths of the queens of France and Navarre, 

and tlie renewal of the feuds between their two 

husbands 235 

12. The death of pope Gregory XL After the sud- 

den death of his immediate successor the cardi- 
nals are constramed to elect Urban VI. which 
causes a schism in the church of Rome 235 

13. The king of Navarre sends embassadors to France 

in hopes of regaining possession of l.is children. 
Two of his people are convicted of having at- 
tempted to poison the king of France .^fiG 

14. The king of France orders the possessions ofthe 

kiitc of Navarre to be seized, as \vell in Nor- 
mandy as m lyanguedoc. The king of Navarre 
forms an alliance with the Eaglisli. The terms 
of that alliance 33® 

15. The lords de Coucy and de la Riviere fake sflveral 

places in the county of Evreux, from (he king of 
Navarre .237 

16. The duke of .^njou retains large bodies of men 



CONTENTS. 



at-amis against the Engliali- The Spaniards 
lay siege to Bayonne 238 

17. The English, at this period, make excursions into 

various parts of the kingdom of France. The 
melancholy deatJi of Evan of Wales 238 

18. The inhabitants of Evreux surrender to the 

French. The two armies assemble before St. 
Ma^o ^ 

19. The English rai^e the si»ge of Mortuin i*) 

20. The English recover several strong caslles from 

the French in Uie Bourdelois 241 

21. The mine which the English had made at St. 

Male fails. In consequence, the siege is raised.. 341 
^. Sir Oliver du Guesclin is made prisoner by tiie 

garrison of Cherbourg 241 

33. The French garrison of Bersat is defeated. The 

town surrenders to the English. The king of 
Navarre comes to Bordeaux, to solicit aid 
from the English 213 

34. The infant of Castille besieges Pampeluna. Sir 

Thomas Trivet, in conducting succors to the 
king of Navarre, takes several places iu Gas- 
cony from the French 243 

^. Sir Thomas Trivet with the English come to the 
succor of ihe king of Navarre. The siege of 
Pampeluna is raised 243 

36. The Engbsh and Navarrois overrun the kingdom 

of Spain. Tlie events that befel them there 244 

27. Sir Thomas Trivet makes an excursion to the 
town of Alfuro in Castille. Peace concluded 
between the king^ of Spain and Navarre. The 
death of Henry king of Spain. His son John is 
crowned as his successor 244 

as. The lord de Mucident turns to the English. The 
lordde Langurant is inovfaUy wonnded. The 
governor of Bouteville is defeated, and the cas- 
tle surrenders to the French 245 

39. Sir Thomas Trivet returns to England with his 
companions. His herald relates to the duke of 
Lancaster the particulars of the deaili of king 
Henry of Castille, and the coronation of his el- 
dest son Don John 246 

30. The earl of Flanders stops the progress of an em- 

bassador from the king of France to Scotland : 
this causes great dissensions between them 346 

31. The duke of Brittany retires from Flanders to 

England. The young count de St. Pol. while 
a prisoner in England, maryes 247 

32. The duke of Anjou makes war on Brittany. Sir 

William des Bordes is taken prisoner by the 
garrison of Cherbourg 348 

38. Geoffrey Tete-Noir and Aymerigot Marcel, cap- 
tarns attached to England, take several strong 
places in Auvergne and Limousin from the 
French 248 

34. A schism in tlie church. The cause of it. Tlie 
Bretons mcke war on the Romans. The queen 
of Naples gives up her territories to pope Clem- 
ent VII 249 

%. Pope Clement goes to Avignon, fie makes the 
duke of Aiijou magnificent pre'^ents. Sir Silves- 
ter Budes and his companions are beheaded 3i0 

36. The state of Flauders before tlie war. The causes 

of the disputes between the earl of Flanders and 
the FlemiB^s. John Lyon introduces the dis- 
tinction of White Hoods 250 

37. By tlie exhortations of John Lyon, the inhabit- 

ants of Ghent send some of their principal citi- 
zens to the earl of Flanders, to demand tiie 
preservation of their liberties and franchises. 
The earl requests these citizens to abolish the 
White Hoods 251 

^. The Wiiite Hoods murder the bailiff of Ghent in 
the midst of the market. The bouses and goods 
of the family of the Matthews are destroyed. 
A grand confusion in Ghent 2K 

33, Twelve citizens of Ghent are deputed to the earl 
of Flanders. The White Hoods pillage and 
burn the castle of Andreghien. of which Uie 
earl was very fond 354 

40. The death of John Lyon. Tlie men of Ghent 

choose captains to command them. Several 
towns in Flanders ally themselves with Glient. . .265 

41. The men of Ghent besiege the town of Oude- 
- narde on nil sides. They make a grand assault 

on the earl of Flanders in Dendremonde 256 

42. Several assaults are made on Oudenavde. Peace 

concluded between the Flemings and the earl 
of Flanders, by means of the duke of Burgundy .257 

43. The duke of Brittany returns from England, at 

the entreaty of his subjects. The English are 
desirous of marryinc tlieir. young king. The 
knighti of England sent to the aid of the duke 
of Brittany meet with great tempests at sea 258 

44. Tlie town of Ghent sends embassadors to the earl 

of Flander?. to entreat him to come thither 259 

45. The earl of Flanders enters the town of Ghent. 

and secretly departs from it. Tiie walls of 
Oudenarde are razed by the Wliite Hoods, their 
allies and accomplices 259 

46. The men of Ghent surrender Oudenarde. They 

destroy the houses of the nobles. A cruel and 
pitiless war renewed between the men of Ghent 
and the nobility 260 

47. The nobles make war on the Flemings 260 

48. The death of sir Bertrand du Guesclin, constable 

of France 262 

49. The duke of Brittany requests succor from the 

king of Englfiiid. The earl of Buckinshain, 
youngest son to the late king, is appointed com- 
mander of the expedition ,...962 



CHAP. rAOB- 

50. The earl of Buckingham marches with lui> army 
from Calais 363 

51. The lord de Brimeu, his sons and his men, are 
taken prisoners by tiie English. The garrison 
of Peronue are driven back into that town 264 

53. The English burn and despoil Champagne. They 
meet with various adventures on their march, 
and make many prisoners 265 

53. The English come before Troyes. A skirmish at 
one of the gates. They take a foil which the 
duke of Burgundy iiad erected onllie outside. 
King Charles practices witli the inhabitants of 
Nantes 366 

54. The English overrun the countries of Gatinois 
and Beauce. A French squire demands to tilt 
with an English squire ; they both behave very 
gallantly 267 

55- King Charles of Fiance is taken ill. His last 
words on his death-bed 267 

56. The Lord de Hangest is near taken by the Eng- 
glish. The lord de Mauvoisin remains their pris- 
oner. The English cross the river Sarte in 
disorder • 268 

57. The death of Charles the Fifth, king of France. .268 

58. The English arrive in Brittany. The duke excuses 
himself for having so long delayed coining to 
meet tliem. They undertake together the siege 
of Nantes 269 

59. The coronation of king Charles VI. of France. ...370 
Two additional cliapters, which are only in one 

of my MSS, and not in any printed copy 270 

&). Theearlof Buckingham besieges Nantes. Sal- 
lies are made by the garrison 271 

61. The duke of Brittany explains his reasons for not 
coming to the siege of Nantes. Tlie garrison 
continue most valiantly to make sallies 273 

62. The English break up the siege of Nantes. The 
duke of Brittany sends handsome excuses to the 
earl of Buckingham 273 

63. Tilts and tournaments are performed betbre the 
earl of Buckmgham between ceitain French and 
English knights 274 

64. The duke of Brittany makes his peace with the 
king of France. The English return home. A 
combat between an English and a French squire. 375 

65. Tlie war recommences between tlie earl of Flan- 
ders and the inhabitants of Ghent. The men 
of Glient and of Ypres are discomfited by the 
ambuscades of the earl of Flanders 376 

66. The towns of Ypres and Courtray turn to tlie earl 
of Flanders. Ghent is besieged 278 

67. The earl of Flanders raises the siege of Ghent. 
He defeats a great part of the army of Ghent, 
through the self-sufficiency of Uasse de Har- 
zeile, near to Nevele 378 

68. Peter du Bois with tJie remainder of his army re- 
tire to Ghent. After having been in danger of 
his life, he besieges Courtray 379 

69. Arnoul le Clerc, captain of some troops of White 
Hoods, defeats several of the earl of Flanders' 
nobility. He himself is after\vards defeated and 
slain. . i 280 

70. During this war, the rich citizens of Ghent are 
subjugated by their soldiers. Philip Von Arta- 
veld is made governor of Ghent 261 

71. A war betueen the kings of Castille and Portiigal.'JSa 
73. The earl of Cambridge sail? for Portugal. The 

duke of Lancaster goes to the borders of Scot- 
land, to make a truce with the Scots 382 

73. The populace of England rebel against the no- 
bility 283 

74. The populace of England commit many cruelties 
on tliose in official situations. They send a 
knight as embassador to the king ...294 

75. Tlie commonalty of England enter London, 
where they commit many cruelties and out-_ 
rages. They put to death the archbishop of 
Canterbury and several others • .285 

76. The nobles of England are in great danger of be- 
ing destroyed. Three of the principal lenders of 
the rebels are punished, and the rest sent back 
to tlieir homes 286 

77. A truce between the English and Scots. The 
duke of Lancaster remains in Scotland during 
the rebellion in England 288 

78. King Richard journeys through England from 
town to town, punishing those who had been 
principals or active in the late rebellion. The 
duke of Lancaster returns from Scotland to 
England '^ 

Additions, from a MS. in the Hafod Library 289 

79. The duke of Lancaster conceives anger against 
the duke of Northumberland, for the refusal of 
admitUuice into Berwick 290 

80. The eari of Cambridge and his army arrive at 
Lisbon 290 

81. The earl of Flanders again lays siege to Ghent. . . .290 
83. The earl of Flanders raises the siege of Glient. 

Two rich citizens, desirous of negotiating a 
peace between the earl and tiie town, are put la 
death by Peter du Bois and Philip Von Arta- 
veld 291 

83. An insurrection in Paris, on account of the in- 
tended taxes. The lord de Coucy appeases it. 
The duke of Anjou makes preparation for his 
journey to Naples 293 

84.The English moke an expedition against the Span- 
iard.s, contrary to the orders of the king of For 
tugal. The castle of Fighiere is taken 293 

85. After the conquest of the castle of Fighiere, the 
canon de Robersac, returning to his garrison, is 



CHA.P. P&dl. 

in great danger. Succors come from France to 
Castille 294 

86. The emperor Wincesluus sends his sister Anne to 

king Richard of England, who makes her his 
queen 9^ 

87. The king of France cannot obtain money from 

the receiver at Paris. The duke of Anjou 
marches into Italy with a noble attendance of 
kmghts 396 

88. The earl of Savoy, who had accompanied the 

duke of Anjou to Naples, orders a man to he 
beheaded, who had boasted that he would gi\ e 
them possession of the castle del Ovo by en- 
chantment 297 

89. The canon de Robersac makes another excursion 

contrary to the will of the king of Portugal, 
and takes several places adjoining to Seville 287 

90. The canon and his companions gain much booty 

from tlie king of Castille. They mutiny against 
the king of Portugal, wlio orders their pay to 
be instantly delivered totliem 893 

91. Tlie kings of Castille and Portugal assemble tlieii' 

forces. Peace made between them, against the 
will of the English 299 

92. A joust between a French knight and an Enghsh 

squire. The earl of Cambridge leads back his 
army to England, with his son, wliose betrothed 
wife, the Infanta of Portugal, is afterwards 
married to tiie king of Castille 300 

93. Ghent is in great distress for provisions. They are 

succored by the inhabitants of Liege 30O 

94. Tlte earl of Flanders sends a harsh answer to those 

who wished to mediate a peace between liim 
and Ghent. The populace, under the name of 
Maillotins. rise again at Pari-- 301 

95. The cirizens of Ghent, after having heard from 

Philip Von Artaveld tlic terms of peace which 
lie had brought from the conference at Tournay, 
march out. to the number of five thousand, to 
attack the eari of Flanders in Bruges SOS 

96. The order of battle of the Ghent men. They de- 

feat the eari of Flanders and the men of Bruges. 
The means by which this was brought about.., .303 

97. Bruges is taken by tlie Ghent army. The earl of 

Flanders saves himself in the house of a poor 
woman 3W 

98. The Gheut men spare the foreign merchants in 

Bruges. The earl of Flanders quits Bruges, and 
returns to Lille, whither some of his people had 
already retreated 305 

99. The conductor the Giieiit men at Bruges. AH 

Uie towns in Flanders surrender to them except 
Oudenarde 305 

100. Philip Von Artaveld, on his return to Ghent, lives 

in great pomp. The earl of Flanders resides in 
Lille 306 

101. Philip Von Artaveld and the Ghent men lay siege 

to Oudenarde 307 

103. A detachment of the Ghent anny from before 
Oudenarde. in ovenunning the lands of their 
lord, burn some villages on the frontiers of 
France, which causes a war between the king 
of Franire' and them 307 

103. The duke of Burgundy instigates his nephew king 

Charles to make war on Ghent and its allies, as 
well in revenge for tlie burnt villages as to assist 
iu the recovery of Flanders for the earl, who 
was his vassal. 307 

104. Charles the Sixth, kuig of France, from a dream, 

chooses a flying hart for his device 308 

105. During the siege of Oudenarde, the rebels entreat 

king Charles to make peace between them and 
the earl of Flanders. The king answers them 
with contempt. They then endeavor to draw 
the English into an alliance with thom 306 

106. The embassadors from Ghent fail in forming an 

alliance with England 309 

W. Tiie messenger which the Ghent men had sent to 
king Cliarles of France is delivered from prison. 
Some prisoners from Tournay and Courtray are 
exchanged for each other 910 

108. King Charles orders commissioners to enter into 

certain treaties witli the Flemings. Tlieir mes- 
sengers are imprisoned at the moment they de- 
manded passports.. 310 

109. The answer of Philip Von Artaveld to the French 

commissioners, which he sent by a prisoner of 
war from Oudenarde .., 3U 

110. Philip Von Artaveld writes allectedly civil letters 

to Tournay. Tiie French commissioners return 
to the king 3U, 

111. King Cliarles. after hearing the report of his com- 

missioners, at the instigation of the earl of Flan- 
ders, who was present, assembles his army in 
Artoisasainst the Flemings. Philip Von Arta- 
veld guards the passes into Flanders 312 

112. Several knights of the party of the eari of Flan- 

ders, having passed Pont-Amenin, are defeated 
and killed on their attempt to repass it, the Fleni 
ings having broken down the bridge. Philip, 
hearing this news when at Ypres. makes use of 
it to encourage tlie inliabitants 312 

113. Order of the French army in its march to Flan- 

ders, after they had heard the bridges were bro- 
ken and guarded 313 

114. Some few of the French, not being able to cro^ 

the Lis at the bridge of Commines, find means 
of doing so, by boats and other craft, unknown 
to the Flemings 314 

115. A small body of French, having crossed tlie Lis, 

draw up in battle array before the Flemings.,.. ?1S 



CONTENTS. 



XI 



.318 



.322 



323 



128. 



Uff. The French who liad crossed the Li^ defeat, wltli 
?reatslaughlei. Peter Du Boisandlhe Fleminss- 
The vaiisuaidofthe French army repair and 

puss over the hridee of Commines ■ ■ .316 

117 Phihp Van .\rtaveld takes measures to resist the 
force of the king of France. He receives an an- 

swer from his embassadors in England .....JU 

U8 The king of France crosses the Lis at the bridge 

of Commines. The town of Ypres surrenders ^^^ 

to him 

U9. The king of France receives information ot a not 
among tlie Parisians. Several places in Flan- 

ders surrender to him •■Vn'. 

120. The- king of France lodges m Ypres. Petei Du 
Bois prevents Bruaes from surrendeniiB to the 
king. Philip Van Artaveld assembles his forces 

to combat the French • • • •. 

la. Philip Van .\rtavekl, having entertained his cap- 
tains otsuppcr, gives them instructions how lliej- 
are to act on the morrow at the battle of Rose- 
becque. Wonderful appearances in the lieu- 

vcns are seen during the night • •ifl» 

122 King Charles euteilains at supper his uncles and 
some others of his principal barons on the eve 
of the battle of Rosebecque. The constable de 
Clisson is e.'icused from attending the king's per- 

son during the battle ; .v;,"*^ 

la Philip Van Artaveld and his Flemings quit the 
strong position they liad taken in the morning, 
to encamp on Mont D'Or, near to \ pres. 1 he 
constable and admiral of France, with Uie bas- 
tard of Langres, set out to reconnoitre their ^ 

situation ■ .'i"'t?"*".^iV 

124 The battle of Rosebecque. between the French 
and Flemings. Philip Van Artaveld is slam. 

and his whole amiy defeated ••••••■■ * 

135 The number of slain at the battle of Rosebecque 
and pursuit afterwards. Philip Van Artaveld 
is hanged alter he is dead. The siege of Oude- 
narde is raised. Peter Du Bois retreats to Ghent. 
Tlie king of France fixes his quarters in the 

town of Courtray A4."'A.' 

126. Bruges submits to the king's mercy. The Count 
de Blois -uards the country of Ilamault horn 
being pillaged. The inhabitants of Ghent gain 
courage from Peter Uu Bois. ...........•:■• ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ 

127 The treaty between the English and Fleming. i= 
broken. The king of France departs from 

V^'i'n atlempVs'made for' peace between the king 

of France and Ghent. The king on his returi. 

to ParLs, orders the chains to be taken away tlia. 

barricaded the streeU. He severely punishes the 

Parisians ^U"' i " 

123. Several of the principal citizens of Pans are be- 

headed with Join. Des Marets. and many other. 

in the difieient towns and cities in France. ^. .... 
130 The Ghent men renew the war. The earl ol Han- 

ders becomes an object of hatred to Uie Eng- 

m. Pope Urban semlibulis 'into Engiand for thede- 
slmctionof theClementist-s. The bishop ot Nor- 
wich appointed commander-in-chief against 

133 ThebUho'pof Norwich, commander of the Eng- 
lish in the croisade of Urban against the Cle- 
menlists, disembarks at Calais with his army of 
Urbanists 1* : ■ ' 7i.! ' 

138. The bishop of Norwich, commander of .he Ui- 
banisls. enters Flanders contrary to the opinion 
of sir Hugh Calverler. The earl sf Flanders 
sends embassadoi-s to the bishop, who returns a 

harsh answer " V»' 

The bishop of Norwich marches toward Dun- 
kirk. He defeats twelve thousand Flemmgs and 

takes the town V ' ^' 'i' ' ' 'i' ' 'i ' " 

135. The English, under the command of the bishop 
of Norwich, having conquered all tlie coast 

from GraveHnes to Sluys. lay siege to \ pies JW 

IX The menofGhent assist the English in theirsiege 
' of Ypres. The lord De St. Leger going to rein- 
force the garrison of Courtray. by orders of the 
king of France, is defeated by a party of Eng- 
lish near Commines ■ ^ij," 

137 The bishop of Liege, not being able to brmg 

about a peace between the bishop of Norwich 
and the earl of Flanders, returns liome oH) 

138 The king of France issues a grand summons, 

with the intention of raising the siege of Ypres. 
Some of the earl of Flanders' men are defeated 
by the English before the church of Emenin 330 

139 The English and Ghent men make a sharp at- 
' tack on Y' pres; but, learning that the king of 

France had marched an army into Artois, they 
instantly break up the siege.. • 332 

140 Duke Frederick of Bavaria arrives at the army 

of tlie king of France. Count Guy de Blois, 
notwithstanding hU ill health, comes to Arras 
attended by his men-at-arms .(M2 

141 The van of the French army takes Cassel ano 

Trughen The English abandon Bergues, and 
retire to Bourbourg, wherein the khig of France 

besieges them • ,■■■■::'■■;■,■■ 

142. Francis Alremen surprises Oudenarde in the mgJit- 
time : ■,' " 

143 Amcri-ut Marcel, an Engli.h Captain on the 

borders of Auvergne. takes by stratagem the 
castle of Mnrquel. Tiie countess Dauphiiie 
ransoms it for five thousand fcaiics 

144 The king of France orders Bourbourg to be at- 

tacked. It is surrendered to him by capitula- 



tion, when the English quit Flanders. He then 



disbands his army. 



334 



.326 



131. 



145 The bishop of Norwich and those who accom- 
panied him in his expedition, are badly received 
on their return to England. Certain great per- 
sonages are deputed to negotiate a peace or 
truce between the kings of France and Eng- 
land. The duke of Bavaria dies 335 

146. During these conferences, the Ghent men insult 
Tournay. A truce is concluded between the 
kings of France and England and their allies ... .336 

147. The earl of Flanders dies. The ceremony of his 
funeral •..••• -^ 

148 The earls of Northumberland and Nottingham 
raise a body of English to make an excursion 
into Scotland. Embassadors are sent from 
France to Scotland, to notify the truces which 
had been made between France and England. . .338 

149. The barons and knights of Scotland, in conjunc- 
tion with some French knights, undertake an 
expedition into England without the knowledge 
of the king of Scotland, who sends a herald to 
make his excuses to the king of England 338 

130. The truces which had been mode between the 
French, the English, and their allies, are pro- 
claimed in Scotland. The French knights, on 
their return from Scotland, are in great danger 
from the Zealanders • .."9 

151. The lord Destournay assembles forces to retake 

Oudenarde. He conquers it by stratagem 3)0 

153. The duke of Anjou dies at a castle near Naples. 
His widow is advised to solicit the Pope for the 
possession of Provence • ."O 

1.53. Preparations are made in France for the renewal 
of the war with England. The duchess of Bra- 
bant succeeds in fSjrming a marriage between the 
children of Burgundy and those of Hainault. . . .341 

154. The king and the nobles of France and Hainault 
lay in great provision of stores at Cambray. 
The duke of Lancaster sends embassadors to 
tlie earl of Hainault. The marriages of the 
children of Burgundy and Hainault are con- 
eluded ■ ,■■•**' 

155 The duke of Berry betroths his daughter to the 
son of the count do Blois. The duke of Bour- 
bon and the count de la Marche issue their sum- 
mons to invade Limousin • ■ — **- 

156. Sir John de Vienne, admiral of France, sads to 
Scotland, to carry on the war against tlie i.ng- 
lish at the expiration of the truce *" 

157 The pillagers ofGlient.surnamedPorkers.com- 
mit much mischief. Francis Atremen defeaVs 
some French troops near Ardembourg Mi 

158 The duchess of Anjou urges her claim to the pos- 
session of Provence. Galeus Visconti, count de 
Vertus, orders his uncle. Barnabo Visconti, to 
be imprisoned "" 

159. William de Lignac, seneschal of Saintonge for 
the kins of France, conquers from the Lnglisft 
the castle of Aigle. The army of the duke of 
Bourbon takes Montlieu. and the bridge of 
Tadlebourg, while besicgmg that place 344 

160 Sir John de Vienne, admiral of France, arrives in 
Scotland with his army. Ho meets with bad 
treatment there ■ ■ 

161 The town of Ardembourg narrowly escapes be 
ing taken by surprise by Francis Atremen anc 
his Ghent men ;„' •";'",'ti"-' 

162 Lewis of France, brother to kmg Charles VI.. is 
married by procuration to Margaret of Hungary. 
Madame de Brabant causes the daughter of 
duke Stephen of Bavaria to come to France to 
marry king Charles ••• '**' 

163. Francis Atremen takes Damme. Those of Bruges 

attempt to retake it ■ ■ ' ',' "^ ' 't' ',! '"i-'n" 

161. King Charles espouses the Lady Isabella of lia 

varia. He besieges Damme 

165. Some citizens of Sluys are beheaded for treason 
to the French. The duke of Burgundy acquires 
Sluys from sir Vl^lUiam de Namur, by an ex- 
change for the lands of Betliune. ■■■■■■■ 

1G6. Francs Atremen and his men abandon Damme. 
The town is destroyed by the !• rench ; they al.o 
ruin the country of the Quatre Mestiers.. . ... . .318 

167 The king of France leaves Flanders, and dis- 
bands his army. During the time he is at Pans, 
treating with embassadors from Hungary^ 
news arrives that the Marquis de Blaucquefort 
had forcibly married the heiress of Hungary . . . . .349 

168. The duke of Bourbon takes Verteuil in Poitou, 

and returns to the king of France at Paris.. .3aO 
169 The Scottish anuy.with that of the admira of 
France, enter Northumberland; butthe English 
being on their march to meet them, they retreat ^ 

mslltirH^d-kd^'-hird-Raiph-Staf,^- 
The earl of Stafford demands justice from the 
king 



men very harshly. They return to France 3M 

175. The slate of Flanders. Two honest burgesses of 
Ghent negotiate secretly a peace with the duke 
of Burgundy, with tlie assent of Francis Atre- 
men d5i 

176. The two citizens fix on a day to assemble their 
friends, to accomplish their plan. All Ghent are 
unanimous for peace, notwithstanding the at- 
tempts to prevent it by the governor for the king . 
of England and Peter du Bois 351 

177. Sir John d'Elle brings letters patent of peace and 
pardon to the men of Ghent, from the duke of 
Burgundy. This peace is confirmed at Tour- 
nay by other letters patent on each side. ........ .35* 

178 The treaty of peace between duke Philip of Bur- 
gundy, earl of Flanders, in right of his wife, 
wilh the town of Ghent and its allies 356 

179 Peter du Bois. after the conclusion of the peace, 
retires to England wilh the lord Bourchier, 
governor of Ghent 358 



.315 



.347 

.348 



.318 



332 



334 



351 



171. The king of England destroys the abbey of Mel- 

rose in Scotland. The barons of France and 
Scotland invade Cumberland. .«J 

172. The king of England destroys Edinburgh, and 

great part of Scotland. The French and Scots 
do the same on the borders and m Northumber- 

land ■••• ■;■,;■■ V'A 

173 The earl of SulTolk prevents the king of England 

from pursuing the French and Scots who had m- 

vadcd England. The English army return home 

the same way they had entered Scotland. The 

I French and Scots return in a similar manner. . . . .*i 

1 174 The Scots treat the admiral of France and liis 



VOLUME m. 

1. Froissart gives his reasons for vUiting the count 
deFoLx ...•■,■; *" 

2 A short repetition of what U contained in some 
of the preceding chapters. Ibrtlie better under- 
standing the history of the war between kmg 
John of Castille and tlie bastard of Portugal, 
brother to the late king don Fernando «» 

3. The count deFoix.at Uie entreaty ofthepnn- 
cess of Wales, remits the count d'Anuagnac 
sLxty thousand francs out of his ransom of two 
hundred and fifty thousand. The EngUsh 
garrison at Lourde governs the adjoining coun- 
try 3™ 

4 Sir John Froissart, in his journey toward Beam, 

is accompanied by a knight attached to the 
count de Foix. who relates to him how the gar- 
rison of Lourde took Ortingas and Le Pallier, 
on the renewal of the war in Guyenne. after the 
rupture of the peace of Bretigny .dta 

5 Sir John Froissart and the knight of Foix arnve 

at Casseres, where the knight relates to him the 
capture of the town by the Armagnacs. and 
also the recapture of it by the count de Foix : 
and, as they journey, they converse on different 
feats of arms between the Armagnacs and Foix- 
iens ^ 

6. Froissart continues his journey with the knight of 

Foix. who relates to him several particulars rela- 
tive to the sieges of Brest and Denal. and how 
the duke of Anjou recovered Malvoisin and 
Trigalet from the English • ■ . .SSJ 

7. Froissart continues his journey. In travellmj 

from Tournay to Tarbes. the knight relates to 
him how the garrison of Lourde had a sharp 
rencounter with the French from the ailjaceut 
garrisons, witli several particulars touching the 
sie-e of Lourde, and the death of the governor, 
who would not surrender it to his relation the 

count de Foix :.y'."":i' 

8 During the journey from Tarbes to Morlens the 
knight of Foix relates to Froissart the quarre. 
and reconciliation between the duke of Berry 
and the count de Foi.x— and also the cause of the 
war between him and the count d'Annaguac. . . .x! 
9. Sir John Froissart arrives at Orthes. An old 
squire relates to him the cruel death of the only 
son of the count de Foix. and liow strange dreams 
affected sir Peter de Beam, bastard- brother of 

the count ," ■ ' 

10. The count de Foix holds solemn festivals on the 
feast of St. Nicholas and at Christmas ; during 
which Froissart becomes acquainted with le Bas- 
tot de Mauleon. who relnles to hiin. among other 
things, bow several of the captains of the free 
companies were defeated before the town of 
Saiicerie— how he.surprised the tomi of Thune 
in the Albigeois, and how one of the name of 
Limousin revenged an outrage committed a- 

gainst him by Louis Baimbaut .378 

11 A short recapitulation of what has been before 
said of the war between king John of Castile 
and John of Portugal. This subject continued. .375 
12. The inhabitants of Santarem rebel against some 
of the men-at-arms of Castille. The king of 
Castille having raised the siege of Lisbon, 
marches toward that town, when it makes lU 

peace '„",""^ — ', j 

13 The Spaniards are jealous of the French and 
Bearnois. Five hundred English arrive to serve 

the king of Portugal 

14. The king of Portugal issues his orders for the army 
to march toward Santarem. The king of Cas- 

tille quits that place to meet bun ...... ...3» 

1^ The Portuguese fortify themselves, near the church 
of AUutarota, by the advice of the English. 
King John of CaslUle, through the counsel of 
the French and Bearnois, resolves to fight them. 
The hatreds and jealousies of the Castilhans still 
continue against the foreigners. .... ■■■••••;■■■■■ 
16 The battle of Aljubarota, in w;^''eh t e French 
and Bearnois. in the interest of Castille, are de- 
feated and slam by the Portuguese, for not bemg 
Dtoperly supported by the Castdlians. who were 
fealous of them. They afterwards meet the 

17Tte"kin'rofCaVtiile:afteri;iVdefearat'AJiuba-' 
rota retreats to Santarem. The kmg of Porta 
gal returns to Lisbon. A truce is concluded be- 



376 



.377 



379 



38S 



x« 



CONTENTS. 



CHAP. PAGE. 

tween them 3^ 

18. The count de Foix is rapidly, and in a secret 

manner, informed of wliat had happened at Al- 
jubarota. Froi^sart. in consequence of this, 
relates a story which had been told him of a fa- 
miliar spirit, called Orthon, who served the lord 
de Corasse in the like manner 382 

19. Siege is laid to Brest. St. Forget, and several 

other Enghsh garrisons in the environs of ToQ- 
Jouse, are recovered by the French 384 

30. The castle of Convalle is stormed by the French. 
Some other fortresses turn to the French in- 
terest 385 

21. A short digression on tlie manners of the English 
and Gascons in the time of Froissart 386 

2S. The arrival of Leon, king of Armenia, in France, 
on which occasion Frois?art describes the state 
of Genoa in his time, and relates the death of 
the king of Cyprus 387 

28. The king of Armenia relates many stories of tlie 

Turks and Tartars 388 

34. Continuation of the intelligence which the king 
of Armenia relates to tlie barons of France 388 

25. During these wars of the Turks, dissensions con- 

tinue between the two popes, Urban VI. and 
Clement VII. Friar John de la Roche-Taillade 
delivers a good apologue, respecting the pa- 
pacy, to the cardinals 390 

26. The reasons why the Portuguese prefer the Grand 

Master of Avis lor their king to don John, king 
of Castille, who had married Beatrice, daugh- 
ther ef don Ferdinand, late kin^ of Portugal — 391 

27. Froissait travels to Rliddleburgh in Zealand, to 

make ineiuiries from a knight, wlio is going to 

Prussia, of the affairs ofPortusal 391 

38. The Portuguese, after the battle of Aljubarota, 
send embassadorsto England to informthe king 
and his nobles of that event 393 

29. Lawrence Fongasse, one of the embassadors 

from Portugal to England, relates lo the duke 
of Lancaster the events ^vhich had happened in 
Portugal since the earl of Cambridge had left, it .393 

30. The embassadors from Povtunal return with sat- 

isfactory answers. The duke of Lancaster em- 
barks on an expedition to recover Castille 398 

S- Many French knights and squires offer tlieir ser- 
vices to the king of Castille 399 

38. The duke of Lancaster, in his voyage to Castille, 
attacks the French betbre Brest, and forces them 
to raise the blockade ....400 

33. The duke of Lancaster arrives at Corunna in Ga- 

licia. The French, in the service of Spain, en- 
ter the castle to oppose him. They shortly after 
defeat a parly of his foragers 400 

34. The duke of Lancaster, after remaining before 

Corunna upward of a month, marches his army 
to Saint Jago. which surrenders on capitulation. 401 

35. The French knights leave Corunna. and join the 

hing of Castille. They acquire much wealth by 
plundering the country, in order to frustrate the 
English 402 

36. Great preparations are made throughout France 

for the invasion of England. The death of 
Francis Atiemen 402 

37. The French put themselves to useless expense on 

tlieir marine. The English make judicious pre- 
parations to oppc.se them 403 

38. The king of Portugal, when informed of the duke 

of Laiica.ster*3 arrival at Saint Jago. writes him 
friendly letters. The king of Castille demands 
succors from France. The town of Rouelles 
in Galicia taken by the English 404 

39. The marshal of the duke of Lancaster's army at- 

tacks and gains by treaty the town of Villeclope 
ill Galicia. The duke sends embassadors to the 
king of PoiLugal to arrange an interview be- 
tween them 405 

40. The duke of Lancaster has an interview with the 

king of Portugal. A marriage is agreed upon 
between the king and the lady Philippa. daugh- 
ter of the duke 407 

41. The duke of Lancaster's marshal gains for him 

several places in Galicia. The conduct of the 
king of Castille 408 

42. The king of France noes to Lille, with the intent 
, to invade England. Sir Simon Burley advises 

the removal of the shrine of St. Tiiomas ii 
Becket from Canterbury to Dover castle, for fear 
of the French 411 

43. Tlie king of France visits his fleet at Sluys. The 

king of .\rnienia crosses to England to attempt 
a reconciliation between the two kings. The 

answer he receives 412 

44- The duke of Berry leave? Paris for Sluys. The 
constable, after suffering many delays from 
contrary winds, at length joins the king of 
France 413 

45. The lord de Guistelles appeases an iasurrection of 

the men of Bruges against the French. The 
invasion of England is given up oil account of 
contrary winds, the near approach nf winter, 
and in contbrmity witli the advice of the duke 
of Berry, which causes great rejoicings in Eng- 
land 413 

46. Two champions tilt at Paris for life or death 414 

47. The death of Peler, king of Arragon. His suc- 

cessor, king .John, detains prisoner the arch- 
bishop of Bordeaux, who was negotiating, for 
the duke of Lanc.nster, the payment of certain 
Eums which he claimed as due to him from Ar- 
TQBon 415 



CHAP. PAOE. 

48. The duke of Lancaster makes war on Arragon. 

The archbishop of Bordeaux is released. The 
viscountess of Castle-Bon. suspected of having 
admitted the English into her castle, appeases 
the king of Arragon, through the interference of 
the count de Foix 416 

49. Those companions who had conquered Dtiren, 

are defeated and slain by a stratagem of Ray- 
mond de Bachez, cousin to the king of Arra- 
gon 416 

50. An achievement of arms performed before the 

seneschal of Bordeaux, between a knight at- 
tached to France and one attached to England. .417 

51. Sir Oliver de Clisson delivers John of Blois. son 

of the late lord Charles of Blois. from his long 
imprisonment in England, and gives him his 
daughter in marriage, to tire great displeasure 
of the duke of Brittany 417 

52. France makes preparations to assist king Johu of 

Castille. The dnke of Bourbon is appointed 
commander-in-chief of the French army.. 418 

53. The English fleet defeats that of sir John de 

Bucq, admiral of Flanders for the duke of Bur- 
gundy. The English, after doing much mischief 
to Sluys, and that part of tlie country, return to 
London. 419 

54. The king of Portugal sends embassadors to the 

duke of Lancaster to conclude his marriage 
with the lady Philippa. Sir Barrois des Banes 
is ordered by the king of Castille to the castle of 
Noya 430 

55. The duke of Lancaster sends a reinforcement to 

the siege of Ribadavia. On that town being ta- 
ken by storm, Mautes instantly surrenders 420 j 

56. The lady Philippa of Lancaster is married, by 

procuration, to the king of Portugal. The cere- 
mony is again performed with great magnifi- 
cence and feastings at Oporto....... 421 

57. The duke of Lancaster marches his army to En- 

tenca. The inhabitants send, with the consent 
of the duke, to the king of Castille for succor.... 422 

58. The duchess of Lancaster and her daughter visit 

the king and queen of Portugal. The inhabit- 
ants of Entenca. receiving neither answer nor 
succor from the king of Castille, surrender to the 
duke of Lancaster, according to the terms of 
their treaty 422 

59. The count de Foix permits the French captains 

to passtlirough his territories, on condition they 
pay for whatever they take. They arrive at St. 
Jean Pied de Port, at the entrance of Navarre... 423 

60. Sir John Holland and sir Reginald De Roye per- 

form a tilt, in the town of Entenca. before the 
king and queen of Portugal and the duke and 
duchess of Lancaster 424 

€1. The king of Portugal promises to enter Castille 
while tlie duke of Lancaster finishes the con- 
quest of Galicia, and then lo unite their forces.. 426 

6B. Sir William de Lignac and sir Walter de Hassac 
traverse the kingdom of Navarre with tlieir 
army, and an-ive at Burgos, where tliey meet the 
king of Castille 426 

63. Many plans are ofl'ered to the king of Castille for 

carrying on the war; he is determined by the 
commanders of the French force to delay an en- 
gagement until the arrival of the duke of Bour- 
bon, and to make excursions from the dilferent 
garrisons 42i3 

64. The constable de Clisson makes great prepara- 

tions to invade England. Much murmuring and 
discontent in England against king Ricliard and 
his council 428 

65. The constable of France with several others 

make preparations to invade England. The 
duke of Brittany practices to prevent this ex- 
pedition 429 

66. The duke of Brittany summons his barons and 

knights to a council at Vannes. Sir Oliver de 
Clisson and the lord de Beaumanoir are made 
prisoners in the castle of Ermine, and in great 
danger of their lives 430 

67. The constiible de Clisson. through the exertions of 

the lord de Laval, obtains his liberty, by paying 
a large sum of money, and delivering up to the 
duke of Brittany some of his castles 431 

68. The lord de Beaumanoir is set at liberty by the 

duke of Brittany, that he may collect t lie ran- 
som for the constable, who obtains his freedom 
on surrendering the places agreed on. The im- 
prisonment of the constable is known at the 

court of France 431 

^. The duke of Brittany dictates the terms of the 
treaties, for the surrender of different places by 
the constable. The expeditions from Trcguier 
and Ilarfleur are broken up. Tiie constable, on 
his deliverance, makes his complaint to the king 
of France, and resigns to him his office of con- 
stable 432 

70. The duke of Gueldres sends a challenge to 

France, in favor of England 433 

71. Two Breton captains, Iiavmg valiantly defended 

the town of Orense against the dnke of Lancas- 
ter, capitulate on terms oftered by the Enghsli. . .433 

72. The king of Portugal, being repulsed in his at- 

tempts to storm the castles of Santarein, burns 
the town. lie marches to Ferio in Galicia 435 

73. The king of Portugal, not lieiiig able totakeFer- 

rol by storm, gains it liy an ambuscndc, and 
puts it under the obedience of the duke of Lan- 
caster 435 

74. The army of the duke of Lancaster comes before 1 



CHAP. PAflB. 

Noya in Galicia. The English are received at 
the barriers, by Barrois des Burres and his com- 
panions 436 

75. The king of France sends some of his nobles to 

demand from the duke of Brittany the reason o 
the insult offered to him in the person of his con- 
stable, sir Oliver de Clisson .437 

76. Froissart mentions the person trom whom he learnt 

the arrest of the constable de Clisson ; who like- 
wise informs him thai sir Bertraud du Guesclin 
ought to be called Du Glay-Aquin 437 

77. Embassadors from the king of France wait on 

the duke of Brittany respecting the anest of his 
constable. The duke, having heard them, gives 
them his answer 438 

78. The dukes of York and Gloucester, uncles to the 

king, confederate, with other barons, against 
liim and his council. The people are discon- 
tented with the duke of Ireland. The Lon- 
doners, through the means of the duke o 
Gloucester and his friends, obtain from tiie king, 
that a day should be fixed for those who had 
managed the finances to render an account of 
them 439 

79. The commissioners of accounts condemn sir Si- 

mon Burley to be imprisoned in the Tower of 
London. Sir Thomas Trivet is killed by a fall 
from his horse. Sir William Elmham is acquit- 
ted of havnig taken money for the surrenderor 
Bourbourg and Gravellnes 440 

80. The king of England having left London, sir Si- 

mon Burley h Ijeheaded, to the great displeasure 
of the king and queen. A change of the min- 
istry 441 

81. While the council, on the state of the nation, is 

sitting at London, king Richard, by the advice 
of the duke of Ireland, determines to wage war 
against his unc'es and the principal towns 443l 

82. The king of England issues Jiis orders fur all ca- 

pable of bearing arms in the neighborhood of 
Bristol to march to London. Sir Robert Tresi- 
lian, sent thither as a spy, is discovered, and be- 
headed by command of the king's uncles •|43 

83. When the news of t!ie death of sir Robert Tre-' 

silian is brought to the archbishop of York, and 
sir Nicholas Bramber, they confirm the king m 
iiis intention of making war on his uncles. The 
duke of Ireland, as Lieutenant-Geneaal, lea'ls 
the army to Oxford. 44-i 

84. The duke of Ireland sends three knights to Lon- 

don to learn intelligence. The dukes of York 
and Gloucester take ilie field against tlie duke of 
Ireland and his army 444 

85. The king's uncles gain a victory over t!ir duke of 

Ireland, who saves himself by flight with otiiets 
of his army 445 

86. The duke of Ireland with some of hi; compan- 

ions escapes into Holland. Tlie archbishop of 
Canterbury is sent by the dukes of York and 
Gloucester to treat with tlie king. lie conducts 
him with honor to London 445 

87. The king, by the advice of his uncles and coim- 

cil, summons the nobility and commonei-s of the 
realm to a parliament at Westminster, and to 
renew their homage to him 446 

88. The king of Portugal and duke of Lancaster 

unite their forces. When distressed to cross the 
river Duero, aGalician squire, prUoner of war, 

directs them to a ford 447 

80. Sir Walter de Passac and sir William de Lignac 
advise the king of Castille not to risk a battle 
before llie arrival of the duke of Bourbon. A 
party of the English skirmisli with the garrison 
of Vilalpaiulo. The duke of Lanc.isler is dis- 
pirited by his own ill health and the great sick- 
ness of his army 448 

90. Tlie duke of Lancaster disbands his army. 

Three English knights, having obtained pass- 
ports, wait on tlie king of Castille, to nego- 
tiate a retreat fur the men-at-arms through his 
kingdom 448 

91. The English embassadors obtain passports from 

the king for their sick to pass in safety through 
Castille, or to remain tliere to recover their 
heahh. Many knights and squires die in Castille. 
The duke of Lancaster dangerously ill at Saint 

Jago 449 

93. Sir John Holland takes leave of the duke of 
Lancaster, and returns with his lady tlirougk 
Castille, Navarre, and Bayonne, to Bordeaux 
Sir John d'Ambreticourt goes to Paris, to ac 
complibli a deed of arms with the lord Bou- 
cicaut 450 

93. The duke of Bourbon, on leaving Avisnon, con 

tinues his march to Burgos, where he meets the 
king of Castille. The duke of Lancaster, being 
informed of this, addresses himself to the king 
of Portugal. The duke of Bourbon, after a 
short stay, tnkes leave of the king of Castille, 
and returns to France 45X 

94. The count de FoL\ receives the duke of Bourbon 

most magnificently, and makes him handsome 
presents. The men-at-arms who were under sir 
Waller de Passac and sir William de Lignac 
sack the town of St. Phagon, on their departure 
from Castille. The king is very wroth for this 
against the two captains, who had remained 
with him ., 452 

95. The duke of Tjftncaster leaves Saint Jago for Co- 

imbra, and thence goes to Bayonne 453 

96. The count d'Armagnac tafce^ g^reat pains to pre- 



CONTENTS. 



<V^' PAOE. 

vail on the free companies to give up their forts 
fora sum of money. Tlie count de FoLx, un- 
derhand, prevents his success.. ,453 

97. A digression on the quarrel between the houses 

of Brabant and Gueldres. The hfe of count 
Reginald of Gueldres and his successors, untd 
the reisn of Charles VI. of France. The duke 
of Gueldres. beuig an ally of England, sends 
his challenge to France. The cause of this 
challenge 454 

98. Froissart returns to the quarrel between the houses 

of Brabant and Gueldres, whicli he had left un- 
finished in the preceding chapter, and continues 
the history of the dukes of Gueldres to duke 
William, who sends his challenge to Charles 

VX., king of France 455 

99 A continuation of the history of the quarrel be- 
tween Brabant and Gueldres. On the death of 
duke Wenceshus. the young William of Ju- 
liers. duke of Gueldres, endeavors by every 
means to regain the three castles. He allies 
liiraself to tJie king of England, because France 
supports the rights of the widow-duchess of 
Brabanl.... 457 

XOO The duchess of Brabant sends embassadors to 
France for assistance against the duke of Guel- 
dres. Tliey arrive at the same time the duke's 
challenge is brought, and receive favorable an- 
swers 458 

WI. Concerning the rumors of the signs of sanctity 
which were manifested by the cardinal de IiU.v- 
erabourg after his death. The extraordinary 
end of tlie king of Navarre 459 

103. The duke of Berry besieges Ventadour 460 

103- The duke of Burgundy sends four hundred spears 
to the duchess of Brabant. They surprise and 
bum the town of Seaulle in Gueldres 460 

IM. €^ronnet de Maudurant, one of the captains of 
Ferrot le Bearnois, having been made prisoner 
by John Bonne-Kance, at Montferrant in Au- 
vergne, finds means, after his ransom was paid, 
to put le Bearnois in possession of BIontferrant..461 

l(K. Perrot le Bearnois and his companions determine 
iii>tto keep possession of Montferrant. They 
make a sally on some troops from Clermont, 
who had advanced to the barriers of the cap- 
tured town, and nistanlly defeat them ...464 

156. Perrot le Bearnois and his companions having 
plundered Montferrant, retreat to their forts. 
His answer to the Dauphin of Auvergne. who 
complains of his having surprised this town 
during the time treaties wei-e in agitation for his 
leaving the country 4S1 

107. The Lord Lewis of Blois marries the lady Mary 

of Berry, and the lord John of Berry the prin- 
cess 3fary of France, who dies shortly after. 
The death of the lady Jane of Armagnac, 
duchess of Berry 46i 

108. VMiile the council of France i-. in deliberation 

whether or not to march an army against the 
duke of Gueldres, the duke of Berry sends the 
count d'Estampes to the duke of Brittany, to 
endeavor to win him over to the party of France, 
after having alienated hmiself from it by the ar- 
rest of the constable 465 

109. The Castdlians and French, after the departure 

of the duke of Lancaster from Galicia, recon- 
quer, ill a very short time, all the towns and 
castles he had won. The English abuse Cas- 
tille, when in their own country. The king 
of France and his council invite the duke of 
Ireland, who had fled from England, to Paris.. 466 

HO. The council of France disagree, as to the king's 
goins into Germany, on account of the state of 
the realm. The duke of Brittany strengthens 
his garrisons, und forms alliances with England 
and the king of Navarre. The English raise a 
large army 467 

Hi. The Brabanters lay siege to the town of Grave. 
The constable of France gains the towns of 
Saint Malo and Sahit Mattlneu de Fine Po- 
terne.and garrisons them with liis men 468 

113. The duke of Lancaster has intentions of marry- 
ing his daughter to Uie duke de La Touraine, 
brother to the king of France. The duke of 
Berry proposes himself for her husband. The 
duke of Lancaster is much satisfied thereat 468 

113. The lord de Coucy and other barons of France 

are sent to the duke of Brittany. Before their 
arrival, he had restored to the officers of the 
constable the places he had taken from him 469 

114. AVhite Ilehon de Lignac. embassador from the 

duke of Berry to the duke of Lancaster, is ne- 
gotiating the marriage with his daughter, the 
king of CastiMe sends embassadors privately to 
break it off, and to demand the lady in mar- 
riage for his son. Helion de Lignac is sentawny, 
the day of their arrival, with some tmces res- 
pecting the frontiers of Aquiiaine 470 

115. The dukes of Berry and Bureundy leave Paris for 

Blois. to hold acunference with the duke of Brit- 
tany, who meets them there. They persuade 
him. against his inclination, to come to Paris.. . .471 
U6. Lewis of Anjou, son to the late duke of Anjou, 
uncle to king Charles VI.. mak« liis pubhc 
entry into Paris as king of Sicily. The duke of 
Brittany comes there shortly after. Thomas 
Harpurgan, an Englishman, and John Des 
Borres, a Frenchman, perform a deed of arms 
before the king of France at Montereau siir 
y onne , , , t . . 1 m • . . , ■ i473 



CHAP. PAGE. 

117. Perrot Le Bearnois takes tlie field by command 

of ihe earl of Anmdel, who lands his forces at 
Marans, near La Rochelle 473 

118. The Rocliellers skirmish with the Euglisli near 

Marans. Tiie English, after pillaging the 
country- round, retire with their booty to their 
fleet. Perrot le Bearnois does the same to his 
fort, with a great deal of plunder 474 

119. The Brabanters press Grave hard by their siege. 

The Gueldrians burn a bridge the Brabanters 
had thrown over tlie Meuse, to enter Gueldres. . .475 

120. The Brabanters, having passed through Raves- 

tein. enter Gueldreland. and are defeated by the 
duke of Gueldres. The siege of Gra^e is raised 
in consequence 475 

121. The duke of Gueldres. after the defeat of tlie 

Brabanters, returns to Nimegaen. On the news 
of tliis victory, the king and council of France 
send embassadors to the emperor of Germany, 
the more securely to carry on the war against 
Gueldreland 476 

122. The king of France and his council permit the 
duke of Brittany to return home. Tlie states of 
Brabant send e.\cuses to tlie king of France, for 
not allowins his army to pass through tlieir 
country. Tiie success of the embassadors with 
the emperor .* 477 

123. The count de Blois send^ two hundred lances to 

sene the king in his expedition to Gueldres. 
The embassadors bring favorable answer^ from 
the emperor of Germany. The king of France 
conUnues his march toward the forest of Ar- 
dennes. Sir Hehon de Lignac makes his report 
to the duke of Berry, touching his marriage witli 

the daughter of the duke of Lancaster 478 

134. The principal barons of Scotland assemble in 
arms to make war on England. They learn 
from a spy whom they take prisoner that the 
English are acquainted with their intentions 479 

125. The Scots form their army into two divisions ; 

one. under the command of sir Archibald 
Douglas, marches to Carlisle, and the other to 
Newcastle on Tyne, commanded by the earl of 
Douglas, at the harriers of which place he con- 
quers the pennon of sir Ilenry Percy. 480 

126. The eail of Douglas, when encamped before Ot- 

terboume. is attacked by sir Henry Percy, to 
reconquer his pennon, and a general battle en- 
sues ,..481 

127. Tiie earl of Douglas, in rallying his men who 

were retreating, is mortally wounded. Sir Ralph 
Percy, badly wounded, surrenders to sir John 
I\Jaxwel!, who puts him in the hands of the earl 
of Moray 482 

128. The earl of Douglas, though mortally wounded, 

orders his banner to be raised, as the bearer had 
been slain, and forbids his lamentable state to 
be made known to his men, urging them onto 
the combat, by which they defeat their enemies, 
and make sir Henry Percy, with many more, 
prisoner 483 

129. The bishop of Durham is anxious to succor the 

English and rescue sir Henry Percy, but is so 
badly supported by his men, that he is forced to 
retreat. He makes sir Henry Lindsay prisoner, 
who had taken sir Matthew Redman 4Si 

The bishop of Durham marches on the morrow 
of the battle to the Scots camp, but retires witli- 
out daring to attack it. The Scots return to theic 
own country 485 

The king of France enters the duchy of Luxem- 
bourg, on his march to Gueldres. Thedukeof 
Juliers. father of the duke of Gueldres, makes 
excuses forlm son to the king of France. He 
is graciously received, and has the territory of 
V'ierson restored to him, for which he pays hom- 
age to the king. 4?6 

132. King Charles VI. quarters his army on a friend!>' 

footing in the duchy of Juliers, A squire of 
Auvergne is murdered by a wood-cutter whom 
he is leading away as his prisoner 497 

133. The duke of JuUers and archbishop of Cologne 

leave the king of France, and gu to the duke of 
Gueldres at Nimeguen. By Ibeir remonstrances 
and negotiations, he obtains peace with the king 
of France and duchess of Brabant 487 

134. The earl of Arundel and his fleet are driven by 

storms to La Palice, near La Rochelle. The 
lord Lewis de Sancerre. having had informa- 
tion of this, chases them at sea, hut m vain. 
The duke of Lancaster marries his daughter to 
the heir of Cnstilie 488 

135. The king of France, while on the frontiers of 

Juliei"5, has part of his camp surprised, and 
several prisoners made, by some German pilla- 
gers. The king, being twenty-one years of 
age, takes on himself the government of his 
kingdom. He sends tt» the king of Castille, on 
hearing of the marriage of his son with the 
daughter of the duke of Lancaster, to remon- 
strate with him not to enter into any treaties 
that may be prejudicial to him or to his kingdom. .488 

136. The duke of Berry, being disappointed in liis 

maiTiage witli tJie daughter of the duke of Lan- 
caster, sends to the count de Foi.\ to demand the 
daughter of the count de Boulogne, whom he 
had in wardship 489 

137. Geoffry Tete-noire is wounded in the head, at a 

skirmish, and commits excesses which cause his 
death. He makes a will, and substitutes two 
govem?n of Ventadour in his room, ,,■-,.. t ■ ... 490 » 



130. 



131. 



^ xrrr 

CHAP. PAQK 

138. The duke of Gueldres is made prisoner in Pmssia; 

and, though deUvered by the knights of the 
Teutonic order, he returns to keep his faith to 
the person who had taken him 49© 

139. Sir John de Vienne. having received his answer 

from the king of Castille, returns to France. 
The duke of Lancaster proceeds in the marriage 
of his daughter to the infant of Castille. The 
earl of Arundel, having made some cruises on 
the coasts of Normandy, returns with his fleet 
to England 43x 

140. The lord Lewis de Sancerre visits the count de 

Foix at Orthcs. A deed of arms is performed, 
before the duke of Lancaster at Bordeaux, be- 
tween five French and five Englishmen 491 

141. The duchess of Lancaster carries her daughter to 

Castille, to marry her to the intant. Ha\ins 
found the bones of her father, she has ihem 
conveyed to Seville, and buried with regal obse- 
quies 49.3 

142. The duke of Berry negotiate? so successfully 

with the count de Foix. that he sends to liim 
his cousin of Boulogne, whom he instantly 
marries '. 493 

143. Certain prudent men negotiate a truce, for three 

years, between the French and English, and all 
their alUe? 493 

VOLUME rv. 

1. Froissart relates his travels, afler iie had left Or* 
thes ^ 

2 Queen Isabella of France makes her public entry 
into the city of Paris , 434 

3. Sir John de Chatel-Morant brings from England 

the truces fur three years, sealed by king Rich- 
ard and his allies, Lewis of Anjou, king of 
Sicily, is betrothed and married to a daughter of ' 
the king of Arragon 497 

4. The king of France is desirous of visiting the dis- 

tant parts of his kingdom. At the request of the 
lord de Coucy, lie orders tlie duke of Ireland out 
of France 497 

5. King Charles of France visits his uncle the duke 

of Burgundy, nnd Pope Clement at Avignon . . .493 

6. The king of France sends the dukes of Berry and 

Curgundy to their homes, to their great dissatis- 
faction, and continues his journey from Avignon 
to Languedoc 499 

7. Di!rii;g the time king Charles of France is at 

Montpellier, three of his chamberlains imder- 
take to hold a tournament near to Calais, 
against all comers 499 

8. During the king of France's residence at Beiiei-s, 
.accusations are made against Betiiisac. trea- 
surer to the duke of Berry. Thinking to be sent 
to the pope and escipe punishment, he confesses 
himself a heretic and sodomite, but is transferred 
over, by the official at Beziers, to the secular 
power, and burnt 501 

9. AVhen the king of France is at Toulouse, he sum- 

mons the count de Foix, who, on his arrival, 
pays him homage for his county ot Foix 501 

10. The king of France and his brother, the duke of 
Touraine, wager which shall arrive tlie soonest 
at Paris, from Montpellier, each attended by 
only one knight 505 

U. The death of pope Urban ut Rome, called the 
anti-pope. Pope Clement writes to the king of 
France, his uncles, and the university of Paris, 
on the occasion. The election of pope Boni- 
ftice by tlie Roman cardinals 505 

12. The surrender of the strong castle of Ventadour 

in Limousin, that had been the chief residence 
of Geoffry Tete-noiie 5OS 

13. Three French knights hold a tournament at Saint 

Inglevere, near Calais, and defend the lists, for 
thirty days, against all comers, from England 
and elsewhere 509 

14. The duke of Bourbon is appointed chief of an 

expedition to Africa, that is undertaken by sev- 
eral knights of France and England at the soli- 
citation of the Genoese 5H 

15. Aymerigot Marcel, captain of the pillaging com- 

panies, having fortified La Roche de Vandais, 
on the borders of Limousin and Auvergne, ii 
besieged by the viscount de Maux, by command 

of the king of France 515 

IG. Aymerigot Marcel endeavors, but in vain, to roise 
the siege of La Roche de Vandais, by letters 
and messages to the king of England, the duke 
of Lancaster, the viscount de Meanx, and eveu 
to ihe duke of Berry 51T 

17. Aymerigot Marcel having left La Roche de Van- 

dais. to seek succor from other pillagers, his 
lieutenant, Guyot du Sel, is surprised by nn 
ambuscade, and the fort surrenders on capitula- 
tion .520 

18. The messengers from England, hearing of tho 

surrender of La Roche de Vandais, take leave 
of the duke of Berry. Aymerigot letirestothe 
house of a relation, called Tournemine, who 
betrays him to the king of France. He is car 
ried to Paris, and there beheaded, and his body 
quartered .521 

19. The Christian lords weigh anchor, and leave the 

island ofComino, in order to lay siege to the 
town of Africa. The manner in Avhich they 
conduct themselves , 532 

20. The conduct of the Sarftceos during the siege of 

the town oi Africa. .They '^eFld to demand from 



IIV 



CONTENTS. 



CBiJ*. PAGE. 

the French the cause of their makine war 

against them 524 

21. JSome nuraclea are shown to the Saracens, as 
they attempt to attack the camp of the chris- 
tians. Several skirmishes during the siege. Tlie 
ciiniate becomes unwholesome, and otiier acci- 
dents befal the besiegers 524 

32. A challenge is sent by the Saracens to offer com- 
bat of ten agninst ten Christrians. The Sara- 
cens fail in their engagement. The town of Af- 
rica is stormed, but unsuccessfullj', and with the 

loss of many worthy men...,..,. 5^ 

3B. A grand tournament is holden at London, The 
king of England gives splendid entertainments 
during the siege of the town of Africa by the 
Christians. The count D'Ostrevant receives Uie 
Order of the Garter, wliich displeases tlie king 

of France 527 

34. The siege of Africa is raiseti. The cause of it. 
The knights and squires return to their own 

countries 529 

25. King Charles of France proposes to march to 
Italy, to form a union of the Church by force, 
and thence to Barbary. Embassadors from 
England otfer proposals for a peace between 
him and king Richard. The death of John, 
king of Castille. lie is succeeded by his son 
Henry, who is crowned king, though but nine 

years of age ^ ,530 

36. Of the expedition of cpunt John d'Armagnac 
ijito Lombardy. His death at the siege of Alex- 
andria 531 

27 The king of England is anxious to make peace 
with France, The duke of Gloucester throws 
obstacles m the way. Sir Peter de Craon, 
^ ftwmerly the favorite of king Ciiarles and his 
brother the duke of Tuuraine, incurs their 
hatred, and takes refuge willi the duke of Brit- 
tany 534 

38. The death of the young count Louis deChastii- 
Jon, son to count Guy de Blois. The sudden 

death of Gasion count de Foix 535 

3S. Sir Evan de Foix, bastard-son to the late count, 
intending to carry away privately the treasure 
of his father, is discovered by tlie townsmen of 
OrthCB, who, however, promise every assistance 
to him and to his brother that is not incompati- 
ble witii the true iieir to the count de Foix. the 
vjscouut de Chastelbon 536 

30. The corpse of the count de Foix is brought from 

Rion to Orthes. The king of France sends the 
bishop of Noyon and tlie lord de la Riviere into 
the county of Foix, to make arrangements, ac- 
cording to the decree of tlie council 537 

31. The viscount de Chastelbon, heir to the count de 

Foix, attends his funeral at Orthes. He is ad- 
vised to send to the before-named commission- 
ers from France, to demand possession of the 
succession which liad (iillen to him by the death 
of the count de Foix : He afienvards sends, to the 

same purport, to the king of France 537 

33. The king of France and Uie duke of Brittany 
meet al Tours, to settle tlieir differences. Em- 
bassadors from England come thither also to 
negotiate a peace 539 

33. Sir Roger d'Espaign and sir Espaign du Lyon, 

embassadors from the viscount de Chastelbon, 
practice so successfully with the court of France, 
that lie is declare*! heir and successor to the 
count de FoL\ by letters patent from tlie king of 
France 540 

34. During the residence of the king of France and 

duke of Brittany at Tours, their differences are 
partly accommodated by means of the marriages 
of the duke's son with a princess of France, and 
a son of John of Brittany, son to the late Lord 
Charles de Blois, with a daughter of the duke of 
Brittany 54I 

35. The count de Blois and Mary of Namur. his 

countess, sell to the duke of Touraine the county 
of Blois with other lands. The viscount de 
Chastelbon takes possession of tlie inheritance 
of the late count de Foix 54I 

36. A grand assembly .it Amiens, of the king and 

lords of France and England, to treat of a 
peace between the two fcmgdoms 542 

37. The French and English lords;, not being able to 

agree on the terms of peace, prolong the truce 
ene year. The English, on their return, are 
accompanied by the lord de Chastcau-Moront. 
to bring back tlie king of England's final an- 
swer 544 

38. The first illness of king Charles. Count Beniard 

d'Armagnac does homnge to the king. The 
lord de Chnstclinorant returns from England 
witJi an answer respecting peace 544 

39. Sir Peter de Craon, through malevolence, way- 

lays sir Oliver de Clisson, beats and severely 
wounds him. The king and council are greatly 
angered tli^reat 545 

4(1 The king of France sendM his own physicians and 
surgeons to visit the constable during the night, 
orders the provost of Pari^ to pursue ?ir Peter 
de Craon, who had fled for refuge to tlie duke of 
Bri*t;iny. Some of his men, having remained 
at Paris, are executed 546 

41. The king of France summons the duke of Brit- 
tany to deliver up Kir Peter dc Craon. ilis an- 
twemoibeingsatisfactory.the king declares war 
tenimi him. The kinj^'s uncles murmur at the 



CHAr. FAOK. 

great riches of the constable, which were dis- 
closed by his will .547 

42. The duke of Touraine is created duke of Orleans. 

The constable of France being recovered, the 
king of France advances to Mans, with the in- 
tention of continuing his march to make war on 
the duke of Brittany M8 

43. The king of France, during his stay at Man^;, 

again sends some 'noble personages to the duke 
of Brittany, with orders to dismiss sir Peter de 
Craon. The king is informed tliat sir Peter is 
arrested at Barcelona by command of the queen 
of Arragon 544 

44. The king having left Mans to carry on his war 

against Brittany, is ordered to return by an un- 
known person. This same day, his mind is de- 
ranged, and he is brought back to Mans 544 

45. King Charles VI. of France, continuing deranged 

in mind, is removed from Mans to Creil, on the 
Oise. the regency of the kingdom is given to tlie 
dukes of Berry and Burgundy by the three 
estates 5jl 

46. The lord de Coucy introduces tlie great physicion. 

master William de Harseley, to cure tjie king of 
France. Various causes assigned for this dis- 
order 557 

47. The dukes of Berry and Burgundy ruin those 

who had been the conlidential servants of the 
king. The duke of Burgundy treats rudely the 
constable de Clisson 552 

48. Sir Oliver de Clisson, after the harsh answer of the 

duke of Burgundy, retires to Montlehery. Be- 
ing pursued thither, he has time to make lib re- 
treat to Chasteau Josselin 553 

49. The lord de la Riviere, the principal minister of 

the king of France before his illness, is made 
prisoner by orders of the dukes of Berry and 
Burgundy. The duchess of Berry intercedes for 
him with her lord 553 

50. After many adjourmneuts and delays, the consta- 

ble de Clisson is, by judgment of the court of 
parliament of Paris, banished the realm of 
France, condemned to pay a fine of one liun- 
dred thousand francs, and declared incapable of 
holding the office of constable of France 565 

M. King Charles recovers his senses through the 
mercy of God, and the diligent attention of his 
physician, master William de Harseley 556 

52. The truce is prolonged between France and Eng- 
land. The viscount de Chastelbon does homage 
for tlie county of Foix to the king of France 556 

63- The king of France is in great danger of his life 
at a masked dance ol men dressed hke savages. 
Pope Boniface and his cardinals at Rome send a 
learned friar to the king 557 

54. The duchess of Berry supports the lord de la 

Riviere, in opposition to the duchess of Bur- 
gundy 558 

55. The lord de Coucy refuses to accept the sword of 

constable in the room of Clisson. The dukes of 
Berry and Burgundy invest the lord Philip d'Ar- 
tois, count d'Eu, with it, in consideration of his 
marriage with the ladyMary of Berry, widow of 
the lord Louis de Blois 55? 

56. Tlie constable de Clisson, during his absence from 

France, wages war on the duke of Brittany 560 

57. A treaty of peace concluded between the kings 

of France and England, through the media- 
tions of their uncles 560 

58. The treaty of peace is nearly broken off by 

pope Boniface, and by tlie king of France re- 
lapsing into his former illness 562 

59. The death of pope Clement at Avignon. The 

election of poi/O Benedict. A learned clerk in 
the arclibishopric of Rheims, supports the right 
of the see of Avignon, by his speeches and 
preachings 563 

60. The king of England is advised to make a jour- 

ney to Ireland, and to settle on the duke of 
Lancaster and his heirs for ever the duchy of 
Aquitaine witli all its dependencies 563 

6i. The death of the lady Anne of Bohemia, queen 
of England. The duke of Lancaster lands in 
Aquitaine, and the king of England in Ireland.. .564 

63. Sir John Froissart arrives in England, and is pre- 
sented to king Richard by the duke of Vork, 
uncle to the king 565 

63. The information Froissart gains in England, 

toucliing the opposition of the inhabitants of 
Aquitaine to the gift the king of England had 
made of it to his uncle the duke of Lancaster. 
The commissioners sent to remonstrate on the 
matter witli the king cannot obtain a decisive 
answer relative thereto 566 

64. Froissart presents his Book of Love Poems to 

king Richard of England. He relates what he 
had heard of the last expedition ol the English 
to Ireland 568 

65. The duke of Lancaster is ordered back from 

Aquitaine. King Richard receives a friendly 
answer to the proposals his embassadors iiad 
made to the king of France for a marriage be- 
tween him and the lady Isabella, princess of 
France 570 

66. A squire of Normandy, called Robert the 

Hermit, having declared he had seen a vision, 
while at sea, ordering him to interfere in mak- 
ing a peace between France and England, is 
sent to king Richard and his uncles to this 
effecl.. 571 



67. The lord de la Riviere and sir John le Mercier are 

delivered out of prison gfj, 

68. The duke of Brittany and sir Oliver de CIis«)ii 

are reconciled. The dowager queen of SicUy 
institutes a law-suit in the courts of Paris against 
sir Peter de Craon 573 

69. The kine of Hungary writes to the king of 

France his situation in respect to the sultan Ba- 
jazet. John of Burgundy . eldest son to the duke 
of Burgundy, marches, as commander-in-chief, 
an army to the sijccor of the Hungarians ff?5. 

70. The count d'Ostrevanf. brother-in-law to John of 

Burgundy, being desirous to march to Hungary, 
is advised by his fatherto attempt, in preference, 
thereconquestofFriesland. which belonged lo 
them , 57ft 

71. John of Burgundy, count of Ne vers, leads an 

army into Hungary against the Turks. The ne- 
gotiations for the marriage of king Richard of 
England with the eldest princej.3 of France are 
continued 57c. 

72. The queen of Naples, widow to the late duke of 

Anjou, obtains judgment in parliament against 
sir Peter de Craon. 577 

73. The marriage is concluded between king Richard 

of England and the lady Isabella, eldest daugh- 
ter to Charles VI. king of France. The duke of 
Lancaster marries again. Sir Peter ds Craon is. ■ 
after some time, delivered from prison, at the en- 
treaty of tlie young queen of England 577 

74. John of Burgundy, count of Nevei-s. passes the 

Danube with his army. After tlie capture of 
several places, tiie town of Nicopoli is besieged.. 57& 

75. A digression from the principal history to explain 

why John Galeos of Milan was moved to give 
the Turk information of the expedition intended 
against him e^ 

76. While Bnj;tzet is raising a great army to oppose 

the Hungarians and French, the lord de Coucy, 
during the siege of Nicopuli. defeats a large 
body of Turks with an inferior force 581 

77. The duke of Gueldres prevents the earl of Derby 

joining the counts of Hainauh and of Ostrevnnt 
in their expedition against Friesiand. Negotia- 
tions for peace between France and England 
are continued until king Richard crosses over to 
Calais, to conclude them with the duke of Bur- 
gundy 582 

78. The counts of Hainault and of Osirevant raise a 

large army of mco-at-arms, knights and squires, 
to invade Friesiand. The king of France sends 
them assistance, under the command of count 
Walleran de Saint Pol and the lord Charles 
d'AIbret ggj 

79. The earl of Hainault lands with his army in 

Freisland. He defeats the Frieslanders in battle, 
but is nevertheless (breed to retire to Holland, to 
pass the winter, without having gained anyiliinc 
in Friesiand 5$^ 

80. The ceremony of the marriage of the king of 

England with a princess of France. The king 
of France delivers her to tlie king of England, 
in his tent between Ardres and Calais 68& 

81. The Christians are forced to raise the siege of 

Nieopoli, by the arrival of Bajazet in Turkey. 
They are defeated, and the Hungarians put 
to flight, through the presumptuous folly of the 
French 597 

82. The Turks, after the battle of Jiicopoli, put to 

death all their prisoners, except the count de 
Nevers and some other great lord; ggg: 

83. The French and others who had been in Turkey 

suffer great hardships on their return home, after 
having escaped from tlie battle of Nicopoli. Sir 
James de Helly brings certain mtelligenceof this 

defeat to the king of France 5g9 

64. SirJamesde Helly. having received his dispatches 
from the king of France, arrives in Hungary, in 
his way to Turkey. The king sends sir John de 
Chastelmorant. with presents to Bnjazet, and his 
recommendations in favor of the French prison- 
ers. The manner in which the)' are treated 690 

85. Sir James de Helly, on his return to Turkey, ob- 

tains his liberty, and carries a pnsspi^rt from the 
sultan to sir John deChastelmorant in Hungory. 
Sir John de Chastelmorant is forced to send a 
messenger to the king of France, to inform him 
that the king of Hungary will not allow the 
presents to be carried to the sultan 591 

86. The duchess of Orleans is susperted of causing 

llie k ing's illness 592- 

87. The duke and duchess of Burgnndy diligently 

exert themselves lofiiid means to ransom tlie 
count de Nevers, their son. and his fellow-priso- 
ners in Turkey. The king of Hungary, tlirough 
the persuasion of the grand master of Rhodes, 
permits the embassador from the king of France 
to pass through his kingdom with the presents for 
the sultan B.tjazet 592 

88. The duke of Gloucester phtts the de: ruction of 

his nephew the king of England. The king, 
having information of his practices, iias him ar- 
rested by tlie earl-marsha! 593 

89. The lord dc Coucy and count d'Eu. constable of 

France, die in Turkey, before the treaty for their 
deliverance is arranged. A ransom is agreed oti 
for the other prisoners who were taken at the 
battle ol Nicopoli 597 

90. The French lords who had been prisoners in Tur- 

key return by sea ig Venice , , ,, 598 



CONTENTS. 



XV 



CBAY. PAOH. 

SI. The lord Louis de Soncerre is made constable of 
France, in the room of the count d'Eu. wlio liad 
died in Turkey. Bouciraut, during his iibsence 
with the count de Nevers, is nppuiiited marshal 
of France in the place of the lord Loui^ de San- 
cerre. The French lords who Jiad been prison- 
ers in Turkey return to France 600 

92. The deaths ofthe duke of Gloucester and the 

earl of Arundel. Tlie manner in which the 
dukea of Lancaster and York, and tJie London- 
ers, take the matter 60J 

93. A great assembly holden at Kheiins, by the em- 

peror of Germany and king of France, on the 
schism in theCImrch. and on the means of unit- 
ing the two parties 603 

y4. The earl -marshal chulleiiges the earl of Derby, 
son to tlie duke of Lancaster, in the presence of 
the king and his council 603 

95. King Richard of England banishes the earl of 

Derby from England for ten years, and the earl- 
marshal lor his lite 606 

96. The earl of Derby, in conseciuence of his banish- 

ment, leaves England for France. The earl- 
marshal, in obedience to His sentence, goes to 
Flanders, and thence into Lumbardy 606 

57. The count d'Osirevant sends embassadors to the 
earl of Derby. The carl arrives at Paris 607 

96. The emperor and tlie king of France pursue the 
plans they had settled at Rheinis, for a union of 
the church. The bishop of Cambray is sent by 
them to the pope at Rome. The answer that is 
made him 607 

96, The king of France, in conforcnity to the advice 
ofhU nobles and the university of Paris, sends 
the bishop of Cambray to pope Beuedict at 
Avignon, on the subject of a union of the 
church, and also his marshal Boucicaut thither 
ta constrain the pope to obedience by force of 
arms, should there be occasion 607 

100. In consequence of the answer of pope Benedict, 

the marshal Boucicaut obliges him by force of 
arms to submit himself to the will of the king of 
France respecting a union of the church 606 

101, The marshal Boucicaut returns to Hungoty 

against the Turks, The «arl of Derby sends t« 



CHAP. PAGE. 

request permission of the duke of Lancaster to 
accompany Boucicaut in this expedition. The 
king of England is solicited by the king of 
France to engage his subjects to a neutrality be- 
tween the two pope=, until a new election shall 
take place; but they refuse compliance with 
tlieir monarch's request 609 

102. The answer the duke of Lancaster gives the 

knight who had been sent to him by the earl of 
Derby, to request his permission to join thee.x- 
pedition against the Turks. The death of the 
duke of Lancaster 610 

103. The king of England makes the kins of France 

acquainted with the death of the dake of Lan- 
caster, but does not notice it to the earl of 
Derby, though sou to the late duke €10 

104. Tiie treaty of marriage between the earl of 

Derby and the daughter of the duke of Berry is 
broken off by the king of England, through the 
means of tlie earl of Salisbury 611 

105. King Richard of England proclaims a tourna- 

ment, which is attended by very lew persons. 
On setting out !br Ireland, he banishes the earl 
of Northumberland and his son the kingdom. . . ,612 

106. Tlie English, and particularly the Londoners, rise 

in f'ivor of tiie earl of Derby against king 
Richard 612 

107. The archbishop of Canterbury is sent to France 

by the Londoners, and others of tlieir parly in 
England, to bring back the earl of Derby G13 

108. The earl of Derby takes leave ofthe king and 

lords of France, to visit his cousin the duke of 
^ Brittany 614 

109. The earl of Derby sails from Brittany to England. 

His reception by the citizens of London 615 

110. The ear! of Derby, now dukeof Lancaster, un- 

dertakes the government of England, and, by 
the aid of the I^ndoners, determines to seize the 
throne. lie marches in arms against king Rich- 
ard at Bristol 615 

111. King Richard is informed that the earl of Derby 

is marching against him with a powerful army. 
He retires to Flint castle 616 

112. King Richard Gurrenders himself to the earl of 

perb^r, to ])^ conducted 10 London., >,.••■ i •■•• f .616 



CHAP. PAOC. 

113. The lady of Coucy is taken away from tlip vonng 

queen of England, and a new Iiousehold ap" 
:' pointed for her. King Richard i* confined in 
the tower of London 617 

114. The earl of Rutland, constable of England, hear- 

ing the king has surrendered, disimsseb his mea- 
al-arms. Four knights ofthe king'b chamber, 
having been put to death by the Londoners, lie 
is advised by those who were imprisoned with 
him to resign hi? crown to the duke of Lancas- 
ter a? 

115. King Richard of England resigns his crown and 

kingdom into tlie hands ofthe duke of Lancas- 
ter 618 

116. A parliament meets at Westminster, when the 

duke wf Lancaster 'is publicly acknowledged 
king of England. The great magnificence of 
his coronation 619 

117. Intelligence of the imprisonment of king Richard 

is carried to France by the lady of Coucy. King 
Charles is much displeased thereat. The duke 
of Bourbon attempts in vain to reduce Bor- 
deaux, and other towns in Aquitaine, to the 
crown of France 639 

118 The council of France, by peimission of king 

Henry, send over persons to visit Isabella, queen 
to Richard 11 6a 

119 The earls of Huntingdon and Salisbury, and some 

others, having failed to murder treacherously 
king Henry of Lancaster, rise in arms against 
him. They are defeated and beheaded, and 
their heads sent to the king .622 

130. On the death of John of Montfort, duke of Brit- 
tany, the Bretons undertake the wardship ofthe 
young duke, and to be friendly to France. Tlie 
French king, dist;usting the sentiments of the 
new reign in England, makes provision against 
any sudden change 633 

121. The death of king Richard. The truces are re- 
newed and kept between France and England. 
The earl-mar&hal, who had been banished Eng- 
land, dies at Venice 638 

133. France preserves a neutrality between tJie popes 
of Rome and Avignon. The election of the 
«inpeio[ Robert . . . i •> > m i •• • n • • • 1 1 n • > ^ 



LIST OF ENGRAVINGS. 



PAGE. 

1. Initial kttei T ■■■•■• " *■ 

2. Group of Kiiiclils of the Fourtoentli Century 14 

3. Portrait of Edward tlie Second 15 «■ 

4. auecn Isabella's Visit to her Brother at Tan? 16 to. 

5. Portrait of Eilward the Third •■ f 46. 

6. Edward the Third's Expedition against the Scots.. il | 

7. Portrait of Philip de Valois, king of France 25 i 47. 

8. View of Berwick-upoQ-Twced 27 | «. 

9. Visw in Ghent ; * I f- 

10. Edward the Third sending a Challenge to King 50. 

Philip ~ 

11. View of the City of Tournay. . « 

12. Entry of John de Montfort and his Duchsss into 

Names ■ ® 

13. Part of the Old Town Wall of Newcaslle-upon- 

Tyne " ^• 

14. View of Wark Castle. Norlhumberland .54 54. 

la. A Tournament. From a Manuscript of the Fif- 
teenth Century 5i 

16. The Trebuchet. a Machine for Casting Stones H) fo. 

17. Wooden Tower, used for Storrainj Walls '0 56. 

18. Dattleof Caen '' 57. 

19. Battle of Crcssy 81 58. 

20. Portrait of Queen Philippa. From lier Tomb 85 

a. Uueen Phihppa haranguing her Troops at Ne- 

V ij's Cross Oi' 

22. Xjochaber Axes ^ 

33. Combat ef La Roche D'Errien , 8& 

34. Battle of Calais S3 

35. Portrait of John, King of France ^ 63. 

26. Portrait of Edward the Black Prince 106 64 

27. Battle of Jleau.\, in Brie 113 65. 

38. War Waggons and Baggage Trains on their 

Maich 134 

29. Cathedral and Part of the Old Town of Rheims. .120 

30. Whole-lenalh Figure of "BertiandduCue«clin." 

from a woodcut in a scarce Folio, Printed 1490. . 141 

31. Portrait of Charles the Fifth of France 143 

33. Coronation of Charles V. and his Ciueen 147 

33. Portrait of John of Gaunt (Duke of Lancaster).. .161 69. 

34. Scenery of the Pyrenees on the French side 162 

35. Scenery of the Pyrenees on the Spanish side 170 70. 

36. Baule of Hlontiel— an irregular Combat of 

French, Spaniards. Moors, and Jews 173 71 

37. Tomb of Ciueen Fhilippa, Westminister Abbey. . . 190 

38. Sir John Chandos at the head of his Uoops, in 73 

the act of making his Deathcharge on the 

French 193 74. 

39. Edward the Black Prince in a Litter at the Sack 

of Limoges 201 

40. The Round Tower of Wmdnor Castle, as it ap- 76. 

peared in the time of Etiward in 307 77. 

41. Sea-fight off I^ ftocheUe 308 78. 

43. Dunfermline Abbey— the Burial Place of Robert 

Bnice , 216 



PAOE. 

Tomb of Edward the Black Prince. Canterbury 

Cathedral 223 

Portrnitof Richard II 224 

Tomb of Edward III., Westminster Abbey.. .... .234 

Duke of Anjou with his army, marching against 

Bergerac ^ 

The Storming of Dura-^ 2-31 

View of Alnwick Castle 233 

View of E%'ieux, in Normandy .239 

Oliver du Guesclin made prisoner by the Garri- 

rison of Cherbourg •■ -243 

dueen Joanna of Naples, surrendering her Terri- 

ritories to Pope Clement VIl ^ 

Men of Ghent attacking the Earl of Flanders in 

Dendermonde ^" 

The HOtel-de- Ville. Oudenarde 260 

The Ear! of Buckingham, with his Army, on 
their Voyage to Calais, to assist the Duke of 

Brittany 263 

Portrait of Charles VI. of France 370 

The H6tel-de-Ville. Ypres 277 

John BaU preaching to the People in Kent 283 

Richard the Second and the Rebels 285 

Death of Wat Tyler 287 

Citizens of Ghent begging a Peace of the Earl of 

Flanders 292 

Tomb of Good Ciueen Anne, wife of Richard II., 

in Westminster Aubey 295 

View of Castel del Ovo, Naples 396 

A French Knight unfurling the Oriflumrae 314 

Battle of Rosebecque 321 

The Bishop of Norwich at the head of his ^ 

Troops 327 

Funeral of the Earl of Flanders, bearing tlie body 

into the Chu-.ch ■ — 336 

Funeral of the Earl of Flanders, placing the body 

before the Altar 337 

Funeral of the Earl of Flanders, placing the body 

in the Tomb ■ ■■33' 

Genoese Cross-bowmen attacking the Bridge of 

Taillebourg 344 

King Robert of Scotland and his Nine Sons who 

lo%-ed Arms ^ 

The Old Maison-de- Ville. Ghent 357 

Froissart at the Court of the Count de Foil 359 

Bishop of Pamiers singing the Mass at the Festi- 
val of St. Nicholas 372 

Erelish and Gascon Lords at Bordeaux 387 

Embassadors of Portugal presented to Riehard 

II. by the Duke of Lancaster 393 

Attack on the Fortifications of Pontevedra 409 

General View of Sluys 412 

Battle-axe Fight between Sir John Holland and 

Sir Reginald de Rove ^ 

, View of the City of Burgos ,.,..«8 



PAQIi. 

80. Lord Beaumanoir paying the Ransom of the 

Constable de Clisson 432 

81. Richard the Second at Bristol 443 

82. Bayonne, as it appeared in tlie Seventeenth Cen- 

tury ;.463 

83. The Emperor constituting the Duke of Brabant 

Keeper of the Public Roads 45tJ 

SI. Perrot le Bearnois and a company of Pillagers. . . .462 

85. The Duke of Brittany presenting the Count d'Bs- 

tampes with a handsome white palfrey 466 

86. Palace of the Louvre 473 

87. View of Jedburgh 480 

88. View of Brancepeth Castle 481 

89. Deatli of Douglas at Olterbourne 483 

90. Triumphal Entry of Ciueen Isabella into Paris — 495 

91 . Entry of Charles, king of France, to Beziers 503 

J^2. Count de Harcourt presenting the Comfit Box to 

the king 5»4 

93. Coronation of Pope Boniface 50G 

S^. Tournament at St. Inglevere 509 

95. English and French Knights under the Duke of 
-Bourbon on their voyage to Africa 513 

96. Execution of Ajmerigot Marcel at Pans OT 

97. Siege of the Town of Africa »& 

9S. Richard the Second and his three Uncles, the 

Dukes of Lancaster, York, and Gloucester 5M 

99. Assembly of the French King and the Lords of 
France and England, to treat of a Peace be- 
tween the two kingdoms 543 

ICO. Shrine of St. Aduaire JoZ 

101. King Charles and a Hawking Party S6j 

102. The Masque at Paris, in which the king and oth- 

ei"s were in great danger yor 

103. Marriage of Philip d'.'lrtois and Lady Mary de 

Berry ^» 

104. Richard the Second on his Voyage to Ireland 664 

105. Irish Chieftians making a Charge 569 

106. King of Hungary holding a Council with the 

French Knights ^ 

107. Battle of Nicopoli »' 

108. William of Hainault on his Expedition against 

Friesland ■ -59* 

109. Isabella and the king of England taking leave of 

the King of France, at the Camp between Ar- 
dres and Calais •.• ■ •*' 

110. V isit of Richard the Second to his Uncle, tne 

Duke of Gloucester, in his Castle at Pleshy 596 

111. The Earl-Marshal challenging the Earl of 

Derby l'"** 

112. Earl of Derby taking leave of the King and 

Lords of France at Paris .614 

U3. Richard the Second resigning the Crown into the 

hands of the duke of Lancaster 619 

114. The Coronation of Henry the Fourlh mO 

115. Funeral Procession of Richard the Second 683 




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Lets. a-voLiuuarw. 

23Tm 



CHRONICLES 



ENGLAND, FEANCE. SPAIN, &«. &c. 



ADVERTISEMENT. 

The Chronicles of Sir John Froissart have, ever since their first 
publication, when they were circulated only through the medium of 
manuscripts, and deemed worthy presents to kings and princes, been 
so highly prized, as to make any apology for their reproduction in a 
novel, and it is hoped an improved form, unnecessary. England is 
particularly rich in MS. Froissarts, and from these stores most of the 
illustrations have been drawn. The readershould, however, be made 
aware that there scarcely exists one single MS. contemporary with 
the time of the author containing illustrations, and that the dresses, 
&.C. displayed in the wood-cuts interspersed in these volumes, are 
almost all to be referred to a later date. The manners of the times 
had not undergone much alteration, nor was the costume materially 
different, and they at least approach very nearly to an exact represen- 
tation of the scenes described in the history they illustrate. It is 
difficult to represent the exquisite finish of ancient illuminations, 
through the medium of a copy composed of black lines and contrasted 
lights : but the fidelity o{ the outlines, and the spirit of the execution, 
have been scrupulously observed, and it is hoped that the general 
effect does not discredit the originals. 

It may be necessary to say a few words on the mode which has 
been adopted in the conduct of the present edition. The text of 
•Tohnes has been preferred to that of Lord Berners for several reasons : 
the mare modern diction is better adapted for the extended circulation 
among all classes of readers, which it is the ambition of the proprie- 
tor of the Imperial Classics to achieve ; the style and language of Lord 
Berners would probably be preferred by those who are familiar with 
our earlier writers, but notes and glossaries would be required to make 
clear to others many words and expressions which to them appear in 
no degree obscure. Again, Mr. Johnes has in several places intro- 
duced extensive additions, which are to be found in no other edition, 
French or English. If these were embodied in the text of Lord 
Berners, a proceeding necessary to make the edition complete, a very 
piel)ald piece of patch-work would be the result ; and as the original 
of these additions was lost when Mr. Johnes's house and Ubrary were 
destroyed by fire, it is not possible to re-translate them in a style 
assimilated to that of the noble translator. 

Another objection to adopting the text of Lord Berners, is that 
imperfection which induced Mr. Johnes to undertake his translation, 
viz., the inaccuracies in rendering the names of both men and towns, 
&c. Mr. Johnes did much to correct these, which are dreadfully 
mangled and disfigured in the original ; and they have been still 
farther improved in the present edition. It has not been thought 
necessary to point out all these emendations ; where no doubt existed, 
the alteration has been made silenliv ; but wherever there was any 
tmcertainty, the emendation has been proposed as a query. 

All Mr. Johnes's original notes have been preserved, and many 
more added on subjects which he had left unnoticed, or regarding 
which he appeared to be in error. A few of the best passages of 
Lord Berners's version have been appended as specimens of his style, 
Ruch as the celebrated episode of Edward III. and the countess of 
Salisbury, p. 53. 

The original divisions made by Froissart in his work are com- 
nie[itv;d on and explained in the Essay by M. de St. Palaye, trans- 
hted by Mr. Johnes, and appended to this edition, and it will therefore 
be sufficient in this place to explain the system here adopted. The 
four original divisions into volumes or books have been preserved, 
an i the chapters of each book are separately numbered. No two 
editions or MSS. exactly agree in the arrangement of the chapters, 
and we have therefore adhered to that adopted by Mr. Johnes. 

We will now take our leave of the reader in the words of Gray, 
who, i.i a letter to a friend, thus addresses him: " I rejoice you have 
met with Froissart; he is the Herodotus of a barbarous age ; had he 
but had the luck of writing in as good a language, he might have 
been immortal ! His locomotive disposition (for then there was no 
-other way of learning things,) his simple curiosity, his religious cre- 



dulity, were much like those of the old Grecian. When you have 
tant chevauce as to get to the end of him, there is Monstrelet waits 
to take you up, and will set you down at Philip de Commines." 



MEMOIR 



THE LIFE OF FROISSART, 



John Froissart, priest, canon, and treasurer of the collegiate 
church of Chimay, historian and poet, was born in Valenciennes, a 
town in Hainault, about the year 1337. This date, which appears 
contradicted by one single passage in his Chronicle, is confirmed by 
a number of others, as well in his Chronicle, as in his Manuscript 
Poems. 

However attentive he may have been to inform us of the minutest 
particulars of his life, he does not say one word relative to his fam- 
ily. One can only form a conjecture from a passage in his Poems, 
that his father's name was Thomas, and that he was a painter of 
arms. We find in his history a Froissart Meullicr, a young knight 
from Hainault, who signalized himself by his valor at the siege of 
the castle of Fighieres in Spain, which the English and Gascons at- 
tacked in 1381. His country and name induce me to believe that 
our historian might be a relation of his, and, like him, sprung from a 
noble family. Froissart, is titled knight, in a manuscript in the abbey 
of St. Germain-des-Prfes; but as he has not this title in any other 
manuscript, though we have some of the nrost ancient and most au- 
thentic, it seems probable that the copyist has given it to him from 
his own authority. 

His infancy announced what he would one day be ; he early man- 
ifested that eager and inquisitive mind, which during the course of 
his fife never allowed him to remain long attached to the same occu. 
pations, and in the same place. The different games suitable to that 
age, of which he gives us a picture equally curious and amusing, kept 
up in his mind a fund of natural dissipation, which during his early 
studies tried the patience and exercised the severity of his masters. 
He loved hunting, music, assemblies, feasts, dress, good living, wine, 
and women : all these tastes, which almost all showed themselves 
from twelve years of age, being confirmed by habitude, wore con- 
tinued even to his old age, and perhaps never left him. The mind 
and heart of Froissart being not yet sufficiently occupied, his love 
for history filled up that void which his passion for pleasure left; and 
became to him an inexhaustible source of amusement. 

He had but just left school, and was scarcely twenty years old, 
when at the entreaty of his dear lord avd masltry Sir Hobert de 
Naviur, knight, Lord of Beaufort, he undertook to write the history 
of the wars of his own time, more particularly those which ensued 
after the battle of Poitiers. Four years afterwards, having gone to 
England, he presented a part of his history to queen Philippa of 
Hainault, the wife of Edward HI. However young he might then 
be, he had already travelled into the most distant provinces of France. 
The object of his visit to England was to tear himself from the pains 
of an attachment which had tormented him for a long time. This 
passion took possession of his heart fiom his infancy ; it lasted ten 
years, and sparks of it were again rekindled in a more advanced age, 
in spite of his bald head and ichite hairs. 

When poets sing their loves, they are not always believed on their 
word ; as Froissart only mentions his in poetry, one may treat all he 
says as pure fiction ; but the portrait he draws is so natural, that one 
cannot prevent one's self from acknowledging the character of n 
young man in love, and the simple expressions of real passion. He 
feigns, that when twelve years old, Mercury appeared to him followed 



MEMOIR OF THE LIFE OF FROISSART. 



by the three goddesses whose difference Paris had formerly decided ; 
that this god, calling to mind the protection he had given him from 
four years of age, ordered him to revise the dispute of these three 
divinities ; that he had confirmed the judgment of Paris ; and that 
Venus had promised him, as a recompense, a mistress more beautiful 
than the fair Helen, and of such high birth, that from thence to Con- 
stantinople there was not earl, duke, king, or emperor, who would 
not have esteemed himself fortunate to obtain her. He was to serve 
this beauty for ten years, and liis whole life was to be devoted to the 
adoration of that divinity who made him such fair promises. 

Froissart had been early attached to romances ; that of Cleomades 
was the first instrument Love made use of to captivate liim. He 
found it in the hands of a young maiden who was reading it, and 
who invited him to read it with her : he readily consented, for such 
complaisances cost little. There was soon formed between them a 
literary connection. Froissart lent her the romance of the Baillou 
d'Aviours* and took the opportunity of sending it to her, to slip into 
it a ballad, in which he first spoke of his love. This spark of love 
became a flame which nothing could extinguish ; and Froissart, having 
experienced all that agitation which a first passion inspires, was almost 
reduced to despair on hearing that his mistress was on the point of 
being married ; his excessive grief overwhelmed him, and caused him 
a fit of illness which lasted for three months. At last he took the 
resolution to travel, to dissipate his chagrin and to recover his health. 
As he travelled with a large company, he was forced to be attentive 
Jo liimself, in order to hide his trouble. After two days' journey, 
during which he had never ceased making verses in honor of his mis. 
tress, he arrived at a town, which I believe to be Calais, where he 
embarked. During liis passage, the weather was so tempestuous as 
to threaten an immediate wreck of the vessel : this however was not 
capable of suspending the application with which he was working to 
finish a rondeau to the honor of his love. The weather became calm, 
and the rondeau was completed, when he found himself on a coast, 
where, as he says, " they love war better than peace, and where 
strangers are very well received." He speaks of England ; the recep- 
tion they gave him, the amusements they procured him in the socie- 
ties of " lords, ladies, and damsels," and the caresses they loaded him 
with ; but nothing was able to calm the melancholy which over- 
whelmed him ; so that, not being able longer to support the pangs 
of absence, he resolved to return nearer to the lady of his heart. 

A lady, queen Philippa of Hainault, who detained liira in England, 
learnt from a virelay, which he presented to her, the cause of his 
trouble ; she took compassion on him, by ordering him to go back to 
his own country, on condition however of his promise to return, and 
furnished liim with money and horses to perform the journey. Love 
soon conducted him to the lady of his affections. Froissart let no 
opportunity slip of being in the same places where she might be, and 
of conversing with her. We have before seen that she was of such 
high birth, that *' kings and emperors might have sought her ;" these 
words taken literally are only suitable for a person of blood royal, or 
to the issue of a sovereign prince ; but how can we connect the idea 
of such high birth with the detail he gives us of the secret conversa- 
tions, the amusements, and assemblies, which he was at liberty to 
partake of by day or by night ? and, as if these traits were not suffi- 
cient to make her known at the time he wrote, he seems to have 
"wished to have more clearly pointed her out by the name of Anne, 
in the enigmatical verses which make part of his manuscript poems. 
One may presume that this love, so passionate and so tender, had the 
usual fate of almost every passion, 

Froissart speaks in one of liis rondeaus of another lady, whom he 
had loved, and whose name, composed of five letters, was to be found 
in that of Polixena : this may be an Alix, which was formerly written 
Aelrx. There is reason to believe he had a tliird flame called Mar. 
garet, and that it is she whom he indirectly celebrates in a poemt 
under the title, and in honor, of the flower which bears her name.t 
Perhaps he sought in these episodical amours some remedy for a 
passion, which, according to his own account, was unfortunate. At 
least we know that, in despair for the little success which had attended 
all his assiduities and attentions to his first mistress, he took the reso. 
lution of again absenting himself from her. 

This absence was no longer than the preceding one ; he returned 
to England, and attached himself to the service of queen Philippa. 
This princess, sister to the countess of Namur, wife of Robert, to 
whom Froissart seems to have been a servant, saw always with 
pleasure her countrymen from Hainault ; she loved letters ; the col. 
lege which she founded, and which at this day is known at Oxford 
tinder the name of Queen's College, is an illustrious monument of 
the protection she granted to them ; Froissart therefore united all the 
titles which could merit the afl'cction of queen Philippa. The his- 
tory which he presented to her, as I have before mentioned, whether 
at his first journey or the second (for it is not possible to decide 
which of the two.) was very well received, and probably gained him 
the title of clerk (that is to say secretary or writer) of the chamber 
of tliis princess, which ho was in possession of from 1361. 



• M. St. Palayc, in a uote, Bays lie i-. not acquainted with the romance. BaiUou 
signifies bailifT. 

t DiUie de la fleur de la Marguerite, pages 70 and the following, of his Manuscript 
Poems. 

t The English reader must be informed, that Marguerite is not only the name of a 
woman, hut also ol the flower called daisy, &ad ofa pearl. 



In the age of Froissart, all the world was persuaded that love was 
the motive of the most brilliant actions of courage and virtue. 
Knights made a parade of it in tournaments. Warriors exposed 
themselves to the most perilous combats, to maintain the honor and 
beauty of their ladies. It was then believed that love might be con. 
fined to a delicate intercourse of gallantry and tenderness : it is 
almost always under this form that we see it represented in the greater 
parts of those efforts of the mind which have been handed down to 
us from that period ; the ladies blushed not in feeling so pure a pas- 
sion, and the most modest made it the ordinary subject of their con- 
versations. The queen of England frequently amused herself by 
making Froissart compose amorous ditties ; but this occupation must 
be considered solely as a relaxation that no way impeded more seri- 
ous works, since, during the five years he was attached to the service 
of this princess, he travelled at her expense to various parts of Eu. 
rope, the object of which seems to be a research after whatever 
might enrich his history. I draw this conclusion from a preface 
which is found at the head of the fourth volimte in several manu- 
scripts of the Chronicle of Froissart ; and, as it is not to be found in 
the printed copies,* I thought the insertion of it would not bo miproper 
here, 

" At the request, wish, and pleasure, of that most high and noble 
prince, my very dear lord and master Guy de Chatillon, count de 
Blois, lord of Avesne, of Chimay, of Beaumont, of Schonove, of 
Goude ; I, John Froissart, priest, chaplain to my very dear lord above 
named, and at this time treasurer and canon of Chimay, and of Lille 
in Flanders, am again awakened, and entered into my work-shop, to 
labor and work at the grand and noble matters which, in former 
times, occupied ray attention, which treat and examine the feats and 
events of the wars between France and England, and of all their 
allies and adherents, as it clearly appears from the treaties which 
have been made and completed until this very day of my again being 
awakened, 

" Now, you tliat read, or shall read this history, consider in your 
own minds, how I could have known and collected such facts as I 
treat of, and of so many different parties. In truth, I must inform 
you that I began at the early age of twenty years, and came into the 
world at the time these events were passing, in the knowledge of 
which I have always taken greater pleasure than in anything else. 
God has been so gracious to me, that I was well with all parties, and 
of the household of kings ; more especially of king Edward, and of 
the noble queen his lady, madame Philippa of Hainault, queen of 
England, lady of Ireland and Aquitaine, to whom in my youth I was 
secretary, and amused her with handsome ditties and madrigals of 
love ; and through affection to the service of that itoble and puissant 
lady to whom I belonged, all the other great lords, dukes, earls, 
barons, and knights, of whatever nation they might be, loved me, 
saw me with pleasure, and were of the greatest utility to me. Thus, 
under the protection of this good lady, and at her costs, as well as at 
the expenses of great lords, I have searched in my time the greater 
part of Christendom (in truth who seeks will find ;) and wherever I 
came, I made inquiry after those ancient knights and squires who 
had been present at these deeds of arms, and who were well enabled 
to speak of them, I sought also for heralds of good repute, to verify 
and confirm what I might have heard elsewhere of these matters. 
In this manner have I collected the materials for this noble history ; 
and that gallant count de Blois before mentioned, has taken great 
pains in it. And as long as through God's grace I shall live, I shall 
continue it, for the more I work at it, the greater pleasure I receive ; 
like the gallant knight or squire enamored with arms, by perseverance 
and attention he perfects and accomplishes himself, thus by laboring 
and working on this subject, I acquire greater ability and delight." 

Of all the particulars of Froissart's liie during liis residence in 
England, we only know that he was present at the separation of the 
king and queen in 1361, with their son the prince of Wales and the 
princess his lady, who were going to take possession of Aquitaine ; 
and that he was between Eltham and Westminster in the year 1363, 
when king John passed on his return to England, There is in hia 
poems a pastoral which seems to allude only to that event. With 
regard to his travels during the time he was attached to the service 
of the queen, he employed six months in Scotland, and penetrated 
as far as the Highlands. He travelled on horseback with his port- 
manteau behind him, and followed by a grayhound. 

The king of Scotland, and many lords whose names he has pre. 
served us, treated him so handsomely, that he could have wished to 
have returned thither. William, earl of Douglas, lodged him during 
fifteen days in his castle of Dalkeith, five miles from Edinburgh. 
We are ignorant of the date of this journey ; and of another, which 
he made into North Wales, that I believe must have been made 
about the same time. He was in France, at Melun-sur-Seine, about 
the 20th of April, 1366; perhaps private reasons might have led him 
to take that road to Bordeaux, where he was on All Saints day of 
that year, when the princess of Wales was brought to bed of a son, 
who was afterwards Richard II. The prince of Wales setting out 
a few days afterwards for the war in Spain, Froissart accompanied 



"M. de St-Palaye is not quite correct; for the heginning of this preface is in the 
printed edition of Verard, and in anotlier printed edition which 1 believe was not known 
to Denys Sauvage nor to M. de St. Palaye. It will be more particularly mentioned 
hereafter. This preface in many printed editions is not so long us this, and is somewhat 
diiferent. It is not mentioned in the editions of Deuys Sauvage 



MEMOIR OF THE LIFE OF FROISSART. 



nim to Dax, where the prince resided some time. He had expected 
to have attended him during the continuance of this grand expedi- 
tion ; but the prince would not permit Mm to go fartlier, and shortly 
aft?r his arrival sent him back to the queen his mother. 

Froissart could not have made any long stay in England, since in 
the following year he was at different Italian courts. It was this 
same year, that is to say 1368, that Lionel, duke of Clarence, son of 
the king of England, espoused Joland, daughter of Galeas the 
Second, duke of Milan. The marriage was celebrated the 25th of 
April ; and Lionel died on the 17th of October following. Froissart, 
who probably was in his suite, was present at the magnificent recep- 
tion which Amadous count de Savoy, surnamed the count Verd, gave 
him on his return : he describes the feasts on this occasion, which 
lasted three days ; and he docs not forget to tell us that they danced 
a virelay of his composition. 

From the court of S.avoy he returned to Milan, where the same 
count Amadeus gave him a good cottehardic,* with twenty florins 
of gold ; from thence to Bologna and Ferrara, where he received 
forty ducats from the king of Cyprus ; and then to Rome. Instead 
of the modest equipage we have seen him travel into Scotland with, 
he was now, like a man of importance, travelling on a handsome 
horse attended by a hackney. 

It was about this period that Froissart experienced a loss which 
nothing could recompense : Pliilippa of Hainault, queen of England, 
who had heaped wealth on him, died in 13G9. He composed a lay 
on this melancholy event, of which, however, he was not a witness ; 
for he says, in another place, that in 1395 it was twenty-seven years 
since he had seen England. According to several authors,t he wrote 
the life of queen Philippa ; but this assertion is not founded on any 
proofs. 

Independently of the employment of clerk of the chamber to the 
queen of England, which Froissart had had, he had also been of the 
household of Edward III., and even of that of John, king of France. 
As there are several other princes and lords of whose households he 
had been, or whom he calls his lords and masters, it is proper to 
obaer\-e, tliat by this mode of speech he means not only those princes 
and lords to whom he had been attached as a servant ; but likewise 
all those who had made him presents or gratifications ; or who, 
having received him in their courts or castles, had admitted him to 
their tables. 

Froissart, having lost his patroness, queen Philippa, did not return 
to England, but went into his own country, where he obtained the 
living of Lestines. Of all that he performed during the time he 
exercised this ministry, he tells us nothing more than that the tavern- 
keepers of Lestines had five hundred francs of his money in the short 
space of time he was their rector. One reads in a manuscript jour- 
nal of the bishop of Chartres, chancellor to the duke of Anjou, that, 
according to letters sealed on the 12tli December, 1331, this prince 
caused to be seized fifty-six quires of the Chronicle of Froissart, 
rector of the parish church of Lestines, which the historian had sent 
to be illuminated, and then to be forwarded to the king of England, 
the enemy of France. 

Froissart attached himself afterwards to Winceslaus de Luxem- 
bourg, duke of Brabant, perhaps in quality of secretary, according to 
the custom of princes and lords in those days, who employed clerks 
to manage their affairs, and in their correspondence, and who anrused 
them by their knowledge, or their wit. Winceslaus had a taste for 
poetry ; he had had made by Froissart a collection of his songs, his 
rondeaus, and virelays, who, adding some of his own pieces to those 
of the prince, formed a sort of romance, under the title of Meliador, 
or the Knight of the Sun ; but the duke did not live sulficiently long 
to see the completion of the work, for he died in 1384. 

Almost immediately after this event, Froissart found another 
patron ; he was made clerk of the chapel to Guy, count de Blois ; 
and he was not long in testifying his gratitude to his new patron, 
by a pastoral on the betrothing of Louis, count de Dunois, son of 
Guy, with Mary, daughter of the duke of Berry. Two years after, 
on the solemnization of this marriage at Bourges, he celebrated it in 
a sort of epithalamium, sufficiently ingenious for those times, entitled 
"The Temple of Honor." He passed the years 1365, 1386, and 
1387, sometimes in the Blaisois, sometimes in Touraine ; but the 
count de Blois having engaged liim to continue the course of his 
history, which he had left unfinished, he determined in 1388 to take 
advantage of the peace which was just concluded, to visit the court 
of Gaston Phcebus, count de Foix and de B^arn, in order to gain full 
information in whatever related to foreign countries, and the more 
distant provinces of the kingdom, where he knew that a great num- 
ber of warriors signalized themselves daily by the most gallant 
actions. His age and his health still allowed him to bear great 
fatigue; his memory was sufficiently strong to retain whatever he 
should hear ; and his judgment clear enough to point out to him the 
use he should make of it. 

He set out with letters of recommendation from the count de 
Blois to Gaston Phoebus, and took the road through Avignon. One 

* Or, as it 13 more often wriuen, cotardie, a sort of coat, a dress common to men and 
vomen ; here it means a pourpoint. This was one of the hbeiahties wiiich great lords 
were accustomed to make ; they put money, as one sees hy this example into the purse 
which, according to the usage of that time, was attached to the coat. — St. Falaye. 

t Vossius de Historicis LaUnu, lib. iii. cap. iv. Bullart, Acad^aaie dea Sciences, torn. 
Xp.124. 



of his pastorals informs us, that he resided in the environs of an 
abbey,* situated between Lunel and Montpelier, and that he gained 
the affections of a young person, who bewailed his departure : in the 
same poem he tells us, that he carried with him four grayhounds,t 
as a present to the count de Foix. Gaston was passionately fond of 
dogs, and had upward of sixteen hundred always with hiin : there 
exists a treatise written by him on hunting, which is preserved in 
manuscript in several libraries, and which was printed in 1520. 

Froissart went from Carcassonne to Pamiers, of which he gives an 
agreeable description ; he remained there for three days waiting for 
the chance of meeting some person with whom he might travel into 
B^arn. He was fortunate enough to meet with a knight from the 
country of Foix, who was returning thither from Avignon, and they 
journeyed together. Sir Espaign du Lyon, the name of the knight, 
was a man of high distinction; he had had considerable commands, 
and was employed all his life in negotiations as delicate as they 
were important. The two travellers agreed perfectly well together; 
the knight, who had served in all the wars in Gascony, was equally 
desirous to learn everything wliich related to those that Froissart 
was acquainted with; and Froissart, more in a situation to satisfy 
him than any one, was not less curious to be informed of those events 
in which the knight had borne a part : they mutually communicated 
all they knew, with a reciprocal complaisance. They rode side by 
side, and frequently only a foot's pace : their whole journey was 
passed in conversations ; by which they mutually instructed each 
other. Towns, castles, ruins, plains, heights, valleys, defiles ; every- 
thing awakened the curiosity of Froissart, and recalletl to the memory 
of the lord Espaign du Lyon the different actions which had there 
passed under his eyes, or which he had heard related by those who 
had been engaged in them. 

The historian, too exact in the recital which he gives us of these 
conversations, relates even the exclamations by which he testified 
his gratitude to the knight, for all the interesting intelligence he was 
so good to give him. If they arrived at a town before sunset, they 
profited by the remnant of day to examine the outworks of the place, 
or to observe those parts of it which had suffered from assaults. On 
their return to the inn, they continued the same conversations, either 
between themselves or with other knights and esquires, who might 
be lodged there; and Froissart never went to bed until he had put in 
writing eveiy particular he had heard. 

After a journey of six days, they arrived at Ortez. This town, 
one of the most considerable in B^arn, was the ordinary residence 
of Gaston, count de Foix and viscount de B^arn, surnamed Phoebus, 
on account of his beauty. Froissart could not have chosen a court 
more suitable to his views. The count de Foix, at the age of fifty, 
nine years, was the most vigorous, the handsomest, and best-made 
man of that period. Adroit at all exercises, valorous, an accom- 
plished captain, noble and magnificent, he never suffered any war- 
rior who waited on him to depart without carrying with him proofs 
of his liberality: his castle was the rendezvous* of all those brave 
captains who had distinguished themselves in combats, or in tourna. 
ments. Their conversations solely ran on attacks of places, surprises, 
sieges, assaults, skirmishes, and battles. Their amusements were 
games of address and force ; tilts, tournaments, and huntings more 
laborious and almost as dangerous as war itself. These details 
deserve to be read in Froissart : I can only imperfectly trace what 
he has so excellently painted. 

The count de Foix having learnt from sir Espaign du Lyon the 
arrival of Froissart, who was well known at the court of Ortez by the 
first tv.'o volumes of his Chronicle, sent to seek for liim at the house 
of one of his esquires, who had received and lodged him ; and, see- 
ing him at a distance, said to him smiling, and in good French, 
•'That he was perfectly well acquainted with him, although he had 
never before seen him ; but that he had heard much talk about him, 
and he retained him in his household." 

This expression, as I have before said, does not mean that Frois- 
sart was lodged in the castle, but only that his expenses were defrayed 
by the count during the winter he passed at his court. His most 
usual occupation, in that time, was to amuse Gaston, after his supper, 
by reading to him the romance of Meliador, which he had brought 
with him. Every evening he repaired to the castle at midnight, 
which was the hour the count sat down to table, and none dared to 
internipt the reading. Gaston himself, who listened with the greatest 
attention, only spoke to ask questions concerning the book ; and he 
never sent him away, before he had made him drink all the wine 
which had remained on the table, from his own bottle. 

Sometimes this prince took pleasure to inform him of those par. 
ticulars of the wars in which he had distinguished himself. Frois- 
sart did not gain less information from his frequent conversations 
with those knights and esquires whom he found assembled at Ortez; 
more especially from the knights of Ari'agon and England, attached 
to the household of the duke of Lancaster, who at that time resided 
at Bordeaux. They related to liim all they knew of the battles of 
the kings .lohn of Castile, and Denys of Portugal, and their allies. 
Among others, the famous Bastot de Maulion, in giving him the his- 
tory of his own life, told him also that of almost all the wars which 



*ProbabIy St. Geniez, a monastery of nuns, one league and a half from the road 
which leads from Montpelier to Lone].— St. Palaye. 
t Their names were Tristan, Hector. Briia, nod Rollant.— St. PalaVE. 



MEM OIK OF THE LIFE OF FR"OIS.SART. 



had happened in the different provinces of France, and even in 
Spain, from the lime of the battle of Poitiers, at which period he first 
bore arms. 

Although he applied himself, without relaxation, in collecting his- 
torical memoirs, Froissart gave, however, some moments to Poesy. 
We have a pastoral by him, which he seems to have composed in 
the county of Foix, in honor of Gaston Phoebus. He says, that being 
En beau PriS sert et plaisant 
Par dessus Gave la riviere 
Eutre Pull et Ortais scant. 
he saw shepherds and shepherdesses, who were conversing of dif- 
ferent lords, and the arms they bore. He adroitly makes use of this 
fiction, to name with praise all those from whom lie had received 
any marks of liberality, and terminates his list with the count de 
Foix. 

After a tolerable long residence at the court of Ortez, Froissart 
began to think of his departure. He was detained by Gaston, who 
gave him hopes that an opportunity would soon ofi'er for him to 
travel in good company. The marriage of the countess of Boulogne, 
a relation of the count, having been concluded with the duke do 
Berry, the young bride was conducted from Ortez to Morlas, where 
the equipages of the duke, her husband, were waiting for her. He 
set out in her suite, after having received proofs of tlie generosity of 
Gaston, who warmly pressed him to return to him. He accompanied 
the princess to Avignon, and the remainder of ihe road which she 
took across the Lyonnois, la Bresse, le Forfis, and the Bourbonnois, 
as far as Riom, in Auvergne. 

Tlie stay at Avignon was unfortunate to Froissart ; they robbed 
him. This melancholy adventure was the subject of a long poem, 
in which he introduces several incidents of his life, and whicli 
I have made use of in this memoir. One sees, by this piece, that 
the desire of visiting the tomb of the cardinal de Lu.xembourg, who 
died in odor of sanctity, was not the sole motive which had induced 
him to repass through Avignon in the suite of the young princess ; 
but that he was charged with a private commission from the lord de 
Coucy. He might, as he says, have endeavored to seek for redress 
ibr the loss of Ills money by seeking a benefice ; but this resource 
was not to his taste. He laid greater stress on the generosity of the 
lord de la Riviere, and the count de Sancerre, who accompanied the 
duchess de Berry, and on that of the viscount d'Asci. He paints 
himself, in this poem, as a man of much expense : besides the reve- 
nue of the living of Lestines, which was considerable, he had received, 
since he was twenty-iive years old, two thousand francs, of which 
nothing remained. The composition of his works had cost him seven 
hundred francs ; but he regretted not this expense ; for, as he says, 
**I have composed many a history which will be spoken of by pos- 
terity." The remainder was spent among the tavern-keepers at 
Lestines, and in his travels, which he always performed with a good 
equipage, well mounted, well dressed, and living well wherever he 
went. 

Froissart had been, present at all the feasts which were given on 
the marriage of the duke of Berry ; celebrated the eve of Whitsunday 
at Riom, in Auvergne. He composed a pastoral for the morrow of 
the nuptials ; llien, returning to France with the lord de la Riviere, 
he went to Paris. His natural activity, and his ardor for information, 
with which he was incessantly occupied, did not permit him to 
remain there long. We have seen him in six months go from tlie 
Blaisois to Avignon ; then to the county of Foix ; from whence he 
returned again to Avignon, and cross Auvergne to go to Paris. One 
sees him in less than two years successively in the Cambresis, in 
Hainault, Holland, Picardy, a second time in Paris, at the extremity 
of Languedoc ; then again at Paris and at Valenciennes ; from thence 
to Bruges, Sluys, in Zealand, and at last in his own country. 

He accompanied the lord de Coucy into the Cambresis to the castle 
of Crevecoaur, which the king had just given to him. He relates to 
him all he had seen, and learns from him the diftijrent particulars 
of the negotiations between France and England. After having staid 
fifteen days in his own countiy, he passed a month in Holland with 
the count de Blois, entertaining him with the history of his travels. 
He then goes to Lelinghen, to learn the details of the negotiations 
for peace, which were carrying on at that place. He is present at 
the magnificent entry which Isabella de Bavifere makes into Paris. 
The exactness with which he describes the ceremonies observed 
between the pope and Charles VI. at Avignon, seems to prove he 
was an eye-witness of their meeting : this is the more probable, 
because it is certain that Charles VI. went from Avignon to Toulouse, 
to receive the homage of the count de Foix ; when Froissart was 
present, and heard their conversation. 

Nothing of novelty passed, as one sees, but Froissart wished to 
be a spectator of; feasts, tournaments, conferences for peace, inter- 
views of princes, their entries, nothing escaped his curiosity. It 
appears tliat, at the beginning of the year 1390, he returned to his 
own country, and that he was solely occupied in the continuation of 
his history, and in completing it, from the intelligence he had amassed 
from all parts with so much labor and fatigue. However, what he 
had learnt relative to the war in Spain did not satisfy him ; he felt a 
Bcruple at only having heard one side ; that is to say, the Gascons 
and Spaniards, who had been attached to the king of Castille. It 
was the duty of an exact and judicious historian to know also what 
the Por(uguese had to say on this subject ; and on the information 



he had, that numbers of that nation were to be found at Bruges, he 
went thither. Fortune served bim beyond his hopes ; and the enthu. 
siasm with which he speaks of it, paints the ardor with which he 
was desirous of a perfect knowledge of facts. On his arrival, he learnt 
that a Portuguese knight, " a valiant and wise man, and of tlie council 
of the king of Portugal," whose name was Juan Fernando Portelet, 
had lately come to Middleburgh, in Zealand. 

Portelet, who was on his road to Prussia to join in the war against 
the infidels, had been present in all the wars of Portugal. Froissart 
immediately sets out, in company with a Portuguese, a friend of the 
knight ; goes to Sluys, embarks, and arrives at Middleburgh, where 
his fellow-traveller presents him to Portelet. This knight, "gracious, 
amiable, and easy of access," relates to him, during the six days they 
passed together, everything that had been done in Portugal and 
Spain, from the death of king Ferdinand until his departure from 
Portugal. Froissart, equally pleased with the recitals of Portelet, as 
with his politeness, took leave of him, and returned home ; where, 
having arranged all the information he had acquired in his various 
travels, he composed a new book, which makes the third of his history. 

The passage from whence these particulars are taken adds, that 
Froissart, on quitting Zealand, and before his return to his own coun- 
try, went once more to Rome. Although, in this instance, the printed 
copies are conformable to the manuscripts, this journey, of which no 
other mention is made, seems to me quite improbable. Deiiys Sau- 
vage assures us, in a marginal note, that, instead of Rome, one should 
read Bruges, Sluys, or Valenciennes : it is much more natural to 
read Damme, a port in the neighborhood of Sluys, where one has 
seen that the historian embarked. 

One cannot say how long Froissart remained in Hainault ; one only 
knows that he was again in Paris 1392, at the time when the consta. 
ble de Clisson was assassinated by Peter de Craon ; and at Abbeville 
toward the end of that same year, or the beginning of the next, du. 
ring the conferences which were held there by the plenipotentiaries 
from France and England, when they at last established a truce for 
four years. From the year 1378, Froissart had obtained from pope 
Clement VII. the reversion of a canonship at Lille. One sees, in 
the collection of his poetry, which was completed in 1393, and in a 
preface, which is to be met with in several manuscripts at the begin, 
ning of the fourth volume of his history, composed about this time, 
that he titled himself canon of Lille ; but Clement VII. dying in 1394, 
he gave up his expectations of the reversion, and began to qualify 
himself canon and treasurer of the collegial church of Chiniay, which 
he probably owed to the friendship of the count de Blois, who res. 
pected him much ; the lordship of Chiniay being part of the inherit, 
ance which the count had had fallen in to him in 1381, by the death 
of .fohn de ChatiUon, count de Blois, the last of his brothers. 

It was twenty-seven years since Froissart had left England ; when-, 
taking advantage of the truce between the French and English, he 
returned thither in 1395, furnished with letters of recommendation to 
the king and his uncles. From Dover, where he disembarked, he 
went to Canterbury, made his ofl'ering at the shrine of Thomas H 
Becket, and from respect to the memory of the prince of Wales, to 
whom he was perfectly well known, he visited his magnificent mau- 
soleum. He saw there the young king Richard, who had arrived to 
return thanks to God for the success of his last campaign in Ireland ; 
but, in spite of the good intentions of the lord Percy, high steward of 
England, who had promised to procure him an audience of the king, 
he could not be presented, and was obliged to follow this prince to 
the diilerent places he visited, until he came to Leeds casde.* This 
time was not lost on our historian ; the English were still full of their 
expedition to Ireland ; and he got them to tell him both their own 
exploits, and the marvellous things they had seen there. Being yet 
at Leeds castle, he presented to the duke of York his letters from the 
count d'Hainault and the count d'Ostrevant.t " Master John," said 
the duke to hiin, " keep near to our person, and to my people ; we 
will show you all love and kindness ; we are bounden so to do from 
aftection to former times, and to our lady mother, to whom you were 
attached ; we well renjeniber those times." He afterwards introduced 
him into the king's chsinber, who received him with very distinguished 
marks of good will. Richard took the letters he had been charged 
with, and having read them, said, " that since he had been of the 
household of his grandfather, and of the queen his grandmother, he 
must be still of the household of England." 

Froissart, however, had not yet been able to present to the king 
the romance of Meliador, which he had brought with him ; and Percy 
advised him to wait a more favorable opportunity. Two important 
objects occupied the mind of Richard ; one was his intended mar- 
riage with Isabella of France ; the other, the opposition of the people 
of Aquitaine to the donation which he had made of this province to 
his uncle, the duke of York. The prelates and barons had been 
summoned to Elthani, to deliberate on these two affairs ; and Frois- 
sart had followed the court. He wrote down regularly all the news 
of the day, which he heard in bis conversations with the difterent 
English lords ; and Richard de Servy,t who was of the king's cabinet 
council, intrusted him, in confidence, with every resolution they had 
determined upon, begging him only to keep them secret unti they 
should be publicly di vulged. At last, on the Sunday which followed 

* In Kent. 1 Afterwards earl of Holland, and knight of the garter. 

t Q. Was It Richard de Surry, lord Sorry 1 



AN ESSAY ON THE WORKS OF FROISSART. 



the holding of this council, the duke of York, Richard de Surry, and 
Thomas de Percy, finding the king but httle occupied, mentioned to 
him the romance which Froissart had brought with him. The prince 
asked to see it ; and the historian says, " he saw it in his chamber : 
for I had it always with mc, and placed it upon his bed. He then 
opened and looked into it, and was greatly pleased : indeed, he ought 
to have been pleased ; for it was illuminated, and the writing much 
ornamented : it was, besides, bound in crimson velvet, with ten silver- 
gilt nails, with a golden rose, in the midst of two clasps gilt, richly 
worked with gold rose-trees. Then," continues Froissart, " the king 
inquired what subject it treated of; and I told him, of love. He was 
delighted with this answer, and looked into different parts of the book, 
and read therein : for he read and spoke French perfectly well. He 
then ordered one of his knights, named sir Richard Credon, to carry 
it to his cabinet; and he seemed much obliged to me for it." 

Henry Castede, an English esquire, who had been present at this 
conversation, and who knew besides that Froissart was writing his 
history, coming up to him, inquired if he had been informed of the 
details of the conquest which the king had just made in Ireland. 
Froissart pretended to be ignorant of them, in order to engage the 
esquire in conversation, who took pleasure in recounting them to him. 
Everything the historian heard, among the rest the repast which the 
king of England gave in Ireland to the four kings after having con- 
quered them, excited in him very great regret for not having come to 
England a year sooner as he was preparing to do, when the news of 
the death of queen Anne of Luxembourg, Richard's first wife, made 
him alter his intentions : he would not have failed to have gone to 
Ireland to have seen everything himself; for he was much interested 
in collecting the minutest circumstances of this expedition, in order to 
entertain " his lords" the duke of Bavaria and iiis son, who had on 
Friesland similar pretensions to those of the king of England on Ire- 
land. After three months' residence in England, Froissart took his 
leave of the king. This prince, whom he had followed in his dif- 
ferent excursions near London, ordered him to be given, as a last 
mark of his affection, 100 nobles* in a goblett of silver, weighing 
two marcs. 

The melancholy end of Richard, which happened in 1389, is 
related at the end of the fourth volume of Froissart's history, who 
acquits himself most gratefully to this prince by the afiecting manner 
with which he laments his misfortunes. At the same time he 
remarks, that in this event he saw the accomplishment of a predic- 
tion which had been made on Richard, when he was born at Bor- 
deaux ; and also of a prophecy in the romance of Brutus, t which 
pointed out the prince who would dethrone him. 

The death of Guy count de Blois happened soon after Froissart's 
return home : he mentions it in his Chronicle, under the year 1397. 
He was then sixty years of age, and must have lived at least four 
years more ; for he relates some events of the year 1400. § If one 
was to believe Bodin and la Popliniere, he would have lived to 1430 ; 
but these two writers have probably been deceived by these words, 
which begin the last chapter of his history : " En I'an de grace mil 
quatre cent ung moins ;" instead of reading, " ung," as it is written 
in several manuscripts and in the black-letter editions, they must have 
read " vingt." Another passage in Froissart may also have given 
rise to a belief that ho lived to about the middle of the fifteenth cen- 
tury. In speaking of the banishment of the count de Harcourt, who 
persuaded the English to make a descent in Normandy, he says, that 
the melancholy effects of this invasion were visible for more than a 
hundred years after. These terms must not be taken literally ; the 
author wrote rather as foreseeing those evils to come which he 
dreaded, than as being a witness of these fatal eflijcts. It is not, 
however, possible to decide in what year he died ; it only appears 
that it was in the month of October, since his " obit" is indicated in 
that month in the obituary of the coUegial church of St. Monegunda, 
at Chiniay, from which I have added an extract at tlie end of this 
memoir. According to an old tradition of the country, he was in- 
terred m the chapel of St. Anne, in this coUegial church ; and, 
indeed, it seems veiy probable that he should end his days in his 
own chapter. 

The name of Froissart was common to several persons who lived 
at the same time with our historian ; besides the Froissart Meullier, 
the young esquire from Hainault, whom I mentioned in the beginning 
of this memoir, one finds in the Chronicle of our author a Dom Frois- 
sart, who had signalized himself at the siege which the count de 
Hainault had formed in 1340 against the town of St. .Aimand. This 
monk defended for a considerable time a breach which had been 



* This sum may amount to about 25 guineas of our present coin. — St. Palave. 

t This was called by our ancestors a Henepee. id est, hanap, lull of money ; from 
whence comes the Hauaper office in the English treasury. — St. Palaye. 

t See particulars of Wuce, author of the romance of Btutus, in Mr. Ellis's Specimens 
of eariy English poets. 

§ It does not seem probable tliat he lived long after completing the last chapters of his 
history. They appear to he rather notes tor future revisal, than iinished portions of the 
work, and the conclusion is singularly abrupt.— Ed. 



made in the walls of the abbey, and did not abandon it before he had 
killed or wounded eighteen men. One reads at the end of some 
charters of the count de Foix, a signature of J. Froissart, or Jaquinot 
Froissart : he was a secretary to the count, and perhaps a relation of 
the historian. There is also mention made in the registers of the 
" Trfisor des Chartes," of a remission granted in 1375 to Philibert 
Froissart, esquire, who had been in the company of Gascons in the 
country of Guyenne, under the command oil Charles d'Artois, count 
de Pezenas. 

To avoid inten-upting the thread of the narrative, I have deferred 
to the end of this memoir the examination of a passage in the poetry 
of Froissart, which points out, but in obscure terms, one of the prin. 
cipal circumstances of his life. He recalls the faults of his youth, and 
particularly reproaches himself for having quitted a learned profession 
for which he had natural talents, and which had gained him much 
respect (he seems to point at history, or poetry,) to follow another, 
which, though much more lucrative, was as little suitable to him as 
that of arms ; and having failed in it, had made him fall from that 
degree of honor to which the first had elevated him. He says, he is 
determined to repair his faidt, and returning to his former occupa- 
tions, transmit to posterity the glorious names of those kings, princes, 
and lords, whose generosity he had partaken of. 

In the whole course of the life of Froissart, I see no period in 
which diis pretended change can be placed, nor that can point out 
this lucrative trade, and which he himself calls " rnarchandise." The 
indecency of the expression will not suffer us to suppose it could be 
his cure of Lestines ; although he has said in another part, that the 
rectory, was of considerable value ; could it be the profession of law- 
yer, or that of his father, who was, as we have before stated, a painter 
of arms ? A singular meaning of the word " rnarchandise" in Cora- 
mines, may perhaps give us a plausible explanation. Commines, 
born in the same country, and not very far from the time of Froissart, 
employs this word to signify a negotiation of affairs between princes. 
The business of a negotiator, or rather a man of intrigue, who 
seeks without any apparent character to penetrate the secret of com-ts, 
would perhaps be that which Froissart repents to have followed. 
The details in which we have entered respecting his various travels, 
the long residence which he has often made in critical times with 
several princes, and the talents which he had to insinuate himself 
into their good graces, seem to me to warrant this conjecture. 



Extract from a manuscript taken from the archives of the chapter 
of St. Monegunda-, at Chimay, in which are found the obits and 
pious foundations made to this chapter, and other antiquities. 
Folio 39 and 40. 

" The obit of sir John Froissard, born at Valenciennes, canon and 
treasury of the aforesaid church, which flourished in 1364, may have 
place here according to his quality, as having been domestic chap, 
lain to the renowned Guy de Chatillon, count de Soissons and de 
Blois, lord of Avesnes, Chimay, and Beaumont, &c., who has also 
been a very celebrated historiographer of his time, and has written 
the wars and chronicles, and the most remarkable events from the 
year 1335 until the year 1400 ; according as he himself relates in 
divers parts of his history, and more especially in the 52nd chaptet* 
of his 4th book, and as it is shown in the eulogium written in hia 
praise in the following words : 

Cognita Romans vi.x esset gloria gentis, 

Pluribus hunc scriptis ni decorasset honos. 
Tanti nempe refert totum scrtpsisse per orbem, 

Quaeiibet et doctos sec'la tulisse viros. 
Coramemorent alios alii, super Kthera toUam 

Froissardum. historia; per suo sec'la ducem ; 
Scripsit enira historiam mage sexaginta per annos, 

Totius mundi, quse memoranda notat, 
Scripsit et Anglorum Reginae gesta PhilippjB, 

Glui. Guilielme, tuo tutia juncta toro." 

HONORARIUM. 
Gallorum sublimis honos et fama tuorum. 

Hie. Froissarde, jaces, si modo forte jaces. 
Historia! vivus studuisti reddere vitam, 

Defiincto vitam reddet at ilia tibi. 

JOANNES FROISSARDCS, 

Canonicus and Thesaurarius EcclesitB Collegiatim Sanctte Mane.- 
gundis Simaci, netustissimo ferme totius Belgii oppido. 
Proxima dum propriis florebit Francia scriptis, 

Fania *dum ramos, Blancatiue t fuudil aquas, 
Urbis ut huius honos, templi sic fama vigebis 

Teque ducem historiEe Gallia tola colet, 
Belgica tota colet, Cymeaque vallis amabit 
Dum rapidus proprios Scaldis obihit agros. 



* The Faigne de Chunay. a smalt forest dependent on it. 
t La Blanche Eau, a river which runs by Chimay. 



AN ESSAY ON THE WORKS OF FROISSART. 



AN ESSAY 



THE WORKS OF FROISSART. 

TRAIfStATED FKOM THE FKENCH OF M. DE LA CURITE DE ST. PAIAYE. 

BX. THOMAS JOHNES. 

The life of Froissart has been the subject of the preceding pages. 
I will now give you the history of his worlds, as well printed as 
manuscript, in verse and in prose ; and I will, as faitlifuUy as I am 
able, detail their contents. It may, perhaps, be thought I haTe 
pushed these details too far ; but, I feel I owe a particular attention 
to an historian who alone is worth a number of others, by the import. 
ance of the subjects he treats of, and from the length of time his 
history continues. I have besides observed that the author has 
expanded, in the course of his work, many facts which serve to clear 
up many preceding facts ; and that, for want of this information, it 
has often happened that I have been stopped in my reading, and 
have not profited so much by it as I otherwise should have done. It 
is this which has made nie sensible of the want those who read 
Froissart would have of such an explanation. To smooth all diffi- 
culties, and to lay down such rales as may conduct them, I have 
attempted to do that, which I should have been glad to have found 
done, when I began to read tliis author : for, I do not simply propose 
to give an idea of our Historian, that may satisfy those whom curi- 
osity alone may induce to peruse ; my object is, that these Memoirs 
should serve as an introduction to those who may be induced to read 
him ; and that they should render him, as much as may be possible, 
more easy, more interesting, and more instructive. 

I. General Plan of his History. — The History which Froissart has 
left us extends from 1326 until 1400. It is not confined to the events 
which were passing in France during this long period ; it compre. 
hends, with almost as much detail, every considerable affair which 
happened in England, vScotland, and Ireland, and in Flanders. It 
includes also an infinite number of particulars relative to the affairs 
of the popes of Rome and of Avignon ; of Spain, Germany, Italy ; 
sometimes even of Russia, Hungary, Turkey, Africa, and other 
places beyond sea; in short, of almost the whole known world. 
But this immense multitude of facts, so different from each other ; 
whose chronological order is not very clearly made out, frequently 
presents to the reader but a confused mixture of events, passed at 
different times, and in difterent places, of which he cannot form any 
distinct idea, and whose memory cannot unite so many scattered 
objects, which have a necessary connection between each other. 

II. A more detailed Plan of Froissart's History. — The History of 
Froissart is divided into four books, or volumes, as well in all the 
manuscripts, as in all the printed editions. 

The first begins with the coronation of Edward HI. king of Eng- 
land, in 1326, and with the accession of Philip do Valois to the 
crown of France in 1328 : and closes with the year 1379 inclusively. 

Froissart begins his second volume with the last three years of the 
preceding volume, and with more detail, having gained fuller inform- 
ation than when he first wrote it. He continues it until the peace of 
fte men of Ghent with the duke of Burgundy, the treaty of which is 
in the last chapter but one of this volume, dated the 18th December, 
1385. 

The third volume goes back as far as the year 1382 inclusively, 
reciting several events, which had been mentioned in the second, 
from the 93rd chapter until the end. The events of these last four 
years, which had been already related, are so much expanded in the 
third volume, that they occupy the first twenty-nine chapters. The 
rest is employed in the history of the following years until 1389, end. 
ing with the truce concluded for three years between France and 
England, and with the preparations that were making for the entry 
of the queen Isabella do Baviere into Paris, of which the author 
promises to speak hereafter. 

The fourth volume begins with a recital of all the feasts and mag- 
nificences wliich were made for this entry, and ends with the de- 
throning and death of Richard II. king of England, in 1400, and 
with the election which w.as made that same year of Robert, empe- 
ror of Germany. These events terminate the last two chapters of 
the whole work. 

This manner of dividing the History of Froissart is the same in 
all the manuscripts and printed copies ; but these divisions do not 
always begin or end at the same places in all the copies.* 

III. Division of the four volumes of Froissart into Chapters, and 
of the first volume into several Parts. — The four volumes of the 
History of Froissart are each subdivided into a great number of 
chapters, which are differently placed, according to difterent manu. 
scripts and printed copies ; but, besides these divisions, in a great 
many manuscripts there is one which is particular to the first vol. 
ume. Some have four books, or parts, others six, and some eight. 
I will speak more fully when I come to mention the manuscripts of 
Froissart. 

It is in one of these four, six, or eight divisions of the first volume, 

* No two manuscripts of the firet volume liave been found exactly agreeing. 



that one must seek for the termination of that part of his History 
which Froissart carried to England, and presented to queen Philippa 
of Hainault.* It necessarily precedes those books, or parts, in which 
the death of this queen in 1369 is related : it even precedes, if I am 
not mistaken, everything one reads piior to 1367, when he was ap. 
pointed clerk of the closet to the queen of England ; for, I believe, 
it was the History which he presented to her that made him known, 
and gained him the office he held in the household of that princess. 

One cannot doubt but that it was posterior to the recital of the 
battle of Poitiers in 1356, since it was but at that epocha he began 
to write. One must not seek for it either before or after the years 
1357, 1358, 1359, or 1360 ; I would rather fix on the year 1360 ; 
for in that year was the treaty of Brctigny concluded, which gave 
peace to the French and English. This period agrees tolerably well 
with the time our author appears to have gone into England ; the 
circumstance of the peace naturally intercepted a History which had 
apparently no other object than to treat of deeds of arms. 

The second and third volumes are terminated at similar periods ; 
one at the peace between the duke of Burgundy with Ghent iu 1385, 
and the other between the French and English in 1387. 

Froissart discontinued writing in 1392, and during the following 
years, which were passed in a succession of truces between France 
and England ; of which. Froissart took advantage, by going to Eng. 
land, where he had not been for twenty.seven years. 

IV. Did Froissart make these divisions ? — One may ask if Frois- 
sart himseU' divided his History in the manner we have related ? I 
do not doubt but he was the author of the division into four volumes ; 
for, besides that it is so in all the manuscripts, even of those of his 
own time, he sometimes cites facts in some of these volumes which 
had been related in a former, and makes use of these expressions, 
" as it is mentioned in another History ;" or in these words, " as you 
have before heard related in the preceding book of this renowned 
excellent History." But as for the subdivisions of the first volume 
into four, six, or eight books, it is not to be found in the most ancient 
manuscripts ; besides, it is not uniformly the same in those wherein 
it is seen : I therefore do not hesitate in attributing them to the 
copyists, who have made them of their own accord. 

With regard to the chapters of each volume, and the titles of these 
chapters, they are only to be met with in the printed copies ; and in 
the manuscripts of that time, and posterior to it, they are different, 
according to the difierent manuscripts or printed copies ; and I see 
no probability that Froissart was the author of them. One single 
passage may create a difficulty on this subject. It is in the first 
volume, where the historian refers you to a preceding chapter ; but 
this passage is evidently an interpolation. Notwithstanding it ia in 
the thi-ee black.letter editions, and in those of Denys Sauvage, it is 
not to be found in any of the manuscripts which I have seen, with 
the exception of a single one in the National Libraiy, No. 8321, 
which is of the date of the latter end of the fifteenth centurj', and one 
of the least authentic copies we have.t 

V. The time which Froissart employed in the compo.'iilion of his 
History. — The principal of these divisions, that which divides the 
history of Froissart into four volumes, serves to mark as many dif- 
ferent epochs, at which he stopped in the course of his work ; whether 
from want of mateiials, having carried his narration to the time of 
his writing ; or whether he wished to take some repose himself, and 
allow the same to his readers ; but these are not the only places 
where Froissart has suspended the course of his history ; many havo 
been pointed out, and I will endeavor to fix a date to them, as well 
as to others, to the utmost of my abilities. 

Before entering on this examination, I shall explain the manner in 
which I understand Froissart discontinued to write his history. From 
all I have said of his life, he is seen continually occupied with this 
object : upward of forty years of his life, reckoning from the time 
he was twenty, were passed in this pursuit ; but in such a great 
length of time, there is one part of it which more directly belongs to 
the composition of this work ; I mean that, when, returning from his 
travels and laborious inquiries, he collected his materials, arranged 
them, and formed a connected history", such as we have it at this 



* Tliere exists at Vtilenciennes a very curious MS., recently made public by M. Buchon 
in liis excellent ediuon of Froissart, which there is reason to believe was the original of 
the book presented to queen Philippa. In its genera 1 tenor it seems to be only the ground- 
work of the more expanded narrative of subsequent MS3., but some more minute 
details respecting tlie country of Hninnult, of no general interest, and a variation in 
the account of Kdward's investiture with the office of Legale to the Empire, an nfiair 
which ho afterwards wished to suppress, make it very probable that the Valenciennes 
MS. was the original expansion of that of Jolm le Bel, which was afterwards remod- 
eled at the English court.— Ed. 

tTbe chapters of Froissart arc veryditHcult to settle. We tare retained Mr. Johnes's 
division into chapters, but not bis notation, which he suited to his quarto or octavo 
volumes, without any attention to the origuial division into four volumes. We 
have restored the original division into books or volumes, without which the reader 
is confused ; since, as has been shown by M. de St. Palnyo, each was written and 
made public by the author as a separate history. There cannot be « stronger proof 
of this, and of Froissart's strong desire to relate tlie real truth without bias, than 
the fact, that the first book or volume, which was chiefly founded on the work of John 
le Bel, is that in which the greatest variation of copies is found ; in fact no two MSS. 
of that book wholly agree. Froissart corrected it from time to time, and seemed 
never Ured of emendation ; the greater part of the original being hearsay, he was not 
satisfied until he had himself examined the best wiuiesses: and hence the variou* 
divisions and variations in tlie Rret book, which have embarrassed every editor.— Ed. 



AN ESSAY ON THE WORKS OF FROISSART. 



day. As he worked at it at difFerent times, I shall attempt to assign 
to each of tlie parts the suitable time for it ; to fix when it was begun 
and finislied ; how many years he employed upon it, and the inter- 
vals during which he ceased to write : I think all these details neces. 
sary. Froissart travelled over large tracts of country, and made in 
several places long residences ; he was attached, at different times, 
to courts whose interests were in opposition ; he lived with a great 
number of princes and lords, of different parties It would have been 
very difficult for him not to have been biassed by prejudices, or 
influenced by aflisction for some, and hatred to others ; and that he 
should always have steered clear of the illusions of partiality ; for 
his candor alone would have sei-ved to have rendered him more sus- 
ceptible of them.* If all the circumstances are recollected of the 
life of our historian, which have been related in the preceding pages, 
and they are connected with those times in which he worked at the 
composition of different parts of his history, not only the nature of 
the information he might be in a situation to collect will be manifest, 
as well relative to places, as to the persons he had seen ; but those 
persons to whom he may be supposed to have leaned, will be pointed 
out. These grounds being once established, will be of very great 
assistance in enabling us to appreciate more justly the different 
degrees of authority he deserves, according to the various matters 
he treats of, and the times in whiclx he treats of them. Without it 
being necessary for me to explain myself more at length on this sub- 
ject, every reader may apply this rule as he shall advance in the 
reading of Froissart ; it will serve him as a guide each step he takes ; 
it will guard him from en*or or seduction ; whether the historian shall 
have been ill-informed ; whether he should wish to impose on his 
readers, supposing it true that he should be capable of so doing. 

The first volume of Froissart comprehends, as I have said before, 
the history from 1336 to 1379. This period includes the time of his 
journey to England, when one may readily suppose he had discon- 
tinued the work ; for he considered it then as being finished to that 
part, since he says he carried it to England, where he presented it to 
the queen. It ends, as I have already said, about the year 1360 ; and, 
as we have seen that it was completed in 1361, and that he had only 
begun on it about the year 1357, it is evident that Froissart scarcely 
employed more than three or four years in the composition of this part 
of his work ; which nevertheless appears to me one of those with which 
he has taken the most pains. 

A sort of connection which I find between several chapters of the 
remainder of tiiis first volume, of which the first announces others at a 
great distance, convinces me that this remainder has been composed 
off-hand, and without interruption ; and that, consequently, the author 
only began to write it toward the year 1379, since he closes it with the 
account of the events of this same year. In truth, I believe that, during 
the time he passed in the ser\'ice of queen Philippa from 1361 to 1369, 
he was more occupied in writing, by her orders, poems on gallantry 
and love verses, than in laboring at his history ; and that, although in 
his different travels, several of which were after the death of this prin- 
cess, he was anxious to gain every information of the history of his 
own time, he had not, in the midst of an agitated life, either sufficient 
leisure, or a mind enough disengaged, to write it. He employed three 
or four years in composing the last half of his first volume; for we 
shall see, that the following volume, which he did not immediately 
begin on, was written from 1385 to 1388. 

Notwithstanding Froissart may have written the first volume at two 
different times, it seems that the preface', which is at the beginning, 
was not done until the whole was finished ; for the author speaks in 
it of his travels into Scotland, whither he did not go until after he had 
presented the first half of this volume to the queen of England. 

No material interruption is met with in the course of the second 
volume. The author employs the first twenty-seven chapters in re- 
capitulating the events of the last three years of the preceding vol- 
ume, which had been too succinctly related. He adds new facts 
or new circumstances to those he had before told, or rectifies the 
narration, as having been better informed afterwards ; and it is from 
tliis that I draw my proof, that there was some interval between the 
composition of the first volume, and that which followed. After these 
first twenty-seven chapters he resumes the thread of his history, which 
he follows until the peace the men of Ghent obtained from the duke 
of Burgundy, and of which he reports the original treaty, dated the 
18th of December, 1385. 

It is toward the year 1385 or 1380, that Froissart began to write his 
second volume : it was finish.ed in 1388. This same year he visited 
the count de Foix ; and in the account he gives of his travels he says, 
that different persons reminded him of events which he had related 
in his history ; and these events are told in the second volume, which, 
according to appearances, was immediately written. 

There is an interval of upward of two years between the composition 
of this volume and the ensuing one ; for the author only began on the 
third in 1390. He then wrote it by order, and at the expense, of the 
count de Blois : this he expressly says in the beginning of the first 



* This is a very beautiful sentiment of St. Pulaye's. nnd no less beautiful than true. 
Bnt the earnest desire Froissart showed to acquaint himself witli both sides of every 
question, searching out truth with greater diligence than has ever before or since been 
shown by any historian, attaches great weight to information given on his own autho- 
rity: and wherever he is convicted of mis.5tatement3, it is upon the firith of another 
which he honestly quotes.— Ed. ' 



chapter of this volume*. There is nothing to prevent us from believ. 
ing that the preceding volume had been composed by the orders of 
the same nobleman, suice I have shown, in the Memoirs of his Life, 
that Froissart had appeared to have been attached to his service from 
the year 1385. 

The third volume, which returns to those events that had happened 
since the year 1389, and wliich gives a fuller account of them, had 
been, as I have just said, begun on in 1390, and was already finished 
in 1399. The author makes it so to be understood in that part 
where he speaks of the conventions entered into by the duke of Brit- 
tany with the king of France. He savs, that at the time he was 
finishing tliis book, the duke had faithfiilly observed them, and had 
not done anything worthy of being noticed. We shall hereafter 
witness the disobedience of this duke in 1399 ; who having received 
Peter de Craon at his palace, at the time a state criminal, he refused to 
obey the orders which Charles VI. sent him to give him up. This whole 
volume seems to me to have been composed without interruption ; at 
least there is a material connection between several chapters at a great 
distance from each other. 

The interval there is between the third and fourth volumes, seems 
to have been caused more to give repose to the reader than to the 
historian; for Froissart, in ending the third, announces the events 
which are to be the materials of the fourth volume. I believe the his- 
torian, immediately on completing the third, wrote the first 50 chapters 
of the fourth volume, which close with the events of 1392. A great 
number of manuscripts, and black-letter editions, which only begin 
the fourth volume after these fifty chapters, form a very natural preju- 
dice in favor of this opinion : besides, from the year 1392, when they 
end, two years passed in continual negotiations between the French 
and English ; during which, several truces, but of short duration, were 
made ; which, however, ended at last in a peace, or truce, for four 
years. One cannot doubt but that Froissart then interrupted his 
writing ; since that was the time he performed his journey into Eng- 
land, where he resided three months. I believe this interval was 
considerable, because the remainder of the fourth volume, which 
seems to me to have been written without intermission, was composed, 
if I mistake not, but several years after this journey ; that is to say, 
toward the end of the fourteenth, or the beginning of the fifteenth 
century. One finds in it those events which belong to the years 1399 
and 1400. I find nothing that may lead us to form any judgment 
how long a time the author employed on this last part. 

It is necessary to make one general observation on the subject of 
these intervals which I have just been speaking of, and of which I 
have attempted to determine the length. When our historian finished 
one of the parts of his history, he brought it down to the time when 
he was writing ; and toward the end he related the events as they 
were passing : from whence it happens, as it seems to me, that there 
is much confusion, often omissions and mistakes, which he has been 
obliged to correct or alter in the following parts. It is probably these 
different supplements which have made him take in many places the 
title not only of " actor," that is to say, author, but in addition to it, 
that of augmentator, of this history ; and that he says in other parts 
of it, " to have undertaken, continued, and augmented." 

VI. The inquiries Froissart made to compose his Histori/^ and the 
pains he took on this subject. — It has been shown with how much 
pains and fatigues Froissart had visited the greater part of the courts 
in Europe. Admitted into the palaces of the greatest lords, he insin- 
uated himself into their confidence to so great a degree, that the)' not 
only related to him many particulars of their own lives, and of those 
events in which they had had a share, or been eye-witnesses of; but 
they discovered to him sometimes the secret of the resolutions which 
had been entered into in the councils of the cabinet upon the most 
important afl'airs : he never failed to take advantage of his conversa- 
tions with those with whom he could converse and interrogate with 
greater freedom. It seems that he had learnt many details of the 
court of France from the servants even of the king, and from those 
who were near to his person. 

If in his travels at court, or in other places he visited, he met with 
any from whom he thought he could gain information, more especially 
captains, or heralds, who in those times were the most usual agents 
in negotiations, and in affairs of importance ; he began a conversa- 
tion with them, and insensibly led them to speak of those parts of 
history of which they ought to be best informed, whether in regard to 
the country where they were, or to other circumstances of their lives: 
and he never quitted them until he had made them tell all they knew ; 
all of which he immediately set down in writing. Not content to 
collect all these precious authorities, and to compare very carefully, 
as he himself informs us, the information of persons who had been 
attached to different parties, he sought for proofs still less liable to 
suspicion. He consulted the treaties which princes had entered into 
with each other, their challenges or declarations of war, the letters 
they wrote to each other, and other papers of this nature. He ex- 
pressly says, that he had seen many which he does not introduce, 
particularly those of the chancery of the king of England ; and some 
of them are transcribed entire in the course of his history. It appears 
that he did not choose everything he found as chance offered them, 
but eliat he examined them critically, and laid aside all those whose 
authenticity did not seem to him fully proved. 



■^ Page 68, Vol. II. of the division of this edition. 



s 



AN ESSAY ON THE WORKS OF FROISSART. 



VII. JVTiat end Froissart proposed to himself in writing his his. 
tory; and what rules he had laid down to himself m writing it.— 
One may easily judge, from the detail of the attentions which Fruis. 
sart himself tells us he took, that l.e was acquainted with the rules of 
sound criticism, and the true method which ought to be followed in 
writintr history. He likewise informs us, that ho had not the inten. 
tion ofmaking a dry chronicle, wherein facts arc simply related with 
their dates, and in the order they happened, but that he was anxious 
to write what may be called in truth history, in which the events 
were presented with all the circumstances which had attended them. 
The details which lay open the secret springs by which mankind act, 
are precisely those which unveil the character and the very heart of 
the personages which history places on the stage ; and this was one 
of the essential parts of the design which Froissart had proposed to 
himself in writing history. Many passages in his work indicate that 
he had a natural inclination for it, and that he found infinite pleasure 
in working at it ; but another object, which does him much more 
honor, had greatly strengthened this natural taste : he proposed to 
preserve, for ages to come, the memory of those men who had made 
themselves renowned by their courage, or by their virtues ; to give 
to their actions a value, Vv-hich nothing can efface or alter ; and, by 
tnnusing usefully his readers, to give birth to, or augment in their 
hearts, the love of glory, by the most brilliant examples. 

This desire, which always animated him in his various inquiries, 
supported him during forty years of labor, in which he neither spared 
attention nor time, and for which he feared not expending very 
considerable sums of money. In effect, nothing can be more proper 
than the spectacle which Froissart places continually before the eyes 
of his readers, to inspire them with a love for war ; that industrious 
vigilance, always on its guard against surprises, is incessantly active 
to surprise others ; that activity, which counts as nothing pains and 
fatigue ; that contempt of death which elevates the mind above the 
fear of danger ; in short, that noble ambition which excites to enter- 
prises of the greatest peril. He passes in review all the heroes 
which, nearly during a whole century, were produced by two warlike 
nations ; one of which was encouraged by successes as flattering as 
they were uninten-upted ; and the other, irritated by its misfortunes, 
was making exertions to revenge, at whatever price it may be, its 
own honor and its king. In so great a number of actions, of which 
many were extremely glorious to each party, it is not possible but 
that some were to be found of a ([uite different sort. Froissart does 
not take the less pains to paint these last, in order to give as much 
horror for vice, as he wished to inspire love for virtue : but, if all 
these pictures had been the fruits of his own imagination, they would 
not have been felt as much as he wished thcni. In order that their 
impression on the heart and mind should be perfectly sure and strong, 
it was necessary that their basis should be founded on the purest 
truth, disengaged from all flatteiy, as well as from partiality, or 
interest. 

It is this trath which our historian piques himself with having 
sought after with the greatest care. However, all I have just said is 
taken from his own words, spread over an infinity of passages, in his 
history ; and it is this alone that I guarantee. It remains to be seen 
if he has as faithfully observed this law which he imposes on himself 
as he has promised it. But before I enter into an examination of 
this question, I shall make some general observations on his chro- 
nology: I shall then speak of the first thirty years of his history, 
which are, properly speaking, but an introduction to the forty, and 
some years which follow them, until the end of the fifteenth century. 



VIII. The Chronology of Froissart.— I observe in the chronology 
of Froissart two capital defects, which are the source of all the dis- 
order found in it. The first is, that when he passes from the history 
of one country to another, he makes the history which he begins go 
back to a period anterior to what he has just spoken of, without 
having had the attention to inform his readers of it. The second, 
•which is not less considerable, is, that he has not settled in his own 
mind the manner of counting the years ; he makes them sometimes 
begin the 1st of January ; at other times at Easter ; others even at 
Palm Sunday. Froissart does not confine himself to date by years 
the events he relates ; months, days, hours of the day, are often 
expressed in his different recitals. I remark, with regard to the 
days, that he only begins them when night is completely gone, and 
that daybreak begins to appear. With regard to the hours of the 
day, he gives them a division, of which some examples, but in a 
small number, are seen in our ancient authors, and to which he very 
particularly attaches himself. He divides them according to the 
canonical hours o{ prime, tierce, none, and vepres; because, perhaps, 
he was in the ecclesiastical line himself. I observe, that he has not 
anywhere made use of the word sexte : what he means by prime, 
was the morning, the first hour of the day, or the hour which followed 
next after daybreak. Tierce seems to me to mark the intermediate 
time between the morning and midday, which he expresses either 
by the word midday, or by that of none. Afterwards comes vepre, 
or, la vi-pree : it was, as the word points out, the end of the day ; 
after which was reckoned midnight. Sometimes he adds to these 
words of prime, tierce, none, vepres, the epithet of basse, to mark 
that the time of these hours was near closing ; and sometimes the 
word haute, which, in some instances, appears to have the same 
signification, and in others quite the contrary. He uses this mode of 



speech d I'aube crevant, to say, that the dawn of day has but just 
begun to show itself; au soleil resconsant, to express the setting sim ; 
d la relevee, for the time which follows the hour of midday ; and d 
la retnontec, which seems to me synonymous to la vepree, for the 
evening, the time at which the day approaches to its end. 

IX. Of the first thirty years which Froissart has treated of at the 
beginning of his History, after John le Bel ; that is to say, from 1326 
to 1356. — The first thirty years of the history of Froissart are prop, 
crly but a preliminary, which serves to give the reader some inform- 
ation relative to the wars which he was afterwards to give an account 
of. He describes the state of France and of England ; and shows 
the cause of the quarrel between the tivo crowns, which was the 
origin of those bloody wars they carried on reciprocally against each 
other. Froissart cannot be reckoned a contemporary writer of these 
first thirty years ; he was not born, or if he was, he was in hia 
infancy, or of such an age that he could not make any great use of 
his reason. He therefore scarcely ever mentions these thirty years, 
as an author who has seen what he relates ; and, without doubt, it 
must be to this period alone that one can refer what he says in the 
commencement of his history, that he wrote after another who had 
lived before : it is, as he tells us, " The true Chronicles of John le 
Bel, canon of Saint Lambert of Liege."* These chronicles have not 
been handed down to us; and I cannot discover anything more, 
either concerning the work or its author, but what Froissart tells us. 
He speaks of him as one who no longer existed ; but he boasts his 
exactness, and the pains he took in comparing his chronicles, and 
the considerable expenses he was at on this suliject. He represents 
him as the favorite and confidant of John of Hainault, in company 
with whom he might have witnessed several great events, which, 
says he, shall in the end be related ; for the earl, who was nearly 
related to several kings, had played a principal part in many of these 
transactions. 

Froissart, in these thirty years, which are anterior to the battle of 
Poitiers, in 1356, enters more into the detail of the history of the 
English than of the French, perhaps from having followed in this 
respect his original author, who had taken a much gi-eater interest ia 
the histoiy of England, from its connections with the count de Hain- 
ault. This certainly is the cause why those manuscripts, which only 
contain the first years of the Chronicle of Froissart, are called Chron- 
icles of England ; and also has given rise to the reproach which has 
been made to him of being the partisan of England, and ill-inclined 
toward France ; an accusation which I shall examine at the end of 
this criticism. I do not think Froissart could have chosen a better 
guide for the history of the thirty years than the author he says he 
followed. To judge of the information which this historian might 
have drawn from the intimacy with which he lived with John 01 
Hainault, one must recollect the situation in which tliis earl then was.. 
The queen of England, Isabella of France, had fled from England 
with the young prince of Wales, her son, afterwards Edward III., to 
free herself from the persecutions of the Spencers, and the other 
favorites of her husband, Edward II. 

Charles le Bel, king of France, brother to this queen, was forced 
to order her to quit his kingdom, after he had afforded her an asylum 
for some time. The court of the count de Hainault, of whom we 
are speaking, was the only resource for the mother and son ; not 
only was this open to them, but they found there powerful succors to 
carry with them to England, and to draw down vengeance on their 
enemies. The young prince had there met a virtuous and amiable 
princess (she was one of the daughters of the count,) who felt for 
him those first sentiments of a natural inclination which seem to 
foretell the most durable attachments : he conceived a strong affec- 
tion for her, made her his bride, and afterwards she was placed with 
him on the throne of England. It is the same to whom Froissart 
presented his History. 

Froissart wrote then after an author who was himself personally 
acquainted with all these facts, and from the persons the best informed ; 
for it was their own history. The writer, who appears to have been 
brought up at the court of the count de Hainault, was living in the 
greatest familiarity with those, to whom all the circumstances of this 
court, which were then recent, would be in their recollection, and 
perfectly well known to them ; and he wrote the history of it for 
queen Philippa, of Hainault, who had acted so principal a part in it : 
never was there a historian who had more undeniable witnesses of 
the facts he relates. Never was there one in whom greater confi. 
dcncc could be placed, than in Froissart in this part of his history. 
You will, however, recollect the faults which M. Lancelot has cor. 
reeled in several articles which concern the history of England at 
this period. His criticism is founded on the original acts which he 
has had in his hands, and whose authority is unquestionable. I urge 
this example, because it seems to me more proper than any other, to 
make a truth, important to our history, more strongly felt, and which 
has been so much recommended by authors the most versed in this 
study ; I mean the absolute necessity of accompanying the study of 
history with the comparing it with the original acts of those times. 
Some of them enlighten parts which are wanting, while others add 
to the testimonies of history a degree of authenticity of which they 
are but in too much need ; and it is from this comparison that the 
certitude of these truths results as much as their nature is susceptible 



* See note, p. vi. 



A CRITICISM ON THE HISTORY OF FROISSART. 



■with regard to us. I shall reserve for another opportunity to speak 
of those forty and some years following, which Froissart wrote as a 
contemporary historian, and as an eye-witness, I may say, of every- 
thing which was then passing in the world. But I shall first exa- 
mine the different judgments which have been passed on this histo. 
rian, and particularly the almost universal reproacli which has been 
made to him, of being a violent partisan of the English, and a declared 
enemy to the French. I shall speak of his partiality in other res- 
pects, his credulity in certain articles, his exactness in others, and 
his mode of writing : I will then enumerate the detail of the editions 
■which we have of his history ; I will discuss the merits and faults ot 
each of them ; I shall more especially examine whether that of Sau- 
vage has more corrapted and falsified the text than it has enlightened it. 
In short, I shall give a summary account of upward of forty vol- 
umes, in folio, of manuscripts of this history, which I have collated 
with great attention. 



A CRITICISM 



THE HISTORY OF FROISSART. 

TRANSLATED FKOM THE FRENCH OP M. DE LA CCKNE DE ST. PALAYE, 

BY THOMAS JOHNES. 

I HAVE laid before you the views with which Froissart wrote his 
Chronicles, the care he took to be informed of all the events which 
were to make parts of it, and the rules he had imposed on himsell'in 
■writing it. I shall at present examine if he has been exact in 
observing these rules ; what are the defects and advantages of his 
history ; what is the form and style of it. From thence I shall pass 
to the manuscripts and editions we have of it ; then to the abridg- 
ments and different translations which have been published. 

Froissart is accused of partiality ; and this accusation is become 
so general, that it seen^ to have acquired the character of notoriety ; 
whose privilege is to supersede proofs. Froissart is said to have 
sold his pen to the English, who paid him a considerable pension ; 
and, by a necessary consequence of his affection for them, he is unfa- 
vorable to the French. Bodin, Fasquier, Brantdme, Sore!, la Pope- 
linifere, le Laboureur, decide against him in the most positive terms. 
It seems even that his readers, prejudiced by the connections which 
Froissart had with the English, may have some reason to distrust 
everything he relates to their advantage. In truth, he begins by say- 
ing, that he had written his history at the solicitations of Robert de 
Namur, a near relation of the queen Philippa, and a vassal of the 
crown of England, which he usefidly served against France. In 
another part he informs us, that he was of the household of Ed^ward 
III. the most cruel enemy of the French ; and that his queen, to 
■whom he was secretary, had not only, by her liberalities, enabled 
him to travel into various parts in order to enrich his history, but 
that she had generously paid him for liis labors in it. 

In short, the first twenty-six chapters of his Chronicle solely con- 
cern the history of England, which has been the reason why it has 
been called the " Chronicle of England" in several manuscripts. 
From thence it has been concluded that Froissart, from his intimate 
attachment to the court of England, must be a violent partisan of that 
nation, and the enemy of its enemies. Notliing more was wanted 
for the most innocent accounts, if given by any other historian, 
appearing as poisonous if issued from his pen ; but, in order to judge 
if this suspicion has any foundation, I will run over the period of 
"which he has transmitted to us the history, in examining successively 
the different situations he was in when he wrote the various parts 
of it. 

Froissart cannot be suspected of partiality during the first years 
of the reign of Edward III. This prince never forgot that his uncle, 
king Charles le Bel, had given him an asylum in his kingdom ; 
■when, with his modier, Isabella of France, he had escaped from the 
persecution of the Spencers, who governed the mind of his father, 
Edward II. The court of France had not any misunderstanding 
■with that of England during the reign of Charles. I pass over for a 
moment the forty years which followed from 1329, when the suc- 
cession to the crown of France being opened by the death of Charles 
le Bel, the bonds which had united the kings of France and England 
became themselves the source of divisions and of the most murderous 
■ivars ; and I come to the times which succeeded the death of queen 
Philippa in 13G9, a period when Froissart, no longer residing in Eng- 
land, had attached himself to Winceslaus, duke of Brabant. This 
prince, brother to the emperor Charies IV., was, in fact, uncle to 
Anne of Bohemia, who was afterwards queen of England, by her 
marriage with Richard II.; but he was also in the same degree o 
relationship with Charles V. of France, the son of his sister, and 
preserving a strict neutrality bet\veen the two rival crowns, he was 
invited to the coronations of Charles V. and of Charles VI. He 
obtained even in the last of these ceremonies the pardon of the count 
de St. Pol, whom the king's council wished to put to death for the 
crime of high treason. 

Froissart, who informs us of this circumstance, with which he must 
have been well acquainted, tells us another, which cleariy shows that 
Winceslaus ever preserved the friendship of king Charies, as well as 



that of his council. During the time the war was carrying on with 
the greatest obstinacy, he obtained a passport for the princess Anne 
of Bohemia to go to England, where she was to marry Richard lU 
Charies and his uncles accompanied this favor with the most obliging 
letters, adding, they only granted it out of friendship to him. Frois. 
sart had not any interest to write against France during the time he 
passed with tliis prince ; he had, shortly afterwards, still less, when 
he was secretary to the count de Blois, who crowned a life, com- 
pletely devoted to the interests of France, by the sacrifice of the in- 
terests of his own family. The most trifling marks of ill-will against. 
France would have exposed him to lose not only the good graces of 
his master, but the fruits of his historical labors, which he had in. 
dueed him to continue, and which he so generously recompensed. 
The historian therefore, feaiful of the reproaches which might be 
made him for being too good a Frenchman, reproaches very different 
from those which have been since made him, thinks himself bound 
to justify, in the following terms, what he relates of the inviolable 
attachment of the Bretons to the crown of France against the Eng. 
lish, vol. iii. chapter Ixv. p. 240, year 1387. " Let no one say I have 
been corrupted by the favor which the count Guy de Blois (who has 
made me write this history) has shown unto me, and who has so 
liberally paid me for it that I am satisfied, because he was nephew 
to the true duke of Brittany, and so nearly related as son to count 
Louis de Blois, brother-gerraan to Charles de Blois, who, as long as 
he lived, was duke of Brittany : no, by my troth, it is not so ; for I 
will not speak at all, unless it be the truth, and go straight forward, 
without coloring one more than another : besides, the gallant prince 
and court, who have made me undertake this history, had no other 
wish but for me to say what is true." 

Since Froissart in all these times, which carry us almost to the end 
of his Chronicle, cannot be suspected of hatred to the French, nor 
of affection to the English ; I return to those years I have omitted 
from 1329 to 1369, of which he passed a considerable part in Eng. 
land, attached to the king and queen, and living in a sort of famil- 
iarity with the young princes, their children : it is in respect to these 
years, that the suspicion of partiality to the English can subsist with 
the greatest force. It was difficult, in a court where everything 
breathed hatred to France, for him to preser\-e that perfect neutrality 
which the quality of an historian demands ; and that he should not 
lean toward that passion of princes to whom he owed his present 
fortune, and from whom he expected more considerable establish, 
ments. One might find reasons to weaken this prejudice, in the 
sweetness and moderation which queen Philippa ever preserved in 
the midst of all these wars ; who calmed the fury of her husband at 
the siege of Calais, and who obtained, by her instances, the pardon 
of the six generous citizens of that town whom he had condemned 
to death. I might add, that if Froissart was of the household of king 
Edward, he was also of the household of king .Tohn ; and it seems he 
was attached to this prince even at the time when he was in Eng. 
land. 

But, without seeking to combat these prejudices by others, I shall 
simply consult the text of Froissart, wliieh must, in this respect, be 
the rule of our judgment. After having read him with all the atten. 
tion I am capable of, without having marked one single trace of the 
partiality they reproach him with, I have examined with the utmost 
care some principal points, where naturally it ought to have been the 
most apparent. 

The accession of Philip de Valois to the crown had incensed all 
England, who adopted the chimerical pretensions of Edward III. 
This was a delicate circumstance for an historian, who, living in the 
midst of a court, and a nation so strongly prejudiced, was determined 
not to quit the line of duty. Now, these are the terms in which 
Froissart relates this event, after having mentioned the deaths of the 
kings, Louis Hutin, Philip le Long, and Charies le Bel : " The twelve 
peers and barons of France did not give the realm of France to their 
sister, who was queen of England, because they declared and main- 
tained, and still resolve, that the kingdom of France is so noble, that 
it ought not to descend to a female, nor consequently to the king of 
England, Iier eldest son ; for thus they determine, that the son of a 
female cannot claim any right of succession as coming from his 
mother, wlien the mother herself has not any right ; so that, for these 
reasons, the twelve peers and the barons of France unanimously de- 
creed the kingdom of France to my lord Philip, nephew to the good 
king Philip of France, before-mentioned, and took from the queen of 
England and her son the right of succeeding to the last king, Charles. 
Thus, as it appeared to many persons, did the kingdom of France go 
out of the straight line of succession, which occasioned very great 
wars in consequence," &,c. This whole passage presents nothing 
but ■ivhat must make one admire the courage and candor of the his- 
torian, when even he should have added these words, " it appeared 
to many persons ;" since it is not any matter of doubt that the sue 
cession passed from the straight line to the collateral branch. Never- 
theless, some malignant intention was thought to lurk beneath, and 
the words "took from" having offended some readei-s, they have 
added in the margin a sort of correction, which I have seen in two 
manuscripts in a hand almost as ancient as the manuscripts them. 
selves : " They never could take away what they had never been in 
possession of, nor had any right to. They never took it away ; for 
neither the foresaid lady, nor her son, had even a right to it ; but 
Froissart shows he was partial to the English." 



10 



A CRITICISM ON THE HISTORY OF FROISSART. 



The homage which king Edward III. paid to the king of France, 
hurt exceedingly the delicacy of the English : they had disputed for 
Bome time, and with great warmth, on the form in which it was to 
be made ; seeking to curtail it of all that was humiliating to them. 
As the Iving of France firmly supported the prerogatives of his crown, 
and obliged Edward to acquit himself of this duty according to the 
terms which had been practiced by his predecessors, an liistorian who 
was desirous of being complaisant would have shghtly passed over 
this article. Froissart, however, insists upon it as much as he is 
able ; he neither omits the difficulties wliich the English made, nor 
the authorities which king Fhilip opposed to them ; and he accom- 
panies these details with the original acta the most proper to confirm 
them ; so that, if the kings of France should ever have occasion to 
verify their rights, the deposition alone of Froissart would furnish an 
authentic and incontestable title. 

The English accuse the French of not being very scrupulous in 
observing treaties ; and maintain, that sir Geoffi-y de Charni acted by 
the secret ordere of the king of France, when, in contempt of a truce 
which had been made, he attempted to surprise Calais in 13-19. 
Rapin embraces this opinion, and supports it by the testimony of 
Froissart whom he quotes in the margin. 1 know not from what copy, 
nor what manuscript, he has taken his authority ; but, for my part, I 
read in all the printed and in all the manuscripts these words, wliich 
are quite contrary to his sentiments : " I believe, that Geoffi-y de 
Charni had never spoken of it to the king of France ; for, the king 
would never have advised him to attempt it, on account of the truce." 
The English again impute to Charles V. the infraction of the treaty 
of Bredgny, which they first broke, if we believe the French. Far 
from finding anything in Froissart which favors the English preten- 
sions, I believe that, if the terms in which he expresses himself were 
strictly examined, they would at least form a presumption against 
them. I do not despair but that one day a brother academician will 
give us all the proofs which a sound criticism, and a mature reading 
of the historical monuments of that age, can furnish on a point of 
history which is of equal consequence to the nation and to truth. 

The single combat proposed in 1354 between the kings of France 
and of England, is still a matter of dispute between the historians of 
the two nations. According to the French, the challenge sent in the 
name of king John was not accepted by Edward ; while the Eng- 
lish say, their king dared the king of France to battle, but that he 
refused the combat : Froissart decides formally for the French. 
" The king of France," says he, " went after him as far as St. Omer, 
and sent to him (the king of England) by the marshal d'Authain, and 
by several other knights, that he would tight with them, if he pleased, 
body to body, or strength against strength, any day he would name : 
but the king of England refused the combat, and recrossed the sea 
to England ; and the king of France returned to Paris." 

To these examples I could add a great number of other passages 
where he gives praise, as well to the people, as to the lords who sig- 
nalized themselves by their attachment to the party of the French, 
and wherein he neither spares those who had declared themselves 
against, nor those who had cowardly abandoned them. In addition 
to what he says of the fidelity of the Bretons, and of the counts de 
Blois, their legitimate sovereigns, he praises the zeal with which 
several lords in Scotland received the French fleet sent in 1385 to 
assist them against the English. The earl of Douglas, to whom he 
appears much attached, and in whose castle he had spent several 
days in his travels into Scotland, seems to be of this number. At 
the same time, he declaims against those whose bad faith and ingrati- 
tude rendered this armament fruitless. He speaks in the strongest 
terms of the presumption of the duke of Gueldres, who dared to 
declare war against the king of France (Charles VI.) in 1387, and 
of the insolence with which he expressed himself in his declaration 
of war. He applauds the just indignation which induced this mon- 
arch to march in person to chastise the pride of this petty prince. 

In short, of all nations whom he speaks of in his history, there are 
but few whom he has not sometimes marked with odious epithets. 
According to him, the Portuguese are passionate and quarrelsome ; 
the Spaniards envious, haughty, and uncleanly ; the Scots perfidious 
and ungrateful ; the Italians assassins and poisoners ; the English 
vain-hoastcrs, contemptuous, and cruel. There is not one trait against 
the French ; on the contrary, this brave nation supports itself, accord- 
ing to Froissart, by the vigor and strength of its knighthood, which 
was never so totally overwhelmed by its misfortunes, as not in the 
end to find some marvellous resources in its courage. The historian 
also seems to have taken a pride in having been born a Frenchman, 
in telling us that he owed to this title the good reception which a 
French esquire gave him, when he lodged with him at Orthez. 

It is true, that the king of England, and his son the prince of Wales, 
seem to have been, so long as they lived, the heroes of his history ; 
and that, in the recital of several battles, he is more occupied with 
them than with the king of France. But, where is the Frenchman 
of candor, who will not find himself forced to give these princes the 
utmost praise ? Besides, does not our historian render justice to the 
▼alor and intrepidity of king Philip de Valois, and of king John ? 
Nothing can surpass the praises he gives as well to the wisdom as to 
the ability of king Charles V. ; and above all, that glorious testimony 
which he makes no difficulty to put into the mouth of the king of 
England: "There never was a king who so Uttle armed himself; 
-and there never was a king who gave me so much to do." 



I think I have fully estabUshed, by all that you have just read, tlial 
Froissart was not that partial historian that he has been accused of. 
Nevertheless, I think it will be more sure to read him with some cir- 
cumspection, and that one ought, as much as may be possible, never 
to lose sight, I repeat it, of two objects which I have particulariy 
endeavored to make observed in the preceding pages : I mean to say, 
on one hand, the details of liis life, his different attachments to divers 
princes and to certain lords, the connections he had or the friendships 
he contracted widi various persons ; on the other, the situations in 
which he was placed when he wrote liis history, what parts of it were 
undertaken at the solicitation of the count de Namur, a partisan of 
the EngUsh, and those which he composed by the orders of the count 
de Blois, a friend to France. For if one is determined to persuade 
oneself that he ought to be disposed to favor the English in all he 
relates until 1369, from the same reason he should lean to the French 
in all the ensuing years until the conclusion of his Chronicle, I 
ought not to neglect to mention that his prejudices are sometimes 
visible when he enters into the minuter details, as one may be con- 
vinced of by the praise he gives to the piety and other virtues of the 
count de Foix, strongly contrasted by those actions of cruelty he had 
just before related. But when an historian, disengaged from all 
passion, should hold an even balance between the different parties ; 
when to this quality he adds that which cannot be refused to Frois- 
sart, I mean, a continual anxiety to be informed of every event, and 
of every particular, that may interest his readers ; he will yet be veiy 
far from perfection, if to these acquirements he does not add sound 
criticism, which, in the multitude of discordant relations, knows how 
to separate everything that is distant from truth ; or his work will 
otherwise be less a history, than a heap of fables and popular rumors. 

Notwithstanding all Froissart tells us of the care he took to hear 
both sides, and to compare their different accounts with each other, 
often with the original pieces, I think he may be accused of some ■ 
little negligence on this head. His manner of life allowed him but 
little leisure to make all the reflections and allele comparisons which 
such an examination would require. In those countries whither his 
active curiosity earned him, other attentions occupied his mind. 
Charged soiuetimes with secret commissions, he endeavored to insin- 
uate himself into the good graces of those princes he visited, by 
compositions of gallantry, by romances, by poetry ; and the love he 
ever had for pleasure took such possession of both his lime and his 
heart, that his mind must have been often turned from the scriotia 
meditations of the cabinet, of which naturally it was not very capable. 
I am not afraid to say, that his manner of life is to be found in some 
sort retraced even in his Chronicles. One sees in them tumultuous 
meetings of warriors of all ages, degrees, and countries ; feasts ; enter, 
tainments at inns ; conversations after supper, which lasted until a late 
hour ; where every one was eager to relate what he had seen or done : 
after which the travelling historian, before he went to bed, hastened 
to put on paper everything his memory could reeoUect. One sees in 
them the history of events which happened during almost a century, 
in all the provinces of the kingdom, and of all the people in Europe, 
related without order. In a small number of chapters, one frequently 
meets with several different histories, begun, interrupted, recom- 
menced, and again broken off; and in this confusion the same things 
repeated, whether in order to be corrected, contradicted, or denied, 
or whether to be augmented. 

The historian seems to have carried even to his composition of the 
Chronicle his love of romances, and to have imitated the disorder 
which reigns in these sort of works ; from which one might say he 
has affected even to borrow their style. Thus, for example, when 
he begins a narrative, he frequenfly uses this expression, "Now the 
tale says ;" ami when he speaks of the death of any one, or some 
other melancholy event, he adds, "but amend it he could not;" 
phrases which are to be met with in almost every page of the romances 
of the Round Table. However, all I say of this romantic taste of 
Froissart, which he seems to have preseiTed in his history, applies 
solely to the style he makes use of; for I have never once observed 
that he attempts to embellish it with the marvellous. The faults 
which are met with contrary to historical exactness, arise solely from 
the natural confusion of his mind, the precipitation with which he 
wrote, and the ignorance which he must necessarily have been in 
respecting many things, which woeld have escaped his inquiries. 
What he relates of distant countries, such as Africa, Hungary, Tar- 
tary, and, in general, the eastern parts of the %vorld, is full of the 
grossest blunders. In his time commerce had not then formed any 
connection with those countries and our own : what was known of 
them, was founded on the faith of those whom accident had carried 
thither, and who had resided too short a time among them to gain 
sufficient information respecting the manners, customs, and history 
of these people. But if Froissart has committed many faults in what 
he relates to us, the greatest, without doubt, is to have spoken at all 
of what he could not but imperfectly know. 

All these defects and imperfections do not prevent his Chronicle 
from being considered as one of the most precious monuments of our 
history ; a°id that the perusal of it should not be as agreeable as in. 
structive to those who, not confining themselves to the knowledge of 
general facts, seek in the details, whether of particular events, whether 
of the usages of that age, to develop the character of mankind, and 
of the centuries which have passed. 

Froissart was born to transmit to posterity a living picture of an 



A CRITICISM ON THE HISTORY OF FROISSART. 



11 



age, enemy to repose ; and which, amid the intervals of troubles with 
which it was almost continually agitated, found relaxation only in the 
most tumultuous pleasures. Besides the wars of so many nations 
which he describes, and in \yhich he informs us of divers usages 
respecting the ban and arrier ban, the attack and defence of places, 
fortifications, detachments, skirmishes, orders of battle, marine, the 
armor of those on foot, and those on horseback ; one finds in this 
history everything which can excite curiosity with regard to the no. 
bility and knighthood, their challenges, their deadly combats, tilts, 
tournaments, entries of princes, assemblies, feasts, balls, the dresses 
of both sexes ; so that his chronicle is for us a complete body of the 
antiquities of the fourteenth century. One must own that these details 
only attract attention from their own singularity ; they are related 
without study, and without art : it is, in truth, the familiar conversa. 
tion with a man of understanding, who has seen a great deal, and tells 
his story well. Nevertheless, tliis amiable story-teller knows how, at 
times, and in particular when he speaks of any grand event, to unite 
the majesty of history with the simplicity of a tale. Let any one 
read, among other things, among so many battles which he has so 
e.^icellently painted ; let hini read the recital of the famous battle of 
Poitiers, they will there see in the person of the prince of Wales a 
hero, far greater by the generosity with which he made use of his 
victory, by his attentions to a conquered prince, and by the respect 
he always paid hiin, than by those efforts of courage which had made 
him triumph. I do not believe there is anything which can equal the 
sublimity of this moi-sel of history, notliing which can more elevate 
the heart and mind. Others, of a very different nature, have their 
value in their simplicity : such is the episode of the love of the king 
of England for the countess of Salisbury ; the tender and affecting 
recital of which does not yield to the most ingenious and best- written 
romances. The historian sometimes takes a gay tone ; as in the 
chapter wherein he speaks of the impatience of the young lung Charles 
VI. to receive his new bride ; and in that wherein he relates the jokes 
which this prince made on his uncle, the duke of Berry, who, at a 
time of life not very suitable for love, maiTied a young and amiable 
wife. 

The taste of the author is very visible in the manner which he 
treats these subjects ; but as the age he lived in knew how to conciliate 
all things, this taste did not exclude the fund of devotion which runs 
through the course of this work. It is only to be wished that he had 
not degraded his religion by a credulity ridiculously superstitious ; 
false miracles, prophecies, enchantments, have nothing in them so 
absurd as not to find in him an unboimded and blind belief. Every 
one knows the tale he tells of the demon Gorgon. One can scarcely 
comprehend how he can connect with Christianity the example 
which he draws from the fable of Actaeon to justify the probability 
of an adventure of the same sort, which makes part of this tale. 
He has besides been reproached with having dishonored history by 
his too great minuteness. I agree that we readily would have dis- 
pensed with his telling us at what sign those lodged of whom he was 
speaking, and from pointing out the inns where he himself had some- 
times taken up his quarters ; but I cannot equally condemn the love 
adventures, the feasts, and ceremonies, of which he has left us de- 
scriptions. When his narrations shall not be of subjects sufficiently 
noble, yet he paint3 so agreeably and so truly the age of which he 
writes the histoiy, that it woidd, I think, be ungrateful to make any 
complaints. 

I have inserted summarily in this judgment a sketch of the opinions 
which different authors have given of him, and they may be con- 
Bulted. I will add that of an author who knew better than any other 
the lull value of a ready and natural genius. " I love," says Mon- 
taigne, " historians very unaffected or excellent : the unaffected, who 
have not wherewithal to add of their own, and who are only careful 
to collect and pick up everything which falls within their notice, 
and to put down everything without choice and without sorting, giv. 
ing us the opportunity of wholly judging of their truth. Such for 
example is the good Froissart, who has gone on with his work with 
such frank simplicity, that, having committed a fault, he is no way 
ashamed of avowing it, and correcting it at the place he is informed 
of it ; and who tells us the diversity of rumors which were current, 
and the diffisrent accounts that were told to him. It is history, naked 
and unadorned ; every one may profit from it, according to the depth 
of his understanding." 

I come now to the editions of Froissart. We have three black- 
letter ones, and two posterior to them : that which I believe to be 
the oldest, is by Anthony VeraTd, at Paris, without a date, three 
volumes in folio. The second is, Paris, by Michael le Noir, the 
15th July, 1505, two volumes in folio, a handsome type. The third 
is, Paris, by Galliot du Pre, 1530, three volumes in folio. The 
fourth, Lyons, by John de Tournes, 1559, 1560, 1561, three volumes 
in folio, revised and coiTeeted by Denys Sauvage. The fifth, which 
copies exactly the fourth, is Paris, by Gervais Mallot, 1574, three 
volumes in folio.* There is reason to believe, from the manner in 



* M. de St. Palaye does not seem to have known all the editions of Froissart. I have 
three of different dates to those he mentions. 

1. A most superb copy on vellum, in four volumes, which originally belonged to the 
Soubise library, purchased at the sale of the Bibliotheca Parisiaua ; printed in black 
letter, by Guill:iume Eustace, at Paris. 1514. 

2. An edition by Denys Sauvage, in four volumes, printed by Michael Sonnius, Paris, 
1974. This had belonsed to Mr. Secretary Groses. 



which father Long expresses himself on the subject of the editions 
of Froissart, that there may be others where there have been united 
into one body his Chronicle, with the first continuation, by an anony- 
mous writer, until the year 1498, and with a second continuation 
until the year 1513. But these works have never been printed to- 
gether. This is not the only mistake which this learned librarian 
has made in the same article, as I will some time hence explain, 
when I speak of these continuations. He also speaks of an histo- 
rical work, printed under this title : " Order of the entry and happy- 
arrival in the city of Paris, of Isabella de Baviere, queen of France, 
wife of Charles VI. in the year 1389, extracted from the fourth book 
of the History of Froissart ;" without noticing either the date or 
place of its impression. I am ignorant if this is not an old fragment 
of Froissart which Sauvage had consulted, that had been printed be. 
fore the black-letter editions, and of which I have never been able 
to gain any knowledge. To return to those editions I have pointed 
out, I shall fix principally on that of Sauvage, and endeavor to show, 
at the same time, what opinion should be formed of the black-letter 
editions which preceded his. 

If the historian has been accused of showing too great a hatred 
against the French in several parts of his Chronicle, the editor has been 
equally accused of showing too great an inclination to them, by sup- 
pressing everything which might displease them. Perhaps this 
charge is only made in consequence of the first ; and readers, pre- 
judiced on one hand that Froissart had been an enemy to the French, 
surprised on the other at not finding any traces of this pretended 
enmitj' in his lustorj', may have judged, without further reason, that 
Sauvage had retrenched, through love of his country, all that the 
historian had written through hatred to it. The French, with whom 
Sauvage, according to this mode of reasoning, ought to have found 
favor, have not been less hard upon him on another head. Accord- 
ing to several, he has altered and disfigured the proper names ; he 
has changed the simple language of the times of Froissart to substi- 
tute his own ; in which he has rather rendered the history more 
obscure than he has enhghtened it, and has only caused those edi. 
tions which were prior to his own to become more scarce, and more 
dear. We shall see if this is the recompense that all the trouble he 
gave himself deserved ; but I ought first to speak of the manner in 
which he labored at his edition, and the assistance he had according 
to the account which he gives himself. 

Sauvage, having first transcribed the printed copy of Galliot du 
Pr<;, compared it with the two other black-letter editions, when he 
found the difl'erence between them so trifling, that he thought he 
ought to consider all three but as the same. He then collated hia 
text with a printed fragment still more ancient ; then with the third 
volume of " La Mer des Histoires," in which Froissart has been 
copied from the beginning until the 177th chapter; and lastly, with 
two abridgments in MS. which indicates not being acquainted with the 
authors, by the names of " La Chaux and de Sala," who had com- 
municated them to him. The editor, in acknowledging that these 
abridgments, or manuscripts, were so much damaged, that he waa 
frequently obliged to guess the meaning, have been at times very 
useful to him, gives notice that he did not follow their punctuation ; 
but, persuaded that one cannot be too exact in religiously preserving 
the language of ancient authors, he follows, with a scrupulous at- 
tention, the orthography, the ancient modes of speech, although they 
were very different from what they were when the first copies came 
from the hands of Froissart. He, nevertheless, avows that, without 
derogating from the respect due to the ancient text, he has thought 
himself justified in making some changes, but solely, when he has 
been under the indispensable necessity of seeking the aid of better 
historians, to give a meaning to passages which were in want of it. 
Even in these cases, the only ones in which he has taken the liberty of 
making any change, he has had the precaution to place in the margin 
the original reading, however defective it might be ; leaving, by 
these means, the reader the power of judging of the corrections he 
had made. With regard to proper names, and the names of places, 
he has not touched them, from the impossibilit)' of correcting them 
with success. The editor addresses the four volumes of Froissart to 
the constable de Montmorency, by as many dedicatory epistles. 
One sees in the first, and by an advertisement to his readers, that the 
editions he had already given of several of our historians were but 
preparatory to a general history of the Gauls and of the kingdom of 
France, which he was then at work on. 

Sauvage promises nothing relative to his edition of Froissart which 
he has not faitlifully performed ; as one may be convinced of by fol- 
lowing the notes which he added. I do not say that he has always 
well chosen from the different texts he had under his eyes ; but, if 
the corrections he proposes are not all equally just, there are many 
which offer a clear and very probable meaning of passages which, in 
the old editions, are a collection of words without connection, and 
without sense. With regard to the language, besides his attention 
never to change anything of the ancient words, he accompanies them 
with an explanation whenever he thinks them not sufficiently intel. 
ligible. His zeal in this respect is more praiseworthy than his intel. 
ligence. It is surprising that, after having published several of otur 



3. An edition by Denys Sauvage, in four volumes, printed for Michael de Rojgny, 
Paris, 1374. This had belonged to Mr. Tynvhitt. 
LMl Mr. Johnes's MSS. were destroyed at Hifod by fire.) 



12 



A CRITICISM ON THE HISTORY OF FROISSART. 



«ld authors, he was not better acquainted with their language, and 
that he should add such unnatural explanations and etymologies. 

As the chronology of Froissart was sometimes defective, Sauvage 
has reformed it in those places which appeared to him most in need 
of it. He has often recalled to the reader's memory distant passages, 
in order to conciliate them, or to show their contradiction; or, in 
short, to demonstrate the connection of certain facts to each other ; 
but his attempt in this part is scarcely worth mentioning. Some 
genealogies, which regard persons of whom Froissart speaks, as well 
as some remarks on divers places, whose position he attempts to fix 
by relating the different names they are called by, show that the 
editor has not absolutely neglected these two objects. One must not 
be surprised that so many foreign names should not always be exactly 
correct ; besides their having been changed since then, one should 
not impute as blame, either to the author or editor, the faults of 
copyists who have incorrectly read them, and who have written them 
according to the pronunciation or orthography of their language and 
age ; for not only are the names read in as many different ways as 
there are manuscripts, but they often vaiy in the same MS. as often 
as they are met with. The only means to remedy this is to clear up 
Froissart by himself, in collating the various passages where the 
-Same name is found ; and this is what Sauvage has done ; and for 
greater security he has read over five times the text of his author ; 
however, when he could not draw any advantage from this repeated 
reading, he has made use of every assistance from any quarter he 
could find. He appears, 'in fact, to have very carefully studied the 
maps and descriptions of those countries the historian speaks of, and 
also to liave consulted the people of those countries. One observes, 
that, when he had retired to Lyons to give himself up more freely to 
study, he went to reconnoitre in that neighborhood the old field of 
battle of Brinay, or Brinais, in which the duke of Bourbon had been 
defeated in 13(10 by tli£ free companies. The description he gives 
of it is very instructive, and serves to clear up the circumstances of 
that event. An epitaph which he had read in a church at Lyons 
serves at another time to prove the falsity of a date in Froissart. In 
short, there is scarcely any historian of importance, of whatever 
country he might be, whom Sauvage had not seen, in order the better 
to understand on whom he was at work, and to make him better 
4inderstood by others, and to confirm or to rectify his testimony. 
One may count nearly forty authors whom he cites in his margins, 
as well relative to the history of France, as to that of England, Scot- 
land, Flanders, Germany, Spain, Italy, Hungary, and Turkey. I add, 
that he had consulted the original acts, since he has inserted in his 
annotations the ratification of the treaty of Bretigny, done by the 
prince of Wales at Calais, after having transcribed with his hand 
upon a copy from the same prince, collated by a "Tresorier des 
Chartes." 

If, then, the edition of Sauvage is still very imperfect, it has not 
any defects but what the preceding editions have in common with it; 
to which, however, it is infinitely superior. The editor, well versed 
in our antiquities and our history, exact and indefatigable, proves, by 
Hhe constant use he makes of the two manuscripts, by the judgment 
he bears of their insufficiency, and by the regrets he utters at not 
being able to meet with better, that he has been in greater want of 
assistance, than of good will, good faith, and capacity. In his time 
manuscripts, buried in the libraries of ignorant monks, or in the 
-archives of private persons, and unknown to their possessors, were 
lost to the learned world. Times have since changed; thanks to the 
attention of ministers, who neglect nothing for the public good, there 
•is scarcely a man of letters to whom manuscripts of all ages are not 
become a sort of property. Nothing would be wanting to the good 
fortune of this age, if, with such abundant succors, there could be 
found men as lahoiions as Sauvage to take advantage of them; for, 
1 have not a doubt but that, if he had had the manuscripts we pos. 
•sess, he would have given us an excellent edition of Froissart. 

The number of those known at this day is so considerable, that, 
after the Bible and the Fathers, I do not believe there is any work 
of which there have been so many copies ; which shows the great 
esteem it has been held in during every age. In the Royal Library 
alone, there are upward of thirty volumes in folio, which contain 
separately some one of the four books into which this history is 
divided. The numbers 6760, 8317, 8318, 8319, 8320, 8324, 8331-2, 
8332, 8334, 8335 and 36 joined together, 8344; and the numbers of 
the minuscripts of Colbert, united with those of the Bibliotheque du 
Roi, 15, 85, and 231, include the first volume. The numbers 8321, 
8330, 8333, 8337, and 8338, added together with those of Colbert, 
16 and 86, compose the second volume. The numbers 8325, 8328, 
8337, and 8338, added to those of C.lbert, 87 and 233, the third 
volume. The numbers 8329, 8331, 8341, 8344, added together, and 
that of Colbert, 17, compose the fourth volume.* 

I sh-juld extend this essay to too great a length if I was to describe 
the form, the age, the titles, the omissions, or imperfections, and 
other singularities, which distinguish these manuscripts. In regard 
to ether and more essential ditferences, I shall say in general, that 
the greater p:irt consist in transpositions of some articles, changes. 



*M. Buchon. ill his recent French edition, has made diligent use nf all tiie MSS. 
which he cuuld hear of; and ho5 settled a text which frequently differs from his prede- 
c&^nre. He has not, however, admitted the .idditious made by Mr. Johnes from the 
MSS. in tlie Hafod Library.— Ed. 



additions or retrenchments of words, of omissions sometunes con 
siderable ; abbreviations of several chapters, or of many events ; 
vague transitions, useless recapitulations of the foregoing chapters ; 
certain phraseology, which, like formulas, are repeated in every page; 
and some interpolations of the copyists, which, serving only to swell 
out the volume, have been wisely curtailed by Sauvage in his printed 
edition. I will not quote any other example but the passage where, 
speaking of the affection of Edward III. for the princess of Hainault, 
whom he married, he says, "A fine spark of love therefore struck 
him ;" to which the copyist adds these words, "which madam Venua 
sent him by Cupid the god of love." However, among these frivo- 
lous additions there may have been some of importance, which it 
would be proper to search for in those parts that offer any difficulty, 
or in those articles which demand a serious discussion. 

After these general observations, I will say one word of the prin- 
cipal singularities which I have noticed in some of these MSS. 
Those of the numbers 8317, and 15 of Colbert, are remarkable for 
the correctioir which has been put on their margins in the article 
that mentions Philip de Valois's accession to the crown of France. 
The same hand has also added to this last manuscript a note, which 
is written on one of the blank leaves which precede the Chronicle : 
"Two verses which the peers of France sent to king Edward of 
England, at the time he disputed the succession to the crown of 
France. 

" Credo Regnorum qui cupis esse duonim 
Succedunt mares huic regno noii niulieres."* 

In number 8318, one reads in the same hand-wiiting with the 
manuscript, that it was given to John duke of Berry the 8th Novem- 
ber, 1407, by William Boisratier, master of requests, and counsellor 
to this prince. If it is the same which has since been given by 
M. de Chandenier to M. le Laboureur, as this last believed, it would 
be rendered the more precious from this circumstance, that there 
would be found in it very considerable differences, that he says he 
has observed in this manuscript, from the printed copies, and more 
especially from that of Sauvage ; or it would convince us of the 
falsity of this imputation, which appeare to me very suspicious. But 
as the copy of M. le Laboureur, as he himself informs us, contained 
miniatures representing the principal events of the history, and that 
the one which Boisratier presented to the duke of Berry does not 
contain any, it is certain that it cannot be the same. Although the 
miniatures, head-pieces, capital letters illuminated and embossed 
with gold, in the MS. 8319, are of great beauty ; it must, nevertheless, 
yield in this respect to number 8320, from which much may be 
learnt regarding warlike customs, ceremonies, dresses, and other 
points of antiquity. The reverend father Montfaucon has taken 
from them the prints of the entry of queen Isabella of France, and 
the arrest of the king of Navarre, which he has inserted in his 
"Monuments Fran9ois." Notwithstanding this I believe, that in 
these miniatures, which are not, at the most, earlier than the middle 
of the fifteenth century, the painter has confounded the dresses of 
his own age with those of the times whose history he was painting. 

One sees at the begining of several MSS. the author represented 
differently dressed, sometimes as a canon, with his surplice and 
aumusse t ; sometimes in a purple robe, presenting his work to the 
king of France, or to some other prince, seated on his throne, and 
crowned. The king of England is known by his robe embroidered 
with leopards in the number 8331-2, and the queen of England in 
number 15 of Colbert's collections. The most ancient of all the 
manuscripts of the first volume are the numbers 8318 and 8331.2, 
which appear to me to be of the end of the fourteenth century : and 
though many things are deficient in each of them, their antiquity 
ought to give them the preference. I have the same opinion respect- 
ing the MS. 8333, being the most ancient of the second volume ; 
though it does not seem to me to have been written earlier than the 
middle of the fifteenth century. The number 8321 is a continuation 
of number 8320 ; there are fewer miniatures, but they are equally 
beautiful ; which is the only merit they have ; for otherwise they are, 
properly speaking, but an extract of Froissart, and frequently many 
chapters are omitted together. 

Number 16, which is the same writing as number 15, of which it 
is a continuation, contains, besides the second volume, a part of the 
third, as far as these words of the 44th chapter, page 151, of the 
edition of Sauvage : " Thus was broken off the expedition by sea at 
this time;" to which it adds, "which cost the kingdom of France 
c. M. francs, thirty times counted." Number 8330 has for title, " The 
third volume of the Chronicles of Froissart ;" although it contains but 
the second. By a similar mistake one reads, at the end of number 
8325, which concludes the third volume, " Here ends the second 
volume of the Chronicles of Froissart." This MS., which is but of 
the middle of the fifteenth century, is that in which the language of 
old times is the most preserved : perhaps it has been copied from 
some other more ancient and better than those which remain to us. 



* To ^egst^blish the mensnre and the sense of the first verse, one must, I think, add 
the word Rex : regnoruni qui Rex cupis esse duonim. And to mnke Edward feel the 
application, one nuiy, instead of Credo, read Crede, or Credito, of which Credo is per- 
haps an abbreviation. With regard to the second, the number of syllables are there 
whicli an hexameter verse requires ; and that should be sufficient not to quarrel with the 

t " Aumusse" is a sort of bracelet of fur, whicli canons wear on tJieir arms, when 
dressed. 1 cannot find any English word to translate it. 



A CRITICISM ON THE HISTORY OF FROISSART. 



13 



There is at t!ie end some circumstances concerning Froissart, which 
are also in the MSS. 8328 and 233, and which are not in the printed 
copies. It is more from the antiquity of the style, that makes me 
conaidcr the MS. 8329, although scarce earlier than the end of the 
fifteenth century, as the best we have for the fourtli volume. One 
finds in it, as in the numbers 8331, 8341, 42, and 17, two important 
additions. The first is the preface, which I have noticed in the life 
of Froissart ; the second terminates the whole of his Chronicle, when 
the author, toward the end, speaking of the death of Richard, that he 
would not enter into any detail of it, from want of having sufficient 
information. The addition is a sort of letter, true or false, which is 
addressed to him, and by which he is informed of all the particulars; 
such as had been written by a man worthy of belief, who was then 
in England. The manner with which this fact is related has not been 
forgotten by the English historians, who have mentioned the different 
rumors which had gone abroad on this subject. Number 17 seems 
to have been written by the same hand as 15 and 16, and the three 
added to the MS. of the third book, which is wanting, made perhaps 
the w^rk complete. 

Under the number 169 of the Coislin library, at present in that of 
St. Germain.des-Pr^s, are comprehended four volumes, three of which 
are of the same hand. writing ; that is to say, of the middle of the 
fifteenth century, containing the first, the third, and last book of Frois- 
sart. The fourth, which is of the same writing, but more beautiful, 
is another copy of the last book, with the addition which I have just 
mentioned, concerning the death of Richard. M. Mahudel has com- 
municated to me a MS. of the beginning of the fifteenth century, 
without a title, and which may have been thought written by Frois- 
sart; but it is only a very succinct abridgment, in which has been 
preserved, as much as possible, the original te.\t of the historian until 
the end of the first volume, where the abridgment ceases. It is divided 
into six books, of which the first two end with these words, " Here 
finishes the first (the second) book of this second volume of the Chron- 
icles of England, and consequently the seventh (the eighth) of the 
four volumes paiciaidx.^^ One reads also at the end of the sixth, 
" Here finishes the second volume of the Chronicles of England." 
This MS. probably made part of four volumes of a compilation of a 
history of England, divided each into six books ; such nearly as our 
Chronicles of St. Denys. The first volume would have contained 
events anterior to Froissart ; and as the second, which we have, 
includes an abridgment of his first volume, one may presume that the 
two following would, in like manner, have contained that of the three 
other volumes, and perhaps also the history of the times posterior to 
them. This abridgment, however, is the same as that of La Chaux, 
which Sauvage has made use of; I discover the marks by which he 
has pointed it out, with the exception of the first leaf, which may 
have been lost since that time. 

To this great number of MSS. others must be added, which contain 
only very short abridgments of the Chronicle of Froissart ; and which 
are to be found in the Royal Library, among the MSS. of the Colbert 
collection. Such are the numbers 169, which includes part of the first 
and second volumes abridged ; 258, nearly conformable to the fore- 
going : but where they have added at the end four pages, containing 
" The tenor of the Letters of alliance of France with Scotland" in 
1379, with the names of those lords, as well Scots as French, who 
signed the treaty ; and 2444, which comprehends the abridgment of 
the four volumes. This is preceded by a preface, wherein the abbrevi- 
ator having said he should follow Froissart " chapter by chapter," adds, 
*' and because this same Master John Froissart has not made an index 
to his first book ; and by means of the index to a book one may, at one 
glance, see those parts which one may be desirous to read ; I have 
resolved to divide this first book into one hundred and twenty-seven 
chapters." We see nothing in these MSS. which either establishes 
the pretended enmity of Froissart against the French, nor which jus- 
tifies the accusation brought against Sauvage of having altered the 
text of his historian. But a magnificent MS. at Breslaw furnishes, 
according to some writers, an incontestable proof of it. The learned 
world, say they, believe they have an entire Froissart ; it has been 
grossly deceived by Sauvage, who has not preserved the tenth part of 
it in his edition. One may reply to this charge ; Ist, That Sauvage 
will be always exempt from reproach, since he has given us the text 
of Froissart, such as he had seen it in the known copies of his time. 



2dly, That the description they give us of the miniatures of this MS. 
of Breslaw, makes us believe that it cannot be much older than toward 
the end of the fifteenth century; and that, consequently, it is but of 
very moderate authority. In short, after the agreement of so many 
other MSS. of which many even have been written in England, or 
destined for that country, since the author is represented as offering 
his book to the king and queen of England, it will not be easy to 
persuade the world that the single MS. of Breslaw contains alone 
such very considerable differences. At least it becomes our prudence 
to suspend our judgment, until they shall have published the MS. itself, 
or some of those passages which are said to have been retrenched. 
One cannot too eagerly press the possessors of it to allow the public 
to participate of a treasure so infinitely precious to the lovers of his- 
tory. If, hitherto, we have been in an error, we will cheerfully turn 
back ; and there is not a man of letters possessing sense, who, laying 
aside all national interest, would not ardently desire to have the Chron. 
icles of Froissart such as they came from the hands of the author. 
Many MSS. of Froissart are to be found in the libraries of foreign 
countries. There is one in the library of the cathedral of Tournay, 
according to the report of several Flemish librarians* ; three in Eng- 
land, according to the catalogue of MSS. in that kingdom ; which also 
mentions some manuscript notes collected by Mr. Ashmole ; and 
others again, which may be seen in the new catalogue of MSS. by 
father Montfaucon. 

Besides the ancient abridgments of Froissart, Sleidan, full of 
admiration for this historian, and anxious that the utility which may 
he drawn from him should be common to all ages and nations, made 
in 1537 a Latin abridgment, which was afterwards translated into 
French and English by P. Golin, in 4to. London, 1608. In a preface 
or epistle, which precedes the Latin edition, the author recommends 
the study of the History of France above all others, and particularly 
that of Froissart, whose candor he praises, and whom he only finds 
fault with for being sometimes too minute in his military details, and 
in his conversations with princes. Foreign writers have accused 
Sleidan of not having composed this abridgment with the disinterest, 
edness and fidelity that was to have been expected from a man of so 
great a reputation, and >o have wished to favor the French too much ; 
to have passed over the most brilliant actions of the English, where 
he quits the sense of his author, in writing otherwise than Froissart 
had done : this last reproach does not seem to me founded. With 
regard to omissions, he has taken that liberty which an abbreviator 
ought to be allowed, to attach himself chiefly in extracting what he 
thinks suitable for his purpose ; and that Sleidan, who at the time 
was living in France with Frenchmen, may, without any want of 
candor, have attached himself principally to those facts which con- 
cerned them. It will not be so easy to justify Bclleforet, who, giving 
a French abridgment of Froissart, has contented himself with trans, 
lating literally Sleidan, without ever mentioning the author whom he 
translated. 

The English, whom the reading of Froissart interests in so partic- 
ular a manner, have in their language a translation of the Chronicles 
of Froissart, composed by sir .lohn Bouchier, lord Berners, by order 
of king Henry VIII., and printed toward the end of his reign. There 
is also one in Flemish, printed by Guerrit Vander Loo, in folio; 
without counting that in the same tongue which Vossius had seen in 
manuscript. 

I shall not say anything of these translations, not having met with 
either. That of Bouchier is, they say, more correct than the French 
editions, in regard to proper names ;t this must, however, be under- 
stood to mean English names. The Flemish translation must have 
the same advantage with regard to proper names, and names of 
places in Flanders. They may both be of great utility to whoever 
should wish to give a good edition of Froissart. 

* M de St. Palaye is ignorant lio^v rich this country is in MSS. of Froissart. There 
are many magnificent ones in the British Museum, at Oxford, Cambridge, and in otlier 
public and private hbraries. I have in my library not less than six; but not one is a com- 
plete history. 

1 1 am sorry 1 must contradict M. de St. Palaye. in his opinion of lord Berner's trans- 
lation. Had it been as he imagines, I should not have attempted to offer a new transla- 
tion to the public ; but, so far from being correct as to -names, be mangles them nearly 
as bad as old Froissart 1 cannot flatter myself with having succeeded to my own 
satisfaction, although I have tttken every possible pains to make it as complete as the 
difficulties would allow me. 



14 



PREFACE — CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



SIR JOHN FROISSART'S 
PREFACE 

TO HIS 

CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, &c, 

HAT the honorable enterprises, 
noble adventures, and deeds of 
arms, performed in the wars 
between England and France, 
may be properly related, and 
held in pei-petual remembrance 
— to the end that brave men 
taking example from them may 
be encouraged in their well- 
doing, I sit down to record a 
history deserving great praise ; 
but, before I begin, I request of 
the Saviour of the world, who 
from nothing created all things, 
ihat he will have the goodness to inspire me with sense and sound 
understanding, to persevere in such manner, that all those who shall 
read may derive pleasure and instruction from my work, and that I 
may fall into their good graces. 

It is said, and with truth, that all towns are built with many differ, 
ent stones, and that all large rivers are formed from many springs ; 
so are sciences compiled by many learned persons, and what one is 
ignorant of is known to another : not but that everything is known 
sooner or later. Now, to come to the matter in hand, I will first beg 
the grace of God and the benign Virgin Mary, from whom all comfort 




and success proceed ; and then I will lay my foundation on the true 
Chronicles formerly written by that reverend, wise, and discreet man, 
John le Bel, canon of St. Lambert's, at Liege ; who bestowed great 
care and diligence on them, and continued them, as faitlifuUy as he 
could, to his death, though not without much pains and expense : but 
these he minded not, being rich and powerful. He was also a man 
of courteous manners, generous, and a privy counsellor, well beloved 
by sir John de Hainault; who is spoken of in these books, and not 
without reason, for he was chief of many noble enterprises, and nearly 
related to several kings ; and by his means the above mentioned John 
le Bel could see, as through a perspective, the many gallant actions 
recorded in the following sheets. 

The true reason of my undertaking this book was for my amusement, 
to which I have ever been inclined, and for which I have frequented 
the company of many noblemen and gentlemen, as well in France as 
in England and Scotland, and in other countries, from whose acquaint- 
ance I have always requested accounts of battles and advenmres, 
especially since the mighty battle of Poictiers, where the noble king 
John of France was taken prisoner ; for before that time I was young 
in years and understanding : however, on quitting school, I boldly 
undertook to write and relate the wars above mentioned — which com- 
pilation, such as it was, I carried to England, and presented to my 
lady Philippa Hainault, queen of England, who most graciously 
received it Irom me, to my great profit. And perhaps as this book is 
neither so exactly nor so well written as such feats of arms require — 
for sucli deeds demand that each actor who therein performs his part 
nobly should have due praise — in order to acquit myself to all, as in 
justice is due, I have undertaken this present work on the ground 
before mentioned, at the prayer and reqviest of my dear lord and mas* 
ter, sir Robert de Namur, kniglit, lord of Beaufort, to whom I owe 
all love and obedience, and God give me grace to do always accord- 
ing to his pleasure. 



THE 

CHRONICLES 

OF 

ENGLAND, PRANCE, SPAIN, &c. &c. 

CHAPTER 1. 

OF THE BKAVEST K.NIGHTS OF THIS TRESE-NT 
EOOK. 

To encourage all valorous hearts, and to 
show them honorable examples, I, John Frois. 

sart, will begin to relate, after the documents 

and papers of master John le Bel, formerly ^» 

canon of St. Lambert's, at Liege, as follow. " 

eth : That whereas various noble personages 
have frequently spoken of the wars between 
France and England, without knowing any- 
thing of the matter, or being able to assign the 
proper reasons for them ; I, having perceived 
the right foundation of the matter, shall neither 
add nor omit, forget, coiTupt, nor abridge my 
history : but the rather will enlarge it, that 
I may be able to point out and speak of each 
adventure from the nativity of the noble king 
Edward of England, who so potently reigned, 
and who was engaged in so many battles and 
perilous adventures, and other feats of arms 
and great prowess, from the year of grace 
1326, when he was crowned in England. 

Although he, and also those who were with 
him in his battles and fortunate rencounters, 
or with his anny when he was not there in 
person, which you shall hear as we go on, 
ought to be accounted right valiant ; yet as 
of these there is a multitude, some should be 
esteemed supereminent. Such as the gal. 
lant king himself before named ; the prince of Wales, his son ; the 
duke of Lancaster ; sir Reginald lord Cobham ; sir Walter Manny of 
Hainault, knight ; sir John Chandos ; Sir Fulke Harley ; and many 
others who are recorded in this book for their worth and prowess ; for 
in all their battles by sea or land, in which they were engaged, their 



valor was so distinguished that they should be esteemed heroes of 
highest renown — but without disparagement to those with whom they 
served. In France also was found good chivalry, strong of limb and 
stout of heart, and in great abundance ; for the kingdom of Fance was 
never brought so low as to want men ever ready for the combat. 
Such was king Philip of Valois, a bold and hardy knight, and his son, 
king John ; also John, king of Bohemia, and Charles, count of Alen. 
(jon, his son; the count of Foix ; the chevaliers de Santrd, d'Arnaud 
d'Angle, de Beauveau, father and son, and many others that I con- 




Kniguts of the Fourteentu Cestury.— From original autborities in tlie Britii>h Museum. 



not at present name ; but they shall all be mentioned in due time 
and place : for, to say the truth, we must allow sufficient bravery 
and ability to all who were engaged in such cruel and desperate 
battles, and discharged their duty, by standing their groimd till the 
discomfiture. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



IS 



CHAPTER II. 

OF SOME OF THE PREDECESSOKS OF KING EDWAKD OF ENGLAND. 

The better to understand the honorable and eventful history of the 
noble king Edward of England, who was crowned in London on 
Christmas-day, in the year 1326, in the life time of the king and 
queen his parents, we must remark a common opinion of the Eng- 
lish, of wliich there have been proofs since the time of the gallant 
king Arthur, that between two valiant kings of England there is 
always one weak in mind and body ; and this is apparent in the ex- 
ample of the gallant king Edward, of whom I now speak ; for true 
it is that his grandfather, called the good king Edward the First, was 
brave, wise, enterprising, and fortunate in war. He was much en. 
gaged against tlie Scots. He conquered tliem three or four times, 
without tlieir being able to gain any advantage over him. 




Edward the Second —From a painting in the Bodleian Lib. Oxford. 

When he died, his son by his first marriage succeeded to the crown, 
but not to tlie understanding or prowess of his father, for he governed 
his kingdom veiy unwisely, through the evil counsels of others, the 
ill consequences of which he afterwards suffered severely, as you will 
see ; for, soon after his coronation, Robert Bruce, king of Scotland, 
who had given so much and such frequent trouble to king Edward 
above mentioned, and who well knew liis valor, reconquered all Scot- 
land, and took besides the good town of Berwick. He burnt and 
destroyed great part of the country, four or five days' march within 
the realm at two different times : he afterwards defeated the king and 
all the barons of England,* at a place in Scotland, called Stirling, in 
a pitched battle, when the pursuit lasted two days and two nights, 
and the king of England, accompanied with a few followers, fled to 
Jjondon. But, as tliis is no part of our matter, I shall here leave off. 



CHAPTER III. 

OF THE RELATIONS OF KING EDWARD THE THIRD. 

King Edward the Second, father of our gallant king, had two bro. 
thers : one was the Earl Marshal, of a wild and disagreeable tem. 
per ; the other was called lord Edmund of Kent : he was very wise 
and affable, and much beloved. 

This king had married the daughter of Philip the Fair, king of 
France, who was one of the greatest beauties in the world. He had 
by this lady two sons and two daughters. The elder son was the 
noble and valiant king Edward, of whom this history speaks ; the 
other was called John, and died young. The elder of the two daugli. 
ters was called Isabella, and was married to the young king, David 
of Scotland, son of king Robert Bruce. They were affianced from 
their earliest youth, with the consent of the two kings of England 
and Scotland, as a bond to cement the peace. The other was°mar- 
ried to the count Reginald, subsequently called duke of Guelderland, 
who had by this lady two sons ; one named Reginald, the other 
tdward, who afterwards reigned with great power. 



CHAPTER IV. 

THE OCCASION OF THE WARS BETWEEN THE KINGS OF FRANCE AND 
ENGLAND. 

History tells us that Philip, king of France, surnamed the Fair, 
had three sons, besides his beautiful daughter Isabella, married to the 
king ot England. These three sons were very handsome The eld 
est, Lewis, king of Navarre, during the lifetime of his father, was 
called Lewis Hutin ; the second was named Philip the Great or the 



• By batel arengyd the day of Saynt John Baptyst. in the 7th yere of ye reicne of the 
Mme kyng Edward, in the yereof onr Lorde 1314. The chase of this diicofetnre endu ed 

And on Mydlent-sonday in the yere of our Lorde 1316 the Scottis wan aeayne the cite 
orBenyylibytreason."-LoRDBERNERs. ■Ji.ajne me cite 

This passage of Lord Berners', though given in his text, appears to be an interpolation 
c„i ,r?'n "'■"' ,1'" "" ""' "'^ ^"''"''"'' "^"^ ^i^^emant leads to the idea ttatihe 
venld T^T.lf '■""t '™"';"1""«|>' -abse^uent to the battle, whereas t>yo mStatel^ 
vened. The battle spoken of was that of Bannockbum. 



Long ; and the third, Charles. All these were kings of France, after 
their father Philip, by legitimate succession, one after the other, 
without having by mamage any male heirs ; yet, on the death of the 
last king, Charles, the twelve peers and barons of France did not 
give the kingdom to Isabella, the sister, who was queen of England, 
because they said and maintained, and still do insist, that the king, 
dom of France is so noble, that it ought not to go to a woman ; con. 
sequently neither to Isabella, nor to her son, the king of England ; 
for they hold that the son of a woman cannot claim any right of 
succession, where that woman has none herself. For these reasons 
the twelve peers and barons of France unanimously gave the king- 
dom of France to the lord Philip of Valois, nephew to king Philip, 
and tlius put aside the queen of England, who was sister to Charles, 
the late king of France, and her son. Thus, as it seemed to many 
people, the succession went out of the right line, which has been tha 
occasion of the most destructive wars and devastations of countries 
as well in France as elsewhere, as you will learn hereafter ; the real 
object of this history being to relate the great enterprises and deeds 
of arms achieved in these great wars, for from the time of good 
Charlemagne, king of France, never were such feats performed. 



CHAPTER V. 

HOW EARL THOMAS, OP LANCASTER, AND TWENTY-TWO OF THE GREATEST 
NOBLES IN ENGLAND WERE BEHEADED. 

King Edward the Second, father to the noble king Edward the 
Third, of whom our history speaks, governed his kingdom very 
indifferently, by the advice of sir Hugh Spencer, who had been 
brought up with him from his youth. 

This sir Hugh had managed matters so, that his father and himself 
were the great masters of the realm, and were ambitious to surpass 
all the other great barons in England ; for which reason, after the 
great defeat at Stirling, the barons and nobles, and even the council 
of the king, murmured much, particularly against sir Hugh Spencer, 
to whom they imputed their defeat, on account of his partiality to the 
king of Scotland. The barons_ had many meetings on this matter, 
to consult what was to be done'; the chief of them was Thomas, earl 
of Lancaster, uncle to tlie king. Sir Hugh soon found it would be 
necessaiy for him to check them ; and he was so well beloved by 
the king, and so continually in his presence, that he was sure of gain, 
ing belief, whatever he said. He soon took an opportunity of 
informing the king, that tliese lords had entered into an alliance 
against him, and that, if he did not take proper measures, they would 
drive him out of the kingdom ; and thus operated so powerfully on 
the king's mind, that his malicious intentions had their full effect. 
The king caused all these lords to be arrested on a certain day when 
they were met together, and, without delay, ordered the heads of 
twenty-two of the greatest barons to bo struck off, without assigning 
any cause or reason. Thomas, earl of Lancaster, suffered the first. 
He was a discreet and pious man ; and eince that time many'mira- 
cles have been perfoiTned at his tomb in Pomfret, where he was 
beheaded. The hatred against sir Hugh Spencer was increased by 
this deed, particularly that of the queen and of the earl of Kent, bro. 
ther to the king ; which when he perceived, he fomented such a dis. 
cord between the king and the queen, that the king would not see 
the queen, or come to any place where she was. This quarrel lasted 
some time ; when the queen and the earl of Kent were secretly 
informed that, if they did not speedily quit the court, they would 
repent it, for sir Hugh was endeavoring to stir up much mischief 
against them. Then the queen, having made preparations fo- pass, 
ing secretly to France, set out as if to go on a pilgrimage to St. Tho. 
mas of Canterbury ; whence she went to Winchelsea, and that night 
embarked on board a vessel prepared for her reception, accompanied 
by her young son Edward, the earl of Kent, and sir Roger Mortimer. 
Another vessel was loaded with luggage, &c., and, having a fair 
wind, they landed the next morning at Boulogne. 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE QtJEEN OF ENGLAND GOES TO COMPLAIN OF SIR HUGH SPENCER TO 
HER BROTHER THE KING OF FRANCE. 

When the queen Isabella landed at Boulogne, with her son and 
her brother-in-law, the earl of Kent, the governor of the town and the 
abbot waited on her, and conducted her to the abbey, where she and 
her suite were joyfully received and remained two days ; on the third 
she continued her route toward Paris. 

King Charles, her brother, being informed of her coming, sent some 
of the greatest lords at that time near his person to meet her ; among 
whom were, sir Robert d'Artois, the lord of Crucy, the lord of Sully, 
and the lord of Roy, and many others, who honorably received and 
conducted her to Paris, to the king her brother. When the king 
perceived his sister (whom he had not seen for a long time) entering 
his apartment, he rose to meet her, and taking her in his arms, kissed 
her, and said, " You are welcome, my fair sister, with my fine nephew 
your son ;" then taking one in each hand, he led them in. The 
queen, who had no great joy in her heart, except being near her bro. 
ther, would have knelt at his feet two or three times, but the king 
would not suffer it, and holding her by the right hand, inquired very 
affectionately into her business and affairs. Her auaweis weie pru- 



16 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE., SPAIN, &c. 



dent and wise ; and she related to him all the injuiies done to her by 
Sir Hugh Spencer, and asked of him advice and assistance. 

When the noble king Charles had heard the lamentations of his 
sister, who with many tears had stated her distress, he said, " Fair 
sister, be appeased— for, by the faith I owe to God and to St. Denis, 
I will provide a remedy." The qneen then kneeled down, in spite 
of the king, and said to him, " My dear lord and brother, I pray God 
may second your intentions.* The king then taking her by the 
hand, conducted her to another apartment, which was richly fur- 
nished for her and her young son Edward ; he then left her, and 
ordered that everything should be provided becoming the state of 
her and her son from his treasury. 




Queen Isabella's Visit to her Brother at Paris.— From an Ulumination in a MS. Froiaart. 



In a short time afterwards Charles assembled many great lords and 
harons of his kingdom, to have their advice what was most proper to 
be done in the business of his sister, the queen of England. Their 
advice was, that the queen should be allowed to purchase friends and 
assistance in the kingdom of France, and that he should appear 
ignorant of this enterprise, lest he should incur tlie enmity of the 
king of England, and bring a war upon his country — but that under. 
hand he should assist her with gold and silver, which are the metals 
wherewith the love of gentlemen and poor soldiers is acquired. 

The king acceded to this advice, and caused his sister to be in- 
formed of it by sir Robert d'Artois, who was at that time one of the 
greatest men in France. 



CHAPTER VII. 

SIR HITSH SPENCER CAUSES THE QUEEN ISABELLA TO BE SENT OUT OF 
FRANCE. 

Now let US speak a litde of this sir Hugh Spencer. When he 
saw that he had the king of England so much in his power, that he 
objected to nothing he said or did, he caused many noblemen and 
ethers to be put to death without law or justice, but merely because 
he suspected them of being ill-inclined to him. His pride was also 
hecome so intolerable, that the barons who remained alive in Eng. 
land, neither could nor would suffer it any longer. They required 
and entreated that all private quarrels should be made up ; and sent 
secretly to inform the queen (who had at this time remained in Paris 
three years.) that if she could collect about a thousand men-at-arms, and 
would come at the head of them herself, with her son, into England, 
they would immediately treat with her, and obey him as their lawful 
sovereign.t 



* Lord Bemers' version is more afiecting, and is almost word for word with the ori- 
sinal ; it runs thus— 

When the nohle kyng Ciiaries of France had harde his susters lamentation, who 
vaeepivslij had shewed hrni ail lier nede and liesynw^se. lie sayd to her, " Fayre suster, 
appe-ise yourselle, for, hy tlic faitii I owe to God and to sayntDenyce, 1 shall right well 
puruey for you some remedy." The qucne then kneled down wliether tjie kyng would 
or not, and sayd, " My rght dyere lord and fayre brotlier, I pray God reward you." 
IDieu vous en veuiUe ouir-l 

t Jolm le Bel, according to what M. Lancelot says in one of his memoirs respecting 
Kobert d'Artois, has heen much mistaken in the object of Isabella's journey to France, 
and the time she went lliither. It related to the homage due from Edward the Second 
to Charles, king of France. 

Charles had seized on parts of Guyenne. and the Spencers sent the qneen of France 
to make up the matter with her brotlier. and also to keep jier at a distance, as they knew 
she disliked them. There is a letter in Rymer, from king Edward to pope John XXll., 
dated March 8th, 1324, in which he says he is determined to send the queen to France to 
treat with her brother. This date is remarkable, because Froissart places the journey 
of the queen two years earlier ; for he says the queen of England remained at Paris 
three years. Now it is certain she returned to England the 22nd of September. liWfj ; she 
XQtlst, therefore, have arrived in France in 1323. But Froissart is mistaken ; her journey 
IHls posterior to the expedition against Guyenne, which lasted from May, 1324, to the 



The queen showed these private letters that she had received from 
England to the king, her brother, who replied, " God be your help ! 
your aflairs will prosper so much the better. Take of mv subjects 
as many as your friends desire ; I freely give my consent, and I will 
order the necessary suras of money to be distributed among them." 
The queen had already been active, and what with entreatfes, gifts, 
and promises, had gained over many great lords, young knights, and 
esquires, who had engaged to carry her back to England with a great 
power. 

The queen made all her preparations for her expedition very se. 
credy, but not so much so as to prevent its coming to the knowledge 
of sir Hugh Spencer, who thought, that his most prudent plan would 
be to win over to his interest the king of 
France ; for this efiect he sent over trusty and 
secret messengers, laden with gold, silver and 
rich jewels. These were distributed among 
the king and his ministers with such effect, 
that the king and his council were in a short 
time as cold toward the cause of Isabella, as 
they had before been warm. The king dis- 
concerted the expedition, and forbade any 
person, under pain of banishment, to aid or 
assist the queen in her projected return ta 
England. 

Sir Hugh also endeavored to get the queen 
into his and the king's power, and to this effect- 
made the king write an affectionate letter to 
the pope, entreating him to order the king of 
France to send' back his wife, as he was 
anxious to acquit himself toward her before 
God and the world j since it was not his fault 
that she had left him, for he was all love and 
good faith toward her, such as ought to be 
observed in marriage. There were similar 
letters written at the same time to the pardi- 
nals, and many subtle means devised to insure 
their success, wliich it may not be go proper 
here to mention. He also sent plenty of gold 
and silver to many cardinals and prelates, the 
nearest relations of the pope, and those most 
in his councils, by able and adroit messengers, 
who managed the pope in such a manner, by 
their presents and address, that he wrote to the king of France to 
send back Isabella, queen of England, to her husband, under pain of 
excommunication. These letters were carried to the king of France 
by the bishop of Xaintes, whom the pope sent thither as his legate. 

The king, on the receipt of them, caused his sister to be acquainted 
with their contents (for he had held no conversation with her for a 
long time,) and commanded her to leave the kingdom immediately^ 
or he would make her leave it with shame. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE QUEEN ISABELLA LEAVES FRANCE AND GOES TO GERMANY. 

When the queen heard this account, she knew not what to say, or 
what measures to adopt, for the barons had already withdrawn them- 
selves by the king's command, and she had no resource or adviser 
left but in her dear cousin Robert of Artois : and he could only 
advise and assist her in secret, for, as the king had forbidden it, he 
could not act otherwise. He well knew, that the queen had been 
driven from England through malice and ill-will, at wliich he was 
much grieved. This was Sir Robert's opinion ; but he durst not 
speak of it to the king, for he had heard the king say and swear, that 
whoever should speak to him in her behalf should forfeit his land, 
and be banished the kingdom. He was also informed, that the king 
was not averse* to the seizure of the persons of the queen, her son 
Edward, the earl of Kent, and sir Roger Mortimer, and to their 
being delivered into the hands of the king of England and sir Hugh 
Spencer. He therefore came in the middle of the night, to inform 
the queen of the peril she was in. She was thunder.struckt at the 
information— to which he added, " I recommend you to set out for 



end of September in the same year ; consequently her residence in France and Hainault 
was only about eighteen months. The same historian mistakes the object of her journey. 
He supposes her sole motive for going to France was to demand protection fVom the 
king, her brother, against the Spencers ; that her departure was secret ; and that she- 
carried the young prince of Wales witli her. All the documents which remain prove 
this to he groundless. 

She left England hy the desire of Edward ; she succeeded in Iier mission, and a treat7 
was concluded tlic 31st of May, 1325. The Spencers were afraid of suffering Edward to 
pay tlie homage in person, ami therefore persuaded him to give tlie ducliy of Guyenne 
and county of Ponthieu to tJie prince of Wales : which was done on the 2nd and 10th 
of September, 1325. The prince of Wales embarked at Dover the 12th of the same 
month, to pay the homage, upward of si.x months after the passage of the queen his 
mother. 

It is tnie, that when he arrived at the court of Charles the Fair, she prevailed on him 
to stay longer than Edward and his favorites wished. She exerted herself as much as 
possible to procure men and money, which she intended to employ in forcing the king, 
ber husband, from the hands of the Spencers. For further particulars, wliicii. however, 
do not seem to me very material to this part of the history, I must refer to tiie Memoir 
itself in vol. X. des M^moires de i'Academie des Inscriptions, &c. 

* Was in mynde & will to make his stistfr to be taken, &c. — Lord Bbrners. 

t Tlien ye queue w.as greatly abasshed tebnhie] and required bym all wepyng ofhif 
good counsaile. Then he sayed, &c.— Lord Berbers. 



CHRO^fICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



the empire, where there are many noble lords who will greatly assist 
you, particularly William, earl of Hainault, and his brother, \#io are 
both great lords, and wise and loyal men, and much dreaded by their 
enemies." 

The queen ordered her baggage to be made ready as secretly as 
she could ; and having paid for everything, she quitted Paris, accom- 
panied by hor son, the earl of Kent, and all her company, and took 
th» road to Hainault. After some days she came into the country 
of Cambray. Wlien she found she was in the territories of the em- 
pire, slie was more at her case, passed through Cambresis, entered 
I'Ostrevant, in Hainault. and lodged at the house of a poor knight 
called Eustace d'Ambreticouil, who received her with great pleasure, 
and entertained Jier in the best manner he could ; insomuch that 
afterwards the queen of England and her son invited the knight, his 
wife, and all his children, to England, and advanced their fortunes 
in different ways.* 

The arrival of the queen in Hainault was soon known in the 
house of the good earl of Hainault, who was then at Valenciennes. 
Sir John, his brother, was also informed of the hour when she 
alighted at the house of the lord of Ambreticourt. This sir John, 
being at that time very young, and panting for glory like a knight- 
errant, mounted his horse, and, accompanied by a few persons, set 
out from Valenciennes for Ambreticourt, where he arrived in the 
evening, and paid the queen every respect and honor. 

The queen was at that time very dejected, and made a very 
lamentable complaint to him of all her griefs ; which affected sir 
John so much, that he mi.xed his own tears with hers, and said, 
" Lady, see here your knight, who will not fail to die for you, though 
every one else should desert you ; therefore will I do everything in 
my power to conduct you and your son, and to restore you to your 
rank in England, by the grace of God, and the assistance of your 
friends in those parts; and I, and all those whom I can influence, 
will risk our lives on the adventure, for your sake ; and we will have 
a sufficient armed force, if it please God, without fearing any danger | 
from the king of France." The queen, who was sitting down, and 
sir John standing before her, rose, and would have cast herself at his 
feet, out of gratitude for the great favor he had just offered her ; but 
the gallant sir John, rising up quickly, caught her in his arms, and 
Baid, " God forbid that the queen of England should ever do such a 
thing ! Madam, be of good comfort to yourself and company, for I 
will keep my promise — and you shall come and see my brother, and the 
countess his wife, and all their fine children, who will be rejoiced to 
see you, for I have heard them say so." The queen answered, " Sir, 
I find in you moi-c kindness and comfort than in all the world besides, 
and I give you five hundred thousand thanks for what you have said 
and offered me. If you will keep what you have promised me with 
so much courtesy, I and my son shall be for ever bound unto you, 
and we will put the kingdom of England under your management, 
as in justice it ought to be." 

After this conversation, sir John de Hainault took leave for the 
night, and went to Douay, where he slept at the abbey. The next 
day, after having heard mass and taken some refreshment, he returned 
to the queen, who received him with great joy. She had finished 
her dinner, and was going to mount her horse, when sir John arrived. 
The queen of England quitted the castle of Ambreticourt, and, in 
taking leave of the knight and his lady, she thanked them for their 
good cheer, adding, that she trusted a time would come, when she 
and her son would not fail to remember their courtesy. 

The queen set ofl', accompanied by sir John, lord of Beaumont, 
who with joy and respect conducted her to Valenciennes. Many of 
the citizens of the town came out to meet her, and received her with 
great humility. She was thus introduced to William, earl of Hain. 
ault, who, as well as the countess, received her very graciously. 
Many great feasts were give n on this occasion, as no one knew better 
than the countess how to do the honors of her house. This earl 
William had at that time four daughters, Margaret, Philippa, Joan, 
and Isabella ; the young king Edward paid more court and attention 
to Philippa than to any of the others ; the young lady also conversed 
more frequently with him, and sought his company oftener than any 
of her sisters. The queen remained at Valenciennes during eight 
days, with the good earl and countess Joan of Valois ; in the mean 
time the queen made every preparation for her departure, and sir 
John wrote very affectionate letters unto certain knights, and those 
companions in whom he put the most confidence, in Hainault, in 
Brabant, and Bohemia, beseeching them, from all the friendship that 
was between them, that they would accompany him in his expedition 
to England. 

There were great numbers in these countries who were willing to 
go with him from the love they bore him, and many who refused, 
notwithstanding his request ; and even sir John himself was much 
reproved by the earl, his brother, and by some of his council, because 
it seemed to them that this enterprise was of much hazard, on ac- 
count of the great divisions and enmities which at that time subsisted 
among the great barons and commons in England ; and also because 
the English are always very jealous of strangers, which made them 
doubt whether sir John de Hainault and his companions would ever 
return. But, notwithstanding all their blame and all their advice 



* HiB son was one oi* Uie first knights of the garter. See Asbmole'a Ifistory of the 
Ganer. 



17 

bestowed upon him, the gallant knight would not change his purpose 
saying, that he could die but once ; that the time was in the will of 
God ; and that all true knights were bound to aid. to the utmost of 
their power, all ladies and damsels driven from their kingdoms com- 
fortless and forlorn. 

CHAPTER IX. 

QUEEN ISABELLA ARRIVES I.V ENGLAND WITH SIR JOHN DE HAINAtTLT. 

Thus was sir John de Hainault strengthened and encourao-edin 
Ins resolution. He earnestly entreated the Hainaulters to be at Halle, 
the Brabanters at Breda, the Hollanders (of whom he had a few) at 
Uordi-echt, and the Bohemians at Gertruydenberg, by a fixed and 
limited day. The queen of England took leave of the earl and 
countess, thanking them much for the honor and entertainment they 
had shown her, and kissed them at her departure. The queen, her 
son, and suite, set off, accompanied by sir John, who with great dif- 
ficulty had obtained his brother's permission. He said to li?ni, when 
he took his leave, " My dear lord and brother, I am young, and be. 
lieve that God has inspired me with a desire of this enterprise for my 
advancement ; I also think and believe for certain, that this lady and 
her son ha%-e been driven from their kingdom wrongfully and sinfully. 
If it is for the honor and glory of God, and of the world, to comfort 
the afflicted and oppressed, how much more so is it, to help and succor 
one of such high birth, who is the daughter of a king descended 
from royal lineage, and to whose blood we ourselves are related ! I 
would have prefcned renouncing every expectation I have here, and 
gone and served God beyond seas, without ever returning, rather 
than this good lady should have left us without comfort and aid. If 
you will permit me to go, and grant me a willing leave, I shall do 
well, and thereby better accomplish my purpose." 

When the good earl had heard his brother, and perceived the gr^at 
desire he had for this enterprise, and that possibly it might turn out not 
only to his own honor, but to that of his descendants ; he said to him, 
" Dear brother, God forbid that there should be any hindrance to your 
wish : therefore I give you leave in the name of God !" He then 
kissed him, and squeezed his hand, in sign of great affection. 

Sir John set out, and went that night to Mons, in Hainault, where 
he slept, as did the queen of England. Why should I lengthen my 
story ? They travelled in such a manner as to arrive at Dordrecht 
by the time limited for their friends to meet them. At that place 
they provided themselves with vessels of different sizes, and having 
embarked their cavalry, baggage, &.C., they set sail, having fihgt 
recommended themselves to the care of the Lord. In this expedi- 
tion there were the following knights and lords of Hainault ; first, 
sir John de Hainault, lord of Beaumont, sir Henry d'Antoing, sir 
Michael de Ligne, the lord of Gommegines, sir Percival de Semeries, 
sir Robert de Bailleuil, sir Sanxen de Bouissoit, the lords of Vertaing, 
de Pocelles, de Villers, de Hein,dc Sars, de Boisiers, d'Ambreticouit, 
de Sermuel, sir Oulphart de Guistelle, and many other knights and 
esquires, all eager to sei-ve their master. When they left the harbor 
of Dordrecht, the fleet, considering the force, made a beautiful ap. 
pearance, from its good order, and from the weather being c'lear and 
temperate. They came opposite to the dykes of Holland the first 
tide after their departure. The next day they cast anchor and furled 
their sails, intending to follow the coast of Zealand, and to laud at a 
port which they had descried; hut they were prevented by a violent 
tempest, which drove them so far out of their course, that for two 
days they knew not where they were. In this God was very merciful 
to them ; for, had they landed at the port they intended, they woqld 
have fallen into the hands of their enemies, who apprised of their 
coming, waited for them at that place to put them to death. At the 
end of two days the storm abated, and the sailors descrying England, 
made for it with great joy, and landed upon the sands, having neither 
harbor nor safe port. They remained there three days at a short 
allowance of provisions, while they disembarked their cavalry, and 
landed their baggage. They were ignorant in what part of England 
they were, whether that part of the country was friendly to them or 
not. The fourth day they began their march, putting themselves 
under the protection of God and St. George, having suffered much 
from cold and hunger in addition to their late fears, of which they 
had not yet divested themselves. They marched over hill and dale 
until they came to some villages ; soon afterwards they saw a large 
monastery of black friars, called St. Hamons, where they refreshed 
themselves during three days.* 

CHAPTER X. 

THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND BESIEGES HEH HUSBAND IN THE CITT OF BRISTOL. 

The nevis of her arrival being spread abroad, soon came to the 
knowledge of those lords by whose advice she had returned ; they 
got themselves ready as soon as possible to join her son, whom they 
wished to have for their sovereign. The first who came was Henry, 
earl of Lancaster, surnamed Wryneck, brother to the earl Thomas, 
who had been beheaded, and father of the duke of Lancaster, who 
makes so conspicuous a figure in the following history. Tliis earl 
Henry was attended by a great number of men-at-arms. After him 



* P : Vir : says that tJiis company landetl in the county of Suffolk, and mentions a 
village called Orwel. in which they refieshed themselves. The Chronicle of Flandei* 
colls it Norwell, and adds that it io a sea-port.-.«nnf ta(«ns from DiNis SAtrviOl'i 
edition. 



18 



C 



HRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FKaNCE, SPAIN, &< 



-ame, from difterent parts, earls, barons, knights, and esquires, and 
with sneli an armed force,' that they no longer thought they had any- 
thing to apprehend. As they advanced, their forces were stiH in. 
creased ; so tlnU a council was called to consider if they should not 
march d'irectly to Bristol, where the king and the two Spencers then 
were. 

Bri-stol was at that time a large town, M'ell inclosed, and situated 
on a good port. Its castle was very strong, and surrounded by the 
sea. °The king, and sir Hugh Spencer, the elder, who was about 
.lincty years of age, and sir Hugh Spencer, his son, the chief gov- 



hcrfoij as jirijoners. Thus ended this bold and gallant enterprise of 
sir Jolin de llainault and his companions, who, when they embarked 
at Dordrecl'l. amounted to no more than tliree hundred men-at-arms. 
By thoir i.ie-iiis* queen Isabella recovered her kingdom, and destroyed 
her enemi'-'- ; at which the whole nation, except some few who were 
attached lo the Spencers, was greatly rejoiced. 

When ihe liing and sir Hugh Spencer were brought to Bristol by 
sir Henr) B.'dumont, the king was sent, by the advice of llie barons 
and knighlj:. to Berkeley castle, under a strong guard. Many atten- 
tions were paid to him, and proper people were placed near his peraon, 



3rnor of the kin*, and adviser of all his evil deeds, shut themselves to take e^,':T\ care of him, but on no account to suffer him to pass tlie 



up in it. The earl of Arundel, who had married the daughter of tlie 
younger Spencer, was also there, as well as divers knights and esquires, 
ittcnding the Icing's court. 

The queen, with all her company, the lords of Hainault, and tlieir 
iuile, look the shortest road for that place ; and in every town through 
which they passed were entertained with every mark of distinction. 
Their forces were augmenting daily until they arrived at Bristol, which 
ttiey besieged in form. The king, and the younger Spencer, shut 
themselves up in the castle ; old sir Hugh, and the carl of Arundel, 
remained in tb.e town. 

When the citizens savvvthe 'queen's force, and the affections of 
almost all Ei.gland on her sule, alarmed at tlieir own perilous situation, 
they deteimiiied in council to surrender the town, on condition that 
their lives and property should be spared. They sent to treat with the 
queen on this subject ;' but neither she nor her council would consent 
to if, unless sir Hugh Spencer and the earl of Arundel were delivered 
jp to her discretion, for she had come purposely to destroy them. 

The citizens seeing they had no other means of saving the town, 
their lives, and their fortunes, acceded to the queen's terms, and opened 
their gates to her. She entered the town, accompanied by sir Jolin 
de Hainault, with all her barons, knights, and esquires, who took their 
lodging therein; the others, for want of accommodation, remained 
without. Sir Hugh Spencer, and the earl of Arundel, were delivered 
to tlie queen to do with them as it should please her. Her children 
ii'cre also brought to her — John and her two daughters, found there in 
the keeping of sir Hugh Spencer. As she had not seen them a long 
time, this gave her great joy, as well as to all her party. 

The king and the younger Spencer, shut up in the castle, were much 
grieved at what passed, seeing the whole country turned to the queen's 
party, and to Edward, his eldest son. 



CHAPTER XI. 

MR IHJGII SPEIfCEH THE ELDER, X^TD THE EARL OF ARU.NTIF.L, ARE 
ADTODGED TO DEATH. 

As soon as the queen and the barona were lodged at their ease, 
they made th.cir approaches to the castle as near as they could. The 
queen then ordered sir Hugh Spencer the elder, and tlie earl of Arun- 
del, to be brought before her eldest son, and the barons assembled, 
and said to them, that she and her son would see that law and justice 
should be done unto them according to their deeds. Sir Hugh replied, 
" Ah ! madam, God grant us an upright judge and a just sentence ; 
and that if we cannot have it in this world, we may find it in another !" 
Then rose up sir Thomas Wnger, a good knight, wise and courteous, 
and marshal of the army : he read, from a paper in his hand, the 
charges against them, and then addressed himself to an old knight, 
seated on his right l-.and, to decide the punishment due to persons 
guilty of such crimes. This knight consulted with the other barons 
and knights, and reported it as their opinion, that they deserved death 
for the many horrible crimes with which they had been charged, and 
which they believed to be clearly proved ; that they ought, from the 
diversity of their crimes, to suffer in three different manners : first, lo 
be drawn on a hurdle to the place of execution, there to be beheaded, 
and afterwards to be hung on a gibbet. Agreeably to this sentence, 
they were executed before the castle of Bristol, in the sight of the king, 
sir Hugh Spender, and all those within it. This execution took place 
in October, on St. Denis's day, 13'2G. 



CHAPTER XII. 

THE KtKG or EUGLAND AND SIR HUGH SPENCEE AKE TAKEN AT SEA AS TUEV 
\VERE ENDEAVORING TO ESCAPE I'ROM THE CASTLE OF BRISTOL. 

This act of justice performed, the king and sir Hugh Spencer, seeing 
themselves so closely pressed, and being ignorant whether any succor 
was coming to them, embarked one morning with a few followers, in 
a small boat behind the castle, intending, if possible, to reach the 
principality of Wales : they were eleven or twelve days in this small 
boat, and notwithstanding every effort to get forward, the winds proved 
so contrary, by the will of God, that once or twice a day they were 
driven back within a quarter of a league of the castle whence they 
set out._ At length sir Henry Beaumont, son of the viscount Beau- 
mont of England, espying the vessel, embarked with some of his com- 
panions in a barge, and rowed so vigorously after it, that the king's 
boatmen, unable to escape, were overtaken. The king and sir Hugh 
Spencer were brought bock to Bristol, and delivered to the queen and 



I'oundsof the castle. Sir Hugh Spencer was delivered up to sir Thomas 
Wager, n):irsVml of the army. 

The queen and all the army set out for London, which is the prin- 
cipal cit}' in I'lngland. Sir Thomas Wager caused sir Hugh Spencer 
to be fastened on the poorest and smallest horse he could find, clothed 
with a tabiict. such as he was accustomed to wear. He led him thus 
in derision, in the suite of the queen, through all the towns they passed, 
where he w&s announced by trumpets and cymbals, by way of greater 
mockery, tilt they reached Hereford, where she and her suite were 
respectfully and joyfully received. The feast of All Saints was there 
celebrated w'th the greatest solemnity and magnificence, out of affec- 
tion to bei son, and respect to the noble foreigners that attended him. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

SIR imGU SPENCER JUDGED AND EXECUTED. 

WuKiV liif feast was over, sir Hugh, who was not beloved in those 
parts, was brought before the queen and knights assembled ; the 
charges wer-; read to him — to which he made no reply; the barons 
and knighi~ then passed the following sentence on him : first, that he 
should be. drawn on a hurdle, attended by trumpets and clarions, 
through all the streets in the city of Hereford, and then conducted to 
the market. plpce, where all the people were assembled ; at that place 
ho was to be bound upon a high scaflbld*, in order that he might be 
more easily seen by the people. First, his private parts were cut off, 
because he v>-as deemed a heretic, and guilty of unnatural practices, 
even with ib.e king, whose affections he had alienated from the queen 
by his wicked suggestions. His private parts were then cast into a 
large fire !; indled close to him ; afterwards, his heart was thrown into 
the same fire, because it had been false and traitorous, since he Iiad 
by his treasonable counsels so advised the king, as to bring shame and 
mischief on the land, and had caused some of the greatest lords lo be 
beheaded, by whom the kingdom ought to have been supported and 
defended ; and had so seduced the king, that he could not nor would 
not see tlu: queen, or his eldest son, who was to be their future aove- 
reign, both of whom had, to presen'e their lives, been forced to ijuit 
the kingdom. The other parts of sir Hugh thus disposed of, his head 
was cut otV and sent to London. 

After the execution, the queen and all the lords, with a great num- 
ber of common people, set out for London. As they approached it, 
great crowds came out to meet them, and received both her and her 
son, as well as those ^vho accompanied her, with great reverence. 

"The citizens presented handsome gifts to the queen, as well as to 
those of litr suite, where they thought them best bestowed. After 
fifteen d.tvn passed in feasts and rejoicings, the companions of sir 
John de lioJnauU were impatient to return home, for tliey thought 
they had « oil performed their duty, and acquired great honor. They 
took leave of the queen and of the nobles of the country, who besought 
them to tarry a little longer, to consider w-hat ought to be dune with 
the king, then a prisoner : but they had so great a desire to return 
home, that entreaties were of no avail. When the queen and lier coun- 
cil saw this, they addressed themselves to sir John de Hainault, and 
requested him to remain only till after Christmas, and that he would 
detain a.=> many of his followers as possible. That gallant knight, 
wishing to leave nothing undone that depended on him, courteously 
complied with the queen's request. He detained as many of liia 
companions as he could ; but small was the number, the greater part 
refusing to stay on any account, which angered him much. 

Though the queen and her council saw that no entreaties could 
prevail on his companions to stay, they showed them every mark of 
respect. The queen ordered a large sum of money to be given them 
for their expenses, besides jewels of high price, which she presented 
to each according to his rank ; so that all were perfectly satisfied. 
She also paid to each, in ready money, the value of their horses that 
tliey chose to leave behind, according to their own estimation, without 
any demur. 

Sir John and a few of his companions remained in England, ac- 
cording to the queen's desire, and the English paid to him and his 
companions all the respect in their power. 

There was at that time a great number of countesses and other 
noble ladies and damsels attendant on the queen, as well as others 
who came there daily, who were not behindhand in their attentions to 
sii- John, thinking the gallant knight very deserving of them. 



^ Lord Beniers adds " & the lordes in Inglande." not tliijikiDg it tight that aX. Ihft 
praise should be given to the Hainaulters. 

* Tyed on his'i upoa a lodder.tescbelle }— liORB Bernebs, 



CHRONICLES OF KiNGJLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, 



&. 



19 



CHAPTER XIV. 

THE OOEONATION OF KI.JG EDWAED TUE TIIIFli. 

Most of the followers of sir John de Hainault having tt(urO«d home, 
the lord of Beaumont however remaining, tlie queen guve leave to 
many of her household, as well as othert-, to return to tlu'ir coBnlry. 
seats, except a few of the nobles, whom she kept wiih her o; her 
council, expressly ordering them to come back at Chrisliiiiis to a great 
court, which at that time she intended to hold. They took leave, pro- 
mising to be there at the time appointed, as well as many others who 
had notice of the feast. When Christmas came, she heki the court 
above mentioned, and it was very fully attended by all the nobles and 
prelates of the realm, as well as by the principal oflicert, of the chief 
cities and towns. In this assembly it was determined, 'linl the king- 
dom could no longer remain without a sovereign, and l;i:'.i all the acts 
of the king, then in prison, proceeding from his own will, or the evil 
counsel of others, and ill government of the realm, should be stated in 
writing, and read aloud to all the nobles and sages of tijf country, in 
order that they might take advice, and resolve how, and by whom, 
the country in future should be governed : and when al; ihe acts done 
by the king, or having his consent, as well as his condi'.ei iu priv.ite 
life, had been read, the chiefs of the assembly consulted i"gether, and 
agreeing, from their own knowledge, that the greater |j:jrt of what 
they had just heard read was true, that such a man was not worthy 
to be a king, neither to bear a crown, nor the title of kijiL'. ihey ur.ani- 




Edward TUS Thi.id.— From tlie tomb nt ^Ve:tiiiini5tcr *<■ 



mously resolved, that his elder son and tnie heir, then .ui' -eiil, iitould 
be crowned instead of the father; and that he should i-jke good and 
loyal counsel, that the kingdom might be henceforwatil better gov- 
erned. They ordered that his father should be kept a prisoner, having 
every attention paid to his rank, as long as he should ]\\c. .'ill v,as 
done, as agreed to by the chief nobles of the country > ml the pii.iiei. 
pal officers of tlie great towns. 

The young king Edward, since so fortunate in arnts. >- :i.^ erown.jd 
with a royal diadem, in the palace of Westminister, on (,' hristmaa- 
day, 132C. He completed his si.xteenth year on the fc"M of tlie con. 
version of St. Paul following. 

At this coronation, sir John de Hainault, and all his .-.Miipanions, 
noble or otherwise, were much feasted, and manv rich jewels were 
given to him and those th^at stayed with him. Ho and' liis friends 
remained during these grand feasts, to the great satiffi..;iion of the 
lords and ladies that were there, until Twelit'h-dav, when h- received 
infonnation that the king of Bohemia, the earl of HaiiMult'his bro- 
ther, and many great lords of France, had ordered a tournament to bo 
proclaimed at Cohde : sir John, therefore, would no lana: r slay, not- 
withstanding their entreaties, from the great desire he liad to attend 
this tournament, to see his brother and the other prin.-. s. especially 
that gallant and generous prince, Charles, king of Boliemia. 

V/hen the young king Edward, liis mother^ and tli.-, barons, saw- 
that it was not possible to detain him any longer, they tuvc hi]n-p.er- 
mia.sion to depart very much against their will. Th." king, by the 
advice of the queen, granted liim an annuity of four hundred. marks 
sterling, hereditable rent, to be held of him in fee, psxable in the 
city of Bruges. He gave also to Philip de Chateau> . I'lis pri,;ejpal 
esquire and chief counsellor, a hundred marks sterling -n rent, to be 
paid at the same time and place. He likewisO gave s .xMisidcrablo 
stun to defray his expenses, and those of his attendants, oji their re- 
turn home. He ordered many knights to accompany him to Dover, 
and that his passage should be free of all cost. He prr..?ented the 
countess de C4arennes, sister to the count de B;ir, an'.' "onte other 



ladies vvho had accompanied the queen to England, with many rich 
jewels, on their taking leave. 

Sir John and his company immediately embarked on board the 
vessels prepared for thern, to be in time fo.- the tournament. The 
kiiig sent with him iil'teen young and hardy knights, to attend him at 
this tournament, there to try their skill, and to get acquainted with 
the lords and linights that were to be there. Sir John and his com- 
pany paid them all the attention in their power, and on this occasion 
tournayed at Conde. 



CHAPTER XV. 

r.OBEKT BRUCE, KING OF SCOTLAKD, OEPIES KINS iiDWAKU. 

After the departure of sir John de Hainault, king Edward and his 
mother governed the kingdom, by the counsels of the good earl of 
Kent, and of sir Roger Mortimer, who possessed vast estates in Eng- 
land, to the amount of 700/. sterling a-year. Both of them had been 
banished with the queen. They also took the advice of sir I'homaE 
Wager, and of others, who were esteemed the wisest in the land. 
This, however, createtl much envy, which never dies in England, but 
reigns there as well as in other places. Thus passed the winter and 
Lent in perfect peace, until Easter ; when it happened that Robert, 
king of Scotland, who, though brave, had suflered niuoh m Ms warf 
with England, having often been defeated by king Edward, grand- 
father of the young king, being at this time very old, and afflicted 
with leprosy, hearing that the king had been taken prisoner and de. 
posed, and his counsellors put to death, thought it a favorable oppor 
tunity to send a defiance to the present king, as yet a youth, whose 
barons were not on tood terms with each other, and to attempt the 
conquest of some part of England. About Easter, ]337, he sent a 
defiance to king Edward and all the country, informing them that he 
would enter the kingdom, and burn it as far as he had done befort 
after the defeat of Stirling, in which the English suffered so much. 

When the young king and his council received this challenge, they 
published it throughout the kingdom, and ordered that all the nobles 
and ofiiers should come properly accoutred and aeeompunied, accord- 
ing to their different ranks, to York, the day of Ascension following. 
He also sent a considerable body of men-at-arms to guard the fron- 
tiers of Scotland, and messengers to sir John de Hainault, begging 
him very affectionately to assist and accompany him in this espe. 
dition, and to meet him at York on Ascension-day, with as raanj 
companions at arms as he could bring with him. 

When the lord of Beaumont received this request, he dispatched 
I letters and messengers into Flanders, Hainault an-i Brabant, Oj 
wherever he thought he could collect good comjjanions, praying 
, them to meet him, well equipped, at Wissan,* there to embark fo) 
! England. Such as he sent to came, as well as others that heard o: 
it, in the expectation of gaining as large sums as tho.-c whn hati ac- 
companied liim in his former expedition to Englai^. 

When the lord of Beaumont came to Wissannie found vessels 
ready to transport him and his company. They embarked witli theii 
cavalry as expeditiously as possible, and crossed over to Dover, 
whence, without halting, they continued their march liU ihey reached 
York. The king, his mother, and a number of other lords and barons 
were there assembled, as well to advise as to attend the king. The} 
waited at York the arrival of sir John, of the men-at-arms and arch- 
ers, and of the common people from the different towns and cities. 
As they came in large bodies, they were quartered in the villages 
around York, at the distance of two or three leagues, and thence 
marched toward the borders. 

Sir .Tolm and his company reached York by the appointed lirne, 
and were ivelcomed and magnificently entertained by the king, 
queen, and all the barons. The handsomest suburbs of the cit)- 
were assigned them for their quarters, and a monastery of white friarf. 
WES allotted for him and his household. In company with thh 
knight, came from Hainault, the lord of Anghieu called sir Walter, 
sir Henry, lord of Antoing, the lord of Scignolcs, and the following 
knights: sir Fastres de Reu, sir Roi)ert de Bailleul, sir William de 
Bailleul, his brother, the lord of Haverelh castellan of Mons, si; 
.41»rt de Briseil, sir Jlichael de I.igne, sir John dc -VIontigny the 
younger and his brother, sir Sause de Boussac, sir Percival de Seve- 
ries, the lords of Gommegines, dc Biaurien and dc Feilion. There 
carae also from Fianders ; first, sir Hector de Vilains, sir John dc 
Rhodes, sir Vaufflat de Guistelle, sir Jiiines de fJuistelle, his brother, 
sir Gossuin de la Muelle, and the lord of Tarces. , Many came fron.. 
Brabant; as the. lord of Dusle, sir Thierry de Vaucourt, .sir Rasscs 
de Gres, sir .Tohn de Casseliegue, sir John Pilestre, sir Vv'illiam de 
Courterelles, the three brothers de Harlebequc, sir Walter de Hautt- 
bei'gue, and several others. Of the Bohemians were, sir .lo!m de 
Libeaux, Henry his brother, sir Henry do la Chappehe, sir Hugh dt 
Kay, sir John de Limies, sir Lambert des Prez, sir Gilbert dc Hers. 
There came also other volunteer knights cut of Gambrcsis and Ar- 
tois, in hopes of advaneemunt ; so that sir John had five hundrec 
good men in his company, well apparelled nnd richly mounl'>d. 



'^ Wissan is a town in the Uoulouois, generality «!' Calais. It is li.?licve'l by Camdei 
to l)e tiie i'urius /cctus from which Cinsar emtiarked tor Britain. This is discussed ic; 
one of tlie dissertations at the close of the Mfiinoires de Joinville.— Fifih volume of Uie 
Collection of Historical Memoirs relative to the (iistory of France. 



20 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &.c. 



After the feast of the Pentecost, sir William, who was afterwards 
duke of Juliers, by the death of his father, and sir Thierry de Ham. 
barque,- since earl of Los, arrived with a gallant company, to do 
hotaor to sir John de Haiiiault. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

■ II 

& DISSENSION BETWEEN THE ARCHERS OF ENGLAND AND THE HAIN- 
AULTERS. 

The king of England, in order to entertain and feast (he strangers 
and their company, held a great court on Trinity-Sunday, at the house 
of the Black Friars, where he and the queen were lodged, and where 
each kept their household separate ; the king with his knights, and 
the queen with her ladies, whose numbers were considerable. At 
th^ court the king had five hundred knights, and created fifteen new 
ones. The queen gave her entertainment in the dormitory, where 
at least sixty ladies, who she had invited to entertain sir John de 
Hainault and his suite, sat down at her table. There, might be 
seen a numerous nobility well served with plenty of strange dishes, 
so disguised that it could not be known what they were. There 
wpre also ladies most superbly dressed, who were expecting with 
impatience the hour of the ball, or a longer continuance of the feast : 
but it fell out otherwise ; for, soon after dinner, a violent affray hap. 
pepe4 between some of the grooms of the Hainaulters, and the Eng- 
lish archers, who were lodged with them in the suburbs. This 
increased so much that the archers collected together with their bows 
strung, and shot at them so as to force them to retreat to their lodg- 
ings. The greater part of the knights and their masters, who were 
still at court, hearing of the affray, hastened to their quarters. Those 
that could not enter them were exposed to great danger; for the 
archers, to the number of three thousand, aimed both at masters and 
servants. It was supposed that this afiray was occasioned by the 
friends of the Spencers, and the earl of Arundel, in revenge for their 
having been put to death through the advice of sir John de Hainault. 
The English also, at whose houses the Hainaulters lodged, barricaded 
their doors and windows, and would not suffer them to enter : never- 
theless, some of them got admittance at the back doors, and quickly 
armed themselves, but durst not advance into the street, for fear of 
the aiTOws. The strangers immediately sallied from behind their 
lodgings, brealiing down the hedges and inelosures, until they came 
to a square, where they halted, waiting for their companions, till they 
amounted to a hundred under arms, and as many without, who could 
not gain admittance to their lodgings. L'nited thus, they hastened 
to assist their friends, who wft-e defending their quarters in the great 
street in the best manner they could : they passed through the hotel 
of Uie lord of Anghien, which had great gates before and behind 
open into the street, where the archers were dealing about their 
arrows in a furious manner. Many Hainaulters were wounded with 
them.* 

Here we found the good knights, sir Fastres de Rue, sir Percival de 
Ssveries, and sir Sause de Boussac, who, not getting admittance into 
their lodgings, performed deeds equal to those that were armed. 
They had in tlieir hands great oaken staffs, taken from the house of 
a carter : they dealt their blows so successfully that none durst 
approach them, and, being strong and valiant knights, beat down, 
that evening, upward of sixty men. At last the archers were dis. 
comfited and put to flight. There remained on the ground dead 
three hundred men, or thereabouts, who were all from the bishoprick 
of Lincoln. I believe that God never showed greater grace or favor 
to any one than he did in that day to sir John de Hainault and his 
company ; for these archers certainly meant nothing less than to 
murder and rob them, notwithstanding they were come upon the 
king's business. These strangers were never in such great peril as 
during the time they remained at York : nor were they in perfect 
safety until their return to Wissan ; for, during their stay, the hatred 
of the archers was so greatly increased against them, that some of 
the barons and principal knights informed the lords of Hainault, that 
the archers and others of the commonalty of England, to the number 
of Six thousand, had entered into an agreement to massacre and burn 
them and their followers in their lodgings either by night or day, and 
there was no one on the part of the king, or of the barons, that could 
venttire to assist them. The Hainaulters, therefore, had no other 
resource left than to stand by each other, and to sell their lives as 
dearly as possible. They made many prudent regulations for their 
conduct, were frequently obliged to lie on their arms, to confine 
themselves to their quarters, and to have their armor ready, and their 
hotses always saddled. They were also obliged to keep detichments 
continually on the watch in the fields and roads round the city, and to 
send scouts to the distance of half a league, to see if those people, of 



^ In Leiand's Collectanea, tliere is a different account of the canse of tins affray. Part 
second of volume lir^t, p. 307 : 

" Aunu Diimiiii 1328, Hunaldi apnd Eboracum combusseruntdesuburbiocivitatisfere 
unam parochiain, quaj vocatar S. Nicliolai in Ousejate. propter contumeiiam motani 
inter hnrgenses et illus, quia ceperuntuxores burt'ensiuin.et tilias, et aiicillas, per vim in 
subiirbio civitati*. Burgeiises vero suburbii indifjnati de tali thcinore. congressi sunt 
cum Hunaldis more bellir.o: et ex utraque parte bene armati una die Marl is in Si^;}tcm- 
frn'tHnte solis, ortum in Wntetingate donniente tola civitate sunimo mane. Ibi cecide- 
rnut de Hnnaltlis 527, prieler eos out lactaliter viilnerati sunt et obierunt in 3 die et in 4 
seijuenu. De Anulis cociderunt ai2. Submersi in Ousc, Hu. de Hunaldis. iuvenii sunt 



whom they had received information, were coming, with orders, that, 
if they perceived any bodies in motion advancing toivard the town, 
they were immediately to return to the detachments in the fields, in 
order that they might be quickly mounted, and collected together 
under their own banner, at an appointed alarm-post. They continued 
in the suburbs four weeks in this distressing situation, and none, 
except a few of the great lords, who went to court to see the king and 
his council, or to the entertainments to hear the news, ventured to 
quit their quarters or their amis. If this unfortunate quarrel had not 
happened, they would have passed their time very pleasaiiriy ; for 
there was such plenty in the city and surrounding countiy, that during 
more than six weeks, while the king and the lords of England, with 
upward of forty thousand men-at-arms, remained there, the provis- 
ions were not dearer ; for as much was to be bought for a penny as 
before their arrival. Good wines from Gascony, Alsace and the 
Rhine, were in abundance and reasonable ; poultry and other such 
provisions at a low price. Hay, oats, and straw, of a good quality, 
and cheap, were delivered at their quarters. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

OF THE MANNERS OF THE SCOTS, AND HOW THEY CARRY ON WAB. 

After remaining three weeks from the time of this afiray, the king 
issued a proclamation by his marshals, that every one in the course of 
the ensuing week should be provided with carts, tents, and everything 
necessary for their march toward Scotland : when every one was 
properly equipped, the king and all his barons marched out of the 
city, and encamped six leagues from it. Sir John de Hainault and 
his company were encamped near the king, as a mark of distinction, 
and to prevent the archers from taking any advantage of him, the king 
and this first division remained there two days and two nights, wait- 
ing the arrival of money for his expenses, as well as to examine 
whether anything were wanting. On the third day the army dis- 
lodged, and before daybreak marched till they came to the city of 
Durham, a long day's journey, at the entrance of a country called 
Northumberland, which is wild, full of deserts and mountains, and 
poor in everything except cattle. The river Tyne runs through it, 
full of flints and large stones. Upon this river is situated the town 
called Newcastle upon Tyne. The lord marshal of England was 
there, with a numerous army to guard the country against the Scots. 
At Carlisle was a considerable body of Welsh, untler the command of 
lord Hereford and lord Mowbray, to defend the passage of the Eden ; 
for the Scots could not enter England without passing one of these 
rivers. The English could get no certain information of the Scots 
until they arrived at this place : they had passed the river so privately, 
that neither those of Carlisle nor those of Newcastle had the smallest 
knowledge of it. These towns are said to be distant from each other 
four.and-twenty English leagues. 

The Scots are bold, hardy, and much inured to war. When they 
make their invasions into England, they march from twenty to four- 
and.twenty leagues without halting,* as well by night as day ; for 
tltey are all on horseback, except the camp followers, who arti on 
foot. The knights and esquires are well mounted on large bay 
horses, the common people on little galloways. They bring no car- 
riages with them, on account of the mountains they have to pass in 
Northumberland ; neither do they carry with them any provisions oi 
bread or wine ; for their habits of sobriety are such, in time of war, 
thnt they will live for a long time on flesh half sodden, without bread, 
and drink the river-water without wine. They have, therefore, no 
occasion for pots or pans ; for they dress the flesh of tlieir cattle in 
the skins, after they have t iken them off: and, being sure to find 
plenty of them in the country which they invade, they carry none 
with them. Under the flaps of his saddle, each man carries a broad 
plate of metal ; behind the saddle, a little bag of oatmeal : when they 
have eaten too much of the sodden fiesh, and their stomach appears 
weak and empty, they place this plate over the fire, mix with water 
their oatmeal, and when the plate is heated, they put a little of the 
paste upon it, and make a thin cake, like a cracknel or biscuit, which 
they eat to warm their stomachs : it is therefore no wonder, that they 
perform a longer day's march than other soldiers. In this manner the 
Scots entered England, destroying and burning everything as they 
passed. They seized more cattle than they knew what to do with. 
Their army consisted of four thousand men-at-arms, knights and 
esquires, well mounted ; besides twenty thousand men, bold and 
hardy, armed after the manner of their country, and mounted upon 
little hacknevs, that are never tied up or dressed, but turned, imme- 
diately after'the day's march, to pasture on the heath or in the fields. 
This armv was commanded by two valiant captains. The king of 
Scotland himself, who had been very brave, yet being old, and labor, 
ing under a leprosy, appointed for one tliat gallant prince, so re- 
nowned in arms, the earl of Moray, who bore upon his banner argent 
three pillows gules ; the other was sir James Douglas, esteemed the 
bravest and most enterprising knight in the two kingdoms : he bore 
for arms azure on a chef argent. These two lords were the greatest 
barons, and most renowned for their prowess and other feats of arms. 



* Wherever English leagues are mentioned, lord Berners translates them, and pro- 
bably correctly, in ties ; it is incredible that a body of men armed at all points, should 
tj-a\el from sixty to eighty miles a day on horseback, which the Scots must have dona 
if we are here to read leagncs.— Ed. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, Sec. 



21 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

KING EDWARD'S FIRST EXPEDITION AGAINST THE SCOTS. 

When the English king and all his host had seen the smoke of 
the fires, which the Scots had made, the alarm was immediately 
sounded, and every one ordered to dislodge and to follow his ban- 
ners : they all, therefore, withdrew to tlie fields, armed for imme- 
diate combat. Three battalions of infantry were formed ; each 
b?ttaUon having two wings, composed of five hundred meii-at-arms, 
who were to remain on horseback. 

It was said, that there were eight thousand men-at-arms, knights 
and esquires, and thirty thousand men armed and equipped, half of 
whom were mounted on small hackneys ; the other lialf were coun- 
trymen on foot, sent by the towns and paid by them. There were 
also twenty-four thousand archers on foot, besides all the crew of 
followers of the army. Thus being drawn up, they marched in 
battle array after the Scots, toward the place from whence tlie 
smoke came, until it was night. The army halted in a wood, by 
the side of a small river, to rest themselves, and to wait for their 
baggage and provision. j 




Edward the Third's first Expedition against the Scots.— From an illuminated Froissart. 



The Scots had burnt and pillaged all the country within five 
leagues* of the place where they were, without the English being 
able to come up with them. 

At daybreak the next morning every one was armed, and, with 
banners displayed, marched in good order over mountains and 
through valleys, but could never approach the Scots, who were 
advanced before them ; for there were so many marsiies and danger- 
ous places, that it was ordered, under pain of death, that no one 
should quit his banner, except the marshals. When it drew toward 
night, the cavaliy, and those who attended the baggage, more espe- 
cially the infantry, were so fatigued, that they could march no further. 

The lords saw that they followed the Scots to no purpose ; and 
that, if the Scots were willing to wait for them, they might post 
themselves on some mountain, or in some dangerous pass, where 
they could not be attacked but at extreme disadvantage. 

The king then ordered the marshals to encamp the army there 
for the night, in order that they might consider what was to be done 
the ne.\t day. The army lay in a wood upon the banks of a small 
river, and the king was lodged in a poor monastery hard by. The 
men-at-arms, horses and baggage, were much fatigued. When each 
had chosen a spot of ground to encamp himself on, the lords retired 
apart, to consider what would be the best method to force the Scots 
to battle, considering the situation of the country in which they 
were. It appeared to them, that the Scots were sheering off to their 
own country, burning and pillaging as they went, and that it would 
be impossible to fight with them in these mountains, without a 
manifest disadvantage, supposing they should overtake them, which 
they could not ; but, as they must repass the Tyne, it was deter- 
mined in full council, that if they were to get themselves ready 
about midnight, and hasten their march next day, they might cut 
ofi' the passage of the river, and force them to fight to a disadvantage, 
or remain shut up prisoners in England. 

After this resolution had been entered into, each retired to his 



*Lord Berners again translates " lieues" miles. Mr. Johnes's translation does not 
give so lively an idea of the audacity oftlie Scots, who destroyed the country as it were 
in bravado, as that of Lord Berners ; his words are : " .Ind ail that day [et lout le jour] 
Uie Scottis had brent, and wasted and pilled y*" country about within v myle of the 
Inglysshe oste, but the Inglysshmen coulde nat overtake them * * * * tlieyco'ulde 
neur aproche nere to the Set ttis, who went wastyng the countrey before them."— Ed. 



quarters, to eat and drink what he could find there ; and they desired 
their companions to be silent, in order that the trumpets might be 
heard : at the first sounding of wliich, the horses were to be saddled 
and made ready ; at the second, every one was to arm himself with- 
out delay; and, at the third, to mount their horses immediately, and 
join their banners. Each was to take only one loaf of bread with 
him, slung behind him after the manner of hunters. All unnecessaiy 
arms, harness, and baggage, were ordered to be left behind, as thoy 
thought they should for a certainty give battle the next day, whatever 
might be the consequences, whether they should win or lose all. As 
it had been ordered so was it executed, and all were mounted and 
ready about midnight. Some liad but little rest, notwithstanding 
they had labored hard the day before. Day began to appeal- as the 
battalions were assembled at their different posts : the banner-bearers 
then hastened on over heaths, mountains, valleys, rocks, and many 
dangerous places, without meeting any level country. On the sum- 
mits of the mountains, and in the valleys, were large marshes and 
bogs, and of such extent, that it was a miracle many were not lost 
in them ; for each galloped forward without waiting for either com- 
mander or companion : those who fell into them found difficulty in 
getting any to help them. Many banners re- 
mained there, and several baggage and sumpter 
horses never came out again. 

In the course of the day, there were frequent 
cries of alarm, as if the foremost ranks were 
engaged with the enemy ; which those behind 
believing to be true, they hurried foi-ward as 
fast as possible, over rocks and mountains, 
sword in hand, with their helmets and shields 
prepared for fighting, without waiting for father, 
brother, or friend. When they had hastened' 
about half a league toward the place from 
which the noise came, they found themselves 
disappointed, as the cries proceeded from some 
herds of deer or other wild beasts, which 
abounded in these heaths and desert places, 
and which fled before the banners, pursued by 
the shouts of the army, wluch made them ima. 
gine it was something else. 

In this manner, the young king of England, 
agreeably to the advice of his council, rode all 
that day over mountains and deserts, without 
keeping to any fixed road, or finding any town. 
About vespers, and sorely fatigued, they reached 
the Tyne, which the Scots had already crossed, 
though the English supposed they had it still 
to repass. Accordingly, they went over the 
ford, but with great diflleulty, owing to the large 
stones that were in the river. 
When they had passed over, each took up his lodging on its banks 
as he could ; and at this tune the sun was set. There were few 
among them that had any hatchets, wedges, or other instruments, to 
cut down trees, to make themselves huts ; many of them had lost 
their companions, and even the foot had remained behind, not know- 
ing what road to ask for. Those who were best acquainted with 
the country said, that they had travelled that day twenty English 
leagues* on a gallop, without stopping, except to arrange the fumi. 
ture of their horses, when it had been loosened by the violent exer- 
cise. They were forced to lie tills night on the banks of the river 
in their armor, and at the same time hold their horses by their bri- 
dles, for there was not any place where they could tie them. Thus 
the horses had nothing to eat, neither oats nor any forage ; and the 
men had only their loaf that was tied behind them, which was wetted 
by the sweat of the horses. They had no other beverage but the 
v.'ater of the river, except some great lords, who had bottles among 
their baggage : nor had they fire or light, not having anything to 
make them of; except some few lords, who had some torches, 
which they had brought on sumpter horses. In such a melancholy 
manner did they pass the night, without taking the saddles from 
oft' the horses, or disarming themselves. And when the long- 
expected day appeared, when they hoped to find some comfort for 
themselves and horses, or to fight the vScots, which they very much 
wished for, to get out of their disagreeable situation, it began to rain, 
and continued all the day, insomuch that the river was so increased 
by noon, that no one could pass over, nor could any one be sent to 
know where they were, or to get forage and litter for their horses, 
or bread and wine for their own sustenance ; they were therefore 
obliged to fast another night. The horses had nothing to subsist on 
but the leaves of the trees and grass. They cut down with their 
swords young trees, and tied their horses to them. They also cut 
down brushwood to make huts for themselves. 

Some poor peasants, coming that way in the afternoon, informed 
them they were fourteen leagues from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and 
eleven from Cariisle, and that there was not a town nearer whence 
they could get any accommodation. When this intelligence was 

» Berners has "xxiv English miles," and D. Sauvage's edition, "vmst-huH lieue« 
.\uglesche."— Ed. 



22 



HRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c 

- _ _ 1 1 1.-, *Un.r <i;i-.-.j^tKr oAnt r\fr mi>Q tlioTrt ttn • lint nnoh Imttnlinn mnrf>lif»rl Kif itc 



brought to the king and the principal lorda, they directly sent offmes. 
sengers with horses to brinp; tliem provision, and they caused a pro. 
clamation to be made in the lung's name in Newcastle, that wlioever 
wished to get money, he had only to bring provision, wine, &c., for 
which he would be instantly paid, and a safe conduct granted him. 
They were also informed, that tliey should not move from their present 
quarters, until they had information where the Scots were. The next 
day the messengers which the lords had sent for provision returned 
about noon with what they had been able to procure for them and 
their households ; but it was not much : and with them came people 
of the country, to take their advantage of the situation of tlie army, 
and brought with them on mules and small horses bread badly baked, 
in baskets, and poor thin wine, in large barrels, and other kind of 
provision to sell, with wliich the army was tolerably refreshed, and 
their discontent appeased. This was the case during the seven days 
that they remained on the banks of this river, among the mountains, 
expecting the return of the Scots, who knew no more of the English 
than they did of them. 

Thus they had remained for three days and three nights without 
bread, wine, candle, oats, or any other forage : and they were after, 
wards for four days obliged to buy badly baked bread, at the price of 
BLxpence the loaf, which was not worth more than a penny, and a 
gallon of wine for six groats, scarcely worth sixpence. Hunger, 
however, was still felt in the cantp, notwithstanding this supply ; and 
frequent quarrels happened from tlicir tearing the meat out of each 
other's hands. To add to their unpleasant situation, it had rained all 
the week, by which all their saddles and girths were rotted, and the 
greater part of the cavalry were worn down. They had not where, 
withal to shoe their horses that wanted it ; nor had they anything to 
clothe themselves, or preserve them from the rain and cold, but their 
jerkins or armor, and the green huts : nor had they any wood to burn, 
except what was so green and wet as to be of small service. 

Having continued for a whole week, without hearing any tidings 
of the Scots, who they imagined must pass that way, or very near it, 
in their return home, great murmurs arose in the army : and many 
laid the fault on those who had given such advice, adding, that it was 
done in order to betray the king and his host. Upon which, the lords 
of council ordered the army to make ready to march, and cross the 
river seven leagues higher up, where the ford was better ; and it was 
proclaimed, that every one was to be in readiness to march the next 
day, and to follow his banners. Tliere was another proclamation 
made, that whoever chose to take pains and find out where the Scots 
were, and should bring certain intelligence of it to the king, the mes- 
senger of such news should have one hundred pounds a-year in land, 
and be made a knight by the king himself. When this was made 
known among the host, many knights and esquires, to the number 
of fifteen or sixteen, eager to gain such rewards, passed the river with 
much danger, ascended the mountains, and then separated, each taking 
different routes. 

The next day the army dislodged ; marched tolerably well, consid- 
ering that they were but ill clothed ; and e.verted themselves so much, 
that they repassed the river, though with much danger, from its being 
swollen by the rains. Many were well washed, and many drowned. 
When they had crossed over, they remained there for that night, 
finding plenty of forage in the fields near to a small village, wliich 
the Scots had burnt as they passed. Tlie next day they marched over 
hill and dale till about noon, when they came to some burnt villages, 
and some fields where there were corn and hay, so that the host re. 
tnained there for that night. The third day they marched in the same 
manner ; but many were ignorant where they were going, nor had 
they any intelligence of the enemy. 

They continued their route the fourth day in this order ; when, 
about three o'clock, an esquire,* galloping up hastily to the king, 
said, " Sire, I bring you news of the Scots : they are three leagues 
from this place, lodged on a mountain, where they have been this 
week, waiting for you. They knew no more where you were than 
you did of them : and you may depend on this as true ; for I ap. 
proached so near to them, that I was taken and led a prisoner to their 
army, before their chiefs. I informed them where you were, and that 
you were seeking them, to give them battle. The lords gave me up 
my ransom, and my liberty, when I informed them that you had pro. 
mised one hundred pounds a.year to whoever should first bring intel. 
ligence of them, upon condition that he rested not imtil he brought you 
this information ; and I now tell you that you will find them in the 
place I have mentioned, as eager to meet you in battle as yourself 
can be." As soon as the king heard this news, he ordered his army 
to be prepared, and turned his horses to feed in the fields, near to a 
monastery of white monks, which had been burnt, and which was 
called in king Arthur's trnie Blanche Land. Then the king confessed 
himself, and each made his preparations according to his abilities. 
The king ordered plenty of masses to be said, to housel such as were 
devoutly inclined. He assigned one hundred pounds value of land, 
yearly, to the esquire, according to his promise, and made him a knight 
with his own hands, in the presence of the whole army. When they 
had taken some repose, and breakfasted, the trumpets sounded ; and 
all being mounted, the banners advanced as the young knight led 



* In Rymer is an order for Tiiomas de Rokesby to receive half-yearly, at Michaelmas 
and Eoster, £100 at the Exrlienuor. until he was provided with £100 in land for his hfe. 
Siened by the kias at Lincoln, Sept. 28, 1327. 



them on ; but each battalion marched by itself in regular array, over 
hill and dale, keeping their ranks according to order. Thus they 
continued marching, when about twelve o'clock they came within 
sight of the Scots army. 

As soon as the Scots perceived them, they issued forth from their 
huts on foot, and formed three good battalions, upon the descent of 
the mountain on which they lodged. A strong rapid river* ran at 
the foot of this mountain, which was so full of large rocks and stones, 
that it was dangerous to pass it in haste. If the English had passed 
this river, there was not room betsveen it and the mountain for them 
to draw up their line of batde. The Scots had formed their two first 
battalions on the two sides of the mountain, and on the declivity of 
the rock, which was not easy to climb to attack them : but they them- 
selves were posted so as to annoy them with stones, if they crossed 
the river ; which if the English effected, they would not be able to 
return. 

When the English lords perceived the disposition of the Scots, tliey 
ordered then' men to dismount, take off their spurs, and form three 
battalions as before. Many new knights were made ; and, when the 
battalions were formed, some of the chief lords brought the young 
king on horseback along the lines, to encourage the men. The king 
spoke most graciously to all, and besought them to take every pains 
to do him honor and preserve their own. He ordered, under pain 
of death, that no one should advance before the banners of the mar- 
shals, or move without orders. Shortly afterwards, the battalions 
were commanded to advance toward the enemy in slow time, keeping 
their ranks. This was done ; and each battalion moved on a con- 
siderable space, and came to the ascent of the mountain, where the 
Scots were posted. This manoeuvre was intended in order to see 
whether the enemy would retire or make any movement ; but neither 
one nor other was to be perceived : and the armies were so near each 
other, that they could see the arms on their shields. The army was 
ordered to halt to consider what was to be done ; and some compan- 
ions were mounted to skirmish with the enemy, and to examine the 
passage of the river and their appearance more clearly. They sent 
heralds to make an offer of retiring on the morrow, if they would pass 
the river, and fight upon the plain ; or, if the Scots would not consent 
to this, that they would do the same. 

When the Scots received this proposal, the chiefs retired to coun- 
sel, and returned for answer by the heralds, that they would do 
neither the one nor the other; that the king and his barons saw that 
they were in his kingdom, and had burnt and pillaged wherever they 
had passed ; and that, if it displeased the king, he might come and 
amend it ; for they would tarry there as long as it pleased them. 
When the council of the king of England heard the answer, he 
ordered it to be proclaimed, that each should take up his quarters 
where he was, without quitting the ground or his arms ; they there, 
fore lay that night veiy uncomfortably upon the hard ground, among 
rocks and stones, with their armor on; nor could they get any stakes 
for the purpose of tying their horses, or procure either litter, or forage, 
or any bushes to make fires. 

The Scots, seeing the English thus take up their quarters, ordered 
part of the army to remain where the battalions had been drawn up; 
and the remainder retired to their huts, where they made marvel, 
lously great iii'cs, and, about midnight such a blasting and noise 
with their horns, that it seemed as if all the great devils from hell 
had been come there. Thus were they lodged this night, which was 
the night of the feast of St. Peter, the beginning of August, 1327, 
until the next day, when the lords heard mass; afterwards, every one 
armed himself, and the battalions were formed as on the preceding 
day. When the Scots saw this, they came and lodged themselves 
on the same ground they had done before; and the two armies 
remained thus drawn up until noon, when the Scots made no move, 
ment to come toward the English, nor did these on their part make 
any advances, for they dared not to attempt it with so great dis. 
advantage. Several companions passed the river on horseback, as 
did some of the foot, to skirmish with the Scots, who also quitted 
their battalions to meet them, and many on each side were killed, 
wounded, and taken prisoners. In the afternoon the lords ordered 
every one to retire to their quarters, as it seemed to them that they 
were drawn up to no purpose ; in this manner they remained for 
three days. The Scots, on their side, never quitted the mountain ; 
but there were continued skirmishes on both sides, and many killed 
and taken prisoners ; in the evenings they made large fires, .and great 
noises with their horns and with sliouting. The intention of the 
English lords was to keep the Scots besieged there ; for, as they 
could not well fight with them, they hoped to starve them : they 
knew from the prisoners that they had neither bread, wine, salt, nor 
other provision, except cattle, of which they had plenty, that they 
had seized in the country — of these they might eat, indeed witlicut 
bread, which would not be very palatable. But they had some little 
flour to make such cakes as have been before mentioned, and which 
some of the English use on their inroads beyond the borders. 

The fourth day, in the morning, the English looked for the Scots 
on the mountain, but saw none of them, for they found they had 
decamped secretly at midnight. Scouts of horse and of foot were 
immediately dispatched through the mountains to know what was 
become of them ; they found them about four o'clock posted upon 

* Tile Were. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



23 



another mountuin, much stronger than that they had left, upon the 
same river, near a large wood, to be more concealed, and in order 
more privately to advance or retreat at pleasure. 

As soon as this was known, the English had orders to dislodge, 
and to march in battle array toward the place where the enemy was 
posted ; and they encamped on a mountain opposite. They formed 
their battalions, and seemed as if they meant to advance to them. 
The Scots no sooner perceived this, tlian they sallied out of their 
quarters, and came and posted themselves by the side of the river, 
directly in front ; but they were unwilling to advance or come nearer. 
The English could not attack them in such a situation without great 
disadvantage and loss ; they remained full eighteen days in this 
situation upon this mountain, whence the lords sent frequent heralds 
to the Scots, to offer to give them full place of plain ground to draw- 
up their battalions, or else they would accept the same from them ; 
but they would not agree to either of these proposals. 

The two armies had little comfort during the time they remained 
in this position. The first night* that the English were posted on 
this second mountain, the lord James Douglas took with him about 
two hundred men-at-arms, and at midnight crossed the river, at such 
a distance from the camp that he was not noticed, and fell upon the 
English army most valiantly, shouting, " Douglas for ever! Ye shall 
die, ye thieves of England !" He and his companions killed more 
than three hundred ; and he galloped up to the king's tent, and cut 
two or three of its cords, crying, at the same tiine, " Douglas ! Douglas 
for ever!" when he set off; and in his retreat, he lost some of his 
followers, but not many: he returned to his friends on the mountain. 
Nothing more of the sort was attempted from that time ; but the 
English in future kept a strong and attentive guard, for they were 
fearl'ul of another attack from the Scots, and had placed sentinels and 
scouts to give notice of the smallest movement of the enemy ; the 
chief lords also slept in their annor There were frequent skirmishes, 
and many lives lost on both sides. The twenty-fourth day from the 
tune they had received intelligence of the enemy, a Scots knight was 
taken prisoner, who sore against his will gave an account to the lords 
of the state of the enemy. He was so closely examined, that he 
owned his lords had given orders that morning for every one to be 
armed by vespers, and follow the banner of lord James Douglas ; 
that it was to be kept secret ; but he was not, for a certainty, 
acquainted with their intentions further. Upon this the English lords 
held a council ; and they judged, from the information of the Scots 
kitight, that the enemy might perhaps come in full force at night to 
attack them on both sides at once, and, from their sufferings by 
famine, which they could endure no longer, make it a very bloodv 
and doubtful combat. The English formed into three battalions^ and 
posted themselves before their quarters, on three separate ^pots of 
ground ; they made large fires, in order to see better, and left their 
pages in their quarters to take care of their horses. They remained 
under arms all the night, and each was placed under his own standard 
or banner. 

Toward daybreak two Scots trumpeters fell in with one of the 
patrols, who took them, and brought them before the lords of the 
council, to whom they said, " My lords, why do you watch here ? 
You arc losing your time ; for we swear, by our heads, that the Scots 
are on their march home since midnight, and are now four or five 
leagues off — and they left us beliind, that we might give you the 
information." The English said, that it would be in vain to follow 
them, as they coidd never overtake them ; but, fearing deceit, the 
lords ordered tlie trumpeters to close confinement, and did not alter 
the position of the battalions until four o'clock. When they saw 
that the Scots wore really gone, they gave permission for each to 
retire to his quarters, and the lords held a council to consider what 
was to be done. Some of the English, however, mounted their 
horses, passed the river, and went to the mountain which the Scots 
had quitted, and found more than five hundred large cattle, which 
the enemy had killed, as they were too heavy to carry with them, 
and too slow to follow them, and they wished not to let them fall 
into the hands of the English alive. They found there also more 
than three hundred caldrons, made of leather with the hair on the 
outside, which were hung on the fires full of water and meat, ready 
for boiling. There were also upward of a thousand spits with meat 
on them, prepared for roasting; and more than ten thousand pairs of 
old worn-out shoes, made of undressed leather, which the Scots had 
left there. There were found five poor English prisoners, whom the 
Scots had bound naked to the trees, and some of them had their legs 
broken; they untied them, and sent them away, and then returned 
to the army, just as they were setting out on their march to England, 
by orders from the king and council. 

They followed all that day the banners of the marshals, and halted 
at an early hour in a beautiful meadow, where there was plenty of 
forage for their horses ; and much need was there of it, for they were 
so weakened by famine, that they could scarce move.t The next 



* The fyrst nyght that the englisshe ost was tlius lodged on the second moutaigne, the 
lorde William Duglas toke with hym aboute cc men-at-armes, & past the ryver farre 
afro the oste, so that he was not parceyued ; and sodely he brake into the englysshe ooste 
about raydnyght. crying, "Duglas! Duglas! ye shall all dye. theues of Inglande." 
And he slewe or he seased cc? men. some in their beddes, and some skan redy, and he 
$trake his horse witji the spurres ^- came to the kijngis owne tentc, alwayes crying 
Duglas. and stake a sundre ii or iii cordis of the kyng tent, & so departed.— L. Bebners. 

t Lord Bemers here adds, " The engliKlie croniclc sayth that the scottis had been 



day they decamped betimes, and took up their quarters still earlier, 
at a large monastery within two leagues of Durham. The king lay 
there that night, and tlie army in the fields around it, where they 
found plenty of grass, pulse, and corn. They remained there quiet 
the next day; but the king and lords went to see the church of Dur- 
ham. The king paid his homage to the church and the bishopric, 
which he had not before done, and gave largesses to the citizens. 

They found there all their carriages and baggage, which they had 
left in a wood thirty-two days before, at midnight, as has been related. 
The inhabitants of Durham finding them there, had brought them 
away at their own cost, and placed them in empty barns. Each car- 
riage had a little flag attached to it, that it might be known. The 
lords were much pleased at finding them again. 

The king and nobles reposed two days at Durham, and the army 
in its en\'irons, for there would not have been sufficient room to lodge 
them in that city. They had all their horses well shod, and set out 
on their march toward York. They made such haste, that in three 
days they arrived there, and found the queen mother, who received 
the king and nobles with great joy, as did all the ladies of the court 
and city. The lung disbanded the army, and gave permission for 
every- one to return to his home, and made many acknowledgments 
to the earls, barons, and knights, for the services they had rendered 
him by their advice and prowess. He kept near his person sir John 
de Hainault and liis company, who were much feasted by the queen 
and all the ladies. The knights made out their accounts for horses, 
which had been ruined or lost, or had died, and gave them in to the 
council ; and also a statement of their own expenses, which sir John 
do Hainault took upon him as his own debt tow-ard liis followers,, 
for the king and his ministers could not immediately collect such a 
sum as their horses amounted to ; but he gave them sufficient for 
their own expenses, and to carry them back to their own country.* 
They were afterwards all paid within the year the full amount of 
their losses. 

When the Hainaulters had received their demand for horses, they 
purchased small hackneys to ride more at their ease, and sent their 
carriages, sumpter horses, trunlts, and servants, on board of two ships, 
which the king had provided for them, and which landed them at 
Sluys, in Flanders. They took leave of the king, queen, the earls of 
Kent and Lancaster, and of all the barons, who paid them many 
honors ; and the king had them escorted by twelve knights and two 
hundred men-at-arms, for fear of the archers, of whom they w-ere not 
well ass'-red, as they must pass through the bishopric of Lincoln. 
Sir Jolin and all his company set out, escorted as above, and by easy 
journeys came to Dover, where they embarked on board vessels ready 
provided for them. The English who had accompanied them took 
their leave and returned to their homes. The Hainaulters arrived at 
Wissan, where they tamed two days, in order to deck out their horses 
and the remains of their armor ; during which time sir John de Hain. 
ault and some other knights, went on a pilgrimage to our Lady of 
Boulogne. They retm-ned together to Hainault, when they separated 
and each went to his own house ; but Sir John went to his brother, 
who was at that time_ at Valenciennes : he was received by him with 
great joy, as he was much beloved by him. The lord of Beaumont 
then related to him all the above mentioned history. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

KI.\a EDWAKD MARRIES THE LADY PHILIPPA OF HAINAULT. 

Shortly afterw-ards, the king, queen, the earl of Kent, his uncle, 
earl Henry of Lancaster, the earl of Mortimer, and all the barons who 
were of the council, sent a bishop, t two knights banneret3,t and two 
able clerks, to sir John de Hainault, to beg of him to be the means 
that the young king, their lord, should marry ; and that the count of 
Hainault and Holland would send over one of his daughters, for he 
would love her more dearly on his account, than any other lady. The 

fought williall ifsyr Roger Mortymer a lorde of Inglaiyje had not betraied the kyng, for 
he toke mede and money of the scottis, to tlientent they myght departe pryuely by nyghte 
unfoughte v/ith all."— Ed. 

-*= f n Rymer there is an order from king Edward to his treasurer to pay sir John de Hain- 
ault seven thousand pounds, in part of fourteen tliousand. the subsidy for himself and 
companions: d;itedYork, June 28, 1337. In the same year, dated July 4,Williaind'Irland 
is ordered to provide carriages for sir John de Hu inault a nd his company. This order, &c. 
is to continue in force until the followiug Michaelmas. There is another order to the 
treasurer from York, August 20, 1327, to pay sir John de Hainault on his arrival in Lon- 
don, four thousand pounds, on account of his loss in horses, and to pawn the jewels in 
the Tower, if tl-.ere were nota sufficiency of money for the purpose. .'V passport, of tlie 
same date, commanding none to do any liann, &c. to sir John de Hainault. An order, 
signed by the king at Evesham, June 28, 1328, for seven thousand pounds to sir John 
do Hainault, as part of tlie fourteen thousand pounds. 

t Dr. Roger Northborough, bishop of Lichfield and Coventry.— AsHMOLE. 

X On knights bannerets, translated from a manuscript which was in the Lamoignon 
library, but is now at Hafod ; vol. iv. p. 227, lirst part: 

" Knights bannerets were formerly gentlemen of great power, by landed possessions, 
and vassals, of whom they formed companies in times of war : they were called banner- 
ets from their having the right of bearing banners. 

" It was necessary, in order to obtain the prerogative, to be not only a gentleman by 
name and arms, but also to have for vassals gentlemen who would follow theu- banners 
to the wars, under the command of the banneret. 

" Diicange cites an ancient manuscript ceremonial, which points out the manner of 
making a knight banneret, and the number of men he was to have follow him. 

" Knight.^ bannerets, according to father Daniel, do not appear in our historj- before 
Piiilip .\ugustus; tliey continued until tlie formation of companies of ordonoance by 
Cliarles the Seventh ; and from that period there were no longer any banners or knights 
bannerets. 



24 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &, 



lord of Beaumont feasted and paid many lionors to these messengers 
and commissioners from tlie English king. He then took them to 
Valenciennes, where his brother received them right honorably, and 
gave them such sumptuous entertainments as would be tiresome to 
relate. When tliey had told the cause of their mission, the count said 
he gave many thanks to the king, queen, and the lords by whose 
counsel they were sent thither, to do him so much honor ; and who 
on such an occasion had sent such able men that he most willingly 
complied with their request, il'the pope and the holy church of Rome 
were agreeable to the demand. 

This answer was fully satisfactory to them, and they immediately 
dispatched two of the knights and the clerks to the pope at Avignon, 
-to entreat his dispensation and consent to this marriage ; for without 
the pope's dispensation it could not be done, on account of their near 
relationship, being in the third degree connected, for their two mothers 
were cousins-german, being the issue of two brothers. As soon as 
they came to Avignon their business was done, for the pope and the 
college gave their consent most benignantly. 

When these gentlemen were returned to Valenciennes from Avig- 
non with all their bulls, this marriage was directly settled and con- 
sented to on each side, and immediate preparations were made for 
the dress and equipage of such a lady, who was to be queen of Eng. 
land. She was then married by virtue of a procuration, which the 
king of England had sent thither, and went on board a ship at 
Wissan, and landed at Dover with all her suite. Her uncle, sir John 
de Hainault, conducted her to London, where she was crowned ; and 
there were great crowds of the nobility, and feastings, tournaments, 
and sumptuous entertainments every day, which lasted for three 
weeks.* 

After some days sir John took his leave, and set out with his com- 
pany richly loaded with jewels, which had been presented to them 
from different quarters. But few of our countrymen remained with 
the young queen ; among whom was a youth called Wantelet de 
Manny, to attend on and carve for her, who performed afterwards so 
many gallant deeds of arms, in such various different places, that they 
are not to be counted. 



CHAPTER XX. 

KOBERT, KING OF SCOTLAND, DIES. 

After the Scots had in the night quitted the mountain, where the 
young king Edward and the nobles of England had held them besieged, 
as you have before heard, they marched twenty-two leagues from that 
desert country without halting, and crossed the Tyne pretty near to 
Carlisle, where by the orders of the chiefs all disbanded, and went to 
their own homes. Shortly afterwards some of the lords and barons so 
earnestly solicited the king of England, that a truce was agreed on 
between the two kings for three years. 

During this truce, it happened that king Robert of Scotland, who 
had been a very valiant knight, waxed old, and was attacked with so 
severe an illness, t that he saw his end was approaching ; he therefore 
summoned together all the chiefs and barons, in whom he most con- 
fided, and, alter having told them, that he should never get the better 
of this sickness, he commanded them, upon their honor and loyalty, to 
keep and preserve faitlifully and entire the kingdom for his son David, 
and obey him and crown him king when he was of a proper age, and 
to marry him with a lady suitable to his station. 

He after that called to him the gallant lord James Douglas, and 
said to him, in presence of the others, " My dear friend lord James 
Douglas, you know that I have had much to do, and have suffered 
many troubles, during the time I have lived, to support the rights of 
my crown ; at the time that I was most occupied, I made a vow, the 
non-accomplishment of which gives me much uneasiness — I vowed, 
that, if I could finish my wars in such a manner, that I might have 
quiet to govern peaceably, I would go and make war against the 
enemies of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the adversaries of the Christ- 
ian faith. To this point my heart has always leaned ; but our Lord 
was not willing, and gave me so much to do in my lifetime, and this 
last expedition has lasted so long, followed by this heavy sickness, 
tliat, since my body cannot accomplish what my heart wishes, I will 
send my heart in the stead of my body to fulfil my vow. And, as I 
do not know any one knight so gallant or enterprising, or better 
formed to complete my intentions than yourself, I beg and entreat 
of you, dear and special friend, as earnestly as I can, that you would 
have the goodness to undertake tliis expedition for the love of me, 
and to acquit my soul to our Lord and Saviour ; for I have that 
opinion of your nobleness and loyalty, that if you undertake it, it 
cannot fail of success — and I shall die more contented ; but it must 
be executed as follows : 

" I will, that as soon as I shall be dead, you take my heart from 
my body, and have it well embalmed ; you will also take as much 
money from my treasury as will appear to you sufficient to perform 
your journey, as well as for all those whom you may choose to take 
with you in your train ; you will then deposit your charge at the Holy 
Sepulchre of our Lord, where he was buried, since my body cannot 



• The englisshe cronicle saith this marriage and coronation of tlie queen was done at 
Yorke with nioclie honour the sonday in the euyn of the couersion of saynt Paule in y" 
yere of our Lord mcccx.\vii.— Lord Berners. 

t La grosse Ma^adic— leprosy. 



go there. You will not be sparing of expense — and provide your. 
self with such company and such things as may be suitable to your 
rank — and wherever you pass, you will let it be known, that you 
bear the heart of king Robert of Scotland, which you are carrying 
beyond seas by his command, since Ids body cannot go thither." 

All those present began bewailing bitterly ; and when the lord 
James could speak, he said, 

" Gallant and noble king, I return you a hundred thousand thanks for 
the high honor you do me, and for the valuable and dear treasure with 
which you intrust me ; and I will most willingly do all that you com. 
mand me with the utmost loyalty in my power ; never doubt it, how- 
ever I may feel unworthy of such a high distinction." 

The king replied, " Gallant knight, I thank you — you promise it 
me then ?" 

" Certainly, sir, most willingly," answered the knight. He then 
gave his promise upon his knighthood. 

The king said, " Thanks be to God ! for I shall now die in peace, 
since I know that the most valiant and accomplished knight of my 
kingdom will perforin tliat for me which I am unable to do for myself." 

Soon afterwards the valiant Robert Bruce, king of Scotland, 
departed this life, on the 7th of November, 1337. His heart was 
embalmed, and his body buiied in the monastery of Dunfermline. 
Shortly after died also the noble earl of Moray, who was one of the 
most gallant and powerful . princes in Scotland; he bore for arms, 
argent, three pillows gules.* 

Early in the spring, the lord James Douglas having made provision 
of everytliing that was proper for his expedition, embarked at the 
port of ?iIontrose, and sailed directly for Sluys in Flanders, in order to 
learn if any one were going beyond the sea to Jerusalem, that he might 
join companies. He remainetl there twelve days, and would not set 
his foot on shore, but staid the whole time on board, where he kept a 
magnificent table, with music of trumpets and drums, as if he had 
been the king of Scodand. His company consisted of one knight 
banneret, and seven others of the most valiant knights of Scotiand, 
without counting the rest of his household. His plate was of gold and 
silver, consisting of pots, basins, porringers, cups, bottles, barrels, and 
other such things. He had likewise twenty-six young and gallant 
esquires of the best families in Scotland to wait on him ; and all thosti 
who came to visit him were handsomely served with two sorts of 
wine, and two sorts of spices — I mean those of a certain rank. At 
last, after staying at Sluys twelve days, he heard that Alj)honso, king 
of Spain, was waging war against the Saracen king of Granada. He 
considered that if he should go thither he should employ his time and 
journey according to the late king's wishes ; and when he should 
have finished there he would proceed further to complete that with 
which he was charged. He made sail therefore toward Spain, and 
landed first at Valencia ; thence he went straight to the king of Spain, 
who was with his army on the frontiers, very near the Saracen king 
of Granada. 

It happened, soon after the arrival of the lord James Douglas, that 
the king of Spain issued forth into the fields, to make his ap- 
proaches nearer the enemy ; the king of Granada did the same ; 
and each king could easily distinguish the other's banners, and they 
both began to set their armies iu array. The lord James placed 
himself and his company on one side, to make better work, and a, 
more powerful effort. When he perceived that the battalions on each 
side were fully arranged, and that of the king of Spain in motion, 
he imagined they were about to begin the onset ; and as he always 
wished to be among the first rather than last on such occasions, he 
and all his company stuck their spurs into their horses, until they 
were in the midst of the king of Granada's battalion, and made a 
furious attack on the Saracens. He thought that he should be sup- 
ported by the Spaniards ; but in this he was mistaken, for not one 
that day followed his example. The gallant knight and all his com- 
panions were surrounded by the enemy ; they performed prodigies of 
valor; but they were of no avail, as they were all killed. It was a 
great misfortune that they were not assisted by the Spaniards.t 

* Tlionias Randolph, first earl of Moray, was very eminent in the reign of Rohert 
Bruce, who grantetl iiim the earldom of Moray, together witli the seigniory of the Isle 
of Man, asu lief, and great estates in Scotland, ahout the year 1315. He was appointed 
by the parliament in 1315 governor of Scotland, in the probable event of the minority of 
the successor, and entered on tliat office on the death of Robert. 

Lord Hailes says, in his Annals of Scotland, anno 1332 : " Randolph, in consequence 
of the English prepar.itions, assembled an army, and advanced to Colbranspath, on tlie 
frontier of East Lothian ; but having received intelligence of the naval armament, ho 
marched northwards, to provide for the defence of the interior parts of the kingdom. 
Amid the excruciating pains of a confirmed stone, he ceased not to discharge the 
dutiesofhisofflcewithactivity and vigilance. He expired on the march C20th July.) 
A man he was to be remembered while integrity, prudence, and valor, are held in 
esteem among men." 

1 have quoted the above as a more probable reason for his death than the report of 
some of the chroniclers, who have said he was poisoned by a monk, with the knowdedgs 
of Edward OL Lord Hailes has added a note to this passage, vol. ii., p. 146, which 
completely disproves it. 

t Mariana says, lib.xv. cap. 21, that the king of Arragon, although joined m alliance 
with the king of Castile against the Moors, did not bring his troops to the field. 

Lord Hailes's Annals of Scotland, anno 1330 : " The detached troops fought witll 
equal advantage, and the Moorish cavalry fled. Douglas with his companions eagerly 
pursued the Saracens. Taking the casket from his neck, which contained tlie heart of 
Bruce he threw it before him and cried, " JVoio pass thou onward as thou Kast want, 
ami Don-las mil follow tkrr. or die r The fugitives rallied— surrounded and over- 
whelniedliy superior numbers, Douglas fell, wlide attempting to rescue sir William St. 
Clare ofRoshn who shared bis fate. Robert and Walter Logan, both of them knighla, 
were slain with Douglas. His friend, sir William Keith, having had his arm broke 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



25 



About this time many of the nobles and others, desirous of a settled 
peace between the Scots and English, proposed a marriage between 
the young king of Scotland and the sister of the king of England. 
This marriage was concluded and solemnized at Berwick, with great 
feasts and rejoicings on both sides. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

PHILIP OF VALOIS CROWNED KLN& OF FRANCE. 

Charles, king of France, son of Philip tlie Fair, liad been thrice 
married, and yet died without heirs male. The first of his wives, a 
daughter of the count of Artois, was one of the most beautiful women 
in the world ; however, she kept her marriage vow so ill, and be. 
haved so liadly, that slie was long confined in prison at Chateau 
Gaillard, before her husband was king. When the kingdom of 
France devolved upon him, he was crowned by the twelve peers of 
France and all the barons, who were not willing that such a kingdom 
should be deprived of male heirs ; they therefore strongly recom- 
mended his marrying again, with which he complied, and took to wife 
the daughter of the emperor Henry of Lu.xcmburgh, sister to the gal. 
lant king of Bohemia. His first marriage, with the lady in prison, 
was dissolved by the pope of tliat day. By this second wite, the lady 
of Luxemburgh, who was modest and prudent, the king had a son, 
who died very young, and the mother soon afterwards, at Issoudun, 
in BeiTy. The cause of their deaths was much suspected, and many 
were inculpated in it, and privily punished. 

The king was afterwards married a third time, to the daughter of 
his uncle, Lewis^count of Evreux and sister to the king of Navarre. 
She was called queen Joan. Slie was soon afterwards with child, and 
at the same time the king fell sick on his death-bed. When he per- 
ceived that he could not recover, he ordered, that, if the child should 
be a son, Philip of Valois, his cousin, should be his guardian, and 
regent of the whole lungdom, until such lime as his son should be of 
age to reign ; that, if it should happen to be a gul, then the twelve 
peers and great barons were to assemble to take counsel together, 
and to give the kingdom to him who appeared to them to have the 
clearest right. About Easter 1.326, the lung died ; and it was not 
long before the queen w-as brought to bed of a beautiful girl. 

The twelve peers and barons of France assembled at Paris without 
delay, and gave the kingdom, with one consent, to Philip of Valois. 
They passed by the queen of England, and the king her son, although 




Philip de Valois, Kino of France— From an ancient picture, engraved in 
Mezernay's History of France. 

she was cousin-german to the king last deceased ; for they said, that 
the kingdom of France was of such great nobleness, that it ought not 

»-as detained from die baule. His few surviviii" companions found liis body in the 
field, togellier witji tlie casliel, and reverently conveyed tliein to Scotland. The remains 
of Uouglas were interred in tlie sepulchre of his fathers, in the church of Douglas, and 
the heart of Bruce was deposited at Melrose. 

" His natural son, Arcliibald Douslas, erected a marble monument to his memorv ; 
tut his countrymen have more elfectuully perpetuated his fame, by bestowing on him 
the name of • the good sir James Douslas.' Fordun reports, that Douglas was thirteen 
times defeated in battle, and fitly-seven times victorious. 

" Perhaps my readers will not dislike to see the portrait of Douglas, drawn by Bar- 
bour, n 15 



, p. 13. 



" In visase was he some deal gray. 
And had black hair, as I heard say ; 
But then, of limbs he was well made. 
With bones great, and shoulders braid ; 
His body well made and lenzie. 
As they that saw him said to me. 
When he was blytli, he was lovely. 
And meek, and sweet in company ; 
But who in baUle might him see. 
Another countenance had he ; 
.\nd in his speech he lispt some deal. 
But tliat set him right wonder well." 



to fall by succession to a female. They crowned the lord Philip king 
of France, at Rheims, the Trinity Sunday following. Immediately 
he summoned his barons and men-at-arms, and went with a power, 
tul army to Cassel, to make war upon the Flemings, especially those 
of Bruges, Ypres, and of the Franc,* who would not willingly obey 
their lord, the count of Flanders, but rebelled against him, and had 
driven him out of the country, sc that he could reside nowhere but 
at Ghent, and there miserable enough. 

King Pliilip discomfited full twelve thousand Flemings,+ who had 
for their captain one Colin Dannequin, a bold and courageous man. 
The above mentioned Flemings had put the garrison of Cassel under 
the command of the aforesaid towns, and at their charges, to guard 
the frontiers at that place. I will inform you how the Flemings were 
defeated and all tlirough their own bad conduct. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

THE BATTLE OF CASSEL, IX FLAHDERS. 

Those that were in the garrison at Cassel set out one day, about 
vespers, with a design to defeat the king and all his army. They 
niarclied very quietly without noise in three divisions ; the first of 
which advanced straight to the tents of the king, and was near sur- 
prising him, as he was seated at supper, as well as his whole house- 
hold. The second went to the tents of the king of Bohemia, and 
almost found him in the same situation. The third division attacked 
the quarters of the count of Hainault, and nearly surprised him : they 
pressed him so closely, that he and his people had scarce time to arm 
themselves ; and the lord of Beaumont, his brother, and his company, 
were in a similar situation. All the tlu'ee divisions came so quickly 
up to the tents, that neither the lords nor soldiers had time to assem- 
ble or properly arm themselves, and they w^ould all have been slain, 
if it had not been, as it were, a miracle of God: but by his grace, 
each of these lords defeated their enemies, and so completely, that, 
in the space of an hour, out of twelve thousand Flemings not one 
escaped. Their captain was also killed. Nor did any of these lords 
receive any intelligence of the other until the business was finished. 
Of all the Flemings not one turned his back ; but ihey were all 
slaughtered on the spot and lay in three large heaps, one upon the 
other. This battle happened in the year of grace 1338, on St. Bar- 
tholomew's day. 

The French then came to Cassel, and placed there the banners of 
France, the town having surrendered to the king. Afterwards Pope- 
ringue, and then Ypres, and all the castlewick of Bergues followed, 
and received the count Lewis their lord, and swore fidelity and loy- 
alty to him for the time to come. The king soon after set out with 
his troops toward Paris, where, in the neighborhood, he staid some 
time. He was much praised and honored for this enterprise, and for 
the service he had rendered to the count Lewis, his brother. He 
lived in great prosperity and increased the royal power. No king 
of France, it was said had ever kept so royal a state as king Philip. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

THE EARL OF KENT AND SIR ROGER MORTIMER PUT TO DEATH. 

The young king Edward of England was governed for a long time, 
as you have before seen, by the counsels of his mother, the earl of 
Kent his uncle, and sir Roger Mortimer; at last a jealousy arose 
between the earl of Kent and sir Roger, insomuch that sir Roger, 
with the consent of the queen moiher, gave the king to understand 
that the earl of Kent would shorten his life by poison, if he was not 
upon his guard, to inherit the kingdom as the next heir ; for the young 
brother of the king, called John of Eltham,was lately dead.} King 
Edward believed these tales but too readily, and ordered his uncle, 
the earl of Kent, to be arrested and publicly beheaded, before any 
could come to intercede for him. The whole country were mucli 
concerned at it, and bore an ill will to the lord Mortimer ever after. 
Not long after, great infamy fell upon the queen mother — whether 
with just cause or not I am ignorant, but it was commonly said, that 
she was with child, and in this was the lord Mortimer inculpated. 
The king was likewise informed, that the lord Mortimer had been 
the author of all the charges respecting the earl of Kent, and conse- 
quently was the author of his death, through jealousy ; and that the 
whole country believed him loyal and honest. 

The king then ordered the lord Mortimer to be arrested and brought 
to London, before him and a very great number of barons and nobles 
of the realm. A knight, by the king's command, recited all the deeds 
of the lord Mortimer, from a declaration which he held in his hand. 
Every one was then asked, by way of counsel, what sentence should 
be passed. Judgment was soon given ; for each had perfect know-' 



^ " Le Franc, Franconatus, Terra Franca, ft is part of French Flanders, and was 
yielded to the French by the peace of the Pyrenees ; it comprehends the bailiwicks of 
Bourb mr^', Cergue, St. Winox, and Furnes, and besides the capital towns of these baili- 
wicks, those of Dunkirk and Gravelines." — Dictionnaire Geographique. par Bal-dran.' 

t Lord Bemers here and in tlie previous chapter says sixteen thousand ; Dr. Sauvage 
has twelve thousand in one place and sixteen thousiiiid in another. 

X Froissnrt mistakes. John of Eltham lived more than six yearsaf^er thedeatli oftho 
earl of Kent. There were, besides his elder brother, Thomas of Brotherton, earlof Nor* 
folk, living, as well as the two sisters of the king. Joan and Eleanor. 



2G 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN. &c. 



ledge of the facts, from report and good i,^ormation. They repUed 
to fhe king's question, that he ought to suffer the saine death as si 
Hugh Spenee?, which sentence had neither delay of ^xeet^tion or 
me^cy. He was immediately drawn upon a hurdle through the city 
of London, and placed on a ladder in the midst of the market-place ; 
when he had his private parts cut off, and cast into a fire, because he 
had thought and acted treasonably. His body was then quartered, 
and sent To the four principal cities in England ; his head remained 
in London*. The king, soon after, by the advice of his council, 
ordered his mother to be confined in a goodly castle, and gave her 
plenty of ladies to wait and attend on her, as well as knights and 
esquires of honor. He made her a handsome allowance to keep and 
maintain the state she had been used to ; but forbade that she should 
ever "O out or show herself abroad, except at certain times, when any 
shows were e.xhibited in the court of the castle. The queen thus 
passed her time there meekly ; and the king, her son, visited her twice 
or thrice a year. 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

EINO EDWAKD PAYS HOMAGE TO THE KING OF FRANCE FOR THE DUCHY 
OF GHIENNE. 

After kin" Edward had administered these two great acts of just- 
ice, t he took new counsellors, the wisest and best beloved by his 
people. About a year after the coronation of king Philip of i ranee, 
when all the barons and tenants of the crown had done him fealty 
and homage, except the young king Edward, who had neither ap. 
peared, nor had even been summoned, the king ot France, by tiie 
advice of his council, sent to him the lord of Ancems, the lord ot 
Beauxault, and two clerks learned in the laws, and of the parliament 
of Paris, named master Peter of Orleans, and master Peter of Maisiers. 
These four left Paris, and travelled on to Wissan, where they em- 
barked, passed over, and landed at Dover; there they remained one 
whole day, waiting for the disembarkation of their horses and baggage. 
Then they went forward and came to Windsor, where the king and 
queen resided. They sent to inform the king of the cause of their 
journey ; when king Edward, to do honor to his cousin tne king ot 
France, invited them to his presence, and treated them with much 
favor. After they had delivered their message to the king, he replied, 
that he had not then his council with him, but he would send for them, 
and they might now return to London, where such an answer would 
be given to them as should be sufficient. Upon hearing this, and after 
they had dined, to their great satisfaction, in the kmg's apartment, 
tliey set out, and lay that night at Coldbrook : the next day they 
arrived in London. 

The king did not delay long in following them, but came to his 
palace of Westminster, and ordered his council to assemble. They 
Bent for the messengers from France, who, when they had told why 
they were come, and had given the letters sent by the king their lord, 
withdrew. The king having asked of his council what was to be 
done, it was resolved to give an answer according to the ordinances 
and style of his predecessors, and that the bishop of London should 
deliver it, which was done as follows : " Gentlemen, who are come 
hereby the orders of the king of France, I bid you welcome : we have 
heard your speech, and read your letters. Wc inform you, that we 
advise the kin"-, our lord, to pass over to France to see his cousin, 
who so kindly has sent to him ; and, moreover, to perform his homage 
and loyalty, for in truth he is bounden to it by his duty. You wiU tell 
the king, your lord, that our king and master will shortly be with hmi, 
and do all that is proper and right for him to do." _ 

After the messengers had been well entertained, and received many 
rich presents and jewels from the king, they took their leave and 
returned to Paris, where they found king Ph.hp, to whom they related 
all that had passed. The king said, he should be very happy to receive 
his cousin, king Edward, whom he had never seen. When this new-s 
was spread over France, dukes, counts, and all the nobility, made 
great and rich preparations. The king of France sent letters to king 
Charles of Bohemia and the king of Navarre, to inform them ot the 
day that the king of England was expected to appear, and to desire 
they would be present. Accordingly they came in very great mag- 
nificence. The king of France was advised to receive the king ot 
EnMand in the city of Amiens. There were great preparations made 
to get apartments, houses, and provision for him and his attendants, 
as well as for the kings of Bohemia and Navarre, who were provided 
for by him, and the duke of Burgundy. The dukes of Bourbon and 
Lorraine, and lord John of Artois, were to be there, with upward ot 
three thousand horse ; and the king of England's suite was to consist 
of six hundred horse. 

The youu"' king did not forget, in this journey to France, to equip 
himself becoming his rank : he set out from England, accompanied by 
two bishops with the bishop of Londo n ; t four earls— Henry, earl ol 

;• » Tills is not correct. His body, after hanging for two days and two niglits by the 
king's special command, through his favor, ivas granlcd to the Friars Minors, or Gray 
Friars, in London, who buried him in their church, now called Christ Church ; whence, 
many years afterwards, it was translated to Wigmore.— Dood.vle. 

T Lord Berners says "execuUons ;" a filter lemi. The death of the earl of Kent can 
scarcely be deemed an act of jitsUcc. The orisinal reads-" ces de jx grans justices," 
which last word is properly rendered esccutions. 

J Dr. Stephen Giavesend, bishop of London; Dr. Jolm_ Stratford, bishop of Winches- 
ter; Dr. Henry Burwash, bishop of Linct>In, 



Derby, his cousin-german, son of Thomas, earl of Lancaster, his 
uncle, surnamed Wryneck, the earl of Salisbury, th.e earl of Wanvick, 
the earl of Hereford ; and six barons — lord Reginald Cobham, lord 
Thomas Witgcr, the marshal of England, lord Percy, the lord of 
Manny, lord Mowbray, and more than forty other nobles and knights * 
There were upward of a thousand horse attending on and provided 
for by the king. They were two days in passing from Dover to Wis. 
san. Then the king and his company rode to Boulogne, where he 
staid one day — it was about m!d-A.ugust when the king arrived at 
Boulogne, t 

News being soon carried to king Philip, that the king of England 
was at Boulogne, he directly sent his constable, and a number of 
knights, to meet him ; they found him at Montreuil sur Mer. After 
many congratulations and professions of love, the king of England 
rode on, accompanied by the constable, and he and all his company 
arrived at Amiens, where king Philip was in all pomp ready to re- - 
ceive him, attended by the kings of Bohemia, Majorca, and Navarre, 
and a number of dukes, counts, barons, and other nobles. The twelve 
peers of France were also present, as well to do personal honor to 
the king of England, as to be witnesses when he should perform his 
homage. 

The king of England was most magnificently received, and he and 
his company remained there fifteen days, during which time many 
conferences were held and orciinances framed. 

It appears to me, that king Edward at that time did homage by 
mouth and words, but without placing his hands in the hands of the 
kmg of France, or any prince, prelate, or deputy doing it for him. 
And the king of England, by the advice of his council, would not 
proceed further in tliis business, until he should be returned to Eng- 
land, and have examined the privileges of old times, to clear up this 
homage, and see by what means a king of England was a vassal to 
the king of France. 

The king of France replied, " Cousin, we do not wish to deceive 
you ; what you have hitherto done has been very agreeable to us, and 
we will wait until you shall have retiuned into your own country and 
seen, from the deeds of your predecessors, what you ought to do." 

The king of England, taking a friendly leave of the king of France, 
and of the other princes who were present, returned to England. He 
journeyed on to Windsor, ivhere the queen received him with much 
pleasure. She made inquiries after king Philip her uncle, and after 
her other relations in France. The king, her husband, related to her 
all that had passed, and the particulars of his magnificent reception, 
and the great honors that were paid to him in France ; which were 
such that no other country could pretend to do the lilte. 

It was not long before the king of France sent into England the fol- 
lowing privy councillors : the bishops of Chartres and of Beauvais, the 
lord Louis de Clermont, the duke de Bourbon, the count de Harcourt, 
the count de Tancarville, and other knights and clerks learned in 
the laws, to attend the conference that was to be holden at London 
on the subject above mentioned. The king of England had exam- 
ined in what manner his predecessors had done their homage for 
what they held in Acquitaine, of which they were styled dukes. 
Many in England murmured, that their king should do homage to 
Philip, who had not so near a right to the crown of France as him- 
self. Neither the king nor liis council was ignorant of this ; how- 
ever, a groat parliament and assembly were holden on the subject of 
his homage. The embassadors from the king of France remained 
all the winter, till the month of May following, without being able 
to obtain any definitive answer. At last, the king of England, in 
conformity to his privileges, in which he put much faith, was advised 
to write letters in the manner of patents, sealed with his great seal, 
acknowledging what kind of homage he owed, and ought to pay to 
the king of France, which letters were in the following terms : 

" Edward, by the grace of God king of England, lord of Ireland, 
and duke of Acquitaine, to all by whom these letters shall be seen 
and heard, greeting. 

" We mttke known, that when we paid our homage to our excel. 
lent and well-beloved lord and cousin, Philip, king of France, at 
Amiens, it was required by him of us, that we should acknowledge 
such homage to be liege, and that we, in jiaying him such homage, 
should promise expressly to be faithful and true to him— which things 
we did not then do, as we were ignorant if they were due, and only 
paid him general homage in such terms, as saying, we entered into 
his homage in the same manner as our predecessors, the dukes of 
Guienne, had in former days entered into homage to the kings of 
France who for that time were, and being since better informed as 
to the truth, acknowledge by these presents, that the homage, which 
we paid to the king of France in the city of Amiens, by general words, 
was, is, and ou"ht to be-considered as liege homage, and that we owe 
him loyalty and truth, as duke of Acquitaine, peer of France, earl of 
Poitou and Montreuil ; and we promise to bear him loyalty and truth. 
That from henceforward no more disputes may arise, we promise for 
ourselves and our successors, dukes of Acquitaine, that the above 
mentioned homage shall be performed in the maniier following : 
" The kiuo- of England, as duke of Acquitaine, shall hold his hands 



» See Rymer. anno 13», for Uie names of tliose who passed over to France with kiiiG 

^tTn Rymer, there is a memorandum that Oie king embarked at Dover for France, at 
midday, the 2<jtli of JSlay, ISffl. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, & , 



27 



in tlie hands of the king of France ; and the person who shall address 
hia speech to the king of England as duke of Acquitainc, and who 
shall speak for the king of France, shall say thus : You become 
liegeman to the king my lord, here present, as duke of Acquitaine, 
and a peer of France ; and yoa promise to bear him faith and loyalty 
— Say Yea : and tlie king of England, duke of Guienne, as well as 
all their successors, shall say Yea : and then the king of France shall 
receive the king of England, duke of Guienne, by faith and mouth, 
saving any other their reciprocal rights. 

" Moreover, when the said king and duke shall enter upon his 
homage to tlie king of Fra»ice for the earldoms of Poitou and Mon- 
treuil, he sliall put his hands into the hands of the king of France 
for the earldoms of Poitou and Montreuil ; and the person who shall 
speak for the king of France shall address these words to the king 
as earl, and say as follows : You become liegeman to tlie king my 
lord, here present, as earl of Poitou and Montreuil, and you promise 
to be faitliful and loyal to liim — Say Yea : and the king, as count of 
Poitou and Montreuil, shall say Yea : and then the king of France 
shall receive the said king and earl as liegeman by faith and mouth, 
saving any other his right. And in tliis manner shall all future 
homages be paid. For this cause we deliver, for us and oiu- succes- 
sors, dukes of Guienne, after homages done, letters patent, sealed 
with our great seal, if the king of France shall require it ; and with 
this we promise to keep on our faith the peace and concord most 
amicably between the kings of France and the above mentioned 
kings of England, dukes of Guienne."* 

These letters were carried to France by the aforesaid lords, and 
the king of France ordered them to be preserved in his chancery. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

KOBEET, COUNT D'ARTOIS, BANISHED FRANCE. 

Robert, count d'Artois, was the man above all others who bad most 
assisted king Philip to gain possession of the crown ; he was one 
of the wisest and greatest barons in France, 
of the highest birth, being descended from 
kings. His wife was sister-german to PhiMp, 

whose special companion and friend he had 

been in all his fortunes ; and for the space 
of three years he managed everything in 
France — so that notliing was done without 
his ktiowlcdge. 

It happened afterwards, that king Philip 
took a violent hatred against the lord Robert, 
on account of a suit, which was brought before 
him, that regarded the county of Artois ; and 
the said lord Robert was desirous of obtaining 
it by means of a letter that he produced, and 
wliich, by all accounts, was forged. Had he 
been arrested in the first movements of the 
king's anger, he would infallibly have been 
put to deatli ; he therefore thought it pnident 
to quit the kingdom of France, and go to his 
nephew, earl John, at Namur. The king 
ordered his sister, wife of lord Robert, and 
her two sons, his nephews, Jolm and Charles, 
to be arrested and simt up in a close prison, 
out of which he swore they should never come 
as long as he lived ; and since that time, 
though many spoke in their behalf, they had 
not greater liberty, for wliich he was after- 
wards much blamed behind his back. 

The king, in his warmtli, sent to Raoul, 
bishop of Liege begging of him to challenge and make war upon tlie 
earl of Namur, if he did not put away the lord Robert from his court. 

1 he bishop, who loved exceedingly the king of France, and litde 
respected his neighbors, did immediately as the king dt^Ui The 

wh eh h^'rH" ""? *"'''"°1' ""^^'r^ *" ^'^"<i ^^''y^he lord Robert, 
wbch he did much against his inclinations. Lord Robert then wen 
to his cousin, the duke of Brabant, who received him with ..reatTov 
and gave him every comfort. " ■'^ ' 

As soon as the king knew it, he sent to say, that, if he suonorted 
hmi, or suffered h.m to remain in his territories, he should not Imve 
a worse enemy than himself, and that lie would oppress Wn by 
every means in his power. The duke, upon this, sent him ver^nri 
vate y to Argentau until he should know in what manner The kin." 
would take It The king, who had spies everywhere was soon 
informed of what had passed in Brabant ; and was so vexed that he 
simulated by money the king of Bohemia, who was cousin-.ermai 
to the duke the bishop of Liege, the archbishop of Cologne the 
duke of Gueldres, the marquis Juliers, the earl of Bar, thefords of 
Los and Fauqueniont and many other lords, who were soon allied 
together against the duke, whom they challenged, and entered his 
territories near Esbaing. They advanced as far as Hannut, and burn 
the country at two ditferent times, according to their ple asure. The 

Rv^^r .'I;LT™°'' f^ "'"'"?' '"*>™'="' of «'^ '■omase and 0,e witnesses to it, in 



king of France sent with them the earl of Eu, his constable, with a 
great company of men-at-arms. The earl William of Hainault then 
thought it time to interfere, and sent the countess, his lady, who was 
sister to king Philip, and the lord of Beaumont, his brother, to France, 
to intercede with the king for a respite and truce between him and 
the duke of Brabant. The king made many difficulties, but at last 
consented, upon condition that the duke should submit himself to 
whatever he and his council might judge proper for him to do toward 
the king of France, and toward those lords who had waged war 
against him. He was also ordered to dismiss the lord Robert from 
his territories within a certain time, wliich he was forced to perform, 
tliough much ogainst his will.* 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

KI.VS EDWARD TAKES THE CITY OF BERWICK. 

You have heard related all that passed between the English and 
Scotch, during the three years that the truce lasted : and for one year 
more the two nations were at peace. This had not happened before 
for two hundred years, during which they had been constantly at war 
with each other. 

It fell out that king Edward was informed, that the young king 
David of Scotland, who had married his sister, kept possession of 
Berwick, which of right belonged to his kingdom, and which king 
Edward his ancestor had held, and the king his father also, very peace, 
ably for a long time afterwards. He was also infoniicd, that the king, 
dom of Scotland was dependent on his crown as a fief, and that the 
young king of Scots, his brotlier-in-law, had never acknowledged it, 
or done homage for it. The king of England therefore sent embas. 
sadors to the king of Scots, to request, that he would withdraw his 
people from the city of Berw^ick, and give him possession of it, as it 
was his just inheritance, and liad always appertained to the kings of 
England his predecessors. They also summoned him to come and 
do his homage for the kingdom of Scotland, which he ought to hold 
from the crown of England as a fief. 







Berwick iton Tweed— siioiMng tlic remains of Uie old fortifieations. 



The king of Scotland took the advice and op>iions of his council 
and chief barons, and made this reply to the embassadors : 

" My lords, I and my barons marvel greatly at the claim you have 
preferred ; for we do not find that any of our ancestors acknowledged 
the kingdom of Scotland as a fief, or in any ways subject to the crown 
of England, citlier by homage or otherwise : my lord, the king our 
father, of happy memory, would never do homage to any preceding 
kings of England, whatever wars may have been made on the sub- 
ject — neither have I any intention or inclination to do it. As for the 
town of Berwick, king Robert, our father, conquered it from the late 
king of England by open war, and kept possession of it during his 
lifetime as his true heritage— I also hope and mean to keep posses, 
sion of it, and shall do everything in my power for that end. I shall 
request of you, that you would have the goodness to entreat the Idng, 
wliose sister we have married, that he would allow us to enjoy the 
same liberties as our ancestors have done, and to keep what our father 
won and held peaceably all his life ; and that he would not listen to 
any evil counsellors ; for, if any other prince should wish to do ua 
wrong, he ought to aid and defend us, from the lo\e he must bear to 
his sister, our queen." 

The embassadors replied, " Sir, we have well heard your answer, 



• For furtlier particulars respecting Robert d'Artois, his crimes, trial, &c. see the 8th 
and lOth volumes of the Memoires de I'Academie des Inscriptions, &c„ where there are 
three intercstinc memoirs concerning him br M. Lancelot, very dilferent from this account 
of Froissart, or rather of John le Bel. Tliey are loo long to be inserted as notes. 



S8 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



and will report it to the king, our lord, in the manner you have told 
it to us." They then took their leave, and returned to their king, to 
whom this answer was not very agreeable. He summoned to a par- 
liament, to be holden at London, barons, knights, and councillors, 
from the chief towns in the kingdom, to have their advice in the pres- 
ent state of affairs. 

During the term of parliament, the lord Robert of Artois arrived in 
England disguised as a merchant. The king received him very kindly, 
appointed him one of his councillors, and assigned to him the earl- 
dom of Richmond, which had belonged to his ancestors*. 

When the day of the meeting of parliament came, and the chiefs 
of the country were assembled in London, the king ordered what he 
had written to the king of Scotland to be read, and the answer to it 
from that king. He then desired they would give him such advice 
that the dignity of liis crown might be preserved. After they had 
consulted together, it appeared to them, that the king could no longer 
with honor endure the wrongs which the king of Scots did to him ; 
and they offered him such advice, that he immediately gave orders for 
every preparation to be made, not only to enable him to regain the 
good town of Berwick, but to penetrate into Scodand with so power- 
ful an army, that tlie king of Scotland should think himself happy, if 
permitted to do his homage, and make satisfaction. They added, 
that they were willing and desirous to accompany him in this expe. 
dition. The king gave them many thanks for their willingness to 
assist him, and begged of them to be ready, and properly prepared, 
according to their different ranks, to meet him at Newcastle-upon- 
Tyne by a day fi.ted. Eacli returned to his home to make prepara- 
tions. The king was not idle ; and sent other embassadors to the 
king of Scotland, his brother-in-law, to give him public notice, and, 
if he had not altered his mind, to bid him defiance. 

The day fixed on drew near ; king Edward and all his host came 
to Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and waited there tliree days for the rear 
and followers of his army. The fourth day he advanced with his 
whole army toward Scotland, and passed over the lands of the lords 
Percy and Neville, who are two great barons in Northumberland, 
and marched forward to meet the Scots. Lord Roos, lord Mowbray, 
and lord Lisle did the same. The king with his army drew toward 
the town of Berwick ; for the king of Scotland had not sent any 
other answer by the second embassadors than he had by the first ; 
therefore he had been publicly summoned and defied. The king 
advanced with his army, and entered Scotland. He was advised 
not to stop at Berwick, but to march forward and burn the country, 
as his grandfather had done before ; he therefore marched and de. 
stroyed in this excursion all the plain country, and ruined many towns 
that were inclosed with dikes and palisades. He took the strong 
castle of Edinburgh, and placed his own garrison therein. He passed 
the second river in Scotland below Dunfermline ; and his people 
overran the whole country as far as Scone, and destroyed the good 
town of Dunfermline, but touched not the abbey, for the king had 
strictly forbidden it. They conquered the country as far as Dundee, 
and took Dunbarton, a very strong castle on the borders of the High, 
lands, whither the king, and the queen his consort, had retired.t No 
one dared to oppose the English; for the Scots had all retreated to 
the forests of Jedworth, which are impenetrable, except to those well 
acquainted with the coiintry. They had carried all their moveables 
with them, and placed them in safety, and held not what was left 
behind of any account. It was not to be wondered that the Scots 
were thus dismayed ; their king was but about fifteen years old ; the 
earl of Moray was still younger ; and a youth, named William Doug, 
las, nephew of him who was killed in Spain, was of a similar age ; 
so that Scodand was destitute of good captains. 

When the king of England had run over and scoured the plains of 
Scotland, and had remained there for three months, not seeing any 
come to oppose him, he garrisoned many castles which he had taken, 
and thought by their means to make war tipon all that remained. 



* This seems to be a considerable mistake; for the eaiMom of Richmond, according 
to Dugdale, bad been in tbe family of tlie dukes of Brittany a ions time. 

" In tlie 1st of Edward III., Jolm, duke of Brittany, obtained leave to grant tbe earl- 
dom of Richmond, with tbe cnstle, and likewise tbe castle of Bowes, unto Arthur, bis 
brother rind heir. On the deaih of this John, John de Dreux, son of Arthur, did homage 
for this earldom of Richmond. He died the 16th of May, in tlie 15th of Edward III. 
John, duke of Brittany, and earl of Monfort, soon af\erthis event did his homage for it. 
It continued in this family until John, sumanied the Valiant, united himself to tiie kiiig 
of France, contrary to bis allegiance, and forfeited it Ul the second year of Richard II." 
— Dugdale's Baronaok, vol. i. p. 40. 

t " Edward appears to have been at Belford on Iiis march northward, 7th May ; Fw- 
dera, tom. iv. p. 657. So tliat it is proliable, that, m a day or two after, he came to Ber- 
wick. Froissart relates, that Edward, leaving Baliol with his forces before Berwick, 
invaded Scotland, wasted the country, penetrated as fir north as Dundee, and from 
thence marched across the island to the neighborhood of Dunbarton ; that he took the 
castJes of Edinburgh and Dalkeith, and placed garrisons in them ; and that, after having 
employed six montlis in this expediUon, he returned to the siege of Berwick. This story 
has been transcribed by divers historians, who could not distinguish when Froissart was 
well informed, and when not. 

"Froissart has placed in 1333. events which, as to many particulars, occuiTed after- 
wards. This course of six months is an impossibility ; for Edward did not come to tlie 
siege of Berwick before May. and tlie place surrendered on the 20th of July. Besides, it 
appears from the Fffidera. tom. iv. pp. 658, 664, tjiat Edward was in the neighborliood'of 
Berwick, May 27th and 30th. the 2nd, 4th, 6tli 6th, 8tli. 26th June, and the 2nd, 6tJi, and 
15t)i of July : so that he never could have been three weeks absent, and indeed, it is not 
probable that he was ever absent, from the siege. An invasion of Scotland at that lime 
could have served no purpose of conquest, and, by dividing the army, might have liad 
fetpj consequences."— Lord Hailes's Annals, 



He then made a handsome retreat toward Berwick, and in his way 
he took the castle of Dalkieth, which was the patrimony of the earl 
of Douglas, situate just five miles from Edinburgh ; he appointed a 
governor, with a good garrison. By short marches he came before 
the good town of Berwick, which is situate at the end of Northum- 
berland, at the entrance into Scotland. The king surrounded it on 
eveiy side, and said he would never quit the spot until he had reduced 
it, or the king of Scotland came to force him to raise the siege at 
the head of his army. It was well supplied with provision, and had 
a good garrison of men-at-arms from the king of Scotland, and, 
besides, was partly sun-ounded by an arm of the sea. There were 
assaults and skirmishes every day befoi'e the walls of the town, for 
those of the garrison refused to surrender themselves unconditionally, 
expecting succor to arrive, in which however they were disappointed. 
True it is that some Scottish knights formed an expedition to attack 
the English camp in the evenings, or before daybreak ; but they 
made little impression, for the English army was so much upon its 
guard, that the Scots could not make any attack with effect, or with- 
out loss of men. 

When those who were within the town saw that they had not any 
hopes of assistance, that their provision began to fail, and that they 
were so closely besieged by sea and land that nothing could enter, 
they began to treat with the king ; who was prayed to grant them a 
truce for one month upon condition that if, within that time, neither 
king David, their lord, nor any one from him, should come with a 
sufficient force to raise the siege, they should stmender up the town, 
upon having their lives and fortunes spared, and the soldiers liberty 
to return whither they would into their own country, without loss or 
hindrance. This treaty, however, was not immediately concluded, 
for the king was desirous of avoiding any conditions, to punish those 
who had held out so obstinately against him : at last he was persuaded 
to it, by the advice of his council, and particularly of the lord Robert 
d'Artois, who look a great deal of pains to bring it about. He had 
accompanied the king in this expedition ; and being always near his 
person, had often told him, from the opinions of several lawyers, that 
the crown of France belonged to him by right of blood, as he was the 
immediate heir, by his mother, to the last king. The lord Robert 
was anxious for the king's leaving Scotland, in hopes that he would 
carry his arms into France. By these and such like speeches the 
king was induced to consent to the ratification of the treaty of 
Berwick. 

The Berwickers made the king of Scotland and his council ac- 
quainted with their distressful situation, who, after much consideration, 
could not find any means to send them succors or assistance : the 
town of Berwick was therefore surrendered to the king 'St the end of 
the month, as well as the castle, which was very handsome and strong, 
and stood without the town. The marshals of the army took posses- 
sion of them both, in the name of the king. The citizens then came 
out to swear homage and fidelity to king Edward, and to acknowledge 
that they held the town from hini. The king made his public entry 
into Berwick with great pomp and sounding of trumpets, and tanied 
there twelve days. He appointed as governor thereof a knight, called 
sir Edward Baliol, with whom he left, when he quitted Berwick, 
many young knights and esquires, to assist him in keeping the con- 
quests he had made from the Scots, and to guard the frontiers. The 
king and all his people then returned toward London, and he gave 
full liberty for every man to go to his own home. He himself went 
to Windsor, where he chiefly resided, and the lord Robert accom- 
panied him, who never ceased, day or night, from telling him how 
just his right was to the crown of France ; to which the king opened 
a willing ear, and thought of it with much satisfaction. 

Thus ended the king's expedition against the king of Scots. He 
destroyed the greatest part of the country, and took many more forts 
than his people had achieved from the Scots for a long time. He 
placed in them several able and expert knights and esquires ; among 
whom were sir William Montacute and sir Walter Manny, who made 
many severe skirmishes and attacks upon the Scots, and according to 
custom were always victorious. In order the better to secure their 
entrance and retreat from Scotland, and to harass the country, fir 
William Montacute fortified the tower of Roxburgh, upon the borders 
of Scotland, and made it a strong castle, able to resist any attack. He 
gained so much favor by his enterpiises, that the king created him 
carl of Salisbury, and married him to a noble and honorable lady. 
The lord of Manny also, who was knighted on this expedition, was 
nominated a privy councillor, and highly advanced at court. True 
it is, that the Scots did greatly disturb the English ; they kept them- 
selves in the wild parts of Scotland, among marshes and forests, where 
no one could follow them, and harassed the English so constantly, 
that tliere were skirmishes almost every day ; in one of which the 
earl of Salisbury lost an eye, by his too great boldness. In the same 
forests where the Scots now hid themselves, the gallant king Robert 
had been forced to seek refuge, when king Edward, grandfather to 
the present king, overran and conquered the Scottish realm ; and 
many times was he so hard driven, that he could find none in his 
kingdom who dared to lodge him, or give him succor from any castle 
or fortress, through fear of this king Edward. 

The gallant Robert, after the king had returned to England, collect. 
ed his people together where he could find them, and reconquered his 
castles, fortresses, and cities, even as far as Berwick; some by force 
of arms, others by fair speeches, and through affection. When king 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



29 



Edward heard of this he was sorely vexed, and summoned his host, 
and never ceased until he had discomfited the Scots, and reconquered 
the kingdom. Thus it happened between these two kings : and I 
have heard it related, that king Robert recovered his kingdom live 
different times. In such manner did these two kings, who were 
looked upon as the two most gallant knights of their time^bear them, 
selves, until the death of king Edward, at Burgh on the Sands. 

When he perceived he could not recover, he called to him his 
eldest son, who was afterwards king, and made him swear, in 
presence of all his barons, bv the Saints, that, as soon as he should 
be dead, he would have his body boiled in a large caldron until the 
flesh should be separated from the bones ; that he would have the 
flesh buried and the bones preserved ; and that every time the Scots 
should rebel against him, he would summon his people, and cany 
with him the bones of his father : for he believed most firmly, that 
Bs long as his bones should be carried against the Scots, those Scots 
would never be victorious. His son, however, did not fulfil what he 
had Bworn ; but had his father carried to London and buried — for 
which miich evil befell him, as you have before heard. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

UNG PniLir OF FKANCE AND SEVERAL OTHER KNIGHTS TUT ON THE CROSS. 

About this time king Philip of France quitted Paris, accompanied 
by the king of Bohemia, the king of Navarre, and a numerous com- 
pany of dukes, earls, and other lords — for he kept a sumptuous table, 
and at a great expense — to visit his kingdom. After passing through 
Burgundy, he came to Avignon, where he was most honorably 
received by pope Benedict, and by all the college of cardinals, who 
treated him as magnificently as they could. He remained some time 
with the holy father and the cardinals, and was lodged at Villeneuve, 
out of the town. The king of Arragon came also at this time to 
the court of Rome, to witness these entertainments. There were 
great feasts and solemnities at their meeting, and they all remained 
there the whole of Lent. 

While they were there, certain intelligence came to the court of 
Rome, that the enemies of God were marching in great force against 
the Holy Land, and had reconquered almost the whole kingdom of 
Rasse,* and taken the king, who Iiad been baptised, and put him to 
the most cruel death. The infidels also threatened the holy church 
and all Christendom. The holy father preached, on the sacred festi- 
val of Good Friday, before these two kings, on the sufferings of our 
Saviour, and exhorted them greatly to put on the cross against these 
Saracens. The king of France was so much affected, that he took 
the cross, and entreated the pope to grant him liis consent, which he 
did, and confirmed it by giving him absolution for all sins and fi'ults, 
if confessed and truly repented of, and the same to all those who 
should accompany him in this holy expedition. The kings of Bo- 
hemia and Navarre, and tlie king of Arragon, put on the cross, as 
well as a number of dukes, barons, and other nobles, who were there : 
the cardinals of Naples, of Perigord, of Ostia, and the cardinal Blanc, 
adopted it also. The croisade was preached and published over the 
world, which gave much pleasure to many, especially to those who 
wished to spend their time in feats of arms, and who at that time did 
not know where otherwise to employ themselves. 

After the king of France and the lords above named had passed a 
considerable time with the pope, and had settled and managed the 
business, they took their leave and departed. The king of Arragon 
returned into his own country. The king of France and his com- 
pany went to Montpclier, where they remained a long time. During 
his stay there king Philip completed the peace which was in agita- 
tion between the kings of Arragon and Majorca. After having 
finished this, he set out on his return toward Paris, by short day's 
journeys, and at much expense, visiting his towns and castles, of 
which he had great numbers. He passed through the provinces of 
Auvergne, Berry, Beauce, and Gatinois, and came to Paris, where 
he was received with much joy. 

The kingdom of France was at that time powerful, rich, and com- 
pact, the inhabitants at their ease, and wealthy, and no talk of war. 
This croisade, which the noble king of France had undertaken to 
lead beyond sea, and of which he had declared himself the chief, 
was followed by many lords, and by some of them through devotion. 
King Philip made the greatest and most magnificent preparations 
that were ever seen to pass the seas ; those of the time of Godfrey 
of Boulogne, or any others, were not to be compared to them. He 
had engaged and placed in *be different ports of Marseilles, Aigues- 
mortes, and Narbonne, and in the neighborhood of Montpelier, such 
a quantity of ships, carracks, galleys, and barges, as might transport 
forty thousand men-at-arms and their stores. He laid in a laro-e 
stock of biscuit, wines, fresh water, salt meat, and all other provis- 
ions, in such plenty, that there might be sufficient, even if they 
remained there three years. 



He sent embassadors to the king of Hungary, who was a right 
valiant man, to request that he would make himself ready, and open 
his country to the pilgrims of God. The king of Hungary consented 
to it, and very willingly returned him answer that he was prepared. 
In the same manner the king sent information of it to the king of 
Cyprus, Hugh de Lusignan, and to the king of Sicily, who made to 
this end the necessary preparations. The king sent also to the 
Venetians, to beg that their frontiers might be opened, and sufficient 
guards and provisions collected, which they complied with, as did 
the Genoese, and all that coast. He dispatched the great prior of 
France into the island of Rhodes to make preparations there ; and 
the knights of St. John made an agreement with the Venetians for 
them to victual the island of Candia, which was under their depend- 
ence. In short, there were proper provisions made everywhere to 
receive the pilgrims of God ; and upward of three hundred thousand 
persons put on the cross, to undertake this holy voyage beyond sea. 



^licrt/, if not Rascie. Rascia, whicli is a country in Turkey in Europe. It is tlie 
northern part of Servia, and takes its name from the river which empties itself into the 
Morawe. Its principal towns are Belgrade, Semendrie, and Galombaz. This country 
had formesly kings of its own. Audran. Die. Geo. Rasse may also be mistaken for 
L,vas,m Armenia, where Cassanus king of Tharsis, and seven thousand Christians. 
were filam by the Pagans about this period.-BAENEK, p X 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

KING EDWARD IS ADVISED BY HIS COUNCIL TO MAKE WAR AGAINSS 
KING PHILIP OF FRANCE. 

At the time when nothing but this croisade was talked of, the lord 
Robert d'Artois was in England, very near the king's person, whom 
he was continually advising to make war upon the king of France 
for wrongfully withholding his inheritance. The king held many 
councils upon this subject, and consulted with his most special and 
privy councillors by what means he could maintain his right, for he 
would gladly amend himself if he knew how. The question was 
argued, supposing he should demand his right, and it was refused, as 
it was probable it would be, and he afterwards to sit quiet and not 
support his claim, he would be more blamed than if he had never 
moved in it. He saw clearly that it was impossible for him, and all 
the force he could biing from his own country, to subdue such a 
great kingdom as that of France, if he did not obtain powerful friends 
and assistance in the empire, and in other parts, by means of his 
money ; he therefore frequently demanded of his privy council what 
opinion they had on this subject. 

They at length gave this as their unanimous answer : " Dear sir, 
the question is of such importance, that we dare not advise yott 
definitively upon it, but recommend to you, dear sir, to send embas- 
sadors sufficiently instructed to the gallant earl of Hainault, whi^se 
daughter you have married, and to lord John, his brother, who has 
before so valiantly assisted you, to entreat their lordships to advise 
you how to act, for in such a matter they are better infomied than 
we can be : if they agree with you in opinion, they will give you 
counsel who are the lords most able to assist you, and also point out 
the most proper means of gaining them to your interest." The king 
agreed to this proposal, and entreated the bishop of Lincoln to under- 
take this journey through affection to him, and desired two knights 
bannerets, and two counsellors learned in the law, to accompany him 
on the embassy. They set out as soon as they could, embarked and 
landed at Dunkirk ; whence they rode through Flanders to Valenci- 
ennes, where they found William, earl of Hainault, so sorely afflicted 
with the gout and gravel that he could not move. The lord John, 
his brother, was there also, by whom they were much feasted : and 
to them they explained the object of their mission. Upon which the 
gallant earl said : " I vow to God, if the king can succeed in this, I 
shall be much rejoiced ; for as you may etisily imagine, I feel more 
interested for him who has married my daughter than for king Pliilip, 
who has never done anything for me although I am married to his 
sister. He also prevented, clandestinely, the marriage of the young 
duke of Brabant with my daughter ; on which account I will not faU 
my dearly beloved son, the king of England, in any respect, if his 
council should advise the undertaking of it. I will also give him 
every aid, as will John, my brother, now present, who has before 
assisted him. But know, that you must seek for other supporters 
more poweri'ul than we are, for Hainault is too small a territory to 
measure itself with the kingdom of France, and England lies too far 
off to be of help to it." 

" Certainly, sir, you have given us very excellent advice, and testi- 
fied great love and good will, for which, in the name of our lord and 
king, I return you my thanks," replied the bishop of Lincoln ; " but, 
dear sir, tell us the names of those lords th.at you think can best help 
our master, that we may report them to him." 

" Upon my soul," replied the earl, " I cannot think of any lords, 
that can so powerfully assist him as the duke of Brabant, his cousin- 
german, the bishop of Liege, the duke of Gueldres, who married his 
sister, the archbishop of Cologne, the marquis of Juliers, sir Arnold 
de Bacqueghen, and the lord of Fauquemont : these are the lords 
that can, in a short time, furnish greater numbers of men-at-arms 
than any I know ; they are very warlike themselves, and, if they 
choose, can easily make up ten thousand men completely armed and 
equipped ; but you must give them money beforehand, for they are 
men who love to gain wealth. If by your means the kin& my son- 
in-law and your lord, could ally himself with the lords whitai I have 
just mentioned, and were on this s?de of the sea, he might pass the 
river Oise to seek king Philip, and ofier him battle." 

The embassadors returned to London with the answer they had 



30 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &,c. 



received, wliich, when king Edward heard it, gave him much pleasure 
and comfort. News of what was going forward %vas soon carried to 
France, and by degrees magnified, so that king Philip grew very 
indifferent to this croisadc which had been preached, and of which he 
had undertaken to be the chief. He countermanded his officers 
(who were making very great preparations,) and gave them directions 
not to proceed further, until he should see upon what footing the king 
of England meant to act, as he was incessantly employed in assem- 
bling men-at-arms. 

The king of England ordered ten knights bannerets, and forty 
knights bachelors, in company with the bishop of Lincoln, who was 
a right valiant man, to cross the sea, and to go straight to Valenci- 
ennes, to treat with those lords of the empire, whom the carl of Hain- 
ault had named, and to act as he and his brother John might advise. 
When they were arrived at Valenciennes, all were emulous of the 
state they should hold, and spared no expenses ; for if the king of 
England had been there in person, they could not have done more. 

There were 



had ordered those who were in his confidence to remark whenever 
he should make a particular sign on meeting any person, and to 
murder him directly without fail, or waiting further orders, of what, 
ever rank he might be. This happened very frequently; so that 
many principal men were killed ; and he was so dreaded, that no 
one dared to speak against his actions, or scarce to contradict him, 
but all were forced to entertain lum handsomely. 

When his companions before mentioned had conducted liim to his 
hotel, each went home to his dinner, and immediately after returned 
to the street before his house, where they remained making a noise 
and brawling, until he pleased to come out and go round the town, 
to pass his time and amuse himself; and thus was he escorted until 
he chose to go to supper. Each of these soldiers had four Flemish 
groats a day, as wages, and for his expenses, which he had paid to 
him very regularly every week. He had also in every town and 
castlewick, through Flanders, sergeants and soldiers in his pay, to 
execute his orders, and serve him as spies, to find out if any were 
inclined to rebel against him, and to give him information. The 

in a town, he was banished or 




by which they gained great renown and reputation. 

among them many young knights bachelors, who had one of their instant he knew of any such bein, 
eyes covered with a piece of cloth so that they 
could not see with it. It was said they had made 
a vow to some ladies in their country, that they 
would never use but one eye until they had per- 
sonally performed some deeds of arms in France ; 
nor would they make any reply to whatever ques- 
tions were asked them ; so that all marvelled at 
their strange demeanor. After they had been 
sufficiently feasted and honored at Valenciennes, 
the bishop of Lincoln and the greater number of 
them drew toward the duke of Brabant, by the 
advice of the earl of Hainault. The duke treated 
them magnificently, and agreed afterwards to pro- 
mise his support and assistance to the king of 
England, to whom he was cousin-german, with 
all the means in his power, and to allow him to 
enter and quit his territories, armed or disarmed, 
as often as he pleased. He had also promised, 

by the advice of his council, and for a round 
■sum of florins, that if the king of England, his 
cousin, would defy the king of France, and enter 
his territories with a sufficient force, and could 

obtain the aid of the lords before mentioned, he 

would defy him also, and join him with a thou- 
sand armed men. ~~^ --' 

The embassadors then returned to Valenci- 
ennes : by their negotiations and gold, they 

prevailed upon the duke of Gueldres, brother- 
in-law to king Edward, the marquis of Juliers for himself, and for 

the archbishop of Cologne, and his brother Waleran, and the lord of 

Fauquemont, to come to Valenciennes, to treat with them before the 

earl of Hainault, who was unable to ride on horseback ; and before 

his brother John. They managed matters so well, by a plentiful 

distribution of florins among the principals and others, that they 

agreed to defy the king of France, and to go with the king of Eng- 

land whenever and wherever he pleased, and that each w^ould serve 

him with a certain number of men-at-arms with helmets suimounted 

with crests. Now is the time come when we must speak of lances, 

swords, and coats of mail ; and I inform you, that the above 

named lords promised the embassadors from England, that they would 

ally themselves with the lords on the other side of the Rhine, who 

had the power to bring a large number of men-at-arms, but they 

must first be furnished with the means to fix them. These lords 

from Germany then took their leave', and departed to their own coun. 

try; the English lords remained some little time longer with the earl 

of Hainault. They sent many messages to Raoul, bishop of Liege, 

and would most willingly have drawn him over to their own party ; 

but he would do nothing against the king of France, whose liegeman 

ne was, and to whom he had sworn fealty. The king of Bohemia 
was not sent to, because they knew he was so connected with the 
king of France, by the marriage of John, duke of Normandy, with 
the lady Bona, daughter of that king, that he would never act against 
him. 



^\ _ 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

JACOB TON AETAVELD GOVERNS ALL FLANDERS. 

DtmiNG these times of which I am speaking, there were gi-eat dis- 
sensions between the earl of Flanders and the Flemings ; for they 
would not oliey him ; nor could he venture to remain in Flanders 
without great danger to himself. 

There was in Ghent a man that had formerly been a brewer of 
metheglin, called Jacob Von Artaveld, who had gained so much 
popular favor and power over the Flemings, that everything was 
done according to his will. He commanded in all Flanders, from 
one eni to the other, with such authority, that no one dared to con. 
tradict his orders. Whenever he went out into the city of Ghent, 
he was attended by three or four-score armed men on foot, among 
whom were two or three that were in his secrets ; if he met any 
man whom he hated or suspected, he was instantly killed; for he 



killed without delay, and none were so great as to be exempted, for 
so early did he take such measures to guard himself. At the same 
time he banished all the most powerful knights and esquires from 
Flanders, and such citizens from the principal towns as he thought 
were in the least favorable to the earl ; seized one half of their rents, 
giving the other moiety for the dower of their wives and support of 
their children. Those that were banished, of which the number was 
very considerable, resided for the most part at St. Omer, and were 
called les avolez. To speak the truth, there never was in Flanders, 
or in any other country, count, duke, or prince, who had such perfect 
command as Jacob Vo'n Artaveld. He collected the rents, the duties 
on wines, and other taxes belonging to the earl, though they were 
the earl's lawful revenue, in whatever part of the country of Flanders 
he might reside ; he raised also extraordinary subsidies, which he 
spent and gave away, without rendering account to any one. When 
he said he was in want of money, he was immediately believed — 
and well it was for them who did believe him — for it was perilous to 
contradict him ; and if he wished to borrow money of any of the 
citizens, there was no one who dared to refuse him. 

The embassadors from England, and who kept such honorable 
state at Valenciennes, as you have before heard, thought among 
themselves, that it would give their king great comfort and assist, 
ance in what he was an.xious to undertake, if they could get the aid 
of the Flemings, who at that time were ill with the king of France, 
and with the earl their lord. They consulted the earl of Hainault 
on the subject ; who told them, that, in truth, it would be the great, 
est support they could get ; but he did not see how it cotdd be ob. 
tained, unless they previously could win the friendship of Jacob Von 
Artaveld. They replied, that they would directly do all in their 
power to obtain it, and soon after set out from Valenciennes for 
Flanders by three or four different roads. One party of them went 
to BnK-es, another to Ypres; but the largest went to Ghent, where 
they sp°ent such suras, that gold and silver seemed to fly out of their 
hands Thev sought friendship from all, promised largely to some, 
flattered others, where they thought it would have more effect in 
■^ainin.- their ends. The bishop of Lincoln, however, and his com. 
Banioirs, acted their part so well in Ghent that, by fine speeches and 
otherwise, they acquired the friendship of Jacob Von Artaveld, and 
crrcat favor in the city, particularly with an old knight who lived m 
Ghent where he was much beloved ; he was called my lord le Cour- 
tisien,* was a banneret, and was looked upon as the most gallant 
'••U ie Siger. a noblem an of Courtray ; by allusion In his lands of f ontreisin, com- 
monly styled the lord of Couitesy."-CAETE, vol. ii. p. 429 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



31 



knight and warlike man in all Flanders, who had served his lords 
right valiantly. This lord having kept company with the English 
lords, and much honored them (and every loyal knight sliould honor 
strangers,) he was criminally accused to the king of France for these 
distinctions he had paid the English, who instantly sent an order to 
the earl of Flanders, commanding him by some means or other to 
get hold of this knight, and to cut oft' his head. The earl, who dared 
not refuse obedience to tliis command, managed so tliat Courtisien, 
coming to the place which he had appointed, was immediately arrested 
and beheaded. This caused infinite grief to many, for he was much 
beloved by the gentry of the country, and it created much ill will 
against the earl. The English lords were so active in Flanders, that 
Jacob Von Artaveld assembled several times the chiefs of the princi. 
pal cities to confer with them on the business they were come about, 
03 well as on the franchises and friendship which the king of Eng- 
land ofl'ercd to them. The matter being fully discussed, was brought 
to this conclusion ; the chiefs of the principal towns gave their eon- 
sent that the king of England and his amiy might pass through Flan- 
ders whenever he pleased ; but as they were so much obliged to the 
king of France, they could not annoy him, or enter his kingdom, 
witiiout sutVering too heavy a penalty in a large sum of florins, and 
entreated the embassadors to be satisfied with this answer for the 
present. They returned to Valenciennes much pleased with what 
they had done. They frequently informed the king, their master, 
how things were going ; and he sent them large sums of money, as 
well for their own expenses, as to distribute among the lords of Ger- 
many, who did not wish for anything more agreeable. 

About this time, the gallant William, earl of Hainault, died on the 
sixth day of June, 1337. He was buried in the church of Cordeliers, 
at Valenciennes ; the bishop of Cambray performed the funeral ser- 
vice, and sang the mass. There was a great attendance of dukes, 
earls, and barons, for he was exceedingly honored during his life by 
all ranks of men. After his decease, the lord William, his son, 
entered upon the countiies of Hainault, Holland, and Zealand ; he 
had to wife the daughter of duke John of Brabant ; her name was 
Joan, heiress of the rich and valuable lands of Binch.* The lady 
Joan, her mother, went and resided at the monastery of Fontenelles, 
upon the Scheld, where she passed her days in a devout and charita- 
ble manner. 

CHAPTER XXX. 

CERTAI.N .\0BLES OF INLANDERS DEFEND THE ISLAND OF CADSANT 
AGAINST TUE EKGLISH. 

King Philip, informed of these alliances, and of the influence 
which the king of England had acquired on that side of the water, 
would most willingly have attached the Flemings to his party ; but 
Jacob Von Artaveld had so entirely subjected them, that none dared 
to act contrary to his will ; even the earl, their lord, could not remain 
there in safety, and had sent his wife, and Lewis, his son, into France. 
However, certain knights and esquires in garrison on the island of 
Cadsant, which lies between the havens of Sluys and Flushing, among 
whom were sir Dutres de Halluyn, sir John de Rhodes, sir Giles, son 
of the lord de I'Estrief, kept possession of it as lords paramount, and 
defended the passage. They made war underhand upon the English, 
of which the lords that were in Hainault had information, and also, 
that if they passed that way into England, they might be encountered, 
the consequences of which would be disagreeable to them. Notwith. 
standing this, they rode over the country of Flanders according to 
their pleasure, and to all the large towns ; but they were indebted 
for this to Jacob Von Artaveld, who showed them every honor and 
support. These lords went afterwards to Dordrecht, where they em- 
barked to cross the sea, and to avoid the passage of the island of 
Cadsant, where the aforesaid knights and Flemings were in garrison, 
under the king of France and the earl of Flanders, as has been already 
related. 

The Englishmen returned in the best manner and as privately as 
they could, to their own country, and to king Edward, who was right 
glad to see them, and happy in the success of their mission. When 
he heard how the garrison of Cadsant harassed his people, he said he 
would shortly settle that business, and immediately ordered the earl 
of Derby, sir Walter Manny, and some other English knights and 
esquires, to make themselves ready. They collected a number of 
men-at-anns and archers, and embarked them in vessels on the 
Thames at London : there might be six hundred men-at-arms, and 
two thousand archers. When they were all on board, they weighed 
anchor, and with that tide came to Gravesend, where they lay that 
first night. The next day they weighed and came to Margate. At 
the third tide they hoisted and set their sails, and took to the deep, 
and passed over to Flanders, when, ha'ving assembled and properly 
arranged their vessels, they approached near to Cadsant. 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

THE BATTLE OF CADSANT, BETWEEN THE ENGLISH AND THE FLEMINGS, 
ATTACHED TO THE EARL OF FLANDERS. 

When the English saw the town of Cadsant, whither they were 
bending their course to attack those that were within it, they con- 



f-.A town in the Low Countries, tliree leagues from Mons, and four ftora Maubeuge. 



sidered, that as the wind and tide were in their favor, in the name of 
God and St. George they would run close up to it. They ordered 
the trumpets to sound, and each made himself quickly ready ; they 
ranged their vessels, and placing the archers on the prows, made foU 
sail for the town. The sentinels and guards at Cadsant had plainly 
perceived the approach of this large fleet, and taking it for granted 
that it must be English, had already armed and placed themselves 
upon the dykes and the sands, with their banners in their proper posi- 
tion before them. They had also created a number of knights upon 
the occasion, as many as sixteen ; their numbers might be about five 
thousand, taking all together, very valiant knights and bachelors, as 
they proved by their deeds. Among them were sir Guy of Flanders, 
a good knight, but a bastard,* who was veiy anxious that all in Ms 
train should do their duty ; sir Dutres de Halluyn, sir John de Rhodes, 
sir Giles de I'Estrief, sir Simon and sir John de Bouquedent, who 
were then knighted, and Peter d'Aglcmoustier, with many other 
bachelors and esquires, valiant men-at-arms. There was no parley 
between them, for the English were as eager to attack as the Flem- 
ings were to defend themselves. The archers were ordered to draw 
their bows stifl" and strong, and to set up their shouts ; upon which 
those that guarded the haven were forced to retire, whether they 
would or not, for this first discharge did much mischief, and many 
were maimed and hurt. The English barons and knights then 
landed, and with battle-axes, swords, and lances combated their ene- 
mies. Many gallant deeds of prowess and courage were done that 
day ; the Flemings fought valiantly ; and the English attacked them 
in all the spirit of cliivalry. The gallant earl of Derby proved 
himself a good knight, and advanced so far at the first assault, that 
he was struck down : and then the lord of Manny was of essential 
service to him ; for, by his feats of anns, he covered him and raised 
him up, and placed him out of danger, crying, " Lancaster for the 
earl of Derby 1" They then closed with each other ; many were 
wounded, but more of the Flemings than of the English ; for the 
English archers made such continual discharges, from the time they 
landed, that they did them much damage. 

The battle was very severe and fierce before the town of Cadsant, 
for the Flemings were good men, and expert in arms ; the earl had 
selected and placed them there to defend the passage against the 
English, and they were desirous of performing their duty in every 
respect, which they did. Of the barons and knights of England, there 
were, first, the earl of Derby, son of Heniy of Lancaster, surnamed 
Wryneck ; the earl of Suffolk, lord Reginald Cobham, lord Lewis 
Beauchamp, lord William, son of the earl of Warwick, the lord Wil- 
liam Beauelerk, sir Walter Manny, and many others, who most vigor, 
ously assaulted the Flemings. The combat was very sharp, and 
well fought, for they were engaged hand to fist ; but at length the 
Flemings were put to the rout, and more than three thousand killed, 
as well at the haven as in the streets and houses. Sir Guy, the Bastard, 
of Flanders, was taken prisoner. Of the killed, were sir Dutres de 
Halluyn, sir John of Rhodes, the two brothers Bouquedent, sir Giles 
de I'Estrief, and more than twenty-six other knights and esquires. 
The town was taken and pillaged ; and when everything was put on 
board the vessels with the prisoners, it was burnt. The English 
returned without accident to England. The king made the lord Guy 
of Flanders pledge his troth, that he would remain a prisoner ; but 
in the course of the year he turned to the English, and did his homage 
and fealty to the king. 

CHAPTER XXXII. 

KING EDWARD MAKES GREAT ALLIANCES IN THE EMPIRE. 

The news of the discomfiture at Cadsant was soon spread abroad ; 
the Flemings said, that they were not sorry for it, as the earl had 
placed that garrison there without their consent or advice ; nor was 
Jacob Von Artaveld displeased at the event. He instantly sent over 
embassadors to king Edward, recommending himself to his grace 
with his whole heart and faith. He signified to the king, that it was 
his opinion he should immediately cross the sea, and come to Ant- 
werp, by which means he would acquit himself toward the Flemings, 
who were very anxious to see him ; and he imagined, if he were on 
that side of the water, his aflfairs would go on more prosperously, and 
to his greater advantage. The king of England, upon this, made 
very great preparations ; and when the winter was over, he embarked, 
accompanied by many earls, barons, and knights, and came to the 
cifv of Antwerp, which at that time was held for the duke of Brabant 
nn'iltitudes came thither to see him, and witness the great state and 
pomp in which he lived. He sent to the duke of Brabant, his cousin, 
t.) his hrother-in.law, the duke of Gueldres, to the marquis of Juliers, 
the lord John of Hainault, and to all those from whom he expected 
support and assistance, that he should be happy to have some con. 
versation with them. They all therefore came to Antwerp between 
Whitsuntide and St. John's day ; and when the king had sufliciently 
entertained them, he was eager to know from them when they could 
enter upon what ihev had promised, and entreated them to make 
dispatch : for this was his reason of coming to Antwerp ; and as he 
had all his preparations ready, it would be a great loss to him if they 
were tardy. These lords of Germany had a long consultation to- 
gether, and finally made this their answer : 

* Guy do Rickenburg. biutarJ brotliei to the earl of Flanders.-CiRTE. 



33 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



"Dear sir, when we came hither, it was more for the pleasure of 
seeing you, than for anything else ; we are not yet in a situation to 
give a positive answer to your demand ; but we will return home, 
Ind conie again to you whenever you please, and give you so full an 
answer, that the matter shall not remain with "J. 

They fixed upon that day three weeks after bt. John's day. The 
kinc of Eno-land remonstrated with them upon the great expenses 
ajwrioss he "should be at by their delays, for he thought they would 
all have been ready with their answers by the time he had come 
thither ; and added, that he would never return to England, until he 
knew what their intentions were. Upon this the lords departed, and 
the king remained quietly in the monastery of St. Bernard : some of 
his lords stayed at Antvverp, to keep him company ; the rest went 
about the country amusing themselves in a magnificent style, and 
were well received and feasted wherever they came. The duke of 
Brabant went to Louvain, and made a long slay there ; thence he 
sent (as he had done before) frequently tj the king of France, to 
entreat that he would not pay attention to any reportii that were in. 
jurious to him, for he should be very sorry to form any connection 
or alliance contrary to his interests ; but the king of England being 
his cousin-german, he could not forbid his passing through his country. 
The day came when the king expected the answers -from the above- 
mentioned lords: they sent excuses, saying, they were not quite 
ready, neither themselves nor their men ; that he must exert himself 
to make the duke of Brabant prepare to act with them, as he was 
much nearer to France, and seemed to them very indifferent in the 
matter ; and that as soon as they should for a certainty be informed 
that the duke was ready, they would put themselves in motion, and 
be as soon in action as he should be. 

Upon this the king of England had a conference with the duke of 
Brabant, and showed him the answers he had received, and begged 
of him, by his friendship and his kindred, that no delay might come 
from him. for he suspected that he was warmly inclined to the aid of 
these German lords. The duke replied, that he would summon his 
council. After bng deliberations, he told the king, that he would be 
ready the moment the business required it — but that he must first see 
these lords ; to whom he wrote, to desire they would meet him at 
whatever place was the most agreeable to them. The day for this 
conference was fixed for the middle of August, and it was unani- 
mously agreed to be held at Halle, on account of the young earl of 
Hainault, who was to be there, as well as the lord John, his uncle. 

When all the lords of the empire were assembled in the city of 
Halle, they had long deliberations together, and said to the king of 
England, " Dear sir, we do not see any cause for us to challenge the 
king of France, all things considered, unless you can procure the con- 
sent of the emperor, that he will command us so to do on his account, 
which may easily be done ; for there is an ordinance of a very old 
date, sealed, that no king of France should take and keep possession 
of anything that belongs to the empire. Now lung Philip has gotten 
possession of the castles of Crevecceur, in Gambresis, and of Arleux, 
in Artois, as well as the citv of Cambray, for which the emperor has 
good grounds to challenge him through us, if you will have the good- 
ness to obtain it from him, in order to save our honor." The king 
of England replied, that he would cheerfully conform himself to their 

advice. „ t ,■ i u 

It was then dctennined, that the marquis of Juliers sliould go to 
the emperor, and with him knights and counsellors from the king, 
and some from the duke of Gueldres : but the duke of Brabant would 
not send any ; he lent, however, his castle of Louvain to the king tor 
his residence. The marquis of Juliers and his company found the 
emperor at Nuremberg : they obtained by their solicitations the object 
of their mission ; for the lady Margaret of Hainault, whom the lord 
Lewis of Bavaria, then emperor, had married, took great pains and 
trouble to bring it about. The marquis was then created an earl, 
and the duke of Gueldres, who was but an earl, was raised to the 
dignity of a duke. The emperor gave a commission to four knights 
an°d two counsellors in the law, who were members of his counci , 
investing them with powers to make king Edward his vicar over all 
parts of the empire ; and these lords took out sufficient instruments, 
publicly sealed and confirmed by the emperor. 



of France detained the king and queen of Scotland a long time ; they 
had everything they wanted delivered to them, for but little came from 
Scotland to support their state. He sent also embassadors to those 
lords and barons who had remained in Scotland, and were carrying on 
the war against the English garrisons, offering them assistance, if they 
would not consent to any pacification or truce without his approbation, 
and that of tjieir king, who had already promised and sworn the same. 
The Scottish lords assembled, held a conference on the subject, 
agreed most willingly to this request, and sealed and swore to what 
their king had before promised. Thus was this alliance first formed 
between the kings of France and Scotland, which lasted for many 
years. The king of France sent men-at-arms into Scotland to carry 
on the war, under the command of the lord Arnold d'Andreghen, 
afterwards marshal of France, the lord Garencieres, and many other 
knights and esquires. King Philip imagined that the Scots would 
find the English too much employment at home, for them to be able 
to cross the sea ; or if they did, at all events in too small .mnibers to 
hurt or molest him. 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 

DAVID, KINS OF SCOTLAND, FORMS AN ALLIANCE WITH PHILIP, KINO OF 
FRANCE. 

ABOtrr this time, the young king David of Scotland, great part of 
whose kingdom was seized by the English, which he could not re. 
cover from the power of the king of Engl.ind, quitted Scotland, with 
his queen and a few followers. They arrived at Boulogne, and thence 
came to Pans, where the king magnificently received them, gave 
them one bf his castles to reside in as long as they chose, and sup. 
plied them with money for their expenses, upon condition that the 
king of Scotland would never make peace with the king of England 
but with his consent ; for the king of Fiance knew well that king 
Edward was taking every measure to make war upon him.* The king 

* " In such circumstances, it became necessary to provide a safe place of refuge fur 
the young king and liis consort ; Malcolm Fleming found means to convey them from 
the castle of Dunbarton into France, where they were honorably entertained." 

"Whether David 11. was conveyed into France, after the battle of Duplin, in 13S2, or 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 

KING EDWAKD OF ENGLAND MADE VICAR OF THE EMFIKE Or GERMANY. 

When the king of England and the lords, his allies, had quitted the 
conference at Halle, the king returned to the castle of Louvain, which 
he set about preparing for his residence ; at the same time he sent to 
his queen, to inform her of his intentions, and that if she would come 
to him, it would give him much pleasure, for he should not be able 
to repass the sea this year. He sent backmany of his knights to guard 
the country, particularly the borders of Scotland. AVhile these things 
were going forward, the English knights remaining with the king in 
Brabant spread themselves all over the countries of Flanders and 
Hainault, living most sumptuously, and giving princely presents and 
entertainments to the lords and ladies, in order to acquire their good 
will and favor. Their behavior was such, that they were beloved 
by those of both sexes, and even by the common people, who were 
pleased with their state and magnificence. The marquis of Juliers 
and his company returned from the empire about All Saints day ; 
and when he sent to inform the king of this, he congratulated him on 
the good success of his mission. The king wrote him for answer, 
that he should come to him on the feast of Saint Martin, and de- 
manded of the duke of Brabant to name the place where he wished 
this conference to be holden, who replied at Arques, in the county of 
Los,» near to his own country. Upon this, the king gave notice of 
it, that all his allies might be there. 

The town-hall of Arques was hung with rich and fine cloths, like 
to the presence-chamber of the king. His majesty was seated five 
feet higher than the rest of the company, and had on his head a rich 
crown°of gold. The letters from the emperor to the king were pub- 
licly read, by which the king of England was constituted and estab- 
lished his vicar and lieutenant, and full powers granted to him to do 
all acts of lav/ and justice to every one, in his name, and also to coin 
money in gold and silver. These letters commanded all those in the 
empire, and all his other subjects, to obey his vicar as himself, and 
that they should do fealty and homage to him as vicar of the empire. 
Several knights and lords swore fealty and homage before him, and 
some took advantage of the opportunity of pleading their causes, tis 
if before the emperor, and they were judged as lawfully as if in his 
presence. 

On this occasion an ancient statute was renewed and confirmed, 
which had been made in former times at the court of the emperor ; 
it directed, that tiny one meaning to hurt or annoy another should send 
him a sufficient defiance three days before he committed any hostile 
act ; and that whoever should act otherwise should be degraded as an 
evil doer. When all this was completed, the lords took their leave, 
and gave each other their mutual promises to be fully equipped, with- 
out delay, three weeks after the feast of Saint John, to sit down before 
the city of Cambray, which of right belonged to the emperor, but had 
turned'to the French. The lords then set out each for his home, and 
kinf Edward, as vicar of the empire, returned to Louvain to his queen, 
who hud lately arrived there with many of the nobility, and well ac- 
companied by ladies and damsels, from England. The king and queen 
kept their courts there in great state during all the winter, and caused 
plenty of gold and silver coin to be struck at Antvverp. 

The duke of Brabant, however, was not neglectful in sending 
frequent messages to king Philip of Franco by the Lord Lewis de 
Travehen, his special counsellor, to excuse himself; for which pur- 
pose this knight had made many dilferent journeys ; and at last he 
was commanded to remain near the person of the king, in order to 
exculpate his master, and contradict any reports that might be circu- 
lated against him. The knight did everything in his power, and 
becoming his duty. 



litter the battle of Hahd^in. 1333, is a question of little mipmlance. Our later authors 
have deeded in tavor on333. and not without probable reasons : the chief |s, that Baliol. 
the "Srd November 1332. offered to marry .Tohanna. the inlant consort of David Bruce ; 
Foid tom iv pp 831^-539 ; which he would not have done, had she been conveyed to 
France immediately after the baHle of Duplin. 12th August, 1332. This is a more spe- 
cious ar-ument than anything drawn from the Chronicle of Froissarl. where dates and 
facts are strangely misplaced and confounded, as the manner is in colloquial history."— 

""rhe county of Los had formerly its particular counts, and made part of the territories 
of the bishopric of Liese. 



THE NEW WORLD. 



3J 



CHAPTER XXXV. 

KING EDWARD ASD HIS ALLIES SEND CHALLENGES TO THE KING OF 
FRANCE. 

Winter was now over, and the summer come, wlien the feast of 
St. John the Baptist approaching, the lords of England and Germany 
made preparations for undertaking their intended expedition. The 
king of France also made his preparations to meet them ; lor ho was 
well acquainted with part of what they intended, thouy;h he had not 
yet received any challenge. King Edward collected his stores in 
England, where he made his armaments ready, and, as soon as St. 
John's day was passed, transported them across the sea to Vilvorde,* 
whither he went himself. He made all his people, on their arrival, 
take houses in the town ; and when this was full, he lodged them in 
tents and pavilions in the fine meadows along the side of the river. 
He remained thus from Magdalen day until the feast of our Lady in 
September, expecting week after week the arrival of the lords of the 
empire, especially the duke of Brabant, for whom all the others were 
waiting. When the king of England saw that they came not, he 
sent strong messages to each of tliem, and caused them to be sura- 



be enabled to march in a fortnight, when they would be quite ready; 
and, that their cause might have a belter appearance, they detemiined 
to send challenges to king Philip. At the head of this defiance was 
the king of England, the duke of Gueldres, the marquis of Juliers, 
sir Robert d'Artois, sir .lohn of Hainault, the marquis of Nuys, the 
marquis of Blanckenburg, the lord of Fauquemont, sir Arnold de 
Bacqueghcn. the archbishop of Cologne, his brother sir Waleran, and 
all the lords of the empire, who were united as chiefs with the king 
of England. These challenges were written and sealed by all, ex- 
cept the duke John of Brabant, who said he would do his part in 
proper time and place. They were given in charge to the bishop of 
Lincoln, who carried them tj Paris, and performed his message so 
justly and well, that he was blamed by no one. He had a passport 
granted him to return to his lord, who, as said before, was at Mechlin. 




Edward the Third sending a Challenge to Kino Philip— From a MS. Froissart of the 15th century 



moned to be at the city of Mechlin on St. Giles's day, according to 
their promises, and to give reasons for their delays. 

King Edward was obliged to remain at Vilvorde, where he main- 
tained daily, at his own cost, full sixteen hundred men-at-arms, that 
had come there from beyond sea, and ten thousand archers, without 
counting the other followers of his army. This must have been a heavy 
expense ; not including the large sums ho had given to the German 
lords, who thus paid him back by fair promises ; and the great force 
he was obliged to keep at sea against the Genoese, Bretons, Normans, 
Picards, and Spaniards, whom king Philip supported at his cost, to 
harass the English, under the command of air Hugh Quiriel, sir Peter 
Bahucet, and Barbenoire, who were the admirals and conductors of this 
fleet, to guard the straits and passages between England and France ; 
and these corsairs only waited for int'ormation of the war being com- 
menced, and the English king, having challenged the king of France 
as they supposed he would, to invade England and ravage the coun- 
try. The lords of Germany, in obedience to the summons, came to 
Mechlin, where, after many debates, they agreed, that the king should 

* A small town in Brabant, between Brussels and Mechlin, on the river Senne. 



CHAPTER XXXV L 

SIR WALTER MANNY, AFTER THE CHALLENGES HAD BEEN SENT, MAKES 
THE FIRST incursion INTO FRANCE. 

Sir Walter Manny, a week after the challenges had been sent, 
and when he imagined the king of France 
had received them, collected about forty 
lances, on whom he knew he could depend, 
and rode through Brabant night and day ; 
so that he came into Hainault, and entered 
the wood of Blaton, before any of his follow- 
ers knew w^here and why they were thus 
1 hastening : he then told some of his inti. 

; ;■! mates, that he had made a promise in Eng- 

.'i ' land, before the nobles and ladies, that he 

would be the first that would enter France, 
and take some castle or strong town, and 
perform some gallant deed of arms ; and 
that his intention was to push forward as far 
as Mortaigne, to surprise the town, which 
was a part of the kingdom of France. 
Those to v.hom he thus opened himself 
cheerfully consented to follow him. They 
then regirthed their horses, tightened their 
armor, and rode in close order : having 
passed through the wood of Blaton, they 
came at one stretch, a little before sunrise, 
to Mortaigne, where luckily they found the 
wicket open. Sir Walter alighted with 
some of his companions, and having passed 
the wicket in silence, and placed there a 
guard, he then with his pennon marched 
down the street before the great tower, but 
the gate and the wicket were close shut. 
The watch of the castle heard their voice, 
and seeing them from his post, began to 
blow his horn, and to cry out " Treason ! 
treason !" This awakened the soldiers and 
inhabitants, but they did not make any 
sally from the fort. Sir Walter, upon this, 
retreated handsomely into the street, and 
ordered those houses to be set on fire that 
were near the castle : full fifty houses were 
burnt that morning, and the inhabitants 
much frightened, as they concluded they 
must all have been taken prisoners ; but sir 
Walter and his company m.arched away, 
and came straight to Cond^, where they 
passed by the pond and river Haynes, tak- 
ing the road to Valenciennes; leavingwhich 
on the right hand, they came to Avesnes, 
and took up their quarters in the abbey. 
They then pushed forward toward Bou- 
chain, and managed matters so well wth 
the governor, that the gates of the castle 
they crossed a river which empties itself into 
the Scheld, and which rises near Arleux. Afterwards they came 
to a very strong castle, called Thin-l'Evfcque, that belonged to the 
bishop of Cambray, which was so suddenly surprised, the governor 
and his wife were taken in it. Sir Walter placed a strong garrison 
there, and made his brother, sir Giles Manny, governor, who gave 
much disturbance to the Cambresians, as this castle was but a short 
league from the city of Cambray. When sir Walter had performed 
these enterprises, he returned into Brabant toward the king, his lord, 
whom he found at Mechlin, and related to him all that he had done. 



were opened to them : 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 

THE FRENCH, AFTER THE CHALLENGES, INVADE ENGLAND. 

Upon king Philip's receiving the challenges from king Edward and 
his allies, he collected men-at-arms and soldiers from all quarters ; he 
sent the lord Gallois de la Bausme, a good knight from Savoy, to the 
city of Cambray, and made him governor thereof, in conjunction with 
sir Thibault de Marneil and thelord of Roye : they might be, includ. 



34 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



ing Spaniards and French, full two hundred lances. The king seized 
the county of Ponthieu, which the king of England had before held 
by right of liis mother ; and he also sent and entreated some lords of 
the empire, euch as the count of Hainault his nephew, the duke of 
Lorrain, the count of Bar, the bishop of Metz, the bishop of Liege, 
not to commit any hostile acts against him or his kingdom. The 
greater part of them answered as he could have wished ; but the count 
of Hainault, in a very civil reply, said that although he should be at 
all times ready to assist him or his realm against any one, yet as the 
king of England made war in behalf of the empire, as vicar and lieu, 
tenant of it, he could not refuse him aid and assistance in his coun. 
try, as he held lands under the empire. The king of France appeared 
satisfied with this answer, not however laying much stress on it, as 
he felt himself in sufficient strength to oppose his enemies. 

As soon as sir Hugh Quiriel, sir Peter Bahucet, and Barbenoire, 
were informed that hostilities had commenced, they landed one Sun- 
day morning in the harbor of Southampton, wliile the inhabitants 
were at church ; Normans, Picards, and Spaniards entered the town, 
pillaged it, killed many, deflowered maidens and forced wives ; and 
having loaded their vessels with the booty, they fell down with the 
tide, and made sail for the coast of Normandy. They landed at 
Dieppe, and there divided the plunder. 



CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

KINO IDWAKD BESIEGES THE CITY OF CAMBKAY. 

The king of England from Mechlin went to Brussels to see the 
duke of Brabant : liis people passed by without entering it. There 
a large body of Germans, at least twenty thousand men, joined the 
king, who asked the duke of Brabant what his intentions were — to 
go before Cambray or to desert his cause. The duke replied, that, 
as soon as he should know that Cambray was besieged, he would 
come thither with twelve hundred lances of good men-at-arms ; which 
answer pleased the king much. The king took his departure, and 
lay that night at Nivelle ; the next day he came to Mens, in Hainault, 
where he found the young count of Hainault and his uncle, who re. 
ceived him joyfully. The lord Robert d'Artois was always with the 
king, and of his privy council. He was attended by si.xteen or twenty 
great barons and knights from England, whom he carried with him 
by way of state, and also as his council. The bishop of Lincoln was 
among them, who was much renowned in this expedition for his 
wisdom and valor. The English pushed I'orward, and lodged them- 
selves on the roads in the flat countries through which they passed, 
and found provision at hand for their money ; but some paid and 
others not. 

When the king had reposed himself two days at Mons, in Hain- 
ault, he came to Valenciennes, which he entered, taking with him 
but twelve knights. The count of Hainault was already arrived 
there, accompanied by the lord .lohn, his uncle, the lord of Fagui- 
nelles, the lord of Vercliin, and the lord of Havareth, with many 
others, who attended on the person of the count, their lord. The 
count took die king by the hand, and led hi)n to the great hall, which 
was properly prepared to receive him, and as they were ascending 
the steps, the bishop of Lincoln, then present, raised his voice and 
said, "William d'Aussonne, bishop of Cambray, 1 admonish you, as 
proctor on the part of the king of England, vicar of the emperor of 
Rome, that you consent to open the gates of the city of Cambray ; 
and if otherwise you shall do, you will forfeit your lands and we will 
enter by force." No reply was made, for the bishop of Cambray 
was not present. The bishop of Lincoln continued, and said, "earl 
of Hainault, we admonish you on the part of the emperor of Rome, 
that you come and assist the king of England, his vicar, before the 
city of Cambray, with all your forces." The earl made answer, and 
said, "Willingly." They entered the hall, and conducted the king 
to his chamber. Shordy after the supper was served up, which was 
sumptuous and splendid. The ne.xt day the king departed, and 
came to Haspre on the Sellc. Having halted there two days, till the 
greater part of his forces had passed by, he set out and came before 
Cambray ; when, having fixed his quarters opposite to it, he sur- 
rounded with his anny the whole city, his forces every day increasing. 

The young earl of Hainault came thither with a large body of men, 
accompanied by his uncle, sir John, and they took up their quarters 
near to those of the king. They were followed by the duke of 
Gueldres, the marquis of Nuys, the earl of Mons, the earl of Saunes, 
the lord of Fauquemont, sir -\rnold of Bacqueghen, and all the other 
lords of the empire, allies of the king, with their forces. On the 
sixth day after the king and these lords had taken their position be- 
fore Cambray, the duke of Brabant arrived with a fine anny : there 
were full nine hundred lances, without counting the other armed 
men, of whom there were numbers. He took up his quarters at 
Ostrenant upon the Sclield, over which a bridge was thrown for the 
communication of one army with the other. The duke of Brabant 
was no sooner arrived, than he sent his challenge to the king of 
France, who was at Compiegne ; at which sir Lewis de Travehen, 
who had hitherto exculpated him, was so confounded, that he would 
not return into Brabant, but died of grief in France. 

During the siege of Cambray there were many skirmishes and 
•combats ; sir John of Hainault, and the lord of Fauquemont, as usual, 



made their excursions together, and burnt and destroyed much of the 
country of Cambresis. These lords, with five hundred lances, and a 
thousand other men-at-arms, came to the castle of Oisy, in Cambresis, 
and assaulted it so furiously, that it would have been taken, if the 
knights and esquires within had not most valiantly defended it for 
the lord of Coucy; so that little damage was done, and these lords 
returned to their quarters. The earl of Hainault and his forces came 
one Saturday to the gates of St. Quentin, and made a vigorous attack 
upon them. John Chandos, as yet but an esquire, (of whose prowess 
this book will speak much.) flung himself between the barrier and 
the gate, at the length of a lance, and fought very gallantly with an 
esquire of Vermandois, called John de Saint Dizier : each of them 
performed great deeds of valor ; and the Hainaulters got possession 
by force of the' barriers. The earl of Hainault and his marshals, sir 
Gerard de Verchin and sir Henry d'-4ntoing, were present, and ad- 
vantageously posted, as well as many others, who ventured boldly in 
the pursuit of honor. The lords of Beaumont, Fauquemont, Ang- 
hien, sir Walter Manny, with their forces, were at a gate, called 
Robert's gate, upon which they made a brisk attack ; but tliose of 
Cambray, and the soldiers whom the king of France had sent thither, 
defended themselves with so much valor and skill, that the assailants 
gained no advantage, but retreated to their quarters well beaten and 
tired. The young earl of Namur came to serve under the earl of 
Hainault, according to his request, and said that he would be of their 
party so long as they remained in the empire ; but, the moment they 
entered France, he should go and join the king of France, who had 
retained him, and entreated him to do so. This was also the inten- 
tion of the earl of Hainault, who had commanded his people, that 
none should dare to commit any acts of violence in the kingdom of 
France under pain of death. 

While the king of England was besieging the. city of Cambray 
with full forty thousand men-at-arms, and pressing it closely by dif- 
ferent assaults, the king of France assembled his forces at Peronne, 
in the Vermandois. About this time the king of England called a 
council of those irom his own country, and partieulai'ly sir Robert 
d'Artois, in whom he had much confidence, and demanded of them, 
whether it were best to enter the kingdom of France, and go to meet 
his adversary, or to remain before Cambray until he should have 
taken it. The lords of England, and his privy councillors, seeing the 
city was strong and well provided with men, provision, and artillery, 
and that it would take some time to conquer it — of which, however, 
they were not well assured, for no great deeds of arms had yet been 
performed — that the winter was fast approaching, and that they were 
there at a very great expense, gave their opinion, that the king should 
push forward into France ; for he could there find plenty of forage, 
and a great supply of provision. This counsel was followed ; and 
all the lords were ordered to dislodge and pack up their tents, pavil- 
ions, and baggage. They advanced toward Mont St. Martin, which 
is upon the borders of France, and they marched very regularly by 
companies, each lord with his own people. 

The earls of Northampton, Gloucester, and Suflolk, were the mar- 
shals of the English host, and the earl of Warwick was the constable 
of England. They easily passed the river Scheld, not far from Mont 
St. Martin, for it is not very wide at that place. When the earl of 
Hainault had accompanied the king of England as far as the boun- 
daries of the Empire, so that if he passed the Scheld he would be in 
the kingdom of France, he took his leave, saying he would not ad- 
vance i'urther with him at this time ; for as he had been sent to, and 
his aid requested by king Philip, his uncle, whose ill-will he wished 
not to incur, he would go serve him in France, as he had served the 
king of England in the Empire. The king replied, "God assist you." 
The earls of Hainault and Namur then turned back, and went to 
Quesnoy with all their troops ; the earl of Hainault disbanded the 
greater part of his, but desired of them to hold themselves in readi- 
ness, for he should shortly go to the assistance of the king of France, 
his uncle. 



CHAPTER XXXIX. 

KINO EI»VARD CREATES SIR HENRY OF FLANDERS A KNIGHT,* AND AFTER- 
WARDS HIARCHES INTO FICARDY. 

.\s soon as the king of England had passed the Scheld, and had 
entered the kingdom of France, he called to him the lord Henry of 
Flanders, who was but a young esquire, and knighted him — at the 
same time giving him two hundred pounds sterling a year, properly 
secured in England. The king was lodged in the abbey of Mont St. 
Martin, where he remained two days; his troops were scattered 
round about in the country. The duke of Brabant was quartered at 
the monastery of Vaucelles. When the king of France, who was at 
Compifegne, heard this news, he increased his forces everywhere, and 
sent the earl of En and Guines, his constable, with a large body of 
men-at-arms, to St. Quentin, to guard that town and the frontiers 
against his enemies. He sent the lords of Coucy and of Ham to 
their casdes, and a great number of men-at-arms to Guise, Ribemont,. 
Bouchain, and die neighboring fortresses on the borders of his king. 

* His name was Henry Entn. He was eight years afterwards knightcil. or, more pro. 
bably made o banneret, by the prince of Wales, who settled on him one hundred marks 
for liis life, payable from llie manor of Bradeaash in the county of Devon. He was also 
the twenty-fourtli knight of the garter.— .'Vsn.MOLE. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, .FRA NO E, SPAIN, <Stc. 



35 



dom; and came himself to Pcronnc, in the Vcrmandois. During the 
time the king of England was at the abbey of Mont St. Martin, his 
people overran the country as far as Bapaume, and very near to 
Peronne and St. Quentin : they found it rich and plentiful, for there 
liad ndt been any wars in those parts. 

Sir Henry of Flanders, to do credit to his newly acquired knight- 
hood, and to obtain honor, made one of a party of knights, who were 
conducted by sir Jo)m de Hainault. There were among them the 
lords of Fauquemont, Bergues, Vaudresen, Lens, and many others, 
to the number of five hundred combatants : they had a design upon 
a town in tlic neigliborhood, called Hennecourt, whitlier the greater 
number of the inhabitants of the country had retired, who, confiding 
in the strength of this fortress, had carried with tliem all their move- 
ables. Sir Arnold of Baequeghen and sir William du Danor had 
already been there, but 'had done nothing: upon which all these 
lords had collected together, and were desirous of going thither to do 
their utmost to conquer it. There was an abbot at that time in 
Hennecourt of great courage and understanding, who ordered bar- 
riers to be made of wood-work around the town, and likewise to be 
placed across the street, so that there was not more than half a fool 
from one post to another ; he tlien collected armed men, provided 
stones, quick-linre, and such like instruments of annoyance, to guard 
tliem. As soon as the lords above-mentioned came there, the abbot 
posted his people between the barriers and the gate, and flung the 
gate open ; the lords dismounted and approached the barriers, which 
were very strong, sword in hand, and great strokes were given to 
those within, who defended themselves very valiantly. Sir Abbot 
did not spare himself; but, having a good leathern jerkin on, dealt 
about his blows manfully, and received as good in his turn. Many 
a gallant action was performed ; and tliose witliin the barriers flung 
upon the assailants stones, logs, and pots full of lime, to annoy them. 

It chanced that sir Henry of Flanders, who was one of the fore, 
most, with his sword attached to his wrist, laid about him at a great 
rate ; he came too near the abbot, who caught hold of his sword, 
and drew him to the barriers with so much force, that his arm was 
dragged through the grating, for he could not quit his sword with 
honor. The abbot continued pulling, and had the grating been wide 
enough, he would have had him through, for his shoulder had passed, 
and he kept his hold, to tiie knight's great discomfort. On thi? other 
side, his brother knights were endeavoring to draw him out of his 
hands ; and this lasted so long, tliat sir Henry was sorely hurt : he 
was, however, at last rescued — but liis sword remained with the 
abbot. And at the time I «as writing this book, as I passed through 
that town, the monks showed me this sword, wdiieh was kept there, 
much ornamented. It was there that I learnt all the truth of this 
assault. Hennecourt was^nery vigorously attacked that day ; and it 
lasted until vespers. Many of the assailants were killed or wounded. 
Sir John of Hainault lost a knight from Holland, called sir Herman, 
who bore for arms a fess compone gules, and in chief, three buckles 
azure. When the Flemings, Hainaulters, English, and Germans, 
who were there, saw the courage of those within the town, and that, 
instead of gaining any advantage, they were beaten down and 
wounded, they retreated in the evening, carrying with them to their 
quarters the wounded and bruised. 

On the ne.xt morning the king departed from Mont St. Martin, and 
ordered, under pain of death, that no damage should be done to the 
abbey, which was observed. They then entered the Vermandois, and 
at an early hour took up their lodgings on Mont St. Quentin. They 
were in a regular order of battle ; and those of St. Quentin might 
have encountered them, had they chosen it, but they had no desire 
to issue out of the town. The scouts of the army went up to the 
barriers, and skirmished with those who were there. The constable 
of France and sir Charles le Blois drew up their people in order of 
batrte before the barriers ; and when tlie Englishmen, among wliom 
were the earl of Suffolk, the earl of Northampton, sir Reginald Cob. 
ham, and many others, saw the manner in which it was done, they 
retreated to the main army of the king, which remained encamped 
on the hill until four o'clock the next morniiig. A council was then 
held, to consider whether they should march straight into Franje, or 
draw toward Tierache, keeping near the borders of Hainault.' By 
the advice of the duke of Brabant, the latter plan was followed, as 
from that country tliey drew all their provision ; and they resolved, 
that if king Philip should follow them with his army, as they sup. 
posed he would, they would wait for him in the plains, and give him 
batfle without fail. They then set out from Mont St. Quentin, 
ranged in a regular order, in three battalions. The marshals and the 
Germans led the van, the king of England the centre, and the duke 
of Brabant the rear ; they advanced not more than three or four 
leagues a day, halting early, but burning and pillaging all the coun- 
try they passed through. 

A troop of English and Germans crossed the river Somme, a little 
below the abbey of Vermans, to which they did much damage : ano- 
ther troop under the command of Sir John of Hainault, and the lords 
of Fauquemont and Baequeghen, went by a diiferent road, and came 
to Origuy St. Benoit,* a tolerably good town, but weakly inclosed ; 
so that it was soon taken by assault, robbed, and pillaged, an abbey 
of nuns violated, and the whole town burnt. They then marched 
forward toward Guise and Riberaont. The king of England came 



and lodged at Vchories, where he remained a whole day, while hi.s 
people overran all the country thereabouts, and laid it waste. The 
king then took his road to la Flamengrie, in his way to I'Eschelle, ia 
Tierache :^ the marshals, with the bishop of Lincoln, accompanied by 
upward ot five hundred lances, crossed the river Trisagee, entered 
the Laonnois, near the estate of the lord of Coney, and burnt St. Gou- 
vin and the town of Marie. They lay one night at Vau, below Laon, 
and the ne.xt day returned to the main army, as they had learnt from 
some of their prisoners that king Philip of France was come to St. 
Quentin with one hundred thousand men, and there intended to cross 
the river Somme. They burnt in their retreat a very good town 
called Crecy-sur-Selle, witli a great many others, as well as villages, 
in that neighborhood. 

We must now speak of the expedition of sir John of Hainault, who 
had with him full five hundred fighting men. He came first to Guise, 
which he burnt, and destroyed the mills. In the fortress was the 
lady Jane, his daughter, wife of Lewis earl of Blois; slie begged of 
her father to spare the lands and heritage of his son.in.law ; but in 
vain, for sir John would not depart, until he had completed the pur. 
pose of his expedition. He then returned to tlie king, w'ho was lodged 
in the abbey of Sarnaques, while his people oven'an the country. The 
lord of Fauquemont led six score German lances to Lonnion, in 
Tierache, a large level town; the inhabitants of which had almost all 
retired with what they could carry ofi" into the woods, and there had 
fortified their position, by cutting down large trees. The Germans 
t'ollowed them, and being joined by sir Arnold Baequeghen and his 
company, they atacked the people of Lonnion in the wood, who 
defended themselves as well as they could : but they were over- 
powered and obliged to flee. There were about forty killed and 
wounded, and all they brought there plundered. Thus was this 
country ruined without any hindrance ; and the English acted as they 
thought proper. 



* A smixll town in Picardy. three leagues from St. Quentin. 



CHAPTER XL. 

TUE KliVGS OF FRAXCE AND OF ENGLAND APPOINT A DAT FOR THEIR 
AKMIES TO ENCASE. 

Ki.vs Edward set out from Sarnaques, and came to Montreuil, 
where he lay one day, and on the morrow to la Flamengrie, where 
he cantoned all his people near him : tlieir numbers amounted to 
more than forty thousand men. He held a council, and resolved, that 
he would wait for king Philip and his army, and would there offer 
them battle. The king of France had left St. Quentin, where he was 
daily receiving reinforcements, with all his army, and advanced as far 
as Vironfosse, where he stopped, and ordered his army to halt, saying 
he would not move further, before he fought the king of England 
and his allies, who were not more than two leagues distant. As soon 
as the earl of Hainault, who had remained at Quesnoy with his men. 
at-anns, was infonned that the king of France was at Vironfosse, in 
expectation of giving battle, he pushed forward and joined the army 
of France with about five hundred lances, and presented himself 
before his uncle, who did not receive him very graciously, because 
he had been with his adversary before Cambray ; neveilheless the 
earl excused himself so handsomely, that the king and his counsellors 
were well enough satisfied. It was ordered by the marshals, that is 
to say, by the marshals Bertrand and De Trie, that the earl should be 
posted veiy near to the English army. The quarters of the two kings 
were on the plain between Vironfosse and la Flamengrie, without 
any advantage of ground ; and in the memory of man there had not 
been so fine an assembly of great lords ; for the king of France wag 
there in person, and had with him king Charles of Bohemia, the king 
of Navarre, and the king of Scotland, dukes, counts, barons, and 
knights without number, and they were daily increasing. 

When the king of England had halted in the champaign country 
of Tierache, as you have before heard, he was informed, that the. 
king of France was within two leagues of him, and eager to give 
him battle ; he therefore summoned the chiefs of his anny, and de- 
manded of them the best method of preserving his honor, as his 
intention was to accept the combat. The lords looked at each other, 
and requested the duke of Brabant to give his opinion. The duke 
replied, that he was for fighting, as they could not depart honorably 
without it; and he advised, that a herald should be sent to the king 
of France, to ofler him battle, and to fix the day. A herald, who 
belonged to the duke of Gueldres, and spoke French well, had this 
commission. After being informed what he was to say, he rode to 
the French army, and coming to the king and his counsellors, told 
them, that the king of England, having lialted in the plains, demanded 
and required the combat of one army against the other. To this 
king Philip answered willingly, and appointed the Friday following 
for the day, this being Wednesday. The herald returned back, well 
clothed with handsome furred mantles, which the king and lords of 
France had given him for the sake of the news he had brought, and 
related the good cheer he had received. The day being thus fixed, 
information of it was given to the captains of either army, and everj' 
one made his preparations accordingly. 

On the Thursday morning, two knights belonging to the earl of 
Hainault, the lords of Faguinelles and Tupegny, mounted their steeds ; 
and these two leaving their own army, act out to riew that of the 



36 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



English. They rode on for some time boldly along the line of the 
English army ; when it chanced that the horse of the lord of Fagui- 
nelles took fright, ran off in spite of all the eflbrts of his master, and 
carried him, whether he would or no, to the quarters of the enemy. 
He fell into the hands of the Gennans, who, soon perceiving he did 
not belong to their party, surrounded him and his horse, and took 
him prisoner. He remained prisoner to five or si.i; German gentle. 
men, who immediately ransomed him. When they found out that 
he was a Hainaulter, they asked him whether he knew sir John of 
Hainault ; he replied, Yes, and begged of them, for the love of God, 
to carry him to him, because he was sure he would be security for 
his ransom. The Germans were delighted at this, and carried him 
to sir John, who pledged himself for his ransom. The lord of Fagui- 
nelles thereupon returned to the army of Hainault, to his earl and 
other lords. His steed was returned to him through the entreaties of 
the above lord of Beaumont. Thus passed that day, without any 
other thing occurring worthy of being recorded. 



CHAPTER XLI. 

THE KINGS OF FRANCE AND ENGLAND DRAW UP THEIK ARMIES IN BATTLE 
ARRAY AT VIRONFOSSE. 

When Friday morning was come, the two armies got themselves 
in readiness, and heard mass, each lord among his own people, and 
at his own quarters : many took the sacrament and confessed them- 
selves. We shall speak first of the English order of battle, which 
was drawn out on the plain, and formed three battalions of infantry. 
They placed tlieir horses and baggage in a small wood behind them, 
and fortified it. The first battalion was commanded by the duke 
of Gueldres, the marquis of Nuys, the marquis of Blanckenburg, sir 
John de Hainault, the earls of Mons and Savines, the lord of Fauque. 
mont, sir William du Fort, sir Arnold de Bacqueghen, and the Ger- 
mans. There were twenty-two banners and sixty pennons; and the 
"whole consisted of eight thousand good men. 

The second battalion was under tlie duke of Brabant, with whom 
were the barons and knights of his country. First, the lord of Kus, 
the lord of Breda, the lord of Berques, the lord of Rodas, the lord of 
Vauselaire, the lord Broguinal, the lord d'Eslonnevort, the lord of 
Wyten, the lord d'Elka, the lord of Cassebegne, the lord of Duffle, 
sir Thierry de Valcourt, sir Rasse de Gres, sir John de Cassebegne, 
sir Walter de Hautebergue, the three brothers De Harlebeque, sir 
John Fitifee, sir Giles de Cotterebe, sir Henry of Flanders, whom we 
had before occasion to mention, and several other barons and knights 
of Flanders, who were under the banner of the duke of Brabant ; 
that is to say, the lords of Hallain and Guiten, sir Hector Villains, sir 
John of Rhodes, sir Vauflart de Guistellcs, sir William d'Estrates, 
sir Gossuin de la Muelle, and many more. The duke of Brabant 
had with him t^venty-four banners and eighty pennons ; the whole 
amounting to seven thousand men. 

The third battalion, which was the greatest, was commanded by 
the king of England in person. With him were, his cousin, the 
earl of Derby, son of the earl of Lancaster, the bishop of Lincoln, 
the bishop of Durham, the earl of Salisbury, the earls of Northamp- 
ton and Gloucester, the earl of Suffolk, sir Robert d'Artois, who was 
called earl of Richmond, the earl of Hereford, sir Reginald Cobham, 
the lord Percy, the lord Roos, the lord Mowbray, sir Lewis and sir 
John Beauchamp, the lord Delaware, the lord Lincoln, the lord Bas- 
set, the lord Fitzwalter, sir Walter Manny, sir Hugh Hastings, sir 
John Lisle, and many others, whont I cannot name. The king 
created many knights; among whom was sir John Chaiulos,* whose 
numerous acts of prowess are recorded in this book. The king had 
twenty-eight banners and ninety pennons ; and there miglit be in Itis 
division about six thousand men-at-arms, and the same number of arch- 
ers. Ho had formed on his wing another battalion, under the com- 
mand of the earl of Warwick, the earl of Pembroke, the lord Berkeley, 
the lord Molins, and some others, who were on horseback, in order to 
rally those that might be thrown into disorder, and to serve as a rear, 
guard. When evei-ytliing had been thus arranged, and each lord under 
his proper banner, as had been ordered by the marshals, the king 
mounted an ambling palfrey, and, attended only by sir Robert d'Artois, 
sir Reginald Cobham, and sir Walter Manny, rode along the line of his 
army, and right sweetly entreated the lords and their companions, 
that they would aid him to preserve his honor, which they all promised. 
He then returned to his own division, set himself in battle array as 
became him, and ordered that no one should advance before the 
banners of tlie marshals. 

We will now speak of the king of France, as it has been related 
by those who were present. There were eleven score banners, four 
kings, six dukes, twenty-six earls, upward of five thousand knights, 
and more than forty thousand common men. With Philip do Valois, 
king of France, were, the kings of Bohemia, of Navarre, and of Scot- 
land ; the dukes of Normandy, Brittany, Burgundy, Bourbon, Lorrain, 
and Athens ; the earls of Alen^on (the king's brother,) of Flanders, 
of Hainault, of Blois, of Bar, of Forets, of Foix, of Armagnac, the 
earl dauphin of Auvergne, the earls of tongueviUe, of Estampes, of 
VendOme, of Harcourt, of St. Pol, of Guines, of Boulogne, of Roussy, 



of Dammartin, of Valentinois, of Auxerrc, of Sancerre, of Geneve, 
of Dreux ; and from Gascony and Languedoc so many earls and 
viscounts, that it would take up too much time to name them. It 
was a fine sight to see the banners and pennons flying in the plain, 
tlie barbed horses, the knights and esquires richly anned. The 
French were fonned in three large battalions, each consisting of 
fifteen thousand men-at-arms, and twenty thousand men on foot. 



CHAPTER XLII. 

THE TWO KINGS RETIRE FROM VIRONFOSSE WITHOUT GIVING BATTLE. 

It was a matter of much wonder how two such fine armies could 
separate without fighting. But the French were of contrary opinions 
among themselves, and each spoke out his thoughts. Some said it- 
would be a great shame, and very blameable, if the king did not 
give battle when he saw his enemies so near him, and drawn up in 
his own kingdom in battle array, in order to fight with him according 
to his promise : others said it would exhibit a singular instance of 
madness to fight, as they were not certain that some treachery was 
not intended ; besides, if fortune should be unfavorable, the king 
would run a great risk of losing his kingdom, and if he should con. 
quer his enemies, he would not be the nearer to gain possession of 
England, or of the land of the allies. Thus the day passed until n£ar 
twelve o'clock in disputes and debates. About noon a hare was 
started in the plain, and ran among the French army, who began to 
make a great shouting and noise, which caused those in rear to imag. 
ine the combat was begun in front, and many put on their helmets,- 
and made ready their swords. Several new knights were made, 
especially by the earl of Hainault, who knighted fourteen, and they 
were ever after called kuigfits of the hare. 

In this situation the two armies remained all Friday, without 
moving, except as has been mentioned. In the midst of the debates 
of the council of the king of France, letters were brought to the king 
from Robert king of Sicily addressed to him and his council. This 
king Robert was, as they said, a very great astrologer and full of deep 
science ; he had often cast the nativities of the kings of France and 
England, and had found, by his astrology and the influence of the 
stars, that, if the king of France fought with the king of England in 
person, he would surely be defeated ; in consequence of which, he^. 
as a wise king, and much fearing the danger and peril of his cousin 
the king of France, had sent long before letters, most earnestly to re. 
quest king Philip and his council never to give battle to the English 
when king Edward should be there in person. These doubts, and 
this letter from the king of Sicily, made many of the lords of France 
sore disheartened, of which the king was informed, who. notwith- 
standing, was very eager for the combat ; but he w^as so strongly dis- 
suaded from it, that the day passed quietly, and each man retired to 
his quarters. 

When the earl of Hainault saw that there was na likelihood of a 
battle, he departed with all his people, and returned to Quesnoy. The 
king of England, llie duke of Brabant, and the other lords, began to 
prepare tor their return, packed up their baggage, and came that Fri- 
day night to Avesnes, in Hainault, where they took up their quarters, 
and in its neighborhood. The next day the Germans and Brabanters 
took their leave, and returned to their homes. The king of England 
went to Brabant with the duke, his cousin. 

The king of France, the Friday afternoon that the two armies had 
been drawn out in order of battle, retired to his lodgings, very angry 
that the combat had not taken place ; but those of his council told 
him he had acted right well, and had valiantly pursued his enemies, 
insomuch that lie had driven them out of his kingdom, and the king 
of England must make many such e.xpeditions before he could con- 
quer the kingdom of France. The next day king Philip gave per- 
mission for all to depart, dukes, barons, knights, &c., most courteously 
thanking the leaders for having come so well equipped to serve and 
assist him. Thus ended this great expedition, and every man re- 
turned. to his own house. The king of France went to St. Omer, and 
gave there his principal orders for public affairs. He dispatched a 
great number of men-at-arms into his garrisons, especially to Tournay, 
Lisle, and Douay, and to all the towns bordering on the empire. He 
sent sir Godemar du Fay to Tournay, and made him governor-gen- 
eral and regent of all the country thereabout, and sir Edward de Bean- 
jeu to Mortaigne ; and when he had ordered the rest of his business 
to his liking, he drew toward Paris. 



* Neither Lord Bemei-s' nor Sauvage's editibn make mention of this creation of 
Jinight?, but speak of sir John Chandos as already a knishl.— Ed. 



CHAPTER XLIII. 

KING EDWARD ASSUMES THE ARMS AND TITLE OF KING OF FRANCE. 

When king Edward had departed from La Flamengrie, and arrived 
in Brabant, he set out straight for Brussels, whither he was attended 
by the duke of Gueldres, the duke of Juliets, the marquis of Blanck- 
enburg, the earl of Mons, the lord John of Hainault, the lord of Fan- 
quemont, and all the barons of the empire, who were allied to him, as 
they wished to consider what was next to be done in this war which 
tliev had begun. For greater expedition, they ordered a conference 
to be balden in the city of Brussels, and invited Jacob von Artaveld 
to attend it, who came thither in great array, and brought with him all 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &e. 



37 



the councils from the principal towns of Flanders. At this parliament, 
the king of England was advised, by his allies of the empire, to solicit 
the Flemings to give him their aid and assistance in this war, to chal- 
lenge the king of France, to follow king Edward wherever he should 
lead them, and in return he would assist them in the recovery of Lisle, 
Douay and Bethune. The Flemings heard this proposal with pleasure ; 
but they requested of the king, that they might consider of it among 
themselves, and in a short time they would give their answer. The 
king consented, and soon after they made this reply : 

" Beloved sire, you fomierly made us a similar request ; and we are 
I* willing to do everything in reason for you, without prejudice to our 
honor and faith — but we are pledged by promise on oath, under a 
penalty of two millions of florins, to the apostolical chamber, not to 
act offensively against the king of France in any way, whoever he 
may he, without forfeiting this suMi, and incurring the sentence of 
exconimunicaiion : but if you will do what we will tell you, you will 
find a remedy ; which is, that you take the arms of France, quarter 
them with those of England, and call yourself king of France. We 
will acknowledge your title as good, and we will demand of you 
quittance for the above sum, which you will grant us as king of 
Franco : thus we shall be absolved, and at liberty to go with you 
wherever you please." 

The king summoned his council, for he was loth to take the title 
and arms of France, seeing that at present he had not conquered any 
part of that kingdom, and it was uncertain whether he ever should : 
on the other hand, he was unwilling to lose the aid and assistance of 
the Flemings, who could be of greater service to him than any others 
at that period. He consulted, therefore, with the lords of the empire, 
the lord Robert d'Artois, and kis most privy councillors, who, after 
having duly weighed the good and bad, advised him to make for 
answer to the Flemings, that if they would engage, under their seals, 
to the agreement of aiding him to carry on the war, he would wil- 
lingly comply with their conditions, and would swear to assist them 
in the recovery of Lisle, Douay, and Bethune ; to which they willingly 
consented. .4 day was fixed for them to meet at Ghent, where the 
king and the greater part of the lords of the empire, and in general 
the councils from the different towns in Flanders, assembled. The 
above-mentioned proposals and answers were then repeated, sworn to, 
and sealed ; and the king of England bore the arms of France, 
quartering them with those of England : he also took the title of king 
of France from that day forward, and maintained it, until he laid it 
aside by a certain agreement, as will be hereafter related in this book. 

At this conference held at Ghent, the lords engaged the summer 
ensuing to make an active war in France, and promised to besiege 
the city of Tournay. The Flemings were much rejoiced at this, for 
they thought they should be strong enough to conquer it ; and if it 
were once under the protection of the king of England, they could 
easily recover Lisle, Douay, Bethune, and all their dependencies, 
which of right belonged to the country of Flanders. The lords and 
the councils w'ere still at Ghent, much wondering why those of the 
country of Hainault had not come to this conference ; but such proper 
excuses were sent, that the king and the others were satisfied. 

Things remained on this footing, when the lords took their leave, 
and set out for their own country. The king of England went to 
Antweqj ; but the queen remained with her train at Ghent, where she 
was often visited and comforted by Jacob von Artaveld and other 
lords and ladies of Ghent. The king left in Flanders the earls of 
Salisbury and of Suffolk, who went to the town of Ypres, which they 
ganusoned, and thence harassed much those of Lisle and its environs. 
When the king's vessel was ready, he embarked with a numerous 
attendance at Antwerp, and sailed for London, where he arrived 
about St. Andrew's day, 1339, and was joyfully received by his sub- 
jects, who were anxious for his return. Great complaints were made 
to him of the ravages which the Normans, Picards, and Spaniards 
had committed at Southampton; upon which he answered, that, 
whenever it came to his turn, he would make them pay dearly for it 
— and he kept his word before the end of that year. 



CHAPTER .XLIV. 

THE TKENCH DESTROY THE TEEKITOKIES OF SIR JOHN OF lIAINAtJLT. 

King PniLir, after his return to Paris, had disbanded his army ; but 
he had sent strong reinforcements to the navy which he had at sea, 
under the command of Quiriel, Eahucet, and Barbenoire. These 
three master corsairs had under them a number of Genoese, Normans, 
Picards, and Bretons, as soldiers, and had done this winter much 
damage to the English : they frequently came near Sandwich, Rye, 
Winchelsea, and Dover, upon the English coast, and were much 
dreaded, for they had upward of sixty thousand soldiers, and none 
durst leave the English ports, for fear of being pillaged and put to 
death. These seamen had gained considerably for the king of France 
during the course of the winter, and, in particular, had taken the ship 
Christopher, richly laden with money and wool, which the English 
were carrying to Flanders. This vessel had cost the king of England 
a very large sum. When taken by the Normans and otliers, it was 
pillaged, and all on board put to death. The French afterwards spoke 
much of this capture, and made great boastings respecting it. 

The king of France was continually thinking how he coidd re- 



venge himself on liis enemies, and especially on sir John of Hainault, 
who had done him, as he had been informed, much mischief ; such 
as conducting king Edward into the countries of Cambresis and 
Tierache, and burning and destroying all he passed through. He 
wrote therefore to my lord de Beaumont, lord of Bresne, to the vidame 
of Chalons, to the lord John de la Bone,* to the lords John and 
Gerald de Loire; ordering them to collect a body of men, and make 
an incursion upon the lands of the lord John of Hainault, and burn 
them without delay. These lords obeyed the king's command, and 
secretly collected so many, that they amounted to five hundred 
armed men, with whom they one morning came before the town of 
Chimay, entered it, and made a large booty ; for the inhabitants 
never imagined the French would advance so far into the country, or 
venture to pass the forest of Tierache : however, they did so, and 
they burnt the suburbs of Chimay, and many villages in the neigh- 
borhood, indeed almost all the territory of Chimay except its for- 
tresses. They then retreated to Aubenton, in Tierache, with their 
plunder. News and complaints of this were soon brought to sir 
John of Hainault, who at that time was at Mons with his nephew, 
at which he was very angry, and not without cause : the earl was 
also displeased, for these lands were held under him ; but he was 
silent, and showed not any open design of revenge, upon the king- 
dom of France. 

About the time of this disaster, it happened that some soldiers, 
who were garrisoned in Cambray, came to a small fortified house, 
beyond the walls of that town, called Relenques, that belonged to sir 
John of Hainault, and was guarded by a bastard of his, who might 
have with him about fifteen men ; they attacked it one whole day, but 
it was valiantly defended. The ditches were frozen over, so that 
any one might approach the w-alls, which those within perceiving, 
packed up all they could, and leaving it about midnight, set it on fire. 
The next morning, when those from Cambray returned and saw it 
on fire, they destroyed the walls and everything remaining. The 
bastard and his companions retreated to Valenciennes. It has been 
before related how sir Walter Manny took the castle of Thin-l'Eveque, 
and placed his brother Giles Manny with a garrison in it. This brother 
made many incursions upon those of Cambray, and gave them much 
uneasiness, for he was every day skirmishing close up to the barriers. 
In this state he kept them for some time. 

One morning very early he set out from the castle of Thin, with 
about six score men-at-arms, and came to the barriers at Cambray. 
The alarm was so great, that many were frightened. The garrison 
armed themselves as fust as they could, and mounted their horses 
with all haste, hurrying to the gate where the skirmish was, where, 
finding sir Giles had driven back those of Cambray, he instantly at- 
tacked their enemies. Among the Cambresians was a young esquire 
from Gascony, called William Marchant, who came to the field of 
battle mounted on a good steed, his shield hanging on his neck, his 
lance in its rest, completely armed, and spurring on to the combat. 
When sir Giles saw him approach, he spurred on to meet him most 
vigorously, and they met lance in hand, without fear of each other. 
Sir Giles had his shield pierced through, as well as all the armor near 
his heart, and the iron passed quite through his body. Thus he fell 
to the ground. This caused as great dismay to one party as joy to 
the other. The skirmish was very sharp, several were wounded, and 
many gallant actions performed ; but at last those of Cambray kept 
their ground, and drove back their enemies. They returned into 
the town in triumph with the body of sir Giles, whom they imme- 
diately disarmed, and had his wound examined, and most willingly 
would they have preserved his life ; but their wishes were vain, for 
he died the next day. They determined to send the body to his two 
brothers, John and Thierry, who were in garrison at Bouchain, in 
I'Ostrevant; for, although the country of Hainault was not in a state 
of war, all the frontiers toward France were strictly guarded. They 
ordered a handsome coffin, t in which they placed the corpse, and 
directed two monks to carry it to his brothers, who received it with 
much sorrow, and afterwards had it carried to the church of the Cor- 
deliers, at Valenciennes, where it was buried. The two brothers came 
to the castle of Thin-l'Eveque, and made a very severe war against the 
Cambresians, in revenge for the loss they had suffered from them. 

Sir Godemar du Fay at this time conmianded for the king of 
France in Tournay and the fortresses in its neighborhood ; the lord 
of Beaujeu, in Mortaigne upon the Scheld ; the high steward of Car- 
cassonne in the town of St. Amand ; sir Aimery de Poictiers in 
Douay ; the lord Gallois de la Bausme, the lord of Villars, the 
marshal of Mirepoix, and the lord of Marneil, in the city of Cam- 
bray. These knights, as well as the esquires and soldiers, desired 
nothing more ardently than permission to enter Hainault to pillage 
and destroy it. The bishop of Cambray, who had retired to Paris, 
being near the king's person, complained whenever he fotmd a fit 
opportunity, of the damage the Hainaulters had occasioned him, and 
that ihey had burnt and destroyed for him more than any others would 
have done, so that the king at last gave his consent for the soldiers 
in the country of Cambray to make an iiivasion, and overrun the country 
of Hainault. Then the garrison of Cambray prepared six hundred 
men-at-arms for tliis incursion, and they sent out on a Saturday at 



* De la Boue.—D. Saui^a^e and Lo}-d Bemcrs.—^D. 

t Lcrd Bemers says, " they ordayned a horse iytter riEht honorably, and put Ilia 
body therein," &c. — Ed. 



38 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



the high bailiff of Vermandois, who sent to their aid the vidaine of 
Chalons, the lord of Beaumont, tlie lord de la Bone, the lord Joha 
of Loire, and many others. These knights, with their companions, 
marched into Aubenton, to the amount of full three hundred men-at- 
arms. The town was inclosed only by a palisade, wliich in many 
places was lately repaired. They had made every preparation to 
wait for the Hainaulters and defend the town, which was large, rich, 
and full of draperies. 

The Hainaulters came on a Friday evening, and took up tlieir 
quarters near Aubenton, whence they considered on what side the 
town was most easily to be taken. The next day they marched to 
attack it in three battalions, their banners well arranged in front, with 
their cross-bowmen. The earl of Hainanlt led the first battalion, 
having under him a multitude of knights and esquires of his own 
country. His uncle commanded the second, w-here there were many 
men-at-arms. The tliird was under the lord of Fauquemont, and 
composed of Germans. Each lord was witli his own people, and 
under his proper banner. The battle begair immediately on their 
advancing, and very sharp it was. The cross-bowmen shot from 
within and without, by which many were wounded. The earl and 
his battalion came to the gate, where there was a severe assault and 
much skirmishing. The vidamc of Chalons, who w'as there, per- 
formed wonders ; and on the spot he made three of his sons knights, 
who did many feats of arras worthy of their new honors : but the 
earl pressed them so closely, tliat he gained the barriers, and obliged 
his opponents to retire within the gate, where the assault continued 
very fierce. Sir John de la Bone* and sir John of Beaumont Vv'ere 
posted at the gate leading to Chimay, which was gallantly attacked. 
The French w'ere forced to retiie within the gate, for they had lost 
their barriers, which the Hainaulters had carried, as well as the 
bridge. The combat was here renewed with double vigor, for those 
who had entered, mounting upon the gate, flung down upon their 
assailants logs of wood, pots fidl of lime and plenty of stones, by 
which those who had not very strong shields were very much hurt. 
Baldwin of Beaufort, an esquire of Hainanlt, received there so vio. 
lent a blow from a large stone, that his shield was split by il, and his 
arm broken, which forced him to retire to his quarters; and owing 
to this accident, for a long time he could not give any assistance. 
Tl;e attack was pushed on with vigor, and the town defended by the 
garrison with much valor ; which was indeed necessary, as their 
assailants were many ; and, had it not been for the gentlemen who 
entered Aubenton, it would have soon yielded. However, at length 
the town was taken by force ; the palisades, which were only of 
wood, were broken down. Sir John of Hainault and his banner 
first entered the town, with great shouting and noise of men-at-arms. 
Then tlie vidame of Clialons retired toward the church with some 
knights and esquires, where they, formed themselves, ivith displayed 
banners and pennons, to the intent of combating as long as their 
honor demanded ; but the lord of Bresne and his banner withdrew^ 
in a disorderly manner : for he knew well how much sir John of 
Hainault was enraged against him, and, if he had him in his power, 
would not admit of any ransom ; so he mounted his steed, and gal- 
loped off. 

When sir John of Hainault found that he v\ho had done so much 
damage to his lands at Chimay was gone off toward Vervins, he pursued 
him, with part of his company; but the lord of Bresne made greater 
haste, and finding the gate of the town open, rushed iu and saved 
hiniself. Sir John had followed him swurd in hand ; but \\ hen he found 
that he had escaped, he returned speedily by the great road to Auben. 
ton : however, his people meeting those who were following the 
lord of Bresne, attacked them, and killed a great many. The combat 
continued obstinate before the cathedral, and many were killed and 
wounded. Among the first were the vidame and two of his sons : 
nor did any knight or esquire escape death or being made prisoner, 
but those who had followed the lord of Bresne. Upward of two 
thousand men were taken in the town, which was pillaged of all the 
riches it contained ; many wagons and carts were laden with it and 
sent to Chimay. The to\\'n was afterwards burnt to the ground ; and 
the Hainaulters took up their quarters on the river side. 

After the destruction of Aubenton, they marched toward Maiibert 
Fontaine, which they took on their arrival, for it was defenceless, 
and then pillaged and burnt it. They did the same to Aubencheul 
aux Bois, to Siguy I'Abbaye, Signy le Petit, and all the villages 
thereabout, amounting to upward of forty. The earl of Hainault, 
after this, returned to Mons, where, he dismissed all his bands, after 
returning them his thanks in so gracious a manner for their assist- 
ance, that they all left him well pleased. He then formed the desiga 
of passing over to England to amuse himself, aud at the same time 
form a strict alliance with the king, his brother-in-law, in order to 
strengthen himself; as he naturally imagined, that what he had done 
would not be taken quietly, but that the king of France, his uncle, 
would make some incursions into his country : for which reason he 
was an.xious to have the support of the English, the Flemings, and 
the Brabanter.-i, and summoned his council at Mons, to whom he de- 
clared his intentions. He nominated and appointed his uncle, during 
CHAPTER XLV. his absence, sir John of Hainault, governor of the three countries of 

THE EARL OF HAINAULT TA1£E3 AND nESTEOVs AUBENTON, IN TIEKACHE. Haiuault, Holland and Zealand and set out with a small company for 
T„,. • 1, I,-. . <■ .1 . r A 1 , ^ -J f Dordrecht, where he embarked and sailed over to England. 
1 HE inhabitants oi the town ot Aubenton were much afraid oi - — — 

the earl of Hainault and his uncle, and had expressed their alarms to j * p. Sauvage's edition reads Boue ; but Lord Bcrners, in this place, has Bone.— Ed. 



nightfall from Cambray those that were ordered for it. At the same hour 
those from Male-maison began their march. The two detachments met 
on the road, and came to the town of Haspros, which was a large 
handsome town, though not fortified : nor had the inhabitants any fear, 
for they had never received the smallest notice of war being declared 
against the country. The French, on entering the town, found every 
one within doors. Having taken and pillaged what they pleased, they 
burnt the town so completely, that nothing but the walls remained. 

In Haspres there was a priory of black monks, that was dependent 
on that of St. Waas in Arras ; the monastery was extensive, and had 
large buildings belonging to it, which they also pillaged and burned 
most villainously. They returned to Cambray after this excursion, 
driving all their booty before them. News of this was soon carried 
to Valenciennes, and earl William « as informed of it as he was sleep- 
ing iu his hotel, called La Salle. He immediately rose, and dressed 
himself in great haste, and summoned all the lords that were with 
him : at that time there were not many, only his high steward, sir 
Gerald de Verchin, sir Henry d'Antoing, sir Henry de Huffulise, sir 
Thierry de Walcourt, the lords of Flayon and Potrelles, and some 
few attached to his person, for the others were lodged at different 
houses, and were not ready as soon as the earl, who, without waiting 
for them, hastened to the market-place of Valenciennes, and ordered 
the alarm bells to be rung. This awakened all the inhabitants, who 
made themselves ready as quickly as possible to follow their lord, 
who was already out of the town, on horseback, pushing forward 
toward Haspres. When he had advanced about a league, he was 
informed that his efforts were in vain, for the French had retreated. 
He then went to the abbey of Fontenelles, where the lady his mother 
resided, who took all possible pains to appease and soften his anger ; 
but hesaid, that for this robbery he would make the kingdom of France 
shortly pay dear. The lady his raolher did all she could to appease 
him, and would most willingly have made excuses for the king of 
France in this disaster ; but he would not listen to them, and said he 
must consider in what manner he could most speedily revenge him- 
self, and burn part of the French territories. When he had remained 
there some little time, he returned to Valenciennes, and wrote letters 
to the knights and prelates, to have their advice what should be done 
under these circumstances, and to summon lliein to be at Mons by 
a fixed day. 

When sir John of Hainault, who was at Beaumont, thinking how 
he could best revenge the burning of his land, heard these things, he 
mounted his horse, and came to his nephew, whom he found at La 
Salle. As soon as the carl perceived him, he came to meet him, 
saying, " Fair uncle, your absence has made the French very proud." 
Sir John replied, " God be praised I for although I am much vexed 
at the loss you have sustained, yet I cannot help being somewhat 
pleased with what has happened; for you now see what return you 
have had for the love and assistance you bore to the French : you 
must now make an incursion upon them on their own grounds." 
" Fix upon the place," said the earl, " and it shall be direclly under- 
taken." When the day of the conference, which was to be holden 
at Mons, was arrived, all the councils from the different towns, as 
well as those of Holland and Zealand, were there. 

RIany proposals were made ; and some of the barons were for send- 
ing persons properly instructed to the king of France, to demand if 
he had consented or ordered the invasion and burning of Hainault, 
or had sent his soldiers upon the lands of the earl, and upon what 
title this had been done, as there had not been any defiance or chal- 
lenge sent to the earl or to the country. Upon these proposals there 
was much argument and debating, but it was at last determined, that 
neither the earl nor the country could get clear of this business with- 
out declaring war against the kingdom of France, as well for the 
burning of the lands of Chimay, as for their outrages committed at 
Haspres : it was therefore resolved, that a challenge should be sent 
to tlie king of France, and that afterwards they should enter his king- 
dom with a largo body of men. 

These letters of defiance were written and scaled by the earl and 
all the barons ; and the abbot Thibaut de St. Crispin was ordered to 
carr;' them. The earl then returned thanks to all his lords for the 
good disposition he saw them in, for they iiad promised him aid and 
assistance in every situation. The abbot of ,St. Crispin carried this 
challenge to the king, who made but light of it, saying that his 
nephew was an outrageous madman, and was bargaining to have his 
country burnt and destroyed. The abbot, upon this, returned home, 
and related to the carl and his council what had happened to him, 
with the answers he had received. The earl immediately collected 
men-at-arms, summoned all his knights and esquires in Brabant and 
Flanders, as well as in his own countiy, and exerted himself so 
much, that in a short time he got together a large body of horsemen, 
well equipped. They set out from Mons, in Hainault, and that 
neighborhood, and advanced toward the land of Chimay, for it was 
the intention of the earl and his uncle to Ijuin and destroy the terri- 
tories of the lord of Bresne, as also Aubenton, in Tierache. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &.c. 



39 



We shall now leave the earl, to relate what happened to hi3 coun. | called Geertsberg, between Oudenarde and Tournay, where he halted, 
try during his absence. Sir John of Hainault, as you have heard, | to wait for the two earls, and for those of Franc and Bruges, 
remained master and governor of the three provinces, by order of When the two earls received the letters, they would not for their 
the earl, and he was obeyed as if he had been their true lord. He honor's sake make any delay, but sent to inform von Artaveld, that 
took up his quarters at Mons, which he provisioned and strengthened, they would be with him at the appointed time and place. They 
as well as all the forts in its neighborhood, especially those on the soon set out from Yprcs with about fifty lances and forty cross-bow- 



frontiers of France, with a sufiicient number of men-at-arms. He 
sent four knights, the lord of Antoing, the lord of Waartang, the 
lord of Gommcgines, and sir Henry Husphalize, to Valenciennes, as 
counsellors and advisers to the citizens and inhabitants. To Mau. 
beuge, he sent the seneschal of Hainault, sir Gerard de Werthin, 
with a hundred good lances and men-at-arms. To Quesnoy, the 
marshal of Hainault, sir Thierry de Walcourt ; and to Landrecy the 
lord of Potrelles. He placed in Bouchain three German knights, 
who were brothers, of the name of Conrad. Sir Gerard de Sassegnes 
was sent to Escaudavore, and the Lord of Fauquemont to Avesnes: 
all the other fortresses bordering on France were properly strength- 
ened. He begged and entreated each captain to be attentive to his 
own honor, and careful of what was intrusted to him, which when 
they had all promised, they set out for their ditlerent stations. We 
will now return to the king of France, and speak of the expedition 
he was forming to invade and destroy Hainault, of which he made 
his son, the duke of Normandy, commander. 



CHAPTER XLVI. 

THOSE OF TOUKNAV HAKE AN INCURSION INTO FLANDERS. 

When the king of France had been informed that the Hainaulters 
had burat the country of Tierache, had killed his knights, and 
destroyed his town of Aubenton, he ordered his son, the duke of 
Normandy, to collect a number of forces, make an incursion into 
Hainault, and destroy that country in such a manner, that it might 
never recover from it. The duke replied, he would cheerfully under- 
take this. The king then ordered the count de Lisle, a Gascon, who 
was at that time near his person at Paris, and whom he much loved, 
to collect forces, and march toward Gascony, as lieutenant for the 
king of Franco, with tlie intent of making some severe reprisals upon 
Bordeaux, in the Bourdelois, and upon all the places which held or 
belonged to the king of England. The count obeyed the king's 
orders, and left Paris for Toulouse, where he made his preparations 
to fulfil his commission, as you will see in its proper time and place. 
The king of France sent large reinforcements to the armament he 
had at sea, and ordered his captains to watch the coast of Flanders 
attentively, and upon no account to suffer the king of England to 
pass over or land in Flanders; for, if he did so by their fault, he 
would certainly punish them with death. 

When king Philip heard that the Flemings had done honor to the 
king of England, he sent to them a prelate, as from the pope, to say, 
that if they would acknowledge him king of France, and abandon 
the king of England, who had enchanted them, he would forgive 
them all their misdoings, release them from the large sum of florins 
which, by an old obligation, was due to him ; and moreover grant 
them, under his seal, many profitable franchises in France. The 
Flemings returned for answer, that they held themselves quit and 
absolved from ever\'thing which they owed the king of France. Upon 
this, the king made heavy complaints to to the pope, Clement VI., 
who issued so tremendous an excommunication against them, that 
no priest was daring enough to celebrate divine service there. The 
Flemings made remonstrances on this to the king of England ; who, 
to appease tliem, said, that the first time he should cross the sea, 
he would bring with him priests from his own country, who sliould 
say mass for them, whether the pope would or not, as he had a power 
of 30 doing, and this satisfied them. 

When the king of France saw that he could not make the Flem- 
ings retract their opinions, he commanded those in Tournay, Lisle, 
Douay, and the neighboring castles, to mike war upon them, and 
overrun their country. Upon which sir .lolin de Roye, at that time 
in Tournay, and sir Matthew de Trie, marshal of France, together 
with sir Godemar du Fay and many other knights, collected a thou, 
sand men, strongly armed and well mounted, with three hundred 
cross-bowmen, as well from Tournay as from Lisle and Douay : 
they set out from Tournay, one evening after supper, and marched 
so expeditiously, that they came before Courtray about daybreak, 
and before sunrise had collected all the cattle thereabouts. Some 
of their light-hoi-se advanced to the gales of the town, and killed 
and wounded many iu the suburbs : they then retreated without 
loss, and placed the river Lys, on their return, between them and 
the booty, which they had carried off that day. They brought into 
Tournay, more than ten thousand sheep, and of swine, beeves, and 
kine, as many more. 

The Flemings were sore vexed at this ; and .Tacob von Artaveld, 
who was at that time at Ghent, swore that this expedition should be 
revenged on Tournay and its neighborhood. He gave immediate 
orders for the different towns in Flandere to collect forces, and to 
send them to him at a fixed day before Tournay ; he also wrote to 
the earls of Salisbury and Suffolk, who Wi re at Ypres, to beg that 
they would draw toward that quarter to meet him. He then set out 
from Ghent, accompanied by great numbers, and came to a place 



men, and took the road where he was waiting for them. They con- 
tinued their route ; but, as they were forced to pass near the outskirts 
of Lisle, it was soon known in that town : accordingly, fifteen 
hundred horse and foot were secretly armed, and sent out in three 
divisions to lie in wait, so that these lords might not escape from 
them. The earls and their company followed the guidance of sir 
Vauflart de la Croix, who had long made war upon the people of 
Lisle, and still continued so to do whenever he had an opportunity: 
it was for this purpose that he was come to Ypres. He thought 
himself quite certain of conducting the earls in safety, as he was 
well acquainted with all the roads in those parts ; and he would have 
succeeded now, if those of Lisle had not thrown up a great trench 
near their town, whicli was not there before. 

When sir Vauflart came to tliis trench, and saw that their road 
was cut ofi', he was quite astonished, and said to the earls, " My 
lords, we cannot go further this way, without putting ourselves in the 
power of those of Lisle ; on w^hich account my advice is, that we 
turn about and seek another road." But the lords replied, " Nay, sir 
Vauflart, God forbid that wc should go out of our way for those of 
Lisle ! Ride on, therefore, for we have promised Jacob von Artaveld, 
that we would be with him some time this day." The English rode 
on without care. Sir Vauflart said to them, " It is true, my lords, 
that you have taken me for your guide in this expedition, and I have 
remained with you all this winter at Ypres, and have many thanks 
to give you and all your attendants ; but if it should happen, that 
those of Lisle make a sally upon us, do not fancy that I siiall wait 
tor them, for I sliall save myself as fast as I can. If by any accident 
I should be taken, my head would pay for it, which is much dearer 
to me than your company." The lords laughed heartily, and told 
him they would excuse him, if he should do so. And as he imagined, 
so it fell out ; for, by not taking more precaution, they were surprised 
by one of the parties from Lisle, who cried out, " Stop ! stop ! you 
cannot pass here witliout our leave :" and immediately the lancemen 
and cross-bowmen fell on the Euglish. 

As soon as sir Vauflart saw what was going on, he took care not 
to advance further ; but turning about as quickly as possible, galloped 
out of danger. The two earls fell into the hands of their enemies, 
and were taken as if in a net ; for the ambuscade was placed be- 
tween badges and ditches in a very naiTow road, so that they could 
neither advance nor retreat to gain the open country ; however, 
when they saw their mischance, they dismounted, and defended 
themselves as well as they could, killing and wounding a great many 
of their opponents ; but it was all in vain, for fresh forces from 
Lisle were continually pouring upon them. They were therefore 
taken prisoners ; and a young brisk esquire of Limousin, of the 
name of Raymond, nephew to pope Clement, was killed for the sake 
of his beautiful armor, after he had surrendered himself, which made 
good men angry. The two earls were kept prisoners in the market- 
place at Lisle, and aftewards sent to the king of France, who pro- 
mised, that those of Lisle should be well rewarded for the good 
service they had done him.* When Jacob von Artaveld received 
this information at Geertsberg, he was much enraged, and giving up 
all thoughts of his expedition, disbanded his Flemings, and himself 
returned to Ghent. 



CHAPTER XLVII. 

JOHN, nUKE OF NORMANDY, MAECIIES INTO HAINAULT. 

The duke of Normandy, eldest son of the king of France, issued a 
special summons of his intention to he at St. Quentin about Easter, 
in the year 1340. When he came thither he was attended by the 
duke of A thens, the earl of Flanders, the earl of Auxerre, the earl 
Raotd of Eu, constable of France, the earl of Sancerre, the earl of 
Porcien, the earl of Roussi, the earl of Bresne, the earl of Grandpr^, 
the lord of Coney, the lord of Graon, and a multitude of other nobles 
from Normandy and the Low Countries. On their being all assem- 
bled at St. Quentin and its environs, the constable and the two 
marshals of France, sir Robert Bertrand and sir Matthew de Trie, 
numbered them, and found there were six thousand men-at-arms, and 
eight thousand others armed with brigandines, besides followers of 
the army ; which were fully sufficient, they said, to combat the earl 
of Hainault, or any force he could bring against them. They began 
their march, and took the road to Chiteau-Cambresis, going near to 
Bohain; and advanced so forward that they passed Chateau.Cara- 
bresis, and took up their quarters at the town of Montay upon the 
river Selle. 

.Sir Richard Vcrchin, seneschal of Hainault, was informed by his 
spies, that the duke had halted at Montay. He asked those knights 
and esquires, who were with him, if they were willing to follow him ; 
to which they consented. Accordingly, he set off from his hotel at 



^- This is a mistake. It was not tlie earl of Suffolk wlio was made prisoner, but his 
son, Robert de UtTord le Fitz, as he was called.— Dvgdale, vol. ii. 



40 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



Vercliin, about sunset, accompanied by about forty lances, and 
pushed on till he came to Forctz, at the extremity of Hainault, a 
small league from Montay, when it was dark night. lie made his 
company halt in a neld to tighten tlicir armor and regirth their horses. 
He then told them, he should like to give the duUe an alert; at 
which they were all rejoiced, and said they would stick by him till 
death ; for which he gave them many thanks. At that time there 
were with him, sir James du Sart, sir Henry de Phalise, sir Oulphart 
de Guistclles, sir John and sir Bertrand de Chatelet. Of esquires, 
there were, Giles and Thierre de Somain, Baldwin de Beaufort, Cole. 
brier de Brule, Moreau de I'Escuyer, Sandrat de Stramen, John de 
Rebersat, Bridoui de Thiaux, and many others. They set forward 
in silence, and came to the town of Montay, which they entered, for 
the French had neglected to place guards there. The seneschal and 
his companions dismounted at a great hotel, where they thought the 
duke was ; but he was lodged in tniother part of the town. In that 
hotel were two great lords of Normandy, the lords of Baillcul and of 
Beaute. The door was soon forced ; and when these two knights 
saw themselves thus surprised, and heard the cry of Hainault from 
the seneschal, they were quite confounded : they, however, defended 
themselves in the best manner they could; but the lord of Baillcul 
was killed, and the lord of BeautiS taken prisoner by the scnesehal, 
to whom he pledged his faith to surrender himself to him within 
three days at Valenciennes. 

The French then began to be in motion, and to issue from their 
quarters ; they lighted great fires and torches, awakened every one, 
even the duke himself, whom they armed as quickly as they could, 
and displayed his banner before his hotel, to which people of all sorts 
repaired. The Hainaullers wisely retreated to their horses, which 
they mounted, and, when they were all collected together, they car- 
ried oft' ten or twelve good prisoners, and returned without the 
smallest loss or damage, for it was so dark they were not pursued. 
About daybreak they reached Quesnoy, where they reposed and re. 
freshed themselves, and then went to Valenciennes. 

The next morning the duke of Normandy gave orders for his army 
to dislodge and enter Hainault, and burn and destroy everything 
without exception. The baggage therefore began to move, and the 
lords of the advanced guard to proceed forward : they might amount 
to two hundred lances, and were commanded by sir Theobald de 
Marneil, sir Gallois de la Baumc, the lord of Mirepoix, the lord of 
Raivenal, the lord of Senipy, lord John of Landas, the lord of Han- 
gest, and the lord of Tramelles. The two marshals followed with 
full five hundred lances ; then the duke of Normandy, attended by a 
crowd of earls, barons, and other lords. The advanced troops en. 
tered Hainault, and set fire to Fores, Bertrand, Vertigrieulx, Escar- 
main, Vendegyses-aux.Bois, Vendegyses upon the river Cinel. The 
next day they advanced further into the country, and burnt Avesnes. 
le.sec, Villiers-en-Cauchie, Gomegnies, Marchepois, Potel, Ansenoy, 
Perseaux, le Frasnoit, Andegay, the good town of Bavay, and all the 
counti7 as far as the river Honneau. This second day a sharp attack 
was made on the castle of Verchin, and some skirmishing, by the 
division commanded by the marshals, but without success, as it was 
very well defended. The duke took up his quarters for that night 
-upon the Selle, between Hausy and Sausoy. 

Sir Valerian, lord of Fauquemont, commanded in Maubeugc, and 
with lup.i were full one hundred lances of Germans and Hainaulters. 
As soon as he was infornted of this incursion of the French, and how 
they were burning the country, and had heard the poor people lament 
and bewail their losses, he put on his armor, and ordered his people 
to get themselves in readiness. He gave up the command of the 
town to the lords of Beaurevoir and Montigny, and told his com- 
panions that he had a great desire to meet the French. He was on 
horseback all that day, and rode along the borders of the forest of 
Morinaulx. Toward evening he heard, that the duke of Normandy 
and all his host were lodged on the banks of the Selle ; upon which 
he said he would awaken them, and rode on that evening, and about 
midnight he and his company forded the river. When they had all 
passed, they regirthed their horses, and set themselves to rights, and 
advanced in silence to the quarters of the duke. When they were 
near, they spurred on their horses, and at one rush drove into the 
middle of the duke's host, crying out, "Fauquemont!" They laid 
well about them, cutting down tents and pavilions, and killing or 
wounding all whom they met. The army then, being roused, armed 
as quickly as they could, and drew near to where the bustle was ; 
but the lord of Fauquemont, seeing that it was time, collected his 
people, and retreated most handsomely. Of the French, there was 
killed the lord of Requigny from Picardy. The viscount du Quesnes, 
and Rouvroy with one eye, were made prisoners ; and sir Anthony 
de Coudun was severely wounded. When the lord of Fauquemont 
saw nothing more could be done, he set off' with all his people, and 
crossed the Selle without hindrance, for he was not pursued. They 
rode easily forward, and came to Quesnoy about sunrise, when the 
quarlermaster-general, sir Thierry de Walcourt, opened the gates to 
them. 

The duke of Normandy ordered his trumpets to sound the next 
morning at daybreak, for his army to prepare themselves, and to cross 
the Selle, and advance further into Hainaidt. The marshal of Mire- 
poix, the lord of Noysieres, sir Gallois de la Baume,and sirThibauU 
de Marneil, advanced first with four hundred lances, besides those 



armed with brigandines, and came before Quesnoy, even up to the 
barriers : they made a feint as if they intended to attack it ; but it 
was so well provided with men-at-arms and heavy orliliery, they 
would only have lost their pains. Nevertheless they skirmished a 
litlle before the barriers ; but they were soon forced to retire, for 
those of Quesnoy let them hear their cannons* and bombards, which 
flimg large iron bolts in such a manner, as made the French afraid 
for their horses — so they retreated and burnt Grand Wargny and 
Petit Wargny, Frelaines, Famars, Martre, Semery, and Arlre, Sari, 
ten, Turgies, Estinen ; and the Hainaulters fled from these towns to 
Valenciennes. The French afterwards encamped iheir battalions 
upon the hill of Castres near Valenciennes, where they lived in a 
rich and splendid manner. During their stay there, about two hun. 
dred lances, commanded by the lord of Craon, the lord of Maulevrier, 
the lord of Mathefelon, the lord of Avoir, and some others, went 
toward Main and attacked a large square tower, which for a long time 
had belonged to John Vernier of Valenciennes, but of late to .lohn 
de Neufville. The assault svas sharp and severe, and lasted the 
whole day ; nor could they make the French retire before night, al- 
though five or six were killed. Those within defended themselves 
right valiantly, and did not suffer any loss. 

A greater number of the French marched to Trie, intending, on 
their arrival, to pass over the Scheld ; but those of the town had 
destroyed the bridge, and defended that passage : nor coidd the 
French ever have conquered it, if some among them had not been 
acquainted with the fords of the river and the country, who con. 
ducted upward of two hundred men to the foot-bridge at Prouvy. 
When these had crossed over, they came and fell upon the men ot 
Trie, who, being few in number in comparison to them, were not 
able to resist ; so they took to their heels, and many of them were 
killed and wounded. 

The seneschal of Hainault left Valenciennes that day, accompanied, 
at the utmost, with one hundred men-at-arms, by the gate of Dou. 
zaing, to succor the inhabitants of Trie, who he thought would have 
enough to do. It happened that a little beyond St. Waast, he met 
about twenty-five light-horse of the French, commanded by three 
knights from Poitou — the lord Boucicaull, who was afterwards a 
marshal of France, the lord of Surgeres, and sir William Blondel : 
tfiey had passed over the bridge, very near to Valenciennes, which is 
called the bridge of La Tourelle, and is over the Vincel. When the 
seneschal perceived them, he stuck spurs into his horse, and with 
his lance overthrew the lord of Boucicault, made him prisoner, and 
sent him to Valenciennes. The lord of Surgeres saved himself by 
flight ; but sir William Blondel surrendered himself to sir Henry 
d'Usphalise ; and almost all the others were cither killed or taken 
prisoners. This done, the seneschal hastened toward Trie ; but he 
was too late, for the French had already conquered it before he 
came, and were busily employed in pulling down the mills, and 
destroying a small castle that was there. .\s soon as the seneschal 
arrived, they had not much leisure for such things, for ihey were 
driven back, killed, and cut down. Some were forced to leap into 
the river Scheld, and many were drowned. Thus was the town of 
Trie liberated. The seneschal afterwards crossed the Scheld, at a 
place called Denaing, and rode on with all his company to the castle 
of Verchin, which he entered in order to defend it, should there be- 
any occasion. 

The duke of Normandy still remained upon the hill of Caslrcs, his 
army drawn out, the greater part of the day ; for he thought that 
those of Valenciennes would come out and give him battle. This 
they would willingly have done, if sir Henry d'Antoing, who com- 
manded in the town, had not prevented them. He posted himself 
at the gale that leads toCambray, and had much pain and trouble to 
hinder them from going out. John de Vassey, provost of the town,, 
who was there with him, appeased them as well as he could, and 
gave them such good reasons for their remaining quiet, that at last 
they were satisfied. When the duke of Normandy had staid i'or a 
considerable time on the hill, and saw that no one made any attempt 
to come out of Valenciennes to fight with him, he sent the duke of 
Athens, the marshals of France, the earl of Auxerre, and the lord 
of Chastillon, with about three hundred lances, well mounted, to 
skirmish close to the town. They advanced in good order, and came 
to that side of it opposite to the Tourelle at (3ogueb, and even to 
the very barriers ; but they did not stay long, as they were afraid 
of the shot hurting their horses. The lord of Chastillon, however, 
advanced so forward, that his horse was hit, fell under him, and he 
was obliged to mount another. This detachment then changed its 
course, and went toward the marshes, where they burnt and de- 
stroyed all the mills upon the river Vincel : they then made a circuit 
behind the Carthusian convent, and returned to their army. Some 
stragglers, however, remained behind at Les Maries, to forage more 
at their ease. When those who were guarding a neighboring town, 
which belonged to the heirs of Hainault, (though formeriy to sir 
Robert de Namur, by the lady Isabella his wife,) perceived them, 

* It has generally been supposed, tUat cannons were fii-st used at the battle ofCrecy, 
four years later; but as the same words are expressed in all my copies of Froissart. 
wt.ctlier printed or in manuscript. I cannot but believe they were employed when he 
mentions it. It is most probable, that artillery was Jirst used in the defence of towns ; 
and Edward, seeins the advantage that could be derived fruin cannons, employed Ihem 
a', the battle orCrecy. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



41 



and that the main body had retreated, they issued out of the town, 
attacked them, killed one.half, took all their forage, and reentered 
it without any loss. 

The army remained in battle array upon the mount of Castrcs 
until the afternoon, when the scouts returned from all sides. There 
was then a great council held ; the chiefs said, that, everything con- 
sidered, they were not in sufficient force to attack so large a town as 
Valenciennes ; and it was at last finally determined, that they should 
retire to Cambray. They set out, therefore, and came to Main and 
Fontenelles, where they took up their quarters for that night, and 
kept a strong watch. The ne.xt day they marched away ; but burnt 
Main and Fontenelles, and also the convent which belonged to ma. 
dame de Valois, sister-german to the king of France. The duke 
was much vexed at this, and had those who set it on fire hanged. In 
their retreat, they completed the burning of the town of Trie and its 
castle ; the mills were also destroyed. Prouvy, Rommency, Thyan, 
Moncheau, and all the flat country between Cambray and Valen- 
ciennes, suffered in the same manner. The duke this day came 
before Escaudoure, a strong and good castle, belonging to the earl 
of Hainault, situate upon the Scheld, which had been of great an- 
noyance to Cambray. When the duke had been only six days before 
it, the governor, sir Gerard de Sassegines, who before this had never 
been reproached for anything, nor can I say by what means he was 
bewildered to do so, surrendered it undamaged, to the great surprise 
of all the country, who strongly suspected both the governor and his 
esquire, named Robert Marinaux, of treason. They were taken, 
inculpated, and both died at'terwards in a miserable manner at Mons, 
in Hainault. The inhabitants of Cambray demolished this castle of 
Escaudoure, and carried the stone into their town, to repair their 
own dwellings and fortifications. 



CHAPTER XLVIII. 

THE GARRISON OF DOUAY MAKES AN INCURSION INTO OSTREVANT, DURING 
THE ABSENCE OF THE EAKL OF HAINAULT IN ENGLAND ^VND IN GERJIANY. 

After the destruction of the casde of Escaudoure, duke John of 
Normandy retired to Cambray, dismissed the greater part of his 
army, and sent the rest to tlie castle of Douay, and to the other for- 
tresses in the neighborhood. This week the garrison of Douay, in 
conjunction with those of Lisle, made a sally, in number about three 
hundred lances : they were commanded by sir Lewis of Savoy, the 
earl of Geneva, the earl of Villars, sir Gallois de la Baumc, the lord 
of Wanrain, and the lord of Vasiers ; they burnt in Hainault all that 
fine country of Ostrevant ; so tiiat nothing remained but the fortresses. 
When those of Bouchain saw all this fire and smoke round about 
them, they were in a violent rage ; the more so, as they were unable 
to prevent it; but they sent messengers to Valenciennes, to let them 
know what was going forward, and to inform them, that if in the 
night-time they would sally out with five or.six hundred lances, they 
might attack the French to great advantage, who were lying at their 
ease in the flat country. But those of Valenciennes were not of the 
same opinion, and would not leave their town ; so the French made 
a great booty, and burnt the town of Anich, one-half of Escoux, Es- 
caudaing, Erin, Montigny, Santain, Varlain, Vargny, Ambreticourt, 
Laurche, Sauch, Roelt, Neufville, Lieu St. .\mand, and all the villages 
which were in that country. They carried off with them immense 
■wealth. When this detachment had retreated to Douay, those of 
Bouchain marched out, and burnt the other half of Escoux, which 
belonged to the French, and the French villages, even to the gates 
of Douay, and the town of Esquerchin. 

I have before mentioned that all the towns on the frontier were 
well garrisoned ; so that there were frequent skirmishings between 
the two parties, and many gallant deeds performed. It chanced, 
about this time, that there were some German soldiers, whom the 
bishop of Cambray had stationed at Male-maison, two leagues dis- 
tant from Chateau-Cambresis, and bordering on the other side of 
Landrecy, where the lord of Potrelles, a Hainaulter, commanded ; 
for the earl of Blois, although lord of it, had surrendered it to the 
earl of Hainault, at the time he was attached to the French interest, 
and the earl had kept possession of it. There were frequent quarrels 
between the Germans of Male-maison and those of Landrecy, who 
often came well mounted and armed up to the walls of the town. One 
day, as they sallied forth to make an excursion and collect pillage, 
news of it was brought to the lord of Potrelles, in Landrecy, who 
immediately armed himself and his companions, and mounted his 
horse to recapture the booty- The lord of Potrelles was followed 
by his men as fast as they could. He fixed his spear in the rest, and 
cried out to the French to turn about, as it was a disgrace to them 
to run away. Among them was a gallant esquire, named .A.ibert of 
Cologne, who, being ashamed of this flight, instantly turned back, 
and couching his lance, spurred his horse violently against the lord 
of Potrelles, who struck him such a blow on the shield, that his lance 
was shivered to pieces ; but the German esquire hit him so strongly 
with a firm spear, which broke not, but pierced through the plates 
of his shield, and even his armor, passing straight to his heart, that 
he knocked him off" his horse, wounded to death ; which when his 
brother Hainaulters, th^ lord of Bansiers, sir Gerard, and sir John 
Maslin, saw, and the rest who had come out of Landrecy with him, 
they attacked the French so roughly, in revenge for the loss of their 



captain, that they discomfited them. Few escaped death, or being 
made prisoners. The pillage was recovered and brought back with 
the prisoners to Landrecy, as was the dead body of the lord of Po- 
trelles. 

After the death of the lord of Potrelles, the lord of Floron com. 
nianded in Landrecy and its dependencies for a long time. He made 
frequent excursions upon those of Male-maison, Chateau-Cambresis, 
and other places on the frontiers. The Hainaulters did so one day, 
and the French returned the compliment the next; of course many 
mortal combats happened. The country of Cambresis was in great 
tribulation, for one-half of it was burnt or destroyed ; the duke of 
Normandy was still on the frontiers, and it was not known what his 
next intentions were ; nor had they any news of the earl of Haiuaidt. 
True it is that he had been in England, where he was most honor- 
ably entertained by the king and barons, and had made a strong 
alliance with the king. He had left England, and gone into Ger- 
many, to the emperor Lewis of Bavaria, which was the reason ol' 
his long absence. On the' other hand, the lord John of Hainault 
was in Biabant and Flanders, and had remonstrated with the duke 
and Jacob von Artaveld, upon the desolation of Hainault, and en- 
treated ihem on the part of his countrymen that they would give 
them aid and advice. They replied, that the absence of the earl 
could not be much longer ; and the moment he returned, tliey would 
be ready equipped to follow him, wherever he should choose to lead 
them. 



CHAPTER XLIX. 

THE DUKE OF NORMANDY LAYS SIEGE TO THIN-L'EVEQUE. 

DfKiNG the time the duke of Normandy lay in Cambray, the bishop' 
and the inhabitants of that place informed him, that the Hainaulters 
had taken by assault the strong castle of Thin ; and they entreated 
him, out of love and honor, and by his regard to the country, that 
he would use his endeavors to regain it, as the garrison was a great 
annoyance to all the neighborhood. The duke then sent a fresh 
summons to his army, and got together a number of lords and men- 
at-arms, who were in Artois and Vermandois, and who had been 
with him in his former excursion. He set out from Cambray with, 
all his host, and took up his quarters before Thin upon the river 
Scheld, in those fine meadows nearly opposite to Ostrevant, ordering 
many large engines to be brought from Cambray and Douay. Among 
these were six of an immense size, which the duke had pointed 
against the fortress, and which flung huge stones into it day and 
night, beating down the roofs and the tops of the towers ; so that it 
was not safe to remain in the chambers, and the people were obliged 
to take refuge in the vaults. 

This attack was severely felt, and none ever suffered more for 
their honor than this garrison. The captains, upon whom fell all the 
weight and trouble, were sir Richard Limousin, an Englishman, and 
two esquires of Hainault, John and Thierry, brothers to sir Walter 
Manny,* They encouraged their companions, by saying, "Gallant 
gentlemen, the earl of Hainault will surely come in a few days, and 
attack the French, to deliver us honorably out of our danger, and 
will give us his warmest thanks for having so boldly defended our- 
selves." The besiegers by their engines flung dead horses and other 
carrion into the castle, to poison the garrison by their smell ; and 
this distressed it more than anything else, for the air was as hot as in 
the middle of the summer : they therefore having considered their 
situation, and that they could not long hold out, from the horrible 
stench, proposed a treaty for a truce to last fifteen days, during which 
time they would let sir John of Hainault, who was regent and go- 
vernor of the country, be informed of their distress, and, if they 
were not then relieved, they would surrender the place. This treaty 
was accepted, which gave great comfort to those within the castle. 
The garrison sent off an esquire, named Estralart de Soinmain, 
according to the terms of the treaty, who came to Mons, in Hainault, 
where he found the lord of Beaumont, who had had intelligence 
from his nephew, the earl of Hainault, that he was returning to his 
own country, after having been in Germany, where he had made 
alliances with the emperor and other lords of the empire, who were 
friendly to the king of England. 

The lord of Beaumont assured the esquire Estralart de Sommain,. 
that the garrison of Thin should shortly be relieved, but that his 
nephew must first return. Before this truce expired the earl arrived 
in Hainault, which caused great joy to the inhabitants, as he had 
been impatiently wished for. The lord of Beaumont related to him 
all that had passed since his departure, and with what a powerful 
army the duke of Normandy had invaded his territories, burning and 
destroying all his villages and lands, as far as Valenciennes, except 
the fortresses. The earl answered, that he would have ample amends, 
and the kingdom of France was sufficiently extensive, to make him 
full satisfaction for all these ill deeds; but, first of all, he was anxious 
to go toward Thin-l'Eveque, to the relief of those good men, who 
had so loyally and so honorably defended it ; he issued therefore his 
commissions, and sent letters of entreaty to his good friend Jacob 
von Artaveld, in Flanders, to the dukes of Gueldres and Juliers, and 
others in Germany, and went himself to Valenciennes with a large 



* " Bretlierne to Ikerle o/JVaraur"— Lord Berners tind D. Sauvage ; but see chaptei- 
41, wliere they are spoken of as brothers to eir Giles Maiin^.— Ed. 



43 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &,e. 



body of men-at-arms, knights, and esquires of liis own country. His 
forces increased evciy day ; and he set off with a grand army of tents, 
pavilions, and otlicr ordinances and provisions, and encamped at Nans, 
upon the fine meadows and plains along the banks of the Sclield. 

Of the lords of Hainault, there were, sir John if Hainault, the 
lord d'Anghien, the lord of Vcrchin, the seneschal of Hainault, the 
lord of Antoing, the lord of Barbenson, the lord of Lens, sir William 
de Bailleul, the lord of Havereth, governor of Mons, tlie lord of 
Montegny, the lord of Barbais, sir Thierry de Walcourt, marshal of 
Hainault, the lords of Almede andofGommegines, the lord of Briseul, 
the lord of Roisin, the lord of Trasegraes, the lord of Lalain, the 
lords of Mastin, Sars, Vargny, Beaurieu, and many others, who en- 
camped tlicmselves near to the earl, their lord. Soon after the earl 
of Namur arrived, handsomely attended by two hundred lances, and 
posted himself upon the river Scheld, adjoining the army of the earl. 
The duke of Brabant came ne.\t with six hundred lances ; and then 
the duke of Gueldres, the earl of Mons, the lord of Fauquemont, sir 
Arnold of Bacqiieghen, and many other lords and men-at-arms from 
Germany and Westphalia, who encamped tlicmselves upon the river 
Scheld near each other, and opposite to the French. They were 
plentifully supplied with provision from Hainault, and from the ad- 
jacent countries. 

Wheiithese lords had thus encamped themselves upon the Scheld 
between Nans and lUois, as just related, the duke of Normandy, who 
was on the opposite bank, and with him a great number of other 
gallant men-at-arms, sent to inform the king of France, his father, 
that the army of the earl was increasing every day. The king, who 
was at that time at Peronne, in the Vermandois, where he had been 
for six weeks with a great many nobles, issued out his special orders 
for raising a large body of men, and sent upward of twelve hundred 
good lances to the army of his son, and soon followed after himself 
as a simple solder, for he could not enter the empire with the com- 
mand of an army without breaking his oath, which made him act 
thus. The duke was appointed chief of this enterpiase ; neverthe- 
less nothing was done without the approbation of the king. When 
the garrison of Thin-l'Ev6que saw the earl of Hainault arrive with 
so powert'ul an army, they were, as may be thought, mightily rejoiced. 
The fourth day after they had been there, those of Valenciennes 
came with a handsome body of men, led by John Boissy, who at 
that time was provost of the town. They were immediately ordered 
out to skirmish with the French upon the Scheld, to examine their 
forces, and to show themselves to the garrison. Many .different 
skirmishes passed between each army, in which numbers were killed 
and wounded. Sir Richard Limosin and his companions in Thin- 
I'Evfique, perceiving thein warmly engaged, quitted the castle and 
embarked on the Scheld in boats, which had been prepared for them, 
and passed over to the opposite shore ; they were carried to the earl 
of Hainault, who received them most joyfully and honorably, for the 
good services they had done liim ; and for their suilerings in the 
castle. While these two armies were thus encamped upon the 
Scheld, the French on the side of France, and the Hainaulters near 
their own country, the foragers of each side scoured the country ; but 
they never met, for the river was between them : the French, how- 
ever, burnt that part of Ostrevant which had escaped before, as did 
those of Hainault that of Cambray. 

Jacob von Artaveld came to the assistance of the earl of Hainault, 
according to his request, with upward of sixty thousand Flemings, 
all well armed, and posted himself strongly opposite to the French. 
Immediately after their arrival, the earl sent his heralds to his cousin 
the duke of Normandy, to say that he was ready for battle, and that 
it would be a very great shaine, if such fine armies should separate 
without an engagement. The duke gave the herald for answer, that 
he would summon his council, and consider of it. This council 
lasted so long that the herald returned without any answer. Three 
days afterwards the earl sent again to the duke, to know positively what 
his intentions and those of his army were. The duke replied that he 
had not yet finally determined upon fighting, and could not therefore 
fix a day, adding, moreover, that the earl was too hasty. When this 
was told to the earl, he looked upon it only as an excuse for delay; 
he therefore sent for all the commanders of his army, explained to 
•them his intentions and wishes, and also the answers he had received, 
and desired to have Uieir opinions upon the subject. They looked 
at each other : at last the duke of Brabant, w'ho was the principal 
commander, spoke for all, and said, that he objected to throwing a 
bridge over the Scheld and fighting the French, for, to his certain 
knowledge, the king of England would very soon pass the sen, in 
order to besiege Tournay ; and he had promised him, upon his faith 
and love, to give hint every aid and assistance in that otiterprise. 
" Now," added he, " if we fight the French, and should be unfortu- 
nate, he cannot have that succor be expects from us ; and, should it 
be otherwise, he will not give us much thanks; it is therefore my 
opinion that, as he is the chief of the war, we should never engage 
with the forces of France, but when the king of England is present. 
Now when we shall be before Tournay, and he there with us, it 
would give me inuch uneasiness that the Fench king and his army 
should depart with(.)nt a battle ; I therefore advise, dear son, that you 
decamp I'rom this place, where you stay at a very heavy expense, 
and that all should return homeward, for within these ten days we 
shall hear from the king of England." 



I The greater part of the lords agreed to this opinion. But the earl 
of Hainault was much dissatisfied, and thought his honor would suf- 
fer, should the French retire without an action. He begged and 
entreated of them, and of all the barons in general, that tliey would 
not leave him, but consent to his wishes. After this the council 
broke up, and each returned to his quarters. Those from Brussels 
and Louvoin would very cheerfully have returned home, for they 
were so worn down with fatigue, they could scarce support them- 
selves ; and they frequently complained to their captains, that they 
remained at a great expense and did nothing. When the earl found 
that the council difiered in opinion, and were not unanimous to cross 
the Scheld and fight the French, he called his uncle to him, and 
said, " Dear uncle, will you take a ride along the river side, and 
call to you some man of honor from the French army, and tell him 
from me, that I will throw a bridge over the river; that I am willing 
and eager to fight at all events ; but I ask a truce for three days to 
build it." 

The lord of Beaumont, seeing the eagerness of his nephew, com- 
plied with his request, w-ent home to prepare himself, and rode along 
the banks of the Scheld, accompanied with two other knights, the 
lord of Fagnoelez and sir Florcns do Beaurieu, with his jiennon alone 
borne before him. Perceiving on the opposite bank a knight from 
Normandy, whom he knew by his arms ; he called to hiin — " My 
lord of Marbuisson, my lord of Marbuisson, I wish to speak to you." 
The knight, who knew him, stopped his horse, and asked what were 
his commands. " I shall beg of you," said the earl of Beaumont, 
" to have the kindness to go to the king of France and to his coun. 
cil, and say, that the earl of Hainault has sent me to ask a truce for 
the time necessary to throw a bridge over this river, in order that 
our armies may pass. You «ill bring me here the answer, and I 
will wait for you." " By my faith, that I will cheerfully do," said 
the knight : when, slicking spurs into his horse, he galloped up to 
the king's tent, where the duke of Normandy and a gi^eat many of 
tlie nobility were. He related his message, and had shortly this 
answer — " My lord of Maubuisson, you will tell him who has sent 
you hither, that it is our intention to keep the earl of Hainault in the 
same state in which he is at present; and we will make liim mort- 
gage his lands ; for he shall be attacked on all sides, and, whenever 
we please, we will enter so far into his country, that we will burn 
the whole of it." The lord of Maubuisson brought back this answer, 
word for word, to the lord of Beaumont, who was waiting for him 
on the bank. He thanked him for the trouble he had given him, 
and returned to the earl of Hainault, whom he found playing at chess 
with the earl of Namur. As soon as he saw his uncle, he rose up, 
and asked what news he had brought him. " Sir," said sir John, 
"from what I see, the king of France takes much pleasure in making 
you keep up such forces at so great an expense, and declares he will 
make you expend and mortgage all your lands ; and whenever it 
shall he his pleasure, and not yours, he will fight you." The earl 
was much angered at this, and swore it should be otherwise. 



CHAPTER L. 

THE NAVAL ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN THE KING OF ENGLAND AND THE 
FRENCH EEFOKE SLUVS. 

We will now leave the duke of Normandy and the earl of Hain- 
aidt, and speak of the king of England, who had embarked for 
Flanders, in order to go to Hainault to assist his brother-in-law in 
his war against France. He and his whole navy sailed from the 
Themes the day before the eve of St. John the Baptist, 1340, and 
made straight for Sluys. Sir Hugh QuiricI, sir Peter Bahucet, and 
Barbenoire, were at that time lying between Blanckenburgh and 
Sluys with upward of one hundred and twenty large vessels, with- 
out counting others : these were manned with about forty thousand 
men, Genoese and Picards, including mariners. By the orders of 
the king of France, they were there at anchor, waiting the return of 
the king of England, to dispute his passage. 

When the king's fleet w-as almost got to Sluys, they saw so many 
masts standing before it, that they looked like a wood. The king 
asked the commander of his ship what they could be, who answered, 
that he imagined they must be that armament of Normans, which 
the king of France kept at sea, and which had so frequently done 
him nmch damage, had burtit his good town of .Southampton, and 
taken his large ship the Christopher. The king replied, " I have for 
a long lime wished to meet with them, and now, please God and 
St. George, we will fight them ; for, in truth, they have done me so 
much mischief, that I will be revenged on them, if it be possible." 
The king drew up all his vessels, placing the strongest in the front, 
and on the wings his archers. Between every two vessels with 
archers, there was one of men-at-arms. He stationed some detached 
vessels as a reserve, full of archers, to assist and help such as might 
be damaged. There were in this fleet a great many ladies from 
England, countesses, baronesses, and knights' and gentlemen's 
wives, who were going to attend on the queen at Ghent: these the 
kinf had "uarded most carefully by three hundred men-at-arms and 
five hundred archers. When the king of England and his marshals 
had properly divided the fleet, they hoisted their sails to have the 
wind on their quarter, as the sun shone full in their faces, which 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



43 



they considered might be of disadvantage to them, and stretched out 
a little, so that at last they got the wind as they wished. The Nor. 
mans, who saw them tack, could not help wondering why they did 
so, and said they took good care to turn about, for they were afraid 
of meddling with lliein : they perceived, however, by his banner, 
that tlie king was on board, which gave them great joy, as they were 
eager to fight with him ; so they put their vessels in proper order, 
for they were expert and gallant men on the seas. They filled the 
Christopher, the large ship wliich they had taken the year before 
from the English, with trumpets and other warlike instruments, and 
ordered her to fall upon the English. The battle then began very 
fiercely; archers and cross-bowmen shot with all their might at each 
other, and the men-at-arms engaged hand to hand : in order to be 
more successful, they had large grapnels, and iron hooks with chains, 
which they flung from ship to ship, to moor them to each other. 
There were many valiant deeds performed, many prisoners made, 
and many rescues. The Christopher, which led the van, was recap- 
tured by the English, and all in her taken or killed. There were 
then great shouts and cries, and the English manned her again with 
archers, and sent her to fight against the Genoese. 

This battle was very murderous and horrible. Combats at sea are 
more destructive and obstinate than upon the land, for it is not pos. 
sible to retreat or flee — every one must abide his fortune, and exert 
his prowess and valor. Sir Hugh Quiriel and his companions were 
bold and determined men, had done much mischief to the English 
at sea, and destroyed many of their ships ; this combat, therefore, 
lasted from early in the morning until noon, and the English were 
hard pressed, for their enemies were four to one, and the greater 
part men who had been used to the sea. The king, who was in the 
flower of his youth, showed himself on that day a gallant knight, as 
did the earls of Derby, Pembroke, Hereford, Huntingdon, Northamp. 
ton, and Gloucester ; the lord Reginald Cobham, lord Felton, lord 
Bradestan, sir Richard .Stafl'ord, the lord Percy, sir Walter Manny, 
sir Henry de Flanders, sir John Beauchamp, sir .Tolm Chandos, the 
lord Delaware, Lucie lord Malton, and the lord Robert d'Artois, now 
called earl of Richmond. I cannot remember all the names of those 
who behaved so valiantly in the combat: but they did so well, that, 
with some assistance from Bruges, and those parts of tlie country, 
the French were completely defeated, and all the Normans and the 
others killed or drowned, so that not one of them escaped. This 
was soon known all over Flanders ; and when it came to the two 
armies before Thin-1'Eveque, the Hainaulters were as much rejoiced 
as their enemies were dismayed. 

After the king had gained this victory, which was on the eve of 
St. John's day, he remained all that night on board of his ship before 
Sluys, and there were great noises with trumpets and all kinds of other 
instruments. The Flemings came to wait on him, having heard of 
his arrival, and what deeds he had performed. The king inquired of 
the citizens of Bruges after Jacob von -\rtaveld, and they told him he 
■was gone to the aid of the earl of Hainault with upward of sixty thou- 
sand men, against the duke of Normandy. On the morrow, which 
was Midsummer.day, the king and his fleet entered the port. As 
soon as they were landed, the king, attended by crowds of knights, 
set out on foot on a pilgrimage to our Lady of Ardembourg, where he 
heard mass and dined. He then mounted his horse, and went that 
day to Ghent, where the queen was, who received him with great 
joy and kindness. The army and baggage, with the attendants of 
the king, followed him by degrees to the same place. 

The king bad sent notice of his arrival to the lords that were 
before Thin-1'Eveque opposing the French, who, as soon as they 
heard of it, and of his victory over the Normans, broke up their 
camp. The carl of Hainault disbanded all his troops, except the prin. 
cipal lords, whom he carried with him to Valenciennes, and treated 
most nobly, especially the duke of Brabant and Jacob von Artaveld. 
Jacob von Artaveld, in the full market-place, explained the right king 
Edward had to the crown of France to all those lords that chose to hear 
him, and of what importance it was to the three countries, that is to say, 
Flanders, Brabant, and Hainault, when closely united. He spoke so 
clearly, and with so much eloquence, that he was praised by all, 
who agreed that he was worthy to exercise the dignity of earl of 
Flanders.* These lords then took their leave, and agreed to meet 
in eight days' time at Ghent, to see the king. He received them 
all most courteously, as did the queen, who was but lately recovered 
from lying-in of a son, called John, afterwards duke of Lancaster, 
in the right of his wife, the lady Blanc'ne, daughter of Henry duke 
of Lancaster. A day of conference was then appointed to be held 
at Vilvorde. 



* There is some difierence between this passage and tiie corresiioiiding Frencli of U. 
Sauvage's edition ; and ns Lord Berners lias translated it almost verbatim, his veniuii 
is subjoined; "And tlien Jaques Dartuell openly, and in tfie niarlcet-pjace. in the 
presence of atl Uie lotdes and of all such as wold here hym, declared what right the 
kying of Englande had to the crown of Frace, and also what puyssatence the tliree 
countreis were of Flanders, Heynanit and Brabant surely joined in one alyance. .And 
he dyde so by his great wysdome and plesaunt wordes, that all people tliat hnrde hyni 
praysed hyni moche and sayd liowe he had nobly spoken, and by great experyece. 
And thus he was greatly praysed, and it was sayd yt he wa,s well worthy to gouernc 
ye countie of Flaunders." There is nothing said here of his exercising the tUgnitv of Earl 
of Flantkrs, an expression which would seem to imply an ijltention of investing lum 
witji the title.— Ed. 



CHAPTER LI. 

ROBERT, KIXS OF SICILY, ENDEAVORS TO MAKE PEACE BETWEEN TUE 
KINGS OF FRANCE AND ENSLAND. 

When king Philip of France heard of the defeat of his fleet, and 
that the king of England was quietly landed in Flanders, he was much 
enraged; but as he could not amend it, he immediately decamped,, 
and retreated toward Arras. He dismissed the greater part of his 
army, until he should receive other news : but he sent sir Godemar 
du Fay to Tournay, to advise them in any difiiculties, and to see 
that the city was well provided, for he was more in fear of the 
Flemings than of any other people. He placed the lord of Beaujeu 
in Mortaigne, to guard the frontiers toward Hainault, and sent strong 
bodies of men-at-arms to St. Omer, Aire, and St. Venant ; he also 
formed sufficient magazines in the countries bordering upon Flanders. 
.\t this time Sicily was governed by a king named Robert, who was 
much renowned as a great astrologer ; he had prohibited the king of 
France and his council from ever engaging the English when com- 
manded by their king, for in such cases he was ever to be unfor- 
tunate. This king was very desirous of bringing about a reconeili. 
ation between those of France and England, being so strongly 
attached to the crown of France, that he would have been much 
hurt at any calamity which might have impaired its lustre. The 
above-mentioned king went to Avignon to represent to pope Clement, 
and his college of cardinals, the great evils which might befal the 
realm of France from the quarrels of the two kings, and entreat of 
them to undertake the part of mediators in appeasing this disastrous 
war. The pope and the college replied, they would very willingly 
do their best endeavors, provided the two kings would listen to them. 



CHAPTER LII. 

THE KINS OF ENGLAND AND HIS ALLIES HOLD A CONFEREN'CE AT 
VILVORDE. 

The conference holden at Vilvorde was attended by the following- 
personages: first, the king of England, the duke- of Brabant, the 
eail of Hainault and his uncle, the duke of Gueldres, tlie earl of 
Juliers, the marquis of Blanckenberg, the marquis of Nuys, the earl 
of Mens, the lord Robert d'Artois, the lord of Fauquemoiit, the lord 
William de Dunort, the earl of Namur, Jacob von Artaveld, and 
many other lords. Thi-ee or four men were sent by each of the prin- 
cipal towns in Flanders, Hainault, and Brabant, by way of council 
from them. The three countries of Flanders, Brabant, aiid Hainault, 
there entered into a treaty-, that thenceforward they would succor and 
assist each other in every possible case ; they then formed an alliance, 
with covenants, that if either of the three were attacked by any one 
whatever, the other two should immediately come to his assistance; 
and if at any future period two of them should quarrel, then the third 
should settle the matters of diflerence between them ; and if ho 
should not be in suflicient force so to do, that tlien it should be laid 
before the king of England, in whose hands these covenants had 
been declared, and sworn to be duly maintained, as the power that 
should at last make peace between them. Many statutes were then 
sworn and agreed to, which afterwards turned out ill. But for a 
further confirmation of their love and friendship, they ordered coins 
to be struck, that should be current in these three countries, wliich 
were styled companions or allies. It was there also determined, 
that the king of England should put himself in motion about Mag- 
dalen tide, and lay siege to the city of Tournay ; and all the lords 
present promised to be there, as well as the forces from the prin- 
cipal towns : they then set off" for their homes, to get ready and pre- 
pare themselves properly for the business. 



CHAPTER LIII. 

THE KING OF ENGLAND BESIEGES THE CITY OF TOmXAT WITU A 
POWERFUL ARMY. 

King Piiilif, soon after the departure of these lords, was informed; 
of all that had passed, and what resolutions had been entered into 
at this conference, and how king Edward was to come to Tournay ; 
he therefore determined to provide it so well with ammunition. &c.,' 
and with so many good knights, that the city should be well served 
and well advised. He sent directly to the city of Tournay the flower 
of his chivalry ; the earl Raoul of Eu, constable of France, the youn" 
earl of Guines, his son, the earl of Foix, and his brothers, the earl v{ 
Aymery and Narbonne, the lord Aymery of Poitiers, the lord Geoffry 
of Chargny, the lord Gerard of Montfaucon, his two marshals the 
lord Robert Bertrand and lord Matthew de 'Trie, the lord of Caieux 
seneschal of Poitou, the lord of Chatillon, and sir John of Landas' 
who had with them many knights and esquires renowned in arms. 
The king entreated of them earnestly, that they would p.ay so much 
care and attention to Tournay, that nothing unfortunate might hap. 
pen, which they all promised him. They took leave of the°kingof 
France, left Arras, and arrived at Tournay, where they found''sir 
Godemar du Fay, who had been sent thither before them. He re. 
ceived them joyfully, .is did those of the town ; and, after having 



44 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &< 



well examined the purveyances whicli were there, as well of artillery 
as of provision, they ordered great quantities of corn, oats, and other 
articles of food, to be brought into it from the country round about, 
so that the city was in a good state to hold out for a long time. 

To return to the king of England, who, when the time for being be. 
fore Tournay approached, and the corn was nearly ripe, set out from 
Ghent, accompanied by seven earls from his own country, two pre- 
lates, twenty-eight bannerets, two hundred knights, four thousand 
^men-at-arms, and nine thousand archers, without counting the foot 
soldiei-s. He passed through the town of Oudenarde, crossed the 
Scheld, and encamped before Tournay, near St. Martin's gate, on the 
road to Lisle and Douay. Soon after came his cousin, tlie duke of 
Bra'-"»nt, with upward of twenty thousand men, knights and esquires, 
.and the companies from the diiferent towns. The Brabanters were 




3i. 

Y. As It appeared two hundred years since. 



■encamped atPontaries upon the Scheld (a dependence of the abbey 
of St. Nicholas.) as you return from the fields by the gate Valentinois. 
The earl of IlainauU came with the fine cavalry of his country, with 
many Dutchmen and Zealanders, who attended upon his person as 
their lord. The earl was encamped between the king of England 
and tlie duke of Brabant. Jacob Von Artaveld came next with more 
than forty thousand Flemings,* not reckoning those from Ypres, 
Poperingue, Cassel, and Bruges, who were ordered to another part, 
as you w;ill hear presently. He was quartered near the gate St. 
Fontaine, on both sides of the Scheld, over which they had thrown 
a bridge of boats, that they might have free intercourse. The duke 

■of Gueldres, the earl of .Tuliers, the marquis of Blanckenberg, the 
marquis of Nuys, the earl of Mons, tlie earl of Savines, the lord of 
Fauqueinont, sir Arnold de Bacqueghen, and all the Germans, were 

■ stationed on the side toward Hainault, so that the city of Tournay 
was very completely surrounded. Each division of the army had 
open communication with each other, and no one could enter or 

. come out of the city without permission, or without being seen. 



CHAPTER LIV. 

■THE EAHL OF ffAINAULT DESTROYS THE TOWNS OF SECLIN AND ORCIirES. 

This siege of Tournay lasted a long time. The army that lay 
before it was plentifully and cheaply supplied with all sorts of pro- 
visions, for they were brought to them from all the neighboring coun- 
tries. Many gallant actions were performed ; for the earl of Hainault, 
who was very bold and enterprising, took this war to heart, reflect- 
ing as he did that his country had suffered so much at its eommence- 
jnent, and headed every excursion. He set out one morning very 
early from the camp with five hundred lances, and passing below 
-Lisle, burnt the good town of Scclin,and many villages in its neigh- 
"borhood. His light-horse advanced even as far as the suburbs of 
Lens, in Artois. All this was related to his uncle, king Philip, at 
Arras, who, though very angry, could not at this time help it. After 
this excursion the earl took another route, and advanced toward the 
capital town of Orehies, which was taken and burnt, for it was not 
inclosed. Landas and Celle shared the same fate, as well as many 
considerable villages tliereabout. They scoured the country, and 
took a very great booty, with which they retreated to the army before 
Tournay. At the same time the Flemings made frequent and strong 
assaults on Tournay ; they built boat«, moveable towers, and other 
machines of offence, with which they every day battered the town. 
■Skirmishes very frequently took place, in which many were killed 



• Lord Berneis says 60,000-£d. 



and wounded on both sides ; and the Flemings exerted themselves 
to conquer or damage Tournay,so much had thiswar irritated them; 
and they say there is never any discord so bitter, as that between 
neighbors and friends. 

Among these attacks there was one which lasted a whole day ; 

much valor was shown, for all the knights that were in Tournay 

were present. It was intended, by means of boats and other ma. 

chines, to have forced and broken the barriers of the bridge ; but 

they were so gallantly defended, that the Flemings made no impres. 

sion, but lost a vessel in which there were one hundred and twenty 

men, who were drowned ; so they retreated toward evening, sorely 

tired. During this siege some soldiers made an excursion from St. 

Amand, where there was a strong body, and came to Hasnon, which 

belonged to Hainault, burnt the town, violated the nunnery, destroyed 

the monastery, and took with them all they 

could carry off' to St. Amand. Shortly after 

these same soldiers set out again, and having 

passed through the wood of St. Amand, came 

^- . to the monastery of Vieogne, with the intent 

to pillage and destroy it; they made a great 

fire before the gate in order to burn it. When 

the abbot perceived in what danger he was, 

he set off directly on horseback, and riding 

^5 behind the wood, came to Valenciennes in 

^^_ great haste, where he requested the provost 

^?^I to let him have some cross.bowmen ; whom 

;'=f/_: having obtained, he led behind Raimes, and 

posted them in the wood looking toward 

Pourcelet, and upon the causeway. Thence 

they began to shoot upon the soldiers and 

Genoese, before the gates of Vieogne, who 

no sooner felt the arrows showering upon 

them from the woods, than they were panic. 

struck, and ran off' as fast as they could. By 

these means was the monastery saved. 

About this time the earl of Lisle was in 
Gascony, carrying on the war, by orders from 
the king of France. He had already taken 
and recaptured the country of Aquitaine, and 
kept the field with upward of four thousand 
horse ; he jiad besieged Bordeaux bysea and 
land. The earl had with him the flower of 
the chivalry of the marshes of Gascony — the 
carl of Perigord, the carl of Cominges, the 
earl of Cannaing, the earl of Villernort, the 
viscount Biumquet, the lord de la Borde, and many other knights and 
barons, and nothing resisted them but the fortresses, which the 
English garrisons carefully guarded. Many gallant feats of arms were 
performed in this country, of which we shall speak in proper time and 
place ; for the present we must return to Scotland, and see what 
is going on there during this siege of Tournay. 






'^l 



:>>«? 



CH.\PTER LV. 



THE SCOTS RECOVER GREAT PART OF THEIR COCNTEY DURING THE 
SIEGE OF TOURNAY. 

The reader should be informed, that Sir William Douglas, son of 
the brother of sir James Douglas, who was killed in Spain,* the earl 
of Moray, the earl Patrick of Dunbar, the carl of Sutherland, sir 
Robert Keith, sir Simon Fraser, and Alexander Ramsay, had re. 
mained as governors of the remnant of Scotland, that was not in the 
possession of the English. During the space of seven years they 
had secreted themselves in the forest of Jedworth, in winter as well 
as summer, and thence had carried on a war against all the towns 
and fortresses wherein king Edward had placed any garrisons, in 
which many perilous and gallant adventures befel them, and from 
which they had acquired much honor and renown. While king Ed- 
ward was beyond sea before Tournay, the king of France sent over 
some forces to Scotland, which arrived safe in the town of Perth : 
and he entreated the noblemen above mentioned, to carry on so bitter 
a war in England, that king Edward should be obliged to desist from 
his present enterprise before Tournay, promising them every aid and 
assistance ; in consequence of which these lords collected their forces, 
and made themselves ready. They quitted the forest of Jedworth, 
traversed Scotland, retook as many fortresses as they were able, passed 
by Berwick, and, crossing the river Tync, entered Northumberland, 
which was formerly a kingdom of itself, where they found plenty of 
fat cattle. Having destroyed and burnt the whole country as far as 
Durham, and even beyond it, tliey returned by another road, doing 
the same to all the countries they passed through ; so that all the 
country on the borders of England, to the extent of three days' 
journey, was completely ruined and destroyed. They then reen- 
tered Scotland, and gained all the fortresses which the king of Eng- 
land held, except the good town of Berwick, and three other castles, 
which annoyed them much, and which are so strong, that you -will 

* Celebrated in Scottish story under the name of the Knight of Liddesdale. Lord 
Hailes mentions liim aloite as being sent on the embassy to France. Robert the Stewad 
was regent of the kingdom. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



45 



scarcely tind their equals for strength in any country ; one 13 called 
Stirling, the other Roxburgh, and the third, which may be styled the 
Bovereign of Scotland, Edinburgh. This lost is situate upon a high 
rock, commanding a view of the country round about; and the 
mountain has so steep an ascent, that few can go up it without stop, 
ping twice or thrice. The governor of it at that time was a gallant 
English knight, called sir Walter Limousin, brother-german to him 
who had so gallantly defended the castle of Thin-l'Eveque against 
the French. 

A bold thought came into sir William Douglas's mind, which he 
mentioned to his companions, the earl of Dunbar, sir Robert Fraser, 
who had been tutor to king David of Scotland, and Alexander Ram. 
say, who all agreed to try to execute it. They collected upward 
of two hundred lances of Highlanders, went to sea, and purchased 
oats, oatmeal, coal, and straw, and landed peaceably at a port about 
three miles from the castle of Edinburgh, which had made a stronger 
resistance than all the other castles. When they had armed them- 
selves, they issued forth in the night time ; and having chosen ten 
or twelve from among them, in whom they had the greatest confi- 
dence, they dressed them in old threadbare clothes, with torn hats, 
like poor tradesmen, and loaded twelve small horses, with a sack to 
each filled with oats, meal, or coal ; they then placed the rest in am. 
buscade in an old abbey, that was ruined and uninhabited, close to 
the foot of the mountain on which the castle was situate. At day. 
break, these merchants, who were privily armed, took the road with 
their horses the very best way they could toward the castle. When 
they had got about half way up the hill. Sir William Douglas and 
sir Simon Frazer advanced before the others, whom they ordered to 
follow in silence, and came to the porter's lodge. They informed 
him, that they had brought, with many risks and fears, coal, oats, 
and meal, and, if there were any want of such articles, they should 
be glad to dispose of them, and at a cheap rate. The porter replied, 
that the garrison would thankfully have them, but it was so early, 
that he dared not awake either the governor or his steward: at the 
saiiie time he told him to come forward, and he would open the 
other gate. They all then passed quietly through, and entered with 
their loads to the gate of the barriers, which he opened for them. 

Sir William Douglas had remarked, that the porter had all the 
great keys of the castle gates, and had, in an apparently indiflerent 
manner, inquired which opened the great gate and which the wicket. 
When the first gate was opened, they turned in their nags, and flung 
off the loads oi' two, which consisted of coal, directly upon the sill 
of the gate, so tliat it could not be shut, and then seized the porter, 
whom they slew so suddenly, that he did not utter a word. They 
then took the keys, and opened all the gates ; and sir William 
Douglas gave a blast upon his horn, as a signal for his companions : 
they then flung off their torn clothes, and placed all the remainder 
of the coal between the gates, so that they could not be shut. 
When those in the ambuscade heard the horn, they sallied forth, 
and hastened forward to the castle. The noise of the horn awak- 
ened the watch of the castle, at that time asleep, who, seeing these 
armed men running up the castle hill, blew lustily on his horn, and 
bawled out, " Treason I treason ! Arm yourselves, my masters, as 
fast as you can, for here are men-at-arms advancing to our fortress." 
They all roused themselves as quickly as they could, and when 
armed came to the gate ; but sir William and his twelve companions 
defended the gate ; so that it could not be shut. The combat then 
grew hotter; but those from without maintained their ground with 
great valor, until their ambuscade anived. The garrison made a 
very gallant defence, killing and wounding many of their enemies; 
but sir William and his parly exerted themselves so much, that the 
fortress was taken, and all the English killed, except the governor 
and six esquires, to whom they showed mercy. The Scots remained 
in the castle all that day, and appointed for governor a squire of that 
country, called sir Simon de Vesci, and left with him many of his 
countrymen. This news was brought to the king of England while 
he lay before Tournay. 



CHAPTER LVI. 

TnE KING OF FRANCE ASSEMBCES A LAKGE ARMY, I.V ORDER TO RAISE 
THE SEIGE OF TOURNAY. 

It has been before related in what manner the king of England 
had besieged the city of Tournay, and that he pressed it very close ; 
for he had upward of one hundred and twenty thousand men, in- 
cluding the Flemings, who behaved very well in all their attacks. 
The commanders within the city, finding their provisions beginning 
to get low, sent out from it all those who had not laid in a proper 
quantity i''or the occasion. They were driven out about the middle 
of the day, and passed through the army of the duke of Brabant, 
who took compassion on them, and had them conducted in safety to 
king Philip at Arras ; he had remained there all this time, while 
those within Tournay were in great distress, and had need of assist- 
ance and advice. The king of France published a special summons 
throughout his lungdom, and also in many parts of the empire, for 
levying of forces. It had so good an effect, that Charles, king of 
Bohemia, the duke of Lorrain, the earl of Bar, the bishop of Metz, 
the bishop of Verdun, the earl of Montbeliard, the lord John of 
Chalons, the earl of Geneva, the earl of Savoy, and the lord Lewis, 



his brother, came to serve under the king of France, with as many 
men as they could collect together. There came to him also the 
dukes of Brittany, Burgundy, and Bourbon, the earls of Alcn^.on, 
Flanders, Foretz, Armagnac, Blois, Harcourt, and Dammaitin, the 
lord Charles of Blois, the lord of Coucy, and many other knights 
and barons. The king of Navarre afterwards came with a number 
oi men-at-arms, to serve for the lands he held in France, and for 
which he was a homager to the king. The king of Scotland was 
also there, under the appointment of the king of France, and had a 
handsome body of men given to him. 



CHAPTER LVII. 

SOME OF THE GARRISipN OF BOUCHAIN DEFEAT A BODY OF SOLDIERS 
FROM MORTAGNE,* BEFORE THE TOWN OP CONDE. 

When all these lords above-mentioned, and many others, were 
come to Arras, the king of France advanced to a small river, which 
is about three leagues distant from Tournay. It was very deep, and 
the country about it so marshy, that it could not be crossed, but by a 
very narrow causeway, on which two men would have difficulty to 
pass abreast. The king and his army encamped in the fields, as they 
could not cross this river. The next day they remained there also; 
and the lords about the king held a council, on the best means of 
building bridges, to pass over this river and the quagmires in safety. 
They sent some knights and armed men to examine the passages, who, 
after having well considered them, reported that it would be pains 
thrown away, and that there was no other means of crossing this river 
and country, but by the Pont.;\-Tressin. Everything, therefore, re- 
mained as before, and each lord took up his quarters among his own 
men. The news was soon spread abroad, that the king of France 
and his army were encamped between the bridges of Tressin and 
Bouvines, with the intention of giving his enemies battle ; so that all 
men of honor, who were desirous of fame, went and joined one side 
or other, as pleased them best. Three Gcinian knights, who were in 
garrison at Bouchain, heard, as ethers had done, that tlie two kings 
were near each other, and it w-as thought they would fight. Upon 
which two of them urged and entreated their companion that he 
would consent to remain in Bouchain, to guard and preserve it until 
they returned, and that they would make an excursion as far as 
Tournay, to seek adventures, and to see how things were going on. 

The two knights set out, whose names were sirCourrat d'Astraand 
sir Courrat de Lancenuch ;t they rode till they came to Estampons, 
above Valenciennes, for they were desirous of crossing the Seheld at 
Cond^. Between Fresnes and Estampons they heard a noise, and 
met many peojile running away ; upon which they spurred their 
horses, and pushed on toward the place from whence the outcry 
came, with their whole company. They were altogether about 
twenty.five lances. They inquired of the first they met of the mean- 
ing of all the noise and flight ; " Oh Lord, gentlemen," said they, 
" the soldiers from Mortagne have made an incursion upon us, and 
have collected a large booty in this neighborhood, which they are 
driving to their fortress, together with many prisoners they have 
taken." The two knights asked if they could conduct them to the 
road these soldiers were going ? Upon their answering in the affirm, 
ative, they pursued the French of Mortagne, and followed these 
honest men, w'ho showed them a way through the woods, so that they 
g.iincd ground upon them, near to Ndtre-Dame-au.x-Bois. The 
French were full one hundred and twenty men, and they were driving 
before them two hundred large cattle, with some peasants, prisoners. 
Their captain was a knight from Burgundy, called sir John deFrelais, 
under the orders of the lord of Beaujeu. As soon as the Germans 
perceived them they set up a loud shout, and ru.shed on full gallop. 
The combat was very sharp, for the Burgundy knight made a gallant 
defence, as well as some of his company, but not all, for several of 
them betook themselves to flight ; but they were so closely pursued 
by the Germans and peasants of the country, who had armed them, 
selves with stakes, that few escaped death. Sir John de Frelais was 
taken, and all the booty recaptured and given to the proprietors, who 
were very thankful to the Germans ever after. The knights then 
went forward to Tournay, where they were very well received. 



CHAPTER LVIII. 

SIR WILLIAM DE BAILLEUL AND SIR VAUFLART DE LA CROIX MAKE 
AN EXCURSION TO POKT-A-TRESSI.V. 

Soon after the king of France had taken up his quaiters, with his 
army, near the bridge of Bouvines, a company of Hainaulters put 
themselves in motion by the exhortations of sir Vauflart de la Croix, 
who told them he knew all the country well, and he could lead tliera 
to a part of the French army which they would be sure of conquer- 
ing. About one hundred and twenty of them, knights and esquires, 
set out one day through love to each other, to do some deeds of 



* MorUignc — a small town in Flanders, near the confluence of the Scarpe and Sclield, 
thrae leasnes fromTuurnay. 

t Sir Qjwn-a( d' Astra and sir Counat de Lancenuch. The names oftliese kniglits 
are, in the 46th chapter, said to have been Conrad. " Courrat" is found in both places, 
in Lord Berners and D'Sauvage : but in the lauer it is corrected in a marsinal note.— 
Ed. 



46 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



arms, and advanced toward Pont-a.-Tressin. They made the lord 
Cf Bailleul their captain, and it was imder his banner that they were 
to enlist. 

That same morning, some of the Liegeois made also an excursion, 
•under the command of sir Robert de Bailleul, brother-german to the 
above-mentioned sir William de Bailleul, for he had made a promise 
to do this to the bishop of Liege, and was bound to execute it with 
his whole company. The Liegeois had passed Pont-4-Trcssin, were 
foraging for their horses, and looking out to see if they could find 
any chance to profit by. The Hainaulters had rode on, and passed 
the bridge, without meeting with any one ; for there was such a fog 
that they could not distinguish anything at the distance of a lance's 
length. When all had passed the bridge, they ordered sir William 
de Bailleul, and his banner, to remain there, and sir Vauflart de la 
Croix, sir Raflet de Monccaux, and sir .Tohn do Verchin, to advance 
as far as the quarters of the king of Bohemia, and bishop of Liege, 
"which were near the bridge, and to attack them. The lord of Rode- 
mach had had the guard that night of the army of the king of Bohe- 
mia, and was on the point of retiring, when the light-horse of the 
Hainaulters appeared. They attacked them, as they came up, very 
valiantly, and they were repulsed also by the Liegeois. The conflict 
■was sharp, and the Hainaulters behaved themselves well. To secure 
a retreat, however, to their banner, the Hainaulters drew toward the 
bridge, where they were followed by those of Liege and Luxembourg, 
and the engagement was renewed. Sir William de Bailleul was ad. 
vised to recross the bridge with his banner, for many of his people 
remained there ; and many a gallant deed was performed, many a 
capture made, and many a rescue. Sir Vauflart unluckily was not 
able to gain the passage of the bridge, so he got out of the crowd, 
and saved himself the best way he could, by taking a road he was 
acquainted with, and hiding himself among thorns and quagmires, 
"where he remained a considerable time. The rest still continued 
the combat ; but the Liegeois, and those from Luxembourg, had 
overthrown sir William de Bailleul. 

While this was passing, sir Robert's company, who had been out 
foraging, returned, and, hearing the noise, came to the bridge. Sir 
Robert ordered his banner to advance, which was carried by a squire 
called James de Forsines, crying out, " Moriennes." The Hain- 
aulters, who were much heated, perceiving the banner of Moriennes, 
vhich is quite straight, thought it was their own, which they had 
been ordered to rally under, for there is but very little difl'erenee be- 
tween the two ; the Morienne arms having bars counterbarred wilh 
two chevrons, gules, and the chevron of sir Robert had on it a small 
cross or. The Hainaulters made a sad mistake, and ran into the 
midst of sir Robert's troop, who received them most fiercely, repulsed 
and discomfited them. They lost, on their side, sir John de Vargny, 
sir Walter de Pont-i.l'Arche, sir William de Pipempoix, sir John de 
Soire, sir Daniel de Bleze, sir Race de Monceaux, sir Lewis Dampelu, 
and many other knights and squires. Sir William de Bailleul saved 
himself in the best manner he could, but he lost a greit many of his 
men. Sir Vauflart de la Croix, who hid himself among the reeds in 
the marshes, hoped to have remained there until the night, but he 
waa perceived by some troopers, who were riding through these 
marshes : they made such a shouting and noise, that sir Vauflart 
came out and surrendered himself to them, who led him to the army, 
and gave him up to their commander. He detained him a whole day 
in his quarters, and would willingly, through pity, have saved him, 
as he knew his head would probably sufler. But the king of France, 
having heard of it, wished to take cognizance of it himself; so sir 
Vauflart was given up to him, and the king sent him to Lisle, where, 
as he had done much harm to the inhabitants, they would not accept 
of any ran.som, but put him to death. 



CHAPTER LIX. 

TIIE lAKL OF nAINAULT ATTACKS THE FOKTKESS OF JIOKTAGNE IN 
VARIOUS MANNERS. 

The king of France was much rejoiced at the arrival of sir Robert 
de Bailleul, and his defeat of the Hainaulters. Shortly afterwards, 
the earl of Hainault, sir John his uncle the seneschal of Hainault, 
with full six hundred laiices, Hainaulters and Germans, set out from 
the siege before Tournay. The earl had sent orders for those of 
Valenciennes to take another route, and place themselves between 
the Scarpe and the Scheld, to attack the town of Mortagne. Thev 
came there in a large body, and brought with them many engines, 
to throw things into the place. I have before told how the lord of 
Beaujeu had been sent thither as governor: he had expected an at- 
tack, from the situation of Mortagne upon the Scheld, and bordering 
upon Hainault, and had driven upward of twelve hundred piles into 
the bed of the river, to prevent its navigation. It was not long before 
the earl and his Hainaulters arrived on one side of the town °and the 
Valeuciennois on the other: they made preparations for an immediate 
attack. The Valenciennois ordered their cross-bowmen to shoot, 
and advance to the barriers; but they were unable to do so, for the 
wide and deep trenches which had been made before them. They 
then bethought themselves to cross th.c Scarjic at any rate below 
Chateau I'Abbaie, and passing near St. .\mand, to make an assault 
upon the gate which opens toward Maude. This they executed ; 



and full four hundred light troops armed crossed the river, and Mor- 
tagne's three gates were besieged. The weakest was certainly that 
leading to Mande ; however, that was tolerably strong. 

At that post the lord of Beaujeu placed himself; for he knew that 
all the rest were safe. He had armed himself with a very stout lance, 
having the head of tempered steel, and on the under side a sharp 
hook, so that, when he made his stroke, he could fix the hook into 
the jackets, or armor, of those who attacked, draw them to him, and 
make them fall into the river. By this means, in the course of the 
day, he caught and destroyed more than twelve of the assailants. 
At this gate, the conflict was much more severe than anywhere else, 
and the earl of Hainaidt was ignorant of it : he was hard by toward 
Brismal, drawn out in order of battle upon the bank of the Scheld. 
The lords took counsel how they might draw out the piles, either by 
force or ingenuity, from the bed of the river, so that they might ad- 
vance upon it up to the walls of the town. They ordered an engine 
to be made in a large vessel, to draw them out one after another; 
and all the carpenters were directly set upon this business. This 
same day the Valenciennois, on their part, erected a handsome engine, 
which cast stones into the town and casfle, and much annoyed the 
inhabitants of Mortagne. In this manner passed the first day, and 
the following night in assaulting and devising upon the best means 
to molest the town. 

On the morrow, they returned to the attack on all sides. The third 
day the vessel and engine were ready to draw out the piles, and those 
ordered upon that duty were set to work, but they had so much trouble 
and labor in drawing out one, that the lords thought they should never 
accomplish it, and therefore made them desist. There was, at that 
time, a very able engineer at Mortagne, who, having considered the 
machine of the Valenciennois, and how much it annoyed the town, 
for it was perpetually in action, made another in the castle, which 
was not very large, but well made and tempered, and so well pointed, 
that it was used only three times ; the first stone fell within twelve 
paces of the engine of the Valenciennois ; the second was nearer to 
the box ; and the third was so well aimed, that it struck the machine 
upon the shaft, and split it in two. The soldiers of Mortagne made 
a great shouting at this event. The Hainaulters were thus two days 
and two nights before Mortagne without conquering any part of it. 
The earl and his uncle thought it advisable to return toward Tournay, 
which they did ; and the Valenciennois went back to their town,, 
whence they had come. 



CHAPTER LX. 

THE EARI. OF HAINAULT TAKES THE TOWS OF ST. AHAND DDRESa THE 
SIEGE OF TOtmNAY. 

Three days after the earl of Hainault had been returned from 
before Mortagne, he made a request to his companions, that they 
would come with him to St. Amand ; for he had received many 
complaints of the soldiers of St. Amand having burnt the monastery 
of Hanon, and of their attempt to do the same at Vicoigne, as well 
as of many other vexations which they had committed upon the bor- 
ders of Hainault. The earl set out from the siege of Tournay, with 
three thousand combatants, and came before St. Amand by the way 
of Mortagne, which town was only inclosed with a palisade. A 
knight from Languedoc, and seneschal of Carcassonne, was governor 
of it, and he had told the monks of the abbey, as well as the inhabit- 
ants, that it was not tenable against any body of men ; not that he 
meant to give it up, but on the contrary, to defend it as long as he 
could, and mentioned it merely as a piece of information. These 
words were not much attended to, or believed ; however, he had 
some time before sent to Mortagne all the jewels of the monastery, 
and thither went also the abbot and his monks, who were not very 
well calculated to defend themselves. 

The Valenciennois, who had been ordered by the earl their lord to 
be before St. Amand on a certain day, as he would be there to meet 
them, came with twelve thousand combatants, and posting themselves 
before the town, armed all the cross-bowmen, and made them advance 
toward the bridge over the Scarpe. The conflict was here very sharp : 
it lasted all that day, without the Valenciennois being able to make 
any impression ; but they had a great many of their men killed and 
wounded, and the besieged, mocking them, called out, " Go your 
ways, and drink your good ale." Toward the evening they retired 
from before the town, nmch wearied and surprised that they had not 
heard any tidings of their lord ; they called a council, and resolved 
to return hack to their own town. On the morrow after their de- 
parture, the carl of Hainault arrived, as has been said, by the way 
of Mortagne, and he immediately began the attack : it was so violent, 
that the barriers were instantly won, and they advanced to the gate 
which opens toward Mortagne. The earl and his uncle headed this 
attack ; they fought most valiantly, and spared none. Each of them 
at this place received two such blows, from stones thrown down upon 
them that their helmets were split through, and themselves stunned. 
One present then said to the earl, " Sir, we shall never do anything 
cfiectual in this place, for the gate is very strong, the passage nan-ow, 
and it will cost you too many of your people to gain it; but if you 
will order some large beams of wood to be brought, and shod with 
iron in the manner of piles, and strike with them against the walls 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &( 



of the monastery, I will promise you that you will make breaches in 
many places: if once we get.into the monastery, the town is ours, 
for there is nothing to stop us between it and the town." The earl 
ordered this advice to be followed, for he perceived it was reasonable, 
and the shortest method of getting possession of the town. Great 
beams of oak were brought, formed, and sharpened like piles, and 
to each were ordered twenty or thirty men, who bearing it in their 
hands, retreated some paces, and then ran with it with i^rcat force 
against the wall, which tliey battered down in many places, so that 
they entered valiantly and crossed a small rivulet. 

The seneschal of Carcassonne was there, with his banner displayed 
before him, which was gules, with a chef argent, three chevrons in 
chief, and an indented border, argent, and near him were collected 
many companions from his own country, who received the Hainault- 
ers very gallantly, and fought as well as they were able, but it was 
in vain, as they were overpowered by numbers. It may be worth 
remembering, that, on their entering the monasteiy, there remained 
a monk, called sir Froissart, who did wonders, killing and wounding, 
at one of the breaches where he had posted himself, upw-ard of eigh- 
teen, so that no one durst venture to pass through: at last he was 
forced to tly, for he perceived that the Hainaulters were entering the 
monastery by various other breaches ; the monk, therefore, made otf 
as fast as he could, and saved himself in Mortague. As soon as the 
earl, sir John, and the knights of Hainault, had entered the monas- 
tery, the earl ordered no quarter to be given, so much was he enraged 
at the violences they had committed in his territories. The town 
was soon filled with soldiers, who pursued all they met from street to 
street, and from house to house ; very few escaped being put to death. 
The seneschal was slain under his banner, and upward of two hun- 
dred men with him. The earl returned that evening to Tournay. 

On the morrow, the men-at-arms of Valenciennes, and the com- 
monalty, came to St. Amand, burnt the town, the monastery, and 
the great minster : breaking and destroying all the bells, of which 
there were numbers of very good and melodious ones. The earl of 
Hainault made another excursion from the siege of Tournay, with 
about six hundred men-at-arms, in order to burn Orchies, Landas, 
and Le CoUe. He afterwards crossed, with his army, the river 
Scarpe above Hano«, and entering France, came before a large and 
rich monastery, at Marchiennes, of which sir Ayme de Vervaulx was 
governor, who had with him a detachment of cross-bowmen from 
Douay. The attack was violent, for the knight had strongly forti- 
fied the first gate, which was surrounded by wide and deep ditches, 
and the French and monks withinside defended themselves valiantly. 
The Hainaulters exerted themselves much ; and, having procured 
boats, they by this means gained entrance into the monastery, but a 
German knight, attached to the lord of Fauquemont, was drowned; 
his name was sir Bacho de la Wiere. At the attack of the gate, the 
earl, his uncle the seneschal of Hainault, and many others, proved 
themselves such good knights, that the gate was gained, sir Aym6 
slain, and the greater part of the others. Many monks who were 
there were captured, the monastery pillaged, and burnt, as well as 
the village. The earl after this returned with his army to Tournay. 



47 

whom were sir Florent de Beaurieu, sir Latas de la Haye, marshal of 

ilie army, the lord John of Hainault, sir Oulphart de Guistelles, sir 

Robert Glewes, from the county of Los, at that time only a squire 

and many more ; amounting altogether to upward of three hundred 

good men-at-arms. They came to Pont-ii-Tressin, which they 

crossed without loss : they then held a council, on what would be 

the most advantageous plan for them to beat up and skirmish with 

the army of the French. It was determined, that the lord of Rau. 

dcrondenc, and his son, sir Henry de Kalkren, a mercenary knight 

sir Thilman de Saussy, sir Oulphart de Guistelles, sir I'AIIeman has' 

tard ot Hamault, sir Robert Glewes, and Jacquelot de Thiaulx 

should act as light-horse, and skirmish up to the tents of the French • 

that the rest of tlie knights and squires, who might amount to three 

hundred, should remam at the bridge, to keep and defend that pass, 

m cose of any attack. This advanced body then .set out : they were 

forty persons altogether, well mounted upon handsome and strong 

chargers : they rode on till they came to the French camp, when 

they immediately dashed in, and began to cut down tents and pavil. 

ions, and do every possible damage, by skirmishing with all that 

opposed them. That night, two great barons, the lord of Montmo. 

rency and the lord of Saulieu, had the watch, and were with their 

guard, when the Germans fell upon them. As soon as they heard 

the noise, they and their banners moved toward it. 

When the lord of Rauderondenc saw them approach, he turned his 
horse about, and ordered his pennon and his party to push for the 
bridge, the French following him closely. In this chase, the French 
captured sir Oulphart de Guistelles, for he could not follo%v 
track, his sight being indifferent. 



CHAPTER LXI. 

Sm CHARLES DE MONTMORENCY, AND MANY OTHERS OF THE FRENCH, 
CAPTURED AT PONT.A-TRESSIN. 

The siege of Tournay lasted a long time, and the town held out 
well ; but the king of England thought he must gain it, for he knew 
that there were within it great numbers of men-at-arms, and a scar- 
city of provision, which would oblige them to yield through hunger. 
But others said, that they would find supplies through the country of 
the Brabanters, who permitted frequent and large quantities of pro- 
visions to pass through their army, and even to enter the town. 
Those from Brussels and Louvain were quite weary of remaining 
there so long, and petitioned the marshal of their army for leave to 
return to Brabant. The marshal replied, that he was very willing 
to consent to their departure, but they must leave their arms and ac- 
coutrements behind them. This made them so ashamed, that they 
never again repeated their request. During this siege, the Germans 
made an excursion toward Pont-a-Tressin, where sir Robert de Bail, 
leul had defeated the Hainaulters. The lord of Rauderondenc, sir 
John of Rauderondenc his son, at that time a squire, sir John de 
Randebourgh, a squire also, and tutor to the lord of Rauderondenc's 
son, sir Arnold de Bacqneghen, sir Reginald d'Escouvenort, sir 
Courrat d' Astra, sir Bastien de Basties, Candrelier his brother, the 
lord Strauren de Leurne, with many others, from the duchies of Ju- 
liers and Gueldres, held a conference together, and resolved to make 
an excursion on the morrow, by break of day ; for which purpose 
they armed, and prepared themselves well that night. 

Some knights-bachelors* from Hainault joined them; among 

* The word bachelor, from whence has come ba^hdicr. does not signify baJi ckevalirr, 
Ijuta kiiightwho has not the number of bachefles ofljind requisite to display ahanner; 
that IS to say, four bachdtcs. The hachelle was composeil of ten mai or mcix (farms," 
or domains,) each of which contained a sufficiency of land fur the work of two oxen du- 
ring a whole year.— G/055. du droit. Fr. de Laurica. 

Bovatiis tcrriE. Tantum esse quantum hos unus cofat; sex bovati; quantum flex. 
In vet. autem statutorum mess, ad compositionem mensurarum, sic notatur. Octo bo- 
vata: terrie faciunt carucatam terra;, octo carucntaj faciunt unum feodum militis. xviii. 
Bene fiiciunt bovatam Xenm.—Svcimanni Olossarium. 



their 
He was surrounded by the enemy, 
and made prisoner, as were two esquires, of the names of Mondrop 
and Jacquelot de Thiaulx. The French galloped after them, but 
the Germans escaped ; and, being scarcely more than half an acre 
separated from them, they could plainly hear them crying out, " Ha, 
gentlemen, you shall not return as easy as you came."° Then one 
of his party rode up to the lord of Rauderondenc, and said, "Sir, 
consider what you are about, or the French will cut us off from the 
bridge." The lord of Rauderondenc replied, " If they know one 
road to it, I know another;'" and, turning to his right, led his party 
along a road tolerably well beaten, which brought them straight to 
the river before mentioned, which is very deep, and surrounded by 
marshes. On their coming thither, they found they could not ford it, 
so that they must return, and pass over the bridge. The French^ 
thinking to cut off and take the Germans, went on full gallop toward 
the bridge. When they were come near to it, and saw the large 
body of men waiting for them, they said to one another, " We are 
making a foolish pursuit, and may easily lose more than we can 
gain." Upon which many turned back, particularly the banner, 
bearer of the lord of Saulieu, as well as that lord himself. But the 
lord of Montmorency would not retire, but pushed forward courage, 
ously, and, with his party, attacked the Germans. This attack was 
very fierce on both sides, and each party had many unhorsed. While 
they were engaged, the light troops made a circuit, and fell upon 
their flank : notwithstanding this, and the hard blows given, the 
French stood their ground. But sir Reginald d'Escouvenort, know, 
ing the banner of Montmorency, under which the knight was, with 
sword in hand, dealing his blows about him, came upon his right 
hand, and, with his left hand seizing the reins of his horse, stuck 
spurs into his own, and drew him out of the combat. The lord of 
Montmorency gave many blows with his sword upon the helmet and 
back of sir Reginald, which at once broke and received them. How. 
ever, the lord of Montmorency remained his prisoner, and the Ger. 
mans fought so well, that they maintained their ground, and made 
fourscore gentlemen prisoners. They then repassed the bridge with, 
out hindrance, and returned t.) Tournay, where each retired to his 
own quarters. 



CHAPTER LXII. 

the FLEMINGS ADVANCE TO ST. OMER DURING THE SIEGE OF TOtJRNAY, 

We will now relate an adventure which happened to the Flemings, 
under command of sir Robert d'Artois and sir Henry de Flandres! 
They amounted to upward of forty thousand, from the towns of 
Ypres, Poperingue, Malines, Cassel, and Castlewick of Bergues. 
These Flemings were encamped in great array in the valley of°Cas. 
sel, to oppose the French garrisons which king Philip had sent into 
St. Omer, St. Venant, Aire, and other towns and fortresses in that 
neighborhood. By the king of France's orders, the dauphin of Au- 
vergne, the lords of Kaleuhen, Montay, Rochefort, the viscount de 
Touars, and many other knights from Auvergne and Limousin, 
posted themselves in St. Omer. In St. Venant, and in Aire, there 
were also a great many knights. The Flemings frequently skir. 
mishcd with the French ; and one day, to the number of four or five 
thousand lightly armed, they came to the suburbs of St. Omer, pulled 
down many houses, and pillaged wherever they could. The alarm 
was instantly spread in the town : the lords who were there soon 
armed themselves and their men, and sallied out at the gate opposite 
to where the Flemings were. They might amount to about six 
banners, two hundred armed with helmets, and six hundred infantry. 
They made a circuit round St. Omer, as their guides, who were well 
acquainted with the road, led them, and came opportunely upon the 



48 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &. c. 



Flemings, who were busily employed in collecting everything they 
could find in the town of Arques, which is close to St. Omer, so that 
they were dispersed about, without oificers, and without order. The 
. French attacked them thus unawares, with banners displayed, and 
lancea in their rests, in regular order, ci7ing out, "Clermont, Cler. 
mont, for the dauphin of Auvergne." 

When the Flemings heard this, they were sore alarmed ; and, not 
attempting to rally in any order, they fled as fast as they could, throw- 
ing down all the pillage they had gotten. The French pursued them, 
and killed and knocked them down in great numbers. This pursuit 
lasted full two leagues : there were four thousand eight hundred slain, 
and four Imndrcd captured, who were carried to St. Omer, and there 
imprisoned. When those few, who had escaped, arrived at their own 
army, and related what had happened to them, it soon came to the 
ears of their captains, who told them they had deserved what had 
befallen them, for they had done tliis without orders, and without a 
leader. About midnight, as these Flemings were asleep in their tents, 
so sudden an alarm and fright came upon ihem, that they all got up, 
and could not make sulVicient haste to decamp. They directly pulled 
down their ienls and pavilions, flung them into the baggage-wagons, 
and took to their heels ; without waiting for any one, or keeping any 
order cr regular road. When the two commanders heard of this, 
they got up in the greatest haste, and ordered large iires and torches 
to be lighted : they mounted their horses, and, galloping after the 
Flemings, said to them, " Sirs, tell us what has ailed you, that you fly 
thus, when no one pursues you ; you ought to tiiink yourselves very 
secure, and yet you are still going on. Return back, for God's sake : 
you are exceedingly to blame, to run away without being pursued." 
But, notwithstanding all their entreaties, they would not stop, and 
each took the nearest way he could find to his own home. These 
lords, perceiving they could not prevail with thorn, ordered their bag- 
gage to be packed up in the wagons, and came to the siege of Tour, 
nay, where they related to the chiefs what had happened to the Flem- 
ings, which surprised all : some said, they must have been bewitched. 



CHAPTER LXIII. 

THE SIEGE OF TOURNAY KAISED, BY MEANS OF A TRUCE. 

The siege of Tournay had lasted a long time ; eleven weeks all but 
three days ; when the lady of John de Valois, sister to the king of 
France, and mother to the earl of Hainault, took great pains with 
both parties to make up a peace, so that they might separate without 
a battle. The good lady liad frequently, on her knees, besought it 
. of the king of France, and afterwards came to the lords of the em. 
pire, especially to the duke of Brabant, and the duke of Julicrs, who 
. had married her daughter, and to the lord John of Hainault. She at 
last 60 far prevailed, by the help and assistance of the lord Lewis 
d'Augimont, who was well beloved by both parties, that a day was 
fixed for a negotiation, when each of the parties was to send five well- 
qualified persons to treat upon the best means of bringing about a 
reconciliation, and a truce for three days was agreed upon. These 
commissioners were to meet at a chapel, situated in the fields, called 
Esplotin. On the day appointed, having- heard mass, they assembled 
after dinner, and took the lady with them. On the part of the king 
of France, there came Charles, king of Bohemia, Charles, earl of 
Alen9on, the king's brother, the bishop of Liege, the earl of Flan- 
ders, and the earl of Armagnac. On the part of the king of Eng- 
;&nd, there came the duke of Brabant, the bishop of Lincoln, the 
duke of Gueldrcs, the duke of Juliers, and the lord John of Hainault. 
When they had all entered this chapel, they saluted each other 
most politely, with every mark of respect : they then began on the 
business, and the whole day passed in discussing the best means to 
accomplish what they were met for. The lady Joan entreated of 
them respectfully, but with earnestness, that they would e.\ert them- 
selves to bring about a peace : this first day, however, passed awny 
without anything being decided, when they all separated, promising 
to return on the morrow. The next day they came to their appoint- 
ment, began upon the treaty as before, and fell upon some arrange- 
ments which seemed likely to end to their mutual satisfaction ; but 
it was too late that day to put them in writing : ss> they separated, 
with a promise of returning on the morrow to complete and finish it. 
The third day these lords returned, and agreed upon a truce, to last 
for one year, between the two kings and all the allies that were 
present, as well as between those who were carrying on the war in Scot. 
land, Gascony, Foictou, and Saintonge ; and it was in these coun. 
tries to take place forty days from that day. Each party was to 
inform their adherents of the truce, and that they sincerely meant to 
abide by it ; but they wore to be left to follow their own inclinations, 
adhering to it or not. 

France, Picardy, Burgundy, and Normandy, agreed to it, without 
any exception ; and this truce was to take place immediately in the 
armies of France and England. The two kings also were to send 
four or five noble personages to Arras, where the pope was to send 
as many legates ; and to whatever these persons should determine 
upon they promised most faithfully to accede. One of the conditions 
of this truce was, that each person should retain whatever he had 
got in his possession. The truce was immediately proclaimed in each 
army, to the great joy of the Brabanters, who were heartily tired of 



the siege. The day after, at daybreak, tents and pavilions were 
struck, wagons loaded, and every on« in motion to depart ; so that 
any one who had been there before, and saw this, might have hailed 
a new era. 

Thus the good city of Tournay remained unhurt, but it had a nar. 
row escape ; for there were at that tiine no more provisions in it than 
would have been sufficient for three or four days. The Brabanters 
began their march immediately, for they were very impatient to re. 
turn. The king of England set out sore against his will, but it 
behoved him to consent to the will of others, and to agree to their 
counsels. The king of France could not well remain longer where 
he was, from the great stench of the dead cattle, and from the excee. 
sive heat of the weather. The French thought they had gained much 
honor in this business ; giving for reason, that they had prevented the 
city of Tournay from being lost, and separated the large army which 
had Iain before it and done nothing, notwithstanding the great prepa. 
rations that had been made. The lords of the opposite party claimed 
the honor of this affair ; because they had remained so long in the 
kingdom of France, and besieged one of the best towns the king had, 
burning and destroying his country before his eyes, and he not send- 
ing any succor or relief as he ought to have done : and lastly, be- 
cause he had consented to a truce with his enemies lying before his 
city, burning and wasting his kingdom. 

These lords then set out from Tournay, and returned to their own 
country. The king of England went to Ghent, where his queen was, 
and soon after crossed the sea with all his people, except those whom 
he left to attend the conference at Arras. The earl of Hainault re- 
turned to Valenciennes ; and upon that occasion there were great 
entertainments, and a tournament at Mens in Hainault. Sir Gerard 
de Verchin, seneschal of Hainault, was there, and tilted at this tour- 
nament, at which he was mortally wounded. He left behind him a 
son, called John, who was afterwards a bold and hearty knight, 
though he enjoyed but indifl'eient health. The king of France dis- 
banded his army, and went to amuse and refresh himself at Lisle, 
where the principal persons of Tournay came to see him. He re- 
ceived them with great joy, and, as a mark of favor for having so 
gallantly defended themselves against their enemies, so that they 
made no conquests from them, he granted them'back their franchises, 
which they had lost for some time. This made them very happy ; 
for sir Godemar du Fay. and many other knights, strangers to them, 
had been made their governors : they, therefore, immediately elected 
provosts and jurats from among themselves, according to their ancient 
customs. When the king had settled to his liking part of his business, 
he set out for Lisle, and took the road toward his good city of Paris. ■ 

The time approached for the meeting of the conference at Arras. 
Pope Clement VI. sent, as his legates, the cardinal of Naples, and 
the cardinal of Clermont, who came to Paris, where they were re- 
ceived most honorably by the king of France, and then proceeded to 
Arras. From the king of France, there came the earl of Alen^on, 
the duke of Bourbon, the earl of Flanders, the earl of Blois, the 
archbishop of Sens, the bishop of Beauvais, and the bishop of Aux- 
erre. On the part of the king of England there were, the bishop 
of Lincoln, the bishop of Durham, the earl of Warwick, the lord 
Robert d'Artois, the lord John of Hainault, and the lord Henry of 
Flanders. At this conference, there were many subjects brought 
forward for discussion, and a great deal of talk during the fifteen days 
which it lasted, but nothing positively detenuined upon ; for the 
English made large demands, which the French would not allow 
of; they agreed only to restore the county of Ponthieu, which had 
been given as a marriage portion with Isabella, to the king of Eng- 
land. This conference, therefore, broke up without doing anything, 
except prolonging the truce to two years, which was all that these 
cardinals could obtain. Ever>' one returned homeward ; and the 
cardinals took their road through Hainault, at the entreaties of the 
earl, who right nobly entertained them. 



CH. AFTER LXIV. 

THE DUKE OF BRITTANY DIES WITHOUT HEIRS, UPON WHICH A WAR 
ENSUES FOR THE SUCCESSION. 

As soon as the truce made before Tournay had been agreed to 
and sealed, the lords and all others set off for their own countries- 
The duke of Brittany, who had attended the king of France, with 
his army before Tournay, better accoutred than any other prince or 
lord, was, upon his return home, taken ill, insomuch that he was 
obliged to stop, and his disorder increased so fast, that iie died.* 
The duke, at his death, had no child, nor had the duchess, his wife, 
any expectations of one. He had a brother by his father's side, called 
the earl of Montfort, then living, and who had married the sister of 
earl Lewis of Flanders. The duke had also another brother, who 
was dead, but had left a daughter, whom her uncle, the duke, had 
married to the lord Charles of Blois, younger son of Guy earl of Bloie, 
by the sister of king Philip of France, then reigning, and had promised 
her, on her marriage, the duchy of Brittany, after his decease, though, 



* .Tohn in. duke of Brittany died at Caen, 3(Hh of April. \3iX. His body was carried 
to the Carmelites of PloeriDoi. Cliariesde Louvier, who hved at that period, assure* 
ua. in his S/mgc du Verger, that duke John seeing himself without children, declared 
tlie call of Montfort his heir. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



49 



at the time, he was doubtful if the earl of iVIontfort would not claim 
it, as being nearest of kindred, though he was nit properly his brother- 
german. It seemed to the duke, that the daughter of his brother- 
german ought, by reason of her proximity, to have the duchy after 
his death, in preference to the earl of Montfort, his brother. And as 
he had long had his suspicions that the earl of Montfort would, at"ter 
his decease, enforce his claim, to the prejudice of his young niece, 
with all his power, he had married her to the lord Charles of Blois, 
with the intent that the king of France, his uncle, might more power- 
fully assist him in preserving his rights, should the carl of Montfort 
attempt to encroach on them. 

As soon as the earl of Montfort knew of tlie death of the duke his 
brother, he set oii* d irectly for t!ie city of Nantes, which is the capital 
of Brittany, and exerted himself so much among the citizens and the 
inhabitants of the neighborhood, that he was received as their lord, 
as being tl-.e next relation !o the duke just departed ; and they all 
swore fealty and homage to him. Then he and his wife, -who had 



the heart of a lion, took counsel together upon holding a solemn 
court, and a great feast at Nantes. Summons were ordered to be 
sent to all the barons and nobles of Brittany, and to the councils of 
the great towns, inviting them to attend this court, to do their fealty 
and homage as to their true lord, which was done. In the mean 
time, before the commencement of this feast, he set out from Nantes, 
with a great number of men-auarms, and went toward Limoges, 
where he had been informed his brother had placed the large sums 
he had amassed. On his arrival he entered the town in a most splen. 
did manner, and was nobly and honorablv received by the inhabitants, 
clergy, and commonalty of the place. They all did him homage, as 
to tlieir right lord ; and the grand treasury was delivered up to him, 
by the consent of the lords and burgesses, whom he gained by the 
presents and promises he made to them. When he had feasted and 
remained at Limoges as long as was agreeable to him, he departed 
with all the treasure, and came directly to Nantes, where the lady, 
his wife, was expecting him. They continued there in private, with 




The Entry of John de Montfort and ins Duchess into Nantes ; fioiii :i .Mt". Frois;.-irt of the I5lh century. 



much joy, until the day arrived for the grand court and solemn feast, 
and made great preparations for the celebration of it. On the day 
of the feast, no one appeared to the summons but one knight, sir 
Henry de Leon, who was a powerful and valiant man ; nevertheless, 
they continued the feast for three days with the citizens of Nantes, 
and those near the city, in the best manner they could. It was then 
resolved to expend the great treasure in obtaining possession of the 
duchy, to collect a numerous body of soldiers, both horse and foot, 
and to force all that should rebel against him to ask his mercy. This 
council was attended by all who were at Nantes, knights, clerks, 
and citizens. Soldiers were enlisted from all parts, and well paid ; 
so that they soon had a large body of horse, as well as foot, of those 
that were noble, as well as those that were not, and from all parts 
and countries. 

CHAPTER LXV. 

THE EABL OF MONTFORT TAKES THE TOWN AND CASTLE OF BREST. 

When the earl of Montfort found that he had men in plenty, he 
was advised to go and possess himself, either by violent or gentle 
means, of all the country, and to subdue his enemies. He sallied 
»ut, therefore, from Nantes, with a large army, and drew toward a 



very strong castle, situated upon the sea-coast, called Brest : sir 
Walter* de Clisson was governor of -it, a most noble knight, and on® 
of the greatest barons of Brittany. The earl, in his march toward 
Brest, so conquered all the country, except the fortresses, that th® 
inhabitants followed him, on foot or on horseback, for they dare^ 
not leave him : he thereby had a numerous body of men-at.amiai 
When he and his army were come before Brest, he ordered sir Henry 
de Leon to summon the governor, and require of him, in obedience 
to the earl of Montfort, as duke of Brittany, to surrender to him the 
castle and town of Brest, as to his liege lord. The governor replied, 
he would do nothing in the business, until he should have received 
orders iVom the lord to whom of right it belonged. The earl then 
retreated to a small distance, and sent challenges to those of the 
town and castle. On the morrow, after he had heard mass, he or- 
dered his men to arm, and make an assault upon the castle, which 
was very strong, and well provided with everything. 

The governor, sir Walter de Clisson, on his part, was not inactive 
he armed all the garrison, who were full three hundred good fighting 
men, and sent every one to the post he had assigned them, taking 
with him about forty of the bravest, and advanced out of the castle, 

' 3ii Oarnicr de Clisson, Lord B«m«r's, and D.Sauvage'B adit— Ed. 



■50 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, Sec. 



as far as the barriers. The assailants came there to make their at- 
tack, which was very sharp ; and many of them were slam and 
wounded : the governor performed wonders ; but at last, such num. 
bers came upon him, the earl urgod tliem on so sharply, and each 
exerted himself so much, that the barriers were won, and the defend- 
ers of them forced to retire toward the castle with great loss ; for 
their opponents had fought lustily: many were killed. The gov. 
crnor, however, comforted tliem as well as he could, and conducted 
thcni in safety to the chief gate. When those who kept the ward 
of the gate perceived the defeat of the governor's party, they were 
afraid of losing the castle, and let fall the portcullis, which shut them 
out : the knight however defended himself valiantly, though most ot 
his party were killed or wounded : the governor himself, though 
very badly wounded, would not surrender, in spite of all entreaties. 
Those within the castle exerted themselves with their cross.bows ; 
and, by throwing large stones upon the assailants, forced them to 
retire, and gave an opportunity of raising a little the portcullis, so 
that the knight and the remnant of his detachment entered: all ol 
them were dangerously wounded. 

The next day, the earl of Montford ordered machines to be made, 
and got ready to attack the castle more vigorously ; and he declared, 
that nothing should make him depart, until he had gained possession 
of it. On the third day he was informed that sir Walter de Clisson 
was dead of the wounds he had received, which was confirmed. 
Upon this the earl ordered his men to arm themselves, to renew the 
attack with vigor, and the machines which had been made to ad. 
vance, and large beams of timber to be thrown across the trenches, 
in order to come to the walls of the castle. Those within defended 
themselves with their cross-bows, and by throwing down upon the 
assailants stones, firebrands, and pots of hot lime, till toward mid- 
day, when the earl again summoned them to surrender, promising 
them indemnity for what was past, on their acknowledging him as 
their lawful lord. Upon this they had a long consultation, and the 
earl ordered a cessation of arms. After they had fully considered 
this proposal, they freely surrendered themselves, their persons and 
effects being preserved inviolate. The earl then entered the castle, 
with a few attendants, and received the fealty of all those of the cas- 
tjewick. He appointed a knight, in whom he had great trust, as the 
governor of it, and returned, very well pleased, to his camp. 



CHAPTER LXVI. 

THE EAKL OF MONTFOKT TAKES THE CITY OF KENNES. 

When the earl had concluded this business, and had established 
proper guards and garrison in the castle of Brest, he was advised to 
advance toward the city of Rennes, which was at no great distance. 
He ordered his camp to be broken up, and his army to march toward 
Rennes: through all the country he passed, he made the inhabitants 
Bwear homage and fealty to him, as their liege lord, and took as 
many with him as he could, to help and assist his army. None 
dared to refuse him, for fear of their persons. When he was arrived 
at Arras, he ordered his tents to be pitched, and placed his army 
round the town and suburbs. Those of the town made a show of 
defending themselves; their governor was sir Heniy de Spinefort, 
whom they much loved for his prowess and loyalty. He one day 
made a sally, with two hundred men, before the dawn, upon the 
enemy's camp, cutting down tents, and killing some few. Upon 
which the army cried out " To arms," and made ready for their de. 
fence : those who were upon guard, hearing these cries, and the 
stir, advanced to the place, and met those of the town returning 
home. An attack commenced, which was boldly fought on both 
"ides ; when the army had armed themselves, they advanced to the 
support of the guard ; which the town's.people seeing, lost courage, 
and ran away as fast as they could, but many remained on the field, 
killed and prisoners. Among the last was sir Henry de Spinefort, 
who being brought to the earl of Montfort, he determined to send 
him to the inhabitants of the town, to demand their surrender, or he 
would hang the knight before the gates : for he had heard how very 
much he was beloved by them. 

Upon this demand the commonalty had a long consultation. They 
loved sir Henry much, and greatly compassionated him : they had 
also made but very scanty provision for enduring a long siege, so 
that they wished to accept the terms offered : but the higher ranks 
of citizens would not agree to them, for they had laid in ample 
stores. This occasioned a quarrel among them ; and as those of the 
higher ranks were nearly allied to each other, they withdrew them, 
selves on one side, and said aloud, that all who were of this opinion 
should come to them : so many were of their way of thinking, and 
connected with them, that they amounted to full two thousand 
against accepting the earl's proposals. When the lower sorts saw 
this, they began to stir, and cried out against them, using many bad 
and villainous expressions, and at last fell upon them and killed 
many. The citizens perceiving their danger, begged for mercy, and 
promised to agree to whatever the people chose. Upon this the riot 
ceased, and the people ran to open the gates, and deliver up the city 
to the earl of Montfort. All the inhabitants, both great and small, 
did him homage and fealty, acknowledging him for their lord. This 
was done out of love to sir Henry de Spinefort, and he was made 
one of the earl's council. 



CHAPTER LXVII. 

THE EARL OF MONTFOKT TAKES THE TOWN AND CASTLE OF HENNEBON,* 

The earl entered the town of Rennes in great triumph ; and he 
quartered his army in the fields round about it. He made up the 
quarrel between the inhabitants, and then established bailifl^s, pro- 
vosts, sheriffs, sergeants, and other officers. He remained in the 
city three days, to repose himself and army, and to consider upon 
what steps he should next take. The fourth day he decamped, and 
marched to one of the best fortified castles, and the strongest town, 
without comparison, in all Brittany, called Hennebon. It is situated 
near the sea, and a river runs about it in deep trenches. When sir 
Henry de Spinefort was informed of his intentions, he began to be 
alarmed lest some mischance should befall his brother, who was 
governor of that place, and, taking the earl aside, said to him, " Sir, 
you have admitted nie to the honor of your council, and I have 
sworn fealty to you. I perceive that you mean to sit down before 
Hennebon : I think it, therefore, my duty to inform you, that the 
town and castle are so strongly fortified, that it will not be so easily 
won as you may think. You may lie before it a whole year, and 
never conquer it by dint of force : but if you will put your eonfi. 
dence in me, I will point out a method by which you may gain it. 
It is proper to use artifice when strength is of no avail. You will 
give me, if you please, five hundred men-at-arms, for me to act with 
as I shall think proper : I will advance with them half a league be- 
fore your army, with the banner of Brittany displayed. As soon as 
my brother, who is commandant of the town and castle, shall see 
the banner of Brittany, and distinguish me, I am sure he will open 
the gates, which I will enter and seize, as well as the town and 
castle, and arrest my brother, whom I will give up to your will, if 
he will not follow my advice, under your promise of honor that you 
will not do him any bodily harm." " No, by my head, I will not," 
replied the earl, " and you have hit upon a lucky expedient. I love 
you more than before for it, and shall be charmed with you, if you 
can bring it about that I may be master of the town and castle." 

Sir Henry de Spinefort, and his party, amounting to full five hun- 
dred armed men, took leave of the earl, and, in the evening, came 
before Hennebon. As soon as Oliver de Spinefort knew of his ar- 
rival, he permitted him and his forces to enter the gates, and went 
down the street to meet him. When sir Henry saw him approach, 
he stepped forward, and taking hold of him said, " Oliver, you are 
my prisoner." " How is this ?" replied Oliver : " I trusted in you, 
and thought you were come here to help and assist me in defending 
this town and castle." " Sweet sir," said sir Henry, " things do not 
go on in that manner. I take possession of this place for the earl of 
Montfort, who at this moment is duke of Brittany ; to whom I, as 
well as the greater part of the country, have sworn fealty and homage ; 
and you will, I am sure, do the same, for it will be more agreeable 
to do it out of love than through compulsion, and my lord the earl 
will think himself the more obliged to you for it." Oliver was so 
much pressed and entreated by his brother, that he consented to his 
proposals, and confirmed it to the carl, who entered the town tri- 
umphantly, which is a large place, and a good sea.port. After having 
taken possession of the town and strong castle, he placed in both, 
men-at-arms, for their garrisons. He then advanced toward Vannes, 
and was so active in treating with the inhabitants, that they surren- 
dered it, and swore fealty and homage, as to their true lord. He es- 
tablished in that town all manner of municipal oflicers, and tarried 
there three whole days. When he departed, he marched to besiege 
a very strong castle, called La Roche Ferion, the governor of which 
was the lord Oliver de Clisson, cousin-german to the lord of Clissont. 

The earl remained before it more than ten days, without being 
able to find out any means to gain this castle, it was so strong, nor 
obtain any parley or conference with the governor, so that he might 
attempt to gain him to his obedience, either by promises or by threats. 
He therefore left it until he should have a greater force, and went to 
besiege another castle, ten leagues off", called the castle of Aurai. Sir 
GeoflVy de Malestroit was governor of it, and he had for his compan- 
ion, sir Yves de Trisiguidi. The earl made two assaults upon it, 
but he saw he should lose more than he could gain : he consented to 
a truce, and a day of parley, through the earnest solicitations of sir 
Hervg de L^ont, who at that time was with him. The parley was 
so managed, that everything was amicably adjusted, and the two 
knights swore fealty and homage to the earl, who immediately de- 
parted, after having appointed them as his governors of the surround- 
ing country, and went toward a strong castle in that neighborhood, 
called Goy la Forest. He who was governor of it, perceiving that 
the earl had a strong force, and that all the country was submitting 
itself to him, by the advice and remonstrances of sir Herv^ de L^on 
(with whom he had formerly been companion at arms in Prussia, 
Grenada, and in many other foreign countries) yielded it up to the 
earl, and swore fealty and homage to him, who continued him as 
governor of the place. He then went to Carhaix, a good town, witli 

* Situated upon the river Biavet, in the diocese of Vannes, thirty-seven leagues from 
Nantes. 

t The Histoire de la Bretagne, by Pere Morice, a Benedictine monlc. says, that Oli- 
ver de Clisson was the true lord de Clisson. 

t Called Hmru de Leon in chapter 64. Bttth Lord Bernere tad D. Sauvase's ediuon 
read Henri/ throughout.— Ed. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, "&.c. 



51 



a strong castle. The lord of it was a bishop, who at the time was 
there : he was uncle to sir Herv6 de L^on, and by his advice and 
affection for him, he surrendered it to the earl, acknowledging him 
as his lord, until some other should come, and show a more just title 
to the dukedom of Brittany*. 



CHAPTER LXVIII. 

THE EARL OK MONTFORT DOES HOMAGE TO THE KtNS OF ENSLAND FOR 
THE DUKEDOM OF ERITTANYt. 

Why should I make a long story of it ? The earl of Montfort con- 
tinued his conquests, gained the whole country, and was eveiywhcre 
addressed as duke of Brittany. He advanced to a sea.port town 
called Roscoff, when he dismissed his troops, and sent them to garri- 
son and preserve for him the different towns he had won. He then 
embarked, and landed in Cornwall, at a poft called Cepsce, where, 
upon his inquiries after the king of England, he was informed that he 
was at Windsor. He set off for that place, and was received at 
Windsor, by the king, queen, and all the barons at that time there, 
with great joy. He explained to the king, the lord Robert d'Artois, 
and to the council, the manner of his seizing and taking possession 
of the duchy of Brittany, which had devolved to him, as next heir 
to his brother lately deceased. He suspected, however, that the lord 
Charles of Blois, and the king of France, would attempt to deprive 
him of it by force ; for which reason he had come to hold the duchy 
of the king of England, and to do him homage for it, provided he 
should be secured against the king of France, or any others that 
should attempt to molest him in his rights. The king of England, 
considering that his war against France would be strengthened by 
this means — that he could not have a better entry into that kingdom 
than through Brittany — that the Germans and Brabanters had done 
nothing for him, but cost him brge sums — and that the lords of the 
empire had led him up and down, taking his money, without making 
any return for it — was very happy to comply with the earl's request, 
and received his homage for the duchy by the hand of the earl, who 
was called and addressed by the title of duke. The king then gave 
his promise, in the presence of the lords who had accompanied him, 
as well as before those barons of England that were there, that he 
would aid, defend, and preserve him, as his liege man, against any 
one, the king of France, or any other, to the utteimost of his royal 
power. These promises and homage were written and sealed, and 
each party had a copy of them. After this, the king and queen made 
such rich presents of jewels, and other gifts, to the earl, and to those 
who had come over with him, that they pronounced him a gallant 
king, and fit to reign many years in great prosperity. They after- 
wards took leave, embarked, and landed at Roscoff, a town in Brit- 
tany, the place whence they had sailed ; and thence he went to 
Nantes, where his countess had remained, who told him that he had 
done well, and had acted wisely. 



CH.\PTER LXIX. 

THE EAKL OF MONTFORT SUMMONED BEFORE THE PARLIAMENT OF PARIS 
AT THE REQUEST OF THE LORD CHARLES OF BLOIS. 

When the lord Charles of Blois, who, by right of his wife, looked 
upon himself as lawful duke of Brittany, was informed that the carl 
John of Montfort was conquering, by force of arms, all the country and 
fortresses which of right belonged to him, he went to Paris, and 
complained of it to king Philip, his uncle. King Philip called upon 
his twelve peers for their advice what was best to be done in this 
business. They recommended, that the earl of Montfort should be 
sent to and summoned, by properly qualified messengers, to appear 
at Paris, to be interrogated judicially ; which was done. The mes- 
sengers found the earl in the city of Nantes, keeping great feasts, 
which he made them partake of, and told them, he would be obedient 
to the king's commands, and would cheerl'ully attend them. He 
made very magnificent preparations, set out from Nantes, and jour- 
neyed on till he came to Paris, which he entered with more than four 
hundred attendants on horseback, and tarried there that day and 
night. On the morrow, about eight o'clock, he and his attendants 
mounted their horses, and rode to the palace, where king Philip was 
waiting for him, surrounded by his twelve peers, great numbers of 
other barons, and the lord Charles of Blois. When the carl of Mont- 
fort was arrived at the palace, he withdrew to the chamber v/here 
the king and his barons were : he was civilly regarded and saluted 
by them. He advanced toward the king, and making him a reve- 
rence, said, '• Sir, I come here in obedience to your commands and 
good pleasure." The king replied, " Earl Montfort, I thank you for 
so doing ; but I am much surprised how you could think or dare, of 
your own accord, to invade the duchy of Brittany, where you have no 



* It was the bishop of Uuimper, Ai.ain le Gal. who was probably on his visitation 
round hi? diocese. The author of the History of Brittany before quoted, seems to doubt 
the relationsliip between the bishop and sir Herve de Leon. 

t Froissart seems to mistake this homage for the one the earl of Montfort paid to the 
king of England as earl of Richmond, whicli had llillen to the kins on the deatli of 
e,arl John, lint I cannot account for this, as Froissar* before says, king Edward created 
Robert d'Artois earl of Richmond. Montfort positively denied having paid any homage, 
wiien he attended the king of France, at Paris, in obedience to ids summons. The 
procuration to treat with the duke of Brittany, and the powers to receive his homage for 
the lands appertaining to the earldom of Richtoond, are given to tlie archbishop of Can- 
terbury, and sir Walter Scroop, both dated the 13th March, 1331.— Rymee. 



right, for there are nearer heirs than you, whom you attempt to dis. 
inherit : and, in order the better to strengthen your claim, you have 
been, as I am informed, to do homage for it to my enemy, the king 
of England." 

The earl answered, " Oh dear, sir, do not believe it ; for, in good 
truth, you have been misinformed : but, with regard to my claim of 
which you have just spoken, with all due deference to your giace, I 
believe you are quite mistaken ; for I know of no nearer relation to 
the duke, my brother, lately deceased, than myself: and I shall not 
think myself a rebel, or be ashamed, for not giving up my right."* 
" Sir earl," said the king, " you say well ; but I command you, by 
what you now hold, and expect to hold, from me, that you quit not the 
city of Paris for fifteen days, when the peers and barons shall try this 
claim of relationship; at which time you will know what your right 
is : and, if you act otherwi.se, you will incur my displeasure." " Your 
will shall be done, sir," answered the earl. He then left the court 
and returned to his hotel to dinner. When he was come there, he 
retired to his own chamber ; and having well weighed and considered 
some suspicions he had conceived, he mounted his horse and set out 
for Brittany, accompanied by a very small number of attendants, and 
arrived at Nantes, before the king or any others, except his own 
particular friends, knew anything of the matter. It was imagined, 
ill health kept him within his hotel. He related to his countess all 
that had happened, and wrote, according to her advice, to all the 
towns and castles which had been surrendered to him ; established in 
each able captains, with plenty of soldiers, cavalry as well as infantry, 
and paid them handsomely. 



CHAPTER LXX. 

THE DUCHY OF BRITTANY ADJUDGED, BY THE PARLIAMENT OF PARIS, TO 
THE LORD CHARLES DE BLOIS. 

It may be easily conceived, that the king of France, and lord 
Charles de Blois, were exceedingly enraged, on hearing that the 
earl of Montfort had escaped from them. However, they waited for 
the expiration of the fifteen days, when the peers and barons were to 
give their judgment to whom belonged the duchy of Brittany. They 
adjudged it wholly to the lord Charles de Blois, from the earl of Mont- 
fort, for two reasons. One was, because the wife of lord Charles de 
Blois, as the representative of her father (who after the last duke was 
the next brother, both by father and mother,) was a nearer relation 
than the earl of Montfort, who was the youngest of these brothers, by 
another mother; which mother had never been duchess of Brittany; 
so that he never could deduce any claim from her. Another was, 
that, supposing the earl of Montfort had any legal claim to the sue- 
cession, he had forfeited it, because he had done homage for it to 
another lord than the king of France, to whom he owed it ; and also, 
because he had transgressed the commands of the king of France, 
had broken his arrest, and had quitted Paris without leave. When 
the barons had publicly given their judgment in this affair, the king 
called to his nephew, the lord Charles of Blois, and said to him, 
" Good nephew, you have had adjudged to you a handsome and great 
heritage ; make haste to take possession of it, and conquer it from 
him who wrongfully holds it ; and entreat all your friends to aid and 
assist you in this undertaking. I will not fail you, but will lend you 
money in sufficiency, and will give orders to my son, the duke of 
Normandy, to take the command of the expedition." The lord 
Charles made a profound reverence to tlie king, and returned him 
many thanks. He soon after requested the duke of Normandy his 
cousin, the count d'Alen^on his uncle, the duke of Burgundy, the 
count de Blois his brother, the duke of Bourbon, the lord Lewis of 
Spain, the lord James of Bourbon, the count d'Eu, at that time con- 
stable of France, the count de G uines his son, the viscount de Rohan, 
and all the princes and barons then present, to assist him to gain his 
riirht ; which they all promised, and said they would cheerfully tbllow 
hi'ni, and their lord, the duke of Nonnandy, with all the forces they 



* Lord Berners, whose account agrees with that in D. Sauvage's edition, represents 
Montfort as willing to submit to judgment, if given against him ; and as this is afilvor- 
ahle opportunity for contrasting the style of Lord Berners' and Mr. Jobnes's transla- 
tions, we annex the whole passage. 

" The next day, he (the earl of Montfort) and all his mounted on their horses, and 
rode to the kynge's palaysc. Tlier the kynge and his xii peres, with other great lordes 
of Fraunce, taryed his commying, and the lorde Charles of Blois wiUi the. Than therle 
entred into the kynge's chambre : he was well regarded and saluted of every pereon. 
Than he enclyned hymselfe to the kyng, and sayd, Sir, I am corae byther at your 
comaundement and pleasure. Than the kyng sayd. earl of Mountfort. for your sodoing 
I can you good thanke, howbeit, 1 iiave marucyle howe that ye durste undertake on 
you Ihe duchy of Bietayne, wherein yo have no right, for there is another nerer than ye 
be andyewoldedisinherythym; and to mentayne yourquarell. ye have ben wt myne 
nd'nersary the kynge of Englande, and as it is shewed me ye haue done hym homage lor 
the saine. Than therle sayd. Sir belene it nat, Ibr surely ye are but yuell enformed in 
thathehiiir- but sir, as for the right that ye speke of, sauying your dis|3easur, ye do 
me therein wrong, for sir, 1 knowe none so nere to my brother that is departed as 1, ifit 
irrrc ill 'eil or playntn dtdnrrd by right that then were a notlier nerer than I. laolde 
not be rcbdl nor ashamed to leave it. Well, sir. quoth the kyng, ye say well ; but I 
coraaund you, in all that ye holde of me, that ye depart not out of this cytie of Parys thus 
TV dayes by which tyme the xii peres and lordes of my realme shall ludge this mater, 
and tha ye shall knowe what right ye haue, and if ye do otherwyse, ye shall displease 
Tbantherl sayd, sir. all shal bo at yor pleasure. Than he went fro the court to his 
lodovnge to dyner. Wliau he came to his lodgynge. he entred into his chambre, and 
tier, atte and ymanined nrnny doutcs. and finally, with a small company, he mounted 
on his hot^e and retourned ngayne into Bretnyne, or the king or any other wyst »vher ha 
become Some thought he had beeu but a lytell sicke m his lodgymg. -Ed. 



52 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



could collect together. Upon which every one set off for his own 
home, to make himself ready, and provide properly for the occasion. 



CHAPTER LXXI. 

THE LORDS OF FRAKCE ENTER BRITTANT, WITH LORD CHARLES DE BLOIS. 

When all the lords of Normandy, the coiiut d'Alen^on, the duke 
of Burgundy, and the others that were to accompany the lord 
Charles de Blois, in his expedition to conquer Brittany, were ready, 
some of them set out from Paris, and the rest from different places, in 
(Order to meet togetlicr at Angers. From thence they proceeded to 
Anccnis which is at die extremity of the kingdom on that side. 
They remained there three days, for the purpose of arranging and 
ordering their army and baggage. Upon entering Brittany, they 
aumbered their forces, and found them to amount to five thousand 
Jnen-at-arms, witliout counting the Genoese, who were at least three 
thousand, under the connnand of three knights from Genoa : the 
name of one was Othes de Rae, and of another Charles Germanly.* 
There was a large body of foot soldiers and cro.ss.bowmen, led on 
by sir Galois de Baunie. When the whole army had marched out 
of Ancenis, they advanced toward a very strong castle, situated 
upon a high mountain, called Chateauceaux, on the borders of Brit, 
tauy, which was very well provided with men and ammunition. It 
was under the command of two knights from Lorraine ; one called 
sir Giles, and the other sir Valerian. The lords of France, on 
drawing near to tliis castle, were of opinion to besiege it ; for if tliey 
left a place of such strength behind them, it would do them much 
hai'm. They therefore surrounded it, and made many assaults, 
particularly the Genoese, who were eager to show themselves at the 
onset, and lost many of their men ; for tliose within made so gallant a 
defence, that these gentlemen remained a long time before it wilhoiit 
any success. At last, however, they brought such quantities of great 
beams and faggots as filled up the ditches, so that they could get to 
the foot of the walls of the castle, and attack it with greater vigor. 
The besieged flung down upon them stones, hot lime, and brands of 
fire, notwithstanding wliich, their opponents advanced close to the 
walls, having secured themselves by means of large beams, so that 
they could mine the walls under cover. Upon this the castle was 
surrendered, the lives and effects of the garrison being spared. 

When the lords of France had tluis gained the castle, the duke of 
Normandy, as commander-in-chief, gave it up to tlie lord Cliarles de 
Blois, as appertaining to him of right, who placed a garrison there, 
with a sufficient force to guard it and the neighboring country, and 
also to conduct sucli troops after liim as might arrive. t They then 
advanced toward Nantes, which is the principal town of Brittany, and 
where their enemy, the earl of Montfort, had fixed his residence. The 
marslials of the army, and the advanced guard, came to a tolerable 
good town, surrounded with ditches, which they immediately at- 
tacked. Those within were not very numerous, nor well aimed ; 
consequently the town was soon taken and pillaged : one half of it 
was burnt and the inhabitants slain. This town was called Carquefou, 
and is about four or five leagues from Nantes. The lords remained 
for the night in that neighborhood : the next day they advanced to 
Nantes, which they laid siege to, and pitched their tents and pavil- 
ions. The men-at-arms in the city, who were very numerous, and 
the citizens, having perceived this, hastened to arm themselves, and 
went to the diiferent posts assigned them for defending their town. 
The army before it, having fixed upon their quarters, went out a for- 
aging ; and some of the Genoese and foot soldiers advanced, as far 
as the barriers, to skirmish. Several young men of the town with a 
few soldiers sallied out to meet them, and many were slain on both 
Sides. Skirmishes were continually going on as long as the army 
Remained before it. 

One morning, some of the soldiers and citizens sallied forth, to 
SScek adventures. They met about fifteen carts loaded with provis- 
ions, going to the army, conducted by sixty persons. Those from 
the town were two hundred. They fell upon them, seized the carts, 
and slew many. Those that escaped fled to the army, and related 
what had passed ; when immediately a detachment was sent to rescue 
the prisoners. They came up with thcin near the barriers : the affiay 
then became more serious ; for tlinse from the army multiplied so 
quickly, that the citizens had enough to do. However, they tools 
the horses from the carts, and drove them into the town, that if their 
opponents should gain the field, they might not so easily carry off" the 
wagons or provisions. Other soldiers came out from the town, to 
help their friends or relations : it became every moment more severe, 
and of a long continuance : many were killed and wounded on both 
sides. At length, Sir Herve de L6on perceived it was time to retreat : 
for, by staying, they might lose more than they could gain ; he there. 
fore ordered those in the town to retire in the best manner lliey 



could ; hut they were so closely pursued, that numbers were killed, 
and more than two hundred burgesses of the town taken prisoners. 
The eari of Montfort was very angry at this, and blamed sir Herv^ 
much for having ordered the retreat so soon. Sir Hcrv6 took this 
to heart, and would never attend the councils of the earl, as he had 
formerly used to do ; which conduct surprised many. 



According to the Annals or Genoa, by Asostino Justinuino, 1 think their names 
onght to be Odoird dc Doric and Charles Orinmtdi.—DKm-a SiuvAGE. 

Vallani, in his Chronique Universelle, makes mention of.lnton Doris acid Charles 
Orimaldi, as captains of the Genoese, at the battle otCrecy.— /(iem. 

t The historian of Brittany says, the French kept this place, n nd tliat king John gave 
It as an appanage to his son, Lewis count d'Anjou. Cliarles V. acknoivlcdsed that it 
belonged to tlie dukes of Brittany, and gave it back. 



CHAPTER LXXII. 

THE EARL OF MONTFORT TAKEN PRISONER AT NANTES, AND THE MAM. 
NER OF HIS DEATH. 

It came to pass, as I have heard it related, that the burgesses, sec. 
ing their property destroyed both within and without the town, and 
their children and friends thrown into prison, were fearl'ul lest worse 
might happen to them : they therefore assembled privately, and, in 
their meetings, came to a determination to treat in an underhand 
manner, with the lords of PVance, about obtaining a peace, securing 
their property, and delivering their children and friends out of prison. 
Their proposals were acceded to ; and their friends were to be set at 
liberty, upon condition that they would allow them to pass through 
one of the gates of the town, to attack the castle, and seize the earl 
of Montfort, without doing hurt, either to the city or to any of the 
inhabitants. There were some people who seemed to say, that this 
treaty was brought about through the solicitation of sir Herv6 de 
L6on (who had formerly been one of the earl's chief advisers,) out 
of revenge for having been menaced and blamed by him, as before 
related. By this means they entered the city, accompanied by as 
many as they chose, went straight to the castle, broke down the gates, 
and took the earl of Montfort, whom they carried off to their camp, 
without injuring house or inhabitant in the city. This event took 
place in the year of grace 1341, about All-Saints day. The lords of 
France entered the city in great triiuiiph ; when all the burgesses and 
inhabitants did homage and fealty to the lord Charles de Blois, as to 
their true lord. They continued in the city for three days, keeping 
great feasts ;* tliey advised the lord Charles to remain there, and in 
its neighborhood, until another season, and to employ the soldiers of 
the garrisons from the places he had won in the most advantageous 
manner. These lords then took their leave and departed, and rode 
on till they came to Paris, where the king was, to whom they de- 
livered up the earl of Montfort, as his prisoner. The king confined 
him in the tower of the Louvre at Paris, where he remained for a 
length of time, and at last died tliere, as it has been told me for a 
truth.t 

I wish now to return to the countess of Montfort, who possessed 
the courage of a man, and the heart of a lion. She was in the city 
of Rennes when she heard of the seizure of her lord ; and, notwith- 
standing the great grief she had at heart, she did all she could to 
comfort and reanimate her friends and soldiers : showing them a 
young child, called John, after his father, she said, " Oh, gentlemen, 
do not be cast down by what we have suffered through the lose of 
my lord : he was but one man. Look at my little child, here : if it 
please God, he shall be his restorer, and shall do you much service. I 
have plenty of wealth, which I will distribute among you, and will 
seek out for such a leader, as may give you a proper confidence." 
When the countess had, by these means, encouraged her friends and 
soldiers at Rennes, she visited all the other towns and fortresses, 
taking her young son John with her. She addressed and encouraged 
them in the same manner as she had done at Rennes. She strength, 
encd her garrisons both with men and jirovisions, paid handsomely 
for everything, and gave largely wherever she thought it would have 
a good efl'ect. She then w'ent to Hennebon, near the sea. where she 
and her son remained all that winter; frequently visiting her gar- 
risons, whom she encouraged, and paid liberally. 

''' The French remained at Nantes until the 18tb December : and the earl of Montfort 
surrendered the town himself to the duke of Normandy, on learning what were the real 
dispositions of the townsmen, and knowing* ho could not longer depend on them. It is 
said, he was deceived by the finespeeches of the duke, who promised, on oath, to deliver 
him again the town of Nantes, in the same state he received it, and granted liim pass- 
ports, &Lf:.—Hisl. of Brittamj. 

t Froissart has been misinformed. " It was about this time. (1445) that the earl of 
Montfort found means to escape from the tower of the Louvre, where he had been con- 
fined upward of three years. Some persons, touched with compassion, disguised him 
as a merchant, and agisted him in his escape. He went directly to England, and found 
king Edward at Westminster, who had just wriUen to the Pope, to complain of the in- 
fractions Philip de Valois was making on the truce concluded at Mnlestroit, and to ex- 
plain the reasons he had for declaring war against him. He was solely occupied with 
the great armament he was preparing against France, and the war he intended to carry 
on in Gasfony. Nevertheless, he thought proper to grant some troops to the earl of 
Montl'orl, to support him against Charles de Blois ; the command of which he gave to 
William Bohun, earl of Nortliampton, whom he had nominated his lieutenant-general, 
as well in Brittany as in France. 

" The earl of Montfort. before he quitteil England, paid homage liege to the king for 
tile duchy of Brittany, at Lambeth, in the apartment of the archbishop, in presence of 
the earl of Northampton, and several other lords. 

"He embarked with tiie troops for his duchy— made an unsuccessful attack on Quim- 
[ler, which he did not long sun'ive. He died the 26lh tfeplember. 1345, in the castle of 
Hennebon, and was tint buried in the church of the Holy Cross at Ivimperle, but wax 
afterwards tianslerred to tlie churcli of the Dominicans, in the same town. Before hit 
death he made a will, and appointed the king of England guardian to his son John of 
Brittany."— i/rsr. de Brcta^m. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



53 



CHAPTER LXXIII. 

THE KING OF ENGLAND, FOK THE THIRD TIME, MAKES WAR UPON THE SCOTS. 

It has been mentioned before, how the lords of Scotland, during 
the siege of Tournay, had retaken many towns and fortresses from 
the English, which they possessed in Scotland. There only remained 
to them the castles of Stirling, Ro.xburgh, and Berwick. The Scots 
had laid siege to the castle of Stirling, assisted by some French lords, 
whom king Philip sent to aid them in their wars, and had pressed it 
so closely, that the English garrison found great difficulty in holding 
it out. When the king of England was returned into his own coun- 
try, he thought it advisable to make an incursion into Scotland, 
which he innnediately set about, and began his march between 
Michaelmas and All-Saints. He issued out his summons for all 
archers and men-at-arms to follow him to York. The English put 
themselves in motion to obey his commands, and came to the place 
appointed. The king arrived at York, where 
he remained waiting for his forces, who follow- 
ed him very quickly. When the Scots heard 
of the king'sarrival at York, they pushed on the 
siege of Stirling with the greatest vigor ; and 
by engines and cannons so pressed the garri- 
son, that they were forced to surrender it, pre- 
serving their lives, but not their eft'ects. This 
intelligence was brought to the king, where 
he lay. He began his march toward Stirling, 
and came to Newcastle-upon-Tyne, where, 
and in the neighboring villages, he quartered 
his army, and continued upward of a month, 
waiting for their purveyances, which had 
been embarked between All-Saints and St. 
Andrew's day. Many of their ships were 
lost ; and they had sustained such contrary 
winds, that they were driven upon the coasts 
of Holland and Friezeland, in spite of all their 
efforts, .so tliat very few arrived at Newcastle. 
On whicli account the army of the king of 
England, which consisted of six thousand 
cavalry and forty thousand infantry, were in 
very great distress, and provisions exceed, 
ingly scarce. They could not advance farther, 
as the winter was set in, and no forage or 
provisions to be had ; for the Scots had se- 
cured all the cattle and corn in their fortresses. 
The Scottish lords, who, after the conquest of 
Stirling, had retired to the forest of Jedworth, 
understanding that the king of England was 

come to Newcastle with a large force, to burn and destroy their coun. 
try, collected together, to consider the best means to defend them- 
selves. They were not very numerous, and had carried on the war, 
night and day, for more than seven years, without a leader, very much 
to their own discomfort : and, seeing there was no expectation of re- 
ceiving succor from their own king, they determined to send to the 
king of England a bishop and an abbot, to solicit a truce. 

These embassadors set out, and came to Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 
where they found the king surrounded by his barons; to whom, hav- 
ing come with a safe conduct, they e.xplained so handsomely their 
mission, that a truce was granted them for four months, upon condi- 
tion that the .Scots should send messengers to king David in France, 
and signify to him, that if, in the month of May fullowing, he did 
not return to his own country, with powers sufficient to defend it 
against king Edward, they W'ould own themselves subjects to the 
king of England, and never more acknowledge him for their lord. 
Upon this the two prelates returned to Scotland, when the Scots 
ordered sir Robert de Vesci and sir Simon Frazer, with two other 
knights, to set off fur France, to infomi the king of these conditions. 
The king of England, wlio remained at Newcastle with his whole 
army in a very uncomfortable manner, on account of the scarcity of 
provisions and other stores, the more readily granted this truce : he 
immediately set off homeward, and dismissed all his troops. The 
embassadors from Scotland to France took their way through Eng- 
land, and crossed the sea at Dover. King David, who had remained 
seven years in France, knowing that his country had been much 
desolated, and that his people had suffered exceedingly, determined 
to take his leave of the king of France, and return to his own king- 
dom, to endeavor to comfort and assist them. He flierefore had set 
out, accompanied by his queen, before these embassadors arrived, 
and had embarked at another port, under the guidance of a maiiner 
called sir Richard the Fleming,* so that he landed in the port of 
Moray, in Scotland, before any of the lords knew of it.t 



they conducted him to the town of Perth. Thither came people 
from all parts to see him, and to carouse : they afterwards remon. 
strated with him upon the destruction which king Edward and the 
English had done to Scotland. King David told them he would have 
ample revenge, or he would lose his kingdom, and his life into the 
bargain. By the advice of his council, he sent messengers to all 
his friends, far and near, to beg and entreat they would aid and assist 
him in this enterprise. The carl of Orkney was the first who obeyed 
the summons : he was a great and powerful baron, and had married 
king David's sister. There came with him many men-at-arms. There 
were such numbers from ail parts, that, when they were arrived at 
Perth and its neighborhood, on the day which king David had ap. 
pointed, they amounted to sixty thousand men on foot, and three 
thousand men more mounted on galloways, with arms, knights, and 
squires : in short, all the nobility and gentry of Scotland. When 
they were ready, they set out, to do as much mischief as possible to 




PiET OP THK Old Town Wall or Newcistle-upon-Tvne.— From an OrisiMl Diawins by Richardson. 



their neighbors in England : fur the truce was expired ; or to fight 
with the king who had destroyed their country. They left, there- 
fore, the town of Perth, in regular order, and came the first night to 
Dunfermline, where they lay. Oil the morrow, they crossed a small 
arm of the sea* hard by. When they had all passed, they pushed 
forward, and went under Edinburgh castle, traversing Scotland near 
to Roxburgh, where there was an English garrison, but without 
making an attack upon it, for fear of losing any of their men, or 
despoiling dieir artillery ; not knowing what force they might have 
to encounter, as they proposed doing some gallant deeds of renown 
before their return to Scotland. 

They then passed near to the town of Berwick, but without assault- 
ing it, entered the county of Northumberland, and came to the river 
Tyne, burning and destroying all the eountrj' through which they 
passed. They marched on until they were before the town of New- 
castle, where king David and his army halted that night, in order to 
consider if they could net achieve something worthy of them. To. 
ward daybreak, some gentlemen of the neighborhood, who were iix 
the town, made a sally out of one of the gates, in a secret manner, 
with about two hundred lances, to make an attack upon the Scots 
army. They fell upon one of the wings of the army, directly ou 
the quarters of the earl of Moray, who bore for his arms three pillows, 
gules on a field argent. He was in his bed when they took him 
prisoner, and killed a great many before the army was awakened. 
Having made a very large booty, they regained the town, which they 
entered with great joy and triumph, and delivered up the earl of 
Moray to the governor, the lord John Neville. t When the array 
was awakened and armed, they ran like madmen toward the town, 
even to the barriers, where they made a fierce assault, which lasted 
a considerable time. It availed them, however, nothing, but the loss 
of their people ; for the town was well provided with men-at-arms, 



CHAPTER LXXIV. 

KING DAVrO OF SCOTLAND ADVANCES WITH A LARGE ARMY TO NEW- 
CASTLE-UFON-TYNTi, 

When the young king David was landed in his own country, his 
subjects came to him in crowds ; and with great joy and solemnity 



* Malcolm Fleming of Cummimald. 

t l>avid II.. with his consort, Jolianna of England, landed from France, at Inver- 
bervie, Id Kincardineshire, 4th May, ISll. —Annals of ScotlaTld. 



* Probably at Queen's Ferry- 

t lie was afterwards exchanged for the earl of Salisbury, made prisoner by th« 
French near Lisle. The French would not release Salisbury, unless he made oath, 
never more to bear arms in France ; and Edward III. consented to this extraordinary 
condition, 20t]i May, 1M2.— .«?iiMb of Scotland, vol. 2, p. 210. 

Lord Berners describes this attack in these spirited words: "And in the morning a 
cerlayne nombre of pentylmen that were in the towne yssued out to the number of cc 
spercs, to make a shrtj in the scottysshe host: Uiey dashed into the Scotttixhe host, right 
on thrrte of Morets tentes, who bare in his armour, syluer three creylles goules ; ther 
they toke hym in his bed, and slewe many, orthoost%vas moued, and wan great pyllage. 
Than »hey returned into the towne boldely with great ioye. and delyuered therfe Moret 
as prisoner to the captayne of the castell, the lord John SJeuell."— Ed. 



54 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &, c . 



■who defended themselves valiantly and prudently, which obliged the 
assailants to retire with loss. 



CHAPTER LXXV. 

KING DAVID OF SCOTLAND TAKES AND DESTROYS THE CITY OF DURHAM. 

When king David and his council saw that their stay before New- 
castle was dangerous, and that they could neither gain profit nor 
honor, they departed, and entered the bishopric of Durham, burning 
and destroying as they marched. They came before the city of 
Durham, which they laid siege to, and made many attacks upon it, 
like men distracted in revenge for the less of the earl of Moray ; and 
they also knew that very great wealth was carried into it by all the 
inhabitants of the country who had fled thither. They, therefore, were 
every day more earnest in their attacks ; and the king of Scotland 
ordered some engines to be made, that they 
might approach to assault them nearer the 
walls. When the Scots had marched from 
before Newcastle, the governor, lord John Ne- 
ville, mounted a fleet courser, passed by them, 
for he was as well acquainted with all the by- 
roads and passes as a native,* and made such 
haste, that in five days he came to Chertsey, 
where the king of England then was, and re- 
lated to the king of England all that the Scots 
were doing. The king sent out immediately 
his messengers, ordering all knights, squires, 
and others, that were able to assist him, above 
the age of fifteen and under si.tty years, with- 
out fail, upon hearing these orders, to set out 
directly toward the marches of the north, to 
succor and defend the kingdom against the 
Scots, who were destroying it. Upon this 
earls, barons, knights, and the commonalties 
from the provincial towns, made themselves 
ready, and hastened most cheerfully to obey 
the summons, and advance toward Berwick. 
The king himself set off directly, such was 
his impatience, without waiting for any one ; 
and he was followed by his subjects, as fast 
as they could, from all parts. During this 
time, the king of Scotland made so many 
violent attacks with the engines he had con- 
structed upon the city of Durham, that those 

who were within could not prevent it from being taken, pillaged, 
and burnt. All were put to death without mercy, and without 
distinction of persons or ranks, men, women, children, monks, 
canons, and priests; no one was spared, neither was there house 
or church left standing. It was pity thus to destroy, in Christendom, 
tile churches wherein God was served and honored. t 



wood ; when he and his companions fell upon them, killed and 
wounded upward of two hundred, and took one hundred and twenty 
horses very richly laden, which they drove toward the castle. The 
criers and the runaways soon reached the lord William Douglas, 
who connnanded the rear-guard, and had already passed the wood. 
Whoever at that time had seen the Scots return full gallop, over 
mountain and valley, with sir William Douglas at their head, would 
have been alarmed. They made such haste that they soon came to 
the castle, and ascended the hill on which it is situated with great 
expedition ; but as they came to the barriers, those within had closed 
them, and placed what they had seized in safety. The Scots com- 
menced a violent assault, and the garrison defended themselves well; 
the two Williams did all they could devise to hurt each other. This 
lasted until the whole army, and even the king himself, arrived there. 
When the king and his council saw their people lying dead, and the 
assailants sore wounded, without gaining anything, he ordered them 




CHAPTER LXXVI. 

THE KING OF SCOTLAND BESIEGES WAKK CASTLE, BELONGING TO THE 
EARL OF SALISBURY. 

When the king of Scotland had done this, he was advised to fall 
back upon the river Tyne,t and retreat toward Scotland. As he 
was on the march, he halted one night hard by a castle belonging to 
the earl of .Salisburj', which was well furnished with men-at-arms. 
The captain of it was sir William Montacute, son to. the sister of 
the earl, and so called after an uncle who had that name. When 
the night was passed, king David decamped, to pursue his march to 
Scotland ; and the Scots passed through roads close to this castle, 
Heavily laden, with the booty which they had made at Durham. As 
Boon as sir William saw that they had passed the castle without 
halting, he sallied out of it well armed on horseback, with about 
forty companions, and followed in silence the last division, which 
consisted of horses so loaded with money and riches that they could 
scarcely get on, and came up with them at the entrance of a small 



* " Car 11 savoit l,ien les adresses et ie-s refuges du pjiys, comme ceiui t/iii at e^toit" 
are the words used by Froissart, and tJiey sliould probaMy be rendered, *' for he had a 
vative^s knowledge of the by-roads and passes." Sir .lohn Nevill here spoken of was 
the eldest son and heir of Ralph lord de Nevill, and father of the first earl of Westmore- 
land, and the estates of Uie family lay in the north.— Ep. 

t Lord Berners translates this passage rattier more correctly, as Froissart did not mean 
to say tliat the burning of churches in a pagan country would not be equally a pity as 
in Christendom. " The city was won by force, and robbed and dene brent : and all 
manner of people put to deth witJiout mercy, men. women, and chyldrent monkes, 
preestcs and chanons ; so that tlier abode alyne no manner of person, house nor church, 
but it was destroyed ; the wlnche was great pytte so to destroy cliristenUitde, and the 
churches of God wherein llnitGod was honoured and serued." 

This passage is remarkalile as an illustration of the superstitious feelings of these chi- 
vahic times. We have before had many accounts of burnings and massacres, nay, even 
of the violation of nuns, but all were passed by as mere matters of course. " I am now 
reading Jolines's Froissart." says Mrs. Barbauld in one of her elegant letters, " and I 
thmk I was never more struck with llie horrors of war-simply because he seems not at 
all struck with Uiem." It is only when the churches are included in the destrucUon 
that the compassion of the canon is excited.— En. 

t As Wark Castle is situated on tlie Tweed, it must be the Tweed, instead of Tyne 
1 have, in conseduence, altered Scotland for Carlisle, as it is in the original ■ otherwise 
It would be incorrect as to the geography of the country. 



Waek Castle, Nokthuhberlakd. 



to desist, and to seek out for quarters ; for he was determined not 
to leave the place before he had seen his men revenged. Upon this 
eveiy one was employed in searching out where he could lodge 
himself, to collect the dead, and to dress the wounded. The king, 
on the morrow, ordered all to be ready for the attack of the castle : 
those within prepared themselves to defend it. This assault was 
very fierce and perilous, and many gallant deeds were performed. 

The countess of Salisbury, who was esteemed one of the most 
beautiful and virtuous women in England, was in this castle, which 
belonged to the earl of Salisbury, who had been taken prisoner, with 
the earl of Suffolk, near Lisle, and was still in prison at the Chfttelet 
in Paris. The king had given him this castle, upon his marriage, 
for his many deeds of valor, and for the services he had received 
from the said earl, who was formerly called sir William Montacute, 
as appears in another part of this book. The countess comforted 
much those within the castle ; and from the sweetness of her looks, 
and the charm of being encouraged by such a beautiful lady, one 
man in time of need ought to be worth two. This attack lasted a 
considerable time, and the Scots lost a great many men ; for they 
advanced boldly up to it, and brought large trees and beams to fill 
up the ditches, that they might briijg their machines, if possible, 
nearer, to play upon the castle : but the garrison made so good a 
defence, that they were forced to retreat ; and the king ordered the 
machines to be watched, to renew the attack the next day. Each 
retired to their quarters, except those who guarded the machines : 
some bewailed the dead, others comforted the wounded. Those of 
the castle saw that they had loo hard a task, for they were much 
fatigued ; and, if king David were steady to his purpose, they should 
have diflSculty to defend it. They therefore thought it advisable to 
send some one to king Edward, who was arrived at Berwick,* which 
they knew for truth, from some of the Scots prisoners they had taken, 
and wore looking out for a proper person for this business : for not one 
would agree to quit the defence of the castle, or of the beautiful lady, 
in order to carry this message, and there was much strife among 
them: which, when their captain, sir William Montacute, saw, he 
said, " I am very well pleased, gentlemen, with your loyalty and 
heartiness, as well as for your affection to the lady of this house; so 
that, out of my love for her and for you, I will risk my person in this 
adventure. I have great confidence and trust in you, and that you 
will defend the castle until I shall return. On the other hand, I 
have the greatest hopes in cm- lord the king, and that I shall bring 



* This seems incorrect, as in that case the English army would have intercepted the 
Scots on their return. Lord Berners read )'(ir4. and Sauvage's edition fi'anDitk.~ED. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



55^ 



back with me, speedily, such succor, to your great joy, that you will 
all be rewarded for the gallant defence you shall have made." 

This speech cheered both the countess and all present. When 
night came, sir William prepared himself the best way he could, to 
get out of the castle privately, and unseen by any of the Scots. 
Fortunately for him, it rained so hard all nighl, that none of them 
quitted their quartere : he therefore passed through the army without 
being noticed. Shortly after, and about daybreak, he met, on his 
road, two Scotsmen, about half a league from their army, driving 
thither two oxen and a cow : sir William, knowing them to be 
Scotsmen, wounded them both very severely, killed the cattle that 
they might not carry them to the army, and said to them, " Go and 
tell your king, that William Montacute has passed through his army, 
and is gone to seek for succor from the king of England, who is 
now at Berwick." When the vScots lords heard this,* they said to 
one another, " The king often makes his men be wounded and killed 
without any reason ;" and, believing that the king of England would 
come to give them battle before they should gain the castle, they 
went in a body to the king, and told him, that his longer stay there 
would neither bring him honor nor profit; that their expedition had 
turned out exceedingly well, and that they had done much mischief 
to the English by rein.aining in their country twelve days, and burning 
and destroying the city of Durham ; that, ever^'thing considered, it 
was now proper for them to return to their own kingdom and homes, 
and carry off safe the booty they had made ; and that, at another 
season, they would follow him to England, according to his will and 
pleasure. The king did not choose to act contrary to the opinions 
of his chieftains, but consented to their advice, sore against his will. 
On the morrow, he and his whole army decamped and marched 
straight for the forest of Jedworth, where the wild Scots lived at 
their case ; for he was desirous of knowing what the king of Eng- 
land meant to do, whether he would return to his own kingdom, or 
advance further northward. t 



CHAPTER LXXVII. 

THE KING OF ENGLAND IS ENAMORED WITH THE COUNTESS OF 
SALISBUKY. 

That same day that the Scots had decamped from before the 
castle of Wark, king Edward, and his whole army, arrived there 
about midday, and took up their position on the ground which the 
Scots had occupied. When he found that they were returned home, 
he was much enraged ; for he had come with so much speed, that 
both his men and horses were sadly fatigued. He ordered his men 
to take up their quarters where they were, as he wished to go to 
the casile to see the noble dame within, whom he had never seen 
since her marriage. Every one made up his lodgings as he pleased; 
and the king, as soon as he was disarmed, taking ten or twelve 
knights with him, went to the castle, to salute the countess of Salis- 
bury, and to examine what damage the attacks of the Scots had 
done, and the manner in which those within had defended them- 
selves. The moment the countess heard t of the king's approach, 



* Froissan's words, according to D. Sauvage's edition, with which Lord Bernere 
nearly agrees, are as follows: "They talked one to another while king David still 
contnnud to make fierce attacks, and seeing that the king caused his people to be 
\v'Oundcd and sarritlced (martyrer) without reason, and that the king of England might 
well come and give them battle before the castle should he taken, they said to king David 
witJi 0!ie;iccord, lliut his longer stay." &.C.— Ed. 

t All Uiis seems to be fabulous, and to have been invented by some person who meant 
to impose on the imnmitive credulity of Froissart. It cannot be reconciled with known 
hisloricnl dates, with the characters and conditions of the persons therein mentioned, or 
with the general tenor of authenticated events. Had David violated the patrimony of 
St.Cuthhert in tiie savage manner related by Froissart, the English histories would have 
teemed with declamations on an enormity, more heinous, in the opinion of those days, 
than any crime proliiljited by the decalogue. Besides, tlie sacking of Durham, related 
by Froissart. was an event too singular and momentous to he altogether omitted ; and 
yet the F.nelish historians make no mention of it; neither does Fordun, whose simple 
iiarratmn I have chosen to fotiow.— .in nals of Scotland, vol. ii. p. 211. 

I We hope our reuders will pardon our again transcribing a passage from the terse 
oldEuf^hshof LordBerners, butwe could not refrain from giving his beautiful ro- 
mance, for it is no more, in his very poetical diction, which does full justice tn, if indeed 
it do not surpass, his author. " As none as the lady knewe of the kynge's comyng, slie 
set opyn the gates and came out so richly besene, that euery m,in manieyled <"f her 
beauty, and coudenat cease to regard her nobleness, with her great beauty and the gra- 
cyous wordes and countenaunce that she made. Wlien she came to the kyng'^she 
knelyd downe to the yerth, thankyng hym of his sucour, and so ledde hym into the 
castell to make hym chere and honour as she that coude ryght well do it. Euery man 
regarded her maruelnssly ; the kynge hymselfe coud nat witholde his regardyng of 
her, fur he tlioiight lliat he neuer saw before so nohle nor so fayre a lady ; he was 
strijkni t/urwith U> tJirkert tcitA a spercle of fyne louc that endured long after ; he 
thouiiht no lady in the worlde so worthy to be beloude as she. Thus they*entred into 
tlie castell hande in hande; the lady ledde hym first into the hall, and after into the 
chamhre nobly nparelled. The king regarded so the lady that she was abasshed ■ at 
last he went to a wyndo to rest hym. and so fell into a great study. The lady went 
about to make chere to the lordes and knyghtes that were ther, and comaunded to dresse 
the hall for dyner. Whan she had al deuysed and comaimded them she came to the 
kynge with a mery cliere, (who was in n great study) and she said Dere sir, wJiy do you 
•study so, fur your grace nat dyspleaseri, it aparteyneth nat to you so to do : rather ye 
shutde make good ciiere and be joyfull seying ye haue chased away your enniies who 
durst nat abyde you; let other men study for the remynant. Than the kyng sayd, A 
dere lady, knowe for trouthe that syth I entred into the castell tlier is a study come to'my 
mynde so tliat I can nat chuse but to muse, nor I can nat tell what sliall fall thereof- 
put it out of my herte I can nat. A sir, quoth the lady, ye ought alwayes to make good 
cJiere to comfort Uierwilh your peple. God hath ayded you so in your besynes and 
haUi gyuen you so great graces, that ye be the moste douted and honoured prince in all 
chrlstendome. and if the kynge of ScoUes haue done you any dyspyte or damage ye may 



she ordered all the gates to be thrown open, and went to meet him, 
most richly dressed ; insomuch, that no one could look at her but 
with wonder, and admiration at her noble deportment, great beauty, 
and affability of behavior. When she came near the king, she made 
her reverence to the ground, and gave him her thanks for coming to 
her assistance, and then conducted him into the castle, to entertaia 
and honor him, as .she was very capable of doing. Every one was 
delighted with her: the king could not take his eyes oif her, as he 
thought he had never seen so beautiful or sprightly a lady ; so that 
a spark of fine love struck upon his heart, which lasted a long time, 
for he did not believe that the whole world produced any other lady 
so worthy of being beloved. Thus they entered the castle, hand in 
hand : for the lady led him first into the hall, then to his chamber, 
which was richly furnished, as belonging to so fine a lady. The 
king kept his eyes so continually upon her, that the gentle dame was 
quite abashed. After he had sufficiently examined his apartment, 
he retired to a window, and leaning on it, fell into a profound reverie. 
The countess went to entertain the other knights and squires, ordered 
dinner to be made ready, the tables to be set, and the hall ornamented 
and dressed out. When she had given all the orders to her servants 
she thought necessary, she returned, with a cheerful countenance, to 
the king, who continued musing, and said to him, " Dear sir, what 
are you musing on? So much medititing is not proper for you, 
saving your grace : you ought rather to be in high spirits, for having 
driven your enemies before you, without their having had the cour- 
age to wait for you, and should leave the trouble of thinking to 
others." The king replied, "Oh, dear lady, you must know, that 
since I have entered this castle, an idea has struck my mind that I 
was not aware of; so that it behoves me to reflect upon it. I am 
uncertain what may be the event, for I cannot withdratv my whole 
attention from it." " Dear sir," replied the lady, "you ought to be 
of good cheer, and feast with your friends, to give them more 
pleasure, and leave off thinking and meditating; for God has been 
very bountiful to you in all your undertakings, and showed you so 
much favor, that you are the most feared and renowned prince in 
Christendom. If the king of Scotland have vexed you by doing 
harm to your kingdom, you can, at your pleasure, make yourself 
amends at his expense, as you have done before : therefore come, if 
you please, into the hall to your knights, for dinner will soon be 
ready." 

" Oh, dear lady," said the king, " other things touch my heart, 
and lie there, than what you think of; for, in truth, the elegant car- 
riage, the perfections and beauties which I have seen you possess, 
have very much surprised me, and have so deeply impressed my 
heart, that my happiness depends on meeting a return from you to 
my flame, which no denial can ever extinguish." 

"Sweet sir," repUed the countess, "do not amuse yourself in 
laughing at, or tempting me ; for I cannot believe you mean what 
you have just said, or that so noble and gallant a prince as you are 
would ever think to dishonor me or my husband, who is so valiant a 
knight, who has served you faithfully, and who, on your account, 
now lies in prison. Certainly, sir, this would not add to your glory ; 
nor would you be the better for it. Such a thought has never once 
entered my mind, and I trust in God it never will, for any man Hy- 
ing : and, if I were so culpable, it is you who ought to blame rae,- 
and have my body punished through strict justice." 

The virtuous lady then quitted the king, who was quite astonished, 
and went to the hall to hasten the dinner. She afterwards returned to 
the king, attended by the knights, and said to him, '* Sir, come to the 
hall ; your knights are waiting for you, to wash their hands, for they, 
as well as yourself, have too long fasted." The king left his room, 
and came to the hall ; where, after he had washed his hands, he 
seated himself, with his knights, at the dinner, as did the lady also ; 

well amaide it whan it shall please you. as ye haue done dyuerse tymes or this. Sir. 
leaue your musing and come into the hall if it please you ; your dyner is all redy. A 
fayre lady, quoth the kyng. other tliynges lyeth at my hert that ye knowe nat of, but 
surely your swete behauyng, the pertect wysedom. the good grace, noblenes and excellent 
beauty tliat I see in you. hath so sore surprised my hert that I can nat but loue you, and 
witJiout your loue I am but deed. Than the lady sayde, A ryght noble prince for Goddes 
sake mocke nor tempt me nat ; I can nat beleue that it is true that ye say. nor that so 
noble a prince as ye be wolde tliynke to dyshonour me and my lorde my husbande, who 
is so valyant a knyght and hath done your grace so godeseruyceandas yet lyethe in pri- 
son for your quarell. Certely sir ye shulde in tliis case haue but a small prayse and 
nothing the better therby. I had neuer as yet such a thoght in my liert, nor I trust ia 
God, neuer sliall haue for do man lyueng: if I hadanysuche intencyon your grace ought 
nat all onely to blame me, but also to punysshe my body, ye and by true iiistice to be 
dismembred. Therwitli the lady departed fro the kyng and went into the hall to hast the 
dyner ; than sbe returned agayne to the kyng and brogiit some of his knyghtes with 
her. and sayd, Sir. yf it please you to come into the hall your knyghtes abidetli for yoa 
to wasslie ; ye haue ben to long fastyng. Than the kyng wentinto the Iiall and wassht 
and sat down among his lordes and the lady also. Tlie kyng ete but lytell, he sat styll 
musing, and as he durst he cast his eyen upon the lady. Of hissadnesse his knyghtes had 
maruell for lie was nat acustonied so to be ; some thought it was because the Scotts were 
scaped fro hym. All that day the kyng taryd ther and wyst nat what to do. Sometime 
he ymagined that iionour and troutli defended hym to set his hert in such a case to dys- 
honour such a lady and so true a knight as her husband was who had alwayes well and 
truely serued hym. On thother part loue so constrayned hym that the power therof sur- 
mounted honour and trouth. Thus the kyng debated in hymself all that day and all 
that night. In the momyng he arose and dyssloged all his boost and drewe after the 
Scottes to chase tliem out of his realme. Than he toke leaue of the lady sayeng. My 
dere lady to God I coniende you tyll I returne agayne, requiryng you to aduyse you 
otherwyse than ye haue sayd to nie. Noble prince, quoth the lady, God the father 
glorious be your conduct, and put you out ofallvylayne thoughts. Sir lam and euer 
shal be redy to do your grace seruyce to your honour and to niyne. Therwith the kyng 
departed all abasshed."— Ed. 



36 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



but the king ate very little, and was the whole time pensive, casting 
his eyes, whenever he had au opportunity, toward the countess. 
Such behavior surprised his friends ; for they were not accustomed to 
it, and had never seen the like before. They imagined, therefore, 
that it was by reason of the Scots having escaped from him. The 
king remained at the castle the whole day, without knowing what 
to do with himself. Sometimes he remonstrated with himself, that 
honor and loyalty forbade him to admit such treason and falsehood 
into his heart, as to wish to dishonor so virtuous a lady, and so gal- 
lant a knight as her husband was, and who had ever so faithfully 
served him. At other times, his passion was so strong, that his honor 
and loyalty were not thought of. Thus did he pass that day. and a 
sleepless night, in debating this matter in his own mind. At day- 
break he arose, drew out his whole army, decamped, and followed 
the Scots, to chase them out of his kingdom. Upon taking leave 
of the countess he said, " My dear lady, God preserve you until I 
return ; and I entreat that you will think well of what I have said, 
and have the goodness to give me a different answer." " Dear sir," 
replied the countess, " God of his infinite goodness, preserve you, 
and drive from your heart such villainous thoughts ; for I am, and 
always shall be, ready to serve you, consistently with my own honor, 
and with yours." He left her quite surprised, and went with his 
army after the Scots, following them almost as far as Berwick, and 
took up his quarters four leagues distant from the forest of .Tedworth, 
where, and in the neighboring woods, king David and all his people 
■were. He remained there for three days, to see if the Scots would 
venture out to fight with him. During that time there were many 
skirmishes ; many killed and taken prisoners on both sides. Sir 
William Douglas, who bore for arms argent on a chef azure,* was 
always among the foremost in these attacks. He performed many 
gallant exploits, and was a great annoyance to the English. 



CHAPTER LXXVIII. 

THE EARLS OF SALISBUEV AND MORAY ARE SET AT LIBERTV I.\ 
EXCHANSE FOR EACH OTHER. 

During these three days, tliere were some discreet men on both 
-Sides, who held conferences, in order if possible to conclude a treaty 
of peace between the two kings ; at last they succeeded in obtaining 
a truce for two years, provided the king of France assented to it ; 
for there was so close an alliance between the kings of Scotland and 
France, that he could not make peace, or a truce, without the king of 
France agreed to it. If king Philip should refuse his consent, then 
the truce was to last only until the first of May. The earl of Moray 
was to have his liberty, if the king of Scotland could obtain that of 
the earl of Salisbury from the king of France. This was to be done 
by the feast of St. John the Baptist. The king of England consented 
the more readily to this truce, because he was carrying on war in 
France, Gascony, Poictou, Saintonge, and Brittany, and had soldiers 
everywhere. The king of Scotland then departed, and sent embas- 
sadors to the king of France, that the truce might be confirmed. 
The king agreed to it, and sent the earl of Salisbury immediately 
into England, when, as soon as he arrived, the king of England sent 
the earl of Moray to king David in Scotland. 



CHAPTER LXXIX. 

.LORD CHARLES OF BLOIS, WITH SOME OTHER LORDS OF FRANCE, TAICE 
THE CITY OF RENNES. 

You before have heard how the duke of Normandy, the duke of 
Burgundy, the duke d'Alcncon, the duke of Bourbon, the earl of 
Blois, the constable of France, the earl of Guines his son, sir James 
de Bourbon, sir Lewis d'Espagne, and the other barons and knights 
from France, had left Brittany, after conquering the strong castle of 
Chateauceaux, and the city of Nantes, ami had taken and given up to 
the king of France the earl of Montfort, whom he had confined in the 
tower of the Louvre at Paris. The lord Charles of Blois had remained 
in the city of Nantes, and in that country, which he had reduced to 
obedience, until a more favorable opportunity for carrying on the 
■war than winter. When the summer was returned, the above-men. 
tioned lords, and a great many others, came, with a large army, to 
assist the lord Charles in reconquering the remainder of the duchy 
of Brittany. They resolved to besiege the city of Rennes,^which the 
countess of Montfort had well fortified, and placed there as captain 
sir William de Cadoudal, a Breton. The French lords surrounded 
it on all sides, and did a great deal of damage, by the fierce assaults 
they made upon it ; but the garrison defended themselves so valiantly, 
that their opponents lost more than they gained. As soon as the 
countess of Montfort was informed of the return of the French lords 
into Brittany, with so great a force, she sent sir Amauri de Clisson to 
king. Edwartl in England, to entreat his assistance, upon condition 



* The most prominent feature in the Douglas arms, as now borne, is tlie Heart, which 
was added to it in consenuence of lite honor conferred by Robert Bruce on his death-bed, 
fts haa been already related, but when this distinctive mark was adopted, 1 believe is 
uncertain. 

(LordBemeiH gives the original arms— "Azuve a comblesyluer, three starresgoules;" 
which ts correct.— Ed.] 



that her young son should take for his wife one of the daughtera of 
the king, and give her the title of duchess of Brittany, 

The king, at that time, was in London, feasting the carl of Satis, 
buiy, newly returned from prison. When sir Amauri de Clisson had 
made known to the king the cause of his visit, his request was 
was readily complied with. The king ordered sir Walter Manny to 
collect as many men-at-arms as sir Amauri should judge proper, and 
to make every possible haste to go to the assistance of the countess 
of Montfort ; and also to take with him two or three thousand of 
the best archers of England. Sir Walter, therefore, embarked with 
sir Amauri de Clisson ; and with them went the two brothers de 
Laud-Halle, sir Lewis and sir John, le Haze of Brabant, sir Herbert 
de Fresnoi, sir Alain de Sirefonde, and many others, with si.x thou, 
sand archers. But they were overtaken by a great tempest, and, 
by contrary winds, forced to remain at sea forty days. The lord 
Charles, in the mean tiine, kept Rennes closely besieged, and harassed 
the citizens so much that they would willingly have surrendered it ; 
but sir William de Cadoudal would not listen to them. When they had 
been harder pressed, and saw no likelihood of any succors arriring, 
they became impatient ; but sir William continued fii-m : at length 
the commonalty seized him, flung him into prison, and sent word to 
lord Charles that they would surrender themselves to him on the 
morrow, on condition that those of the Montfort party might retire 
in safety to wherever they thought proper. The lord Charles com. 
plied with these terms ; and thus was the city of Rennes surrendered, 
in the year 1342, in the beginning of May, Sir William de Cadou- 
dal, not desiring to remain at the court of lord Charles of Blois, left 
it, and went to Hennebon, where the countess of Montfort was, who 
had not had any tidings of sir Amauri de Clisson, or of his company. 



CHAPTER LXXX. 

THE LORD CHARLES OF BLOIS 'BESIEGES THE COUNTESS OF MONTFORT 
I.N HENNEBON, 

SooN after the surrender of Rennes, and when the inhabitants had 
performed their homage and fealty to lord Charles of Blois, he was 
advised to set out for Hennebon, where the countess of Montfort 
resided ; for as her husband was safe confined at Paris, if he could 
but get possession of her person, and of her son's, the war must be 
concluded. The countess had with her in Hennebon, the bishop 
of L6on, uncle to sir Herv6 de Ldon, who was attached to lord 
Charles, and had ever been so since the capture of the earl of Mont, 
fort ; sir Yves de Tresiquidi, the lord of Landreman, the before- 
mentioned sir William de Cadoudal, the governor of Guingamp, the 
two brothers de Quirich, sir Oliver, and sir Henry de Spinefort, and 
many others. When the countess and her knights heard that their 
enemies were coming to besiege them, and that they were hard by, 
they ordered the alarm-bells to be rung, and every one to arm himself 
for defending the town. Lord Charles drew near to Hennebon, and 
then encamped his men. Some of the youths among the Spaniards, 
French and Genoese advanced to the barriers to skirmish ; which 
those in the town seeing, sallied out to meet them ; so there was a 
sharp conflict, and the Genoese lost more than they gained. About 
vespers, they all retired to their different quarters. On the moiTow, 
the lords determined to make an assault on the barriers, to see what 
mien those within had, and to try to gain some advantage. On the 
second day, therefore, they made so very vigorous an attack upon the 
barriers early in the morning, that those "within made a sally : among 
them were some of their bravest, "who continued the engagement 
till noon with great courage ; so that the assailants retired a little to 
the rear, carrying off with them numbers of wounded, and leaving 
behind them a great many dead. When the lords of France per- 
ceived their men retreat, they were much enraged, and made them 
return again to the assault more fiercely than before ; while those of 
the town were in earnest to make a handsome defence. 

The countess, who had clothed herself in armor, was mounted on a 
war-horse, and galloped up and down the streets of the town, entreat, 
ing and encouraging the inhabitants to defend themselves honorably. 
She ordered the ladies and other -women to .unpave the streets,* 
carry the stones to the ramparts, and throw them on their enemies. 
She had pots of quicklime brought to her for the same purpose. That 
same day the countess performed a very gallant deed : she ascended 
a high tower, to see how her people behaved ; and, having observed 
that all the lords and others of the army had quitted their tents, and 
were come to the assault, she immediately descended, mounted her 
horse, armed as she was, collected three hundred horsemen, sallied 
out at their head by another gate that was not attacked, and gallop, 
ing up to the tents of her enemies, cut them down, and set them on 
fire, without any loss, for there were only sei-vants and boys, who 
fled upon her approach. As soon as the French saw their camp on 
fire, and heard the cries, they immediately hastened thither, bawling 
out, " Treason ! Treason !" so that none remained at the assault. 



* Lord Berners reads, "Slie caused damoselles and other women "to cut sluyrte 
their kyrtels" instead of "to unpave the streets," as Mr. Johnes translates it. The 
words in D- s'auvage's ediUon are, " d6pecer e5chauss6es," to tear up the causewaj/s, 
but when we consider that the streeU of cities were very rarely paved at this period. 
Lord Berners' version appears the more probable, ami may be reconciled to the text 
if we read ' chausses" for " chaussies," which is not milikely lobe an error in tnins- 
scribing.— Ed. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



57 



The countess, seeing this, got her men together, and, finding that 
she could not reenter Heiuiebon without great risk, took another 
road, leading to the castle of Brest, which is situated near. The 
lord Lewis of Spain, who was marshal of the army, had gone to his 
tents, which were on fire ; and, seeing the countess and her company 
galloping oft' as fast as they could, he immediately pursued them 
with a large body of men-at-arms. He gained so fast upon them, 
that he came up witli them, and wounded or slew all that were not 
well mounted ; hut tlie countess, and part of her company, made 
such speed tliat they arrived at the castle of Brest, where they were 
received with great joy. 

On the morrow, the lords of France, who had lost their tents 
and provisions, took counsel, if they should not make huts of the 
branches and leaves of trees near to the town, and were thunder, 
struck when they heard that the countess herself had planned and 
executed this enterprise : while those of the town, not knowing 
what was become of her, were veiy uneasy ; for they were full five 
days without gaining any intelligence of her. The countess, in the 
mean while, was so active that she assembled from five to six hun- 
dred men, well armed and mounted, and with them set out, about 
midnight, from Brest, and came straight to Ilennebon about sunrise, 
riding along one side of the enemy's host, until she came to the 
gates of the castle, which were opened to her : she entered with 
great triumph and sounds of trumpets and other warlike instruments, 
to the astonishment of the French, who began arming themselves 
to make another assault upon the town, while those within mounted 
the walls to defend it. This attack was very severe, and lasted till 
past noon. The French lost more than their opponents : and then 
the lords of France put a stop to it, for their men were killed and 
wounded to no purpose. They next retreated, and held a council 
whether the lord Charles should not go to besiege the castle of Aurai, 
which king Arthur had built and inclosed. It was determined that 
he should march thither, accompanied by the duke of Bourbon, the 
earl of Blois, sir Robert Bertrand, marshal of France ; and that sir 
Herv^ dc L^on was to remain before Hennebon, with a part of the 
Genoese under his command, and the lord Lewis of Spain, the 
viscount of Rohan., with the rest of the Genoese and Spaniards. 
They sent for twelve large machines which they had left at Rennes, 
to cast stones and annoy the castle of Hennebon ; for they perceived 
that they did not gain any ground by their assaults. The French 
divided their army into two parts : one remained before Hennebon, 
and the other marched to besiege the castle of Aurai. The lord 
Charles of Blois went to this last place, and quartered all his division 
in the neighborhood; and of him we will now speak, and leave the 
others. The lord Charles ordered an attack and skirmish to be made 
upon the castle, which was well garrisoned : there were in it full two 
hundred men-at-arms, under the command of sir Henry de Spinefort 
and Oliver his brother. 

The town of Vannes, which held for the countess of Montfort, was 
four leagues distant from this castle ; the captain whereof was sir 
Geoffry de Malestroit. On the other side, was situated the good 
town of Guingamp, of which the captain of Dinant was governor, 
who was at that time with the countess in the town of Hennebon ; 
but he had left, in his hotel at Dinant, his wife and daughters, and 
had appointed his son, sir Reginald, as governor during his absence. 
Between these two places there was a castle * which belonged to 
the lord Charles, who had well filled it with men-at-arms and Bur- 
gundian soldiers. Girard de Mauliu was master of it ; and with 
him was another gallant kniglit, called sir Peter Portebffiuf, who 
harassed all the country round about, and pressed these two towns 
so closely that no provisions or merchandise could enter them, 
without great lisk of being taken ; for these Burgundians made 
constant excursions, one day toward Vannes, and another day to 
Guingamp. They continued their excursions so regularly, that sir 
Reginald de Dinant took prisoner, by means of an ambuscade, this 
sir Girard de Maidin and thirty-five of his men, and at the same time 
rescued fifteen merchants and all their goods, which the Burgundians 
had taken, and were driving them to their garrison, called la Roche 
Perion ; but sir Reginald conquered them, and carried them pris- 
oners to Dinant, for which he was much praised. 

We will now return to the countess of Montfort, who was be. 
sieged by sir Lewis of Spain in Hennebon. He had made such 
progress by battering and destroying the walls with his machines, 
that the courage of those within began to falter. At that moment, 
the bishop of L^on held a conference v;ith his nephew, sir Her^"^ de 
L^on, by vi'hose means, it has been said, the earl of Montfort was 
made prisoner. They conversed on different things, in mutual con- 
fidence, and at last agreed, that the bishop should endeavor to gain 
over those within the town, so that it might be given up to the lord 
Charles : and sir Hcrv6, on his side, was to obtain their pardon from 
tlie lord Charles, and an assurance that they should keep their goods, 
&.C., unhurt. They then separated, and the bishop reentered the 
town. The countess had strong suspicions of what was going 
forward, and begged of the lords of Brittany, for the love of God, 
that they would not doubt but she should receive succors before 
three days were over. But the bishop spoke so eloquently, and 



* La Roche Perion. This Dinant is a ditrerent place from tlie town of the same 
name, in the diocese of St. MuJa.—Hist. de Brctagne. 
1 should imagine, it must be St. Sauveur de Dinan, which is a village in Drittany. 



made use of such good arguments, that these lords were in much 
suspense all night. On the morrow he continued the subject, and 
succeeded so far as to gain them over, or very nearly so, to his 
opinion ; insomuch that sir Herv^ dc L(;on had advanced close to 
tlie town to take possession of it, with their free consent, when the 
countess, looking out from a window of the castle toward the sea, 
cried out, most joyfully, " I see the succors I have so lo^ng expected 
and wished for coming." She repeated this expression twice ; and 
the towns-people ran to the ramparts, and to the windows of the 
castle, and saw a numerous fleet of great and small vessels, well 
trimmed, making all the sail they could toward Hennebon. They 
rightly imagined, it must be the fleet from England, so long detained 
at sea by tempests and contrary winds. 



CHAPTER LXXXI 

SIR WALTER MANNY CONDUCTS THE ENGLISH INTO BRITTANY. 

When the governor of Guingamp, sir Yves de Tresiquidi, sir 
Galeran de Landreman, and the other knights, perceived this suc- 
cor coming to them, they told the bishop that he might break up his 
conference, for they were not now inclined to follow his advice. 
The bishop, sir Guy de L^on, replied, " My lords, then our com. 
pany shall separate ; for I will go to him who seems to me to have 
the clearest right." Upon which he sent his defiance to the lady, 
and to all her party, and left the town to inform sir Herv6 de L^ou 
how matters stood. Sir Herv6 was much vexed at it, and imme- 
diately ordered the largest machine that was with the army to be 
placed as near the castle as possible, strictly commanding that it 
should never cease working day nor night. He then presented his 
uncle to the lord Lewis of Spain, and to the lord Charles of Blois, 
who both received him most courteously. The countess, in the 
mean time, prepared, and hung with tapestry, halls and chambers, to 
lodge handsomely the lords and barons of England whom she sav? 
coming, and sent out a noble company to meet them. When they 
were landed, she went herself to give them welcome, respectfully 
thanking each knight and squire, and led them into the town and 
castle, that they might have convenient lodging : on the morrow 
she gave them a magnificent entertainment. All that night, and the 
following day, the large machine never ceased from casting stones 
into the town. 

After the entertainment, sir Walter Manny, who was captain of 
the English, inquired of the countess the state of the town and of 
the enemy's araiy. Upon looking out of the window, he said, he 
had a great inclination to destroy that large machine which was 
placed so near, and much annoyed them, if any would second him 
Sir Yves de Tresiquidi replied, that he would not fail him in this 
his first expedition ; as did also the lord of Landreman. They went 
to arm themselves, and sallied quietly out of one of the gates, taking 
with them three hundred archers ; who shot so well, that those who 
guarded the machine fled ; and the men-at-arms who followed the 
archers, falling upon them, slew the greater part, and broke down 
and cut in pieces this large machine. They then dashed in among 
the tents and huts, set fire to them, and killed and wounded many 
of their enemies before the army was in motion. After this, they 
made a handsome retreat. When the enemy were mounted and 
armed, they galloped after them like madmen. Sir Walter Manny, 
seeing this, exclaimed, " May I never be embraced by my mistress 
and dear friend, if I enter castle or fortress before I have unhorsed 
one of these gallopers." He then turned round, and pointed Iris 
spear toward the enemy, as did the two brothers of Lande-Halle, le 
Haze de Brabant, sir Yves de Tresiquidi, sir Galeran de Landre- 
man, and many others, and spitted the first coursers. Many legs 
were made to kick the air. Some of their own party were also un- 
horsed. The conflict became very serious, for reinforcements were 
perpetually coming from the camp ; and the English were obliged 
to retreat toward the castle, which they did in good order until they 
came to the castle ditch ; there the knights made a stand, until all 
their men were safely returned. Many brilliant actions, captures, 
and rescues might have been seen. Those of the town who had not 
been of the party to destroy the large machine now issued forth, and, 
ranging themselves upon the banks of the ditch, made such good 
use of their bows, that they forced the enemy to withdraw, killing 
many men and horses. The chiefs of the army, perceiving they had 
the worst of it, and that they were losing men to no purpose, 
sounded a retreat, and made their men retire to the camp. As soon 
as they were gone, the townsmen reentered, and went each to his 
quarters. The countess of Montfort came down from the castle to 
meet them, and with a most cheerful countenance, kissed sir Walter 
Manny, and all his companions, one after the other, like a noble and 
valiant dame. 

CHAPTER LXXXI I. 

THE CASTLE OF CONQtJET* TWICE TAKEN. 

The next day, the lord Lewis of Spain called to him the viscount de 
Rohan, the bishop of Ldon, sir Herv^ de L^on, and the commander 
of the Genoese, to have their advice what was to be done ; for they 

* Le Conquet, a seaport town in Brittanr, fiv« leagues from Brest. 



58 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &,c. 



saw how strong the town of Hennebon was, and that succors had 
arrived there, particularly those archers who had always discomfited 
them. If they remained longer, it would be but lost time ; for there 
was not the smallest appearance that they could gain an advantage ; 
they therefore resolved to decamp on the morrow, and make for 
Aurai, which the lord Charles was besieging. They broke up their 
huts and tents, and set off, as they had before determined : the towns, 
people, pursuing them with hootings, and attempting to harass their 
rear, were driven back, and lost some of their men before they could 
reenter the town. When the lord Lewis of Spain was come to 
lord Charles with his army and baggage, he explained to him the 
reasons why he had quitted the siege of Hennebon. It was then 
determined, by a full and long council, that the lord Lewis should 
inarch to besiege the good town of Dinant, which was only defended 
by a palisade and ditch. During his march, he passed near an old 
castle called Conquet, in which the countess had placed as governor, 
a Norman knight of the name of Mencon, who had with him many 
Eoldiers. The lord Lewis drew up his army, and made an assault 
upon it, which was very sharp, and lasted until midnight ; for those 
■within defended themselves well. Finding he then could not do 
more, he lay with his men before it, and renewed the attack on the 
morrow. The assailants came quite close up to the walls, for the 
ditch was not deep, and made a large breach in them ; through 
which they entered, and put all to death, except the governur, whom 
they made prisoner. They appointed another in his room, and left 
with him si.\ty soldiers to guard it. Then the lord Lewis departed, 
and marched to lay siege to Dinant. 

The countess of Montfort, upon hearing that the lord Lewis of 
Spain was with his army before Conqufit, sent for sir Walter Manny 
and his brethren at arms, and told them, that if they could break up 
the siege before this castle, and discomfit the lord Lewis, they would 
obtain great glory. They assented to it, and, on the morrow, left 
Hennebon with so many volunteers that few remained behind. They 
pushed on till they came to the castle about noon, and found there 
the French garrison who, the evening before, had conquered it ; upon 
which sir Walter said, he would not leave it before he knew what 
they were made of, and how they got it. But when he was informed 
that the lord Lewis was gone to besiege Dinant, he was much grieved, 
as he should not have an opportunity of fighting with him. He and 
his friends made ready to attack the castle, and began the assault well 
covered with their shields. The garrison, seeing such a force coming 
against them, made as good a defence as they were able ; but the 
attack was very severe, and the archers came so close that they dis- 
covered the breach through which the castle had been gained the 
preceding evening. They also entered by this breach, and killed all 
within, except ten, whom some knights took under their protection. 
They then returned to Hennebon, for they did not think it safe to be 
at too great a distance from it, and left the castle of Conquet without 
any garrison, for they saw that it could make no resistance. 



CHAPTER LXXXIII. 

THE LORD LEWIS TAKES THE TOWNS OF DINAMT AND GUERRANDE. 

To return now to the lord Lewis ; he quartered his aniiy in haste 
all round the town of Dinant, and ordered boats and vessels to be im. 
mediately prepared, that he might attack it by sea as well as by land. 
When the inhabitants of the town, which was only defended by a 
palisade, saw this, they were much frightened, both great and small, 
for their lives and fortunes : on the fourth day after the army had en. 
camped before it, they surrendered, in spite of their governor, sir 
Reginald de Guingamp, whom they murdered in the market-place, 
because he would not consent to it. After the surrender of the town, 
when the lord Lewis had received the homage and fealty of the citi. 
zens, he tarried there two days, and gave them for governor sir Ge. 
rard de Maulin, whom he had found there prisoner, and the lord Peter 
Porteboeuf, as his colleague. He then marched toward a large town, 
situated upon the sea coast, called Guerrande. He besieged it on the 
land side, and found at Croisic a great many boats and ships full of 
wine, which merchants had brought thither, from Poictou and Ro. 
chelle, for sale. The merchants soon sold their wine, but they were 
badly paid for it: the lord Lewis seized these vessels, in which he em- 
barked men-at-arms, with some of the Genoese and Spaniards, and 
assailed the town on the morrow, by sea and land. It was so ill 
fortified that it could not make any defence : it therefore was soon 
taken by storm, and pillaged without mercy. Men, women, and 
children were put to the sword, and fine churches sacrilegiously burnt : 
at which the lord Lewis was so much enraged, that he immediately 
ordered twenty-four of the most active to be hanged and strangled 
upon the spot. The booty they gained there was immense, every 
one got as much as he could carry ; for the town was very rich, from 
Its great trade. After they had taken this town of GueiTande, they 
were uncertain which way they should proceed to gain more : the 
lord Lewis therefore, in company with sir Antony Doria and some 
other Genoese and Spaniards, embarked in the vessels they had seized, 
and sailed to seek adventures at sea. The viscount of Rohan, the 
bishop of L(;on, sir Herv^ de L^on his nephew, and the others, re- 
turned to the army of the lord Charles, which was lying before Aurai. 
They found there a great many lords and knights newly arrived from 



France ; such as sir Lewis of Poietiers, count de Valence, the count 
d'Au.xerre, the count de Porcien, the count de Joigny, the count de 
Boulogne, and many others, whom king Philip had sent to their as- 
sistance ; some had come as volunteers, to see the lord Charles, and 
to serve under him. The strong castle of Aurai was not yet won ; 
but there was so severe a famine in it, that for the last seven days 
they had eaten nothing but horse flesh. Lord Charles would grant 
them no other conditions, than that they should surrender thciuselves 
for him to do with them as he thought proper. When they saw, there- 
fore, that they could not e.tpect anything but death, they issued out by 
God's will silently in the night, and passed through one of the wings 
of the enemy's army. Some few were perceived, and killed: but 
sir Henry de Spinefort and his brother Oliver saved themselves ; they 
escaped through a little wood hard by, and came to the countess in 
Hennebon. Thus the lord Charles conquered the castle of Aurai, 
after having lain more than ten weeks before it. He had it put in 
good repair, well supplied with men-at.arms, and all sorts of provis- 
ions ; he then set out with his army to besiege the town of Vannee, 
which was commanded by sir Geoffry de Malestroit, and encamped 
all round it. On the morrow, some Bretons and soldiers, that lay in 
the town of Ploermel, issued forth in hopes of gain ; they fell upou 
the army of lord Charles, and gave them an alert ; but they were 
surrounded by the enemy, lost many of their men, and the rest who 
fled were pursued as far as the gates of Ploermel, which is near to 
^'annes. When they were returned from this pursuit, they made, 
that same day, so violent an assault on the town of Vannes, that they 
took by storm the barriers, and one of the gates of the town : there 
the conflict became more violent, and many were killed on both sides. 
It ended with the night, when a truce was agreed upon, to last all 
the next day. The citizens assembled together to consult if they 
should surrender or not ; and, on the morrow, they determined to 
surrender, in spite of their governor, who, when he saw this, got se- 
cretly out of the town, during their conferences, and went away to 
Hennebon. The conference ended in such a manner, that the lord 
Charles and the lords of France entered the city, where they remained 
five days, and then set out to besiege another town called Carhaix. 



CHAPTER LXXXIV. 

SIR WALTER MANNY DEFEATS THE LORD LEWIS OF SPAIN, AT QUIJirERLE. 

When the lord Lewis of Spain had embarked with his company 
at the port of Courrande, they sailed toward Lower Brittany, and 
came to the port of Quimperl^, which is near to Quimpercorentin and 
St. Mah^. They disembarked, and began to pillage and destroy the 
country ; where they found a great deal of riches, which they carried 
to their vessels, and then set off" to do the same in other parts, not 
finding any to oppose them. As soon as this news was brought to 
sir Walter Manny and sir Amauri de Clissou, they had a great desire 
to go after them ; and having opened themselves on this subject to 
sir Yves de Tresiquidi, the governor of Guingamp, the lord of Lan. 
dreman, sir William de Cadoudal, the two brothers de Spinefort, and 
to all the other knights at Hennebon, they consented cheerfully to 
follow them. 

They immediately set off, embarking with them three thousand 
archers, and never slackened sail until they came to the port where 
the vessels of the lord Lewis were. They entered the harbor, killed 
all those who guarded the vessels, and were astonished at the quan- 
tity of riches they found in them. They then disembarked, and went 
to many places, hurning the houses and villages. Having divided 
themselves into three divisions out of prudence, the more readily to 
find their enemies, and leaving three liundred archers to guard the 
vessels and the riches they had taken, they set out after them by dif- 
ferent roads. News of this event was soon carried to the lord Lewis 
of Spain, who collected his army together, and began liis retreat with 
great speed toward his vessels ; but, meeting with one of the three 
divisions, he saw he must fight, and put a good countenance upon it. 
He made many knights upon the occasion, especially his nephew 
named Alphonso. When the lord Lewis and his party made their 
first onset, it was so brilliant, numbers were unhorsed ; and they would 
have carried the day, if the other two divisions had not come up, 
alarmed by the noise and cries of the country people. The attack 
was then very serious, and the English archers performed so well, that 
the Genoese and Spaniards were discomfited, almost all being killed 
or wounded ; for the country people pursued them with stones and 
slings, so that the lord Lewis had difiiculty to escape, very badly 
wounded. He fled toward his vessels : and of the six thousand, 
which his aniiy consisted of, he did not save more than about three 
hundred : he left dead his nephew, whom he much loved. When he 
came to his ships, he was prevented from entering them by those 
archers who remained to guard the fleet. He then embarked, in the 
greatest haste, on board a vessel called a liquet with as many of his 
people as he could collect together, and escaped with all possible 
expedition. 

As soon as sir Walter Manny and his party were come to the fleet, 
in pursuit of the lord Lewis, they embarked on board the first ves- 
sels they found ready, and hoisting every sail, made after him, leaving 
those of the country to take care of what remained of his army, to 
revenge themselves, and recover what they had been robbed of. Sit 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, & c . 



59 



Walter and his company had a favorable wind ; but, though they 
were within sight, all the time, of the lord Lewis, they could not 
come up with him. His mariners made such exertions that they got 
into the port of Redon, where he immediately landed, with all those 
who had escaped: having entered the town, he made no longstay there, 
for the English had disembarked, and were close after, to fight with 
him ; so he hastened away, mounted upon such horses as he could 
borrow in the town, and made for Rennes, which was not far off. 
Those who could not get any were obliged to do as well as they 
could, and follow their companions on foot. Many were so tired and 
badly mounted, that they fell into the hands of their enemies. The 
lord Lewis, however, made such speed that he got into Rennes ; and 
the English and Bretons returned to Redon, where they reposed 
themselves that night. On the morrow they embarked, in order to 
return to the countess, their lady, at Hennebon ; but they had con. 
trary winds, which forced them to land about three leagues from the 
town of Dinant. They advanced into the country, destroying it as 
they marched, and taking what horses they could lay hands on ; so 
that some were mounted without saddles or bridles, and went for- 
ward until they came to Roche Perion ; wOicn sir Walter Manny 
addressing his companions, said, " Gentlemen, I should like much 
to attack this strong castle, all fatigued as I am, if I had any to assist 
me, to see if we could not conquer it." The other knights replied, 
" Go on, sir, boldly ; we will follow you until death." They then 
all set forward to the assault of the castle. The captain of it was 
Girard de Maulin ; the same who had been prisoner at Dinant, as 
before related : he armed his people, and placing them upon the bat- 
tlements and other parts of the defence, without sheltering himself 
behind them, prepared for the assault. It was very sharp and peril- 
ous ; among many who were severely wounded were, sir John Bo- 
teler of Warrington, and sir Matthew Trelawney ; insomuch that 
they were obliged to be carried off, and laid in a field, with the other 
•wounded. 



CHAPTER LXXXV. 

SIR WALTER 3IANNY TAKES THE CASTLE OF GOY LA FORET. 

Tms Girard de Maulin had a brother of the name of Rene de 
Maulin, who was captain of another little fort, called Faouet, situated 
at least half a league from Roche Perion. When Rene heard that 
the English and Bretons were attacking his brother, he armed forty 
of his companions, and set out for Roche Perion, to adventure his 
own person, and to see if by any means he could give aid to his 
brother. Rent; therefore came suddenly upon those knights and 
squires, who lay wounded in the field, attended by their servants ; 
and falling upon them, made them prisoners, and drove them before 
him to Faouet, wounded as they were. Some of their attendants 
fled to sir Walter Manny, who was eagerly engaged at the assault ; 
when they had informed him what had happened he put an end to 
it, and with all his company hastened toward Faouet, in order to 
overtake those who were carrying his friends away prisoners ; but, 
with all his speed, he was not in time to hinder Ren^ from entering 
his castle with them. 

When the English and Bretons had come there, they directly made 
an assault, tired as they were ; but they did little, for the garrison 
defended themselves valiantly, and the night was far advanced. They 
lay betore it that night, in order to renew the assault the next day. 
Girard de Maulin was soon informed of what was passing, and 
mounting his horse, set out alone for Dinant, where he arrived a 
little before daybreak. He related to the lord Peter Portebceuf, 
governor of Dinant, the cause of his coming ; who, when it was day, 
summoned all the citizens to the town-hali. Girard de Maidin then 
so eloquently displayed the reasons of his arrival, that the citizens 
and soldiers were unanimous to assist him. All sorts of people im- 
mediately armed themselves, and set off toward Faouet in the best 
manner they could; in all, they were six thousand persons at least. 
Sir Walter Manny was informed of this by a spy ; and calling a 
council of his companions, they considered it would be best for them 
to retreat toward Hennebon; for their situation would be very dan- 
gerous, if those from Dinant should attack them on one side, and the 
army of the lord Charles of Blois on the other : they might be sur- 
rounded and taken prisoners or slain. They therefore judged it 
most expedient, for the present, to leave their friends in prison, and 
gave up all thoughts of assisting them till a better opportunity should 
offer. 

As they were returning to Hennebon, they passed near a castle, 
called Goy la Forfit, which a fortnight before, had surrendered itself 
to the lord Charles. Sir Walter told his companions, he would not ad. 
vance a step farther, in spite of his fatigue, until he had made an assault 
on this fort,and seen who were within it. Then hanging his target to 
his neck, he galloped up to the barriers and ditch of the castle, the 
English and Bretons following him. The attack was sharp, and those 
within defended themselves vigorously. Sir Herv^ de L6on and sir 
Guy de Goy were with the lord Charles before Carhaix. The as. 
sault lasting some time, sir Walter encouraged his men, by posting 
himself at their head in the most dangerous situations ; the archers 
shot so dexterously, that those within the castle dared not show them, 
selves. Sir Walter and his party made such exertions, that the 
ditches on one side were filled with straw and wood, ao that they 



could approach the walls ; in which, with mallets and pick.axea, 
they made an opening six feet wide. They then entered through 
this opening, took the castle by storm, and slew all that were within. 
They remained there that night ; on the moiTow they continued their 
march, and arrived at Hennebon.* 



CHAPTER LXXXVI. 

THE LORD CHARLES DE BLOIS TAKES THE TOWN OF CARHAIX. f 

When the countess of Montfort was informed of the return of the 
English and Bretons, she went out to meet them, and most nobly 
thanked them with kisses and embraces ; she gave a grand dinner 
and entertainment to all the knights and squires of renown. At this 
period, the lord Charles had conquered the town of Vannes, and was 
besieging Carhaix. The countess and sir Walter Manny sent spe- 
cial messengei-s to king Edward, to inform him how the lord Charles 
of Blois, and the lords of France, had recaptured Rennes, Vannes, 
and many other large towns and castles in Brittany ; and that, unless 
there were succors speedily sent, they would gain the remainder of 
that duchy. The embassadors set out from Hennebon, and arrived 
at Cornwall, whence they journeyed toward Windsor. 

We will now return to lord Charles of Blois, who had so pressed 
the town of Carhaix by his attacks and his engines, that it was sur- 
rendered to him, the lives and fortunes of the inhabitants being pre- 
served. He pardoned what was past, and the inhabitants swore 
homage and fealty to him, acknowledging him for their true lord. 
Lord Charles placed new officers in the town, and remained there 
with the lords of France, to recruit themselves and the army. He 
held a council upon marching to Hennebon, which being determined 
on, they besieged it as closely as they were able. That town was 
very well provided with men, provisions, and ammunition. 

The lord Lewis of Spain came to these lords the fourth day after 
they had begun the siege : he had remained at Rennes six weeks, in 
order to have his wounds properly attended to and cured. They 
were rejoiced to see him, as he was much esteemed by these noble- 
men. The French army increased every day ; for as great numbers 
of barons and knights were daily returning from the king of Spain 
(who at that time was at war with the king of Granada and the Sara- 
cens,) in passing through Poitou, hearing of this war in Brittany, they 
turned their steps thither. The lord Charles had erected fifteen or 
sixteen large engines before Hennebon, which threw great stones 
over the walls into the town : but those within were not much alarmed 
at them, for they liad taken every precaution to shelter themselves 
against their effects : they frequently came to the walls and battle- 
ments, and, by way of joke, kept nibbing them, crying out, " Go 
your ways, and seek your friends who are sleeping in the plains of 
Quimperl^ ;" which vexed mightily the lord Lewis of Spain and the 
Genoese. 

CHAPTER L XXXVII. 

SIR JOHN EOTELER AND SIR MATTHEW TRELAWNEY ARE BESCtlED FROM 
DEATH. 

The lord Lewis of Spain came one day into the tent of lord Charles 
of Blois, where were numbers of the French nobility, and requested 
of him a boon for all the services he had done him, and as a recom- 
pense for them. The lord Charles promised to grant whatever he 
should ask, as he held himself under many obligations to him. 
Upon which the lord Lewis desired that the two prisoners, sir John 
Boteler and sir Matthew Trelawney, who were in the prison of the 
castle of Fouet, might be sent for, and delivered up to him, to do 
with them as should please him best. *• This is the boon I ask ; for 
they have discomfited, pursued, and wounded me, have also slain the 
lord Alphonso my nephew, and I have no other way to be revenged 
on them than to have them beheaded in sight of their friends who 
are shut up in Hennebon." The lord Charles was much amazed at 
this request, and replied, " I will certainly give you the prisoners, 
since you have asked fur them ; but you will be veiy cruel and much 
to blame if you put to death two such valiant men ; and our enemies 
will have an equal right to do the same to any of our friends whom 
they may capture, for we are not clear what may happen to any one 
of us every day. I therefore entreat, dear sir and sweet cousin, that 
you would be better advised." Lord Lewis said, that if he did not 
keep his promise, he would quit the army, and never serve or love 
him so long as he lived. When the lord Charles saw that he must 
comply, he sent off messengers to the casde of Faouet, who returned 
with the two prisoners, and carried them to the tent of lord Charles. 
Neither prayers nor entreaties could prevail on lord Lewis to desist 
from his purpose of having them beheaded after dinner, so much was 
he enraged against them. 

All the conversation, and everything that passed between the lord 
Charles and lord Lewis, relative to these two prisoners, was told to 
sir Walter Manny and sir Amauri de Clisson by friends and spies, 



* I suspect, although the historian of Brittany copies Froissart exactly, that La Iloche 
Perion must be Rosperden, which is in Bleau's map of BritUiny ; and Benieis calls it 
Rosteman ; but I cannot find anywhere this Dinan, for Dinan le Sauveur is in the dio- 
cese of St. Malo, which must have been too far off. Therfl is much confusion in tb« 
names ofplaces. 

t Cathais, a town in the diocew ef Quiniper, 



60 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



who represented the danger in which the two knights were. They 
bethought themselves what was best to be done, but, after consider, 
ing difi'crent scliemes, could fix on none ; at last sir Walter said, 
" Gentlemen, it would do us great honor if wc could rescue these 
two knights : if wc adventure it, and should fail, king Edward would 
hold himself obliged to us ; and all wise men who may hear of it in 
times to come, will thank us, and say that we had done our duty. I 
will tell you my plan, and you are able to undertake it ; for I think 
we are bound to risk our lives in endeavoring to save those of two 
such gallant knights. I propose, therefore, if it be agreeable to you, 
that we arm immediately, and form ourselves into two divisions : 
one shall set off, as soon after dinner as possible, by this gate, and 
draw up near the ditch, to skirmish with and alarm the enemy : who, 
you may believe, will soon muster to that i)art ; and, if you please, 
you, sir Amauri de Clisson, shall have the command of it, and shall 
take with you a thousand good archers, to make those that may come 
to you retreat back again, and three hundred men-at-arms. I will 
have with me a hundred of my companions, and live hundred archers, 
and will sally out at the postern on the opposite side privately, and 
coming behind them, will fall upon their camp, which we shall find 
unguarded. I will take with me those who are acquainted with the 
road to lord Charles's tent, where the two prisoners are, and will 
make for that part of the camp. I can assure you, that I and my 
companions will do everything in our power to bring back in safety 
these two knights, if it please God." 

This proposal was agreeable to all ; and they directly separated, 
to arm and prepare themselves. About the hour of dinner, sir 
Amauri and his party set otf ; and having had tiie principal gate of 
Hennebon opened for them, which led to the road that went straight 
to the army of lord Charles, they rushed forward, making great cries 
and noise, to the tenbj and huts, which they cut down, and killed all 
that came in their way. The enemy was much alarmed, and, putting 
themselves in motion, got armed as quickly as possible, and advanced 
toward the English and Bretons, who received them very warmly. 
The skirmish was sharp, and many on each side were slain. When 
sir Amauri perceived that almost the whole of the army was in 
motion, and drawn out, he retreated very handsomely, fighting all 
the time, to the barriers of the town, when he suddenly hailed : then 
the archers, who had been posted on each side of the ditch before- 
hand, made such good use of their bows.that the engagement was 
very hot, and all the army ran thither, except the servants. During 
this time, sir Walter Manny with his company issued out privily by 
the postern, and making a circuit, came upon the rear of the enemy's 
camp ; they were not perceived by any one, for all were gone to the 
skirmish upon the ditch. Sir Walter made straight fur the tent of 
lord Charles, where he found the two knights, sir John Boteler and 
sir Matthew Trelawnoy, whom he immediately mounted upon two 
coursers which he had ordered to be brought for them, and, returning 
as fast as possible, entered Hennebon by the same way as he sallied 
fordi. The countess came to see them, and received them with great 
joy. The English and Bretons continued still fighting at the barriers, 
where they gave their enemies sufficient employment. 

News was soon brought to the nobles of France, that the two 
knights had been rescued ; which, when the lord Lewis heard, he 
was sorely disappointed, and inquired the way the English and Bre- 
tons, who had rescued them, had taken : they informed him, that they 
had immediately returned, and were probably now in Hennebon. 
The lord Lewis, upon this, left the assault, and retired to his tent in 
despite ; and all the rest of the army began to retreat from the bar- 
riers. In this combat, two knights of the countess's wore captured, 
who had adventured too far ; the lord of Landreman and the governor 
of Guingamp ; which gave the lord Charles much pleasure. They 
were carried to his tent, where they were so efiectually talked to, that 
they turned on his side, and swore homage and fealty to him. 

Three days after, there was a council of all the nobles held in 
lord, Charles's tent, to consider what was best to be done ; for they 
saw that the town and castle of Hennebon was too well provided 
with men and provisions for them to expect to make any impression 
there ; and, on the other hand, the country round about was so destroyed 
that they had difficulty in finding forage : winter was also approach- 
ing. They therefore determined to separate ; and they earnestly 
advised lord Charles to place sufficient garrisons, with able and val- 
iant captains, in all the castles and towns he had taken, to prevent 
his enemies from reconquering them : they agreed, that if any person 
should interfere, and propose a truce, to last until Whitsuntide, they 
would readily consent to it. 



CHAPTER LXXXVIII. 

LOUD CHARLES OF BLOIS TAKES THE TOWN AND CASTLE OF JCGON.* 

All the army agreed to what this council had determined upon ; 
for it was between the feasts of St. Remy and All Saints 1342 : they 
then separated, and went each to his country. Lord Charles marched 
to Cnrhaix, and took with him all the barons of Brittany that were 
of his party. He also kept with him many of the French nobles, to 
advise with and consult. While he was in Carhaix, settling and 

* lo the diocese of the 6t. Pol de l^on, live leaeuee fiom the sea, and seven from St 
JBrieux. 



ordering his different garrisons to their posts, it happened that a rich 
citizen and great merchant of the town of .Tugon was met by hia 
marshal, sir Robert de Beuvais,* whom he captured, and brought to 
lord Charles in the town of Carhaix. This citizen provided all the 
pun'cyanccs for the countess of Montfort, in the town of Jugon and 
elsewhere, and was much beloved and esteemed in that town, which 
is well inclosed and finely situated : the castle is also handsome and 
strong. He was very much afraid of being put to death, and begged 
that ho might be allowed to pay for his ransom. To make short of 
it, the lord Charles had him so often examined on different subjects, 
that at last he agreed to betray the town of Jugon to him, and en- 
gaged to deliver one of the gates of it at a certain time in the night ; 
for he was so much respected in the town, that he had the keeping 
of the keys ; and, to give security for his promise, he left his son as 
hostage for him. Lord Charles promised to give him five hundred 
livers of yearly rent. 

The day fixed for the opening of the gate of Jugon arrived, and 
lord Charles entered the town at midnight, with a large force. The 
watch of the castle, perceiving this, gave the alarm, and cried out, 
" Treason ! treason !" The inhabitants, not suspecting anything, 
began to stir ; and, when they saw that their town was lost, they ran 
in crowds toward the castle. The citizen who had betrayed them 
ran thither also, in order to hide his treachery. As soon as it was 
day, lord Charles and his party entered the houses of the inhabitants, 
to repose themselves ; and took whatever they pleased. When he 
saw that the castle was so strong and full of citizens, he declared he 
would never quit the place, until he should have possession of it. 
The governor, sir Girard de Rochefort, and the citizens, soon found 
out they had been betrayed; they seized, therefore, the traitor, and 
hung him on the battlements, on the outside of the walls of the castle. 
Having received notice of the lord Charles's declaration, that he would 
not depart until he had gained the castle, and finding that they had 
not provisions for more than ten days, they consented to surrender it, 
upon having their lives spared, and the remnant of their chattels re- 
stored to them. This was granted ; and they swore homage and 
fealty to lord Charles, who continued the same sir Girard de Roche- 
fort governor of it, having reinforced the town and castle with men 
and provisions. While these things were passing, some prudent and 
wise men in Brittany were busy in proposing a truce between the 
lord Charles of Blois and the countess of Montfurt, who consented 
to it, as did all her allies : for the king of England had advised them 
so to do, by the messengers which came to him from the countess 
and sir Walter Manny. As soon as this truce was concluded, the 
countess of Montfort embarked, and passed over to England. 



CHAPTER LXXXIX. 

THE KING OF ENGLAND MAKES GREAT FEASTS AND TOtJRNAMENT.S AT 
LONDON, THROUGH AFFECTHN FOR THE COUNTESS OF SAHSBURT. 

It has been related in the foregoing parts of this history, how the 
king of England had great wars in many distant parts and countries, 
and that he maintained everywhere armies and garrisons at a heavy 
expense ; that is to say, in Picardy, Normandy, Gascony, Poitou, 
Saintonge, Brittany, and in Scodand. You have also heard how 
passionately he was smitten with the charms of the noble lady, Cath- 
erine of Salisbury ; insomuch that he could not put her out of his 
mind, for love reminded him of her day and night, and represented 
her beauty and lively behavior in such witching points of view, that 
he could think of nothing else, notwithstanding that the earl of Salis. 
bury was one of his most trusty counsellors, and one who in England 
had most loyally served him. Out of affection for the said lady, and 
his desire to see her, he ordered a great feast and tournament to be 
proclaimed, to be holden in London the middle of August. He sent 
ins proclamation into Flanders, Hainault, Brabant, and France, pro- 
mising passports to all knights and squires, trom whatever country 
they might come, for their arrival and return. He commanded, that 
all barons, lords, knighls, and squires, of his own realm, should be 
there without fail, if they had any love for him : and he expressly 
ordered the earl of Salisbury to have the lady his wife there, with as 
many young ladies as he could collect to attend her. The earl very 
cheerfully complied with the king's request ; he thought of nothing 
evil ; and the good lady dared not say nay. She came, however, 
much against her will ; for she guessed the reason which made the 
king so earnest for her attendance, but was afraid to discover it to 
her husband, imagining, at the same time, by her conduct and con- 
versation, to make the king change his opinion. 

There were at this feast, which was very noble and magnificent, 
William earl of Hainault, sir John his uncle, and great numbers of 
barons and knights of high birth : the dancing and feasting continued 
for the space of fifteen days. The lord John, eldest son of the vis- 
countt Beaumont in England, was killed at this tournament. He 
was a handsome and hardy knight, and bore for arms a shield azure, 
besprinkled with flower-de-luces, or, with a lion or rampant, and a 
battoon gules upon the shield. The ladies and damsels were most 
superbly dressed and ornamented, according to their different degrees, 

♦Robert de Beaumanoir, mareschol de Bretnene.— //is(. rfe Brctag^ie. 
t No nientjoa is made of this in Dugd&le, and there were no viscounts, but barons, at 
that period. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c 



SI 



except the countess of Salisbury, who came there in as plain attire 
as possible. She was not willing that the king should give up loo 
much time to admire her; for she had neither wish nor inclination 
to obey him in anything evil, that might turn out to her own or her 



husband's dishonor. At this feast were Henry, surnamed Wry-neck, 
carl of Lancaster, sir Henry his son earl of Derby, lord Robert d'Ar- 
lois earl of Richmond, the carl of Northampton and Gloucester, the 
carl of Warwick, the earl of Salisbuiy, the earl of Pembroke, the 




fewlA-vii^a^>^PP^-^^¥^HJ!a 



TouRNA-MENT— from a MS. Froissnrt. of the fifteenth century. 



ear! of Hereford, the earl of Arundel, the earl of Cornwall, the earl 
of O.xford, the earl of Suffolk, the lord Stamford, and m^ny other 
barons and knights of England. The king, on the departure of these 
nobles, received letters from different lords in the countries of Gas. 
cony, Bayonne, Flanders, and from his great friend Jacob von Arta- 
veld. He also heard from tlie borders of Scotland, from the lord 
Roos of Hamlake and lord Percy, and the lord Edward Baliol, who 
was governor of Berwick, that the Scots kept the truce, which had 
been agreed to last year between the English and Scot^, very indif. 
ferently ; and that they had issued out proclamations for assembling 
a large force, but he was uncertain to wdiat part they would direct it. 
The garrisons which he kei)t in Poitou, Saintonge, la Rochelle, 
and the Bourdolois, wrote to inform him that the French were making 
great preparations for war ; and that as the truce agreed to by the 
kings of France and England, after the breaking up of the siege of 
Tournay, was near e.xpiring, it behoved his majesty to have good 
advice. He answered every part of their letters. 



CHAPTER XC. 

THE KING OF ENGLAXD SENDS THE LORD ROBERT D'aRTOIS INTO BRITTANY. 

DuRiNS the sessions of a parliament held at London, the king was 
desirous of putting everything else aside, and to succor the countess 
of Montfort, who at that time was on a visit to the queen of England. 
He entreated, therefore, his dear cousin lord Robert d'Artois, that he 
would collect as many men-at-arms and archers as he could, and pass 
over with the countess into Brittany. The lord Robert made his 
preparations, and, having assembled his number of men-at-arms and 
archers, went to Southampton, where they lay a considerable time 
on account of contrary winds. About Easter, they embarked and 
put to sea. At this same parliament, the barons earnestly advised 
the king, in consideration of the multitude of business he had upon 
his hands, to send the bishop of Lincoln to his brother-in-law the 
king of Scotland, to treat for a firm and stable truce to last for two 
other years. The king was loath to do it ; as he was desirous to 
carry on the war against the .Scots in such a manner that they them- 



selves should request a truce. His council, however, with all due' 
deference, said, that that would not be the most advisable means, 
considering he had before so ruined and destroyed that country, and 
that he had more important affairs on his hands in other parts. They 
added, that it was great wisdom, when engaged in different wars, to 
pacify one power by a truce, another by fair words, and make war on 
the third. The king was persuaded, by these and other reasons, and 
begged the above-mentioned prelate to undertake this mission. The 
bishop would not say nay, but set out on his journey. He soon re- 
turned without doing anytliing, and related to the king, that the king 
of Scotland had no power to make a truce without the will and con- 
sent of the king of France. Upon hearing this, tlie king exclaimed 
aloud, that he would shortly so luin and destroy the kingdom of 
Scotland, it should never recover from it. He issued out a procla- 
mation through his realm, for all persons to assemble at Berwick, 
by the feast of Easter, properly armed, and prepared to follow him 
wherever he should lead them, except those who were to go into 
Brittany. 

When Easter came, the king held a great court at Berwick. All 
the princes, lords, and knights, who at that time were in England, 
were there, as well as great numbers of the common people of the 
country. They remained there three weeks, without making any 
excursion ; for prudent and good men were busily employing them. 
selves to form a truce, which at last was agreed and sworn to, for 
two years; and the Scots had it confirmed by the king of France. 
The king of England sent all his people to their own homes ; ho 
himself returned to Windsor. He sent the lord Thomas Holland and 
sir John Darvel to Bayonne, with two hundred men-at-arms and four 
hundred archers, to guard that frontier against the French. 



CHAPTER XCI. 

A SEA INGAGEMENT, OFF GUERNSEY, BETWEEN THE LORD EGBERT D'AR> 
TOIS AND THE LORD LEWIS OF SPAIN. 

We must now return to lord Robert d'Artois and his army. Easter 
fell 80 late that year, that it was about the beginning of May ; and 



•62 



CHRONICLES OF ENGL AND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &,i 



the middle of that month was the period when the truce between the 
lord Charles and the countess of Montfort was to expire The lord 
Charles had received information of the countess of Montfort's jour- 
nev into England, of her solicitations for assistance, and of the succor 
•the kine of England was to give her : on which account, the lord 
Lewis of Spain, sir Charles Grimaldi, and sir Otho Dona, were sta- 
tioned off Guernsey, with thirty-two large vessels, havnig on board 
three thousand Genoese, and a thousand men-at-arms. The lord 
Robert d'Artois, the earl of Pembroke, the earl of Salisbury, the earl 
of Suffolk, the earl of Oxford, the baron of Stamford, the lord De- 
spencer, the lord Bouchier, with many other knights from England, 
and their followers, were accompanying the countess of Montfort to 
Brittany, and had a wind to their wish : when in an afternoon, as 
they were near the island of Guernsey, they perceived the fleet of 
the Genoese, of which the lord Lewis was commander. Upon this, 
the sailors cried out, " Gentlemen, arm yourselves and make ready, 
for here are the Genoese and Spaniards bearing down upon us." 
The Eno^lish then sounded their trumpets, spread out their pennons 
to the wind, ornamented with the devices of their arms and with 
the banner of St. George. Every one posted himself properly at his 
.quarters, and filling up the intervals with archers, they advanced full 
sail toward the enemy. They might be about forty.six vessels, great 
and small ; but there were none so large as nine of those under tlie 
lord Lewis, who had likewise three galleys, in each of which were 
the three leaders, the lord Lewis, sir Charles Grimaldi, and sir Otho 
Doria The fleets approached each other, and the Genoese began to 
shoot 'with their cross-bows at random, which the English archers 
returned. This continued some time, and many were wounded : but 
when the barons, knights, and squires were able to come to close 
combat, and could reach each other with their lances, then the battle 
raged, and they made good trial of each other's courage. The 
countess of Montfort was equal to a man, for she had the heart of a 
lion; and, with a rusty sharp sword in her hand, she combated 

The Genoese and Spaniards, who were in these large vessels, 
threw down upon their enemies great bars of iron, and annoyed them 
much with very long lances. This engagement began about vespers, 
and lasted until night parted them ; for, soon after vespers, there came 
on such a fog, they could scarcely distinguish each other ; they there, 
fore separated, cast anchor, and got their ships in order, but did not 
disarm, for they intended renewing the fight the next day. About 
midnight, a violent storm arose ; and so tremendous was it, that it 
seemed as if the world would have been destroyed : there were not, 
on either side, any so bold, but who wished themselves on shore ; 
for these barges and vessels drove so furiously against each other, 
that they feared they would go to pieces. The English lords inquired 
of the sailors what was best to be done : they answered, to disembark 
aa soon as they could ; for there were such risks at sea, that if the 
wind should continue as violent as it then was, there would be danger 
of their being all drowned. They therefore drew up their anchors, 
set their sails about half a quarter, and made off'. On the other hand, 
the Genoese weighed their anchors, and put off' to sea ; for their ves- 
sels being so much larger than the English, could weather the tempest 
more securely ; and also, if they should drive too near the shore, they 
ran a risk of being wrecked, which made them take to the deep. As 
they were going off", they fell in with four English vessels, laden with 
provisions, which had kept out of the engagement : they seized them, 
and took them in tow. The wind and tempest were so vehement, 
that in one day, they were driven more than a hundred leagues from 
the place where they had fought. The lord Robert gained land at a 
^small port near the city of Vannes ; and they were all rejoiced when 
they set foot on shore. 

CHAPTER XCII. 

THE LORD KOBEKT D'ARTOIS TAKES THE CITY OF VANNES. 

Thus by this tempest was the engagement at sea interrupted, be- 
tween the lord Robert and lord Lewis and their fleets. It is difficult 
to say to whom the honor belongs ; for they separated unwillingly, 
on account of the badness of the weather. The English, having 
landed near Vannes, disembarked, on the sand, their horses, provis- 
ions and arms. They then ordered their fleet to make for Henne. 
bon,' and determined to lay siege to Vannes. The lords Herv^ de 
Lfion and Olivier de Clisson were in it, as governors for the lord 
Charles of Blois : the lords of Tournemine and Loheac were there 
also. When they perceived that the English were coming to besiege 
them, they looked well to the castle, their watch-towers, and gates ; 
and at every gate they posted a knight, with ten men-at-arms and 
twenty archers among the cross-bows. To return to the lord Lewis 
and his fleet, who were, all that night and the morrow until noon, 
violently driven about by the tempest, and in very great danger : 
they lost two of their ships, with all that were on board. The third 
day early, the stormy weather abated, when the knights asked the 
sailors which was the nearest land ; who answered, the kingdom of 
Navarre: and the masters of the vessels said, the tempest had driven 
them more than one hundred and twenty leagues from the coasts of 
Brittany. They cast anchor, and waited for the return of the tide. 
When the flood came, they had a tolerably fair wind to carry them 
toward La Rochelle. They coasted by Bayoime, but did not touch 



there : and falling in with four vessels belonging to Bayonne, which 
were coming from Flanders, they attacked and took them, and put 
all whom they found on board to death. They made for La Ro. 
chelle, and, in a few days, came to Guerrande, where they landed ; 
and, having heard that the lord Robert d'Artois was laying siege to 
Vannes, they sent to lord Charles, who was at Rennes, to know how 
he would have them act. 

The lord Robert, as you have heard, was before Valines, with a 
thousand men-at-arms, and three thousand archers. He overran, 
burnt, and destroyed all the country round about as far as Dinant 
and Goy la Foret, so that no one dared remain in the flat country. 
During this siege of Vannes, there were many skirmishes and attacks 
at the barriers of the town, the inhabitants of which were eager to 
defend themselves. The countess remained all the time with the 
lord Robert at the siege. Sir Walter Manny, who had continued in 
Hennehon the whole time that the countess was in England, gave 
up the charge of it to the lord of Cadoudal ; and taking with him sir 
Yves de Tresiquidi, a hundred men-at-arms, and two hundred arch, 
ers, came to the army before Vannes. Soon after his arrival, the 
town was assaulted in three places at once ; and the English archers 
shot so quickly, that scarcely any one dared to show themselves at 
the battlements. This combat lasted a whole day, and many were 
killed and wounded on both sides. Toward evening, the English 
retired to their quarters, and the inhabitants to their houses, quite 
tired, when they disarmed themselves: but the army did not so; 
they only took off' their helmets, and drank once to refresh them, 
selves. Presently after, by the advice of lord Robert, the army was 
drawn out again in three divisions : two of them were led to that 
part of the town where they intended to make the strongest assault, 
and the third was ordered to remain quiet, until the engagement 
should have lasted some time, which would probably bring all the 
inhabitants to that quarter to defend themselves: they were then to 
advance to the weakest part of the place, and, being provided with 
rope ladders and iron hooks, they were to attempt to scale the walls 
and conquer the town. This was executed. The lord Robert 
marched with the van division, and skirmished close up to the bar. 
riers : the earl of Salisbury did the same at another gate : and be- 
cause it was very late, to alarm the inhabitants more, tliey made 
gi-eat fires, so that the flames lighted the whole town ; which made 
many think their houses were on fire. They cried out " Treason ! 
treason '. arm yourselves ;" for many were already gone to rest, as 
they had worked hard in the day time. They got up as quickly as 
they could, and ran, without any order, and without speaking to their 
captains, to the part where the fires were. The lords also, who were 
in their hotels, armed themselves. In the midst of this bustle, the 
earl of Oxford and sir Walter Manny advanced, with the third divi. 
sion, to a part where there was no guard ; and, having fixed their 
ladders, mounted them, with their targets on their heads, and entered 
the town very quietly, without the French or Bretons, who were 
within it, having the least suspicion until they saw their enemies in 
the streets. They then all took to flight, each to save himself: their 
captains, not having time to get into the castle, mounted their horses, 
and, passing ffirough a postern, gained the fields, to save their lives : 
happy were those who could by this means escape. However, the 
four knights mentioned at the beginning of this chapter, saved them, 
selves, and a part of their people ; but all who were encountered by 
the English were slain or made prisoners. Tlie town of Vannes 
was overrun and sacked ; all sorts of people entered into il ; and the 
countess of Montfort made her entr)' there with lord Robert d'Artois, 
to her great joy. 



CHAPTER XCIII. 

THE DEATH OF THE LORD ROBERT d'ARTOIS. 

Thus, as I have related, was the town of Vannes taken. Five 
days after that event, the countess of Montfort, sir Walter Manny, 
sir Yves de Tresiquidi, and many other English and Breton knights, 
returned to Hennebon. At the same time, the earl of Salisbury, the 
earl of Suff'olk, the earl of Pembroke, with three thousand men-at. 
arms and three thousand archers, took leave of the lord Robert lelt 
Vannes, and went toward Rennes, which the lord Charles and his 
lady had quitted four days before, and were gone to Nantes ; but 
they had left in that city great numbers of knighus and squires. 1 He 
lord Lewis of Spain remained at sea with his Genoese and bpan. 
iards, and so carefully guarded the coasts of England, that no one 
could come from thence, or go into Brittany, without much danger; 
and this year he did great damage to the English. 

The country was much agitated by the capture of the city of 
Vannes; for they imagined that the captains who were wUhm it 
ought to have defended it against all the world, as it was sufficiently 
strong, very well provided with men-at-arms, art.ller>', and all other 
sorts of provision. The lord of Clisson and sir Herve de L6on were 
quite ashamed of their mishap; and, their enemies speaking vdlain- 
ously of what they had done, they sent to a great number ol knights 
and squires of Brittany, and entreated they would meet them at an 
appointed rendezvous, by a certain day, with as many f"! 7"«^ 
they could bring. They all cheerfully promised, and exerted them, 
ehes so much, as did many of the people in Brittany, that, by the 
appointed time, there came before the town of Vannes twelve thou- 



EXTRA NEW WORLD. 



63 



sand men aimed, including freemen and feofl's. Thither came, with 
a numerous body, the lord Robert de Beaumanoir, marshal of Brit- 
tany; and having besieged the city on every side, they began to 
assault it very sharply. When the lord Robert found himself thus 
besieged in Valines, he was not negligent to defend itvalinntly against 
the Bretons, who repeated their attacks with great courage and eager- 
ness, lest those who had gone for Rcnnes should return and disap- 
point their enterprise. They gave one assault so well supported by 
the knights, squires, and even by the commonalty of the country, 
that they overpowered the barriers of the town, then the gates, and 
entered the town by storm, putting the English to flight, killing and 
wounding many. ' Among the last was the lord Robert, who was 
very badly wounded, insomuch that it was with difficulty he escaped 
being taken : he fled through a postern gate, and lord Staflbrd with 
him. At this capture of Vannes, the lord Despencer, son of the lord 
Hugh Spencer, mentioned at the beginning of this history, was taken 
prisoner by sir liei\6 de L6on ; but he was so badly wounded that 
he died the third day afterwards. Thus did the French regain the 
town of Vannes. 

Lord Robert d'Artois continued some little time in Hennebon ; 
but at last he was recommended to return to England, where he 
would find more skilful surgeons and physicians. On liis voyage, 
be was so much affected and oppressed by sea-sickness that his 
wounds grew worse : he survived but a short time after he had been 
carried to London. He was courteous, courageous, and gallant, and 
of the first blood in the world. He was buried at London in the 
church of St. Paul ; and tlic king uf England made his obsequies as 
solemn as if they had been for his cousiii-german the earl of Derby. 
The lord Robert was much lamented in England ; and when the 
king was informed of his death, he swore he would never rest until 
he had revenged it : he would go himself into Brittany, and reduce 
the country to such a situation that it should not recover itself for 
forty years. He issued out his summons for all manner of persons 
to get themselves in readiness to follow him at tlie end of the month ; 
and he collected a numerous fleet, well provided with everything 
that was necessary. At the end of the month he put to sea, and 
anchored near Vannes, at the same place where lord Robert had 
landed with his army. It took them three days to disembark their 
horses, provisions, &c.: on the fourth, they advanced toward Vannes. 
The earls of Salisbury and Pembroke, with the English before named, 
were all this time carrying on the siege of Rennes. 



CHAPTER XCIV. 

THE KING OF ENGLAND CONTINtJES THE WAR IN TEESON I.V BRITTANY. 

The English king was so active from the time of his landing in 
Brittany, that he advanced with his whole army before Vannes, and 
laid siege to it. At that time there was in Vannes Olivier de Clis. 
son, sir Herv^ de Leon, the lord of Tournemiue, sir Geoflry de 
Malestroit, sir Guy de Loheae, who having imagined for some time 
that the king of England would come to Brittany, had amply pro- 
vided the town and castle with men, and every kind of stores and 
provisions. When the king had quartered his men, he ordered an 
assault, and his archers to make good use of their bows. This lasted 
half a day ; but he won nothing, though he labored hard, so well was 
the town defended. As soon as the countess of Montfort knew of 
the arrival of the king of England, she set out from Hennebon, ac- 
companied by sir Walter Manny and other knights and squires, and 
came toward Vannes to compliment the king, and entertain him and 
all the barons of his army. After a stay of four days, she and her 
suite returned to Hennebon. 

We must now speak of the lord Charles of Blois, who remained 
in the city of Nantes. Wlicn he was informed that the king of 
England was come into Brittany, he signified it to the king of France, 
his uncle, in order to obtain assistance. The king of England per. 
ceiving that Vannes was strong, and well provided with every neces- 
sary, and hearing from his people that the country round about was 
poor, and so destroyed that they had difficnity in getting forage for 
themselves and horses, as they were very numerous, ordered the earl 
of Arundel, the baron of Stafford, sir Walter Manny, sir Yves de 
Tresiquidi, sir Girard de Rochefort, with five hundred men-at-arms 
and si.x thousand archers, to remain there. He himself, with the rest 
of his army, advanced tow;ard Rennes, burning and ruining the 
country on all sides, and was most joyfully received by his army, 
who lay before it, and had been there for a considerable time. When 
he had tarried five days, he learnt that the lord Charles was at Nantes, 
collecting a large force of men-at-arms. He set out, therefore, leaving 
those whom he found at Rennes, and came before Nantes, which he 
besieged as closely as he could ; but he was unable to surround it, 
such was its size and extent. The marshals, therefore, and their 
people, ovciTan the country, and destroyed it. The king of England 
drew out one day his army in battle array on a hill near Nantes, in 
expectation that the lord Charles would come forth, and ofier him 
an opportunity of fighting with him : but, having waited from morn- 
ing till noon in vain, they returned to their quarters : the light horse 
howeve-r, in their retreat, galloped up to the barriers, and set fire to 
the suburbs. 

The king of England, in this manner remained before Nantes ; 



the lord Charles, who was within it, sent frequent information to the 
king of France of the state of his affairs, who had already ordered 
his son, the duke of Normandy, to his assistance, and which duke 
was then come to Angers, where he had fixed the rendezvous for his 
forces that came to him from all quarters. During this siege, the 
king of England made frequent skirmishes, but without success, 
always losing some of his men. When, therefore, he found he could 
gain nothing by his assaults, and that the lord Charles would not 
come out into the plains to fight with him, he established there the 
earl of Oxford, sir Henry Beaumont, the lord Percy, the lord Rocs, 
the lord Mowbray, the lord Delawar, sir Reginald Cobham, sir John 
Lisle, with six hundred men armed and two hundred archers. He 
himself advanced into the country of Brittany, wasting it wherever 
he went, until he came to the town of Dinant, of which sir Peter 
Portebauif was governor. He immediately laid siege to it all round, 
and ordered it to be vigorously assaulted : those within made a val. 
iant resistance. Thus did the king of England, in one season and 
in one day, make an assault by himself, or those ordered by him, upon 
three cities in Brittany and a good town. 



CHAPTER XCV. 

THE LORD OF CLISSON AND SIR UERVE DE LEON ARE TAKEN PRISONERS 
BY THE ENGLISH. 

DtTKiNG the time that the king of England was thus overrunning the 
country of Brittany, his army that was besieging Vannes made every 
day some sharp assaults upon one of the gates : all the most expert 
warriors of each side were attracted to that place, and many gallant 
deeds of arms were performed ; for those of Vannes had opened the 
gate, and posted themselves at the barriers, because they had noticed 
the banners of the earl of Arundel, the earl of Warwick, the baron 
of Stafford, and sir Walter Manny, who ap])cared to them to adven- 
ture themselves too rashly. Upon which the lord of Clisson, sir 
Herv^ de Leon, and some other knights, took more courage. The 
engagement was well supported on both sides, and lasted a consider- 
able time : but finally the English were repulsed, and driven back 
from the barriers. The Breton knights, opening the barriers, pushed 
forward, sword in hand, leaving behind them six knights, with a suf- 
ficient force, to guard the town, and pursued the English, who fought 
well as they retreated. The conflict became stronger ; for the Eng- 
lish increased and were strengthened, which forced the Bretons to 
retire, but not so regularly as they had advanced. The struggle now 
was very hard : the Breton knights had much difficulty to return, 
and many were killed and wounded. When those at the barriers 
saw their people retreating and driven back, they closed them, but 
so untimely that the lord of Clisson was shut out, and also sir Herv^ 
de Leon, who were botli taken prisoners. On the other hand, on 
the part of the English, who had advanced too eagerly, was the baron 
of Stafiord, who was inclosed between the barriers and the gate, 
where the combat raged fiercely. The lord Stafiord was taken, and 
many of his people were made prisoners, or slain. So the English 
retreated to their quarters, and the Bretons into the city of Vannes. 



CHAPTER XCVI. 

THE KING OF ENGLAND TAKES THE TOWN OF DINANT. THE LORD LEWIS 
OF SPAIN MAKES SOME CRUISES AT SEA. 

In the manner above related were these knights taken prisoners. 
After that engagement, there were not many others of consequence ; 
for each side was upon the guard. The king of England had laid 
siege to Dinant, who when he had been four days before it, collected 
a great number of boats, in which he placed his archers, and had 
them rowed up to the palisades of wood with which the town was 
inclosed. They shot so well that no one dared scarcely to show him- 
self at the windows, or anywhere else, to defend it. With the archers, 
there were others who with sharp axes, while the archers made use 
of their bows, cut the palisades, and in a short time did so much 
damage that they flung down a large part of them, and entered the 
town by force. The towns-people fled to^vard the market-place ; 
but there was little regularity or order among them, for those who 
had passed the ditch in boats, and had entered the town, advanced 
to the gate, and opened it, so that every one might pass. Thus was 
the town of Dinant in Brittany taken, sacked and pillaged, and the 
governor, sir Peter Portebceuf, made prisoner. The English took 
whatever they pleased, and made a rich booty, for the town at that 
time was very wealthy and full of merchandise. When the king of 
England had achieved this deed, and had conquered the town, he left 
it empty, not having any intention of keeping it, and advanced 
toward Vannes, where he took up his quarters. 

We must now speak of the lord Lewis of Spain, the lord Charles 
Grimaldi, and the lord Otho Doria, who at this time had under their 
command eight galleys, thirteen barges, and thirty. nine vessels, man- 
ned by Genoese and Spaniards. They kept cruising between Eng- 
land and Brittany, and at times did great mischief to the English, 
who were coming to recruit their countrymen with troops and pro- 
visions. Once among other times, they attacked the fleet of the 
king of England, that lay at anchor in a small port of Brittany near 



64 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



Vannes, which not being sufficiently guarded, they slew a great part 
of the mariners, and would have done much more damage, if the 
English, who were before Vanne?, had not hastened to their assist, 
ance. When this news was brought to the army, every one was in 
motion : but, notwithstanding the speed they made, they could not 
prevent'the lord Lewis and his party from carrying olf four vessels 
laden with provisions, and sinking three others, the crews of which 
were all drowned. The king was then advised to send one part of 
his fleet to the harbor of Brest, and the other to that of Henncbon, 
which he complied with, and continued to besiege both Vannes and 
Rennes. 

CHAPTER XCVII. 

THE PUKE OF NORMANDY BRINGS WITH IIIM SOME LORDS OF FRANCE, 
TO OPPOSE THE KING OF ENGLAND IN BRITTANY. 

We will now return to the army which the duke of Normandy 
was marching into Brittany, to assist his cousin the lord Charles of 
Elois. The duke, after having collected his forces, was informed 
how the king of England was laying waste all the country of Brit- 
tany ; that he was besieging three cities, and had taken the town of 
Dinant; he set out therefore with a very great force from the city 
of Angers, having more than four thousand men-at-arms, and thirty 
thousand others. All the baggage took the high road for Nantes, 
under the command of the two marshals of France, the lord of Mont, 
morency, and the lord de St. Vcnant. After them came the duke 
of Normandy, the carl d'Alen^on his uncle, the earl of Blois his 
cousin, the duke de Bourbon, the earl de Ponthieu, the earl of Bou- 
logne, the earl of Vend6me,the carl of Dammartin, the lord of Craon, 
the lord of Coucy, the lord of Sully, the lord of Fresnes, the lord of 
Roye, and so many barons and knights from Normandy, Auvergne, 
Limousin, Berry, Maine, and Poitou, that it would take too much 
time to name them all ; and they were every day increasing, for the 
king of France had reiterated his summons. The English lords be- 
fore Nantes received intelligence that the duke of Normandy was on 
his march with forty thousand men ; this news they sent off in great 
haste to king Edward ; the receiving of which made him very 
thoughtful ; and he had at one time the idea of breaking up the siege 
of Vannes, as well as that of Rennes, and to retire toward Nantes. 
He was, however, advised to continue where he was, as his position 
was strong, and near to his fleet, and to wait for his enemies. He 
was also advised to send for the division of his army that was before 
Nantes, and continue the siege of Rennes ; as that place was not so 
far distant but that his army could come to his assistance, if there 
should be any necsssity for it. The king followed this counsel, and 
sent for those that were before Nantes, where the lord Charles, and 
a number of knights were. The lords were lodged in the town, and 
the army round about ; for there was not room for them in the city 
or suburbs. 



CHAPTER XCVIIL 

the king OF ENGLAND AND THE DUKE OF NORMiNDY ENCAMP THEIR 
ARMIES OPPOSITE TO EACH OTHER, NEAR TO VANNES. 

During the time the duke of Normandy remained in Nantes, the 
lords of England who were before Rennes made a vigorous assault 
upon that city ; they had, for a long time before, prepared machines 
for this attack. Though it lasted a whole day, they gained no ad- 
vantage, but lost many of their men. The baron d'Ancenis, the lord 
du Pont, sir John de Malestroit, Yvain Charruel, and Bertrand du 
Guesclin, then a squire, were in the town, and, as well as the bishop, 
defended themselves so valiantly, that they sufl'cred no loss. Not- 
withstanding this, the English remained before the place, and wasted 
and destroyed the country round about. 

The duke of Normandy left Nantes with his army, and was ad. 
vised to advance toward Vannes, that he might the sooner meet the 
enemy ; for he had heard that that town was much straitened, and 
in greater danger of being lost than Rennes. He and his whole army, 
therefore, took their route to Vannes, under the command of the 
two marshals and sir Geoflry de Charny : the earl of Guines, son to 
the constable of France, had the rearward. They continued their 
march until they came pretty near to Vannes, on the opposite side 
to where the king of England was quartered ; they then halted, en. 
camped in a fine meadow, and made a large ditch in their front. The 
marshals, and sir Robert de Beaumanoir, marshal of Brittany, made 
frequent excursions : there were skirmishes on both sides, which 
occasioned the overthrow and death of many. The king of England 
Bent for the earl of Salisbury, the earl of Pembroke, and the rest who 
were besieging Rennes. The English, and flic Bretons of the Mont- 
fort party, might amount to nearly two thousand five hundred men. 
at.arms, six thousand archers, and three thousand men on foot. The 
French were four times that number, well conditioned and well 
armed. The king of England had taken such a position before 
Vannes, that the French could not attack him but to their disadvan- 
tage ; and since the arrival of the duke of Normandy, he liad not 
made any assault upon the town, wishing to spare his men and his 
artillery. 

Thus these two armies lay near each other for a long time. When 
the winter set in, pope Cleraeut VI. sent thither the cardinal of Pre- 



neste and the cardinal of CleiTnont, who made frequent visits from 
one army to the other, to endeavor to reconcile them ; but they would 
not consent to a peace.* There were frequent engagements between 
the foragers, and many killed on each side. The English were 
obliged to go out foraging in large parties, for fear of falling into am. 
buscades ; and evciy time they went abroad they were in great dan- 
ger of them. Add to this, that the lord Lewis of Spain, and his 
fleet, guarded so carefully the coast, that the English army could 
scarcely receive anything from England, which made them suffer 
much. It was the intention of the duke to keep the king thus in a 
manner besieged : but the French endured much pain from the incle- 
mency of the weather, for it rained night and day, which destroyed 
the greater part of their horses, and forced them to dislodge and lie 
in the open fields, from the great quantity of water which inundated 
their camp. The cardinals now exerted themselves so eflectually, 
that a truce for three years was agreed to ; and the king of England 
and the duke swore, as is customary, not to infringe it during that 
time. 



CHAPTER XCIX. 

THE KING OF FRANCE ORDERS THE LORD OF CLISSON, AND MANY OTHER. 
LORDS OF BRITTANY AND NORMANDY, TO BE BEHEADED. 

Thus these great ai-mies were separated, and the siege of Vannes 
raised. The duke of Normandy retired to Nantes, and took the two 
cardinals with him ; the king of England went to the countess of 
Moutfort at Henncbon. There was an exchange made of the lord 
of Clisson for the baron of Stafford. When the king of England 
had been some time at Henncbon with the countess, and had arranged 
his affairs, he gave her in charge to the two brothers de Spinefort, 
sir William de Cadoudal, and others, and set out with his knights 
for England, where he arrived about Christmas. t The duke of Nor- 
mandy returned into France, and having disbanded his army, each 
went to his own home. 

Soon afterwards, the lord of Clisson was arrested, upon suspicion 
of treason, and confined in the prison of the Chdtelet in Paris ; at 
which all who heard it were much surprised. The barons and knights 
of France asked each other what could be the reason, for they 
could not make out anything satisfactory : but they imagined it 
might be occasioned by jealousy, because the king of England had 
preferred to exchange him for lord Stafford to sir Hervd de L(;on, 
who was still a prisoner; so that the favor the king of England 
had shown to the lord of Clisson in preference to sir Herv6, his ene. 
mics thought had been improperly gained, and grounded upon that 
the suspicion for which he lost his head at Paris, and which occa. 
sioned great grief, for no one could find a sufficient reason for it.t 
Shortly afterwards, many other knights were accused of similar 
crimes. The lord of Malestroit and his son, the lord of Avaugour, 
sir Tibaut de Morillon, and other lords of Brittany, to the number 
of ten knights and squires, were beheaded at Paris. Four other 
knights of Normandy, sir William Baron, sir Henry de Malestroit, 
the lord of Rochetesson, and sir Richard de Persy, were put to death 
upon reports, whether well founded or not I am ignorant, which 
caused afterwards great troubles in Brittany and Normandy. The 
lord of Clisson left behind him a son, named Olivier de Clisson after 
his father, who withdrew himself immediately to the castle of Mont- 
fort, with the countess and her son, who was nearly of the same age 
with himself, and without a father ; for in truth the earl of Montfort 
had died in the Louvre at Paris.^ 



CHAPTER C. 

KING EDWARD INSTITUTES THE ORDER OF ST. GEORGE, AT WINDSOR. 

About this time, the king of England resolved to rebuild and em- 
bellish the great castle of Windsor, which king Arthur had firet 
founded in time past, and where he had erected and established that 
noble round table from whence so many gallant knights had issued 
forth, and displayed the valiant prowess of their deeds at arms over 
the worid. King Edward, therefore, determined to establish an or- 
der of knighthood, consisting of himself, his children, and the most 
gallant knights in Christendom, to the number of forty. He ordered 
ft to be denominated "knights of the blue garter," and that the 
feast should be celebrated every year, at Windsor, upon St. George's 
day. He summoned, therefore, all the earls, barons and knights of 



* Tlie lii-sl of lliese pielates was Petei des Pres, bom in Quercy, cJmncel or of the 
church of Rome. a:iJ bishop of Frescali ; the other was Annibal de Cecano, b.shop of 
Palestine. Tlie conference was held m the priory of the Magdalen ui tlie town of Males- 
troit. Tlie commissioners on the part of France were, Eute (ulie ol Burej'ndy, and 
Peter duke of Bourbon ; on the part of Englanil, Henry earl of Lancnsler. W.lham Bo- 
hun and William Montacule.-i/ist.iifBi-rfasiie. , , , ^ „. , „ 

t Edward embarked about tlieend of February, and landed at Weymouth, on afaun- 
day, 2nd March, 1343.-RVMER. , ^ .,c j o .. 

1 The lord Stafford was eschanscd for Olivier de Clisson, and Godfrey de Harcourt 
They entered iuUi a treaty wiUi Edward, and the earl of Salisbury was tlie pei-son to 
whom it was intrusted. On the earl's return to Emrland. on hearing from his countess 
Edward's conduct to her during his absence, he retired from the court secretly, and 
went to France, wlien he delivered up to PIrilip de Valois the ingBBement^ of Olivier da 
Clisson and tlie other knights. Olivier was beheaded, and his body hung on tlic gibbet 
at Montfaucon. Godl'rey de Harcourt, being banished the kingdom, retired to England- 
—Hist. de Bntagne, vol. i. p. 268. 

% See a former note, p. K!, tespecting his death. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



65 



his realm, to inform them of his intention? ; tliey heard it with great 
pleasure ; for it appeared to tlicm highly honorable, and capable of 
increasing love and friendship. Forty knights were then elected, 
according to report and estimation the bravest in Christendom, who 
sealed, and swore to maintain ami keep the feast and the statutes 
which had been made. The king founded a chapel at Windsor, in 
honor of St. George, and established canons, there to serve God, 
with a handsome endowment. He then issued his proclamation for 
this feast by his heralds, whom he sent to France, Scotland, Bur. 
gundy, Hainault, Flanders, Brabant, and the empire of Germany, 
and oifered to all knights and squires, that might come to this cere- 
mony, passports to last for fifteen days after it was over.* The cele. 
bration of this order was fi.xed for St. George's day ne.xt ensuing, to 
be held at Windsor, 1344 ; and the queen was to be present, accom- 
panied by three hundred ladies and damsels, all of high birth, and 
richly dressed in similar robes. t 



i Abbeville, where they procured horses ; but sir Hervd was so- ill, hs 
could not bear the motion of the horse : he was therefore put in a 
litter, and came to Paris, to king Philip, to whom he delivered his 
message, word for word; but he did not live long. He died in re. 
turning to his own country, in the city of Angers. God have mercy 
on his soul ! 



CHAPTER CI. 

THE KING OF ENOLAND SET.S AT LIBERTY SIR HERVE DE LEON. 

While the king of England was employed in making preparations 
for the reception of the lords and ladies whom he expected at this 
feast, news was brought him of the death of the lord of Clisson and 
the other knights. He was so much enraged at it, that he had deter, 
mined to retaliate upon the body of Sir Hervd de L6on, who was his 
prisoner, and would surely have executed it, if the earl of Derby, his 
cousin, had not remonstrated, and showed in council such good rea. 
sons, as, for the sake of his own personal honor, induced him to re- 
frain from this revenge. He added, "My lord, if that king Philip 
has, through rasliness, had the villainy to put to death such valiant 
knights as these were, do not suffer your courage to be tainted by it ; 
for in tnith, if you will but consider a little, your prisoner has no- 
thing to do with this outrage : have a goodness, therefore, to give 
him his liberty, at a reasonable ransom." The king ordered the cap- 
tive knight to be brought before him, and said, "Ha, sir Herve, sir 
Herve, my adversary, Philip de Valois, has shown his treachery in 
too cruel a manner, when he put to death so many knights. It has 
given me much displeasure ; and it appears as it were done in de. 
spite of us. If I were to take his conduct for my example, I ought 
to do the like to you ; for you have done me more harm in Brittany 
than any other; but I shall endure it, and let him act according to 
his own will. I will presei-ve my own honor unspotted, and shall 
allow you your liberty at a trifling ransom, out of my love for the 
earl of Derby, who has requested it ; but upon condition, that you 
perform what I am going to ask of you." The knight replied, 
" Dear sir, I will do, to the best of my power, whatever you shall 
command." The king said, " I know, sir Hcrv^, that you are one 
of the richest knights in Brittany; and, if I were to press you, you 
would pay nie thirty or forty thousand crowns for your ransom. But 
you will go to king Philip de Valois, my adversary, and tell him from 
me, that, by putting so many knights to death in so dishonorable a 
manner, he has sore displeased me : and I say and maintain, that he 
has by this means broken and infringed the tmce which we had 
agreed to ; and that from this moment I consider it as broken, and 
send him by you my defiance. In consideration of your carrying 
this message, I will let you off' for ten thousand crowns, which you 
will pay, or send to Bruges, in five days after you shall have crossed 
the sea. You will also inform all such knights and squires as wish 
to attend my feast, for we shall be right glad to see them, not to de. 
sist on this account, for they shall have passports for their safe return, 
to last for fifteen days after it be over." " Sir," answered the 
knight, " I will perform your message to the best of my abilities ; 
and God reward you and my lord of Derby for your kindness to me." 

Sir Herv^ de Leon did not after this remain long in prison, but, 
having taken leave of the king, went to Southampton, and embarked 
on board a vessel, with the intention of landing at Hai-fleur. A vio- 
lent storm, however, which lasted fifteen days, prevented it. He 
lost his horses, as well as those of his servants, which were thrown 
overboard ; and he himself was so ill by it, that he never after en- 
joyed good health. At last the mariners, with much danger, landed 
at Crotoy ;t from whence sir Herv(S and his suite went on foot to 



»Tlie number of kniglits of the garter were only twenty-sLt: underneath are the 
names of the first knights : 

1. King Edward. M. Thomas lord Holland. 

3. Edward pnnce of Wales. 15. John lord Gray of Codnore. 

3. Henry earl of Lancaster. 16. Sir Richard Fitzsiraon. 

4. Tliomas earl of Warwick. 17. Sir Miles Stapleton. 

5. Piers de Greilly, captnl of Bach. 18. Sir Thomns Wale. 

6. Halph lord Stafford. 19. Sir Hugh Wrottesley. 

7. William earl of Salisbury. 20. Sir Nele Lorinj. 

8. Roger earl of March. 21. Sir John Chandos. 

9. John lord Lisle. 23. Lord James Audley. 
Y>- "lltnolomew i')rd Burglierst. 23. SirUthoHi.lIand. 

U-. John lord Beauoliamp. 24. Sir Henry Earn ofDrabant. 

12. John lord Moliun of Dunster. 25. Sir Sanchio d'Ambreticourt. 

13. Hugh lord Courtenay. 26. Sir Waller Paveley. 

For furtlier particulars respecting tlie order of the garter, see Ashmoleand Anstis. 

t The tirst mention of robes for the queen, &c., is an. 7 Ric. 2 ; but it is supposed tlie 
custom originated at the institution.— Ashmole. 

t Crotoy, a town in Picardy, situated at the moutli of the Somme, opposite to St. 
Valery. 



CHAPTER CII. 

THE KI.XG OF ENGLAND SENDS THE EARL OF DERBY TO MAK£ WAK IN 
GASCONY. 

St. George's day drew near, when the grand feast was to be cele. 
brated at the castle of Windsor. The king had made great prepare, 
tions for it ; and there were earls, barons, ladies, and damsels, most 
nobly entertained. The festivities and tilts lasted a fortnight. Many 
knights came to them from beyond sea, from Flanders, Hainault, and 
Brabant, but not one from France. During the holding of theea 
feasts, the king received intelligence from different countries, par- 
ticularly from Gascony. The lord de I'Esparre, the lord do Chau. 
mont, the lord de Mucident, were sent thence by the other barons 
and knights who at that time were dependent on the king of England ; 
such as the lord d'Albret, the lord de Pumiers, the lord de Montfer- 
rant, the lord of Duras, the lord of Craton, the lord of Grailley, and 
many others ; and some were likewise sent by the cities of Bordeaux 
and Bayoune. These embassadors were most courteously entertained 
and received by the king and his council ; to whom they explained 
the weakness of the country of Gascony, and that his good friends 
in that country and the loyal city of Bordeaux wanted aid : they there- 
fore entreated, that he would send thither such a captain and force 
of men-at-arms, as he might think able to make head against the 
French, who kept the field in opposition to all that were sent to meet 
them.*^The king soon afterwards appointed his cousin the earl of 
Derby leader of this expedition, and nominated those knights that he 
had fi.xed upon to be under him; first, the earl of Pembroke, the 
earl of O.xford, the lord Stafford, sir Walter Manny, sir Frank van 
Halle, sir Henry Earn of Brabant, sir Richard Filzsimou, sir Hugh 
Hastings, sir Stephen Tombey, sir Richard Haydon, sir John Nor 
wich, sir Richard Radcliffe, sir Robert O.xendon, and several more. 
They were fully three hundred knights and squires, six hundred men. 
at-arms, and two thousand archers. The king advised the earl his 
cousin to take plenty of gold and silver with him, and to bestow it 
liberally among the knights and squires, in order to acquire their 
good opinion and affection. 

The king also, dhring the time of these festivals, sent sir Thomas 
Dagworth into Brittany, to reinforce the countess of Montfort, and 
assist her in preserving that country ; for notwithstanding the truce, 
he doubted not but that king Philip would begin the war, on account 
of the message he had scut to him by sir Herve de L^on. He there, 
fore dispatched thither one hundred men-at-arms, and two hundred 
archers, under the command of sir Thomas. He likewise ordered 
the earl of Salisbury into the county of D'ulnestre ; for the Scots had 
rebelled against him, had burnt much in Cornwall, and had advanced 
as far as Bristol, and besieged the town of D'ulnestre.* However, 
the earl of Salisbury marched thither, with three hundred men. at-arms, 
and six hundred archers well appointed. Thus the king sent forth- 
his people, and directed his treasurers to deliver out to the command, 
ing officers a sufficiency of money for their own expenses, and to pay 
their fellow-soldiers ; and each set out according to the orders he had 
received. 

We will speak first of the earl of Derby, as he had the greatest 
charge, which he conducted to Southampton, and embarking oa 
board the fleet stationed there for him, made sail for Bayonne : it 
was a handsome city, and had always held out for the English. He 
arrived there, without accident, on the 6th day of June, 1344, when 
he disembarked and landed his stores ; they were joyfully received 
by the inhabitants, and he remained there seven days, to refresh him- 
self and his horses. The earl of Derby and his army left Bayonne 
the eighth day after his arrival, and set out for Bordeaux, where a 
grand procession came out to receive him. The earl was lodged in 
the abbey of St. Andrew and his people within the city. When the 
count de Lisle was informed of the arrival of the English, he sent 
for the count de Comminges, the count de Perigord, the count de 
Carmain, the viscount de Villemur, the count Duras, the count de 
Valentinois, the count de Mirande, the lord of Mirade, the lord de 
la Barde,the lord of Pincornet, the viscount de Chatillon, the lord 
of Chateauneuf, the lord de Lescun, the abbot of St. Savin, and 
for all the other lords who were attached to the king of France. 
As soon as they were all assembled, he demanded their counsel on 
the arrival of the earl of Derby. The lords, in reply, said, they were 
sufiiciently strong to defend the passage of the river Dordogne, at 
Bergerac, against the English. This answer mightily pleased the 

* This passage has puzricd me much. Mr. Barnes, in his Lile of Edward III., says, 
it was the i/oune earl of Salisbury. One of my JISS. calls him ihe lord William earl of 
Salisbury, which was the name of the earl's son. But Dugdale contents himself with 
saying, that in the 18th of Edward III., "the earl of Salisbury" (speaking ot the first 
earll '• was sent into the north, with the narl of Ulster, one hundred men-at-arms, and 
six hundred a-'chers. against the Scots, then in hostility." 

If the Scots had advanced to Bristol, then it may perhaps be Dunster castle. 

Froissart seems to have been under a mistake, from misinformation, as I cannot lina 
any traces of this invasion. 



66 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



count de Lisle, who was at that time like a king m Gascony, and had 
been so since the commencement of the wars between the two kmgs. 
He had taken the field, captured towns and castles, and waged war 
upon all who were of the English party. These lords sent imme- 
diately to assemble their dependents on all sides, and advanced to Ber. 
Berac, where they entered the suburbs, which are large, strong, and 
partly suiTounded by the Dordogne. They had all their purveyances 
brought to them there in safety. 



CHAPTER cm. 

THE EARL OF DERBY CONQUERS BERKERAC." 

When the earl of Derby had remained at Bordeaux for about lifteen 
days, he was informed that the barons and k:iiglits of Gascony were 
in Bergcrac : he therefore, one morning, marched that way witli his 
army, and ordered his marshals, sir Walter Manny and sir Frank van 
Halle, to push forward. The English marched that morning no more 
than three leagues, to a castle called Montcroullier, which belonged to 
them, and was situated a short league from Bergerac. At this castle 
of Montcroullier, they tarried that day and night. The day following, 
their scouts were sent as far as the barriers of Bergerac : and, on 
their return, they related to sir Walter Manny, that they had recon- 
noitred the position of the French, which did not appear to them any- 
thing very formidable. This day, the English dined early ; and, 
during the repast, sir Walter Manny, addressing himself to the earl 
of Derby, said, " My lord, if we were good knights, and well armed, 
we might, this evening, partake of the wines of these French lords 
who are in garrison in Bergerac." The earl answered, "that it should 
not be his fault if they did not." When their companions heard this, 
they said, " Let us hasten to arm ourselves ; for we will ride toward 
Bergerac." It was no sooner said than done : they were all%rmed, 
and mounted, in an instant. When the earl of Derby perceived such 
willingness in his men, he was exceedingly joyful, and cried out, 
" In the name of God, and of St. George, let us march to our ene- 
mies." They then rode on, with banners displayed, during the 
greatest heat of the day, until they came to the barriers of Bergerac : 
which was not a place easily to be taken, for a part of the river Dor- 
dogne surrounded it. The French lords who were in the town, 
Beeing the English coming to attack them, said they should be well 
received, and sallied forth in battle array : they had with them a mul- 
titude of foot soldiers, and country people badly armed. The Eng. 
Ush made their approaches in close order, so that they were plainly 
to be distinguished by the townsmen, and the archers began to shoot 
thickly. When the foot soldiers felt the points of the arrows, and 
saw the banners and pennons glittering in the air, which they had 
not been accustomed to see, they fell back upon their men-at-arms : 
the archers continued to shoot with great quickness, doing nnich mis- 
chief to them. The lords of England then advanced, mounted on 
their excellent coursers, with lances in their rests, and, dashing into 
the midst of this infantry, drove them down at pleasure, and killed 
and wounded the French men-at-arms in abundance ; for they could 
not in any way exert themselves, as these runaways had blocked up 
the road. 

There was a severe engagement, and many were killed and un 
horsed : for the English archers, being posted on each side of the 
toad, shot so well together, that no one dared to venture upon it. 
Thus were those of Bergerac driven back again to the suburbs, but 
with so much loss, that the first bridge and bars were taken by storm, 
and the English entered with them. Upon the pavement were many 
knights and squires slain and wounded, and many prisoners made of 
those who came forward to defend the passage. The lord of Mirepoix 
was slain under the banner of sir Walter Manny, who was the first 
that entered the suburbs. When the count de Lisle saw that the 
English had got possession of the suburbs, and were knocking down 
and killing his people without mercy, he and the other lords of Gas- 
cony made a handsome retreat toward the town, and passed the bridge 
with great difficulty. At this place the engagement was very severe, 
and lasted a considerable lime : the noblemen of France and of Eng- 
land, named in the preceding chapters, combated most valiantly hand 
to hand : neither knight nor bachelor could there conceal himself. 
Sir Walter Manny had advanced so far among his enemies, that he 
was in great danger. The English made prisoners of the viscount 
de Bousqnetin, the lords of Chatillon, of Chateanneuf, and of Lescun. 
The French retreated into the fort, let down the portcullis, and, 
getting upon the battlements, began to throw stones and other things, 
to drive their enemies away. This assault and skirmish lasted until 
vespers, when the English retreated, quite weary, into the suburbs, 
which they had woir ; where they found such quantities of provision 
and wine, that might, on occasion, have lasted them for four months 
most plentifully. 

When the morrow dawned, the earl of Derby had his trumpets 
Bounded, and his forces drawn out in battle array, to approach the 
town, and make a mighty assault, which lasted until noon. They 
had not much success ; for they found that there were within it 
men who defended themselves valiantly. At noontide, the English 
retreated, perceiving that they only lost their time. The lords then 
assembled in council, and determined to attack the town on the side 



next the river ; for it was there only fortified by palisades. The earl 
of Derby sent therefore to the fleet at Bordeaux for vessels, which 
he ordered to come to him up the Dordogne ; there were upward 
of sixty barks and other vessels lying at Bordeaux, that came to 
Bergerac. In the evening of the following day, the English made 
their arrangements, and at sunrise, all those who were ordered to 
attack the town, and the fleet, were quite ready, under the com- 
mand of the lord Stafford. There were many knights and squires 
who had requested to be on tins expedition, in hopes of prefer- 
ment, as well as a body of archers. They advanced in haste, and 
came to some large round piles placed before the palisades, which 
they flung down. The townsmen, seeing this, went to the count de 
Lisle, the lords, knights, and squires, who were present, and said to 
them, " Gentlemen, we pray you to take heed what you are about; 
for we run a great risk of being ruined. If the town be taken, we 
shall lose all we have, as well as our lives : it will therefore be 
much better that we surrender it to the earl of Derby, before we 
suffer more damage." The count replied, " We will go to that 
quarter where the danger is ; for we will not consent to surrender it 
so easily." The Gascon knights and squires came, therefore, to de- 
fend the palisades ; but the archers, who were in the barks, kept up 
so quick an attack with their arrows, that none dared to show them- 
selves, unless they chose to run the risk of being killed or wounded. 
In the town there were with the Gascons two or three hundred Ge- 
noese cross-bowmen, whose armor shielded them from the arrows ; 
they kept the archers well employed all the day, and many on each 
side were wounded. At last, the English who were in the vessels 
exerted themselves so much that they broke down a large piece of 
the palisades ; those of Bergerac then retreated, and requested time 
to consider if they should not surrender the place. The remainder 
of that day and night was granted them, upon condition that they 
did not attempt to repair the breaches : and every one retired to his 
quarters. The lords of Gascony held, that night, a long council ; 
and about midnight, having packed up all their baggage, they set 
out from Bergerac, and followed the road to la Rfeole,* which is not 
far distant, whose gates were opened to them, and there they took 
up their quarters. 

The English, on the morrow morning, reeinbarked on board their 
fleet, and came to the part where the palisades had been broken 
down ; they found in that place great numbers of the townsmen, 
who intreated the knights, that they would beseech the earl of Derby 
to have mercy on them and allow them their lives and fortunes, and 
thenceforward they would yield obedience to the king of England. 
The earl of Pembroke and the earl of Oxford replied, that they 
would cheerfully comply with their request, and went to the earl of 
Derby who was not present, and related to him what the inhabitants 
of Bergcrac had desired of them. The earl of Derby answered, " He 
who begs for mercy should have mercy shown him : tell them to 
open their gates, and let us-enter, and we will assure them of safety 
from us and from our people." The two lords returned, and reported 
what the earl had said. Upon which the townsmen went to the 
market-place, where eveiy one men and women being assembled, 
they rang the bells, threw open the gates, went out in procession to 
meet the earl of Derby, and with all humility conducted him to the 
church, where they swore homage and fealty to him, acknowledging 
him as their lord, for the king of England, by virtue of a procuration 
which he had with him. 



* A populous town in Perigord, diocese of Perigueu.'c. 



CHAPTER CIV. 

THE EARL OF DERBY CONQX.-ERS MANY TOWNS AND FORTRESSES IK 
UPPER GASCONY. 

The same day that the count de Lisle, the barons and knights of 
Gascony, had retreated to la Reole, they held a council, and resolved 
to separate, and v\ithdraw into fortresses, to carry on the war from 
these'ganisons, and to form a body of four or five hundred combat, 
ants, by way of a frontier guard, under the command of the seneschal 
of Toulouse. The count de Villemur was ordered to Auberoche ;t 
sir Bertrand des Pres to Pelagrue ;{ the lord Philip de Dyon to Mon. 
tagret ;^ the lord of Montbrandon to Mauduran ; sir Arnold de Dyon 
to Montgis ; Robert de Malmore to Beaumont, in Laillois ; sir Charles 
de Poitiers to Pennes in the Angenois. All these knights departed 
for their different garrisons ; but the count de Lisle remained in la 
Rfeole, and had the fortress put in proper repair. When the earl ot 
Derby had taken possession of Bergerac, and staid there two days, 
he asked the seneschal of Bordeaux, what was most advisable for 
him next to undertake, as he wished not to remain idle. The senes- 
chal replied, that he thought it would be best to go toward Perigord 
and upper Gascony. The earl of Derby then gave out his orders to 
march toward Perigord, and left sir John de la Sante|| captain ot 
Bergerac. As the English advanced, they came to a castle called 



* Reole— a town of tlie Bazadois, on the Garonne. 

t In Perigord, diocese of Perigueux. 

t A small town of Condomois. in the diocese of Condom. 

§ A town in Perigord. diocese of Periyueux. 

II In one MS. it is Sonce ; in Barnes's liistory of Edward IIT., sir Jolin St. Jolin ; but 
he does not mention liis authority for so altering il. In my printed copy and anoUut 
MS. it is Same, and is so in lord Bernei's translation. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



67 



Langon,* of which the provost of Toulouse was governov : they 
halted there, not thinking it prudent to leave such a post in their 
rear, and the marshal's battalion immediately began the assault, which 
lasted all that day, but they gained nothing. Almost the whole army 
was employed against it llic next day ; and, with wood and faggots 
they filled up the ditches, so that they could approach the walls. Sir 
Frank van Halle asked the French if Ihcy were willing to surrender, 
because they might delay it until it was too late. Upon this, they 
demanded a truce to consider of it, which being granted them, after 
some little time spent in counsel, they all set out for Monsac,t in the 
French interest, but took nothing with them. The earl of Derby 
appointed a squire called Aymon Lyon, governor of the castle of 
Langon, t and gave him thirty archers. 

The earl of Derby then rode on toward a town called Le Lac; but 
the tov.'nsmen came out to meet him, brought him the kejia of the 
town, and swore homage and fealty to him. The earl passed on, 
and came to Mandarant, which he took by storm : after he had 
placed a garrison in the fortress, he came before Montgis, won it in 
the same maimer, and sent the governor prisoner to Bordeaux. He 
afterwards advanced to Punach, which he took, and did the same to 
the town and castle of Lieux§, where he staid three days to refresh 
himself and army. On the fourth day he marched to Forsath. || 
which he gained easily enough, and then the tow'n of Pondaire. He 
next came to a town of considerable size, called Beaumont en Lail- 
lois, which was a dependency on the count de Lisle. The earl was 
three days before it, and many vigorous attacks were made ; for it 
was well provided with men-at-arms and artillery, who defended 
themselves as long as they were able ; at last it was taken, with 
much slaughter on all those that were found in it. The earl of Derby 
recruited his forces there with fresh men-at-arms, and then advanced 
toward the principal town of the inheritance of the count de Lisle, 
which was under the connnand of the Lord Philip de Dyon and the 
lord Arnold de Dyon. He invested it on all sides, and made his 
archers advance to the barriers, where they shot so well that none 
durst appear to defend them ; the English having won the barriers, 
and everything even to the gate, retired in the evening. On the 
next morning, they renewed the attack in different places at once, 
and gave those within so much to do, that they did not know which 
way to defend themselves. The iidiabitants therefore requested two 
knights who were there to treat with the earl of Derby for a peace, 
that their fortunes might he saved. They sent before them a herald, 
who obtained a short truce, to see if any agreement could be entered 
into. The earl of Derby ordered his men to retire, and came him. 
self, accompanied by the lord Statlurd and sir Walter Manny, to the 
bars, to confer with the inhabitants. The earl at first would hear 
of nothing but unconditional submission : at last it was settled, that 
the town should put itself under the dependency of the king of En„ 
land, as duke of Guienne, and that twelve of the principal citizens 
should be sent to Bordeaux as hostages. The French knights and 
squires left the place with passports, and went to la Reole. 



dismounted, and, sword in hand, fought with the English, and main- 
tained their ground so well that they lost nothing. 

The English returned to the earl of Derby, who marched forward 
until he came before Pelegrue, where lie remained six days, and 
many an assault was made upon it. During the time he continued 
there, the earl of Oxford and his companions were exchanged, for 
the viscount de Bousquetin, the viscount de Chatillon, the lord of 
Lescun, the lord of Chateauneuf ; and upon condition that the lands 
of Perigord should remain in peace for three years : not, however, 
but that any knight or squire might take up arms, without forfeiting 
the treaty ; but nothing was to be burnt or pillaged in that country 
for that space of time. The English therefore departed from before 
Pelagrue, as it was part of Perigord, and rode toward Auberoche,* 
where there is a handsome and strong castle, appertaining to the 
archbishop of Toulouse. The English took up their quarters round 
about it, as if they meant to remain there for a length of time, and 
sent word to those within, that if they did not surrender speedily, 
when the town was taken, they should be all put to the sword with- 
out mercy. The inhabitants of the town and castle were much 
alarmed; and, seeing no appearance of any succor coming to them, 
they put themselves under the obedience of the earl of Derby, upon 
condition that their lives and fortunes were spared, and acknowledged 
him as their lord, for the king of England. 

The earl then made a handsome retreat toward Bordeaux, having 
left in Auberoche a sufficient garrison, under the command of sir 
Frank van Halle, sir Alain de Finefroide, and sir John Lendal. On 
his road he came to Libourne, a fair and large town, twelve leagues 
from Bordeaux ; to which he laid siege, and told those about him, 
that he would not quit it before he had got possession of it. The 
inhabitants consulted together ; and considering well the good and 
evil of being assaulted and vexed, they surrendered themselves to 
the earl of Derby, and did homage to him during the three days 
he remained there. The earl of Derby sent the earl of Pembroke to 
Bergerac, and left the lord Stafford, sir Steven de Courcy, and the 
lord Alexander de Haulfiel,t with their men, in Libourne. He him- 
self, accompanied by the carl of Oxford and sir Walter Manny, took, 
the road for Bordeaux, where they arrived. 



CHAPTER CV. 

THE EARL OF OXFORD IS TAKEN PRISONEK IN GASCONT, BUT SET AT 
UliEKTV BY EXCHANSE. 

After this conquest, and that the earl of Derby had left there 
men-at-arms and archers, he came before Bonneval,ir and made a 
violent attack upon it, in which many were killed and woimded. 
At last he took it, and showed mercy. After he had reinforced it 
with men-at-arms, and another governor, he pushed forward, and, 
entering the country of Perigord, passed by Bordelles,** but did not 
attack it, as he saw it would be only pains thrown away. He still 
advanced, until he came before Perigueux.tt There was in the town 
the earl of Perigord, the lord Roger de Perigord his brother, the lord 
of Duras, and fully six.seore knights and squires of that country. 
When the earl of Derby came there, he considered in what manner 
he might attack it most advantageously, for he saw it was»very 
strong. But, after having maturely weighed it, he thought it most 
prudent not to waste his time : he therefore retreated two leagues, 
and took up his quarters upon the banks of a river, in order to attack 
the castle of Pelagrue. It 

Toward midnight, about two hundred lances, well mounted, sallied 
out of Perigueux : they rode so fast, that before daylight they came 
to the English camp, and falling upon it, killed and wxiunded many. 
They entered the tent of the earl of Oxford, whom they found armino- 
himself: he was immediately attacked and taken prisoner, as well 
as three knights of his household, otherwise he would have been 
Blain. The Gascons finding they had awakened the whole army, 
netired, and took their road to Perigueux. It was time for them to 
do so : and fortunately they found the gates of the barriers open ; 
for they were so closely pursued that they were thrown into con- 
fusion: but the Gascons, as soon as they could rally themselves, 

* Langen-a town in Bavadois, upon the Garonne, aboutsix leagues from Bordeaux 

T A town in Perigord, diocese ofSarlat. 

t Barnes calls liim an English squire, Timothu Lyon ; but I see no authority for it 

^ In tjascony, diocese of Coniminge. 

]l Fronsac-upon the DordoBiie. six Ipacues from Bordeaux. 

;+ . ,, "" '" 'J'" '","'^*'^ of Agen. »* Capital of Perisord. 

Tt A village in Bazadois, election of Condom, « A town in the Condomois. 



CHAPTER CVI. 

THE COUNT DE LISLE, LIEUTENANT FOR THE KINS OF FRANCE IN 
GAS rONY, LAYS SIEGE TO THE CASTLE OF AUBEROCHE. 

The earl was joyfully received on his return to Bordeaux : the 
clergy and inhabitants of the town came out to meet him, in a grand 
procession ; they allowed him to take provisions, and wdiatever else 
lie desired, according to his will and pleasure ; and he and his army 
continued in the town, amusing themselves with the citizens and 
their wives. 

We will now return to the count de Lisle, whom we left in la 
Rfeole ; as soon as he was informed that the earl of Derby had 
returned to Bordeaux, and had taken up his residence there, he did 
not think it probable he would undertake any more expeditions this 
season. He sent letters therefore to the earls of Perigord, of Car- 
main, of Comminges, of Bruniguel, and to all the barons oflGaseony 
that were in the French interest, to desire that they would collect as 
many people as they could, and come with them properly armed, by 
an appointed time, to meet him at Auberoche, as he intended to 
besiege it. They all obeyed his summons ; for he was as a king in 
these parts of Gascony, The knights who were in Auberoche were 
not aware of this, until they found themselves so closely besieged on 
all sides that no one could go out of the garrison without being seen. 
The French brought from Toulouse four large machines, which cast 
stones into the fortress night and day ; and they made no other 
assault; so that in six days' time they had demolished all the roofs 
of the towers, and none within the castle dared to venture out of the 
vaulted rooms on the ground floor. It was the intention of the army 
to kill all within the castle, if they would not surrender themselves 
unconditionally. 

News was brought to the earl of Derby, that Auberoche was be. 
sieged ; but he did not imagine his friends were so hard pushed. 
When sir Frank van Halle, sir Alain de Finefroide, and sir .Tohn 
Lendal, who were thus besieged, saw how desperate their situation 
was, they asked their servants, if there were not one among them 
who would, for a reward, undertake to deliver the letters they had 
written to the earl of Derby at Bordeaux, One from among them 
stepped forward, and said, he would be the man who would cheer- 
fully undertake the commission, not through lust of gain, but from 
his desire to deliver them from the peril they were in. The follow- 
ing night the servant took the letters, sealed with their seals, and 
sewed them up in his clothes. He was let down into the ditches : 
when he was at the bottom, he climbed up the opposite side, and took 
his road through the army ; for he could not avoid passing through 
it. He was met by the first guard, but was not stopped, for he under 
stood the Gascon language well, and named one of the lords of the 
army, as if belonging to him ; so he was~ suffered to pass on : but he 
was afterwards arrested, and detained under the tents of some other 
lords, who brought him to the main watch. He was interrogated. 



* A to^vn in Perigord. 



t Barnes makes liiin Six Alexander Hussey. 



68 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



searched, and the letters found upon him, and guarded until morning, 
when the principnls of the army assembled in the tent of the count 
de Lisle, where the letters were read. They were rejoiced to find 
fiiat the garrison was so much straitened tliat they could not hold 
out' lono-er ; and, seizing tlie servant, they hung the letters round his 
neck thrust him into one of the machines, and flung him into 
Auberoehe. The valet fell quite dead amid the other valets of the 
castle, who were much terrified at it. 

About this time, the earl of Perigord, his uncle sir Charles de Poi- 
tters, the earl of Carmain, and the lord of Duras, mounting their 
horses, rode as near to the walla of the castle as they could, and calling 
out totliose within by way of derision, said, " Gentlcinen, inquire of 
your messenger where he found the earl of Derby, and whether he 
is prepared to assist you, since your man was so eager to quit your 
foMress, and has returned as quickly." Sir Frank van Halle replied, 
"By my faith, gentlemen, if we be so closely confined in this place, 
we will sally forth whenever it shall please God and the earl of Derby. 
I wish to Heaven he were acquainted with our situation ; for if he 
were, the proudest of you all would be afraid of standing your ground ; 
and, if you will send any one to give him this information, one of us 
will surrender himself to you, to he ransomed as becomes a gentle. 
man." The French answered, " Nay, nay, matters must not turn 
put so: the earl of Derby, in proper time, shall be made acquainted 
with it ; but not until our engines have battered your walls level with 
the ground, and you shall have surrendered yourselves to save your 
lives." " That, for certain, will never happen," said sir Frank van Halle , 
for we will not surrender ourselves, should we all die upon the walls." 
The French lords then rode on, and returned to their army. The 
three English knights remained in Auberoehe, quite confounded by 
the force of these engines, which flung such quantities of stones, that 
in truth it seemed as if the thunder from Iieavcn were_battering the 
walls of the castle. 





The Trebuchet, a machine for casting stones, ensraved in Grose's Military Antiquities. From an ivory 

curving of tlie period. 



CHAPTER CVII. 

THE EAKL OF DERBY MAKES THE COUNT OF LISI,E AND NINE MORE COUNTS 
AND VISCOUNTS PKISONEKS, BEFORE AUBEROCHE. 

All these speeches, the treatment of the messenger, the contents 
of the letters, and the perilous situation of Auberoehe, were known 
to the carl of Derby, by means of a spy he had in the French army. 
The earl therefore sent orders to the earl of Pembroke in Bergerac, to 
meet him at an appointed place and hour ; and also to the lord Staflord 
and sir Stephen Tombcy, who were at Libourne. The earl of Derby 
then, accompanied by sir Walter Manny and the forces he had with 
him, took the load toward Auberoehe as seci-etlyas possible; for he 
had guides who were acquainted with all the bv-roads. They came 
to Libourne, where they stiid a whole day for tlie earl of Pembroke ; 
but hearing no tidings of him, and being impatient to succor their 
friends .v'ao were so distressed, the earl of Derby, the earl of Oxford, 
sir Waller Jlanny, sir Richard Hastings, sir Stephen Tomboy, the 
lord t errers, and other knights, set out from Libourne : riding all 
night, tliey came on the morrow within two leagues of Auberoehe. 
They entered a wood, when, alighting from their horses, they tied 



them to the trees, and allowed them to pasture, in expectation of the 
arrival of the earl of Pembroke ; they waited all that morning, and 
until noon, in vain, not knowing what to do ; for they were but three 
hundred lances and six hundred archers, and the French were from 
ten to twelve thousand men. They thought it wotdd be cowardice 
to suffer their friends to be lost, when they were so near them. At 
last sir Walter Manny said, " Gentlemen, let us who are now here 
mount our horses, skirt this wood, and advance until we come to their 
camp ; when we shall be close to it, we will stick spurs into our 
horses, and, with loud shouts, fall upon them. It will be about their 
hour for supper ; and we shall see them so much discomfited, that 
they can never rally again." The knights present replied, that they 
would all do as he had proposed. Each went to his horse, re.girthed 
him, and tightened liis armor : they ordered their pages, servants and 
baggage, „to remain where they were. , 

They advanced in silence by the side of the wood until they came 
to the other end, where the French army was encamped in a wide 
valley, near a small river : they then displayed their banners and 
pennons, and sticking spurs into their horses, dashed into the midst 
of the French and Gascon forces, who were quite confounded and 
unprepared for this attack, as they were busy about their suppers, 
many having set down to table. The English were well prepared to 
act, and crying " Derby, Derby forever!" they cut down tents and 
pavilions, and slew and wounded all that came in their way. The 
French did not know where to turn, so much were they surprised ; 
and when they got into the plains, if there were any large body of 
them, the archers and eross.bowmen made such good use of their 
weapons, that they were slain or dispersed. The count de Lisle was 
taken, in his tent, badly wounded ; the earl of Perigord in his pavilion, 
and also sir Charles, his uncle ; the lord of Duras was killed, and so 
was sir Aymery de Poitiers ; but his brother, the earl of Valentinois, 
was made prisoner. Every one took to his heels as fast as he could ; 
hut the earl of Comminges, the earls of Carmain, Ville. 
mur, and Bruniguel, the lords de la Barde and de la 
Taride, with others, who were quartered on the op. 
posite side of the castle, displayed their banners, and 
having drawn up their men, marched for the plain : 
the English, however, who had already defeated the 
^ largest body of the army, fell upon them most vigor- 

'^^ ously. In this engagement, many gallant deeds of 

arms were performed, many captures made, and many 
rescues. As soon as sir Frank van Halle and sir John 
Lendal, who were in Auberoehe, heard the noise, and 
perceived the banners and pen;ions of their friends, 
they hastened to arm themselves, and all those that 
were with them ; when, mounting their horses, they 
sallied out of the fortress, made for the plain, and 
dashed into the thickest of the combat, to the great 
encouragement of the English. ' 

Why should I make a long story of it ? All those 
who were of tlie count de Lisle's party were discom- 
fited, and almost all taken prisoners, or slain. Scarcely 
any would have escaped, if night had not closed so 
soon. Nine carls and viscounts were made prisoners, 
and so many barons, knights and squires, that there 
was not a man-at-arms among the English that had 
not for his share two or three. This battle before 
Auberoehe was fought on the eve of St. Laurence's 
day, in the year 1314. The English treated their 
prisoners like friends : they received many upon their 
promises to surrender themselves by a certain day 
at Bordeaux, or Bergerac. The English retired into 
Auberoehe ; and the earl of Derby entertained at sup. 
per the greater part of the prisoners, earls, viscounts, 
barons, and knights. They gave thanks and praises 
to God, for having enabled them to overcome upward 
of ten thousand men, when they themselves were not 
• mDi-e than one thousand, including every one, and 

to rescue the town of Auberoehe, in which were their . 
friends, that must have been captured in two days' time. On the 
next morning, a little after sunrise, the earl of Pembroke arrived with 
three hundred lances and four thousand archers ; he had been in. 
formed of the event of the battle as they came along, and said to the 
earl of Derby, " Certainly, cousin, you have neither been courteous, 
nor behaved honorablv, to fight my enemies without waiting for me, 
seeing that you had sent for me ; and you might have been assured, 
that nothing should have prevented my coming to you." The earl 
replied, " Fair cousin, we were very anxious for your arrival, and we 
waited for you from the morning until vespers : when we saw no 
appearance of your coming, we dared not wait longer ; for had our 
enemies been informed of our arrival, they would have had the ad. 
vantage over us ; but now, thanks to God, we have conquered them, 
and w'e pray of you to help us in. conducting them to Bordeaux." 
They remained that day and night in Auberoehe :_on the next day 
early, they were armed and mounted, and set oft", leaving there a 
Gascon knight in their interest, as governor, named the lord Alex- 
ander of Chaumont. They took the road to Bordeaux, and carried 
with them the greater part of their prisoners. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN 



&c. 



69 



CHAPTER CVIII. 

THE EARL OF DEKBY TAKES DIFFERENT TOWNS IN GASCONY, IN HIS 
ROAD TOWARD LA REOLE. 

The earl of Derby and his army, upon their arrival at Bordeaux, 
were received with very great rejoicings : the inhabitants thought 
tliey never could enough testify their joy to the earl, and to sir Walter 
Manny, for their enterprise ; in whicli the count de Lisle and more 
than two hundred knights were made prisoners. The winter passed 
'over, without any action taking place in Gascony that is worthy of 
being recorded. Easter, which may be reckoned the beginning of 
the year 1345, was about the middle of May, and the earl of Derby, 
who had tarried all the winter in Bordeaux, collected a very large body 
of men-at-arms and archers, and declared he would make an expe- 
dition to la Rcole, where the French had fixed their head-quarters. 
He went the first day from Bordeaux to Bergerac, where he found the 
earl of Pembroke ready with his troops. These two noblemen, with 
their forces, remained for three days in Bergerac, and on the fourtli 
departed. When they were got into the open country they halted 
their men, counted them, and found that they had about a thousand 
men-at-anns, and two thousand archers. They pushed forward, until 
they came to a castle called St. Basile, to whicli they laid siege. Those 
within, considering that the principal barons of Gascony were pris- 
oners, and that they had no expectations of receiving succors from 
any place, resolved to swear fealty to king Edward of England. The 
earl of Derby continued his route, and took the road toward Aiguil- 
lon* ; but, before he arrived there, he came to the castle of Roche, 
milon, which was well provided with soldiers and artillery ; never- 
theless, the earl ordered it to be vigorously assaulted. As the English 
advanced to the attack, those within threw down upon them stones, 
bars of iron, and pots full of hot lime ; by which many were slain and 
wounded who adventured themselves too rashly. 
I Wjien tlie earl of Derby perceived that his men were laboring in 
vain, and getting themselves killed without any advantage, he sounded 
a retreat : on the morrow, he ordered the peasants to bring great 
quantities of brushwood, faggots, straw, and turf, and to throw them 
all into the ditches of the castle, and plenty of earth with them. When 
a part of the ditch was so filled that one might get to the foot of 
the walls, he assembled three hundred archers, well armed, and in 
battle array, and sent before them two hundred countrymen covered 
vith shields, t having large pick-axes and hooks : while these first 
were employed in picking the walls, the archers made such good use 
of their bows, that no one dared to show himself on the battlements. 
This lasted the greatest part of tlie day, when the pick. axe men made 
so large a breach in the walls, that ten men might enter abreast. 
The inhabitants of the town and castle were quite confounded ; some 
fled toward the church, and others by a back way out of the town. 
The fortress was immediately taken and pillaged ; and all the garri- 
son were put to death, excepting such as had taken refuge in the 
church, whom the earl of Derby pardoned, for they had submitted to 
his mercy. The earl placed in the castle a fresh garrison, under the 
command of two English captains, Richard Willes and Robert Scot ; 
and then he came before Monsegur,t where he ordered his men to 
prepare huts for themselves and horses : he continued before it fifteen 
days. 

The governor of the town was sir Hugh de Bastefol, and there 
never passed a day without some assault being made upon it. They 
sent for large machines from Bordeaux and Bergerac ; and the stones 
which they cast into the town destroyed roofs, tiles, and the princi- 
pal buildings. The earl of Derby sent every day to let them know, 
that if they sufliered the town to be stormed, every one would be put 
to the sword : but, if they M'ould render obedience to the king of 
England, he would pardon them, and treat them like friends. The 
townsmen would cheerfully have surrendered ; and they went to the 
governor to consult him, and to sound his intentions, who answered 
tliem by ordering them to the battlements, for that he had provision 
of every sort in sulliciency to hold out for half a year, if it were ne- 
cessary. They left him in apparent good-humor ; but about the time 
of vespers they seized him, and closely confined him ; assuring him 
at the same time, he should never be set at liberty, if he did not as- 
sist them to make some terms with the earl of Derby. When he had 
sworn that he would do everything in his power, they let him go ; 
ne went directly to the barriers of the town, and made signs that he 
wished to speak with the earl of Derby. Sir Walter Manny being 
present came to the governor, who said to him, " Sir Walter Manny, 
you ought not to be surprised if we shut our gates against you, for 
we have sworn fealty to the king of France : but not perceiving any 
one comi'iig from him to stop your career, and believing that you 
will still proceed further — for these reasons, in behalf of myself and 
the inhabitants of this town, we wish you would allow us these 
terms, namely, that no hostilities be carried on against us for the 
space of one month ; and if in that time the king of France, or the 
duke of Normandy, come into this country in such force as to give 
you battle, we then shall hold ourselves free from our engagement ; 
but il neither of them come, we will then enter under the obedience 
of the king of England." 



* A town of Gtriennc. situated at the confluence of tlie Lot and Garonne, 
t Prfvisses, says Lord Berners, that is large shields or coverings of planks, which being 
Bupported by some of the party, sheltered the others while at their work.— Ed. 
X A town of Bazadois, election of Condom, near to la Reole. 



Sir Walter Manny went to relate this proposal to the earl of Derby, 
who acceded to it, upon condition that there should not in the mean 
time be any repairs made to the Ibrtifications of the town, and that, 
if any of the English army should want provisions, they might be at 
liberty to purchase them. Upon this there were sent twelve of the 
principal citizens as hostages, who were ordered to Bordeaux. The 
English refreshed themselves with provisions from the town, but 
none were suffered to enter it. They then continued their march, 
bm-ning and destroying all the country as far as Aiguillon ; the gov. 
ernor of which place came out to meet the earl, and surrendered the 
town and castle to him, on condition of their lives and fortunes being 
spared, to the great astonishment of all the country, for it was one of 
the strongest castles in the world, and almost impregnable. When 
the squire, who had thus surrendered Aiguillon, came to Toulouse, 
which is seventeen leagues distant, the townsmen arrested him on 
suspicion of treason, and hung him. This castle is situated on the 
point between two navigable rivers. The earl ordered it to be re. 
victualled, and the fortifications repaired, in order to its being fit to 
receive him on his return, and that it might serve for a secure guard 
to his other possessions. He gave the command ofit to sir Johnde 
Gombry.* He then came to a castle called Segart, which he took, 
by storm, and put all the foreign soldiers he found in it to death ; 
from thence he came to the town of La Rfeole. 



CHAPTER CIX. 

THE EARL OF DERBY LAVS SIESE TO LA REOLE, W^HICH StTRRENDERS 
TO HIM. 

When the earl of Derby was arrived at la Reole, he encompassed 
it closely all round, erecting towers in the plains, and near to every 
road, that no provision of any kind could enter it. He caused it to 
be assaulted almost every day. This siege took up much oi the sum- 
mer ; and, when the time had expired which those of Monsegur had 
fixed for surrendering themselves, the earl of Derby sent thither, and 
the inhabitants of the town became liege men to the earl, who in all 
these cases, was the representative of the king of England. Even 
sir Hugh de Bastefol served under the earl with the men of Mouse, 
gur, for a certain salary, which he received from the said earl, for 
himself and his fellow-soldiers. The English, who were besieging 
la R^ole had lain before it more than nine weeks, and had con. 
structed two large towers of great beams of wood, three stories high : 
each tower was placed on wheels, and covered over with prepared 
leather, to shelter those within from fire and from the arrows : in 
each stoiy were one hundred archers. These two towers, by dint 
of men's force, were pushed close to the walls of the town ; for, du- 
ring the time they were building, they had filled up the ditches, so 
that these towers could easily pass over them. Those that were in 
them began immediately to shoot so well and quick, that none dared 
to appear upon the battlements unless he were well armed, or had a 
shield. Between these two towers were posted two hundred men 
with pick-axes and bars, to make a breach in the walls ; which they 
did, and cast away the stones. The inhabitants seeing this, came 
upon the walls, and inquired for some of the chiefs of the. army, to 
speak to them. The earl of Derby, being informed of it, sent thither 
sir Walter Manny and the lord Stafford, who found the townsmen 
willing to surrender the town, on condition of their lives and fortunes 
being spared. 

When the governor, sir Agos de Bans, a Provencal, found that the 
inhabitants wanted to surrender the town, he retired into the castle 
of la Rfeole, with his fellow-soldiers ; and, while this treaty was go- 
ing on, he had conveyed into it great quantities of wine and other 
provision. He then ordered the gates to be fastened, and said, he 
would never surrender in so shameful a manner. The two knights 
returned to the earl of Derby, and related to him that the townsmen 
were desirous of surrendering upon the terras above named : the earl 
sent them back, to know what the governor's intentions were re- 
specting the castle. They returned with the answer, that he had 
sinit himself up in the castle, and would not yield it. After a little 
consideration, the earl said, " Well, well, let us have compassion on 
the inhabitants : by means of tlie town, we shall soon gain the cas- 
tle." The knights again went to the townsmen, and received their 
submissions. They all came out to the plain, and presenting the 
keys of the town to the earl, said, " Dear sir, from this day forward, we 
acknowledge ourselves as your loyal subjects, and place ourselves, in 
every respect, under the obedience of the king of England." They 
swore by their heads, that they would not in any manner, assist or 
succor those in the castle, hut on the contrary, distress them all in 
their power. The earl forbade under pain of death, that any hurt 
should be done toward the inhabitants of la Risole. He then entered 
it with his army, and surrounding the eastle, erected all his machines 
against it ; but they did little mischief, for the castle was very high 
and built of a hard stone. It was erected a long time since by the 
Saracens, who laid the foundations .so strong, and with such curious 
workmanship, that the buildings of our time cannot be compared to 



* Barnes says, to the lord John Moubrny ; but 1 do not see upon wbat grounds. I 
should rather imagine it was John <k Montgomerie, who was captain of Calais in tie 
21st of Edward [IL, and had other charges of trust. 



70 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, PRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



it. When the earl found that his macliines had no effect, he com. I armj', he ordered (hem to undermine the ditches of the castle so that 
manded them to desist ; and, as he was not without miners in hia | they might pass under. This was not however soon done. ' 




Breaching Tower : 



Jlen-at-arms slorming the walls ; archers in the moat, shootiiis under eovcr of their Pavisors. From an ancient carving of the 
period, engraved in Grose's Jlilitary Anlic]uities. 



CHAPTER ex. 

SIK WALTEK MANNY FIND? IN LA REOLE THE SEPULCHHE OF HIS 
FATHER. 

While they were lying before this castle, and miners only could 
be employed, sir Walter Manny was reminded of his father, who 
formerly had been murdered in his journey from St. .lames of Com- 
postella; and he had heard in his infancy, that he had been buried in 
la Rfeole, or in that neighborhood. He therefore made inquiries in 
the town, if there were no one who could inform him of the truth of 
this matter, and offered a hundred crowns to whoever would conduct 
him to the spot. This brought forward an old m.in, who said to sir 
Walter Manny, " Certainly, sir, I think I can lead you to the place 
where your father was buried, or very near to it." Sir Walter re. 
plied, " If you prove yaur words true, I will stick to my bargain and 
even go beyond it." To explain this matter more clearly, you must 
know that there was formerly a bishop of Cambray, a Gascon, and of 
the families of Buc and Mirepoix; and, during the time of hJs hold- 
ing that see, a magnificent tournament was held at Cambray, where 
there were upward of five hundred knights. A knight from Gas. 
cony tilted with the lord of Manny, the father of siT Walter : the 
Gascon knight was so roughly handled and wounded, that he never 
enjoyed his health afterwards but died. His death v,'as laid to the 
door of the lord of Manny, and the bishop and his kindred vowed re. 
venge for it. Two or three years after, some good-hearted people 
endeavored to reconcile them ; and peace was agreed to, on condi- 
tion and by way of penance that the lord of Manny made a pil. 
grimage to St. James of Compostella. 

During the time of this journey, the earl Charles of Valois, brother 



to king Philip the Fair, was besieging la Rfeole, and had been there- 
some time ; for it appertained, as well as many other cities and 
towns, to the king of England, the father of him who besieged Tour- 
nay ; so that the lord of Manny on his return went to visit the earl 
Charles of Valois, as William carl of Hainault had married the lord 
Charles's daughter, and showed him his letters; for, in these parts,, 
he was as king of France. It chanced, one night, as he was return- 
ing to his lodgings, he was watched and waylaid by the kindred of, 
him on whose account he had performed this pilgrimage, and was 
murdered at a small distance from the eorl Charles's hotel. No one 
knew positively who had done this deed ; but the relations of the 
Gascon knight above mentioned were very strongly suspected : how- 
ever, they were so powerfid, that it was passed over, and excused ; 
for none took the part of the lord of Manny. The earl of Valois 
had him buried immediately in a small chapel, which at that time 
was without the walls of la Reole ; and, when the earl of Valois had 
conquered the town, this chapel was inclosed in it. The old man 
remembered all these circumstances perfectly well, for he had been 
present when the lord of Manny was interred. AVhen sir Walter 
came to the spot, where his father had been formerly buried, with 
his aged conductor, he found there a small tomb of marble, which 
his servants liad erected over him ; and the old man said, " You 
may be perfectly assured, that your father was buried and lies under 
this tomb." Sir Walter then caused the inscription, which was in 
Latin, to be read to him by a clerk, and found that the old man had 
told him the truth. Two days afterwards, he had the tomb opened, 
took out the bones of his father, and, placing them in a coffin, sent 
them to Valenciennes, in the county of Hainault, where they were 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



71 



again buried in the church oi~tlic Frferes Mineurs, near the choir. 
He ordered masses to be said, and continued yearly. 



CHAPTER CXI. 

THE EARL OF DEKBY CONQUERS THE CASTLE OF LA KEOLE 

The earl of Derby was more than eleven weeks besieging the 
castle of la Rfeole : the miners, however, made such advances, that 
they had got under one of the courts of tlie castle ; but they could 
not undermine the donjon, for it was built on too hard a rock. The 
lord Agos de Bans, the governor, then told his companions they were 
undermined, and in great danger, who were much alarmed at it, and 
said, " Sir, you will be in equal peril with ourselves, if you cannot 
find some mcdiod of avoiding it. You are our captain, and we ought 
to obey you. In truth, we have defended ourselves honorably, and 
no one can blame us if now we enter into a treaty. Will you, there- 
fore, talk with the earl of Derby, and know if he will accept of our 
surrender, sparing our lives and fortunes, seeing that we cannot at 
present act otherwise ?" Sir Agos went down from the great tower, 
and, putting his head out of a window, made signs that he wished to 
speak with some one from the army. A few of the English came 
near him, and asked what he wanted : he replied, that he would 
speak with the earl of Derby, or sir Walter Manny. When this 
was told the earl, he said to sir Walter Manny, and to lord Stafford, 
" Let us go to the fortress, and see what the governor has to say to 
us :" they rode therefore up to it. When sir Agos perceived them, 
he saluted each very respectfully, and said, " Gentleriien, you know 
for fact that the king of France has sent me to this town and castle, 
to defend them to the best of my abilities. You know in what 
manner I have acquitted myself, and also that I should wish to con- 
tinue it on : but one cannot always remain in the place that pleases 
one best. I should therefore like to depart from hence, with my 
companions, if it be agreeable to you ; and that we may have your 
permission, if you will spare our lives and fortunes, we will surrender 
this castle up to you." The earl replied, " Sir Agos, sir Agos, you 
will not get oft' so : we know that you are very much distressed, and 
that we can take you whenever we please ; for your castle now only 
stands upon props : you must surrender yourselves up uncondition- 
ally, iind so shall you be received." Sir Agos, answering, said, 
" Certainly, sir, if we should do so, I hold you of such honor and 
gallantry, that you will show^ us every mark of favor, as you would 
wish the king of France should do toward any of your knights ; and, 
please God, you will never stuin your honor and nobility for a few 
poor soldiers, that are within here, who have gained their money 
with great pain and trouble, and whom I brought with me from Pro- 
vence, Savoy, and Dauphine : for know, that if the lowest of our men 
be not treated with mercy, as well as the highest, we will sell our 
lives in such a manner as none besieged ever did before. I therefore 
entreat of you to listen to me, and treat us like brother soldiers, that 
we may feel ourselves obliged to you." 

The three knights withdrew to a little distance, and conversed a 
long time together : when, considering the gallantry of sir Agos, that 
he was a foreigner, and besides, that they could not undermine the 
donjon, they returned, and said to him, " Sir Agos, we shall be happy 
always to treat every stranger knight as a brother at arms ; and if, 
fair sir, you and yours wish to leave the castle, you must can-y nothing 
with you but your arms and horses." " Let it be so then," replied 
sir Agos. Upon this he returned to his companions, and related 
what he had done : they immediately armed themselves, and capari- 
soned their horses, of which they had only six remaining. Some 
purchased horses of the English, who made them pay dearly for them. 
Thus sir Agos de Bans gave up the castle of la Reole, of which the 
English took possession ; and he went to the city of Toulouse. 



CHAPTER CXII. 

THE EARL OF DERBY TAKES CASTEL MORON,* AND AFTERWARDS VILLE- 
FKAKCHE,t IN TERIGORD. 

When the earl of Derby had gained possession of the town and 
castle of la Rfeole, where he had spent a long time, he pushed for- 
ward, but left there an English knight, to see after the repairs, that 
it might be put in a similar situation as when he had come before it. 
The earl advanced toward Monpouillant.t which he instantly ordered 
to be attacked the moment he arrived. There were in the castle 
none but the peasantry of the country, who had retired thither wi(h 
their cattle, depending on the strength of the place ; they defended 
themselves as long as they were able ; but at last it was taken by 
escalade, though it cost the earl dear, in the loss of many archers, 
and a young English gentleman called sir Richard Pennort,^ who 
bore the banner of the lord Stafi'ord. The earl gave the conunand 
of the castle and its dependencies to a squire of his own, called 
Thomas Lancaster, and left him with twenty archers. The earl 
then came to Castel Moron, which he attacked ; but, finding he could 
not make any impression, he took up his quarters before it for that 



night. On the morrow morning, a knight from Gascony came to 
him, called sir Alexander de Chaumont, and said, " Sir, pretend to 
decamp with your army, leaving only a small detachment here before 
the town ; and, from the knowledge I have of its inhabitants, I am 
sure they will sally forth to attack them. Your men will defend 
themselves as they retreat, and by placing an ambuscade under these 
olive trees, which as soon as they have passed, one part of your army 
may fall upon their rear, and the other make for the town." The 
earl followed this advice, and ordered the earl of Oxford to remain 
behind, with only one hundred men, giving him directions what he 
wished to have done. He then ordered all the baggage to be packed 
up, and to march oft', us if he were going to another place ; after 
having posted a strong ambuscade in the valley among the olives 
and vines, he rode on. 

When the townsmen of Castel Moron perceived that the carl and 
the greater part of his army were marching oft', they said among 
themselves, " Let us hasten to "arm, and sally forth to combat this 
handful of English that stay behind : we shall soon discomfit them, 
and have them at our mercy, which will bring us great honor and 
profit." They all agreed to this proposal ; and, hastening to arm 
themselves, they sallied out for the fastest, and might amount to about 
four hundred. As soon as the earl of Oxford and his parly saw them 
coming, they began to retreat, and the French to follow them with 
great eagerness ; they pursued them, until they had passed the am. 
bush, when those posted there advanced upon them, calling out, 
" Manny for ever !" for sir Walter commanded this ambuscade. One 
part of his detachment fell upon those that had come from the town, 
and the other made for Castel Moron, where they came about mid- 
night, and found the gates wide open ; for the guards thought it was 
their own people returning. The first comers therefore seized the 
bridge, and were soon masters of the town ; for the inhabitants that 
had sallied out were surrounded on all sides, and either slain or made 
prisoners. Those that had remained in the town surrendered them- 
selves to the earl of Derby, who received them kindly, and, out of 
his nobleness of disposition, respited the town from being pillaged 
and burnt. He made a present of it, and all its dependencies, to sir 
Alexander de Chaumont, through whose advice he had gained it. 
Sir Alexander made his brother, who was a squire, called Antony 
de Chaumont, governor: and the earl of Derby left with him his 
archers, and forty infantry armed with bucklers, in order to enable 
him the better to guard the town. The earl then came before Ville- 
franche, which he took by storm, as well as the castle. He made 
an English knight, sir Thomas Cook, governor of it. Thus did the 
earl of Derby march through every part of the country, without any 
one venturing out to prevent him. He conquered many different 
towns and castles ; and his army gained so much riches, that it was 
marvellous to think on. 



CHAPTER CXIII. 

THE EARL OF DERBY CONQtTEKS THE CITY OF ANGOULEME. 

When the earl of Derby gained 'Villefranche, he advanced toward 
Miraumont,* approaching nearer to Bordeaux ; for, in all this expe- 
dition his light-horse, or scouts, had never come near to Port Sainte 
Jlarie.t He was three days before Miraumont, and on the fourth it 
surrendered. The carl gave the command of it to one of his squires, 
called John Briscoe :t his army took afterwards a small fortified town 
upon the Garonne, called Tonniens,§ and the strong castle of Dama- 
zan, which was well provided with men-at-arms and archers. He 
then came to the city of Angoul6me,|| which he closely besieged, 
and declared he would not depart before it was in his possession. 
The townsmen hearing this entered into a treaty that their city 
should remain unhurt for one month ; and twenty.four of the princi- 
pal inhabitants were sent to Bordeaux, as hostages : if during this 
time the king should send forces sufficient to make head against the 
earl of Derby, the hostages should be returned, and they be accounted 
free to take which side they pleased ; but if otherwise, they would 
put themselves under the obedience of the king of England. 

The earl of Derby continued to march, and came before Blayes,^ 
which he besieged on all sides. Two knights from Poitou were 
governors of it, named sir Guiscard de I'Angle,** and sir William 
de Rochc-chouart, who declared they would never surrender to any 
man. While the English were besieging Blayes, a detachment of 
them marched on to Mortaignett in Poitou, which was under the 
command of the lord of Boucicault ; and there was a sharp engage, 
ment, which ended in nothing, except leaving behind many of their 
men dead and wounded. They returned, therefore, and came by 
Mirabeau and Aulnay to the siege before Blayes, where almost every 
day there was some gallant deed of arms performed. The term of 
the month being expired when the town of Angouleme was to sur- 
render, the earl sent his two marshals thither, to whom they swore 
homage and fealty, in the name of the king of England : the city by 



* A town of Bazadois, near la Reole. 
T A smalltown, not fer from Bergerac 



t A town of Bazadois. 

§ Penford, according to Barnes. 



* In the diocese of AgeD. t A town on the Garonne, near Aiguillon. 

t Barnes and lord Berners call him Bristol, but I see no authority. 
§ In the Agenois, diocese of Agen. II The capital of tlie Angoumois. 

IT An ancient town upon the Garonne. 

** See more of him, and sir Frank Van Halle, in the histories of the order of the gar- 
ter, and also of sir Henry Earn. tt Diocese of Rochelle. . 



72 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



this means enjoyed peace, and had their hostages returned to tliem; 
and the earl, at their request, made sir John Norwich* governor of 
it. The siege of Blaycs was still continued, until the English began 
to be weary of it ; for winter was approaching, and as yet they had 
gained no advantage. They held a council, to consider if it would 
Bot be be.£ter to retire to Bordeau.\, and return in a more favorable 
season. This was agreed to, and they decamped, passed the Ga- 
ronne, and came to Bordeaux. Soon afterwards the earl divided his 
forces, and sent detachments to diflerent garrisons, to keep order, 
and spread more over the country. 



CHAPTER CXIV. 

SIR GODFREY DE HARCOURT BANISHED FROM FRANCE. 

Aboct this period, sir Godfrey de Harcourt incurred the anger of 
the Iting of France. He was a great baron in Normandy, brother to 
the earl of Harcourt, and lord of St. Sauveur le Vicomte, and of 
many other towns in Normandy. Tliis was occasioned through 
jealousy; for a little before he was so much in favor with the king 
and duke, that he could do as he liked with either.t He was pub. 
licly banished from France ; and, if the king's rage had not subsided, 
he would have been seiTed as sir Olivier de Clisson and the other 
knights who had been beheaded the preceding year in Paris. Sir 
Godfrey, however, had some good friends, who gave him informa- 
tion privately how much the king was incensed against him. He 
quitted tlie kingdom as speedily as possible, and went to Brabant, 
where the duke John, his cousin, received him most joyfully. He 
remained there a considerable time, and spent what revenue he had 
in Brabant ; for in France he had nothing, as the king had seized all 
his estates in Coutantin, and received the rents for his own use. 
The knight could never regain the love of the king of France, not- 
withstanding all the earnest entreaties of the duke of Brabant. 

This hatred cost dear to France, especially to the province of 
Jformandy ; for the traces of it appeared a hundred years afterwards, 
OS you will find by the following history. t 



CHAPTER CXV. 

JACOB VON ARTAVELD IS MURDERED AT GHENT. 

Jacob von Aetaveld, the citizen of Ghent that was so much 
attached to the king of England, still maintained the same despotic 
power over all Flanders. He had promised the king of England, 
that he would give him the inheritance of Flanders, invest his son the 
prince of Wales with it, and make it a duchy instead of an earldom. 
Upon which account the king was, at this period, about St. John the 
Baptist's day, 1345, come to Sluys, with a numerous attendance of 
barons and knights. He had brought the prince of Wales with him, 
in order that Jacob von Artaveld's promises might be realized. The 
king remained on board his fleet in the harbor of Sluys, where he kept 
his court. His friends in Flanders came thither to see and visit him ; 
and there were many conferences between the king and Jacob von 
Artaveld on one side, and the councils from the different capital towns 
on the other, relative to the agreement before-mentioned ; as to which, 
Jiose from the country did not unite in sentiment with the king or 
>vith von Artaveld, who kept continually reminding him of their 
quarrel, and exhorting them to disinherit earl Lewis, their natural 
lord, and his youngest son Lewis, in favor of the son of the king of 
England : but they declared they never would consent to such a 
thing. At the last conference, which was held in the harbor of 
Sluys, on board the king's ship, the CaUierine (which was of such 
an enormous size that wonders might be told of it,) they made this 
unanimous reply: "Dear sir, the request you have made has given 
us much uneasiness, and may in times to come be prejudicial to 
Flanders and our successors. True it is, that there is not in the 
world any prince whom we love so much, or for whose profit and 
advantage we would exert ourselves so greatly as for you : but we 
alone cannot agree to this proposition, unless all the commonalties 
of Flanders give their consent. Therefore each of us will return to 
our different towns, and will explain in a general way this business 
to the inhabitants: when, if the greater part of them shall consent, 
we also will agree to it : we will return to you again witliin a month, 
and bring such answers as we hope will be satisfactory." Neither 
tlie king of England nor Jacob von Artaveld could at that time ob. 
■ tain more or any other answer. They wished to have had a shorter 
day appointed, but in vain : so the king answered, he was satisfied 
that it should be as they determined. The conference broke up, and 
each returned to the town from whence he had been deputed. 



'^ Summoned to piirliameiit tlie IGtIi anil 34tli Edw.Trd III.— See Dugdale. 

tSir Godfrey de llarcovirt's dis^'iace was caused by a quai-rel he had with the mariS 
chal de Briquebec, on account of a marriage beins broken. They fought. The king 
ordered the artltir to be discussed in lii> itarUainent: but Harcourt, instead of appearing, 
besieged a castle belonging to tlie bishop of Bayeux, brother to the marshal, entered into 
negotiations with the enemies of his country, and by his hatred to his king gained the 
favor of Edward, 

Grands Chroaiques de St, Denis, a beautiful copy on vellum in the Hafod Library. 
They had formed a part of the celebrated library of Diane de Poitiers, at Anet. 

IGodfrey de Harcourt did homage to, king Edward, as king of France, the 13th June. 
1345 ; when Edward engaged, if he conlol not recover for him his estates in Normandy. 
to give him their eijuivuleat in England.— Ry,mer. 



Jacob von Artaveld remained some little time longer with the king 
of England, in order to be made acquainted with all his affairs : he, 
in return, promised and assured him that he would bring his country, 
men over to his opinion ; but he deceived himself, and did wrong in 
staying behind, and not being at Ghent at the time when the citizens 
who had been deputed by the corporations of the town arrived there : 
for as soon as they were returned, taking advantage of the absence 
of von Artaveld, they collected a large meeting of high and low in 
the market-place, and there explained to them the subject of the late 
conferences at Sluys, and what the king of England had required of 
them, through the advice and information of Jacob von Artaveld. 
The whole assembly began to murmur against him ; and this request 
was received unfavorably by all. They said, " that if it pleased God, 
they never would be pointed out, or found so disloyal, as to disinherit 
their natural lord, in favor of a stranger." They then left the mar- 
ket-place much discontented, and angry with Artaveld. Now, see 
how unfortunately it fell out ; for if he had gone to Ghent, instead of 
Bruges and Ypres, and had remonstrated with them upon the quarrel 
of the king of England, they woidd all have consented to his wishes, 
as those of the two above-mentioned towns had done : but he trusted 
so much to his prosperity and greatness, that he thought he could 
recover everything back in a little time. 

When on his return he came to Ghent about midday, the towns- 
men, who were informed of the hour he was expected, had assembled 
in the street that he was to pass through ; as soon as they saw him, 
they began to murmur, and put their heads close together, saying, 
" Ilere comes one who is too much the master, and wants to order in 
Flanders according to his will and pleasure, which must not be Ion. 
ger borne." With this they had also spread a rumor through the town, 
that Jacob von Artaveld had collected all the revenues of Flanders, 
for nine years and more ; that he had usurped the government with, 
out rendering an account, for he did not allow any of the rents to 
pass to the earl of Flanders, but kept them securely to maintain his 
own state, and had, during the time above-mentioned, received all 
fines and forfeitures : of this great treasure he had sent part into Eng. 
land. This information inflamed those of Ghent with rage ; and, aa 
he was riding up the streets, he perceived that there was something 
in agitation against him ; for those who were wont to salute him very 
respectfully, now turned their backs, and went into their houses. He 
began therefore to suspect all was not as usual ; and as soon as he 
had dismounted, and entered his h6tel, he ordered the doors and win- 
dows to be shut and fastened. 'yj 

Scarcely had his servants done this, when the street which he in. 
habited was filled from one end to the other with all sorts of people, 
but especially by the lowest of mechanics. His mansion was sur. 
rounded on every side, attacked and broken into by force. Those 
within did "all they could to defend it, and killed and wounded many : 
but at last they could not hold out against such vigorous attacks, for 
three parts of the town were there. When Jacob von Artaveld saw 
what efforts were making, and how hardly he was pushed, he came to 
a window, and, with his head uncovered, began to use humble and 
fine language, saying, " My good people, what aileth you ? Why are 
you so enraged against me ? by what means can I have incurred your 
displeasure ? Tell ine, I will conform myself entirely to your wills." 
Those who had heard him made answer, as with one voice, " We 
want to have an account of the great treasures you have made away 
with, without any title or reason." Artaveld replied in a soft tone, 
" Gentlemen, be assured that I have never taken anything from the 
treasures of Flanders ; and if you will return quietly to your homes, 
and come here to-morrow morning, I will be provided to give sogood 
an account of them, that you must reasonably be satisfied." But they 
cried out, " No, no, we must have it directly, you shall not thus es- 
cape from us ; for we know that you have emptied the treasury, and 
sent it into England, without our knowledge : you therefore shall 
sufil;r death." When he heard this, he clasped his hands together, 
began to weep bitteriy, and said, "Gentlemen, such as I am, you 
yourselves have made me : you formerly swore you would protect me 
against all the world ; and now, without any reason, you want to 
murder me. You are certainly masters to do it if you please ; for I 
am but one man against you all. Think better of it, for the love of 
God : recollect former times, and consider how many favors and kind, 
nesses I have conferred upon you. You wish to give me a sorry 
recompense for all the generous deeds you have experienced at my 
hands. You arc not ignorant, that, when commerce was dead in this 
country, it was I who restored it. I afterwards governed you in so 
peaceable a manner, that under my administration you had all things 
according to your wishes ; corn, oats, riches, and all sorts of mer. 
chandisc which have made you so wealthy." They began to bawl 
out, " Come down, and do not preach to us from such a height ; for 
we will have an account and statement of the great treasures of Flan- 
ders, which you have governed too long without rendering any ac 
count ; and it is not proper for an officer to receive the rents of a 
lord, or of a country, without accounting for them." When Jacob 
von Artaveld saw that he could not appease or calm them, he shut the 
window, and intended getting out of his house the back way, to take 
shelter in a church adjoining ; but his h6tel was already broke into 
on that side, and upward of four hundred were there calling out to 
him. At last he was seized by them, and slain without mercy : his 
death-stroke was given him by a saddler, called Thomas Denys. In 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



73 



this manner did Jacob von Avtaveld end his days, who in his time 
had been complete master of Flanders. Poor men first raised liini 
and wicked men slew him. News of this event was soon spread 
abroad ; some pitied him, while others rejoiced at it. The carl Lewis 
had remained all this time at Dendremonde, and «'ith much pleasure 
heard of Jacob von Artaveld's death, as he had very much opposed 
him in all his undertakings: nevertheless, he durst not yet place con- 
fidence in those of Flanders, nor return to Ghent. 

When the king of England, who was waiting at Sluys for the re- 
turn of the deputies, was informed in what manner the inhabitants of 
Ghent had slain his faithful friend and companion Artaveld, he was 
in a mighty passion, and sore displeased. He immediately departed, 
put to sea, and vowed vengeance against the Flemings and all Flan, 
ders, declaring that his death should be dearly paid for by them. The 
councils of the principal towns guessed that the king of England 
would not be much enraged against them ; they therefore considered 
that their best method to soften his anger, would be to go and excuse 
themselves from the murder of Jacob von Artaveld, especially those 
of Bruges, Ypres, Courtray, Oudenarde, and the franc of Bruges. 
They sent to the king and his council for a safe conduct, that they 
might come over to make their excuses ; and the king, whose anger 
was somewhat cooled, granted it to them. 

The principal persons of all the chief towns in Flanders, e-xcept 
those of Ghent, came into England about Michaelmas. The king 
was at that time in Westminster, near London. They made very 
fair e.xcuses, and swore most solemnly that " they were guiltless of 
the murder of von Artaveld, which, had they suspected, they would 
have guarded and defended him: that they were exceedingly vexed 
at his loss, and regretted it most sincerely ; for they knew how kind 
he had been to them, how useful he was in all their affairs, and that 
he had reigned and governed Flanders most wisely : that since those 
of Ghent had slain liim, they should make ample amends for it." 
They also explained to the king and his council, '' that though Jacob 
von Artaveld was dead, he was not the lees beloved, or less in the 
good graces of the Flemings, save and except in the investiture of 
Flanders, which he wished to be taken from the earl, their natural 
lord, however he may be attached to the French interest, and from 
his son, their lawful lieir, to give it to the prince of Wales ; for the 
Flemings would not, on any account, listen to it. But, dear sir, you 
have a fitie family of sons and daughters ; the prince of Wales, your 
eldest son, cannot fail being a great prince, with an ample inherit- 
ance, without desiring that of Flanders : and you have also a young 
daughter ; w-e have too a young lord, whom we are bringing up and 
taking care of, that will be lord of Flanders : it perhaps may be, that 
a marriage could be brought about between them, so that the country 
of Flanders will in the end be possessed by one of your children." 
These speeches softened very much the anger and ill-will of the king 
of England ; and, in the end, both he and the Flemings were equally 
satisfied with each other. Thus, by degrees, was the death of Jacob 
von Artaveld forgotten. 



CHAPTER CXVL 

WILLIAM EiRL OF HAISfAULT IS SLAIK IN FRIEZLAND, AND MANY 
NOBLEMEN WITH IIIM. 

At this time and season, William earl of Hainault was laying 
siege to the town of Utrecht, and had been there for a long time, in 
order to recover some rights which he claimed as belonging to him. 
He pressed the siege so closely by his vigorous assaults, that he 
brought it back to its duty, and obtained everything he wished for. 
Soon afterwards, in the same year, about the feast of St. Remy (1st 
of October,) the earl collected a large body of men-at-arms, knights 
and squires, from Hainault, Flanders, Brabant, Holland, Gueldres, 
and Juliers; and, embarking them on board a considerable fieet at 
Dordrecht, made sail for Friezland ; for the earl considered himself 
as lord thereof. If the Friezlanders had been people to listen to the 
legality and reasonableness of the claim, the earl was entitled to it ; 
hut, as they were obstinate, he exerted himself to obtain it by force, 
and was slain, as well as a great many other knights and squires. 
God have mercy on their souls '. 

i Sir John of Hainault did not accompany his nephew, but went to 
another part. On hearing of his nephew's death, he wanted to com- 
bat the Friezlanders like one out of his senses ; when his servants 
found the state he was in, they took him and carried him on board a 
vessel, whether he would or no. Sir Robert de Glewes, who was his 
body squire, was most active in saving him. They returned in small 
numbers, and in disorder, to Gertruydenberg in Holland, where the 
lady Jane his niece, the wife of the above-mentioned carl, was wait, 
ingfor him. She was the eldest daughter of the duke of Brabant, 
and from that moment withdrew to the territory of Binch,* which 
was her dower. The county of Hainault remained vacant some time, 
and was governed by sir John of Hainault, until the lady Margaret, 
mother to earl Albert, came thither, and took possession of the heri- 
tage ; to whom all the lords did homage and fealty. This lady Mar- 
garet, counters of Hainault, was married to the lord Lewis of Bavaria, 
emperor of Rome and king of Germany. 



' Biocli, near Mons, in Hainault. 



CHAPTER CXVII. 

SIR JOHN OF HAINAULT QUITS THE ALLIANCE OF ENGLAND FOR THAT 
OP FRANCE. 

Soon after this, king Philip of France endeavored by a treaty, 
through the means of the earl of Blois, to persuade sir John of 
Hainault to take part with France. He promised to allow him the 
same subsidy which he received from England, and would assign it 
upon whatever lands his council might think best. But sir John waa 
not willing to comply; for he had spent the flower of his youth in 
fighting for England, and king Edward had always much loved and 
esteemed him. When the carl of Blois, who had married his daugh. 
ter, and had three sons by her, Lewis, John and Guy, found that ho 
could not succeed in this business himself, he endeavored, by means 
of the lord of Faguinelles, who was the chief friend and adviser of 
sir John, to gain his point. In order to make him alter his opinion 
of the English, they made him believe that they would not jiay him 
his subsidy fur a considerable time. This put sir John so much out 
of humor, that he renounced all treaties and agreements which he 
had entered into with England. The king of France was no sooner 
informed of it, than he sent to him persons sufficiently authorized, 
who retained him, as well as his council, for France, at a certain 
salary ; and he recompensed him in his kingdom with a greater 
revenue than he derived from England. 



CHAPTER CXVIII. 

THE DUKE OF NORMANDY MARCHES WITH A GREAT ARMY INTO GAS- 
CONY AGAINST THE EARL OF DERBY. 

The king of France having received information of the expeditions 
and conquests that the earl of Derby had made in Gascony, issued a 
special summons for all nobles, and others, that were capable of 
bearing arms, to assemble in the cities of Orleans and Bourges, and 
in that neighborhood, by a certain day. In obedience to this sum- 
mons, there came to Paris, Eudes duke of Burgundy, and his son the 
earl of Artois and Boulogne ; they presented themselves before the 
king with a thousand lances. Next came the duke of Bourbon, the 
earl of Ponthicu his brother ; then the earl of Eu and of Guignes, 
constable of France, each attended by a numerous body of men-at- 
arms. The earl of Tancarville, the dauphine of Auvergne, the earls 
of Forfils, Dammartine, Vendbme; the lords of Coucy, of Craon, of 
Sully, of Fresnes, of Beanjcu, of Roye, the bishop of Beauvais, the 
lord John of Chdlons, and many others, assembled at Orleans : and 
those from the west side of the Loire ; those from the eastern side 
and beyond Poitou, Saintonge, la Rochelle, Quercy, Limousin, Au- 
vergne, assembled in the neighborhood of Toulouse. These all 
advanced toward Rouergue, where they found great multitudes col- 
lected in the city of Rhodez, and on the borders of Auvergne and 
Provence. At last these lords were all assembled, with their men, 
in and near Toulouse, for they were too great in numbers to be lodged 
in the city : they amounted, in the whole, to upward of a hundred 
thousand persons. This was the year of grace 1345. Soon after 
the feast of Christmas, the duke of Normandy, who was the com- 
mander-in-ehief of this army, set out to join it, and ordered his mar- 
shals, the lord of Montmorency and the lord of St. Venant, to advance 
with the van. They came first to the castle of Miraumont, which 
the English had conquered in the summer, and most vigorously as. 
saulted it. There were within about a hundred Englishmen for its 
defence, under the command of John Briscoe. 

With the French were the lord Lewis of Spain, and a number of 
Genoese cross-bowmen, that spared none ; those within could not 
defend themselves against so superior a force, but were taken and 
the greater part of them slain, even their captain. The marshals, 
having recruited their battalion with fresh inen, advanced further, 
and came before Villefranche, in the county of Agenois. The army 
halted there, and surrounded it on all sides. Sir Thomas Cook, the 
governor, was not there, but at Bordeaux, whither the earl of Derby 
had sent for him. However, those within made a vigorous defence ; 
but, in the end they were taten by storm, and the greater part of 
the garrison put to the sword. The army then marched toward the 
city of Angouleme, leaving the town and castle of Villefranche stand- 
ing undemolished, and without any guard. The city of Angou- 
leme was closely besieged, and the governor of it for the king of 
England was sir John Norwich. 

The earl of Derby, who was at Bordeaux, heard of the arrival of 
this great army from France, and that they had already recaptured 
Miraumont, and Villefranche, which they had iilundcred and burnt, 
except the citadel. Having sent for four of his knights, in whom he 
placed much confidence, he ordered them to take sixty men-at-arms 
and three hundred archers, and set out for Villefranche to gain pos- 
session of the castle, which was empty, and put it, as well as the 
gates of the town, into good repair ; if the French should come to 
attack them, to make a good defence, for he should hasten to their 
assistance, let it cost what it would. These 'knights did according 
to their orders, and their names were sir Stephen Tombey,sir Richard 
Heydon, sir Ralph Hastings, and sir Normaut de Finelroide. The 
earl then requested the car! of Pembroke, sir Walter Manny, sir 
Frank van Halle, sir Thomas Cook, sir John Touchet, sir Richard 



74 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



de Beauvais,* sir Philip Radclifi", sir Robert Neville, sir Thomas Bis. 
set, and many other knights and squires, that they would immediately 
Bet off to defend Aiguillon, for he should be very much displeased if 
he lost that town. They departed, in number about forty knights 
and squires, and three hundred men-at-arms and archers. They got 
into the castle of Aiguillon, where they found about six score brotlier 
soldiers, whom the earl of Derby had left there. They laid in a suffi- 
cient stock of meal, and all other sorts of provision. As the four 
first-mentioned knights were on their road to Villefranche, they col- 
lected a quantity of cattle, sheep, corn, and all other provision, which 
they drove before them to Villefranche. They entered the castle, 
and repaired its walls, as well as those of the town, and were upward 
of fifteen hundred fighting men, well supplied with provision for si.\ 
months. 

The duke of Normandy was a long time before Angoul^me ; and, 
when he found that he made no impression by his assaults, so well 
was it defended, but lost many of his people every day, he ordered 
them to cease from their attacks, and to take up their quarters nearer 
the city. One day during this siege, the seneschal of Bcaucairc 
came to the duke, and said, " Sir, I am very well acquainted with 
all this country ; and, if you will let me have six hundred men-at. 
arms, I will make an excursion, in search of cattle and provision ; 
for very shortly, if we remain here, we shall be in need of both." 
This was very agreeable to the duke and his council ; and on the 
morrcfw morning, the seneschal took those knights and squires who 
were desirous of advancement. Among those who placed them- 
selves under his command were the duke of Bourbon, his brother the 
earl of Ponthieu, the earls of Tancarville, Forets, the dauphine of 
Auvergne, the lords of Pons, of Partenay, of Coucy, of Daubigny, of 
Aussemont, of Beaujeau, sir Guiscard d'Angle, the lord of Saiiitre, 
and many others, to the amount of nine hundred lances. Toward 
tlie evening they mounted their horses, and riding all night, came 
about the dawn before a large town called Athenis,t which had but 
lately surrendered to the English. A spy came to the seneschal, and 
informed hiin that in the town there were six score men-at-arms, 
Gascons and English, and three hundred archers, who would defend 
themselves well, if they were attacked : " but," added the spy, " I 
have ohsci-ved that their cattle are without the town ; and in a 
meadow underneath it are two hundred large beasts feeding." The 
Beneschal then addressed himself to his companions, and said, "Gen. 
tiemen, I think it most advisable that you should remain in this val- 
ley: I will go, with sixty men, to collect the booty, which I will 
drive this way ; and I am mistaken, if the English do not sally out, 
thinking to rescue them, which will throw them into your power." 
This was executed ; and the seneschal, accompanied by sixty com- 
panions well mounted, rode through by-roads round the town, until 
he came to the fine meads, where the cattle were pasturing. He 
then separated his companions, for them to collect the beasts to- 
gether, and drive them under the walls of the town by a difierent 
road. 

The watch on the walls and on the castle, seeing this, began to 
make a great noise, and to sound the alarm to awaken their fellow- 
Boldiers and the townsmen ; for, as it was very early, many were 
.asleep: they immediately began to stir, and, saddling their horses, 
assembled in the market-place. They came there as well armed as 
they could, and left none in the town but servants. The English 
■were very eager in the pursuit, to recover their cattle, crying out to 
the French, "You must not think to get off so." The seneschal 
hastened the more, so that the English fell into the ambuscade, 
which attacked them ; and, through the disorder they were in by 
their too great eagerness, in the space of an hour they were all over, 
come. Their captain, sir Stephen Lacy, was made prisoner, as well 
as those who, through a point of honor, were around him : the rest 
were slain. The French then made for the town, which they en. 
tered by storm ; for there were none to defend it. The first battal- 
ion which entered was that of the duke of Bourbon. These lords 
took possession of it ; and, having placed a new garrison and gov- 
ernor, they set out with all their booty and prisoners, and returned 
the next day to the army before Angoulfime. Notwithstanding there 
were many greater lords in this expedition than the seneschal of 
Beaucaire, he had all the honor and glory of it. 



CHAPTER'CXIX. 

SIR JOHN NOKWICn ESCAPES FROM ANGOULEME, WHEN THAT TOWN 
SURKENDEKS TO THE FRENCH. 

The lords of France remained for a very considerable time before 
Angouleme. The French overran all the country which had been 
conquered by the English : they created much trouble, and, when, 
ever they found a fit opportunity, brought to their camp many pris- 
oners and much pillage : the two brothers of Bourbon acquired great 
praise from all, as they were the foremost in every excursion. When 
sir John Norwich, the governor of Angouleme, found that the duke 
of Normandy would not break up the siege until he had gained the 

* Bayeux.— Barnes. 

t Mr. Bames makes it .^ticenis ; but that is too far off; and he quotes Du Clicsne. 
pace 663. In my opinion, it must be Si. Jmn d'Mtigdt/, as that is m Saintonge, and 
not too Tar distant for this excursion. 1 



city ; that his provisions were growing short, and that the earl of 
Derby showed no signs of coming to his relief: having also per- 
ceived that the inhabitants were much inclined to the French, and 
would have turned to them before, if they had dared : he began to 
be suspicious of treason, and bethought how he could best save him- 
self and his companions. On the eve of the Purification, he came 
on the battlements of the walls of the city alone, without having- 
mentioned to any one his intentions, and made signs with his cap 
that he wanted to speak with some one from the army. Tliose who 
had noticed the signal came to know what he wanted : he said, " he 
wished to speak with my lord the duke of Normandy, or with one of 
his marshals." They went to inform the duke of this, who came 
there, attended by some of his knights. As soon as sir John saw 
the duke, he pulled oil" his cap, and saluted him. The duke returned 
the salute, and said, " Sir John, how fares it with you ? Are you 
inclined to surrender yourself?" " I have no intentions to do that," 
replied sir John ; " but I could wish to entreat of you, in reverence 
to the feast of our Lady, which is to-morrow, that you would grant 
us a truce for that day only, that neither of us may hurt the other, 
but remain in peace." The duke said, "Jie was willing to consent 
to it." 

Early the next morning, which was Candlemas day, sir John and 
his companions armed themselves, and packed up all they had. 
They then ordered one of the gates to be opened, and issued forth ; 
which being perceived hy the army, some part of it began to put 
itself in motion : sir John, upon this, rode up to them, apd said, 
" Gentlemen, gentlemen, beware that you do no harm to us ; for we 
have had a truce agreed on for this whole day, as you must know, 
by the duke of Nonnandy ; and we shall not touch you. If you have 
not been informed of it, go and inquire ; for we can, upon the faith 
of this truce, ride and go wherever we please." This information 
was brought to the duke, and he was asked what was to be done, 
who replied, "Let them go, in God's name, whatever way they 
chcose ; for we cannot force them to stay. I will keep the promise 
I made them." Thus sir John Norwich passed through the whole 
French army unhurt, and took the road to Aiguillon. When those 
who were in garrison there heard in what manner he had escaped 
and saved his men, they said he had acted very cunningly. The 
inhabitants of Angouleme held a council on Candlemas day, and 
determined to surrender themselves to the duke : they sent persons 
properly authorized to treat, who managed so well, that the duke 
showed them mercy, and pardoned them. He entered the city and 
castle, where he received their homage, and appointed sir Anthony 
de Villiers governor, with a hundred soldiers to defend it. The 
duke afterwards decamped, and came before the castle of Damazan,* 
which he laid siege to for fourteen daj's. There were continued 
assaults ; but at last it was taken, and all within it, Gascons and 
English, put to the sword. The duke gave this castle and its depend- 
encies to a squire, from Bcausse, named the Borgne de.Nully. He 
then came before Tonniens,t which is situated on the Garonne, and 
which he found well provided with Gascons and English. There 
were many attacks and skirmishes ; and he remained some lime be- 
fore it. However, at last they surrendered, tipon condition of pre- 
serviTig their lives and fortunes, and to be conducted in safety to 
Bordeaux. When these foreigners had left it, the town entered un- 
der obedience to the duke, who staid here with his whole army, and 
on the banks of the Garonne, until after Easter, when he advanced 
toward Port St. Marie upon the same river. There were about two 
hundred English to defend the town and this passage, who had 
strongly fortified it ; but they, and all within, were taken by assault. 
The French, after they had repaired and reinforced it with men-at- 
arms, set out and took the road toward Aiguillon. 



CHAPTER CXX. 

THE DUKE OF NORMAHDY LAYS SIEGE TO AIGUILLON WITH A HtJNDRED 
THOUSAND MEN. 

The noblemen of France, under the command of the duke of 
Normandy, pushed on until they came before the castle of Aiguillon, 
when they encamped and divided their forces in the extensive and 
handsome meadows on the banks of the river Garonne, which is 
navigable for great vessels. Each lord was posted with his own 
people, and every company by itself, according to the orders of the 
marshals of the army. This siege continued until the beginning of 
October ; and there were upward of one hundred thousand men in 
arms, including cavalry and infantry. Those within were obliged to 
defend themselves against this army two or three times every day, 
and most commonly from noon untd eve without ceasing ; for there 
were continually pouring upon them fresh forces, Genoese or others, 
who gave them no repose. The chiefs of the French army found 
they could never attack, with advantage, the fortress, unless they 
passed the river, which was wide and deep : the duke therefore 
ordered a bridge to he constructed, that they might cross it : three 
hundred workmen were employed at this bridge, who worked day 
and night. As soon as the knights who were in Aiguillon perceived 
that this bridge was nearly finished, and that one half of it was com- 
pleted, they prepared three vessels, in which they embarked, and. 



* A town in Gascony, in the election of Condom. 



t Diocese of Agen. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



75 

besieged let off four martinets,* whicli tliey had newly constructed, to 
defend themselves against these towers. These four martinets cast 
such large stones, and so very rapidly, that the men-at-arms in tlie 
towers were nmeh hurt by them : and, having no means to shield 
themselves, they returned back as fast as they were able ; but in their 
retreat one of the vessels foundered and sunk : the greater number 
of those tliat were on board were drowned, which was a groat pity, 
as they were chiefly valiant knights who were eager to distinguish 
themselves. When the duke found that this scheme did not answer 
his expectations, he ordered them to disembark from the three 
remaining vessels. He was at a loss what plan to follow, by which he 
could gain the castle of Aiguillon; for he had vowed he would never 
quit the place until he was master of it and the garrison, imlcss the 
king, his father, ordered otherwise. The lords therefore advised him 
to send the constable of France and" the earl of Tahcarville to Paris, 
to inform king Philip of the state of the siege, and to know if the 
king wished the duke of Normandy to continue before Aiguillon, 
until he had, through famine, made himself master of it, since he 
could not gain it by force. 

The king of England, having hc-ard how much pressed his people 
were in the castle of Aiguillon, determined to lead a great army into 
Gascony. He set about making his preparations, summoned all the 
vassals in his kingdom, and collected forces from whatever quarter 
he could, that v/^re willing to enter into his pay. About this time 
sir Godfrey de Harcourt, who had been banished from France, 
arrived in England. He was received by the king in his palace ; 
and he assigned over to him a handsome estate in England, to main- 
tain him, suitable to his rank. Soon after this, the king assembled a 
large fleet of ships at Southampton, and sent thither his men-at-arms 
and his archers.t About St. John the Baptist's day, 1316, the king 
took leave of the queen, and, setting out, left her to the care of his 
cousin, the earl of Kent. He appointed the lord Percy, and the lord 
Neville of Raby, the archbishop of Yorlc, the bishop of Durham, and 
the bishop of Lincoln, to be his lieutenants for the northern parts of 
his kingdom ; and he did not take so many forces out of the realm 
but tliat there was a sufficiency of men-at-arms left to defend it, 
should there be occasion. He took the road to Southampton, where 
he tarried until he had a favorable wind, when he embarked with 
his whole army. On board the king's ship, were the prince of Wales 
and sir Godfrey de Harcourt : the other lords, earls, and barons em- 
barked with their men, as they had been ordered. There might be 
about four thousand men-at-arms, and ten thousand archers, not 
including the Irish and the Welch, who followed the army on foot. 

■I will enumerate the names of those lords that accompanied king 
Edward. I must mention first the prince of Wales, who at that time 
was only thirteent years old, or thereabouts : tliere were Humphry 
Bohun carl of Hereford and Essex, his brother William Buhun earl 
of Northampton, Thomas Beauchamp earl of Warwick, Richard 
Fitzalan earl of Arundel, John Vere earl of Oxford, William Clinton 
earl of Huntington, Robert Huflbrd earl of Suffolk : of barons, there 
were the young lord Roger Mortimer, the lord Gerard Lisle, and his 
kinsman the lord John Lisle, the lord Reginald Cobham, the lords 
'John and Roger Beauchamp, and the lord John P^owbray, the lord 
William Rocs of Hamlakc, the lord Thomas Lucy of Cockermouth, 
the lord William Felton, the lord Thomas Bradestan, the lord Ralph 
Basset of Sapcoat, John lord Willoughby of Eresby, the lord Peter 
Manly fifth of the name, Thomas lord Ughtred, John lord Fitzwalter, 
William lord Kerdestoh, the lord Roger Say, the lord Almaric de 
St. Amand, the lord Robert Bourehier, the lord John le Strange, the 
lord Edward Montagu, the lord Richard Tnlbot, the lord John Mohun 
of Dunster, William lord Boteler of Wemme, Robert lord Ferrers, 
John lord Seymour, John lord Grey, William lord Botreaux, the lord 
Hugh Spencer, the lord John Striveling, Michael lord Poynings, 
Robert lord Morley, Thomas lord Ashley, John lord Sutton, the lord 
Nicholas Cantilupe, and others ; of knights-bachelors, sir John 
Chandos, the lord Peter Audley, and the lord James Audley, the lord 
Bartholomew Burgherst junior, the lord Thomas Holland, the lord Fulk 
Fitzwarren, sir Richard Pcmbridge, and several others. There were 
few strangers : only sir Oulphart de Guistelles, from the country of 
Hainault, and five or six knights from Germany, whose names I have 
forgotten. 

When they embarked, the weather was as favorable as thi> king 
could wish, to caiTy him to Gascony ; but on the third day, the wind 
was so contrary, that they were driven upon the coasts of Cornwall, 
where they cast anchor, and remained for six days and six nights. 
During this time, the king altered his mind with respect to going to- 
ward Gascony, through the advice and representations of sir Godfrey 
do Harcourt, who convinced him that it would be more for his inte. 
rest to land in Normandy, by such words as these : " Sir, that pro- 



driving away the workmen and guards, instantly destroyed what had 
taken so much time to make. The lords of France, seeing this, got 
ready other vessels to attack them, in which they placed a number 
of men-at-arms, Genoese cross-bowmen and infantry, and ordered the 
workmen to continue their works, under the support of these guards. 
When these workmen were thus employed, sij- Walter Manny, and 
some of his companions, embarked about noon, and, dashing upon 
them, made them quit their work and run off': he soon destroyed all 
that they had done. This kind of skirmish was continued daily ; 
but at last the French sent such large detachments to guard tlie work- 
men, that the bridge \yas completed in a good and strong manner. 
The army then passed over it in order of battle, and attacked the 
castle for tlic space of one whole day, but did no harm ; and, in the 
evening, they retreated to their camp, where they were plentifully 
supplied with everything. 

Those within the castle repaired what damage had been done, for 
they had plenty of workmen. On the morrow, tlie French resolved 
to divide their army into four divisions ; the first of which should 
make an attack on this fortress from the dawn until about nine 
o'clock; the second from that time. until noon ; the third from noon 
till four o'clock ; and the fourth division from that time till night. 
This mode of attack was continued for six successive days. How- 
ever, those within the castle were never so much harassed but that 
they could de.'end themselves valiantly ; and their enemies gained 
nothing but the bridge, which was before the castle. The French 
lords, upon tliis, held a council, and sent to Toulouse for eight of 
their largest battering engines, and constructed four other large ones 
upon the spot. These twelve engines cast stones into the fortress 
day and- night ; but the besieged had taken such pains to avoid what 
mischief they could do, that they only destroyed the roofs of the 
houses : they had also made counter-engines, which played upon 
those of their enemies, and in a short space of time totally ruined six 
of them. 

Daring this siege, sir Walter Manny made frequent excursions 
beyond the river, with about six scoje companions, to forage, and 
often returned with his booty in sight of the army. One day the 
lord Charles of Montmorency had been on a foraging party, with five 
or six hundred men, and was conducting a great number of cattle to 
victual the army, when he met sir Walter Manny under the walls of 
Aiguillon. They immediately began an engagement, which was 
very sharp ; and many were killed and wounded on both sides. The 
French were at least five to one. News was brought of this into 
Aiguillon, when every one sallied out for the fastest, and the earl of 
Pembroke with the foremost : they dashed into the midst of them, 
and found sir Walter Manny unhorsed, and surrounded by his ene. 
mies, but fighting most valiantly. He was directly rescued and 
remounted. Daring the heat of the engagement, the French 
hastened to drive off the cattle to a place of safety, or they would 
have lost them ; for the English were coming in crowds to succor 
their countrymen, "and, falling upon the French vigorously, they put 
them to flight, rescued those they had made prisoners, and captured 
also many from them. The lord Charles de Montmorency had great 
difficulty to escape, and retreated as fast as he could, quite discom- 
fited. When it was over, the English returned to Aiguillon. 

Such skirmishes frequently happened, for scarcely a day passed 
without some engagement. The French having one day drawn out 
their army, ordered those noblemen that were from Toulouse, Car- 
cassonne, and Beaucaire, and their dependencies, to make an attack 
■with their men, from the morning until noon ; and those from Rou- 
ergue, Cahors, and Agenois, to continue it from their retreat until 
the evening. The duke promised to any of his soldiers who should 
gain the draw-bridge of the castle, a reward of a hundred golden 
crowns.* The duke, in order to assist this attack, commanded a 
number of vessels and barges to come down the river, in which 
many embarked to cross it, while the remainder passed over the 
bridge. Those in the castle made a gallant defence ; but at last, 
some of the French got into a small boat, and, passing under the 
bridge, fastened strong hooks and chains to the draw-bridge, with 
which they pulled so lustily, that they broke the iron chains which 
held the bridge, and forced it down. 

The French, so eager were they to gain the promised reward, 
leaped upon the bridge in such haste that they tumbled over each 
other. The besieged flung down upon them stones, hot lime, large 
l)eams, and boiling water, so that many were hurt, and drowned in 
the ditches. The bridge, however, was taken, though it cost them 
more than it was worth : but they could not gain the gate : therefore, 
as it was late, they returned to their camp, for they had need of rest; 
and those within the castle sallied out, and repaired the bridge, 
making it stronger than ever. 

On the next day, two principal engineers came tothe duke, and 
said. If he would find them wood and workmen, they wotdd build 
for him f lur sue h high towers, as, when they were advanced to the 
walls of the castle, should overtop them. The duke commanded all 
the carpenters of the country to be sent for, and handsomely paid. 
These four towers were constructed, and placed on the decks of 
four large vessels ; but they took a long time in making, and cost 
much money. Those ordered upon this attack embarked on board 
the vessels, and, when they were about half way over the river, the 



* 65. fid. each.— Barnes. 



* Du Cange. supplement, under the word Martinetus, ca)ls it an instrument ot war 
and quotes this passace for his authority, but does not explain it furtlier. 

t Edward appoints Ins son, Lionel, lieutenant of the realm, during his uhsence. by an 
ordinance dated Porchester. 5lh June, 134B.— Rymer. 

He was nt Porchester the 1st and 2nd of Juir, 1346.— Rymer. 

John de Oflbrd, chancellor, delivered up the great seal to John de Thoresby. tJie2nd 
July, in the Isle of Wight. 

1 This is a mistake ; for he was born tlie 15th June, 1330 ; he must therefore have been 
si.xteen. 

I liave copied the names out of Barnes's Life of Edward III., wherein he mentions 
that twenty-two of them, from lord T'ghtred. are taken from an old MS. in C. C. C. 
library, Cambridje. intituled, " Acta Edwardi filii, Edwardi tertii." 



76 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, & < 



■vince is one of the most fertile in the world ; and I will answer on 
my head, that you may land in any part of it you shall please without 
hindrance, for no one will think of opposing you. The Normans 
have not been accxistomed to the use of arms.; and all the knight- 
hood, that otherwise would have been there, are at present with the 
duke before Aiguillon. You will find in Normandy rich towns and 
handsome castles, without any means of defence, and your people 
will gain wealth enough to suffice them for twenty years to come. 
Your fleet may also follow you, up the river Orne, as far as Caen. 
I therefore entreat you will listen, and give belief to what I say." 
The king, who at that lime was in the flower of his youth, and who 
desired nothing belter than to combat his enemies, paid much atten- 
tion to what sir Godfrey de Harcourt, whom he called cousin, had 
said. He commanded his sailors to steer straight for Normandy, and 
ordered the flag of the admiral, the earl of Warwick, to be hoisted 
on board his ship ; he took the lead, as admiral of the fleet, and 
made for Normandy, with a very favorable wind. The fleet anchored 
near to the shores of Coutantin,* and the king landed at a port 
called La Hoguc St. Vast. News of his arrival was soon spread 
abrOad : it was told itU over the country, that the English had landed 
with a very great army. Messengers were instantly dispatched to 
Paris, to the king, from the towns of Coutantin. He had already 
been informed, that the king of England had embarked a numerous 
army, and was on the coasts of Normandy and Brittany ; but he was 
not sure for what particular part he intended to make. As soon, 
therefore, as he heard the English had landed, he sent for his con. 
stable, the earl of Guignes, and the earl of Tancarvillc, who were 
just come from Aiguillon, and ordered them to set off' directly for 
Caen, to defend that place and the neighborhood against the English. 
They replied, they would cheerfully do it, to the utmost of their 
power, and left the king at Paris, taking with them a number of 
men-at-arms, whose ranks were every day increasing, and rode on to 
Caen, where they were received most joyfully by the inhabitants and 
the good people of the country, who had retired thither, with their 
effects. These lords immediately made inquiries into the state of the 
town, which at that time was not walled, and ordered arms to be 
prepared, to supply every one with them according to his degree. 
We v.'ill now return to the king of England, who had landed at la 
Hogue St. Vast, not far from St. Sauveur le Vicomte,t the inherit- 
ance of sir Godfrey de Harcourt, who at that time was a partisan of 
England.! 



CHAPTER CXXI. 

THE KINO OF ENGLAND MAKCHES INTO NORMANDY WITH HIS ARMY IN 
THREE BATTALIONS. 

When the fleet of England was all safely arrived at La" Hogue, the 
king leaped on shore first ; but by accident he fell, and with such 
■violence that the blood gushed out of his nose : the knights that 
were near him said, " Dear sir, let us entreat you to return to your 
ship, and not think of landing to-day, for this is an unfortunate 
omen.*' The king instantly replied, " For why ? I look upon it as 
very favorable, and a sign that the land is desirous ef me." 

His people were much pleased with this answer. The king and 
his army lay that night upon the sands. In the mean time, they dis. 
embarked their baggage, armor, and horses ; and there was a council 
held, to consider how they could act most advantageously. The 
king created two marshals of his army ; one was sir Godfrey de Har- 
court ; the other the earl of Warwick : and he made the earl of 
Arundel his constable. He ordered the earl of Huntington to remain 
with his fleet, with a hundred or six score men-at-arms, and four 
hundred arehers. He then held another council respecting the order 
of march, and determined to divide the army into three battalions ; 
one of which should advance on his right, following the sea. coast, 
and another on liis left ; and he himself, with the prince his son, and 
the main body, in the centre. Every night, the marshal's battalion 
was to retire to the quarters of the king. They thus began their 
march, as ihcy had resolved upon : those who were on board the fleet 
coasted the shores, and took every vessel, great and small, they met 
with. Both the armies of sea and land went forward, until they 
came to a strong town, called Barfleur,§ which they soon gained ; 
the inhabitants having surrendered immediately, for fear of losing 
their lives : but that did not prevent the town from being pillaged 
and robbed of gold, silver, and everything precious that could be 
found therein. There was so much wealth, that the boj'S of the 
army set no value on gowns trimmed with fur. They made all the 
townsmen quit the place, and embarked them on board the fleet ; 
for they did not choose that, after they had continued their march, 
they should collect together, and attack them. 

After the town of Barfleur had been pillaged, but not burnt, they 
spread themselves over the country, near the sea.coast, where they 
did whatever they pleased, for there were none to oppose them. 
They advanced until they came to a considerable and wealthy town 

* Coutantin— n district of Normandy, of which Coutances is the capital town. 

t Diocese of Coutances. 

i On tiie Itine's landing at La Hoguo, lie created the prince of Wales a knight, and, 
in consequence, demanded tJie usual aid on such occasions, dated Calais, the Nativity 
of our Lady. 134ti.— Rymer. 

5 Diocese of Coutances. 



called Cherbourg,* which they burnt and pillaged in part ; but they 
could not conquer the castle, as it was too strong, and well garri- 
soned with men.at-arms ; they therefore passed on, and came before 
Moutbourg, near Valognes, which they pillaged, and then set fire 
to it. In this manner did they plunder and burn a great many towns 
in that countiy : and acquired so much riches that it would have 
been difficult to have counted their wealth. They afterwards marched 
to a very considerable town, and well inclosed, called Carentan.t 
which had a strong casfle, gart-isoned by a number of soldiers. Those 
lords that were on board the fleet then disembarked with their peo- 
ple, and made a vigorous attack upon it ; which, when the townsmen 
perceived, they were fearful of losing their own lives, as well as 
those of their wives and children, and opened the gates to them, in 
spite of the men-at-arms and soldiers that were within the town. 
They voluntarily offered the English all they had, thinking it best 
for their advantage. The men-at-arms, finding the inhabitants deter- 
mined to admit the English, retired into the fortress, which was very 
strong ; and the English entered the town ; but, not thinking it right 
to leave so strong a place behind them, for two successive days tliey 
kept up a strong assault against the castle. Those within, not hear, 
ing of any assistance coming to them, surrendered, on condition 
of their lives and fortunes being spared. They marched out, and 
withdrew to another part of the country. The English did what 
they pleased in the town and castle ; but, finding that they could not 
conveniently keep them, they burnt and destroyed both, and forced 
the inhabitants to embark on board their fleet, and go with them, as 
they had done to those of Barfleur, Cherbourg, Montebourg, and all 
the other towns which they had plundered on the sea-coast. 

We will now return to the expedition of the king of England. As 
soon as he had sent part of his arnij', under the command of the 
earl of Warwick, one of his" marshals, and the lord Reginald Cob- 
ham, along the sea-coast, as you have heard, he set out from La 
Hogue, where he was lodged, under the guidance of sir Godfrey de 
Harcourt, who was well acquainted with every part of Normandy. 
Sir Godfrey, as marshal, advanced before the king, with the van- 
guard of five hundred armed men and two thousand archers, and 
rode on for si.x or seven leagues' distance from the main army, burn- 
ing and destroying the country. They found it rich and plentiful, 
abounding in all things : the barns full of every sort of corn, and 
the houses with riches : the inhabitants at their ease, liaving car^^ 
carts, horses, swine, sheep, and everything in abundance which the 
country afforded. They seized whatever they chose of all these good 
things, and brought them to the king's army ; but the soldiers did 
not give any account to tlieir officers, or to those appointed by tlie 
king, of the gold and silver they took, which they kept to them!;elves. 
In this manner did sir Godfrey, every day, proceed to the left of the 
king's army ; and each night returned, with his party, to the place 
where he knew the king intended fixing his quarters. Sometimes, 
when he found great plenty of forage and booty, he was two or three 
days before he returned. The king, therefore, with his army and 
baggage, advanced toward St. Lo,t in Coutantin ; but, before he 
arrived there, he took up his quarters on the banks of the river, to 
wait for the return of that part of his army which he had sent along 
the sea-coast. When they were come back, with all their booty 
safely packed in wagons, the earl of Warwick, the earl of Suffolk, 
the lord Thomas Holland, and the lord Reginald Cobham, took their 
march, w'ith their battalion, on the right, burning and destroying the 
country in the same way that sir Godfrey de Harcourt was doing. 
The king marched, with the main body, between these two battalions ; 
and every night they encamped together. 



CHAPTER CXXII. 

THE KINiJ OF FRANCE COLLECTS A LARGE FORCE, TO OPPOSE THE 
KING OF ENGLAND. 

Thus, while the English were burning and destroying great part 
of Normandy, the king of France was not idle, but had issued out 
his sunnnons to the lord John of Hainault, who came to him with 
a powerful company of knights from Hainault and elsewhere ; he 
also sent to every earl, baron and knight that were dependent on 
him. They obeyed his summons in such numbers as France had 
not seen for a hundred years ; but as those in foreign countries were 
at great distances, they were long before they arrived, and the king 
of England had overrun and destroyed the whole district of Coutan. 
tin in Normandy, to its great detriment. 

When king Philip first heard of the destruction the king of Eng- 
land was making in his realm, he swore that the English should 
never return without his having combated with them ; and, that the 
mischief they had done to his people should be dearly paid for. He 
hastened, therefore, to dispatch his letters : he sent first to his good 
friends in the empire, because tlicy were at the greatest distance, 
and also to the gallant king of Bohemia, whom he much loved, and 
to the lord Charles of Bohemia his son, who had then the title of 
king of Germany, which he had obtained, as was well known, 
through the influence of his father and the king of France, and ho 



* Diocese of Coutances. 

t About tliree leagues from the sea, diocese of Coutances. 

X Diocese of Coutances. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



7T 



had already quartered the arms of the empire. King Philip entreated 
of them to come speedily to his assistance, for he was impatient to 
meet the English, who wu-e despoiling his kingdom. These lords 
had no intention of excusing themselves, but set about collecting a 
large body of men-at-arms, from Germany, Bohemia, and Luxem. 
bourg, and came to the King of France with a powerful army. The 
king of France wrote also to the duke of Lorraine, who came to 
serve him with upward of three hundred lances. Tlie earl of 




Battle of Caen— From a MS. Froissart of tiie Fifteenth Century 



Savoy,* the carl of Saltzburgh, the earl of Flanders, and earl William 
of Namur, came also to king Philip, each of them with a very hand- 
some company. 

You have before heard the manner of the king of England's march : 
the two marshals, on the right and left, and the king and prince of 
Wales in the centre. They advanced by short marches ; and every 
day they encamped between ten and twelve o'clock. They found 
the country so abounding with provisions, that they had no need to 
seek for forage, except wines, of which there was a reasonable 
quantity. It is not to be wondered at, if the people of the country 
were alarmed and frightened ; for they had never seen any men-at- 
arms, and knew nothing of war or battles : they therefore fled before 
the English, as soon as ever they heard they were coming, leaving 
their houses and barns quite full, for they had neither means nor art 
to save them. 

The king of England and prince of Wales had, in their battalion, 
about three thousand mcn-at-arnis, six thousand archers, ten thou- 
sand infantry, without counting those that were under the marshals ; 
and they marched on in the manner I have before mentioned, burn, 
ing and destroying the country, but without breaking their line 
of battle. They did not turn toward Coutances, but advanced to 
St. Ld, in Coutantin, which in those days was a very rich and com. 
mereial town, and worth three such towns as Coutances. In the 
town of St. L5 was much drapery, and many wealthy inhabitants: 
among tlieni, you might count eight or nine score that were engaged 
in commerce. When the king of England was come near to the 
town, he encamped : he would not lodge in it for fear of fire. He 
sent, therefore, bis advanced guard forward, who soon conquered it, 
at a trifling loss, and comjiletely plundered it. No one can imagine 
the quantity of riches they found in it, nor the number of bales of 
cloth. If there had been any purchasers, they might have bought 
enough at a very cheap rate. 

The English then advanced toward Caen, which is a much larger 
town, stronger, and fuller of draperies and all other sorts of mer- 
chandise, rich citizens, noble dames and damsels, and fine churches. 
In particular, there are two very rich monasteries ; one dedicated to 
St. Stephen, and the other to the Tritiity. The castle is situated on 
one si de of the town : it is the handsomest in all Normandy : and 
* The earl of Suvoy tlid not come, as you will see further on. 



sir Robert de Blargny was governor, with a garrison of three hundteij 
Genoese. 

In the heart of the town was the earl of Eu and of Guignos, the 
constable of France, and the carl of TancarviUe, with a crowd of 
men-at-arms. The king rode on very prudently; and,hav!ng united his 
three battalions, he took up his quarters, for that night, in the fields, 
two short leagues from Caen, near a town called Estreham,* where 
there is a haven. He ordered the carl of Huntington, whom he had 

made admiral of his fleet, to 
sail for that place. The con. 
stable of France, and the other 
lords who were assembled in 
Caen, watched it well that 
night ; and, on the morrow, 
they armed themselves, and 
all the inhabitants. After they 
were drawn out, the constable 
and the earl of TancarviUe 
ordered that no one should 
leave the town, but should 
guard well the bridge, the 
gates, and the river. They 
gave up the suburbs to the 
English, because they were 
not inclosed ; and they thought 
they should find sufficient em- 
ployment to guard the town, 
which was only defended by 
the river. The townsmen, 
however, said, they would 
march out into the plains, as 
they were in suflicicnt force 
to fight with the English. 
When the constable perceived 
their willingness, he said, " It 
shall be so then ; but, in God's 
name, you shall not fight with- 
out me." They then marched 
out of the town, in handsome 
order, and made a show as if 
they would fight valiantly, 
and risk their lives upon the. 
event. 



CHAPTER OXXIir.. 

THE BATTLE OF CAEN THB. 

ENGLISH TAKE THE TOWN. 

O.N this day the Englisli 
rose very early, and made 
themselves reatly to march to 
Caen : the king heard mass before sunrise, and afterwards mount- 
ing his horse, with the prince of Wales, and sir Godfrey de Har_ 
court (who was marshal and director of the anny, and through 
whose advice the king had undertaken this expedition) inarched for- 
ward in order of battle. The battalion of the marshals led the van, 
and came near to the handsoine town of Caen. 

When the townsmen, who had taken the field, perceived th& 
English advancing, with banners and pennons flying in abundance, 
and saw those archers whom they bad not been accustomed to, they 
were so frightened that they betook themselves to flight, and ran for 
the town in great disorder, without regarding the constable and the 
men-at-arms who were with them. The English pursued them> 
eagerly; which, when the constable and the earl of TancarviUe saw,- 
thcy gained a gate at the entrance of the bridge in safety, and a few- 
knights with them, for the English had already entered the town. 

Some knights and squires of the French, who knew the road to- 
the castle, made for it ; and the governor, sir Robert de Blargny, 
received thcin r.ll : as the castle was very large, and plentifully vict- 
ualled, those were safe that could get there. 

The English, who were after the runaways, made great havoc ;. 
for they spared none. When the constable, and those that had taken 
refiige'with him within the gate of the bridge, looked round them, 
and saw the great slaughter the English were making, for they gave- 
no quarter, they began to fear lest they should fall into the hands of 
some of those archers, who would not know who they were. But 
they perceived a knight who had but one eye, named sir Thomas 
Holland (whom they had formerly known in Prussia and Grenada,) 
coming toward them, in company with five or six other knights ^ 
they called to him, and asked if he would take them as his prisoners? 
Sir Thomas and his company advanced to the gate, and, dismount- 
ing, ascended to the top, with sixteen others, where he found the 
above-mentioned knights, and twenty-five more, who surrendered 
themselves to sir Thomas. t 

Havin" left a sufficient guard over them, he mounted his horse. 



*Estreham-diocese of Bayeux, at the mouth of the river Orne, four leagues from 
Caen. 

t " But here whatsoever Froissart doth report of the takine of this town, and of Uie- 
ylelduig of these two nolilemen, it is to be proved, Uiat the said eail of TancarviUe wa3. 



78 



CHRONICLES OF ENGL AND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



rode through the streets, and prevented many acts of cruelty: as did 
also other knights and squires, to whom several of the citizens owed 
their Hves, and many a nun was protected from violation by their 
interference. It was fortunate for the English, that it was ebb tide 
in the river, which carries large vessels, and the water very still, so 
that they could pass and repass it without any danger from the 
bridge.* Those inhabitants who had taken refuge in the garrets 
flung down from them, in these narrow streets, stones, benches, and 
whatever they could lay hands on ; so that they killed and wounded 
upward of five hundred of the English, which so enraged the king 
of England, when he received the reports in the evening, that he 
ordered the remainder of the inhabitants to be put to the sword, and 
the town burnt. But sir Godfrey de Harcourt said to him : *' Dear 
sir, assuage somewhat of your anger, and be satisfied with what has 
already been done. You have a long journey yet to make before 
you arrive at Calai?, whither it is your intention to go : and there 
are in this town a great number of inhabitant^,, who will defend 
themselves obstinately in their houses, if you force them to it: be- 
sides, it will cost you many lives before the town can be destroyed, 
which may put a stop to your expedition to Calais, and it will not 
redound to your honors therefore be sparing of your men, for in a 
month's time you will have call for them; as it cannot otherwise 
happen, but that your adversary king Philip must soon come to give 
you battle, and you may meet with many difficulties, assaults and 
skirmishes, that will find full employment for the number of men 
you have, and even more if we could get them. We are complete 
masters of the town without any more slaughter; and the inhabitants, 
and all they possess, are at our disposal." The king replied : " Sir 
Godfrey, you are our marshal ; therefore order as you please ; for 
thi-^' time we wish not to interfere." 

Sir Godfrey then rode through the streets, his banner displayed 
before him, and ordered, in the king's name, that no one should 
dare, under pain of immediate death, to insult or hurt man or woman 
of the town, or attempt to set fire to any part of it. Several of the 
inhabitants, on heaiing this proclamation, received the English into 
their houses ; and others opened their coffers to them, giving up their 
all, since they were assured of their lives. However, there were, in 
spite of these orders, many atrocious thefts and murders committed. 
The English continued masters of the town for three days ; in this 
time, they amassed great wealth, which they sent in barges down 
the river of Estreham, to St. Sauveur, two leagues off, where their 
fleet was. The earl of Huntington made preparations therefore, 
with the two hundred men-at-arms and his four hundred archers, to 
carry over to England their riches and prisoners. The king pur- 
chased, from sir Thomas Holland and his companions, the constable 
of France and the earl of Tancarville, and paid down twenty thou- 
sand nobles for them.t 



taken by onesurnamed Le{,'h, ancestor to sir Petev Let;!: now living : whether in tlie fight 
or within the tower I imve not to say ; hut for the taking of the said earl, and fur other 
manlike pro^vess showed here and elsewliere in this journey, king Edward, in recom- 
pense of his agreeiihle service, gave Iiim a lordship in the county of Chester, called 
Hanley, which tiie saiil sir Peter Leg h dulh now possess, as successor and heir to his 
ancestor, the foresaid Peter Legli, to whom it was so first given."— Hollisgshed. 

*This is scarcely intelHgihle. Lord Berners says, "the ryuer was so lowe that men 
went in and out bcst/de the hridge," that is across the bed of the river, avoiding the 
danger of pressing in crowds over a narrow bridge.— Ed. 

tAs llie reader may perhaps wish to see another account of Edward's progress, by an 
eye-witness, I copy from Robert de Avesbury's " Historiade iilirabihbus Gestis Edwardi 
-tertii," the foJlowing very curious letter : a 

Dc Pi-o^rcssit Rcgi,"! Anglm dc Hogges itsque Cadamum. 
■> " You may remember that our ford tlie king and his army landed at La Hogue St. 
Vast, the twelfth day of July, and remained there some days to unship the horaes, and 
repose himself, anil his people, and provide bread, until the f<jllowins Tuesday. They 
found eleven shijis at La Hogue, eight of which had castles Iiefore and behind: these a 
rnnn set on fire. On the Friday, while the king still remained, a party proceeded to Bar- 
fleur, where they expected to have found many people, but there were none ot" any 
consequence. Here were eleven ships with castles before and behind, twocarracks, and 
a number of. ■'mailer vessels lying" at the quays. The town is about as large, and of the 
same importance, as Sainlwich. Wlien this party retired, the mariners set fire to the 
town, and several good towns and manors were burnt in the country round about. 
When the king removed on Tuesday he went to Valognes, wliere they remained ^1 
night and found plenty of provisions. The next day they made along march, as far as a 
bridge which the iidiabitants of Carantau had broken down. The king caused it tobe 
repaired the same niglit, and the next day proceeded to Carantan, which is not above an 
fjnglisli leiijrue from the bridge. Tiiis town is as large as Leicester, and here they found 
plenty of wine and provisions. A great part of tlie city was burn', in spite ofthe king's 
efforts to prevent it. On the Friday the king went on, and lodged in the villages on the 
banks of a river diliicult topass.furtheinliabitantsofSt. LiJhad broken down Ihe bridge. 
The king caused the bridge to be repaired, and passed it the next day with all his army, 
and took post close to the town. Those of the town had begun to strengthen it, and 
Jiad drawn togeliier many men-at-arms, whoouglil to have defended the place, but they 
left it before the connng ofthe king. Great riches were found in the town, a tliousand 
tuns of wine, and a great quantity of other goods. The town is larger than St. Nicholas, 
And the next day the king went his way and abode at an abbey, and his host at the vil- 
lages round about; and those ofthe host made excursions every day, robbing and destroy- 
ing every dny five or six leagues about, and burnt several places. Andtiie IVIonday the 
king removed and lodged in the villages, and Tuesday also. And Wednesday, about 
tlie hour of noon, lliey arrived before the town ofCaen. and received intelligence that a 
number of men-at-arms were in the town. The king drew up his forces in good order 
and in strong number, and sent some of iiis people to reconnoitre the town. They found 
the castle well built and strong, anjJ that it was held l»y the knights and men-at-arms of 
the Bishop of Bayeu.\. The town on the side ofthe water is very strong and large, and 
in one part of the town is an abbey as noble as can be, where William the Contiueror 
isburied; it is inclosed with walls and large and strong battlemented towers; no person 

aThis is given by Mr.Johnes in the original old French, but we considered it would be 
more agreeable to our readere to present it in an English dress, and have accordingly 
transloted it.— Ed. 



CHAPTER CXXIV. 

TEE ENGLISH COMMIT GREAT DISORDERS IN NORMANDY. SIR GODFREY 
DE HARCOURT ENCOUNTERS TH^ MEN-AT-ARMS OF AMIENS, ON THEIR 
WAY TO PARIS, AND KING EDWARD MARCHES- INTO PICAKDY. 

When the king had finished his business in Caen, and had sent 
his fleet to England, loaded with cloths, jewels, gold and silver plate, 
and a quantity of other riehes, and upward of sixty knights, with 
three hundred able citizens, prisoners ; he then left his quarters and 
continued his march as before, his two marshals on his right and 
left, burning and destroying all the flat country. He took the road 
to Evreux,* but found he could not gain anything there, as it was 
well fortified. He went on toward another town called Louviers,t 
which was in Normandy, and where there were many manufactories 
of cloth: it was rich and commercial. The. English won it easily, 
as it was not inclosed ; and having entered the town, it was plun- 
dered without opposition. The'y collected much wealth there ; and, 
after they had done what they plea.'sed, they mnrched on into the 
county of Evreux, where they burnt everything except the fortified 
towns and castles, which the king left unattached, as he was desirous 
of sparing his men and artillery. He therefore made for the banks 
of the Seine, in his approach to Rouen, where there were plenty of 
men-at-arms from Normandy, under the command of the earl of 
Harcourt, brother to sir Godfrey, and the earl of Dreux. 

The English did not march direct toward Rouen, but W'ent to 
G-isors,! which has a strong castle, and burnt the town. After this, 
they destroyed Vernon,^ and all the country between Rouen and 
Pcnt-de-1'Arche :[| they then came to Mantes^ and Meulan,** which 
they treated in the same manner, and ravaged all the country round 
about. They passed by the strong castle of Roul!eboise,tt and every- 
where found the bridges on the Seine broken down. They pushed 
forward until they came to Poi3sy,U where the bridge was also de. 
stroyed; but the beams and other parts of it were lying in the river. 
The king remained here five days, while they were repairing the 
bridge, so that his army might pass over without danger. His mar- 
shals advanced very near to Paris, and burnt -St. Germain-en-Laye,§§ 
la Montjoie.lll! St. Cloud, I^H" Boulogne near Paris, and Bourg la 
Reine.*** The Parisians were much alarmed, -for Paris at that 
time was not inclosed. King Philip upon this began to stir, and 
having ordered all the pent-houses in Paris to be pulled down, went 
to St. Denis, ttt where he found the king of Bohemia, the lord John 
of Hainault, the duke of Lorrain, the earl of Flanders, the earl of 
Blois, and great multitudes of barons and knights, ready to receive 
him. When the Parisians learnt that the king was on the point of 
quitting Paris, they came to him, and falling on their knees, said, 
"Ah, sire, and noble king, what are you about to do ? to leave your 
fine city of Paris?" The king replied : " My good people, do not 
be afraid : the English will not approach you nearer than they have 
done." He thus spoke in answer to what they had said, that " our 
enemies are only two leagues off: as soon as they shall know you 
have quitted us, they will come hither directly ; and we are not able 
to resist them ourselves, nor shall we find any to defend us. Have 
the kindness, therefore, sire, to remain in your good city of Paris, to 
take care of us." The king repHed, " I am going to St. Denis, to 



remained in the abbey ; and in anotlier quarter ofthe town was another noble abbey of 
ladies, and nobody remained in the said abbeys nor in the town on that side ofthe water, 
where the castle was ; and the inhabitants bad gone over to the town on the other side 
ofthe water, where were the constable of France and the chamberlain of Tankerville. 
who is a very great lord, and many gentlemen, to the number of five or six hundred, and 
tlie commons of the town. 'J'he people of our host attacked the bridge without com- 
mand and without order. The bridge had been strengthened witli battlements and bar- 
riers, and there was much to do, for the French defended it very stoutly, and lliey bore 
niuchbeftjre they gave way ; and then the said constable and cliamberlain were taken, 
together with about a hundred knights, and six or seven score esquiies. A great 
multitude of kniglits, esquires, and otliei-s, people of the town, were slain in the streets, 
houses and gardens; no one can tell how many people of note, for the bodies were 
de.ipoiled so they could not be known. No gentleman was slain on our side, except 
one esquire, who was badly wounded and died two days afterwards. Wines, pro- 
visions, and other goods, and moveables without number, were found in the town, 
whii-h is larger than any town in England, except London. When the king left 
La Hogue, two hundred ships remained, whicii were taken to Roiliemasse; then the 
country was burnt two or tliree leagues inland, and many things were taken and brought 
to the ships: they went as far as Cherbourg, which was a good town, with a strong castle 
anil a handsome and noble abbey : they burnt the said city and abbey, and the whole 
coimtry on every side, from the sea at Rolhemasse to the army at the haven of Caen, a 
distance of twenty-six English leagues. And the number of sliips that were burnt was 
sixty-one ships of war. with castles before and behind, and twenty-three carracks. bei-ides 
of other smaller ve'^sels more than twenty one ; they also destroyed thirty tuns of wine. 
On the Thursday afterthc king had come before Caen, they ofthe city of Bions demanded 
of our lord llie king, that they might surrender themselves and their city to him, and do 
him homage, but he would not admit them to any conditions, but that lliey should be 
saved from damage." 

*An ancient town in Normandy, and a bishopric.twenty-eight leagues from Caen. 

t Louviers— in the diocese of Evreux. It still maintains its celebrity for the goodness 
of its cloths. 

t Diocese of Rouen, fourteen leagues from Itouen. 

§ Diocese of Evreux, thirteen leagues from Rouen. 

II Diocese of Evreux. four leagues from Rouen. 

i In tlie Isle uf France, diocese of Chartres, nineteen leagues from Rouen. 

** In tlie Isle of France, ten leagues from Paris, twenty-tliree from Roueii. 

tt A village in Normandy, election of Chaumont. 

\X In the Isle of France, seven leagues from Paris. 

§§ In the Isle of France, five leagues from Paris. 

ill! Q.. if not Montjoye St. Denis. 

IF IT Isle of France, two leagues from Paris. 

*** Isle of France, one lengue-from Paris. 

Ttt Isle of France, two leagues from Paris. 



: 



CHRONICLES OFENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &.c. 



79 



my army, for I am impatient to pursue the English, and am resolved 
10 fight with them at all events." 

The king of England remained at the nunnery of Poissy to the 
middle of August, and celebrated there the feast of the Virgin Mary. 
He sat at table in his scarlet robes without sleeves, trimmed witli 
furs and ermines. He afterwards took the field, and his army 
marched as before : sir Godfrey de Ilarcourt, one of his marshals, 
had the command of the vanguard, with five hundred men-at-arms, 
and about thirteen hundred archers. By accident, he fell in with a 
large party of the citizens of Amiens on horseback, who were going 
to king Philip at Paris, in obedience to his summons. Ho imme- 
diately attacked them with those under his connnand ; but they made 
a good defence, as they were very numerous and well armed, and 
had four knights from Amiens with them. The engagement lasted 
a long time, ajid many were slain at the onset ; but at last those from 
Amiens were overthrown, killed or taken prisoners. The English 
seized all their baggage and arms, and foimd many valuables; for 
they were going to the king excellently well equipped, and had but 
just quilted their city. Twelve hundred were left dead on the spot. 
The king of England entered the country of Beauvais, destroying all 
the flat country, and took up his quarters in a rich abbey called St. 
Messien, near to Beauvais,* where he lodged one night. The mor- 
row, as he was on his march, he by chance turned his head round 
and saw the abbey all in flames ; upon which he instantly ordered 
twenty of those who had set fire to it to be hung, as he had most 
strictly forbidden that any church should be violated, or monastery 
set on fire. He passed near Beauvais without attacking it, for he 
was anxious to be as careful of his men and artillery as possible, and 
took up his quarters at a small town called Milly.t The two mar- 
shals passed so near to Beauvais, that they advanced to attack it and 
skirjnish with the townsmen at the barriers, and divided their forces 
into three battalions ; this attack lasted until the afternoon ; for the 
town was well fortified and provided with everything, and the bishop 
Was aisa there, whose exertions were of more service than those of 
all the rest. When the English found they could not gain anything, 
they set fire to the suburbs, which they burnt quite close to the gates 
of the town, and then came, toward evening, to where the king was. 

The next day, the king and his whole army marched forward, 
burning and wasting all the country as they went, and lay that night 
at a village called Grandvillier. On the morrow, he passed near 
to Argis : his scouts not finding any one to guard the castle, he at- 
tacked and burnt it, and passing on, destroyed the country, and came 
to Poix,t wliich was a handsome town with two' castles. The lords 
of both were absent, and no one was there but two handsome daugh- 
ters of the lord of Poix, who would have been violated, if two Eng. 
lish knights, sir John Chandos and lord Basset, had not defended 
tliem. In order more eflectually to guard them, they brought them 
to the king, who, as in honor bound, entertained them most gra- 
ciously : he inquired whither they wotUd wish to go ? they answered. 
To Corbie,^ to which place they were conducted in safety. The 
king of England lay that night in the town of Poix. The inhabit- 
ants of Poix, as well as those of the castle, had a conference with 
the marshals of the army, in order to save the town from being plun. 
dered and burnt. They offered to pay, as a ransom, a certain number 
of florins the ensuing day, as soon as the army should have marched 
off. On the morrow morning, the king and army departed, except 
some few, who remained behind, by order of the marshals, to receive 
the ransom from the townsmen. When the inhabitants were assem- 
bled together, and considered the small number of the English who 
were left witli them, they resolved to pay nothijig, told them so, and 
directly fell upon them. The English defended themselves gallantly, 
and sent after the army for succor. When lord Reginald Cobham 
and sir Thomas Holland, who commanded the rear-guard, were told 
of this, they cried out, " Treason ! treason !'' and returned back to 
Poix, whore they found their countrymen still engaged with the 
townsmen. Almost all the inhabitants were slain, the town was 
burnt, and the two casries razed to the ground. The English then 
followed the king's army, which was arrived at Airaines,|| where he 
had ordered the troops to halt, and to quarter themselves for that 
night, strictly commanding, under pain of death, that no harm should 
be done to the town or inhabitants, by theft or otherwise ; for he 
wished to remain there a day or two, in order to gain information 
where he could best cross the river Somme, which he was under the 
necessity of doing, as you will shortly hear. 



CHAPTER CXXV. 

THE KISG OF FKA^'CE FCRSliES THE KI.VG OF ENOLAyD, IN THE COUNTRY 
OF BE.1.UVAIS. 

I wi.su now to return to king Philip, whom we left at St. Denis 
with his anny, which was increasing every day. He marched off 
with it, and pushed forward until he came to Coppigny les Guises, 
which is three leagues distant from Amiens, where he halted. The 
king ot England, who was still at -A.iraines, was much embarrassed 
how to cross the Somme, which was wide and deep, as all the bridges 

* A city in the Isle of France, sixteen leagues from Parip. 
t A town in tlie diocese of Beauvais. 
} Poix— a town in Picardy, si.i leagues from Amiens. 
S Corbie— a to\vn in Picardy, four leagues from Amieoi 
il A to WD in Picardy, iour leaf ue? firom Amieua. 



had been broken down, and their situations were well guarded by 
men-at-arms. The two marshals, at the request of the king, followed 
the course of the river, in order if possible to find a passage for the 
army : they had with them a thousand men-at-arms and two thousand 
archers. They passed by Lompre,* and came to Pont de Remy,t 
which they found defended by numbers of knights, squires, and people 
of the country. The English dismounted, and attacked the French 
from the very dawn of the morning until near ten o'clock : but the 
bridge was so well fortified and guarded, that they could not gain 
anything; -so they departed, and went to a large town called Fon- 
taine3-sur-Somme,t which they completely plundered and burnt, as it 
was quite open. They next came to another town, called Long, in 
Ponthieu ;§ but they could not gain the bridge, so well was it guarded. 
They then rode on to Pecquigny,|| but found the town, castle, and 
bridge, so well garrisoned that it was impossible to pass. In this 
manner had the king of France ordered all the bridges and fords of 
the river Somme to be guarded, to prevent the king of England from 
crossing it with his army ; for he was resolved to force them to fight 
when he should see the most favorable opportunity, or else to starve 
them. 

The two marshals, having thus in vain followed the course of the 
Somme, returned to the king of England, and related to liim that 
they were unable to find a passage anywhere. That same evening, 
the king of France took up his quarters at Amiens, with upward of 
one hundred thousand men. The king of England was very pensive : 
he ordered mass before sunrise, and his trmnpets to sound for de- 
camping. All sorts of people followed the marshals' banners, accord- 
ing to the orders the king had issued the preceding day ; and they 
marched through the country of Vimeu,ir drawing near to the good 
town of Abbeville. In their march, they came to a town where a 
great number of country people had assembled, trusting to some small 
fortifications w-hich were thrown up there; but the English conquered 
the town, as soon as they came to it, and all that were within. Many 
of the townsmen and those from the adjoining country were slain or 
taken prisoners. The king lodged, that night, in the great hospital. 

The king of France set out from Amiens, and came to Airainea 
about noon : the English king had quitted it about ten o'clock. The 
French found there provisions of all sorts ; meat on the spits, bread 
and pastry in the ovens, wine in barrels, and even some tables ready 
spread, for the English had left it in very gieat haste. The king of 
France fixed his quarters there, to wait for his nobles and their retinue. 
The king of England was in the town of Oisemont.** When his 
two marshals returned in the evening, after having overrun the coun- 
try as tar as the gates of Abbeville, and to St. Valery, where they had 
a smart skirmish, the king of England summoned a council, and 
ordered many prisoners, whom his people had made in the districts 
of Ponthieu and Vimeu, to be brought before him. 

The king most courteously asked, " if any of them knew a ford 
below Abbeville, where he and his army could pass without danger;" 
and added, " Whoever will show us such a ford shall have his liberty, 
and that of any twenty of his fellow-soldiers whom he may wish to 
select." There was among them a common fellow whose name was 
Gobin Agace, who answered the king, and said, " Sir, I promise 
you, under peril of my life, that I will conduct you to such a place, 
where you and your whole army may pass the river Somme without 
any risk. There are certain fordable places where you may pass 
twelve men abreast twice in the day, and not have water above your 
knees ; but when the tide is in, the river is full and deep, and no 
one can cross it ; when the tide is out, the river is so low that it may 
be passed, on horseback or on foot, without danger. The bottom 
of this ford is very hard, of gravel and white stones, over which all 
your carriages may safely pass, and from thence is called Blanche- 
taque. You must therefore set out early, so as to be at the ford 
before sunrise." " Friend," replied the king, " if I find what thou 
hast just said to be true, I will give thee and all thy companions their 
liberty ; and I will besides make thee a present of a hundred nobles." 
The king gave orders for every one to be ready to march at the first 
sound of his trumpet, and to proceed forward. 



CHAPTER CXXVI. 

THE BATTLE OF ELANCHETAQtrE, BETWEEN THE KING OF ENGLAND AND 
SIR GODEMAR DU FAY. 

The king of England did not sleep much that night, but, rising at 
midnight, ordered his trumpet to sound. Very soon everything was 
ready! and, the baggage being loaded, they set out from the town of 
Oisemont about daybreak, and rode on, under the guidance of Go- 
bin Agace, until they came to the ford of Blanchetaque, about sun- 
rise : but the tide was at that time so full, they could not cross. 
The king, however, detennined to wait there for those of his army 
who were not yet come up ; and he remained until after ten o'clock, 
when the tide was gone out. The king of France, who had his 
scouts all over the country, was informed of the situation of the king 



* Lompre-Corps-Saints. a small town in Titarcly. 

t In the election of Abbe, iUe. 

j In Picardy. . „ i ^ V. 

I, \ fertile district of Picardy, between the rivers Somme and Canche. 

II A town in Picardy. on the Somme, tlirce leagues from Amiens. • 

U A district in Picardy, of which St. Valery U the cnpital. 

»» A town in Picardy, four leajues from AmieM, five 6ora St. Valery, 



80 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



of England: he imagined he should be able to shut him up between 
Abbeville and the Somme, and thus take him prisoner, or force him 
to fight at a disadvantage. From the time of liis arrival at Amiens, 
he had ordered a great baron of Normandy, called sir God^mar du 
Fay, to guard this ford of Blanchetaque, which the English must 
cross, and nowhere else. Sir God(5mar had set out, in obedience to 
this order, anu had with him, in the whole, one thousand men-at. 
arms and si.x thousand foot, ^vith the Genoese. He had passed St. 
Ricquier* in Ponthieu, and from thence came to Crotoy,t where 
this ford was ; he had collected, in his march, great numbers of the 
country people. The townsmen of Abbeville had also accompanied 
liim, excellently well appointed : they had arrived at the passage be. 
fore the English. They were, in all, fully twelve thousand men : 
among them were two thousand who had jackets, resembling wag- 
oners' frocks, called lorviquiaux. 

On the arrival of the English army, sir God^mar du Fay drew up 
his men on the banks of the river, to defend and guard the ford. 
The king of England, however, did not for this give up his intention 
of crossing; but, as soon as the tide was sufficiently gone out, he 
ordered his marshals to dash into the water, in the name of God and 
St. George. The most doughty and the best mounted leaped in 
first ; and, in tlie river, tlie engagement began ; many on both sides 
were unhorsed into the water : there were some knights and squires, 
from Artois and Picardy, in the pay of sir God^mar, who in hopes 
of preferment, and to acquire honor, had posted themselves at this 
ford, and they appeared to be equally fond of tilting in the water as 
upon dry land. 

The French were drawn up in .battle array, near the narrow pass 
leading to the ford ; and the English were much annoyed by them 
as they came out of the water to gain the land ; for there were 
among them Genoese cross-bowmen who did them much mischief. 
On the other hand, the English archers shot so well together that 
they forced the men-at-arms to give way. At this ford of Blanche, 
taque many gallant feats of arms were performed on each side : but, 
in the end, the English crossed over, and, as they came on shore, 
hastened to the fields. After the king, the prince, and the other 
lords had crossed, the French did not long keep in the order they 
were in, but ran off for the fastest. When sk God^mar du Fay 
found his army was discomfited, he saved himself as quickly as he 
could, and many with him; some making fur Abbeville, others for 
St. Ricquier. The infantry, however, could not escape ; and there 
were numbers of those from Abbeville, Arras, Montreuil, and St. 
Ricquie'r, slain or taken prisoners : the pursuit lasted more than a 
league. The English had scarcely gained the opposite bank, when 
some of the light horse of the French army, particularly those be- 
longing to the king of Bohemia and sir John of Hainault, advanced 
upon the rear, took from them some horses and accoutrements, and 
slew several on the bank who were late in crossing. The king of 
France had set out from Airaines that morning, thinking to find the 
English on the banks of the Somme : when news was brought to 
him of the defeat of sir God^mar and his army, he immediately 
halted, and demanded from his marshals, what was to be done : they 
answered, " You can only cross the river by the bridge of Abbe, 
ville, for the tide is now in at Blanchetaque." The king of France 
therefore turned back, and took up his quarters at Abbeville. The 
king of England, when he had crossed the Somme, gave thanks to 
God for it, and began his march in the same order as he had done 
before. He called to him Gobin Agace, gave him his freedom with- 
out ransom, as well as that of his companions, and ordered the hun- 
dred nobles of gold to be given him, and also a good horse. The 
king continued his march, thinking to take up his quarters at a good 
and large town called Noyelle.t situated har<l by ; b\it when he was 
informed that it belonged to the countess d'Aumarle, sister to the 
late Robert d'Artois, he sent to assure the inhabitants, as well as all 
the farmers belonging to her, that they should not be hurt. He 
marched further on ; but his two marshals rode to Crotoy, near the 
Bea ; they took the town, and burnt it. In the harbor they found 
many ships, and other vessels, laden with wines, from Poitou, Sain, 
tonge, and la Rochelle : they ordered the best to be carried to the 
English army: then one of the marshals pushed forward, even as 
far as the gates of Abbeville, and returned by St. Ricquier, following 
the sea.shore to the town of St. Esprit de Rue.§ 

These two battalions of the marshals came, on a Friday in the 
afternoon, to where the kmg was ; and they fixed their quarters, all 
three together, near Crecy in Ponthieu. The king of England, who 
had been informed that the king of France was following him, in 
order to give him battle, said to his people : " Let us post ourselves 
here ; for wc will not go further before we have seen our enemies. 
I have good reason to wait for them on this spot ; as I am now upon 
the lawful inheritance of my lady-mother, which was given her as 
her marriage portion ; and I am resolved to defend it against my 
adversary, Philippe de Valois." On account of his not having more 
than an eighth part of the forces which the king of France had, his 
marshals fi.\cd upon the most advantageous situation ; and the army 
went and took possession of it. He then sent his scouts toward 



*St. Ricquiei^two lengues and a half from Abbeville. 

t A town in Picnrdy, at tlie mouth of the Somrae, opposite to St. Vslery 

t Government of Montreuil. 

S Two leagues from St. Valecy. I believe it is now called Rue onlr. 



Abbeville, to learn if the king of France meant to take the field this 
Friday ; but they returned, and said they saw no appearance of it ; 
upon which, he dismissed his men to their quarters, with orders to 
be in readiness by times in the morning, and to assemble in the same 
place. The king of France remained all Friday in Abbeville, wait- 
ing for more troops. He sent his marshals, the lord of St. Venanf, 
and lord Charles of Montmorency, out of Abbeville, to examine the 
country, and get some certain intelligence of the English. They 
returned, about vespers, with information that the English were, en- 
camped on the plain. That night the king of France entertained at 
supper, in Abbeville, all the princes and chief lords. There was 
much conversation relative to war; and the king entreated them, 
after supper, that they would always remain in friendship with each 
other ; that they would be friends without jealousy, and courteous 
without pride. The king was still expecting the earl of Savoy, who 
ought to have been there with a thousand lances, as he had been 
well paid for them at Troyes in Champaign, three months in advance. 



CHAPTER CXXVII. 

THL PMlER OF BATTLE OP THE ENSLISH AT CKECY, WHO WERE DKAWN 
ITP IN THREE BATTALIONS ON FOOT. 

The king of England, as I have mentioned before, encamped this 
Friday in the plain: for he found the.country abounding in provisions ; 
but, if they should have failed, he had plenty in -the carriages which 
attended on him. The army set about fuiTiishing and repairing their 
armor ; and the king gave a supper that evening to the earls and 
barons of his army, where they made good cheer. On their taking 
leave, the king remained alone, with the lords of his bed-chamber : he 
retired into his oratory, and, falling on his knees before the altar, 
prayed to God, that, if he should combat his enemies on the morrow^, 
he might come ofi" with honor. About midnight he went to bed ; and, 
rising early the next day, he and the prince of Wales heard mass, and 
communicated. The greater part of his army did the same, confessed, 
and made proper preparations. After mass, the king ordered his men 
to arm themselves, and assemble on the ground he had before fixed 
on. He had inclosed a large park near a wood, on the rear of his 
army, in which he placed all his baggage-wagons and horses; and 
this park had but one entrance : his men.at.arms and archers remained 
on foot. 

The king afterwards ordered, through his constable and his two 
marshals, that the army should be divided into three battalions. In 
the first, he placed the young prince of Wales, and with him the 
earls of Warwick and Oxford, sir Godfrey de Harcourt, the lord Regi. 
nald Cobham, lord Thomas Holland, lord StaiVord, lord Mauley, the 
lord Delaware, sir John Chandos, lord Eartholomew Burgherst, lord 
Robert Neville, lord Thomas Clifford, the lord Bourchier, the lord 
Latimer, and many other knights and squires whom I cannot name. 
There might be, in this first division, about eight hundred men.at- 
arms, two thousand archers, and a thousand Welshmen. They ad- 
vanced in regular order to their ground, each lord under his banner 
and pennon, and in the centre of his men. In the second battalion 
were the earl of Northampton, the earl of Arundel, the lords Roos, 
Willoughby, Basset, Saint Albans, sir Lewis Tufton, lord Multon, the 
lord Lascels, and many others ; amounting, in the whole, to about 
eight hundred men.at.arms, and twelve hundred archers. The third 
battalion was commanded by the king, and was composed of about 
seven hundred raen-at-arms, and two thousand* archers. 

The king then mounted a small palfrey, having a white wand ia 
his hand, and attended by his two marshals on each .side of him : he 
rode a foot's pace through all the ranks, encouraging and entreating 
the army, that they would guard his honor and defend his right. He 
spoke this so sweetly, and with such a cheerful countenance, that all 
who had been dispirited were directly comforted by seeing and hear, 
ing him. When he had thus visited all the battalions, it was near ten 
o'clock : he retired to his own division, and ordered them all to eat 
heartily, and drink a glass after. They ate and drank at their ease ; 
and, having packed up pots, barrels, &c., in the carts, they returned 
to their battalions, according to the marshals' orders, and seated 
themselves on the groimd, placing their helmets and bows before 
them, that they might be the fresher when their enemies should arriva 



CHAPTER CXXVIII. 

THE ORDER OF THE FRENCH ARMY AT CRECT. 

That same Saturday, the king of France rose betimes, and heard 
mass in the monastery of St. Peter's in Abbeville, where he was 
lodged : having ordered his army to do the same, he left that town 
after sunrise. When he had marched about two leagues from Ab. 
beville, and was approaching the enemy, he was advised to form his 
army in order of battle, and to let those on foot march forward, that 
they might not be trampled on by the horses. The king, upon this, 
sent ofl" four knights, the lord Moyne of Bastleberg,t the lord of Noy- 
ers, the lord of Beaujeu, and the lord of Aubigny, who rode so near lo 

* D. Sauvage'B edition and lord Bemers' say twelve hundred archers.— Eo. 
I The lord Mojne of Bastleburs in Bohemia.— Barkhs. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



81 



the English that they coulJ clearly distinguish their position. The 
Enghsh plainly perceived they were come to reconnoitre them : 
however, they took no notice of it, but suffered them to return un- 
molested. When the king of France saw them coming back, he 
halted his army ; and the knights, pushing through the crowds, came 
near the king, who said to them, " My lords, what news ?" They 
looked at eaelt other, without opening their mouths : for neither chose 
to speak first 



CHAPTER GXXIX. 



THE BATTLE OF CRECY, BETWEEN THE KINGS OF FRANCE AND OF 
ENGLAND. 

The English, who were drawn up in three divisions, and seated on 
the ground, on seeing their enemies advance, rose undauntedly up, 

...^ •— — '""^ '^" '"'" '''^^ir ranks. That of the prince was the firet to do sOj 

At last,' the king addr°essed himself to the lord Moyne, | whose archers were formed in the manner of a portcullis, or liarrow, 

and the men-at-arms in tha 
rear. The earls of Northamp. 
ton and Arundel, who com. 
manded the second division, 
had posted themselves in good 
order on his wing, to assist and 
succor the prince, if heeessaiy. 
You must know, that these 
kings, earls, barons and lords 
of France, did not advance in 
any regular order, but one aftet 
the other, or any way most 
pleasing to themselves. Aa 
soon as the king of France 
came in sight of the English, 
his blood began to boil, and he 
cried out to his marshals, " Or- 
der the Genoese forward, and 
begin the battle, in the name 
of God and St. Denis." There 
were about fifteen thousand 
Genoese cross-bowmen ; but 
they were quite fatigued, hav- 
ing marched oh foot tliat day 
8i.\ leagues, completely arpied, 
and with their cross-bows. 
They told the consto.ble, they 
were not in a fit condition to 
do any great things that day in 
battle. The earl of Alencon, 
hearing this, said; " This is 
what one gets by employing 
such scoundrels, who fall' ofl 
■when there is any need for 
them." During this time a 
heavy rain fell, accompanied 
by thunder and a very terrible 
, eclipse of the sun ; and before 
this rain a great flight of crows 
hovered in the air over all those 
battalions, making aloud noise. 
Shortly afterwards it cleared 
up, and the sun shone very 
bright ; but the Frenchmen 
had it in their faces, and the 
English in their backs. When the Genoese were somewhat in 
order, and approached the English, they set up a loud shout,* in order 
to frighten them ; but they remained quite still, and did not seem to 
attend to it. They then set up a second shout, and advanced a little 
forward ; but the English never moved. 

They hooted a third time, advancing with their cross-bows presented, 
and began to shoot. The English archers then advanced one step 
forward, and shot their arrows with such force and quickness, th-.^tit 
seemed as if it snowed. When the Genoese felt the«e arrows, which 
pierced their aims, heads, and through their armor, s-on^e of them cut 
the strings.of their cross-bows, others flung them on the ground, and 
all turned about and retreated quite discomfited. The Flench had a 
large body of men-at-arms on horseback, lichly dressed, to support 
the Genoese. The king of France, seeing tbeni thu.-^ fall back, cried 
out, " Kill me those scoundrels ; for they stop up our road, without 




Battle of Crecy— From a MS. Proiasart of tlie 15th Century. 



•who was attached to the king of Bohemia, and had performed very 
many gallant deeds, bo that he was esteemed one of the most valiant 
knights in Christendom. The lord Moyne said, " Sir, I will speak, 
since it pleases you to order mc, but under the correction of my com- 
panions. We have advanced far enough to reconnoitre your enemies. 
Know, then, that they are drawn up in three battalions, and are 
waiting for you. I would advise, for my part, (submitting, however, 
to better counsel,) that you halt your army here, and quarter them 
for the night ; for before the rear shall come up, and the army be 
properly drawn out, it will be very late, your men will be tired and 
in disorder, while they will find your enemies fresh and properly ar- 
rayed. On the morrow, you may draw up your army more at your 
-ease, and may reconnoitre at leisure on what part it will be most ad- 
vantageous to begin the attack ; for, be assured they will wait for 
you." The king commanded that it should so be done : and the two 
marshals rode, one toward the front, and the other to the rear, crying 
out, " Halt banners, in the name of God and St. Denis." Those that 
were in the front halted ; but those behind said they would not halt, 
until they were as forward as the front. When the front perceived 
the rear pressing on, they pushed forward ; and neither the king nor 
the marshals could stop them, but they marched without any order 
until they came in sight of their enemies. As soon as the foremost 
rank saw them, they fell back at once, in great disorder, which 
alarmed those in the rear, who thought they had been fighting. There 
was then space and room enough for them to have passed forward, 
had they been willing so to do: some did so, but others remained shy. 
All the roads between Abbeville and Crecy were covered with com- 
mon people, who, when they were come witliin three leagues of their 
enemies, drew their swords, bawling out, " Kill, kill ;" and with 
them were many great lords that were eager to make show of their 
courage. There is no man, unless he had been present, that can 
imagine, or describe truly, the confusion of that day ; especially the 
bad management and disorder of the French, whose troops were out 
of number. What I know, and shall relate in this book, I have learnt 
chiefly from the English, who had well observed the confusion they 
were in, and from those attached to sir John of Hainault, who was 
always near the person of the king of France. 



♦ Lord Berners' account of tlie advance of iho Cerinete is sonwwlr^it different Irom 
thh • he describes tliem as leaping forward with afeU cry, aii.l a» tins ■> not meiiUoned in 
the printed editions, it seems probable that lie followed u MS. v a.yiiis irom those exam- 
ined by Mr. Jolmes. The whole passage is so spirited and grapiiic that we e've ll entire, 
for tlie gratification of the render.— En. 

•• Whan ;lie genowayes were assembled loguyder and beganne to aproclic, Ihey made 
a creat leape and crye to ubasshe thenslysshmeii. but they >iodc nyll and slyredile naC 
for all that. Than the genowayes agayne the secoi.de ty.i.e n.iide imolher leape and a 
fell crye and stepped Ibrwarde a iytell. andtlient-lysshinen roir.ened natone fote : thirdly 
a.aynethej leapt and cryed, and went forthe tyll they came within shotle ; than Uiey 
sholtefeersly with their crosbowes. Than llienel)s,lie archers slepllurlhe one pase and 
lette fly their arowes so hotly and so Uiycke that itsen.ed snowe. VV bail Uie genowayes 
fclle the arowes persynge through heedes, armes. and brestes .n:„iy ol then, '-n^t lowne 

heir crosbowes and did culle their strynges and, retonrned dy.connted Whnn<ha 
fre, Che kyngesawe them flye away, he s„id, Sleellie.e rascal,, for they shall lelte ar^d 

rouble us wiihout reason; than you sh.mlde bane .euetbe iiien ol armes dassbe m 
among ftem and krlled a great nombre of them ; and ener si, II the englyvshinen shot 
where as they sawe thyckesl preace, the sharpe arowes reni.e inio the men of armes 
Ld into their horses, and many fell hor^e and men amonse ihe ..enow «ye.s and whan 
?liy weredownelheycoude nat relyne agayne; Hie prea-e was so Ihycke that one 
ouer. uewe a nullier. And also amongetheengl,>she,nen ih=re werecer.ayne rascally 
"hat went a fo.e with great knyues, and they wen. in amijiig ihe men """"■«^ »"'' 
s lewe and n.urdredde many as they lay on the groiin.le, both eries barownes. ki.yehu. 
and sooyerrwhereof the kyng of Englande was after dyspleased. lor be had raU.er U^J 
had beea taken prisoners." 



82 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, Sec. 



* HisblindnesB was supposed <o be caused by poison, which was (;i»en to him when 
eneaged in tlie wars of Italy— Bonamv, JUtm. de I' J}c<uiemie. vol. xxiii. 

t AviJlape in Picardy. election of Mundidier. 

t Pir Tiiomas Norwicii.— .MSS. 

_ 5 The style of Lord Bemers. in many instances, is so different from the mo<le of eipres- 
non adopted by .Mr. Johnes, as almost to makelhe parallel passuee appear a di-stincloar- 
raljve and ni such cases it is interestins to compare the two translations. The following 
Js Lord Berners' ver-sion of tJiis narration.— Ed. 

"In the momyng the day of tie botayle certoyne fieachemen and almaygnes perforce 



any reason." You would then have seen the above-mentioned men- 
at-arms lay about them, killing all they could of these runaways. 

The English continued shooting as vigorously and quickly as be. 
fore ; some of their an'ows fell among the horsemen, who were sump- 
tuously equipped, and, killing and wounding many, made them caper 
and fall among the Genoese, so that they were in such confusion they 
could never rally again. In the English army there were some Corn- 
ish and Welshmen on foot, who had armed themselves with large 
knives ; these advancing through the ranks of the men-at-aims and 
archers, who made way for them, came upon the Frencli when tliey 
were in this danger, and, falling upon earls, barons, knights and 
squires, slew many, at which the king of England was afterwards 
much exasperated. The valiant king of Bohemia was slain there. 
He was called Charles of Luxembourg ; for he was the son of the 
gallant king and emperor, Henry of Luxembourg : having heard the 
order of the battle, he inquired where his son, the lord Charles, was: 
his attendants answered, that tlicy did not know, but believed he was 
fighting. The king said to them ; " Gentlemen, you are all my peo- 
ple, my friends and brethren at arms this day: therefore, as I am 
blind,* I request of you to lead me so far into the engagement that 1 
may strike one stroke with mysword." The knights replied, they 
would directly lead him forward ; and in order that they might not 
lose him in the crowd, tliey fastened all the reins of their horses 
together, and put the king at their head, that lie might gratify his 
wish, and advanced toward the enemy. The lord Charles of Bohe- 
mia, who already signed his name as king of Germany, and bore the 
arms, had come in good order to the engagement ; but when he per- 
ceived that it was likely to turn out against the French, he departed, 
and I do not well know what road he took. The king, his father, 
had rode in among the enemy, and made good use of his sword ; for 
he and his companions had fought most gallantly. They had advanced 
so far that they were all slain ; and on the morrow they were found 
on the ground, with their horses all tied together. 

The earl of Alonjon advanced in regular order upon the English, 
to fight with them ; as did the earl of Flanders, in another part. 
These two lords, with their detachments, coasting, as it were, the 
archers, came to the prince's battalion, where they fought valiantly 
for a length of time. The king of France was eager to march to the 
place where he saw their banners displayed, but there was a hedge of 
archers before him. He had that day made a present of a handsome 
black horse to sir John of Hainault, who had mounted on it a knight 
of his, called sir John de Fusselles, that bore his banner: which horse 
ran off with him, and forced his way through the English army, and, 
when about to return, stumbled and fell into a ditch and severely 
wounded him : he would have been dead, if his page had not fol- 
lowed him round the battalions, and found hiin unable to rise : he 
had not, however, any other hindrance than from his horse ; for the 
English did not quit the ranks that day to make prisoners. The page 
alighted, and raised him up ; but he did not return the way he came, 
as he would have found it difficult from the crowd. This battle, 
which was fought on the Saturday between la Broyest and Crecy, 
was very murderous and cruel; and many gallant deeds of arms were 
performed that were never known. Toward evening, many knights 
and squires of the French had lost their masters : they wandered up 
and down the plain, attacking the English in small parties : they 
were soon destroyed ; for the English had determined that day to 
give no quarter, or hoar of ransom from any one. 

Early in the day, some French, Germans, and Savoyards, had 
broken through the archers of the prince's battalion, and had engaged 
with the men-at-arms ; upon which the second battalion came to his 
aid, and it was time, for otherwise he would have been hard pressed. 
The first division, seeing the danger they were in, sent a knightt in 
great haste to the king of England, who was posted upon an emi- 
nence, near a windmill. On the knight's arrival, he said, " Sir, the 
earl of Warwick, the lord Reginald Cobham, and the otiiers who are 
about your son, are vigorously attacked by the French ; and they en- 
treat that you would come to their assistance with your battalion, for, 
if their numbers should increase, they fear he will have too much to 
do." The king replied, "Is my son dead, unhorsed, or so badly 
wounded that he cannot support himself?" " Nothing of the sort, 
thank God," rejoined the knight ; but he is in so hot an engagement 
that he has great need of your help." The king answered, " Now, 
sir Thomas, return back to those that sent you, and tell them from 
me, not to send again for ntc this day, or expect that I shall come, let 
what will happen, as long as my son has life ; and say, that I com. 
anand them to let the boy win his spurs ; for I am determined, if it 
please God, that all the glory and honor of this day shall be given to 
hhn, and to those into whose care I have intrusted him." The knight 
yaturned to his lords, and related the king's answer, which mightily 
encouraged them, and made them repent they had ever sent such a 
message.^ 



It IS a certain fact, that sir Godfrey de Harcourt, who was in the 
prince's battalion, having been told by some of the English, that 
they had seen the banner of his brother engaged in the battle against 
him, was exceedingly anxious to save him ; but he was too late, for 
he was left dead on the field, and so was the earl of Aumarle his 
nephew. On the other hand, the earls of Alen^on and. of Flanders 
were fighting lustily under their banners, and with their own people ; 
but they could not resist the force of the English, and were there 
slain, as well as many other knights and squires that were attending 
on or accompanying tlieni. The earl of Blois, nephew to the king, 
ol France, and the duke of Lorraine, his brother-in-law, with their 
troops, made a gallant defence ; but they were surrounded by a troop 
of English and Welsh, and slain in spite of their prowess. The carl 
of St. Pol and the earl of Auxerre were also killed, as well as many 
others. Late after vespers, the king of France had not more about 
him than sixty men, every one included. Sir John of Hainault, who 
was of the number, had once remounted the king ; for his horse had 
been killed under him by an arrow : he said to the king, " Sir, re- 
treat while you have an opportunity, and do not expose yourself ao 
simply : if you have lost this battle, another time you will be the 
conqueror." After he had said this, he took the bridle of the king's 
horse, and led him ofi' by force ; for he had before entreated of hira 
to retire. The king rode on until he came to the castle of la Broyes, 
where ho found the gates shut,, for it was very dark. The king 
ordered the governor of it to be summoned : he came upon the 
battlements, and asked who it was that called at such an hour? 
The king answered, " Open, open, governor ; it is the fortune of 
France." The governor, hearing the king's voice, immediately 
descended, opened the gate, and let down the bridge. The king 
and his company entered the castle ; but he had only with him five 
barons, sir John of Hainault, the lord Charles of Montmorency, the 
lord of Beaujeu, the lord of Aubigny, and the lord of Montfort. 
The king would not bury himself in such a jilace as that, but, having 
taken some refreshments, set out again with his attendants about 
midnight, and rode on, under the direction of guides who were well 
acquainted with the country, until, about daybreak, he came to 
Amiens, where he halted. This Saturday the English never quitted 
their ranks in pursuit of any one, but remained on the field, guarding 
their position, and defending themselves against all who attacked 
them. The battle was ended at the hour of vespers. 



CHAPTER CXXX. 

THE ENGLISH ON THE MORROW AGAIN DEFEAT THE FRENCn. 

When, on the Saturday night, the English heard no more hooting 
or shouting, nor any more crying out to particular lords or their 
banners, they looked upon the field as their own, and their enemies 
as beaten. They made great fires, and lighted torches because of 
the obscurity of the night. King Edward then came down from his 
post, who all that day had not put on his helmet, and, with his whole 
battalion, advanced to the prince of Wales, whom he embraced in his 
arms and kissed, and said, " Sweet son, God give you good perse- 
verance : you are my son, for most loyally have you acquitted your- 
self this day : you are worthy to be a sovereign." The prince 
bowed down very low, and humbled himself, giving all the honor to 
the king his father. The English, during the night, made frequent 
thanksgivings to the Lord, for the happy issue of the day, and with- 
out rioting ; for the king had forbidden all riot or noise. On the 
Sunday morning, there was so great a fog that one could scarcely see 
the distance of half an acre. The king ordered a detachment from 
the army, under the command of the two marshals, consisting of 
about five hundred lances and two thousand archers, to make an 
excursion, and see if there were any bodies of French collected 
together. The quota of troops from Rouen and Beauvais, had, thia 
Sunday morning, left .\bbeville and St. Ricquier in Ponthieu, to 
join the French army, and were ignorant of the defeat ot the preced- 
ing evening : they met this detachment, and, thinking they must be 
French, hastened to join them. 

As soon as the Enghsh found who they were, they fell upon them ; 
and there was a sharp engagement ; but the French soon turned 
their backs, and fled in great disorder. There were slain in this 
llight in the open fields, under hedges and bushes, upward of seven 
thousand; and had it been clear weather, not one soul would have 
escaped. 



opyned the archers of the princes batayle, and came and fought with the men at arme»- 
hande to haiide. Than tlie second hatayle of theuglyshe men came to socour the prince's- 
batayle, the whiche was tyuie. fir they had as than moche ado, and they with the 
prince sent a messangar to the icynge who was on a lytell wyndmill hill. Than the 
knyght sayd to the kyng. Sir therle of Warwyke and therle of Cafort (Stafford) Sir 
Reynolde Cobham and other such as be about the prince your sonne are feersly fought 
with all, and are sore handled, wherefore they desire you that you and y<,ur batayle woll 
come and ayde them, for if the frenchemen encrease as tliey dout they woll your Sonne 
and tJiey shall have moche a do. Than the kynge sayde, is my Sonne deed or hurt or on 
the yerihe felled ? No, sir, quoth the knight, but he is hardely matched wherfore he hatll 
nede of your ayde. Well sayde the kyng, retourne to hym and to them that sent yon 
hyther, and say to tiiem tlial they sende no more to me for any adventure that falletli as 
long as my sonne is alyve ; and also say to tliem that they suffer hym this day to Wynne 
his spurres fi»r if God be pleased, I woll this ioumey be his and the honoure tlierof and 
to tJiem that he ahoute hym. Than the knyght retoumed agayn to them and sliowed 
the kynges wordcs, the which greaUy encouraged them, and repoyned in that they had 
sende to the kynge as they dyd." 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



83 



A little time afterwards, this same party fell in with the archbishop 
of Rouen and the great prior of France, who were also ignorant of 
the discomfiture of the French : for they had been informed that the 
king was not to fight before Sunday. Here began a fresh battle : for 
those two lords were well attended by good men-at-arms; however, 
they could not withstand the English, but were almost all slain, 
with the two chiefs who commanded them ; very few escaping. In 
the course of the morning, the English found many Frenchmen who 
had lost their road on the Saturday, and had lain in the open fields, 
not knowing what was become of the king, or their own leaders. 
The English put to the sword all they met : and it has been assured 
to me fox fact, that of foot soldiers, sent from the cities, towns and 
municipalities, there were slain, this Sunday morning, four times as 
many as in tlie battle of Saturday. 



CHAPTER CXXXI. 

THE ENGLISH NUMBER THE DEAD SLAIN AT THE BATTLE OF CKECV. 

This detachment, which had been sent to look after the French, 
returned as the king was coming from mass, and related to him all 
that they had seen and met with. After he had been assured by 
tliem that there was not any appearance of the French collecting 
another army, he sent to have the numbers and condition of the dead 
e.xamined. 

He ordered on this business, lord Reginald Cobham, lord Stafford, 
and three heralds to examine their arms,* and two secretaries to 
write down all the names. They took much pains to examine all 
the dead, and were the whole day in the deld of battle, not returning 
but just as the king was sitting down to supper. They made to him 
a very circumstantial report of all they had obser\ed, and said, they 
had found eighty banners, the bodies of eleven princes, twelve hun. 
drcd knights, and about thirty thousand common men. . 

The English halted there that day, and on the Monday morning 
prepared to march off". The king ordered the bodies of the principal 
knights to be taken from the ground, and carried to the monastery 
of Montenay, which was hard by, there to be interred in consecrated 
ground. Ho had it proclaimed in the neighborhood, that he should 
grant a truce for three days, in order that the dead might be buried. 
He then marched on, passing by Montrieul-sur-mer.t 

His marshals made an excursion as far as Hesdin,t and burnt Vau- 
bain and Serain ; but they could make nothing of the castle, as it 
was too strong and well guarded. They lay that Monday night upon 
the banks of the Canche, near Blangy. The next day they rode 
toward Boulogne, and burnt the towns of St. Josse and Neufchatel :§ 
they did the same to Estaples, in the country of the Boulonois. The 
whole army passed through the forest of Hardelou, and the country 
of the Boulonois, and came to the large town of Wisant, where the 
king, prince, and all the English lodged ; and having refreshed them- 
selves there one whole day, they came, on the Thui-sday, before the 
strong town of Calais. 



and gave to each two sterlings, as charity and alms, for which many 
of them prayed earnestly for the king. 



CHAPTER CXXXIII. 

THE DtTKE OF NOKMANDY KAI.SES THE SIEGE OF AiaUILLOX. 

The duke of Normandy, whom we left before- Aiguillon, which 
he was besieging, and sir VValter Manny and the other knights who 
were within it, made, about the middle of August, a skirmish before 
the castle, which increased so much that almost his whole army was 
engaged in it. Near about this time, the lord Philip' of Burgundy, 
earl of Artois and of Boulogne, and cousin-german to the duke, 
arrived. He was a very young knight : as soon as this skirmish 
commenced, he armed himself, and, mounring a handsome steed, 
stuck spurs into him, in order to hasten to the combat ; but the horse, 
taking the bit between his teeth, ran ofl'with him, and, in crossing a 
ditch, fell into it, upon the knight, who was so grievously bruised 
that he never recovered, and in a short time died. Soon afterwards, 
the king of France sent to his son, tlie duke of Normandy, to lay 
all other things aside, and raise the siege, in order to return directly 
into France, to defend his inheritance against the English. The 
duke, upon this, demanded advice from the earls and barons there 
present ; for he had vowed he would never move from thence until 
he had the castle, and all within it, in his power : but they assured 
him, since the king, his father, had so expressly ordered liim to re- 
turn, he might comply without any forfeiture of his honor. On the 
morrow, at break of day, therefore, the French decamped, and, trus. 
sing up tents and baggage with great haste, took the road for France. 

The knights %vho were in Aiguillon, seeing this, armed themselves, 
and mounting their horses, sallied forth ; the pennon of sir Walter 
Manny taking the lead, fell upon the French, who were scarcely 
all marched off", cut down and slew numbers, and took upward of 
forty prisoners, whom they brought back to the castle. From them 
they learned the successful campaign the king of England had made 
in France, and that at present he was laying siege to Calais. Before 
the king of France left Amiens, al'ter the battle of Crccy, to go for 
Paris, he was so much enraged against sir Godfimar du Fay, for not 
having done his duty in defending the ford of Blanchetaque, by 
which means the English had entered Ponthicu, that he had deter- 
mined to hang him ; to which many of his council also were inclined, 
for they were desirous that sir Godi-mar should make some amends, 
by his death, for the defeat the king had suffered at Crecy, and called 
him traitor ; but sir John of Hainault excused him, and averted the 
king's anger, by saying that it would have been difficult for him to 
have resisted the English army, when all the flower of the French 
nobility could do nothing. Soon after this, the duke of Normandy 
arrived in France, where he was joytully received by his parents, tha 
king and queen. 



CHAPTER CXXXII. 

THE KING OF ENGLAND LAYS SIEGE TO CALAIS THE POOKER SORT OF THE 

I.N'HAEITANTS ARE SENT OUT OF IT. 

A BtniGU.VDY knight, named sir .Tohn de Vienne, was governor of 
Calais ; and with him were sir Arnold d'Andreghen, sir .Fohn de Su- 
ric, sir Bardo de Bellebourne, sir Geoftiy de la Motte, sir Pepin de 
Were, and many other knights and squires. On the king's arrival 
before Calais, he laid siege to it, and built between it and the river 
and bridge, houses of wood : they were laid out in streets, and thatched 
with straw or broom : and in this town of the king's, there was 
everything necessary for an army, besides a market-place, where 
there were markets, every Wednesday and Saturday, for butchers' 
meat, and all other sorts of merchandise ; cloth, bread, and everything 
else, which came from England, and Flanders, might be had there, 
as well as all comforts, for money. The English made frequent 
excursions to GuinesH and its neighborhood, and to the gates of St. 
Omer and Boulogne, from whence they brought great booties back 
to the army. The king made no attacks upon the town, as he knew 
it would be only lost labor ; and he was sparing of his men and artil- 
lery; but said, he would remain there so long that he would starve 
the town into a surrender, unless the king of France should come 
there to raise the siege. When the governor of Calais saw the pre- 
parations of the king of England, he collected together all the poor 
inhabitants, who had not laid in any store of provisions, and, one 
Wednesday morning, sent upward of seventeen hundred men, wo. 
men and children, out of the town. As they were passing through 
the English army, they asked them, why they had left the town ? They 
replied, because they had nothing to eat. The king, upon tliis, 
allowed them to pass through in safety, ordered them a hearty dinner. 



' * In tliosedays. knights, orpersons of note, wore over their armor asurcoat, Iiaving 
their arms blazoned upon it. Tiiis may beseen in any old paiattngs of that age. 

t In Picardy, diocese of Amiens. 

X In Artois, situated on the Canche, diocese of Arras. 
■ % Villages in Picardy. 

II In Picardy, two leasnei and a half from Calais. It was in the posieisioa of the 
English above two hundred years 



CHAPTER CXXXIV. 

SIR WALTER M.ANNV, BY MEANS OF A PASSPORT, RIDES THROtTGH FRiJtCE, 
FROM AIGUILLON TO CALAIS. 

About this time, sir Walter Manny had a conversation with a 
great knight from Normandy, whom he detained as his prisoner, and 
asked him, what sum he was willing to pay for his ransom? The 
knight replied, " Three thousand crowns." Upon this, sir Walter 
said, " I know you are related to the duke of Normandy, much be. 
loved by him, and one of his privy councillors. I will let you free 
upon your honor, if you will go to the duke, and obtain from him a 
passport for myself and twenty others, that we may ride through 
France, as far as Calais, paying courteously for whatever we may 
want ; if therefore you obtain this from the king, I shall hold you 
free from your ransom, and also be much obliged to you ; for I have 
a great desii'e to see the king of England, and will not remain in 
any town more than one night. If you cannot accomplish it, you' 
will return in a month to this fortress, as to your prison." The knight 
set out for Paris, and having obtained from the duke the passport, 
returned with it to sir Walter at Aiguillon, who acquitted him of his 
ransom. Sir Walter, shortly afterwards, set out with twenty horse, 
and took his road through Auvergne. He told everywhere who he 
was, and, at every place he stopped, showed his passport, and was 
directly set at liberty ; but at Orleans he was arrested, although he 
showed his papers, and from thence conducted to Paris, where he 
was confined in the prison of the Chatelet. When the duke of Nor- 
mandy heard of it, he went immediately to the king and remonstratetl 
with him on the subject, because sir Walter Manny had had his pass- 
port through his means, and demanded that he should, as soon as 
possible, be set at liberty ; otherwise it would be said that he had 
betrayed him. The king answered, that he intended putting him to 
death, for he looked upon him as one of his greatest enemies. Upon 
which the duke said, that if he put his intentions in e.xecution, he 
would never bear arms against the king of England, and would pre- 
vent all those dependent on him from doing the same. Very high 
words passed between them; and he left the king, declaring he would 
never serve in any of his armies, so long as Walter Manny should 
remain in prison. 



84 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



Things remained in this situation a long time. There was a knight 
from Hainault, named sir Mansart d' Aianes, who was eager to serve 
Bir Walter, but had great difficulty in getting access to the duke of 
Normandy : however, at last the king was advised to let sir Walter 
out of prison, and to pay him all his expenses. The king would 
have sir Walter to dine with him in the hotel de Nesle at Paris ; 
when he presented him with gifts and jewels to the amount of a thou- 
sand florins. Sir Walter accepted of them, upon condition, thai 
when he got to Calais he should inform the king, his lord, of it ; and 
if it were agreeable to his pleasure, he would keep them, otherwise 
he woidd send them back. The king and duke said, that he had 
spoken like a loyal knight. Sir Walter then took leave of them, 
rode on by easy day's journeys to Hainault, and remained, to refresh 
liimself, three days in Valenciennes. He arrived at Calais, where 
he was well received by the king of England, who, upon being in- 
formed by sir Walter of the presents he had had from tiie king of 
France, said, " Sir Walter, you have hitherto most loyally served us, 
and we hope you will continue to do so ; send back to king Philip 
his presents, for you have no right to keep them : we have enough, 
thank God, for you and ourselves, and are perfectly well disposed to 
do you all the good in our power, for the services you have rendered 
us." Sir Walter took out all the jewels, and, giving them to his 
cousin, the lord of Mansac, said, " Ride into France, to king-Philip, 
and recommend me to him; and tell him, that I tliank him many 
times for tiie fine jewels he presented me with, but that it is not 
agreeable to the will and pleasure of the kiirg of England, my lord, 
that I retain them." The knight did as he was commanded ; but 
the king of France would not take back the jewels : he gave them 
to the lord of Mansac, who thanked the king for them, and had no 
inclination to refuse them. 



CHAPTER CXXXV. 

IHE EARL OF DERBY TAKES MANY TOWNS AND CASTLES IN TOITOU, AND 
THE CITY OF POITIERS. 

It has been before mentioned, that the earl of Derby had remained 
in the city of Bordeaux during the siege of Aiguillon. As soon as 
he was informed that the duke of Normandy had raised the siege, he 
issued out his summons to all knights and squires in Gascony that 
"Were attached to the English. In obedience to which, there came to 
Bordeaux the lords d'Albret, de I'Esparre, de Rosem, de Mucidan, 
de Pumiers, de Courton, de Bouqueton, sir Aymery de Traste, and 
many others. The earl collected twelve htuidred men-at-arms, two 
thousand archers, and three thousand infantiy. With these he 
crossed the Garonne, between Bordeaux and Blayes, and took the 
road forSaintonge. He first came before Mirabeau,* which he took 
by assault as well as the castle; and, having placed therein a garri- 
son of his own men, rode on to Aulnay,t which he also took and its 
castle, and then Benont and Surgcres :§ but they could make nothing 
of the castle of Maran9,|| which is about three leagues from la Ro- 
chelle : they pushed on, therefore, to Montaigne-sur-mer in Poitou, 
which they took and re-garrisoned. They then advanced to Lusig. 
nanlT and burnt the town, but could not gain the castle. They next 
marched to Taillebourg,** and, having conquered the bridge, town 
and castle, pin all the inhabitants to the sword, because they had in 
the assault killed a valianfknight. The whole country was so much 
alarmed that they fled before the English, leaving their houses empty 
and defenceless, to shut themselves up in the fortified towns. There 
was not any appearance of opposition from the knights and squires 
of SaintOngc, who had retired to their fortresses, without making any 
effort to combat the English. 

The earl of Derby at last came before the town of St. .lean d'An. 
gely,tt and immediately began an attack upon it. There wer6 not 
in the town any men-at-arms ; and at vespers, when the attack was 
nearly ended, sir William de Rion, mayor of the towni, and the prin. 
cipal inhabitants, sent to demand passports for six of the citizens to 
come and treat with the earl: it was granted tliem for that night, and 
the whole of the next day. On the moirow, these citizens came to 
the carl in his tent, and swore to be good Englishmen as long as the 
king of England, or any one from him, would keep them in peace 
from the French. The earl refreshed himself in the town for four 
days, and received the homage of the inhabitants: he then advanced 
to Niortjtt of which sir Guiscard d'Angle was governor. He made 
three attacks upon it; but not gaining anything, he passed on, and 
came to the village of St. Maximien, which he took by storm, and slew 
all that were within it. He next marched to Montreuil Bonin,§§ 
where there were upward of two hundred coiners, who were mint- 
ing money for the king of France, and who declared that they would 
hot obey the summons of the earl ; but there was so sharp an assault 
made on it, that the town was taken and all within put to death. The 
earl placed a new garrison in the castle, and advanced to Poitiers, 
■which is a large straggling city : he could only therefore lay siege to 



* A town m Poitou. dioc6"se of Poitiers. 

t A town in Ancenis. 

II A town in Ancenis. 

** A town in Suintonge, three leagues from Saintes. 

tt In Snintonge, diocese of Saintes. 

}1 A city in Poitou, niijeteen leagues from Poitiers. 

§§ A town in Poitou, lliree leagues from Poitiers. 



T A town in Poitou. 
§ A town in Ancenis. 
U A town in Poitou. 



it on one side ; for he had not forces sufficient to surround it. He 
immediately made an assault; but the townsmen of the poorer sort 
were so numerous, though little prepared for such an attack, and de. 
fended the town so well, that the earl's people gained nothing : they 
retired to their quarters much fatigued. On the morrow some of the 
earl's knights armed themselves, rode round the town, and after- 
wards made their report to him of what they had seen and heard 
There was then a council held ; and it was resolved to attack the 
town in three diflcrent places at once the next day, and to post the 
greater number of the men-at-arms and archers at the weakest part ; 
which was executed. 

It happened, that at that time there was not any gallant knight in 
the town who knew what deeds of arms were ; nor were they pro- 
vided with any accustomed to wars, that might advise them how pro- 
perly to defend themselves. The earl's people, therefore, at tliis 
assault entered the town at the weakest part : and, when those within 
saw themselves thus conquered, they fled for the fastest out of the 
other gates, for there were many. Upward of seven hundred were 
slain ; for the earl's people put every one to the sword, men, women 
and little childretr. The city was instantly plundered, and was full 
of wealth, as well of its own inhabitants, as of those in the neighbor- 
hood, who had retired into it as to a place of safety. The army de- 
stroyed many churches, comiuilted great waste, anil would have done 
much more, if the earl bad not forbidden, under pain of death, 
that either church or house should be set on Are ; for he was desirous 
of remaining there ten or t'velve days. Part of the disorders .were 
stopped, but much thieving still continued. The earl remained in the 
city twelve days : he might have stayed longer had he chosen it, for 
no one came to oppose him, and the whole country trembled : none 
dared to show themselves out of their strong garrisons. He left Poi- 
tiers empty, for its size rendered it untenable. The army at its de- 
parture was so ladeir with the riches they had found there, that they 
made no account of clothes, unless they were of gold and silver, or 
trimmed with furs.* They returned by easy marches to St. Jean 
d'Angely, where they remained for some time. The earl during this 
stay made handsome presents to the ladies and damsels of the town, 
and almost every day gave them grand dinners or suppers. He en. 
livened them so much that he acquired great' popularity : and they 
publicly said, he was the most noble prince that ever mounted steed. 
On his taking leave of them, he made the mayor and principal citi- 
zens renew their oath, that they would keep and detend the town, as 
tlie legal inheritance of the king of Englantj. The earl then rode on 
with his whole army to Bordeaux, pttssing by the fortresses he had 
conquered, when he dismissed his troops, and gave them many thanlcs 
for the services they had done. 



CHAPTER CXXXVI. 

THE KINS OF SCOTLAND, DURING THE SIE&E OF CALAIS, INVADES 
ENGLAND. 

I HAVE been silent some time respecting the king of Scotland; 
but until this moment I have not had anything, worth relating ; for, 
as I have before said, mutual truces had been granted between him 
and the king of England, which had not been infringed. During the 
time the king of England was carrying on the siege of Calais, the 
Scots determined to make war upon him, thinking it a good oppor- 
tunity to be revenged for the many disasters he had brought on them. 
England had at that time very few men-at-arms, as the king had a 
great number with him before Calais, as well as in his other armies 
in Brittany, Poitou, and Gascony. The king of France took great 
pains to foment this war, in order that the English might have so 
much to employ themselves at home as would 'oblige them to raise 
the siege of Calais, and return to England. ', 

King David issued his summons for a parliament to be holden at 
Perth ; which was attended by the earls, prelates, and barons of Scot, 
land, who were unanimous for invading England as speedily as pos. 
sible. Raynald, lord of the isles, who governed the wild Scots, and 
whom alone they obeyed, was sent to, and entreated to attend the 
parliament. He complied with the request, and brought three thou- 
sand of the wildest of his countrymen with him. When all the 
Scots were assembled, they amounted together to about forty thou, 
sand combatants : but they could not make their preparations so 
secretly as to prevent news of it coming to the knowledge of the 
queen of England, who had taken up her residence in the north, 
near the borders. She wrote, and sent sunmions to all that were 
attached to England to come to York by a certain day. Many men- 
at-arms and archers, who had remained at home, put themselves in 
motion, and advanced to Newcastle-upon-Tyne, which the queen 
had appointed as the final place of rendezvous. In the meanwhile, 
the Scots set out from Perth, and advanced the first day to Dunferm. 
line ; the next day they crossed a small arm of the sea ; but the king 
went to Stirling, crossed the water there on the morrow, and came 
to Edinburgh. Here they halted and numbered their men. There 

» Tlie original, according to D. Sauvage's edition, rnns lluis : " au'its ne faisoient 
coptc de draps : fms d'or et d'argmt, et dc penncs." Tlie meaning here .s not very 
clear and Mr Jolines Iras endeavored to overcome the difficulty by substitiiung lurs lor 
I'eatliers Tlie author probably intended to say, that they made no account of cloth 
except it was ol gold or silver, nor of anytliing else except featliers. Lord Bemei-ssays, 
"they selte by nothynge but gold and syluer and felhers tor men of wane."— Ed. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



85 



were full three thousand knights and squires, well anned, and thirty 
ihousand others, mounted on galloways. They marched to Rox- 




whence they began to destroy and burn the country of Cumberland. 
Some of their scouts advanced as far as York, where they burnt all 
without the walls and down the river, and returned to their army, 
within one day's jnarch of Newcastle. 



Queen PmupPA— From the Tomb in Westminster Abbey. 



turgh, the first fortress belonging to the English on their road, under 
the command of the lord William Montacute, who had Litc-ly erected 
it against the Scots. This castle is handsome, and very strong ; the 
Scots therefore passed on without attacking it, and took up their 



CHAPTER CXXXVII. 

THE BATTLE OF NEVn,LE's CKOSS. 

The queen of England, who was very an.xious to defend her king- 
dom, and guard it from all disturbers, in order to show that she was 
in earnest about it, came herself to Newcastle-upon-Tyne. She took 
up her residence there, to wait for the forces she expected from dif- 
ferent parts of the kingdom. The Scots, who were informed that 
Newcastle was the place of rendezvous of the English army, advanced 
thither, and sent their vanguard to skirmish near the town ; who, on 
their remrn, burnt some hamlets adjoining to it. The smoke and 
flames came into the town, which made the English impatient to 
sally out upon those who had done this mischief, but their leaders 
would not permit them. On the morrow, the king of Scotland, with 
full forty thousand men, including all sorts, advanced within three 
short English miles of Newcastle, and took up his quarters on the 
land of the lord Neville. He sent to inform the army in the town, 
that, if they were willing to come forth, he would wait for them and 
give them battle. The barons and prelates of England sent for an- 
swer, that they accepted his ofler, and would risk their lives with the 
i realm of their lord and king. They sallied out in number about 
twelve hundred men-at-arms, three thousand archers, and seven 
thousand other men, including the Welsh. The Scots posted them, 
selves opposite to the' English; and each army, was drawn out in 
battle array. 

The queen of England came to the place where her army was, and 
remained until it was drawn out in four battalions. The first was 
under the command of the bishop of Durham, and the lord Percy ; 
the second, under the archbishop of York, and the lord Neville : 

the third, under the bishop of 
Lincoln, and lord Mowbray ; 
the fourth, was commanded by 
lord Baliol, governor of Ber- 
wick, the archbishop of Can- 
terbury, and the lord Roo9. 
Each b.attalion had its just pro- 
portion of men-at-arms and 
archers, as was expedient. The 
queen now advanced among 
them, and entreated them to 
do their duty well, in defend- 
ing the honor of their lord and 
king, and urged them, for the 
love of God, to fight manfully. 
They promised her that they 
would acquit themselves loy- 
ally, to the utmost of their 
power, and perhaps better than 
if the king had- been there in 
person." The queen then took 
her leave, and recommended 
them to the protection of God 
and St. George. The two 
armies were soon ai'ter in mo. 
tion, and the archers on each 
side began to shoot ; but those 
of the Scots did not long con- 
tinue it, while the English shot 
incessantly. When the bat- 
talions were got ijito close 
combat, the engagement was 
sharp, and well fought. 

The battle began about nine 
o'clock, and lasted until noon. 
The Scots had very hard and 
sharp axes,* with which they 
dealt deadly blows; but at last 
the English gained the field, 
though it cost them dear by 
the loss of their men. On the 
part of the Scots, there fell in 
the field the earl of Sys, the 
earl Dostre, the earl Patris.t 
the earl of Furlant.t the earl 
Dastredure, the earl of Mar, 

qnarters on the banks of a river,* between Precy and Linco lle ; , t he earl John Douglass,^ sir .A-lexander Ramsay, who bore the 
' ' wards held out the castles of Mitford and Horton against his sovereign.-Scoia Ckrm. 

ap. LeianJyi.i.p.5^. 

Yet Packinston, apud Leiand. t. i. p. 470, says, " Pavid king of Scenes, caused the 
mWc i«w/<t Walter Selby, capitayne of the Pyle of Lydelle, to be slayne afore his 
owne face, not suffering him so much as to be confessed." , „ „ , 
» a. Lochaber axes. t Probably Patrick, eaii of Dunbar. 

J a. Sutherland. S No carl Douglas at that period. 




Queen Puilippa harangi'ing her troops before the Battle of Neville": 

of the latli Century. 



Cross— From a MS. Froissart 



* Probably the river was the Irthing, and the towns Lidel and J.anercost . for lord 
Bailessays, in his Annals, that "David stormed the castle of Lidel. and beheaded 
Walter Selby, the governor. Selby. according to tlie usage of those loose times, seems 
to have been both a robber and a warrior, alternately plundering and defending his 
country." 

" He was one of the band of robbers so famous in English stori'. who, under their 
]eader, Gilbert .Middleton, robbed two cardinals and the bishop of Durham. He after 



86 



CHRONICLES OF 'ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &.c. 



king's banners, and many other barons, knights, and squires.* Tlie 



* " Knyglit'jn is the liistoriiin wiio lias yiven the most ample list of the killed at the 
battle of Durham ; yet it is, in various particulars, erroneous ; and it has been strangely 
disfigured by the mistakes of transcribers. Knyfrhton has afforded the ground-work of 
tliB following list ; and care has been taken to correct his errors, whenever they could he 
detected. This was the more necessary, because our writers ocem to have despaired of 
being able to correct the list, and have left many names as erroneous as they found 
them. Thus, Abcrcrombie has Hump/ircu de Bliiis and Roltei-t Maltalait ; and to con- 
ceal his ignorance, he atfirnis them to have been Frenchmen. He has also David Ba- 
nant and ^Yicholris Clopodolian, names for which he has not ventured to account. Some 
additions have been procured from Fordun, although bis list is not so fiiil as that in 
Knyghton. These additions are marked 1". 

"It is impossible to give a correct list of all the prisoners of distinction taken at Dur- 
ham, for it appears, that many persons privately took ransom for tlie prisoner they 
had made, and sutfered thenj to depart. This practice became so general, that it was 
prohibited under pain of death [20th November, and 13th December. 1346.J 

"Most of the prisoners of distinction, who had not escaped by means of this conni- 
vnnce. were ordered to be conveyed to the tower of London [8th December, 1316.] From 
that instrument, and from some other scattered notices. 1 have drawn up a list of pris- 
oners, not so complete, indeed, as might have been wished, y^t more authentic and in- 
telligible than any that has been hitherto exhibited. 
"KILLED. 

" John Randolph, earl of Moray-lbe youngest son of Randolph the regent. With 
him the male line of that heroic family ended. He was succeeded in his honors and 
estate by his sister, the countess of March, vulgarly termed Black Jlgnat. 

" Maurice Moray, earl of Strathern— in right of his mother Mary. Tlie English, 
general, did not acknowledge his title. Knyghton mentions him again under the name 
of Maurice dc Miirrcf. 

" David de laye Haye, constable, F.— Knyghton mentions his name, but without hi: 
title of office. 

" Robert Keith, marshal, F.— grandson of sir Robert Keith. 

"Robert de Peebles, chamberlain, F.— There is considerable uncertainty as to this 
name. 

"Thomas Charters, chancellor. P.— De Carnuto. A name of great antiquity in 
Scotland. See Crawford, OlEcers of Slate, p. 19. 

" Humphrey de Boys.— Knyghton and his copyists say, dc Bloys, probably Bays, the 
Eame with Bojjse, Boecc. 

" John de Bonneville, P. 

"Thomas Boyd.— This is a mistake in Knyghton, unless there were two persons of 
that name ; for there was a Thomas Boyd among the prisoners. 

"Andrew Buttergask, F.— This family subsisted until about the beginning of the 15th 
century, when the heiress, Margaret Buttergask, of that Uk, made over her estate to the 
fmmily of Gray. 

" Roger Cameron. 

" John de Crawford. 

" William Frazer, P.— ofCowie: ancestor of lord Salton. 

" David Filz-Robert.— Probably some pereon who had not as yet assumed a sur- 
name. 

" William de llalihurton.— Fordnn says iraUer, but there is a Walter de Haliburton 
among the prisoners. 

" William dela Haye. 

" Gilbert de Inchraartin, F. 

" Edward de Keith. 

" Edmuiide.de Keith.- According to Knyghton, the brother of Edward de Keith. 
Reginald Kirkpatrick. 

"David de Lindesay-said by Fordiiii to have been ' the son and heir of lord David 
ds Lmdesay,' ancestor of the earls of Crawford and Balcarras. 
John de Liiidesay. 

"Robert Maitland: called Mantalent by Knyghton, from whence Abercronibie 
formed Maltnint, a French knight ;' plainly MatnUnt, now Maitland. of Thirles- 
tane, ancestor ot the earl of Lauderdale. 

"- Mailland-the brother of Robert Maitland of Thirlestane. 

Phihp de Meldrum— called de Mildnn by Knyghton. 

"John de la ftlore. 

"Adam Moygrave. 

'm'J^'^,"'™ Moul'ray.-There was a William Mowbray among the prisoners. 
William de Ramsay, the lather.-A William de Ramsay, probably the yom 'cr 
wasamonp the prisoners. 

" Michael Scot, F.-of Murthockstone, now Murdiestone, ancestor of the duke of 
Uuccleugh. 

II John St. Clair.— There was a John St. Clair among the prisoners. 

_ Alexander Slrachan-<^alled Stragei/ by Knyghton. 

' Strachan, the brother of Alexander Strachan. 

John Stewart. 

"John Stewart -Iconjeclure that sir Jolm Stewart of Dreglioru is meant, whose fa- 
ther Alan was killed at Halidon. 

"Alan Stewart, the brother of John Stewart. 

"Adam deWhitsom.-Knyghton has .4<;am dc JVi/stou, which is plabily an error in 
transcribing. Perhaps dc DennisUmn is the right name. Knyghton reckons Pafonuj 
Uerijne, r. Patncms Heron, among the slain. It appears from Fa-dera, that he was 
a prisoner. Knyghton also reckons Ihe carl of Sutherland among the slain, Fordun 
among the prisoners. It is certain that he was not killed; and, if he were made pris- 
oner, he must have been among those who were suffered to escape immediately after 
the battle. 

. "PRISONERS. 

Uavid n. king of Scots.-He received two wounds before he yielded himself a pris^ 
oner. 

" Duncan earl of Fife.-Ho had sworn fealty to Baliol. He was condemned to suf 
ter death as a traitor, but obtained mercy. 

" John Graham, earl of Menleth-in right ofhis wife, according to the mode of those 
times : he was executed as a traitor. He had formerly sworn lealty to Edward 111. 

Malcoln. Fleming, earl of Wigton.-He is called Malcolm Flewiyg, without any 
addition ; Fccdera, t. v. p. 537. ■ He had a grant of the earhlum of Wiglon in 1342. See 
V't"'"™' Fsf'-ige, p. 493. But tlio English government did not acknowledge the 
nght of David II. to confer titles of honor. It is probable that he made his escape ; 
fcr. in Calendars of Ancient Charters, p. 203. there is this title, ■ de capiendo Robertum 
Bertram, qui Malcolmum Fleming, Scotum, iniraicum. regU evadere permisit.' 
George Abernelhy-ofSalton, ancestor of lord Salton. 
David de Aanand. 
" William Baillie-supposed to be Daillie of Lambisloun or Lambiutoun. vulgarly 
Lamington ; ^ ,,bet, vol. ,i Appendix, p. 137. But see sir James Dalrymple, p. 410. 

(hilbfinTdf 7 ."""'*■ "'^ '^i''""""''''- The son of that Boyd who was the 
laitlilul and fortunate companion of Robert Bruce 

nble'^sheJTff ^^""'''=ll-°f »-<»"!■>"• , I" right of hi's mother, Susanna Crawford, herit- 
able shcritrolAirshire, ancestor of the earl of Loudon 

Ken^ed'y." '^' Carrick-ancestor of the earl of Dassilis. His son assumed the name of 
" Robert Chisholm. 

a™Sfri,!^,^°n"°"''"T'if"'i'?''""'°"'",' ''>'K"reWon, and by Abercrombie 
Uopodahan, m Calloway, although the name has a German air. 



king of Scotland was taken prisoner, fighting most gallantly, and 
badly wounded, before he was captured by a squire of Northum'oer. 
land, named John Copeland ; who, as soon as he got him, riushed 
through the crowd, and with eight other companions, rode off, and 
never stopped until he was distant from the field of b?ittle about 




Heads of LociiiBER A.xes— From specimens presetted in the Tow^r of 
Newcastle-upon-Tyne- 



fifteeii miles. He came about Vespers to Ogle castle, on the liver 
Blythe, and there declared that he would not surrender his prisoner, 
the king of Scotland, to man or woman e.xcept to his lord the king 
of England, That same day were taken prisoners, the earls of Mur- 
ray and March, lord William Douglas, lord Robert de Wersy, the 
bishops of Aberdeen and St. Andrews, and many other barons and 
knights. There were about fifteen thousand slain, and the remainder 
saved themselves as well as they could. This battle was fought near 
Newcastle, in the year 1346, on a Saturday preceding Michaelmas 
day* 



" Fergus (leCrawfurtl. — Roger deCrawfurd. 

" Bartholomew de Derniond— a German, as the record in Foedern hears. This is 
mentioned because Abercronibie, vol. ii. p. 99. says, ' perhaps Drumv:ond,* although 
he had perused Fffdera. 

"John Douglas, The elder— probably the younger brother of William Douglas of 
Liddesdale,. sincestor of the earl of Morion. 

" William Douglas, the elder.— This person, I am confident, is^ViIliItm Douglas, the 
bastard brother of William Douglas of Liddcsdnle, Tliere is no evidence that Wil- 
liam lord Douglas, son of Arcliibnid. surnamed Tineman, and first earl ofthat family, 
was made prisoner at Durham, or indeed tlial he was present at the battle. Fordim, 
I. xiv, c. 6, expressly says, that he did not come from France till ofier the battle. We 
learn from Fcrdera, that he was at liberty while otiiers were prisoners ; and ue do not 
learn from Fa-dera, that he was ever a prisoner. To support an erroneous hypothesis 
of Boece, concerning William lord Douglas, records have been misconslructedand mis,- 
applied. 

" Patrick de Dunbar. Adam de Fiillarton. John GifTard. Laurence Gilibrand. 

'■ Da-vid Graham — of Montrose ; ancestor ofthe duke of Montrose. 

" Alexander Haliburton— .John de Haliburton. Douglas, Peerage, p. 321, conjec- 
tures, not improbably, that tliey were the brothers of Walter de Haliburlon. But he 
ouglit lint to have referred to Fordun, v. ii. [I.xiv. c. 3] in. proof of this, for Fordun 
mentions them Jiot. 

" Walter de Haliburton— predecessor ofthe lords Haliburton of Dirleton. 

"Patrick Horon. William deJardin. 

" Roger de Kirkpatrick.— Made prisoner by Rnlpli de Hastings. Hastings died of his 
wounds. He bequeathed the body "f Roger de Kirkpatrick to his joint legatees, Ed- 
nnmd Hastings ofKynthorp and Jolm de Kirkeby ; Fo^dera, t. v. p. 535. 

"Thomas de Lippes— called, in Calendars of Ancient Chorters, chevalier. If he 
was not a foreigner, I know not who he was. 

" William de Livingston. 

" Lorein— said in the record, to have been the son of Eustace Lorein. This 

Eustace, called Tossy by Fordun, l.xiv.c.5, was captain of Rokesburgh under Doug- 
las of Liddesdale, the governor. 

"Duncan M'Uonne!.— Not in the list iaFcedera. t. v. p. 533, but mentioned as a pris- 
oner, Fa:dern, t. v. p. 554. 

Duncan M'Donnel.— See Ftcdera. ib. the son ofthe former. 

■ — — de Makepath.— VV'ere it not for the particle de, 1 should suppose that some 
person ofthe name tif J^VBvtli was here understood. 

" Johnde Maxwell— of Carlaverock, ancestor uf the earl of Nithsdale. 

"Walter Moine. David Moray. William de Moray: William Moore. William 
Moubray. 

" Patrick dePolwarth, ancestor of the earl ofMarclimont. 

'•J()hnde Preston— supposed to have been the ancestor of Preston lord Dingwall. 

"Alexander de Ramsay. Henry de Ramsay. Ness de Ran)sny. 

" William de Ramsay.— Proliably sir William Ramsay of Collutiiy. He was nt the 
battle ot Poictiers in 135C. and was made prisoner there. 

William de Salton.— Not in Fcedera ; but mention is made of him. Calendar o^ 
Ancient Charters, p. 199. 

' John St. Cluir. Alexander Steel. Alexander Stewart. 

'John Stewart— of Dalswinston. as the record bears. Ancestorof the earl of Gal- 
loway. 

" Jolm f^tr'vvart— a bastard, as the record bears. 

"Johnde Valence. William deVaux. Robert Wallace. 

.Iiinals of Scat/a7>d, vo'i. ii. App. No. 6, p. 321, ctse>i. . 

^ It was on the 17th October. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &.c. 



87 



CHAPTER CXXXVIII. 

JOHN COPELAND TAKES THE KINS OF SCOTLAND PKISONER, AKD EECEIVXS 
GREAT ADVANTAGES FROM IT. 

When the queen of England, who had remained in Newcastle, 
heard that her army had gained the day, she mounted her palfrey, 
and went to the field of battle. She was informed that the king of 
Scotland had been made prisoner, by a squire of the name of .lolm 
Copeland, but who had rode ofl' with him they could not tell whither. 
The queen ordered liim to l)e written to, to bring the king of Scots 
to her, and to tell him that he liad not done what waa agreeable to 
her,, in carrying off his prisoner without leave. All that day the 
queen and army remained on the field of battle, which they -had won, 
and on the morrow returned to Newcastle.* 

When the letter from tlie queen was presented by a knight to John 
Copeland, he answered that he would not give up his prisoner, the 
lung of Scots, to man or woman, except to his own lord, the king of 
England : tliat they might depend on his taking proper care of him, 
and" he would be answerable for guarding him well. The queen, 
upon this, wrote letters to the king, which she sent off to Calais. 
She therein informed him of the state of his kingdom. The king 
then ordered John Copeland to come to him at Calais, who, having 
placed his prisoner under good guards, in a strong castle on the bor- 
ders of Northumberland, set out, and, passing through England, 
came to Dover, where he embarked, and landed neaT Calais. When 
the king of England saw the squire, he took him by the hand, and 
said, " Ha 1 welcome, my squire, who by his valor has captured my 
adversary the king of Scotland." John Copeland, falling on one 
knee, replied, " If God, out of his great kindness, has given me the 
king of Scotland, and permitted me to conquer him in arms, no one 
ought to be jealous of it ; for God can, when he pleases, send his 
grace to a poor squire, as well as to a great lord. Sir, do not take 
it amiss, if I did not surrender him to the orders of my lady, the 
queen : for I hold my lands of you, and my oath is to you, not to 
her, except it be througli choice." The king answered, •' John, the 
loyal ser^'ice you have done us, and our esteem for your valor is so 
great, that it may well serve you as an excuse ; and shame fall upon 
all those that bear you any ill-will. You will now return home, and 
take your prisoner, the king of Scotland, and convey him to my 
wife ; and, by way of remuneration, I assign lands, as near your 
house as you can choose them, to the amount of five hundred pounds 
sterling a-yeai-, for you and your heirs ; and I retain you as a squire 
of my body and of my household. "t John Copeland left Calais the 
third day after his arrival, and returned to England ; when he was 
come home, he assembled his friends and neighbors, and in com- 
pany with them, took the king of Scots and conveyed him to York, 
where he presented him, in the name of the king, to the queen, and 
made such handsome excuses that she was satisfied. 

When the queen had sufficiently provided for the defence of the 
city of York, the castle of Roxburgh, the city of Durham, and the 
town of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, as well as for all tlie borders, and 
had appointed the lords Percy and Neville governors of Northum- 
berland, to taltc proper care of it, she set out from York and returned 
to London. She ordered the king of Scots, the earl of Murray, and 
the other prisoners, to be confined in the tower of London, and, hav- 
ing placed a sufficient guard over them, set out for Dover, where she 
embarked, and, with a favorable wind, arrived before Calais tluee 
days preceding the feast of All-Saints. t The king, upon her anival, 
held a grand court, and ordered magnificent entertainments for all 
the lords who were there, but more especially for the ladies ; as tlie 
queen had brought a great many with her, who were glad to accom- 
pany her, in order to see fathers, brothers, and friends, that were 
engaged at this siege of Calais. 



* " Froissart supposes that Philippa, t'le consort of Edward III,, was their leader ; 
and in this he has been impliciUy IVilIowed by the later historians of both nations. A 
young and comely princess, the mother of heroes, at the head of an army in the absence 
of her lord, is an ornament to histor>- ; yet no English viTiter of considerable antiquity 
mentions this circumstance, which, if true, they would not have omiHed. Baliol also 
i£ said to have been next in command to queen Philippa ; yet the ancient English wri- 
ters say nothing of it ; and the whole strain of the Ftedera is inconsistent with the hj- 
pothesis of his having any such command. Barnes, page 3?8, says, that the English 
' were in number twelve hundred men-at-arms, three thousand archers, and seven thou- 
sand footmen, besides a choice band of expert soldiers, newly come from before Calais, 
the whole amounting to sixteen thousand complete.' For this he quotesGiovanni Vil- 
lani, the Florentine historian, lib. xii. c. 75. Villani's account of the battle of Durlmm 
is exceedingly superlici:il ; and, which is remarkable, he says nothing of what Barnes 
quotes as l>om him. See Jlurntori Scrip. Ital. t. xiii. p. ^^."—,3nnals of Scotlaitii. 

t "Copeland was made a banneret, with a salary of 500/. yearly, to him and to bis 
heirs, until lands of the like yearly amount should he bestowed on him. lie obtained 
a pension lor life of lOOA, under condition of furnishing twenty men-at-arms. He was 
also made warden of Berwick. Be.-ides all this, it appears that he obtained the office 
of sheriff of Northumberland, and keeper of Roxburgh castle. Robert de Bertram had 
a pension of 200 marks given to him and to his heirs, until the king should provide him 
in lands of equal value, for his capture of the knight of Liddesdale." 

-intiois— and Fadera. 

t Knyghton. p. 2S*2, relates, that by command of Edward m., David Bruce was con- 
ducted to the tower, underan escort of 20,000 men. well armed ; tliat the different rom- 
panjKof London, in their proper dresses, were present at the procession: and that 
BaviaBruce lode on a tall Wact horse, so as to be seen by all men. 



CHAPTER CXXXIX. 

THE TOUNG EAKL OF FLANDERS IS BETROTHED, THROUGH THE CONSTRAINT 
or THE FLEMINGS, TO THE DAL'GHTER OF THE KING OF ENGLAND. HE 
ESCAPES TO FRANCE m A SUBTLE MANNER. 

The siege of Calais lasted a long time ; during which many gal. 
lant feats of arms and adventures happened : but it is not possible 
for me to relate the fourth part of them : for the king of France had 
posted so many men-at-arms in the fortresses, and on the borders of 
the counties of Guines, Artuis, Boulogne, round to Calais, and had 
such numbers of Genoese, Normans, and others in vessels on the 
sea, that none of the English could venture abroad on horseback ot 
on foot, to forage, without meeting some of these parties : there were 
frequent skirmishes near the gates and ditches of the town, which 
never ended without several being killed and wounded : sometimes 
one side gained the advantage, and sometimes the other. The king 
of England and his council studied night and day to invent new en- 
gines more effectually to annoythe town : but the inhabitants were 
equally alert to destroy their effect, and exerted themselves so much, 
that they suffered nothing from them. However, no provisions could 
be brought into the place but by stealth, and by the means of two 
mariners, who were guides to such as adventured : one was named 
Marant, and the other Mestriel ; botli of them resided in Abbeville. 
By their means, the town of Calais was frequently -victualled ; and 
by their boldness they were often in great danger, many times pur- 
sued and almost taken ; but they escaped, and slew and wounded 
many of the English. The siege lasted all the winter. The king 
had a great desire to keep on good terms with tlie municipalities of 
Flanders, because he thought that through them he should the more 
easily obtain his end. He made, therefore, frequent protestations of 
friendship to them, and gave them to understand, that, after he should 
have succeeded atCalai.a, he would reconquer for them Lisle, Douay, 
and all their dependencies : so that the Flemings, believing in such 
promises, put themselves in motion, about the time that the king was 
in Normandy, whence he came to Crecy and Calais ; and they laid 
siege to Bethune. They had chosen for their commander the lord 
Oudart de Renty, who had been banished from France, and had 
closely besieged' the town, and mueli damaged it by their attacks : 
hut there were within four knights for the king of France, who well 
defended it; their names were, sir Geoffry do Chargny, the lord Eu. 
stacc de Ribeaumont, the lord Baudoin d'Anequin, and lord John 
de Landas. The town of Bethune was so well defended, that the 
Flemings conquered nothing : they returned therefore to Flanders, 
not having been more successful than before. 

When the king of England was come to Calais, he did not cease 
sending flattering messengers and promises to the municipalities of 
Flanders, to presen-e their friendship, and lessen their opinion of the 
king of France, who was taking great pains to acquire their affec- 
tions. The king of England would have gladly seen the earl Lewis 
of Flanders, who at that lime was but fifteen years old, married to 
his daughter Isabella, and set so many engines to work among the 
Flemings that they acceded to it, which mightily rejoiced the king; 
for he imagined that by this marriage he would easily govern that' 
country. The Flemings also thought that this alliance would enable 
them more effectually to resist the French ; and that it would be 
more profitable to be connected with the king of England than with 
the king of France. Their young earl, however, who had been 
educated with the royal family of France, and who at the time was 
in that kingdom, would not agree to it, and declared frankly, that he 
would never take to wife the daughter of him who had slain his 
father. On the other hand, duke John of Brabant was very eagerly 
trying to make a match between the earl and his daughter, and 
promised to obtain for him the full enjoyment of Flanders, by fair 
or foul means. The duke also gave the king of France to under- 
stand, that, if the marriage took place, he would manage the Flem- 
ings, that they should attach themselves to him in preference to the 
king of England. Upon the strength of these promises, the king of 
France consented to the marriage of the earl of Flanders witli the 
duke of Brabant's daughter. After the duke had obtained this con. 
sent, he sent messengers to all the principal citizens of the great 
towns in Flanders, who colored the union with so many specious 
reasons, that the councils of the principal towns sent to the earl, 
and informed him that if he would come to Flanders, and follow 
their advice, they would be his true friends, and would give up to 
him all royalties,, rights, and jurisdictions, in a greater degree than 
any earl had hitherto been possessed of. The earl was advised to 
go to Flanders, where he was joyftdly received ; and the chief towns 
made him rich and handsome presents. 

As soon as the king of England was informed of this he sent the 
earls of Northampton and Arundel, and lord Reginald Cobham, into 
Flanders; who managed matters so well with the leading men in the 
place, and with the corporations, that they were more desirous their 
lord should marry a daughter of the king of England, than the 
daughter of the duke of Brabant : they very affectionately entreated 
their lord so to do, and supported it by many strong and good argu- 
ments, which would be too tedious to detail here ; insomuch that 
those of the duke of Brabant's party could say nothing to the con- 
trary. The earl, however, would not consent to it, notwitlistanding 



CHRONICLES OF EN LAND, FRANCE, SPAIN. &c. 



their fair epeeches and arguments, but rcpe:ited his former declara- 
tion, that he would never marry the daughter of hira who had killed 
his father, were he to Iiave a moiety of the kingdom of England for 
her dower. When the Flemings heard this, they said, their lord 
was too much of a Frenchman, and very ill advised, and that he 
must not G,\pcct any good from them, since he would not listen to 
their counsels. They arrested him, and confined him, though not a 
close prisoner, and told him, he should never have his liberty until 
he would pay attention to their advice : they added, that if the late 
earl, his father, had not loved the French so much, but had listened 
to them, !ie would have been the greatest prince in Christendom, 
and would have recovered Lisle, Bethune, and Douay, and been 
alive at this day. While all this was passing, the king of England 
fitill held on the siege of Calais. He kept his court there at Christ- 
mas in a royal and noble manner ; and in the ensuing Lent, the earl 
of Derby, the earl of Pembroke, the earl of O.tford, and many kniglus 
and squires who had crossed the sea with them, returned from Gas. 
cony. 

The Earl of Flanders was for a long time in danger from the 
Flemings, and, being a prisoner, was perfectly weary of it. He 
therefore made them understand, that he was willing to follow their 
advice, for he could receive more advantages from them than from 
those in any other country. These words pleased the Flemings 
much : they gave him his liberty, and allowed him to partake of 
one of his favorite amusements, hawking, of which he was very 
fond. However, when he went to follow this sport, they set a gaod 
watch over him, that he did not escape, nor was stolen from those 
"who had undertaken to guard him, on pain of death. These guards 
were of the king of England's party; and watched him so closely 
that they would scarcely allow him to make water. This. conduct 
lasted so long, and was so offensive to the carl, that he agreed to 
marry the king of England's daughter. The Flemings immediately, 
informed the king of it, and desired that the king and queen would 
come to the monastery at Bergues, accompanied by their daughter, 
and they would bring their earl there, and conclude the marriage. 
You may easily imagine how pleased the king and queen were with 
this news: they said the Flemings were very good sort of people. 
A day was fixed on for all parties to be at ISergues St. Vino.x, be- 
tween Newport and Gravelines. The most powerful and leading 
men of the principal towns of Flanders came hither in great pomp, 
bringing their lord with them. He respectfully saluted the king and 
queen, who were there in great state. The king took the earl gently 
by the hand, led him forth, and said, to e-xcuse himself as being the 
cause of the death of his father, that, as God should help him, he 
had never hfeard, on the day of the battle of Crecy, nor on the mor- 
row, that the carl had been there. The young earl appeared to be 
satisfied with this e.\cuse. The subject of the marriage was ncct 
discussed, and .certain articles and treaties v/ere agreed upon between 
the king, the earl, and the states of Flanders, which were promised 
and sworn to be adhered to*. The earl was then betrothed to tiie 
lady Isabella, daughter of the king and queen of England, whom he 
engaged to espouse ; but the day of marriage was put ofl', until the 
king should have more leisure. The Flemings returned home, ta. 
king with them their lord ; and they quitted the king, queen, and the 
council, in very good humor : the king went back to the siege of 
Calais. Things remained in this state : while the king was making 
preparations for rich presents of cloths and jewels to distribute on 
the wedding-day, the queen was employed in the same manner, as 
she was anxious to acquit herself on the occa.?ion with honor and 
generosity. 

The earl of Flanders, who was returned to his own country, and 
among his own people, was continually hawking, and pretended 
that this English alliance was perfectly agreeable to him. The 
Flemings believed all he said, and did not keep so strict a guard upon 
him as before : but they were nSt then acquainted with the dispo- 
sition of their lord ; for, however much he might dissemble in his 
outward behavior, he was in his heart devoted to the French. It 
happened one day, in the same week that he was to espouse the 
English princess, he went out a hawking ; the falconer fled his hawk 
at a heron, and the earl did the same with his : the two hawks pur- 
sued their game, and the earl galloped oflf, as if following them, cry- 
ing, " Hoye, hoyc." When he was at some distance from liis keepers, 
and in the open fields, he stuck spurs into his horse, and made such 
speed that he was soon out of sight ; he did not stop until he was 
got into Artois, where he was safe. He then went to king Philip 
in France, and related to him and his nobles his adventures, who 
.told him he had acted wisely; but the English, on the contrary, ac- 
cused him of betraying and deceiving them. The king of England, 
nevertheless, did not fail for this, to cultivate the friendship of the 
riemings ; for he knew that what had happened was not through 
their consent, but, on the contrary, that they were very much enraged 
at it ; so he was immediately satisfied with the excuses they made 
on the occasion. 

* There ie in the Foedem Uie Treaty of Marriase, dated Dunkirk, 3rd Marcli, 1346 : 
but the Beal has been torn ofT, probably as not having been carried into eifect. 



CHAPTER CXL. 

THE LORD KOEEET BE NAMUR* DOES HO.MAGE TO TILE ICIXG OF ENGLAND, 
BEFORE CALAIS. 

Many barons and knights, from Flanders, Hainault, Brabant, and 
Germany, came to pay their respects to the king and queen, while 
they were besieging Calais ; and none returned without considerable 
presents. About this time, the lord Robert de Namur was newly 
returned into the county of Namur, from an expedition to the Holy 
Land,+ where he had been knighted by the ■lord Dcspentin. He was 
very young, and had not been solicited for his assistance by either 
of the two kings. He set out with a rich and immerous attendance, 
and came to Calais, accompanied by many knights and squires, where 
he was kindly received by the king, queen, and all the barons. He 
gained their favor and esteem, from bearing the same name as his 
uncle, the lord Robert d'Artois, who had been formerly so vs-ell be. 
loved by them, and from whose counsel they had reaped so much 
benefit. Lord Robert dc Nanmr from this time became a loyal ser. 
vant to the king of England, who granted him a pension of three 
hundred pounds sterling a-year, and assigned the payment of it on 
his clit^st at Bruges. He remained with the king at the siege of 
Calais, until the town was won, as you will hear related. 



CHAPTER CXLI. 

THE ENGLISH CONQUER LA ROCHE-D'EREIEN.t TO WHICH PLACE THE LORD 
^CHARLES OF BLOIS LAYS SIEGE. 

I HAVE abstained a long time from speaking of tlie lord Charles of 
Blois, at that time duke of Brittany, and of the countess of Mont- 
fort ; but it has been occasioned by the truce agreed to before Vannes, 
which was strictly observed : each party, during that time, kept 
peaceably all that they had gained. As soon as the truce was ex. 
pired, the war was renewed with vigor. The king of England had 
sent into Brittany sir Thomas Daggeworth^ and sir .lohn Hartwell ; 
and they had quitted the siege of Calais with two hundred men-at. 
arms and four hundred archers. The countess of Montfort remained 
in the town of Hennebon ; and she had with her sir TanegTiy du 
Chitel, a knight from lower Brittany. The English and Bretons 
made frequent attacks upon the lord Charles's party, and with various 
success ; but the country was completely ruined and destroyed by 
these men-at-arms, and the poor people paid dearly for it. 

Three knights one day set out to besiege a towir called la Roche- 
d'errien : they had collected a number of men-at-arms on horseback, 
and foot soldiers, and made some violent attacks upon the town ; 
but it was so well defended, that the English could not gain any 
advantage. The captain of the garrison for lord Charles was Tassart 
de Guines.ll but three parts of the inhabitants were more attached to 
the English than to the French ; so they arrested sir Tassart, and 
declared they would murder him, if he would not join them in sur. 
rendering the place to the English. Upon this, he said he would 
comply with whatever they W'ished : they then let him go, and ad- 
vanced toward the English army, whom they adiliitted into their 
town. Sir Tassart was continued as before, governor of it. When 
the English returned to Hennebon, they left with him a sufficiency 
of men-at-arms and archers, to defend tlie town and castle. Lord 
Charles when he heard this, swore things should not go on thns. 
He summoned all his partisans iir Brittany and Normandy, and as- 
sembled in the city of Nantes sixteen hundred men in armor, and 
twelve thousand foot soldiers. There might be four hundred knights 
and twenty-three bannerets, who all came to lay siege to la Roche- 
d'errien. They brought with them large engines, which threw stones 
into the town day and night, and nuich annoyed the inhabitants. 
The townsmen sent off" messengers to inform the countess what was 
going forward ; as she had promised them assistance, if they should 
bo besieged. Upon this, the countess sent everywhere that she could 
think likely to procure men, and in a short time collected a thousand 
men in armor, and eight thousand foot soldiers, which she put under 
the command of the threell knights before mentioned. These knights 
declared that they would either raise. the siege of la Roche-d'errien, 
or perish in the attempt; and, taking the field, they advanced very 
near to the army of lord Charles : they took up their quarters on the 
banks of a river, with the intention of fighting the next day. About 
midnight sir Thomas Dagworth and sir John Hartwell armed one half 
of their people, and, setting off in silence, fell upon one of the wings 
of lord Charles's army, and slew a great number of his men. They 
remained in this action so long, that the whole army was roused "and 
arined ; they could not therefore retreat, without encountering the 
whole of the lord Charles's force. They were surrounded, and so 
sharply dealt with that they could not withstand the powers of the 

* Lord Robert de Namur was Froissart's sreat patron ; and to him we are indebted 
for this history, as he himself mentions in his preliice. He was created a knisht of the 
garter, in Richard II. 's reign, and isthe 85th kniglit of tliat order. See .^shmoie's His- 
tory of the Order of tlie Garte'r. 

t Lord lierners says, "at the loly sepulchre."— Es. 

t A town in Britlafly, about two leagues from 'I'reguier, near Gningamp. 

§ Sir Thomas Daggeworth was appointed commander in Brittany, by writ of privy 
seal, daled Reading, January 10, 1347.— FtEDKRA. 

ji The historian of Brittany seems to think this person should be Richard Toussaint. 

It From what (bllows, one may suppose these three knights were, air Thomas Dag- 
worth, sir John Hartwell, sir Taneguy du C'hatel. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



French. Sir Thomas Dagworth was taken prisoner, after having 
been severely wounded. Sir John Hartwell escaped as well as he 
was able, with all that he could bring off with him, by making for the 
liver. He related to sir Tancguy du Cha.tel the ill success of their 
attack ; and they held a council, whether they ought not to return to 
HenneKon.* 



CHAPTER CXLII. 

THE COMBAT OF LA KOCHE-B'ERKIEN, WHERE THE LORD CHARLES OF 
ELOIS IS MADE PRISONER. 

At the time they were holding this council, whether to decamp or 
not, there came to them a knight from the countess, called Gamier, 
lord of Cadoudal, with a hundred men-at-arms, who had been pre- 




CoMBAT OF LA Roche-d'errien. Lord Charles OF Blois TAKEN PRISONER— From a MS. Froissart of the lolii century. 



vented from coming sooner. When be was informed of the resolu- 
tion they were about to take of returning, " Oh come," said he, " arm 
jourselves (Juickly, and mount your horses ; and lie that has no horse, 
let him follow on foot ; for we will go and look once more at our 
enemies, who are now so elated thijt we shall be sure to conquer 
iheni." Those that had horses soon got themselves in readiness, 
and set out, and the foot followed them ; so that, about sunrise, they 
came upon the army of the lord Charles, which they found wrapped 
lip in sleep, for they did not imagine they should have any more dis- 
turbance. The English and Bretons began immediately to cut down 
and destroy tents and pavilions, and to slay all those whom they had 
thus surprised ; for they had thought themselves so secure, they had 
not set any watch. Thus were those of the party of lord Charles 
defeated, and all the barons of Normandy and Brittany that were 
with him taken prisoners that night. The siege of la Roche-d'errien 
was raised, and lord Charles conducted to Hcnnebon. Nevertheless 
the towns and fortresses that he had before gained, still held out for 
him ; for his wife, who called herself duchess of Brittany, undertook 
most cheerfully to continue the war. 



* Our historians relate this affair differently. See Dugdule's Baronage. Sir Thomas 
Dagworth was not made prisoner, nor wounded ; he was Uie person who advised the 
second attack, not the lord of Cndondal, as [''roissart relates. Tlie kin;, forhiseood 
conduct, »ade him his lieutenant-general of tiie duchy of BriUany; and llie ensuing 
year he was called up to tlie hou^e of peers. 

In the Histoire de Dretagne. so often quoted, the account of these engagements is very 
different, and in part not very much to the honor of sir Thomas Dagworth, if the firts 
be true. Vol. i. pp. 762, 277. 



CHAPTER CXLIII. 

THE KINS OF FRANCE COLLECTS A GREAT ARMY TO RAISE THE SIEGE OF 
CALAIS. 

King Philip of France, who felt that his subjects in Calais must 
be severely opjiressed, commanded all the knights and squires of his 
realm to rendezvous at Amiens, or near that town, on the feast of 
Whitsuntide. No one dared to disobey this order, but all were punc- 
tual in being there at the appointed time. King Philip kept a solemn 
court at Amiens, at which were present the duke of Normandy his 
eldest son, the duke of Orleans his youngest son, Eudes duke of Bur- 
gundy, the duke of Bourbon, the earl of Foix, the lord Lewis of 
Savoy, the lord John of Hainault, the earls of Armagnac, Valentinois, 
Forets, and a great many other earls, barons and'knights. When 
all these noblemen were assembled in -\iniens, they held many 
councils. The king of France was very anxious to have a free 

passage through Flanders, 
that he might send through 
it a part of his army by 
way of Gravelines, to rein, 
force the garrison of Calais, 
and to attack and fight with 
the English on that side of 
the town. He sent, there- 
fore, a very magnificent 
embassy into Flanders, to 
treat with the Flemings on 
this subject : but the king 
of England had so many 
friends there, that they 
would not grant him hig 
request. The king upon 
tliis said, he would then ad- 
vance as far as Boulogne. 

The king of England, 
vi'ho found ho could not 
conquer Calais but by fam. 
ine, ordered a large castle 
to be constructed of strong 
timbers, in order to shut 
up the communication with 
the sea ; and he directed it 
to be built and embattled 
in such a manner that it 
couldnot be destroyed. He 
placed it between the town 
and the sea, and fortified it 
■with all sorts of warlike in- 
struments,* and garrisoned 
it with forty men-at-arms 
and two hundred archers, 
■who guarded the liarbor 
and port of Calais so 
closely, that nothing could 
go out or come into the 
town, without being sunk 
or taken. By this means 
he more sorely r.ggrieved 
the Calesians than by any- 
thing he had hitherto done, 
and sooner brought famine 
among them. About this 
time, the king of England was so active among the Flemings (with 
whom, as you have just heard, the king of France wanted to make 
a treaty,) that they, to the amount of a hundred thousand men, marched 
out of Flanders, and laid siege to the town of Aire :t they then burnt 
all the country round it, as far as St. Venant, Mourville la Gorge, 
Estelly le Ventre, and a tract of cojmtry round Loo, and even as far 
as the gates of St. Omert and Terouenne.§ 

The king of France took up his quarters at Arras. |1 He sent a 
large body of men to strengthen his garrisons in Artois, and in par- 
ticular sir Charles d'Espagne, his constable, to St. Omer ; for the earl 
of Eu and of Guines, who had been constable, was a prisoner, as I 
have before related, in England. The Flemings kept advancing into 
the country, and gave the French employment enough before they 
retreated. When the Flemings were returned, after ha-ving made 
themselves well acquainted with the parts about Loo,^ the king of 
France and his army left Arras, and came to Hesdin :** the aiTny 
and baggage occupied three leagues of country. When the king 
had rested one day at Hesdin, he advanced the next day to Blangy,+t 
where he halted, in order to consider whither he should march next. 



* " Springalles, hombardes, bows and other artillery."— Lord Berners. 

t A strong town in Artois, generality of Amiens, fourteen leagues from Ualaif. 

i A strong town in .\rtois. ten leagues from Calais. 

§ An ancient town in Artois, destroyed by Charles V. 1553. 

11 A strong city in .\rtois, twenty-feven leagues from Calais. 

^ Loo — a town to the south of Fumes. 

** A strong town in Artnis. diocese of Anas, tliirteen leagues distant fiom it. 

tt ■Village in Artois, bailiwick of St. Pol. 



90 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



He was advised to make for that part of the couiitiy called la Belune, 
and accordingly began his inarch thither, his arn\y following, which 
amounted, including men of all descriptions, to two hundred thou- 
sand. The king and his army passed through the country of Fau- 
kenberg,* and came straight to the hill of Sangate,t between Calais 
and Wissant: they marched armed, with banners flying, by moon, 
light; so that it was a beautiful sight to see their gallant army. 
When those in Calais perceived them, from the walls, pitching their 
tents, tliey thought it had been a new siege. 



CHAPTER CXLIV. 

THE KING OF ENGLAND GUARDS ALL THE PASSES ROtJND CALAIS, SO THAT 
THE KING OF FRANCE CANNOT APPROACH TO RAISE THE SIEGE. 

I WILL now relate what the king of England had done, and was 
doing, when he saw with what a prodigious force the king of France 
was come to raise the siege of Calais, which had cost iiini so much 
money and labor. He knew that the town was so nearly famished, 
that it could hold out but a very short time : therefore it would have 
sorely hurt liim to have been forced at that time to raise it. He 
considered, that the French could neither approach his army nor the 
town of Calais but by two roads ; the one by tlie downs along the 
sea-shore ; the other higher up the country, which however was full 
of ditches and bogs ; and there was but one bridge, called the bridge 
of Nieullet, by which they could be crossed. He posted, therefore, 
his fleet along the shore, as near as he could to the downs, and pro- 
\ided it with plenty of every warlike engine ;t so' that the French 
could not pass that way. He sent the earl of Derby, with a suflicient 
force of men-at-arms and archers, to guard the bridge of Nieullet. 
The French, therefore, were prevented from advancing thither, unless 
tliey attempted crossing the marshes between Sangate and the sea, 
which were impassable. There was also, nearer to Calais, a high 
tower, which was guarded by thirty archers from England ; and they 
had fortified it with double ditches, as a stronger defence of the pas- 
sage over the downs. When the French had taken up their quarters 
on the hill of Sangate, those from Tournay, who might amount to 
about fifteen hundred men, advanced toward this tower : the garrison 
shot at them, and wounded some , but the men of Tournay crossed 
the ditches, and reached the foot of the tower with pick-axes and 
bars. The engagement was then very sharp, and many of the 
Toumaymen were killed and wounded ; but, in t)ie end, the tower 
was taken and thrown down, and all that were within it put to tlie 
sword. 

The king of France sent his two marshals, the lords of Beaujeu 
and the lord of St. Venant, to examine the country, and see where 
the army could pass, in order to fight with the English ; but, after 
they had well examined all the passes, they returned and told the 
king there was not any possibility of doing it, but with infinite loss 
of men. Things remained in this state that day and the following 
night ; but on the morrow, after the king of France had heard mass, 
he sent to the king of England the lord Geoffry de Chargny, the 
lord Eustace de Ribeaumont, sir Guy de Nesle, and the lord of 
Beaujeu, who, as they rode along, observed how strongly all the 
passes were guarded : they were allowed to proceed freely, for so 
the king of England had ordered, and praised very much the dispo- 
sitions of the earl of Derby, who was posted at the bridge of Nieullet, 
over which they passed. They rode on until they came where the 
king was, whom they found surrounded by his barons and knights : 
they all four dismounted, and advanced toward the king, with many 
reverences ; then the lord Eustace de Ribeaumont said, " Sir, the 
king of France informs you through us, that he is come to the bill 
of Sangate, in order to give you battle ; Ijut he cannot find any means 
of approaching you : he therefore wishes you would assemble your 
council, and he will send some of his, that they may confer together, 
and fix upon a spot where a general combat may take place." The 
king of England was advised to make his answer as follows: "Gen- 
tlemen, I perfectly understand the request you have made me from 
my adversary, who wrongfully keeps possession of my inheritance^ 
which weighs much upon me. You will therefore tell him from me, 
if you please, that i have been on this spot near a twelvemonth : 
this he was well informed of, and, had he chosen it, might have come 
here sooner ; but he has allowed me to remain so long, that I have 
expended very large sums of money, and have done so much that I 
must be master of Calais in a very short time : I am not therefore 
inclined, in the smallest degree, to comply with his request, or to 
gratify his convenience, or to abandon what I have gained, or what 
I have been so anxious to conquer. If, therefore, neither he nor his 
army can pass this way, he must seek out some other road."§ The 
four noblemen then returned, and were escorted as far as the bridge 
of Nieullet, and related to the kuig of France the king of England's 
answer. 
• Wfeie the lung of France was devising hifeans to fight with the 



* A village in Artois, bailiwick of Aire. 

t A village ill Picardj'. goveriinieiit of Calais. 

t " Bomliardes, crossbowes, arcliers. springalles, and other artiljevy."— L. BERNERg. 

5 By a teller from Edward to the archbishop of Canterburs'. which is at length in 
Avesbury. pp. 1112, &c. he says Ac accepted this cliallenge. hut that the enemy varied in 
his t«rnis cl acceptance, so that they could not agree ; and that the French, selUn; fire 
to tlieii tents ran off with precipitation, as if they had been defeated. 



English, two cardinals, from Pope Clement, arrived as embassadors 
in the camp. Immediately on their arrival, they visited each aiTny, 
and exerted themselves so much that they procured a sort of truce ; 
during which time, four lords of each party were to meet, and en. 
dcavor to form a peace. On the part of the king of France, were 
nominated the duke of Burgundy, the duke of Bourbon, the lord 
Lewis of Savoy, and sir .John of Hainault. The English conimls. 
sioncrs were, the earl of Derby, the earl of Northampton, lord Regi. 
nald Cobham, and sir Walter Manny.* The two cardinals were the 
most active persons in this business, going backward and forward J 
from one army to the other. These commissioners were three days I 
together ; and various propositions for peace were brought forward, ' 
though none took eflect. During which time the king of England 
was strengthening his army, and making wide and deep ditches on 
the downs, to prevent the French from surprising him. When these 
three days were passed without any treaty being effected, the two 
cardinals went to St, Omer. The king of France, perceiving he 
could not in any way succeed, decamped on the morrow, and took 
the road to Amiens, where he disbanded all his troops, the men-at- 
arms, as well as those sent from the different towns. When the 
Calesians saw them depart, it gave them great grief. Some of the 
English fell on their rear, and captured horses, and wagons laden 
with wine and other things, as well as some prisoners; all which 
they brought to their camp before Calais, 



CHAPTER CXLV. 

THE TOWN OF CALAIS SUKRENDEKS TO THE KING OF ENGLAND. 

After the departure of the king of France, with his army, from 
the hill of Sangate, the Calesians saw clearly that all hopes of succor 
were at an end ; which occasioned them so much sorrow and dig- 
tress, that the hardiest could scarcely support it. They entreated, 
therefore, most earnestly, the lord John de Vienne, their governor, 
to mount upon the battlements, and make a sign that he wished to 
hold a parley. The king of England, upon hearing this, sent to him 
sir Walter Manny and lord Basset. When they were come near, 
the lord de Vienne said to them, " Dear gentlemen, you who are very 
valiant knights, know that the king of France, whose subjects we 
are, has sent us hither to defend this town and castle from all harm 
and damage : this we have done to the best of our abilities. All 
hopes of help have now left us, so that we are most exceedingly 
straitened ; and if the gallant king, your lord, have not pity upon us, 
we must perish with hunger.t I therefore entreat, that you would 
beg of him to have compassion on us, and to have the goodness to 
allow us to depart in the state we are in, and that he will be satisfied 
with having possession of the town and castle, with all that is within 
them, as he will find therein riches enough to content him." To 
this sir Walter Manny replied: "John, we are not ignorant of what 
the king our lord's intentions are ; for he has told them to us : know 
then, that it is not his pleasure you should get off so ; for he is re- 
solved that you surrender yourselves solely to his will, to allow those 
whom he pleases their ransom, or to put them to death ; for the 
Calesians have done him so much mischief, and have, by their ob. 
stinate defence, cost him so many lives and so much money, that he 
is mightily enraged." The lord de Vienne answered : " These con- 
ditions are too hard for us. We are but a small number of knights 
and squires, who have loyally served our lord and master, as you 
would have done, and have suffered much ill and disquiet ; but we 
will endure more than any man ever did in a similar situation, before 
we consent that the smallest boy in the town should fare worse than 
the best. I therefore once more entreat you, out of compassion, to 
return to the king of England, and beg of him to have pity on us: 
he will, I trust, grant you this favor : for I have such an opinion of 
his galljantry as to hope, that, through God's mercy, he will alter his 
mind." The two lords retured to the king, and related what had 
passed. The king said he had no intentions of complying with the 
request, but should insist that they surrendered themselves uncondi- 
tionally to his will. Sir Walter replied : " My lord, you may be to 
blame in this, as you will set us a very bad example ; for if you order 
us to go to any of your castles, we shall not obey you so cheerfully, 
if you put these people to death ; for they will retaliate upon us, in 
a similar case." Many barons who were then present sujiported this 
opinion. Upon which the king replied : " Gentlemen, I am not so 
obstinate as to hold my opinion alone against you all : sir Walter, 
you will inform the governor of Calais, that the only grace he must 
expect from me is, that six of the principal ciiixens of Calais march 
out of the town, with bare heads and feet, with ropes around their 
necks, and the keys of the town and castle in their hands. These 
six persons shall be at my absolute disposal, and the remainder of 
the inhabitants pardoned." 

Sir Walter returned to the lord de Vienne, who was waiting for 
him on the battlements, and told him all that he had been able to 
gain from the king. "I beg of you," replied the governor, " that 



* The edition of D. Sauvage and lord Berners, here botli term Sir Walter Manny " the 
Lorde (Monseigneur) Gnaltier of Manny," and it appears from Dugdule that he had a 
summons to parliament among the barons of the realm, from the 21st to the 44lb of this 
kins's reign, inclusive.— Ed. 

f We must all dye or els enrage for famyn."— Lord Bernirs, 



CHRONICLES OFENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



9i 



you would be so good as to remain here a Utile, while I go and relate 
all that lias passed to the townsmen ; tor, as they have desired me to 
undertake this, it is but proper they should know tlie result of it." 
He went to the market-place, and caused the bell to he rung ; upon 
which all the inhabitants, men and women, assembled in the town, 
hall. He then related to them what he had said, and the answers he 
had received ; and that he could not obtain any conditions more 
favorable, to which they must give a short and immediate answer. 
Tins information caused the greatest lamentations and despair ; so 
that the hardest heart would have had compassion on them ; even 
the lord do Viemie wept bitterly. 

After a short time, the most wealthy citizen of the town, by name 
Eustace de St. Pierre, rose up and said : " Gentlemen, both high and 
low, it would be a very great pity to suffer so many people to die 
through famine, if any means could be found to prevent it ; and it 
would be highly meritorious in the eyes of our Saviour, if such mis. 
ery could be averted. I have such faith and trust in finding grace 
before God, if I die to save my townsmen, that I name myself as first 
of the si.x." When Eustace had done speaking, they all rose up 
and almost worshipped him : many cast themselves at his feet with 
tears and groans. Another citizen, very rich and respected, rose up 
and said, he would be the second to his companion, Eustace ; his 
name was John Daire. After him, James Wisant, who was very 
rich in merchandise and lands, offered himself, as companion to his 
two cousins ; as did Peter Wisant, his brother. Two others then 
named themselves, which completed the number demanded by the 
king of England. The lord John de Vienne then mounted a small 
hackney, for it was with difficulty that he could walk, and conducted 
them to the gate. There was the greatest sorrow and lamentation 
all over the town ; and in such manner were they attended to the 
gate, which the governor ordered to bo opened, and then shut upon 
him and the six citizens, whom he led to the barriers, and said to 
sir Walter Manny, who was there waiting for him, " I deliver up to 
you, as governor of Calais, with the consent of the inhabitants, these 
six citizens ; and I swear to you that they were, and are at tliis day, 
tlie most wcaltliy atid respectable inhabitants of Calais. I beg of 
you, gentle sir, that you would have the goodness to beseech the 
king, that they may not be put to death." " I cannot answer for 
what the king wiU do with them," replied sir Walter, " but you 
may depend that I will do all in my power to save them." The bar. 
riers were opened, when these six citizens advanced toward the 
pavilion of the king, and the lord de Vienne reentered the town. 

When sir Walter Manny had presented these six citizens to the 
king, they fell upon their knees, and, with uplifted hands, said, 
" Most gallant king, see before yon six citizens of Calais, who have 
been capital merchants, and who bring you the keys of the castle 
and of the town. We surrender ourselves to your absolute will and 
pleasure, in order to save the remainder of the inhabitants of Calais, 
who have suffered much distress and misery. Condescend, there, 
fore, out of your nobleness of mind, to have mercy and compassion 
upon us." All the barons, knights, and squires, that were assembled 
there in great numbers, wept at this sight. The king eyed them 
with angry looks, (for he hated much the people of Calais, for the 
great losses he had formerly suffered from them at sea,) and ordered 
their heads to be stricken off. All present entreated the king, that 
he would be more merciful to them, but he would not listen to them. 
Then sir Walter Manny said, " -4h, gentle king, let me beseech you 
to restrain your anger : you have the reputation of great nobleness 
of soul, do not therefore tarnish it by such an act as this, nor allow 
any one to speak in a disgraceful manner of you. In this histance, 
all the world will say you have acted cruelly, if you put to death six 
such respectable persons, who, of their own free will, have surren. 
dered themselves to your mercy, inorder to save their fellow-citizens.'" 
Upon this, the king gave a wink, saying, " Be it so," and ordered 
the headsman to be sent tor ; for that the Calesians had done him so 
much damage, it was proper they should suffer for it. The queen 
of England, who at that time was very big with child, fell on her 
knees, and with tears said, " Ah, gentle sir, smce I have crossed the 
Bea with great danger to see you, I have never asked you one favor : 
now, I most humbly ask as a gift, for the sake of the Son of the 
blessed Mary, and for your love to me, that you will be merciful to 
these six men." The king looked at her for some time in silence, 
and then said ; " Ah, lady, I wish that you had been anywhere else 
than here : you have entreated in such a manner that I cannot refuse 
you ; I therefore give them to you, to do as you please with them." 
The queen conducted the six citizens to her apartments, and had the 
halters taken from round their necks, after which she new clothed 
them, and served them with a plentii'ul dinner : she then presented 
each with six nobles, and had them escorted out of the camp in 
safety.* 

*" Froifisart alone among his contemporaries relates this remarltable fact: and the 
simplicity of his style may give even to fal,le the Hppear.ance of truth. Edward was 
generous: he is liere represented as n tt'rocious conqueror, whotn love alone could 
soften, and who obstinately persists to punish a courage which he ought to have es- 
teemed. The action of tiiese six men, tlius devoting themselves for their fellow citi- 
zens, was sufficiently great to have been trumpeted through all France by the thousand 
and thousand voices of Fame. This action, however, brilliant as it was, and which 
tile wretches driven out of Calais would Iinve spoken of everywhere, was unknown in 
llie capital. If it had been otherwise, the Chronicle of St. Denis, and other histories of 
the time, would not have been silent on the subject ; and yet not one mentions it. Aves- 
btuy, an £aelishman and contempoiary, who is very particuliir ae to all the circum- 



CHAPTER CXLVI. 

THE KINS OF ENGLAND BE.PEOPLE'S CALAIS. 

Thus had the strong town of Calais been besieged by king Edward 
of England, as you have heard, about St. John's day, in August, in 
the year 1346, and surrendered about the end of August, 1347. 
The king, after he had presented these six citizens to the queen, 
called to him sir Walter Manny, and his two marshals, the earls of 
Wanvick and Stafford, and said to them, " My lords, here are the 
keys of the town and castle of Calais : go and take possession of 
them. You \^■ill put into prison the knights you may find there : but 
you will send out of the town all the other inhabitants, and all sol. 
diers that may have come there to serve for pay ; as I am resolved to 
re-people the town with English alone." These three noblemen, 
with only one hundred men, went and took possession of Calais, and 
from the gates sent to prison the lord John de Surie, the lord John 
de Vienne, the lord John de BcUebourne, and other knights. They 
then ordered every sort of arms to be brought and piled in a heap 
in the market-place. They sent out of the town all ranks of people, 
retaining only one priest, and two other old men, that were well 
acquainted with the customs and usages of Calais, in order to point 
out the different properties, and gave directions for the castle to be 
prepared for lodging the king and queen, and different h6tels for their 
attendants. When this had been done, the king and queen mounted 
their steeds, and rode toward the town, which they entered at the 
sound of trumpets, drums, and all sorts of warlike instruments.* 
The king remained in it until the queen was brought to bed of a 
daughter, called Margaret. t 

The king gave to sir Walter Manny, lord Stafford, lord Warwick, 
sir Bartholomew Burghersh, and other knights, very handsome houses 
in Calais, that they might re-people it : and his intentions were, to 
send thither, on his return to England, thirty-six substantial citizens, 
with all their wealth, and to exert himself in such a manner that the 
inhabitants of the town should be wholly English : which he after- 
wards ticcomplished. The new town and fortifications, which had 
been built before Calais, were destroyed, as well as' the castle upon 
the harbor, and the great boom which was thrown across was brought 
into the town. The king posted different persons to guard the gates, 
walls and towers of the town ; and what had been damaged he got 
repaired, which, however, was not soon done. The lord John de 
Vienne and his companions were sent to England ; they remained 
in London about half a year, and then were ransomed. In my opin. 
ion, it was a melancholy thing for the inhabitants of both sexes of 
the town of Calais, thus to be sent abroad, with their children, from 
their inheritances, leaving everything behind ; for they were not 



stances of the siege of Calais, is equally silent. Villani alone goes even beyond Froissart ; 
for he says, that Edward intended to hang all the citizens of Calais ; and he adds, they 
were all forced to abandon the town naked, alt but their shirts. This falsehood should 
render the other parts of his recital doubtful. Froissart, an historian and poet, and who 
has too often expanded over history the privileges of poetry, has only embroidered a 
little what truth ottered him. Wlien the Calesians saw the retreat of Phi lip, tliey struck 
the flag which was flying on the great tower : John de Vienne ordered the gates to be 
openetl.and lefY the town mounted on a small hackney, fur he had been wounded. The 
warriors who accompanied liim held llieir swords pointed to the ground ; and many of 
the citizens followed with halters round their necks, and witji their heads and feet bare. 
Edward kept, as prisoners, the governor, fifteen knights, and some citizens ; but he did 
not send them to fcingland, until he had loaded them with presents : he hastened to dis- 
tribute food among the inhabitants who had remained in the town. We only see, in all 
these circumstances, the humiliation of the inhabitants, wishing by it to aft'ect the con- 
queror, and the generosity of the prince, 

" Froissart supposes that the queen of England was melted into tears at tlie fate of 
these cilizens, condemned by lier husband, and tliat she humbled herself so as to cast 
hei-self at the feet of the infle.\ible conqueror to obtain their pardon ; and we see. some 
days afterwards, this queen, so generous, obtain, for her own profit, the confiscation of 
the houses of this John Daire, whose life, it is said, she saved. On the other hand, Ed- 
ward is described as obstinately bent on having the venerable Eustace de St. Pierr* be- 
headed : and we see, shortly after, this same Eustace de Si . I'lerre overwhehned, as it 
were, witii gifls. The conqueror gives him houses, considerable pensions, and even 
deigns to express himself, that he only grants these lirst favors until he shall have more 
amply provided for him : they are recompenses by which lie acknowledges beforehand 
the services Uiis citizen may render him, either by keeping good order in the town of 
Calais, or in watching over its security. Here then is this famous St, Pierre, one day the 
hero, and the next the complaisant betrayer of his country ; one moment the object of 
the revenge and cruelty of Edward, the next of his confidence and favor. The interests 
of this prince forced him to a necessary rigor. He wished to preserve Calais, as it opened 
to him an entrance into France: and he could not leave their inhabitants too much 
attached to their own country not to hate its destroyer. Those who refused to swear 
fidelity to him were obliged to quit the town, and make room fir ft new population 
imported from England ; and this St, Pierre, tliis St. Pierre whose noble courage should 
have rendered him the most to be dreaded, is one of those whom ttie conqueror retainj, 
and who is by him charged to overlook the conduct of others. 

" The English monarch certainly showed signs of severity. We see, by the leUer he 
wrote to the archbishop of Canterbury, that when Philip, encamped near to Calais, had 
demanded, as a preliminary of peace, that the inlinbitanis should have liberty to quit 
the town with their fortunes, it was refused : and when Edward granted to the humilia- 
tion of tlie townsmen what he had refused to Philip, he only detained as prisoners some 
of the principal citizens; but detaining theiu as prisoners is very dill'erent from havine 
them put to death before his eyes. The king of France did not forsake the miserable 
Calesians when they were driven out of tlieir town, but gave them all the offices wliich 
were then vacant in his realm, with powers to sell them, or exercise them by deputies. 
He also granted them landed or other estates tliat raigiit escheat to llie crown. But 
xvhetber these resources came too late, or were insufficient ; whether the monarch met 
wiUi contradictions in these acts of beneficence, it is asserted that a great number ol 
the Calesians were reduced to beggary." 

La Prance sous Ics ctn/j Premiers ValmS, 
par M, LevesQue, pp 518, &c. 

• " Trumpets, Uibours, nakquayres and homes."— Lord Bernees. 

t .'Margaret of Calais was married to the lord John Hastings, earl of Pembroke, but 
died before her husband, without issue,— Bab«I3. 



■92 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



allowed to carry off any of their furniture or wealth ; and they re. 
ceived no assistance from the king of France, for whom they had 
lost their all. They did, however, as well as they were able ; and 
the greater part went to St. Omer.* 

The cardinal Guy de Boulogne, who was come into France as 
■embassador, and was with his cousin king Philip in the city of 
Amiens, labored so earnestly, tliat he obtained a truce between the 
two kings and their adherents, which was to last for two years. 
This truce was agreed to by all parties except the rivals for the duchy 
of Brittany ; but there the two ladies carried on the war ngainst each 
other. The king and queen returned to England ; and sir Aymery 
de Pavie was appointed governor of the castle of Calais: he was a 
native of Lonibardy, and had been much promoted by the king.t 
The king sent the thirty-six substantial citizens, with their wives and 
families, to Calais : their number increased daily ; for he multiplied 
and enlarged their privileges so much, that many were eager to go 
there, in order to gain fortunes. t 

About this time the lord Charles of Blois, who called himself the 
duke of Brittany, was brought prisoner to London. He was sent to 
the Tower, but not as a close prisoner, where the king of Scotland 
and the earl of Moray were also confined. He did not, however, 
long remain there, but at the entreaties of the queen of England, to 
whom he was cousin-german, was set at liberty on his parole, and 
rode all over London wherever he pleased ; but he was not permitted 
to lie a night out of the Tower, except it was in such places where 
the royal family were.9 The earl of Eu and Guines was also in 
London a prisoner : he was a very gallant knight, and so amiable 
th^t he was always well received by the king, queen, barons, and 
ladies of the court. 



CHAPTER CXLVII. 

A EOEBEK, OF THE NAME OF BACON, DOES MUCH MISCHIEF IN LANQtTEDOC. 

All tills year of the truce, the kings remained at peace. But 
lord William Douglas, and the Scots, who had taken refuge in the 
forest of Jcdworth, carried on the war against the English, wherever 
they could meet with them. Those in Gascony, Poifou, and Sain- 
tonge, as well French as English, did not observe the truce any 
better, but conquered towns and castles from each other, by force or 
intrigue, and ruined and destroyed the country day and night. 
There were frequently gallant deeds of arms performed, with alter- 
nate success. 

Poor rogues took advantage of such times, and robbed both towns 
and castles ; so that some of them, becoming rich, constituted them- 
selves captains of bands of tliieves : there were among them those 
worth forty thousand crowns. Their method was, to mark out the 
particular towns or castles, a day or two's journey from each other: 
they then collected twenty or thirty robbers, and, travelling through 
by-roads in the night-time, entered the town or castle they had fixed 
on about daybreak, and set one of the houses on fire. When the 
inhabitants perceived it, they thought it had been a body of forces 
sent to destroy them, and took to their heels as fast as they could. || 



* We subjoin Lord Berneis' version of this passage; it is mucli more stiijiing aiu! 
affecting. " We thynl\ it was gieut pyte ol' the burgesses and other men of the towne 
-of Calys anil women and chyldren, whan they were I'ayne to forsake tlieir Jiouses, hery- 
tages and goodes, and to here away nothing ; and tiiey had no restorement of the 
frenche kyng fur wliose sake they lost all. The most part of tJiem went to Saynt 
■Omers."— Ed. 

t Sir John Montgomery was appointed governor of the town of Cahiis, the 8th Octo- 
ber, 1^47, by tiie king at Calais; sir John Gauesden was at the same Ume nominated 
marshal of the town.— RvMKR. 

t An ancient manuscriptgives the annexed establishmcntof thearmy of king Edward 
ni., in Normandy and before Calais, in the 20th year of his reign, with their several 
stipends : 

• ^t per diem. 

£. s. it. 

My lord the prince 1 

Bishop of Durham .....U 6 8 

13 earls, each 6 8 

44 barons and bannerets 4 

104t) knights 2 

4022 esquires, constables, centenary, and leaders 1 

5104 vintenai-s and archers on horseback G 

335 pauncenars. 
500 hobblei-s. 

15,480 loot archers q q 3 

314 masons, carpenters, smiths, engineers, tent-makers, miners, armorers, 
gunners, and artillery-men— some at 12d., lOd., 6d., and 3d. per diem. 

4474 VVelsh foot, of whom 200 vuitenars at 4 

The rest at 2 

700 masters, constables, marinei-s, and pages. 
900 ^lup^, barges, baliuger?, and victnulers. 
Simi total lor the aforesaid men, besides lords 31,2M;. ; and for some men from Ger- 
many and France, who each receive for their wages 15 florins per month. 

The sum total of the wages nf war, with tJie wages of tlie mariners, from the 4lh day 
of June, m the 20th of the said king Edward, to the 12th day of October in tlie 21st of 
the Slime king, for one year, 131 days, us appears from the book of particular acrounU 
of Walter Wentwaght, then treasurer of the household, entitled, "Wages of War in 
Normandy, France, unil before Calais," was 127,201;. 2s. 9irf.-GROsE'3 MUitary 
MntiQuittes, vol. 1. p. 330. 

5 George de Lesiien, physician to Charles de Blois, and Oliver de Bignon, his valet de 
chanihre, affirmed that their master was closely confined for two years ; that he was 
shut up every right in the tower, from whence he only came out to walk in the court of 
tlic castle, where the English soldiers insulted him ; and tliat he never mounted a horsa 
during these two yeais.— ^tst. <le Bretarnr. p. J/S. 

II Lord Berneis here adds. " and that thanne these brigant wolde breke up cofers and 
houses and robbe and take what they lyste. and flye away whan they had done."-ED. 



The town of Donzere* was treated in this manner ; and many other 
towns and castles were taken, and afterwards ransomed. Among 
other robbers in Languedoc, one had marked out the strong castle of 
Cobourne in Limosin, which is situated in a very strong country. 
He set off in the night-time with thirty companions, and took and de' 
stroyed it. He seized also the lord of Cobourne, whom he impri?. 
oned in his own castle, and put all his household to death. He kept 
him in prison until he ransomed himself for twenty.four thousand 
crowns paid down. The robber kept possession of the castle and 
dependencies, which he furnished with provisions, and thence made 
war upon all the country round about. The king of France, shortly 
afterwards, was desirous of having him near his person : he pur. 
chased the castle for twenty thousand crowns, appointed iiim his 
usher-at-arms, and heaped on him many other honors. The name 
of this robber was Bacon, and he was always mounted on handsome 
horses of a deep roan color, or on laige palfreys, apparelled like aa 
earl, and very richly armed ; and this state he maintained as long aa 
he lived. 



CHAPTER C.XLVIII. 

A PAGE, OF THE NAME OF CROQUAET, TUENS FiOBBEE, 

There were similar disorders in Brittany ; and robbers carried on 
the like methods of seizing and pillaging different towns and cas. 
ties, and then selling them back again to the country at a dear rate ; 
by which means many of their leaders became very rich. Among 
others, there was one of the name of Croquart, who was originally 
but a poor boy, and had been page to the lord d'Ercle in Holland. 
When this Croquart arrived at manhood, he had his discharge, and 
went to the wars in Brittany, where he attached himself to a ?fian. 
at-arms, and behaved very well. It happened, that in some skir- 
mish his master was taken and slain ; when, in recompense for his 
prowess, his companions elected him their leader in the place of his 
late master ; he then made such profit by ransoms, and the taking 
of to\\'ns and castles, that he was said to be worth full forty thousand 
crowns, not including his horses, of which he had. twenty or thirty, 
very handsome and strong, and of a deep roan color. He had the 
reputation of being the most expert man-at-arms of the country, was 
chosen to be one of the thirty that engaged against a similar num- 
ber, and was the most active combatant on the side of the English.t 
King John of France made him the offer of iinighting him, and 
marrying him very richly, if he would quit the English party, and 
promised to give him two thousand livres a-year ; but Croquart would 
never listen to it. It chanced one day, as he was riding a young 
horse, which he had just purchased fox three hundred crowns, and 
was putting him to his full speed, that the horse ran away with him, 
and in leaping a ditch, stumbled into it, and broke his master's neck. 
Such was the end of Croquart. 



* A town of Dauphin^, on the Rhone, election of ftlontelimart. 

t 1 have been much surprised that Froissart, who in general is so very minute in re- 
lating every transaction, should have omitted an account of this eMraordinary engage- 
ment. The relation of it which follows is taken from the Ilistoire de Bretogne, vol. i. 
p. 280. 

After the death of sir Thomas Paggeworth, the king appointed sir AValter Bertl7 
commander in Brittany. The English being much irritated at tlie death of Dnggewortli, 
and not being able to revenge themselves on those who slew him, did so on the whole 
country by burning andde.stroyingit. The marshal de Beaunianoir, desirous of putting 
a stop to this, sent to Bembro, who commanded in riof^rmel. for a passport to hold a 
conference with him. The marshal reprobated the conduct of the English, and high 
words passed behveen (hem ; for Benibro had been the companion in arms to Dagge- 
worth. At last one of them proposed a combat of thirty on each side; the place ap- 
pointed for it was at the halfway oak-tree betv\'eeii Josselin and Plot-rmel ; and the day 
was fixed tijr ll.e 'J7tli March, the fourth f^unday in Lent, 1351. Beaumanoir chose nine 
kjiights and twenty-one squires; the hrst were, the lord de Tinteniac, Guy de Roche- 
fort, Yves riiairuel, Robin Raguenel, Huon de St. Yvon, Caro de Bodegat. Olivier 
Ariel, GeofTry du Bois, John Rous^elet, &c. Beinhro could not find a siiflicient num- 
ber of English in his garrison ; there were but twenty, the remainder were Germans and 
Bretons. Among thein were sir Robert Knolles, Croquart, Ilerve de Lexualen, John 
Plesanton, Richard and Hugh le Gaillart, Jannequin 'J'uillarl. Ressefort, Richard de la 
Lande, Thomeliu Billefort, Hugh Cnlveily, Rnbinet Melipars, Yfrai or Isannai, John 
Russ'il, Dagorne, and a soldier named llulhitiie. ol a very large size, and of great 
strength, &.c. Beinhro first entered the field of battle, and drew up his troop. Beauraa- 
I'^ir did Uie same. Each made a short harangue to his men, exhorting them to sup- 
[i.iri their own honor, and tliat of their nation. Bembro added, there was an old pro- 
phecy of Merlin, which promised victory to the English. As they weie on the point of 
engaging, Bembru made a sign to Beaumanoir he wished to speak to him, and repre- 
sented he hud engaged in this mnUer rather imprudently; for such combats ought first 
to have had the permission of their respective princes. Beaumanoir replied, lie had 
been somewhat late in discovering this ; and the nobility of Brittany would not return 
wilbout having proved by baUle who had the fairest mistresses. The signal was given 
for the attack. Their arms were not similar : for each was to choose such as he liked. 
Billefort fought with a mallet 25 Ihs. weight, and others with what arms they chose. 
The advunta-e. at hrst, was for the English ; as the Bretons had lost five of their men. 
Beaumanoir "exhorted them not to mind this, as they stopped to lake breath ; when, 
each party having hud some refreshiiienu. the combat was renewed. Bembro wa.s 
killed On seeing this, Croquart cried out-" Companions, don't let us think of the 
pr.iphecies of Merlin, but depend on our courage and arms ; keep yourselves close toge- 
ther be firm, and fight as I do." Beaumanoir, being wounded, was quilling the held to 
quench bis thirst, when Geotfry du Bois cried out, " Beaumanoir, dunk thy blood, and 
thy thirst will go of!"." This made liiin ashamed, and return to the botlle. The Bre- 
tons at last gained the day, by one of their party breaking on horseback the ranks of the 
English- thegreuterpartofwhoro were killed. Knolles, Calveily, and Croquart were 
made prisoners, and carried to the castle of Josselin. Tinteniac, on the side of the 
Bretons and Croquart, on the English, obtained the prize of valor. Such was the issue 
oflhis famous combat ofTliirty.so glorious to the Bretons, but which decided nothing 
as to the possession of llie duchy of Bnttany. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



93 



CHAPTER CXLIX. 

SIR AYjrERY PE TAVIE PLOTS WITH SIR GEOFFRY DE CHARGNY TO SELL 
THE TOWN OF CALAIS. 

At this time sir Geoffry dc Chargny was stationed at St. Omer, to 
defend the frontier; and, in everything touching war, he acted as 
if he had been king. He bethought himself, that as Lombards are 
very poor,* and bv nature avaricious, he would attempt to recover 
the town of Calais, by means of Aymery de Pavie the governor : 
and as, from the terms of the truce, the inhabitants of the towns of 
St. Omer and Calais might go to each place to sell their different 
merchandises, sir Geoffry entered into a secret treaty with sir Ay. 



CL. 







\ ■ 


--^-^1.:?^^;^ 




j 




iv 


1 




-^a 


ii 


=ta 


x-^m- 








SB 



Battle ^ 




-U o ul E gla d under sir W 



mery, and succeeded so far that he promised to deliver up the tov.'n, 
on receiving twenty thousand crowns. The king of England, how- 
ever, got intelligence of it, and sent to Aymery the Lombard, orders 
to cross the sea immediately, and come to him at Westminster. He 
obeyed ; for he could not imagine that the king knew of his treason, 
it had been so secretly carried oii. When the king saw the Lorn, 
bard, he took him aside, and said, " Thou knowcst that I have in- 
trusted to thee wliat I hold dearest in this world, except my wife and 
children, I mean the town and castle of Calais, which thou hast sold 
to the French, and for which thou deservest death." The Lombard 
flung himself on his knees, and said ; "Ah, gentle king, have mercy 
on me, for God's ?ake. All that you have said is very true ; but 
there is yet time to break the bargain, for hitherto I have not received 
one penny." The king had brought up this Lombard from a child, 
and much loved hira ; he replied, "Aymery, it is my wish that you 
continue on this treaty ; you will inform me of the day that you are 
to deliver up Calais, and on these conditions, I promise you my par- 
don." The Lombard then returned to Calais, and kept everything 
secret. In the mean time, sir Geoffry de Chargny thought himself 
sure of having Calais, and issued out privately his summons for five 
hundred lances ; the greater part were ignorant where he intended 
to lead them ; for it was only known to a few barons. I do not 
believe he had even informed the king of France of his plan, as he 
would have dissuaded him from it, on account of the truce. The 
Lombard had consented to deliver up the town to him, the last night 
of the year, with which he made the king of England acquainted by 
means of his brother t 



* Poverty was not the general chnracteristic of the Lombards, however iii<.llr they 
may be charged with avarice; Lord Betners and D. Sauvage'jed. allude only to the 
latter.— Ro. 

t Sir Aymery de Pavie was appointed commander of tlio galleys by the kine. dated 
W ostmmater, 24th April, 1348. .Sir Aymery doss not seem to have forfeited Edward's 



CHAPTER 

THE BATTLE OF CALAIS, BETWEEN THE KING OF ENGLAND, UNDER THE 
BANNER OF SIR WALTER MANNY, WITH SIR GEOFFRY DE CUARONY AND 
THE FRENCH. 

When the Tving of England was informed of this, and knew that 
the day was for a certainty (1.10(1, he set out from England with 
three hundred men-at-arms and six hundred archers. He embarked 
at Dover, and came so privately to Calais, that no one knew of his 
being there. He placed his men in ambuscade in the rooms and 
towers of the caslle, and said to sir Walter Manny, " Sir Walter, I 
will that you be the chief of this enterprise : and I and my son will 

fight under your banner." 
Sir Geoffry de Chargny 
had left St. Omer the lat. 
tcr end of December, witli 
all the forces he had col- 
lected, and arrived near to 
Calais about midnight, the 
last day of the month. He 
halted there for his rear 
to come up, and sent for- 
ward two of his squires, 
who found sir Aymery 
waiting for them ; they 
asked if it were time for 
sirGcoffry toadvance? the 
Lombard answered that 
it was. The two squires 
upon this returned to sir 
Geoffry, who inarched his 
men in battle array over 
the bridge of NeiuUet: he 
then sent forward twelve 
of his knights, with one 
hundred men-at-arms, to 
take possession of the 
castle of Calais ; for he 
thought, if he had posses- 
sion of the castle, he 
should soon be" master 
of the town, considering 
what strength he had with 
him ; and in a few days' 
time he could have as 
much more, should there 
be occasion. He gave or- 
ders for twenty thousand 
crowns to be delivered to 
sir Odoart de Renty, who 
was in this expedition, 
for him to pay to the Lom- 
bard ; and sir Geoffry re- 
mained in the plain in 
silence, his banner dis. 
played before him, with 
the rest of his army ; for 
his intention was to enter the town by one of its gates, otherwise 
he would not enter it at all. 

The Lombard had let down the draw-bridge of the castle, and 
opened one of the gates, through which his detachment entered un- 
molested ; and sir Odoart had given him the twenty thousand crowns 
in a bag, who said, " he supposed they were all there ; for he had 
not time to count them, as it would be day immediately." He flung 
the bag of crowns into a room, which he locked, and told the French 
he would conduct them to the great tower, that they might the sooner 
be masters of the castle : in saying this, he advanced on, and pushing 
back the bolt, the door flew open. In this tower w^as the king of 
England with two hundred lances, who sallied forth, with swords and 
battle-a.xes in their hands, crying out, "Manny! Manny! to the 
rescue : what, do these Frenchmen think to conquer the castle of 
Calais with such a handful of men !" The French saw that no de- 
fence could save them, so they surrendered themselves prisoners ; 
and scarcely any of them w ere wounded. They were made to enter 
this tower, whence the English had sallied, and there shut in. The 
English quitted the castle, and, forming themselves in array, mounted 
their horses, for they knew the French were mounted, and made for 
the gate leading to Boulogne. Sir Geoffry was there with his banner 
displayed ; his amis were three escutcheons argent on a field gules, 
and he was very impatient to be the first that should enter Calais. 
He said to those knights who were near him, that " if this Lombard 
delayed opening the gate, they should all die with cold." " In God's 
name," replied sir Pepin de Werre, " these Lombards are a malicious 
sort of people ; perhaps he is examining your florins, lest there should 
be any false ones, and to see if they be right in number." During 



'\iaini t dU 1 tn 1 —From a MS. Frois&art of the I5lh century. 



confidence 
probable. 



I therefore thmk, witli M. Levesque, that Avesbiiry's account is more 
Dictus veto genuensi-s nolens prodere regem Anglorum dominum suum . 

Aurum tatnen sibi promissum cupiens imbursare, cum eodom domino 

Galfrido pacifice loquens, in dolo suis suasionibus calhdia adquievit.' --,\vbsbury, 
p. 180. 



94 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



this conversation, tlio kin- of England and his son advanced, under 
the banner of sir Walter Manny. There were many other banners 
also there, sucli as the earl of Suffolli's, the lord Stafford's, lord John 
Montacute's, brother to the earl of Salisbury, the lord John Beau, 
champ's, the lord Berkeley's, the lord dc la Waae : ail these were 
barons having banners ; and no more than these 'were in this expe- 
dition. 

The great gates were soon opened, and they all sallied out: when 
the French saw this, and heard the cries of " Manny to the rescue !" 
they found they had been betrayed ; and sir Geoffry said to those 
around them, " Gentlemen, if we fly, we sliall lose all : it will be 
more advantageous for us to fight valiantly, in the hopes that the 
day may be ours." " By St. George," said some of the English, who 
■were near enough to hear it, " you speak truth : evil befal him who 
thinks of flying." They then retreated a little, and dismounted, 
driving their horses away, to avoid being tramp'ed on. When the 
king of England saw this, he halted the banner under which he was, 
and said, " I would have the men drawn up here in order of battle ; 
and let a good detachment be sent toward the bridge of Nieullct ; 
for I have heard that there is posted a large body of French, on horse, 
back and on foot." Six banners and three hundred archers left his 
army, and made for the bridge of Nieullct, where they lotmd the lord 
Moreau de Fienncs, and the lord of Crequi, who guarded it. There 
was also posted, between the bridge and Calais, the cross-bowmen 
from St. Omer and Aire, who had that day sharp work ; more than 
six hundred were slain or drowned ; for they were immediately dis- 
comfited, and pursued to the river : it was then scarcely daybreak. 
The knights of Picardy maintained this post some time ; and many 
gallant actions were performed; but the English kept increasing 
from the town, when, on the contrary, the French fell off, so that 
when they found they could not longer keep the bridge, tho.?e 
that had horses mounted them, and,betook themselves to flight. The 
English immediately pursued them, and many were overthrown : 
but those that were well mounted escaped ; among them were the 
lords de Fiennes, de Crequi, de Sempy, de Lonchinleich, and the 
lord of Namur. Many were taken through their own hardiness, who 
migt otherwise have saved themselves. When it was broad day- 
light, that each could see the other, some knights and squires collected 
themselves together, and vigorously attacked the English, insomuch 
that several of the French made good prisoners, that brought them 
much profit.* 

We will now speak of the king of England, who was there incog- 
nito, under sir Walter Manny's banner. He advanced with his men 
on foot, to meet the enemy, who were formed in close order with 
their pikes, shortened to five feet, planted out before them. The 
first attack was very sharp and severe. The king singled out sir 
Eustace de Ribeaumont, who was a strong and hardy knight: he 
fought a long time marvellously well with the king, so that it was a 
pleasure to see them ; but, by the confusion of the engagement, they 
were separated ; for two large bodies met, where they were fighting, 
and forced them to break off their combat. On the side of the 
French, there was excellent fighting by sir Geoffry de Chargny, sir 
John de Landas, sir Hector and sir Gavin Ballieul, and others; but 
they were all surpassed by sir Eustace de Ribeaumont, who that day 
struck the king twice down on his knees : at last, however, he was 
obliged to surrender his sword to tlie king, saying, " Sir knight, I sur. 
lender myself your prisoner, for the honor of the day must fall to the 
English." All that belonged to sir Geoffry de Chargny were either 
Blain or captured : among the first were sir Henry du Bois, and sir 
Pepin de Werre : sir Geoffry and the rest were taken prisoners. The 
last that was taken, and who in that day excelled all, was sir Eustace_ 
de Ribeaumont. This business was finished under the walls of 
Calais, the last day of December, toward morning, in the year of 
grace 1348. 

CHAPTER CLI. 

THE HINe OF ENGLAND PKESENTS A CHAPLET OF PEARLS TO SIR EL'STACE 
DE RIBEAUMONT. 

When the engagement was over, the king returned to the castle 
in Calais, and ordered all the prisoners to be brought before him. 
The French then knew for the first time that the king of England 
had been there in person, under the banner of sir Walter Manny. 
The king said he would, this evening of the new year, entertain 
them all at supper, in the castle. When the hour for supper was 
come, the tables spread, and the king and his knights dressed in new 
lobes, as well as the French, who, notwithstanding they were prison- 
ers, made good cheer (for the king wished it should be so :) the king 
seated himself at table, and made those knights do the same around 
him, in a most honorable manner. The gallant prince of Wales, and 
the knights of England, served up the first course, and waited on 
their guests. At the second course, they went and seated them, 
selves at another table, where they were served and attended on 
very quietly. 

When supper was over, and the lables removed, the king remained 
in the hall, among the English and French knights, bareheaded, ex. 
eept a chaplet of fine pearls, which was round his head. He con. 
versed with all of them : but, when became to sir Geoffry de Chargny, 



his countenance altered, and looking at him askance, he said, " Sir 
Geoffiy, I have but little reason to love you, when you wished to 
seize from me by stealth, last night, what had given me so much 
trouble to acquire, and has cost me such sums of money. I am, how- 
ever, rejoiced, to have caught you thus in attempting it. You were 
desirous of gaining it cheaper than I did, and thought you could pur- 
chase it for twenty thousand crowns ; but, through God's assistance, 
you have been disappointed." He then passed on, and left sir 
Geoffry standing, without having a word to say for himself. When 
he came to sir Eustace de Ribeaumont, he assumed a cheerful look, 
and said, with a smile ; " Sir Eustace, you are the most valiant 
knight in Christendom, that I ever saw attack his enemy, or defend 
himself. I never yet found any one in battle, who, body to body, 
had given me so much to do as you have done this day. I adjudge 
to you the prize of valor above all the knights of my court, as what 
is justly due to yoti." The king then took off the chaplet, which was 
very rich and handsome, and placing it on the head of sir Eustace, 
said ; Sir Eustace, I present you with this chaplet, as being the best 
combatant this day, either within or without doors ; and I beg of you 
to wear it this year for love of me. I know that you are lively and 
amorous, and love the company of ladies and damsels ; therefore, 
say wherever you go, that I gave it to you. I also give you your 
liberty, free of ransom ; and you may set out to-morrow, if you please, 
and go whither you will.* 

In this same year, 1349, king Philip of France married his second 
wife, at Brie-comte.Robert,t on Tuesday the 29th day of January, 
She was the lady Blanche, daughter of Philip king of Navarre, who 
had died in Spain : was very well beloved, and about eighteen years 
old. On the 19th of the following February, which was Shrovetide, 
the duke of Normandy, eldest son of the king of France, was married 
at St. Genevieve, near St. Gennain-en-Laye, to his second wife, Jane 
countess of Boulogne : she was the widow of the lord Philip, son of 
the duke of Burgundy, who died before Aiguillon, 1346. The 
countess was the daughter of earl William of Boulogne, by the 
daughter of Louis earl of Evreux, and held in her own right the 
duchy of Burgundy, the counties of Artois, Boulogne and Auvergne, 
with many others. 



-\DDITIONS, 

From two MSS. in the Ilafod Library, not in any of the Printed 
Copies. 

Yot: have heard related how the young earl Lewis of Flanders had 
been betrothed to the lady Isabella, daughter of king Edward oi 
England, and that afterwards he had escaped from Flanders into 
France, where he was joyfully received by the king and his barons, 
who told him he had acted wisely, for that such forced marriages 
were of no avail : and the king added, that he would otherwise ally 
him more to his honor and profit. Things remained in this state for 
about a year. Duke John of Brabant was not much displeased at 
this ; for he was desirous of marrying the young count of Flanders 
to his second daughter, the eldest being countess of Hainault. He 
sent embassadors to king Philip, to entreat he would consent to the 
match between the count of Flanders, and his daughter; that, if he 
consented, he would in future be his good neighbor, and that neither 
he nor any of his children would ever bear arms again for the king 
of England, 

The king of France, who knew the duke of Brabant to be a pow- 
erful lord, that could hurt or assist him according to his pleasure, 
listened to his proposal in preference to any other, and let the dulie 
know, that if he could prevail on the states of Flanders to consent to 
this marriage, he would be agreeable to it, and would press it on the 
earl. The duke, in his answer, engaged for the consent of the states. 
He instantly sent able commissioners to the principal towns, to nego- 
tiate with them this marriage : he treated, as I may say, sword in 
hand ; for he gave them to understand, that if they married the young 
earl otherwise, he would instantly declare war against them ; and, 
on the contrary, if they complied with his desire, he would unite 
himself strongly with them, and defend them against any other lords. 
The councils of the principal towns heard with attention the propo- 
sals and promises the duke of Brabant, their neiglibor, made them. 
They knew their young lord was not within their power, but under 
the direction of the king of France and the lady his mother, and that 
his heart wasentirely French. Upon mature consideration, therefore, 
they thought, that as the duke of Brabant was a very powerful prince 
and of great enterprise, it would be much more advantageous to con- 



* Both honour and profit.— Lord Bersirs. 



* Mr. Johiies seems to have missed the e.snct sense of this passage ; the prnclaimine 
the giver of the chaplet, was the condition on which llie knight's lilierty was granted. 
The passage ui lord Derners is as follows : " Than the kinge came to Syr Eustace of Ry- 
bamont and iously to him he sayd, Sir Eustace ye are tlie knyght in the worlde that I 
have sene most valyanl assayle his eneinyes and defcnde himself, nor 1 never founde 
knyght that euer gaue me so moche ado, body to body, as ye liaue done this day; 
wherefore I gyue you the price aboue all the knigliles of my court by right sentence. 
Than the kyng toke the chapelet that was upon his lieed beyng botlie liiyre goodly 
and ryche and sayd. Sir Eustace. 1 gyue you this cliapelet for the best doar in amies in 
this journey past ofcyther party, and I desyre you to here it this yeie for the lone of me. 
I knowe well ye he fresshe and amourouse. and often lymes be among ladyes and 
1-mo^elles- S<iil vilicrioevcr ve comcUat I di/d s:/iicit i/ou and I duple j/ou four 
nrison and'ransome, and ye shall depart tolnorrowe if it please you."-ED. 

t A moiket-town of Bne-Franjaise, dioce« and election of Paris, seven leagues IroiD 
FiTis, 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



95 



elude a match with him than with any one else ; for hy it they would 
enjoy peace, and have their lord among them, which they very much 
desired. The business was so well arranged that the yuung earl of 
Flanders was brought to the city of Arras, whither the (lukc of Brabant 
sent his eldest son, the lord Godfrey earl of Mons, the carl of Los, 
and all his council. The principal towns of Flanders sent thither 
also their magistrates. Many conferences were held ; and the young 
earl and his countrymen engaged for his rnaniage with the daughter 
of the duke of Brabant, provided it were agreeable to the church. 
This had been already secured, and the dispensation from the pope 
was arrived. Not long after this, the young earl came to Flanders, 
where all due homage was paid him ; and greater powers were 
granted to him than even his father, or any of his predecessors, had 
enjoyed. The earl married the duke's daughter; and, by the mar- 
riage-articles, the towns of Mechlin and Antwerp were to revert to 
the earl of Flanders, aftefthe death of the duke ; but this treaty was 
so secretly managed, that few heard of it. The duke gave so much 
to his daughter, that great wars were the consequence between 
Flanders and Brabant in after times, as you will hear : but, as this 
is not as yet the subject-matter of my history, I shall briefly state, 
that the king of England was sorely vexed with all parties for this 
marriage : with the duke of Brabant, because he was his cousin- 
german, and had carried off from his daughter the heir of Flanders, 
to whom she had been betrothed ; with the earl, because he had bro. 
ken his engagement with him, respecting his daughter. The duke 
sent, however, very prudent and handsome apologies ; as did atter- 
wards the earl of Flanders. 



About this period, there was much ill-will between the king of 
England and the Spaniards, on account of some infractions and 
pillages committed at sea by the latter. It happened at this season, 
that the Spaniards who had been in Flanders with their merchandise, 
were informed tiiey would not be able to return home, without meet- 
ing the English fleet. The Spaniards did not pay much attention to 
this intelligence : however, after they had disposed of their goods, 
they amply provided their ships from Sluys with arms and artillery, 
and all such archers, cross.bowmen and soldiers as were willing to 
receive pay. The king of England hated these Spaniards greatly, 
and said publicly : " We have for a long time spared these people ; 
for which they have done us much harm, without amending their 
conduct : on the contrary, they grow more arrogant ; for which reason 
they must be chastised as they repass our coasts." His lords readily 
assented to this proposal, and were eager to engage the Spaniards. 
The king therefore issued a special summons to all gentlemen who 
at that time might be in England, and left London. He went to the 
coast of Sussex, between Southampton and Dover, which lies oppo- 
site to Ponthieu and Dieppe, and kept his court in a monastery, 
whither the queen also came. At this time and place, that gallant 
Jtnight, lord Robert de Namur, who was lately returned from beyond 
SCO, joined the king : he came just in time to be one of this arma- 
ment ; and the king was exceedingly pleased at his arrival. On find- 
ing that he was not too late to meet the Spaniards on their return, 
the king, with his nobles and knights, embarked on board his fleet ; 
and he was never attended by so numerous a company in any of his 
former expeditions at sea. 

The Slime year the king created his cousin, Henry earl of Derby, 
duke of Lancaster, and the baron of Stafford an earl, who were now 
both with him. The prince of AVales and ,Tohn earl of Richmond 
were likewise on board the fleet : the last was too young to bear 
arms, but he had him on board because he much loved him. There 
were also in this fleet, the earls of Arundel, Northampton, Hereford, 
Suflblk, and Warwick, the lord Reginald Cobham, sir Walter Manny, 
sir Thomas Holland, sir Lewis Beauchamp, sir James Audley, sir 
Bartholomew Burghersh, the lords Percy, Mowbray, Neville, Roos, 
de Difort, de Gastrode, de Herder, and many others. There were 
four hundred knights ; nor was he ever attended by a larger company 
of great lords. The king kept the sea with his vessels ready pre. 
pared lor action, and to wait for the enemy, who was not long before 
he appeared. He kept cruising for three days between Dover and 
CaJais. 

When the Spaniards had completed their cargoes, and laden their 
vessels with linen cloths, and whatever they imagined would be pro- 
fitable in their own country, they embarked on board their fleet at 
Sluys. They knew they should meet the English, but were indif. 
ferent about it ; for they had marvellously provided themselves with 
all sorts of warlike ammunition ; such as bolts for cross-bows, cannon, 
and bars of torged iron to throw on the enemy, in hopes, with the 
assistance of great stones, to sink him. When they weighed anchor, 
the wind was favorable for them : there were forty large vessels of 
Buch a size, and so beautiful, it was a fine sight to see them under 
sail. Near the top of their masts were small casfles, full of flints 
and stones, and a soldier to guard them; and there also was the flag- 
staff, from whence fluttered their streamers in the wind, that it was 
pleasant to look at them. If the English had a great desire to meet 
them, it seemed as if the Spaniards were still more eager for it, as 
will hereafter appear. The Spaniards were full ten thousand men, 
including all sorts of soldiers they had enlisted when in Flanders : 
this made them feel sufficient courage not to fear the «ombat with 



the king of England, and whatever force he might have_at sea. In- 
tending to engage the English fleet, tliey advanced with a favorable 
wind until they came opposite to Calais. The king of England being 
at sea, had very distinctly explained to all his knights the order of 
battle he would have them follow- ; he had appointed the lord Robert 
de Namur to flie command of a ship called Le Salle du Roi, on board 
of which was all his household. The king posted himself in the 
fore part of his own ship : he was dressed in a black velvet jacket, 
and wore on his head a small hat of beaver, which became him 
much. He was that day, as I was told by those who were present, 
as joyous as he ever was in his life, and ordered his minstrels to play 
before him a German dance which sir John Chandos had lately in. 
troduccd. For his amusement, he made the same knight sing with 
his minstrels, wliich delighted him greatly. From time to time he 
looked up to the castle on his ma^l, where he had placed a watch 
to inform him when the Spaniards were in sight. While the kinf[ 
was thus amusing himself with his knights, who were happy in see. 
ing hiui so gay, the watch, who had observed a fleet, cried out, " Ho, 
I spy a ship, and it appears to ine to be a Spaniard." The minstrels 
were silenced ; and he was asked if there were more than one : soon 
after he replied, " Yes ; I see tw-o, three, four, and so many that, 
God help me, I cannot count them." The king and his knights then 
knew they must be the Spaniards. The trumpets were ordered to 
sound, and the ships to form a line of battle for the combat ; as they 
were aware that, since the enemy came in such force, it could not 
be avoided. It was, however, rather late, about the hour of vespers. 
The king ordered wine to be brought, which he and his knights 
drank ; when each fixed their helmets on their heads. The Span- 
iards now drew near ; they might easily have refused the battle, if 
they had chosen it, for they were well freighted, in large ships, and 
had the wind in their favor. They could have avoided speaking 
with the English, if they had willed, but their pride and presumption 
made them act otherwise. They disdained to sail by, but bore in. 
stantly down on them, and connnenced the battle. 

When the king of England saw from his ship their order of battle, 
he ordered the person who managed his vessel, saying, " Lay me 
alongside the Spaniard who is bearing down on us ; for t will have 
a tilt with Mm." The master dared not disobey the king's order, 
but laid his ship ready tor the Spaniard, who was coming full sail. 
The king's ship was large and stifl"; otherwise she would have been 
sunk, for that of the enemy was a great one, and the shock of their 
meeting was more like the crash of a torrent or tempest ; the rebound 
caused the castle in the king's ship to encounter that of the Spaniard : 
so that the mast of the latter was broken, and all in the castle fell 
with it into the sea, when they were drowned. The English vessel) 
however, suft'ered, and let in water, which the knights cleared, and 
stopped the leak, without telling the king anything of the matter. 
Upon examining the vessel he had engaged lying before him, he 
saii; "Grapple my ship with that; for I will have possession of 
her." His knights replied ; " Let her go her way : you shall have 
better than her." That vessel sailed on, and another large ship bore 
down, and grappled with chains and hooks to that of the king. The 
fight now began in earnest, and the archers and cross. bows on each 
side were eager to shoot and defend themselves. The battle was not 
in one place, but in ten or twelve at a time. Whenever either party 
found themselves equal to the enemy, or superior, they instantly 
grappled, when grand deeds of arms were performed. The English 
had not any advantage ; and the Spanish ships were much larger and 
higher than their opponents, which gave them a great superiority in 
shooting and casting stones and iron bars on board their enemy, 
which annoyed them exceedingly. The knights on board the king's 
ship were in danger of sinking, for the leak still admitted water : 
this made them more eager to conquer the vessel they were grappled 
to : many gallant deeds w ere done : and at last they gained the ship, 
and flung all they found in it overboard, having quitted their own 
ship. They continued the combat against the Spaniards, who fought 
valiantly, and whose cross-bowmen shot such bolts of iron as greatly 
distressed the English. 

This sea-fight, between the English and Spaniards, was well and 
hardly fought : but, as night was coming on, the English exerted 
themselves to do their duty well, and discomfit their enemies. Th6 
Spaniards, who are used to the sea, and were in large ships, acquitted 
themselves to the utmost of their power. The young prince of Wales 
and his division were engaged apart : his ship was grappled by a 
great Spaniard, when he and his knights suffered much ; for she had 
so many holes, that the water came in very abundantly, and they 
could not by any means stop the leaks, which gave the crew fears of 
her sinkmg ; they therefore did all they could to conquer the enemy's 
ship, but in vain ; for she was very large, and excellently well de. 
fended. During this danger of the prince, the duke of Lancaster 
came near, and, as he approached, saw he had the worst of the en. 
gagement, and that his crew had too much on their hands, for they 
we're bailing out water : he therefore fell on the other side of the 
Spanish vessel, with which he grappled, shouting, " Derby to the 
rescue !" The engagement was now very warm, but did not last 
long, for the ship was taken, and all the crew thrown overboard, not 
one being saved. The prince, with his men, instantly embarked on 



96 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



toard the Spaniard ; and scarcely had they done so when his own 
vessel sunk, which convinced them of the imminent danger they had 
been in. 

The engagement was in other parts well contested by the English 
knifhts, who exerted themselves, and need there was of it, for ihey 
found those who feared them not. Late in the evening, the Salle 
du Roi, commanded by lord Robert de Namur, was grappled by a 
large Spaniard, and the fight was very severe. The Spaniards were 
determined to gain this ship ; and, the more effectually to succeed 
in carrying her off, they set all their sails, took advantage of the 
wind, and in spite of what lord Robert and his crew could do, towed 
her out of the battle : for the Spaniard was of a more considerable 
size than the lord Robert's ship, and therefore she more easily con- 
quered. As they were thus towed, they passed near the king's 
ship, to whom they cried out, " Rescue the Salle du Roi," but were 
not heard ; for it was dark ; and, if they were heard, they were not 
rescued. The Spaniards would have carried away with case this 
prize, if it had not been for a gallant act of one Hanequin, a servant 
to the lord Robert, who, with his drawn sword on his wrist, leaped 
on board the enemy, ran to the mast, and cut the large cable which 
held the mainsail, by which it became unmanageable ; and with 
great agility, he cut other four principal ropes, so that the sails fell 
on the deck, and the course of the ship was stopped. Lord Robert 
seeing this, advanced with his men, and, boarding the Spaniard 
sword in hand, attacked the crew so vigorously, that all were slain 
or thrown overboard, and the vessel won. 

I CANNOT speak of eveiy particular circumstance of this engage- 
ment. It lasted a considerable time ; and the Spaniards gave the 
king of England and his fleet enough to do. However, at last, vie. 
tory declared for the English : the Spaniards lost fourteen sliips ; 
the others saved themselves by flight.* When it was completely 
over, and the king saw he had none to fight with, he ordered his 
trumpets to sound a retreat, and made for England. They anchored 
at Rye and Winchelsea a little after nightfall, when the king, the 
prince of Wales, the duke of Lancaster, the earl of Richmond and 
other barons, diseinbarked, took horses in the town, and rode to the 
mansion where the queen was, scarcely two English leagues distant. 
The queen was mightily rejoiced on seeing her lord and children : 
she had suffered that day great affliction from her doubts of success ; 
for her attendants had seen from the hills of the coast the whole of 
the battle, as the weather was fine and clear, and had told the queen, 
who was very anxious to learn the number of the enemy, that the 
Spaniards had forty large ships : she was therefore much comforted 
by their safe return. The king, with those knights who had attended 
him, passed the night in revelry with the ladies, conversing of arms 
and amors. On the morrow, the greater part of his barons who 
had been in this engagement, came to him : he greatly thanked 
them for all the services they had done him, before he dismissed 
them, when they took their leave, and returned every man to his 
home. 

Yotj have before heard how Aymery de Pavie had plotted to sur- 
render the town and castle of Calais, for a sum of florins to the 
French, and how it befel them : that sir Geoffi-y de Chargny and the 
knights with him were made prisoners, and carried to England, 
whence they ransomed themselves as soon as they could pay the 
money, and returned to France. It happened, that, during the time 
he was at St. Omer by order of the king of France, he heard that 
Aymery de Pavie was at a castle in the country near Calais, called 
Fretun, which the king of England had given him. The Italian 
lived there at his ease with a beautiful English woman, whom he 
had brought thither as his mistress ; and he fancied the French had 
forgotten his courtesy to them : but that was not the ease, as you 
shall hear. As soon as sir Geoffry received this information, he 
secretly inquired from those of the country who knew this castle, if 
it could easily be taken : they assured him it might ; for that sir 
Aymery lived there without any suspicion, and without guards or 
watch, thinking himself as safe as if he were in London or Calais. 
Sir Geoff"ry did not let the matter sleep, but, collecting privately a 
band of men-at-arms, left St. Omer in an evening, taking with him 
the cross-bows that were quartered there, and marched all night, 
when, at daybreak, he arrived at the castle of Fretun. They 
instantly surrounded the castle, as it was not of any size, and having 
entered the ditch, passed through. The servants, awakened by the 
noise, ran to their master, who was asleep, and said, " My lord, rise 
instantly ; for the castle is suiTounded by a large body of men-at- 
arms, who are forcing their way into it." Aymery was much alarmed, 



* " Anno Giatice millesimo Irecentissimo quinqua^essimo, qui est annus regni regis 
Edwardi h. ctinquestu terlii vicosiinus quartus. comniissuni est Ijellum navale inler 
Anglicos et Hispanos quarto culcndas Septembiis. Eilwardus neinpe rex An^liaj cum 
poucis navibusobviavitnavigio liispaniie, viriri beliicosis refertissiinojuxmWinchelsee. 
Et facto atrocissiino conflictu. uiulti licsi sunt ex ulraque parte. Nam tarn fervens erat 
bellum, tarn crebra viilnera inflicta e\ oinni parte, quod ab ill.i prajlio vix aliquis evasil 
illiEsus. Pemuni (Deo Tolente) victoria cessit Anglis. Captai sunt il)i igitur26 naves 
magnie, reliquis submersis, vel in fugain versis. In hoc conflictu dum Hispani tirnidi et 
superbi, atque fideiites in robore suo et strenuitate, deilignantur se reddere jussn regis 
Edwardi. omiies niiserabileter perierunt, aUi ferro caai, alii aquis submersi."— Thomas 
Walsingham, Hist. AitftlitE, p. 169. 

Stowe say.t, that Edw'ard relumed triumphant, but bewailing Uie loss of sir Richard 
Goldesborougb. Page 250. 



and rose as speedily as he could ; but notwithstanding his haste, he 
could not arm himself before his court-yard was filled wi'h soldiers. 
He was thus made prisoner with his mistress ; but nothing was pil- 
laged in the castle, on account of the existing truce between France 
and England ; and besides sir Geoffry only wanted to take Aymery. 
He was greatly pleased with his success, and carried sir Aymery to 
St. Omer, where he did not suffer him to languish in prison, but had 
him put to death, with much cruelty, in the market-place of St. 
Omer, in the presence of the knights and common people of the 
country, who had been sent for thither. Thus died sir Aymery de 
Pavie ; but his mistress escaped, for his death freed her, and she 
afterwards attached herself to a squire of France. 

This year of our Lord 1349, there came from Germany, persons 
who performed public penitences by \\hipping themselves with 
scourges having iron hooks, so that their backs and shoulders were 
torn ; they chanted also, in a piteous manner, canticles of the 
nativity and sufferings of our Saviour, and could no', by their niles, 
remain in any town inore than one night ; they travelled in compa- 
nies of more or less in number, and thus journeyed through the 
country peiforining their penitence for thirty-three days, being the 
number of years Jesus Christ remained on earth, and then returned 
to their own homes. These penitences were thus performed, to 
entreat the Lord to restrain his anger, and withhold his vengeance ; 
for, at this period, an epidemic malady ravaged the earth, and de- 
stroyed a third part of its inhabitants. They were chiefly done in 
those countries the most aflSicted, whither scarcely any could travel, 
but were not long continued, as the church set itself against them. 
None of these companies entered France : for the king had strictly 
forbidden them, by desire of the pope, who disapproved of such 
measures, by sound and sensible reasons, but which I shall pass over. 
All clerks or persons holding livings, that countenanced them, were 
excommunicated, and several were forced to go to Rome to purge 
themselves. 

About this time, the Jews throughout the world were arrested 
and burnt, and their fortunes seized by those lords under whose 
jurisdictions they had lived, except at Avignon, and the territories 
of the church dependent on the pope. Each poor Jew, when he 
was able to hide himself, and arrive in that country, esteemed him- 
self safe. It was prophesied, that for one hundred years people 
were to come, with iron scourges, to destroy them : and this would 
now have been the case, had not these penitents been checked in 
their mad career, as has been related.* 



CHAPTER CLII. 

THE DEATH OF KING PHILir, AND CORONATION OF HIS SON KING JOHN. 

Is the beginning of August, in the year 1350, Raoul de Cahours.t 
and many other knights and squires, to the number of one hundred 



* Here end the additions. I cannot help supposing tiiere must h.ave Iteen more ; for 
Froissart would certainly have parUculariy mentioned this sad calamity of the plague, 
that afflicted all Europe, and lie scarcely notices it. 

It began m the spring of the year 1348. and came from Asia. It destroyed in some 
parts the fourth, iu others the third of their population ; sometimes it left not the tenth 
part. It carried oft' in Paris from 40 to 50,000, and in the little town of St. Denis. 1600. 
There were sometimes, at Paris, 800 burials in a day : and iu the single clmrch-yard of 
the Charter-house, London, were buried 200 dally It broke every bond of attachment 
asunder : servants fled from their masters, wives from their husbands, and children from 
theirparents. There were no laws in force : thegreaiestexcesses werecommiued ; and, 
when the contagion was at an end, morals were found more corrupted. 

I refer my readers to the different chronicles of tlie times, for more particular informa- 
tion. Lord Ilailes dates its ravages in 1349, and says ; *' The great pestilence, which 
had long desolated the continent, reached Scotland. The historians of all countries 
speak with horror of this pestilence. It took a wider range, and proved more destructive 
than any calamity of that nature known in the annals of mankind. Barnes, pp. 428 — 
441, has collected the accounts given of this pestilence hy many historians ; and hence 
he has, unknowingly, furnished materials for a curious inquiry into the populousness ot" 
Europe in the fourteenth century." 

" The same cause which brought on this corruption of manners produced a new spe- 
cies of fiinaticisin. There appeared in Germany, England and Flanders, numerous con- 
fraternities of penitents, who, naked to the girdle, dirty and filthy to look at, flogged 
tJiemselves in the public squares, chanting a ridiculous canticle. Underneath are two 
stanzas of their canticle, consisting of nineteen in the whole. It is entire in a chromcle 
belonging to M. Brequigny, which is the only one supposed to express it : 
" Oravant, entre nous tuit frere, 

Battons nos charoignes bieu fort, 

En reinembrant la grand misere 

De Dieu, et sa piteuse mort. 

Oui fut pris de la gent nmere, 

Et venduz. et traiz k tort, 

Et battu sa char vierge et claire ; 

On noin de ce, battons plus fiirt. 

O Roiz des roiz, char precieuse, 

Dieuz Pere. Filz, Sains Esperis, 

Vos saiiitisme char glorieuse. 

Fut pendue en crois par Juis 

Et la fut grief et doloreuse : 

Quar vo douz saint sane heneic 

Fit In croix vermeille et hideuse. 

Loons Dieu et battons nos pis." 

M. LsvEsQUE. torn. i. pp. 530, 5S1. 
t Raoul de Cahours was of tlie English party, but gained over by tlie magnificent 
promises of king John. He first changed his side at this battle, when he fought with 
the commander in Brittany, who bad only one hundred men, and might have gained 
the day, if he had not been too rash. King John, as a recompense, gave him 24,000 
Uvrefl, and allowed him the possession of the lauds of Beaiivoir, the Island of Chauvet 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



97 



and twenty men-at-arms, or thereabouts, combated with the com- 
mander for the king of England in Brittany, called sir Thomas 
Daggoworth, before the castle of Aiirai. Sir Thomas* and all his 
men were slain, to the amount of about one hundred men-at-arms. 
On the 22nd of August, in the same year, king Philip of France 
departed this life at Nogent-le-Roi,t and was carried to Notre-Dame 
in Paris. On the Thursday following, his body was buried at St. 
Denis, on the left hand of the great altar : his bowels were interred 
at the Jacobins at Paris, and his heart at the convent of the Carthu- 
sians at Bourgfontaines in Valois. The 26th day of September en- 
suing, John, eldest son of king Philip, was crowned king, on a 




John, King of France— Drawn on Iiis return from England, in 1309 : by Bkdclaire 
Croix of St. Eloy, Paris. 



Sunday, at Rheims. His wife. Queen Jane, was also crowned at the 
same time. The king, on this occasion, made many knights : his 
eldest son, the dauphin of Vienne ; his second son, Louis earl of 
Alen(,-on ; the earl of Estampes ; the lord John d'Artois ; Philip 
duke of Orleans, brother to the king ; the duke of Burgundy, son 
of the Queen, by her first marriage with the lord Philip of Burgundy ; 
the earl of Dammartin, and many others. The king set out from 
Rheims on the Monday, and returned to Paris, by way of Laon, 
Soissons and Scnlis. The king and queen made their public entry 
into Paris on a Sunday, the 17lh of October. There were great 
feasts, which lasted the whole week. The king remained at Paris 
at the hotel de Nesle, or at the palace, until near Martinmas, when he 
assembled his parliament. 

On Tuesday, the IGth day of November following, Raoul, earl of 
Eu and Guignes, constable of France, who was but lately returned 
from his pri.son in England, was arrested by order of the king, in 
the hotel de Nesle,* where king John resided, by the provost of 
Paris, and was detained in confinement in his hdtel, until the next 
Thursday ; when, about the hour of matins, he was there beheaded, 
in the presence of the duke of Bourbon, the earl of Armagnac, the 
earl of Montfort, the lord John Boulogne, the earl of Rueil, and 
many other knights, who attended the execution by command of 
the king, at that time in his palace. He was thus executed, for great 
treasons, of which he had confessed himself guilty to the duke of 
Athens, and some others. His body was buried in the Augustins at 
Paris, witltin the walls of the monastery, by permission of the king, 
out of respect to the friends of the constable."^ In the month of the 
ensuing January, Charles of Spain, to whom the king had given the 
earldom of Angouleme, was appointed by him constable of France. 

and otlier estates which he liad seized from Jane de Belleville. Cahours engaged, in 
return, to deliver into the king's liands Vannes, Guerrande, Brest, Hennebon, &c.— 
Hist, de Bretagnc. ^ 

Raoul de Cahours was made commander in Puitou, by writ of privy sea!, dated 
Eltham, 17th January, 1^7.— Rymlr. 

The 4th July, 1348, the king grants him .£10(10 a year, in Po itou, besides other advan- 
tases.— /[^em. 

* Duedale. in his Baronage, says he was slain through the treachery of the French. 

t A town in Beauce, on the river Eure, five leagues from Chartres. 

% Ti;e hotel de Nesle is now demolished ; and its situation would be unknown, were 
it not lor a curious memoir respecting it, in the xxiiid. vol. of the Memoires de I'Acade- 
mie, by M. Bonainy, to which I lefer the reader. 

§ De Doto Rciris FrancitE Juhannis, 4-c.— " Comes de Ewe. constabularius Franciie, 
qui in confiictu inter Anghcos & .\orinanos, anno Domini millesimo. cccmo. xLvito. 
npud Cadamum habito, captus fuit, & tunc missus in Angliam. per ill. annos & amplins 
ibidem remaneerat sub carcerali custodia niancipatus, circiter festum Sancti Micha61i^, 
jumo Domini miUesinio. ccmo. Limn, licenciatus per regem Anglorum loca sua in par- 
tibus Francia: visitare, Parisios venitad novum Franciie regeni Johannem, utique statura 
magnum & discretum, minus tamen graciosum, & fama publica referente libidine ple- 
num, ab uxore propria divertentem, fornicarisque tamsecularibus quam religiosis etiam 
incestuose turpiler adhirentem, k paucis magnatibus vel plebeis rfilectum. Tunc idem 
Tex, se amicum ipsius comitis simulans, & padifice sibi loquens, convivavit eundem. 
Sed statim nocte sequenti, misso spiculatore cum quibusdam sntellitibiLS ad hospicium 
dicti comitis, ipsum comitem fecit aubito deoollari."— Avesdury, p. ICT. 



The lord Guy de Nesle, marshal of France, had an engagement, on 
the first of April, in Saintonge, with the Euglish and Gascons; the 
army of the marshal was defeated : he himself was taken prisoner, 
with his brother the lord William, lord Arnold d'.A.nreghen, and many 
others. On Palm Sunday, which was the 10th of April, 1351,Gilea 
Rigault de Rouffy, who was abbot of St. Denis, and lately made a car- 
dinal, was presented with the red hat, in presence of king John in hia 
palace, by the bishops of Laon and of Paris. This had never been 
done before ; but the pope had directed it to be so, by a bull addre3. 
sed to these bishops. 

In the following September, the French recovered the town of St. 
Jean d'Angely, of which the English had kept possession for five 
years. It was surrendered by the garrison without striking a blow, 
and merely through want of provisions. In the month of October, 
the fraternity of the noble house of St. Ouen,*" near Paris, was estab- 
lished by order of the king. All those who were of this order wore 
a star on their hoods, and another on the front of their mantles.t 
This year, there was the greatest scarcity of provisions all over the 
kingdom of France ever known in the memory of man. Wheat 
was sold at Paris for eight livres parsist the septier ;§ a scptier of 
oats for forty sols parsis, and a boisseauH of peas eight sols, and other 
grains according to their value. In diis month of October, on the 
day of the celebration of St. Ouen, the English took the town of 
Guignes, notwithstanding the truce : and in this year the constable 
of France was married to the daughter of lord Charles of Blois. 



CHAPTER CLIII. 

THE KI.VG OF NAVARRE CAUSES THE LORD CHARLES OF SPAIN, CONSTABUB 
OF FRANCE, TO BE MVSDEKED WITH OTHER MATTERS. 

In the year 1352, on the eve of the feast of our Lady, the middle 
of August, the lord Guy de Nesle, lord of Osseinont, at that time 
marshal of France in Brittany, had an engagement, in which the 
marshal was slain in battle, and also the lord of Briquebec, the 
baron of Beauvais, and many other nobles, as well of the country of 
Briltjiny, as of other parts of France. The 4th of September was 
the day appointed for the combat^ at Paris, between the duke of 
Brunswick and the duke of Lancaster, for words which the duke of 
Lancaster had spoken, and for which the duke of Brunswick had 
summoned him to answer at the court of the king of France. The 
two dukes came to the field completely armed, and entered the lists 
which had been prepared for the German appellant, and the EnglisU 
respondent. As the English were at war with France, the duke of 
Lancaster had come thither under a safe-conduct from king John, 
to defend his honor. The king of France, however, would not per- 
mit them to fight ; but, although they had armed themselves, and 
had taken the oaths, and were mounting their steeds, he took the 
business into his own hands, and made up the diiference between 
them. 

On the 6th day of December, pope Clement VI. died, at Avignon, 
in the eleventh year of his pontificate ; and, on the 11th of the fol- 
lowing month, a cardinal from Liniosin, styled cardinal of Ostia, but, 
because he had been bishop of Clermont, commonly called cardinal 
of Clermont, was elected pope, about the hour of ten in the morning, 
in his room. He took the tide of Innocent VI., though his own 
proper name was sir Stephen Aubert. 

On the 6th day of January, 1353, soon after daybreak, the lord 
Charles Navarre, earl of Evreux, caused the lord Charles of Spain, 
constable of France, to be murdered in his bed, at an inn in the 
town of Aigle** in Normandy, by some men-at-arms whom he sent 
there ; he remained in a barn without the town, until they were 
returned to him after the performance of this deed. It was said he 



* St. Ouen is a small town in the Isle of France, diocese and election of Paris. 

t Barnes says, that on the 8tli September, 1351, king John revived the almost obsolete 
order of the Star, in imitation of the Garter : and the first chapter of it was held at his 
pataceof St. Ouen. At first there were but eighteen knights; the rest were added at 
ditferent chapters. 

'J'hey wore a bright star on the crest of their helmets, and one pendent at their necks < 
and the same was embroidered on their mantles. 

The day fixed for the annual celebration of this order was tlie Epiphany, and the star 
chosen for the emblem. 

The eighteen first knights were ; 

John king of France, sovereign. 

Philip duke of Orleans, his only broUier. 

Charles of France, dauphin of Vienne— Louis duke »t Aruou— John duke of Berry- 
Philip duke of Touraine— king John's sons. 

Charles king of Navarre. 

Peter duke ot Bourbon— James Bourbon count de la Marche— brothers. 

Charles de la Cerda of Spain, earl of Angouleme. 

Arnold d',\ndreghen— John de Clermont— marshals of France. 

Geoffry count de Chargny. great chamberlain of France. 

Charles earl of TancarviUe. 

William de Brenne. duke of Athens, master of the iiorse. 

John o Arlois, carl of Eu-Charles of Artois, count de Longueville-John viscount 
de Meluu, sons of Robert d'Artois. 

For more particulars, see Favine's Theatre d'Honneur. 

X Cotgrave says, tiiat a livie parisis is 23. Cd., and tliat ten sols parisis is equal to OM 

5 A septier of wheat, according to Cotgrave, weighs 2(0 pounds. 

i A boisseau of wheat weighs 20 pounds. , ,. , . ... . 

ir =ee Du'dale's Baronage, for a more particular account of this duel, and ot an en« 
being put to it by the king of France, at the entreaty of the duke of Brunswick, wko, 
through cowardice, submitted to his award. 

** Diocese of Evreux. 



98 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



was accompanied by the lord Philip of Navarre his brother, the lord 
Lewis de Harcourt, and lord Godfrey de Harcourt his uncle, and 
many other knights, as well from Navarre as from Normandy. The 
king of Navarre and his company retreated to the city of Evreux, 
of which he was lord, provisioned it, and added to the fortifications. 
With him went the above-mentioned Harcourts, the lord of Maine, 
John Mailer lord of Graville, the lord Almaury de Meulent, and 
many other noblemen of Normandy. Shortly after, the king of 
Navarre went to Mantes: he had before sent many letters sealed, to 
different towns in the kingdom, to inform them that he had put to 
death the constable, for various evil deeds which the constable had 
done against him. He sent the carl of Meaux to the king of France 
at Paris, on the same subject. The king dispatched to the king of 
Navaire at Mantes, the cardinal de Boulogjie, the bishop of Laon, the 
duke de Bourbon, the earl of Vendbme, and others, who entered into 
a treaty with the king of Navarro : forasmuch as he had married the 
king's sister, the mere pardon of the king for this crime would not 
satisfy him ; but he required of the king, his lord, many other things. 
Eveiy one in France imagined that a war was unavoidable, between 
the two kings ; for the king of Navarre had made many alliances, 
collected troops in different places, and had victualled and fortified 
his towns and castles. At last, however, after many treaties, there was 
one agreed to, of which the following are some of the principal points. 

The king of France was to give the king of Navarre thirty.eight 
thousand livres tonrnois, on account of an annuity which the king of 
Navarre received from the treasury of Paris, in lieu of lands which, 
according to an agreement made between their royal predecessors, 
were to be assigned to him, for the county of Champagne, as well as 
on account of his marriage with the king of France's daughter, when 
he was promised as much land as would amount to twelve thousand 
livres a-year. The king of Navarre wished to have the lordship of 
Beanmont-le-Roger,* the lands of Breteuil,t in Normandy, Conches, t 
and Orbec,^ the.viscounty of Pont.Audemer,|| and the bailiwick of 
Coutantin: which were acceded toby the king of France, though 
tlie first four lands belonged to Philip duke of Orleans, the king's 
brother, and he gave him other estates in lieu of them. The king 
consented also, for the sake of peace, that all the Harcourts and his 
other allies should hold from him, as their lord, all lands dependent 
on Navarre, in whatever part of France they might be situated ; and 
it was at their option to do hint, if they pleased, homage for them. 
The king of Navarre obtained also, that these lands, and those he 
possessed before, should be holden by him as a peerage ; and he had 
the power to hold, twice a-year, a court of exchequer as nobly as the 
duke of Normandy. The king of France consented to pardon all 
who had been concerned in the death of the constable, and promised, 
upon his oath, that neither now nor hereafter would he seek to do 
them hurt for this act. The king of Navarre, in addition, received 
from the king of France a large sum in golden crowns ; and, before 
he would come to Paris, he made the king send him, by way of 
hostage, the earl o( Anjou, his second son. 

When he came to Paris, he was attended by a numerous body of 
men-at-arms. The 4th day of March following, he came to the 
chamber of parliament, where the king was sitting, attended by many 
peers of France, the parliament, and some of his council : the cardi- 
nal of Boulogne was there also. The king of Navarre besought the 
king of France to pardon him the death of the constable, alleging 
that he had good reasons for so doing, which he offered then to lay 
before the king, or at any other time. He swore he had not done it 
out of any contempt to the king of France, or to the office of con- 
stable ; and he added, that he should not feel anything so much, as 
to be thought he had incurred the anger of the king. Upon this, the 
lord James de Bourbon, constable of France, by order of the king, 
gave his hand to the king of Navarre, and drew him aside. Shortly 
after, the queen Joan, aunt to the king of Navarre, and queen 
Blanche, his sister ; the first of whom had been the wife of Charles 
le Bel, and the last of king Philip, lately deceased ; came into the 
presence of the king, and made a low reverence : sir Reginald de 
Trie, falling on his knees, said : '* My most redoubted lord, here are 
my ladies the queens, Joan and Blanche, who have heard that my 
lord of Navarre is in your ill graces, and are much hurt at it. They 
beseech you to have the goodness to pardon him ; and, if it please 
God, he will for the future behave himself in such a manner, that 
you and all the people of France shall be satisfied." 

The constable and the marshals then went to seek the king of 
Navarre, who, coming again into the presence of the king, placed 
himself between the two queens, when the cardinal spoke as follows: 
" My lord of Navarre, no one ought to be surprised, if my lord the 
king of France is offended with you, for the crime you have com- 
mitted. There is no occasion for me to name it, you have made it 
80 public, by your letters and otherwise, that it is known to all. You 
are so much beholden to him, that you ought never to have done it : 
you are of his blood, and nearly related to him ; besides, you are his 
liege man, and one of his peers, and have also espoused his daughter; 
therefore this deed is so much the more blanieable. However, for 



*A market town in Normandy, on the Rille, diocese of Evreus. 
t Election of Conches. 

+ A market-town in Normrandy, diocese of Evreux. 
' § A town of Normandy, diocese of Lisieux. 

II Pont-Audemer— a town in Normandy, diocese of Lisieux, seventeen leagues from 
Caen. 



th^ love and affection he bears my ladies the queens, here present, 
who have most earnestly entreated him in your behalf; and, because 
he believes you have committed this crime through bad advisers, he 
pardons you heartily and willingly." The two queens, and the king 
of Navarre, upon this, fell on their knees, and thanked the king. 
The cardinal added, " that in future if any of the king's relations, or 
others, should dare commit such a crime as the king of Navarre had 
done, and even if it should again happen to the king's son, to insult 
or injure the lowest officer of the king, he should infallibly be pun- 
ished." Upon this, the court broke up.* . 

Tlie 22nd of March, a knight-banneret of the low marches, called sir I 

Reginald de Pressigny, lord of Marans near la Rochelle, was drawn ' 

and hanged on a gibbet, by orders of the parliament and many of 
the great council of the king. On the 4th of August, 1354, the 
king of France was reconciled to the earl of Harcourt and the lord J 

Lewis his brother, who were, as it was then said, to reveal to him M 

many things of consequence, especially all that related to the death ' 

of the constable. In the following month of September, the car- 
dinal de Boulogne set out from Paris to go to Avignon, and, it was 
commonly reported, not in the good graces of the king ; howbeit, 
during the space of a year that he had remained in France, he had 
lived as well with the king as any other courtier. About this time, I 

lord Robert de Lorris, chamberlain to the king of France, suddenly J 

quitted the kingdom. It was said, that, had he been taken, he ^ 

would have suffered, for having revealed to the king of Navarre the 
secrets of the king of France, in the like manner as the Harcourts 
liad done to the king of France. 

The king of Navarre, in the month of November, set out from 
Normandy, and passed through divers places, amusing himself until 
he came to Avignon, and from thence went to Navarre. And this 
monlh the archbishop of Rouen, chancellor of France, and the duke 
of Bourbon, set off for Avignon ; as did the duke of Lancaster, and 
others of the English, in order to hold a conference touching a peace 
between the two kings. This same month the king of France left 
Paris, and went into Normandy as far as Caen. He took possession 
of all the lands belonging to the king of Navarre, and appointed 
new officers and garrisons in all the castles belonging to him, except 
six, viz. Evreux, Pont-j\udcmer, Cherbourg, Gavrey,t jVvranches,t 
Mortain,^ which were garrisoned by men from Navarre, who would 
not surrender themselves, but answered those sent to them from the 
king of France, that they would not give them up save to their lord, 
the king of Navarre, who had put them under their guard. 

In the month of January, the lord Robert de Lorris returned to 
Paris, by a passport from the king, where he remained a fortnight 
without having permission to see him ; and, when he was admitted 
to his presence, he was not fully reconciled ; he therefore, by the 
advice of the king's council, returned to .\vignon, that he might be 
present during the conferences. Toward the end of February, news 
was brought, that the truce which would expire in April, between 
the kings of Franco and England, had been prolonged by the pope 
to the nativity of St, John the Baptist, in order that he might find 
some means of making a permanent peace ; and that the commis- 
sioners from each king had consented to it. The pope sent embas. 
sadors to the kings, respecting another mode of carrying on the treaty 
than what had hitherto been practiced. This same month, the king 
of France coined florins of fine gold, which were called Lamb Florins, 
because on the reverse was the figure of a lamb. They were valued 
at fifty-two the marc ;|1 and when they were coined, the king gave 
forty-eight for a marc of pure gold, and forbade the currency of any 
other florins. This month, sir Gaucher de I'Orme came to Paris, to 
the king of France, as embassador from the king of Navarre ; he 
returned the following March, carrying with him passports for the 
king of Navarre. 

This year, about Shrovetide, many of tlie English advanced near 
to Nantes, and by means of rope-ladders, about fifty-two of them 
got into and took the castle : but sir Guy de Rochefort, who was 
the governor, and at that time in the town, attacked them so vigor- 
ously that he regained it that same night ; and the fity-two Eng. 
lish were either slain or taken prisoners. King John, about Easter 
1355, sent his eldest son, Charles dauphin of Viennc, into Nor- 
mandy, as his lieutenant, where he remained all the summer, and 
the province granted him three thousand men-at-arms for three 
months. In the month of August following, the king of Navarre 
landed at the castle of Cherbourg, and with him ten thousand men, 
including every one. There were many treaties begun between 
those attached to the king of France and those belongijig to the king 
of Navarre: each sent respectively embassadors to the othei-. The 
king of Navarre's garrisons in Evreux and Pont-Audcmer plundered 
all the country thereabout : some of them advanced to the casde of 
Conches, which at that time was in king John's hands, took it, and 
filled it with provisions and men-at-arms. Several other acts of hos. 
tility were done by the men of Navarre against the subjects of the 



* The cause of the murder of Clinrlcs d'Espagne, constable of France, by Charles le 
Mauvoia was the opposition the constable made to the pretensions of the kmg of Na- 
varre to the counties of Champasne, Brie, and to the duchy of Burgundy.— See Ferrera'i 
Hist, of Spain, vol. v. pp. 376. 277. 

t A market town in Normandy four lengues fi^m Coutances. 

i A town in Normandy— a bishop's see. 

5 A town in Normandy— diocese of Avranches 

II Eisht ouaeea of gold, silver, or bullion, i -" 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



99 



king of France. At last, peace wns made ; and the king of Na- 
varre then went to the dauphin of Vienne, in the castle of Verneuil,* 
who conducted him to the good city of Paris. On the 24th day of 
September, they both came to the king, who then resided at the 
castle of tlic Louvre at Paris : and, when admitted to his presence, 
the king of Navarre made his reverence before the many nobles who 
were there assembled. He excused himself very honorably for hav- 
ing quitted the realm, and added, that he had heard some had found 
fault with his conduct toward the king: lie therefore requested the 
king to name those who liad done so : for he swore tliat, since the 
deatli of the constable, he had done nothing against the king of 
France but what a loyal subject should and ought to do. Neverthe. 
less, he besought the king of France, that he would pardon all that 
was passed, and admit him to his favor. He promised that in future 
he would be as good and loyal as a son ought to be to a father, or a 
vassal to his lord. The king informed him, through the duke of 
Athens, that he forgave everything heartily. 



CHAPTER CLIV. 

THE TAX OF THE GABELLEt IMPOSED THROUGHOUT FRANCE, BY THE 
THREE ESTATES, ON ACCOUNT OF THE WAR. 

The prince of Wales went into Gascony some time in the month 
of October, 1355, and advanced as far as Toulouse, where he crossed 
the Garonne, and went to Carcassonne.! He burnt the suburbs, but 
could do nothing to the town, as it was well defended. He then 
marched to Narboime§ burning and destroying the country, and in 
the month of November, returned to Bordeaux with great plunder 
and a multitude of prisoners, without having met with any oppposi- 
tion, notwithstanding that the earl of Armagnac, the king of France's 
lieutenant in Lagnedoc, was at that time in the country, as well as 
the lord of Foix, the lord James de Bourbon, lord of Ponthieu and 
constable of France, and the lord John de Clermont, marshal of 
France, with a more numerous army than that of the prince of 
Wales. 

The king of England landed at Calais in the month of October 
of this year, and marched to Hesdin,|| where he destroyed the out- 
works, and burnt the houses within them ; but he did not enter the 
town or castle. The king of France, on hearing this news of the 
English, issued out his summons for an army to assemble at Amiens, 
and marched toward the king of England, who had retreated toward 
Calais. Tlie king of France advanced as far as St. Omer, whence 
he sent to inform the king of England, by the marshal de Authain, 
and many other knights, that he was willing to give him battle, either 
in single combat, or with his army, any day he would choose to 
name ; but the kin^ of England refused the combat, and crossed the 
sea to England. The king of France returned to Paris. 

In this same year, about St. Andrew's day, the king of France 
summoned all the prelates, chapters, barons, and citizens of the 
principal towns, to Paris, when he laid before them, through his 
chancellor, in the cliamber of parliament, the state of the war, and 
requested of them to consult together on what aids they could grant 
that should be suflficient to enable him to carry it on. And because 
the king had heard that his subjects complained of being much ag. 
grieved by the alteration in the coin, he offered to coin money that 
should be good and weighty, if they would grant him other supplies 
sufficient to enable Iiim to pursue the war. Upon which they an. 
swered, that is to say, the clergy by the mouth of the archbishop of 
Rheims, the nobles by the duke of Athens, and the citizens by Ste- 
phen Marcel, provost of merchants in the good town of Paris, that 
they were willing to live or die for him, and oftered him the disposal 
of their lives and fortunes, requiring only a little time to deliberate 
together. This request was willingly complied with. 

The king of France gave this year, on the vigil of the feast of the 
Conception of the Virgin Mary, the duchy of Normandy to his eldest 
son the dauphine of Vienne, earl of Poitiers ; and, on the morrow, 
he did homage for it. 

After the three estates had deliberated, they replied to the king 
of France, in the chamber of parliament, by the aforementioned per- 
sons, that they would grant him an army of thirty thousand men, to 
be maintained by them for one year ; and in order to have the fund 
for paying this, which was estimated at fifty thousand livres parisis,ir 
the three estates ordered that there should be levied upon all persons 
whatever their state may be, churchmen, nobles or others, a tax of 
eight deniers parisis per pound, on all sorts of provisions ; and that 
the tax upon salt should be established throughout France. But, as 
it was not known if this tax, and the extension of the gabelle, would 
be sufficient, it was ordered that the three estates should remain in 
Paris, to see and examine the result of this tax, and that on the Ist 
of March following they should again assemble ; which was done, 



* Verneuil— a city of Normandy, twenty-nine Ie!i;ues and a half from Parii. 

t The Gabelle is a tax upon salt, first imposed by Philippe le Long. All persons 
in France before the Revolution in 1789. when it was abolished, were obliged to pay a 
certain sum for salt, whether they used any or not. This necessary article was monopo- 
lized by contracttirs, who enriched themselves at the public expense. 

t A considerable town in Lansuedoc, twenty-three leagues from Toulouse. 

§ A large city in Languedoc, an archbishopric, thirty-seven leagues from Toulouse. 

II A strong town ff Artois. on the Canche. twenty-two leagues from Calais. 

IT My two MSS. say " cincjuant cent mille livres." which appears most probable from 
the severity of the tax. 



except by some of the nobles and citizens from the chief towns in 
Picardy, and many other towns in Normandy. Those who had ex. 
amined the receipt of the taxes were also there ; and upon their 
information that it was not sufficient, a new subsidy was resolved 
on ; and it was ordered, that all manner of persons, of the blood 
royal or not, priest or layman, monk or nun, privileged or unprivi- 
leged, innkeepers, heads of churches, who possessed rents, or reve- 
nues from offices or administrations, widows as well as those who 
held estates in their own right, children, married or not, who had 
any fortune in the hands of trustees or otherwise ; coiners, and all 
others who had formerly been exempted from taxation, and who were 
possessed of one hundred livres a. year, or under, whether by inherit, 
ance, annuity, wages or pension for life, should pay a subsidy of four 
livres, to defray the expense of the war ; those of forty livres a-year 
and under, to pay forty sols ; ten livres a-year, and upward, twenty 
sols ; and under ten livres a-year, children, whether in wardship or 
upward of fifteen years old, laborers and workmen gaining their live- 
lihood by work, should pay ten sols : if they had any fortune besides 
what they acquired by labor, they were to pay as the others. Ser. 
vants and all who worked for hire, so that they gained a hundred 
sols, and upward, a-year, were .also to pay ten sols. The sol was to 
be taken as the sol parisis, in those parts where this mode of reckon- 
ing was usual, and as the sol tournois in the other parts. Those 
servants who did not gain more than the exact sum of one hundred 
sols a-year, or under, were to pay nothing ; but if they had any equi- 
valent fortune, they were to pay according to the rate ot the others. 
None of the mendicant monks, nor those in cloisters without office 
or administration, nor children tmder the age of fifteen, without any 
property, were to pay this subsidy. Nuns were also exempted, who 
had not any income exceeding ten livres. Wives paid nothing, be- 
cause their husbands were taxed, and their fortunes would be reckoned 
as part of their husbands'. With regard to the clergy, whether they 
were prelates, abbots, priors, canons, curates, or others who possessed 
upward of one hundred livres a-year, by benefices, or inheritance 
from the holy church, or by both, and extending to five thousand 
livres a-year, they were to pay four livres for the first hundred livres, 
and forty sols for every hundred of the five thousand. No further 
aid was to be required for any sum above live thousand livres. The 
revenues of the benefices were to be estimated by the tax of the 
tenth penny, and no one was allowed to claim any privileges from 
their tenths if they had been once granted. 

With regard to the nobility, and citizens of the chief towns, who 
had upward of one hundred livres a-year : the nobles were to be 
taxed as far as five thousand livres of rent, and forty sols for every 
hundred livres, besides the four livres for the first hundred. The 
inhabitants of the towns in the same manner, as far as one thousand 
livres a-year. As for the furniture of those noblemen who did not 
possess a hundred livres a-year, it was to be valued as high as one 
thousand livres, and no higher ; and for those who were not noble, 
and had not four hundred livres a-year, their furniture was to be 
valued as far as four thousand livres, that is to say, at the rate of one 
hundred livres for every ten livres of rent ; and they were to pay the 
tax in the manner above specified. If it should happen that any 
nobleman possessed but just the rental of one hundred livres, and 
his furniture or no higher value than one thousand livres ; or that 
any one, not a noble, had a rental of four hundred livres, and fur- 
niture to the amount of four thousand livres, then their rentals and 
furniture should be entered together, as high to the nobleman as one 
thousand livres, and to others as far as four thousand livres, and no 
more. 

On Saturday, the 5th of March, 1356, there was a dissension in 
the town of Arras, between the higher and lower ranks of inhabit- 
ants ; the lower sort killed, that day, seventeen of the higher rank 
in the town. On the Monday following, they murdered four others, 
and banished many more : so that they remained masters of the 
town of Arras. 

CHAPTER CL V. 

THE KING OF FRANCE ARRESTS THE KING OF NAVARRE, AND ORDERS THE 
EARL OF HARCOURT AND OTHERS TO BE BEHEADED AT ROtTEN. 

The king of France, on Tuesday the 5th of April, which was the 
Tuesday after midlent Sunday, set out early, completely armed, from 
Mainvillc,* attended by about one hundred lances. There were with 
him his son the earl of Anjou, his brotiier the duke of Orleans, 
the lord John d'Artois, carl of Eu, the lord Charles his brother, 
cousins-german to the king, the earl of Tancarville, sir Arnold 
d'.'^ndreghen, marshal of France, and many other barons and knights. 
They rode straight for the castle of Rouen, by a back way, without 
passing through the town, and on entering found, in the hall of the 
castle, Charles, duke of Normandy, Charles king of Navarre, John 
earl of Harcourt, the lords de Preux, de Clerc,de Graville, and some 
others seated at dinner. The king immediately ordered them all, 
except the dauphin, to be arrested, as also sir William and sir Louis 
de Harcourt, brothers to the earl, the lord Fricquet do Friquart, the 
lord de Tournebeu, the lord Maubu^ de Mamesnars, two squires 
called Oliver Doublet and John de Vaiibatu, and many others. He 
had them shut up in diffijrent rooms in the castle , and his reasoa 



I * Mainville— a market town in Vexin Normandy, in the election of Gisors. 



100 



CHRONICLES OF ENGL AND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



for 30 doing was, that, since the reconciliation made on occasion of 
the death of the constable of France, the king of Navarre had con. 
spired and done many things contrary to the honor of the king, and 
the good of his realm ; the earl of Harcourt had also used many inju- 
rious expressions in the castle of Vaudreuil,* when an assembly was 
holden there to grant a subsidy to the king of France, against the 
said king, in order to prevent, as much as lay in his power, the sub- 
sidy from being agreed to. The king, after this, sat down to dinner, 
and afterwards, mounting his horse, rode, attended by all his com- 
pany, to a field behind the castle, called the Field of l^ardon. The 
king then ordered the earl of Harcourt, the lord of Graville, the lord 
Maubu6, and Oliver Doublet, to be brought thither in two carts : their 
heads were cut off, and their bodies dragged to the gibbet at Rouen, 
where they were hung, and their heads placed upon the gibbet. In 
the course of that day and the morrow, the king set at liberty all the 
other prisoners, except three ; Charles king of Navarre, who was 
conducted to prison in the Louvre at Paris, and afterwards to the 
Chatelet ; some of the king's council were appointed as a guard 
over him. Friquet and Vaubatu were also confined in the Chatelet, 
Philip of Navarre, however, kept possession of several castles which 
the king his brother had in Norniand}', and when the kingofFrance 
sent him orders to surrender them, refused to obey, but in conjunc. 
fion with the lord Godfrey de Harcourt and other enemies of France, 
raised forces in the country of Coutantin, which they defended 
against the king's troops. 

On Wednesday after Easter, 1356, sir Arnold d'Andrcghen went 
to Arras, and there very prudently, and without the help of his sol. 
diery, arrested one hundred of those who had jiut the town in a state 
of rebellion, and who had murdered the citizens. On the morrow, 
he had twenty of them beheaded ; and the rest he kept in prison 
until the king should have ordered otherwise. By this means the 
town was rendered obedient to the king. In the month of June fol- 
lowing, the duke of Lancaster landed in the eounti-y of Coutantin, 
and joined the lord Philip of Navarre and sir Godfrey de Harcourt. 
They were about four thousand combatants. They marched straight 
for Lisieux, Orbec, and Pont-Audemer, where they reinforced the 
castle, which had been besieged for upward of two months. The 
lord Robert de Hotetot, captain of the cross-bowmen in France, who 
with other nobles had laid siege to it, broke it up, as he heard of the 
coming of the duke of Lancaster, leaving behind him his machines 
and artillery, which were captured by those of the castle. The duke 
and lord Philip made an excursion as far as Breteuil,t which they 
strengthened, robbing and plundering the country through which 
they passed. When they found that the city and castle of Evreu.x 
had lately surrendered to the king of France, who had for a length 
of time laid siege to it, and that the town and cathedral had been 
pillaged and burnt by the men of Navarre, who gave up the castle 
by capitulation ; as well as by some of the king's forces, who were 
besieging the town, the duke and lord Philip went forward to Ver- 
iieuil,t which town and castle tliey took and plundered : they also 
burnt part of the town. 

The king of France, on hearing of the landing of the duke of Lan- 
caster, had issued out his orders for raising troops : he assembled a 
large body of men-at-arms and infantry, set out in pursuit of him, 
and, passing through Cond6,§ made straight for the town of Verneuil. 
He passed by l'Aigle,|| and followed him to Tubceuf, two leagues 
distant from I'Aigle. The king of France was then informed that 
he could not pursue him further ; for there were immense forests in 
which his party could secrete themselves : the king thej-efore re. 
turned, and came with his whole army before the castle of Thilliers,ir 
which they said was in possession of Navarre. He took it, and gar- 
risoned it with his own people. He afterwards came to the castle of 
Breteuil, which was defended for the king of Navarre. The king 
of France remained before this castle the space of two months, when 
it was suri-endered on capitulation that the garrison might go whither 
they pleased, and all they could carry with them. 



CHAPTER CLVI. 

THE KING OF FRANCE ISSUES OUT A SUMMONS FOE ASSEMBLING AN AKMY 
TO COMBAT THE PKINCE OF WALES, WHO WAS OVERRUNNING THE PROV. 
INCE OF DERBY. 

When king .Tolin of France had finished his expedition, and had 
reconquered all the towns and castles in lower Normandy which 
belonged to the king of Navarre, whom he detained in prison, he 
returned to the city of Paris. He had not been long there before he 
heard that the prince of Wales, with his whole army, had invaded 
his kingdom, and was advancing toward the fertile country of Berry. 
When this was told him, the king said, with an oath, that he would 
immediately set out after him, and give him battle wherever he should 
find him. He issued out a special summons, to all nobles and others 
who held fiefs under him, that they should not, under any pretence 
whatever, absent themselves without incuiTing his highest displea, 

*yandreuil-.i small town of NnmiaiKly, diocese of Evreux.sa leagues from Rouen. 

T A town in Normandy, election of Conche:. 

t A city in Normandy, twelve leiigues from Evreux. 

§ A villaiie i:i Normandy, in llie election of Alenron. 

II A small city in Normandy, diocese of Evroitx. election of Verneail. 

\ Thilliers is a village of i'lcardy, near Montidier. 



sure, but, immediately on the receipt of these letters, set out to meet 
him on the borders of Touraine and Blois ; for he was detci'mined to 
fight the English. The king, to hasten the business, marched from 
Paris; for he had. at this time a large body of men-at-arms in the field? 
and went to Chartres, to gain more certain intelligence of the enemy. 
He remained there Some time, and great croW'ds of troops and men- 
at-arms came to him from tl;e different countries of Auvergne, Berry, 
Burgundy, Lorraine, Hainault, Vcrmandois, Picardy, Brittany, and 
Normandy. They passed through the town on their arrival, to show 
their musters, and took up their quarters in the fields, according to 
the orders of the two marshals, the lord John de Clermont and lord 
Arnold d'Andreghen. The king gave orders for all the towns in 
Anjou, Poitou, Maine and Touraine, to be well garrisoned and pro- 
vided with all things, especially those on the borders, by which it 
was Iioped the English would pass, that they might be inclosed, and 
cut off from any subsistence for themselves and horses. In spite of 
this, however, the prince, who had with him two thousand men-at- 
arms and six thousand archers, rode on at his ease, and collected 
everywhere provisions in plenty. They found the country of Au. 
vergne, which they had entered and overrun, very rich, and all things 
in great abundance ; but they would not stop there, as they were 
desirous of combating their enemies. They burnt and destroyed all 
the countries they passed through ; and when they entered any town 
which was well provisioned, they rested there some days to refresh 
themselves, and at their departure destroyed what remained, staving 
the heads of wine casks that were full, burning the wheat and oats, 
so that their enemies could not save anything. They kept advanc- 
ing, and found plenty everywhere ; for the countries of Berry, Poitou, 
Touraine and Maine are very rich, and full of fort:ge for incn-at.arms. 

The English advanced so far that they came to the good city of 
Bourges,* where there was a great skirmish at one of the gates. 
Two knights, the lord de Cousant and the lord Hutin do Memelles, 
had charge of the city. Many gallant deeds were performed ; but 
the English left it without doing any damage, and went to Issodun,t 
where there was a strong castle. They attacked it very briskly, with 
their whole army, but they could not gain it ; for the governor and 
the knights who were with him too valiantly defended themselves. 
The English therefore passed on, and came to a large townt and 
castle : the town, being weakly fortified and badly defended, .was 
taken by storm. They found there great plenty of wines and other 
provisions, and remained three days to repose themselves. News 
was brought there to the prince of ^Vales, that the king of France 
was in the city of Chartres, with a very large army, and that all the 
passes and towns on that side of the Loire were secured, and so well 
guarded no one could cross the river. The prince then held a coun- 
cil, when it was resolved he should set out on his return to Bordeatix, 
whence he had coiuc, through Touraine and PoiTou, and destroy all 
the country as he passed. The)' began their retreat after they had 
done their pleasure with the town ; and this diiy they gained the 
castle, and slew the greater part whom they found in it. 

They iBarched toward Romorantin.§ The king of France sent 
into Berry three gallant barons, the lord of Craon, the lord of Bouci. 
cault, and the hermit of Chaumont, to defend the frontiers, and to 
observe the motions of the English. They had with them three hun- 
dred lances ; and, skirting the borders of the province, they followed 
them for six days, without finding any opportunity of intercepting or 
of attacking the enemy ; such good and close order did the English 
maintain on their march. The French, therefore, had recourse to 
an ambuscade, near to Roiuorantin, in a wonderfully narrow spot, 
which the English were obliged to pass. That same day, there left 
the prince's army, from the battalion of the marshals, by permission 
of the prince, the lord Bartholomew Burghersh, the lord of Muyssidan, 
a Gascon, the lord Petiton Courton, the lord Delawar, the lord Basset, 
sir Walter Pavely, sir Richard Pontchardan, sir Nesle Loring, the 
young lord Despencer, sir Eustace and sir Sanchez d'Ambreticourt, 
with about two hundred combatants, in order to push forward to 
Romorantin. They passed through the ambuscade of the French 
without molestation; but, the moment they were clear of it, the 
French, who were mounted on excellent and well-dressed horses, 
stuck spurs into them, to overtake them. The English, who had 
got far forward, hearing the sound of horses' feet, turned round and 
found it was the enemy. They iinmediately halted, to wait for the 
French, who advanced on a gallop, fully determined what to do, 
with their lances in their rests. The English, seeing them thus 
charge full speed, opened on each side and let tliein pass through, so 
that no more than five or six were unhorsed : they then closed their 
ranks, and fell upon the rear of the French. This engagement was 
very sharp : many knights and squires were unhorsed, raised up again 
and rescued on both sides. It lasted a long time, and no one could 
tell, so valiantly was it disputed, to which side victory would incline, 
when the battalion of the marshals appeared in sight. The French 
first noticed it, as it marched, skirting along a wood, and intmediately 
thought of saving themselves as fast as they could, taking the road 
to Romorantin. The English followed on full gallop, overthrowing 
all they could, without sparing themselves or their horses. The 



* A large city in Berry, and an arclibisliopric. 

t In Berry, diocese of Bourges, and eiglit leagues distant. 

X Vierzon, according to a marginal note in D. Sauvage's edition,— Ed. 

§ Roinorautin— a considerable town on tJte Saudre, in Blaisois, and capital of Sologn© 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



101 



slaughter was great, and many were killed and unhorsed. One half 
of them, however, got safe into tlie castle of Rnmorantin, whose 
gates were opened to receive them. There ihe three barons saved 
themselves, as well as some knights and squires who were the best 
mounted. The town of Romorantin was taken on the first arrival 
of the English, for it was not fortified. The remainder of the French 
endeavored to escape by getting into the castle. 



CHAPTER CLVJI. 

THE PRINCE OF WALES TAKES THE CASTLE OF ROMOKAJ.TIN. 

When the prince of Wales was informed that his people had been 
engaged, he hastened the march of his army toward Romorantin, 
and, when he entered the town, found it full of men, who were 
studying how they could take the castle. The prince called sir John 
Chandos, and ordered him to go and hold a parley with those in the 
castle. Sir John went to the barriers, and made a sign that he 
wished to speak with some one : those upon guard inquired his 
name, by whom he was sent, and then went to inform their masters. 
Upon which, the lord of Boucicault and the hermit of Chaumont 
came down to the bars. When sir John saw them, he saluted them, 
and said : " Gentlemen, I am sent to you by my lord the prince, who 
wishes, as it appears to me, to behave cotirteously toward his ene- 
mies, and thus says, Ikat, if you will surrender the castle and your- 
selves, he will show you mercy, and give you good company.'' The 
lord of Boucicault replied : " We have no sort of inclination to ac- 
cept of such terms, nor to commit such an act of folly without any 
necessity ; for we are determined to defend ourselves." Upon this 
they parted ; and the prince ordered his men to quarters, for the next 
day he meant to attack the castle : they were therefore commodi- 
ously lodged in the town of Romorantin, and close about it. 
I On the next morning, the men-at-arms prepared themselves, and 
the archers advanced under their respective banners, and made a 
sharp attack upon the castle. The archers, who had posted them- 
selves on the ditches, shot so justly, that scarcely any one dared to 
show himself on the battlements. Some got upon hurdles and doors, 
with pickaxes and mattocks in their hands, and swam over the ditch, 
when they began to undermine the walls. Those within ilung down 
■upon them large stones and pots of hot lime. On this occasion, 
there was slain on the part of the English, a squire called Remond 
de Gedcrlach, who belonged to the dirision of the captal de Buch. 
The attack lasted the whole day, with little intermission. The Eng- 
lish retreated, toward night, to their quarters, in order to take care 
of the wounded ; and on the morrow at sunrise, the marshals' trum- 
pets sounded. All who were ordered for this assault got themselves 
in readiness : tha,prince of Wales himself attended in person, and 
by his presence mightily encoiu'aged the English. A squire, of the 
name of Bernard, was killed close at his side, by a stone thrown 
from the castle : upon which the prince swore, he would never move 
from that place until he had the castle and all in it in his power, and 
immediately ordered reinforcements to the assault. 

Some of the wisest thought that they might use lances and ar- 
rows for ever in vain ; and therefore they ordered cannons to be 
brought forward, and also aqueraux,* to fire le feu Gregeoisf into the 
lower court of the castle, so that it was all in a blaze. The fire in- 
creased so much, that it gained a large tower which was covered 
with thatcii. When those within the castle found that they must 
either surrender themselves or perish by fire, the lord of Craon, the 
lord of Boucicault, and the hermit of Chaumont, came down from 
the castle, and surrendered themselves to the prince, who made them 
ride and attend him, as his prisoners : many other knights and 
squires who were in the castle, were set at liberty, and the castle was 
destroyed. 

CHAPTER CLVIII. 

THE KING OF FRANCE LEAPS A GREAT ARMY TO THE BATTLE OF 
POITIERS. 

After the taking of the castle of Romorantin, and the above, 
mentioned knights, the prince and his army marched forward as be- 
fore, burning and destroying the country,, in his approach to Anjou 
and Touraine. The king of France, who had resided at Chartrcs, 
set out from that place and came to Blois,t where he remained two 
days. He then came to Amboise,^ and then to Loches,|| where he 
heard that the English were in Touraine, taking the road for their 
return through Poitou ; for the English army was constantly observed 

* JiQueraulz. In Du Cange, this passage is referred to as autiiority fur tlie word ; he 
calls it 77wc*ma &f^/(. [It seems thnttiie aqueraulx were weapons projected from Ihe 
Cannons, and not machines used for casting the Greek fire. Froissart's words are, " et 
ordonnerent k porter canons en avantet itraireen aqueraux c( i feu Gregeois." Tliey 
ordered cannons to he brought up and aqiureaux and Greek fire to be shot from than. 
— Ed.1 

\ Feu Gregeois, or feu Grecquois, was composed of sulphirr, naptha. pitch, gum, and 
bitumen. It is only extinguishable by vinegar mixed with sand or urine, or by raw 
hides. It was first used by tlie Greeks, about the year (BO. For furtlier accounts, see 
Encyclopaedia Brilannica. word Fire. 

X A handsome city and bishopric, on the north side of the Loire, forty-foui* leagues 
and a half from Paris. 

§ A small cily of Touraine, on the Loire, ten leasues from Blois. 

II A town in Touraine, on the Indre, diocese of Tours, sixty-nine leagues from Paris. 



by some able and expert knights of France and Burgundy, who sent 
the king particular information of its movements. The king of 
France then advanced to La Haye,* in Touraine. His army had 
crossed the Loire, by the bridges of Orleans, Mehun, Saumur, Blois 
and Tours, and wherever else they could. There were such num- 
bers of good and able men, that they were at least twenty thousand 
men-at-arms, without reckoning the others : there were twenty-five 
dulccs and earls, and upward of six score banners. The four young 
sons of the king were also with him ; Charles duke of Normandy, 
the lord Lewis, who was afterwards duke of Anjou, the lord John, 
since duke of Berry, and the lord Philip, the younger, who was 
afterwards duke of Burgundy. 

About this time, pope Innocent VI. had sent into France two car- 
dinals, sir Bertrand, cardinal of Pcrigord, and sir Nicholas, cardinal 
d'.\igel,t to endeavor to make a peace between the king of France 
and his enemies, and especially between him and the king of Navarre, 
who was still detained in prison. The two cardinals held frequent 
conferences with the king on this subject, during the siege of Bre- 
teuil, but were not able to bring it to a conclusion. The cardinal of 
Perigord had retired to the city of Tours, where he was informed 
that the king of France was marching in all haste after the English. 
He therefore left Tours, and hastened to Poitiers, as he had learnt 
that the two armies were approaching near to each other in that 
quarter. 

When the king of France heard that the prince of Wales was 
making as much haste as possible to return, he did not think he could 
any way escape from him. He marched from La Haye, with his 
whole army, and made for Chauvigny,t where he took up his quarters 
on Thursday, as well in the town as without the walls, in meads 
along the banks of the river Vienne. On the morrow, after break- 
fast, the king crossed the river at the bridge of Chauvigny, and im- 
agined that the English were just before him, but he was mistaken. 
However, in the pursuit, upward of forty thousand horse crossed 
this bridge on Friday ; raanj' others did so at Chatelleraut ;§ and all, 
as they passed, took the road to Poitiers. On the other hand, the 
prince of Wales and his army were ignorant of the exact motions 
of the French ; but they supposed they were not far distant, for their 
foragers found great difficulties in procuring forage, of which the 
whole army was in extreme want. They repented of the great 
waste they had made in Berry, Anjou, and Touraine, and that they 
had not more amply provisioned themselves. 

It happened on this Friday, from the king of Frajtce in person 
passing the bridge of Chauvigny, and the great crowds wliich attended 
him, that three great barons of France, the lord of Auxerre, the lord 
Raoul de Joigny, and the earl of Joigny, were obliged to remain all 
that day in the town of Chauvigny, and a part of their people with 
them : the others passed over without baggage or armor except what 
they had on their backs. On the Saturday morning, they dislodged, 
crossed the bridge, and followed the anny of the king, which was 
about three leagues off. They made for the open fields and the 
heaths, which were surrounded by woods, in order to arrive at 
Poitiers. This same Saturday, the prince decamped from a village 
hard by, and sent forward a detachment to seek adventures, and to 
bring some intelligence of the French. They consisted of about 
sixty men, well armed and mounted for the occasion. Among the 
knights were sir Eustace d'Ambreticourt and sir John de Guistelles. 
By accident, they got on the heaths surrounded by the woods above 
mentioned. The French soon saw they were enemies ; they fixed 
on their helmets, and unfurled their banners as quickly as they were 
able ; when, fixing their, lances in their rests, they stuck spurs to 
their horses. 

The English no sooner perceived these Frenchmen, who were 
about two hundred lances, than they allowed themselves to be pur- 
sued, as the prince and his army were not far distant : they therefore 
wheeled about, and made for the rutty road through the wood. The 
French chased them with shouts and a great noise, and as they 
galloped on, fell in with the army of the prince, which had halted 
among the heaths to wait for their companions. The lord Rafcl de 
Joigny, and those under his banner, were advanced so i'ar that they 
came right upon the banner of the prince : the engagment was very 
sharp, and sir Raoul fought well : however, he was made prisoner, 
as were the earl of Joigny, the Viscount de Breuse, and the lord of 
Chauvigny : the greater part were either slain or captured. By these 
the prince learnt, that the king of France had marched forward, and 
that he could not return without fighting him. Upon which he col. 
lected all the stragglers, and ordered that no one, under pain of 
death, should advance or skirmish before the battalion of the marshals. 
They marched on this Saturday, from about nine o'clock until 
vespers, when they came within small leagues of Poitiers. The 
captal de Buch,ll sir Haymenon dePomiers, sir Bartholomew Burg- 

* A town in Touraine. on the Creuse. twelve leagues from Tours. 

t In some, it is d'Urgel. 

X A town in Poitou, on the Vienne, diocese of Poitiers, six leagues from Poitiers. 

§ A town in Poitou, on the Vienne. diocese of Poiuers, ten leagues distant. 

II The Captal de Buck. The title of captal had anciently been affected by some of 
the most illustrious lords of Aquitaine. It seems that it was originally equivalent to the 
title of count, and marked even a superiority, as the word capitalis announces, principal 
chief. This dignity, at first personal, as well as all the otliers, became, in length of time, 
attached to particular families, and to tlie estates of which they were possessed. In the 
time of tlie first dukes of .\quitaine, there were several captals ; but this title, perhaps by 



102 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



herst and sir Eustace d'Ainbreticourt were ordered to advance, and 
observe where the French were encamped. These knights, with 
two hundred men well armed and mounted on their best steeds, set 
out, and soon perceived the French king's army. All the plain was 
covered with men-at-arms ; and these English could not rei'raiii from 
attacking the rear of the French ; they unhorsed many, and took 
some prisoners, insomuch that the main army began to be in motion. 
News was brought of this to the king of France, as he was on the 
point of entering the city of Poitiers : upon which he turned back, 
and ordered his whole army to do the same, and make for the open 
fields, so that it was very late before they were quartered. The 
English detachment returned to the prince, and related to him the 
appearance of the Frencli, that they were in immense numbers. 
The prince, on hearing this, said, " God help us ; we must now 
consider which will be the best manner to fight them the most ad- 
vantageously." This night, the English were quartered in a very 
strong position, among vineyards and hedge.?, and both annies were 
well guarded. 



CHAPTER CLIX. 

THE DISPOSITION OF THE FRENCH BEFOKE THE BATTLE OF POITIEHS. 

On the Sunday morning, the king of France, who was very im. 
patient to combat the English, ordered a solemn mass to be sung in 
his pavilion ; and he and his four sons received the communion. 
Mass being over, there came to him the duke of Orleans, the duke 
of Bourbon, the earl of Ponthieu, the lord .Tames de Bourbon, the 
duke of Athens, constable of France, the earl of Tancarville, the 
earl of Saltzburg, the earl of Dammartin, the earl of Vantadour, and 
many barons of France, as well as other great lords who held fiefs in 
the neighborhood, such as my lord of Clermont, sir Arnold d'.4.n. 
dreghen, marshal of France, the lord de St. Venant, the lord John de 
Landas, the lord Eustace de Ribeaumont, the lord de Fiennes, the 
lord Geoffry de Chargny, the lord of Chatillon, the lord of Sully, the 
lord of Nesle, sir Robert de Duras, and many more, according to a 
summons they had received for a council. They were a considera- 
ble time debating ; at last it was ordered, that the whole army should 
advance into the plain, and each lord should display his banner, and 
push forward in the name of God and St. Denis. Upon this, the 
trumpets of the army sounded, and every one got himself ready, 
mounted his horse, and made for that part of the plain where the 
king's bamier was planted and fluttering in the wind. There might 
be seen all the nobility of France, richly dressed out in brilliant 
armor, with banners and pennons* gallantly displayed; for all 
the flower of the French nobility were there : no knight nor squire, 
for fear of dishonor, dared to remain at home. By the advice of the 
constable and the marshals, the army was divided into three bat- 
talions, each consisting of sixteen thousand men-at-arms, w-ho had 
before shown themselves men of tried courage. The duke of Or- 
leans commanded the first battalion, where there were thirty-si.v 
banners and twice as many pennons. The second w-as under the 
command of the duke of Normandy, and his two brothers, the lord 
Lewis and lord John. The king of France commanded the third. 

While these three battalions were forming, the king called to 
him the lord Eustace de Ribeaumont, the lord John de Landas, and 
the lord Guiscard de Beaujeu, and said to them, " Ride forward, as 
near the English army as you can, and observe their countenance, 
taking notice of their numbers, and examine which will be the most 
advantageous manner for us to combat them, whether on horseback 
or on foot." The three knights left the king to obey his commands. 
The king was mounted upon a white palfrey, and, riding to the 
head of his army, said aloud : " You, men of Paris, Chartres, Rouen 
and Orleans, have been used to threaten what you would do to tho 
English, if you could find them, and wished much to meet them in 
arms ; now, that wish shall be gratified : I will lead you to them ; 
and let us see how you will revenge yourselves for all the mischief 
and Qamage they have done you; be assured we will not part with- 
out fighting." Those who heard him replied : " Sir, through God's 
assistance, we will most cheerfully meet them." At this instant the 
three knights returned, and pushing through the crowd, came to the 
king, who asked what news they had brought : sir Eustace de Ri- 
beaumont, whom his companions had requested to be their spokes- 
man, answered : " Sir, we have observed accurately the English ; 
they may amount, according to our estimate, to about two thousand' 
men-at-arms, four thousand archers, and fifteen hundred footmen. 
They are in a very strong position ; but we do not imagine they can 
make more than one battalion ; nevertheless they have posted them- 
selves with great judgment, have fortified all the road along the 
hedgo-side, and lined the hedges with part of their archers ; for, as 



neglect, was replaced by others, so timt. toward the fourteenth century, there were no 
more than two captnk ncknowiedsed, that of Biicli and that of Franc— f^idc Oloss. 
Z>u Cfingo ad. crrb. Capit^lis. 

* The pennon was ttie proper ensign of a baclielor or simple knight. Du Fresne 
shows, lliat even squires iniglilljear pennons, provided they could bring a sufticientsuit 
of vassals to the tield. — J^otc in Grasc\'t Mihtarv .'Intiquitics. See also p. 206, vol. i., 
for an accountoftiie banner und banneret, and p. 256, vol. ii. 

In computing the numbers of an army, every man-at-arrr.s sliouid be counted as 
three ; for each liad liis squire "to bear his lance, &c.. and also Jiis body squire. 

Villarot, in Jiis History of France, says that three thousand men-at-arms amounted to 
nearly twelve thousand men. Vol. v. 4th edit, p. 179. 



that is the only road for an attack, one must pass through the midst 
of them. This lane has no other entry ; and it is so narrow, that 
scarcely can four men ride through it abreast. At the end of this 
lane, amid vines and thorns, where it is impossible to ride or march 
in any regular order, are posted the men-at-arms on foot ; and they 
have drawn up before them their archers, in the manner of a harrow, 
so that it will be no easy matter to defeat them." The king asked, 
in what manner they would advise him to attack them : " Sir," re- 
plied sir Eustace, " on foot : except three hundred of the most 
expert and boldest of your army, who must be well armed and ex- 
cellently mounted, in order to break, if possible, this body of archers, 
and then your battalions must advance quickly on foot, attack the 
men-at-arms hand to hand, and combat tkcm valiantly. This is the 
best advice that I can give you ; and, if any one know a better, let 
him say it." The king replied ; " Thus shall it be then ;" and, in 
company with his two marshals, he rode from battalion to battalion, 
and selected, in conformity to their opinions, three hundred knights 
and squires of the greatest repute in his army, each well armed and 
mounted oir the best of horses. Soon after, the battalion of the 
Germans was formed, who were to remain on horseback to assist the 
marsha's : they were commanded by the earls of Saltzburg, Neydo^ 
and Nassau. 

King John was armed in royal armor, and nineteen others like 
him*. He had given his eldest son in charge to the lord of St, 
Venant, the lord of Landas, and the lord Theobald de Bodenay. 
The lord Geofiry de Chargny carried the banner of France, as be- 
ing the most valiant and prudent knight of the army. The lord 
Reginald de Quenolle t, surnaiued the Archpriest, wore the ftdl 
armor of the young earl of Alen^on. 



CHAPTER CLX. 

THE CAKDINAL DE PERIGOKD ENDEAVOKS TO MAKE PEACE BETWEEN THI 
KING OF FRANCE AND THE PRINCE OF WALES, PREVIOUS TO THE BATTLE 
OF POITIERS. 

When the battalions of the king of France were drawn up, and- 
each lord posted under his proper banner, and informed how they 
were to act, it was ordered, that ail those who were armed with 
lances should shorten them to the length of five feet, that they might 
be the more manageable, and that every one should take oft' his 
spurs. As the French were on the point of marching to their ene- 
mies, the cardinal de Perigord, who had left Poitiers that morning: 
early, came full gallop up to the king, making a low reverence, and 
entreated him, with uplifted hands, for the love of God, to halt a 
moment, that he might speak to him : he thus began : " Most dear 
sire, you have here with you all the flower of knighthood of your 
kingdom against a handful of people, such as the English are, when 
compared to your army ; you may have them upon other terius than 
by a battle ; and it will be more honorable and profitable to you to 
gain them by these means than to risk such a fine army, and sucht 
noble persons as you have now with you. I therefore beseech you, 
in all humility, and by the love of God, that you will permit me to 
go to the prince, and remonstrate with him on the dangerous situa. 
tion he is in." The king answered, "It is very agreeable to us; 
but make haste back again." 

The cardinal upon this, set off', and went in all speed to the prince, J 

whom he found on foot in the midst of his army, in the thickest part 1 

of a vineyard. When the cardinal came there, he dismounted, and 
advanced to the prince, who most aflably received him, and, after he 
had made his reverence, said : " Fair son, if yon have well consid- 
ered the great army of the king of France, you will permit me to 
make up matters between you both, if I possibly can." The prince, 
who was but in his youth, replied : " Sir, my own honor, and that of 
my army saved, and I am ready to listen to any reasonable terms." 
The cardinal answered : " Fair son, you say well : and I will bring 



* This custom of arming several in lilto manner to the commander of an army, seems 
to have been usual, and was carried down to our Richard lll.'s time. ShajLspeare 
makes Ricliard say in the tijurlh scene of Uie last act ; 

" I think, there be six Richmonds in the tield : 
p'ive have I slain to-<iay, instead of him.'' 
Also in the First part of Henry IV. Itouslas says : 

" Anotlier king I they grow like hydras' heads ; 
I am the Diiuglas, tiital to all those 
That wear tliese colors on tliem. What art thou, 
That counterfeit'st the person of a king ?" 
t His name was .\rnaut de Cervole. 

" The family of Cervole. Cervolle, or Servola, held a distinguished rank among the 
nobility of Perigord. Arnaut was of this family. Some authors make him a G.ascon, 
because formerly all borderers on tlie Garonne were so called. 

"The title of archiprahtiter ie Vcrniis, which Dom. Vaissete translates, 'arch- 
priest of Vezzins,' was given to liim, fur though a knight and a married man, he pol- 
sessed an arcbpriestship of that name. It is known, that Hugh, duke of France and 
Burgundy.earlofParisandOrleans. whodied in 956, was surnamed the Abbot; because, 
though a layman, he possessed the abbeys of St. Denis, St. Germain-des-pres. and St. 
Martin- de-Tours. Vizzins was probably an arclipriestslnp, whose revenues Cervolle 
received. One cannotdetermine where it was situated, for villages and hamlets of this 
name are in Anjou, Touraine, Bouergue, and in Brittany." „ . , 

For further particulars. I shall refer to M. de Zurlauben's memoir itself, in the .txvUi 
volume of the Memoiresdel'Academie. .. , „ , ... 

•■ In this same year [1366], about Trinity-day, sir Arnold de Cervole, surnamed the 
.\rchpriesl, who commanded a large body of men-at-arms in the kingdom of France 
was put to death by his own men, which rejoiced many."— See more in tlie Grandes 
Chroniques de France, T. 3. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



10» 



about a treaty, if I can ; for it would bo a great pity, that so many 
worthy persons, who are here, should meet in battle." The cardinal 
returned to the king of France, and said : " Sir, you have no occa. 
eion to be so impatient to fight with them, for they cannot escape 
from you : I therefore entreat you would grant them a truce from 
this time; luitil to-morrow's sunrise." The king at first would not 
agree to it, for a part of his council refused their consent : however, 
the cardinal spoke so eloquently, that the king at last assented. He 
ordered a very handsome and rich pavilion of red silk to be pitched 
on the spot where he stood, and dismissed his army to their quarters, 
except the battalion of the constable and marshals. 

All this Sunday, the cardinal rode from one army to the other, 
and was very anxious to reconcile the two parties. But the king 
would not listen to any other terms than that four principal persons 
of the English should be given up to his will, and that the prince 
and his army should unconditionally surrender themselves. Many 
proposals were made : the prince offered to surrender to the king of 
France all the towns and castles which he had conquered in this 
expedition ; to give up, without ransom, all his prisoners, and tu 
swear he would not for seven years take up arms against the king of 
France. The king and his council refused to accept of this, and 
the affair remained some time in suspense : at last, they declared 
that, if the prince of Wales and one hundred of his knights did not 
surrender themselves prisoners to the king of France, he would not 
allow them to pass on without an engagement. The prince and his 
army disdained accepting of such conditions. 

While the cardinal was riding from one army to the other, en- 
deavoring to make peace, some knights of either party rode forth, 
skirting their enemy's army, to examine its disposition. It chanced, 
on that day, that sir John Chandos had rode out near one of the 
wings of the French army, and lord John de Clermont, one of the 
king's marshals, had done the same, to view the English. As each 
knight was returning to his quarters, they met ; they both had the 
same device upon the surcoats which they wore over their other 
clothes ; it was a Virgin Mary, embroidered on a field azure, or, en- 
compassed with the rays of the sun argent.* On seeing this, lord 
Clermont said : " Chandos, how long is it since you have taken upon 
you to wear my arms?" " It is you who have mine," replied Chan, 
dos; " for it is as much mine as yours." "I deny that," said the 
lord of Clermont ; " and were it not for the truce between us, I 
would soon show you that you have no right to wear it." " Ha," 
answered sir John Chandos, " you will find me to-morrow in the 
field, ready prepared to defend, and to prove by force of arms, that 
it is as much mine as yours." The lord of Clermont repUed : 
" These are the boastings of you English, who can invent nothing 
new, but take for your own whatever you see handsome belonging 
to others.'* With that they parted, without more words, and each 
returned to his own army. The cardinal de Perigord, not being able 
by any means to reconcile the king and prince, returned to Poitiers 
late in the evening. That same day the French kept in their quar- 
ters, where they lived at their case, having plenty of provisions ; 
while the English, on the other hand, were but badly ofl", nor did 
they know whither to go for forage, as they were so straitly kept by 
the French, they could not move without danger. This Sunday they 
made many mounds and ditches round where the archers were 
posted, the better to secure them. 

On Monday morning, the prince and his army were soon in readi- 
ness, and as well arrayed as on the former day. The French were 
also dr-awn out by sunrise. The cardinal, returning again that 
morning, imagined that, by his exhortations, he could pacify both 
parties ; but the French told him to return where he pleased, and not 
attempt bringing them any more treaties or pacifications, else worse 
might betide him. When the cardinal saw that he labored in vain, 
he took leave of the king of France, and set out toward the prince 
of Wales, to whom he said : " Fair son, exert yourself as much as 
possible, for there must be a battle ; I cannot by any means pacify 
the king of France." The prince replied, " that such were the 
intentions of him and his party ; and God defend the right." The 
cardinal then took leave of him, and returned to Poitiers. In his 
company, theit were some knights and men-at-arms more inclined 
to the French than to the English, who, when they saw that a battle 
was unavoidable, stole away from their master, and, joining the 
French forces, chose for their leader the castellan of Ampostat, who 
at that time was attached to the cardinal. The cardinal knew 
nothing of this, until he was arrived at Poitiers. 

The arrangement of the prince's army, in respect to the battalions, 
was exactly the same as what the three knights before named had 
related to the king of France, except at this time he had ordered 
some valiant and intelligent knights to remain on horseback, similar 
to the battalion of the French marshals, and had also commanded 
three hundred men-at-arms, and as many archers on horseback, to 
post themselves on the right on a small hill, that was not too steep 
nor too high, and, by passing over its sunmiit, to get round the wing 
of the duke of Normandy's battalion, who was in person at the foot 



^ * This blazonry seems erroneous ; at r\ll events it is incorrectly expressed. The words 
in Sauvage's ed. ore " une bleue Dameouvree d'une brodure. au ray du soleil ■." a Miu 
Madonna worked in fmbmdery. surrounded by s unieams and it is the same in Lord 
Bemers.— Ed. 
t -'Vniong the cortes of Spain was the castellan of -\mposta. 



of it. These were all the alterations the prince had made in hia 
order of battle : he himself was with the main body, in the midst 
of the vineyards : the whole completely ar.med, with their horses 
near them, if there should be occasion for them. They had fortified 
and inclosed the weaker parts, with their wagons and baggage. 

I wish to name some of the most renowned knights who were 
with the prince of Wales. There were Thomas Beauchamp earl 
of Warwick, John Verc earl of Oxford, William Montacute earl of 
Salisbury, Robert Hufford earl of Suffolk, Ralph lord Stafford, the 
eail of Staftbrd, the lord Richard Stafford, brother to the earl, sir 
John Chandos, the lord Reginald Cobham, the lord Edward Spen. 
eer, the lord James Audley and his brother the lord Peter, the lord 
Thomas Berkley (son of the lord Maurice Berkley, who died at 
Calais nine years before,) Ralph lord Basset of Drayton, John lord 
Warren (eldest son to John Plantagenet, late carl of Warren, Strath- 
ern and Surrey, by his first lady, Maude de Hereford,) Peter lord 
Mauley, the sixth of the name, the lord John WiUoughby de Eresby, 
the lortl Bartholomew de Burghersh, the lord William Fclton and 
the lord Thomas Felton his brother, the lord Thomas Bradestan ; sir 
Walter Pavely, sir Stephen Cossiijgton, sir Matthew Gournay, sir 
William de la More, and other English. From Gaseony, there were 
the lord of Pumiers, the lord d'Albret, the captal de Buch, the lord 
John de Chaumont, the lord de I'Esparre, the lord of Rosen, the lord 
of Cousen, the lord de Montferrand, the lord de Landulas, the lord 
Souldich de la Traine,* and many more whom I cannot remember. 
Of Hainaulters, there were sir Eustace d'Ambreticourt, the lord John 
de Guystelle, and two other strangers, the lord Daniel Phaselle and 
Lord Denis de Morbeque. The whole army of the prince, includ- 
ing every one, did not amount to eight thousand ; when the French^ 
counting all sorts of persons, were upward of sixty thousand com- 
batants ; among whom were more than than three thousand knights. 



CHAPTER CLXI. 

THE BATTLE OF POITIERS, BETWEEN THE PRINCE OF WALES AND THE 
KING OF FRANCE. 

When the prince of Wales saw, -from the departure of the cardinal 
without being able to obtain any honorable terms, that a battle was 
inevitable, and that the king of France held both him and his army 
in great contempt, he thus addressed himself to them : " Now, my 
gallant fellows, what though we be a small body when compared to 
the army of our enemies ; do not let us be cast down on that account, 
for victory does not always follow numbers, but where Almighty 
God pleases to bestow it. If, through good fortune, the day shall be 
ours, we will gain the greatest honor and glory in this world ; if the 
contrary should happen, and we be slain, I have a father and beloved 
brethren alive, and you all have some relations, or good friends, who 
will be sure to revenge our deaths. I therefore entreat you to exert 
yourselves, and combat manfully ; for, if it please God and St. 
George, you shall see me this day act like a true knight."t By 
such words and arguments as these, the prince harangued his men l 
as did the marshals, by his orders ; so that they were all in high 
spirits. Sir John Chandos placed himself near the prince, to guard 
and advise him ; and never, during that day, would he, on any ac- 
count, quit his post. 

The lord James -\udley remained also a considerable time near 
him ; hut, when he saw that they must certainly engage, he said to 
the prince : " Sir, I have ever served most loyally my lord your father, 
and yourself, and shall continue to do so, as long as I have life. Dear 
sir, I must now acquaint you, that formerly I made a vow, if ever 
] should be engaged in any battle where the king your father or any 
of his sons were, that I would be the foremost in the attack, and the 
best combatant on his side, or die in the attempt. I beg therefore 
most earnestly, as a reward for any services I may have done, that 
you would grant me permission honorably to quit you, that I may 
post myself in such wise to accomplish my vow." The prince 
granted this request, and, holding out his hand to him, said ; " Sir 
James, God grant that you may this day shine in valor above all 
other knights." The knight then set off, and posted himself at the 
front of the battalion, with only four squires whom he had detained 
with him to guard his person. This lord James was a prudent and 
vUliant knight ; and by his advice the army had thus been drawn up 
I'n order of battle. Lord James began to advance, in order to fight 
with the battalion of the marshals. In like manner, sir Eustace 
d"'Ambreticourt took great pains to be the first to engage, and was 
so, or near it ; and, at the same time that lord James Audley was 
pushing forward to seek his enemies, it thus befcl sir Eustace. I 



* He is called sir Sandich de la Trane in the account of the knighls of the garter. 
See Anstis's Order of the Garter, where there is a short history of him. He supposes the 
word Souldich (but says he can nowhere lind the meaning of it) to be that of some 
office, like to captal. which* in the customs of Bordeaux, article 75, is ranked witli the 
viscounts and barons. 

t Now sirs, though we be buta small company, as in regarde to the puyssance of our 
ennemyes, let us nat be nbasshed therefore, for the vyctorie lyetli nat in the multitude 
of people but wher as God wj 11 seiide it ; if it fortune that the iourney be ours, we shal 
be the most honoured people of all the worlde; and if we dyeui ourri^htquarell, I have 
the kyng my fattier and bretherne. and also ye have good frendes and kynsmeo ; these 
shall reuenge us. Therfore sirs, for Goddes sake, I requyre you do your deuoyers this 
day. for if God be pleased and Saynt George, this day ye shall se me a good knyght.— 
LoKD Bebners. 



i04 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



mentioned before that the Germans attached to the French interest 
were drawn up in one battalion on horaeback, and remained so, to 
aasist the marshals. Sir Eustace d'Ambreticourt, being mounted, 
placed his lance in its rest, and, fixing his shield, stuck spurs into his 
horse, and galloped up to this battalion. A German knight, called 
lord Lewis von Coucibras (who bore for arms five roses, gules, on a 
shield aro-ent, while those of sir Eustace were ermine, three humets, 
in pale gules,) perceiving sir Eustace quit his army, left his battalion, 
that was under the command of earl John of Nassau, and made up 
to him : the shock of their meeting was so violent, that they both 
fell to the ground. The German was wounded in the shoulder, so 
that he could not rise again so nimbly as sir Eustace, who, when 
upon his legs, after he had taken breath, was hastening to the knight 
that lay on the ground ; but five German men-at-arms came upon 
him, struck him down, and made him prisoner. They led him to 
those that were attached to the earl of Nassau, who did not pay 
much attention to him, nor do I know if they made him swear him- 
self their prisoner : but they tied him to a car with some of their 
harness. 

The engagement now began on both sides : and the battalion 
of the marshals was advancing before those who were intended to 
break the battalion of the archers, and had entered the lane where 
the hedges on both sides were lined by the archers ; who, as soon as 
tliey saw them fairly entered, began shooting with their bows in 
such an excellent manner, from each side of the hedge, that the 
horses, smarting under the pain of the wounds made by their bearded 
arrows, would not advance, but turned about arid, by their unruli- 
ness, threw their masters, who could not manage them, nor could 
those that had fallen get up again for the confusion : so that this bat- 
talion of the marshals could never approach that of the prince : how- 
ever, there were some knights and siiuires that were so well mounted, 
that, by the strength of their horses, they passed through, and broke 
the hedge, but, in spite of their efforts, could not get up to the bat- 
talion of the prince. The lord James Audlcy, attended by his four 
squires,* had placed himself, sword in hand, in front of this bat- 
talion, much before the rest, and was performing wonders. He had 
advanced through his eagerness so far, that he engaged the lord 
Arnold d'Andreghen, marshal of France, under his banner, when 
they fought a considerable time, and the lord Arnold was roughly 
enough treated. The battalion of the marshals was soon after put 
to the route by the arrows of the archers, and the assistance of the 
men-at arms, who rushed among them, as they were struck down, 
and seized and slew them at their pleasure. The lord Arnold d'An- 
-dreghen was there made prisoner but by others than the lord James 
Audley or his four squires ; for that knight never stopped to make 
any one prisoner that day, but was the whole time employed in 
fighting and following his enemies. In another part, the lord John 
Clermont fought under his banner as long as he was able ; but, being 
struck down, he could neither get up again nor procure his ransom ; 
he was killed on the spot. Some say, this treatment was owing to 
his altercation on the preceding day with sir John Chandos. 

In a short time, this battalion of the marshals was totally discom- 
fited; for they fell back so much on each other, that the army could 
not advance, and those who were in the rear, not being able to get 
forward, fell back upon the battalion commanded by the duke of 
Normandy, which was broad and thick in the front, but it was soon 
thin enough in the rear; for, when they learnt that the marshals had 
been defeated, they mounted their horses and set off. At this time, 
a body of English came down from the hill, and, passing along the 
battalions on horseback, accompanied by a large body of arch ers, 
fell upon one of the wings of the duke of Normandy's division. To 
say the truth, the English archers were of infinite service to their 
army ; for they shot so thickly and so well, that the French did not 
know which way to turn themselves, to avoid their arrows ; by this 
means they kept advancing by little and little, and gained ground. 
When the men-at-arms perceived that the first battalion was beaten, 
and that the one under the duke of Normandy was in disordfr, and 
beginning to open, they hastened to mount their horses, which they 
had, ready prepared, close at hand. As soon as they were all mounted, 
they gave a shout of " St. George, for Guienne !" and sir John 
Chandos said to the prince, " Sir, sir, now push forward, for the day 
is ours : God will this day put it in your hand. Let us make for our 
adversary the king of France ; for where he is will lie the maiii 
stress of the business ; I well know that his valor will not let him 
fly ; and he will remain with us, if it please God and St. George ; 
but he must be well fought with ; and you have before said, that 
you would show yourself this day a good knight." The prince re- 
plied ; *' John, get forward ; you shall not see me turn my back 
this day, but I will always be among the foremost." He then said 
to sir Walter Woodland, his banner-bearer, " Banner, advance, in 
the name of God and St. George." The knight obeyed the com- 
mands of the prince. In that part, the batile was very hot, and 
greatly crowded ; many a one was unhorsed ;' and you must know, 
that whenever any one fell, he could not get up again, unless he were 
quickly and well assisted. As the prince was thus advancing upon 
hie enemies, followed by his division, and upon the point of charg- 
ing them, he perceived the lord Robert de Duras lying dead near a 



small bush on his right hand, with his banner beside him, and ten or 
twelve of his people ; upon which he ordered two of his squires and 
three archers to place the body upon a shield, carry it to Poitiers, 
and present it from him to the cardinal of Perigord, and say, that 
" I salute him by that token." This was done ; for he had been 
informed how the suite of the cardinal had remained in the field of 
battle in arms against him, which was not very becoming, nor a fit 
deed for churchmen to do, as they, under pretext of doing good and 
establishing peace, pass from one army to the other, they ought not 
therefore to take up arms on either side. These, however, had done 
so, at which the prince was much enraged, and for this had sent the 
cardinal his nephew sir Robert de Duras, and was desirous of strik- 
ing off the head of the castellan of Amposta, who had been made 
prisoner, notwithstanding he belonged to the cardinal ;* but sir John 
Chandos said, " My lord, do not think of such tilings at this moment, 
when you must look to others of the greatest importance ; perhaps 
the cardinal may excuse himself so well, that you will be convinced 
he was not to blame." 

The prince, upon this, charged the division of the duke of Athens, 
and very sharp the encounter was, so that many were beaten down. 
The French, who fought in large bodies, cried out, " Montjoye St. 
Denis !" and the English answered them with, " St. George for 
Guienne !" The prince next met the battalion of Germans, under 
the command of the earl of Saltzburg, the earl of Nassau, and the 
earl of Ncydo ; but they were soon overthrown, and put to flight. 
The English archers shot so well, that none dared to come within 
reach of their arrows, and they put to death many who could not 
ransom themselves. The three above-named earls were slain there, 
as well as many other knights and squires attached to them. In tho 
confusion, sir Eustace d'Ambreticourt was rescued by his own men, 
who remounted him ; he afterwards performed many gallant deeds 
of arms, and made good captures that day. 

When the battalion of the duke of Normandy saw the prince ad- 
vancing so quick upon them, they bethought themselves how to 
escape. The sons of the king, the duke of Normandy, the carl of 
Poitiers, the carl of Tourainc, who were very young, too easily be- 
lieved what those under whose management they were placed said 
to them ; however, the lord Guiscard d'Angle and sir John de 
Saintr^, who were near the earl of Poitiers, would not fly, but rushed 
into the thickest of the combat. The three sons of the king, ac- 
cording to the advice given them, galloped away, with upward of 
eight hundred lances who had never been near the enemy, and took 
the road to Chauvigny. When the lord John de Landas, who, with 
the lord Theobald de Bodonay and the lord of St. Venant, were the 
guardians of the duke of Normandy, had fled with him a good 
league, they took leave of him, and besought the lord of St. Venant 
not to quit him until they were all arrived at a place of safety ; for, 
by doing thus, he would acquire more honor than if he were to re- 
main on the field of battle. On their return, they met the division 
of the duke of Orleans, quite whole and unhurt, who had fled from 
behind the rear of the king's battalion. True it is, there were many 
good knights and squires among them, who, notwithstanding the 
flight of their leaders, had much rather have suffered death than the 
smallest reproach.t The king's battalion advanced in good order, 
to meet the English ; many hard blows were given with swords, 
battle-axes, and other warlike weapons. The king of France, with the 
lord Philip his youngest son, attacked the division of the marshals, 
the earls of Warwick and Suffolk ; there were also with the mar- 
shals some Gascons, such as the captal de Buch, the lord ofPumiers, 
the lord Amery de Charree, the lord of Languran, the lord de I'Es- 
trade. The lord John de Landas, with the lord Theobald de Bodenay, 
returning in good time, dismounted, and joined the battalion of the 
king. On one side, the duke of Athens, constable of France, was 
engaged with his division ; and, a little higher up, the duke of Bour- 
bon, surrounded with good knights, from theBourbonois andPicardy. 
Near to these were the men of Poitou, the lord de Pons, the lord de 
Partenay, the lord de Dampmoire, the lord de Montabouton, the lord 
de Surgeres, the lord John de Saintr^, the lord Guiscard d'Angle, 
the lord d'Argenton, the lord de Linicres, the lord de Montrande, 
the viscount de Rochechouart, the earl of Aulnoy. • Many others 
were also engaged, such as the lord James de Beaujeu, the lord of 
Chateau-Villain, and other knights and squires from Burgundy. In 
another part were the earls of Vantadour and Monlpensier, the lord 
James de Bourbon, the lord John d'Artois, and the lord Jamea his 
brother, the lord Arnold de Cervolle, surnamed the Arch-priest, 



* Their nfimes were,: Dutton of Diitton — Delves of Dotldiagton— Fowlehuist of 
Crew— Hawkestone of Wainehill.— Ashmole's Oarter. 



* Tliis is incorrectly translated ; the castellan's connection with tlio cardinal was tlie 
very reason why the prince desired his death. Lord Berners properly translate the 
words of the original, "pourlantau'il estoii," ■' Jj,ci!U« hewas pertaynynge."-ED. 
TMy manuscripts make here a new chapter, and It besnis as follows: 
■• You have heard before related in this history -he battle of Crecy, and how fortutie 
was marvellously unfavorable to the French. They had equally ill-luck at the battle 
ol Poitiers : for the French men-at-arms were atleast seven to ooe. It must therefore be 
looked upon as very unfortunate that, with this advantage, they could not ga.n thofie d 
from their enemies. But, to say the truth, th.s battle of Po.uers was much bet cr fought 
than that of Crecy and the men-at-arms had more leisure and better opportunities to 
oi™th;ireS;s:tha„ they had a.Crecy; for that battle did not begin before v«- 
per>, and with an army in disorder, while the batUe of Poitiers commenced eaijy in the 
m, rnin. and the French array well arranged. There were many nK.re gallant deeds 
w fo ned wi hout comparison, in this than in the former battle; and there were no 
somaTy great lords slain Those tlmt were there behaved themselves so loyally, that 
their heirs, to thU day. are honored for their sake." 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



105 



armed as the young earl of Alcn9on. There were also from Au- 
vergne, the lord de Marcucil, the lord do !a Tour, the lord de Cha- 
lenton, the lord de Montagu, the lord de Rochcfoit, the lord de la 
Chaire, the lord d'Achon ; and from Limousin, the lord de Linal, 
the lord de Naruel, and the lord Pierre de Buffiere. From Picardy, 
there were tJie lord William de Merle, the lord Arnold de Renne- 
val, the lord Geoffry de St. Dizier, the lord de Chouny, the lord dc 
Heiy, the lord de Monsant, the lord de Hagncs, and many others. 
The lord Douglas,* from Scotland, was also in the king's battalion, 
and for some time fought very valiantly ; but, when he perceived 
that the discomfiture was so complete on the side of the French, he 
saved himself as fast as he could ; for he drended so much being 
taken by the English, that he had rather have been slain. 

The lord James Audley, with the assistance of bis four squires, 
was always engaged in the heat of the battle. He was severely 
wounded in the body, head and face ; and as long as his strength 
and breath permitted him, he maintained the fight, and advanced 
forward : he continued to do so until he was covered with blood : 
then, toward the close of the engagement, his four squires, who were 
as his body-guard, took him, and led him out of the engagement, 
very weak and wounded, toward a hedge, that he might cool and 
take breatli. They disarmed him gently as they could, in order to 
examine his wuunds, dress tliem, and sew up the most dangerous. 

King John, on Ms part, proved himself a good knight ; and, if the 
fourth of his people had behaved as well, the day would have been 
his own. Those, however, who had remained with him acquitted 
themselves to the best of their power, and were either slain or taken 
prisoners. Scarcely any who were with the king attempted to 
escape. Among the slain, were the duke Peter de Bourbon, the 
duke of Athens, constable of France, the bishop of Chalonst in 
Champagne, the lord Guiscard de Beaujeu, and the lord of Landas. 
The archpriest, sir Theobald de Bodenay and the lord of Pompadour, 
were made prisoners, badly wounded. In another part of the field 
of battle, the earls of Vaudemont and Genville, and the earl of Ven- 
d6me, were prisoners. Not far from that spot were slain, the lord 
William do Nesle and the lord Eustace de Ribeaumont, the lord de 
la Tour and the Lord William de Montagu. Tlie lord Lewis de 
Melvai, the lord Pierre de Buffiere and the lord de Senerach, were 
taken. In this engagement, upward of two hundred knights and 
squires were killed or captured. A band of Norman knights still 
kept up the battle, in another part of the field ; and of these, sir 
Guinentun de Chambly and sir Baudrin dc la House were slain : 
many others were discomfited, who were fighting in small bodies. 

■■* " Lord Douglas, tbrgetfiil of his religious pilgriinage, ottered his sword to the French 
kiiig. tie was received with di'^lingiiished honors. 'was made a knight of his hande,' 
Scala Chron. ap. Leiaiid, and his ser^'ice was accepted. To say that a person received 
Uie honor of knighthood, is, in modern language, uninteresting, and sometimes it is Uidi- 
crou3. This must always be the case, when names and ceremonies are retained, while 
from a total change of manners, that which gave dignity to such names and ceremonies 
is forgotten by tlie vulgar. 

" Great carnage was made of the Scots at the battle of Poitiers. Lord Douglas, after 
having been wounded, was forced off tlie field by his sur\'iving cooipanions. Archibald 
Douglas, a warrior eminent in our history, fell into the power of the enemy ; but, by the 
axtraordinary presence of mind of sir AViHiam Ramsay of Colluthy, he was concealed, 
and escaped unknown. Tlie story of Archibald Douglas's escape, as related by For- 
dun. is curious. It shall be translated as nearly as possible in liis own manner. 'Archi- 
bald Douglas, having been made prisoner along with the rest, appeared in more sump- 
tuous armor than the other Scottish prisoners; and, tlieret'jre, he was supposed by the 
Englisli to be some great lord. Late in the evening after the battle, when the English 
were about to strip off his armor, m Wilbam Ramsay of Colluthy, happening to be pres- 
ent, fixed his eyes on Archibald Duuglas, and affecting to be in a violent passion, cried 
out, " You cursed, damnable murderer, how comes it, in the name of mischief (ex parte 
diaboli.) tliat you are thus proudly decked out in your master's armor? Come hitlier, 
and pull off my boots." Douglas approached trembling, kneeled down, and pulled 
off one of the boots. Ramsay, taking up the boot, beat Douglas with it. The En g 
lish bystanders, imagining him out of his senses, interposed, and rescued Douglas. 
They said, that the person whom he had beaten was certainly of great rank, and a 
lord. "What, he a lord "?" cried Ramsay: "he is a scullion, and a base knave, and 
as 1 suppose, has killed his master. Go. you villain, to the field, search for the body 
of my cousin, your master ; and when you have found it, come back, that at least 
[ may give him a decent burial." Then he ransomed the feigned ser\'ing-man for 
forty shillings; and. having buffeted him smartly, he cried, "Get you gone; fl#" 
Douglas bore all this patiently, carried on the deceit, and was soon beyond the 
reach of his enemies.' 

"This story, as to some of its circumstances, may not seem altogether probable; 
yet, in the main, it lias the .ippearance of truth. Had I been at liberty to vary the 
nan-ative, I would have made Ramsay suspect, that the feisned serving man had 
stripped his master, after he had been slain or mortally wounded. This Archibald 
was the natural son of the renowned sir James Douglas, slain by the Saracens in 
Granada."— Lord Haile's ./Jnnala of Scotland, vol. i. pp. 240, 241. 

t The bishop of Chalons. We see, by the example of this prelate and of the archbishop 
of Sens, who assisted at the battle of Poitiers, that the custom, arising out of the feudal 
law, which obliged ecclesiastics to personal senice in the armies, subsisted in many parts 
of France. The laws of the church condemned this practice, to which their temporal 
possessions subjected the clergy. This contradiction in the form of our government with 
the spi'-it of our religion e.visted until the practice was insensibly abolished by different dis- 
pensations, and exchanged for contributions of money and men. Francis I. by his edict 
of die 4th July, 1541, regulated the clauses for their exemption. Since that period, the 
clergy have been exempted from service of ban and arriere ban, by different letters patent 
and particularly by an edict of the 29th April. 1636, under Lewis XIII.— Villarbt, Hist 
dc France, vol. v. 2. 104. 



CHAPTER CLXII.* 

TWO FRENCHMEN, KUNNING AWAY FROM THE BATTLE OF POITIERS, AKE 
PrRSVED BY TWO ENGLISHMEN, WHO ARE THEMSELVES MADE PRISONERS. 

Among the battles, skirmishes, flights ami pureuits, which hap. 
pened in the course of this day, an adventure befel sir Edward de 
Roucy, wliich I cannot omit relating in this place. He had left the 
field of battle, as he perceived the day was irrecoverably lost; and, not 
wishing to fall in the hands of the English, vias got about a league 
oft"; when he was pursued by an English knight, his lance in rest, 
who cried to him, '• Sir knight, turn about : you ought to be ashamed 
thus to fly." Upon this, sir Edward halted, and the Englishmau 
attacked him, tliinking to fix his lance in liis target ; but he failed, 
for sir Edward turned the stroke aside, nevfflTlieless he did not miss 
his own : with his spear he hit his enemy so violent a blow on the 
helmet, that he was stunned and fell to the ground, where he re- 
mained senseless. Sir Edward dismounted, and, placing his lance 
on his breast, told him he would certainly kill liim, if he did not 
surrender himself his prisoner, rescued or not. The Englishman sur- 
rendered, and went with sir Edward, who afterwards ransomed him. 

It happened that, in the midst of the general pursuit, a squire from 
Picardy, named John de Helennes, had quitted the king's division, 
and, meeting his page with a fresh horse, had mounted him, and 
made off" as fast as he could. At that time, there was near to him 
the lord of Berkeley, a young knight, who, for the first time, had that 
day displayed his banner : he immediately set out in pursuit of him. 
When the lord of Berkeley had followed him for some little time, 
John de Helennes turned about, put his sword under his arm in the 
manner of a lance, and thus advanced upon the lord Berkeley, who 
taking his sword by the handle, flourished it, and lifted up Ms arm 
in order to strike the squire as he passed. John de Helennes, seeing 
the intended stroke, avoided it, but did not miss his own ; for as they 
passed each other, by a blow on the arm he made lord Berkeley's 
sword fall to the ground. When the knight found that he had lost 
his sword, and that the squire had his, he dismounted, and made for 
the place where his sword lay : but he could not get there before the 
squire gave him a violent thrust which passed through both his thighs, 
so that, not being able to help himself, he fell to the ground. John 
upon this dismounted, and, seizing the sword of the knight, advanced 
up to him and asked him if he were willing to sun'onder. The knight 
required his name : "I am called John de Helennes," said he, " what 
is your name?" "In truth, companion," replied the knight, "my 
name is Thomas, and I am lord of Berkeley, a very handsome castle 
situated on the river Severn, on the borders of "iVales." Lord of 
Berkeley," said the squire, " you shall be my prisoner : I will place 
you in safety, and take care you are healed, for you appear to me to 
be badly wounded." The knight answered, " I surrender myself 
willingly, for you have loyally conquered me." He gave him his 
word that he would be his prisoner, rescued or not. John then drew 
his sword out of the knight's thighs and the wounds remained open ; 
but he bound them up tightly, and, placing him on his horee, led him 
a foot-pace to Chatelherault. He continued there, out of friendship 
to him, for fifteen days, and had medicines administered to him. 
When the knight was a little recovered, he had him placed in a litter, 
and conducted him safe to his house in Picardy; where he remained 
more than a year before he was quite cured, though he continued 
lame ; and when he departed, he paid for his ransom six thousand 
nobles, so that this squire became a knight by the great profit he got 
from the lord of Berkeley. 

CHAPTER CLXIII. 

THE MAN.>reK IN WHICH KING JOHN WAS TAKEN PRISONER AT THE 
BATTLE OF POITIERS. 

It often happens, that fortune in war and love turns out more fav 
orable and wonderful than could have been hoped for or expected. 
To say the truth, this battle which was fought near Poitiers, in the 
plains of Beauvoir and Maupertius, was veiy bloody and perilous : 
many gallant deeds of arms were performed that were never known, 
and the combatants on each side suft"ered much. King John himself 
did wonders : ho was armed with a battle-axe, with which he fought 
and defended himself. The earl of Tancarville, in endeavoring to 
break through the crowd, was made prisoner close to him : as were 
also sir James de Bourbon, earl of Ponthieu, and the lord John d'Ar- 
tois, earl of Eu. In another part, a little farther ofl^, the lord Charles 
d'Artois and many other knights and squires were captured by the 
division under the banner of the captal de Buch. The pursuit con. 
tinued even to the gates of Poitiers, where there was much slaughter 
and overthrow of men and horses ; for the inhabitants of Poitiers 
had shut their gates, and would suft"er none to enter : upon which 
account, there was great butchery on the causeway, before the gate, 
where such numbers were killed or wounded, that several surrendered 
themselves the moment they spied an Englishman : and there were 
many English archers who had i'our, five, or six prisoners. 

The lord of Pons, a powerful baron in Poitou, was slain there, as 

* Thi5 cimp. in the original ed. is numbered CLX. and chap. XIX. is there numbered 
XVIH. ; consequently from the latter point to this chapter, the present numbering is one 
higher, and henceforward will be two higher, than the originnl ed. of Mr. Johnes. This 
is here noticed to avoid confusion ia Quotations.— Ed. 



106 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SF AIN, &c. 



were several other knights and squires. The viscount de Roche- 
chouart, the lords de Partenay and de Saintonge, and the lord of 
Montendre, were taken prisoners : as was the lord John dc Saintre, 
bst so beaten that he never afterwards recovered hia health : he was 
coked upon as the most accomplished knight in France. The lord 
Guiscard d'Angle was left for slain among the dead : he had fought 
well that day. The lord de Chargny, who was near the king, com. 
bated bravely during tlie whole engagement: he was always in the 
crowd, because he carried the king's sovereign banner : his own also 
was displayed in the field, with his arms, which were three escutch- 
eons argent on a field gules. The English and Gascons poured so 
fast upon the king's division that they broke through the ranks by 
force; and the French^erc so intermixed with their enemies, that 
at times there were fiv^iien attacking one gentleman. The lord of 
Pompadour and the lord Bartholomew de Brunes were there captured. 
The lord dc Chargny* was slain, with the banner of France in his 
hands, by the lord Reginald Cobhara ; and afterwards the earl of 
Dammartin shared the same fate. 

There was much pressing at this time, through eagerness to take 
the king ; and those who were nearest to him, and knew him, cried 
out, " Sun-ender yourself, surrender yourself, or you are a dead man." 
In that part of the field was a young knight from St. Omer, who was 
engaged by a salary in the service of the king of England ; his name 
was Denys de Morbeque ; who fur five years had attached himself to 
the English, on account of having been banished in his younger days 
from France for a murder committed in an aff"ray at St. Omer. It 
fortunately happened for this knight that he was at the time near to 
the king of France, when he was so much pulled about ; he, by dint 
of force, for he was very strong and robust, pushed through the 
crowd, and said to the king in good French, " Sire, sire, surrender 
yourself." The king, who found himself very disagreeably situated, 
turning to him, asked, "To whom shall I surrender myself ; to whom? 
Where is my cousin the prince of Wales ? if I could see him, I 
would speak to him." " Sire," replied sir Denys, " he is not here ; 
but surrender yourself to me, and I will lead you to him." " Who 
are you?" said the king. " Sire, I am Denys de Morbeque, a knight 
from Artois ; but I serve the king of England, because I cannot be- 
long to France, having forfeited all I possessed there." The king 
then gave him his right hand glove, and said, " I surrender myself to 
you." There was much crowding and pushing about, for every one 
was eager to cry out, " I have taken him." Neither the king nor 
his youngest son Fliilip were able to get forward, and free themselves 
from the throng. 

The prince of Wales, who was as courageous as a lion,t took great 
delight that day to combat his enemies. Sir John Chandos, who was 
near his person, and had never quitted it during the whole of the 
day, nor stopped to make prisoners, said to him toward the end of 
the bat le ; " Sir, it will be proper for you to halt here, and plant your 
banner on the top of this bush, which will serve to rally your forces, 
that seem verj' much scattered ; for I do not see any banners or pen- 
nons of the French, nor any considerable bodies able to rally against 
us; and you must refresh yourself a little, as I perceive you are very 
much heated." Upon this the banner of the prince was placed on a 
high bush : the ministrcls began to play, and trumpets and clarions to 
do their duty. The prince took off his helmet, and the knights at- 
tendant on liis person, and belonging to his chamber, were soon 
ready, and pitched a small pavilion of crimson color, which the prince 
entered. Liquor was then brought to him and the other knights u ho 
were with him : they increased every moment ; for they were return, 
ing from the pursuit, and stopped there surrounded by their prisoners. 
As soon as the two marshals were come back, the prince asked 
them if they knew anything of the king of France : they replied, 
" No, sir, not for a certainty ; but we believe he must be either killed 
or made prisoner, since he has never quitted his battalion." The 
prince then, addressing the earl of Warwick and lord Cobham, said; 
" I beg of you to mount your horses, and ride over the field, so that 
on your return you may bring me some certain intelligence of him." 
The two barons, immediately mounting their horses, left the prince, 
and made for a small hillock, that they might look about them : from 
their stand they perceived a crowd of men.at.arms on foot, who were 
advancing very slowly. The king of France was in the midst of 
them, and in great danger ; for the English and Gascons had taken 
him from sir Denys de Morbeque, and were disputing who should 
have him, the stoutest bawling out, " It is I that have got him :" 
" No, no," replied the other.s, " we have him." The king, to escape 
from this peril, said, " Gentlemen, gent'emen, I pray you conduct me 
and my son in a courteous manner to my cousin the prince ; and do 
not make such a riot about my capture, for I am so great a lord that 
I can make all sufficiently rich." These words, and others which 
fell from the king, appeased them a little ; but the disputes were 
always beginning again, and they did not move a step without riot, 
ing. When the two barons saw this troop of people, they descended 
from the hillock, and sticking spurs into their horses, made up to 
tliem. On their arrival, they asked what was the matter : they were 
answered, that it was the king of France, who had been made pris- 
oner, and that upward of ten knights and squires challenged him at 



the same time, as belonging to each of them. The two barons then 
pushed through the crowd by main force, and ordered all to draw 
aside. They commanded, in the name of the prince, and under pain, 
of instant death, that every one should keep his distance, and not ap- 
proach unless ordered or desired so to do. They all retreated behind 
the king; and the two barons, dismounting, advanced to the king 
wilh profound reverences, and conducted him in a peaceable manner 
to the prince of Wales. 




Edwaed THE Black PmscK— From the Tomb at Caaterbury. 



CHAPTER CLXIV. 

THE PRINCE OF WALES MAKES A U.'NDSOME PRESENT TO THE LORD 
JAMES AITHLEY, after THE BATTLE OF POITIERS. 

Soon after the earl of Warwick and the lord Reginald Cobham 
had left the prince, as has been above related, he inquired from those 
knights who were about him of lord James Audley, and asked if any 
one knew what was become of him : " Yes, sir," replied some of the 
company, " he is very badly wounded, and is lying in a litter hard 
by." " By my troth," replied the prince, " I am sore vexed that he 
is so wounded. See, I beg of you, if he be able to bear being carried 
hither : otherwise I will come and visit him." Two knights directly 
left the prince, and coming to lord James, told him how desirous the 
prince was of seeing him. " A thousand thanks to the prince," 
answered lord James, "for condescending to remember so poor a 
knight as myself." He then called eight of his servants, and had 
himself borne in his litter to where the prince was. When he was 
come into his presence, the prince bent down over him, and em- 
braced him, saying ; " My lord James, I am bound to honor you very 
much ; for, by your valor this day, you have acquired glory and re- 
nown above us all, and your prowess has proved you the bravest 
knight." Lord James replied ; " My lord, you have a right to say 
whatever you please, but I wish it were as you have said. If I have 
this day been forward to serve you, it has been to accomplish a vow 
that I had made, and it ought not to be thought so much of." " Sir 
James," answered the prince, " I and all the rest of us deem you the 
bravest knight on our side in this battle ; and to increase your renown, 
and furnish you wilhal to pursue your career of glory in war, I retain 
you henceforward, for ever, as my knight, with five hundred marcs* 
of yearly revenue, which I will secure to you from my estates in 
EJhgland." " Sir," said lord James, " God make me deserving of tha 
good fortune you bestow upon me." At these words he took leave 
of the prince, as he was very weak, and his servants carried him bach 
to his tent : he could not have been at a great distance, when the 
earl of Warwick and lord Reginald Cobham entered the pavilion of 
the prince, and presented the king of France to him. The prince 
made a very low obeisance to the king, and gave him as much com- 
fort as he was able, which he knew well how to administer. He 
ordered wine and spices to be brought, which he presented to the 
king himself, as a mark of his great affection. 



* Monscigneur Geoffrey de Chargny.— D. Sauvage. 

t Courageous and cruel as a Uon, says Lord Berners; the edition of D- Sauvage lias 
fie same word^. 



CHAPTER CLXV. 

THE ENSLISH GAIN VERY CONSIDERABLY AT THE BATTLE OF POITIERS. 

Thus was this battle won, as you have heard related, in the plains 
of Maupertius, two leagues from the city of Poitiers, on the 19th 
day of September, 1356.t It commenced about nine o'clock, and 

• Themarcisl3s.4d.-PHILUP3 , „ . . ■.. i, „ 

t Froissnrt calls it on the 22nd day of September, 1367 ; but Bouchet proves it to bo a 
mWliike in his Aiinales d' Aquitaine, from the regbters of the convent where tlie noble- 
men Iha't were slain were buried: and in mv two MSB. it is 1356. AUo in tlie Aiioales 
Kerum 'Vnglicarum, Wilhelmi Wincestcr, ISM. " Hoc amio, .\L\ die Septembns. coptio 
i regUJohannis Franciie. perEdwardum priiicipem." 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



107 



-was ended by noon ; but the English were not all returned from the 
pursuit, and it was to recall his people that the prince had placed his 
banner upon a high bush. Tliey did not return till late after vespers 
from pursuing the enemy. It was reported that all the flower of 
French knighthood were slaiu ; and that, with the king and his son 
the lord Fhilip, seventeen earls, without counting barons, knights or 
squires, were made prisoner, and from five to six thousand of all 
sorts left dead in the field. When they were collected, they found 
they had twice as many prisoners as themselves : they therefore con- 
sulted, if, considering the risk they might run, it would not be more 
advisable to ransom thetn on the spot. This was done : and the 
prisoners found the English and Gascons very civil, for there were 
many set at liberty that day on their promise of coming to Bordeaux 
before Christmas to pay their ransom. 

When all were returned to tlieir banners, they retired to their 
camp, which was adjoining to the field of battle. Some disarmed 
themselves, and did the same to their prisoners, to whom they showed 
every kindness ; for whoever made any prisoners, they were solely 
at his disposal, to ransom or not, as he pleased. It may be easily 
supposed that all those who accompanied the prince were very rich 
in glory and wealth, as well by the ransoms of his prisoners, as by 
the quantities of gold and silver plate, rich jewels, and trunks stuffed 
full of belts, that were weighty from their gold and silver ornaments, 
and furred mantles. They set no value on armor, tents, or other 
things ; for the Frencli had come there as magnificently and richly 
dressed as if they had been sure of gaining the victory. 



CHAPTER CLXVI. 

THE LORD JAJIES ATTDLEY GIVES TO iilS SQUIRES THE PENSION OF FIVE 
HUNDRED JrARCS HE HAD RECEIVED FROM THE PRINCE. 

When the lord James Audley was brought back to his tent, after 
having most respectfully thanked the prince for his gift, he did not 
remain long before he sent for his brother sir Peter Audley, the lord 
Bartholomew Burghersh, sir Stephen Coffington, lord Willoughby of 
Eresby, and lord William Ferrers of Groby : they were all his rela. 
tions. He then sent for his four squires that had attended upon him 
that day, and, addressing himself to the knights, said: " Gentlemen, 
it has pleased my lord the prince to give nie five hundred marcs as a 
yearly inheritance ; for which gift I have done him very trifling 
bodily service. You see here these four squires, who have always 
served me most loyally, and especially in this day's engagement. 
What glory I may have gained has been through their means, and by 
tlieir valor; on which account I wish to reward them. I therefore 
give and resign into their hands the gift of five hundred marcs, which 
my lord the prince has been pleased to bestow on me, in the same 
form and manner that it has been presented to me. I disinherit 
myself of it, and give it to them simply, and without a possibility of 
revoking it." The knights present looked on each other, and said, 
*' It is becoming the noble mind of lord James to make such a gift ;" 
and then unanimously added : " May the Lord God remember you 
for it I We will bear witness to this gift to them wheresoever and 
whensoever they may call on us." They then took leave of him; 
when some went to the prince of Wales, who that night was to give 
a supper to the king of France from his own provisions : for the 
French had brought vast quantities with them, which w^ere now fallen 
into the hands of the English, many of whom had not tasted bread 
for the last three days. 



CHAPTER CLXVII. 

the PRINCE OF WALES ENTERTAINS THE KING OF FRANCE AT SUPPER, THE 
EVENING AFTER THE BATTLE, 

When evening was come, the prince of Wales gave a supper in 
his pavilion to the king of France, and to the greater part of the 
princes and barons who were prisoners. The prince seated the king 
of France and his son the lord Philip at an elevated and well-covered 
table : with them were, sir James de Bourbon, the lord John d'Artois, 
the earls of Tancarville, of Estampes, of Dammartin, of Graville, 
and the lord of Partenay. The other knights and squires were placed 
at different tables. The prince himself served the king's table, as 
well as the others, with every mark of humility, and would not sit 
down at it, in spite of all his entreaties for him so to do, saying, that 
*'hc was not worthy of such an honor, nor did it appertain to him to 
seat himself at the table of so great a king, or of so valiant a man as 
he had shown himself by his actions that day." He added also with 
a noble air : " Dear sir, do not make a poor meal because the Al- 
mighty God has not gratified your wishes in the event of this day ; 
for be assured that my lord and father will show you every honor 
and friendship in his power, and will arrange your ransom so reason, 
ably, that you will henceforward always remain friends. In my 
opinion, you have cause to be glad that the success of this battle did 
not turn out as you desired ; for you have this day acquired such 
high renown for prowess, that you have surpassed all the best knights 
on your side. I do not, dear sir, say this to flatter you, for all those 
of our side who have seen and observed the actions of each party, 
have unanimously allowed this to be your due, and decree you the 



prize and garland for it." At the end of this speech there were 
murmurs of praise heard from every one ; and the French said, the 
prince had spoken nobly and truly, and that he would be one of the 
most gallant princes in Christendom, if God should grant him life to 
pursue his career of glory.* 



* Extract taken troni the convent of the Freres Mineurs, in the city of Poitiers, of the 
names oriliose knights who were slain in the battle of Poitiers, and otlier gentlemen that 
were bnried in that convent. 

" First, tlie underneatli knights : 
The duke of Athens, constable of France Sir WilHam de Linnierea 
The bishop of Chalon, (Regnauld Chaveau Sir Ohvier de St. Giles 



— Clironique de VVassebourg) 
M. Andre, viscount de Chauvigny 
Sir IjCwis de Bros?e 
Sir John, iord of Mailly in Berry 
Sir Geoftry de Chargny in Champagne 
W. de Montjouan 
Sir John de L-isIe 
Sir Gris Mouton de Chambcly 
Sir Peter de Chambely. his brother 
ai. de Chateau Vilain, in Champagne 
Sir Jolm de Montigny 
Sir John de Maulniont 
Sir John de Bourbon 
Sir Philip de Boutenniilier 
Sir Hugh deMaille 
Sir Geoftry de St. Uizier 
Sir Ayniery de la Barre 
SirWdliamdeBIese 
Sir John de Griilon 
M.de CJiitre, lord ofRademonde 
M. Clerin de Clierucs 
M. Baudiii de Gargalingaea 
Sir Ansiaulnie tie Hois 
Sir Micliael de Pommoj' 
Sir Richard de Beaulieu 
Sir AVilliain de Fuylle 
Sir Hugh Bonnyn 
M. Dannee de Meloa 
Sir William de Creneur 



Sir 'William de Ilomeneuil 

Sir John de Cianches 

M. Yvon du Pont. lord ofRocbecheniieie 

Sir William (te Mongy 

Sir John de Tigny 

Sir John Brigdene 

Sir John de Noirterre 

Sir Wilham de Puty 

Sir Robert de Chalus 

Sir Adam de BeauviUiers 

Sir Bonabes de Roges 

Sir Vynies de St. Denis 

Sir Mace de Grosbois 

Sir Louis de NuDy 

Sir Simon Oynepuille 

Sir Henry, his brother 

M. de Champrecour 

Sir William Sauvage 

Sir WiUiam du Retail 

Sir Sequin de Cloux 

M. !e Vidnme de la Koche Dagon 

Sir Raol de Resay 

Sir John de la Mirabeau 

Sir Guiscard de Chantylon 

M. Ancelin deCarou, lord ofHes 

M. Guy des Barres, lord of Chaumont 

Sir John de Cloys 

M. le BorgnedePrie. 



Bernard de Douzenac 

Robert Gilles de Miraumont 

Guichenux de Maronnay 

Gintrd de Pierre 

Witliatn de la Fosse 

Robert de la Roche Pierre de Bras 

John Ribriche, lord of Corbon 

Ceiart Herausant 

Hopart de Hanpedourt 

Guynion Pery 

William de la Jarracere 

William Griau 

Olivier de la Rosay 

Girard Delec 

Berart de Lemont 

Heymonnet Embert 

Jobertd*Artoy 

Richard deVendel 

William Seurin 

John du Flume 



SQUIRES. 

John Uefleat 

Guy de Boumay 

Le lyoine de Montigny 

Guinet de Biyssou 

John de Bnnac 

Vmbert de Chamborant 

Brunet d'Augun 

John Sarrayn 

Peter de St. Denis 

Perrine de Pache 

Ferry Pate 

John Dynie 

Le Petit d'Inchequin 

Jehannot de Moutabis 

Jolivet BufTart 

John deBourmeuiiie 

John Martin " 

Ardouyn de la Touche 

William de Lusange 

Le Petit Bidaut de la Rochedegon. 
" Many other bodies slain at tiie aforesaid battle, by licence from the official, and pe> 
mission of the mayor of Poitiers, were brought in carts from the Freres Mineurs of that 
town, and buried in large graves in their church-yard, without the church, the feast-siay 
of St. Valentine, 1356 ; and honorable obsequies were performed in all the churches and 
convents in the town of Poitiers, at the cost of the good citizens of that town. 

" Underneath are the names of those who were buried in the church of les Freres Pres- 
cheurs, of (he town of Poitiers, which I have taken and extracted from the book called 
the Kalendar of the Convent, and translated froru the Latin into French, chapter fiflh. 
The duke of Bourbon on the right of the great altar. 
Theniarechal de Clermonton the opposire side. 
Lower down, hut near him, sir Aubert d'Anget. 
Alter him the viscount de Rocliechouart. 
In the middle of Uie choir, Aymer de la Rochefoucault. 
At the entrance of the choir, on the right. Sir Jolm de Sancerre. 
Ill the chapel ofthe Magdalen, Sir John de St. Didier. 
In the same cliapel, nearthewall.Thjbaut de Laval. 
In the chapel ofthe Apostles, near the wail, sir Thomas deMotiiz. 
In the cliapel ofour lady, sir Wal'er de Montagu. 
Adjoining to him, sir Raoul Rabinard. 
In the nave, near the door, sir John Ferchaut. 
Near to him, sir Peter Marchadier, and Heliothis brother. 
Opposite the statue of St. Michael, sirOliverde Mouvilie. 
On ihe other side, sir Philip <le Forges. 

Before the great door, sir William deBar and sir Jolinde Nully. 
The names of those who were interred in the cloiBters ofthe said convent. 



Le chevalier Miloton. 

Sir John de Chambes 

Sir John Macillon 

Sir Oliver de St. George 

Sir Ymbert de St. Saturnin 

Sir John de Uidde 

Sir Hugh Odurd 

Sir Giles Cherchemont 

Sir John de Senyc6 

Sir W 111. de Digoyne and his son 

Sir John Urouyn de Metz in Loraine 

Sir Robert d'Aulnay 

Master John Dannermarie 

Sir John de la Lang 

Sir Simon de Renouylie 

Sir Philip de Pierreficte 

Sir William de Mausenac 

Sir William de Miners 

Sir Raoul de Bouteillier 

Sir Peter de la Rocdele 

The lord de la Fayete 

A German called Erroya Pincern© 

Sir Bouienuille, viscount d'Aujiialle 

Sir John Fretart 



Sir Robert Daucre 

Sir John la Garpe, ung appel le filz de roy ] 

Sir Lewis Defcrinel 

Sir John de Vernicourt 

Sir Peter Andouyn 

Sir John de Vernoil 

Sir John de Moiitmorillon and hiison 

Sir Hugelin de Vaux 

Sir John de Almaigne 

The lord d'E?praigny 

Sir Hugh de Ti notes 

The lord of St. Gildart 

Sir Henry dePAunoy 

Sir Girard de Helchemanc 

SirGourardGuenif 

SirVipert Beau 

Sir Henry Michiner 

Sir John de Brie 

Sir Raoul Sei! 

Sir Symon de Blesy 

SirHughOrrydeMellQ 

SirSegnyn de Cluys 

Sir Thomas de Baignel 

Sir Peter Baillon ' 



108 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



CHAPTER CLXVIII. 

THE PRINCE OF WALES KETURNS TO BORDEAUX, AFTER THE BATTLE 
OF POITIERS. 

When they had supped and sufficiently regaled themselves, each 
departed to his lodging with the knights and squires they had cnp- 
lured. Those that had taken them asked, what they could pay for 
their ransoms, without much hurting their fortunes ; and willingly 
believed whatever they told them ; for they had declared publicly, 
that they did not wish to deal harshly with any knight or squire that 
his ransom should be so burdensome as to prevent his following the 
profession of arms, or advancing his fortune. Toward morning, 
when these lords had heard mass, and had eaton and drunk a litde, 
while the servants were packing up or loading the baggage, they 
decamped and advanced toward Poitiers. 

That same night, the lord of Roy had entered the city of Poitiers 
with a hundred lances, that had not been engaged in the battle, for, 
having met the duke of Normandy near Chauvigny, he had com- 
manded him to march for Poitiers, and to guard it until he should 
receive other orders. When the lord of Royc had entered Poitiers, 
he ordered the gates, towers, and walls, to be well watched that 
night, on account of the English being so near ; and on the morning 
he armed all sorts of people, and posted them wherever he judged 
most convenient for the defence of the town. The English, how- 
ever, passed by, without making any attempt upon it; for they were 
60 laden with gold, silver, jewels, and great prisonefs, that they did 
not attack any fortress in their march, but thought they should do 
great things if they were able to convey the king of France and Ms 
son, with all their booty, in safety to the city of Bordeaux. They 
returned, therefore, by easy marches, on account of their prisoners 
and heavy baggage, never advancing more than four or five leagues 
a day • they encamped early, and marched in one compact body, 
without quitting the road, except the division of the marshals, who 
advanced in front, with about five hundred men-at-anns, to clear the 
country. They met with no resistance anywhere ; for the whole 
country was in a state of consternation, and all the men-at-arms had 
retreated into the strong fortresses. 

During- this march, the prince of Wales was infonned how lord 
James Audley had made a present of his pension of five hundred 
mares to his lour squires. He sent for him : lord James was carried 
in his litter to the presence of the prince, whe received him very 
graciously, and said to him : " Sir James, I have been informed, 
that after you had taken leave of me, and were returned to your tent, 
you made a present to your four squires of the gift I presented to 
you. I should like to know if this be true, why you did so, and if 
the gift were not agreeable to you." "Yes, my lord," answered 
lord James, *' it was most agreeable to me, and I will tell you the 
reasons which induced me to bestow it on my squires. These four 
squires, who are here, have long and loyally served me, on many 
great and dangerous occasions ; and until the day that I made them 
this present, I had not any way rewarded them for all their services; 
and never in this life were they of such help to me as on that day. 
I hold myself much bound to them for what they did at the battle of 
Poitiers; for, dear sir, I am but a single man, and can do no more 
than my powers admit, but, through their aid and assistance, I have 
accomplished my vow, which for a long time I had made, and by 
their means was the first combatant, and should have paid for it with 
my life, if they had not been near to me. When, therefore, I con- 
sider their courage, and the love they bear to me, I should not have 
been courteous nor grateful, if I had not rewarded them. Thank 
God, my lord, I have a sufficiency for my life, to maintain my state ; 
and wealth has never yet failed me, nor do I believe it ever will. If, 
therefore, I have in this acted contrary to your wishes, I beseech 
you, dear sir, to pardon me ; for you will be ever as loyally served 
by me and my squires, to whom I gave your present, as heretofore." 
The prince answered : *' Sir James, I do not in the least blame you 
for what you have done, but, on the contrary, acknowledge your 
bounty to your squires whom you praise so much. I readily confirm 
your gift to them; but I shall insist upon your accepting of six 
hundred marcs, upon the same terms and conditions as the former 
gift." 

The prince of Wales and hie army kept advancing, without meet- 
ing any obstacle, and, having passed through Poitou and Saintonge, 
came to Blaye, where he crossed the Garonne, and arrived in the 
good city of Bordeaux.* It is not possible to relate all the feasts and 
entertainments which the citizens and clergy of Bordeaux made for 
the prince, and with what joy tliey received him and the king of 
France. The prince conducted the king to the monastery of St. 

"Eight were buried in three graves, whose names and surnames were unknown ; and 
among tliem was the body of a knight, whose surcoat of arms was three cliovroDS or, in 
a shield gules. 

" The arms of all the princes, knights, and lords above-mentioned were blazoned on 
the stalls of the aonvent. in order to keep thein in perpetual remembrance. 

Bouchet's Jiniiales d'.iquitaine, 4mc parte, folio 15. 

* " A letter from tJie Black Prince to the bishop of Worcester, dated 20th October 
1356, relating to the battle of Poitiers, wherein the French king was made prisoner. &.c. 
Ex registro Reginaldi Brien. Wigom. episcopi, foj. 113. 

" L.*ra D'ni Principis,Wall' dc Capcione U. Franciae par le prince de Gales. 

" Reve'nt pierre en Dieu, ettresch' ami-— Nous vous mercions entierement dece que 
nous avone entendu q'vous estee si bien et si naturelment porte dev'a nous, en p'ant 
Dwux p'r nous et p'r o're exploit ; et lumes tout ccrtiens q' p'r cause de voue devoules 



Andrew, where they were both lodged; the king on one side, and 
theftpi-ince on the other. The prince purchased from the barons, 
knights and squires of Gascony, the ransoms of the greater part of 
the French earls who Were there, and paid ready money for them. 
There were many meetings and disputes among the knights and 
squires of Gascony, and others, relative to the capture of the king of 
France. On this account Denys de Morbeque truly and by right of 
arms claimed him. He challenged another squire of Gascony, 
named Bernard de Trouttes, who had declared that he had an equal 
right to him. There was much disputing between them before the 
prince and the barons present ; and as they had engaged to fight 
each other, the prince put them under an arrest, until they should be 
arrived in England, and forbade anything more being said on the 
subject till they were in the presence of the king his father. How- 
ever, as the king of France gave every assistance to sir Dcnys in 
support of his claim, and leaned more to him than to any of the other 
claimants, the prince ordered two thousand nobles to be given pri- 
vately to Sir Denys, in order to enable him the better to support hie 
rank. 

Soon after the prince's arrival at Bordeaux, the cardinal de Peri- 
gord came thither as, it was said, embassador from the pope. It was 
upward of a fortnight before the prince would speak to him, on ac- 
count of the castellan of Amposta and his people having been engaged 
against him at the battle of Poitiers. The prince believed that the 
cardinal had sent them thither ; but the cardinal through the means 
of his relations, the lord of Chaumont, the lord of Montferrant, and 
the captal of Buch, gave such good reasons for his conduct to the 
prince, that he admitted him to an audience. Having obtained this, 
he exculpated himeclf so clearly that the prince and his council were 
satisfied; and he regained the place he before held in the prince's 
affection. All his people were set at liberty at moderate ransoms: 
the castellan's amounted to ten thousand francs, which he paid. 
The cardinal, soon after, began to touch upon the deliverance of king 
John: but I shall say little on that head, as nothing was done in the 
business. The prince, with his Gascons and English, remained all 
that winter at Bordeaux, where was much feasting and merriment; 
and they foolishly expended the gold and silver they had gained. In 
England also, there were great rejoicings, when the news arrived of 
the affair of Poitiers, and of the defeat of the French. Solemn thanks- 
givings were offered up in all churches, and bonfires made in every 
town and village. Those knights and squires who returned to Eng- 
land, after having been in this battle, were honored in preference to- 
any others. 



CHAPTER CLXIX. 

THE THREE ESTATES OF FRAXCE ASSEMBLE AT PARIS, AFTER THE BATTI^ 
OF rOITTERS. 

DtjRtNG the time of this defeat at Poitiers, the duke of Lancaster 
was in the county of Evrcux, on the borders of Coutantin ; and with, 
him were sir Philip de Navarre and the lord Godfrey de Harcourt. 
They had made war on Normandy from that quarter, and had con- 
tinued to do so all that summer, on account of the king of Navarre^ 
whom the king of France detained in prison. Those three lords. 



p'eres et dautres, Dieu nous a en toutes nos besoignes be' vucliz aide ; de quoi nous- 
£umes a tous jo's tenuz de lui grnzier, en p'ant que v're part ancy vieullieiz faire ear 
continuant dev's nous come devant res heures avetz fuitde quoi nous noub tenons g'n*- 
menttenuza vous. Et, rev'entpiere. endroitde n'reestat. dont nouspenceons bien q'vous 
desirez la v're mcrci doier bones nciuvelles, vuellietz entendre q' a In fuisance de cestes 
eKtiiins sains et heures et tout en bon point, loiez en soit Dieux q' nous don it y c«s mesmes 
de vous toutes soitz oir et saver, etdece nous vuellietz certifier p'rvosl'res et p'lesentre- 
veuantz a plus sonvent q' vous p*res bonenient eu droit de nouvolles ceandroitz. Vueil- 
letz savoir q'la veiUe de la trans^Iutiun Saint Thomas de Canterbire, oouz commenceasmes 
a chivauch* ove n're povar v's lea parties de France et souvraignemeutp' cause q*noa& 
entesdisnies l:t venue de n're treshonii'e seign'r et piere le roy la endruitz, et si neismes 
dev's les parties de Bergies en Berye, Orlions et Tours, et avions nouvelles q* !e roy de 
France ove g' nt povar bien pres de cclles marches venoit p' combattrc ove no's, et nppro- 
cheasnies tantq' la battiiillese prist entre nous en tiele maniere q' leseuemia estoient dis- 
consitez. grace en soitDieux, et le dilroi etson filset plusieurs autres g'ntzpriset mortz, 
les noms do queauz nous vous envious p' n're tresch' bachiler mons' Roger de Cottesford 
portoir de cestes. Rev'ent picreen Dieux, et n'retresch'anii, leSiiint Esprit vous ait toule 
jours en saguarde. 

'D0UI16 souz n're seal aBirdeaux, le xxejourd'Octob'r.' ^^—^rckaologia, vo]. i. p. 213, 

We subjoin a translation of this curious letter.— Kd. 

Reverend father in God, and very dear friend.— We thank you heartily for, as we have 
heard, you have been well and atfectionntely (naturelment) inclined toward us in praying 
to God for us and ouroiiterprise ; which we are very certain sucoeede<t on account of your 
prayers and those of otiiers. God has been pleased to aid us in all our necessities; for 
which we are bound to give him thanks forever, and we pray that you wdl also do your 
part continuing with us as heretofore, for which service we hold ourselves much indebted 
to you. And, reverend father, in regard to our health, of which we believe Uiatyouin 
your kindna^ desire to hear good news, know that at this time we are well and happy 
and altogether in a good condition, praise bo to God, which enables us now to let you 
hear andknow that which we wish you to certify in your letters, and in frequent visits 
which you priests good naturedly permit, forthe purpose of circulating news. You must 
know that on the eve of the translaUon of St. Thomas of Canterbury, we commenced an 
uicursion with our power, into the French territory, chiefly because we expected Uie arri- 
val of our much honored lord and father in tliose parts ; and tJius we advanced into the 
countries of Berces in Berry, Orleans and Tours, and had news that the king of France 
with a great power was at hand, and was coming to fi^'ht with us. and we approached 
so near that a battle took place between us, in which the enemy was discomfited , thanks 
be to God, and the said king and his son, and several other gentlemen were taken or 
killed, fur whose names we refer you to our very dear bachelor Mr. Roger de Cottesford, 
the bearer of these. Render thanks to God. and may the Holy Ghost have you our very 
dear friend, always in his keeping. 

GivcQ under our seal at Bordeaux, liie twentieth day of October. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



109 



had done all in their power to join the prince of Wales ; but it was 
not possible, for all the passsiges of the river Loire were too well 
guarded. When they were informed that the prince had made the 
king of France prisoner, and of the manner in which the battle of 
Poitier3 had been won, they were much pleased, and put an end to 
their excursions ; for the duke of Lancaster and Philip de Navarre 
wished to go to England, which they did. They sent sir Godfrey de 
Harcourt to guard the frontiers, at St. Sauveurle Vicomte. 

If the kingdom of England and its allies were much delighted with 
the capture of the king of France, that reabn \\-as sore troubled and 
vexed. It had very good cause to be so ; for there were great dis- 
tresses and desolations in every quarter, and men of understanding 
foresaw that greater mischiefs might arise : since the king of France 
and all the flower of chivalry of that kingdom were cither slain or 
made prisoners, and the three sons of the king, Charles, Louis, and 
John, who had escaped, were very young in years and understanding, 
so that no great expectation could be formed from them ; and neither 
were they willing to undertake the government of the kingdom. 
Add to this, that the knights and squires who had returned from the 
battle were so much despised and blamed by the common people, 
that they very unwillingly entered the great towns. 

There were many conferences held, and much discontent appeared; 
when the most prudent and wise perceived that this state could not 
continue, nor longer go on without some remedy ; for the English 
and Navarrois were in force in Coutantin, under sir Godfrey de Har- 
court, who was overrunning and destroying the country. The pre- 
lates of the church, bishops and abbots, and all the noblemen and 
knights, the provost of merchants and citizens of Paris, as well as 
the council from the other capital towns in the kingdom, assembled 
together in the city of Paris, in order to consult and advise upon the 
best manner of governing the kmgdom of France, until king John 
should be set at liberty. But they were first determined to inquire 
what was become of the great sums of money that had been raised 
in France by way of dismee, raaletostcs*, subsidies, by the coinage 
and other vexations. Notwithstanding the country had been much 
harassed and distressed by levying them, the army had been badly 
paid, and the kingdom ill guarded and defended : but there was no 
one who could give any account of them. Th- clergy, therefore, 
resolved to select twelve of the wisest from among themselves, to 
consider and determine what would be .most advisable to be done. 
The barons and knights chose twelve also, to attend to this business. 
The citizens likewise did the same, according to their unanimous 
agreement. These thirty-six personages were to remain at Paris, 
in order to confer together upon the better government of the king- 
dom ; and all affairs were to be laid before these three estates : all 
prelates, noblemen, and all cities, towns and commonalties, were to 
obey them and execute their orders. In the beginning, however, 
there were many in this selection that were not agreeable to the 
duke of Normandy, or to his council. 

The first act of the three estates was to forbid the coining any 
money in the manner in which it was then done, and to seize the 
dies. They next required of the duke of Normandy, that he would 
order the chancellor of the king his father to be arrested, the lord 
Robert Lorris, the lord Simon de Bucit, as well as many other 
masters of accounts and counsellors in former times to the king, that 
they might give a just account of what sums through their advice 
had been levied and raised in the kingdom. When all these per. 
Bonages heard of this, they quitted the realm as speedily as possible, 
and took refuge in other kingdoms until the face of aiffairs should 
be changed. 



CHAPTER CLXX. 

THE THREE ESTATES SEND MEN-AT-ARMS AGAINST SIR GODFREY DE 
HARCOURT. 

The three estates, after this, established and appointed, in their 
names, receivers to collect whatever taxes might be due to the king, 
or to the realm. They coined money of fine gold, which was called 
Moutonst: and they would with pleasure have seen the king of 
Navarre delivered from his prison in the castle of Crevecour in 
Cambresis, where he was confined ; for it appeared to many mem- 
bers of the three estates, that the kingdom would be stronger and 
more ably defended, provided he would be true and loyal ; for there 
were few noblemen at that time in France that were able to make 
any good defence, the greater part having been slain or made prison, 
ers at the battle of Poitiers. They therefore requested the duke of 
Normandy to give him his liberty ; for they thought he had been un- 
justly used, nor did they know for what reason he was a prisoner. 

* Jilatetost^—an extraordinary lax. or subsidy, levied the year 1296, by Philip le Bel, 
viz. at first the value of the hundredth, and afterwards of the fiftietli part of all either 
lay or churchman's goods.— Cotgrave's Dictionary. 

t He was first president of the parliament— Hainault. 

t The gold coin called Moutoas had the impression of the Agnus Dei, which the 
vulgar mistook for a sheep ; hence it got the ridiculous name of Moutons. This coin 
wfts originally of the value of twelve sols six dealers fine silver.- -^nuo/s of Scotland, 
vol. ii. note, p. 231. 

Le mouton d' or was a coin on which was impressed the figure of a Iamb, with this 
insc-iption : " Agnus Dei, qui toUit peccata mundi. miserere nobis ; and nn the reverse 
a cross, with these words, " Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus imperat." There 
were fifly-two of these pieces in a marc of fine gold.— Dtj Canoe, Oloss. ad verb Mvt- 
Umcs. 



The duke replied, that he could not advise his being set at liberty ; 
for the king his father had ordered him to be confined, and he was 
ignorant of the cause or reason of it. 

At this period, news was brought to the duke anil to the three 
estates, that sir GodA-ey de Harcourt was waging a destructive war 
against Normandy ; that his army, which was not very mimcroua, 
overran the country twice or thrice a week, as far as the suburbs of 
Caen, of Saint L6 *, Evreux and Coutances, and no one went out to 
oppose him. The duke and the three estates ordered an expedition 
of men-at-arms, consisting of three hundred lances and five hundred 
with iron armor: they nominated four captains to command them, 
the lord de Reyneval, tlie lord de Chauny, the lord do Riville, and 
the lord de Frianville. This army set out from Paris, and marched 
to Rouen, where there was a large body collected from different 
parts. There were many knights from Artois and Vermandois, such 
as the lord of Crequi, the lord Lewis de Havesquerque, the lord 
Edward de Renti, lord John de Ficnnes, lord Enguorrant de H^din, 
and many others : there came also from Normandy many expert 
men-at-arms. These lords, with their troops, advanced until they 
came to the city of Coutances, which they garrisoned. 



CHAPTER CLXXI. 

the battle of COtTTANTIN, BETWEEN SIR GODFREY DE HARCOURT, AND 
SIR tAOUL DE REYNEVAL. 

When sir Godfrey de Harcourt, who was strong, bold, and cour- 
ageous, heard that the French were come to the city of Coutances, 
he collected together as many men-at-arms as possible, archers and 
other friends, and said he would go to meet them. He left, there- 
fore, St. Sauveur le Vicomte, accompanied by about seven hundred 
men, including every one. This same day, the French also sallied 
out, and had sen' forward their scouts to examine the country, who 
returned and informed their lords that they had seen the Navarrois. 
On the other hand, sir Godfrey had sent out his scouts, who had 
taken a different road, and, having examined the army of the French, 
had counted their banners and pennons, and to what numbers they 
amounted. Sir Godfrey, however, paid but little attention to their 
report : he said, that since he saw his enemies he would fight with 
them. He' immediately placed his archers in the front of his men, 
and drew up in battle array the Englishmen and Navariois. When 
lord Raoul de Reyneval perceived he had drawn up his men, he 
ordered part of the French to dismount, and to place large shields 
before them to guard themselves against the arrows, and for none to 
advance without his orders. 

The archers of sir Godfrey began to advance, as they were com- 
manded, and to shoot their arrows with all their strength. The 
French, who were sheltered behind their shields, allowed them to 
shoot on, as this attack did not hurt them in the least. They re- 
mained so long in their position without moving, that these archers 
had expended all their arrows ; they then cast away their bows, and 
began to fall back upon their men-at-arms, who were drawn up- 
alongside of a hedge, sir Godfrey in front, with his banner displayed. 
The French then began to make use of their bows, and to pick up 
arrows everywhere, for there were plenty of them lying about, which 
they employed against the English and men of Navarre. The men- 
at-arms made a vigorous charge ; and the combat was very sharp and 
severe, when they were come hand to hand ; but the infantry of sir 
Godfrey could not keep their ranks, and were therefore soon discom- 
fited. Sir Godfrey, upon this, retreated into a vineyard which was 
inclosed with strong hedges, and as many of his people as could get 
in followed him. When the French saw this, they all dismounted, 
surrounded the place, and considered how they could best enter it. 
They examined it on every side, and at last found an entrance. As 
they went round, seeking a passage, sir Godfrey and his men did the 
same, and halted at the weakest part of the hedge. 

As soon as the French had gained this entrance, many gallant 
deeds of arms were performed ; but it cost the French dear before 
they were complete masters of it. The banner of sir Raoul was 
the first that entered. He followed it, as did the other knights and 
squires. When they were all in the inclosure, the combat was re- 
newed with greater vigor, and many a one was beat down. The 
army of Sir Godfrey would not keep the order which he had ap- 
pointed, according to the promise made to him ; but the greater part 
fled, and could not withstand the French. Sir Godfrey, on seeing 
this, declared, that he would prefer death to being taken, and, arming 
himself with a batde.axe, halted where he was; he placed one foot 
before the other, to be finiier ; for he was lame of one leg, though 
very strong in his arms. In this position, he fought a long time 
most valiandy, so that few dared encounter his blows; when two 
Frenchmen mounted their horses, and, placing their lances in their 
rests, charged him at the same time, and struck him to the ground : 
some men-at-arms immediately rushed upon him with their swords, 
which they ran through his body, and killed him on the spot. The 
greater part of his amiy were slain or made prisoners, and those 
who were able to escape returned to St. Sauveur le Vicomte. This 
happened in the winter of 1356, about Martinmas. 

* A city of Normandy, situated on the Vire, diocese of Coutances. 



110 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



CHAPTER CLXXII. 



THE PRINCE OF WALES CONDUCTS THE KING OF FRANCE FROM BOR. 
DEAUX TO ENGLAND. 

After the death of the before-mentioned knight, sir Godfrey de 
Harcourt, as soon as the country had been freed from his incursions 
by the defeat of his troops, the French returned to Coutances, 
carrying with them their booty and prisoners. Shortly afterwards, 
they returned to Paris, to tlie duke of Normandy, who was styled 
Regent, and to the three estates, who paid much honor to the knights 
and squires who had been in Coutantin. From that time, the town 
of St. Sauveur le Vicomte, and all the landowners of sir Godfrey de 
Harcourt, attached themselves to the English ; for he had sold it, 
subject to his life, to the king of England, and had disinherited the 
lord Louis de Harcourt, his nephew, because he would not follow 
his party. When the king of England was informed of the death of 
sir Godfrey, he lamented him much, but embarked men-at-arms, 
knights, squires, and cross-bowmen, to tlie amount of upward of 
four hundred men, to take possession of St. Sauveur le Vicomte, 
which was well wortli tliirly thousand livres annual rent. He 
nominated the lord John Lisle governor of the lands and castles. 
The three estates, all this time, paid great attention to the better 
ordering of the realm of France, which was governed by them. 

The prince of Wales, and the greater part of those lords who had 
been with him at the battle of Poitiers, remained all this winter at 
Bordeaux, revelling, making preparations for shipping, and settling 
their own affairs, or engaged in making arrangements for conducting 
the king of France, his son, and the principal lords who were pris- 
oners, to England. When the season was sufficiently advanced, and 
everything was ready for the prince's departure, he sent for the great 
barons of Gascony, the lord d'Albret first, and the lords de Mucident, 
de I'Esparre, de Longueren, de Pumicrs, de Courton, de Roseni, de 
Chaumont, de Montferrant, de Landuras, sir Aymery de Tarse, the 
captal de Buch, the souldich de la Trane, and many others. He re- 
ceived them with every sign of affection and friendship, and promised 
them great rewards and profits, which is all that a Gascon loves or 
desires. He then informed them of his intention of going to Eng. 
land ; that he should take some of them with him, and the rest he 
should leave in different parts of the province, to guard the frontiers 
against the French, and should put all the cities and castles under 
their management, as if they were their own property. 

When the Gascons learnt that the prince of Wales intended taking 
away with hijn the king of France, whom they had assisted to make 
prisoner, they were unwilling to consent to it, and said to the prince: 
" Dear sir, we owe you, as it becomes us, all honor and obedience, 
to the utmost of our power, but it is not our intention you should 
carry the king of France from ue, who have so largely contril)uted 
ty our services to place him in the situation he is now in. Thank 
God, he is at present well in health and in a good city : and we are 
powerful enough to guard him against any force France may send 
to take him from us." The prince replied, " My dear lords, I will- 
ingly agree to all you have said, but the king, my father, wishes to 
tave him, and to see him. We arc very sensible and thankful for 
the services which you have done both to him and myself, and you 
may depend on being handsomely rewarded for them." These 
words, however, did not satisfy the Gascons, nor would they agree 
to the departure of the king of France, until lord Reginald Cobham 
and sir .lohn Chandos found a means of appeasing them. They 
were well acquainted with the avaricious disposition°of the Gascons, 
and therefore said to the prince, " Sir, sir, offer them a handsome 
sum of florins, and you will see they will soon comply with whatever 
you w-ish." Upon this, the prince offered them si.vty thousand 
florins ; but they would not listen to him : at last it was settled that 
the prince should give them one hundred thousand florins, to be 
distributed among the barons of Gascony, and that he might set out 
with the king when he pleased. After tliis, he nominated four of 
them as governors of the country until his return : the lords d'Albret, 
de I'Esparre, de Pumiers, and de Rosem. This being done, the 
prince embarked on board a handsome ship, and took with him a 
great many Gascons ; among them were the captal de Buch, sir 
Aymery de Tarse, the lord de Tarse, the lord de Landuras, the lord 
de Mucident, the souldich de la Trane, and many others. 

The king of France was in a ship by himself, in order that he 
might be more at his ease. In the fleet there were five hundred men- 
at-arms and two thousand archers, to guard against any accidents at 
sea, and also because the prince had been informed before he left 
Bordeau.x, that the three estates, who then governed France, had 
raised two large armies, which were posted in Normandy and at 
Crotoy,* to meet the English, and to carry off the king, but they saw 
nothmg of them. They were eleven days and nights at sea, and on 
the twelfth they arrived at Sandwich, where they disembarked, and 
took up their quarters in the town and neighborhood. They re- 



mained there two days to refresh themselves, and, on the third, se 
out and came to Canterbury. 

When the king of England was informed of their anival, he gave 
orders for the citizens of London to make such preparations as were 
suitable to receive so great a prince as the king of France. Upon 



• A villngc in Picardy, near the raoulii of the Somrae. 



which they all dressed themselves very richly in companies, and the 
different manufactories of cloth appeared with various pageants.* 
The king and prince remained one day at Canterbury, where they 
made their offerings to the shrine of St. Thomas. On the morrow, 
they rode to Rochester, where they reposed themselves. The third 
day they came to Dartford, and the fourth to London, where they 
were received with every honor and distinction, as indeed they had 
been by all the chief towns on their road. 

The king of France, as he rode through London, was mounted on 
a white steed, with very rich furniture, and the prince of Wales on 
a little black hackney by his side. He rode through London, thus 
accompanied, to the palace of the Savoy, which was part of the in. 
heritance of the duke of Lancaster. There the king of France 
kept his household for some time ; and there he was visited by the 
king and queen of England, who often entertained him sumptuously, 
and afterwards were very frequent in their visits, consoling him all 
in their power. The cardinals de Perigord and St. Vital soon after 
came to England, by command of pope Innocent VI. They en. 
deavored to make peace between the two kingdoms, which they 
labored hard to effect, but without success. However, by some 
fortunate means they procured a truce between the two kings and 
their allies, to last until St. .John the Baptist's day, 1359. The lord 
Philip de Navarre and his allies, the countess of Montfort and the 
duchy of Brittany, were excluded from this truce. 

Shortly afterwards, the king of France and all his household were 
removed from the palace of Savoy to Windsor castle, t where he was 
permitted to hunt and hawk, and take what other diversions he 
pleased in that neighboihood, as well as the lord Philip his son. 
The rest of the French lords remained at London, but they visited 
the king as often as they pleased, and were prisoners on their parole 
of honor. 

CHAPTER CLXXIIl. 

DAVID BRUCE, KING OF SCOTLAND, OBTAINS HIS LIBERTY. 

You have before heard how king David of Scotland had been a 
prisoner in England, where he had remained upward of nine years. 
Shortly after this truce was agreed to between France and England, 
the two cardinals, in conjunction with the bishop of St. Andrew's in 
Scotland, undertook the enlargement of the king of Scotland. The 
treaty was formed upon this ground, that the king of Scotland should 
never bear arms against the king of England, in his realm ; neither 
advise nor consent that any of his subjects should molest or wage 
war upon the English : that the king of Scotland, upon his return to 
his kingdom, should make every e.xertion in his power to obtain his 
subjects' consent that the crown of Scotland be held in fief and 
homage from the king of England. If the country would not submit 
to this, then the king of Scotland would swear solemnly to maintain 
and keep a firm and lasting peace with the king of England. He 
was also to bind himself and his kingdom, as its own real lord and 
heir, in the payment of five hundred thousand nobles within ten 
years. And, upon the demand of the king of England, he was to 
send good hostages and securities for the perfonnance of this treaty, 
such as the earl o[ Douglas, the earl of Moray, the earl of Mar, the 
earl of Sutherland, the carl of Fife, sir Thomas Bisset and the bishop 
of Caithness, who were to remain in England as prisoners or hostages 
for their lord and king until there should have been paid the whole 
of the above sum. Public instntmcnts were drawn tip according to 
these resolutions and obligations, with letters patent, sealed by each 
of the kings. 

The king of Scotland then left England, and returned to his own 
country, with his queen Johanna,} sister to the king of England. 
He was received by his subjects with every honorable mark of dis- 
tinction, and, after having visited them, gave orders for his castle of 
Scone, near Perth, to be repaired, as it was in ruins. This is a good 
and commercial town, situated upon a river called the Tay.§ 



* Unless Mr. Jolines's MSS. differej liere IVoni D. Sauvage's edition, lie seems lo have 
niiscoiiceived Froissart's meaning, " Adoncqiies ceux deLondres se vestirentparCon- 
nestablies, et tre richement : et tons les maistres, en draps difterens des antres," are the 
words in D. Sanvage's edition, which Lord Bernei's thus translates: "Then they of Lon- 
don arrayed theniselfe by conipanyes : and the chief masters clothiiig dijfercnt fro the 
other."— ^v. 

t He was afterwards confined in Hertford Castle, under the guard of Roger de Beau- 
champ. David king of Scotland was likewise a prisoner there. John was removed to 
different other castles, from a suspicion of his being delivered by treason or force.— 

ASHMOLE. 

I "There is a strange diversity among historians concerning the time of the death of 
this unfortunate lady. Fordun, 1. xiv. c. 18, says, 'she went to England in 1357, and 
died after she had remained Uiere for some time. In Scala Chron. ap. Leland, t. i. p. 
568, it is said, the queen of Scotland, sister to king Edward, came out of Scotland to 
Wyndesore, to speak with him. and after w as with her motiier, queen Isabella, at Hert- 
ford, and there died. This imports, that she died either before her mother, or soon after 
her. It is certain lliat her mother died in the autumn, 1358.' Fordun and the author of 
Scala Chronica are in a mistake. Queen Johanna must have lived beyond the year 
1357 or the year 1S8. Her husband speaks of her as alive on the Sst February, 1358-9, 
Ftrdera, t. vi. p. 118. Nay more, on the 2nd May, 1362, a passport is granted by Edward 
HI. to John Heryng. the servant of Johanna queen of Scotland, our sister ; Foidera, t. 
vi. p. 364 ; and, therefore. I incline to follow VVabingham, p. 173, who places her death 
in im2:'—Jlmials of Seolland. vol. ii. p. 250. 

§ "The treaty, which had been in agitation sn many years was at length concluded, 
at Berwick, 3ni October, 1357. By it the king of Scots was released, after a captivity of 
eleven years. The Scottish nation agreed to pay one hundred thousand marks sterling 
as the ransom of their sovereign, hy yearly payments of ten thousand marks on the 24th 
June. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, K RANGE, SPAIN, &c. 



HI 



CHAPTER CLXXIV. 

TUU DrKE OF LANCASTER LAYS SIEGE TO KENJTES. 

About the middle of May, in the year 1357, the duke of Lancaster 
raised a large body of men-at-arms, of English and Bretons, for the 
assistance of the countess of Montfort and her young son, who at 
that time bore arms, and wa-S a party in their excm-aions. There 
might he a thousand men-at-arms, well equipped and appointed, and 
five hundred others among the archers. The army left Heimcbon, 
scouring and burning all the country until they came to the good 
town of Rennes, whieli the duke besieged on every side, and lay a 
long time before it, making many assaults, by which he gained not 
much, for there were in the town the viscount de Rohan, the lord de 
Laval, sir Charles de Dinan, and many others. 

There was also in the town a young knight-bachelor called sir 
Bertrand du Guesclin, who, daring the siege of Rennes, fought with 
an Englishman named sir Nicholas Dagworth. The terms of the 
combat were to be tlrree courses with spears, three strokes with bat- 
tle-axes, and three stabs with daggers. The two knights behaved 
most valiantly, and parted without hurting each other. They were 
Been with pleasure by both armies.* The lord Charles of Blois was 
at that time returned to the country : but, as he could not bear arms 
himself, he was perpetually teazing the regent of France to send him 
a sufficiency of men-at-arms to raise the siege of Rennes. But the 
regent was too much occupied with the affairs of France, which were 
in great confusion, to attend to his request, and therefore the siege 
of Rennes was still continued. 



CHAPTER CLXXV. 

A KNlUnX OF THE COU.NTKY OF EVKEUX, CALLED SIR WILLIAM DE GRA- 
TILLE, KECONQrERS THE CITY AND CASTLE OF EVEEUX FROM THE 
2LNG OF FRANCE, Vrao HAD TAKEN IT FROM THE KING OF NAVARF.E. 

A KNiJHT, named the lord de Graville, who was attached to the 
king of Navarre by his faith and oath, was much hurt at his imprison- 
ment, as were likewise many of the inhabitants of the Evreiix ; but 
they could not help themselves so long as the castle was in the 
enemy's possession. This sir William lived about two short leagues 
from Evreux, and whenever he came to that city, was received by a 
citizen, who in former times had been a great friend to the king of 
Navarre. When sir William came to the house of this citizen, he 
ate with him, and, during their repasts, discoursed on various sub. 
jects, but generally of the king of Navarre, and o£ his imprisonment, 
wliicii vexed them sorely. 

It happened one day that sir William said to him : " If you will 
give me your assistance. I will surely reconquer this city and castle 
for the king of Navarre. " How will you do that >." replied the citi- 
zen, " for the governor is strongly attached to the French interest ; 
and, without having gained the castle, we dare not show ourselves, 
for he is master of the town and suburbs." Sir William answered : 
" I will tell you. You must get three or four citizens of your friends, 
that are of the same way of thinking as yourself, and till your houses 
well with armed men that can be depended on ; and I promise you 
on my head, that we will enter the castle by a trick, without incur- 
ring any danger." The citizen was so active, that he soon collected 
a hundred of his friends, who were as well inclined as himself. 

Sir William went in and out of the town without any suspicion ; 
for he had not borne arms in the last expedition with the lord Philip 
de Navan-e, because the greater part of his property lay near to 
Evreux, and the king of France, at the time he conquered Evreux, 
had made all the landholders in the neighborhood swear allegiance 
to him, otherwise he would have taken possession of their lands ; he 
had thus only gained outwardly their affections, but their hearts re- 
mained attached to the interest of NavaiTC. If king John, however, 
had been in France, this sir William would not have dared to attempt 
what he performed. But he perceived the embarrassed state of pub- 
lic affairs, and that the three estates were desirous of giving the king 
of Navarre his liberty. 

Sir William having made his preparations, the citizens were ap- 
prized what they were to do : he armed himself at all points, put on 



• Twenty youne men of quality, and among tlicm the eldest son of tlie Stewart were 
to be given as hostages ; and for further securily. three of tlie followinj; great lords were 
to place thems<lves in the jiaiids of the EngUsh : the Stewart, the earls of March Mar 
Ross, Angus, and SuUierlnnil, lord Douglas and Thomas Moray of Botliwell. It was 
provided, lliat a truce should continue between tlie two nations until complete payment 
of the ransom. 

"The king of Scots, the nobility and the boroughs, ratified this treaty the 5th of Octo- 
ber, and tlie bisliops ratitied it on the following day. 

"David, immediately after his release, summoned a parliament, laid (he treaty before 
the three estates, obtained their approbation, and then ratified tlie treaty anew, at Scone, 
6th November."-.5iina/s of Scotland, vol. li. p. 214. 

» The historian of Brittany says, it was William de Blancbourg, brother to the gov- 
ernor ot Fougerai, who had been slain by Bertrand. Jn confirmation of this, Dugdale 
makes no rnention of this duel, which he would probably have done, had sir Nicholas 
Uagworth been the person. 

Bertrand, in the first course, pierced the coat of mail of Blancbou-g, and his oivn 
hehnet fullered the same. The two ensuing courses were hanriless. Bertrand asked if 
he would run three more : which was accepted. In the first course, Bertrand struck him 
so violently on the body, bus lance entered very deep, and unhorsed him. He would not 
Jull hun, from respect to tbe duke of Lancaster, but seized his horse, which he canied 
away as a trophy of his victory. 



a short gown, and over all hia cloak. He had under his arm a small 
battle-axe, and, thus equipped, he came, attended by his servant, 
whom he had let into the secret, to walk upon the square before the 
castle, as had been of late his custom. He walked there so long a 
time, that the governor, who usually came to the gate twice or thrice 
about that time, opened the gate of the castle to look about him, but 
it was only the wicket-gate, and he placed himself right before it. 
When sir William perceived him, he approached nearer by little and 
little, saluting him most respectfully. The governor, though he re. 
turned the salute, kept his position. Sir William, however, at last 
came up to him, and began to converse with him on different sub. 
jects : he inquired if he had heard what was doing in France. The 
governor, from being constantly shut up in the castle, had enjoyed 
little communication from without, and being eager to learn the 
news, replied that he had heard nothing, and would thank him to let 
him know what was passing. "Very willingly," answered sir Wil. 
liam. " It is reported in France, that the kings of Denmark and 
Iceland* have made an alliance, and have sworn never to return to 
their countries before they shall have destroyed England and brought 
back the king of France to Paris. They have an armament at sea, 
with upward of one hundred thousand men: and the Eilglish are so 
much alanned and frightened, that they know not which way to turil 
themselves to defend their coasts ; for it was a very old saying with 
them that they were to be destroyed by the Danes." The governor 
inquired from whom he had learnt this news. Sir William said, that 
a knight in Flanders had written it to him as a fact, and added, 
"He has sent me the handsomest set of chess men I ever saw." He 
had invented this tale, because he iiad learnt the governor was very 
fond of playing at chess. The governor said, he should be very 
glad to see them. " Well," replied sir William, " I will send for 
them, but on condition you play with me for some wine;" and, turn- 
ing to his servant, said, " Go, look for the chess-board and men, and 
bring them to us at the gate." 

The servant set. off, and the governor and sir William entered the 
first gate of the castle. The governor fastened the wicket on the 
inside with abolt, but did not lock it. Sir William said, '•' Governor, 
open this second gate ; yoti may do it without any risk." The 
governor opened the wicket only, and let sir William pass through 
to see the inside of the castle, while he himself followed. The 
servant, in the mean time, went to those citizens who had the armed 
men in their houses, led them up to the castle, and then blew his 
horn, as had been agreed on between him and his master. When 
sir William heard the horn, he said to the governor, " Let us go out, 
and pass this second gate, for my servant will soon return." Sir 
William repassed this wicket, and stood close by it on the other 
side. When the governor had put one foot through, and had lowered 
his head, sir William drew out the axe he had under his cloak, and 
struck him such a blow that he split his head asunder, and felled 
him dead on the sill of the door. He then went to the first gate, 
which he opened. 

The watch of the castle had heard with astonishment the servant's 
horn, for it had been proclaimed in the city, that no one should dare 
to sound a horn, under pain of losing his hand. He perceived also 
armed men running toward the castle ; upon which he sounded his 
horn, and cried out, " Treason I treason!" Those that were in the 
castle hastened to the gate, which, to their surprise, they found open, 
the governor lying dead across it, and sir William, his axe in his 
hand, guarding the passage. The men-at-anns, who were to assist 
him, soon arrived, and having passed the first and second gates, 
fiercely drove back the garrison. Several were killed, and as many 
taken as they chose. They entered the castle : and in this manner 
was the strong castle of Evreux retaken. The citizens and inhabit, 
ants of the town immediately surrendered, when they drove out all 
the French. They sent to inform lord Philip de Navaire of this 
event, who was but lately returned from England. He came imme. 
diately to Evreux, and made it his principal garrison to carry the war 
into the rich country of Normandy. There were with him sir Robert 
Knolles, sir James Pipe, the lord Fricquet de Fricquant, le Bascle de 
Marneil, sir John Jewel, who afterward, as you will hear in this 
history, did much mischief to France. 



CHAPTER CLXXVI. 

THE ARCnPRIEST ASSEMBLES A COMPANY OF MEN-AT-ARMS HE IS MUCH 

HONORED AT AVIGNON. 

About this period, a knight, named sir Arnold de Cei-vole, but 
more commonly called the archpriest, collected a large body of men. 
at-arms, who came from all parts, seeing that their pay would not be 
continued in France, and that, since the capture of the king, there 
was not any probability of their gaining more in that country. They 
marched first into Provence, where they took many strong towns and 
castles, and ruined the country by their robberies as far as Avignon. 
Pope Innocent VI., who resided in Avignon, was much alarmed, as 
not knowing what might be the intentions of the archpriest, the leader 
of these forces ; and, for fear of personal insult, he and the cardinals 
kept their household armed day and night. When the archpriest 
and his troops had pillaged all the country, the pope and clergy entered 

* Ireland, according to De Sftuvage and Lord Beraers.— Ed. 



112 



CHRON-CLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE. SPAIN, &c. 



into treaty with liini. Having received proper security, he and the 
greaterpartof his people entered Avignon, where he was received with 
as much respect as if lie had been son to the king of France. He dined 
many times witli the pope and cardinals, who gave him absolution 
from all his sins ; and, at his departure, they presented him with forty 
thousand crowns, to distribute among his companions. These men, 
therefore, marched away to different places, following, however, the 
directions of the archpriest.* 



CHAPTER CLXXVII. 

A WELSHMAN, OF THE NAME OF KUFFIN,t COMMANDS A TKOOF OF THE 
FREE COMPANIES. 

At this time, also, there was anotlier company of rnen.at-arms, or 
robbers, collected from all parts, who stationed themselves between 
the rivers Loire and Seme, so that no one dared to travel between 
Paris and Orleans, nor between Paris and Montargis, or even to re. 
main in the country : the inhabitants on the plains liad all fled to 
Paris and Orleans. This company had chosen for their leader a 
Welshman named Ruffin, whom they had knighted, and who ac. 
quired such immense riches as could not be counted. These com- 
panies advanced one day near to Paris, another day toward Orleans, 
another time to Chartres ; and tliere was no town nor fortress but 
what was taken and pillaged, excepting such as were strongly gar- 
risoned. St. Arnout,i Galardon,§ Broumaulx, Aloes, Estampe9,|l 
Chartrcs,ir Montlehcry,** Plouviers in the Gatinois, Mil'y.tt Lar- 
chant,{t ChatiUon,§5 Montargis,|||| Yssieres, were plundered, and so 
many other towns that it would be difficult to recount them all. 

They rode over the country in parties of twenty, thirty, or forty, 
meeting with none to check their pillage ; while, on the sea-coast of 
Normandy, there were still i greater number of English and Navar- 
rois, plunderers, and robbers. Sir Robert Knollcs was their leader, 
who conquered every town and castle he came to, as there was no 
one to oppose him. Sir Robert had followed this trade for some 
time, and by it gained upward of 100,000 crowns. He kept a great 
many soldiers in his pay ; and, being very liberal, he was cheerfully 
followed and obeyed. 



CHAPTER CLX XVIII. 

THE FROVOST OF THE MERCHANTS OF PARIS KILLS THREE KNISHTS IN 
THE APARTMENT OF THE PRINCE. 

During the time that the three estates governed the kingdom, all 
sorts of people united themselves together, under the name of Free 
Companies ; they made war upon every man that was worth robbing. 
I must here inform you that the nobles and prelates of the realm 
and church began to be weary of the government and regulations 
of the three estates : they therefore permitted the provost of the 
mercliants to Paris to summon some of the citizens, because they 
were going greater lengths than they approved of. 

It happened one day, when tlie regent of France was in his palace 
at Paris, with many knights, nobles, and prelates, that the provosl 
of the merchants collected also a great number of the common 
people of Paris who were devoted to him, all wearing capsITT similar 
to his own, that they might know each other ; and attended by this 
crowd, the provost came to the palace. He entered the apartment 
of the duke, and demanded of him, in an insolent manner, to take 
the management of the kingdom of France, and to govern it wisely 
(since it would become his by inheritance,) that all those free compa- 
nies, who at present were overrunning the country, might be prevented 
from doing further mischief. The duke replied that he would very 
willingly comply with his request, if he had the means to carry it 
into execution, but that it more properly belonged to those who had 
raised and received the imposts due to the realm, to perform i:. 
I cannot pretend to say how it happened, but words increased so 
much and with such warmth, that at last three of the principal coun- 
sellors of the duke were slain, and so near to him that their blood 
flew over his robe : he himself wx-i in very great danger, but they 
had put one of their caps on his head, and he consented to pardon 
the death of his three knights. Two cf them were knights of arms, 
and the other of laws. Their names were, the lord Roberl do Cler- 
mont, a gallant and magnificent knight, and the lord de Conflans : 
the knight of laws was the lord Simon de Bjci.*** 



* '* So some of his company departed ; but styil the nrchpf iest kept his ccmpoiiy t>- 
ffether.— Lord Bernurs. 

Barnes calls him Grijfitk, hut mentions no authority, 
t A town in Beauce, election of Dourdon. 
5A town in Beauce. election of Chartres. 
II A city in Beauce. thirteen leagues from Paris. 
II A city of Orleanois. capital oi Beauce. twenty-two leagues from Pail*. 

* «A town in the isle of France, seven leagues from Parrs, 
tt A market-town in Gatinois. 

ijSt. Matliurin de Lnrchant. a town in Gatinois. 

a A town in Beanco. election of Chfiteaudun. 

nil Capital ofGatinois, twenty-seven leagues and a lialf trom Paris. 

HI? Mi part-ie bleu. 

■ *"*" E'ieune JIarcel was provost of ttw raerdiants. The president, Henauh. only men- 
tions Robert de Clermont, marcchal de Norraandie, and Jean de Connans. marechal de 
Champagne, as havrng been slain in the aparlment of the regent. Mezeray says the 
same, bimon de Bnci he states as premier president, and ennobled 1369. This inwilence 
rf Marcel ire puts under tire year 1368. ai,d the king of Navane's escape from prison 



CHAPTER CLXXIX. 

BY WHAT MEANS THE KING OF NAVARRE ESCAPES Ot!T OF PRISON. 

Shortly aflor this happened, the lord John de Piquigny and 
some other knights, through the advice of the provost of merchants 
and the principal persons of some of the other considerable towns, 
went to the strong castle of AUeres* in Pailleul, situated in Picardy, 
where the king of Navarre was imprisoned, under the guard of sir 
Tristan du Bois. These gentlemen brought such certain and assured 
tokens to the governor, that he allowed them to watch the opportu- 
nity when sir Tristan should be absent, so that by their means the 
king of Navarre was delivered out of his prison, and carried by 
them with great joy to Amiens, where he was gladly and honorably 
received. 

He dismounted at the house of a canon, who was much attached 
to him, whose name was the lord Guy Kjtcc. The king v.-as con- 
ducted thither by the lord John de Piquigny; and he remained 
with the canon fifteen days, until he had completed his equipage, 
and was assured of the duke of Normandy's dispositions ; for the 
provost of the merchants, who much loved him, obtained by entrea- 
ties his pardon from the duke, as well as from his fellow-citizens at 
Paris. Upon this, the king of Navarre was escorted to Paris by the 
lord John de Piquigny and others, citizens of Amiens, where he was 
gladly seen by all sorts of people : even the duke of Normandy en. 
tertained him ; for it was necessary he should do so, as the provost 
and his faction had exhorted him to it ; and the duke dissembled his 
own inclinations, to comply with those of the provost and the Pa- 
risians. 



CHAPTER CLXXX. 

THE KING OF NAVARRE MAKES A SOLEMN HAKANGFTE TO THE PARISIAN*. 

When the king of Navarre had been some time in Palis, he col- 
lected an assembly of all sorts of people ; prelates, knights, and the 
students at the university. He made to them a very long and studied 
harangue in Latin. The duke of Normandy was likewise present. 
He complained of the grievances and ills he had unjustly suffered, 
and said that no one could possibly entertain a doubt that his sole 
wish must be to live and die defending the realm and crown of 
France. It was his duty so to do ; for he was descended from it, in 
a direct line, both by father and mother ; and by his words he gave 
them to understand, that if he chose to challenge the realm and 
crown of France for himself, he could show that his right to them 
was incontcstablystronger than that of the king of England. 

It must be observed, that he was heard with great attention, and 
much commended. Thus, by little and little, he won the hearts of 
the Parisians, who loved and respected him more than they did the 
regent, duke of Normandy. Many other cities and towns in Franco 
followed this example : but, notwithstanding all tlie love and affec. 
tion which the provost of merchants and the Parisians showed to the 
king of Navarre, the lord Philip de Navarre would not be seduced 
by it, or consent to come to Paris, He said, that in connnonaltics 
there was neither dependence nor union, except in the destruction 
of everything good. 



CHAPTER CLXXXI. 

THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE INFAMOUS JAQUERIE OF EEAUl'OISIS. 

Soon after the deliverance of the king of Navarre out of prison, a 
marvellous and great tribulation befel the kingdom of France, in 
Beauvoisis, Brie, upon the river Marne, in the Laonnois, and in the 
neighborhood of Soissons. Some of the inhabitants of the country 
towns assembled together in Beauvoisis, without any leader : they 
were not at first more than one hundred men. They said that the 
nobles of the kingdom of France, knights and squires, were a die- 
grace to it, and that it would be a very meritorious act to destroy 
them all: to which proposition every one assented, and added, shame 
befal him that should be the means of preventing the gentlemen 
from being wholly destroyed. They then, without further counsel, 
collected themselves in a body, and with no other arms than the 
stSves shod with iron, which some had, and others with knives, 
marched to the house of a knight who lived near, and breaking it 
open, murdered the knight, his lady, and all the children, both great 
and small ; they then burnt the house. 

After this, their second expedition was to the strong castle of 
another knight, which they look, and, having tied him to a stake, 
many of them violated his wife and daughter before his eyes : they 
then murdered the lady, her daughter, and the other children, and 
last of all the knight himself, with much cruelty. They destroyed 
and burnt his castle. They did the like to many castles and hand- 
some houses ; and their numbers increased so much that they were 
in a short time upward of six thousand : wherever they went, they 
received additions, for all of their rank in life followed them, while 
every one else fled, carrying ofi" with them their ladies, damsels, and 
children, ten or twenty leagues distant, where they thought they 



* Q. if not Allcry. which is n town in Picardy, near to Amiens. It was said before, 
tJiat the castle of Crevacojur was bis prison. Barnes says It was ArleuT, a town in 
the diocese of CTainbray and Douay. 



CHRONICLES OFENGL AND. FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



«ould place them in security, lea-ving their houses, with all their 
riches in thorn. 

Tliese wiclccd people, wit'ioiit leader and without arms, plundered 
■«nd burnt all the houses they came to, murdered every gentleman, 
tnd violated every lady and damsel they could find. He who com- 
mitted the' most atrociou.s actions, and such as no human creature 




Battle of Mkaux, in Brie, wliere the Jacquerie were defeated by the count de Foix and the captal de Buch From a MS. Froissart of the 

Fifteenth C^nturj-. 



■would have imagined, was the most applauded, and con.^idered as 
the greatest man among them. I dare not write the horrible and 
inconceivable atrocities they committed on the persons of the ladies. 
Among other infamous acts, they murdered a knight; and having 
fastened him to a spit, roasted him before the eyes of his wife and 
his children, and, after ten or twelve had violated her, they forced 
Tier to eat some of her husband's flesh, and then knocked her brains 
out. They had chosen a king among them, "who came from Cler- 
mont in Beauvoisis : he was elected as the worst of the bad, and 
they denominated him .Tames Goodman.* These wretches burnt 
and destroyed in the county of Beauvoisis, and at Corbie, Amiens, 
and Montdidier, upward of sixty good houses and strong castles. 
By the acts of such traitors in the country of Brie and thereabout, it 
behoved every lady, knight, and squire, having the means of escape, 
to fly to Meaux, if they wished to preserve themselves from being 
insulted and afterwards murdered. The duchess of Normandy, the 
duchess of Orleans, and many other ladies, had adopted this course 
lo save themselves from violation. These cursed people thus sup- 
ported themselves in the countries between Paris, Noyon, and Sois- 
sons, and in nil the territory of Coney, in the county of Valois. In 
the bishoprics of Noyon, Laon, and Soissons, there were upward 
of one hundred castles and good houses of knights and squires de- 
stroyed. 



113 

have amounted to more than one hundred thousand. ^VIlcn they 
were asked for what reason they acted so wickedly ; they replied, 
they knew not, but they did so because they saw others do it ; and 
tLcy thought that by this means they should destroy all the nobles 
and gentlemen in the world. 

At this period, the duke of Normandy, suspecting the king of 

Navarre, the provost of 
merchants and those 
of his faction, for they 
were always unani. 
mous in their senti. 
ments, set out from 
Paris, and went to the 
bridge at Charenton. 
upon. Marnc, where he 
issued a special sum- 
mons for the attend, 
ance of the crown 
vassals, and sent a de- 
fiance to the provost 
of merchants, and to 
all those who should 
supporthim. The pro- 
vost, being fearful he 
would return in the 
night-time to Paris, 
(which was then un- 
inclosed,) collected as 
many workmen as pos. 
sible from all parts, 
and employed them to 
make ditches quite 
round Paris. He also 
suiTounded it by a 
wall with strong gates. 
For the space of one 
year, there were three 
hundred workmen 
daily employed ; the 
e.\pense of which was 
equal to maintaining 
an army. I must say, 
that to surround, with 
a suflicient defence, 
such a city as Paris, 
was an act of greateu 
utility than any pro. 
vest of merchants had 
ever done before ; for 
otherwise it would 
have been plundered and destroyed several times by the different 
factions. 



the 



CHAPTER CLXXXIII. 

THZ KtNG OF .VAVAKRE DEFEAT.? MANY OF THF-SE VILLAINS IN BEAU. 
VOISIS. THE PROVOST OF MERCHANTS BUILDS A WALL ROUND PARIS. 

When the gentlemen of Beauvoisis, Corbie, Vermandois, and of 
lands where these wretches were associated, saw to what lengths 
their madness had extended, they sent for succor to their friends in 
Flanders, Hainault, and Bohemia : from which pkces numbers soon 
came, and united themselves with the gentlemen of the co'-'ntry. They 
began therefore to kill and destroy these wretches wherever they 
met them, and hung them up by troops on the nearest trees. *!'..-.; 
king of Navarre even destroyed in one day, near Clermont in Beau- 
voisis, upward of three thousand : but they were by this tiine so 
much increased in number, th at had they been altjgether, they would 
* Jacquea Bod Homme. 



CHAPTER CL XXXIV. 

THE BATTLE OF MEAUX IN BKIE, WHERE THE VILLAINS ARE DISCOMFITED 
BY THE EARL OF FOIX A.VD THE CAPTAL OF BUCH. 

At the time these wicked men were overrunning the country, the 
earl of Foix, and his cousin the captal of Buch were returning from a 
croisade in Prussia.* They were informed, on their entering France, 
of the distress the nobles were in ; and they learnt, at the city of 
Chalons, that the duchess of Orleans, and three hundred other ladies, 
under the protection of the duke of Orleans, were fled to Meaux on 
account of these disturbances. The two knights resolved to go to 
the assistance of these ladies, and to reinforce them with all their 
might, notwithstanding the captal was attached to the English ; but 
at that time there was a truce between the two kings. They might 
have in their company about eixtv lances. They were most cheer, 
fully received, on their arrival at Meaux, by the ladies and damsels ; 
for these Jacks and peasants of Brie had heard what number of ladies, 
married and unmarried, and young children of quality, were in 
Meaux ; they had united themselves with those of Valois, and were 
on their road thither. On the other hand, those of Paris had also been 
informed of the treasures Meaux contained, and had set out from 
that place in crowds: having met the others, they amounted together to 
nine thousand men : their forces were augmenting every step they 
advanced. 

They came to the gates of the town, which the inhabitants opened 
to them, and allowed them to enter ; they did so in such numbers 
that all the iitreets were quite filled, as far as the maiket-place, which 
is tolerably strong, but it required to be guarded, though the river 
Marne nearly suiTounds it. The noble dames who were lodged there, 
seeing such multitudes rushing toward them, were exceedingly 
frip-htened. On thi?, the two lords and their company advanced to 
the gate of the market-place, which they had opened, and marching 
ui>J .r the banners of the earl of Foix and duke of Orleans, and the 



* Barnes .nys that the lord Fauconbridga was with them, and quotes Dugdale. vol. li 
P 4 ; but I do ^ot see that he mentions anrthing ralative to tbi> matter, except that it 
viade a vpytLgt to the Holn Land. 



114 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



pennon of the captal of Buch, posted themselves in front of this peas- 
antiy, wlio were badly armed. When these banditti perceived such 
a troop of gentlemen, so well equipped, sally forth to guard the mar- 
ket place, the foremost of them began to fall back. The gentlemen 
then followed them, using their lances and swords. When they felt 
the weight of their blows, ihey, through fear, turned about so fast, 
they fell one over the other. All manner of armed persons then 
rushed out of the barriers, drove them before them, striking them 
down like beasts, and clearing the town of them ; for they kept 
neither regularity nor order, slaying so many that they wore tired. 
They flung them in great heaps into the river. In short, they killed 
upward of seven thousand. Not one would have escaped, if they 
had chosen to pursue them further. 

On the return of the men-at-arms, they set fire to the town of 
Meau.x, burnt it ; and all the peasants they could find were shut up 
in it, because they had been of the party of the Jacks. Since this 
discomfiture which happened to them at Meaux, they never collected 
again in any great bodies ; for the young Enguerrand de Coucy* had 
plenty of gentlemen under his orders, who destroyed them, wlierever 
ihey could be met with, without mercy.t 



CHAPTER CLXXXV. 

PARIS BESIESED BY THE DUKE OF NORMANDY, KEGENT OF FRANCE. 

Not long al'ter this event, the duke of Normandy assembled many 
noblemen and gentlemen, as well those of his own kingdom as from 
the empire, by means of subsidies. They might amount, in the 
whole, to more than three thousand lanees. With this force he 
marched to lay siege to Paris, toward the suburbs of St. Antoine, 
along the river Seine. He took up his quarters at St. lVIaur,t and 
encamped his army in that neighborhood ; whence he made excur- 
sions with it every day toward Paris. Sometimes the duke resided 
at Charenton, at others at St. Maur. 

Nothing cotdd enter Paris, by land or water, on that side ; for the 
duke had "possession of the two rivers, Marne and Seine : his people 
had burnt all the villages around Paris, which were not inclosed, in 
order to chastise more severely the Parisians. Paris itself would 
have been destroyed if it had not been fortified, as before related ; 
and no one dared to enter or go out of it, for fear of the duke's army, 
who scoured both sides of the Seine as they pleased, for none ven- 
tured to oppose them. The provost of merchants still continued his 
attachment to the king of Navarre as strong as ever ; as did the 
council and commonalty of Paris ; and, as before said, he employed 
people night and day the more strongly to fortify the city. He had 
also a large body of men-at-arms, Navarre soldiers and English arch- 
ers, and other companions with him. There were among the inhab- 
itants some very determined and able men, such as .Tohn Maillart, 
Ws brother Symon, and many of their relations, by whom he was 
very much disliked on account of his hatred to the duke of Normandy; 
but the provost had attached to himself such a strong party, that no 
one dared to contradict him, unless he wished to be murdered with, 
out mercy. 

The king of Navarre, who was acquainted with all this variance 
between the duke of Normandy and the Parisians, justly imagined, 
that things could not long continue in their present state ; nor had he 
•any very great confidence in the commonalty of Paris : he therefore 
quitted Paris as handsomely as he could, and went to St. Denis, 
where there w»s a large body of men-at-arms in the pay of the Pari- 
sians. In this position, the king remained for six weeks, and the 
duke at Charenton. The two armies pillaged and ruined the country 
on all sides. The archbishop of Sens, the bishop of Anxerre, the 
bishop of Beauvais, the lord of Montmorency, the lord of Fiennes and 
the lord de St. Venant, undertook to mediate between them. They 
managed so wisely with both parties, that the king of Navarre, of his 
own free will and accord, went to the duke, his brother-in-law, at 
Charenton, and made excuses for having given him cause of suspi- 
cion. First, for the death of the two marshals and master Simon de 
Buci ; also for the insult which the provost of the merchants had 
offered to him in his own palace at Paris, which he swore had been 
done without his knowledge. He promised the duke to remain with 
him at all events, during this expedition. Upon this peace was made 
between them. The king of Navarre added, that he would have the 
Parisians corrected for the evil deeds they had committed. The com- 
monalty were to be included in this peace ; but the duke was to have 
the provost of the merchants delivered up to liim, and twelve of the 
citizens, according to his choice, to punish in what manner he should 
think best. 



These things being settled, the king of Navarre returned to St. 
Denis, and the duke went to Meaux in Brie, where he dismissed hie 
army. Some of the citizens of Paris, to whom the treaty had given 
more freedom to speak their minds, entreated the duke to return to 
Paris, in all security, and that they would pay him every honor in 
their power. The duke answered, •' that he should consider the peace 
as good, having sworn to if, that it should never, with God's per- 
mission, be infringed by him ; but that he would never again enter 
Paris, unless he had satisfaction from those who had insulted him." 
The provost of the merchants, and those of his faction, frequently 
vifitod the king of Navarre at St. Denis : they remonstrated with him 
on the indignation of the duke, which they had incurred on his ac- 
count (for they had delivered him out of prison and brought him to 
Paris,)and that in the name of God, they would not place any confi- 
dence in the duke, nor in his council. 

The king replied : " Be assured, gentlemen and friends, that you 
shall not sufier any ills without my partaking of them ; and, as you 
have at present the government of Paris, I would advise you to pro- 
vide yourselves with gold and silver, so that, if there shoidd be any 
necessity, you may know where to find it, and send it confidentially 
here to me at St. Denis, trusting to my faith : I will take good care 
of it, and will keep seciedy a body of men-at-arms, and other com- 
panions, with whom, in case of need, you may make war upon your 
enemies." The provost of the merchants followed this advice ; and 
thrice* every week afterwards, he conducted two horses laden with 
florins to the king of Navarre, at St. Denis, who most cheerfully 
received them. 



SOME FAKISIANS 



* Erieucrrand de Coucy was one of the hostages given by France to England, at 
the treaty Ibrtlie liberty of king John. 

Bdward, to attach him to Iiis interest, niorried him to Isabella his second daughter, and 
gave him very large possessions in England. He erecicd llie bnrony of Bcdtord into 
an earldom in his favor. 

For further particulars relutiiif* to Enguerrand de Coucy, see M. de Zurlauben's r^^ 
moir, in th(? xxvth vol. of the Mernoires de I'Acaddmie des Inscriptions, p. 168. 

t Barnes says, ihat "tlieir captain, James the Goodman, heing here taken "'^e, was 
fcent to tlie daupliin, wlio, understanding that he had assumed the name of a king, 
caused him to lie crowned with a trivet, or tlie tiiree-legged frameof an irc'l shellet, red 
liot, and so to he hanged, in requital for all his harbarous cruelties. 

t Probably St. Maur des-Fossez, in tbe Isle of France. 



CHAPTER CLXXXVI. 

ABE SLAIN AT ST. CLOUD, BY THE ENGLISH WHO HAD 
BEEN SOLDIERS IN FAKIS. 

TuERE had remained in Paris a great number of the English and 
Navarre soldiers, whom the provost and commonalty of Paris had 
in their pay, to assist them against the duke of Normandy, and very 
loyally and well had they served them during the time the war lasted. 
When the treaty was concluded, between the duke and the Parisians, 
some of these soldiers left Paris, others remained. Those that quitted 
it went to the king of Navarre, who retained them all, but there were 
left behind in Paris about three hundred, who enjoyed themselves, 
and spent their money cheerfully. There happened, however, a quar- 
rel between them and the inhabitants, when upward of sixty English 
were slain. The provost was exceedingly angry at this, and blamed 
die Parisians highly ; but to appease the commonalty, he seized one 
hundred and fifty of the English, whom he confined over three gates, 
and told the Parisians, who were so much incensed that they ^yanted 
to murder them, that he would have them punished, according to 
their deserts, which satisfied them. When night came, the provost 
set them at liberty to go where they pleased ; they went to St. Dems 
to the king of Navarre, who accepted their services. 

In the morning, when the Parisians found that the English were 
let out of prison, they were much enraged against the provost ; but 
he, who was a prudent and wise man, knew well how to dissemble 
what part he had in it, and to turn it otV, so that it was soon forgotten. 
When these soldiers, English and Navarrois, were all collected to- 
n-ether at St. Denis, they were upward of three hundred. They re- 
solved to be revenged for the murder of their companions and the 
insults they themselves had sustained. They first sent a challenge 
to the Parisians, and then made war upon them, cutting oil and slay- 
in" all those who issued out of the town, so that no one dared to 
venture beyond the gates. The provost of the merchants was, upon 
this, required to arm a part of the commonalty, and take the held, 
for they were desirous of fighting these English. He complied with 
their request, and said he would accompany them. He armed, there- 
fore, a body of the Parisians, and marched out, to the number ot 
twelve hundred, who, when they were in the plains, were informed 
that the English they were in search of were in the neighborhood of 
St Cloud. Upon this intelligence, they divided themselves in two 
bodies, and took separate roads. These two parties were on their 
march all that day round Montmartrc, but did not meet their enemies. 
It chanced that the provost had the smallest division, and, alter 
searching all about, entered Paris by St. Martin's gate, without 
having done anything. The other division, who were ignorant ot 
the return of tlie provost, kept the field until vespers, when they be. 
-ran their retreat, but without any regular order, like those who did 
not look for or expect any hindrance. They came back in crowds 
quite fatigued; some carried their helmets in their hands, others 
slung them round their necks ; some dragged their swords alter them 
on the ground, while others hung theirs on their shoulders. They 
had taken their road so as to enter Paris by the gate of bt. Honor^.t 
when suddenly tiiey came upon the English, to the amount of four 
hundred in a hollow road, who, upon seeing them began to shout, 
"Here are the Frenchmen!" and fell upon them, which made them 
fly in every direction. At the first onset, there were upward of two 



» Lord Bereers and D. Sauvaee say tmcc.-ED. 

t At that period the gate of St. Honor* wet neat the Quinw-Vinsts.-,;tfemnrM H* 
I'AcQLiimie, torn. xvii. p. 696. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



115 



handred overthrown. The French, who had not kept any order in 
their march, were so mucli astonished that they never thought of 
rallying, hut made the best of their way to escape, and were killed 
in their flight like so many sheep. There were upward of six hun- 
dred slain in this pursuit ; they were followed even heyond the bar. 
riera of Paris. The connnonalty of Paris threw all the blame of 
this accident on the provost of the merchants, and said that lie had 
betrayed them. On the next morning, the near relations and friends 
of those that had been slain, issued out of Paris with cars and carts, 
to seek fur the bodies of the dead to bury them : but the English 
iiad placed an ambuscade near the field of battle, when they killed 
and wounded more tlian six score of them. 

The Parisians were tlirown into great trouble and dismay, for they 
did not know whom to trust. They were night and day under much 
alarm, for the king of Navarre was grown cold in his proffered as- 
sistance to support them, on account of the peace which he had 
fiworn to the duke of Normandy, and also for the outrage which the 
Parisians had committed on the English soldiers : he connived, 
therefore, at the chastisement they had received. On the other hand, 
the duke of Normandy was much enraged, that the provost of the 
merchants should still keep the government of Paris. The provost 
and his faction were not quite at their ease ; for the Parisians, as 
they were well informed, despised them exceedingly. 



CHAPTER CLXXXVri. 

THE DEATH OF THE PROVOST OF THE MERCHANTS OF PARIS. 

The provost and those of his party held many secret councils 
among themselves, to consider in what manner they could best keep 
their authority. They knew they should not find mercy from the 
duke of Normandy, whose general answer to the Parisians was, that 
he would never make peace with them, until twelve persons from Paris 
should be given up to him, according to liis choice, for him to deal 
with as he pleased. This declaration had very much alarmed the 
provost and his friends ; they thought it preferable to remain alive 
in good prosperity than to be destroyed, and that it was much better 
to slay than to be slain. They entered, therefore, into a secret treaty 
with the English, to continue on the war against Paris. It was 
agreed upon between them, that the provost and his friends should 
be posted over the gates of St. Honore and St. Anthony, so that the 
English and Navarrois might together enter Paris at midnight, pro- 
perly prepared to ruin and destroy the town, except such parts where 
signals should be placed at the doors or windows : wherever this 
signal M-as not found, they were to put men and women to the 
sword. 

The night on which this enterprise was to take place, God showed 
his mercy to some of the citizens who had always been attached to 
the duke, that is to say, John Maillart, his brother Symon, and many 
others, by divine inspiration (as one may well suppose it) gained in- 
formation that Paris was to be sacked and destroyed. They there- 
fore armed themselves secretly, made all their party do the same, 
and whispered their suspicions abroad, in order to acquire more help. 
They all came properly armed, a little before midnight, to the gate of 
St, Anthony, where they found tlie provost of the merchants witli the 
keys of the gate in his hand. Upon this, .Tohn Maillart said to him, cal- 
ling him by his name ; " Stephen, what do you here at this time of 
night?" The provost replied: "John, why do you ask it? I am here to 
take care of, and to guard the city, of which I have the government." 
*' By God," answered John, " things shall not go on so : you are not 
here at this hour for any good, wliich I will now show you," addres- 
sing himself to those near him ; " for see how he has got the keys 
of the gate in his hand, to betray the city." The provost said, 
"John, you lie." John replied, " It is you, Stephen, who lie ;" and 
rushing on him, cried to his people, " Kill them, kill them : now strike 
home, for they are all traitoi-s." There was a very great bustle ; and 
the provost would gladly have escaped, but John struck him such a 
blow with his axe on the head, that he felled him to the ground, 
although he was his comrade, and never left him until he had killed 
him. Six others, who were present, were also killed : the remainder 
were carried to prison. They then put themselves in motion, and 
awakened every one in the different streets of Paris. 

John Maillart and his party went to the gate of St. Honor^, where 
they found those of the provost's faction, whom they accused of 
treason, and whose excuses were of no avail. Many of them were 
taken, and sent to different prisons : those who would not suffer 
themselves to be made prisoners, were slain without mercy. Tiiis 
same night, all those who were inculpated in the treason, for which 
the provost was slain, were taken in their beds ; for those who had 
been sent to prison had confessed the fact. On the morrow morning, 
John Maillart assembled the greater part of the commonalty of Paris 
in the market-place ; where, having mounted a scaffold, he explained, 
in general terms, his reasons for having killed the provost of the 
merchants. All those w^ho had been of the faction of the provost 
were then condemned to die by the elders of the commonalty, and 
were accordingly executed with various tortures. 
_ These things done, John Maillart, who was so much in the Pari- 
sians'' favor, and some of the elders attached to him, sent Symon 



Maillart and two masters in Pariiamcnt, sir John Alphonso, and 
master John Pastorel, to the duke of Normandy, who resided at 
Charenton. They related to the duke the event that liad happened in 
Paris, and besought him to return thither to direct and counsel the 
city henceforward, as all his adversaries were slain. The duke 
replied, that he would willingly comply with their request. He ac- 
cordingly came to Paris, attended by sir Arnold d'Andreghen, the 
lord of Roye, with many other knights, and took up his lodgings ia 
the Louvre.* 



* All this chtipter I have translated from my coiiy printed on vellum, which is con- 
formable to Denys Sauvuge's edition, and to lord Bernere'a translation : but, on compar- 
ing it with two of my manusciipts, there is a very great difference; they are perfectly- 
similar in the text to the three manuscripts mentioned by M. Dacier in his memoir, "To 
whom ought to be attributed the glory of the revoUition which saved Pans during the 
captivity of king JohnV'—Memaires de VJicademic dca Inscriptions, fitc, vol. xliii. 
p. 5G3. 

M. Dacier provc-s \eiy clenrly, tliat ,lohn Maillart, so far from being tlie liero who 
saved his country, was a rebel, and connected wi'h the provost : that the regent, on that, 
account, confiscated the properly \\ liich John Maillart had in the county of Danipmar- 
tin, and gave to John de Clmitilson, earl of Porcien, and his heirs for ever, on account 
of the servicer he had rendered, and was still rendering to the king, a rent charge of five 
hundred livres of tliii confiscated property in 0ampmartin and elsewhere. Extracted 
from the Tr6sor des Chartres— Regi&tro 86, piece 142. , 

M. Ducier continues: "If this piece phould leave any doubts upon the want of exact- 
ness in the narration of Froissart, I hope to be able to show, that the commonly-received 
narration is not the true text. I believe I have found this text in three manuscripts in the 
king's library, two of which nre perhaps the most ancient and authentic that exist in 
any library. One, numbered 8318, has a date, which marks its age ; upon one of the 
leaves of tlie vellum, at tlie beginning, is written : 

" ' This is a part of tlie chronicles done by master John Froissart, a Hainnulter, from 
the lime of king Charles IV., of the wars between France and England ; which chron- 
icles master Willian^ Boisnitier, master of requests of the kitig's palace, one of his coun- 
selloi-s, and coimsellor also to the duke of Berry his lord, gave to the oforcsaid duke his 
hird, in his hotel de Neelle, the 8th day of November in the year 1407.*— Signed 
Fl\mel. 

"The manuscript cannot be later than this date ; and one may see by the signature of 
VV. Bi>isriitier, whicli is on a leaf of parchment pasted on the inside of tiie cover, that 
he had been owner of it some time before he presented it to the duke of Beiry ; so thjit 
it may, without difficulty, be estimated as having been written the latter end of Uie 14th 
century. The second manuscript is so perfectly conformable to the tirst in the quality ot 
the velluni, the color of the ink, ajid the form of the letters, that it cleariy belongs to the . 
same period." 

M. Dacier does not believe these manuscripts copied from the same original, nor from 
each other. He then goes on to the 

"Third manuscript, numbered 6760, which is less ancient. It appears to have been 
written toward tlie middle of the loth century. In comparing it with the two precedmg, 
I have found some ditierences that prove it is not a copy from them. This (brms a third 
testimony in favor of tlie text of Froissait. As this text has never been publifihed, I 
shall transcribe the whole chapter, except the first twenty Hnes. in which the historiaa 
lays down the plan of the conspiracy of Marcel similar to what is in the printed editions. 
" That very night which was to disclose all this mischief, (that is to say. the destruc- 
tion of Paris,) God inspired and alarmed some of the citizens of Paris, who were and 
ever had been attached to the duke of Normandy, of whom sir Pepin des Essarls and 
sir John de Chamy were the leaders ; and these were, as we may suppose, intiirmed by 
divine inspiration that Pari^ was to be overrun and destroyed. They soon armed them- 
selves, made all those of their party do the same, and secretly spread abroad their intel 
ligence in different quarters, that they might have more asiistance. This sir Pepin Ihea 
set out, with many other determined companions, well armed. Sir Pepin displayed the 
banner of France, crying out .^ii Rot, and j^u Due, followed by crowds of people, 
until they came to the gate of St. Anthony, where they found tlie provost of tl»e mcr 
chants, holding the keys in his hands. 

"John Maillart was likewise there, who, having had that day a dispute with the pro- 
vost and with Josseran de Mascon. had joined the party of the duke of Normandy. 
The provcst was severely taunted by words and arguments; and there was such a noise 
made by the crowd, that scarcely anything could be heard: they kept crying out, 'Kill 
them, kdl them ! kdi the provost of the merchants and his allies, for they are all traitors.* 
There was a great tumult ; and the provost, who was standing on the steps of the fort 
of St. Anthony, would willingly have escaped, but he was so beset that he could not. 
Sir John de Cliorny struck him to the ground by n blow of his battle-axe on the head. 
He was then attacJied by master Peter Foviace and others, who never quitted him until 
he was dead, as well as six of his paily : among whom were Philip Guifl'art, John de 
Lille, John Poiret, Simon le Paoniiier, and Giles Marcel. Many more were taken and 
sent to prison. Tliey then made search in all the streets of Paris, put the town in a state 
of security, and kept a strong guard nil that night. 

" You must know, that ns soon as the provost of the merchants and the others, had 
been slain and made prisoners, which liappened on Tuesday, tlie last day of July, 1368, 
in the afternoon, messengers were sent in hoste to carry this news to tlie duke of Nor- 
mandy, at that time at Meaux, which gave him, and not without reason, greot pleasure. 
He made preparations for his journey to Paris ; but, before hi> arrival. J<.^'^el■an de Mas- 
con who was the treasurer to the king of Navarre, and Charles Toussac. sheriff' of 
Paris, who had been made prisoners, were executed in the square of the Grtive, by hav- 
ing their heads cut off", because they had been traitors, and were of the provost's party. 
The body of this provost and of those that iud been slain witii him, were dragged intu 
the court of the church of St. Catherine du Val des EcoHei^, and, naked as they were, 
extended before the cross in that court, and left there a considerable time for the view 
of all those that chose it : they were afterwards thrown into the river Seine. 

"The duke of Normandy, who had sent a sufficiency of men-at-arms to Paris, to de- 
fend and reinforce it against the English ond Navarrois, who were in the neighboriiood 
continually harassing it, set out from Meaux, where he then resided, and came with, 
speed to Paris, attended by a noble and numerous escort of men-at-arms. He was re- 
ceived by the good town of Paris, and by all persons with great joy, when he dismounted 
at the Louvre. John Maillart was at that time near his person, and mucli in his grace 
and favor ; and, to say the truth, he wab then ver>- deserving of it, ns you have heard 
related above, notwithstanding he had been fonneriy, as it was said, one of the allies of 
the provost of the merchants. Shortly afterwards, the duke sent for tlie duchess of Nor- 
mandy his wife, and all the ladies who had for some time taken refuge nt Meaux in Brie. 
When they came to Paris, the duchess alighted at the hotel of the duke, which had 
been the hotel de St. Pol, whither he had retired, and where he had remained for a con- 
siderable time." ■' 
M. Dacier then adds: ^ ,, ,^ 
"This is the new reading I announced, and which appears to me far preferable to the 
common one, because it unites the double advantage of coming from the most authentic 
manuscripts we know, and of agreeing much better than the printed copies, as well 
Willi the contemporary historians, as with the other monuments of the times, to which 
it may serve both as a commentary and supple iTtent." I shall refer the reader, for further 
proofs that John Maillart was not the hero who saved Paris, to the memoirof M. Dacier* 
in the xliiid. vol. of tlic Memoirs of the Academy of Inscriptions, &c. 



116 



CHRONICLKS OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



CHAPTER CLXXXVIII. 

IBZ KING OF NAVARRE DECLARES WAR AGAINST FRANCE, THE FRENCH 
KING BEING AT THE TIME A PRISONER IN ENGLAND. 

"When the king of Navarre was informed of the death of his great 
" friend the provost of the merchants, and of those who were attached 
to him, he was sorely vexed ; for tlie provost had always been very 
favorable to liis designs. And because he had tlie reputation of being 
the chief cause of the provost's treasons, the lord Philip Uc Navarre, 
who at that time was at St. Denis with him, advised him, as he could 
not see any means of getting clear of this suspicion, to declare war 
against the kingdom of France. He sent liis challenge to the duke 
of Normandy, to the Parisians, and to the whole realm of France. 
He quittpd St. Denis, and his people overran the whole country, 
plundering it as far as Mclun-sur-Seine,* where the queen Blanche 
his sister, the widow of king Philip, resided. That lady received 
him cheerfully, and gave up to him everything she possessed. 

The king of Navarre made this town and castle his principal gar- 
rison. He collected men-at-arms from all parts, and soldiers from 
Brabant, Germany, Hainault, and Bohemia. People everywhere 
came willingly to serve under him ; for he paid them largely out of 
the treasures he had amassed, through the means of the provost of 
merchants, from the city of Paris, as well as from the neighboring 
towns. The lord Philip de Navarre withdrew his forces to Mantes, t 
and Meulan,t upon the river Seine, where he posted garrisons. Every 
day their forces were increased by those who were desirous of geting 
money. In this manner did the king of Navarre begin his war upon 
the kingdom of France, which was especially directed against the 
city of Palis, for he was master of the three rivers, the Seine, Marne, 
and Oise. 

The Navarrois multiplied so fast, that they took the strong town 
of Creil ;§ they were besides the masters of the river Oise, and the 
strong castle of Heriellell three leagues distant from Amiens, and 
afterwards of Mauconseil.1? The capture of these three fortresses 
was the cause of innumetable ills to the realm of Franco. There 
were at least fifteen hundred combatants who were overrunning the 
country, witliout any attempt made to oppose them. They soon 
spread further, and took, shortly afterwards, the castle of St. Valery,** 
of which they made a very strong garrison. Sir William de Bonne- 
jnare and .John de Segares+t were governors of it. They had under 
them full five hundred fighting men, with whom they scoured the 
country as far as Dieppe and Abbeville, along the sea-coast, to the 
gates of Crotoy, Roye, and Montreuil.sur.mer. These Navarrois, 
whenever they had determined to take a castle, whatever its strength 
might be, never failed of succeeding. They frequently made e.KCur- 
sions of thirty leagues in a night, and fell upon a country that never 
suspected they could come to them. Thus did they ruin and destroy 
the fortresses and castles in the kingdom of France. They took 
pleasure to summon knights, ladies, and damsels, before they were 
out of bed. for their ransoms. Sometimes they seized all they had, 
and then turned them out of doors. 

The lord Fondrigais of Navarre was chief governor of Creil-upon- 
Oise. He gave passports to those who wished to go from Paris to 
Noyon, or from Noyon to Compiegne, or from Compeigne to Sois- 
sons, or Laon, as well as to odier parts in the neighborhood. These 
passports were worth to him, while he remained at Creil, one hundred 
thousand livi-es. Sir John de Piquigny, who, though of Picardy, 
was strongly attached to the cause of Navarre, resided in the castle 
of Herielle. His troops grievously oppressed the inhalntants of 
Montdidier, Arras, Peronne, Amiens, ami all that part of Picardy on 
the river Homme. In the castle of Mauconseil were three hundred 
men, under the command of Rabigeois de Dury,tt Charles Frang- 
nelin, and Hannequin Francois ; they plundered the country all 
round Noyon, and all the large towns and monasteries which were 
not fortified, if their inhabitants did not ransom themselves from 
these captains, by paying them a certain number of florins weekly. 
On any other conditions they would have been burnt and destroyed, 
for these ruflians were very cruel to their enemies. From such causes 
as these, the lands were uncultivated ; for no one dared to till them j 
so that very great scarcity soon added to the disasters under which 
the kingdom already labored. 



CHAPTER CLXXXIX. 

THE NAVARROIS ARE BESIEGED IN THE CASTLE OF MACCONSEIL, BY THE 
MEN OF PICARDY. 

When the duke of Normandy, who resided at Paris, heard that 
these mcn-nt-arms were destroying the country, under the name of 



* Metun— an iiiicient town in the Isle of France, ten leagues und u half from Paris. 

t Mantes— ill the Isle of France, capital of the Mantois, fourteen leasnes from Paris. 

t Meulan. or MeuUent— in tlie Isle of France, four leagues from Mantes, len from Paris. 

§ Creil— a town in tlio Isle of France, on tlie Oise, twenty leagues and a half from 
Ainiens, ten leagues and a half from Paris. 

II La Herielle— a village in Picardy, in the election of Montdidier, near Breteuil. 

IT (i. If not Maucourl, wliich is a village of Picardy near Noyon. 

** A town in Picardy, at the mouth of the Somme, four leagues and a half ftom 
Abheville. 

ft Sir .lolni Segar, an Englishman.— Barnks. 

XX Barnes snys, that "in Mauconseil were three hundred men-at-arms, under these 
Captains. Kalii^'oi^i of Derry, an Irishman, Franklin and Hawkins, two squires of Eng- 
lond, sir Robert KnoUes his companions." Page &M. 



the king of Navarre, and that their numbers were daily increasing, 
he sent to all the principal towns in Picardy and Vermandois, to 
require that each should, according to his proportion, send a certain 
number of men-at-arms, on foot and on horseback, to oppose the 
Navarrois, who were ruining ihc kingdom of which he had the gov. 
ernmont. The cities and chief towns willingly Cimplied with his 
request; they taxed themselves, according to their fortunes, with 
men-at-arms, both horse and foot, archers, and cross.bownien. These 
advanced first toward the good city of Noyon, making straight for 
the garrison of Mauconseil, because they thought this the weakest 
of the fortresses of the Navarrois, and that which had most harassed 
the inhabitants of Noyon and the country of Vermandois. 

The bishop of Noyon, the lord Raoul do Coucy, the lord de Ra- 
venal, the lord de Chauny, the lord de Roye, and sir Matthew de 
Roye, his brother, were the captains and leaders of these men-at- 
arms, and the other troops. These lords iiad with them many other 
knights and squires from Picardy and Vermandois, who, laying 
siege to Mauconseil, made many assaults on it, and hardly pressed 
the garrison ; who, when they could not hold out much longer, sent 
to inform sir John de Piquigiiy of their distressed situation. He 
then resided in the castle of la Herielle. All these garrisons and 
places were under his command. He made haste, therefore, to suc- 
cor his good friends in Mauconseil, and sent orders piivately to the 
garrison of Creil, to arm diemselves directly, and to march to a cer- 
tain spot which he pointed out to them ; for he meant to make an 
excursion through the country with all the men-at-arms under his 
command. When they were all assembled, they amounted to one 
thousand lances at least. They rode on, tinder the direction of 
guides, all that night, without halting, and came before the castle of 
Mauconseil at daybreak. There was so thick a fog that morning, 
that they could not see the length of an acre of ground. Imme- 
diately on their arrival, they fell suddenly on the French army, who, 
not expecting them, nor having a sufficient guard, were sleeping as 
if in perfect safety. The Navarrois set up their cry, and began to 
kill and cut down both men, tents, and pavilions. The skirmish 
was very sharp, insomuch that the French had not time to arm them- 
selves or collect together, but ran off, as fast as they could, to No- 
yon, wliich was hard by, and the Navarrois after tliem. Many were 
slain and unhorsed between Noycn and Orcnmp,* and between 
Noyon and Pont TEvcque,! and in that neighborhood. The dead 
and wounded lay in heaps on the ground, on the highways, and be- 
tween the hedges. 

The pursuit lasted as far as the gates of Noyon, M'hich put that 
town in great danger of being ruined ; for some of both parties who 
were there, have declared, that if the Navarrois had chosen, they 
might for a certainty have entered the town, as those who belonged 
to it were so much frightened, when they returned, that they forgot, 
or had not time to shut the gate leading to Compiegne. The bishop 
of Noyon was taken prisoner, near the barriers, and gave his word 
to surrender himself, or he would have been killed. On the morrow 
the lord Raoul de Coucy was taken, as were the lord Raoul de Ravenal, 
the lord de Chauny, and his two sons, le borgne J de Rouvi'oy, the 
lord de Turte, the lord de Vendueil, the lord Anthony de Coudun, and 
full one hundred knights and squires. 

There were upward of fifteen hundred m»n slain ; the greatest 
loss fell upon those who came from the city of Tournay ; they suf- 
fered much, as many had come from that part. Some said, that of 
the seven hundred which they at first were, scarcely any returned 
back, but all were either killed or taken prisoners. The garrison of 
Mauconseil made a sally, to complete this defeat, which happened 
in the year 1358, on the Tuesdsy following the feast of our Lady, 
the middle of August. The Navan-ois conducted the greater part 
of their prisoners to Creil, because it was a good and strong town. 
They acquired by this expedition much wealth, as well in jewels as- 
hy the ransoms of their prisoners. From this time they became rich, 
and ransomed the citizens of Tournay and those of the other towns 
whom they had captured cheerfully, for such sort of ware as swords, 
axes, spearheads, jackets, doublets, housings, and for all the differ- 
ent sorts of tools they were in want of. The knights and squires 
took their payments in ready money, in coursers or other horses ; 
and one poor gentleman that had not wherewithal to pay, they made 
serve for a quarter of a year : two or three were treated in this man- 
ner,§ With regard to wines and provision, they had plenty : for all 
the flat countries supplied them handsomely by way of ransom. The 
towns got nothing, but in an underhand manner, or by means of 
their passport", which they sold at a high price. By this method 
they could obtain all they wanted,except hats of beaver, ostrich fea- 
thers, and spearheads ; which things they never would insert in their 
passports. The garrison of Mauconseil destroyed the greater part of 
the fine abbey of Orchamps, at which the governor was much en- 
raged when informed of it. 

These Navarrois spread themselves over many places, along the 
banks of the Somme and the Oise ; and tv/o of their men-at-arms, 
called Rabigeois do Dury and Robin l'Escot|| took by escalade, the 



* t "Villages near Noyon. 

t a. Borgne— whether one-eyed ; or acme litle, as captal or souUlich 1 

§ Ai-.d ol°a poor gentylinan Uiat had nothing to pay, they took their seruyce for a 
duarter of a yereorahalle or line quafiers. as they could agree."- /.ord .BfrTier.s— ivho 
in this cgrees with D. Sauvage,- Ed. 

II Q. The first, see note }}, Ist col.; the second. Kobin Scott. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



117 



good town oi Berly,* in which they placed a garrieon, and strongly 
fortified it. These two companions had in pay, under their com- 
mand, about lour hundred men, to whom they gave fixed wages, and 
paid tliem every month. The garrisons of Beaulieu, Creil, Maucon- 
eeil, and la Herielle, scoured all parts of the country, as no one op- 
posed them ; the knights having sufficient employment in guarding 
their houses and castles. These English and Navarrois went armed 
or unarmed, and rode over the country at their pleasure, to amuse 
themselves, from one garrison to another, as if all had been at peace. 
The young lord de Coucy had his towns and castles extremely well 
guarded ; he was also lord paramount of that part of the country. 
The canon de Robesart watched the Navarrois better than any other, 
and harassed them much ; for frequently he had overthrown many 
of them. 



CHAPTER CXC. 

SEVERAL OF THE CITIZENS OF AJIIENS ATTEMPT TO GIVE UP THAT CITY 
TO THE NAVARROIS. A FAMINE IN FRANCE. 

The lord John de Piquigny, who was much attached to the king 
of Navarre, was the chief of his council, and through whose assist- 
ance he had escaped from prison, resided at la Herielle, three leagues 
from Amiens. He had tampered so successfully, by fine speeches 
and otherwise, with several of the principal citizens of Amiens, that 
they had consented to admit the Navarrois into the city. These 
treacherous citizens had even hid in their chambers and garrets some 
of the Navarrois that were to assist in destroying their town. Lord 
John de Piquigny, lord William de Graville, lord Fricquet de Fii- 
quant, lord Lin de Belaysy, and the lord Fondrigay, came one night, 
with upward of seven hundred men. to the gates of the city, which 
lead to la Herielle, on assurance of their friends within the town, 
that they should be open; and they kept their promise. Upon thi.s, 
those who had been hid in cellars and garrets sallied forth, shouting, 
" Navane 1" while the inhabitants, being awakened, cried out, 
" Treason, treason 1" and collecting themselves together, hastened 
toward the gate where the greatest tumult was, between the suburbs 
and the city. The first coiners defended the gate well, and with 
good courage : numbers were slain on both sides. If the Navarrois 
had hastened to enter the city instantly on their arrival, they would 
have won it ; but they loitered in the suburbs, and performed the 
enterprise in a cowardly manner enough. 

This same night, God inspired the lord Morel de Fiennes, consta- 
ble of France, and the earl de St. Pol, who %vcrc at Corbie in great 
force, with the design to go to Amiens. They rode there so fast, 
and came so opportunely, that the Navarrois had but just gained the 
suburbs : they were exerting all their efforts to win the city, and must 
have succeeded, if these gentlemen had not arrived. As soon as 
they had entered the city of Amiens by another gate, they advanced 
to the place where the battle raged, and having displayed their ban- 
ners, drew up their men in the street, without passing through the 
gate to the suburbs ; for they gave them up as lost, which in truth 
they were. They, by this timely succor, inspired courage into the 
men of Amiens, who lighted the streets with a number of torches, 
and with pitched ropes in iron lanterns. The lord John de Piquigny, 
and the Navarrois, on hearing that these lords and their squadrons 
were arrived, and drawn up in the city, riiought that, if they remained, 
they ran a risk of losing more than they could gain : lord John, there. 
fore, collected his people together, and sounded a retreat, which he 
made as handsomely as he could, but not before he had destroyed 
and burnt the suburbs. There were at least three hundredt houses, 
and a number of handsome h6tels, with parish churches, burnt ; for 
nothing was spared. Thus did the Navarrois carry off with them 
great wealth, which they had found in the large suburbs of Amiens, 
and rett;med with many prisoners to their dift'erent garrisons. 

The constable and the earl of St. Pol, upon the retreat of the 
Navarrois, separated their troops, and sent them to all the diflerent 
gates of the city, with orders, under pain of death, to suffer no one 
to quit the town. On the morrow morning, these two lords, and 
some of the citizens of Amiens, who were acquainted with the man- 
ner in which the town had of late been governed, and who suspected 
some of the citizen's of both sexes of this treason, went to the houses 
of those they v/ere in search of, and arrested seven, who were soon 
after beheaded in the public market-place. The abbot of Gars was 
among the number, who had been an accomplice to this treason, and 
even lodged some of the Navarrois in his house. Shortly after, six 
of the principal inhabitants of Laon were arrested and executed, for 
a similar crime : and it would have gone hard with the bishop of 
that place if he had been caught, for he was accused of being con- 
cerned, which afterwards he could not deny : but he quitted the 
town secretly, as he had good friends, who gave him notice of what 
was likely to happen, and went immediately to the king of Navarre, 
at Mehm-sur-Seine, who most courteously received him. Such 
adventures as these happened often in France : on which account, 
the barons and knights, as well s the cities and principal towns, 
were always upon their guarr To speak truly, the king of Na. 
vai-re had many friends inteiV ;d in every part of France ; and, if 



they had not been discovered, much worse tilings would have been 
done, though in truth they did enough. 

During this time, the duke of Normandy and his brothers resided 
at Paris. No merchants nor others dared to venture out of the 
town, to look after their concerns, or to take any journey : for they 
were attacked and killed, whatever roads they took. The kingdom 
was so full of the Navarrois, they were masters of all the flat coun- 
tries, the rivers, and the principal towns and cities. This caused 
such a scarcity of provisions in France, that a small cask of herrings 
was sold for thirty golden crowns, and everything else in proportion. 
Many of the poor died with hunger. This famine lasted more than 
four years. The great towns, in particular, were much distressed 
for salt, which could only be had through the ministers of the duke 
of Normandy, who sold it at a very dear rate, in order to collect 
more money to pay the soldiers. 



* Q. If not Beaulieu, which y 
t Lord Berners and D. Squv^ 



. in Picardy in thedioc«e and clectioD ofNoyon. 
throe (/Mfifsanrf-— Ed. 



CHAPTER CXCI. 

THE MEN OF PICAr.DT EESIEOE THE NAVARROIS IN ST. VALERY. THE 
KINGDOM OF FRANCE IS FLLLED WITH NAVARROIS. 

The constable of France and the young carl of St. Pol acquired 
great popularity in Picardy, for the succors which they had brought 
to Amiens. The knights and squires of that province united them, 
selves to them ; and they thought they were now in sufficient force 
to lay siege to St. Valery. The constable sent to all the principal 
towns, to inform them of it : upon which those of Tournay, Lisle, 
Douay, Arras, Bethune, St. Omer, St. Quentin, Peronne, Amiens, 
Corbie, and Abbeville, met together : they engaged to find a certain 
number of men, whom they sent to the constable and the earl of St. 
Pol. Even the knights and squires of Hainault put themselves in 
motion, and came thither, on account of the estates they had in 
France. The lord d'Andreghen sent thither the young seneschal 
of Hainault, the lord John de Verthin, magnificently equipped, the 
lord Hugh d'Antoing his cousin, with many others ; when they 
marched to lay siege to St. Valery. There were full two thousand 
knights and squires ; and the chief towns had sent twelve thousand 
common soldiers at their expense ; Abbeville, in particular, was too 
heavily taxed, for thence they took all their purveyances. 

The siege of St. Valery lasted some time. There were many 
sharp assaults and skirmishes. Almost every day there was some- 
thing of the sort going forward ; for the young knights and squires 
were eager to make trial of their arms, and they readily found those 
who would gratify them. The lord William de Bonnemare, sir John 
Segar, and several other knights, who were in the garrison, advanced 
from the barriers of the castle, to tilt and skirmish with those of the 
army ; so that there were generally some killed or wounded on both 
sides daily. There might have been in St. Valery three hundred 
companions, without counting those of the town, whom they forced 
to fight and assist them, otherwise it would have ended badly. The 
chiefs of the besiegers ordered engines of war to be brought from 
Amiens and .\bbeville, and to be pointed against St. Valery, which 
east large stones, and much harassed the inhabitants, who had 
cannon and springalls,* with which they annoyed the army. 
While this siege was oorrying on, and the king of Navarre making 
war in all parts of France, the captal of Buch, cousin to the king of 
Navarre, arrived at Cherbourg, according to his entreaties, being 
retained by him, with two hundred lances in his pay. 

The captal, on his arrival in Normandy, took the field, and, passing 
through the lands of the king of Navarre, came to Mantes, where he 
found the lord Philip de Navan-e, with whom he tarried some days. 
He then set out secretly with all his companions, and made such 
expedition in one night, tlirough the good country of Vexin and 
Beauvoisis,t that he arrived at Clermont t in Beauvoisis, which is a 
large town, though not inclosed, with a handsome castle, having 
one large tower walled all round. Immediately after having sura, 
moned it, he took it by escalade, though the tower had hitherto been 
deemed impregnable. Nevertheless he succeeded by means of rope, 
ladders, and by using arrow'-heads to attach them to the walls. The 
first person who entered was sir Bernard de la Salle, climbing like 
a cat. He, in his time, had taken many other places by similar 
means. The captal de Buch exerted himself so much that he con. 
quered Clermont, which he and his companions kept possession of 
for a long time. He from that post harassed the countries of Vexin 
and Beauvoisis, with the assistance of the Navarrois, who were in 
garrison in the neighboring fortresses, such as Creil, la Herielle, and 
Mauconseil. All the flat countries were at their disposal, as there 
were none to oppose them. 

In such manner was the whole kingdom of France kept in a state 
of warfare, under the name of the king of Navarre. Many strong 
castles were taken in Brie, Champagne, and Valois, in the bishoprics 
of Noyon, Soissons, Senlis, and Laon, of which divers knights and 

* Espringnlles, orcspringolds, orspringolds, were machines whence come shot, stones, 
or bolts. — Skinner's Dictiimary. 

" And eke within the caslil were 
Springoldis, gunnes, bowes, and archers," 

Chaucer's R(mtm de Id Rose, verses 490, 4M, 
t A small province in the ble of France, Beauvais is the capital, 
j Fifteen leagues from Paris. 



118 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &.c. 



squires from foreign parts were made governoi-s. In that part of the 
country, near Pont-aur-Seinc,* toward Provins,+ Troyes,t Auxerre,6 
and Tonnerre,|| they were so overrun with soldiers tliat no one dared 
to venture out of the strong cities and well-fortified towns. Sir 
Peter Audley resided in the castle of Beaufort, between Chalons and 
Troyes, which was part of the duke of Lancaster's inheritance. Sir 
Eustace d'Ambreticourt, a Hainaulter, resided sometimes at Pont- 
Bur-Seine, sometimes at the castle of Nogent, with about five liun- 
dred combatants, who pillaged all the country round about. In 
another part of Champagne, lived a squiie from Germany called 
Albret. These three captains kept possession of Champagne and 
the country on the Marne, and upward of sixty castles and fortified 
houses. At any time they pleased, they could bring into the field 
more than two thousand co7nhatants. 

That whole district ^\-as under their subjection : they ransomed 
or robbed every one. They had pillaged and burnt the good tosvns 
of Ay, Epernay,ir and Vertus,** and all the chief towns on the Marne, 
as far as the Chateau-Thierry tt, with those that were in the neighbor. 
hood of Rheims.tt They had also taken the good town and castle 
of Ronay,§§ and the strong castle of Hans|||l in Champagne, ascending 
the river as far as St. Antoine in Pertois.iriT Further advanced on 
the borders of Burgundy and Pertois, Thibat de Chaufour and John 
de Chaufour had taken up tlieir quarters in the name of the king of 
Navarre. They had got possession of a strong castle called Mont 
Sangon,*** in the diocese of Langres ; in which they had a garrison 
of four hundred men, who scoured the country as far as the bishopric 
of Verdun and the country of Soissons. 

Between Laon and Rheims were other pillagers, whose principal 
garrison was at Vely, in which were six hiuidred men. Rabigeois 
de Dury, an Englishman, was the governor of it. He retained all 
sorts of persons, who wished to serve under him ; and, as he paid 
well and punctually, he was duly obeyed. He had with him Robert 
Scott, as companion in his gains and losses, who, during the Christ- 
mas holidays, won and plundered the strong castle and town of 
Roucy,ttt in which he established a garrison that was a great griev- 
ance to the neighborhood. He ransomed the earl, his lady, and 
daughter, for the sum of twelve thousand gold florins a« mouton, and 
kept po-ssession of the town and castle all that winter and enduing 
Bummer of 1359. As soon as the earl of Roucy had paid his ransom, 
he went to reside in Laon, and in divers other places. During this 
period, there was not any tilling of the ground, so that it caused a 
great scarcity in a short time. 



CHAPTER CXCII. 

THE CANON DE ROBESARI DEFEATS THE NAVARKOIS IN THE LAOXNOIS, 
NEAR TO CKEIL. 

About this time, as I have been informed, the canon de Robesart 
performed a very gallant action. It fell out, that as the lord of Piuon, 
a knight-banneret of Vermandois, was riding from one strong place 
to another, accompanied b>- about sixty men-at-aruis, the garrisons 
of Velyttt and Roucy, to the number of three hundred, but without 
their captains, were also abroad to see what they could capture. As 
they advanced toward Creil, they perceived the lord of Pmon march- 
ing in good order, in the plain near that town, with his pennon dis- 
played. They immediately saw they were French : the lord of 
Pinon also knew they were his enemies, and that he had no way to 
escape from them. However, he and his little troop turning to the 
right and skirting Creil, for the Navarrois had cut off his retreat the 
way he had come, stuck spurs into their horses to save themselves, 
if possible, by flight ; but the Navarrois pursued them, crying out, 
** St. George, Navarre !'' and, being better mounted, would have 
come up with them in less than half a league. 

It chanced that the lord de Pinon, in his flight, met with a large 
and deep ditch, inclosed on one side by strong hedges, and having 
only one entrance, which was sonarrow horses could not pass through. 
As soon as he was come near, he noticed the advantage that might 
be made of it, and said, " Dismount, dismount : it is much better to 
wait here the chance of war, and defend ourselves, than to be slain 
or made prisoners in our flight." Upon which, all his people dis- 
mounted ; as did the Navarrois on their arrival. In the troop of the 
lord de Pinon, there was a knight,§§^ v.ho, calling his page, said, 
" Mount my courser, and spare him not, but gallop to the garrison of 



* A town in Cliampagne, diocess of Sens, twenty-eight leagues from Paris. 

t An ancient city of Brie, diocese of Sens, twenty-two leagues from Paris 

X A laige city of Clinnipagiie, ihirty-eiglit leitynes niul n Iialf fiom Pan's. 

§ An anrient city of Burgundy, capital of tlie Auxerrois, forty-one leagues nnd a 
half from Paris. 

II A town in Cliainpagne, diocese of Langres, forly-eicht leagues and a half from 
Paris. 

IT An ancient city of Champagne, diocese of Eheims. thirty-three leagues from Paris. 

** A town in Champagne, near Epemay. 

tt A city in Brie, diocese of Soissons, twenty-one leagues nnd a half &om PoriB. 

tt All ancient city and archbishopric in Champagne, thirty-eight leages from Paris. 

§§ A viliiige in Champagne, diocese and election of Troyes. 

nil A village in Chanipngne, election of t5t Menehould. 

HIT Pertois, a fertile country of Champagne. 

*** a. if not Mansaujon ? which is in tlie diocese of Langres. 

TTT A town in Picardy, diocese atad election of Laon. 

ttX Vely, a chaltellany in Picardy, diocese of SoissDns. 

55§ A SQuire according to D. Hauvage and Lord Berners.— Ed. 



Pierrepont,* and entreat the canon de Robesart to come to our assist. 
ance." The page answered, " Suppose I should meet with him, 
how will it be possible for him to arrive in time, for it is five leagues 
distant from hence ?" The knight said, " Do thy duty." Tiie page 
immediately set oft", and left his master fiercely attacked Iiy these 
plunderers of Vely and Roucy. The lord de Pinon and his company 
defended themselves with great valor. He kept possession of the 
advantageous position in the ditch, without any loss, from ten o'clock 
in the morning until the afternoon. 

I will now return to the page, who never broke gallop until he 
came to PieiTepont in the Laonnois. He delivered his message to 
the canon de Robesart, who replied that he would do his duty, and 
hasten to the place where the lord de Pinon was engag'cd, as he was 
perfectly acquainted with the spot. He ordered his trumpet tosound, 
and his companions, who might be about six score, to mount their 
horses. At the same time, he sent ofl' one of his servants to Laon, 
w^hich \s as not far distant, to inform a captain who was stationed 
there what was going forward. He would not wait for the arrival 
of this reinforcement, but set off" directly, full gallop, which he con- 
tinued until he came to the lord de Pinon and his company, whom 
he found so hard pressed by the Navarrois, that they could not have 
held out much longer. The canon immediately placed his lance in 
its rest, and rushed upon the Navarrois with such force, that he 
struck down three the first onset. His people being fresh and in 
spirits, drove down the Navarrois, who were quite fatigued with 
having combated the whole day. The canon de Robesart gave such 
deadly blows with his battle-axe, that none could stand before him. 
These plunderers were totally routed : more than one hundred and 
fifty were left dead on the field of battle ; and if any attempted to 
sa\e themselves they were met by the detachment from Laon, who 
made such a slaughter, that, of the three hundred they amounted to 
at first, fifteen only escaped ; the rest were either slain or made 
prisoners. 



CHAPTER CXCIII. 

THE ^AVARKOIS SURRENDER ST. VALERY TO THE FRENCH, WHO HAD BE- 
SIEGED IT A LONG TIME. 

I HAVE before related, that the lords of Picardy, Artois, Ponthieu 
and the Boulonnois, were a considerable time before St. Valcry ; that 
they had made many grand attacks upon it by machines and other 
instruments. Among other events, it chanced that the lord de Bacien 
from Picardy, having got into a boat to reconnoitre more particularly 
the castle, wa.? stmck with a bolt from an cspringal, of whicli he died. 
The garrison had such quantities of artillery, that every attack upon 
them was attended with great danger. This siege, therefore, lasted 
from the beginning of August until the following Lent. The lords 
then declared they would starve them to a surrender, since they could 
not take it by assatdt. They therefore remained a long time inactive, 
but took great care to guard all the passes, so that nothing could 
enter the town by sea or land. 

Their provisions soon began to lessen, for they could not venture , 
abroad to forage : on the other hand, they saw no appearance of any 
succors coming to them. They therefore determined in council to 
treat with the constable of France, the earl of St. Pol and the other 
barons of the army, to surrender the fortress upon condition that their 
lives and fortunes should be spared, and that they might be allowed 
to go wherever they pleased. This was granted them ; but they were 
to leave the place unarmed. Some difficulties also attended the com- 
pliance with their proposals, for the earl of St. Pol insisted on their 
surrendering unconditionally. At this time, the lord Philip de Na. 
varre was advanced toward St. Valery, to raise the siege, v.hich he 
would have done, if the garrison had not been in such haste to sur- 
render. He and his army were very angiy at the event ; but they 
could not now by any means prevent it. 



CHAPTER CXCIV. 

THE LORD PHlLir DE NAVARRE ASSE:.IBLES THREE THOUSAND MEN TO 
RAISE THE SIEGE OF ST. VALERY. 

The lords of France were still drawn up in the plain ; and, though 
no one had left the army, yet they were about departing; their tents, 
pavilions and baggage were packing up ; when news was brought 
them that the Navarrois were upon their march, and not more than 
three leagues off. It was the lord Philip of Navarre who governed 
all the territories of the king his brother ; that is to say, the coimty 
of Evreux; and all the different parties that were making war on 
France obeyed his orders. He had been informed by sir John de 
Piquigny, tliat the garrison of St. Valery was on the point of sur- 
rendering. The lord Philip was encouraged ti3 attempt raising the 
sifge : and for this purpose he had assembled secretly, at Mantes 
and Meulan, three thousand men, one with the other. The young 
earl of Hareourt, the lord de Granville, sir Robert KnoUes, and sir 
John de Piquigny, were there, with many other knights and squires, 
who had followed him to within three leagues of St. Valery when it 
was surrendered. He was assured of the truth of it, by the arrival 



* A village in Picardy. diocese of L&on 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &.c. 



113 



of the lord de Bonnemare and sir John Segar, who met him on his 
march. 

When the French, who had taken possession of St. Valery, heard 
of the approach of the Navanois, tlie constable, the earl of St. Pol, 
the lord de Cha.li^on, the lord dc Poix, the lord de Beausault, the 
lord de Helly, tiie lord de Creslkcs, lord Odoart de Renty, lord 
Baudoyn d'finnekin, and some other barons and knights who were 
present, retiied into the castle, to a council ; when it was resolved 
they should advance to combat their enemies. The constable issued 
his orders for every one to fall into his rank, and prepare for combat; 
upon which they all marched forward in good order, as if they were 
immediately to fight with the lord Philip. The Navarrois, learning 
that the French were marching toward them in battle-array, to the 
amount of thirty thousand men, did not think it advisable to wait 
for them, but crossed the river Somme as speedily as possible, and 
took post in the castle of Long* in Ponthieu, with their horses, bag- 
gage, and whatever else they had, which straightened them much 
for room. They had scarcely entered it, when the French, who 
were in pursuit of them, came before it, about the hour of vespers. 
Their numbers were continually increasing ; for the common soldiers 
from the cities and chief towns could not march so fast as the men. 
at-arms. The lords held a council, and determined to take up their 
quarters that night before the castle, to wait for more troops, which 
were dropping in one after another, and on the morrow to make a 
general assault upon it. This was done. But the Navarrois within 
the castle, being short of provit^ions, as soon as it was midnight sal- 
lied out at a back way, without any noise, and took the road for the 
Vermandois. 

• They were more than two leagues off before the French kjiew of 
their departure : they immediately armed themselves, and set out 
after them, following the tracks of their horses. Thus did both par- 
ties push forward, the Navarrois firtt, and the French behind them, 
until the Navarrois came to the little village of Thorigny, which is 
situated on an eminence whence there is a good view of all the 
country round about. It is in the Vermandoi?, between the St. 
Quentin and Peronne. There the Navarrois halted, to refresh them- 
selves and horses, and to fight their enemies, if they were forced to 
it. They had formed themselves in a circle on the summit of the 
eminence, so that they might profit from the situation of the place. 
They had not remained long before they saw the whole country 
below them covered over, and full of Frenchmen, who seemed to 
amount to upward of thirty thousand. When the Navarrois perceived 
they had the appearance of coming to attack them, they issued out 
of the town, and drew up their army in three battalions : the first of 
them was given to sir Robert Knolles, the second to sir Lewis de 
Navarre, and the third to the earl of Hareonrt. Neither of these 
battalions consisted of more than seven hundred fighting men. They 
cut their lances to five feet in length, and ordered their servants to 
carry their spurs to the slope of the hill, where they were to fix them 
with the rowels uppermost; so that their enemies might not ascend 
the hill at their ease. The lord Philip de Navarre knighted the 
young earl of Hareourt, who displayed his banner, as did also the 
young lord dc Granville. 

The French halted in sight of the Navarrois, and dismounted, for 
many were desirous to give them immediate combat, while others 
were against it, saying, " Our people are fatigued ; besides, we have 
such numbers in the rear, that it is proper we wait for them, and 
take up our quarters where we are for the remainder of the day. It 
will be night soon, and we can fight them to-morrow in better order." 

Ill this situation, the French encamped themselves, placing all 
their baggage-wagons round them, of which they had great numbers. 
When the Navarrois found that there was no intention of attacking 
them, they retired toward evening into their village of Thorigny, 
making great fires and smoke, to let them understand they meant to 
remain there that night : but as soon as it was dark, they got their 
horses ready, having previously made every other preparation, and 
set off in silence. The night was dark and foggy ; and they marched 
dowi\ to the river Somnie, which they crossed at a ford, near a small 
■villoge not far distant from Bethencourt ;+ thence they took the road 
to the wood of Bohain.J which they skirted: they marched that night 
upward of seven leagues, which caused many of the worst mounted 
to remain behind, who were made prisoners by the inhabitants of 
Bohain. The peasants also of the country slew many who were un- 
able to keep up with their masters, and ail who had lost their road. 

The French were informed of the departure of the Navarrois a 
little before daybreak ; when they resolved to cross the Somme by 
the bridge at St. Quentin,§ and to push forward toward Lianne3,'|| 
and by this means to come up with them. Every one, tlierefore, 
mounted his horse as quickly as possible, and galloped on for the 
fastest, taking the road for St. Quentin, where they arrived as day 
appeared, for it was but tvvo short leagues distant. The constable 
and the eari of St. Pol were among the first. When the guards of 
the town who were stationed over the first gate heard the bustle of 
llieir arrival, they began to be alarmed, as they knew the enemy was 

* Lons et le C.-istlelet— a villace of Picardy. noor AbbeviUe. 
T A village in Picunlj-, election of Peronne. 

t Bohain— a small town in Picnrdr. election of Guise, near St. Queolin 
i A strong cay in Picnrdy, diocese of Noyon, generality of Amiens. 
11 Liatuies, n village in Picardy, generality of Amiens. 



in tlieir neighborhood ; but recollecting that the drawbridge was up, 
tliey were somewhat reassured, as that would prevent them from 
doing any mischief. They asked, who ihcy were that were come 
tliere at such an unusual hour : the constable answered, " We are 
such and such person-s, and wish to pass through this town in pursuit 
of the Navarrois, who have stolen away from Thorigny, and are 
flying from us: we command you therefore, in the king's name, in. 
stantly to open the gates." The guard replied, that the keys were 
with the magistrates in the town. Two of the guard went to those 
that had the keeping of the keys, who told them they would not 
consent to open the gates till they had consulted the inhabitants. 
By this means, so much time was lost that it was al'ler sunrise, before 
they had considered what answer to give : they then ascended over 
the gateway, and, putting their heads out of the windows, thus ad- 
dressed the constable and the euil of St. Pol, wlio were waiting: 
" Dear lords, have the goodness to take compassion and excuse us 
this time; but it is the determination of the commonalty of the town, 
that only five or six of you may enter, out of the respect we bear you: 
the others must go any other way they choose." The lords were 
so much enraged at this, that many high words and abusive language 
ensued ; nevertheless, those of St. Quentm would not open their 
gates. These lords, therefore, gave up all thoughts of following 
further the Navarrois, as it would have been in vain. By the advice 
of the constable, the French separated themselves, and the earl of 
.St. Pol went to liis castle of Bohain, In such a rage that no one 
dared to speak to him. 



CHAPTER CXCV. 

SIR PETER AVDLEY LEADS A PARTY OP NAVARROIS, I.V THE NiaHT, TO TAKE 
CHALONS. 

Thus did this grand expedition end ; the French separating, went 
one way, and the Navarrois another : the last came that day to Vely, 
where they crossed the river Oise at a ford : when, finding they were 
out of all danger, they halted and refreshed themselves. As soon as 
they thought proper, they returned into Normandy, and journeyed 
from fortress to fortress in perfect security, as they were masters of 
all the rivers and flat country. Having again entered the district of 
Coutantiri, they carried on their excursions, as before, through Nor- 
mandy. During this time, the king of Navarre remained at Melun. 
sar-Seine, with a large body of men-at-arms. 

It happened that while sir Peter Audley was governor of Beaufort, 
which is situated between Troyes and Chllons, he imagined, that if 
he could cross the Marne above the town of Chalons, and advance 
by the side of the monastery of St. Peter, he might easily take the 
town. To carry this scheme into effect, he waited until the river 
Marne was low, when he secretly assembled his companions from 
five or six strong castles he was master of in that neighborhood. His 
army consisted of about four hundred combatants. They set out 
from Beaufort at midnight. He led them to a ford of the river Marne, 
which he intended to cross, for he had people of the country as 
guides. On coming thither, he made them all to dismount, and give 
their horses to their servants, when he marched them through the 
river, which was very low. All having crossed, he led them slowly 
toward the monastery of St. Peter. There were many guards and 
watchmen scattered over the town of ChJtlons, and in the public 
squares; those who were nearest to the monasteiy of St. Peter, 
which is situated above the town, heard very distinctly the noise of 
the Navarrois : for as they were advancing, their arms, by touching 
each other, made a noise and sounded. Many who heard this won- 
dered what it could be : for all at once, .sir Peter having halted, the 
noise ceased„and, when he continued his march, the same sounds 
were again heard by the sentinels posted in St. Peter's street, as the 
wind came from the opposite quarter ; and some among them said, 
" It must be those English and Navarrois thieves that are advancing, 
to take us by escalade : let us immediately sound the alarm, and 
awaken our fellow-citizens." Some of them went to the monastery, 
to see what it might be. They could not, however, make such speed 
but that sir Peter and his army were in the court-yard ; for the walls 
in that part were not four feet high ; and they immediately rushed 
through the gate of the monastery into the street, which was largo 
and wide. The citizens were exceedingly alarmed, because there 
were cries from all parts of, "Treason, treason! To arms, to armsl" 
They armed themselves in haste, and, collecting in a body to be the 
stronger, advanced to meet their enemies, who overthrew and killed 
the foremost of them. 

It happened, very unfortunately for Chilons, that Peter de Chalons, 
who had been governor of the city upward of a year, with a hundred 
lances under his command, had lately left it, on account of not being 
able to get paid according to their wishes. The commonalty of the 
city were numerous, and set themselves in earnest to make a good 
defence. It was high time ; but they suffered much, and the Navar- 
rois conquered all the lower town, as far as the bridges over the 
Marne. Beyond the bridges, the citizens collected themselves, and 
defended the first bridge, which was of great service to them. The 
skirmish was there very sharp : the Navarrois attacked and fought 
well. Some of the English archers advanced, and, passing over the 



120 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



supports of the bridge, shot so well, and so continually, that none 
from Chalons dared to come within reach of their arrows. 

This engagement lasted until midday. It was said by some, that 
Chalons must have been taken, if sir Odes de Grancy had not learnt, 
as it were by inspiration, this excursion of the Navarrois. In order 
to defeat it, he had entreated tlie as.sistance of many knights and 
squii'es ; for he knew that there was not one gentlemim in Chalons. 
He had come therefore, day and night, attended by sir Philip de Jan- 
court, the lord Anceau de Beaupr^, the lord John de Guermillon, 
and many others, to the amount of sixty lances. As soon as they 
"Were come to Chalons, they advanced toward the bridge, which the 
inhabitants were defending against the Navarrois, who were exerting 
themselves to the utmost to gain it. The lord de Grancy displayed 
his banner, and fell upon the Navarrois with a hearty good will. The 
arrival of the lord de Grancy mightily rejoiced the people of Chalons ; 
and well it might, for without him and liis company they would have 
been hard driven. When sir Peter Audley and his friends saw these 
Burgundians, they retreated in good order the way they had come, 
and found iheir servants with their horses on the banks of the Marnc. 
They mounted them, and, crossing the river without molestation, re- 
turned toward Beaufort, having by a trifle missed their aim. The 
inhabitants of Chalons were much pleased at their departure, and 
gave thanks to God for it. After expressing their obligations to the 
lord de Grancy for the kindness he had done them, they presented 
him with tive hundred livres for himself and his people. They en- 
treated the lord John de Besars, who was present and a near neighbor, 
to remain, to advise and assist them. He consented to their request, 
for the handsome salary they allowed him, and set about fortifying 
lite city in those places which were the weakest. 



CHAPTER CXCVI. 

THE EARL DE ROCCY TAKEN A SECOND TIME. 

Abodt this period, the two garrisons of Vely and Roucy* united 
together, and took by assault the town of Sissonne,* which they gar- 
risoned with all sorts of people : the captain of it was Hannequin 
Francois, t a lad from Cologne on the Rhine. He was so cniel in all 
his excursions, that he showed neither pity nor mercy to any one 
who fell in his way. He burnt all the country, slaying men, women 
and children, whom he could not ransom according to his will. The 
earl of Roucy, who had still at heart the loss of his town and castle, 
which these robbers had wrested from him, entreated the assistance 
of those knights and squires who were his neighbors. He collected 
upward of a hundred lances and forty horsemen, whom he conducted 
from the city of Laon. Among them were the earl de Poreien,<ord 
Robert de Canency, the lord de Montegny in Ostrevant, and others. 
They advanced toward Sissonne, and meeting with that garrison, 
who were burning a village, fell upon them merrily. This Hanne- 
quin and his followers innncdiatcly dismounted, and placed their 
archers in the front. The engagement was very sharp ; but those 
from Laon retreated toward their city without haring done nnich. 
The other Frenchmen remained, and fought manfully for a longtime. 
However, the fortune of the day was against them : the earl de Roucy 
was severely wounded, and made prisoner : the lord Gerald de Ca. 
nency, the lord de Montegny and many other men-at-arms, were 
likewise captured. Thus was the earl of Roucy made prisoner twice 
in the space of one year. 

The lord Eustace d'Ambreticourt resided at this time in Cham- 
pagne, with seven hundred fighting men under his command ; by 
whose means he acquired great wealth, from the ransoms of towns, 
castles, vineyards and private houses, as well as by granting pass- 
ports. He was master of at least twelve fortresses, a«d much in 
love with the lady Isabella de Juliers,t daughter of the earl of Juliers, 
whom he afterwards married. The lady was greatly attached to sir 
Eustace, for his gallant deeds of arms, which had been related to 
her ; and she sent him coursers, liackneys, and letters full of love, 
which so nuich emboldened sir Eustace, and spurred him to perform 
such feats of chivalry and of arms, that all those under him made 
fortunes. 



CHAPTER CXCVII. 

TBKEE QUEENS, WITH THE NAVARROIS, AKE BESIEGED IN MELUN. 

ArxER the surrender of St. Valery, as you have heard related, the 
duke of Normandy collected upward of three thousand lances, set 
out from Paris, and laid siege to Melun-sur-Seine, of which the Na- 
varrois kept possession. At that time, three queens resided therein : 
Jane, aunt to the king of Navarre and widow of Charles king of 
France; Blanche, widow of king Philip of France and sister to the 
king of Navarre : the third was the queen of Navarre, sister to the 
duke of Normandy. The duke of Normandy sent his forces thither, 
but did not accompany them in person : they were under the com- 
mandofthe lord Morel de Fiennes, constable of France, the carl de 

* Towns in Picardy, diocese of Laon. 

t Mentioned in chapter 188. as one of tlie garrison of Mauconseil.— Ed. 

J Niece to the queen of England, and widow of ihe earl orKeM."-Marginal noU. 



St. Pol, the lord Arnold d'Andreghcn, marshal of France, the lord 
Arnold de Couey, the bishop of Troyes, the Lord Broquart de FencB- 
trages, Peter du Bar and Philip des Armoyes, with others, amounting 
in the whole to three thousand lances. They besieged Melun all 
round, and had brought trom Paris a number of sjitingals and other 
engines, which, day and night, kept continually throwing stones into 
the fortress, against which also many assaults were made. 

The Navarrois within the town began to be alarmed, more par- 
ticularly those queens, who would cheerfully have seen this siege 
raised at any rate : but the governors of the town, lord John Pippes 
and lord John Carbinaux*, desired the ladies not to be so much 
frightened, for in a few days this siege would be raised, as they had 
learnt from the king of Navarre, who was at that time at Vernon t. 
The lord Philip de Navarre also was assembling a body of men at 
Mantes and Meulan, to come to their assistance ; and at those places 
all the various garrisons in the Navarre interest were collecting to- 
gether. On the other hand, the duke of Normandy, who knew the 
Navarrois intended to attempt raising the siege, retained soldiers 
wherever he could get them, and sent them to Meluu. But good 
people interposed between the duke and the king ; for at that time 
the cardinals de Perigord and de St. Vitalis were in France, who 
exerted themselves so efficaciously, that a day was appointed for 
treating of a peace between them at Vernon. The duke of Nor- 
mandy and his council came thither ; as did the king of Navan'e, 
accompanied by the lord Philip his brother ; when a peace was made. 
The king of Navarre swore, that from henceforward he would be a 
loyal Frenchman. There were included in this peace as many as 
three hundred knights and squires, who were pardoned by the duke : 
some others, however, were excepted, whose e\il deeds he refused* 
to forgive. 

The lord Philip of Navarre would not accept of the peace. He 
told the king his brother, he was bewitched for so doing, and was 
acting very ill toward the king of England, who was his ally, and 
who had always faithfully assisted him. In despite of his brother 
the king of Navarre, the lord Philip, with three others, set off, and 
rode as fast as they could to St. Sauveur-le-Vicomte, where was an 
English garrison. The lord Thomas Dagworth commanded there, 
in the name of the king of England, who received the lord Philip, 
and told liim he had acquitted himself lovally toward the king his 
lord. 



CHAPTER CXCVIII. 

SIR BROQUART DE FENESTRAGES, WITH MANY FRENCH, DRAW UP IN BAT 
TEE ARRAY, AGAINST SIR EUSTACE D'aMBRETICOURT AND THE ENGLISH 
IN CHAMPAGNE. 

By the articles of this peace, many towns and castles in Normandy,, 
which had been in dispute, were given up to king Charles of Na- 
varre, particularly Mantes and Meulan. Peace was also made 
between the young earl of Harcourt and the duke of Normandy. 
The lord Lewis de Harcourt, uncle to the earl, who was of the \ 
council and household of the duke, interested himself much in its 
success ; and the duke gave to the earl in marriage the daughter of 
the duke of Bourbon, sister to the duchess of Normandy. The 
siege of Melun-sur-Seine was raised. The town remained to the 
French. But, in spite of this peace, the kingdom of France was 
torn in pieces by war as before ; for the truce between the two king- 
doms of France and England had lately expired ; so that those cap- 
tains who had carried on the war for the king of Navarre, in the ■ 
provinces of Burgundy, Normandy, Champagne, Picardy, Brie, and 
Beauce, still continued it in a powerful and shameful manner, in the 
name of the king of pngland. They never passed any fortress 
without attacking it, notwithstanding the peace ; for these soldiers 
had learnt to pillage or ransom the inhabitants of the country, and 
to make excursions sometimes in bodies of two thousand, many of 
whom had from ten to twelve horses, who, if they had not kept up 
this war, would perhaps have gone on foot. 

After the siege of Melun had been raised, the duke of Normandy 
besought the lord Broquart de Fenestrages, who was from Lorraine, 
and who had in his pay five hundred men, to assist him in driving 
the English out of the province of Champagne, where they had 
established themselves, and were harassing the country day and 
night. Sir Broquart consented, on condition of receiving a large 
sum of florins for himself and for his people. Upon this, the bishop 
of Troves, the count de Vaudemont, the count de Jouy, the lord 
John de Chalons, and the lord Broquart de Fenestrages, assembled 
men-at-arms in the provinces of Champagne and Burgundy : they 
amounted to full two hundred lances, and liftecn hundred footmen, 
who advanced and posted themselves before the strong castle of 
Hanst in Champagne, which the English had taken and kept posses- 
sion of a year and a half. They carried it by assault at the third 
attack; and there were upward of fourscore English slain, for none 
were spared. The French then retreated to the city of Troyes; and, 
when they had refreshed themselves, they sallied forth with twelve 



* Lord James Pipe— sir Hugh Calvery— English natives.— Barnes. 
t Vcmon-sur-Beine — a town in Nonnandy, diocese of Evreux. 
X Hanjs- a village in Champagne, in Uic election of St. Menehould. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &.c. 



121 



hundred lances,* and nine hundred footmen, taking the road to 
Nogent-sur-Seine.t 

Sir Eustace d'Ainbreticourt, who was informed of this expedition, 
•collected those garrisons under his command, to tlie amount of four 
hundred. lances and two hundred archers, with whom he set out 
from Pont.sur-Seine.t He was eompleloly armed, except his hel. 
met, and was mounted on a hackney which had been given to him, 
but he had a very tine war horse led by one of his people. He had 
not rode I'ar before he heard of the French from his scouts, who 
brought intelligence that thoy had seen his enemies. Had sir Eus- 
tace known that they were in such numbers, lie would have asked 
assistance from the lord Peter Audley and lord d'Albret, who could 
easily have sent to his aid four hundred combatants. ,Sir Eustace 
having drawn up his men beyond Nogent, placed himself on a small 
hillock, in the midst of a vineyard, his archers in front. As soon as 
the French arrived, they formed themselves into three battalions : 
the first under the command of the bishop of Troves and sir Bro- 
quart ; the second under the lord John de Chalons and the count de 
Jouy ; the third under tlie count de Janville.§ 

Sir Eustace, who was in the midst of his people, said to them ; 
" Gentlemen, let us fight courageously, and the day will be ours : 
we then shall be masters of all Champagne, which was formerly an 
earldom. Perhaps I may in lime do such essentia! services to the 
king of England, whom I hold as the rightful king of France, that 
he may confer this earldom on me." He then called to him some 
young squires, such as the courageous Manny, his cousin John of 
Paris, Martin of Spain and others, whom he knighted. Having 
dismounted his men, he caused their lances to be shortened to the 
length of five feet, and placed his pcnuon before him, which had 
hie arms, ermine, three humets in pale gules. 



never were able to rally : the pennon of sir Eustace, which was their 
standard, was taken and torn to pieces. When the English were 
thrown into confusion, many were beaten down, and the French 
made prisoners at their choice. Sir Eustace fell into the hands of a 
knight who served under the count de Vaudemont, whose name was 
sir Henry de Qucnillart, to whom he surrendered himself, and who 
had great difficulty to save his life ; for the common people of 
Troyes wanted to put him to death for the gallant deeds of arms he 
liad performed in Champagne. Lord John de Paris and lord Martin 
of Spain were also made prisoners, as well as many other knights 
and esquires. Those that were able to escape fled to the garrison 
of Nogent ; but very few were so fortunate, as almost all were slain 
or taken. 

Sir Courageous de Manny* was left for dead on the field of 
battle, and by this means forgotten : but after the defeat, and when 
all the French were retired, he, who had been grievously wounded, 
and more than half killed, raised his head a little, and saw nothing 
but dead bodies around him. He then got up as well as he could, 
and seating himself, looked about to see if he were far from Nogent, 
which had an English garrison ; and, by crawling on his hands and 
knees, in about an hour's time he came to the foot of the tower of 
Nogent. He made signs to the garrison, that he was of their party. 
Upon which, they carried him into the fortress ; and, by dressing 
and sewing up his wounds with much care, he was completely 
cured. This engagement took place in the year 1359, the vigil of 
the feast of St. John the Baptist. 



CHAPTER CXCIX. 

THE BATTLE OF NOGENT-SUK-SEINE, BETWEE.N SIR BROCJUAHT DE FENES- 
TRAGES AND THE FRENCH, AND SIR EUSTACE D'AMBRETICOUKT AND THE 
ENGLISH. 

When sir Broquart de Fenestroges, who was a bold and coura- 
' geous knight, saw that sir Eustace d'Ambreticourt and his battalion 
were not inclined to quit their position, he said, " Let us march to 
them, for we nuist fight, whatever be the consequences." Upon 
which, he advanced with his battalion. Sir Eus*ace received the 
attack of this battalion in such a manner, that he broke it and threw 
it into confusion. At the first shock he unhorsed upward of forty, || 
and would have completely routed them, if the second battalion of 
the French had not immediately moved forward to their assistance, 
who, having rallied them, collected all the stragglers together. Upon 
this, the English archers began to use their bows, and so well, that 
none dared to come within the reach of their arrows. The third 
battalion of the French now advanced on their flank, to support the 
other two ; and the engagement was very shai-p and bloody, but the 
French were three to one. Sir Eustace struck to the ground four 
of the most vigorous of his enemies, with the spear he had in his 
hand ; which was no sooner perceived by sir Broquart de Fencstra- 
ges, than he flung his lance over the heads of all those that were 
between hiin and sir Eustace, and, hitting him on the visor of his 
helmet, it penetrated through and broke three of his teeth : this, 
however, did not prevent sir Eustace from continuing the combat. 

The English had the advantage of the hill, and they kept ?o 
closely together that they could not be broken. The French were 
on horseback, the English on foot. The archers had retreated, in a 
battalion by themselves, to somewhat higher ground, and shot 
briskly against the French ; and when the French attempted, by 
marching about, to surround them, they kept their front to face the 
enemy. At this time, however, the French infantry, who could not 
make such haste as the men-at-arms, arrived. This infantry were 
full nine hundred men, and, being armed with lances and large 
shields,^! broke through the line of the archers, and flung them in 
disorder ; for their shields were so strong, that the arrows made no 
impression on them. They kept up the fight as long as they could ; 
but, being thrown into confusion, the second battalion of the French 
men-at-arms galloped after them, and slew them all. This second 
battalion then went to the boys who were gu^irding the English 
horses, and killed or made prisoners the greater part of them, for 
very few escaped. 

During this time, the tv,-o other battalions of the French were en- 
gaged with the English ; and in the end they broke them, that they 



I * Denys Sauvajre lias on Uiis passage the followine note, in the margin : 

" From what follows it appears to me that each hmcc was, upon both sides, only one 
nan." This is probably in reference to the numbers wliicli couW have been furnished 
by lord .Dudley and lord d'Albret, " four hundred combal^iits," which Froissart speaks 
of as sufficient to have insured sir Eustace's succe^«. .Such a reinforcement would have 
been of great service, if the Twelve hundred French lauces consisted only of that num- 
ber of individuals, but would have been quite ineliicienl if they had amounted to three 
or four times that number. Tiic remark is, however, confined to this particular instance 
—in general each lance was equal to three men. See Note, p. 102.— Ed. 

t Nogent-sur-Seine— a town in Champagne, between Paris and Troyes, diocese of 
Sens. 

t Ponl-sur-Beine— a town in Champagne, diocese of Sens, election of Nogent. 

§ Q. if not .toinvilie. 

U SKty.-LoRDBERSERg, T Pavisses.— Lord Berners. 



CHAPTER CC. 

THE PILLAGERS WHO HAD KEPT POSSESSION OF DIFFERENT FOP.TEESSXS 
IN FRANCE BEGIN WONDERFULLY TO FALL OFF. 

.4.FTER the defeat of Nogent-sur-Seine, which I have just related, 
the country being cleared of the enemy, the French barons and 
men-at-arms returned to Troyes, carrying with them their booty j 
but the prisoners they sent by different roads to several of the French 
garrisons, because the common people at Troyes weie desirous of 
putting them to death. When those who had remained at Pont-sur- 
Seine heard that sir Eustace, their captain, was made prisoner ; that 
all his army were slain or taken ; they packed up their baggage and 
set out as quickly as possible, for they were but a very few in number. 
Those also who were at Torcis,"! Espoye.J Ausy,§ Mery,|| and 
Pleusy,ir and in all the forts that had been under the command of sir 
Eustace, did the same, and left them void, for fear of the bishop of 
Troyes and sir Broquart de Fcnestrages, who were great warriors : 
they united themselves with other garrisons at a distance. Sir 
Peter -Audley did not, for this check, quit Beaufort ;** nor sir John 
Sogar, Nogent ; nor the lord Albret, Gi^-sur-Aube.+t 

About this time, the lord John of Piquigny died in an extraor- 
dinary manner at his castle of la Herielle, within three leagues of 
Ainiens : it was reported that he was strangled by his chamberlain, 
and that sir Luke do Bekusy, who was of his council, died much in 
the same manner. Near this period, as some of the soldiers belong- 
ing to sir Peter Audley were riding through the country, they came 
to a good large village of the name of Ronay,U which they plun- 
dered ; insomuch that, as the curate of the place was celebrating, 
high mass, an English squire entered the church, took the chalice 
from the altar, in which the curate was preparing to consecrate the 
precious body of our Saviour Jescs Christ, and cast the wine upon 
the floor. Upon the curate remonstrating with him for this conduct, 
he struck him so hard a blow with his gauntlet upon the hand, that 
the blood spirted upon the altar. These pillagers then marched out 
into the fields, and the squire carried with him the sacred vessels 
and the cloth. He was, however, scarcely got into the fields, when 
his horse began to caper, and to play such violent tricks *hat no one 
dared to approach him : after many plunges, they both fell to the 
ground with their necks broken, and were immediately turned into 
cinders and dust. His companions, seeing this, made a vow, that 
from henceforward they would never violate the sanctity of any 
church. 

The garrison of Mauconseil, not having any provisions, sold the 
place to the inhabitants of Noyon,^§ and those in its neighborhood, 
for about twelve thousand gold moutons,|||| with liberty to go away 
in safety, which they did, carrying off all that belonged to them. 
They withdrew into the fortresses of Creil, Clermont, la Herielle, 

* I cannot lind anything relative to this Monseigneur Courageux de Manny in Dug- 
dale's Baronage. Lord Walter .Manny seems to have left at his death only one daugh- 
ter, married to tlie carl of Pembroke. 

Barnes says, he was cousin to sir Eustace and nephew to sir Walter Manny, and was 
honored always with the epithet courageous. 

t A village in Champagne, diocese and election of Troyes. 

j A village in Cliampagne, diocese of Rheinis. 

§ Aussou is a town and village in Champagne — .\rcy le Pousard, election or 
Rhcims. 

11 Mery-sur-Seine — a town in Champagne, diocese of Troyes. 

if A towni in Champagne, diocese of Troyes. 

** Beaufort-les-Regnicourt, a village in Champagne, election of Rheiins. 

tT Gie — a village iii Champagne, election of Bar-sur-Aube. 

jj Ronay— a village of Champagne, diocese and election of Troyes. 

§§ Noyon— an ancient town in Picardy. It^ bishop is sutfiagan to the bisfiop »T 
Eheiins. 

nil Moutons— see note. p. 109. 



1S2 * 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &.c. 



Vely, Pienepont, Roucy, and Sissonne, which, for a length of time, 
had been held by tlie Navanc party ; but since the conclusion of the 
peace with the king of Navarre, they had remained with the Eng- 
lish. As soon as those of Noyun were in possession of Mauconseil, 
they razed it to the ground. 

Sir John Segar sold also Nogent to the bishop of Troycs, and gave 
it up for a large siim of florins, which he was to receive, and had it 
ratified to him under the hand and seal of the bishop. Upon this, 
he went to the city of Troyes, and dismounted at the hbtel of the 
bishop, who said to him : "John, you will stay with me two or three 
days ; and, wliile you arc courteously treated, I will prepare the 
money for your payment." Sir John, who had come thither on the 
bishop's word, agi-eed to the proposal : but the populace began to 
murmur, and to say, " How can our lord bishop make such a mock 
of us, as to entertain at his house the greatest pillager of all France, 
besides wanting to make us give him our money ?" They then 
collected together, sent strong guards to each of the gates, to prevent 
his escape, and marched in a body of six thousand, with arms, to 
slay sir John Segar in tlie court of the bishop's h6tel. Wlien the 
bishop saw this, lie spoke to them, and said : " My good friends, he 
is come here under the security of my passport ; and you know that 
a treaty has been made between us, witli your consent : it would 
therefore be higlily disloyal to do anything, under this assurance, that 
may be hurtful to him." However, notwithstanding the endeavors 
of the bishop, they forced into the hall and the apartments, in which 
they made so e.'sact a search that they found sir John Segar, slew 
him, and cut him into pieces. 



CHAPTER CCI. 

THE FKENCH REFUSE TO KATIFY THE TREATY WHICH KING JOH.V HAD 
ENTEKED I.NTO WITH ENGLAND. 

I HAVE been a long time silent with regard to the king of England : 
but until this moment there has not been any cause for speaking of 
him ; for as long as the truce lasted, his people did not carry on the 
war in his name. The truce having expired the first day of May, 
1359, from that period the English and Navarre garrisons made war 
for him as king of France, and continued so to do daily. It hap- 
pened that soon after the peace between the duke of Normandy and 
the king of Navarre had been concluded, as has been related, the 
lord Arnold d'Andreghen, marshal of France, returned to England ; 
for he was not yet ransomed since he was made a prisoner at Poitiers. 
At that time also, the king of England and the prince of Wales 
came to Westminster, to meet the king of France and lord James 
de Bourbon ; when these four assembled together in council, and 
agreed on a peace, without any arbitrator between them, upon certain 
conditions which were written down, and also a letter was indited 
to be sent to France to the duke of Normandy. 

The earl of Tancarville and sir Arnold crossed the sea with these 
dispatches, landed at Boulogne, and hastened on to Paris ; where 
they found tlie duke of Normandy and the king of Navarre, to whom 
they delivered their letters. The duke of Normandy consulted tlie 
king of Navarre on the subject of them, who advised that the pre- 
lates, nobles, and the councils of the principal towns should be as- 
sembled, wliich was accordingly ordered. It appeared to the Idng 
of Navarre, the duke of Normandy and his brothers, as well as to 
the council of state, that the conditions of peace were too hard : and 
they gave an unanimous answer to the two lords who had brought 
them, that " they would much rather endure the great distress they 
were in at present, than sufler the kingdom of France to be dimin- 
ished, and that king John must remain longer in Englanfl." When 
the king of France was informed they had not succeeded in their 
mission, he said, " Ha, ha, my good son Charles, you consult with 
the king of Navarre, who deceives you, and would deceive forty 
such as you." The king of England, on receiving their answer, 
said, that since it was so, before the winter was over, he would enter 
France with a most powerful army, and remain there until there was 
an end of the war by an honorable and satisfactory peace. He began 
making more splendid preparations than he had overdone before. 

About this season, which was the middle of August, 1359, the 
lord John de Craon, archbishop of Rheims, the inhabitants of that 
town and its neighborhood, with many other knights and squires of 
the counties of Rethel and Laon, nV.irched and laid siege to the castle 
of Roucy : they pressed it so hard for five weeks, that the garrison 
surrendered, on condition of saving their lives and fortunes. For 
this effect, they had letters, with permission to go wherever they 
pleased with surety, under the hands of the archbishop, the coimt de 
Porcien and the count do Braine, who were there : but when they 
were setting out, the common people came forth to meet them, and 
slew the greater part, in spite of the lords, who with much difficulty 
saved the life of their leader, Hannequin Fran9ois. Thus had the 
count de Roucy once more possession of his town and castle. 



CHAPTER ecu. 

SIR EUSTACE d'aHBBETICOUKT OBTAINS HIS LIBERTY BY A GREAT RANSOM. 

Soon after the recapture of the castle of Roucy, sir Peter Audley 
fell sick, and died in his bed, at the castle of Beaufort in Champagne, 



which caused great grief among all the followers of his fortunes 
Upon this, the English and Germans, who were united in carrying 
on the war in the name of the king of England, consulted together, 
and determined that they could not fix on a more proper leader than 
sir Eustace d'Ambreticourt, who was then recovered fiom his wounds. 
They sent Faucon the herald into the county of Vaudemont, to confer 
with the earl of that name, and witli the lord Henry de Quenillart,* 
who had made him prisoner, touching his redemption. His liberty 
was granted, on condition of his paying down twenty-two thousand 
French livres for his ransom. Sir Eustace thus recovered his free- 
dom ; the different garrisons in Champagne and Brie having made a 
subscription for that purpose, when each man cheerfully paid his part. 
He obtained his hackney and war-horse that he had lost at the battle 
of Nogent, which had been sent to him by the lady Isabella de JiJ. 
iers, countess of Kent, from England, out of her affection to him. 
The English also surrendered at that time the castle of Conflanst in 
Champagne, of which they were in possession. 

When these troops, who were carrying on the war against France, 
had thus ransomed sir Eustace d'Ambreticourt, they elected him 
their chief, and all sorts of persons enlisted under his banner. He 
made an excmsion into Rhetelois,t wheie no one had been before, 
and took by storm the good town of Atligny§ upon the Aisne, where 
they found upward of a hundred butts of wine. They fixed upon 
this as the principal garrison, and overran from it the whole country 
in the environs of Rheims: they pillaged Epernay,|| D»iiiery,1f Tou. 
raine,** and the town of Vertus,+t where they met with very great 
booty ; they placed there another garrison, which scoured the country 
from the river Marne to la Ferte-Milon ;tt while those of Attigny 
overran it as far as Mesieres§§ upon the Mouse, Donchery,|||| and 
even to le Ch6nc Pouilleux.1T IT 



CHAPTER CCIII. 

SIR BROQUART DE FENESTEAGES FORCES FAYKENT FROM THE DUKE OP 
NORMANDY, REGENT OF FRANCE. 

About this time it happened, that sir Broquart de Fenestrages, 
who had been to the aid of the duke of Normandy and the French, 
against the English and men of Navarre, and had much assisted them 
in their conquests, and in driving them out of their fortresses in 
Champagne, had been very badly paid for his assistance, insomuch 
that there was owing to him and his men, for their subsidy, thirty 
thousand livres. He sent therefore certain persons to the duke at 
Paris, who did not give them very pleasant answers, for tliey returned 
without having been able to do anything. Upon this, sir Broquart 
sent a defiance to the duke and to all France, and took possession 
of a handsome town called Bar-sur-Seine,*** where at that time there 
were nine hundred hdtels, and plundered the inhabitants ; but the 
castle was so well guarded, he could not g.iin it. Having packed 
up his booty, he carried away upward of five hundred prisoners, and 
burnt the town so completely, that nothing remained but the walls. 
His men retreated to Conflans, which they had made their garrison, 
and afterwards committed more atrocious acts in Champagne than 
ever the English or men of Navarre had done. When sir Broquart 
and his troop had thus overrun and pillaged the country, there was 
an agreement made with them ; and each man was paid even more 
than he demanded; so that sir Broquart retreated into Lonaine, 
whence he had come, carrying with him all his soldiers : he left 
peaceably the kingdom of France and country of Champagne, after 
having done a sufficiency of evil to each of them. 



CHAPTER CCIV. 

SIR ROBERT KNOLLES MAKES AN EXCURSION INTO BERRY AND AUVERGNB. 
HE IS PURSUED BY THE GENTLEMEN OF THOSE COUNTRIES. 

At this same period, in the year 1359, sir Robert KnoUes prepared 
an expedition, consisting of three tliousand persons, including every 
one. With this army, lie quitted the marches of Brittany; and hav- 
ing followed the course of the Loire upward, entered the province 
of Berry, oveiTunning and destroying all that part of the country. It 
was reported that his intentions were to pass through Auvcrgne, to 
pay a visit to the popi^and cardinals at Avignon, and get some of their 
florins, as the arclipriest had done before. The gentlemen of Au. 
vergne and Limousin assembled, in large bodies, to oppose this in. 
vasion ; in particular, the count de Forests, who brought with him 



■■* Barnes cdlls him sir Henry de Quingey, liut why, I know not. 

I Diocese and election of Clialons, near Chalons. 
i A country of Champagne, near Rhetel. 

§ A market-town in Cfiampngne, diocese of Rheims, and near Elietel. 
il Diocese of Klicims, eight leagues from Chalons, 

II Dainery~a village near Epernay. 

» » 1 can find only Tournillc. a village in Champagne, election of Chaumont, no«r 

ft A town in Champagne, six leagues from Clmloiis. 
tt A town in Picardy, diocese of Scnlis, election of Crespy. 
5"; A strong city in Champagne, on the Mouse. 
nil A town in Champagne on the Mense, borilering on Luxembourg. 
ITU Chesne Pouilleux— Q town in Champagne, in the election of Rhetel, near Sedan— 
mado famous hy the retreat of the duke of Brunswick, before Dumouriez, in the reBr 17S3. 
»»* A town of Burgundy, on the S3eine, diocese of Langres. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



123 



four hundred lances : and they were vcr>' numerous when all were 

assembled. 

Sir Robert Knolles and his troops, who were all called Englishmen, 
continued their march from Brittany unmolested, until they came to 
the borders of Auvergne. The lords of Auvorgne, witli their array, 
advanced to within a short day's journey of sir Robert. They ob- 
served from a mountain, where they had posted themselves, all that 
the Engii'll were doing. On the morrosv, they marched to that part ; 
there were only two short country leagues between tliem ; when they 
halted, and took post on a mountain, and the Engiisli did the same 
on another ; eacli army saw the fires the oilier was making. The 
next morning, the French decamped, and advanced still nearer to 
meet them, for they were well acquainted with the country, and, about 
noon, took up their quarters on an eminence right before the English : 
the two armies were only separated by a meadow of about twelve 
acres. The Engiisli immediately drew up in order of battle, and 
placed their archers on the declivity of the hill, in the front. The 
French lords then drew up their army in two battalions, each of which 
consisted of upward of five thousand men. The count de Clermont, 
dauphin of Auvergne, commanded the first battalion ; his name was 
Berault. He was knighted on tiie spot, and displayed his banner, 
which was quartered with the arms of Auvergne and Clermont.* 
Th%re were near to his person, his uncle the lord Robert Dauphin, 
the lord of Montagu, the lord of Talen^on, the lord of Rochefort, the 
lord of Serignac, the lord Godfrey of Boulogne, and many young 
squires from Limousin, Quercy, Auvergne, and Rouergue. In the 
second battalion, were the count de Forests, the lord John of Bou- 
logne, the count d'Auvergne, the lord d'Archer and his sons, the lord 
d'Achon, the lord d'Uzes, the lord Reginald de Forests, brother to 
the count, and great numbers of knights and squires, with a thorough 
good will for the combat, as was apparent. On the other hand, sir 
Robert Knolles and his troops showed an equally good countenance 
to engage. 

Thus then they remained until the evening, each in their intrench- 
ments, without moving, e.\cept some young knights and squires, who, 
in hopes of gaining glory by feats of arms, descended into the mea- 
dow, with the leave of their marshals, in order to tiit with their oppo- 
nents. He who conquered his adversary carried him off prisoner. 
Toward night, each jjarty retired to his quarters, and kept a good 
and great guard. The lords of France held a council, and resolved 
at the hour of midnight to descend the mountain, not on the side next 
the Engiisli, but by that which they had ascended ; when, by making 
a circuit of only two leagues, they would come to the opposite side 
of the liiil where the English were posted, which part was not high 
nor difficult of ascent : they had hopes to arrive there so early, that 
the English would not be all armed. Each lord was to give these 
orders to his own people : this, however, was not done so secretly 
but that the English were informed of it by one of thei; t:ounti-ymen, 
a prisoner in the French army, who made his escape, and told sir 
Robert K..olles of their intentions. Sir Robert summoned a council 
of those in whose opinion he most confided, who, considering the 
superiority of the French forces, thought it not advisable to wait for 
them. Upon this, their baggage was immediately loaded : they de- 
camped, and were conducted by those of the country whom they had 
made prisoners. 

At midnight, the French were drawn up in battle array, and 
marched according as it had been ordered. They arrived by day- 
break on the mountain, where they thought to have found the Eng- 
lish : but, when they saw they had decamped, they sent off some of 
their most expert and best mounted, over the hills, to see if they 
could get any tidings of them. They returned about nine o'clock, 
and reported that they had seen them on their march, named the 
roads they had taken, and added they were advancing toward Linio. 
ges. When the lords of Auvergne heard this, they broke up their 
expedition, and each returned to his own home. 

Very soon after, a treaty of marriage was entered into, and com- 
pleted, between the gallant knight the lord Berault, dauphin of Au. 
vergne, with the daughter of the count de Forests, whom he had by 
a sister of the lord James de Bourbon. 



CHAPTER CCV. 

SOME GErv.AIANS WAIT FOR THE KING OF ENSLAND AT CALAIS, TO ATTEND 
HIM IN III3 EXrEDITION INTO FRANCE, DtJRING THE TIME KING JOHN 
WAS IN ENGLAND. 

During all this time, the king of England was making such great 
preparations for his expedition into France, that the like was never 
seen before : on which account, many barons and knights of the 
German empire, who had formerly served him, e.x-erted themselves 



In all my manuscripts and priuteO editions, it is Auvergne and Merquel. Denys 
aauvage says, tliat Uiere must be some roistoke, and proposes CUrmmit in lieu uf Mer- 
quel, which, as he was count de Clermont ns well m, dauplun of Auvergne, seems to ine 
proiwr. Barnes changes tlie word Merquel into MartcQius ; but he gives no reason or 
authority lor so doing. 

The counts of Auvergne added the title of dauphin, in rivaUhip to the dauphin of 
Viennois, IIST. How long they continued it I knoiv not. The last dauphin of Viennois 
was Humbert, who ceded the title and his estttes to the crown of France, 1345, on con- 
ation of the heir apparent to that crown bearing it. Danphin was formerly a title of 
aonor, ss duke, marquis, &c. is now. 



much this year, and provided themselves handsomely in horses and 
equipage in the best manner they could, each according to his rank, 
and hastened as fast as possible, by the frontiers of Flanders, to Ca- 
lais, where they remained, to wait for the king of England. It hap- 
pened that the king could not come thither with his army by the 
time ajipointed, which caused such numbers to remain at Calais, that 
there were no. lodgings for them, nor stables for their horses. In ad- 
dition to this, bread, wine, hay, oats, and all sorts of provisions, were 
so scarce, that none could be had for money. 

Thus did these mercenary Germans, Bohemians, Brabanters, Flem. 
ings, Hainaulters, both poor and rich, wait from the beginning of 
August until St. Luke's day ; so that many were forced to sell the 
greater part of their jewels. If the king had arrived then, they would 
not have known where to have lodged him and his people, except in 
the castle, for the whole town was occupied. There was also some 
doubt if these lords who had spent their all, would have quitted Calais, 
for the king or any one else, if their expenses had not been allowed 
them. Tlic king had not sent for a fourth part of them. Some came 
out of good- will to him, in hopes of grace and favor; others, with the 
expectation of gaining from the plunder of France. 

The king of England at last ordered the duke of Lancaster to Ca- 
lais, with four hundred men in armor and two thousand archers and 
Welchmen. When the duke came to Calais, he was much rejoiced 
to see so many foreign lords, who made earnest inquiries after the 
king. He excused the king for not coming, on the impossibility of 
getting all preparations ready for so large an aimy by the time he had 
fixed. He then told these lords, that a longer residence there would 
be of no service ; that as he intended making an excursion into 
France, to see what he could find, he entreated of them to accom- 
pany him, ofl'ering to lend to each a sum of money, to pay their land- 
lords and other expenses, as well as to supply them with as much pro. 
vision as their horses could carry. They accepted the duke's proposal, 
for they were ashamed to refuse it: and having had their horses new 
shodden, and packed up their baggage, they set out from Calais in a 
magnificent train, accompanying the duke toward St Omer. They 
might be about two thousand men with armor, without counting the 
archers or footmen. They passed by St. Omer, riding on toward 
Bethune,* which they also left unmolested, and came to Mont St. 
Eloy,t where there was a largo and rich monastery, situated two 
leagues distant from Arras. Here they halted four days, to refresh 
themselves and their horses, as they found a sufficiency for both in 
the monastery. 

When they had robbed and plundered the country round about, 
they advanced until they came to the town of Brave,} which they 
attacked a whole day. A knight-banncrct§ of England was slain 
there, with many others ; for the townsmen defended themselves 
valiantly, owing to a reinforcement which the count de St. Pol and 
the lord de Lameval, witli others, to the amount of two hundred 
lances, hod thrown into the back part of the town. When the Eng- 
lish perceived they could make no impression, they marched off, 
following the course of the river Soiiime, being in great distress for 
bread and wine, until they came to a town called Cherisy,|| where 
they found enough of both. They crossed the river at this last place 
by the bridge, which was not destroyed, and remained there that 
night and the feast of All-Saints. That day, a messenger brought 
the news to the duke, that the king was arrived at Calais, with orders 
for him and his troops to join him immediately. Upon which they 
all returned to Calais. In this expedition was sir Henry of Flan- 
ders, with two hundred lances. From Brabant, there were sir Henry 
de Beautresen, lord of Bergues, the lord Girard de la Harde, and 
lord Franqifc de Halle. t From Hainault, the lord Walter de 
Manny and the lord John de Gommeguines. From Bohemia, sir 
Walter de la Hautepomme, sir Reginald de Bouliant, the lord God- 
frey de Hardueniont, and the lord John his son, the lord Duras, 
Thierry de Ferram, the lord Russe de Jumeppe, the lord Giles Scr- 
ies, the lord John de Berniont, the lord Reginald de Bergehes, and 
many other noblemen. The Germans and mercenaries from strange 
countries, I am unable to name ; therefore, for the present, I shall 
be silent on that head. 



CHAPTER CCVI. 

THE KING OF ENGLAND LEADS A GREAT ARMY INTO FRANCE, DURING 
THE TIME THE KING OF FRANCE WAS A FRISONER IN ENGLAND 
THE ARRANGEMENT OF THE ARMY OF ENGLAND. 

As tlie duke of Lancaster, with his barons and knights, were re- 
turning to Calais, to salute tlie king of England, who was impatient 
to see them, they met, within four leagues of Calais, such a multi- 
tude of people, the whole country was filled with them ; and they 
were so richly armed and dressed out, that it was a pleasure to view 
their arms glittering in the sun, their banners waving in the wind, 
and the whole army inarching slowly in battle array. When the 



* A strong town in Artois. 

t .\ village of .\rtois, diocese of Arras. 

X Braye.sur-9onime— a village in Picardy. 

§ Barnes says it was sir Thomas Murrers, but gives no authority. 

II A village in Picardy, diocese of Noyon. 

^ Sir Francis van Halle was afterwards captain of Calais, and a commissioner fol 
treating of peace with France. He was insLaUed knight of the garter in the 22rd ctoll, 
in Uie room of sir OihoHoUtuid.— ]Jc3W«i.i.'s .iicoymt of the Oarter, No. 50. 



124 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



to eixty year?, that did not go ; so that almost all the earls, barons, 
knights, and squires of the realm went to Dover, except those whom 
the king and his council had ordered to remain to guard his castles, 
bailiwicks, mayoralties, sea-ports, havens, and marches. When all 
were collected together at Dover, and the vessels ready, the king or. 
dered both small and great to assemble at a particular place out of 
the town, where he distinctly told them, that his intentions were to 
pass into France, and never to return until he should have put an end to 
the war, and obtained an honorable and efficient peace; that he 
would die sooner than not accomplish this object ; and that if there 
were any among them who disapproved of what he had said, he 
desired they ft'ould return home. They all approving, embarked on 
board the ships, to the cries of " (4od and St. George !" and arrived 
at Calais two days before the feast of All-Saints, 1359. 



CHAPTER CCVII. 

THE KJMt> OF ESSLAMD LEAVES CALAIS. THE ORDEK OF HIS ARMV IN 
THEIR MARCH THROUGH FICARDY TOWARD EHEIMS. 

When the king of England was arrived at Calais, attended by 
the prince of Wales and three other sons, namely, Lionel earl of 
Ulster, John earl of Richmond, and Edmund, afterwards earl of 
Cambridge, the youngest of the four, with the following lords And 






duke and the above-mentioned lords were come to the king, he re- 
ceived them very graciously, and thanked them much for their ser- 
vices. Shortly afterwards, these mercenary- Germans, Brabanters, 
and Bohemians, having assembled together, informed the king, that, 
having spent their money, and sold their horses and armor, very little 
rem.iined with them for his service, according to the design of their 
coming, and that, if there should be occasion, they had not where, 
withal to return to their own country : they en'reated him, out of 
his generosity, to pay some regard to their situation. The king thus 
replied : " I am but ill prepared at this place to give you a complete 
answer; and, as I imagine, you must all be much fatigued ; if you 
will go and refresh yourselves in Calais for two or three days, I will 
consider your requests this night, and to-morrow will send you such 
an answer as ought to be satisfactory to you in reason, and according 
to my means." These lords then left the king and the duke, and 
advanced toward Calais. When they had marched about half a 
league, they met a great number of handsome wagons, and soon 
after the prince of Wales, who, as well as all his attendants, were 
most brilliantly armed, and in such numbers that the whole country 
seemed covered with them: they marched slowly in close order, as 
if they were about to engage in battle, and always a league or two 
in the rear of the king's division, with their baggage and provisions 
between them ; which arrangement the foreign lords viewed with 
delight. 

These lords attentively con- 
sidered this army, and respect- 
fully saluted the prince, the 
barons, and the other lords that 
were with him. After the prince 
bad courteously and handsomely 
received tliem, like one who 
knew well how^ to do so, on their 
taking leave, they informed him 
also of their poverty and situa. 
tion, beseeching him that he 
would have the goodness to at- 
tend to their necessities. The 
prince listened to them, and 
cheerfully complied with their 
request. They then rode on, 
and came to Calais, where they 
took up their lodgings. The 
second day after they had been 
there, the king of England sent 
them his answer by three worthy 
knights, who told them plainly, 
that the king had not with him 
adequate sums of money to pay 
all their expenses, nor what they 
might perhaps demand : that he 
had brought wath him only suf- 
ficient for the enterprise he had 
tmdertaken : that, however, if 
they thought proper to accom- 
pany him, and partake of his 
good and bad fortune, should 
any success ensue, they should 

partake of it, and largely; but VVak Waoons and BiaoAtiE Traius os thkir March. From Authorities of the Fifteenth Century. Engraved and de«ril)e<i 
that he would not be understood in Grose's Military Antiquities, 

as obliged to pay them any 

wages, nor anything for horsea ^ 

destroyed, or other expenses which they might be put to ; for he i their attendants, he ordered the cavalry, provision, and baggage, 
had brought an army from his own country equal to the business to be landed, and remained there four days. He then commanded 
that he had undertaken. This answer was not very agreeable to every man to get ready ; for he was desirous of marching after his 




these lords, nor to their companions, who had labored hard, and 
expended their all; they had also pawned their horses and armor, 
having sold everything superfluous through necessity. Nevertheless, 
they could obtain nothing except some small sums lent them to 
carry them home again. However, some of these noblemen chose 
to remain with the king and share his adventures ; for they would 
have been blamed if they had gone back to their own country with. 
out having done anything. 

I shall now point out the manner of the arrangement of the king 
of England's forces, which he brought with him for this expedition. 
It ought not to be passed over in silence, for so large an army^ had 
never left England before. Previous to the king's embarking for 
France, he sent all the French earls and barons, his prisoners, into 
different parts and strong castles in his kingdom, in order to be more 
under command. He placed the king of France in the Tower of 
London, -which is very large and strong, and situated on the river 
Thames: his young son Philip was sent thither with him : but they 
were deprived of many of their attendants, curtailed in several com- 
forts, and more closely confined than before. 

When he was ready to set out, he summoned all those who had 
provided themselves with everything necessary to attend him in 
France, to advance toward Dover, where tliey would find vessels to 
cross the sea. Each man got himself ready as fast as he could : 
there was not knight, squire, or man of honor, from tlie age of twenty 



* Or so well ordered.— Lord Bermers. 



cousin the duke of Lancaster. 

He left the town of Calais on the next morning, and took the field 
with the largest army and best appointed train of baggage-wagons, 
that had ever quitted England. It was said, there were upward of 
six thousand carts and wagons, which had all been brought with him. 
He then arranged his battalions : they were so richly and well. 
dressed that it was a pleasure to look at them : he nominated his 
cousin the earl of March, whom he much loved, his constable. 

First marched five hundred knights, well armed, and a thousand 
archers, in the van of the king's battalion, which was composed of 
three thousand men-at-arms and five thousand archers ; himself and 
attendants riding among them in close order after the constable. In 
the rear of the king's battalion, was the immense baggage train, 
which occupied two leagues in length : it consisted of upward of five 
thousand carriages, with a sufficiency of horses to cairy the provision 
for the army, and those utensils never before accustomed to be car. 
tied after an army, such as hand-mills to grind their corn, ovens to 
bake their bread, and a variety of other necessary articles. Next 
marched the strong battalion of the prince of Wales : he was accora. 
panied by his brothers : it was composed of full two thousand men. 
at-arms, most excellently mounted and richly dressed. Both the 
mcn-at-anns and archers marched in close order, so that tliey were 
ready instantly to engage, should there be occasion. On their march, 
they did not leave even a boy behind them without waiting for them, 
so that they could not well advance more than four leagues a-day. 

In this state, they were met by the duke of Lancaster with the 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, Sec. 



135 



foreign lords, as lias been before related, between Calais and the 
abbey of Licques,* in a handsome plain. There were also, in this 
army of the king of England, five hundred pioneers with spades and 
pick-axes, to level the roads, and cut down trees and hedges, for the 
more easily passing of the carriages. 

I wish now to name tlie great lords of England who crossed the 
sea with the king, and the duke of Lancaster his cousin.german : 
First then, there were his four sons already named ; Henry duke of 
Lancaster; John earl of March, constable of England; the earls of 
War\vick and v^uffolk, marshals of England; the earls of Hereford, 
Northampton, Salisbury, Stamford, O.xford ; the bishops of Lincoln 
and Durham ; the lords Percy, Neville, Despcnser, Roos, Manny, 
Reginald Cobham, Mowbray, Delaware ; sir John Chandos, sir 
Richard Pembridge,t the lord Maine, the lord Willoughby, the lord 
Felton, the lord Basset, the lord Charlton, t the lord Silvancier;t sir 
James Audley, sir Bartholomew de Burghersh, the lord Scales, sir 
Stephen Cossington, sir Hugh Hastings, sir John Lisle, sir Nesle 
Loring, and a great many others whom I cannot recollect. 

These lords then rode on in the same order I mentioned on their 
quitting Calais, and marched through Artois, passing by Arras, taking 
the same road which the duke of Lancaster had done before. They, 
however, could not find any provision in the flat countries, for every- 
thing had been carried into the different garrisons. The country 
had been so pillaged and destroyed, that the ground had not been 
cultivated for the last three years ; and there was such distress and 
famine in the kingdom of France, that if corn and oats had not been 
sent from HainauU and the Cambresis, into Artois, Vormandois, the 
bishopric of Laon, and Rheims, must have died with hunger. It was 
upon this account, that the king, who had been informed of the 
poverty and distress in France, had made such ample provision be- 
fore he quitted England. Each lord had done the same according 
to his rank, except in the articles of straw and oats, and for that they 
did with their horses as well as they could. The season, however, 
was very rainy, whicli hurt greatly both themselves and their horses ; 
for almost every day and night it rained in torrents, so that the vin. 
tage of this year was worth nothing. 

The king continued his march, by short journeys, with his whole 
army, until he came near Bapaume.§ I must notice here an adven- 
ture which bcfel sir Galahaut de Ribemmont, a very gallant and expert 
knight of Picardy. I will first inform you, that all the towns, cities, 
and castles, near the road that the king of England was following, 
were well guarded ; for each town in Picardy took and received 
knights and squires into their pay. The count de St. Pol had posted 
himself, witli two hundred knights, in Arras ; the constable of 
France in .'Vniiens ; the lord de Monsault in Corbie ; sir Odart de 
Renty and sir Enguerrant de Hedin in Bapaimie ; tir Baldwin de 
Annequin, captain of the cross-bowmen, in St. Quciitin : and thus 
from city to city, for it was well known to all that the king of Eng- 
land was marcing to lay siege to the city of Rheims. It happened, 
that the inhabitants of Peronne in Vermandois had neither captain 
nor leader ; and as their town was on the line of march the king 
was taking, and the English very near, they were not at their ease. 
This town is situated upon the river Somme ; and the English ful- 
lowed the course of the rivers in preference ; they bethought them- 
selves, therefore, of sir Galahaut de Ribemmont, who was not at that 
time engaged to any town, and, as they had heard, was at Tournay. 
They sent thither to him most courteous letters, to entreat that he 
would come to assist in guarding the good town of Peronne, and 
bring as many companions as were attached to him ; that they would 
pay him evei-y day, for himself, twenty livres ; for each knight under 
him, ten livres ; and each lance having three horses, seven livresjj 
B-day. 

Sir Galahaut was always eager for any warlike enterprise, and, 
finding himself thus courteously sought after by his neighbors oi^ 
Peronne, readily complied with their request, and answered, that he 
would set out and be with them the day after the morrow. He left 
Tournay with about thirty lances ; but his numbers, as he rode on, 
increased. He sent to sir Roger de Cologne, to meet him at an ap. 
pointed place, which sir Roger did, accompanied by nineteen good 
companions, so that sir Galahaut had now fifty lances. They took 
up their quarters one night, in their way to Peronne, within two short 
leagues of the enemy, at a village, but where they found no one, for 
ail the inhabitants of the low countries had fled to the fortified towns. 
On the next morning, they were to have got into Peronne, as they 
_ were but a small distance from it. About the hour of midnioht, 
when supper was over, after they had posted their watch, they were 
chatting and jesting about feats of arms, of which they had where- 
withal to talk, sir Galahaut said : " We shall get into Peronne very 
early to-morrow morning ; but, before we make our entry there, I 
would propose an excursion toward the flanks of our enemies ; for I 
shall be much mistaken, if there will not be some of them who will 

* Licques— a smalltown in Picardy. sovereignty of Ardree. 

t Sir Ricl.ard Perobridse is buried in Henefbrd caOiednil. See Cough's Sepulchral 
Monuments. 

i In ray MSS. it is Corbanlmi and .Silvnncier. Barnes snys, there was lord John 
Charlton, who was chamberlain to the kin? ; bur who Hilvancier is, I cannot find out 
Lord Berncri repeautlie word, and calls the first lord Grabalton. 

5 Bapaume— a strong town in Artois. diocese of ^rras. 

i; All my conies, MS. as well as printed. hnvevr«-/r,-m:» day; butosDenysSauvage 
ha, altered u to setm and says Ihat other authors say seven, and partKularly >s La 
CTiuui marba it clearly vu., I have tierefore followed it. 



set out early in hopes of gaining honor or booty by pillaging the 
country; and we may perchance meet with them, and make them 
pay our score. His companions immediately agreoid to this proposal, 
kept it secret among themselves, and were ready with their horses 
saddled at break of day. They took the field in good order, and, 
leaving the road which led to Peronne, skirted the woods to see if 
they could meet with any one : they arrived at a village, the inhabit, 
ants of which had fortified the church : sir Galahaut dismounted at 
this place, where there was wine, with bread and meat in plenty, 
which were offered to them by those within. While they were at 
this place, sir Galahaut called to him two of his squires, one of whom 
was Bridoul de Tallonnc, and said to them : " Ride forward, and 
examine the country round, to see if you c*n perceive any one : and, 
if you find nothing, return here to us : we will wait for you." The 
two squires set off, mounted on good horses, and made for a wood 
which was about half a French league distant. 

The same morning, sir Reginald de BouUant, a German knight 
belonging to the duke of Lancaster's division, had rode forth since 
daybreak, and, having made a large circuit without seeing any one, 
had halted at that spot. The two squires, being come thither, in)^. 
ined they might be some persons of the country, who had placed 
themselves there in ambuscade, and rode so near that each party saw 
the other. The two Frenchmen, therefore, consulted together, and 
said, " If they be Germans, we must pretend we belong to them : if 
they be of this part of the country, we will tell them who we are.'* 
When they were so near each other that they could speak, the two 
squires soon perceived, by their uniforms, that they were Germans 
and their enemies. Sir Reginald de BouUant spoke to them in 
German, and inquired whose soldiers they were. Bridoul de Tal- 
lonne, who well Mnderstood that language, answered, "We belong 
to sir Bartholomew Burghersh." "And where is sir Bartholomew ?" 
" He is," replied he, " in that village." " For what reason has he 
stopped there ?" " Sir, because he has sent us forward, to see if 
we can find anything to forage in this part of the country." " By 
my faith, there is not," answered sir Reginald ; " for I have been all 
over it, and have not been able to pick up anything. Return to him, 
and tell him to advance, and we will ride together as far as St. 
Quentin, and see if we cannot find out a better country, or some 
good adventure." "And who are you?" demanded the squire. "I 
am called Reginald de BouUant," answered the knight, " and say so 
to sir Bartholomew." Upon this the two squires turned about, and 
went to the village where they had left their master. As soon as sir 
Galahaut saw them, he asked, "What news? have you found or 
seen anything?" "Yes, sir, enough, in conscience: beyond this 
wood is sir Reginald de DouUant, with about thirty more : be has 
been riding about this neighborhood all this morning, and desires 
much to have your company to ride further forward toward St. 
Quentin." "How," replied sir Galahaut, "what are 5-ou saying ? 
sir Reginald de BouUant is a German knight, and in the ;ervice of 
England." "All this we know well," answered the squire. "Then 
how could you get away from him?" " Sir," said Bridoul, " I will 
tell you." He then related to him all that conversation v.hich has 
just been mentioned. 

When sir Galahaut heard what had passed, he was for a moment 
thoughtful, and then asked the opinions of sir Roger de Cologne and 
some other knights present, what was best to be done. The knights 
answered, " Sir, you are seeking for adventures, and, when they fall 
into your mouth, take advantage of them, for by all means, allowed 
by the laws of arms, every man ought to molest his enemy." To 
this advice sir Galahaut cheerfully assented, for he was very desirous 
of meeting the Germans. He ordered his steed to be got ready, and 
put on his helmet with the visor down, that he might not he known: 
the rest did the same. They quitted the viUage, and. getting into 
the fields, rode to the right for the wood, where sir Reginald was 
waiting for them. They might be about seventy men-at-arms, and 
sir Reginald had but thirty. As soon as sir Reginald perceived them 
advancing, he collected his men together in a very orderly manner, 
and thus left his ambuscade, with his pennon displayed before him, 
and marched with a gentle pace to meet tlie French, whom he be- 
lieved to be English. When he was come up with them, he raised 
his visor, and saluted sir Galahaut, by the name of sir Bartholomew 
Burghersh. Sir Galahaut kept his face covered, and replied in a low 
voice, adding, " Come, come, let us ride on." Upon which, his 
people drew off on one side, and the Germans on the other. When 
sir Reginald de BouUant noticed his manner, and that sir Galahaut 
was eyeing him askance without saying a word, sorne doubts entered 
his mind. He had not rode a quarter of an hour before he stopped 
short, under his banner, in the midst of his people, and said aloud : 
"Ihave somesuspicions, sir knight, that you are not sir Bartholomew 
de Burghersh ; for I am well acquainted with sir Bartholomew, and 
hitherto I have not seen your face ; therefore, you must tell me your 
real name, before I ride any farther in your company." At these 
words, sir Galahaut raised his visor, and advanced toward the knight, 
in order to seize the reins of his horse, crying out, " Our Lady of 
Ribemmont I" which was echoed by sir Roger de Cologne, crying, 
" Cologne to the rescue I ' 

Sir Reginald, perceiving his mistake, was not much frightened, 
but laying his hand quickly on his sword of war, which he wore by 
his side, that was both stiff and strong, drew it out of the scabbard ; 



126 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, PPAIN. &.e. 



and, as sir Galahaut advanced to take the bridle, sir HcgmM gave 
him 30 furious a stroke with this sword, that it penetrated the armor, 
and passed tlirough his body. Having drawn it back again, he stuck 
spurs in his horse, and left sir Galahaut grievously wounded. 

The companions of sir Galahaut, perceiving their master and cap- 
tain in such a condition, were like madmen : they threw themselves 
up, and attacked the party of sir Reginald most fiercely, when some of 
iiem were unhorsed. As for sir Reginald himself, he had no sooner 
struck sir Galahaut, than, clap- 
ping spurs to his horse, he had 
galloped oft'. Some of sir Gal- 
ahaut's squires pursued Jiim, 
while others were engaged 
with the Germans, with the in- 
lention of being fully revenged: 
but sir Reginald, who was a 
bold and accomplished knight, 
was not much alarmed : how- 
ever, when he found himself so 
cfosely pursued, that it was pro. 
per to turn about or be dis- 
graced, he wheeled round, and 
struck the nearest so violently 
witli his strong sword, that he 
had not any desire to follow 
him further: thus, as he was 
Tiding off, he beat down and 
severely wounded three ; and 
had lie had a sharp battle-axe 
in his hand, every one of his 
strokes would have killed a 
man. In this manner did the 
knight escape from the French, 
without receiving the smallest 
wound, which his enemies, as 
well as all those who heard of 
it, considered as a most gal- 
lant act : but it fared otherwise 
with his people, as they were 
almost all killed or made pris- 
oners, scarcely any escaping. 
They placed sir Galahaut de 
Ribemmont, who was very se- 
verely wounded, on a litter, 
and carried him to Peronne to 
a physician. He was never 
perfectly cured of this wound; 
lor he was a knight of such 
courage that he would not al- 
low it time to heal, so that he died shortly al'terwards. 

We will now return to the king of England, and relate how he 
laid siege to the city and castle of Rheims. 



Burghersb, in riding toward St. Qiientin, accidentally met the 
governor of that place, sir Baldwin d'Annequin, when both riders 
and horses met together: there was great confusion, and many were 
unhorsed on each side ; but in the end the English gained the field, 
and sir Baldwin d'Annequin was captured by sir Bartholomew Bnrg- 
hersh, to whom he had been before a prisoner at the battle of 
Poitiers. 

The Erofiish returned to the king, who that day was lodged in 




CHAPTER CCVIII. 

THE KIXG OF ENGLAND LAVS SIEGE TO THE CITY OF KHEIMS, AND TO THE 
CASTLE OF CHAKaNY. THE WAR RECOMMENCES BETWEEN THE DUKE 
OF NORMANDY AND THE KING OF NAVARRE. ^ 

The English continued their march, until they had passed through 
Artois, the low country of which they found in great i)ovcrty and 
distress for provisions, and had entered Cambresis, \vhe.re all tilings 
were in greater abundance : for the inhabitants of the plains had not 
carried their provisions into any fortresses, thinking themselves secure 
from the English, as forming a dependence of the empire ; but the 
king of England did not consider them in that light, nor look upon 
Cambresis as part of the empire. 

The king took up his quarters in the town of Beaurevoir in Cam- 
bresis, encamping his army in the neighborhood, where they halted 
four days to refresh themselves and Iiorsep, and from whence they 
overran the greater part of the country of Cambresis. The bishop, 
Peter of Cambray, and the councils of the lords of the country and 
the principal tcrwns, sent divers messengers, under a passport, to 
inquire the grounds of the war. They received for answer, that 
some time ago they had contracted alliances with the French, had 
aided them much, had supported them in their towns and fortresse.=, 
and had before made part in the war as enemies : that these were 
the reasons why the war was carried on in their country : nor could 
ihey get any other answer. The Cambresians were therefore obliged 
to put up with their losses and grievances as well as they could. 
The king continued his route through Cambresis, and entered 
Tierache ;* but his people overran the country to the right and left, 
and took provisions wherever they could lay hands on llieni. It 
chanced, that in one of these foraging parties sir Bartholomew 

* Tierache-^a fertile country in Picardy, watered by the OiMj and the Bene, to the 
west of Champagne, and south of HaioauJt. 



Rbeiks. The Cathedral and part of the old town, as it appeared during the Siege. Designed from Original sketches. 



the abbey of Femy,* where they found great plenty of provisions 
for themselves and horses ; they tiien passed on, and continued their 
march without any hindrance, so that they arrived in the environs 
of Rheims. 

The king's quarters were at St. Waal beyond Rheims, and the 
prince of Wales's at St. Thierry,! where they held their courts. 
The duke of Lancaster, after them, kept the greale.«t household. 
The couiits, barons, and knights, were quartered in the neighboring 
villages to Rheims, so that they were not very comfortable, nor had' 
they weather to please them ; for they had arrived there in the depth 
of winter, about St. Andrew's day, when it was very rainy : their 
horses were badly housed, hardly treated, and ill fed, as the whole 
country was so destroyed, by having been for two or three years 
before the theatre of war, that no one had tilled or sowed the ground* 
There was such scarcity of corn of all sorts, many were forced to 
seek forage ten or twelve leagues off. These parties met frequently 
with the garrisons of the neighboring fortresses : sharp skiniiishes 
ensued between them : sometimes the English lost, at others were 
victorious. 

Sir John de Craon, archbishop of Rheims, the count de Porcien, 
sir Hugh de Porcien his brother, the lord de la Bone, the lord de 
Canency, the lord Dannore, the lord de Lore, were governors and 
captains of the town at the time the king of England besieged it. 
Many other barons, knights and squires of the district of Rheims 
were also there, who exerted themselves so much 'that the town suf- 
fered but little loss or damage from the siege : besides, it was strong, ' 
well fortified, and as well defended. The king of England was not 
desirous of storming it, lest his army might suffer too much from 
i wounds or fatigue ; he remained, therefore, before it, from St. An. 
drew's day to the beginning of Lent. Detachments from his army, 
however, scoured the country in search of adventures. Some of 
them went over the whole country of Rhetel, as far as Warq,t to 
Maisicres,§ Doncliery,|| and Mouson :T they quartered themselves 



* remy— a village in Cambresis, on tlie borders of Hainault. 

I t?t. Thierry— a small village in Champagne, diocese of Kheims. 
X Warq-les-Maisoiis— a village of Champagne, election of Rhetel. 

§ Mezieres— a strong city of Champagne, diocese of Rheims, election of Rhetel. 

II Donchery— a town oi Cliunipagne, on the .Meuse, dioee^e of Kheini5, election ef 
Rhelfi. 

IT Mouson— a town of Champagne, diocese of Rheims. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



127 



ta the country for three or four days ; and after having pillaged it 
^thout let or hindrance, they returned again to their army. 

During the time that tlie king of England was before Rheims, sir 
Eustace d'Ainbrelicourt had taken the good town of Achery-sur- 
Aine ;* in which he had found a great quantity of provisions, and, 
in particular, upward of three thousand butts of wine. He sent a 
large portion of it to the king of England and his sons, for which 
they were very thankfid. 

While this siege lasted, many knights left it, to seek what good 
fortune they might find. Among others, sir John Chandos, sir James 
Audlcy, the lord of Mucident, sir Richard de Ponlchardon, with their 
companies, advanced so near to Chalons in Champagne, that thry 
came to Cliargny-en-Dornois,t where there was a very handsome 
and strong castle. Having carefully examined it, they were very 
desirous of gaining this ca.'Jtle, and directly made an assault on it. 
Within it were two good and valiant knights as governors : the name 
of one was sir John do Caplcs, who bore for arms a cross anchored 
sable on a shield or. 

The attack was sharp and long : the two knights and their garrison 
defended themselves well : and it behoved them so to do, for they 
were assaulted very roughly. The lord of Mucident, who was a 
powerful and rich lord in Gascony, advanced so forward at this at- 
tack, that he received a severe blow from a stone on his helmet, 
through which it found a passage to his head : he was so badly 
wounded, that he could not be carried away, but died in the arms 
of his people. The other barons and knights were so enraged at the 
death of the lord of Mucident, they swore they would never quit the 
place until they had conquered the castle, and all that were in it. 
They renewed the assault with double vigor : many gallant deeds 
were performed : for the Gascons, being irritated by the loss of their 
lord, rushed mto the ditches, close to the walls of the castle, without 
sparing themselves, and, placing their shields over their heads, clindjcd 
up them : the archers, in the meantime, kept such a continual volley 
of arrows, that no one dared to appear. I'he castle was so briskly 
assaulted, that it was won, but it cost them dear. When the English 
were masters of it, they made the tvvo knights prisoners who had so 
valiantly defended it, and some other squires and gentlemen: the 
rest of the garrison they put to the sword. They destroyed much 
of the castle of Chargny. because they did not wish to keep it, and 
returned to the ki:ig and his barons, to relate v.-hat they had performed. 

During the time they were before Rheims, great animosities and 
hatred arose between the king of Navarre and the duke of Normandy. 
I am not perfectly well informed of the real cause, t but so it was, 
for the king of Navarre quitted Paris suddenly, and went to Mantes- 
sur-Seine, from whence he sent his challenge to the duke and his 
brothers. Many a baron was much surprised at this, and wondered 
for what cause the war was to be renewed. However, a squire 
from Brussels, whose name was Waustre Ostrate, under pretence of 
this war took the strong castle of RouUeboise upon the Seine, a short 
league from Mantes, which was afterwards a great annoyance to the 
Parisians and all the neighborhood. 

While the king of England was besieging Rheims, with his whole 
army, it happened that the lord Gomegines, who had returned to the 
qneen in England, at the time the king of England had sent all 
strangers out of Calais, as had been before related, repassed the sea, 
and with him some squires of Gascony and England, who accompa. 
nied him into Hainault, intending to join the army before Rheims. 
The young lord of Gomegines, being eager to advance himself, col- 
lected some men together on his return to Hainault. Many men.at. 
anns joined him, and served under his pennon. When they were 
all assembled, they might amount to about three hundred. They 
set out from Maubeuge,§ where they had been mustered, and came 
to Avesnes,|| which they pa.ssed through, and then to Trelon.lf 

The lord of Roye, at this period, was in garrison at Roye** in 
Tierache : there were a great many companions with him, as well 
knights as squires ; and he had been informed, by the spies he kept 
in pay on the borders of Hainault, of the lord of Gomegines having 
collected a body of forces, which he was marching to the assistance 
of the king of England before Rheims, and that he and his troops 
must pass through Tierache. As soon as the lord of Roye had as- 
certained the truth of this intelligence, he communicated it secretly 
to all his fellow.soldiers in the neighborhood, and particularly to the 
lord Robert, canon de Robersart, who at that time inanaged the estates 
of the young carl de Courcy, and resided in the castle of Marle.tt 
When the canon heard it, lie was not slow in obeying the summons, 
but came to the lord of Roye with full forty lances. The lord of 
Roye was chosen chief of this expedition, as indeed he had reason 
to expect, for he was a powerful baron in Picardy, and for the times 



* Acliery— a town in Picardy, on tlie Oise, diocese of Laon. The river Airio falls into 
the Oise noiir Conipiegne. 

t Dormois— a country of Cli.inina^ne. diocese of Rheims. 

t Probably occasioned by the kins of Navarre's treason.ible designs being discovered. 
£?ee Vdlaret's Hist, of France, pp. 216. &c. It is said tjiere, tliat Die castje of RouUe- 
boise was taken by one of the king of Navarre's captains. 

§ A strong town in Hainault, on tlie Sanibre, diocese nf Ciinibray. 

II Avesnes— a strong town in Hainault, diocese of Cambray. 

IT Trelon— a village in Flanders, near Avesnes. 

** Eoye— a strong town in Picardy. My printed copies have it Ray, two M.=!S. Roy, 
onie Rosoy. 

tf Marie— a town in Picardy. diocese of Laon. 



was a good man, and a gallant soldier, much renowned, and well 
spoken of in various places. 

These French men-at-arms, who might amount to three hundred, 
posted themselves in ambuscade, on the road the lord of Gomegines 
and his troops must necessarily pass, who was quite ignorant of their 
intentions, and who thought to continue his march unmolested ; he 
entered, therefore, Tierache, and taking the road to Rheims, came 
very early in the morning to a village called Habergny,* where they 
determined to halt for a short time to refresh themselves and horses, 
and then to continue their route without any more delay. They 
dismounted in this village, and began to make preparations for feed, 
ing their horses. While his companions were thus employed, the 
lord of Gomegines, who was then young and wilful, said, he would 
ride out of the village to see if he could not meet with something 
better to forage. He called to him five or six of his companions, 
and Christopher de Murt his squire, who bore his pennon : they 
quitted the village furiously, but without any order or regularity. 

It happened that the French knights and their troojis were in am- 
buscade near thi5 village : they had followed them the preceding day 
and night, in order that they might combat them with more certainty ; 
and, if a proper opportunity had not offered itself in the plain, they 
intended to have entered the village, for the purpose of attacking 
them ; but the lord of Gomegines fell into their hands. When the 
French lords perceived the lord of Gomegines and his company ad- 
vancing on this secret excursion, they were at first surprised, and 
could not conceive who they might be. They sent two scouts on 
the look-out, who brought back word that they were enemies. This 
news was no sooner heard than they quitted their ambuscade, each 
crrying out, "Roye, for the lord of Roye !" The knights advanced 
before the lord nf Roye, who had his banner displayed in front. 
There were sir Flamen de Roye his cousin, sir Lewis de Robersart, 
the canon de Robersart his brother, who was a squire, sir Tristrant 
de Bonne-roye, and others, each armed according to his condition, 
with their swords hanging to their wrists, and their spears couched, 
toward their enemies, crying out, " Roye, for the lord of Roye 1" 

When the lord of Gomegines perceived the ambuscade he had 
fallen into, he was much astonished ; but he determined to stand his 
ground, and wait his enemies, for both himself and followers dis- 
dained to fly : they couched their spears, and formed themselves in 
order of battle. The French, being well mounted, charged these 
English and Gascons, who were not very numerous ; and, at the first 
charge, the lord of Gomegines was run through with a spear, and 
had not afterwards an opportunity, from the situation of the place, 
to remount his horse. His people fought valiantly, and many gallant 
deeds were done ; but in the end the lord of Gomegines could not 
hold out : he was therefore made pri-soner, on his parole. Two of 
his squires had fought valiantly, but were forced to yield, or they 
would have heen slain, as well as Christopher de Mur, a valiant 
squire, who bore the pennon of the lord of Gomegines. To make 
an end of this affair, all those of the Gomegine party were either 
slain or made prisoners, except the valets, who being well mounted, 
saved themselves by flight. No pursuit was made after them, more 
weighty considerations occupying their enemies. 



CHAPTER CCIX. 

TUE LOUD OF KOYE AND HIS COMPANY DEFEAT THE REMAINDER OF THE 
TROOPS OF THE LORD OF GOMEGINES. THE CASTLE OF COMHERCVt 
SURRENDERS TO THE ENGLISH. 

The knights who had taken the lord of Gomegines, and overthrown 
all those who had followed him out of the village, did not wish to lose 
time, but. putting spurs to their horses, galloped into the above-men- 
tioned village, calling out, "Roye, for the lord of Roye!" Those 
who were there were much alarmed at this cry, and surprised to find 
their enemies so near them, as they were chiefly disarmed and scat- 
tered about, so that they could not rally nor collect together. The 
French made prisoners of them at their pleasure, in houses, barns, 
and ovens: and the canon de Robersart had many who surrendered 
themselves to him, because his banners were better known than those 
of the others. It is true, indeed, that some of them retreated to a 
small fortified house, surrounded by a moat, which is situate in this 
village of Harcigny, and consulteel among themselves whether to 
defend it until the king of England, who was before Rheims, might 
hear of their disaster (for the mansion could very soon be made strong 
enough to enable them to hold out,) when they thought, that as soon 
as he should know of their situation, he would without doubt send 
forces to relieve them. While they were thus debating, the lord of 
Roye and his companions came before it, and said to them : " Listen, 
gentlemen ; if you force us to make the slightest attack, we will not 
suffer any one of you to escape death ; for, if we begin, we will con. 
tinne the attack until we take it." These and such. like words threw 
them into confusion, and even the boldest were alarmed : they sur- 
rendered, therefore, on having their lives spared. They were all 



* Habergny. Barnes calls it Harcigny, which is a village in Picardy. diocese of Laon. 
Ilabergny is not in the Gazetteer. 

t Barnes makes him an Englishman, of the name of Moor, but I see no cause for it. 

i Commercy is not in the Gazetteer. Barnes calls it Cormicy, which is a town ia 
Champngne, diocese of Rheims. 



128 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



made prisoners, and sent to the castle of Coucy, and the other gar- 
risons from whence tlie French had marched. This disaster happened 
to the lord of Gomegincs and iiis parly about Christmas, 1359. When 
the king of England was informed of it, he was mightily enraged ; 
but he could not amend it. 

We will now return to the siege of Rheims, and speak of an ad. 
venture which happened to sir Bartholomew Burghersh, who had 
laid siege to the town and castle of Cormicy, in which was a knight 
of Champagne, whose name was sir Henry de Vaulx ; he wore black 
armor, and bore for arms five almonds argent on a field sable : his 
war-cry was " Viane."* 

During this siege of Rheims, the earls, barons, and great lords 
■were quartered in Ihe neighborhood, as you have before heard, in 
order to prevent any provision being carried into that city. Among 
them was sir Bartholomew Burghersh, a great baron of England : he 
and his suite, with his company of archers and men-at-arms, were 
lodged near Cormicy, where there is a handsome castle belonging to 
the archbishop of Rheims, who had put into it the knight before- 
mentioned, with many good companions, to guard it against their 
enemies. They were far from fearing any attack ; for the castle 
had a large square tower, whose walls were very thick, and it was 
•well furnished with arms of defence. 

When sir Bartholomew had surrounded this castle, and, by well 
reconnoitering its strength, found he could not take it by assault, he 
ordered a number of miners, whom lie had with him in his pay, to 
get themselves ready and do their duty in undermining the fortress, 
when he would reward them handsomely: upon which they replied, 
they would cheerfully undertake it. The miners immediatelv broke 
ground, and, having lodged themselves in their mine, worked night 
and day : insomuch that they advanced far under the great tower ; 
and, as they pushed forward, they propped up the work, that those 
within knew nothing of it. When they had thus completed their 
mine so that they could throw down the tower when they chose, 
they came to sir Bartholomew Burghersh, and said to him : " Sir, 
we have carried our works so far that this tower, great as it is, shall 
be thrown down whenever you please." " It is well," replied sir 
Bartholomew, " but do nothing more without my orders :" to which 
they willingly consented. The knight immediately mounted his 
steed ; and taking John de Guistellest with him, who was one of 
his companions, they advanced to the castle, and sir Bartholomew 
made a signal that he wished to have a parley with those within. 
Upon this, sir Henry came forward on the battlements, and demanded 
what he wanted. " I want you to surrender," replied sir Bartholo. 
mew, " or you will all infallibly be destroyed." " By what means ?" 
answered the French knight, who began to laugh ; " we are per- 
fectly well supplied with everything ; and you wish us thus simply 
to surrender : certainly it shall not be to-day," added sir Henry. 
"Certainly," said the English knight, "if you were truly informed 
what your situation is, you would surrender instantly, without more 
words." " Why, what is our situation ?" demanded sir Henry. 
" If you will come out, upon my assurance of your safety, I will 
show you," replied sir Bartholomew. Sir Henry accepted the con. 
dition, and came out of the fortress, witn only three others, to sir 
Bartholomew and John de Guistelles, who immediately conducted 
them to the mine, and showed them that the great tower was only 
supported on props of wood. 

When the French knight saw the peril he and his garrison were 
in, he told sir Bartholomew, that he had very good reasons for wOiat 
he had said, and that his proceedings were truly gallant and noble : 
" Wc shall therefore surrender ourselves to your will." Sir Bartho- 
lomew took them all his prisoners, made them leave the tower one 
after the other with their baggage, and then set fire to the mine. 
The timber was soon on fire ; and, when the props were burnt, the 
tower, which was e.\tremely large, opened in two places, and fell on 
the opposite side to where sir Bartholomew was standing, who said 
to sir Henry and the garrison of the fortress, " Now, see if I did not 
tell you the truth." " We own it, sir," replied they, " and remain 
prisoners at your pleasure. We also return" you our best thanks for 
your kindness to us ; for if the Jacquerie, who formerly overran this 
country, had had the same advantage over us that you have, they 
would not have acted so generously." Thus were all the garrison 
of Cormicy made prisoners, and the castle thrown to the ground. 

The king of England remained before Rheims for upward of seven 
weeks, but never made any assault upon it, as it would have been 
useless. He began to tire ; and as his army found great difliculties 
m obtaining forage and provision, their horses perished. He broke 
up his camp, and marched ofl' toward Chalons, in Champagne, in the 
same order as before. The king and his armv passed very near to 
Chalons, and sat down before Bar-sur-.-Vube, and afterwards before 
the city of Troycs. He took up his quarters at Mery-sur-Seine.t 

The whole army lay between Mcry and Troycs, which is reckoned 
to be eight leagues di stant from each other. While he was at Mery- 

„* '" ^" ''"' printed books I liave seen, liis name is Henry de Noir, but ut tlie end il U 
Henri de Vaulx. My two MSS. liavo, " Mcssire Jlonri de Vaul.«, ct s'armoit ledit 
messire Henri, de noir a cinq nmans d'nrgent, et criet Viane." 

a. Amans— not in any of my dictionaries. Mr. Lodge supposes they must mean 
almonds. 



sur-Seine, his constable,* who commanded always the van battalion, 
advanced and came before St. Florentin,t which wa,s under the com- 
mand of sir Odoart de Rency ; and, after having displayed his 
banner (which was blazoned, or and azure, a cliief pally, and at 
each of the two corners girons, and an escutcheon argent in the 
midst of the shield,) before the gate of the fortress, made a fierce 
attack on it, but in vain. The king of England and his whole army 
came and took up their quarters at Saint Florentin and the neigh, 
borhood, on the banks of the river Arman^on.t When tlicy marched 
from thence, they came before Tonnerrc,^ which was so briskly 
attacked, tho town was won, but not the castle. The English, how. 
ever, found in that town upward of three thousand butts of wine, 
which were of great service to them. 

At this period the lord de Fiennes, constable of France, was in 
the city of Auxerrell witi; a number of men-at-arms. 



t Amans, in Norman French, mean diamonds, or, in heraldic phrase, lozenges; the 
arms of Henri de Noir or de Vaulx, are not given in D. Sauvage's or Lord Berneis.-ED.l 
t Rjures calls him lord John de Botetourt : but he gives no authority for it. 
., Mery-sur-Seine-diocese and election of T royes, veven leagues from Troyes. 



CHAPTER CCX. 

TnE KINS OF ENSLAND, AFTER HE HAD RAISED THE SIEGE OF RHEIMS, 
WASTES AND DESTROYS ALL THE COtJNTRIES HE PASSES THROUGH. 
HE COMES TO GUILI.ON, WHERE HE REMAINS. GREAT QVANTITIES 
OF PROVISION FOLLOW THE ARMY. 

The king of England and his army remained five days in Ton. 
nerre, on account of the good wines he found there. The castle was 
often assaulted : but it was well provided with men-at-arms, com- 
manded by sir Baldwin d'Annequin, master of the cross-bows. 
When they had well reposed and refreshed themselves in Tonnerre, 
they marched off, and crossed the river Arman^on. The king of 
England left the road to Au.xerre on his right hand, and took that 
which leads to Noyers:1i his intentions were to enter Burgundy and 
pass his Lent there. He and his whole army marched above Noyers ; 
but ho would not suft'er any attack to be made on it, as the lord of it 
was his prisoner since the battle of Poitiers. They inarched on for 
their quarters to a town called Montroyal,** situated on a river called 
Sellettes ; and, when the king left it, he went up that river, and pro- 
ceeded straight to take possession of his lodging at Guillen, tt which 
is also on its banks ; for one of his squires, called John d'Alen^on, 
who bore for his arms a scutcheon argent in a field azure, had taken 
the town ofFlavignyJt in its neighborhood, and had found wilhin it 
a sufiiciency of jirovision for the whole army for a month. This 
was very fortunate, as the king remained there from the night of 
-'Vsh-Wednesday until Mid-lent. His marshals and light troops 
scoured the country round, burning and destroying it, and frequently 
bringing to the army fresh provisions. 

I must inform you, that the king of England and his rich lords 
were followed by carts laden with tents, pavilions, mills, and forges, 
to grind their corn and make shoes for their horses, and everything 
of that sort which might be wanting. For this purpose there were 
upward of six thousand carts, each of them drawn by four good and 
strong horses which had been transported from England. Upon 
these carts also were many vessels and small boats, made surpri. 
singly well of boiled leather : they w"cre large enough to contain 
throe men, to enable them to fish any lake or pond, whatever might 
be its size : and they were of great use to the lords and barons during 
Lent: but the commonalty made use of what provisions they could 
get. The king had, besides, thirty falconers on horseback, laden 
with hawks : sixty couple of strong hounds, and as many greyhounds ; 
so that every day he took the pleasure of hunting or fishing either by 
land or water. §§ Many lords had their hawks and hounds as well as 
the king. 

Their army was always in three divisions, and each person kept 
to his division : there was also a vanguard to every one of them, 
and their quarters were one league distant from each other, the king 
being with the third and largest division. This order was constantly 
kept on their march from Calais, until they came before the town of 
Chartres. 

During the time the king of England remained at Guillon, wlicre 
he was living on the provision which John d'Alen^on had found iu 



* Roger earl of Mortimer. See more of liim and his arms, in Ashmole, p. G92. 

Mr. Lodge says, tlie arms of Mortimer have puzzled heralds nt all times ; but tho 
terms heralds now use in blazoning the arms nf Mortimer are these: "Barry of six or 
and azure, and an escutcheon argent ; on a chief of the first lliree pallets of tlie seconti, 
between two girons or." [The arms of Mortimer, fiiveu in Burke's " Extinct, dormant, 
and susiiended Peerages," are as follow: Barry of six or and azure on a chief of the 
first, three pellets between two esquires, bust dexter and sinister, of the second, and an 
escutcheon argent.— Ed.] 

t St. Florentin— situated on the Armani^on, thirteen leagues from Troyes. 

X III the printed copies it is Mouson, but in my MSS. .\rmancon. 

^ Tonnerre— situated on the Armancon, diocese of Langres. 

li It is Dnmpierre in the printed copies. Denys Sauvage thinks it ought to have been 
Auxerre. It is Auxerre in my MSS. 

If Noyers— a town in Burgundy, on the river Serin, diocese of Langres. 

** I cannot find Montroyal, nor the river SelleUes, in tlie GazeUeer. 

It (iuillon— a town in Burgundy, in the bailiwick of Avaloii. 

U Flavigny— a town of Burgundy, situated near the Onzerain, bailiwick of Seinur- 
en-Auxois. 

§§ Lord Berners says " he either hunted or hawked al tlie ricrr." It is not to be sup- 
posed that he or his lords could find much pleasure in fishing in their leather boats or 
coracles, although they were useful to obtain a supply of fish for them in Lent. Tlie 
words in H. Sauvage's ed. are, " Le roy avoit bieii pour lui trenl faiiconioi"s il clie^aJ, 
charges d'oiseaux, et bien soixantes couples de forts cliiens et autant de louriers: dtiit 
il alloi: chdcun jour ou en chace ou en riviere."— Ed. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &,c. 



199 



FInvigny, his thoughts were employed in devising means to keep 
and maintain himself in France. The young duke of Burgundy and 
his council, at the request of liis subjects, sent to the kinij divei-s 
lords and knights, as embassadors to treat with him, so that the 
duchy of Burgundy should not be destroyed or pill-aged. The under, 
named lords accepted this commission : firet, the lord Anselmo de 
Sallins, great chancellor of Burgundy ; sir .lames de Vienne, sir .Tohn 
Derie, sir Hugh de Vienne, sir William de Tlioroise and sir .Tohn de 
Montmartin. These lords managed the ailair so well, and found 
' the king of England in such good humor, that a treaty wa.s soon 
: entered into between them ; and a composition w.ns made, that for 
three years no part of the duchy of Burgundy should be overrun, on 
condition of having 200,000 livrcs paid down.* When this treaty 
was finished and sealed, the king and his whole army dislodged, 
and set out on his return, taking the straight road for Paris, fixing 
his quarters at Avalont upon the river Cousin, below Vezelay.t 

The quarters of his army extended from the river Yonne as far as 
Clamecy,§ to the entrance of the county of Nevers. The English 
entered Gatinois ; and the king made such forced marches that he 
came so near Paris as to take up his quarters within two short 
leagues of it, at Bourg-la.Reine. As he and his aniiy passed through 
the country, they destroyed it on all sides. On the other hand, the 
garrisons which he had in Picardy, Beauvoisis, the I^le of France, 
Champagne and Brie, carried on a continual war, and ruined the 
country. 

The king of Navarre resided in Normandy, and made a cruel 
"War against France, insomuch that that noble kingdom was so griev- 
ously oppressed, it did not know which way to turn itself. 

But above all, sir Eustace d'Ambrcticourt was the most active : 
his quarters were at Cheny-sur-Aisne, where he had a strong garri- 
son of soldiers and men.at-amis, who overran, pillaged and ransomed 
the good county of Rethel, from Donchery to Mezieres, and as far 
as Chesne-le-Pouilleux and Stenay,|l in the county of Bay.^ They 
quartered themselves wherever they chose in all that country, for 
two or three nights, without opposition from any one, and then re- 
turned unmolested to their garrison at Cheny, to refresh and recruit 
themselves. It is true indeed, that all the neighboring lords, knights 
and squires, threatened them much : they met together, and appointed 
different days for their assembling, to take the iield and besiege sir 
Eustace in Ijis casde of Cheny ; but nothing in fact was done. 

It happened that these adventurers (whose whole thoughts, night 
and day, were occupied on the best means of taking towns, and in 
what parts of the country they should find most to pillage) came one 
night to a good town with a strong castle, situated in the Laonois,** 
tolerably near to Montagu,tt and in a very deep marshy country, the 
name of which was Pierrepont.Jt -A.t this time, there were in it 
a great many people of the country, who had carried thither their 
goods, trusting to the strength of the place. When sir Eustace's 
companions arrived, the guard was asleep : they marched, therefore, 
through the deep marshes with much loss, for their avarice urged 
them on, and they came to the walls of the town, which they entered 
without resistance, and robbed at their pleasure. They found in it 
more riches than in any other place ; and, when it was day, they 
burnt the town, and returned to Cheny, well laden with booty .§^ 



CHAPTER CCXI. 

THE KI.VC OF ENGLAND LAT3 THE KINGDOM OF FRANCE UNDER GREAT 
TRIBULATION. A CORDELIER FRIAR FROFHESIES. THE ENGLISH PLACE 
AN AMBUSCADE FOR THOSE WHO SHOULD COME OUT OF PARIS. 

About this period, a Franciscan friar, full of knowledge and under- 
standing, [[1| was at Avignon : his name was .Tohn de Rochctaillade ; 
and pope Iimocent VI. kept him a prisoner in the castle of Baignou.x, 
not only on account of the great prophecies he made of the tunes to 
come, chiefly and principally relating to the heads and prelates of 



* See this treaty in Rrnier. anno ISM. The sum \r.is 200,000 moutons— 50,0(0 to be 
poid at the ensuing feast of St. John the Baptist, 100,000 at Christmas, and 50,000 at 
£aeter. 

t Avaloii— a town of Burgundy, on tlie Cousin, which falls into tlie Yonne. 

t Ve/elay— a town in Niveinois, diocese of Aulun, four leagues from Clamecy 

§ Chimecy— a small city of tlie i\i%ernois, diocese of Auxerro, on the conflux of the 
Yonne and Beuvron. 

II Stenay— in the diocese of Treve?, on the Meuse. 

IT 1 cannot find, in any dictionary, the county of Bay. It is Buy in Denys Sauvage. 
Stenay is in the diocese of Treves : but even the connection of names is so wide, t can- 
not suppose it to be a mistake for Treves. 

** Laonoii— in Picardy. 

tt Montagu— in Picardy, diocese of Laon. 

Jl Pierrepont— village of Picardy, dioce=e of Laon. 

§& This passage is one of tliose so excellently translated by Lord Berners, ihat we are 
induced to subjoin it. " These companyons who ymagined nyght and dayc howe they 
might geat and steale townes and fortresses on a night ther, came to a stronge towne 
and a good castell in Laonnoyse nere to Montague; this fortresse was called Pierpont 
standyng in a niaresse ; the same season there were within the towne great nombre of 
men of the countrey tliat had brought tliither tlieyr goodes on trust of the strength of 
tlie place. When they of Cheny came thitlier the watche within was aslepe; they 
spared not the dangerous maresses, but went through them and came to tlie walles and 
so entered into the towne and wanne it without defenre and robbed it at their pleasure. 
They found ther more riches than ever they found before in any towne. And whan it 
•w.as day they brent the towne and returned to Cheny well fumysshed witli great pyl- 
lage."— Ed. 

Ilir'Plein de grand clergie ct de gtande eutendement," are the words used in D. 
Sauvage's ed.— Ed. 



tiie holy church, by reason of their pride and the expensive life they 
led, but also concerning the kingdom of France, and the great lords 
of Christendom, for their heavy oppressions on the common people. 
The above-mentioned John was willing to prove all he said from the 
Apocalypse, and by the ancient books of the holy prophets, xvhicU 
were opened to him through the grace of the Holy Ghost, by which 
he uttered things that were diflicult to be credited. Some of the 
predictions he had made were seen to come to pass within the time, 
which he never could have foretold as a prophet but by means of the 
ancient Scriptures, and the Holy Spirit, that had given him the power 
of understanding these ancient prophecies, and of announcing to all 
Christians the year and time when they were to he fulfilled. 

He made many books, full of much science and learning. One 
was written in the year 1346, which contained many marvellous 
things, difficult of belief, but of which some had come to pass 
already. When he was questioned concerning the war against 
France, he answered, that what they had seen was nothing to what 
vva.s to happen ; for there would be no peace until the realm of France 
was destroyed and ruined from one end to the other*. This indeed 
happened afterwards ; for that kingdom was completely spoiled at 
the time the friar had fixed, in the years 1356, 1.357, 1358, and 1359 ; 
insomuch that none of its princes or gentlemen dared to show them, 
selves against those of the low estate collected from all parts, and 
who had arrived, one after the other, without leader or chief, while 
the country had not any means of resisting them. They elected 
(as you have before seen,) in different parts of the country, captains 
ifom among themselves, to whom they paid obedience. The cap- 
tains, when they enrolled any man in their companies, made certain 
agreements with them respecting their shares of booty and the 
ransom of prisoners : they found so much pillage, that all the leaders 
became rich from the great wealth they amassed. 

King Edward was lodged at Bourg-la-Rcine, two short leagues 
from Paris, and his army in difl'erent parts between that and Mont- 
Ihery t. He sent from thence his heralds to the duke of Normandy 
in Paris, who had with him a great number of men-at-arms, to offer 
him battle : hut the duke would jiot accede to it. His messengers, 
therefore, returned without having done anything. When the king 
found that his enemies would not venture out of Paris, he was 
mightily enraged : upon which that good knight, sir Walter Manny, 
stepped forth and besought his lord that lie would permit him to 
make an excursion and assault as far as the barriers of Paris. The 
king consented to his request, and named himself those knights that 
should accompany him. He made also many new knights on the 
occasion ; among whom were, the lord Delaware, the lord de Silva- 
cier, sir Thomas Banastert, sir William Torceaux, sir Thomas le 
Despensicr, sir .Tohn Neville, sir Richard Dostniay, and many others. 
Colart d'Ambrcticourt, son of sir Nicholas, would have been of the 
number ; for the king was desirous of it, as he was attached to his 
person and squire of his body ; but the young man excused himself, 
by saying he could not find bis helmet. 

Sir Walter Manny set out on this enterprise, and carried with him 
these new knights to skirmish and to make an attack on the barriers 
of Paris. Many hard blows were given and received ; for there 
were within the city several valiant knights and squires, who would 
willingly have sallied forth, if the duke of Normandy had given his 
consent. They, however, guarded the gates and barriers so well 
that no damage was done to them. This skirmish lasted until twelve 
o'clock, and many were killed on both sides. Sir Walter then 
retreated with his people to their quarters, where they remained 
together that day and ihe following niglit. On the morrow, the king 
dislodged, and took the road to Montlhcry. 

When the camp was breaking up, some English and Gascon 
knights planned the following enterprise. They thought, that as 
there were so many knights in Paris, some of them would sally out 
after them : and some young adventurers would endeavor to gain, 
by their valor, both honor and booty. They therefore placed two 
hundred picked men, v.-ell armed, in an old empty house, three 
leagues from Paris. The chiefs of the Gascon party were, the captal 
de Buch, sir Aymery de Pommiers, and the lord de Courton ; of the 
English, the lord Neville, the lord Mowbray, and Sir Richard de 
Pontchardon. These six knights \vere the leaders of this ambus, 
cade. 

When tlte French who were within Paris perceived that the king 
of England was decamping, some young knights collected together, 
and said among themselves : " It will be a good thing for us to sally 
out secretly, and follow a while the army of England, to see if we 

* There is adilTerence here in Lord Berners, and we have therefore transcribed hit 
version. The ed. of D. Sauvage agrees with Mr. Johnes. It will he seen that Lord 
Berners makes the tmi pnrticutarli/ predict Ihe Jacquerie, while in Mr. Johnes's ver- 
sion a general prophecy alone is ascribed to him. " The wiiiche sayeing was well seen 
after, for tJie noble realine of Fraunce was sore wasted and exyled, and specially in 
that'terme that the sayd frete Iiad sette, the which was in the yeres of our Lorde 
MCCCLVI, VII, Vni, and VIX. He saydc in those years the prt/itcis and gentyl- 
men of therealme shulil notfarfrarc shcwe themsetfcagynsl t/ie people of lowe estate 
assembled of all couutres without heed or capitayne, and tliey sluilde do as they lyste 
in tlio realme of Fraunce, the whiclie felle after as ye liave herde. howe the companyons 
assembled tlieyni toguether and by reason of tlicyr robbery and pyllage wa.xed riche and 
became great capitaynes," are the words of Lord Berners.— Ed. 

t Montlhery— a (own in the Isle of France, seven leagues from Paris. 

t SirThomos Banastcr was afterwards elected knight of the garter in this king's reisn. 
See his life, in .^nstis's Hiitory of the Gaiter, vol. ii. p. 153. 



130 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



cannot gain something." They were all mstatilly of this opinion, 
so that sir Raoul de Coucy, sir Raoul de Ravenal, the lord de Mon- 
sault, the lord de Helay, the constable of Beauvais, le begue de 
Villaines, the lord de Beausiers, the lord of Ulbarin, sir Gauvain de 
Valouel, sir Flaniant de Rove, sir Azelles de Cavilly, sir Peter de 
Fermoises, Peter de Savoises, and upward of a hundred lances with 
them, sallied out well mounted, with a thorough good w^ill to do 
something ; but they must first find the occasion. They took the 
road to Bourg-la-Reine, which they passed, and gained the open 
fields, when they foUow^ed the track of the cavalry and army of 
England, and rode beyond the ambuscade of the captal and his 
company. 

They were no sooner passed than the English and Gascons marched 
out of it, after them, with their lances in their rests, shouting their 
war-cry. The French turned about, wondering who they could be : 
but they soon found they were their enemies. They immediately 
halted, and drew themselves up in battle array, and, with couched 
spears, prepared to meet the English and Gascons, who soon joined 
them. At this first onset many were unhorsed on both sides, for 
both parties were well mounted. After this tilting-bout, they drew 
their swords, and attacking each other more closely, many hard 
blows were given, and many gallant deeds performed. This attack 
lasted a considerable time, and the ground was so well disputed, that 
it was difficult to say which of the two would be conqueror. Tlie 
captal de Buch shone particularly, and did with his hand many deeds 
worthy so good a knight. In the end, however, tlie English and 
Gascons fought .so valiantly, that the field remained to them : they 
were more than half as many again as the French. 

Tiie lord of Campreny showed himself a valiant knight on the 
side of the French, and fought gallantly under his banner, the bearer 
of which was slain : his banner was argent, a buckle gules, between 
si.v martlets sable, three above and three below. The lord of Cam. 
preny was made prisoner. The other French knights and squires, 
who saw the ill success of their attempt, and that they could not 
recover themselves, took the road toward Paris, figliting as they 
retreated, and the English pursuing them most eagerly. In this 
retreat, which continued beyond Bourg-'a-Reine, nine knights, as 
well bannerets as others, were made prisoners ; and, if the English 
and Gascons who pursued them had not been afraid that others 
might sally out of Paris to their assistance, not one would have 
escaped being killed or taken. When this enterprise was finished, 
they returned toward Montlhery, where the king was. They carried 
-.heir prisoners with them, to wliom they behaved very courteously, 
and ransomed them handsomely that same evening, allowing them 
to return to Paris, or wherever else they chose, taking readily their 
word of honor as sufficient security for their ransom. 

The intention of the king of England was to enter the fertile 
country of Beauce, and follow the course of the Loire all the summer, 
to recruit and refresh his army in Brittany until after August ; and 
as soon as the vintage was over, which from all appearances prom- 
ised to be abundant, he meant to return again and lay siege to 
France, that is to say, to Paris ; for he wished not to return to Eug. 
land, as he had so publicly declared, on setting out, his determina- 
tion to conquer that kingdom, and to leave garrisons of tliose who 
were carrying on the war for him in France, in Poitou, Champagne, 
Ponthieu, Vimeu, Valguessin,* in Normandy, and throughout the 
whole kingdom of France, except in those cities and towns which 
had voluntarily submitted to him. 

The duke of Normandy was at this time at Paris with his (wo 
brothers, their uncle the duke of Orleans, and all the principal coun- 
cillors of state, who, well aware of the courage of the king of 
England, and how he pillaged and impoverished the whole realm of 
France, knew also that his situation could not last, for the rents both 
of the nobles and clergy were generally unpaid. At this period, a 
very wise and valiant man was chancellor of France, whoso name 
■was sir William + de Montagu, bishop of Therouenne : by his advice 
the kingdom was governed : every part of it profited from his good 
and loyal counsel. Attached to him were two clerks of great pru- 
dence ; one was the abbot of Clugny, the other friar Symon de 
Langres, principal of the predicant monks, and doctor in divinity. 
These two clerks just named, at the request and command of the 
duke of Normandy and his brothers, the duke of Orleans their uncle, 
and of the whole of the great council, set out from Paris with certain 
articles of peace. Sir Hugh de Geneve, lord of Autun, was also 
their companion. They went to the king of England, who was 
overrunning Beauce, near to Gallardon.t 

These two prelates and the knight had a parley with the king of 
England, when they began to open a treaty of peace with him and 
his allies. To this treaty the duke of Lancaster, the prince of Wales, 
the earl of March,^ and many other barons were summoned. How. 
ever, this treaty was not concluded, though it was discussed for a 
long time. The king of England kept advancing into the country, 
seeking for those parts where was the greatest abundance. The 
commissioners, like wise men, never quitted the king, nor suffered 

* Most probably Vexin. Vexin Norman is boundetl on one side by the Seine. 

t The president Ilciiault calls him Gille Aycelin de Montagu, cardinal and bishop of 
Therouenne, vol. i. 4to, p. 263. 

t Gallardon— a town in Beauce. diocese and election of Chartres. 

5 This is a mistake, for the earl of March was killed a month prior to this treaty, the 
aeth of February, at Kouvray ia Burgundy. —Barsiss. 



their proposals to drop ; for they saw the kingdom in such a miserable 
situation, that the greatest danger was to be apprehended if they 
should suffer another summer to pass without peace. On the other 
hand, the king of England insisted on such conditions as would have 
been so very grievous and iirejndicial to France, that the commis- 
sioners, in honor, could not assent to them : so that their treaties and 
conferences lasted seventeen days, the two prelates and the lord of 
Autun constantly following the king of England this last was much 
listened to at the court of the king. They sent every day, or every 
other day, their treaties and minutes to the duke of Normandy and 
his brothers at Paris, that they might see what state they were in, and 
have answers thereto ; as well as to know in what manner they were 
to act. All these papers were attentively examined and considered 
privately in the apartments of the duke of Normandv, and then the 
full intentions of the duke were written down, with the opinions of 
his council to these commissioners ; by which means, nothing passed 
on cither side without being fully specified and examined most cau- 
tiously. These aforesaid Frenchmen were in the king's apartments, 
or in his lodgings, as it happened, in the different places he halted at, 
as well on his march toward Chartres as otherwise ; and they made 
great offers, to bring the war to a conclusion ; but the king was very 
liard to treat with : for his intention was, to be in fact king of France, 
al'hough he had never been so, to die with tlint rank, and also to put 
Brittany, Blois and Touraine in the same situation as those other 
provinces where he had garrisons. If his cousin, the duke of Lan- 
caster, whom he much loved and confided in, had not persuaded him 
to give up such ideas, and advised him to listen to the offers of peace, 
he never would ha\c come to any terms. He very wisely remon. 
strated with hiin, and said : " My lord, this war which you are car- 
rying on in the kingdom of France is wonderful to all men, and not 
too favorable to you. Your people are the only real gainers by it ; 
for you are wasting your time. Considering everything, if you per- 
sist in continuing the war, it may last you your life ; and it appeal's 
to me doubtful if you will ever succeed to the extent of your wishes. 
I would recommend therefore, while you have the po\^'er of closing 
it honorably, to accept the jiroposals which have been offered to you ; 
for, my lord, we may lose more in one day than wo have gained in 
twenty years." These prudent and sensible words, which the duke 
of Lancaster uttered loyally, and with the best intentions, to advise 
the king of England to his good, converted the king to his opinion, 
through the grace of the Holy Spirit, who also worked to the same 
effect : for an accident befel him and all his army, who were thea 
before Chartres, that much humbled him, and bent his courage. 

During the time that the French commissioners were passing back- 
ward and forward from the king to his council, and unable to obtain 
any favorable answer to their offers, there happened such a storm and 
violent tempest of thunder and hail, which fell on the English army, 
that it seemed as if the world was come to an end. The hailstones 
were so large as to kill men and beasts, and the boldest were fright- 
ened. 

The king turned himself toward the church of Our Lady at Char- 
tres, and religiously vowed to the Virgin, as he has since confessed, 
that he would accept of terms of peace. He was at this time lodged 
in a small village, near Chartres, called Bretigny; and there were 
then committed to writing, certain rules and ordinances for peace, 
upon which the following articles were drawn out. To follow up 
this, and more completely to treat of it, the councillors and lawyers 
of the king of England drew up a paper called the Charter of Peace, 
with great deliberation and much prudence, the tenor of which follows. 



CHAPTER CCXII. 

THE FORM AND TENOR OF THE PAPER DRAWN HP AS ARTICLES OF THE 
PEACE, WHICH WAS CONCLtTDED BEFORE CHARTRES, BETWEEN THE 
KINGS OF FRANCE AND ENGLAND. 

" Edward, by the grace of God, king of England, lord of Ireland 
and of .\quitaiiie, to all to whom these presents shall come, greeting. 
As, in consequence of the dissensions, variance, discord and strife, 
that have arisen, or that might have been expected to arise between 
us and our very dear brother the king of France, certain commis- 
sioners and procurators from us and from our dear son, Edward piince 
of Wales, having sufficient power and authority for us, for him and 
for our kingdom on the one part, and certain others commissioners 
and procurators from our said brother, and from our very dear nephew 
Charles duke of Normandy and dauphin of Vienne, eldest sen to the 
aforesaid king of France, having power and authority from his father, 
in this instance, for his father and for himself on the other part, have 
been assembled at Bretigny, near Chartres : in which place the above- 
mentioned dissensions, variances and strife were discussed, debated, 
and finally closed ; and the commissioners from us and from our son, 
for us and for him, and the commissioners from our aforesaid brother 
and nephew, for his father and for himself, did swear upon the holy 
Evangelists, to preserve, keep and fulfil the aforesaid treaty, as we 
have also sworn and will swear to whatever is said or concluded in 
the above treaty. 

" And in this treaty, among other articles, our brother of France 
and his son aforesaid, are held and have promised to give up and sur- 
render to us, our heirs and successors for ever, the counties, cities. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &.c. 



13 



towns, castles, fortresses, lands, islands, rents, and revenues, and other 
things which follow, witli all that we are now in possession of in 
Guienne and Gascony, to hold forever by us, our heirs and succes. 
sors, in the same niamior that the kings of France liave always held 
them : tUat wliicli is in demesne in demesne, and that which is in 
fief in ficf, in such manner as will be hereafter explained ; that is to 
say, the city, castle and county of Poitiers with all the lands and 
country of Foitou, together with the fief of Thouars* and the lands 
of Belleville :t the town and castle of Saintes, and all the lands and 
territory of the county of Saintonge on each side the river Charente, 
with the town and fortress of la Rochelle, their appurtenances and 
appendages ; the city and castle of Agen, and the country of Age- 
nois : the city, town, castle, and all tlie lands of Pcrigord, with the 
whole country of Periguex : the city and castle of Limoges and 
country of Limousin : the city and castle of Calinrs and country of 
Cahorsin : the city, castle and country of Tarbes , the territory of 
the country of Bigorre : the country and lands of Game : the city and 
castle of Angoulemc, with all tlie country of Angoumois : the city 
and castle of Rodais, and the county and country of Rouergue : and if 
there should be any lords in the duchy of Guienne (such as the count 
de Foix, the count de Armaguac, the count de Tlsle, the viscount de 
Carmaiu, the count de Pcrigord, the viscount de Limorges or others,) 
that hold any lands within the butmdaries of the above-mentioned 
places, tliey shall be bounden to do us homage, and all other services 
and duties due on account of their lands and places in the same man- 
ner as they formerly have performed them : and we shall reenter 
upon all that we, or any other kings of England have possessed, as 
well as upon these places whence we formerly had received nothing. 

" The viscounty of Montreuil-sur-mer has been also promised to 
be given up to us in the same manner as in former times, and all 
whatsoever we or any other king of England possessed there : and 
whereas there have arisen disputes relative to the division of this ter- 
ritory, oiu- brother of France has promised, that he will declare it to 
be ours as speedily as possible after his return to France. 

" Item, it is also promised that the county of Ponthieu shall he 
delivered over to us entire, save and except that if any part of it 
should have been alienated by the kings of England wlio reigned 
before us, and were formerly possessors of it and its appurtenances, 
to others than the kings of France, neither our aforesaid brother, nor 
his successors, shall be bounden to surrender them : and if the said 
alienations have been made to any former kings of France, imme- 
diately, without passing througli a third i)erson, and our aforesaid 
brotlier be in possession of them, he shall render them wholly up to 
us : excepting that if the kings of France have had them from us in 
exchange for other lands, we will deliver up such lands so exchanged: 
but if any of the kings of England at former times should have alien- 
ated or disposed of any parts to others than to the kings of France, 
and it should afterwards have come into the hands of our aforesaid 
brother, he shall not bo obliged to surrender them : and if the parts 
aforesaid owe homage to us, or our successors, he shall grant them 
to others, who will pay us that homage ; but, if they do not owe 
homage, he shall give them to a tenant that shall do us suit and ser- 
vice, within the year ensuing upon our departure from Calais. 
y " Item, the castle and town of Calais ; the castle, town, and lord- 
ship of Merle ; the towns, castles, and lordships of Sangato, Cou. 
loigue, Ham, Walles, and Oye, with the lands, woods, marshes, rivers, 
rent-s, lordships, advowsons of churches, and all other appurtenances 
and places lying within the limits and bounds Ibllowing ; that is to 
say, irom Calais to the course of the river before Gravelines, and also 
by the course of the river which fa'ls into the great lake of Guines, as 
far as Fretun, and from thence by the valley round tlte mountain of 
Chalk, inclosing that mountain, and as far as the sea, including San. 
gate and all its appurtenances. 

" Item, the king of England shall also possess the castle, town, 
and the whole county of Guines, with all its castles, towns, fortresses, 
woods, lands, men, homages, lordships, forests, rights, as completely 
as the last count of Guines, lately deceased, held it during his life : 
and the churches and good men, being within the boundaries of the 
said county and other places above mentioned, shall obey him in the 
same manner as they did our aforesaid brother, the count of Guines, 
for that time. All these things comprehended in the present article, 
and in the preceding one of Merle and Calais, we shall hold in de. 
mesne, excepting the inheritances and possessions of the churches, 
which shall remain wholly to the said churches, wherever they may 
be situated ; and also except the inheritances of the other people of 
the countries of Merle and Calais, as far as the value of one hundred 
pounds a.year in land, according to the current coin of the country; 
whicli inheritances shall remain to them of the abovesaid value and 
under ; but the habitations and inheritances in the town of Calais, 
and tlieir appurtenances, shall remain in demesne to us, for us to 
order and do as we please with them : and also all the possessions 
of the houseliolders and inhabitants of the county and town of Guines 
shall remain to them, and shall be restored fully, save and except 
what is said and declared relative to the bounds and frontiers above 
mentioned, in the article of Calais. 



* Tliouare— an ancient nity on a hill, and on the river Thoue, sLrteen leagues from 
Poitiers. 

t Belleville. There are two villages in Foitou of this name— one near N"ion, the other 
near les Sables d'OIoiine. 



" Item, the king of England shall have possession of all islands 
adjoining to the lands or places above. irientioned, together with all 
other islands he was possessed of at the time of this treaty. 

"And it lias also been discussed, tliat our aforesaid brother and 
his eldest son should renounce all riglit and sovereignty which they 
may have over the above-mentioned places, and that we should pos. 
sess them as a neighbor, without any vassalage or dependence on 
our said brother, or on the kingdom of France ; and that our brother 
aforesaid shall give up to us in perpetuity all right and dominion 
\vhich he may have over the places bet'orc mentioned. 

"-A.nd it has also been discussed, that in like manner we and our 
said son shall expressly renounce all those things that are not to bo 
given up and surrendered to us by the said treaty, more especially 
the name of king of France, and all right and title to that kingdom, 
and to the homage, sovereignty, and domain of the duchy of Nor. 
mandy, the county of Touraine, and the counties of Anjou and 
Maine ; and to tlie sovereignty and homage of the county of Flan, 
ders ; and to the sovereignty and homage of the duchy of Brittany 
(excepting the right of the count de Montfort, and what claim he 
may have on that duchy and country of Brittany, which we reserve, 
and by express words put out of our treaty; saving, however, that 
when we and our aforesaid brother shall come to Calais, we will so 
man;ige the business, by the advice of able counsellors and other 
deputies, that we will establish peace and concord between the count 
de Montford and our cousin sir Charles de Blois, who claims and 
challenges the inheritance of Brittany:"! and we renounce whatever 
claims we made, or may have made, of any sort whatever, except 
those things t^bove.mentionod which are to be given to us and our 
heirs ; and we give up and cease from making any claims on all 
other things, but those which arc to be yielded to us. 

" Upon this subject, after many altercations had taken place, end- 
ing in a mutual agreement that these renunciations, transportations, 
cessions and aforesaid surrenderings should be made as soon as our 
said brother shall have given up to us, or to our people especially 
deputed for that purpose, the city and castle of Poitiers, with all the 
territory of Poitou, together with the lief of Thouars and of Belle- 
ville : the city and castle of Agen, with all the territory of the Agen- 
ois ; the city and castle of Pcrigord, with the territory of Perigueux ; 
the city and castle of Cahors, with the territory of Cahorsin ; the city 
and castle of Rodais, with the territory of Rouergue ; the city and 
castle of Saintes, with the territory of Saintonge ; the city and castle 
of Limoges, with all the territory of Limousin ; and that which we 
or other kings of England have held in the town of Montreuil-sur. 
mer, with its appurtenances. Item, the whole county of Ponthieu, 
save and except the contents of the article contained in the said 
treaty which makes mention of the said county. Item, the castle 
and town of Calais; the castle, town and lordship of Sangate, Col. 
loigne, Ham, Walles, Oye, with the lands, rivers, marshes, rents, 
woods, lordships and other things mentioned in the article respecting 
them. Item, the castle, town and entire county of Guines, with all 
the lands, castles, towns, fortresses, places, men, homages, woods, 
lordships, forests and rights, according to the tenor of the article 
which in the treaty makes fuller mention of them, and with the 
islands adjacent to the said lands, countries and places before men- 
tioned, together with those other islands which we are now in the 
possession of (that is to say, at the date of this article and of the 
peace.) We, and our brother the king of France, have promised by 
faith and oath to each other to preserve and keep this treaty and 
maintain the peace, and to do nothing against it ; and we are bounden, 
us and our said brother the king of France, and our eldest sons before 
mentioned, by obligation and promise and by faith and oath to each 
other pledged, to make certain renunciations one to the other accord, 
ing to the form and tenor of the aforesaid article of peace. 

" Item, it is agreed, that the king of France and his eldest son the 
regent, for them and for their heirs for ever, shall as soon as possible, 
and without any double dealing, at the latest w'ithin the feast of St. 
Michael next ensuing, deliver up and give to the king of England, 
his heirs and successors, and convey to them the honors, royalties, 
services, homages, allegiances, vassalages, iiefs, obediences, acknow- 
ledgments, oaths, rights, seizures, and all manner of jurisdictions, 
both criminal and civil, appeals, securities, lordships and sovereignties 
which appertained, now appertain, or may hereafter appertain to the 
kings or to the crown of France, or to any other person on account 
of the king or for the aforesaid crown of France, in whatever time it 
may have been, in the cities, towns, castles, fortresses, islands, coun. 
tries and places before named, or in any one of them, their appur. 
tenances and appendages, wherever they may be, whether held by 
princes, dukes, counts, viscounts, archbishops, bishops, abbots or other 
prelates of the church, barons, knights, nobles or others whomsoever, 
without reserve to themselves, their heirs and successors, or to the 
crown of France, or to any other person whatever : nor shall they 
challenge or demand, at any future period, anything of the above 
from the king of England, his heirs or successors, or from any one 
of his vassals or subjects aforesaid, in any one of the places or coun- 
tries before-mentioned, in behalf of the king or crown of France. 
Thus, therefore, all the before-named persons, and their heirs and 
successors, shall be liege men and subjects of the kijig of England, 
his heirs and successors for ever ; and they shall hold and keep all 
persons, cities, counties, lands, islands, castles and places before. 



132 



CHRONICLEy OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &,c. 



mentioned, with all their appurtenances and appendages, and shall 
remain fully and peaceably foi- ever in their lordship, sovereignty, 
obedience, loyalty and subjection, as the preceding kings of France 
had and kept them in former times: and the aforesaid king of Eng- 
land, his heirs and successors, shall and will maintain, peaceably and 
perpetually, all the countries before-named in full freedom and liberty 
for ever, as sovereign and liege lord, and neighbor to the king of 
France and said kingdom of France, without acknowledging any 
sovereignty or paying any obedience, homage, jurisdiction or sub- 
jection, and in time to come without doing any service or acknow- 
ledgment to the king or crown of France for the cities, counties, 
castles, lands, territories, islands, places and persons before-named, 
or for any one of them. 

Item, it is agreed, that the king of France and his eldest son 
shall expressly renounce the said jurisdictions and sovereignties, and 
oil those things which by this present treaty ought to belong to the 
king of England ; and in like manner the king of England and his 
eldest son shall renounce all those things which, by this present 
treaty, are not to be granted to the king of England, and all those 
claims he made on the kijig of France, and particularly the litle, 
right, and arms, and the challenge he made of the crown and king- 
dom of France ; the homage, sovereignty and domain of the duchy 
of Normandy, of the county of Touraine, the counties of Anjou and 
Maine, and the sovereignly and homage of the county and territory 
of Flanders, and all other claims which the king of England made 
at the time of the aforesaid challenge, and might make in tirjies to 
come upon the said realm of France, through any reason whatever, 
except those things which by the present treaty are granted to the 
king of England and his heirs ; and they will convey, surrender, 
and yield, one king to the other, in perpetuity, all the right which 
each has or may have on all those things and places which by the 
present treaty are to remain or to be granted to each of them ; and 
with regard to the time and place when these renunciations arc to 
be made, the two kings will consult each other, and order it when 
they shall be at Calais together. 

" And because also our said brother of France and his eldest son, 
in order to maintain and keep the said articles of peace and agree- 
ment aforesaid, have expressly renounced the jurisdictions and sove- 
reignties comprised in the srud articles to all rights which thty had 
or might have had on all the above-mentioned things which our said 
brother has granted, delivered, and abandoned to us, and in those 
Other things which henceforward ought to appertain and belong to 
us by the said treaty of peace. We, among these said things, 
renounce expressly all those which are not to be granted to us, for 
ourselves and our heirs, and all those claims which we made or 
might make on our said brother of France, and especially to the 
title and right to the crown of France and the sovereignty of that 
kingdom, and to the homage, sovereignty, and domain of the duchy 
of Normandy, the counties of Anjou, Maine, and Touraine ; and to 
the sovereignty and homage of the county and territory of Flanders ; 
and other claims which we made, or might have made, on our said 
brother, for whatever cause there might be, save and except that 
which by this present treaty is to remain to us and our heirs : and 
we yield, abandon, and give up to him, and he to us, mutually to 
each other, in the securest way we can, all the rights which each 
of us may have, or may have had in all things, which by the said 
treaty are to be respectively granted to each of us: reserving to the 
churches and to churchmen that which appertains or may appertain 
to them ; and all that which has been occupied or detained of their 
property, on account of the wars, shall be made good and restored 
to them. The towns, fortresses, and all dwellings of the inhabitants, 
shall retain and enjoy such liberties and franchises as before they 
came into our hands ; and, if required, they shall be confirmed by 
our said brother of France, if not contrary to what has boon already 
agreed on. 

' " And with regard to ourselves, we submit all things belonging to 
us, our heirs and successors, to the jurisdiction and coercion of the 
church of Rome, and are willing and desirous that our holy father 
the pops should confirm all these things by giving monitions and 
gentle mandates, for the accomplishment of the.n against ourselves, 
our heirs and successors, our commonalty, colleges, universities, or 
any particular persons whatsoever, and by giving general sentences 
of cxconnnunication, suspension or interdict, which we may incur 
by ourselves or by them, by this act, when we shall, either by our- 
selves or by others, infringe the peace, by taking or occupying any 
town or castle, city or fortress, or in anything else, by giving advice, 
aid, or assistance, public or private, against the said peace ; from 
which sentences they cannot be absolved until they shall have made 
full satisfaction to all those who by this act shall have sustained or 
might sustain any damage. And with this we desire and consent, 
that by our holy father the pope (in order that the same iriay more 
firmly be kept, maintained, and observed for ever) all the agree- 
ments, confederatiims, alliances and conventions, under whatever 
name they may be, in case they become prejudicial or inimical to the 
said peace in the present moment or hereafter (supposing they were 
closed under penalties and by oaths, and confirmed by our holy father 
the pope or others,) should be broken and annulled as contrary to 
the public welfare, to the good of the peace, unprofitable to all Chris, 
tendom, and displeasing to God : and that all oaths, in such a case 



made, shall be reported to our holy father the pope, that it may be 
decreed thut no one should be bounden to keep such oaths or con- 
ventions ; and if, in fact, any one attempted to act contrary, they 
shall from this moment be broken and annulled, and of no weight, 
nevertheless w-e shall punish such by coiporal punishment and confi.s- 
cations, as violators of the peace, if the case should require it, or it 
should appear reasonable : and if we should cncournge or suffer any- 
thing to be done hurtfid to the peace (which God forbid I) we are wil- 
ling to be counted as liars and disloyal, and also to suffer in this case 
sucli blame and disrepute as a sacred king ought to undergo for such 
conduct : and we swear upon the body of Jesus Christ to conclude, 
maintain, and keep the aforesaid treaty, and neither by ourselves nor 
by others, to depart from it for any cause or reason whatsoever. And 
in order that these premises may be concluded and maintained, we 
bind ourselves, our heirs, our property, and the properly of our heirs, 
over to our said brother the king of France, and to his heirs, and 
swear by the holy Evangelists, bodily touched by us, that we will 
complete, conclude, and preserve (according to the articles aforesaid) 
all the preceding conditions by us promised and agreed to, as is be. 
fore mentioned. And vcc will, that in ease our brother, or his depu- 
ties at the place and time, and in the manner before stated, do his 
duty, that from that time our present letters, and whatever is compre. 
bended in them, should have as much force, effect, and vigor as any 
of our other letters shall have that have been promised and granted 
by us, as has been already said: saving, however, and reserving for 
us, our heirs and successors, that the letters above incorporated shall 
liave no effect, or be of any prejudice or damage until our said 
brother and nephew shall have performed, sent, and given the above 
renunciations, in the manner before specified ; and therefore they 
shall not avail themselves of them against us, our heirs and successors, 
in any manner but in the case above-mentioned. 

" In testimony of which, we have caused our seal to be put to 
these present letters, given at Calais this twentieth day of October, 
in the year of grace and of our Lord one thousand three hundred 
and sixty."' 

When this private charter (which is called letter of renunciation, 
as well from one king as the other) was written, engrossed, and 
scaled, it was read and published generally in the council chamber, 
when the two above-named kings were present with their counsel- 
lors. It appeared to each to be handsome, good, well dictated and 
well ordered; and then again the two said kings and their two said 
eldest sons, swore upon the holy Evangelists, bodily touched by 
them, and upon the sacred body of Jesus Chkist, to conclude, keep 
and maintain, and not to infringe any of the articles included in it. 

Afterwards, by the advice and deliberation of the king of France 
and his council, and toward the end of the conference, the king of 
England was requested to make out and give a general commission 
to all those who for the time, and under shadow of the war held 
towns, castles and forts in the kingdom of France, that they may 
have knowledge of what had passed, with orders to give them up 
and quit them. The king of England, who was sincerely desirous 
of maintaining a good understanding and peace between himself 
and the king of France, his brother, as he had before sworn and 
promised, readily acceded to tliis request, which he thought reason, 
able. He ordered his people to make it out in the clearest manner 
they could, to the satisfaction of the king of France and his council. 
The most able of the counsellors of the two kings aforesaid, united, 
and then was drawn up, written and engrossed by the advice of each 
other, a conmiission, the tenor of which is underneath. 

" Edward, by the grace of God, king of England, lord of Ireland 
and of Aquitaine, to all our captains, governors of towns and castles, 
adherents and allies, being in parts of France, as well as in Picardy, 
in Burgundy, in Anjou, in Berry, in Normandy, in Brittany, in Au. 
vergne, in Champagne, or Maine, in Touraine, and within the bounda. 
ries and limits of France, greeting. As peace and concord is now 
established between us, our allies and adherents on the one part, 
and our dear brother the king of France his aUies and adherents on 
the other part, in regard to all quarrels or discords which wc may 
have had in times past ; and having sworn upon the body of Jesus 
Chf.ist, as well our dear eldest son and others our children, and those 
of our blood, as likewise many prelates, barons and knights, and the 
principle men of our kingdom ; and also our said brother, and our 
nephew the duke of Normandy, and our other nephews his children, 
with many barons, knights and prelates of the said kingdom of 
France, to maintain and firmly keep the peace : and as it may fall 
out or happen that some warriors from our kingdom, or other of our 
subjects, may endeavor to do or undertake things contrary to the 
said peace, by taking or detaining forts, towns, cities and castles, or 
in pillaging and arresting persons, and taking from them their goods, 
merchandise or other things, acting against the said peace (the 
which will sorely displease us, and we will not ."uffer it, nor pass it 
over under any sort of dissembling;) We, willing to remedy these 
aforesaid things with all our power, wish, desire and ordain, by 
the deliberation of our council, that none of our subjects, or allies, 
wOiatever their state or condition may be, do, or endeavor to do, 
anything contrary to the said peace, by pillaging, taking, or detain, 
ing forts, persons, or goods of any sort in the kingdom of France, or 
belonging to our said brother, his subjects, allies or adherents whom, 
soever. °And in case there should be found any one that acts con. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &. 



13? 



trary to tiiis said peace, antl who does not cease from so doing, nor 
renders back the damages he may have committed, within tlie space 
of one month from the time he shall be reqnired so to do by any of 
our officers, sergeants or public persons, for this act alone, without 
other suit or condemnation, he shall be reputed banished from our 
realm and from our protection, as well as from tlie kingdom and 
territories of our said brother ; all his goods confiscated and sub- 
jected to our governance ; and if he should be found in our king. 
dom, we command and expressly will, that punishment should be 
inflicted on him, as a rebel and traitor to us according to the cus- 
tomary punishment for leze majesty, witliout any pardon, grace or 
remission : and we will that the same be done to our subjects, of 
whatever condition tliey may be, who, in our kingdom on either side 
of the sea, shall seize, occupy or detain any forts whatever, contrary 
to the will of those to whom they belong ; or who shall burn or ran- 
som towns or persons, and shall pillage or be guilty of robberies, or 
who shall stir up war w'ithin our realm against our subjects. 

We therefore order, command and expressly enjoin all our senes. 
chals, bailifts, provosts, captains of castles or others our officers, 
under pain of incurring our high displeasure, and of losing their offi- 
ces, that they proclaim, or cause to be proclaimed, these presents in 
the most public places of their districts, bailiwicks, provostships and 
castlewicks ; and that no one, after having seen and heard this proc- 
lamation, remain in any fort which belongs to the kingdom of 
France, except according to the tenor of the treaty of peace, under 
pain of being considered as an enemy to us and to our aforesaid 
brother the king of France ; and that they, in all the aforesaid points, 
conform to, preserve and make to be strictly observed in every par- 
ticular. And be it known to all, that if they fail, or are negligent, 
in addition to the punishment aforesaid, we will make them pay the 
losses to all those who through their fault or neglect may have been 
aggrieved, or suffered any loss ; and with this we will punish them 
in such a manner that they shall be an example to all others ; in testi- 
mony whereof, we have had these letters patent drawn up, given at 
Calais the 24th dav of October, in the vear of grace and of our 
Lord 1360." 



CHAPTER CCXIII. 

THE TRAXSACTI0N3 OF THE TWO KINGS OF FRANCE AND ENGLAND, WHEN 
AT CALAIS, RESPECTING THE DUCHY OF BRITTANY AND SOME LANDS OF 
THE LATE GODFREY DE HARCOURT. KING JOHN SETS OUT FROM CALAIS 
AND RETURNS HOME IN FREEDO.M. 

When all these letters had been drawn up, and the different com- 
missions delivered, which were mutually done by the advice and to 
the satisfaction of each other, there was some conversation respecting 
sir Charles de Blois and sir John de Montfort, and the state of Brittany, 
for each of them claimed it as their right of inheritance : and though 
there was a conference holden, how these matters could be settled, 
nothing was definitely done ; for, as I have since been informed, the 
king of England and his party had no great desire of agreeing to it. 
They presumed, that henceforward, all men-at-arms attached to them 
would be obliged to surrender every fort and strong place which they 
at present held and possessed in the kingdom of France, and that 
they would retire to whatever parts they chose ; it was therefore 
much better and more profitable that these warriors and pillagers 
should retire into the duchy of Brittany, which is one of the richest 
and best foraging countries in the world, than that they should come 
to England, which might be pillaged and robbed by them. 

This consideration made the English shortly break ug the confer- 
ence respecting Brittany. It was a pity, and ill done that it so hap. 
pened ; for, if the two kings had been in earnest, peace would have 
been established, by the advice of their counsellors, between the 
parties, and each would have held what should have been given him. 
Sir Charles de Blois would have recovered his children, who were 
prisoners in England, and probably have lived longer than he did. 
As nothing was done at this conference, the wars in Normandy were 
more bitterly carried on than before the peace we have just spoken 
of (as you will hear in the continuance of this history,) and even 
between the knights and barons of Brittany who had supported 
different interests. 

The duke of Lancaster (who was a valiant and discreet knight, 
full of devices, and who too strongly loved the count de Montfort 
and his advancement) then addressed himsell' to the king of France, 
in the presence of the king of England and the gieater part of the 
counsellors: "Sire, the truces of Brittany, which were made and 
agreed to before Reiines, will not expire before the first of the ensu- 
ing month of May ; then, or within that time, the king our Lord 
will send, by the advice of his council, persons from him, and from 
his son-in-law the young duke, sir John de Montfort, to you in France, 
and they shall have power and authority to explain and declare those 
rights the said sir John claims from the inheritance of his father in 
the duchy of Brittany, and accept them in such manner as you, your 
counsellors and ours assembled together, shall ordain ; for greater 
safety, it is proper the truces should be prolonged until the feast of 
St. John the Baptist next ensuing." All this was agreed to, as the 
duke of Lancaster had proposed, and then the lords conversed on 
different matters. 

King John, who had a great desire to return to France (as was 



natural,) testified most heartily to the king of England every proof 
of that affection which he had for him and for his nephew the prince 
of Wales ; the king of England made an equal return : and, for a 
stronger confirmation of their friendship, the two kings (who by the 
articles called each other Brother) gave to four knights of each party 
eight thousand francs, French money of revenue ; that is to say, two 
thousand to each. And because the lands of St. Sauveurle Vicomte,in 
Coutantin, came to the king of England from sir Godfrey de Har- 
court by the sale the said sir Godfrey had made of them to the king, 
as has been before related in this history, and that the said lands 
were not included in the articles of peace, it was necessary for those 
who should hold the said lands to do homage and service to the king 
of France : the king of England, therefore, had reserved and given 
it to sir John Chandos, who had done him and his children many 
notable services ; and the king of France, through his great affection 
and love, confirmed and sealed it, at the entreaty of the king of Eng- 
land, to the said sir John Chandos, as his right and lawful inheritance. 
It is a very fair estate, and worth full sixteen hundred francs of 
yearly rent. 

In addition to these things, many other letters and alliances were 
made, of which I cannot relate the particulars ; for, during the fifteen 
days or thereabouts, that the two kings, their children and their 
counsellors, were at Calais, there were every day conferences, and 
new ordinances made, strengthening and confirming the peace ; and, 
moreover, other deeds were drawn up, without annulling or changing 
the former ones; and they were all made to one date, as more sure 
and certain, of which I have seen copies in the chanceries of the 
two kings. 

When everything relative to the peace had been so concluded and 
settled, that no one could think of any means to strengthen or amend 
it, and that nothing could be devised to add to the strong alliance 
between the two kings and their children, which bound them, and 
by which they had sworn to maintain tlie peace from being infringed, 
which was indeed kept, as you will hereafter see in reading this 
book ; and that those who were to be the hostages for the redemp. 
tion of the king of France were arrived at Calais, whom the king ot 
England had sworn to guard in peace in England, until the six hun- 
dred thousand francs* were paid to the deputies of the king of 
England, that king gave to the king of France a most magnificent 
and grand supper in the castle of Calais : it was well arranged ; and 
the children of the king, and the duke of Lancaster with the greatest 
barons of England, waited bare-headed. After this supper, the two 
noble kings took final leave of each other, in a most gracious and 
affectionate manner, and the king of France returned to his hotel. 

On the morrow, which was the vigil of St. Simon and .St. Jude, 
the king of France set out trom Calais, with all those of his party 
who were to accompany him.t The king of France went on foot, 
in pilgrimage to our Lady of Boulogne. The prince of Wales and 
his two brothers, Lionel and Edmund, accompanied him : and ill 
this manner they arrived, before dinner, at Boulogne, where they 
were received with great joy. The duke of Normandy was there 
waiting for them, when all these aforesaid lords went on foot to the 
church of our Lady of Boulogne, where they made their offerings 
most devoutly, and afterwards returned to the abbey at Boulogne, 
which had been prepared fur the reception of the king of France and 
the princes of England. They remained there that day, and on the 
following night returned to the king their father. All these lords 
crossed the sea together with the hostages from France : it was the 
vigil of All-Saints, in the year 1360. It is proper that I shouldnanie 
the nobles of France who went to England as hostages for the king 
of France. First, sir Philip, duke of Orleans, son of the late king 
Philip of France ; his two nephews, the dukes of Anjou and Berry : 
after them the duke of Bourbon, the count d'Alen^on, sir John d'Es- 
tampes, Guy de Blois, for his brother the count Louis de Blois: the 
count de St. Pol, the count de Harcourt, the count dauphin of Au- 
vergne ; sir Enguerrant, lord of Coucy ; sir John de Ligny ; the count 
de Porcien, the count de Breme, the lord of Montmorency, the lord 
of Roye, the lord of Preaux, the lord d'Estouteville, the lord de Cle- 
ritcz, the lord de St. Venant, the lord de la Tour d'Auvergne, and 
manv others, but I cannot name them all.t There were also from 



* Tliis seems a mistake ; for ia the lourteentli article of the peace of Bretigny in 1360, 
ill Ilymer. particular mention is made of the value of the crown, two of wjiich shall be 
worth an E.'-gUsh noble. 

Htii article.—" It is asreed that llie king of France shall p.^y to the king of England 
three niilhons of crown* of gold, tioo of which shall be of the value of an Knglish noble. 

" And there shall be paid to the said king uf England, or his deputies, six hundred 
thousaud crowns at Calais, in fourteenths, from the time the king of France shall be at 
Calais 

'■ And within the ne.\t year ensuing, there shall be paid four hundred thousand crowns 
of the above value, in the city of London. 

" And from Uienceforward, every fullowmg year, four hundred thousand crowns, like 
to the above, shall be paid in tlie said city, until such time as the aforesaid three mil- 
lions shall be paid." 

According to Cotgxave. a noble m his time was worth fifteen shillings. 

t Froissart seems to have been mistaken as to the day king John left Calais, when he 
says it w,is tlio eve of St. Simon and St. Jude, the 27tii October ; for in an ancient state 
of Brittany, by Nicholas Vignier. page 3S3, there a a letter from king John, dated 
BoulognP-sur-5Ier, October 26. 1360. 

X In the fifteenth article, in Rymer, they are mentioned as underneath ; 

Monsieur Louis, comte d'Anjou: M. Jean,comte de Poitiers; le due d'Orleans; le 
ducde Bourbon; le comte de BloLs, ou son frcre: le comte d'.AIencon. ou M "ieTre 
d'Aiencon son trere ; le comte oe portien ; le comle ae Vaienlinois ; le comte de Breme : 
le comte de Vaudcmont ; le comte de Forez ; le vicompte de Beaumont ; le site da 



134 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, fee. 



the good city of Paris, from Rouen, Rheims, Bourges m Berry, Tours 
in Touraiiie, Lyons upon the Rhone, Sens in Burgundy, Orleans, 
Troyes in Champagne, Amiens, Beauvais, Arras, Tournay, Caen in 
Normandy, St. Omer, L'Isle, Douay, from each city two or four 
burgesses, who all crossed the sea, and shortly arrived in London.* 

The king of England commanded all his officers, under pain of 
incurring his displeasure, to behave courteously to all these lords and 
their attendants, and to preserve peace between them and his subjects, 
as they were under his special care. The king's orders were strictly 
obeyed in every respect ; and the hostages were allowed to enjoy 
themselves, without any danger or molestation, in the city of London 
and its neighborhood. The lords followed the chase or hawking, 
according to their pleasure, and rode out as they pleased to visit the 
ladies without any constraint, for the king was right courteous and 
amiable. 

We will now speak a little of the king of France on his arrival at 
Boulogne, after he had quitted Calais. 



CHAPTER CCXIV. 

COMMISSIONERS APPOINTED ON BOTH SIDES TO SEE THE SAKRISOXS IN THE 
KINGDOM OF FRANCE EVACUATED. DIFFERENT BODIES OF ARMED MEN 
OVERRUN THE KINGDOM, AND DO MUCH MISCHIEF. 

The king of France did not remain long at Boulogne, but set out 
soon after All-saints, and went to Montreuil and Hesdin : he con- 
tinued his journey until he came to Amiens ; and wherever he passed 
he was most magnificently and honorably received. After he had 
lemained at Amiens until Christmas was passed, he set out for Paris, 
■when he was solemnly and reverently met by all the clergy of Paris, 
and conducted to the Palace,T where he dismounted, as did sir Philip 
his son, and all the nobles who accompanied him. The dinner was 
grandly magnificent, and the tables well covered ; but I can never 
tell liow warmly the king of France was received on his return to 
his kingdom, by all sorts of people, for he was much wished for. 
They made him rich gift.^ antl presents, and the prelates and barons 
of the realm feasted and entertained him as became his condition ; 
and the king gave them a most gracious reception. 

Soon after king .lohn was returned to France, the commissioners 
appointed by the king of England crossed the sea, to take possession 
of the lands, countries, counties, bailiwicks, cities, towns and castles, 
that were to be given up to him, according to the articles of the 
peace. But this was not so soon accomplished ; for many of the 
nobles in Languedoc at first absolutely refused to obey them, or to 
surrender themselves to the king of England, though the king of 
France had acquitted them of their fidelity and homage to him : for 
they thought it highly contrary and adverse to their interests to be 
obliged to obey the English. The count de la Marche, the count de 
Perigord, the count de Comminges, the viscount de Chitillon, the 
viscount de Carmaing, the lord of Pincornet, in particular, with 
many others in the distant countries, wondered much that the king 
of France should force them from his jurisdiction. Others said, it 
•was not in his power thus to free them ; and it Avas not in his right 
EO to do ; for, as they were Gascons, thry had very old charters and 
privileges from the noble Charlemagne (who was king of France,) 
which placed them under the jmisdiction of his court, and of no other. 
On which account, these lords would not at first yield obedience to 
the commissioners; but the king of France, who wished to uphold 
and maintain what he had sworn and sealed, sent thither his dear 
cousin sir James de Bourbon, who appeased the greater part of these 
nobles ; and those who were bounden became liege men to the king 
of England ; such as the count d'Armagnac, the lord d'Albrct, and 
many others, who at the entreaties of the king of France and of sir 
James de Bourbon, obeyed, but very unwillingly. 

On the other hand, it was very displeasing to the barons, knights 
and inhabitants of the towns on the sea-coast, and in the coimtry of 
Poilou, the Rochellois and all Saintonge, that they should be given 
up to the English : in particular those in the town of La Rochelle 
would not consent to it ; they made frequent excuses, and would not, 
for upward of a year, suffer any Englishmen to enter their town. 
The letters were very affecting which they wrote to the king of 
France, beseeching him, by the love of God, that he would never 
liberate them from their fidelity, nor separate them from his govern- 
ment and place them in the hands of strangers; for they would pre- 
fer being taxed every year one half of what they were worth, raiher 
than be in the hands of the English. The king of France (who 
knew their good will and loyalty, and had frequently received their 



Couci; le sire de Frenlea ; le sire de Preaus; le sire de St. Veiiaiit ; ic sire do Gaun. 
trines; le dauphin d'Auvergne; le sirede Ilangest; le sire dc Montmorency; monsire 
Guiilanme de Craon ; monsire Louis de Ilarcourt ; monsire Jean de Ligny. 

* Chalons, Chartres, TouhiusG, Compiegne, are mentioned, in addition to those of 
Froissart, in the treaty in Rymer. 

t Palace.— I believe the king of France's palace at that time was the hotel de Nesle. 
I find, by Villaret's history, that he was lodged there after his coronation at Kheims. 

This hotel was built on the banks of the Seine, where tlie liytel de Nevers was after- 
wards constructed, and nearly upon the site which the College Mazar'in and tlie hotel 
de Conti now occupy. 

This hotel must be distinguished from another hotel de Nesle, which was built at the 
same time. This second hotel de Nesle was situated on tlie spot where the hotel de 
Soissons was built, and which was demolished 1747. 



excuses) felt great pity for them ; he wrote, therefore, very affec- 
tionate letters, and sent to inform them, that it was necessary they 
should obey, or otherwise the peace woidd be infringed, which 
would be too prejudicial to the kingdom of France. When the 
inhabitants of La Rochelle received these letters, and saw the situa- 
tion they were in, that neither excuses, prayers nor entreaties, were 
of any avail, they obeyed ; but it was sore against their inclinations. 
The principal persons of the town said, " We will honor and obey 
the English, but our hearts shall never change." 

Thus had the king of England seisin and possession of the duchy 
of Aquitaine, the counties of Poitou and Guignes, and of all those 
lands which he was to have beyond the sea, that is to say in the 
kingdom of France, which were given to him by the articles of the 
peace. This year sir John Chandos crossed the sea, as regent and 
lieutenant of the king of England, to take possession of all the lands 
aforesaid, and receive the faith, fidelity and homage of the counts, 
viscounts, barons, knights, towns and castles ; he instituted every, 
where seneschals, baililTs and officers, according to his will, and fixed 
his residence at Niort. 

Sir John kept a noble and great establishment ; and he had the 
means of doing it ; for the king of England, who loved him much, 
wished it should be so. He was certainly worthy of it ; for he was 
a sweet-tempered knight, courteous, benign, amiable, liberal, coura- 
geous, prudent and loyal in all affairs, and bore himself valiantly on 
every occasion : there was none more beloved and esteemed by the 
knights and ladies of his time. 

While the commissioners and deputies of the king of England 
w-ere taking seisin and possession of the aforesaid lands, according 
to the articles of peace, other commissioners and deputies were on 
the frontiers of France with commissioners from that king, ordering 
all men-at-arms, who were garrisoned in the different castles and 
forts of France, to evacuate and surrender them to the king of France, 
under pain of confiscation and death. There were some knights 
and squires attached to England who obeyed, and surrendered, or 
made their companions surrender such forts as they held : but there 
were others who w-ould not obey, saying that they had made war in 
the name of the king of NavaiTe. There were also some from 
difi'ercnt countries, who were great captains and pillagers, that would 
not, on any account, leave the country ; such as Germans, Brabant. 
ers, Flemings, Hainaultcrs, Gascons and bad Frenchmen, who had 
been impoverished by the war: these persons persevered in their 
wickedness, and did afterwards much mischief to the kingdom. 

When the captains of the forts had handsomely delivered them 
up, with all they contained, they marched off, and when in the plain, 
they dismissed their people : but those who had been so long accus- 
tomed to pillage, knowing well that their return home would not be 
advantageous for them, but that they might perhaps suffer for the bad 
actions they had committed, assembled together, and chose new 
leaders from the worst disposed among them. They then rode on, 
one party following the odier, and made their first stand in Burgundy 
and Champagne, where they formed large squadrons and companies, 
which were called the Latc-comens, because as yet they had but 
little pillaged that part of the kingdom of France. They suddenly 
came before and took the fort of Joinville,* with great wealth in it, 
which the whole country round had brought thither, confiding in 
the strength of the place. When th.ese troops found such riches as 
were valued at a hundred thousand francs, they divided it among 
them as far as it would go, and held the castle for a time, from 
whence they scoured all the country of Champagne, the bishoprics 
of Verdun, "Toul and Langres : but, when they had plundered suffi- 
ciently, they departed, and sold the castle of Joinville to the inhab. 
itants of the country for one thousand francs.t 

They then entered Burgundy, where they reposed and refreshed 
themselves until they were all collected, and did many bad and vil. 
lainous actions ; for they had among them some knights and squires 
of that country, who advised and conducted them. They remained 
some time in the neighborhood of Besan5on, Dijon and Beaune, de. 
spoiling everywhere, for none went out to oppose them. They also 
took the good town of Guercheyt in the Beaunois, which they sacked, 
and remained for a time near Vergy,^ on account of the fertility of 
that country. Their numbers were perpetually increasing : for those 
who quitted the castles and towns on their being surrendered, and 
who were disbanded by their captains, came into those parts ; so 
that bv Lent they amounted to at least sixteen thousand combatants. 
When they found their numbers so great, they appointed many 
captains, whom all obeyed implicitly. I am able to name some of 
their greatest leaders ; and first, a knight from Gascony, called sir 
Seguin de Batefol, who had under his command two thousand com. 
batants. There were also Tallebert Tallabaton, Guy du Pin, Espi. 
ote, le petit Mechin, Battailler, Hannequin Francois, le BourgH de 
I'Espare, Nandoz dc Bauguerant, le Bourgcamus, le Bourg de Bre. 
teuil, la Nuyt, Arbrethoury the Scot, Bourdonnelle the German, Ber. 
nard de la Salle, Robert Briquet, Carnelle, Aimenon d'Ortige, Garsiot 
du Chatel, Gironet du Paux, I'Ortingo de la Salle, and many others. 



» Joinville-an ancient town in aiampagne, on tl.e Mariie, diocese of Chalons. 
t Lord Bernerssnys, for 20,000 francs.— Ed. 
J A village ui Champagne, near Joigny. 

I Vergy— a village of Burgundy, bailiwick of .\uils. 

II See note, p. 136. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



135 



These leaders, about the middle of Lent, resolved that they would 
advance with their forces toward Avignon, and pay a visit to the 
pope and cardinals. They therefore traversed the country of Bur- 
gundy and Mascon, making for the rich and fertile country of Fo- 
retz, and for Lyons situate on the Rhdne. When the king of France 
was intornied in what manner these freebooting troops overran and 
pillaged his kingdom, he was mightily enraged. It was stated, by 
special orders of the council, to his majesty, that unless these bands 
were repressed, they would multiply so much and do such mischief, 
to judge from wliat they had already done, that the kingdom of 
France would suffer equally as during the war with the Knglish. 
The council, therefore, advised the king to send a sufficient force to 
fight them. The king in consequence wrote especial letters to his 
cousin the lord .Tames de Bourbon* (who was at that time in the 
town of Montpelicr, and had lately put sir .Tohn Chandos in full pos- 
session of the cities, lands, towns and castles of the duchy of Gui. 
enne, as has been before mentioned,) ordering him to put himself at 
the head of the force that was to be sent against these freebooters, 
and to take a sufficient number of men-at-arms to give them combat. 
When the lord James de Bourbon received these orders, he set off 
immediately for the city of Agen,t witliout stopping anywhere, and 
sent off letters and messengers to the nobles, knights, and squires, 
requiring, in the king's name, their instant attendance. Every one 
most willingly obeyed his orders, and followed him to the city of 
Lyons ; for he was eager to fight with these wicked people. The 
lord James of Bourbon was much beloved throughout the kingdom 
of France, and all most cheerfully obeyed his orders. Knights and 
squii-es, therefore, came to him from all quarters ; from Auvergne, 
from Limousin, Provence, Savoy and DauphiniJ. On tlie other 
hand, many attended him from the duchy of Burgundy, whom the 
young duke of Burgundy had sent to him. 

This army began its march, making no halt at Lyons, but advanced 
into the country of Mascon. The lord James entered the county of 
Foretz, which was dependent on his sister in right of her children, 
for the count de Foretz was lately dead, and was governed by Reg- 
inald de Foretz in the interim, who was brother to the late count. 
He received the lord James and his company with great joy, and 
feasted them in the best manner he was able. The two nepliews of 
the lord James de Bourbon were at home : he presented them to him, 
who received them very graciously, and ordered tliem to be posted 
near his person, that they might aid to defend their country. 

Tlie free companies were advancing toward this neighborhood ; for 
those who were at Chalonst upon the Saone and near to Turnus,^ 
and in that fertile country, having heard that the French were as- 
sembling an army to fight with them, their captains called a council, 
to determine what steps they should take. Tliey made a muster of 
their troops, and found they amounted, one with another, to sixteen 
thousand combatants. They then resolved to go and meet the French, 
who were so desirous of it, and to offer them battle, in such situations 
only as would be for their advantage, but upon no other terms. " If 
fortune," said they, " should be favorable to us, we may all be rich, 
and at our ease for a long time, as well by the valuable prisoners we 
shall make, as from the fear we excite ; for no more troops will be 
hardy enough to come against us : but, if we lose the battle, we shall 
have hard blows for our pay." This resolution was adopted : they 
broke up their camp, and marched toward the mountains, in order to 
penetrate into the county of Foretz : they came to the river Loire, 
and, in their road, to a good town called Charlieu,|| in the bailiwick 
of Mascon, which they surrounded and attacked. They exerted 
tliemselves to take it by assault, which employed them a whole day, 
but they could do nothing, for it was well defended and guarded by 
the gentlemen of the country, who had flung themselves into the 
town ; otherwise it would have been won. They then marched off, 
and revenged themselves on the estates of the lord of Beaujeu, which 
were near, and where they did very considerable miscliief, and en- 
tered the diocese of Lyons. 

As they advanced, they took all the smaller forts, and lodged 
themselves m them, and did much damage wherever they passlid. 
They took a cattle, and a lord and lady in it; which castle was 
called Brignais,ir and is situate on the Rh6ne, three leagues from 
Lyons. There they halted and took up their quarters, for they were 
informed that the French army was drawn out in the plain in order 
ol battle. 



wL^ah"vrfc!ththf°,h??' ^""r*'? ''' l^""" ?1}'-''^ f""" kins John, to whom he 

S?.?'"."'.', '^",'""'; the county of Poiith.eu and the dignity of conskible. He was 

: hrst in that of Crecy, where he was wounded : next in that of 



famous in three battles : 



Poitiers, when he was taken prisoner; .ind iastly in that of Brignano vhere he ron 
quered. But soon atler, a company of disbanded soldiers .^"t™-'- "ere he con- 



Lyonnois, lord Ja 



, ^ ravaging Cliiimpaffne and the 

.„^ w P '"" "'"'^';' '"^■■""" ""■'"■ "1"!''. being overpowere,! by nnmbe™ e 

Anri^ lS? ^T'"'^'^ T"S">- ""■""'I''''' »"<• 'iie-l three days after^vards at LyonfeU^ 
April, 13S3.-Anderson's Komi Omealosies. '-yons, oiii 

he'wrm,;ntr;;ru„tT ' ""^ ""''''''■ '"' "■^' ''''^"™' "-- «"^-«. -'-= 

Un^l?ft^?"'f'"''^^''fV '" Gnienne.the capital of the Agenois, twenty-ei-ht 
leagues from Toulouse, and Ihirty-six from Bordeaux- 

J Cbalons-au ancient toivn in Burgundy, twenty nine leagues from Lyons 
^^ Tou,„us-an ancient town of Burgundy, on the Sa5„e. m the ro^ad K Lyons to 

II Charlieu— a town of the Lyonnois 



CHAPTER CCXV. 

THE LORD JAMES DE BOURIiON AXD HTS AR3IY ARE DEFE.\TED EY THESE 
FREEBOOTING COMPANIES. THE POPE ORDERS A CROISADE TO BE PRO- 
CLAI.1IED, AFTER THEY HAVE TAKEN THE PONT DU .ST. ESPRIT, AND 
FINDS MEANS TO GET RID OF THEM. 

The men-at-arms, assembled under the lord James de Bourbon, 
were in the city of Lyons upon the Rh6ne, when tliey heard that 
these companies were approaching in great strength, and had taken 
by assault the town and castle of Brignais, as well as several others, 
and were pillaging and ruining the whole eouiitrv. This was very 
unpleasant news to the lord James, who had taken the management 
of the estates of the county of Foretz for his nephews, as well as to 
all the other chiefs. They immediately took the field, and were a 
numerous body of men-at-arms, knights and squires. They sent out 
their scouts for intelligence respecting these companies,' to know 
where they were, that they might find them. 

I must now mention the grand trick which these free companies 
played. They were encamped upon a high mountain,* on the sum. 
mit of which there was a plain that could not be seen : in this place 
they had posted the geater part of their army, and permiited the 
French scouts to come so near, they could have taken them if they 
had chosen it, but they were allowed to return nnhurt.t They in. 
formed the lord James de Bourbon, the count d'Usez, the lord Regi- 
nald de Foretz, and those lords who had sent them, all thcv had ob- 
served and heard, adding, " We have seen the companies drawn up 
in array upon a hillock, and, according to our understanding, well 
formed ; but, having attentively considered them, they cannot be 
more than five or six thousand men, and seem marvellously ill-armed." 
When lord James de Bourbon heard this, he said to the archpriest, 
" You told me they amounted to at least sixteen thousand combat, 
ants, and you now hear the contrary." " .My lord," answered he, 
" I still think they are not less in number : if it should be otherwise, 
we may thank God for it, and it is so much the better for us : yon 
will therefore determine what you will do," " In the name of God," 
said tlie lord James, " we will go and fight them." The lord James 
ordered all the banners and pennons to halt innnediatelv. and formed 
his battalions in good order to begin tlie combat, for they saw their 
enemies before them. He then created many new knights : the first 
was his eldest son Peter, who displayed his banner ; his nephew, the 
young count de Foretz, did the same ; the lord of Tournon, the lord 
de Molinier, and the lord de Grostee, in Dauphing. Among the no- 
bility, there were, sir Louis and sir Robert de Beaujeu, sir Louis de 
Chalons, sir Hugh de Vicnne, the count d'Usez, and many other 
worthy knights and squires, eager to advance to the combat, both for 
their own honor and to destroy these freebooters, who were wastin" 
the country without right or reason. The archpriest. whose name 
was Arnaut de Cervole, was ordered to take the command of the 
first battalion. He willingly obeyed ; for he was an expert and hardy 
knight, and had under his command about sixteen hundred com. 
batants. 

The freebooters, from their situation on the hill, saw but too clearly 
all these arrangements of the French, who could not see what they 
were about, nor approach them without danger and loss ; for there 
were at least a thousand cart-loads of flints ready to be thrown 
against the first assailants by that body of men who 'appeared so ill. 
armed to the scouts. I must mention, that the only xvay these 
French men-at-arms, who were so desirous to fight the companion]? 
at any rate, could approach them, was to ascend sideways tlie hill on 
which they had placed themselves. "Wlien they, therefore, attempted 
this, tliose who were on the hill began to throw down on them the 
stones and flints, of which they had made so large a provision that 
they had only to stoop and pick them up : and, having full time to 
aim them well, they wounded and killed many, so that others were 
afraid to push forward. This advanced battalion was so severely 
treated, it was not of any good use afterwards. The other battalions 
marched to its succor, under the lord James de Bourbon, his son and 
his nephews, with their banners, and many other respectable gentle, 
men, who rushed on to their own destruction, so that it was a pity 
they had not formed better plans, or listened to wiser counsel. The 
archpriest and some other knights had truly said, they were going to 
fight xvith these companions at a disadvantage, with certain loss, 
considering the situation they had chosen for themselves. They 
advised waiting until they should have been dislodged from the 
strong-hold where they had posted themselves, that then they would 
Iiave a better chance of success, but they were never listened to„ 
Thus then, when the lord James de Bourbon and the other lords, 
with banners and pennons flying, approached and ascended sideways 



* A hish mountain." Denys Sauvage has written a long note to say, ihat he had 
visited this spot m 1659, and that it ought not to be called a higk mountain, for it was 
but a hillock. This Froissart himself allows in the followine lines, where the scouts call 
It a tertre. D. Sauvage says, the place corresponds to the description, and that dif- 
ferent weapons have been found in the adjoining grounds. 

t Lord Beniers, who here agrees with D. Sauvage, has these words : " Now shall I 
shewe you the great malice of these conipanyons who were lodged on a mountnyne, 
and there they had such a place that they could nat be discryed nor aucwed ; and spe- 
cmlly the chief of them, who were bestc harnessed : for the residewe (who were worste 
harneysed) arenged alonge on the hylle side, and suffered the frenche currouis to 
aproche nere to them, and to relourne agayne without" any damage." The stratagem 
pracuced is here plainly described, but is scarcely intelligible in Mr. Johnes's version.— 



136 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



this hill, the weaker and less completely accoutred of the freeboot- 
ers were enabled to harass llieni ; for they flung upon them so rap. 
idly and vigoroasly stones and flints, that the boldest and best armed 
were in dread of them. When they had thus for some time kept 
them in check, their grand battalion, fresh and untouched, advanced 
by a secret road round the hill, and being in close order like a brush, 
with their lances cut down to six feet or fhereabouts, with loud cries, 
and a thorough good will, fell upon the French army. In this first 
attack, very many were unhorsed, and many gallant deeds per- 
formed; but the freebooters fought so hardily, it was marvellous to 
think of it, and the French army was forced to retreat. That good 
and valiant knight the archpriest fought excellently well : but he 
was so overpowered by numbers that, after being grievously wounded, 
he was made prisoner, as well as several kniglits and squires of his 
company. Why should I make a longer talk of this afl'air ? in fact, 
the French had the worse of the day : lord James do Bourbon and 
the lord Peter his son were very badly wounded : the young count 
de Foretz was slain : sir Reginald de Foretz his uncle, the count 
d'Usez, the lord Robert de Beaujeu, the lord Louis de Cheilons, and 
upward of one hundred knights, were made prisoners. It was with 
great difliculty the lord James de Bourbon and his son the lord 
Peter were brought back to Lyons. This battle of Brignais was 
fought on the Friday after Easter, in the year of our Lord 1361. 

All the bordering countries were thrown into the greatest confu- 
sion, when they heard that the army had been discomfited ; and 
there was no one so bold, who had even the strongest castle, that 
did not tremble ; for the wisest among them immediately supposed 
the greatest mischiefs would ensue and multii)ly, if God did not 
directly bring some remedy. The inhabitants of Lyons were con. 
founded when they first heard that victory had declared for these 
freebooting companies. They, however, received in the kindest 
niamier all those who returned from the battle, and were much 
hurt at what had befallen the lord James de Bourbon and his son the 
lord Peter. The ladies, both young and old, visited them in the 
kindest manner ; for they were much beloved in the city of Lyons. 
The lord James departed this life the third day after the battle, 
and his son did not long survive him. They were much pitied 
and regretted. The king of France was greatly aflected at the 
death of the lord James de Bourbon; but as it was not now to be 
amended, he was obliged to bear his mourning as well as he could. 

We will now return to these freebooters, who, having resolved to 
keep themselves united, were rejoiced at the fortunate issue of this 
battle. They had been great gainers, as well by what they had 
seized on the spot as from the ransoms of their wealthy prisoners. 
These companies had the whole country under their disposal, for no 
one now ventured to attack them. Soon after the battle at Brignais, 
tlvey entered and overspread the county of Foretz, which they com. 
pletely sacked and ruined, except the fortresses ; and because they 
were in such large bodies tliat no small extent of countz'y could 
maintain them, they divided themselves into two parties ; sir Seguin 
de Eastefbl commanded the smallest, which, however, consisted of 
about three thousand fighting men. He advanced toward Ance,* 
near to Lyons, where he fixed his quarters. He then strongly forti- 
fied and rebuilt parts of it, and kept his troops in its neighborhood, 
whicli is one of the richest countries in the world. He overran and 
ransomed at his ease all the countries above and below the Sabne, 
such as the county of Mlcon, the archbishopric of Lyons, the terri- 
tories of the lord of Beaujeu, and the whole country as far as Mar. 
silly les Nonnains,t and the county of Nevers. 

The other division of these free companies under the command 
of Nandoz de Baugcrant, Espiote, Carnelle, Robert Briquet, Ortingo 
and Bernard de la Salle, Lannuyt, le Bourgcamust, le bourg de Bre- 
teuil, le bourg de I'Esparre, and many others of the same sort and 
with the same intentions, advanced toward Avignon, saying they 
would go and visit the pope and cardinals, in order to have some of 
their money ; otherwise they should be well vexed. They waited in 
that neighborhood to receive the amount of their ransoms for the 
prisoners taken at Brignais, as well as to see if the peace that had 
been made between the two kings was likely to be lasting. In their 
route to Avignon, they took towns, castles, and forts; for nothing 
could stand before them. The whole country was in alarm ; for in 
those parts they had not had any war, and the guards did not know 



* Ance— ail ancient town of tlie Lyoniiois, situated near the Saone, diocese and elec- 
tion of Lyons, aliout a ieaRue from Viilefranche. 

t Mai-=il!y les Nonnains. I cannot find in the Gazetteer this name. There is Marcilly- 
sur-Saone, a village in Bursundy. near Auxonne, which is, I suppose, the same. 

X Baurs, in the dictionaries ot the old French language, seems to mean bustard or 
illegitimate. 

Bui'si, in Ducange's Glossary, is as follows ; " Calepino ex Tit. C. de fund, rei pri- 
vata;. ' Qui collegio. vel curia?, vel burgis caiterisque corjioribus servieril. An inde, an 
non potius it burggravius per contractioneni BoiirgSy appellati sunt castcllani, et pre- 
fect! cnslrnrum, per arcium. apud Froissartem,' torn. ii. cap. 34. ' Si etoient de sa route 
les capitaines des autres chateaux, comme le bourg Calart, le bifurg Anglois, le bourg 
de Champagne, et Raymond de Force, &c. 

" Burgi, adde, ' A genuina vocis Gallica; bimrg notione longe aberrari mihi videtur, 
cnm ex Froissarte exponitur de t-'astellano sur burgi prEcfecto. Bonrg enim eo loci, 
queniadmodum et in uliis ejusdem levi historicis, spurium. nothum sonat. Call, batard ; 
quod npprime docet Gerry in Hist. Chronol. Carol, VII. ad an. 1432. ubi queni bourg 
dicit, paula infra appellat bastard : sic et ad an. 1430, h bourg dc Matiguarcn. Bonrc 
in Litt. Remiss, an. 1411 ex reg. 165. Charloph. leg. ch. 219. Icelui Pierre appellast le 
suppliant arlot, tacain, bourc ; qui vaut antant ?i dire en hingaa ige du Pais de par de K 
gar^un. truant, bastart. Bort, eodem sensu usurpunt Hispani. Vide in hac voce.' " 



how to defend or to keep their strong holds against such men.at. 
arms. 

These companions got information, that at the Font du St. Esprit*, 
seven leagues from Avignon, there was very great wealth ; and that 
all the riches of the country thereabouts had been earned thither, as 
to a place of safety, trusting to the strength of its castle. They 
therefore consulted together, and agreed that if they could get pos- 
session of this town of St. Esprit, it would be of the greatest advan- 
tage to them ; for they then would be masters of the Rl;5ne as well 
as of Avignon. After they had well digested their plan, Guyot du 
Pin and the little Mechin (as I have heard it related) mounted their 
horses, and, with their companies, rode one whole night to the e.xtent 
of fifteen leagues. They aiTived by break of day at the town of ,St. 
Esprit, which they took, and all those of both se,xes which were 
therein. It was a pitiful sight ; for they murdered many a discreet 
man, and violated many a virgin. They gained immense riches, and 
provision sufiicient to last them a whole year. They cotild from 
this town escape easily, in an hottr's time and without danger, into 
the kingdom of France, and in another hour into the empire. They 
collected their companies together, and kept advancing toward Avig. 
non, at which the pope and cardinals were much alarmed. These 
companions had chosen, at the Pont du St. Esprit, a captain to com- 
mand the whole of their forces, who was commonly styled the 
friendt of God, and the enemy of all the world. 

There were at that time in France, besides these coinpanics. many 
other pillagers, English, Gascons, and Germans, who were desirous 
of living there,! and who maintained many garrisons in fortresses. 
Although the commissaries from the king of England had ordered 
them to evacuate these castles, and to leave tlie country, tliey had 
not obeyed, which was very displeasing to the king of France, as 
well as to his council. 

But when many of them learnt (for they had possession of different 
places in France) that their brethren had overthrown the lord .Tames 
de Bourbon with two thousand knights and squires, had taken a 
great many prisoners, and had very lately surprised and conquered 
the town of St. Esprit, where they had found immense riches, and 
that they had expectations of gaining Avignon, where they would 
have the pope and cardinals at their mercy, as well as all Provence, 
each was eager to join them, in the hopes of gain and doing more 
mischief. This was the reason why many warriors left their forts 
and castles, and advanced before their companions, expecting greater 
pillage. 

When Pope Innocent VI. and the Roman college saw themselves 
thus threatened by these accursed people, they were exceedingly 
alarmed, and ordered a croisade to be published against these wicked 
Christians, who were doing everything in their power to destroy 
Christianity (like Vandals§ of old, without right or reason) by ruin- 
ing all the countries whither they resorted ; by robbing, wherever 
they could find anything; by violating women, both young ond old, 
without pity ; and by killing men, women, and children, without 
mercy, who had done no ill to them ; for he was reckoned the 
bravest, and most honored, who could boast of the most villainous 
actions. 

The pope and the cardinals had therefore a croisade publicly 
preached. They absolved from every crime and sin|| all those who 
should take the cross, and voluntarily give themselves up to destroy 
these wretches. The cardinals elected the lord Peter de Monstier, 
cardinal d'Arras, by some called cardinal d'Ostia, to be the chief of 
this croisade ; who, upon his nomination, immediately left .'Vvignon, 
and went to Carpentras, seven leagues distant, where he fixed his 
quarters. He retained all soldiers, and others, who were desirous of 
saving their souls, and of gaining the foresaid pardons : but he woidd 
not give them any pay, which caused many of them to depart and go 
into Lorabardy ; others returned into their own countries, and some 
joined these wicked companies, which were daily increasing. They 
divided themselves into several companies, over each of which they 
nominated captains, and took up their quarters in diflx-rent places. 
Thus they harassed the pope, the cardinals, and the merchants in die 
neighborhood of Avignon, and did a great deal of mischief until the 
summer was far advanced of the year 13G1. 

It happened that the pope and cardinals cast their eyes upon a very 

* Pont du St. Esprit— a town of lower Languedoc, on the Rhcjne, diocese aud receipt 
of Uzes; so called from one of the most beautiful bridges in Europe built over the 
Rhone, in the road irom Montjwlier to Paris. 

It is probnhle that the town of Pont St. Esprit was taken twice ; for a chronicle, writ- 
ten in tlie reign of king John, assures us positively, ' que les compagnons qui etoient 
sorlis de la France, et qui se faisoient oppeler la grande compasnie,' look possession of 
tlie town and castle of St. Esprit on Innocents' day, IStiO.— C?iroJH«iic, MSS. du Roi 
Jean, Bibliot. du Koi. No. 9t»2. 

t "Friend." Denys Sauvagesays. in anotc on the margin, that instead of ami it was 
emicmi in all the editions ; but that he had corrected it from the two abridgments. He 
is cerlauily right as to the printed editions of Verard and Eustace, as well as in lord 
Kerncrs's translation and Barnes's History of Edward IH. ; but it is ami in my two 
MSS. , ,,,.,„ 

t Lord Berners uses these words, " who sand they must iiedcs lime, which fully ex- 
press the feelings and condition of these disbanded soldiers.— [Ed. 

§ " Vandals." Denys Sauvage has Bavdes, and says it is so in all the editions, but 
th,al he thinks it should be Vandals. It is raiides in all my printed editions, as well as MSS. 
[Lord Berners's vei-sion is. " And than ordeyned a croysey agaynst these yuell christen 
people who dyde their payne to distroy chri'stendome as other bolides had done before 
without tytell of any reason." May not this have reference to tlie expedition of the 
archpriest mentioned before, instead of the Vandals'?)- (Ed. 

11 A poena et ciilpix,— Loxr- Bep.xep.s. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &,c. 



137 



accomplislied kiiigiit and good wnrrior ; that is to say, upon the mar 
quis c!e Moiitferrat,* who for a long time had been engaged in war 
against the lords of Milan, and wds at this time so employed. They 
sent to him to come to Avignon, where he was received with much 
honor by the pope and cardinals. 

A treaty was then entered into with him. He agreed, for a con. 
siderable sum of money, to free the territories of the pope and the 
neighborliood of those frecbooting companies, and to lead them witli 
him into Lombardy. The marquis negotiated, therefore, with the 
captains of these companies, t and managed so well, that by means 
of sixty thousand florins w hich he divided among them, and the high 
pay he promised them, they consented to follow him into Lombardy ; 
but they also insisted on receiving pardon and absolution from all 
crimes and sin. Every article was fulfilled, and the money paid : 
they gave up the town of St. Esprit. quitted the territory of Avignon, 
and marched away with the marquis of Montferrat. 

King John and his whole kingdom \vere much rejoiced, when they 
found themselves dclivejed from these people ; but many of thein 
returned back into Burgundy : sir Seguin de Batefol, who kept his 
garrison at Ance, would not surrender it for any treaty or promise 
they made him : ho\vcvcr, France was, in many places, more at peace 
than it had been. 

When the greater part of these companies had quitted the country, 
and had marched with the marquis de Montferrat into Piedmont, the 
marquis managed his affairs well against the lords of Milan. He 
conquered many towns, castles, and forts, and gained much territory 
from them. He had also many skirmishes and attacks, which turned 
out to his proiit as well as honor; and these companies, witliin the 
year, gave hini a superiority in the war, and were in a great measure 
the cause that the lords Galeas and Bernabo Viseonti,t v/ho were 
sovereigns of Milan, and who since reigned there in great prosperity, 
came to a proper understanding with him. 

About this time sir Seguin de Batefol, who had retained his garri- 
son at Ance upon the river Saone, took by escalade a good city in 
Auvergne, called Brioude, and which is situated on the river Allier. 
He maintained himself therefor upward of a year, and fortified it 
so strongly that he was not afraid of an attack : from this place he 
overran all the country as far as Clermont, § Tilhac, Puy,|| Case 
Dieu,ir Moatferrant,** Rion!,ttla Nonnette,}t Ussoire,§§ Oudalle,|||| 
and the lands of the count Dauphin, who was at that time a hostage 
in England, and committed the greatest damages. When he had 
very much impoverished the whole country, he marched away, 
according to an agreement, carrying off with him great riches. Sir 
Seguin de BatefulU H returned into Gascony, whence he had originally 
come. Of this sir Seguin I know no more, except that by accident 
I heard it related that he died in an extraordinary manner. God 
pardon him for all his misdeeds ! 



CHAPTER CCXVI. 

THE DEATHS OF THE DtTKES OF LANCASTER AND OF BUKGUNDY, WHICH 
LAST CAUSES NEW DISSEXStONS BETWEEN THE KliXSS OF FRANCE AND 
NAVAERE. THE PRINCE OF WALES CROSSES THE SEA AT AQUITAINT:. 

At this period died in England the good duke of Lancaster,*** 

^ The iimniuis de Montferrat. .Toljii Pala-ologvis, IGtIi marckgrave of Moiitfeirat, 1338, 
died 1371, reigiied 33 years.— Anderson's Roi/al Genealogies. 

t " Captains of ijiese companies." Barnes says, tliat the principal leader was si,- 
John Hawkvvoud ; Itut the following quotation from the life of sir John Hawkwood, 
published in tlie (jUi viduine of the Bibhut. Tyiiog. Dritan. page 6, shows it was not so. 

"Tlie company of Englisli adventnrei-s wlio now entered into llie service of tlie mar- 
quis of Montferrat. 1363, is said, by Muralori, vol. xii, p. 207, to have been commanded 
by one ^'llliarct. 

" Upon tlie conclusion of liie peace between tlie manjuis of Montferrat and Galeazzo, 
tlie few English wlio remained with the former went and joined tlieir comitrynien in 
Tuscany, and soon after furnied a body under Hawkwood." 

There must be a mistake resfiecting the date of 1363, lor Froissalt. as well as Denys 
Sauvage, lixes it positively 1361. 

t In the year 1354. Matthew II., Bernabo and Galeas II., all three sons of glophen 
Visconti, brother of John, sut-coeiled their uncle in the state of Milan and divided it into 
equal portions, except Milan and Genoa, which the two last individually held. Matthew 
dying williout male children, the 2l5tli September, 1355, his two brothers inherited his 
portion, except Bologna, which they sulli;red Visconti d'Olegio to carry from them. 
They ohlaincd the same year, from the emperor Charles IV. the viceresency of Lom- 
bardy. Thoir union delondcd them against a powerful league, formed by the Florentines 
tlic marquises of Eslc. of .Mantua, and of Jlontlerrat. In 1359, Galeas asM<ted by his 
brother Bernabo. made Ihe conquest of Pavin, in the month ofNovember, after a long 
?°?' JS ■ '^'"'^^" acquired, from Feltrin deGonzague, the city of Reggio. Galeas 
died lara. aged 50 year>. Murnlori gives a very bad character of him 

See more of the house of Vi,conli, in I'Art de Verifier les Dates, whence the above 
IS taken. 

§ I'lermont. or Clermont-Fen-ard, capital of .\uvergne. 

li Puy— a village in Auvergne, diocese of Clermont, 

TI Case Dieu, Q. an abbey, diocese of Auch. 

*^ Montferrnnt— a town in Auvergne, near Clermont. 

Tt Rion, Riom— a city of .'Vnvergne. near Clermont, 

tt La Nonnelte— a town of .Auvergne, election of Issoire. 

5§ Ussoire, Ussoil— a town of Auvergne, four leagues from Brioude. 

III! Oudalle, 1 cannot find, nor Tilhac. 

HIT '• Sir Seguin de Batefol." Mezeray calls him Simon Batefol. Vdlaret calls hiin 
genti horame navarrois, and says that he died from some poisoned oranges, which 
Charles le Mauvais, king of Navanre, had served at dinner, in order to get rid of him 
He was desirous ol engaging sir Seguin de Batefol to make fresh disturbances in France 
contrary to the promise he had made king John, on surrendering Brioude ; but he asked 
too nrge a sum ; and, having possession of Charles's secret, he thus poisoned him that it 
might not be divulged.-//,sto,>f de France, par yuiaret. torn. v. p. 258. 

*** "Henry dukeof Laiica»ter, who died ofthe plague of 1360, was buried on the south 



whose Christian name was Henry. The king and all his barons, 
knights, and squires, were much afflicted, and wished it had not 
been so. He left two daughters, the lady Maude and the lady 
Blanche. The eldest was married to the earl of Hainault of the 
name of William, son of the lord Lewis of Bavaria and Margaret of 
Hainault. The youngest w as married to the lord John, earl of Rich- 
mond, son of the king of England, who was afterwards duke of Lan- 
caster, in right of his wife, and by the death of Henry duke of 
Lancaster. 

In this season also died the young duke Philip of Burgundy,* carl 
of Burgundy, of Artois and of Boulogne, palatine of Brie and Cham- 
pagne. He married the daughter of Louis carl of Flanders, by one 
of the daughters of John duke of Brabant, to whom fell the earldom 
of Burgundy, by the near relationship of Margaret his motlier, who 
did homage and fealty for it to the king of France. The lord John 
of Boulogne, earl of Auvergne, came, by the same means, into pos- 
session of the earldom of Boulogne, and was homager to the king of 
France. King John also, from his proxiitiity, took possession of and 
retained the duchy of Burgundy, and all rights over Champagne and 
Brie, which was highly displeasing to the king of Navarre ; but he 
could not help himself ; for he claimed Champagne and Brie, as 
being the nearest heir : his reasons were not listened to, for king 
John hated him much, and declared that he should never possess a 
foot of ground in Champagne nor in Brie.t 

About this time, the king of France had formed a resolution to go 
to Avignon, and visit the pope and cardinals, and, in his road, to 
amuse himself by inspecting the duchy of Burgundy, which had lately 
fallen in to him. The king, therefore, ordered preparations to be 
made, and set out from Paris about St. John's day 1362, having left 
his eldest son Charles duke of Normandy, regent andgovernor of the 
kingdom during his absence. The king took with him the lord John 
of Artois, his cousin, whom he much loved ; the earl of Tancarville, 
the earl of Dampmartin, Boucicault marshal of France, sir Arnold 
d'Andreghen, the grand prior of France, and several others. He 
travelled slowly and w^ith much expense, making soiue stay in all 
the cities and towns of Burgundy, so that he did not arrive at Ville- 
neuve,{ until about Michaelmas. It was there that his hbtel was 
prepared, as well for himself as for his attendants. He was most 
magnificently received and feasted by the pope and the college at 
Avignon ; the king, pope, and cardinals, visited each other often. 
The king remained at Villeneuve during the whole time.§ 

About Christmas pope Innocent VI. departed this life ; and the 
cardinals were in great discord about the election of another, for 
each was desirous of that honor ; more particularly the cardinals of 
Boulogne and Perigord, who were the greatest in the college. Their 
dissensions kept the conclave a long time shut up. The conclave 
had ordered and ari'anged everything according to the desires of the 
two before-mentioned cardinals, but in such a manner that neither 
of them could succeed to the papacy : upon which they both agreed, 
that none of their brethren should wear the papal crown, and elected 
the abbot de St. Victory of Marseilles, who was a holy and learned 
man, of good morals, and who had labored hard for the church in 
Lombardy and other places. The two cardinals sent to inform him 
of his elevation, and to desire he would come to Avignon : which he 



side ofthe high altar of the collegiate chun^h of Leicester, Ibnnded by his father (not hy 
him, as in Dugdale.j and on the next niche to him lay a lady, by likelihood his wife." — 
Gocgh's Sep. Mtin. 

" lie lelt issue by his wife Isabel, daughter of Henry lord Beaumont, two daughters, 
his heiresses. Maude first married to Rahih, son and heir to Ralph Lord Stafford, and 
afterwards to W'illiamduke of Zealand : and Blanche (by virtue of a special dispensa- 
tion from the pope, in regard totheir near alliance) to John of Gaunt, earl of Richmond, 
tbiirlli son to Edward Hi. and afterwards duke of Lancaster.— Dugd.\le'.s Baronage- 

Maude came to England soon after her father** death, and died, supposed by poison.— 
Knyoiitox. 

* Philip duke of Burgundy succeeded to the earldoms of Boulogne and Auvergne 
at the age of fifteen by the death of his mother, 29th September, 1360. Toward the latter 
end ofNovember. 1371, he died at Rouvie, and was buried at Citeaux. He lived but a 
short time, and was \-ery much regretted, as he promised well. The duchy of Burgundy 
passed to the king of France, not by virtue of the law of appanages, but as being nearest 
Iieir to duke Philip. The earldom of Burgundy, by the same right, passed to Marga- 
ret, who married I'hdip, fourth son of John king of France, who was created duke of 
Burgundy by letters patent, 6th Sept. 1363.— Z,'.4rf de verifier les Dales. 

t In place of this paragraph lord Berners has the following: "The lord James 
of Burbone abode styll pursuynge the treaty bytwene the lord John de Mountforde and 
the lord Charles of Bloys tor the right of the duthy of Bietayne acordyng to the treaty 
begon at Calais as ye have herd before. And for lacke of concludyng thereof great wanes 
and yuels fell after in the countri of Bretayne as ye shall here in this hystovie."— Ed. 

I Villeneuve d'-\vignoli — a town of Lower Languedoc, on the Rhone, opposite to 
Avignon. 

§ Villaret seems to think Froissart has made a mistake respecting this visit of tlie king, 
and that it was to prevent the marriage of Edmund earl of Cambridge, son of king Ed- 
ward III. with the widow ofthe late dukeof Burgundy, by means of the pope. 

" Since his {the king's) return from London, he made only one journey to the court 
of Avignon, where he did not arrive tdl after the death of Innocent VI." This opinion 
will not agree with what Froissart says ofthe entertainments and feasts he received from 
the pope. John must have made two journeys, at a short distance from one another. 
The contrary, however, is proved by the letters of this king, preserved in the fourth vol- 
ume des Ordonnances. Froissart will have, without doubt, confounded tins journey 
with Ihe one made before his imprisonment.- /fis(. de Pravee, vol. v. p. 270, note. 

In tJie Grands Clironiqnes de St. Denis, vol. ii. fouillet273. "In the month of August, 
13r2, the king of France set out to visit the pope. Innocent, at Avignon, who was then 
alive, and that same year, the 22nd Dec, he died." 

" King John entered Avignon St. Catherine's day, the 22nd November. Pope Urban 
received him very honorably in consistory, and retained him to dinner." 

Tliere must be some mistake in these dates. 

I) "Abbot de St. Victor." Urban V. William Grimoald. abbot de St. Germain 
d'Auxerre. then abbot of St.Victor de Marseille, was elected pope, 28th September, 136S. 
at the age of 53 years ; he died 19-..'i December, 1S70. 



138 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



did as soon as possible, and received tliis gift with joy. He was 
called Urban V., and reigned with great prosperity : ho augmented 
much the power of the church, and did great good to Rome and other 
parts. 

Soon after this election, the king of France heard that the lord 
Peter de Lusignan, king of Cyprus and Jerusalem, was on his road 
to Avignon, having crossed the sea ; upon which he resolved to wait 
for him, as he was anxious to see one of whom so many handsome 
things had been related, for having made war upon the Saracens. 
Lately, the new king of Cyprus had taken the strong city of Sati- 
lie* from the enemies of God, and had slain, without any exceptions, 
all the inhabitants of both sexes whom he had found there. 

There was, during this wintei-, a full parliament holden in Eng- 
land, respecting regulations for the country, but more especially to 
form establishments for the king's sons. They considered that the 
prince of Wales kept a noble and grand state, as he might well do ; 
for he was valiant, powerful, and rich, and had besides a large inher- 
itance in Aquitaine, where provisions and everything else abounded. 
They therefore remonstrated with him, and told him from the king 
his father, that it would be proper for him to reside in his duchy, 
which would furjiish him withal to keep as grand an establishment 
as he pleased. The barons and knights of Aquitaine were also de- 
sirous of his residing among them, and had before entreated the king 
to allow him so to do ; for although tlie lord John Chandos was very 
agreeable and kind to them, they still loved better to have their own 
natural lord and sovereign than any other. The prince readily as- 
sented to this, and made every preparation becoming his own and 
his wife's rank.t When all was ready, they took leave of the king, 
the queen and their brothers : set sail from England, and were landed, 
with their attendants, at La Rochelle. 

But we will for a while leave this prince, and talk of some other 
regulations which were made at this time in England. It was enacted 
by the king and his council, that the lord Lionel, the king's second 
son, and who had borne the title of earl of Ulster, should from thence- 
forward bear that of duke of Clarence ; and the lord John, wlio was 
called carl of Richmond, was created duke of Lancaster, which estate 
came to him by his wife, the lady Blanche, as heiress to the good 
duke of Lancaster, her father. It was also taken into consideration 
by the king and his council, that the lord Edmund, the king's young- 
est son, who was called earl of Cambridge, should be well provided 
for, and, if it were possible, that he should be united in marriage 
■with the daughter of the earl of Flanders, at that time a widow. 
However, that matter, though proposed, was not fully entered upon ; 
for it would be necessary to go cautiously to work about it ; besides, 
the lady herself was sufficiently young. 

About this time, the lady Isabella of France, mother of the king, 
died. She was daughter of Philip the Fair. The kiiig ordered a 
most magnificent and pompous funeral for her, at the Friar Minors,} 
at wluch nil the prelates and barons of England, as well as the lords 
of France who were hostages for the performance of the articles of 
peace, attended. 

This happened before the prince and princess of Wales left Eng- 
land ; soon after which they set out, and arrived at La Rochelle, 
where they were received with great joy, and remained four whole 
days. As soon as the lord John Chandos (who had governed the 
duchy of .\quitaine a considerable time) was informed that the prince 
was coming, he set out from Niort§ where he resided, and came to 
La Rochelle widi a handsome attendance of knights and squires, 
where they feasted most handsomely the prince, princess, and their 
suite. The prince was conducted from thence, with great honor and 
rejoicings, to the city of Poitiers. The barons and knights of Poitou 
and Saintonge, who at that time resided there, came and did homage 
and fealty to him. 

The prince rode from city to city, and from town to town, receiv- 
ing everywhere due homage and fealty. He at last came to Bor- 
deaux, where he resided a considerable time, and the princess with 
him. The earls, viscounts, barons, knights, and lords of Gascony, 
came thither to pay their respects to him : all of whom he received 
in so gracious and pleasing a manner, that every one was contented. 
Even the count de Foix came to visit him, whom the prince and 
princess received most honorably, and treated him magnificently. A 
peace was at this time concluded between him and the count d'jVr- 



* City of Sat^lie— is tlie AUalea of the ancient?, situated in Paniphiliu, a province 
If liicli at this day maltes part of Caraniania. 

Antalia. or Satklie— at llie bottom of the gulf of Satihe.— D'Am'lLLli's map, Oio- 
Sraphie ModEnic. 

Peter de Lusignan had succeeded his father ftugli. He did not arrive at Avignon 
until Die 29tli Marcji, 1362. the Weibiesilayof tlie holy week. 

Valdeiuar. king of Denmark, was there at the same lime, who came to place his per- 
son and kingdom under the protection of tjie holy see,— Villaret, Hist, de France. 

Peter I, succeeded his lather Hugh, as king of Cyprus, in IS61. January 18, 1372, he 
was assassinated by two lords whom he had abused. He disgraced the glories and 
fame of his early life by Ids debaucheries and cruelties in his latter ins.—.irt dc veri- 
fier les Dates. 

t "His wife's rank." The prince of Wale^ married Ibis year the lady .Toan. daugh- 
ter of Kdmimd Plantagenet earl of Kent, commonly called the fair countess of Kent. 
She was a widow, and of the blood royal of Enjland. She was first married to the earl 
of Saluhuiy. and divorced from him, then she was married to sir Thomas nollanj.— 
Fabian. 

X fliar Jlinors— commonly called tlic Gray Friars, now a parish church colled Christ 
Church.— Grafton 

§ Niort, a city in Poitou, diocese of L» Rochelle. 



magnac, with whom there had been a continual warfare for a \try 
considerable time. The lord John Chandos was soon after appointed 
constable of all Guienne, and sir Guiscard d'Angle marshal. The 
prince thus provided for the knights of his own country and his house, 
hold, particularly those he loved most, with these noble and hand. 
some oflices, which were at his disposal in the duchy of Aquitaine. 
He nominated to all his stewartries and bailiwicks knights from 
England, who kept up greater state and magnificence than the inhab. 
itants of the country could have wished : but things did not go ac. 
cording to their desires. We will now leave the prince and the 
princess of Wales, to speak of king John of France, who at this time 
was at Villeneuve d'-4vignou. 



CH. AFTER CCXVII. 

THE KINGS OF FKANCE ASD OF CYPRtTS tTJDEKTAKE AND SWEAR TO PER. 
FORM A CROISADE AGAINST THE INFIDELS. THE KING OF CYPRUS MAKES 
EARNEST SOLICITATIONS FOR ASSISTA.VCE TO MANY KINGS AND PRINCES 
IN DIVERS PLACES OF CHRISTENDOM. 

About Candlemas,* 1362, the king of Cyprus came to Avi^jnon : 
at which event the whole court was much rejoiced, and many cardi. 
nals went out to meet him, and to conduct him to the palace of pope 
Urban, who received him very graciously, as did the king of France, 
who was present. When they had remained together some time, 
and had had wines and spices served to them, the two kings took 
leave of the pope, and each went to his hotel. 

During this time, there was a public combat before the king of 
France, at Villeneuve, from pledges given and received, between 
two valiant and noble knights, whose names were sir Aymon de 
Pommiers and sir Foiilqucs d'.4rchiac. When they had fought well 
and valorously for a length of time, the king of France appeased 
them, and made up their quarrel. 

The two kings remained the whole Lent at Avignon, or there- 
about. They often visited the pope, who received them with joy. 
During these frequent visits, the king of Cyprus remonstrated w-ith 
the pope, the king of France, and the cardinals present, how noble 
and praiseworthy a thing it would be for Christendom, to open a 
liolj' passage beyond sea, and to fall upon the enemies of the true 
faith. The king of France listened eagerly to this discourse, and 
proposed that for himself he would willingly undertake such an enter, 
prise, if he should live three years only, for two reasons: one was, 
that king Philip, his father, had formerly made a vow to do the same; 
the other was, to draw out of his kingdom all those men-at-arms, 
called free companions, who pillaged and robbed his subjects with- 
out any shadow of right, and to save their souls. These reasons, 
however, the king of France kept to himself, without mentioning 
them to any one, until Holy Friday, when the pope preached in his 
chapel before the kings of France and Cyprus, and the college of 
Cardinals. After the sermon, which was very humble and devout, 
the king of France, through his great devotion, put on the cross, anil 
requested the pope, with great sweetness, to confirm it to him. The 
pope immediately and benignantly complied with his request, and 
crossed in like manner the lord Talleyrand cardinal de Perigord, the 
lord John d'Artois, the earl of Eu, the carl of Dampmartin, the earl 
of Tancarville, the lord Arnold d'Andreghcn, the grand prior of 
France, the lord Boucicaut, and many knights there present. The 
king of Cyprus was highly pleased, and returned fervent thanks to 
the Lord for having inspired their hearts. 

Thus, as you have heard, the king of France, and those barons 
and knights that were with him, put the red cross upon their outward 
robes. The holy father gave it his benediction, and ordered it to be 
preached in many places : not, however, throughout all Christendom, 
for a reason I will give. The king of Cyprus (who had come thither 
with the intention of forming this croisade, having promised himself 
much pleasure in visiting the emperor and all the great barons of the 
empire, the king of England, and the chief princes of Christendom, 
which he did, as this history hereafter will show you.) offered to the 
holy father and to the king of France his personal services, his wealth, 
and his eloquence, wherever he should arrive or make any stay, in 
remonstrating and arguing the grace and devotion of this expedition, 
in order to excite all those princes and lords to join in it who before 
had not had much religion. This said king was so much honored, 
as it was but just he should be, that, from the eloquence and warmth 
widi which he would display the value of this expedition to the dif. 
ferent princes, he would gain more hearts than all the preachments. 
The pope assented to this proposal, which was then resolved on. 

Soon after Easter, 13G3, the king of Cyprus left Avignon, saying 
he was going to visit the emperor and the lords of the empire, and 
then return by Brabant, Flanders, and Hainan] t, to the kingdom of 
France. He took leave of the pope and the king of France, who on 
every occasion showed him marked attentions; the pope gave to hun 
and to his attendants presents of jewels and benedictions.t Soon 

* " Candlemas." Denys Sauvage says, in a note on the margin, that Froissart forgets 
hi this place to begin tlie year the first of January. 

" By an edict given by Charles LX. at Roussillon Chateau in Dauphin^, 15&4, he fixed 
the beginning ot the year 1565 at the first of January ; whereas formerly Ihe year com- 
menced at Easter. It appears to me Uiat its commencement ought to he tlio 21st of 
March."— jEssar's HintoriQites sur Paris, tome iii. p. 328. 

t Many fayre gyfts and ieawels and pardo7(5.— Lord Berners. 



i 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



130 



after the departure of tlie king of Cyprus, the king of France took 
leave of the pope, and went toward the city of Monlpelior, in order 
to visit Languedoc, wliere he liad not been for a long time. 

We will, now return to the king of Cyprus, and to tlic journey 
which he made. After many days' travel in Germany, he came to 
a city called Prague, and found there the emperor of Gennany, tlie 
lord Charles of Bohemia,* who received Iiim magnificently, as did 
all the lords of tlie empire who were with him. The king of Cyprus 
remained in Prague and in ifs environs three weeks, and greatly 
exerted himself in exhorting all the Germans to assist in this holy 
expedition. The emperor defrayed his expenses during the stay he 
made, and tor his journeys in Germany. The king of Cyprus went 
next to the duchy of Juliers, where the duke received him with much 
feasting and rejoicings. From the duchy he went to Brabant, where 
the duke and duchess received him magnificently in the good town 
of Brussels. He was there entertained with grand dinners, suppers, 
tournaments, and other sports, in which he knew well how to play 
his part ; and, at his departure, they made him many presents of 
rich jewels. 

When he left Brussels, he went to Flanders, to visit earl Lewis, 
who received and feasted him grandly. He found at Bruges the 
king of Denmark, who had come thither to see him. They were 
magnificently treated at Bruges ; insomuch that the two kings were 
very well pleased with eail Lewis, and with the knights and barons 
of liis country. The king of Cyprus thus passed his summer, since 
he had left Avignon, in liis journey through the empire and along 
its frontiers, exhorting all to undertake this expedition against the 
Saracens. This gave much pleasure to many of the great lords, who 
were desirous that it should be accomplished ; but many others 
excused themselves from taking part in it. 



CHAPTER CCXVIII. 

Tin: KING OF EXSLAND DETAINS THE HOSTAGES AS PRISONERS. THE KING 
OF CVPRDS tJSES GREAT ENTREATIES WITH THE KINGS OF NAVARRE AND 
ENGLAND AND THE PRINCE OF WALES, TO INDUCE THEM TO UNDERTAKE 
THIS CROISADE AGAINST THE SARACENS. 

About this time, the king of England showed much favor to four 
dukes, viz. the duke of Orleans, the duke of Anjou, the duke of 
Berry, and the duke of Bourbon. These lords had returned to Calais, 
whence they had liberty to make excursions whither they chose for 
three days; but tiiey were to return on the fourth day by sunset. 
Tlie king had granted this favor with the good intent of their being 
nearer to make solicitations to their friends, and that they might 
hasten their ransoms, which they were eager to do. During the 
time the four above-mentioned lords were at Calais, they sent many 
and pressing messages to the king of France, and to the duke of 
Normandy his eldest son, who had nominated them as hostages, to 
remonstrate with them on the subject of their ransoms, which they 
had sworn and promised to attend to at the time they went to Eng- 
land, otherwise they would have undertaken it themselves, threaten- 
ing no longer to consider themselves as prisoners. But although 
these lords were, as you know, very near relations to the king of 
France, their solicitors and messengers were not listened to, nor 
themselves ransomed, which was very displeasing to them, more 
particularly to the duke of Anjou, who declared he would himself 
find a remedy, happen what would. 

At this moment, the kingdom and the councils of the king and 
duke of Normandy wore hardly pressed, as well on account of the 
croisade which the king had undertaken, as for the war \vith the 
king of Navarre, who was harassing the realm of France, and who 
had recalled some of the captains and companions from Lombardy, 
in order the better to carry on his designs. This was the principal 
reason why they could not immediately attend to the ransoms of the 
four dukes, nor give satisfactory answers by their messengers, w'hen 
they came to France. 

We will now return to the Sing of Cyprus. When he had visited 
the empire and other countries, as you have heard, he returned to 
France, where he was magnificently received by the king and the 
great lords of his court. Several councils were held on the subject 
of this croisade, to discover in what manner it could turn out to the 
honor of the king of France or to the good of his realm. The wisest 
were of opinion, that seeing the kingdom so much harassed, robbed, 
and ruined, by the companies and thieves that invaded it from all 
parts, this expedition ought not to take place until the kingdom were 
in a better state, or till peace were made with the king of Navarre. 
However, notwithstanding the good sense of this advice, the king 
would not listen to it, nor allow his ardor for this croisade to be 
eooled. He confirmed his engagement to the king of Cyprus, and 
promised to be at Marseilles in March the ensuing year (wliich 
would be 1364,) and that then he would without delay cross the sea, 
and order purveyances to all who were willing to do the same. 

Upon this, the king of Cyprus took his leave of the king of France, 
finding that he had sufficient time to return to his own country and 
make his preparations. He considered with himself, if he should 



♦Lord Clmrles of Bohemia— Charles IV. emperor of Germany. He published tlie 
famous Golile]! Bull, that has ever since regulated all the elections of emperors of Ger- 
many. 



not do well to pay a visit to his cousin the king of Navarre, and 
endeavor, if possible, to make a peace between him and the king 
of France. He therefore set out from Paris with a grand equipage, 
and took the road to Rouen ; where, when he was arrived, lie was 
most handsomely received by his cousin the lord John d'Alen<;on, 
archbishop of Rouen, who entertained him very agreeably for three 
days. On the fourth he departed, taking the road to Caen, and 
continued his route to Cherbourg, where he found the king of Na. 
varre, the lord Louis* liis brother, and a very small company with 
them. 

These two lords of NavaiTe received the king of Cyprus gra. 
ciously and honorably, feasted him grandly, as they had the means, 
and knew M'cll how to use them. While he was there, he endeav- 
ored to begin a treaty between them and the king of France, and 
talked to diem fretiuently and eloquently upon this subject ; for he 
was a man of excellent understanding, master of many languages, 
and much beloved. The two brothers made very handsome replies 
to him, but excused themselves by saying, it was not their fault if 
they were not good friends with the king and realm of France ; for 
their great desire was to be so, but the king must give back their 
inheritance which he held from them wTongfuUy. The king of 
Cyprus would willingly have brought this business to a conclusion, 
for the king of NavaiTe would have left it to him, had not their 
differences been too great. 

When the king of Cyprus had remained at Cherbourg about fifteen 
days, having been entertained by the king of Navarre and his brother 
suitably to his rank, he took leave of them, saying he should not 
rest until he had been in England, and exhorted king Edward and 
his children to put on the cross. He departed from Cherbourg, and 
arrived at Caen ; thence he crossed the sea at Pont de l'Arclie,t and 
entered Ponthieu ; having passed the Sonime at -Abbeville, t he came 
to Rue,^ to Montreuil.jl and to Calais, where he found the three 
dukes of Orleans, Berry and Bourbon : for the duke of Anjou had 
returned to France, but by what means or in what condition I know 
not.lT 

These three dukes, prisoners, though they were in the town of 
Calais, received the king of Cyprus very joyfu'Iy, and the king be- 
haved with equal politeness to them. They continued together for 
twelve days. When the king of Cyprus had a favorable wind, he 
crossed the Straits, and arrived at Dover. He remained there two 
days to recover himself, while they unloaded his vessel and disem. 
barked his horses. The king then continued his route by easy day 
journeys, until he aiTived at the good city of London. He was 
honorably received on his arrival, as well by the barons of France, 
who were there as hostages, as by the English lords, who had rode 
out to meet him ; for king Edward had ordered some of his knights, 
viz. the earl of Hereford,** sir Walter Manny, the lord Despencer,tt 
the lord Ralph de Ferrers, tf sir Richard Pembridge,'^^ sir Richard 
Staftbrd,|||| and others to meet him, who accompanied and conducted 
him to the lodgings which w^ere prepared for him in the city of 
London. 

It would take me a day were I to attempt relating to you the 
grand dinners, suppers, and other feasts and entertainments that were 
made, and the magnificent presents, gifts and jewels which were 
given, especially by queen Philippa, to the accomplished king of 
Cyprus. In truth, he was deserving of them, for he had come a 
long way and at a great expense, to visit them, to exhort the kmg 
to put on the red cross, and assist them in regaining countries now 



* " Lord Louis." Charles had two brothers, Philip and Louis: hut which is here 
meant, I know not. Denys Sauvage says it was Phih'p, my MSS. Louis. 

t Pont de I'.^rche— a town of Normandy, on the Seine, diocese of Evreux. 

t Abheville — a considerahletown in Lower Picardy, diocese of .Amiens. 

§ Rue— asmall town in Picardy. 

II Montreuil— a town in Picardy, diocese of .Vmiens. 

IT See Rynier, atnio JStS, for different letters from king John while at Avignon, and 
other matters respecting the ransoms of tliese princes of the blood. It appears tlint they 
were all promised their Ireedom, on possession being given to the officere named by kinef 
Edward of certain lands and castles belonging to each of them, dated at Westminster, 
2Glh May, 1363. Tlie dukeof Anjou and other hostages broke thci,- parole and escaped. 
In the FcEdera 13C4, there are various remonstrances made by Edward on this subject. 

Stowe says, in his Chronicle, that the duke of Anion, by breaking his word and oatli 
to return to England as one of the hostages for king.tohn, and thus deceiving him, w.as 
the cause of his majesty's death, through grief. 

Carte says, " Their negotiations not succeeding, the duke of Anjou made use of that 
indulgence to escape into France: the kin;?, his father, blamed him exceedingly, and, to 
repair his son's faults, resolved to go himself to England, and, by n personal treaty with 
Edward, remove the obstructions which bad hitherto prevented the foil e.xecution of the 
treaty ot^ Bretigny. His ministers tried, in vain, to dissuade him from this resolution; 
tor be told them, that though good faith were banished out of tlie rest of the world, it 
ought stdl to be found in the words of princes, and as the performance of the articles of 
that treaty was the condition of his, he would at any rate see them executed." 

"* The earl of Hereford— son of William Ilobun, earl of Northampton, succeeded to 
the title and estates ol Hereford, on the death of his uncle, Humphrey de Boliun, in 1361. 
He was afterwards nominated embassador to the duke of Milan, respecting the mar- 
riage of his daughter Violante to tlie duke of Clarence, and died shortly after. 

tt Lord Despencer— grandson of Edward that was executed at Hereford. Heenjoyed 
much favor under Edward IH., and was buried at Tewkesbury. 

Xt " Lord Ralph de Ferrera." I cannot find in Ilugdale's Baronage any of this family 
that bore the name of Ralph. TliereisRauf de Ferried, banneret, in Ashmole, which 
I suppose must bo the same. 

§§ Sir Richard Pembridge— was tifty-third knight of the garter. He died 1^5, and bis 
tomb Is in Hereford cathedral. The only account I can find of him is in Mr. Cough's 
first volume of Sepulchral Monuments, to which I refer. 

III! Sir Richard Statford— was son to sir Richard Stafiord, brother to Ralph, earl ot 
Stafford. He served in Edward IH.'s wars in Gascony, and was summoned to parUa- 
ment among the barons, from «th Edward III. untd 4th Richard II. inclusive. 



140 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, 6i.c. 



occupied by the enemies ol' God. But the king of England politely 
and wisely excused himself, by saying : " Certainly, my good cousin, 
I have every inclination to undertake this expedition ; but I am 
o-rowing too old, and shall leave it to my children. I make no doubt, 
that when it shall have been begun, you will not be alone, but will 
be followed most willingly by my knights and squires." '* Sir,'' 
replied the king of Cyprus, " what you say satisfies me. I verily 
believe they will come, in order to serve God, and do good to them- 
selves ; but you must grant them permission so to do ; for the knights 
of your country are eager in such expeditions." " Yes," answered 
the king of England ; " I will never oppose such a work, unless 
some things should happen to me or to my kingdom which I do not 
at this moment foresee." The king of Cyprus could never obtain 
anything more from king Edward, in respect to this croisade ; but, 
as long as he remained, he was politely and honorably feasted with 
a variety of grand suppers. 

About this time, king David* of Scotland had some affairs to 
transact with king Edward, that made it necessary for him to come 
to England ; so that when he heard the king of Cyprus was there, 
he hastened his journey, in order to meet him, and made such dis- 
patch that be arrived in London before he had left it. The two 
kings were much rejoiced to meet, and congratulated each other 
upon it. The king of England gave them two grand enterttiinments 
in his palace of Westminster, At the last of these, the king of 
Cyprus took his leave of the king and queen of England, who made 
him very magnificent presents : king Edward gave him also a ship 
called the Catherine, which was very beautiful and well built. The 
king of England had had her constructed, by his orders, to make 
the voyage to Jerusalem. She was valued at twelve thousand francs, 
and lay in the harbor of Sandwich. 

The king of Cj'prus was much pleased witli this gift, and returned 
many tiianks for it. He made no long stay after this in England, 
but returned to the king of France. The king of England, howe\cr, 
defrayed all his and his attendants*' expenses during the lime he 
remained, as well as the cost of his journeys in coming and return, 
ing. I do not know how it was, nor for what reason, but he left the 
ship in the harbor of Sandwich ; for, two years afterwai'ds, I saw it 
there at anchor. 

The king of Cyprus left England,t and crossed the sea to Boulogne. 
Having learnt on the road, that the king of France, the duke of Nor- 
mandy, the lord Philip, youngest son to king John, and the council 
of state, were to be in the good town of Amiens, the king of Cyprus 
took that road, and found the king of France just arrived, with part 
of his council. He was kindly received by them, and related to iheni 
the greater part of his travels, which they listened to with pleasure. 
When he had been there some time, he said that as yet he had done 
but little, until he should have seen the prince of Wales ; and that, 
if it pleased God, he would go visit him, as well as the barons of 
Poitou and Aquitaine, before he returned home. The king of France 
made no objection to this, but earnestly entreated, that when he set 
out on his return home, he would take his departure from France, to 
■which the king of Cyprus readily assented. He therefore left Amiens, 
taking the road to Beauvais, passed the Seine at Pontoise, and con- 
tinued his route to Poitiers. 

At this lime, the prince was at Angouleme, where there were 
shortly to be grand entertiinmenls and justs by forty knights and as 
many squires, in honor of the princess, who had lately been brought 
to bed of a handsome son, called Edward,! after his father. As soon 
as the prince was informed of the arrival of the king of Cj'prus at 
Poitiers, he sent by special command, sir John Chandos, attended by 
many knights and squires of his household, to meet him. They 
accompanied him, with great joy and respect, to the prince, who 
leceived him kindly and honorably. We will now leave the king 

* "King David." It nppears, by RymeT, from liie passport gr"inte(l him by kiiij 
JEdward. the 20th Feliruary, 13l>4.ihut David Brace's journey into England was to pay 
Jiis devotions at the shrine of Our Lady at Walsiiigham. The same religious inolive> 
niiglit have made him so eager to converse with the lung of Cyprus on the sulyect of 
the croisade. His passport was to continue in force until the ensuing Michaehnas. 

Ifis new queen, Mor^'aret Logie, had at the same time a. passport, to pay her devo- 
tions at tlie shrine of Thomas il Deciiel. at Canterbury. 

t Barnes, in his history of Edward III. says, rliat the king of Denmark and the duke 
of Davaria accompanied him to England, and tliat their passports were dated tith De- 
cember. 

In Rymer, there is a passport for Waldemar, kinjr of Denmark, dated the Ist of Feb 
Tiuiry, 13tf4, to continue to the ensuing Micliaehiias, for himself and three Jmndred horse- 
jneu, &c., but not one word is said of the king of Cyprus nor of the duke of Bavaria. 

"Aimo reg. 31. 1357.— Kenry Picard, viiilner, mayor of London, in one day did 
sumptuously feiist Edwtird king of England, John king of France, the king of Cyprus 
(then newly arrived in England,) David king of Scots, Edward prince of Wales, witli 
many noblemen and others: and after, the siiid Henry Picard kept his hull against all 
comers whosoever that were willing to play at dice and hazard. In like manner, the 
lady Margarel, his wife, did Jilso keep her chamber to the same intent. Tlie king of 
Cyprus, playing with Henry Picard in his hall, did win of him tifry marks; but Henry 
l>eins very skilful in thut art, altering his hand, did afier win of the said king the same 
filty marks and fifty marks more ; which wJien the said king began to take in ill part, 
although he dissembled tlie same, Henry said unto him. ' My lord and king, be not ag- 
grieved : I covet not your gold, but your play ; f^jr I have not bid you hither to grieve 
you. but that among other things Imighttry yourplay ;* and gave him his money again, 
plentifully bestowing his own among the retinue. Besides, he gave many rich gitls to 
tJie king and other nobles and knights, who dined with him, to the great glory of the 
citizens of London in tliose days."— Stowk's Chronicle. 

t " By her (the princess) lie had two sons, namely, Edward the eldest, born at Angou- 
lerae in February, 1365 tLeland saith 1364,) who died in Gascoigne at seven years of 
age," and Richard, who was afterwards king of England.— Ashmolb's Garter, p. 676. 



of Cyprus for a while, and return to the king of France, to relate 
what were the reasons wliy he and his council had come to Amiens. 



CHAPTER CCXIX. 

KING JOHN KETUEN.S, OF HIS OWN FREE WILL, TO ENGLAKD, AND DIES 
THERE. . 

I WAS informed, and indeed truly, that king John had a wish to 
go to England, to visit his hrother king Edward and the queen his 
sister, and for this effect had summoned part of his council. They 
could not make him change his mind, though they gave freely their 
opinion.? on the subject: and many of the prelates and barona of 
France told him, he would do a very fuo'i.^ii thing, if he again put 
himself in the power of the king of England. But the king answered, 
that he had found so much loyalty and honor in his brother the king 
of England, the queen, and his nephews their children, that he could 
not sufficiently praise them: he did not in the least doubt but that 
they would be courteous, polite, and loyal, and friends to him in all 
situations. He was also anxious to go to England, in order to make 
excuses for his son, the duke of Anjou, who had returned to France. 
On hearing this, not one of the comicil had a word more to say, since 
his majesty had thus ordered and sctUed ii. He again appointed his 
son, the duke of Normandy, regent of France during his absence. 
He promised his youngest son, the lord Philip, that on his return from 
the journey he was about to make,* he would create him duke of 
Burgimdy, and that he should inherit the lands of that duchy. 

When all things were prepared according to his orders, and- his 
pui-veyances sent to Boulogne, he departed from the city of Amiens, 
and, having begun his journey, continued it until he came to Hesdin, 
where he remained to pass his Christmas. The earl, Louis of Flan- 
ders, vi'ho was much attached to him, came there to visit his majesty; 
and they continued together about three or four days. On Innocent's 
day, he left Hesdin, rode forward to Boulogne, wliere he took up his 
quarters in the abbey, and remained there until he had a favorable 
wind. He was accompanied, when he crossed the sea, by the fol- 
lowing nobles of his reulm : the lord John d'Artoi?, the earl of Eu, 
the earl of Dampmartin, the grand prior of France, the lord Bouci- 
caut, marshal of France, sir Tiistan de Maguellcs, sir Peter and sir 
John de Villiers, sir John d'Anville, sir Nicholas Bracque, and several 
great knights. When their vessels were laden, and the mariners had 
a wind to their wishes, they informed the king, who embarked on 
board his vessel about midnight, as did his attendants on board of 
theirs. Having set their sails for the coast of England, they arrived 
at Dover about vespers. It was on the day preceding the vigil of the 
feast of the Three Kings, called the Epiphany.t 

News was brought to the king of England (who at that time was 
with the queen at Elthnm, a very magnificent palace which the king 
had, seven miles from London,) that tlie king of France had landed 
at Dover. He immediately ordered many knights of his household 
to go and congratulate the king on his arrival ; the lord Bartholomew 
Burghershjt: sir Richard Pembridge,^ sir Allan Boxhall,|l and several 
others. They took leave of king Edward, and rode toward Dover, 
where they found the king of France, who had remained there since 
his arrival. They attended and conducted him with every mark of 
respect and honor, as they well knew how to do. Among other 
compliments, they told him the king their lord was much rejoiced at 
his coming, which the king of France readily believed. 

On the morrow morning, the king and his attendants were on 
horseback early, and rode to Canterbury, where they dined. On 
entering the cathedral, the king paid his devotions to the shrine of 
St. Thomas k Becket, and presented to it a rich jewel of great value. 
The king of France remained two days in the city of Canterburj'. 
The third day he set out, taking the road to London, and rode on 
until he came to Eltham, where the king of England was, with a 
number of lords, ready to receive him. It was on a Sunday, in the 
atternoon, that he arrived ; there were, therefore, between this time 
and supper, many grand dances and cards. The young lord de 
Coucy*ll was there, who took pains to shine in his dancing and sing- 
ing whenever it was his turn. He was in great favor with both the 
French and English; for whatever he chose to do he did well and 
with grace. 

I can never relate how very honorably and magnificently the king 

* That on his return, &c. King John's passport is in Uynier, dated lOlh December, 
T3i>3. Therein also iii that excellent collection, the iiatent of the creation of Philip duke 
of Burgimdy, which is dated Germigny-sur-Marne, 6tii September, 1363.— Carte, vol. ii. 

There are two Germignys, Gernii^ny I'Eveiue and Gerinigny sous Colonie, villages 
of Brie, in the diocese and election of Meaux. 

t This, accordmg to a marginal note of Deiiys Sauvage, makes it 13C4, beginning the 
year the 1st of January. 

t Lord Burghersh-kniglit of the Garter. SeeDOGDALE's Baronage. 

§ Sir Richard Pembridge. See p. 139, note. 

II Sir Allan Boxhall— fifly-seeond knight of the Garter. See AshMOLe. 
Walsing. Ypodigma, p. 136. saith : " Hoc anno Rob. I laule scutifer fuit occisu* in 

ecclesia Westnion. tempore niajoris missje per quosdom regis satellites quorsum ductor 
exiitit Alanusde Buxhalle. miles per ante uon l^nobilis, sed hoc facto postea semper 
infaniis ;" for which lie w;ls by name excommunicated. 

Anno 1378. sir Ralph de Ferrars was excommunicated with liim for the same offence. 

IT "Lord deCoucy." Enguerrund deConcy, son of Enguerrand deCoucyand Cath- 
erine, daughter of Leopold. fir«t dnkc of Swabia (the present Imperinl fiimily.) He ■ 
married Isabella, eldest daughter of Edward tlie TJiJrd.— Aspsrson's Rortal Ocncalo- 
gics. 



CHRONICLES OF EN Cx LAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



141 



and queen of England received king John. On leaving Eltliam, he 
wejit to London ; and, as he came near, he was met by the citizens 
dressed out in their proper companies, who greeted and welcomed 
him with much reverence, and attended him with largo bands of 
minstrels, unto tlie palace of the Savoy, which had been prepared for 
tliem. The princes of the blobd-royal that remained, as his hostages, 
in England, were also lodged in the same palace ; namely, his brother 
the duUo of Orleans, his son the duke of Berry, his cousin the duke 
of Bourbon, the earl of Alenjon, Guy de Blois, the earl of St. Pol, 
and many more. 

The king pa-ssed there part of the winter very gayly with his coun- 
trymen. The king of England visited him often ; as did his chil- 
dren, the duke of Clarence, the duke of Lancaster, and tlie lord Ed- 
mund his youngest son. There were several great feastings between 
them, in dinners, suppers, and other entertainments, at this hotel of 
the Savoy, and at the palace of Westminster, which is not far off, 
whither the king went in a private manner, whenever he chose it, 
by the means of the river Thames. They both frequently regretted 
the loss of the lord James dc Bourbon, and said that it was a very 
unfortunate business ; for no one deserved better his rank among 
nobles. 

We will now leave the king of France for a short time, and speak 
of the king of Cyprus, who had come to Angouleme to visit his 
cousin the prince of Wales. He was most graciously received by 
his royal highness, and by all the barons, knights and squires of 
Poitou and Saintonge who were tlien with the prince, such as the 
viscount de Thouai-s, the young lord of Pons, the lord of Partenay, 
sir Louis de Harcourt, sir Guiscard d'Angle ; and, among the Eng- 
lish, by sir John Chandos, sir Thomas Felton,* sir N61e Loring.t 
sir Richard de Pontchardon,t sir Simon de Basselles,^ and several 
others, as well ef that country as from England. The king ofCyprus 
was magniticently entertained by the prince, princess, and the barons 
and knights above-mentioned. He staid there upward of a month ; 
and then sir John Chandos accompanied him, for his amusement, 
into different parts of Poitou and Saintonge, and showed him the 
good town of La Rochelle, where there was a grand feast made for 
him. When he had seen everytliing, he returned to Angouleme, to 
assist at the noble tournament which the prince held, where there 
were plenty of knights and squires. Soon after this feast, the king 
of Cyprus took his leave of the prince and of the knights of the coun- 
try, but not before he had related to them the principal reason of his 
visit, and for wliat cause he had put on the red cross which he wore, 
how the pope had blessed this expedition, which was deserving of 
every praise ; and how the king of France through devotion, as well 
as many other great lords, had put it on, and had sworn to its exe- 
cution. 

The prince and the knights made him a courteous answer, saying, 
that in truth it was an expedition in which every man of worth or 
honor was interested ; and that, if it pleased God, and the passage 
were open, he would not be alone, but would be followed by all those 
who were desirous to advance themselves. The king of Cyprus was 
well pleased with this speech, and took his departure : but sir John 
Chandos attended him, until ho had quitted the principality. It ap- 
pears to me, that he went back into France, and took the road 
toward Paris, in the hopes of finding the king of France returned 
home ; but it was not so ; tor he was still at the palace of the Savoy, 
confined to his bed by sickness, of which he grew worse every day, 
to the great uneasiness of the king of England and his queen, as the 
most learned physicians had declared him to be in much danger. 

The duke of Normandy was informed of all this at Paris, where 
he resided, having the regency of the realm ; for the lord de Bouci- 
eaut had crossed the sea, to convey the news of this illness to him. 
The king of Navarre also heard of the progress of this disorder, 
which gave him no displeasure, for he hoped, if the king of France 
died, to carry on his war more to his satisfaction : he sent letters, 
therefore, to the captal de Buch,|| who at that time was with his 
brother-in-law the earl of Foix,^ to desire that he would come to him 
in Normandy, and that he would exalt him in dignities above all 
other lords and knights. 

The captal, who was fond of arms, and cousin to the king of Na- 
varre, complied with his request. He left the earl of Foix, taking 
his road through the principality of Aqnitainc, where he solicited 
several knights and squires to go with him ; but he succeeded with 
only a few. Neither the English, Gascons, nor Poitevins were wil- 
ling to take up arms for the king of Navarrre, against the crown of 



^ " Sir Thomas Felton." of Lutoham in Norfolk, forty-ninth knight of the Garter. 
He was grand senesch.ll and comniaiidant ile Guienne for Richard II. He was killed 
in opposing Henry Transtamare, hefine ihe hattle of Najara. Sir Thomas Hoo. knighl 
of rhe Garter, married his daughter. — An.stis'3 MS. Colfrettons. 

t " Sir Nele Lorins." tuentieth knight of the Gatler. See his Ufe in .(Vshmole. He 
was chamberlain to the RIack Prince. He died the 9lh liiclmrd II. and was buried at 
Dunstable.— .'Vnstis's Jl/.S. Collections. 

J " Sir Richard de Pontchardon." I cannot find anythin* about him. 

§ " Sir Simon de Basselles." probably Bas-set. but I cannot say more. 

j; " Captal dc Buch," fifth knight of the Garter, M, .\nitice, in his second volume, 
says, " It was sir JohndeGreilly, of royal lineage, and Ihe most renowned commander 
at that time, whose una'terable loyalty to the crown of England was such, that he chose 
to die a prisoner at Paris, 1397, rather than deviate from it." 
; " Buch is a small promontory lying along the coast from Bayonne to Medoc," ice. 
See Akstis, 

H " Earl of Foi.\." Gaston IT. succeeded his father, 1344. HisslsterBlancaw.lsmarried 
' to John de Greilly, 



France ; for they considered the treaties and alliances entered into 
and sworn by the king of England, their sovereign lord, with the 
king of France at Calais, so sacred and strong, they would not by 
any means infringe or break them. During the time the captal de 
Buch was journeying toward the king of Navarre, John king of 
France departed this life in England. The king, queen, the princes 
of the blood, and all the nobles of England were exceedingly con. 
corned at it, from the great love and affection he had shown to tliem 
since the conclusion of the peace. 

His brother, the duke of Orleans, and his son, the duiie of Berry, 
were in great affliction at his death, and sent in haste to inform the 
duke of Normandy of the melancholy event ; who, when he was cer- 
tain it was true, was much affected by it, as he had reason to be ; 
lint considering that everything which is created must in the course 
of nature have an end, and that he could not remedy this loss, he 
bore it as patiently as he was able. Finding himself thus successor 
to the inheritance of the kingdom of France, and being well informed 
that the king of Navarre was daily reinforcing his garrisons in the 
county ofEvreux, and that he was engaging men-at-arms to carry on 
the war, he resolved to provide himself with an able council, and to 
oppose this evil by every means in his power. 



CHAPTER CCXX. 

KING CHARLES OF FRANCE MAKES WISE PREPARATIONS AGAINST THE KUKf 
OF NAVARRE, IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE DEATH OF JOHN HIS FATHER,. 
AND BEFORE HIS CORONATION. 

At this period, there was a knight of Brittany, who had always 
borne arms in favor of the French, called sir Bertrand du GuescUn.*" 




Bertrand du Guesclin. From a wood-cut in a rare Gothic folio, printed at LyonF,- 
14,'10, preserved in the Uibiotheque Iloyale, Paris; and called the "Chronique do 
Bertrand du Guesclin." 



His worth and fame were but little known except among tlie knights 
of Brittany, who were his neighbors in that countr)', where he had 
resided and carried on the war in favor of the lord Charles of Blois. 
This sir Bertrand was ahvr.ys much esteemed by them as a valiant 
knight, and well beloved by his brethren-at-arms : he was already 
in the good graces of the duke of Normandy, on.account of the great 
acts of valor that he had heard related of him. 

It happened that the duke of Normandy, soon after the death of the 
king his father, had veiy strong suspicions of the king of Navarre : 
he therefore gave orders to the lord of B mcicaut, saying, " Set out 
from hence as speedily as you can, with as many friends as possible, 



* " Bertrand du Guesclin." For more of him see his memoirs in the third and fourth' 
volumes of Les Memoires Historique?, and &bso in Ilbt. de la Bretagne, &c. 



143 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



and ride toward Nonnandy, where you will meet sir Bcrtrand du 
Guesclin : I shall then desire that you both fall on the king of Na- 
varre, and retake Mantes ; !)y which means we shall be masters of 
the river Seine." The lord de Boucicaut answered, " Sir, this I will 
most willingly perform."* 

He then quitted Palis, taking with him a great number of knights 
and squires. He followed the road toward Nonnandy, through St. 
Germain-en-Laye, and gave those to understand who accompanied 
him, that he was going to attack the castle of Roulleboise,t which 
was detained by certain persons called free companions, who did 
every mischief possible. RouUeboise has a very good and strong 
castle upon the river Seine, about a league distant from Mantes, and 
was at that time filled and garrisoned by these companies and their 
men-at-arms, who carried on the war for their own benefit, and at- 
tacked the friends of the kings of France and of Navarre witliout dis- 
tinction. They had a captain of the name of Wautaire Austarde,t 
a native of Brussels, whom they impUcitly obeyed. He paid them 
according to a fi.xed proportion of wages, and was an expert soldier 
of great courage. He and his people pillaged the country all around ; 
so that none dare travel from Paris to Mantes, nor from Mantes to 
Rouen or Pontoise, for fear of them ; for they attacked both French 
and Navarrois, pressing especially the people of Mantes verj'hard. 

When the lord de Boucicaut left Paris, though he made it to be 
understood he was going to that part of the country, nevertheless he 
missed taking the right road to RouUeboise. He waited therefore 
for sir Bertrand du Guesclin and his army, who a short time before 
Iiad made an excursion to Evreux,^ and held a parley with the in. 
habitants of that city ; but instead o( opening their gates to him, they 
severely attacked him with stones, &,c.: he retreated, and made for 
the marshal, who had halted for him in a road not far from Roulle. 
boise. Upon mustering their forces, they were full five hundred 
nien-at-arms. These two captains had a long conference together, 
upon the best means of subsistijig themselves, and what would be 
the surest method of gaining the town of Mantes, their principal 
object. They determined that the lord de Boucicaut, with one 
hundred of his knights only, should ride to Mantes, and feign them- 
selves to be much frightened, crying out that the garrison of RouUe- 
boise was in pursuit of them, and begging that they would give them 
.admittance. If they consented, they were to seize the gates, and sir 
Bertrand would directly follow with the remainder of the army : they 
would then be masters of the place. Should this plan fail, they did 
not sec by what other means they could gain it. The council being 
dissolved, the lords kept the secret among themselves. The lord de 
Boucicaut set out, according to their plan, and took the road to 
Mantes ; sir Bertrand went with the rest of the troops another road, 
"but placed himself and men in ambush not far from the town. 

When the lord de Boucicaut was near to Mantes, he and his troops 
separated, like to people that had been beaten and were pursued. 
The marshal, attended only by ten others (followed, however, by the 
rest at a small distance,) came to the barricadoes of the town, and 
cried out, " Hollo I good people of Mantes, open your gates, I beg of 
you, and let us come in ; for the thieves of RouUeboise have dis- 
comfited us, and are now at our heels." "Who are yon ?" asked 
those whom he had addressed. " I am, gentlemen, the lord de Bou- 
cicaut, marshal of France, whom the duke of Normandy had sent 
against RouUeboise : but those rogues there have beaten us, and 
made us fly, whether willing or not ; and they will capture me and 
my people unless you open yourgates to us." The people of Mantes, 
thinking he had said nothing but truth, replied : '■ Sir, we know well 
that those in RouUeboise are our enemies as vi'cll as yours, and that it 
is indifi*erent to them on which party they make war: on the other 
hand, the duke of Normandy hates us, on account of our attachment 
to the king of Navarre our lord : we are therefore in great doubt, if 
we shall not be betrayed by you, who are marshal of France." " By 
my faith, gentlemen, that shall itever be ; for I am come into this 
country solely to destroy the garrison of RouUeboise." At these 
words they opened the gates. The lord de Boucicaut entered, with 
some of his companions ; but he was followed so slowly by the re. 
mainder, that the people of Mantes had not time to shut their gates 
upon sir Bertrand's men, who came in with the last of the lord de 
Boucicaut's party: for though the lord de Boucicaut went with his 
men directly to an hotel, where they disarmed themselves, in order 
the better to blind the inhabitants, sir Bertrand and his forces came 
full gallop into the town, crying, " St. Yves Guesclin ! death to the 
Navarrois." They entered, pillaged the houses of whatever they 
found, and made prisoners of whom they pleased : they also mur- 
dered several. 

■ Soonafter they had possession of Mantes, a detachment of Bretons 
advanced to Meulan, a league distant, and very cunningly entered it. 
They said they were men-at-arms whom sir William de Graville had 
sent thither, and that as many or more had remained at Mantes. The 



* It does not ajipear from tlie memoirs of Bertrand ilu Guesclin, republished in tire 
third and fourth volumes of LesMemoiresHistoriques, that the mareclial de Boucicaut 
Jiad anything to dp with the taking of .Mantes, &c. a,s iiis name never once occur?^. Nor 
are the chronicles agreed as to tiie exact date when this happened.— Pee Note 19, Mem. 
Hist. 

t RouUeboise villiiire in Normandy, on the Seine. 

t " Wautaire Austnrde." Barnes culls him Vanlnir Austart. 

§ EvreuA*. an ancient city of Normandy. Its bishop is sutfragau to the archbishop of 
Houen. 



people of Meulan believed the truth of this the more readily because 
they came by the road from Mantes, and because they could not 
have crossed the river but by the bridge of Mantes. Thinking what 
they had told them must be true, they opened their gates, which 
were instantly seized by the Bretons, who entered, crying out, " St. 
Yves Guesclin !" and began to lay about them with their arms. 
When the inhabitants found themselves thus deceived, and that there 
were no hopes of redress, they fled and saved themselves as well as 
they could. 

Thus were Mantes and Meulan taken, to the great joy of the duke 
of Normandy. The king of Navarre was in a furious rage when he 
was informed of it : he directly reinforced all his towns and castles 
with troops and well-tried officers : for he was much chagrined at 
losing Mantes and Meulan, as they were to him convenient entrances 
into France. 

This same week, the captal de Bnch arrived at Cherbourg with 
tour hundred men-at-arms. The king of Navan-e was well pleased 
thereat, and received him most graciously. In his complaints against 
the duke of Normandy, he was very sore upon the losses of the 
towns of Mantes and Meulan, which, he said, had been taken from 
him by stealth. The captal replied : " My lord, if it please God, we 
will go and meet your enemies, and exert ourselves so efl'ectually 
that, God willing, you shall speedily have again possession of these, 
as well as many other towns and castles. It is said that the king of 
France will very soon go to Rheims, for his coronation : we will 
therefore at that time begin our attack on his country." The king 
of Navarre, being much rejoiced at the arrival of the captal de Bnch, 
said he should send him on an excursion into France. The king 
sought for men-at-arms wherever he could get them, or where there 
was any likelihood of obtaining them. 

There was at that time in Normandy, an English knight who for- 
merly had borne arms for the king of Navarre : his name was sir 
•Tohn Jouel ; a very able and expert man in his profession. He com- 
manded about two or three hundred lances. The king of Navarre 
sent to entreat him to serve under him, together with his men ; which 
sir .Tohn Jouel* consented to, and waited on him to place liimself 
under his orders. 

The duke of Normandy was infonned that the king of Navarre 
was collecting large bodies of men-at-arms, and that the captal de 
Buch was to be the commander of them. He therefore formed his 
resolutions, and wrote to sir Bertrand du Guesclin, to order him and 
his Bretons to make a stand against the Navarrois, and that he would 
speedily send him sufficient reinforcements to ofier battle to the troops 
of the king of Navarre. At the same time, he ordered the lord de 
Boucicaut to remain at Mantes and Meulan. Sir Bertrand and his 
Bretons departed, and took up their quarters near to Vernon. In a 
few days afterwards, the duke of Normandy sent to him some noble 
men-at-arms ; such as the earl of Auxerre, the viscount de Beaumont, 
the lord de Beaujeu, the lord Lewis de Chfilons, the archpriest, the 
master of the cross-bowmen, and many other knights and squires. 

About this time, several knights of Gascony came to serve under 
the duke of Normandy: among ^vhom were the lord d'Albret, sir 
Aymon de Pommiers, the souldich de l'Estrade,t sir Petiton de Cour- 
ton, and several more. The duke of Normandy felt himself much 
obliged to them for coming to his assistance, and begged of them to 
go into Normandy to oppose his enemies. The above-named lords 
willingly obeyed, and, having put their men in proper array, marclied 
toward Normandy, except the lord d'Albret, who remained with, the 
duke ; but his troops went on the expedition. 

At this period a knight, called Beaumont de Laval, came from the 
French frontiers of Brittany, and advanced toward Evreux, with about 
forty lances under him. A young knight, sir Guy de Graville, hap. 
pened to be in that town at the time, who no sooner heard of the 
alarm than he hastened to arm himself, ordering all the ganison to 
do the same : they were soon mounted, and in pursuit after them. 
But sir Beaumont had already succeeded in his enterprise. How. 
ever, by the fleetness of his horse, sir Guy de Graville came near 
enough to cry out, " Beaumont, you must not go ofl" thus ; the men 
of Evreux must speak to you, for they wish to be better acquainted 
with you." When sir Beaumont thus heard himself called upon, he 
turned his horse about, lowered his lance, and made straight for sir 
Guy. These two knights met each other with such force, that their 
lances were shivered on their shields ; but they were so firm in their 
seats that neither was unhorsed, as they passed each other. On their 
return, they drew their swords ; and, at the same time, both their 
companies began to fight so furiously, that in the course of the ren. 
counter many were unhorsed on each side. The Bretons acquitted 
themselves most loyally; but in the end they coidd not maintain their 
ground, for numbers increased upon them every moment, so that they 
were all killed or made prisoners : none escaped. Sir Beaumont de 
Laval was taken by sir Guy de GraviUe, and brought as his prisoner 
to the castle of Evreux, whither all the other prisoners were con- 
ducted. Thus ended this adventure ; for which sir Guy was much 
praised, and beloved by the king of Navarre and the citizens of Evreux. 



* " Sir ,Iohn Jouel." Barnes calls him sir John Jones; but he quotes no authority 
for this change from all the chronicles and memoirs of the limes. 

t " The souldich de I'Estrade." He was afterwards created a knight of the Garter. , 
See .4n5tr5'.* Oarirr, vol- ii. p 157. He calls him sir Sandich de Trnne. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



143 



CHAPTER CCXXI. 

THE KING OF CVrilUS RETURNS TO PARIS. THE FUNERAL OF KIXG JOHN 
AT ST. DEMS. THE CAPTAL DE BUCil MAKES AN ATTACK ON SIR BEB- 
TRAND DU GUESCLIN. 

The king of Cyprus, who was now returned from Aqiiitoinc to 
France, went to meet the king, who had before borne the title of 
duke of Normandy. His two brothers, the duke of Anjou, and the 
lord Philip, sinee duke of Burgundy, were with the duke waiting for 
the corpse of their father, M-hich was on the road from England. The 
king of Cyprus very cordially condoled with them on the subject of 
their loss, and was himself much affected by the death of the Idng of 
France, because his expedition would be retarded by it-; he clothed 
himself in black for his mourning.^- 

When tlie body of the king of France, which hnd been embalmed 
and put into a coffin, approached near lo Pans, attended by the lord 
John d'Artois, the earl of Dampmartin, and the grand prior of France, 
the duke of Normandy, his brothers, the king of Cyprus, and the 
greater part of the clergy of Paris, went on foot beyond St. Denis, to 
meet it. On being brought thither, it was buried with gi-eat solem- 
nity; and the archbishop of Sens said mass on the day of interment. 
After the service was over, and dinner ended, (which was very mag. 
tiificent,) the gi-eat lords and prelates returned to Paris. There were 
then held many councils on the state of the kingdom, which could 
not any longer do well without a king ; and it was determined by the 
prelates and nobles, that they should immediately go for Rhcima. 
The duke of Normandy (for such was still liis title) T,vrote to his uncle, 




PoRTR-UT OF Ch-VRLes V., suRNAMED THE WisE— From a Print in Mezeray's Uist. 
de France. 



Winceslaus duke of Brabautt and Luxemburgh, and also to his cousin 
the earl of FIandors,t to request their attendance at his coronation, 
which was fixed for Trinity-day next ensuing. § 



* And tlie kyng of (7ypre Imlpe tliein lo comphiyiic t'le dotiie of the kyng, and wiU 
inarueyoinly tUspleased tlierewitlj, because cf the hyndring^e of his vyage of the croyse ; 
EnH so he dntlied hyinscif with tlie vesture of dolourc. — Ed. 

t VVincesldus- duke of Brahnnt, sun of the emperor Clinrlcs iV.— Anderson's Royal 
OeTtcalosi^s. 

t Ear! of Fhindors— Luwis IT. vlie In^t enrl of Flanders. lie was >tal>bed in a quarrel 
by Johi\ Sun of the king nf France, at Buulugnc, 1382. — Andlrson. 

§ As tlie account of the funerni of king John is v«ry diHerent in the superb edition of 
Les Grandes Chronifjues de St. Denii-, in iny possession, I translate it. 

"This Tuesday, the 1st day of May, 1364, the hody of king John, who had died at 
London, as has been reltiled. was brought to tiie ahhey of St. Anthony, near Pan'?. It 
Teniained tlicre until the Sunday following, that preparations might he made for llie 
funeral. On tliat day, the 5lh of May, it was transported from thence to the church of 
Notre-Dame, attended by processions on foot from all the churches of Paris, and by three 
of the king's sons, namely, Charles duke of Normandy, Lewis duke of Anjou, and Philip 
duke of Terouenne ; the king of Cyprus was also there. 

" Tlie body was carried by llie members of his parliament, a? hail been the usnge with 
otlier kings, because they represent the person of the king m matters of justice, which is 
the fairest jewel in his crown, and by which he reigns. On the Monday morning solemn 
mass was sung in the church of Notre-Danie; and, soon afterwards, the body was car- 
ried to St. Denis in the same manner as it had been hiought from the abbey of St. 
Anthony. Tlie three princes and the king of Cyprus fallowed on f.mt. as fur as the gale 
of St. Landri,fl where they mounted their horses, and accompanied the body to the 
town of St. Denis, where, on tlieir arrival, they dismounted, and, as before, followed the 
body on foot to the church. 

" On Tuesday, the 7th day of JIay. the obsequies of the kite king were performed in 
the church of St. Denis, and the body was inleiTed on the lell of the high altar. 

"Shortly after mass, king Charles, the eldest son of the late king, went into the 
meadow, and there received the liomugesof the peers of France and other great barons. 
He tlien went to dinner, and remained at St. Denis that and the following day. On the 
Thursday, king Charles left that town, to prepare for his coronation, which was fixed 
for the Trinity Sunday following." 

a There was formerly a gate called Port St. LAndri, near to St. Gerraain-rAuxerrois. 
It was built up in the year 155S.-M. Sauval, .UtiqaiUs dc Paris. 



While these things were going forward, and the nobles were 
making preparations for the coronation, the French and Navarrois 
were advancing toward each other in Normandy: the captal do Buch 
was already in the city of Evreux, collecting his men-at-arms and 
soldiers from ever>^ place he coidd get them. We will speak of him 
and of sir Berlrand du Gucsclin, as well as of a famous battle which 
was fought the Thursday preceding Trinity Sunday, the day the 
duke- was to be crowned king of France (as indeed he was) in the 
cathedral of the city of Rbeims. 

When the lord John de Greilly, known by the appellation of the 
captal de Buch, had completed his numbers of archers and foot-sql- 
dicrs in the city of Evreux, he made bis final arrangements, and 
appointed as governor of it a knight called the lord Michael d'Orgery. 
He sent to Conches* the lord Guy de Graville, to defend that place 
as a sort of frontier. He then marched with all his men-at-arms and 
archers ; for he had heard that the French were ahr -ad, but was not 
certain in what quarter. 

He took the field, very desirous of finding them ; and> having 
mustered his army, he found he had seven hundred lances, and full 
three hundred archers, with five htindred other serviceable men. 
There were among them several good knights and squires, especially 
a banneret of the kingdom of Navarre, named the lord Saulx; but 
the greatest and most expert, with the largest company of men-at- 
arms and archers in his train, was an English knight, called sir John 
Jouel. There were also the lord Peter de Saque-ville, the lord Wil- 
liam de Graville, the lord Bortrand du Franc, Basque de Mameil, and 
many others, who were eager lo meet sir Bertrand du Gueselin, to 
give him battle. They marched toward Passyt and Pont de I'Arche, 
thinking the French would pass the Seine there, if in truth they had 
not already crossed it. 

It chanced that, as on the Whitsun-Wednesday, the captal and his 
companions were riding through a wood, he met a herald, whose 
name was Faucon,t and who had that morning left the Frencli army. 
As soon as the captal saw him, he recognized him, for he was one 
of the king of England's heralds, and asked him from whence he 
came, and if he could give them any intelligence of the French army. 
" Yes, that I can, in God's name, my lord, replied he ; " for I only 
left them this day : they are seeking after you, and are very anxious 
to meet with you." "Where are they?" asked the captal, " on this 
or on the other side cf Pont de TArche ?'' " In the Lord*s name,'* 
answered Faucon, " they have passed Pont de I'Arche and Vernon, 
and are, as I believe, at this moment very near to Passy." " Tell 
me, I pray thee," said the captal, " whal sort of people they are. and 
who are their captains ?" " In God's name," replied Faucon, "they 
are full fifteen hundred combatants, and all good men-at-arms. Sir 
Bertrand du Gueselin is there, who has the largest company of Bretons : 
there are the earl of Auxerre, the viscount de Beaumont, the lord 
Lewis de Chalons, the lord oi Beaujeu, the lord Baudoin d'Ennequin, 
grand master of the cross-hows, the archpriest, the lord Odoart de 
Renty. Some lords from Gascony, your own coimtrymen, are like- 
wise among them, with the men-at-arms of the lord d'Albret ; as also 
the lord Aymon de Pommiers and the lord Souldieh de la Trane." 

When the caplal heard the names of these Gascons, he was mar- 
vellously astoni-shed, and turned red with anger : recovering his 

* Conches— a market-town in Normandy, four leagues from Evreux. 

t Passy—a town in Normandy, four le.i gues from Evreux. 

J Faucon was the title, not the name of this herald. Noble, in his History of the 
College of Arms, says under the title Falcon : "This heraldship was anciently written 
Faucon. The falcon was a badge of Edward DI., who had an oflicer of that name ; 
but wlielher king, herald, or pnr<=uivaiit, author? are not agreed. Richard 11. had Fal- 
con king-at-arms ; in the vcign of Edward IV. the office was fallen to that of herald.'* 
Both Lord Berners and D. Sanvage calls him " king Faucon." — Ed. 

Lord Berners's version is so spirited that we arc induced to subjoin it: " So it happened 
that the Friday in the whytson weke rtie captal! and his company rode out of a wode, 
and byauenture they met a haraude ofarnies called hiingc Faucon, fi\\i\ the same moni- 
ynge he was departed fro the Frcnche Iioosf. As sone ns the ciiptall se iiym he knew« 
hyni well, and made him great cliere, for lie was perteynyng to the kyng of England. 
Then he deinaunded of hyni fro wheng iic came, and if he knewe any tidyngs of tlie 
Frenchmen. ' Sir,' quoth he, ' in tlie name of God, I Icjiowe well wiiere they be ; I de- 
parted fro them to-day ; they seke you as well as ye do them.' ' Where be they,' quoth 
tlie captall: 'beyond the bridge of Tharche, or a this sydeV 'Sir,' quoth Faucon, 
'they be passed the bridge at Vernon ; and, as I beleue, tliey are nowe about Passy.' 
* What nombre he they,' quoth the captall, ' and what capjtens haue they ! I pray you 
shewe me.' *Sir,' quoth Faucon, 'they are weU.a xvc figlityng men, and there is sir 
Bertrand of Clesqny (Gueselin) who hath the grettest company of Bretoni? ; also there ii 
therle of Aiicer, the vycount of Beaumont, the lorde I.oys of Chalon, the lord of Beauieu, 
the master of the cross-howes, tharchprcest, the lorde Edward of Remy ; and of Gascone, 
there isthe company of the lorde Dalbret, and the lorde Aymon of Punyer^, the lorde of 
Saldychc and of L.estrad :' and when the captall herd t hose Gascons named, he mareu- 
yled gretly, and blussed for displeasure, and sayd, * Faucon, is this true ye snye, that 
the=e li»rdes of Gascone are there, and the lord Dalbret's company V ' Sir,' quotli the 
herald, ' ye without fail.' 'And where is the lorde Dalbret himselt V quoili the captall. 
' Sir,' quoth Faucon, ' he is at Parys with the regent-duke of Normandy, who aparelieth 
hiin-;elle togotoReynes, for it is say d thaton Sunday next coniyng he shuldc be crowned 
kyns:.' Than the captall layft his hand on his own heed and said in great displeasure 
' By Siiint Antones en/) Gascon against Gascon.' 'Sir,' quoth Faucon, ' hereby taryeth 
for nvC a harald of tharchpreest, sent to speke with you fro hym ; and as I understand by 
the harald. tharchpreest wolde speke wilJi you.' Than the captall sayd, "A Faucon, 
say to the Frenchc harald he nede not to go any farther ; let him shewe to tharchpreest 
that I wyll not speke with him.' Than sir Johan Jouell stept forthe and sayd, ' Sir, why 
wyll ye nat spake with hym, perauenture, it is for our profyte.' Tiian the cantatl said, 
' Nay. I warrant you it is not for our profyte, for tharchpreest is so great a brauler, that 
if he come to us. he wyll but iangle, and in the mcantyme ymagen our strengthe, jnd 
anewe our nombre. the which, parauenture, shall come more to our preiudice thon ad- 
uantnge— therefore I haue no hast to speke with hym.' Than Faucon the haraudwent 
to thother hnraud and excused the captall so wysely, that he was well content, and 
than he went to the tharchprie^t and shewed him all as Faucon had sayd."— Ed. 



144 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



epeech, he said, "Faucon, Faucon, is it indeed true what thou hust 
just told me of these Gascon lords being in the French army? and 
the men attached to the lord d'Albrct?" " Yes, in good faith, it is 
really as I have said," answered the herald. "And where is the lord 
d'Albrct himself ?" asked the captal. "In God's name," answered 
Faucon, " he is at Paris, with the regent-duke of Normandy, who is 
making preparations for going to Rhcims, to be crowned ; for it is 
commonly reported that that ceremony is to take place on Sunday 
next." The captal then put his hand to his head, and cried out in 
anger : " By the head ol' St. Anthony, Gascons against Gascons will 
make mischief enough." 

Then Faucon spoke concerning Prie (a herald whom the archpriest 
had sent thither,) and said to the captal, " My lord, there is a herald 
hard by waiting for me, whom the archpriest has sent to you, and 
who, as I understand from the herald, would willingly speak to you." 
The captal made answer, saying, "Ha, Faucon, Faucon, tell this 
French herald, that he need not come nearer ; and let him say to the 
archpriest, that I do not wish to have any parley ^vith him." Sir 
John Jouel, upon this, stepped forward, and said, "Why, my lord, 
will you not sec the archpriest ? perhaps he may give us some infor- 
mation that we may profit by." The captal replied, "John, John, it 
will not be so ; for the archpriest is so great a deceiver, that if he 
were to come among us, telling his tales and his nonsense, he would 
examine and judge of our strength and numbers, which would turn 
out probably to our disadvantage : therefore I do not wish to hear of 
any parleys." Faucon, king-at-arni'^, upon this returned to the herald 
Prie, who was waiting for him at the end of the hedge, and made 
such good and sensible excuses for the captal that the herald was 
perfectly satisfied, went back to the archpriest, and lelated to him all 
that Faucon had told him. 

By the reports of the two heralds, both armies were acquainted 
with each other's situation. They therefore made such dispositions, 
as would speedily force them to meet. When the captal had heard 
from Faucon the numbers the French army consisted of, he imme- 
diately dispatched messengers to the captains who were in the city 
of Evreux, with orders for them to send him as many recruits and 
young gallants* to his assistance as they could possibly collect : they 
were to meet him at Cochcrel ;t for, supposing tliat he should find 
the French in that neighborhood, he had determined to fight them 
wherever he should meet them. When the messengers came to 
Evreux, the lord Michael d'Orgery had it publicly cried, and strictly 
ordered all those who were horsemen to join the captal. Upon this, 
there inmiediately set out one hundred and twenty young companions 
from that town. 

On the Wednesday the captal de Buch took up his quarters, about 
two o'clock, on a mountain, and encamped his army. The French, 
who were wishing to meet them, marched straight forward until they 
came to a river, called Yton, in that country, which runs toward 
Evreux, having its source near Conches, and encamped themselves 
at their ease, tliis same Wednesday, in a handsome meadow, through 
which this river runs. On the morrow, the Navarrois decamped, and 
sent their scouts out, to examine whether they could learn any news 
of the French. The French also sent their scouts on the same 
errand. Before they had gone two leagues, each brought back to 
his army such intelligence as could be depended upon. 

The Navarrois, conducted by Faucon, marched straight by the 
way he had come, and, by four o'clock in the morning, found them- 
selves in the plains of Cocherel, ^^■ith the French in front of them, 
who were already drawing up their army in battle array. There 
were a great many banners and pennons flying ; and they seemed 
to be in number more than half as many again as themselves. The 
Navarrois directly halted on the outside of a small wood. The cap- 
tains assembled together, and began to form their men in order of 
battle. 

They first formed three battalions well and handsomely on foot, 
sending their baggage and attendants into the wood. Sir John Jouel 
commanded the first battalion of English, which consisted of men- 
at-arms and archers. The captal de Buch had the second battalion, 
which, one with another, was about four hundred combatants. 
With the captal, there were the lord of Saulx in Navarre, a young 
knight who had a banner, the lord William de Graville, and the lord 
Peter de Saque.ville. The third battalion had three knights; the 
lord Basque de Marneil,t the lord Bcrtrand de Franc and the lord 
Sauseloppins, and were in the whole about four hundred men under 
arms. 

When they had formed their battalions, they marched them not 
far distant from each other, taking advantage of the mountain which 
was on their right, between them and the wood, posting their front 
upon this mountain facing their enemies, and fixing, by orders of 
the captal, his banner in the midst of a large thorn bush. He com- 
manded sixty men to remain tliere, to guard and defend it. They 
had so placed it to serve as a standard for them to rally round, if by 
chance of war they should be dispersed or separated ; and they 
strictly ordered, that no one should, on any pretence, descend the 

* " Youns gallants." In nil llie originals, it is " jcunes arinerels," which D. Sauvage 
thinks shouia be bannerets, but 1 ilo not see why. In Du Cange. .irmaret is a gallant, 
and thus I havetrnnshued it. 

t Cocherel—a village in Normandy, diocese of Evreux. 

t " Lord Basque de Mnrneil." In the memoirs of Berlrand, he is called Bascon de 
Manuel, and ihe baron de Marceuil. 



mountain; but if their enemies wished to fight, they must come to 
seek them. 



CHAPTER CCXXII. 

THE BATTLE BETWEEN THE FRENCH l-NDEK SIR BERTRAND DtJ CUES- 
CLIN, AND THE 'NAVARROIS UNDER THE CAPTAL DE BUCH, AT COCU. 
EREL, IN NORMANDY. THE CAPTAL IS MADE FKISONER, AND VICTORY 
DECLARES FOR THE FRENCH. 

Thus drawn out and formed were the English and Navarrois, who 
remained, as I have said, upon the mountain. The French, in the 
mean time, arranged themselves into three battalions also, and a rear, 
guard. 

Sir Berlrand du Guesclin commanded the first battalion, which 
was. composed of all his Bretons, and tliey were fronted opposite to 
the battalion of the captal. The carl of Auxerre had the second 
battalion. There were with him, as his advisers, the viscount do 
Beaumont, and the lord Baudoin d'Enncquin, grand master of the 
cross-bows. There were also in that battalion French, Picards, and 
Normans, and sir Odoart de Kenty, sir Enguerrant de Hesdin, sir 
Louis de Havenquerque, with several other good knights and squires. 
The third battalion consisted of Burgundians, commanded by the 
archpriest : with him were the lord de Chftlons, the lord de Beau. 
jeu, the lord John de Vienne, the lord Guy de Felay, the lord Hugh 
de Vienne, and many more. This battalion was to oppose Basque 
de Marneitand his company. The other battalion, which was to 
serve as a rear-guard, was entirely composed of Gascons ; and they 
were coimnanded by the lord Edmund de Pommiers, the lord Sold, 
dich de la Trane, the lord Perdiccas d'Albret, and the lord Petiton de 
Courton. 

These captains had a grand consultation. They considered the 
arrangement of the captal, and that his people had fixed his banner 
in a l)ush, with part of his men guarding it, as if it were to sen'e as 
a standard : they therefore said, " It is absolutely necessary, when 
the combat shall begin, that we march directly for this banner of the 
captal, and that we exert oui-sclves as much as possible to gain it ; 
for, if we be successful, our enemies will be much disheartened, and 
incur great danger of being conquered." These Gascons thought 
also of another plan which was of great service to them, and was the 
cause of their gaining the day. As soon as the French had formed 
their line, the principal Gascon chiefs withdrew together, and eon. 
suited for a long time how they could best act ; for they saw that their 
enemies, from their position, had greatly the advantage over them. 
One of them made a proposal, which was cheerfully listened to : 
" My lords, we well know that the captal is as hardy a knight as 
can be found upon earth ; and, as long as he shall be able to keep 
with his men and fight, he will be too much for us. I therefore think 
that if we order thirty of our boldest and most expert cavalici-s to do 
nothing but to follow and attack the captal, while we are making for 
his banner, his men will be thrown into some confusion : and then 
our thirty, by their own strength and that of their horses, will be able 
to push through the crowd, and advance so near the captal, that they 
may seize hiin and carry him otf between them to some place of 
safety, where they will remain until the end of the battle ; for, if he 
can be taken by such means as this, the day will be ours, as his 
army will be panic-struck."* 

The Gascon knights immediately assented to this plan, saying it 
was well thought of, and should be followed. They chose from their 
battalion thirty of the most enterprising men-at-arms, and mounted 
them upon the strongest and most active horses they had with them. 
They then marched into the plain, well instructed what they were to 
do. The army remained where it was, on foot, in order of battle. 

When the French had thus drawn up their forces, and each knew 
what he was to do, the eliiefs held a consultation, and long debated 
what war-cry they should use, and whose banner or pennon they 
should fix on as a rallying point. They for a long time determined 
to cry, " Notre Dame Auxerre 1" and to make the earl of Auxene 
their commander for that day. But the earl would not by any means 
accept of it, excusing himself by saying: " My lords, I return you 
many thanks for the good opinion you have of me, and tor the honor 
you offer me ; but at this moment I cannot accept of such an office, 
for I am too young to undertake so honorable a charge. This is the 
first pitched battle I was ever at : for which reason I must beg of 
you to make another choice. We have here many very able and 
enterprising knights, such as my lord Bertrand du Guesclin, my lord 
the archpriest, my lord the grand master of the cross.bows, my lord 
Lewis de Ch.llons, my lord Edmund de Pom'uiers, and sir Odoart 
de Renty, who have been in many hard engagements, and know 
mucJi better than I do what in such ca.ses is proper to be done. I 
must, therefore, entreat you to excuse me from accepting your honor- 
able off'er." 

The chiefs, after looking at each other, said : " Earl of Auxerre, 
you are the highest by birth, and of the largest property and estates 
of any of us ; you have therefore the right of being our chief." " Cer- 
triinly, my lords," replied the earl of Au.\erre, " what you say is very 
pleasing to me ; but this day I will only rank as one of your com. 
panions ; and, whether I live or die, I will hazard the adventure 

* The editors of the Mil-moires Hi^toriques doubt very much tliisfacl. in a note to tli6 
M6moiie3 de Guesclin, and Ihmk Froissart must have heard it from a Gascon. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &.c. 



145 



among you ; but, as to the command, I am determined not to accept 
it." They again looked at each other, in order to sec wliom th(?y 
should fix on for tlitir cliief. Sir Bt^rtrand du Guesclin was unan- 
imously thought on, and considered as the best knight of tiic whole 
company, one who had been engaged in tlie greatest number of bat. 
ties, and who was tlie best informed in military affairs. It was 
therefore resolved they should cry, " Notre Dame Guesclin !" and 
that the whole arrangement of that day should be as sir Bertrand 
would order it. Everything, therefore, being settled, each lord re- 
tired to his banner or pennon. They found that their enemies were 
still upon the hill, and had not quitted their strong situation (not hav. 
ing a desire or thouglit of so doing,) which very much vexed tlie 
Frencli, seeing that they had greatly the advantage where they were, 
and that the sun was beginning to be high, which was the more to 
their disadvantage, for it was at that season ver}' hot. This delay 
was what the most able and expert knights dreaded ; for they were 
as yet fasting, and had not l^rouglit with them any wine or victuals 
worth mentioning, except some of the lords, who had small flagons 
of wine that were soon emptied, and none had been procured or 
thonght of in the morning, as they imagined the engagement would 
begin on their arrival : but this, as it appeared, was not the case. 
The EngUsh and Navarrois deceived them thus by subtlety, and it. 
■was a late hour before they engaged. 

When the French lords perceived their situation, they assembled 
in council, to know what would be the best for them to do, and 
whether they should march to attack them or not. In this council, 
all were not of the same opinion. Some wished to fight, whatever 
might be the consequences ; for, they said, it would be shameful for 
them to make any difficulties about it. But others, better advised, 
said, that il they should begin the combat, situated as they were so 
much to their disadvantage, they would be in the greatest danger, 
and oul of five men they wt^uld certainly lose three. In short, they 
could not agree to fight in their present position. 

During this time, the Navarrois saw them very plainly, and how 
they were formed : they said to each other, " Look at them : they 
will very soon come to us, for they have a good will so to do." 
There were among thent some knights and squires of Normandy, 
that had been made prisoners by the English and Navarrois, who 
had been allowed perfect liberty to go and ride about wherever they 
pleased, upon the faith of their word of honor, provided they did 
not bear arms in favor of the French. They rode toward the French 
army, and, in conversation, said to the French lords: "My lords, 
consider what you are about j for, should this day pass without an en- 
gagement, your enemies will to-morrow receive a very large rein- 
forcement ; as it is reported among them, that the lord Lewis de 
Navarre is on his road to join them with at least four hundred 
lances." 

This intelligence much inclined the French to attack the Navar- 
rois at all events : they were made ready for it two or three different 
times : but the wiser advice got the better. Those lords said, " Let 
us wait a Utile longer, and see what they will do ; for they are so 
proud and presumptuous that they are as eager to fight us as we are 
to meet them." Many of them were very ill and faint, from the 
great heat, as it was now about noon ; they had fasted all the morn- 
ing, and had been under arms : they were therefore much heated by 
the sun, which affected them doubly through their armor. They 
said, therefore, "If we attempt to fight them by ascending the hill 
in our present state, we shall certainly be beaten ; but if we retreat 
to our quarters, through the necessity of the case, by to-morrow 
morning we shall form a better plan." Thus had they different 
opinions on what was to be done. 

When the knights of France (to whose honor the command of 
this army was intrusted) saw the English and Navarrois were not 
inchned to quit their stronghold, and that it was now midday; having 
heard the information which the French prisoners who had visited 
their army had given, and having considered that the greater part of 
their men were exceedingly faint, through the heat; they met to- 
gether, by the advice of sir Bertrand du Guesclin, whose orders they 
obeyed, and held another council. " My lords," said he, " wc perceive 
that our enemies are very eager to fight us, and have a great wish for 
it ; but, however violent they may be, they will not descend from 
their strong position, unless by a plan which I sliall propose to you. 
We will make dispositions, as if for a retreat, not intending to fight 
this day, (our men, indeed, are severely afllicted by the great heat;) 
and order our servants, baggage, horses, &,c. to cross the bridge and 
river, and retire to our quarters : we will, at the same time, keep 
close to them, watching attentively the enemy's motions. If they 
really wish to fight us, they will descend the hill, and follow us into 
the plain. As soon as we shall perceive their motions, if they act as 
I think they will, we shall be ready armed to wheel about, and thus 
shall have them more to our advantage." This proposal was ap. 
proved of by all, and considered as the best that could have been 
offered. Each lord, therefore, remrned to his people, under his ban. 
ner or pennon. The trumpets sounded as for a retreat, and every 
knight and squire ordered his servants to cross the river with their 
baggage. This the greater part did, and afterwards the men-at-arms 
followed, but very slowly. When sir John Jouel (who was an expert 
and valiant knight, and eager to engage with the French) saw the 
manner of their retreat, he said to the captal, " My lord, my lord, let 



ua now descend boldly : do you not see how the French are nmning 
away ?" " Ha," replied the captal, " they are only doing so out of 
malice, and to draw us down." 

Sir John Jouel upon this advanced for\vard (for he was very de- 
sirous of fighting,) crying out, " St. George 1" and said to his bat. 
talion, '• March : those that love me let them follow luc, for I am go. 
ing to engage." He then drew his sword, and, with it in his hand, 
marched at the head of his battalion. He and his company were 
almost down the hill before the captal moved : but when he found 
tliis to be so, and that sir John Jouel meant to fight without him, he 
considered it as a great presumption, and said to those around them, 
"Come, let us descend the hill speedily, for sir John Jouel shall not 
fight without me." The company of the captal advanced forward, 
with him at their head, his sword in his hand. When the Frencli, who 
had been watching them all the time, saw them descend and enter 
the plain, they mightily rejoiced, and said, " See, now, what we have 
been waiting for all this day has come to pass !" They then faced 
about, with a thorough good will to meet their enemies, crying out, 
" Notre Dame Guesclin '." They dressed their banners in front of 
the Navarrois, and began to form under them from all parts and on foot. 
On the side of the Navan'ois, sir John Jouel advanced, sword in hand, 
most valiantly, and drew up his battalion opposite to that of the Bretons, 
which was commanded by sir Bertrand du Guesclin, and performed 
many gallant deeds of arms ; for he was a bold knight ; but he found 
there one who was too able a match for him. The knights and 
squires then spread themselves over the plain and began to fight with 
all sorts of weapons, just as they could lay hands upon them ; and 
each party met the other with great courage. 

The English and Navarrois shouted out, " St. George !" the French, 
"'Notre Dame Guesclin I" In this battle, there were many good 
knights on the side of the French : sir Bertrand du Guesclin, the 
young earl of Auxerre, the viscount de Beaumont, sir Baudoin d'En. 
nequin, grand master of the cross-bows, the lord Louis de Chfllons, 
lord Anthony the young lord de Beaujeu, who raised his banner for 
the first time, the lord Anthony de Kanerley, sir Odoart de Rentj', 
sir Enguerrand de H6din. In like manner, in the battalion of Gas. 
cons, who were drawn up by themselves, there combated most val- 
iandy, sir Aymon de Pommiers, sir Perdiccas d'Albret, the soulJieh 
de la Trane, sir Petiton de Courton, and several others of the same 
sort. This battalion was fomied opposite to that of the captal, which 
consisted of Gascons also, and they were very desirous of meeting. 
There were many hard blows given, and many valorous deeds of 
arms performed on each side ; for no one should 'wilfully lie.* 

It may be asked, " What became of the arehpiiest, who was an 
excellent knight, and had the command of a battalion, that I have 
not hitherto made any mention of him ? I will tell the truth. As 
soon as the archpriest saw the enemies drawn up, and that the battle 
was going to begin in earnest, he quitted his company, but said to 
his people, and particularly to his banner-bearer : "I order and com- 
mand you, under pain of my greatest displeasure, that you remain 
where you are, and w-ait the event of the battle. I set out directly 
from hence, not meaning to return ; for I can neither bear arms nor 
fight against some of the knights that are with the enemy. If any 
one should inquire after me, tliis is the answer that you will give 
him." He then set out, accompanied by a single squire, recrossed the 
river, and left the others to make the best of it. They did not notice 
his absence, as they saw his banner, and thought that he was among 
them until the business was over. I will now speak of this battle, 
and how it was stiffly maintained. At tlie commencement of the 
conflict, when sir John Jouel had descended the hill, he was followed 
by all as closely as they could, and even by the captal and his com- 
pany, who thought they should have gained the day ; but it turned 
out otherwise. When they perceived that the French had wheeled 
about in good order, they immediately found they had been deceived. 
However, like determined men, they were not panic.struck at the dis- 
cover)', but were resolved to recover it by their gallantry in the combat. 

They retreated a little, then assembled together, and after that they 
opened the ranks to give room to their archers, who were in their 
rear, to make use of their bows. When the archers were advanced 
in front, they extended themselves, and began to exert themselves 
handsomely in shooting ; but the French were so strongly armed and 
shielded against their arrows, they were but little hurt by them, if at all, 
and for this did not fight the less valiantly, but intermixed themselves 
with the English and Navarrois, as did the English with them, equally 
eager in the combat. There was much hacking and cutting of each 
other, with lances and battle. axes, seizing each other by main strength 
and wrestling. They took and ransomed prisoners from each alter- 
nately, and were so much intermixed together, that they engaged 
man to man, and behaved with a degree of valor scarcely to be 
credited but by eye-witnesses. You may easily imagine that, in 
such a crowd and so situated, numbers were thrown down, wounded 
and killed : for neitherside spared the other. The French had need not 
to sleep on their bridles ; for they had opposed to them men of ability 
and determined enterprise. Each, therefore, loyally agreed, not only 

* These words "for no oneshoviM wilfully lie," in their present position, do not seem 
at nil necessiiry. It appears probable that they originally betonced to the next pnra- 
graph. where tliey are natural and proper. The word " for" does not occur in D. Sau- 
vage, the sentence being quite unconnected with the preceding ; but as his arrangement, 
with lliis exception, is the same as Mr. Johnes's, we have not ventured to alter the 
text.— (Ed. 



14G 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &. c. 



to defend himself and his post most vigorously, but to take evcvy 
advantage that should ofl'er ; if they had -not done so, they must have 
been defeated. In- truth. I must say, that the Bretons and Gascons 
were good men, and perfonned many gallant fcat% of arms. 

I wish now to speak of the thirty who had been selected to attack 
the captal. They had been excellently mounted, on the best horses 
of the anny, and attentive to nothing but their orders (as, being so 
charged, they were bound to do) : they advanced in a close body 
toward the captal, who was using his battle-axe manfully, and gave 
such deadly strokes with it that none dared approach him. They 
ptished through the crowd by the strength of their horses, as well as 
by the help of some Gascons who had accompanied them. 

These thirty men, who, as you have seen, were so well mounted, 
and who knew well what they were to do, neither looking to tiie 
risk nor danger, made up directly to the captal and surrounded him. 
They all fell upon him, and carried him off by dint of force, quitting 
the spot directly. This created great confusion, and alt the battalions 
drew thitherward ; for the captal's men were like to madmen, shout- 
ing out, " Rescue, rescue the captal !" All this, nevertheless, was 
of no service or help to them : for, in fact, the captal was carried off 
in the manner I have related, and placed in safety. However, at 
the moment this happened, it was not truly known which side had 
the best of the batde. In this grand bustle and confusion, while the 
Navarrois and English, like madmen, were following the captal, 
who had been captured before their eyes, sir Aymon de Pornmiers, 
sir Petiton de Courton, the souldich de la Trane, and the company of 
the lord d'Albret, determined unanimously to make for the banner 
of the captal, which was fixed in a bush, and which served as a 
standard for the Navarrois. 

The attack and defence was equally sharp and vigorous ; for it 
was guarded by good men : particularly by sir Bascon de Marneil 
and sir Geoffry de Roussillon : many were wounded, killed, un- 
horsed, and rescued. The Navan'ois, at last, who were near this 
bush and about the banner, were broken in upon and forced ti 
retreat. Sir Bascon de Marneil with several others were slain. Sir 
Geoffry de Roussillon was made prisoner by sir Aymon de Pornmiers. 
The banner of the captal was immediately seized : and those who 
defended it were either killed, taken, or had retreated so far that 
there was no news of them. While the banner of the captal was 
thus conquered, torn and dragged upon the ground by the Gascons, 
the Bretons, the French, the Picards, the Nonnans and Burgundians 
were most valiantly fighting in another part of the field ; and well it 
behoved them so to do, for the Navarrois had made them retreat. 
Among the French, there was already killed the viscount de Beau- 
mont ; the more the pity, for he was a young knight well formed to 
do great things. His people, to their great sorrow, b.ad carried him 
out of the battle, and guarded him, as I have heard related, by those 
of both sides. No one had ever seen a battle, with the like number 
of combatants, so well fought as this was ; for they were all on foot, 
and combated hand to hand, intermixing with each other, and striv- 
ing for victory with the arms they used, and, in particular, with those 
battle-axes which gave such astonishingly fatal blows. 

Sir Petiton de Courton and the souldich de la Trane were sorely 
wounded, insomuch that they could do no service during the remain- 
der of the day. Sir John Jouel, by whom the combat began, and 
who had most courageously attacked and fought the French, per- 
formed, that day, many very gallant feats of arms, and never deigned 
once to retreat. He had been engaged so far in the batde that he 
was grievously wounded in several parts of the head and body, and 
at last made prisoner by a squire of Brittany under sir Bertrand du 
Guesclin ; he was then carried out of the crowd. At length, the 
French gained the field ; but on their side there were killed the 
grand master of the cross-bows, sir Louis de Havenquerque, and 
many others. On the side of the Navarrois, the lord de Saulx and 
numbers of his people were slain. Sir John Jouel died in the course 
of the day. There were made prisoners, sir William de Graville, sir 
Peter de Sequainville, sir Geoffry de Roussillon, sir Bretrand du 
Franc, and several more. Few of the Navarrois escaped being slain 
or taken. This battle was fought in Normandy, pretty near to 
Cocherel, on a Thursday, the 24th day of May, 1364.* 

After this defeat, when all the dead were stripped, and those who 
had made prisoners had put them aside and attended to the wounded ; 
when the greater part of the French, having repassed the bridge, 
were retiring bruised and weary, to their quarters ; sir Guy de Gra- 
ville, son of sir William de Graville, who had been made a prisoner, 
having in haste left Conches (agairison town of the Navarrois,) with 
fifty lancemen,t intending to join the captal, came on full speed to 
the field where the battle had been fought. Upon which the French 
in the rear cried out, " Let us turn back, for here are more enemies." 
On hearing this, sir Aymon and his company, who had remained on 
the field, seeing these Navarrois advancing, fixed his pennon aloft in 
a bush as a rallying-post for the French. When sir Guy saw this. 



» "It is singular enougii, that the date of so memornhle a battle should not have 
been more certaimjr liaowii. Historians place it tlie 23rd May, 13S4. Du Chitelet re- 
ports ancient act*, which prove it to have been tlie 16lh May. 

" Froissart, in relating this battle, diftere from our memoirs in several details," &c.— 
Jlimoires Historitines, vol. iv. 

t Lord Berners and D, Sauvage say fifty spears; when individuals are meant, the 
word combatlans, lighting-men, is generally to he made use of by Froissart. Mr. Johnes's 
reason for translating "Innces" tancemen in this instance is not apparent.— Ed. 



and heard the shout of "Notre Dame Guesclin !" and that none of 
his party appeared, but plenty of dead bodies were lying around, he 
soon found that the Navarrois had been discomfited ; he therefore 
quickly faced about, and returned the way he cante. In the evening, 
the French examined those prisoners whom they had in their tents. 
The archpriest was much inquired about and spoken of, when it was 
found that he had not been in the engagement : his people made the 
best excuses for him they could. You must know that the thirty 
cavaliers who had carried off the captal, as you have heard, never 
halted until they had brought him safe to Vernon, and lodged him 
in the castle. On the morrow the French decamped, and marched 
to the city of Rouen, where they left a part of their prisoners. 



CHAPTER CCXXIII. 

CIIAKLES V, SVKMAMED THE WISE, IS CROWXED KINti OF FKANCE, HIS 
EROTHER PIIILrP IS INVESTED WITH THE DUCHY OF BUKIaU.NDY, AND 
SENT AGAI.XST THE FREE COJIFANIES OF PILLAGERS, 

On Trinity-day, 1364, king Charles, eldest son of the late John of 
France, was crowned and consecrated king, in the great church of 
our Lady at Rheims, by the archbishop of that city ; and with him 
his queen, the daughter of duke Peter of Bourbon. The king of 
Cypnis, the dukes of Anjou and Btirgundy, the lord Wenceslaus of 
Bohemia, duke of Luxembourg and Brabant, the earls of Eu, of 
Dampmartin, of Tancarville, of Vaudemont, and great numbers of 
other lords aiul prelates, were present at this ceremony. There were 
great entertainments and feasts at Rheims, during the time the kuig 
remained, which was five days : he then .departed for Paris. It 
would take me a long time were I to relate all the fine shows and 
feasts the Parisians made for him at his entry. The lords 
after this, that is to say, the strangers who had come to his corona- 
tion, rcttirned to their own countries. When the king of France 
was conic back to Paris, he gave the investiture of the duchy of Bur- 
gundy to his youngest brother, who left Paris with a nolile company, 
in order to take possession and receive the homage of the barons, 
knights, cities, casdes and large towns in that duchy. After he hacl 
visited the whole country, he returned to Paris, 

He brought with him the archpriest, who appeased the anger of 
the king, which he had incurred by not fighting at the batde of 
Cocherel, by the fair reasons he gave for not bearing arms against 
the captal.* The captal had been brought a prisoner to Paris, and, 
through the intercession of the lord d'-\lbret, obtained his liberty on 
his parole. He also assisted the archpriest to excuse himself toward 
the king, as well as toward the French knights who had talked very 
scurvily of him, notwithstanding he had overthrown lately, in a part 
of Burgundy, beyond Dijon, four hundred pillagers; over whom 
Guillot du Pin, Taillebert, Taillebourdon and John de Chaufour 
were captains. 

About this time, the king of France ordered sir Peter de Sequain- 
ville to be beheaded in the city of Rouen, for having taken the part 
of the Navarrois. Sir William de Graville would have undergone 
the same punishment, if his son, sir Guy. had not signified to the 
king of France, that whatever treatment his father suffered, he would 
do the like to sir Beaumont de Laval, a great lord of Brittany, whoni 
he kept as his prisoner. Upon this, the family of sir Beaumont in. 
terceded with the king, anti exerted themselves so eflectually that 
they obtained the exchange of sir Beaumont for sir William de Gra- 
ville. t Sir Bertrand du Guesclin, at this time, gained the castle of 
RouUeboise, by presenting the governor of it, sir Vautaire Austard, 
with six thousand francs, who retired to Brabant, whence he had 
come. Many large companies of pillagers still kept possession of 
different forts in the countries of Caux, Normandy, Beauce, and 
Perche, whence they greatly harassed the kingdom of France ; some 
under pretence of serving the king of Navarre ; others, for themselves 
robbed and destroyed the country, without any claims of right or of 
reason. 

The king of France sent his brother, the duke of Burgundy, 
against the pillagers, who appointed his rendezvous in the city of 
Chartres. He then took the field, accompanied by sir Bertrand du 
Guesclin, the lord de Boucicaut, the earl of Auxerrc, the lord Louis 
de Chalons, the lord de Beaujeu, sir Aymon de Pommiers, the lord 
Raineval, Pierre de Villaines, stirnamed le Bfeguc, the lord Nicholas 
de Ligne, grand master of the cross-bows, sir Odoart de Renti, sir 
Enguerrand de Heden, and full five thousand combatants. When 
they found they mustered so strong, they divided themselves into 
three bodies ; from which sir Bertrand took, at the most, one thousand 
fighting men, and marched for the country of Coutantin, toward the 



» The archpriest, according to thelife of Charles V. by the abbe de Choisy.had often- 
times changed sides 1 sometimes for the king of France, but oftcner for llie king of Na- 
varre, because there was more licence allowed the soldiers of his army, .\fter Uie peace, 
he pillaged various provinces of France. In his retreat from the emperor Charles IV., 
near Macon in Burgundy, he was assassinated by bis own men. His death gave great 
j oy to the people, whom he had robbed for ten years successively.— Hi;,toi>e de Ckarlea 
F., P.S8. ., , 

T In the .Mumoires Ilistoriques, note 31, of Bertrand du Gueschn, it is said, that sii 
William de Graville was ransomed from sir Guy de Bayeuz. who bad tukea him. fur one 
Uiousand florins, and that the king was so much angered by it. against Bayeux, and his 
children, they were forced to leave the kingdom : the king afterwards pardoned theip. 
In the continuation, however, of this note, it is related nearly the same as Fioisaait 
tells us. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &. i 



147 



neighborliood of Clierbourg, to guard the frouticrs, and to prevent 
the Navarrois from doing any mischief to Normandj-. The lord of 
Sancerre, tlie earl of Joigny, the lord Arnold d'Andreghen, and a 
crowd of knights and squires from Brittany and Normandy, accom. 
panied sir Bcrtrand. Another division was under the command of 
tlie lord John de la Riviere ; and with him were many knights and 
squires of France and Picardy, whom he sent toward Evrcux. The 
duke had the largest division. He went and laid siege to the castle 
of Marcheville,* which was a very strong fortress, in possession of 
the Navarrois. He ordered many machines to be brought from 
Chartres, by which he flung into it stones and other things day and 
night, tliat mucli annoyed the garrison. 



ffl'K I ^ril 1 lu 



^— , , , IP I II' Iffl'R I flfll 1 1 




Coronation of Cu.vrles V. and ms Qceen. From a MS. Fioissart of tlie 15th Century 



CHAPTER CCXXIV. 

THE LOKD LEWIS OF KAVAERE MAKES IKCUKSIOXS I.NTO TKAXCE. THE 
DUKE OF BtTRGUNDY PLANS SEVEKAL EXPEDITIONS AGAINST illjl, BVT 
IS FORCED TO GO INTO EUKUUNDV, TO DEFEND IT AGAINST THE EAKL DE 
KONTBELLIAED. 

While these men-at-arms were harassing the Navarrois, and 
enemies of the realm, in Beauce and in Normandy, tlte lord Lewis 
of Navarre (the lord Philip being dead) had taken upon himself the 
management of the war for his brother the king of Navarre, and had 
sent a challenge to the king of France, liecause the object of tliis war 
was personal to their family, being for a right of inheritance. He 
had therefore assembled men-at-arms ev'er since the battle of Co- 
ckerel, and was collecting them from every part he could get them. 
He had been so active himself, and by means of the captains of com- 
panies, of which great numljers still remained in France, that he liad 
assembled upward of twelve hundred lances. With him were sir 
Robert Knolles,t sir Robert Ceny.t and sir Robert Briquet de Cars- 
nelle.§ The men-at-arms, who were every day increasing, were 
quartered between the rivers Loire, and Allier,|| and had overrun a 
part of the Bourbonnois and Auvergne, between Moulins,ir St. Pierre 
le Moustier** and St. Poursaint.tt From this body, whom tlie lord 
Lewis d'Navarre commanded, a company of about three thousand were 
detached under tlie orders of Bertrand dela Salle and Ortingo. They 
crossed the Loire above Marcilly les Nonnains.U and pushed for- 

* Marchevil le — a town in Beauce, diocese of Chartres. 

T Sir Roljort Knolles was n great captain, and the maker of his own fortune. There 
H a doubt if he were or were not a kniglit of the Garter (No. 74.) See Jil. j3iistis. Hav- 
ing considered the different very ereat etnploymenU iie held, &;c.. I am inclined to 
believe he was of the Garter. 

} " ^ir Robert Ceny," sir Robert Cheny, See bis pedigree in M. Cough's Sepulchral 
Monuments. His descendants were called to the house of Peers. 3rd Henry VIl. 

§ "Sir Robert Briquet de Carsnelle." I can fnid nothing about him. 

II Allier— a river in Langnedoc. which rises in the Gevaudan, near the village of Cou- 
dray, whence, flowing northward, it traverses Auvergne and the Bourbonnois. and 
then, entering the Nivernnis, falls into the Loire, abou; a league above Kever?. 

IT Moulins— capital of the Bourbonnois. on the Allier. 

** St. Pierre le Monslier— a town of the Nivernois. 

tt St. Ponrsaint— a town of .\uvergne. 

Z'. Marcilly les Nonnains— a village in Berry, election of La CharilO. 



ward with so much haste, that by daybreak, they came before La 
Charitt^,* a large and well inclosed town upon the Loire. 
, This they immediately scaled without any opposition ; and, having 
entered the town, took possession of that part of it ; but as they were 
fearful lest the townspeople might have laid an ambuscade for them, 
they dared not advance further until it should be broad day. 

During this delay, the inhabitants of the town embarked all their 
most valuable things in boats which were on the river Loire, and hav- 
ing also placed their wives and children in them, sailed oft'in safety 
toward the city of Nevers, which was five leagues distant. The 
English, Navarrois and Gascons, who entered the town, upon day 
appearing, marched forward, but found all the houses empty. Upon 

this, they called a coun. 
cil, to consider if they 
should keep possession 
of the town, and fortify 
it ; for it wotdd be very 
convenient for them, as 
a place of strength, to 
attack each side of the 
Loire. They sent to in. 
form the lord Lewis de 
Navarre of their situa- 
tion, \\-ho was at that 
time in Auvergne, and 
who iinmcdiate'y dis. 
patched to them sir Ro- 
bert Briquet, with three 
hundred armed men. 
They crossed the coun- 
try without niolestation, 
and entered the town ot 
La Charity, by the bridge 
over the Loire. When 
they were thus assem- 
bled together, they were 
in such force, they be. 
gan to make grievous 
war upon the kingdom 
of France. 

We will return to 
the duke of Burgundy, 
whom we left besieging 
Marcheville. He had 
done so much by his 
machines and by his as- 
saults, that the garrison 
surrendered upon hav- 
ing their lives and for- 
tunes spared. The duke 
sent the lord de Bouci- 
caut, and the lord John 
de Vienne, marshal of Burgundy, to take possession of it. He gave 
the castle to a sipiire of Beauce, called William de Chartres, and 
forty men to guard it. The duke then led his army to the castle of 
CaraeroUes, which he surrounded, for it is situated in the flat country. 
It is time to say something of the lord John de la Riviere, who was 
besieging Acquigni, near to Passy, in the county of Evxeux. He 
had under him two thousand good combatants ; for he was so great a 
favorite with the king that he managed the finances according to his 
pleasure. The castle of Acquigni was garrisoned by English, Nor- 
mans, French and Navarrois, who had fled thither after the battle of 
Cocherel. They defended themselves well, and were amply provided 
with artillery and provision. Notwithstanding this, matters were so 
well managed, that they surrendered upon having their lives and 
fortunes spared, and carried their property with them to Cherbourg, 
whither they retire^. Tiie lord John placed a new garrison in the 
castle, and marched towtird the city of Ev^'eux. Under his com- 
mand, were sir Hugh de Chatillon. the lord of Sanny, the lord Louis 
de Sancerre, sir Matthew de Roye, the lord of Monfang, the lord of 
Eloy, the lord of Crequi, the lord of Campy, sir Odoart de Renti, sir 
Enguerrand de Hedin, and many other knights and squires of France. 
In the mean time, the duke of Burgundy pressed so hard upon the 
ganison of Camerolles, that they were forced to surrender at discre- 
tion. All the foreign soldiers were pardoned ; but some French 
pillagers, who had token refuge there, were put to death. Some of 
the principal burgesses of Chartres came to the duke's camp, to entreat 
of him to give them the castle of Camerolles, as a recompense for the 
use of their machines ; for it had done them much harm in former 
times. The duke consented to their request ; and immediately they 
sent workmen, who levelled the castle with the ground. 

The duke marched next to a castle called Drue, which is situated 
in the plains of Beauce, and was in the possession of pillagers. He 
took it by storm, and killed all that were foundln it. He then halted 
before a castle called Preux, and suiTounded it on all sides. He made 
many an assaiUt, in hopes of carrying it ; but at last the garrison sur- 
rendered on having their lives spared : they carried nothing with 
them ; but all the French remained prisoners at the duke*s will. The 



' L^ Cbaritc, a town in the Nivernois. 



148 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



duke ordered tlie castle to be taken possession of by liis marshals, 
and made a present of it to a knight of Beauce, called sir Peter du 
Bois, in order that he might sufficiently guard and repair it. The 
duke, and the greater part of his army, went after this to Chartree, to 
refresh themselves. 

When he had been there five or six days, he set out to besiege the 
castle of Connie,* which had done so much mischief to all the country 
round, and pointed against it six large machines. During the time 
these sieges, assatilts, and conquests were going forward in Beauce 
and Normandy, the lord Lewis de Navarre was overrunning Au. 
vergne. He kept the field, and impoverished the whole country ; 
for no one went forth against him. Those also who were at La 
Charite upon the Loire did in those parts just what they pleased. 

On the other hand, the earl of Montbelliard, with some allies from 
Germany, had entered the duchy of Burgundy, near Besan^on, and 
was despoiling it. On which account, the king of France ordered 
the duke of Burgundy to raise the siege of Connie, and come to Paris; 
for it was necessary that he should go into Burgundy. 

The duke, on receiving this news, was very pensive ; for he had 
publicly declared, that he would never depart from Connie until he 
had subjected it to his will. But those of his council made him un- 
derstand, that since the king, who had sent him thither, ordered him 
to return, he might very well leave the place without disgrace. Those 
in Connie had no information whatever respecting this : they were, 
therefore, summoned by the marshals to surrender unconditionally, 
which they refused. They said, they were willing to surrender, on 
having their lives and fortunes spared. These terms were then 
agreed upon. The duke gave the castle to a squire of Beauce, whose 
name was Philip d'Arcieres, who repaired it, and garrisoned it with 
good and trusty men. 

The duke went to Chartres, and then gave up the command of the 
greater division of liis army to the earl of Anxerre, Boucicaut, and the 
lord Lewis de Sancerre. He set out for Paris, taking with him 
the lord Louis d'Alen^on, the lord of Beaujeu, and the lor-d of Vienne. 
He ordered the Burgundians to march toward Burgundy as speedily 
as possible. But the duke himself went to meet the king, who was 
at that time at Vaux-la-Comtesse in Brie. Ho remained but one day 
there, and then set out for Troyes in Champagne ; whence he took 
the road to Langres, sending everywhere for men-at-arms. The 
Burgundians were already collected, and drawn out as a frontier to 
their enemies : the archpriest, the lord of Chateau- Vilain, the lord of 
Vergey, the lord of Grancy, the lord of Soubournon, the lord ol Rou- 
gemont, and a very rich man called John of Boulogne, the lord of 
Prises, sir Hugh de Vienne, the lord du Chatel, the bishop of Langres, 
and several more, who .were all mightily rejoiced on the arrival ot the 
lord duke. They immediately marched against their enemies, who 
were full fifteen hundred lances ; but they retreated across the Rhine. 
Upon which, the Burgundians entered the county of Jlontbelliard, 
and burnt the greater part of it. 



CHAPTER CCXXV. 

BIKG CHAELES OEDEKS THE DUIiE OF BUEaUNDV TO BESIEGE LA ClIAKIIE. 
HE WANTS IT TO SUEREXDEK UXCOSDITIONALLY, THAT HE MAY SEND 
ASSISTANCE TO LORD CHAKLES DE BLOIS, WHO IS CONTESTINS THE 
DDCHY OF BEITTANY WITH THE EAEL OF MONTFOET. 

In the interim, the king of France sent his constable, the lord 
Moreau do Finnes, and two marshals, the lord de Boucicaut and 
John de Mauqnerchi, lord of Blainville, accompanied by many knights 
and squires, to besiege La Charity upon the Loire. On their arrival, 
they attacked it one side, and every day had skirmishes with the 
garrison of the place. 

When the duke of Burgundy and the greater part of his troops, 
who had accompanied him into the county of Montbelliard, were re- 
turned to Paris, the king sent him, with upward of a. thousand lances, 
to La Charite. There were then at that siege three thousand knights 
and squires, of whom many went every day to skirmish with the 
garrison ; wlien several were killed and wounded on both sides. At 
a sally which the garrison made, the lord Robert of Alen90n, son of 
the earl of Alen^on, who was killed at Crecy, and the lord Louis 
d'Auxerre, who was the son of the earl of Auxerre, then present, 
were knighted, and displayed their banners. The inhabitants of La 
Charity were vei7 hard pressed, and would willingly have surrendered 
upon terms ; but the duke was resolved to have them unconditionally, 
and for that reason had guarded the river so that no provision could 
enter tlie town. 

During this time, the lord Lewis de Navarre, who was destroying 
everything before him in the country of Auvergne, exerted himself 
much, and assembled a sufficient body of men to enable him to raise 
the siege of La Charity : he had collected two thousand combatants 
at the least, and had also sent into Brittany to request that sirRobert 
KnoUes, sir Walter Huet, sir Matthew Cournay, and several other 
knights and squires, would hasten to his assistance. They would 
have complied cheeifully ; but at the time they were engaged with 
the earl of Montfort, besieging the castle of Auray,t who had sworn 
he would not depart until it had submitted to his pleasure. 



* Connie— a village in Bennce, election of Ciiateaudun. 
t Auray— a sea-port in Brittany— diocese of Valines. One of my MSS. says, it was 
iouuded iiy Arthur. 



When the lord Lewis found he could not have their aid, he re- 
treated, by the orders of his brother, toward Cherbourg. Upon wliioh, 
(he king of France, that the lord Charles de Blois might have more 
men-at-arms, commanded the duke of Burgundy to treat with the 
gaiTison for their siu-rendering the town and fort, on condition ot not 
bearing amis for the king of Navarre during three years. The gar- 
rison complied with these terms, surrendered La Charitfi, took nothing 
with them, and marched out on foot : they passed through the king- 
dom of France under passports of the duke of Burgundy. The old 
inhabitants of La Charit(S now returned back to it, having been forced 
to reside in other jjlaces. The duke went to Paris. 

After this, the king of France granted permission for his cousin, 
the lord Charles dc Blois, to raise in his kingdom a thousand lances. 
He again wrote to .=ir Bertrand du Guesclin, who at the time was in 
Normandy, to march to the assistance of the lord Charles, against 
the earl of Montfort. These orders gave sir Bertrand great pleasure, 
for he had always considered the lord Charles as his natural lord. 
He set out, therefore, from Normandy, with all the troops that were 
under him, and marched through Tours, in his way to Brittany. The 
lord de Boucicaut went to guard NoiTnandy in his place. Sir Ber- 
trand continued his march until he came to Nantes, where he met 
the lord Charles de Blois and his lady. They received him very 
kindly, and thanked him much for coming to their assistance. They 
had then a long conference, upon what was to be done : for they 
were in the best parts of Brittany, which were much attached to the 
lord Charles dc Blois, as their duke and lord, and willing to support 
him. They conferred also on the means of raising the siege of Au- 
ray, and fighting with the lord John de Montfort. Within a very 
short time, many barons and knights came thither from Franco and 
Normandy : among whom were the earl of Auxeire, the earl of 
Joigny, tlie lord de Franville, the lord de Prie, le Begue de Villaines, 
and many other knight-i and sipiires, all of the right sort, and good 
men-at-arms. 

News was brought to the lord John de Montfort, at that time be- 
sieging Auray, tliAt the lord Charles de Blois was assembling large 
bodies of men ; that a number of the lords of France were come to 
him, and were daily arriving, to assist him, in conjunction with those 
barons, knights and squires of Brittany, who had remained steady to 
his interest. As soon as lord John heard this, he made it known in 
the duchy of Aquituine to the knights and squires of England who 
were there, and in particular to sir John Chandos, earnestly entreat- 
ing them to come to liis aid in the difficulties they were about to 
eiM-ounter : adding, that he expected Brittany would afford such a 
field of honor, that all knight! and squires who were desirous of ad- 
vancing their name ought most cheerfully to come thitlier. 

When sir John Chandos saw himself thus affectionately entreated 
by the earl of Montfort, he spoke of it to the prince of Wales, to 
know how he should act. The prince said, he might go there with, 
out any blame, since the French had already liken part against the 
earl in support of the lord Charles ; and he advised him to accept 
the invitation. Sir John Chandos was much rejoiced at this, and 
made accordingly grand preparations. He asked several knights and 
squires of Aquitaine to accompany him ; but few went except the 
English. However, he conducted full two hundred lances, and as 
many archers, and marching through Poitou and Saintonge, entered 
Brittany. He went straight to the siege of Auray, where he found 
the earl of Montfort, who was vciy happy at his arrival ; as were sir 
Olivier de Clisson. sir Robert Knollcs, and the other companions. It 
seemed to them, that now no evil coidd befal them, since sir John 
Chandos was in their company. t^ , j 

Many knights and squires crossed the sea in haste from England, 
eager to advance their fortunes, and to fight with the French. They 
caine to the aid of the earl of Montfort, before Auray, who received 
them all with great joy. They were therefore in all, as well Bretons 
as English, when mustered, sixteen hundred men-at-anns, and from' 
eight to nine hundred archers. 

"Wc will now return to the lord Charles de Blois, who remained 
in the good city of Nantes, and made there his muster of knights 
and squires from all parts ; for he had been informed that the earl 
of Montfort had been strongly reinforced by the English. He there, 
fore entreated those barons, knight-i and squires whose homage he 
had received, to assist him in guarding his inheritance, and in de- 
tending him against his enemies. 

Among the barons of Brittany who came to serve him, in obcdfc 
ence to his summons, were the viscount de Rohan, the lords de 
L^on, Charles de Dinan, de Rioux, de Tournemine, d'.A.nccms, de 
Malestroit, de Quentin, d'Avaugour, de Loh^ac, du Pont, and many 
others whom I cannot name. These lords and their companies were 
quartered in the city of Nantes, and in the villages around it. When 
they were mustered, thev were estimated at two thousand five hun- 
dred lances, including those who had come from France. These 
lords did not wish to make any long staj-, but advised the lord Cnaries 
to march against his enemies. 

When the lord Charles was about to set out; and was taking leave 
of the lady his wife, she said to him, in the presence of sir Bertrand 
du Guesclin and some of the barons of Brittany : " My lord, you are 
"oing to defend your inheritance and mine (for that which is mine is 
vours,*) which the lord John de Montfort had seized, and has kept for 



» Johanna, countess of Pentliievre, born 131?, was made heiress ol Brittany by her 



CHR'ONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



149 



a long time most wrongfully, without any right, aa God knows. The 
barons of Brittany, who are here present, know well that I am the 
rightful heiress of it. I therefore most earnestly beg and entreat of 
you, that you will not listen to any treaty, or composition, which 
may be offered, so that the whole body of the duchy may be ours." 
The lord Charles promised to comply with her request. 

All the lords, knights, and barons who were at Nantes departed, 
each having bid adieu to his lady, whom he considered as his duchess, 
they began their march, and took the road to Rennes,* where, on 
their arrival, they were quartered, and in its environs. They halted 
there to refresh themselves, as well as to learn the numbers and 
countenance of their enemies, and to consider of the best place to 
offer battle, in case they should not be able to find a situation which 
might give them an advantage. Many fine speeches and harangues 
were made by the knights and squires of France and of Brittany, 
who had come to the succor of the lord Charles de Blois. Lord 
Charles was very courteous and polite, and perhaps would willingly 
have listened to tenns of peace, and been content with a part of 
Brittany, without much wrangling : but he was, in God's name, so 
hard pressed by the last words of the lady his wife, and the knights 
of his party, that he could neither draw back nor dissemble. 



CHAPTER CCXXVI. 

THE LORD CHARLES OF BLOIS ADVANCES ACAIKST THE EARL OF MONTFORT 
IN ORDER OF BATTLE. SIR JOHN CHANDOS, AFTER HAVING DRAWN UP 
THE BATTALIONS OF THE EARL OF MONTFORT, PREVENTS THE TREATY 
FROM TAKINO PLACE WmCH THE LORD DE BEAUMANOIR WAS NEGOTI- 
ATING BETWEEN THE TWO FRETENDERS TO THE DUCHY OF BRITTANY. 

Between Vannes and Auray, where the earl of Montfort was en- 
camped, there are eight country leagues ; so that news was soon 
brought to him that the lord Charles was advancing with the finest 
body of men-at-arms, the handsomest equipped and the best ordered 
that had ever left France.. This intelligence gave great joy to the 
English who were there ; for they were eager for the fight. These 
companions, therefore, immediately set about putting iheii' armor in 
good repair, and refurbishing their lances, daggers, battle-axes, coats 
of mail, helmets, skull-caps, visors, swords, and all sorts of weapons, 
as they well imagined they should soon have use for them. 

The commanders of the army then waited on the earl of Mont- 
fort ; first, sir John Chandos (whose advice he meant in particular 
to follow,) sir Eustace d'Ambreiicourt, sir Robert Knolles, sir Hugh 
Calvery, sir Matthew Gournay.t These knights and barons, having 
deliberated on their present situation, resolved that it would be most 
advantageous to quit their quarters early in the morning, and take 
the field. They might then consider on the best mode of acting 
against the enemy, when they should have had more exact informa- 
tion concerning them. Ordei-s were therefore given, that the whole 
army should, on the following morning, be ready amied and in batlle- 
array, as if they were immediately to begin the engagement. 

This night passed quietly. On the morrow, wliich was a Saturday, 
the English and Bretons issued forth from their quarters, marching 
gayly in order of battle, to the rear of the castle of Auray, where they 
halted, and, having chosen a situation, declared they would wait 
there the coming of their enemies. Almost immediately after day. 
break, the lord Charles and his army appeared. They had marched 
on the Friday after dinner from Vannes, and had rested that night 
three small leagues distant from Auray. The troops of the lord 
Charles were in the handsomest and best order, and drawn up in the 
most brilliant manner that could be seen or imagined. They marched 
in such close order, that one could not throw a tennis-ball among 
them, but it must have struck upon the points of some of their lances, 
so stiflly did they carry them. The English took great pleasure in 
looking at them 

The French halted in tliis order in front of their enemies, and took 
their ground on an extensive heath. Their marshals gave strict charge 
that no one should quit his ranks without orders, and that there 
should be no tilting, justs, or assaults. The men-at-arms, having 
halted, formed their line of battle, and made preparations for an im. 
mediate combat, as they expected nothing less, and were very de- 
sirous of it. The lord Charles de Blois, by the advice of sir Bertrand 
du Guesclin, (who was a great captain, and much praised and con- 
fided in by the Bretons,) formed his army again. He divided it into 
three battalions and a rear.guard. It seems to me, that sir Bertrand 
had the command of the first ; and with him were numbers of knights 
and squires of Brittany. The earl of Auxerre had the second, with 
the earl of Joigny and many knights and squires from France. The 
third battalion was commanded by the lord Charles himself: under 
him were the principal lords of Brittany ; among whom were the 



uncle, John UI., wlio, to strengthen lier title, gave lier in marriage to Charles de Blois 
Jord of Guyse and Mayenne. nephew of Philip IV. kins of Franco. 

•'When the earl of Montfort gained the dukedom, and held it from the crown of 
I' ranee, he engaged to give Johanna lands that should yield her 20,000 francs yearly 
besides Pentluevre and Limoges."— Anderson. 

* ••Rennes." I believe, with Denys Sauvage. it should he Vannes, consistently with 
what follows ; but it is Rennes, in all my printed editions and MS. and also in tlie His- 
toire de Dr6tagne. 

\ ?" ?'"'"="="' ''" Gournay. See more of hira in the second volume of Cough's Se- 
pulchial Monuments, page 20. He died at the age of 96. 



viscount de Rohan, the lords de Ldon, d'.\vaugour, Charles de Dinan^ 
d'Ancenis, de Malestroit, and several others. In the rear-guard were, 
the lords de Raix, de Rieux, de Tournemine, du Pont, and many good 
knights and squires. Each of these battalions was composed of a 
thousand men. The lord Charles de Blois entreated every one in the 
fairest manner, that they would loyally and discreetly assist him. He ^ 
swore, upon his soul, and his hopes of Paradise, that it was for a just 
and right cause they were going to engage. He assured each, that, 
if they acquitted themselves well, he should feel himself ever obliged 
to them. 

We must now speak of the dispositions of the English and Bretons, 
and in what manner they drew up their army. You first must under- 
stand that, though the earl of Montfort was the commander-in-chief, 
yet it was under the sole direction of sir John Chandos : for the king 
of England had thus settled it with the earl of Montfort. He had also 
ordered sir John Chandos to have especial regard to whatever con. 
cerned the interests of his son-in-law ; for the earl of Montfort had 
received one of the king's daughters* in marriage. In obedience to 
such orders, sir John Chandos advanced before the knights and 
squires of Brittany who were about the person of the earl of Montfort, 
and having well considered the dispositi ins of the French in his own 
mind, thought so Iiighly of them, he could not remain silent, but said: 
" -A.s God is my help, it appears to me that all the flower and honor 
of chivalry is there, most wisely and expertly drawn up." He then 
added aloud to those knights who were within hearing: '• Gentlemen, 
it is time that we form our line of battle ; for the enemy have set us 
the example." Those who heard him replied: ".Sir, you say truly; 
and, as you are our commander, you will form us according to your 
wish ; for there is none higher than yourself to look to, and you know 
much better than any one how to order such things." 

Sir John Chandos formed three battalions and a rear-guard. He 
placed over the first, sir Robert Knolles, sir Walter Huet, and sir 
Richard Burley.t The second battalion was under the command of 
sir Olivier de Clisson,t sir Eustace d'.^mbreticourt, and sir Matthew 
Gournay. The carl of Montfort had the third, which was to remain 
near his person. There were in each battalion five hundred men-at- 
arms, and four hundred archers. When he came to the rear-g-uard, 
he called sir Hugh Calverly to him, and said : " Sir Hugh, yon will 
take the command of the rear-guard of five hundred men, and keep 
on our wing, without moving one step, whatever may happen, im- 
less you 'shall see an absolute necessity for it ; such as our battalions 
giving way, or being by accident broken : in that case, you will 
hasten to succor those who are giving way, or who may be in disor. 
der : and assure yourself, you cannot this day do a more meritoriooa 
service." 

When sir Hugh heard sir John Chandos give him these orders, he 
was much hurt and angry with him, and said : " Sir John, sir John, 
give the command of this rear-guard to some other; for I do not wish 
to be troubled with it ;" and then added, " Sir knight, for what man- 
ner of reason have you thus provided for me ? and why am not I as 
fit and proper to take my post in the front-rank as others ?" 

Sir John discreetly answered : " Sir Hugh, I did not place you with 
the rear-guard because you were not as good a knight as any of us ; 
for, in trath, I know that you are equally valiant with the best: but 
I ordered you to that post, because I know you are both bold and 
prudent, and that it is absolutely necessary for you or me to take that 
command. I therefore most earnesdy entreat it of you ; for, if you 
will do so, we shall all be the better for it ; and you yourself will ac. 
quire great honor : in addition, I promise to comply with the first re- 
quest you may make me." Notwithstanding this handsome speech 
of Sir John Chandos, sir Hugh refused to comply, considering it as a 
great affront offered him, and entreated, through the love of God, with 
uplil'ted hands, that he would order some other to that command; for, 
in fact, he was anxious to enter the batde with the fii-st. This con- 
duct nearly brought tears to the eyes of sir John. He again ad- 
dressed him, gently saying : " Sir Hugh, it is absolutely necessary 
that either you or I take this command : now, consider which can be 
mo.'t spared." Sir Hugh, having considered this last speech, was 
much confused, and replied : " Certainly, sir, I know full well that 
you would ask nothing from me wliich could turn out to my dishonor; 
and, since it is so, I will very cheerfully undertake it." Sir Hugh 
Calverly then took the command of the battalion called the rear- 
guard, entered the field in the rear, on the wing of the others, and 
formed his line. 

It was on Saturday the 8th day of October, 1364, that these bat. 
talions were drawn up facing each other, in a handsome plain, near 
to Auray in Brittany. I must say, it was a fine thing to see and reflect 
on ; for there were banners and pennons flying, with the richest ar. 
mor on each side : the French were so handsomely and grandly drawn 
up, it was great pleasure to look at them. 

While either party was forming or dividing its battalions, the lord 
of Beaumanoir, a very great and rich baron of Brittany, was going to 
and from each army, with propositions for "peace. Very willingly 

* The princess Mary, 

t Sir Richard Burley— was nephew of sir Simon Burley, knight of the Carter, who 
wasbelieaded early in Richard II.'s reign.— Cough's Sep. J\fo». vol. i., p, 150. 

i ••Sir Olivier deClisson." DoniMorice. in his Histoirede la Br^tagne, says that this 
Olivier de Clisson was not the nephew of sir Walter de Clisson, who was killed, 1^, at 
the siege of Chateauceau, but seems to have been the •'veritable seigneur de ClissoD." 
-Vol, i. p. 14S. 



150 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



would he have labored.if he had been able to ward off the perils that 
were on the point of happening. He was earnest in the business : 
and the English and Bretons on the side of Montfort, allowed Mm to 
pass and repass, to parley with sir John Chandos, and the earl of 
Montfort, because lie had pledged his honor, as a prisoner, and there. 
fore could not bear arms against them. This same Saturday, he 
brought many proposals, in hopes to make a peace ; of which,-ho\v- 
ever, none succeeded : he was occupied with one party or the other 
until noon. He nevertheless obtained, through his good sense, a 
truce between the two armies for tliis day and the following night, 
until the morrow at sunrise. Each army retreated to their quarters, 
and refreshed themselves with what they had. 

During the time the truce lasted, the governor of the castle of Au. 
ray came out of it, on Saturday night, and v>'ent peaceably to the 
array of the lord Charles de Blois, wlio graciously received liim. The 
name of the governor was Henry de Hautcrnelle, a very expert war- 
rior, who brought with him forty lances, good companions, well armed 
and well mounted, who had aided him in guardiiig that fortress. 
When the lord Charles saw the governor, he asked Mm, laughingly, 
the state of the castle. '■ In God's name," replied the squire, " and 
praise bo to him, we arc still sufficiently provided with everything for 
two or three month?, should there be occasion." " Henry, Heniy," 
answered lord Charles, " to-morrow by daybreak, you shall be made 
free in every respect, either by a treaty of peace or by a battle." 
" My lord," replied the sipiire, " God grant us his assistance." " By 
my faith, Heniy," said the lord Charles, " I have under my connnand 
t%vo thousand men-at-arms, of as good stuff, and as much inclined to 
acquit themselves well, as there are in the kingdom of France." 
" My lord," answered the squire, " tins is a great advantage : you 
should therefore praise God, and thank him most gratefully: likewise 
sir Bertrand du Guesclin, and the Barons of France and Brittany, 
who have come so courteotisly to your assistance." Thus the lord 
Charles amused himself in conversation with sir Henry, and with one 
or another, and passed the night much at his ease. 

In the course of this evening, some English knights and squu-es 
earnesrty begged of sir .lolm Chandos that he would not listen to any 
overtures of peace between the earl of Montfort and the lord Charles 
de Blois ; for they had expended their whole fortune, and were so 
poor, that they hoped by means of a battle, either to lose thek all, or 
to set themselves up again. The knight assented to the request. 

When Sunday morning came, each^army made itself ready, and 
armed. Many masses were said in that of lord Charles, and the sa- 
crament was administered to all who wished i^. The same was done 
in the army of the carl of Montfort ; and a little before sunrise, each 
person posted himself in the same battle array as on the preceding day. 

Shortly after, the lord de Beaunianoir, who had prepared different 
proposals of peace, and who would willingly have brought them to 
some agreement, had he lieen able, returned to the charge, and came 
galloping toward sir .Tolm Chandos, who left his battaUon and the 
earl of Montfort, at the time with him, as soon as he perceived his 
intentions, and advanced into the plain to meet him. When the lord 
de Beaumanoir came up, he saluted liim very humbly, and said ; " I 
entreat of you, sir John Chandos, in the name of God, that we may 
bring these two lords to some agreement ; for it is a great pity that 
so many good persons who are here should slaughter each other in 
support of their opinions." Sir John Chandos gave him a very dif- 
ferent answer than what he expected, from what had passed on the 
preceding evening : " Lord de Beaumanoir, I would advise you not 
to make any more attempts at peace to-day ; for our men declare 
that, if they can inclose you within their ranks, they will kill you. 
You will say to lord Charles de Blois, that happen what may, the 
lord John de Montfort is determined to risk the event of a combat. 
Have done, therefore, with all ideas of peace or agreements ; for he 
will this day be duke of Brittany, or die in the field." 

When the lord de Beaumanoir had received this aiiswer from 
Chandos, he was mightily enraged, and replied : " Chandos, Chan- 
dos, that is not less the intention of my lord, who has as good a will 
to fight as the lord John de Montfort ; his army are also of the same 
mind." At these words, he set off without saying anything more, 
and went to lord Charles and the barons of Brittany, who were wait- 
ing for him. 

Sir John Chandos returned to the earl of Montfort, who asked, 
" How goes on the treaty ? What does our adversary say ?" " What 
does he say ?" replied Chandos : *' why, he sends word by the lord 
de Beaumanoir, who has this instant left me, that he will figlit with 
you at all events, and remain duke of Brittany, or die in the field." 
This answer was made by sir John, in order to excite the courage of 
the earl of Montfort; and he continued saying, " Now consider what 
you will determine to do, whether to engage or not." "By St. 
George," answered the earl of Montfort, " engage I will, and God 
assist the right cause : order our banners to advance immediately." 

With regard to the lord de Beaumanoir, he said to lord Charles de 
Blois ; " My lord, my lord, by St. Ives I have heard the proudest 
speech from John Chandos that my ears have listened to for a long 
time ; he has just assured me, that the earl of Montfort shall remain 
duke of Brittany, and will clearly show to you that you have not any 
right to it." These words brought the color into lord Charles's 
cheeks ; when he answered, " Let God settle the right, for he knows 
to whom it belongs ;" and thus said all the barons of Brittany. He 



then ordered Ills banners and men-at-arms to march, in the name of 
God»and St. Ives. 



CHAPTER CCXXVII. 

ini: BATTLE OF AUEAY, IN WHICH SIK 'BERTRAND DIJ GUESCLIN IS MADE 
PRISONER. CHARLES DE BLOIS IS SLAIN ; AND JOHN DE MONTFORT IS 
VICTORIOUS. 

A LITTLE before eight in the morning, the two annies advanced 
near to each otlier It was a very fine sight, as I have heard those 
relate who saw it ; for the French were in such close -order that one 
could scarcely throw an apple among them without its falling on a 
helmet or lance. Each man-at-anns carried his spear right before 
him, cut down to the length of five feet ; a battle-axe, sharp, strong, 
and well steeled, with a short handle, was at his side, or hung from 
his neck. They advanced thus handsomely a foot's pace, each lord 
in array and among his people, with liis banner or pennon before 
liim, well knoviing what they were to do. On the other liand, the 
English were drawn up in the handsomest order. 

The Bretons, under tlie command of sir Bertiand du Guesclin, 
posted themselves with his banner opposite to the battalion of sir 
Robert KnoUcs and sir Walter Huet. The Bretons of cither party 
placed the banners of their Xv/o lords, who was each called duke, 
opposite to (he other. 

In tliis first onset, there were hard blows between the lancemen, 
and a sharp scuffle. True it is, that the English archers shot well at 
the commencement; buttheir arrows hurt not, as the French were 
too well armed and shielded from them. Upon this, they flung away 
their bows ; and being light and able men, they mixed with the men. 
at-arms of their party, and attacked those of tlie French who had 
batde-axes. Being men of address and courage, they immediately 
seized several of these axes, with which they afterwards foughtVal- 
iantly and successfully. There were many gallant feats of arms 
performed ; many a struggle, many a capture, and many a rescue. 
You must know, that whoever had the misfortune to fall, found great 
difficulty to rise again unless he was speedily succored. 

The battalion of lord Charles marched straight to that of lord Jolm 
de Montfort, which was veiy strong and deep. In his company 
were the viscount de Rohan, the lords de L^on, Charles de Dinan, 
de Quintin, d'Ancenis, and de Roclifort, each with his banner dis. 
played before him. The engagement betn-een these two battalions 
was very severe and desperate, and well fought on both sides. That 
of the carl of Montfort was at first thi'own into confusion ; but sir 
Hugh Galverly, who was upon its wing with a good battalion of gal- 
lant men, jicrceiving them giving way and opening their ranks, drove 
the enemy back, and replaced everything by force of arms. This 
action was certainly of great use to them. 

In another part of the plain, sir Olivier de Clisson, sir Eustace 
d'Ambreticourt, sir Matthew Gournay and several other valiant 
knights and squires, fought valorously with the battalion of die earls 
of Auxerre and Joigny, which was very numerous and deep, and 
crowded with several able men-at-arms. Many bold actions were 
performed on both sides : prisoners and rescues were frequent. The 
French and Bretons fought in earnest with their battle-axes. The 
lord Charles showed himself a marvellously good knight, eagerly 
seeking for and engaging his enemies. His adversary, the earl of 
Montfort, fought with equal gallantry; and each person spoke of them 
according to their deserts. 

Sir John Chandos proved lumself more able than liis opponents ; 
for he was at the same time bold and hardy, redoubted by his adver- 
saries in battle, as well as wise and discreet in council, giving the 
clearest orders. He advised the earl in everything, and, in order to 
animate hiin and his people, said to them, " Do so and so ; march to 
to this side or to that." The young earl of Montfort believed all he 
said, and followed his advice. 

In another jjart, sir Bertrand du Guesclin, the lords du Pont, de 
Tournemine, d'Avaugour, de Raix, de Loh^ac, de Malestroit, de 
Prie, and many other able knights and squires of Biiltany and Nor- 
mandy, who were there on the side of the lord Charles, fought very 
determinedly, and did many handsome deeds of arms. The battle 
was so warmly contested that all the battalions were engaged, except 
the rear-guard of the English, which sir Hugh Calveily commanded. 
This battalion kept always on one wing, and never engaged with 
any, but was solely occupied in recovering and bringing back to their 
ranks tliose who were thrown into confusion. 

Among other knights, sir Olivier de Clisson played his part hand- 
somely, and did marvels with his batde-axe, by which he opened and 
cut through the ranks, so that none dared to approach him. Once, 
indeed, his eagerness brought him into great peril ; for he advanced 
so forward that he had the battalion of the earl of Auxerre and 
Joigny upon lihn, and had hard work to extricate himself. He re- 
ceived in this affair a stroke of a battle-axe, which struck off the visor 
of his helmet ; and its point entered his eye, which he afterwards 
lost. Ho was not, however, for this, a less gallant knight during the 
whole of the day. 

Battalions and banners rushed against each other, and someUmes 
were overthrown, and then up again. Among the knights, sir John 
Chandos showed his ability, valorously fighting with his battle-axe : 
he gave such desperate blows, that all avoided him : for he was of 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



15l- 



great stature and strength, well made in all his limbs. He advanced 
to attack the battalion of the earl of Auxerre and the French. Many 
bold actio-ns were performed ; and through the courage' of himself 
and people, he drove this battalion before him, and threw it into such 
disorder that, in brief, it was discomfited. All their banners and 
pennons were tlirown on the ground, torn and broken : their lords 
and captains were in the greatest danger ; for they were not succored 
by any, their people being fully engaged in fighting and defending 
themselves. To speak truly, when once an army is discomfited, 
those who are defeated are so much frightened, that if one fall, three 
follow his example, and to these three ten, and to ten thirty ; and 
also, should ten run away, they will be followed by a hundred. Thus 
it was at the battle of Auray. 

These lords shouted again and again their cries of war, as well as 
their banner-bearers, wliich some who heard them answered ; but 
others were too much in the rear, and from the greatness of the crowd 
could not advance, so that the carl of Auxerre was desperately 
wounded, and taken, under the pennon of sir John Chandos : he 
gave his pledge as a prisoner, as well as the earl of .Toigny and the 
lord de Prie, a great banneret in Normandy. The other battalions 
fought very valiantly, and the Bretons made a good appearance still. 
It must however, to speak loyally of this battle, be allowed, that they 
did not keep their line nor array (as it seemed) like the English and 
Bretons on the side of Montfort. The wing commanded by sir Hugh 
Calverly was to them, in this battle, of the greatest advantage. When 
the English and Bretons of the Montfort party perceived the French 
to be in confusion, they were much rejoiced. Some of the French 
had their horses got ready, which they mounted, and began to fly as 
fast as they could. 

Sir John Chandos then advanced v.-ith a part of his company, and 
made for the battalion of sir Bertrand du Guesclin, where many cour- 
ageous deeds were doing ; but it had been already broken, and several 
good knights and squires slain. Many a hard blow was given by 
the battle-axes, and many a helmet opened, so that several were 
wounded and killed. To say the truth, neither sir Bertrand nor his 
people were able to withstand the strength of their adversaries. Sir 
Bertrand was made prisoner by an English squire, under the pennon 
of sir John Chandos. In tliis conflict, sir John received the pledge 
as prisoner, from a baron of Brittany, called the lord of Raix, a won- 
derfully hardy knight. After this, the Bretons and their battalion 
being broken, were as good as defeated : the others being in disorder, 
took to flight, each in the best way he could to save himself, except 
some good knights and squires of Brittany, v.ho would not quit their 
sovereign, the lord Charles de Blois, preferring death to reproach. 
They collected themselves together, and rallied round him, fighting 
valiantly. The lord Charles and his companions kept their ground a 
long time, by their valor in defending themselves : at last, however, 
it was of no avail, for they were defeated and put to the rout by 
ntmibers ; fur the whole strength of the English was drawing toward 
them. The banner of the lord Charles was conquered, cast to the 
ground, and the bearer of it slain : he himself was also killed facing 
his enemies, as well as a bastard of his called the lord John de Blois, 
with many other knights and squires of Brittany. 

It appears to me, that orders had been given to the English army, 
that if they should gain the battle, and the lord Charles were found 
or made prisoner, no ransom should be taken for him, but that they 
should kill him. In a similar case, the French and Bretons had given 
the like orders respecting the lord .fohn de Montfort ; for in this day 
each party wished, by batfle, to put an end to the war. 

When a pursuit took place, great slaughter and many miseliiefs 
happened, and -several good men were killed or inade prisoners. 
The whole flower of chivalry, who had that day taken the side of 
lord Charles de Blois, were either piisoners or slain, particularly the 
bannerets of Brittany. Among the dead, lay the lord Charles de 
Dinan, the lords de L(;on, d'jVncenis, d'Avaugour, de Loheac, de 
Gargolle, de Malcstroit, du Pont, and many whose names I cannot 
remember. There were made prisoners, the viscount de Rohan, sir 
Ciuy de L^on, the lords de Rochefort, de Raix, de Rieux, de Tourne- 
mine, sir Henry de Malestroit, sir Olivier de Manny, the lords de 
Riville, de Franville, de Raineval, with several from Normandy, and 
many good knights and squires from France, with the earls of Au.x- 
erre and Joigny. In a word, the defeat and loss were immense : 
numbers were slain in the field, as wellas in the pursuit, which con- 
tinued for eight good leagues, even as far as Vannes. A variety of 
accidents happened this day which had never come to my knowledge, 
and many a man was killed or made prisoner. Some fell into good 
hands, where they met with kind and civil masters. 

This battle was fought near to Aurav, in the year of our Lord 1364. 



CHAPTER CCXXVIII. 

THE CHIEFS ATTACHED TO THE EAKL OF MONTFORT KETIKE .AFTER THE 
VICTOr.Y AT AUr.AY. THE EARL's C0:<DUCT, on SEEINS CHARLES DE 
BLOIS DEAD. TRVCES GRANTED FOR BURYING THE SLAIN. IN WHAT 
MANNER THE KING OF ENGLAIfD WAS INFORMED OF THE EVENT OF THIS 
BATTLE OF AURAT. 

After the total defeat of lord Charles's army, when the field of 
battle was free, and the principal leaders, English and Bretons, were 



returned from the pursuit, sir John Chandos, sir Robert Knolles, sir 
Eustace d'Ambreticourt, sii Matthew Gournay, sir John Boursier,* 
sir Walter Huet, sir Hugh Calverly, sir Richard Burley, sir Richard 
Tancon,t and several others, drawing near to the carl of Montfort, - 
came to a hedge, where they began to disarm themselves, knowing 
the day was theirs. Some of them placed their banners and pennons 
in this hedge, with the arms of Brittany high above all, in a bush, as 
a rallying post for tiieir army. 

Sir John Chandos, sir Robert Knolles, sir Hugh Calverly and others, 
then approached to the earl of Montfort, and said to him, smiling ; 
" My lord, praise God, and make good cheer, for this day you have 
conquered the inheritance of Brittany." He bowed to them very 
respectfullj', and then said, loud enough to be heard by all around 
liim; Sir John Chandos, it is to your valor and prudence that I am 
indebted for the good fortune of this day : this I kno%v for a truth, 
as well as all those who are with me : I beg you will, therefore, re- 
fresh yourself out of my cup," He then extended to him a flagon 
full of wine, and his cup, out of which he himself had just drank, 
adding, " After God, I owe more thanks to you than to all the rest 
of the world." As he finished these words, the lord de Clisson 
returned, out of breath and very hot. He had pursued the enemy a 
long way, and had just left them, bringing back his men, with a 
number of prisoners. He advanced directly to the earl of Montfort ' 
and the knights who were about him, leaped off" his courser, and 
refreshed himself with them. While they were thus together, two 
knights and two heralds returned, who had been sent to examine the 
dead bodies in the field, to know what was become of the lord Charles 
de Blois : for they were uncertain if he had been slain or not. They 
cried with a loud voice, " My lord, be of good cheer, for we have 
seen your adversarj' lord Charles de Blois among the dead."' Upon 
this, the earl of Montfort rose up and said, he wished to see him him- 
self, for that, " iie should have as much pleasure in seeing him dead 
as alive." All the knights then present accompanied him to the spot 
where he was lying apart from the othei-s, covered by a shield, which 
he ordered to be taken away, and looked at him very sorrowfully. 
After having pdused a while, he exclaimed ; " Ha, my lord Charles, 
sweet cousin, how much mischief has happened to Brittany from your 
having supported by arms your pretensions 1 God help me, I am 
truly unhappy at finding you in tliis situation, but at present this 
cannot bo amended." Upon which he burst into tears. Sir John 
Chandos, perceiving this, pulled him by the skirt, and said : " My 
lord, my lord, let us go aWay, and return thanks to God for the suc- 
cess of the day : for without the death of tliis person, you never would 
have gained your inheritance of Brittany." 

The earl then ordered that lord Charles's body should be carried 
to Guinganip,t which was immediately done with great respect, and 
he was most honorably interred. This was but his due, as he was 
a good, loyal, and vaUant knight. His body was afterwards sancti- 
fied by the grace of God, and venerated as Saint Charles. Pope 
Urban V. who was the reigning pointiff', approved of it, by canoni- 
zing it ; for it performed then, as it does to this day, many miracles.§ 

After these orders, when the dead were stripped, and the victors 
returned from the pursuit, they all retired to the quarters which they 
had left that morning. They disarmed themselves ; and having 
taken some refreshments, of which they had an ample provision, 
they attended to their prisoners. Those that were v,-ounded, were 
moved and dressed : even the servants who had suffered were well 
taken care of. 

On the Monday morning, the earl of Montfort sent information to 
the city of Vannes, and to the neighboring towns, that he should 
grant a truce for tliree days, in order that those slain in the battle 
might be buried in consecrated ground. This conduct was very 
pleasing to all. 

The earl of Montfort sat down before the castle of Auray, de. 
daring he would not depart thence until he had possession of it. 
News was spread abroad with great celerity, and in different places, 
that the eari of Monfoit, by the help and assistance of the English, 
had gained the victory ; that the lord Charles was defeated and slain ; 
and that all the knights of Brittany, who had sided with the lord 
Charles, were either taken prisoners or dead. Sir John Chandos 
had the whole honor of this battle ; for all the knights, lords, and 
squires who had been engaged in it, declared that it was solely ow. 
ing to his prudence and prowess they had gained tlie day. 

The friends and allies of lord Charles were much afflicted at this 
news, as was natural for them to be ; but tlie king of France was the 
most hurt ; for tliis defeat affected him greatly, considering that many 
of the knights of his realm had been made prisoners and killed. 
Among the first, sir Bertrand du Guesclin, whom he much loved ; 
the earls of Auxerre, of Joigny, and all the barons of Brittany with- 
out exception. The king of France, therefore, sent his brother, the 
duke of Anjou, to the borders of Brittany, to the assistance of the 



» Sir John Bourcliier.— Baeses. t iSir Richard Tauaton.— BiRNES. 

t Guingamp— a town of BriUaiiy, diocese of Treguier. 

S Tliis iia mistake ot Froissart. There was some such intention in the pope s mmd, 
as there ate extant letters from him to John diilieof Brittany on this suhject : hut, wliea 
he understood the manner of his deatli, lie was not looked upon as a martyr. He was 
very nn-ry with those who had given him such honors, without the approbauou of tha 
apostolic see, and, hy his letters to the bishops of Brittany, enjoine,! Ihora to prohibit 
such tilings being done in future— Barsks'^ Ilist. Eiiic. III., p. 660. 



153 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



country, which was much distrepsed by the loss of their lord, Charles 
de Blois ; and to comfort and condole with the duchess of Brittany, 
his widow, who was in the deepest affliction. This it was the duty 
of the duke to do ; but he was the more earnestly engaged in this 
mclanclioly task, having married her daughter. He therefore most 
willingly gave his promise of advice, assistance, and succor to the 
large cities, towns, castles, and to all the country of Brittany in 
which the duchess, whom he called his mother, and the whole 
country, had for a long time great confidence, until the kijig of France, 
to avoid all difficulties, made other arrangements, as you shall here- 
after be infonned of. 

News of this victory was brought to the king of England ; for the 
earl of Montfort had written to him on the fifth day after the battle 
of Auray, and sent the intelligence, with credential letters, by a 
pursuivant.at-arms, who had been in the engagement, to the town of 
Dover. The king of England nominated him his herald, and gave 
him tlie name of Windsor,* with a handsome present of money. 
Through this lierald, and from some knights of both parlies, I have 
been infonned of the whole. Widi regard to the cause why the 
king of England was then at Dover, you shall immediately learn. 
It is a well-known fact, that proposals for a marriage between the 
lord Edmund earl of Cambridge, son of the king of England, and 
the daughter of earl Lewis of Flanders, had been treated of, and 
different negotiations entered upon three years before ;t to which 
marriage the earl of Flanders had but lately given his consent, pro- 
vided a dispensation could be obtained from pope Urban V., as they 
were very nearly allied. 

Tlie duke of Lancaster, and the lord Edmund his brother, attended 
by many knights, had been to visit the earl of Flanders, who received 
them with every mark of distinction ; and, to show greater affection 
and love, he had accompanied them to Calais, and crossed the sea 
to Dover, where the king and part of his council had remained. 
When the before.mentioned pursuivant brought to tliis place the 
news of the affair at Auray, as it has been told, the king and his 
barons were much rejoiced at the event ; as was also the earl of 
Flanders, on account of the advancement of liis cousin-german the 
earl of Montfort. 

The king of England, the earl of Flanders, and the other barons, 
staid at Dover three days, which were spent in feasts and entertain- 
ments. When they indulged in these sufficiently, and had finished 
the affairs on which they had met, the earl of Flanders took his leave 
of the king, and departed. 

It seems to me, that the duke of Lancaster and the lord Edmund 
crossed the channel with the earl, and attended him until he arrived 
at Bruges. We will not speak longer of this matter, but return to 
the earl of Montfort, and mention how he conducted himself in 
Brittany. 

CHAPTER CCXXIX. 

THE EARL OF MONTFOET CONQUERS AlHtAY .AND SEVERAL OTHER FLACES 
FROM THE WIDOW OF LORD CHARLES DE BLOIS. KING CHARLES INTER. 
TOSES BETWEEN THEM, AND MAKES PEACE. A PEACE IS ALSO MADE 
BETWEEN THE KI.VGS OF FRANCE AND NAVARRE, THROUGH THE MEDIUM 
OF THE CAPTAL DE BUCH. 

The earl of Montfort, as it has been before related, laid siege to 
Auray, and declared that he would not leave it until he had con. 
quered it ; at which tho.se of the castle were not very well pleased. 
They had lost their captain, Henri de Hauternelle, who had fallen 
in the battle with the flower of the garrison ; so that they were very 
few to defend it, and without hope of assistance. They took coun- 
sel together, whether it would not be advisable to suiTcndcr, on 
having their lives and fortunes saved, and on these terms entered 
into a negotiation with tho earl. The earl, who had many other 
places to look to, and was not certain how the countiy would act 
after this victory, accepted their terms, allowing those who would 
not remain with him to depart according to their inclinations. He 
tlien took possession of the castle, new garrisoned it, and marched 
forward with his whole army, which increased daily ; for men-at-arms 
and archers came to him in crowds, and many knights and squires 
turned to his party, especially those of Lower Brittany. 

He came before the good town of Jugon,t which shut its gates 
against him. He remained there three days, and ordered it to be 
assaulted twice, which occasioned many within and without the 
walls to be badly wounded. Those in Jugon, seeing themselves 
thus hardly pressed, and no hopes of aid, did not wish to be further 
harassed : they acknowledged, therefore, the earl of Montfort for 
their lord, opened the gates, and swore homage and fealty to him, 
wliich they faithfully promised to keep. The earl changed all the 
municipal officers, appointing new ones in their stead. 

He then advanced toward the city of Dinan,§ and laid siege to 
it, wliich continued during the winter ; for that town was well fur- 
nished with men-at-arms and provision : besides, the duke of Anjou 



* This was the first institution of a Windsor herald, an office which has continued to 
Ijie present time. — Ed. 

t Tlie first mention I find in Rymer is dated 7tli Pehruarr. 1363— tlie second, 20th Jul)-. 
1364— the third, the articles of marriage. dale.I 19th October, at Dover, 1365— the fourth, 
to postpone the day of marriage, Windsor, IStli December, IStJJ. 

t Jugon— a town in Brittany, dioceae of St. Pol. 

§ Dijian— a considerable town in Brittany, diocese of St. Malo. 



had e-xhorted them to behave themselves as good men should do (for 
he had assisted them :) this made them hold out, and suffer many 
a sliarp assault. When they found their provision growing low, and 
that no relief was coming to them, they entered into a treaty of peace 
with the earl, who willingly listened to it ; for he was desirous of 
nothing but that they should acknowledge him as their lord, which 
they did. He made a solemn entry into the town of Dinan, where 
all the inhabitants swore homage and fealty to him. 

After this, the earl marched with his army to the city of Quimper 
Corentiii.* He laid close siege to it, and ordered large machines to 
be brought from Vannes and Dinan, saying, he would have it before 
he left it. I must now inform you, that the English and the Bretons 
of Montfort's party, such as sir John Chandos and others, who had 
made prisoners at the battle of Auray, would not accept of ransoms 
for them, nor allow them to go and seek for money ; because they 
were unwilling they should agnin assemble in a body and offer them 
batde : they sent them into Poitou, Saintonge, Bordeau.x, and la 
Rochelle, to remain there as prisoners. During this time, the Eng- 
lish and Bretons conquered all Brittany, from one end to the other. 
While the earl of Montfort was besieging the city of Quimper Co- 
rentin, to which he did much damage by his machines that played 
night and day, as well by his assaults, his men overran the country, 
leaving nothing unpillaged. 

The king of France was duly informed of all that was going on : 
many councils were held to consider how he could turn these affairs 
of Brittany to his own interest ; for they were in a desperate situa. 
tion, unless promptly remedied, and he would he forced to call upon 
his subjects to support him in a new war against England on account 
of Brittany. This his council advised him not to think of; but, after 
many deliberations, they said to him : " Our most dear lord, you have 
supported your cousin, the lord Charles de Blois, in Brittany, as did 
the king your father, and your grandfather Philip, who gave to him 
the heiress of the last duke of Brittany in marriage ; by wliich means 
much evil has befallen Brittany and the neighboring countries. Since 
the lord Charles de Blois, your cousin, was slain in defending that 
country, there is no one now of his party in a situation to resume the 
war ; for at this moment those to whom it belongs, and whom it 
touches so nearly, are prisoners in England : we mean the lord John 
and lord Guy de Blois, his two sons. We hear every day of the 
earl of Montfort conquering towns and castles, which he possesses 
as his lawful inheritance ; by this means you will lose your rights, as 
well as the homage of Brittany, which is certainly a great honor and 
a noble appendage to your crown. This you ought to endeavor to 
keep ; for, if the earl of Montfort should acknowledge for his lord 
the king of England, as his father did, you will not be able to recover 
it witliout great wars with England, with whom we are now at 
peace, and which we would advise you not to break. Everything, 
therefore, fully considered, we recommend to you, our dear lord, to 
send embassadors and wise negotiators to the earl of Montfort, to 
find out what his intentions are, and to enter upon a treaty of peace 
with him, as well as with the country, and the lady of it, who bears 
the title of duchess. You will derive from these negotiators positive 
information as to what are his intentions. At the worst, it will be 
much better he should remain duke of Brittany (provided that he will 
acknowledge you for his lord, and pay you all your rights, as a loyal 
man should do,) than that this business should continue longer in 
peril." 

The king of France willingly assented to this proposal. The lord 
John de Craon, archbishop of Rheims, the lord de Craon his cousin, 
and the lord de Boucicaut, were ordered to set out for Quimper Co. 
rentiii, to treat with the earl of Montfort and his council, as it has 
been above related. These three lords departed, after having received 
full instructions how they were to act, and rode on until they came 
to the siege which the English and Bretons were laying to Quimper 
Corentin, where they announced tlitmselves as embassadors from 
France. The earl of Montfort, sir John Chandos, and the members 
of the council, received them with pleasure. These lords explained 
the cause of their coming. To this first opening, the earl of Mont- 
fort replied, '• We will consider of it," and fixed a day for his answer: 
during this interval, these three lords retired to Rennes, where they 
resided. 

The earl of Montfort dispatched lord Latimer t to the king of 
England to inform him of the proposals for a peace he had received, 
and to have his advice on the subject. The king of England, having 
considered them, advised the earl to make a peace, on condition the 
duchy should be his; and also to make handsome reparation to the 
lady who was called duchess, by assigning her a fixed annuity, or 
rent-charge, on certain lands where they might collect it without 
danger. 

Lord Latimer brought back the opinion of the king of England to 
the eari of Montfort,' who was still before Quimper Corentin. Upon 
the arrival of these letters, the earl and his council sent to the em- 
bassadors from France, who had remained at Rennes : they came 
immediately to the army, and had a very courteous and civil answer 
given to them. They were told that the earl of Montfort would never 
give up his claims to the duchy of Brittany, which he was now pos. 
sessed of : that, nevertheless, wlierever the king of France should 



• Quimper Corentin- a town in Brittany, uenerality of Nantes, 
t Lord Latimer. See Dugdale's Baronage. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &,c. 



15i 



cause any cities, towns, or castles to surrender peaceably upon the 
same terms of homage, feally, and rights, as tliey were held from the 
preceding duke of Brittany, lie would willingly acknowledge hiin for 
his liege lord, and would do him homage and service in the presence 
of the peers of France. Moreover, on account of the affinity between 
liim and his cousin, the widow of the lord Charles de Blois, he was 
willing to do everything to assist her ; and would also use his en- 
deavors to obtain the liberty of liis cousins, the lords John and Guy 
de Blois, who were detained prisoners in England. 

This answer was very agreeable t) the French lords who had been 
sent thither : a day was appointed for them to declare the acceptance 
of these terms or not : tiiey instantly sent information of what had 
passed to the duke of Anjou, who had retired to Angers, to whom 
the king had referred the acceptance of the terms, according to hia 
pleasure. When the duke of Anjou had considered the proposiils 
for some time, he gave his assent. The two knights who had been 
sent to him returned with his answer sealed. The embassadors of 
France again left Renncs, and went to Quimper Corcntin, when a 
peace with the lord of Montfort was finally agreed to and sealed. 

He was to remain duke of Brittany ; but, in case he should have 
no legal heirs by marriage, the duchy should revert, after his decease, 
to the children of lord Charles de Blois. The lady who had been 
the wife of lord Charles was created countess of Penthievre, with 
the lands attached to it ; which lands were supposed worth about 
twenty thousand francs a-ycar, or if not, that sum was to be made 
up to her. The earl of Montfort engaged to go to France, whenever 
he should be summoned, to do homage to the king of France, and 
ackncfrt'ledge that he held the duchy of him. Charters and publicly 
sealed instruments were drawn up of all these articles. Thus had 
the earl of Montfort possession of Brittany : he remained duke of it 
for a time, until new wars began, as you shall hear in the following 
history. Among these articles, it was stipulated, that the lord de 
CUsson should repossess those lands which king Philip had formerly 
taken from liis family. This lord de Clisson gained the confidence 
of the king of France, who did whatever he wished, and without him 
nothing was done. The whole country of Brittany was full of joy 
upon the conclusion of a peace. The duke received homages from 
cities, towns, castles, prelates, and gentlemen. 

Soon afterwards, the duke married* the daughter of her royal 
highness the princess of Wales, which she had borne to her former 
husband, the lord Thomas Holland. The nuptials were celebrated 
with great pomp and magnificence in the good city of Nantes. 

It also happened this winter, that queen Jane, aunt to the king of 
Navarre, and queen Blanche, his sister, labored so earnestly for peace 
that it was concluded between the kings of France and Navarre, as. 
sisted much by the advice and prudence of the captal de Buch, who 
took great pains in the business. He also obtained his liberty by it. 
The king of France showed him great marks of esteem, and, as a 
proof of it, gave him the handsome castle of Nemours, with all its 
rights, appurtenances, and jurisdictions, which were worth three 
thousand francs of revenue. The captal became, by this means, 
liege man to the king of France. The king was well pleased at 
receiving him a homager; for he loved much the service of a knight 
such as the captal ; but he was not so long, for, when he was returned 
into the principality to the prince, who had been informed of what 
had passed, he was much blamed, and told that he could not acquit 
himself loyally in his service to two lords ; that he was over covetous, 
when he accepted of lands in France, where he was neither honored 
nor beloved. When he found himself in this situation, and so treated 
and taunted by the prince of Wales, liis own natural lord, he was 
quite ashamed of himself, and made excuses, saying, " that he was 
not by any means too much connected with the king of France, and 
that he could very easily undo all that had been done." lie sent, 
therefore, by his own squire, his homage back to the king of France, 
renounced all that had been given him, and remained attached to the 
prince. 

Among the articles of the treaty between the kings of France and 
Navarre, the towns of Mantes and Meulan were to be given the king 
of France, who restored to the king of Navarre other castles in Nor. 
mandy. 

About this time, the lord Louis de Navarre set out from France, 
and passed through Lombardy, to espouse the queen of Naples. t 
At his departure, he borrowed of the king of France sixty thousand 
francs, upon the security of some castles wliich belonged to him in 
Normandy. He survived his marriage with that queen but a short 
time. May God forgive him his faults! for he was a good and 
comteous knight. 



* Johannaol'Holland.daughterofTliomiisearlofKent— marriedl366— died, witliout 
issue. 1386.— Anderson. 

t " The queen of Naples." This must liave been the too celebrated Jane, but I can- 
not find tlie marriage mentioned in any other book. [Queen Joan of Naples married 
James of Arragoo, called the infant of iMajorca, in 1362 ; he died in 1375. It Is probably 
to this marriage that Froissart alludes, but he is mistaken in naming Louis as the hus- 
band.— Ed.] 



CHAPTER CCXXX. 

A W.4R I.\ srAI."( BETWEEN THE KING, DON PEDRO OF CASTILLE, AND 

ms BASTARD BROTHER HENRY TO WHOSE AID THE LORD JOHN DE 

BOtlRBON AND SIB BERTRAND DtJ GUESCLIN LEAD THE PILLAGING 
COMPANIES. HENRY, BY THEIR MEANS, IS CROWNED KING OF CAS- 
TILLE. 

At this period,* those companies of freebooters were so much 
increased in France that the government did not know what to do 
with them, since the wars in Brittany and those with the king of 
Navarre were now put an end to. These companies having been 
brought up to arms, and taught to live on pillage 'and plunder alone, 
neither could nor would abstain from it. Their great resource was 
France ; and these companions called the kingdom of France their 
domain. They dared not, however, make any attempts on Aqui- 
t line, for the country would not have suffered it ; besides, to say the 
truth, the greater number of their captains were Gascons and Eng- 
lish, or persons attached to the king of England or prince of Wales. 
.Some lords of Brittany were among them, but they were few in num. 
her. On this account, many of the inhabitants of France murmured 
much, and complained secretly of the king of England and the 
prince, that they did not act well toward the king of France in not 
assisting him to drive these bad people out of the realm. They 
were better pleased to see them with their neighbors than among 
themselves. The wisest of the kingdom declared, that if something 
were not speedily done in this business, either by Hglitiug or getting 
rid of them out of the country, by a handsome present in money, 
they would destroy the noble kingdom of France. 

There was at the time a king in Hungary who was desirous of 
having their assistance, and would have given them full employment 
against the Turks, with whom he was at war, for they had done him 
much miscliief. He WTOte, therefore, to pope Urban V. (who was 
then at -A.vignon, and who would gladly have seen France delivered 
from these companies.) and also to the king of France and to the 
prince of Wales. He wished to enter into a treaty with their lead- 
ers, and offered large sums of money to them and a free passage ; 
but they would not listen to it, saying, that they would not go so far 
to make war. It was told them by their oldest captains, who were 
well acquainted with the country of Hungary, that there were such 
narrow passes, if they should in any combat be engaged in them, they 
would never be able to get out, but must infallibly be cut ofi". Tliis 
report frightened them so much, that they had not any desire to go 
thither. When pope Urban and the king of France found these 
wicked people were not likely to come into their plan, and would 
not quit the kingdom, but, on the contrary, multiplied daily, they 
thought upon another method to free the country from them. 

There was in these times a king of Castillo, of the name of Don 
Pedro, t whose mind, full of strange opinions, was very rebellious 
and refractory to all the regulations and commands of the church : 
he wanted to subdue his Christian neighbors, more especially the 
king of Arragon, of the name of Petor,J who was a good Catholic : 
he had even taken from him part of his possessions, and was pre- 
paring to seize the remainder. 

This king, Don Pedro of Castille, had three bastard brothers, chil. 
dren of the good Alphonso his father and a lady called la Riche Done.§ 
The eldest was named don Henry ; the second, don Telle ; the 
third, don Sancho.|| Don Pedro hated them mortally ; and, could 
he have laid hands on them, he would have had them beheaded. 
They had been, however, much loved by their father, who in his 
lifetime had given to Henry, the eldest, the county of Trastamare ; 
but the king, don Pedro his brother, had taken it from him by force, 
and evciy day was harassing him. This bastard Henry was a very 
valiant and worthy knight ; he had been a long time in France, 
where he followed the profession of arms, and had served under the 
king of France,^ whom he loved much. 

I'he king don Pedro, as common report told the story, had by dit'- 
ferent means caused the death of their mother, which, as was natural, 
gave them great displeasure. He had banished and murdered many 
of the greatest barons of the realm of Castille. He was withal so 
cruel, and of such a homd disposition, that all men feared, suspected 
and hated him, but dared not show it. He had also caused the 
death of a very good and virtuous lady, whom he had married, the 
lady Blanche, daughter of duke Peter dc Bourbon, and cousin.ger- 
man to the queen of France and to the countess of Savoy. .411 her 
relations, who are of the noblest blood in the w'orld, were most ex- 
ceedingly irritated by the manner of her death.** There was also a 
report current among the people, that king Peter had even formed 
an alliance with the kings of Benamarine,tt Granada and Tremc- 



* This period — 1365. t Don Pedro— Uie fourth, surnamcd the cruel. 

J I'eter — the fourth, sumamed the Ceremonious. 

^ La Richa Donna— Eleanora de Guzman. 

II Sanclio. In I'.Vrt de verifier les Dates, the second son is called Frederick, and the 
third D. Tello, Frederick was murdered by Don Pedro, 1358. 

n King of France — John. Don Henry was at the battle of Poitiers. 

■** She was poisoned, by Don Pedro's onlers, in the coslle of Medina Sidonia, where- 
he liad confined heT.—Ckoisy. Hist. Charles V. Others say, smothered between two: 
cushions. 

tl Benamarine. Aben Jacob, king of Fez. sent his son Abomclique to take possession 
of lands given him by the king of Granada, as a barrier against Alphonso XI. He 
landed with his fleet at .\lgeziras 1331. witli ft number of Benamarine Moors, and 
formed a new kingdom in Spain, styling himself king of ."Vlgcziras and Konda.— Dll,- 
jon's i/ist. PHcr tlie Cruet, vol. i. p. 14. 



154 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



9en,* who were enemies to God, and infidels. Many were uneasy 
at wrongs he might do to liis countiy, and lest he should violate the 
churches : for he had seized their revenues, and detained the priests 
of holy church in prison, where he vexed them with all sorts of 
tyranny. 

Great complaints of these proceedings were sent daily to the pope, 
entreating him to put a stop to them. Pope Urban received and 
attended to these complaints. He sent embassadors to the king, 
don Pedro, ordering and enjoining him to come forthwith in person 
to the court of Rome, to purge and clear himself from all the vil. 
lainous actions he was charged with. 

Don Pedro, proud and presumptuous as he was, not only refused 
to obey the mandate, but even received with insults the embassa- 
dors from the holy father, for which he fell grievously under his indig- 
nation. This wicked king still persevered in liis sin. It was then 
considered how or by what means he could be corrected ; and it was 
determined that he was no longer worthy to bear the title of iting, 
nor to possess a kingdom. He was therefore publicly excommuni- 
cated, in full consistory, held in the apartments of the pope, at Avig- 
non, and declared to be a heretic and infidel. They thought tliey 
should be able to punish liini by nreans of the free companies who 
were in France. They requested the king of Arragon, who hated 
very much this Don Pedro, and Henry the bastard of Spain, to come 
immediately to Avignon. The holy father then legitimated the birth 
of Henry the bastard, so that he might be in a condition to obtain 
the kingdom from Don Pedro, who had been cursed and condemned 
by the sentence of the pope. 

The king of jVrragon ofi'cred a free passage through his Idngdom, 
with a supply of men-at-arms, and all sorts of provision and aid, to 
whoever should enter Castille, and attack don Pedro to deprive him 
of his throne. The king of France was much pleased with this intel- 
ligence, and took great pains that sir Bertrand du Guesclin, whom 
sir John Chandos held as his prisoner, should be ransomed. This 
was fixed at one hundred thousand francs.t The king of France 
paid one part, the pope and Henry the bastard the other. Soon after 
his liberty was obtained, they entered into a treaty with the chiefs of 
those companies, promising them great advantages if they would go 
into Castille. They readily assented to the proposal by means of a 
large sum of monej', which was divided among them. 

The prince of Wales was informed of this intended expedition, as 
well as his knights and squires, but particularly sir John Chandos, 
who was solicited to be one of the leaders of it, in conjunction with 
sir Bertrand du Guesclin. He excused himself, and said he could 
not go. This, however, did not put a stop to it : many knights who 
were attached to the piince, among whom were sir Eustace d'Am- 
breticourt, sir Hugh Calverly, sir Walter Huct, sir Matthew Gournay, 
sir Perducas d'Albret, and several odiers, were of the party. The 
lord John de Bourbon, earl of March, took the chief connnand, in 
order to revenge the death of his cousin the queen of Spain : but he 
was under the advice and control of sir Bertrand du Guesclin, as he 
was at that time a very young knight. 

In this expedition were also the lord of Beaujeu, whose name was 
Anthony, and many worthy knights : such as lord Arnold d'Andre- 
ghcn, marshal of France, the lords Begue de Villaines, d'.4.ntoin in 
Hainault, do Brisnel, John de Neufvillc.t Guimars de Bailheul, John 
de Bergutes, the German lord dc St. Venant, and others whom I 
cannot name. All these men-at-arms assembled together in order to 
begin their inarch at MontpelUer in Langucdoc. 

These men-at-arms might be about thirty thousand. They all 
passed through Narbonne, in their march to Perpignan, in order to 
enter Arragon by that town.^ All the leaders of these companies 
were there : the lords Robert Briquet, John Carsneille, Nandon de 
Bagerant, La Nuit, le petit Meschin, le bourg Camus, lo bourg de 
I'Esparre, Battiller, Espiote, Ajniiemon d'Ortige, Perrot de Savoye, 
and numbers more : all of one mind and accord, to dethrone don 
Pedro from his kingdom of Castille, and to place there in his room 
the bastard Henry, earl of Trastamare. 

Don Pedro had received information that this army was marching 
against him : lie collected his troops, in order to meet them, and fight 
boldly on their entering Castille. When they were about to enter 



'*Treaie9en. By Moreri, this appears lo have been ii town in .Vfricft, dependent on 
the kingdom of Talensiii. 

t The abbe Choisy says, it was 30,000 francs. 

In a note to tlie Rleinoires deDu (Jueschn, it is said. Ijiat "it cost On Guesclin 100,000 
francs for liis r.aiisom. .\s lie liad no ready money, the lords de Miiti',!iion, de Monlbour- 
clier and De Laval were liis security to the general. Chandos. Charles V. paid of it 
40,000 francs, the pope and Henry Trastamare, afterwards king of Castille, made up the 
remainder.— .ViT7/io?rc5 Historiqites. 

Ill a most curious history, called Lez Faiz de Messire Hertraiid du Guesclin, which I 
consider as the editiu princcps (from the style and manner of printing) in the Uafod 
Library, no mention whatever is made of a ransom. 

" Les Faiz du Messiiie Bertrand du Guesclin, in fol. figures, ancienne edition gothiqnc. 

••Je n'ai vu ce livre nulle part aillcurs que dans le catalogue du niaieclial d'Estriies, 
num. 15052. On seroit porte a croire c'est le meme que le mnnuscrit de ftlcnard. qu'ila 
pubhe comme inconnu jusqii'alors, aiasi qu'U dit dans son avis au lecteiiji"—Eitract 
ftom the Bibliotkcquc flislciriciuc tk Vr'jiirc du Pirc le I-.ons. 

In the Memi.ires de Bertrand, by 51. Guyard de Derville, 2 vols. 12mo. it is said that 
Charles V. paid part of the 100,000 francs of the ransom, and that Bertrand found the 
rest himself. 

fNeutville." Sir John Neville. 

§ Choisy says, that one part embarked at Aigues-Mortes for Barcelona, and that the 
reel went by land. 



Arragon, they sent to him, in order to cover and mask their real in- 
tentions, to ask a free passage through his country, and that provision 
might be supplied to some pilgrims of God, who had undertaken, 
through devotion, an expedition into the kingdom of Grenada, to 
revenge the sufferings of their Lord and Saviour, to destroy the infidels, 
and to exalt the Cross. Don Pedro laughed at this request, and sent 
for answer, that he would never attend to such beggarly crew. When 
the men-at-arms and companions heard this reply, they thought Mm 
verj' proud and presumptuous, and made every haste to do him as 
much mischief as they could. 

Tiiey marched through the kingdom of Arragon, where every ac- 
commodation was prepared for them, and they found all sorts of pro. 
vision plenty and cheap ; for the king of Arragon was very joyfui 
on their arrival, because this army would soon reconquer from the 
king of Castille the whole country which he had taken from him, and 
kept by force. Whenever they won any towns, castles, cities or 
fortresses, which don Pedro had seized from Arragon, sir Bertrand 
and his army gave them back to the king of Arragon, who declared, 
that from that day forward, he would assist Henry the bastard against 
don Pedro. All the men-at-arms passed the great river* which 
divides Castille from Arragon, and entered Spain. 

News was brought to the king of Castille, that French, English, 
Bretons, Normans, Picards and Burgundians had crossed the Kbro, 
and entered his kingdom : so that they had reconquered every place 
on the other side of the river that separates Castille from Arragon, 
wliich had cost him so much trouble to gain. Upon hearing this, he 
was in a great rage, and said things should not go on thus. He issued 
a spechal ordinance throughout his kingdom, ordering all those to whom 
it was addressed to meet him without delay, as he was determined to 
combat these men-at-arms, who had entered the kingdom of Castille. 

Too few obeyed his mandate ; for, when he thought to have as- 
sembled a large force, scarcely any came to the rendezvous. AU 
the barons and knights of Spain fell off from him, in favor of his 
brother the bastard. This event forced him to fly, or he would have 
been taken ; and so much was he hated by his subjects and enemies, 
that not one remained with him, save one loyal knight called Ferdi. 
nand de Castro. t He was determined never to quit don Pedro, 
Nvhatever ill-fortune might happen to him. The king of Castille went 
to Seville, the handsomest city in Spain ; but, not thinking himself 
in security there, he ordered all his treasures and other things to be 
packed up in large coffers, which he embarked on board of ships, 
leaving .Seville with his wife, his children, and Ferdinand de Castro. 
Don Pedro arrived that same evening! (like a knight that had beeu 
beaten and discomfited) at a town called Corunna, in Galicia, where 
there was a very strong castle. He immediately flung himself into 
it, with his wife and children ; that is to say, two young damsels, 
called Constance^ and Isabella.jl None of his courtiers followed 
him, nor had he any of his council with him except the above-named 
Ferdinand de Castro. 

We will now return to his brother, Henry the bastard, and relate 
how he persevered in his designs. I have before said, that don Pedro 
was much hated by all his subjects, for the great and numberless acts 
of injustice he had committed, and for the various murders by which 
he had cut off so many of the nobility, some of them even by his own 
hands ; so that, as soon as they knew his brother the bastard had 
entered Castille with a powerful army, they all joined him, acknow 
ledged him for their lord ; and, having increased his army, caused 
all the cities, towns, and castles to open their gates to him, and the 
inhabitants to do him homage. The Spaniards shouted with one 
voice, "Long live king Henry! down with don Pedro, who has 
treated us so cruelly and wickedly." Thus they conducted Henry 
throughout the kingdom of Castille ; that is to say, the lord Gomez 
Garilz,ir the grand master of the order of Calatrava,** and the master 

* The Ebro— probably at Alfaro or Calahorra. 

t" Ferdinand de Castro." In the history of Spain by Ferraras, don Pedro publicly 
marries the daughter of a don Pedro Fernandez de Castro, widow ol'don Diego de Haro, 
during the life of his wife. Blanche de Bourbon, and of Maria di Padilla, in the year 
1354; whether the daughter of this knight who accompanied him in his flight. I know 
not. 

t Don Pedro retired first to Portugal, where he offered his daughter Beatrice to the 
infant of Portugal, in marriage, with a large portion of money he liad brought with him. 
This proposal was rejected, for fear of embroiling the two kingdoms. He retreated to 
dilTerent castles, the governor? of which refused to admit hitii, and stopped at the castle 
of .MonfOry in Galicia : from llience he went to Sun Jago, and murdered the archbishop, 
and thence to Ccnunna, where finding twenty-two vessels, he embarked for Bayonne. 
Don Ferdinand de Castro did not accompany him, but remained to support his interest 
ill Biscay. 

He c.iiild not at that time have .any wife ; for he had murdered Blanche do Bourbon, 
and Maria di Padilla died before this. He indeed owned his marriage with Maria verjf 
solemnly, but was not believed. 

Don Pedro had entered into an alliance with the king of England nuil prince of Wales, 
as early us 1363. for fijar of the vengeance of France, for the murder of queen Blanche. 

For more particulars, see Ferrnras's Hist, of Spain, Dillon, Sic. 

5 Constance married John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, who claimed the kingdom of 
Castille after don Pedro's death. , - , 

' II Isabella— first wife of Edmund, duke of York, married [3/3. much lamented for her 
youthful wantonness, died 1332.— Anderson's Ii. Qcn. 

H" Gomez Garilz." Denys Sauvage cannot make out who this is: nor istlieaccount 
correct according to other historians. Many of the king's friends reninined steady to 
him, as did the bulk of his army. Don Garcia Alvarez de Toledo, master of the knights 
of St James, who commanded at Logrono; Garcia de Padilla, governor of Agreda: 
Fernando do 'I'oledo, brother to the master of St. James ; and Bocconegra, admiral of 
Castille, were among the number—DlLLON. ■ 

**" Master of Calatrava." Martin Lopez de Cordova, master of Calaira\a, tol 
lowed don Pedro's fortunes, and went with him from Seville to Portugal.— DiLLOM. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &. c. 



155 



of tlie order of St. James, making all the people obey him. They 
crowned him the king in the city of BurgoP, where all the prelates, 
earls, barons, and knights paid him their homage, and swore they 
■would' serve and obey him as their king for evermore, and if there 
should be occasion, would sacrifice their lives for him. King Henry 
then passed from city to city, all the inhabitants of wliich treated 
him as their king. 

Henry made large presents and gifts to the foreign knights who 
had put him in possession of the kingdom of Castille. They were 
so magnificent that he was considered as a most generous and boun- 
tii'ul lord : the Normans, French and Bretons, who had been par- 
takers of his bounty, said he was deserving of a large fortune, and 
that he ought to reign with great p'rosperity. Thus the bastard ot 
Spain found himself master of Castillo. He created his two brothers, 
don Tello and don Frederick, earls, and gav(^ them large estates, 
with other revenues. He continued king of Caslille, Galicia, Seville, 
Toledo and Leon, until the forces of the prince of Wales deprived 
him of them, replacing the king, don Pedro, in possession of these 
realms, as you will find related in the following history. 

When king Henry saw himself thus situated, and the business 
completed, so that all obeyed him, both nobles and serfs, as their 
king and lord; that there was not an appearance of opposition to 
his crown ; he im.igined it would add lustre to his name, if he made 
an in'uption into the kin.gdom of Granada with those free companies 
that had come from France, as a means of giving them employment. 
He mentioned it therefore to several of the knights who were about 
him, when they consented to it. He retained constantly near his person 
those knights who were attached to the prince of Wales ; namely, sir 
Eustace d'Ambreticourt, sir Hugh Calverly and others, showing them 
the most marked attentions and kindness, in expectation of being 
aided by them in his intended expedition to Granada, which he was 
desirous of undertaking. 

Soon after his coronation, the greater number of French knights 
took their leave and departed. On their going away, he made them 
very rich presents. Tiie earl de la Marche, sir Arnold d'Andreghen, 
the lord de Beaujeu and many more returned to their own country. 
However, sir Bertrand du Guescliii, sir Olivier de Mauuy and the 
Bretons, as well as the free companies, remained in Castille until 
other news arrived. Sir Bertrand du Guesclin was made constable 
of Castille by Henry, with the assent of all the barons of the realm. 
We will now return to don Pedro. 



CHAPTER CCXXXI. 

UNO DON PEDKO SE>fDS TO E.NTREAT THE PRLVCE OF WAI.ES'S ASSIST- 
ANCE AGAINST His BROTHEK, HENRY THE BASTARD. HE RETIRES INTO 
CUIE.VNE, WHERE HE IS WELL RECEIVED BY THE fRINCE. 

You have heard how don Pedro had cast himself into the castle 
of Corunna near the sea, with only his wife, his two daughters, and 
don Fernando do Castro ; while in the mean time, his brother, the 
bastard, through the assistance of the men-at-arms, whom he had 
drawn from France, was conquering Castille, to whom the whole 
country had sun'endcred. All this much alarnied him ; and he did 
not think himself in perfect safety in the castle of Corunna ; fur he 
had a great dread of his brother the bastard, and well knew that, if 
he were informed where he was, he would come and seek him with 
his forces, to besiege him in the castle. He would not wait this dan- 
ger, but embarked on board a vessel, with his wile, his daughters, 
don Fernando de Castro, and wliatever he had amassed of money 
and jewels, and put to soa in the night. The wind, however, was 
so contrary, that they could not clear the coast, but were obliged to 
return, and again to enter the castle of Corunna. Don Pedro then 
demanded from his knight, don Fernando"de Castro, complaining of 
his evil fortune, which was so much against him, what was best to 
be done. " My lord," replied the knight, " before you leave this 
■place, I think it would be proper tliat you send some person to your 
cousin, the prince of Wales, to know if he will receive you, and to 
entreat of Mm, for God's sake, that he would attend to your distress. 
He is in a manner bound to it, from the strong connection that hos 
subsisted between the king, his father, and yours in former times. 
The prince of Wales is of such a noble and gallant disposition that, 
■when he shall be infonned of your misfortunes, he will certainly take 
compassion on you; and, if he should determine to replace you on 
your throne, there is no one, sir, that could oppose him, so much is 
he redoubted by all the world, and beloved by soldiers. You are 
now safe where you are ; for this fortress will hold you out until 
some intelligence shall be brought you from Aquitaine." 

Don Pedro immediately assented to this: a letter, in a most lament- 
able and piteous strain, was written : and a knight, with two squires, 
having been instructed to undertake this employ, cheerfully accepted 
it, directly put to sea, and made sail for Bayonne, a city dependent 
on the king of England, where they safely anived. They made 
inquiries after the prince, and learnt that at that time he was at Bor. 
deaux. Upon this, they rode to Bordeaux, and took up their quar. 
ters at an inn. Soon afterwards they made for the monastery of St. 
Andrew, where the prince resided. 

The knight and squires ■who had come from Spain informed the 
knights of the prince, that they were Spaniards, and embassadors 



from don Pedro, of Castille. The prince, when informed of it, wished 
to sec them, and to know what business had brought them. They 
were, upon this, introduced, and having cast themselves on their 
knees, saluted him according to their custom, recommendiiig the 
king their lord to him, as they presented him his letter. The prince 
made them rise : having taken the letter, he opened it, and after- 
wards read it more at his leisure. He found that don Pedro had 
written a most melancholy account oi' himself, informing him of his 
hardships and distress, and in what manner his brother the bastard, 
by means of the great alliances he had made, first, with the pope, 
then with the kings of France and Arragon, and the free companies, 
had driven him out of his inheritance, the kingdom of Castille. In 
that letter, he entreated the prince, for the love of God, and for pity's 
sake, that he would attend to his situation, and find some remedy to 
it ; for it was not a Christian-like act, that a bastard, through force, 
should disinherit a legitimate son, and seize his possessions. 

The prince, who was a valiant and wise knight, ha^ving folded up 
the letter in his hands, said to the embassadors, who had remained 
in his presence, " You are welcome to us from our cousin the king 
of Castille : you will stay here in our court, and will not return with, 
out an answer." The knights of the prince were already prepared; 
for they well knew what was proper to be done, and took with them 
the Spanish knight and his two squires to entertain them hand- 
somely. The prince had remained in his apartment, thinking much 
on the contents of the letter from the king of Castille. He imme- 
diately sent for sir John Chandos, and sir William Felton, the chiefs 
of his council : one was high steward of Aquitaine, and the other 
constable. 

When they were come, he said, smiling, " My lords, here is great 
news from Spain. The king, don Pedro our cousin, complains giiev- 
ously of Henry his bastard brother,, who has seized his kingdom, and 
driven him out of it, as perhaps you may have heard related by those 
who are come hither. He entreats of us help and assistance, as his letter 
will more fully explain to you." The prince then again read it over, 
word for word, to the knights, who lent a willing ear. When he had 
read it, he said, " You, sir John, and you, sir William, who are my 
principal counsellors, and in whom I have the greatest confidence 
and trust ; tell me, I beg of you, what will be most advisable for us 
to do in this business." The two knights looked at each other, but 
uttered not a word. The prince again appealed to them, and said, 
" Speak boldly, whatever be your opinion." The prince was then 
advised by these two knights, as I have heard it told afterwards, to 
send a body of men-at-arms to king don Pedro, as far as Corunna, 
where he was, and whence he had dated his letter; to conduct him 
tJ Bordeaux, in order more fully to h^arn what were his wants and 
intentions : that then they should be better informed from his conver- 
sation how they were to act. 

This answer pleased the prince. Sir William Felton was ordered 
to take the command of the expedition; and the prince asked sir 
Richard Pontchardon, sir Nele Loring, sir Simon Burley* and sir 
William Trousseaux to accompany it into Galicia, to escort from Co. 
runna tlie king don Pedro, and the remnant of his army. The 
armament for this expedition was to consist of twelve vessels, which 
were to be filled with archers and men-at-amis. The above-named 
knights made proper purveyances for the occasion, and set out from 
Bordeaux accompanied l)y the embassadors from don Pedro. They 
continued their jouniey to Bayonne, where they remained three or 
four days, waiting for a favorable wind, and to load the ships. On 
the 6th day, as they were on the point of sailing, don Pedro, king of 
Castille, arrived there. He had left Corunna in great suspense, being 
afraid to stay there longer, and had brought with him a few of his 
people, and as much of his treasures as he could carry away. 

This was great news for the English. Sir William Felton and the 
other knights waited on him, on his landing, and received him hand- 
somely. They informed him, that they had prepared themselves, and 
w.?re on the point of sailing to Cori'unna, or farther, had it been ne- 
cessary, to seek for him, by orders from the prince their lord. Don 
Pedro heard this with great joy, and returned his warmest thanks to 
the prince, as well as to the knights then present. Sir William Fel- 
ton immediately sent the prince informotion of the arrival of the king 
of Castille at Bayonne, who was much pleased thereat. These knights 
did not make any long stay at Bayonne, but, taking the king with 
them, made for the city of Bordeaux, where they safely arrived. 

The prince, who was anxious to see his cousin the king, don Pedro, 
and also to do him the more honor, rode out of Bordeaux, attended 
Iiy his knights and squires, to meet him. When they met he saluted 
him very respectfully, and paid him every attention by speech and 
action ; for he knew perfectly well how so to do : no prince of his 
time understood so well the practice of good breeding. After their 
meeting, when they had refreshed themselves as was becoming them 
to do, they rode toward Bordeaux. The prince placed don Pedro on 
his right hand, and would not suficrit to be otherwise. During their 
return, don Pedro told the prince his distresses, and in what manner 
his brother the bastard had driven him out of the kingdom of Castille. 
He complained bitterly of the disloyalty of his subjects ; for all had 
deserted him except one knight, don Fernando de Castro, then with 
liim, and whom he pointed out to tlie prince. The prince comforted 
him by a most courteous and discreet answer : he begged of him not 



* Sir Simon Burley— knight of the Garter, tc— beheaded in the reJRD of Richard U. 



156 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



to be too much cast down ; for, if he had lost everything, it was fully 
in the power of God to give him back what he had loat, and more, as 
well as vengeance upon his enemies. 

Conversing on this subject, as well as on other topics, they rode on 
to Bordeaux, and dismounted at the monastery of St. Andrew, the 
residence of the prince and princess. The king, don Pedro, was 
conducted to an apartment which had been prepared for him. When 
he had dressed himself suitably to his rank, he waited on the princess 
and the ladies, who all received him very politely. I could enlarge 
much on the feasts and entertainments which were made : but I will 
briefly pass them over, and relate to yo\i how don Pedro conducted 
himself toward his cousin the prince of Wales, whom he found cour- 
teous and affable, and willing to attend to his request of aid, notwitli- 
standing some of his council had given him the advice I will now 
mention. 

Before the arrival of don Pedro at Bordeaux, some lords, as well 
English as Gascons, who had much wisdom and forethought, were 
of the prince's council, and by inclination as well as duty, thought 
themselves bound to give him loyal advice, spoke to the prince in 
words like the following : " My lord, you have often heard the old 
proverb of ' All covet, all loee."* True it is, that you are one of the 
princes of this world the most enlightened, esteemed, and honored, 
, in possession of large domains and a handsome principality on this 
side of the sea, and are, thank God, at peace with every one. It is 
also well known, that no king, far or near, at tiiis present moment 
dares anger you ; such reputation have you in chivalry for valor and 
good fortune. You ought, therefore, in reason, to be contented with 
what you have got, and not seek for enemies. We must add, like- 
wise, that this don Pedro, king of Castillo, who at present is driven 
out of his realm, is a man of great pride, very cruel, and full of bad 
dispositions. The kingdom ofCastille has suflcred many grievances 
at his hands : many valiant men have been beheaded ajid murdered, 
without justice or reason ; so that to these wicked actions, which he 
ordered or consented to, he owes the loss of his kingdom. In addition 
to this, he is an enemy to the church, and excommunicated by our 
holy father. He has been long considered as a tyrant, who, without 
any plea of justice, has always made war upon his neighbors ; such 
as the kings of Arragon and Navarre, whom he was desirous to de- 
throne by force. It is also commonly reported, and believed in his 
kingdom, and even by his own attendants, that he murdered the 
young lady, his wife, who was a cousin of yours, being daughter to 
tlie duke of Bourbon. Upon all these accounts, it behoves you to 
pause and reflect before you enter into any engagements ; for what 
he has hitherto suffered are the chastisements of God, who orders 
these punishments as an example to the kings and princes of the 
earth, that they should never commit such wickedness." 

With simdar language to this was the prince also addressed by his 
councils, on the arrival of the king of Castille at Bordeaux : but to 
this loyal advice they received the following answer : " My lords, I 
take it for granted and believe that you give me the best advice you 
are able. I must, however, inform you, that I am perfectly well ac- 
quainted with the life and conduct of don Pedro, and well know that 
he has committed faults without number, for which at present he suf- 
fers : but I will tell you the reasons which at this moment urge and 
embolden me to give him assistance. I do not think it cither decent 
or proper that a bastard should possess a kingdom as an inheritance, 
nor drive out of his realm his own brother, heir to the country by 
lawful marriage ; and no king, or king's son, ought ever to sufll-r it. 
as being of the greatest prejudice to r03*alty. Add to this, that my 
lord and father and this don Pedro have for a long time been allies, 
much connected together, by which we are boundcn to aid and assist 
him, in case he should require it." These were the reasons that in- 
stigated the prince to a.ssist the king of Caslille in his great distress, 
and thus he replied to his council. No one could afterwards make the 
smallest change in his determination, but every day it grew firmer. 

When don Pedro arrived at Bordeaux, he humbled himself to the 
prince, offering him many rich presents, and the promise of further 
advantage ; for he said, he would make his eldest son, Edward, king 
of Galicia, and would divide among him and his people the great 
riches he had left in Castille, where it was so well secured and hidden 
that no one could find its situation except himself. The knights paid 
a. willing attention to these words; for both English and Gascons are 
by nature of a covetous disposition. The prince was advised to 
summon all the barons of Aquilaine to an especial council at Bor- 
deaux, 30 that there might be a grand conference held ; when the 
king don Pedro might lay before him his situation, and his means of 
satisfying them, should the prince undertake to conduct him back to 
liis own countiy, and to do all in his power to replace him upon his 
throne. Letters and messengers were therefore sent to all parta, and 
the lords summoned : first, the earl of Armagnac, the carl of Com- 
minges, the lord d'Albret, the earl of Carmaing, the captal de Buch, 
the lord de Tande, the. viscount de Chatillon, the lords de I'Escut, de 
Rosem, de I'Esparre, de Chaumont, de Mucident, de Courton, de 
Pincornet, and other barons of Gascony and Guienne. The earl of 
Foix was requested to attend ; but he would not come, and excused 
himself, having at the time a disorder in one of his legs, which pre- 
vented him from mounting on horecback : he sent, however, his coun- 
cil in his stead. 

* He that to moche cmbrasefh, houldcth the ivekelyer.— L jrd Bkrners. 



CHAPTER CCXXXII . 

THE PRINCE OF WALES HOLDS A GRAND CONFERENCE AT BORDEATIX ON 
THE AFFAIRS OF THE KING OF CASTILLE. HE RECEIVES LETTERS FROM 
TIIR KING OF ENGLAND, TO ASSENT TO THE PROPOSALS OF ASSISTINO 
DON PEDRO. HE MAKES OVERTURES TO THE KING OF NAVARRE, FOR A 
FREE PASSAGE THROUGH HIS KINGDOM, TO ENABLE HIM TO CONDUCT 
DON PEDRO BACK TO CASTILLE. 

To this conference, which was holden at Bordeau.x, there came all 
the counts, viscounts, barons, and men of abilities, in Saintonge, Poi- 
tou, Querey, Limousin, Gascony. and Aquitaine. When they were 
all assembled, they formed a parliament ; and, having entered upon 
the business of their meeting, they for three days discussed the situ- 
ation and future prospect of this don Pedro, king of Casfille, who was 
all the time present, placing himself near his cousin the prince, who 
spoke in his behalf, and gave the best account he was able of his 
affairs. It was at last resolved, that the prince should send sufHcient 
embassadors to the king, his father, in England, to know his opinion 
on the subject : and that, as soon as they should have the king's 
answer, they would then assemble, and give the prince such good 
advice as reasonably ought to be satisfactory to him. 

The prince immediately named four knights ; the lord Delawar, 
sir Nele. Loring, sir John and sir Hely de Pommiers ; and ordered 
them to set out for England. This conference then broke up, and 
each returned to his home. The king, don Pedro, remained at Bor- 
deaux with the prince and princess, who entertained him handsomely, 
and with due honor. 

These four knights began their journey, according to their orders, 
for England ; and, having embarked on board two ships, they arrived 
safely at Southampton, through God's good will and favorable win<ls. 
They remained there one day, to refresh themselves and to disem- 
bark their horses and equipage. On the second day, they mounted 
their horees, and rode on to the city of London, where they inquired 
after the king, and where he was. They were told he was at Wind, 
sor. They set out for that place, and were very well received by the 
king and queen, as much through love for the prince their son, as 
because they were lords and knights of great renown. 

These lords and knights gave their lettei-s to the king, who opened 
them and had them read. After having for a short time considered 
their contents, he said : " My lortls, you may retire : I will send for 
some of my barons and learned men of my council : we will then 
give you our answer, that you may return back soon." This reply 
was very pleasing to the embassadors, who went the next day to 
London. It was not long before the king of England came to West. 
minster, where he was met by the greater part of his council ; that 
is to say, his son the duke of Lancaster, the earl of Arundel, the earl 
of Salisbury, sir Walter Manny, sir Reginald Cobhani, earl Percy, 
lord Neville, and many others. Among the prelates were the bishops 
of Winchester, Lincoln, and London. They deliberated for a long 
time on the letters from the prince, and on the request he had made 
to the king his father. It appeared reasonable to the king and his 
council, that the prince should attempt to conduct back and replace 
the king of Spain on his throne and in his inheritance, which was 
unanimously agreed on. Upon this, they drew up excellent answers, 
from the king and council of England, to the prince and all the barons 
of Aquitaine. They were carried back by the same persons who 
had brought the letters, to the city of Bordeaux, where they found 
the prince, and the king don Pedro ; to each of whom they gave other 
letters which the king of England had sent by them. 

Another conference was determined upon : and, a day being fixed 
for holding it in the city of Bordeaux, all those who were summoned 
attended. The letters from the king of England were publicly read, 
who clearly and decidedly gave his opinion, that the prince his son, 
in the names of God and St. George, should undertake the restoration 
of don Pedro to his heritage, from which he had been driven unjustly, 
and, as it would appear, fraudulently. In those letters, mention was 
also made, that the king thought himself obliged, from certain treaties 
which had been formerly entered into between him and his cousin 
don Pedro, to grant hiin help and succor, in case he should be re- 
quired so to do. He ordered all his vassals, and entreated his friends 
to help and assi5t the prince of Wales, by every means in their power, 
throughout this affair, in the same manner as if he himself were pres 
ent. When the barons of Aquitaine had heard these letters read, 
and the commands and requests of the king and of the prince their 
lord, they cheerfully made the following answer: "Sir, we will 
heartily obey the commands of the king our sovereign. It is but just 
that we should be obedient both to him and to you : this we will do, 
and will attend you and don Pedra upon this expedition ; but we 
wish to know from whom we are to have our pay, as it is not cus- 
tomary for men-at-arms to leave their habitations to carry on a war 
in a foreign country without receiving wages." 

The prince, on hearing this, turned toward don Pedro, and said : 
" Sir king, you hear what our people say : it is for you to give them 
an answer ; for it behoves you so to do who ore about to lead them 
into action." Don Pedro made the following reply to the prince : 
" My dear cousin, as long as my gold, my silver, and my treasure will 
Last which 1 have brought with me from Spain, but which i? not so 
great by thirty times as what I have left behind, I am willing it should 
be divided among your people." Upon which the prince said : " My 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



157 



lord, you speak well ; and for the surplus of the debt, I will take that 
upon myself toward them, and will order whatever sums you may 
want to be advanced you as a loan, until we shall be arrived in Cas- 
tiUe." '.' By my head," replied don Pedro, " you will do me a great 
kindness." 

Several of the most experienced among them, such as the earl of 
Armagnac, the lord de Pommicrs, sir John Chandos, the captal de 
Buch, and some others, having considered the business, said, the 
prince of Wales could not well undertake this expedition without 
having gained the consent and good-will of the king of Navarre ; for 
he could not enter Spain without traversing his kingdom, and by the 
pass of Roncevaux.* This entrance to Spain they were not quite 
sure of obtaining ; for the king of Navarre had lately formed fresh 
alliances with the bastard Henry. It was tlierefore debated for a long 
time, in wliat maimer thty could succeed in gaining this important 
point. The wisest were of opinion, that another meeting should be 
appointed, and that it should be held in the city of Bayonne ; and 
that the prince, when there, should send able embassadors to the king 
of Navarre, to entreat he w-ould come to this conference at Bayonne. 
This resolution was adopted ; and the conference broke up. They 
had all a wish to attend the meeting at Bayonne, and a day was fixed 
for holding it. 

During this interval, the prince sent sir John Chandos and sir 
William Felton to the king of Navarre, who was at that time in the 
city of Fampeluna. These two knight?, having wisdom and elo. 
quence, exerted tliemselvcs so effectually with the king of Navarre, 
that he agreed to their request, and gave it under his seal that he 
would attend the conference at 13ayonne. Upon which they returned 
to the prince, and related to hiui what they had done. On the ap. 
pointed day for this meeting in the city of Bayonne, the king of Sjiain, 
the prince, the earl of Armagnac, the lord d'Albret, and all the barons 
of Gascony, Poitou, Qucrcy, Rouergue, Saintonge, and Limousin 
came thither. The king of Navane was also there ; to whom tlie 
king of Spain and the prince paid every attention, thinking the)- 
should not lose by it. 

This conference in the city of Bayonne was long. It lasted five 
days. The prince and his council had many difficulties before they 
could get the king of Navarre to consent to their wishes ; for it was 
not easy to make anything of him whenever he found that his services 
were wanted. However, from the great influence which the prince 
had over him, he brought him at last to swear, promise and seal a 
treaty of peace, alliance, and confederation with don Pedro. The 
king of Gastiile entered into certain engagements with the king of 
Navarre, wliich liad been proposed to him by the prince of Wales. 
These engagements were, that don Pedro, as king of both Castilles, 
should give, under his seal, to the king of Navarre and Iris heirs, to 
hold as tlieir inheritance, all the domain of Logrono, witli the lands 
on each side of the river, and also the town, castle, territory, and 
dependencies of Salvatierra, with the town of St. Jean Pied du Port 
and its suiTOunding country ; which towns, castles, and lordships he 
had in former times taken possession of, and held by force. In addi- 
tion to this, the king of Navarre was to receive twenty thousand 
francs, for laying open his country, and permitting the army to pass 
peaceably through, finding them provisions upon being paid for them : 
in which sum he acknowledged himself debtor to the king of Na- 
varre. + 

When the barons of Aquitaine learnt tliat these treaties were made, 
and that don Pedro and tlie king of Navarre were friends, they made 
inquiry who was to pay them their wages : the prince, who was very 
eager for this expedition, took that upon himself, king don Pedro 
having promised punctual repayment. 



CHAPTER CCXXXIII. 

THE PRINCE OF WALES .MAKES FREFARATIONS FOR REPLACING DON PEDRO 
ON HIS THRONE OF CASTILLE. HENRY THE BASTARD, THOUGH LATE 
INFORMED OF IT, ENDEAVORS TO PREVENT IT. 

When all those things had been so ordered and settled that every 
one knew what he was to do, and they had remained in the city of 
Bayonne twelve days amusing themselves together, the king of Na. 
varre took his leave, and set out for the kingdom of Navarre whence 
he had come. The other lords departed also, and each returned to 
his own home. Even the prince came back to Bordeau-x ; but the 



* Roncevaux— a vill&se in Navarre, maile famous by the deleat of Cliarlemngiie, in 
wliicli Orlando and Rinaldo, so mucii celebrated by the old romances, were slain. 

t See the Fredera for Uie unilerneatli treaties, wiiicb relate to these transactions'. 

The first treaty between Edward III. and don Pedro, king of Castille appeare'tobe 
tlic 22ad June, 1362. Cintimied 1st February. 13H3, and 1st March. 1363.' 

"Forbidding all soldiers to enter Spain as enemies," addressed to sir John Chandos. 
sir Hu^'h Catverly, &c. December 6tli. 1365. 

A treaty, in which don Pedro acknowledges himself debtor to the prince of Wales in 
66,000 gold florins, of good weijlit. &c., which the prince, by the king's directions, had 
paid to the king of Navarre. &c., dated Libourne [a city on the Dordoene. ten leagues 
distant from Bordeaux.) Sept. S3rd. 1366. The number of witnesses to this deed shows 
that Froissart was inisinformed when he says that don Pedro was solely auended by don 
Fernando de Castro. ^ 

Articles of convention between Pedro king of Castille. Charles king of Navarre and 
Edward prince of Wales— dated I.ibourne. Sept. 23rd, IdCe. 

There are various other treaties between the king and prince, as well as the prince's 
ktter to Henry deTrastamare and the answer, before the baUle of Navarette, See 
Rymer. 



king of Castille remained at Bayonne, The prince immediately sent 
bis heralds into Spain, to the knights and other captains, who were 
English or Gascons, attached to or dependent on him, to signify Ids 
orders to take their leave of the bastard, and to return as speedily as 
possible ; for he had need of them, and should find them employment 
elsewhere. When the heralds who were the bearers of these orders 
to the knights of Castille came to them, they guessed they were sent 
for home ; they immediately took leave of king Henry in the most 
courteous manner they could, without discovering either their own 
or the prince's intentions. King Henry, who was liberal, courteous, 
and honorable, made them very handsome presents, thanking them 
most gratefully for their services. Sir Eustace d'Ambreticourt, sir 
Hugh Calverly, sir Walter Huct, sir Matthew Gournay, sir John 
Devreux, with their men, left Spain, and returned as speedily as pos- 
sible. They were followed by several other knights and squires of 
the prince's household, whose names I cannot remember. 

The free .companions were at this time scattered in different parts 
of the country, and did not receive this intelligence so soon as the 
other knights. Upon their receiving the information, sir Robert Bri- 
quet, John Treuelle,* sir Raboui"S,+ sir Perducas d'Albret, sir Garsia 
du Chastel, Nandon de Bagerant, the bastard de I'Esparre, the bas- 
tard Camus, the bastard de Breteuil, assembled together and set out 
on their return. 

King Henry had not heard of the prince's intentions to bring his 
brother, don Pedro, back to Castille, so soon as these knights ; and 
well it was for them he had not ; otherwise if he had received this 
intelligence, they would not have been suflered to desert so easily ; 
for he had the power to detjin and vex them, Howe-ver, when he 
knew the trutlt of it, he did not seem much ali'ected by it : nevertlie- 
les?, he spoke to sir Bertrand du Guesclin, who was still v.-ith him, 
as follows : " Sir Bertrand, think of the prince of Wales : they say, 
he intends to make war upon us, to replace by force this Jew, who 
calls himself king of Spain, upon our throne of- Castille, What do 
you say to this ?" To which sir Bertrand replied : " He is so valiant 
and determined a knight that, .since he has undertaken it, he will 
e.xert himself to the utmost to accomplish it. I would therefore ad- 
vise you to guard well all the passes and defiles on every side, so 
that no one may enter or go out of your kingdom without your leave. 
In the mean time, keep up the affections of your subjects, I know 
for a truth, that you will have great assistance from many knights in 
France, who will be happy to serve you, I will, with your permis- 
sion, return thither, where I am ture of finding several friends : and 
I will bring back with me as many as J possibly can." " By my faith," 
replied king Henry, '■ you say well ; and I will, in this business, follow 
everythitig you shall order." 

Nut long after, sir Bertrand took leave of king Henry, and went 
to Arragon, where he was received with joy by the king ; with whom 
he remained fifteen days, and then departed. He continued his jour- 
ney to Montpellier, whore he found the duke of Anjou, who was very 
happy to see him, as he loved him much, Wlien he had passed some 
time there, he took his leave, amf went to France, where he had a 
most gracious reception from the king. 

When it was publicly known through Spain, .4.rragon and France, 
that the intentions of the prince of Wales were to replace don Pedro 
in the kingdom of Castille, it was a matter of great wonder to many, 
and was variously talked of. Some said, the prince was making 
this expedition through pride and presumption ; that he was jealous 
of the honor sir Bertrand du Guesclin had obtained, in conquering 
Castille in the name of king Henry, and then making him king of it. 
Otiiers said, that both pity and justice moved him to assist don Pedro 
in recovering his inheritance ; for it was highly unbecoming a bas- 
tard to hold a kingdom, or bear the name of a king. Thus were 
many kniglUi and squires divided in their opinions. King Henry, 
however, w;'S not idle ; he sent embassadors to the king of Arragon, 
to entreat him not to enter into any treaty or convention with the 
prince and his allies ; for that he was, and would continue to be, his 
good neighbor and friend. 

The kij;g of .\iTagon, who esteemed him much, for in former 
times he had found don Pedro very overbearing, assured him, that 
upon no account, no, not for the loss of one half of his kingdom, would 
he enter into any treaty with the prince nor with don Pedro, but would 
lay open his kingdom to all sorts of men who should wish to enter 
Spain to his assistance, and would shut it up to all who had evil in. 
tentions against him. This king of Arragon kept faithfully all he 
had promised to king Henry ; for as soon as he knew that don Pedro 
was aided by the prince, and that the companies were marching that 
way, he ordered all the passes of Arragon to be closed, and caused them 
to be strictly guarded. He posted men-at-arms and watchmen on 
the mountains and in the defiles of Catalonia, so that no one could 
pass that way without great danger. 

The companies, however, on their return, found out another road ; 
they had much to endure from famine and other evils before they 
could be free from danger in Arragon, They advanced to the fron. 
tiers of the country of Foix, but could not obtain permission to pass 
through it ; for the earl was not desirous that such people should 
enter his territories. News was brought of their distress to tha 
prince, who was then at Bordeaux, occupying his mind night and 



* "John Treuelle." Barnes calls him sir John ChorneUe. 
t " tf ir Uabours." Sir Robert Cheney.— Barneb, 



158 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &( 



day on the best means of executing this expedition with honor. He 
eaw that these companies could neither pass nor return to Aquitainc, 
for the defiles of Arragon and Catalonia wore well guarded, and they 
were now on the borders of the country of Foix very ill at their ease. 
He was therefore alarmed, lest the king of Arragon or don Henry 
ehould gain by force, or by large gifts and promises, these companies 
(who were upward of twelve thousand men, from whom he ex- 
pected great assistance,) and they might he engaged to fight against 
him. The prince, therefore, determined to send sir Joh]i Chandos 
to meet and to retain them. He at the same ■time ordered him to 
wait on the earl of Foix, to beg that, for his love to him, he would 
allow these companies to pass through his countrj', and that he would 
pay double the value for any mischief they might commit in their 
march. Sir John Chandos undertook litis journey most willingly, to 
oblige his lord ; he set out from Bordeaux, and rode on to Dacqs ;* 
thence he continued his route until he arrived in the country of Foix, 
where he waited on the earl. 

He found these companies in a country called Basques. t where he 
entered into a treaty with them, and managed it so well that they all 
agreed to serve the prince, in his intended expedition, upon having a 
handsome sum of money paid dowji to them, which sir John Chandos 
swore to see done. Ho again returned to the earl of Foix, and en- 
treated him most earnestly that he would permit those companies, 
who now belonged to the prince, to pass through one end of his do- 
main. The earl, who was desirous of pleasing the prince, and firmly 
attached to him, in order to gratify his wishes, complied with the 
request, provided they did no damage to him or to his lands. This 
sir John Chandos promised to be ansv,'erable for, and sent back one 
of his scpiires, attended by a herald, with the treaty he had made 
with the earl of Foix, to the commanders of the companies. He 
then returned to Bordeaux, and related to the prince his journey, and 
the successful issue of it. The prince, who loved him and had great 
confidence in him, was well pleased with both. The prince was at 
this time in the full vigor of youth, and had never been weary or 
satiated with war, since the first time he bore arms, but was always 
looking forward to some achievement of high renown. This Spanish 
expedition occupied his mind entirely. Both honor and compassion 
urged him to replace on his throne, by force of arms, a king who had 
been driven from it. 

He conversed frequently on this subject with sir John Chandos, 
and sir William Felton, who were his principal advisers, and asked 
them their opinions. These two knights truly said : " My lord, this 
undoubtedly is, without comparison, a much more difficult enter- 
prise than driving him out of his realm; for he w-as detested by his 
subjects, insomuch that they all fled from him w-hcn he most wanted 
their help. The bastard king at this moment possesses the kingdom 
from the afiection which the nobility, prelates and commonalty bear 
liim ; and therefore they will do everything in their power to keep 
and maintain him as their king, whatever may be the consequences. 
It behoves you then to have a sufficient number of archers and men. 
at-arms ; for you will find, on your entering Spain, work enough for 
them. We advise you also to melt the best part of your plate and 
treasure, of which you are abundantly furnished, that it may be coined 
into money, for you to distribute liberally among the companions who 
ore to serve under you in this expedition, and who, from afTection to 
you alone, will engage to do so ; for as to Don Pedro, they will do 
nothing on his account. You should send likewise to the king your 
father, to beg of him to allow you to receive the hundred thousand 
francs which the king of France is bound to send to England in a 
short time. You ought also to collect money wherever you can pro- 
cure it (for you will have need of an immense quantity,) without 
taxing your subjects or country ; by which means you will be more 
beloved by them." 

These and such like counsels, equally good and loyal, were at times 
given by those two knights, and followed by the prince. He had his 
plate, both gold and silver, broken and coined into mone)', which he 
liberally distributed among the free companies. He also sent to Eng- 
land, to request that he might obtain from the king the hundred 
thousand francs before mentioned. The king of England, who knew 
the wants of the prince, immediately complied, wrote to the king of 
France on this subject, and sent him proper acquittances for the sum 
lie was to pay him. The hundred thousand francs were by this 
means paid to the prince, who divided them among different men- 
at-arms. 

During the lime the prince passed at Angouleme, he was one day 
amusing himself in his apartment with many knights of Gascony, 
Poitouand England, joking each other alternately upon this Spanish 
expedition (sir John Chandos was at the time absent, on his journey 
to retain the companies,) when he turned himself toward the lord 
d'Albret, and said; "My lord dWlbret, how many men can you 
bring into the field for this expedition ?" Lord d'-41bret was quick 
in his answer, replying, " My lord, if I wished to ask all my friends, 
that is, all my vassals, I can bring full a thousand lances, and leave 



* Ducqs, or Dax— an ancient city of Gascony, on the Atlour, forty-two leagues and 
ft half from Bordeaux, fifteen from Pan. Denys Sauvage tliiiiks it ought to be .■Vuch. 
This town is certainly more in a direct line to l-'oix, from Bordeaux, than Da\. It is 
d'Ast in ills edition : but my MSS. have Dax. 

t " Basques." I-,e pays de Basriues is a small country of France, near the Pyr6n6es, 
between the river Adour, tlie frontiers of ,'?pain, the ocean and Beam. It comprehends 
Je Lahour, la Uasse Navarre, and the cotuUry of Soule. Bayonne is the capital. 



a sufficiency behind to guard the country." " By my head, lord 
d'Albret, that is handsome," returned the prince ; then lookingatsir 
"William Felton and other English knights, he added in English, "On 
my faith, one ought to love that country well where there is a baron 
who can attend his lord with a thousand lances." Then, again ad. 
dressing liimself to the lord d'Albret, he said ; " Lord d'Albret, with 
great willingness, I retain them all." " Let it be so, then, in God's 
name, my lord," answered the lord d'-\lbret. This engagement waa 
the cause of much mischief hereafter, as you will see in the course 
of this history. 



CHAPTER CCXXXIV. 

T!IE VISCOU.NT OF NARBONNE, THE SESESCHAL OF TOtJLOtJSE, WITH OTHER ■ 
FRENCH LORDS, HAVING ATTACKED SOME OF THE FREE COMPANIES THAT 
WERE COME INTO FRANCE ACCORDING TO THE ORDERS OF THE PRINCE, 
ARE DISCOMFITED NEAR MONTArUA.N. THE POPE FORBIDS THE PRISON. 
EKS WHOM THE CO.MPANIES HAD TAKEN, AND SET FREE ON THEIR PAROLE 
AFTER THE COMBAT, TO KEEP THEIR FAITH, OR TO PAY ANY RANSOJI. 

We must now return to those free companies who had become 
allied and connected with the prince. I have already said, that they 
suffered great hardships before they entered his principality. As soon 
as they found themselves clear of all danger from -\rragon and Cata- 
lonia, they divided themselves into three bodies, with the consent of 
the earls of Foix and Armagnac and the lord d'-\lbret. One of these 
divisions marched along the borders of the countries of Foix and 
Toulouse ; another through the country of -\rmagnac, and the third 
toward Alliret. The first division consisted chiefly of Gascons ; and 
they might, in the whole, amount to three thousand ; but they had 
again divided themselves into companies of three and four hundreds, 
and thus advanced toward Toulouse and Montauban. 

At this time, there was a knight of France, high steward of Tou. 
louse, whose name was Guy d'jVsai.* When he learnt that these 
companies were near at hand, that they were advancing in divisions, 
and did not amount, in the whole, to more than three thousand com. 
batants, who were pinched by hunger, badly armed and mounted, 
and still worse clothed and shod, he declared that no such persons 
should enter Toulouse, nor the kingdom of France, to recruit them, 
selves ; and that, if it pleased God, he would march out, to offer thera 
battle. He directly gave notice of his intentions to the lord Aimeri, 
viscount of Narbonne, to the high stewards of Carcassonne and of 
Bcaueaire, and to all knights, squires and officers in that quarter, 
commanding them to give him aid and assistance to defend the bor. 
ders against these wicked companions. Those who had been sent 
to, obeyed, and came with all speed to the city of Toulouse. They 
amounted to five hundred men-at-arms, knights and squires, with 
upward of four thousand infantry, who immediately took the field, 
and marched toward Montauban, seven leagues distant from Tou. 
louse. Those who arrived first, and the others as they came in, ui. 
stantly quitted the town, to wait until the whole were assembled 
ogether. 

When the viscount of Narbonne and sir Guy d'Asai, who wc» 
the commanders of these men-at-arms, had left Toulouse, they fixed 
their quarters near to Montauban, which was at that time dependent 
on the prince of Wales, who had appointed for its governor a knight, 
called sir John Combes. These French lords ordered their scouts, 
with the vanguard, to advance to Montauban, in hopes of drawing 
out some of the companions who had lately aiTived ffiere, and who 
were entertained by sir John Combes. The governor of Montauban 
was much surprised, on hearing that the French were come with a 
numerous army so near to liis town, because the territory belonged 
to the prince ; he ascended, therefore, the battlements of the gates, 
and, having obtained a hearing from these scouts, demanded who 
'.ad sent them thitlier, and for what reason they had thus come upon 
the lands of the prince, who was their neighbor, and who had sworn 
friendship to the king and kijigdom of France. 

They answered him, that they were not charged by the lords who 
had sent them thither to give any reasons for so doing ; but that, in 
order to be satisfied, he might come himself, or send any one to tlicir 
commanders, who would give him an answer. " Indeed," replied 
the governor of Montauban, " I shall beg of you then to go back, and 
tell them to send me a passport, that I may safely come to them and 
return, or let them send to inibmi me fully for what reasons they have 
marched in this warlike manner against me ; for did I think they 
were in earnest to make war, I would immediately inform my lord 
the prince of it, who would speedily provide a remedy." They wil. 
lingly accepted his proposal, and returned to their lords, to whom they 
exactly repeated the governor's words. 

The passport was made out in sir John's name, and sent to Mon- 
tauban. Upon the receipt of it he set out, attended only by four 
persons, and went to the quarters of these lords, who were ready 
dressed to receive him, and prepared with their answers. He saluted 
them, which they returned ; he then asked them their reasons for 



«•• Guy d'Asai y When Bcrlrand saw the duke d' Anjou at Montpellier. he requested 
him to prevent those companies from returning to Aquitaine : he thereupon assembles 
the militia of the country, and collecl«d a f..rce of five hundred lances and four thou- 
sand archers He gave the command of this army to Guy d'Asai seneschal de 1 ou 
louse Arnould d'Espagne soniSschal de Carcassonne. Guy de ProhinssiSneschal de Beau 
caiie,' and ,\imeri viscount de Narbonne— i/ij(. de Laiiguedoc, vol. iv. p. 332. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



159 



ordering troops to advance to the fortresB, which was a dependency 
on the prince. They replied, " We wish not to invade the rights of 
any one, nor to make war ; but we are determined to pursue our 
enemies where we know they are." Who are your enemies? and 
where are they ?" demanded the knight. " In God's name," an- 
swered the viscount of Narbonne, " they are at this moment in Mon- 
tauban. Tliey are robbers and pillagers, who have severely oppressed 
the kingdom of France. And you, sir John, if you had become cour. 
teous to your neighbors, ought not tlnis to have supported them in 
their robberies of poor persons, without a shadow of justice ; for these 
arc tlic causes that give rise to hatred between the great. If you do 
not therefore drive them out of your fortress, you are neither a friend 
to the king nor kingdom of France." 

" My lords," replied the governor, " if is true there are men-at-arms 
in my garrison, whom my lord the prince has ordered thither, and 
whom I retain for him. I am not therefore inclined to send them 
away thus suddenly. If they have given you any cause of displea- 
sure, I do not see from whom you can right yourselves ; for they are 
men-at-arms, and they will support themselves in their usual manner, 
either on the territories of the king of France or on tliose of the prince." 
The lord of Narbonne and sir Guy d'Asai made answer by saying : 
" They are indeed men-at-arms, but of such a sort that they cannot 
exist without pillage and robbery, and have very unbecomingly tres- 
passed on our boundaries, for which they shall pay dearly, if we could 
but once meet with them in the open plains. They have burnt, stolen, 
and done many shameful acts within the jurisdiction of Toulouse, 
complaints of which have been made to us, which if we suffer to go 
unpunished, we shall be trnitoi-s to. the king our lord, who has ap- 
pointed us to watch over and guard his country. You will therefore 
tell them from u?, for, since we know where their quarters are, we 
can find them, tliat they shall make us amends for their proceedings, 
©r they will fare the worse for it." 

Tlie governor could not, at that time, get any other answer from 
them. He returned veiy ill pleased, and said that all their menaces 
would not make him change his mind. Upon his return, he told the 
companions all that had passed, as well as the message he was to de. 
liver. The leaders on hearing it, were not much satisfied ; for they 
were unequal in numbers to the French, so that they kept themselves 
on their guard as much as they could. 

Now it chanced, that exactly five days after this conversation, sir 
Perducas d'Albret with a large body of companions were on their 
march to pass through Montauban, for that was the direct road into 
the principali;y. He sent information of it to the governor : which 
when sir Robert Cheney and the other companions who had shut 
themselves up in the town heard, they were mightily rejoiced. They 
secretly made sir Perducas acquainted with the arrival of the French, 
and how they kept them besieged, threatening them much ; they also 
informed him of the numbers of the French, with the names of their 
commanders. 

When sir Perducas learnt this, he was no way frightened, but, 
collecting his men in a body, galloped into Montauban, where he 
was joyfully received. Upon their arrival, they discussed, among 
themselves, wliat would be most advisable to do : they unanimously 
resolved, that on the morrow they woidd arm, issue out of the town, 
and address themselves to the French, to request they would allow 
them peaceably to pass on. If they would not agree to this, and it 
were absolutely necessary to fight, they would then exert themselves, 
and risk the event of a batde. 

AVhat they had determined the preceding day, they put in execu- 
tion the following. On the morning, having armed themselves and 
mounted their horses, their trumpets sounded, when they sallied out 
of Montauban. The French had already drawn up before the town, 
from the alarm of what they saw and heard the preceding evening, 
so that the companies could not pass but through them. Upon this, 
sir Perducas d'-\lbret and sir Robert Cheney stepped forward, to de. 
mand a parley of the French, and to beg of them to allow them quietly 
to pass. But these lords sent to inform them, they would have 
nothing to say to them, and that they should not pass but over the 
points of their spears and swords. They instantly began to shout 
their war-cry, and to call out, '• Advance, advance upon these robbers, 
who pillage the world, and who live upon every one, without reason 
or justice." 

When the companions saw that they must fight in earnest, or die 
with dishonor, they dismounted and formed their line, to wait for the 
French, who advanced very boldly on foot to meet them. Much 
fighting and pursuing now commenced : many hard blows were given, 
which knocked down several on each side. The combat was severe 
and long; many gallant deeds were periomied, and several knights 
and squires unhorsed. The French, however, were more in number 
than the companions by at least two to one. They had not, therefore, 
any cause of fear, and by valiantly fighting, drove the companions 
all back, even within the barriers. When they were in that situation, 
the combat became more hot : many were killed and wounded on 
both sides. It would have been very hard with the companions, if 
the governor had not ordered all the towns-people to take arms and 
assist, to the utmost of their power, those who were attached to the 
service of their prince. The inhabitants immediately took to their 
arms, and united themselves with the companies in the fray. Even 
the women, having collected stones, ascended their garrets, whence 



they flung so many on the French that they had sufficient employ, 
ment in shielding themselves from them, and by wounding many 
made them retreat. The companions upon tliis took courage (for 
they had been for a considerable time in great peril,) and boldly 
attacked the French. Many as gallant deeds were performed by 
captures and rescues as had been seen for some time, though the 
companies were but few in comparison of the French : every man 
exerted himself to do his duty well, and to drive the enemy by force 
out of the town. 

It happened, that during this engagement, the bastard de Breteuil 
and Nandon de Bagerant, with about four hundred men whom they 
commanded, entered the back way into the town. They had marched 
all night with the greatest expedition ; for they had had information 
how the French were besieging their comrades in Montauban. The 
battle was now renewed with fresh vigor ; and the French were 
sadly beaten by these new comers. All those combats lasted from 
eight o'clock in the morning until four in the afternoon. At last, the 
French were completely discomfited and put to flight : happy were 
those who could find horses to mount and escape. 

The viscount de Narbonne, sir Guy d'Asai, the earl of Uz^s, the 
lord de Montmorillon, the seneschal do Carcassonne, the seneschal 
de Beaucaire, with upward of a hundred knights, as well of France 
as of Provence, and the adjoining countries, many rich squires, and 
others of large property in Toulouse and Montpellier, were made 
prisoners. They would have taken more, if they had pursued them ; 
but, as they were few in number and badly mounted, they were 
afraid to follow them, contenting themselves with what they had got. 

This battle was fought before Montauban, the vigil of the feast of 
our Lady, in August 1366. After this defeat, sir Perducas d'Albret, 
sir Robert Cheney, sir John Combes, the bastard de Breteuil and 
Nandon de Bagerant, divided the booty they liad gained amongf 
themselves and their companions. All those who had made any 
prisoners were to keep them, in order to gain by their ransom, or to 
give them their liberty, as they pleased. They were very attentive 
to them, accepting moderate ransoms, suitable to their rank, or the 
state of their affairs. They were the kinder to them, because this 
affair had turned out fortunately, and tluough their own gallantry. 
Those who had pledged their faith went away, having fixed a time 
for bringing their ransoms to Bordeaux, or other places more agree* 
able to them. Each now departed, and returned to his own country. 
The companies marched to join the prince, who received them very 
graciously, and sent them to their quarters in a country called Basques^ 
which is among the mountains. 

I will now relate the end of this business, in what manner the 
viscount of Narbonne, the high steward of Toulouse and the other 
prisoners, paid their ransoms. Pope Urban V., who at this time 
reigned, hated mortally these free companies, whom he had for a 
long time excommunicated on account of their wicked deeds. Upon 
being informed of this engagement, and how the viscount of Nar- 
bonne, having exerted himself to the utmost to succeed in his attack 
upon them, had been miserably defeated, he was in a great rage. 
This was increased on learning that, having given pledges for their 
ransoms, they were returned home. He immediately sent expresses 
to them, strictly forbidding them to pay any ransom, and at the same 
time dispensations and absolutions from all engagements on this 
subject. 

Thus were these lords, knights and squires, wno had been made 
prisoners at Montauban, acquitted of their ransoms ; for they dared 
not disobey the orders of the pope. It turned out luckily for some, 
but quite the contrary to the companions, who were expecting the 
money : indeed they were in want of it, and intended out of it to 
equip themselves handsomely, as soldiers should do who have a suffi- 
ciency, but they never received anything. This order of the pope 
was so hurtful to them that they made frequent complaints of it to 
sir John Chandos, who, being constable of Aquitaine, had the super- 
intendence of such affairs by right of office : but he turned them oflT 
as well as he could, because he was fully acquainted that they were 
excommunicated by the pope, and that all their thoughts and acts 
were turned to pillage. I do not believe they ever received any of 
this debt at any time afterwards. 



CHAPTER CCXXXV. 

during the time the prince of wales is preparino for his expedi. 

tion into castille, the king of majorca seeks refi-'ge with him 

against the king of arragon. the prince displeases the lord 

p'albret. 

We will now return to the prince of Wales, and show with what 
perseverance he continued to make preparations for his expedition. 
He had, as I have before related, gained over all the free companies, 
who might be about twelve thousand fighting men. It had cost him 
much to retain as well as to subsist them, which he did at his own 
expense, from the end of August until they quitted the principality 
the beginning of February. In addition to these, the prince accepted 
the services of men-at-arms from every quarter whence he could 
obtain them, under his dependence. 

From the kingdom of France, there came none ; for king Henry 
had every person from that kingdom, on account of the alliances 



160 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



that existed between tlieir sovereign and Iting Henry, who had also 
some of the free companies that came from Brittany, and were at- 
tached to sir Bertrand du Guesclin ; of these, sii* Bertrand de Budes, 
sir Alain de St. Pol, sir William de BrueLx, and sir Alain de Cou- 
vette, were the leaders. The prince might have had foreign men. 
at-arma, such as Flemings, Germans and Brabanters, if he had 
chosen it ; but he sent away numbers, choosing to depend more on 
his own subjects and vassals than on strangers. There came, there- 
fore, to him a great reinforcement from England ; for, when the king 
his father found this expedition was near taking place, he gave leave 
for his son, the duke of Lancaster, to go to the prince of Wales, 
with a large body of men-at-arms ; that is to say, four hundred men- 
at-arms and four hundred archers. As soon as the prince hoard that 
his brother was coming to him, he was much rejoiced, and gave 
orders accordingly. 

At this period, the lord James, king of Majorca, came to \-isit the 
prince in the city of Bordeaux ; for such was his title, though he 
possessed nothing, the king of Arragon having kept his kingdom 
from him by force, and caused his father to be put to death in prison, 
in a city of Arragon called Barcelona. On which account, this king 
James, to revenge the death of his father, and to recover his inher- 
itance, had left the kingdom of Naples, wliose queen was at that 
time his wife.* 

The prince of Wales received the king of Majorca very kindly, 
and entertained him handsomely. After he had heard from hitn the 
reasons of his coming, and the cause why the king of Arragon did 
liim so much wrong, in keeping his heritage from him, and destroying 
his father, the prince replied : " Sir king, I promise you most loyally, 
that upon our return from Spain, we will undertake to replace you on 
your throne of Majorca, either by treaty or by force of arms." 
These promises were liighly pleasing to the king. He remained at 
Bordeaux with the prince, waiting for his departure for Spain with 
the others. The prince, through respect, equipped him as hand- 
somely as he could ; because he was a stranger, far distant from his 
own country, and his finances were but low. 

') Great complaints were daily made to the prince of the bad conduct 
of the free companies, who were doing all possible mischief to the 
inhabitants of tlie countries where they were quartered. They 
pressed the prince to hasten his march, who would willingly have 
complied, if he had not been advised to let Christmas pass over, so 
that he should have winter in his rear. The prince listened to this 
counsel the more, because his lady the princess, being far gone with 
child, was melancholy and sorrowful at the thoughts of his absence. 
He was desirous to wait until she should be brought to bed, as she 
wished to detain him. 

During this time, he was collecting great quantities of purveyan. 
ces of all kinds ; and well he had need to do so, for he was about to 
enter a country where he would find little enough. While he 
remained at Bordeaux, the prince and his council held many consul- 
tations together. It seems to me, that the lord d'.'Vlbret and his 
thousand lances were countermanded, and that the prince, by the 
advice of his council, wrote to him in such terms as these. " My 
lord d'Albret, whereas, out of our liberal bounty, we have retained 
you with a tliousand lances, to serve under us in the expedition 
which, through the grace of God, we intend speedily to undertake, 
and briefly to finish : having duly considered the business, and the 
costs and expenses we are at, as well for those who have entered 
into our service as for the free companies, whose number is so great 
that we do not wish to leave them behind, for fear of the dangers 
which may happen, we have resolved that several of our vassals 
should remain, in order to guard llie territories. For these causes it 
has been determined in our council, that you shall serve in this 
expedition with two hundred lances only, as has been written to 
you. You will choose them out from the rest ; and the remainder 
you will leave to follow their usual occupations. May God have 
you under his holy protection I Given at Bordeaux, the eighth day 
of December." 

These letters were sealed with the great seal of the prince of 
Wales, and sent to the lord d'Albret, who was in his own country, 
busily employed making his preparations ; for it was daily reported 
that the prince was on the point of setting out. 

When he received these letters from the prince, he opened them 
deliberately, and read them twice over, in order the better to com- 
prehend them ; for what he saw of their contents astonished him 
greatly. Being mightily vexed, he exclaimed, " How is tliis ? My 
lord, the prince of Wales lauglis at me, when he orders me to dis- 
band eight hundred knights and squires, whom, by his command, I 
have retained, and have diverted from other means of obtaining 
profit and honor." In his rage, he called for a secretary, and said to 
him, " Write ;" and the secretary wrote as follows from his dicta- 
ting : " My dear lord — I am marvellously surprised at the contents 
of the letters you have sent me ; and I neither know nor can imagine 
what answer to make to them. Your orders will be to me of the 
greatest prejudice, and subject mo to much blame ; for all the men- 
at-arms, whom I have retained by your commands, are ready prepared 
to do you service, and I have prevented them seeking for honor and 



* Don Jaymc. king of Majorca, marrieti Jane, queen ot Naples. 1363.— FeRRaRas. 
Toward the end of this year, the infant Phihp of Navarre diod. /d«Hl.— If, as before- 
mentioned, he married Jane, don Jayme must Iiave married the widow. 



profit elsewhere. Some of these knights were engaged to pass the 
sea, to Jerusalem, to Constantinople, or to Prussia in order to advance 
themselves. They will, therefore, be much displeased if left behind. 
I am equally so, and canno: conceive for what reason 1 have deserved 
this treatment. My dear lord, have the goodness to understand I 
cannot separate myself from them. I am tlie worst and least among 
them ; and, if any of them be dismissed, I am convinced they will 
all go their ways. May God keep you in his holy protection ! 
Given," &c. 

When the prince of Wales received this answer, he looked upon 
it as a very presumptuous one ; as did also some knights from Eng- 
land, who were present, and of his council. The prince shook his 
head, and said in English (as I vvius told, for at that time I was not 
at Bordeaux ;) *' This lord d Albrc t is too great a man for my country, 
when he thus wishes to disobey the orders of my council : but, by 
God, it shall not be as ho thinks to have it. Let him stay behind, if 
he will ; for we will perform thi5 expedition, if it please God, without 
his thousand lances." Some English knights added ; " My lord, you 
are but little acquainted with the thoughts of these Gascons, nor how 
vain-glorious they are : they have but little love for us, nor have they 
had for some time past. Do you not remember how ajTOgantly they 
behaved to you when king John of France was first brought to 
Bordeaux ? They then declared publicly, that it was by their means 
alone you had succeeded at Poitiers, and made the king of France 
your prisoner. It is apparent that they had intended carrying things 
farther ; for you were upward of four months negotiathig w ith them 
before they would consent that king John should be carried to Eng- 
land, and it was first necessary for you to comply with their demands 
in order to preserve their attachment." Upon hearing this, the prince 
was silent, but did not the less occupy his thoughts with what had 
just been said. 

This was the first ground of the hatred between the prince of 
Wales and the lord d'Albret. The lord d'Albret was at this time 
in great peril : for the prince was of a high overbearing spirit, and 
cruel in his hatred : he would, right or wrong, that every lord who 
was under his command should be dependent on him : but the earl 
of Armagnac, uncle to the lord d'Albret, hearing of this quarrel 
between the prince and his nephew, came to Bordeaux to wait on 
the prince. Sir John Chandos and sir William Felton (by whose 
advice and counsels the prince solely acted) managed the matter so 
well that the prince was appeased, and said nothing more. How- 
ever, the lord d'Albret received orders to join with only two hundred 
lances, which was equally disagreeable to him and to his vassals : 
they never afterwards were so affectionate to the prince as they had 
formerly been. They were forced, nevertheless, to bear this disap- 
pointment as well as they could, for they had no remedy for it. 



CHAPTER CCXXXVI. 

THE BIRTH OF KICUAED, SON OF THE PRINCE OF WALES. THE ARRIVAL 07 
THE DUKE OF LANCASTER, TJ ACCOMTANY HIS BROTHER ON HIS IS. 
TENDED EXPEDITION. NEW TREATIES WITH THE KING OF NAVARRE, FOR 
THE SECURITY OF PASSING THROUGH HIS KINGDOM. SIR BERTRAND DU 
GUESCLIN RETURNS TO THE ASSISTANCE OF KING HENRY 

Time passed away so quickly while the prince was collecting his 
stores, and awaiting the arrival of his brother the duke of Lancaster, 
that the princess was taken in labor, and, through God's grace, de- 
livered of a fine boy on a Wednesday, the feast of the Epiphany, in 
the year 13G7. The child was born about eight o'clock in the morn, 
ing.* The prince and his whole household were very much re- 
joiced at this event. On the following Friday, he was baptized, 
about noon, at the holy font of St. Andrew's church, in the city of 
Bordeaux. The archbishop of Bordeaux performed the ceremony : 
the bishop of -\gen and the king of Majorca were his godfathers. 
They gave him the name of Richard: he was afterwards lung of 
England, as you will hear in the continuation of this history. 

On the ensuing Sunday, the prince set out from Bordeaux, with a 
grand arniy, about eight o'clock in the morning : he carried with him 
all the men-at-arms who had been quartered there. The greater 
part of his force had already marched forward, and were cantoned 
in the city of Dax in Gascony. The prince arrived that Sunday 
evening at Dax, where he halted, and remained for three days; for 
he was there iufonned that his brother the duke of Lancaster was on 
the road to him, having crossed the sea to Brittany, where he had 
landed a fortnight since, at St. Mah^ de fine Pfvterne : he went 
thence to Nantes, where he was magnificently entertained by the 
duke of Brittany. 

The duke of Lancaster continued his route, through Poitou and 
Saintonge, to Blaye, where he crossed the river Gironde, and landed 
at the quay at Bordeaux. He went to the monastery of St. Andrew, 
where the princess lay in, and was joyfully welcomed by her and by 
all the ladies of her court. At this time, however, the duke would 
not remain in Bordeaux : but, having bid adieu to his sister the 

* Heure de lr:rrc — Heure dc prime [c^noiiical hours.) These do not botli point out 
thesameliourntlhesameseosor. of theyear. The former, according to Cotgrave, js 
" in supimcr eight of rhe clock, in winter ten :" the latter, "in summer four o'clock, in 
winter eight." Tlie Dict.de TAcad^mie explains "tierce" asequivalent to nine o'clock , 
ofour calculation of time, butdoesnot state the hour to which " prime" corresponds,-^©. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



princess, he and all his troops departed, never halting until they were 
arrived in the city of Dax, where he Sound his brotlier the prince of 
Wales. The two brothers were very happy in this meeting, for they 
had a mutual affection for each other ; and many proofs of friendship 
passed between them and their men. Soon after the arrival of the 
duke of Lancaster, the earl of Foi.x came thitlier, who paid much 
court and respect, at least in outward appearance, to the prince and 
his brother, offering himself and vassals for their service. 




John of Gaunt, Duke op Lancaster. From a painting on glass in an ancient win- 
dow. Library of All Souls' College, Oxford. 



The prince, who knsw how to pay every honor and attention ac- 
cording as they were due, showed him all respect, thanking him much 
for his obliging offers, and for having come to visit them. He after- 
wards gave him in charge the government of the country, and desired 
that, during his absence, he would be attentive to guard it. The 
earl very willingly accepted this charge : having taken his leave of 
the prince and the duke, he returned to his home. The prince, how. 
ever, remained at Dax with his army, which was spread all over the 
country, as far as the entrance of the defiles which lead to Navarre ; 
for they were uncertain if they could pass through them or not, or if 
the king of Navarre would lay open his country to them according to 
his treaty. 

It had been currendy reported, that he had entered into new con- 
ventions with king Henry, which had much astonished the prince and 
his council, and made don Pedro very melancholy. Wliilc these 
reports were believed, and during the stay at Dax, sir Hugh Calverly 
and his men entered Navarre, and took the city of IMiranda and the 
town of Puenta della Reyna, which- alarmed the whole country, so 
that information was immediately sent of it to the king of Navarre. 
Upon hearing that the companies were forcibly entering his kingdom, 
he was much enraged, and wrote to the prince, who made very light 
of it, because he thought the king of Navarre did not perform the 
articles of his treaty with don Pedro : he therefore wrote back to 
him to come himself, or to send some person to explain those things 
which were laid to his charge, as it was publicly reported he had 
changed sides, and had joined king Henry. 

When the king of Navarre heard that he was accused of treachery, 
he was more enraged than before, and sent an experienced knight, 
called don Martin de la Carra, to wait on the prince. When he 
arrived at the city of D.ix, to exculpate the king of Navarre, he 
spoke so ably and eloquently to the prince that he satisfied him. It 
was then agreed that he should return to Navarre to his king, and 
induce him to come to St. Jean Pied dc Port,* where, when he should 
be arrived, the prince would consider whether he would meet him in 
person or not. Upon this, don Martin de la Carra ([uitled the prince, 
and returned to Navarre, where he related to the king all that had 
passed, in what disposition he had left the prince and his council, and 
upon what terms he had been sent back. Don Martin exerted him- 
self so much that he brought the king to St. Jean Pied de Port : he 
himself went to wait on the prince at Dax. When it was known 
that the king of Navarre was on his road, the prince was advised to 
send, to meet him, his brother the duke of Lancaster and sir John 
Chandos. These two lords, with a few attendants, set out, accom- 
panied by don Martin, who conducted them to St. Jean Pied de 
Port to the king of Navarre, who very graciously received them, and 
they had a long conference together. It was after some time settled, 
that the king of Navarre should advance, to meet the prince, to a 
place called in that country Peyre Hourarde,t where the prince and 
don Pedro should be ; and that then and there they should renew 



* St. Jean Pied de Port— a small town in Navarre, on the Nive, and at the toot of the 
Pyr6n^es. 
t Peyre Hourarde— a town in Gascony, diocese of Dax. ^ 



161 

their treaties, so that each party might for a certainty know on what 
he was to depend. The king of Navarre was thus dissembling, be- 
cause he wished to be more sure of the articles of the treaty being 
complied with than he was at that moment ; for he was afraid, that if 
these companies should once enter his territories before what he de. 
manded was fully signed and agreed to, it would never be thought of 
afterwards. 

The duke of Lancaster and Sir John Chandos, having finished 
their business, returned, and related what they had done to the 
prince and don Pedro, This agreement was satisfactory to both 
of them. They kept the appointment, and went to the place fi.xed 
on, where they met the king of Navarre and his privy council. 
There were at Peyre Hourarde these three princes, the prince of 
Wales, don Pedro, and the duke of Lancaster, on one part, and the 
king of Navarre on the other, where conferences were held betweea 
them. At last, it was finally settled what each party was to receive 
and to perform ; and the treaties which had been made before, at 
Bayonne, were renewed. The king of Navarre then knew for cer. 
tain what was to be given up to him in the kingdom of Castille. 
He swore to maintain and preser\e faithfully peace and friendship 
with don Pedro. They broke up their conferences very amicably, 
having settled that the prince and his army might pass through hia 
country whenever he pleased, as all the defiles were left unguarded ; 
and provision would be had for the men, upon paying for it. The 
king of Navane returned to the city of Pampeluna, and the king 
don Pedro, the prince, and his brother, to their quarters at Dax. 

There were at this time many great barons from Poitou, Gascony, 
and Brittany, who had not joined the army of the prince. They 
had remained behind, because, as has been before said, it was not 
quite clear, until after this last conference, if the prince would have 
a free passage through Navarre. It was even thought in France, 
that it would be refused him, and that the king of Navarre would 
cause this expedition to fail. However, the contrary happened. 
When the knights and squires of each party found that the passage 
was open, they hastened their preparations, and made speed to join 
their friends ; for they knew the prince would pass soon, and that 
he would not return without a battle. Sir Olivier de Clisson came 
with a handsome company of men-at-amis ; and also, but very 
unwillingly, came last, the lord d' Albret, with two hundred lances : 
he was accompanied in this expedition by the captal de Buch. 

Everything which had passed in these conferences was known in 
France ; for there were messengers constantly going and coming, 
who carried with them all the news they could jiick up. Sir Ber- 
trand du Guesclin (who was with the duke of Anjou; was no sooner 
informed that the passes in Navarre were opened, and that the 
prince was on his march, than he hastened his departure, and 
reiterated his summons ; for he knew now, that this business would 
not be settled without an engagement. He took the road to Arra. 
gon, in order to join king Henry as speedily as possible. He was 
followed by all sorts of men-at-arms to whom he had sent his 
orders. Many came from France and other countries, who were 
attached to him, or who were desirous of acquiring honor. We 
will now return to the prince, and relate what befel him and his 
arjiiy in his passage through Navarre. 



CHAPTER CCXXXVII. 

THE PKINCE OF WALES AND HIS AKMY PASS THE MOUNTAINS OF NAVARRE, 
AND ARRIVE AT PAMPELUNA. KINS HENRY OF CASTILLE WRITES 
LETTERS TO HIM. SIR WILLIAM FELTON COMMANDS AN ADVANCED 
PARTY OF THE ARMY. 

Between St. Jean Pied de Port and Pampeluna are the defiles 
and strong passes of Navarre, which are very dangerous : for there 
are a hundred situations among them which a handful of men would 
guard and shut up against a whole army. 

It was very cold in these countries when the army passed, for it 
was the month of February. But before they began their march, 
though very eager to get forward, the principal leaders held a council 
to determine in what numbers and in what manner they should 
march through these mountains. They learnt that the whole army 
could not pass together ; for which reason, they ordered it to be 
divided into three bodies, and to pass one at a time three days suc- 
cessively ; that is to say, on the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. 

On the Monday, the vanguard marched, under the command of 
the duke of Lancaster. He was accompanied by the constable of 
Aqtiitaine, sir John Chandos, who had under him full twelve hundred 
pennons, all ornamented with his arms, which were a sharp pile 
gules, on a field argent.* It was a handsome sight to behold. The 
two marshals of Aquitaine were also in this first division, namely, 
sir Guiscard d' Angle and sir Stephen Cossinglon, with whom was 
the pennon of St. George. There were also in this division, with 
the duke, sir William Beauchamp,+ son o{ the earl of Warwick, sir 
Hugh Hastings, sir Ralph Neville, t who served under sir John 
Chandos with thirty lances at his own expense and charges, out of 
what he had gained at the battle of Auray. There were likewise 



* Barnes.— See the arms in Ashmole. 

t Barnes says, he was lord Abergavenny, and fourth son to the earl of Warwick. 

; Lord Ralph Neville.— Babnes. 



162 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



the lord d' Aubeterre, sir Garses du Chalillon, sir Richard Causton, 
sir Robert Cheney, sir Robert Briquet, sir John Tyrrel, sir Aimery 
de Rochechouart, sir Gaillart de la Moitre, sir William Clayton, 
Villcbos le Bouteiller et Pannetier.* All these, with their pennons, 
were under the command of sir John Chandos, and nii^ht amount in 
the whole to ten thousand cavalry, who all crossed the mountains, as 
before related, on the Monday. 

On the Tuesday, passed the 
prince of Wales and don Pedro, 

accompanied by the king of .-i-__-.'_ 

Navarre, who had returned to 
them, in order to serve as their 
guide. In this division of the 
prince were the lord Louis de 
Harcourt, the viscount de Cha. 
telleraut, the viscount de Roche, 
chouart, the lords de Partenay 
and de Pinane, sir William 
Felton, high steward of Aqui. 
taine, sir Thomas Felton his 
brother, sir Eustace d' Ambre. 
ticourt, the high stewards of 
Saintonge, of la Rochelle, of 
Quercy, of Limousin, of Age. 
nois, of Bigorre, the lord de 
Cannaibouton and all tlie men 
of Poitou, sir Richard de Pont, 
chardon, sir Nele Loring, the 
earl of Angus, sir Tliomas Ban- 
aster,+ sir Louis de P/Ierval, sir 
Aymon de Marnel, the lord de 
Pierre-Buffiere, and four thou, 
sand men-at-arms at least : there 
were in the whole about ten 
thousand horse. This Tuesday 
was bitter cold, with a sharp 
wind and snow, so that their 
march was very painful : how- 
ever, they passed the mountains, 
and took up their quarters in 
the valley of Pampeluna. The 
king of Navarre, indeed, con- 
ducted the prince of Wales and 
don Pedro to the city of Pam- 
peluna to supper, and entertained them handsomely, as he was 
enabled to do. 

The king of Majorca crossed these mountains on the Wednesday, 
accompanied by the earl of Arraagnac, the lord d'Albret bis nephew, 
sir Bernard d'Albret, lord de Gironde, the earl of Perigord, the vis. 
count de Carmaing, the earl of Comminges, the captal de Buch, sir 
Olivier de Clisson, the three brothers de Pommiers, sir John, sir 
Elias, and sir Edmund, the lords de Chaumont, and de Mucident, 
sir Robert KnoUes, the lords de I'Esparre, de Condon, de Rosem, 
the souldich de la Trane.t sir Petiton de Courton, sir Aintcry de 
Tarse, the lord de la Barde, sir Bertrand de Caude, the lord dc Pin- 
cornet, sir Thomas Winstanley, sir Perducas d'Albret, the bastard 
de Breteuil, Nandon de Bagerant, Bertrand de la Salle, Ortingo, La 
Nuit, and all the other captains of the free companies, amounting to 
full ten thousand horse. They had much better weather than the 
preceding division which crossed on the Tuesday. All these differ- 
ent bodies of men-at-arms were encamped in the vale of Pampeluna, 
to recruit their horses. They remained in the country about Pam- 
peluna (where they found abundance of provision, such as meat, 
bread, wine, and all sorts of food for themselves and horses) until 
the following Sunday. 

I must say, that all these companies did not pay the demands 
which were made upon them ; nor could they abstain from pillaging 
as heretofore ; they also caused great disturbances in the country 
roimd Pampeluna, as well as on their march. The king of Navarre 
was much vexed at this ; but better himself he could not : he re- 
pented more than once that be had ever consented to the passage of 
the prince and his army through his dominions, or that he had left 
unguarded the defiles ; for there was more loss than profit by what 
he had done. This, however, was not the time to show what his 
thoughts were ; for he was not then master of his own country. He 
daily received great complaints from his subjects on this head, 
which, though the circumstance grieved him much, he could not 
remedy. Nevertheless, he entreated the men-at-arms of the prince, 
by means of some of his principal barons, who had served longest 
with them in Normandy and in other places in France, that they 
would refrain from robbing the country in the manner they were 
doing, wliich they promised and engaged to do. 



King Henry was duly infonned of the march of the prince of 
Wales through Navarre, for he had his messengers and spies con- 
stantly upon the look-out. He was therefore increasing his forces as 
much as possible by earnest and kind entreaties to the knights of 
Castille (of which he had assumed the title of king) in order to have 
a sufficient army to resist the attack. He also impatiently expected 
the arrival of sir Bertrand du GuescUn, with great reinforcements 




• •' ViUebos le Bouteiller et rnnnelier." Barnes calls him sir William Botelor. or 
Butter, of Oversley in Warwickshire ; but I see no authority for it. Some of the other 
names I have altered from Barnes, as being probable : but lord Bernei-s, who ought to 
have been better informed, keeps the very names in Froissart, who, from being a 
foreigner, might easily mistake them. 

t Sir Thomas Banaster— fifty-sixth knight of the Carter.— See his life in Anstis's 
Garter. 

i Souldich de la Trone. See Anstis. 



SczNKRY OF THE PYRENEES OS THE Frekch Side.— From an Original Sketch. 



from France. He had besides issued special orders tluoughout the 
kingdom, to all his vassals, under pain of death, that each, according 
to his rank, siiould immediately come to his assistance, and defend 
the realm. This king Henry was much beloved, as the Castillians 
had e.\erted themselves in aiding him to drive don Pedro out of the 
kingdom : they therefore willingly obeyed his summons, and flocked 
in great numbers every day to the rendezvous he had appointed at 
St. Domingo de la Cal^ada. They amounted in all to upward of 
sixty thousand, as well horse as foot, ready to act for him, and re- 
solved to live or die for his service. 

Upon king Henry having sure intelligence that the prince of Wales, 
with his whole army, had passed the straits of Roncesvalles, and 
was in the kingdom of Navarre, whence he was about to advance 
toward him, he knew that a battle must be the consequence. This 
seemed to give liini great pleasure, and he said aloud : " The prince 
of Wales is a valiant and worthy knight; and in order that he may 
know that I am waiting for him, to defend my right, I will write 
him a part of my mind." He then called for a secretary, who ad- 
vancing into his presence, " Write," said king Henry to him, " a 
letter in such terms as these : 

" To the high, puissant, and honorable lord, the prince of Wales 
and of Aquitaine. 

" My lord — We have been informed, that you have with an army 
passed the mountains, and have entered into treaties and alliances 
with our enemy, to make war upon and to harass us ; all this has 
caused in us much astonishment ; for we have not done anything, 
nor ever had the smallest hostile intentions against you, that shouM 
justify your advancing hitherward with a large army, to deprive us 
of the small inheritance which it has pleased God to give us. But 
as you are the most powerful and most fortunate prince of the age, 
we flatter ourselves and hope that you glorify yourself in it. Since 
we have received certain intelligence that you seek us in order to 
offer us battle, if you will have the goodness to inform us by what 
road your intentions are to enter Castille, we will advance to meet 
you, in order to guard and defend our realm. Given," &c. 

When this letter was written, king Henry had it sealed, and call- 
ing his own herald to him, said : " Go thou as fast as possible, by the 
nearest road, to the prince of Wales, and give him from me this let- 
ter." The herald replied, " Willingly, my lord." He left the king, 
and taking the road to Navarre, came up to the prince ; when, bend- 
ing on his knee, he delivered to him the letter from king Henry. 
The prince made the herald rise, and taking the letter, opened it, 
and read it twice over, the better to understand it. When he had 
read, and considered a little its contents, he ordered part of his 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



163 



council to be summoned, telling the herald to quit the place where 
the council was to be held. 

When the council was assembled, he read again the letter, and ex- 
plained if to them word for word ; after which, he asked their advice 
j upon it. While they were thinking what advice to give, the prince 
I said : " This bastard is a gallant knight, and of good prowess ; for 
[ he must be a valiant gendeman to write me such a letter." The 
prince and his council were a considerable time together, for they 
could not agree as to what answer they should send. They said to 
the herald : " My friend, you cannot yet set out on your return. 
When it shall suit my lord the prince, he will write back by you, and 
by no one else ; you wi3, therefore, tarry with us until you have 
your answer, for the prince wishes it to be so." The herald an- 
swered, " Please God, it shall be as you say." He remained, there, 
fore, with them quite at his ease. 

The evening of the same day that the herald had brought this let. 
ter, sir William Fclton came to the prince, and asked him a favor. 
The prince, who was ignorant what he wanted, demanded what 
favor he had to request : " My lord," replied sir William, " I en- 
treat pennission to quit the army, and make an excursion into the 
enemy's country ; for I have many knights and squires under my 
command, as good men as myself, that are anxious to do something 
worthy of notice. I jiromiso you, if you will permit us to ride for- 
ward, we will sec what appearance the enemy makes, and where 
their quarters are." The prince immediately granted his request, as 
he was pleased with him for having made it. Sir William Felton 
left the prince's araiy, as the leader of tliis expedition, accompanied 
by the following knights : sir Thomas Felton his brother, sir Thomas 
Hufford, sir Robert KnoUcs, sir Gaillard Viguier, sir Ralph Hastings, 
the earl of Angus, and several other knights and squires. They were 
in all one hundred and sixty lances well mounted, and three hundred 
archers. There were also with him, sir Hugh Stafford, sir Richard 
Causton, and sir Simon Burley, who are not men to be forgotten. 

This body rode on through the kingdom of Navarre, under the 
direction of guides, who conducted them to the river Ebro, which, at 
Logrono, is very deep and rapid. They, however, advanced beyond 
it, and took up their quarters at a village called Navarretta ;* there 
they halted, in order to be the better informed where king Henry 
was, and to learn the state of his army. 



CHAPTER CCXXXVIII. 

THE KISG OF NAVARRE IS MADE PRISONER BY SIR OLIVIER DE MAUNT, 
A BRETON AND PARTISAN OF KI.VG FrENRT. THE PRINCE OF WALES 
ADVANCES TO SALVATIERKA, IN SPAIN. SIR WILLIAM FELTON SKIR- 
MISHES WITH THE ENEMY NEAR THE QUARTERS OF THE KINS OF 
SPAIN. THE TWO ARMIES ADVANCE TOWARD EACH OTHER. 

While all these things were going on, the knights remained at 
Navarretta, and the prince and his army in the country round Para- 
peluna. The king of Navarre, in riiling from one town to another 
on the side where the French lay, was made prisoner by sir Olivier de 
Mauny. The prince and all the English were much astonished at 
it ; some in the army thought it might have been done designedly, 
in order to prevent his accompanying the prince farther in this ex- 
pedition, as he was uncertain what would be the issue of the business 
between king Henry and don Pedro. t .\lthough there was no one 
who was not clear as to the cause of this capture, the lady his queen 
was much alarmed and dispirited at it. She cast herself at the feet 
of the prince, exclaiming, " For God's mercy, my dear lord, have 
the goodness to inquire about the king my lord, who has been 
treacherously made prisoner by some means unknown to us ; and 
exert yourself in such manner that, through pity to us, and the love 
of God, we may have him back again." "The prince courteously 
replied as follows : " Certainly, fair lady and cousin, this capture is 
highly displeasing to us ; and we will provide shortly a remedy for 
it. I beg, therefore, you will not be cast down, but take comfort ; 
for when once tliis expedition is over, he shall be delivered : this I 
faithfully promise, for I will attend to nothing else : immediately on 
our return, you shall have him restored to you." 

The queen of Navarre then departed. But one of her noble 
knights, called don Martin de la Carra, undertook to conduct the prince 
through the kingdom of Navarre, and to procure guides for the amiy ; 
otherwise they would not have been able to have found the roads, or 
the easiest passes through the mountains. 

The prince broke up his encampment, and began his march. They 
came to a place called Echarriaranas, where they met with many 
difficulties ; for it was a narrow pass, with very bad roads. In ad- 
dition to this, there was a great scarcity of provision ; for they found 
nothing on this road until they arrived at Salvatierra, which is a very 
good town, situated in a fertile and rich country according to the ap- 
pearance of the adjoining lands.t This town of Salvatierra is on the 
confines of Navarre, on the road to Spain, and was attached to 



* A small village on the frontiers of Navarre.— Ed. 
I t This was a trick of Uie king of Navarre, thinking to exculpate himself for havmg 
suiFered the prince of Wales to pass through his strong country : for he had, hefore his 
last treaty with the prince, entered into one of a contrary tendency with the king of Ar- 
ragon and king Henry. 

t According to the map of Spain by JaiUot, 1781, Salvatiena is in the division of Gui- 
pli3C0a. in the principality of Biscay. 



king Henry. The whole army spread itself over the country. The 
free companies advanced eagerly toward Salvatierra, in hopes to take 
it by assault and plunder it : they much wished to do so : for they 
had learnt there were great riches collected, which had been biought 
thither from all the neighborhood, confiding in the strength of ita 
castle. The inhabitants of Salvatierra, however, were too wise to 
wait for this danger : they well knew they could not withstand the 
great army of the prince, if he should think proper to lead it against 
them : they came and surrendered themselves to don Pedro, craving 
his pardon, and presenting to him the keys of their town. By the 
advice of the prince, don Pedro forgave them, or they would have 
fared worse, for he wished to destroy them : however, they were all 
pardoned ; and the prince, don Pedro, the king of Majorca, and the 
duke of Lancaster, entered the town, where they took up their quar- 
ters : the earl of Armagnac and the rest lodged themselves in the 
villages round about. 

We will for a while leave the prince, to speak of that advanced 
corps which was in Navarretta. The before-named knights, who 
had remained there, were very desirous of distinguishing themselves : 
for they had advanced five days' march before their main antiy. 
They made frequent excursions from Navarretta to the country of 
their enemies, to find out where they lay and what they were doing. 
King Henry was encamped in the open plain, with his whole army. 
He was desirous of hearing some intelligence of the prince, and 
much surprised that his herald did not return. 

His people made also daily excursions, to learn something of the 
English, and even advanced near to Navarretta ; so that don Telle, 
brother to king Henry, was informed there was an enemy's garrison 
in that town ; which made him resolve to go thither with a greater 
force, in a more regular manner, to see if what he had heard were 
true. But before this was done, it happened that the English knights 
made, one evening, so long an excursion, that they fell in with king 
Henry's quarters. A grand skirmish was the consequence, which 
threw the whole army into a great alarm. They slew some, and 
made several prisoners : in jjartieular, the knight who commanded 
the guard was taken, without loss to themselves, and carried clear 
off. On the morrow, they sent a herald to tlie prince, who was at Sal- 
vatierra, to inform him what they had discovered. They told him 
the situation the enemy had chosen, and what numbers they con- 
sisted of; for they had obtained every information I'rom their pris. 
oners. The prince was delighted with this intelligence, and with tlie 
good success of his knights. 

King Henry was much enraged that the English who were quar. 
tered at Navarretta should thus alarm his army, and said that he 
would advance toward them. He therefore decamped with all his 
army, designed to fix his quarters in the plains near Vittoria : he 
crossed the river* which runs near Navarretta, in order to march to 
that country. 

Sir William Felton, as soon as he heard that don Henry had passed 
the river, and was on his march toward the prince, held a council of 
all the knights who were with him. They determined to quit their 
present quarters, and take the field in order to be satisfied of the 
truth in regard to the Spaniards. They therefore marched from 
NavaiTetta, sending information to the prince, that king Henry was 
advancing toward him in great force, and that, from appearances, he 
seemed desirous to meet him. When the prince received the news 
at Salvatierra, where he still was, that king Henry liad crossed the 
river, and was on his march to meet him, he was right glad, and 
said aloud to those about him : " By my faith, this bastard is a bold 
and gallant knight, and shows great valor and enterprise in thus 
coming to seek us. Since he is as eager to find us as we are desir- 
ous of meeting him, it is most probable it will so happen, and a com. 
bat ensue. Our best way, therefore, ,will be to decamp hence 
immediately, in order to gain possession of Vittoria before our 
enemies." 

The prince and his a.rmy marched from Salvatierra very early in 
the following morning, and halted at Vittoria, where he found sir 
William Felton and his party, whom he graciously entertained, ask- 
ing them different questions. While they were thus discoursing, the 
scouts brought news that they had seen the scouts of the enemy, 
and were certain that king Henry and his whole army was not far 
distant, from the signals they had observed, and from the demeanor 
of the Spaniards, The prince, on hearing this, ordered the trumpets 
to sound an alarum through the army ; which being heard, eveiy man 
made for liis post. They were all instantly drawn up in regular order 
of battle ; for each man had been informed what he was to do before 
he had left Salvatierra, so that every man made directly for his ban- 
ner. It was a noble sight to see so great a number of banners and 
pennons, ornamented with different arms.t 

The vanguard was excellently well drawn up, under the com- 
mand of the duke of Lancaster. With him were, sir .lohn Chandos, 



* I imagine this must be the Ebro ; for by the map, tliere is no river that runs near 
Navarretta which it was necessary for don Henry to crosrin his march from St. DoiBiugo 
de la Cul^ada, where he was encamped, to Vittoria in Biscay. 

Barnes says, don Henry advanced as far as St. Miguel to meet tlie English ; but it is 
not so in my copies, nor can I find St. Miguel in my maps. It seems, however, probable, 
as Vittoria was far distant, and out of the line to Navarretta. 

t Ther might have been sene gre.at nobleness, and baners and penons beaten with 
annes waning in the wynde. What shulde I say more ? It was great nobleness to 
bebolde : the vanward was so well ranged that it was inarueyle to beholde.— Lord 

BERNERd. 



164 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



constable of Aquitainc, with a great retinue, and in fine order. 
Many received the order of kniglithood. Tlie duke of Lancaster, in 
the vanguard, knighted as many as twelve ; among whom were, sir 
Ralph Camois, sir Walter Loring, and sir Thomas Danvery. Sir 
Johntrhandos advanced some good squires to that honor in his divi. 
sion ; such as Mr. Cotton, Mr. Clifton,* Mr. Prior, William Firme- 
ton, Aimery de Rochechouart, Girard de la Motte and Robert Briquet. 

The prince made also several knights ; first, don Pedro, king of 
Spain, sir Thomas Holland, the son of the princess, his lady, sir 
Philip and Sir Denis Courtenay, sir John Covet, sir Nicholas Bond, 
and many more. The other lords bestowed similar honors on their 
battalions ; so that there were upward of three hundred knights, 
who remained drawn up the whole day, waiting for their enemies, 
to give them battle, if they had advanced to them ; but they did not 
come nearer than where the scouts were. 

King Henry was expecting great reinforcementa from Arragon; 
and he waited also for sir Bertrand du Guesclin, who was coming to 
his assistance with upward of four thousand combatants ; for he was 
not desirous of engaging before their amval. The prince was not 
displeased at this delay ; for his rear-divisions, which consisted of 
more than si.x thousand men, were above seven country leagues be. 
hind. The prince was, during the whole time he lay before Vittoria, 
in the greatest anguish of mind at their being so long in coming up to 
him. Nevertheless, had the Spaniards thought proper to advance 
nearer them with the intent of offering battle, the prince, without 
waiting for this division, would not have refused the combat. 



CHAPTER CCXXXIX. 

THE ARRIVAL OF SIR BERTRAND DU GUESCLIN, TO THE AID OF KING HENRY. 
DON TELLO ATTACKS TUE ADVANCED GUARD OF THE FRINGE OF WALES 
DEFEATS SIR WILLIAIH FELTON AND HIS BODY OF MEN. 

When evening came, the two marshals, sir Guiscard d'Angle and 
sir Stephen Cossington, ordered every man to retire to his quarters ; 
but, on the trumpets sounding on the morrow morning, they were all 
to take the field in the same position they had done before. Every 
one obeyed these orders, except sir William Felton and his company, 
whom I have before mentioned. They left the prince that same 
evening, and advanced farther into the country, to learn the state of 
the enemy : they took up their quarters about two leagues distant 
from their army. 

Don Tello happening this very evening to be in his brother king 
Henry's tent, conversing on various topics, said to the king : " Sire, 
you know that our enemies are encamped very near us, and yet none 
of our men think of beating up their quarters. I therefore entreat you 
will give me permission to make an excursion toward them lo-morrow 
morning, with a detached body of the army, who are well inclined : 
I promise you to advance so far that we will biing you back certain 
news of them, and what they are about." King Henry, observing the 
eagerness of his brother, wished not to baulk liim, and gave his con- 
sent directly. 

At this same hour, sir Bertrand du Guesclin, with upward of four 
thousand fighting men, arrived at the army, from France and Arra- 
gon. The king was much rejoiced at this : he received them in the 
most honorable and gracious manner, as was becoming him to do. 
Don Tello was anxious not to let his plan sleep, but immediately 
mentioned it to several of his friends who he knew would join him. 
He would have done the same to sir Bertrand du Guesclin, sir Ar- 
nold d'Andreghen, the b^gue de ViUaines and the viscount de Roque. 
bertin, if he had dared; but, as they were just arrived, he did not: 
besides, king Henry had forbidden him to speak to them on this sub- 
ject. Don Tello, therefore, left them alone. Nevertheless, he had 
with him some French and Arragonian knights, who had been with 
the army the whole season : he had exerted himself so much that, in 
the whole, he had collected a body of more than sLx thousand horse- 
men, well mounted and accoutred. His brother, don Sancho, accom- 
panied him. 

At the first break of day, they were all ready mounted. They left 
the army, advancing in good order toward the quarters of the English. 
About sunrise, they met, in a valley, part of sir Hugh Calverly's com- 
pany, with his baggage, who had slept about a league distant from the 
main army, and also sir Hugh himself. When the Spaniards and 
French perceived them, they immediately attacked and defeated 
them. The greater part were slain, and the baggage seized : but sir 
Hugh, who was behind, had taken another road : he was, however, 
seen, pureued, and forced to fly with all his attendants, as fast as they 
could, to the army of the duke of Lancaster. The Spaniards, who 
were upward of six thousand in one body, rode on, and made a vio- 
lent assault upon the outskirts of the quai'ters of the vanguard, under 
the command of the duke of Lancaster. They began to shout, " Caa- 
tille !" with loud cries, to overthrow tents, huts, and everything that 
came in their way, killing and wounding all that opposed them ; so 
that when the vanguard heard this noise, the leaders as well as men 
were alarmed, and. hastened to arm themselves and draw up before 
the lodgings of the duke of Lancaster, who wa-s already armed, with 
his banner flying in front. The English and Gascons hurried to the 
field, each lord to his banner or pennon, according to the arrangements 



* This name is given according to Barnes. Lord Beioers says CUsson.— Er>. 



made at Salvatierra, supposing that they were instantly to have a. 
general engagement. 

The duke of Lancaster marched straight for a small hill : he was 
followed by sir John Chandos, the two marshals, and several other 
knights, who drew themselves up in order of battle. After a short 
time, the prince and don Pedro came thither, and, as they advanced, 
formed themselves in like manner. 

Don Tello and his brother were also very desirous of gaining this 
eminence, it being a favorable position ; but they were disappointed 
in their wishes, as you have just heard. When, therefore, they saw 
that they could not attempt it, without great risk, for the whole Eng- 
lish army was in motion, they formed themselves into a compact body, 
to return to their own army, and thus retreated, marching in handsome 
array, and hoping to have some fortunate adventure ere they got 
home. Before they had retired, several gallant actions were per- 
formed ; for some of the English and Gascons had quitted their ranks, 
to tilt with these Spaniards, many of whom they had unhorsed : but 
the main body of the English army remained upon the mountain, 
expecting a general engagement. 

When the Spaniards, in their retreat from the prince's army, were 
approaching their own, they met the detached part of the English 
under the command of sir William Felton and his brother, sir Hugh 
Hastings, sir Richard Causton, the earl of Angus, and many more, 
who might amount in the whole to two hundred knights and squires, 
as well Gascons as English. They immediately charged them in a 
wide valley, shouting out, " Castiile, for king Henry !" The above- 
named knights, perceiving they had but little chance of success against 
such superior numbers as the Spaniards were, comforted themselves 
the best they could, and, advancing into the plain, took possession of 
a small eminence, where they drew up in order of battle. The Span- 
iards marched toward them, and halted to consider what woidd be the 
most advantageous manner of fighting them. 

Sir William Felton performed that day a most brilliant action : 
descending the hill full gallop, with his lance in its rest, he dashed 
into the midst of the Spaniards, when meeting a Spanish knight, he 
he drove his spear with such force, it passed through his armor, body 
and all, and threw him dead on the ground. Sir William was sur- 
rounded on all sides ; but he fought as manfully as any knight could 
have done, and did them much mischief before they were able to 
bring hira down. His brother and the other knights were witnesses, 
from the eminence, of his valor, and the gallant acts he was doing, 
as well as the peril he was in ; but it was out of their power to assist 
him, without running every risk themselves. They remuined, there, 
fore, steadily upon the mountain in order of battle. The knight fought 
as long as his strength lasted, but in the end was unfortunately slain. 

The French and Spaniards, after this, began to attack the English, 
and to endeavor to take them that had drawn themselves up on the 
hill. That day, many good actions were done. At one time, they 
made a general attack, and descended in a body upon their enemies ; 
and then, wheeling suddenly about, they wisely regained their moun- 
tain, where they remained until high noon. Had the jirince known 
their dangerous situation, he would have relieved them ; but he waft 
quite ignorant of it. They were therefore obliged to wait the issue 
of this business in the best way they could. 

When the combat had been thus carried on, advancing and retreat- 
ing, until the hour I have mentioned, don Tello, tired at their holding 
out so long, ciied angrily aloud : " My lords, shall we remain here 
all the day, with this handful of men ? By St. Jago, we ought to 
have swallowed them up before this time. Forward I forward ! let 
us attack them in a better and more vigorous manner than before. 
One cannot gain anything without t.iking some pains." Upon hear- 
ing this, the Spaniards and French advanced courageously, mounted 
the hill, with their spears presented before them, in such close order 
and in such numbers, that the English could neither break nor force 
through them. Many valorous deeds were done on this mountain ; 
for the English and Gascons defended themselves most valiantly, but, 
from the moment the Spaniards had gained the hill, they could not 
make any long resistance. They were all taken or slain ; and not 
one of the knights escaped : only a few boys saved themselves by 
the fleetness of their horses, who returned to the army of the prince, 
which had all that day continued drawn up in battle array, in the 
expectation of an engagement. 



CHAPTER CCXL. 

SIR ARNOLD D'ANDREGHEN GIVES GOOD ADVICE TO KING HENRY OF CASTILLE. 
THE PRINCE OF WALES SENDS A TARDY ANSWER TO THE KING'S LETTER. 

After having conquered the before -named knights, don Tello and 
don Sancho returned with their detachment in great joy to the army, 
and went in the evening to the quarters of king Henry. The two 
brothers who had been in this expedition made a present to the king 
of their prisoners, and related to him, in the presence of sir Bertrand 
du Guesclin, sir Arnold d'Andreghen and others, how the day had 
passed, and what road they had taken ; how they had first fallen in 
with the people of sir Hugh Calverly, whom they had slain or chased 
even to the army of the English : that they had beaten up the quar. 
ters of the duke of Lancaster, alarmed the whole army, and done 
much miscliief : that upon their retreat they had met those knighta. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



165 



whom they had taken prisoners. King Henry, who had listened to 
tiua account with great pride, replied most graciously to liis brother, 
don Tello, and said : "Amiable brother, well have you performed 
your promise : I will reward you handsomely for it; and I feel, that 
all the rest of our enemies must ultimately come to this pass." 

Sir Arnold d'Andreghen, on this, stepped forth and said : " Sire, 
sire, with your permission, I wish not to doubt your majesty's words, 
but to make an amendment by informing you, tliat when you shall 
meet the prince of Wales in battle, you will find men-at-arms such 
aa they ought to be ; for with him is the flower of chivaliy of the 
whole world, and hardy and tough combatants : those who, in truth, 
would rather die on the spot than think of flying. It therefore 
behoves you to weigh maturely this point, before you determine : and, 
if you will believe what I am going to say, you may take them all, 
without striking a stroke. You have only to guard the passes and 
defiles, so that no provision can be brought them, when famine will 
do die business for you : they must then return back to their own 
country in disorder and spiritless, so that you may easily gain your 
object, and defeat them without stiaking a blow." 

King Henry answered, " By the soul of my father, marshal, I have 
such a desire to see this prince, and to try my strength with him, that 
we will never part without a battle. Thank God, I have enow of 
men to assist me. In the first place, there are already in our army 
seven thousand men-at-arms, each mounted on a good courser, and 
so well covered with armor that they fear not the arrows of the archer. 
In addition, I have twenty thousand more, mounted on genets and 
armed from head to foot. ' I have besides forty thousand common 
soldiers, with lances, darts and shields, who will do much service, 
for they have all sworn they will rather die than leave me ; so that, 
my lord marshal, I ought not to be afraid, but rather place great con- 
fidence in the power of God and of my men." Tims ended this 
conversation : wine and spices were brought in by some knights, of 
which the king and the lords present partook ; and then they all retired 
to their quarters. The knights and squhes who had that day been 
made prisoners, gave their oaths as such, and were put under the 
care of difierent knights. 

We will return to the prince, to speak of his arrangements. He 
and the duke of Lancaster had remained in the position they had 
taken in the morning, until about vespers, when they were informed 
that their advanced detachment had been all taken or killed ; at 
which they were much vexed, but they could not then amend it. 
They retired to their quarters, where they remained that night. On 
the morrow morning, they called a council, and determined to leave 
their present position, to advance more into the country. They de- 
camped, and took up their quarters nearer to Vittoria, marching full 
armed, as if immediately to engage ; for they had heard that king 
Hemy and his brothers, with their anny, were not far distant : how- 
ever, they made no advances to meet them. 

You must know, the prince and his brother were in great want of 
provision for themselves and their horses, as they had entered a very 
barren country, while king Henry and his army enjoyed a quite con- 
trary situation. A loaf of bread, and of no great size, was sold in 
the prince's army for a florin ; and many were very eager to pay this 
price, whenever they were able to get it. The weather was also 
extremely bad, with high wind, rain and snow ; and in this miser- 
able distressing plight they remained for six days. 

When the prince and his lords found the Spaniards make no ad- 
vances to offer them battle, and that their distress was great where 
they were, they held a council, and resolved to seek elsewhere for 
a passage over the Ebro. They therefore decamped, and took the 
road toward Navarretta, through a country called La Guardia, which 
having passed, they came to a town called Viana. There the prince, 
the duke of Lancaster, the earl of Armagnac and the other lords, 
halted two days, to refresh themselves. They then crossed the river 
which divides Castillo from Navarre, at the bridge of Logrono, in the 
midst of gardens and olive trees. They found there a richer country 
than that, which they had left ; but even here they were much dis- 
tressed for want of provision. 

When king Henry was told that the prince and his army had 
crossed the Ebro at the bridge of Logrono, he left St. Miguel, where 
he had kept his quarters for a long time, advanced to Najarra upon 
the same river, ^nd there encamped. News was soon brought to the 
prince of king Henry's approach. This gave him great joy ; and he 
said aloud, " By St. George, this bastard proves himself a valiant 
knight, from the desire he shows to meet us in battle. We shall 
certainly soon see each other ; for we cannot fail doing so much 
longer." He then summoned his brother, the duke of Lancaster, 
and some other barons of his council who were there, and wrote, 
with tlieir advice, an answer to the letter which king Henry had 
sent to him, in the following terms : 

" Edwakd, by the grace of God, prince of Wales and of Aquitaine, 
to the renowned Henry earl of Trastamare, who at this present time 
calls himself king of Castille : 

" Whereas you have sent to us a letter by your herald, in which, 
among other things, mention is made of your desire to know why 
we have admitted to our friendship your enemy, our cousin the king 
don Pedro, and upon what pretext we are carrying on a war against 
you, and have entered Castille with a large army ; in answer to this, 
we inform you, that it is to maintain justice and in support of reason, 



as it behoveth all kings to do, and also to preserve the firm alliances 
made by our lord the king of England, with the king don Pedro, in 
former times. But as you are nmch renowned among all good 
knights, we would wish, if it were possible, to make up these dif- 
ferences between you both ; and we would use such earnest en. 
treaties with our cousin, the king don Pedro, that you should have a 
large portion of the kingdom of Castille, but you must give up all 
pretensions to the crown of that realm, as well as to its inheritance. 
Consider well this proposition ; and know further, that we shall enter 
the kingdom of Castille by whatever place shall be most agreeable 
to us. Written at Logrono, the 30th day of March, 1367." 

When this letter was finished, folded up and sealed, it was given 
to the herald who had brought king Henry's, and who had waited for 
an answer for three weeks. He took his leave of the prince and the 
other lords, and rode on until he came to Navarretta, near to which 
place the king was encamped upon the heath. He made for the 
king's tent, followed by the principal lords of the army, who, having 
heard of the return of the herald, were anxious to know what news 
he had brought. 

The herald, on his knees, presented the king the letter which the 
prince had sent by him. The king took and opened it, calling sir 
Bertrand du Guesclin, and some of the lords of his council, to its 
perusal. When the letter had been read and well considered, sir 
Bern-and du Guesclin thus spoke to king Henry : " Sire, be assured 
that very shortly you must have a battle : from what I know of the 
prince, I am convinced that it must be so. I therefore advise you to 
look well to this business, to order and arrange your men the best pos- 
sible manner." "Sir Bertrand," replied king Henry, "in God's 
name so it shall be. I have no dread of the prince's army : for I have 
three thousand barbed horses, which will be on our two wings, seven 
thousand warders,* and upward of twenty thousand men-at-arms, the 
best that can be found in all Castille, Gallicia, Portugal, Cordova and 
Sicily, besides ten thousand cross-bows, and full fortyt thousand foot, 
armed with lances, darts, swords and all sorts of weapons, who have 
sworn to die rather than desert me. I trust, therefore, sir Bertrand, 
that through God's grace, in whom I put my trust, we shall have the 
best of it, as well as from the justice of our right in this affair. I 
therefore entreat you all to be of good courage." 

Thus the king and sir Bertrand conversed together, as well as on 
different subjects, laying aside all thoughts of the letter which the 
prince had sent, for king Henry was determined to have a battle. 
Don Tello and don Sancho began to draw up their men in proper 
order, and to busy themselves in preparing everything : they were 
much esteemed, for the success of their late expedition. But we 
must now return to the prince, and show how he was going on. 



CHAPTER CCXLI. 

THE BATTLE OF NAVAKRETTA, WHICH THE PRINCE OF WALES, SUPPORTINS 
THE PART OF KING DON PEDRO AGAINST HIS BROTHER THE BASTARD, 
GAINS. SIR BERTRAND Di; GUESCLIN IS MADE PRISONER, AND KINS 
HENKV FORCED TO FLY, AFTER HATING FOUGHT MOST VALIANTLY. 

On Friday, the 2nd of April, the prince decamped from Logrono, 
where he and all his army had halted. He marched in order of 
battle, as if an engagement were on the point of commencing ; for 
he knew that king Henry was not far distant. After having marched 
about two leagues, he arrived before the town of Navarretta, about 
nine o'clock, where he took up his quarters. As soon as they had 
dismounted, the prince sent his scouts, to obsei-ve the countenance 
of the enemy and where they lay. These scouts, being mounted on 
the best of horses, left the army, and advanced until they saw the 
whole of the Spanish force encamped upon the heaths beyond 
Navarretta : they instantly informed the prince of this, who was 
very glad to hear it. Toward evening he gave out secret orders for 
the army to hold itself in readiness at the first sound of his trumpet : 
that at the second sound it should arm, and on the third mount, and 
immediately follow the banners of the marshals and the pennon of 
St. George ; and that no one, under pain of death, should break his 
rank, without being ordered so to do. 

King Henry had done exactly as the prince of Wales, and had 
sent out his scouts on this Friday evening, to learn the condition of 
the prince's army, what appearance they made, and where they were 
quartered. Those sent brought back true intelligence : upon hear- 
ing it, the king and sir Bertrand held a consultation on the subject. 
They made their men sup and go to bed very early, that they might 
be more fresh and hearty by midnight, when they were commanded 
to make themselves ready, arm, and take the field in batde-array ; 
for they well knew that a battle must ensue on the morrow. The 
Spaniards, therefore, made themselves merry, for they had where- 
withal largely to do so : but the English were in the greatest want 
of provision ; for which reason they were anxious to fightl. 

The trumpets of king Henry sounded at rhidnight : on which, his 
whole army was on foot : at the second blast, they left their tents, 



*Tliis word in D. Sauvage is " guetteurs"— a warder, a watcher, or a spy: this is not 
very mtelligible. Lord Berners says gcnetours ; that is, men mounted on the light 
Spanish horses called g-cne(5.— Ed. 

t D Sauvage and Lord Berners say sizti/.—Eo, 

X They had great desyre to fght ruther to icymc or to lese all.— LoRO BERNERS. 



166 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



The first battalion 



Roquebertin, a viscount of Arragon. 

pionprs as well from France as froir. , - »i i 

two baro- f— " "---•It- the lord d' Antomg and s-;r Alard 
lord de Brisucil, 



Under him were all the for. 
from France as from other countries : among whom 
barons from Hainault, the lord d' Antoing and s-;r 

There was also in this division the bfegue de Vil- 
laines, the bfegue de ViUiers, sir John de Bergettes, sir Gauvam de 
BaiUeul, I'Allemant de Saint Venant, who was there created a 
Slight, with many other knights from Arragon, France, Provence 
^^d'the neighbon'ng countries. There were m this battahon full 
four thousand knights and squires, excellently armed, and drawn 
up according to the French manner. , , , , 

Don Tello and his brother don Sancho commanded the second 
division. There were under them twenty-five thousand lancemen, 
as well on horse as on foot,* who drew up a little behmd the division 
of sir Bertrand, on his left hand. 

The third and largest battalion without comparison, was com- 
manded by king Henry himself. There were in it, and drawn up in 
aiTay, upward of seven thousand horsemen and fortyt thousand in- 
fantry among the cross-bowmen. , , , 

When they were thus formed, king Henry mounted a handsome 
and strong mule, according to the custom of his country, and rode 
through the ranks, paying his compliments to the lords, gi-aciously 
entreatini' them to exert themselves this day in defending his honor, 
and pointing out to everv one of them what they were to do with so 
much cheerfulness and good-humor, that they were all in high spirits. 
After he had thus visited his army, he returned to his own battahon. 
It was soon broad day. About sunrise, they began their march 
toward Navarretta, in order of battle, to meet and engage the 

enemy. , , , , ■ 

The prince of Wales, as it has been before related, drew up his 
army in the manner he intended they should engage, while he lay 
before Vittoria, when the enemy did not appear according to his 
expectations. He had not since then made any alterations concern- 
ing it, and had always marched in this order. At break of day, 
therefore, the prince's army took the field, marching in battle-array, 
as expecting to meet the Spaniards. No one advanced before the 
battalion of" the marshals excepting those who received orders, as 
scouts ; and the two leaders, as well as both the armies, knew, from 
the intelligence of the scouts, that they should shortly meet; they 
therefore marched forward with a gentle pace. 

When the sun was risen it was a beautiful sight to view these bat- 
talions, with their brilliant armor glittering with its beams. In this 
manner, they nearly approached to each other. The prince, with a 
few attendants, mounted a small hill, and saw very clearly the enemy 
marching straight toward them. Upon descending this hill, he 
extended his line of battle in the plain, and then halted. The 
Spaniards, seeing the English had halted, did the same in order of 
battle ; then each man tightened his armor, and made ready as for 
instant combat. 

Sir John Chandos advanced in front of the battalions, with his 
banner uncased in his hand. He presented it to the prince, saying : 
" My lord, here is my banner ; I present it to you, that I may dis. 
play it in whatever manner shall be most agreeable to you ; for 
thanlis to God, I have now sufficient lands to enable me so to do, 
and maintain the rank which it ought to hold." The prince, don 
Pedro being present, took the banner in his hands, which was bla- 
zoned with°a sharp stake gules on a field argent : after having cut 
off the tail to make it square, he displayed it, and, returning it to 
him by the handle, said : " Sir John, I return you your banner. 
God give you strength and honor to preserve it.t" 

Upon this, sir John left the prince, went back to his men with the 
banner in his hand, and said to them: "Gentlemen, behold my 
banner and yours : you will therefore guard it as it becomes you." 
His companions, taking the banner, replied with much cheerfulness, 
that " if it pleased God and St. George, they would defend it well, 
and act worthily of it, to the utmost of their abilities." The banner 
was put into the hands of a worthy English squire, called William 
Allestry, who bore it with honor that day, and loyally acquitted 
himself" in the service. The English and Gascons soon after dis. 
mounted on the heath, and assembled very orderly together, each 



♦Lord Bernerssays, "In- that batayle witli the ^oietours there were^fecTi thousand 
a fute and a liorseback." D. Sauvage here uses the word Qenctaircs instead oC 
euettexirs, but no reason appears Ibi Mr. Jobnes's omitting it altogether. The differ- 
ence in tile numbers is remarkable. D. Sauvage liad this note in thematfiin; "The 
abridgments say sUtecii thousand ; but Sala adds horses only ; and La Chaux, simply 
men.— En. 

t Lord BerneR and D. Sauvage both say six(]/.— Ed. 

t This ceremony gave Chandos the rank of Knight Banneret, which it is surprising 
that he, who lind seen so many stricken fields, bad not received before. This order of 
knighthood was llie most honorable, being conferred oirly on the field of battle. All 
ttie treatises on heraldry say that it must be conferred after the battle, although in this 
case we see an instance of its being obtained before the fight, the strict rule being 
probably waived in consideration of the knight's former fields. It is generally supposed 
that this order, which took precedence of all others below barons, and whose members Partenay 
were anciently called to parliament by summons, originated in the reign of Edward I., 
butEdmondson in his Body of Heraldry says they were first created in 736: be does not 
however (juote any authority in support of his assertion. The order was hereditary in 
France, but in England endured only for lite. Knights Bannerets were allowed to 
bear arms with supporters, which is denied to all others under lire degree of a baron. 
The last Knighf Banneret created in England was sir John Smith, who was advanced 
to the dignity after the battle of Edgehill for rescuing the royal standard; he was slain 
ia battle at Airebford in Hampshire.— Ed. 



lord under his banner or pennon, in the same battle array as whea 
they passed the mountains. 

It was delightful to see and examine these banners and pennons, 
with the noble anny that was under them. The two armies began 
to move a little, and to approach nearer each other ; but, before they 
met, the prince of Wales, with eyes and hands uplifted toward 
heaven, exclaimed : " God of truth, the Father of Jesus Christ, who 
has made and fashioned me, condescend, through thy benign grace, 
that the success of the batde of this day may be forme and my anny; 
for thou knowest, that in truth I have been solely emboldened to 
undertake it in the support of justice and reason, to reinstate tliis 
king upon liis throne, who has been disinherited and driven from it, 
as well as from his country." After these words, he extended his 
right arm, took hold of don Pedro's hand, who was by his side, and 
added, " Sir king, you shall this day know whether you will have 
anything in the kingdom of Castille or not." He then cried out, 
"Advance, banners, in the name of God and St. George !" 

As he said this, the duke of Lancaster and sir John Chandos came 
up to him. The duke said to sir William Beauchamp : " William, 
there are our enemies ; you shall see me this day act like a true 
knight, or die for it." At these words, the two armies advanced. 
The first conflict was between the battalion of the duke of Lancaster 
and sir John Chandos and that of sir Bertrand du Guesclin and the 
marshal d'Andreghen, who had under thenr four thousand men-at- 
arms. At its commencement, there was a terrible medley of spears 
and shields. They were in this situation a considerable time before 
they could make any opening into each other. Many gallant deeds 
were performed, anil many a knight unhorsed, who could not again 
raise himself. 

When these two divisions were thus engaged, the others were not 
willing to remain idle, but advanced to the combat with eagerness. 
The prince of Wales, accompanied by the king don Pedro of Castille, 
and don Martin de la Carra, who represented the king of Navarre, 
charged the division wliich was commanded by don Tello and don 
Sancho. But it seems that, as the prince and his battalion were on 
the point of engaging, a sudden panic seized don Tello, so that he 
wheeled about, and fled in disorder without striking a blow, carrying 
with him two thousand cavalry of his division. No one knew how- 
to account for this conduct. This second division was no sooner 
broken than it was discomfited ; for the captal de Buch and the lord 
de Clisson, quitting the battalion of the earl d'Armagnac with their 
men, fell upon them, and slew and wounded immense numbers. The 
prince and don Pedro, upon this, advanced to the division commanded 
by king Henry, in which there were at least forty thousand men, as 
well on foot as on horseback. The fight now began in earnest on 
all sides ; for the Spaniards and Castillians had slings, from which 
they threw stones with such force as to break helmets and scull-caps, 
so that they wounded and unhorsed many of their opponents. The 
English archers, according to their custom, shot sharply with their 
bows, to the great annoyance and death of the Spaniards. On one 
side, there were shouts of " Castille, for king Henry !" on the other, 
" St. George, for Guienne !" 

During tliis time, the first battalion, commanded by the duke of 
Lancaster, sir John Chandos, and the two marshals, sir Guiscard 
d'Angle and sir Stephen Cossington, was warmly engaged with that 
of sir Bertrand du Guesclin andthe other knights from Arragon and 
France. Many valorous actions were done ; and each tried his 
strength to open a passage through the enemy. Several fought with 
their spears in both hands, with which they dealt about lustily their 
blows ; others made use of short swords and daggers. At the com- 
mencement the French and Arragonians made a desperate resistance, 
and gave the good knights of England much trouble. 

Sir John Chandos showed himself an able knight, and perfomied 
many gallant deeds under his banner ; but, in his eagerness in fighting 
and driving his enemies before him, he was so far engaged as to be 
surrounded, and in the crowd unhorsed. A large man of Castille, 
called Martin Ferrand, who was much renowned for courage among 
the Spaniards, threw himself upon him with a determined resolution 
to kill him, and kept him down in the greatest danger. Sir John, 
however, bethought himseh' of a knife he had in his bosom, which 
he drew, and struck so well with it this Martin in the sides and back 
that he gave him his death-blow as he was lying under him : he then 
turned him over, and rose up as speedily as he could : his people 
were now all ready about him, for they had with great diflicuUy 
broken through the crowd to come to the place where he had fallen. 
It was on a Saturday, in the morning, between Najarra and Navar- 
retta, that this severe and bloody battle was fought, in which multi- 
tudes of men were slain. In this engagement many were the bril- 
liant actions performed by the prince of Wales, his brother the duke 
of Lancaster, sir John Chandos, sir Guiscard d'Angle, the captal de 
BucJi, the lords de Clisson and de Raix, sir Hugh Galverly, sir Mat- 
thew Gournay, sir Louis de Harcourt, the lords de Pons and de 
On the other hand, among the Gascons, the lords d'Ar- 
magnac, d'Albret, de Pommiers and his two brothers, de Mucident, 
de Rosem, the earis de Perigord, de Comminges, de Carniain, the 
lords de Condon, de I'Esparre, de Chaumont, de Pincornet, Btirtholo- 
mew de Cande, de Geronde, sir Bernard d'Albret, sir Aiinery de 
Tarse, the souldich de I'Estrade, sir Petiton de Courton, with many 
other knights and squires, gave equal proofs of gallantry. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



16T 



Under the pennon of St. George, and attached to the banner of 
sir John Chandos, were the free companies, who had in the whole 
twelve hundred streamers.* Among them were good and hardy 
knights and squires, whose courage was proof; namely, sir Robert 
Cheney, sir Perducas d'Albret, Robert Briquet, sir Garsis du Chastel, 
sir Gaillard Viguier, sir John Charnels, Nandon de Bagerant, Ayme. 
mon d'Ortige, Perrot de Savoye, le bourg Camus, le bourg de I'Es- 
parre, le bourg de Breteuil, Espiote, and several others. I must 
therefore say, that sir Bertrand du Guesclin, sir Arnold d'Andreghen, 
don Sancho, don Gomez Garilz,t and the French and Arragonian 
knights who had engaged witli this battalion, did not find themselves 
the better for it, as these companies were composed of tried men, 
who had been long accustomed to arms. 

There were besides many other knights and squires from England, 
under tlie banners of the duke of Lancaster and sir John Chandos; 
among wliom were sir William Beauchamp, son to the earl of War- 
wick, sir Ralph Camois, sir Walter Urswick, sir Thomas de Demery, 
sir John Grandison, sir John Draper, sir John du Pr^-, sir Aimery de 
Rochechouart, sir Gaillard de la Motte, and upward of two hundred 
other knights whom I am not able to name. 

To say the trutli, sir Bertrand du Guesclin, the marshal d'An. 
dreghen, le bfegue de Villaines, the lords d'Antoing and de Briseuil, 
sir Gauvain de BaiUeui, sir John de Bergettes, le bfegue de Villiers, 
I'Allemand de St. Venant, and the good knights who were then from 
France, acquitted themselves most valiantly : truly, had the Spaniards 
as well performed their parts, the English and Gascons would have 
suffered more than they did. 

Those who were near king Henry did their duty like men ; for he 
had before entreated of them to behave courageously. He himself 
set the example, and performed such valorous acts as gave courage 
to all around him. He advanced before those who were beginning 
to give way ai.d fly, calling tn them : " My lords, I am your king. 
You have placed me upon the throne of Castillo, and have sworn 
that you would die sooner than forsake me. For the love of God 
preserve your oaths sacred which you have sworn to me, and behave 
yourselves handsomely in my cause. I will acquit myself toward 
you, for I will not fly one step as long as I shall see you combating 
by my side." By these words, or others of a similar tendency, did 
lung Henry thrice bring back his men to the coaibat. He himself 
behaved so valiantly, that he ought to be much honored and respected. 
This battle was fought with great perils : many were slain, wounded, 
and put to flight. 

The .Spanish commonalty made use of slings, to which they were 
accustomed, and from which they threw large stones which at first 
much annoyed the English ; but when their first cast was over, and 
they felt the sharpness of the English arrows, they kept no longer 
any order. King Henry had in his battalion a large number of good 
men-at-arms, as well from Spain as from Lisbon, Arragon, and Por- 
tugal, who acquitted themselves exceedingly well, and did not give 
up so easily, but fought very courageously with lances and guisarmes,} 
pikes, and swords. He had also upon his two wings bodies of lance- 
men, mounted on excellent coursers, who kept up the courage of his 
division ; for when they saw any part of it likely to be broken, or 
willing to give way, they galloped up to them, and drove them back. 
The English and Gascons had not much advantage here, but what 
they gained from their experience and by dint of deeds of prowess 
and vigor. The prince had indeed with him the flower of chivalry, 
and there were under him the most renowned combatants in the 
whole world. 

A little to the right of the battalion of the prince was the king of 
Majorca and his company, who fought vigorously, and exerted them- 
selves to the best of their power. On the other hand was don Martin 
de la Carra, who represented the king of Navarre, and did his duty 
well. I cannot particularize all that were deserving of notice ; but 
the prince had in his division many well-famed knights from England 
and Gascony : namely, sir Richard de Pontchardon, sir Thomas 
Despenser, sir Thomas Holland, sir Nele Loring, sir Hugh and sir 
Philip Courtenay, sir John Combes, sir Nicholas Bond, sir Thomas 
Combes, and several others, such as the seneschal of Saintonge, sir 
Baldwin de Franville, the high stewards of Bordeaux, of la Rochelle, 
of Poitou, of Angouleme, of Rouergue, of Limousin, of Perigord, sir 
Louis de Marnel, sir Raymond d'Ondueil, and many more. All 
these you must know fought in earnest, as indeed they had need to 
do : for the Spaniards and Castillians were near one hundred thousand 
men in arms, so that tlieir great numbers kept up their courage : there 
could not but be among them many who fought well and did their 
utmost. 

The king don Pedro was much heated, and very anxious to meet 
his brother the bastard : he galloped about, calling out, " Where is 
this son of a whore who calls liiniself king of CastiUc ?" King Henry 
■was engaged in another part of the field, where he fought manfully, 
and kept up the courage of his men, as well as he could, by his 

* " Vennonceaus"—l}ie pejisels, as lord Berners calls them, or flags attached to the 
lance of a knight ; they were in the form of a swallow's tail, and when the points were 
cut off, as in the case of sir Julm Chandos, the flag hecaine a banner, and its master a 
leader.^wilh Irnighu as well as squires under his particular guidance.— Ed, 

t " Gomez Garilz." Gomez (Jarillo di Quintano,— Dillon's PeU-r the Cruel. 

1 Guisarme— "a kind of (off"ensive) long-handled and long-headed weapon: or (as 
the Spanish risarma) a stiff that hath within it two long spikes, which, with a shoot or 
thrust forward, came forth.— Cotorave's DktionaT]/. 



speeches to them ; he said, " My good people, you have made me 
your king, and have crowned me : help me to defend the inheritance 
which you have given to me." By such words as these which he 
every now and then addressed to them, many were so bold and 
valorous that for their honor they fell on the spot, disdaining to fly. 

The division on the side of the Spaniards which behaved the best, 
and was also the best fought with, was that commanded by sir Ber. 
trand du Guesclin ; for there were on both sides true men-at-arms, 
who exerted themselves to the utmost of their abilities. Many gal- 
lant deeds were performed by them. Sir John Chandos distinguished 
himself particularly. He governed, that day, the duke of Lancaster, 
in the same manner he had done the prince of Wales at the battle of 
Poitiers ; for which he was exceedingly praised and honored, as was 
indeed but just ; when such a valiant and good knight thus acquits 
himself toward his lords, ho is worthy of honor and respect. Sir 
John, therefore, during the day, never thought of making any pris- 
oners with his own hand, but was solely occupied in fighting and 
pushing forward. However, many good knights and squires from 
Arragon, France, and Brittany, were made prisoners by his people, 
and under his banner : particularly sir Bertrand du Guesclin, sir 
Arnold d'Andreghen, the bfegue de Villaines, with upward of sixty 
knights ; consequently the battalion of sir Bertrand was discomfited. 
All those who had come thither from France and Anagon were 
either slain or taken. Among the slain was the bfegue de Villiers. 
The lord d'Antoing in Hainault, the lord de Briseuil, sir Gauvin de 
Bailleul, sir John de Bergettes, sir I'Allemand de St. Venant, with 
many others, were made prisoners. 

Upon this the banners and pennons, that is to say, the banner of 
the duke of Lancaster, the banner of sir John Chandos, the banner 
of the two marshals, and the pennon of St. George and others, returned 
toward the division which was commanded by king Henry, shouting 
out, " St. George, forGuienne !" Upon this the Spaniards, and those 
who supported them, were repulsed. On one side, was seen the 
captal de Buch and the lord de Clisson manfully engaged : on another, 
sir Eustace d'Ambreticourt, sir Hugh Calverly, the souldich do I'Es- 
trade, and sh- John Devereux, showed themselves good knights. 

The prince shone preeminently : he proved his noble birth, and 
the gallantry of his knighthood, by his eagerness to seek his enemies,. 
and bravely fighting with them. 

On the other hand, king Henry acquitted himself right valiantly in 
every situation : he more than once rallied his men to the combat ; 
for when they saw don Tello take flight, accompanied by two thou. 
Sand men, they began to be cast down, and the greater part of them 
were so much frightened, that they were willing to follow his ex. 
ample ; but king Henry galloping up to the foremost, said, " My good 
lords, what are you doing ? why would you thus seek to abandon 
and betray me? you who have chosen me for your king, and placed 
the crown of Castille upon my head, giving me the inheritance of it ? 
Return back, and help me to guard, defend, and maintain it : remain 
steady near to me, for, through God's grace, the day shall still be 
ours " By such speeches as these, he encouraged many, and caused 
them to fight boldly : they could not for shame fly, when they saw 
their king and lord act himself so vigorously in the combat, and 
address such friendly words to them. More than fifteen hundred 
persons lost their lives by this management, who would otherwise 
have been saved by taking advantage of a favorable opportunity, it 
it had not been for their love of the king. 

After the defeat of the battalion of sir Bertrand du Guesclin and 
the marshal d'Andreghen, when all the divisions of the prince were 
formed into one large body, the Spaniards could no longer keep their 
ground, but began to fly in great disorder, much frightened, toward 
the town of Najaixa,* and to cross the river which runs by it : in 
spite of everything king Henry could say, they would not rally nor 
return to the fight. 

When king Henry perceived that his army was totally defeated, 
without hopes of recovery, he called for his horse, mounted it, and gal- 
loped among the crowd of runaways, but was careful not to take the 
road either to Najarra or to the river : for he wished not to he sur- 
rounded ; he followed another road, to avoid every danger ; in which 
he acted wisely, as he was fully aware that, if he should be made 
prisoner, he would be slain without mercy. The English and Gas. 
cons now mounted their horses, and went in pursuit of the Spaniards, 
who were flying in dismay, as far as Najarra. There was much 
slaughter and effusion of blood at the entrance of the bridge : many 
were killed and drowned : for great numbers leaped into the river, 
which was both rapid and deep, preferring the being drowned to 
being murdered. 

In this flight, there were two valiant men of Spain, knights at 
amis, who wore, however, the dress of monks : one was called the 
grand prior of St. Jago, the other the grand master of the order of 
Calatrava : they and their attendants threw themselves for safety into 
the town of Najarra, but were so closely pursued by the English and 
Gascons, who were at their heels, that they- won the bridge with 
great slaughter, and entered the town with them. They took poa- 

* D. Sauvage will have it NavarrelUl ; but I think it must beNojarra, for they would 
never run away toward Xavanelta, but on the contrary toward their own homes. The 
battle was fought between Najarra and Navarrelta. A river runs by Nnjarra, none by 
Navarretta. The Ebro is not far distant ; but, if they had crossed that river, there would 
have been mention made of Logrono : and besides, they would then have been in an 
enemy's country. 



•168 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



session of a strong house, which was well built with worked stone : 
but this was soon gained, the knights taken, many of the people 
killed, and the whole town pillaged. The English and Gascons 
gained considerable riches ; they went to the lodgings of king Henry 
and the other Spanish lords, where the first comers found quantities 
■of plate and jewels ; for king Henry and his army had come thither 
with much splendor, and after the defeat had not leisure to return to 
.place in security what they had left behind them in the morning. 

The defeat was very complete and dreadful, especially upon the 
banks of this river, where numbers were slain. Some said, as I have 
heard from those who were there, that the river below Najarra was 
tinged with the blood of men and horses there killed. This battle 
was fought between Najarra and Navarretta, in Spain, on Saturday 
the third day of April, in the year of our Lord 1367. 



CHAPTER CCXLII. 

ALL CASTILLE, AFTER THE BATTLE OF NAVAERETTA, ACKNOWLEDGES DON 
PEDRO. HE PROTRACTS THE STAY OF THE PRINCE OF WALES AT VALLA. 
BOLm, WHILE HE SEEKS FOR MONEY TO PAY THE ARMY. 

After this defeat at the battle of Navarretta, which was com- 
pleted before noon, the prince of Wales ordered his banner to be 
fixed in a bush, on a small eminence, as a rallying-point for his men, 
on their return from the pursuit of the enemy. The duke of Lan- 
caster, sir John Chandos, the lord de Clisson, the captal de Buch, the 
earl of Arraagnac, the lord d'Albret and the other barons came 
■thither ; their banners were displayed to assemble their men, who 
formed themselves under them as they returned. The lord James, 
king of Majorca, was there, with his banner before him : his men 
collected themselves. A little higher was don Martin de la Carra, 
with the banner of his lord, the king of Navarre. In similar order 
were all the other earls and barons drawn up ; so that it was a beau- 
tiful sight to look at and contemplate. 

The king, don Pedro, came thither in a great heat from the pur- 
suit, mounted upon a black courser, with his banner, emblazoned 
with the arms of Castille, borne before him : he dismounted as soon 
as he perceived the banner of the prince, and advanced toward it. 
When the prince saw him coming, he hastened, out of respect, to 
meet him. Don Pedro would have cast liimself on his knees, to 
return thanks to the prince, but he would not suffer it, and took him 
by the hand ; upon which don Pedro said : "Dear and fair cousin, I 
owe you many thanks and praises for the event of this day, which I 
have gained through your means." The prince replied ; " Sir, render 
your thanks to God ; for to liim alone belongs the praise : the victory 
comes from him, and not from me." 

The lords of the council of the prince were now assembled, and 
conversed on difterent matters. The prince remained there so long 
that all his men were retm-ned from the pursuit, when he ordered 
four knights, with as many heralds, to search the field of battle, and 
see what men of rank had been killed ; and also to know of a truth 
what was become of king Henry called the Bastard, if he were among 
the dead or not, for at that time they knew nothing certain about 
him. After having given these orders, the prince and his barons 
descended toward the quarters of king Henry and the Spaniards. 
The army, according to orders, spread itself abroad among the tents 
of the enemy, where they found plenty of every sort of provision, 
from the want of which they had so lately suffered. They made 
themselves very comfortable, and supped with great joy. After sup- 
per, the knights and heralds who had been sent to examine the field 
of battle, returned, and reported, from the account they had taken, 
that only five hundred and sixty men-at-arms lay dead; that they had 
not found the body of king Henry, which was displeasing informa- 
tran to don Pedro. Among the dead, they had only found four 
knights of their party ; two of whom were Gascons, one a German, 
and the other an Englishman. But of the commonalty they said 
there were about seven thousand five hundred dead, without counting 
those drowned, the numbers of whom they were ignorant of; and 
of their own party about forty common men. 

They reposed themselves this Saturday night at their ease ; they 
were well enabled to do so, from the great plenty of provision and 
wine they had met with. They remained there the whole of the en- 
suing day, which was Palm-Sunday, to refresh themselves. 

On that morning, about six o'clock, when the prince was risen 
and dressed, he came forth from his tent, and the duke of Lancaster, 
the earl of Annagnac, the lord d'Albret, sir John Chandos, the captal 
de Buch, the lord de Pommiers, sir Guiscard d'Angle, the king of 
Majorca, with a great number of knights and squires, advanced to 
pay their respects to him. Soon afterwards, the king don Pedro 
came thither, to whom the prince paid every respect and honor. 
Don Pedro, having saluted him, said ; " Dear lord and fair cousin, 
I entreat and beseech you, as a mark of your friendship, that you 
will have the kindness to deliver up to me the traitors to my country, 
especially my brother Sancho the bastard, and the others, that I may 
cut off their heads ; for they have done me much injury." 

The prince of Wales, after having considered for a moment the 
request which don Pedro had just made him, answered : " Sir king, 
I have also a request to make you ; and I beg of you, in the name of 
our friendship and connection, that you will not deny it to me." Don 



Pedro, who could refuse him nothing, assented, saying : " My lord 
and fair cousin, whatever I have is yours." Upon which the prince 
replied : " Sir king, I entreat and beg of you to pardon all the ill 
which your rebellious subjects have done against you. You will do 
an act of kindness and generosity, and will by this means remain in 
peace in your kingdom. But I except from this amnesty Gomez Ga- 
rilz; for I am willing you should do with him as best pleases you." 

The king don Pedro granted this favor, though much against hia 
inclination : he dared not refuse it, feeling himself under so many 
obligations : he therefore answered, " Fair cousin, I will grant your 
request." All the Spanish prisoners who were in the army of the 
prince were then sent for, and he gave them up to the king don 
Pedro, their lord. The king kissed the earl don Sancho, his brother, 
and forgave him all his misdeeds toward him, as well as all the 
others, on condition that they would swear fealty, homage, and ser. 
vice, and would become his vassals, and acknowledge him for their 
lord. 

This courtesy and much more did the prince to don Pedro, who 
but very little remembered them, as you will see in the continuation 
of this history. He made very liberal presents to the barons of 
Spain who had been his prisoners. If the king could have had them 
given up to him, in his rage he would infallibly have put them all 
to death. Gomez Garilz- was delivered up to him ; for whom he 
would not hear of any ransom, so much did he hate him, but had 
him beheaded before his eyes, on the outside of the tent. After this, 
don Pedro mounted on horseback, attended by his brother don San. 
cho, and all those who were again become his subjects, with the two 
marshals of the priace, sir Guiscard d'Angle and sir Stephen Cos- 
sington, and upward of five hundred men-at-arms ; they set out from 
the army of the prince, and rode toward Burgos, where they arrived 
on the Monday morning. 

The inhabitants of Burgos, who had been informed of the defeat 
of king Henry, had neither the will nor inclination to shut them- 
selves up in the town, to hold out against their prince. The richest 
and principal persons of the city went out of the gates, to present 
the keys to don Pedro, whom, after acknowledging for their lord, 
they conducted with all his company, in great pomp and solemnity, 
into the city of Burgos. 

The prince remained all Sunday in his newly-acquired quarters. 
On Monday, after vespers, he and his army decamped, and marched 
to Villorado, where he halted until the Wednesday following, when 
he marched to Burgos. The prince entered the town in great parade. 
With him were the duke of Lancaster, the earl of Armagnac, and 
others of the principal lords. The army encamped in the plains with, 
out the town, in which there was not room to quarter them comfort- 
ably. The prince visited his army every day during its encampment 
on the plain ; for his tent was there pitched, and he gave judgment 
concerning arms and all things thereunto belonging ; he there kept 
the field and wager of battle ; so that one may truly say, all Spain 
was for some days under his command. 

The prince of Wales and the king don Pedro celebrated the fes. 
tival of Easter in the city of Burgos, where they tarried upward of 
three weeks. On Easter-day, the deputies from Asturias, Leon, 
Cordova, Seville, and from all the other towns and provinces de. 
pendent on the crown of Castille, came to Burgos to do homage to 
don Pedro. That loyal knight of Castille, don Ferdinand de Castro, 
came also thither to pay his respects, whom they handsomely enter- 
tained, and were happy in seeing. 

When the king don Pedro had resided in Burgos rather more than 
the time I have mentioned, and had learnt from exact information 
that the rebellion was at an end, all having returned to their allegi- 
ance, the prince of Wales, in order to satisfy his army, and to act 
conformably to what was becoming him, said to the king : " Sir 
king, you are now, thanks to God, king and lord over your country : 
all rebellion and opposition to you are at an end : we therefore remain 
here at such very great expense, that I must desire you will provide 
yourself with money suflicient to pay those who have replaced yoa 
in your kingdom, and that you now fulfil all the articles of the trea- 
ties which you have sworn and sealed to perform. We shall feel 
ourselves obliged by your so doing, and as speedily as it may be 
possible, which may be the more profitable to you ; for you know 
that men-at-arms will live, and, if they be not paid, will help them- 
selves." The king don Pedro replied as follows : " Sir cousin, we 
will punctually perform, as far as shall be in our loyal power, what- 
ever we have promised and sworn to : but at this moment we have 
no money : we will therefore set out for Seville and its environs, and 
will there collect a sufficiency to satisfy every one. If you will 
march to Valladolid, which is a fertile country, we will return to 
you, as soon as it shall be in our power, but at the latest by Whit- 
suntide." 

This answer was agreeable to the prince and his council. The 
king don Pedro left the prince abruptly, and went to Seville with 
the intention of procuring money. The prince marched to Vallado- 
lid, where he fixed his quarters. The army was spread over the 
country about that town, in order to find provision for themselves 
and horses ; they continued there with little profit to the peasants, for 
the companies could not refrain from pillaging. 

News was immediately carried through Fiance, England, Ger- 
many, and other countries, that the prince of Wales had defeated 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN 



&- c . 



1G9 



king Henry (who was himself either taken, dror.ned, or slain,) with 
upward of a hundred thousand men, in a regular battle. The 
prince was therefore the more honored and renowned for it wherever 
true knighthood and deeds of enterprise were esteemed, particularly 
in the empire of Germany and in England. The Germans, Flemings, 
and English declared the prince of Wales was the mirror of knight- 
hood, and that such a prince was worthy of governing the whole 
world, who, by personal prowess, had gained three glorious victories : 
the first at Crecy in Ponthicu, the second at Poitiers ten years after- 
wards, and the third in Spain at Najarra. The citizens of London 
made solemn shows, triumplis, and feasts, for this victory ; such as 
were formerly done in honor of their kings, who had taken a town 
or defeated their enemies. 

But in France, there was much lamentation for the knights of that 
kingdom, who had been cither slain or made prisoners ; more espe- 
cially for sir Bertrand du Gueschn, sir Arnold d'Andreghen, and 
several others, who, however, were courteously treated, and some 
immediately set at Uberty on their ransom. Sir Bertrand had not 
his freedom so soon ; for sir John Chandos, whose prisoner he was, 
being unwilling to consent to it, sir Bertrand was not over-pressing 
on the subject. 

We will now speak a little of king Henry, what became of him 
after his flight from the battle, and then return to the prince of Wales 
and king don Pedro of CastiUe. 



CHAPTER CCXLIII. 

KIKG nENRT OF CASTILLE UAVING ESCAPED FROM THE BATTLE OF NAJAR- 
KA, MAKES WAK rrON AQUITAINE. THE FKINCE OF WALES LEAVES 
SPAIN, DISCONTENTED WITH THE KIKG DON PEDRO. 

King Henry, as has been before related, escaped the best w'ay he 
could, and leaving his enemies behind him, conducted his wife and 
children as quickly as he was able to the city of Valencia, where the 
king of Arragon resided, who was his godfather and friend : to iiim 
he related the ill success of the battle. Upon considering the state 
of his affairs, he deteniiined to make a long journey, and visit the 
duke of Anjou, who was then at Montpellier, to tell him of his njis- 
fortunes. 

The king of Arragon approved of this plan, and consented to his 
leaving him, because the duke was an enemy to the prince of Wales, 
who was his too near neighbor. King Henry then departed from 
the king of Arragon, leaving his wife and children in the city of 
Valencia. Pursuing his journey, he passed through Narboune, which 
is the first city of the realm of France on that side ; then through 
Beziers, and that country, until he arrived at Montpellier, where he 
found the duke of Anjou, who loved him much and as cordially 
hated the English, though he was not at war with them. 

The duke, who had before heard of his ill fortune, received king 
Henry in the handsomest manner and comforted him by every means 
in his power. He remained with him some time, and then set out 
for Avignon, to visit pope Urban V., who was about to depart for 
Rome, which he shortly afterwards did. King Henry then returned 
to Montpellier, to the duke of Anjou, when some treaties were 
entered into between them. It was related to me, by those who at 
the time thought themselves well informed of what was going on 
(and there is every appearance from ensuing circumstances that it 
was true,) that king Henry bought or borrowed of the duke of .\njou, 
a castle near Toulouse, upon the borders of the principality ; which 
castle was called Roquemaure.* He there assembled some of the 
free companies, such as Bretons and others, who had not fallowed 
the prince into Spain : they amounted, at this commencement, to 
tliree hundred. 

News was immediately dispatched to the princess of Wales, who 
had remained at Bordeaux, that king Henry was seeking for assist- 
ance, and making preparations on all sides, to wage war upon the 
principality and the duchy of Guienne. She was much astonished 
on hearing it ; but, since he was upon the territories belonging to 
the crown of France, she sent special embassadors to the king of 
France, to entreat he would not suffer the bastard of Spain to make 
war upon her, nor to have any support from France to carry such 
designs into effect, for too serious evils would arise from it. 

The king of France immediately assented to the request of the 
princess : he sent messengers in haste to the bastard Henry (who still 
remained in the castle of Roquemaure, near to Montauban, and who 
had already begun to make war upon Aquitaine and the territories 



* " Roquemaure." From all tlie searches 1 Lave made, Froi>^art seems to have been 
misinformed as to the castle king Henry retired to from Montpellier. 

" Henry and the duke of Anjou went together to .'Vvignon. On their return, they en- 
tered into a treaty, as well against don Pedro as the English; hut this was kept secret. 
Henry then retired to his coirite do Cessenon, in the diocese of St. Pons and of Beziers. 
Being distressed tor money, he sold this county, with the castles of Cessenon, of Servian. 
Thesim, &c,. to the king of France, for the sum of 27,000 gold francs. Henry gave a 
receipt for this sum, 27lh July, and then went with his family to reside at the castle of 
Pierre Pertnse, where he had rested on coming from Spain "—Hist, dc Lan^edoc. 

This castle of Pierre Pertuse 1 believe to be the castle which J'roissart calls Roque- 
maure. It was demolished by Lcmis XIV. after the peace of Nimeguen, who built the 
castle of Bellegarde on its ruins. It is a very strong situation, commanding the Col de 
Pertos. Roussillon at that time was attached to the crown of Arragon. 

There is a town called Roquemaure in tipper Languedoc, near to and in the diocese 
of Montauban, so that Froissart may be ritjht, notwithstanding what the historian of 
Irftnguedoc says, which I have just quoted. 



of the prince,) commandin-g him as he was a resident in his kingdom, 
not to wage war on the principality of his dear nephew the prince 
of Wales and of Aquitaine. To give greater weight to these orders, 
and as an example for his subjects not to form any alliance with the 
bastard Henry, he sent the young earl of Au.xerre to prison in the 
castle of the Louvre in Paris, because he had entered into treaties 
with king Heniy, and as it was said, was to join him with a large 
body of men-at-arms : the king of France made him give up this 
expedition, and dissolve the connection. 

King Henry paid obedience to the orders of the king of France, 
as it was natural he should : but for all this he did not think the lees 
of his attempt. He departed from the castle of Roquemaure, with 
about four hundred Bretons, having for his allies the following knights 
and squires : sir Arnold de Limousin, sir Geoffry Ricons, sir Pons 
de Laconet, Silvester Budes, Allot de Calais,* and Alain de St. Pol. 
These men-at-arms, Bretons as well as others, advanced into the 
territories of the prince, and galloping boldly through the mountains, 
entered the principality by Bigone, and took by escalade a town 
called Bagnieres.t They repaired and fortified it very strongly ; 
whence they made irruptions on the territories of the prince, to 
which they did much mischief. But the princess sent after them 
sir James Audley, who had remained as governor in Aquitaine, to 
guard the country. Notwithstanding this, king Henry and the 
Bretons did a great deal of damage ; for his army was continually 
increasing. 

We will now return to the prince of Wales and his army, who 
had been encamped at Valladolid and its environs waiting for the 
return of don Pedro. 

The prince had continued at Valladolid until after the feast of St. 
John the Baptist, expecting don Pedro, who did not return, nor could 
he learn any certain tidings of him. He became very melancholy, 
and assembled his council, that they might deliberate what was best 
to be done. The council advised the prince to send two or three 
knights to remonstrate with the king on his situation, and to demand 
the reason why he did not keep to the engagement he had made, 
nor return the day he had himself appointed. Sir Nele Loring, sir 
Richard Pontchardon, and sir Thomas Banister were ordered to 
make themselves ready to wait on don Pedro. These knights of 
the prince set out immediately, and rode on until they came to the 
city of Seville, where don Pedro was, who, in outward appearance, 
received them with great joy. 

The knights delivered their message punctually and literally, as 
they had been ordered by the prince. The king don Pedro replied, 
and by way of excusing himself, said : " It is, my lords, very dis- 
pleasing most certainly to us, that wc have not been able to per. 
form what we covenanted to do with our cousin the prince. We 
have remonstrated ourselves, and made others do so with our sub- 
jects, frequently on this business ; but our people excuse themselves, 
and say they cannot collect any money as long as the free companies 
remain in the country, for they have killed three or four of our treas. 
urers, who were carrying sums of money toward the prince our 
consul. You will therefore tell him from us that we entreat he will 
have the goodness to send out of our kingdom these wicked com- 
panies, and that he wiU leave us some of his knights, to whom, in 
his name, we will pay such sums of money as he demands, and 
which we hold oiK'selves obliged and botmd to pay him." 

This was all the answer the knights could obtain. They took 
leave of don Pedro, and returned to the prince at Valladolid ; to 
whom, and to his council, they related all they had seen or heard. 
This answer made the prince more melancholy than before, because 
he clearly found that, though the king don Pedro entered into agree- 
ments, he put off the fulfilling of them. 

During the stay the prince made at Valladolid, which was upward 
of four of the hottest months, the king of Majorca was confined to 
his bed, through sickness ; at which the prince and the other lords 
were very much concerned. At tliis place sir Arnold d'Andreghen, 
and le bfegue de Villaines, with several knights of France and Brit- 
tany, who had been made prisoners, were ransomed, or exchanged, 
for sir Thomas Felton, sir Richard Causton, sir Hugh Hastings, and 
others. But sir Bertrand du Guesclin remained still in the power of 
the prince, for he was not ransomed so soon. The English and 
council of the prince thought, that if he obtained his liberty, he would 
immediately join the bastard Henry, and carry on the war with fresh 
vigor. The prince heard that Henry had entered Bigorre, had taken 
Bagnieres, and was wasting his principality : on which account he 
was not in any haste to grant sir Bertrand his liberty. 

When the prince of Wales had considered the answer of don 
Pedro, he was more disturbed than ever, and ordered his council to 
give him their opinions on it. His people, who were anxious to re- 
turn, (for the air and heat of Spain had been very hurtful to their 
health ; even the prince himself was unwell, and in low spirits ;) re- 
commended a retreat, and declared that don Pedro had shamefully 
and dishonorably failed in his engagements. 

Orders were immediately given for the returii of the army. When 
they were on the eve of their departure, the prince sent sir Hugh 
Courtenay and sir John Chandos to inform the king of Majorca of the 
reasons why he was about to quit Spain ; and that he shoidd be very 



* Barnes calls him Eliot du Carhais. 

t " Bagnieres"— a town of Bigorre, diocese of Tarbes, 



170 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



much concerned to leave him behind, in case he wished to return. 
The king of Majorca replied to the knights : " I give my lord the 
prince, our brother soldier, my best thanks ; but i'or the present I 
cannot ride, nor, until God please, can I raise my foot to the stirrup." 
The knights answered, by inquiring if he wished the prince should 
leave behind some men-at-arms, as a guard for him, and to conduct 
him when he should be in a situation to mount on horseback ? The 
king said, " By no means, for it is imcertain how long I may be 
forced to remain here." 

Upon this, the knights took leave of the king, and returned to the 
prince ; to whom they related what had passed, with the answers of 
the king of Majorca. He replied, "Be it so, then." The prince 
and his whole army now be- 
gan their march toward a 
good city called Madrigay,* 
where he stayed a short time. 
He then advanced to a val- 
ley called de Foirie,t upon 
the borders of Spain, Arra- 
gon, and Navarre, where he 
and his army remained up- 
ward of a month : for some 
of the passes on the borders 
of Arragon were shut against 
him ; and it was reported in 
the army, that the king of 
Navarre (who had lately 
come out of prison) had com- 
promised his quarrel with the 
bastard of Spain and the king 
of Arragon, and had engaged 
to cut off the retreat of the 
prince through his dominions. 
However, as it appeared after- 
wards, there was no truth in 
this report : nevertheless, it 
was suspected, because he 
was in his kingdom, and had 
not waited on the prince. 

While the prince remained 
in this situation, he sent nego- 
tiators to an appointed place 
between Spain and -Arragon, 
where they met others from 
the king of Arragon, with 
whom they had long confer- 
ences for several days : at 
last, it w'as finally agreed, 
that the king of Arragon should open his country for the peaceable 
return of the prince and his army : through which they were to pass, 
without doing any violence or molestation, and paying courteously 
for whatever they should want. 

The king of Navarre, when he found that a treaty had been en. 
tered into with the king of Arragon, came to meet the prince, at- 
tended by don Martin de la Carra. He paid him every respect and 
honor, handsomely offering a passage through his dominions, for 
himself, his brother, the duke of Lancaster, as well as for several 
barons and knights of England and of Gascony ; but he was anxious 
that the free companies should take any other road than through 
Navarre. 

The prince and the lords, who knew that their march would be 
much shortened by going through Navarre, were not willing to re. 
nounce such a favor : they therefore greatly thanked the king for his 
offer : and the prince managed him so well that he obtained the same 
permission for the companies as for the rest of his army, assuring 
the king, upon his word and oath, that they should pass so peaceably, 
and pay so well for what they might want, that he would be satisfied 
with them. 

The prince, therefore, and his men-at-arms, quitted the kingdom 
of Castille, on their return, marching as quietly as they could through 
Navarre. The prince was attended by the king of Navarre and don 
Martin de la Carra, as far as Roncevaux ; whence he continued his 
march to Bayonne, where he was received with great joy. He re- 
mained there four days, to repose and recruit himself. When he 
approached Bordeaux, he wa.s received with great solemnity ; the 
princess of Wales came out to meet him, accompanied with her 
eldest son, Edward, who was then about three years old. 

He there disbanded his army ; the men-at-arms departed difleren; 
ways : the lords, barons, and knights of Gascony, to their castles ; 
the knights of England to their governments, or high stewardships; 
and the free companies as they returned, remained in the principal- 
ity waiting for payment. The prince, who thought himself much 
obliged to them, was desirous of satisfying them as far as was in his 
power, and as soon as money could be raised. He said, that " al- 
though don Pedro had not kept his engagements, it was not becom- 
ing him to act in like manner to those who had so well served him." 

* "Madrigay." Agreda— Col-LlNs's Hist, of the Black Prince. 
t "Foirie/* Vale of Sona, between Arragon and Spain.— Collins. 



CHAPTER CCXLIV. 

AFTEK THE KETUBN OF THE PRINCE TO AQUITAINE, HENRY KING Ol 
CASTILLE LEAVES BAGNIEKES IN BIGORRE, AND RETIRES TO THE KIIfG. 
DOM OF ARRAGON. SIR BERTEAND DU GUESCLIN OBTAINS HIS RAN. 
SOM. THE FREE COMPANIES OF THE PRINCE ENTER THE KINGDOM' 
OF FRANCE. SOME OF THE GREAT BARONS OF AQUITAINE COMPLAIN 
TO KING CHARLES OF FRANCE OF A CERTAIN TAX, CALLED FOUAGE,* 
WHICH THE PRINCE WAS ABOUT TO LAY ON THEIR LANDS. 

As soon as king Henry, who had remained in the garrison of Bag- 
niers for a considerable time, heard of the prince's return from Spaia 
into the principality, he set out, accompanied by all his men.at.arms. 




Scenery of the Pyrenees, on the Spanish side. From an original Sketch. 



Bretons and companions, toward the king of Arragon, who had 
much affection for him, and who received him with great joy. He 
passed there the whole winter: when new treaties were entered 
into between them, to carry on the war against don Pedro. The 
Bretons, who were his adherents, had already made incursions into ' 
Spain, in the name of king Henry : they were commanded by sir 
Arnold de Limousin, sir Geoffry Ricons and sir Pons de Lakonet. 

We will now relate how sir Bertrand du Guesclin obtained his 
liberty. After the prince was returned to Aquitaine, liis brother the 
duke of Lancaster to England, and all the other barons to their dif- 
ferent homes, sir Bertrand du Guesclin remained prisoner to the 
prince and to sir John Chandcs ; for he could not by any means ob- 
tain his ransom ; which was highly displeasing to king Henry, but 
he could not remedy it. 

Now it happened (as I have been informed) that one day, when 
the prince was in great yood humor, he called sir Bertrand du Gues. 
clin, and asked him how he was. " My lord," replied sir Bertrand, 
"I was never better: I cannot otherwise but be well, for I am, 
though in prison, the most honored knight in the world." " How 



* Foimse ; " a yearly tax levied in old lime, by supreme lords, upon every chimney or 
house fire kept within their dominions. In Charles V.'s time, it was four livres tournois 
Since that time, in most places the tallies have been introduced in lieu thereof. The 
tallies were originally only allowed in ft>ur cases: nouvelle ehevolerie. marriage des 
filles, voyage d'oiitre-iner.et caplivile. Charles VII. made them nniinary. All gentle 
men, orsuchol'n get,tlemanly profession, are exempted from them."— Cotgrave's/?zc 
iionnry — Fouagc — Taille. 

" The taille was levied on goods, moveable and immoveable. It amounted to the 
tenth part of the revenues. A false declaration occasioned Ibe conliscauon of the over- 
plus.— iBcaumanoir, cliap. I..) VVIien the kings imposed the taille on the subjects ol 
their domain, those barons who were bound to serve them in their wars laid it on their 
vassals. According to a regulation ol St. Louis, the parishes elected thirty or forty 
men, who from among tliemselves chose twelve that were appointed to apportion this 
lax : and they swore on the Gospels, neitber to favor nor injure any one through love or 
batted. These tvi-elve men elected in their turn four who were appointed to raise this 

"The aide was a tax which the principal barons levied in money from Uieir vassale. 
There were two sorts of aides, ' I'aide legitime,' which was rigorously exacted in cer- 
tain instances, such as the ransom of the lord, t'ne marriage of the eldesl daughter, Uie 
knighthood of the son, the accession of the presumptive heir to the estate. I' rom Uus 
aide, the clergy were not exempted. The other was called '■ rnule gracienx. It was 
demanded as a gift in certain cases, and depended on the will of the inferior. It wa» 
granted when the lord wentcroisa.ling to I'alestmi^wbeu he himself or bis bvoli.er, ww 
armed kni-ht-when he married his sister or younger children-when he built or repaired 
any castle-when be was at war for the defence of bis lands. This voluntary lax was 
not long before it became a forced one."-Introduction to M. Levksque s Utst. et 
France under the first five Valois. vol. i. pp. 325, &c. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



171 



ao ?" rejoined the prince. " They say in France," answered sir 
Bertrand, " as well as in other countries, that you are so much afraid 
of me, and have sucli a dread of my gaining my liberty, that you 
dare not set me free ; and this is my reason for thinking myself so 
much valued and honored." The prince, on hearing these words, 
thought sir Bertrand had spoken them with much good sense ; for, 
in truth, his council were unwilling he should have liis liberty, until 
don Pedro had paid to the prince and his army the money he had en- 
gaged to do : he answered, " What, sir Bertrand, do you imagine 
that we keep you a prisoner for fear of your prowess V By St. 
George, it is not so ; for my good sir, if you will pay one hundred 
thousand francs, you shall be free." Sir Bertrand was an.\ious for 
his liberty, and now having heard upon what terms he could obtain 
it, taking the prince at his word, replied, " My lord, through God's 
will, I will never pay a less sum." The prince, when he heard this, 
began to repent of what he had done. It is said, that some of his 
council went farther, and told him ; " My lord, you have acted very 
wrong, in thus granting him so easily his ransom." They wanted to 
break through the agreement; but the prince, who was a good and 
loyal knight, replied, " Since we have granted it, we will keep to it, 
and not act any way contrary ; for it would be a shame, and we 
should be blamed by every one for not agreeing to his ransom, when 
he has oflercd to pay so largely for it as one hundred thousand 
francs." 

From the time of this conversation, sir Bertrand was taking great 
pains to seek the money, and was so active, that by the assistance 
of the king of France and the duke of Anjou, who loved him well, 
he paid in less than a month the hundred tliousand francs, and went 
to the aid of the duke of Anjou, with two thousand combatants, in 
Provence, where the duke was laying siege to Tarascon, which held 
out for the queen of Naples. 

At this period,* a treaty of maniage was entered into between 
the lord Lionel, duke of Clarence and earl of Ulster, with the daugh. 
ter of the lord Galeas, sovereign of Milan. This young lady was 
niece to the earl of Savoy, being daughter of the lady Blanche, his 
sister. The treaty was so well conducted on both sides that it was 
agreed upon. The duke of Clarence came from England, attended 
by a great number of English knights and squires to France, where 
he was received by the king, the duke of Burgundy, the duke of 
Bourbon, the lord de Courcy, and magnificently feasted at Paris. 
He passed through France, and entered Savoy, where the gallant 
earl received him most honorably, at Chamberry : he was hand. 
49omely entertained there, during three days, by the ladies, both 
young and old. On the fourth day, he departed. The carl of Savoy 
conducted him to Milan, where he espoused his niece, the daughter 
of the lord Galeas, on the Monday after Trinity, in the year 1368. 
We will now return to the afi'airs of France. 

You have before heard of the expedition which the prince of 
Wales made into Spain ; how he had left it, discontented with the 
conduct of don Pedro, and was returned to Aquitaine. When he 
arrived at Bordeaux, he was followed by all the men-at-arms ; for 
they were unwilling to remain in Spain longer, because they could 
not obtain their pay from don Pedro, according to the engagements 
he had entered into with them. At the time of their return, the 
prince had not been able to collect money sufficient for them as 
speedily as he could have wished ; for it was wonderful to imagine 
how much this expedition had impoverished and drained him : for 
which reason, those men kept their quarters in Aquitaine, and could 
not be prevented from doing mischief, as they were upward of six 
thousand fighting men. The prince had them spoken to, and en. 
treated that they would change their quarters, and seek elsewhere 
for a maintenance, for he could not longer support them. 

The captains of these companies (who were all English or Gas- 
cons ; namely, sir Robert Briquet, John Tresnelle, sir Robert Che- 
ney, sir Gail'ard Viguier, la bourg de Breteuil, le bourg Camus, Ic 
bourg de I'Espane, Nandon de Bagerant, Bernard de la Salle, Ortigo, 
la Nuit, and several others) were not willing to anger the prince ; 
they therefore quitted the principality as soon as possible, and en- 
tered France, which they called their home, by crossing the river 
Loire. They halted in Champngne, in the archbishopric of Rheims, 
in the bishobrics of Noyons and Soissons, and their numbers were 
daily increasing. They were .so much blamed for their former 
deeds by the French, which greatly irritated them, that they would 
willingly, as it appeared, have fought with all France, if they had 
been listened to : and to put this to the hazard, they made incur- 
sions through the kingdom of France, where they did so much dam- 
age and such wicked acts, as caused great tribulation. Complaints 
were frequently made of them to the king of France and to his 
council ; but they could not remedy it, for they were afraid of risk- 
ing a battle, and some of those who had been made prisoners from 
the French garrisons said that the prince of Wales encouraged them 
underhand. Many in France were astonished at this conduct of the 
prince. At last, the king of France sent for the lordde Clisson, and 
appointed him captain againe^t these disorderly companies, because 
he was a good and hardy knight, for which the king was very fond 
of him. 

At this time, a marriage was concluded between the lord d'Albret 



♦See Rymer. 1366. 1367, 1368, where the treaty is at length, and the names of those 
who accompanied the duke of Clarence to Milan. 



and the lady Isabella de Bourbon, which was not very agreeable to 
the prince of Wales, who would have wished that he had chosen hia 
wife from another house. He spoke very coarsely and rudely both 
of him and his bride. The principal persons of his council, as well 
knights as squires, made excuses for him as well as they could, by 
saying, " Every one advances and aggrandizes himself in the best 
way he can ; and a gallant knight ought never to be blamed, if he 
seek for honor and profit in the way most agreeable to himself, pro- 
vided he do not fail in his service to the lord whose vassal he is." 
By these, and such like words, was the prince answered, in hopes of 
appeasing him : but nevertheless, in spite of appearances, he was 
very far from being satisfied ; for he was well aware that this mar- 
riage would cause an estrangement of aflfection from him and from 
his party, as in truth it happened, according to what will be hereafter 
more fully explained. 

Duiing the time the companies were quartering themselves in 
France, the prince of Wales was advised by some of his council to 
lay a tax on the lands of Aquitaine : the bishop of Rhodez in Rouer- 
gue, in particular, took great pains to persuade him to it. The estab- 
lishments of the prince and the princess were so grand, that no prince 
in Christendom maintained greater magnificence. 

The barons of Gascony, Poitou, Saintonge and Rouergue, who 
had the right of remonstrating, as well as those from the principal 
towns in Aquitaine, were summoned to a council on this tax. This 
parliament was held at Niort ; when the bishop of Rhodez, chancellor 
of Aquitaine, in the presence of the prince, explained fully the nature 
of this tax, in what manner it was to be levied, and, that the prince 
had not any intentions to continue it longer than for five years, or 
until he should have satisfied the large debt which had been caused 
by the Spanish expedition. The deputies fiom Poitou, Saintonge, 
Limousin, Rouergue and La Roehelle, were agreeable to this impo- 
sition, provided the prince would keep his coin to the same standard 
for seven years : but it was refused by those from the upper parts of 
Gascony, namely, the earl of Armagnac, the lord d'Albret, his nephew, 
the earl of Comminges, the viscount of Carmain, the lord de la Barde, 
the lord de Cande, the lord de Pincornct, and several great barons 
from the counties, cities and good towns under their jurisdiction, saj'. 
ing, that " in former times, when they were under the vassalage of 
the king of France, they were not oppressed by any tax, subsidy, or 
imposition or gabelle, and that they never would submit to any such 
oppression so long as they could defend themselves : that their lands 
and lordships were free from all duties, and that the prince had sworn 
to maintain them in this state. Nevertheless, in order to leave the 
parliament of the prince in an amicable manner, they declared, they 
would, when returned to their own country, consider this business 
more fully : and that they would consult several prelates, bishops, 
abbots, barons and knights, to whom it belonged to speak more de- 
liberately on this demand than had hitherto been done." The prince 
of Wales and his council not being able to gain more at this time, 
the parliament broke up at Niort, and each person returned to his 
own home ; but they were commanded by the prince to return again 
by a certain day, which had been fixed tipon before they broke up. 

These lords and barons of Gascony being arrived in their own 
country, and having their opinions strengthened, were resolved 
neither to return again to the parliament of the prince nor to suffer 
this tax to be imposed upon their lands, even should they be obliged 
to oppose force in preventing it. Thus this country began its rebel, 
lion against the prince. The lords of Armagnac, d'Albret, de Com. 
minges, the earl of Perigord, and several great prelates, barons, 
knights and squires of Gascony, went to France, to lay their com- 
plaints before the court of the king of France (the king and his peers 
being present) of the wrongs the prince was about to do them. They 
said, they were under the jurisdiction of the king of France, and that 
they were bound to return to him as to their sovereign lord. 

The king of France, who was desirous not openly to infringe the 
peace between the king of England and him, dissembled his joy at 
these words, and replied in a guarded manner to the barons of Gas- 
cony, saying ; " Certainly, my lords, we shall always be very an.xious 
to preserve and even augment the jurisdiction of our inheritance, and 
of the crown of France ; but we have sworn, as onr father had done, 
to several articles of the peace, all of which we do not now recollect ; 
we will have them looked into and examined, and all that shall be in 
them to our and to your advantage we will aid you to preserve. We 
will endeavor to make up your difl'erences with our dear nephew the 
prince of Wales ; for perhaps it has been through evil advisers that 
he has wished to encroach upon you and your vassals' franchises." 
With this answer, which the king made to them ofl'.hand, the Gas- 
cons were mightily satisfied, and remained at Paris, near the king's 
person, without wishing to return home. 

The prince was not pleased at this conduct. He continued to per- 
severe, and to make his council persevere, in the affair of the hearth. 
tax. Sir John Chandos, who was one of the principal of his council 
and a valorous knight, was of a contrary ophiion, and wanted the 
prince to desist : so that, when he saw he could not succeed, in order 
that he might not be accused, nor have any blame, he requested 
leave of the prince to visit his estate of St. Sauveur le Vicomte, of 
which he was lord, for he had not been there these three years. The 
prince granted him leave ; and sir John Chandos set out from Poitou 
to Coutantin, and remained in the town of St. Sauveur upward of 



172 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, & c . 



half a year. In the mean time, the prince proceeded with this tax, 
which, if it had been properly managed, would have been worth 
twelve hundred thousand franca, one paying with the other one franc 
each fire. We will now return to king Henry, who had remained in 
the kmgdom of Arragon, and relate how he conducted his affairs. 



CHAPTER CCXLV. 

THF BASTARD HENRY OF CASTILLE, BY THE ASSISTANCE OF THE KIXG OF 
ARRAGON AND SIR BERTRAND DU GtJESCLIN, AGAtN MAKES WAR UPON 
HIS BROTHER DON PEDRO. HAVING DEFEATED HIM IN A BATTLE, HE IS 
MADE PRISONER, AND MURDERED. HENRY REMAINS KING OP SPAIN. 

The situation of the prince of Wales and the state of his affairs 
were well known to the neighboring monarchs ; particularly to the 
king of Arragon and king Henry ; for they took great pains to gain 
information concerning them. They had been truly told how the 
barons of Gascony were gone to Paris, to wait on the king; and that 
all that country was beginning to rebel against the prince. This 
intelligence was not displeasing to either of the above-mentioned 
kings, especially king Henry, who looked forward to the conquest of 
Castille, which he had lost through the power of the prince of 
"Wales. 

King Henry took leave of the king of Arragon, and set out from 
the city of Valencia, accompanied by the viscounts de Roquebertin* 
and de Rhodcz. They had with them three thousand men-at-arms 
and six thousand infantry, including some Genoese, who served for 
a subsidy. This body of men-at-arms advanced into Spain, to the 
city of Burgos, which instantly opened its gates, and surrendered to 
king Henry, receiving him as its lord. From thence they marched 
to Valladolid ; for king Henry had received information that the king 
of Majorca had been loft there, which gave him great joy. 

When the inhabitants of Valladolid heard that those of Burgos had 
surrendered and had acknowledged king Henry, they no longer 
thought of making any resistance, or holding out against him, but 
surrendered also, and received king Heniy as their lord, in the same 
manner as formerly. As soon as king Henry had entered the town, 
he inquired where the king of Majorca was lodged, and when the 
place was pointed out to him, he immediately, on his going thither, 
entered the hdtcl and the room where he was confined by illness. 
King Henry advanced toward him, and said : " King of Majorca, 
you have been our enemy, aud have entered our kingdom of Castille 
with a large army ; for which reasons we lay our hands on you, and 
make you our prisoner, or you are a dead man." The king of Ma. 
jorca, sensible of the difiiculty of his situation, and that opposition 
would be of no avail, replied : '■ Sir, I am certainly dead, if you order 
it so ; but I am very willing to surrender myself as your prisoner, and 
to you alone. If you intend to place me in any other's hands, say 
so ; for I had nmch rather die than fall into the hands of my adver- 
sary the king of Arragon." " By no means whatever," answered 
king Henry, " will I act so disloyally by you, for which, and with 
good reason I should be greatly blamed. You shall remain my pris- 
oner, for me to ransom or set at liberty according to my own will and 
pleasure."! Thus was the king of Majorca made prisoner, on his 
oath, by king Henry, who placed a numerous garrison in Valladolid, 
for the more securely guarding it, and then advanced toward the city 
of Leon in Spain, which immediately opened its gates on hearing he 
was marching that way. 

Upon the surrender of the city of Leon to king Henry, the whole 
province of Galicia did the same, and changed their party. The 
principal barons and lords, who had lately done homage to the king 
don Pedro, came out to meet king Henry ; for, notwithstanding their 
outward appearances of friendship to don Pedro during the presence 
of the prince of Wales, they could not love him, from the cruelties 
he had formerly exercised upon tlieni, and from their doubts of what 
he might do in future ; while king Henry had always treated them 
kindly : not only did he not oppress them, but promised to do them 
much good : all the country, therefore, returned to their allegiance 
to him. 

Sir Bertrand du Guesclin had not as yet arrived in Spain, but was 
hastening to join king Henry with two thousand fighting men. He 
had left the duke of Anjou, who had put an end to the war in Pro- 
vence, and broken up the siege of Tarascon by a capitulation with 
its inhabitants, the terms of which I do not know.t He had there- 
fore set out for Spain, attended by several French knights and squires 
who were desirous of signalizing their prowess, and had already 
entered Arragon to join king Henry, who was laying siege to the 
city of Toledo. 

News was brought to the king don Pedro of all these conquests ; 
that the whole country was turning to his brother the Bastard, during 

» Rocaberti.— Fkrreka's Hist. Om. d'Espngne, translated by d'Hermilly. 

t The k'ing of Mnjorca was afterwiirds ransomed by lijs wile, the too celebrated Joan 
of Naples, whose tliiid husband he was, for 28,000 florins of gold.— J^'iVrfe Du GuescUn. 

t " The duke of Anjou and Bertrand du Guesclin having crossed llie RhSne, laid siege 
to Tarascon, which is opposile to Beaucairc. the 4th March, 1368. Tlie real history of 
thissiege is unknown to us ; for we cannot place any reliance on the diflerent authors 
of the life, or rather romance of Bertrand du Gueschn, who relate various circumstances 
about it. What may be depended on is, that the duke of Anjou, having besieged 
Tarascon by sea and land, the inhabitants, who had an understanding witii him, de- 
livered up the town, of which he made himself master."— ifj^t. Gen dc Lanevcdoc 
vol. iv. p. 336. • . 



the time he tarried in the neighborhood of Seville, and on the border* 
of Portugal, where he was but little loved. Upon hearing theae 
tidings, he was in a violent rage against his brother and against the 
Castillians, who had abandoned him, and declared with an oath, that 
he would avenge himself so severely upon them, they should be a 
warning to all others. He immediately issued his commands to all 
those from whom he expected help or service. He sent to some, 
however, who never came, but excused themselves to the best of 
their ability : while others turned to king Hcnrj', and paid to him 
their homage. When the king don Pedro found his people were 
wavering, and failed to obey his summons, he began to be alarmed : 
he therefore applied to don Fernando de Castro for counsel, who had 
never yet deserted him. He advised him to collect as large a force 
as he could from all countries, as well in Granada as elsewhere, and 
to hasten to meet his brother before he should have made any further 
progress into the kingdom. 

Don Pedro did not hesitate following this advice, but sent to the 
king of Portugal, who was his cousin-german, from whom he had a 
large body of men ; and also to the kings of Granada, Bellemarine, 
and Tramesames,* with whom he entered into alliances, and engaged 
to support them in their kingdoms, and not to make war against them 
for the space of thirty years. These kings, on their part, sent him 
upward of twenty thousand Moors to assist him in his war. Don 
Pedro used so much activity that he had assembled, as well Christians 
as Moors, forty thousand men, in the country round Seville. 

While these treaties and negotiations were going forward, and du- 
ring the time of the siege of Toledo, sir Bertrand du Guesclin, with 
his body of two thousand men, arrived in the camp of king Henry, 
where he was received with great joy, as was naturally to be ex- 
pected : the v,'hole army was happy at his arrival. The king don 
Pedro, who, as I have already said, had assembled his whole force 
at Seville and in its environs, was desirous of giving his brother bat. 
tie : he left Seville with his numerous army, in order to raise the 
siege of Toledo. There may be between these two places, Seville 
and Toledo, seven days' march. 

Intelligence was brought to the army of king Henry, that don Pe- 
dro was approaching with forty thousand men, including those of 
every description. He called a council, to consider what was to be 
done, to which all the French and Arrngonian knights were sum. 
moned ; and in particular sir Bertrand du Guesclin, by whose 0])inion 
they wished to act. Sir Bertrand gave the following advice, which 
was followed ; namely, that king Henry should immediately collect 
as many of his army as he could spare from the siege, advance by 
forced marches to meet don Pedro, and, in whatever situation ho 
should meet him, begin the battle ; " For," added he, " we have heard 
that he is marching against us with a strong army, and he would be 
too powerful, were he to come regularly upon us : let us, therefore, 
be beforehand with him, without his knowing anything of our iuten. 
tions; that we may surprise him and his army so unexpectedly as to 
have the advantage, and, I doubt not, defeat him." This plan of sir 
Bertrand was applauded and followed. Toward evening, king Henry 
s«t out with a chosen band of men-at-arms, and left the command 
of the siege to his brother don Telle. On his march, he had his 
spies dispersed over the country, in order to bring him exact intelli- 
gence the moment they should see or hear of don Pedro and his army, 
and what condition they were in. 

The king don Pedro was ignorant of everything his brother was 
doing, even of his marching to meet him ; so that he and his army 
were advancing slowly, in a very disorderly manner. It fell out, 
that upon the dawn of day king Henry and his army met don Pedro 
and his force ; for, the preceding night, he had slept in a castle called 
Montiel, where the lord of Montiel had received him with all possible 
honor and respect. He had left it very early in the morning, and 
was continuing his march in the same disorderly manner, for he 
never expected to fight that day, when suddenly king Henry, his 
brother don Sancho, sir Bertrand du Guesclin, by whose orders they 
acted, Ic b^gue de Villaines, the lord de Roquebertin, the viscount 
de Rliodez,t and their companies, with banners flying and prepared 
for action, came upon them : they might be six thousand fighting 
men : (hey advanced in very close order, and at a full gallop, so that 
they fell heavily and with a good will upon the first they met, crying 
out, " Castille for king Henry !" and " Our Lady, for Guesclin !" 
They overthrew and defeated all whom they first encountered, driving 
them before them. Many were slain and unhorsed ; for none were 
made piisoners, according to the orders of sir Bertrand du Guesclin 
the preceding day, on account of the great number of Jews and infi. 
dels who were in don Pedro's army. 

When don Pedro, who was advancing with the largest division of 
his army, received the news that his van had been defeated by his 
brother the Bastard and the French, he was amazed where they could 
come from : he perceived that he had been betrayed, and was in 



* Bellemarine— Tramesames. Probably Benmarin and Tremecen, kingdoms in Bar- 
bary. 

Neither Mariana nor Ferraras makes mention of any other king than Mahomet king 
of Granada, who joined don Pedro with six thousand cavalry and about thirty thousanj 
men.— Hist. Om. de i'Espusne, vol, v. p. 40O. 

t M. Dillon, in his history of Peter the Cruel, says, "While Henry lay belnre Toledo, 
embassadors arrived at his camp from Charles V. of France, who sent his chamberlain, 
Francis de Perelles, viscount de Rlioder, and John de Ric, lord of Neburis, to ncquanrt 
him, that war was declared between England and France, &c."— Vol, U,. p. 104. 

Tills John de Ric may perhaps betheGeoffry Rlcon of Froissart. 






CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



173 



danger of losing everything ; for his men were very much dispersed ; 
so that like a bold and valiant knight as he was, and of great resource 
and enterprise, he halted upon the spot, and ordered his banner to 
be displayed- in the wind to rally his men. He sent orders for the 
rear to advance with all speed, for that the engagement was begun. 
Upon this all men of courage hastened toward his banner, which was 
fluttering in the wind. The battle now became more general and 
hot : many of don Pedro's army were slain and unhorsed ; for king 




Battle of Montiel.— A mixed and irregular combat of French, Spaniards, Moors and Jews, 

in the Uarleian and Cuttonian Libraries. 



Henry, sir Bertrand, and their friends, fought them so manfully, that 
none could stand before them. The battle, however, was not so 
soon over : for don Pedro had such immense numbers, as to be at 
least six to one : but they were so closely followed that it was won- 
derful to see how they were discomfited and slain. 

This battle of Spaniards against Spaniards, and the two brother 
kings, with their allies, near Monticl, was very grand and horrible. 
Many were the good knights on king Henry's side ; such as sir 
Bertrand du Gucsclin, sir Geoffry Ricon, sir Arnold de Limousin, 
sir Gauvain de Bailleul, le begue de Villaines, Alain de St. Pol, 
Allot de Calais, and the Bretons who were there. From the king- 
dom of Arragon were the viscount de Rocaberti, the viscount de 
Rodais, witii many other good knights and squires whom I cannot 
name, who performed various gallant deeds of arms, as in truth they 
had full need. They had strange people to encounter, such a.a 
Moors and Portuguese : the Jews who were there very soon turned 
their backs, and would not fight ; but those from Grenada and Belle. 
marine fought valiantly : they were armed with bows and lances, 
of which they made good use, and behaved themselves right well. 
Don Pedro was in the midst, and with intrepid courage fought so 
valiantly with his battle-a.xc that scarcely any dared to come near 
him. 

King Henry drew up his division opposite to his brother, in very 
compact order, and full of bold combatants, who shouted loudly, 
making good use of their lances ; so that the army of don Pedro was 
thrown into confusion, and those near his person began to be 
alarmed. Don Fernando de Castro, who had watched over the 
king his lord, soon perceived (so good was his judgment) that their 
army would be beaten : for they were too much frightened fiom 
having been so suddenly attacked : he therefore said to don Pedro, 
" Sir, save yourself, and hasten back to the castle of Montiel, which 
you left this morning : if you retire thither, you will be in safety ; 
but if you be taken, your enemies will slay you without mercy." 
The king approved of this advice, set out directly on his retreat to 
the castle of Montiel, and arrived there so ii.propos that he found 
the gates of the castle open, where he was received with only eleven 
followers. 

While this was passing, the remainder of his men, who were dis. 
persed over the plain, continued the combat as well as they could ; 
for the Moors who were among them, and had not any knowledge 
of the country, were indifferent whether they were directly slain or 



sufiered a long pursuit : they therefore ?old their lives dearly 
Others also acted marvellously well. 

Intelligence was brought to king Henry and to sir Bertrand, that 
don Pedro had retreated to the castle of Montiel, where he had shut 
himself up ; that the bfegue de Villaines and his men had pursued 
him to the castle, which had but one path to enter or come from it, 
and that le bfegue had there placed himself and fi.xed his pennon. 
King Henry and sir Bertrand were delighted with this news : they 

advanced toward that 
place fighting and slay- 
ing multitudes, killing 
them like beasts : they 
were quite fatigued with 
this business of butch- 
ery. The pursuit lasted 
more than three long 
hours, and there were 
upward of fourteen 
thousand killed and 
wounded : very few es- 
caped ; those who did 
were from that part of 
the country, and ac- 
quainted with its strong^ 
places. This battle was 
fought under Montiel, 
and its environs, th& 
13th day of August, 
1368. 

After the defeat of 
don Pedro and his army, 
king Henry and sir Ber- 
trand encamped them- 
selves before the castle 
of Montiel, where don 
Pedro was ; they sur- 
rounded it on all sides : 
for they said truly, that 
what they had hitherto 
done would be of no ef- 
fect, unless they took 
the castle of Montiel 
with don Pedro, who 
had shut hiiriself up in 
it. They seiU the prin- 
cipal part of their force 
back to Toledo, in order 
to reinforce the be- 
siegers, which was very agreeable to don Telle, who commanded 
there.* 

The castle of Montiel was of sufficient strength to have held out a 
considerable time, if it had been properly victualled; but when don 
Pedro entered it, there was not enough for four days, which much 
alarmed him :md his companions. They were so strictly watched 
that a bird could not escape trom the castle without bting noticed.^ 
Don Pedro was in great anguish of heart at seeing himself thus sur- 
rounded by his enemies, well knowing that they would not enter into 
any treaty of pence or agreement with him ; so that considering hig 
dangerous situation, and the great want of provision in the castle, 
he was advised to atttiupt an escape with his eleven companions 
about midnight, and to put himself under the protection of God : he 
was ofTcred guides that would conduct him to a place of safety. 

They remained in the castle, with this determination, until mid- 
niyht, when don Pedro, accompanied by don Fernando de Castro 
and others of the eleven companions, set out. It was very dark. 
At this hour the bdgue de Villaines had the command of the watch, 
with upward of three hundred men. Don Pedro had quitted the 
castle with his companions, and was descending by an upper path, 
but so quietly that it did not appear as if any one was moving: 
however, the b^gue de VilKnines, who had many suspicions, and was 
afraid of losing the object of his watch, imagined he heard the sound 
of horses' feet upon the causeway ; he therefore said to those near 
him : " Gentlemen, keep quiet : make no movement : for 1 hear the 
steps of some people. We must know who they are, and what they 
seek at such an hour. I suspect they are victuallers, who are bring- 
ing provision to the castle ; for I know it is in this respect very 
scantily provided." The bfegue then advanced, his dagger on his 
wrist, toward a man who was close to don Pedro, and demanded, 
" Who art thou ? Speak, or thou art a dead man." The man to 
whom the bfegue had spoken was an Englishman, and refused to 
answer : ho bent himself over his saddle, and dashed forward. The 
begue suffered him to pass ; when addressing himself to don Pedro, 
and examining liim earnestly, he fancied it was the king, notwith- 
standing the darkness of the night, from his likeness to king Henry 
his brother, for they very much resembled each other. He demanded 
from him, in placing his dagger on his breast, " And you, who are 



Designed from various MS. authorities 



* M. Dillon says, that Manrique, archbishop of Toledo, assisted by some able oflicerSr^ 
had the command of the blockade of Seville, when Henry inarched to meet don Pedro 
and Uiat don TeWo had joined the king of Navan« in spoiling the kingdom of Spain*- 



174 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



you ? Name yourself, and surrender this moment, or you are a dead 
man." In thus saying, he caught hold of his horse, and would not 
suffer him to escape as the former had done. 

King don Pedro, who saw a large body of men-at-arms before him, 
and found that he could not by any means escape, said to the b^gue 
de ViUaines, whom he recognized : " B6gue, bfegue, I am don Pedro 
king of Castille, to whom much wrong has been imputed, through 
evil counsellors. I surrender myself, and all my people, but twelve 
in number, as thy prisoners : we place ourselves under thy guard 
and disposition. I beseech thee, in the name of thy gentility, that 
thou put me in a place of safety. I will pay for my ransom what- 
ever sum thou shalt please to ask ; for, thank God, I have yet a 
sufficiency to do that ; but thou must prevent me from falling into 
the hands of the Bastard." The begue (according to the information 
I have since received) replied, that he and his company might come 
with him in all security ; for that his brother should not from him 
have any intelligence of what had happened.* Upon this consider- 
ation, they advanced, when don Pedro was conducted to the tent of 
the begue, and into the chamber of sir Lyon de Lakonet. He had 
not been there an hour, when king Henry and the viscount de Roca- 
berli, with their attendants, but not in great numbers, came thither. 
As soon as king Henry had entered the chamber where don Pedro 
was, he said, " Where is this son of a Jewish whore who calls him- 
self king of Castille ?" Don Pedro, who was a bold as well as a 
cruel man, stepped forward, and said : " Why thou art the son of a 
whore, and I am the son of Alphonso." On saying this, he caught 
hold of king Henry in his anus, began to wresUe with him, and, 
being the strongest, threw him down under him upon unc aubarde 
qu'on dit en Francois coestf de malerats de soyc :f placing his hand on 
his poniard, he would infallibly have killed him, if the viscount de 
Rocaberti had not been present, who seizing don Pedro by the legs, 
turned him over, by which means king Henry being uppermost, im- 
mediately drew a long poniard which he wore in his sash, and 
plunged it into his body. His attendants entered the tent, and 
helped to dispatch him. There were slain with him a knight from 
England called sir Raoul Heline, who had formerly had the surname 
of the Green Squire, and another esquire of the name of James 
Roland, because they had put themselves in postures of defence.t 
But no harm was done to don Fernando de Castro, nor to the rest of 
don Pedro's attendants : they continued, therefore, prisoners to le 
bfegue de Villaines and to sir Lyon de Lakonet. Thus died don 
Pedro, king of Castille, who had formerly reigned in great prosper- 
ity. Those who had slain him left him three days unburied, which 
was a pity for the sake of humanity ; and the Spaniards mode their 
jokes upon him. 

On the morrow, the lord of Montiel came to surrender himself to 
king Henry, who received him graciously, as well as all those who 
returned to their allegiance. News was soon spread abroad of the 
death of don Pedro, to the great joy of his enemies and sorrow of his 
friends. When the king of Portugal heard in what manner his cousin 
don Pedro had been slain, he was mightily vexed at it, and swore he 
would have satisfaction for it. He immediately sent a challenge to 
king Henry, and made war upon him, remaining master of all the 
environs of Seville for one whole season. This, however, did not 
preventking Henry from following his enterprise : he returned before 
Toledo, which surrendered to him as soon as it learnt the death of 
■don Pedro ; as did all the other parts of the country dependent on 
the crown of Castille. Even the king of Portugal did not wish to 
continue the war longer against king Henry ; so that there was a 
treaty of peace concluded between them, by means of the barons and 
prelates of Spain. King Henry, therefore, reigned in peace over all 
Castille. Sir Bertrand du Guesclin, sir Olivier de Mauny, and some 
others from France, Brittany, and Arragon, continued with him, to 
whom king Henry behaved very handsomely : indeed, he was in 
justice bound so to do, for without their aid he woidd never have 
been able to have accomplished this business. Sir Bertrand du 

*Tiiere are different accounts of this affair. Ferreras attributes the capture of don 
Pedro to Bertrand du Guesclin, and not rnucli to his Itonor: but I cannot beheve this, 
as avarice was not a vice of sucli gallant men. and am inclined to believe Froissart lias 
been rightly informed. 

t Not knowing how to translate this, I have leiV it as in the original. Du Cange. in 
the last volume of his Glo^ary, refers the word ajibartlc to abbarda, in the first volume 
of the Supplement, which is ns follows: '\/lbbaril(i, Clitella— fl(/(/c Provinctalibus 
bardo, nostris olim barde, equi armatura. Aubarde vero dixerunt, pro culcitrn, vulgo 
coitc de matdii.'i. Froissart," (quoting the expressions in the text.) ^Ibnrdarha.—Ga]]. 
Hallebarde. Vide supra Alabardn.— Bu Cimsc. [ Unc nubarde qn'on dit mFranrois 
coeste d£ nmterats de soye, that is, " an aubarde. nr, as it is called in French, a silken 
counterpane or quilt;" literally the silk covering of a mattress. Lord Berners trans- 
lates it a bench, and probably he is not far wrong. According to the quotation from Du 
Cange, the original meaning of the word was a war-saddle, which might not unnatu- 
rally be applied to the camp-bed of a tent, wliich serves for a seat or a couch as occasion 
requires, and may tlience be aptly likened to a soldier's saddle, which serves him for a 
pillow in a bivouac. As Froissart however confines the meaning to the covering of the 
couch, this conjecture may very possibly be wrong, but in that case the etymology still 
escapes us.]— Ed. 

t " With this unfortunate monarch there also fell two gallant Englishmen, who were 
slain for having drawn their swords in his defence when grappling with Henry. These 
were sir Ralph Holmes and James Rowland. The life of Fernando de Castro was 
spared, on account of his long attachment and fidelity to his sovereign. 

" Don Fernando de Castro, after the death of King Peter, made his escape into Por- 
tugal, and nflerwards retired to Guienne, wliere he died. Over his tomb was placed the 
following inscription: Add Y*CK don rBRNANDO pkrez ni castro, toda la 
fiDELlDAD HE ESPANA.— DiLLOs's Hist, of Petcr the Critcl, vol. ii. p, 119. 



Guesclin was made constable of Spain, and received the estate of 
Soria, worth twenty thousand francs a-year. The king gave to his 
nephew, sir Olivier de Manny, the estate of Ctecte, worth ten thou- 
sand francs a-year ; and so on to the other knights with such libe- 
rality that they were all contented. King Henry went to Burgos with 
his queen and children, to hold his court there, which he did in a 
princely style.* The kings of France and of -\nagon, as well as 
the duke of Anjou, who loved him personally, were very much re. 
joiced at the fortunate event of the war. 

About this time died the lord Lionel of England, who had crossed 
the Alps, as has been before related, and had taken for his wife the 
daughter of the lord Galeas Visconti, sovereign of Milan. But, as 
his death appeared extraordinary ,t the lord Edward Despenser, his 
companion, who had remained with him, declared war against 
Galeas, and slew many of his subjects at dift'erent times : at last, 
however, the earl of Savoy made peace between them. Let ttsnow 
return to what was going forward in the duchy of Aquitaine. 



CHAPTER CCXLVI. 

i;iNG CHARLES V. IS ADVISED TO DECLAP.E HIMSELF LOKD PARAMOUNT OF 
GUIENNE AND AQUITAINE, ON ACCOUNT OF THE HEARTH-TAX WHICH THE 
PKINCE OF WALES WAS ABOUT TO RAISE. THIS CAUSES A RENEWAL OF 
THE WAR BETWEEN THE FRENCH AND THE ENGLISH. 

We have before related how the prince had been advised to raise 
a hearth-tax in his dominions: by which many thought themselves 
over burdened, especially the Gascons ; for those of the low conn, 
tries of Poitou, Saintonge, and la Rochelle had acceded to it with 
tolerable good humor, as living nearer the residence of their prince, 
and as being more obedient and more tractably disposed to the or- 
dinances of their lords, more to be depended on, and firmer in their 
allegiance than those from the more distant parts of the country. 

In order to carry these intentions of the prince into effect, several 
parliaments were held at Niort, Angouleme, Poitiers, Bordeaux, and 
Bergerac : but the Gascons declared they would never pay this tax, 
nor suffer it to be laid upon their lands, and asserted, that they had 
an appeal to the courts of the king of France. This claim of appeal 
much angered the prince, who answered, that they had no such ap. 
peal ; for that the king of France had surrendered all right to appeals 
and jurisdictions, when he had given these tenitories to his lord and 
father, as was fully apparent by the treaties of peace ; for that the 
negotiators of this peace had not reserved the slightest article where- 
by an appeal to the king of France could be made. To this the 
Gascons replied, that it was not lawful for the king of France, nor in 
his power, nor had ever been in his power, to free them from appeal- 
ing to him, without the will of the prelates, barons, cities, and prin. 
cipal towns of Gascony, who would never have consented to it, nor 
ever will consent to it, if it were to be proposed, because it woiUd be 
the cause of a perpetual warfare with France. 

Thus were the prince and the barons of Gascony quarrelling with 
each other ; for either party supported his own opinion, and main, 
taincd that it was the right. The earl of Armagnac, the earl of 
Comminges, the lord d'Albret, the earl of Perigord, and several other 
barons from Gascony, remained quiet at Paris, near the person of 
the king, and at his leisure moments informed his majesty, that the 



* King Henry assembled the states of the realm at Medina d'el Campo, to make ar- 
rangements for recompensing the French and other knights. They paid Bertrand du 
Guesclin one hundred and twenty thousand gold tlorins. The king also gave Sorm, 
Almazan. Aticnca, Monteagudo, and Seron. with their dependencies, to sir Bertrand : 
to Olivier de Mauny, Agreda : Rihadeo, with the title of count, to the Vigucr de Vil- 
lames, whom he married to a lady uf tlieGuzman family ; Aquilar de Campo to Geoffry 
Relor, and Villalpand to Arnold golier."— Ferrera's Hist, d' Espagnc, vol. v., pp. 
m. 415. 

t "Anno Domini 1367, et regni 42 Edwardi, Leonellus dux ClnrentiiC obiit in nntali S. 
Mari;8, ut fertur. potionatus."— Lelandi CoUectavca, vol. i. p. 251. 

"(iuo amro C13t>S,) inense .^prilis, Leonellus du.\ Claieiicia;, regis Kdwardi tertii 
filins, cum electa multitudine nobiliuni Anglicorum transivit versus Mediolanum. an 
accipiendum in uxorem filiam domini Gallias, domini Mediolani, cum qua medietatem 
ejusdem dominii fuernt habiturns. Sed tamen modico tempore super conjuge vel domi- 
nio guadere permissus est, morte (quie cuncta disjungit &. >epnrat) mox pra?ventus. Ce- 
lebrato nempe inter eos cum maxima gloria matrimonio, Leonellus, circa festum nati- 
vitatis bentac Mariie proximo scqueutein diem clausit extremum."— Tlio. Walsing- 
HAM. Hist. Jlngli. F.die. III. pp. 132, 8. 

" Moreover, at the coming of Leonell, such abundance of treasure was in the most 
bounteous manner spent, in making of most sumptuous feasts, setting forth stately 
sights, and honoring with rare gifts above two hundred Englislunen who accompanied 
hisson in-law, as it seemed to surpass the greatness of the most wealtby princes : for 
the banquet at which Francis Petrarch was present among tlie cliiefest guests, had about 
thirty courses of service at the table, and betwixt every course there were as many pres- 
ents of wondrous price intermixed ; all which John Galeasius, chief of the choice 
youth, bringing to the table, did oflcr to Leonell. There were in one only course se- 
venty goodly horses, adorned with silk and silver furniture ; and in another silver ves- 
sels, falcons, hounds, armor for horses, costly coats of mail, breast-plates glistering of 
massy steel, helmets and cnrseleli decked with costly crests, apparelled distinct with costly 
jewels, soldiers' girdles, and lastly, certain gems by curious art set m gold and purple, 
and cloth ofgold for men's apparel in great abundance. .\nd such was the sumptu- 
ousnessof that banquet, that the meats which were brought from table would snlti- 
ciently have served ten thousand men. But not long after. Leonell, living with his new 
wife, while alter the manner of his own country, as forgetting or not regarding his 
cbaiige of air, he addicted himself overmuch to untimely hanquetings, spent and con- 
sumed with a lingering sickness, died at Alba." 

This account from Stowe. pp. 267, 2tj8, edition 1631, seems very naturally to account 
for the death of the duke of Clarence, without supposing it caused by treachery. 

For a more particular account of this entertainment, see Corio's History of Milan, 
printed at Milan, 1503. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



175 



prince, through pride and presumption, was desirous of trampling 
them under foot, and oppressing them witli taxes upon their lands 
which lia.d not been heard of before, and which they would never 
permit to be levied. They demonstrated to the king, that they had 
an appeal to him, and demanded that the prince should be summoned 
before the parliament and the peers, to answer for the grievances and 
oppressions he intended to lay on them. 

The king of France listened with complacency to these lords of 
Gascony, wiien they requested from him help and assistance as from 
their sovereign lord, adding, that should he refuse it lo them, they 
would withdraw their allegiance, and apply to some other court ; so 
that, for fear of losing his claim to this sovereignty, he in the end 
complied with tlieir re([uest. He was, however, sensible that this 
afiair must cause a war, which he was desirous not to begin without 
some appearance of right : besides, his kingdom was not recovered 
from the effects of the late war, nor from the oppressions of the free 
companies and other enemies. In addition also to these reasons, his 
brother the duke of Berry was still a hostage in England ; so that he 
■was determined to act with prudence and caution. 

About this time, sir Guy de Ligny, earl of .St. Pol, had returned to 
France from England, without permission of the English, by a very 
ingenious trick. As the full detail of it would take a considerable 
time, I pass it over. This earl hated the English more than words 
can express, and took much pains that the king of France should ac- 
cede to the request of the Gascon lords ; for he was well aware, that 
if the prince of Wales were summoned to appear before the parlia- 
ment, it would create a war. Many prelates, barons, earls, and 
knights of France had united themselves with the earl of St. Pol, and 
had told the king, that the king of England had not in any way main- 
tained the peace, nor paid any respect to what he had sworn and 
sealed, according to the tenor of the treaties which had been made 
at Bretigny near Chartres, and afterwards confirmed at Calais ; for 
the English had carried on the war with France in an underhand 
manner, as much, if not more, since the peace had been made than 
before. They remonstrated with the king on the subject, adding, that 
if he would have the articles and treaty of peace read, which had 
been accepted by the king of England and his eldest son upon their 
faith and oath, he would iiiid the truth of what they had told him. 

Upon this, the king of France, to be better informed, and to pre- 
ser\'e the rights of the crown, ordered all the papers relative to the 
last peace, to be brought to the council-chamber, where they were 
read several times, that the different points and articles might be 
fully examined. They were very carefully inspected, and among 
them they found one relating to the territories given up, which the 
king and his council fixed on with greater attention, because it spoke 
fully and clearly on the subject they were desirous to discuss. The 
paper was in these terms : 

" Edward, by the grace of God, king of England, lord of Ireland 
and of .\quitaine, to all those to whom these present letters shall come, 
greeting. Know all, that in the agreement and final peace entered into 
between our very dear brother the king of France and ourselves, 
there are two articles of the following tenor : Item, the aforesaid 
kings shall be found to have all the before.mentioned things con- 
firmed by our holy father the pope ; and they shall be strengthened 
by oaths, sentences, and censures of the court of Rome, and by every 
other bond in the strongest manner possible : and there shall be 
obtained from the aforesaid court of Rome dispensations, absolutions, 
and letters in regard to the perfecting and accomplishing this present 
treaty, which shall be forwarded to the different parties within three 
■weeks at the latest after the king shall be arrived at Calais. Item, in 
order that the aforesaid things, which have been gone through and 
treated of, may be more firm and stable, the securities which follow 
shall be given ; that is to say, letters drawn up in the best possible 
manner by the councils of the two kings, and sealed with the seals 
of the two kings, and also with the seals of their two eldest sons. 
The aforesaid kings, their eldest sons, and their children, as well as 
others of the branches of the royal family, and of the principal nobi- 
lity of their kingdoms, to the number of twenty, shall swear they will 
keep, and help to keep as far as in them lies, all these articles which 
have been made, entered into and agreed upon, and will keep them 
without doing anything contrary, either by fraud, malice, or by any 
hindrance whatever. And if there should be any persons in the two 
before.mentioned kingdoms of France and England who shall be 
rebellious, and not consenting to the aforesaid treaties, the two afore. 
said kings together shall use every exertion of body, fortune, and 
friends, to bring the aforesaid rebels into true obedience, according 
to the form and tenor of the aforesaid treaty. And withal, the two 
aforesaid kings will submit themselves and their kingdoms to the 
coercion of our lioly father the pope, in order that he may constrain 
by ecclesiastical censures, or other means, him who shall be rebel- 
lious, according to what shall be thought reasonable. And among the 
securities and assurances aforesaid, the two kings shall renounce for 
themselves and their heirs, upon their faith and oath, all wars and 
actions of war : and if through disobedience, rebellion, or power of 
some of the subjects of the kingdom of France, or through any other 
just cause, the king of France shall not be able to accomplish and 
fulfil all the things aforesaid, the king of England aforesaid, his heirs 
and kingdom, or any of them, shall not make war, nor cause war to 
be made upon the aforesaid king of France, nor upon his heirs nor 



kingdom ; but both together shall unite and e.xert themselves in 
bringing back the aforesaid rebels to their proper obedience, and to 
the fulfilling the aforesaid things. And also, if in the aforesaid 
kingdom, and under the obedience of the king of England, there 
should be any not willing to surrender and give up those castles, 
towns, or fortresses which they hold in the kingdom of France, nor 
to obey the aforesaid treaty : or if, through any just cause, the king 
of England shall be prevented from accomplishing what is laid down 
in the aforesaid treaty, neither the king of France, his heire, nor any 
one for them, shall make war upon the king of England, nor upon 
his kingdom ; but both of them together will, with all their might, 
endeavor to regain the aforesaid castles, towns, and fortresses, and 
to bringbaek such rebels to their proper obedience, so that the per- 
feet fulfilment of the aforesaid treaties may be wrought. And there 
shall bo mutually given on both parts, according to the nature of the 
act, every sort of security which may be devised, as well by the pope 
and college of Rome as by others, for the maintaining the peace and 
other articles of the treaty. For which reasons, wishing to preserve 
and cherish a pei-petual peace and love between us and our aforesaid 
brother and kingdom of France, we have renounced, and by these 
presents do renounce, all war and offensive acts against our brother 
atoresaid, his heirs and successors, the kingdom of France, and his 
subjects. And we promise and swear, and have promised and sworn 
upon the body of Jesus Christ, for ourselves and successors, that we 
will not do, nor suffer to be done, any act or word against this renun. 
ciation , nor against any thing contained in these aforesaid articles. And 
if we shoulddoor suffer to be done anything to the contrary, which God 
forbid, "we are willing to be reputed false, wicked and perjured, and 
to incur such blame and infamy as a consecrated and crowned king 
ought to incur in similar cases. We renounce all idea of importun. 
ing any dispensation or absolution from the pope from our oath afore- 
said ; and if obtained, we declare it to be null and of no weight, and 
that no advantage whatever ought to be made of it. In order more 
fully to strengthen the aforesaid declarations, we submit ourselves, 
our heirs and successors, to the jurisdiction and coercion of the church 
of Rome, and will and consent that our holy father the pope confirm 
all these things by ordering monitory and general mandates for the 
accomplishment of them, against us, our heirs and successors, and 
against our subjects, (whether commonalties, universities, colleges, 
or private persons of whatever descriptions,) and by granting sen- 
tences of excommunication, suspension, or interdict, to be incurred 
by us or by them, as soon as we or they shall attempt or do anything 
contrary to these articles, by occupying towns, castles, fortresses, or 
any other act, by giving comfort, aid, advice, or assistance, that may 
in any way infringe upon the true meaning of this treaty. 

" We have caused our very dear eldest son, Edward, prince of 
Wales, to swear to the aforesaid articles, in like manner as ourself ; 
and also our younger sons, Lionel earl of Ulster, John earl of Rich- 
mond, and Edmund of Langley ; and also our dear cousin Philip de 
Navarre, the dukes of Lancaster and Brittany, the earls of Stamford 
and Salisbury, the lord of Manny, the captal de Buch, the lord de 
Montfort, lord James Audley, sir Roger Beauchamp, sir John Chan- 
dos, lord Ralph Ferrers, lord Edward de Spenser, sir William and 
sir Thomas Felton, sir Eustace d'.\mbreticourt, sir Franque van 
Halle, sir John Moubray, sir Bartholomew Burghersh, sir Henry 
Percy, and several other knights. And we will have the aforesaid 
articles in like manner sworn to, as soon as we well can, by our other 
children, and by the greater part of our prelates, churchmen, earls, 
barons, and other nobles of our realm. In witness whereof, we have 
affixed our seal to these presents, given in our town of Calais, the 
24th day of October, in the year of grace 1360.''* 

Among other letters which had been drawn up, as well at Bretigny 
near Chartres as at Calais, during king John's residence there, was 
the above letter, now under examination of king Charies, his eldest 
son, and the principal persons of his council. After it had been 
maturely considered by the prelates and barons of France who had 
been summoned to this council, they told the king, that neither the 
king of England nor the prince of Wales had kept or fulfilled the 
articles of the treaty of Bretigny; but, on the contrary, had taken 
possession of castles and towns by force, and had remained in the 
aforesaid kingdom of France, to its great loss ; where they had pil- 
laged and ransomed its subjects, by which means the payment for 
the redemption of the late king John was still part in arrear : that 
upon this, and upon other points, the king of France and his subjects 
had good right and just cause to break the peace, to make war upon 
the English, and deprive them of the possessions they had on this 

side the sea. , , ,-. 

The king was also secretly advised, after much deliberation, in 
such words as these : " Dear sire, undertake with corn-age this war : 
vou have a very good cause to induce you to do so : and know, that 
"as soon as you shall have determined upon it, you will find that many 
in the duchy of Aquitaine will turn to your side ; such as prelates, 
barons, earls, knights, squires, and citizens of the principal towns ; 
for as the prince proceeds in levying this hearth-tax, in the same 
proportion will hatred and ill-will follow from all ranks, as they wiU 
be very miserable should he succeed in his attempt. As for those ot 
Poitou, Saintonge, Rouergue, Quercy, and La Rochelle, from their 
nature they ca nnot love the English, who, in their turn, being proud 

r See Uiis aad othei treaUes, in the Foedeto, relative W the peace of Bretigny. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



176 

and presumptuous, have not any affection for them, nor ever had. 
Add to this, that the officers of the prince are such extortioners, as 
to lay their hands on whatever they can find, and levy such heavy 
taxes, under the name of tlie prince, that they leave nothing to the 
subject : besides, the gentlemen of the country cannot obtain any 
ofKces, for they are all seized on by the English knights attached to 
the prince." 

By these arguments, the king of France was determined to declare 
war ; and the duke of Anjou, who at that time was at Toulouse, 
took great pains to bring it about ; for he was very desirous that the 
war should be renewed with tlie Englisli, as he was one who could 
not love them for some afi'ronts they had put upon him in former 
times.* 

On the other hand, the Gascons frequently said to the king of 
France : " Dear sire, we insist that we have an appeal to your court, 
(and therefore supplicate you to do us justice, as being the most up. 
right prince in the world, J in regard to the great injuries and extor- 
tions which the prince of Wales and his people want to impose upon 
us. Should you refuse, liowcver, to do us right, we will seek for it 
in other courts, and we will place ourselves under tliat lord who will 
exert himself to preserve our rights ; by which means you may lose 
the principaUty." 

The king of France, who very unwillingly would have suffered 
this loss, for it would have been of the greatest prejudice to his king- 
dom, made a courteous reply : " that never, for want of law or advice 
should they apply to any otlicr court than his own ; but it was proper 
such affairs should be treated with much deliberation and prudence." 
In this manner, he kept them in expectation for one year, detaining 
them privately at Paris ; where, besides paying all their expenses, he 
made them handsome presents and gave them rich jewels. He, 
however, inquired secretly, whether, in case the peace be broken, 
and war with the English recommence, they would support him : 
they replied, that he ought not to be alarmed, nor prevented from 
carrying on the war in their country, as they were sufficiently able 
to make head against the prince, and the force he could employ. 

The king at the same time, sounded those of Abbeville, if they 
would return to their allegiance, and become good Frenchmen : tliey 
desired nothing more earnestly than to do so, for much did they hate 
the English. Thus did tlie king of France acquire friends on all 
sides : otherwise, he would not have dared to act as he did. At tliis 
time was born Charles of France, eldest son to the king of France, 
in the year of grace 1368, which gave great joy to tlic kingdom. 
Before this time, had been born Charles d'Albret. The birtli of these 
two children, wlio were cousins.gernian, was highly pleasing to the 
whole realm, but particularly to the king of France. 



CHAPTER CCXLVII. 

THE KING OF FRANCE SENDS A SU.MMONS TO THE PRINCE OF WALES, TO 
APPEAR IN THE CHAMBER OF PEERS AT PARIS, IN THE MATTER OF AN 
APPEAL FROM THE BARONS OF GASCONY. 

The king of France was so strongly advised by his council, and 
SO strenuously entreated by the Gascons, that an appeal was drawn 
up, and sent to Aquitaine, to summon the prince of Wales to appear 
before the parliament of Paris. It was in the name of the earl of 
Armagnac, the lord d'Albret, the earls of Perigord and of Comminges, 
the viscount of Carmaing, the lords de la Barde and de Pincornet, 
who were the principal appellants. In this appeal, the said Gascons 
complained of certain oppressive grievances which the prince of 
Wales and of Aquitaine was about to inflict on them and their vas 
sals ; and that the said Gascons appealed to and claimed the juris, 
diction of the king of France, wliom as a matter of right, they had 
chosen for their judge. When tliis appeal from the said barons and 
lords of Gaseony had been well drawn out, and reduced to writing, 
after different corrections in the best possible manner by the wisest 
of the French council, and after it had been very fully considered, 
tliey resolved that it should be signified to the prince of Wales, that 
they summoned him to appear in person, in the chamber of peers at 
Paris, to answer the complaints made against him and attend the 
judgment : to which effect, orders were given to an eloquent lawyer, 
that the business might be more properly done, and a very noble 
knight of Beauce, called Caponnel de Caponnal. 

These two commissionere left Paris with their attendants, taking 
the road toward Bordeaux. They passed through BeiTy, Touraine, 
Poitou, Saintonge, and came to Blaye, where they crossed the Ga 
ronne : from thence they went to Bordeaux, where the prince and 
princess at that time resided, more than at any other place. These 
commissioners declared, wherever they passed, that they were come 
by orders of the king of France ; by which means they were in all 
places well received. When they entered the city of Bordeaux, they 
took up their quarters at an inn (for it was late, about the hour of 
vespers,) and remained there all that night. On the following day, 
at a proper hour, tliey went to the abbey of St. Andrew, where the 
prince of Wales kept his court. 

The knights and squires of the prince received thein kindly, out 
of respect to the king of France, by whom they said they were sent. 

l,LY'''^/'°J"' r'''/"', '""''?^u ^^'^''Vei diihonorubly from England, ivhere he was an 
Hostage for his father king John. 



The prince of Wales was soon informed of their arrival, and ordered 
them to be brought to liim. When they came into his presence, they 
bowed very low, and saluted him with great respect (as was on every 
account his due, and they well knew how to jiay it.) and then gave 
him their credential letters. The prince took them, and, after having 
read every word, said, " You are welcome ; now communicate all 
that you have to say to us." " Respected sir," said the lawyer, 
" here are letters which were given to us by our honored lord the 
king of France ; which letters we engaged on our faith to publish in 
your presence, for they nearly relate to you." The prince upon this 
changed color, from his great difficulty to conjecture what they could 
relate to : the barons and knights who were with him were equally 
astonished : but he restrained himself, and added, " Speak, speak : 
all good news we will cheerfully hear." The lawyer then opened 
the letter and read, v/ord for word, the contents of it, which were: 
" Charles, by the grace of God king of France, to our nephew the 
prince of Wales and Aquitaine, health. Whei'eas several prelates, 
barons, knights, universities, fraternities and colleges of the country 
and district of Gaseony, residing and inhabiting upon the borders of 
our realm, together with many others from the country and duchy of 
Aquitaine, have come before us in our court, to claim justice for cer. 
tain grievances and unjust oppressions wliich you, through weak coun. 
sol and foolish advice, have been induced to do them, and at which 
we arc much astonished. Therefore, in order to obviate and remedy 
such things, we do take cognizance of their cause, insomuch that 
we, of our royal majesty and sovereignty, order and command you 
to appear in our city of Paris in person, and that 5 ou sb.ow and pro- 
sent yourself before us, in om" chamber of peers, to hear judgment 
pronounced upon the aforesaid complaints and grievances done by you 
to your subjects, who claim to be heard, and to have the jurisdiction 
of our court. Let there be no delay in obeying this summons, but 
set out as speedily as possible after having heard this order read. In 
witness whereof, we have affixed our seal to these presents. Given 
at Paris, the 25th day of January, 1369." 



CHAPTER CC XL VI II. 

THE PRINCF. OF WALES IMPRISONS THE COMMISSIONERS FROM THE KI.TO 
OF FRANCE WHO HAD BROUGHT HIM THE SUMMONS OF APPEAL FROll 
THE LORDS OF GASCONY TO THE COURT OF FRANCE. 

WuEN the prince of Wales had heard this letter read, he was more 
astonished than before. He shook his head ; and after having eyed 
the said Frenchmen, and considered awhile, he replied as follows : 
" We shall willingly attend on the appointed day at Paris, since the 
king of France sends for us ; but it will be with our helmet on our 
head, and accompanied by sixty thousand men." The two French- 
men, upon this, fell upon their knees, saying, *' Dear sk, have mercy, 
for God's sake : do not bear this appeal with too much anger nor 
indignation. We are but messengers sent by our lord the king of 
France, to whom wc owe all obedience (as your subjects in like 
manner do to you,) and to whom it is proper we should pay it : 
therefore, whatever answer you shall wish to charge us with, we will 
very willingly report it to our lord." " Oh no," replied the prince, 
" I am not in the least angry with you, but with those who sent you 
hither. Your king has been ill advised, thus to take the part of our 
subjects, and to wish to make himself judge of what he lias nothing 
to do with, nor any right to interfere in. It shall be very clearly 
demonstrated to him, that when he gave possession and seisin of the 
whole duchy of Aquitaine to our lord and father, or to his commis- 
saries, he surrendered also all jurisdiction over it ; and all those who 
have now appealed against us, have no other court to apply to but 
tliat of England, and to our lord and father. It shall cost a hundred 
thousand lives, before it shall be otherwise." On saying this, the 
prince quitted them, and entered another apartment, leaving thfin 
quite thunderstruck. 

Some English knights came to them, and said ; " My lords, you 
must go from hence, and return to your hdtel ; you have well exe- 
cuted the business you came here upon, but you will not have any 
other answer to it than what you have just heard." The knight and 
lawyer returned to their inn, where having dined, they soon after 
packed up their baggage, and mounting their horses, set out from 
Bordeaux, taking the road to Toulouse, to relate to the duke of An- 
jou what they had done. 

The prince of Wales was much cast down by this appeal which 
had been made against him. His knights and barons were not in 
better spirits : they wished, and even advised the prirfee to kill the 
two messengers, as a salary for their pains ; but the prince forbade 
it to be done. His thoughts, however, were ill-inclined to them : 
when he heard they were set out, and had taken the road to Tou- 
louse, he called sir Thomas Felton,* the high steward of Ronergue, 
sir Tliomas de Pontchardon, sir Thomas Percy, his chancellor the 
bishop of Rliodez, and several others of his principal barons ; of 
whom he asked, "Have these Frenchmen who have gone away any 
passports from me ?" They answered, that they had heard nothing 
about it. " No," replied the prince, shaking his head, " it is not 
right that they should so easily leave our country, and go to relate 

* Barnes says sir Thomas Felton was seneschal of Aquitaine, and sir Thomas Wafee 
seneschal of RouerRue. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, Sec. 



117 



their piattlc to tlie duke of Anjou, who loves us little, and say how 
they have summoned us personally in our own palace. They are, 
upon due consideration, messengers from my vassals, the earl of Ar. 
magnac,- the lord d'Albret, the earls of Ferigord, Comminges and 
of Carmaing, rather than from the king of France ; so that, for the 
vexation they have given us, we consent they should be detained and 
thrown into prison." The council of the prince were well pleased 
on hearing this, as it was before their advice, and said it had been 
but too long delayed. 

The high steward of Agiinois was charged with this commission : 
his name was sir William le Moine, a very gallant and noble knight 
of England; %vho immediately mounted his horse with his attend- 
ants, ^nd left Bordeaux. Ho made such haste, in pursuing these 
Frenchmen, that he overtook them before they had passed the dis- 
trict of Agenois. Upon coming up with them, he arrested them 
under title of his office, and found another pretence for so doing 
without compromising the prince, whose name he never mentioned, 
but said, their host of the preceding evening had complained to him 
that they had taken one of his horses in mistake from his inn. The 
kniglit and lawyer were astonished on hearing this, and endeavored 
to excuse themselves, but in vain, for they could not obtain their 
liberty. They were conducted to the city of Agen, and put in the 
prison of the castle. The English suffered some of their attendants 
to return to France ; who, passing through Toulouse, related to the 
duke of Anjou everything as it had happened. The duke was not 
much displeased thereat ; for he thought it would be the beginning of 
the war, and prepared to take his measures accordingly. 

News of tlie imprisonment of his commissioners was soon carried 
to the king of France ; for their servants being returned to court, 
told all they had seen and heard from theii- masters, in regard to the 
state, government and countenance of the prince of Wales ; which, 
coming to the ears of the king, inflamed his anger : he was greatly 
vexed, and thought much upon it, as well as upon the words of the 
prince, on receiving this appeal, namely, that he would attend the 
appeal in person, with his helmet on his head, accompanied by sixty 
thousand men. This haughty and proud answer occupied the mind 
of the king of France : he therefore, most prudently and wisely, be- 
gan to make preparations for supporting the weight of this ensuing 
war ; for in truth it was likely to be very heavy as well as hazardous, 
and to draw upon him the whole force of the king of England, 
against whom liis predecessors had labored so much in former times, 
as has been related in this history. But he was strongly solicited by 
the great lords of Guycnne on the other hand, who demonstrated to 
him the extortions of the English, and the great losses which this 
might in future occasion to him, the truth of which he well knew. 
What appeared to affect him most, in beginning this war, was his 
consideration for the destruction of his poor people, which might 
continue for a long time, and the dangers and opprobrium which 
his nobles had suffered from the last war. 



CHAPTER CCXLIX. 

THE DVKZ OF EERKV AND SEVERAL MORE LORDS, WHO HAD BEE>' HOST- 
AGES IN ENGLAND RETURN TO FRANCE. 

The king of France and his council, not regarding tlie haughty 
answer of the prince of Whales, made every preparation which might 
be necessary for the grand event about to take place. At this pe. 
riod, the lord John of France, duke of Berry, had returned home, 
through the favor of the king of England, who had granted him per- 
mission to remain a year in France. He acted so prudently, and 
made so many excuses, that he never went back ; for the war speed- 
ily broke out, as you will hear related. Sir .John de Harcourt had 
also returned to his own countrj', where his estates had been granted 
him, through the solicitations of sir Lewis de Harcourt his uncle, 
who was from Poitou, and at tlie time one of the prince's knights. 
Sir John de Harcourt fell sick, which happened to him very oppor- 
tunely, for it lasted until the renewal of the war, so that he never 
again returned to England. 

Sir Guy do Blois, who at that time was a young squire, and brother 
to the earl of Blois, obtained his liberty also ; for when he perceived 
that the king of France, for whom he was hostage, had not thought 
of ransoming him, he made overtures to the lord de Coucy, who had 
married one of the king's daughters, and who had a very great 
revenue in right of his wife, assigned to him on the king's treasury. 
This treaty advanced so well between the king, his son-in-law, and 
sir Guy, that the latter, with the permission of his two brothers Louis 
and John, and with the consent of the king of France, gave up 
wholly and absolutely into the hands of the king of England, the 
county of Soissons ; which county the king of England gave again, 
and presented to the lord de Coucy, who released it for four thousand 
livres a-year annual rent. Thus were these agreements and cove- 
nants finished. The earl Peter d"Alen9on had, through the good 
will of the king of England, returned also to France, where he re- 
mained so long, and made so many excuses, that he never went back 
to resume his duty as hostage ; but, I believe, at last he paid thirty 
thousand francs, to acquit his faith and oath. 

Before this time, a fortunate circumstance happened to duke Louis 
•de Bourbon, who was one of the hostages in England. By favor of 



the king of England, he had returned to France ; and while he was 
at Paris with his brother-in-law king Charles, it chanced that the 
bishop of Winchester, chancellor of England, died. There was at 
that time a priest in England of the name of William of Wykeham : 
this William was so high in the king's grace that nothing was done, 
in any respect whatever, without his advice. When the chancellor- 
sl:ip and bishopric thus became vacant, the king immediately wrote 
to the duke of Bourbon, at tlie request and prayer of the said Wil- 
liam, to beg of him, through the affection he had for him, to go to 
the holy father Urban, and prevail on him to grant the vacant bish- 
opric of Winchester to his chaplain ; and that, in return, he would be 
very courteous to him as to his ransom. 

When the duke of Bourbon received the messengers with the- let. 
ters from the king of England, he was much pleased, and explained 
to the king of France what the king of England and sir William 
wanted him to do. The king advised him to go to the pope. The 
duke therefore, with his attendants, immediately set out and travelled, 
until they came to Avignon, where pope Urban resided, for he had 
not as yet set out for Rome. The duke made his request to the holy 
father, who directly granted it, and gave to him the bishopric of Win- 
chester, to dispose of as he should please ; and if he found the king 
of England courteous and liberal as to his ransom, he was very wil- 
ling that Wykeham should have this bishopric. The duke upon this 
returned to France, and afterwards to England, where he entered 
into a treaty with the king and his council for his ransom, showing at 
the same time his bulls from the pope. The king, who loved Wyke- 
ham very much, did whatever he desired. The duke had his liberty, 
on paying twenty thousand francs ; and sir* William Wykeham was 
made bishop of Winchester and chancellor of England. 

In this manner, the French lords who were hostages in England 
obtained their liberty. We will now return to the war in Gascony, 
which first broke out on account of the appeal which has been 
already spoken of. 

CHAPTER CCL. 

the EARL OF PERIGORD,! THE VISCOL^NT OF CARMAING AND OTIIEK 
BARONS OF GASCONY, DEFEAT THE HIGH STEWARD OF ROUERGUE. 

You have heard how much the prince of Wales was offended by 
the summons which had been served on him to appear at the court 
of the parliament in Paris. It was fullv his intention to perform the 
answer he had given to the commissioners from the king, namely, 
that in the course of the summer ho would come and take his seat, 
and personally appear at the feast of the lendit.t He therefore sent 
orders to those captains of English and Gascon companies who were 
attached to him, and in quarters upon the banks of the Loire, not to 
march to any great distance from that river, for he should shortly 
have occasion for them, and would find them employment. The 
greater part of these companies were much rejoiced at the news. 
The prince would not have failed in his intentions, but that his illness 
and the swelling daily increased (which had been caused by his ex- 
pedition into Spain :) so that his attendants were very much alarmed 
at it, for he could not at this moment mount his horse. The king 
of France had received accurate information of all this, and had 
been furnished with the statement of his case drawn up in writing ; 
from which the physicians and surgeons of France judged that he 
had a confinned dropsy, and declared him unable ever to recover. 

As soon as the capture of sir Caponnel de Caponnal and the man 
of law was publicly known, who, as it has been before said, were 
arrested by sir William le Moine, and carried prisoners to .'Vgen, the 
earl of Comminges, the earl of Perigord, the viscount of Carmaing, 
sir Bertrand Taude, the lord de la Barde, the lord de Pincornet, and 
many more knights and squires who resided on their estates, and 
lordships, were very much offended at this measure ; since for them, 
and upon their account, had they undertaken this commission. They 
determined to have revenge for this violence, and to begin the war in 

• " The custom of prefixing the addilion of Sir, to the Christian name of a clergyman 
was formerfr usual in this country. Fuller, in his Ciiurch History, book vi.. enumerates 
seven chantries, part of a much larger number, in the old cathedral of St. Paul, in the 
time of king Edward VI., with the names of Uie then incumbents, most of whom had 
the addition of sir; upon which lie remarks, and gives this reason why there were for- 
merly more sii-5 than knights ; such priests as have the addition of sir, before their Chris- 
tian names, were men not graduated in the university, being in orders, but not in degrees ; 
while others, entitled masters, had commenced in the arts. This ancient usage is alluded 
to in the following humorous catch : 

* Now [ am married. Sir John I'll not curse ; 
He joined us together for better for worse. 
But if I were smgle, I do tell you plain, 
I'd be well advis'd.ere I married again.' " 

Sir John Hawkins's Hist. Music, vol. ii. p. 518. 

T The earls of Carmaing have since taken the name of FoLv. by an alliance with aa 
heiress of this name, who brought to tlieiu the county of Foix, in theUtli century. The 
earls of Perigord bear to this day the same name ; they are likewise known under those 
of princes of Chnlais, earls of Perigord, or earls of Talleyrand, which is the principal 
name of their house. M. de Talleyrand de Perigord was bishop of Autun. of which 
office he divested himself, when, in the course of the revolutionar>- furor, episcopacy 
became unpopular, and is now minister for foreign aflairs to the republic of Prance. 
1803. [Prince Talleyrand has within these few days (May, 1838; departed tbis hfe, attet 
reconcUing himself to the church of Rome.-Eo.l .,„,■- 

t Lendit-a great fair kept I in a field near St. Denis) from the second Wednesday in 
June until Midsummer eve— whence /rn&ts-gate-money, fairings, or yearly presents. 
l>estowed by the scholars of the university, especially those of Pans, on their tutors.— 

COTORAVE. 



178 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &,c. 



their own country, by making prisoners some ot those attached to 
the party of the prince. They had information that sir Thomas 
Wake was on his road to Rhodez, to examine the strength of the 
castle ; that he was at Villeneuve d'Ag^nois, from whence he was 
to be escorted by only sixty lances. 

When these knights heard this news, they were in high spirits, and 
resolved to lay an ambuscade for sir Thomas, consisting of three 
hundred lances ; so that about two leagues from Montauban, as the 
liigh steward was continuing his route with sixty lances and two 
iiimdied archers, they were attacked by this large ambuscade of Gas. 
cons. The English were very much surprised : for they, not sus. 
pecting sucli an attack, were quite unprepared for it : however, they 
began to exert themselves stoutly in self-defence ; but the Gascons, 
who had formed their plans at leisure, were too many for them, and 
at the first shock numbers were dismounted : the English, not being 
able to resist the violence of the Gascons of Perigord, Comminges and 
Camiaing, were thrown into disorder, and, being defeated without 
much resistance, turned their backs. Many were taken and slain. 
Sir Thomas was obliged himself to fly, otherwise he would have 
been made prisoner ; and he owed liis safety to the fieetness of his 
horse, which carried him to Montauban. The Gascons and others 
returned to their own country, carrying with them their prisoners 
and booty. 

News was very soon brouglit to the prince of Wales, who at that 
time resided at Angouleme, how his high steward of Rouergue had 
been defeated by the earl of Perigord, and by those other noblemen 
who had summoned him by appeal to tlie chamber of peers at Paris. 
Much enraged was the prince, when it was told him : he said, he 
would have a severe and early revenge for this, upon the persons and 
lordships where this outrage had been committed. He wrote directly 
to sir John Cliandos, who had retired to his estate at St. Sauveur le 
Vicomte in Coutantin, ordering him to come to him, without delay, 
as soon as he should have received his letter. 

Sir John Chandos, desirous of obeying the prince, made all possible 
haste, and came to Angouleme to the prince, who received him with 
great joy. Soon after, the prince sent him to Montauban, with a 
large body of men-at-arms and archers, to make war upon tlie Gas- 
cons and French, who were every day increasing in numbers, making 
incursions upon the territories of the prince. Sir Thomas Wake 
collected his scattered men as well as he could, and went to Rhodez, 
which he amply reinforced and revictualled, as well as the castle of 
Milhaud upon the confines of Montpellier ; and in every place he put 
men-at-arms and archers. 

Sir John Chandos made the town of Montauban his head-quarters, 
and gallantly defended tlie frontiers against the Gascons and French, 
■with the other knights whom the prince of Wales had sent thither : 
such as, the captal de Buch, tlie two brothers de Pommiers, sir John 
and sir Helie, the souldieh de I'Estrade, the lord of Partcnay, the 
lord of Pons, sir Louis de Harcourt, the lord de Pinaine, the lord de 
Tannaybouton, and sir Richard de Pontchardon. These knights, 
with their companies, made frequent attacks upon the forces of the 
carl of Armagnac, the lord d'Albret, the earls of Perigord and Com- 
minges, the viscounts of Carmaing and of Tharide, the lord de la 
Barde, and several other barons and knights of the same connection, 
ivho, with their companies, were upon this frontier. Sometimes one 
side was victorious, sometimes the other, as in war such things com- 
monly happen. 

The duke of Aiijou remained very quiet, and made not the smallest 
movement, notwithstanding the rumors he heard ; for the king of 
France had strictly ordered him not to make war upon the prince of 
Wales, nor on his subjects, until he should receive from him positive 
orders for so doing. 

CHAPTER CCLI. 

THE MNG OF FRANCE GAINS OVEK SEVERAT, CAPTAINS OE THE FREE COM. 
PANIES. HE SENDS HIS DEFIANCE TO THE KING OF ENGLAND. 

The king of France, all this time, was secretly and ably gaining 
over several of the captains of the free companies, and others attached 
to the party of the Englisli, who had ascended the river Loire, and 
were on the confines of Berry and Auvergne, where the king of 
France had given permission for them to reside. Not one of the 
companies of France was in motion ; for the king did not wish that 
his name should yet be made use of in this war, lest it might do his 
affairs harm, and lest he should lose the country of Ponthieu, which 
he was very anxious to regain. 

Had the king of England perceived that the king of France in. 
tended war, he would easily have prevented the loss of Ponthieu by 
reinforcing the garrisons of Abbeville with English, and others at. 
tached to him ; so that he would have been master of the whole 
country ; and in the like manner would he have done to all the other 
garrisons dependent on that county. The king of England had at 
this time, for high steward of Ponthieu, a good English knight called 
sir Nicholas Louvain, in whom the king had great confidence, and 
ivith justice ; for, sooner than commit any cowardly or unworthy 
deed, he would have had his limbs torn from him. 

At this period, the king of France sent to England the earl of Saltz- 
burg and sir William des Dormans, to remonstrate with the king and 
his council, and to complain that part of the country of France had 



been, and still was, much harassed, as well by the daily incursions 
of the free companies, who had for these last six years made war 
upon France, as by other oppressors, of which the king of France 
and his council had had information, and were very ill satisfied that 
the king of England and his eldest son the prince of Wales should 
act in such a manner as to countenance them. These two person, 
ages remained in England for the space of two months ; and during 
this time, they proposed various agreements and reasons to the king, 
which made him frequently out of humor and in a passion ; but they 
did not pay much attention to this, for they had received instructions 
from the king of France and his council how to act and what to say. 

When the king of France had received such information as he 
could depend on, that the inhabitants of -\bbeville were in their 
hearts Frenchmen ; that the war was begun in Gascony ; that all 
the men-at-arms in the kingdom of France were prepared, and eager 
to wage war upon the prince of Wales and to enter his territories ^ 
he was anxious that no reproach might be cast on him, either at the 
present moment, or in times to come, for haviag ordered an army 
into the territories of the king of England, or the prince of Wales, 
to take cities, castles, towns or fortresses, without having sent them 
a challenge : he therefore resolved to defy the king of England ; 
which he did by sealed letters. One of his valets, who was from 
Brittany, carried them. He met at Dover the earl of Saltzburg and 
sir William des Dormans, who were returning from England to 
France, having accomplished the business they had been sent on. 
The Breton, according to the orders he had received, told them what 
he was going about ; which they no sooner heard than they set off 
as quickly as possible, and crossed the sea. They were very happy 
when they found themselves in the town and fortress of Boulogne. 

About this time, sir Guiscard d'Angle, marshal of Aquitaiue, had 
been sent by the prince of Wales to pope Urban V. at Rome, on 
affairs relating to Aquitaine. He had found the pope very polite in 
complying with the requests he had to make to him. On his return, 
he first heard the news of war being made on the prince, and that 
the French had entered the principality. He was very much sur- 
prised at this, and dubious how he should be able to continue his 
journey. He went, however, to the gallant carl of Savo)', whom he 
found at the town of Pignerol, in Piedmont, engaged in war with 
the marquis de Saluces. The earl of Savoy received sir Guiscard 
and his company with great pleasure : he entertained them for two 
days with much magnificence, and presented them with handsome 
gifts, particularly sir Guiscard, who had the larger share : for the gal- 
lant earl respected him greatly, on account of his hardy knighthood. 

When sir Guiscard and his companions had left the earl of Savoy, 
the nearer they approached the boundaries of Franco and Burgundy 
the worse news they heard, and more disagreeable to their feelings. 
Sir Guiscard having well considered all the information he could 
gain, saw that it would be impossible for him to return to Guyenne 
in the state he travelled. He therefore delayed as much as he could, 
and gave the command of his whole army and attendants to a knight 
called sir John Shore, who had married his daughter. Sir John came 
from Brittany, and spoke very good Frencli : he took the command 
of all the attendants and baggage of his father-in-law : when coming 
to the estate of the lord of Beaujeu, he crossed the river Sa6ne, and 
became so well acquainted with the lord of Beaujeu that he conducted 
him and his whole company to Rion in Auvergne, to the duke of 
Berry : he there ofiered to become a true Frenchman, provided he 
were suffered to return peaceably to his house in Brittany, as it had 
before been settled between him and the lord of Beaujeu. 

In the mean time, sir Guiscard, under the disguise of a poor chap, 
lain, ill mounted and badly equipped, passed through France, Bur- 
gundy, and Auvergne, and with great difficulty entered the principality. 
On his arrival at Angouleme, he was heartily welcomed by the prince 
of Wales. Another knight, whose name was sir William de Sens, 
who had accompanied him on this embassy to Rome, took refuge in 
the abbey of Clugny in Burgundy, from whence he never stirred for 
five years, and at last turned Frenchman. 

We will now return to the Breton who was the bearer of the chal- 
lenge from Charles king of France to Edward king of England. 



CHAPTER CCLII. 

CHALLENGES FROM FRANCE ARE DELIVERED TO THE KING OF ENGLAND, 
TirE EARL DE ST. POL AND THE LORD DE CHATILLON CONQUER THE 
COUNTY OF PONTHIEU. 

The valet before mentioned made haste to London, as he had heard 
the king of England and his council were assembled at the palace 
of Westminster. The king had for some time held various councils 
upon the state of the prince's affairs, who was at war with the barons 
and knights of Gascony, to examine into the best means of assisting 
him, and to consider whom he should send from England to the 
prince's aid. He soon heard other news, which troubled him more 
than before ; for the valet who was the bearer of these letters man. 
aged so as to enter the chamber where the king and his council were 
sitting. He said he was a valet belonging to the household of the 
king of France, and had been sent by that king with letters addressed 
to the kin" of England, but was ignorant what were their contents, 
nor did it belong to him to know. He presented them on his knees 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



179 



to the king; wlio, being desirous to know what might be tlieir sub- 
ject, ordercj them to be taken, opened, and read. Ti\e Idng and all 
those witli him were much surprised when they heard the challenge 
tliey contained. They examined them very carefully every way, as 
well as the seal, and clearly saw that the challenge was good. They 
ordered the valet to withdraw, telling him he had done his business 
well, and tluit he might boldly set out on his return, for he would 
not meet with any obstacle to his doing so, as indeed he did not: 
he therefore went back to France as speedily as possible. 

The earl dauphin of Auvergne, the earl of Porcien, the lord de 
Maulcvrior, and several others at this time in England, as hostages 
for the king of France, were in the greatest anxiety on hearing the 
above intelligence ; for they were doubtful of the intentions of the 
king of England and his council, and what they meant to do to 
them. 

It is proper to be known that the king and his council were greatly 
offended that this challenge should have been brought by a valet : 
they said it was not decent that a war between two such great lords 
as the kings of France and of England should be announced and de. 
clared by a common servant ; that it would not have been unworthy 
of a prelate, or of a valiant baron or knight, to have been the bearer 
of such a declaration ; however, nothing more was done. 

In this council, the king was advised to send directly reinforce- 
ments of men-at-arms to Ponthieu, to guard that country, more par- 
ticularly to Abbeville, which ran much risk of being taken. The 
king approved of this, and ordered the lord Percy, the lord Neville, 
the lord Carbestone* and sir William Windsor on this business, with 
three hundred men-at-arms and one thousand archers. 

While these lords were making their preparations, and were 
already as far advanced on their road as Dover, to cross the sea, other 
news was brought which did not please them much. For as soon 
as the earl Guy de St. Pol and sir Hugh de Chatillon, who was at 
that time master of the cross-bows of France, could suppose that the 
king of England had received the defiance, they advanced toward 
Ponthieu, having before sent privately their summons to the knights 
and squires of Hainault, j^rtois, Cambresis, Vermandois, Vimeu, and 
Picardy ; so that their whole force amounted to not less than a hun- 
dred and twenty lances, with which they appeared before Abbeville. 
The gates were immediately opened, as had before been privately 
concerted ; and these men-at-arnis entered the town without doing 
any harm to the inhabitants. 

Sir Hugh de Chatillon, who was the leader of this expedition, 
marched to that part of the town where he thought he should find 
the high steward of Ponthieu, sir Nicholas Louvain, and exerted 
himself so eflectually as to make him his prisoner, as well as a very 
rich clerk and valiant man who was treasurer of Ponthieu. The 
French made this day many a good and rich prisoner ; for the Eng. 
lish lost everything they had in the town. On the same day, the 
French advanced to St. Valery, which they took by stonn ; they did 
the same to Crotoy,t as well as to the town of Dernet upon the sea. 

Shordy after, the earl of St. Pol went lo Pont de St. Remy on the 
Somme, where some English were collected. The earl ordered 
them to be attacked. There was a grand skirmish, with many valor- 
ous deeds of arms. His eldest son, Galeran, was created a knight, 
and did honor to his new knighthood. The English were so roughly 
handled, that they were either slain or made prisoners, and the bridge 
and fort conquered by the French. In short, the whole territory and 
county of Ponthieu were freed from the English, so that none re- 
mained who could any way do mischief. 

News was brought to the king of England, who \vas at London, 
how those of Ponthieu had deserted him, and turned to the French. 
The king was much enraged at this, and at first had intentions of 
severely retaliating upon those of the hostages who were still in Lon- 
don ; but he thought it would be cruel to make them answer for his 
ill fortune. Nevertheless, he sent all the citizens who had been 
given as hostages from the cities and principal towns of France, to 
other towns, castles, and forts in his kingdom, and did not allow 
them the same liberty they had before enjoyed. He ransomed the 
earl dauphin d'Auvergne for thirty thousand francs, and the earl of 
Porcien for ten thousand. The lord de Roye, however, remained in 
prison, in great peril ; for, as he was not in any favor at the court of 
England, he was obliged to endure much ill treatment, until delivered 
by accident and great good fortune, as you will hear in the continu- 
ance of this history. 



CHAPTER CCLIII. 

THE KINS OF ENSLAXD SENDS A LAKKE BODY OF MEN-AT-ARMS TO THE 
BORDERS OF SCOTLAND. THE DUKES OF BERRY AND OF ANJOD IS- 
StJE THEIR ORDERS FOR THEIR VASSALS TO ATTACK THE PRINCE OF 
WALES. 

When the king of England thus saw himself defied by the king of 
France ; the county of Ponthieu lost, after having cost him such 
sums in the reparation of towns, castles, and houses (for he had ex. 



* Barnes says, lord Henry Percy, lord William Neville, and lord William Windsor, 
and one lord more. Ijut does not name hini. 

t Crotoy— a town opposite to St. Valery, on the Somme, 

X " Derne." No such place. Q. if not Rue, which is a small town on the coast, two 
miles from >St. Valery 1 



pended one hundred thousand francs in addition to the revenues he 
drew from it;) he was in a mighty passion. He had, however, more 
fears of a war from Scotland than from France : he knew the Scots 
did not love him, for the great mischiefs he had done them in former 
times. He therefore sent large detachments of men-at-arms to Ber- 
wick, Roxburgh, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and to the whole border, to 
guard it. He also ordered detachments to Southampton, Guernsey, 
and to the island of Blisso ;* for ho had procured information that 
the king of France was making great preparations, and collecting a 
number of ships, in order to invade England. He did not know 
what part to guard the most ; and, to speak truth, the English were 
very much alarmed. 

As soon as the dukes of Berry and of Anjou were certain that the 
challenge had been delivered, and war declared, being unwilling to 
remain idle, they issued their special orders ; one in Auvergne, the 
other at Toulouse ; for their vassals to enter the principality. The 
duke of Berry had under his command all the barons of Auvergne, 
of the bishoprics of Lyons and Macon, the lords de Beaujcu, de Vil- 
lars, de Tournon, sir Godfrey de Boulogne, his brother-in-law sir 
John d'Armagnac, sir John de Villemur, the lords de Montagu and 
de Talencon, sir Hugh Dauphin, the lord de Rochefort, and several 
more. These men-at-arms immediately advanced to Touraine, and 
to the borders of Berry, from whence they carried the war into the 
fine country of Poitou ; but they found it well filled with knights and 
squires, who did not permit them to gain much advantage. 

Sir Louis de St. Jidian, sir William des Bourdes, and Garnet !e 
Breton, were at that time in garrison in the French castles of Tou- 
raine. These three were great captains, brothers in arms : they 
performed many gallant deeds, and did much harm to the English, 
as will hereafter be more fully related. 



CHAPTER CCLIV. 

SEVERAL CAPTAINS OF COMPANIES SIDE WITH DIFFERENT PARTIES. THE 
KING OF ENCtLAND SENDS THE EARL OF CAMBRIDGE AND THE EARL 
OF PE.MBR3KE TO THE ASSISTANCE OF HIS SON THE PRINCE OF WALES. 
THEY PASS THROUSH BRITTANY. 

The duke of Lancaster possessed, as part of his inheritance in 
Champagne, a castle situated between Troyes and Chitlons, called 
Beaufort ; of which an English squire, named the Poursuivant 
d'.^inourt was the captain. When this squire perceived that the 
war was renewed between the kings of France and England, he 
turned to the king of France, and swore to him faith and loyalty 
from this time forth, as a good Frenchman. The king for this en- 
riched him greatly, and left this castle under his care, in conjunction 
with another squire of Champagne called Yvain.t The poursuivant 
and Yvain were great friends. They performed many feats of anns 
against the English, and against their partisans. 

The canon de Robesart, who had before been a loyal and a good 
Frenchman, on the renewal of the war turned to the English, and 
became the liege man of the king of England, who was well satis- 
fied with his services. In this manner several knights and squires 
changed their party. The duke of Anjou had been so active among 
the free companies of Gascony that sir Perducas d'Albret, le petit 
Mechin, le bourg de Breteuil, Aimenon d'Ortige, Pcrrot de Savoye, 
Jacquet de Bray and Arnaudon de Pans, turned Frenchmen ; which 
much displeased the English, as their forces were greatly weakened 
by it. Naudon de Bagerant, le bourg de I'Esparre and le bourg 
Camus, remained steady to the English ; as well as the most approved 
captains among them, such as sir Robert Briquet, Robert Thin, 
John Tresnelle, Gaillard de Motte, and Aimery de Rochechouart. 
These companies of English and Gascons, with their followers, 
fixed their quarters in the bishopric of Mans in lower Normandy ; 
where they took a town called Vire,§ and destroyed and ruined all 
the neighboring country. Thus these free companies changed their 
sides ; but all of them were engaged for the French or English. 

The king of England determined to send his son, Edmund ot 



*'■ Blisso." Q. of Wight, Lord Bemers says the Isle of Wish!.— Ed. 

t Pouisuivant d Wmour, was a title that knights and squires gave theaiselves, on ac- 
count of tlieir wearing the portrait or colors of their mistresses, and challenging each 
other to tight in honor of their ladies. Barnes calls him Percival Damorie, but I do not 
see on what foundation : it seems lo me to he a corruption of Poursuivant d'Amour, 

" The duke of Lancaster at this same time lost his castle of Beaufort, between Troyes 
and Chalons, He had intrusted this place to tlie guard of Evan of Wales. Tins Evan 
was called le Poursuivant d'.\mour. He wasthe son of Edmund, llie last of the ancient 
sovereigns of Wales, who had been beheaded by Edward, He had been brought up at 
the court of Philip de Valois, as page of honor to his chamber, and made his first cam- 
paign under king John, At the peace, the duke of Lancaster, w^ho was probably igno- 
rant of his birth, made him governor of his castle of Beaufort, Being naturally an enemy 
to the English, he eagerly seized this ojiportunity of revenging himself for the ancient 
injuries of his house. The king of France accepted his otfers of service, and gave him 
the command of some ships, with which he made incursions on the English coasts."— 
Hist, de France, par filtaret, tome v, p. 3%. 

There must be some mistake in the preceding account from Villaret. for Wales was 
finally conquered by Edward I, in 1283, by the defeat of Llewehn, and the disgraceful 
manner in which Edward murdered his brother David, The surrender of the castle of 
Beaufort happened nearly one hundred years afterwards, so that Evan could not have 
been a son of one of our last sovereigns, 

1 It seems probable that this chevalier was the Welshman mentioned in the foregoing 
note, and that the Poursuivant was a totally different person. Who Evan really was it 
is not easy to discover,— Ed, 

5 Vire— a town in Normandy, on the tiver Viie, diocese of Bayeux. 



180 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



Langley earl of Cambridge, and his son-in-law, John Hastings earl 
of Pembroke, to the assistance of the prince oJ Wales in the duchy 
of Aquitaine, with the command of a body of men-at-arms and 
cross-bowmen. He also named such as he thought right to send 
with them : and in the number were, the lord Braddeston,* sir Bryan 
Stapleton. sir John Trivet, sir Thomas Banaster and divers olhers, 
They embarked as speedily as they could, and put to sea, having 
with tliem four hundred men-at-arms and as many archers. They 
steered their course for Brittany; and, having a wind to their wish, 
they landed at the port St. Malo. When John de Montfort, duke 
of Brittany, was informed of their arrival, he was much rejoiced, 
and immediately sent some of his knights to receive and entertain 
them ; namely, sir Joiin de Laigniguay and sir John Augustin. The 
earls of Cambridge and Pembroke were well pleased on seeing 
these knights : but they were not perfectly assured if the barons and 
principal towns of Brittany would permit them to pasi througli the 
country, in their way to Poitou. The English lords, therefore, made 
this their rec|ucst to the duke and to the country. The duke, being 
very partial to the English, complied directly with their wishes, and 
acted so efficaciously with the barons and principal towns, that it 
was agreed they should pass through the country in a peaceable 
manner, upon paying for whatever they might have occasion to use : 
to which terms the English joyfully assented. 

The earls of Cambridge and Pembroke prepared to march with 
their army to join those free companies who were in the province of 
Maine, at ChELteau Gonticrt and at Vire ; where they had destroyed 
and pillaged the whole country ; declaring their intentions to advance 
farther into the interior of the kingdom. The Bretons entered into 
treaty with them ; and it was agreed that they should have liberty to 
pass through that country, by crossing the river Loire at the bridge 
of Nantes, engaging not to do any mischief on their march. 

At this time, sir Hugh Calverley was on the borders of Airagon, 
with a lai-ge body of the free companies, who had lately quitted 
Spain. As soon as he heard that the French were making war upon 
the prince, he set ofi" with all the men-at-arms of the companies, 
passed through Arragon and Foix, entered Bigon"e, and hastened 
until he came to the prince, who at tliat time held his court in the 
city of Angoul6me. When the prince saw him arrive, he gave him 
a handsome reception, and thanked him much for the assistance he 
had brought. He prevailed with him to be his guest until the com- 
panies which had left Normandy (having first sold those fortresses 
which they held there) were come ; for the Bretons allowed them to 
pass through their country, provided they behaved themselves well. 
As soon as they were arrived at Angoulemc and in that neighbor, 
hood, the prince appointed sir Hugh Calverley to be their captain. 
They were in the whole, including those who had come with them 
from Arragon, two thousand fighting men. The prince immediately 
ordered them to march to the estates of the earl of Armagnac and 
the lord d'Albrct, to burn and destroy them. In consequence of 
this order, they made a very disastrous war, and did great damages. 



CHAPTER CCLV. 

THE EAKLS OF CAMBRIDGE AND OF TEMBROKH AKRIVE AT ANGOt^LEME. 
THE PRINCE SENDS THEM TO OVERRUN THE COUNTY OF FERIGORD. 
SOME ENGLISH ARE DEFEATED NEAR TO LUSIGNAN. 

The earls of Cambridge and Pembroke remained at St. Malo with 
their troops, as has before been said, until all the free companies of 
their party had come through the country with the assent of the duke 
of Brittany. When they had sufficiently recmited themselves, and 
had permission to march, they set out from St. Malo, and by easy 
days' journeys arrived at Nantes, where the duke received these 
lords most honorably, and kept them with him for three days, which 
were spent in magnificent feasts. On the fourth day they crossed 
the great river Loire over the bridge at Nantes, and then continued 
their march until they came to Angouleme, where they found the 
prince and princess. The prince was much rejoiced at the amval 
of his brother the earl of Cambridge and the earl of Pembroke. He 
inquired after the healths of the king his father, the queen, and his 
other brothers: to which questions he received satisfactory answers. 
After they had remained with him three days, and had refreshed 
themselves, the prince ordered them to set out from AngoulSme, to 
make an excursion into the county of Perigord. 

The two lords and knights who had come with them from Eng- 
land instantly made preparations to provide themselves with every- 
thing that might be necessnry. Having taken leave of the prince, 
they marched off in grand array. They were, in the whole, full 
three thousand combatants: among these were several knights and 
squires from Poitou, Saintonge, Limousin, Quercy and Rouergue, 
whom the prince ordered to accompany them. These lords and 
men-at-arms entered hostilely the county of Perigord, which th.ey 
overran, and did much mischief to it. When they had burnt and 
destroyed the greater part, they laid siege to a fortress called Bor- 
deilles,t of which two squires of Gascony were governors : they 

* In Froissart. itis "lesiredeTarbestonne." which I think must be Bradileston. See 
J)ugdale's Baronage. 

t ChateauGontier— a town in Anjou, diocese of Angers. 
4 Bordeilles— a town in Perigord, diocese of Perigueux. 



were brothers, named Ernaldon and Bcrnardel de Batefol. There 
were in this garrison of Bordeilles with the two captains, a number 
of men-at-arms, whom the earl of Perigoi'd had sent thither. It 
was also amply provided with artilleiy, wine, provision and every- 
thing else that might be necessary to hold out for a considerable 
time; and those in garrison were well inclined to defend it: so that 
during the siege of Bordeilles many gallant deeds of arms, many a 
skirmish and many an assault, were daily performed. The two 
before-mentioned squires were bold, proud and enterprising ; they 
little loved the English, and in consequence advanced frequently 
to their barriers to skirmish with them. Sometimes one side con. 
quered, sometimes the other, as it happens in such adventures and 
deeds of arms. 

On the other hand, there were full one thousand combatants, 
French, Burgundians, Bretons, Picards, Normans and Angevins, in 
Poitou, and on the borders of .\njou and Touraine, who were over- 
running the lands of the prince of Wales, and daily committing great 
devastations. The leaders of these men-at-arms were, sir John de 
Bueil, sir William de Bourdes, sir Louis de St. Julian and Carnet le 
Breton. 

In order to oppose this force, some knights and squires of the 
prince, in particular sir Simon Burley and the earl of Angus, were 
quartered on the borders of Poitou and Saintonge : but they were 
scarcely a fourth part of the strength of the French. Whenever the 
French made any excursions, they amounted always to a thousand 
fighting men : whereas the English were never more, at the utmost, 
than two or three hundred; for the prince had sent ofi" three very 
large detachments- — one to Montauban, of five hundred men-at-arms, 
under sir John Chandos, to ravage the lands of the earl d'Armagnac 
and the lord d'Albret — another of considerable numbers, under sir 
Hugh Calverley — and the largest division under the command of his 
brother, the earl of Caminidge, before Bordeilles. Notwithstanding 
this, those who were in Poitou did not fail to acquit themselves gal- 
lantly, and to do their duty in making excursions on the lands of 
France, and in guarding their own. The English, with their parti. 
sans, have always acted in this manner, and have never refused nor 
dreaded the combat because they were not in greater numbers. 

It happened then one day, tliat the French had gained exact infor- 
mation how the Engli-sh had taken the field and were out on an ex- 
cursion, w'hich gave them such spirits that they collected all their 
forces, and placed themselves in ambuscade, to fall upon the English 
as they returned from the inroad which they had made between 
Mirebeau* and Lusignan.t It was on a broken causeway that the 
French, to the amount of five hundred men, commanded by the 
before-mentioned captains, sir John de Bueil, sirWilliamdes Bourdes, 
sir Louis de St. Julien, and Carnet le Breton, advanced to attack 
them. A sharp engagement ensued, when many were unhorsed ; 
for the English defended themselves bravely, and fought gallantly 
as long as it lasted. Many valorous actions were performed. Sir 
Simon Burley and the earl of Angus proved themselves good knights : 
but in the end they had the disadvantage, for they were only a hand, 
ful of men when compared with the French. They were therefore 
defeated, and compelled to fly. The earl saved himself as well as he 
could, and gained the castle of Lusignan ; but sir Simon Burley was 
so closely pursued, and surrounded on the broken causeway near 
Lusignan, that he was made prisoner by the French : most of his 
people being killed or taken, for very few escaped. 

The French returned to their garrisons rejoiced at the issue of this 
adventure, as was also the king of France when he heard it. Not 
so the prince of Wales, who was much vexed, and bitterly lamented 
the capture of his good knight sir Simon Burley, whom he loved 
well, as indeed he had reason ; for, to say the truth, he was a most 
expert man-at-arms for his time, very courageous, and had always 
carried himself valiantly for his lord the king of England and his 
countiy. His companions who had been slain or made prisoners on 
the causeway had behaved equally well ; for whose loss the prince 
was in great sorrow, and much enraged. It is a common saying, 
that one man is worth a hundred, and that a hundred is not worth 
one man ; for, in tnith, it happens, sometimes, that by the good con- 
duct and courage of one man, a whole country is preserved, while 
another person may totally ruin and destroy it. Thus things fre. 
quently fall out 



CHAPTER CCLVI. 

SIR JOHN CHANDOS TAKES TEERlERES. THE EARL OF PERIGORD AND MANY 
. OTHER KNIGHTS LAY SIEGE TO REALVILLEt IN QUERCY. 

After this defeat, which happened, as has been related, between 
Mirehcau and Lusignan, the English and Poitevins, when thev made 
any excursions, acted with greater prudence and keptino'-c; together. 
We will now speak of sir John Chandos, sir Guiscnrd d Angle,^ and 



* " Mirebeau"— atown in Poitou. 

T '■ Lusignan"— a town in Poitou. seven leagues from Poitiers. 

i "nealville"~a town of Quercy, on the river Aveyron, about two leagues from 
Ulniitaubau. 

§ SirGuiscard d'Angle was created a peer, by the title nf earl of Huntingdon, IslRic. 
II. He was also a knight of the Garter, which dignily tie received for having been in- 
strumental to the marriasc of the duke of Lancaster with a daughter of don Pedio of 
Castille. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



ISl 



others who were in Montauban, seven leagues distant I'rom Toulouse, 
and who made frequent sallies fioni that place very nmch to their 
honor. However, while they were there, they tliought they could 
employ their time more profitably than in guarding the frontiers, and 
in consequence determined to lay siege to Terneres in the Toulousin. 
They made therefore every necessary preparation, and, marching 
from Montauban in grand array, came to TerriSres. The whole 
army being arrived, it was surrounded closely ; for they depended 
on gaining it bj^ means of mines, as it could not easily be taken by 
assault. Their miners were set to work, who labored so well that at 
the end of fifteen days they took the town ; all who were in it were 
killed, and the place pillaged and destroyed. In this excursion, they 
had intended to take another town, three leagues from Toulouse, 
called Laval, and had placed an ambuscade in a wood near that 
place. They advanced witl) about forty men, armed, but dressed in 
peasant's clothes. They were, however, disappointed by a country 
boy, who, following their footsteps, discovered. their intentions; by 
■which means they failed, and returned to Montauban. 

The earl of Perigord, the earl de Comminges, the earl de I'Isle, 
the viscount de Carmaing, the viscount de Brunikel, the viscount de 
Talar, the viscount de Murendon, the viscount de Laustre, sir Ber- 
trand de Tharide, the lord de la Barde, the lord de Pincornet, sir 
Perducas d'Albret, the little Mechin, the bourg de Breteuil, Aime- 
mon d'Ortige, Jacquet de Bray, Perrot de Savoye, and Arnaudon de 
Pans, took the field about this period. There were among these free 
companies full ten thousand fighting men. By orders from the duke 
of Anjou. who at that time resided in Toulouse, they entered Quercy 
in great force, where they brought on much tribulation by burning 
and destroying the whole country. They advanced to Rfealville, 
wherein they besieged the high steward of Quercy, who had before 
provided it with everything necessary for the defence of a town, and 
with good English soldiers, who had resolved never to surrender 
but with their lives : notwithstanding the inhabitants were well in- 
clined to the French. 

During the time these knights and barons of France were besieg- 
ing this town, they sent to Toulouse for four great engines, which 
were immediately brought thither. They were pointed against the 
walls of Rfealville, into which they flung night and day large stones 
and pieces of timber that did much mischief and weakened it. They 
had also miners with them, whom they set to work, and who boasted 
that in a short time they would take the town. The English, how- 
ever, behaved like good and brave men, supported each other, and 
in appearance held these miners very cheap. 



CHAPTER CCLVII. 

Tins ARCHBISHOP OF T0CL0t;SE TURNS THE CITY OF CAHORS AND SEVERAL 
OTHER TOWNS TO THE TARTY OF THE KIN& OF FRANCE. THE DUKES OF 
GUELDRES AND OF JULIERS SEND DEFIANCES TO THE ZING OF FRANCE. 

While the French men-at-arms were thus quartering themselves 
in Quercy, and upon the borders of Limousin and Auvergne, the duke 
of Berry was in another part of this last province, where he had a 
large body of men-at-arms, under sir John d'Armagnac, his brother- 
in-law, the lord John de Villemur, Roger de Beaufort, the lord de 
Beaujeu, the lords de Villars, de Sergnac, de Calencon, sir Griffon de 
Montagu, sir Hugh Dauphin, and a great many other good knights. 
They made inroads on the confines of Rouergue, Quercy, and Li- 
mousin, and can-ied ruin and devastation wherever they went, for 
nothing was able to stand before tliem. By the advice of the duke 
of Berry, the duke of Anjou sent the archbishop of Toulouse from 
that city, during the time these annies were overrunning the countiy, 
to the city of Cahors, of which place his brother was bishop. This 
archbishop was a very learned clerk, as well as a valiant man. He 
preached up this quarrel of the king of France so earnestly, and so 
well, that the city of Cahors turned t;i the French side : and the 
inhabitants swore that from this time forth tbey would be loyal and 
faithful subjects to the king of France. After this, the archbishop 
continued his journey through the country, preaching everywhere, 
with such good success, the rights of the king of France, that all the 
people of those parts embraced his opinions ; and upward of sixty 
towns, castles, and fortresses were turned to the king of France, with 
the assistance of the army of the duke of Berry ; that is to say, of sir 
John d'-4.rmagnac and the others who were overrunning the country. 
He caused also Sigeac, Gaignac, Capedonac, and several other prin. 
cipal towns and strong castles to change sides ; for he remonstrated 
and preached, that the king of France had a good and clear right in 
this quarrel, with such effect, that all who heard hint were con- 
vinced : besides, naturally in their hearts they were more French 
than English, which greatly helped this business. 

In like manner, as the archbishop went preaching and remonstra- 
ting on the justice of the quarrel of the king of France along the 
confines of Languedoc, there were in Picardy many prelates and 
lawyers who were as active in doing the same duty, by preaching 
and converting the people of the cities, large towns, and villages. 
Sir William des Dormans, in particular, distinguislied himself by 
preaching this quarrel of the king of France from city to city, and 
from town to town, so wisely and ably that all people listened to 
iim willingly ; and it was wanderful how well he colored the whole 



business through the kingdom by his harangues. In addition to 
this, the king of France, moved by devotion and humility, ordered 
frequent processions of the whole clergy : when he himself, as well 
as the queen, attended without stockings, and bare-footed. In this 
manner, they went praying and supplicating God to listen to them, 
and to the necessities of the kmgdom of France, which had been 
lor so long a time under tribulation. The king ordered all the sub. 
jects of his realm to do the same, by the advice of the prelates and 
churchmen. 

The king of England acted in a similar manner in his kingdom. 
There was at that time a bishop of London* who made several long 
and fine sermons ; he demonstrated and preached in these sermons, 
that the king of France had most unjustly renewed the war, and 
that it was against right and reason, as he plainly showed in different 
points and articles. In truth, it was but proper, that both kings, 
since tliey were determined on war, should explain and make clear 
to tlteir subjects the cause of the quarrel, that they might understand 
it, and have the better will to assist their kings ; to which purpose 
they were all equally alert in the two kingdoms. 

The king of England had sent to Brabant and Hainault, to learn 
if he could have any assistance from either of them ; and had fre- 
quently, on account of his near connection, requested duke Albert, 
who at that time governed the country for his brother, to allow him 
to pass through his territories, or to remain there, if there should be 
occasion, and to enter through his country the kingdom of France, to 
carry the war into the heart of it. 

Duke Albert would willingly have complied with the requests of 
the king of England, his uncle, and of queen Philippa his aunt, 
through the mediation and advice of lord Edward de Gueldres, who 
was of the king's party, and also by means of the duke of Juliers 
his cousin-german, but he had been already gained, as you will hear. 
These two were in those times strictly connected, by faith and 
homage, to the king of England, who had desired each of them to 
engage for him as many as a thousand lances, for which they should 
be well satisfied. On this account, these two lords would have 
been very glad to have had duke Albert in alliance ivith the king of 
England. The duke was much tempted to join them by the magni. 
ficent presents which the king offered to make him ; which promises 
were frequently repeated by these two lords, as well as by other 
knights whom he sent over to him, and principally by the lord de 
Cominest, who chiefly on this account had returned to Hainault, 
after having resided some time with the king. But the king ot 
France and his council had gained over the lord John de Verchin, 
seneschal of Hainault, who governed the whole country. He was 
a wise man, a valiant knight, and a good Frenchman, This high 
steward had so much weight, and was so beloved by the duke and 
duchess, that he overset all the expectations of the English, with the 
assistance of the earl of Blois, sir John de Blois his brother, the 
lords de Ligny and de Barban^on, and exerted himself so that duko 
Albert and the whole country remained neuter, and would not take 
either side, which was the answer made by the lady Jane duchess 
of Brabant. 

King Charles of France, who was wise and artful, had taken the 
previous measures, and settled all this business three years t before. 
He well knew that he had good friends in Hainault and Brabant, 
especially among the greater part of the counsellors of the principal 
noblemen. In order to put a better color on his war, he had copies 
made by learned men of different papers relative to the peace, which 
were signed at Calais, in which he slated all the facts in his favor, 
and those articles the king of England and his children had sworn to 
maintain, and to which they had submitted by sealed deeds, with 
the orders which they ought in consequence to have given to their 
subjects : in short, ail the points and articles which were favorable 
to liim, and condemned the actions of the English. These papers 
were made public in the town halls, and in the presence of different 
noblemen and their counsellors, that they might be fully informed on 
the subject. 

On the other hand, the king of England acted in like manner ; 
for he sent memorials and remonstrances through Germany, or 
wherever he expected to gain assistance. The duke of Gueldrea 
(who was nephew to the king of England, being the son of his 
sister, and thus cousin-german to the children of the king,) and the 
duke of Juliers, were at that time true and loyal Englishmen : they 
had been very much affronted by the manner of the king of France 
sending his challenge by a servant, and rebuked the king for it, 
highly blaming both him and his council for this unbecoming form 
of°sending it. They said, that war between such great and renowned 



* Dr. Simon Tibald. alias Sudliury.— Barnes. 

f'Lord lie Comines." My MSS. liave Gommecines. Tins passage seems verj 
much confiiseil. Lord Berncrs says, in his translation, that the lord de Connnes was at 
the French court, and came away to prevent duke Albert joining the king of England.— 
IThis passage has been, as D. Sauvage expresses it. " horribly corrupled." He had 
considerable difficulty in settling it, and quotes the parallel passage from two other 
copies besides his own text, all varying from each other. It is not at all clear from these 
that Comines or Gommegines was not on the French party as lord Berners represents 
him to be, and this appears more probable from a former passage, where he is repre- 
sented as attached to the French party ; and, again, at page 4U, Mr. Johnes in that 
place uses a third orthography, and spells the name Comminges, but all Uirce appear 
to be the same name.]— Ed. 

t Three years. Denys Sauvag* suspects it ought to be three months, but gives no 
reason for it. 



182 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



lords as the kings of Fiance and of England should have been 
declared by proper messengers, such as dignified prelates, bishops or 
abbots. They added, that the French had not followed this usual 
mode, through pride and presumption. These lords sent their chal. 
lenge'to the king of France in a handsome manner, as did several 
other knights of Germany. It was their intention immediately to 
have entered France, and to have done such deeds there as twenty 
years should not efface : but their schemes wore broken by means 
they did not expect, as you will hereafter find recorded in •'-■" 
liistory. 



this 



CHAPTER CCLVIII. 

THE DUKE OF BtTR&traDY, BROTHER TO KINS CHARLES V. MARRIES THE 
DAUOHTER OF THE EARL OF FLANDERS. THE KINO OF ENGLAND 
ENTERS INTO NEOOTIATIONS WITH THE KING- OF NAVARRE. 

It has been before related how much the king of England solicited 
and intrigued, during upward of five years, the marriage of his son, 
Edmund earl of Camliridge, with the daughter of the earl of Flan, 
deis. As the detailed account of the different negotiations would 
be too long, I shall briefly pass them over: but you must know ihat 
the king of England could not by any means whatever obtain from 
pope Urban V. a dispensation. As this was absolutely necessary, 
the marriage remained in suspense. The earl of Flanders being 
solicited, on the other hand, by the king of France, for his brother 
the duke of Burgundy ; and seeing that the marriage not being 
likely to take place with England, his daughter ought to marry, as 
he had not any other children ; having also learnt that the countess 
of Artois, his mother, was favorable to the duke of Burgundy's suit, 
for it was a grand and well assorted alliance ; for these reasons he 
Bent noble embassadors to England, to treat with the king for an ac- 
quittal of his engagements between them. 

These embassadors managed the business so ably that the king of 
England, who always wished to act honorably, assented to the earl 
of Flanders' request. They returned, therefore, to Bruges, and re- 
lated to the earl their lord what they had done. The earl was much 
pleased at their success. It was not long before the marriage of the 
duke of Burgundy with the heiress of Flanders was determined on. 
There were great treaties, agreements and alliances made between 
both parties ; and it was then told me, that the earl of Flanders, in 
consideration of this marriage, received upward of fifty thousand 
crowns ;* that the towns of Douay and Lille were given up to him, 
oil account of the money which the king of France was to give his 
brother on this marriage. The earl of Flanders took possession of 
these towns, put Ids own subjects into them, and they were esteemed 
as part of Flanders, on account of the sums they were pledged for. 
But I know nothing fuvthur. 

Soon after these arrangements were concluded, they proceeded to 
the marriage, which was celebrated in the city of Ghent. There 
were great feasts at the solemnity of the wedding, and afterwards, 
which were attended by crowds of lords, barons and knights. The 
gallant lord of Coucy was there, whose presence was so acceptable 
at a feast, of which none knew better how to do the honors ; it was 
for this reason the king of France had sent him thither. After they 
had been magnificently entertained, as well with tournaments as 
otherwise, they separated, and returned to their homes. 

The king of England, who saw that from this marriage the earl of 
Flanders must become the ally of the king of France, was ignorant 
whether the earl would take part against him with the duke of Bur- 
gundy his son, who of course would be his heir to the county of 
Flanders, and what treaties had been entered into by the earl with 
the king of France. The king, therefore, was much harder upon the 
Flemings than before, and harassed them by sea and land, and when- 
ever he found them in his own country with their merchandise. The 
king of France was not displeased at this, and would willingly have 
seen a war declared between the Flemings and the English : but the 
prudent men of Flanders and the citizens of the principal towns were 
averse to it, for the commonalties of Flanders maintained the quarrel 
between the two kings to be more just on the part of England than 
of France. 

King Edward was gaining friends on all sides, and much need had 
he of them, from the appearance of the great wars and rebellions that 
were breaking out in his dominions beyond sea. He was given to 
understand, that his cousin king Charles of Navarre, who at that time 
resided in lower Normandy, would join his party ; for he hated the 
king of France, on account of some estates which the king of Na- 
varre claimed as his inheritance, and which the king of France denied 
his right to. Counsellors on each side had frequently met, but they 
could never come to any agreement. The affair had remained in 
this situation, and each was on his guard. The king of Navarre had 
amply provided his towns and castles in Coutantin, in the county of 
Evreux, as well as his principal towns in Normandy, with all sorts 
of stores : he had filled Cherbourg, where he resided, with men-at- 
arms. 

At this time, sir Eustace d'Ambreticourt was with the king of Na- 



varre : he was governor of a town called Carentan,* beyond the fords 
of St. Clement in Coutantin, which he held under the king of Na. 
varre, being part of his inheritance : sir Eustace was also one of his 
privy counsellors : so that the king of England sent to him ;for he 
was his liege man and knight,) to sound the intentions of the king of 
Navarre. He found him well inclined, and treated so successfully 
that the king of Navarre, with a small retinue, embarked on board a 
shij) called the Lynne, and visited the king of England, who was 
right glad to see him. He entertained him handsomely ; and they 
had many conferences together, in which they understood each other 
so well that, on the return of the king of Navarre, he was to declare 
war against the king of France, and to admit English garrisons into 
all his castles. 

After those engagements and treaties had been concluded, the 
king of Navarre returned to Cherbourg in Normandy. He was es- 
corted thither by some of the knights of the household of the king 
and queen of England, who were unfortunate as they came back ; 
for they met some pirates of Normandy that attacked their vessels, 
and, being the strongest, overpowered them, and killed every person: 
they gave no quarters to any one. The king of England was much 
enraged when he heard this but he could not possibly then remedy it. 

Soon after the return of the king of Navarre to Cherbourg, sir 
Eustace d'Ambreticourt (who had been sent for by the prince of 
Wales, and whose heralds had summoned his attendance) took his 
leave, in order to obey the prince. The king parted with him with 
much regret, but sir Eustace explained his reasons so fully that he 
allowed him to depart. He embarked with his attendants, and sailed 
for St. Male, where he landed, and then rode to Nantes, in order to 
to pass the river Loire, with the permission of the duke of Brittany 
and the inhabitants, who as yet had not taken any part in this war. 
He continued his journey until he arrived in Poitoii, at the town of 
Angouleme, where the prince received him with great pleasure, and 
shortly afterwards sent him to sir .Tolin Chandos and the captal de 
Buch, who were in Montauban, guarding the frontiers against the 
French. Sir Eustace, on his arrival, was most joyfully greeted by 
his former companions. t 



* One of the fragments or abridgments made use of by D. Saavage in his ed. and 
quoted by hun as " io C/iaui," has 100,1X10 crowns.-Eo. 



CHAPTER CCLIX 

THE CONSTABLES OF FRANCE AND OF HAINAULT UNDERTAKE A SRAND 
EXPEDITION TO ATTACK ARDRES. THE FORTRESS OF REALVILLE IS 
TAKEN, AND ALL THE ENGLISH WHO WERE IN IT PUT TO THE SWORD. 

The knights of Picardy, about this period, were preparing a grand 
expedition of men-at-arms, with the intention of paying a visit to 
those of Ardres.t Sir John Moreau de Fiennes, constable of France, 
and sir .Tohn Werthin, constable§ of Hainault, were appointed, by 
order of the king of France, the leaders of it. Their rendezvous was 
in the good town of St. Onier. They amounted, in the whole, to a 
thousand lances, knights and squires. These men-at-arms advanced, 
to show their array, before the fort of Ardres, which was well gar- 
risoned with English. They encamped there, and gave out that they 
intended to lay siege to it. The English in Ardres were not alarmed, 
but made every necessary preparation to defend themselves, if they 
should be attacked. One day these lords of France and of Hainault 
drew out their army to the field in gay spirit, and in noble array. It 
was a fine sight to behold the banners of these lords flying before 
them, and the gallant muster they made. They began an attack, but 
with little advantage : for many were killed and wounded ; and 
nothing gained. -According to the inl'ormation which I then received, 
I believe it was on the fifth day they left Ardres, without any other 
action, and each man returned to his own home. Thus was this 
expedition put an end to. 

We will now return to what was going forward in a distant part 
of the country, and relate the siege of R^alville in Quercy by the 
French. There were upward of twelve thousand combatants, all 
good men-at-arms ; and at two days' march were the duke of Berry, 
sir .lohn d'Armagnac, sir John de Villemur, the lord de Beaujeu, and 
others from Auvergne and Burgundy, in all about three thousand 
fighting men, wiio were ready to advance should there be occasion. 
Sir John Chandos, the captal de Buch, sir Guiscard d'Angle, and the 
others who were guarding the frontiers of Montauban, knew well 
what was passing at Realville, and what the strength of their own 
forces in that part of the country consisted of. They found they were 
not strong enough to fight, nor to raise the siege : for the earls of 
Cambridge and Pembroke, who were besieging Bourdeilles, would 
not give up that siege. 

The French had set their miners to work at Realville, and by their 

* Carentan— a town of Normandy, three leagues from tlie sea-coast, diocese of 
Coutances. 

t l''rom the Fwdora it would appear, Unit Charles of Navarre sent two embas-iadors 
to England; fur there is a passport far Peter Terturon. Ins secietary, and one also tor 
Wilham Dordane, dated the Cth June, 1370. The king's passport is dated the 12th Au- 
gust, 1370, when. I suppose, he came to England, where he must have remained some 
time, fur tlie passport for Ins return is dated the 2Sth November. 1370. Tlie convention 
between the two kings is in the Fredera, to which I refer for further particulars, Tlio 
king of Navarre, when returned to Cherbourg, sent other embassadors to England, as 
their passport in the Fojdera is dated Die 1st December, 1370. 

X Ardres— a strong town in Picardy, four leagues from Calais, Near this place wa» 
held the famous interview between Henry VUI. and Francis I. 

§ Sir John Werthin, or Verchin, constable. lie was before seneschal. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, J' RANGE, SPAIN, &. c . 



183 



machines, which cast stone?, &c.into It day anJ night, had harassed 
the garrison so much, they could not sufficiently watch these miners, 
who succeeded in tlreir operations, and flung down a great part of 
the walls '; by which means the town was taken, and all the English 
in it were put to death witliout mercy, which was a pity, for there 
were among them several good squires. The inhabitants were par. 
doned on their promising from that time forth to be loyal Frenchmen, 
The French commanders appointed captains and men-at-arms to 
guard if, as well as others to give advice in the article of repairs, or 
in whatever other business occnsion might require. 

After the conquest of R^alville, the army dispersed itself over tVe 
countries of Qucrcy and Rouergue, to get refreshments and recruit 
themselves. The companies went to the city of Cahoi-s and its 
neighborhood. Their leadei-s were, Aimemon d'Orfige, Perrot de 
Savoye, le petit Mechin, Jacques de Bray and .^rnaudon de Pans, 
who despoiled the whole country. The earl of Perigord, the earl de 
risic, the earl de Comminges,* the viscount de Carmaing and flic 
other lords returned to their own estates; for sir Hugh Calvcrley, sir 
Robert Briquet, ,Iohn Tresnelle, Lanut, Naudonde Bagerant, lebourg 
Camus, le bourg de I'Esparre and other captains of these free com- 
panies, were carrying on a destructive war there, and had burnt and 
ravaged the lands of the earl d'Armagnac and the lord d'Albret. 

Tliere was at this time, as high steward of Rouergue, a very val- 
iant man and good knight, an Englishman, called sir Thomas 
Whiteval.t He resided in the town and castle of Milhaud,t a day's 
journey from Montpellier ; and notwithstanding the whole country 
surrounding it had changed sides, and was conquered, he kept this 
garrison upward of a year and a half, and also another fortress in 
Rouergue called Vauclerc. He made many expeditions, and difier- 
ent sallies much to his honor, until sir Bertrand du Guesclin drove 
him out, as you will hear related anon in the course of this history. 

The town and casile of Bourdeilles sfill remained besieffed. 



CHAPTER CCLX. 

THE FRENCH TAKE LA ROCHE TOSAY.§ THE SENESCHAL OF POITOC BURNS 
AXD DESTROYS THE LANDS OF THE LORD DE CHAtTVIGNY, AND TAKES BY 
ASSAULT HIS PKINCIPAL TOWN OF BKUX. 

Sir John de Bueil, sir William des Bourdes, sir Louis de St. Julien 
and Carnet le Breton, remained on the frontiers of Poitou, with up- 
ward of twelve hundred fighting men, and studied night and day by 
what means they could take, gain by surprise or otherwise, any 
towns, castles or fortresses in Poitou. From these measures it hap. 
pened that they took by scalado a castle called La Roche Posay, at 
the entrance of Poitou, on the river Creus, two leagues distant from 
La Hayell in Touraine, and tolerably near to Chitelhcraut on the 
same river. The whole country was e.\ceedingly alarmed at this ; 
for the French placed a large garrison in it, repaired the walls, and 
amply provided it with all sorts of provision, ammunition and artillery. 
When this news was brought to the prince, he was much dis. 
pleased ; but he could not prevent it. He sent orders to sir Guiscard 
d'Angle, sir Lewis de Harcourt, the lord de Partenay, the lord de 
Pinane, and several others who were at Montauban with sir John 
Chandos, to return to him directly, as he wanted to employ them in 
another part of the country. The aforesaid lords, in consequence of 
this command, left Montauban, and journeyed to Angouleme, where 
the prince was, who inunediately sent them to Poitiers, to guard that 
city and defend the frontiers against the French. 

There had lately turned to the French party a great baron of Poitou, 
called the lord de Chauvigny, viscount de Brux. This town had 
followed his example, which he had filled with Bretons and men-at- 
arms : he himself had left the country, and gone to France to the 
king. The prince and all the barons of Poitou were exasperated at 
this defection. The viscount de Rochechouart was also suspected : 
and the prince, being informed that he was about to change sides, 
sent for him to Angouleme, where he told him what he had heard. 
The viscount denied it, and excused himself as well as he could : 
notwithstanding this, he was committed a close prisoner, and re. 
mained a considerable time in this dangerous situation. 

Sir James Audley was at this period high steward of Poitou, a 
right sage and valiant knight. He made preparations for a grand 
expedition. There were with him sir Guiscard d'.4ngle, sir Louis 
de Harcourt, the lord de Pons, the lord de Partenay, the lord de 
Pinane, sir Geoffry d'Argenton, sir Maubrun de Linieres, the lord de 
Tannaybouton, sir William de Montaudire, and many other knights 
and squires of Poitou. They amounted in the whole to twe've hun- 
dred lances ; and there was also with them sir Baldwin Freville, 
high steward of Saintonge. These lords made Poitiers their place 
of rendezvous : from that place they rode in grand aiTay, and ad. 
vanced until they entered BeiTy, where they began to burn and de- 
1 stroy the country, and to pillage poor people, to whom they did great 
j damage. They then returned to Touraine. Wherever they passed, 
I the countries suffered most exceedingly ; for none ventured to oppose 

* See note page 181. 

t VVIiiteval. Q. If riofWTiilwell. Barnes calk liim sir Tliomas Woke. 

; Milhaud, or Millau— a town i-i Rouersue. on tlie river Tarne. 

I /.I Roche Posay— a town in Touraine. on the Creuse, noted for its medicinal springs. 

La Ilayo— four leagues from Chateilieraul. 



them, as they were in such force as to be masters of the country. 
These men-at-arms entered the lands of the lord de Chauvigny, 
whose lord had lately turned Frenchman, which they burnt and de. 
stroyed without hindrance, except the towns and strongholds. They 
came to his principal town of Brux,* attacked it, and continued the 
attack a whole day with their men-at-arms, but gained nothing. 
They then encamped, and declared they would not thus leave it, 
for it was to be ttdcen. They rose at daybreak, and, having made 
everything ready, sounded their trumpets for an assault. The Poit- 
evins and English being formed into battalions, each lord with his 
men under his own banner, they made, on this Saturday, a most 
fierce attack. It lasted some time : for there were in the town men. 
at-arms, and some from the companies, who defended themselves as 
well as they could, as they knew their lives depended upon it. Many, 
therefore, were the gallant deeds of arms performed. The two high 
stewards of Poitou and Saintonge were anxious to gain the town. 
They made their archers shoot so quickly that scarcely any one dared 
to appear on the walls to defend il. On this Saturday morning, the 
town of Brux was so vigorously attacked, that it was won at last, 
and the gate thrown open for every one to enter it who chose. 

All the men-at-arms of the viscount were taken ; and the lords of 
the army had sixteen of them hanged in their annor, from hatred to 
the viscount, who was not in the country, but with the king of France 
at Paris. The town was burnt, and the inhabitants lost their all : 
there were besides very many slain and drowned. The English 
returned to Poitiers with their army, the better to refresh themselves. 



CHAPTER CCLX I. 

SIR ROBERT KNOLLES IS APPOINTED CAPTAIN OP THE PRINCE'S COMPANY. 
HE CAUSES SIR PEEDUCAS D'ALBRET TO TURN TO THE ENGLISH. HE 
BESIEGES THE FREN'CH COMPANIES IN THE FORT OP DURMEL. 

Sir Robert Knolles resided in Brittany, where he had a fine and 
large estate : he had always been a good and loyal Englishman, and 
had served under the king of England, and the prince of Wales his 
eldest son, in their different expeditions, by whom he was much 
loved : having heard that the French were carrying on a disastrous 
war against the prince, and meant to take from him his inheritance 
of Aquitaine, which he had assisted in gaining for him, he was very 
much surprised and displeased. He therefore resolved in his own 
mind to collect a-s many men-at-arms as he possibly could, and go 
with them to serve the prince of Wales at his own cost and charges. 
As he had resolved, so did he execute : he sent to summon all his 
vassals, and to entreat his friends to accompany him. He gathered 
about sixty men-at-arms, with as many archers of his own dependents 
and friends, and made his preparations for embarking them on board 
four large vessels, at a town and seaport in Brittany called Conquet.t 
When all his purveyances had been completed and sent on board, 
he set out for his castle at Derval,t and followed them, when he 
embarked on board his vessel, perceiving that his people were already 
at sea. He made sail, and arrived at the quay of La Rochelle, where 
the inhabitants gave him a grand entertainment, much against their 
inclinations; but they dared not do otherwise. He found there sir 
John Devreux, who commanded for the prince of Wales, as hiffli 
steward, sir Thomas Percy being with sir John Chandos. Sir John 
Devreux received sir Robert Knolles with great joy, and entertained 
him in the best manner he could. Sir Robert remained there two 
days, to refresh himself and his people. On the third day, he set 
out, taking the road to Angouleme, and continued his journey until 
he arrived there. The prince and princess were exceedingly pleased 
to see sir Robert, and it seemed they could not do enough to show 
it. The prince appointed him captain of the knights and squires of 
his household, out of love to him, and as a reward for his valor and 
honor. He ordered them to pay sir Robert the same obedience a3 
to himself, which they promised willingly to do. 

When sir Robert had remained with the prince about five days, 
and those who were to accompany him in an expedition were ready, 
he was informed to what part it was meant that he should lead them: 
he took his leave of the prince, and set out from Angouleme well 
attended by the prince's knights. There were sir Richard de Pont- 
chardon, sir Stephen Cossington, sir Dagloiret, sir Nele Loring, sir 
William Torceil, sir Hugh Hastings, sir John Trivet, sir Thomas 
Despenser, sir Tancon,^ sir Thomas Banaster, sir Nicholas Bond, 
sir William le Moine, the high steward of the Agenois, sir Baldwin 
Freville, and upward of sixty knights. They amounted in the whole 
to about sixty men-at-arms, five hundred archers, and as many foot 
soldiers, all in high spirits, eager to meet the French. || This small 
army, of which sir Robert was the leader, advanced toward Agen, 
to enter Quercy, where the free companies had quartered themselves, 
and continued their march until they came to the city of Agen. 



* Brux— a town in Poitou, near Cliaunay, diocese of Poitiers. 

TConquet — a seaport, situated five leagues from Brest. 

Tins name is much disfigured in all my copies, e.\cept in the Lamoignon manuscript. 

t Derval— a village hetween Nantes and Rennes. thirteen leagues from Nantes. , 

§ "Tancon." Q. Sir Richard Taunton.— Barnes. 

il There seems some mistalie relative to the nnmber of men-at-arms : for sir Robert 
l>rought with him sixty men-at-arms. We must suppose, that many ot the prince's 
household were at tlie lime of sir Robert's arrival with sir John Cliandos or sir James 
Audley, and, though mentioned by name, were not perhaps present. 



184- 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, !•' RANGE, SPAIN, &c. 



They halted there a short time to refresh themselves, and to wait for 
the enemy. While sir Robert made this halt at Agen, he learnt that 
sir Perducas d'Albret (a famed captain of the free companies, who 
had upward of three hundred men under his command) was in that 
part of the coiintry, and that, through the solicitations of the duke of 
Anjou, he had embraced the French side. Sir Robert immediately 
sent to him a herald, with other messengers, who managed so well, 
that he consented to meet him at an appoint^^d place in the open 
fields, on the faith of his passport. When sir Rohert met sir Per- 
ducas d'Albret, he feasted him well, and then by degrees entered 
upon the business of his having left the prince. He blamed him very 
much for having turned Frenchman, and for quitting the service of a 
prince who loved him so much, and who had advanced him to honors. 
Why should I make a long story of it? Sir Robert argued and talked 
the matter over so ably that sir Perducas d'Albret changed to the 
English party, and went over to them with upward of five hundred 
Gascons from the free companies. The duke of Anjou was much 
angered at this when he heard it, and held sir Perducas cheap for 
Iiis breach of promise, as did all the others who were of the French 
party, and hated the English more than ever. 

This news was soon canied to the city of Cahors, and to the other 
free companies, who formed a large garrison there, and had done so 
for a considerable lime. When their leaders, Aimcmon d'Ortige, le 
petit IMechin, Jacques de Bray, Perrot de Savoye and Arnaudon dc 
Pans, heard that sir Perducas ti'Albret had, with his whole company, 
gone over to the English, they were very much disheartened and 
alarmed. Finding that the city of Cahors was of too great an extent 
for them to hold out against the English, they departed, after having 
given up the town to the bishop and the inhabitants. They went to 
the priory of Durmel, that was not far distant, which they had forti. 
fled some time before, and was not difficult to defend. They entered 
this place in good order, to wait for their enemies, who came as soon 
as they knew they had retired thither : they surrounded it, and made 
many a gallant attack : but those within, being tried men-at-arms, 
and well supplied with everything, made very light of it. As soon 
as sir John Chandos, sir Thomas Felton, the captal de Buch, sir John 
de Pommiers, sir Thomas Percy, sir Eustace d'Ambrelicourt, and 
the other knights attached to the prince in Montauban, heard that 
sir Robert KnoUes was besieging the companies in Durmel, they 
determined to march to his assistance ; for it seemed to them that 
much glory might be acquired. Upward of three hundred lances 
went from Montauban, leaving behind in garrison fidl two hundred, 
tinder the command of sir Ainiery de Chartres, the souldich de 
I'Estrade, sir Bcrnardet d'Albreth, and the lord de Gironde. They 
pressed their march to arrive at the siege of Durmel. In their road, 
they came to a tolerably strong French town, called Moissac* It 
was only guarded by the townsmen, for there was not a gentleman 
in it. They sent their scouts to examine the place, who brought 
inforination that it was suflicicntly strong, and that without a siege 
they could not well gain it. The leaders immediately called a coun- 
cil, to see what was best to be done ; and they resolved in this 
council, that it should be wrong for them to stop at this place, which 
would interfere with their intentions regarding Durmel. They there- 
fore continued their march: it was but early morning : and they had 
not advanced more than a league from the place before they met four 
carriers' horses laden with provision, who were innnediately stopped 
and seized. They inquired whence they came, and whither they 
■were going. The carriers truly answered, that they had come from 
Toulouse, and were going to Moissac, with the intent of selling their 
provision. They were then questioned as to the state of that town, 
and what was the force within it. The carriers, not daring to tell a 
lie, said, that the town was much distressed by a scarcity, and they 
did not believe there were in it provisions for four days, if they should 
be besieged ; and that there were no gentlemen in it, nor had it any 
defenders but the citizens. 

The chiefs then called a council, and determined not to march 
further till they should have conquered this town. They returned, 
and, Iceeping the provision for themselves, gave the carriers their 
horses, telling them to go and seek for more. They halted before 
Moissac, and encamped as if they meant to fix their quarters before 
it for a month: this first day they made preparations seemingly for 
an assault on the. following, and pointed their cannon against the 
walls. When the inhabitants of Moissac saw what was going for- 
"ward, they were much frightened, knowing they could not long hold 
out : for they were in great want of all sorts of provision ; they opened 
a treaty with the English knights, which was soon concluded. By 
it they acknowledged the prince of Wales for their lord, and agreed 
to hold the town from him for ever, without fraud or treachery. On 
which they had peace granted, and nothing was taken from them. 
Sir John Chandos and the other knights, at the request of the inhab- 
itants, appointed a knight, called sir Robert Mytton.t governor, with 
twenty mcu-at-arms, and forty archers, to be maintained and paid at 
the expense of the town. They then marched to Durmel, where sir 
Robert KnoUes and his army were. There was great joy at their 
arrival, and thus all meeting together again. The new comers united 
with their former friends in pushing on the siege with vigor. 



* Moissac— a town of duercy, on the Tarne, seven leagues from Monlauboti. 
'~t"Mytton." Barnes calls him Mutton, and quotes "tlie true use of armory, in tlie 
Jife of the lord John Chandos," p. 68. 



CHAPTER CCLXII. 

SIE KOEERT KNOLLES AKD SIR JOHN CHANDOS KAISE THE SIEGE OF DtJR. 
MEL. THEY LAY SIEGE TO THE CASTLE OF DOM.ME.* 

DuRiNs the siege of Durmel, there were many attacks, skirmishes, 
and gallant feats of arms; for they were good and able men, as well 
those who besieged the place as those who defended it. Had they 
not been such skilful soldiers, they could not have held out as they 
did. The English and their partisans who lay before it, did not gain 
much advantage, for they were overpowered in two ways : it rained 
night and day, which hurt both men and horses ; added to this, there 
was such a scarcity of provision, they had great difficulty in procu- 
ring wherewithal to satisfy their hunger. A loaf was sold there for 
tlu'ee old groats. They were distressed to obtain any even at such 
a price. Of wines, they had a sufficient quantity, which to them 
were of the greatest comfort. In this situation, they remained up. 
ward of five weeks. When they perceived that they made no impres- 
sion, nor were likely to take the garrison of Durmel, and that they 
remained there in a very comfortless state, they determined to raise 
the siege, and to march for the town and castle of Domme, wliich 
was situated in a richer country. 

>Sir Robert de Domme, the lord of it, was governor of the town 
and castle ; and there was with him a knight, his cousin, called sir 
Peter Sanglet. These two knights had collected large quantities of 
everything necessary from the low countries, which they had brought 
into the town. When the English and Gascons, who were fii'teen 
hundred men-at arms, two thousand archers and foot soldiers, anived 
at Domme, they drew up in anay, to lay siege to it, and began a brisk 
attack on the place. They pointed large machines against the walls ; 
and many severe skirmishes and assaults were made on each side. 
Alter they had besieged this place for fifteen days, and found they 
did not gain any advantage, nor were likely to conquer it, but were 
nmch straitened themselves, they determined to inform the prince of 
Wales of their situation, who was at that time at Angouleme. Chan- 
dos, the herald, was ordered to carry this message, who immediately 
set out, and journeyed until he came to Angouleme, where he found 
the prince with very few attendants, for all his knights and squires 
were away on different expeditions. 

When the herald, Chandos, was arrived in the presence of the 
prince, he dropped on his knees, and recommended to liim his mas- 
ters who had sent lum, and whom he had left at the sieg-e of Domme, 
He then related their situation most wisely, as he had been ordered 
to do, and gave the credential letters, which be had brought to the 
prince. The prince listened attentively to all that was told Iiim, and 
said he would consider this subject. He kept the herald with him 
five days, and, on the sixth, he had letters delivered to him under the 
prince's seal, who said to him on his departure, " Chandos, salute 
from me all our companions." He replied, " Most willingly, my 
lord." AVhen the herald set out, he took the road through Quercy. 
I will now relate what passed in the army, and what things they did 
during the absence of this herald. 



CH.4PTER CCLXIII. 

Sm KOBERT KNOLLES AND SIR JOHN CHANDOS MARCH FRO.M DOMME, WITII- 
OUT DOING ANYTHING. TUEY TAKE GAVACHES,t R0CHEMAD0UR,t AND 
SEVERAL OTHER TOWNS WHICH HAD TURNED TO THE PARTY OF THE 
FRENCH. 

Soon after Chandos had left his masters at the siege of Domme, 
sir John Chandos, sir Robert KnoUes, sir Thomas Felton, the captal 
de Buch, sir James Audley, and other knights, held a council, and 
resolved to break up the siege, for they gained nothing, and to 
make an incursion more into the country, in order to conquer such 
towns and garrisons as had lately turned to the French, through the 
means of the duke of Berry, and the free companies. They decamped, 
and marched from Domme, taking the road for Gramat, which im. 
mediately surrendered : the inhabitants turned again to the English 
the moment they came before it. The chiefs and the army remained 
for three days in Gramat, to refresh themselves, and during that time 
considered whither they should go next. When they went away, 
they made for a fortress which the companies had newly taken, called 
Frons. As soon as the garrison perceived the English advancing 
with so great a force, and learnt that those of Gramat had become 
English, they also changed their side, and swore that they would be 
faithfid to the English ; but they lied. The English continued their 
march, and halted before Roquemadour. The inhabitants had 
strongly fortified themselves, not having any inclination to surrender. 

The English having well examined the situation of the town of 
Roquemadour and the countenance of its inhabitants, brought for- 
ward their engines and artillery, and began to attack it with great 
vivacity and vigor. I can say, that many and sharp were the attacks: 
several were slain and wounded by the arrows from those within and 
without. This assault lasted one whole day- Toward vespers, the 
English retired to their camp, with the intention of renewing th« 

* Domme— a town in Perisord. election of Sarlet, on tlie Dordogne- 
t Gavaches. I cannot lind tins in the Gazetteer, and suspect it must be Gramat, a -■ 
town in Quercy, election of Figeac, near Peyrac. 
t Rocliemador— Rotiuemadour— a town iu Quercy, election of Figeac, near Peyrac. ■ 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



185- 



attack on the rnorrow : but during the night those of Roquemadour, 
who the preceding day had severely felt the courage of tlieir oppo- 
nents, and how liardly they had pushed them, called a council. The 
wisest among them said, that in time they must surrender ; and if 
Ihey were taken by assault, they would all be slain, the town burnt 
without mercy ; and that, weighing the bad and good, they advised 
opening an immediate treaty with the English. This was soon con- 
cluded. They declared that from that day forward, they would be 
true to the English, which they afterwards solemnly swore to observe. 

, They were also obliged to supply the army with fifty horse-load of 
provisions from the town, during the space of fifteen days, which 

1 were to be paid for at a certain fi.xed price : and'thus Roquemadour 
obtained peace. 

The English continued their march toward Villefranche, in the 
Toulousin, burning and destroying the flat countries, bringing great 
calamities on the poor inhabitants, and conquering such towns and 
castles as had changed sides ; some by treaty, others by force. They 
came at length before Villefranche, which was tolerably wedl inclosed, 
and provided with provision and artillery ; for all those of the sur- 
rounding flat country had retired into it. They commenced the 
attack, on their arrival, with much intrepidity. During the four days 
they lay before it, frequent were the assaults, and many were killed 
on both sides. The garrison having reflected on their situation, found 
tliey could not hold out much longer, and, as there was no appear- 
ance of help coming to them, they surrendered to the English, on 
condition that neither themselves nor their town should receive any 
harm. In this manner did Villefranche, on the borders of Toulouse, 
become English ; which when told to the duke of Anjou, who was 
at Toulouse, grieved him much. Sir John Chandos appointed gov. 
ernor and captain of Villefranche an English knight, called sir Rob- 
ert le Roux,* and then continued his march, burning and destroying 

i the country. 

We will now return to the siege of Bourdeilles, and relate how the 
earls of Cambridge and Pembroke persevered in it. 



CHAPTER CCLXI V. 

THE EAHLS OF CAMBRIDGE AND OF PEMBROKE CONQtlEK THE GARRISON OF 
BOURDEILLES. 

While these last-mentioned barons and knights of England, with 
their army, were making excursions and conquests in Rouerguc, 
Quercy and the Ag^nois, where they continued a considerable time, 
the siege of Bourdeilles was still going on. It had lasted upward of 
nine weeks. All this while there were daily skirmishes, attacks and 
gallant deeds of arms. The besieged had a custom of advancing 
every day with their whole army without the gate, where they skir- 
mished valorously with all comers, and behaved themselves so gal- 
lantly that they acquired great praise even from the enemy. The 
garrison remained in this situation some time, and would have con. 
tinued so longer, if pride and presumption had not tempted them ; 
for they were iu sufficient numbers, all tried men, with plenty of 
provision, and artillery to defend themselves. The besiegers began 
to grow weaiy, notwithstanding they acted much to their honor, for 
they considered that their expenses were greater than the conquest 
Ihey were attempting was worth. After holding a council, to con- 
sider by what means they could the sooner bring this business to an 
end, they determined to arm all their people by four o'clock in the 
merning, and to keep them in their quarters, sending a part of them 
to akirmish with the garrison as usual : for the gairison were so eager 
for these combats, they would frequently march into the open fields 
to engage in them. Tlie English ordered their party to make a feint, 
and to retreat by degrees toward their own army, as if they were de- 
feated, in order to draw them further out, and then a body of cavalry 
was to sally forth, and by getting between them and the town, pre- 
vent them from entering it again. The plan was adopted ; for they 
said, if they could not win the place by this means, they should not 
easily gain it. On the morrow morning they armed themselves, and 
sent two hundred to skirmish with the garrison. 

When the companies in Bourdeilles, and their captains Ernaudon 
and Bernardin, saw them approach, they were very much rejoiced, 
and quickly made themselves and their men ready. There might 
be about seven score young men, active soldiers, who, having or- 
dered the gate to be thrown quite open, advanced to their barriers, 
and met the English lances and bucklers very handsomely. They 
fought so well that the English gave way, and retreated as they had 
been ordered ; which being observed, those of the ganison ordered 
their standard to be advanced, crying out at the same time, " By St. 
Anthony's head, we shall take them." On which they attacked 
them with greater fury as they were flying before them, so that some 
were unhorsed, wounded or made prisoners. But because they 
were so eager to gain everything, and as the proverb says, " All 
covet, all lose," they had advancetl so far from the town that when 
they wished to return they could not ; for sir John Montague,t who 
had the command of the ambuscade, which consisted of five hun- 
dred chosen men, placed himself between them and the town. He 
was knighted on the field, by the eari of Cambridge, and directly 

* Sir Robert le Roui. Barnes calls him sir John Roos. Why not sir Robert Rous ? 
t Sir John Montague— nephew and heir to the earl of Salisbury.— Bar.nes. 



attacked them with great vigor. When the companies of Bour- 
deilles saw themselves thus entrapped, they were sensible of their 
folly in pursuing so far: however, they collected themselves in a- 
body like brave men, and began to fight valiantly, and to perform 
such feats of arms as were marvellous to behold. This combat lasted 
upward of two hours : and they annoyed their enemies so much, 
and behaved so gallantly, that the English lords were much delighted 
with them. Sir John Montague proved himself deserving of his 
knighthood, by his valor and prowess in attacking the enemy. At. 
last, those of tlie Bourdeilles were entirely defeated : all were killed 
or made prisoners, for not one of them escaped. Those of the En^ 
glish who had been taken were rescued. Sir John Montague made 
the two governors, Ernaudon and Bernardin de Batefol, his prison- 
ers. 

During the time of this skinuish, the earls of Cambridge and Pem- 
broke had advanced to the barriers and gate, which having gained^- 
they entered the town, the earl of Cambridge's banner displayed 
before them. Thus did the English conquer Bourdeilles. They 
made the inhabitants swear fealty and allegiance to the prince. The 
chiefs ordered the lord de Mucident to remain there as governor, 
and gave him sixty archers, in addition to his own people. They 
then broke up their encampment, having determined to march to 
Angouleme, to know from the prince what he wished them next to 
do. Thus ended the siege of Bourdeilles ; and the lords with their 
companies set out on their return. We will now speak of those 
knights of England and Gascony, who were making imroads in. 
Quercy, and of Chandos the herald, and the news he brought from, 
the prince of Wales. 



CHAPTER CCLXV. 

SIR ROBERT KNOLLES, SIR JOHN CHANDOS, AND SIR THOMAS TELTOlt 
JIAESHAL THEIR MEN, AND RETtIRN TO THE TRINCE OF WALES. 

As these knights and their army were making incursions on the 
borders of Rouergue and Quercy, taking towns and castles, and dis- 
tressing the whole country, Chandos the herald returned. He found 
them before a castle in Quercy, which they had hard pressed. When 
they saw the herald, they received him joyfully, and inquired what 
news he had brought. He told them that his highness the prince 
saluted them all, and was very desirous of seeing them ; and at these 
words he gave them the letters from the prince, wliich the barons 
took and read. They found that, with many assurances of affection 
and friendship, he desired that sir John Chandos, sir Thomas Felton, 
and the captal de Buch should return to him at Angouleme ; and 
that sir Robert KnoUes with his army, and all the free companies, 
should remain where they were to continue the war. 

When these three lords, who were the cliiefs of the army, heard 
the prince's orders, they looked at each other, and asked what was 
best to be done. With one voice, they addressed themselves to sir 
Robert Knolles, and said, " Sir Robert, you see and hear how our 
lord the prince orders us back, and directs that you should remain 
in this country to be the leader of the army." " My lords," replied 
sir Robert, " his highness the prince does me more honor than I could 
wish. Know, that I will never remain here without you, and that, 
if you go I will not stay behind." So they resolved to return all 
four to the prince, to learn more fully what were his intentions. 
This grand expedition was broken up : and, when the time of sepa- 
ration arrived, they ordered sir Perducas d'Albret to the town of 
Roquemadour with his company to defend that part of the frontiers 
against the French. The lords then addressed the other free com. 
panics as follows : " Gentlemen, you hear how our lord the prince 
sends for us to come to his presence ; for what cause we are as yet 
ignorant. We will therefore explain to you what we wish you to do 
in our absence. You will collect all your forces into one body, and 
with them pass the frontiers of Limousin and Auvergne, to carry the 
war thither ; for without war you cannot subsist ; and we swear and 
promise you faitliluUy, that whatever town, castle or fortress of France 
ye shall take and conquer, wherever it may be situated, and shall be 
besieged in it, we will fly to your assistance, and will cause the 
siege to be raised." Those who heard this promise replied, " It is 
well spoken, and we will abide by it ; for perhaps we may be obliged 
to have recourse to you." 

In this manner they separated : the excursion was put an end to 
by the lords on one side, and the companies on the other. The lords 
returned to the town of Angouleme, where the prince entertained 
them handsomely. A short time before, the earls of Cambridge and 
of Pembroke, with sir John Montague and several others, had also 
returned from Perigord. We will now mention the companies and 
men.at-arms who had separated from sir John Chandos, and how- 
they prospered. 



186 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



CHAPTER CCLXVI. 

THE FREE COMPANIES ATTACHED TO THE ENGLISH TAKE THE CASTLE OF 
BELLEPERCHE,* AND THE MOTHER OF THE DUKE OF BOURBON WHO WAS 
IN IT. THEY ALSO TAKE THE STRONC CASTLE OF ST. SAUVEURt IN 
BERRY. 

Among tlie leaders of these companies, there were three squires 
from the territories of the prince, who were great captains and val- 
iant men-at-arms, very enterprising, and determined scalers of for- 
tresses. One of them was named Ortingo, another Bernard de Wiflc, 
and the third Bernard de la Salle.t These three captains wished 
not to remain long idle, nor without being spoken of for some gallant 
deed of arms. They marched with their companies into Limousin, 
to refresh themselves. At that time, sir John Devreux was sines- 
chal and governor of the province for the prince. These three squires, 
having considered what castle they might conquer from France, fi.xed 
upon that of Belleperche, in the Bourbonnois. It was beautiful and 
strong. The mother of the duke of Bourbon, and of the queen of 
France, made it her residence. They learnt by their spies that the 
good lady was alone, and had not any guards with her except her 
own household ; and that the governor of the castle, making frequent 
incursions from it, was very far from being attentive or on his guard. 

These captains, and such companions whom they had picked out, 
did not let their intentions sleep after they had formed them, but rode 
day and night, and arrived by break of day at Belleperche, which 
they took by escalade, and the mother of the queen of France who 
was in it. Finding the castle was so strong, and handsome, and in 
so rich a country, tliey declared they would keep it against all oppo- 
sers. In that same night, they also took another castle, called St. 
Sauveur, on the borders of Limousin, and gave it to sir John Dev- 
reux. 

News was soon eanied to France, that Belleperche was taken by 
the English, and the mother of the queen made prisoner. The king 
was very much vexed at this, as were the queen and duke ol Bour- 
bon, but they could not better themselves, at least for the present. 
About this time, sir Louis de Sancerre was nominated a marshal of 
France : he was a valiant and hardy knight. Sir Arnold d'Andreg. 
hen was srill alive, but so old and worn out with bearing arms, and 
from his former labors, that in truth he could not be of any service, 
nor was he able to do the duties of his office ; but he was willing to 
carry arms whenever it might be necessary. We will say a little of 
the affairs of Picardy, as we have been some time with those of the 
distant parts, and speak of an assembly which was held in the city 
of Rouen. 

CHAPTER CCLXVII. 

THE KINS OF FRANCE, INTENDING TO SEND A LARGE NAVAL ARMAMENT TO 
THE ENGLISH COAST, IS PREVENTED BY THE ARRIVAL OF THE DUKE OF 
LANCASTER AT CALAIS. 

The king of France, during the summer (1369,) had made great 
preparations of ships, barges and other vessels in the port of Har- 
fleur, with the intent of sending a large force to England, well fur. 
nished with men-at-arms, knights and squires. His brother, the lord 
Philip, duke of Burgundy, was appointed commander of this army, 
which was to destroy all England. Tlie king of France fixed his 
residence in the good city of Rouen in order to attend more promptly 
to this business. He visited his fleet two or three times every week, 
to which he showed much afl'ection. Added to this, his summons 
were so extensive that it was wonderful to see the number of men- 
at-arms who were collected in Vexin, Beauvoisis, and in the neigh- 
borhood of Rouen. Provisions and other stores were so abundantly 
brought there, that they would have been sufficient for a voyage to 
Spain or Portugal. The lord de Clisson, who was one of the privy 
counsellors to the king, approved not of this expedition to England, 
and did all he could to dissuade the king and his nobles from it. He 
told them, they were not so much accustomed to naval engagements 
as the English, and urged many reasons in support of this, as one 
who was better acquainted with the manners and habits of the Eng. 
lish, and the state of that country, than many others. Notwithstand- 
ing this, neither the king nor his council would change their mind, 
but resolved this armament should sail. 

The king of England and his son the duke of Lancaster, as well 
as several of his council, had received information of this army, and 
of the intentions of the French to invade and carry the war into 
England. They were much rejoiced at this, and had provided all 
the ports and harbors opposite to Ponthieu and Normandy with suf- 
ficient garrisons of men-at-arms and archers to receive them, if they 
should come. The whole kingdom of England was ready prepared 
to give them a good reception whenever they should land. The 
king, having determined to send the duke of Lancaster, with a body 
of men-at-arms to Calais, immediately named those whom he ordered 
to accompany him. There were the earl of Salisbury, the earl of 
Warwick, sir Walter Manny, the lord Roos of Hamlake, sir Henry 



* Belleperche— a town and abbey on the Garonne, in the diocese of M ontauban. near 
to Castel Sarasin. 

t St. Sanveur — a village in Berry, diocese and election of Bourses. 

i ti. these three names. One of my MSS. calls the second Bernard de Wiske, and 
so does Barnes. 



Percy, the lord Basset, the lord Willoughby of Eresby, the lord De- i 
laware, the lord de la Pole, sir Thomas Grandison, sir Alan Boxhall, I 
sir Richard Stury,* and many others; the whole force amounted to } 
about five hundred men-at-arms, and as many archers. They marched | 
to Dover and its neighborhood. When the transports were ready, ' 
they embarked, and having a favorable wind, arrived at the strong 
town of Calais, where they landed, and by little and little disem- 
barked everything which belonged to them. They took up their 
quarters in the town. 

About this time the king of England sent embassadors to entreat , 
most earnestly sir Robert de Namur to assist him in the war, with' ! 
all tlie men-at-arms that were dependent on him. Sir Robert, who ' \ 
had ever been steady and loyal to the English, replied, that he should'J 
be as soon on his march as was necessary ; for having been informedfjl ': 
ihat the king or one of his sons was to be at Calais, to make an ' 
incursion, the moment he should hear of the duke of Lancaster's 
arrival, he would summon all his companions, and those whose assist- 
ance he wished for ; his arms and everything else being already'j 
prepared. 

We will now return to what was passing in Poitoti. 



as- J 
de^fl 



CHAPTER CCLXVIII. 

THE CASTLE OF LA ROCHE SUR YON SURRENDERS TO THE ENGLISH. THE I 
GOVERNOR OF IT PUT TO DEATH, BY ORDERS FROM THE DUKE OF ANJOtJ.| 

You will remember, that when the herald Chandos brought the, 
orders from the prince of Wales, the barons and knights of Guienne, 
who were upon an expedition in Quercy and Rouerguo, returned 
with one accord to the town of Angouleme, where they found the 
prince, w-ho received them with great joy. Some little time before,' 
the earls of Cambridge and Pembroke had also returned with their 
army, after the conquest of Bourdeilles, as you have before heard. 
The lords and barons rejoiced exceedingly at this meeting, andgrea*'^ - 
entertainments were made by them. They considered whicli way 
they should next march, to make the most of the season. They ' 
found, on examining the country, that there was near the borders of 
Anjou a fine and strong castle called la Roche sur Yon,t which was < 
a dependency of Anjou ; there they resolved to march, lay siege to 
it, and conquer it if they were able. They made their preparations^ 
and set out for that part of the country. They were joined by a'" 
the barons and knights of Poitou : sir James Audley, the lord de 
Pons, the lord de Partenay, sir Louis . dc Harcourt, sir Guiseard 
d'Angle, the lord de Pinane, the lord de Tannaybouton, sir Maubran 
de Linieres, and the seneschal of La Rochelle, sir Thomas Percy. 
These men-at-arms and gallant company of lords, when they were 
all assembled, amounted to more than three thousand lances. They 
took the field, and came before the castle of la Roche sur Yon, 
which was well built and strong, with a good garrison, and well pro. 
vided with provisions and artillery. The duke of Anjou had ap. 
pointed governor a knight called sir John Blondeau, who had under 
his command many good companions, at the charge and pay of tha 
duke. 

The lords and barons foi-raed the siege in a handsome manner, 
and with great display. They surrounded the castle, for they were 
strong enough to do so, and had ordered from Poitiers and Thouarst 
large engines on carriages, which they pointed against the fort, as 
well as several cannons and springalls, with which the army was 
provided, and from long custom had always carried with them. They 
had also great plenty of provision, wdiich was brought to them daily 
from Poitiers and the adjacent country. Sir John Blondeau, finding: 
himself thus besieged by so many good men-at-arms (for almost all 
the knights of Aquitaine were there,) and that no aitl was likely to 
be sent to him, began to be alarmed ; he well knew that those lords 
would never leave the place until they had won it by fair or foul 
means. 

In the army of the earl of Cambridge, with sir John Chandos and 
the other barons, were some knights from Poitou well acquainted 
with the governor, and who in former times had been his companions 
in arms. These knights advanced to the barriers, and upon their 
faith and assurances held a conversation with him, and talked the 
matter over so ably (for he was not a sensible man, though a valiant 
knight,) that he entered into a treaty to deUver up the castle, if he 
were not succored, nor the siege raised, within a month ; when he 
was to receive the sum of six thousand francs for the provisions in 
it. The treaty thus entered into was ratified ; and the garrison re- 
mained quiet, under condition, that if the castle was not relieved 
within a month, it should be surrendered. This being done, the 
knight sent information of it to the king of France, the dukes of 
Anjou and of Berry, and to all the lords from whom he expected as- 
sistance, in order that he might be secure from any reproaches they 
might cast upon him. Notwithstanding these informations, that the 
castle was strong, and absolutely essential to France, on account of 
the provinces of Touraine and Anjou, no relief was sent ; so that, 
when the month was expired, the English lords summoned the gov. 



I 



* Stiirie. Barnes cails him Sterrie; HoilingsheJ, Sturrie. 

t La Roche sur Voii— alown in Poitou, on tlie Yon. eight leagues from Lunon, four- 
teen from Nantes. 
I Thouara— an ancient city of Poitou sixteen leagues from Poitiers. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



18T 



ernor to perform his promise, for which he had given good hostages. 
Sir John did not intend to break his engagement : he said to his 
companions, " Since the king of France and the duke of Anjou are 
detennined to lose this castle, I cannot defend it alone :" he there 
fore delivered it up to tlie English, who took possession with great 
joy. The governor received the sum of si.x thousand francs, as agreed 
upon for the provision in the castle, which was well worth it : and 
he and his garrison were escorted to the town of Angers. 

Instantly on his arrival, he was arrested by the governor of An- 
gers, and thrown into prison ; and, as I have heard, was the same 
night put into a sack, cast into the river, and drowned by the orders 
[ of the duke of Anjou, for having accepted money to surrender a eas- 
; tie, which had been well provided, and was strong enough to have 
held otit for a year, if tlie governor had chosen. Thus did the Eng- 
( lish gain the castle of la Roche stir Yon in Anjou, which they welt 
ganisoned and strengthened:' they then returned to the prince of 
1 Wales at .'^ngoulemc. 

1 After the conquest of la Roche sur Yon, wh:ch enraged the 
. French much, the lords, as I have said, returned to Angouleme, 
■where the prince gave leave for some to go to their homes. Lord 
James Audley, the valiant knight and seneschal of Poitou, went to 
his residence at Fontenay le Comte,* wdiere he was attacked by so 
severe a disorder that it ended his life. The prince and princess 
were exceedingly grieved at this event, as were all the knights and 
barons of Poitou. His obsequies were performed at Poitiers in a 
most magnuicent manner, and were attended by the prince in 
person. t Soon afterwards, at the request of the barons and knights 
of Poitou, sir John Chandos, who was constable of Aquitaine, w'as 
appointed seneschal of Poitou, and went to the city of Poitiers, 
which he iixed on for his residence. He frequently made excursions 
upon the French, and kept them under such continual alarms, they 
never dared to venture abroad but in very large bodies. 

About this time, the viscount de Rochechouart obtained his liberty. 
The prince of AVales had kept him a prisoner, because he suspected 
him of being inclined to the French ; but at the solicitations of his 
friends in Poitou, who were at that lime with the prince, he gained 
his freedom, and was restored to his estate. When the viscount de 
Rochecliouart had got his liberty, he went in disguise as speedily as 
he could to Paris, to the king of France, where he turned French, 
man, and then came back to his estate, without any one being 
informed of the matter. Having placed Tiiibaut du Pont, a Breton 
and expert man-at-arms, in his castle, he directly sent his challenge 
to the prince of Wales, against whom he kept up a vigorous warfare. 



CHAPTER CCLXIX. 

TBE DtJKE CF BUKGl'NDY MARCHES FROM THE CITY OF KOtJEN, WITH 
TUE I.\TE.\TION OF COjrtBATISO THE DUKE OF LANCASTER AND THE 
E.VGLISH. THE TWO ARMIES ARE ENCA.1IPED OPPOSITE TO EACU 
OTHER AT TOURNEHEM.t 

When the duke of Lancaster was arrived at Calais, as has been 

1 before mentioned, and had refreshed his army a little, he was not 
willing to remain there without performing some warlike deeds upon 
the French : he therefore marched out with his two marshals and 
full three hundred lances, with as many archers. They passed 
through Guines,^ and continued their march until they had crossed the 
river Dostre. and overran that whole country. They hirned toward 

I the abbey of Liqucs,|| where they collected a large booty, which they 
brought safe with them to Calais. On another day, he made an 
excursion toward Boulogne, where he did much damage to the flat 
countries. The count Guy de St. Pol and sir Galeran his son were 
at the time in the city of Terouenne, with many men-at-arms ; but 
they made no sally against the English, when they were on these 
expeditions, for they did not think themselves sufficiently strong to 
oppose them in the field. 

News was brought to the king of France, who at that time was 
holding his court at Rouen in the greatest pomp and magnificence, 

jthat the duke of Lancaster was come to Calais, and that from thence 
he was daily making inroads into France. When the king and his 
council heard this, their minds were occupied on a difT-rent subject ; 
for this same week the duke of Burgundy was to embark with his 
whole army, consisting of upward of three thousand fighting men, 

:to invade England. The king demanded from his prelates and 
council what wa.s best to be done, supposing the English had crossed 
the sea, whether to advance to them and offer battle, or to continue 
their plan of operation for the invasion of England. This last pro- 
position was given up, and orders sent to the French army to break 
up their quarters in and near Rouen as soon as possible, and to pre- 
pare everything for marching toward Calais with the duke of Bur- 



I * Fontenay le (Jorale-a city in Poitou. near la Vendee, diocese of la Rochelle 
twenty -five leagues from Poitiers. ' 

t Barnes says tins is a mistake-of liie son for llie father. Sir James Audley, son of 
ord James Audley, seneschal of Poitou, died in Gascony about this time ; and on this 
Joss, lord James, with the prince's leave, retired to Bngland, where he hved many years. 
He died in 138b, m the seventy-third year of his age. 

Sir John Chandos was nominated seneschal of Poitou, on loirt James retiring to 
England. ^ 

■; * Tournehem— a small town of Artois, bailiwick of St. Omer. 
I S .i",°^^~" '""■" '" P'^^r'^!'. '"-o lengues and a half from Calais. 
II Abbey of Liques— diocese of Boulosne-sur-mer. 



gundy. Such were the commands of the king of France, for he was 
desirous of combating the English on that side of the water. The 
men-at-arms heard these orders with great joy, and were soon ready. 
The duke of Burgmidy with his whole army, took the field, and 
formed his march so as to cross the river Somme at Abbeville. He 
continued until he came to Montreuil-siu'-mer,* and from thence to 
Hesdint and St. Paul,t where they halted for the rear of the army 
to join them. 

News was brought to the duke of Lancaster, that the French were 
on their march to offer liim battle ; upon which the duke, with his 
whole army, left Calais, and took up their quarters in the valley of 
Tournehem. He had not been long there before that gallant knight 
sir Robert de Namur came in grand array to serve under him, with 
a hundred lances of good men-at-arms, accompanied with knights 
and squires. The duke of Lancaster was much rejoiced on his 
arrival, and said : " My good uncle, you are heartily welcome ; for 
they say that the duke of Burgundy is on his march, and wishes to 
fight with us." Sir Robert replied, " My lord, by God's help, we 
will willingly meet him." 

The English found good quarters in the valley of Tournehem, 
where they fortified themselves with strong hedges, and there came 
daily to them provision in abundance from Calais. Their light horse 
scoured the country of Guines, but they gained little ; for all the low 
countries had been spoiled, and their most valuable things cairied 
for safety to the adjoining fortresses. The duke of Burgundy anived 
with all his chivalry, and fixed his quarters at the hill of Tournehem, 
where his marshals immediately encamped the men-at-arms opposite 
to where the English lay. 

The French lodged themselves orderly, and without delay : they 
took up much ground, and with good reason ; for I have had it men- 
tioned to me as a certain fact, that the duke of Burgundy had under 
his command four thousand good knights. You may judge there, 
fore of the great difterence between the two annies. Each army 
remained in these positions a considerable time without doing any. 
thing; for the duke of Burgundy, notwithstanding he was so much 
superior in force, and had with him, of good men-at-arms, seven to 
one, would not engage without the positive orders of the king of 
France, his brother, who was not desirous of it. In truth, had the 
French come forward to battle, the English would not have refused 
it ; for tliey were daily drawn ou*, and in readiness to receive them. 
They had made every preparation, and each person knew what he 
was to do, shotdd the enemy show any inclination to fight : but be- 
cause they were so small a body, and so well fortified, they would 
not foolishly lose an advantage by quitting their camp. Some knights 
advanced from each army to skirmish ; and, as usual in such cases,- 
sometimes one side gained, and sometimes the other. 

The earl of Flanders, at this time, was very anxious for the honor 
and reputation of the duke of Burgundy, his son-in-law : he resided in a 
handsome house which he had lately built near to Ghent: he frequently 
heard from or sent to the duke, by messengers who were constantly 
employed on this service. The earl strongly advised his son-in-law,, 
for his own honor, not to exceed, on any account, the orders which 
he had received from his brother the king of France, or from his. 
council. 

We will now return to the affairs of the distant provinces, where 
the knights had frequently more employment, and me; with adven- 
tures in greater abundance than anywhere else, on account of the? 
war being carried on more vigorously. 



CHAPTER CCLXX. 

SIR JOHN CnANDOS DOES GREAT MISCHIEF TO THE PROVINCE OF ANJOC- 
BE DESPOILS THE ESTATES OF THE VISCOUNT DE ROCHECHOUART^ 
EXCEPT THE FORTRESSES AND STF.ONGHOLDS. 

During the time of this expedition to Tournehem, and in that 
neighborhood, some feats of arms were performed in Poitou, which 
ought not to be i'orgotten. Sir John Chandos, being seneschal of 
Poitou, and a hardy and valiant knight, had a great desire to meet 
the French : he therefore did not remain long idle, but collected, 
during the time he passed at Poitiers, a body of men-at-arms, Eng 
lish and Poitevins, and said he would make an excursion with them 
toward Anjou, and return by Touraine, to look at the French wiio 
were assembled in those parts. He sent information of the expedi- 
tion hemejitated to the earl of Pembroke, § who was in garrison at 
Mortagne-sur-mer|| with two hundred lances. 

The earl was much pleased with this intelligence, and would wil- 
lingly have been of the party ; but his attendants and some knights 
of his council prevented him, by saying: " My lord, you are a vouno- 
and noble knight, formed to excel: if you at this moment' unite 
yourself with sir John Chandos and his army, he will obtain all the 
glory of the expedi'ion, and you will be only named as his com- 



* Montreuil— a town in Picardy, seventeen leagues and a half from Calais. 

t Hesdin— a strong town in Artois, eighteen leagues and a half from Calais. 

t St. Paul— a small town in Picardy, diocese of Beauvais, 

§ Lord John Hastings, second earl of Pembroke, only son of the earl mentioned in 
the former part of this history. He was not more than 21 years old at this period, and it 
seems doubtful whether lie had yet succeeded to the title, as the received date of his 
father Lawrence's death is 1375, and the events above related took place in 13t>9.— Er. 

II " Mortagne "—a town ir. Saintonge, on the Garonne. 



188 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



panion. It is tlierefore more proper for you, who are of sucli high 
rank and birth, to act for yourself, and let sir John Chandos do so 
on his part, who is but a Icnight-baehelor when compared with you." 
These and such like words cooled the ardor of the earl of Pembroke, 
who having no longer any wish to go, sent an excuse to sir John 
Chandos. 

Sir John would not, however, give up his enterprise, but ordered 
his rendezvous at Poitiers ; from whence he marched witli three 
hundred lances, knights, and squires, and two hundred archers. In 
tliis number were lord Thomas Percy, sir Stephen Cossington, sir 
Richard de Pontchardon, sir Eustace d'Ambreticourt, sir Richard 
Taimton, lord Thomas Spencer, sir Nele Uoring, the earl of Angus,* 
sir Thomas Banaster, sir John Trivet, sir William de Montendre, 
sir Maubrins do Linieres, sir Geoffry d'Argenton, and several other 
]inight.«. and squires. These men-at-arms marched boldly forth and 
in good array, as if going upon some grand enterprise, and having 
passed througli the province of Poitou, entered that of Anjou. When 
they were arrived in that country, tlicy fixed their quarters in the 
flat parts of it, and sent out their light divisions to burn and destroy 
everything. They did infinite mischief to this rich and fine country, 
without any one attempting to prevent them : and they remained 
there upward of fifteen days, especially in that part of it called the 
Loudunois. They retreated from Anjou down the river Creuse, 
which separates Touraine from Poitou ; and sir John Chandos, with 
Iris army, entered the lands of the viscount Rochcchouart, where 
everything, except the fortresses, was ruined. They advanced to 
the town of Rochcchouart, and vigorously assaulted it, but without 
effect ; for there were excellent men-at-arms within it, commanded 
by Thibault du Pont and Helyons de Talay, who prevented it from 
being taken or injured. 

The English continued their march to Chauvigny,t where sir John 
Chandos received information that the lord Louis de Sancerrc, mar- 
■shal of France, with a great body of men-at-arms, were at la Hayet 
in Touraine. He was very desirous to march that way, and sent in 
great haste to the earl of Pembroke to signity his intentions, and to 
beg of him to accompany him to la Haye in Touraine, and that he 
would meet him at Chatelheraut.§ Chandos the herald was the 
bearer of this message. He found the earl of Pembroke at Mor- 
tagne, busily engaged in mustering Iris men, and preparing, as it 
appeared, to make an excursion. He excused himself a second time, 
by the advice of his council, saying he could not accompany him. 
The herald, on his return, found his master and the army at Chatel- 
■heraut, to whom he delivered his answer. When sir John Chandos 
heard it, he was very melancholy, knowing that pride and presump- 
tion had made the earl refuse to be a party in the expedition, and 
only replied, " God's will be done." He dismissed the greater part 
of his army, who separated, and he, with his attendants, returned to 
.Poitiers. 

CHAPTER CCLXXI. 

THE LORD LOUIS DE SANCERKE SURPRISES THE EARL OF TEMBROKE. SEVE- 
RAL OF HIS MEN ARE SLAIN AND THE EARL IS BESIEGED IN A HOnSE 
AT PUIRENON. 

We will now relate how the carl of Pembroke prospered. As 
-soon as he knew that sir John Chandos had disbanded his array, and 
was returned to Poitiers, he assembled his of n forces, which con- 
sisted of three hundred English and Poitevins, and marched from 
Mortagne. He was joined by some knights and squires of Poitou 
and Saintonge, as well as by some English knights that had been in 
sir John Chandos's army. These men-at-arms, therefore, advanced 
under the command of the earl of Pembroke, and took the direct 
road to where sir John Chandos had been, burning and despoiling 
all those parts of Anjou which the first had left, or which had been 
ransomed. They halted to refresh themselves in the Loudunois, 
and then took the road for the lands of the viscount Rochcchouart, 
to which they did great damage. 

The French who were in garrison on the frontiers of Touraine, 
Anjou, and Poitou, consisting of a large body of men-at-arms, 
"heard the whole truth of these two excursions, and how the earl of 
Pembroke, who was a young man, would not, through pride, serve 
under air John Chandos. They therefore resolved to conquer him, 
if they could ; for they thought they should more easily defeat him 
than sir John Chandos. They made, in consequence, a secret levy 
of their forces from all their garrisons ; and sir Louis de Sancerre, 
marshal of France, took the command of them. They marched all 
night to la Roche-posayH in Poitou, which was in the French interest. 
There were in this expedition sir Robert de Sancerre, cousin to the 
marshal, sir John de Vienne, sir John de Bueil, sir William des 
Bourdcs, sir Louis de St. Julien, and Carnet le Breton ; in the whole, 
seven hundred fighting men. 

The earl of Pembroke had finished his excui-sion, and reentered 



* David, king of Scotland, created sir .lohti Stunrt of Bonkill earl of Angus. He aiid 
liis heirs held tlie estates, but tlie Umpliravilles of England (the earl mentioned in (he 
text) grasped at tlie title for many generations.— Pinkertdn's History of Scotland, 
vol. i. p. 7. 

t " Chauvigny"— a town in Poitou, six leagues from Poitiers. 

t *' La Haye" — a town in Touraine, on tlie Creuse. 

% '* Chatelheratit"— a town in Poitou, on the Vienne 

i\ " La Roche-posay"— a town in Touraine, on the Creuse. 



Poitou, having completed the total destruction of the viscount de 
Rochechouart's estate. In this company were, sir Baldwin de Fran 
ville, seneschal of Saintonge, lord Thomas Spencer, lord Thomas 
Percy, the earl of Angus, sir John Orwich,* sir John Ilarpcdon, sir 
James de Surgeres, sir John Cousins, sir Thomas de St. Alban, sir 
Robert Twiford, sir Simon Ausagre, sir John de Mortain, sir John 
Touchet, and several others. The English and Poitevins marched 
on without any thought or precaution, having heard nothing of these 
men-at-arms : they had entered Poitou with all their pillage, and 
came, one day about noon, to a village called Puirenon, where they 
halted, after the manner of persons in perfect security. But when 
the servants were about to put the horses in the stable, and to pre. 
pare the supper, the French, M-ho well knew what they were about, 
entered the village of Puirenon, with their lances in their rests, 
bawling out their cry, " Our Lady, for Sancerrc the marshal !"t and 
then overthrew all they luet in the streets. The noise became so 
violent, that the English ran to the head-quarters with great alarm, 
to inform the earl of Pembroke, lord Thomas Percy, sir Baldwin de 
Franville, and the others, that the French had suddenl)' attacked 
and surprised them. These lords were soon armed, and sallying 
out from their hotels, collected their men together; but they could 
not all assemble, for the numbers of the French were so considerable 
that the English and Poitevins were overpowered ; and, in this first 
attack, more than one hundred and twenty were killed or made pris- 
oners. The earl of Pembroke and some knights had no other 
remedy but to retire, as quickly as they coidd, into an unembattled 
house, which belonged to the knights-templars, without a moat, and 
only inclosed with a stone wall. All who could get there in time 
enough shut themselves in : the greater part of the others were 
slain or made prisoners, and their arms and horses taken. The earl 
of Pembroke lost all his plate. 

The French, who closely pursued thom, finding those who could 
get together had shut themselves up in this house, were much 
rejoiced, saying among themselves : " They must be our prisoners, 
for they cannot escape ; and we will make them dearly repay the 
damage they have done in Anjou and Touraine." On which, they 
advanced to this house in regular order, and with a good will to 
assault it: when they were come thither, it was evening : after they 
had examined it narrowly on all sides, to see if it might be easily 
taken, they began the aitack, in which were performed many gallant 
deeds of arms, for the French were all well tried men. They made 
different attempts on this house, which was very strong., and gave 
the earl of Pembroke and his men enough to do ; for the English 
being so few, labored hard to defend themselves, as it was to them 
of the utmost consequence. Scaling ladders were brought, and 
fixed against the walls, which some bold adventurers mounted, with 
their shields over their heads to shelter themselves from stones and 
arrows; but when they were got to the top they had done nothing, 
for they found there, ready to receive them, knights, squires, men-at- 
arms, with lances and swords, with which they handsomely fought 
hand to hand, and made them descend much quicker than they iiad 
mounted. Add to this, that there were English archers intermixed 
with these men-at-arms, at two feet distance on the walls, who shot 
so well that the French beneath suffered much. 

The English continued under constant alarm, repelling these at- 
tacks until night, when the French, tired with fighting and fatigue; 
sounded their trumpets for the retreat, saying tlicy had done enougi 
for one day, but that they would return to the attack on the morrow; 
adding, that, as they could not escape from them, they would starve 
them to surrender. They returned to their quarters in high spirits, 
and made merry, having placed a strong guard in front of the house 
to be more secure of their enemies. It will readily be believed that 
the earl of Pembroke and those who were thus blockaded were not 
much at their ease : they were aware that this house was not of Buf. 
ficient strength to hold out long against so many men-at-arms. It was 
as badly provided with artillery, to their great sorrow, as with pro. . 
vision ; but this last was not of much consequence, for they could 
well fast a day and night, if necessary, in defending themselves. 

When it was dark, they entreated a squire, an expert soldier, and 
in whom they placed great confidence, to set out directly by a postern, 
and ride as fast as he could to Poitiers, to inform sir John Chandos 
and his friends how awkwardly they were situated, and to beg 
they would come to their assistance ; in the hopes of which they 
would hold out until noon ; and, if he made haste, he might easily 
make this journey by early morning. The squire, who perceived the 
extreme danger in which all the lords were, very cheerfully under, 
took it, but boasted a little too much of his knowledge of the roads. 
He set out about midnight by a postern gate, and took the straight 
road, as he thought for Poitiers ; but it so fell out, that during the 
whole night he wandered about, before he hit upon the right road. 

At daybreak, the French, who were besieging the English at Pui- 
renon as you have before heard, sounded their trumpets to arms, say. 
ing it would be better to make their attacks in the cool of the morning 
than in the heat of the day. The earl of Pembroke and the knights 
shut up with him, instead of sleeping, had fortified themselves with, 
whatever they could find, making use even of benches and stones, 

* " Sir John Orwicli," Ci. Barnes calls him Nele Loring. Why not Norwich ? 
t And cricrf their cryes, ' ' Our lady of Sanxerre for the marshal of Fraunce."— LORtt ■' 
Bernkrs. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



189 



which they had carried to the top of the walls. They found the French 
were preparing to renew the attack, and comforted each one upon it. 
Some time before sunrise, the French were ready, when they marclicd 
by companies, and with great vigor, to the assault of the hfttel. Tliey 
acquitted themselves too well, and having brought scaling ladders, 
placed them ogsinst the walls, mounting them with the utmost eager- 
ness, covered by their shields, otherwise they would not have ven. 
tared : it was held highly honorable to those who mounted the first, 
as in truth it was a very brave act. The English were not idle nor 
faint-hearted in their own defence, but fought mar\-eUously well, and 
flung down upon the shields of the assailants stones and great beams 
of wood, with which they beat them so severely, that they lulled or 
wounded several. They did their duty excellently well, and so small 
a fort was never seen to hold out so long against such a force. This 
tissBult continued from early dawn until six o'clock. 



CHAPTER CCLXXII. 

SIR JOHN CHAMDOS COMES TO THE ASSISTANCE OF THE EARL OF PEM- 
BROKE, BESIEGED IN PUIRENON. 

Between six and nine o'clock, after the heat of the attack, the 
French, indignant that the English had made so long a defence, sent 
ordere to all the villagers thereabouts to bring pick-axes and mattocks 
to undermine the walls, which was what the English were most afraid 
of. The earl of Pembroke called one of his own squires and said to 
him, ■• My friend, mount a horse, and sally out from the back gate, 
where they will make way for you,* and ride as fast as possible to 
Poitiers to sir John Chandos, to tell him our situation and the immi- 
nent danger we are in : recommend me to him by this token." He 
then took off his finger a rich ring of gold, adding, " Give him this 
from me : he will know it well again." The squire who thought him- 
self much honored by this commission, took the ring, monnted the 
best courser ho could find, and set off by the back gate during the 
attack, fur they opened it for him. He took the road to Poitiers; and, 
while he was making all the haste he could, the a-ssault was carried 
on warmly by the French, and as vigorously opposed by the English : 
indeed, it behoved them so to do. 

We will now say something of the first squire, who had left Puire- 
non at midnight, and who, having lost his road, had wandered about 
all the night. When it was broad day, he knew his road, and made 
straight for Poitiers ; but, his horse being tired, he did not anive there 
until about nine o'clock, when ho dismounted in the square before the 
hotel of sir John Chandos, and immediately entered it, having learnt 
that he was at mass : he approached him, and, falling on his knees, 
delivered his message. Sir John Chandos, who had not yet recovered 
his vexation at the carl of Pembroke's refusal to join him in his expe- 
ditions, was not very eager to give him assistance ; he coldly said, 
" It will be almost impossible for us to get there in time and hear the 
whole mass." Soon after mass the tables were spread, and dinner 
set out. His servants asked sir John, if he would dine : " Yes," said 
he, "since it is ready,'' and then entered the hall, where his knights 
and squires had preceded him with water to wash his hands. As 
he was thus employed, and before he had sat down to table, the 
second squire from the earl of Pembroke entered the hall, and, hav- 
ing knelt down, drew the ring from his purse, saying : " Dear sir, my 
lord the earl of Pembroke recommends himself to you by this token, 
and entreats you most earnesdy to come to his assistance, and rescue 
him from the imminent danger he is now in atPuirenon." Sir John 
Chandos took the ring, and, having examined it, knew it well. He 
then replied, " It will not be possible for us to arrive there in time, 
if they be in the situation you describe." He added, " Come let us 
dine." 

Sir John seated himself with his knights at table, and ate of the 
first course : as the second was served, and indeed begun on, sir John 
Chandos, who had much thought on this business, raided his head, 
and, looking at his companions, spoke as follows, which gave much 
pleasure to those around him : " The earl of Pembroke (a lord of such 
high birth and rank that he has even married a daughter of my natu- 
ral lord the king ot England, and is brother-in-arms as in everything 
else with my lord of Cambridge,) entreats me so courteously, that it 
behoves me to comply with his request to succor and rescue him, if 
it be possible to arrive in time." He then pushed the table from him, 
and, rising, said to his knights and squires, " Gentlemen, I am de- 
termined to go to Puirenon." This was heard with joy, and they 
were soon ready to attend him. The trumpets sounded, and every 
man-at-arms in Poitiers was mounted in the best way he could ; for 
it had been speedily told abroad, that sir John Chandos was marching 
to Puirenon, to the assistance of the earl of Pembroke and his army, 
•who were there besieged by the French. When these knights and 
squires took the field, they amounted to upward of two hundred 
lances, and increased every moment. They marched with all haste: 
news of this was brought to »he French, who had constantly been 
engaged at this assault from daybreak until noon, by their spies, who 
said : " Dear lords, look well to yourselves ; for sir John Chandos has 
marched from Poitiers with upward of two hundred lances, and is 
advancing with great haste and a greater desire to meet with you." 



' * And ire shall make you way. says lord Berners, which is more likely than that tlie 
French would wUhngly permit a messenger to depart. 



When sir Louis de Sancerre, sir John de Vienno, »it John de Beuil, 
and the others who were present, heard this, the best infoimed 
among them said, '■ Our men are tired and worn down by their aa- 
saidts upon the English, yesterday and to-day: it will be much wiser 
for us to make a handsome retreat with all we have gained, and our 
prisoners, than to wait the arrival of sir John Chandos and his com- 
pany, who are quite fresh ; for we may lose more than we can gain." 
This plan was immediately followed, for there was not a moment to 
lose : the trumpets were ordered to sound a retreat ; their men as- 
sembled in a body, and, having sent ofl'theij baggage, they themselves 
took the road to la Roche-Posay. 

The earl of Pembroke and those with him, imagining the French 
must have had some intelligence, said among themselves : "Chandos 
must certainly be on his march, for the French are retreating, not 
daring to wait his coming : come, come, let us immediately quit this 
place and take the road toward Poitiers, a«d we shall meet him." 
Those who had horses mounted them ; and others went on foot, and 
several rode double. They thus left Puirenon, following the road to 
Poitiers : they had scarcely advanced a league before they met sir 
John Chandos and his army in the condition I have before told: 
some on hoi-seback, some on foot, and some riding double. Much 
joy was shown on both sides at this meeting ; but sir John said, he 
was sorely vexed that he had not been in time to have met the French. 
They rode together conversing for about three leagues, when they 
took leave of each other and separated. Sir John Chandos returned 
to Poitiers ; the earl of Pembroke to Mortagne, the place he had 
marched from ; and the marshal of France and his army to la Roche- 
Posay. where they refreshed themselves and divided their booty ; 
they then retired to their garrisons, carrying with them their prisoners, 
whom they courteously admitted to ransom, as the French and Eng. 
lish have always been accustomed to act toward each other. 

We will now return to the armies in Tournehem ; and speak of 
the death of the most courteous, noble, and liberal queen that reigned 
in her time, the lady Philippa of Hainault, queen of England and 
Ireland.* 

CHAPTER CCLXXIII. 

THE DEATH OF QUEEN PHILIPPA OF ENGLAND : SHE HAKES THREE RE- 
qi'ESTS TO THE KING ON HEK DEATH-BED. SOME FRENCHMEN, RAVING- 
ATTACKED THE ENGLISH CAMP AT TOURNEHEM, ARE REPULSED BY SIR 
ROBERT DE NAMUR. 

During the time that such numbers of the noblemen of the king- 
dom of France were assembled at I'ournchem under the command 
of the duke of Burgundy, and the duke of Lancaster was encamped 
with his army in the valley opposite to them, a circumstance hap- 
pened in England, which, though so very common, was not the less 
unfortunate for the king, his children, and the whole kingdom. That 
excellent lady the queen of England (who had done .«o much good, 
and during her whole life had assisted all knights, ladies, and dam- 
sels who had applied to hcr,+ who had had such boundless charity 
for all mankind, and who had naturally such an afiection for the 
Hainault nation, being the country from which she sprung,) lay at 
this time dangerously ill at Windsor castle, and her disorder daily 
increased. 

When the good lady perceived her end approaching, she called to 
the king, and, extending her right hand fiom under the bed-clothes, 
put it into the right hand of the king, who w as very sorrowful at 
heart, and thus spoke : " We have enjoyed our union in happiness, 
peace, and prosperity : I entreat, therefore, of you, that on our sepa- 
ration you will grant me three requests." The king, with sighs and 



* Tlie moost gentyll quene, moosl lyberall. iind moost courlesse that ever was quene 
in lier dayes, the wliiche was the fayre lady Philipp of Heynault, quene of England and 
Ireiande.— Lord Bkrneus. 

t Froissart does not intimate that s)ie waited to be applied to, and indeed his own case 
shows tliat siie needed no instigation hut her own " hberal and most courteous " nature 
to prompt her bounty. Tlie passage is one of tiie gems of Lord Berners, and is worthy 
ro be "iven entire. "There fell in Englande a lieuy case and a comon, howbeit it was 
right pyteouse for the kyng. his cliyldren.andall his realme. For the good quene of Eng- 
lande, that so many good dedes had done in her tyme, and so many knights socoured, 
and ladyes anddamosels comforted, and had so largely departed of hcrgoodes to her 
people, and naturally loued always the nacyon of Heynaulte, the countrey where she 
was borne: She fell sicke in the castell of Wyndsore, the which sickenesse conlynewed 
on her so longe. that there was no Temcdije btit dethe. And the good ladye, whanne she 
knewe and parceyued that there was with her no remedye but dethe, she desyred to 
speke with the kynge her husbande. And \vhan he was before her sue put out of her 
bedde her right hande and toke the kynge by his right hande, who was right sorrowful! 
at his hert. Than she sayd, * Sir. we ha ue in peace, ioyc, and great prosperyte used aH 
our tyme toguyer. Sir, nowe, I pray you, at our deiiartyng, that ye will graunte me 
thre desyres,' The kynge, ryght sorowfully wcpynge, sayd. ' Madame, desyre what ye 
wyll, I graunt it.' ' Sir,' sayd she. 'I requyre you. firsteof all, that all innner of people, 
suche as I liaue dault wilhall in their marcliaundyse, on this syde the see or beyond, 
that it may please you to pay euery thynge that I owe to thoym. or to any other. And, 
secondly, sir, all such ordynaunce and proinyses as I haue made to the churches as 
well of this countrey as beyond the see, whereas I linue hadde my deuocyon, that it 
maye please you to accomplysshe and to fully II the same. Thivdely, sir, I requyre you that 
it may please you to take none other sepulture, whansoeuer it shall please God to call 
you out of this transytorie lyfe, but besyde me in Westmynster.' The kynge, all wep- 
ynge. sayd, ' Madame, I graunt all your desye.' Than the good lady and quene made 
on her the sigue of the crosse, and cnmmaunded the kynge her husbande to God, and 
her youngest son, Thomas, who was there besyde her. And anone, after, she yelded 
up the spiryte. the w liiche I beleue surely the holy angels reoeyued with great ioy up to 
heuen, for in all her lyfe she dyd neyther in thought nor dede thyng whereby to lese her 
soul, tis ferr as any creature coulde knowe. Thus the gootl quene of Englande dyed ia 
the jen of our lorde mccclxix, in tlie vigyll of our lady in the wyddes of August,"— Ed. 



190 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



tears, replied, " Lady, ask : whatever you request simll be granted." 
" My lord, I beg you will acquit me of whatever eiigageinents I may 
have entered into with merchants for their wares, as well on this as 
on the other side of the sea. I beseech you also to fulfil whatever 
gifts or leyaeies I may have made, or left to churches, here or on 
the continent, wherein I liave paid my devotions, as well as what I 
may have left to those of both se.xes who have been in my service. 
Thirdly, I entreat that, whenever it shall please God to call you 
hence, you will not choose any other sepulchre than mine, and that 
you will lie by my side in the cloisters of Westminster." The king, 
in tears, replied, " Lady, I grant them." 

Soon after, the good lady made the 
sign of the cross on her breast, and, hav- 
ing recommended to God the king and 
her youngest son, Thomas, who was 
present, gave up her spirit, which, I 
lirmly believe, was caught by the holy 
angels and carried to the glory of 
Heaven ; for she had never done any- 
thing, by thought or deed, that could 
endanger her losing it. Thus died this 
queen of England, in the year of grace 
1369, the vigil of the assumption of the 
Virgin, the 15th of August. 

Information of this loss was caiTied 
to the English army at Tournehem, 
which greatly afflicted every one, but 
particularly the duke of Lancaster. 
However, as there is no death but 
what must be passed over and forgot- 
ten, the English did not neglect to 
keep up very strict discipline in their 
camp, where they remained a long time 
facing the French. It happened that 
Bome of the French knights and squires, 
seeing the enemy every day before their 
eyes, held a conversation, and, after dis- 
cussing the matter, agreed to meet on 
the morrow, at daybreak, to skirmish 
with them, and beat up the guard. 
There were upward of three hundred 
knights and squires, the greater part of 
them from the Vermandois, Artois, and 
Corbiois, who had entered into this 
agreement, and, without mentioning it 
to their marshals, had each informed the 

other of their intentions. When the inorning came for this expe- 
dition, they were all ready ariued, mounted, and assembled. They 
rode forth in this array, nothing doubting of success, and began to 
make a circuit round the hill of Tournehem, in order to gain an 
advantageous position, and to fall upon one of the wings of the 
English army. 

This wing was allotted to sir Robert de Namur and his people. 
Sir Robert had been on guard that night, but toward daybreak had 
entered his tent, and was then sitting at supper, quite armed, except 
his helmet, and the lord Dcspontin' with him. The French at this 
moment arrived at the quarters of sir Robert, which were also those 
of some other German and English lords ; but the guard very fortu- 
nately had not disarmed themselves : they inunediately opposed the 
Frenchmen who came up spurring and galloping, and checked their 
career. News soon reached sir Robert that his men were fighting, 
having been attacked by the French. In an instant, he pushed the 
table from him where he had been seated, and said to the lord Des- 
pontin, " Come, come to the assistance of our men." Instantly he 
fixed his helmet on his head; and ordered his banner, which was 
placed before his tent, to be displayed. Some one said, " ]\Iy lord, 
send to the duke of Lancaster, and do not engage without hiui." 
He bluntly replied, " Not I : I shall go the shortest way I can to help 
my men. Those may send to my lord of Lancaster who will ; but 
let all who love me follow me." 

He then advanced, sword in hand, to meet the eneiny: the lord 
Despontin and sir Henry de Sancelle were with him, as well as his 
other knights, who directly engaged in the battle, having found their 
men fighting with the French, in great numbers, and who, to speak 
truth, ought to have done much this day : but no sooner did they 
perceive sir Robert de Naiviur marching with his banner than they 
wheeled about and gave up their plan, for they thought the whole 
army was ready to fall on them : indeed it was so in difi'erent parts 
of the camp, for the sun was now risen. A Vermandois knight was 
slain under the banner of sir Robert de Nanmr, called sir Robert de 
Coulogne, who was much regretted ; for he was rich, amiable, and 
courteous, and an honorable knight in every station. Thus ended 
the aPbir. The French retreated without doing anything more, for 
they were afraid of greater loss than gain. Sir Robert did not pur- 
sue them farther than was wise, but brought back his men when he 
found the enemy was quite gone, and returned to his quarters. 

''' Lord Despontin. Q. Barnes calls him lord of Ponthieu. 



CHAPTER CCLXXIV. 

THE DUKE OF BVRGfNDY AND HIS ARMY DECAMP WITHOUT A BATTLE. 
THE DUKE OF LANCASTER SETURXS TO CALAIS. 

Si.vcE this last affair, nothing happened worth relating. It was 
very displeasing to many on both sides that they thus remained so 
long without a battle : evei-y day it was said, " We shall engage to- 
morrow ;" but that morrow never came ; for, as I have said before, 
the duke of Burgundy would not act contrary to the orders of the 
king. The orders he received were very strict ; for there were con. 
tinually messengers going from the king to the duke, and from the 




Tomb ov Ciui;EN Piulii'Pa, Westmi.nstkr Adbey. From an Original Drawing. 



duke to the king on this subject. At last the duke of Burgundy, as 
I was then informed, having considered, that he was encamped at a ' 
vei7 heavy expense, and could not remain so much longer with any 
honor ; for he had upward of four thousand knights, while the enemy 
was but a handful in comparison, with whom, however, he had not 
fought, nor had had any intentions of so doing : the duke, I say, 
sent some of his knights to lay his situation before the king, and to 
explain to him his wishes. The king thought the duke judged 
rightly, and ordered him, on the receipt of his letters, to break up 
his camp, to dismiss his army, and come to Paris, where he himself 
was going. 

When the duke received these orders, he sent for the principal 
lords of his army, and told them secretly their contents ; saying, 
" We must break up our camp, for the king sends for us back." 
When it was midnight, those to whom he had given this informa. i 
tion, having packed up everything, were mounted, and had set firei 
to their quarters. At this hour, sir Henry de Sancelle was return- < 
ing to his tent, having been on guard with sir Robert de Namur'a 
men, to whom he was attached ; and seeing first one, then two, and 
then three fires in the enemy's camp, he said to himself, " These 
French think, perhaps, to surjirise us : they have the aiipearance of ^ 
intending it. Let us go," said he to those near him, '• to sir Rob- 
ert's tent, and awaken him, that, should it be so, he maybe prepared 
in time." Sir Hcm-y went thither, and, calling his chamberlains, 
told them, they must instantly awaken sir Robert. They went to 
his bed-side and sir Henry de Sancelle with them, who awakened 
him, and told him all that he had seen. Sir Robert made answer, 
"We shall soon hear other news: let our men be instantly armed 
and made ready." He himself was soon armed. When his men 
were drawn up, he had his banner displayed, and marched to the 
tent of the duke of Lancaster, who was arming also, for he had re- 
ceived similar information. It was not long before the different 
lords came thither, one after another: as they arrived, they were 
drawn up and remained quiet without any light. 

The duke of Lancaster ordered his marshals to march the archers 
to where he hoped the French would make their attack, if they 
came ; for he certainly expected a battle. When they had remained 
at their posts for two houi-s, and saw no one advancing to them, 
they were more suiprised than before. The duke called to him his 
lords, and asked them what he had best now to do. Some replied 
one thing, and some another, and each defended his own opinion. 
The duke, perceiving that valiant knight sir Walter Manny, said. 



CHRONICLES OP ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



191 



" AiiJ you, sir Walter, what do you advise ?" "I do not know,'-' 
replii-d sir Walter, " but, it' you will follow my advice, I would 
draw up my inen-at.arms aud archers in order of battle, and would 
advance slowly ; for, as it will soon be day, we shall then see clearly 
before us." The Duke assented to this proposal : but others were 
of a contrary opinion, an^l advised him not to march from where he 
was. This discussion continued until orders were given for some 
of the troops of sir Robert do Namur and sir Waleran de Bourne* 
to mount their horses, because they were lightly accoutred and rode 
■well. Thirty horsemen were chosen from the best mounted, and 
sent off trj\i'ard the French camp. 

While they were gone on this expedition, sir Walter Manny, 
addressing the duke, said, "My lord, never believe me again, if 
these French be not lied : mount your horse, and order the others to 
do the same, that you may pursue them, and I will engage you will 
have a fine day of it." The duke replied, " Sir Walter, I have 
hitherto always followed the advice of my council, and intend now 
doing so; for I can never believe that so many brave men-at-arms 
and noble knights would thus run away. Perhaps the fires we see 
may have been lighted to entrap us. Our scouts will soon return, 
and then we shall know the truth." -\s they were thus conversing, 
the scouts returned, and confirmed all that sir Walttr Manny had 
thought: they said they had fouTid none but some poor victuallers, 
who followed the army. Sir Walter Manny gained great credit. 
The duke went to his tent to disarm : he would that day have diited 
in the French camp, but the fire was too great : he and his men-al- 
arms, however, supped there, and took up their quarters on the moun- 
tain for the night, and made themselves comfortable with what they 
found there. On the morrow they decamped, and returned to Calais. 

The duke of Burgundy, when he marched ofl^, made his quarters 
at St. Omer, where he and all his army remained until they were 
disbanded, and every man returned to his home. There was after- 
wards much trouble to reassemble them again. 



CHAPTER CCLXXV. 

THE EARL OF TEMEKOKE, DESIROUS OF AVENGINI5 IiniSELP FOR THE 
DEFEAT HE RECEIVED AT TUIRENON, MAKES AN INCURSION TO ANJOU. 
THE ABEEV OF ST. SALVIN IN TOITOC IS BETRAYED TO THS FRENCH, 
AND FORTIFIED. 

The same week that the armies quitted Tournehem, the earl of 
Pembroke (who was in Poitou, and had been much mortified at the 
defeat he had suflered from sir Louis de Saneerre, sir John de Vienne, 
sir John de Bueil and the others at Puirenon, as has been related) re- 
solved to have his revenge, if possible ; and for this end he marched 
from Mortagnc with his anny, wdiich consisted of about two hundred 
lances, and came to Angouleme, where the prince received him most 
courteously. The earl entreated of him permission to lead another 
expedition, and to lend him some of his men, as he was very anxious 
to avenge himself of the affronts he had suffered from the French. 
The prince, who had much afl'ection for him, immediately granted 
his request. Sir Hugh Calverley was just returned from his excur- 
sion into the county of Armagnac, with five hundred fighting men ; 
and the prince gave him leave to accompany the earl of Pembroke 
in his intended expedition. He also requested the company of sir 
Louis de Harcourt, sir Guiscard d'Angle, sir Perceval de Coulogne, 
the lords de Pons, de Partenay and de Pinane, lord Thomas Percy, 
sir Richard de Poutchardon, and several knights of the prince's 
household, who willingly accepted the invitation, for they were ready 
for any excursion : so that, when they were assembled, they amounted 
to five hundred lances, three hundred archers, and fifteen hundred 
foot soldiers, armed with pikes and shields, who followed the army 
on foot. This anny marched, under the command of the earl of 
Pembroke as their leader, and took the road toward Arjou : where 
tliey no sooner arrived than they began to destroy, and to do every 
damage to the country they passed through, by razing castles and 
forts, burning such towns as could not hold out against them, and 
levying contributions on all the flat country as far as Saumurt on 
the Loire. They gained possession of the suburbs, and began an 
assault on the town ; but they could not take it, for Sir Robert de 
Sancerrre was in it with a large body of men-at-arms, who defended 
it from suffering any damage : all the country round about it, how- 
ever, was pillaged, burnt, and ruined. 

Sir Hugh Calverley and his division advanced to a bridge on the 
Loire, called le Pont de C^ ;t when he defeated those who guarded 
it, took the bridge, aud placed such a garrison of his own men there, 
after he had fortified it well, that they kept possession of it for a long 
time. The English, in this expedition, took a large abbey at St. 
Maur,§ on the Loire, which they repaired and fortified, and placed 
therein a considerable garrison, which, during the ensuing winter 
and summer, did great mischief to the adjacent country. 

At this time, there was in Poitou an abbey, which still exists, 
called St. Salvin,|| situated seven leagues from Poitiers ; and in this 



*Sir Waleran de Bourne. Q. Barnes call? him Van Bornico. 

f Sauniur— on the Loire, diocese of Angers. 

X Pont de Oi-Pnnt de S6-two leasues from Aneers. 

4 St. Maur— on the Loire, elootion of Sauniur. 

Jl St. Salvin— St.Sovin— a village in Poitou, election of Poitiors. 



abbey there was a monk who hated the abbot, as he afterwards 
showed. It was on account of this hatred which ho bore him that 
he betrayed the abbot and the whole convent, and delivered up the 
abbey and the town to sir Louis de ,St. Julicn aud to Carnet le Breton, 
who took possession of it, and made it a strong gaiTison. Sir JoJm 
Chandos was much vexed at ,St, Salvin being thus surprised, and not 
being able to retake it ; for, as he was s<;neschal of Poitou, he was 
angry that such a house should have been taken in his government, 
and declared, that if he should live long enough, he would have it 
again by some means or other, and make them pay dearly for the insult 
they had put upon him. We will now quit Poitou, and return to the 
duke of Lancaster, 



CHAPTER CCLXXVl. 

THE COVNTY OF ST. POL IN FICARDY IS PILLAGED AND RUINED BY THE 
ENOLISH. SIR HUGH DE CHASTILLON IS TAKEN PRISONER. 

When the duke of Lancaster had retreated to Calais after the 
decampment of Tournehem, as has been before related, and had re- 
freshed himself and men for three days, he resolved, by advice of his 
council, to draw out his troops, and make an excursion into France, 
His marshals, the earl of Warwick and sir Roger Beauchamp, were 
ordered to muster the army, which orders they very readily obeyed, 
for they were desirous of making an inroad on France. The men- 
at-arms and archers marched from Calais in excellent array : every 
man was apprized what he was to do, and where he was going. 
The first day's march was only five leagues from Calais. On the 
morrow, they came before St. Omer, where there were many skir. 
mishes at the gates ; but the English did not make any long halt : 
they continued their march, and that night encamped on the heights 
of Hersault.* On the third day, they arrived at the city of Terou. 
enne,+ where was the count de St. Pol with a large company of 
men-at-arms. The English did not halt, but continued their march, 
taking the road to Hesdin,} and fi.xed their quarters at night on a 
small river. 

When the count de St. Pol found that the English were taking the 
road to his country, he knew they were not going thither for his good, 
for they hated him too much : he set out, therefore, in the night, and 
gave the government of the city to the lord de St. Py and sir John 
de Royo ■,^ and riding hard, he arrived at his town of St. Pol.|| The 
English came before the place very early on the morrow morning, 
and several severe skirmishes happened ; but the arrival of the count 
was fortunate for himself and for the town, as he, with the assistance 
of those who had accompanied him, prevented the place from being 
taken. The duke of Lancaster, therefore, and his army refreshed 
themselves at their ease in the county of St. Pol, which they over- 
ran, and did great damage to all the flat country. They advanced 
to the castle of Pcrncs,11 where the countess dowager resided. 
They examined well the fort, and the duke sounded the depth of the 
ditches with a lance : notwithstanding this, they made no attack, 
though they showed every appearance of it. They made no long 
stay, but continued their inarch, and went toward Lucheux,** 
a handsome town, which belonged to the coimt. They burnt the 
town, and without touching the castle, continued their road for St. 
Riquier.+t The English did not march more than three or four 
leagues a-day, so that they burnt and destroyed all the countries they 
passed through. They crossed the river Sonnne at Blanchetaque 
below -Abbeville, and then entered the country of Vimeu,tt with the 
intention of pushing forward to Harficur on the Seine, in order to 
burn the navy of the king of France. 

The count de St. Pol, and sir Moreau de Fiennes, constable of 
France, with a large body of men-at-arms, pursued and hovered 
about the English army, so that they could not disperse nor quit the 
straight road, but were obliged to keep in a compact body, to be 
ready to combat the French should they be so inclined. In this 
manner they marched through Vimeu and the county of Eu : enter- 
ing the archbishopric of Rouen, they passed Dieppe, and continued 
their march until they came before Harfleur, where they fixed their 
quarters. The count de St. Pol out-marched them, and had entered 
the town with two hundred lances, at the utmost. The English re- 
mained three days before Harfleur, but did nothing : on the fourth, 
they decamped, and returned through the lands of the lord d'Estoville, 
whom they did not love much, and burnt and destroyed tJie whole or 
greater part. They then passed through Vexin Noiinand in their 
way to Oisemont,^§ to recross the Somme at Blap<:hctaque. 

Sir Hugh de Chastillon, master of the crow-bows in France, was 
at this time captain and governor of AJ'Oevilfe. When he heard 



* llergaull. Q. If not Herissart : hut tip*.' seen"' to he too great a distance. 

t Terouennc-Ls now in nuns. It w~ take- W Henry VIII. hy a stratagem of point- 
ing « oodeii guns painted, whicli v^re thought to he real ones, ond threatened to bolter 
down the town, if not surrendered. 

J Ilesdin-a strong town i" Artois, on the Canche . ^ . „ r, 

S Two of my MS,S. have di/TereJil name,, the lord de ,Sampy, sir Cuy de Roye. On9 
hnssir John de Roye. 

II Si. Pol— a town in Anois. five leagues from Ile'din. 

IT Castle of Pen'es— fi town in Artois. tliree leagues from St. Pol. 

** LucheuA— a town of Picardy. near Doulens. 

tt St lii'iuier— an ancient town in Picardy. two leagues and a half from AbbevUIo.- 

it V'inicu— in Piciirdy, St. Valery is its cupitul. 

J§ Oisemonl— a market town in Picardy, five leaRoei fiom Abbeville. 



192 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &,( 



that the duke of Lancaster was returning that way, he armed himself, 
and ordered twelve of his people to do the same. On mounting their 
horses, he said he was going to view the guard of the gate of Rou- 
vray, that it might not be wanting in defence, and that the English 
should not find it too weakly guarded. It was early in tlie morning, 
and there was a thick fog. Sir Nicholas Louvaine, who had been 
seneschal of Ponthicu, and whom, this very year, sir Hugh de Chas. 
tillon had taken and ransomed for ten thousand francs, remembered 
this so sorely that, having a great desire to recover his losses, he set 
out on the point of day from the duke's army, accompanied by only 
twenty men. As he was well acquainted with all the roads and 
passes of that country, having resided there for upward of three years, 
he intended lying in ambuscade between Abbeville and the castle of 
Rouvray, in tlie hope of taking some prize : he had crossed a small 
rivulet which ran through a marsh, and hid himself and men in some 
old uninhabited houses. 

Sir Hugh never dreamed that the English would form an ambus- 
cade so near the town. Sir Nicholas and his men kept themselves 
very quiet : they perceived sir Hugh de Chastillon riding down the 
road which leads to Rouvray, with only twelve others, armed at all 
points, except his helmet, which one of his pages bore on a courser 
behind him. He crossed the little rivulet, and made for the gate of 
Rouvray to see what the guard of cross-bowmen were about, and to 
inquire if tliey had heard or seen the English. When sir Nicholas 
Louvaine, who was on the watch, saw him, he recognized him 
directly, and was more rejoiced than if any one had given him twenty 
thousand francs. He sallied out from his ambush, saying, '' Follow 
me : here is what I wished for : it is the master of the cross-bows, 
and I ask for nothing better." Then sticking spurs into his horse, 
and pointing his lance, he came upon sir Hugh, crying, " SuiTender, 
Chastillon, or thou art a dead man." Sir Hugh, who was much puz- 
zled to conjecture whence these men could come, had neither time 
to put on his helmet nor to mount his courser : finding himself in 
such a strait, he asked, " To wliom am I to surrender ?" Sir Nich- 
olas replied, " To Louvaine, to Louvaine." In order, therefore, to 
avoid the danger he could not escape from, he said, " I surrender." 
He was then taken, and told, " Ride on quick'yj for the army of the 
duke of Lancaster marches on before us." On this occasion was 
slain, a very valiant citizen of Abbeville, called Lawrence Dancons,* 
who was nmch regretted. Thus was taken and entrapped sir Hugh 
de Chastillon, at that time master of the cross-bows in France and 
governor of Abbeville, through the good fortune of sir Nicholas Lou- 
vaine : with which capture the duke of Lancaster and the English 
were much rejoiced. On the other hand, the inhabitants of Abbe- 
ville were exceedingly vexed at it ; but for the present they could 
not better themselves. 

The English marched on, crossed the Somme at Blanchetaque, and 
then passed through the towns of Rue-sur-mer and Montreuil-sur-mer, 
until they at last arrived at Calais. The duke of Lancaster there dis- 
missed all the foreigners, when sir Waleran de Bourne and the Ger. 
mans departed. The duke returned to England, and the Gerinans to 
their own country, as there was not any intention of continuing the war 
until the ensuing summer, fornowMartinma3was passed : but the duke 
informed them, that in the approaching spring, he should cross the sea 
with a greater force than he had hitherto done, and should entreat 
his cousins the dukes of Gueldres and .Tuliers to accompany him into 
France. We shall now be silent as to the affairs of Picardy, for 
indeed nothing of great moment happened since this time, and return 
to Poitou, where warlike deeds were oftener performed. 



CHAPTER CCLXXVIII. 

SIR JOHN CHANDOS IS SLAIN IN A SKIRMISH. THE FRENCH, AT FIRST VIC. 
TORIODS, ARE IN THE END DEFEATED. 

Sir John Chandos, being seneschal of Poitou, was seriously afflicted 
with the loss of St. Salvin : he was continually devising means to 
retake it, whether by assault or by escalade was perfectly indifferent to 
him, so that he could gain it. He made many nightly ambuscades, 
but none succeeded ; for sir Louis, who commanded in it, was very 
watchfid, as he knew the capture of it had highly angered sir John 
Chandoa. It happened that, on the night preceding the eve of the 
new year (1370,) sir John Chandos, who resided in the city of Poi. 
tiers, had seiit out his summons to the barons and knights of Poitou 
to come to him ascecrctly as they could, for he was going on an ex. 
pedition. The Poitev.ng would not refuse him anything, being much 
beloved by them : they obeyed his summons, and came to Poitiers. 
Sir Guiscard d'Angle, sir Loul, de Harcourt, the lords de Pons, de 
Partenay, de Pmane, de Tan,.aybouton, sir Geoffiy d'Argenton, sir 
Maubrun de Lmieres lord Thomas Pt.cy, sir Baldwin de FranviUe, 
sir Richard de Pontchardon, came thither, with manv others. When 
they were all assembled they were full three hundred lances. 

They left Port.ers in the night, and no one, e.vcept the principal 
lords, knew whither they were going. Th„ English, however, had 
scahng.ladders and everything they might have occasion for with 
them. They marched to St. Salvin ; and, when there arrived were 
told what was intended ; upon which they all dismounted, and.giv. 

* Dancons. My two JISS. have DenteU, 



ing the horses to their valets, the English descended into the ditch. 
It was then about midnight. They were in this situation, and would 
very shortly have succeeded in their expedition, when they heard the 
guard of the fort wind his horn. The reason was tliis. That very 
night Carnet le Breton had come from la Roche-Posay, with forty 
lances, to St. Salvin, to request sir Louis de St. Julien to accompany 
him in an expedition to Poitou : he therefore awakened the guard 
and those within the fort. 

The English, who were on the opposite side, ignorant of the in- 
tentions of this body of Frenchmen wanting to enter the fort, thought 
tliey had been seen by the guard, or that spies had given informa. 
tion of their arrival to the gan'ison. They immediately left the ditch, 
and said, " Let us away ; for this night we have been disappointed 
in our scheme." They mounted their horses, and advanced in a body 
to Chauvigny on the river Creuse, two short leagues distant. When 
all were arrived there, the Poitevins asked sir John Chandos if he 
wished them to remain with him ; he answered, " No : you may re- 
turn in God's name : I will to-day stay in this town." The Poite- 
vins departed, and with them some English knights : in oil, about 
two hundred lances. 

Sir John Chandos entered an hotel, and ordered a fire to be lighted. 
Lord Thomas Percy, seneschal of la Rochelle, and his men, remained 
with him. Lord Thomas asked sir John Chandos if he intended 
staying there that day: "Yes," replied sir John; "why do you 
ask ?" " Because, sir, if you be determined not to go further, I shall 
beg of you to give me leave to make an excursion, to see if I shall 
meet with any adventure." " In the name of God, go then," replied 
sir John. At these words, lord Thomas Percy set out, attended by 
about thirty lances. Sir John Chandos remained with his own peo- 
ple. Lord Thomas crossed the bridge of Chauvigny, taking the 
longest road to Poitiers, having left sir John Chandos quite low- 
spirited for having failed in his intended attack on St. Salvin. He 
continued in the kitchen of the hotel, wanning himself at a straw 
fire which his herald was making for him, conversing at the same 
time with his people, who very readily passed their jokes in hopes of 
curing him of his melancholy. After he had remained some time, 
and was preparing to take a little rest, and while he was asking if it 
were yet day, a man entered the hotel, and came bsrore him, saying, 
" My lord, I bring you news." " What is it ?" asked sir John. " My 
lord, the French have tiken the field." " How dost thou know this?" 
" My lord, I set out from St. Salvin with them." "And what road 
have they taken ?" " My lord, that I cannot say for a certainty ; 
but it seemed to me they followed the road to Poitiers." "And who 
arc these French ?" " My lord, they ore sir Louis de St. Julien and 
Carnet le Breton, with their companies." "Well, it is indifferent to 
me," replied sir John : " I have not any inclination to exert myself 
this day : they may be met with without my interference." He re- 
mained a considerable time very thoughtful ; after having well con- 
sidered, he added : " Notwithstanding what I have just said, I think 
I shall do right to mount my horse ; for at all events, I must return to 
Poitiers, and it will be soon day." " It is well judged," replied the 
knights who were with him. Sir John ordered everj'thing to be got 
ready, and his knights having done the same, they mounted and set 
off', taking the road to Poitiers, following the course of the river. 
The French might be a good league before them on this same road, 
intending to cross the river at the bridge of Lussac* The English 
suspected this from perceiving the tracks of the horses, and said 
among themselves, " Eidier the French or lord Thomas Percy are just 
before us." Shortly after this conversation, day appeared ; for in 
the early part of January the mornings begin to be soon light. The 
French might be about a league from the bridge of Lussac, when 
they perceived lord Thomas Percy and his men on the other side of 
the river. Lord Thomas had before seen them, and had set off full 
gallop to gain the bridge. They said, " There are the French : they 
are more in number than we are ; let us hasten to take advantage of 
the bridge." When sir Louis and Carnet saw the English on the 
opposite side of the river, they also made haste to gain the bridge : 
however the English arrived firet, and were masters of it. They all 
dismounted, and drew themselves up to defend and guard it. The 
French likewise dismounted on their arrival, and giving their hi/rses 
for the servants to lead them to the rear, took their lances, and ad- 
vanced in good order to attack the English and win the bridge. The 
English stood firm, although they were so few in comparison with 
the enemy. 

While the French and Bretons were considering the most advanta- 
geous manner to begin the onset, sir John Chandos arrived with his 
company, his banner displayed and flying in the wind. This was 
borne by a valiant man-at-arms, called James Allen, and was a pile 
gules on a field argent. They might be about forty lances, who 
eageriy hastened to meet the French. As the English arrived at a 
small hillock, about three furiongs from the bridge, the French ser- 
vants, who were between this hillock and the bridge, saw them, and 
being much frightened, said, " Come away : let us save ourselves 
and our horses." They therefore ran off, leaving their masters to 
shift as well as they could. When sir John Chandos, with displayed 
banner, was come up to the French, whom he thought very lightly 
of, he began from horseback to rail at them, saying : " Do you hear, 



* *• Lu5snc"— a iovm ia Poitou, diocese of Foiticrs. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, 



& c. 



193 



Frenchmen! you arc mischievous men-at-arms: you make incur, 
sions night and day at your pleasure ; you take tjwns and castles in 
Poitou, of wliicli I am iciicschal You ransom poor people without 
my leave, as if the country were your own ; but, by God, it is not. 
Sir Louis, sir Louis, you and Carnet are too mucli the masters. It 



arm, hit him so severely that it entered as far as the brain, and then 
the squire drew it back to him again. 

The great pain was too much for sir John, so he fell to the ground, 
and turned twice over m great agony, lilie one who had received 
his dealh-wound. Indeed, since the blow, he never uttered a word. 



you. Now', thanks to God, I will do so, and will tell you my mind. 
We will now try which of us is the strongest m this country. It 
has been often told me that j'ou were very desirous cf seeing me : 
you have now that pleasure. I am .lohn Chandos : look at me well ; 
and, if God please, we will now put to the proof your great deeds 
of arms which lU'e so renowned.'' With f uch words as these did 
sir John Chandos greet them ; he would not have wished to be any- 
where else so eager was he to fight them. 



^ \>;7, vitrei: 



is upward of a year and a half that I have been endeavoring to meet His people, on seeing this mishap, were like madmen. His uncle, 

i^ir Edward Clifford, hastily advanced, and striding over the body, 
(for the French were endeavoring to get possession of it,) defended 
it most valiantly, and gave such well-directed blows wilh his sword 
that none dared to approach him. Two other knights, namely, sir 
John Chambo and sir Bertrand de Cassilies,* were like men distracted 
at seeing their master lie thus on the ground. 

The Bretons, who were more numerous than the English, were 
much rejoiced when they saw their chief thus prostrate, and greatly 

hoped he was 
mortally wounded. 
They therefore ad. 
vanced, crying out, 
" By God, my lords 
of England, you 
will all stay with 
us, for you cannot 
now escape." The 
English performed 
wonderful feats of 
arms, as well to ex- 
tricate themselves 
from the danger 
they were in as to 
revenge their com- 
mander, sir Johti 
Chandos, whom 
they saw in so 
piteous a state. A 
so.uire attached to 
sir John marked 
out this James de 
St. Martin, who 
had given the blow; 
he fell upon him 
in such a rage, and 
struck him with his 
lance as he was 
flying, that he ran 
him through both 
his thighs, and then 
withdrew hislance: 
however, in spite 
of this, James de 
St. Martin contin- 
ued the fight. Now 
if lord Thomas 
Percy, who had 
first arrived at the 
bridge, had im. 
Egined anything of 
what was going forward, sir John Chandos's men would have been 
considerably reinforced ; but it was otherwise decreed : for not hear, 
iiig anything of the Bretons since he had seen them advancing in a 
large body toward the biidge, he thought they might have retreated ; 
so that lord Thomas and his men continued their march, keeping 
the road to Poitiers, ignorant of what was passing. 

Though the English fought so bravely at the bridge of Lussac, in 
the end they could not withstand the force of the Bretons and French, 
but were defeated, and the greater part made prisoners. Sir Edward 
Clifford stood firm, and would not quit the body of his nephew. If 
the French had had their horses, they would have gone off with 
honor, and have carried with them good prisoners ; hut, as I have 
before said, their servants had gone away with them. Those of the 
English also had retreated, and quitted the scene of battle. They 
remained therefore in bad plight, which sorely ve.xed them, and said 
among themselves, " This is a bad piece of business : the field is 
our own, and yet we cannot return through the fault of our servants. 
It is not proper for us who are armed and fatigued to march through 
this country on foot, which is quite against us ; and we are upward 
of six leagues from the nearest of any of our fortresses. We have, 
besides, our wounded and slain, whom we cannot leave behind." 
As they were in this situation, not knowing what to do, and had 
sent off two or three of the Bretons, disarmed, to hunt after and en- 
deavor to find their servants, they perceived advancing toward them, 
sir Guiscard d'Angle, sir Louis de Harcourt, the lords de Partenay, 
de Tannaybouton, d'-^-rgenton, de Pinane, sir James de Surgeres, 
and several others. They were full two hundred lances, and were 
seeking for the French ; for they had received information that they 
were out on an excursion, and were then following the traces of 
their horses. They came forward, therefore, wilh displayed ban- 
ners fluttering in the wind, and marching in a disorderly manner. 




SlItJoBN Chandos at the head of his troops. 



the act of making his death charge on the French, 
die Harieiun and Cottonian Libraries. 



Designed from various MS. authorities in 



Sir Louis and Carnet kept themselves in a close body, as if they 
were willing to engage. Lord Thomas Percy and the English on 
the other side of the bridge knew nothing of what had passed, for 
the bridge was very high in the middle, which prevented them from 
seeing over it. During this scoffing of sir John Chandos, a Breton 
drew his sword, and could not resist from beginning the battle ; he 
struck an English squire, named Simliin Uodenhale, and beat him 
ao much about the breast witli his sword that he knocked him off his 
horse on the ground. Sir John Chandos, who heard the noise be- 
hind him, turned round, and saw his squire on the ground and per- 
sons beating him. This enraged him more than before : he said to 
his men, " Sirs, what are you about ? how suffer you tliis man to be 
slain? Dismount, dismount :" and at the instant he was on foot, as 
were all his company. Simkin was rescued, and the battle began. 

Sir John Chandos, who was a strong and bold knight, and cool in 
all his undertakings, had his banner advanced before him, surrounded 
by his men, with the scutcheon above his arms. He himself was 
dressed in a large robe which fell to the ground, blazoned with Ids 
arms on white sarcenet, argent, a pile gules ; one on his breast, and 
the other on his back ; so that he appeared resolved on some adven- 
turous undertaking ; and in this state, with sword in hand, he 
advanced on foot toward the enemy. 

This morning there had been a hoar-frost, which had made the 
ground slippery ; so that as he marched he entangled his legs with 
his robe, which was of the longest, and made a tumble : during 
which time a squire, called James de St. Martin (u strong expert 
man,) made a thrust at him with his lance, which hit him in the 
face, below the eye, between the nose and forehead. Sir John 
Chandos did not sec the aim of the stroke, for he had lost the eye on 
that side five years ago, on the heaths of Bordeaux, at the chase of 
astag : what added to this misfortune, sir John had not put down 
his vizor, so that in stumbling he bore upon the lance, and helped it 
to enter into him. The lance, which had been struck froai a strong 



« " Sir John Cliambo,— sir John Cassilies." G. Barnes colls the last Case. 



194 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE. SPAIN. &c. 



The moment the Bretons and French saw them they knew them 
for their enemies, the barons and knights of Poilou. They there- 
fore said tu the English : " You see that body of men coming to your 
assistance : we know we cannot withstand them ; therefore," calling 
each by his name, •' you are our prisoners ; but we give you your 
liberty, on condition that you take care to keep us company ; and we 
surrender ourselves to you, for we have it more at heart to give our. 
selves up to you than to those who are coming." They answered, 
"God's will be done." The English thus obtained their liberty. The 
Poitevins soon arrived, with their lances in their rest?, shouting their 
war-erics ; but the Bretons and French, retreating on one side, said, 
" Holla ! stop my lords : we are prisoners already." The English 
testified to the truth of this by adding, " It is so : they belong to us." 
Garnet was prisoner to sir Bertrand de Cassilies, and sir Louis de St. 
Julien to sir John Chambo : there was not one who had not his 
master. 

These barons and knights of Poitou were struck with grief when 
they saw their seneschal, sir John Chandos, lying in so doleful a way, 
and not able to speak. They began grievously to lament iiis loss, 
saying, ** Flower of knighthood! oh, sir John Chandos I cursed be 
the forging of that lance which wounded thee, and whicli has thus 
endangered thy life." Those who were' around the body most ten- 
deriy bewailed him, which he heard, and answered with groans, but 
could not articulate a word. They rung their hands, and tore their 
hair, uttering cries and complaints, more especially those who be. 
longed to his household. 

Sir John Chandos was disarmed very gently by his own servants, 
laid upon shields and targets, and carried at a foot's pace to Morte. 
mer, the nearest fort to the place where they were. Tiie other barons 
and knights returned to Poitiers, cariyiiig with them their prisoners. 
I heard that James Martin, he who had wounded sir John Chandos, 
suffered so much tVom his wounds that he died at Poitiers. That 
gallant knight only survived one day and night. God have mercy on 
his soul ! for never since a hundred yeai^s did there exist among the 
English one more courteous, nor fuller of every virtue and good 
quality than him. 

When the prince, princess, earls of Cambridge and Pembroke, and 
the other English knights in Guienne heard of this event, they were 
completely disconcerted, and said, they had now lost everything on 
Doth sides of the sea. Sir John was sincerely regretted by his friends 
of each sex : and some lords of France bewailed his loss. Thus it 
happens through life. The English loved him for all the excellent 
qualities he was possessed of. The French hated him because they 
were afraid of him. Not but that I have heard him at the time 
regretted by renowned knights in France ; for they said it was a great 
pity he was slain, and that, if he could have been taken prisoner, he 
was so wise and full of devices, he would have found some means of 
establishing a peace between France and England ; and was so much 
beloved by the king of England and his court, that they would have 
believed what he should have said in preference to all others. Thus 
were the French and English greater losers by his death, for never 
have I heard otherwise ; but the English the most, for by his valor 
and prudence Guienne might have been totally recovered.* 

Lord Thomas Percy was appointed seneschal of Poitou after the 
death of sir John Chandos. His estates of St. Sauveur le Vicomte 
fell to the king of England, who gave them to one of his own knights, 
by name sir Aleyne Boxhull^t an uncommonly able man. The 
prince of AVales succeeded as heir to the other riches of sir John 
Chandos, as he never was married, and therefore had no children, to 
the amount of four hundred thousand francs. t Shortly afterwards, 
those captains who had been made prisoners at the bridge of Lussac 
were ransomed, and received their freedom on paying down the sums 
agreed on, in which the king of France assisted them. Sir Louis de 
St. Julien, sir William des Bourdes, and Garnet le Breton returned 
to their garrisons. 



* Sir John Chandos was btiried at Morte- 
mer. Uncterneatii is his epitrifih, from les 
Annales d'Aquilaiiie par Boucliet. 
Je Jehan Ch.indault. des aiiglois cnpilaiie. 
Fort chevalier, de Poicton seneachal 
Apresavoir fait giievre tres Injutaiiie 
Au rois fram^ois, Uint i pied qu'il clieval, 
EtprisBertrancI dediescliii en un val, 
l.es Poitevins prC5 Lussac, me diffirent, 
A Morleiiicr, in;ni corps eiitorrer lirent, 
En un cercueil elev^ tout de neuf. 
Ij'an mil trois cens avecsoixante neuf. 

[For the satistaction of the English 
reader, we have endeavored to iniiUite 



these rhymes as closely as a metrical ver- 
sion will jierniit. The reader must pardon 
their beini; as rude as the original. 

I John Chandos, an EiiglUh knislif, 

S6nesclial of all Poicton, 

Against the French king oft did fight 

On foot and horseback ; many slew : 

Bertrand du Guesctin priKiner too 

By me was taken in a vale. 

At Lussac did the foe prevail ; 

My body then at Mortemer 

In a new tomb my friends inter. 

In tlie year of grace divine, 

Tiiirteen hundred sixty-nine.— Ed.] 



CHAPTER CCLXXIX. 

THE LORD DE COUCY A:>JD THE LORD DE POMMIERS ARE tJNWILLlXG TO 
TAKE PART WITH EITHER SIDE IN THIS WAR. THE LORDS DE MALEVAL 
AND DE MARXEIL TURN TO THE FRENCH. 

At this time there were knights in France greatly hurt at seeing 
this war between the two kings carried on with increasing vigor; and 
in particular, the lord de Coucy, who was nuich interested in it, as 
indeed he ought to be, for ho held a very large estate in England, as 
well in his own right as in that of his wife, who was daughter of the 
king of England ; which estate it would be necessary for him to re- 
nounce, if he wished to serve the king of France, whose kinsman 
and countryman he was : he therefore thought it most profitable to 
dissemble between the two kings, and to travel to foreign parts. He 
very wisely took all his measures ; and, having obtained leave of the 
king of France, he set out with few attendants, and went to Savoy, 
where he was handsomely received by the earl, barons and knights 
of that country. When lie had remained there as long as he judged 
proper, he departed, and, continuing his road, entered Lombardy, 
visited the lords of Milan, the lords Galcas and lord Barnabo Viseonti, 
when at first he was made heartily welcome by them. In like man- 
ner did sir Aimemon de Pommiers, who was one of the prince's 
knights, quit the duchy of Aquitaine. He declared, that during the 
war, he would not bear arms for one side nor the other. This knight 
crossed the sea to Cyprus. He visited the holy sepulchre, and trav- 
elled to several other places. At this period, sir .tohn de Bourbon* 
came to Paris. He held some lands of the prince ; and the king of 
France would have gladly seen him return the homage to the prince, 
but the count de la Marche would not listen to it. The lord de 
Pierre Biiffiere, a Limousin knight at that time at Paris, followed his 
example. But the two other barons and great lords in Limousin un- 
fortimately acted otherwise : sir Louis de Maleval and sir Raymond 
de Marneil his nephew, who being at Paris turned Frenchmen, and 
from their fortresses afterwards made a disastrous war on the prince. 

The king of England and his council were much ve.xed at this; for 
it appeared that the barons and knights of Guienne thus changed their 
sides without any constraint, and of their own free will. The king 
therefore, by the advice of his council, ordered letters to be written 
and sealed with his seal, which he ordered to be sent by two or three 
of his knights, into Poitou and Aquitaine, to publish tliem in all the 
cities, castles and principal towns. 

At tliis time, sir Caponnel de Caponnal was delivered from his prison 
at Agen, in exchange for one of the prince's knights, by name Thomas 
Banaster, who had been taken in a skirmish before Perigord. But 
the counsellor of state who had been sunt with him remained prisoner 
in Agen, and sir Caponnel returned to France. We will report the 
letter which the king of England sent into Aquitaine. 



He founded and endowed the Cnrmelite convent at Poitiers. 

" He was never married. Elizabeth and Eleanor, two of his sisters, (the latter being 
the wife of sir Roger Collins) and Isabella, diuighter to Rlarparet tlie third sister, at that 
time married to sir John Anne>ley, were found to be his next heirs."— Barnes. 

t Sir Aleyne Boxhull was the o2nd knight of llie Garter, constable of the Tower of 
liOndon. cuslos of tho parks of Clarendon, fcc. He lies buried near St. Erkenwalde*s 
shrine in St. Paul's church, about tlie year 13S0. 

Sir Aleyne Boxhull had a commission to restrain the excesses of Charles de Navarre, 
in Normandy, and to put tlie castle in good repair, dated the 24:ii November, 1370.— 

RVMKR. 

X 1 should imagitie Froissart must mean that the prince inherited all he possessed in 
Aquitaine, &c. but his sistei's children were his heiri in England. 



CHAPTER CCLXXX. 

THE FORM OF THE LETTER WHICH THE ENGLISH KI.VG SENT INTO AQtH- 
TAINE. CHATELHERALT IS TAKEN BY THE FRENCH, AND BELLEPERCOE 
IS BESIEGED. 

Edward, by the grace of God, king of England, lord of Ireland 
and of Aquitaine, to all who shall see or hear these present letters: 
know, that we having considered the matter of the boundaries of our 
lordship of Aquitaine, as well as its extent under various lords, have 
had iiitormation relative to some oppressions done, or intended to 
have been done, by our very dear son the prince of Wales, to this 
lordship aforesaid; for which cause we hold it a duty to endeavor 
to obviate and remedy any such improper acts, and to conciliate all 
hatred and rancor that may have arisen between us and our loyal 
friends and subjects. We therefore announce, pronounce, and or- 
dain, out of our deliberate and perfect good will, and by the resohi- 
tions of our council for this cause assembled, that our very dear son 
the prince of Wales desist from all sorts of exactions, done or about 
to be done ; and that he restore and make restitution to all of each 
sex who may have been o])pressed by him, or by his officers in 
Aquitaine, with all costs, fees and expenses that they may have in- 
curred under the name of these taxes, aids or fouages. And if any 
of our feal subjects and friends, as well prelates as other members of 
the church, universities, barons, knights, townships, inhabitants of 
cuves and large towns have turned, or may be willing to turn, through 
bad information or weak advice, to the party of our adversary the 
king of France, we pardon this misdeed, if, after having read this 
letter, they shall return to us within one month from the date hereof. 
And we entreat those our loyal and trusty friend?, that they so com- 
port themselves not to draw on them any reproach as to their faith 
and homage; which thing would greatly displease us, and with sor- 
row should we perceive it. If our very dear son tlie prince of Wales, 
or any of his dependents, complain of being hurt or oppressed, either- 
now or in former times, we will have such oppressions amended;- 
so that in reason it may be sufficient to encourage love, peace and 
concord, between us and those within our boundaries in our afore- 

* "Sir John de Bourbon." lie was sonof sir Jamea de Bourbon who combated the 
free companies, chapter ccxxvii., and was count de la Marche— Denvb Sai/\'aok— 
.annot. 120. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



195 



aoid lordship. And, in order that these things may be publicly 
known, we will that each person have a copy of this present letter, 
the conditions of wliicii \vc have solemnly swore to observe, and not 
break through, upon the body of Jesus Chri-t, in ihe presence of our 
very dear son John, duke of Lancaster, William, earl of Salisbury, 
the earl of Warwick, the earl of Hereford, Walter Manny, the bas- 
tard of Percy, lords Neville, Bourchier and Slafford. Richard Fern- 
bridge, Roger Bcauchamp, Guy Brian, the lords Mohun and Delaware, 
Aleyne BoxhuU and Richard Steny, knights. Given at our palace 
of Westtninster, the fifth day of November, in the fourty-fourth year 
of our reign.* 

This letter was carried by t^vo of the king of England's knights 
into the principality and duchy of Aquitaine, proclaimed and pab. 
lished everywhere. Copies of it were promptly and secretly sent to 
Paris, to the viscount de la Rochcchouart, the lords -de Maleval and 
de Mariieil, as well to several others of the French nation as to those 
who had turned to that interest. Notwithstanding the letter they 
had proclaimed in the country of Aquitaine and elsewhere, I never 
heard that it had any effect, or that any one was prevented by it 
from following his own inclinations ; but that more turned to the 
party of France, and the French daily advanced in their conquests. 

As soon as sir Louis de Julien w as returned to la Roehe-Posay, 
sir William des Bourdes to his ganison of La Have in Touraine, and 
Garnet le Bretont to St. Salvin, they secretly planned a new expedi- 
tion of men-at-arms, and companions well mounted on whom they 
could depend. They set ofl"lo scale the walls of the town of Chat, 
elheraut, and, ariiving there at early morn, would have made prisoner 
air Louis de Harcourt, who was sleeping at his hotel in the town, 
not any way suspecting such an enterprise, if he had not fled with 
his bed-clothes, without shoes or stockings, from house to house, and 
irom garden to garden, in great dread of being taken by the French, 
who had scaled the walls of the town, until at last he arrived at the 
bridge of Chatelheraut, which hi? people had fortified : there he 
saved liiniself, and remained a considerable time. The Bretons and 
French, however, were masters of the whole town, and placed a 
strong garrison in it, of which Carnet was captain. This garrison 
advanced daily to engage with those who still kept possession of the 
bridge ; and many a gallant skirmish and feat of arms were performed. 

Duke Louis de Bourbon was much enraged that the English and 
free companies should keep possession of his country, the Bourbon- 
iiois, and that Ortigo, Bernard de Wist and Bernard de la Salle, 
should hold his castle of Belleperche, and detain his mother prisoner 
in it: he resolved, therefore, to set on foot an expedition of men-at- 
arms, and lay siege to the castle of Belleperche, which, he declared 
he would not quit until he had retaken it. He spoke of it to the 
king of France, who instantly promised to assist him in the siege 
with i7ien and money. He left Paris, having ordered his rendezvous 
at Moulins in the Bourbonnois, and at St. Poursaint,t whither there 
■came a numerous body of men-at-arms and able coinbatants. The 
lord de Beaujeu came to serve him, with three hundred lances : the 
lords de Villars and de Roueillon, with one hundred ; and numbers 
of barons and knights from Auvergne and Forets, of which he was 
lord paramount, through the lady his wife, the daughter of that gal- 
lant lord Beroald count dauphin. The duke arrived and fixed his 
quarters before the castle of Belleperche, where he built a large and 
strong redoubt, in which liis men might be sheltered cverv' night, 
and skirmish with the garrison during the day. He had also brought 
and pointed against the castle four large machines, which kept con- 
tinually throwing, night and day, stones and logs of wood, so that 
they broke jhrough the roofs of all the houses, and beat down the 
greater part of the towers. The mother of ihe duke of Bourbon, 
who was a prisoner within the castle, was much alarmed, and sent 
frequently to entreat her son to abstain from tliis mode ot attack, for 
these machines annoyed her exceedingly ; but the duke, who knew 
for certain that these requests came from his enemies, replied that he 
would not desist happen what would. 

When the garrison found themselves so much harassed, and that 
flie French force was daily increasing ; for sir Louis de Sancerre, 
marBhal of France, had just arrived with a large body of men-at-arms ; 
they resolved to send and acquaint sir John Devercux, seneschal of 
liimousin, who resided at La Souteraine,§ two short days' journey 
from tliem, of their distress, and who knew that, when these lords of 
Poitou and Gascony had made an excursion from Quercy, it was 
upon the faith, that if tlicy should take any castles in France, and 
were besieged in them, they would be assisted. They wrote their 
Jetters, and sent them oH' in the night by one of their servants to the 
castle of sir John Devercux. Sir John recognized the messenger by 
the tokens he mentioned, and, having read the letters, said, " that he 
would most willingly acquit liimself of his engagement, and that the 
more efi'ectually to do so, he would immediately wait on the prince 
and the lords who were with him. at Angouleme, and exert himself 
so that the ganison of Belleperche should be reinforced." 



*This I-iUer is not in Rrmer. 

t His name was Jean de Keranlouet. In the proo6 attached to the Histoire de la 
Bretagne. are several acquittances from Jean de Keranlouet. in whicti lie is styled, 
Ecuyer, Huissier, d'Armes du Roi notre Sire, Capitaiiie de la Ville de la Roche-Posay 
for his own pay fi9 well as fur his soldiers. He was to conduct four hundred cumbataols 
into Guyenne, 1371 ; and also to march to the assistance of Moncontour. 

t Si. Poursaint— atown in Auverpne. diocese of Clermont. 

4 lie Souterauie— a towu ia lamousin, about two leagues from Limoges. 



Sir John Devercux set out, after having given proper directions 
respecting his castle and garrison to his officers, and, being arrived 
at Arrgiiulume, found there the prince, the earl of Cambridge, the 
eail of Pembroke, sir John Montague, sir Robert KnoUes, lord Thomas 
Percy, sir Thomas Felton, sir Guiscard d'Angle, the captal de Buch, 
and many others. He explained to them, how these free companies 
in the castle of Belleperche were besieged and much straitened by 
the French under the duke de Bourbon and the count de .St. Pol.* 
The lords, on hearing this statement, replied with great cheerfulness, 
that they must be relieved, according to the promises which had been 
made to them. This business was intrusted to the earls of Cam- 
bridge and Pembroke ; and the prince issued a summons to all his 
vassals, who, on sight of it, were V) a.ssemble in the town of Limoges. 
Upon which, knights, squires, free companies, and men-at-arms, 
marched to that place, according to their orders ; and, when they 
were mustered, they amounted to upward of fifteen Imndred lancea 
and about three thousand others. They rriarched to Belleperche, 
where they encamped themselves opposite to the French. The 
French kept themselves close in their redoubt, which was as strong 
and as well fortified as a town might be. The English foragers 
were at a loss where to seek for provisions, so that, whenever it was 
possible, some were brought to them from Poitiers. 

Sir Louis de Sancerre, marshal of France, gave exact information 
of the number and condition of the English to the king of France, 
and to those knights who had remained at Paris: he sent also a proc- 
lamation, which he had affixed to the gates of the palace. It ran in 
these words : " Ye knights and squires who are anxious of renown, 
and seek for deeds of arms, I inform you for a truth, that the earl of 
Cambridge and the earl of Pembroke are arrived with their troops 
at Belleperche, with the intention of raising the siege which we have 
so long made : we have so much straitened the garrison of the castle 
that it must immediately surrender, or our enemies beat us in a 
pitched battle. Come therefore hither, directly, for you will have 
opportunities of exhibiting your prowess in arms ; and know that the 
English are encamped so much apart, and in such positions, that 
they may be wonderfully annoyed." 

Upon this exhortation and request of the marshal, several good 
knights and squires of France advanced to those parts ; and I know 
myself that the governor of Blois, named Alart de Toustanne, went 
thither with fifty lances ; as did also the count de Porcien, and his 
brother sir Hugh de Porcien. 



CHAPTER CCLXXXI. 

THE EARLS OF CAMBRIDGE AND PEMBROKE CARRY OFF THE MOTHER OP 
THE DUKE OF BOURBOX WITH THE GARRISON OF BELLEPERCHE. THE 
DUKE OF BOURBON TAKES POSSESSION OF THAT CASTLE. 

When the earls of Cambridge and Pembroke had remained before 
the French army at BeJIcperche fifteen days, and did not see any 
signs of the French quitting their redoubt to fight with them, they 
called a council, in which they resolved to send them a herald, to 
know what they meant to do. Chandos the herald was ordered on 
this business, and it w-as repeated to him what he was to say : he 
therefore went to them, and said : " My masters and lords send me 
to you, and inform you by mj' mouth, that they are quite astonished 
you have allowed them to remain fifteen days here, and you have 
not sallied out of your fort to give them battle. They therefore tell 
you, that if you will come forth to meet them, they will permit you 
to choose any plot of ground for the field of battle ; and let God give 
the event of it to whomsoever he pleases." The duke of Bourbon 
made to this the following reply : " Chandos, you will tell your 
masters, that I shall not combat as they may wish or desire. I know 
well enough where they are : but for all that, I will not quit my fort 
nor raise the siege, until I shall have reconquered the castle of Belle- 
perche." " My lord," answered the herald, " I will not fail to report 
what you have said." 

The herald set out, and on Ids return gave the duke's answer, 
which was not very agreeable. They called another council, and 
when it was over, gave to Chandos a proposal, for him to carry to the 
French. He did so, and said : " Gentlemen, my lords and masters 
let you know, that since you are not willing to accept the ofler they 
have made you, three days hence, between nine and twelve o'clock 
in the morning, you my lord duke of Bourbon, will see your lady- 
mother placed on horseback, and carried away. Consider this, and 
rescue her if you can." The duke answered : "Chandos, Chandos, 
tell your masters, they carry on a most disgraceful war, when they 
seize an ancient lady from among her domestics, and carr>- her away 
like a prisoner. It was never seen formerly, that in the war between 
gentlemen, ladies or damsels were treated as prisoners. It will cer- 
tainly be very unpleasant to me to see my lady-mother thus carried 
off: we must recover her as soon as we can: but the castle they 
cannot take with them : that, therefore, we will have. Since you 
have twice come hither with propositions, you will bear this from 
me to your masters, that if they will draw out fifty men, we will draw 



» Denys Snuvage thinks it ought to be the count de Sancerre, as the count de St. Pol's 
name has not been mentioned hetbre. i should be of this opiaioo, if every copy I have* 
printed and MS., did not say St. Pol. 



196 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



out the same number, and let the viotoi7 fall where it may." " My 
lord," replied the herald, "I will relate to them everything you have 

told me." „ , , , , , , 

At these words, Chandos left them, and returned to the earls of 
Cambridge and Pembroke and the other lords, and told them the 
offer tlic'duke of Bourbon had sent them. They were advised not 
to accept it. Preparations were therefore made for the departure of 
the army, and to carry of!" with them the lady and the garrison, which 
had been exceedingly harassed by the machines of the enemy. When 
the appointed day arrived, they ordered their trumpets to sound at 
early morning : upon which evei-y one armed himself and drew up, 
both horse and foot, in order of battle, as if they expected a combat, 
-with their banners and pennons flying before them. In this manner 
were they arrayed ; and on this day sir John Montacute,* nephew to 
the earl of Salisbury, displayed his banner. They had ordered their 
trumpets and minstrels to sound very loud ; and at nine o'clock the 
garrison and madame de Bourbon came out of the castle of Belle, 
perche. They mounted her on a palfrey handsomely equipped for 
her. She was accompanied by her ladies and damsels. The Eng- 
lish army marched asvay at midday. Sir Eustace d'Ambreticourt 
and sir John Devereuxt attended upon madame de Bourbon ; and in 
this manner they returned to the principality, where the lady remained 
a considerable time a prisoner to the free companions at La Roche 
Vaucloix in Limousin.! 

This capture never pleased the prince, who, whenever it was men- 
tioned, said, that if any other than the free companies had taken the 
duchess, she should instantly have had her liberty : and when the 
captains of these free companies spoke to him on the subject, he told 
them to make some sort of an exchange, for him to get back his 
knight, sir Simon Burley,^ whom the French had taken. You may 
suppose the duke of Bourbon was greatly incensed when he saw hi? 
lady-mother carried away from the castle of Belleperche in the Bour- 
bonnois. Soon after her departure, he marclied from the redoubt, 
and sent his men to take possession of his own castle of Belleperche, 
which ihe English had left quite empty. Thus ended this grand 
expedition, and each withdrew to his usual place of residence. The 
French who were under the duke of Bourbon, retired to the garrisons 
from whence they had come. The duke returned with his knights 
and squires to the king of France, who received them wilh great 
joy, and entertained them handsomely. The earl of Cambridge 
went to his brother at Angoulemc ; and the earl of Pembroke and 
his troops to Mortogne in Poitou. Those free companies and men- 
at-arms who had been in Belleperche went into Poitou and Saint- 
onge, seeking for provisions, and committing many disgraceful acta, 
from which they had not the inclination to refrain themselves, nor 
power to restrain others. 

Sir Robert KnoUes, shortly after this, left the prince, and returned 
to his castle of Derval in Brittany, where he had not been a month, 
before the king of England sent him positive orders to set out, with. 
out delay, and cross the sea to him in England, as he would find his 
profit in it. Sir Robert very willingly obeyed this summons : having 
made his preparations, he embarked and landed in Cornwall, at St. 
Michael's Mounl, and thence continued his road until he arrived at 
Windsor, where ho found the king, who was right glad to see him, 
as were all the English barons ; for they thought they should have 
much need of liim, as he was so great a captain and leader of men- 
at-arms. 



CHAPTER CCLXXXII. 

THE rOUK BKOTHERS OF FRANCE HAVE A MEETING. THEIR PREPARATIONS 
FOR THE WAR. THE MOTHER OF THE DUKE OF BOUKBON OBTAINS HER 
LFBERTV. A TREATY ENTERED INTO BETWEEN THE KIN&3 OF FRANCE 
AND NAVARRE. 

At this time the duke of Anjou set out from Toulouse, and marched 
in great array through the kingdom of France ; he continued his route 
until he arrived in Paris, where he found the king and his other 
brothers the dukes of Berry and Burgundy, who received him with 
infinite pleasure. The four brothers, during the time they were 
together at Paris, held many councils and consultations on the state 
of the kingdom, and in what manner they should best act during the 
ensuing summer. It was determined to raise two large armies, and 
make an incursion to Aquitaine. The duke of Anjou was to com- 



* Son of sir .lolin Montacute before-mentioned, and third eiirl of Salisbury.— Ed. 

t Sir John Devereux— banneret— 76tb knitrhtol'tlie Garter, a baron from tbeStbto tbe 
16th Richard U. See Dugdale, Steward of the liouseliold to Ricliard II, constable and 
governor of the cinque ports. Died suddenly 16tli Richard II. Buried at Grayfiiars, 
Xiondon. 

" Sir Nicholas Louvaine held Pensliurst44th Kdward 111, and married Margaret, eld- 
est daughter of John Vete, earl of 0.\ford— remarried to Henry lord Beaumont, and 
afYer to sir John Devereux, knight of the Garter, lord warden of the cinque ports, stew- 
ard of the household lltli Richard II,; in whose 16lh year he bad license to embattle his 
mansion house at Pensburst. and his daughter and heiress was married to William lord 
Fitzwalter, but he only enjoyed this manor in right of his wife,"— Anstis's MMS.from 
Philpofs Kent, p, 270. 

% In the curious life of the duUe de Bourbon, printed at Paris, 1613, from old MSS. the 
account of tliis siege is very ditVerently related, and entirely to Uie honor of the French. 
The duchess is there said to be carried prisoner to the tower of Bron near to Brouage, 
on theseacoast. 

§ Sir Suiion Burley— knight- was 75th knight of the Garter, warden of the cinque 
ports, governor of Windsor and Dover costlei,. Beheaded 1388.— See Hollingshed. 



mand one of these armies, which should enter Guiennc by La Rdole 
and Bergerac ; the duke of Berry the other toward Limoges and 
Quercy, when these two armies were to unite and march to Angou- 
leme, to besiege therein the prince of Wales. It was also proposed 
and determined in these consultations to rccal that valiant knight sir 
Bertrand du Guesclin, who had so gallantly and loyally fought for 
the crown of France, and entreat him to accept the charge of con- 
stable of France. 

When king Charles, his brothers, and his council, had completely 
arranged their future plans, and had enjoyed themselves together for 
some time, the duke of Anjou, early in May, took his leave of them, 
to return the first to his government, for he had the longest journey 
to make. He was escorted by the barons and knights of France, 
being much beloved by them, and pursued his journey until lie came 
to Montpellier, where he tarried upward of a month, and then returned 
to Toulouse. lie directly collected as many men-at-arms as he was 
able, wherever he could hour of them, and soon had a Inr^e force 
from those who had kept the field guarding the frontiers of tlie Eng- 
lish in Rouergue and Quercy: for le petit Mcchin, Naudon de Pans, 
Perrot de Savoyo, le bourg Camus, Antoine le Negre, Lanuit, Jacques 
de Broy, and numbers of their companions, had remained all the year 
at Caliors, where they had ravaged and ruined the country. On the 
other hand, the duke of Berry went to Bourges in Berry, where he 
had issued a grand summons to all knights and squires of France and 
Burgundy. The duke of Bourbon had gone into his own country, 
where he had given orders concerning this intended expedition, and 
had collected a large body of k.-.ights and squires from the country 
of Foreis and the Bourbonnois. His brother, count Peter d'Alen^on, 
made preparations in another part, and with good effect. 

Sir Guy de Blois, at this period, was returned from Prussia, where 
he had been made a knight, and displayed his banner in an enterprise 
against the enemies of God. As soon as this gallant knight arrived 
in Hainault, and was informed of the expedition which his cousins 
of France were about to undertake in Aquitaine, he made immediate 
preparations for joining it ; and, setting out from Hainault with all 
his array, he arrived at Paris to present himseli" to the king. He was 
gladly received by him, and ordered to join the duke of Berry with 
a command of knights, sqnires, and men-at-arms in the expedition. 
Sir Guy de Blois, therefore, left the city of Paris, and rode to Orleans 
in his way to Berry. 

In like manner as the king of France had arranged his armies, so 
did the king of England by two armies and two expeditions. It was 
ordered that the duke of Lancaster should march with four hundred 
men-at-arms and as many archers into Aquitaine, to reinforce his 
brothers; for it was thought that the greatest force of the enemy 
would be sent to that country. The king and his council determined 
that another army of men-at-arms and archers should enter Picardy 
under sir Robert KnoUes, who was perfectly capable of such a com- 
mand, having learned it under the most able masters for a considera. 
ble time. Sir Robert, at the request of the king, willingly undertook 
this expedition : he promised to cross the sea to Calais, to pass through 
the whole kingdom of France, and to fight with the French, if they 
were bold enough to meet in the field. Of this he seemed quite cer- 
tain, and made wonderful preparations for himself, as well as for all 
those who were to accompany him. •■ 

The mother of the duke of Bourbon about this time obtained her 
liberty, being exchanged for sir Simon Burley, the prince of Wales's 
knight. Sir Eustace d'Ambreticourt was very instrumental in bring- 
ing this business to an end, for which the duke of Bourbon and the 
queen of France testified their obligations to him. There had been, 
for a considerable time, long negotiations carried on Ivetween the 
king of France and the king of NavaiTe, who resided at Cherbourg. 
The ministers of both kings managed the business in such a manner 
that they informed the king of France he had not any reason for wa- 
ging war against his brother-in-law the king of Navarre. They added, 
that tor the present he had enough on his hands wilh his war with 
England, and that he had better leave things as then they were, lest 
greater evils might arise ; for, if the king of Navarre should consent 
to admit the English into his forts in Coutantin, they would harass 
the country of Normandy most grievously, which was a thing to be 
well considered and attended to. Upon receiving this information 
and advice, the king of France consented to a peace. He went to 
the town of Rouen, where all the treaties were drawn up and con- 
firmed. The archbishop of Rouen, the count d'Alen^on, the count 
de Sallebruche, sir William des Dormans*" and sir Robert Lorris, 
waited on the king of Navarre, whom they found at Vernon. He 
made for them grand dinners and magnificent feasts; after which 
they conducted him to the king of France at Rouen, when these trea. 
ties and alliances were again read, sworn to, confirmed, and scaled. 
It seems that the king of Navarre, by the articles of this peace, was 
to renounce whatever engagements he might have entered into with 
the king of England ; and that he himself, on his return to Navarre,, 
was to declare war against him. For greater security of the affec. 
tion between him and the king of France, he was to leave in his 
hands his two sons, Charles and Peter, as hostages. Upon this treaty 
being concluded, the two kings left Rouen, and came to Paris, where 
there were again great feasts. When they had sufficiently enjoyed 
and amused themselves, they took leave of each other. The king of 

* Sir William des Dormans was chancellor of France. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



197 



Navarre quitted the king of France in the most amicable mnnner, 
leaving his two children with their uncle. He set out for Montpel- 
lier, and returned through that country to Foix, and from thence to 
his own kingdom of Navarre. 

We will now return to what was passing in Aquitaine. 



CHAPTER CCLXXXIII. 

SIR BERTHAND DU GtJESCLIN LKAVES SPAIN AND ARRIVE.? AT TOCLOUSE, 
WHERE THE DUKE OF ANJOU RECEIVES HIM WITH GREAT JOY. THEY 
TAKE TOGETHER SEVERAL CASTLES FROM THE E.N'GLI-SH. 

You know, as v.-e have before mentioned it, that the d\ike of Anjou 
had been in France, and tliat, according to arrangements then made 
\tpon his return to Languedoc, he was to invade, with his whole force 
Guienne ; for he never loved the prince of Wales nor the English, 
and made no pretensions to that eH'ect. Before ho left Paris, the king 
of France, by his desire, had sent letters and embassadors to the king 
of Castille, to request he would send back sir Bertrand du Guesclin, 
for by so doing he would very much oblige him. At the same time, 
the king and duke of Anjou wrote most friendly letters to sir Bertrand 
himself. The envoys made haste on their journey, and found king 
Henry with sir Bertrand in the city of Leon in Spain, to whom they 
delivered their letters and the message from the king of France. The 
king of Spain never wished to detain sir Bertrand, nor would have 
forgiven himself for so doing. Sir Bertrand therefore made his pre- 
parations in haste, and, taking leave of king Henry, set out with his 
attendants, and continued his road until he came to Toulouse, where 
the duke of Anjou was. He had already there assembled a very 
large force of men-at-arms, knights, and squires, and waited for 
nothing but the arrival of sir Bertrand du Guesclin : so that upon his 
coming the duke of Anjou and all the French were mightily rejoiced. 
Orders were given to march from Toulouse, and invade the territo- 
ries of the prince. 

The duke of Lancaster at this time was arrived at Southampton, 
with four hundred men-at-arms, and an equal number of archers. 
He embarked them and every necessary provision and stores on board 
ships, with the intent of sailing for Bordcau.^c, provided they might 
have a favorable wind. With the duke, and under his command, 
were the lord Roos (of Hamlake,) sir ^lichael de la Pole,* sir Rob- 
ert le RouXjt sir John de St. Lo, and sir William Beauchamp-t 

The duke of Anjou left the city of Toulouse with a great and 
well ordered an'ay. He was attended by the count d'.'irmagnac, 
the lord d'Albret, the count de Perigord, the count de Comniinges, 
the viscount de Carmaign, the count de Lisle, the viscount de Bruni- 
guel, the viscount de Narbonne, the viscount de Talar, the lord de 
la Barde, the lord de Pincornet, sir Bertrand Tande, the s<;neschal of 
Toulouse, the seneschal of Carcassonne, the seneschal of Beaucaire 
and several others, amounting in the whole to upward of two thou, 
sand lances, knights and squires, and six thousand footmen, armed 
with pikes and shields. Sir Bertrand du Guesclin was appointed to 
the command of all this force. They directed their march through 
the Ag^nois ; and being joined by more than a thousand combatants 
from the free companies, who had waited for them all the winter in 
Quercy, they made for Agen. 

: The first fort they came to was that of Moissac.^ The whole 
country was so frightened at the arrival of the duke of Anjou, and the 
large army he had brought, that they trembled before him, and 
neither towns nor castles had any inclination to hold out against 
him. When he arrived before Moissac, the inhabitants instantly 
surrendered and turned to the French. They then advanced to 
Agen, which followed this example. They afterwards marched 
toward Tonneinsjl on the Garonne ; and the French went on un- 
molested, following the course of the river Garonne, in order to have 
plenty of forage : they came to Port St. Marie,1T which immediately 
surrendered. The French placed men-at-arms and garrisons in all 
these towns. The town and castle of Tonneins did the same, in 
which they placed a captain and twenty lances to guard it. They 
afterwards took the road to Montpezat»* and -\iguillon,tt burning 
and destroying all the country. When they came before Montpezat, 
which is a good town and has a strong castle, those within were so 
• much frightened by the duke of Anjou that they direcdy opened 
their gates. The French then advanced to the strong castle of 
Aiguil'on, where they only remained four days ; for then the garrison 
surrendered to the duke, not being such men as sir Walter Manny 
commanded, when he defended it against John duke of Normandy, 
afterwards king of France. The inhabitants of Bergerac were very 
much astonished at their ha%'ing so done ; for the governors, at this 
time, of Bergerac, were the captal de Buch and sir Thomas Felton, 
who had with them one hundred lances, English and Gascons. 



• Sir Michael de la Pole, afterwards earl of SufTolt, and favorite of Richard II.— See 
Ddodalk. 
T Barnes calls him sir Robert Ros. 

t Sir William Bcaucharap— Lord -Abergavenny.— DooDALE. 
5 Moissac— a town in Uuercy. twelve leajues from Asen. 

II TonneuiM town of Aecaois, on the Garonne, forty-one leacues from Toulouse. 
\ Port St. Mane— on the Garonne, below Agen. 
*• Monlpezat-a villase in Guieune, near Tonneins. 
tt AiguiUon-a town of Guienne, one league from Tonneins. 



CHAPTER CCLXXXIV. 

THE DUKE OF BERRY INVADES LIMOUSIN. 

JrsT as the duke of Anjou and his army had invaded the terri- 
tories of the prince by the way of Toulouse and Agen, so did the 
duke of Berry with his army enter the Limousin. He had full 
twelve hundred lances and three thousand footmen, who conquered 
towns and castles, and burnt and destroyed the country they 
marched through. 

With the duke of Berry were, the duke of Bourbon, the count 
d'Alen^on, sir Guy de Blois, sir Robert d'Alen<;on, count du Perche, 
sir John d'.A.miagnac, sir Hugh Dauphin, sir John de Villemur, the 
lords de Beaujeu, de Villars, de Denac, sir GeofTry de Montagu, sir 
Louis de Maleval, sir Raymond de Marneil, sir John de Boulogne, 
his uncle sir Geoffry de Boulogne, the viscount d'Uzes, the lords de 
Sully, de Talenton, de Confant, Dappechere, Dacon, sir John 
Damenue, Ymbaut de Peschin, and many other good barons 
knights and squires. This army entered Limousin, where they did 
infinite mischief, and advanced to besiege the city of Limoges. In 
this city were a body of English, whom sir Hugh Calverley the 
seneschal of Limousin had placed there ; but he was not the master, 
for the bishop of the city governed it, in whom the prince of Wales 
put much confidence, looking upon him as his steady friend. 

The prince of Wales, who kept his court at Angouleme, had 
received information of these two grand expeditions of the dukes of 
iVnjou and of Berry, and how they had invaded his principality at 
two different places. It was also told the prince, that as far as 
could be imagined, they were marching to form a junction near An. 
gouleme, to besiege him and the princess therein, and advised him 
to consitler of it. The prince, who was valor itself, and full of 
resources, replied, that " his enemies should never find him shut 
up in a town or castle, and that he would immediately march and 
take the field against them." Clerks and knights were instantly 
employed to write and send ofl" letters to loyal friends and subjects 
in Poitou, Saintonge, La Rochelle, Roucrgue, Quercy, Gorre, 
Bigone and Agdnois, commanding them, with as many men as they 
could bring, to meet him at the town of Cognac. His rendezvous 
was fixed there ; and he soon left --Vngouleme, attended by the 
princess and his young son Richard. 

But during the time this summons was sent, and every one ma. 
king his preparations, the French kept advancing, burning and rava. 
ging the country. They came before Linde, a good town situated 
upon the river Dordogne, one league from Bergerac : a valiant 
knight of Gascony, named sir Thonius de Batefol,* was the governor 
of it. The duke of Anjou, the count d'Armagnac, the lord d'Albret, 
the count de Perigord, the viscount de Carmaing, and all the other 
barons with their men, came thither and formed the sitge in a regular 
manner, saying they would not depart without having taken it. 

This town was large, strong and well provided with all sorts of 
provision and artillery ; for the captal de Buch and sir Thomas Fel. 
ton had been there a fortnight before, and had reinforced it. They 
thought that Linde was very capable of holding out, if those within 
were determined, considering the assistance they might draw from 
Bergerac, should there be occasion. But the inhabitants were so 
wonderfully inclined to the French, that they entered into a negotia- 
tion with the duke of Anjou, and listened to his promise, which made 
them press the governor, sir Thonius, that he also consented to be 
a true Frenchman, upon consideration of receiving a large sum of 
money, and having a good annuity from the duke for his life 
Everything being thus settled, the town was to be delivered up to 
the French. This treaty was, however, known at Bergerac the 
evening preceding the day of surrender. The earl of Cambridge had 
just arrived there with two hundred lances, and was present when 
this information was given. The captal and sir Thomas Felton were 
thunderstruck at the intelligence, and said they would be present at 
this surrender. Having ordered their troops, they set out from Ber- 
gerac after midnight, and rode toward the town of Linde. They 
came there by daybreak, and, ordering one of the gates to be opened, 
pushed forward without stopping until they arrived at the other gate, 
through which the French were to enter : indeed, they were already 
assembled there in crowds, for sir Thonius was about to allowithem 
to e.'.ter the gate. On seeing which, the captal, grasping his sword, 
dismounted, as did all his troops, and, advancing to sir Thonius, said: 
" Sir Thonius, thou wicked traitor, thou shall be the first dead man : 
and never more shalt thou commit another treason." Upon which 
he thrust his sword into him, and with so much force that it went 
through his body and came out upward of a foot on the other side, 
and struck him down dead. The French, on seeing the banners of 
the captal de Buch and sir Thomas Felton, immediately retreated, 
having failed in their attempt. 

Thus did the town continue English, but was in great danger of 
being burnt, and the inhabitants slain, because they had consented 
to this treaty. They excused themselves wisely and prudently, say- 
ing that what they had done and consented to was through fear, and 
principally through their governor, who had brought this business 



* Sir Thonius de Batefol. It is so in all my printed copies, but otherwise in the MSS. 
One has Thomas. Q. if itshould not be so. [Or rather Anthony! though Lord Bemera 
and Barnes both read Thomas.— Ed. 1 



198 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



about. The lords appeared to believe all this, and the iuhabitanta 
remained in peace : but the caplal and sir Thomas Felton continued 
in the town as long as the duke of Anjou lay before it, and until he 
had taken another road. 

We will now speak a little of the state and condition of England, 
for that is now necessary ; and of the invasion of France by sir 
Robert Knollea 

CHAPTER CCLXXXV. 

A TRUCE IS ESTABLISHED BETWEEN ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. SIR KOBEKT 
KNOLLES OVERRUNS, BURNS AND EAVACiES THE WHOLE COU.NTRIES OF 
PICARDY AND THE VERMANBOIS. 

When sir Robert KnoUes was about to leave England, there were 
many councils held between the English and Scots. They were 
so well conducted by the able ministers of both kingdoms, that a 
truce was established between each king, kingdom, subjects and 
adherents, for nine years. The Scots, by this treaty, might arm and 
hire themselves out to others for subsidies, taking wliich side they 
pleased, English or French ; by which means sir Robert increased 
his army with one hundred lances.* When sir Robert and all who 
were to accompany him were ready, and had arrived at Dover, they 
passed the sea, he himself crossing the last, and landed at Calais, 
where, on his disembarking, he was received with great joy by the 
governor, sir Nicholas Stambom-n, and his brother soldiers. When 
they had refreshed themselves for seven days, and had formed their 
plans with respect to the parts of France into which they should 
carry their attack, they ordered their baggage and stores to advance, 
and took the field in a very handsome manner. They were about 
fifteen hundred lances and four thousand archers, including the 
Welshmen. Sir Robert was accompanied, according to the king's 
orders, by sir Thomas Granston.t sir Aleyne Boxhull, sir Gilbert Gif- 
ford, the lord de Salvatier,t sir John Bourchier,^ sir William de Mer- 
ville,|| sir Geoffry Urswell.f and many other knights and squires, 
expert and able men-at-arms, who marched this first day pretty near 
to Fiennes.** 

Sir Moreau de Fiennes, who at that time was constable of France, 
resided in his castle, witli a great number of men-at-arms, knights, 
and squires, all prepared and ready to receive the English. On tlie 
morrow, when they advanced toward the castle and drew up to the 
attack, they found they should not gain anytliing, so they marched off 
through the country of Guines, and entered that of Faukenbourg, 
burning everything on their road, and came before the city of Te- 
rouenne, but did not attack it : for it was so well garrisoned with 
men-at-arms that it would only have been lost trouble. They con- 
tinued their march through the country of the Terouennois, to enter 
Artois ; and, as they only advanced three or four leagues a-day, on 
account of their baggage and infantry, they took up their quarters in 
the large villages at the early hour of midday or noon. Thus did they 
advance with their whole army, nntil they came before the city of 
Arras. The lords and principal captains were lodged in tlie town 
of Mount St. Eloy, near Arras, and their army in the environs ; 
whence they pillaged and ravaged the country round, as far as tliey 
dared to extend tliemselves. The king of France had at this season 
ordered a number of men-at-arms to the different cities, fortresses, 
large towns, castles, bridges and fords, to guard and defend those 
which should be attacked, and which they were not to quit on any 
account. 

When sir Robert Knolles had refreshed himself and his army for 
two days, he quitted St. Eloy, and marched from before Arras in 
good array. Sir William de Merville and sir Geoffry Urswell, who 
were the marshals of the army, could not resist a wish to see those 
of Arras a little nearer. They quitted, therefore, the battalion, and 
advanced with about two hundred lances and four hundred arcliers, 
as far as the barriers of the suburbs of Arras which they found well 
guarded by men-at-arms and cross-bows. The lord Charles de Poi- 
tiers was at that time in the town with madame d'Artois, but he 
made not any attempt to sally out on the English or otherwise attack 
them. The English having finished their course, had halted a short 
time at the barriers ; and seeing no appearance of any one coming to 
them, they set out on their return to the main army, who were wait, 
ing for them drawn up in a line of battle. However, before they 
departed, they wished to leave a remembrance behind, and set fire 
to the suburbs of Arras, in order to entice the inhabitants out of the 
town, who had not any good mil to do so. This fire did much mis- 



chief, for it burnt a large monastery of preaching friars, cloisters, and 
all that was without the town. After this, the English continued 
their march, taking the road to Bapaume,* burning and ravaging the 
whole country. The army was constantly in motion, and having 
entered the Vermandois, arrived at Roye ;t which town they burnt, 
and then marched toward Hamt in Vermandois. All the inhabitants 
of the flat country had retired into this town, and into St. Qucntin 
and Peronne, carrying with them everything portable. The English 
found nothing but barns full of unthreshed corn, for it was now after 
August. They advanced by easy marches, without any labor or 
fatigue, until they came to a rich country, where they halted for two 
or three days. During this time, sir Robert Knolles sent parties to 
a town or castle which commanded the surrounding country, and the 
marshals having obtained a parley with the governors, asked, " How 
much will you give us for all this country, if we will not despoil 
it?'' A treaty and composition was entered into with sir Robert, 
and a large sum of florins paid down. This country was respited 
from being burnt. Sir Robert gained by this treaty a sum amount- 
ing to one hundred thousand francs, for which lie was afterwards 
ill at court, and accused to the king of the English for not having 
done his duty faithfully, as I shall fully relate in the continuance of 
this history. 

The lands of the lord de Coucy were unmolested ; and never did 
the English hurt man or woman, nor take from them a farthing, who 
said, •' I belong to the lord de Coucy." They marched unto the 
good town of Noyon,§ which was well provided with men-at-arms, 
and halted in the neighborhood : they made their approaches veiy 
near, to see if it were possible to carry it by assault, but found it 
well fortified, and able to defend itself should there be occasion. 
Sir Robert was lodged in the abbey of Orcanip.H and his men in the 
neighborhood. They advanced one day in order of battle to the 
walla of the city, to see if the garrison and inliabitants would issue 
forth, but in vain. 

There was a Scots knight in the English army who performed a 
most gallant deed of arms. He quitted his troop, with his lance in its 
rest, and mounted on his courser, followed only by his page ; when, 
sticking spurs into his horse, he was soon up the mountain and at 
the barriers.' The name of this knight was sir John Assueton.lf a 
very valiant and able man, perfect master of his profession. When 
he was arrived at the barriers of Noyon, he dismounted, and, giving 
his horse to his page, said, " Quit not this place :" then, grasping 
his spear he advanced to the barriers, and leaped over them. There 
were on the inside some good knights of that country, sucli as sir 
John de Roye, sir Launcelot de Lorris, and ten or twelve others, 
who were astonished at this action, and wondered what he would do 
ne.^t : however, tlicy received him well. The Scots knight, address- 
ing them, said: "Gentlemen, I am come to see you; for, as you do 
not vouchsafe to come beyond your barriers, I condescend to visit 
you. I wish to try my knighthood against yours, and you will eon. 
quer me if you can." After this, he gave many grand strokes with 
his lance, which they returned him. He continued in this situation 
against them all, skirmishing and fighting most gallantly, upward of 
an hour. He wounded one or two of their knights ; and they had 
so much pleasure in this combat, they frequently forgot themselves. 
The inhabitants looked from above the gates and top of the walls 
witli wonder. They might have done him much hurt with their 
arrows, if they had so willed : but no ; the French knights had forbidden 
it. While he was thus engaged, his page came close to the barriers, 
mounted on his courser, and said to him aloud, in his own language, 
" My lord, you had better come away : it is time, for our army is 
on its march." The knight, who had heard him, made ready to 
follow his advice ; and after giving two or three thrusts to clear his 
way, he seized his spear, and leaped again over the barriers Mithout 
any hurt, and, armed as he was, jumped up behind the page on his 
courser. When he was mounted, he said to the French, " Adieu, 
gentlemen : many thanks to you," and spurring his steed, soon 
rejoined his companions. This gallant feat of sir John Assueton 
was highly prized by all manner of persop.s. 



* Mczeray says, this truce was for three rears— Buchanan, fourteen— Froissart, nine,- 
JVoti in Barnes, p. 800. 

I cannot lind this truce in the Fcedera. On liie contrary, there is an offensive and 
defensive treaty witli the king of France, dated .at Edinburgh Castle, 28tli October, 1371, 
in wiiich it expressly mentions that no truce is to lie entered into, without including 
both France and Scotland, by either of the parties. For more particulars see Rynier. 

t Sir Thomas Granston—82iid knight of the Garter. See Grandison in Dugdale. 

t " Le sire de Salvatier." Ci. 

§ Sir John Bourchier— 86th knight of the Gartei-— a baron. See Dugdale. 

II "De Merville." Q. if not Neville. I believe it to be sir William Neville, one of 
the sons of Ttalpli lord Neville, of Raby. See Dued.-ile. 

Barnes names sir Hugh Meinel. sir Wal:«r Fitzwalter, and sir John Menlsreworth, 
If I have culled t'lis person Urswell^ nfler Barnes : but as Froissart writes it OnTcdny. 
It is probably one of the Worseley family. It may also be sir Hugh Wrotlesley, spelled 
Jfortheslcij in Mills, who was Itlth knight of the Garter, and i^erhaps with more proba- 
bility. 
** Fiennes— a village in lh« Bouloonotd, generality of Amiens. 



CHAPTER CCLXXXVI. 

THE SARRISON OF NOYON MAKE THE ENGLISH PRIS8NERS WHO HAD SET 
FIRE TO FONT-L'EVEQUE. THE KING OF FRANCE SENDS FOR SIS BER- 
TKAND DU GUESCLIN. 

Sir Robert Knolles and his army, on their departure from the town 
ot Noyon, set fire to Pont-l'Eveque on the river Oise, where there were 
several handsome hotels. Those knights and squires in the town of 
Noyon were exceedingly angry at this proceeding, and, understanding 
that sir Robert and his 'forces had proceeded, left the city of Noyon 
with about fifty lances, and came so well in time to the town of Pont- 
I'Evfique, that they found there those who had burnt it, and others 
occupied in the pillage. They were attacked most furiously, and 
the greater part of them slain or made prisoners. The French took 



* Bapauine— a strong town of Artois. si.\ lengues from Anas. 
^ Roye— a strong town in I'icardy. eighteen leagues from ,\rrns. 
t Ham— a town in Picardy, on tlie Sonime, si.\ leagues from Roye, 
§ Noyon— now a village in Picardy, diocese of Amiens. 
II Orcamp, or St. Anne — avdlage in Picardy, near Noyon. 
t Sir John Aisuetou. Probably Seton. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



199 



more tlian sixty horses, and rescued many prisoners wliom tlie enc. 
my intended carrying off. Several good houses woidd have been 
burnt if they liad not come tliere so opportunely. They returned to 
Noyon witli upward of fifteen English prisoners, whom they be- 
headed. 

The English continued their march in battle array, intending to 
enter the Laonnois, and to cross the river Oise* and Aine.t They 
committed no devastation in the county of Soissons, because it be. 
longed to tlie lord de Coucy. True it is, they were fcllowed and 
watched by some lords of France, such as the viscount de Meaux, 
the lord de Cliauny, lord Raoul de Coucy, lord William de Melun, 
son of the count de Tancarville, and their tbrces ; so that the Eng- 
lish, not daring to quit their line of march, kept in a compact body. 
The Frencli did not attacli them, but every niglit took up their 
quarters in castles or strong towns ; while the English encamped in 
the open plains, where they found provision in (ilenlyand ne^v wine, 
with which they made very free. Tims did tliey advance, burning, 
ravaging, and oppressing all the country, when they crossed the 
river Marne,t and entered Champagne, and then passed the Aube,§ 
returning to the country about Provins :|| wlicn tliey several times 
passed the Seine, and made appearances of marching toward Paris ; 
for they had heard that the king of France had collected a large 
force of mcn-at-arras under the command of the count de St. Pol 
and the lord de Clisson, with whom they were very eager to engage, 
and for tliat end made every preparation as if they only wished for 
the combat. Upon tliis, the king of France wrote to sir Bertrand 
du Guesclin, who was in Aquitaine with the duke of Anjou, to 
order him, as soon as he should have read tlic letters, to set out for 
France, as he intended to employ him in another part of his kingdom. 

Pope Urban V. came back about this time to Avignon, after hav- 
ing resided nearly four years at Rome. He returned, in the hope of 
making peace between tlie two kings : for this renewal of war was 
very displeasing to him. All those of Avignon and the country 
around it were very happy at the return of the pope, as they thought 
it would be more advantageous for them. 

We will now say how the prince of Wales carried on his affairs. 



CHAPTER CCLXXXVII. 

THE PKIKOE OF WALES ASSEMBLES HIS AKMY AT COGNAC, WHERE HE 
MEETS HIS BROTHER THE DUKE OF LANCASTER. THE DUKES Or AN.IOU 
ANO BERRY BREAK UP THEIR EXPEDITION, LIMOGES HAVING TURNED TO 
THE FRENCH. 

You have before heard of the prince of Wales fixing his rendez- 
vous at Cognac, with the intent of advancing to combat the duke of 
Anjou, who was burning and despoiling his territories. The barons, 
knights, and squires of Poitou and Saintonge, and all who were vas- 
sals to the prince, hastened to obey his summons. The carl of Pem- 
broke quitted his garrison, with a hundred lances, and came to meet 
him. The duke of Lancaster and his army arrived about this time 
at Bordeaux, at which the country rejoiced much. He made not any 
long stay there ; for, hearing that the prince was about to march 
against his enemies, he departed, and met, one day's march from 
Cognac, the earl of Pembroke, who was likewise going thither. 
They were very happy to see each other, and rode together to Cog- 
nac, where they found the prince, princess, and earl of Cambridge, 
who were greatly pleased at their arrival. Men-at-arms daily came 
in from Poitou, Saintonge, La Roehelle, Bigorre, Gorre, Gascony, 
and the surrounding coimtries under the obedience of the prince. 

The duke of Anjou, the count d'Armagnac, the lord d'Albret, and 
the counts, viscounts, knights, and squires of that army, who as be- 
fore has been related, conquered cities, towns, and fortresses to the 
number of more than forty, by merely showing themselves before 
them, and who had advanced within fifteen leagues of Bordeaux, 
burning and ravaging the country round Bergerac and Linde, hearing 
that the prince had summoned his forces to meet him at Cognac, and 
that the duke of Lancaster was arrived with a strong body of men- 
at-arms and archers from England, called a council to consider what 
measures would be now most proper for them to pursue. It was at 
this time that the king of France had sent back sir Bertrand du 
Guesclin to the duke of Berry, who was besieging the city of Limo- 
ges, and had pressed it so hard that it was upon the point of surren- 
dering, but upon good terms. Sir Bertrand was summoned to 
attend this council of the duke of Anjou, as was right, and many 
were the debates at it. At last, after well considering the business, 
the duke of Anjou was advised, for the present, to break up this 
expedition, to order his men to different garrisons, and to carry on 
the war from thence, as he had done sufficient in the open field. 
It was therefore highly behoving the lords of Gascony who were 
present, such as the count d'Amiagnae, the count de Perigord, the 
lore d'Albret, and others, to retire to their own country to guard and 
defend it ; for they knew not what the prince might be inclined to 

* "Oise"— a river in Picardy— rises in Hainault. 

t " Aine"— or Aisne, a river wliich rises in Champagne, and joins the Oise a. little 
above Conipiegne. 

X " Marne"— a large river wliich rises near Bassiny. 

§ '* Aube"— a considerable river in Champagne. It rises at Auberive, near Langres. 

tl " Provins"— an ancient town of Brie, on the Morin, which runs uito the Manic, 22 
leagues from Paris. 



do with so large an army. They then separated, each going on his 
own business. The duke of Anjou returned to the city of Cahors: 
his men and the free companies spread themselves over the country 
which they had conquered, and quartered themselves in diflerent gar- 
risons. The count d'Armagnac and the other lords went to their 
homes, and amply stored their towns and castles with all sorts of 
provision and artillery, as if they expected a war : they ordered out 
their vassals, and trained them to defend their country should 
need be. 

We will now speak of sir Bertrand du Guesclin, who, on his 
departure from the duke of Anjou, marched witli his men to the 
siege of Limoges, where the duke of Bourlion, and the great knights 
of France were employed. The French were in high spirits on the 
arrival of sir Bertrand, and it was a grand piece of news both within 
as well as witliout the city. He immediately followed up some 
treaties which had been before opened between the bishop and 
citizens with the duke of Berry, and managed that they were con. 
eluded by the bishop and citizens turning to the French. The dukes 
of Berry and Bourbon, sir Guy de Blois, and the lords of France, 
entered the town w-ilh great state, when they received from the 
inhabitants their homage and fealty. After they had rested them- 
selves for three days, they followed the same resolutions as had been 
determined upon in the council held by the duke of Anjou, and 
each man retired to his own country to guard his towns and castles 
against sir Robert KnoUes, who still kept his ground in France, and 
also because they had done enough by taking such a city as Limoges. 
The lords then separated, but sir Bertrand remained in Limousin 
with two hundred lances, which he posted in the castles of the lord 
de Maleval, who had turned to the French. 

When the duke of Berry left Limoges, he ordered into the city, 
at the request of the bishop, sir John de Villemur, sir Hugh de la 
Roche, and Roger de Beaufort, with one hundred men-at.anns. He 
then retreated to Berry, and the duke of Bourbon to the Bourbon- 
nois. The other lords who had come from distant parts went to 
their different countries. 

We will now return to the prince. 



CHAPTER CCLXXXVIII. 

THE PRINCE OF WALES, ANXIOUS TO RECOVER LIMOGES, LAVS SIEGE TO IX, 
AND UNDERMINES IT. 

When intelligence was brought to the prince that the city of Li- 
moges had become French, that the bishop, who had been his com- 
panion, and one in whom he used to place great confidence, was a 
parly to all the treaties, and had been much aiding and assisting in 
the surrender, he was in a violent passion, and held the bishop and 
all other churchmen in very low estimation, in whom formerly he 
had put gieat trust. He swore by the soul of his father, which he 
had never perjured, that he would have it back again, that he would 
not attend to anything before ho had done this, and that he would 
make the inhabitants pay dearly for their treachery. When the 
greater part of his forces were arrived, he mustered them : they 
amounted to twelve hundred lances, knights and squires, a thousand 
archers, and a thousand footmen. They marched from the town of 
Cognac. Sir Thomas Felton and the captal de Buch remained at 
Bergerac, to guard that frontier against the French and the free com- 
panies who were dispersed over that part of the eountr)'. 

With the prince were, his brothers of Lancaster and Cambridge, 
sir Guiscard d'Angle, sir Louis de Harcourt, the lords de Pons, de 
Partenay, de Pinane, de Tannaybouton, sir Percival du Coulogne, 
sir Geoffry d'Argenton, Poitevins : of Gascons there were, the lords 
de Montferrant, de Chaumonf, de Longueren, sir Aimery de Tharse, 
the lords de Pommiers, de Mucident, de I'Esparre, the souldich de 
la Trane,* the lord de Gironde and several more : of English there 
were, lord Thomas Percy, the lord Roos, sir William Beauchamp, 
sir Michael de la Pole, sir Stephen Cossington, sir Richard de Pont- 
chardon, sir Baldwin de Franville, sir Simon Burley, the earl of An- 
gus, sir John Devereux, sir William Neville, and more whom I can. 
not name : of Hainaulters, were sir Eustace d'Ambreticourt : of the 
free companies, sir Perducas d'Albret, Naudon de B^gerant, Lanuit, 
the bourg de I'Esparre, the bourg de Breteuil, Espiote, Bernard de 
Wist, and others. 

All these men-at-arms were drawn out in battle an'ay, and took 
the field, when the whole country began to tremble for the conse- 
quences. At that time the prince of Wales was not able to inouixt 
his horse, but was, for his greater ease, carried in a litter. They 
followed the road to Limousin, in order to get to Limoges, where in 
due time they arrived and encamped all round it. The prince swore 
he would never leave the place until he had regained it. The bishop 
of the place and the inhabitants found they had acted too wickedly, 
and had greatly incensed the prince ; for which they were very re- 
pentant, but that was now of no avail, as they were not the mastere 
of the town. Sir John de Villemur, sir Hugh de la Roche, and Roger 



*" " The souldich de la Trane." See Anstis, vol. ii. where there is a long account of 
him. and mention also is made of tlie lords de Montferrant and de I'Esparre. CA pedi- 
gree of the family is given, and it is clearl/ shown that the name of Souldich de la 
Trane, or more properly Tran, was only a title, and that his family name was de Preii- 
sac— Ed.1 



200 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



de Beaufort, who commanded in it, did all tliey could to comfort 
them by saying, " Gentlemen, do not be alarmed : we are sufficiently 
strong to hold out against the aniiy of the prince : he cannot take us 
by assault, nor greatly hurt us, for we are well supplied with artil- 
lery." 

When the prince and his marshals had well considered the strength 
and force of Limoges, and knew the number of gentlemen that were 
in it, they agreed that they could never take it by assault, but said 
they would attempt it by another manner. The prince was always 
accustomed to carry with him, in his expeditions, a large body of 
miners : these were immediately set to work, and made great pro- 
gress. The knights who were in the town soon perceived they were 
undermining them, and on that account began to countermine, to 
prevent tlie effect. But we will now leave the prince a little, to re- 
turn to sir Robert Knolles. 



CHAPTER CCLXXXIX. 

SIR ROBERT KNOLLES, IN CONTINUING IIIS INCURSIONS THROUGH DIFFER- 
ENT PROVINCES OF FRANCE, ADVANCES NEAR TO PARIS. A ZNIGHT OF 
HIS ARMY IN RETURNING FROM A VAINGLORIOUS EXPEDITION, IS SLAIN 
BY A BUTCHER OF PARIS. 

Sir Robert Knolles, as has been before related, had entered France 
■with a hirge body of men, and was marching by short stages through 
that kingdom with a magnificence for which the people and the rich 
provinces paid dearly. The English, as they advanced and retreated, 
did infinite mischief, at the same time showing as if they only wished 
for a battle. Having passed through the countries of Artois, Ver- 
mandois, the bishopric of Laon, the archbishopric of Rheinis in Cham- 
pagne, they returned into Brie, and from thence came near to Paris, 
and quartered themselves for a day and two nights in the villages 
around it. 

King Charles of France was at that time in the city, and he could 
see from his palace of St. Pol the fire and smoke which the enemy 
were making in the Gatinois. There were also in the city the con- 
stable of France sir Moreau de Fiennes, the count de St. Pol, the 
count de Tancarville, the count de Saltzburg, the viscount Meau.v, 
sir Raoul de Coucy, the seneschal of Hainault, sir Odoart de Renii, 
sir Enguerrand d'Audin, the lord de Ch-lteau-julien, sir John de 
Vienne, the lord de la Riviere, and many more great knights and 
valorous men of France, but not one of them sallied forth, for the king 
had strictly forbidden them so to do. The lordde Clisson, who was 
of the king's cabinet council, and more listened to than the rest, 
said everything he could to prevent any knight from quitting the 
town, adding, among other things, " Sire, why should you employ 
your men against these madmen ? Let them go about their busi- 
ness. They cannot take your inheritance from you, nor drive you 
out of it by smoke." 

The count de St. Pol, the viscount de Rohan, sir Raoul de Coucy, 
the lords de Canin, de Cresquos, sir Odoart de Renti and sir En- 
guerrand d'-\udin, were at the barriers of St. James's gate. Now 
it happened one Tuesday morning, when the English began to de- 
camp, and had set fire to all the villages wherein they were lodged, 
so that the fires were distinctly seen from Paris, a knight of their 
army, who iiad made a vow the preceding day that he would advance 
as far as the barriers and strike them with his lance, did not break 
his oath, but set oft' with his lance in his hand, his target on liis 
neck, and completely armed except his helmet, and spurring his 
steed, was followed by his squire on another courser carrying the 
helmet. When he approached Paris, he put on the helmet, which 
his squire laced behind. He then galloped away, sticking spurs into 
his horse, and advanced prancing to strike the barriers. They were 
then open ; and the lords and barons within imagined he intended 
to enter the town, but he did not mean any such thing, for, having 
struck the gates according to his vow, he checked his horse and 
turned about. The French knights who saw him thus retreat cried 
out to him, •' Get away ! get away ! thou hast well acquitted thy- 
self." As for the name of this knight, I am ignorant of it, nor do I 
know from what country he came ; but he bore for his arms gules b. 
deux fousses noir, with une bordure noire non endentee. However, 
an adventure befel him, from which he had not so fortunate an es. 
cape. On his return, he met a butcher on the pavement in the sub- 
urbs, a very strong man, who had noticed him as he had passed 
him, and who had in his band a very sharp and heavy hatchet with 
a long handle. As the knight was returning alone, and in a care- 
less manner, the valiant butcher came on one side of him, and gave 
him such a blow between the shoulders that he fell on his horse's 
neck : he recovered himself, but the butcher repeated the blow on 
his head so that the axe entered it. The knight, through excess of 
pain, fell to the earth ; and the horse galloped away to the squire, 
who was wailing for his master in the fields at the extremity of the 
suburbs. The squire caught the courser, but wondered what was 
become of his master ; for he had seen him gallop to the barriers. 
Strike them, and then turn about to come back. He therefore set 
out to look for him ; but he had not gone many paces before he saw 
him in the hands of four fellows, who were beating him as if they 
were hammering on an anvil : this so much frightened the squire 
that he dared not advance further, for he saw he could not give him 
tny effectual assistance : he therefore returned as speedily as he 



could. Thus was this knight slain : and thoee lords who were posted, 
at the barriers had him buried in huly ground. The squire returned 
to the army, and related the misfortune which had befallen his mas- 
ter. All his brother-warriors were greatly angered thereat : and they 
marched to take up their quarters for the night, between Montle. 
hei-y* and Paris, upon a small river, where they encamped at an early 
hour in the day. 

CHAPTER CCXC. 

SIR BERTRAND DU GUESCLIN TAKES THE FORTRESS OF ST. YRIER IN LIMOU 
SIN. THE PRINCE OF WALES RECONQUERS LIMOGES. 

During the time sir Robert Knolles was employed in this expedi- 
tion, and the prince of Wales with his two brothers were at the siege 
of Limoges, sir Bertrand du Guesclin with his company, amounting 
to about two hundred lances, marched through a part of Limousin, 
but did not encamp in the open plain for fear of the English. He 
retreated every night into some of the strong places which had lately 
turned to the French : in that number were the castles of sir Louis 
de Maleval and sir Raymond de Marneil, and several others : from 
thence he made daily excursions to conquer other towns and castles. 
The prince knew well all this ; for he received every day informa- 
tion of what was passing, as well as complaints on the subject; but 
he would not break up his siege, for he had too much at heart the 
loss of Limoges. Sir Bertrand entered the viscounty of Limoges, a 
territory which was dependent on lord John de Montfort, duke 
of Brittany, in the name of the widow of lord Charles de Blois, to 
whom it had formerly belonged. He made war upon it without any 
opposition ; for the duke of Brittany did not imagine sir Bertrand 
would cany the war into any part of his property. He came before 
St. Yrier,t where there were not any gentlemen that knew how to 
defend it ; and the inhabitants were so frightened, they surrendered 
themselves under the obedience of the duchess dowager of Brittany, 
in whose name the war was made. The Bretons formed St. Yrier 
into a considerable garrison ; by which means they took many other 
towns in Limousin. But let us return to the prince. 

The prince of Wales remained about a month, and not more, be- 
fore the city of Limoges : he would not allow of any assaults or 
skirmishing, but kept his miners steadily at work. The knights in 
the town perceived what they were about, and made countermines 
to destroy them ; but they failed in their attempt. When the miners 
of the prince (who, as they found themselves countermined, kept 
changing the line of direction of their own mine) had finished their 
business, they came to the prince, and said : " My lord, we are ready, 
and will throw down, whenever you please, a very large part of the 
wall into the ditch, through the breach of which you may enter the 
town at your ease and without danger." This news was very agree- 
able to the prince, who replied, " I wish then that you would prove 
your words to-morrow morning at six o'clock." The miners set fire 
to the combustibles in the mine ; and on the morrow morning, as they 
had foretold the prince, they flung down a great piece of wall, which 
filled the ditches. The English saw this with pleasure, for they 
were all armed and prepared to enter the town. Those on foot did 
so, and ran to the gate, which they destroyed as well as the barriers, 
for there were no other defences ; and all this was done so suddenly 
that the inhabitants had not time to prevent it. 

The prince, the duke of Lancaster, the earls of Cambridge and of 
Pembroke, sir Guiscard d'.\ngle and the others, with their men, 
rushed into the town. You would then have seen pillagers, active 
to do mischief, running through the town, slaying men, women and 
children, according to their orders. It was a most melancholy busi- 
ness ; for all ranks, ages and sexes cast themselves on their knees 
before the prince, begging for mercy ; but he was so inflamed with 
passion and revenge that he listened to none, but all were put to the 
sword, wherever they could be found, even those who were not 
guilty : for I know not why the poor were not spared, who could 
not have had any part in this treason ; but they suffered for it, and 
indeed more than those who had been the leaders of the treachery. 
There was not that day in the city of Limoges any hearts so har- 
dened, or that had any sense of religion, who did not deeply bewail 
the unfortunate events passing before their eyes ; for upward of three 
thousand men, women and children were put to death that day. God 
have mercy on their souls ! for they were veritable martyrs. 

A company of English, in entering the town, hastened to the 
palace of the bishop, whom they there found and took prisoner, carry- 
ing him, without any regard to his dignity, to the prince of Wales, 
who, eyeing him indignantly, told him that his head should be cut 
ofl', and ordered him out of his presence. 

We will now speak of those knights who were in the town, sir 
John do Villemur, sir Hugh de la Roche, and Roger do Beaufort, 
son to the count de Beaufort, governors of the city. When they 
perceived the tribulation which was overpowering them, they said : 
" We shall all be slain for a certainty, if we do not gallantly defend 
ourselves : let us therefore sell our lives as dearly as good knights 
ouo-ht to do." Upon this, sir John do Villemur said to Roger de 
Beaufort, " You must be knighted." Roger replied, " Sir, I have 
not as yet signalized myself sufficiently for that honor, but I thank 



* " Montleliery'*— a town m the Isle of France, seven leagues from Paris. 
t " St. Yrier"— a village in Limousin, election ofTuUes. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



20r 



you much for your good opinion in suggcsiing it to me." No more 
was said, for tliey had not time to Iiold I'urtiier conversation. They 
collected in a body, and, placing themselves before an old wall, sir 
John de Villeniiir and sir Hugh de la Roche displayed their baimers, 
and drew up in good order. They might be, in the whole, about 
fourscore. The duke of Lancaster and the earl of Cambridge, with 
their men, advanced upon them, and dismounted, to be on an equality 
with the enemy. They attacked them with hearty good will. You 
may easily imagine that this handful of men could not resist the 
English, but were all slain or made prisoner?. 




Sack op Limoges. From a MS. Froissart of the loth century. 



The duke of Lancaster was engaged for a long time with sir John 
de Villemur, who was a hardy knight, strong and well made. The 
carl of Cambridge singled out sir Hugh de la Roche, and the earl 
of Pembroke Roger de Beaufort, who was but a simple esquire. 
These three Frenchmen did many valorous deeds of arms, as all 
allowed, and ill did it betide those who approached too near. The 
prince, coming that way in his carriage, looked on the combat with 
great pleasure, and enjoyed it so much that his heart was softened 
and his anger appeased. After the combat had lasted a consider- 
able time, the Frenchmen, with one accord, viewing their swords, 
said, "My lords, we are yours : you have vanquished us: there- 
fore act according to the law of arms." '• By God," replied the duke 
of Lancaster, "sir Jo'ui, we do not intend otherwise, and we accept 
you for our prisoners." Thus, as I have been informed, were these 
three knights taken. But the business was not here ended, for the 
whole town was pillaged, burnt, and totally destroyed. The Eng- 
lish then departed, carrying with them their booty and prisoners. 
They marched to Cognac, where the princess had remained, and 
there the prince disbanded his forces, not intending to do anything 
more that season ; for he did not feel himself at his ease, as every 
exertion aggravated his disorder, which was increasing, to the great 
dismay of his brothers and all those about him. 

I must inform you how the bishop of Limoges escaped with im- 
prisonment, who had been in imminent danger of his life. The duke 
of Lancaster asked him of the prince, who consented, and ordered 
him to be given up to the duke, for him to do with according as he 
willed. The bishop having good fiiends, they sent information of 
hJ6 situation to the pope, who had lately arrived at .A.vignon ; and 
fortunate was it for the bishop they did so, otherwise he would have 
been a dead man. The pope wrote such pressing and kind letters 
to the duke of Lancaster, to request he would give him the bishop, 
that he was unwilling to refuse, and sent him to the pope, who felt 
exceedingly obliged for it. 

We will now say what was going forward in France. 



CHAPTER CCXCI. 

SIR BERTRAND DU BtJESCLIN IS JIADE CONSTABLE OF FRANCE. 

The king of France was informed of the conquest and destruction 
■of Limoges, and how the prince and his army had left it empty aad 



deserted, which ve.xed him much on account of the distress and loss 
cf the late inhabitants. It was therefore thought advisable in a 
council of nobles and prelates, as well as by the common assent of 
the whole kingdom, to elect a chief or commander, called a constable 
(for sir Moreau de Fiennes wished to resign the office) who was a 
valiant and enterprising man, and one to whom all knights and squires 
would pay proper deference. After all things had been well con- 
sidered, they unanimously elected sir Bertrand du Guesclin (provided 
he would undertake the office,) as the most valiant, the best informed, 
the most virtuous and fortunate in conducting affairs for the crown 

of France of all 
those who were 
bearing arms in its 
defence. The king 
wrote to him by 
messengers, for 
him to come to- 
Paris. Those sent 
found him in the 
viscounty of Limo- 
ges, taking castles 
and forts, which 
he put under the 
obedience of mad- 
ame de Bretagne, 
widow of the late 
lord Charles de 
Blois. He had 
lately taken a town 
called Brantome,*" 
whose inhabitants 
had surrendered 
themselves to him, 
and was then on an 
e.xpedition against 
another. 

When the king's 
messengers came 
to him, he received 
them handsomely, 
as he knew well 
how to do. They 
gave him their let- 
ter, and delivered 
their message word 
for word. When 
sir Bertrand thus 
saw himself spe. 
cially ordered, he 
was unwilling to make any more excuses for not waiting on the king 
of France to know his will : he set out as soon as possible, having 
ordered all his men into the garrisons which he had conquered^ 
and appointed his nephew, sir Olivier de JVIauny, commander over 
them. He rode on to Paris, where he found the king surrounded 
by a number of the lords of his council. He was received by all 
%\'ith great pleasure ; and the king told him of his being chosen 
constable of France. On hearing which, sir Bertrand modestly 
and sagely excused himself, saying, " he wa.s not worthy of it : that 
he was a poor knight and simple bachelor, in comparison with the 
great lords and valorous men of France, however fortune might have 
been favorable to him." The king replied, " that his excuses would 
be of no avail ; that he must consent to accept this diirnitv, for it 
had been so determined by the decision of the whole of the" council 
of France, and that he would not break through such a resolution." 
Sir Bertrand used other arguments to excuse himself ; addino- "Dear 
lord and noble king, I cannot, I dare not, whatever I may wish, op- 
pose what may be your good pleasure : but in truth I am too poor 
a man, and of low extraction, for the office of constable, which is 
so grand and noble that it is proper for those (who wish to exercise 
it justly and honorably) to command and keep a strict eye more 
upon the great than the poor. Now Sir, here are my lords your 
brothers, your nephews and your cousins, who will have diflerent 
commands in your armies, and in various expeditions; and how 
shall I dare to order them ? Certainly, my dear lord, envy and 
jealousy are so much abroad, I ought to be on my guard against 
them ; I therefore entreat you will not insist on my taking this office 
but give it to some other who will readily accept it, and, who knows 
better than I do how to execute it." The king made answer: "Sir 
Bertrand, that excuse will not serve you ; for I have neither brother 
nephew, cousin, count or baron in my realm but who will obey your 
orders ; and should any one act otherwise, he would so an^er me that 
he should soon feel the eflects of it : I therefore beg of you to accept 
this office with a good will." 

Sir Bertrand, finding that no excuse nor anything he could say 
would be listened to, accepted the king's offer, but it was much 
against his inclination. He was invested with the office of constable , 
and the king, to show him greater affection, made him be seated at 
his table, and gave him, besides this office, many rich gifts and large 



* " Brantome"— a town in Perigord, diocese of Perisueux. 



202 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



domains in land, for liim and liis heir?, 
very aclive in forwarding this promotion. 



Tlie duke, of Anjou was 



CHAPTER CCXCII. 

SIB BERTRAND DU GrESCLIN AND THE LORD BE CLISSOX DEFEAT THE 
FORCES OF .SIR ROBERT KNOLLES AT PONT-VALIN.* 

Soon after sir Bertraiid du Guesclin had been invested with the 
dignity of constable, he told the king he wished to form an expedi. 
tion against sir Robert KnoUes and his forces, who were at that time 
on tl;e Ijorders of Maine and Anjou. This was very agreeable to 
the king, who said to him, '■ Take any number of racn-at-arms you 
please, and whatever else you may thirds right." The constable 
made every necessary preparation, and collected a large body of 
men.at-arnis, Bretons and others, and nunxhed toward Maine, taking 
with him the lord de Clisson. The const:ible came to the city of 
Mans, where he fi.xe<l liis head.quarters, and the lord de Clisson in 
another town hard by ; they might be about five hundred lances. 

Sir Robert Knolles and his army were still in that part of the 
country, but did not agree very well together ; for there was an 
English knight among them, called sir John Mcnstreworth.t who 
always oljjected to wliat others proposed, and said tliey only wasted 
their time in these expeditions, and wore down and fatigued the men 
without doing anything cssenrial, or making any conquest. This 
knight, who commanded a large force, and had some able men-at- 
arms with him, left the others. Sir Robert Knolles and sir Aleyne 
BoxhuU, however, kept togethei", and were quartered pretty near to 
Mans. Sir Thoma.s Grantsoji, sir Gilbert Gifford, sir Gcoflry Worsley, 
and sir William Neville, were quartered a good day's march in the 
rear. 

When sir Robert Knolles and sir Aleyne Bo.vhull heard that the 
constable of France and the lord de Clisson were come into those 
parts, they were much rejoiced, and said, " It will be well for us to 
collect our forces more together, and post ourselves to our advantage 
in this country ; for sir Bertrand, in the novelty of office, is certainly 
come to look at us, and he would not have been happy if he had not 
made this expedition. We have already rode through the realm of 
France without meeting with any hindrance. Let \is inform sir 
Hugh Calvcrley (who is at Saumur on the Loire,) and sir Robert 
Cheney, sir Robert Briquet, and the other captains of companies who 
are near us, of our situation and intentions, who will willingly hasten 
to join us. We may therefore fall upon this new constable, and the 
lord de Clisson, who is so much our enemy ;t and we shall make a 
handsome finish to our campaign." Between sir Robert Knolles, sir 
Aleyne Boxhiill, and sir John Seton, there was not any diflerence of 
opinion ; and they acted always in unison. They immediately sent 
oiT messengers secretly to sii Hugh Calverley, sir Robert Briquet, and 
the others, with letters to inform them how they were situated, and 
to propose that they should join in an attack upon the French. They 
signified the same to sir Tnomas Grantson, sir Gilbert Gifford, sir 
Geoffry Worsley and the others, desiring them to advance to a place 
which they pointed out to them, for tliey were in hopes to engage the 
French who had come on this expedition. Upon receiving this intel- 
ligence, they all made ready with great cheerfulness to join their 
companies, amounting to about two hundred spears. This matter, 
however, w'as not earned on so secretly but that sir Bertrand and 
the lord de Clisson got wind of it, and knew also what was intended 
on the junction of their forces : they therefore armed themselves 
during the night, and, marching with their men and garrisons, took 
the field. Tliis same night, sir Thomas Grantson, sir Geoffry Worsley, 
sir Gilbert Gifl jrd, sir William Neville, and the others, had left their 
quarters, and advanced toward sir Robert Knolles and sir Aleyne 
BoxhuU, to a spot where they expected to find them. But their 
march was shortened ; for, directly at a place called Pont-valin, they 
were met by the French, who immediately charged them, and sur- 
rounded them, as they were full four hundred lances, and the English 
about two hundred. The battle was sharp and long, and well fouglit 
on both sides. As soon as they met, they dismounted, and attacked 
each other most valiantly with spears and swords. The French 
gained the victory over the English, who were all slain or made 
prisoners ; for not an Englishman fled, except some of the pages or 
sen'ants, who, mounting their masters' coursers, made off as fast as 



possible when they saw they were defeated. Among the pnsoners 
were, sir Thomas Grantson, sir CJilbert Gifford, sir GeofiVy Worsley, 
sir William Neville, sir Philip Courtenay, sir Hugh Despencer, and 
many more knights and squires, who were all conducted to the city 
of Mans. Intelligence of this was speedily spread over the countiy, 
and soon known to sir Robert Knolles, sir Hugh Calverley and the 
others, who were much vexed thereat, and broke up their intended 
attack, through this unexpected event. Those at Saumur, as well 
as in other quarters, remained quiet. Sir Robert Knolles and sic 
Aleyne BoxhuU made a handsome retreat into Brittany, for they 
were not far distant. Sir Robert went to his castle of DeiTal, where 
he gave orders to all his men-at-arms and archers to go wherever 
they might find profit or honor, and several returned to England, 
whence they had come. Sir Aleyne BoxhuU went to pass the winter 
in his town of St. Sauveur le Vioomte, which the king of England 
had given to him. 

After the defeat of Pont-valin, where a part of the English were 
slain and the remainder put to the rout, so that the expedition was 
ruined, sir Bertrand du Guesclin (whose entrance into the tiffice of 
constable had been thus fortunately signalized, in a way to gain him 
great honor and reputation) came to Paris, accompanied by the lord 
de Clisson, and bringing w ilh them the greater part of the prisoners, 
to whom they behaved very handsomely, allowing them to go at 
large on their parole for their ransom. They neither shut them up 
in prison, nor put on shackles and fetters, as the Germans do in order 
to obtain a heavier ransom. Curses on them for it. Tliese people 
are without pity or honor, and they ought never to receive quarter. 
The French entertained their prisoners well, and ransomed them 
courteously without being too hard with them. 

The prince of Wales, the duke of Lancaster and all the English, 
who, after the conquest and vengeance taken on Limoges, had retired 
to Cognac, were much dismayed by the defeat at Pont-valin. 

This year, about Christmas, Pojie Urban V. died at Avignon. He 
was a learned and wise man, and a good Frenchman. The cardinals 
assembled in conclave to choose a successor, when they unanimously 
elected the cardinal de Beaufort, who took the name of pope Gregory 
XI. The king of France was well pleased with this creation and 
divine election, for he knew him to be a loyal Frenchman and a 
jirudent man. The duke of Anjou was at Avignon during the con- 
clave, and took much pains that he should be elected pope. 



* Pont-valin— a town in Anjou, election ol la Flei-Iie. 

t " Sir John Wenslreworlh.'' Froissart calls liiin Maistrurde. I Jiave followed 
Barnes, wtio a (Ills that he was atmilor, soldtolhe French, and, having embezzled larse 
Bums destined for the pay of the army, was afraid tu he called to an account for thorn. 

X The lord dc Clisson, so mvch oiiraiemt/. His quarrel with thednke of Brittany and 
the Enyli-sh. to wlioni he had always been attached, was caused hy tjie duke's refusal of 
a request he made for the lordship of Gavre, which was very convenient to him. and 
near his castie of Clein. 

When he asked for it, tlie duke said he liad disposed of it in f ivor of sir John Chandos. 
to whom he had essential obligations. Clisson. eiirai;ed at this preference, swore he 
would never have an Englishman for his neighbor, set lire to tlie house, and had the 
stones carrifid to Blein, usins them to fortify tliis castle. lie conceived so mortal a lialreil 
to the English that he embraced the party of the countess dePenthievre, on whom heliad 
before made war, and accepted the lieutenancy of Urittaiiy under her, and the guard of 
all the places she had there. This change of conduct introduced him to the service of 
Charles V. who .admitted him to his councils, loaded htm with gifts, and gave him the 
iis-wnnanry-eennalieTonrame.-Mi moires dc Bertrand du G aaclin, par UiRviLLE, 
vol, i. p, 210, note. 



CHAPTER CCXCIII. 

SIR EUSTACE D'AMBRETICOURT IS MADE PRISONER AND RANSOMED. SII 
RAVMOND DE MARNEIL, A PARTISAN OF FRANCE, IS TAKEN, AN3 IK 
IMMINENT DANGER, BUT SAVED BY HIS EEETEE. 

A VERY unfortunate adventure befel sir Eustace d'Ainbreticourt 
much about this time. As he was riding one day through Limousin, 
he came in the evening to the castle of the lord de Pierre Buffiere, 
which he entered, thinking him a fiiend, a brother soldier, and a good 
EngUshmo.M. But PieiTe Buffiere had given up his castle to Thibaut 
du Pont, a man-at-arms from Brittany, and his company. Thibaut 
seized sir Eustace, who was not any way on his guard, made him 
his prisoner, and afterwards ransomed him for twelve thousand francs, 
of which he paid down four thousand, and left his son, Francois 
d'Ainbreticourt, his hostage for the remainder to the duke of Bour- 
bon, who had gone security for hint, and had taken great pains to 
obtain his liberty, because sir Eustace had been very active in ob- 
taining the freedom of the lady his mother, when she had been made 
prisoner by the free companies at Belleperchc. After he had obtained 
his liberty, sir Eustace w ent and resided in Carentan, beyond the 
fords of St. Clement in lower Normandy, a ver}' handsome towa 
which the king of Navarre had given him, and where he died. God 
have mercy on his soul ! for while he lived and remained in the 
world he was a most valiant knight. 

Nearly at this period, sir Raymond de Marneil, who had changed 
his party from the English to the French, was returning to his own 
country from Paris, when he met with a disagreeable accident. On 
his road he encountered a body of English, belonging to the forces 
of sir Hugh Calverley, commanded by a knight of Poitou, and came 
so suddenly among tliem that he coidd not escape : he was thus 
taken, and carried prisoner to the castle of the knight in Poitou. 
The capture of sir Raymond was known in England, and came to 
the king's knowledge, who immediately wrote to the knight, ordering 
him to send that enemy and traitor sir Raymond de Marneil directly 
to England, on whom he would wreak such vengeance as should 
serve as an example to all others ; and that he w ould pay him six 
thousand francs for his ransom. Sir Geoffry d'Argenton, who had 
taken sir Raymond, was not willing to disobey the orders of his 
sovereign and lord, and replied he would punctually follow his com- 
mands. Sir Raymond de Marneil was informed that the king of 
England wished to have his person, and had sent orders to that effect; 
and also that .sir Geoffry was determined to obey him. He was there. 
fore more alarmed than ever, and not without reason. He began to 
utter in his prison the most piteous moans, insomuch that the person 
who f^uarded him, and w as an Englishman, began to compassionate 
him, and gently to soothe him. Sir Raymond, who saw no rays of 
comfort in his distress, since he was to be sent to England, at last 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



203- 



opened his mind to his keeper. " My friend," suid he, " if you will 
engage to deliver me from the peril in which I am, I will promise 
and swear on my loyalty to divide half and half with you all my 
landed possessions, which you shall have for yonr inheritance ; and 
never as long as I live will I be wanting to you in whatever manner 
you may please." The Englishman, who was poor, considered that 
sir Raymond was in danger of his life, and as he had promised him 
such a handsome recompense to save it, he tjok compassion on him, 
and said he would do all he could to serve him. Sir Raymond heard 
this with great joy, and swore upon his honor to perform strictly what 
he had promised, and even more if he insisted upon it. Upon which 
they consulted how they could best bring this business to a happy end. 
When night came, the Englishman, who kept tho keys of the 
tower of the castle where sir Raymond lay, opened his prison and a 
postcm-gate, from which they issued into tho ])Iain, and made for a 
wood, to prevent themselves being overtaken. They were in greater 
distress all the night than can be imagined ; for they marched seven 
leagues on foot, and it had frozen so hard that their feet were all cut 
and torn. At last, however, at the dawn they came to a French 
fortress, where they were heartily received by the companions who 
guarded it. Sir Raymond related to them his adventures, and they 
all returned thanks to God for his fortunate escape. In truth, when 
the knight on the morro^v found they had gone off, he sent horsemen 
everywhere round the country in search of them, but in vain, [n 
tins manner did sir Raymond de Mariieil escape from such imminent 
danger. He returned to Limousin, and told all his friends his great 
obligations to the English squire. The Englishman was much hon- 
ored by them, and sir Raymond wanted to divide his estate with him ; 
but he refused to accept so much, and would only take two hundred 
livrcs a-year, adding that was fully sufficient for the support of him- 
self in his situation. 



CHAPTER CCXCIV. 

THE PRINCE OF WALES, HAVING LOST BY DEATU HIS ELDEST SO.V, 
GIVES UP THE DUCHY OF AQCITAINE TO THE EARE OF THE DUKE OF 
LANCASTER. FOUR KNIGHTS OF liKITTANY TAKE THE CASTLE OF 
MONT-PAON.* 

At this time, the eldest son of the prince and princess of Wales 
died in the city of Bordeaux. They were exceedingly grieved at 
this eveiit, and not without reason. The prince was advised to re- 
turn to England, as perhaps he might there recover his health ; and, 
as this advice was given him by his physicians and surgeons, he 
agreed to it. Preparations were made for his departure ; and, I be. 
lieve, the earls of Cambridge and Pembroke were ordered to return 
with him to bear him company. 

When the prince was about to leave Aquitaine, and his vessel 
was in the harbor of Bordeaux, on the river Garonne, where he had 
arrived with the princess and the young Richard, his son, he issued 
from the city of Bordeaux a special summons to all the barons and 
knights of Gascony and Poitou, and to all others over whom he was 
lord or who depended on him. When they were arrived, and assem- 
bled before him in his hall of audience, he addressed them by say- 
ing, " that during the time he had been their prince, he had always 
maintained them in peace, prosperity, and i)ower, as far as depended 
on him, against all tiieir enemies ; but that now, in the hope of re- 
covering his health, of which he had great need, he intended to returji 
to England : he therefore besought them earnestly to put their faith 
in, and to serve and obey his brother, the duke of Lancaster, as they 
had before served and obeyed him: diat they would find him a good 
and courteous lord, and he begged of them to aid and assist him in 
all his affairs." The barons of Aquitaine, Gascony, Poitnu, and 
Sainti)nge assented to his request, and swore upon their faith and 
loyalty never to desert him. They performed fealty and homage to 
the duke, declaring themselves willing to pay him all affection, ser- 
vice, and obedience. This they swore in the prince's presence, and 
they all kissed him on the niouth.t After these affairs were settled, 
the prince did not tarry long in Bordeaux, but embarked on board 
his vessel with the princess and Ka son, accompanied by the earls 
of Cambridge and Pembroke. There were in this fleet five hundred 
combatants, besides archers. They had favorable weather, and, 
meeting with no accident, arrived safely at Southampton. They 
were disembarked ; and, after having refreshed themselves for two 
days, all mounted their horses, and tJok the road for Windsor, ex. 
cept the prince, who was carried in his litter. On their arrival, they 
found the king, who was then there. He received his children very 
kindly, and made many inquiries into the state of Guienne. After 
the prince had made some stay with the king, he took his leave, 
and retired to his manor of Berkhamstead, twenty miles from the 
city of London. We will for the present leave the prince, and say 
. what had passed in Aquitaine. 

Soon after the departure of the prince from Bordeaux, the duke of 
Lancaster ordered preparations for the funeral of his nephew Ed- 
ward. It was very grand and magnificent, and was attended by all 



♦''Mont-paon"— a village of Roucrguc, election ofMilliaud. 

t " All kissed him on the mouth." Hommtige de bouche et des mains is done by a 
vassal with head uncovered, hands joined, and a kiss received, which binds him to fight 
for his lord only in defence of the lands whereof he holds.— Cotorave. 



the barons of Gascony and Poiiou.* While all these things were 
going forward, and the funeral occupied every one's attention, and 
detained the barons in Bordeaux, there issued forth from the garri- 
son of Perigord upward of two hundred lances of Bretons, whom the 
duke of .\njou had sent and posted there. They were commanded 
by four valiant and hardy knights, whose names were, sir William 
de Longueval, sir Alain de la lioussaye, sir Louis de Mailly, and 
the lord d'Arcy. These knights inarched with their men to a hand- 
some ai;d strong cnstle called Mont-paon, of wliich a knight was 
lord. When these Bretons arrived, and had advanced up to the 
barriers, they manoeuvi-ed as if they intended an immediate assault, 
and completely simoimded it. Upon which sir William de Mont- 
paon, proving he had more of French courage than English, turned 
to them, and in sliort surrendered. He gave admittance to these 
knights and their compani'ms into his castle, of which they took, 
possession, and said they v.ould defend it against all the world. 
They repaired and added to it whatever might have been wanting. 
Intelligence of this was soon carried to Bordeaux, when the duke 
of Lancaster told the barons ihey were inactive, for that the Bretons 
had made an incursion, and had taken Mont-paon, which was close 
to their borders. Indeed, when the duke and barons first heard of 
this, they were much ashamed and made immediate preparations 
for marching toward that part ; they set out from the city of Bor- 
deaux on a Wednesday after dinner. With the duke of Lancaster 
there were, the lords de Pons and de Partcnay, sir Louis de Har- 
court, sir Guiscard d'Angle, sir Percival de Coulogne, sir Geoffry 
d'.\rgentjn, sir James de Surgeres, sir Maubrun de Liniers, sir Wil- 
liam de Montendre, sir Hugh de Vinoye, the lord de Crupenac, and 
many more knights and barons of Poitou and Saintonge. From 
Gascony were, the captal do Buch, the lord de Pommiers, sir Helie 
de Pommiers, the lords de Chaumont, de Montferrant, de Langeron, 
the souldich do la Trane, sir Bernardet de Albret, the lord de 
Gironde, sir Ainicry de Testu, and several others. Of the English 
were, sir Thomas Felton, lord Thomas Percy, the lord Roos, sir 
Michael do la Pole, the Jord Willoughby, sir William Beauchamp, 
sir Richard de Pontchardon, sir Baldwin de Franville, the earl of 
Angus, and many more. They were in all rather more than sevea 
hundred spears and five hundred archers. They marched in good 
order to Mont-paon, where on their arrival sir William de Mont, 
paon, seeing the duke of Lancaster and his army come to besiege 
him, felt very uneasy ; for he knew that, if he were taken, he should 
die a disgraceful death, without hojjes of mercy, as he had done too 
much against him to expect any. Ho told his fears to the four 
knights, and said he should make his escape and go to Perigord : 
but that they were masters of his castle to do as they pleased with 
it. Upon this he direcdy departed, and went to the city of Peri. 
gord, which was very strong, and left his castle under the guard of 
these four knights. 



CHAPTER CCXCV. 

the four KNIGHTS DEFEND THEMSELVES AGAINST THE DUKE OF LAN- 
CASTER. THE DUKE, ON TAKING THE PLACE, AD.MITS TEEM TO 
RANSO:iI. 

When the duke of Lancaster was arrived at Mont-paon, with all 
his barons, knights, and men-at-arms, he immediately laid siege to 
it. They built themselves substantial huts all round the castle, as if 
they were to remain there seven years. They were not, however, 
idle, but began the assault with great vigor, and had large quantities 
of wood and faggots cut down by the peasants, and carried to the 
ditches, which they threw in and covered with large beams and 
earth ; by which means they were so filled up that they could ad- 
vance to the walls to skirmish with the garrison, as was daily done, 
and there were many gallant conflicts. The four Breton knights in 
the castle were right good men-at-arms, and fought and defended 
themselves so valorously, that they were deserving of great praise. 
They were not dismayed, however near the English or Gascons 
might advance, and never sullered them to return c<jnquerors. 

Not far distant, in the garrison of St. Macaire,t which belonged to 
the Bretons, were John de Malestroit and Silvestre Budes, the gov- 
ernors of it, who, hearing every day of the great feats of arms which 
were doing before Mont-paon, were anxious to be partakers of them. 
They conversed freqttently on this subject, saying, '• Since we know 
that our companions are so near to us, and those valiant men,'' as 
such a one and such a one, naming them, " have daily five or six 
attacks on their hands, and are continually fighting, while we remain 
here doing of nothing, we certainly do not act well.'' They were 
very eager to go and assist them ; but, when their companions had 
all spoken, they began to consider the danger there might be, if they 
should leave the garrison without one of the commanders, and this 
puzzled them how to act. Silvestre Budes said, " By God, I will 
go." " Silvestre," replied John, '* you shall stay, and I will go." 
This dispute continued some time. At last they agreed on their 
oaths, before all their companions, to draw straws, and that he who 



* He was buried in the Angustiae Friars, London. 

*' Here was interred the bodie of Edward, llie eldest Sonne ol Edward the black prinoe, 
by Joan his wif!;, snrnanied The Faire Maide of Kent, who was burn at AngoJesme 
anno I3'6, and died at seven years of age."— Wkever's Funeral Jilonuments. 

t •'^t, Macaire— a ciiy of Guienue, oa the Garonne, ujae leagues from Bordeaux, ' 



204 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



had the longest straw should go, and the other remain. Upon which 
■they drew straws, and Siivcsti-e Budes had the longest, which created 
a great laugh among the company. Silvestre did not take it for a 
joke, but went and made himself ready ; when, mounting his horse, 
he Bet off with eleven men-at-arms, and rode for the castle of Mont, 
paon, where he arrived and entered in the evening. The knights 
and garrison were much rejoiced at seeing him, for they had a high 
opinion of his courage. 

As I have before said, there were continued attacks every day 
made on Mont-paon ; and the knights within defended themselves so 
well that they acquired great honor, for until a large piece of the 
wall had been thrown down, they were not any way dismayed. The 
English had brought thither large machines and other engines of as- 
.sault, which they could now place near to the walls where the ditches 
were filled up. There were also footmen covered with large shields, 
who worked with pick-a.\es, and labored so earnestly that one after- 
noon they flung down upward of forty feet of the wall. The lords 
of the army directly ordered out a body of archers, who kept up so 
well-directed and sliarp an attack with their arrows, that none could 
stand against them, nor even show themselves. Upon this, sir Wil- 
liam de Longueval, sir Alain de la Houssaye, sir Louis de Mailly, 
and the lord d'Arcy, finding from this situation that they could not 
any longer hold out, sent one of their heralds mounted on hoi-seback, 
through the breach, to speak with the duke of Lancaster : for they 
wished, if possible, to enter into a treaty. The herald advanced to 
the duke, way being made for him, and explained the business on 
which he was sent. The duke, by the advice of those about him, 
granted an armistice to the garrison during the time of a parley ; and 
the herald returned with his answer to his masters. The four knights 
directly came forward upon the ditch, and the duke sent sir Guiscard 
d'Angle to liokl a parley with them. 

Upon the ditch, therefore, they entered on a treaty, by asking, 
"In what sort or manner does the duke intend to make us prisoners ?" 
Sir Guiscard, v/ho had received his instractions, replied : " Gentle- 
men, you have greatly displeased my lord ; for you have detained 
him here several weeks,* which has fretted him very much, and 
caused the loss of several of his men : for which reasons, he will 
not receive you, nor grant you mercy, but will have you surrender 
yourselves simply to him. He also insists on sir William de Mont, 
paon being first given up, for him to be dealt with according to his 
deserts as a traitor." Sir Louis de Mailly replied : " Sir Guiscard, 
in i-egard to sir William de Mont-paon, whom you require from us, 
we swear truly and loyally that we are ignorant what is become 
of him, for he did not remain in this town a moment after you had 
begun to besiege it. But it will he very hard for us to surrender our- 
Relves in the manner you insist on, who are soldiers sent here for pay, 
just as your commanders may send you, or you may be obliged to it 
by personal service ; and, before we accept of such a bargain, we 
will sell our lives so dearly that report shall speak of it a liundred 
years hence. Return, therefore, to the duke of Lancaster, and tell 
liini to accept of us in a courteous manner, upon certain terms of 
ransom, as he would wish should be done to any of his party, should 
they happen to be so unfortunate." 

Sir Guiscard answered, that he would very willingly do so to the 
utmost of his power. With these words, lie returned to the duke, 
and took with him the captal de Buch, the lords de Rosen and de 
Mucident, the bettor to forward the business. When these lords 
were come into the duke's presence, they remonstrated with him so 
eloquently, and with such good success, that he granted their request, 
and received the four knights, with Silvestre Budes, and their men, 
in mercy as prisoners. 

Thus had he once more possession of the castle of Mont-paon, 
and received the homage of the inhabitants of the town. He placed 
there two Gascon knights as governors, with forty men-at-amis and 
as many archers, and had all the walls completely repaired by masons 
in the neighborhood : he victualled the place, and supplied it well 
with all sorts of artillery. 

CHAPTER CCXCVI. 

THE DtJKE OF LANCASTER DISBANDS HIS ARMY, AND RETURNS TO EOR. 
DEACX. THE LORD DE PONS TURNS TO THE FRENCH PARTV. 

After the conquest of Mont-paon, when the duke of Lancaster 
had reinforced it with good men-at-arms and captains, he broke up 
his camp and disbanded his army. Each therefore went to his own 
home, and the duke returned to Bordeaux. The Poitevins retreated 
to their country, and the Gascons to their towns and castles ; but the 
free companies dispersed themselves over the whole principality, 
where they did as niucli mischief to friends as enemies. The duke 
winked at this, and suffered them to act as they pleased, because he 
thought he might soon have a fresh occasion for their services ; more 
especially as the war ot that moment was much more oppressive in 
Poitou, without comparison, than anywhere else. 

The French kept a large garrison in the castle of Montcontour, 
four leagues distant from Thouai-s, and six from Poitiers, which was 
commanded by sir Peter de Gueriillc and Jourdain de Coulogne. 



* " Scaeral weeks.'^ All my copies differ as to the number of weeks : some eleven, 
some "six weeks; I have theretore s;ii(l several weeks, as it appears very uncertain : but I 
should rather incline to the smaller number. 



They daily harassed the country, cither about Thouars or about Poi- 
tiers, and greatly damaged and pillaged the inhabitants. On the 
other side, Carnet le Breton held Chatelheraut, with seven hundred 
Bretons, who much ruined the country. The ganisons from la 
Roclie-Posay and St. Salvin were out almost every day, so that the 
barons and knights of Poitou attached to the English, dared not ven- 
ture abroad but in large parties, for fear of the French, who had 
thus forced themselves into their country. 

Soon after the return from Mont-paon, and when the lords of Poi- 
tou had retired to their own country, which was one of the frontiers 
to France, many secret negotiations were set on foot by the lord 
Louis de St. .Tulien, the viscount de la Rouchechounrt, and several 
others in the French interest, who, witli large sums received from 
the king of France, labored day and night, to gain over the lords of 
Poitou to his party. These negotiations were so successful that the 
lord de Pons turned to the French, in spite of the entreaties of the 
lady his wife, and of all the inhabitants of tlie town of Pons in Poi- 
tou. Notwithstanding, however, the lord de Pons changed his side, 
the lady remained attached to the English. All the barons and 
knights in Poitou in the English interest were violently enraged, for 
the lord de Pons was a powerful baron. The duke of Lancaster 
was much grieved at this, and, wishing every curse to attend the lord, 
felt himself obliged to the lady and to those of the town who had 
not deserted him. Sir Aimemon de Boure, a good and valiant 
knight, was ordered to assist the lady with his advice and courage ; 
for the lord de Pons advanced every day to the gates of the town, 
doing no damage to any one ; but sometimes he was driven back, 
and retreated with loss. 



CHAPTER CCXCVII. 

THE ENGLISH TAKE THE CASTLE OF MONTCONTOUR. 

Thus were the English affairs in Poitou entangled ; the lords and 
knights opposed to each other ; when the strong oppi*essed the weak, 
and none received- either law, justice, or right. The eastles and 
strong places were intermixed ; some being French, others English, 
who each made excursions on the other, and pillaged on all sides 
without mercy. Some of the borons and knights of Poitou of the 
English party, having considered that the ganison of Montcontour 
w'as more active in harassing the country than the others, resolved to 
march thither and lay siege to it. They therefore issued a summons 
from tlie city of Poitiers in the name of lord Thomas Percy, senes- 
chal of Poitou, which was obeyed by all knights and squires. They 
amounted to five hundred spears and full two thousand footmen, witli 
large shields, among the archers who accompanied them. There 
were sir Guiscard d'Angle, sir Louis d'Horcourt, the lords de Parte- 
nay, de Pinane, de Tannaybouton, du Cupegnac, sir Percival de 
Coulogne,* sir Geoffry d'Argenton, sir Hugh de Vinoye, the lord de 
Coyes, the lord de Puissances, sir James de Surgeres, sir Maubrun de 
Linieres, and several more. There were also some English, who at 
the time were resident in Poitou, either from the offices they held 
there, or to assist in guarding the country : such as sir Baldwin de 
Franvillc, the earl of Angus, sir Walter Hewett, sir Richard de Pont- 
chardon and others. When tliey had been mustered at Poitiers, and 
had completed their preparations, they marched from thence, taking 
the road for Montcontour, in full array, with everything necessary for 
the siege of that place. 

The castle of Montcontour is situated in the country of Anjou, is 
very strong and handsome, and four leagues distant from Thouars. 
The Poitevins, to the amount of three thousand combatants, continued 
their march until tlicy arrived there, when they laid siege to it, and 
invested it on all sides. There had been brought from Thouars and 
Poitiers large engines, which they pointed against the castle, and flung' 
from them stones night and day. They made daily assaults, and the 
lords frequently had skirmishes with the garrison, in which several 
gallant actions were performed : there were with the Poitevins sev- 
eral of the free companies, who were unwilling to remain during the 
siege ; such as .Tohn Crcswell and David HoUegrave ; these two, with 
sir Walter Hewett, were their leaders. Sir Peter de Guerfille,t and 
Jourdain de Coulogne, who were in the castle, defended it valiantly, 
and advanced every day to the combat with the English at their bar- 
riers. On the tenth day after their arrival, in the midst of these at- 
tacks, the English and Poitevins assaulted it so briskly, and in such 
good order and strength, that they broke down the walls of the castle, 
through which they passed, and conquered the French. All within 
were slain, except sir Peter and Jourdain, and five or six men-at- 
arms, to whom the companions granted quarter. 

After the capture of Montcontour, lord Thomas Percy,t sir Louis 
de Harcourt, and sir Guiscard d'Angle, by the advice and consent of 
the other barons and knights, gave the castle to sir Walter Hewett, 
John Cresswell, and David HoUegrave and their companies, who 

* "Sir Percivnl de Coulogne." Barnes calls him sir Percival Collins 

t In the Hist, de Brelagne, he is colled Pierre de la Gresille. 

i Lord Thomas Percy was knight of the Garter.— Anstis's MS. Colhctitms. 

"He was brother to the first earl of Norlhumberland. and uncle to Hotspur, who was 
created earl of Worcester by Richard II. His barony was lliat of Haverfordwest, and 
he had a considerable estate in South Wales, now in the possessiim of the duke of Rut- 
land."— Note in the above Collections, by Ur. Percy, bishop of Dromore. 

This estate is, I believe, sold ; at leas; a rent resolute was sold by the duke (lord lieu- 
tenant of Ireland) to Mr. John ftlanners. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



205 



were fuli five hundred combatants, for them to guard the frontiers 
against Anjou and Maine. The lords then marched away, and dis. 
missed their army. Tliu? was this castle made a guard for the borders 
by those tJ whom it had been given, who collected a numerous gar. 
rison, andhad it completely repaired. They maintained possession of 
it for a very longtime, and much harassed all the country about it; for 
there was not a day but they made some excursions into Anjou or 
Maine. 

CHAPTER CCXCVIII. 

SIR BERTKAND DU GUESCLIN, CONSTABLE OF FRANCE, BESIEGES THE TOWN 
OF DZES,* WHICH SURRENDERS TO HIM UPON CAPITULATION. 

We will now return to sir Bertrand du Guesclin, constable of 
France, who had remained at Paris, near the king, since the defeat 
of Pont.valin, where he and sir Oliver de Clisson had so drcadfidly 
beaten the English, as has been before related. It was told him that 
the English still kept the field in Poitou and Guienne : upon which he 
declared his intentions, that soon after Candlemas, at the commence- 
ment of spring, he should collect a very large force of men-at-arms 
and noblemen, and would make an incursion to another part of the 
country, since the English were thus employed in Quercy, Poitou, 
and Rouergue. Some of the English had very honorably remained 
in these countries, and had maintained themselves there since the re- 
newal of the war. Sir John Devereux and his men hod again got 
possession of Limousin, and had taken in Auvergne a castle with its 
dependencies, called Uzes, which the constable said was not to be 
suffered, and that he was determined to march thither. With the 
king's pennission, he assembled a large body of men-at-arms ; and, 
quitting Paris, his army increased daily until he arrived in Auvergne. 

There cnmc with him, under his command, the duke of Berry, the 
duke of Bourbon, the count d'Alen^on, the count du Pcrehe his 
brother, the count de St. Pol, the dauphin of Auvergne, the counts de 
Vendftme and de Porcien, the lords de Sully and de Montagu, sir 
Hugh Dauphin, the lord de Beaujeu, the lords de Rochefort and de 
Talenyon, and a great many more barons and knights of France. 
This army continued its march until it came before the city of Uzes, 
when they encamped ; and, after remaining their fifteen days, during 
which time many fierce assaults were made, but without impression 
on the fortress, for it had an English garrison who very valiantly de- 
fended it, they broke up the siege and departed, the constable con- 
tinuing his march into Rouergue. Some of the principal lords took 
this opportunity of going to Avignon to visit pope Gregory and the 
duke of Anjou, who at that time was with him. Soon after this visit, 
and having had a conference with the duke, they left the city of Avig. 
non and followed the constable, who was advancing through Rouer- 
gue, taking towns and castles from the English. They came before 
the town of Milhaud,t which was held by sir Thomas Wake,t and 
had been so for some time : they laid siege to it, as well as to the rock 
of Vauclerc ; but the English knight surrendered upon terms, to sir 
Bertrand, this as well as some other castles on the borders of Li- 
mousin. 

When sir Bertrand had refreshed his army, he marched away, 
taking the road on his return to the city of Uzes, to which he again 
laid siege. The constable and the dukes of Berry and Bourbon had 
ordered large machines to be brought from Rioms and Clermont, 
which they had pointed, as well as other warlike engines, against the 
walls of the castle. 

The English, who had before so gallantly defended the place, seeing 
the great preparations which were making against them, as well as 
the numerous army of the besiegers, and having heard the manner in 
■which sir Thomas Wake had given up the strong places in Rouergue, 
at the same time not expecting any succors to come to their assist. 
ance, held a council, and resolved to surrender upon capitulation, but 
not upon any other terms. They entered into a treaty with the con. 
stable, which was so well conducted on all sides, that they were to 
march out without danger or blame, carrying off whatever they could 
take with them, and besides were to be escorted as far as St. Severe 
in Limousin. This treaty was strictly observed, and the English 
marched out, having surrendered whatever they had held in the town 
and castle of Uzes, and were conducted without peril to the garrison 
they had fixed upon. Sir Bertrand gained by this expedition a very 
large extent of country, of which the English had had possession, and 
then returned to France. 



CHAPTER CCXCIX. 

THE KING OF ENGLAND'S ANGER AGAINST SIR ROBERT KNOLLES IS XV- 
FEASED. PEACE IS MADE BETWEEN THE ENGLISH AND FLEMINGS. 

Yon have before heard of the expedition which sir Robert Knolles§ 



' "^J^r . ' *"■ ""^''"oii '" believe it must lie Usson. a town in Auvergne, instead of 
Uzes, which is in Lower Languedoc. eight leagues from Avignon. See Hist, de Bre- 
tagTie. vol. i, p. 336. 

t Milhaiid— n town in Rouergue. on the Tame. 

t " Sir Thomas Wake." In all the ediUons, printed and MSS. which 1 have seen. 
ttis name 13 stranrely disfigured. I have followed Barnes, for I could not make anf 
Uling ol Vntiriitfaire or fSutilcafure. 

5 ■• Sir Robert Knolles was but of mean parentage in the county of Chester, hut by his 
vaior advanced from a common soldier in the French wars under Edward Ml. to a great 



commanded in France, and how afterwards he retired to his castle of 
Derval in Brittany. In truth, some of the English, on their return 
home, spoke much against him, so that the king and his council hat! 
information of it, and were highly displeased with him. When sir 
Robert heard of this, he sent over his two principal squires to explain 
everything, and to clear him of whatever might be said against him : 
insomuch that the king and his council were satisfied they had been 
wrongly informed, and thought as favorably of him as before. Sir 
Aleyne BoxhuU, and other knights who were favorites with the king, 
assisted in his disculpation, and made sir John Menstreworth pay 
dearly for what he had done.'* By this act of justice sir Robert 
Knolles was cleared of all the charges which had been laid against 
him, and remained in the good graces of the king and prince. 

The king of England, who found himself hard pressed by this war 
with France, gained as many friends as he could on the other sidft 
of the sea. He had for allies the duke of Guclders, his nephew, anti 
the duke of Juliets, who had engaged to raise a large force, as they 
were well able to do, and to make an incursion into France. At 
this time, the king sent the earl of Herefordt and some other knights 
of his household, handsomely equipped, to Brittany, to consult with 
the duke on the arrangements which it was necessary should be 
made between them. 

The English and Flemings were not at this time on good terms, 
but attacked each other whenever they met on the seas; and so 
much had the Flemings lost, that they were exceedingly angry. By 
accident, a fleet of each nation met off the island of Bas in Biittany.t 
The commander of the Flemings was John Peterson, and of the 
English sir Guy Brian. § As soon as they saw each other, they pre- 
pared for action, which was immediately begun : and very sharp it 
v\'as. The king's knights who accompanied the earl of Hereford, 
sir Richard Sturey,|| sir Thomas Vuisque and the others were in this 
engagement. These knights and their men fought very valiantly 
against the Flemings, and exerted themselves the more, because the 
enemy were in greater numbers, and were better prepared for action, 
as, during the whole summer, they had been wishing to meet the 
English. However, this time they did not gain much by the meet- 
ing. This sea-fight lasted full three hours : many gallant acts were 
performed, and many were killed and wounded by the arrows. The 
ships were grappled together with chains and hooks, so that they 
could not escape. In the end, the victory remained with the Eng- 
lish ; for the Flemings were discomfited, and John Peterson, their 
captain, made prisoner ; the rest were cither taken or slain, for none 
escaped. The English made sail for England with their prizes and 
prisoners, wMch prevented them from continuing their voyage to 
Brittany. The king was much rejoiced at the success of this en- 
gagement, and defeat of the Flemings, especially when he learnt 
that they were the aggressors. John Peterson and his captains were 
put into close confinement, and the others dispersed in various parts 
of England. 

After this defeat off the isle of Bas, the king of England ordered 



commander. Being sent genera I of an army into France, in despite of their power he 
drove the people before him like sheep, destroying towns, castles, and cities in such 
a manner and number that long after, in memory of this act, the sharp points and gable 
ends of overthrown houses and minsters were called Knolles* Milre^. After which, to 
make himself as well beloved of his country, he built a goodly fair bridge at Rochester 
over the ftledway, with a chapel and chauntry at the east end thereof. He built much 
at the Grayfriars. London, and an hospital at Rome for English travellers, and pil- 
grims. He deceased at his manor of Scone Thorpe in Norfolk— was buried by the lady 
Cvinslance, his wife, in the church of Grayfriars, London. loth August. J.107." — 
Weaver's i^'ioi. Mini. p. 436. 

In 13ijo, ,)ohn de Montfort. duke of Brittany, gave him. at the assembly oftlie states at 
Vannes, the lands, castle, &c. of Derval and Rougt, which had been e.xcepted at the 
treaty of pcnce.~~Hist. de Brftngne. 

He was created a knight of the Garter, Richard II. and is the 74th knight. 

Knolles earl of Banbury, took his descent from sir Robert Knolles.— DuaDALE'3 
Baronage. 

Lobineau says. Derval. &c. was given to htm and his descendants. In 1373, the duke, 
going into England, left his government to sir Robert Knolles: but few lords obeyed 
liiin. The French besieged his castle of Derval, which he h.ad left in the custody of 
Hugh Broc his kinsman, who capitulated to surrender if not relieved in two months, 
during which time no person was to tie received there. But Knolles disavowed the act 
of his nephew, alleging he could not treat without his consent: so that the duke of 
Anjou sent his herald to say. that having done contrary to his capitulation in admitting 
Knolles, in case he did not surrender, he would put to death the two knights and a squire, 
who were hostages; which being done. Knolles immediately executed three French 
knights and a squire, and threw their bodies into a ditch; whereupon the siege was 
raised.— Lobineau, p. 409. 

^ His head was atfi.ved to a pole on London Bridge, which, on the rebellion of Jack 
Straw. &c. was taken down to make room for the head of the bishop of IjOndon.— 
Leland 9 CUleetanea, vol. iii. 

f'Earlof Hereford"— Humphry Bohun. constable of England, 32nd knight of the 
Garter.- See Dcodale. 

It appears, however, from Rymer, that sir Robert de Neville and Raulyn de Barey, 
ecuyer de sa chambre, were the embassadors from Edward. 

J The island of Bas is on the co.ast of BriUany. near Morlnix. In the original, it is. the 
two fleets met in a harbor of BriUany. " qu'on dit i. la Baye ;" and Ciirle says in " the 
bay ;" but I should rather suppose it was meant as I have translated it. This signal 
victory is very little noticed by our historians. 

§ " Sir Guy Brian "—was 57th kniglil of the Garter, in the stall of sir John Chaudos. 
He was third husband to Elizabeth dowager of William earl of Salisbury—oied 14th 
Richard II. He was brother to the bishop of Ely. 

Pat. 35. Ed. m. p. I. Guidoni de Bryan 200 marcos in prnvita quod prudenter defer- 
ebat vexillum regis, in quodam contlictu apud Cales.— Anstis's MS. Collect. 

He is buried at Tewksbury. In Gough's Sepulchral Monuments is a plate of his 
tomt). 

II Sir Richard Sturey. I cannot find anything of him but in the first volume of 
Leiand's Collectanea, p. 183, dote KS-Bicartlus Sturey tevocatus in familiariliitsm et 
gratiam ab Edwardo rege. 



aoG 



CHRONICLES OP ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



a large armament to be prepared against the Flemings, to engage 
the enemy wherever they should meet with them, and to blockade 
tlieir ports, so that no vessel could sail from them without risk of 
being taken. Wlien the citizens of Bruges, Ypres, and Ghent, 
heard of these orders, they summoned a council, and, after mature 
deliberation, resolved that it was not for their advantage to be at 
war or to have any ill-will with the English, who were their neigh- 
bors, and connected with them by commerce, on account of any 
quarrel of their earl, nor would it be expedient for them to aid and 
support him. The principal towns, therefore, dissembled, but sent 
able and good men to negotiate with the king of England and his 
council, v.'ho managed the affair so well 'that on their return they 
brought peace to the country of Flanders and to the Flemings, cun. 
formably to certain articles in the treaty which was sealed by each 
jjarty. Thus was this business settled on a good and solid found- 
ation. 

We will now say something of the king of Majorca. 



CHAPTER CCC. 

THE KING OF MAJORCA IS EANSOMED FROM KINS HENRY OF SPAIN. HE 
MAKES WAR ON THE KING OF AREASON. 

You have before heard how .lames, king of Majorca, was taken 
at Valadolid, when king Henry reconquered Spain, and that he con- 
tinued prisoner to king Henry. When the queen of Naples, his 
wife, and the marchioness of Montferrat, his sister, heard this they 
were much distressed, and immediately began to think of remedying 
it in the manner I shall mention. They sent trusty men to king 
Henry to treat for his ransom, who brought the matter about on con. 
Bideration of the sum of one hundred thousand francs, wliich those 
ladies so graciously paid that king Henry was obliged to them. 
The moment the king of Majorca gained his liberty he set out for 
Naples, but remained there only sufficient time to collect large sums 
of money and a body of troops, with which he again set off to make 
war on the king of .\rragon liis adversary, whom he could never 
love, as he had slain his father and detained his inheritance. The 
king continued his journey until he came to Avignon, to visit pope 
Gregory XL where he staid upward of a month. He made such 
able remonstrances with the holy father that he listened to his en. 
treaties, and consented to the war which he was desirous of making 
on the king of Arragon, as the cause which urged him to it was the 
recovery of his heritage. The king of Majorca engaged men.at.arms 
at a very high price wherever he could meet with them ; English, 
Gascons, Germans, Bretons, and some of the free companions, under 
the connnand of sir Gracicn du Chaiel, John de Malestroit, Sylvcstre 
Budes, and James Bray. They might amount to about twelve hun- 
dred fighting men, who marched with him, and entered Navarre, 
and there remained with the consent of that king. From thence 
they advanced into Arragon, where the knights and men-at.nrnis 
made war on the king, overran his country, taking and destroying 
small forts and ransoming its inhabitants. The king of Arragon, 
expecting this war, sent some men-at-arms toward the frpntier of his 
kino-dom, under the command of the count de Roquebertin and the 
count de Rodais. 

While this war was carried on, which was done with much invet- 
eracy and cruelty, the king of Majorca fell sick again at Val di So. 
ria, and the disorder increased bo much that he there died. By this 
means, the Arragonians had peace for a long time from that quarter. 
The free companions who had been engaged in this war returned 
to France, to tliat party from whom they thought they should gain 
most. 

We will now speak of the duke of Lancaster. 



CHAPTER CCCI. 

THE DUKE OE LANCASTER ESPOl'SES THE ELDEST DAHGHTER OF THE LATE 
DON PEDRO, KING OF SPAIN. TREATIES OF ALLIANCE ARE ENTERFD 
WTO BETWEEN THE KINGS OF FRANCE AND SPAIN. 

Duke John of Lancaster remained in the city of Bordeaux, and 
with him many knights, barons, and squires of Aquitaine ; for, not. 
withstanding some barons of Poitou and Limousin had turned to the 
French party, that of the English was in a tolerably good stale, and 
made frequent inroads upon the French, on which occasions they 
lost nothing, but well scoured the country of those who were defend- 
ing the frontiers for the duke of Anjou. The duke of Lancaster was 
a widower since the death of the lady Blanche, duchess of Lancaster 
and Derby : upon which the barons of Gascony, in concert with sir 
Guiscard d'.A.ngle, considered that don Pedro, king of Spain, had 
left two daughters by his marriage with the sister of the king of Por- 
tugal, who were then in the city of Bayonne, whither they had been 
conducted, under the safeguard of some knights, by sea, from the 
neighborhood of Seville, for fear of king Henry. As soon as they 
were informed of the death of don Pedro, these ladies were almost 
distracted with grief. Every one compassionated them, for they 
were the true heiresses of Castille, which was their just right, by 
succession to their father. This matter was thus opened to the duke : 
" My lord, it is time you should think of remarrying : wc know of a 



very noble match for you, one from which you or your heirs will be 
kings of Castille. It will be a charitable deed to comfort and advise 
damsels who are daughters of a king, especially when in such a pit- 
iable st-te as those ladies are. Take, therefore, the eldest for your 
bride. We advise you to do so ; for at this moment we know not 
where you can more nobly ally yourself, nor from whence greater 
pro5t can accrue to you. These and such like words made an im- 
pression on the duke, and were so agreeable to him that he consent- 
ed to what they had proposed with much good will. He immediately 
ordered four knights to seek these ladies without delay, whose names 
were Constance and Isabella. The duke himself set out from Bor- 
deaux, when he knew they were coming, to meet them in grand 
array. He married the eldest, the lady Constance, at a village on 
the road called Rochefort, on the other side of the city of Bordeaux, 
and gave there, on the day of his marriage, a splendid feast, to which 
were invited a great number of lords and ladies to pdd to its mag- 
niticence. Soon after the wedding, the duke conducted his lady to 
Bordeaux, where there were again grand entertainments. The 
duchess and her sister were much feasted by the ladies and damsels 
of Bordeaux, who presented them with magnificent gifts and presents 
for the love they bore the duke. 

News was brought to king Henry in Castille, and to all the harona 
of the realms, who were allied to him by fealty and homage, that his 
niece had married the duke of Lancaster, and that it was supposed 
the younger sister would espouse the earl of Cambridge upon the 
duke's return to England. The king was very melancholy on hear- 
ing this, and summoned his council. He was then advised to send 
able embassadors to the king of Frajice, to explain his situation. 
The king agreed to their opinions, and chose the wisest men in his 
kingdom to go to France. They set out with a grand retinue, and 
continued their road without interruption until they came to Paris, 
where they found the king, who received them with every politeness. 
The king of France had many interviews with these embassadors, 
who had full powers, properly sealed and authenticated, to enter into 
any treaties, and to act in everything for their lord, so that many se- 
cret councils were held. At last, everything was concluded ; and a 
treaty was entered into between the two kings, of perpetual amity, 
love and alliance, which was most solemnly sworn to be maintained, 
and that neither party would dissolve or weaken without the other's 
consent. The king of France swore, on the word of a king, that he 
would aid and assist the king of Castille in every matter which might 
concern him, and that he would never make peace with the kin» of 
England without his being a party. 

Sir Bertrand du Guescli'n, who much loved the king of Spain, took 
great pains to bring this treaty about. After this business had been 
completely finished, the embassadors took their leave and returned 
to Spain. They found their king at Leon, who was much pleased 
at having so well concluded the matters they were sent on. King 
Henry, from this alliance, felt himself ever after much more assured 
and comforted. 

CHAPTER CCCII. 

THE DUKE OF LANCASTER APPOINTS GOVERNORS INGUIENNE; HE RETURNS 
TO ENGLAND, AND CARRIES HIS LADY WITH nlJI. SIR WALTER .MANNY 
DIES IN LONDON. 

We now return to the duke of Lancaster, who still resided in the 
city of Bordeaux. He had determined that about Michaelmas he 
would embark for England, in order to make the king his father bet. 
ter acquainted with the affairs of Aquitaine. To this end he made 
every preparation ; and, a little before his departure, he assembled 
in Bordeaux all those barons and knights of Gascony who were of 
the English party. When they were all collected, he addressed 
them by saying, he had a great desire to return to England on par- 
ticular business, as well as for the advantage of all present as for tile 
principality of Aquitaine ; but that he would come back in the ensu- 
ing summer, if the king his lather would permit it. These words 
were very agreeable to all who heard them. He then appointed the 
captal de Buch, the lords de Mucident and de I'Esparre, governors 
of all those parts of Gascony which were attached to England. In 
Poitou, he nominated sir Louis de Harcourt and the lord de Parte- 
nay. In Saintonge, sir Louis d'Argenton and sir William de Mon- 
tendro. He left all the stSueschals and other officers as they were 
before. The council of the Gascons, Poitevins, and Saintongers 
ordered sir Guiscard d'Anglc, the lord de Pinane and sir Aimery de 
Tarbe to accompany the duke to England, in order more fully to ex. 
plain the affiire of Aquitaine ; and the duke, by waiting for them, 
delayed some little his voyage. When all was ready, they embarked 
on board of vessels in the harbor of Bordeaux, which is large and 
spacious. The duke was attended by a large body of men-at-arms 
and archers, having sixty vessels in the fleet, including those witli 
provisions : he carried with him his lady and her sister. They sailed 
with favorable winds, which brought them safe to Southampton, 
where they disembarked, and entered the town. They reposed 
themselves there for two days, when they set out, taking the road to 
Windsor, where the king resided. He received his son the duke, 
the ladies, damsels, and the foreign knights with great joy and feasts, 
l)ut especially sir Guiscard d'Angle, whom he was delighted to see. 

.\bout this time, that gallant knight sir Waller Manny departed 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &. c. 



207 



this life in the city ol' Lonjoii ; for which all the barons of England 
were much afflicted, ou account of the loyaltj' and prudence thev 
had always found in him. He was buried with great pomp in tltc' 
monastei-y of the Carthusians,* which he had built, at his own ex- 
pense, without the walls of Londo:;. His funeral was attended by 
the king, his children, and the barons and prelates of England. All 
his landed property on each side of the sea fell to .Tolm earl of Petn. 
broke, who had married his daughter Anne. The earl sent two 
knights to take possession of the lands which had fallen to him in 
Hiiinault, and they performed their duty well toward duke Albert, 
who at that time governed the country in the name of his deranged 
brother William. 



CHAPTER CCCIII. 

THE KING OF l^NGLAXD APPOINTS THE EAUL OF rE.lIBROICE GOVERNOR OF 
AQUITAINE. THE SPANIARDS, BEING ALLIES OF FRANCE, ATTACK HIM 
AT SEA, OFF LA ROCHELLE. 

DiTRi.NG this winter (1372,) many councils were held in England on 
the state of affairs, and upon the best methods of conducting thom. 
The English had planned two expeditions; one to Guienne, another 
into France through Calais ; and were gaining allies, as well in Ger- 
many as in other parts of the empire, where several knights and 
squires had joined them. They were busily employed in making 
great preparations for the largest aj'my which had been seen for a 



and institute you governor and captain of all the men-at-arms in 
Poitou, who according to the accounts I have had, are very numerous ; 
and also of those you will conduct from hence thither. You will, 
therefore, accompany sir Guiscard d'Angle into Poitou." The earl 
of Pembroke, falling on his knees, replied : " My lord, I return you 
my warmest thanks for the high honor you have conferred upon mc. 
I will act for your majesty beyond seas as one of your smallest mar- 
shals." After this, the council broke up, when the king returned to 
Windsor, taking sir Guiscard d'-\ngle with him. They frequently 
conversed on the afl'airs of Poitou and Guienne. In one of these 
conversations, he said : " My lord, when our governor and captain 
shall arrive in that country, we shall carry on a good war ; for we 
shall there find between four and five hundred lances, who will all 
cheerfully obey you, but they must be regularly paid." The king 
answered : " Sir Guiscard, sir Guiscard, do not be uneasy on account 
of wanting money to continue the war, for I have enough, and will 
eagerly employ it for such an occasion, as it very sensibly affects us 
and our kingdom." In these and such like discourses did the king 
of England amuse himself with sir Guiscard d'Angle, for he had 
great confidence in him, not indeed withoirt reason. 

The season was now arrived for the departure of the earl of Pem. 
broke, who took his leave of the king, as did all those who accom- 
panied him. It seems to me that sir Otho de Grantson,* d'outre la 
Sommc, was appointed to go with him. The earl of Pembroke had 
not a very large force with him, but only the knights of his household, 
on account of the information which 
sir Guiscard d'Angle had given the 
king ; but he carried a sufficient sum 
in nobles and florins to pay three 
thousand fighting men. After tak- 
ing leave of the king, they set out 
for Southampton, where they re- 
mained fifteen days waiting for a 
wind. On the sixteenth, they had 
a wind to their wish ; and, embark- 
ing, they sailed out of the harbor for 
the coasts of Poitou, recommending 
themselves to the care of God and 
St. George. 

King Charles of France was per- 
fectly well acquainted with the 
greater part of the king of England's 
councils (t do not know by whom 
or how they were revealed to him,) 
and that sir Guiscard d'Angle and 
his companions were gone to Eng- 
land to request from the king an able 
leader. He already knew that the 
car! of Pembroke had the appoint- 
ment, and that he was on his way 
thither. Upon which the king of 
France had secretly raised a large 
naval armament ; that is to say, it 
had been raised at his request, for it 
belonged to king Henry of Castille, 
who had sent this armament in con- 
formity to the treaty which had been 
RoUNDTov.EROFWiNDsORC'.vsTLE,asitappe,'ire(liiltlietimeofEdn-ardin.,undei whosetlirectionsitwasbuilt. From one j^^gj concluded between them 
of a series engraved from original ilotuiiiciits by Battey Langley. to exliibit the erections of the successive sovereigns. This Spanish fleet consisted of forty 

large vessels, and thirteen barks, 
well provided with towcrsand ramparts, as the Spanish ships usually 
are. Four valiant men were the commanders of this fleet : Am. 
brosio de Balequer, Cabesso de Vaccadent, Hernando de Leon, Rod- 
rifo de Rosas. t These Spaniards had remained a considerable time 
at°auchor, waiting for the return of the Poitevins, and the coming of 
Ihe earl of Pembroke ; for they were well informed that he was to 
land on the coast of Poitou, and had therefore placed themselves at 
anchor before the town of La Rochelle. 

It happened, therefore, that on the day preceding the vigil of St. 
John the Baptist, in the year of grace 1372, when the earl of Pem. 
broke and his fleet expected to enter the port of La Rochelle, they 
found that the Spaniards had blocked up the entrance by lying before 
its mouth, and were ready prepared to receive them. When the 
English and Poitevins saw the Spaniards thus posted, and that an 
engagement must happen, they encouraged each other, though they 
were" not near an equal match, either in regard to the number of 
vessels or men, and made preparations for an immediate combat, 
posting their archers on the bows of the ships. The Spaniards were 
well equipped with men-at-arms and foot soldiers, who had cross- 

* " Six OUio de Grantson." Barnes calls him sir Thomas Grantson ; but sir Tliomas 
Grantson was made prisoner by sir Bertrand du Guesclin, and, I suppose, was then at 
Paris. Froissart. I should imagine, by mentioning outre la Somme, must mean a differ- 
ent person, one who had an estate beyond the Bomme. In the MS. collections of Mr. 
Anstis, a sir Otlio Grantson is spoken of; but, by a. reference to Dugdale, it appears he 
must have lived in a mucli earher period. 

t I have copied the names of these Spanish captains from Barnes, but am dotibtful 
if they are right : for in Choisi's iiistory ef Charles V. Roderioue de Roux is mentioned 
as admiral. In ViUaret's history of France, BMC-ancra is called llie admiral. Indeed, 
this is nearer to Froissart, who calls the first captain BoucQutiuere. Barnes sives not 
any authority for liis alterations. 




;.-^s«£ 



a^o 



long time. The king of France was regularly informed by some 
Englishmen of these transactions, the state of them, and what was 
the end proposed. Upon which, having (July considered his intelli- 
gence, he acted accordingly, and laid in a sufficiency of provision 
in all the cities, towns and castles of Picardy ; having strongly rein- 
forced the garrisons with men-at-arms, that the country might not 
be surprised. 

When summer was arrived, king Edward kept the feast and so- 
lemnity of St. George in Windsor castle, as he was yearly accustomed 
to do, when sir Guiscard d'Angle was elected a brother-knight with 
the king, the princes and barons, who were called, in this fraternity. 
The Knights of the Blue Garter. The king, after this, went to 
London, to his palace of Westminster, where he held a grand council 
on public aftairs. The duke of Lancaster was ordered to invade 
France by entering Picardy. He was to be accompanied by his 
brother the earl of Cambridge. The king, at the entreaty of sir 
Guiscard d'Angle and the Poitevins, appointed the earl of Pembroke 
governor of jVquitaine, iu room of the duke of Lancaster, with orders 
to hasten to those countries, and to conduct the war against the 
French. 

The Gascons and Poitevins had requested the king by letters, as 
well as by sir Guiscard d'Angle, that if he should be advised not to 
send any of his own children, he would nominate the earl of Pem- 
broke, whom as they loved much they desired to have, for they knew 
him to be a good and hardy knight. The king, therefore, spoke to 
the earl of Pembroke, who, with several other barons and knights, 
was present at this council, saying: "John, my fair son, I ordain 

♦ Now the Charter House. 



208 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



bows and cannons : many had also large bars of iron, and staves 
loaded with lead, to make their attacks wi'.'i. They advanced with 
shoutings and a great noise. The large ships of Spain made sail to 
gain the wind, so that they might bring their towers to bear on the 
English, who little suspected their intent, and less feared them. Thus 
did they bear down on them full sail. At this commencement, great 
were the shouts and cries on both sides. The English behaved 
gallantly, and the earl of Pembroke, his knights and squires, acted 
worthy of their honor. 

The engagement was very severe, and the English had enough to 
do ; for the Spaniards who were in large vessels had great bars of iron 
and huge stones, which they launched and flung from their ships in 
order to sink those of the English, by which they wounded despc. 
rately both sailors and men-at-arms. The knights of England and 
Poitou that day showed excellent proofs of chivalry and prowess. 
The earl fought gallantly, seeking his enemies everywhere, and did 
extraordinary feats of arms. Sir Otho de Grantson, sir Guiscard d'- 
Angle, the lord de Pinane and all the other knights, behaved equally 
well. 



CHAPTER CCCIV. 

THE INHABITANTS OF LA KOCIIELLE REFUSE TO ASSIST THE EAKL OF 
PEMBROKE. THE SENESCHAL AND THE LORD DE TANNAVBOUTON, 
WITH OTHERS, COME TO UIS AID. 

By what I have heard from those who were present at this engage, 
ment, the English and Poitevins showed plainly they wished for 
victory, and obtained 
great praise for theirva- 
lor ; for never people 
exerted more courage, 
nor fought more brave- 
ly, considering what a 
handful of men they 
were in comparison 
with the Spaniards, and 
in such small vessels 
that one cannot but mar- 
vel how it lasted so 
long : but their great 
prowess and chivalry 
raised a mutual spirit 
of emulation, and, had 
their vessels been of the 
same size with their 
enemy's, the Spaniards 
would not have had the 
advantage ; for they 
handled their spears, 
which were well steel- 
ed, so briskly, and gave 
such terrible strokes, 
that none dared to come 
near, unless he was well 
armed and shielded ; 
but the showers of 
stones, lead, and iron 
bars, annoyed them ex. 
ceedingly, and in this 
first engagement seve. 
ral knights and squires 
were severely wounded. 

The Rochellers saw 
plainly the whole of 
this engagement, but 
never ofi'ered to ad. 
vance to the assistance 
of their countrymen, 
leaving them to shift for 
themselves. This bat. 
tie lasted until night, 

when each party separated and cast their anchors : but the English 
lost two barges of provision, and all those in them were slain. Sir 
John Harpedon, who at that time was seneschal of La Rochelle, 
employed himself all the night in entreating the inhabitants, the 
mayor, John Chauderon, and the others to arm themselves, and to 
draw out the commonalty, and embark in the vessels and barges 
which were lying on the shore, in order to assist and aid their fellow 
subjects whom they had seen so valorously defend themselves. The 
inhabitants, however, who had no inclination so to do. excused them- 
selves by saying they had their town to guard ; that thev were not 
seamen, nor accustomed to fight at sea, nor with Spaniards j but 
that, if the battle had been on shore, they would very willingly have 
complied with his request. The business remained in this state, and 
nothing could bring them to change their resolution. 

At this moment there were in La Rochelle, the lord de Tannay- 
bouton, sir James de Surgeres, and sir Maubrun de Linieres, who 
handsomely acquitted themselves in joining their entreaties with 
those of the seneschal. When those four knights saw they could 



not gain anything, they armed tliemselves, ordering their people, who 
were not in any great numbers, to do the same ; and, on the return 
of the tide, they embarked in four boats which they took from the 
shore, at break of day, and made for the vessels of their friends, who 
were right glad to see them. They told the earl of Pembroke and 
sir Guiscard d'Angle, that they must not expect any assistance from 
La Rochelle, as tlie townsmen had positively refused it ; to which, 
as they could not better themselves, they replied that they trusted in 
the mercy of God, and would wait the event ; that a time might 
come when the Rochellers should repent of their refusal. 



CHAPTER CCCV. 

THE EARL OF PEMBROKE IS DEFEATED, AND MADE PRISONER BY THE 
SPANIARDS. THEY SAIL FROM LA ROCHELLE WITH THEIR PRISONERS. 
THE CAPTAL DE BUCK ARRIVES THERE, BUT TOO LATE. 

When it was day, and the tide had flowed full, the Spaniards 
weighed their anchors, and, with a great noise of trumpets and drums, 
formed a line of battle, like to that of the preceding day, with their 
large vessels, wliich were well manned and armed, and having 
gained the wind in hopes of inclosing the Englisli vessels, which 
were but tew in comparison, the before-mentioned four captains led 
the van in handsome order. The English and Poitevins, observing 
their line of battle, formed theirs accordingly, and having collected 
themselves together, placed their archei-s in front. The Spaniards, 
under the command of these captains, bore down on them fidl sail, 




Sea Fioht off L\ Rochellk. From & MS. Froissart of the 15th Centurr. 



and began the engagement, which was dreadfully deadly. When 
they came to close quarters, the Spaniards flung out grappling-hooks 
with chains of iron, which lashed the English to their vessels, so 
that they could not separate, and thus, as it were, held them close.* 
With the earl of Pembroke there were twenty.two knights, who 
united good inclinations to tried valor, and who vigorously defended 
themselves with spears, swords, and other weapons. They remained 
there closely engaged, fighting desperately, for a considerable time ; 
but the Spaniards had too much the advantage, as their vessels were 
larger and higher above the water than those of the English, from 
which they flung down stones, bars of iron, and lead, that much an- 
noyed their adversaries. The engagement continued with great 
fury between them until near nine o'clock ; and no people ever 
labored harder than the English and Poitevins, but the greater part 
of their men w'ere now wounded by the stones and other things 



f 



* The Memoires de Da Giiescliu say. thai fire-ships were first used in this engagement 
by the Spaniards, and that by their means thirteen of the largest English ships were 
destroyed.— Ctf^^ Jilcmoins HistcriqucSj vol. i. p. 432, 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



203 



which were thrown on them, and that gallant knight of Gascony sir 
Aimery de Tarbe was slain, as well as sir John Lauton, who was 
knight of the body to the earl of Pembroke. Four large Spanish 
ships had grappled with that in which was the earl : they ivere com- 
manded by Cabesso de Vaccadent and Hernando de Leon, and full 
of men-at-arms for the combat and to work the vessels. After an 
obstinate resistance, they boarded the earl's ship, when he was made 
prisoner, and all on board slain or taken. Among the last were, sir 
Robert Beaufort, sir John Curzon, sir John Grimstoue : sir Simon 
Whitakcr, su- John Morton, and sir John Touchet shared the fate of 
the first. 

At some distance, the Poitevins, under the command of sir Guis. 
card d'Angle, the lord de Pinane, the lord de Tannaybouton, and 
other knights, with their followers, continued the fight ; and in 
another ship, sir Otho de Granston was engaged against Ambroise de 
Boccanera and Roderigo de Rosas, who were too many for him ; 
so that all these knights were taken by the Spaniards, not one 
escaped being killed or made prisoner. Their men were also in 
gfi'eat danger, but their lords, when taken, desired they would cease 
the slaughter, as they w'ould pay a proper ransom for them. Who- 
ever may find himself in such a strait of arms as the earl of Pem. 
broke or sir Guiscard d'Angle were in, before La Rochelle, must 
cheerfully submit to whatever God or fortune may please to order. 
But know, that in the loss of this day, of knights or squires, the king 
of England in comparison was by far the greatest suiTerer ; for, in 
consequence of this deft at, he lost afterwards all Guienne, as you will 
have related in this history. 

I was informed that the English vessel which had on board the 
money for sir Guiscard d'Angle, to pay the soldiers of Guienne was 
lost, and everything on board with it ; so that it was not of profit to 
any one. All this day, whirh was the vigil of St. John the Baptist, 
the ensuing night, and the morrow until noon, did the Spaniards re- 
main at anchor before La Rochelle, shouting and rioting with joy. 
It happened fortunately that a knight of Poitou, called sir James de 
Surgeres, addressed the person who had taken him with so much 
eloquence that he agreed to give him his liberty for three hundred 
francs, which he paid down. He dined in La Rochelle on St. John's 
day ; and by him it was linown how the affair had ended, who were 
slain or made prisoners. Many citizens of the town pretended to be 
much concerned at this event, though in their hearts they rejoiced, 
for they never were well inclined toward the English. 

In the afternoon of St. .lohn's day, at high flood, the Spaniards 
weighed anchor, set their sails, and departed with a great noise of 
drums and truinpets. They had on their mast-heads standards like 
to pennons, w'ith the arms of Castille displayed on them, and of such 
a length that their ends frequently touched the sea. It was a fine 
sight to see them thus sail off, as they steered for the coast of Galicia. 
In this same day, toward the evening, there came into La Rochelle a 
large body of men-at-arms, Gascons and EngUsh, who had not heard 
what had passed, but they knew that the Spaniards were lying before 
the town, and had done so for some time : they came, therefore, to 
reinforce it. The leaders of the Gascons were, the captal de Buch. 
sir Beras de la Lande, sir Peter de Landura, the souldich, sir Bertrand 
du Trane : of the English, lord Thomas Percy, sir Richard de Pont- 
chardon, sir William Farrington, the earl of Angus, sir Baldwin Fre- 
ville,* sir Walter Hewet, and sir John Devereux.t 

When these lords and their troops, which were full six hundred 
men, were arrived in La Rochelle, the inhabitants made appearance 
of being very glad to see them, for they dared not do otherwise. 
They learnt from sir James de Surgeres the event of the battle with 
the Spaniard?, and the names of those killed and taken. The barons 
and knights were sorely afllicted at this news, and thought them- 
selves more unfortunate than they had ever yet been for not arriving 
sooner. They regretted much the loss of the earl of Pembroke and 
sir Guiscard d'Angle. I know not how many days they remained in 
La Rochelle, to consider what would be the best manner for them to 
conduct themselves, and whither they should march. We will leave 
them for a while, and speak of Evan of Wales, and of his exploits 
this season. 



CHAPTER CCCVI. 

EVAN OF WALEst DEFEATS THE ENGLISH OFF THE ISLAND OF GUERNSEY. 
THE KINS OF FKANCE SENDS HIM TO SPAIN TO SEEK FOR MEN-AT- 
ARMS, TO LAY SIEGE TO LA ROCHELLE. 

Evan of Wales was the son of a prince of Wales, whom king 
Edward, for some reason I am ignorant of, had put to death, and 
seized his territories and principality, which he had given to his son 



* "Sir Btildwin Freville"— had summons to parliament the 1st Edward III. See 
Dugdale. He was competitor for the office of cliampion at the coronation of Richard 
U. but the earl marshal decided on the superior claim of the Dymocks. See Dugdale's 
Warwickshire, where the pedigree is. 

t " Sir Jolui Devereux." See Dugdule. From him are descended the viscounts Here- 
ford, &c. ^ ' 

t Amonic the memhers of the council of war whom Du Gucsclin called, before he 
attacked St. Maure-sur-Loire, arc Carenlouet capitaine de la Roche-Posay, Ivain de 
Galles, and another knight called Ihe Poursuivanl d'Aniours.— Note 83rd in the same 
vol. says. " Thii, famous Poursiiivant d'Amours was also called le chevalier Bauwen. 
most probably a Welshman of the name of Bowen." But how is this to be reconciled 
with llie preceding quotations 1— See MSmoires de Du Cuesclin, vol. iv, of Ihe Histor- 
ical Collection of French Meraoirs, p. 397. 



the prince of Wales. Evan went to France, to lay his complaints 
before king Charles of the injuries he had suffered from the king of 
England, by the death of his father and the seizure of his inher. 
itance. The king of France had retained him in his service, and 
much advanced him, by giving him the command of a large body of 
inen-at-nrms. In this summer, he sent him to sea with four thousand 
fighting men, with whom he acquitted himself much to his honor, as 
you shall now hear. 

When he took the command of these men-at-arma, and vessels 
which the king of France had equipped and provided for him, he 
embarked in the port of Harfleur, and set full sail for England, mak- 
ing the island of Guernsey, which lies opposite to Normandy. Ed. 
mund Ross, squire of honor to the king of England, was then gov. 
ernor of that island. On hearing of the arrival of the French under 
the command of Evan, he was much angered, and advanced out to 
meet him. He issued his summons throughout the island, which is 
not large, and collected, as well of his own men as of the islanders, 
about eight hundred, with whom he gave battle. It was sharp and 
long ; but the English, at last, were defeated, leaving upward of four 
hundred dead on the field. Edmund was forced to fly, otherwise he 
must have been slain or taken. He escaped with great difficulty 
and saved himself in a handsome castle, called Cornet, situated at 
the distance of two leagues from the place where the battle had been 
fought, and which he had beforehand provided with everything 
necessary for such a fortress. After this defeat, Evan, having col- 
lected his army, and hearing that Edmund had retreated into Cornet 
castle, advanced thither, and invested it closely, giving frequent aa. 
saults ; but the castle was strong and well provided with artillery, so 
that the French could not gain it. 

It w^as during the lime of this siege the unfortunate defeat and 
capture of the earl of Pembroke and sir Guiscard d'Angle happened 
before La Rochelle, which has been just related. The lung of 
France, when he heard of the success of the Spaniards, was exceed. 
ingly rejoiced, and paid more attention than ever to the affairs of 
Poitou ; for he thought, perhaps lightly enough, that if the English 
should have a few more such defeats, the cities and principal towns 
would willingly surrender to him. He therefore determined, with 
the advice of his council, to send the constable and all his men-at. 
arms into Poitou, Saintonge and the Rocheliois, in order to carry on 
the war more briskly by sea and land, while the English party should 
be without a leader, for the whole country was wavering in its alle- 
giance. He therefore sent messengers to Evan of Wales, who was 
lying before Cornet castle, as he was perfectly acquainted with the 
state of it, and knew it to be impregnable, ordering him instantly to 
break up the siege, and put to sea in a vessel equipped for him, and 
to make sail for Spain to prevail on king Henry to grant him boats 
and galleys, with his admirals and men-at-arms, to blockade La Ro- 
chelle. Evan, on receiving the messengers with the king's orders, 
promptly obeyed them, as was right ; broke up the siege, and dis 
banded his men, lending them vessels to carry them to Harfleur. 
He himself immediately embarked on board a large ship, and made 
sail for Spain. Thus was the siege of Cornet castle raised. 



CHAPTER CCCVII. 

THE KING OF ENGLAND IS MUCH CAST DOWN AT THE CAPTUltE OP THE 
EARL OF PEMBROKE. EVAN OF WALES MEETS THE EARL A PRISONER 
IN WALES. 

YoD must know that when the king of England heard of the defeat 
of the armament he had sent to Poitou, and that it had been overcome 
by the Spaniards, he was greatly afflicted ; so were all those who 
were attached to him ; but for the moment he could not amend it. 
The wisest in the kingdom imagined that this unfortunate business 
would cause the loss of the countries of Poitou and Saintonge ; and 
they stated this as their opinion to the king and duke of Lancaster. 
They held many councils upon it. The eari of Salisbury was orderetl 
thither with five hundred men-at-arms. However, notwithstanding 
this order, he never went ; for other affairs came into agitation res. 
peeling Brittany, which prevented it from taking place. The king 
repented of this afterwards, when it was too late. 

The Spaniards who had taken the earl of Pembroke and his com. 
paniona were detained some little time at sea by contrary winds. 
They arrived at the port of St. Andero in Biscay, and entered the 
town about midday, when they conducted their prisoners to a strong 
castle, and lastened them with iron chains according to their usual 
custom ; for the Spaniards know not how to show courtesy to their 
prisoners, but act hke the Germans. Evan* of Wales had the same 
day arrived with his ship at St. Andero, and had entered the hdtol 
where don Feraando de Rosas and Cabesso de Vaccadent had con. 
ducted the carl of Pembroke and his knights. This was told to Evan 
in his apartment, saying : " Sir, come and see the English knights 



* By everything I can find, this Evan was an impostor. Llewellyn, the last prince 
of Wales was tieacherously slain. nearBulitli. in Edward I.'s reign. Probably tbekinff 
of France knew thii. butemployed him in hopes of his assistance against England.— See 
Barnes and others. 

ILlewellyn left only one legitimate child, a daughter, afterwards married to Malcolm 
earl of Fife: he also, it is said, leil an illegitimate son called Mcdoc. but nothing is 
known of his history or fate ; it is not improbable that this Evan was the son of Ma- 
doc— Ed.J 



210 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



Tvhom our people have made prisoners, they will enter this hfttel, for 
it is not long since they arrived." Evan being very desirous of seeing 
them, to know who they were, went out. He met, on quitting his 
chamber, in the apartment of the landlord, the earl of Pembroke, 
whom he directly recognized, though he had scarcely ever seen him 
before. He addressed him in a rejiroachfal manner : '■ Earl Pem- 
broke, are you come into this country to do me homage for the lands 
you hold of me in the principality of Wales, of which I am the heir, 
and which your kmg has deprived me of, through the advice of evil 
couiisellors ?" The earl of Pembroke was much displeased and 
ashamed, feeling himself a prisoner in a strange country, to be thus 
apostrophized in his own language by one whom he did not know, 
and replied, " Who are you that you address me in such words V 
Evan answered, " I am Evan, eon and heir of prince Ednmnd of 
Wales, whom your king wickedly and wrongfully put to death, and 
disinherited me afterwards. But I may perhaps be able, through the 
assistance of my very dear lord the king of France, to apply a remedy 
to this, and I will certainly then do so. I wish you to know, that if 
1 can meet you in a proper place and time to offer yon combat, I will 
sliow you the wrongs you have done me, as well as the earl of Here- 
ford and Edward Spencer ; lor by your father and other evil coun- 
sellors was my lord and father betrayed, which ought to anger me, 
and I will be revenged of it whenever I may have an opportunity." 
Sir Thomas St. Aubin, who was one of the earl's knights, stepped 
forward and eagerly said : Evan, if you mean to say and maintain, 
that my lord has now, or at any other time, commited a dishonorable 
act, or that my lord his father has done so, or that he owes you any 
homage or anything else, throw down your glove and you will find 
ono ready enough to take it up." Evan replied : " You are a pris- 
oner; I shall gain no honor in calling you out, for you are not your 
own master, but belong to those who have taken you : but when you 
have gained your Uberty, I shall speak out more boldly, for things 
shall not remain as they now are." .\s he finished these word°s, 
some knights and Spanish men of valor got between them, and sepa. 
rated them. The four admirals did not, after this, make any long 
stay, but led their prisoners to Burgos, to deliver them up to the king 
of Spain, who at that time resided there. 

When the king heard of their coming, and that they were near to 
Eurgos, he sent his eldest son, John, who was called the Infanta of 
Castille, attended by a large company of knights and squires, to meet 
and to do them honor ; for king Henry knew well that it became 
him so to act ; and he himself paid them much attention, as soon as 
they were come into his presence. Shortly after, the king issued out 
his orders, when they were sent to dift'erent places in the kingdom of 
Castille. 



CHAPTER CCCVIII. 

THE CONSTABLE Dn GUESCLIN TAKES THE CASTLE OF MON.MORILLON,* AND 
OTHER PLACES IV POITOU. 

We will return to the afl'airs of Poitou, which at that time were not 
trifling matters, and say how those knights from England and Gas. 
cony acted who had come into La Rochelle at the feast of St. .John 
the Baptist, as has been before related. They were exceedingly 
vexed they had not arrived there the preceding day, and been in time 
for the Spaniards. They held long councils how they should act, 
and which way they should advance, for they already had their suspi- 
cions of the loyalty of the Rochellers. They appointed sir John De- 
vereu.\ seneschal of La Rochelle, with three Imndred men-at-arms for 
the defence of the castle, for as long ns they should be masters of that, 
the town dared not to rebel. This business done, the captal de Buch, 
who commanded the expedition, lord Thomas Percy, the earl of An- 
gus, sir Richard de Pontchardon, the souldich,t sir Peras de la La nde, 
and the others with their men, marched from La Rochelle. About 
four hundred lancee took the road for Soubise ;t for there were some 
Bretons near that place, who having taken possession of several 
churches and small forts, had fortified them : but as soon as these 
lords approached they fled, and the country was freed of such visitors. 
At this time, the constable of France, the dukes of Berry and Bour- 
bon, the count d'Alengon, the dauphin d'Auvergne, the lord Louis de 
Sancerre, the lords de Clisson and de Laval, the viscount de Rohan, 
the lord de_ Beaumanoir, and numbers of the barons of France, had 
taken the field, and were with the army in the countries of Anjou, Au- 
vergne and Berry : in all, upward of three thousand spears. Those 
lords who were under the immediate command of the constable ad- 
vanced into Poitou, where they kept in a body, and then proceeded 
to lay siege to a castle called Monmorillon. On their arrival, they 
assaulted it briskly and gained it, putting all within to the sword. 
They reniforced it with another garrison. They then marched to 
Chauvigny,§ on the river Creuse, and besieged it. They remained 
there two days, but on the third it surrendered, and the garrison was 
spared. They continued their march toward Lussac, where there is 
a town and castle, which surrendered immediately without waiting' 
the assault. They advanced toward the city of Poitiers, and lay one 
lught in the vineyards, which very muc h alarmed the city, as they 

• Monmorillon-a town in in Poitou. eleven leagues from PoiUers 
tManseigiieur le Souldicli.— D. SiUVAOE. 
t Soubise-a town in Suinlonge.sii leaeuea from La RoclieJle 
i OliauviBny— Bix leagues from Poitiers. 



were fearful of being besieged ; but for this time they were free, for 
they marched oft" the following day, advancing toward Moncontour 
John Cresswell and David HoUegrave commanded in the place, and 
had under them about sixty good companions, bold and hardy,'who 
had very much harassed the surrounding countriesof Anjou and'Tou- 
raine, as well as all the French garrisons, so that the constable de- 
clared he would not undertake anything before he had gained this 
town. 



CHAPTER CCCIX. 

THE constable of FRANCE TAKES MONCONTOUR BT A CAPITITLATION. 
HE MARCHES FROM THENCE TO TORM A nTNCTION WITH THE DUKE OF 
BERRY IN THE LI510USIN, WHEN THEY LAY SIEGE TO ST. SEVERE. 

The constable of France, the duke of Bourbon, the count d'Alen. 
9on, the lord de Clisson, the viscount de Rohan, the lords de Laval, 
de Beaumanoir and de Sully, with the others, advanced until they 
came before .Moncontour, a handsome castle, six leagues from Poi- 
tiers. On their arrival, they began the siege, and made diflerent 
assaults in good order ; but, as the ditches were very deep round the 
walls, ihey could not easily approach. They ordered the peasants 
to cut timber and faggots which they caused to be drawn and thrown 
into them, and afterwards covered with straw and earth. Four days 
were taken up in doing this. When they had completed it, they be- 
gan their attacks in earnest, and in a regular way. Those within 
defended themselves well, for they were masters of their profession ; 
and they sustained the assault one whole day, when they had hard 
fighting, and were in great danger of being taken. On the sixth, 
the constable advanced himself with his Bretons in regular order, to 
make a fiercer assault than any of the former ones. Being covered 
with large sliields, and armed with pick-axes and mattocks, they 
came up close to the walls, which they immediately battered, pulling 
out stones in various places, insomuch that the garrison began to be 
alarmed : they, however, defended themselves as well as ever garri- 
son did. 

John Cresswell and David HoUegrave, the governors, saw the 
peril they were in, and guessed that sir Bertrand, from this manner 
of proceeding, would not quit the place before he had conquered it; 
so that, should they be taken by assault, they would certainly be put 
to death ; and, not seeing nor hearing of any succor coming to them, 
they opened a treaty to surrender the place, on their lives being 
spared. The constable, who did not wish to harass his own people, 
nor to push too far the garrison, whom he knew to be resolute men- 
at-arms, accepted the terms, and agreed they should leave the castle, 
taking nothing with them but gold or silver, and that they should be 
escorted to Poitiers. In this manner did the constable get the castle 
of Moncontour, of which he took possession, and had it well repaired. 
He remained in it to refresh himself and men, for he was not deter- 
mined whither he should march next, to Poitiers or elsewhere. 

When the news was known in the city of Pt)iliers, that the con- 
stable and his Bretons had retaken the castle of Moncontour, they 
were more alarmed than before, and immediately sent off messen- 
gers to lord Thomas Percy, their seneschal, who was on the expedi- 
tion with the captal de Buch. At the same time that lord Thomas 
Percy received this information, sir John Devereux, who resided in 
the castle of La Rochelle, was told that the constable of France, 
having encamped before Poitiers, had reconnoitred the place, and 
that the inhabitants were the more afraid he would besiege it because 
their seneschal was absent. Sir John did not hear this intelligence 
with indifference, but set about to aid and comfort the Poitevins : he 
marched from La Rochelle, with only fifty lances, having appointed, 
on his departure, one of bis squires, named Philip Mansel, governor 
of the castle until his return. He took the road to Poitiers, which he 
entered ; and the citizens testified their obligations to him for it. The 
principal citizens who brought the news from Poitiers to lord Thomas 
Percy, serving in the captal's army, begged of him to hasten thither* 
and as they expected an immediate siege, to bring with him as strong 
a force as he could, for the French army was very considerable. 
On hearing this, lord Thomas explained the business to the captal, 
to know what he would say to it. The captal, having considered it, 
was unwilling to break up his expedition, but gave lord Thomas 
Percy leave to go there : he set oft', and on his arrival iu Poitiers 
was received with great joy by the inhabitants, who were very de- 
sirous of having him among them. He found sir John Devereux 
there, and great feastingg and rejoicings were made on the occasion. 
All this was known to the constable, who had continued in Mon- 
contour, and also that Poitiers had been reinforced with a body of 
men-at-arms. At the same time he heard from the duke of Berry, 
who commanded a large army in Auvergnc, Berry, and Burgundy, 
upon the borders of Limousin, that he was desirous of laying siege 
lo St. Severe ;* which town belonged to sir John Devereux, but was 
garrisoned, under his orders, by sir William Percy, Richard Gill, and 
Richard Orme, and a large body of men-at-arms, who had overrun 
the countries q£ Auvergnc and Limousin, doing much mischief to 
both of them. The duke of Berry, on this account, wished to march 
thither, and therefore entreated the constable, if he had not any 
other views, that ho would join him before St. Severe. The con. 
stable, who was very wise, prudent, and inventive in all his under-- 



■ St. Bever*"— a town in Saintonge, near Saints? 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



Sir 



"takings, considered that at that moment he eould not expect success 
before Poitiers, even if he were to march his men thither; for the 
city had been greatly reinforced with mcn.nt-arms : he therefore de. 
clared he would join the duke of Berry. He set out from Moncon. 
tour with his whole army after he had appointed a garrison to defend 
it, and joined the duke, who thanked him much for coming, as well 
as all his knights and squires. When this junction was formed, there 
was plenty of men-at-arms. The duke of Berry, in company with 
the constable, reconnoitred St. Severe : their force was about fotir 
thousand men-at-arms : they directly laid siege to the place, decla- 
ring they would not depart until they had pos.session of it. They 
began the siege with great vigor, and sir William Percy and his com- 
panions defended themselves equally well. 

News was brought to sir John Devereiix in the city of Poitiers, 
how the duke of Berry, the dauphin d'Auvergne,, the constable of 
France, the lord de Clisson, the viscount de Rohan, with four thou, 
sand men-at-arms, were besieging his castle of St. Severe. He was 
very pensive on hearing this, and spoke to lord Thomas Percy, who 
was present when the intelligence came : " Lord Thomas, you are 
seneschal of this country, and have sufficient influence and power to 
do what I am about to request of you ; which is, that you would ad. 
vise and assist me in succoring my people, for unless they are rein- 
forced they must be taken by assault.'' " By my faith," replied lord 
"Thomas, " I have every inclination and good wish to assist you : and 
through love to you, I will set out, and speak to my lord the captal de 
Buch, who is not far distant. I will do all in my power to induce 
him to accompany us, to raise the siege, and to offer battle to the 
French." They immediately set out frsm Poitiers, leaving the city 
"under the guard of the mayor of the place, whose name was John 
Regnault, a good and loyal man. These knights rode until they met 
■the captal de Buch, in the plain, advancing toward St. Jean d'Angely. 
They remonstrated with him in a courteous manner, how the French 
liad taken Monmorillon, near Poitiers, as well as the strong castle of 
Moncontour ; and that they were now employed at the siege of St. 
Severe, which belonged to sir John Devereux, to whom certainly 
some good services were due. Besides, there were shut up in the 
castfe, sir William Percy, Richard Gill, and Richard Orme, who 
■were too valiant men to be lost. 

The captal de Buch, having considered a moment, replied, " Gen. 
tlemen, what is it you wish me to do ?" Some knights who were 
near had been called to this council, and they replied ; " It is now a 
long time since we have heard you express a strong desire foran oppor. 
tunity of fighting with the French, you can never find a more favor- 
able one than by hastening to St. Severe; and, if you will issue your 
summons to Anjou and Poitou, we shall have a sufficient number to 
eombat the French with the good will we have to meet with them." 
" By my faith," answered the captal, " I wish nothing better ; and 
■we will soon measure our strength with theirs, if it please God and 
my lord St. George." The captal imi"nediately issued his summons 
to all barons, knights, and squires of Poitou and Saintonge attached 
to the English, entreating and enjoining them strictly to meet him, 
at a certain fixed place, armed and prepared in the best manner they 
could. Every knight and squire who received these letters made all 
possible dispatch to make himself ready, and took the field to meet 
the captal as speedily as he could. Among the principal were, the 
lord de Partenay, sir Louis de Harcourt, sir Hugh de Vinoue, sir 
Thomas his brother, sir Percival deCoulonge, sir Aimery de la Roche- 
chouart, sir James de Surgeres, sir Geoffry d'Argenton, the lords de 
Puissances, de Roussillon, de Crupenac, sir John d'Angle, sir Wil- 
liam de Montendre, and many other barons and knights : so that they 
mustered full nine hundred lances and five hundred archers. 



CHAPTER CCCX. 

THE GARHISON of ST. SEVERE, AFTER A SHARP ASSAUXT, SURRENDERS TO 
SIR BERTRAND DC GUESCLIN. THE CITY OF FOITIEKS TITINS TO THE 
FRENCH PARTY. 

Intellige.s-ce was brought to sir Bertrand du Guesclin and the 
army before St. Severe, that the English, Poitevins, and their allies 
were fast approachijig with a great force, in order to oblige them to 
raise the siege. When the constable heard of this, he was no way 
alarmed, but ordered every one to arm and to march direcllv to the 
assault. No one disobeyed this command, but French and Bretons 
advanced to the fort armed and well covered by their shields, when 
they began a vigorous attack, each lord under his own banner and 
surrounded by his people. It was a handsome sight to look at, for 
at this assault there were forty-nine banners, and numbers of pen- 
none. The constable and the marshal lord Louis de Sancerre were 
there at their proper poste, laboring hard to encourage the men to 
conduct their attack with greater valor. Knights and squires of all 
nations were eager to gain honor and advancement, and performed 
many galUnt exploits. Several crossed the ditches, which were full 
,of "water, with their shields on their heads, and marched up to the 
walls. In doing this, they never retreated, notwithstanding the things 
which were thrown down on them, but advanced the nearer to the 
k 'j "^^"^ ''"'^''^ °^ ^"'^ """^ Bourbon, the count d'Alengon, and 
the dauphin d'Auvergne, with several other great lords, were on the 
ditch encouraging their men, who, on account of such spectators, 
advanced boldly, fearless of death and danger. 



Sir William Percy and the two squires of honor, who were gov- 
ernors of the castle, perceiving how briskly the attacks were made, 
and that they never cooled nor ceased, were sensible, that, if it thus 
continued, they could not long resist, and, according to their imagi- 
nation, no aid was coming to them from any part ; for, if they had 
suspected that a reinforcement was within ten leagues, they would 
have taken courage, and have held out until they should have been 
relieved : but, being ignorant of this, they opened a treaty with the 
constable, to avoid further loss. Sir Bertrand, who had had certain 
intelligence that before evening he should see or hear of the English, 
eagerly concluded the negotiation, granting them their lives : on 
which he made great rejoicings. He then ordered the army to march 
into the plain, and draw up in order of battle, saying to the chief 
commanders : " Gentlemen, look to yourselves, for the enemy is ad- 
vancing, and I hope that we may have a battle before night." Each 
made ready, upon hearing this, as well for the attack as to defend 
himself. The English, however, were in no hurr;- to march further, 
when they learnt for certain that St. Severe was taken. We will, 
therefore, speak of what was passing in Poitiers. 

At this time there were great dissentions in Poitiers, for three 
parts of the town wished to turn to the French ; but John Regnault, 
the mayor, and a part of the commonalty, wanted to remain with the 
English. Notwithstanding this, the richest citizens and the church- 
men, of whom there were plenty, would, whatever might be the 
consequences, have the constable sent for : indeed they secretly ad- 
vised him to make haste and take possession of the city, for on his 
approach they would open to him the gates. The constable was 
much rejoiced, and told it to the dukes of Berry and of Bourbon, 
who determined that he should leave the army with three hundred 
men-at-arms, mounted on the fleetest coursers they had. They rode 
that day and the following night, with scarcely any repose, upward 
of thirty leagues by another road than that the English had taken, 
and by daybreak arrived at Poitiers. They found the gates ready 
opened, and their party prepared to receive them. Had they but 
delayed one half hour, they woiild have lost the opportunity ; for 
John Regnault and his friends, having learnt the intention of the 
others, had sent off in great haste to sir John Devereux and lord 
Thomas Percy, who, with a hundred spears and as many archers, 
were within one short league of the city. 

The barons and knights of Poitou were thunderstnick at the cap- 
ture of Poitiers, as well as those from Gascony and England, who 
were collected in Poitou, to the amount of eight hundred lances and 
four hundred archers. They called a council to consider in what 
manner they should act, for they saw themselves in great difficulties, 
and were doubtful in whom they could put confidence. The barona 
and knights of Poitou therefore, the better to reassure the English, 
thus addressed them : " Certainly, gentlemen, it is exceedingly dis- 
agreeable for us to see the afl'airs of this country in such a state that 
we cannot bring any remedy to them ; but depend upon it, that as 
long as we exist, and there shall remain any house or fort in Poitou 
to receive us, we will always remain steadily and loyally attached 
to our natural lord the king of England and to you." The English 
knights replied, "We place our entire confidence in you, and you 
will find in us companions and friends to death." There were very 
long debates, when it was at last resolved, that the Poitevins should 
march off one way, and the English to a different quarter. They 
parted from each other in the most amicable manner; that is to*ay, 
the lord de Partenay, the lords de Thenars and de Roussillon, sir 
Aimery de la Rochechouart, sir John d'Angle, sir Louis de Harcourt, 
sir Percival de Coulonge governor of Thouais, Hugh de Brionne, 
Reginald de Thouars, William de Crupenac, James de Surgeres, and 
other knights and squires of Poitou, who took the road to Thouars. 
The English, such as sir John Devereux, lord Thomas Percy, sir 
Richard de Pontchardon, the earl of Angus, sir Geoffry d'Argenton, 
sir Matthew Foulkes, sir Thomas Gournay, sir Walter Hewitt, sir 
John Creswell, and others, took the road to Niort,* which they in- 
tended to enter without halting; but, when they arrived there, they 
found the gates shut and the drawbridge raised, and were told by the 
inhabitants they should not have admittance. The English lords 
immediately called a council, and declared such an insult was not to 
be suffered ; they drew up in good array, and attacked the town with 
great courage, which was defended by the inhabitants : but there 
was not any gentleman or knight within it to order or lead them, 
only mechanics, who knew not what it was to make war: so they 
were conquered by the English. Could they have held out until 
vespers, they would have been assisted, for the constable had ordered 
Thibaut du Pons, with two hundred combatants, to reinforce the 
garrison. They did not, however, arrive in time, for the town was 
taken by assault, and pillaged, while men and women were promis- 
cuously put to the sword. The English took up their quarters in 
Niort, waiting for intelligence. 



CHAPTER CCCXI. 

THE FRENCH MAKE THE CAPTAL DE BUCH PRISONER. LA P.OCnELLE TURNS 
TO THE FRENCH. 

During the time the English were in Niort, from whence, in truth, 
they were afraid of departing, Evan of Wales, in company with the 



* " Niort"— a uty in Foilou, fifieea leagues from Poitiers. 



212 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



Spanish Admiral don Roderigo di Rosas, arrived at, La Rochelle 
with fourteen large ships and eight galleys, laden with men-at-arms 
and provision. They anchored before tlie town, so that nothing 
could enter or come out without danger of being talven. Upon which 
the Rocliellers, who were wavering, had a secret interview with 
Evan and the Spanish admiral ; and it was agreed mutually not to 
hurt each other. The Spaniards and French remained at anchor 
before La Rochelle ; but they had spies in the countries of Poitou 
and Saintouge, to inform them what was going forward. The gov- 
ernor of La Rochelle was at that time Philip Mansel. 

The constable of France still continued in Poitiers, but he sent 
the lord du Pons, and Thibaut du Pons, with three hundred spears, 
including every one, to Soubise, a very strong castle situated on the 
seashore, directly to the mouth of the river Cliarente, where it dis- 
embogues itself into the sea. The lady of Saubise was in the castle, 
but had not many men-at-arms to garrison it : she therefore directly 
sent off a squire to John de Graiily, captal de Buch, constable of 
Aquitaine, to ask for succor, who was at the time in St. Jean d'An- 
gely. He sent orders for sir Henry Haye, s<;ne3chal of Angouleme, 
sir William de Manieil, nephew to the lord Raymond de Marneil, 
lord Tliomas Percy, and sir John Creswell, to come immediately to 
St. Jean d'Angely. 

Evan of Wales was informed of all the particulars of this siege, as 
well as the assembly of St. Jean d'Angely. He therefore picked 
out four hundred lances of those most to be depended upon from his 
whole army, and embarking them on board thirteen barges, set sail 
with sir James de Montmoy and Morellet his brother. He left the 
Spanish admiral, with the remainder of the annament before La 
Rochelle, and arrived undiscovered on the opposite shore to the 
castle of Saubise, where the lord de Pons was, who knew nothing of 
this embarkation. 

The captal was also ignorant of it, as he was collecting his forces 
in St. Jean d'Angely ; for, had he suspected anything of the sort, he 
would have had a larger body of men : but he sent back a consider- 
able number, having also left many in St. Joan d'Angely. He marched 
with only two hundred lances at the utmost, and about night arrived 
near to the French army and to the castle of Soubise. They dis- 
mounted on the outside of a small coppice, to tighten their gloves of 
mail and rogirth their horses. Having remounted, they displayed 
their banners, dashing among the French with then- shouts of war. 
Many were slain and wounded at this onset, for the French were 
not on their guard. The lord du Pons and Thibaut du Pons, with 
sixty of their principal men, were made prisoners, and the rest put 
to flight. 

At this moment, Evan of Wales with his forces advanced, having 
hastily crossed the Charente, with torches and other lights, for it was 
exceedingly dark. These four hundred lances, who were determined 
men and quite fresh, fell upon the English and Gascons, who thought 
tliey had accomplished their business. Many were scattered about 
pillaging, and the knights were attending to their prisoners. Tliey 
were treated by these new comers very roughly, and in a short time 
completely defeated. An able squire of Vermandois, called Peter 
Danvilliers,* advanced and came so near the captal de Buch that he 
made him his prisoner by a gallant deed of amis. The captal was, 
at this period, the knight of Gascony attached to England whom the 
king of France and the Frenchmen wished most to gain, for he was 
a herdy and enterprising captain. Lord Thomas Percy was also 
that day made prisoner by a Welsh priest, called David Howel.t Sir 
Maubrun de Linieres, sir Henry Haye, and several other knights and 
squires were taken likewise. Sir Walter Hewett, sir Petiton de 
Courton, sir William Farrington and CarmiUet escaped with great 
difficulty ; they made for the town of Soubise, but would have failed 
of help if the lady had not been on the walls, who had the gate in. 
stantly opened. They entered the place with several others. 

On the next morning, Evan of Wales ordered all his barges and 
hoats to be drawn up before Soubise, on which he made a brisk at- 
tack. The lord du Pons and sir Thibaut du Pons, who had been 
rescued, assaulted it on the opposite side. Tlie garrison and towm 
defended themselves valiantly ; but the lady called a council of the 
knights and barons, as the place was not strong, and could not hold 
for any time : for she did not, in the present state of affairs, expect 
any succor ; and sent them to negotiate with the French. A treaty 
was made on such terms that the knights who were in the town 
might retire in safety to Niort, Saintes, Lusignan, or whithersoever 
they pleased ; but the lady of Soubise was to place herself imder the 
obedience of the king of France. 

The English departed from Soubise, and were safely escorted 
wherever they chose to go. Tlie French took possession of the town 
and received the fealty of the lady, who swore allegiance to the king 
of France for herself and for her dependencies. Evan of Wales, sir 
James de Montmoy, and their men, returned to their boats, carrying 
with them the captal de Buch, and their other prisoners, to the large 
fleet, which was lying before La Rochelle. 



'^ "DanviUiers." Froissart calls him Pierre Danielles ; but I copy from Villarefs 
Hist, de France, torn. v. who says that Charles V. gave tiic squire twelve hundred livres 
for the ransom of the captal, and cites leTresor de Ciiartres for the receipt. 

I " David Howel." Villaret calls him David Honnel. I suppose it should be David 
Howel. In those days, it was coinnion for priests to engage in war, notwithstanding 
tlieir priesthood. 

i "CarmiUe." Q. 



The lord du Pons and tlie Bretons hastened their march toward 
St. Jean d'Angely, to join the other men-at-arms whom the consta. 
ble had sent thither. There were the viscount de Rohan, the lords 
de Clisson, de Tournemine, de Beaiimanoir, and de Rochefort, sir 
William des Bourdes, sir Olivier de Mauny, sir Reginald de Limou. 
sin, sir Geofi'ry Ricon, Yvon de Laconnet, Alain de St. Pol, Car- 
suelle, and several more, who came before the town of St. Jean 
d'Angely, and made a great show as if tliey meant to assault it. 
The inhabitants, seeing the country was lost, and their captain taken, 
at the same time not expecting succor from any part, surrendered 
themselves to the French. The Bretons then inarched toward An- 
goulOme, which turned to the French, as did Taillebourg. They 
next advanced to Saintes, where they remained two days and two 
nights ; for the governor, sir William Farrington, said he would not 
surrender so easily, and made preparations for its defence ; but the 
bishop of the town, who was a Frenchman, worked upon the citizens 
so far as to induce them to seize the governor, and declare they would 
put him to death if he would not permit them to surrender. Sir 
William consented, provided when they treated for themselves they 
did so for him, and that he should be permitted to march out free. 
This treaty was accepted, and the French took possession of Saintes 
and its castle. Sir William Farrington marched out, and was es. 
corted to Bordeaux. 

Evan of Wales still lay before La Rochelle in company with the 
Spanish admiral, don Roderigo de Rosas, with forty large ships, 
thirteen barges, and eight galleys. There were many negotiations 
between them and the citizens ; but these last could not do anything 
so long as the castle was in the hands of the English. They waited, 
therefore, dissembling their intentions, until the English should have 
drawn off the greater part of the garrison, as they were doing by 
little and little, and until sir John Devereux had left it under the com- 
mand of Philip Mansel, who had but a hundred companions one 
with the other. At this time, a citizen called John Candorier,* 
mayor of the town, assembled a meeting of those that were more 
inchned to the French than to the English, and addressed them : 
" Gentle sirs, we see our neighbors taking part with the French on all 
sides of us, and we shall soon be so inclosed that we shall not know 
which way to turn ourselves, nor even to go out of our town. It 
would therefore be expedient, as the moment seems favorable, to 
consider in what manner we may be able to gain possession of the 
castle, which has so much annoyed and vexed us, for the garrison is 
now much weakened. Philip Mansel is not very crafty. I will 
therefore tell him I have received orders from the king of England, 
which command me to arm and muster all the inhabitants of the 
town in a place which I will name, but that I must know the number 
of the garrison as well as the townsmen, so that I may be enabled to 
send him an exact account. I will desire him to march out of tho 
casdc, and make his muster before me, which I am persuaded he will 
do. We will then have provided an ambuscade among the old ruins, 
on the outside of the castle, of two hundred companions, who, when 
the garrison have inarched out, shall post themselves between them 
and the draw-bridge, which will have been let down. We will also 
have a sufficient force elsewhere, who must advance in their front 
and make them prisoners ; by which we shall take both castle and 
garrison, if you, gentlemen, approve of my plan." They all replied 
in the aflirmative, and adopted it, appointing the mayor captain of 
the enterprise. 

The mayor, shorriy afterwards,sent to invite the governor to a grand 
entertainment, where he met most of the principal inhabitants that 
were in the plot. The conversation ran cliiefly on the king of Eng- 
land and his affairs ; during which a large packet was brought to the 
mayor, sealed with the great seal of England, the better to impose on 
Philip Mansel, who could not read, but knew well the seal. The 
mayor read aloud this letter, putting such words in it as suited his 
purpose, but which were not written. He then addressed his guest: 
"Governor, you sec and hear what the kingour lord's commands are 
to you and me. You must make your muster to-morrow, as we will 
do ours." The governor, who but too well believed all he had heard, 
said he would willingly obey, and with this he took his leave. During 
the course of the night, the mayor chose two hundred men, whom 
he well armed, and before day placed them in ambush among the 
old walls on the outside of the castle. After nine o'clock the mayor 
ordered the bells to ring, and the townsmen to arm themselves. Soon 
after, Philip Mansel armed his garrison, of sixty able men, and fit to 
defend the place. They marched out of the castle ; but when they 
had passed the draw-bridge, the men who fonned the ambuscade 
sallied forth, and posted themselves between the English and the gate. 
The garrison now saw they were betrayed, and marched toward 
the ambuscade in hopes of regaining the entrance of the castle ; but 
at this moment the mayor advanced, with upward of two thousand 
of the inhabitants, so that the English, being attacked in front and 
rear, were all made prisoners: they surrendered, on having their 
lives saved. The castle was not yet taken ; for the English had left 
twelve of their men within, who had strongly closed the gate. The 
mayor then came up to the governor and his men, and said, " Gen- 
tlemen, attend to what I say : if you do not immediately give orders 
for the castle to surrender, you may be assured we will have you all 
beheaded at the foot of this bridge." The English replied they would 



* " Candorier." He was called Chaudron before. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



213 



willingly do all in their power, and held several parleys with those 
of the castle. It was agreed on all sides, that those who had been 
made prisoners and the remainder in the castle should be embarked 
on board a ship, and conducted by the mayor and burgesses to Bor- 
deaux. Thus did the Rochellers win their castle. 

When the dukes of Berry, Burgundy, Bourbon, the marshal de 
Sancerre, the viscount de Rohan, the lords de Sully, du Pons, de 
Clisson, de Beaumanoir, and the other barons and knights of France 
were informed of it, they quitted'Berry, Anjou and Limousin, where 
they had made their quarters, and took the direct road for Poitiers, 
where the constable resided. In their march, these lords took a town 
m Poitou called St. Mai.\ant,* which surrendered as soon as they 
came before it. The castle was taken by assault, and all in it put 
to the sword. They afterwards took the castle of Merle, the castle of 
Aunay, and several other forts in their road. When they were ar- 
rived at Poitiers, they sent messengers to treat with the Rochellers, 
but they would not open their gates to them. They told the messen- 
gers, that tile inhabitants would not surrender themselves in so easy 
a manner ; but that if the duke of BeiTy and the before-mentioned 
lords were willing to agree, within six days, to send them passports 
to come to Poitiers, they would tlien declare to them their intentions, 
and fully explain what they meant to do. The messengers returned, 
and told what the inhabitants had said. Passports were granted, and 
some of the burgesses came to Poitiers, when they declared to the 
lords that it v,-as their intention to place themselves under the obedi- 
ence of the king of France ; but tliat they would not allow of any 
castle, and the present one must be razed to the ground : that it should 
be declared, under the king's seal, that no other should be erected : 
that the town of La Roehelle, and country dependent on it, should 
remain for ever as the particular domain, and under the jurisdiction, 
oi the kings of France, and tliat it should never be severed from it 
by marriage, peace, or by any other means, whatever fortune may 
befal the kingdom of France ; that the town should be allowed a 
mint, with liberty to coin florins, and black and white money, with 
the same alloy and form as those of Paris. The French lords would 
not agree to these terms until the king had considered them ; and 
they gave the Rochellers passports to wait on him at Paris. 

Twelve burgesses went to the king, who granted diem everything 
they had asked. He entertained them handsomely, and gave them 
several rich jewels. When they returned to La Roehelle, they dis. 
played their charters, which were sealed with the king's seal, and 
had been confirmed in the parliament of the king and his peers. 
They immediately began to demolish and raze to the ground the large 
and strong castle of La Roehelle. They then sent to inform the lords 
who were at Poitiers, that if they would come thither the gates would 
be open to them. The constable of France went with only t\vo 
hundred men-at-arms. They received him with great joy, and did 
to him theii' homage and fealty as to the king of France ; for he 
showed them a lawful commission irom the king, which constituted 
him his representative in all those parts of the realm. 



CHAPTER CCCXII. 

SIK BERTKAND DU GUESCLIN TAKES SEVER.AL CASTLES IN THE KOCHELLOIS. 
THE KIN'G OF ENGLAND EMBARKS TO COME TO THE ASSISTANCE OF 
THOUARS, BUT IS PREVENTED BY CONTRARY WINDS : UPON WHICH 
THOSE OF THOUARS, AND MANY OTHERS IN POITOU, SURRENDER TO THE 
FRENCH. 

When sir Bertrand du Guesclin had resided four days in La Ro. 
chelle, and had pointed out to the inhabitants in what manner they 
should support and demean themselves henceforward, he set out on 
his return to the lords he had leit at Poitiers, whom he instantly 
inarched off to conquer other strong places in Poitou. They were 
full three diousand lances. On their departure from Poitiers, they 
laid siege to the castle of Benon,1 and declared they would not leave 
it until it had changed masters. A squire from the county of Foix, 
named William de Pau, was governor of the place, under the captal 
de Buch : he had with him a Neapolitan knight, called sir James, 
but without any surname. Many violent assaults were made, which 
were well repulsed by the gaiTison. 

Not far distant was the town of Surgeres,t which was garrisoned 
with English, by orders of the captal, then a prisoner, who said one 
evening they would beat up the French quarters. They therefore 
marched out, according to an agreement with those of Marans,§ and 
mustered in the M'hole about forty lances : they fell upon the quarters 
of the constable of France, wounded many, and particularly slew one 
of his own squires. The army were roused, and the French collected 
together as fast as they could ; but the English, who had performed 
all they intended, reentered their fortresses unhurt. The constable 
was so enraged at this, that he swore he would never quit die spot 
where he was without conquering the casde of Benon, and putting to 
death all within it. He gave orders that very morning for every one 
to be ready for the assault, and had large machines brought, so that 
for a long time such an attack had not been seen. The men-at-arms 



* "St. Maixant"— in the road between Saintes ami Poitiers, fifteen leagues from the 
tatter, 
t "^ Benon"— a small town in Aunis, diocese of La Roehelle. 
X "Suiseres"— a town in Aunis, si.x leaeues from t,a Roehelle. 
6 " Marans"— a town in Aunis, six leagues from La Roehelle. 



aiid the Bretons did not spare themselves : they entered the ditches 
with shields on their heads, and advanced to the foot of the walls with 
pick.axea and iron-crows, with which they worked so effectually that 
a large breach was made, through which they might easily enter. 
The casde was taken, and all within put to the sword. The con- 
stable had it repaired and new garrisoned. He then advanced toward 
Marans, the garrison of which surrendered on having their lives and 
properties saved. He next came to Surgeres, which also put itself 
under the obedience of the king of France ; for the English garrison 
had gone away, being afraid to wait the amval of the constable. He 
marched after this to the castle of Fontenay le Comte,* where the 
lady of sir John Harpedon resided. He assaulted both town and 
castle frequondy : at last, the garrison left it on capitulation, and 
retreated to Thouars with the lady, under passports from the constable. 
The French therefore took possession of the casde and town, and 
halted there to rest themselves. 

Sir Bertrand and the lords of France marched to besiege Thouars, 
\yhither the greater part of the knights of Poitou had retired, namely, 
tl^ie viscount de Thouars, the lords do Partenav, de Pousanges, de 
Cors, de Crupignac, sir Louis de Harcourt, sir Geoffry d'Argenton, 
sir James de Surgeres, sir Percival dc Coulogne. They had caused 
to be made at Poitiers and at la Roehelle large macliines and cannons, 
with which they much harassed these lords of Poitou in Thouars; 
who, having mutually considered their situation, proposed a treaty, 
the terms of which were, that there should be a truce for them and all 
that belonged to them until Michaelmas ensuing 1372 : during which 
time, they should let the king of England, their lord, kn6w the state 
of the town and country : and if, within that period, they were not 
succored by the king of England or some of his children, they were, 
for themselves and their territories, to swear obedience to the king of 
France. When the treaty was agreed to, some of the knights re. 
turned to Paris. The captal de Buch was conducted thither, and 
imprisoned, under a good guard, in one of the towers of the Temple. 
The king was so much pleased with this prize, that he gave to the 
squire that had taken him twelve hundred francs. 

The messengers from the lords of Poitou arrived in England, to ac. 
quaint the king, the prince of Wales (who at that time had pretty 
well recovered his health) and the council with the situation of Poitou 
and Saintonge. The king, learning that he was thus losing all the 
territories which had cost him so much to conquer, remained pensive 
and silent : at last he said, that in a v?ry short time he would go to 
that coimtry with such a powerful force as would enable him to wait 
tor the army of the king of France, and never return to England be. 
fore he had regained all that had been conquered from him, or lose 
what remained. 

At this period, the army under the command of the duke of Lan. 
caster was completed. It was very numerous, and had been ordered 
to Calais ; but the king and council changed its destination, having 
determined it should go to Poitou, Saintonge and La Roehelle, as 
being the places where the business was the most pressing. The 
king of England issued a special summons throughout the realm, 
ordering all persons capable of bearing arms to come properly equip, 
ped to Southampton and its neighborhood by a certain day, when 
they were to embark. None either wished or dared to disobey the 
command, so that numbers of men-at-arms and archers of all sorts 
marched toward the sea-coast, where there were about four hundred 
vessels of different sizes ready to receive them. The principal nobility 
waited on the king and his family, who resided at Westminster. It 
had been settled between the king and prince, that if either of'them 
should die in this expedition, the son of the prince, named Richard, 
born at Bordeaux, should succeed to the crown. When therefore all 
the nobles were assembled about the king before his departure, the 
prince caused them to acknowledge, that in case he should die before 
his father, his son should succeed as king of England after the de- 
cease of his grandfather. The earls, barons, knights and commonalty 
of the counti-y were so much attached to the prince for his gallantry 
at home and abroad, that they cheerfully assented to his request ; 
the king first, then his children, and afterwards the lords of England. 
The prince put them upon their oath, and made them sign and seal 
to observe this arrangement before they separated. 

Matters being thus settled, the king, the prince, the duke of Lan. 
caster, the carls of Cambridge, Salisbury, Warwick, Arundel, Suf. 
folk and Stafford, the lord Despencer (who was but lately returned 
from Lombardy,) the lords Percy, Neville, Roos, de la Warre, and aU 
the principal barons of England, with about three thousand lances 
and ten thousand archers,t arrived at Southampton, when they em. 
barked on board the fleet, which was the largest that ever a king of 
England sailed with on any expedition whatever. They steered for 
La Roehelle, coasting Normandy and Brittany, and had various 
winds. The king of France, in the meantime, was collecting a great 
army in Poitou, to maintain his pretensions to Thouars : so that the 
whole country was full of soldiers. The Gascons, on the other hand, 
were as actively employed in raising men under die command of 
the lord Archibald de Grailly, uncle to-.the captal de Buch, who had 
come forward at the entreaties of sir Thomas Felton, seneschal of 
Bordeaux : they amounted to full three hundred spears. In this 
number were the lords de Duras, de Courton, de Mucident, de Rosen, 



* " Fontenay le Comte"— a city in La Vendue, bishopric of La Roehelle. 
t My MS. says, " four thousand men-at-arms and twenty thousand archers." 



814 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



de Laugoren, and de Landuraa, sir Peter de Landunis, sir Peter dc 
Courton, and sir William Farrington, an Englishman. 

This body of men left Bordeaux, and advanced to Niorf, where 
they found sir Walter Hewctt, sir John Devereux, sir Thomas Gour. 
nay, sir John Cresswell, and several others. When they were as- 
sembled, tlicy amounted to about twelve Imndred combatants. Sir 
Richard de Fontchardon arrived there also, and brought with him 
twelve hundred more. The king of England and his children, with 
his large army, were beaten about on the sea, and could not land at 
La Rochelle, nor anywhere near it, for wind and weather were 
against them. They remained in this situation for nine weeks ; and 
Michaelmas was so near at hand that he found it was not possible for 
him to keep his engagement with the Poitevin lords inThouars. He 
was severely disappointed at this, and disbanded his troops to go 
whitlier they wished. The king, on his return, said of the king of 
France, "that there never was a king who had armed himself so lit- 
tle, nor one who had given him so much embarrassment." Tiius did 
this large fleet steer to England, when it had as favorable a gale as 
could be wished. After they were disbanded, there arrived at Bor- 
deaux upward of two liundred merchant ships for wines. 

When Michaelmas was nearly arrived, the barons of England and 
Gascony, who had advanced to Niort in order to attend the king of 
England at Thenars, were very much surprised that they heard not 
any tidings of him. In order, therefore, to acquit themselves, they 
sent messengers to the Poitevin lords in Thouars, who said to them : 
" Very dear lords, we are sent hither by the lords of Gascony in the 
dependence of the king of England, and by those English lords now 
in company with them, who have desired us to inform you, that they 
have collected all their forces, which may amount to about twelve 
hundred fighting men,* ready and willing to serve you. They en. 
treat you to inform them, if, in the absence of the king of England 
and his children, they can assist you, and if the relief ma\- now be ac- 
cepted ; for they are eager to adventure their lives and foi limes in your 
company." The barons of Poitou replied : " We will call a council 
on what you have said ; and we return our kind thanks to the barons 
of Gascony and England for sending to us, and for being so well 
prepared and willing to assist us." 

The knighl3 of Poitou assembled ; but at the first meeting they 
could not agree on any determination, for the lord de Partenay, who 
was one of the principal barons, was desirous they should defend 
themselves, as if the king of England had been present ; but others 
maintained, that they had given under their seals a declaration, that 
if neither the king of England nor any of his children were present, 
they would surrender themselves to the obedience of the king of 
France. The lord de Partenay returned to his hdtel in a very ill hu- 
mor ; but he was afterwards so much talked to that he consented to 
agree with the others. They therefore sent word, that according to 
their treaty, it was absolutely necessary for the king of England or 
one of his sons to be present. The English and Gascons at Niort were 
much vexed on hearing this, but they could not prevent it. ! 

The dukesof Berry, Burgundy, Bourbon, the constable of France, the 
lord de Clisson, the viscount de Rohan, the dauphin of Auvergne, the 
lord Louis de Sancerre, the lord de Sully, and the barons of France : 
in all, about ten thousand lances, without reckoning tho others, ad- 
vanced from Poitiers, and drew up in battle-array before Thouars the 
eve of Michaelmas.day, and also on the feast-day until evening, when 
they retired to their quarters. On the morrow, the two brothers of the 
king of France and the constable sent to the knights of Poitou in 
Thouars, to remind them of wdiat they had sworn and sealed. They 
returned for answer, that they should very soon retire to Poitiers, 
when they would put themselves and their dependencies under the 
obedience of the king of France. The lords of France, satisfied 
with this answer, departed from before Thouars ; and the dukes dis. 
banded the greater part of their men. 

On this separation, tho lord de Clisson, with a largo body of men- 
at-arms, of whom the constable had given him the command, came 
before Mortaigne.sur-mer, which at that time was attached to the 
English. An English squire, called James Clerk, was governor of 
the place, and might have had with him sixty companions. When 
the lord de Clisson came before Mortaigne, he assaulted it very vigor- 
ously ; but, though he did irot spare himself on the occasion, he 
gained nothing ; upon which he retreated to his quarters. The gov. 
ernor, who found he should he hard pushed, sent otf secretly to those 
knights of Gascony and England who were at Niort, to desire they 
would come that night to Mortaigne ; that he would lodge them in 
his hdtel ; and that they might easily pass through the quarters of the 
French forces, who were but two hundred fighting men. These lords 
set out from Niort, w-ith five hundred lances, and rode all night to 
arrive at Mortaigne, for they had a great desire to catch the lord de 
Clisson. But a spy, who had left Niort with them, having overheard 
some part of their intentions, made as much haste as possible to the 
lord de Clisson, whom he found sitting at his supper. He informed 
him that the enemy had marched from Niort with five hundred com- 

* All the printed copies and MSS. except the one I have lately quoted, have 1200. In 
the preceding page. Froissart says 1200 men came to Niort with sir John Devereu.\, &c. 
and that sir Richard de Pnntchardon brought 1200 morf. They ought, therefore, to ha%-e 
been 2400. My MS. nearly reconciles lhL= by saying, thai, "the herald Chandos. who 
carried the message to the knights in Thouan,, informed them his lords were assembled 
in Niorl with liJOO lances. Engliah and Gascons, and about 2000 archers and lusty 
vnriets." 



batants, and were advancing fast toward him. Upon hearing tliis, the 
lord de Clisson pushed the table from before him, and hastily armed 
himself. He mounted liis steed, and set oil' suddenly, with all his 
men, leaving the greater part of what belonged to them on the field. 
He never stopped until he arrived at Poitiers. The English were 
much vexed at their disappointment. They returned to Niort, where 
they left in garrison sir John Devereux, the earl of Angus and Cress- 
well. Sir Walter Hewett went to England. All the others went 
back to Bordeaux, burning in their way the whole territories of the 
lord de Partenay. 

Thus was all Poitou conquered, except the fortresses of Niort, Eli- 
seth, Mortemcr, Mortaigne, Lusignan, Chastcl.Accart,* La Roche- 
sur-Yon, Gauzar, La Tour de I'Arbre, Mcr.xis and others. These 
castles, however, held out, and made frequent inroads and attacks on 
their neighbors; sometimes invading, at other times chased back 
again. 



CHAPTER CCCXIII. 

THE DUKE OF BKITTAKY DAKES NOT OPENLY PECLAKE FOR THE KINO 
OF ENGLAND. SIR BETRAND DO GUESCLIN LAYS SIEGE TO CIVRAY.t 
THE ENGLISH ARE DEFEATED, AND THE WHOLE OF THE COUNTRIES 
OF I'OITOU, SAINTONGE, AND LA ROCHELLE, ARE GIVEN UP TO THB 
FRENCH. 

The duke of Brittany, who remained peaceably in his duchy, was 
much hurt at the losses of the English ; for he said, such as he was 
the king of England and his power had made him, as he never should 
have been anything of himself: that he owed all to the English 
king, who had made war in his behalf, had lent him large sums of 
money, and had given to him his daughter in marriage, he would 
therefore have been happy to have added Brittany as an ally of Eng- 
land : but all the barons, knights, and squires of that country were 
too much attached to the French, particularly the lords de Clisson, 
de Laval, and the viscount de Rohan, who at that time were the 
greatest lords in Brittany. They addressed the duke in these words : 
*' Dear lord, as soon as we shall clearly perceive that you take any 
part with the king of England against the king of France, our sove- 
reign lord, we will all quit you and the country of Brittany." The 
duke could but ill disguise his anger ; however, he only said, " they 
did great wrong to the king of England." He now began to open 
himself more, and to discover his sentiments to others of the lords of 
Brittany. 

The king of France, who had gained over to him all the principal 
persons in that country excei)t sir Robert Knolles, had besought them 
to inform him whenever they found the duke acting contrary to their 
wishes, assuring them he would provide a remedy. The duke saw 
that he was not only suspected, but narrowly w-atched ; which alarmed 
him lost they should seize his person, and send him to Paris. He 
therefore signified to the king of England his situation, and entreated 
him to send men-at-arms to assist him if there should be any occa- 
sion. The king ordered thither four hundred men-at-arms and as 
many archers, under the command of lord Neville, who arrived at 
St. Mathieu Fin de Terre,t where they remained all the winter, 
without doing any damage to the country, paying for everything they 
had ; for the duke, on account of the suspicions of his nobles, did not 
choose to put them into any of his castles. When the knights of 
Brittany saw the English thus come to the assistance of the duke, 
they were indignant, and shut up their own castles, showing much 
ill-will against the duke. Tilings remained in this doubtful manner 
all the winter. 

As soon as the season pennitted, sirBertrand du Guesclin marched 
from Poitiers with full fourteen hundred combatants, and laid siege 
to the town and castle of Civray. There were with him, of Breton 
knights, sir Alain de Beaumanoir, John de Beaumanoir, Arnoul 
Limousin, Geotfry Ricon, Yvon de Laconnet, Geoffry de Kerirael, 
with many other knights and squires. They fixed their q>:arter3 be- 
fore Civray, and surrounded them with palisadoes to prevent being 
surprised in tho night. Frequently the most expert of them advanced 
to make trials of skill with those of the castle, who defended them- 
selves valiantly. During the siege, sir Robert Micon, and Nicotia 
rEscot,§ the governors of Civray, sent intelligence of their situation 
to sir John Devereux and the earl of Angus, who were in garrison 
at Niort. They instantly ordered the garrisons from Lusignan and 
Gouzar to march to Niort, when they amounted all together to six 
or seven hundred good men-at-arms, well equipped, without counting 
the pillagers. They advanced until they came near to Civray, 
which is but four leagues from Niort ; when they halted sometime to 
arrange themselves, but it had been better for them had they pro- 
ceeded to the quarters of the constable. |) 

News was brought to him of the arrival of the English, while they 
were forming themselves in the plain. He was not any way alaiTOed 
at it, but ordered his men to arm without making any delay, and to 
march out in a body. When he saw them all assembled, he said 



* Chatel I'Arclier— a village in Poitou. 

t " Civray "—a town in Poitou, on the Charente. ten leagues from Poitiers. 

i St. Mathieu Fin de Terre, or St. Mahe. is a village in Grittany, diocese of St. Pol 
de Leon. Froissart calls it St. Malhien de Fine Piterne. 

§ " Sir Robert Micon and Nicotia I'Escot." My MSS. have sir Robert Mitoa and sit 
Martin Sco'-t. 

II The historian of Brittany says, they there intoxicated themselves. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



915 



'to them ; " My good gentlemen, what hearts have you for a battle ? 
t I fancy we must engage our enemies." They replied : " My lord, 
j ■ "we are very willing to do so, thanks to God." The constable then 
I • ordered ah ambuscade to be formed, of two hundred combatants, 
! near to the casde; for he judged the garrison would of ectu'so make 
I a sally. He then commanded the greater jmrt of the palisadoes to 
i be levelled to the ground, that there might not be any hiiidrance 
I wjicn he should march out, and drew up his forces in two battalions. 
1 Sir Alain de Beamont commanded one, and sir Geoffry de Marncil* 
' the other. It was strictly forbidden for any one to advance before 
his banner tmtil ordered, and he was to remain till then quietly in 
his rank. 

We will now return to sir Robert Miton and sir Martin Scott, 
who, from the heights of the castle saw the English in the plain 
drawn up in battle-array. They said, " Let us make ready to quit 
the castle, for we can easily pass through these Bretons ; and when 
our friends shall see we are engaged, tijey will come to our help, 
and we may do much mischief before tliey will be prepared to 
defend themselves or suspect our intent." About sixty combatant? 
that were to make this sally armed themselves, who, when ready, 
salUed forth on horseback to skirmish with the enemy ; but they 
were attacked by the ambuscade which had been laid for them. 
Hard ijidecd was the fight, but the English were so sun'ounded that 
they could neither advance nor retreat : they were all slain or made 
prisoners, not one escaping : the two governors were also taken. 
The English remained in battle-array in the plain, and the con- 
stable of France in his quarters : for he imagined that the English 
had placed a large ambuscade in a coppice on his rear. The Eng- 
lish had brought with them a rout of pillaging Poitevins and Bretons, 
amounting to about two hundred, whom they sent forward to skir- 
Kiish with the French. As soon as these pillagers came opposite to 
the battalion of the lord constable, they declared themselves loyal 
Frenchmen, and, if he pleased, would serve under him. The con- 
stable immediately assented, commanding them to wheel on one 
side, when he learnt from them the arrangement of the English force, 
and that there was not any ambuscade. On hearing this, the con- 
stable was more easy than before ; and having ordered his men to 
form, he advanced with his banner, marching on the wing of the 
two battalions. They had dismounted, and pushed toward the 
palisadoes, which they had allowed to remain standing, every one 
shouting, " Notre Dame Guesclin !" 

The English on seeing them issue out of their fort, drew up also 
on foot, and advanced with great alacrity. Their first onset was 
against the battalion of the constable, which was fierce and desperate. 
The English drove quite through this battalion, and overthrew 
many. But the Bretons had wisely drawn up their army : there 
were two battalions on the wing, who, being quite fresh, followed the 
constable, and, falling upon the English who were tired, beat them 
most dreadfully. They, however, like men of courage, turned about, 
without shrinking from their ill fortune, and combated most valiantly 
with the arms they had, such as battle-a.xes and swords of Bordeaux, 
with which they dealt many hard blows. Several excellent knights 
of each side adventured boldly, to exalt their renown. This battle 
was as well fought, as many gallant deeds performed, and as many 
captures and rescues took place as had been seen for a long time in 
all that country ; for both armies were on foot, on a plain, without 
advantage to either. Each labored to perform Ins duty wxll, and 
many were slain outright or desperately wounded. In short, all the 
English who had marched thither were so completely discomfited 
that not one escaped death or captivity. Two good squires were 
there slain, Richard Neville and V/illiam Worsley ; James Wil- 
loughby was very badly wounded. Sir John Devereux, sir Aimery 
de Rochechouart, David Holgrave, Richard Oliver, John Cressweli, 
and many others from England and Poitou, were made prisoners. 
This battle of Civray happened on the 20th day of March, 1373. 

The constable and his army returned to their quarters, where they 
cleaned and refreshed themselves, and attended to the wounded and 
prisoners, of whom they had great numbers. The constable then 
sent sir Alain de Beaumont to hold a parley with the garrison, who 
told them, that if they sufl'ered themselves to be taken by assault, 
they would all be put to the sword without mercy. Upon this, the 
garrison surrendered to the constable, who allowed them to leave the 
place and march to Bordeaux, with a passport from him. The French 
gained this castle and territory, which submitted to the obedience of 
the king of France. The Bretons advanced eagerly toward Niort, 
which is a handsome town in Poitou, and had always supported the 
interest of the English, who had kept there a veiy large garrison. 
As soon as the inhabitants of Niort heard the constable was marching 
thither, they went out to meet him, and, presenting him the keys o{ 
the town, conducted him and all his men into it with great rejoic- 
ings.t The Bretons remained there four days to recover themselves, 



when they departed in great array, with about fourteen hundred 
lances, for Lusignan,* which surrendered upon condition the garri. 
son should march out unhurt, carrying away all they were able, and 
with a pa.sspoit for the constable to conduct them to Bordeaux. The 
French gained this castle, which was very grand and handsome, and 
all the lordship dependent on it, whose vassals became liege men to 
the king of France. 

After this, the Bretons marched to Chfltel I'Archer, when the con- 
stable sent immediately to the lady de Plainmartin, who was the wife 
of sir Guiscard d'Angle, and resided in it. She entreated he would 
grant her an escort, that she might speak with the duke of Berry at 
Poitiers. The constable complied with her request, and ordered one 
of his knights to conduct her. When she came before the duke, she 
prostrated herself to the ground. The duke caused her to rise, and 
demanded what she wished to say : " My lord," replied she, " I am 
sunmioned by the constable to put myself and my lands under the 
obedience of the king- of France. You know well, my lord, that 
my husband is now lying a prisoner in Spain : his lands, therefore, 
are under my direction. I am but a weak woman, and cannot dis- 
pose of my husband's property as I please ; for, if by accident I 
should do anytliing contrary to what he would have wished, he will 
be angered and blame me for it. However, to satisfy you, and to 
keep my lands in peace, I off'er you a composition for me and mine, 
on these terms : that no war shall be made on us, nor will we engage 
in any ofi'ensive or defensive war. When my lord shall have gained 
his liberty and be returned to England, whither I suppose he will 
retire, I will inform him of the terms of this composition, and what- 
ever answer he shall return to me, the same I will forward to you." 
" Lady," answered the duke, " I grant it on condition that neither 
tor yourself, nor castles, nor fortresses, you lay in a greater stock of 
provision, artillery, or men-at-arms than are now within them." The 
lady returned to Chatel I'Areher, when the sieg^ was raised ; for she 
showed the agreement made with the duke of Berry. 

This army of Bretons, of which the constable was the leader, 
departed, and came before Mortemer. The lady de Mortemcr sur- 
rendered herself and lands to the obedience of the king of France. 
She gave up also the castle of Didonne,t which belonged to her. 
Thus was all Poitou, Saintonge, and La Rochelle freed and deliveretl 
from the English. When the constable had placed sufficient garri- 
sons everywhere, and found nothing rebellious, as far as the river 
Gironde, he returned to Paris. The dukes of Berry, Burgundy, and 
Bourbon, with the greater part of the barons of France who had 
been concerned in these conquests, had already arrived there. The 
king had entertained them most handsomely on their return ; but this 
was nothing to the honors that were shown sir Bertrand du Guesclia 
when he came to Paris : the king did not think he could sufficiently 
testify his regard and esteem for him, and detained him constantly 
about his person at Paris and elsewhere. 



* "Marneil." The tiiifereiit editionshaveavariety of names for this person. I have 
fol owed the oldest MS. I have, which, from its writing, seems to be of the same age 
with f roissart ; but I should rather suppose it ought to be sir Geoffry de Kerimel, as he 
IS particularly mentioned before. 

-1^'hi" '""''' «?.''f':>;ee" sained by a strataRem. After the defeat at Civray. the 
constub e ordered h.s knights to dress the^-nselves in the emblazoned surcoats of his pris- 

toTn« ^? ,Tn ' \ ^""T" "'-f'"" "> "«" "«■•'' e>««- believine them the Enjlish 
Mnignts retumiUB victorious from Civray .-a(st. ac BrcUgns. 



CHAPTER CCCXIV. 

THE SIEGE OF BECHEKEL.t PEACE BETWEEN THE KINGS OF FRANCE ANB 
NAVARRE. THE DEATH OF THE KING OF SCOTLAND. 

Aboot this time, the lords de Clisson, de Laval, d'Avangour, de 
Tournemine, de Rieux, de Rochefort, the viscount de Rohan, sir 
Charles de Dinan, banneret of Brittany, the marshal de Blainville, 
the lords de Banibie, de Ruille, de Fonteville, de Granville, de Far. 
mille,de Denneval, and de Cleres, bannerets of Normandy, with many 
others from Normandy and Brittany, laid siege to the strong castle of 
Becherel, and pressed it hard by their assaults. There were in this 
castle two able captains from England, sir John Appleyard and sir 
John Cornewall, who, with their companions, bravely defended them- 
selves: and at this time there were various gallant deeds, sallies, 
skirmishes, and rescues, performed before Becherel. Not far distant 
was the town of St. Sauveur le Vicomte ; in which were, sir Thomas 
Trivet, sir Aleyne Boxhull, sir Philip Pechard, and the three brothers 
Maulevrier ; so that, before the siege of Becherel, these two garrisons 
oveiTan all lower Normandy, and nothing could escape, but what 
was inclosed in forts, from being taken and carried to one or other 
of these towns. They ransomed the bishoprics of BayciLX and Ev- 
renx, in which the king of Navan-e had connived, and reinforced thera 
with men and provisions from the garrisons he held in the county of 
Evreux. 

He was not in good humor with the king of France ; inasmuch as 
the garrisons of Cherbourg, Cocherel, Conches, Breteuil, Evreux, and 
several others dependent on the king of Navarre, had much impover- 
ished and ruined the country of Nonnandy. However, about this 
period, the differences were accommodated between the two kings, 
and treaties entered into, through the mediation of the count de 
Saltzbourg, who had made many visits to each party, and the bishop 
of Evreux. The two kings met in an amicable manner in the castle 
of Vernon, when they swore, in the presence of several of the great 
lords of France, peace, love, amity, and alliance henceforward for 
ever. The king of Navarre accompanied the king of France to 

* " Lusignan "—a town in Poitou, twelve leagues from Niort. 
t " Didor.ne "—or St. Georges de Diodonne — a small town in Saintonge. 
t believe it was a dependency of the sandich de Trane.— See Asumoie. 
X Uecnerel— a town in Brittany, two ieagues from St. Malo. 



216 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



Paris who showed him and his companions all manner of respect. 
The king of Navarre put his territories in Normandy under the gov- 
ernment of liis brotiier-in-law the king of France, and left his two 
sons Charles and Peter, with the king their uncle. He then affec- 
tionately took his leave, and returned to Navarre. 

Tliis peace continued for four years ; but then great dissensions 
arose between them, as you will hear in the course of this historj', 
if I should live to finish it : I do not think, however, that it wjU be 
concluded in this book. 

The 7th of May, 1373, king David of Scotland departed this life 
in the city of Edinburgh, and was buried in the abbey of Dunferm- 
line, beside Robert the Bruce his father. He left behind him neither 
male nor female ofi'spring, and was succeeded by his own nephew, 
Robert the Stewart of Scotland, who was a fine knight, and had 
eleven sons.* 



CHAPTER CCCXV. 

THE EAKL OF SALISBPRY, SIR WILtJAM NEVILLE, SIR PHILIP COl'RTENAY, 
WITH MANY OTHER MEN.AT-ARMS, LAND IN BRITTANY. THE CONSTA- 
BLE OF FRANCE MARCHES THITHER ; ON WHICH THE DUKE OF BRITTANY 
GOES TO ENGLAND. 

Orders were given in England for the earl of Salisbury, sir Wil- 
liam Neville, and sir Philip Courtenay, to put to sea with a large 
body of men-at-arms, to 
guard the coasts ; for it was 
reported that the Spaniards 

and Evan of Wales were on _-_--_ 

the seas, with si.K thousand 
men, to bum the country. 
These lords had under theii- 
command forty large ships, 
"without counting sloops, and 
two thousand men-at-arms, 
not including archers. They 
set sail fromCornwall,where 
they had embarked for the 
coasts of Brittany, and, ar- 
riving at St. Malo, burnt in 
the harbor seven large Span- 
ish ships that were lying 
there. The country was 
much surprised at this, and 
said the duke had sent them 
orders to come thither : they 
began to suspect his inten- 
tions more than ever, and 
strengthened all their towns, 
castles, and cities. 

The duke had placed his 
confidence in some of the 
knights of Brittany, who 
had betrayed his secret, so 
that the king of France or- 
dered his constable to in- 
vade Brittany with a large 
body of men-at-arms, and to 
take possession for him of 
all cities, towns, castles, and 
fortresses, as well as such 
persons whomhe should find 
in rebellion, and confiscate 
their property. The con- 
stable inarched from Paris 

to Angers, and from thence issued his summons. He was there 
joined by the duke de Bourbon, the count d'AIen^on, the vis- 
counts de Meaux and d'Ausnay, sir Raoul de Coucy, Robert de St. 
Pol, Raoual de Raineval, Louis de Sancerre marshal of France, witli 
numbers of barons and knights from the countriesofVermandois, Art jis, 
and Picardy, without counting those from Anjou, Poitou, and Tourainc. 

The earl of Salisbury, who was at St. Malo with his army, was 
informed of this assembly of men-at-arms, and also that the whole 
of Brittany was in opposition to the duke. He set sail with his fleet, 
and bore away until he came to Brest, which has one of the strongest 
castles in the world. When the duke of Brittany heard of the march 
of the constable, he was afraid of trusting himself to the inhabitants of 
Vannes or Dinan, or indeed to any of his principal towns; he thought 
if he should shut himself up in any one of them, he would run great 
risks. He went, therefore, to the castle of Auray, which is situated 
between Vannes and Rennes, and was attached to him ; for he had 
given the command of it to an English knight called sir John Austin. 
The duke left his lady under the care of this knight, entreating him 
to guard her well, which he promised to do. After this, he rode to 
St. Mah^ ; but they shut the gates against him : from thence he 
■went to Concarncau,+ where he embarked for England. 



The constable of France entered Brittany, attended by those barona 
and knights of the country who had been at the siege of Becherel, 
they having left the continuance of it to the knights and lords of 
Normandy. On the arrival of the constable before Rennes, the in- 
habitants knew that his visit was to take possession of the whole 
country ; for the king and his council had published a declaration 
that the duke had forfeited it, because he had surrendered to the 
English different towns, castles, and forts, and had even wished to 
take part with the king of England against the crown of Frahce, 
from which he held his duchy by faith and homage. They were 
unwilling to incur the horrors of war, and received the constable in 
a peaceful manner, acknowledging the king of France for their lord. 
After the constable had gained possession of Rennes, he hastened 
to Dinan, which surrendered to the obedience of the king of France. 
He next advanced to Vannes, which did the same. Luzumont,* 
however, held out for the duke ; it was roughly assaulted and taken 
by storm, so that all within were put to death. The constable 
marched to Jugon, which accepted the terms of the king of France; 
as did also the castle of Guy la Foret, la Roche. derrien, the towns 
of Guingamp, St. Mah^, and St. Malo. In like manner did Quim. 
pcrcorentin, Quimperl^, Credo, Galande, as well as several other 
fortresses in the neighborhood, turn to the French. The constable 
marched first through lower Brittany, because it was more attached 
to duke John de Montfort than the upper parts. 

When the duke of Brittany embarked for England, he nominated 




"■Lord Ilailes, in his Annals, says: "David II, died 32nd February, 1370-1, in the 
easlle of Edinburgh, in the 47* year of his agp. and the 42nd of In's reign. He was 
Jjuried in Ihe church of the abbey of Ilolyrood. before the gre^il alwr." 

t " Concarneau "—a seaport in Brittany, about four leagues from Uuimper. 



Dunfermline Abbey, tlie Burial Place of Ilobert Bruce and the early Kings of Scotland. From an Original Drawing. 



sir Robert KnoUes governor of the duchy, but very few lords obeyed 
him. He, however, sufficiently reinforced his castle of Derval with 1 
men, and, having provided it with every necessary, gave the com- 
mand of it to his cousin Hugh Brock. Sir Robert shut himself up i 
in Brest. 

The constable came before Hennebon : the governor was an Eng. ■ 
lish squire, called Thomelin Ubich,t nominated by the duke. There ' 
was also with him in the castle a knight named sir Thomas Prior, ' 
who had been sent thither by sir Robert KnoUes ; and their garrisons J 
might consist of about fourscore men, without counting the inhabit- 1 
ants of the town. The French, on their arrival, began to make a i 
violent attack on the castle: they always carried with them many 
large engines and cannons, by means of which they had taken several > 
towns, castles, and forts in Brittany : in particular, they had stormed 
the town of Quimperle, of which James Ross, a valiant squire of 
England, was governor. He could obtain no quarter, for he fell into 
the hands of sir Oliver de Clisson, who slew him and several others 
with his own hand : he had no mercy nor pity on any Englishman. 

Let us return to the siege of Hennebon. The constable of France, 
after ho had pointed his engines and cannon against the walls of the 
town and castle, which the lord Charles de Blois could never con- 
quer, ordered all the mcn-at-anns to make a brisk assault, for he had ' 



* Probably Suciiiio— a castle near Vanne;, which was taken by assault, and the gar- 
rison slain.— ///.sr. di: Bretasnp. 
t "Thomelin Ubich." Q. Wich, or Holbeck. Barnes calls him Thomas Wicii 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



21T 



resolved lo sup in the place that evening. They made a most fierce 
attack, without sparing themselves ; and tlie inhabitcmts, assisted by 
the English, made as gallant a defence. Upon this, the constable 
called out to them, saying : " Attend to me, you men of Hennebon : 
it is quite certain we must conquer you, and that we will sup in your 
town this evening : if, therefore, any of you be bold enough to throw 
a stone, arrow, or by any means hurt the smallest of our boys so that 
he be wounded, I vow to God I will have you all put to death." 
These words so much frightened the inhabitants that they retired to 
their houses, leaving the English to defend the place as well as they 
could : but the town was too large for them to guard every part of 
it, so that the army of the constable entered, and put all the English 
to death except the two captains, whom they made prisoners. Be- 
cause the townsmen had obeyed the constable, he commanded that 
no one, when they stormed the place, should dare any way to injure 
them. When sir Bertrand du Guesclin had thus won the town and 
strong castle of Hennebon in Brittany, he remained there for fifteen 
days, and then marched toward Concarneau. 

In the mean while, the earl of Salisbury, sir William Neville, sir 
Brian Stapleton, and sir William Lucy, having reinforced and reviet- 
ualled the fort of Brest with men-at-arms, archers, and provisions, 
had embarked on board their ships in order the better to defend it 
against the French, whom the English knew to be in Brittany, but 
■were uncertain to what quarter the constable would lead them. The 
constable on coming before Concarneau, which is a sea-port, took it 
by storm, and slew all the English except their captain, sir John 
Langley, who received quarter. The French repaired the town, and 
strengthened it with men-at-arms and all sorts of provision. They 
then advanced to Brest, in which were sir Robert KnoUes, with two 
hundred men-at-arms, and as many archers. 

The lords of France and Brittany laid siege to Brest : they had 
with them about six thousand combatants. Shordy after they had 
commenced this siege, the duke of Anjou sent for sir Oliver de Clis- 
son, who had under his command some of his men, to come and lay 
siege to la Roche-sur-Yon, which the English still held. Sir Oliver 
surrounded the place, and pointed against it large engines, which he 
bad brought from Angers and Poitiers. In company with these Bre- 
tons came several nobles and gentlemen of Poitoii and Anjou : they 
kept up a sharp attack, and pressed hard the garrison of la Roche. 
sur-Yon, saying they would never leave the place before they had 
conquered it. The duke of Anjou returned to his own country, but 
frequently sent provision and other articles to those who were carry- 
ing on the siege. The constable, the dtikc of Bourbon, the counts 
d'Alen^on and de Perigord, the dauphin d'Auvergne, and the great 
barons of France still maintained the siege of Brest ; but too little 
did they gain, for it is one of the strongest castles in the world. 
As sir Robert KnoUes was the governor, the lords of France resolved 
to send a body of men to invest his castle of Derval. Many noble, 
men of Brittany and of Touraine went on this expedition : they 
were, in the whole, about four hundred fighting men. 



CHAPTER CCCXVI. 

IIIE FKENCH BESIEGE FOUR DIFFERENT PLACES. LA ROCHE-StlR.YON 
, . SURRENDERS TO THE FRENCH. THE SIEGE OF BREST IS RAISED BY 
' CA?irULATIO.\, WHICH IS NOT KEPT. 

Tbe lords of France were at this time besieging four towns at 
once ; namely, Becherel, Brest, ia Roche-sur-Yon, and the one just 
formed before Derval. The besiegers had many an assault to make, 
and many gallant feats of arms to perform, in order to obtain suc- 
cess. 

The inhabitants of la Roche-sur-Yon, being farthest off from any 
assistailce, and surrounded on all sides, entered into a capitulation, 
that if they were not succored within one month, the garrison would 
march out, and deliver up the castle to the king of France. The 
lord de Clisson and the other lords returned at the appointed day ; 
and, when no reinforcements appeared to raise the siege, the castle 
siirrendered,^and the English, under the passports of the lord de Pons 
inarched away for Bordeaux.* 

After this, sir Oliver de Clisson and the others who had been at 
this conquest, marched to Derval, whither they had caused large 
machines and engines to be brought. To this siese of Derval came 
the constable of France, the duke of Bourbon, the "counts d'Alencon 
and du Perche, with numbers of the knights and barons of France, 
for they found they were only losing their time before Brest. Two 
thousand, however, remained behind, who built a block.house in 
auch a situation that no one could enter Brest to reinforce or revictual 
it. Sir Hugh Brock and the garrison in Derval, seeing themselves 
attacked by such a force, were alarmed lest they should be taken by 
storm, and proposed a treaty for a truce of two months; and if with- 
in that time they were not relieved by the duke of Brittany, or others 
in sufficient force to keep the field, to raise the siege, and to com. 
bat the French, they would surrender themselves and the castle to 
the duke of Anjou, or to the constable ; but if a body of men.at-arms 
should arrive, and otfer battle to the French, the garrison should 
icmain in peace. This treaty was concluded, and information sent 



* Mj MS. mentions sir Robert Grenacres as governor of La Roche sui- Yon. 



to the duke of Anjou, who was on the borders: he approved of it, 
on condition that the garrison of Derval should not during the truce 
receive any one into the castle. Sir Hugh Brock sent several knights 
and squires as his hostages for the due execution of the treaty. 

After this capitulation, the constable of France made an excursion 
to the city of Nantes. The citizens shut their gates, because he had 
with him a large army, and went forth to know his intentions. The 
constable told them he had been nominated and sent by the king of 
France, their lord, to take seisin and possession of the duchy of 
Briltany, which sir John de Montfort, who called himself duke, had 
forfeited. The citizens requested time to hold a council, to deliberate 
on what he had said, before they gave an answer. After a long 
time debating the business, they returned and spake to the constable : 
'' Dear lord, it seems quite marvellous to us how the king of France 
can thus seize the inheritance of our lord the duke ; for the king, 
not long since, commanded us to receive him as our duke. We 
have therefore sworn fealty and homage lo him ; and he has in 
return promised and sworn to govern us as subjects, which he has 
hitherto punctually done. We have never had any grotmds for sus- 
pecting him of fraud or giule. If you enter this town by virtue of 
the procuration you say you have, we will allow you so to do ; but 
on condition, that if it should happen that the duke of Brittany 
return to this country, and be desirous of becoming a good French- 
man, so that all prelates, barons, gentlemen, and good towns in 
Brittany, shall acknowledge him for their lord, we shall be acquitted 
without loss for what we now do, or may have before done ; and 
that you will not consent to any violence being offered to us, nor 
will you receive the rents or revenues of Brittany, but they shall 
remain as a deposite with us until we have other information, or 
hear news more agreeable to us than what you have brought. The 
constable swore to keep everything as procurator for the king of 
France in this case. He and all those who were with him then en- 
tered the city of Nantes, which is the principal town in Brittany. 

When sir Robert KnoUes heard that his cousin, sir Hugh Brock, 
had concluded a capitulation for the castle of Derval with the French, 
and found that unless he also entered into a negotiation he eould 
by no means leave his post to succor it, sir Robert made offers of 
treating with the French and Bretons who had remained before 
Brest : they replied that they could do nothing without the constable. 
An English knight and two squires, having had passports, came to 
a mansion near Nantes, where the constable resided, on the banks of 
the Loire, with other knights of France and Brittany. A treaty was 
entered into, on these terms ; that the garrison of Brest should have 
a truce for forty days, during which time, unless there should arrive 
a sufficient force to fight with the constable, the fort was to be sur- 
rendered. The garrison was to remain on the same footing it then 
was, without receiving any reinforcements of men or provision. The 
negotiators returned to sir Robert KnoUes, who sent, as pledges to 
the constable, able and sufficient knights and squires. The hostages, 
on their arrival, were ordered to the prison of the constable ; and all 
those who had been at the siege of Brest departed. The constable 
gave also leave for several others to go away, whom the king of 
France sent to garrison his cities, castles, towns, and forts in Picardy, 
for the duke of Lancaster had landed at Calais with a large army. 

When the earl of Salisbury (who had all that season cruised on 
the coasts of Brittany and Normandy, having for that purpose been 
reinforced by the king of England, so that he might have on board 
with him a thousand men-at-arms and two thousand archers,) heard 
of the capitulation of Brest, he said, that if it pleased God, he would 
offer combat to the French. He made sail, and arrived at Brest, 
which is situated on the seashore, when he disembarked, and drew 
up his men in order of battle before Brest : at night, they all retreated 
to their vessels. This he daily performed, in order to be ready to 
fight the enemy, should they advance to that quarter. 

The constable had dismissed the greater part of his men : he had 
also on his hands, the sieges of Becherel and of Derval, and did not 
imagine the earl of Salisbury would have arrived on the coast so 
soon. He set out from Nantes when the day approached for the 
surrender of Brest, but did not march quite so far ; for he had 
had intelligence that the English were in sufficient force to fight 
with him. On hearing this, he halted where he w-as, and remained 
there quiet for about seven days, being desirous of having the advice 
of a full council of war which he had summoned. The earl of Salis- 
bury had posted himself very advantageously before Brest ; and, 
finding that the constable and Bretons did not advance, he sent a 
herald to sir Bertrand du Guesclin, who, on his arrival, respectfully 
saluted him, and said : " My lord, the carl of Salisbury and the lords 
of England signify by me, who am a herald at arms and their ser- 
vant, that as you had for a long time besieged the town and castle 
of Brest, and certain treaties and capitulations had been entered into 
for its surrender unless it should be succored before a certain day, 
which is not far distant, they wish to inform you that they have en- 
camped themselves before Brest to fulfil this engagement and to de. 
fend the castle ; they beg and entreat of you, therefore, to advance, 
when you shall be fought with without fail ; and supposing you re. 
fuse your consent to this, that you will send back the hostages." 
The constable replied : "Herald, you bring us agreeable news, and 
are welcome. You will tell your masters, that we are more desirous 
to combat them than they are too meet us ; but that they must march 



'218 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c, 



to the place where the treaty was first entered into and agreed tipon. 
You will inform them, that if they will advance to that place, they 
shall infallibly have a battle." 

The herald returned to his masters before Brest, and delivered liis 
message : they sent liim back to the constable, to whom he said : 
«' My lord, I come again from my lords and masters, to whom I re- 
peated the words you charged me with : they say, that as they are 
only attached to the sea service they have not brought any horses 
with them, and are not accustomed to march on foot ; for which rea. 
son they inform you, that if you will send them your horses, they 
■will come without delay to any place you shall please to appoint, and 
fight with you." " My good friend," answered the constable, " we 
will not, please God, give such advantage to our enemies as we 
should do were we to send them our horses. It would also be con. 
sidered as an insult ; and, should we think of such a thing, it would 
be right we should have good and sufficient security to answer for 
our horses." " In truth," replied the herald, " they have not charged 
me to add anything on this head ; only, that if you do not accept their 
proposition, they say you have not any cause to detain their hosta- 
ges, and that in returning them you will act but justly." The con. 
stable said, he was not of that opinion. 

Thus did the business remain ; and the herald returned to the 
earl of Salisbury and the knights before Brest, who, when they 
found they could not gain anything, and that the hostages were not 
sent back, were exceedingly ve.xed ; they, however, remained stead- 
ily before the place, without moving, until the appointed day was 
passed, and then perceiving the constable would not advance to fight 
with them, they entered Brest, which they greatly reinforced and 
revictualled. The constable, finding the English were not likely 
to come to offer him battle, marched off, carrying with him the Eng- 
lish hostages as prisoners, and said, the English had not kept what 
they had bound themselves to perform.* After the relief of Brest, 
the earl of Salisbury put to sea to guard the coasts, according to the 
orders he had received. Sir Robert Knolles set out also from Brest, 
and arrived at his castle of Derval. As soon as this was known, 
information of it was sent to the duke of Anjou, who was with the 
constable near Nantes. They guessed what would be the conse- 
<iuence of this ; for sir Robert broke all the treaties which his cousin 
had entered into, and sent to tell the duke of Anjou and the consta- 
ble, that he should not keep one article of them, as his people had 
not the power to enter into any treaty without his knowledge and 
consent. The duke, on hearing this, came in person to the siege of 
Derval. 



CHAPTER CCCXVII. 

THE DUKE OF LANCASTER LANDS AT CALAIS, AND INVADES PICAKDY. A 
PART OF HIS ARJVIY DEFEATED BY THE LORD DE BOUESIERSt BEFORE 
RIBEMONT.t ANOTHER FART OF HIS ARMY IS DEFEATED NEAR SOIS- 
SONS BY AN AMBUSCADE OF BORGUNDIANS AND FRENCH. 

Upward of three thousand men-at-arms and ten thousand English 
archers had landed at Calais. Three years before, this expedition 
had been planned and provided for : of course, it was well furnished 
with all things. The following knights passed over with the dukes 
of Lancaster and Brittany : the earls of Warwick, Stafford and Suf. 
folk, Edward lord Despencer, first baron of the realm, and at that 
time constable of the army, the lords Willoughby, de la Pole, Basset, 
Roos, Latimer, lord Henry Percy, lord Lewis Clifford, lord William 
Beauchamp, the canon de Robesart, sir Walter Hcwett, sir Hugh 
Calverley, sir Stephen Cossington, sir Richard de Pontchardon, and 
many other knights and squires from England ; but I cannot name 
them all. 

The king of France, who knew well that the English would cross 
the sea, had reinforced his cities, towns, castles, and forts in Picardy, 
Artois, and also in Vermandois, and had everywhere posted men-at- 
arms in sufficient numbers ; such as Bretons, Burgundians, Picards, 
Nonnins, and many whom he had subsidized from the Empire. 
The English left Calais as soon as they had mounted and arranged 
their carriages, of which they had great numbers. They marched 
in three battalions, and in such good order as it was not easy to im. 
prove : that of the marshals marched first, of which the earls of War- 
wick and Suffolk were the leaders ; then the dukes of Lancaster and 

* My MS. h,is the following additions ; 

"The herald, on receiving liis last tness.lge. returned to his lords before Brest, who 
held a council on it. 

" Shortly tifter this, t!ie constahle, the duke of Bourbon, the count d'Alen^on, the lords 
de Clisson and de Laval, with the other barons nnd kniehts, amounting to four tliousand 
lances and twenty thousand other men, inarclied to witlnu one day's journey of Brest, 
where, having strongly encamped themselves, they sent to let the English know they were 
now on the spot where the treaty had been concluded, and if they would march thither 
they would be combated : otherwise they would lose their hostages. The earl of Salisbury. 
on learnms this, found the French were trickish and had not any real intention of fight- 
ing, so that he returned for answer by his own herald, who accompanied the French 
herald, that ifthe constable would advance two-thirds of the way, they would perform 
the other third ; or, if t!ie French would not do this, the English would advance half of 
the way on f lot, if the French would there meet them on foot : or, ifthe French would 
Hot accept either of these propositions, they were bound in justice to return the hostages. 
for the English had cheerfully and honorably performed their engagement." 

t Deuys Snuvage calls him the lord de Soubise. but gives no reason for it. My MSS. 
*iiave Boursiere. 

: Kibemont is a town in Picardy, four leajues from St. Quentiru 



Brittany, who had many gallant knights to accompany them : the 
constable, the lord Despencer, brought up the rear. They marched 
in close order, without any one being suffered to quit his rank ; and 
the van was always armed ready for combat. They were quartered 
together at night, keeping a strong and strict guard to prevent a sur- 
prise. They advanced three leagues a day, and no one dared to 
march before the banners of the marshals, unless he had been or. 
dered forward as a scout. 

They passed by Montreuil, of which the lord Handebourg* was 
governor, St. Omcr, and afterwards Terouenne, but without attack, 
ing them. The light troops burnt all the lands of the count de St. 
Pol, and the army advanced very near to Arras, when the two dukes 
took up their quarters in the monaster}' of St. Eloy, and remained 
there two days. They then marched off by the walls of Arras, but 
made no assault, for they knew it would be lost time. They canic 
to Bray-sur.Somme,+ where the two marshals had a sharp engage, 
ment before the gates ; for there was a good garrison within of able 
knights and squires of Picardy, under the command of the viscount 
de Meaux and sir Raoul de Rayneval. The canon de Robesart 
struck down three with his spear before the gate, and the skirmish 
was severe ; but the French so well defended the gates, that they 
lost nothing. The English continued their march, following the 
course of the river Somme, which they thought to cross between 
Ham, in Vermandois, and St. Quentin. Thus did this army advance 
under the command of the duke of Lancaster, according to orders 
front the king his father. 

The lord de Boursiers was at this time returning from Hainault 
into France, and arrived so opportunely at Ham that the inhabitant! 
most earnestly entreated of him to remain there to assist them ia 
defending their town against the English. He complied with their 
request, staying with them two days, during the time the English 
passed by, following the course of the river Sonnne, to enter the 
Vermandois and to cross the river at the narrowest part. When the 
lord de Boursiers heard that the English had almost all passed, and 
that they were advancing toward St. Quentin and Ribeniont, where 
the lord du Chin, whose daughter he had married, possessed a large 
estate, and where he also had lands in right of his wife, he took leave 
of the citizens of Ham, who thanked him much for his services, as 
he knew the castle of Ribemont was quite unprovided with men.at. 
arms. He was attended by as many companions as he could mu9. 
ter, but they were very few in number, and rode on until he came 
to St. Quentin, where he did not arrive without great danger, for 
the whole country was overspread with English. He got into the 
town just in time, for the English light troops came to the gates as 
he entered them. The lord de Boursiers found there sir William 
des Botirdes, who was governor of it for the king : he was received 
by him joyfully, and much pressed to stay there, to help in defence 
of the town. 

The lord de Boursiers excused himself by saying, that he had un. 
dertaken to go to Ribemont, to defend that town and castle, which 
was without any garrison ; and he entreated sir William so mueh 
for assistance that he gave him twelve cross-bows. He had not ad- 
vanced far before he saw a company of English ; but, as he knew 
the country well, he took a more circuitous road to avoid them : the 
English never quitted their line of march. He was this whole day 
in much peril on his road toward Ribemont. He met a knight from 
Burgundy, called sir John de Bueil, who was going to St. Quentin; 
but, after some conversation with the lord de Boursiers, he returned 
with him toward Ribemont. His force might now consist of about 
forty spears and thirty cross-bows. As they were approaching Ri;e. 
mont, liaving sent forward one of their scouts to inform the inhabit- 
ants that they were coming to their aid, they perceived a body of 
English advancing, who appeared to consist of at least fourscore 
men on horseback. " The French said, " Here are our enemies re- 
turning from pillage : let us meet them." Upon which they stuck 
spurs into their horses, and galloped off as fast as they could, crying 
out, " Notre Dame Ribemont ;" they fell upon the English, whom 
they defeated and sle-.v. Happy were they who could escape. 

When the French had thus conquered these English, they came 
to Ribemont, where they found the lord du Chin, wlic^a little before 
had entered the town with forty spears and twenty cross-bi-ws. 
While these three noble knights were on the square of the town be- 
fore the castle, and many of their men had gone to their quarters to 
disarm themselves, they heard the sentinel on the castle wall cry 
out, " Here are men-at.arms advancing to the town." On which 
they went nearer the castle, and asked how many he thought there 
might be : he answered " About fourscore." Upon which, the lord 
de Boursiers said, " It behoves us to go and fight with them, for 
otherwise we shall have much blame in having suffered them thus 
to come up to our very walls unnoticed." The Irjrd du Chin replied, 
" Fair son, you say well : order out our horses, and display my ban- 
ner." Sir John de Bueil rejoined, " Gentlemen, you shall not go 
without my company : but I would advise you to act more dclibe- 
rately in this business ; for peradventure they may be men-at-armfl 
lightly mounted, whom the marshals or constable may have sent 
hither to draw us out of our fortress, and our sally may turn out to 
our loss." 

* " Handebourg." Q,. 

t " Bray-sur-Sorame"— a village of Picardy. election of Peronne. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



219f^ 



The lord de Boursiers said : " If you will adopt my plan, wc will 
go and fight them, and that as speedily as may be ; for whatever 
may happen, I am determined to do so." On saying this, he fixed 
on his helmet and tightened his armor, and then sallied forth with 
labout one hundred and twenty combatants. The English were about 
fourscore, part of the troop of sir Hugh Calverley, though sir Hugh 
himself had remained with the duke of Lancaster: there were as 
many as si.\ knights and other squires, who had advanced to revenge 
ithe deaths of their companions. On the French coming out at the 
gate, tliey met the English, who, lowering their spears, vigorously 
lattacked them : they opened their ranks, when the English galloped 
■quite through : this' caused so great a dust that they could scarcely 
distinguish each other. The French soon formed again, and shouted 
Itheir cry of '• Notre Dame Ribemont !'" Many a man was unhorsed 
on both sides. The lord du Chin fought with a leaden mace, with 
which ho smashed every helmet that came within reach of it; for he 
:was a strong and lusty knight, well made in all his limbs : but he 
Ihimsclf received such a blow on his casque that he reeled, and would 
ihave fallen to the ground had he not been supported by his squire. 
He suffered from this blow as long as he lived. 

Several knights and squires of the English were greatly surprised 
that the arms on the lord du Chin's banners were perfectly the same 
as those of the lord de Coucy, and said, " How is this ? has the lord 
ide Coucy sent any of his men hither? he ought to be one of our 
ifriends." The battle was very mortal ; for in the end almost all the 
English were killed or made prisoners, few escaping. The lord de 
IBoursiers took two brothers of the name of Pembroke : one a knight, 
I the other a squire. Sir .Tohn de Bueil took two others, with whom 
jthey retreated into Ribemont. The English army marched by, but 
iniade no assault; for they thought it would be losing time. Orders 
! were given to do no damage, by burning or otherwise, to the lands 
\ of the lord de Coucy, who was at that time in Lombardy, and inter- 
fered not with the wars in France, 

I The English fixed their quarters in the valleys below Laon and 
I lower down than Bruyeres* and Crecy,t whence they did much mis. 
! chief to the Laonnois. But before this, the king of France had or- 
;dered everything valuable to be carried into the towns and strong 
places, which were so well garrisoned that the English could not 
;gain anything by attacking them, nor indeed had they any thoughts 
of so doing, but were only anxious that the French would meet them 
,in battle in tlie plain. The king, however, had forbidden this very 
strictly in his daily orders. He had them followed by the rest of his 
. cavalry so close on their rear, as to intimidate them from quitting the 
main army. The French took up their quarters every evening in 
. fortified towns, and in the day time pursued the English, who kept 
I themselves in a compact body. 

, It happened that one morning a party of English, to the number 

of six score lances, who were overrunning the country beyond Sois. 

I sons, fell into an ambuscade of Burgundians and French. It was 

commanded by sir John de Vicnne, sir John de Bueil, sir William 

' des Bourdes, sir Hugh de Porcien, sir John de Coucy, the viscount 

de Meaux, the lords de Rayneval and de la Boue, with several more 

i knights and squires, amounting in the whole to full three hundred 

lances. They had followed the English, and this night they had 

encamped in the fields of the Soissonnois, where they had placed an 

I ambuscade in a small coppice. The English came in the morning 

; to plunder a village behind which their army wa.s quartered. When 

they had passed the ambush, the French sallied forth with banners 

and pennons displayed. Tlie English, seeing such a large body so 

near them, halted, and would have sent to their army, which was a 

. good league off; but sir Waller Huet, a great English captain, and 

■ near the spot where this surprise happened, mounting his horse in 

great haste, his lance in its rest, but without helmet or vizor, and 

only his coat of mail on, galloped forward without further thought or 

I consideration : his men followed him as well as they could. In the 

i confusion, he had his neck quite pierced through with a spear, and 

fell dead on the field. 
I The English fought very valiantly, but at last were almost all ta- 
: ken or slain. The French made prisoners of the following knights : 
sir Matthew Redmayne, sir Thomas Fowkes, sir Hugh Brudencl, sir 
Thomas Spencer, sir Thomas Emerton, sir Nicholas Gascoign, sir 
John Chandler, sir Philip Cambray, sir John Harpedon, sir Matthew 
Gournay, sir Robert Twyford, sir Geoffly Say, sir John Bourchier, 
sir Geoflry Worsley, sir Lionel Daultry ; and, of esquires, William 
Daultry, John Gaillard, Thomas Bradley, Henry Montford, Guy 
Hewett, John Meynil, William Gostwick, John Flamstead, Thomas 
SoUerant, William Quentin, Robert Boteler, Robert Audley, Ralph 
Stanley, and Thomas Archer. t 

News was carried to the main body that their men were engaged : 
upon which, the marshals, with the whole army, hastened thither : 
though they could not make such speed, but that the business was 
finished, and the Burgundians and French had left the field. The 
English knew not where to seek the French. Thus passed this ac- 
I tion, according to the information I have received, near to Soucy in 
; the Soissonnois, the 20th September, 1363. 

After these two encounters at Ribemont and Soucy, nothing fur. 

* *' Bruyeres"— a lovm in Picardy, diocese of Laon. 
■j t " Crecy-sur-Serre"— a town in Pioatdy, three leaenes from Laon, 
I I 1 have copied these names from Baiiies, 



ther befel the duke of Lancaster and his army that ie worth men- 
tioning. They marched through various narrow passes and defiles, 
but kept in close and good order. The council of the king of 
France therefore said to him : " Let them go ; by their smoke alone 
they cannot deprive you of your kingdom : they will Se tired soon,- 
and their force will dissolve away, for as storms and tempests appear 
sometimes in tremendous forms over a whole country, yet they dissi- 
pate of themselves, and no essential harm happens : thus it will befal 
these English. 



CHAPTER CCCXVIII, 

THE HOSTAGES SENT FROM DERVAL ARE BEHEADED, SIR ROBERT 
KN0LLE3 RETALIATES ON THOSE TEISONERS WHOM HE HAD TAKEN. 
THE DUICE OF LANCASTER FINISHES HIS EXPEDITION. 

Sir Robert Knolles, as I have before related, was returned to his 
castle of Derval, which he considered as his own inheritance, and 
had determined to break the treaty which had been entered into by 
his cousin and the duke of Anjou ; on which account, the duke him- 
self was come to the siege of Derval, attended by numbers from 
Brittany, Poitou, and the lower countries. The king of France was 
desirous that his constable, who was there, and the lord de Clisson, 
with several more, should return to France, to assist his brother the 
duke of Burgundy in the pursuit of the English, He frequendy re- 
newed these orders to the different lords, wlio were anxious to obey 
them, and also to gain possession of this castle of Derval, 

When the day was passed on which the castle was to have been 
surrendered, the besiegers wondered what the garrison were thinking- 
on : they imagined that sir Robert Knolles had thrown himself into 
it with reinforcements. The duke and constable sent to sir Robert, 
and to sir Hugh Brock who had made the treaty. The herald, on ar- 
riving in the square of the castle, said to the gentlemen present : 
" My lords send me here to inquire from you the reasons, which they 
would willingly learn, why you do not ransom your hostages by sur- 
rendering the castle according to the terms of the treaty to which 
you, sir Hugh, have sworn." Sir Robert Knolles then addressed 
the herald, saying, " Herald, you will tell your masters, that my 
cousin had no authority to enter into any capitulation or treaty with- 
out my consent first had ; and you will now return with this answer 
from me." 

The herald went back to his lords, and related to them die mes- 
sage sir Robert Knolles had charged him with : they sent hira 
again to tell the garrison, that from the tenor of the treaty, they ought 
not to have received any one into the fort, and that they had received 
sir Robert Knolles, which they should not have done ; and hkewise 
to inform them for a truth, that if the castle was not surrendered, tha- 
hostnges would be beheaded. Sir Robert replied, " By God, herald,. 
I will not lose my castle for fear of the menaces of your lords ; and 
if it should happen that the duke of Anjou, through arrogance, puts 
my friends to death, I will retaliate ; for I have here in prison seve- 
ral knights and squires of France, and if I were oflered one hundred 
thousand francs I would not show mercy to any one of them." Where 
the herald had delivered his answer, the duke of Anjou sent for the- 
headsman, and ordered the hostages, who were two knights and a 
squire, to be brought forth, and had them beheaded before the castle, 
so that those within might see and know diem. 

Sir Robert Knolles instantly ordered a table to be fixed without- 
side of the windows of the castle, and had led there four of his pris- 
oners, three knights and a squire, for whom he might have had a 
great ransom, but he had them beheaded and flung down into the 
ditch, the heads on one side and the bodies on the other. The siege 
was raised after this, and all the men-at-arms returned to France j 
even the duke of .\njou went to Paris to visit the king his brother : 
the constable, with the lord do Clisson and others, marched to the 
city of Troyes, for the English were already in that part of the coun- 
try : they had crossed the river Marne, and were taking the road 
toward Auxerre. 

At this time, pope Gregory XI. had sent the archbishop of Rouen 
and the bishop of Carpentras in legation to France, to endeavor, if 
possible, to make peace between the kings of France and England : 
these two prelates hud many difficulties in travelling toward the king 
of France and his brothers, and afterwards to the duke of Lancas- 
ter : the English, however, kept advancing through the country of 
Fdrets, having passed Auvergne, Limousin, and the rivers Loire, 
Allier, Dordonne, and Lot. Neither the English nor French were 
much at their ease in this expedition : three knights of Hainault, sir 
F^- rcsde Barlammont, sir Bridolde Montagin,and le btgue de War- 
Ian, as well as some on the side of the English, died on their march. 
The dukes of Lancaster and Brittany continued their route with the 
army until they were arrived at Bergerac, four leagues from Bor- 
deaux, continually pursued by the French. The duke of Anjou and 
the constable of France were in the upper countries near Rouergue, 
Rodais, and Toulouse, and had advanced as far as Ferigueux, where 
they had fixed their quarters. 

The two before-mentioned prelates journeyed from each party, 
preaching to them several reasons why they should come to an agree, 
ment. But each held so obstinately to his own opinion that they 
would not make any concessions, without having considerable ad. 



220 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, & c . 



vantages given them. The duke of Lancaster came to Bordeaux 
about Christmas ; and the two dukes remained there the whole winter 
and the following Lent. Several knights went away, on the cxpe. 
dition being finished : the lord Basset and his company returned to 
England, for which king Edward reprimanded him. 



CHAPTER CCCXIX. 

THE DUKE OF ANJOU'S CAMFAIBN ISTO UPPER GASCONY.* 

Soon after Easter, in the year 137'i, the duke of Anjou, who re. 
-Bided at Perigord, made a great muster of his forces; at which the 
constable of France and the greater part of the barons and knights 
of Brittany, Poitou, Anjou, and Touraine, were present. There were 
.also, from Gascony, sir John d'Armagnac, the lords d'Albret and de 
Perigord, the counts de Comminges and de Narbonne, the viscounts 
de Caraman, de Villemure, and de Thalar, the count dauphin d'Au- 
vergne ; most of the lords of Auvergne and of Limousin : the vis. 
count de Minedon, the lords de la Barde and de Pincornet, and sir 
Bertrand de Cliarde. They amounted to fifteen thousand men on 
foot, and a large body of Genoese and cross-bows. They began 
their march toward upper Gascony, and came before St. Silvier,t of 
which an abbot was lord. Notwithstanding it was talked of as a 
strong town, the abbot was afraid of losing it by force ; so that he 
began to treat with the duke of Anjou, telling him that neither him- 
self nor his territories wished to wage war against him, or in any 
way incur his indignation, and that the strejigth of his town and all 
he could bring to defend it, were as notliing in comparison with the 
castles of upper Gascony, whither, it \\-as supposed, he intended to 
march. He therefore entreated that he might remain in peace, upon 
the terms that he should observe an exact neutrality ; and that, wliat- 
ever those lords of Gascony who possessed mesne fiefs should do, 
he would do the same. His request was granted, on his giving hos- 
tages, who were sent to prison in Perigueux. 

The whole army, of which the duke of Anjou was commander, 
marched away toward Montmarsen.t and the town of Lourde§ in 
Upper Gascony, of which air Arnold de Vire was governor. The 
French besieged and surrounded it on all sides, having demanded if 
they were willing to surrender themselves to the duke of Anjou. 
The inhabitants of Lourde soon agreed to it ; but the knight said, 
that the count de Foix had appointed him to that post, and he would 
not surrender to any man except to him. 

When the constable of France heard this, he ordered the army to 
advance and briskly assault it, whicli they did with so much vigor 
that the town was taken and the governor slain, as well as several 
men and women : the town was pillaged and ruined, and left in that 
state ; however, on their departure they placed therein some of their 
men. The French entered the landsH of ChJltel-bon, which they de- 
spoiled ; they then passed through the territories of Chatel-neuf, which 
they attacked, and continued their march upward toward Bierne, and 
came to the entrance of the lands of the lord de I'Escut : they ad- 
vanced until they came to a good town and strong castle, called 
Sault,^ which was dependent on the county of Foix. 

The prince of Wailes had frequently intended, before his expedi- 
tion to Spain, to make war on the count de Foix for all these mesne 
fiefs, which he had in Gascony, because the count would not acknow. 
ledge that he held them from him : the affair had remained in this 
situation in consequence of the Spanish expedition. Now, however, 
ihe duke of .A.njou, who v\'as conquering all Aquitainc, seemed wil. 
Jing to take possession of it, and had thus besieged Sault in Gascony, 
which was not a trifle nor easy to gain : the governor of it was sir Wil- 
liam de Pau. When the count heard they were conquering his lands 
and the mesne fiefs, for which it was just he should pay homage 
either to the kings of France or England, he sent for the viscount de 
Chltel-bon, the lords de Marsen and de I'Escut, and the abbot de 
St. Silvier. He then demanded a passport from the duke of Anjou, 
who was occupied with the siege of Sault, that they might wait upon 
him in safety : tlie duke granted it. They therefore went and held 
a conference with lum and his council, when it was agreed that the 
aforesaid lords and their territories should remain in peace until the 
middle of August, on condition that those who should then be the 
strongest before the town of Monsac,** on the part of the kings of 
France or of England, and there keep die field, should have the en- 
joyment of these rights, and to that party these lords of mesne fiefs 
should ever after belong. The count de Foix and the other lords 
gave hostages for this agreement. The duke of Anjou returned to 
Perigueux with his army, but did not dismiss any one. 

* For a more clironological account of this campaisn, see hist, de Languedoc. vol. 
iv. p.580. 

t " St. Silvier." Probably St. Silvier de Ruslan. in Bigorre. 

t " Montmarscn"— a town m Gascony. 

§ " Lourde"— a town in Gnscony-tlie capital of the valley of Lavedan, iliocese of 
Tarbes. 

II These lands are beyond Ibe Pyrenees ; therefore, it more probably alludes to the 
town of Muuvoisin, and tlie other lan.ls the viscount held under the king of England.— 
See Hist, de Languedoc, vol. iv. p. 583. 

H " Sault de Navaille"— a sm.all town in Gascony, near Orthez. 

*' A town in Perigord, near Bergerac. 



CHAPTER CCCXX. 

THE EARL OF PEMBROKE AND HIS COMPANIONS ARE RANSOMED. A SHORT 
TRUCE BETWEEN THE FRENCH AND ENSLISH. EECHEREL SUKRENDERS 
ON TERMS. THE DEATH OF THE EARL OF PEMBROKE. 

About this time there was an e-xchange made of the lands of the 
constable of France and sir Oliver de Mauny, which the king oi 
Spain had given to them for their gallant services. The constable 
exchanged his estate of Soria in Castille for the earl of Pembroke, 
who had been made prisoner off La Rochelle. Sir Oliver de Mauny 
gave up his estate of Grette for sir Guiscard d'Angle and his nephew ' 
William, Otho de Grantson, John de Grinieres, and the lord de Tan. 
naybouton. 

While this treaty was going forward, another was opened between 
the dukes of Anjou and of Lancaster, through the means of the two , 
before-mentioned prelates. The duke of Lancaster sent, underpass. .. 
ports, to the duke of Anjou at Perigord, (where he resided and gov. • 
erned as king or regent the lordships of England and France,) the 
canon de Robesart, and the lords William Hcllunay and Thomas '^ 
Douville. A truce was agreed on, between these dukes and their ,', 
allies, until the last day of August : and they engaged themselves to 
be, in the month of September, in the country of Picardy — the duke 
of Anjou at Si Onier, and the duke of Lancaster at Calais. After 
this truce, the dukes of Lancaster and of Brittany, the earls of War. 
wick, Suffolk, and Stafford, the lords de Spencer and Willoughby, 
the canon de Robesart, lord Henry Percy, the lord Manne,* with 
the other lords and knights, set out from Bordeaux the eighth day of, 
July, and returned to England. 

Sir John Appleyard and sir John Cornwall held tlieir castle of 
Becherel for nearly a year against the French, who were closely be-,' 
sieging it, and hatl much constrained them ; but not receiving any,/ 
intelligence of succors coming to their assistance, and their provis. 
ions beginning to fail, they held a council whether it wou'd not be 
advisable to ofler terms for its surrender. They entered, therefore, 
into a treaty with the lords d'Hambuye, d'EstonviUe, de Blainville, 
de Frainville, and the barons of Normandy, who were quite tired 
with the siege having continued so long. But they would not con- 
clude anything without the knowledge of the king of France. He 
consented, that if the duke of Brittany in person did not come in 
sufficient force before Becherel, by All-Saints day next approaching, 
to raise the siege, the garrison should surrender on capitulation. 
Hostages were given to observe these terms. 

The earl of Pembroke was ransomed for 120,000 franca, which ' 
the Lombards of Bruges agreed to pay when he should be arrived in 
good health at Bruges. The earl journeyed, under the passport of 
t\\Q constable, through the kingdom of France : but a fever, or some 
other sickness, overtook him on the road, so that he was obliged to 
travel in a litter unto the city of Arras, where his disorder increased 
so much as to occasion his death. The constable, by this event, 
lost his ransom.t The earl of Pembroke left by his second wife, 
the lady Anne, daughter of sir Walter Manny, a fair son who at that 
time was two years old. 

Sir Guiscard d'Angle obtained his ransom, as you shall hear. You 
remember that the lord de Roye entered into an agreement with sir 
Oliver de Mauny, a Breton knight, and nephew to sir Bertrand du 
Guesclin, that if he could deliver the lord de Roye from his prison* 
by means of an exchange, he should have the daughter of tha 
baron de Roye for his wife, who was of very high birth. Upon this, 
sir Oliver de Mauny sent to the king of England, to know which 
of the knights he would wish to have set at liberty for the lord de 
Roye. The king was most inclined for sir Guiscard d'Angle. The 
lord de Roye was therefore sent home free, and the lord de Mauny 
espoused his daughter. Shortly afterw'ards, the lord de Roye him- 
self married the daughter of the lord de Ville and de Floron in Hai- 
nault. The other knights, that is to say, the lord de Tannaybouton, 
sir Otho de Grantson, and sir John de Grinieres, obtained their lib. 
erties, and compounded in a handsome manner for their ransom 
with sir Oliver de Maunv. 



CHAPTER CCCXXI. '^ 

SEVERAL TOWNS IN GASCONY SURRENDER TO THE KING OF FRANCE. Sm •^j 
HUGH DE CHASTILLON RETURNS FROM PRISON. THE CASTLE OF BECIIE.>. 
REL SURRENDERS TO THE FRENCH. 1; 

When the middle of August approached, which was the appointed I 
time for the meeting before Monsac, the duke of Anjou arrived with 
a grand array of men-at-arms. He fixed his quarters in the plain 
before Monsac, where he was lodged for six days without any one 
coming to meet him. The English thought that the truce which 
had been entered into would have annulled this agreement. But 
the duke of Anjou and his council did not consider it in thia light. 
Sir Thomas Felton, seneschal of Bordeaux, argued the matter for a 
long time ; but he could not gain anything. The duke, therefore, 
sent to the count de Foi.x, the viscount de Chatel-Bon, to the lords 



• Q,. Maine. 

t The constable carried on, for three years, a fruitless lawsuit with the Flemish mer-^ 
chants for this ransom, which Uicy refused to pay. He at length gave up his claim (ft 
the kmg of France for 50,000 UiinQS.—Hiside Britasne. i 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



221 



de Marsen, de Chateauneuf, de I'Escut, and to the abbot de St. Sil- 
vier, to summon them to keep their agreements, or he would put to 
death their hostages, and enter their lands in such a manner as 
would oblige' them to throw themselves on his mercy. These lords, 
tlierefore, placed themselves and their lands under the obedience of 
rhc king of France. The inhabitants of Monsac opened their gates, 
jnil presented the keys to the duke of Anjou doing to him fealty 
iii'l liomage. The lords who attended the duke entered the town 
with him, where they remained for eighteen days ; during which 
time they held councils as to what part they should ne.\t march. 

Shortly after the middle of August, when the truces which iiad 
jecn entered into between the English and French in Gascony were 
wpired, these lords recommenced the war. The duke of Anjou 
"anie before la R^ole ;* and, after three days' siege, the inhabitants 
submitted to the king of France. From thence he marched to Lan- 
;on,t which also surrendered : as did St. Macair.t Condom, § Ba. 
iille,|| la Tour dc Prudence, ]\Iauleon,ir and la Tour de Drou. Full 
brty towns and castles turned to the French in tliis c-vpedition : the 
ast was Auberoche.** The duke of Anjou placed in all of them 
ncn-at-arms and garrisons; and, when he had arranged everything 
iccording to his pleasure, he and the constable returned to Paris, for 
he king had sent for them. He dismissed, theret'ore, the greater 
lart of his army : and the lords de Clisson, de Beaumanoir, d'Avau- 
;our, de Ray, de Riom, the viscounts de la Val, de Rohan, and the 
ither barons, returned to the siege of Becherel, to be ready at the time 
■ ppointcd : for it was reported that the duke of Brittany, sir Robert 
CnoUes, and the lord de Spencer would attempt ti> raise the siege. 
You have before heard how sir Hugh de Chatillon, master of the 

ross-bows, had been made prisoner near Abbeville, by sir Nicholas 
jouvain, and carried into England: he was unable to obtain his 
liberty on account of the large sum asked for his ransom : however, 
.1 Flemish merchant stepped forward, and exerted himself so eilect- 
lally that he cunningly got him out of England. It would take too 
nuch time to enter into the whole detail of this business ; therefore, 

shall pass it over. When he was returned to France, the king 
:ave him back his oiHce of master of the cross-bows, and sent him 

Abbeville, as he had before done, to guard that frontier, with two 
mndred lances under his command. All the captains of castles and 
owns were ordered to obey him ; such as sir John de Bethouillicrs 
;overnor of Boubgne, sir Henry des Isles governor of Dieppe, and 
hose who commanded in the frontier towns of Terouenne, Si. Omer, 
jiques, Fiennes, and Montroye. 

It happened that the lord de Gommegines, governor of Ardres, 
nd sir John d'Ubrues, collected their forces in Ardres, to the 
.mount of about eight hundred lances. They marched, one morn- 
aa early, well mounted, toward Boulogne, to see if they should meet 
vjth any adventures. That same morning, sir John de Berthouil- 
iers, governor of Boulogne, had also made an excursion, with about 
ixty lances, toward Calais, and with the same intent. On his return, 
le was met by the lord de Gommegines and his party, who imme- 
liately charged the French, and overthrew them, so that their captain 
■aved himself with great diflieulty, but lost fourteen of his lancemen. 
The lord de Gommegines, after the pursuit, returned to Ardres. 

The master of the cross-bows this day made a muster of his forces ; 
le had with him a great number of men-at-arms from Artois, Ver- 
nandois, and from that neighborhood : in all, upward of three hun- 
Ired lances. The count de St. Pol, who had lately come to Picardy 
rom his estates in Lorraine, was on his road to fullil a pilgrimage to 
>ur Lady of Boulogne : he was informed on his way, that the mas. 
er of the cross-bows was about to undertake an excursion which 
nade him wish to be of the party : they therefore rode together and 
idvanced before Ardres, whcr^ they remained drawn up for some 
ime ; but they knew nothing of the English being abroad, nor the 
English of them. 

After the French had continued some time before Ardres, and saw 
hat none attempted to sally from the town, they began their retreat 
oward the abbey of Liques. No sooner had they marched away 
ban an Englishman privately left the place, and rode through lanes 
md cross-roads (for he knew the country well) until he met the lord 
ie Gommegines and his party returning to Ardres, who, when he 
earnt the expedition of the French, slowly advanced with his men 
n a compact body. When the French had passed Tournehem, 
laving also had intelligence of the English being abroad under the 
:ommand of the governor of Ardres, they immediately marched 
oward them, and placed an ambuscade in a coppice, above Liques, 
)f three hundred lances, of which sir Hugh de Chatillon was the 
;aptain. The young count de St. Pol was ordered forward on the 
ook-out, and with him went many knights and squires. Not far 
listant, by the side of a large hedge, the lord de Gommegines and 
sir Walter Ukeuestt had halted, and drawn up their force on foot in 

1 very handsome manner. Sir John Harlestone set off on a gallop, 
s'ith twenty lances, to entice the French into this ambuscade, saying 



he would allow himself to be pursued to the place where they were : 
he therefore entered the plain. The young count de St. Pol, who 
was arrived thither with a hundred lances, spying sir John Harle. 
stone's troop, called out to his companions, " Forward, forward I 
here are our enemies." Upon which they stuck spurs into their 
horses, and hastened as fast as they could to come up with the Eng- 
' lish. But sir John Harlestone began his retreat, allowing them to 
pursue him until he came to the hedge where the English were 
drawn up, with their archers in front. On the arrival of the French, 
the English received them with battle-axes, swords, and spears : the 
archers began so brisk an attack that men and horses were over- 
thrown. Many gallant deeds were done ; but in the end the French 
were surrounded, and the greater part slain. The young count de 
St. Pol was made prisoner by a squire of Gueldres: the lords de 
Pons and de Clary, sir William de Nielle, sir Charles de Chfttillon, 
Leonnet d'Araines, Guy de Vaisnel, Henry des Isles and John his 
brother, the chatelain do Beauvais, and several other knights and 
squires, were also captured. 

Shortly after this defeat, the lord de Chatillon came, with his ban- 
ner and three hundred lances, to the path of the hedge ; but, when 
he saw that hie men were defeated, he wheeled about with his troops, 
and returned without striking a blow ; upon this, the English and 
Hainaulters led their prisoners to the town of Ardres. The lord de 
Gommegines, that evening, bought the count de St. Pol from the 
squire who had taken him : he soon after carried him to England, 
and presented him to the king, who thanked him kindly for so doing, 
and made him great presents. 

When the duke of Anjou and the constable were returned to Paris 
from Gascony, they found the archbishop of Rouen and the bishop 
of Carpentras had been some time with the king. These prelates 
continued their journey, and arrived at St. Omer. The duke of 
Lancaster and the lord Bacinier had crossed the sea to Calais, and 
from thence went to Bruges. The duke of Anjou soon after came 
to St. Omer in grand array, and sent for his cousin sir Guy de Blois 
to meet him, who left Hainault handsomely equipped to wait on the 
duke. The constable of France, the lords de Clisson, de la Val, and 
sir Oliver de Mauny, with upward of six hundred lances, had posted 
themselves on the frontiers between France and Flanders, near to 
Aire, La Croix, Bailleul, Cassel, and in that neighborhood, to guard 
the country, and to prevent any injury being offered to the count of 
Flanders ; for he had not any great confidence in the negotiators, nor 
would he go to Bruges notwithstanding their earnest solicitations. 

You have before heard how the garrison of Becherel had held out 
for upward of a year, and had entered into a capitulation to sun-en- 
der, if they were not relieved before All-saints-day. When the day 
was near approaching, the king of France ordered thither many men- 
at-arms : and all the knights of Brittany and Normandy were entreated 
to be there, except such as were with the constable. The two mar- 
shals of France, the lord Louis de Sancerre and lord Mouton de 
Blainville, the earl of Harcourt, sir James de Vienne admiral of 
France, tlie dauphin of Auvergne, sir John de Bueil and several 
more, arrived before Becherel. These lords kept the day with great 
solenmity ; but as none appeared to relieve the castle, it was surren- 
dered, and those who were so inclined left it. Sir John Appleyard 
and sir John Cornwall marched out with their men, embarked and 
crossed over to England. The barons of France took possession of 
the place, which they repaired, revictualled and reinforced with men, 
provision and artillery. 

By orders from the king of France, these men-at-arms shortly after 
laid siege to St. Sauveur le Vicomte in Coutantin, which had be- 
longed to sir John Chandos ; and after his death the king of England 
had given it to sir Aleyne Boxhull, who at that time was in England : 
he had left there as governor a squire called Carenton,* with sir 
Thomas Cornet, John de Burgh, and the three brothers Maulevriers : 
there might be with them about six score companions, all armed and 
ready for defence. St. Sauveur was first besieged on the side next 
the sea by sir John dc Vienne admiral of France, with all the barona 
and knights of Brittany and Normandy. There was also a large 
army before it, with plenty of everything. The lords of France had 
pointed large engines against it, which much harassed the garrison. 



* " La R6ole"— a town in Bazadois, eighteen leagues and a half from Bordeaux. 

t" Langon"— a town in Bazadoia, six leagues from Buideaux. 

J " St. Macaire" — ninele:ignes from Bordeau.x. 

§ " Condom." a city ofG-ascony. four leagues from the Garonne. 

II " Brisille." Not in Gazetteer. 

V " Maulion"— a town in Armagnnc. diocese of Aire. 

*• "Auberoche"— a town. in Perigord, near Periyueus. 

tt He is before called sir John d'Ubrues. 



CHAPTER CCCXXII. 

A TRUCE AGREED ON AT BRUGES BETWEEN THE KINGS OF FRANCE AND 
ENGLAND. THE DUKE OF BRITTANY RETIRES TO HIS OWN COUNTRY, 
AND REGAINS SOME OF HIS TOWNS AND CASTLES. 

We will now return to the noble negotiators at Bruges, that is to 
say, the dukes of Anjout and Burgundy, the count de vSaltzbourg, 
the bishop of Amiens, the elected bishop of Bayeux ; the duke of 
Lancaster, the earl of Salisbury and the bishop of London.! In 

* Probably Carriiigtoii. 

tThe bistoriftn of Languedoc says, the duke of Anjou was not present at this meet- 
ing, but in Avignon ; and that, when the treaty was concluded, the duke of Burgundy 
sent from Bruges ordere for the edneschal of Beaucaire to pubUsli it. Vol, iv. p. 367. 
Passports were, however, granted to the duke of Anjou, by Edward, to come to Bruges^ 
and are ti> be found iu Rynier. 

tin addition, there were sir John Cobham. sir Frank van Hall, eir Arnold Savage, 
and master John Shepeye and master Simon Multon, doctor of laws.— See their warraal 
in Rymer, 



222 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



order that no harm might happen to these lords, nor to their people, 
who were going from one to the other, it was agreed there should 
be a truce, to last to the tirst of May, 1375, in all the country between 
Calais and the river Somme ; but that it should not interfere with 

' the other parts of the country now at war. Upon this being done, 
the lords de Clisson and de la Val were sent back to Brittany with 
their forces, to assist in guarding that country and the neighboring 
frontiers. 

During the time these negotiations were going forward at Bruges, 
the duke of Brittany, as has before been said, remained in England, 
where he felt much for the distress of his country, the greater part 
of which had turned against him : his duchess also was besieged and 
shut up in the castle of Auray. The duke, while ho resided with 

' the king of England, was very melancholy : upon which the king, 
who much loved him, said : " Fair son, I well know that through 
your affection to me, you have put into the balance, and risked, a 
handsome and noble inheritance : but be assured that I will recover 
it for you again, for I will never make peace with tho French with- 
out your being reinstated." On hearing these fine promises, the 
duke bowed respectfully to the king, and humbly thanked him. 
Soon after this conversation, the duke of Brittany assembled at 
Southampton two thousand men-at-arms and three thousand archers, 
who all received their pay for half a year in advance, by orders from 
the king of England.* Among the commanders were the earls of 
Cambridge and March, the lord de Spencer, sir Thomas Holland, sir 
Nicholas Camoire, sir Edward Twyford, sir Richard de Pontchar- 
don, sir John Lesley, sir Thomas Grantson, sir Hugh Hastings, the 
lords de Mannet and de la Pole, with many other knights and 
squires. 

The duke and all his men-at-arms arrived at St. Mathieu de Fine 
Poterne in Brittany, where, after they had disembarked, they attacked 
the castle very sharply. This castle was out of the town, and ill 
supplied with men and artillery, so that the English took it by storm, 
and slew all who were in it. When the inhabitants of the town were 
informed of this, they opened their gates, and received the duke as 
their lord. The English ne.\t advanced to the town of St. Pol de 
Lfion, which was strong and well inclosed. The duke took his sta- 
tion ; and, during a marvellously well-conducted attack, the archers, 
who were posted on the banks of the ditches, shot so e.-iccllently, 
and so much together, that scarcely any dared appear to defend 
them : the town was therefore taken and pillaged. After this, they 
came before St Brieu, which at that time was well provided with 
men-at-arms and all other provisions and stores : for the lords de 
Clisson, de Beaumanoir, the viscount de Rohan, and many other 
barons of Brittany, whose quarters were at Lamballe, had lately been 
there and had reinforced it with everything necessary. The duke 
and the English besieged this town. 

When the garrison of St. Sauveur le Vicomte heard that the duke 
of Brittany and the English lords were arrived in Brittany, they ex- 
pected them to come and raise their siege ; which they much 
desired, for they were greatly straitc-.iod by the engines, which day 
and night cast stones into the castle, so that they knew not where 
to retire to avoid them. Having called a council, they resolved to 
make overtures to the French lords, to obtain a truce for six weeks, 
until Easter 1375 ; and proposed, that if within that time there 
should not come any relief, which might be sufficient to offer battle 
and raise the siege, they would surrender themselves, their lives and 
fortunes being spared, and the fortress should be given up to the king 
of France. This treaty went off, and the siege continued ; but no 
harm was further done to those of St. Sauveur, for the besiegers and 
garrison were both inactive. 

CHAPTER CCCXXIII. 

SOME BRETON LORDS OF THE FRENCH PARTY ARE NEAR BEING TAKEN 
BY THE DUKE OF BRITTANY, BUT ARE DELIVERED BY THE TRUCES 
AT BRUGES. 

The viscount de Rohan, the lords de Clisson and de Beaumanoir, 
were guarding the frontiers against the duke of Brittany and the 
English, at that time before St. Brieu. Sir John Devereux was then 
quartered near to Quimperl6, and was destroying that part ol the 
country : he hadcaused to be repaired and fortified by the peasants 
a small fort which he had made his garrison, and called it the New 
Fort, in which he resided, so that none could venture out of the town 
without risk of being taken. This information the townsmen oi 
Quimperlfi sent to the lord dc Clisson and the other lords at Lam- 
balle. They marched immediately thither, leaving a sufficiency ot 
men to guard that town, and rode on until they came before this 
now fort, which they surrounded. News of this was carried to the 
British army before St. Brieu. The duke had ordered a mine to be 
sprung, which they had worked at for fifteen days ; but at that 
moment the miners had lost their point, so that it was necessary for 
them to begin another : which when the duke and the lords ot the 
army heard, they said among themselves ; " Everything considered, 
we are but losing time here : let us go to the assistance of sir John 

* Edward nominated the earl of Cambridge conjointly with the duke of Brittany, liis 
lieutenajits in France, with full powers to act as Uiey pleased, without prejudice to the 
rights of the duke or to the potrirayny of Uie clmreh, dated 34th November, 1374.— See 
Byuea. t ^- Muloe. 



Devereux, and if we shall be able to fall in with those who are be- 
sieging him in the open field, we shall perform a good exploit. Upon 
this, they held a council, and marched off", taking the road for the 
new fort, which the lords of Brittany were then assaidting. They had 
done so much that they were already at the foot of the walls, and 
dreaded nut what might be thrown down upon them ; for they were 
well shielded, but those within the fort had not wherewithal to annoy 
them ill that manner. 

Just at this instant a scout came with speed to the lords of Brit. 
tany who were busy at the assault, saying, " My lords, make off in 
haste from hence ; for the English are coming with the duke of 
Brittany, and they are not more thun two leagues off." The trum. 
pet sounded a retreat: they collected themselves together, called for 
their horses, set off, and entered Quimperld, which was hard by. 
They closed the gates ; but scarcely had they raised the draw-bridges, 
and strengthened the barriers, when the duke of Brittany with the 
barons of England were before it. They had passed by the new 
fort, and spoken with sir Joint Devereux, who thanked them exceed- 
ingly for coming, otherwise he must have been very shortly made 
prisoner. The duke and the English formed the siege of Quimperl^,. 
and ordered their archers and foot soldiers, well shielded, to advance, 
when a sharp attack commenced ; for the English, as well as those' 
in the town, were very determined : so that there were many 
wounded on both sides. Every day there were such skirmishes and 
assaults that those in the town saw they should not be able to hold; 
out much longer, and there did not seem any likelihood of their 
receiving assistance. They eould not escape any way without bein|^ 
seen, so well was the town surrounded : and if they should be takeni' 
by storm, thry doubted if they should receive any quarter, more 
especially the lord de Clisson, for he was much hated by the Eng. 
lish. 

These lords of Brittany opened a treaty with the duke to surrender; 
but they wanted to depart on a moderate ransom, and the duke 
would have them surrender unconditionally : they could only obtain 
a respite for eight days, and that with very great difficulty. This 
respite, however, turned out very fortunate to them ; for during that 
time two English knights, sir Nicholas Carswell and sir Walter 
Ourswiek,* sent by the duke of Lancaster from Bruges, where he 
had remained the whole winter, arrived at the army of the duke of 
Brittany. They brought with them deeds engrossed and sealed of 
the truces, entered into between the kings of France and England, 
The duke of Lancaster sent orders, that in consequence of the 
treaty of Bruges, the army should be disbanded without delay. The 
truce was immediately read and proclaimed through the army, and 
signified also to those who were within Quimperle. The lords de 
Clisson, de Rohan, and de Beaumanoir, and the others, were much 
rejoiced thereat, for it came very opportunely. 

The siege of Quimpcrlfi being raised, the duke of Brittany dis. 
banded all his troops, except those of his household, and went to 
Auray, where his duchess was. The earls of Cambridge and of 
.March, sir Thomas Holland earl of Kent, the lord dc Spencer, and 
the other English, returned home. When the duke of Brittany had 
settled his affairs at his leisure, and had reinforced the towns and 
castles of Brest and Auray with artillery and provisions, he set out 
from Brittany with his duchess, and went for England. 



CHAPTER CCCXXIV. 

ST. SAUVEUR LE VICOMTE SURRENDERS TO THE FRENCH. THE LORD DB. ' 
COUCY LEADS A LARGE ARMY INTO AU.STRIA, WHICH HE CLAIMS AS HIS 
INHERITANCE. 

On the day in which the truces were concluded at Bruges between 
the kings of France and of England, to last for one whole year, in- 
eluding their allies, the dukes of Lancaster and Burgundy again swore - 
they would return thither on All-saints-day. Each party was to keep, , 
during this truce, whatever he was then in possession of. The Eng- 
lish thought that the capitulation respecting St. Sauveur le Vicomte ' 
would be voided by this treaty ; but the French would not allow of ; 
this, and said the treaty did not affect the prior engagement con. 
cerning it : so that, when the day arrived for its .surrender, the king ' 
of France sent troops thither from all quarters. '1 here were assembled ! 
before it upward of six thousand knights and squires, without count, 
ing the others ; but no succor came to its relief, and when the day , 
was expired, St. Sauveur was given up to the French, but most un. 
willingly, for the fortress was very convenient for the English. The 
goven"ior sir Thomas Cornet, John de Burgh, the three brotheia 
Maulcvriers, and the English, went to Carentan, where having em. 
barked all which belonged to them, they sailed for England.t The 
constable of France reinforced the town and castle of St. Sauveur le 
Vicomte wiffi a new garrison, and appointed a Breton knight aa gov- : 



* Sir Nicholas Charnels-sir Walter Urswick.-BAHNES. 

t Froissart has forgoUeu to add sir Thomas Carington among tlie governors ol at. 
'Souveur le Vicomte NoUiing was said against him uTUil Uie reign of Ilicnard II. when 
he was accused of having treacherously given up Uui place by sir John Annc.ley who 
had married sir Jolm Clmndos's niece : ho challeiiged hnn to smgle comljot. fought ana 
vanaished him in the lists, formed in Pilac« yard in the presence of the kmg. He woi- 
aftenvards drawn to Tyburn, and there hanged for his treason.-DuoDALU, Fabuk. 
&c. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &e. 



223 



ernor. I heard at the time, that the king of France gave him the lord- 
ship of it. 

The lord de Coucy at this period returned to France : he Iiad been 
a long time in Lomhardy with the count do Vertua,* son of the lord 
Galcas Visconti, and had made war on lord Bcrnabo Vjsconli and his 
allies, for the cause of the church and of Gregory XI. who at thai 
time was pope, and for the holy college of Rome. T-lic lord de Coucy, 
in right of succession to the lady his mother, who was sister to the 



more especially by that of the duke of Burgundy, who kept a most 
noble and grand state. Sir Robert de Namur resided with the duke 
of Lancaster, and showed him every attention as long as he remained 
in Flanders. 

The embassadors from the pope, tlie archbishop of Rouen and the 
bisliop of Carpentras, were also there, who went to and fro to each 
party, proposing diil'erent terms for an accommodation, but with, 
out any effect ; for these lords, in their first parley, were too much 
divided to come to any agreement. 
The king of France demanded repay- 
ment of fourteen hundred thousand 
francs which had been given for king 
John's ransom, and that the town of 
Calais should be dismantled. This the 
king of England would never consent 
to. The truces were therefore pro- 
longed until the feast of St. .Tohn the 
Baptist in the year 1376. The lords 
remained all that winter in Bruges, and 
some time longer. In the summer, 
each returned to his own country, ex- 
cept the duke of Brittany ; he continued 
in Flanders with his cousin the count 
Lewis, who entertained him hand- 
somely. 

In this year, on Trinity-Sunday, that 
flower of English knighthood the lord 
Edward of England, prince of Wales 
and of Aquitaine, departed this life iir 
the palace of Westminster near Lon- 
don. His body was embalmed, placed 
in a leaden coffin, and kept until the 
ensuing Micliaelmas, in order that be 
might be buried with greater pomp and 
magnificence when the parliament as- 
sembled in London.* 

King Charles of France, on account 
of his lineage, had funeral sei^vice for 
the prince performed with great mag- 
nificence, in the holy chapel of the 
palace in Paris, which was attended, ac- 
ToMB OP EDVV..RD THE EL.VCK riu«i:.Can.erbur).Catl,eUral The Surcoat. Shield, SworJ, and Glov«, placed by our wording to the king's orders, by many 
Artisf , at the end of the Tomb, are those actually wom by the Prince, and now preserved m the Cathedral. , ° , ,,*' /-,, i- 

From an original drawing. prelates and nobles of the realm of 

France. 
The truces, through the mediation of 
the embassadors, were again prolonged until the first day of April. 
We will now say something of the lord de Coucy and the Germans. 
When those of Austria and Germany heard that he was advancing 
with so strong a force to cany on the war against them, they burnt 
and destroyed three days' march of country by the river side, and then 
they retreated to their mountains and inaccessible places. The men- 
at-arms, of wliom t^iie lord de Coucy was the leader, expected to find 
plenty of forage, but they met with nothing : they suffered all this 
winter very great distress, and knew not in what place to seek pro- 
vision for themselves, or forage for their horses, who were dying of 
cold, hunger, and disorders : for this reason, when spring came, they 
returned to France, and separated into different troops to recruit 
themselves. The king of France sent the greater part of the compa. 
nies into Brittany and lower Normandy, as he imagined he should 
have occasion for their services. 

The lord de Coucy, on his return into France, began to think of 
becoming a good and true Frenchman ; for he had found the king 
of France very kind and attentive to his concerns. His relationship 
to the king made him consider it was not worth his while to risk the 
loss of his inheritance, for so slender a reason as the war with the 
king of England : for he was a Frenchman by name, arms, blood, 
and extraction. He therefore sent the lady his wife to England, and 
kept with him only the eldest of his two daughters : the youngest had 
been left in England, where she had been educated. The king of 
France sent the lord de Coucy to attend the negotiations carrying on at 
Bruges, which continued all the winter. None of the great lords were 
there, e.\cept the duke of Brittany, who had staid with his cousin 
the count of Flanders ; but he entered very little into the business. 




duke of Austria last deceased, was the true heir of that duchy. The 
last duke did not leave any child by legal marriage, and the inhabit- 
ants of Austria had disposed of the estate in favor of a relation, but 
farther removed than the lord de Coucy. This lord had frequently 
complained of such conduct to the emperor, the lord Charles of Bo- 
hemia. The emperor readily acknowledged the lord de Coucy's 
right : but he could not compel the Austrians to do the same, who 
were in great force in their own countiy, and had plenty of men-at 
arms. The lord de Coucy had gallantly carried on the war against 
them several times, through the aid of one of his aunts, sister to the 
aforesaid duke, but he had not gained much. On the lord de Coucy's 
return to France, the king entertained him handsomely. Having 
considered there were numbers of men-at-arms in France then idle, 
on account of the truce between the French and English, he entreated 
the king to assist him in obtaining the free companies of Bretons, 
who were overrunning and harassing the kingdom for him, and lead 
them into Austria. The king, who wished these companies any- 
where but in his kingdom, readily assented to his request. He lent, 
or gave, I know not which, si.\ty thousand francs, in order to get rid 
of these companions. They began iheir march toward Austria about 
Michaelmas, committing many ravages wherever they passed. Many 
barons, knights, and squires of France, Artois, Vermandois, Hainault, 
and Picardy, such as the viscounts de Mcaux and d'Aunay,sir Raoul 
de Coucy, the baron de Roye, Pierre do Bar, and several others, 
offered their services to the lord de Coucy. His army was increased 
by all those who wished to advance themse'ves in honor. 



CHAPTER CCCXXV. 

THE TRUCE BETWEEN FRANCE AND ENGLAND IS PROLONGED. THE DEATH 
OF THE BL.ICK PRINCE. THE LOP.D DE COfCV RETURNS, HAVING HAD 
INDIFFERENT SUCCESS. 

When the feast of All-saints was drawing near, the duke of Bur- 
gundy, the count de Saltzbourg, the bishops of Amiens and of Bay- 
eux, came to Bruges by ordei-s of the king of France, to hold a con- 
ference. The duke of Anjju slnid at St. Omer, where he continued 
the whole time. From the king of Engltmd there came, the dukes 
of Lanca.stcr and Brittmy, the earl of Salisbury and the bishop of 
London : so that the town of Bruges was well filled by their retinues, 

* John Giileas Visconti, first duke of Milan, bore the title of count de VtrtuR, until 
Worceslaue, kins of the Romans, invested him with the ducal dignity 1295. He gained, 
*y treachery, possojision of liis uncle Bernabo, and put him to death by poison. For 
iurtherparticuIarH, Ree Muratoriand Coiio- 



CHAPTER CCCXXVI. 

RICHARD, SON OF THE PRINCE OF WALES, IS ACKNOWLEDGED AS PRESUMP- 
TIVE HEIR TO THE CROWN OF ENGLAND. THE NEGOTIATIONS FOR PEACE 
HAVING FAILED, AND THE TRUCES EXPIRED, THE WAR IS RENEWED 
BETWEEN THE FRENCH AND ENGLISH. 

After the feast i»f Michaelmas, when the funeral of the prince 
had been performed in a manner suitable to his birth and merit, the 
king of England caused the young prince Richard to be acknowledged 
as his successor to the crown after his decease, by all Ids children, 
the duke of Lancaster, the earl of Cambridge, the lord Thomas hi3 
youngest son, as well as by all the barons, earls, prelates, and knights 



* The prince of Waloi was buried io the cathedral at Canterbury. For particu*aiff. 
see Mr. Cough's Sepulchral Monuments. 



224 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



of England. He made tliem solemnly ewcar to observe this; and 
on Christmas-day hejiad him seated next to himself, above all his 




PonTRAlT OP Richard the Second From a curious full length p rture formerly on 
the walls of the Jerusalem, or Painted Chamber, ui the ancient Palac t f We tmiuster. 



children, in royal state, that it might be seen and declared he was to 
be king of England after his death. 

The lord John Cobham, the bishop of Hereford, and the dean of 
London, were at tliis time sent to 
Bruges on the part of the English. 
The French had sent thither the count 
de Saltzbourg, the lord de Chdtillon, 
and master Philibert I'Espiotc. The 
prelates, embassadors from the pope, 
had still remained there, and con- 
tinued the negotiations for peace. 
They treated of a marriage between 
the young son of the prince and the 
lady Mary, daughter of the king of 
France : after which the negotiators 
of each party separated, and reported 
•what they had done to their respective 
kings. 

About Shrovetide, a secret treaty 
■was formed between the two kings 
for their embassadors to meet at 
Montreuil-sur-mer ; and the king of 
England sent to Calais sir Guiscard 
d'Angle, sir Richard Sturey, and sir 
GeofTry Chaucer. On the part of the 
French were, the lords de Coucy and 
de la Rivieres, sir Nicholas Bragiies 
and Nichloas Bracier. They for a 
long time discussed the subject of tlie 
above marriage ; and the French, as 
I was informed, made some offers, 
but the others demanded different 
terras, or refused treating. These 
lords returned therefore, with their 
treaties, to their sovereigns ; and the 
truces were prolonged to the tirst of 
May. The earl of Salisbury, the 
bishop of St. David's chancellor of 
England, and the bishop of Hereford, 
returned to Calais ; and with them, 
by orders of the king of France, the 
lord de Coucy, and sir William de 
Dormans chancellor of France. 

Notwithstanding all that the pre. 
lates could say or argue, they never 
could be brought to fix upon any 
place* to discuss tliese treaties be. 
tween Montreuil and Calais, nor be- 
tween Montreuil and Boulogne, nor 
on any part of the frontiers ; these 
treaties, therefore, remained in an un- 
finished state. When the war recommenced, sir Hugh Calverley was 
sent governor of Calais. 



CHAPTER CCCXXVII. 

POPE GRESOBY XI. LEAVES AVISNON, AND RETURNS TO ROME. ON TlIE 
DEATH OF EDWARD III. RICHARD, SON OF THE LATE PRINCE OF WAI.ES, 
IS CROWNED KINS OF ENGLAND. 

When pope Gregory XI. who had for a long time resided at Avig- 
non, was informed there was not any probability of a peace being 
concluded between the two kings, he was very ineiancnuiy, ana, 
having arranged his affairs, set out for Rome, to hold there his seat 
of government. 

The duke of Brittany, finding the war was to be renewed, took 
leave of his cousin the count of Flanders, with whom he had resided 
upward of a year, and rode toward Gravelines, where the earl of 
Salisbury and sir Guiscard d'Angle, with a body of men-at-arms and 
archers, came to meet him, to escort him to Calais, where the duke 
tarried a month : he then crossed over to England and went to Shene, 
a few miles from London, on the river Thames, where the king of 
England lay dangerously ill : he departed this life the vigil of St. 
John the Baptist, in the year 1377. Upon this event, England was 
in deep mourning. Immediately all the passes were shut, so that no 
one could go out of the country ; for they did not wish the death of 
the king should be known in France, until they had settled the gov- 
ernment of the kingdom. The earl of Salisbury and sir Guiscard 
d'Angle returned at this time to England. 

The body of king Edward was carried in grand procession, fol- 
lowed by his children in tears, and by the nobles and prelates of 
England, through the city of London, with his face uncovered, to 
Westminster, where he was buried by the side of his lady the queen. 

Shortly afterwards, in the month of July, the young king Richard, 
who was in his eleventh year, was crowned with great solemnity at 
the palace of Westminster : he was supported by the dukes of Lan- 
caster and Brittany. He created that day four earls and nine knights ; 
namely, his uncle the lord Tliomas of Woodstock earl of Bucking- 
ham, the lord Percy earl of Northumberland, sir Guiscard d'Angle 
carl of Huntingdon, and the lord Mowbray earl of Nottingham. The 




Tomb of Edward the Tiiirp. \Vestniiiister At>bey. From an orrgin.il drawing 



* They durstnever tnist to meet together in any place between Montreiul and Calni 
&c.— Lord Bsrners. 



young king was placed under the tutorship of that 
knight sir Guiscard d'Angle, with the approbation of 
him in the paths of virtue and honor. The duke of 
the government of the kingdom. 

As soon as the king of France learnt the death of king Edward, 



accomplished 
all, to instruct 
Lancaster had 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &. c . 



225 



he said that he had reigned most nobly and valiantly, and that his 
name oug-ht to be remembered with honor among heroes. Many 
nobles and prelates of his realm were assembled, to perform his ob- 
sequies with due respect, in the Holy Chapel of the Palace at Paris. 
Shortly after, Madame, the eldest daughter of the king of France, 
died. She had been betrothed to that gallant youth William of 
Hainault, eldest son of duke Albert. 



CHAPTER CCCXXVIII. 

THE KI.NG OF FRANCE EQUIPS FOR SEA A LAKGE FLEET, WHICH BURNS 
SEVERAL TOWNS IN ENGLAND. 

During the negotiations for peace, the king of France had been 
very active in providing ships and galleys : the king of Spain had 
sent him his admiral, sir Fernando Sausse, who, with sir John de 
Vienne, admiral of Franco, had sailed for the port of Rye, which 
they burnt, five days after the decease of king Edward, the vigil of 
St. Peter, in June, and put to death the inhabitante, without sparing 
man or woman. Upon the news of this event coming to London, 
the earls of Cambridge and Buckingham were ordered to Dover 
with a large body of men-at-arms. The earl of Salisbury and sir 
John Montague, on the other hand, were sent to the country near 
Southampton. 

After this exploit, the French landed in the Isle of Wight. They 
afterwards burnt the following towns : Portsmouth, Dartmouth, Ply- 
mouth,* and several others. When they had pillaged and burnt all 
in the Isle of Wight, they embarked and put to sea, coasting the 
shores until they came to a port called Poq.t The earl of Salisbury 
and sir John Montague defended the passage, but they burnt a part 
of the town of Poq. They again embarked, and coasted toward 
Southampton, attempting every day to land ; but the earl of Salisbury 
and his forces, who followed them along the shore, prevented them 
from so doing. The fleet then came before Southampton ; but sir 
John Arundel, with a large body of men-at-arms and archers, guarded 
well the town, otherwise it would have been taken. The French 
made sail from thence toward Dover, and landed near to the abbey 
of Lewes, where there were great numbers of the people of the country 
assembled. They appointed the abbot of Lewes, sir Thomas Cheney, 
and sir John Fuselee their leaders, who drew up in good array to 
dispute their landing, and to defend the country. The French had 
not the advantage, but lost several of their men, as well might hap- 
pen. However, the better to maintain the fight, they made the land, 
when a grand skirmish ensued, and the English, being forced to re- 
treat, were finally put to flight. Two hundred at least were slain, 
and the two knight?, with the abbot of Lewes, made prisoners. 

The French reembarked, and remained at anchor before the 
abbey all that night. They then heard, for the first time, from their 
prisoners, the death of king Edward and the coronation of king 
Richard, and also a part of the regulations of the kingdom, and that 
great numbere of men-at-arms were under orders to march to the 
coast. Sir John de Viemie dispatched a sloop to Harfleur, where 
there was a knight in waiting, who immediately rode to Paris to the 
king, and reported to him such intelligence respecting the death of 
king Edward that he was convinced of its truth. 

The French and Spaniards put to sea, and having the wind favora- 
ble, came with an easy sail that same tide, about the hour of nine, 
before Dover. They amounted in all to about six score galleys. -\t 
that time there were in Dover the carls of Cambridge and Bucking- 
ham, witli immense numbers of mon-at-arms and archers, who, with 
a hundred thousand common men, were waiting for the arrival of the 
French, drawn up before the port with displayed bannei"s, for they 
had seen them at a distance, and they were continually ji.ined by 
people from the country who had noticed this large fleet. 

The French came before the harbor, but did not enter it, making 
for deep water, as the tide began to ebb. Notwithstanding this, the 
English continued strict guard all that day and following night. 
The French who were on the sea came with the next tide before 
Calais,t to the great surprise of the inhabitants, who closed their gates 
against them. 



CHAPTER CCCXXIX. 

Tllk TOWN OF ARDRES SURRENDERS TO THE FRENCH. THE DEATHS OF 
THE CAPTAL DE BUCII AND OF THE QUEEN OF FRANCE. 

While these things were passing, sir Hugh Calverley, governor of 
Calais, sir John Harlcstone, governor of Guines, and the lord de 
Gonimegines, governor of Ardres, made very frequent excursions 
into Picardy ; three or four in every week. They advanced often 
before St. Omer, Arques, Mouton, Fiennes, and the towns in that 
neighborhood, as well as to Boulogne and near to Terouenne, which 
were particularly molested by the ganison of Ardres. Complaints 
of them had frequently been made to the king of France. On 
asking how this was to be prevented, he was answered, " Sire, the 

■" Lamende, Dartemode, Plamende, Flcsunie.— D. Sadvaoe. 
t Q. if not Pool, 

J Lord Berners says. The Frenchmen with the next tide came befoie the haven of Ca- 
lais, and thert enterid—Eo, 



garrison of Ardres is not so strong but it may be won." The king 
replied, " have it then we will, whatever it may cost us." He soon 
after issued a secret summons, and it was not guessed to what part 
he intended sending this army, of which he made the duke of Bur- 
gundy general. There were in it twenty.five hundred lances of 
good and hardy men. They marched suddenly to the castle of 
Ardres, which they invested. With the duke of Burgundy were the 
count de Guines, the marshal de Blainvillc, the lords de Clisson and 
de la Val, de Rougemcnt, de la Riviere, de Brcgide, de Frainville, 
d'Ainville, d'Ancoing, de Rayneval, and d'Angest, sir James de 
Bourbon, the seneschal of Hainault, with many other knights and 
barons. They had with them machines that cast stones of two 
hundred weight, with which they made a most vigorous assault. 

The lord do Gommegines, captain of the castle, was astonished to 
see himself surrounded by such numbers of gallant men-at-arms, who 
seemed determined, that if the place were taken by storm, they would 
spare no one they should find within it. As he was not provided 
with artillery for a long siege, through the mediation of his cousin, 
german, the lord de Rayneval, he offered to enter into a treaty for 
surrendering the place, on condition of their lives and fortunes being 
spared. This treaty was long debated ; but at length the castle was 
surrendered, and all who chose it departed, and were conducted by 
.sir Walter de Bailleul to the town of Calais. Sir William des Hor- 
des was appointed governor of Ardres : he was succeeded by the 
viscount de Meaux, who remained there a long time : the third 
governor was the lord de Saimpy. 

The same day that Ardres surrendered, the duke laid siege to the 
castle of Ardvick, which the three brothers Maulevriers held for 
England. During the three days he staid there, many skirmishes 
passed ; but they at last surrendered, and the garrison was conducted 
to Calais by the marshal of France. After this the duke besieged 
Vauchgnen, which also surrendered on the same terms as the others 
had done : and, when the duke had revictualled and reinforced them 
with men-at-aniis and cross-bows, he disbanded his army and re- 
turned to the king at Paris. The Breton lords went to Brittany, for 
they had heard that the duke of Brittany had arrived at Brest with a 
large army. The Barons of Burgundy and the others returned to 
their own homes. 

You have before heard how the lord John captal de Buch, having 
been made prisoner before Soubise, was confined in the Temple at 
Paris. The king of England and his son greatly desired his liberty, 
and it had been much debated at the negotiations at Bruges : they 
would willingly have given in exchange for him the young count de 
St. Pol and three or four other knights : but the king of France and 
his counsel would not consent. The king had him informed through 
the grand prior, who had the guard of him, that if he would swear 
never to bear arms against the crown of France, he would listen to 
terms for his liberty. The captal replied, that he would never make 
this oath, though he were to die in prison. He remained therefore 
strictly guarded for five years in confinement, to his great discomfort ; 
for he bore it so impatiently that at last he died.* The king of 
France had him interred ; and a solemn service was performed, 
which was attended by the barons, prelates and nobles of France. 

England was thus losing her grest captaii^s ; for, in this same year, 
the lord dc Spencer, a great banneret of England, died. He left 
issue by his lady, the daughter of the late sir Bartholomew Bur- 
ghersh, one son and four daughters. Soon after the death of that 
gallant knight the captal de Bueh, the queen of France was brought 
to bed of a daughter, who was named Catherine ; and, while in 
childbed, the queen was seized with an illness that caused her death. 
This amiable queen was daughter of the valiant duke of Bourbon, 
killed at the battle of Poitiers. Her obsequies were performed in 
the abbey of St. Denis, where she was buried with great solemnity, 
to which were invited all the nobles and prelates of France in the 
neighborhood of Paris. 



CHAPTER CCCXXX. 

THE WAR RECOMMENCES BETWEEN THE KING OF FRANCE AND THE 
RING OF NAVARRE. THE SIEGE OF CHERBOURG. THE DUKE OF LAN- 
CASTER INVADES BRITTANY. THE CASTLE OF AtlKAY SURRENDERS TO 
THE FRENCH. 

Since the peace made at Vernon between the kings of France and 
Navsrre, as has been before related, and since the king of Navarre 
had left his two children with their uncle the king of France, sus- 
picions had fallen on a squire of the king's household. He had been 
placed there by the king of Navarre at the time he left his children : 
his name was James de b. Rue. A lawyer, who was one of the king 
of Navarre's council, and his chancellor in the county of Evereux, 
was also implicated in this business : the name of this chancellor 
was master Peter du Tertre. 

These two men were cruelly executed at Paris, and acknowledged, 
before all the people, that they had intended to have poisoned the 
king of France. The king immediately collected a large army, the 
cotnmand of which he gave to the constable : there were with him 
the lord de la Riviere and many other barons and knights. They 
marched into Normandy, to attack the castles of the king of Navarre, 



» The prince of Wales gnve to tlie cnptal de Buch, and his male heirs, the county of 
Biforre, with nil its towns, &c. the 7th June, 1369. Confirmed by the king.— Rymbr 



226 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &.c . 



wliich were strong and well garrisoned, and laid siege to one of 
Ihem called Font.au-demer.* The Frencli had with them many 
cannon, and various engines and machines, with which, in the course 
of different assaults, tliej' pressed the garrison hard ; but they defend- 
ed themselves valiantly. Though there were many attacks and 
fikirmishes, the siege lasted a long time : the castle was much ruined, 
and the garrison hard pushed. They were frequently required by 
the constable to surrender, or they would all be put to death, if the 
place were taken by storm : this was the threat which the constable 
was accustomed to make. The men of Navarre seeing theh' provisions 
decrease, and finding themselves much vi'eakencd, without any hopes 
of assistance from their king, who was at too great a distance, sur. 
rendered the castle, and were conducted to Cherbourg, carrying with 
them all their plunder. This castle was razed to the ground, though 
it had cost large sums to erect ; and the walls and towers of Pont- 
au-demer were levelled with the ground. 

The French then advanced to besiege the fortress of Mortain,t 
Tvhere they remained some time ; but the garrison, seeing no appear- 
ance of assistance from the king of Navarre, and that the other Navarre 
fortresses were too weak to resist the French, surrendered themselves 
on the same conditions -with those of Pont-au-demer. You must 
know, that in this expedition, the constable put under the obedience 
of the king" of France all the towns, castles, and forts in the county 
of Evreux : the casdes and principal towns were dismantled, that 
from henceforward no war should be carried on against the kingdom 
of France from any town or castle which the king of Navarre held 
' »i the county of Evreux. The king of France established in them 
the gabelle and subsidies, in like manner as they were in the realm 
of France. 

On the other hand, the king of Spain had ordered his brother, the 
bastard of Spain, to enter Navarre with a powerful army : he attacked 
towns and castles, and gained much country, in spite of the king of 
Navarre, who could do but little to defend himself. He sent to in- 
form king Richard of England how he was situated, in the hope that 
he would aid him in opposing the king of France in liis county of 
Evreux ; for that he himself would remain in Navarre, to guard his 
fortresses against the king of Spain. 

King Richard, in consequence of a council which had been called 
on this business, sent sir Robert le Rouxt with a body of men-at- 
arms and archers, to Cherbourg. The garrisons of the different for- 
tresses won by the constable in the county of Evreu.x were also col- 
lected at that town. When all were assembled, they were a numerous 
and handsome body of picked men, who had provided the castle with 
stores, for they concluded it would be besieged. The constable and 
the lord de la Riviere, having visited every place in the county of 
Evreux with their army, found that all the towns formerly belonging 
to the king of Navarre were now under the obedience of the king 
of France : they then came before Cherbourg, which is a strong and 
noble place, founded by Julius Ctesar, when he conquered England, 
and likewise a sea-port. 

The French besieged it on all sides except that of the sea, and took 
up their quarters in such a manner before it as showed they were 
determined not to quit until they had conquered it. Sir Robert le 
Roux and his forces made frequent sallies, for neither night nor day 
passed without skirmishing. The French could never form a wish 
for feats of arms but there were always some ready to gratify it. 
Many combats took place with lance and sword, and several were 
killed or taken prisoners on each side, during this siege, which lasted 
the whole summer. 

Sir Oliver du Guesclin posted himself in an ambuscade near the 
castle : he then ordered his men to begin a skirmish, in which the 
French were repulsed by the English, and driven back as far as the 
ambuscade of sir Oliver, who immediately rushed out with his troop, 
E^vord in hand, and advanced boldly on the enemy, like men well 
practiced in arms. The encounter was sharp on both sides, and 
many a man was unhorsed, killed, wounded, or made prisoner : at 
!ast, sir Oliver dn Guesclin was taken, and avowed himself a prisoner 
to a Navarrois squire, called John le Coq, an able man-at-arms : he 
Tvas dragged into Cherbourg. The skirmish was now over, more to 
the loss of the French than of the English. Sir Oliver was sent to 
England, where he remained prisoner for a long time in London, 
and was at last ransomed. 

The French remained before Cherbourg, at a heavy expense, the 
greater part of the winter, without having gained much. They 
thought they were losing time, and that Cherbourg was impregnable, 
as all sorts of reinforcements, men-at-arms, provision and stores, might 
Be introduced into it by sea : for which reason the French broke up 
their camp, and placed strong garrisons in the places round Cher- 
tourg, such as Montbourg, Pont Done, Carentan, St. Lo, and in St. 
Sattveur le Vicomte. The constable then disbanded his army, and 
every one returned to the place whence he came. This was in the 
year 1378. 

You have before heard how the duke of Brittany had left that 
country, and had carried his duchess with him to England. He re- 
sided at the estate he had there, which was called the honor of Rich- 
mond, and took great pains to obtain assistance from the young king, 

• " Pont-Audemcr"— a town in Normandy, on the Rille. forty-ono leagues from Paris, 
t •' Mortain"— a town in Normandy, seventy-one leagues from Paris. 
t Probably sir Robert Koose, or Rouse. 



Richard, to reconquer his duchy, which had turned to the French 
but he was not listened to. At length the duke of Lancaster was 
informed, that if he landed in Brittany with a good army, there were 
some forts and castles that would surrender to him : in particular, St. 
Malo, a handsome fortress, and a sea-port town. Upon this, the duke 
of Lancaster, having raised a large army, went to Southampton. He 
there prepared his vessels and stores, and embarked with many lords, 
mcn-at-avms, and archers. This Heet had favorable winds to St. 
Malo; and when near the shore, having landed and disembarked 
their stores, they advanced toward the town, and closely besieged it. 
The inhabitants were not much alarmed, for they were well provided 
with provision, men-at-arms, and cross-bows, who valiantly defended 
themselves, so that the duke remained there a considerable time. 
When the constable of France and the lord de Clisson heard of this, 
they sent summonses everywhere, and marched to St. Malo to raise 
the siege. Many thought that a battle must ensue ; and the English 
drew out their army several times in battle-array, ready for the com- 
bat ; but the constable and the lord de Clisson never came near 
enough for an engagement. The English, therefore, having lain before 
the town some time, and not perceiving any inclination in the inhab. 
itants to surrender, the duke of Lancaster was advised to decamp, 
for he saw it was only wasting time ; he therefore reernbarked, and 
returned to England, where he dismissed his army. 

The castle of Auray was still in the possession of the duke of 
Brittany, who resided quietly in England : the king of France sent 
thither several lords of France and Brittany, who began a siege which 
lasted a long time. The garrison of Auray, not seeing any hope of 
succor, entered into a treaty, that if they were not relieved by the 
duke of Brittany or the king of England, with a sufficient force to 
raise the siege on a certain day, they would surrender. This treaty 
was acceded to ; and when the appointed day arrived, the French 
were there, but no one came from the duke nor the king of England : 
the castle was therefore placed under the obedience of the king of 
France, in the same manner as the other castles and principal towns 
of Brittany ; and those of Auray, who were attached to the duke, 
departed thence. 



CHAPTER CCCXXXI. 

THE FRENCH GAKKISON OF MONTBOURG- IS DEFEATED EY THE ENGLISH AT 
CHERBOURG. 

Soon after Easter, in the year of our Lord 1379, king Charles of 
France, finding the garrison of Cherbourg was ojipressing tne whole 
country of Coutantin, appointed sir William des Bourdes, a valiant 
knight and good captain, to be chief governor of Coutantin, and of 
all the fortresses round Cherbourg. Sir William des Bourdes went 
thither with a handsome body of men-at-arms and Genoese crosa- 
bows, and fixed his quarters at Montbourg ; which he made a garri. 
son against Cherbourg ; whence he formed frctjucnt expeditions, and 
would willingly have met with the men of Cherbourg ; for he wished 
for nothing better than an engagement with them, as he felt himself 
a good knight, bold and enterprising, and had also under his com- 
mand the flower of the men-at-arms from all the adjacent garrisons. 
About the same time, sir John Harlestone was sent to Cherbourg, to 
take command of it. I have before mentioned him as being gov- 
ernor of Guines. He had embarked at Southampton with three 
hundred men-at-arms and as many archers, and with them had safely 
arrived at Cherbourg. There were in this army sir Otho de Grant- 
son,* and among the English sir John Aubonrc,t sir John Orcelle,t 
witii other knights and squires. On their arrival, they disembarked 
their horses and armor, with other stores, and remained some days 
in Cherbourg to recruit themselves, and make preparations for expe- 
ditions and for carrying on the war in earnsst. 

Sir William des Bourdes puzzled himself day and night in en- 
deavoring to find out some means of annoying them. You must 
know, that these two governors laid several ambuscades for each 
other, but with little effect : for by chance they never met, e.xcept 
some few companions, who adventured themselves fool-hardily, as 
well to acquire honor as gain ; these parties frequently attacked each 
other ; sometimes the French won, at others, they lost. Such skir- 
mishes continued so often, that sir William des Bourdes inarched out 
one morning from Montbourg, with his whole force, toward Cher- 
bourg, in hopes of drawing tliat garrison out into the plain. 

On the other hand, sir John Harlestone, who was ignorant of the 
intentions of the French, had also that same morning made an ex- 
cursion, and had commanded his trumpets to sound for his men to 
arm themselves, as well horse as foot, and to advance into the plain : 
he had already ordered who were to remain in the garrison. He 
marched forth in handsome display, and ordered sir John Orcelle, 
with his foot soldiers, to take the lead as their guide. Having done 
this, he sent forward his light troops. Sir William des Bourdes had 
made a similar arrangement of his army. They both advanced in 
this array until the light troops of each party met, and came so near 
that they could easily distinguish each other. Upon which, they re- 
turned to the main body, and reported all they had observed. The 

* " Sir Otho de Grantson"— "-as before mentioned, not as an Englishman, but a«ona 
who had an estate on the other side of the sea. 
t " Sir John Aubourc." May it not be Aubrey 1 
t " Sir John Orcello." Perhaps VVotseler, ot Hotseley. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &, 



two leaders, on hearing their reports, were quite happy ; for they 
had at last found what they had been seeking for, and were much 
rejoiced thus to meet. 

When the two knights had lieard the news from their light troops, 
they each drew up their forces with great wisdom, and ordered their 
pennons to be displayed. The English foot were intermixed with 
their men-at-arms. As soon as they were within bow-shot, the 
French dismounted ; so did likewise the English : then the archers 
and cross-bowmen began to shoot sharply, and the men-at-arms to 
advance with their lances before them in close order. The armies 
met, and blows with spears and battle-a.\es began to fly about on all 
sides. The battle was hardly fought, and one might there have seen 
men-at-anns make trial of their prowess. 

Sir William des Bourdes was completely armed, and, with his bat- 
tle-axe in his hand, gave such blows to the right and left, that on 
whomsoever they fell that person was struck to tlie ground. He per- 
formed valorous deeds, worthy of being praised for ever after ; and 
it was not his fault the English were not discomfited. In another 
part of the field, sir John Harlestone, governor of Cherbourg, fought 
well and valiantly with his battle-axe, one foot advanced before the 
other ; and well it needed him, for he had to do with an obstinate 
body of liardy men. Several gallant deeds were performed this day ; 
many a man slain and wounded. Sir John Harlestone was struck 
down and in great peril of his life ; but by force of arms he was res- 
cued. The battle lai^ted long, and was excellently kept up, as well 
on one side as on the other. The English had not any advantage, 
for they had as many killed and wounded as tlie French ; but at last 
the English continued the combat so manfully, and with such courage, 
that they gained the field ; the French were all either slain or made 
prisoners : few men of honor saved themselves, for they had entered 
into the engagement with so much good heart that they could not 
prevail on themselves to fly, but were determined to die or to con- 
quer their enemies. 

Sir William des Bourdes was made prisoner on good terms by a 
squire from Hainault, called William de Beaulieu, an able man-at- 
arms, who for a considerable time had been attached to the English 
in the castle of Calais : to him sir William surrendered in great grief, 
and much enraged that the victory was not his. The English that 
day did much harm to the French. Several were made prisonei-s 
toward the end of the engagement ; but it was a pity to see the num- 
bers killed. When the English had stripped the dead, sir John 
Harlestone and his men returned to Cherbourg, carrying with them 
their prisoners and their riches. You may be assured that they 
rejoiced mightily in the success of this day, which God had given 
to them. Sir Wilham des Bourdes was feasted and entertained with 
every possible attention ; for he was personally deserving of whatever 
could be done for him. This defeat took place, between Montbourg 
and Cherbourg, the day of St. Martin le bouillaiit 1379. 

When the king of France heard that tlie garrison of Montbourg 
and its governor were either slain or made prisoners, and that the 
country was much alarmed by this defeat, the kijig, like one well 
advised and attentive to his affairs, immediately provided a rencdy, 
by sending, without delay, fresh troops to guard the frontiers, the for- 
tresses and the country round Cherbourg. Sir Hutin de Brcmallos 
was appointed general to these troops by the king of France, who 
kept the country against the English. However, by orders of the 
king, they afterv\-ards abandoned Montbourg, and all the country of 
Coutantin, which is one of the richest in the world. They made all 
the inhabitants give up their handsome houses and other possessions, 
and retreat out of this peninsula. The French guarded the frontiers 
at Dune. Carentan, and at St. Lo, and all the borders of the penin- 
sula of Coutantin.- 



227 



SECOND VOLUME* 

OF THE 

CHRONICLES OF SIR JOHN FROISSART. 



* The division into volumes here observed is in accordance with tlie French edition 
of D.Suuvageandof ihemost authentic IISS. Mr. Johiies did not adiiere to the original 
atrangement, hut divided the work and numbered the chapters to suit the four quarto 
volumes in which he originally published his work ; and Lord Berners. who published 
his tmnslution in two folio volumes, attended only to that natural division, so that the 
numbers of his latter chapters are cjuite at variance with those of other editions. We 
have thought it better to rctore the old division which originated with Froissart himself. 
The numeration and arransement of the chapters will be found nearly in unison with 
that of p. Sauvag-e, but Jlr. Jghnes's additions and corr«ctions prevent their beinc 
identical.— JSd. 

E.'ID OF THE FIRST VOLUME OF THE CHRONICLES OF SIR JOHN FKOISSAKT. 



CH.\PTER I. 

THE DtTKE OP ANJOU UNDEKTAKES AN EXPEDITION AGAINST THE ENULISH 
IN THE EORDELOIS. 

You have before heard related how the duke of Burgundy had 
made an incursion from tlie borders of Picardy, which was very 
honorable to him and profitable to the French'; and how he had 
placed in Ardres, and the other castles of which he had gained pos- 
session, governors and men-at-arms to defend them ; especially in the 
tow-n of Ardres, where he had established for a time sir William des 
Bourdes, and, in his absence, the viscount de Meaux and the lord de 
Saimpy. These captains had it repaired and strengthened, notwith- 
standing it was strongly fortified before. The king of France had 
heard the news of this with infinite pleasure, and considered this ex- 
pedition as having done him great service. He sent immediate orders 
to the governor of St. Omer, commanding the town of Ardres to be 
reinforced and provided with every kind of store and provision in the 
most ample liianncr : which orders were punctuahy obeyed. The 
army was disbanded, except the troops which were attached to the 
lord de Clisson and the Bretons ; but they returned as speedily as 
they could into Brittany, for news had been brought to the lord de 
Clisson and the other barons before -Ardres, that Janequin le Clerc,t 
an English squire and an expert man-at-arms, had sailed from Eng. 
land to Brittany, and had reinforced Brest with Englishmen. These 
Bretons, therefore, carried with them sir James de Verchin, seneschal 
of Hainatdt. The duke of Burgundy returned to his brother the king 
of France. 

At this period, there was a large body of men-at-arms assembled 
on the borders of the Bordelois, in obedience to the summons of the 
duke of Anjou and the constable of France, who had appointed a 
day for attacking the Gascons and English, of which I shall speak 
more fully when better informed than I am at present. 

While the duke of Burgtmdy was with his army in Picardy, as I 
have before said, the duke of Anjou resided in the good town of 
Toulouse with the duchess his lady, and was devising, night and day, 
different schemes to annoy and harass the English ; for he found 
that various castles and towns on the river Dordogne, and on the 
borders of Rouergue, the Toulousain, and Querci, were still harassing 
the coun'ry and those inhabitants who had put themselves under his 
obedience. He was anxious to provide a remedy for this, and re- 
solved to lay siege to Bergerac : this place being the key to Gascony, 
and standing on the frontiers of Rouergue, Querci, and Limousin. 
But as ho found there were yet several great barons of Gascony ad- 
verse to him, such as the lords de Duras, de Rosem, de Mucident, 
dc Langurant, de Guernoles, de Carles, and sir Peter de Landuras, 
with many more, he determined to raise a large force that would 
not only enable him to oppose these lords but to keep the field. He 
wrote, therefore, to sir John d'Armagnac, who, in such a business, 
would not fail him, and sent also to the lord d'Albret. He had be. 
fore sent for the constable of France, the lord Louis de Sancerre, the 
lord de Coucy, and many knights and squires, in Picardy, Brittany, 
and Normandy, who were all willing to serve him and to advance 
their reputation in arms and renown. The constable and marshal 
of France were already arrived. 

The duke of Anjou knew that there existed a coolness between 
the relations and friends of the lord de Pommiers, and sir Thomas 
Felton, high seneschal of Bordeaux, and the Bordelois. I will tell 
you the reason of it, and afterwards clear it up. Long before that 
period, in the year 1375, there was a cruel instance of justice ex- 
ecuted at Bordeaux by the orders of sir Thomas Felton, lieutenant 
for the king of England in the Bordelois, upon sir William lord de 
Pommiers, on suspicion of treason, which astonished every one. By 
orders of sir Thomas Felton, this lord de Pommiere was arrested in 
Bordeaux, together with a lawyer, his secretary and counsellor, called 
John Coulon, a native of Bordeaux. It was proved on them (as I was 
at the time informed,) that the lord de Pommiers had agreed to sur. 
render himself and all his castles to t!ie French ; from which charge 
they could never clear themselves, so that they were condemned to 
death. The lord de Pommiers and his secretary were publicly be- 
headed in the market-place of the city of Bordeaux, before all the 
people, who much wondered thereat. t His relations blamed this 
proceeding exceedingly, and that gallant knight, sir Aymon de Pom- 



* The author employs the first twenty-seven chapters in recapitulating the events of 
the three last years of the preceding volume, which had been too succinctly related.— 
St. Palave's Essay on Uir, Works of Fvotssart. 

t Janequin le Clcrc — f imagine to he sir John Clark, of whom Holiingshed speaks so 
handsomely in the 3rd of Richard II., and who was killed in a battle at a sea-port ia 
Br.ttany.— See IIollin'Oshed. 

t A. D. 1377, 1378. 

Rot'jh Vascoiiice de anno prinio Ricardi II. SIcmbrana' 16, 17, 18, 19. 

1. Processus judicii rediti contra Willelinum Sans, dominum de Pomers. pro protU- 
tione, in curia Vasconiai, et de castris et terris suis satiefactis ad dotninum regem. 



228 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



roiers, uncle to sir William, set out from Bordeaux and the Bordelois 
very indignant at sucl. a disgrace to his family, and swore he would 
never a»ain bear arms for the king of England. He crossed the seas 
to the Holy Sepulchre, and made several other voyages. On his re- 
turn, he changed to the French interest, placing himself and his ter- 
ritories under the obedience of the king of France. He immediately 
sent his challenge to the lord de I'Esparre, and made war upon him, 
because he had been one of the judges of his nephew. 

Sir John Blessac, sir 
Peter de Landuras, and sir 
Bertrand du Franc, were 
also implicated in these 
suspicions of treason, as 
well as on account of the 
surrender of the castle of 
Fronsac, which had beeii 
delivered up to the French, 
it being the inheritance of 
the brd de Ponimicrs who 
nad been beheaded : they 
were detained in prison 
at Bordeaux upward of 
seven months. They were 
at length set at liberty, 
through the entreaties of 
their friends, for nothing 
could be proved against 
them. SirGaillardVighier, 
however, continued along 
time in imminent danger, 
which surprised many, as 
be was not of that country, 
iut had come from Lom- 
bardy with the lord de 
Coucy, and was in the 
service of pope Gregory, 
who exerted himself in 
his deliverance as soon as 
he heard of his imprison, 
ment, the knight having 
insisted on his innocence. 
By these means, much se- 
cret hatred was caused, 
from which many mis- 
chiefs ensued. 

When the duke of An- 
jou saw the time was ar- 
rived for his marching 
from Toulouse, and that 
the greaterpart of his men- 
at-arms were in the field — in particular, the constable of France, in 
whom he had the greatest confidence — he set out from Toulouse, and 
took the direct road to Bergerac. Sir Perducas d'Albret was governor 
of the place ; he resided in a small castle, a short league from Lan- 
guedoc, called Moueux, which is a strong fort. 

The duke of Anjou and his army marched until they came before 
Bergerac, when they encamped themselves all around it, and as near 
the river as possible, for the greater ease of themselves and their 
horses. Many great barons were with the duke ; in the first place, 
sir John d'Armagnac, with a large troop ; the constable of France, 
with another large body ; the lord Louis de Sancerre, sir John de 
Bueil, sir Peter de Bueil, sir Evan of Wales, sir Maurice do Trisi. 
quidi (who had formerly been one of the thirty knights on the French 
side at the duel in Brittany.) sir Alain de Esaumont, sir Alain de la 
Houssaye, sir William and sir Peter de Mornay, sir John do Vers, sir 
Baldwin Cremoux, Thibaut du Font, Heliot de Calais, and many 
other able men-at-arms with large companies. They encamped them- 
selves to a great extent in those fine meadows along the river Dor- 
dogne, so that it was a great pleasure to look at them. 

The constable was lodged very near to the quarters of the duke. 
Those companions who were desirous of advancing themselves fre- 
quently came to the- barrici-s to skirmish : many of whom were slain 
or wounded by arrows, as in such adventures must happen. At the 
end of six days after the town of Bergerac had been besieged, the 
lord d'Albret, and sir Bernard d'Albret his cousin, arrived in the 
camp of the duke, well accompanied by men-at-arms and foot-soldiers, 
where they were received with joy, as the army was by them greatly 
reinforced. 

The duke, with the principal leaders of the army, held a council on 
the eighth day, to consider in what manner they could most effcct- 
aally annoy the inhabitants of Bergerac. Many speeches were made, 
and diflerent proposals offered. It was long debated to storm the 
town, but afterwards this measure was abandoned, as their men 
might suffer much, and not make any great gain. The council broke 
up without coming to any determination, except to continue on the 
siege ; for they were still expecting large bodies of men-at-arms from 
France, and in particular the lord de Coucy. 



CHAPTER II. 

SIK THOMAS FELTON IS DEFEiTEn AND MADE PRISONER, WITH MANY OF 
THE PRINCIPAL LORDS OF GA3C0NY, BY A PARTY Op FRENCH AT THS 
SIEGE OF BERGERAC. 

Sir Thomas Felton, who resided at Bordeaux, was not at his ease 
from knowing that his enemies were but twelve leagues distant, and 
in such numbers that he could not think of opposing them by force, 




' 



Duke of AnjOD wth Ms army, marcliin;; against Bergerac. From a MS. Froissart of the 15tli century. 



having also learnt the duke of Anjou's summons and intentions : he 
had, therefore, sent information to the king and council in England; 
but those whom he had dispatched thither had not been able to do 
anything, for the kingdom of England was much shaken, and differ- 
ent parties wore mutually opposing each other. The duke of Lan. 
caster, in particular, was unpopular with the common people ; from 
which cause much party animosity and danger happened afterwards 
in England. No men-at-arms were sent either to Gascony or to 
Brittany ; on which account, those who were defending the frontiers 
for the young king were very ill pleased. It happened that sir 
Thomas Felton had" desired the lord de I'Esparre to go to England, 
for the better information of the king and his uncles respecting the 
affairs of Gascony, in order that they might take counsel to provide 
for them. The lord de I'Esparre hail already left Bordeaux, and was 
proceeding on his voyage ; hut the wind proving unfavorable, he was 
driven into the Spanish seas, where he was met by some ships from 
Spain, with whom he engaged unsuccessfully; he was made pris- 
oner and carried to Spain, whore he remained upward of a year and 
a half, and suffered many mortifications from the relations of the lord 
de Pommiers. 

Sir Thomas was a truly valiant man : he had written and sent 
special messengers to the lords de Mucident, de Duras, de Rosem, 
and de Langurant, four of the most noble and powerful barons of 
Gascony, and who were attached to England, to request, that for the 
honor of the king their lord, they would not fail, on any account, to 
defend the principality, and to desire they would come to Bordeaux 
with their vassals ; for all knights who were anxious to acquit them- 
selves toward the king and lord were already arrived there. 'When 
they were all assembled, they amounted to full five hundred lances : 
they remained at Bordeaux, and in the Bordelois, during the time 
when the duke of Anjou was beginning the siege of Bergerac. Sir 
Thomas Felton and these four Gascon barons held a council, in 
which they resolved to march toward the French, and post them- 
selves in a' secure situation, to see if they could gain any advantage 
over them. They set out, therefore, from Bordeaux with upward of 
three hundred lances, taking the road for La R£ole, and came to a 
certain town called Yuret,* in which they quartered themselves. The 

» " Vuret," probably Yurac— a village in Guienne, near Bordeau.\. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &e. 



229 



French knew notliing of this ambuscade, and suflcred much from it. 
The siege of Bergerac was still going forward : there were many 
skirmishes and deeds of arms performed with the garrison by the be, 
siegers ; btit the French were not great gainers, for sir Perducas 
d'Albret, the governor, was very active in opposing them, that no 
blame might be imputed to him. 

The army called another council, and resolved to send for a large 
machine, called a sow, from La R^olc, in order the more to harass 
the garrison. This sow was a large engine, which east weighty 
stones, and one hundred men, completely armed, could be drawn up 
in it, and attack the walls. Sir Peter de Eueil, sir John de Vers, sir 
Baldwin de Crcmoux, sir Alain de Beaumont, tlie lord de ]Montcalay, 
and the lord de Goures, were ordered to go for this engine : they left 
the army, in consequence, with about three hundred men-at-arms 
whom they could depend on, and, fording the river Dordogne, rode 
toward La Rdole : they advanced between Bergerac and La R^ole, 
I until they came to Yurac, where the English were in ambuscade 
i -with upward of four hundred combatants, of which they were igno- 
rant. 

News was brought to the army and to the constable of France, that 
I the English had taken the field ; but it was unknown which way 
they had marched. The constable, lest his men might be surpiised, 
I immediately ordered a large detachment to guard the foragers, who 
were out between the rivers Garonne and Dordogne, and gave the 
command of it to sir Peter de Mornay, sir Evan of Wales, Thibaut du 
Pont, and Hcliot de Calais : there might be in this detachment two 
hundred lances of tried men. Sir Peter de Bueil, and the others who 
were sent to bring the sow, rode on to La Reole, and, having laden 
a great many earls widi it, set out on their return, but by a different 
route from that by which they had arrived, for they required a broader 
load for their convoy, and yet they were to pass by Yurac, or very 
near to it, where the English were in ambuscade : however, they 
■were so fortnnate as to meet with a second detachment from their 
army, when they were vvitliin a short league of the town. The whole 
tlien amounted to full six hundred lances. They continued their 
"jmarch in greater security, and nrore at their leisure. 

Sir Thomas Felton and the barons of Gascony in Yurac were in- 
formed, that the French were escorting that way a very large engine, 
from La Reole to their siege of Bergerac. They were much rejoiced 
at this intelligence, and said it was what they wished. They then 
armed themselves, mounted their horses, and drev/ up in the best 
array they were able. When they had advanced into the plain, they 
had not long to wait before they saw the French, marching in a large 
body, and in handsome order. No sooner was each party assured 
that those whom they saw were enemies, who seemed mutually eager 
for the contest, than sticking spurs into their horses, and with spears 
in their rests, they charged each other, shouting their different war- 
cries. I must say, that in this first conflict, many a gallant tilt was 
performed, and many a knight and squire were unhorsed and driven 
to the ground. In such deadly warfare, there is no accident but 
what may happen. Heliot de Calais, a most able squire and good 
man-at-arms, was knocked off his horse, by a violent stroke on the 
throat-piece with a spear, whose broad point was as sharp and as fine 
as a razor. This iron cut through the throat-piece, as well as all the 
veins ; the stroke beat him to the ground, when he shortly after died : 
the more the pity. By this accident did he end his days. Among 
the French, there was a knight from Beny or Limousin, named sir 
William de Lignac, an excellent man-at-arms, who this day performed 
many gallant deeds. 

The combat was sharp, and long continued on each side, close to 
the village of Yurac : when their lances failed, they drew their 
swords, and the attack was more vigorously renewed. Many feats 
of prowess were performed, many captures made, and many rescued. 
Of the English slain on the spot, was a Gascon knight, called the lord 
de Gernos and de Calais : of the French, Thibaut du Pont. This 
battle was well and long fought : many handsome deeds were done, 
for they were all men of valor : but in the end the English could not 
gain the field : they were fairly conquered by the French. Sir Wil- 
liam de Lignac captured with his own hand sir Thomas Felton, sen- 
eschal of Bordeaux : nearly at the same time, the lords de Mucident, 
de Duras, de Rosem, de Languran*, were also made prisoners. Few 
of the English or Gascons but were made prisoners or slain. 

Those who could escape met, on their return toward Bordeaux, the 
sijneschal des Landes, sir William Helman, the mayor of Bordeaux, 
and sir John de Multon ; in the whole, about one hundred lances, 
who were hastening to Yurac; but, when they heard the news of so 
complete a defeat, they wheeled about, and returned as speedily as 
possible to Bordeaux. 



CHAPTER III. 

EERGEKiC SCTtRENDERS TO THE Dl'KE OF ANJOU. TlIE LORDS DE DORAS 
AND DE ROSEM, AFTER IIAVINiJ PROMISED TO BE OF THE FRENCH INTE- 
REST, RETtJRN AGAIN TO THE ENSLISH. 

When this engagement was over and the field cleared, and all 
those who had been made prisoners placed under a secure guard, 
they set out on their return to the siege carrying on at Bergerac. The 



duke of Anjou was mightily rejoiced when he heard of the detach. 
mcnts having had such success, and that all the flower of Gascony, 
the knights and squires his enemies, were either killed or taken, and 
among them sir Thomas Felton, who had been very active against 
him ; so that he would rather have lost five hundred thousand francs 
than that it should have been otherwise. Sir Peter de Bueil, sir 
William de Lignac, sir Evan of Wales, and others, continued their 
march until they came to their army before Bergerac, where they 
were received with much pleasure by the duke of Anjou, the con- 
stable, the barons and knights their friends, who considered their 
success as very honorable and profitable to them. 

On the morrow, the sow they had brought was erected near to the 
walls of Bergerac, which much alarmed the inhabitants, who held 
a council to consider their situation, and whether they could main- 
tain it. They addressed themselves to their governor, for they found 
they could not long hold out, as no succor was to be expected since 
their seneschal was taken, and with him the chivalry of Gascony, oa 
whose asssistance they had depended. Sir Perducas told them, 
they were in sufficient strength to hold out for some time, being well 
prorided with provisions and artillery, if they made not any foolish 
agreement. 

Things remained in this situation until the next morning, when 
the trumpets of the army sounded for an assault, and every one re. 
paired to his banner. The constable of France, who was in the 
field with a grand array, sent to hold a parley with the inhabitants 
before the assault began, or any of their men were wounded or slain ; 
in which he remonstrated with them, that having had their leaders 
made prisoners, from whom alone they could hope for assistance, and 
who were now in treaty to place themselves and their lands under 
the obedience of the king of France, they could not look for any re. 
lief; and, should the town be taken by storm, it would inevitably be 
destroyed by fire and flame, and none receive quarter. These threats 
frightened the inhabitants, who demanded time to hold a consulta- 
tion, which was granted to them. The burghers then assembled, 
without calling in their governor, and agreed to surrender as good 
Frenchmen, provided they were peaceably and gently dealt with, 
without any of the army entering their town, which was directly 
granted. 

When sir Perducas d'-\lbret, their governor, heard of this, he 
mounted his horse, ordered his men to march, and, having passed 
the bridges, made for the fort of Moncin, when Bergerac surren- 
dered to the French. The constable of France took possession of 
it, placing therein a governor and men-at-arms to keep and defend 
It. 

After the surrender of Bergerac, the duke of Anjou was advised to 
advance further into the country, and lay siege to Castillon * on the 
Dordogne. News of this was soon spread through the army, when 
every one began to make his preparations accordingly ; that is to 
say, the duke, the constable, and the other men-at-arms, except the 
marshal of France, who remained behind to wait for the lord de 
Coucy, as he was expected to arrive that evening (which indeed he 
did,) when the marshal advanced to meet him with a very large at- 
tendance of his men, and received him most amicably. They 
remained all that night in the place which the duke had left. The 
duke and his army advanced to a fine mead, on the banks of the 
Dordogne, in his march to Castillon. ( 

Under the command of the lord de Coucy were, sir Aymon de 
Pommiers, sir Tristan de Roye, the lords de Faignelles, de Jumont, 
sir John de Rosay, sir Robert de Cleremont, and several other knights 
and squires. They marched from their quarters, and continued 
advancing in company with the marshal of France and his troops 
until they arrived at the army of the duke, where they were received 
with much satisfaction. 

In the road to Castillon, there is a town called St. Foy : before 
the vanguard arrived at Castillon, they marched thither, and having 
surrounded it, began to attack it briskly. This town had not any 
men-at-arms, and but trifling fortifications, so that it did not long 
defend itself On its surrender, it was pillaged. The siege was 
fonned before Castillon above the river, and continued for fifteen 
days : of course, there were many skirmishes at the barriers, for 
some English and Gascons had retreated thither after the battle of 
Yurac, and defended themselves valiantly. The Gascon barons 
who had been made prisoners at Yurac, were still in the French 
camp, and in treaty to turn to the French party. Sir Thomas Fel- 
ton was not solicited so to do, as he was an Englishman, but had his 
ransonr fixed by his master, sir William de Lignac, to whom he paid 
thirty thousand francs, and obtained his liberty : but this w'as not 
immediately settled. After much negotiating, the four Gascon 
barons turned to the French : they engaged, on their faith and honor, 
that themselves and their vassals would ever remain good French- 
men ; for which reason the duke of Anjou gave them their liberties. 
The lords de Duras and do Rosem left the duke with a good un- 
derstanding, intending to visit their estates : the lords de Mucident 
and de Langurant remained with the army, and were graciously 
treated by the duke of Anjou, with whom they frequently dined and 
supped. The first.mentioned lords thought the duke very obliging in 
thus lightly allowing them to depart, which indeed he afterwards 



* " Castillon "—a town of Guieime, election ofBordeaui. 



230 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &.c. 



repented, as he had good reason. These two lords, when on their 
road conversing together, said, " How can we serve the duke of An- 
jou and the French, when we have hitherto been loyal English ? 
It will be much better for us to deceive the duke of Anjou than the 
king of England, our natural lord, and who has always been so kind 
to us." This they adopted, and resolved to go to Bordeau.x, to the 
seneschal des Landes, sir William Helman, and assure him that their 
hearts would not suffer them to become good Frenchmen. The two 
barons continued their journey to Bordeaux, where they were joy. 
fully received : for they had not then heard anything of their treaties 
with the duke of Anjou. 

The seneschal des Landes and the mayor of Bordeaux were in. 
quisitive after news, and what sums they had paid for their ransoms. 
They said, that through constraint and threats of death, the duke of 
Anjou had forced them to turn to the French : but added, " Gentle- 
men, we will truly tell you, that before we took the oath, we reserved 
in our hearts our faith to our natural lord the king of England ; and, 
for anything we have said or done, will we never become French- 
men." The knights from England were much pleased with these 
words, and they declared they had acquitted themselves loyally to- 
ward their lord. 

Five days afterwards, news was brought to the duke of -4injou and 
the army before Castillon, that the lords de Duras and de Rosem had 
turned to the English, which very much astonished the duke, the 
constable, and the other barons. The duke then sent to the lords de 
Mucident and de Langurant, told them what he had heard, and asked 
what they thought of it : these barons, who were exceedingly vexed, 
replied, " My lord, if they have broken their faith, we will not belie 
ours ; and that which we have said and sworn to you we will loyally 
keep, nor shall the contrary bo ever reproached to us ; for by valor 
and gallant deeds of arms have your party conquered us, and we will 
therefore remain steady to our obedience to you." *' I believe you 
firmly," said the duke of Anjou ; " and I swear by God first, and 
then by my lord and brother, that on leaving this place, we will not 
imdertake any one thing before we have besieged the towns of Duras 
and Rosem." Tilings remained in this state ; that is to say, the duke 
of Anjou much enraged at the conduct of the two Gascon barons, 
and the siege continuing before Castillon. The town and castle of 
Castillon, on the Dordogne, was a town and inheritance of the captal 
de Buch, whom the king of France had detained in prison at Paris. 



CHAPTER IV. 

CASTILLON, AND SEVERAL OTHER PLACES IN GASCONY, SURRENDER TO 
THE DUKE OF ANJOU. 

DtTKiNG the time Castillon was besieged, there was a great famine, 
insomuch that for money there was difficulty in getting provisions. 
The French were forced to march twelve or fifteen leagues for forage 
for the army, and in going and returning they ran great rislts ; for 
there were many castles and English garrisons on the frontiers, from 
whence they sallied forth and formed ambuscades ; or they waited 
in the narrow passes and defiles ; and whenever they found them- 
selves the strongest, they fell upon the French foragers, killed and 
wounded them, and carried olV their forage. For this reason, they 
never could forage but in large bodies. 

The siege of Castillon was carried on with much vigor, and the 
garrison so harassed by assaults and engines that they surrendered, 
on their lives and fortunes being spared. The men-at-arms marched 
out, and as many more as chose to leave it, and went to St. Macaire,* 
where there is a good castle and strong town. On the surrender of 
Castillon, the duke of Anjou received the fealty and homage of the 
inhabitants, and renewed the oflicers : he appointed as governor of 
it a knight from Touraine, called sir James de Montmartin. When 
they were about to march from Castillon, they called a council to 
consider windier they should go next ; and it was determined to 
advance toward St. Marine ; but, as several small forts were scat, 
lered about the country before they could arrive there, it was not 
thought proper to leave them in the rear on account of the foragers. 
They therefore, on quitting Castillon, marched to Sauveterre,t which 
they besieged. 

Other intelligence was brought, respecting the lords de Duras and 
de Rosem, different from what had been at first reported ; that in 
truth they were at Bordeaux, but it was not known on what terms. 
This news was spread through the army, and was so public as to 
come to the ears of the lords de Mucident and Langurant : they 
mentioned it to the lord de Coucy and sir Peter de Bueil, whom they 
were desirous to interest in excusing those knights, adding that it 
was very simple to believe such tales so lightly told. They replied, 
they woidd willingly undertake to speak to the duke, who told them 
he should be very happy to find the contrary true to what he had 
heard. The affair remained in this state, and the siege of Sauve. 
terre continued. The town of Sauveterre held out only for three 
days ; for the knight who was governor surrendered it to the duke, 
on condition of himself, his troeps, with tlieir fortunes, being spared. 



• St. Macaire-a city in Guienne, on Die Garonne, nine leagues from Bordeau.x. 
t Sauveterre— a town in Gascony, dioceee of Coiuminges. 



By these means they marched and came before St. Bazille, a good 
town, which immediately surrendered, and put itself under the obedi- 
ence of the king of France. 

They then advanced to Montsegur,* which they attacked on their 
arrival, but did not gain it on this first attempt. They encamped and 
refreshed themselves for the night. On the morrow, they prepared 
for the assault, and those within, seeing they were in earnest, began 
to be greatly alarmed, and called a council, wherein it was at last 
determined that they would offer to surrender on having their Kves 
and fortunes spared ; and upon these terms they were received. 
The French marched away to another good walled town, situated 
between St. Macaire and La Reole, called Auberoche. They were 
four days before they could gain it, which was done by capitidation. 

The French then advanced to St. Macaire 



CHAPTER V. 

THE DUKE OF ANJOU TAKES THE T0^VN AND CASTLE OF ST. MACAIRE BY 

CAPITULATION THE TOWN OF DURAS BY STORM, BUT THE CASTLE 

RECEIVES QUARTER. 

The army of the duke of Anjou was daily increasing from all 
quarters ; for such knights and squires as were desirous of renown 
came to wait on him, and to serve him. The siege was formed be- 
fore St. Macaire in a very handsome manner ; for those men-at-arma 
had retreated thither who had quitted the garrisons which had sur- 
rendered. The town, therefore, had been greatly reinforced, and 
better guarded. There were many grand assaults and skirmishes, 
as well before the town as at the barriers. While the siege was going 
forward, the duke of Anjou and the constable of France ordered the 
leaders of the different corps to make excursions in various parts^ 
Large detachments, therefore, set out, under the orders of the marshal 
of France, sir Perceval de Marneil and sir William de Moncontour. 
These detachments remained for six days in the field, took several 
towns and small castles, and put all the surrounding country under 
the subjection of the king of France. None went out to oppose 
them, for the whole country was almost empty of men-at-arms at. 
tached to the English, and the few who were there fled toward Bor- 
deaux. When they had finished their expeditions, they returned to 
the army. 

The inhabitants of St. Macaire knew well that they could not hold 
out for a long time ; and the besiegers promised them every day, that 
if they suffered themselves to be taken by storm, they should all. 
without mercy be put to death. They began t^; be doubtful lest their 
career might terminate in tliis cruel manner, and secretely opened 
a treaty with the French to surrender, on their lives and fortunes 
being spared. The men-at-arms in St. Macaire had intelligence of 
this, and suspecting the inhabitants might perliaps form some treaty 
inimical to them, they retired into the castle, which was large and 
strong, and built to stand a good siege, taking with them all their 
own wealth, and a good deal of pillage from the town. Upon this,, 
the inhabitants surrendered their town to the king of France. The 
duke of Anjou received intelligence during the siege of St. Macaire, 
that his lady the duchess had been brought t.j bed of a son at Tou. 
louse. The duke and the whole army were much rejoiced at this 
event, and their warlike heroism was greatly increased. The men- 
at-arms entered the town, for it had large and handsome houses, in 
which they refreshed themselves, as they had wherewithal, the towa 
being well provided with every sort of provision. 

The castle was surrounded on all sides, and engines erected before' 
it, which cast such large stones as greatly astonished the garrison- 
While this siege was carrying on, true intelligence was brought re. 
specting the lords do Duras and de Rosem, by two heralds, who 
declared they had turned to the English. On hearing this the duke 
said, " Let me but gain St. Macaire, and I will immediately march 
and lay siege to Duras." He ordered the attacks on the castle to be 
renewed with greater vigor, for he was not willing to leave it in his 
rear. The gan-ison seeing themselves thus attacked, without any 
hopes of succor, and know^ing that the duke and constable were 
determined to have them by fair or foul means, thought they should 
act wisely if they entered into a treaty, which tliey accomplished, and 
delivered up the castle, on their lives and fortunes being spared, and 
on being conducted to Bordeaux. Thus did the town and castle of 
St. Macaire become French. The duke of Anjou took possession 
of it, appointed a governor, and then decamped with his whole army^ 
taking the road toward Duras. 

The army continued its march until it came before Duras, when 
an attack was immediately ordered. The men-at-arms made them- 
selves ready, and the cross-bowmen, well shielded, advanced to the 
town ; some of whom had provided themselves with ladders, in order 
the more easily to scale the walls. This attack was very severe, and 
those who had mounted the walls fought hand to hand with their 
opponents ; so many gallant deeds were done by each party, that it 
lasted the greater part of the day. When they had thus well fought 
fur a length of time, the marshals ordered the trumpets to sound a 
retreat, and every man retired to his quarters for the night. In the 
mean time, sir Alain de la Haye, and sir Alain de St. Pol,airived at 
the army with a large troop of Bretons, who had marched toward 



* A viUage in Gascony, election of Landes. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



231 



Libourne,* and had attacked an English garrison at Cadillac,t which 
they had taken by storiii, and slain all within it. 

On the morrow morning, the duke ordered the stonning to be re- 
newed, and that each man should exert himself to the utmost. He 



amined it, they found it was marvellously strong, and said, that with- 
out a very long siege, it would not be easily taken : on their return, 
they related this to the duke of Anjou. " That docs not signify," 
replied the duke, " for I have said and sworn, that I would not stir 



had it also proclaimed by a herald, that whoever should first enter from hence until I should have this castle under my obedience." 

" And you shall not 
forswear yourself,"an. 
swered the constable. 
Engines were directly 
pointed against the 
castle, as they were 
ready on the spot. 
When those within 
saw the great prepara- 
tions that were mak- 
ing against them, as 
well by those in the 
town as by the French, 
and that the attack 
would be severe, and 
probably fatal to them, 
they thought it ad- 
visable to enter into 
a negotiation. They 
opened a treaty with 
the constable, who 
agreed to spare their 
lives and fortunes on 
their surrendering the 
castle. The duke of 
Anjou was therefore 
advised by the consta- 
ble not to fatigue or 
hurt his Kien, but t» 
grant them quarter, 
■which he did. On 
the third day they 
marched out of the 
castle, and were con- 
ducted whither they 
wished to go, and the 
constable took posses- 
sion of it ; but I be- 




Storming of JOuras. From a MS. of Froissart of the fifteenth century. 



Duras should receive five hundred francs. The desire of gaining 
this reward made many poor companions come forward. Ladders 
were placed against the walls in various places, and the attack began 
in earnest ; for the young knights and squires, who were eager for re- 
nown, did not spare themselves, but fought with a thorough good will. 
The lord de Langurant had ascended a ladder, with a sword in 
his hand, and fought hard to enter the town the first, not indeed for 
the five hundred francs, but to illustrate his name ; for he was ex- 
ceedingly angry that the lord de Duras had so lightly turned to the 
English. The lord de Langurant, as I must say, performed such 
deeds that his own people as well as strangers were quite astonished 
therewith, and advanced so far that his life was in great jeopardy ; 
for those withinside the walls tore off" the helmet from his head, and 
with it the hood, so that he would inevitably have been slain, if his 
own squire, who followed him close, had not covered him with his 
target. ^ 



lieve that the duke of Anjou ordered it to be razed to tlie ground. 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE DUITE OF ANJOU KETtJRNS TO THE DUCHESS AT TorLOUSE, AND TEE 
CONSTABLE TO THE KING OF FRANCE. EVAN OF WALES LAYS SIEGE 
TO MOKTAIN SUR-MER. 

4fter the conquest of the to\vn and castle of Duras, the 
duke of Anjou ordered sir John de Jumont, sir Tristan de Roye, 
and sir John de Rosay, to remain in the town of Landurant,* (for 
the lord of it had turned to the French since he had been made 
prisoner at the battle of Yurac,) with one hundred good spears to 
guard the frontiers against the Bordelois : he himself wished to re- 
to Toulouse to see his duchess, who had been delivered of a 



turn 
The knight descended the ladder by degrees, but he received handsome boy, for he was desirous of holding a grand feast at Tou 



in his descent several heavy blows on the target. He was much 
esteemed for this assault, by all those who saw him. 

In another part, sir Tristan de Roye and sir Perceval d'Ayvenal, 
mounted on ladders, fought most valorously ; and also sir John de 
Jumont and sir John de Rosay, where each for his part did wonders 
in arms. On the batdements was the lord de Seriel, mounted on a 
ladder, fighting gallantly hand to hand with those on the inside ; and 
all who saw him said, that if any one was likely to have the advan- 
tage of first entering the town, he was in the road so to do. This 
knight did not thus adventure himself for profit, but for glory : how- 
ever, as fortune is hazardous, he was struck down with such force by 
a sword, that he tumbled into the ditch, and broke his neck. In 
suchwise died this knight. The same fate attended a squire from 
Brittany, who bore for his arms two chevrons gules, chequered with 
or, argent, and azur. This vexed the constable so much that he 
ordered the assailants to be reinforced, and the fight continued with 
more vigor than before. The lord de Mucident proved himself an 
able knight, and showed he was indeed a Frenchman froi^ the man- 
ner in which he assaulted. 

The town of Duras was taken by storm, and the first persons who 
entered it were sir Tristran de Roye and sir John de Rosay. When 
the men-at-arms in Duras saw that the town must be lost, they retreated 
into the castle, leaving the rest to its fate. Thus was Duras taken, 
and all found in it were put to death. The men-at-arms retired to 
their quarters, where they disarmed themselves, and took their ease, 
having plenty of provision with them. 

On the morrow morning, the constable of France, attended by the 
marshal, mounted their horses, and rode to the castle to reconnoitre, 
ajid see on which side they could best attack it. Having well ex. 



* " Libourne"— a city of Gueinne on the Dordogne, ten leagues from Bordeaux. 
1 " CadUlac"— a town in Guienne, seven leagueB trom Bordeaux. 



louse to celebrate this event. He therefore ordered men-at-amis to 
the different towns and castles which he had conquered. On die- 
missing Evan of Wales, he said to him : " You will take under your 
command the Bretons, Poitevins and Angevins, with whom you will 
march into Poitou, and lay siege to Mortain-sur-mer, which the lord 
de I'Estradet holds ; and do not quit the place for any orders you may 
receive in the king's name until you have had possession of it ; 
for it is a garrison that has done us much mischief." " My lord," 
replied Evan, " as far as it shall be in my power I will loyally obey 
you." The duke, the constable, and the lord de Coucy, then ordered 
all those who were to accompany Evan into Poitou. Upon this full 
five hundred good men-at-arms left the duke, and took the road to 
Saintonge, in order to advance toward St. Jean d'Angely. 

The duke of Anjou, the constable of France, the lord de Coucy,- 
the marshal of France, sir John and sir Peter de Bueil, returned t» 
Toulouse, where they found the duchess newly recovered from her 
lying-in. On this event there were very great rejoicings and feast-. 
ings at Toulouse. The constable and the lord de Coucy then re- 
turned to Paris : the marshal de Sancerre into Auvergnc, to assist 
the dauphin of Auvergnc and the barons of that country, who were 
carrying on the war against the English that had remained in Liniou. 
sin, Rouergue, and on the borders of Auvergne. 

Let us now say something of Evan of Wales, how he laid siege 
at this season to Mortain, and how he harassed its ganison. Evan of 
Wales, being desirous of obeying the orders of the duke of Anjou, 
(for he knew well that whatever the duke did was by the direetione 
of the king of France bis brother, as he had paid all the expenses o£ 

"* " Landurant"— should be Landiras- a town in Guienne, near Bordeaux. WilUast^ 
Shalton was lord of Landiras —Bee Rolles' Qasconncs- 
t The souldich de rEaliade.— Bee AM6TI8. 



232 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, 



the difi'ereiit expeditions he had made) had advanced as far as 
Saintes. He had halted to refresh himself and his companions in 
that rich country between Saintes and Foitou, and in the beautiful 
Breads wliicli are on the banks of the rivers in those parts. Many 
knights and squires of Foitou were with him, such as the lords de 
Pons, de Touars, de Vivarois, the lord James de Surgeres, and seve- 
ral more. On the other hand, from Brittany and Normandy, were 
sir Maurice de Trisiquedi, sir Alain de la Houssaye, sir Alain de St. 
Pol, sir Ferceval d'Ayneval, sir William de Moncontour, the lord 
de Monmor, and Morelet his brother. These troops, when ordered, 
marched away, and laid siege to Mortain. The castle is situated on 
the Garonne, near to and below its embouchure with the sea : it is 
the handsomest and strongest fort in all the borders of the countries 
of Foitou, la Rochelle, and Saintonge. 

When Evan of Wales, the barons and knights, were arrived there, 
tliey formed the siege very prudendy, and provided themselves by 
little and little with everything they wanted ; for they were well 
aware that they could never conquer the castle by storm, but that it 
must be won by distressing the garrison with famine and a long 
blockade. Evan, therefore, ordered four bloek-houses to be erected, 
so that no provision could enter the place by sea or by land. 

At times, the young knights and squires who wished to display 
their courage, advanced to the barriers of the castle, and skirmished 
with the garrison. Many gallant deeds were there performed. There 
was a knight in Mortain called tlie souldich, who was from Gascony, 
a valiant knight and able man-at-arms, whose orders they obeyed as 
if he had been their governor. The castle was plentifully supplied 
•with wines and provision, but they were in great want of several 
smaller necessaries. 



CHAPTER VII. 

sine OHAKLES OF FKAKCE INSTISATES THE SCOTS TO MAIE W.\R ON 
ENGLAND. THE SCOTS TAKE THE CASTLE OF BEKWICK. 

Kins Charles of France, notwithstanding he always resided at 
Paris, or at various other places in France which pleased hint more, 
and that he never bore arms himself, kept up a very sharp war against 
his enemies the English. He had formed alliances, as well in the empire 
as with the adjoining kingdoms, in a greater degree than the four or 
five preceding kings of France had ever done. He paid great atten- 
tions to all from whom he thought he should derive any assistance ; 
and because king Richard of England was young, and his kingdom 
-vmsettled,he had sent to renew his alliance with the Scots, and with 
their king, Robert Stuart, who had succeeded his uncle king David 
Bruce, and to e.xcite them to make war upon the English, so that 
they should be disabled from crossing the seas. Upon this, king 
Robert, after the death of Edward and the coronation of Richard, 
assembled his council at Edinburgh, where he had summoned the 
greater part of those barons and knights from whom he looked 
for assistance. He remonstrated with them against the English for 
having in former times done them much mischief by burning their 
■ country, razing their castles, killing and ransoming the inhabitants : 
that the time was now arrived when they might revenge themselves 
for all these disgraces ; as king Edward was deceased, who had been 
so successful against them, and a young king was now on the 
throne. 

The barons of Scotland and the young knights present, being de- 
sirous of advancing themselves and revenging the injuries which the 
English had formerly done to their country, replied unanimously, that 
they were willing and prepared to invade England, either to-day or 
to-morrow, or whenever he pleased. This answer was very agree, 
able to the king of Scotland, who returned them his thanks for it. 
Four earls were appointed captains of the men-at-arms ; namely, the 
earl of Douglas, the earl of Moray, the earl of Mar and the earl of 
.Sutherland ; sir Archibald Douglas constable of Scotland, and sir 
Robert de Versi* inarshal of the whole army. 

Summonses were immediately issued for the assembling of the 
forces by a certain day in the Merse,+ which is the country border- 
ing on England. While this summons was obeying, a valiant squire 
of Scotland, named Ale.xander Ramsay, set off with forty men from 
his company, detennined to perform a gallant enterprise. They were 
all well mounted, and, having rode the whole night through bye- 
roads, came to Berwick nearly at daybreak. A squire attached to 
the earl of Northumberland, called William Bisset, was governor of 
^he town of Berwick ; and a very able knight, called sir Robert 
Abeton,t was constable of the castle. 

When the Scots were arrived near Berwick, they concealed them- 



* •' Sir Robert de Versi," Q, t Tlie Marches.— [Ed. 

% "SirRobert Abetoii"— sirRobertBoyntoii. Dr Fuller, in his history of Berwick, 1799, 
says, " that seven intrepid Scotsmen in 1377 took posse^^ion of Benvick castle by storm in 
the night, and continued masters of it for eiglit days, though it Avns besieged by seven 
thousand English arclieis and tliree thousand cavalry, and only lost two of their num- 
ber, which had increased to forty-eight when they were subdued. Notwithstanding this 
heroic achievement, they were nil put to tlie sword. 

" Upon entering the castle, they killed the governor, sir Robert Boynton, but liberated 
his lady for two thousand marks. 

" When the earl of Northumberland summoned these heroes to sunender, tbey boldly 
iwpliofl : • 

" That they would not yield it either to the kings of England or Scotland, but would 
retain and defend it for the king of France." 

No authority is mentioned. 



selves, and sent a spy to observe the state of the castle. The spy 
entered it as far as the ditches, wherein there was not any water, nor 
indeed could any be retained in them, for they were of moving 
sands : he looked about him on all sides, but did not see a soul : upon 
which, he returned back to his masters. Ale.xander Ramsay directly 
advanced with his companions, without speaking a word, and passed 
the ditches : they had brought good ladders with them, which they 
placed against the walls. Alexander was the first who mounted them 
sword in hand, and entered the castle followed by his men witliout 
opposition. 

When they had all entered, txcy hastened to the groat tower where 
sir Robert Boynton slept, and began to cut down the door of it with 
the axes they had brought. The governor was suddetdy awakened : 
he had slept all the night, and kept but a poor watch, for which he 
paid dear. He heard the door of his chamber broken, and thought 
it might be done by some of his own men who wanted to murder 
him, because he had quarreled with them the preceding week. 
With this idea, he opened a window which looked on the ditches, 
leaped out of it without further consideration, and thus broke his 
neck and died on the spot. The guards of the castle, who toward 
daybreak had been asleep, awakened by his groans, found the castle 
had been sealed and taken : they began to sound their trumpets, and 
to cry out, " Treason ! treason !" 

John Biaset, the governor of Berwick, on hearing their cries, armed 
himself, as well as all the able meri of the town, and advanced to- 
ward the castle, when they plainly heard the noise of the Scots ; but 
they could not gain entrance, for the gates were shut, and the draw- 
bridge raised. Upon this, John Bisset, having considered a short 
time, said to those with liim : " Come quickly : let us break down 
the supports of the bridge, so that none can sally out, nor get away 
without danger from us." 

They soon got hatchets and wedges, and the supports of the gate 
next the town were destroyed. John Bisset sent off a messenger to 
the lord Percy at Alnwick, which is but twelve leagues off, to re- 
quest he would come immediately to his assistance with all his farces, 
for that Berwick castle had been taken by the Scots. He also said 
to Thomelin Friant,* who was the person he sent: "Tell my lord 
of Percy the state you have left me in, and how the Scots are shut 
up in the castle, and cannot get away, unless they leap the walls ; so 
let him hasten here -as fast as he possibly can." 

-A-Iexander Ramsay and his men having scaled the castle of Ber- 
wick, thought they had done wonders, as in truth they had : they 
would have been masters of the town if John Bisset had not acted 
so prudently, and slain whomever they pleased, or shut them up iji 
the tower, for such was their intention : they said, " Let us now go 
into the town ; it is ours ; and seize all the riches, which we will 
make the good men of the town earrj' away for us, and then we will 
set fire to it, for it cannot now make any resistance : in three or four 
days' time, succors will come from Scotland, so that we shall save 
all our pillage : and on our departure we will set the castle on fire, 
and by these means repay our hosts." All his companions assented, 
for they were eager for gain. They tightened on their amis, and 
each grasped a spear, for they had found plenty in the castle, and, 
opening the gate, let down the draw-bridge. When the bridge was 
let down, the chains which supported it broke ; for the pillars on 
which it should have rested were destroyed, and the planks canied 
into the town. When John Bisset, and the inhabitants there assem- 
bled, saw them, they began shouting out, '• Oh what, are you there ? 
keep where you are, for yott shall not go away for a certainty with- 
out our permission." 

Ale.xander Ramsay, seeing their appearance, soon found they in- 
tended to keep them confined in the castle, and that they must get 
away as well as they could : he therefore shut the gates, to avoid 
their arrows, and ordered his people to inclose themselves within, 
intending to defend the castle. They flung all the dead into the 
ditches, and shut up the prisoners in a tower. They thought the 
place was full strong enough to hold out until succors should come 
from Scotland, for the barons and knights were assembling in the 
Merse and in that neighborhood ; the earl of Douglas had even left 
Dalkeith, and arrived at Dunbar. We will now return to the squire 
whom John Bisset sent to Alnwick, and speak of his arrival, and of 
the information he gave to the earl of Northumberland. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE EARliJoF NORTHUMBERLAND RETAKES THE CASTLE OF BERWICK. 

TiiojiELiN Friant made haste until he ariived at Alnwick, and 
entered the castle from the knowledge he had of it ; for it was so 
early that the earl of Northumberland was not out of bed. Having 
arrived at his bedside to speak to him, for the business was very 
pressing, he said : " My lord, the Scots have this morning taken Ber- 
wick castle by surprise ; and the governor of the town sends me to 
ird"orm you of it, as you arc the lieutenant of all these countries." 
When the earl heard this news, he made every possible haste to order 
succor to Benvick: he sent off letters and messengers to all knights 
and squires of Northumberland, and to those from whom he expected 
any assistance, desiring theiri to repair to Berwick without delay, and 



•'■ Thomelin Friant." Q. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



233 



informing them that he was marching thither to besiege tlie Scots, 
who had conquered the castle. 

This summons was soon spread over the country, and every man. 
at-arms,'knight, sqtiire, and cross-bovvman, left their houses. The 
lord Neville, the lord Lucy, the lord Gastop,* tlie lord Stafford, tlic 
lord de Blelles,t the governor of Newcastle, and a right valiant and 
expert man-at-arms, called sir Thomas Musgrave, were there ; but the 
earl of Northiunberland first arrived at Berwick with his people ; and 




ALS'mcK Castlk. From an onginal drawing. 



forces daily came tliithcr from all parts. They were in the whole 
about ten thousand men, who surrounded the castle so closely on all 
sides that a bird could not have escaped from it without being seen. 
The English began to form mines, the sooner to accomplish their 
pm'pose against the Scots and regain the castle. 

Intelligence was brought to the barons and knights of Scotland, 
tliat the earl of Northumberland, with the chivalry of that country, 
were besieging their countrymen in Berwick castle : they therefore 
deternrined to march thither, raise the siege, and reinforce the castle, 
for they considered what Alexander Ramsay had performed as a 
most gallant achievement. Sir Archibald Douglas, the constable, 
said, " Alexander is my cousin, and it is his high birth that has 
caused him to undertake and execute so bold a feat as the taking of 
Berwick castle ; it behoves us to do all in our power to assist him in 
tliis business, and if we can raise the siege it will be to us of great 
value : I am of opinion, therefore, that we march thither." He im- 
mediately ordered part of the army to remain beliind, and the rest to 
advance toward Berwick. He chose five hundred lances from the 
flower of the Scots army, and set off well mounted and in good order, 
taking the road to Berwick. 

The English, who were before Berwick with ten thousand men, 
.including archers, soon heard how the Scots intended to raise the 
•siege and reinforce the garrison ; they called a council, and resolved 
to extend their ground, to wait for them and offer battle, as they 
were anxious to meet them. The earl of Northumberland ordered 
all to prepare themselves, and march into the plain to be mustered, 
wl-ien they were found to amount to full three thousand men-at-arms 
and seven thousand archers. When the earl saw his army so nu. 
merous, he said, " Let us keep to this, ground, for we are able to 
combat all the force Scotland can send against us." They encamped 
on an extensive heath, without the walls of Berwick, in two battal- 
ions, and in good array. 

This had been scarcely done an hour before they perceived some 
of the scouts of the Scot? army advancing, but too well mounted to 
be attacked by the English : however, some English knights and 
squires would have been glad to have quitted their lines to have 
checked their career, but the earl said, " Let them alone, and allow 
their main body to come up : if they have any inclination for the 
combat, they will themselves advance nearer to us." The English 
remained very quiet, so that the Scots scouts came so close they 
were able to reconnoiter their two battalions and judge of how many 
men they were composed. When they had sufficiently observed 
them, they returned to their lords, and related what they had seen, 
saying, " My lords, we have advanced so near to the English that 



we have fully reconnoitered them : we can tell you, they are waiting 
for you, drawn up in two handsome battalions, on the plain before 
the town : each battalion may consist of five thousand men : you 
will therefore consider this well. We approached them so close that 
they knew us for Scots scouts ; but they made not the smallest at- 
tempt to break their line to pursue us." 

When sir Archibald Douglas and the Scots knights heard this 
account, they were quite melancholy, and said, "We cannot think 

it will be any way profitable for 
us to advance further to meet the 
English ; for they are ten to one, 
and all tried men : we may lose 
more than we can gain : and a 
foolish enterprise is never good, 
and such is what Alexander 
Ramsay has performed." Sir 
WilUam Lindsay, a valiant knight 
and uncle to Alexander Ramsay, 
tookgreat pains to persuade them 
to succor his nephew, saying, 
" Gentlemen, my nephew, in con- 
fidence of your assistance; has 
performed this gallant deed, and 
taken Berwick castle. It will 
turn to your great shame, if he 
should be lost, and none of our 
family in future will thus boldly 
adventure themselves." Those 
present answered, " That they 
could not amend it, and that the 
many gallant men who were 
there could not be expected to 
risk their own destruction in the 
attempt to prevent a single 
squire from being made pris- 
oner." It was therefore deter- 
mined to retreat further up in 
their own country among the 
mountains near the river Tweed, 
whither they marched in good, 
order and at their leisure. 

When the earls of Northura. 
berland and Nottingham, and the 
other barons of England, found 
the Scots were not advancing, they sent off scouts to inquire what 
was become of them, who brought back intelligence that they had 
retreated toward the Merse beyond the castle of Roxburgh.* On 
hearing this, each man retired quietly to his quarters, where they 
kept a strict guard until the morrow morning about six o'clock, when 
they all made themselves ready for the attack of the castle. The 
assault immediately began : it was vciy severe, and continued until 
the afternoon. Never did so few men as the Scots defend them- 
selves so well, nor wao ever castle so briskly attacked ; for there 
were ladders raised against different parts of the walls, on which 
men-at-arms ascended with targets over their heads, and fought hand 
to hand with the Scots. In consequence, many were struck down 
and hurled into the ditches. What most annoyed the Scots were the 
English archers, who shot so briskly that scarcely any one dared to 
appear on the bulwarks. This assault was continued until the Eng- 
lish entered the castle, when they- began to slay all they could lay 
hands on : none escaped death except Alexander Ramsay, who was 
made prisoner by the earl of Northumberland. 

In this manner was Berwick regained. The carl of Northumber- 
land appointed John Bi=set constable thereof, a very valiant squire, 
through whose means, as you have already heard, it had been re- 
conquered. He had every part of it repaired, and the bridge whick 
he had broken down restored. 



*•■ Gastop." a. 



f'BIelles." Q. BellasU. 



CHAPTER IX. 



THE EAEI.S OF NORTHriUEERLAND AND KOTTINGHAM EKTEK SCOTLAND 
WITH A LARGE ARMY. 

After the recapture of Berwick castle, the earls of Northumber- 
land and Nottingham, the two most powerful barons of the army, 
dttennincd to make an excursion after their enemies, and if they 
could find them to offer them battle. As they had resolved, so did 
they execute : early on a morning they marched away taking the 
road to Roxburgh up Tweedside. When they had marched about 
three leagues, they called a council, and the two earls thought it 
advisable to send a detachment to Melrose, a large monastery of 
black monks, situated on tlie Tweed, which is the boundary of the 
two kingdoms, to know if any Scots were lying thereabouts in am- 
buscade ; while they with the main body would march into the 
Merse ; by which means they would not fail of hearing some news 
of the Scots. That valiant knight sir Thomas Musgrave was ap- 
pointed commander of this detachment : it consisted of tliree hun- 
dred men-at-arms and as many archers. They left the amiy, which, 

* There seems some mistake of geography here. 



234 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, i.c. 



on the separation, took a different route, one marching to the right 
and the other to the left. Sir Thomas and his son rode on to Mel- 
rose, where they arrived at an early hour, and took up their quarters, 
to refresh themselves and their horses, as well as to make inquiries 
after the Scottish army. 

They ordered two of their squires, well mounted, to ride over the 
countr}', to endeavor to find out the situation of the Scots, and in 
what order they were. These two squires, on leaving their com- 
manders, continued their route until they fell into an ambuscade of 
the Scots, commanded by sir William Lindsay, who had posted him- 
self in hopes of meeting with some adventure, and to hear news of 
Berwick, and also what had been the fate of his nephew, Alexander 
Ramsay, and into whose hands he had fallen : tliis he was very anx- 
ious to learn : he had with him about forty lances. The English were 
seized immediately on their entering this ambush, which gave the 
knight very great pleasure. He demanded from them whence they 
came : but they were afraid of speaking, lest they should betray their 
masters : however, they were forced to be explicit, for the knight as- 
sured them that he would have them beheaded, if they did not truly 
answer all the questions he should put to them. 

When things became so serious, and thew saw no means of es- 
caping, they related how the castle of Berwick had been regained, 
and all found within put to death except Alexander Ramsay: they 
afterwards told how the earls of Northumberland and Nottingham 
were marching along Tweedside in search of the Scots, and how sir 
Thomas Musgrave, his son, sir John Seton, and sir Richard Breton, 
with three hundred spears and as many archers, were lodged in the 
abbey of Melrose, and tliat these knights had sent them out to dis- 
cover where the Scots were. " By my troth," replied sir William 
Lindsay, *■ you have found us, and you will now remain with us.*' 
They were then taken aside, and given up to some of their compan- 
ions, with orders to guard them well under penalty of their lives. Sir 
William Lindsay instantly sent off one of his men-at-arms, saying, 
" Ride to our main army, and tell them all you have heard, and the 
situation of the English : I will remain here until morning, to see if 
anything else may happen." 

This man-at-arms rode on until he came to a large village beyond 
Morlaine,* which is called Hondebray,+ situated on the Tweed, 
among the mountains, where there were large meads and a plentiful 
country ; for which reason the Scots had quartered themselves there. 
Toward evening, the squire arrived ; and, as they knew he had 
brought some intelligence, he was conducted to the carls of Douglas, 
Murray, Sutherland, and to sir Archibald Douglas, to w'hom he re- 
lated all you have just read. The Scots were much ve.xed on hear- 
ing of the recapture of Berwick castle, but they were reconciled by 
the news of sir Thomas Musgrave and the other English knights 
being quartered at Melrose. They determined to march instantly, 
to dislodge their enemies, and make up from them for the loss of Ber. 
wick. They armed themselves, saddled their horses, and left Ha- 
dingtoun, advancing to the right of Melrose, for they were well 
acquainted with the country, and arrived a little before midnight. 
But it then began to rain very heavily, and with such a violent wind 
in tJicir faces that there were none so stout but was overpowered by 
the storm, so that they could scarcely guide their horees : the pages 
suffered so much from the cold, and their comfortless situation, that 
they could not carry the spears, hut let them fall to the ground : they 
also separated from their companions, and lost their way. 

The advanced guard had halted, by orders of the constable, at the 
entrance of a large wood, through which it was necessary for them to 
pass ; for some knights and squires who had been long used to arms 
said, they were advancing foolislily, and that it was not proper to con- 
tinue their course in such weather, and at so late an hour, as they ran 
a risk of losing more than they could gain. They therefore concealed 
themselves and their horses under oaks and other large trees until it 
was day. It was a long time before they could make any fire from 
then- flints and wet wood : however, they did succeed, and several 
large fires were made : for the cold and rain lasted until sunrise, but 
it continued to drizzle until the hour of six. Between six and nine 
o'clock, the day began to get somewhat warmer, the sun to shine, and 
the larks to sing. The leaders then assembled to consider what was 
best to be done, for they had failed in their intentions of arriving at 
Melrose during the night. They resolved to breakfast in the open 
fields on what they had, to refresh themselves and horses, and send 
out parties to forage. This was executed, and the greater part of 
their foragers spread themselves over the country and the adjacent 
villages. They brought hay and corn for the horses, and provision 
for their masters. 

It happened that the English quartered in the abbey of Melrose 
had that morning sent out their foragers, so that the two parties met, 
and the English had not the advantage : several of their party were 
slain and wounded, and their forage seized. When sir Thomas 
Musgrave and the English knights in Melrose heard of it, they knew 
the Scots were not far distant ; they ordered their trumpets to sound, 
and their horses to be saddled, while they armed themselves, for they 
were determined to take the field. They left the abbey in good 



order, and in handsome array. The Scots knights had received in- 
formation from their foragers of their enemies being near : they there- 
fore made all haste to refresh their horses, to arm and draw them- 
selves up in order of battle, alongside and under cover of the wood. 
They were full seven hundred lances, and two thousand others, 
whom I call lusty varlets, armed with hunting spears, dirks, and 
pointed staves. The lord Archibald Douglas and his cousin the earl 
of Douglas said, " We cannot fail to have some business since the 
English are abroad : let us therefore be on our guard, for we will 
fight with them if the parties be nearly equal." They sent two of 
their men-at-arms to observe the order of the English, while they 
remained snug in their ambush. 



* '* Morlaine." Lambirlaw.— MTherson's Oeographieal lilitstrations of Scottish 
History. 

T "Honciebrny." " It seems Hadiiigloiin ; anO, if so, tlie river ought to be Tyne." 
M'Phkrsos's Geographical lUustratiffits. 



CHAPTER X. 

SIR TH05IAS MUSGRAVE AND THE ENOLISH UNDER HIS COMMAND ABE DE- 
FEATED BY THE SCOTS. 

Sir Thomas Musgrave and the knights of Northumberland, being 
desirous of meeting the Scots on equal terms, set out from Mel. 
rose, and took the road to Morlaine : they left the Tweed on their 
left hand, and, by an ascending road, made for a mountain called 
St. Giles.* 

Two Scots scouts were posted there, who, having well considered 
the English, immediately set off to their own troops, and related their 
observations on the English ; in what order they were marching, and 
that they had only seen three banners and ten pennons. The Scots 
were highly pleased with this intelligence, and said with a hearty 
good will, " In the name of God and St. Giles, let ns march toward 
them, for they must be our prisoners." They then shouted their war- 
cry, which I think was, " Douglas, St. Giles !" They had not ad- 
vanced half a league before both armies came in sight, and each knew 
a combat was unavoidable. Upon this the earl of Douglas knighted 
his son, and sir .Tames Douglas displayed his banner. He also 
knighted the lord Robert and lord David, sons of the king of Scot- 
land, who in like manner displayed their banners. There were made 
on the spot about thirty knights in the Scottish anny, and one from 
Sweden, called sir George de Besmede, who bore on a shield argent 
a mill-iron gules with an indented bordure gules. 

On the other hand, sir Thomas Musgrave made his son Thomas a 
knight, with others of his household. The lord Stafford and lord 
Gaseoyn made some likewise. They drew out their archers, posting 
them on their wings ; and, this day, the English cry was, " Our 
Lady of Arlestone I" The engagement then commenced with vigor, 
and the archers by their shooting confounded the men-at-arms ; bat 
the Scots were in such numbers, the archers could not be every- 
where. There were between the knights and squires many a tilt 
and gallant deed perfonned, by which several were unhorsed. Sir 
-\rchibald Douglas was a good knight, and much feared by his ene. 
mies : when near to the English, he dismounted, and wielded before 
him an immense sword, whose blade was two ells long, which 
scarcely another could have lifted from the ground, but he found no 
difficulty in handling it, and gave such terrible strokes, that all on 
whom they fell were struck to the ground ; and there were none so 
hardy among the English able to withstand his blows. 

The battle w;is sharp and well fought as long as it lasted ; but that 
was not any length of time, for the Scots were three to one, and men 
of tried valor. I do not say but the English defended themselves 
valiantly : in the end, however, they were defeated, and sir Thomas 
Musgrave, his son, with several other knights and squires, made 
prisoners. The Scots took seven score good prisoners ; and the pur- 
suit lasted as far as the river Tweed, where nuiubers were slain. 
The Scots, after this victory, resolved to march straight to Edin- 
burgh, as they learnt from their prisoners that the earls of Northum- 
berland and Nottingham were in the neighborhood on the other side 
of the Tweed, on their road to Roxburj^'h, and that they were in su^. 
cient numbers to engage with all the force the Scots could bring 
against them : on which account, they thought they might as weU 
abandon their expedition, in order to save themselves and guard 
their jjrisoners. They had wisely determined to retreat without 
making any halt ; for, had they returned that eveniiig to their i'ormer 
quarters, they would have run a risk of being conquered, as I shall 
now relate. 

When the earls of Northumberland and Nottingham, and the oihct 
barons of England, had separated from sir Thomas Musgrave, they 
advanced directly toward Roxburgh. They learnt from their spies, 
that the Scots, whom they were seeking to fight with, were quar- 
tered at Hondebray, which pleased them much, and they resolved to 
have a skirmish with them : they were marching thither that same 
night the enemy had left it : but it rained so hard that they could 
not accomplish their purpose : they therefore took up their quarters 
in the woods until the morrow, when they again sent out their scouts 
to find where the Scots were, who returned, saying that they could 
not see anything of them. They then determined to advance to- 
ward Melrose, in order to gain intelligence of sir Thomas Musgrave 
and his companions. When they, had dined, they marched along 
Tweedside, on their way thither, and sent scouts over the river to 
learn some news of them. 

* •' St Giles." Q, this mountain. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



935 



After the defeat on the plains of St. Giles, which I have just re- 
lated, tlie scout3 met several of tlieir fellow.soldiers flying like men 
discomfited, who told them as much as they knew of the battle. 
Upon this, they returned, and with them the runaways, who related 
truly what had passed between the English and Scots : they well 
knew they had been defeated, but were ignorant who had been 
killed or who made prisoners. The lords of Northumberland, on 
hearing this unfortunate intelligence, were very melancholy, and 
with reason. They had two causes for vexation ; for having lost the 
battle, and for having missed finding the Scots, whom they had been 
in search of. 

A numerous council was assembled in the field, whether or not 
to pursue tlie Scots ; but as they did not know which way they had 
marched, and night approaching, they resolved to make for Mcbose, 
and fix their quarters there. Before they could accomplish their march 
to Melrose, they heard the truth of the event of the battle ; that sir 
Thoma.s Musgrave, his son, with seven score men-at-arms, had been 
made prisonere by the Scots, who were carrying them oft", and had 
taken the road to Edinburgh. These barons then found that they 
must submit to their loss, for help it they could not. They passed 
the night a.s well as they were able, and on the morrow they de- 
camped, when the earl of Northumberland gave permission for every 
one to return to his home : ho himself retired iiito his own country. 
Thus was this expedition put an end to. The Scots returned to 
Edinburgh, but not all, for the carl of Douglas and his sou took the 
road to Dalkeith. This great success which they had obtained was 
a great novelty for Scotland. The knights and squires treated tlieir 
prisoners handsomely, ransomed them courteously, and did with 
them the best they could. We will now leave off speaking of the 
Scots, and relate othei- events which happened in France. 



CHAPTER XI. 

THE DEATHS OF THE QUEENS OF FRANCE AND OF NAVAHKE, AND THE 
RENEWAL OF THE FECDS BETWEEN THEIR TWO HUSBANDS. 

This year, in the month of February, the queen of France died, 
and, as the physicians said, by her own fault. She was with child 
of the lady Catherine, who was afterwards duchess of Berry.* The 
queen, as I have before said, was not very far advanced in preg- 
nancy ; but the doctors had forbidden her bathing, as being full of 
danger : however, she would persist and contirmed using baths, 
■which brought on a mortal disorder. King Charles of France never 
married again. Soon after the death of the queen of France, the 
<iueen of Navarre died also. She was sister-german to the king of 
France. Upon her death disputes arose among the lawyers of the 
county of Evreux in Normandy : they said, that that county was, 
by rightful succession from the mother, devolved to the children of 
the king of Navarre, who were separated from him, under age, and 
in the guardianship of king Charles their uncle. 

King Charles of Navarre was so much suspected of having caused, 
in former times, many ills to France, that he was not thought worthy 
of possessing any inheritance in that kingdom under the name of his 
children. The constable of France, therefore, returned from Aqui- 
taine, where he had been a considerable time with the duke of An- 
jou, and brought with him the lord of Mucident, that he might see 
the king and become acquainted with him. The constable was re- 
ceived by the king with great joy, as was the lord de Mucident on his 
account. There were many secret councils and conversations between 
the king and constable, which were not immediately made public, 
respecting the situation of France and Navarre. We will shortly 
return to this business ; but, in order to chronicle justly all the events 
which at this period happened in the world, I will relate to you the be. 
ginning of that grand schism which desolated the church, by which all 
Christendom was shaken, and from which many evils were engen. 
dcred and spread abroad. 

CHAPTER XII. 

THE DEATH OF POPE GREGORY XI. AFTER THE SUDDEN DEATH OF HIS 
IMMEDIATE SUCCESSOR, THE CARDINALS ARE CONSTRAINED TO ELECT 
URBAN VI. WHICH CAUSES A SCHISM IN THE CHURCH OF ROME. 

You have before heard how pope Gregory XI. filled the papal 
chair at Avignon. When he found there was not any likelihood of 
his bringing about a peace between the kings of France and Eng- 
land, he was much displeased, for he had labored hard at it, as well 
as the cardinals by his orders. He resolved, as a matter of devotion, 
to revisit Rome and the holy see, which St. Peter and St. Paul had 
edified and augmented ; for he had made a vow to God, that if he 
should ever be raised to so eminent an honor as the papacy, he 
would never hold his seat but where St, Peter had placed it. This 
pope was of a delicate constitution and sickly habit, so that he suf. 
fered more than another ; and during his residence at Avignon he 
was much engaged with the a,1'aii-s of France, and so much pressed 
by the king and his brothers, that he had not time to attend to his 
own concerns : he tliereforc said, he would place himself at a dis- 
tance, that he might enjoy more repose. He made preparations in 
■the most ample manner becoming such a great personage, on the 



' SeeChap. cecum.— Ed. 



riviera of Genoa and on all the roads. He told his brethren the cai'- 
dinals to provide for themselves ; for, being resolved to go to Rome, 
ho should certainly set out. On hearing this, the cardinals were 
much surprised and vexed ; for they remembered the Romans, and 
would willingly have turned him from taking this journey, but they 
could not succeed. 

When the king of France was informed of it, he was in a violent 
passion ; for when at Avignon he had him more under his power 
than anywhere else. He wrote, therefore, directly to his brother 
the duke of Anjou, at Toulouse, signifying, that on the receipt of the 
letter, he should set out for Avignon, and endeavor, by talking to tlie 
pope, to make him give up his intended journey. The duke of Anjou 
did what the king had ordered, and went to Avignon, where he was 
received with great respect by the cardinals. He took up his lodgings 
in the palace of the pope, that he might have more frequent oppor- 
ttmities of conversing \\ith him. You may easily imagine that he 
acquitted himself ably in the difierent conversations he had with the 
pope, to di^isuade him from his intentions of going to Rome ; but he 
would not listen to him on this subject, nor give up anything that 
related to the aflairs beyond the Alps : he ordered, however, four 
cardinals t9 remain at Arignon ; to whom he gave full powers for 
them to act in all respects, excepting some papal cases, which he had 
not the power to delegate out of his own liands. When the duke 
found that neither reason nor entreaties could prevail with his holi- 
ness to remain where he was, he took leave of him, and said at his 
departure, " Holy father, you are going into a country, and among 
people by whom you are but little loved. You leave the fountain of 
faith, and a kingdom wherein the church has more piety and excel- 
lence than in all the rest of the world. By this action of yours, the 
church may fall into great tribulation ; for should you die in that 
country (which is but too probable, as your physicians declare,) these 
Romans, who are a strange people and traitors, will be lords and 
masters of all the cardinals, whom they will force to elect a pope 
according to their wishes." 

Notwithstanding these speeches and reasons, he would not put off 
his journey, but set out and arrived at Marseilles, where the galleys 
of Genoa had been ordered to wait for him. The duke of Anjou 
returned to Toulouse.* Pope Gregory embarked at Marseilles with 
a numerous attendance, and a favorable wind landed him at Genoa. 
After having revictualled his galleys, he again embarked, and, mak- 
ing sail for Rome, disembarked not far from it. You must know, 
that the Romans were exceedingly rejoiced at his arrival: the consuls 
and all the principal nobility of Rome went out to meet him on horse, 
back with great pomp, and conducted him with triumph into that 
city. He took up his residence in the Vatican, and often visited a 
church within Rome which he was much attached to, and to which 
he had made many considerable additions : it \\'as called Santa Maria 
Maggiore, He died soon after his arrival, in this same church, in 
which he was buried, and there lies. His obsequies were performed 
in a magnificent manner, as was becoming so eminent a personage. 

The cardinals, shortly after the death of pope Gregory, assembled 
in conclave at the Vatican. As soon as they had met to elect a 
pope, according to the usual modes, who might be worthy and of 
service to the church, the Romans collected in great numbers, in the 
suburbs of St. Peter : they were, including all sorts, upward of thii'ty 
thousand, encouraging each other to do mischief, if things did not 
go according to their wishes. They came frequently before tlie 
conclave and said, *' Listen to us, my lords cardinals : allow us to 
elect a pope : you are too long about it. Choose a Roman, tor we 
will not have one of any other country : if you shall elect another, 
neither the Roman people nor the consuls will consider him as pope, 
and you will run a risk of being all put to death I" The cardinals 
heard these words, and being in the power of the Romans, were not 
at their ease, nor assured of their lives : they tkcrefore appeased their 
anger as well as they could. The wickedness of the Romans arose 
to such a height that those who were nearest the conclave broke in, 
to frighten the cardinals, in order that they might the sooner decide 
in favor of him whom they wished. The cardinals were much 
alarmed, fearing they would all be put to death, and fled, some one 
way, some another. The Romans, however, would not suffer them 
to depart, but collected them again together whether they would or 
not. The cardina's, finding themselves in their power and in great 
danger, made quickly an end of the business, to appease the people : 
and, though it was not done through devotion, yet they made a good 
election of a very devout man, a Roman, whom Pope Urban V. had 
raised to the purple : he was called the Cardinal of St. Peter. 

This election pleased the Romans exceedingly, and the good man 
had all the rights attached to the papacy ; but he only lived three 
days, and I will tell you the reason. The Romans, being desirous of 
liaving a pope from their own nation, were so much rejoiced at the 
election falling as it had done on the cardinal of St. Peter, that they 
took the good man, who was at least one hundred years of age, and 
placing him on a white mule, carried him in triumph for such a 
length of time, through Rome, out of wickedness and exultation of 
their victory over the cardinals by having gained a Roman pope, 
that the fatigue was too much for him. On the third day, he took 
to his bed, and died, and was buried in the church of St. Peter. 

* Denys Sauvage gays in a note, that it was after tlu5 retum to Toulouse, he under" 
took Uie expedition mentioned in the Ist cliapter of tiiis volume. 



236 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



The cardinals were much vexed at the death of the pope ; for as | 
they aaw things were taking a wrong turn, they had detenniued, du- 
ring tlie life of this pope, to have dissembled with the Romans, for 
two or three years, and to fix the seat of the church elsewhere thair 
at Rome, at Naples or Genoa, out of the power of the Romans. This 
would have been carried into execution, but the pontiff's death de- 
ranged everything. The cardinals assembled in conclave, in greater 
danger than before ; for the populace collected in large bodies before 
St. Peter's, showing plainly that they would not scruple to destroy 
them unless they elected a pope according to their pleasure. They 
kept crying out before the conclave, " Consider, my lords cardinals ; 
consider well what you are about, and give us a Roman pope, who 
■will reside among us ; otherwise we will make your heads much 
redder than your hats." Such speeches and menaces frightened the 
cardinals, for they wished rather to die confessors than martyrs ; to 
free themselves from all danger, they began to deliberate on the 
choice of a pope, but it fell not on one of their brother cardinals. 
They elected the archbishop of Bari, a very learned man, who had 
labored much for the church. With this promotion to the papacy 
the Romans were satisfied. The cardinal of Geneva put his head 
out of one of the windows of the conclave, and, calling out aloud to 
the Roman populace, said, " Be appeased, for you have a Roman 
pontifi", Bartholomew Prignano, archbishoj) of Bari." The people 
unanimously answered, " We arc satisfied." 

The archbishop was not at this moment at Rome, but, as I believe, 
at Naples. He was immediately sent for, and, being much pleased 
at the event, came directly to Rome to show himself to the cardinals. 
On his arrival, great feasts were made : he was elevated, and had 
all the powers of the papacy. He took the name of Urban VI. 
This natne was very gratifying to the Romans, on account of Urban 
V. who had much loved them. His elevation was published in all 
the churches in Christendom, and made known to the different poten- 
tates, emperors, kings, dukes, and earls. The cardinals wrote also 
to their friends, to inform them that they had chosen a pope by a good 
and fair election, of which several repented afterwards. This pope 
renewed all the graces and pardons which his predecessor had given, 
so that divers left their own countries and repaired to Rome to receive 
them. We will now for a while leave this matter, and return to tlie 
principal object of our history, the affairs of France. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

THE KING OF NAVAKRE SENDS EMBASSADORS TO FRANCE, IN HOPES OF 
REGAINLNQ POSSESSION OF HIS CHILDREN. TWO OF HIS PEOPLE ARE 
CONVICTED OF HAVING ATTEMPTED TO POISON THE KING OF FRANCE. 

You have before heard, that after the death of the queen of Na- 
varre, sister to the king of France, there were many persons who, 
from love to one and hatred to the other, had declared that the in- 
heritance of the children of the king of Navarre, which had fallen 
to them on their mother's decease, was legally their due ; and that 
the king of France, their uncle by the mother's side, had a right to 
the guardianship of them, and the management, in their name, of all 
the lands which the king of Navarre held in Normandy, until his 
nephews should be of age.* The king of Navarre was suspicious 
of something being proposed like to the above, for he was well ac- 
quainted with the laws and customs of France. He therefore deter- 
iniiicd to send the bishop of Pampeluna and sir Martin de la Carra 
into France, to entreat the king in the most amicable manner that, 
out of love to him, he would send him his two sons, Charles and 
Peter ; and that, if it were not agreeable to the king to allow of 
both coming to him, he at least would let him have Charles, for a 
treaty of marriage was in contemplation between him and the daugh- 
ter of king Henry of Castille. He resolved, notwithstanding this 
embassy to France, to order his castles in Normandy to be secretly 
inspected and reinforced, that the French might not seize them ; for, 
if they were not strengthened in every respect, they might do so ; 
and, should they once get possession, he could not regain them when 
he pleased. 

He made clioice, for this business, of two valiant men-at-arms of 
Navarre, in whom he had great confidence, whose names were Peter 
<Ie Basilic and Ferrando. The bishop of Pampeluna and sir Martin 
de la Carra arrived in France, and had long conferences with the 
king, to whom, with much reverence, they recommended the king 
of Navarre, and entreated of him that he would suffer his two sons 
to depart. The king replied, that he would consider of it. They 
afterwards received an answer in the king's name, his majesty being 
present, that " the king wished to have his nephews, the children of 
Navarre, near him : that they could not be anywhere better placed : 
and that the king of Navarre ought to prefer their being with their 
uncle, the king of France, to any other person : that he would not 
allow cither of them to leave him, but would keep them near his 
pei-son, and form them a magnificent establishment, suitable to their 
rank as sons of a king, and his own nephews." This was all they 
could obtain. 



During the time these embassadors were in France, Peter de Ba- 
sille and Ferrando arrived at Cherbourg with many stores. These 
two visited, by orders of the king of Navarre, the whole county of 
Evreux, renewed the officers, and placed others in the different forts, 
according to their pleasure. The bishop of Pampeluna and sir Mar- 
tin de la Carra returned to Navarro, and related to the king, whom 
they met at Tudelle,* all that had passed in France. The king was 
not well pleased that he could not have his children, and conceived 
a violent hatred against the king of France, which he would have 
shown if he had had the power ; but he was incapable of hurting 
that kingdom, and besides he had not formed any alliances. He 
thought it, therefore, better to dissemble, until he should have greater 
cause of complaint, and more real evils be done unto him. The king 
of France and his council received information that the king of Na- 
varre was reinforcing all the castles and towns in Normandy, which 
he called his own ; and they knew not what to think of his conduct. 

At this time there was a secret armament formed in England, of 
two thousand men-at-arms, who were embarked, but without any 
horses, of which the duke of Lancaster and earl of Cambridge were 
the commanders. The Normans, hearing of it, had informed the 
king of France that this expedition was certainly intended for the 
coasts of Normandy, but they could not say whither it had sailed. 
Others supposed it to have been undertaken by the advice of the 
king of Navarre, who meant to deliver up to the English his strong 
places in Normandy. The king of France was also told, that he 
must hasten his preparations, if he wished to be master of these cas- 
tles, and that it had been too long delayed ; for, if the English should 
once gain them, they would be enabled to harass France very much, 
and they could not obtain a more convenient entrance into the king- 
dom than by being possessors of the towns and castles of the king of 
Navaire. Two secretaries of the king of Navarro were arrested in 
France, a lawyer and a squire ; the name of the first was Peter da 
Tertre, and the other James de Rue : they were conducted to Paris 
for examination, and were found so intimately connected with the 
king of Navarre's intentions of poisoning the king of France, that 
they were condemned to death, and were executed and quartered at 
Paris accordingly,? 



* Denys S.luvage says, in a marRiiini note, that lie does not understand this ; for the 
khv's of Navarre, from fatlier to son. were tire legal inheritors ofthe county of Evreux ; 
nor how the clulilren could claim uny right frgin their mother. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

THE KING OF FRANCE ORDERS THE POSSESSIONS OF THE KING OF NAVARRE 
TO BE SEIZED AS WELL IN NORMANDY AS IN LANGUEDOC. THE KING OF 
NAVARRE FORMS AN .U.LIANCE WITH THE ENGLISH. THE TERMS OF' 
THAT ALLIANCE. 

These machinations and wicked attempts of the king of Navarre 
were so numerous, that the king of France swore he would not un- 
dertake anything before he had driven him out of Normandy, and 
had gained possession, for his nephews, of every town and castle 
which the king of Navarre held there. Every day brought fresh in- 
formation and worse news, respecting the king of Navarre, to the 
palace of king Charles. It was currently reported that the duke of 
Lancaster was to give his daughter Catherine to the king of Navarre, 
who, in return, was to deliver up to him tlie whole county of Evreux. 
These reports were readily believed in France, for the king of Na- 
varre had but few friends there. The king of France, at this period, 
went to reside at Rouen, where he had sumnioncd a large body of 
men-at-arms, and had given the command of it to the lords de Coucy 
and de la Riviere, who advanced to Bayeiix, a city in Normandy at- 
tached to Navarre. These barons had with them the lord Charles 
and lord Peter, the two sons of the king of Navarre, to show to the 
whole country and to the county of Evreux, that the war they were 
carrying on was in behalf of these children, and for the inheritance 
which belonged to them in riglit of their mother, and which the king 
of Navarre wrongfully withheld. However, the greater part of the 
men-at-arms were so much attached to the king of Navarre, that 
they would not quit his service ; the Navarrois who were collected 
in Bayeux, as well as those whom he had sent thither, maintained 
the war for him handsomely. 

The king of France ordered commissioners to Montpellier, to seize 
all the lands and lordships which were in the possession of the king 
of Navarre. When these commissioners, sir William des Domians 
and sir John le Mercier, were aiTived at Montpellier, they sent for 
the principal inhabitants, to whom they showed their instructions. 
Those of Montpellier obeyed. Indeed it was necessary for them to 
do so ; for had they acted otherwise they would have suffered for it, 
as the duke of Anjou and the constable of France had entered their 
territories with a considerable force, who wished for nothing better^ 
than to carry the war thither. Two knights of Normandy, gover- 
nors of Montpellier for the king of Navarre, were made prisoners by 
orders of the king of France, as were also sir Guy de Graville and 
sir Liger d'Argepi, who remained along time in confinement. Thus 
was the town of Montpellier and all the barony seized by the French. 

We will now return to the army of Normandy, and relate how the 
lords de Coucy and de la Riviere went on. They advanced to 
Bayeux, and laid siege to it. The garrison towns of Navarre had 
closed their gates against the French, and showed no intentions of 
speedily suirendering them. When the king of Navarre heard thti' 
the French had seized the town and territory of Montpellier, and tlin 

* " Tudelle'*— a viilage in ArraaKnac, diocese of Aucti, t See Chap. cccsxx—En 



CHROlsriCLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &,c. 



23T 



speedily surrendering them. When the king of Navarre heard that 
the French had seized the town and territory of Montpellier, and that 
a large ajmy was in the county of Evreux, where they were pilla- 
ging and destroying his towns and castles, he held many conferen- 
ces on these subjects with those in whom he placed the greatest trust. 
It was determined in these councils, that as he could not receive any 
assistance but from England, he should send thither a person in 
whom he confided, with credential letters, to know if the young 
king Richard and his council were willing to form an alliance with 
him, and to assure them, that from henceforward he would swear to 
be true and loyal to the English, and would place in their hands all 
the castles which he possessed in Normandy. To execute this em- 
bassy to England, he called to him a lawyer in whom he greatly 
trusted, and said to him : " Master Paschal, you will set out for 
England, and manage so as to return to me with good news, for 
from this day forward I will be steady in niy alliance with the Eng- 
lish." 

Master Paschal prepared to do what he had been ordered ; and, 
having made himself ready, he embarked, made sail, and landed in 
Cornwall, and from thence journeyed on until he arrived at Sheen, 
near London, where the king resided. He approached his person, 
and recommended to his majesty his lord the king of Navarre. The 
king entertained him handsomely. There were present the earl of 
Salisbury and sir Simon Burley, who entered into the conversation 
and answered for the king, saying his majesty would shortly come 
to London, and summon his council on a day tixed on between them. 

Master Paschal, at this council, informed the king of all that he 
had been charged to say : he harangued so ably and eloquently, that 
he was listened to with pleasure. The council for the king replied, 
that the oflers which the king of Navarre had made were worth at- 
tending to ; but that, in order to form so extensive an alliance as the 
king of Navarre was desirous of making, it would be necessary for 
him to come over himself, that he might more fully explain every- 
thing, for the afiair seemed well deserving of it. On this, the coun. 
cil broke up, and master Paschal returned to Navarre, when he re. 
lated to the king that the young king of England and his council 
were desirous of seeing him. The king replied, he would go thither, 
and ordered a vessel, called a lin,* to be prepared, which sails with 
all winds, and without danger. He embarked on board this vessel, 
■with a small attendance : he, however, took with him sir Martin de 
Ja Carra and master Paschal. The king of France, some little time 
before he set out for Rouen, had conceived a great hatred against the 
king of Navarre : he was informed secretly, by some of his house- 
hold, of all his negotiations with England : in consequence, he had 
managed so well with king Henry of Castille, that he had sent the 
king ot Navarre his defiance, and had connnenoed a severe war 
against him. The king of Navarre had therefore, before his embark, 
ation, left the viscount de Castillon, the lord de Lestrac, sir Peter 
de Vienne, and Bascle, with a large body of men-at-arms, as well 
from his own country as from the county of Foix, with orders to de. 
fend his kingdom and his forts against the Spaniards. He embarked 
with a very favorable wind, which landed him in Cornwall, from 
whence he journeyed until he came to Windsor, where king Richard 
and his council were. He was received there with great joy ; for 
they thought they might gain much from him in Normandy, more 
especially the castle of Cherbourg, which the English were very de- 
sirous of possessing. 

The king of Navarre explained to the king of England and his 
council, in a clear manner, with eloquent language, his wants, and 
his reasons for coming, so that he was willingly attended to, and re. 
ceivcd such promises of succor that he was well satisfied. I will 
inform you what treaties were entered into between the two kings. 

The king of Navarre engaged to remain for ever true and loyal to 
the English, and never to make any peace with the kings of France 
or Castille without the consent of the king of England. He engaged 
to put the castle of Cherbourg into the hands of the king of England, 
■who was to guard it for three years at his own costs and charges, 
but the lordship and sovereignty of it were to remain in the king of 
Navarre. If the English should be able, by force of arms, to gain 
any of the towns or castles which the king of Navarre had then in 
Normandy, from the French, they were to remain with the English : 
the lordship, however, resting in the king of Navarre.t The English 
■were much pleased with these terms, because they gained a good 
entrance to France through Normandy, which was very convenient 
for them. 

The king of England promised to send, at this season, a thousand 
spears and two thousand archers, by the river Gironde, from Bor- 
deaux to Bayonne ; and these men-at-arms were to enter Navarre, 
and make war on the king of Castille. They were not to quit the 
king nor the kingdom of Navarre so long as there should be war 
between the kings of Navarre and Castille. But these men-at-arms 
and archers, on entering the territories of Navarre, were to be paid 
and clothed by the king of Navarre as was becoming them, and on 

*a '''o "^ Feluccn, or small frigate. Dn Canoe. 

TSee Rymer-for U.e passport to the king of Navarre, and tlie treaty at length, an. 
lee- Kic. II. 

i, Tn'' R vn^^rT','"H ^i,'",'*^ °/ '^'"'^"'' '" ''""^'^ " '■''" I"" ">" f'^i^^rt mentions. It 
^e fe^'t of st l! K « '*^1■",r'".• '""'"' ""= ■""""^ of Clarendon, 1370, ,o continue to 
the least of St. John Baptist foUowmg, for five hundred persons. 



the same footing as the king of England was accustomed to pay hie 
soldiers. 

Different treaties, alliances, aud regulations were drawn up, signed, 
sealed, and sworn to, between the kings of England and Navarre, 
which were tolerably well observed. In this council, the king 
named such members as were ordered to Normandy, aud those who 
were to go to NavaiTc : because neither the duke of Lancaster, the 
earl of Cambridge, nor the duke of Brittany, were present at these 
treaties, it was resolved to send copies sealed to them, in order that 
they might hasten to invade Normandy. 



CHAPTER XV. 

THE LORDS DE CODCY AND DE LA KIVIERE TAKE SEVERAL PLACES IN TBE- 
CODNTY OF EVREUX FROM THE KING OF KAVAKRE. 

Klxg Charles of France, being wise and subtle (as his whole life 
plainly showed,) had received information of the armament in Eng. 
land, but was ignorant whither it was to sail, to Normandy or Brit- 
tany. On account of these doubts, he had kept in the latter country 
a large body of men-at-arms, under the command of the lords de 
Clisson, de Laval, the viscount de Rohan, the lords de Beaumanoir 
and de Rochefort. They had beseiged Brest by block-houses only, , 
to prevent any provision f'om enteriiig. The governor of Brest was 
a valiant English squire called James 'ClerU. 

Now, because the king of Fiar.ce knew •;; the king of Navarre's 
voyage to England, in the hopes of fotrni.-Tg an alliance with his ad- 
versary the king of England, he suspoo; ,-1 i!:at this naval armament 
would land in Normandy, and seize ly ■orce those castles which 
belonged to the king of Navarre: he thercfo.-e in haite sent orders 
to the lords de Coucy and de la Riviere, stating to them his suspi- 
cions, with orders to conquer, by the speediest modes possible, all 
castles, nure particularly such as were near to the sea-coasts, by 
force or by negotiation. He knew that Cherbourg was not easy to- 
be taken, and also that it could not be reinforced on the land side. 

The king of France had likewise ordered large bodies of men-at- 
arms to Valognes* from the lower parts of Brittany. Sir Oliver du 
Gucsclin commanded the Bretons ; and the lord d'lvoy and sir Per- 
ceval were the leaders of the Normans. The lords de Coucy and de 
la Riviere had besieged the city of Bayeux with a great force, which 
was daily increasing from the additions the king of France wag 
sending to them from all quarters. Bayeux is a handsome and strong 
city near the sea, which at that time belonged to the king of Na. 
varre. The citizens (finding themselves thus besieged by their 
neighbors, who told them, that if the town were taken by storm, . 
they would all inevitably be destroyed, both men and women, and 
the town repeopled with another set of inhabitants,) began to be 
seriously alarmed. They saw no appearance of assistance coining 
to them, but, on the contrary, foimd themselves in opposition to the 
lord Charles de Navarre, to whom the country of Evreux belonged, 
in right of succession to his late mother. The inhabitants also list- 
ened to the harangues of the lords de Coucy and de la Riviere, who, 
with impressive language, showed them the dangers into which 
they were running: knowing likewise that their liishop was well ■ 
inclined toward the French, they thought, considering all things, it" 
would be much better for them to surrender their city from affection, 
as they were required to do by the above-mentioned lords, than to 
remain in such peril. The inhabitants of Bayeux demanded a truce ■ 
for three days ; during which time, a treaty was so far concluded 
that the lords de Coucy and de la Riviere entered the city, and took 
possession of it for the king of France, as his acknowledged commis- 
saries. The attorney-general was sent thither on the part of the- 
children of Navarre, who were present during all the negotiations. 

The two lords renewed all the officers of the city, and, for fear of 
a rebellion, left a body of good men-at-arms: they then marched off 
to lay seige to Carentan, a handsome and strong town situated on 
the sea-shore, and in the district of Caen. The inhabitants of Ca- 
rentan were without any governor of note : indeed, they had not 
had one since sir Eustace d'Anibreticourt, who had been their gov- 
ernor for four years, and had died there ; so that they had not any 
to look to for advice but themselves : they knew also that the admi- 
ral of France, sir John de Vienne, in conjunction with the Spanish 
admiral, and a large force, were before Cherbourg, but were ignorant 
of the treaties of the king of Navarre, as well as unacquainted with 
the result of his journey to England. They were attacked every 
day in two different manners ; by words and by arms ; for the lords de 
Coucy and de la Riviere were very anxious to gain this town, and 
succeeded in winning it by capitulation : they put it under the obedi- 
ence of the king of France, reserving the rights of the two sons of 
the king of Navarre. 

These lords of France readily granted very favorable terms, in 
order to get possession of such towns and castles as they wanted by 
the most expeditious means. They took possession of Carentan, 
reinforcing it with men-at-arms: they then departed, and came 
before the castle of Molineaux,t which in three days capitulated^ 
They advanced to Conches,t and encamped on the banks of the beau. 



* " Valognes "—a town in Normandy : it hes between Cherbourg and Carentan. 
t " Molineaux "—a village in Nonnandy, election of Caen. 
t " Conches "~a market town in Normandy, near Evreux 



938 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAtN, &c. 



rendered on tenns ; for the lords de Coucy and de la Riviere having 
the heir of Navarre with them, gave a good color to their proceed- 
ings. 

However, when any town or castle surrendered itself to the king 
of France, or to his commissaries, there was a condition in the treaty, 
that all those who chose to depart might go wherever they pleased : 
those who did depart only went to Evrenx, of which Ferrando, a 
Navarrois, was governor. After the conquest of Conches, which 
was gained, as you have heard, by treaty, ihey advanced before 
Fassy,* where there was an assault : many were killed and wounded 
on both sides. That same day, the castle surrendered to the king of 
France : they then marched away. In short, all that the king of 
Navarre possessed in Normandy surrendered, excepting Evreu.x and 
Cherbourg. When they had won different small forts, and placed 
the whole country under the obedience of tlie king of France, they 
laid siege to Evreux, which was cut off from any communication 
with Cherbourg. 

In Evreux there was, according to custom, the strongest garrison 
of Navarrois in Normandy ; and the inhabitants never perfectly 
loved any other lord but the king of Navarre. The place was closfily 
besieged. It hLld out for a long lime : for Ferrando, the governor, 
performed in person several gallant deeds of arms. About this time 
the king of Navarre, being returned to his own country, expected to 
have had some assistance from the English ; but it docs not appear 
that he had any succors from them, for the duke of Lancaster and 
the earl of Cambridge, before these treaties had been entered on, 
had experienced very contrary winds for their voyage to Normandy, 
and so numerous a levy as had been ordered of four thousand men- 
at-arms and eight thousand archers, could not immediately be assem- 
bled at Southampton, where they were to embark. It was St. John 
Baptist's day before they were all collected and had sailed from Eng- 
land. The earl of Salisbury and sir John Arundel were still at Ply- 
mouth, who ought to have reinforced Brest and Hennebon ;t but 
they had wanted wind, so that they joined the duke of Lancaster and 
eail of Cambridge's army. They landed on the Isle of Wight, where 
they remained some time waiting for intelligence, and to know 
whether they should sail for Normandy or Brittany : they there learnt 
that the French fleet was at sea, on which sir John Arundel was 
ordered back to Southampton, with two hundred men-at-arms and 
four hundred archers, to defend that place. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

TUE DtJKE OF ANJOU RETAINS LAROE BODIES OF MEN-AT-ARMS AGAI.N'ST 
THE ENGLISH. THE SPANIARDS LAY SIEGE TO BAYONNE. 

On account of the information the king of France had received 
from the Normans, that the English were in great force at sea, but 
doubtful whither it was directed, he had issued a special summons 
throughout his realm for every knight and squire, according to his 
degree, to keep himself fully prepared to march to whatever part he 
should be ordered. The duke of Anjou had also, at this period, 
retained large bodies of men-at-arms from all quarters, with the in- 
tention of laying siege to Bordeaux. He had with him liis brother 
the duke of Berry, the constable of France, and all the flower of 
knighthood from Gascony, Auvergne, Poitou and Limousin. In 
order to carry their enterprise, he had raised an immense army, and 
had also, with the consent of the king of France, collected two hun- 
dred thousand francs in Languedoc ; but he could not at present 
undertake this siege, for the king of France had recalled the duke 
of Berry, the constable and other barons, on whose assistance he had 
depended, as it was well known the English were at sea, but uncer. 
tain in what part of the kingdom they would attempt to land. Not- 
withstanding this expedition from Languedoc had failed, the poor 
people who had been so hard pressed to pay such large sums were 
never repaid any part. 

The king of Castille, about this time, laid siege to Bayonne with 
full twenty thousand Spaniards and Castillians : he began the siege 
in the winter, and continued it through that whole season. Many 
gallant deeds were performed there by sea and land, for Roderigo le 
Roux, don Fernando de Castille, Ambrose de Boccanegra and Peter 
Bascle, lay at anchor before Bayonne with two hundred vessels, and 
gave sufficiency of employment to its inhabitants. The governor of 
the town at the time was a right valiant knight from England, called 
sir Matthew Gournay. His good sense and prowess were, as I have 
been informed, of great assistance to the townsmen. I have heard 
from some of those who were besieged, that the Spaniards would 
have succeeded in their attempt on Bayonne, had not a great mor- 
tality afflicted their army, so that out of five that were taken ill three 
died. 

King Henry had with him a necromancer from Toledo, who de. 
dared that the whole air was poisoned and corrupted, and that no 
remedy could be had for it without risking the death of all. In con- 
sequence of this decision, the king broke up the siege ; but the 
Spaniards and Bretons had conquered a number of small forts and 
castles in the adjacent country, into which they entered ; and the 



* " Pnssy "—a town in Normandy, four leagues from Evreux. 
t "Henebon." Denys Sauvage thinks it should beAubray, 
-Hennebon. 



r Derval. instead of 



king went to refresh himself at la Coulongne.* He sent his con- 
stable, with ten thousand men, to lay siege to Pampeluna. 

In that city were the viscount de Castillon, the lord de Lescut and 
le Bascle, with two hundred lances in tlie whole, who carefully 
guarded the place. The king of Navarre, who had but lately 
returned from England, resided at Tudelle, impatiently expecting 
the succors which were to come to him from England, and which 
indeed had been ordered ; for, by directions from the king and coun- 
cil, the lord de Neville and sir Thomas de Termes,t were at Ply. 
mouth, or in that neighborhood, with about one thousand men-at- 
arms and two thousand archers, and were laying in their stores for 
the voyage to Bordeaux ; but they had not met with a passage ac- 
cording to their wishes. 

With regard lo the great army under the command of the duke of 
Lancaster, at last it landed near to St. Malo : news of which was soon 
carried to the Breton lords of the French party, and immediately the 
viscount de Bellierc, sir Henry de Malatrait and the lord de Coinbor, 
left their habitations and flung themselves into St. Malo with two 
hundred men-at-arms, to the great joy of Moifonance the governor 
who otherwise would have been hardly pushed. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

THE ENGLISH, AT THIS PERIOD, MAKE EXCURSIONS INTO VARIOUS PARTS 
OF THE KINGDOM OF FRANCE. THE MELANCHOLY DEATH OF EVAN 
OF WALES. 

Sir John Aiiindel, who had remained at Southampton with his 
two hundred men-at-arms and four hundred archers, received infor- 
mation from some prisoners who had been taken in a Nomian vessel, 
that the duke of Lancaster had well scoured the ports of Normandy, 
so that none of the French dared to put to sea. He directly ordered 
his vessels and four large ships to be got ready, laden with provi. 
sions, in which he embarked, and made sail for Cherbourg, where 
he was joyfully received. The castle remained under the guard of 
the English, on the departure of the Navarrois ; but sir Peter de 
Basle the governor, did not leave it. I must inform you, that Cher- 
bourg is only to be conquered by famine ; for it is one of the strongest 
castles in the world : the garrison made many profitable excursions 
or. those of Valognes. Sir John Arundel, after he had garrisoned 
Cherbourg with English, remained there but fifteen days to re- 
victual it, and returned to Southampton, of whicii he was governor. 

We will now speak of the siege of St. Malo. When the English 
entered the harbor, they found therein a number of vessels from La 
Roehelle, laden with good wines ; the merchants were soon eased 
of them, and their vessels burnt. The siege of St. Malo was directly 
commenced, for they were in sufticicnt numbers to undertake it: 
they overran the country, and did much damage. Those who were 
most active in this business were sir Robert KnoUes, and sir Hugh 
Broc his nephew, who were well acquainted with those parts. 
These two made excursions daily, and the canon de Robesart in 
company with them. Some days they lost, and at others gained : 
they, however, burnt and destroyed all round St. Malo. 

The army of the duke of Lancaster had plenty of provision, for 
they had brought with them large quantities from England. Many 
severe assaults were made on St. Malo, and the attacks as ably re- 
sisted, for there were several men-at-arms within it not easily to be 
conquered. The lords of the army caused the carpenters to make 
sheds, under which they could W'ith greater ease carry on their at. 
tacks ; they had four hundred cannons pointed against the different 
parts of the town, which very much harassed its inhabitants. Among 
the various assaults, there was one which was particularly severe, for 
it lasted a whole day, and many English were killed and wounded: 
those within made so prudent a defence as not to lose a man : a 
knight from England called sir Peter I'Esjume, was slain, for whose 
death the duke and the earl were sorely vexed. We will now return 
for a while to the siege of Mortain-sur-incr in Poitou, and to Evan 
of Wales. 

Evan of Wales had closely blockaded Mortain in Poitou, of which 
place the souldich de I'Estrade was governor, and had erecttd four 
block-houses ; the first was built on the edge of a rock before the 
castle, ?'n the Garonne, and Evan had posted himself within it : the 
second was built between the water and the lower castle, opposite 
to a postern gate, from which none could issue without the certainty 
of being taken : the third was on the opposite side of the castle : 
the fourth was the church of St. Leger, near half a league from the 
fort. The inhabitants of Mortain were long sorely harassed by these 
means, for the blockade lasted upward of a year and a half, in which 
time they were hardly pushed for provision and other necessaries, . 
having neither stockings nor shoes to their feet ; but what was the 
most grievous, they did not see any appearance of succor being sent ' 
to them. 

During the time of this siege, there came out of England, and i 
from the borders of Wales, a Welsh squire named John Lambe, 
who was scarcely a gentleman ; and indeed he showed it, for no 
gentleman would ever have practised such base wickedness. It was 
said, that on his departure from England, he had been instigated by 



* "La Coulongne." Salla calls it Calongne. Q. if not Orogne. 
t "PeTerrne-." trir Tboma; Tri'-et. 



I 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



339 



some English kniglits to perform the treason he did ; for Evan of 
Wales wiis greatly hated in England and Gascony, on account of the 
cnptal de Buch, whom he had made prisoner before Soubise in Poi- 
tou, and whose ransom could never be obtained cither by the ex- 
change of the count de St. Pol or by any other, nor for any sum of 
money that could be olTered : this caused his death, through melan- 
choly, in (he Temple at Paris, to the very great regret of all Iris 
friends. 




EvRECtx. Normandy.— From 



About this lime John Lambe arrived in Brittany, and continued his 
journey imtil he came to Poitou : he was honorably received every- 
where, by calling himself one of Evan's friends, and speaking very 
good French. He said he was come from Wales to visit Evan, and 
was too lightly believed. For these reasons he was escorted by the 
men of Poitou to Mortain, where the siege was going forward. John 
, Lambe advanced toward Evan, when, falling on his knees, he said 
in his country language, that he had left Wales to see and serve him. 
Evan, not harboring the least suspicion, received him kindly, thanked 
him for coming, and accepted his offers of service : he then asked the 
news from ^Vale3. He told him enough of true and false, and made 
him believe that the whole principality was desirous of having him 
for their lord. This information gained so much the love of Evan 
(for every one naturally would wish to return to liis own country) 
that he immediately appointed him his chamberlain. Jolm won 
daily on the affection of Evan : there was no one in whom he had so 
great a confidence. Evan's regard increased so fast that evil befell 
him, for which it was a great pity, for he was a valiant knight, a 
good man, and the son of u prince of Wales whom king Edward had 
caused to be beheaded, but on what account I am ignorant. 

The king of England had seized his lands in Wales; and this Evan, 
in his infancy, having come to France, explained his situation to king 
Philip, who willingly listened to him, retained him near bis peraon, 
and as long as he lived he was one of the pages of his chamber, 
with his nephews d'Alen^ons and several other young nobles. He 
was also retained by king John, under whom he bore arms, and was 
at the battle of Poitiers, but fortunately escaped, otherwise death 
would soon have followed his captivity. On the peace between 
France and England, lie went to Lombardy, where he continued to 
bear arms; and, on the renewal of the war, he returned to France, 
and conducted himself so well that he was much praised and loved 
by the king of France, and by all the great lords. I will now tell 
his end, which I shall do unwillingly : but it is necessary to show- 
to posterity what became of him. 

Evan of Wales had a custom during the siege of Mortain, as soon 
as he was risen, if it were a fine morning, to seat himself before the 
castle, when he had his hair combed and plaited for a considerable 
length of time, during which he viewed the castle, and the suiTound- 
ing cotmtry, for he had not the smallest dread from any quarter : it 
was not usual for any one to attend him as a guard but this John 
Lambe. Very often it happened that he there completely dressed 
himself; and, if any one had business with him, they went there to 
seek him. On his last visit it was early mom and fine clear weather, 
and the heat of the night had prevented him from sleeping : he went 
thither all unbuttoned, with only his jacket and shirt, and his cloak 
thrown over him, when he seated himself as usual, attended by John 



Lambe. All the others were asleep, and no guard was kept, for he 
considered the castle of Mortain as conquered. After Evan had 
seated himself on the trunk of a tree, he said to John Lambe, " Go 
and seek my comb, for that will refresh me a little." He answered, 
" Willingly, my lord." On his way to seek for the comb, or when 
returning with it, the devil must have entered the body of tias John ; 
for with the comb he brought a short Spanish dagger that had a broad 
point, to accomplish his evil intentions : he struck this dagger into 

Evan, whose body was almost 
naked, and pierced him through, 
so that he fell down dead. After 
he had performed this deed, he 
l~j;^-:-^-^^ Isft 'I'e dagger in the body, set off, 

^^ ^ -^ and went slowly to the barriers of 

--^-£-- the castle, wlierein he was received 

^ by ilie guards, to vvhcm he made 

himself known, and was conducted, 
to the soiddieh de I'Estrade. " My 
lord," said he to tlie souldich, "I 
have delivered ycu frcm one of the 
greatest enemies you ever had." 
" Frcm whcm ?" replied the soul, 
dich. '■ From Evan of Wales," an- 
swered John. "By wliat means?" 
demanded the souldich. " By such 
means," said John, and then re- 
lated to him the circumstances yott 
have just heard. When the soul- 
dich heard this he shook his head, 
and, eyeing him with anger, re 
plied, " Thou hast murdered him 
but know from me, that if we did 
not reap much advantage from thy 
wicked deed, I would have thjr 
head cut off: v\'hat is done, how- 
ever, cannot be undone ; but such 
a death is unworthyof a gentleman, 
and we shall have more blame than 
praise for it."* 

Thus v\'as Evan of Wales killed 
by a wicked and treasonable act, to 
the great grief of the army and all 
manner of people. King Charles 
_,„^^ of France particularly lamented his 

loss, but ne could not help it. Evan of Wales was buried in the 
church of St. Leger, which he had converted into a fort, half a league 
distant from the castle of Mortain, and all the gentlemen of the amiy 
attended hi* i bsequies, which were very grandly performed. 

The siege of Mortain was not, however, discontinued for this loss. 
There were very good knights from Brittany, Poitou, and France, 
who had resolved never to quit it unless forced by superior numbers ; 
and they \\'ere more eager than before to conquer the castle, by way 
of revenge for the death of Evan. They remained in the same 
position, without making any assaults, for they knew the garrison 
were exceedingly straightened for provision, and that none could 
enter the place. We will leave this siege for a short time, and return 
to that of St. Malo ; but we will first mention how those who had 
besieged Evrcux persevered in it. 



uUyuC) il.iiii i'aiicienne France. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

THE IN'FIAEITANrS OF EVREUX SURRENDER TO THE FRENCH, THE TWO 
ARMIES ASSEMBLE BEFORE ST. MALS». 

The sicfrc of E-vtcux being formed by the lords de Coucy and de 
la Riviere, they had frequent communication with the king of France, 
who had fixed his residence at Rouen to be as near his army as pos- 
sible. He was desirous they should gain Evreux, either by storm or 
capitulation, as soon as might be, for he knew the English were in 
great force in Brittany : he ordered, therefore, all his troops to ad- 
vance thither to raise the siege of St. Malo, and to combat the Eng. 
lish. These two lords acquitted themselves loyalty and valiantly, for 
every day there were assaults as well as negotiations going forward 
They sent to remonstrate with the inhabitants on their folly in thus 
having war made upon them with the risk, of losing their fortunes 
and having their houses razed to the ground ; for they had their law- 



* It would nppetir, however, from the following extract from the Fcetlera. under the 
rear 1381, of payments mnrie on uccount of tiie wnr in Aquilanie, thai Jolin Lambe 
«n<: sent on purpose to murder Evan : jir .'uast lie is recompensed fur il : 

" Item paie le xviii jour de Septembre ^ Johan Lambe &, i ses deux compngnions, en 
recompensacion U. regardc, si hien de les bons & agr6abies services qu' il a fu it ^ morw 
sieur le prince, que Dieu awoile. & fera au roi q'ore est, come de la mourt de You de 
GalloH— C francs." 

After all tlie inqvuries I have been able to make, I have not succeeded in identifying' 
Evan of Wales with any known character in (lie old Welsh books. In the works of 
Davit] Nanmor, wlio flourished from about 1430 tu 1470. there is a passage where the 
pact, ill looking for more happy times than his own in futurity, among other predictions 
iinnouncesthe coming oflevan Dyvi, or Evan ofDovy. Now tliis Evan of Dovy must 
have been some person of celebrity, at some period prior to the time of the writer before- 
mentioned, whose fame ia totally obscured, probably owing to the danger of espousing' 
the cause of that peraonage, from his being hostile to the exi.tting government. This 
seema to be the only reason for tlie ambiguity of the poet, and it "earns also Patislactorllf 
to account for the silence of the Welsh writen reepecting Evan of Wales. 



240 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



ful lord with them, the lord Charles de Navarre, to whom, by right 
of succession from his mother, the county of Evreu.t )iad devolved. 
They advised them, therefore, not to attend to the erroneous opinions 
of that madman Ferrando of Navarre, who was there only to ruin 
them ; for they must well know that the goodness of their cause 
would never allow them to march from thence will out having con. 
quered it ; and, should it be taken by storm, every one would be put 
to the swordj and the town repcopled with new inhabitants. Such 
•were the offers, speeches, and menaces to the townsmen of Evreu.\ ; 
but these did not prevent daily assaults from being made. 

The inhabitants at last began to waver, on seeing that no succor 
was likely to be sent them ; and they said to each other, " We see 
that the king of France does not claim the territory for himself, but 
for his nephew." They therefore entered into a treaty with the lord 
de Coucy. When Ferrando perceived this, he shut himself up in the 
castle, and would not be present at any of the meetings. In short, 
they surrendered on their lives and fortunes being spared, whether 
they were in town or country, and acknowledged the lord Charles for 
their lord. They then besieged Ferrando in the castle, who nego- 
tiated with the lords of France, and offered to surrender the castle 
if they would permit him and his men freely to depart. His offer 
was accepted. Shordy after, they packed up their baggage, and 
marched out of Evreux, under the conduct of the lords de Coucy, 
de la Riviere, and sir John le Mercier, taking the road to Cherbourg. 

After the conquest of Evreu.v, all the leaders of the French army 
went to Rouen, where the king resided, in order to consider what 
was next for them to do ; for they had heard that the English were 
besieging St. Malo. The king of France received them very gra- 
ciously ; in partictdar, the lords de Coucy and de la Riviere ; for 
having so well succeeded in their exploits. All the men-at-arms re- 
mained in Normandy : not one of their captains were dismissed, but 
were regularly paid their allowances. The king of France, during 
his residence at Rouen, had heard of the English having laid siege 
to St. Malo with a powerful army, and that the inhabitants were hard 
pressed by their daily assaults. He was imwilling to lose his sub- 
jects, as well as the town ; for if St. Malo were taken, Brittany would 
be very much weakened in that part. The king had, therefore, to 
this purpose, issued a special summons for assembling troops, in order 
to assist them against the English, which no one dared to disobey. 
The dukes of Berry and Burgundy, the count d'Alen^on, the count 
de la Marche, the dauphin d'Auvergne, the count de Guines, sir John 
de Boulogne, and great numbers of barons and knights of all sorts, 
marched tliither with numerous forces. The king sent orders to his 
constable, sir Bertrand du Guesclin, to see tliat none absented them- 
selves from this assembly. 

The constable obeyed, and came with all the men-at-arms of -A-n. 
jou, Poitou, and Touraine. The marshal de Blainville and the mar. 
shal de Sancerre, the two marshals of France, were also there. From 
other parts came sir Olivier de Clisson, the lord do Ldon, with the 
knights and barons of Brittany : there were ten thousand men-at-arms 
at least, and in the plains one hundred thousand horses.* 

These men.at.arms took up their quarters as near to each other as 
they could ; but there were between them and die English an arm 
of the sea and a river. When the sea ebbed, some young knights 
nsually adventured on die sands, and performed several gallant deeds. 
Never was there seen so numerous an assembly of knighthood in 
Brittany. If the French were in great force, the English were very 
powerful, and each party thought there must be a combat, for every 
day there was an appearance of it from the banners and pennons 
fluttering in the wind. The English frequently drew out their army 
in battle-array, to examine the force of the French and the strength 
of the banners and pennons, which were there in very great abund- 
ance. It was a great pleasure to see them thus drawn out in a line 
of batde, and advance toward the river, to show that they were ready 
to engage. The English said, " Let us look at our enemies, who 
will soon, at low water, cross over and fight with us." But they hud 
no such inclination, and were afraid of trying the chance ; for their 
leaders would not allow them to advance to the combat. 

During these frequent displays on each side, the earl of Cambridge, 
being fatigued with their inutility, declared with an oath, that if he 
saw them continued without any further advance made toward a 
battle, he would engage the French himself, whatever might be the 
consequence. The vanguard, composed of numbers of able men 
under the command of the constable, who well knew the hot and 
impatient temper of the English, were ordered to draw up their bat- 
talions on foot, on the sands as near to the river as possible. The earl of 
Cambridge, who saw this manoeuvre, cried out, *' Let them who love 
me follow me, for I am going to engage 1" He then dashed into the 
river, which was low, but the tide was returning, and he began to 
cross it with his banner : the English commenced shooting at the 
French, when the constable ordered his men to retreat to the fields, 
in hopes the English would have crossed ; for very willingly would 
lie have seen them do so, and have had them on the other side of 
the water. 

The duke of Lancaster was prepared, with a very strong battalion, to 
follow his brother, should there have been occasion. He said to Gerard 
de Brees, a squire from Hainault who was near him : " Gerard, see 
how my brother ventures : he shows the French by his example his 



willingness for the combat, but they have no such inclination." 
Thus was this business carried on, without any deeds of arms being 
performed worth mentioning : the French keeping on one side the 
water, the English on the other. The flood beginning to increase, 
the English retreated out of the river, and returned to their quarters : 
the French followed their example. While these appearances of a 
batde were carried on, the siege of St. Malo was continued, and 
several feats of arms were done. The French guarded the banks 
so well, that the English were afraid to cross the water. 

It frequently happened that several knights or squires of Brittany, 
well acquainted with the country, forded the river, and in their ex- 
cursions met the English foragei^s, with whom they engaged ; and 
success, as is usual in such cases, was sometimes on one side, some- 
times on the other. The lords of England resolved to employ a mine, 
to gain entrance into St. Malo ; for otherwise they thought they 
could not win it, as it was well provided with men-at-arms, who care- 
fully defended it, as well as with all sorts of stores and artillery. The 
English were obliged to be continually armed, and to keep in a body- 
ready for battle, should the French advance ; and for this reason, 
they had not leisure to assault the town, except by their cannon, of 
which they had plenty, that greatly annoyed it. Having fixed on a- 
spot, they set their miners to work. We will now leave for a while 
the siege of St. Malo, and return to that of Mortain in Poitou. 



Denys Sauvage doubt3 if tliia number of hoi^es be not loo great 



CHAPTER XIX. 

THE ENGLISH RAISE THE SIEGE OF MOKTAIN. 

You have before heard related the death of Evan of Wales, how 
he was murdered, and how the Bretons and Poitevins were before 
Mortain, under the command of sir James de Montmort, sir Per- 
ceval d'Ayneval, sir William de Monteoiitour, and sir James de Sur- 
geres, who would not break up the siege, for they were much enraged 
at the death of Evan of Wales their commander, and wished to re- 
venge themselves on the garrison for it. You have also heard how 
sir Thomas Trivet, sir William Scrope, sir Thomas Breton, sir Wil- 
liam Cendrine, with a large body of nien-at arms and archers, had 
been ordered to the country near Bordeaux, and to assist those in 
Mortain, with sir Matthew Gournay, who resided in Bayonne, and 
who daily found employment there against the Gascons and barons 
possessing fortresses in those parts. These four knights had re- 
mained with their men upward of seven months at Plymouth, wait- 
ing a favorable wind to carry them to Gascony, which though it 
vexed them much, they could not help themselves. 

You have heard likewise that the lord Neville of Raby had been 
ordered with a body of men-at-arms and archers to the assistance of 
the king of Navarre, with the appointment of seneschal of Bordeaux. 
All these knights met at Plymouth, which was very agreeable to 
every one of them. On the arrival of the lord Neville, they had a 
wind to their wish, and, having embarked on board the vessels that 
had been long laden, they set their sails, and steered for Gascony. 
This fleet consisted of six score vessels and forty barges, having on 
board about a thousand men-at-arms and two thousand archers. 
They had favorable weather, which carried them ijito the port of 
Bordeaux, the night of Our Lady, in September, in the year of grace 
1378. 

When the Bretons and Poitevins who were before Mortain saw 
this great fleet pass by, with trumpets sounding and every sign of 
joy, they were much cast down ; while, on the contrary, the garrison 
were rejoiced, for they justly imagined they should very soon be re- 
lieved, or that there would be a batde, as they thought they never 
would have come so far to remain idle. Sir James de Montmort 
and the other leaders of the army assembled in council, and debated 
for some time in what manner they should act ; they repented they had 
neglected to accept the offers of negotiating ; for the souldich do 
I'Estrade had, a short time before, proposed a parley, and offered tO' 
surrender the castle, on the garrison being allowed to march in safety 
to Bordeaux; but the French would not listen to it. However, they 
now sent a herald to say, they would accept of their terms : but tho 
souldich replied, he would have nothing to say to them ; that he did 
not want to capitulate, for that the reinforcements he looked for 
were arrived ; and that they might remain or march away, as should 
please themselves. Things remained thus, when the lord Neville 
and the English arrived at Bordeaux, where they were magnificently 
received by sir William Helmen, seneschal des Landcs, sir John de 
Multon, mayor of Bordeaux, the archbishop, the ladies, and citizens. 

Soon after his arrival, he issued a summons to the knights and 
squires of Gascony attached to England, and collected so many ves- 
sels that four thousand embarked on board of them, and sailed down 
the river Garonne, to raise die siege of Mortain. News was soon 
carried to the French army, that the English and Gascons were 
coming down the river in great force to raise die siege : upon this, 
the leaders called another council, wherein it was resolved, that as 
they were not sufficiently strong to wait for their enemies, it was 
better to give up their lost time than to run a greater danger ; having 
ordered their trumpets to sound, they marched away without doing 
anything more, and retreated into Poitou. .\11, however, did not 
march off", for a company of Bretons and Welsh, who had been at- . 
tached to Evan of Wales, retired into the block-house of St. Leger, 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



241 

name was Morfonace, a valiant nian.at-arms, was resolved to defend 
it well, aided by the counsels of sir Herv^ do Malatrait, the lord de 
Combor and the viscount de la Belliere, and had so far succeeded 
that there was not as yet any apparent damage. In the adjacent 
country, as I have before said, was the flower of France, as well 
great lords as others ; they amounted to sixteen thousand men-at- 
arms, knights and squires, with upward of one hundred thousand 
horses. They were as willing for the combat as the English could 
be ; but each of them souglit to have an advantage : what, however, 
prevented this from happening several times was the large river, 
when the tide was in, between the two armies, which hindered them 
from attacking each other. The mine was advancing, of which the 
inhabitants of St. Malo had some suspicions. In such large armies 
as these, it was not possible but that the foragers of each should fre- 
quently have rencounters, in which fortune favored sometimes one 
party, and sometimes the other ; for there were very expert and 
youthful knights of each army who sought for such exploits. The 
miners of the duke of Lancaster labored hard at their work day and 
night, to carry it under the town and throw down part of the walls, 
so that the men-at-arms and archers miglit easily gain an entrance. 

Morfonace and the knights in the town guessed what they were 
about, and knew well that if they should succeed they were ruined. 
They did not fear their other assaults, for the town was well provided 
with all sorts of stores and artillery for two years, if necessary : 
wherefore they considered how they might best counteract this mine.. 
After having long consulted, they succeeded in their attempt : it was 
in some sort accidental, for things fell out with extraordinary good 
fortune for them. 

Richard, earl of Arundel, was on guard one night wiih his people, 
but he was very inattentive to obey the orders he had received, of 
which the garrison were informed by their spies or otherwise. When 
they had fixed on an hour in which they imagined the army (trusting 
to lord Arundel's want of vigilance) would be fast asleep, they sal- 
lied from the town very secretly, and advanced to where the miners 
were at work, who had little more to do to complete their mine. 
Mortonace and his company, being prepared to accomplish their en- 
terprise, destroyed the mine at their ease ; and some of the workmen 
who were within were never seen afterwards, as the mine fell upon 
them. 

When they liad finished this business, they said they would awaken 
the guard next the town, in order that they might know with what 
success their gallantry had been crowned. They advanced to one 
of the wings of the army, shouting their war-cry, cutting down tents, 
and slaying all they met, so that the whole army was seriously 
alarmed. Morfonace and his companions retreated into St. Malo 
without any loss ; during which time the English armed themselves, 
and advanced in front of the duke's division, who was much aston- 
ished at this event : he demanded how it could have happened, when 
they informed him, that by the negligence of the guard, the mine had 
been destroyed, and they had sutfered a great loss. Upon this, the 
earl of Arundel was sent for and sharply reprimanded by the duke 
ot Lancaster and earl of Cambridge for his neglect : he excused him- 
self as well as he was able, but was so greatly ashamed that he had 
rather have lost several thousand pounds. After the destruction of 
the mine, the principal chiefs held a council to determine how they 
should act. They saw they had lost the season of the year, which 
was not to be regained : for should they attempt another mine, winter 
would come before it cuuld be finished ; they therefore resolved, 
taking all things into consideration, that their wisest plan would be 
to break up their camp and return to England. Orders were, in con. 
sequence, issued by the duke and the marshals for the army to de- 
camp, and embark on board their fleet in the port of St. Mai?. This 
order was soon obeyed ; and, having a favorable wind, they made 
sail for Southampton, where they arrived. On disembarking, they 
learnt that sir John Arundel, the governor of Southampton, was gone 
to reinforce the garrison of Cherbourg. 

Thus was this army dispersed, when some recrossed the seas, 
and others returned to their own country. The common people in 
England began to murmur against the nobles, saying they had that 
year done little good in suffering St. Malo to escape from them : in 
particular, the earl of Arundel found no favor with them. We will 
now leave the English, to speak of the French and of Cherbourg. 



which they said would hold out against every force, and dragged all 
their artillery in with them. The English and Gascon knights, who 
came full sail down the river Garonne, cast anchor in its mouth be- 
fore Mortain ; when they disembarked leisurely, and as they landed 
drew up in order of battle to attack the fort of St. Leger, into which 
the Bretons and Welsh had retired. Immediately a sharp attack 
commenced. While this assault was going on, tlie lord Neville sent 
a herald to the castle to speak with the souldich, and to inquire how 
he was. The herald perfoi-med his message, and reported that they 
were in good health, but so naked they had not a shoe to their feet 
uor a coat to their backs. The attack on St. Leger lasted three 
hours; and the assailants gained nothing, but had several wounded. 
The barons then encamped, with the intent of not departing thence 
before they had conquered it, and were much ve.tcd that the lord de 
Montniort and the other lords were not shut up in this fort : those 
lords had very wisely marched oflT, and had left the Bretons. 



CHAPTER XX. 

THE ENGLISH RECOVER SEVERAL STRONG CASTLES FRO.'« THE FRENCH 
IN THE EOtJRDELOIS. 

The lord Neville and the English knights, on the morrow, gave 
orders for the assault being renewed : the trumpets sounded for the 
attack, and each company advanced to the fort St. Leger, when it 
began marvellously fierce. That fort is situated on a rock which 
cannot easily be approached, and the weakest side is defended by 
wide ditches. The assailants labored hard, but got nothing except 
many killed and wounded. The attack ceased ; when they thought 
it most advisable to fill up the ditches as well as they could, that 
they might gain more advantage in tlieir next assault. Having filled 
up the ditches with much difficulty, the Bretons who were within 
the fort began to be more alarmed than before, and not without rea- 
son; so they entered into a treaty. The lords from England, beins 
as an.xious to assist the king of Navarre as to recover several places 
which the Bretons held in the Bourdelois, readily Kstened to their 
proposals. The furt of St. Leger was surrendered, on condition that 
the garrison should depart without danger to themselves or fortunes, 
and be conducted whither they chose to go. Thus was the fort of 
St. Leger won by the English ; when the principal lords went into 
Mortain, and found there the souldich de I'Estradc and his party in 
the manner the herald had described them. He was immediately 
acr'ommodated suitably to his rank, and the castle revictualed and 
reinforced with fresh troops. They then returned by the river Ga- 
ronne to Bordeaux the same way they had come. 

When these knights were recruiting themselves at Bordeaux, they 
learnt that a baron held a fort called St. Maubert, six leagues dis- 
tant, in Medoc, from whence he much harassed the country. They 
embarked on the Garonne great provision of stores and arl«llery, 
and, having mounted their horses, marched by land to St. Maubert, 
with about three hundred spears. The Gascons who accompanied 
lord Neville in this expedition were, sir Archibald de Greilly, the 
lords de Roussy, de Duras, and de Tournon. On the arrival of these 
barons with their forces before St. Maubert, they encamped, and 
soon after began an assault, which at the onset was very severe ; for 
the Bretons who were in St. Maubert were men of courage, and had 
lor their captain a person called Huguelin, round whom they rallied, 
and by whose advice they acted with vigor. 

These first attacks did not harm the Bretons ; when the English 
retired to their quarters, and on the morrow erected their engines to 
cast stones, in order to break through the roof of the tower in which 
they resided. On the third day they ordered an assault, and said 
such a ruffianly crew could not hold out much longer. This attack 
was sharp, and many were slain ; for never did men defend them- 
selves better than these Bretons : however, seeing that no assistance 
was likely to come to them, they entered into a treaty : for they found 
they would never be left in quiet until they were conquered. Trea- 
ties were concluded between them and the lords of the army, that 
they should surrender St. Maubert, and march out without any damage 
to themselves or fortunes, and should retire into Poitou, or wherever 
they chose, and be conducted thither. 

When lord Neville had gained St. Maubert, he had it repaired, re- 
victualled, and provided with artillery : he placed therein Gascons to 
guard it, and appointed a squire from Gascony, called Peter de Prc- 
fias, governor, and then returned to Bordeaux. The English at Bor 
deaux received daily infonnation that Pampeluna in Navarre was 
besieged, under the conduct of the infant of Castillo ; but they 
neidier heard from the king of Navarre nor that king from them, 
which very much displeased him. We will now return to the affairs 
of Brittany and Normandy, and tell how the siege of St. Malo con- 
lintied. 



CHAPTER XXL 

THE MINE WHICH THE ENGLISH HAD MADE AT ST. MALO FAILS; IN 
CONSEQUENCE, THE SIEGE IS RAISED. 

There were many gi-and attacks made by the English on St. Malo, 
during the siege ; for they had full four hundred cannon, which fired 
day and mght against the town and castle. The governor, whose 



CHAPTER XXII. 

SIR OLIVER DU GtJESCLIN IS MADE PRISONER BY THE GARRISON OF 
CHERBOHRG. 

Soon after the English had retreated from St. Malo, and the French 
had reinforced the town and castle, the constable of France resolved 
to march and lay siege to Cherbourg ; of which place sir John Harlee- 
tone was governor, who had with him many knights from England 
and Navarre, The whole ai-my, however, did not march thither ; 
for the dukes of Berry, of Burgundy, of Bourbon, the count de la 
Marche, the dauphin of Auvergne, with other chiefs and great lords, 
sent back their troops to their different countries. Several went to 
pay their respects to the king at Rouen, who very graciously received 
them. The Bretons and Normans advanced to Valognes, three 
leagues from Cherbourg, where they erected small forts. They knew 



242 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



well that sir John Arundel had reinforced the garrison, and thc-y sup- 
posed he was still there. 

Between Cherbourg and Valogncs are large forests, even as far as 
Coutanees. The garrison of Cherbourg could sally forth, and make 
excursions over the country as often as they pleased, for there were 
in the forests well-hedged roads, which prevented them from being 
attacked, and Cherbourg is one of the strongest castles. The gar- 
rison of Valognes were exceedingly vexed that they could not hurt 
the English, by harassing the country. Sir Oliver du Guesclin, 
brother to the constable, imagined tliat if he could, by means of the 
forest, approach in a cunning way near to Cherbourg, to reconnoitre 
it; particularly if he 
could any how be. 
siege it; or if at least 
he could seize the 
town, which lies at 
some little distance 
from the castle, he 
would so strongly 
fortify it that the gar- 
rison could not quit 
or enter the castle 
without great loss. 

Sir Oliver deter, 
mined to try this pro. 
ject; and taking with 
him about '^''■^ 
I 



een 
juces, and guides 
who were acquaint- 
ed with the roads 
through the forest, 
he set out one morn- 
ing from Valognes, 
continuing his march 
until he had passed 
through the forest op. 
posite to Cherbourg. 
That same day sir 
John Arundel had 
visited the town to 
amuse himself, and 
had brought with 
him a squire of Na. 
varre, called John 
Coq, to show him the 
town. He was there 
informed that the 
French were at hand 
reconnoitering the 
place. " My lord," 
said John Coq, " I 
have heard that sir 

Oliver du Guesclin, the constable's brother, has passed the wood, 
and is examining our castle : for God's sake, let him be pursued. I 
think I can conduct you in such a manner that he must fall into our 
hands, so that we may conquer them all." " By my faith," replied 
sir John, " I am very willing so to do." Having armed themselves 
secretly, they mounted their horses, in number about one hundred 
lances, picked men, and set out from Chcrboi>-g, entered the forest 
without the French knowing anything of the matter, and rode on. 
Sir Oliver, finding the place of such strength as to make it impos- 
sible to besiege it, took the same road to Valognes by which he had 
come. He had not marched three leagues before sir John Arundel 
and John Coq, with their companions, who had been very exactly 
conducted, charged them, shouting " Our Lady for Arundel !" When 
sir Oliver heard this cry, and saw them advancing, he wished himself 
in Valognes: he therefore mounted a fleet courser, in hopes of saving 
himself, for he found the parties were too unequal for a combat ; and 
his people dispersed themselves in the forest. Too few kept together. 
John Coq, like a valiant man-at-arms, pursued sir Oliver so closely 
that at last he made him his prisoner : there were also ten or a dozen 
more taken ; the remainder saved themselves among the trees, and 
returned to Valognes as well as they could, and related to sir Wil- 
liam des Bordes how they had fallen into an ambussade, and that 
sir Oliver, with the remainder of their comjianions, had been made 
prisoners. 

The knights and squires at Valognes were greatly hurt at this, but 
help it they could not. Sir Oliver du Guesclin was conducted by 
the garrison to the castle of Cherbourg, where he was told his ransom 
would be at least ten thousand francs. This capture was great news 
for England ; and the business continued thus for a considerable 
time. Sir Oliver du Guesclin remained prisoner in Cherbourg, under 
the guard of John Coq who had taken him ; but sir John Arundel 
had all the profit : he ransomed sir Oliver and those who had been 
captured with him, but not immediately. When the garrison of 
Cherbourg had been reinforced, sir John Arundel returned to South- 
ampton, of which place he was governor. There remained with sir 
John Harlestone in Cherbourg some English knights ; such as sir 
John Copeland, sir John Briole, sir Thomas Pigourde and several 



knights and squires : who so carefully guarded it that no damage 
was done. We will now leave for a while Cherbourg, and speak of 
lord Neville, the seneschal of Bordeaux, sir Thomas Trivet, with 
others their companions, and show how they prospered. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

THE TRENCH GARRISON OF EEKSAT* IS DEFEATED. THE TOWN StTRRKN. 
DERS TO THE ENGLISH. THE KING OF NAVARRE COMES TO BORDEAUX, 
TO SOLICIT AID FROM THE ENGLISH. 

The lord Neville, who resided at Bordeaux, had had good infor- 







Oliver du Guesclix made prisoner by the garrison of Cherbourff 



mation that the infanta of Castille, with a large army of Spaniards, 
was besieging the good city of Panijieluna, and that the viscount de 
Chastillon, the lord de I'Escut, Raimond de Rameren, with several 
others, were shut up in it ; but he had no intelligence of the king of 
Navarre, nor where he kept himself, which very much astonished 
him : he supposed, however, that he should soon hear from him. 
The inhabitante of Bordeaux and the adjacent countries entreated 
hiin not to quit those parts, nor to send away any of his men-at-arms, 
so long as the Bretons should hold any forts near them : they in- 
formed him particularly how the garrison of Bersat very much haras, 
scd the country of the Bourdeluis. To the inquiries of the lord 
Neville, how many Bretons there might be in Bersat ; they answered, 
there were full five hundred fighting men. Upon this, he called to 
him the seneschal des Landes and sir William Scrope, and said to 
them : " Take two or three hundred lances, with as many archers, 
and march to Bresat, and manage so as to free the country from that 
garrison ; when we will afterwards turn our thoughts to things of 
greater importance." 

These two knights wished nothing more than to obey the orders 
they had received ; and collecting their men, they crossed the Ga- 
ronne, and marched tov/ard BiTsat. The same day the English had 
left Bordeaux, the garrison of Bersat had made an excursion, with 
about six score lances : they had ascended the river Garonne in hopes 
of meeting some boats, and were under the command of a knight 
from Perigord, called sir Bcrtrand Raimond, a good man-nt.arms. 
About a short league from Bersat, the two parties of English and 
French came suddenly in sight of each other. When sir Bcrtrand 
saw that a combat was unavoidable, he was no way alarmed, but 
gave proper orders to his men, who were almost all Gascons, and 
drew them up in handsome array. 

The English charged them with couched lances, spurring their 
horses until they were in the midst of them. On the first shock, 
many were unhoreed on each side, and several gallant deeds done. 
At last, however, tlie French Gascons could not maintain the fight ; 
for there were too many against them, who were likewise chosea 
men. The party from the garrison of Bersat were either slai n Of 
*" " Bersat"— a sinall towu Qf Limousin, diote^e of Limoffes. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &, 



343 

who received his nephew and his companions very agreeably, and 
helped tkem to find out lodgings. Sir Thomas's intentions were to 
have continued his march without halting : but sir Matthew Gournay 
said to him, " Fair nephew, since you have with you so large a force, 
let us free this country from the Bretons and French, who hold at 
least a dozen fortresses between this place and Bayonnc ; otherwise 
you leave them in your rear, and they may do us much mischief the 
ensuing winter. If you consent, the country will thank you, and 1 
entreat it of you.-" " By my faith," replied sir Thomas, " I am very 
willing." Soon after this conversation, he set about the business, 
and, drawing out his forces in the plain, marched toward a fort called 
Montpin, which was in the possession of the Bretons. A squire from 
the county of Foix, whose name was Taillardon, was governor of it. 

On their arrival, the English began a very severe attack. The fort 
was stormed, and all in it put to the sword except Taillardon, who 
was made prisoner. After having placed in the castle a new garrison, 
they marched away, and came before another, catled Carcilhat, which 
the Gascons held. They immediately commenced an assault, but 
not gaining it directly, tdey encamped. On the morrow, they re- 
newed the attack with so much vigor that it was taken, and all within 
slain except the governor, who was from Lower Brittany, and called 
Yvonnet Aprisidly : he was given to the English as prisoner, and the 
castle burnt. They then marched toward another fort, called Be- 
scnghen, of which a Gascon squire was governor, whose name was 
Roger de Morelac. The English were two days before they could 
win it, which was at last done by capitulation : the garrison marched 
out in surety, and each man returned to his home. 

From this castle they came before Tassegnon, which is sittiated 
three leagues from Bayonnc, and laid siege to it. The Bayonnois 
were much rejoiced when they heard of this ; and they were joined 
from that town by full live hundred men with lances and shields, 
bringing with them the largest of their warlike engines. The gar- 
rison of Tassegnon having done so much harm to those of Bayonnc, 
made them thus desirous of their destruction ; but they would never 
have succeeded had it not been for the judgment and advice of the 
English : yet with all their united force they were fifteen days before 
they gained it, which was done by capitulation, on the garrison 
marching out in safety under passports from sir Thomas Trivet, who 
had them escorted as far as Bregent, which belonged to the French. 
The Bayonnois bought the castle for three thousand francs, and then 
razed it, carrying the stones to Bayonne ; where the English were 
received with great joy, and had all things according to their wish 
by pa)'ing for them. 



made prisoners ; very few escaped. Sir Bertrand Raimond and sir 
William Henion were among those taken. The English then rode 
on toward Bersat. \Vhen the garrison found that their party had 
been defeated, they were thunder-struck, and surrendered the place 
upon their lives being spared. Thus did Bereat become English ; 
and the detachment returned to Bordeaux. At the same time the 
English returned to Bordeaux (the night of All-saints, in the year 
1378,) the king of Navarre came also tlvither, without being expected. 
The English received him most honorably ; and, after they had lodged 
him and his attendants commodiously, they asked what news from 
his country and of the Spaniards, for they had received orders to 
make such inquiries. He fully answered their questions, by saying 
that the infant John of CastiUe had besieged Pampeluna with a large 
army, and had much constrained those who were within it. He 
therefore entreated them, in conformily to the orders they had from 
the king of England, to make themselves ready to assist his people, 
and to raise the siege. The English knights replied they were per. 
fectly willing, and through no negligence on their part should the 
siege fail to be raised : that they would prepare everything speedily, 
but added, " Sir, you will return to yoiu' countiy, and issue out a 
special summons to your people ; for we will be with you on a fixed 
day, when we shall be altogether in greater force : besides, your 
people know the country better than we .■Jo." The king of Navan-c 
replied that they sp'kc well, and Vvhat they had proposed should be 
done, -\fter this, he remained with the English but three days, when 
he took his leave, and left the city of Bordeaux, returning home by 
sea ; for there were, in the neighborhood of Bayonne and the city of 
Dax in Gaaeony, several fortresses in the hands of the Bretons. The 
king of Navarre safely arrived at the town of St. Jean, where he 
resided. 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

THE IKFANT OF CASTILLE BESIESES PAMTELUNA. SIR THOMAS TKIVET, 
IN COiXDUCTING SCCCOKS TO THE KINS OF NAVAKRE, TAKES SEVERAL 
PLACES IN GASCONY FROM THE FRENCH. 

DtTKixo the time the king of Navarre was at Bordeaux, and since 
his return to his own country, John of Castille, son of the king of 
Spain, with the constable of Castille, who was the chief of this war, 
and whose name was don Pedro de Manriquez, had besieged the 
good city of Pampeluna with a large force. 

With them were the count don Alphonso, the count de Medina, 
the count de Manons, the count de Ribede, Peter Ferrand de Fal- 
esque, Peter Goussart de Modesque, and several other barons and 
knights from Spain, with their troops.* 

These Spaniards, on their march toward Pampeluna, had taken and 
burnt the town of Lorwicli and the city of Viana, on this side Lo- 
grono ; and there was not a lord in Navarre who dared to show him- 
self before them, but each remained shut up in his easde. The Idnn- 
of Navarre knew well all this, for he had conrlnually messengers 
coming and going, but he could not do anything without the assist- 
ance of the English. 

Lord Neville, t who resided at Bordeaux, whither he had been 
sent by the king of England and his council, was informed of all the 
treaties between the two kings, and that it was incumbent on him to 
fulfil them. Having considered this matter, he called to him sir 
Thomas Trivet, a very valiant knighi, and said to him, " Sir Thomas, 
you know that we have been ordered hither to guard die frontiers of 
this country, to drive out our enemies, and to assist the king of Na- 
varre, who has been lately here, and tild us how much he was in 
want of our help. You were present when I promised him assistance. 
This must be done, or we shall be blamed. Therefore, my dear 
friend and companion, I appoint you leader of the troops I shall send 
to this war, and now order you to inarch thither with five hundred 
lances and a thousand archers. I shall remain where I am, being 
sfineschal of Bordeaux, under th.e orders of the king of England ; 
for I must pay attention to what passes here, as this whole country 
is not very secure against our enemies." " My lord," replied sir 
Thomas, " you do me more honor than I deserve : I will obey your 
orders, as in justice I ought to do, and will acquit myself in this 
business to the utmost of my power." " Of that, sir Thomas," an- 
swered lord Neville, " I am perfectly assured." 

Sir Thomas Trivet made no long delay, but, having completed his 
preparations, set out from Bordeaux with his complement of men-at- 
anns and archers, taking the road toward Dax in Gascony. There 
were with him William Condone, sir Thomas Berton, sir John 
Affulee, sir Henry Paulo, sir William Croquet, sir Louis Malin, sir 
Thomas Fourque, and sir Robert Hasten, all Gascons. When this 
army was arrived at the city of Dax, they received intelligence that 
the king of Navarre was at St. Jean du Pied des Ports, there assem- 
bling his men-at-arms. This news was veiy pleasing (o them. Sir 
Matthew Gournay,} uncle to sir Thomas Trivet, was governor of Dax, 

* Fen-eros does not mention any siege of Pampeluna, but ^nrs tlie infant advanced to 
Gorriaz, near P.tmpeluna, and afterwords besieged Viana : when, havint; taken it, he 
returned to Castille. He notices only the firet of the Spaniards in the te.il.— Vol, v.'pp 
«8, 4S9. 

t Lord Neville of Raby,— Dcubale. 

t Sir Mallliew Gournay was fourth and youngest son of Thomas, one of the nnirderers 
of Mward fl. He was a soldier of fortune, an able and valiant man, and s<Sneschnl 
rtes Landes la sandy tract between Bordeaux and Bayonne.) He died SJth September 



CHAPTER XXV. 

SIR THOMAS TRIVET WITH THE ENGLISH COMES TO THE SUCCOR OF THE 
KING OF NAVARRE, THE SIEGE OF PAMPELUNA IS RAISED. 

The king of NavaiTe, who resided at St. Jean du Pied des Ports, 
was exceedingly angry that the English were so long coming, for his 
country was in great dang:er; and the city of Pampeluna would have 
been taken by the Spaniaids, had it not been for the viscount de 
Chastillon, the governor, who had under him in all but two hundred 
Gascon spears, but his prudence and watchfulness prevented it. 

Sir Perducas d'-A.lbrct was governor of the town of Tudela in Na. 
varre ; the count Pullois and his brother Roger commanded in the 
city of Miranda : a knight from Catalonia, called sir Raymond de 
Bagcth, was governor of another strong town in Navarre, named 
Arqucs.* The king of Navarre, placing his confidence in these 
captains, remained at St, Jean du Pied des Ports, and left them to 
act as they pleased. The whole country round Pampeluna was de. 
stroyed; for none dared to oppose th&Spaniards, and they concluded 
they must by a long siege gain the town. However, those within 
thought otherwise ; for the viscount de Chastillon, the lord de I'Escut, 
and sir William de Paux, defended it so well, that the Spaniards he. 
gan to he tired : winter was approaching, it being about St, Andrew's 
day, and their provision was becoming scarce : for, if the viscount 
de Roquebertin had not reinforced them with men-at-arms and sixty 
horse loads of provision, they would have retreated at All.saints day. 

The king of Navarre sent one of his knights, called sir Peter tie 
Bascle, to the English, to entreat them, if they wished to sei"ve him, 
to hasten their march ; for they had tjo long delayed it, according to 
the promises they had made, and the need he had of them. The 
knight rode until he came into the country of Bayonne, and found the 
English before a castle named Poulat, to whom he delivered his 
message very punctually. Sir Thomas Trivet replied, that as soon 
as the castle he was now before was conquered, he would march for 
Navarre, and that the knight might return and depend on what he 
had said. Sir Peter went back, and two days afterwards the castle 
surrendered, on the garrison marching out in safety. It was re-gar. 
risoned, and afterwards the country continued tolerably quiet. There 
were some other smaller bodies, who had posted themselves in 
churches and monasteries, that harassed the country ; but they were 
in no great numbers. The English, therefore, declared they could 
no longer remain with them, but must march to Navarre to raise the 
si."ge of Pampeluna and combat the Spaniards. 



1406, and is buried at Stoke under Hamden, county of Somerset— For further particu- 
lars, and his epitaph, see GouGH*s Sepulchral JilonumentSt vol, ii, p. 20. 
^ "Arques"— probably les Arcos, 



244 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



Sir Thomas Ti-ivet, sir Matthew Gournay, with their men, returned 
to Dax, where they lialted four days : on the fifth, they dcpartetl, 
and took the road to Navarre. Sir Matthew Gournay raarclied back 
to the city of Bayonne with those under his command, to defend the 
country, and to conquer some of the small forts which the Bretons 
still held. Sir Thomas continued his march until he arrived at St. 
Jean du Pied des Ports, where he found the king of Navarre, who 
was right glad to see him. He lodged the knights in the town, and 
the rae°n-at-arms found the best quarters they could in the country 
about. The king had, some time before, issued his summons for a 
large army to assemble before the city of Miranda : none dared to 
disobey it, and all knights and squires had in consequence prepared 
themselves to march to Pampeluna against the Spaniards. 

News arrived at the Spanish army, that the English with a power- 
ful force were with the king of Navarre, at St. Jean, to the amount 
of twenty thousand men-at-anns. Upon this, a comicil was held of 
tlie principal chiefs, to consider whether to wait for the king of Na- 
varre, or to retreat. This was long debated ; for some of the captains 
wished to wait for the English and Navarrois, while others were of a 
contrary opinion, saying they were not strong enough to meet such 
an army, and too much fatigued and worn down by the length ot 
the siege. This council sat a considerable time : at last, orders 
were given to decamp, and make a handsome retreat into their own 
country. What inclined them most to this was, that some valiant 
knights who had great experience in war, declared that their honor 
would not suffer any disgrace, for that king Henry, being returned 
into Castille, had sent, fifteen duys before, orders of recal to his son, 
as well as for the discontinuance of the siege of Pampeluna. 

The Spaniards, therefore, quilted their quarters, and when they 
marched off, set fire to them, taking the road to Logrono and to St. 
Domingo in Castille. When the inhabitants of Pampeluna saw them 
march away, they were much rejoiced, for they had pressed them 
hard. News was brought to the king of Navarre and to the English 
at St. Jean of the Spaniards haviiig raised the siege, and ot their re. 
treat to their own country. They seemed as if much enraged at it, 
for they would williugly have fought with them. Notwithstanding 
this, they marched to Pampeluna, where they found the viscount de 
Chastillon, the lord de I'Escut, and the others, who received them 
with pleasure. 

When these men-at-arms had refreshed themselves for two or three 
days in Pampeluna, they thought it advisable to march from thence 
and divide themselves in different garrisons, to gain more country : 
besides, the mountains of Navarre are too cold in tlie winter, being 
covered with snow. The Englisli were, therefore, ordered to Tudela ; 
the lord de I'Escut to Pont a. la P-cine ;* the count PuUois and his 
brother Roger to Corella, and the lord de Chastillon to Mundon. In 
this manner were the men-at-arms distributed, and the king of Na. 
varre remained in his palace at Pampeluna. The garrisons in Na- 
varre continued in peace without manifesting any inclination to 
make excursions during the winter : on which account, the Spaniards 
dispersed, and king Hemy went to reside at Seville, accompanied 
by his queen and children. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

THE E.VGLISH AND JJAVARROIS OVERRUN THE KINGDOM OF SPAIN. THE 
EVENTS THAT BEFEL THEM THERE. 

Sir Thomas Trivet and his companions were quartei-:;d in Tudela, 
and had not done anything since their entrance into Navarre ; but, 
hearing that the Spanish army was disbanded, they determined to 
make an excursion into Spain, to perform something for their pay. 
They made preparations for a secret expedition, and sent information 
of it to the count PuUois and his brother Roger, who came to Tudela 
with two hundred lances and three hundred shields : when they 
were all mustered, they might be about seven hundred spears, twelve 
hundred archers, and as many other foot soldiers. They loaded 
many horses, with all sorts of provision, and, marching away, en- 
camped, on Christmas-eve, in a fair meadow by a river side at the 
foot of the mountain Montcain,t which separates the three kingdoms 
of Navarre, Castille, and Arragon ; on the other side of this moun- 
tain lies a country called Val di Soria. Tiiis day the weather was 
very fine, and wondrous hot. When they had dined, the captains 
assembled in council to determine whether they should remain there 
Christmas-day, or attempt some warlike exploit; for they were on 
the borders of the enemy's country. They resolved to march that 
very night, so as to arrive at the city of Soriat by dawn on Christ, 
mas-day, and scale its walls. 

This plan was adopted, and orders given in consequence. Three 
hundred lances were only to be employed ; the others with the foot 
were to remain where they then w-ere until the morrow, to hear the 
success of the enterprise. The count Pullois with one hundred 
lances, and sir Thomas Trivet with his troops, having guides to con. 
duct them, were to march in four divisions and to form three ambus- 
cades, the more secretly to execute their enterprise and the more 
surely to succeed in it. About two o'clock after midnight, they 



were armed and mounted, but without any trumpets. The captains 
and the guides made themselves well acquainted with tlie diflerent 
points of the country, that they might all arrive punctually at Soria 
at the same time. They had ascended the mountain and advanced 
into the plains, when it began to snow and hail so marvellously fast 
that the ground was all covered, and they rode on until the morrow 
witl'iout meeting each other. This misfortune of the English fell out 
luckily for the inhabitants of Val di Soria, as they had not taken any 
precautions against an attack ; and, had they met according to the 
plan laid down, they must have taken the town by escalade, without 
a possibility of a disappointment. 

When sir Thomas Trivet and the other captains saw that their 
attempt had failed, they were much vexed : they collected themselves 
as well as they could, to take some refreshment from their sumpter 
horses, and then to follow the right road to Soiia, according to their 
original intentions. As they had resolved, so did they execute ; and, 
after a short breakfast, sir Raymond de Balge, a Navarrois, was 
chosen to advance before the town with forty lances, in order to draw 
out the javelin-men who were the guard of it. The knight rode up 
to the barriers, where he skirmished with the guard ; for these javelin, 
men were full two hundred ; they sallied forth instantly, and began 
a combat, when the others retreated by little and little to draw them 
further into the plain. The garrison would have very roughly treated 
this detachment, if their ambuscade had not advanced to their assist- 
ance : they charged the guard full gallop, with spears in their rests, 
so that at the first shock several were killed and wounded, and the 
rest driven back into the town with great loss. They immediately 
closed their gates and barriers, and mounted the battlements, for they 
expected an assault ; but they were disappointed, as the English and 
Navarrois retreated in the course of the day, and returned to their 
quarters, where they had left their men. 

They remained there that night ; and on the morrow, which was 
St. Stephen's day, they marched to a town called Quasquan,* in 
Navarre, where they met the king of Navarre, who had come thither 
on Christmas-eve. The English, on their way to Cascante, burnt 
several villages, and in particular a considerable one called Nigrete, 
which they completely pillaged. 



* " Pont k la Reiiie"— Punte i In Reynn— appears by the map to be in Arragon. 
" " Montcain"— probalily by tlie map, Moncaio ; it seems near to Taracona. 
" Soria''— a town of Castille. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

SIR THO.MAS TRIVET MAKES AN EXCURSION TO THE TOWN OF ALFARO Ilf 
CASTILLE. PEACE CONCLUDED BETWEEN THE KINGS OF SPAIN AND NA. 
VARRE. THE DEATH OF HENRY KING OF SPAIN. HIS SON JOHN IS 
CROWNED AS HIS SUCCESSOR. 

While king Henry resided at Seville, in the heart of his kingdom, 
news was brought to him that the English had made an incursion, 
and burnt the town of Soria, in the name of the king of Navarre, 
He was much enraged thereat, and swore he would make them pay 
for it. He wrote letters to his son, John of Castille, commanding 
him instantly to issue a particular summons throughout the kingdom, 
and to assemble the nobles ; for that he should very shortly be in 
Castille, to revenge himself on the king of Navarre for the excesses 
which he had committed. The infant neither dared nor wished to 
disobey the commands of his father, but immediately issued the 
summons. 

While these men-at-arms were collecting, and before the arrival 
of king Henry, sir Thomas Trivet resolved to march toward a hand, 
some tow-n in Spain called Alfaro. In this design, he set out one 
evening from Cascante, leaving there the king of Navarre, with only 
one hundred lances ; but they were all such as he could depend on. 
They came near to Alfaro about daybreak, and halted a league from 
the town, where they placed themselves in ambush. Sir William 
Cendrin and sir Andrew Andrac were sent forward, with about ten 
spears, to alarm the place. They came to a litde brook which runs 
before the town, and is dangerous to pass : however, Andrew Andrac 
and Peter Mascle, Navarrois, made their coursers leap over it, and 
galloped up to the barriers. 

The town was exceedingly alarmed ; and, having sounded their 
trumpets to assemble their men-at-arms, they opened the gates and 
barriers, sallied forth, and directly began to skirmish. Of these ten 
lances, there were only those I have named who had crossed the 
brook, so that, when they saw such numbers advancing, they wheeled 
about and leaped back again. Those of Alfaro seeing so small a 
number, and not suspecting an ambuscade, followed them closely, 
passing the rivulet a little higher up, at the ford. The ten spears 
allowed themselves to be pursued as far as the ambush, from whence 
sir Thomas and the others rushed full gallop, shoriting their cry, and, 
charging the enemy, unhorsed several. In truth, the Spaniards, un. 
able to withstand the English, turned about as quickly as they could : 
few escaped death or being made prisoners. 

The alarm was great in the town, which made the English think 
they should be immediate masters of it, for they saw the inhabitants 
were as good as defeated : however, they were disappointed, for the 
women of the place saved it by their presence of mind. While the 
English were crossing the brook, they closed the gates and barriers, 
and, having mounted the battlements over the gate, showed every 
inclination to defend themselves. When sir Thomas saw them thus 

* " Quasquan"— Cascante, near to Tudela. 



CilRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



mr, 



rira>vn up, he said as he was advancing, " Look at these good 
women: Ic! us return back, for we cannot do anytliing more." Upon 
wliicli tlicy re'.rcatcd, crossed the brouU, and made for Cascante, 
carrying wlxh ihcm their prisoners. Sir Tiiomas Trivet acquired 
great I'avor I'rom the king of Navarre for the success of this ex- 
pedition. 

About fifteen days after (his affair of Aliaro, the Spaniards look 
tlie I'lchi, ajnouniing in the whole, horse and loot, to twenty thousand 
men, with a good inclination lo combat the English. The king of 
Navarre, on hearing this, went to Tudela, attended by sir Thomas 
Trive' and his troops, and sent orders for all the garrisojis of Navarre 
to march thither: they willingly obeyed his orders, as they wished 
for iiotliiiig more than to engage the Spaniards. The Spaniards 
were only wailing for the arrival of king Henry, who had left Seville 
with a numerous aliendance, and was iraversijig his kingdom to St. 
Domingo, where on his arrival lie halted, and quartered his people 
in ihe adjaecnl plain. When don .lolin heard that the king was 
come to Si. Domingo, he loft Alfaro, and marched Ihillier with his 
army. li was the intention of the Spaniards to lay siege to Tudela 
and inclose the king of Navarre in it, or force him to fight. 

The king of Navarre was informed of all this, and he knew that 
he was not strong enough lo risk a balllc with king Henry, who had 
forty thousand men, including horse and foot. There were some 
pielates and barons, wise and valiant men of both kingdoms, in 
cither army, who foresaw that great troubles might arise if the two 
kings, Henry and Charles, should mutually slay each other in battle : 
liicy therefore proposed an arniislice, that they niiglil endeavor to 
settle their differences : but thcs-c negotiators had much labor and 
difficulty before they could bring matters to an issue, for the English, 
who amounted to full (wo thousand, were haughty and bitter against 
the Spaniards, and advised the king of Navarre to risk a battle. 

On the other hand, (he Spaniards, who were very numeraus, held 
tl'.e English and Navarrois cheap. The treaties, however, were 
drawing to a conclusion ; and, with much diiBculty, an armistice 
WPS agreed on., for six weeks, between the two kingdoms, with the 
intent of concluding a peace. The negotiators proposed also that a 
marriage should take place between the eldest son of king Henry 
with a daughter of the king of Navarre, that ihe peace might be more 
solid and durable. The king of Navarre readily listened to this pro. 
posal, for he saw by it how highly his daughter would be settled. 
The prelates and barons t>f both realms advised also that Charles, 
fldcst son of the king of Navarre, should marry a daughter of king 
Henry. This was concluded ; and don Henry, king of Caslille, was 
to use his influence with the king of France, under whose guardian- 
ship Charles was, that he should be permilted to ri-turn to Navarre. 
This he performed ; and the king of France complied with his 
request. 

The king of Navarre, on account of these marriages, was willing 
to surrender, for ten years, to the king of Spain, as a security for his 
good faith, the towns and castles of Estella, of Tudela, and of la 
Guardia. King Henry consented to give up to the English sir Peter 
Courtenay and the lord de l'Esparre,a Gascon, who were his prison- 
ers. All these different treaties were sealed, and sworn to be faith- 
fully observed for ever by the two kings ; and it was agreed that 
whoever should any way infringe ihem should submit himself to the 
judgment of the pope. 

While these negotiations were going forward, the king of Navarre, 
who was indebted to the English twenty thousand francs, sent the 
viscount de Chastillon to Arragon to borrow this sum from the king 
of Arragon, who readily lent it to him, but took for his security the 
good towns of Pampehma, Miranda, Borgo la Rcyna, Corella and St. 
Jean du Pied des Ports. By these means, the English were paid 
tlreir demands : they left the king of Navarre, well satisfied with 
their conduct, returned to Bordeaux, and from thence to England. 

The marriage was concluded between Charles of Navarre and the 
daughter of king Henry : she was called .lane, and was very hand, 
some. In this year the king of Caslille died, and his eldest son, don 
John, succeeded him. He was crowned with the consent of all the 
prelates and barons of Spain, king of Caslille, Seville, Gallicia and 
Cordova ; and they swore to him, for ever, fealty and homage. About 
this time, war commenced between the kings of Portugal and Cas- 
tiUe, which lasted a considerable time, as you will hear related in 
this history. But we must now return to the affairs of France. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

THE LORD DE MUCIDENT TURNS TO THE ENSLiSH. THE LORD DE LANGU- 
EANT IS MORTALLY WOUNDED. THE GOVERNOR OF BOUTEVILLE IS 
DEFEATED, AND THE CASTLE SURRENDERS TO THE FRENCH. 

Vou have before heard that the lord de Mucident had turned to 
the French party. He had remained at Paris for upward of a year, 
until he was tired ; for he had expected more from the king of France 
than he had received, which made him repent having changed his 
side. He said he had been forced so to do, and that it was not of his 
own free will. 

He had therefore resolved to quit Paris privately, where he had too 
long resided, return to his own country, and then surrender himself 
to the English ; for he preferred serving the king of England to the 



king of Fiance. He acted upon this plan, and gave all his acquaint, 
ance to understand, except those of his council, that he was dis. 
gusied. One evening he mounted his horse incognito, only two 
persons with him, set out from Paris, and rode to his own country, 
where his people followed him. He continued iiis journey until he 
came to Bordeaux, where he found the lord Neville, to whom he 
related his adventures. He attached himself to the English, and 
declared he would rather betray his troth to the king of France than 
to liis natural lord the king of England. The lord de Mucident re- 
mainc^d steady to the English ever after as long as he lived. 

The duke of Anjou was much enraged when he heard of this, 
and swore, ihat if ever he could lay hands upon him, he would make 
his head fly from his shoulders. This was told lo tiie lord do Muci. 
dent, who in consequence took every precaution in his power. The 
lord de Langurant remained steadfast to the French. He was an 
able and active knight, and harassed much the vassals of those who 
had turned to the English possessing lands adjoining lo his own; 
such as the lords de Rosem, de Daras, de Muci.leni ; which made 
iliesc three baronsvery angry, and excited them to attempt all means 
to slay him; for he was their bitter enemy. 

The lord de Langurant, being a knight eager for battle, was ridin;^ 
out one day attended by about forty lances : he advanced near to 
an English garrison called Cadillac,* which belonged to the captal 
de Buch and his brothers. He posted his men in ambush in a wood, 
telling them that he would ride alone to the castle to sec if any one 
would sally forth against him. His men obeyed : when, riding to 
Ihe barriers of Cadillac, he spoke to the guards, asking, " Whore is 
Bernard Courant, your captain ? Tell him that the lord de Langurant 
wishes to tilt with iiim ; and, since he is so valiant a man-at-arms, 
he will not refuse my request for the love of his lady. If ho should 
not consent, it will turn to his shame, and I will publish everywhoro 
that he had refused to break a lance with me through cowardice." 
One of the valets of Bernard, at that time at the barriers, replied, 
" Lord de Langurant, I have perfectly heard what you have said : I 
will go and inform my master ; for cowardice shall never be a re. 
proach to him, if you will be so good as to wait." " By my faith," 
answered the lord de Langurant, " that I will." The valet went to 
his master, whom he found in his chamber, and told him what you 
have heard. 

When Bernard heard this, his heart swelled within him, and he 
fiercely exclaimed, " Give me my arms, and saddle my steed, for he 
shall never return with a refusal." His orders were promptly obeyed: 
being armed, he mounted on horseback with his lance and buckler, 
and, having the gates and barriers thrown open, advanced into the 
plain. The lord de Langurant was much pleased when he saw him ; 
lowering his spear, he placed himself in the position of a good knight, 
as did his squire. They were both well mounted ; and, spurring 
their hoi-ses, their lances struck with such force on their shields as 
shivered them to pieces. At the second pass, Bernard Courant gave 
such a deadly blow on the shoulder of the lord de Langurant as to 
drive him out of his saddle, and fell him to the ground. When 
Bernard saw him fall, he was rejoiced, and turning his horse upon 
him, as the lord de Langurant was raising himself up, Bernard, who 
had great strength, caught him with both hands by the helmet, tore 
it off his head, and flung it under his horse. 

The troops of the lord de Langurant who were in ambush, noticing 
all this, began to advance to rescue their lord. Bernard Courant 
perceived them, and, drawing his dagger, said to the lord de Langu- 
rant, " Surrender yourself my prisoner, lord de Langurant, rescued 
or not, or you are a dead man." The lord de Langurant, who 
trusted to his people for assistance, w-as shy, and made no answer. 
When Bernard saw that he would not make any reply, he was in- 
flamed with passion, and, fearing lest ho might suffer from delay, 
struck him with his dagger on the head, which was bare, and drove 
it into him : then, drawing it back, he put spurs to his horse, galloped 
within the barriers, where he dismounted, and put himself in a pos- 
ture of defence, if there should be a necessity for it. The lord de 
Langurant's people, on coming to him, found him mortally wounded : 
they were very much enraged at it, and, having bandaged his wound 
as well as they could, carried him back to his castle, where he, on 
the morrow, expired. Such was the end of the lord de Langurant 
in Gascony. 

At this period, a deed of arms was performed, in the Rochellois, 
against Heliot de Plaisac, a very amiable squire and gallant man-at- 
arms, governor of Bouteville,t an English garrison, wherein there 
were about six score lances, English and Gascons, who, pillaging the 
whole country, advanced almost daily as far as the towns of La Ro. 
clielle or St. Jean d'Angely. They kept these towns in such dread 
that none dared to venture out but very privately, which angered 
greatly the knights and squires of that country. They considered 
well this business, and resolved either to apply such a remedy as 
would put a stop to it, or lo lose their lives or liberties in the attempt. 
They collected, in the town of La RoChelle, about two hundred 
spears, on whom they could depend ; for it was toward this town 
that Heliot de Plaisac made his excursions. There were now in it, 
from Poitou and Saintonge, the lords de Touars, de Puissances, sir 
James de Surgeres, sir Perceval de Coulogne, sir Reginald de Go- 



* " Cadillac"— a viUaee in Guieune, seven leagues from Burdeau:k. 
t "Bouteville near Cognac. 



246 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



mers, sir Hugh de Vivonne, and several other knights and squires, 
all well inchncd to meet and combat their enemies. These lords 
had had information that Heliot de Plaisac was on his march toward 
La Rochelle, in search of prey. They gave iheir orders accordingly, 
and sallied out in the evening well armed and mounted. On their 
departure, they directed that the cattle should, on the morrow, be 
driven out to the fields to take their chance ; which was obeyed. 

When the morrow came, Heliot de Plaisac and his troop arrived 
before La Rochelle, while their foragers collected the cattle, and had 
them driven away by the peasants of the country. They had not 
gone mere than a league before the French (who were upward of 
two hundred lances) fell upon their wing, quite unexpectedly, and 
charged them vigorously; so that, at this first onset, several were 
unhorsed. Heliot de Plaisac cried out, " On foot, on foot ! let no 
man fly, but send away the horses ; for, if the day be ours, we shall 
have horses enow, and, if we lose it, we shall not want any." The 
English and Gascons, of Heliot's party, drew up on foot, and in good 
order. The French did the same, for they were afraid of their horses 
being wounded by the spears and swords of the enemy. 

The battle then commenced. It was severe, and of long contin- 
uance ; for they fought hand to hand, pushing their spears up to their 
guards at every thrust. Many gallant deeds were done ; there was 
many a capture, and many a rescue. However, the Poitevins and 
Saintongers won the field, and their enemies were either slain or 
made prisoners, for very few escaped ; the forage was recaptured, 
and Heliot dc Plaisac taken and carried to La Rochelle. 

Shortly afterwards, these lords marched to the castle of Bouteville, 
which was soon and easily taken, for scarcely any one was within 
it. Thus was Bouteville gained by the French, to the great joy of 
all the country round about. Heliot de Plaisac remained in prison 
for a long time. 

CHAPTER XXIX. 

I 

SIR THOZ^IAS TRIVET RETURNS TO ENGLAND WITH HIS COMPAIJIONS. HIS 
HERALD RELATES TO THE DUKE OF LANCASTER THE PARTICULARS OF 
THE DEATH OF KING HENRY OF CASTILLE, AND THE CORONATION OF HIS 
ELDEST SON DON JOHN. 

At this time, sir Thomas Trivet, sir WilUara Helmen, and the 
other knights who had been in Spain to the assistance of the king 
of Navarre, returned to England. They immediately waited on the 
king, who at that time resided at Chcrtsey : his two uncles, the duke 
of Lancaster and the earl of Cambridge, were with him. These 
knights were graciously received by the king and his lords ; and 
jnany questions were asked concerning the news of the countries 
they came from; they told all they knew ; how the war had been 
carried on in Spain and Navarre, and how those two kings had con- 
cluded a peace, relating exactly the articles of the treaties, and also 
that the king of Navan'e had married his eldest son to a daughter 
of king Henry. 

The duke of Lancaster and the earl of Cambridge were very pen. 
sive on hearing this intelligence, for they had considered themselves 
as heirs to all Spain in right of their wives : they inquired at what 
time king Henry had died, and if the Spaniards had crowned his 
son king. Sir Thomas Trivet and sir William Helmen answered : 
" My dear lords, when king Henry the bastard died, we were not at 
the coronation of his son ; for at that time we had retreated into 
Navarre ; but we have a herald who was present, and you may, if 
you please, learn from him every particular concerning it." 

The herald was called in, and the duke desired he would relate 
how everything passed. He answered : " My lords, I will comply 
with your request, and tell you all. While these knights were at 
Pampeluna, waiting the conclusion of the treaties, I remained by 
their permission with the king of Navarre, and was much respected 
by him and his people. I left Pampeluna, and accompanied him to 
St. Domingo, where, on his approach king Henry came out to meel 
him with a numerous train, as a proof of his affection. The king of 
Navarre and his people were treated with much honor : in the even- 
ing he was entertained with a very handsome supper. While at 
table, news was brought that a wild boar was discovered in the ad- 
joining moors ; a hunting party was directly formed for the morrow. 
The two kings and their huntsmen were present ; the boar v.'as 
taken ; and they returned to St. Domingo in the most friendly 
manner. 

" The next day, king Henry set out for Pierreferradc,* to keep an 
appointment he had made with his people. He was there seized 
with an illness, of which he died. The king of Navan-e was told of 
it as he was on his road to visit him : he returned back much vexed 
thereat. I then took my leave of hiin, and went to Castille to learn 



• " Pieire-ferrade." Q. I cnniiot find anytliiiis like this name in tlie map near to St. 
Domineo. There is Pon-ferrada on tlie western borders of Leon, but that appears to be 
too distant. 

Denys Sauvage does not seem to understand this passage. 

Moreri says. Henry died at St. Bomingo. 

Ferrerns. in his History ofSpain, says, the vulgar report was, that Henry was poisoned 
by means of a handsome pair of buskins, whiih Mahomet king of Granada sent him as 
a present, lest, when having made peace willi Uie king of Navarre, he might turn liis 
arms against him. Ferreras himself seems (o doubt it. He died at Saint Domingo la 
Cajfada. 39th May, 1374. The infant John was instantly proclaimed king, and left St 
Dommgo for Burgos, carrying with him Uie body of his father, which he deposited 
Inere, in order for its being transported to Toledo. 



what was going forward. King Henry died oa Wednesday. Shortly 
after, on the 25th day ef July, the feast of St. .Tames and St. Chris- 
topher, .John, eldest son of the late king Henry, was crow-ned king 
of Castille, in the cathedral church of the city of Burgos. All the 
barons and prelates of Spain, Galicia, Cordova, and Seville were 
present, and swore, on the holy Evangelists, their homaffes to him 
as king. He created that day two hundred and ten knights, and 
made several magnificent presents. On the mon'ow after iiis coro- 
nation, he went, attended by great numbers of his nobles, to a con- 
vent of nuns, out of Burgos, which is called les Oruchcs, where he 
heard mass and dined. After dinner, there was a grand tournament; 
at which the viscount de Roquebertin, from Arragon, won the prize. 
When this was over, the king returned to Burgos, where tlie feasts 
lasted for fifteen days." 

The duke of Lancaster asked if the king of Portugal had been in. 
vitcd thither : the herald said, " He had been invited, but did not 
come ; and I was informed he tuld the envoy who carried the invita- 
tion, that he would never attend the coronation of the son of a bas- 
tard." " On my faith," replied the duke, " he did well to send such 
an answer, and I thank him for it. Things shall not long remain as 
they now are. It shall soon be otherwise, for my brother and myself 
will call upon don John for that inheritance of which he now styles 
himself king." Here the conversation ended, when they called for 
wine and refreshments. We will now leave this matter, and return 
to what was passing in France. 



CHAPTER XXX. 

THE EAKL OF FLiNDERS STOPS THE PROGRESS OF AN EMBASSADOR FROM 
THE KING OF FRANCE TO SCOTLAND : THIS CAUSES GREAT DISSENSIONS 
BETWEEN THEM. 

King Charles, who at this time governed France, was very saga- 
cious and subtle, as his conduct showed ; for, though he never quilted 
his closet or his amusements, he reconquered all that Ids predeces- 
sors had lost in the field at the head of their armies, for which he was 
greatly to be commended. Now, because the king of France knew 
that king Robert of Scotland, and that whole kingdom, bore a mortal 
hatred to the English (for never can these two kingdoms love each 
other,) that a better understanding between him and the Scots might 
be continued, he determined to send one of his knights, and a secre. 
tary to his council, to king Robert and the Scots, to treat with them ; 
to examine the state of that country, and see whether they wore in a 
condition to carry on any effectual war : for Evan of Wales had 
during his lifetime informed him, that the most certain way of dis- 
ttu'hing England was through Scotland. 

The king of France, having well considered this matter, had various 
ideas on the subject ; and, having fixed his plan, he called to liitn 
one of his knights, a ])rudent man, named sir Peter lord de Boumezel, 
and said : " You will carry this message to Scotland, and salute the 
king and barons, with the assurance that we and our realm are wil- 
ling to enter into treaties with them on the footing of good friends, 
in order that, when the season shall be favorable, we may send over 
troops, to be there admitted in the like manner as the practice has 
been with our predecessors in former times : and in your journeys 
thither and back again, as well as during your residence, you will 
take care to keep such state as shall become an embassador from the 
king ; for such is our will ; and every expense shall be repaid you." 
The knight answered, " Sire, your orders shall be obeyed." 

He did not delay his journey long after this ; but, when his pre- 
parations were ready, he took leave of the king, and set out from 
Paris, continuing his route until he came to Sluys in Flanders. He 
waited there for a wind, which being unfavorable, detained him fif- 
teen days. During this time he lived magnificently ; and gold and 
silver plate were in such profusion in the apartments as if he had 
been a prince. He had also music to announce his dinner, and 
caused to be carried before him a sword in a scabbard, richly 
blazoned with his arms in gold and silver. His seiTants paid w'ell 
for everything. Many of the towns-people were much astonished at 
the great state this knight lived in at home, which he also maintained 
when he went abroad. The bailiff of the town, who was an officer 
under the earl of Flanders, had noticed this conduct, and could not 
remain silent on the subject, for which he was to blame, but went 
and informed the earl of it, who at the time resided at Bruges, and 
his cousin the duke of Brittany with him. The carl of Flanders 
having considered a while, with the advice of the duke of Brittany, 
ordered the embassador to be brought thither. The bailiff returned 
to Sluys, and came very tmcourteously to the king's knight ; for he 
laid his hand on him, and arrested him in the name of the earl. 

The knight was exceedingly surprised at this proceeding : he told 
the bailiff, that he was embassador and commissioner from the king 
of France. The bailiff said, " that might be ; but he must speak 
with the earl, who had ordered him to be conducted into his pres- 
ence." The knight could not by any means excuse himself from 
being carried to Bruges with all his attendants. When he was 
brought into the apartments of the earl, he and the didtc of Brittany 
were leaning on a window which looked into the gardens. The 
knight cast himself on his knees before the earl, and said, " My lord, 
I am your prisoner." At which words, the earl was mightily enraged, 
and replied with a passion, " How, rascal, do you dare to call your- 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



24T 



self my prisoner, when I have only sent to speak with you ? The 
subjects of my lord may very freely come and speak with me ; but 
thou hast ill acquitted thyself by remaining so long at Sluys without 
coming to visit rae, when thou knewest I was so near ; but, I suppose, 
thou disdainedst it." " My lord," answered the knight, " saving your 
displeasure" — He was interrupted by the duke of Brittany, who said, 
" It is by such tattlers and jesters of the parliament of Paris, and of 
tlie king's chamber, as you, that the kingdom is governed ; and you 
manage the king as you please, to do good or evil according to your 
wills : there is not a prince of the blood, however great he may be, 
if he incur your hatred, who will be listened to : but such fellows 
shall yet be hanged, until the gibbets be full of them." 

The knight, who was still on his knees, was much mortified by 
these words: he saw that it was better for him to be silent than to 
make any reply : he did not therefore answer, but quitted tlie pres- 
ence of tile carl and his lords, when he found an opportunity. Some 
worthy people who were with the earl made way for him, and carried 
him to refresh himself. The knight afterwards mounted his horse, 
and returned to his hotel in Sluys, w-here I will tell you what hap- 
pened to him. Although all his stores were embarked, and there 
was a favorable wind for Scotland, he would not sail and risk the 
dangers of the sea ; for he was warned that he was watched by the 
English who resided in Sluys, and that, if he should sail, he would 
be taken, and carried to England. Through fear of this happening, 
he gave up his inte:idcd voyage, quitted Sluj's, and returned to the 
king at Paris. 

You may ea»ily imagine, that the lord de Bournezel was not long 
before he tjld the king all that had befallen him in Flanders : he re- 
lated everything exactly as it had happened. It was necessary he 
should do so by way of excusing himself for not having obeyed his 
orders, as the king was very much surprised at his return. When sir 
Peter was relating the events of this journey, there were present 
several knights of the king's chamber : in particular, sir John de 
Guistelles of Hainault, a cousin to the earl of Flanders, who mutter, 
ingly repeated the words of sir Peter; so that, thinking the knight 
had spoken too freely of the earl of Flanders, he could not contain 
himself, but said : " I cannot thus hear my dear cousin the earl of 
Flanders so slightingly spoken of; and if, sir knight, you mean to 
nffirm for ti-uth all you have said, and assert that he by his act pre- 
vented you from fulfilling your orders, I challenge you to the field, 
and here is my glove." 

The lord de Bournezel was not slow to reply: " Sir John, I say 
that I was thus arrested and conducted by the bailiff of Sluys, and 
brought before the earl of Flanders ; and that every word which I 
have spoken as from that earl and the duke of Brittany were said by 
them ; and if you wish to say anytliing to the contrary, and that it 
was not so, I will take up your glove." '* I do say so," replied the 
lord de Guistelles. At these words, the king looked very grave, and 
said, " Come, come ; we will hear no more of this." He then retired 
into his closet, attended by his chamberlains, very well pleased that 
sir Peter had so frankly spoken, and had so well answered sir John 
de Guistelles. He said to them smiling, " He has kept hi? ground 
well : I would not for twenty thousand francs it had not so hap- 
pened." Sir John de Guistelles, who was one of the king's cham- 
berlains, was afterwards so ill at court, and received with so much 
coldness, that he noticed it, and wished not to abide the consequen- 
ces : he therefore took leave of the king, and went to Brabant to 
duke Winceslaus, who retained him in his service. With regard to 
the king of France, he was much angered with the earl of Flanders ; 
for it appeared to several of the kingdom, that he had prevented the 
lord de Bournezel from continuing his journey to Scotland. He had 
also entertained his cousin the duke of Brittany, who was greatly 
out of favor with the king of France. Those who were near the 
person of the king easily saw that the earl of Flanders was not in 
his good graces. Shortly after this event, the king of France wrote 
very sharp letters to his cousin the earl of Flanders, which contained 
also menaces, for that he had supported and kept with liim the duke 
of Brittany, whom he considered as his enemy. 

The earl, wrote back again, and made the best excuses he could. 
These were, however, of no avail ; for the king of France sent him 
sharper letters, in which ho declared, that if he did not send away 
his enemy the duke of Brittany, he would look upon him in the same 
light. When the earl of Flanders saw the manner in which the king 
took it, and that he would follow it up, he considered with himself 
(for he had a quick imagination,) and resolved to show these menaces 
to his principal toivns, more especially to Ghent, to know what answer 
they would wish him to send. He dispatched copies to Bruges, 
Ypres and Courtray ; and he set out with the duke of Brittany for 
Ghent, where they lodged at the postern gate. He was received by 
the citizens with very great joy, fur at that time they were much 
pleased to have him amjng them. When the deputies from the other 
towns were an-ived, according to their orders, the count had them 
assembled ; and John de la Faucille harangued them, in his name, 
on the cause of his meeting them : he read to them the letters which 
had been received within the last two months from the king of France. 
After these letters had been read, the earl spoke as follows : ■' My 
children, and good people of Flanders, through God's grace, I have 
been for a long time your lord: I have governed you in peace as 
much as was in my power ; and you have never seen anything in 



me but a desire to maintain you in prosperity, as a good lord should 
act in regard to his subjects. It must be veiy displeasing to me, and 
to you also who are my faithful subjects, that I should incur the 
hatred of my lord the king, because I keep with me my cousin-german 
the duke of Brittany, who at this lime is not in favor with the court 
of France ; nor, in truth, can he place ajiy dependence on his vassals 
of Brittany, through the hatred of five or six of his barons. The 
king insists that I banish him my house and territories, which would 
be very extraordinary. I do not say but that if I should assist my 
cousin in opposition to France, the king might have cause to com- 
plain : but I have neither done so, nor have I any such inclinations. 
It is for this cause I have assembled you, to explain to you the dangers 
that might happen if you should be desirous for him to remain with 
me." They answered unanimously, " My lord, we do wish him to 
remain with you : and we know not that prince, however great he 
may be, who should resolve to make war upon you, but who would 
find in your earldom of Flanders two hundred thousand men com- 
pletely armed." 

This reply was very agreeable to the earl of Flanders, who said, 
" My good children, I thank you." The assembly now broke up ; 
and the earl was so well pleased that he gave them permission to 
return to their own homes in peace. The earl, at a proper time, re- 
turned to Bruges in company with the duke of Brittany. Tilings 
remained in this situation. The earl was very popular with his sub- 
jeets, and the country continued in peace and prosperity: this, how- 
ever, did not last long, through extraordinary wickedness, which, 
brought on great tribulation, as you will hear related in tliis liistory. 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

THE DUKE OF BKITTANT KETIRES FROM FLANDERS TO ENGLAND. THE 
VOUNQ COUNT DE ST. POL, WHILE A PRISONER IN ENGLAND, MARRIES. 

The king of France was punctually informed of everything that 
bad passed, and the speech which the earl of Flanders had made- 
He did not love him the better for this : but, as he cou'd not remedy 
it, he thought it more prudent to overlook it : he declared, however, 
that the earl was the proudest prince alive. From the king's manner,, 
it was visible he was the lord ho would most willingly have humbled, 
both for his pride and for his opposition to his desires. The earl of 
Flanders, notwithstanding the king of France had written to say he 
was very much displeased at his keeping the duke of Brittany with 
him, did not send him away, but entertained him as long as he wished 
to stay, and gave him a handsome establishment. At last, the duke 
was advised to visit England, which he likewise wished to see : he 
took leave of the earl his cousin, and went to Gravelines, where he 
was met by the earl of Salisbury, with five hundred men-at-arms and 
a thousand archers, for fear of the French garrisons, and conducted 
to Calais : sir Hugh Calverley, the governor, received him with all 
respect. 

When the duke had staid at Calais five days, having a favorable 
wind, he embarked with the earl of Salisbury, and landed at Dover, 
and from thence went to the young king Richard, who received them 
with much joy ; as did also the duke of Lancaster, the earls of Cam- 
bridge and Buckingham, and the great barons of England. 

You have before heard how sir Valeran de Luxembourg, the young 
count de St. Pol, had been made prisoner in a battle between Ardr«s 
and Calais, and had been carried to England under the king's plea- 
sure, who had purchased him of the lord de Gommegines : for the 
lord de Gommegines had set on foot this expedition, in which the 
count had been made a prisoner by a squire, a good man-at-arms, 
from the country of Gueldres. The young count de St. Pol remained 
a long time a prisoner in England, without being ransomed : true it 
is, that the king of England, during the lifetime of the captal de 
Buch, offered him several times to the king of France and to his 
allies in exchange for the captal ; but neither the king of France nor 
his council would listen to it, nor give up the captal in exchange, t» 
the great dissatisfaction of the king of England. 

Things remained for some time in this situation. The count de 
St. Pol had an agreeable prison in the beautiful castle of Windsor,, 
and was allowed the liberty of amusing himself with hawking wher- 
ever he pleased in the environs of Westminster and Windsor : he 
was thus trusted on the faith of his word. The princess, mother of 
king Richard, resided at that time at Windsor, with her daughter, 
the lady Maude, the most beautiful woman in England. The young 
count de St. Pol and this lady fell loyally in love with each other: 
they frequently met at dancings, caroUings, and at other amuse- 
ments ; so that it was suspected the young lady tenderly loved the 
count, and she discovered the whole to her mother. A treaty of 
marriage was then entered into between the count de St. Pol and the 
lady Maude Holland : the count was ransomed for six score thousand 
francs ; of which one half was to be remitted^ on his marriage, the 
remainder he was to pay. When the treaty had been concluded be- 
tween the young people, the king of England granted permission for 
the count to cross the sea, in order to procure his ransom, on his pro- 
mise to return within the year. The count went to France to see 
his friends, the king and his cousins of France, the earl of Flanders, 
the duke of Brabant, and also duke Albert. 

In this year, a cruel charge viw laid against the count de St. Pol: 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN. &. 



-248 ^ 

he was accused of an intent'ion to deliverup to the English the strong j 
.^^I of Boucham. The king ordered him to be arrested and close y 
graded, declaring that the count in fact meant to have entered mo 
Sealies inimical toward him; from which charge the count could 
"clear himself. On this occasion also the lord canon deRobe 
sart'the lord de Vertaing, sir James dn Sart and Gerard d'Ob.es 
tTre imprisoned in the castle of Mons in Hamault. This charge at 
length came to nothing; for, the king of France not being able to 
prove anything against them, they were set at liberty. The young 
count returned to England, to acquit hiniself of his engagement to 
the king, and to marry his bride. He paid the sixty thousand tranc 
according to his obligation, and recrossed the sea, but did not enter 
France, tor the king disliked him much. 

The count and countess went therefore to reside at the castle ot 
Han-sur-Heure, which the lord de Moraine, who had mamed his 
sister, lent them ; and there they remained dunng the life of the king 
of France ; for the count could never regain his love. We will now 
.leave these things, and return to France. 



CHAPTER XXXII. 

THE DUKE OF AfJJOn MAKES WAK ON BRITTANY. SIK WILLIAM DES 
HORDES IS TAKEN PRISONER BY THE GARRISON OF CHERBOURG. 

At this period, all Brittany was armed, as well against the duke as 
against the French. Several of the principal towns had a good under- 
^andinc' with the duke, and wondered he was not sent back : there 
were also many knights and squires of Brittany of the same opinion; 
and, by means of a treaty, the countess de Penthievre, mother to the 
-children of Charles de Blois, was not averse to his return, but sir 
Bertrand duGuesclin, constable of France, the lords de Clisson, de 
Laval, the viscount de Rohan, and the lord de Rochefort, kept the 
counl.7 in a state of warfare with the force sent them from irancc. 
At Pontorson, St. Malo, and in that neighborhood, were great num- 
bers of men-at-arms from France, Normandy, Auvergne, and Bur- 
ffundy, who committed very great devastations. , ^ „ . , 

The duko of Brittany, who was in England, received full informa- 
-tion of all this, and that the duke of Anjou, who resided at Angers, 
wa-s carrv'in" the war into his country : he heard also that the princi. 
pal towns had armed themselves against the French, as well as sev- 
oral knights and squires, in his name, for which he felt himself much 
obligod. But, notwithstanding all these favorable symptoms, he was 
afraid to return to Brittany with full confidence in them, for he vyas 
always suspicious of some treason : neither did his own council, the 
king of England, nor duke of Lancaster advise hmi to go thither. 

fe^ir William des Bordes maintained the garrisons in Normandy and 
Valo.'nes of which he was captain : he had with hini the deputy sen- 
eschal of Eu, sir William Marcel, sir Braque de Braquemont, the 
lord de Torcy.sir Percival d'Ayneval, the bfegue d'Yury, sir Lancelot 
de Lorris, with many other knights and squires, who day and night, 
employed their thoughts in devising how they could damage Cher- 
bourg, of which sir John Harlestone was governor. The garrison of 
Cherbourg made as frequent sallies as they pleased ; for they could do 
60 without any one knowing of it, through the extensive forest with 
which they were surrounded. They had made a road through the 
wood in siich a manner that they could overrun part of Normandy 
without danger from the French. 

It fell out that both garrisons made an e-xcursion the same day 
tvithout the knowledge of each other, and by accident met at a place 
called Pastoy.fes-Bois. When they met, like knights and squires 
desirous of fighting, they all dismounted except sir Lance bt de Lorns, 
who remained on horseback, his lance in its rest, and his target on 
his neck, requesting a tilt in honor of his lady. Several heard his de- 
mand ; for there was also among the English some knights and squires 
who had bound themselves in like manner by vows of love to their 
ladies. I believe it was sir John Copeland, a hardy kmght, who ac- 
cepted his challenge. Then, spurring their horses, tney charged each 
other very gallantly, and gave dreadful blows on their targets bir 
Lancelot was. however, so severely struck by the English knight that 
his shield and other armor was pierced through, and himse t mor- 
tally wounded. It was a great pity, for he was an expert kniglit, i 
young, handsome, and much in love. He was there and elsewhere 
sincerely lamented. , 

The French and English then attacked each other, fighting hand to 
hand On the part of the French, sir William des Bordes, the deputy 
seneschal of Eu, sir William Marcel, sir Braque de Braquemont, and 
the others, showed themselves good knights, and fought maniul y. 
Sir John Harlestone, sir Philip Picourde, sir John Burley, sir John 
Copeland, and the rest of the English behaved well ; and, from their 
superior fighting, they at last won the day. The French kiiights and 
squires were either taken or slain ; in particular, a squire from Hain- 
ault, called William de Beaulieu, and sir WilUam des Bordes were 
made prisoners. They were conducted to Cherbourg, where they 
met sir Oliver du Guesclin, who was a prisoner also. 
Thus ended the business, as I was informed. 






CHAPTER XXXIII. 

GEOFFKT TETE-NOIRE AND AIMEF.IGOT MARCEL, CAPTAINS ATTACHED T(J 
ENGLAND, TAKE SEVERAL STRONG PLACES IN AUVERGNE AND LIMOUSIM 
FROM THE FRENCH. 

There happened daily in Auvergne and Limousin feats of arms, 
and wonderful enterprises; more especially in the neighborhood of 
the castle of Ventadour, in Auvergne, which is one of the strongest 
places in all that country. It was sold or betrayed to the most cruel 
of all Bretons, called Geoffry Tete-noire. I will relate how this 
happened. 

The count de Ventadour de Montpensier was an ancient knight 
and honorable man, who no longer took part in the wars, but remained 
peaceably in his castle : this knight had a squire, or varlet, called 
Ponce du Bois, who had served him for a length of time without 
having profited much by his service : seeing that hcncefonvard he 
should have no opportunities of gaining riches, he determined, by bad 
advice, to enrich himself, and in consequence entered into a secret 
treaty with Geoflry Tete-noire, who resided in Limousin, to deliver 
up the castle of Ventadour to him for the sum of six thousand francs. 
This was agreed to ; but he had insevted among the conditions that 
no harm should be done to his master, the count de Ventadour, and 
that he should be put out of his castle in a courteous manner, and that 
everything of liis should be restored to him. This was complied 
with, for tlie Bretons and English who entered the castle did not ia 
the smallest degree hurt the count nor his people, and only retained 
the stores and artillery, of which there were great plenty. 

The count de Ventadour went to reside at Montpensier,* with 
his wife and children, beyond Aigueperse in .*i.uvergne. Geoffry 
Tete-noire and his troops kept possession of Ventadour ; from whence 
they ravaged the country, and took many strong castles in Auvergne, 
Rouergue, Limousin, Quercy, Gevaudan, BigoiTC, and in the Age. 
nois, one after the other. 

With this Geoffiy Tdte-noire, there were other captains, who 
performed many excellent deeds of arm's, as Aimerigot Marcel, a 
Limousin squire attached to the English party, who took the strong 
castle of Cassuriel, situated in the bishopric of Clemiont in Auvergne; 
from whence the above-mentioned Aimerigot and his companions 
overran the country at their pleasure. Captains of other castles were 
also in his company, such as the bourg Calarf, the bourg Anglois,the 
bourg de Champagne, Raymond de Force, a Gascon, and Peter de 
Beam, a Bearnois. 

Aimerigot made one day an excursion, with only twelve compan. 
ions, to seek adventures: they took the road toward Aloise, near St. 
Flour, which has a handsome castle, in the bishopric of Clermont : 
they knew the castle was only guarded by the porter. As they were 
ridin<T silently toward Aloise, Aimerigot spies the porter sitting on 
the trunk of a tree withoutside of the castle : a Breton, who shot 
extraordinarily weU with a cross-bow, says to him, "Would you hke 
to have that porter killed at a shot?" " Yes, replied Aimerigot ; " and 
I beg you will do so." The cross-bowman shoots a bolt, which he 
drives into the porter's head, and knocks him down : the porter, feel- 
ing himself mortally wounded, regains the gate, which he iittcmpts to 
shut, but cannot, and falls down dead. Aimerigot and his compan- 
ions hasten to the castle, which they enter by the wicket, and see the 
porter lyin" dead and his wife distracted beside him: they do her no 
harm, but Inquire where the constable of the castle is : she replies 
that he is at Clermont. They promise to spare her life, if she will 
give them the keys of the castle and of the dungeon ; which when 
she had done, for she could not any way defend herself, they shut 
her out, having given her what belonged to her, and indeed as much 
as she could cany away. She went to St. Flour, which is but a league 
ofi': the inhabitants were much frightened, as well as the adjoining 
country, when they heard that Aloise was become English. 

Soon after this, Aimerigot Marcel recaptured the strong castle of 
Balon by surprise ; the governor was asleep in the great tower, when 
he scaled the walls, for the place was not easy to be taken by force; 
but, by means of this tower, the castle might be gained. Aimerigot, 
therefore, thought of a subtle trick : having possession of the father 
and mother of the governor, he ordered them to be led in sight of 
i the tower, making every preparation to behead them, it the son did 
' not surrender himself. The good people thought they were instantly 
to be murdered, and cried out to their son to take compassion on 
them, bewailing most lamentably their unfortunate lot. 

The Tovernor was much afl^ected ; he could not sutTcr his parents 
to be put to death: he therefore surrendered the tovvrr, when the 
whole family were thrust out of the castle. Thus did Balon belong 
to the English, a circumstance which, in its consequences, much 
harassed the countrv ; for all sorts of people who wished to do evU 
retired thither, or to'Cassuriel, two leagues from Limoges to Carlat, 
to Aloise, to Ventadour, or to some other such castles. When these 
.garrisons were all collected in a body, they might amount to five or 
six hundred lances : they overran the whole country, and the tern- 
tories of the count dauphin d'Auvergne, situated at no great distance 
from their garrison ; for none ventured u oppose them when thus 
coUected toiether. It is true, the lord de Chupier was a great enemy 
to them ; as were the lor d de Forterel and the bastard de Forterel., 
~ •• Moiitpen3iei"-a toum in Auvergne, diocese of Olermont, neat Aigueperse. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, Sec. 



249 



Jus brother, and a squire from tlie Bourbonnoig called Gordomes. 
This Gordomes, one day meeting Ainierigot Marcel, by a gallant 
■exploit, took liini prisoner, and ransomed liini for five thousand francs; 
so much did lie gain for him. Thus was the war carried on in 
Auvergne, Limousin, and the adjoining countries. 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 

A SCHISM IN THE CHUKCH. THE CAUSE OF IT. THE BRETONS MAKE WAH 
ON THE R0.«ANS. THE QUEEN OF NAPLES GIVES UP HER TERRITORIES 
TO POPE CLEMENT VII. 

I HAVE been a long wliile silent on the affairs of the church : I 
now return to them, for it is become necessary. You have before 
heard how the cardinals, to appease the Roman populace, who were 
very much enraged against them, had chosen for pope the archbishop 
of Bari, whose name, before his elevation, was Bartliolomew Prig- 
nano: he afterwards assumed that of Urban VI. and gave indulgences 
according to the usual custom. Tlie cardinals intended, on a proper 
opportunity, to make another election : for this pope, being choleric 
and obstinate, was neither profitable to tlicm nor to the church; so 
that when he found himself invested with the powers of papacy, in 
consequence of which many priuscs of Christendom had written to 
hini to acknowledge their obedience, he became very haughty, and 
desirous of retrer.chiug the powers of the cardinals, and depriving 
them of several of their riglits and accustomed prerogatives. 

This conduct was liighly displeasing to them : tliey held a meet- 
ing, and declared that he would never do them any service, and was 
besides unfit to govern the Chiistian world. Several proposed to elect 
another, more wise and prudent, and better able to govern the church. 
The whole body were eager for this, more especially that cardinal 
who was afterwards elected pope. During the whole summer, the 
affair continued in suspense ; for those who wished a. new election 
dared not publicly declare their intentions for lear of the Romans. 
About the time of the vacations, many cardinals left Rome to amuse 
themselves in different places in the neighborhood. Urban went to 
a city called Tivoli, where lie remained a considerable time. During 
these vacations or terms (that lasted not long, for there were many 
clergy from different parts of the world at Rome, waiting for graces 
which had been promised, some of whom had been collated to 
churches,) the refractory cardinals assembled to elect a pope, and 
their unanimous choice fell on sir Robert de Geneva, son to the 
count of Geneva, whose first promotion had been to the bishopric of 
Terouenne, then to tlie archbishopric of Cambray, and at last cardi. 
nal of Geneva. The greater number of cardinals attended this elec- 
tion. The new pope took the name of Clement. 

At this period, Silvester Budes, a valiant knight from Brittany, 
was in the country near Rome, and had under him upward of two 
thousand Bretons, who in the late years had done much against the 
Florentines, whom pope Gregory had made war upon and excom- 
municated for their rebellion; but, tlirough the intercession of Silves- 
ter Budes, they had been pardoned. Pope Clement and the cardinals 
of his parly, sent secretly for him and his troops. He marched 
directly into the strong castle of St. Angelo, in the village of St. 
Peter, the better to check the Romans. 

Pope Urban, and the cardinals attached to him, were afraid to 
quit Tivoli, though they very much wished it, on account of these 
Bretons ; for they were determined men, who murdered all whom 
they met in opposition to them. The Romans, on finding how dan- 
gerously they were situated, sent for other soldiers, Germans and 
Lombards, who daily skirmished with the Bretons. Clement granted 
indulgences to all the clergy who wished for them, and published his 
election throughout the world. 

When king Charles of France was informed of this, he was much 
astonished : he summoned his brothers and all the great barons, the 
prelates, the rector and principal doctors of the university of Paris, 
to know wliich of the two popes, the first or the last, he ought to pay 
obedience to. This matter was not soon determined, for the clergy 
were of divided opinions: but, in the end, all the prelates in France 
inclined to Clement, as did the king's brothers and the majority of 
the university of Paris. The king received so much instiuction and 
information at this assembly from the most learned of the clergy, 
that he put himself under the obedience of Clement, whom he held 
for the true and loyal pope. He then published an edict throughout 
his realm for every person to consider Clement as pope, and to obey 
liim as a god upon earth. The king of Spain was of the same opin- 
ion ; as were the earl of Savoy, the duke of Milan and the queen of 
Naples. 

Clement having gained the king of France, his cause acquired 
great credit ; for the kingdom of France is the fountain of faith and 
of excellence, from the grand churches which are established there 
and the noble prelatures. Charles of Bohemia, king of Germany and 
emperor of Rome, was still living : ho resided at Prague in Bohemia, 
where he had heard of all these things to his great astonishment. 
However, his empire of Germany, excepting the bishopric of Trect,* 
was so strongly inclined in their faith to Urban, that they would not 
hear mention made of another. The emperor dissembled as long as 
ho lived, and replied so courteously, whenever any conversation 



•Trect." Q. Trent. 



passed on this subject, that his barons and prelates were quite satis- 
fied. Notwithstanding this, the churches in the empire obeyed 
Urban ; but the whole of Scotland acknowledged Clement. 

Earl Lewis of Flanders oppressed very much the Clementists in 
Brabant, Hainault and Liege ; for he was a determined Urbanist, 
and said that this pope had been scandalously treated. The earl 
was so much believed and loved in the parts where he resided, that, 
on his sole account, the churches and landholders followed his opin- 
ion. But those of Hainault, with the churches and their appendages, 
as well as their sovereign, called Albert, remained neuter, and obeyed 
neither one nor the other of the popes ; for which reason, the arch, 
bishop of Cambray at that time, called John, lost his temporalities ia 
Hainault. 

Pope Clement, about this time, sent the cardinal de Poitiers, a 
very prudent and wise man, to France, Hainault, Flanders and Bra. 
bant, to preach and to instruct the people ; for he had been present 
at the first conclave, and could well explain that through fear they 
had elected the archbishop of Bari to the papacy. The king of 
France, his brothers and the prelates of that realm, received him very 
graciously, and listened attentively to his words and doctrines, which 
seemed to carry truth with them, and to be of a nature to engage 
their wl.-ole faith. On leaving France, he went to Hainault, where 
he was received with joy. He was also received in the same manner 
by the duke and duchess of Brabant, but gained nothing more. He 
thought of calling at Liege on his return, but was advised to the 
contrary, and therefore returned to Touruay, intending to visit Flan- 
ders from thence, and converse with the earl : however, he did not ; 
for it was signified to liini from the earl, that he would have nothing 
to say to him, considering I'rban as pope, and in that opinion would 
live and die. 

The cardinal went from Tournay to Valenciennes, and from 
tlience to Cambray, where he staid a long time in hopes of receiving' 
good news. Thus was the Christian world divided, and the churches 
differed in regard to which was the legal pope. Urban had the lar- 
ger number ; but the most profitable in revenue and obedience fell 
to Clement. 

Clement, by the advice of his cardinals, sent to have the palace at 
Avignon prepared for him ; for it was his intention to repair thither 
as soon as he was able. In the interim, he resided at Fondi, where 
he granted his indulgences to all such clergy as were desirous of 
having them. Large bodies of soldiers occupied the plains and vil. 
lagcs near Rome, and made war upon that city and the village of St. 
Peter, which they attacked day and night; while those who were in 
the castle of St. Angelo gave much disturbance to the Romans. 
The inhabitants, having strengthened themselves by many German 
soldiers, collected together, and in one day conquered the village of 
St. Peter : such Bretons as were able, secured themselves in the 
castle of St. Angelo ; but they were so much harassed, as to sur- 
render the castle on having their lives spared, and retreat toward 
Fondi, and to the flat country thereabouts. The Romans dismantled 
the casde of St. Angelo, and burnt the village of St. Peter. 

When sir Silvester Budes, who was still in that country, heard 
that his people had lost the village of St. Peter and the castle of St. 
Angelo, he was much vexed, and thought how he could revenge 
himself on the Romans. He learnt from his spies, that the principal 
persons from the city were to meet in council at the capitol ; upon 
which he planned an enterprise of men-at-arms, whom he had 
retained near him, and rode that day through by-roads to Rome, 
which he entered by the gate leading to Naples. On his arrival, he 
made directly for the capitol, and came there so opportunely that the 
council had just left their hall, and were in the square. These Bre- 
tons, couching their spears and spurring their horses, charged the 
Romans full gallop, and slew and wounded numbers of the principal 
persons of the city. Among those that lay dead in the square were 
seven banners and two hundred other rich men : a great many more 
were wounded. When the Bretons had performed this exploit they 
retreated, as it was evening : they were not pursued, on account of 
the night, and because the Romans were so frightened that they 
could only attend on their friends. They passed the night in great 
anguish of heart, burying the dead, and taking care of the wounded. 
The next morning, they bethought themselves of an act of cruelty, 
which they put into execution : they attacked the poor clergy who 
resided in Rome, and who had not been guilty of the smallest fault, 
slew and wounded upward of three hundred, but in particular, they 
showed no mercy to any Bretons who fell into their hands. In this 
miserable situation was Rome and its neighborhood, on account of 
two popes ; and those who had not been any way concerned in the 
business paid dearly for it. 

Pope Clement and his cardinals resided at Fondi, where the queen 
of Naples came to visit and encourage him ; for she and her subjects 
were attached to him as pope, and anxious to support him as such. 
The queen of Naples* had entertained an idea for a considerable 
time of surrendering the kingdom of Sicily and county of Provence, 
which were dependencies on her crown, into the hands of the pope, 
for him to give according to his will, as an inheritance, to any prince 
of high birth in France, but who must have the means of defending 
her against those of the house of Hungary, whom she mortally hated 



*" The queen of Naples;" tfie celebrated Joan. Her history is difierentlr related 
from Froissart's account. 



250 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &,c. 



4iHf3 




On tlie queen's arrival at Fondi, she humbled herself before the 
oope, and, having confessed herself to him, related all her affan-s 
without disguise, adding : " Holy father, I possess several great and 
noble inheritances ; the kingdoms of Naples and Sicily, la t'agha, 
Calabria, and the county of Provence. In truth, king Lewis ol 
Sicily, duke of la Puglia and Calabria, 
my father, during his lifetime, acknow- 
ledged holding these territories from the 
church, and, tuking my hand on his death- 
bed, said to me : My good child, you are 
heiress of a very extensive and rich conn- 
try ; and I believe that many princes wUl 
endeavor to obtain you for a wife on ac- 
count of the handsome territories you will 
possess. Now, I would recommend you 
to follow my advice, which is, to unite 
yourself with a powerful prince, who will 
be able to keep your kingdoms in peace ; 
and should it so happen that, through 
God's will, you have not any heirs, yield 
to whoever may be at the time pope all 
your territories ; for king Robert, my fa- 
ther, so charged me on his death.bed, 
which is the reason, my dear daughter, I 
order you so to do, and discharge myself 
from it. Holy father, I promised to com- 
piv with Ivis wishes, and pledged my faith, 
in' t'he presence of all who were in the 
chamber, to fulfil his last request. In 
truth, holy father, after his decease, with 
the consent of the nobles of S-xily and 
Naples, I wedded Andrew of Hungary, 
brother to Lewis king of Hungary, by 
■whom I had not any children ; for he died 
a young man, at Ai.x in Provence.* After 
his death, they married me to Charles 
prince of Taranto, by whom I had a 
daughter. The king of Hungary, being 
angry that his brother died, made war on 
my husband, the lord Charles, and took 
from him la Puglia and Calabria : he also 

made h.in prisoner in battle, carried him to Hungary, where 
died during his confinement. . 

" After this, with the con-sent of my nobility, I was united to James 
kin-" of Majorca, who went to France for the lord Louis de Navarre 
to come and marrv my daughter, but he died on the road, the 
king of Majorca left me with the intention to reconquer his liingdom 
of Majorca, which the king of Arragon kept from him by force ; lor 
he had put his father to death in prison, and disinherited the son. I 
told the kin-', my husband, that I was sufficiently rich to maintain 
him in as po°mpous a style as he should please ; but he insisted so 
much and gave such plausible reasons for recovering his inherit- 
ance, that I consented, with a half-willing mind, for him to act as he 
pleased ; but, on his departure, I particularly enjoined him to go to 
kin" Charles of France, and explain to him his business, and to fol- 
low°what he should advise : this, however, he totally neglected to 
do, and ill consequences resulted from it ; for he went to the prince 
of'Wales, in whom he had greater confidence than in the king of 
France, who is my relation, and who promised to assist him iiijiis 
undertaking. However, during the time he was on this expedition, complish. 



Pope Clement heard this speech with pleasure, and received the J 
gift m great reverence, replying, " My daughter of Naples, we will ' 
take such measures that your territories shall have an heir of youi 
noble and powerful blood, and who shall be family able to resist at:! 
who may wish to oppose him." Public and authentic acta wen 'j 



i!iat'!iS(4i*[fi^lJil!|[l 




QnBEN OF Naples suirendering her Territories to pope Clement vn. From a MS. of the 15tli century. 



he 



drawn up of all these gifts, so that they might in future estabM, 
the right, and make everything clear to those who in times to com-i' 
may hear of them.* 



CHAPTER XXXV. 

POrE CLEMENT SOES TO AVIG.VON. HE MAKES THE DUKE OF ANJOtJ XiSM 
KIFICENT PKESE.N-T3. SIR SILVESTER BUDES AND HIS COMPANIONS iM^ 
BEHEADED. j 

When the queen of Naples and the lerd Otlio of Brunswick ha.i; 
concluded with the pope the object of their journey to Fondi, ano, 
had remained there to amuse themselves as long as they chose, the;i. 
took leave, and returned to Naples. Pope Clement thought it woulii, 
not be for his advantage to remain longer so near Rome. Havinfl ' 
learnt that Urban and the Romans were laboring hard to gain Uw, 
love of the Neapolitans and the lord Charles Durazzo, he was alarmeo 
lest the roads to Avignon should be so blocked up by sea am 
land that he would not get thither, which he was very desirous to ac 
What made him the more eager to arrive at Avignon wa 
■ '" ' ' ■ , tho8 



I'wrote and sent embassadors" to the king of France, to desire he I his wish to present as a gilt, without prejudice or ™Iat on, 
Is send me a nobleman of the blood.royal, to whom I might give rights which the queen o Nap es had given him over the kingdom 
would send me """"^m ^ [ ^' ^.^.^^^^ ^^^-^^^ ^he of Naples and Sicily, to the duke ot Anjou, and wluch had been le 



my daughter, that our ..-- ,.,,,,,■ j 

kin" of France attended to my proposals, for which I thank him, and 
sent me his cousin Robert d'Artois, whom I man-ied to my daughter. 
" Holy father, my husband, the king of Majorca, died during his 
expedition : I then married the lord Otho of Brunswick. The lord 
Charles Durazzo, seeing that the lord Otho v^ould enjoy my inherit- 
ance during my life, made war upon us, and took us prisoners in the 
Castle del Ovo, when the sea was so liigh that it seemed to cover us. 
We were all so much frightened that we surrendered ourselves, on 
our lives being spared. The lord Charles detained in prison my hus- 
band, myself,'my daughter, and her husband, so long that the two 
last died. We gained our liberty afterwards by a treaty, which gave 
up to him la Puglia and Calabria ; and he now looks to inherit Na- 
ples, Sicily, and Provence ; for which reason he seeks alliances 
everywhere, and will set aside the rights of the church as soon as I 
shall be dead, or at least he will do everything in his power to 
accomplish it. , ,-, i 

" Wherefore, holy father, as I wish to acquit myself toward God, 
you, and the souls of my predecessors, I now place in your hands 
all the territories which belong to me, of Sicily, Naples, la Puglia, 
Calabria, and Provence, and give them up to you to dispose of to 
whomsoever shall be to you the most agreeable, and who shall be 
able to conquer them from our enemy Charles Durazzo." 



* She had him murdered, and thrown out of a window nt Aversa, where he lay for 
several days, and was at last interred secretly by his nurse, who was very fond of him, 
and a canon of St. Januarius, in the cathedral of Naples. The whole tale which she 
lelates is very incorrect , 



gaily signed and sealed. 

He therefore prudently arranged his affairs in secret, and einbarkOx 
on board the galleys which had been sent from Arragon, attended b 
his cardinals and their families : having favorable winds, they ai^ 
rived, without accident, at Marseilles, to the great joy of the peopl; 
in those parts : thence the pope went to .-Vvignon, and sent intormJi 
tion of his arrival to the king of France and his brothers, who wel<, 
much pleased thereat. The duke of Anjou, who at that time resided; 
at Toulouse, waited on him. The pope, immediately on his arriTO; 
presented him with all those powera with v/hich the queen of Naplei, 
had invested him. The duke of Anjou, who was ever ambitious*, 
be possessed of honors and large possessions, received these gjfii; 
most gratefully, and accepted thcin for himself and his heirs, telBap 
his holiness, that as soon as he was able, he would visit those cotpj 
tries with such a force as should enable him to resist all the enemie ; 
of the queen of Naples. The duke remained with the pope aboti 
fifteen days, and then returned to Toulouse to the duchess and In 
cliildren. The pope gave the command of his men-at-arms to si 
Bernard de la Salle and to Florimond Guerrier. 

At this period, there was in Tuscany a right valiant English knigW 
called sir John Hawkwood,t who had there performed many mos 
gallant deeds of arms ; he had left France at the conclusion of tb 



* For furliieraccQiintsofher life, see Bayie's Dictionary. ^ 

t •• Sir John llawkwood." For an account of him, see vol, vi. of the BiblioUW 

Britannica, where tliere is a life of )iim, his engraved portrait and tomb. See also M 

Sheplierii's life of Poggio Bracciolini. 



I 



CHRONICLKS OF ENGLAND, t' RANGE, SPAIN, &c. 



251 



neace of Bretigny, and was at that time a poor knight, who thought 
lit would be of no advantage to him to return liome ; but when he 
^aw, that by the treaties, all men.iit-arnis would be I'orccd to leave 
France, he piit himself at the head of those free companions called 
nte. comers, and marched into Burgundy. Several such companions, 
•cimposed of English, Gascons, Bretons, Germans, and of men from 
)very nation, were collected there. Hawkwood was one of the 
principle leaders, with Bricquet and Carnelle, by whom the battle of 
iBrignais was fought, and wlio aided Bernard de la Salle to take the 
[Pont du St. Esprit. 

' When they had liarassed the country for some time, the marquis 
\v Montferrat made a treaty with them to assist him in his war with 
he lords of Milan. This marquis led them over the Alps, after he 
|iad paid them si.xty thousand francs, of which Hawkwood received, 
lor himself and his troops, ten thousand. When they had finished 
;he war for the marquis, the greater part of them returned to France ; 
lor sir Bertrand du Gucsclin, the lords de la Marche, de Beaujeau, 
|uid sir Arnold d'Andreghen marshal of France, wislicd to lead them 
[nto Spain, to don Henry de Trastamare, against dou Pedro king of 
jSpain. '' 

Sir John Hawkwood and nis companions remained in Italy, and 
[were employed by pope Urban as long as he lived in his wars in the 
(Milanese. Pope Gregory, successor to Urban, engaged him in the 
same manner. Sir .Tohn had also a profitable employment, under 
phe lord de Coucy, against the count de Vertus and his barons ; in 
Which, some say, the lord de Coucy would have been slain, if sir 
ifohn Hawkwood had not come to his assistance with five hundred 
pombatants, which he was solely induced to do because the lord de 
Coucy had married one of the king of England's daughtere. This 
pir John Plawkwood was a knight much inured to war, which he had 
long followed, and had gained great renown in Italy from his gal- 
lantry. 

I The Romans, therefore, and Urban, who called himself pope, re. 
■solved, on Clement leaving Italy, to send for Hawkwood, and appoint 
ihim commander-in-chief of all their forces: they made him large 
offers of retaining him and his whole troop at a handsome subsidy, 
which he accepted, and acquitted himself loyally for it. In eom- 
oany with the Romans, he defeated a large body of Bretons under 
the command of Silvester Budes ; the greater part of whom were 
pither slain or taken : Silvester Budes was carried prisoner to Rome, 
where he was in great danger of being beheaded. To say tlie truth, 
tt would have been more for his honor, and for that of his friend, had 
he been so the day he was brought there ; for he and another squire 
of Brittany, called William Boileau, were afterwards beheaded in the 
city of Mascon by order of pope Clement. They were suspected of 
treachery, on account of having escaped from the prisons in Rome, 
no one knew how, and had come to Avignon, where they were 
arrested. 

The cardinal of Amiens was the author of their arrest; for he hated 
them ever since the wars in Italy, when they had killed some of his 
baggage-horses, and seized a large quantity of money and gold and 
'silver plate, which Silvester had distributed among his followers, by 
way of pay, being unable otherwise to satisfy them. The cardinal 
was much enraged at this conduct, and secretly charged them with 
treason. On their arrival at Avignon, they were seized, and accused 
of treacherously intending to betray the pope : they were then sent 
to Mascon, where both were instantly beheaded. 

In this state were affairs in those distant countries. Sir Bertrand 
'du Guesclin was indignant against the pope and cardinals on account 
of the death of his cousin Silvester Budes ; and, if he had lived a 
little longer, he would have shown, or have caused it to have been 
'shown them, that it was very displeasing to him. We will, for the 
present, leave these matters, and speak of the war in Flanders, which 
began about this time. The people were very murderous and cruel, 
.and multitudes were slain or driven out of the country. The country 
Itself was so much ruined, that it was said a hundred years would 
not restore it to the situation it was in before the war. 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 

THE STATE OF TLAXDEKS BEFORE TUE WAR. THE CAUSES OF THE DIS. 
PtrrES BETWEEN THE EART, OF FLANDERS AND THE FLEMINGS. JOHN 
LYON INTRODUCES THE DISTINCTION OF WHITE HOODS. 

Before the commsneement of these wars in Flanders, the country 
was so fertile, and everything in such abundance, that it was mar- 
vellous to see ; and the inhabitants of the principal towns lived in 
very grand state. You must know, that this war originated in the 
pride and hatred that several of the chief towns bore to each other : 
those of Ghent against those of Bruges, and others in the Uke man- 
ner, vying with each other through envy. However, this could not 
have created a war without the consent of their lord the earl of 
Flanders, who was so much loved and feared that no sne dared to 
anger him. 

The earl, being wise and prudent, carefully avoided encouraging 
a war between his vassals ; for he foresaw, that if any difference 
should arise between him and them, he would be much weakened 
and less formidable to his neighbors. He carefully avoided war for 
another reason, considering it as destructive to all his possessions, ai. 



though at last he was forced to it : he had hitherto reigned in gieat 
prosperity and peace, and had as many pleasures and enjoyments as 
any earthly lord can have. The wars which ensued were caused 
by so trifling an event, that if the earl had possessed any prudence, 
It ought not to have produced that effect; and those who read this 
book, or who may have it read to them, will say, that it was the work 
of the devil. You know wise men think the devil, who is subtle and 
lull of artifice, labors night and day to cause warfare wherever he 
finds peace and harmony, and seeks bv distant means, and by de- 
grees, how to accomplish his ends. And thus it fell out in Flanders, 
as you will clearly sec and learn from the different treaties and ordi- 
nances M-hieh follow relative to these matters. 

During the time that earl Lewis of Flanders was in his greatest 
prosperity, there was a citizen of Ghent called John Lyon ; he was 
wise, subtle, and bold, but cruel, enterprising and cool in business, 
and very much in favor with the earl, as it should seem ; for he em- 
ployed him to assassinate, in a secret way, a man of Ghent that was 
disagreeable to him, and who acted contrary to the wishes of the 
earl. John Lyon sought a quarrel with him, and killed him. This 
man was greatly lamented by all ; and, for grief of what he had done, 
.Tohn Lyon went and resided at Douay, where he lived for three 
years, keeping a handsome state, for which the earl paid. 

John Lyon, on account of this murder, was instantly deprived of 
everything he had in t.he city of Ghent, and banished from it for four 
years. The earl managed so as to make up the matter and recover 
for him the freedom he had lost of Ghent, which was a circumstance 
not before heard of, and several in Ghent and Flanders were much 
astonished at it, but so it happened. In addition to this, the earl, that 
he might enrich himself and live well, made him deacon of the pilots : 
this office might be worth to him a thousand francs a-year, doing 
honestly his duty. Thus was John Lyon so much in the good graces 
of the earl that no one was equal to hijn. 

At this time, there was a family in Ghent called the Matthews: 
they were seven brothers, and the most considerable of all the pilots. 
Among these seven brothers was one named Gilbert Matthew, wha 
was rich, wise, subtle, and more enterprising than any of his family. 
This Gilbert bore in secret a great hatred to John Lyon, because he 
saw him so much in favor with the earl ; and he occupied his 
thoughts, day and night, how he could supplant him. He some, 
times inclined to have him slain by his brothers, but gave it up for 
fear of the earl. He thought so much on this subject that at last he 
hit upon a plan to accomplish it : however, I will first tell you the 
real cause why they hated each other, that you mav the more fully 
understand it. There existed formerly, in the town of Deynse, a 
mortal hatred between two pilots and their families ; one was called 
Peter Guillen, and the other John Barb^. Gilbert Matthew and his 
brothers were connected by blood to one of these families, and .loha 
Lyon, by similar ties, to the other. This hatred was for a long time 
nourished in secret, though they sometimes spoke, and even ate and 
drank with each other ; and Gilbert made more of this connection 
than John Lyon did. Gilbert, without striking a blow, bethought 
himself of a cunning contrivance. 

The earl of Flanders resided sometimes at Ghent : Gilbert, during 
these residences, got acquainted with one of the earl's chamberlains, 
who was attached to his person, and said to him : " If mv lord of 
Flanders pleased, he might gain, every year, a handsome revenue from 
the pilots, who now pay nothing : it might be levied on the foreign 
trade, provided John Lyon, who is deacon of the pilots, would acquit 
himself honestly." The chamberlain said he would inform the earl 
of it, which he did. The earl (like other great lords, who naturally 
wish for gain, and who did not foresee the consequences, but only 
seek to get the money into Iheir hands) told his chamberlain to bring 
Gilbert Matthew to him, and he would hear what he had to say. 

Gilbert was introduced, and, in conversation, made use of such ar. 
gumcnts as appeared reasonable to the earl, who replied, " It is well : 
let it be so." John Lyon was Immediately called into the apartment 
in presence of Gilbert Matthew, quite ignorant of what had passed) 
when the carl opened the business to him, and added, "John, if you 
choose, we may gain much wealth by this scheme." John was in- 
deed loyal in his employment, but saw this was not a reasonable de- 
mand : being unwilling to speak to the contrary, he replied, " My 
lord, what you have required, which it seems Gilbert has proposed, 
I cannot execute myself, for it will be too heavy upon the mariners." 
" John," answered the earl, " if you exert yourself, the business wiB 
be done." " My lord," replied John, " I will then do every thing in 
my power." 

The conference broke up, when Gilbert Matihow (whose only aim 
was to ruin John Lyon in the mind of the earl, to deprive him of his 
office, so that, being turned out, it might profit him) went to his six 
brothers, and said to them ; " It is now time to assist me, which I 
hope you will do, like good friends and brothers, for it is your cause 
I am fighting. I will discomfit John Lyon without striking a blow, 
and so ruin him in the opinion of the earl that he shall be more dis- 
liked by the earl than he had before been liked. Now, notwith. 
standing all I may say or argue at the meeting to be holden, you 
must refuse to comply : I will dissemble, and argue that if John 
Lyon would faithfully acquit himself, this ordinance would be obeyed. 
I know 89 well our lord, that s<x)ner than give up his point, John 
Lyon will lose Iris favor, as well as his o6ice, wliich will be given to 



252 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



me ; and, when I am in the possession of it you will comply with 
the demand. We are very powerful with the maviners of this town, 
so that none of them will dare oppose us. I will afterwards so man. 
age that John Lyon shall be slain, and we have our revenge without 
appearing in the matter." 

All his brethren complied with this request. The meeting was 
held of the mariners, when John Lyon and Gilbert Matthew explained 
the will of the earl, who proposed, by a new statute, to lay a tax on 
the iKivigation of the Lys and the Scheld. It appeared very bur- 
-densome, and too great a stretch of power, particularly to the six 
brothers of Gilbert, who were more firm and unanimous in their opposi- 
tion to it than all the rest. John Lyon, their deacon, was secretly re- 
joiced at this ; for he was desirous of maintaining all their ancient rights 
and privileges, and flattered himself that the brothers were in his favor, 
while they were acting just the contrary. John Lyon reported to the 
earl the answer of the mariners, adding, " My lord, it is a thing which 
cannot be done : much evil may result from it ; let things remain as they 
are, and do not attempt to introduce any novelties." This answer was 
not very pleasing to the earl, for he perceived that if the impost were 
laid, and collected in the manner he had been told, he should have re- 
ceived from six to seven thousand florins of revenue : he therefore 
made no reply, but did not think less upon it, and had those mariners 
whom John Lyon found rebellious sued by actions and otherivise. 

On the other hand, Gilbert Matthew came to the earl and his 
council, to say that John Lyon did not act well in this business; 
that if he had his office, he would so manage the mariners that the 
earl of Flanders should have this revenue hereditarily. 

The earl did not see clear, for this revenue, with his avarice, 
blnided him ; and, without asking for advice, he deprived John Lyon 
of his office, which he gave to Gilbert. When Gilbert thus saw 
himself deacon of the pilots, he turned his brothers according to his 
will, and gave tlie earl satisfaction in regard to this impost, for which 
he was not the more beloved by the majority of the mariners ; but 
tljey were forced to submit, for the seven brothers, assisted by the 
earl, were too many for them, and it behooved them to do so in 
silence. 

Thus did Gilbert Matthew, by this wary method carry his point, 
and obtain the favor of the earl of Flanders. Gilbert made very 
handsome presents to the officers and chamberlains of the earl ; by 
which means he blinded them, and gained their friendship. All 
these fine gifts were paid for by the mariners, which dissatisfied 
many, but they dared not complain. John Lyon, by the above- 
mentioned means and intrigues of Gilbert, entirely lost the good 
graces of the earl : he lived quietly on his fortune, suffering patiently 
whatever was done to him. Gilbert, being now deacon, and secretly 
hating John Lyon, took away from him a third or fourth of the 
profits which were his due from the navigation. John Lyon did not 
Bay one word, but, prudently dissembling, and with an apparent 
good will, took whatever they gave him ; for, he said, there were 
times when it was better to be silent than to talk. 

Gilbert Matthew had a brother named Stephen, a cunning fellow, 
who had watched all the actions of John Lyon : he said to his 
brothers (for he prophesied to them all that was to happen ;) " Cer. 
tainly, gentlemen, John Lyon suffers at this moment, and keeps his 
head very low; but he acts with good sense, and will contrive to 
throw us as low as wo are now high. I will give you one piece of 
advice, wliicli is, to kill him while we continue in the favor of my 
lord the eari : I can very easily do it, if you charge me with this 
business, by which wc shall escape all the danger, and can easily 
get acquitted for his death." His brothers refused to consent to 
3iis, saying he had not done them any wrong, and that no man 
ought to lose his life but by tlie sentence of a judge. 

Things remained in this situation for some time, when the devil, 
who never sleeps, put it into the heads of the people of Bruges to 
make a canal from the river Lys : the earl agreed in their plans, and 
sent a number of pioneers, with a body of men-at-arms to guard 
them. They had in former times attempted to do this, but the citi- 
zens of Ghent had by force made them desist. News was brought 
to Ghent, that the inhabitants of Bruges were now intending to carry 
by force their old scheme of making a canal to obtain the waters of 
the Lys, which would be very prejudicial to them ; so that great 
murmurs arose in Ghent, more particularly among the mariners, who 
were much affected by it. They said, that the people of Bruges 
should not thus make a canal to draw off the course of the river, as 
it would be the ruin of the town. Some others said, in an under- 
hand manner, " Now God save John Lyon 1 had he been our dea- 
con, such an attempt would not have been made, nor the people of 
Bruges have had the courage to have undertaken this business." 

John Lyon was duly informed of all these things ; he began to 
awaken, saying, " I have for some time slept ; but it seems that this 
trifling affair in appearance has roused me, and shall create such 
troubles between this town and the carl as will cost a hundred thou- 
sand lives." Intelligence of these diggers was brought, with great 
additions, that much inflamed men's minds ; for it chanced, that a 
woman on her return from a pilgrimage to our Lady of Boulogne, 
being weary, seated herself in the market-place, where there were 
crowds of people. They asked her, where she came from ? she said, 
♦' From Boulogne : and I have seen in my road the greatest curse 
that can ever befal the town of Ghent ; for there are upward of 



five hundred diggers, who are laboring day and night to open a 
course for the Lys; and, if they be not immediately prevented, they 
will turn to their town the current of that river." 

This speech of the woman was heard, and repeated in different 
parts of the town. The townsmen rose, and said, such things were 
not to be suffered nor borne quietly. Many of them went to John 
Lyon to ask advice in the matter, and how they should act. When 
John Lyon saw himself thus appealed to by those whose love and 
favor he wished to gain, he was much rejoiced, but took care not to 
show any signs of it ; for it would not be a fit opportunity until the 
business should be more fully ascertained : he therefore made them 
greatly intreat him before he would speak, or give any opinion on 
the subject. When he was prevailed on to speak, he said : " Gen- 
tlemen, if you wish to risk this business, atid put an end to it, you 
must renew an ancient custom that formerly subsisted in the town 
of Ghent : I mean, you must first put on white hoods, and choose a. 
leader, to whom every one may look, and rally at his signal." 

This harangue was eagerly listened to, and they all cried out, 
" We will have it so, we will have it so ! now let us put on white 
hoods." White hoods were directly made, and given out to those 
among them who loved war better than peace, and had nothing to 
lose. John Lyon was elected chief of the white hoods. He very 
willingly accepted of this office, to revenge himself on his enemies, 
to embroil the towns of Ghent and Bruges with each other, and with 
the earl their lord. He was ordered, as their chief, to march against 
the pioneers and diggers from Bruges, and had with him two hundred 
such people as preferred rioting to quiet. . 

When Gilbert Matthew and his brothers saw the numbers of these 
white hoods, they were not too well pleased : Stephen said to his 
brothers, " Did not I well forewarn you, that this John Lyon would 
discomfit us ? It would have been better if I had been believed, 
and had been allowed to have killed him, than to have seen him in 
the situation he is in, or will be, through these white hoods he has 
reestablished." "No, no," replied Gilbert, "let me but speak 
with my lord, and they shall be put down. I am willing they should 
accomplish their enterprise against the pioneers from Bruges, for the 
good of our town ; for, in truth, it will be completely ruined, if they 
be suflcred to proceed." 

John Lyon and his rout, when they had all their white hoods, 
marched from Ghent, with the intention of killing the diggers and 
those who guarded them. News was soon carried to the pioneers, 
that a large force from Ghent was coming against them : they were 
so much afraid of the consequences they left their work, and retired 
to Bruges; and none were bold enough to return to their digging. 
John and his white hoods, not seeing any one, returned to Ghent : 
but they did not remain quiet, for tliey went up and down the town, 
looking at and examining everything. John Lyon kept them yn this 
state, and told some of them in private to make themselves comfort- 
able, to eat and drink, and not to mind e.tpense ; for those should 
pay their score at a future time who would not now give them a 
fartliing. 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 

BY THE EXHORTATIONS OF JOH.N LYON, THE INHABITANTS OF GHENr 
SEND SOME OF THEIR PRINCIPAL CITIZENS TO THE EARL OF FLAN. 
DERS, TO DEMAND THE PRESERVATION OF THEIK LIBERTIES AM) 
FRANCHISES. THE EARL REQUESTS THESE CITIZENS TO ABOLISH THE. 
WHITE HOODS. 

During the time of these white hoods, and in the same week that 
they had marched, under the conduct of John Lyon, to Deynse, in 
search of the pioneers from Bruges, another cause of distrust origin- 
ated at Ghent, by some who were alarmed for its franchises ; they 
complained to those who, by the constitution, were their magistrates, 
that at Erclo* (a dependency on Ghent) one of their burgesses was 
confined in the prisons of the earl, and that they had summoned the 
bailiff of the earl to surrender him up, but he had refused, which was 
direcdy contrary to their privileges, and thus by little and little they 
were encroached upon. In former times, they were held so high 
and of such consequence, and were then so well defended, that the- 
noblest knight of Flanders thought himself honored by being a bur- ' 
gess of Ghent. The magistrates replied, " We will cheerfully write 
to the bailiff of Ghent on the part of the burgess whom he detains in 
prison, for him to send him to us ; for, in tnith, the powers of his 
office do not extend so far as to confine one of our burgesses in the 
prisons of the earl." 

They acted accordingly, and wrote to the bailiff for the burgess 
who was prisoner at Erclo. The bailiff, Roger d'Auterme, was ad- 
vised to send the following answer: "Ha! what a noise is this 
about a mariner ? Were my prisoner ten times as rich as the one I 
have, I would never let him out of my prison without orders from the 
earl. I have powers to arrest, but none to set free." This speech 
was carried back, which gave much displeasure : they said, he had 
proudly answered. By such rephes, and such unlucky accidents as 
the pioneers from Bruges wanting to dig on the lands of Ghent, and 
the encroachments on the privileges of Ghent, were that cursed crew 



»" Probably Eccloo. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &. c 



25^ 



called White Hoods introduced, and they became by degrees more 
feared and resowned. It behooveth such a set to have among them 
madmen and firebrands, to work upon the more peaceable. 

This story of the burgess of Ghent being detained in the earl's 
prison at Erclo, and of the bailifl" having refused to give him his lib. 
erty, was soon spread througli the town of Ghent. Many began to 
murmur, and to say it ought not to be suffered ; and that, from being 
too quiet about it. all tlie franchises of Ghent, which were so noble, 
would be lost. John Lyon, who only aimed at the embroiling the 
town of Ghent in such a manner with its lord that it would be impos. 
siblc to settle it without loss, was not sorry when he heard these 
words, and wished they had been still stronger : he continued to 
spread secret nmiors in different parts of the town, " tliat never could 
the jurisdiction or privileges of anytown be properly maintained when 
once offices are put to sale." He intended this in allusion to Gilbert 
Matthew, meaning to say that he liad bought the deaconship : he had 
also added a new debt to the navigation, which was greatly against 
the franchises of Ghent and their ancient privileges. 

The earl now received, every year, three or four thousand francs, 
besides what he had from ancient custom, which caused many com- 
plaints from merchants as well as from the mariners ; insomuch that 
those of, Valenciennes, Douay, Lille, Bethune, and Tournay, began 
to think of giving up their commerce with Ghent, by which greater 
ruin would be brought upon the town, and very soon their franchises 
would be so neglected as to he worth nothing, if no one stood tor- 
ward in support of them. Gilbert Matthew and the deacon of the 
small craft, who was his relation, had such speeches daily rung in 
their ears : they knew ihey came from John Lyon, hut they dared 
not attempt to remedy it ; for John had posted white hoods in vari: 
ous parts of the town, and had enlisted among them the boldest and 
most outrageous, so that they were afraid to attack them: besides, 
John Lyon never went abroad alone, for when he quitted his house 
he was surrounded liy tv.o or three hundred white hoods, and never 
went down the town but in cases of absolute necessity. He always 
made himself he much entreated before he would give any advice on 
events which happened, at home or abroad, against the privileges of 
the town. 

Whenever he did give advice or harangue the people, he spoke so 
well, and with so much art, that iiis auditors were highly pleased 
with his language : thoy commonly were unanimous in believing all 
he spoke as truth. John Lyon, with much art, thus harangued : " I 
do not say that we should in any way weaken or diminish the inher- 
itance of my lord of Flanders; for, if we wished it, we are not able 
to do it : reason and justice forbid it. I am, therefore, of opinion, 
that we should be cautious how by any event we may incur his dis. 
pleasure ; for every subject ought to be on good terms with his lord. 
The earl of Flanders is our g»od lord, much feared and renowned : 
he has always maintiincd us in full peace and prosperity, which we 
should ever acknowledge, and endure the more (as we are bound to 
do) than if he had harassed us, and made it diffict It for us to keep 
our own. True it is, that at this present moment, he is wickedly ad- 
vised against us and the franchises of the go©d town of Ghent : that 
we of Ghent are no more in his good graces is apparent by the dig. 
gers (he residing in Bruges,) who came to break in on our inherit, 
ance, and carry away our river, by which measure our good town 
would have been quite ruined. In addition to this, he intends to 
build a castle at Deynse in opposition to us and to harass us ; and 
we know that the people of Bruges have promised him, for some time 
past, that they would pay him from ten to twelve thousand francs 
a-year, if they could have the advantages of the river Lys. I would 
therefore advise, that the good town of Ghent should send to him 
some learned men, well informed of our affairs, who would remon- 
strate wisely and boldly with him on all these matters, and also respect- 
ing the burgess who is in prison at Erclo, whom his bailiff will not 
give up, at which the town is not pleased, as well as on other affairs 
respecting our town. After having remonstrated with him on these 
things, let them inform him, that neither himself nor advisers must 
imagine that we are so disheartened, that, if there should be occasion, 
we are not able and determined to resist ; and that, after the town 
shall have had his answers, the good men of Ghent will take proper 
measures to punish those who shall act with hostility toward them." 
j When John Lyon had concluded this oration in the square of the 
k I market-place, each man said, " He has well spoken ; he has well 
spoken ;" and then they all retired to their own homes. 

Gilbert Matthew was not present at this harangue of John Lyon ; 
for he w.as already afraid of the white hoods : but his brother, 
Stephen, had been there, who was ever foretelling what was to hap- 
pen : he said on his return, " I have told you truly, and I have 
always so said, that, by God, John Lyon will be the ruin of us all. 
Cursed be tlie hour when you would not consent to my proposal ; 
for, had you suffered me to have killed him, I could tlien have easily 
done it; but now he is out of our reach, and we dare not attempt 
even to hurt him, for he has more power in this town than the earl 
himseit."' Gilbert, replying, said : "Hold thy tongue, fool ; when. 
ever I please, with the assistance of my lord, I can put down these 
white hoods ; and some of them who now wear them will not, in a 
short time, have heads to put them on." 

Several of the most discreet men of the town were ordered to wait 
on the earl as embassadors ; and I beUeve that Gilbert Matthew, the 



deacon of the pilots, was one of those chosen to go thither. John 
Lyon was the eause of this, because, if they should bring back any 
harsh answer, he would share the disgrace of it. They departed, and 
found the earl at Male,* and managed the business so well that at- 
last the earl assented to all their demands, as well in regard to the 
prisoner detained at Erclo, as in his intentions to preserve inviolate 
all their franchises, and also in forbidding the people of Bruges ever 
again to dig on the territories belonging to Ghent. All this he pro. 
mised ; and, the more to please the citizens of Ghent, he engaged to 
command the canal which the men of Bruges had dug to be com.- 
pletely filled up again. They quitted the earl very amicably, and 
returned to Ghent; when they related all that had passed with their 
lord, and how willing he was to maintain all their franchises ; but he 
requested, as a proof of their friendship, that the white hoods should 
be laid aside. As these words were speaking, the officers of the 
earl brought in their prisoner from Erclo, and surrendered him up, by 
way of reestablishing peace according to the ordeTs they had received,, 
which caused great joy in the town of Ghent. 

John Lyon, the chief of the white hoods, was present when the 
above answer was received, attended by ten or twelve of the princi- 
pal of his rout. When they heard the earl's request for the white 
hoods to be laid aside, they were silent ; but John Lyon addressed 
the meeting, and said, " My good people, you know and see clearly 
at present the value of these white hoods : have they not preserved 
for you, and do they not guard better your franchises, than those of" 
red and black, or hoods of any other color ? Many arc they who are 
afraid of them ; but be assured, and remember I tell you so, that as- 
soon as the white hoods shall be laid aside, according to the ordi- 
nance which my lord wishes to have issued against them, I will not 
give three fartliings for all your privileges." This speech so deceived 
the people that they separated, and the greater part returned to their 
homes, saying, " Let him manage the business ; for he speaks truth, 
and we have never seen anything in him but what was for the 
advantage and i>onor of the town." 

Things remained in this state, and John Lyon in greater danger' 
of his life than before : upon which he formed a plan, which he- 
afterwards executed ; for he clearly saw that Gilbert Matthew had, 
in this embassy to the earl, instigated some mischief against him and 
his companions, notwithstanding the friendly answers wliich the earl 
had sent. He therefore resolved to counterwork his enemies, and 
gave secret orders to the leaders of the white hoods, and to those- 
who commanded the companies of hundreds and of fifties, to keep 
their men day and night on guard well anned, and, on the first 
appearance of any movement, to march to him ; for it would be bet- 
ter to kill than to be killed, since affairs were brought to such a pass- 
These orders were punctually observed, and they were exact io,. 
keeping themselves in readiness. 



CHAPTER XXXVIII.- 

THE WHITE HOODS MCRDER THE BAILIFF OF GHENT IN THE MIDST OP" 
THE MARKET. THE HOUSES AND GOODS OF THE FA.MILT OF THE; 
MATTHEWS ARE DESTROYED. A BRAND CONFUSION IN GHENT. 

Not long afterwards, the bailiff of Ghent, Roger d'Auterme,. 
came to town with lull two hundred horse, in order to e.vecute whar. 
had been planned between the earl, Gilbert Matthew, and his bro. 
thers. The bailiff, with his two hundred men, galloped up the 
streets, with the banner of the earl in his hand, unto the market- 
place, where he halted, and posted his banner before him. Gilbert: 
Matthew, his brothers, and the deacon of the small craft, imme- 
diately went thither. It had been determined that these men.at-- 
arnis should inarch instantly to the house of John Lyon, and arrest 
him as the chief of tlie white hoods, with six or seven others, the 
most culpable, carry them to the castle of Ghent, and immediately 
cut their heads off. 

John Lyon suspected some such thing ; for he had received secret 
intelligence from his spies, scattered over different parts of the 
town. He knew of the arrival of the bailiff, and saw it was a thing 
determined upon. The other white hoods were informed that this 
day had been fixed on to arrest them, and were therefore ready pre- 
pared and assembled near the house of John Lyon,,who was wait- 
ing for them: they came in bands of ten and twenty, and, as they 
marched up, they formed in the street : when they were all as- 
sembled, they were full four hundred. John Lyon marched off 
as fierce as a lion, saying, " Let us advance against these traitors,, 
who wish to ruin the town of Ghent. I thought all those fine - 
speeches which Gilbert Matthew brought back the other day were 
only meant for our destruction, and to lull us asleep ; but we will 
make him pay dearly for them." He and his rout advanced hastily : 
they increased very much by the way ; for there were those who 
joined him that had not as yet put on the white hoods, who cried 
out, " Treason ! treason !" 

They marched, by a roundabout way and a narrow street, to the 
corn-market, where the bailiff, who represented the earl, had posted 
himself. Gilbert Matthew and his brethren, the moment they saw 



* It would seem from Bleau's grand atlas, that the domain and park of Male had been 
drowned by the aea since this time. The earl of Flanders was bom there, and thence 
called Louis de Male.l 



354 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



John Lyon and the wkite hooda enter the market-place, left the bai- 
iifl-, and ran away as fast as they could ; and neither order nor array 
was observed, except by the men-at-arms whom the bailiH had 
brought thither. Immediately on the arrival of John Lyon in the 
market-place, with the while hoods, a large body of them advanced 
toward the bailifT; and, without saying a word, he was seized, 
thrown on the ground and slain. The banner of the earl was then 
dragged through the dirt, and torn to pieces ; but not one man, 
except the bailiff, was touched. They then collected round John 
Lyon. When the earl's men-at-arms saw the bailiff dead, and their 
banner torn to pieces, they were thunder-struck, and, like men 
defeated, took to flight, and left the town. 

You may easily imagine that Gilbert Matthew and his brethren, 
who were known to be the enemies of John Lyon and the white 
hoods, did not think themselves very safe in their houses : they 
therefore set out as speedily as they could, and quitted the town 
through by.streets, leaving their wives, childi-en, and goods behind 
them. They made what haste they could to the earl of Flanders, 
to v\'hom they related all that had happened, and the death of his 
bailiff. The earl was sorely afflicted at this intelligence, as well he 
might, for they had treated him with great contempt ; he was much 
enraged, and swore that he would have ample revenge before he 
ever returned to Ghent, and before they should have peace from him, 
so that all other towns should take an example from it. Gilbert 
Matthew and hi-s brothers remained with the earl. 

John Lyon and the white hoods persevered in their outrages ; after 
the death of the bailiff, and the flight of the men-at-arms, as no one 
offered to revenge this murder, John, who wished to ruin the Mat- 
tliews (for ho bore them deadly hatred,) said, " Come, let us go after 
those wicked traitors who this day intended to have destroyed the 
town of Ghent." They hastened down the streets to the residence 
of the Matthews, but found none, for they had all gone off. They 
were sought for in every room throughout the houses of the adjoin- 
ing streets ; and, when they were convinced they were gone, John 
Lyon was much vexed. He gave up to his coinpanions all their 
goods, when the houses were completely pillaged and razed to the 
ground, so that no vestige remained, as if they had been traitors to 
the whole body of the town. 

When they had done t'.iis deed, they retired to their homes ; nor 
was there a sheriff, or any other officer belonging to the earl or to 
the town, who said they had acted wrong : indeed, at that time all 
were afraid to say a word against them : for the white hoods were 
so nuinerous that none dared to provoke them, and they paraded 
the streets in large bodies without any opposition. It was said, both 
within and without the town, that they were connected with some 
of the sheriffs and rich men in Ghent, which was not unlikely ; for 
such a ruffianly crew would never have dared to slay so noble a 
man as Roger d'Auterme, bailiff of Ghent, holding the banner of 
the earl in his hand at the time, if they had not depended on some 
good- and able supporters in their wicked acta. They afterwards 
increased so much as to want no foreign aid, and became so pow- 
erful that none were bold enough to oppose anything they thought 
proper to undertake. Roger d'Auterme was carried away by the 
Friar Minors to their church, where he was by them buried. 

After this event, several of the wisest and richest citizens in 
Ghent began to murmur, and were much vexed: they said among 
themselves, that a great outrage had been committed when the earl's 
bailiff had thus been murdered in the execution of his office ; and 
that their lord would be justly offended, and never grant them peace ; 
that these wicked people had put the town to the hazard of being 
totally destroyed, if God did not speedily afford a remedy. Not. 
withstanding all these words, there was not one among them who 
had courage personally to correct or reprove the authors of these 
atrocities. John de Faucille, who at that time was a man much 
renowned for his wisdom in Ghent, on finding things carried to such 
lengths as the murdering of the earl's bailifi', thought it must end 
badly : that he might not be suspected by the earl, he left the town 
privately, and went to a handsome country-house which he had near 
Ghent, and there remained, having given orders to tell every one he 
was very unwell and melancholy, and could see none but his own 
people. Every day, however, he had news from Ghent ; for he had 
loft there the greater part of his family, his wife, his children and 
his friends ; and thus he dissembled for a considerable time. 



CHAPTER XXXIX. 

TWELVE CITIZENS OF GHENT AKE DEPUTED TO THE EARL OF FLANDERS. 
THE WHITE HOODS PILI.AOE AMD BURN THE CASTLE OF ANDREeHIEN,* 
OF WHICH THE EARL WAS VERY FO.VD. 

The good people of Ghent who were rich and industrious, and 
had wives, families and fortunes in the town and neighborhood, wish- 
ing as they did to live in an honorable way, were not well pleased 
to see things in this situation, and were very sensible how ill they 
had acted toward their lord ; they therefore consulted among thcm- 
aelves how they could best remedy this ill deed, and throw them- 
selvea on his mercy, for it was better to do so soon than late. They 



' Q if not Adeebeni, wliich isneorEcdoo. 



called a council, in which it was debated what most profitable 
means they could use to save their own honors, and to promote the 
advantage of the town. John Lyon and the other leaders of the 
white hoods were invited to this council ; otherwise they would not 
have dared to have holden it. Many proposals were made, and 
long debates ensued ; but at last they determined unanimously to 
elect twelve of the most respectable of the inhabitants, who should 
solicit mercy and pardon for the murder of the bailiff: and if by 
this they could obtain peace, it would be a good thing; but every 
person must be included in the peace, and nothing moved in the 
business hereafter. 

This resolution was acted upon, and twelve citizens^ elected to 
wait on the earl. John Lyon kept always saying, that it was right 
to be on good terms with their lord ; but his wishes were just the 
contrary, for he thought and said internally, "Things are not yet in 
the situation I wish to put them in.'' The determination of the 
council soon became public : the twelve deputies set off, and jour, 
neyed on until they came to Male, where they found the earl, who 
on their approach was wondrous angry, and in a cruel passion against 
the inhabitants of Ghent. The twelve deputies acted well their 
parts by appearing contrite, and, with uplifted hands, entreated him 
to have pity on them. They pleaded their excuse for the death of 
his bailiii', adding, "Dear lord, have mercy on us, so that we may 
cany peace back to the town of Ghent, which loves you so nmch ; 
and we engage, that for the time to come, this outrage shall be amply 
atoned for by those w^ho have done it or excited it, so that you shall 
be satisfied, and that all large towns shall take example from it." 
They so long and afilctionately solicited the earl, that he restrained 
his anger ; and, by other good arguments w'hich they urged, the affair 
was arranged and articles of peace drawn up. The earl was on the 
point of pardoning all the outrages commillod against him by those 
of Ghent, on their making the reparation agreed on, when other in- 
telligence an'ived that I will now relate. 

John Lyon, who had remained at Ghent, thought directly the re. 
verse of what he had said in the council, that it was proper to be on 
good terms with their lord. He knew for a certainty he had already 
so much irritated the earl, that he would never forgive him, and if 
his pardon were promised, it would be through dissimulation, which 
would end in his being put to death. He therefore chose rather to 
throw aside all shame, since he had entered so far in the business, 
than to continue daily in the fear of his life; and thus he acted. 
During the time the dej)utation was gone to the carl to solicit peace, 
he collected all the white hoods under his command, and the differ- 
ent handicrai'ls in the town the most inclined to his way of thinking, 
and gained his end by great artifice ; for, when they were assembled, 
he said to them, " Gentlemen, you well know how much we have 
angered my lord of Flanders, and upon what grounds we have sent 
a deputation to him. We do not know what answer they will bring 
back; whetlier peace or war; for he is not of a temper easily ap- 
peased, and he has near his person Gilbert Matthew and his brethren, 
who will not fail to excite his anger. It is therefore, a hundred to 
one that we have peace. It behooves us, if we should have war, to 
look to ourselves, and see from whom we may get assistance, and by 
whom we may be supported. You, deacons of the different trades, 
do you draw out into the fields to-morrow your men ; and we will 
see what appearance they make ; for it is proper we take measures 
against a surprise. This will not cost us anything, and will make us 
more feared." They all answered, that he had well spoken. This 
measure was followed ; and, on the morrow, they marched out of the 
gate leading to Bruges, and drew up in a handsome plain without 
Ghent, called Andreghien. When tliey were all arrived, John Lyon 
looked at them with great pleasure ; for they were full ten thousand, 
well armed; and said, "Here is indeed a handsome cjmpany." 
When he had examined them for a short space, and had been all 
round them, he added, " I would propose that we visit my lord's 
house, since we arc so near to it. I have been told that he has laid 
therein many stores and provisions, which may be of great prejudice 
to the town of Ghent." 

This was agreed to ; and they marched to Andreghien, which at 
the time was without guards or defence. They entered the house, 
and began to search it everywhere. The white hoods and their 
ribald crew- which had entered, very soon despoiled it, taking away 
whetever they could lay Uieir hands on. There were many rich 
jewels and clothes, for the earl kept there his wardrobe. John Lyon 
affected to be in a violent passion at this conduct, but was not so in 
reality, as it afterwards appeared ; for, after they had left the castle 
and marched into the plain, on looking behind them, they saw ihe 
mansion in flames in twenty different places ; and, if they had enter- 
tained the inclination, it was not in their power to extinguish it. 
John Lyon, who pretenc-led to be much surprised, cried out, " How 
has this fire happened in my lord's house ?" The)' answered, " By 
accident." " Well," replied he, " it cannot now be helped ; and it 
is still better that accident should have burnt it, than that we should. 
Everything considered, it was but a dangerous neighbor; and my 
lord might have established a garrison therein, which would have 
annoyed us much." They all answered, " What you say is true." 
They then returned to Ghent, and did nothing more that day ; but 
what they had done was mischief enough, for it cost afterwards two 
hundred thousand lives, and was one of the principal causes which 



«f 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



355 



enraged the earl of Flanders the most. John Lyon had done it, be. 
cause he wished not for peace : he well knew, that whatever treaty 
was entered into, it would be sealed with his blood. This castle of 
Andreghien had cost the earl of Flanders, in building and ornament, 
ing, two hundred thousand francs ; and he loved it in preference to 
all his other residences. The well-intentioned inhabitants of Ghent, 
who were desirous of peace, were exceedingly hurt at this business; 
but help it they could not, nor did they dare to show any symptoms 
of anger, for the white hoods said the castle had been burnt acci. 
dentally. 

News of tliis was brought to the earl at Male : those who came 
said, " My lord, you do not know that your beatitiful house of An- 
dregliien, which has cost you such sums to build, and nf which you 
are so fond, is burnt to the ground." "Burnt?" replied the earl, 
who was much enraged at this intelligence. " Yes ; help me, God, 
if it be not true." " And by what means ?" " By accidental fire, as 
they say." " Hn, ha," answered the earl, " now it is all over ; there 
shall never be peace in Flanders as long as John Lyon lives : he has 
had this house burnt in an underhand manner, but ho shall dearly 
pay for it." He then ordered the deputation from Ghent to come to 
him, and said, " Ah, wretches ! you supplicate my favor with sword 
in hand. I had acceded to every proposal you had made, according 
to your wisli ; and your people have set fire to and burnt the house I 
loved in preference to all my others. Do you think there had not 
been sufficient contempt shown me when they murdered my bailiff, 
while he was executing my orders, tore my banner, and trod it under 
foot ? Know, that if my own honor were not concerned, and if you 
had not aheady obtained passports from me, I would now have you 
all beheaded. Quit my presence, and tell those wicked and out- 
rageous men of Ghent, that they never shall have peace, nor will I 
listen to any negotiation, until I shall have given up to me all tliose 
whom I shall point out, and whom I will have beheaded without 
mercy." 

These citizens were e.\ceedingly hurt at the news they heard, and, 
like people who were perfectly innocent, endeavored to excuse them- 
selves ; but in vain, for the earl was so much enraged he would not 
hear them : he made them leave his presence, when they mounted 
their horses and returned to Ghent, and there related what they had 
done, and how well they had managed the business ; that they had 
succeeded in obtaining an aiuicable settlement with the earl, when 
the unfortunate event of the castle being burnt came to his ears. 
After tliis, the earl tlireatened them greatly, and declared he would 
never consent to any peace until such of the townsmen as he should 
choose were given up to him. The well-meaning inhabitants saw 
things were taking a bad turn, and that the white hoods had ruined 
all ; but there were none bold enough to speak out. 

The earl of Flanders set off with his attendants from Male, and 
came to his hdtel at Lille, whither he summoned all the knights of 
Flanders, and ever>' gentleman dependent on him, to have their advice 
how he should act on this occasion, and by what means be should 
revenge himself on the inhabitants of Ghent for the contempt they 
had shown. All the gentlemen of Flanders swore to be ti'ue and 
loyal to him, as every one ought to be toward tlieir lord. The earl 
was much pleased at this, and sent reinforcements to the garrisons 
in all his castles at Dendremonde, Russelmonde, Alost, at Courtray 
and Oudenarde. 

CHAPTER XL. 

THE DEATH OF JOHN LTON. THE MEN OF GHENT CHOOSE CAPTAINS TO 
COMMAND THEM. SEVERAL TOWNS IN FLANDERS ALLY THEMSELVES 
WITH GHENT. 

John Lyon was rejoiced when he found the earl of Flanders in 
earnest, and so much enraged against Ghent that he would not grant 
them peace ; and that, by his manoeuvres, he had pushed matters so 
forward, that the town would be obliged to make war whether it 
would or not. He said publicly : " You hear, gentlemen, how our 
lord, the earl of Flanders, is making preparations against you, and 
will not listen to any terms of peace : I therefore would advise, for 
greater security, that before we shall be more oppressed, we know 
what towns of Flanders will give us their support. 1 will answer for 
those of Gramont not being against us, but on the contrary they will 
assist us, as well as those of Courtray, which is in our castlcwick, 
and within our jurisdiction. But as for those of Bruges, they are 
proud and haughty, and it has been by their means that all this mis- 
chief has been fomented : it therefore becomes us to march against 
them, in such force, that through fair or foul means, they unite them, 
selves with us." All present answered, that his advice was good. 

In course of time, every one that was to go on this expedition made 
himself ready. When they were all duly prepared, in a manner be- 
coming them, they marched from Ghent, in number from nine to ten 
thousand men, carrying with them a large train of stores and provis- 
ions. The first day, they halted at Deynse : on the morrow, they 
advanced within a short league of Bruges, when they drew up in order 
of battle, in the plain, with their baggage in the rear. John Lyon 
ordered the deacons of the trades to go into Bruges, and know their 
intentions. They advanced thither, but found the gates shut and well 
guarded. When they therefore informed them what their business 
was, the guards said, they would cheerfully go and tell it to the bur- 



gomaster and sheriffs, who had posted them there. They did so, 
and the burgomasters and jurats told them to return and say that 
they would call a council to consider of it. When they came back 
with this answer, John Lyon cried out : " Advance, advance ! let 
us attack Bruges ; for, if we wait until they shall have held their 
council, we shall find great difficulty to gain an entrance : it is bet- 
ter we attack them before they consult together, and the sudden. 
ness of our attack will surprise them." 

This plan was followed ; and the men of Ghent advanced to the 
barriers and ditches of Bruges, John Lyon marching at their head on 
a black horse. He quickly dismounted, and took an axe in his hand- 
When the guard, who were not in sufficient strength, saw the men 
of Ghent were so detennined to attack them, they were frightened, 
and ran away down the streets as far as the market-place, crying out| 
" Here are the men of Ghent '. Quickly to your posts ; for they are 
before your walls, and at your gates." 

Those of Bruges who were assembling for tlie council were thun- 
der-struck, and had not time to assemble nor to give any ordere upon 
the occasion, while the majority of the people wrre desirous that the 
gates should be immediately thrown open. It behooved them to 
agree in this with the commonalty; otherwise it would have turned 
out badly for the rich inhabitants. The burgomaster and sheriffs, 
with many of the townsmen, came to the gate where the men of 
Ghent were with a good inclination to attack it. The burgomaster 
and the magistrates of Bruges, who for that (Jay had the government 
of the town, advanced to open the wicket to pariey with John Lyon. 
By treaty, they opened the barriers and gate, at which they held their 
conference, and were good friends. All now entered the town. 
John Lyon rode by the side of the burgomaster, and showed himself 
a bold and valiant man : his men marched in the rear in bright armor. 
It was a handsome sight to see them thus enter Bruges until they 
came to the market-place, where, as they arrived, they formed them- 
selves into array in the square. John Lyon held a white truncheon 
in his hand. 

A formal alliance was then entered into between the townsmen of 
Ghent and Bruges, which they mutually swore to keep, and to remain 
for ever as good friends and neighbors ; those of Ghent were allowed 
to sunmion them, and to lead them with them wherever they pleased. 
Soon after they had been thus drawn up in the market-place, John 
Lyon and some of his captains went to the hall, whence they issued 
a proclamation for all the men of Ghent to retire peaceably to their 
quarters, and there to disarm themselves without noise, or any tumult 
under pain of death ; which was quickly obeyed. They were also 
forbidden to dislodge any one, or to engage in any quarrels, or to take 
anything from their hosts without instantly paying for it, under the 
same penalty. 

This proclamation being issued, another was published on the part 
of the town, for each householder to receive as friends the good men 
of Ghent, and to afford them all sorts of provisions at the market 
prices ; and tliat no undue advantage should be taken, nor any quar. 
rels or contentions stirred up, under pain of death. All persons now 
retired to their houses or quarters ; and the inhabitants of the two 
towns thus remained amicably together for two days, and strength- 
ened their alliance and friendship mutually. Their treaties being 
drawn out and sealed, on the third day the men of Ghent departed 
and marched to the town of Danmie, which instantly opened its "ates 
and received them most courteously : they remained there two'days. 
John Lyon, during his short stay, was seized with a sudden sickness 
that swelled his body exceedingly : the night he was taken ill, he had 
supped in great revelry with the ladies of the town ; for which reason 
several said and maintained that he had been poisoned. Of this I 
know nothing, therefore shall not insist on it; but I do know that on 
the morrow he was placed on a htter, for he was taken ill in the 
night, and carried to Ardenbourg ; but death prevented him going 
further, to the great sorrow of the men of Ghent, who were thrown 
into confusion by the event. All his enemies were as much rejoiced 
thereat as his friends were cast down. His body was conveyed to 
Ghent ; and, on account of his death, the whole army returned thither. 
When the news of his decease was known in that town, it caused 
much sorrow ; for he was greatly beloved by all, excepting the party 
of the earl. The clergy went out to meet the body, and conducted 
it into the town with as much solemnity as if he had been earl of 
Flanders. He was interred in the church of St. Nicholas, where his 
obsequies were performed, and where he lies. 

Notwithstanding the death of John Lyon, the alliance between 
Ghent and Bruges was not broken; for they had carried sufficient 
hostages with them to Ghent, for the due pei-formance of all its arti- 
cles. The earl was exceedingly rejoiced at the death of John Lyon ; 
as were Gilbert Matthew, his brothers, the deacon of the small craft, 
and all the party of the earl, who sent greater reinforcements than 
before to all his towns and castles, and ordered a sufficient number 
of good knights and squires of the castlewicks of Lille and Douay 
into the town of Ypree, declaring he would make Ghent repent of its 
conduct. 

Soon after the death of John Lyon, those of Ghent considered they 

could not long remain without leaders. The deacons of the trades 

' and tlie guards of the gates selected, according to their opinion, fotir 

I of the most courageous and enterprising for their commanders, whose 

names were, John Pruniaux, John Boule, Rasse de Harzelle, and 



356 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



Peter du Bois. They swore to pay these commanders the most exact 
obedience, under pain of death ; and these four swore also to preserve 
and defend the honor and franchises of the town of Ghent. The four 
commanders excited tliose of Ghent to march against Ypres and the 
franc de Bruges, in order to obtain their union or put them to death. 
They therefore set off from Ghent, in grand array, to the amount of 
at least twelve thousand, all clad in bright armor. They took the 
road to Courtray. The inhabitants of Coiu-tray allowed them to enter 
their town without fear, for they were within tlie jurisdiction of Ghent : 
they there refreshed tliemselves at their ease for two days. On the 
third day they marched toward Ypres, carrying with them two hun- 
(Ired well-armed men from among the cross-bows of Courtray. They 
followed the road to Thorout, where on their arrival they halted ; and 
the commanders held a council, in which they resolved to send three 
or four thousand of their men, under the command of the captain of 
the white hoods, to treat with tlie inhabitants of Ypres, and the main 
body to follow to reinforce them, if there should be occasion. These 
orders were executed, and they came before Ypres. 

The commonalty of Ypres and the small handicrafts, hearing of 
the arrival of the army from Ghent, instantly armed themselves, and 
drew up in the market-place, to the amount of full five thousand. 
The rich inhabitants had not any power in the town. The knights 
placed there in garrison by the earl, advanced in handsome order, to 
the gate leading to Thorout, where the Ghent men had halted with- 
outside the barriers, re^^uesting they would allow them to enter. The 
knights and their men were drawn up before tlie gate, and showed 
Buch an appearance that the men of Ghent could never have gained 
.admittance but by force. However, the ancient trades of the town 
■were resolved that they should enter, in spite of the knights : they 
left, therefore, the market-place, and came to the gate which the 
knights were guarding, and said : " Open the gate to our friends and 
neighbors from Ghent : we will have them enter our town." The 
knights replied, "They would do no such thing: for they had been 
ordered thither by the earl of Flanders to defend the town, which 
they would do to the utmost of their power ; and it was not possible 
for the force of those of Ghent to enter otherwise than by treason." 

Words multiplied so fast between the gentlemen and the deacons 
of small handicrafts, that the last shouted out, " Kill them, kill them ! 
they shall not be masters of our town." They were immediately 
attacked, and, after a long contest, were rouglily driven down the 
streets, as numbers were against them ; and five knights were slain, 
among whom were sir Robert and sir Thomas de la Hourdrie, which 
was a great pity. Sir Henry d'Antoing was in imminent danger of 
his life, and with great difficulty could some of the principal inhabit- 
ants save him : at last, they did succeed in it, and many of the 
others were saved also. The gate was opened, so that the men of 
Ghent entered the town, and became the masters of it, without do- 
ing any damage. When they had remained there for two days, and 
had taken hostages from the inhabitants, who entered into a similar 
treaty with those of Bruges, Courtray, Gramont, and Damme, they set 
out from Ypres in a most courteous manner, and returned to Ghent. 



CHAPTER XLI. 

THE MEN OF GQENT BESIEGE THE TOWN OF OUDENARDE ON ALL SIDES. 
THEY MAKE A GRAND ASSAULT ON THE EARL OF FLANDERS IN DEN- 
DREMONDE. 

The earl of Flanders, who resided at Lille, heard how the inhabit, 
ants of Ypres had turned against him, and what the small handi- 
crafts had done ; he was sorely ve.\ed, as well for the loss of those 
knights who had there been slain as for other causes. He, how. 
ever, comforted himself by saying, " Well, if we have this time lost 
Ypres, we shall another time regain it to their curse ; for I will strike 
off such numbers of heads, all others shall be astonished at it." The 
earl intended particularly to provide the town of Oudenarde most 
amply with aU sorts of stores, provision, and men-at-arms : for he 
thought that the men of Ghent would soon come to besiege it; and, 
if they succeeded, the loss would be great to him, for they would 
then have the whole navigation of the fine river Scheld at their com- 
mand. He sent thither numbers of knights and squires from Flan- 
ders, Hainault, and Artois, who assembled their people in the town 
whether the inhabitants would or not. 

The commanders in Ghent were informed what great preparations 
the earl had made in Oudenarde : they determined to attack it, de- 
claring they would not return until they had gained it, had slain all 
within, and razed the walls to the ground. Orders were given in 
Ghent for every one to provide himself in a manner becoming his 
rank, and to be ready to march whithersoever he might be led. 
None dared to disobey this order: tents and pavilions were packed 
up, with all other stores : having marched out of Ghent, they en- 
camped before Oudenarde, in the beautiful meadows on the banks of 
the Scheld. Three days after, the men from Bruges arrived, for 
they had been summoned, and took up their quarters on the side near 
to their town, bringing with them great quantities of baggage and 
provision. Next came those from Ypres in great array : then the 
men of Poperingue, Messines, and Gramont. The Flemings thus 
drawn up before Oudenarde were upward of one hundred thousand : 
they made bridges ot boats and hurdles by which they crossed over 
the Scheld to each other. 



The earl, who resided at Lille, thinking they would attack Den. 
dremonde first, had sent to Germany, Gueldres, and Brabant, to ask 
the succor of a number of knights. The duke of Mons, liis cousin, 
had come to serve him with a large body of knights, and had entered 
Dendremonde, where they met the earl of Flanders, who was 
already arrived there by his frontiers of Hainault and Brabant, and 
was truly glad of their company. The Flemings maintained the 
siege of Oudenarde for a long time ; during whicli, there were daily 
many grand attacks and skirmishes, and several gallant deeds of 
arms, both before the town and at the barriers, where numbers were 
killed and wounded, for the Flemings acted madly and foolishly in 
hazarding their persons in these skirmishes, often to their great loss. 

There were full eight hundred lances, knights and squires, in the 
town of Oudenarde, all valiant men : among whom were several 
barons, such as the lords de Guistelle, de Villiers, de HuUut, and de 
Cornais, Flemings: from Hainault were, the lords d'Anghien, d'An- 
toing, de Bosnel, de Taux, de Gommegines, and his three brothers, 
sir John, sir Daniel, and sir Joseph, the lords de Stainbourg, de Ca- 
me, sir Gerard de Marqueillies, the lord de Cohen, sir Rasse de 
Montigny, sir Henry de la Hamede, sir John de Gres, and other 
knights, amounting to about one hundred and five in number. They 
kept up a regular and numerous guard ; for they had not any confi- 
dence in the inhabitants, and they made the women and children 
retire into the monasteries. The citizens and townsmen kept within 
their houses ; and, in order to prevent the bad effects of the cannon 
and the perpetual fire which the Flemings kept up against the town, 
they had the houses covered with earth, to hinder them from taking 
fire. 

During the siege of Oudenarde, the commanders of the Flemings 
were informed that the earl was at Dendremonde, and had with him 
his cousin the duke de Mons and numbers of other knights. They 
determined to send six thousand of their army thither, to examine its 
appearance, and to make an assault upon it. This resolution was 
executed. The detachment wliich had been ordered, under the com- 
mand of Rasse de Harzelle, continued their march until they came 
to a small village on the river Teure, a short league from Dendre- 
monde, where they took up their quarters. These Flemings had 
provided themselves with a number of boats, whi-h they had sent 
down the river, that they might embark on board of them, and at- 
tack the place by land and water. A little after midnight, they 
arose, armed themselves, and made every preparation to begin the 
attack the instant they should be arrived there ; for they wished to 
surprise the knights in their beds. They began their march ; but 
some of the country people, who had heard of this intention of the 
Flemings, informed the guards of it, saying, " Be sure you keep a 
strict and good guard ; for a large body of the men of Ghent, who 
have been benigiited, are lying hard by here, and we know what 
they intend to do." The guard at the gate related this to their cap- 
tain, who was a knight from Holland, called sir Thierry de Bredoro : 
on receiving this intelligence, he strengthened his guard, and sent 
information of it to all the knights lodged in the castle and in the 
different houses. 

Immediately on the break of day, the Flemings advanced by land 
and in their boats, well prepared for an instant attack. When those 
in the castle and town saw them approach, they sounded their trum- 
pets to alarm ever>' one, the greater part of the knights and squires 
being already armed. The earl of Flanders, who slept in the castle, 
heard of the march of the Flemings, and that they had commenced 
the attack ; on which he instantly rose, armed himself, and sallied 
forth from the castle, his banner displayed before him. At this time, 
there were in the town, sir Gossuin de Wrle great bailiff of Flanders, 
the lord de Gau, sir Gerard de Rasenghien, sir Philip de Maminos, 
sir Philip de Rungi, a Burgundian, and others. All these knights 
advanced to meet the banner of the earl, and then they marched un- 
der it to the assault, which was already begun in a severe and horri- 
ble manner ; for these Flemings had brought in their boats cannons 
and cross-bows, which shot such large and heavy bolts that when 
any one was struck by them there was no escape from death. 
Against ihese bolts they were strongly shielded ; and the ear! had 
with him some excellent cross-bows, who by their shooting gave the 
Flemings enough to do. 

The duke de Mons was in another part with his troops drawn up, 
his banner before him ; and there were in his company the lord de 
Broderode, sir Joseph and sir Thierry Lavare, sir Vivant de Chupe- 
rois, and several more, who each performed well their duty. In 
another quarter of the town, posted at a gate, were sir Robert Dale, 
sir John Villain, the lord de Vindescot, and sir Robert Mareschal. 
The attack here was very sharp, for the Flemings made vigorous 
assaults by land and water, in which many were killed and wounded 
on each side ; but more on the side of the Flemings than on that of 
the gentlemen, as the Flemings adventured themselves fool-hardily. 
This attack lasted, without ceasing, from the break of day until full 
noon. A knight of the eail'a party was slain, called sir Hugh de 
Rony, a Burgundian : he was much lamented, for he lost his life by 
too much boldness, and for want of prudence. Rasse de Hai-zelle, 
the commander of the detachment, fought valiantly, and by liis worda 
and actions greatly encouraged the men of Ghent. 

The assault ceased in the afternoon, for Rasse found he was labor 
ing in vain, and that in Dendremonde there were such brave men that 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &e. 



ssr 



it could not easily be taken : his troops also began to be fatigued. 
He therefore sounded a retreat, when the men retired in a handsome 
manner along the river side, bringing ofi' their fleet o{ boats ; and on 
the morrow they returned to their army before Oudenardc. 




Men of Ghent attacking the earl of Flanders in Dendremonde. 



CHAPTER XLII. 

SEVERAL ASSAULTS ARE HADE ON Ot;DENAEDE. PEACE CONCLUDED BE- 
TWEEN THE FLEMINGS AND THE EARL OF FLANDERS, BY MEANS OF 
THE DUKE OF BtlRGUNDY. 

The siege of Oudenarde continued for a long time ; and the Flem- 
ings before it were masters of the river and of the adjoining country, 
BO that no provision could be introduced without great danger, and 
on the side toward Haiiiault. Sometimes victuallers, in hopes of 
gain, ventuied, while the army was asleep, to come close to the bar- 
riers with provision, which by that means were brought into Oude- 
narde. Among the many attacks made upon the town, there was one 
which was very vigorous : it lasted the whole day. Upon this occa- 
sion, some new kniglits were created from Flanders, Hainault, and 
Artois, who wished to distinguish themselves. These new knights 
advanced to the barriers, where several skirmishes took place with 
the men of Ghent, in which many were killed and wounded ; but 
they paid little attention to this, and being regardless of death, they 
advanced so boldly that when those in the front were slain or disabled, 
the rear dragged them out, took their places, and kept a handsome 
■countenance. This att;.ck lasted until the evening, when those of 
Oudenarde returned into the town, and shut the gates and barriers : 
they then buried their dead, and took great care of their wounded. 

The Flemings thought they should certainly conquer the town by 
assault or famine; for they well knew that they had so closely sur. 
rounded it by land and water that nothing could enter it ; and their 
remaining before it would not be of any detriment to them, for they 
were in their own country, and near their own homes. They had 
also every necessary article for their support, with all other things in 
great abundance, and cheaper than they would have had them at 
Bruges or Ghent. The earl of Flanders, being aware of tlie great 
number of men-at-arms that were in the town, suspected the inten- 
tions of the Flemings, that by keeping up the blockade, they would 
in the end starve them to a surrender : he would therefore have wil- 
lingly listened to any overture for a negotiation that was honorable to 
him. To say the truth, this war against his subjects was highly disa- 
greeable to him, and he had undertaken it contrary to his own opinion. 
His mother, the lady Margaret, countess of Artois, blamed him much, 
and took great pains to put an end to it. 

The countess resided in the city of Arras, whence she wrote to the 
duke of Burgundy, to whom the heritage of Flanders would fall by 
his marriage with her grand-daughter, on the death of the earl. The 
duke, who had before received information of this affair, for news 
was daily brought to him on the subject, came to .\rras, attended by 
his council, and sir Guy de la Trimouille,sir John de Vienne, admi- 
ral of France, sir Guy de Fontalliers, and several others. The 
countess received him with great joy, discussed with much wisdom 
the subject of this war between her son and his subjects ; how unbe- 



n a MS. of tlie fifteenth century. 



coming and very displeasing it was not only to her but to all reasona- 
ble persons. She told him, that many valiant men, barons, knights, 
and squires, were honorably shut up in the town of Oudenarde, and 
in very imminent danger ; and she begged, for God's sake, he would 

think of and provide a reme- 
dy. The duke replied, tliat 
he was bound to do eo, and 
would e,xcrt himself to the 
utmost of his power. Shortly 
after he left Arras and went 
to Tournay, where he was 
joyfully received ; for the in- 
habitants of Tournay wished 
much for peace on account 
of their merchandise, which 
was shut up on the Scheld. 
The duke of Burgundy 
Bent the abbot de St. Martin 
to the army before Oude. 
narde to sound the leaders 
of the men of Ghent, if they 
would enter into a negotia- 
tion. The abbot brought the 
the duke for answer, that 
out of respect for him, they 
would enter into a treaty : 
the duke granted passports, 
and received the same from 
the Flemings, for the nego. 
tiators to meet at Pont de 
Rosne, where the first con- 
ference lasted from morning 
until night. The duke him- 
self went thither to parley 
with the Flemings; and, after 
the conference, he returned 
to Tournay in company with 
the earl, whom he brought 
back with him. These con. 
ferences continued for fif. 
teen days. It was difficult 
to satisfy the Flemings, as they insisted on having Oudenarde de- 
molished, to which the duke and his ministers would not consent. 
The Flemings kept up a grand and haughty appearance, making 
no account of peace ; for they maintained, that as those within Oude- 
narde could not leave it without great danger to themselves, they 
considered the town as conquered. 

The duke of Burgundy, seeing these Flemings so proud and pre. 
sumptuous, and so indirterent to conclude a treaty, could not conceive 
their meaning ; he therefore requested a passport for his marshal to 
visit the knights in Oudenarde, which was instantly granted him. 
The marshal of Burgundy went into the town, and found the knights 
well provided, excepting some articles of which they were greatly in 
want ; they, however, boldly said to the marshal : " Tell my lord of 
Burgundy from us, not to enter into any dishonorable treaty on our 
account ; for, tluough God's mercy, we are in good health, and care 
not for our enemies." This answer pleased the duke much, who at 
the time was at Pont de Rosne : however, he did not neglect to push 
forward his negotiations. To say the truth, those of Ypres and 
Bruges were tired of the war, as well as those from the Franc, who 
saw winter approaching : they therefore argued in council, that since 
the dttke of Burgundy, to accommodate the business, had come 
tliither in person, and had engaged to have everything pardoned ; 
since also the carl would return in an amicable manner to Ghent, 
there to reside, and, let what would happen, would never remember 
the past ; all these considerations ought to be attended to ; and they 
considered themselves bound to acknowledge their lord with respect, 
and not attempt to tear his inheritance from him. 

These words greatly softened the men of Ghent, and they agreed 
to accept the treaty. The duke gave a most magnificent dinner to 
the principal persons from Ghent, Bruges, Ypres and Courtray. On 
that day, it was settled that the siege should be raised, and a solid 
peace concluded between the carl and his subjects : that the earl 
should grant a general pardon to all, without any reservation, dissem. 
bling or exception whatever : that he should reside at Ghent, and 
that within a year the citizens of Ghent should rebuild the castle of 
Andrcgliicn, which report said they had burnt. For the fuller con- 
firmation of all this, John Pruniaux was to accompany the duke of 
Burgundy to Tournay, where it was to be properly drawn up and 
Pealed. After this, the duke returned to Tournay, and John Pru- 
niavix and John Boule remained with the army. On the morrow, 
peace was proclaimed between the two parties, the siege was raised, 
and every man returned to his home. The earl disbanded his sol- 
diers, and greatly thanked the foreigners for the gallant services they 
had done him : he then went to Lille, to execute the treaties which 
his son-in-law the duke of Burgundy had concluded for him. 

Some of the neighboring countries said, that this was a double- 
faced peace ; that there would be another rebellion ; and that the 
earl had only consented to it, in order to extricate such a number 



258 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c 



of noble knights and squires from the danger they ran in Oudenarde. 
Jolm Pruniaux, after the breaking up of the siege, went to Tournay, 
■where the duke of Burgundy entertained him haudaomely. The 
articles of the treaty were there completed, and sealed by the duke 
and the earl of Flanders. John Pruniaux afterwards returned to 
Ghent, and showed what he had done. The duke of Burgundy had 
so well managed the men of Ghent by kind words, that Oudenarde 
was saved from destruction ; for, when the siege was raised in con- 
formity to the treaty, they would have demolished the gates and walls 
of the town, that it might remain open and ready for them to retire 
to. The earl of Flanders having resided some time at Lille, after 
the duke of Burgundy had returned to France, went to Bruges, where 
he made a long stay : during which, he secretly showed great dis- 
pleasure to some of the citizens of Bruges, without, however, doing 
anything more, nor seeming desirous of otherwise punishing them, 
for their having so readily deserted his party, and placing themselves 
under the command of Ghent. These citizens excused themselves 
by saying, what was indeed true, that it had not been through any 
fault of theirs, but was solely owing to the small handicrafts of the 
town, who would ally themselves with those of Ghent when John 
3jyon came before Bruges. The earl passed over their misconduct 
with as fair looks as he could, but he did not the less remember it. 
We will now leave him and the Flemings, and return to the affairs 
of Brittany. 



CHAPTER XLIII. 

THE DUKE OF BRITTANY RETURNS FROM ENGLAND, AT THE ENTREATY OF 
HIS SUBJECTS. THE ENGLISH ARE DESIROUS OF MARRYING THEIR 
yOUNG KING. THE KNIGHTS OF ENGLAND SENT TO THE AID OF THE 
DUKE OF BRITTANY MEET WITH GREAT TEMPESTS AT SEA. 

You have before heard that the duke of Brittany resided in Eng- 
land with king Richard and his uncles, who entertained him hand- 
somely, and that his country was in great trouble ; far the king of 
Prance had ordered thither his constable with a large body of men. 
at-anns, who had fixed their quarters at Pontorson, and near St. 
Michael's Mount, whence they made war on all the adjacent country. 
The inhabitants of the cities and principal towns kept ihcmselves 
-well inclosed, and were very anxious for the return of their lord, to 
whom they had aheady sent letters and messengers : but he was 
fearful of tmsting to them, until the prelates and barons of Brittany 
and the great towns began to murmur, and say : " We send every 
"Week letters of invitation to the duke ; but, instead of coming, he 
only returns us excuses." " In God's name," said some of them, 
" there must be a reason for this : we send to him in too simple a 
manner. We ought to send him a knight or two of rank, in whom 
lie may trust, and who will fully explain to him the true state of the 
country." 

This proposal was agreed to ; and two valiant knights, sir Geoffry 
Ac Querimel and sir Eustace de la Houssaye, were entreated to go 
to England, at the joint solicitations of the prelates, barons, and prin- 
cipal towns in Brittany.* These two knights made preparations for 
their voyage to England, and, embarking on board a vessel at Cano,t 
liad weather and wind according to their wish. They made sail for 
Southampton, and there disembarked : continuing their journey to 
Ijondon, they found (he duke and duchess of Brittany and sir Robert 
Knolles, who received them with great joy, and handsomely enter- 
lained them. 

The knfghts then related to the duke the state and disposition of 
his country, and how very ardently his return was looked for; to 
confirm which, they gave the duke their credential letters from the 
prelates, barons, and principal towns of Brittany. The duke gave 
full credence to the knights and their letters, and said he would show 
them to the king and his uncles, which he did. When the king and 
his uncles heard all these things, and how the whole of Brittany, the 
prelates, barons and principal towns, e.xcepting Guesclin, Laval, 
Clisson, Rohan and Rochefort, had sent to the duke their lord, sup. 
plicating him to return to his own country, the king said to him, 
" You must go over to Brittany, since they send for you, and main- 
tain your rights : we will shortly send to your assistance a sufficient 
force of men-at-arms to defend your frontiers ; but you vvill leave the 
lady.duchcss with my mother and her brothers, while you go to carrv 
on this war." 

The duke heard these words with great joy, and made his prepa- 
rations accordingly : he was not long in having everything ready at 
Southampton. When taking leave of the king, the princess of Wales, 
and of his duchess, he made a strict treaty of alliance with the king 
of England, and swore on his faith, that if he should speedily be 
succored by the English, he would always remain steadily attached 
to them, and do all in his power to make his country join with him ; 
and that England should always find his ports open, whenever her 
fleets came thither. After this, he set out from Lc-ndon, accompa- 
nied by Sir Robert Knolles and the two knights who were sent to 
Aim, with about one hundred men-at-arms and two hundred archers, 
i here was a short delay at Southampton, wailing for a favorable 



♦ The Histoire de la Bretogne menUons three other persons as deputies, and cites the 
pubhc acts for authority. Geoffrey de Querimel was a favorite ofTe duke 
t"Caoo." Q. Concarneau. 



wind, where they embarked. They landed at Guerrande,* and rode 
on to Vannes. The inhabitants of that city received the duke with 
great demonstrations of joy, as indeed did the whole country when 
they heard of his arrival. The duke refreshed himself for five days, 
or thereabouts, at Vannes, and then \('ent to Nantes: there he was 
waited on by barons, prelates, knights, ladies and damsels, who all 
offered their services, and put themselves under his obedience. They 
greatly complained of the French, and of the constable, who had 
quartered himself in the country near Rennes. The duke said, 
" My friends, I shall shortly have aid from England ; for without the 
assistance of the English, I shall not be able to defend n-iyself against 
the French ; otherwise they will be loo strong for us, seeing that we 
arc not all in this country of one mind. But when the forces which 
the king of England has promised shall be arrived, if they have done 
you wrongs, we will return them the compliment." This speeck 
greatly pleased those of the duke's party who were present. 

In this same year, about St. Andrew's day, died the lord Charles, 
king of Germany and emperor of Rome. King Charles had done 
so well by money and by his great connections, that the electors of 
the empire had given it under their oaths and seals, they would elect, 
after his decease, his son emperor, and exert their whole power to 
maintain the siege before Aix, and to defend him against all oppo- 
sers : so that, after the death of Charles, his son Winceslaus, who 
before was king of the Romans, signed himself emperor of Rome, 
king of Germany and Bohemia. 

About this same season, there were many councils held in Eng- 
land, by the uncles of the king, the prelates and barons, relative to 
marrying the young king Richard. The English would have pre- 
ferred a princess of Hainault, out of love for that good lady queen 
Philippa, who had been so virtuous, liberal and honorable, and who 
had come from Hainault ; but duke Albert, at that time, had not any 
daughters marriageable. The duke of Lancaster would willingly 
have seen the king, his nephew, married to his daughter, whom he 
had had by the lady Blanch of Lancaster, but the people would not 
have consented to this for two reasons ; that the lady was his cousin, 
german, and too nearly related ; and that they wished the king to 
choose a queen from beyond sea, in order to gain stronger alliances. 
The sister of the king of Bohemia and of Germany, daughter of the 
lately deceased emperor, was then proposed, and the whole council 
assented to it. 

Sir Simon Burley, a sage and valiant knight, who had been the 
king's tutor, and much beloved by the prince his father, was nomi- 
nated to go to Germany, to treat of this marriage, as a wise and able 
negotiator. Every necessary preparation was ordered, as well for 
his expenses as otherwise. He set out from England magnificently 
equipped, and arrived at Calais ; from thence he went to Gravelines, 
and continued his journey until he came to Brussels, where he met 
the duke Winceslaus of Brabant, the duke Albert, the count de Blois, 
the count de St. Pol, Sir William de Maulny, and numbers of knights 
from Brabant, Hainault, and other parts, partaking of a grand feast 
of tilts and tournaments ; and it was on this occasion all these lords 
were there assembled. The duke and duchess of Brabant, from the 
love they bore the king of England, received this knight most cour. 
teously. They were much rejoiced on hearing the cause of liis 
journey into Germany, and said it would be a good match between 
the king of England and their niece. They gave Sir Simon Burley, 
on his departure, special letters to the emperor, to assure him they 
approved very much of the marriage. "The knight set out from 
Brussels, and took the road through Louvain to Cologne. 

About this time, the king of England and his council ordered two 
hundred men.at-arms and four hundred archers to Brittany, under 
the command of Sir John Arundel: sir Hugh Calverley, sir Thomas 
Banaster, sir Thomas Trivet, sir Walter Pole, sir John Bourchier, 
the lord Ferrers and the lord Basset were appointed to this expedition. 
The knights made all the preparation they wanted, and went to 
Southampton, where they embarked on board their vessels. When 
they had a favorable wind, they set sail. The first day, it was fair ; 
but, toward evening, it veered about, and became quite contrary, 
which drove them, whether they would or not, on the coasts of 
Cornwall. The wind was so strong and impetuous, they were 
afraid to cast anchor. On the morrow, the storm continued as fierce 
as ever, and forced them into the Irish sea ; when it became so vio. 
lent, three of their ships sunk, on board of which were sir John 
Arundel, sir Thomas Banaster, and sir Hugh Calverley. Upward 
of eighty perished of their complement of men-at-arms, and in the 
number the commander.in.chief, sir John Arundel, which was great 
pity, for he was a valiant and enterprising knight. Sir Thomas 
Banaster and sir Walter Pole, two brave knights, were drowned, 
and many others. 

Sir Hugh Calverley never before experienced greater peril ; for all 
those who were in his vessel were drowned, except himself and 
seven sailors ; but sir Hugh and the sailors took to the masts and 
cables to save themselves, and, as the wind was strong, they were 
blown on shore : but, having swallowed much sea. water, they were 
long sick and uncomfortable. Sir Thomas Trivet, sir John Bour. 
chier, the lords Ferrers and Basset escaped this danger, with others : 
however, they were much driven and tumbled about. When the 



* '• Gucnande *'— a town ia Brittany, between the rivers Vilaine and Loire, diocoae 
of Nantes. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



259 



tempest ceased, they returned as well as they could to Southampton, 
and waited on the king and his uncles ; to whom they related their 
misfortunes, including sir Hugh Calvcrley among the drowned : but 
it was not so, as it afterwards appeared when he came to London. 

This expedition was put an end to ; and the duke of Brittany did 
not receive anv assistance from the English, which was very much 
■ Sgainst him ; lor all that season and the ensuing winter the French 
carried on a destruttive war. The Bretons, that is to say, sir Oliver 
de Clisson and his men, took the town of Dinant, by means of ves. 
sels and boats, which they pillaged, and kept afterwards, for a long 
time, against the duke and the country. We will now return to the 
affairs of Flanders. 



CHAPTER XLIV. 

THE TOWN OF GHENT SENDS E.IIBASSADORS TO THE EARL OF FLANDERS 
TO ENTREAT HIM TO COME THITHER. 

When peace was concluded between the earl of Flanders and the 
men of Ghent, by the mediation of the duke of Burgundy, which 
gamed him great popularity throughout the country, the men of 
Ghent were very desirous that the earl should come and fi.x his resi- 
dence in their town. The provost of Haerlabeke had strongly 
advised the earl to improve the affection between him and Ghent, in 
■which he was seconded by all the earPs relations. The earl, how- 
ever, continued to reside at Bruges, and never went near Ghent, 
which surprised every one ; but, in particular the well-intentioned 
and principal inhabitants, who were anxious for peace. As for the 
■white hoods and pillagers, who only sought disturbance, they dreaded 
lus return : for they suspected, that if he did come, they would be 
privately corrected for the evils they had done. 

Notwithstanding these doubts of the magistracy and town-council, 
tire rich men were particularly impatient for his arrival, and wished 
ihey would send to request it ; for they did not look upon the peace 
as stable until he should have resided in Ghent. Twenty-four 
deputies were selected to go to Bruges, to declare to the earl the 
_great love the town of Ghent had for him, and their wishes for his 
residence among them. They set otT in a magnilicent manner, as 
those should -who wait on their lord ; but they were told on leaving 
the town, " Never think of returning to Ghent, unless you bring back 
the earl with you; otherwise you will find the gates shut." Thus 
did the citizens of Ghent set out, taking the road toward Bruges. 
AVhen they were between Deynse and Bruges, they learnt that the 
carl was coming, which gave them great pleasure ; and, after they 
had rode on about a league, they perceived the earl in the plain. 
On seeing him, they advanced in two divisions, making a lane, 
through which the earl and his knights passed. 

The citizens made low reverences, and showed every mark of 
respect to the earl and to his attendants : but he scarcely looked at 
them, only touched a little his hat ; and, during the whole time, he 
never noticed them. Thus they all rode on ; the earl on one side, 
the deputation from Ghent on another, until they came to Deynse, 
where they stopped, for the earl was to dine there. The deputation 
took some houses for themselves, and dined also. -A.fter dinner, they 
waited on the earl ; and, having knelt down before him (for the 
earl was seated,) they presented to him the humble affection of the 
citizens of Ghent, and remonstrated with him, that from their great 
love to him, and their earnest desire for him to reside among them, 
they had been deputed, adding; "On our departure, my lord, the 
townsmen said, that we must not think of returning unless we 
brought you with us." The earl, who had well heard these words, 
was for a time silent ; when he said calmly — " I willingly believe 
all you say, and that many in Ghent wish me to come thither: but I 
am surprised they do not recollect, nor seem inclined to remember 
former times, when I was so desirous of complying with all their 
requests, and how I expelled from the country such of my gentle- 
men as they complained of, in compliance with their laws. I have 
too often opened my prisons, to surrender up mine and their ow^n 
burgesses, whenever they solicited it. I have loved and esteemed 
them more than any other of my subjects ; and they have behaved 
to me quite the contrary, slain my bailiff, destroyed the houses of my 
people, driven away my ofHcers, burnt the house in the world which 
I loved the most, forced my towns to side with them, murdered my 
knight-s in the town of Ypres : in short, they have acted so wickedly 
toward me and my rights that I am tired of mentioning them, and 
wish never to remember them ; but, whether I will or not, I cannot 
help doing so." 

" Ah, my lord," replied the deputies, " do not think more of what 
has passed : you have pardoned us for all those evil deeds." "That 
is true," answered the earl, " and I do not mean, by what I have 
just said, that in time io come you shall fare the woi-se for it. 1 only 
point out to vou the great cruelties and wickedness which I have 
suffered from the town of Ghent." The earl was then softened : 
rising up, he made them rise also, and, calling to the lord de Ruise- 
liers who was near him, said, " Let them bring wine." The depu- 
tation drank of it, and then retired to their lodgings, where they 
remained all night, for the earl staid there. On the morrow, they 
ail rode together toward Ghent 



CHAPTER XLV. 

the earl OF FLANDERS ENTERS THE TOWN OF GHENT, AND SECRETLY 
DEPARTS FROM IT. THE WALLS OF OUDENARDE ARE RAZED BY THE 
WHITE HOODS, THEIR ALLIES AND ACCOMPLICES. 

When the inhabitants of Ghent heard the earl was on the road 
thither, they were much rejoiced, and went out to meet himon horse- 
back and on foot ; they bowed very lowly when they met him, and 
showed him all the reverence in their power ; but he passed on with- 
out saying a word, only just bowed his head to them. He rode to 
his hotel, called La Pbterne, where he dined. Great presents were 
made him by the town, and the magistrates waited on him, who 
humbled themselves greatly in his presence, as was but right. The 
earl addressed them, saying, " that when there was a stable peace, 
everything ought to have a peaceable appearance : I would, there- 
fore, that these white hoods be laid aside, and some amends made 
for the death of my bailiff, for his family are very importunate with. 
me on the subject." 

" My lord," replied the magistrates, " that is fully our intention ; 
and we beseech your highness, that you would have the goodness to 
come to-morrow to the square, and explain to your subjects, in an 
amicable manner, what your wishes are : they will be so much re- 
joiced at seeing you again that they will comply with all your de- 
sires." The earl agreed to their request. In the evening, it was 
known to numbers, that the carl was, on the morrow, to harangue 
the people at eight o'clock in the morning, in the market-place. Good 
men were much pleased thereat ; but the mad and outrageous thought 
little of it, and said they had had enough of harangues, and knew well 
what they were to do. John Pruniaux, John Boule, Rasse de Har- 
zelle, and Peter du Bois, leaders of the white hoods, were fearful 
that everything would be laid to their charge, and, having discoursed 
together, sent for some of their men, making choice of those that 
were the worst and most violent of their companions, and said to 
them, " Be sure you remain all this night and to-moiTow armed ; and 
whatever may be said to you, do not put off your white hoods ; but 
be all of you in the market-place to-morrow by eight o'clock, and 
make not any riot unless it be first begun on you. You will either 
give these orders to your companies or send them by a safe hand." 
They answered they would punctually comply, which they did. 

The next morning, at eight o'clock, they all went to the market- 
place, but not in a body ; they separated in different parties, for their 
leaders were among them. The earl came on horseback to the 
market-place, attended by his knights, squires, and magistrates of 
the town. John de Faticille was with him, and upward of forty of 
the richest and most respectable inhabitants. The earl, as he was 
passing up the market-place, cast his eyes on the white hoods, which 
made him melancholy : he dismounted, as did his attendants, and 
went to a window, from whence he leaned out, on a crimson cloth, 
which had there been spread for him. 

The earl began to address the people in a very discreet speech, in 
which he showed what love and affection he had borne them before 
they had angered him. He remonstrated, that a prince and sovereign 
lord ought to be loved, feared, obeyed, and honored by his subjects, 
and explained how very contrary they had acted. He also noticed 
how well he had always defended them against their enemies, and 
had kept them in peace and prosperity : that he had opened to them 
communications by sea, which before his joyful accession had been 
shut against them. He displayed much argument and good sense, 
which were understood by the wise, and acknowled for truth. He was 
well listened to by several, but by others not at all, for they were 
desirous of confusion. When he had spoken an hour, he concluded 
by saying, " that after having so fully explained everything, he was 
willing to continue their good lord, in the same manner as he had 
formerly been : that he forgave all the injuries and contempt they 
had shown him ; and that he would never more recollect the evil 
deeds which had passed, but would preserve to them their rights and 
franchises, as he had done. He entreated therefore, that no novel- 
ties might be introduced, and that those white hoods should be laid 
aside." 

During the first part of his speech, all were silent, as if there had 
not been any one present ; but, the moment he touched on the white 
hoods, murmurs were heard on all sides, which showed it was on 
that account. The people were then entreated to|retire to their houses 
in a peaceable manner. The earl left the market-place with his at- 
tendants, and the rest went to their homes. But I must say, that 
the white hoods came the first to the market-place, and were the last 
to quit it ; and, when the earl passed through them, they looked ill- 
humored at him, disdaining to pull ofT their caps, which affected him 
much ; for he said afterwards to his knights, when he renred to La 
Pdterne " I shall never gain my wish with these white hoods: tncy 
are an accursed wicked people. My mind tells me, things will not 
remain long as they now are : if I may judge from appearances, 
there is much evil intended ; and, were I to lose all, I will not suffer 
such pride and wickedness." 

The earl remained four or five days at Ghent, and then he departed 
in such a ir.anner as showed he never again intended returning thither. 

He went to Lille, where he made his preparations for passing the 

winter. He scarcely took leave of any one when he quitted Ghent, 

and set out much out of humor, for which several of the town wero 



360 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



displeased, and said he would never do them any good again ; that 
they would no more love him than he did tliem : he had now left 
them as he had done before ; and that Gilbert and his brothers had 
so advised, seeing that he had so suddenly, and without affection, 
departed from Ghent. John Pruniaux, Rasse de Harzelle, John 
Boule and Peter du Bois, with the other wicked captains, were much 
pleased at all this, and spread rumors over the town, that the earl 
would return in the summer with sufficient force to break the peace ; 
that it behooved every one to be on his guard, and to 
lay in good store of corn, oats, meat, salt, and all 
sorts of provision, for that no dependence could be 
placed on the earl. 

The townsmen, therefore, laid in very great stores 
of all things necessary for them : when it was told 
the earl, he was mightily surprised, and could not 
guess why they were so very suspicious. To say the 
truth, when all which I have related is duly con- 
sidered, one cannot but wonder how the men of 
Ghent dissembled, and had done so from the be- 
ginning. The rich and principal men of the town 
could not excuse themselves for their conduct at the 
commencement of these commotions ; for certainly 
if they had been willing, when John Lyon first in- 
troduced the wearing of white hoods, they could 
easily have prevented it ; they jnight have sent 
against the canal-diggers of Bruges other men who 
would have done as well as the white hoods : 
but they permitted them, because they did not choose 
to have it thought they were against the franchises 
of the town. They therefore consented to every- 
thing, for which the richest and most discreet men 
paid very dearly afterwards. They were no longer 
masters in the town, and dared neithc-r speak nor 
act but as the white hoods pleased. They said, that 
neither for John Lyon nor for Gilbert Matthew, nor 
for their wars and hatreds would they take part ; 
tut they were united in one point, the preserving 
and defending the franchises of the citizens of 
Ghent, which Uiey afterwards demonstrated, for 
they made a war wliich lasted for seven years ; 
and, during that time, there were no quarrels in the 
town, wliich was their great cause of defence both 
at honte and abroad. They were so nmch united 
together that there were not any distractions among 
them, but each subscribed his money and jewels to 
the general. I'und ; and those among them who had 
the greatest abundance gave it to this stock, as you 
shall hear related. 

Not long after the earl of Flanders' departure from 
Ghent, and fi.xing his residence at Lille, Ohver d'Au- =[ 

terme, cousin-german to Roger d'Autermc, whom '" 

the men of Ghent murdered, sent his defiance to 
that town, in revenge for his death. Sir Philip de 
Maminea did the same, as well as several others. 
After these challenges had been delivered, they met about fifty boats, 
with their crews, descending the Scheld, laden with corn for Ghent, 
on whom they retaliated for the death of their cousin : having seized 
the mariners, they put out their eyes, and in this maimed and miser, 
able state they sent them to Ghent. The citizens of Ghent looked on 
this act as a personal injury done to them : when complaints of it 
were brought before the magistrates, they were much enraged, and 
knew not what to say. There were great murmurings throughout 
the town ; and the majority of the inhabitants said the earl of 
Flanders had done it, so that scarcely any one that was a respectable 
character could ofi'er anything in his defence. 

The instant John Pruniaux, who was at the time the principal 
leader and master of the white hoods, heard this news, without say- 
ing a word to the magistrates of the town (I know not if he mentioned 
his plan to the other captains, his companions, but I should suppose 
he did,) assembled the greater part of the white hoods, and others 
equally inclined to do evil, and marched out of Ghent, taking the 
road to Oudenarde. When he came thither there was not any guard 
nor sentinel, for they suspected nothing : he seized the gate, and 
entered the town with his men, who amounted to more than five 
thousand. When morning came, he set laborers to work, with car. 
penters and masons whom he had brought with him ; and they never 
ceased working until they had destroyed the two gates, the towers 
and the walls, which they flung into the ditch on the side toward 
Ghent. Now, how could those excuse themselves who had con- 
sented to this wicked deed ? for they remained in Oudenarde, up- 
ward of a month, destroying the gates and the walls. If they had 
remanded their people as soon as it was known what they were 
doing, one might have excused them ; but they did no such thing : 
on the contrary, they winked at it, and suffered them to proceed, 
until news was carried to the cart, who resided at Lille, how John 
Pruniaux had stolen into Oudenarde, and was destoying two of the 
gates and walls of it, as well as the towers. 

The earl was in great choler on hearing this ; indeed, he had good 
cause for it ; and said, " Ha, these accursed people ! the devil pos- 



sesses them : I shall never have peace as long as these Ghent men 
have such power." He then sent some of his council to the magis- 
trates of Ghent, to remonstrate vrith them on the violent outrage they 
had committed, and to declare they were people with whom no terms 
could be kept, since the peace which the duke of Burgundy had with 
great difliculty procured for them, had been already broken and 
infringed. The mayor and jurats of the town of Ghent excused 
themselves by saying, " that they never thought of breaking ths ' 




Hotel de-Ville, 0[tdbnardb. From a Flemish Drawing. 



peace, nor had they any such wish or inclination ; and that if John 
Pruniaux had of himself committed any outrage, the town would not 
avow it." They excused themselves loyally and fully ; but they 
added, '' that the earl had permitted great excess to be committed 
against them, by those of his household, who had wounded and slain 
some of their fellow-citizens; and this was much felt by the whole 
town. What say you, my lords, to this ?" 

The commissaries from the earl replied, " They had well re- 
venged themselves." " Oh no," answered the magistrates : " we 
do not say that what John Pruniaux has done at Oudenarde was by 
way of revenge ; for we can clearly prove by the treaty of peace, iT 
we choose, and we appeal to the testimony of tlie duke of Burgundy, 
that Oudenarde was to have been dismantled by us, or put in the 
state it is now in : but at the entreaty of the duke, we did not then 
insist upon it." The commissaries replied ; " It appears llien, by what 
you have said, that you ordered it to be done, and you cannot now 
excuse yourselves from this charge : since yon knew that John Pru- 
niaux was gone to Oudenarde (whither he had marched with a large 
army, and had surprised it under shadow of the peace,) and that he 
was destroying the fortifications and throwing the walls into the 
ditch, you ought to have gone thither and forbidden him to commit 
such outrages, until you should have laid your complaints before the 
earl. Of the wounding and assaulting your citizens, you should have 
addressed yourselves to the duke of Burgundy, who had made the 
peace, and remonstrated with him on the business. By this means, 
your quarrels would have been made up ; but you have not done so. 
My lord of Flanders therefore informs you, that since you have thus 
contemptuously behaved yourselves toward him, and then petition 
him with swords in your hands, he will one day take such cruel 
revenge on you that all the world shall ever at'terwards speak of it." 
Then they left the mayor and jurats of Ghent, and, after they had 
dined, set out on their return through Courtray to Lille ; when they 
related to the earl what they had done, and what e.xcuses the town 
of Ghent had made. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



261 



CHAPTER XLVI. 

THE MEN OF GHENT SURRENDER OTTDENiRDE. THEY DESTROY THE HOUSES 
OF THE NOBLES. A CRUEL AND PITILESS WAR RENEWED BETWEEN THE 
MEN OF GHENT AND THE NOBILITY. 

One may well be surprised to hear the matter of this treaty so 
diversely spoken of, and such astonishing accounts told of it, which 
every one who reads may understand. Some said the men of Ghent 
were in the right to make this war, which was so cruel and of such 
long continuance in Flanders, adding, they had a just cause for so 
doing ; but it does not so appear to me from what I have seen, nor 
can I learn or understand but that the eavl always preferred peace 
to war, except where his honor and dignity were concerned. Did 
he not give up the citizen who was confined in his prison at Erclo ? 
Yes, he did ; and they murdered his bailiff. In order to preserve 
peace, he again pardoned them this outrage ; when they in one day 
caused an insurrection throughout all Flanders against him, and slew, 
even in the town of Ypres, five of his knights. They afterwards 
attacked Oudenarde, and besieged it, doing everything in tlieir 
power to take and destroy it. After this, peace was concluded ; but 
they refused to make any atonement for the death of Roger d'Au- 
terme, though his family had frequently demanded it ; for which 
that family had revenged themselves on some mariners, by whom all 
these disturbances were originally created : and was this a sufiicient 
reason for the total destruction of Oudenarde ? I think not; and 
this opinion is confirmed by many others agreeing in it. They said 
in reply, that the earl had other things to settle with Ghent ; and 
insisted on having reparation made for what had been done to the 
mariners, before they would surrender Oudenarde. 

The earl was exceedingly enraged, as well as his council, that 
the Ghent men should keep possession of Oudenarde, He knew 
not how to expel them from it, which made him sorely repent, that 
notwithstanding the peace he had entered into with Ghent, he had 
not more strongly guarded it. He frequently wrote and sent to them 
to surrender it to him ; otherwise he would wage so severe a war 
that they should for ever remember it. The citizens of Ghent were 
unwilling to avow this act ; for, if they had, the peace would have 
been broken. At last, some of the principal inhabitants, who wished 
for peace and tranquillily, such as John de Faucille, Guisebert de 
Guise, sir Simon Bete and many others, undertook the business ; 
and, after twelve days negotiating, those from Ghent who were in 
Oudenarde returned home, and the town was surrendered to the 
earl's men. In order further to appease the earl, John Pruniaux 
was banished from Ghent and from Flanders for ever : his sentence 
stated it as the reason, that he had gone and taken possession of 
Oudenarde without the knowledge of the magistrates of Ghent. 
Sir Philip de Mamines, sir Oliver d'Auteniie, le Galois de Manxes, 
le bastard de Widringues, and all those who had been actors or 
abettors in the maiming the mariners of Ghent, were also banished 
the country. These banishments appeased both parties. 

Pruniaux quitted Flanders, and went to Ath in Brabant. Sir 
Philip de Mamines went to Valenciennes in Hainault ; but, when 
those of Ghent heard it, they worked upon the provost and jurats of 
Valenciennes, so that the provost, John Paris, prevailed on the 
knight quietly to leave the town : he departed of his own free will, 
and resided at Warlain, near Douay, until he heard better news. 
The other luiights and squires went from Flanders to Brabant, 
where they remained until more agreeable intelligence made them 
quit it. As soon as the earl of Fland.?rs had regained possession of 
Oudenarde, he sent thither numbers of workmen to repair the gates, 
towers and walls, which he made stronger than before : the ditches 
also were deepened. 

All this was known at Ghent ; but they took no notice of it, lest 
they should be reprimanded for having infringed the peace. The 
discontented, however, said among themselves ; " Let them work 
as long as they please in repairing Oudenarde, for, were it now of 
steel, it could not resist us, whenever we may choose to take it." 

Although there was peace in Flanders, the earl had constant sua. 
picions of Ghent ; for every day some tales were brought him re- 
speetiHg it : and similar ones were told of him to the townsmen of 
Ghent. John de Faucille went to reside at Nazareth, a very hand- 
some and strong house of his a good league distant from Ghent. 
He dissembled there as long as he was able, and would not be of 
the town.council, in order to avoid being marked by the earl. He 
also absented himself very much from his attendance on the earl, to 
preserve his popularity in Ghent, and thus, as it were, swimming 
between two streams, kept himself as much neuter as he could. 

During the time the earl was repairing Oudenarde, and had just 
finished it, he was earnest, by letters and messages to his cousin the 
duke of Brabant, to get possession of John Pruniaux, who resided 
at Ath. He managed the matter so well that he was delivered up, 
and brought to Lille, where he was beheaded, and his body placed 
on a wheel as a traitor. Such was the end of John Pruniaux. At 
this same time, the earl came to Ypres, and held there several courts 
of justice, by whose judgments many wicked people were beheaded ; 
such as fullers and weavers, who had opened the gates to the men 
of Ghent, and slain the earl's knights, that others might from them 
take warning. All this was told in Ghent, which made them more 
suspicious than before, especially the leaders of the expeditions to 



Oudenarde. They said among themselves ; ** Certainly the earl 
will, if he can, destroy all of us. He loves us so well, he only 
wants our lives. Has he not put to death John Pruniaux ? la 
truth, we must own that we acted very wrong in regard to John 
Pruniaux, when we suffered him to be banished : we are guilty of 
his death ; and, if they can catch us, such an end as his awaits us. 
Let us be on our guard." 

Peter du Bois added ; " If you will be advised by me, there shall 
not a gentleman's house of any strength remain in the country about 
Ghent ; for by such houses we may all be destroyed, if we do not 
take care and provide a remedy." The others answered, "You 
say well ; come quick, let us down with them all." Upon this, the 
captains, Peter du Bois, John Boule, Rasse de Harzelle, John de 
Launoy, and several others made preparations for setting out from 
Ghent, which they did, and burnt and destroyed all the houses of 
the gentlemen : whatever they found therein, they divided among 
themselves as fair booty. After this, they returned to Ghent ; and 
none were bold enough to say to them, You have done ill. 

The gentlemen, knights and squires, who resided at Lille with 
the earl, on hearing this, were much enraged, and with reason ; 
they told the earl, that this outrage ought to be punished, and the 
pride of the Ghent men humbled. The earl gave to these knights 
and squires permission to make war on Ghent, and revenge them, 
selves for the injuries they had suffered. They made alliances with 
many knights and squires of Flanders, and entreated their friends 
in Hainault to assist them, and chose for their commander le Hasle 
de Flandres, the eldest bastard son of the earl, a right valiant knight. 

This Hasle de Flandres and his companions sometimes fi.xed their 
quarters in Oudenarde, at others at Gavres, Alost or Dendremonde, 
and had frequent skirmishes with the Ghent men. They advanced 
up to the barriers of the town, and destroyed almost all the wind- 
mills which were around it, committing other injuries on Ghent. 
They had with them a young knight from Hainault, well inclined to 
sei-ve them, whose name was sir James de Verchin, seneschal of 
Hainault. He performed many gallant deeds, and advanced himself 
sometimes too rashly, in tilting close to the barriers, and twice or 
thrice won from them their helmets and cross-bows. This sir James 
de Verchin was very fond of arms, and would have greatly excelled 
if he had lived longer ; but he died young, and in his bed, at the 
castle of Ombre, near Mortaigne, which was a great loss. 



CHAPTER XLVII. 

the nobles make war upon THE ELEMINGS. 

The men of Ghent had been very free in their jokes and mock, 
eries of the noblemen and gentry of Flanders, but were afterwards 
sorry for it, and had once intentions of sending to duke Albert of 
Hainault, to request he would recal his knights who were making 
war against them; but, on reconsidering the business, they thought 
it would only be lost labor, for the duke would not interfere in it. 
They were unwilling also to anger him more, for they should fara 
ill without his country ; and if Hainault, Holland and Zealand were 
shut against them, they might consider themselves as ruined. They 
therefore gave up this, and followed other counsel, which was to 
send to those knights and squires of Hainault who held possessions 
within Ghent or its dependency, to come and serve them under 
pain of losing their estates : they, however, paid no attention to 
their summons. To this effect, they sent to sir Herv^, lord d'Antoing, 
who had an estate in Ghent, and was also constable of the castle, 
to assist them, or he would lose the rights of his castlewick ; and, 
because he would not obey their summons, they razed his house of 
Vienne to the ground. f 

The lord d'Antoing sent them word, he would cheerfully serve 
them at their expense, and to their ruin ; that they were not to place 
any dependence on him, for he would always be their enemy, and 
oppose them in every instance ; that he w ould not hold anything of 
them, but from his lord the earl of Flanders, to whom he owed 
service and obedience. This lord kept well the promise he had 
made them ; for he waged a mortal war against Ghent, and did them 
many injuries. He reinforced the castle with men and stores, by 
which means those in Ghent were much annoyed. On the other 
hand, the lord d'Anghien, whose name was Walter, though a young 
squire, but well inclined, did them much mischief. The war was 
thus sharply carried on during the whole season. The Ghent men 
dared not venture out of their town but in large troops ; for when, 
ever they met their enemies, if in superior numbers, they were all 
slain without mercy. 

Thus was the war embittered between the earl of Flanders and 
Ghent, which afterwards cost a hundred thousand lives twice told ; 
and with great difficulty could any end be put to it and peace re. 
established, for the leaders in Ghent knew- they had done such evil 
deeds against the earl of Flanders and the duke of Burgundy that, 
they were persuaded no treaty could be made or sworn to, whatever 
the outward appearance of it might be, but that their lives v/ould be 
sacrificed. This made them firm in their resolutions, and resolved' 
to keep up the division and war. against the earl and gentlemen of 
Flanders : it also gave them the courage to fight desperately, which, 



262 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



however, sometimes ill befel them in their enterprises, as you will 
hear related. 

The earl of Flanders, who had iixed his residence at Lille, received 
daily information of the ill deeds of the men of Ghent, how they 
were destroying and burning the houses of his nobles : he was sore 
vexed, and said he would take so great a revenge on Ghent, that he 
would put it in lire and flames, with all the inhabitants within it. 
In order to be more powerful, the earl summoned all the barons of 
Flanders and gave up to them the whole country, the better to resist 
the white hoods. He appointed two loaders, Galois de Mamines 
and Peter d'Estrevilles. These two, with their company, bore the 
banner of the earl, and remained about three weeks between Oude- 
narde and Courtray, upon the Lys, where they did much damage. 
When Rasse de Harzelle was informed of this, he marched out of 
Ghent with the white hoods, to Deynse, where he thought to meet 
the army of the earl ; but, when they knew that the Ghent men 
were on their march, they retreated to Tournay, and strengthened 
the towm. They contiinied there, and in the neighborhood of Damme, 
Orchies and Vorlam a considerable time, so that the merchants dared 
not go from Tournay to Douay for fear of them. It was reported, 
the Ghent men intended besieging Lille and the earl within it ; and 
for this purpose they would have formed an alliance with Bruges 
and Ypres. They had gained over Graniont and Courtray ; but 
those of Bruges and Ypres were irresolute. They had disagreed 
with the handicraft trades, declaring it would be great folly to go so 
far to lay siege to Lille ; for the earl, their lord, might form an alii, 
ance with the king of France, as he had formerly done, and receive 
from him much assistance. 

These doubts kept the principal towns of Flanders at this time 
from entering into the war, so that no siege was formed. To pre- 
vent the earl from entering into any treaty with his son-in-law the 
duke of Burgundy, they sent embassadors, with most amicable letters, 
to the king of France, to supplicate him, for the love of God, not to 
take any part to their disadvantage ; for their only wish was love, 
peace, obedience and service ; and that their lord had very wrong- 
fully and wickedly oppressed and harassed them : that what they 
were now doing was only for the preservation of their franchises, 
which their lord wanted to destroy. The king was somewhat, in- 
clined in their favor, though he showed not any appearance of it in 
public. The duke of Anjou, his brother, did the same ; for, although 
the earl of Flanders was their cousin, he was not in their good graces, 
on account of having entertained the duke of Brittany for a long 
time much against their wills. They therefore troubled not them- 
selves about his affairs : neither did pope Clement, who said, that 
God had sent him this rod because he was his enemy and would not 
acknowledge him as pope. 



CHAPTER XLVIII. 

THE BEATH OF SIR BERTRiND DU GtJESCLIN, CONSTABLE OF FRAJfCE. 

The good constable of France, sir Bertrand du Guesclin, had 
remained in Auvergne with many able men-at-arms. He had laid 
siege to Chateau-neuf de Randon,* three leagues from the city of 
Mende,t and four from the town of Puy in Auvergne, in the castle 
of which he had shut up several English and Gascons, who had 
come from the country of Limousin, where there were plenty of 
fortresses. The constable made many severe attacks on the castle 
during the siege, and swore that he would never depart until he was 
the master of it. When there, he was seized with so great a sick- 
ness that he kept his bed : this, however, did not prevent the siege 
from being continued : indeed, it was carried on by his army with 
greater eagerness. Sir Bertrand's malady was so deadly that ho fell 
a victim to it, which was a severe loss to his friends and to the king- 
dom of France. His body was carried to the church of the Corde- 
liers of Puy in Auvergne, where it remained one night ; and on the 
morrow it was embalmed, conveyed to St. Denis in France, and 
buried in a tomb very near that of king Charles of France, which 
the king had caused to be made in his lifetime. By his order, the 
body of sir Bertrand, his constable, was placed at his feet ; and his 
obsequies were performed with the same honors as if he had been 
his own son : the king's brothers, as well as great numbers of the 
nobility, attended. 

By the death of sir Bertrand, the office of constable became vacant; 
on which many councils were held to nominate a successor. Several 
great barons of France were thought of : in particular, the lords de 
Clisson and de Coucy. The king of France appointed the lord de 
Coucy governor of all Picardy, and also gave him the domain of 
Mortaigne, which is a handsome heritage, situated between Tournay 
and Valenciennes. Sir James de Verchcn, the young seneschal of 
Hainault, was turned out of it : he held it in succession from his 
father, who had been lord of it for a long time. I say, therefore, the 
lord de Coucy was greatly in favor with the king of France, who 
was desirous to nominate him constable : but the gallant knight 
excused himself with many reasons, and refused to undertake so 
weighty a charge as that of constable, adding that sir Oliver de Clis. 

* " Chateau-neuf de Randon "— e village in Lower Langaedoc. 

t " Mende "—an ancient citj- in Lower Langueduc, twenty-eight leagues from Alby. 



son was the fittest person of any, for he was a valiant, enterprising, 
and prudent knight, well known to and beloved by the Bretons. 

Things remained thus for some time, when the men-at-arms of 
sir Bertrand returned to France , for the castle had surrendered the 
same day the constable had died, and the garrison of it had gone to 
that of Ventadour. When the king of France saw the men-at-arms 
of the constable, he turned aside for grief at the loss of him whom he 
had so much loved ; he gave to each of them a handsome present 
suitable to their ranks. We will now leave this subject^ and relate 
how the earl of Buckingham, youngest son of Edward III. of Eng- 
land, having assembled a large army of men-at-arms and archers, 
crossed the sea, and marched his army through France to Brittany. 



CHAPTER XLIX. 

THE DUKE OF ErjTTA.NY REQt^STS SUCCOR FROM THE KING OF ENGLAND. 
THE EARL OF BUCKINGHAM, YOUNGEST SON TO THE LATE KING, IS AP. 
POINTED COMMANDER OF THE EXPEDITION. 

You have before heard, that when the duke of Brittany left Eng- 
land, king Richard and his uncles promised him aid of men at-arms 
and archers, which they performed with ill success ; for this was the 
expedition under the command of sir John Arundel, who with two 
hundred men-at-arms were shipwrecked, he himself drowned, with 
fourscore men-at-arms and as many archers, and from which sir 
Hugh Calvcrley and sir Thomas Trivet most narrowly escaped. 
This unfortunate event put an end to the expedition, which not 
being known to the duke of Brittany, he and his council were ex- 
ceedingly surprised, and could not conceive what was become of the 
English ; for they were very anxious to profit by their assistance, in 
the sharp war wliich was carrying on against the duke by sir Oliver 
de Clisson, sir Guy de Laval, sir Oliver du Guesclin, the count de 
Longueville, the lord de Rochefort, and the French on the frontiers 
of his duchy. 

The duke was advised to send some able men to England, to 
know why the reinforcements were not sent according to promise, 
and to hasten them over, for they were in great need of tliem. The 
lord de Beaumanoir and sir Eustace de la Houssaye were entreated 
by the duke and his nobility to make tliis journey to England : they 
answered, they would willingly comply. Letters were given to thera 
by the duke and nobles of the country ; when having departed, they 
embarked at Vannes, with a favorable wind, and arrived at .South, 
ampton. They there disembarked, and, having mounted their horses, 
went to London. It was about Whitsuntide, in the year of grace 
1380. 

The arrival of these two lords was soon notified to the king and 
to his three uncles. The Whitsun feast being arrived, the king 
went to Windsor to celebrate it, attended by his uncles and great 
numbers of the barons and knights of England. The two embassa. 
dors went thither also, and were graciously received by the king and 
the barons, when they presented their letters to his majesty and his 
uncles. After they had penised them, they knew the great need the 
duke of Brittany had for assistance, from the earnest entreaties he 
and the country made for it. 

The embassadors then first hoard of the dcsth of sir John Arundel 
and his companions, who had peiished at sea on their voyage to 
Brittany. The duke of Lancaster made excuses, saying, it was not 
owing to any fault of the king or his ministers, but ill. fortune at sea, 
against which none can make head when God wills it so. The 
embassadors, therefsre, fully acquitted the king, and greatly lamented 
the deaths of those knights and squires who had perished. When 
the feasts of Whitsuntide were over, a parliament was holden at 
Westminster, to which were summoned all the members of the 
council. 

While these doings were passing, sir Guiscard d'Angle, earl of 
Huntingdon, departed this life in the city of London. He was buried 
in fho church of the Austin-friars.* The king ordered his obsequies 
to be most honorably performed, and they were attended by a great 
number of the prelates and barons of England : the bishop of Lon- 
don sung mass. Soon after the parliament was opened, the lord 
Thomas, youngest son of the late king of England, and many barons, 
knights, and squires of the realm, were ordered to cross the sea to 
Calais ; and, if God should jjcrmit, they were to march through 
France, with three thousand men-at-arms, and as many archers, so 
that the lord Thomas might arrive in Brittany, attended by earls, 
barons, and knights, suitably to the dignity of a king's son. He 
undertook a bold task to pass through the kingdom of France, which 
is so extensive and noble, and which has such gallant chivalry and 
valiant men-at-arms. 

When everything relative to the expedition had been discussed 
and finally arranged, the king of England and his uncle wrote letters 
to the duke of Brittany and to the nobles of the country, informing 
them in part of their will, what had been determined on by the par. 
liamcnt, and that for a certainty the earl of Buckingham would this 
season cross the sea to march to their aid. The king of England 
showed the embassadors many honors, and gave them very rich 
presents, as also did his uncles, when they set out on their departure 
for Brittany. They presented their letters to the duke, who, having 
* "Austin-friars." SeeGouOH's Seputchral Monuments. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



363 



opened and read them, shtiwed them to the states of his country, 
who were satisfied with their contents. The king of England and 
his uncles did not delay this expedition, but sent summons to all 
those who had been Selected to attend the earl of Buckingham ; the 
barons to assemble in one place, and the knights in another. They 
had their wages paid them at Dover for three months, which were 
to commence as soon as they should land at Calais, as well for the 
men-at-arms as the archers, and their passage over was given to 
them. They crossed in small parties to Calais, and were upward 
of til'tecn davs before the whole had there landed. 




Earl of Buckingham, with his army, on their voyage to Calais, to assist the duke of BrittaoF. From a MS. of the 15th century. 



Those of Boulogne having noticed such large bodies of men.at. 
arms continually crossing from Dover to Calais, gave notice of it to 
all the country and the different garrisons, that they might not be 
surprised, ^hen this intelligence was known in the Boulonnois, 
the Terouennois, and in the county of Guines, all the knights and 
squires of those countries placed their wealth in different strong 
towns, to avoid losing it. The governors of Boidogne, Ardres, de 
la Montoire, d'E^perleck, de Tournehem, de Nordt, de Liques, and 
other castles on the frontiers, exerted themselves greatly in strength- 
ening and victualing their garrisons; for they knew, that since the 
English had crossed over with so large a fleet that they would be 
attacked. 

News of this armament was carried to the king of France, who 
resided at Paris. He sent immediate orders to the lord de Coucy, 
who at that time was at St. Qucutin, to provide himself with men. 
at-arms, and to march to Picardy, to reinforce all the towns, cities, 
and castles in that province. The lord de Coucy duly obeyed the 
king's orders, and issued his summons at Peronne in the Vermandois, 
for the instant assembling of all the knights and squires of Artois, 
Vermandois, and Picardy. The lord de Saimpi was at that time 
governor of Ardres, and sir John de Bouille of Boulogne. 

The earl of Buckingham arrived at Calais with his army three 
days before Magdalen-day, in the month of July, 1380. 



CHAPTER L. 

TBE SAUL OF BUCKINGHAM MARCHES WITH HIS ARMY FROM CALAIS. 

The garrison in Calais were much rejoiced at the arrival of the 
earl of Buckingham, for they well knew it would not be long before 
they began their march. The earl having refreshed himself for two 
days at Calais, on the third departed, and took the field, following 
the road toward Marquignes.* It is proper I should name to you the 
banners and pennons under the earl's command ; first, the earl him- 
self, and the earl of Stafford who had married his niece, a daughter 
of the lord de Coucy, rode with displayed banners ; the earl of De- 
vonshire, the lord Despencer, who was constable of the army, the 
lord Fitzwalter, marshal, the lord Basset, the lord Bourchier, the lord 
Ferrars, the lord Morley, the lord Darcey, sir William Windsor, sir 



* " Marquignes'*— I suppose must be Marquise, a to\vn in the Boulonnois, between 
Cftl&is and Boulogne, five leagues &om Calais. 



Hugh Calverley, sir Hugh Hastings, and sir Hugh de la Sente,* 
advanced with their pennons ; lord Thomas Percy, sir Thomas Trivet, 
sir William Clinton, sir Evan de Fitzwnrren, sir Hugh Tyrrel, the 
lord de la Warr, sir Eustace and sir John de Harbeslon, sir William 
Farrington, the lord de Braose, sir William Fabre, sir John and sir 
Nicholas de Ambreticourt, sir John Mac6, sir Thomas Camois, sir 
Ralph, son to the lord Neville, sir Henry, bastard of Ferrars, sir . 
Hugh Broc, sir Geoffry Worseley, sir Thomas West, the lord de 
Saincte More, David Holgrave, Huguelin de Calverley, bastard, Ber- 
nard de Coderieres, and several more. 

These men-at-arms rode in 
handsome array, but did not 
march farther the day they 
left Calais than to Marquise, 
where they halted, to attend 
to their affairs, and to hold 
a council which road they 
should take to accomplish 
their expedition ; for there 
were several among them who 
had never been in France be- 
fore : in particular, the king's 
son, and many barons and 
knights. It was therefore but 
reasonable, that those who 
were acquainted with the 
kingdom of France, and hav- 
ing formerly passed through, 
and had several engagements 
in it, should have such weight 
given to their advice and opin- 
ions as redounded to their 
honor. True it is, that in for- 
mer times, W'lien the English 
invaded France, they made a 
regulation, for the leaders to 
swear, in the presence of the 
king and his council, to ob- 
serve two things ; that to no 
one, except to themselves, 
would they reveal the secrets 
of their councils, their intend- 
ed march, nor what might be 
their intentions ; and second- 
ly, that they would never agree 
to any treaty with the enemy 
without the knowledge and 
consent of the king and his council. 

When these barons, knights, and squires, with their men, had re- 
mained for three days at Marquise, and their whole force had joined 
them from Calais, the captains, having well considered their line of 
march, departed, and took the road to Ardres. They halted before 
the castle of Ardres, to show themselves to the garrison within ; when 
the earl of Buckingham having created the earl of Devonshire and 
the lord Morley knights, these two lords first displayed their banners. 
The earl of Buckingham created also the following knights : the son. 
of the lord Fitzwalter, sir Roger Strange, sir John d'Ypre, sir John 
Cole, sir James Tyrrel, sir Thomas Ramestone, sir John Neville, sir 
Thomas Roselie. The whole army took up their quarters at Hosquet 
when the above knights were made. The vanguard then marched 
to a strong house called Folant.t situated upon a river. There was 
a squire within it of the name of Robert, to whom the house belonged. 
He was a good man-at-arms, and had well garrisoned it with stores 
and hardy soldiers, whom he had picked up in the neighborhood, to 
the amount of forty, who showed every intention to defend them- 
selves well. 

These barons and knights, eager to do honor to their new knight- 
hood, surrounded the tower of Folant, and immediately began the 
attack ; but it was well defended by those within. Many a gallant 
deed was performed; and those in the fort shot well and continually, 
by which many of the assailants were killed and wounded who ven- 
tured too near. There were in the fort some good cross-bowmen, 
whom the governor of St. Omer had sent thither at the squire's re. 
quest ; for he had imagined the English would pass near his house, 
and was resolved to defend it to the utmost of his power, which he did, 
for he behaved gallantlv. The earl of Devonshire, while he was on 
the ditch, his banner displayed before him, spoke out bravely, which 
greatly encouraged his men, saying, "What, my lords! shall we so 
much disgrace our new honors as to remain all the day before this 
pigeon-house ? The strong places and castles in France may well 
hold out against us, when such a place as this stops us. Advance, 
advance '. let us prove our knighthoods." Those who heard him 
took proper notice of what he said, and, sparing themselves less than 
before, leaped into the ditches, and made for the walls, the archers 
shooting so briskly that scarcely any dared show themselves on the 
parapets. 

Several were killed and wounded, and the lower court taken and 



' De la Sente " 



tQ. "Hosque.' 



t Q. " Folant." 



254 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



bumt. At length, the whole garrison were made prisoners ; but, 
though they had defended themselves well, none were mortally 
■wounded. Thus was the house of Folant gained, and Robert Fo- 
lant wiih his garrison made prisoners, by the earl of Devonshire and 
his men. The whole division took up their quarters on the banks of 
the river of Hosque, to wait for sir William Windsor, who com- 
manded the rear.guard. He came thither in the evening. On the 
morrow, they marched otT togetlier, and advanced as far as Esper. 
leek, where they lodged themselves. 

The governor of St. Oraer, finding the enemy so near, doubled his 
guards, and ordered two thousand men to be in readiness the whole 
nigh', iliat 'he enemy might not surprise the town. The next day, 
the Riigli»h decamped, about si.x o'clock, and advanced in battle-ar- 
ray before St. Omer. The inhabitants, hearing of their march, armed 
themselves according to the orders they had received, and drew up 
in the market-place, from whence they went to the gates, towers, 
and battlements, with a determined resolution to resist, for they had 
heard that the English would attack the town ; but they had no such 
intentions, for, as it was very strong, they might lose more than they 
could gain. 

The earl of Buckingham, however, who had never before been in 
France, wished to see St. Omer, because it appeared from its gates, 
■walls, towers, and steeples, to be a handsome place. He drew up 
and halted his army »n a hill about a half a league from it, where he 
remained for three hours. While there, some of the young knights 
and squires, mounting their coursers, spurred them up to the barriers, 
and demanded to tilt with the knights in the town; but, no answers 
being made to them, they returned back to the army. The day the 
earl came before St. Orner, he made more knights ; among whom 
were sir Ralph Neville, sir Bartholomew Bourchier, sir Thomas Ca. 
mois, sir Foulke Corbet, sir Thomas d'Angleere, sir Ralph Patipas, 
sir Lewis St. Aubin, and sir John Paulet. These new knights, in 
the first vigor of chivalry, mounted their horses, and galloped up to 
the gates, calling on the knights within to tilt with them; but they 
experienced the same neglect as the others had done. 

When the army saw that the French lords in St. Omer made not 
any attempt to come out to meet them, they continued their march, 
and came that day to Esquilles, between St. Omer and Terouenne, 
■where they took up their quarters for the night. On the morrow, 
they departed, and made for Terouenne. The French ganisons in 
the counties of Boulogne, Artois, and Guincs, having observed the 
dispositions of die English, that they continued their march without 
stopping at any place, mutually informed each other of their inten- 
tions to follow them, since much might be gained by it : they there- 
fore assembled, under the pennons of the lord de Fransures and the 
lord de Saimpi, to the number of more than two hundred lances. 
They pursued the English army ; but, though they kept close to them, 
the English marched in such compact order, they were not put into 
the least disorder, and their enemies could not attack them, without 
the risk of suflering a total defeat. These French knights and 
squires, however, at times fell upon the English foragers, so that they 
dared not forage but in large companies. 

The English passed Terouenne without attempting anything, for 
the lords de Saimpi and de Fransures were within it. They marched 
on toward Bethune, where they halted for a day; and I will tell you 
the reason. You have before heard how king Richard, by the ad. 
vice of his uncles and council, had sent into Germany sir Simon Bur- 
ley, to the emperor,* to demand his sister in marriage. This knight 
so well managed the business, that the emperor, by advice of his 
council and the great lords of his court, complied with the request, 
but he had sent, with sir Simon Burlcy, the duke of Saxony, first to 
Luxembourg and then to England, to observe that kingdom, in order 
that his sister might have a just account of it, so that if agreeable, 
the marriage might be concluded. 

The cardinal of Ravenna was at that time in England, and, being 
an Urbanist, was converting the English to the same way of think- 
ing ; he was waithig also the arrival of the above-mentioned duke. 
At the entreaties of the emperor and the duke of Brabant, he and 
an his company obtained liberty to pass through France to Calais. 
They therefore travelled by way of Tournay, Lille, and Bethune, 
from whence they came to visit the earl of Buckingham and Ins 
barons, who received the duke of Saxony and his suit most honor- 
ably. The Germans continued their journey through Aire and St. 
Omer, and from thence to Calais. 

The earl of Buckingham marched his army before Liques, and en. 
camped that same day at Bouhain les Bouissieres ; but they were 
constantly followed by the lords de Saimpi and de Fransures with 
their forces. In the morning, they advanced nearer to Bethune. 
There were in that town a numerous garrison of men-at-arms, knights 
and squires, whom the lord de Coucy had sent thither ; such as the 
lord de Hangcst, sir John and sir Tristan de Roye, sir Geoffry de 
Charny, sir Guy de Harcourt, and many more. The army passed 
by Bethune without making any attempt to attack it, and lay at 
Doncheres.t 

In the evening the lords de Saimpi and de Fransures entered Be 
thmie, and the next day went to Arras, where they met the lord de 
Coucy, who received them very politely, inquiring news from them. 



* Wjnceslaus VJ. emperor. 



t Q. if not Doncby, a village near Arras. 



and which road the Enghsh had taken. They replied, they had 
lodged the preceding night at Doncheres ; that they marched witll 
very great prudence, for they constantly kept in close order. " It is 
then clear," answered the lord de Coucy, "that they wish for battle; 
which they shall have, if the king our lord will trust us, before they 
have finished their march." The earl marched by Arras, in order of 
battle, continuing his route without doing anything : he took up hi3 
quarters at Anet,* on the morrow at Miraumont,t and the next day 
at Clery-on-the.Somme. 

The lord de Coucy, who resided at Arras, on hearing that they 
had gone this road, sent the lord Hangest to Braye-sur.Somme,? and 
with him thirty lances, knights and squires : he ordered to Peronne 
sir James deVerchin, seneschal of Hainault, the lord de Hamireth, 
sir John de Roye, and several others: he himself went to St. Quen. 
tin. He sent the lord de Clery, with others, into the Vermandois ; 
for he was anxious that no loss should be suffered through any negli. 
gence on his part. 

CHAPTER LI. 

THE LORB DE EKIMEO, BIS SONS AND HIS MEN, ARE TAKEN TKISONERS 
BY THE ENGLISH. THE GARRISON Of PERONNE ARE BRIVIN BACK 
INTO THAT TOWN. 

The night the English had quartered themselves at Clcry.on.the- 
Somme, some knights of the army, such as sir Thomas Trivet, sir 
William Clinton, sir Evan Fitzwarrcn, at the instigation of lord Dela. 
warr, who was well acquainted with the whole country, and knew 
that the lord de Coucy was with a large body of men-at-arms in the 
town of Arras, resolved to march from the army, at early dawn, with 
the foragers, to see if they should meet with any adventure worth 
attending to ; for they wished to perform some deed of arms. As 
they had planned, so did they execute ; and about thirty lances set 
out after the foragers, in search of adventures. 

This same day the lord de Coucy left Arras with a large body of 
men, and had taken the road to St. Quentin. When they were on 
their inarch, the lord de Erimeu, his sons, with about thirty spears, 
quitted the army of the lord de Coucy, anxious to perform some gallant 
act. These two bodies of English and French, meeting in the plains, 
saw a combat was inevitable : they therefore struck spurs into their 
horses, and galloped toward each othci^, shouting their cries of war. 
On the first shock, several were unhorsed, killed and wounded on 
both sides. Many handsome deeds were done : they dismounted, 
and began to thrust with their spears, each party behaving bravely. 
This mode of combat continued about an hour, and no one could 
say to whom would be the victory, but in the end the English woii 
the field. Sir Thomas Trivet made prisoners the lord de Brinieu, 
and his two sons, John and Lewis, and sixteen men-at-arms : the 
rest saved themselves : and the English returned to their army with 
their prisoners. They remained some little time in the neighborhood 
of Peronne, having heard from their prisoners, that the lord de Coucy 
was in that town with upward of a thousand lances, and they knew 
not if he wished to offer them batrie. 

This day the lord Dolawarr, with Fierabras his bastard-brother, sir 
Evan Filzwarren and several others, quitting the army, hastened to 
Mont St. Quentin, where they posted themselves in ambuscade ; for 
they had learnt that the seneschal of Hainault was with a strong body 
of men-at-arms in Peronne, and they knew him to be so self-sufficient 
that he would not fail to sally out, which in truth he did. The van- 
guard ordered ten men-at-arms to march to Peronne ; among wliem 
were Thierry de Soumain, Fierabras, sir Hugh Calverley and Hopo. 
quin Hay, mounted on their chargers. They galloped up to the bar- 
riers, where there were at least fifty spears with the s<5neschal of 
Hainault ; who, thinking to catch these gallopers, ordered the barriers 
to be thrown open, and immediately commenced a pursuit after 
thein, as they retreated toward their ambuscade. 

When those who had placed themselves in ambush saw tlie French 
pursuing their men, they discovered themselves; but it was some- 
what too soon, for when the seneschal perceived this large body so 
well mounted, he sounded a retreat, and the horses then knew the 
efi'oct of spurs; very opportunely did these lords find the bamers 
open. They were, however, so closely followed, that sir Richard de 
Marqucillies, sir Louis de Vertaing, Honard de la Honarderie, Vital 
de St. Hilaire, with ten other men-at-arms, remained prisoners to the 
English : the others escaped. When the English learnt that the 
seneschal of Hainault, the lord de Hamireth, the lord de Clery, with 
twenty other knights, had escaped, they cried out, "God! what a 
fortunate event it would have been, if we had taken them, for they 
would have paid us forty thousand francs." They returned to the 
aniiy, and nothing more wa*j done that day. 

The araiy remained for three days at Cleiy-sur-Somme, and in that 
neighborhood. On the fourth, they marched away, and came to the 
abbey Vaucelle,^ three leagues from Cambray, and the next day 
nearer St. Quentin. This day, about thirty spears attached to the 
duke of Burgundy, had set out from Arras for St. Quentin. Sir 
Thomas Trivet, sir Evan Fitzwarren, the lord Delawarr, and several 
others who had been from the vanguard with the foragers, as they 

• Q. "Anet." 

1 1 " Miraumont"— " Braj-e-sur-Sonfiine"— villages in Picardy, election of Peronne. 

§ " 'Vaucelle" — onthe Scheld, nearto Cievecoeur. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



265 



were about to fix on their quarters, fell in with these Burgundians, 
when a battle ensued : but it did not last long, for the Burgundians were 
soon dispersed, one here, another there, and all tried to save them. 



There was a valiant man-at-arms from Hainault in the troop of the 
lord Delawarr, called Peter Berton, who fixing his lance in its rest, 
and being well mounted, came up with the lord de Hangest, who 



selves as well as they could. Sir John de Mornay, however, stood was flying before him, and gave him such a blow on the back with 



his ground in good order, with iiis pennon before him, and fought 
valiantly, but at last was taken, and ten men of his company. The 
English then marched to Foursons, two leagues from Amiens, where 
the vanguard quartered itself. 



CH-\PTER LII. 

THE ENGLISH BURS ANB DESPOIL CHAMPAGNE. THEY MEET WITH VARI- 
OUS ATVENTURES OX THEIR MARCH, ASD MAKE MANY PRISONERS. 

Ox the ensuing morning, when the carl of Buckingham and his 
army had heard mass, they began their march toward St. Quentin ; 
in which town there were numbers of men-at-arms, but they did not 
sally forth. Some of the light troops galloped up to the barriers, and 
soon returned ; for the army continued its march without halting un. 
til it arrived at Origny St. Benoiste,* and the adjacent villages. In 
the town of Origny, there was a handsome nunnery, the abbess of 
which at that time happened, to be aunt-in-law to the lord Delawarr, 
at whose entreaty the nunnery and the whole town were respited 
from being burnt and pillaged : the earl was lodged in the abbey. 
That evening and the following morning, there were many skimishes 
at Ribemont, which was hard by, when several were slain and 
wounded on each side. In the morning, the army dislodged from 
Origny, came to Crecy, and passed Vau.\ below Laon, fixing their 
quarters at Sissonne.t The next day, they crossed the river Aisne, 
at Pont a Vaire, and came to Hermonville and Coumissy, four leagues 
from Rheims, without meeting with any forage on tlieir march. 

Everything had been driven or carried into the towns and strong 
place?, the king of France having abandoned to his own men-at-arms 
whatever they could find in the open country : the English, therefore, 
suffered great distress for want of food. They determined to send a 
herald to Rheims, to open a treaty, with the inhabitants, for them to 
send provisions to the army, such as cattle, bread and wine. The 
inhabitants refused to enter into any negotiation, and, in their reply, 
sala, ;})ey must make the best of it. This answer so much enraged 
them that, in one week, the li^ht troops burnt upward of 60 villages 
dependent on Rheims. The English heard that the people of Rheims 
had secured six thousand sheep in the ditches of the town, thinking 
them safe there : the vanguard advanced thither, and made their 
men descend into the ditches and drive out the sheep, without any 
one daring to issue from the town to prevent them, or even appear- 
ing on the bulwarks ; for the archers, being posted on the banks of 
the ditch, shot so sharply that no one ventured to show himself: the 
. English gained several thousand head of sheep. They sent to inform 
the townsmen, they would burn all the corn in the fields, unless they 
ransomed it by sending them bread and wine. The inhabitants were 
frightened by this threat, and sent the army from ten to fifteen loads 
of bread and wine : by this means, the corn and oats were saved 
from being burnt. The English inarched by Rheims in order of 
battle to Beaumont.sur-Vesle,t for they had crossed the river below 
Rheims. On their departure from Beaumont, the English rode along 
the river Marne, to seek a passage, and came to Conde-sur-Marne, 
where they found the bridge broken down ; but, as the supporters 
still remained, they sought for planks and beams, with which they 
rebuilt the bridge, crossed the river, and quartered themselves in the 
villages above Marne ; and on the ensuing day, they came before the 
town of Vcrtus,§ when there was a grand skirmish in front of the 
castle, in which many were wounded. 

The earl of Buckingham was lodged in the abbey. During the 
night, the town was burnt, except the abbey, which, from the earl 
lodging in it, was saved ; otherwise it would infallibly have suflered 
the same fate, for the townsmen liad retreated into the castle, and 
would not ransom it. The army marched off the follov\-ing day, 
and passed by the castle of Moymer, which is the inheritance of 
the lord de Chastillon. The skirmishers advanced to the barriers, 
and then passed on and took up their quarters for the ni^ht at Pe. 
lange, making for the city of Troyes, and the next day at Plancy-sur- 
Aube.ll The lord de Chateauneuf and John de Chateauneuf his 
brother, with Remond St. Marsiii, Gascons, and some English 
about torty spears in the whole, rode from the army to seek adven- 
tures, but met with none, which vexed them much. On their return 
they saw in the plain a body of men-at-arms riding toward Troyes • 
It was the lord de Hangest and his men : the English and Gascons 
immediately spurred their horses to come up with them. The lord 
de Hangest had well observed them, and, doubting they were in 
greater numbers than they appeared, said to his men, " Make for 
Planey and save yourselves ; I'or these English have discovered us 

f". .!!,"' ""il', """'^ '^ °°' ^'"' °ffi ''=' "^ P^^ ourselves in safety in 
_ ^ „, .. rpjjgy j.^jg j^ ^j^^j direction, and the English 



the castle of Planey." 
after them. 



GuenS, ^ITS" -^ ?"" '" P'<:^'iy, on the Oise, three leagues from St. 

1-R . t S'sionne"-a town in Picardy, diocese of Laon. 

J Beaumont-sur-Vesle"-near Rheims 

I Vertus"-a town of Champagne, twelve leagues from Rheims. 

II riancy-sur-Aube"— near Troyes. 



his lance that he almost drove him out of the saddle ; but the lord 
de Hangest neither lost his seat nor his stirrups, though Peter Ber- 
ton kept the iron hard at his back ; and in this manner did they 
arrive at Planey. Straight at the entrance of the castle the lord de 
Hangest leaped from his horse, and got into the ditch. Those 
within it were anxious to save him, and ran to the barriers, where 
there was a grand skirmish ; for the garrison kept shooting briskly, 
being very good cross-bowmen ; and several valiant deeds were 
done on each side. With great difficulty the lord de Hangest was 
saved. He fought gallantly on entering the castle ; for reinforce- 
ments from the vanguard were continually arriving. The lord 
Delawarr, sir Thomas Trivet, sir Hugh Calverley, came thither, and 
the conflict was great : there were upward of thirty of the French 
killed and wounded, and the lower court of the castle burnt. The 
castle itself was warmly attacked on all sides, but well defended : 
the mills of Planey were burnt and destroyed. The whole army 
then retired, passed the river Aube at Pont k I'Ange, and marched 
toward Valant-sur-Seine. The lord de Hangest had a very nan-ow 
escape. 

This same day the captains of the vanguard, sir Thomas Trivet,, 
sir Hugh Calverley, the lord Delawarr, the bastard his brother, Peter 
Berton, and- many others, made an excursion from the army, and 
met Sir John de Roye, with about twenty spears of the duke of Bur- 
gundy who were going to Troyes. The English, on seeing them, 
spurred their horses ; for the French were making ofl^, as not in suf. 
ficient numbers to wait for them. The greater part did escape ; 
and Sir John de Roye, with others, got within the barriers of Troyes, 
which at the time chanced to be open. On their return, they cap. 
tured four of his men, who could not save themselves, among whom 
was a squire to the duke of Burgundy, called Guion Goufer, an 
expert man-at-arms. His horse was much heated, so that he had 
dismounted, and, ha\ing placed himself against a walnut-tree, fought 
valiantly two Englishmen, who pressed him hard, crying out to him 
in English to surrender ; but he understood them not. Fierabras, 
on his return from the pursuit, arriving at the spot, said to the squire 
in French, " Surrender thyself." On hearing this, he replied, " Art 
thou a gentleman ?" The bastard rejoined, he was. " I then sur- 
render myself to thee," presenting him his sword and gauntlet ; for 
which the English would have killed him when he was in the bas- 
tard's hands, and they told him he was not very courteous thus to 
carry from them their prisoner, but the bastard was stronger than 
they. Nevertheless this affair was, in the evening, brought before 
the marshals, who, having well considered it, determined he should 
remain to the bastard, who that evening ransomed him, taking his 
word for the payment, and sent him on the morrow to Troyes. 
The whole army were quartered at Valant-sur-Seine, and the next 
day crossing the Seine at a ford, came to a village one league from 
Troyes, called Bernard-Saint-Simple, where the lords and captains 
held many councils. 

CHAPTER LIU. 

THE ENGLISH COME BEFORE TROYES. A SKIRMISH AT ONE OF THE 
GATES. THEY TAKE A FORT WHICH THE DUKE OF BURGU.NDY HAI> 
ERECTED ON THE OUTSIDE. KING CHARLES PRACTICES WITH THE- 
INHAEITAKTS OF NAKTES. 

The duke of Burgundy was in the city of Troyes, and had fixed 
on that place for the rendezvous of his forces. His intentions were 
to fight the English between the rivers Seine and Yonne ; and the 
barons, knights and squires of Francs did not wish for anything bet- 
ter ; but Charles of France, doubtful of the fortune of the war, would 
not give his permission so to do. He recollected too well the great 
losses his nobles had fomierly suffered from the victories of the 
English, and would never allow them to fight unless the advantages 
were very considerable on their side. There were with the duke 
of Burgundy, in Troyes, the duke of Bourbon, the duke of Bar, the 
count d'Eu, the lord de Couey, sir John de Vienne, admiral of 
France, the lords de Vienne, and de Sainte Croix, sir James de 
Vienne, sir Walter de Vienne, the lord de la Tremouille, the lord de 
Vcrgy, the lord de Rougemont, the lord de Hambue, the seneschal 
of Hainault, the lord de Saimpi, the baron dc.s Barres, the lord de 
Roj'e, the viscount d'-'Vssi, sir William bastard de Langres, with up- 
ward of two thousand knights and squires. I was informed, that 
the lord de la Tremouille was sent by the duke and the other lords 
to Paris, to entreat the king to allow them to fight ; and he was not 
returned at the time the English came before Troyes. The lords of 
France, doubting the English would not pass by without coming to 
look at them, had erected, about a bow-shot from the gates of 
Troyes, a large redoubt of great beams of timber, which might 
hold about a thousand men-at-arms : it was made of good strong 
wood, and well built. 

All the captains of the English army were summoned to a coun- 
cil, to consider in what manner they should act the ensuing day. It 
was resolved, that all the lords and knights should march, fully armed 
with their banners and pennons displayed, before Troyes : they were 



266 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



to draw up in the plain, and to send their heralds to oiTer battle to 
those in the town. They armed themselves, therefore, on the mor- 
row, and, being formed in three battalions, advanced into the plain 
before Troyes, where they halted. The two heralds, Glocester and 
Aquitaine, were called, when the earl of Buckingham said to them : 
•" You will go to Troyes, and tell the lords within the city that we 
are come from England in search of deeds of arms : wherever we 
think they can be found, there we shall demand them : and, because 
we know that a part of the lilies and chivalry of France repose in 
the town of Troyes, we have purposely come this road. If they 
wish to say anything to us, they will find us in the open plain in the 
form and manner in which you shall leave us, and in suchwise as 
we ought to meet our enemies." The heralds replied, " My lord, 
we shall obey your commands." 

They then set off, and rode to Troyes. The entrance of the 
redoubt was opened to them, where they stopped ; for they could 
not get to the gate of the town from the numbers of men-at-arms 
and cross-bowmen issuing forth, and drawing up before this redoubt. 
The two heralds wore the emblazoned arms of the earl of Bucking- 
ham : they were asked by the lords, what they wanted : they an. 
swered, they wished, if it were possible, to speak with the duke of 
Burgundy. 

During the time the heralds were endeavoring to deliver their 
message to tiic duke of Burgundy, the EngUsh were arranging their 
battalions ; lor they looked on a battle as certain. All who were 
desirous of knighthood were called : first came sir Thomas Trivet, 
with his banner rolled up, to the earl of Buckingham, and said : 
" My lord, if you please, I will this day display my banner ; for, 
thanks to God, I have a sufficient revenue to support the state which 
a banner requires." " It is highly pleasing to us," replied the earl : 
then, taking the banner by the staff, he gave it back into his hands, 
saying, " Sir Thomas, God grant you may show your valor here, 
and everywhere else." Sir Thomas took his banner, and, having 
displayed it, gave it to one of his squires in whom he had great 
confidence, and went to the vanguard ; for he was there stationed 
hy orders from the lord Latimer and the lord Fitzwalter, captain and 
constable. The earl then created the following knights : sir Peter 
Berton, sir John and sir Thomas Paulet, sir John Stingulie, sir Tho. 
jnas Dortingues, sir John Vassecoq, sir John Braisie, sir John Bu. 
raine, sir Henry Vernier, sir John Colville, sir William Everat, sir 
Nicholas Stingulie and sir Hugh de Lunit. They advanced to the 
van battalion, in order to have their share of tiie first blows. 

A very gallant squire from the country of Savoy was then called, 
who had before been requested to be made a knight at St. Omer 
and at Ardres: his name was Ralph de Gruyeres, son to the count 
de Gruyeres ; when the carl said to him, " We shall to-day, if it 
please God, have an engagement, and I will make you a knight ;" 
the squire excused himself, saying, " God give you all the good and 
hon^ir you wish me ; but I will never be a knight until my natural 
lord, the earl of Savoy, shall confer it upon me in battle." He was 
not pressed further on this subject. 

It was a pleasure to observe the order of battle in which the Eng- 
lish were drawn up ; and the French were busy in strengthening 
their forts, for they concluded that at least there would be some skir- 
mishes, and that such warriors as the English would not depart 
without a nearer examination of them. The French formed them, 
selves handsomely : and the duke of Burgundy was abroad, with his 
batde.axe in his hand, armed from head to foot : he passed in review 
all the knights and squires as they marched to the fort ; and the 
crowd was so great, there was not any passing, nor could the heralds 
arrive as far as the duke to deliver the message with which they had 
been charged. 

To the words which the earl of Buckingham had delivered to the 
heralds, Glocester and Aquitainc, others were added ; for, on the 
evening when the lords had held their council, they told the heralds: 
" You will carry this message, and tell the duke of Burgundy, that 
the duke and country of Brittany in conjunction have sent to the 
king of England, for support and aid against certain knights and 
barons of Brittany in rebellion against the said duke, whom they 
refuse to obey as their lord, as the better disposed part of the country 
do, but carry on war, in which they are supported by the king of 
France. On this account, the king of England is resolved to assist 
the duke and the country, and has ordered his fair uncle the earl of 
Buckingham, with a large body of men-at-arms, to march to Brittany 
for this purpose. They landed at Calais, and, having marched 
tliiougli the kingdom of France, are now so much in the heart of it 
as 10 be arrived before the city of Troyes, wherein they know are 
great numbers of the nobility : in particular the duke of Burgundy, 
son of the late king of France and brother to the king now on the 
throne: therefore, the lord Thomas of Buckingham, son to the late 
king of England, demands a battle." The heralds requested to have 
this put down in writing, which they were promised to have on the 
morrow ; but, when they again asked for it, they had changed their 
opinions, and no letters were given ; but they were told to go, and 
say what they had heard, as they were of sufficient credit; " and, if 
they choose, they will believe you." The heralds could not approach 
near enough to the duke to deliver their message, nor obtain any 
.answer. 

The young English knights had already begun to skirmish, which 



had troubled everything, and some French knights and men-at-arms 
said to the heralds, " Gentlemen, you are in a hazardous situation, 
for the common people of this town are very wicked." This hint 
made them return without doing anything. We will now relate the 
beginning of the skirmish. In the first place, there was an English 
squire, a native of the bishopric of Lincoln, who was an excellent 
man-at-arms, and there gave proofs of his courage. I know not if h& 
had made any vow : but with his lance in its rest, his target on his 
neck, he spurred his horse, and, riding full gallop down the cause- 
way, he made him leap over the bars of the barriers, and came to 
the gate where the duke was, surrounded by tho French nobiUty, 
who looked on this enterprise with amazement. The squire intended 
returning ; but he was prevented by his horse receiving a blow from 
a spear, which felled him and killed the squire. It much angered 
the duke that he had not been made prisoner. 

Instantly the battalions of the earl of Buckingham advanced on 
foot, to the attack of the men-at-arms in the wooden redoubt, which 
had been formed of shutters, doors and tables, and was not, to say 
the truth, fit to hold out against such men-at-arms as the English.* 
When the duke of Burgundy saw them advance in such numbers, and 
with so much spirit,, that the lords, barons and knights in this fort 
were not in force to withstand them, he directly ordered them to 
retreat into the town, excepting the cwss-bowmen. They retired, 
by little and little, to the gate ; and, as they were entering it, the 
Genoese cross-bowmen shot and wounded the English. There was 
a good and sharp skirmish : the redoubt was soon conquered, but it 
did not long remain to the English. All sorts of people came in 
great strength to the gates ; and, as they passed, they drew up on 
the causeways. The duke of Lorraine was there handsomely dis- 
posed ; as were the lord de Coucy, the duke of Bourbon, and othej's. 
Between this gate and the bars, many valorous deeds were done, 
and of course numbers slain, wounded and taken. The English, 
seeing the French retreat, retreated also in excellent order, and 
formed themselves on the plain, in battle-array, for upward of two 
hours ; when, toward evening, they retired to their quarters. 

The next day, the army marched to Maillerois-le-Vicomte, near 
Sens in Burgundy, where they halted for two days, to refresh them- 
selves and to gather provision from the low countties, of which they 
were in the greatest want. 

You have heard how the English marched through France, and 
thus took the road to Brittany. They publicly declared the duke 
and country of Brittany had sent for them, and that they had not any 
pretence for waging war in the name of the king of England their 
lord, but that they were then in the pay of the duke of Brittany. 
King Charles was at the time fully informed of all these matters, and, 
like a wise and prudent man as he was, examined well all the perils 
and incidents which might arise from them. He considered, that 
if Brittany joined these English against him, the fortune of war 
would be more doubtful ; and, as he was ill with the duke, if the 
principal towns were to open their gates to his enemies, it would 
turn out very much to his prejudice. He therefore sent, secretly, 
letters sealed, but written in the most gracious manner, to the 
inhabitants of Nantes (which is the key to all the other towns in 
Brittany,) to request they would consider that the English, who were 
marching through his kingdom, boasted they were sent for by them, 
and declared themselves to be their soldiers ; and that in case they 
had thus engaged them, and vvould persevere in this evil act, they 
would incur the malediction of their holy father the pope, according 
to the sentence he had passed, as well as the penalty of two hundred 
thousand florins, which he could legally demand from them, and 
which they had bound themselves to pay, according to treaties 
sealed which had formerly passed between them, and of which he 
had copies, as they could not be ignorant : that he had ever been 
their friend, and had assisted them in all their necessities ; and that 
by persisting in this matter they would be very much to blame, for 
they had not any well-grounded complaint against him to induce 
them to enter so warmly into the war as to receive his enemies. He 
therefore recommended them maturely to reconsider this ; and, if 
they had been wickedly or ill advised, he would frankly forgive it, 
provided they did not o])en their gates to his enemies the English, 
and would maintain them in all just rights and privileges, and even 
renew them, should there be occasion. 

When these letters and oflfers from the king of France had been 
read by the men of Nantes and considered, the principal persons 
among them said, the king of France was in the right, and had 
cause for remonstrating with them as he had done ; that in truth 
they had sworn and sealed never to be enemies themselves to the 
kingdom of France, nor to give any assistance to its enemies. They 
began, therefore, to be on their guard, and sent privately to the king 
of France not to be uneasy on this head, as they would never aid or 
succor the English in their attempts to injure the kingdom of France 
by force, nor would their town afford them any assistance ; for they 
were determined, if there should be any necessity, to claim the help 
of the king, and that to his army alone would they open their gates, 
and to none else. The king of France, having received their mes- 
senger, put confidence in their declarations, for Nantes was ever 
attached to the French interest : of all this, however, the duke, who 
resided at Vannes, was ignorant : he thought, nevertheless, that the 
* This contradicts his prioi account of tbe redoubt. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



267 



inhabitants of Nantes would remain steady to him, and that they 
would open their gates to the English when they should come 
thither. 

We will now return to the English who were quartered near to 
Sens in Burgundy ; in which city tlie duke of Bar, the lord de Coucy 
the lord de Saimpi, tlie lord de Fransures, were in garrison with 
their troops. 



CHAPTER LIV. 

THE ENGLISH OVERRCN THE COUNTRIES OF GATINOIS AND BEADCE. 

FRENCH SQUIRE DEMANDS TO TILT WITH AN ENGLISH SQtJIRE : THEY 
BOTH BEHAVE VERT GALLANTLY. 

When the earl of Buckingham and his army had reposed them- 
selves at Maiilerois.le.Vicomte, they determined to advance into the 
.Gatinois : they crossed, in consequence, the river Yonne, and their 
light troops went even to the suburbs of Sens. The next day tliey 
quartered themselves at St. Jean de Nemours and thereabouts, and 
afterwards at Beaune in Gatinois, where they remained three days, 
on account of its fertile and rich country. There they held a coun- 
cil, whetlier to follow the road into the plains of Beauce, or keep to 
the course of the river Loire : they resolved on the first, and marched 
toward Toury in Beauce. In this casde were the lord de Saimpi, 
sir Oliver de Mauny, sir Guy le Baveu.'i, and numbers of men.at. 
arms. There were besides, at Geneville in Beauce, the lord de 
Volainnes, le Barroiri des Barres, with others to the amount of three 
hundred spears ; and in all the castles and fortresses of Beauce were 
posted men-at-arms to defend the country. 

Those of the vanguard skirmished with the garrison of Toury, 
when there were some slain on both sides. The earl of Buckingham 
and his whole army were quartered at Toury in Beauce, and in tlie 
environs, where they found plenty of provisions. During the skir- 
mish at Toury, a squire from Beauce, a gentleman of tried courage, 
wli* had advanced himself by his own merit, without any assistance 
from otiiers, came to the barriers, and cried out to the English, " Is 
there among you any gentleman who for love of his lady is willing 
to try with me some feats of arms ? If there should be any such, 
here I am, quite ready to sally forth completely armed and mounted, 
to tilt three courses with the iance, to give three blows with the 
battle-axe, and three strokes with the dagger. Now look, you Eng. 
iish, if tliere be none among you in love." 

This squire's name was Gauvain Micaille. His proposal and 
request was soon spread among the English, when a squire, an ex- 
pert man at tournaments, called Joachim Cator, stepped forth and 
said, " I will deliver him from his vow : let him make haste and 
come out of the castle." Upon this, the lord Fitzwalter, marshal of 
the army, went up to the barriers, and said to sir Guy le Baveux, 
" Let your squire come forth : he has found one who will cheerfully 
deliver him ; and we will afford him every security." 

Gauvain Micaille was much rejoiced on hearing these words. 
He immediately armed himself, in which the lords assisted, in the 
putting on the different pieces, and mounted him on a horse, which 
they gave to him. Attended by two others, he came out of the 
castle ; and his varlets carried three lances, three battle-axes, and 
three daggers. He was much looked at by the English, for they did 
not think any Frenchman would have engaged body to body. There 
were besides, to be three strokes with a sword, and with all other 
sorts of arms. Gauvain had three brought with him for fear any 
should break. 

The earl of Buckingham, hearing of this combat, said he would 
see it, and mounted his horse, attended by the earls of Stafford and 
Devonshire. On this account, the assault on Toury ceased. The 
Englishman that was to tilt was brought forward, completely armed 
and mounted on a good horse. When they had taken their stations, 
they gave to each of them a spear, and the tilt began ; but neither 
of them struck the other, from the mettlesomeness of their horses. 
They hit the second onset, but it was by darting their speara ; on 
which the carl of Buckingham cried out, "Hold, hold! it is now late." 
He then said to the constable, " Put an end to it, for they have done 
enough this day; we will make them finish it when we have more 
leisure than we have at this moment, and take great care that as 
much attention is paid to the French squire as to our own ; and 
order some one to tell those in the castle not to be uneasy about 
hiin, for we shall curry him with us to complete his enterprise, but 
not as a prisoner ; and that when he shall have been delivered, if 
he escape with his life, we will send him back in all safety." 

These orders of the earl were obeyed by the marshal, who said to 
the French squire, " You shall accompany us without any danger, 
and when it shall be agreeable to my lord, you will be delivered." 
Gauvain replied, " God help me !" A herald was sent to the castle, 
to repeat to the governor tiie words you have heard. 

The following day, they marched toward Geneville in Beauce, 
always in expectation of having an engagement with the enemy ; 
for they well knew they were followed and watched by the French, 
in greater numbers than themselves. True it is, that the French 
dukes, counts, barons, knights, and squires, eagerly wished for a 
battle, and said among themselves, that it was very blameable and 
foolish not to permit them to engage, and suffer the enemy thus to 
slip through their hands. But, when it was mentioned to the king, 



he replied, " Let them alone : they will destroy themselves." Tfaff 
English continued their march, with the intent to enter Brittany. 

You before heard, that there were three hundred spears in (reae- 
ville, so the whole army paSiSed by it. There was indeed at the 
barriers some little skirmishing, which lasted not long, as it was 
time thrown away. Without Geneville a handsome mill was de- 
stroyed. The earl came to Yterville,* and dismounted at the house 
of the Templars. The vanguard went forward to Puiset,t where 
they heard that sixty companions had posted themselves in a large 
tower : they marched to the attack, for it was situated in the open 
plain without any bulwarks. The assault was sharp, but did not 
last long, for the archers shot so briskly that scarcely any one dared 
to appear on the battlements : the tower was taken, and those within 
slain or made prisoners. The English then set fire to it, and marched 
on, for they were in the utmost distress for water. From thence 
they went to Ermoyon, where they quartered themselves, and then 
to the forest of Marchenoir. In this forest there is a monastery of 
monks, of the Cistertian order, which is called the Cistertian Abbey, 
and has several handsome and noble edifices, where formerly a meet 
renowned and noble knight, the count de Blois, received great edifi- 
cation, and bequeathed to it large revenues ; but the wars had greatly 
diminished them. The earl of Buckingham lodged in this abbey, 
and heard mass there on the feast of our Lady in September. It 
was there ordered, that Gauvain Micaille and Joachim Cator should 
on the morrow complete their enterprise. That day the English 
came to Marchenoir :t the governor was a knight of that country, 
called sir William de St. Martin, a prudent and valiant man-at-arma. 
The English, after having reconnoitered the castle, retired to their 
quarters. In another part, the lord Fitzwalter came before the castle 
of Verbi, not to attack it, but to speak with the governor at the bar. 
riers, with whom he was well acquainted, having been together 
formerly in Prussia. The lord Fitzwalter made himself known to 
the lord de Verbi, and entreated him, out of courtesy, to send him 
some wine, and in return he would prevent his estate from being 
burnt or spoiled. The lord de Verbi sent him a large quantity, and 
thirty great loaves with it ; for which the lord Fitzwalter was very 
thankful, and kept his promise. 

On the day of the feast of our Lady, Gauvain Micaille and Joachim 
Cator were armed, and mounted to finish their engagement. They 
met each other roughly with spears, and the French squire tilted 
much to the satisfaction of the earl : but the Englishman kept his 
spear too low, and at last struck it into the thigh of the Frenchman.^ 
The earl of Buckingham as well as the other lords were much en- 
raged at this, and said it was tilting dishonorably ; but he excused 
himself, by declaring it was solely owing to the restiveness of his 
horse. Then were given the three thru?ts with the sword ; and the 
earl declared they had done enough, and would not have it longer 
continued, for he perceived the French squire bled exceedingly : the 
other lords were of the same opinion. Gauvain Micaille was there- 
fore disarmed and his wound dressed. The earl sent him one hun- 
dred francs by a herald, with leave to return to his own garrison in 
safety, adding that he had acquitted himself much to his satisfaction. 
Gauvain Micaille went back to the lords of France : and the Eng- 
lish departed from Marchenoir, taking the road to Vendftme ; but 
before they arrived there, they quartered themselves in the forest of 
Coulombiers. 

CHAPTER LV. 

KING CHARLES OF FRANCE IS TAKEN ILL HIS LAST WORDS ON BIS 

DEATH-BED. 

You have heard what secret intrigues the king of France was 
carrying on with the principal towns in Brittany, to prevent them from 
admitting the English, menacing those who should do so that they 
should never be forgiven. The inhabitants of Nantes sent him word 
not to be alarmed ; for they would never consent to admit them, 

hatever treaties had been entered into with their lord : but they 
were desirous, if the English should approach, that some mcn-at.arms 
might be sent, to defend the town and tho inhabitants against their 
enemies. 

The king of France was well inclined to this, and charged his 
council to see it executed. The main.spring of all these treaties 
was sir John de Bueil, on the part of the duke of Anjou, who re- 
sided at Angers. The duke of Burgundy was quartered in the city 
of Mans, and in that country. Other lords, such as the duke of 
Bourbon, the count de Bar, the lord de Coucy, the count d'Eu, the 
duke of Lorraine, were in the neighboring castles and forts, with a 
force of upward of six thousand men-at-arms : they said among 
themselves, that whether the king willed it or not, they would combat 
the English before they crossed the river Sarthe, which dindes 
Maine from Anjou. 

The king of France was at this moment seized with an illness, 
which much disheartened all who loved him ; for, as no remedy 
could be found for it, they foresaw that in a very short time he must 



* Probably InteTvUle. t " Puisa "—near JanviUc in Beauce. 

X " Marchenoir "— u town in Beauce, election of Cbateaudun. Near this town is a 
forest of 4230 arpents.—Oazetteer. 

^ It was asaitist the law of iinns to strike below the giidle, a rule stUi obasn'ed in the 
pugilistic combats of the prize-ring.— Ed. 



iiG8 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



•depart this life : indeed, he himself knew this, as well as his eur. 
geons and physicians. The reports were firmly believed, that the 
king of Navarre, during the time lie resided in Normandy, had at- 
tempted to poison him, and that the king was so much infected by 
the venom th;tt the hairs of his head, and the nails of his hands and 
feet fell off, and he became as dry as a stick, for which they could 
not discover any remedy. His uncle, the emperor, hearing of his 
illne?3, sent to him his own physician, the most able man of that time, 
and of the greatest learning then known in the world, as his works 
indeed show : he was called a second Aristotle, but his name was 
George of Prague. When this great doctor came to visit the king, 
who at that time was duke of Normandy, he knew his disorder, and 
declared, that having been poisoned, he was in danger of dying : 
however, he performed the greatest cure ever known, by so weak, 
ening the force of the poison that he caused him to regain his former 
strength. 

This poison oozed out in small quantities from an issue in his arm. 
On the departure of the doctor, for they could not detain him, he 
prescribed a medicine whicii was to be made use of constantly. He 
told the king and his attendants that whenever the issue dried up, 
he would infallibly die : but that he would have fifteen days or more 
to settle his affairs, and attend to his soul. 

The king of France well remembered these words, and had this 
issue for twenty-two years, which at times alarmed him much. Those 
in whom he put great confidence, in regard to his health, were able 
physicians, who comforted him, and kept up his spirits, by saying 
that, with the excellent medicines they had, they would make him live 
long in joy and happiness, so that he had great faith in them. The 
king had, besides, other disorders that afflicted him much, as the 
tooth. ache : from this he suffered the greatest torment; and his ma. 
jesty knew, frour all these symptoms, he could not live very long ; 
but the greatest comfort, toward the end of his days, was in God for 
having given him three fine children, two sons and a daughter, 
Charles, Louis, and Catherine. 

When this issue began to cease running, the fears of death came 
upon him ; he therefore, like a wise and prudent man, began to look 
to his affairs. He sent for his three brothers, the duke of Berry, the 
duke of Burgundy, and the duke of Bourbon,* without noticing his 
next brother, the duke of Anjou, whom he did not send for, because 
he knew him to be very avaricious. When they were arrived, he 
said to them : " My dear brothers, I feel I have not long to live : I 
therefore recommend to your charge my son Charles, to take that 
care of him that good uncles ought to do of their nephew, by which 
you will loyally acquit yourselves. Have him crowned king as soon 
as you possibly can after my decease, and advise him justly in all his 
affairs. My whole confidence rests in you ; the child is young, and, 
being of an unsteady temper, will want to be well managed and 
properly instructed in sound learning. Teach him, or have him 
taught, every point relative to royalty, and the manner in which he 
should, according to the situation he may be in, conduct himself. 
jMarry him to such a princess of high birth that the kingdom may 
gain by it. I have had with me for a considerable time a learned 
astronomer.t who has predicted that in his youth he will have much 
to do, and escape from great perils and dangers. Having thought 
much on these expressions, I have considered that the events alluded 
to must have their origin in Flanders ; for, thanks to God, the affairs 
of my kingdom are in a very good condition. The duke of Brit, 
lany is very deceitful and froward, and has always had more of Eng- 
lish than French courage ; for which reason, you must keep the 
nobles and principal towns of that country in good affection to you, 
in order to traverse his designs. I have every cause to praise the 
Bretons, for they have served me faithfully in the defence of my 
kingdom against its enemies. You will make the lord de Clisson 
constable : everything considered, I know no one so proper for that 
office. Seek out, in Germany, an alliance for my son, that our con- 
nections there may be strengthened. You have heard our adversary 
is about to marry from thence, to increase his allies. The poor 
people of my realm are much harassed and tormented by taxes and 
subsidies : take them off as speedily as you can, for they are things 
which, notwithstanding I proposed them, weigh very heavy on my 
mind ; but the great undertakings we have had to maintain in every 
part of the kingdom forced me to submit to them." Many more 
kind words did king Charles utter, but I have not thought it requisite 
to ciie them all. The king explained why the duke of Anjou was 
absent; for he suspected him much, knowing him to be of an am- 
bitious temper. Notwithstanding the king of France did not permit 
him to attend his death-bed, nor to have any part in the government 
of France, this duke did not keep at a very great distance : he had 
besides messengers continually going between Paris and Angers, 
who brought him exact accounts of the state of his brother's health. 
He had some also about the king's person, who informed him secretly 
what daily passed ; and the last day, when the king of France de- 
parted this life, he was at Paris, and so near the king's chamber that 
he heard all the discourse I have just related. But we will now fol. 
low the English in their march to Brittany. 



CHAPTER LVI. 

THE LORD DE HANGEST IS NEAR TAKEN BY THE ElfGLISH. THE LORD 
DE MAOVOISIN REMAINS THEIR PRISONER. THE ENGLISH CROSS THE 
RIVER SARTBE IN DISORDER. 

When the earl of Buckingham quitted the forest of Marchenoir 
with his army, he took the road toward Vend6me and the forest of 
Coulombiers. Sir Thomas Trivet and sir William Clinton were 
somewhat advanced, with forty spears, and by accident met the lord 
de Hangest, who was returning from Vend6me, accompanied by 
thirty lances. The English soon saw they were French, and eagerly 
galloped toward them. The French, who found they were not in 
equal numbers, had no wish to wait for them, nor to fight, for they 
were near to Venddme : they made, therefore, for that place, the 
English pursuing them. Sir Robert de Hangest, cousin to the lord 
of that name, was slain, and John de Mondecris, with five or six 
others, were made prisoners. The lord de Hangest came so oppor- 
tunely to the barrier that he found it open. Having fixed his lance, 
he put himself in a gallant posture of defence : the rest of his com. 
panions did so as they came up : however, twelve of them remained 
prisoners. 

Sir Robert Knolles had also this day made an excursion from the 
army : he met the lord de Mauvoisin, who defended himself val- 
iantly, but was in the end made prisoner by sir Robert himself. 
This day the army marched by Vend6me to Aussie, and on the 
morrow to St. Calais,* where they halted for two days, and then 
came to Pontvalin.t The English thus advanced, without meeting 
any to oppose them : but the whole country was full of men.at-arms, 
and numbers were in the city of Mans. At this period, the duke 
of Anjou passed through Tours, Blois, and Orleans, in his way to 
Paris ; for he had heard his brother was in so dangerous a state there 
were not any hopes of his recovery, and he was an.xious to be with 
him at his decease. Notwithstanding this illness of the king, from 
which he was never expected to recover, the men.at-arms di(t not 
desist from pursuing and watching the English on their march : the 
commanders ordered their men to harass them as much as they could, 
and to attempt, if possible, to surround them, which would prevent 
them from having any provision ; and then they would engage with 
them at their will, whether the king of France gave permission or 
not. In consequence, the lords of France had brought to that part 
of the Sarthe which the English were to pass, large beams which 
they had fixed across the river with sharp stakes, so that they would 
not be able to cross it. On the banks, tliey dug very wide and deep 
ditches, to prevent their descending to the river, or ascending from it. 

The earl of Buckingham marched from Pontvalin with his army 
to the Sarthe, where he hailed ; for they could not find a ford, as the 
river was swelled and deep, and difficxdt to cross, except in certain 
places. The vanguard marched up and down, but could not dis- 
cover any other ford but where the beams of timber and stakes had 
been fixed. The lords dismounted, and, observing the ford, said, 
" It is here we must pass, if we mean to march further : come let us 
be active, and drag these beams out of our way." You would have 
seen, after this speech, knights, barons, and squires enter the river, 
and labor most heartily before they could succeed : at last, they 
gained their point, but with much difficulty, and, having cleared 
away all obstacles, opened a passage. Had the French been watch- 
ful enough, they might have done them much harm ; for those who 
crossed first could not assist those that followed, on account of the 
deep marshes they had to go through. The English took such paina 
that they did pass them, and arrived at Noyon-sur.Sarthe. 



* The du'ie of Bourbon was brotlier to the late queen. 

t Tlioinas de Pisan. For particulars of him and his daughter, see Moreri's DictioB- 
»ry, and vol. xvii. of tlie Memoires de rAcad^mie. 



CHAPTER LVII. 

THE DEATH OF CHARLES THE FIFTH, KING OF FRANCE. 

That same day on which the English crossed the Sarthe with so 
much difficulty, Charles, king of France, departed this life, in his 
hotel at Paris called the hotel de St. Pol.t No sooner did his brother, 
the duke of Anjou, know that the king's eyes were closed, than he 
seized all the jewels of* the king, which were very valuable, and had 
them secured in a safe place, flattering himself they would be of the 
utmost use to him in the intended war and journey he was about to 
make ; for he already signed himself king of Sicily, la Puglia, Cala- 
bria and Jerusalem. 

The king of France was carried through the city of Paris to the 
abbey of St. Denis, with his face uncovered, followed by his brothers 
and his two sons, where he was most honorably interred. He had 
given orders respecting his burial during his lifetime ; and his con- 
stable, sir Bertrand du Guesclin, lies at his feet. 

Notwithstanding the orders king Charles had given, before his 
death, respecting the government of the kingdom, they were totally 
disregarded ; for the duke of Anjou immediately took possession, 

* "St. CalHis "—a town in Maine, six leagues from Vendonoe. 

T " Pontvalin "—a town in Anjou. 

t King Charles died Sunday the 16th September, 1380. at his chateau of Beauts sur 
Marne. On the Monday, his body was carried early to St. Anthony, hard by Paris, to 
wait the arrival of his brothers. It remained there until Monday 14th October, wlien it 
was borne to the church of Notre Dame in Pans, and on the following day to St. Denis 
—Qrands? ChroniQiies dc France. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



269 



and overruled all the others. He was willing his nephew should be 
crowned king, but resolved to have the management of affairs as 
much, if not more, than any other, on account of his being the eldest 
uncle ; and there were none in the kingdom who dared to dispute it 
with him. The king of France died on the eve of .Michaelmas : 
soon ai'tcr his decease, the peers and barona of France recommended 
that the king should be crowned immediately after All-saints, at 
Rheims. The three uncles, Anjou, Berry and Burgundy, agreed to 
this proposal ; but they insisted on governing the realm until the 
child should be of age, that is to say, twenty.one yeai-s,* which they 
made the great barons and prelates of France swear to observe. 
After this, the coronation of the young king was notified in foreign 
countries, to the duke of Brabant, duke Albert of Bavaria, the count 
de Savyye, the count de Btois, the duke de Gueldres, the duke de 
JuUcrs, the count d'Armagnac, and to the count de Foix. The duke 
of Bar, the duke of Lorraine, the lord de Coucy, the count dauphin 
of Auvergne, were pursuing the English : they were not, therefore, 
so soon sent to ; but the count of Flanders was invited ; and the 
day fixed was All-saints, which fell on a Sunday. 

The men of Ghent were very much grieved at the death of the 
king of France ; for lie had been very friendly to them during their 
war, loving but little the earl of Flar.ders. 

We will now speak of the English, and then return to the coro- 
nation of the king of France. 



CHAPTER LVIII. 

THE ENGLISH ARHIVE IN BRITTANY. THE DUKE EXCUSES HIMSELF FOR 
HAVING SO LONG DELAYED COMING TO MEET THEM. THEY' UNDERTAKE 
TOGETIIEK THE SIEGE OF NANTES. 

The English, hanng crossed the Sarthe in great danger, were not 
ignorant of the death of the king of France. They were quartered 
at Noyon-sur-Sarthe : from thence they marched to Poilli, two leagues 
from SabM.t The whole strength of France was at that time in the 
city of Mans, and in that part of the country, but they contented 
themselves with following the march of the English : some, however, 
said they would combat them. 

When intelligence of the king's death became public, the inten- 
tions of the French were frustrated : for many of the barons de- 
camped, and returned to Paris, to learn what was going forward. 
The English continued for three days in their quarters ; on the fourth 
day they departed, and came to St. Pierre d'Arne, and from thrnce 
to Argentic. The next day the army crossed the river Mayenac, 
and passed a marsh with much difficulty, for only two or three could 
march in front the whole of this road, which lasted upward of two 
leagues. Now, consider what danger they were in ; for if the French 
had known this, and attacked the van, the rear could not have as- 
sisted them ; of this the English were greatly afraid : however, they 
passed in safety, and arrived at Coss^,t where they halted four days 
in constant expectation of having some intelligence from Brittany. 

The duke of Brittany resided at Hennebon, in the district of 
Vannes : he had heard frequently of the English, and that they were 
near the frontiers of Brittany, but he did not know how to act. 
When he learnt the king of France's death, he took little notice of 
it, for he did not love him, but said to those near him, " The rancor 
and hatred I bore the kingdom of France, on account of this king 
Charles, is now one-half diminished ; for those who hated the father 
may love the son, and those who have made war on the father may 
assist the son. It is necessary, however, for me to acquit myself to 
the English ; for in truth, it has been at my request and solicitation 
they have marched through the kingdom of France, and I must keep 
the promises I have made them : but in this there is much difficulty, 
both in regard to them and me, as I wish our principal towns to shut 
their gates, and not allow them to enter within them." 

The duke then summoned some of his council, such as the lord 
de Montboursier, sir Stephen Guyon, sir William Tanneguy, sir 
Eustace de la Houssaye, sir Geoffry de Kerimel and the judge-asses- 
sor of Leon, and said to them : " You will ride to my lord of Buck- 
ingham, who is approaching Brittany, and whom I believe you will 
find not far off: recommend me to him, and salute on my part all 
his barons. You will tell them, that I shall shortly be at Rennes to 
meet them ; to which place I wish they would direct their march ; 
when we will consider together on the best plans for our further pro- 
ceedings. Tell them also, that I do not find my country in the same 
dispositions as when I sent to England, which vexes me much ; that, 
in particular, I am hurt with the men of Nantes, who are more rebel- 
lious than any of the others." The knights replied, they would 
cheerfully carry this message. They took leave of the duke, and 
rode to Nantes : in the whole, they were about sixty spears. 

The English having marched from Coss^, and entered the forest 
of la Gravelle, which they traversed, arrived at Viti<!§ in Brittany, 



* Froissart must mistake ; for Charles V. enacted, tl:e Mst Mar, 1375, a law. that the 
heirs apparent should henceforward be of age to eovern wlien fourteen years old. He, 
at the same time, ordered the duke of Anjou to iiave the government during the mi- 
nority, and the dukes of Burgundy ami Bourbon to have the raancgeraent of his son 
unlil he was 14 years of age— OraiKies Ckroniques. 

t ■' Sahl6 "-an ancient town in Maine, on the Sarthe. 29 leagues from Reanes. 

J "C0SS6"— a town of Maine, election of Laval. 

S " Vilro"-a city of Brittany, on the Vilaine, diocese of Rennet. 



where they felt themselves more secure than they had hitherto been, 
for they knew they should no longer be pursued by the French. 
From thence they went to Ch4teaubriant,* where they remained with 
the knights from the duke of Brittany, who met them at that place. 
The earl of Buckingham and the barons of England received the 
knights from the duke of Brittany most honorably, and there were 
many councils and debates. The English said in plain terms, they 
were much astonished that neither the duke nor the country were 
better prepared, and showed not any inclinations to receive them ; 
for it was at their request they were come, and had suffered so many 
difficulties in their march through France. 

The lord de Montboursier then said, in excuse of the duke, " My 
lords, you have very good cause for having thus spoken, and the 
duke has a thorough good will to fulfil every article of the engage- 
ments which have been entered into between you both, to the utmost 
of his power ; but he cannot act as he wishes : in particular, the in- 
habitants of Nantes, which is the key to Brittany, are in complete 
rebellion, and are ready to receive men-at-arms from France. This 
conduct has very much astonished my lord; for it was that town 
which first entered into the alliance with the other chief towns in 
Brittany, and my lord believes that the men of Nantes have entered 
into a new treaty with the young king of France, who is to be 
crowned on All-saints day ensuing. My lord, therefore, begs and 
entreats you will hold him excused : he also desires that you will 
take the road to Rennes, whither he will come to meet you ; for he 
has a great desire to see you, and will not fail being there." These 
words much pleased the earl of Buckingham and the English : they 
declared, he could not say more. The messengers, returning to the 
duke toward Hennebon, met him at Vannes. The English continued 
four days at Chateaubriant, when they'marchcd away to the suburbs 
of Rennes : the gates of the ciiy were shut, and no man-at-arms was 
suffered to enter: the earl of Buckingham, however, was lodged in 
the town, as were the lord Latimer, sir Robert Knolles, and five or 
six other barons of the council to the earl. They remained Ihere 
upward of fifteen days, waiting in vain for the duke, who never 
came, which astonished them greatly. 

The lord de Monteraulicu, the lord Montfort of Brittany, sir 
Geoffry de Kerimel, and sir Alain de la Houssaye, the governor of 
Rennes, were in the city, as also sir E'.istace, the governor's brother, 
who made daily excuses for the duke. I know not if they had a good 
cause to plead or not, but the English began to be very discontented 
with the duke for not coming. Those of Nantes kept their gates 
well guarded ; for they did not think themselves secure from the 
English, whom they knew to be at Rennes : they sent, therefore, to 
the duke of Anjou, who had been the origin of the late treaties, and 
by whom the greater part of the kingdom was governed, to remon- 
strate with him on their incapacity to defend themselves, if they 
should be besieged, without having a stronger body of men-at-arms: 
they therefore entreated him to provide them with a reinforcement. 
The four dukes who governed France, Anjou, Berry, Burgundy and 
Bourbon, complied with their request, and sent upward of six hun- 
dred good and valorous men-at-arms. Thus was Nantes reinforced. 
Those men-at-arms immediately repaired every part of the walls, 
and put the town in a proper condition to resist a siege or an attack, 
if such should happen. 

The English, quartered at Rennes and thereabouts, began to des- 
pond on account of the duke's not coming to them : they resolved, 
in a council, to send to know his reasons of delay. Lord Tliomas 
Percy and sir Thomas Trivet were ordered to wait on him, escorted 
by five hundred lances, to prevent or oppose any ambuscades which 
might be laid for them. These two barons departed from Rennes, 
attended by this body of lances, with as many archers, and took the 
road to Hennebon. They set out on a Thursday : the following 
Saturday, the earl marched the army to St. Sulpice in Brittany, where 
he halted three days : on the fourth, he marched to Combront, where 
he remained four days. The duke of Brittany had left Hennebon, 
and was at Vannes : he had regular information oi all the English 
were doing, and, after having well considered everything, resolved 
to go to thein : for his own honor, and the alliances he had formed 
with them, would not suffer him longer to delay it. Having learnt 
that sir Robert Knolles, lord Tliomas Percy and sir Thomas Trivet 
were coming to him, he began his journey to Rennes ; and, the day 
that he set out from Vannes, he met the English knights. This 
meeting caused great joy : the duke of Brittany made inquiries after 
the earl of Buckingham, and the knights told him they had left him 
very melancholly at Rennes, because he had not any tidings of him. 
The duke excused himself by saying, that by his faith he could not 
help it. They then rode all together to Vannes, where they were 
well received ; but they knew that the English army had marched 
from Combront to la Hed^ and la Maisiere, for they had followed 
that road. 

The earl of Buckingham arrived at Vannes the next day, when 
great affection was shown on both sides. The duke handsomely 
excused himself to the earl and the English for his delay in coming 
to them : the reason of it was, that he did not find his country 
determine t to perform what they had promised him at the beginning 
of the summer. 

The earl replied : " Fair brother of Brittany, it shall not be long, 

* " Chateaubriant"— a town of Brittany, on the confines of Anjou, diocese of Nantes, 



270 



CHRONICLES OF 



ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &- c ■ 



if vou follow mT^d^e, before you punish these rebels ; for, w th 
^e °-orce wh ch you have yourself, and those we have brought 
wid. the addUional reinforcements that may arnve from England 
Tvery day, we shall bring your subjects into such a state of Bubm.s 
sion that tiey will gladly throw themselves on your mercy. With 
Tese and such like speeches they conversed for a bng t.nte, when 
each retired to his hotel. On the morrow, they rode out together; 
ft was then settled that the council of the earl should attend the duke 
to Rennes, and finally make arrangements for their future proceed- 
intrs That evening the duke, with the earl's council, remained at 
la Maisiere, and the earl returned to la Hcd6, for they were all quar- 
tered in the environs of la Maisiere. The next day the d"ke we", 
.0 Remies, accompanied by the lord Latimer sir Robert Knol es 
lord Thomas Percy, sir Thomas Trivet, and others of the council of 

* Th^eV remained three days in consultation at Rennes: at last, it 
was determined, and sworn to, on the part of the duke of Brittany, 
on the holy Evangelists, that he would lay siege to Nantes, m com- 
pany with the earl of Buckingham, and be there in person fifteen 
days after the English were arrived. The duke also engaged to send 
down the river Loire plenty of barges, the more to coiistrain tlioee 
of Nantes, and would not himself quit the place, nor suffer his army 
to do so, before it shotdd be conquered. The earl o Buckingham 
was sent for to la Hede, that all his business might be complete y 
settled, and that he might be present at these councils. The amiy 
therefore dislodged, and took up their former- quarters in the suburbs 
of Rennes. The earls and barons entered Rennes, when the earl 
gave them a most magnificent dinner. The duke of Bntiany en- 
Saged, and swore by his fafth solemnly on the holy Evangelism, to 
Some to Nantes with all his forces. After this, he returned to Hen. 
nebon. The English remained for upward of hfteen days atKenncs, 
in making the necessary preparations. r ,1, •, 

The inhabitants of Nantes, being informed that the siege of their 
town was intended, took every precaution to defend themselves. 
One of the principal captains in Nantes was sir John le Barrois des 
Barres, a valiant and expert knight : there were with him the fol- 
lowing captains; John de Clisson.john de Chdtelmorant, Morfonace, 
sir John de Malatrait, the lord de Tournemine and several more, all 
the flower of the army. These leaders made very prudent and able 
defences, as well toward the river as at the gates, walls and towers 
which were opposite to the plain, and at those parts where they 
thought it probable an attack might be made. , , ., 

We will now give these affairs a respite, and speak of the cere- 
monies of the coronation of the young king Charles, who at this 
period was crowned at Rheims. 



those young squires, knights: the office ol mass w-as afterwards 
chanted by the archbishop, the king being clothed in his royal 
robes, and seated on an elevated throne, adorned with cloth of gold ; 
and all the young knights were placed on low benches, covered also 
with the same, at his feet. In this state did they remain the whole 
dav The new constable, sir Oliver de Clisson, was present: he 
had been named constable a few days prior to this ceremony, and 
performed well his charge, and everything belonging to it. The 




CHAPTER LIX. 

THE CORONATION OF KING CHARLES VI. OF FRANCE. 

As you may well imagine, nothing was spared by the nobility and 
great lords to add to the magnificence of the coronation of the young 
kin" Charles of France, who was crowned at Rheims on a bunday, 
in the twelfth year of his age, in the year 1380. At this solemnity 
there were many high and mighty lords: his uncles of Anjou, 
Berry Burgundy and Bourbon, were present ; as were also his great 
uncles Winceslaust duke of Brabant, the duke of Bar, the duke of 
Lorraine, the count de Savoye, the count de la Marche, the count 
d'Eu and sir William de Namur : but the earl of Flanders and the 
count de Blois sent excuses. There were several other lords whom 

I cannot name. t r,, ■ .u 

The youn<T king made his entry into the city of Rheims on the 
Saturday, handsomely attended by the great lords, nobility and 
minstrels, at vespers. In particular, there were upward of thirty 
trumpets which preceded him, and sounded so clear it was quite 
marvellous to hear them. The young king of France dismounted 
hefore the church of our Lady at Rheims, m company vvith his 
uncles and brother. There were also his cousins of Navarre, 
d'Albcrt, of Bar and of Harcourt,t and a great many other young 
squires, children of the great barons of France, whom the king on 
the morrow, being the day of his coronation, created knights. This 
Saturday the king heard vespers in the church of our Lady, and 
performed his vigils in that church, according to the custom of those 
times, the greater part of the night. All the youths desirous of 
knighthood attended him, and did the same. 

On the Sunday, which was All-saints day, the church of our Lady 
was very richly decorated for the coronation ; so much so that it 
could not possibly have been better ordered. The archbishop of 
Rheims, after having said mass with great solemnity, consecrated 
the king with the holy ampulla with which St. Remy had anointed 
Clovis, the first Christian king of the French. This sacred oil was 
sent from God by a holy angel, with which the kings of France 
have ever since been anointed, and it never diminishes. Now this 
must be considered as wonderfully miraculous. 

Before the consecration, the king created, in front of the altar, all 



Charlids SxiTH or Fbaxcb. Fro,n a r.mt in Mezeray'. History of France. 

principal barons of France were also there so richly dressed it would 
be tedious to relate : the king was sealed in royal majesty, with a 
crown on his head rich and precious beyond measure. The church 
of our Lady at Rheims was so much crowded during this ceremony 
that one could not turn one's foot. I have heard also, that at this 
accession of the young king to the throne, in order to please the 
people of France, all impositions, aids, taxes, subsidies and other 
levies, which had displeased and had much oppressed them, were 
abolished, greatly to the joy of the subjects. 

After mass, they went to the palace ; but, as the hall was too small 
for such numbers, they erected in the court of the palace a large 
covered stage, on which the dinner was served. The king was 
seated with his five uncles of Brabant, Anjou, Berry, Burgundy and 
Bourbon ; but, though they were at his table, they were at a distance 
from him. The archbishop of Rheims and other prelates were on 
his right hand. He was served by the great barons the lord de 
Coucy, the lord do Clisson, sir Guy de la TrcmouiUe, the lord high 
admiral and several others, on handsome horses, covered and deco. 
rated with gold brocade. The whole day passed m ceremonies. 
On the morrow, many of the great barons took leave of the king 
and his uncles, and relumed to their own country. 1 he king went 
that day to dinner at the abbey of St. Thierry, two leagues from 
Rheims ; for those monks are bound to give liim this entertainment, 
and the city of Rheims to provide for the coronation of the king. 
Thus ended this noble feast. He returae.l to Paris, where he was 
trrandly feasted by the Parisians at his entrance. 
" After all these ceremonies, entertainments and honors, there were 
great councils holden on the present and future administration of the 
kin.^dom. It was settled tliat the duke of Berry should have the 
government of Languedoc; the duke ol Burgundy, Picardy and 
Normandy ; and that the duke of Anjou should remain near the 
kincj's person, and have, in fact, the whole government of the realm.. 
The count de St. Pol was recalled, who had been banished from the 
favor of the late king diaries. He was indebted for this grace to- 
Winceslaus duke of Brabant, and to the duke of Anjou, in whose 
affection the count de St. Pol was. He immediately left Han.sur- 
Heure, situated in the bishonric of Liege, where he had remained a 
long time, and returned to France, leaving his lady m the castle of 
Bouhaing. All the confiscations were taken off his estates, which 
reverted to his profit. , a- ■ r 

We will say no more on these subjects, but return to the affairs or 
Brittany and the eari of Buckingham. 



* Tlie 4th November. 1380. He returned to Paris the lllh.—Grandes CArcniqucs. 
t " Wincesiaiis. &c."— See aiinuldtion 9th by D. Sauvage. 

t D. Sauvnge says, the three firsl were his cousins by liia mother's side ; but he knows 
DOthing of the fuunb 



TWO AEDITIONAL CHAPTERS, WHICH ARE ONLY IN ONE OF MY MSS. 
AND NOT IN ANY PRINTED COPY. 

You have heard how Sir Siinon Buriey, that gallant knight at- 
tached to the household of king Richard of England, had been sent / 
with proposals to the emperor in Germany respecting the ni»™ee , 
of the lady Anne, his sister, with the king of England. He ha* 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN. &c. 



271 



transacted the business with ability, so that the emperor and his 
council consented ; but he had brought with him, on his return, the 
duke of. Saxony, one of the council of the emperor, for him to 
observe the state of England, and to make inquiries concerning the 
dower, and how it was to be settled on the queen. It is the custom 
in England for the queen to have a large estate, independent of the 
crown, which is always managed by her directions ; and it is called 
the inheritance or dowry lands of the queen. This estate is worth 
twenty-five thousand nobles a-year ; for I, .lolm Froissart, author of 
this history, during my youth, served that queen of good memory, 
the lady Philippa of Hainault, to whom I was secretary ; and I then 
heard from many lords, ladies and knights, who had received the 
rents of these rotates, their amount. 

The duke of Saxony was much pleased with all he saw and heard, 
particularly respecting the dower; he was well satisfied with the 
king, and his two uncles of Lancaster and Cambridge ; for the other 
was in France ; and also with the earl of Salisbury, the earl of War. 
wick, the earl of Northumberland, and the other lords about the per- 
son of the king. When the duke had remained some time in Eng- 
land, and finished the business he had come upon, he took leave of 
the king, promising to persevere in the marriage to the conclusion. 
At his departure he received handsome presents of jewels for him- 
self, for those attendant on the person of the emperor, and also for 
the ladies who had the management of the young lady, Anne of 
Bohemia, the intended future queen of England. The duke returned, 
well pleased, to his own country ; but this business was not imme. 
diately concluded, for the damsel was young, and the councils of 
each party had many things to arrange : add to this, there shortly 
afterwards happened in England great misery and tribidation, as you 
will hear recounted in this history. 

[The remaining part of this chapter mentions the death of sir Guis. 
card d'Angle, earl of Huntingdon, nearly as it has been before related.] 



There fell out about this time, in England, an event that gave 
great displeasure to the earl of Buckingham when he heard of it. I 
will explain to you ^vhat it was. Humphrey, eail of Hereford and 
Northampton, and constable of England, was one of the greatest 
lords and landholders in that country; for it was said, and I, the 
author of this book, heard it when I resided in England, that his 
revenue was valued at fifty thousand nobles a-year. From this earl 
of Hereford there remained only two daughters as his heiresses ; 
Blanche the eldest, and Isabella* her sister. The eldest was mar- 
ried to Thomas of Woodstock, earl of Buckingham. The youngest 
was unmarried, and the early of Buckingham would willingly have 
had her remain so, for then he would have enjoyed the whole of the 
carl of Hereford's fortune. Upon his marriage with Eleanor, he went 
to reside at his handsome castle of Fleshy, in the county of Esse.x, 
thirty miles from London, which he possessed in right of his wife. 
He took on himself the tutelage of his sister-in-law, and had her in- 
structed in doctrine ; for it was his intention she should be professed 
a nun of the order of St. Clare, which had a very rich and large con- 
vent in England. In this maimer was she educated during the time 
the earl remained in England, before his expedition into France. 
She was also constantly attended by nuns from this convent, who 
tutored her in matters of religion, continually blaming the married 
Etale. The young lady seemed to incline to their doctrine, and 
thought not of marriage. 

Duke John of Lancaster, being a prudent and wise man, foresaw 
the .advantage of marrying his only son Henry, by his first wife 
Blanche, to the lady Mary ; he was heir to all the possessions of the 
house of Lancaster in England, which were very considerable. The 
duke had for some time considered he could not choose a more 
desirable wife for his son than the lady who was intended for a nun, 
as her estates were very large, and her birth suited to any rank ; but 
he did not take any steps in the matter until his brother of Bucking, 
ham had set out on his expedition to France. When he had crossed 
the sea, the duke of Lancaster had the young lady conducted to 
Arundel castle ; for the aunt of the two ladies was the sister of 
Richard, carl of Arundel, one of the most powerful barons of Eng- 
land. This lady Arundel, out of complaisance to the duke of Lan. 
caster, and for the advancement of the young lady, went to Fleshy, 
where she remained with the countess of Buckingham and her sis. 
ter for fifteen days. On her departure from Pleshy, she managed so 
well that she carried with her the lady Mary to Arundel, when the 
marriage was instantly consummated between her and Henry of 
Lancaster. During their union of twelve years, he had by her four 
handsome sons, Henry, Thomas, John and Humphrey, and two daugh- 
ters, Blanche and Philippa. 

The Earl of Buckingham, as I said, had not any inclination to 
laugh when he heard these tidings ; for it woidd now be necessary 
to divide an inheritance which he considered wholly as his own, 
excepting the constableship which was continued to him. When he 
learnt that his brothers had all been concerned in this matter, he 
became melanchoUy, and never after loved the duke of Lancaster as 
he had hitherto done. 

We will now return to the affairs of Brittany. 

* Froissart mistalies : their names were EJeanor and Mary. 



CHAPTER LX. 

THE EARL OF BUCKINaHAM BESIEGES NANTES. SALLIES ARE MADE BT 
THE GARRISO.V. 

You have heard of the agreement which had been sworn to, be- 
tween the duke of Brittany and the earl of Buckingham, to besiege 
Nantes. When the duke had left Rennes, the lord de Montboursier, 
sir Stephen Guyon, the lord de la Ho'ussaye and their company 
retired to Vannes and Hennebon ; and the earl of Buckingham and 
his army prepared to march to Nantes : they set out, therefore, from 
the suburbs of Reimes, and the adjacent villages where they had 
been quartered, and lodged that day at Chastillon, on the next day 
at Bain, and the third at Nozay ; and on the fourth they quartered 
themselves in the suburbs of Nantes. The earl was lodged at the 
gate of Sauvetout ; the lord Latimer constable of the army,* lord 
Fitzwaltcr and lord Basset were quartered at the gate of St. Nicho. 
las, close to the river side. Sir William Windsor and sir Hugh Cal- 
verley were lodged right honorably among their own men, as was 
proper for them. 

In the town were numbers of kniglits and squires from Brittany, 
Beauce, Anjou and Maine, who well understood how to defend the 
place ; they had the whole load and charge, for the inhabitants gave 
themselves no trouble about it. It happened that on Martinmas eve, 
sir John Ic Bairois des Barres collected some of his companions in 
the town, and said to them ; " My good gentlemen, we know that 
our enemies are close to us, and we have not yet given them an 
alert : I am of opinion, that this fine night we should look at them, 
and give them a skirmish." "By my faith," they replied, " you 
speak loyally ; tell us what you wish, and we will do it." 

They collected a body of about one hundred and twenty well 
armed and determined men, and having ordered the gate to he opened 
where the constable, the lord Basset and the lord Fitzwalter were 
quartered, placed foot guards at it to secure their retreat. The lead, 
ers of this troop were le Barrois des Barres, John Chatelmorant and 
the captain de Clisson. They came so unexpectedly as to find the 
English at supper; having shouted their war cry, "Des Barres!" 
the French began to lay about them, slaying and wounding many. 
The English were soon prepared and drawn U|) before their quarters, 
which when the French saw they very prudently retreated in a com. 
pact body toward the town. The English came from all parts to the 
skirmish : .some of each were struck to the ground, and the French 
driven within their barriers. There were some slain and wounded 
on both sides; but le Barrois des Barres entered the town with so 
little loss that this skirmish was held, both at home and abroad, as a 
gallant action. 

On the evening of St. Martin's day, le Barrois des Barres spoke to 
his companions, saying, " It would be a good thing if, at daybreak 
to-morrow, we could get six or seven large barges, with two hun. 
dred men and the same number of cross-bows, to visit our enemies 
by water; for they have not the least suspicion of our coming to 
them down the river. They all assented to this proposal, and assem- 
bled that same night the number of men des Barres had fixed on : 
before daylight they embarked in six large boats, and, floating down 
the stream, landed below the enemy's quarters. Sir John Harle- 
stone with his men were lodged in a large hotel, not far from where 
they had landed, and which, at daybreak, they surrounded and 
attacked. Sir John was soon dressed and armed, as were his men: 
they defended themselves courageously, the archers shooting at the 
cross-bows. The skimiish was long and severe ; many were killed 
and wounded, and sir John would have been conquered, if sir Robert 
Knolles, who was quartered not far distant, had not armed himself 
and his men, and, with displayed banner, advanced hastily to his 
assistance. Sir William Windsor did the same, who, having had 
information of what was going on, hurried thither ; besides, the Eng- 
glish were now coming from all parts. The French retreated to 
their boats, as they saw the necessity of it, or else of risking the 
event of a battle. There was much skirmishing on the shore, as 
they reembarked, but they departed very gallantly. The captains 
performed many valorous deeds ; but, on their return to Nantes, 
several of the French were taken, slain or drowned. All who heard 
of this enterprise considered it as one of great courage and ability. 

The English, finding themselves thus constantly attacked by the 
garrison of Nantes, resolved to be more on their guard, and to keep 
a stricter watch. The seventh night, however, after the attack 
which le Barrois had led down the river, he made another sally from 
the gate where the earl of Buckingham was quartered ; le Barrois 
had with him about two hundred men-at-arms and one hundred 
cross-bows. The Germans were on guard this night, under the 
command of sir Algars and sir Thomas de Roddes. Le Banois, 
John de Chiltelmorant and de Clisson, with their men, immediately 
attacked this guard of Germans, when a sharp contest began, and 
many were struck to the earth. Those quartered near to the earl 
arose, armed themselves, and hastened to this skirmish; but, when 
le Barrois saw the numbers increasing, he retreated to the gate, 
fighting all his way. Several were killed by the arrows, and many 



* Lord Despencer was constable in the preceding chapter. D. Sauveee supposej 
Froissart had forgotten it. But Dugdale says, in hij Baronaee, "he was conttable of 
the host at the siege of Nantee." 



272 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



wounded on both sides. Sir Thomas de Roddes, a knight from 
Germany, was struck by an arrow, which pierced quite through his 
helmet to his head ; of which wound lie died three days after : it was 
a pity, for he was a very able knight. The French and Bretons 
reentered Nantes with scarcely any loss, carrying with them si.\ 
prisoners. 

Things remained in this state, and the English much on their 
guard, for they expected an alert every night. 



CHAPTER LXI. 

THE DUKE OF ERITTANV EXPLAINS HIS REASONS FOR NOT COMINO TO 
THE SIEOE OF NANTES. THE GARRISON CONTINtlE MOST VALIANTLY 
TO MAKE SALLIES. 

The earl of Buckingliam remained in this situation before Nantes, 
daily expecting the arrival of the duke of Brittany, who never came, 
nor kept any of the promises he had engaged to perform, which quite 
discouraged the English, who knew not what to think of it. They 
sent repeatedly messengers with letters, to remonstrate with him how 
ill he was conducting himself, by not keeping those promises and 
agreements he had sworn to so solemnly when in the city of Rennes. 
To all these letters the earl did not receive one answer : the EngUsh 
supposed the messengers to have been slain, for none returned ; and 
in truth there was great danger to all who travelled between Nantes 
and Hennebon, unless they were strongly escorted. The roads were 
so strictly guarded by men-at-arms, no oue could pass without being 
taken, or his business known ; and, if there were found upon him 
letters from the English to the duke, or flora the duke to them, the 
bearer was sure to be put to death. In addition to tliis, tlic foragers 
of the army dared not venture abroad but in large companies; for 
the knights and squires of the country had assembled, and would not 
suffer their lands to be overrun and pillaged, so that, whenever they 
fell in with bodies of twenty or thirty, they took all they had and 
their horses from them, besides wounding or killing them. This 
much enraged the army, but they knew not on whom to revenge 
themselves. 

To say the truth, the duke of Brittany did everything he could to 
make his people consent to follow him to the siege of Nantes, accord- 
ing to the agreement he had entered into with the earl of Bucking- 
ham at Rennes : but he could not succeed. Even the barons, 
knights, and squires, told him plainly they would not assist in the 
destruction of their country for the sake of England, and would 
never arm themselves in his behalf so long as the English remained 
in Brittany. The duke, upon this, remonstrated with them, and 
asked why they had desired liim to send for the aid of the English. 
They told him, in answer, that it was more to give alarm to the king 
of France and his council, that they might not be deprived of their 
ancient privileges, than for anything else ; and, in case the king of 
France wished them no ill will, they would not make war against 
him. The duke could not obtain any other answer. 

On the other hand, the lord de Ciisson, constable of France, the 
lord de Dinant, the lord de Laval, the viscount de Rohan, the lord 
de Rochefort, and all the great barons of Brittany, had their castles 
well fortified and guarded. They told the duke, or sent word to him 
by messengers, that he had best consider well what he was about; 
for he had been ill advised in sending for the English, and bringing 
them over to destroy and cany war into his country: that he must 
not expect any aid from them : therefore, if he should go to Nantes, 
to assist in the siege, as they had heard it to be his intention, and 
which he ought not to have promised, they would attack his country 
on all sides, and would give him so much employment that he should 
not know what he ought to attend to first : but, if he were willing to 
acknowledge the king of France, and place himself under his obedi- 
ence, as he was bounden to do, they engaged to make his jieace 
with the young king. They added, that those who had had the 
courage to oppose king Charles deceased might be beloved by the 
king his son. Such was the treatment the duke met with from the 
great lords of Brittany, so that, in fact, he did not know what to do ; 
for he found he could not place any security on his barons or subjects : 
it therefore behooved him to dissemble. 

The siege of Nantes still continued; and on the day of our Lady, 
in Advent, the French garrison resolved to make another attack on 
the besiegers, for they had left them quiet for some time. Sir Am- 
aury de Ciisson, cousin.german to the lord de Ciisson, and the lord 
d'Amboise, made an assault, with about two hundred spears, on the 
quarters of sir William Windsor. They sallied out at the gate of 
Richebourg, on the river side, where sir Hugh Calverley's men were 
that night on guard. The lord d'Amboise was made a knight by sir 
Amaury de Ciisson. These men-at-arms, French and Bretons, 
advanced in high spirits to the ford, which having gained, though 
guarded by sir William Cossington, a sharp contest ensued, in which 
many a man was overthrown. Sir William Windsor and sir Hugh 
Calverley were in their quartei-s, and, hearing the noise, armed them- 
selves and issued forth to the midst of the tumult, where the conflict 
mightily increased: both parlies behaved valiantly. The French 
and Bretons made good their retreat, fighting all the way, and re. 
entered the gate of Richebourg with little loss: they had made a 



knight with ten men-at-arms prisoners, and had only three of their 
men taken. 

On Thursday, before the eve of Christmas-day, Barrels des Barres, 
with the lord de Solete and six score men-at-arms, made another 
sally from the gate of Sauvetout, to beat up the quarters of the earl 
of Buckingliam: the earl of Devonshire had that night the command 
of the guard. The engagement was very severe, and many were 
thrown down and wounded by spears ; but the English, being in 
greater force than their enemies, drove them back to their barriers: 
they lost, in killed and prisoners, sixteen. In this attack, an Eng- 
lish knight, called sir Hugh Kitiel, received a blow on his helmet, 
with a bolt, that caused his death. 

Eveiy man then retired to his quarters, and nothing more waa 
done that night: but the captains in Nantes held a council, and 
resolved on Christmas-eve to make a sally with the whole garrison. 
The earl of Buckingham and the other English were kept in con. 
stant alarm by the garrison, and the foragers had many difficulties 
in providing provender for the horses, for they dared not forage but 
in large companies. The earl and his council were much astonished 
that the duke of Brittany came not, nor sent them any intelligence, 
so that they began to be very discontented. Upon considering every- 
thing, they found but a very weak support in him on all occasions, 
which they could not account for, nor did they know how to seek 
redress for it. They therefore determined to send once more sir 
Robert Kuolles, lord Thomas Percy, and sir Thomas Trivet, to 
Vannes or Hennebon, to remonstrate with him on the part of the 
earl, how very ill he had conducted himself in not having fulfilled 
his engagements with greater honor. This resolution was after- 
wards broken ; for, when they more maturely weighed it, they found 
they could not send off this detachment without weakening too 
much their army, and that they could not go to the duke but with 
the whole anuy ; for, if they should march only five or .'ix hundred 
lances, and fiieel willi a thousand or fifteen hundred, the odds would 
be too great, and they would be slain : they therefore did not detach 
any part of their army. 

When the eve of Christmas was come, le Barrois des Banes, sir 
Amaury de Ciisson, the lord d'Amboise, the lord de Solete, the ch^- 
telain de Ciisson, John de Chfltelmorant, and all the captains in 
Nantes, sallied forth in the evening through St. Peter's gate, with a 
determination to act well, accompanied by six hundred men-at-arms. 
On passing the gate, they formed themselves into two divisions ; one 
of which marched down the street, and the other through the fields, 
toward the quarters of the lord Latimer and the lord Fitzwalter. Sir 
Evan Fitzwarren and sir William Renton commanded the guard. 
On the first attack, they gained the barriei'S of the guard, and, killing 
many, they drove them as far as the quarters of the constable, lord 
Latimer. They halted before the hotel of the lord Delawarr, where 
there was a gi-and engagement ; for the French had an intention of 
conquering this hotel, which they were on the point of taking and 
the lord Delawarr in it. The guard suflered much before any suc- 
cors arrived. Sir Evan Fitzwarren, the lord Delawarr, and sir Wil. 
liani Drayton, did many gallant deeds. These assaults caused the 
battalions of the constable and marshal to exert themselves ; they 
sounded their trumpets, and directly armed. Sir William Windsor 
and sir Hugh Calverley, hearing the trumpets, knew the vanguard 
was engaged : they ordered their trumpets to sound also, and a 
number of torches to be lighted and their banners displayed, with 
which they marched to the place where the combat was, attended 
by one hundred men-at-arms and as many archers. In another part, 
sir Thomas Trivet, lord Thomas Percy, and lord Basset, each with 
their banners before them, advanced to the skirmish. Good need 
had the vanguard of the haste they made to their relief, for they 
were on the point of losing their quarters: but when these barons 
and their men were arrived, they drove back the French and Bretons, 
who, forming together in a handsome body, retreated toward the 
town, skirmishing all the way. Many valiant deeds were done ; and 
some young French knights and squires, in order to gain honors, 
ventured too far, so that sir Tristran de la Jaille was taken, in his 
foolish attempt, by a squire from Hainaull called Thierry de Sommain. 

Thus was this attack made. All those, or at least a part, who 
had come from Nantes, reentered it ; for, in these cases, there must 
be wounded and slain ; and, when the heat of an engagement ani- 
mates, such accidents are to be expected. They returned, however, 
without much loss ; for they had full as many prisoners from the 
English as they had taken from them. When the gates were closed, 
they attended to their wounded. The army returned to their quar. 
ters, but did not dismiss the guard ; on the contrary, additions were 
made to it. 

No sally was attempted on Christmas-day, nor on the succeeding 
feasts. The English expected to be attacked every night ; but what 
troubled them the most was their not receiving any intelligence from 
the duke of Brittany. Their provisions were become very short, for 
it was with difiiculty they could forage. The garrison was well sup- 
plied, by means of the river Loire, from the rich counties of Poitou, 
Saintonge, and La Rochelle. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &. c . 



27T 



CHAPTER LXIL 

THE ENGLISH BREAK VT THE SIEGE OF NANTES. THE DUKE OF BRITTANV 
•SENDS HANDSOME EXCUSES TO THE EARL OF BUCKINGHAM. 

After the earl of Buckingiiam and the English had been before 
Nantes two months and four days, they found tliey could gain no- 
thing, and that the duke of Brittany would not keep any of his en- 
gagements, for he neither came nor sent to them. They thought it 
best to decamp from thence (since they could not succeed,) and 
march toward Vanncs, to have some conversation with the duke, 
and know from himself the reasons of his conduct. Orders were 
issued for the army to pack up and dislodge : they decamped, the 
last day of the year, in the same order of battle with which they had 
inarched through France, and halted, the day they left Nantes, at 
Nort, where they remained for three days, on account of the bridge 
being broken down. They had much trouble in repairing this bridge, 
that the carriages might pass over: however, it was made good and 
strong, and the army, having also crossed the river Vilaine on a Sat. 
urday, took up their quarters at Loh^ac, where they staid two days. 
When the army left Loh^ac, they quartered themselves at Gosselin, 
where they also halted for two days, and then came to la Trinit6. 
They crossed the river Aust at the Pont da Boquinio, when the whole 
army stopped on that side of the water on the plains. 

The inhabitants of Vannes received exact information of the day 
on which the army decamped, and when they crossed the river, 
from the country people, and that the earl of Buckingham was march- 
ing his army thither, intending to fix his quarters in their city. They 
knew not how to act, whether to permit them to come into their 
town or not : they therefore went to the duke at Hennebon ; but the 
day they set out they met him, two leagues from Vannes, on his road 
thither. The duke, perceiving his good subjects advancing toward 
him, asked them what was the news, and whither they were going. 
" My lord," they replied, " as for news, we can tell you enough : the 
earl of Buckingham and the English are marching hiiherward ; and 
it is their intention, as we have been informed, to quarter themselves 
in your good town of Vannes. Now, you must consider how you 
would have us act ; for without your order we will not do anything. 
In truth, they have repaired the Pont de Boquinio, which was broken 
down." 

The duke, on hearing these words, paused a little, and then an- 
swered, " God help us 1 do not you be uneasy nor alarmed at trifles, 
for everything will turn out well. These English will not do you 
any harm. I have entered into certain engagements which I must 
perform, and acquit myself to them. I am now going to Vannes ; 
and to-morrow, as I verily believe, they will arrive there. I will 
advance to meet my brother, the earl, and will pay him every honor 
and respect in my power, for truly I am bounden so to do. As 
for the rest, you will act according to my advice, which is, that you 
meet him, and present him the keys of your town, saying, that you 
and all the town are ready to receive him and to obey his orders, on 
condition that he swear, Hfteen days after he shall be requested to 
depart, he will march out of the town, and will deliver back to you 
the keys of it. This is the best advice I can give you." The citi- 
zens of Vannes replied, " My lord, we will obey your directions." 
They then rode on together to Vannes, where the duke lodged that 
night ; and the English fixed their quarters at St. Jean, a small vil- 
lage, situated two leagues from Vannes. 

The earl of Buckingham received that evening letters from the 
duke, written with great affection, welcoming him to the r>eighbor- 
hood of Vannes. On the morrow, when the earl had heard mass, 
and drank a cup, he mounted his horse, and with his whole anny 
marched in great order toward Vannes ; first the vanguard, then the 
earl in the centre battalion, the rearguard follov\-ing close upon him. 
In this order they met the duke of Brittany, who had come out a 
long league from Vannes to meet them. Great affection was shown 
to each other by the duke and earl. After this reception, which was 
very honorable, they rode together, the earl on the right and the duke 
on the left, and entered into conversation : the earl said, " By holy 
Mary, fair brother of Brittany, we waited most impatiently for your 
arrival at Nantes, during the siege, according to the treaty entered 
into between you and me, and yet you never came." " By my faith, 
my lord," answered the duke, " I could not any way accomplish it ; 
and I must own to you that I have been exceedingly enraged thereat, 
but it was not possible for me to act otherwise ; for my subjects, 
notwithstanding every argument I could use, in remonstrating with 
them on the treaties I had made with you at their own requests, 
wovild never agree to march to assist you in the siege of Nantes. The 
principal barons kept themselves ready prepared on the borders, such 
as the lord de Clisson, the lord de Dinant, the lord d'Orval, the vis. 
count de Rohan, and the lord de Rochefort, to guard the entrances of 
Brittany. All those my adherents and friends, as well knights and 
prelates as principal towns, are tiiis moment in a state of rebellion ; 
at which I am very much mortified, for by their misconduct you have 
reason to find fault with me. I will tell you, therefore, my lord, 
what you shall do : being now in the depth of winter, it is cold and 
uncomfortable to keep an army in the field : you shall come to Van- 
no, where you will remain until April or May, to recover yourselves 
from your fatigues, and I will give orders that your men are taken 



care of. You will pass your time as well as you can, and in the 
summer we v>'\\\ revenge ourselves for all these contempts." 

The earl replied, " May God assist us :" for he saw plainly there 
was nothing better to be expected. The duke conducted him toward 
Vannes. when the inhabitants of the town came out in their robes, 
and, addressing the earl, said to him in an amicable manner, " My 
lord, out of respect to your lordship, and in reverence to your great 
honor, we have not any objections to your entering our town ; but 
we wish, in order to satisfy the people (otherwise you will not be 
very secure,) you woidd swear to us, on the holy Evangelists, that 
fifteen days after we have requested you to depart, you will march 
away with your whole army, without doing or suffering to be done 
to us the least molestation." " By my troth, none shall be done to 
you," answered the earl of Buckingham : " and I will swear and 
keep it." They afterwards made the other lords swear on their 
faith, and on the holy Evangelists, to keep the same engagement aa 
the earl had done, to v\hich they readily assented. It behooved thera 
so to do, unless they had wished to sleep in the fields. The division 
of the army of the earl of Buckingham was quartered in the town of 
Vannes, and himself lodged in the hotel of the duke, a well-built and 
pleasantly situated castle, called la Motte. 

The duke of Brittany entertained the English knights handsomely 
at dinner in his castle of la Motte, and then retired to Sucinio,* 
where he resided ; but sometimes he came to Vannes to visit the 
earl and hold conferences with him, and then returned to the place 
whence he had come. Lord Latimer, lord Fitzwalter, lord Thomas 
Percy, sir Thomas Trivet, and the whole of the van of the army, 
were to have been quartered at Hennebon ; but the inhabitants would 
not open their gates to them, so that they were forced to lodge 
themselves in the suburbs and in the fields. 

Sir Robert KnoUes and lord Fitzwarren, with many more, were to 
have been quartered in Quimpercorentin ; but the inhabitants treated 
them as those of Hennebon had done, and they were obliged to make 
the same shifts with the van. Sir William Windsor and the rear- 
ward were, by orders of the duke, to lodge at Quimperle ; but they 
could not, by entreaties nor threats, prevail upon the inhabitants to 
open their gates. In consequence, they suffered much from the in- 
clemency of the weather and the ill usage they met with : what was 
not worth three farthings was sold to them for twelve, and hardly 
could they get any provision at such prices. Their horses perished 
through cold and famine, for they knew not where to collect forage ; 
and, when they went out to seek it, they were in great peril, as the 
adjacent countries were all inimical to them. 

The viscount de Rohan possessed at that time two strong castles 
in the neighborhood of Vanncs ; one was called Caire, and the other 
Linguighant. In these two castles the viscount had strong garrisons, 
which, aided by other garrisons of the lord de Clisson situated on this 
frontier, such as chateau Josselin, Montagu, and Moncontour, did 
much mischief to the English foragers, killing many. The duke of 
Brittany could not prevent this ; for the lord dc Clisson, constable of 
France, carried on the war in the name of the king of France, and 
had in the country numerous bodies of men-at-arms, so that the En. 
glish dared not stir abroad in small parties. When it is considered 
that they were encamped in the fields, without any intrenchments, 
it is marvellous they did not sufier great losses ; for those quartered 
in Vannes could not easily help those near Quimperle, Hennebon, or 
Quimpercorentin. To say the truth, the duke stood boldly forvs'ard, 
and guarded them to the best of his abilities, to prevent their destruc. 
tioa. He fairly told his council, that he had but poorly acquitted him. 
self toward the earl and his army of all the promises he had made them. 

At this time, there were four great barons at Paris, whom the duke 
had sent to the king of France to make his peace ; the viscount de Ro- 
han, sir Charles de Dinan, sir Guy lord de Laval, and sir Guy lord de 
Rochetort. These four barons of Brittany had remonstrated with 
him in council, during the time the earl of Buckingham was before 
Nantes, several times, and with much wisdom, in such terms as 
these : '^ My lord, you show to all the world, that your heart is en- 
tirely given to the English : you have brought into this country 
Englishmen who, if they gain the upper hand, will diminish your 
inheritance. What profit or pleasure can you have in this great 
affection for them ? Look to the situation of the king of Navarre, 
who put his confidence in them ; after having given them possession 
of his town and castle of Cherbourg, they have never quitted it, nor 
ever will, but keep it as their own property. Therefore, if you put 
them into any of your fortified towns in Brittany, they will not leave 
them, for daily reinforcements will arrive. See how they keep Brest : 
nor have they any thoughts of surrendering it, although it is your in. 
hcntance. I3e satisfied, my lord, with the love of the people of this 
country, who will never give up the king of France to serve and be- 
long to the king of England. If your duchess is from England, would 
you, for that, run the risk of losing your whole dukedom, which has 
cost you so much to gain, and always continue in a state of warfare? 
In case the country should be against you, you will be but as one 
man. Quit your present advisers : for the king of France v^-honi you 
did not love is dead, and at present there is a young and amiable 
monarch on the throne, who has good abilities ; and those who have 
hated the father may serve the son. We undertake to make your 

» " Sucinio"— a castle neat Vannes.— Oosettefr 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



274 ^ 

peace with him, and bring you to a proper understanding with each 
other. You will continue lord and duke of Brittany with great 
power, and the English retain to their own country." In such words 
as the above, and otliers well glossed over, had these barons remon- 
strated several times with the duke : they had succeeded so far as to 
have half gained his consent to their purpose : but he still dissembled 
with the king of France and the English, as well as with his own 
council, until he should more plainly see what would be the event. 

T)ie earl of Buckingham and his barons were ignorant of all these 
secret intrigues which the four barons above mentioned were carry- 
ing on at Paris with the king and his uncles, until the matter was 
arranged. Prior to tlieir knowledge of it, and before they left Brit- 
tany, there were tilts and tournaments held at Vannes, in the pres. 
ence of the earl of Buckingham and the lords who were there, of 
which I shall speak ; for it is not a thing that I ought to be silent 
about, nor sliould it be forgotten. 



CHAPTER LXIII. 

TILTS AND TOURNAMENTS ARE PERFORMED BEFORE THE EARL OF BUCK- 
INGHAM BETWEEN CERTAIN FRENCH AND ENGLISH KNIGHTS. 

At the time when Gauvain Micaillc and Joachim Cator performed 
their combat before the earl of Buckingham and the English lords, 
certain knights and squires from France had come as spectators to 
Marchenoir, near Blois, when sir Reginald de Touars, lord de Pou- 
sanges, a baron of Poitou, had some words with the lord de Vcrtain, 
and said he would like to tilt with him three courses with the lance 
and three strokes with the battle-axe. The lord de Vertain wishing 
not to refuse, was eager to accommodate him immediately, whatever 
might be the event: but the earl of Buckingham would not consent, 
and forbade the knight at that time to think of it. 

What had been said relative to this feat of arms was not forgot- 
ten by the two knights. Similar words had passed that same day 
between a squire from Savoye, called the bastard Clarius, and Ed. 
ward Beauchamp, son of sir Robert Beauchanip ; and also between 
sir Tristan de la Jaille and sir John d'Ambreticourt ; sir John de 
ChSitelmorant, and Janncquin Clinton ; and le Gallois d'Aunay and 
sir William Clinton ; between sir Hoyau d'Araines and sir William 
France : but these were all set aside like the first. 

During the time the English were quartered in the suburbs of 
Nantes, these French knights and squires were within the town. 
The lord de Vertain and the others were requested to deliver them 
from their engagements while they were before Nantes ; but the 
governors in Nantes would not consent, and excused their friends by 
saying, they were in Nantes, as soldici'S, intrusted with the guard and 
defence of the town. Nothing more passed until the earl of Buck- 
ingham's army were fixed in their quarters at Vannes, Hennebon, 
Quimperl^, and Quimpercorentin, when Sir BaiTois des Barres, sir 
Hoyau d'Araines, and many other knights and squires, came to cha- 
teau Josselin, seven leagues from Vannes, where the constable of 
France resided. The count de la Marche, with several knights, 
were also there, who were very glad to see them, and received them 
handaonicly. They informed the constable of all that had passed, 
and that such and such persons had undertaken deeds of prowess 
against others of the English. The constable heard this with pleas- 
ure, and said, " Send to them : we will grant them passports, to 
perform these deeds of arms, if they be willing to come." 

Le Gallois d'Aunay and sir Hoyau d'Araines were the first to say 
they were ready to perform their engagement of three courses with 
the spear, on horseback. When sir William Clinton and sir William 
France heard they were called upon by the French to perform their 
challenges, they were much rejoiced, and took leave of the earl and 
barons of England to go thither. They were accompanied by many 
knights and squires. The English and French tilted very hand, 
somely, and performed their deeds of arms as the rules required. 
Then sir Reginald de Touars, sir Tristan de la Jaille, sir John de 
Chitelmorant, and the bastard Clarius, summoned each of them his 
knight or squire ; that is to say the lord de Vertain, sir John d'Ambre- 
ticourt, Edw'ard Beauchamp, and Jannequin Clinton. These four 
were so eager for the combat, that they wished to go to chateau 
Josselin on the passports of the constable ; but the earl of Bucking- 
ham, hearing at Vannes the summons from the French, said aloud 
to the heralds, " You will tell the constable, from the earl of Buck, 
ingham, that he is equally powerful to grant passports to the French 
as he may be to grant them to the English ; and to all those who 
may wish to perform any deeds of arms with his knights, on their 
arrival at Vannes, he will, out of his aficction to them, give pass, 
ports, and to all who may choose to accompany them, both for their 
stay and for their return." 

When the constable heard this, he instantly perceived the earl was 
in the right, and that he wanted to see those deeds of arms : it was 
but reasonable there should be as many performed at Vannes as had 
been before him at chateau Josselin. The constable therefore said, 
** The earl of Buckingham speaks Uke a valiant man and a king's 
son, and I will that what he says shall be believed ; let me know 
those who may be desirous of accompanying the challengers and we 
will send for a proper passport." Thirty knights and squires imme- 
diately stepped forth : a herald came to Vannes for the passport, 



which was given to him, sealed by the earl of Buckingham. The 
three knights who were to perform their deeds of arms set out from 
chateau Josselin, attended by the others, and came to Vannes, where 
they were lodged in the suburbs, and the English entertained them 
well. On the morrow, they made preparations for the combat, as it 
behooved them to do, and advanced to a handsome space, which was 
large and even, on the outside of the town. Afterwards came the 
earl of Buckingham, the earl of Stafford, the earl of Devonshire, and 
other barons, with those who were to engage in this deed of arms : 
the lord de Vertain against sir Reginald de Touars, lord de Pousan- 
ges ; sir John d'Ambreticourt against Tristan de la Jaille ; Edward 
Beauchamp against the bastard Clarius de Savoye. 

The French took their places at one end of the lists,* and the 
English at the other. Those who were to tilt were on foot com- 
pletely armed, with helmets, vizors, and provided with lances of 
good steel from Bordeaux, with which they performed as follows : 

First, the lord de Pousanges and the lord de Vertain, two barons 
of high renown and great courage, advanced toward each other on 
foot, holding their sharp spears in their hands, with a good pace : 
they did not spare themselves, but struck their lances lustily against 
each other in pushing. The lord de Vcrtain was hit, without being 
wounded ; but the lord de Pousanges received such a stroke that it 
pierced through the mail and steel breastplate, and everything under- 
neath, so that the blood gushed out, and it was a great wonder he 
was not more seriously wounded. They finished their three courses 
and the other deeds of arms without further mischief, when they 
retired to repose themselves, and to be spectators of the actions of the 
others. Sir John d'Ambreticourt, who was from Hainault, and sir 
Tristan de la Jaille, from Poitou, next advanced, and performed 
their courses very valiantly, without hurt to cither, when they also 
retired. 

Then came the last, Edward Beauchamp and Clarius de Savoye. 
This bastard was a hardy and strong squire, and much better formed 
in all his limbs than the Englishman. They ran at each other with 
a hearty good will : both struck their spears on their adversary's 
breast ; but Edward was knocked down on the ground, which much 
vexed his countrymen. When he was raised up, he took his spear, 
and they advanced again to the attack ; but the Savoyard drove him 
backward to the earth, which more enraged the English : they said, 
Edward's strength was not a match for this Savoyard, and the devil 
was in him to make him think of tilting against one of such superior 
force. He was carried off among them, and declared he would not 
engage further. When Claiius saw this, wishing to finish his course 
of arms, he said, " Gentlemen, you do not use me well : since 
Edw-ard wishes not to go on, send me some one with whom I may 
complete my cotirses." 

The earl of Buckingham would know what Clarius had said, and, 
when it was told him, replied, that the Frenchman had spoken well 
and valiantly. An English squire then stepped forth, who was since 
knighted, and called Jannequin Finchley, and, coming before the 
earl, kneeled down and entreated his permissson to tilt with Clarius, 
to which the earl assented. Jannequin very completely armed him- 
self on the spot : then each, seizing his spear, made thrusts at the 
other, and with such violence that their spears were shivered, and 
the stumps of them flew over their heads. They began their second 
attack, and their lances were again broken ; so were they in the 
third. All their lances were broken, which was considered by the 
lords and spectators as a decisive proof of their gallantry. They 
then drew their sw^ords, which were strong ; and, in six strokes, four 
of them were broken. They were desirous of fighting with battle 
axes, but the earl would not consent to more being done, saying they 
had sufficiently shown their courage and abilities. Upon this, they 
both retired; when sir John de Chatelmorart and Jannequin Clinton 
advanced. This Jannequin was squire of honor to the earl of Buck- 
ingham, and the nearest about his person ; but he was lightly made 
and delicate in his form. The earl was uneasy that he should have 
been matched with one so stout and renowned in arms as John de 
Chatelmorant: notwithstanding, they were put to the trial, and 
attacked each other most vigorously ; but the Englishman could not 
withstand his opponent, for, in pushing, he was very roughly struck 
to the ground : on which, the earl said, they were not fairly matched. 
Some of the carl's people came to Jannequin, and said, "Jannequin, 
you are not sufficiently strong to continue this combat ; and my lord 
of Buckingham is angry with you for having undertaken it : retire 
and repose yourself." The Englishman having retired, John de 
Chatelmorant said, "Gentlemen, it seems your squire is too weak; 



* In thehisloire de la vie de Louis III. due de Bourbon, xliv. p. 160. five comb:itants 
are mentioned ; sir John de Chatelmorant. sir Bnrrois des Barres. the bastard of Clai- 
rnins (probntily the same as the bastard of Savo^-,) the viscount d'Aunay, and sir 
Tristan de la JaiHe. Tlie English were, sir Walter Clopton, Edward Beauchamp, 
Thoinns de Hennelbrl, Crosby, and sir John de Tracio, probably Tracy. 

i?ir John dc Chatelmorant tilted with sir VVnIter Clopton. and wounded him so badly 
as to prevent the completing his engagement. Sir Barrels was opposed by Thomas de 
Hennefoil, and these tiiiislied their career with lances unhurt; but sir Thomas was 
wounded too liudly with the sword to continue it. 

The bastard de Clairains vanouished Edward Beauchamp : he reeled so much, the 
English said he was drunk. Sir Tristan de la Jaille conquered his adversary. The 
viscount d'.Vulnay had similar success. 

Sir William Farrington cliallenged sir John de Chatelmorant to complete the engage 
mem which his relation, sir Walter, had been obliged to relinquish, and wounded sir 
John, as mentioned in the text, to tlie great scandal of the English. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



275 



choose another, I beg of you, more lo your liking, that I may accom- 
plish the deeds of arms I have engaged to perform ; for I shall be very 
disgracefully treated if I depart hence without havingcompletcd them." 

The constable and marshal of the amiy replied, " You speak well, 
and you shall be gratified." It was then told to the surrounding 
knights and squires that one of them must deliver tlic lord de Chatel- 
morant. On these words, sir William Fnmngton immediately 
replied : " Tell him, he shall not depart without combating : let him 
go and repose himself a little in his chair, and he shall soon be 
delivered ; for I will arm myself against him." This answer was 
very pleasing to John de Ch^telmorant, w*ho went to his scat to rest 
himself". The English knight was soon ready and in the field. 
They placed themselves opposite to each other, when taking their 
lances, they began their course on foot to tilt with their spears within 
the four mejnbers; for it was esteemed disgraceful to hit any part 
but the body. 

They advanced to each other with great courage, completely 
armed, the vizor down and helmet tightly fi.xed on. John de Ch!l- 
telmorant gave the knight such a blow^ on the helmet that sir Wil- 
liam Farrington staggered some little, on account of his foot slipping : 
he kept his spear stiffly with both hands, and, lowering it by the 
stumble he made, struck John de Chatelmorant on the thighs; he 
could not avoid it ; and the spear-head passed through, and came 
out the length of one's hand on the other side. John de Chatel- 
morant reeled with the blow, but did not fall. 

The English knights were much enraged at this, and said, it was 
infamously done. The Englishman excused himself bysaying, "he 
was extremely sorry^ for it; and if he had thought it would have so 
happened at the commencement of the combat, he would never 
have undertaken it ; but that he could not help it, for his foot slip- 
ped from the violence of the blow he had received." Thus the 
matter was passed over. The French, after taking leave of the 
carl and other lords, departed, carrying with them John de Chatel- 
morant in a litter, to chiteau Josselin, whence they had come, and 
where he was in great danger of his life from the effects of this 
wound. 

These deeds of arms being finished, each retired to his home ; 
the English to Vannes, the French to chateau Josselin. 



CHAPTER LXIV. 

THE DUKE OF BRITTANY MAKES HIS PEACE WITH THE KING OF FRANCE. 
THE ENGLISH RETURN HOME. A COMBAT BETWEEN AN ENGLISH AND 
A FRENCH SQUIRE. 

After these deeds of arms were performed, during the residence 
of the earl of Buckingham at Vannes, nothing happened worth men- 
tioning. The English, as I have before said, were quartered at 
Vannes, Hennebon, Quimperle and Quimpercorcntin : they passed 
the whole winter in Brittany as well as they could. Very many of 
them were ill, and suffered much from the badness and scarcity of 
provision ; as also did their horses, for their foragers could not find 
anything in the open country, which at that season is always bare. 
The French had taken every precaution that the enemy should not 
be very comfortable. The English were in this perilous state for 
some time ; for the French were so strong in the surrounding gar- 
risons, they dared not make any excursions. Some provisions came 
to them by sea from Cornwall, Guernsey and the Isle of Wight, 
which were of great succor to them ; otherwise they and their cav- 
alry would have perished through famine. 

During this time, the four Breton barons remained at Paris on the 
part of the duke, negotiating a peace betw'een him and the king. 
He did not oppose it; for he saw clearly that he could not keep the 
promises he had made the English, unless he would lose his duke- 
dom. It was the intention of the earl of Buckingham and his ba- 
rons to pass the winter in the town of Vannes as well as they could, 
and in the summer to return to France to continue the war : he had 
written a full account of his situation and intentions to the king of 
England and to the duke of Lancaster. The king and his council, 
ha\'ing approved of this plan, ordered him to carry it into execution, 
adding, that at the proper season, a reinforcement of English should 
be sent to Normandy and land at Cherbourg ; and those two armies, 
being united in Normandy, might be able to perform some decisive 
actions in France. 

The king of France, his uncles and council, foresaw all that might 
happen, having been duly informed of the intended plans : they 
said, in their secret councils, that if the duke of Brittany, or any of 
his principal towns, were at enmity with the realm, and united with 
the English force, France would have, for a time, too heavy a bur- 
den to bear. For this reason, the four barons from Brittany, who 
represented the duke and managed his affairs very well, had thrown 
out these doubts : in particular, they had opened themselves to the 
duke of Anjou, at that time regent of France, who having a grand 
expedition in his head, and intending within two years at the far- 
thest to march to la Puglia and Calabria, would not have chosen 
that the kingdom of France should be shaken, nor his expedition 
put off'. He was therefore strongly inclined to make peace with the 
duke of Brittany, that he might become a good Frenchman, loyal in 
faith and homage to the king of France. The articles of peace 



were now discussed by the four barons : it was settled that the duke 
might, without blame, assist the English with vessels to return to 
their own country. The duke was permitted to add to his ordi- 
nances ; that if those who had come from the garrison of Cherbourg 
to serve under the earl of Buckingham wished to remm thither by 
land, they should have passports from the king and constable to 
march through France, but unarmed, and any knights or squirea 
from England who might be desirous of accompanying them : that, 
when the English had quitted Brittany, the duke was to come to the 
king and his uncles at Paris, and acknowledge himself vassal by faith 
and homage to the king, in such a way as a duke of Brittany owes 
to his lord, the king of France. All these articles were properly 
drawn out and sealed, and carried to the duke of Brittany, who at 
that time was resident at Sucinio, near to Vannes. He agreed to 
what his embassadors had done, but sore against liis inclination : 
for he knew he could not do it, without incurring the greatest ill. 
will from the English. 

When the earl of Buckingham and his knights heard that the 
duke of Brittany had made peace with France, they were greatly 
enraged and very indignant, saying, he had sent for them and made 
them come to Brittany, where he had never performed any one of 
the promises he had sworn to ; for which reason they pronounced 
him void of loyalty. Shortly after, the duke visited the earl of 
Buckingham and his barons at Vannes, when he openly explained 
to them the treaty his people had made for him, and which it be- 
hooved him-to agree to, f'or otherwise he should lose his whole duchy. 
Upon this, high words passed between the earl and his barons with 
the duke ; but the duke humbled and excused himself as much as 
possible, for he was conscious that he had been in some sort to 
blame. It was, however, necessary to come to terms, in order that 
the English might quit Brittany. The earl then gave notice to the 
city of Vannes, that if any of his men were indebted to the inhab- 
itants, they should come forward, when they would be paid. He 
gave back to the magistrates the keys of the town, and thanked 
them for their attentions to him. 

The earl was supplied with vessels at Vannes, Hennebon and 
Quimperle, and wherever else thoy had been quartered, on paying 
for them : he left Vannes on the eleventh day of April, in battle- 
array, with banners displayed, and thus marched to the haven. The 
duke of Brittany, sir Alain de la Houssaye, the lord de Montbour- 
sier, sir Stephen Guyon, sir William de Tresiquidi, sir Geoffiy de 
Kerimel and others of his council, came thither ; they sent to infonn 
the earl, who was in his vessel, that the duke wanted to speak with 
him ; but the earl refused to come, and sent the lord Latimer and 
lord Thomas Percy. These two had a conference with the duke 
for three hours, and, after long debates, consented to request the 
earl, that before he set sail, he would on another day have a conver- 
sation with the duke : they then went to his ship, and related to the 
earl all that had passed. 

About midnight, on the return of the tide, the wind became favor- 
able ; and the mariners asked the earl what were his intentions. 
The earl, who wished not for any further conferences, said, "Weigh 
your anchor and set your sails, and let us be gone." This was soon 
done ; and thus did the English set sail from the harbor of Vannes 
for England. All the others did the same in their different ports, 
and collected together at sea. 

We will now speak of certain knights and squires who returned 
to Cherbourg by land, and relate what befel them on the road. The 
constable of France, who at that time resided at clilteau Josselin, 
seven leagues from Vannes, had granted passports to some English 
and Navarre knights of the garrison of Cherbourg, who had served 
under the earl of Buckingham. Among others, were sir John. 
Harlestone, governor of Cherbourg, sir Evan Fitzwarren, sir Wil. 
liain Clinton and sir John Burley. They set out from Vannes fol- 
lowing the road to chateau Josselin, for it was in their route. On 
their arrival, they took up their quarters in the town below the cas- 
tle, not intending more than to dine and continue their journey. 
When they had dismounted at the inn, like travellers who wished 
to repose themselves, the knights and squires of the castle came to 
visit them as brother-soldiers, who always see each other with pleas- 
ure ; particularly the French and English. Among the French, 
there was a squire of great renown in arms, who belonged to John 
de Bourbon, count de la Marche, the nearest to his person of all 
his squires, and whom he loved the most : his name was John 
Boucmel. He had formerly been in garrison in Valogne with sit 
William des Bordes, and in his expedition against Cherbourg. 
During that time, he had often had words with an English squire, 
called Nicholas Clifford, who was then present, respecting a tillitig 
match. In the course of the conversation which these French 
knights and squires held at the inn with the English, John Boucmel, 
recollecting Clifford, cried out, " Nicholas Clifibrd ! Ah ! Nicholas, 
Nicholas, we have often wished and sought to perform a tilting 
match ; but we never could find fit opportunity or place for it. Now, 
as we are here before my lord constable and those gentlemen, let 
us perform it : I therefore demand from you three courses with a 
lance." " John," replied Nicholas, " you know that we are here 
but as travellers on our road, under the passport of my lord consta- 
ble : what you ask from me cannot now be complied with, for I am 
not the principal in the passport, but under the command of theaa 



276 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



knights whom you see : if I were to stay behind, they would set 
out without me." " Ha, Nicholas, do not make such excuses as 
Ihese : let your friends depart, if they please, for I give you my 
promise, that as soon as our tilt shall be over, I will conduct you 
myself within the gates of Cherbourg without loss or peril, as I can 
depend on my lord constable's good-will. 

Nicholas said : " Now, suppose it to be as you say, and that I 
place my confidence in being safely conducted by you, yet you see 
we are travelling through the country without arms of any sort : 
therefore, if I were willing to arm myself, I have not wherewithal to 
do so." John replied : " You shall not excuse yourself that way, 
for I will tell you what I will do : I have plenty of arms at my com- 
mand, and will order dilTerent sorts to be brought to the place where 
we shall tilt ; and, when all are laid out, you shall examine them, 
and consider which will suit you best : for I will leave the choice to 
you, and, when you shall have chosen, I will then arm myself.". 

When Nicholas saw himself so earnestly pressed, he was ashamed 
that those present should have heard it, and thought, that since John 
made such handsome offers, he could not in honor refuse them ; for 
John still added, *' Make whatever arrangements you please, I will 
agree to them sooner than we should not have a tilting match." 
Nicholas then said, he would consider of it ; and, before his depart. 
lire he would make him acquainted with his resolution ; adding, " if 
it will not be possible for me to comply with your request at this 
place, and if my lords, under whom t am, should be unwilling to as. 
sent to it, on my return to Cherbourg, if you will come to Valogne, 
and signify to me your arrival, I will immediately hasten thither, and 
deliver you from your engagement." " No, no," said John, "seek 
not for excuses : I have oflered you such handsome proposals, that 
you cannot in honor depart without running a tilt with me, according 
to the demand I make." Nicholas was more enraged than before ; 
for he thought, and true it was, that he, by such a speech, greatly 
outraged his honor. Upon this, the French returned to the castle, 
and the English to their inn, where they dined 

When these knights had got to the caslle, you may suppose they 
were not silent on the words which had passed between lohn Bouc. 
mel and Nicholas Clifford, insomuch that the constable heard of them. 
He considered a short time ; and, when the knights and squires of 
the country who were with him entreated him to interest himself 
that this combat might be fought, he willingly promised it. The 
English knights and squires, wishing to pursue their journey after 
dinner, went to the castle to wait on the constable ; for he was to 
give them seven knights to escort them the whole road, through Brit, 
tany and Normandy, as far as Cherbourg. 

When they were arrived at the castle, the constable received them 
very amicably, and then said, " I put you all under arrest, and for. 
bid you to depart hence this day : to-morrow morning, after mass, 
you shall witness the combat between your squire and ours, and then 
you shall dine with me. Dinner over, you shall set out, and I will 
give you good guides to conduct you to Cherbourg." They com- 
plied with his requests, and, having drank of his wine, returned to 
their inn. Now the two squires consulted together, for it was fixed 
they should on the morrow morning engage without fail. When 
morning came, they both heard mass, confessed themselves, and 
mounted their horses; the French being on one side, and the Eng. 
lish on the other : they rode together to a smooth plain on the out- 
side of the castle, where they dismounted. John Boucmel had pro. 
vided there two suits of armor, according to his promise, which were 
good and strong, as the occasion demanded: having had them dis- 
played, he told the English squire to make the first choice. " No," 
said the Englishman, " I will not choose : you shall have the choice." 
John was therefore forced to choose first, which he did, and armed 
himself completely (in doing which he was assisted,) as a good man- 
at-arms should be. Nicholas did the same. When they were both 
armed, they grasped their spears, well made with Bordeaux steel and 
of the same length ; and each took the posititm proper for him to run 
his course, with their helmets and vizors closed. They then ad- 
vanced, and, when they approached pretty near, they lowered their 
spears, aiming them to hit each other. At the first onset, Nicholas 
Clifford struck with his spear John Boucmel on the upper part of his 
breast ; but the point slipped off the steel breast-plate, and pierced 
the hood, which was of good mail, and, entering his neck, cut the 
.jugular vein, and passed quite through, breaking off at the shaft with 
ithe head; so that the truncheon remained in the neck of the squire, 
who was killed, as you may suppose. The English squire passed on 
to his chair, where he seated himself. The French lords, who had 
seen the stroke and the broken spear in his neck, hastened to him : 
they immediately took off his helmet, and drew out the spear. On 
its being extracted, he turned himself about without uttering a word, 
and fell down dead. The English squire hurried to his relief, cry- 
ing out to have the blood stanched, but could not arrive before he 
expired. Nicholas Clifford was then exceedingly vexed, for havino- 
by ill.fortune slain a valiant and good man-at-arms. All who at tha"! 
time could have seen the despair of the count de la Marche, who 
had such an affection for his deceased squire, would surely have much 
pitied him; he was in the greatest distress, for he esteemed him 
above all others. 

The constable was present, and endeavored to comfort him, say- 
ing, " that such ;hing3 were to be expected in similar combats. It 



has turned out unfortunate for our squire, but the Englishman could 
not help it." He then addressed himself to the English : " Come, 
come fo dinner, for it is ready." The constable led them, as I may 
say, against their wills to the castle to dinner, for they wished not. 
to go there on account of the death of the Frenchman. 

The count de la Marche most tenderly bewailed his squire, as he. 
viewed his corpse, Nicholas Clifford directly retired to his lodgings, 
and would not by any means dine at the castle, as well for the great 
vexation he was in for this death as on account of his relations and 
friends ; but the constable sent to seek for him, and it was necessary 
he should comply. On his arrival, the constable said : " In truth, 
Nicholas, I can very well believe, and I see by your looks, that you 
are much concerned for the death of John Boucmel ; but I acquit 
you of it, for it was no fault of yours, and, as God is my judge, if I 
had been in the situation you were in, you have done nothing more 
than I would have done, as it is better to hurt one's enemy than to 
be hurt by him. Such is the fate of war." 

They then seated themselves at the table, and these lords dined at 
their ease. After they had finished their repast, and drank their 
wine, the constable called the lord le Barrels des Barres, and said to 
him, " Barrois, prepare yourself: I will that you conduct these Eng- 
lishmen as far as Cherbourg, and that you have opened to them every 
town and castle, and have given to them whatever they shall be in 
need of." Le Barrois replied, " My lord, I shall cheerfully obey 
your orders." 

The English then, taking leave of the constable and the knights 
with him, came to their lodgings, where everything was packed up 
and ready. They mounted their horses, departed from chuteau Jos- 
selin, and rode straight to Pontorson and Mont St. Michel. They 
were under the escort of that gallant knight le Barrois des Barres, 
who never quitted them in Brittany or Normandy, until they had ar- 
rived in Cherbourg. In this manner did the army of the earl of 
Buckingham quit France by sea and by land. We will now return 
to the affairs of Flanders during that period, and say how the men of 
Ghent behaved themselves, and how the earl of Flanders, their lord, 
persisted in continuing an oppressive and heavy war. 



CHAPTER LXV. 

THE T/AR RECOmiMENCES BETWEEN THE E.\RL OF FLANDERS AND THE 
mnABITANTS OF GHENT. THE MEN OF GHENT AND OF YFRES ARE 
DISCOMFITED DY THE AMBUSCADES OF THE EAKL OF FLANDERS. 

Prue it is, that the carl of Flanders at the beginning had very 
little dread of the Flemings and men of Ghent, imagining he could 
conquer them by little and little, both by reason and arms, since 
John Lyon and John Pruniaux were dead : but the men of Ghent 
had still able captains in whom wholly they trusted, and by whom 
they were governed ; such as Rasse de Harzelle, captain of the cas- 
tlewick of Ghent, and John de Launoy, captain of the men of Cour. 
tray. There were other captains ; John Boule, Peter du Bois, Arnoul 
le Clerc and Peter la Nuilde. At this period, there arose a contest 
between the grandees and populace of Bruges ; the small handicraft 
trades there wished to act according to their own inclinations, \\-hich 
the richer sort would not suffer. This caused a rebellion, and great 
numbers of fullers and weavers lost their lives before the rest were 
appeased. The inhabitants sent information of all this to the earl, 
who resided at Lille, entreating of him, for the love of God, to come 
to them ; for they acknowledged him as their lord, and were at that 
moment masters of the populace. 

The earl of Flanders was pleased on hearing this intelligence : 
he set out from Lille, in company with sir William de Namur and a 
great number of knights and squires o( Flanders, and came to Bruges, 
where he was received with great joy by the council. On the arrival 
of the earl at Bruges, all the leaders and those who were even sus. 
pccted to have similar intentions with the men of Ghent, were 
arrested and sent to prison, to the amount of five hundred, who in a 
short time were beheaded. 

When those of the Franconate* learnt that the earl was quiet in 
Bruges, they began to be alarmed, and immediately threw themselves 
on the mercy of the earl, who pardoned them, to their great joy ; for 
his power was daily increasing, and the inhabitants of the Franco, 
nate have been always more attached to their earl than all the rest 
of Flanders. The earl, seeing himself master of Bruges and of the 
Franc, and that he had at his orders knights and squires from Hain- 
an!! and Artois, thought he had now a good opportunity to recover 
his country and to punish the rebels : he therefore declared he would 
first pay a visit to Ypres. He hated them much for having so easily 
opened their gates to those of Ghent, and said that those who by 
treaties had admitted his enemies within the town, and slain his 
knig'nts, should pay dearly for it, if he should gain the upper hand 
of them. He then issued his summons to the Franc and ISruges, for 
he was resolved to march to Ypres. 

News was carried to Ypres, that the earl was preparing to attack 
them : they determined, in consequence, to send to Ghent to ask 
assistance : for they were not in sufficient strength to hold out with. 

* Du Fr.inc. Tbal pnrt of Flanders, in which the towns ofDunlfirti, Uereues, Grave- 
lines. Bumbourg and Finnes jire situated, is called the Franc, or the Franconate.— 
JVotfi in Mt metres dc VAcademie, vol. xx. p. 419. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &.c. 



277 



out succors from that party, who had always promised to help them 
in their need. They sent secretly letters and messages to the cap- 
tains in Ghent, to inform them of the situation of the earl, and his 
menaces 'of coming to attack them. 

The men of Ghent considered themselves as bound by their faith 
and oaths to grant their request, and having called two captains, 
John Boule and Arnoul le Clerc, said to them, " You will take three 
thousand of our men, and march in haste to Ypres, to succor our 




HoTEl. DE ViLLE, Y?RE9. From an Orisinal Drawiae. 



good friends.'' Soon after this order was given, the detachment 
marched from Ghent, and three thousand men arrived at Ypres, to 
the great joy of the inhabitants. 

The carl of Flanders set out from Bruges with a large force, and 
came to Thorout : on tlie monow to Poperingue, where they halted 
for three days, until his whole army was come up, which amoimted 
to twenty thousand men. The men of Ghent being informed of all 
these preparations, and that the earl was to march against Ypres 
with a powerful army, resolved to assemble tlieir whole force, and 
take the road by Courtray to Ypres, when, by uniting with those of 
the last town, they might engage the earl's army ; and, if they should 
once completely defeat him, he would never be able to reihover the 
blow. In consequence of this determination, tlie following captains 
marched from Ghent: Rasse de Harzelle, Peter du Bois, Peter la 
Nuitee, John de Launoy, with others, who were captains of hun. 
dreds or of tifties in the different parishes ; and, when drawn out in 
the plain, they amounted to upward of nine thousand men. 

They marclied for Courtray, where they were received with great 
joy, for John de Launoy was governor. The earl of Flanders, whose 
quarters were at Poperingue, heard how those of Ghent intended 
marching to Ypres, and that they were already at Courtray. Upon 
this, he called a council, and kept his army in a compact body. 
The Ghent men who had come to Courtray marched from thence to 
Rousselaer, where they halted, and sent to inform those of Ypres of 
their arrival ; and, if they would come forth with the troops they had 
sent to them, they should be in sufficient force to combat the earl. 
The men of Ypres were delighted at this intelligence ; and, having 
every inclination to do what had been requested, they sallied out in 
the morning, to the amount of eight thousand, under the command 
of John Boule and Arnoul le Clerc. 

The earl, who was with his army in that district, got information, 
I know not by what means or by what accident, that the men of 

Ypres had marched to join those from Ghent : he therefore ordered ,„^^^^, , ^ , -- == 

two large ambuscades on a pass through whicli those tVom Ypres | was torn in pieces, and as many as could, carried oiT a morsel. 



well Peter du Bois and Rasse de Harzelle, that, since they have sent 
to us to say they intend to offer the earl battle, they will get as near 
to him as they can : I therefore think you should follow this road." 
Arnoul le Clerc disputed, but John Boule insisted upon it, and made 
them follow his road. When they had advanced about two leagues, 
and were almost tired, they fell into the midst of these two ambus- 
cades, which when they perceived, they cried out, "We are be- 
trayed 1" No people ever made so poor a defence as they did : they 

saved themselves as fast aa 
they could, some returning 
to Ypres, others flying over 
the fields, without any sort 
of order. 

The earl's army had sur- 
rounded a great number, 
whom they slew without 
mercy ; however, John 
Boule and Arnoul le Clerc 
saved themselves. The 
runaways who made for 
Courtray met their allies, 
who had set out from 
Rousselaer, and were 
marching toward Rose, 
becque. When Peter du 
Bois and the other officers 
saw them in such a state, 
they demanded the reasoa 
of it, and what had hap- 
pened: they replied, "they 
could not tell ; they had 
not had time to see what 
was the matter ; but that 
they were flying, having 
been betrayed, and that the 
whole plain was covered 
with them." 

Peter du Bois was doubt- 
ful, whether to march back 
to cover the runaways, and 
to combat those who were 
thus chasing them, or to re- 
treat with them to Cour- 
tray. All things considered, he was advised this time to retreat, as 
being the most advantageous ; he therefore began his return in regu- 
lar order, without quitting the road, and the same day came back to 
Courtray. The runaways took shelter there : the men of Ghent 
were quartered in the town, and placed strong guards at the gates 
to prevent any surprise. When John Boule and Arnoul le Clerc 
were returned, and had counted their men, they found there had 
been slain of the men of Ghent, including those in the detachment 
sent to Ypres, twelve hundred ; and of those of Ypres as many, if 
not more. If the ambuscade had pursued those flying toward Ypres 
and Courtray, they must have been overtaken, and scarcely one 
would have escaped : but the giving up the pursuit, to slay those who 
had fallen into their hands, was the saving of many. 

The inhabitants of Ypres were much cast down on seeing their 
men return defeated the very day they had marched, and asked how 
it could have happened. Some said, that John Boule had betrayed 
them, and led them thus to be slaughtered. You have often heard 
how difficult it is to appease the populace when once they are stirred 
up : I shall instance it by those of Ghent, for when they had returned 
thus defeated to Courtray, and heard that John Boule was in the 
town, they collected upward of a thousand, bawling out, " Let us go 
seek that arch traitor John Boule, who has betrayed us I for it was 
he and no other who would have us follow that road which led to 
the ambuscade. If we had believed Arnoul le Clerc, we should 
have escaped it ; for he wanted to conduct us straight to our men, 
and John Boule, who had sold and betrayed us, would march us 
where we have been tricked and defeated." Now, observe how 
unjustiv they accuse him of treason, when I do not see that there 
was the least cause for it. Had it been, as they said, that he had 
sold and betrayed them, he would never have returned, but would 
have staid with the earl and his army. This, however, could not 
save him from being killed : the men of Ghent sought for him m his 
house, and, having found him, dragged him into the street, when he 



must march, under the command of his son, le Haze, bastard of 
Flanders, and the lord d'Anghien : there were knights and squires 
from Hainault, Artois, Bruges, and the Franconale, and in each 
ambuscade were ten thousand men. 

When those of Ypres and the Ghent men who had been sent 
thither under the command of John Boule were in the plains, and 
had marched about a league, they came to two roads ; one of which 
led to Rousselaer, and the other to Thorout : they halted, and asked 
which road they should take. Arnoul le Clerc, answering, said, "I 
would advise you to go and see our men who are at Rousselaer." 
" By my troth," replied John BotUe, " I think we shall be better 
lodged on Mont d'Or than anywhere else ; for be assured I know so 



Such was the end of John Boule. 

The next day. the men of Ghent departed from Courtray, and 
returned home. They sent John do Launoy to Gavre, a castle be. 
longing to the earl, and situated on the Scheld, of which he took 
possession, and placed a gan'ison in it. 



278 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



CHAPTER LXVI. 

THE TOWNS OF YPRES AND COURTRAY TURN TO THE EARL OF FLANBEKS. 
GHENT IS BESIEGED. 

We will now return to the earl of Flanders and his army. Wlien 
they had thus, by their ambuscades, defeated the men of Ghent, 
and had slain three thousand or thereabouts, including those of 
Ypres, the eavl was advised to advance and lay siege to Ypres. 
This counsel he followed, and marched thither with a fine army of 
knights and sqinrcs from Hainaull, Artois, and Flanders, who had 
conie to serve under him. As soon as the citizens of Ypres learnt 
that the earl was on his march thither with such a force, they were 
greatly alarmed ; and the principal and richest inhabitants held a 
council, in wliich they resolved to open their gates, and go out to 
meet him, with offers to replace themselves under his obedience, 
trusting to his mercy. It was well known to him that they had 
allied rhemselvcs with Ghent through fear of the lower ranks, such 
as weavers, fullers, and other ill-intentioned people of the town: 
they besides depended on his kind and merciful character for their 
pardon. As they had resolved, so did they execute ; and upward 
of three hundred in a company went out of the town, carrying the 
keys of the gates with them. On meeting the earl of Flanders, 
they fell on their knees, and begged for mercy, saying, that they 
personally, and the whole town, resigned themselves to his will. 

The earl took pity on them, made them rise, and granted them 
his pardon. He entered the town of Ypres with his whole army, 
and there remained for three weeks, sending back those of tlie 
Franc of Bruges to their several towns. During his residence in 
Ypres, he had upward of seven hundred weaves and fullers be- 
headed, and all those wlio had been any way concerned in admitting 
John Lyon and the Ghent men into the town, who had slain the 
knights and men-at-arms whom he had sent thither, and which had 
enraged him so much. To prevent them from again rebelling 
against him, he sent three hundred of the principal inhabitants to 
prison in Bruges, escorted by a handsome body of men-at-arms. 
He then marched toward Courtray, in order to bring that town 
under his obedience. When the inhabitants heard this was his 
intention, and that he was on his way, having subjugated those of 
Ypres, they were much afraid, for they saw no appearance of any 
aid coming to them from Ghent : they therefore determined to sur- 
render themselves amicably to their lord ; for it was better to depend 
on the earl, to whom they owed fidelity, homage, and loyalty, than 
on Ghent. Upon this, three hundred of the principal cilizens as- 
sembled, and went out of the town on foot, to meet the earl, taking 
the keys with them. When the earl was near to pass them, they 
flung themselves on their knees, ciying out to him for mercy. The 
earl, taking compassion on them, pardoned them, and made a joyful 
entry into the town, where every one paid him honor and reverence. 
He arrested about two hundred of the principal inhabitants, whom 
he sent to Lille and to Douay, as hostages for the town. 

When he had continued at Courtray si.K days, he returned to 
Bruges; where, having reposed himself for a fortnight, he issued a 
grand summons for his vassals to attend him at the siege of Ghent, 
for at this time all Flanders was dependent on him. He left Bruges 
with a numerous army to lay siege to Ghent, and fixed his quarters 
at a place called La Briete. Sir Robert de Namur came thither to 
serve him, with a large body of men-at-arms, according to his let- 
ters and orders : but sir William de Namur could not come, for he 
was at the time in France with the king and duke of Burgundy. 

It was about the feast of the decollation of St. John that the siege 
of Ghent was commenced. Sir Walter, lord of Anghien, was 
marshal of the army of Flanders: he was young, bold, enterprising, 
and fearless of whatever dangers or perils might befal him. Not- 
withstanding the earl of Flanders was before Ghent with so nume- 
rous an army, he coidd not prevent the town from having two or 
three gates open, by which means all sorts of provision entered 
without danger. The Brabanters and Liegeois were very favorable 
to them, more particularly the citizens of Brussels. The Liegeois 
wrote to them, to keep up their spirits ; " Good men of Ghent, w^e 
are well aware that at this present you have enough to do ; that you 
are hard pushed by the earl your lord, and by the gentry and the 
rest of the country, which we are extremely sorry for : know, that 
if you were only five or six leagues from our frontiers, we would 
send that succor which ought to be given to our brothers, friends, 
at\d neighbors ; but you are too far from us, and the country of 
Brabant lies between, which is the cause that prevents us. Now, if 
you should be besieged at this moment, do not be cast down ; for 
God knows, and all the principal towns, that you have justice on 
your side in this war, which must make your labors more effective." 
Thus did the citizens of Liege write to those of Ghent, in order to 
comfort them. 

The earl of Flanders had invested Ghent on the sides toward 
Bruges and Courtray ; but on those toward Brussels and les Qiiatre 
Mestiers,* he could not, on account of the Scheld and Lys. I may 
therefore say, everything considered, that Ghent is one of the 

*Tlie territory comprehended under the name of Les Quatre Mestiers, was formerly 
subject to the bishop of Utrecht, and contained tiiirty villages. Hulse, Axele, Cocliolle. 
and .^ssenede are ti:e four principal towns ; the two last are not inclosed with walls.— 
Blkiu's Jlttas. 



strongest places in the'world : it would be necessary to have two 
hundred thousand men, if any one wishes to block up all the passes . 
besides, the armies ought to be near the rivers, or, in tiiiie of need, 
they would not be able to cooperate with each other ; for Ghent is 
very populous, and full of determined men. They found, on num- 
bering the inhabitants at this time, they had eighty thousand men, 
all fit°for bearing arms, under sixty and above fifteen years. 

When the earl had been before Ghent about a month, and his men 
under the lord d'Anghien, le Haze his son, with the young seneschal 
of Hainault, had had various skirmishes with those of Ghent, in 
which sometimes they won, and at others lost, as in such cases will 
happen, he was advised to send the men from Bruges, Ypres, and 
Poperingue, on an expedition to a place called Longpont, the con- 
quest of "which would be highly advantageous ; for by this they could 
enter the Quatre Mestiers, and then approach Ghent as near as they 
pleased. Those who had been ordered on this expedition were 
drawn up, and a very valiant and prudent knight, called sir Josse de 
Haluin, was nominated commander : with him were very many 
knights and squires, but sir Josse was the chief. When they arrived 
at Longpont, they did not find it defenceless, but garrisoned with a 
great number of men-at-arms : Peter du Bois, Peter la Nuit(;e, and 
Rasse de Harzelle, were there in front. The skirmish was severe ; 
for, on the arrival of the detachment from the earl, they began on 
both sides to shoot from cannons and cross-bows, which slew and 
wounded many. The men of Ghent behaved too well, for they 
drove back their enemies, and took by force the banner of the gold- 
smith's company of Bruges, which they flung into the river and be- 
smeared with filth. There were, of this goldsmith's company and 
of many others, numbers slain and wounded : in particular sir Josse 
de Haluin was killed, which was a great pity. So valiantly did 
the Ghent men behave, that those who had been sent to Longpont 
returned discomfited. 



CHAPTER LXVII. 

THE EARL OF FLANDERS RAISES THE SIEGE OF GHENT. HE DEFEATS 
A GREAT PAST OF THE ARMY OF GHENT, THROUGH THE SELF-SHF- 
FICIENCT OF RASSE DE HARZELLE, NEAR TO NEVELE. 

During the siege of Ghent by the earl of Flanders, there were 
numerous skirmishes before the city. The lord d'Anghien, the sen- 
eschal of Hainault and le Haze de Flanders, never ransomed those 
whom they fell in with unprotected in the plains ; and sometimes 
they were forced to retreat in such a hurry as not to have time to 
look behind them. Six thousand well-appointed men were drawn 
up in the city, and put under the command of Rasse de Harzelle, 
Arnoul le Clere and John de Launoy : they marched from Ghent 
without any fear of the army, and took the road to Alost, which was 
then a good town and well inclosed, in which the earl had placed a 
gan-ison of several knights. They, on hearing of this intended at. 
tack, made off, through'the gate leading to Brussels, in haste, other- 
wise they would have been slain. The Ghent men burnt everything, 
even the gates, and gained great pillage. 

They then marched to Dendremonde, which is a strong town, bu' 
they took it by storm. Sir Philip dc Namur was there killed. The 
men of Ghent were masters of the town, but not of the castle ; for 
the lord de Widescot and his companions held it out valiantly against 
them. The Ghent armv went next to Gramont, which had lately 
turned to the earl, through the entreaty and negotiation of the lord 
d'Anghien. I know not whether by treachery or not, but the Ghent 
men entered it, and very many of the inhabitants were slain. After 
these exploits, they returned to Ghent with a great booty. 

When the eari of Flanders considered that, besides losing his time, 
he was at a vast expense in the siege, and that he and his army were 
suffering greatly, and also that he could not prevent the Ghent men 
from sallying forth and burning the country ; that lately they had con- 
quered Dendremonde and Gramont ; he resolved to break np the 
siege and depart, for winter was approaching. He marched away, 
and sent his men to their different homes to recruit themselves. He 
ordered the lord d'Anghien and the lord de Montigny to garrison 
Ondenarde : they had, besides men-at-arms, two hundred English 
archers, on whom thev placed great dependence. With regard to 
the earl, he went to Bruges. The lords who were in Oudenarde 
made several sallies against those of Ghent ; and there were frequent 
skirmishes, for they were almost constantly in the field, so that none 
could carry provision or merchandise to Ghent without risk of being 

taken. , r » ■, • j i 

When the winter was over, and the month ot April arrived, the 
earl assembled his armv, having sent for those of Ypres, Courtray, 
Poperingue, Damme, S'luys, and the Franconate : he marched from 
Bruges and came to Nevele, where he remained some time. While 
there, he appointed the lord d'Anghien commander-in-chief of all the 
men-at-arms, comprehending those of Lille, Douay and Oudenarde, 
The earl's army was fully twenty thousand men : they were pre. 
pared to march to Gavre, where John de Launoy resided, who, on 
receiving intelligence of this, sent off directly to Ghent, to inform 
Rasse de HarzelTe that he must send him immediate reinforcements, 
for the army of the earl had taken the field. Rasee de Harzelle in 
stnntlv collected six thousand men, and marched to Gavre : he did 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



279 



not find John de Launoy, but overtook him at Deynse, wliere he was 
pillaging the country on the other side of the river. They then, 
having united their forces, marched that day together, and fell in with 
those from Oudenarde and Deynse, who were going to join the earl, 
whom they immediately attacked, and slew at least six hundred of 
them. The lord d'Anghien was not present ; he had gone before to 
the earl, who was with his army between Deynse and Bruges. 

When news was brought to the earl, and the lord d'Anghien, that 
the men of Oudenarde had been so roughly treated, they were nmch 
vexed : the lord d'Anghien was ordered to march with four thousand 
men toward Gavre, where they expected to find John de Launoy ; 
but he had retreated to Ghent with his pillage and prisoners, of whom, 
indeed, he had no great number. On the morrow, he and Rasse de 
Harzelle marched out with ten thousand men ; and, though the earl 
was not come to Gavre, they were anxious to surround liim. The 
same day that Rasse de Harzelle had marched from Ghent, Peter du 
Boismade a sally also with six thousand men, accompanied by Arnoul 
le Clerc : they burnt the suburbs of Courtray, and then retreated to. 
ward Deynse, in order to fall in with their townsmen ; but it v\-as too 
late, for, when Rasse de Harzelle and John de Launoy were come 
to Nevele, they perceived the earl with his whole army in the plain : 
thus did these two armies find themselves in sight of each other, 
without either of them suspecting it in the morning. When Rasse 
de Harzelle and John de Launoy saw a battle was inevitable, they 
were not cast down, but drew up their men in three battalions ; in 
each battalion were two thousand men, all bold and hardy, and the 
best soldiers in Ghent. 

Peter du Bois and Arnoul le Clerc had an equal number of men, 
who, though in the country, were ignorant of this meeting, or that 
their friends were about to engage. When they left Ghent, they 
had entered into an agreement, that if either party .should meet the 
earl, they were not to fight without the other ; for they were not sepa. 
rately of sufficient strength, but, when united, they vrere able to en- 
gage with three times their number : this they had sworn to Peter du 
Bois they would adhere to ; and to say the truth, if Rasse had wished 
it, he might easily have delayed the combat, for he had only to keep 
himself in the town of Nevele to wait for Peter du Bois, and the 
earl would never there have fought him : but the moment Rasse de 
Harzelle saw the army of the earl, through pride and self-sufficiency, 
he took the field, saying to himself that he would offer battle to 
his enemies, and reap all the honor, without waiting for Peter du 
Bois or the others. He had great confidence in his men, and such 
hopes in the good fortune of Ghent that he thought he could not be 
defeated ; and manifested his willingness to engage, as I shall pres- 
■ently relate to you. 

Greatly was the earl rejoiced when he saw Rasse de Harzelle 
march out of Nevele to the plain to fight. He immediately ordered 
his men to be drawn up in proper order : his infantry were about 
twenty thousand, able men, and about fifteen hundred lances, knights 
and squires, from Flanders, Hainault, Brabant, and Artois. Among 
those from Hainault were the lord d'Anghien, marshal of the army, 
and, in his company, the lord de Montigny, the bastard of Anghien, 
Giles de Riscon, Hutin de Lay, the lord of Lens, sir John de Berlam- 
mont and several more. From Flanders were, the lord de Guistelles, 
sir Guy de Guistelles, the lord des Cornets, the lord de Hallue, the 
lord de Haluin, sir Daniel de Haluin, sir Thierry de Disquetane, sir 
John d Escoumbouc, the lord de Gentus, sir John de Vilain, sir Ge. 
rard de Marquellies, and many others. Several new knights were 
also made. The young seneschal of Hainault had died in his bed 
some time before, from the bruise he had received at Aubiez, near 
Mortaigne, for he had been in that affair. 

The earl formed his army in five battalions, and in each there 
were about five thousand men, eager for the attack : the lord de 
Lieureghien bore that day the earl's banner. In this manner they 
advanced on the enemy, five battalions to three ; but at the com- 
mencement only three battalions of the earl's army engaged, the 
-other two were on the wings to support those who might be broken. 
■The earl was present, exhorting his men to behave well, and to re- 
■venge themselves on the madmen of Ghent who had given them so 
much trouble t he said to the citizens from the chief towns, " Be 
assured, should you fly, you would more certainly be put to death 
than if you stood your ground ; for I will have you all beheaded 
without mercy.*' The earl posted the men of Bruges in the first 
battalion, those of the Franc in the second, those of Ypres and Cour- 
tray in the third, and those of Poperingue, Cassel, Bergues and Bour- 
bourg in the fourth battalion : he had retained those of Oudenarde, 
Lille and Douay near his person. 

The armies kept advancing toward each other. Rasse de Harzelle 
led the first battalion, for it was composed of the most determined 
men of the three, and because he was anxious to be the first to begin 
the combat, and to gain honor if it were possible : he attacked that 
of Bruges, which the lord de Guistelles and his brothers commanded. 
There was great pushing and fighting at the commencement. In 
another part, the other battalions engaged, when many were beat 
down at the onset. The Ghent men behaved very gallantly ; but 
the army of the earl was tk.^o numerous for them. 

The battle was sharp, and lasted some time, so that it was long 
before it was seen which had the advantage. All the battalions 
•were intermixed ; and on one side they shouted out, *' Flanders for 



the Lion !" to cheer their men : on the other, they cried as loudly, 
"Ghent, Ghent I" There was a moment when the earl was in dan- 
ger of losing all ; and, if he had then given way, they would all 
have been slain and defeated beyond a remedy : for Peter du Bois, 
with full six thousand men, was in the plain, and clearly saw the 
combat, but he could not give any assistance to his townsmen for the 
extensive marshes that were between him and the armies : but, had 
the earl lost the day, or his men fled through panic, he knew well 
that Peter du Bois would have fallen upon them, and none would 
have escaped death, not even himself; which would have been such 
a loss as Flanders never would have recovered. 

Rasse de Harzelle and John de Launoy had not long the advantage 
in this combat, for the earl had a number of valiant knights, besides 
the men from Ypres, Courtray, Oudenarde, Damme, Sluys, the Franc 
and Bruges, who, w'hen assembled together, amounted to near twenty 
thousand men, being four times the number of their enemies. The 
Ghent men, unable to withstand them, were thrown into disorder, 
and retreated into the town. Upon this, the knights and squires 
advanced, and, breaking their ranks, put them in confusion, and 
killed them in heaps. The men of Ghent retired toward the church 
of Nevele, which was strong; and, having collected themselves 
there, a hard battle ensued, and great slaughter was made of them. 
John de Launoy, like one distracted, rushed into the church, and 
posted himself, and as many men as he could, in the large tower of 
the steeple. Rasse de Harzelle remained behind, and, with his men, 
performed many valorous deeds at the door of the church ; but at last 
lie was overpowered, and pierced with a spear, which instantly killed 
him. Thus ended Rasse de Harzelle, who had been a great com- 
mander of the Ghent men against the earl : he was much beloved 
by his townsmen for his good seirse and prowess; but this was hi3 
recompense at last for all his valor. 

When the earl of Flanders arrived at the square before the church, 
and saw that the Ghent men had retreated into it, he ordered the 
church to be set on fire : his order was obeyed, and a fire was kin 
died with great quantities of straw and faggots, which they placed 
all round the church. The flames soon ascended to the roof, whea 
the Ghent men perished miserably; for they were sure of being 
burnt if they staid in the church, and if they sallied out they were 
slain and cast back into the fire. John de Launoy, who was in the 
steeple, perceiving himself at the point of death, and that he must 
soon be burnt, for the steeple was beginning ti) take fire, cried out 
to those below, " Ransom, ransom !" and offered his coat, which was 
full of florins ; but they laughed at and mocked him, saying, " John, 
come and speak to us through these windows, and we will receive 
you. Make a handsome leap, John, such as you have forced our 
friends to take this year : you must make this leap." John de Lau- 
noy, finding his situation desperate, and the fire so fast approaching 
that he must be burnt, grew enraged, and preferred being slain to 
being thus burnt. Both happened to him ; for he leaped out of the 
windows in the midst of his enemies, who received him on their 
spears ; and, after hacking him to pieces, he was flung into the 
flames. Thus finished John de Launoy. 



CHAPTER LXVII I. 

PETER DU BOIS WITH THE KEMAINDER OF HIS AKMY RETIRES TO GHENT. 
AFTER HAVINa BEEN IN DANSER OF HIS LIFE, HE BESIESES COURTRAY. 

Of the six thousand men, of which the army at least consisted, 
that Rasse de Harzelle and John de Launoy had brought from Ghent 
or that neighborhood, or who were serving the men of Ghent for pay 
and had been marched thither, there did not escape more than three 
hundred : the rest were slain in the field or in the town, or had been 
burnt in the church. Peter du Bois, notwithstanding he had a fine 
army, could not give them the smallest assistance, on account of the 
marshes and stagnant waters which were between him and the earl's 
army. He marched away with his men drawn up in order of battle, 
saying to them, " Come, let us proceed slowly toward Ghent. Rasse 
de Harzelle and John de Launoy have had very bad success ; they 
are defeated. I know not what may happen to us, if we should bo 
pursued and attacked by the earl's army : let us keep in a body and 
combat boldly, as good men should do when they fight for their 
rights." Those who heard him answered, " We will do so." They 
tlien departed, taking the road toward Ghent, in a close well-formed 
battalion. 

Some of the runaways who had escaped from the battle of Nevele 
returned to Ghent, which they entered quite frightened, like defeated 
men, and related how Rasse de Harzelle and John de Launoy had 
been slain and their army lost. The citizens were much dejected 
at this ill news, and sorry for the loss of Rasse, for they had found 
him a good captain and true to their interests : he was much beloved, 
and great confidence was placed in him, because he was of a noble 
family, and had served them faithfully for their money. They asked 
the runaways, " Tell us where was Peter du Bois all the time of the 
combat?" They, who had neither seen nor heard any intelligence 
of him replied, "We have not seen him, nor do we know anything 
about him." Upon this, several began to murmur, saying, that Peter 
du Bois had behaved very ill, for not having been present at thii 



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battle, he who had six thousand men under liis command completely 
armed. 

Those who governed Ghent therefore resolved, as soon as Peter 
du Bois should return, to kill him, and then make peace with the earl 
their lord, throwing themselves on his mercy. I believe that, if they 
had done so, they would have acted well, and peace would easily 
have been made. But they changed their resolution, for which 
afterwards they paid severely, as did the whole country of Flanders. 
Aflairs at that time were not so bad as they afterwards became, nor 
the great distress of Flanders at its height, as I shall hereafter relate. 

After the defeat of Rasse de Harzelle and John de Lannoy, the 
earl of Flanders was informed that Peter do Bois with an army of 
Ghent men were in the field, and on their march to that ciiy. The 
earl halted, and called a council, in which he demanded from his 
knights whether he should not pursue them and offer battle : they 
replied, that he had done enough that day ; that his men were tired, 
and that it was proper they should have some rest; but that he would 
do well to send off five or six hundred men-at-arms, to observe their 
motions, for they might perhaps fix their quarters in siich a situation 
that they could come up with them at their dislodging. The earl 
approved of this advice, and followed it : those who were to be of 
this detachment were directly ordered out, and the lord d'Anghien 
was appointed to the command. About five hundred lances being 
mounted, they marched off" from Nevele, and followed by-roads, in 
order to come up with the Ghent men : they proceeded so far that 
they at last saw them descend a small hill ; they were in a compact 
body, and in good order, marching at a good pace toward Ghent. 

The lord d'Anghien and his detachment followed them some time 
on their flank. Peter du Bois and his men saw them plainly, though 
they made not any appearance of being discomposed by it. Peter 
du Bois said, " Let us continue our road with a good step, without 
breaking our ranks ; if they attack us, we will receive them, but I 
do not believe they have any such intentions.'' Thus each party 
marched on, without doing anything, as far as Ghent, when the lord 
d'Anghien returned to the earl, and Peter du Bois with his men en- 
tered the town. Peter du Bois was very badly received, and on the 
point of being killed, for not having exerted himself to assist Rasse 
de Harzelle. Peter exculpated himself, saying truly, " that he had 
sent orders to Rasse not to engage with the earl on any account, 
"without being joined by him, for that the earl was in too great force ; 
but that Rasse had done quite the contrary : that if bad success had 
attended him, he could not by any means be blamed: that he was as 
much grieved for the death of Rasse as any one, for the town of 
Ghent had lost a valiant man and good captain. It will therefore be 
necessary for you to choose another, one who has a good reputation 
and will be feared ; who is bold, wise, and prudent : or otherwise 
put yourselves under the obedience of the earl, w-ho will destroy us 
all, by wickedly and cruelly putting us to a shameful death. Now, 
consider what you will do : either persevere in what you have begun 
and carried on for so long a time, or throw yourselves on the mercy 
of my lord the earl of Flanders." 

None made any answer to this speech of Peter du Bois ; but, with 
regard to the event of the battle of Nevele and the death of Rasse, 
he was acquitted. He was, however, much dissatisfied that no one 
replied to his speech ; particularly with some of the principal and 
richest citizens of Ghent then present, such as sir Guisebert Grote 
and sir Simon Bete. He at the time did not show his resentment ; 
but in the course of the year, they severely experienced its effects, 
as you will hear related. The lord d'Anghien, the lord de Montigny, 
and the Haze de Flanders, returned with their men to the earl, and 
related all they had seen. The earl set off from Nevele, and went 
to Bruges : he dismissed his army to their difierent towns, and sent 
those of the Franc, with the lord d'Anghien and the banners, to 
Oudenarde. 

The men of Ghent, on hearing that the earl had disbanded his 
army and retired to Bruges, began to be in motion, by the instiga- 
tion of Peter du Bois, who said to them, " Come, let us take the 
field, and not be cool in carrying on this war, but show we are men 
of courage and enterprise." Upward of fifteen thousand marched 
out of Ghent, and came before Courtray, to which they laid siege 
during the time of the feast and procession at Bruges in the year 
1381. They remained there for ten days, and burnt the suburbs of 
Courtray, with all the surrounding country. When the earl heard of 
this he remanded all his gentlemen, and the garrisons and com- 
monalty of Yprcs and the Franc, and marched from Bruges with 
upward of twenty-five thousand men, taking the road to Courtray, 
with intentions of combating the Ghent army and raising the siege. 
Peter du Bois, on receiving intelligence of the earl's march and 
strength, thought it best not to continue the siege : he decamped, 
and went to Deynse and Nevele, where his army quartered them- 
selves, giving out they would there wait for the earl : at the same 
time, they signified their situation to their townsmen, who ordered 
out the reserve, that they might have a superior force of men-at-arms. 
Fifteen thousand more men therefore marched from Ghent to their 
army quartered at Deynse and Nevele, where they encamped in the 
plain. 

When the earl arrived at Harlebecque, near Courtray, he heard 
the Ghent men had retreated toward Ghent, and were quartered at 
Deynse and Nevele. He did not think proper to pursue them at 



that time, but dismissed great part of his army at Courtray, and sent 
the lord d'Anghien and the Hainaulters, with his bastard son the 
Haze, to Oudenarde in garrison. 



CHAPTER LXIX. 

AUNOTJL LE CLEKC, CAPTAIN OF SOME TROOPS OF WHITE HOODS, DEFEATS 
SEVERAL OF THE EARL OF FLANDERS' NOBILITY. HE HIMSELF IS 
AFTERWARDS DEFEATED AND SLAIN. 

When Peter du Bois and the Ghent army found that it was not 
the earl's intention to advance against them, they departed from 
Deynse and Nevele, and took a roundabout road toward Oudenarde, 
on their return to Ghent. The day they passed Oudenarde, they 
detached a body from the army, under the command of Arnoul !e 
Clerc, who advanced as far as the barriers of the town to skirmish. 
The knights and squires within could not resist combating with them, 
so that many were slain and wounded on both sides. But those 
from Ghent did not continue the skirmish long : they returned to 
Ghent with their men, when each retired to his own house. 

Three days after, Arnoul le Clerc marched to Gavre with about 
twelve hundred white hoods ; and the castle and castlewick were 
garrisoned, to keep in check those in Oudenarde. Arnoul le Clerc 
had not been there long before he was informed that some knights 
and squires had saUied out of Oudenarde in search of adventures, 
namely, the lord de Cornais, the lord de Remselles, sir.Tohn de Vil- 
laines, the lord d'Anghien, le Gallois de Mamincs, the bastard de 
Cornais, and sir Blanchard de Calemie. He therefore formed an 
ambuscade, and as these knights were on their return to Oudenarde, 
he fell upon them, when several were slain, for mercy was shown to 
none. The horses of the knights were Inought very opportunely, 
when they made the best of their way to Oudenarde : on their arri- 
val at the barriers, they dismounted and put themselves in a posture 
of defence, waiting for their men and servants ; but, before they 
could reenter the town, they had left upward of sixty dead on the 
field. 

Arnoul le Clerc, having performed this enterprise, marched that 
day to a monastery near Berchem : he found that Pierre d'Estonne- 
houx and Gallois de Mamines, with about a hundred of their com- 
panions, had retreated into the town of Berchem : he therefore im- 
mediately attacked the monastery whither tliey hod retired. Gallois 
de Mamines with difficulty escaped from the back part of it, and 
having entered a boat, came by night to Oudenarde, when he related 
to the lord d'Anghien, the lord de Montigny, sir Danielde Halluyn,and 
the other nights who were there, how Arnoul le Clerc, with the 
white hoods, had forced the monastery of Berchem, and slain their 
companions : that he thought Pierre d'Estonnehoux was killed ; as 
iiideed he was, for Arnoul le Clerc and his men had made hira leap 
out of a window, when he was received on the points of their spears 
and slain, which was a great loss. 

The knights in Oudenarde, on hearing that Arnoul le Clerc with 
about twelve hundred white hoods were quartered in Berchem ; that 
their companions were slain and the monasteiy taken ; were very 
indignant, and determined to send off in the night spies to observe 
whither they would march on the morrow. The spies reported, that 
the white hoods had fixed on Berchem for their quarters, which much 
pleased these noblemen. The lords d'Anghien de Montigny, de 
Bresueil, sir Michael de la Hamarde, with upward of six hundred 
knights and squires from Haiuault, immediately armed themselves ; 
as did a like number from Flanders. Three hundred speara were in 
Oudenarde, with upward of one thousand cross-bows and stout var- 
lets. They marched to Berchem, and, when near that place, they 
sent forward sir Oliver de Chem, with full one hundred lances, to 
begin the attack, and to draw Arnoul le Clerc out of the monastery, 
as well as to give time for the cross-bows and stout varlcts, who were 
on foot, to come up and be properly arranged. 

Sir Daniel and sir Peter de Disipiemac and the Haze de Flanders, 
spun-ing their horses, entered the space before the monastery at full 
gallop, crying out, " Flanders for the Lion ! Flanders for the Bas- 
tard !" The Ghent men, not exjiecting an ambuscade, for it was 
early morn, were not dressed, so that before Arnoul le Clerc could 
collect his men, the lord d'Anghien, the lord Lens, the lord de Bre- 
sueil, the lord de Cornais, the lord de Montigny, entered the back 
part of the town, with the army, crying out, " D'Anghien for the 
lord I" and attacked the Ghent white hoods with so much vigor, that 
they could not withstand thom, but, breaking their ranks, were 
thrown into disorder ; and, of the twelve hundred, eleven hundred 
were slain in the monastery, in the town and fields. Arnoul le Clerc 
was also killed, as he was running away, by two pikes being thrust 
through him, which fastened him to a hedge. After this defeat, the 
lord d'Anghien. with the other knights, returned to Oudenarde, es. 
teeming this enterprise a deed of great prowess. The news of it 
greatly pleased the earl of Flanders, who told the lord d'Anghien 
that he was a handsome and good child, and in time would be a 
most valiant man. To say the truth, the lord d'Anghien was the 
glory of the earl of Flanders, who at that time resided at Bi-uges, and 
who did not call him cousin, but fair son. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN 

havincT nrranirpH in hia own mind i 



& C . 



281 



CHAPTER LXX. 

rUBlNG THIS WAR, THE KICH CITIZEXS OF GHENT ARE SOBJOGATED BY 
THEIR SOLDIERS. THILIP VON ARTAVELD IS MADE GOVERNOR OF GHENT. 

When the news was carried to Ghent that Arnoul le Clerc was 
slain, and his men defeated, many began to take alarm, and to say 
among themselves, " Our affairs go on very badly : by degrees, they 
will kill our captains and men : we have done ill to make this war 
upon the earl our lord, for by little and little he will destroy us. The 
hatreds of Gilbert Matthew and John Lyon are now falling upon us, 
and we have too long followed the opinions of John Lyon and Peter 
du Bois ; they have driven us into this war, and brought on us the 
hatred of our lord to such a degree that we shall never be admitted 
to mercy, nor obtain a peace. It will be better that twenty or thirty 
should suffer than a whole city." 

This was the conversation of several when together in private, 
from the dread of the ill-intentioned who were of another way of 
thinking, and were daily adding to their power, though at the begin- 
ning they were but poor workmen scarcely worth a groat. They 
had now plenty of gold and silver ; for, when in want, they com- 
plained to their leaders, who willingly listened to them, and gave 
them advice by pointing out to them the richest men in the town, 
and saying, " Go to such and such persons, and tell them we want 
to speak to them." Thoy directly went, and those they sought were 
afraid to refuse following them. On their arrival, they were told the 
good town of Ghent was in want of money to pay their soldiers, who 
were aiding to guard and preserve their rights and franchises, and 
that it was necessary the workmen should live. They raised instantly 
among themselves the sum demanded ; for, had they refused, they 
would have been put to death, on pretence of being traitoi'S to the 
good town of Ghent, and indifferent to its honor or profit. 

Thus did these wicked people become masters of the town, and 
continued so as long as the war lasted against their lord. In truth, if 
tlie rich men and nobility of the town were beaten by such rods, one 
cannot pity, nor any way excuse them, for they were the primary 
cause of all this mischief. When the earl of Flanders sent thither 
his bailift'to do justice on some wicked persons, could they not have 
remained steady and have assisted him in this act, seeing the rebels 
were then in very small numbers ? But it appeared they were quite 
indifferent whether the affair turned out well or ill, or if they had war 
or peace. They must have been sensible, that if they made war on 
their lord, the ill-intentioned would be their masters and lords of the 
town, and that they could not turn them out when they pleased. It 
would happen to them as to John de la Faucille, who, by dissembling 
and quitting the town of Ghent to live in Hainault, imagined he 
should be clear of all the wars in Flanders, as well as of those against 
his lord by the town of Ghent, of which he was a native, and that 
nothing would be required from him : but in this he was mistaken, 
so that it caused his death; v/hich was a pity, for John de la Faucille 
was in his time a wise and able man. But in those days none could 
trim between the lords and the townsmen, for they were too clear, 
sighted ; and though he knew how to advise others very well, yet in 
regard to himself he managed things badly. I do not know, for a 
trutli, if he were guilty of all the charges on wliich he was examined 
by sir Simon Rain in the castle of LOle, but his judges, with his 
adverse fortune, turned against him, so that he died : and thus it 
happened to all the leaders in Ghent, and those who encouraged 
them in their rebellion against their lord. Many others of Ghent 
perished, who I hope were blameless. 

When Peter du Bois saw Ghent thus weakened in her captains 
and soldiers, and deserted by her allies ; that the principal inhabitants 
began to tire ; he suspected they \\'ould readily give up the war, but 
that, whatever peace or treaty they should enter into with the earl, 
there would not be any possibility for him to save his life. He there- 
fore called to his recollection John Lyon, who had been his master, 
and with what art he had worked ; he saw plainly he could not do 
everything himself, not having sufiieient weight nor knowledge to 
govern the town ; neither did he wish for the principal command, 
being solely desirous of leading every mad enterprise : he, in con- 
sequence, turned his thoughts to a man, of whom the city of Ghent 
had not any suspicions, one of sufficient prudence, though his abilities 
■were unknown, fur until that day they had not paid any attention to 
him : his name was Philip von .\rtaveld, son of Jacob von .\rtaveld, 
who had ruled over all Flanders for seven years. Peter du Bois had 
heard it related by his master, J^ihn Lyon, and the old people of 
Ghent, that the whole country was never so well governed, feared 
loved and honored as during the time of Jacob von Artaveld's rei-^n 
which lasted for seven years : the inhabitants added, that if Jacob 
von .\rtaveld were alive, things would not be in the state they are 
now in : they should have a peace according to their wishes, and the 
earl would be too happy to forgive tiiem. 

These words made an impression on Peter du Bois : he recollected 
that Jacob von Artaveld had left a son called Philip, a handsome and 
agreeable man, to whom the queen of England, when she was at 
Ghent and during the time of the siege of Tournay, had stood god- 
mother, and who, from respect to her, had been christened Phihp. 
Peter du Bois came one evening to Philip's house, who resided with 
his mother, maintaining themselves honorably on their rents. Peter, 



having arranged in his own mind what he should say, thus opened 
the matter and the cause of his coming: "If you will listen to me, 
and follow my advice, I will make you the greatest man in Flan- 
ders." " How will you do this?" replied Philip. " I will tell you 
how," said Peter: " you shall have the sole government of Ghent: 
for we are at this moment in the utmost want of a leader of a good 
name and fair character : by this means we shall rouse the men of 
Ghent, through remembrance of your father's fame ; for every one 
says that Flanders was never so flourishing, nor so much feared, as 
during Ills lifetime. I will easily place you, if you be willing, in his 
situation ; and, when there, you will govern according to my advice 
until you shall find yourself master of the business, which you will 
soon acquire." Philip, who was arrived at manhood, and naturally 
wished to advance himself in honor and wealth more than ho then 
possessed, replied, " Peter, you offer me great things ; and, if I be 
placed in the situation you say, I swear on my faith, that I will never 
act without your advice." 

Peter asked, " Can you be cruel and proud ? For a great man 
among the commonalty, and in particular among such as we shall 
have to do with, will not be thought anything worth if he be not 
feared and dreaded, and at times renowned for his cruelty. It is 
thus that the Flemings wish to be governed; and, among them, men's 
lives should be no more valued, nor should they have more pity shown 
to them, than swallows or larks, which are caught in the proper 
season for the table." " By my troth," answered Philip, "I know 
well how to act this part." " All then goes well," said Peter. " You 
are just such a one as I want, and the chief I look for." On saying 
this, he took leave and departed to his own house. Night passed, 
and day returned, when Peter du Bois went to a square where there 
were upward of four thousand of his followers and others, assembled 
to hear the news, to discuss how matters ought to be carried oil, and 
who should be governor of the town. 

The lord de Harzelle was there, who chiefly conducted the affairs 
of Ghent, but he would not undertake to do anything out of the town : 
some named him for governor: others were also nominated. Peter, 
who was listening attentively, having heard many names, raised his 
voice and said, " Gentlemen, I have paid every attention to all you 
have said, and firmly believe that you have been induced, through 
your love and affection for the honor and wealth of the town of Ghent, 
to propose such who are worthy to have a share in the government 
of this city; but I know one wlio in no way is thinking of it, and if 
he would undertake the government, there could not be any one found 
of greater abilities, nor of a more propitious name." Peter du Bois 
was called upon to name him, which he did by saying, "It was Philip 
von Artaveld, who was christened at the font of St. Peter's in Ghent 
by that noble queen of England, Philippa, who was his godmother 
at the time when his father, Jacob von Artaveld, was at tl-ie siege of 
Tournay with the king of England, the duke of Brabant, the duke 
of Gueldres and the earl of Hainault ; which Jacob von Artaveld, his 
father, governed the town of Ghent and the country of Flanders bet- 
ter than has ever been done since, from all I hear from tliose inhab- 
itants who have it strong in their memories; Flanders had been for 
some time lost, if through his sense and good fortune he had not re- 
gained it. Now, it behooves us to love the branches from such a 
valiant man, in preference to any other person." No sooner had 
Peter du Bois done speaking than the idea of Philip von Artaveld 
filled every one's mind, and encouraged them so much that they 
unanimously cried out, "Let him be sought for: we will not have 
any one but him for our governor." " No, no," said Peter du Bois : 
" we will not send for him : it will be much better we go to his house, 
for we do not at present know how he will take it. We ought not 
by any means to suffer him to excuse himself from accepting it." 

At these words, those present took the road to Philip's house, fol. 
lowed by many others who had been informed of their intentions. 
When they arrived there, the lord de Harzelle, Peter du Bois, Peter 
la Nuitee, and about ten or twelve of the principal tradesmen, ad- 
dressed him, saying, " That the good town of Ghent was in the 
greatest danger for want of a chief, with whom alliances might be 
formed both at home and abroad, and that all ranks of people in 
Ghent had given him their voices and chosen him to be their sove- 
reign ; for the good remembrance of his name, and tlic love they 
had borne to his father, made him more agreeable to tliera than any 
one else. For which reasons they entreated him aftectionately to 
take on him the government of the town, with the management of 
their affairs both within and without, and they would swear to him 
obedience and loyalty as completely as to their lord. They like- 
wise engaged to bring every one, how great soever he might be, 
under his obedience." 

Philip, after hearing everything they had to say, made the follow, 
ing prudent reply : " Gentlemen, you require great things from me ; 
and I should imagine you have not weighed the matter so maturely 
as it ought to have been, when you oflFer me the government of 
Ghent. You say, the afiection your ancestors had for my father 
has been your great inducement : when he had performed for them 
every service in his power, they murdered him. If I should accept 
the government in the manner you request, and be afterwards mur. 
dered, I shall gain but a miserable recompense." " Philip," said 
Peter du Bois, who caught at these words which seemed to make 
his choice doubtful, " what has passed cannot now be amended : 



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CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



you will act from the advice of your council, and by thus contin. 
uing you will ever be so well advised that all mankind shall praise 
you." Philip answered, " I should never wish to act otherwise." 
They then elected him ; and, conducting him to the market-place, 
he was there sworn into office ; the mayors, sheriffs and rulers of 
companies were also sworn to obey him. 

In this manner was Philip von Artaveld made sovereign of Ghent. 
He acquired great popularity at the commencement ; for he spoke 
to every one who had any business with him politely and prudently, 
so that he was beloved by all. He gave a part of the revenues 
which the earl of Flanders had in Ghent as his inheritance to the 
lord de Harzelle, out of affection to him, and to enable him the bet- 
ter to support his rank ; for he had lost everything he possessed 
without the walla of the town. 

We will now for a time leave these affairs of Flanders, and speak 
of those of England and Portugal. 



CHAPTER LXXI. 

A WAK BETVv-EEN THE KINGS OF CASTILLE AND PORTUGAL. 

You have before heard related the death of king Henry of Cas- 
■tille, and that his eldest son, don John, was crowned in his stead. 
His queen also, who was daughter to king Peter of Arragon, was 
crowned witii him. A war broke out between king Ferdinand of 
Portugal and the king of Castille on certain disputes between them ; 
but principally on account of the two daughters of Peter king of 
Castille, who were married in England ; the eldest, Constance, to 
the duke of Lancaster, and Isabella to the earl of Cambridge. The 
king of Portugal declared, that it was unjust and illegal in the king 
of Castille to disinherit, withoat cause, his two cousins ; and that it 
was not becoming that two noble ladies of such high birth should 
be disinherited from their rights : it was also improper that this 
affair should become old and forgotten, so that these ladies would 
never be able to regain their possessions : that for him, who was 
one of the nearest relations they had, he woidd never consent to it, 
both for the love of God and his desire to maintain justice, to which 
every good Christian should incline. He sent therefore liis defiance 
to the king of Castille, whom all Spain had crowned ; and the king 
of Portugal made war upon him for the reasons above mentioned. 
Don John defended himself valiantly, and ordered to the frontiers 
and to his garrisons numbers of men-at-arms, to oppose his enemies, 
so that he lost nothing at the breaking out of hostilities. He had 
with him some of the ablest and most prudent of French chivalry, 
who assisted him greatly by their arms and advice ; such as the 
begue de ViUaines, sir Peter his son, sir John de Bergettes, sir Wil- 
liam de Lignac, sir Walter de Puissac, the lord de la Tande, sir 
John and sir Tristram de Roye, and many more, who had gone to 
Spain on the departure of the earl of Buckingham from Brittany ; 
for the king of France, who had great connections and of a long 
standing with the king of Castille, had sent them thither. 

The king of Portugal, on finding this, thought it advisable to send 
embassadors to England to the king and his uncles, to request suc- 
cors from them, that he might be able to carry on a successful war 
against the king of Castille. He called to him one of his knights, 
a valiant and prudent man, as well as a great lord, called John Fer- 
rande, and told him his intentions in these words : " John, you will 
■cany these credential letters to England. I cannot send thither a 
more able embassador than yourself, nor one who is better informed 
of all my affairs : you will therefore commend me to the king, on 
presenting these letters, and let him know that I am supporting the 
rights of my cousins, his aunts, for their inheritance of Castille and 
Spain ; and that I have already waged war against him, who, through 
the influence of France, has taken possession of it ; but that I am 
no< sufficiently strong in myself, nor have I resources to oppose him, 
nor to conquer such heritages as Castille, Gallicia and Seville. For 
which reason, I entreat him to send me his fair uncle the duke of 
Lancaster, with his wife and daughter, my cousins, and a number of 
men-at-arms and archers. On their arrival hither, we will carry on 
such a war, if it should please God, that we will recover their inher- 
itances," " My lord," replied the knight, " with pleasure will I 
carry your message." He was not long before he embarked on 
board a strong vessel fit for the voyage, and sailed from the harbor 
of Lisbon ; when, having favorable winds, he arrived at Plymouth 
the same day and same tide that the earl of Buckingham returned 
thither, with part of his fleet, from Brittany. 

The English had unfortunately lost at sea three of their ships, full 
of men and stores, and had been so much separated by contrary 
winds, that they arrived, not without great danger, in three different 
ports of England. The earl of Buckingham was rejoiced at the 
arrival of the Portuguese knight, whom he most graciously received. 
On his inquiring after news, he told him enough, as well of Spain 
as of Portugal. They continued their journey together untU they 
came to the good city of London, where the king was. On the 
earl of Buckingham's arrival, the city of London entertained him 
magnificently. He went to Westminster to wait on the king, who 
was there with his two uncles, the duke of Lancaster and the earl of 
Cambridge, and took the knight from Portugal with him, whom he 
presented to the king and to his brothers. 



When the king and the above-named lords were made acquainted 
with the subject of his coming, they seemed to be much pleased, 
and paid him great respect. He delivered his letters to the king, 
who read them in the presence of his uncles ; for you must know 
the king did nothing without the advice of these uncles, being at 
that time very young. The knight was questioned, notwithstanding 
the letters he had brought with him, on the subject of his coming 
from Portugal : his answers were prudent and proper, according to 
the propositions which have been mentioned before. When the 
lords had fully heard all he had to say, they said, " Many thanks to 
om- fair cousin of Portugal, who, to seiTe us, has made war on our 
adversary. What he requires is but reasonable, and he shall be 
speedily succored. The king .vill consider in what manner he shall 
arrange this business." No further conversation passed. The for- 
eign knight, having brought such agreeable tidings to the duke of 
Lancaster and earl of Cambridge, was much feasted, and dined 
with the king. He remained about fifteen days, and until a week 
before the feast of St. George, with the king and his uncles. Sir 
Robert de Namur was also there, who had come to do homage to 
the king for what he possessed in England. The parliament was 
also summoned to meet at Westminster, as well on account of this 
embassy from Portugal as upon the affairs of Scotland, the truce 
between the two countries ending the first of June. 

The prelates and barons of England held many councils to con- 
sider this business : they were not for sending the duke of Lancaster 
to Portugal, some saying it was a long sea voyage for him, and that 
they might repent of his going, for the Scots were making great 
preparations to invade England. It was at last determined that the 
duke of Lancaster, who was well acquainted with Scotland and its 
inhabitants, should go to the borders, and learn what were the inten- 
tions of the Scots ; for of all the barons of England he knew best 
how to conduct a treaty, and the Scots would do more for him than 
for any other person. They likewise resolved that the earl of Cam- 
bridge should embark for Portugal with five hundred spears and as 
many archers ; and if the duke of Lancaster could manage the Scots, 
and, without dishonoring England, conclude a truce for three years, 
he might go likewise, if the king approved of it in council, about 
August or September, to Portugal to reinforce the army of his brother. 
There was another reason why the duke of Lancaster ought to 
remain in England : the king had sent embassadors, with the duke 
of Saxony and the archbishop of Ravenna, to the emperor of Ger- 
many, to demand his sister in marriage and to obtain his answer ; 
for there had been great negotiations on the subject for upward of a 
year. The bishop of St. David's and sir Simon Burley were the 
embassadors, on the part of England, to assist and bring it to a 
conclusion. 

The king and his lords agreed to this determination, when the 
parliament broke up. Lists were made out of those baroiis and 
knights who were to accompany the earl of Cambridge to Portugal. 



CHAPTER LXXII. 

THE EARL OF CAMBRIDGE SAILS FOR PORTUGAL. THE DUKE OF LAN. 
CASTER GOES TO THE BORDERS OF SCOTLAND, TO MAKE A TRUCE 
WITH THE SCOTS. 

The duke of Lancaster, having made his preparations, left the 
king and his brothers. On taking leave of the earl of Cambridge, 
he swore to him, by his faith, that on his return from Scotland, he 
would speedily follow him to Portugal, if no hindrance which he 
could not then foresee happened in England to prevent him. On 
this, the duke departed, taking the road to Scotland, and attended 
only by those of his household. In this parliament, the carl of North- 
umberland was appointed lieutenant of all Northumberland, the 
bishopric of Durham, and as nmch of Wales as to the banks of the 
Severn : he therefore left London for those parts, but it was about 
fifteen days after the departure of the duke of Lancaster. 

The earl of Cambridge took leave of the king and his brother the 
earl of Buckingham, to complete the forces for the expedition he had 
undertaken to command. He made his rendezvous at Plymouth, 
where he was the first who arrived, bringing with him his lady Isa- 
bella and his son John, whom he intended carrying with him to 
Portugal. The earl of Cambridge was accompanied by many noble- 
men, such as sir Matthew Gournay constable of the army, the canon 
de Robesart, sir John Newcastle, sir William Beauchanip marshal 
of the army, the souldich de I'Estrade, the lord Botreaux, the lord de 
Ch.arlton, sir William Hclmon, sir Thomas Symon, sir Nicholas 
Windsor, sir John Carteret and several others. There were also 
men-at-arms to the amount of five hundred, and as many archers. 
These lords and their men came to Plymouth, where they quartered 
themselves and in the adjoining villages. They loaded their vessels 
by litde and little ; but no horses were to be embarked, as the voyage 
was too long from England to Lisbon. The Portuguese knight waa 
with them, intending to accompany them to his country. They 
remained upward of three weeks on the coast, getting ready their 
provision and stores, and waiting for favorable weather. 

The duke of Lancaster continued his journey toward Scotland 
until he came to Berwick, which is the last town in that part of 
England. When he arrived there, he halted, and sent a message to 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



28S 



Scotland to acquaint the barons he was come thither to ride the 
borders, as had always been customary ; and, if they were desirous 
of doing the same first, they had best inform him of it, otherwise he 
well knew' what he was to do. Tlie duke's herald rode to Edin. 
burgh, where king Robert of Scotland, the earl of Douglas, the earl 
of Mar, the earl of Moray and all the principal barons of Scotland 
were assembled. They had heard the duke of Lancaster was come 
to treat with them, and had thus assembled in the chief town of 
Scotland, where the herald met them. 




John Ball freachinq to thb Peoplg.— From a MS. of the 15th century. 



The herald punctually executed his message. He was favorably 
listened to, and had a friendly answer from the Scots barons, who 
said, they would willingly hear what the duke had to propose. The 
herald brought back with him passports for the duke and his people, 
to last as long as they should remain on tlie borders and during the 
parleys. The herald, having received these assurances, came back 
to Berwick and related what he hod done. Upon this, the duke 
departed from Berwick, leaving all his stores in that town, and took 
the road to Roxburgh, where he lay. On the morrow, he was lodged 
in the abbey of Melrose on the Tweed, which divides the two king- 
doms of Scotland and England. The duke and his attendants 
remained there until the Scots were come to Lambir-Iaw, three 
short leagues off. On their arrival, they signified it to the duke, 
when immediately negotiations were begun between the Scots and 
English, and which lasted for upward of fifteen days. 



CHAPTER LXXIII. 

THE POPULACE OF ENGL.IXD REBEL AGAINST THE NOBII.ITV. 

While these conferences were going forward, there happened in 
England great commotions among the lower ranks of the people, by 
which England was near ruined without resource. Never was a 
country in such jeopardy as this was at that period, and all through 
the too great comfort of the commonalty. Rebellion was stirred up. 
as it was formerly done in France by the Jacques Bons-hommes, 
who did much evil, and sore troubled the kingdom of France. It is 
marvellous from wiiat a trifle this peslilence raged in I^ngland. In 
order that it may serve as an example to mankind, I will speak of all 
that was done, from the information I had at the time on the subject. 

It is customary in England, as well as in several other countries, 
for the nobility to have great privileges over the commonalty, whom 
they keep in bondage ; that is to say, they are bound by law and 
custom to plough the lands of gentlemen, to harvest the grain, to 
carry it home to the barn, to thrash and winnow it : they are also 
bound to harvest the hay and carry it home.* All these services 
tliey are obliged to perform for their lords, and many more in Eng. 
land than in other countries. The prelates and gentlemen are thus 
served. In the counties of Kent, Essex, Sussex and Bedford, these 
services are more oppressive than in all the rest of the kingdom. 

The evil-disposed in these districts began to rise, saying, they were 

* And to hew their wood and bring it home.— Lord Ber.ners. 



too severely oppressed ; that at the beginning of the world there 
were no slaves, and no one ought to be treated as such, unless he 
had committed treason against his lord, as Lucifer had done against 
God : but they had done no such thing, for they were neither angels 
nor spirits, but men formed after the same likeness with their lords, 
who treated them as beasts. This they would not longer bear, but 
had determined to be free, and if they labored or did any other works 
for their lords, they wotdd be paid for it. 

A crazy priest in the county of Kent, called John Ball, wlio, for 

his absurd preaching, had 
been thrice confined in the 
prison of the archbishop of 
Canterbury, -was greatly in. 
_j ^si^^™_ strumental in inflaming them 

^:?SSB^-Sj^---. with those ideas. He was- 

accustomed, every Sunday 
:iz3 after mass, as the people were- 

coming out of the church, to 
preach to them in the market, 
place and assemble a crowd 
around him ; to whom he- 
wouldsay: " Mygood friends^ 
things cannot go on well in 
England, nor ever will until 
everything shall be in com- 
mon; when there shall neither" 
be vassal nor lord, and alt 
distinctions levelled ; when 
the lords shall be no more- 
masters than ourselves. How" 
ill they have used us ! and 
for what reason do they thu^ 
hold us in bondage ? Are- 
we not all descended from 
the same parents, Adam and 
Eve ? and w hat can they 
show, or what reasons give, 
why they should be more the 
masters than ourselves ? ex- 
cept, perhaps, in making us 
labor and work for tlicm to 
spend. They arc clothed in 
velvets and rich stufls,^ or- 
namented with ermine and 
other furs, while we are forced 
to wear poor cloth. They 
have wines, spices, and fine Dread, when we have only rye and the 
refuse of the straw ; and, if we drink, it must be water. They 
have handsome seats and manors, when we must brave the wind 
and rain in our labors in the field ; but it is from our labor they have 
wherewith to support their pomp. We are called slaves; and, if 
we do not perform our services, we are beaten, and we have not 
any sovereign to whom we can complain, or w ho wishes to hear ua 
and do us justice. Let us go to the king, who is young, and remon- 
strate with him on our servitude, telling him we must have it other- 
wise, or that we shall find a remedy for it ourselves. li we wait on 
him in a body, all those who come under the appellation of slaves^ 
or arc held in bondage, will follow us, in the hopes of being free. 
When the king shall see us, we shall obtain a favorable answer, or 
we must then seek ourselves to amend our condition." 

With such words as these did John Ball harangue the people, at 
his village, every Sunday after mass, for which he was much beloved 
by them. Some who wished no good declared it was very true, and' 
murmuring to each other, as they were going to the fields, on the 
road t'rom one village to another, or at their different houses, said, 
" John Ball preaches such and such things, and he speaks truth." 

The archbishop of Canterbury, on being informed of this, had' 
John Ball arrested, and imprisoned for two or three months by way 
of punishment ; but it would have been better if he had been con. 
fined during his life, or had been put to death, than to have been 
suffered thus to act. The archbishop set him at liberty, for he could 
not for conscience sake have put him to death. The moment John 
Ball was out of prison, he returned to his former errors. Numbers 
in the city of London having heard of his preaching, being envious 
of the rich men and nobility, began to say among themselves, that 
the kingdom was badly governed, and the nobility had seized on aU 
the gold and silver coin. These wicked Londoners, therefore, began 
to assemble and to rebel : they sent to tell tho.se in the adjoining 
counties, they might come boldly to London, and bring t'heir com- 
panions with them, for they would find the town open to them, and 
the commonalty in the same way of thinking ; that they would press 
the king so much, there should no longer be a slave in England. 

These promises stirred up those in the counties of Kent, Essex, 
Sussex and Bedford, and the adjoining country, so that they marched 
toward London ; and, when they arrived near, they were upward 



* Lord Berners says '' chamlet furred with g-Wsc," the skin of the weozle or martin. . 
The word in Froisfart is camocas, which D. Sauvoge is nt a loss to understand. ancE 
proposes to alter to camehs, camlet ; thus conlirming J.ord Berners' traoslution.— El> 



284 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



of sixty thousand. They had a leader called Wat Tyler, and with 
him were Jack Straw and John Ball : these three were their com- 
manders, but the principal was Wat Tyler. This Wat had been a 
tiler of houses, a bad man, and a great enemy to the nobility. When 
these wicked people first began to rise, all London, except their 
friends, were very much frightened. The mayor and rich citizens 
assembled in council, on hearing they were coming to London, and 
debated whether they should shut the gates and refuse to admit them ; 
but having well considered, they determined not to do so, as they 
should run the risk of having the suburbs burnt.* 

The gates were therefore tin-own open, when they entered in 
Jroops of one or two hundred, by twenties or thirties, according to 
the populousness. of the towns they came from ; and as they came 
into London they lodged themselves. But it is a truth, that full 
two-thirds of these people knew not what they wanted, nor what 
they sought for : they followed one another like sheep, or like the 
shepherds of old, who said they were going to conquer the Holy 
Land, and afterwards accomplished nothing. In such manner did 
these poor fellows and vassals come to London from distances of a 
hundred and sixty leagues, + but the greater part from those counties 
I have mentioned, and on their arrival they demanded to see the 
king. The gentlemen of the country, the knights and the squires, 
began to be alarmed when they saw the people tlius rise ; and, if 
they were frightened, tliey had sufficient reason, for less causes create 
fear. They began to collect together as well as they could. 

The same day that these wicked men of Kent were on their road 
toward London, the princess of Wales, mother to the king, was 
returning from a pilgrimage to Canterbury. She ran great risks 
from them ; for these scoundrels attacked her car, and caused much 
confusion, which greatly frightened the good lady, lest they should 
do some violence to her or to her ladies. God, however, preserved 
her from this, and she came in one day from Canterbury to London, 
without venturing to make any stop by the way. Her son Richard 
"Was this day in the Tower of London : thither the princess came, 
and found the king attended by the earl of Salisbury, the archbishop 
of Canterbury, sir Robert de Naniur, the lord de Gommegines, and 
several more, who had kept near his person from suspicions of his 
subjects who were thus assembling, without knowing what they 
wanted. This rebellion was well known to be in agitation in the 
king's palace, before it broke out and the country people had left 
their homes; to which the king applied no remedy, to the great 
astonishment of every one. In order that gentlemen and others may 
talce example, and eoiTect wicked rebels, I will most amply detail 
Low this business was conducted. 



CHAPTER LXXIV. 

THE POPVLACE OF ENGLAND CO.MMIT MANY CRUELTIES ON THOSE IN OFFI. 
C!AL SITUATIONS. THEY SEND A KNIGHT AS EMBASSADOK TO THE KING. 

On Monday preceding the feast of the Holy Sacrament, in the 
year 1381, did these people sally forth from their homes, to come to 
Tjondon to remonstrate with the king, that all might be made free, for 
they would not there should be any slaves in England. At Canter- 
bury, they met John Ball (who thought he should find there the 
archbishop, but he was at London,) Wat Tyler and Jack Straw. 
On their entrance into Canterbury, they were much feasted by every 
one, for the inhabitants were of their way of thinking ; and, having 
held a council, they resolved to march to London, and also to send 
emissaries across the Thames to Essex, Suffolk, Bedford, and other 
counties, to press the people to march to London on that side, and 
thus, as it were, to surround it, which the king would not be able to 
prevent. It was their intention that all the different parties should 
be collected together on the feast of the Holy Sacrament, or on the 
following day. 

Those who had come to Canterbury entered the church of St. 
Thomas, and did much damage : they pillaged the apartments of the 
archbishop, saying as they were carrying off different articles ; " This 
chancellor of England has had this piece of furniture very cheap : 
he must now give us an account of the revenues of England, and of 
the large sums he has levied since the coronation of the king." 
After they had defrauded the abbey of St. Vincent, they set off in the 
morning, and all the populace of Canterbury with them, taking the 
road toward Rochester. They collected the people from the vil. 
iages to the right and left, and marched along like a tempest, de. 
stroying every house of an attorney or king's proctor, or tliat belonged 
to the archbishop, sparing none. 

On their arrival at Rochester, they were much feasted, for the 
people were waiting for them, being of their party. They advanced 
to the castle, and seizing a knight called sir John de Newtoun, who 
was constable of it and captain of the town,+ they told him that he 



* Accorrliiig t(i Lord Bemers nnd D. Souvnee they did at first sliut ttis gates, but 
afterw-irds beiue in fear for tlie sutiurhs lliey mused tliem to be reopened.— Ed. 

t Lord BerTiors exoctly ngroes with D. Saiivnee. nnd differs materiully in the relation 
of Oie distanre tlie reb<'Is trave'led. Lord Bemers translates lieties miles, I apprehend 
correctly. "In lykewise tjiese villa ijis and poor people came to London a hundred 
inyle off. Ix myle. 1 myle, xl inyle, and xx niyle off. and fro' all countries about Lon- 
^lon. hut the moost part came fro' the countries hefore-namod."— Ed. 

t "John de Newtoun was oonstnble of this castle (Rochester) anno 2 king Richard." 
— ^Hastkd's Kent, vol. ii. p. 13. 



must accompany them as their commander in chief, and do what- 
ever they should wish. The knight endeavored to excuse himself, 
and offered good reasons for it, if they had been listened to; but they 
said to him, " Sir John, if you will not act as we shall order, you arc 
a dead man." The knight seeing this outrageous mob ready to kill 
him complied with their request, and very unwillingly put himself at 
their head. Th-ey had acted in a similar manner in the other coun- 
ties of England, in Sussex, Suffolk, Cambridge, Bedford, Stafford, 
Warvv'ick and Lincoln, where they forced great lords and knights, 
such as the lord Mauley, a great baron, sir Stephen Hales, and sir 
Thomas Cossington, to lead and march with them. Now, observe 
how fortunately matters turned out, for had they succeeded in their 
intentions they would have destroyed the whole nobihty of England : 
after this success, the people of other nations would have rebelled, 
taking example from those of Ghent and Flanders, who were in act- 
ual rebellion against their lord. In this same year the Parisians 
acted a similar part, arming themselves with leaden maces.* They 
were upward of twenty thousand, as I shall relate when I come to 
that part of my history ; but I will first go on with this rebellion in 
England. 

When those who had lodged at Rochester had done all they 
wanted, they departed, and crossing the river, came to Dartford, but 
always following their plan of destroying the houses of lawyers or 
proctors on the right and left of their road. In their way, they cut 
off several men's heads, and continued their march to Blackheath, 
where they fixed their quarters: they said they were armed for the 
king and commons of England. When the citizens of London found 
they were quartered so near them, they closed the gates of London, 
britlge : guards were placed there by orders of sir William Walworth, 
mayor of London, and several rich citizens wdio were not of their 
party ; but there were in the city more than thirty thousand who fju 
vored them. 

Those who were at Blackheath had information of this; they sent, 
therefore, their knight to speak with the king, and to tell him, that 
what they were doing was for his service, for the kingdom had been 
for several years wretchedly governed, to the great dishonor of the 
realm and to the oppression of the lower ranks of the people, by his 
uncles, by the clergy, and in particular by the archbishop of Canter- 
bury, his chancellor, from whom they would have an account of his 
ministry. The knight dared not say nor do anything to the contrary, 
but advancing to the Thames opposite the Tower, he took boat ami 
crossed over. While the king and those with liim in the Tower 
were in great suspense, and anxious to receive some intelligence, the 
knight came on shore : way was made for him, and he was conducted 
to the king, who was in an apartment v^■ilh the princess his mother. 
There were also with the king his two maternal brothers, the earl of 
Kent and sir John Holland, the earls of Salisbury, Warwick, Suffolk, 
the archbishop of Canterbury, the great prior of the Templars in Eng- 
land, sir Robert de Namur, the lord de Vertain, the lord de Gomme- 
gines, sir Henry de Sausselles, the mayor of London and several of 
the principal citizens. 

Sir John Newtoun, who was well known to them all, for he was 
one of the king's officers, cast himself on his knees and said : " My 
much redoubted lord, do not be displeased with me for the message 
I am about to deliver to you ; for, my dear lord, through force I am 
come hither." "By no means, sir John, tell us what you are charged 
with : we hold you excused." " My very redoubteti lord, the com- 
mons of your realm send me to you to entreat you would come and 
speak with them on Blackheath. They wish to have no one but 
yourself; and you need not fear for your person, for they will not do 
you the least harm ; they ahvays have respected and will respect you 
as their king; but they will tell you many things, which, they say, it 
is necessary you should hear; with which, however, they have not 
empowered me to acquaint you. But, dear lord, have the goodness 
to give me such an answer as may satisfy them, and that they may 
be convinced I have really been in your presence ; for they have my 
children as hostages for my return, whom they will assuredly put to 
death, if I do not gc back." 

The king replied, " You sh.ill speedily have an answer." Upon 
this he called a council to consider what was to be done. The king 
was advised to say, that if on Thursday they would come down to the 
river Thames, he would without fail speak with them. Sir John 
Newtoun, on receiving this answer, was well satisfied therewith, 
and, taking leave of the king and barons, departed : having entered 
his boat, he recrossed the Thames, and returned to Blackheath, where 
he had left upward of sixty thousand men. He told them from the 
king, that if they would send on the morrow morning their leaders 
to the Thames, the king would come and hear what they had to say. 
This answer gave gr.:at pleasure, and they were contented with it: 
they passed the night as well as they could ; but yon must know that 
one-fourth of thein fasted for want of provision, as they had not 
brought any with them, at which they were much vexed, as may be 
supposed. 

At this time, the earl of Buckingham was in Wales, where he pos- 
sessed great estates in right of his wife, who was daughter of the 
earl of Hereford and Northampton ; birt the common report about 
London was, that he favored these people : some assured it for s 

* Lord Bemers and D. Sauvage read inm, though the latter in a note says that Iha 
I Chronicles and Anuals of France say lead.— Ed. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &. c . 



285 



truth, as having seen him among them, because there was one 
Thomas very much resembling him, from the county of Cambridge. 
As for the English barons v.-lio were at Plymouth making prepara- 
tions for their voyage, they had heard of this rebellion, and that the 
people were rising in all parts of the kingdom. Fearful lest their 
Yoyage should be prevented, or that the populace, as they had done 
St Southampton, Winchelsea and Arundel, should attack them, they 
heaved their anchors, and with some difficulty left the harbor, for the 
wind was against them, and put to sea, where they cast anchor to 
wait for a wind. 



wv-^- 




UlcUARD THE Skcond and TUB REBELS.— FruQi a M9. ol tlie 15Ui CeiUucy. 



The duke of Lancaster was on the borders, between la Morlane,* 
Roxburgh and Melrose, holding conferences with the Scots : he had 
also received intelligence of this rebellion, and the danger his person 
■was in, for he well knew he was unpopular with the common people 
of England. Notwithstanding this, he managed his treaty very pru. 
dently with the Scotch commissioners, the earl of Douglas, the earl 
of Moray, the earl of Sutherland, the earl of Mar and Thomas de 
Vesey. The Scot-*men who were conducting the treaty on the part 
of the king and the country know also of the rebellion in England, 
and how the populace were rising everywhere against the nobility. 
They said, that England was shaken and in great danger of being 
ruined, for which in their treaties they bore the harder on the du'ke 
of Lancaster and his council. 

We will now return to the commonalty of England, and say how 
they continued in their rebellion. 



CHAPTER LXXV. 

THE COMMOXiLTY OF ENGLAND ENTER LONDON, WHERE THEY COMMIT 
MANY CRUELTIES AND OUTKA&ES. THEY PUT TO DEATH THE ARCH- 
EISUOF OF CANTERBURY AND SEVERAL OTHERS. 

On Corpus Christi day king Richard heard mass, in the tower of 
London, with all his lords, and afterwards entered his barge, attended 
by the earls of Salisbury, Warwick and Suffjlk, with other knights. 
He rowed down the Thames toward Rotherhithe, a mansr belonging 
to the crown, where were upsvard of ten thousand men, who had 
come from Blackhcath to see the king and to speak to him : when 
they perceived his barge approach, they set up such shouts and cries 
as if all the devils in hell had been in their company. They had 
their knight, sir John Newtoun, with them ; for, in case the king had 
not come and they found he had made a jest of them, they would, 
as they had threatened, have cut him to pieces. 

When the king and his lords saw this crowd of people, and the 
wildncss of their manner, them was not one among them so bold 
and determin ed but felt alarmed : the king was advised by his barons 

* *' La-Morlane." Lambir-iaw.— Macphkrsom's Ga)S' Jltuat. of ScoUana. 



not to land, but to have his barge rowed up and down the river. 
" What do ye wish for ?" demanded the king : " I am come hither 
to hear what you have to say." Those near him cried out with one 
voice, " We wish thee to land, when we will remonstrate with 
thee, and tell thee more at our ease what our wants are." The earl 
of Salisbury then replied for the king, and said, " Gentlemen, you 
are not properly dressed, nor in a fit condition for the king to talk, 
with you." 

Nothing more was said ; for the king was desired to return to the 
Tower of London, from whence he had set out. When the people 

saw they could obtain 
nothing more, they 
were inflamed with 
passion, and went 
back to Blackheath, 
where the main body 
was, to relate the an- 
swer they had re- 
ceived, and how the 
king was returned to 
the Tower. They all 
then cried out, " Let 
us march instantly to 
London." They im- 
mediately set off, and, 
in their road thither, 
they destroyed the 
houses of lawyers, 
courtiers, and monas- 
teries. Advancing 
into the suburbs of 
London, which were 
very handsome and 
extensive, they pulled 
down many fine hou. 
ses; in particular, they 
demolished the prison 
of the king caHed the 
Marshalsea, and set at 
liberty all those con- 
fined within it. They 
did much damage to 
the suburbs, and men- 
aced the Londoners at 
the entrance of the 
bridge for having shut 
the gates of it, saying, 
they would set fire to 
the suburbs, take the 
city by storm, and af- 
terwards burn and de- 
stroy it. 
With respect to the common people of London, numbcra were of 
their opinions, and, on assembling together, said, " Why will you 
refuse admittance to these honest men ? They are our friends, and 
what they are doing is for our good." It was then found necessary 
to open the gates, when crowds rushed in, and ran to those shops 
which seemed well stored with provision : if they sought for meat 
or drink, it was placed before them, and nothing refused, but all 
manner of good cheer oiTered, in hopes of appeasing them. 

Their leaders, John Ball, Jack Straw and Wat Tyler, then 
marched through London, attended by more than twenty thousand 
men, to the palace of the Savoy, which is a handsome building on 
the road to Westminster, situated on the banks of the Thames, be- 
longing to the duke of Lancaster; they immediately killed the por. 
tei*s, pressed into the house and set it on fire. Not content with 
committing this outrage, they went to the house of the knights- 
hospitalers of Rhodes, dedicated to St. John of Mount Carmel, which 
they burnt, together with their hospital and church. They after- 
wards paraded the streets, and killed every Fleming they could find, 
whether in house, church or hospital : not one escaped death. They 
broke open several houses of the Lombards, taking whatever money 
they could lay their hands on, none daring to oppose them. They 
murdered a rich citizen called Richard Lyon, to whom Wat Tyler 
had been formerly servant in France ; but, having once beaten this 
varlet, lie had not forgotten it, and, having carried his men to his 
house, ordered his head to be cut off, placed upon a pike, and car- 
ried through the streets of London. Thus did these wicked people 
act like madmen ; and, on this Thursday, they did much mischief 
to the city of London. 

Toward evening, they fixed their quarters in a square called St. 
Catherine's, before the Tower, declaring they would not depart 
thence until they should obtain from the king everything they wanted, 
and have all their desires satisfied ; and the chancellor of England 
made to account with them, and show how the great sums which had 
been raised were expended ; menacing, that if he did not render 
such an account as was agreeable to them, it would be the worse for 
him. Considering the various ills they had done to foreigners, they 
lodged themselves before the Tower. You may easily suppose what 



286 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &, c . 



a miserable sitaation the king was in, and those with him ; for at 
times these rebellious fellows hooted as loud as if the devils were in 
them. 

About evening, a council was held in the presence of the king, 
the barons who were in the Tower with him, sir William Walworth 
the mayor, and some of the principal citizens, when it was proposed 
to arm themselves, and during the night to fall upon these wretches 
who were in the streets and amounted to sixty thousand, while they 
were asleep and drunk, for then they might be killed like flies, and 
not one in twenty among them had arms. The citizens were very 
capable of doing this, for they had secretly received into their houses 
their friends and servants, properly prepared to act. Sir Robert 
KnoUcs remained in his house, guarding his property, with more 
than six score companions completely armed, and would have in- 
stantly sallied forth. Sir Perducas d'Albreth was also in London at 
that period, and would have been of great service ; so that they could 
have mustered upward of eight thousand men, well armed. But 
nothing was done ; for they were too much afraid of the commonalty 
of London ; and the advisers of the king, the earl of Salisbury and 
others, said to him, " Sir, if you can appease them by fair words, it 
will be so much the better, and good-humoredly grant them what 
they ask ; i'or, should we begin what we cannot go through, we shall 
never be able to recover it : it will be all over with us and our heirs, 
and England will be a desert." This council was followed, and the 
mayor ordered to make no movement. He obeyed, as in reason he 
ought. In the city of London, with the mayor, there are twelve 
sheriffs,* of whom nine were for the king and three for these wicked 
people, as it was afterwards discovered, and for which they then paid 
dearly. 

On Friday morning, those lodged in the square before St. Cathe- 
line'g, near the Tower, began to make themselves ready; they 
shouted much, and said, that if the king would not come out to them, 
they would attack the Tower, storm it, and slay all in it. The king 
was alarmed at these menaces, and resolved to speak with them ; 
he therefore sent orders for them to retire to a handsome meadow at 
Mile-end, where, in the summer, people go to amuse themselves, 
and that there the king would grant them tlieir demands. Procla- 
mation was made in the king's name for all those who wished to 
speak with him to go to the above-mentioned place, where he would 
not fail to meet them. 

The commonalty of the different villages began to march thither ; 
but all did not go, nor had they the same objects in view, for the 
greater part only wished for the riches and destruction of the nobles, 
and the plunder of London. This was the principal cause of their 
rebellion, as they very clearly showed ; for when the gates of the 
Tower were thrown open, and the king, attended by his two bro- 
thers, the earls of Salisbury, of Warwick, of Suffolk, sir Robert dc 
Namur, the lords de Vertain and de Gomniegines, with several 
others, had passed through them, Wat Tyler, .Tack Straw and John 
Ball, with upward of four hundred, rushed in by force, and, running 
from clianiber to chamber, found the archbishop of Canterbury, whose 
name was Simon, t a valiant and wise man, and chancellor of Eng- 
land, who had but just celebrated mass before the king : he was 
seized by these rascals, and beheaded. The prior of St. John's suf- 
fered the same fate, and Ukewise a Franciscan friar, a doctor of 
physic, who was attached to the duke of Lancaster, out of spite to 
his master, and also a serjeant-at-arms of the name of John Laige.t 
They fixed these four heads on long pikes, and had them carried 
before them through the streets of London : when they had suffi- 
ciently played with them, they placed them on London Bridge, as if 
they had been traitors to their king and country. 

These scoundrels entered the apartment of the princess, and cut 
her bed, which so much terrified her that she fainted, and in this 
condition was by her servants and ladies carried to the river-side, 
when she was put into a covered boat, and conveyed to the house 
called The Wardrobe, § where she continued that day and night like 
to a woman half dead, until she was comforted by the king her son, 
as you shall presently hear. 

CHAPTER LXXVL 

THE NOBLES OF ENGLAND ARE IN GREAT DANGER OF BEING DESTROYED. 
THREE OF THE PRINCirAL LEADERS OF THE REBELS ARE PUNISHED, 
AND THE REST SENT BACK TO THEIR HOMES. 

When the king was on his way to the place called Mile-end, 
without London, his two brothers, the earl of Kent and sir John 
Holland, stole off and galloped from his company, as did also the 
lord de Gomniegines, not daring to show themselves to the populace 
at Mile-end for fear of their lives. |1 



* "Twelve slierifts." — Froissarl is mistaken, as there are only two sheriffs and twenty- 
lix iildernien, including the mayor. 

Tlie aldermen were originally chosen for one year; hut, in 1354, "it was ordained 
that they should not be removed without some special cause."— Stowe's Histury of 
Xjondon, 

t " Simon de Sudbury."— His name was Tibold ; but he took tlie name de Sudbury 
from the place of his birth. 

t "Laice"— Leg.— HoLLlNOsHED. 

§ The King's Wardrobe was at this time in Carter -lane, Barnard's Castle-ward. For 
further particulars, see Stowe's History of London. 

I! -Lord Berners, who in this agrees with D. Sauvage. says the king sent them away— 
t" put them out of his company.") I do not understand why Mr. Johnes has repre- 
Jented them as running away privily.- Ed, 



On the king's arrival, attended by the barons, he found upward 
of sixty thousand men assembled from different villages and counties 
of England : he instantly advanced into the midst of them, saying 
in a pleasant manner, " My good people, I am your king and your 
lord : what is it you want ? and what do you wish to say to me ?" 
Those who heard him answered, " We wish thou wouldst make us- 
free for ever, us, our heirs and our lands, and that we should no 
longer be called slaves, nor held in bondage." The king replied, 
" I grant your wish : now, therefore, return to yonr homes and the 
places whence you came, leaving two or three men from each vil- 
lage, to whom I will order letters to be given sealed with my seal, 
which they shall carry back with every demand you have made fully 
granted : and, in order that you may be the more satisfied, I will 
direct that my banners shall be sent to every stewardship, casdewick 
and corporation." These words greatly pleased the novices and 
well-meaning ones who were there, and knew not what they wanted, 
saying, "It is well said : we do not wish for more." The people 
were thus quieted, and began to return toward London. 

The king added a few words, which pleased them much: "You, 
my good people of Kent, shall have one of my banners ; and you 
also of Essex, Sussex, Bedford, Suffolk, Cambridge, Stafford, and 
Lincoln, shall each of you have one ; and I pardon you all for what 
you have hitherto done ; but you must follow my banners, and now 
return home on the terms I have mentioned." They unanimously 
replied they would. Thus did this great assembly break up, and 
set out for London. The king instantly employed upward of thirty 
secretaries, who drew up the letters as fast as they could ; and, having 
sealed and delivered them to these people, they departed, and returned 
to their own counties. 

The principal mischief remained behind : I mean Wat Tyler, Jack 
Straw, and John Ball, who declared, that though the people were 
satisfied, they would not thus depart ; and they had more than thirty 
thousand who were of their mind. They continued in th.e city, 
without any wish to have their letters, or the king's seal ; but did all 
they could to throw the town into such confusion that the lords and 
rich citizens might be murdered, and their houses pillaged and de- 
stroyed. The Londoners suspected this, and kept themselves at 
home, with their friends and servants, well armed and prepared, 
every one according to his abilities. 

When the people had been appeased at Mile-end Green, and were 
setting off for their different towns as speedily as they could receive 
the king's letters, king Richard went to the Wardrobe, where the 
princess was in the greatest fear : he comforted her, as he was very 
able to do, and passed there the night. 

I must relate an adventure which happened to these clowns near 
Norwich, and to their leader, called William Lister, who was from 
the county of Stafford. On the same day, these wicked people burnt 
the palace of the Savoy, the church and house of St. John, the hos- 
pital of the Templars, pulled down the prison of Newgate, and set 
at liberty all the prisoners. There were collected numerous bodies 
from Lincolnshire, Norfolk, and Suffolk, who proceeded on their 
march toward London, according to the orders they had received, 
under the direction of Lister. 

In their road they stopped near Norwich, and forced every one to 
join them, so that none of the commonalty remained behind. The 
reason why they stopped near Norwich was, that the governor of the 
town was a knight called sir Robett Salle : he was not by birth a 
gentleman, but, having acquired great renown for his ability and 
courage, king Edward had created him a knight : he was the hand, 
soniest and strongest man in England. Lister and his companions 
took it into their heads they would make this knight their commander, 
and carry him with them, in order to be the more feared. They sent 
orders to him to come out into the fields to speak with them, or they 
would attack and burn the city. The knight, considering it was 
much better lor him logo to them than that they should commit such 
outrages, mounted his horse, and went out of the town alone, to hear 
what they had to say. When they perceived him coming, they 
showed him every mark of respect, and courteously entreated hiiK 
to dismount and talk with them. He did dismount, and committed 
a great folly : for, when he had so done, having surrounded him, 
they at first conversed in a friendly way, saying, " Robert, you are* 
a knight, and a man of great weight in this country, rcno« ned for 
your valor : yet, notwithstanding all t^is, w'e know who you are : 
you arc not a gentleman, but the son q^v a poor mason, just such as 
ourselves. Do you come with us, as our commander, and we will 
make so great a lord of you that one quarter of England shall be 
under your command." 

The knight, on hearing them thus speak, was exceedingly angry; 
he would never have consented to such a proposal ; and, eyeing 
them with inflamed looks, answered, " Begone, wicked scoundrels 
and false traitors as you are : would you have me desert my natural 
lord for such a company of knaves as you ? would you have me dis. 
honor myself ? I would much rather you were all hanged, for that 
must be your end." On saying this, he attempted to mount his 
horse ; but, his foot slipping from the stirrup, his horse took fright. 
They then shouted out, and cried, " Put him to death." When he 
heard this, he let hrs horse go ; and, drawing a handsome Bordcau.v 
sword, he began to skirmish, and soon cleared the crowd from about 
him, that it was a pleasure to see. Some attempted to close with 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN. &( 



287 



him ; but with each stroke he gave, he cut off heads, arms, feet, or 
legs. There were none so bold but were afraid ; and sir Robert 
performed that day marvellous feat.; of arms. These wretches were 
upward of forty thousand ; they shot and flung at him such things, 
that had he been clotlied in steel instead of being unarmed, he must 
have been overpowered : however, he killed twelve of them, besides 
many whom he wounded. At last, he was overthrown, when they 
cut ofl' his legs and arms, and rent his body in piecemeal. Thus 
ended sir Robert Salle, which was a great pity ; and, when the 
knights and squires in England heard of it, they were much enraged. 




Death op Wat Tyiir.— From a MS. of the Fifteenth Century. 



this sign, then step forward, and kill every one except tlie king ; but 
hurt him not, for he is young, and we can do what we please with 
him ; for, by carrying him with us through England, we sliall be 
lords of it without any opposition." There was a doublet-maker of 
London, called .lohn Tide, who had brought si.xty doublets, with 
which some of the clowns had dressed themselves ; and on his ask- 
ing who was to pay, for he must have for them thirty good marks, 
Tyler replied, " Make thyself easy man ; thou shall be well paid 
this day: look to me for it: thou hast sufficient security for them." 
On saying this, he spurred the h»r8e on w hich he rode, and, leaving 

his men, galloped up to the 
king, and came so near 
that his horse's head touch- 
ed the crupper of that of 
the king. The first words 
he said, when he addressed 
the king, were, " King, 
dost thou see all those men 
there ?" " Yes," replied 
the king : " why dost thou 
ask?" "Because they are 
all under my command, 
and have sworn by their 
faith and loyalty to do 
vv'hatever I shall order. 
" Very well," said the 
king : " I have no objec- 
tions to it." Tyler, who 
was only desirous of a riot, 
answered, "And thinkest 
thou, king,that those people 
and as many more who are 
in the city, also under my 
command, ought to depart 
without having had thy let- 
ters ? Oh no, we will carry 
them with us." " Why," 
replied the king, "so it baa 
been ordered, and they 
will be delivered out one 
after the other: but, friend, 
return to thy companions, 
and tell them to depart 
from London : be peace, 
able and careful of your- 



On the Saturday niorni.ng, the king left the Wardrobe, and went 
to Westminster, where he and all the lords heard mass in the abbey. 
In this church, there is a statue of our Lady in a small chapel, that 
has many virtues and performs great miracles, in which the kings of 
England have much faith. The king, having paid his devotions and 
made his offerings to this shrine, mounted his horse about nine 
o'clock, as did the barons who were with him. They rode along 
the causeway to return to London ; but, when they had gone a little 
way, he turned to a rood on the left to go from London, 
t This day, all the rabble were again assembled, under the conduct 
of Wat Tyler, Jack Straw, and John Ball, to parley at a place called 
Smithfield, where, every Friday, the horse-market is kept. They 
amounted to upward of twenty thou.^and, all of the same sort. Many 
more were in the city, breakfasting and diinking Rhenish, Malm- 
sey and Madeira wines, iu taverns and at the houses of the Lom- 
bards, without paying for pnything ; and happy was he who could 
give them good cheer. Those who were collected in Smithfield had 
king's banners, which had been given to them the preceding even- 
ing ; and these reprobates wanted to pilb.gc the city the same day, 
their leaders saying, " that hitherto they liad done nothini;-. The 
pardons which the king has granted will not be of much use to us : 
but, if we be of the same mind, we shall pilbge this large, rich, and 
powerful tow-n of London, before those from Essc'.\, Suffolk, Cam- 
bridge, Bedford, Warwick, Re:iding, Lancashire, Arundel, Guilford, 
Coventry, Lynne, Linroln, York, and Durham shall arrive ; for they 
are on the road, and we know for certain that Vaquier* and Lifter 
-ivill conduct them hither. If we now plunder the city of the wealth 
that is in it, we shall have been beforehand, and shall not repent of 
so doing ; but, if we wait for their arrival, they will wrest it from 
us." To this opinion all had agreed, when the king appeared in 
sight, attended by sixty horse. He was not thinking of them, but 
intended to have continued his ride without coming into London : 
however, wlien he came before the abbey of St. Bartholomew, which 
is in Smithfield, and saw the crowd of people, he stopped, and said 
he would not proceed until he knew v.iiat tliey wanted ; and, if they 
were troubled, he would appease them. 

The lords who accompanied him stopped also, as was but right, 
since the king had stopped ; when Wat Tyler, seeing the king, said 
to his men, " Here is the king : I will go and speak with him : do 
not you stir from hence until I give you a signal." He made a 
motion with his hand, and added, " VVhen you shall sec me make 

* " Valquier*'— probably Walker. 



selves, for it is our deter- 
mination that you shall all of you have your letters by villages and 
towns, as it had been agreed on." 

As the king finished speaking, Wat Tyler, casting his eyes around 
him, spied a squire attached to the king's person bearing his sword. 
Tyler mortally hated this squire ; formerly they had had words to- 
gether, when the squire ill-treated him. " What, art thou here ?" 
cried Tyler ; "give me thy dagger." " I wall not," said the squire : 
"why should I give it thee?" The king, turning to him, said, 
" Give it him, give it him ;" which he did, though much against his 
will. When Tyler took it, he began to play with it and turn it about 
in his hand, and, again addres.?ing the squire, said, " Give me that 
sword." " I will not," replied tlie squire ; " for it is the king's 
sword, and thou art not worthy to bear it, who art but a mechanic ; 
and, if only thou and I were together, thou wouldst not have dared 
to say what thou hast for as large a heap of gold as this church." 
" By my troth," answered Tyler, " I will not eat this day before I 
have thy head." At these words, the mayor of London, with about 
twelve more, rode forward, armed under their robes, and, pushing 
through the crowd, saw Tyler's manner of behaving: upon which, 
he .said, " Scoundrel, how dare you thus behave in the presence of 
the king, and utter such words ? It is too impudent for such as 
then." The king then began to be enraged, and said to the mayor, 
" Lav hands on him." 

While the king was giving this order, Tyler had addressed the 
mayor, saying, " Hey, in God's name, what I have said, does it 
concern thee ? what dost thou mean ?" " Truly,'" replied the mayor, 
who found himself supported by the king, " docs it become such a 
stinking rascal as thou art to use such speech in the presence of the 
king, thy natural lord ? I will not live a day, if thou pay not for it." 
Upon this, he drew a kind of cimeter* he wore, and struck Tyler 
such a blow on the head as felled him to his horse's feet. When he 
was down, he was surrounded on all sides, so that his men could 
not see him ; and one of the king's squires, called John Standwich,t 
iinmedialely leaped from his horse, and, drawing a handsome sword 
which he bore, thrust it into his belly, and thus killed him. 

His men advancing, sow their leader dead, when they cried out, 
" They have killed our captain : let us march to them, and slay the 
whole." On these words, they drew up in a sort of batde.array, 
each man having his bent bow before him. The king certainly 



* " Radflairc"—n Bhort and broad back6word, being toward the point like a Turkish 
cimrlpr.— CosoTlAVK. 
t " Staiidwiuh." Lord Beroers call* him Stnndysihe ; Stow,' Cavendish. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &, c . 



288 

jwzarded much by this action, but it turned out fortunate : for, when 
Tyler was on the ground, he left hig attendants, ordering not one to 
follow him. He rode up to these rebellious fellows, who were ad- 
vancing to revenge their leader's death, and said to them, " Gentle- 
men what are you about ? you shall have no other captain but me : 
I am your king : remain peaceable." When the greater part of 
them heard these words, they were quite ashamed, and those in- 
clined to peace began to slip away." The riotous ones kept their 
ground, and showed symptoms of mischief, and as if they were 
resolved to do something. 

The king returned to his lords, and asked them what should next 
be done. He was advised to make for the fields ; for the mayor 
said, " that to retreat or fly would be of no avail. It is proper we 
should act thus, for I reckon that we shall very soon receive assist. 
ance from London, that is, from our good friends who are prepared 
and armed, with all their servants in their houses." While things 
remained in this state, several ran to London, and cried out, " They 
are killing the king I they are killing the king and our mayor." 
Upon this alarm, every man of the king's party sallied out toward 
Smithfield, and to the fields whither the king had retreated ; and 
there were instantly collected from seven to eight thousand men 
in arms. 

Among the first, cnme sir Robert KnoUcs and sir Pcrducas d'Al- 
breth, well attended ;* and several of the aldermen, with upward of 
six hundred men-at-arms, and a powerful man of the city called 
Nicholas Bramber, the kiKg's draper, bringing with him a large 
force, who, as they came up, ranged themselves in order, on foot, on 
each side of him. The rebels were drawn up opposite them : they 
had the king's banners, and showed as if they intended to maintain 
their ground by offering combat. The king created three knights ; 
sir William Walworth, mayor of London, sir John Standwich, and 
air Nicholas Bramber. The lords began to converse among them, 
selves, saying, " What shall we do ? We see our enemies, who 
■wotdd willingly have nmrdered us if they had gained the upper 
hand." Sir Robert Knolles advised immediately to fall on them, 
and slay them ; but the king would not consent, saying, " I will not 
have you act thus : you shall go and demand from them my banners : 
we shall see how they will behave when you make this demand ; 
for I will have them by fair or foul means." " It is a good thought," 
replied the earl of Salisbury. 

The new knights were therefore sent, who, on approaching, made 
signs for them not to shoot, as they wished to speak with them. 
When they had come near enough to be heard, they said, " Now 
attend : the king orders you to send back his banners, and we hope 
he will have mercy on you." The banners were directly given up, 
and brought to the king. It was then ordered, under pain of death, 
that all those who had obtained the king's letters should deliver 
them up. Some did so ; but not all. The king, on receiving them, 
had them torn in their presence. You must know, that from the 
instant when the king's banners were surrendered, these fellows 
kept no order; but the greater part, throwing their bows to the 
ground, took to their heels and returned to London. 

Sir Robert Knolles was in a violent rage that they were not at. 
tacked, and the whole of them slain ; but the king would not con. 
sent to it, saying, he would have ample revenge on them, which in 
truth he afterwards had. 

Thus did these people disperse, and run away on all sides. The 
king, the lords, and the army returned in good array to London, to 
their great joy. The king immediately took the road to the Ward- 
robe, to visit the princess his mother, who had remained there two 
days and two nights under the greatest fears, as indeed she had 
cause. On seeing the king her son, she was mightily rejoiced, and 
said, " Ha, ha, fair son, what pain and anguish have I not suffered 
for you this day !" " Certainly, madam," leplied the king, " I am 
well assured of that ; but now rejoice and thank God, for it behooves 
US to praise him, as I have this day regained my inheritance, and 
the kingdom of England, which I had lost." 

The king remained the whole day with his mother. The lords 
retired to their own houses. A proclamation was made through all 
the streets, that every person who was not an inhabitant of London, 
and who had not resided there for a whole year, should instantly 
depart ; for that, if there were any found of a contrary description 
on Sunday morning at sunrise, they would be arrested as traitors to 
the king, and have their heads cut ofl'. After this proclamation had 
been heard, no one dared to infringe it ; but all departed instantly 
to their former homes, quite discomfited. John Ball and Jack Straw 
were found hidden in an old ruin, thinking to steal away ; but this 
they could not do, for they were betrayed by their own men. The 
king and the lords were well pleased with their seizure : their heads 
were cut off, as was that of Tyler, and fixed on London bridge, in 
the place of those gallant men whom they beheaded on the Thurs- 



day.* The news of tliis was sent through the neighboring countios, 
that those might hear of it who were on their way to London, ac. 
cording to the orders these rebels had sent tlicm : upon which they 
instantly returned to their homes, without daring to advance farther. 



CHAPTER LXXVII. 

A TRUCE BETWEEN THE ENGLISH AND SCOTS. THE DUKE OF LANCASTER 
EEMAINS IN SCOTLAND DtntINO THE KEDELLION IN ENGLAND. 

We will now speak of the truce which the duke of Lancaster, who 
had remained on the borders of Scotland during the time of this re- 
bellion in England, was negotiating with the earl of Douglas and 
other barons on the part of Scotland. The Scots were as well in. 
formed as the duke of the situation of England, though he did not 
take any notice of it to them, but went on with the treaty as if Eng. 
land were in perfect peace. The business was so ably conducted 
by the commissioners on each side that a truce was made, for three 
years, between the two kingdoms. 

When this treaty was concluded, the lords of the two countries 
visited each other with much respect. The earl of Douglas said to 
the duke of Lancaster, " My lord, we were well infoi-med of the re. 
bellion of the populace in England, and what peril the kingdom was 
in from that event : we therefore look on you as a valiant and prudent 
man, for having so frankly continued your negotiations without ever 
taking the least notice of it ; and we offer you, should you think 
them necessary, five or sLx hundred spears, which you will find 
ready and at your service." " By my faith," replied the duke, "fair 
gentlemen, I thank you much for your gallant ofi'er, which I do not 
refuse ; but I imagine his majesty must have been so advised that all 
will turn out well. However, I wish to have passports from you, 
for myself and people, to go to your country, and reside there, should 
there be occasion, until all these troubles be appeased." The earls 
of Douglas and Moray, who had full powers from the king, imme- 
diately complied with his request. They then took their leave, and 
each party separated : the Scots returned to Edinburgh, and the duke, 
with his attendants, to Berwick, thinking to enter the town, where 
he had left all hig baggage ; but sir Matthew Redmayne, the gov- 
ernor, refused him entrance, and closed the gates against him. He 
told him he acted by orders from the earl of Northumberland, at that 
time lord warden of tlie county of Northumberland and of all those 
parts, who had forbidden him to open the gates, and that he could do 
no otheiTvise. 

The duke was much ve.i[ed on heating these words, and thus an- 
swered, " How, Matthew Redmayne, is there any one in Northum- 
berland greater than I ? Who has thus denied my entrance where 
I have left my baggage ? from whence come such orders ?" '* By 
my faith, my lord, my orders are from the king, and what I do is 
very much against my will; but do it I must ; and I entreat of you, 
for God's sake, to excuse me, for I am strictly enjoined, on my honor 
and life, not to suffer you, or any of your people, to enter this town.'* 
You may suppose the duke of Lancaster was much astonished and 
enraged at these orders ; not so much with the knight, but with those 
who had given them ; for when he had been laboring for the good 
of England, they were so suspicious of him that they had refused 
him admittance iiito the first town of England, on his return from 
Scotland. He supposed that great fault had been found with him: 
however, he did not open his thoughts or intentions further, and nO' 
longer pressed the knight. He saw no success could come from it, 
for the knight would never have acted as he had done if he bad not 
had express commands : he therefore changed the subject of conver- 
sation, and asked sir Matthew if he had heard any news from Eng- 
land. Ho answered, "None, except that the country was in confusion, 
and that the king had written to the principal towns, barons and 
knights of this country to be ready to come to him the moment he 
should send for them, strictly forbidding, under pain of losing their 
heads, all governors and captains of towns and castles in Northum- 
berland to suffer any one whatever to enter their places ; and be 
assured they will punctually obey. But, with regard to the connnon 
people who are in rebellion about London, I know nothing I can 
depend on to relate to you, except that the officers in Suffolk, Lin- 
coln, Cambridge, Stafford, Bedford and Norfolk have sent information 
that the commonalty under their command are very eager affairs 
should turn out ill, and that there should be confusion in the Mng- 



* In one of my MS3. there is the ftillnwing adUition. 

"Sir Rol)ert de Namiir. sir Ruljert Knolles, and sir Perducas d'Albreth were very 
angry that these wicked penpleao easdy escaped, for they hud put the town into great 
alarm for three days. Sir Henry de Saiisselles, a young knight from Hainaillt who had 
accoinpunied sir Robert de Nantur, nskcd why some revenue wils not had lor linviitg 
kept the town in sm-h alarm. Sir Robert, upon this, asked him if he had been fright- 
ened -. * Yes. by God, « ns I, very much ; why shoul I I conceal it ? And wtiA not you V 
•No. by my truth, I was not; but if the king had nol been here with us, we should have 
lun great risk.'" 



* From the forenientiitned MS. 

" This same week was James Lister taken, who had murdered sir Robert SnIIe. He 
,ind twelve others were executed witli him. Thus were those traitors punisherl. There 
are some who say, that John Ball and his accomplices were strictly examined before 
tliey were put to death, and then owned tJiul persons of the higliea rank and power 
had incited them to act as tJiey had done. Tlie king kept this confession secret in his 
own mind, and returned thanks to God for his happy issue out of this danger. Very 
many were astonished that the duke of Lancaster, during all this rebellion , remaiacd 
out of the kingdom, settling general matters on the borders of Scotland. 

"The king sent orders to the earl of Northiunberhind. that if the duke of Lancaster 
should attempt to enter any fortified town or castle, the gates should be *hnt against 
him. The king made the earl his lieutenant of all the borders toward Scotland. Many 
noblemen and otiiers were surprised at this, for it would seem as if the king su'spected 
the duke of being implicated with the rebels. But it was admitted, on all sido.^, that he 
was inculpated without any grounds ; for the firat Unng the rebels did, on entering Loo- 
don, was to march to the palace of the Savoy, and totally destroy and burn it. Now 
tins did not show that he was friendly to their cause. They also put to death several- 
\vho were attached to him." 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



289 



dom." " And in oui- counties,'' said the duke, " of Derby and 
Leicester, tliere is not any commotion ?" " My lord," replied the 
knight, "I have not heard they have behaved so outrageously as 
those of Lincoln and others." 

The duke, having mused a little, took leave of the knight, and 
returned by the road he had come to Roxburgh Castle, where lie was 
gladly received by the governor, whom he had placed there. The 
duke now weighed all matters, not knowing how affairs were going 
on in England, nor by whom he was beloved or hated, and whether 
he should signify his situation to the barons of Scotland, and entreat 
of them to send him an escort of men-at-arms, according to the pass- 
port they had given. He followed this last plan, and sent to the earl 
of Douglas ^t Dalkeith. The earl was greatly rejoiced at receiving 
the duke's letter, and much feasted the messenger. He instantly 
informed the earl of Moray and his brother the earl of Mar, of the 
business, and directed that without fail they and their men should be 
ready and mounted within three days at Lambir-law. These lords, 
on receiving this intimation, summoned their people and nearest 
friends, and came to Lambir-law, where they found the earl of 
Douglas. They then rode on together, amounting, in the whole, to 
full five Imndred spears, to the abljey of Melrose, nine small leagues 
from Ro.\burgh. The barons of Scotland met the duke of Lancaster 
on their road, when they embraced each other, and showed every 
token of being glad at meeting. They continued their journey to 
Edinburgh in company, conversing all the way. This was the capital 
of the kingdom, and where usually the king resided : it has a strong 
castle and fair harbor; but the king was at that time absent, being 
in the Highlands on a hunting party. To pay greater honor to the 
duke of Lancaster, the earl of Douglas and the Scots barons delivered 
up to him the castle of Edinburgh, for which he was very thankful: 
and he resided there until he had received intelligence from Eng- 
land, which, however, was net so soon as he wished. 

Now see how evil-minded persons and deceivers take on them to 
prate without any knowledge of facts. It was commonly reported 
through England, during the time of the rebellion, that the duke of 
Lancaster had become a traitor to his lord and king, and had turned 
to the Scots party. But this was soon known to be contrary to the 
truth : however, these wicked people, in order to stir up the com- 
monalty, and to create confusion in the realm, had spread abroad 
such reports, which were acknowledged at their executions, by Wat 
Tyler, Jack Straw, John Ball, Walker and Lister, who had been the 
chief leaders of the rebels in England, and who had intended to have 
had five parts of the kingdom under their command. They had a 
particular hatred to the duke of Lancaster, as they showed on their 
entrance into London ; for they instantly went and burnt the fine 
palace of tlie Savoy, not leaving an utensil nor beam unburnt. In 
addition to this, they had published all over England that he had 
turned to the side of Scotland ; for which, in se^-eral parts, they had 
reversed his arms, as if he had been a traitor. This was so severely 
punished that those who had done such things lost their heads. 

We will now relate what vengeance the king of England took on 
his rebellious subjects during the time the duke of Lancaster was in 
Scotland. 

CHAPTER LXXVIII. 

KINS KICHAKD JOURNEYS THROUGH ENGLAND FROM TOWN TO TOWN, PUN- 
ISHING THOSE WHO HAD BEEN PRINCIPALS OR ACTIVE IS THE LATE 
REBELLION. THE DUKE OF LANCASTER RETURNS FROM SCOTLAND TO 
ENG LAND. 

.4fter the executions of Tyler, Jack Straw, John Ball, William 
Lister, Walker and several others at London, the people being ap. 
peased, the king resolved to visit his bailiwicks, castlewicks and 
stewardships, in order to punish the wicked and to recover the let- 
ters of pardon which had been forced from him, as well as to place 
the realm in its proper situation. The king issued a secret summons 
f'lr a certain number of men-at-arms t5 assemble at a fixed place, on 
a particular day, which was done. They amounted to five hundred 
spears and as many archers. When they were thus asseml)led, the 
king set out from London, attended only by his household, and took 
the road to Kent, for in that quarter the rebellion had first broken out. 

These men-at-arms followed the king, but did not accompany him. 
The king entered the county of Kent, and came to a village called 
Comprinke,* when he h.ad the mayor and all the men of the village 
called before him. On their being assembled in an open space, the 
king ordered one of his council to remonstrate with them, how much 
they had erred against him, and that they had nearly thrown Eng- 
land into desolation and ruin ; and because this mischief must have 
had some advisers who had encouraged them in their wickedness, 
and it must bo supposed that all were not equally guilty, it was bet- 
ter that the ringleaders should 3\ifter than the whole : his majesty 
demanded that those should be pointed out who had been so culpa- 
ble, under pain of incurring his indignation for ever, and being con- 
sidered as traitors. 

When those present heard this harangue, and saw the innocent 
might escape by pointing out the guilty, they looked at each other, 
and then said : " My lord, here is one by whom this town was first 

* "Comprinke." It is so in lord Beriieie. Q. if not Ospringe. See additions at the 
end of tills ctiapter. 



put into confusion and excited to rise." He was immediately seized, 
and hanged ; as were seven odiera. The letters patent which had 
been granted were demanded back : when they were given up, the 
king's officers tore them in pieces before their eyes, and cast them 
away, and then said, " We command all ye who are here assembled, 
in the king's nam-e, and under pain of death, to depart, every one 
peaceably to his own home ; and that you never rebel more against 
the king, nor against his ministers. By the punishment which has 
been inflicted, your former evil deeds are pardoned." The people 
cried out with one voice, " God bless the king and his good council." 
They acted in the same manner at Propinke,* Canterbury, Sand- 
wich, Germanic, t Conculle,t and in the diflerent parts of England 
where the people had rebelled ; so that upward of fifteen hundred 
were beheaded or hanged. 

The king was advised to send for his uncle the duke of Lancaster, 
then in Scotland, as everything was now quieted. He sent thither 
a knight of his household, called sir Nicholas Carnefelle. The knight 
set off, and continued his journey until he eame to Edinburgh, where 
he found the duke and his attendants, who were very happy to see 
him, and entertained him handsomely. He delivered his credential 
letters from the king ; and the duke made preparations to obey 
them, as was right, for he was very desirous to return to England 
and to his estates. On setting out for Roxburgh, he took his leave 
of the barons of Scotland, and thanked them for the honor and com. 
fort they had given him, by maintaining him in their country the 
time he had wished to stay there. The carls of Douglas and Moray, 
with all the Scottish knights, escorted him as far as the abbey of 
Melrose, but did not cross the Tweed. The duke went to Roxburgh, 
from thence to Newcastle on Tyne, then toDurhamand York ; and, 
in all the towns and cities through which he passed, the inhabitants 
were drawn up to receive him. 

-\t this period a gallant knight of England departed this life, sir 
Guiscard d'Angle, earl of Huntingdon and tutor to the king. He 
was buried with great pomp in the church of the Augustin friara. 
His funeral was attended by the king, the princess his mother, his 
two brothers, and by great immbers of prelates, barons and ladies of 
England. In truth, the gallant knight was very deserving of it, for 
he possessed all the virtues which a knight at that time ought to 
have : he was gay, loyal, gallant, prudent, secret, generous, bold, 
determined and enterprising. Thus died sir Guiscard d'Angle. 



ADDITIONS, FROM A MS. IN THE IIAFORD LIBRARY. 

When these first examples had been made on the leaders of the 
rebellion in London, St. Alban's, Norwich, Suffolk and Gloucester, 
the king determined to visit the whole of his kingdom, which he had 
not done since his coronation. His officers of justice had collected 
a body of evidence respecting the late rebellion from the confessions 
of those who had been beheaded. The king, when he set out, took 
the road toward Canterbury, under a pretext of a pilgrimage to the 
shrine of St. Thomas of Becket : he was attended by the earls of 
Sahsbury, Suffolk and Devonshire, and travelled in grand array. He 
remained two days at Rochester; for Sir John Newtoun, whom 
these wicked people had forced to be their captain, had, by the 
king's command, made exact researches after the first instigators of 
this mischief. He had found out some of the most culpable, who, 
without form of law, had their heads cut off and placed on the gates 
and bridge, and their quarters hung on the gibbet. The king de. 
parted from Rochester and came to Ospringe, where four were 
executed. He came thence to Canterbury ; but why should I make 
a long story of it ? There were put to death, in the diflerent towns 
and bailiwicks, upward of five hundred rebels; for they were eager 
in accusing each other. 

During this progress of the king, which he continued far into his 
realm, several of the great barons, such as the earls of Warwick and 
Kent, sir John Holland, sir John Beauchamp, spoke to the king and 
to the earl of Salisbury, in favor of the duke of Lancaster ; as did 
also the Londoners. The king readily consented that two knights 
should be sent to the duke, for him to return into England and to his 
presence ; for that he would not listen to any complaints against 
him or his otV.er uncles. The earl of Northumberland was com- 
manded to go himself in search of him. 

: The two knights journeyed on until they arrived at Newcastle on 
' Tyne, where they found the earl of Northumberland. He had been 
informed of their coming, and received them handsomely. They 
produced their letters, when he took from the packet what was ad- 
dressed to him ; and, having read it through, was much pleased with 
the commission to seek the duke of Lancaster; for he had heard the 
duke was very angry with him. He therefore wrote letters of ex. 
cuse ; and, when these two barons met, peace was made between 
them. They returned together to England, and found the king 
arrived at his manor of Eltham, a few miles from London. At this 
time also, the eari of Buckingham came back from Wales, and went 
to Pleshy, where he resided as formerly. The king and his uncles 
dissembled their sentiments of each other for some tiine ; but at last 
it broke out. as you will hear in the continuance of this history. 



• Q. If not Rochester. 



t "Gennaoie." Q. 



J " Concull«." a. 



390 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAN D, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



CHAPTER LXXIX. 

TE£ DUKE OF LANCASTER CONCEIVES ANSER AGAINST THE EARL OF HOKTH- 
CMBERLAND, FOR THE REFUSAL OF ADMITTANCE INTO BERWICK;. 

When the duke of Lancaster was returned from Scotland, and 
had explained to the council the truce he had negotiated betw-een 
the two kingdoms, he did not forget to mention how sir Matlhew 
Redmayne, governor of Berwick (though he blamed not tliat knight, 
Iiad shut the gates of Berwick against him, by orders from the ear 
of Northumberland. It was such an act, he said, as he never could 
forgive ; and thus spoke of it, v.-ith the intent to see if the king his 
nephew would own it. This the king did, but it seemed to the duke 
as if it were faintly. The duke was appeased for that time ; but he 
waited for the feast of our lady at mid-August, when the king was 
to hold a solemn court at Westminster. There were at tins court 
o-reat numbers of the nobles and barons of England ; the earls of 
Northumberland and Nottingham, with many barons from the north. 
The king created, this day, the young earl of Pembroke, sir Kobert 
Mowbray, sir Nicholas Twiford and sir Adam Fian9ois, knights. He 
did so because he intended, after the feast, to march toward Read- 
ins, Oxford, and through those parts of the country, to punish the rebels 
in the same manner as he had done in Kent and the other counties. 
Durin" this feast, and after the dinner, high words passed between 
the duke°of Lancaster and the earl of Northumberland. Ihe duke 
said " Harry Percy, I did not think you was so great a man iin 
EnJaiid, that vou would dare to order any cities, towns or eastles, 
to be shut against the duke of Lancaster." The earl respectfuUy 
answered, " My lord, I do not deny the knight's act at Berwick : 
but I was ordered by strict commands of my lord the king, who sits 
there, on my honor and under pain of death, not to suffer any one, 
lord or otherwise, to enter the cities, towns or castles of Northum- 
berland, if he were not an inhabitant of those places ; and the king, 
if he please, or the lords of his council, may make my excuses : tor 
they well knew you were in Scotland, and you ought to have been 
excepted out of these orders." 

■' How, carl of Northumberland," replied the duke, " do you think 
it was necessary there should have been a reservation in regard to 
me ? who am uncle to the king, and who have my inheritance to 
guard, which, next to the king's, is the greatest, and who for the 
good of the realm have made this journey into Scotland ? Your 
answer does not excuse you from having much wronged my honor, 
in thus giving credit to the reports in circulation that I wished to 
commit treason with tlie Scots, by shutting against me the king my 
lord's towns, and in particular that in which my provision and stores 
were. For which reasons I tell you, you have ill behaved ; and for 
the blame you have thus east on me, and to clear myself in the pres- 
ence of my lord the king, I throw down my glove : take it up if you 
dare." Upon this, the king stepped forth and said, " Fair uncle of 
Lancaster, whatever has been done I avow as my orders. Take up 
your glove, and recal your words. I must excuse the earl of North- 
umberland ; for strictly, and on his life, did we order him to keep 
every town close shut that was on tlie borders of Scotland : and 
know, that our kingdom was in such confusion and peril, when you 
were in those parts, that it could not support itself. It must, there- 
fore, have been through the fault of the secretary, or the neglect of 
our council ; for, in truth, you ought to have been excepted. I there- 
fore beg of you, and will, that you lay aside your ill-humor : I take 
all on myself, and clear the earl of Northumberland." 

The earls of Arundel, Salisbury, Suffolk, Stafford and Devonshire, 
cast themselves on iheir knees to the duke, and said, " My lord, 
you hear how amicably the king speaks to you : you ought to eon- 
descend to what he requests." The duke, who was much inflamed, 
said, •' I will not say more about it." He was silent a short space, 
when, raising the barons, and thanking them, he said : " Fair gen- 
tlemen, there is not one of you, if such an affront had happened to 
him, who would not have been as much angered as I am ; but since 
the king wishes otherwise, it is but right that I should comply." 

Peace was made between the duke of Lancaster and the earl of 
Northumberland by means of the king and the barons, who inter- 
ceded for it. On the second day, the king began to journey, as 
before mentioned,, attended by five hundred spears, and as many 
archers, through different counties, where he executed justice on the 
ill-intentioned and on those who had rebelled against him. 

We will now leave the king of England, and speak of his uncle, 
the earl of Cambridge, and of his voyage to Portugal. 



CHAPTER LXXX. 

THE EARL OF CAMBRIDGE AND HIS AKMT ARRIVE AT LISBON. 



You have before heard how the earl of Cambridge, with five 
hundred men-at-arms and as many archers, were lying in the harbor 
of Plymouth, waiting for a wind to carry them to Portugal. At last, 
a favorable wind came, when they heaved their anchors, and the 
whole fleet made sail as straight as they could for Lisbon. They 
coasted, the first two days, the shores of England : on the third, 
they entered the Spanish main, when they had a very severe gale ; 



especially those vessels in which the Gascons were, such as sir John 
de Chateauneuf, the souldich de I'Estrade, the lord de la Barde, with 
about forty men-at-arms, knights and squires, who were driven out 
of sight of the English fleet. 

The eari of Cambridge, sir William Beauchamp, marahal of the 
army, .sir Matthew Gournay, constable, and the canon de Robesart, 
witli others, escaped through good fortune, the had effects of the 
storm, and, sailing by the stars, arrived in the harbor of Lisbon. 
News of this was instantly earned to the king, who was daily ex- 
pccting the English : he immediately sent his knights and ministere 
to welcome them, by whom they were most respectfully received, 
and the earl of Cambridge, with the English and foreign knights, 
conducted to the king. The king advanced out of his palace to 
meet the carl, and received them all most honorably, one after tne 
other : he led them to the palace, where wine and spices were set 
before them. John of Cambridge, the earl's son, was with him, 
which much pleased the king, who said, " He is my son, and shall 
have my daughter." This was very proper, for they were of the 
same age. The children were much pleased, and conversed with 
each other arm in arm. 

While the king of Portugal and his knigKts paid every attention 
to the earl and his companions, and lodged them in the town, the 
others, on disembarking, were also well-quartered ; for the city of 
Lisbon is large, handsomely built, and wcU-fumished with every- 
thing : the stewards of the household of the king had also been 
careful to provide it with all things necessary against the arrival of 
the English. They found it, therefore, amply stored ; and the lords 
were comfortable and in high, spirits, though at times they were very 
uneasy about the lord de Chateauneuf, the souldich de I'Estrade and 
the lord de la Barde, and their men, whom ihey looked upon as lost, 
or that the tempest had driven them among the Moors in the king- 
doms of Granada or Benmarine : if it should have so happened, 
they might as well have perished at sea. All this gave them great 
concern, and they bitterly lamented them. In truth, they were to be 
pitied ; for they suffered so much in the tempest none ever endured 
the like and survived it. They were driven through the straits of 
the Moors, near to the kingdoms of Benmarine and Treme^en, and 
were in great danger of being taken by the Saracens ; so that they 
considered themselves as dead men, never expecting to land nor to get 
into any safe harbor, and they were forty days in this extreme peril. 
At last, they had a wind which drove them back again into the 
Spanish main, whether they would or not. When the wind became 
calm, they anchored, and, by good fortune, fell in with two large 
ships, going, as the crews said, to Lisbon, from Flanders, laden with 
merchandise and wines. These knights tacked about, and, having 
hoisted their pennons, followed the Lisbon ships, who having only 
merchants on board, were not perfectly easy on seeing this armed 
vessel approach, w>h the banners of St. George displayed in various 
parts of it. However, when they came nearer, finding who they 
were, they rejoiced to see them. These merchants put the knights 
once more in great peril, and I will tell you how. 

The knights inquired if they could give them any intelligence ; 
and they, in answer, said, that the king of Portugal and the English 
were in Spain, and had besieged the king of Ca^tille. They were 
delighted with this news, and declared they would go thither, as they 
were now near the shores of Seville. They then left the wine-mer- 
chants, and ordered their mariners to make sail for Seville, as their 
friends were there at the siege. They answered, " In God's name, 
will we obey you ;" and, having steered for Seville, came veiy near 
the harbor. The sailors, who were prudent and wished not to run 
their masters into any danger, ordered a boy to climb the mast, and 
see if there wm any appearance of a siege, either by land or water, 
before Seville. The boy, who had a good sight, answered he saw 
nothing like it. The sailors then, addressing their lords, said, "Lis. 
ten, fair gentlemen : you have had false information, for certainly 
there is not any siege before Seville, either by land or water : had 
there been any appearance of it the harbor would have shown it. 
We have no occasion to go thither, unless we wish to be made pris- 
oners ; for the king of Castille is surely there, as it is a city in which 
he delights to dwell preferably to any other." The sailors were 
with difficulty believed : however, they were so at last, when, quit- 
ting the coast of Seville, they entered the sea of Portugal, and 
arrived in the port of Lisbon precisely at the very hour when their 
obsequies were performing in the church of St. Catherine at Lisbon. 
The barons and knights were all clothed in black, for they con- 
sidered them as having perished at sea. You may suppose the joy 
was great when they learned their safe arrival, and that they had 
escaped shipwreck. They enjoyed themselves much together, and 
the Gascon knights soon forgot their misfortunes. 

We will leave the affairs of Portugal, as no deeds of arms were 
done, and return to Flanders, and say what happened there at this 
period. 



CHAPTER LXXXI. 

THE EARL OF FLANDERS AGAIN LAYS SIEGE TO GHENT. 

While the affairs you have heard were passing in England, there 



_..._ _^ ._.^ o— -7 ^^23 no intennissjon in the wars which the earl of Flandera v/aa 

insomuch that the fleet was in great danger from the tempest, more' carrying on against Ghent, and which those citizens waged agaiuat 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &. c . 



591 



him. You know tliat Philip von Artaveld was chosen commander 
in Ghent, through the recommendation of Peter dn Bois, who 
advised him, when in office, to become cruel and wicked to be the 
more feared. Philip did not forget this doctrine, for he had not long 
been governor of Ghent before he had twelve persons beheaded in 
his presence : some said, they were those who had been principally 
concerned in the murder of his father, and thus he revenged himself 
on them. 

Philip von Artaveld began his reign with great power, and made 
himself beloved and feared by many, more especially by those who 
followed the profession of arms: for, to gain their favor, he refused 
them nothing ; everything was abandoned to them. I may be 
asked how the Ghent men were able to carry on this war ; and I 
will answer to the best of my ability, according to the information 
I received. They were firmly united among themselves, and main- 
tained the poor, each according to his means : thus, by being so 
firmly united, they were of great force : besides, Ghent, taken all 
together, is one of the strongest towns in the world, provided Bra- 
bant, Zealand, and Holland, be not against it ; but, in case the.=ie 
countries were leagued with Flanders, they would be shut up, sur. 
rounded and starved. These three countries, however, were never 
their enemies ; so that their warfare with the earl of Flanders was 
more strenuously carried on, and longer continued. At the com. 
mencement of Philip von Artaveld's government, the deacon of the 
weavei-s was accused of treason. He was aiTested and committed 
to prison. In order to know the truth of the accusation, liis house 
was searched, wherein was found some saltpetre in powder.* The 
deacon was beheaded, and dragged through the town by the shoul- 
ders, for a traitor, and to serve as an example to others. 

The earl of Flanders resolved to lay siege again to Ghent : he 
therefore issued his summons to a number of knights and squires, 
and to the inhabitants of the principal towns. He sent to Mechlin, 
irom whence he had many men. He wrote to his cousins, sir 
Robert, and sir William de Namur, at that time count d'Artois, 
the countess, his mother, being lately dead, who brought a number 
of knights from Artois. In this summons, the lord de Dampierre 
was not forgotten: he came to offer his services, with as many as 
he could collect, and was handsomely attended by knights and 
squires from Hainault. The earl advanced to invest Ghent, on the 
side toward Bruges and Hainault. During the time it lasted, there 
were many skirmishes; and the Ghent men made frequent sallies in 
search of adventures, in which sometimes they were repulsed, at 
others they conquered. But the person who gained the greatest 
renown was the young lord d'-\nghien : all the young knights 
desirous of glory cheerfully follov.-ed his banners. 

The lord d'-4nghien marched with full four thousand men, well 
mounted, without counting those on foot, to besiege Grammont, 
which was attached to Ghent; he had before harassed them much, 
but could not win it. This time, however, he came in greater force, 
and, on a Sunday, had it stormed at upward of forty places : he 
did not spare himself, but was one of the most active, and the first 
who placed his banner on the walls. This attack was so sharp and 
well fought that, about four in the afternoon, the town was taken, 
and the troops of the lord d'Anghien entered it through the gates, 
which had been destroyed. When the inhabitants saw their town 
was lost without hope of recovery, all that could escape did so 
through those gates where there were no enemies ; but few were so 
fortunate. The slaughter was very great of men, women and chil- 
dren, for to none was shown mercy. There were upward of five 
hundred of the inhabitants killed, and numbers of old people and 
women burnt in their beds, which was much to be lamented. The 
town was set on fire at more than two hundred places, which 
reduced the whole to ashes, churches and all : nothing remained 
entire. 

Thus did Grammont suffer, by fire and flame ; and the lord 
d'Anghien, after this exploit, returned to the army before Ghent. 
The earl of Flanders was much pleased when he heard it, and said, 
" Fair son, you are a valiant man, and, if it please God, will be a 
gallant knight, for you have made a handsome commencement." 
During this destruction of Grammont, which happened on a Sunday 
in the month of June, the siege of Ghent still continued. The lord 
d'Anghien, wdiose name was Walter, was there, but never rested 
long in his quarters : he was every day out in search of adventures, 
at times well accompanied, at others so thinly that he was imable 
to prosecute his plans. Some adventures, however, daily befel him 
or the Haze of Flanders. 

One Thursday morning the lord d'Anghien left his quarters, in 
company with the lord de Montigny, sir Michael de la Hameide his 
cousin, his brother the bastard d'.\nghien, Julien de Toisson, Hutin 
Donay, and several more of his household, in order to skirmish 
before Ghent as they had formerly done : they this time advanced 
so far iliat they suffered for it, for those of Ghent had placed in 
ambuscade more than two hundred men beyond the walls of the 



* I^ord Berncrs, who agrees with D. Sauvage, here adds, ''wherewith kc had done 
TW he/p to the town atsiese nor otkerwise of alt the hole tirar pas3sil.'^ This explains 
his crime, fur the mere possession of saltpetre could not be treason. It is probable tjiat 
ibi^ pouid^ of saltpetre, as Lord Bemers has it. (not saltpetre in poteJcr) v/aa sun- 
powder, which the cunning daicon had concealed to make die greater urofit when the 
supply of that scarce comniodily should run short.— En. 



town. They were armed with long pikes. Some said, this ambus- 
cade was formed of the greater part of those who had fled from 
Grammont, in the hope o( surrounding and making prisoner the 
lord d'Anghien, in revenge for the mischief he had done them. 
They knew him to be young, courageous and apt to venture himself 
toolishly, which gave them hopes of the success they had. It was 
unfortunate for him, as well as for those who accompanied him. 
The lord d'Anghien and his company were quite off' their guard, 
when they found themselves surrounded by the Ghent men, who 
advanced boldly up, crying out, " Surrender, or yon are all dead 
men:" the lord d'Anghien, perceiving his situation, asked advice 
from the lord de Montigny, who was beside him ; he replied, " Sir, 
it is too late : let us defend ourselves, and sell our lives as dearly as 
we can : there is nothing else to do, and we have not a moment for 
delay." 

The knights then made the sign of the cross, and recommending 
themselves to God and St. George, dashed among their enemies ; 
for they could noways retreat, being in the midst of their ambuscade. 
They behaved very gallantly, and did everything that could be done 
in arms ; but they were out-numbered by their opponents, who, 
having long pikes, gave such strokes as were but too mortal, as the 
event showed. The lord d'Anghien was slain ; as were the bastard 
d'.A.nghien his brother, and Julien de Toisson by his side. Other 
valiant knights from Hainault, such as the lords de Montigny and 
de St. Christopher, suffered similar fates. Sir Michael de la Ha- 
meide was severely wounded, and would certainly have lost his life, 
if Hutin Dbnay had not saved him by dint of arms and prudence : 
he had great difficulty in doing it. 

While the Flemings were employed in pillaging and disarming 
these knights, to convey them into Ghent, where it was known they 
had slain the lord d'Anghien, which gave them great joy, Hutin 
Donay, seeing no hopes of succor, carried sir Michael de la Ha- 
meide out of the crowd and danger. Such was the end of this 
unfortunate day to the lord d'Anghien. You may well suppose the 
earl of Flanders was much grieved at it : indeed, he show^ed it 
plainly ; for, out of his affection to him, he raised the siege of Ghent. 
The earl could not forget him, but regretted his loss ; saying, " Ah, 
Walter, Walter, my fair son, how unfortunate hast thou been, to be 
thus cut oft" in thy youth. I wish every one to know, that the 
Ghent men shall never have peace with me until I have greatly 
revenged myself." Things remained in this situation, when he sent 
to demand the body of the lord d'Anghien, which they had carried 
into Ghent to please the town ; but they refused to deliver it up 
until they should be paid a thousand francs in hard cash. They 
divided this booty between them, when the body was conveyed to the 
army, and from thence to Anghien, of which town he was the lord. 



CHAPTER LXXXII. 

THE EARL OF FLANDERS RAISES THE SIEGE OF GHENT. TWO RICH CITI- 
ZENS, DESIROUS OF NEGOTIATI.\'G A PEACE BETWEEN THE EARL AND 
THE TOWN, ARE PUT TO DEATH BY PETER DU BOIS AND PHILIP VON 
ARTAVELD. 

Out of affection to the lord d'Anghien, the siege of Ghent was 
raised, and the earl returned to Bruges. He then dismissed his 
army, ordering it to the different garrisons in Flanders, and to the 
castles of Gavre, Oudenarde, Dendremonde, Courtray, and every 
place near to Ghent. The earl requested the Liegcois not to con- 
tinue sending stores and provision to Ghent as they had done. The 
men of Liege returned a haughty answer to the messengers, saying 
they would consult wdth those of St. Tron, Huy, and Dinant, how 
to act. The earl sent to his cousins the duke of Brabant and duke 
Albert, and to the bailiffs of Hainault, Holland, and Zealand, special 
embassadors, chosen from among his principal counsellors, to remon- 
strate with them touching the conduct of the town of Ghent, which 
still continued in its rebellion, chiefly owing to the provision and 
stores which it received from their countries, and to request that a 
stop might be put to it. 

These two lords would have been very sony to do anything 
which might displease the earl : they excused themselves hand- 
somely, saying, that until that moment they were ignorant of it, but 
that henceforward they would issue such orders that it should be 
discontinued. This answer was agreeable to the earl of Flanders. 
Duke Albert, who at that time resided in Holland, wrote to his bai- 
liff' in Hainault, sir Simon de Lalain, inclosing him a copy of the 
letter from the earl of Flanders, adding his positive commands 
against any provision or stores being furnished Ghent from Hainault, 
or any other thing to be done which might displease his cousin the 
carl, under pain of his highest displeasure. The bailiff' issued a 
proclamation through Hainault, forbidding any provisions to be car- 
ried to Ghent. A similar proclamation was made in Brabant : so 
that none dared to go to Ghent but privately, which much surprised 
the inhabitants ; for provision began to be very scarce, and there 
would have been a famine, if the Hollanders had not assisted them : 
an act of friendship which they would not be restrained from doing 
by any injunctions that duke Albert could lay on them. 

About this period, through the means of the counsels of Brabant, 
Hainault, and Liege, there was a great assembly appointed to "be 



392 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE. SPAIN, &< 



the men of Ghent sent 



hnlden at Hailebecque, near Gourtray : , , , . i 

tMthe" tweWe of their principal inhabitants, who had in general 
shown themselves desirous of peaee, whatever it might eost them 
?rom"he populace that sought only confusion All the magistrates 
ofThe chief towns in Flanders were at Harlebecque, even the earl 
himself; and there were some also from Liege, Hamault, and Bra- 
bant Matters were so ably conducted, that the deputies from Ghent 
returned home with propositions for a peace. It happened that those 
inhabitants who wished for an end of 
the war, namely, tlie prudent and quiet 
ones, went to the houses of the depu- 
ties who had been at this conference, 
and who were two of the lichest and 
most peaceable citizens, such as sir 
Guisebert Gente and sir Symon Bete, 
and asked them what news they had 
brought. They discovered themselves 
too soon ; for they replied, " Good 
people, we shall have, if it please God, 
an excellent peace for those who are 
well inclined and wish for quiet ; and 
Borae of the wicked ones in the town 
will be punished." 

It is commonly said, if there be 
those who talk, there are thos5 who 
act. Peter du Boia, not thinking his 
life in safety, had spies everywhere to 
give him intelligence. Some of them 
brought him the reports of the town, 
respecting a peace, and assured him 
the words came from sir Guisebert 
Gente and sir Symon Bete. Peter, on 
hearing this, was like a madman, and, 
applying them to himself, said, " If 
any are to be punished for this war, I 
shall not be one of the last; but it 
shall not go thus. Our gentlemen who 
have been at the conference may think 
what they will, but I have no desire 
to die yet. The war has not lasted 
half so long as I intend it shall ; and 
my good masters John Lyon and Wil- 
liam Craffbrt, have not hitherto been 
sufficiently avenged. If the affairs 
be now in confusion, I will trouble 
them still more." 

Peter du Bois was as good as his 
word, and I will show how. That 

same evening, the morrow of which the council were to meet in 
the council chamber, to hear the report of the deputies, he came 
to the house of Philip von Artaveld, and found him musing and 
thoughtful, leaning against a window of his apartment. The first 
word he uttered was, " Philip, have you heard any news ?" " None," 
replied Philip, " e.\cept that our deputies are returned from the con- 
ference at Harlebecque, and that to-morrow we are to hear in the 
council-chamber what they have done." " That is true," answered 
Peter ; " but I know what they have done, and the terms of the 
treaty ; for they have opened themselves to some of my friends. 
Be assured, Philip, that our heads will pay for all the treaties they 
make, or have made ; for there will not be any peace between my 
lord and the town, bat that you, the lord de Harzellcs, nijself, and 
all the captains our allies in this war, will be first put to death, and 
the rich citizens pardoned. They wish to free themselves by deliv- 
ering us up ; and this was the opinion of John Lyon, my master. 
Besides, the earl, our lord, has his base flatterers always with him ; 
such as Gilbert Matthew and his brothers, the provost of Harle- 
becque, who is their relation, and the deacon of the small crafts who 
fled away with them. It therefore behooves us to consider awhile 
on this business." 

" How shall we act ?" asked Philip. " I will tell you," replied 
Peter : " we must send orders to all our leaders and captains, to be 
ready armed, and in the market-place to-morrow, and to keep near 
us : when we will enter the council. chambei-, with a hundred of 
our men, to hear the treaty read. Leave me to manage the rest ; 
but only avow what I shall say ; for whoever wishes to preserve his 
life and power with the commonalty, if he do not make himself 
feared, does nothing." Philip willingly assented ; and then Peter 
du Bois, taking his leave, departed. He instantly sent his servants 
and scouts to the different captains under him, to order them and 
their men to bo in the market-place on the nc-it day, well armed, to 
hear the news. They all obeyed, for none dared to refuse, and 
were ready for any mischief.* 



The ensuing morning, at nine o'clock, the mayor, sheriffs, and 
rich men of the city, came to the market-place and entered the town- 
hall : then came those who had been at the conferences at Harle- 
becque ; and last came Peter du Bois and Philip von Artaveld, well 
attended by those of their party. When tliey were all assembled 
and seated, for every one who chose it sat down, they found the 
lord de Harzelles was not present: they sent to him, but he excused 
himself by saying he could not come, for he was unwell : " Proceed," 




Citizens of Ghent begging a Peace of the Ear! 



From n MS. Froissart of the Fifteenth Centu: y. 



* Lord Berners relatps this conversntion a little dilfercntly. Accordiiis tohis version, 
the plan of action was arranged by Pliilip von Artaveld, not by Peter du Bois. " The 
same proper euenynK Unit tlie cnunsnyle siiuldc hnue ben the next day in tiiecounsayle- 
hnll, there to hear reported thetreatie Itiat was taken atHarlequebocQue, Peter de Boyse 
came tlie same euenyng to Philj „pe Dartuol's house, and found him in his cliambre ly- 
cnge in a wyndowe mnsynge and studyeng. And the first worde he spake, he sayd. 
' rhilyppe nnrtuel, here you any tidynges V ' N.iy. trulye,' quoth he. .' but that I here 
Bay our men are returned Iro the counsayle at ilarleqaebecque, and to-morrow we shall 



cried out Peter du Bois ; " I will answer for him, and we are full 
enough : let us hear what these gentlemen have brought from the 
conferences at Harlebecque." 

U])on thi^, Guisebert Gente and Simon Bete rose up, as being the 
principal deputies ; when one of them spoke thus : '■'Gentlemen of 
Ghent, we have attended the conferences at Harlebecqwe ; and we 
have had much labor and difficulty, in conjunction with the good 
men of Brabant, Liege, and Hainault, in mtiking up our disputes 
with the earl our lord. However, at the entreaty of the duke and 
duchess of Brabant, who had sent thither their council, as well as 
duke Albert, the good town of Ghent is at peace with the earl, on 
condition that two hundred men-at-arms, whose names he will send 
within fifteen days in writing, shall surrender themselves to his prison 
in the castle of Lille, to his pure will : he is so noble and generous 
that he will show them mercy and pardon." At these words, Peter 
du Bois advanced, and said, '■ Guisebert, how have you dared te 
enter into any treaty that should put tv.-o hundred men-at-arms into 
any of the enemy's prisons ? Ghent v/ould be indeed disgraced, and 
better would it be for it, if completely ovciturned, than to be re- 
proached for having so scandalously concluded the war. We know 
well among ourselves, and understand that neither you nor Simon 
Bete will be of the two hundred. You have made your ov.'n choice ; 
but we shall carve and cut out for ourselves. Advance, Philip, on 
these traitors, who want to betray and dishonor the town of Ghent." 



hero in the hiill what tidynges they liaue broujrhl.' * That is true,' quoth Peter, ' but I 
knuwe aiiready what wayes they haiie taken and purpose to take. For suche as hnue 
been there hath shewed it to sumeiif my frendes. Certaynely. Plnlyppe, the trealiethat 
tliey bane made, and wolde make, lyeth on the ieopnrdy of our heeds, for if there be peace 
taken betwene the erie and this towne, knowe for trouthe thai you and I, and the lord 
id' ilarsel's, and all suoli captains as bane ayded us in this warre, shall be the first that 
shall dye, anil the rich men shall go quite. They will bring us into daunger and goe 
tlicmjelCc free: and this was euer the opinion of.Iohan I.yon my maii'er. Alwayes 
ll'.c etie hath these vmrmosettcH about hiin. as Gylbert Mayhew and his bretherne, and 
the prouost of Harlcquebecque, W;o is of the lunate of the ohLrman of the mean 
craftcs who fled away with them. We ought wysely to loke on this mater and to sea 
what were best to do.' P/(?/i/ppf , onswercil and sayd. ' Peter, I shall sliewe you my 
niynde. Let us giue knowledgeof Ihisto all our ftldermeii and capitaynostbat they be 
to-inorowe all redy apaialled in the market-plare ; and then let us two entre into the 
hall with a hundred witli us to here the content of the treatie, and then let me alone, so 
ye wyll auowe iin dede and abyde puistnntly by me, for wilhout we be feared among 
Uie commons it is nothing.' And so they agreed. 'Then Peter de Boyse departed and 
sende to all the rulers and capitaynes under hym, commauuding them and all their men 
to be redy in the mornynge in the market-place to here tidyngor. They all obeyed, tliey 
durstedo none otherwise : and also they were euer ready to do yuell."— Ed 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



293 



On saying this, Peter du Bois drew his dagger, and, coming up to 
Guisebert, struck him into the belly, so that he fell down dead. 
Philip drew also his dagger, and with it struck Synion Bete and slew 
him. They then began to cry out " Treason, treason !"' They had 
their partisans all round about them, so that many of the richest and 
greatest men in the town dissembled, to save their lives. At that 
time only tiiose two were killed ; but to satisfy the people, and to 
turn the affair to their advantage, they sent their scouts to cry 
through the town, that Guisebert and sir Symon Bete, like false 
traitors, wanted to betray the good town of Ghent. Thus the mat- 
ter ended : the dead were dead ; and no one was called to any 
account for it, nor any penalty exacted. When the earl of Flanders, 
who was at Bruges, heard of this, he was sorely enraged, and said, 
" At the entreaties of my cousins of Brabant and Hainault, I too 
easily acceded to their wishes of making peace with Ghent, and 
mure than once have they, in return, thus acted : but I will have 
them know, they shall never have peace, until I have had given up 
to nic such a number of the inhabitants as will satisfy mo." 

In this manner were slain two valiant and rich men in the town of 
Ghent, for having acted according to the intentions of many of their 
fellow. citizens. Each of them had for his patrimony two thousand 
francs of yearly revenue. They were much pitied in secret ; but 
no one dared to do so publicly, unless he wished to lose his life. 
Things rei^iained in this state, and the war was more bitter than 
before. The garrisons round Ghent were night and day in the field, 
80 that no provision could enter the town. The Brabantcrs and 
Hainaulters were afraid of venturii:g themselves ; for, whenever 
they were met by the earl's men, the best that could befal thetn was 
the slaughter of their horses, sendiiig them prisoners to Dendre- 
inonde or to Oudcnarde, or making them pay ransom. By these 
means, the victuallers were afraid to risk bringing supplies to the 
town. 

CHAPTER LXXXIII. 

AN INSURRECTION IN PARIS, ON ACCOUNT OF THE INTENDED TAXES. THE 
LORD DE COUCY APPEASES IT. THE DUKE OF ANJOU MAKES PRErAKA- 
TIONS FOR HIS JOURNEY TO NAPLES. 

At this period, the Parisians rose up in rebellion against the king 
and his council, because they wanted to introduce generally through 
the kingdom those taxes, impositions, and excises which had been 
raised during the reign of king Charles, father of the present king. 
The Parisians opposed them, by saying, the king of happy memory 
had acquitted them from these payments during his lifetime, and 
that the present king had confirmed this grant at his coronation at 
Rheims. The young king and his council quitted Paris, and went 
to reside at Meaux in Brie. No sooner had the king left Paris than 
the inhabitants rose, and, having armed themselves, slew all who had 
been assisting in proposing or collecting these taxes. They broke 
into the prisons and different houses in the town, taking whatever 
they could find. They went to the palace of the bishop of Paris, 
and, having broken open his prisons, set at liberty Hugh Aubriot,* 
who had been governor-general of the police during king Charles's 
reign, and had been condemned to the dungeons for several bad 
actions which he had done or consented to, many of which were 
deserving the stake : to this man the mob gave liberty, which he 
owed solely to their insurrection. He immediately set out from 
Paris, for fear of being retaken, and went into Burgundj', whence he 
came, and related to his friends his adventures. 

The Parisians, during their rebellion, committed many outrages ; 
but fortunately it was not general : had it been so, affairs would have 
been bad indeed. The king resided all this time at Meaux, attended 
by his uncles of Anjou, Berry and Burgundy, who were much 
alarmed and vexed at this rebellion. They resolved to send the 
lord de Coucy, who was a prudent knight, to treat with and en- 
deavor to appease them ; for he knew better how to manage them 
than any other. The lord de Coucy, whose name was Engucrrand, 
came to Paris simply attended by his household. He dismounted 
at his hotel, and sent for those who had been the most active, and 
remonstrated with them wisely and prudently on the wickedness of 
their conduct in killing the officers and ministers of the king, in 
breaking open his prisons, and setting those who were confined in 
thein at liberty ; for all which, if the king willed it, they would 
dearly pay. But this he was not desirous of doing ; for the king 
much loved the town of Paris, because he had been born in it, and 
also from its being the capital of his kingdom : he was therefore 
unwilling to destroy its well-intentioned inhabitants. 

He told them, his reasons for coming to Paris were to endeavor 
to make up matters between them, and that he would entreat the 
king and his uncles mercifully to pardon them their evil deeds. 
They answered, that they wished not any harm to the king their 
lord, nor to make war against him, but that these taxes should be 
repealed as far as related to Paris: and that, when exempted from 
such, they would assist the king in any other manner. " In what 



*"IIugh Aul)riut;'* had tlie management of the finances under Charles V. He 
buih the Bastille, as a furt asainst die EnsUsli. He owed his disgrace and imprison- 
ment to the clergy, who accused hiji of heresy. &c.: he was shut up lietween four 
walls : but the Orleans party hated »iim, because, being a Burgnndian, he was attached 
to the duke of Eureundy. 



manner V demanded the lord de Coucy. " We will pay certain 
sums into the hands of a proper receiver every week, to assist witli 
the other cities and towns in France in the payment of the soldiers 
and men-at-arms." " And what sum are you willing to pay weekly ?" 
" Such a sum," replied the Parisians, " as we shaU agree upon." 
The lord de Coucy managed them so well, by handsome speeches, 
that they consented to tax themselves, and pay weekly into the 
hands of a receiver whom they would appoint ten thousand florins. 
Upon this, the lord de Coucy left them and returned to Meaux in 
Brie, to lay before the king and his uncles the propositions they had 
made. 

The king was advised to accept this offer of the Parisians, as the 
best thing he could do ; for from this beginning, though small, all 
the other towns would follow the example, and when times should 
alter they might then change their measures. The lord de Coucy 
returned to Paris, and brought with him the king's pardon to the 
Parisians, on condition of their observing the propositions they had 
made. This they promised, and appointed a receiver, to whom was 
paid, every week, the fixed sum in florins ; but it was not to be car- 
ried from Paris, except for the payment of those men-at-arms who 
should be in actual service, and neither the king nor his uncles were 
to have any concern with it, nor was it to be otherwise employed. 
Affairs remained thus for some little time, and the Parisians were 
quiet : but the king did not return to Paris, which much displeased 
the inhabitants. 

Rouen likewise was in a state of rebellion, and from the same 
cause : the populace rose, killed the king's governor and all those 
who had any concern in the collecting or valuing these taxes. The 
king, on hearing this, during his residence at Meaux, was much 
angered, and his council were doubtful if all the other towns would 
not follow this example. The king was advised to march to Rouen, 
which he did, and appeased the commonalty, who were very riot- 
ous. He also pardoned the death of the governor, atid whatever 
else they had done. They appointed a receiver from among them- 
selves, to whom they were to pay a certain sum in florins, every 
week; and, on this being settled, they continued quiet. Now re- 
mark the great evils that were beginning to disturb France : all took 
rise from the conduct of the men of Ghent ; for the common people 
said everywhere publicly, they were good men, who so valiantly 
maintained their liberties, and for which they ought to be loved and 
honored by the whole world. 

We will return to the duke of Anjou, who had a great desire ta 
visit the kingdom of Naples, of which he signed himself king, as 
well as of Sicily, and duke of la Puglia and Calabria ; for pope 
Clement had invested hira with them, by virtue of the deed which 
the queen of Naples had given to him. The duke of Anjou was 
prudent, of a warm imagination, bold and enterprising : he plainly 
perceived, that according to the establishment he had supported 
hitherto, and which he would have been sorry to have lessened, he 
would be a poor lord in France, unless he should conquer such rich 
and noble heritages as the two kingdoms of Naples and Sicily, and 
the duchies of la Puglia, and Calabria, as well as the county of 
Provence. They would come to him very opportunely ; for those 
countries of which he called himself lord, by virtue of the gift made 
him, abounded in all sorts of wealth. He was therefore occupied 
day and night in devising means to perfonn this journey ; he well 
knew he could never accomplish it without a large sum of money, 
and a numerous body of men-at-arms to resist those who might wish 
to oppose him. The duke, in consequence, amassed so great a quan- 
tity of money, under pretence of this journey, that it was marvellous 
to behold ; and he kept the Parisians in as good humor as he could, 
lor he knew there were in Paris large deposits of cash, of which he 
got the greater part, and sent it to the earl of Savoy, in whom he had 
great confidence ; adding, that on his arrival in Savoy, he would 
make arrangements by which there should be regular payment for a 
thousand spears or more, for one whole year. The earl of Savoy 
was much pleased at this intelligence, for he greatly loved arms : he 
therefore replied to the messengers, that he would willingly seiTe 
the duke on the teiTns proposed. This answer was highly agreeable 
to the duke, as he had an affection for the company of the earl of 
Savoy. 

The duke retained men in all parts, so that he had collected full 
nine thousand men-at-arms, ready prepared and under his obedience. 
He ordered the most sumptuous equipages to be made for him and 
his household at Paris that any lord had ever commanded, such as 
tents, pavilions and other things suitable for a king when about to 
make a long journey. We will now leave the duke of Anjou, and 
speak of the cirl of Cambridge and his men, who were in Portugal 
near the king's person. 

CHAPTER LXXXIV. 

THE ENGLISH MAKE AN EXPEDITION AGAINST THE SPANIARDS, CONTUAKT 
TO THE ORDERS OF THE KING OF PORTUGAL. THE CASTLE OF FISHIERE* 
IS TAKEN. 

The earl of Cambridge and his army remained for a considerable 
time with the king of Portugal at Lisbon ; during which the Eng- 



* This mu!t probably mean Figueito dos Vinhes, a town in Estremadura. for Figuera. 
is in Catalonia. 



S94 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



liBh and Gascons reconnoitered the country, for they had never be. I 
fore been there. It seems to me, that about this time a marriage 
was agreed on between the daughter of the king of Portugal who 
was ten years old, and the son of the earl of Cambridge of the same 
age. He was a fine child, and his name was John ; and the lady's 
name Beatrice. There were great feasts at the betrothing of these 
two children, and much joy ; all the barons and prelates of the realm 
were present ; and, young as the married couple were, they were 
both laid in the same bed. This marriage and the consequent feasts 
being over, which lasted for eight days, the council of Portugal 
ordered the men-at-arms who were in Lisbon to march to other qnar. 
ters on the frontiers. The earl of Cambridge and a part of his anny 
were sent into quarters at a very handsome town in Portugal, called 
Estremoure,* and the remainder of the English and Gascons to Be- 
slouse.t John of Cambridge remained with the king. 

When the canon de Robersac, and the English and Gascon knights, 
took leave of the king, he said to them, " My friends, I order you 
not to make any attacks on the enemy without my knowledge ; for, 
if you do, I shall be much angered." They swore, " they would not, 
by God, and, whenever they had such an inclination, would send to 
inform him, and have his permission." They then departed and 
marched toward Besiouse, which is situated in the upper part of the 
country, two days' journey from Lisbon and as many from Seville, 
where the king of Spain resided. 

The king of Spain had been early informed of the arrival of the 
English under the command of the earl of Cambridge, and had sent 
intelligence of it to those knights in France on whose services he de. 
pended. On hearing this, and that there were expectations of war 
in Spain, they were much rejoiced : many who wished to advance 
their fame made ready, and took the road thither. The canon de 
Robersac,^ who was with his English and Gascon companions in 
Besouise, one day said : " My dear gentlemen, I think we remain 
here not much to our honor, when we have never as yet made any 
attempt on our enemies ; they will not think the better of us for it. 
If you will take my advice, let us send to entreat the king to allow 
us to attack them." They all replied, "We are perfectly willing to 
do so." Sir John Canbouich^ was ordered to carry this message, 
■which he cheerfully undertook. He came to the king at Lisbon, 
where he punctually delivered his message. The king replied, he 
was unwilling for them to undertake any expedition ; and whatever 
the knight might urge he could never make him change his opinion. 
He returned, therefore, to his friends, telling them the king would 
not comply with their request. They were much enraged at it, and 
said among themselves, that it was not becoming men-at-arms to 
continue so long in garrison without attempting some feats of arms ; 
they mutually agreed to make an excursion. In consequence, they 
took the field with full four hundred men-at-arms and as many arch- 
ers. They resolved to attack a large town which belonged to the 
commander of St. James ; but, on their march they found a nearer 
way to arrive at the castle of Fighicre, in which were about sixty 
Spanish men-at-arms in garrison, under the command of Peter 
Gousses and his brother. 

The canon de Robersac, being very proud of this expedition, as it 
had been by his means undertaken, rode forward in front. There 
were sir Oliver Beauchamp, sir Matthew Gournay, Miles Windsor, 
the lord Talbot, sir Adam Symon, sir John Sounder, bastard brother 
to the king of England, the souldich de I'Estrade, the lord de Chit- 
eauneuf, the lord de la Barde, Raymond de Masson, and several 
more. They arrived at the casde of Fighiere, which they surrounded, 
and drew up in ordor of assault, making all preparations necessary 
for it. When the garrison saw they were t-o be attacked, they also 
made ready for their defence. About four o'clock in the morning, 
a very vigorous attack commenced, and the English entered the 
ditch, which being dry, they advanced close to the walls, bracing 
their targets over their heads, to guard themselves from the stones 
which might be thrown on them from the walls, and there made 
good use of their pick-axes and iron crows ; while thus employed, 
the garrison threw on them beams and bars of iron, that wounded 
many. 

The canon de Robersac was present : he had the courage of a 
knight, and performed that day many gallant deeds ; as did also Es- 
perons his valet. The archers of England, who were drawn up on 
the ditches, shot so well and rapidly that scarcely any dared to show 
themselves on the battlements ; and one half of the garrison were 
either slain or wounded. The brother of Peter Gousses, the gov- 
ernor of the castle, was there slain by an arrow ; he was called Bar- 
tholomew, and was an able and expert man-at.arnis ; but, through 
his own imprudence and rashness, he lost his life. The assault con- 
tinued from four o'clock until high noon ; and I must soy that the 
English and Gascon knights did not spare themselves, but fought 
with courage and a thorough good will, because they had undertaken 
this expedition without the consent of the king of Portugal : they 



were, therefore, determined to conquer this castle, that the fame of 
it might reach Lisbon, and show what success they had met with on 
tlu'ir first attempt. 

The canon de Robersac said ; " Ha, ha, my gentlemen, we shall 
this day win the castle ; but if so many gallant men-at-arms as we 
are, take as much time to conquer all the other towns in Spain and 
in Gallicia, we shall never be masters of them." The knights and 
squires, on hearing this speech, began to exert themselves the more i 
the canon de Robersac, although covered by his shield, received such 
a blow that he was much wounded. There was present a young 
knight from Hainault called Froissart Meulier, who very gallandy 
behaved himself at this assault, as indeed did the others. 

The garrison artillery, as well as the machines for casting of stones 
and iron bars, began to tire and grow weaker in the castle. Con- 
sidering that of twenty-five men* (the force within the place,) there 
were not three unhurt, and some dangerously wounded, they could 
not prevent it from being taken by storm. The brothci- of their cap- 
tain lay dead, from whom no further help could come. They re- 
solved to give themselves a litrie respite, and during that time treat 
for a peace. They made a signal to parley with the English. The 
assault was stopped, and those who were in the ditches employed 
against the walls were ordered out : it was high time, for there were 
many who had been wounded, and others much fatigued. Sir 
Matthew Gournay, constable, and sii William Windsor, marshal of 
the army, advanced, and demanded what they wanted. The gov- 
ernor, Peter Gousses, addressed them in these words; "You are re- 
solved not to leave this place without conquering it : you wound our 
men, and we do the same to yours. We have therefore consulted 
together; and I, as governor, speak their sentiments, which are, that 
we will surrender to you the fort, our lives and fortunes being spared. 
Accept, therefore, these terms, which arc just : you are at present the 
strongest, so that we must submit." 

The English knights replied, they would advise upon it, which they 
did. When they had held a council, they sent for answer to the 
garrison, that those within the castle might retire whither they 
pleased ; but the stores must be left behind, and they were not to 
carry away anything with them. When Peter Gousses saw he could 
not obtain better terms, he consented, but it was much against his 
will. Thus was the castle of Fighiere surrendered to the English. 
The Spaniards marched away, under a safc-conduct,t to Esteris, 
where the commander of St. James usually resided. They, how- 
ever, did not find him there; for, having learnt that the enemy had 
taken the field, he had done the same with full four hundred men-at- 
arms, Sjianiards and Castillians, in hopes, if he could meet widi the 
English ill a favorable situation, to combat them to his honor. 



* "Estremoure." Q. if not Estremoz. 

T " BesioUKe." d. if not Villa Viciosa, a town near Estvemoz ; for D. Suvage, in a 
marginal note, says la Salle culls it Vesiouse, which seems a corruption of Viciosa, and 
contirms me it mnst be Villa Viciosa. 

} The canon de Robevsac'a name was Theodore. He was governor of Ardres in llio 
45lli of Edward III. and. in the Swl of Kiclmrd II. was employed by the king to treat 
■with the duke of Juliers concerning his homn se.— Cartes HoUes FraTtcms. 

§ " Canbouich." Q. Lord Bernersfpells the name C/mttrfcttic^i. 



CHAPTER LXXXV. 

AFTER THE CONQUES^l OF THE CASTLE OF FIGHIEKE, THE CANON EE KOBEIl. 
SAC, KETURNINC TO HIS GARRISON, IS IN GREAT DANGER. SCCCORS 
COME FROM FRA.NCE TO CASTII.LE. 

When the knights of England and the canon had got possession 
of the castle of Fighicre, they were much rejoiced. They had it re- 
paired in every part ; and leaving forty men-at-arms as a garrison, 
they stored it well with provisions and other necessaries, and also 
with a sufficient body of archers. Having placed a good captain as 
governor, they held a council, when they resolved to return to their 
quarters. The English and Gascons, on their departure, divided 
themselves into three bodies ; the last of which remained in the plain, 
under the command of the canon. Some English, Gascons, and 
Germans, desirous of feats of arms, had continued with him : in all 
about sixty spears and as many archers : they marched one whole 
day with the canon's company on their return to Besiouse. 

On the second day, early in the morning, they discovered some 
ambuscades,} and marched on in good array. They were then be- 
tween a large town in Portugal, Huenca^ and the castle of Concrelet.|| 
On the outskirts of a wood nearer to the castle of Concrclet than to 
Huenca, was the grand. master of St. JamesIT posted, with full four 
hundred men-at-arms. The Enghsh no sooner perceived them than 
they closed their ranks, showed no signs of fear, and marched on at 
a good pace. The Spaniards, notwithstanding their numbers, made 
not any appearance of quitting their ambuscade ; for they imagined 
the English had near at hand their large battalion, and for that rea. 
son were afraid to attack them; had they been better informed, there 
would have been a combat. They thus separated from each other 
without anything being done. 

The Spaniards returned that evening to Esteris, and the canon to 

* In the preceding column, it is said the garrison consisted of about sfxty men-at-arms. 

t Lord Berners says without any safe-conduct.— Ed. 

+ " .^ hciire de prime que ies embiisches se decauvrevl^^ {the text, according to D. 
Sauvage.) should ruther be translated " at the hour of prime, as soon as ambuscades 
can be discovered,'^ that is to say, at early dawn, than, as Mr. Johnes has rendejed if, 
'■ thei/ discovered some ambuscades and marched on in good array,'* wliicli appears 
absurd. He prohaltly luiderstood it as referring to the adventure about to be related, but 
on that occasion only one ambuscade was discovered.— Ed. 

§ a. "iluenca." || Q,. "Concrelet." 

H I suspect it must, have been the grand-master of the order of Alcantra, nndnolofSt. 
James, and that there must tiave been a castle of Fighiere in the province of Rslrema- 
dura : for it is not possible, from the shortness of their march, they could have gone to 
Cat;ilonin. Sec Note, p. ?J3. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &, c . 



295 



Beaiouse, when he related to his companions how he had seen the 
Spaniards in ambuscade between Hucnca and Concrelet, adding, 
**Kwe had been all together, we could have fought with them." The 
knights, therefore, much repented that they had not kept all in one 
body. Thus ended this excursion of tlie English and Gascons ; and 
when news was brought of it to tlie king of Portugal, he pretended 
to be much enraged, because they had done it without his consent. 
The English and Gascons remained the whole winter in iheir garri- 
sons, without performing anything worth mentioning, which wearied 
them much : it was not their fault no deeds of arms were done. 
Don John of Castille, however, was not idle in making his prepa- 




GoOD QiTEBN Anne.— Tomb in Westminster Abbey. 



rations. He had sent to the king of France, and to his uncles f»r 
succor, and had informed t'henr of the arrival of the earl of Cambridge 
in Portugal. He also said, that it was universally reported through- 
out Castille and Portugal that the king of England, the duke of Lan- 
caster, and the earl of Buckingham, with a powerful force, were to 
reintorce them the ensuing summer. For which reasons, he required 
from the king, in conformity with the treaties between France and 
Spain, and their mutual affection, that sufficient forces should be sent 
to him in the course of the spring and summer, to enable him to op- 
pose his enemies with effect. The king's council assented to this, 
for they clfarly saw the king of Spain had a right to demand it. Per- 
mission was granted to all knights and squires desirous of advancing 
themselves to join don John: and the king of France lent them where- 
with to perform their journey. It seems to me, that sir Oliver du 
Guesclin, brother to the late constable of France, made preparations 
to go thither in the spring. Many knights and squires from Brit- 
tany, Beauce, Picardy, Anjou, Berry, Blois and Maine did so like- 
wise, and went ttiither in companies to perform the journey more 
comfortably. .\ passage was open to them through Arragon, and all 
kinds of provision were prepared for them, for ready money. But 
you must know they did not pay for all they took in the low coun- 
tries, wliich made the poor inhabitants suffer great losses. 



CHAPTER LXXXVI. 

THE EMPEROR WINCESLATTS SE:JDS HIS SISTER ASNE TO EIXG RICHARD OF 
EXGLASD, WHO MAKES HER HIS QUEEN. 

Yen have heard how king Richard of England had for upward of 
a year been in treaty with Winceslaus king of Bohemia, who at this 
ptnod had taken the title of emperor of Rome, to obtain his sister 
the lady Anne in marriage ; and how one of his knights, sir Simon 
Burl ;y, had much labored in this business ; and also that the duke 
of Stixony had been in England to confirm the marriage. This 
affair had been so well conducted that the emperor sent his sister to 
England, attended by the duke of Saxony and gi'eat numbers of 
knights and damsels, with a suitable state becoming such a lady. 
They came through Brabant to Brussels, where the duke and duchess 
received the young queen and her company very grandly ; for the 
duke was her uncle, she being the daughter of the emperor Charles 
his brother. The lady .\nne of Bohemia remained with her uncle 
and aunt at Bmssels upward of a month. She was afraid of moving, 
for she had been informed there were twelve large armed vessels, 



.full of Normans, on the sea between Calais and Holland, that seized 
and pillaged all that fell into their hands, and it was indifferent to 
them who they were. The report was current, that they craised ia 
those seas waiting for the coming of this lady ; and that the king of 
France and his council were desirous of carrying her off, in order to 
break the match, for they were very uneasy at this alliance of the 
Germans with the English. When it was said to be dishonorable 
to carry off ladies in the wars of men, they replied : " How, have- 
you not seen the prince of Wales, father to the present king of Eng- 
land, consent to a similar action in the person of the duchess of 
Bourbon, motherto the queen of France, when she was made 
prisoner by the soldiers of the prince, shut 
up in the castle of Belleperche, and after- 
wards conducted into Guyeni>e and ransom- 
-^-»_ ed ? If, therefore, to revenge them-selves, 

the Fiench should commit such an act on 
the intended queen of England, they ought 
not to be blamed for it." On account of 
these suspicions and fears, the young lady 
remained in Brussels one whole month. 
The duke of Brabant, by advice of his 
council, sent to France the lords de Rousse- 
lans and de Bousquehoir, to remonstrate on 
this subject with the king and his uncles, 
who were also his nephews, being his sis- 
ter's sons. 

The knights of Brabant managed so well 
with the king and his council that their re- 
quest was complied with, and passports 
granted for the lady and her attendants to 
travel through any piirts of France she might 
choose, as far as Calais. The Normans 
were remaiKied into port. This answer the 
knights carried to Brabant to the duke and 
duchess. The king and his uncles wrote 
to say, they had granted this favor to their 
cousin the lady Anne, at their solicitation 
alone, and for no other reason whatever. 
Such information was veiy pleasing to the 
duke and duchess of Brabant, as well as to 
those who were to cross the sea. Prepara- 
tions were immediately made for their de. 
parture from Brussels ; and the young lady 
took leave of her uncle, her aunt, and the 
ladies and damsels of the country who had 
accompanied her. 
The duke had her escorted with one hundred spears. She passed 
through Ghent, where she reposed herself for a day, and the citizens 
did everything in their power to show her honor. She then came 
to Bruges, where the earl of Flanders received her veiy magnifi- 
cently, and stopped for three days. She continued her journey until 
she came to Gravelines, where the earls of Salisbury and Devonshire 
were waiting for her, with five hundred spears and as many archers. 
They conducted her to Calais, when the Brabanters returned, after 
they had delivered her to the barons of England. The young lady 
made no stay at Calais but until the wind became favorable. She 
embarked on a Wednesday morning when the vessels were manned, 
and the same day arrived at Dover, where she halted to repose her- 
self two days : on the third, she set out for Canterbury, where the 
earl of Buckingham received her very grandly. The lady pursued 
her journey unto London, and was most honorably received by the 
citizens, the ladies and damsels of the town and country, who were 
all assembled to meet her. She was manied to the king, in the 
chapel of the palace of Westminster, the twentieth day after Christ- 
mas. On the wedding-day, there were great feastings. That gal- 
lant and noble knight sir Robert de Nanmr had always accompanied 
her, from the time she quitted Germany until she was married, for 
which the emperor and king of England held themselves much 
obliged. 

The king carried his queen to Windsor, where he kept an open 
and noble house. They were very happy together. She was ac- 
companied by the princess of Wales and the duchess of Brittany, 
aunt to the king, who at that time was separated from the duke her 
husband ; for the barons and council of England would not consent 
to her return into Brittany, because he had changed to the French 
interest. The barons and knights were accustomed to say, "Since 
the duke of Brittany has so ill and so treacherously acquitted him. 
self to the earl of Buckingham, and to our men, the last time they 
were in France, w'henever he shall demand back his duchess, let us 
not consent to it, but send him two enemies, John and Guy of Brit- 
tany, children to St. Charles de Blois, and who have a better right 
to the duchy than himself : he is duke through our power, and an 
ungrateful return does he make for what he has had from us : we 
ought therefore to act in like manner to him, for his disgraceful con. 
duct." True it is, that these two lords, John and Guy de Bretaigne, 
sons of St. Charles of Blois, who were prisoners in England, and 
confined in a strong castle, under the guard of sir Peter d'Ambreti- 
court, were sent for, and brought before the council of the king of 
England ; when they were informed, that if they would hold the 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



29C ^ _^_ 

duchy of Brittany fiom England, and acknowledge it by doing hom- 
age to the king, their inheritance should be recovered for thein, and 
John should have the lady Fhilippa of Lancaster to wife. But they 
replied, they would not have anything to do with it, and would pre- 
fer remaining in prison until death to acting otherwise than as good 
Frenchmen. Affairs continued on this footing, and they were never 
afterwards in any way spoken to on the subject, since they had 
shown the firmness of their intentions. 



CHAPTER LXXXVII. 

THE KING OF FRANCE CANNOT OBTAIN MONEY FROM THE RECEIVER AT 
PARIS. THE DUKE OF ANJOU MARCHES INTO ITALY WITH A NOBLE 
ATTENDANCE OF KNISHTS. 

You have before heard how Paris had made its peace with the 
king, on its agreement of paying a certain sum of florins. The flo- 
rins were paid weekly 
to a receiver whom 
they had appointed, 

but none came to the .^__-_ 

coffers of the king, nor 
were any of them sent 
out of Paris. It hap- 
pened that the king 
was in great want of 
money to pay the men- 
at-anns he was send- 
ing to Castille, which 
by treaty he was bound 
to do. He ordered 
the receiver at Paris 
to prepare a sum of 
one hundred thousand 
francs ; for he was 
anxious to assist, in 
h)s necessity, don John 
of Castille, and clearly 
showed for what use 
he intended this mo- 
ney. The receiver re- 
plied to the letters from 
the king, and to those 
who had brought them, 
in a very civil manner, 
saying, that in truth 
he had money suffi- 
cient, but that he could 
not pay any of it with- 
out the consent and 
permission of the town 
of Paris. These words 
did not please the 
king, who declared he 
would remedy this as 
soon as he should be able. He found the money elsewhere, through 
the assistance of the principal towns in Picardy. This caused a 
great coolness between the king and the Parisians. Ho Hover came 
to Paris, but resided at Meaux, Senlis, Compiegne, and in those parts, 
to the great displeasure of the Parisians. The greatest resource 
they had was in the duke of Anjou for their safety : he liad already 
signed himself king of Sicily and Jenisalein, and had borne the arms. 
The duke commonly resided at Paris, because there was much 
money kept there ; and to prevent the king from receiving any of it, 
that he might be the better supplied for his projected enterprise in 
Italy, he was collecting money from all part^, and it was said the 
sum he had at Roquemaur,* near Avignon, was not less than two 
millions of florins. He treated with the Parisians, and used such 
fine language, having words at command, and besides being from 
liis birth the regent of the kingdom, as the eldest of the king's un- 
cles, that he obtained one hundred thousand florins, when the king 
and his two uncles gf Berry and Burgundy could not procure one 
penny from them. The duke of Anjou, having now finished iiis 
preparations and collected all his stores, began his march early in 
spring, and the magnitude of his array surprised every one. He 
passed through France to Avignon, where he was much feasted by 
the pope and cardinals. The barons and principal lords of Provence 
came thither to wait c-n him as their lord, did him homage, and put 
themselves under his obedience. 

The gallant earl of Savoy, his cousin, came to meet him, attended 
by barons and knights, who were also well received by the f .i]ie 
and cardinals. During his stay at Avignon, he arranged and settled 
the pay and stores for the Savoyards, who were in considerable num- 
bers, and delivered the money to the carl of Savoy. This being 
done, the duke of Anjou and the carl of Savoy took their leave of 
the pope, and set off from Avignon, following the road to Savoy and 
Piedmont. The earl was the duke's conductor, and paid him the 



utmost respect in all the great towns through which they passed. 
Men-at-arms were continually advancing, or followed in tlieir rear, 
so that Lombardy w'as quite open and ready to receive them. On 
the duke's entrance into Lombardy, he was most honorably received 
in all the principal towns, more especially in Milan, where sir Gal- 
eas and sir Bcrnabo Visconti loaded him with honors : he received 
from them such rich presents and jewels as would astonish, if re. 
lated. The duke of Anjou kept a kingly state : he had his mint 
with him, where he coined florins and white money, with which he 
made his payments all through Lombardy and Tuscany. 

When they began to approach Rome, they marched in a more 
compact body than they had hitherto done ; for tlie Romans, being 
informed of the duke's march, had thrown up strong fortifications 
to oppose him. They had for commander a valiant Ejiglish knight, 
called sir John Hawkwood,* who had resided a long time in that 
part of Italy : he was well acquainted with the frontiers, and had 
under him a large body of men-at-arms, of Germans, English, and 
other nations in the pay of the Romans, for the defence of Urban, 




C-isTEI- DEL Ovo, Navi,E3.— From an Old Prim in tliP King's Library. B. Museum. 



^ " Roquemaur," two leagoes from Avignon. 



at that time called pope, and who resided at Rome. This pope 
was not alarmed at the arrival of the duke of Anjou. When they 
told him he was on his march, attended by the earl of Savoy and 
count of Geneva, with full nine thousand lances of good men-at- 
arms, and that it was uncertain if he would not come to Rome to 
dethrone him, for they were all Clementiaes, he rejilied by saying, 
" CiiKiSTUS protegat nos." That was all the alarm they gave him, 
and the only answer he made to those who spoke to him on the 
subject. 

"The duke of Anjou, who styled himself king of Naples, Sicily 
and Jerusalem, duke of Calabria and la Puglia, accompanied by the 
earl of Savoy, continued the march of his army through Tuscany, 
the territory of Ancoiia, and the patrimony of St. Peter, but did not 
enter Rome ; for the duke wished not to make war on Rome, nor 
on the Romans, but solely aimed to accomplish his cnterjirise on the 
terms according to which he had left France. He kept up kingly 
state wherever he passed, and all men-at-arms praised him for the 
punctuality of his pajTiients. 

.\t this period his adversary, the lord Charles de Durazzo, resided 
in the city of Naples. He also signed himself king of Naples, 
Sicily and .Terusalem, duke of la PugUa and Calabria, and consid- 
ered himself as the lawful king, since the queen of Naples was dead 
without leaving any heirs by marriage. He looked on the gift 
which the queen had made to the pope a.s null, and maintained this 
opinion by two argument? : the first was, that besides being sup- 
ported and obeyed by the Neapolitans and Sicilians, the queen of 
Naples coidd not resign the inheritance of another : secondly, that 
supposing this resignation to have been good and the gift in force to 
the court of Rome, and that the popes were entided to it, she had 
not legally done it, for those kingdoms considered Urban as the true 
pope, and not Clement. 

This is the question which they disputed, and the defence Charles 

' " Sir John Hawkwood." See his lift in Nichol's Bib. Top. Brit. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



297 



dc Durazzo made. He also at the beginning took very wise pre- 
cautions, for he amply provided with stores the castel del Ovo, which 
is one of the strongest castlee in the world, and stands by enchant- 
ment in the sea, so that it is impossible to take it but by necromancy 
or by the help of the devil.* 

When he had provided this castle a sufficiency to last three or 
four years, he collected a body of men-at-arms and threw himself 
into il, having made all the entrances very secure, leaving the duke 
of Anjou to act as he pleased. He well knew the Neapolitans would 
never desert him, and that, if la Puglia and Calabria should be lost 
for two or three years, they could easily regain it. He expected the 
duke of Anjou would soon find himself at the end of his resources in 
maintaining such a large army as he had brought, and which it was 
impossible for him to continue to support. They would be in want 
of provision or pay, \vMch would tire tliem out in the course of two 
or three years; and, wlien they should be well worn down, he might 
combat them to his advantage. Charles de Durazzo was full of these 
ideas, some of which were afterwards realized. In truth, no piinee 
in Christendom, except the kings of France or England, would have 
kept up such an immense force as the duke of Anjou did, without 
hurting his finances ; for they reported he had brought over the 
mountains thirty thousand combatants : and the undertaking such an 
enterprise required much thought and consideration. 



CHAPTER LXXXVIII. 

THE EARL OF SAVOY, WHO HAD ACCOMPANIED THE DUKE OF ANJOU TO 
NAl'LtS, ORDERS A MA\ TO BE BEHEADED, WHO HAD BOASTED THAT 
HE WOULD GIVE THEJI POSSESSION OF THE CASTEL DEL OVO BY EN- 
CHANTMENT. 

When the duke of Anjou and his army entered la Puglia and 
Calabria, the whole country was their own, and the people testified 
that they wished not for any other lord than him : in a short time, 
all the barons, principal tosvns and others, put themselves under his 
obedience. Those who have been in these countries, which are the 
richest in the world, report, that from the great abundance of every- 
thing, the people are perfectly indolent, and do no manner of labor. 
The men-at-arms, on entering so rich a country, felt themselves very 
comfortable ; but the duke of Anjou, the earl of Savoy, the count 
of Vendome, the count of Geneva, t and all the knighthood of France, 
Savoy, and Brittany, marched on into the territories of Naples. 

The citizens of Naples, not fearing these men-at-arms, deigned not 
to shut their gates, but kept them always open, as they never imagined 
the duke of Anjou could reside there longer than it was agreeable to 
them ; for the moment they should be inclosed in the town, whatever 
numbers they might be, they would be lost, as the houses were not 
easy to be taken, having before their doors planks which may be 
removed, and the sea underneath, on which they would not perhaps 
like to adventure themselves. 

An enchanter, master of necromancy, who had resided for some 
time in the Neapolitan territory, came to the duke of Anjou, and 
Baid, " My lord, if you will, I can cause the castel del Ovo and its 
gfarrison to surrender to you." " How can that be ?" replied the 
duke. " My lord, I will tell you," answered the enchanter : " I can 
by enchantment, make the air so thick over the sea, that those in the 
castle shall think it a large bridge, on which ten men may march in 
front : and, when they shall see this bridge, they will be so fright- 
ened they will sun*ender themselves to you, lest, if you attack them, 
they may be taken by storm." The duke, much astonished at what 
he hr,d heard, called liis knights, the count de Vend6me, the count 
de Geneve, sir John and sir Peter de Beuil, sir Morice de Maumi, 
and others, to whom he related what the enchanter had just told 
him. They were very much surprised, but seemed willing to give him 
faith for it. lite duke then asked, " Fair master, can our people 
march on this brjlge of which you speak, as far as the castle, and 
attack it?" " My lord," replied the magician, " of this I dare not 
assure you ; for if any one of them, while on this bridge, should make 
the sign of the cross, all would disappear, and those on it would fall 
into the sea." The duke, upon this, began to laugh, and some of the 
young knights present said, " Ha, my lord, for God's sake, let him do 
it ; we will not make any sign of the cross, and by this means we shall 
easily capture om' enemies." The duke said he would consider of it. 

The earl of Savoy was not present at this conversation, but came 
soon afterwards. When the earl entered the duke's tent, the ma- 
gician had just left it ; but the duke told him all that had passed, 
and what offers he had made. The earl, having mused a while, 
said, " Send him to my quarters, and I will examine him. He is that 
master magician by whose means the queen of Naples and sir Otho 
de Brunswick were taken in the castel del Ovo, for he caused the 
sea to swell so high that it seemed as if it would swallow the castle : 
those within it were so much frightened they looked on themselves 
as dead. One ought never to put too great confidence in such 
people ; for you see the wickedness of the wretches in this country : 
in order to please you, and to obtain your benefactions, he will be- 
tray Charles de Durazzo, to whom he formerly gave up the queen of 



_*I>enys9auvape adds a marginal note, tliat " if the good man Froissartlielieves this, 
hit mind must be very sijnple." 
t " Count of Geneva." Giannone sars lie was brother to pope Clement. 



Naples and her husband." " Well," replied the duke, " I will send 
him to you." The conversation took another turn, and, after they 
hail well considered their situation, the earl returned to his quarlers. 

On the morrow morning, when the lords were risen, the magician 
waited on the duke, bowing most lowly. As soon as the duke per- 
ceived him, he ordered a valet to conduct liim to the earl of Savoy. 
The valet, taking his hand, said, " Master, my lord's will is, that 
you go to the earl of Savoy." He answered, "God's will be done." 
When arrived at the tent of the carl, the valet said, " My lord, here 
is the doctor whom my lord sends to you." The earl was much 
pleased on seeing him, and said, " Doctor, do you assure us for a 
certainty, that you will gain us the castel del Ovo at so cheap a 
rate ?" " Yes, by my troth, my lord," replied the enchanter, " for 
by a similar trick I got it for him who is now within it, namely, the 
lord Charles dc Durazzo, from the queen of Naples, her daughter and 
husband, sir Robert d'Artois* and sir Otho de Bmnswick. I am the 
man in the world of whom the lord Charles has the greatest dread." 

" By my faith," replied the carl, " you speak well ; but I wish the 
lord Charles to know, that ho is in the wrong to fear you so much, 
for I will make him easy on that head : you shall not henceforward 
perform an enchantment to deceive him or any one else. I will not 
have it reproached to us in times to come, that such knights and 
squires and valiant men-at-arms here assembled should have been 
obliged for our success to magic, nor do we desire to conquer otir 
enemies by such means." He then ordered a servant to call the 
headsman, and have his head strack off. The earl's commands 
were instantly obeyed, and his head was cut ofT on the outside of the 
tent. Such wa,s the end of tlris enchanter, and such his recompense. 

Wc will now leave the duke of Anjou, his army, and his marches, 
and return to the affairs of Portugal, and relate how the English and 
Gascons prospered. 



CHAPTER LXXXIX. 

THE CANON DE KOBERSAC MAKES ANOTHER EXCURSION CONTEAKY TO THE 
WILL OF THE KING OF PORTUGAL, AND TAKES SEVERAL PLACES ADJOIN. 
ING TO SEVILLE. 

The knights in garrison at Besiouse, and who had been there for 
so considerable a time, having made but one excursion, when they 
took the castle of Fighiere, resolved, about the middle of April, to 
make another : for they were very much surprised at the conduct of 
the king of Portugal and earl of Cambridge, who had let them re- 
main idle the nine months they had now been in Portugal, without 
having formed any expedition but the one for which they had been 
blamed. They determined to send to and remonstrate with the earl 
of Cambridge on this subject : I believe the envoy was the souldich 
de la Trane, He came to Estremoz, where the earl was quartered, 
and said to him, '• My lord, my companions send me to you, to know 
what you would wish them to do ; for they much wonder why they 
have been brought to this country, to remain so long in indolence, 
which displeases them much. You will let me know what you would 
have them do, for they are very desirous of making an excursion." 

" Souldich," replied the earl, " you know, that when I left Eng. 
land, my lord and brother the duke of Lancaster promised me, on his 
faith, that on his return from Scotland, whither he was then going, 
he would join us with men-at-arms, to the amount of three thousand, 
and as many archers. Upon this engagement, I came merely to 
reconnoitre the country. In a short time we shall have intelligence 
from him ; for it is equally impleasant to me to have remained so 
long in this country. You will therefore salute your companions in 
my name, and tell them what I have just said to you. I cannot wish 
to prevent them from making an excursion, since they have such an 
inclination for it ; but you know the king of Portugal gives us our 
pay, and therefore we ought to conform to his orders." 

"By my faith, my lord," answered the souldich, " he pays badly, 
and our companions complain much of it ; he owes us now six 
months' pay." " He will pay you well," replied the earl : " mone/ 
never comes disagreeably." On this, the souldich left the earl, and 
returned to his companions, to whom he related what you have 
heard. " Gentlemen," said the canon, " I will not desist from 
making an excursion, notwithstanding what has been said, for I see 
clearly they wish to put ofi" all such attempts. They do not desire 
we should commit hostilities, that we may not have cause to demand 
our pay : but my opinion is, that we take the field." Tliey selected 
those who should form this expedition, and resolved to undertake it 
on the morrow, having their arms quite ready. 

The lord John de Ferrande, one of the knights of the king of 
Portugal, who had learnt they w-ere desirous of performing some 
enterprise, came to them, and brought letters to the canon dc 
Robersac, He read them, and found that tire king of Portugal for- 
bid him to quit his quarters ; adding, that he was well informed it 
was through his means all these expeditions were thought of. The 
canon was much enraged at this order, and said to the knight, 

* "IloIiertd'Artois." Denys Sauvage, in his 24t]i annotation, says, " The history of 
Naples often speaks of this Robert d'Artois, making him tlie husbandofMarj', daughter 
of .loan queen of Naples ; but no mention is made of these enchantments. They seem 
to come from the romances of Morgante and Urganda : so that I am surpristjd Frofa- 
snrt could suffet hiraselfto be thus dec«ived, and wish to deceive posteritr.'* 



298 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &,c. 



" John, I see plainly the king will not permit me to make any excur- 
sion. Now, suppose I remain in my house, do you think that the 
others, who are better knights and more valiant than I, will also 
stay at home and give up their enterprise ? Oh no, by my troth, as 
you will see to-morrow ; for they are determined and prepared to 
lake the field." "My lord," replied Ferrande, "command them, 
in the king's name, not to do so." " By my faith," said the canon, 
" I will do no such thing : do you, who belong to the king, order 
them yourself." 

Things remained in this state all night. In the morning, the 
trumpets sounded, when the knights and squires, being armed and 
mounted, came before the canon's house, who had not put on his 
armor. On the English and Gascon knights drawing up, he came 
to the window, and told them the king of Portugal would not allow 
him, nor any of his party, to make an excursion. " By my f;iith," 
answered they, " we will have a ride, since we are so wel' inclined 
to it : and so shall you too, for it shall never be reproached you, that 
when we had taken the field, you staid at home." The canon was 
then obliged to arm himself, and mount his horse. The Portuguese 
knight, the lord Ferrande, was obliged to do the same ; so much 
was ho pressed by the others, but it occasioned him to stand in the 
ill graces of the king, and he was very near being hanged. They 
marched out of Besiouse to the amount of about four hundred spears 
and as many archers; and, taking the Seville road toward a eastle 
and town called Ban,* continued thei'r march until they arrived, and 
Burroundcd the part which seemed most easy to be taken. They dis- 
mounted, formed themselves in order of attack, entered the ditches, 
which were dry, and began the assault vigorously. 

At this time, there were no men-at-arms in the town of Ban. 
The inhabitants, though badly armed, mounted the walls aitd de. 
fended themselves as well as they were able with lances and 
javelins, but this could not last long. They therefore began to treat 
with the assailants, and at length suiTendered, on having their lives 
and fortunes spared, declaring they would put themselves under the 
obedience of don Fernando, king of Portugal. They were well 
received in the town, which they entered to refresh themselves ; 
when they began to examine by what means they could gain the 
castle. They saw it might be taken ; and that same evening, some 
of the army began to skirmish. On the morrow, a more regular 
attack commenced. 

The governor of the castle was a gentleman of the counti-y, 
called Peter Jagouses, but he was not an able man.at-arms, as he 
showed ; for as soon as he saw himself thus attacked, and so many 
men-at-arms advancing, he took fright, entered into terms, and sur. 
rendered the castle on his and the garrison's lives being spared. 
They strengthened it with good men-at-arms and archers, and then 
departed toward another castle, seven leagues distant, called la 
Courtisse.t On their arrival, they instanUy began the attack very 
sharply ; but those within defended themselves to the utmost of 
their power, and disdained to surrender. At the first attack, which 
was severe, the governor of the castle, called Radulph, was slain. 
He was an expert and valiant man-at-arms, but, having adventured 
himself too rashly on the bulwarks, was killed by an arrow. On 
his death the others lost courage ; the castle was taken, and the greater 
part of the garrison put to the sword. Thus did the canon and his 
companions gain the castle of la Courtisse. They strengthened it 
with a new garrison ; and, having well supplied it with everything, 
Ihey marched toward the city of Seville the grand. 



CHAPTER XC. 

THE CANON AND HIS COMPANIONS GAIN MUCH BOOTY FROM THE KING OF 
CASTILLE. TIIEY MUTINY AGAINST THE KING OF PORTUGAL, WHS 
ORDERS THEIR PAY TO BE INSTANTLY DELIVERED TO THEM. 

These English and Gascon men-at-arms continued marchin.g 
until they came to Jaffrc, ten leagues from Seville. It is a badly 
inclosed town ; but there is a very strong monastei-y which those of 
the town and country had fortified, and they had retreated thither 
trusting to its strength. On their arrival, the town of JafiVe was 
immediately tnken and burnt. They soon attacked the monastery ; 
but it was an hour before it was taken, when those who firet entered 
it gained great pillage : many were there slain. Having received 
intelligence that there were in some marshy grounds, in an adjoining 
valley, upward of twenty thousand head of cattle, pigs, cows, and 
sheep, they pushed forward ; and, having entered the marsh, ordered 
their infantry to drive out the cattle. They then resolved to return 
to their quarters in Besiouse, and set otit accordingly. They arrived 
there on the evening of the ensuing day with all their booty ; by 
ivhich they had provisions in abundance, and for a long time. 

Thus ended this expedition. When the lord Ferrande returned 
to Lisbon to the king, and reported to him what they had done 
against their enemies, and the great booty they had made, he 
imagined the king would have been well pleased; but no, for he 
said to him, " How, thou stinking rascal, hast thou dared, after the 
po.sitive denial I sent them, to consent to their making an excursion, 
and to accompany them thyself? By St. Jacob, I \vi]\ have thee 



""Bon." Q. 



t " Couiti.see." Q. 



hanged." The knight, on this, cast himself on his knees, and said, 
" My lord, their captain acquitted himself dutifully and loyally ; but 
the others by force made him go with them, as well as myself, to 
show them the country. When the expedition has so well suc- 
ceeded, you ought to pardon it." Notwithstanding this speech, the 
king ordered him to prison, where he remained until the earl of 
Cambridge delivered him when he came to Lisbon on the business 
of which you shall hear. 

After the English and Gascons were returned to the town of 
Besiouse, and had remained there some time, they resolved to send 
to the king of Portugal to demand their pay. They chose unani- 
mously the lord Talbot, a baron from Wales, as their embassador. 
When the lord Talbot was come to Lisbon, and had remonstrated 
with the king on the subject of his mission, the king only made 
for answer, " that they had twice made excursions contrary to his 
orders, which had much displeased him, and had been the cause of 
the delay in their payment." As he could not obtain any other 
ansvrer, lord Talbot returned to his companions, and related what 
the king had said, which much angered them. 

This same week, the earl of Cambridge quitted Esti-emoz and 
came to Besiouse, where he took up his lodgings, in a monastery of 
monks on the outside of the town. The knights in garrison were 
rejoiced on hearing this ; for there were a!i:tong them some who 
were unable to wait so long for their pay from the king, and said 
among themselves, "We are mai-vellously well taken care of; we 
have bee;i in this country almost a year, and have never received 
any money. It is impossible but our commander must have had 
some, for he would never have borne it for so great a length of time." 
These murmurings increased so much that they declared they would 
not longer suffer such treatment, and fixed a day to debate the matter 
among themselves. The place of conference wa-s appointed in a 
handsome church situated without the town of Besiouse, and oppo- 
site to the Cordeliers, whore the earl of Cambridge had his residence. 
The canon of Robersac promised to attend : indeed, it was well he 
did, for othenvise it would have turned out badly. 

About eight o'clock, they were all assembled, except the canon, 
such as sir William Beauchanip, sir Matthew Gournay his uncle, 
the lord Talbot, sir William Ilermon;* and, of Gascons, the 
souldich de la Trane, the lord de la Barde, the lord de Chiteauneuf, 
and several more, who began to speak and make their complaints 
known to each other. There was among them a knight, bastard 
brother to the king of England, called sir John Sounder.t who was 
louder than all the rest, and said, "The earl of Cambridge has 
brought us hither: every day we venture our lives, and are willing 
so to do, for his service, and yet he keeps our pay. I therefore 
advise, that we form a strict union among ourselves, and unani- 
mously agree to display the pennon of St. George, declaring our- 
selves friends to God, and enemies to all the world; for if we do 
not make ourselves feared, we shall not have anything." "By my 
faith," replied William Helmon, " you say well, and we will doit." 
-\11 agreed to the proposal, and considered whom they should choose 
for their leader: they thought they could not have a better thaa 
Sounder, for he would have more leisure to do mischief, and had 
greater courage for it than the others. They hoisted the petmon of 
St. George, and cried out, "A Sounder, a Sounder, that valiant 
bastard ! Friends to God, and enemies to all mankind." They 
were tlien well inclined to attack the town of Besiou.se, and declare 
war against the king of Portugal. 

Sir Matthew Gournay and sir William Beauchamp had long argued 
against attacking Besiou.se, but had been little attended lo. At the 
moment they had displayed the pennon of St. Geoige, and \^■ere 
quitting the church, the canon arrived, and, pushing through the 
crowd, got up to the head altar, when he cried aloud, " My fair sirs, 
what are you going to do? Be orderly and temperate, I conjure 
you ; for I see you are much disturbed." Sir John Sounder and sir 
William Helmon then advanced to him, and related what they had 
done and what were their intention.'^. The canon, by fair language, 
restrained them : " Consider, gentlemen, what you are about: that 
which you intend is folly and madness. We cannot destroy our- 
selves more efiectually. If we make war on this country, our ene- 
mies will hear of it, and will gain courage when they see wo cannot 
oppose them. We shall thus ruin ourselves two ways ; for our ene- 
mies will be rejoiced and assured of what at present they may only 
suspect, and we shall forfeit our loyalty to the earl of Cambridge." 

" -\nd what would you have us do, canon?" said Sounder: "we 
have expended much more than our pay, and since otu' ariival in 
Portugal we have not had any loan or any payment whatever. If 
you have been paid, we have not, and your complaints will be vain." 
" By my faith. Sounder," replied the canon, "I have not received more 
than you have, nor will I receive anything without your knowledge." 

Some of the knights present answered, " We firmly believe you : 
but all things must have an end. Show us how we may get clear 
of this business with honor, and that as speedily as may be ; for if 
we be not well paid, and in a short time, matters will go ill." The 
canon de Robersac then replied, "Fair sirs, I would advise first of 
all, in the situation we are in, that we wait on the carl of Cambridge, 

*"Herincjn." (i. Froissart culls him aftenvards Helmon. 

t In chap. 85, this kniehl is called by Froissart Messire Jei)an Fondroe, and hei» 
Messirc Jehan Soullier.— Ed. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



299 



and remonstrate with liim on these matters of which he ought to be 
informed." " And who is there among us," said one, " who will 
remonstrate with him ?" " I will," replied Sounder ; " but you must 
all avow what I shall say." The whole company promised to do so. 
They then departed with the pennon of St. George, which they had 
that day displayed, carried before them, and came to the Cordeliers, 
where the carl of Cambridge was lodged. 

Just as he was going to dinner, these companions, to the amount 
of about seven hundred, entered the court, and demanded the earl, 
who, having quitted his chamber, came into tlic hall to speak with 
them. The knights had advanced with Sounder at their head, and 
remonstrated in an agreeable manner and speech, saying, " My lord, 
it was you who assembled us in England ; and we came hither 
according to your entreaties, as well as others whj are iiuw without ; 
we have left our country to oblige you. You are therefore our chief, 
and we must look to you for our pav, of wliich hitherto we have not 
received anything; for, as to the king of Portugal, we should never 
have come to iiis country nor entered his service, if you had not been 
our paymaster. Hov.'cver, if you say the war concerns only the king 
of Portugal, and that you are not interested in it, we w'ill soon pay 
ourselves our subsidy, for we will overrun the country, let the con- 
sequences be what they may." " Sounder," replied the earl, " 1 do 
not say that you ought not to be paid ; but, that if you overrun this 
country, you will throw great blame on me, as well as on the king 
of England, who is so strictly allied to the king of Portugal." 

" And what would you have us do ?" asked Sounder. " I will," 
replied the earl, " that you choose three of our knights, an English- 
man, a Gascon, and a German, and that these three set out for 
Lisbon, to explain tj the king this business, and the length of time 
he has delayed payment to our companions. AVhen you shall thus 
have summoned him, you will have a better right to follow your own 
inclinations." " By my faith," said the canon dc Robersac, " my 
lord of Cambridge says well, and speaks wisely and boldly." They 
all agreed to this last proposal ; but, notwithstanding, they would not 
take down the pennon of St. George, saying, that since they had 
imanimjusly raised it in Portugal, they would not lower it so long as 
they should remain there. They then selected those who were to 
wait on the king of Portugal : sir William Helmon was chosen by 
the English, sir Thomas Simon by the Germans, the lord de Chat- 
cauneuf by the Gascons. 

These three knights set out, and continued their journey until they 
came to Lisbon, where they found the king, who received them 
handsomely, asked from them the news, and what their companions 
were doing ? " My lord," they replied, " they are all in verj' good 
health, and would willingly make some excursions, and employ this 
season otherwise than they do ; for long idleness is not agreeable to 
them." " Well," said the king, " they shall very shortly make an 
excursion, and I will accompany them, and you will let them know 
this from me." " My lord," answered sir William, " we are sent 
hither by their orders, to tell you, that since their aiTival in this 
4:ountry, they have neither had loan nor payment from you, and that 
they are not satisfied ; for whoever wishes to obtain the love and 
service of men-at-arms must pay them better than you have hitherto 
done, the neglect of which they have for some time taken to heart; 
for they know not on whom they depend, and have thrown the 
blame on our captains, so that the affair was on the point of taking 
a very disagreeable turn. Our chiefs excused themselves, as it was 
known they had not received anything. Now, know for a trath, 
they will be paid their full pay, if you wish their services ; and if 
you will not pay them, they assure you by us, that they will pay 
themselves from your country. Therefore consider well this busi. 
ness, and give us such an answer as we may carry back ; for they 
are only waiting our return," The king mused a little, and then 
said, " Sir William, it is but just they should be paid : but they have 
much vexed me, by disobeying my orders, in making two excursions, 
which if they had not done, they should long ago have been fully 
satisfied in every respect." " Sire," repHed sir William, " if they 
have made any excursions, they have turned out to your advantage : 
they have taken towns, castles, and overrun the territories of your 
enemy, even as far as Seville : all this has been gallantly performed. 
They ought not to lose this season, which, indeed, they are deter- 
mined not to do ; for they declare, on our return, they will pay them- 
selve.=, unless they shall receive by us. a more gracious answer, than 
as yet t'.iey have obtained from you." *' Well," said the king, '"in- 
form them, that within fifteen daj'S at the latest, I will give orders 
fur their pay to be delivered to them, to the utmost farthing ; but tell 
the earl of Cambridgi that I wish to speak with him." " Sire," 
replied sir William, " I will do so, and you say well." 

As he finished these words, dinner was served, when they dined 
together, and the king made the three sit at his table, and feasted 
them much. Thus passed the day, and on the morrow they returned 
to their friends. As soon as their anival was known, the knights 
crowded about them, to learn what they had done : tiiey related to 
them the answer, and the king's promise, with which they were all 
well satisfied. " Now see," said Sounder, " if riot be not some 
times of use : we have advanced the delivery of our pay, by having 
been a little riotous ; he fares well who is feared." 

The three knights waited on the earl of Cambridge, and reported 
to him what they had done, and that the king wanted to speak with 



him. He set out from the town in the morning, and rode to Lisbon, 
where he was joyfully received by his son and daughter-in-law. The 
king had a long conference with him, when they determined on cer- 
tain expeditions. The king, in consequence, issued his surnmons 
throughout the realm, for every one to be prepared for the field by 
the seventh of June, and to assemble between the towns of Badajos 
and Clemence. This summons was published throughout the king- 
dom of Portugal, when all descriptions of men armed themselves in 
the best manner they were able, to be at the rendezvous on foot, by 
the appointed day. 

On the arrival of the earl of Cambridge at Lisbon, don Ferrande 
obtained his liberty, with whom the king had been much angered, 
on account of those before-mentioned excursions. The earl took 
his leave, returned to his companions in high spirits, and ordered 
them to be in readiness by the day which had been fixed on. Soon 
after money arrived for the pay of the troops, the captains first, so 
that every one was contented ; but the pennon of St. George was 
still displayed. 

CHAPTER XCI. 

THE KINGS OF CASTILLE AND POKTUGAL ASSEJIBLE THEIK FORCES. 
PEACE MADE BETWEEN THEM AGAINST THE WILL OF THE ENGLISH. 

Don John of Castille was not idle in collecting numbers of men- 
at-arme. Two thousand spears, knights and squires, and four thou- 
sand infantry, had come to him from France : he had, besides, in 
his own country, ten thousand horse, and as many foot. As he 
resided at Seville, he was not ignorant ot the summons which the 
king of Portugal had issued : he therefore, finding himself the 
strongest, thought he should act more honorably in this war, if he 
sent to the king of Portugal, to ask him to fix on any spot in his 
dominions, where the two armies could meet, and fight it out ; imd 
that, if he would not, he would offer a place in .Spain for the «om. 
bat. He therefore sent a herald with this message, who rode on 
unlil he came to Lisbon, where he delivered it to the king, word for 
word. The king replied to the herald, that he would maturely con. 
sider the option given to him, and would send to the king of Spain 
his final answer. The herald, having exesuted his commission, took 
leave of the king, and returned to Seville. 

He found there the king and his barons, as well as those who had 
come from France, Arragon end Galicia, to whom he reported all 
he had heard or seen. No long time passed, before the king of 
Portugal was advised by the councils of the English to oiler a place 
in his own country, for the two armies to combat. Sir Thomas 
Simon and the souldich de la Trane were ordered, on the part of the 
kin^, to seek for a proper situation : they chose a spot between 
Elvas and Badajos, where there was room sufficient for the battle. 
As they were going to execute this order, the two knights and their 
men skirmished with some advanced forces of the king of Castille: 
the engag^ement was severe, and several were slain and wounded 
on both sides. They, however, returned to the king of Portugal, 
and related where they had chosen a fit situation, and also the name 
of the place. 

A German knight, called sir John Coustedor, was ordered to 
carry this intimation, attended by a herald, to the king of Spain. 
The knight set out, and rode to Seville, where he found the kingr, 
and related what the king of Portugal had instrurted him to say, 
that he accepted his offer of combat, and had fixed on a place for the 
field of battle, between Elvas and Badajos ; and that within five 
days after his return from Seville, ho would there find the king of 
Portugal with his whole army, who desired nothing better than to 
give him battle. The Spaniards were much pleased w ith this news, 
as were also the French. Sir Tristan de Rove, sir John de Ver- 
ncttes, sir Peter de Villsmes, and others, taking with them the knight 
from Portugal, entertained him magnificently for one whole day in 
Seville, and showed him as inuch respect as possible. They escorted 
him as far as Jaflre, when they returned ; and the knight continued 
his journey to the king of Portugal and his knights, and told them 
how he had delivered his message, and the answer he had received, 
which gave them great satisfaction. 

It was not long before the king of Portugal came and encamped 
w^here his army was, between Elvas and Badajos. It was a hand- 
some plain below some olive trees ; and he had brought thither the 
greater part of his subjects from whom he could expect assistance : 
they might amount to about fifteen thousand men. On the fourth 
day after^vards, the earl of Cambridge arrived with the English, in 
handsome array: they were about six hundred men-at-arms and as 
many archers : they encamped themselves together, separate from 
the king's army. 

When the king of Spain heard that the king of Portugal w-as 
encamped on the field where the battle was to be fought, he seemed 
delighted, and said : " Come, let us make haste : our enemies are 
waiting ; it is time for us to set out. We have oflered them battle, 
which they have accepted, and are ready by the day appointed, so 
that an engagement must ensue : let us therefore march thither." 
The men-at-arms were then ordered to advance with their men, for 
the king was setting out. All the knights, squires and men-at-arms, 
in consequence, broke up their quarters, both Spaniards and French, 
and followed the banners of don John of Castille, who encamped 



300 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



two shoit leagues from Badajos, in the plains of Elvas. The king 
of Spjiii had in his army upward of thirty thousand fighting men, 
includiag those mounted on genets : they were in the whole sixty 
thousand. In this situation, the two armies remained opposite to 
each other. There was only between them the mountain of Bada. 
jos, which is a large town belonging to the king of Spain, and where 
his men went whenever they were in want of provision. The city 
of Elvas was on the opposite side, and belonged to the king of Por- 
tugal. 

On tlie plain there were daily skirmishes ; for the young bachelors 
who were desirous to advance themselves went thither, when some 
gallant feats were continually perforaied : they then remrned to 
their quarters. Things remained in this state for upward of fifteen 
days ; and it was not any fault in the king of Spain that the combat 
did not take place, for it depended solely on t!ie king of Portugal, 
who, not being in sufficient force to meet the Spaniards, was afraid 
of the event. He well knew, that if he were defeated, his kingdom 
would be lost, and that whole season he had been expecting the 
duke of Lancaster, witli the great aid he was to bring him from 
England, of four thousand men-at-arms and the same number of 
archers. The earl of Cambridge had assured the king of Portugal, 
that he might depend on this, and thought nothing could prevent it ; 
for the duke of Lancaster, when he was setting out for Scotland, had 
sworn to him by his faith, that on his return, he would think of no- 
thing else, and would instantly come to Portugal with such an army 
as should enable liim to engage with the king of Castille. Tnie it 
is, that the duke of Lancaster did everything in his power to prevail 
on the king and his council to listen to this business : but on account 
of the internal troubles which had happened this year, and some 
events which had fallen out in Flanders, the king and his council 
would not consent to this expedition to Pormgal, so that all the men. 
at.arms were detained in England. 

When the king of Portugal heard this, and found that he must not 
expect any succors from England, he began to open a treaty : the 
grand.master of Calatrava, don Pedro de Modesque, the bishop of 
Burgos and the bishop of Lisbon, entered into negotiations for peace 
between Portugal and Spain. These were carried on so success- 
fully, that peace was made, without any notice being taken of the 
English. The earl of Cambridge was very melancholy on learning 
this news, and would willingly have made war on the king of Portu- 
gal, if he had been strong enough in the country ; but he was not ; 
he was therefore obliged to endure this peace whether he would or 
not. The English complained that the king of Portugal had behaved 
ill to them, from the beginning to the end, and that he had always 
dissembled with the Spaniards, for he had never had any inclination 
to fight with them. The king excused himself, by throwing all the 
blame on the duke of Lancaster, and the English, for not coming 
according to their promises, and assured them that at that moment he 
could not act otherwise. 



CHAPTER XCII. 

A JOUST BETWEEN A FRENCH KNIGHT AND AN ENGLISH SQUIRE. THE 
EARL OF CAMBRIDGE LEADS BACK HIS ARMY TO ENGLAND, WITH HIS 
SON, WHOSE BETROTHED WIFE, THE INFANTA OF POKTUOAL, IS AFTER- 
WARDS MARRIED TO THE KING OF CASTILLE. 

In the army of the king of Castille was a young knight from 
France, called sir Tristan de Roye, who was desirous of displaying 
his courage. When he saw, that as peace was concluded, there 
would not be any engagement, he detennined not to quit Spain, 
without doing something to be talked of. He sent a herald to the 
English army, requesting, that since peace had put an end to tlie com- 
bat, some one would have the kindness to tilt with him three courses 
with the lance before the city of Badajos. When this request was 
brought to the army, they consulted together, and said it ought not 
to be refused. A young English squire then stepped forth, called 
Miles Windsor, who wished honorably to be created knight, and 
said to the herald, " Friend, return to thy masters and tell sir Tristan 
de Roye, that to-morrow he shall be delivered from his vow, by 
Miles Windsor, before the city of Badajos, according to his request." 

The herald returned, and related the answer to his masters, and 
sir Tristan de Roye, who was highly pleased. On the niDrrow morn- 
ing. Miles Windsor left the aimy of the earl of Cambridge and went 
toward Badajos, wMch was hard by, as there was only the moun- 
tain to cross, well accompanied by his friends ; such as sir Matthew 
Goumay, sir William Beauchamp, sir Thomas Simon, the souldich 
de la Trane, the lord de Chdteauneuf, the lord de la Barde, and sev- 
eral more ; there were upward of one hundred knights on the spot, 
where the tournament was to be performed. Sir Tristan de Roye 
was already there, accompanied by French and Bretons. 

Miles was created a knight by the souldich de la Trane, as being 
the most accomplished knight there, and the person who had been 
in t!ie greatest number of brilhant actions. When the combatants 
were completely armed, with lances in their rests, and nrounted, they 
spurred their horees, and, lowering their spears, met each other with 
such force that their lances were twice broken against their breast- 
plates, but no other hm^t ensued. They then took their third lance, 
and the shock was so great that the heads of Bordeaux steel pierced 
their sliields, and through all their other armor even to the skin, but 



did not wound the:*i ; the spears were shattered, and the broken 
pieces flew over their helmets. This combat was much praised by 
all the knights of each side who were present. They then took 
leave of each other witli much respect, and returned to tlieir different 
quarters, for no other deeds of arms were performed. 

Peace being now restored, botli Spaniards and Portugese returned 
to their own homes. In such manner was this great assembly of 
Spaniards, English and Portuguese broken up. 

At this time, news was brought to the army of the king of Spain, 
that the king of Granada had declared war against the kings of Bar- 
bary and Treme^en, and that all men.at-anns who might wish to go 
thither would be received into pay. The king of Granada had sent 
passports, and ordered his messengers to say, that to thoee who ar- 
rived in Granada, he would advance a quarter's pay. Several French 
knights who wished to advance themselves, as sir Tristan de Roye, 
sir Geofl^ry de Chargny, sir Peter de Clermont, took leave of don 
John of Castille, and went to those parts in search of deeds of arms. 
Some English went thither also, but they were few in number; for 
the earl of Cambridge conducted them to England, canning his son 
with him. He showed how much dissatisfied he was with the king 
by not leaving his son behind, who had been betrothed to the infanta 
of Portugal. The earl said the air of Portugal did not agree with 
his son's health ; and in spite of eveiylhing the king could urge, he 
would not permit him to stay, adding that he was too young to remain 
in Portugal, from which the following consequences ensued. 

About a year after the conclusion of this peace, when the English 
were returned home with the earl of Cambridge, the queen of don 
.Tohn of Castille died : she was daughter to the king of Arragon. 
The king being thus a widower, it was considered by the barons 
and prelates of Spain and Portugal, that the propcrest alliance which 
could be made with the lady Beatrice of Portugal was the king of 
Spain, who could not more nobly connect himself than with the in- 
fanta. In order to confirm the peace between the two kingdoms, 
the king of Portugal consented, and broke off' the match with the 
son of the earl of Cambridge, by a dispensation from the pope, who 
confirmed this new alliance. Thus became the infanta of Portugal 
queen of Spain, Gallicia, and Castile; and she brought the king a 
son the first year of her marriage, to his gi'eat joy. 

The king of Portugal died soon after this event : but the Portu. 
guese were unwilling to submit themselves to the dominion of the 
Spaniards, and gave the crown to a bastard brother of the king, who 
was grand-master of the order of Avis,* and called the bastard of 
Portugal. He was a valiant man, had always borne arms, and much 
beloved by the Portuguese, as they showed ; for they crowned him 
king, and chose him lord for his valor. This transaction wxs the 
cause of great war between the kingdoms of Spain and Portugal, as 
you shall hear related in the course of this histoiy. 

When the earl of Cambridge, the canon de Robersac, and the 
English knights were returned from Portugal, and had waited on 
the king and duke of Lancaster, they were very graciously enter- 
tained, a-s was right, and then they were asked for news : they told 
them a suiHciency, and the history of their whole campaign. The 
duke of Lancaster, whom this business touched more essentially than 
any other, on account of the claim he had made to Castille, in right 
of his wife, the lady Constance, eldest daughter to don Pedro, inquired 
of his brother every particular, and how they had conducted them- 
selves in Portugal. The earl told him, that the armies remained 
upward of fifteen days opposite to each other : " and because, my fair 
brotlier, there came no intelligence of you, the king of Portugal has- 
tily made peace, and, in spite of everything we could say, he would 
not consent to a battle : our men were much concerned thereat, for 
they would willingly have hazarded it. Seeing, therefore, that affaii-s 
were not on a very sure foundation, I have brought home my son, 
although he has been betrotiicd to the infanta." " I believe you were 
in the right," replied the duke ; " but perhaps they may break this 
marriage, if they shall find a more agreeable alliance." " By my 
faith," said the earl, " happen what may, I have done nothing that I 
repent of." Thus ended this conversation between the duke of Lan- 
caster and earl of Cambridge, when they entered on other matters. 

We will now leave them, and the wars of Spain and Portugal, to 
return to tliose of Ghent, the earl and country of Flanders, which 
were very destructive. 



CH-A.PTER XCIII. 

GHENT IS IN GREAT DISTRESS FOR PROVISIONS ; THF.T ARE SUCCORED BT 
THE INHABITANTS OF LIEOE. 

Ever since the burning of Grammont, and the breaking up the 
siege of Ghent, through the grief of the earl of Flanders for the death 
of his cousin, the young lord d'Anghien, as you have before heard, 
the war was carried on solely by thegarrisons in the different towns. 
The whole country was for the earl, except the Quatre Metiers, 
whence provisions were sent into Ghent, as well as from the conn, 
try of Alost. But the earl of Flanders, on hearing that cheese, but- 
ter and other things were sent to Glient from Alost and the adjacent 
villages, soon put a stop to it, by ordering the garrison of Dendremond 



*"Avis." Froissart calls him master Deoys. Fuf particular of the order of tlie Btrtl, 
see tlie Historie dee Ordree de Cbeveleiie. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &.c. 



301 



to bum and destroy the whole of thot flat country : which orders 
being obeyed, the poor people who lived on ilie produce of tlieir 
cattle were forced U) fly into Brabant and Hainault, and the greater 
part to beg their bread. There still, however, remained a country 
dependent on the Quatre Metiers, whence Ghent drew all its provis- 
ions, which their enemies could not prevent. 

This whole winter of 1382, the earl and country of Flanders had 
BO much constrained Ghent that nothing could enter tlie place by 
land or water : he had persuaded the duke Brabant and duke Albert 
to shut up their countries so effectually, that no provisions could be 
exported thence, but secretly, ajid with a great risk to those who 
attempted it. It was thought by the most intelligent, that it could 
not be long before they perished through famine, for all the store- 
houses of corn were empty, and the people could not obtain bread 
for money : when the bakers had baked any, it was necessary to 
gfuard their shops, for the populace wlio were starving would have 
broken them open. It was melanclioly to hear these poor people 
(for men women and children, of good substance were in this miser- 
able plight) make their daily coniplaiiils and cries to Philip von Ar- 
taveld, their commander-in-chief. He took great compassion on 
them, and made several very good regulations, for which lie was 
much praised. He ordered the granaries of the monasteries and rich 
men to be opened, and divided the corn among the poor at a fi.xed 
price. By sucli means he gave comfort to the town of Ghent, and 
governed it well. Sometimes t'lere came to them in casks flour and 
baked bread from Holland and Zealand, which were of great assist- 
ance ; for, had they not been thus succored by those countries, lliej' 
would have been much sooner defeated. 

The duke of Brabant had forbidden any of his subjects to carry 
provisions to the inhabitants of Ghent, under pain of death; but, if 
they would run tlie risk of coming to seek them, tiiey might sell or 
give. When Lent came, they were in the greatest distress ; for they 
bad not any provisions suitable to that lime : insomuch that a body 
of soldiers and other persons, to the amount of twelve thousand, 
driven desperate by famine, left the town and went te Brussels. On 
their arrival, tlie gates were closed, for they v.-ere doubtful of their 
intentions, not know-ing wliat to think of them. V/hen they were 
near to Brussels, they sent a party unarmed to the gates, in search 
of provision, begging, for the love of God, they would have pity on 
them, and let them have victuals for their money, as they were dying 
of hunger, and would not do any harm to the country. The good 
people of Brussels had compassion on them, and carried them food 
sufficient to satisfy their hunger. They remained there to recruit 
themselves about three weeks, but did not enter any of the principal 
towns : they advanced as far as Louvain, the people of which place 
also took pity on them, and gave them many tilings. The leader 
and conductor of these men of Ghent was Francis Atremen, who 
advised them how to act, and also made for them their agreements 
with the different towns. During the time they were refreshing 
themselves in the country round Louvain, he went to Liege, accom- 
panied by twelve others, where he remonstrated so effectually with 
the magistrates that they consented, with the approbation of their 
bishop, the lord Arnold d'Erele, to send to the earl of Flanders, and 
use tlieir utmost endeavors to make a peace between them : adding, 
that if Liege had been as near to them as Brabant and Hainault, they 
would have more effectually assisted them in their rights, and in de- 
ending their privileges. However, they said, " We will now do 
everything we can for you, and, as you are merchants, and merchan. 
dise ought to pass freely everywhere, we have determined that you 
may contract at this moment for five or six hundred cart loads of 
corn and flour, which we will allow you to have, provided the good 
people from whom this provision comes can be satisfied. Our com- 
merce will be suffered to pass through Brabant, for that country is in 
friendship with us ; and, notwithstanding Brussels is shut against 
you, we know it is more through fear than inclination. The Brus- 
selers have great compassion on your sufferings ; but the dake and 
duchess of Brabant, at the solicitations of the earl of Flanders, are 
more his friends than yours, as it is natural that great lords should 
support each other." 

The men of Ghent were much pleased with the affectionate offers 
the Liegeois made them ; they warmly thanked tliem, and said, that 
with such allies and friends, the town of Ghent might do nmch. 
Francis and the citizens of Ghent who had aecompauicd him into 
Liege, having finished their business, took leave of the magistrates, 
who ordered certain persons to attend them through the country to 
collect carts and horses. In two days they had si."; hundred loaded 
with corn and flour, for such stores were then more necessary to 
them than any others. They set out on their return, passing between 
Louvain and Brussels. When Francis Atremen was returned to his 
men whom he had left in the neighborhood of Louvain, he related to 
them the love and courtesy which those of Liege had shown, and the 
offer they had made of their friendship. He added, that they would 
go to Brussels to speak with the duchess of Brabant, and beg and 
entreat of her, on the part of the good town of Ghent, to condescend 
to mediate between them and tlie earl their lord, so that they might 
obtain peace. They replied, " God's will be done," and marched to 
Brussels. 

The duke of Brabant, at this time, was at Luxembourg on his af. 
fairs ; and Francis, by permission of the duchess, who was desirous 



to see him, entered the town, attended only by two other persons 
They waited on her at her h6tel at Colleberge, where the duchess 
had assembled part of her council ; and, throwing themselves on 
their knees, Francis, who spoke for all, said, " Much honored and 
dear lady, may it please you, out of your great humility, to have 
compassion on the inhabitants of Ghent, who are not able, by any 
means hitherto employed, to obtain the pardon of their lord ; but if 
you, very dear lady, would mediate between our lord and us, so that 
he would hear but reason and have mercy on his vassals, you would 
do a most charitable act, and our good friends and neighbors of Liege 
would U]iite to assist you at any time and in any manner you shall 
please." 

The duchess replied with much genfleness, " that she had long 
been sorry for the dissensions which had arisen between her brother* 
the earl and them, and would willingly have put an end to them for 
some time past, had she been able or had she known how to do it : 
but you so often oppose him, and are so obstinate in your opinions, 
that it keeps up his anger and hatred against you. Notwithstanding 
all this, for love of God and through compassion, I will cheerfully 
undertake tliis business, and se-nd to request he will have the good, 
ness to come to Tournay, where I will order my privy council. You 
will also exert yourselves to gain the council of Hainault, to accom- 
pany that of Liege, which you say is ready to serve you." " Yes, 
madam, for they have so promised us." " Well," said the duchess, 
" I will do something that you shall hear of." They replied, " God 
preserve, madam, your soul and body." At these words they took 
leave of the duchess and her council, departed from Brussels, and 
returned to their men and carriages, which were waiting for them, 
and then continued their road to Ghent. 

When the news arrived that their people were returning, and 
bringing with them six hundred cart-loads of provision, of which they 
were in such great want, they were highly delighted : these provis- 
ions, however, from Liege were not sufficient to maintain the town 
fifteen days ; but to those who are comfortless a little thing gives 
hope. They made a numerous procession to meet this convoy, and, 
by way of humbling themselves, they fell on their knees when they 
met it, and with uplifted hands, said to the merchants and drivers, 
" Ah, good people, you do an act of great charity : you bring comfort 
to the lower classes in Ghent, who would not have had wherewithal 
to cat, if you had not come. Let us first give our thanks and praises 
to God, and then to you." In this manner were the provisions at- 
tended to the market-place, and there unloaded : they were then 
delivered out in small proportions to those who were in the greatest 
want ; and five thousand men were ordered to arm themselves, and 
to escort back these carts as far as Brabant, and out of all danger. 

The earl of Flanders, who resided at Bruges, had information of 
all this, and how Ghent was so much straitened that it could not hold 
out for any length of time. You may imagine he was not very much 
vexed at their poverty, any more than those of his council, who 
would, with pleasure, have seen the town of Ghent destroyed. Gil- 
bert Matthew and his brothers, the deacon of small trades of Ghent, 
and the provost of Harlebecque, were in high spirits at what they 
heard. All these events happened in Lent, during the months of 
March and April 1382.t The earl of Flanders determined to lay 
siege to Ghent once more, but with a much superior army to what 
he had hitherto brought against it; for he declared he would invade 
the Quatre Metiers, and burn and destroy them, as they had been 
too active in assisting Ghent. The earl therefore signified his inten- 
tions to all the piincipal towns in Flanders, that they might be ready 
in time. Immediately after the procession at Bruges, he was to 
march from hence, to lay siege to Ghent and destroy it. He wrote 
also to those knights and squires who were dependent on him in 
Hainault, to meet him at Bruges at the appointed day, or even eight 
days before. 

CHAPTER XCIV. 

THE EARL OF fLANDERS SENDS A HARSH ANSWER TO THOSE WHO WISHED 
TO MEDIATE A PEACE BETWEEN HIM AND GHENT. THE POPULACE, 
UNDER THE NAME OF JIAILLOTINS, RISE AGAIN AT PARIS. 

Notwithstanding all these summons, levies and orders, which 
the earl of Flanders was issuing, the duchess of Brabant, duke Albert 
and the bishop of Liege, exerted themselves so much, that a meet- 
ing ot their councils, to consider of the means of establishing a peace, 
was ordered to be held in the city of Tournay. The carl of Flan- 
dors, at the request of these lords, and the ducliess of Brabant, 
although he intended to act contrary, gave his terms of accommoda- 
tion ; and these conferences were fixed for the end of Easter, at 
Tournay, in the year 1382. 

Twelve deputies came from the bishopric of Liege and the chief 
towns, with sir Lambert dc Perney, a very discreet knight. The 
duchess of Brabant sent her council thither, and some of the princi- 
pal inhabitants from the great towns. _ Duke Albert met likewise 
his council from Hainault, his bailiff', 'sir Simon dc Lalain, with 
others. All these came to Tournay in Easter-week ; and Ghent 
sent also twelve deputies, of whom Philip von Artaveld was the 
hend. The inhabitants of Ghent had resolved to accede to what- 



* Her brother. He hiid married one of ber eialers. 

t " 1^83." That is, beginning the year at January, oUierwiM 1381. 



302 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &. c . 



ever terms their deputies should agree on, with the exception that 
no one was to be put to death ; but that if .t pleased the earl, their 
lord he mioht banish from Ghent, and the country of Flanders, all 
those who were disagreeable to him, and whom he might wish to 
punish without anv possibility of their return. This resolution they 
had determined to abide by ; and Philip von Artaveld was willing, 
if he should have angered the earl ever so little, during the time he 
was governor of Ghent, to be one of the banished men, for lite, out 
of the regard he had for the lower ranks of people. Certain it is, 
that when he set out from Ghent for Tournay, men, women and 
children cast themselves before him on their knees, and with uplittcd 
hands, besought him, that at whatever cost it might be, he would 
bring them back peace ; and, from the pity he felt for them, he had 
agreed to act as I have just related. 

When the deputies from Liege, Brabant and Hainault, who had 
been sent to Tournay as mediators, had resided there three days 
expecting the carl, who neither came nor sent ; thsy were much 
surprised, and, consulting together, resolved tj send to him at Bruges. 
In consequence, they dispatched thither sir Lambert de Perney, the 
lord de Compellant from Brabant, sir William de Hermen* from 
•Hainault, and six citizens from the three countries. The carl of 
Flanders entertained them handsomely, as was right, hut told them, 
■"that at that moment, it was not agreeable to him to come to Tour, 
nay; yet, in consideration for the cause which had brought them 
thither, and the trouble they had taken to come to Bruges, as well 
as out of respect to their lords, the duchess of Brabant his sister, 
duke Albert his cousin and the bishop of Liege, he would instantly 
send his council to Tournay with his final declaration, and what 
were his future intcniions." They therefore returned to Tournay, 
and related what the carl had said. 

Six days afterwards, arrived at Tournay, by orders of the earl, the ^ 
lord de Raseflez, the lord de Gontris, sir John Villame and the pro- 
vost of Hariebecque, who made excuses from the earl why he came 
not in person. They then delivered the eari's determination, that 
the inhabitants of Ghent were not to expect peace from him, unless 
all persons, from the age of fifteen to sixty, submitted to come out 
of that city, bare-headed in their shirts, with haltere about their 
necks, on the road between Ghent and Bruges, where the eari would 
wait for them, and grant them pardon or put them to death, accord- 
ing to his pleasure. When this answer was carried by the deputies 
of the three countries to those of Ghent, they were more confounded 
than ever. The bailiff of Hainault, then addressing them, said : 
" My good gentlemen, you arc in groat peril, as you may each of 
you judge, and we can assure you of it : now, if you accept these 
temis, he will not put all to death that shall present themselves be- 
fore him, but only some who have angered him more than the rest ; 
and means may be found to mollify him, and e.xcite his compassion ; 
fio that those who may think themselves certain of death will be 
pardoned : accept, therefore, these offers, or at least consider well 
before you refuse them ; for I believe you will never have such 
made to you again." 

Philip von Artaveld replied : " We are not commissioned to treat 
on such terms by our townsmen, nor will they ever accept them ; 
Init if the citizens in Ghent, upon our return, after having informed 
them of the answer from the eari, shall he willing to submit them- 
selves, it shall not be our fault that peace is not made. We give 
you our best and warmest thanks for the great trouble and pains you 
have taken in this business."' They then took leave of those well- 
intentioned persons, and the other deputies from the principal towns 
of the three countries, and showed plainly that they would not ac- 
cept of the offered terms for peace. Philip von Artaveld and his 
companions went to their hotels, discharged their bills, and returned 
through Brabant to Ghent. 

Thus was this conference broken up, which had been assembled 
with the best intentions, in the town of Tournay, and each man 
returned to his home. The earl of Flanders never made an inquiry 
what was the answer of the Ghent deputies, so very cheap did he 
hold them. He wished not for any treaty of peace , for he well 
knew he had punished them so hard they could not hold out against 
him much longer, and that the end must be honorable to him : he 
was also desirous to reduce Ghent to such a situation that all other 
towns might take warning from it. 

About this period the Parisians again rose, because the king did 
not reside among them. They were afraid lest he should order his 
men-nt-arms to force the gates of the city in the night-time, overrun 
it, and put to death whomsoever he pleased. To avoid this danger, 
which they dreaded, they kept guards in all the streets and squares 
every night, and barricaded the streets with chains, to prevent any 
cavalry from pai^sing ; nor would they suffer any one on foot to pass : 
and those found in the streets after nine o'clock, who were not ac- 
knowledged by them or their partisans, were put to death. There 
were in the city of Paris upward of thirty thousand rich and power- 
ful men, armed from head to foot, and so handsomely arrayed that 
few knights could afford to rival them. They had, in like manner, 
armed their servants, who had mallets of iron and lead for the bruis- 
ing of helmets. They said in Paris, when they were mustering 
.iheir men, that they were sufficient in number and strength to fight 



their own battles, without the aid of the greatest lord on earth. 
These people were called the army of mallets. 



CHAPTER XCV. 

THE CITIZENS OF GHENT, AFTEK HAVING HEAED FROM PHILIP VON AR- 
TAVELD THE TERMS OF PEACE WHICH HE HAD BROUGHT FROM TBE 
CONFERENCES AT TOURNAY, MARCH OUT, TO THE NUMBER OF FIVE 
THOUSAND, TO ATTACK THE EARL OF FLANDERS IN BRUGES. 



*'* Hermen," Q. Helmon. iee p. 20d.— Ed. 



When Philip Von Artaveld and his companions returned to Ghent, 
great crowds of the common people, who only wished for pence, 
were much rejoiced on his arrival, and hoped to hear from him good 
news. They went out to meet him, saying, "Ah, dear Philip von 
Artaveld. make us happy : tell us what you have done, and how you 
have succeeded." Philip made no answer to these questions, but 
rode on, holding down his head : the more silent he was, the more 
they followed him, and were the more clamorous. Once or twice, 
as lie was advancing to his house, he said, "Get you to your homes, . 
and may God preserve you from harm ; to-moiTow morning be in 
the market-place by nine o'clock, and there you shall hear every, 
thing." As they could not obtain any other answer, the people 
were exceedingly alarmed. 

When Philip Von Artaveld had dismounted at his door, and his 
companions were returned to their homes, Peter du Bois, anxious to 
learn what had been done, came in the evening to Philip, and, hav- 
ing shut himself in a chamber with him, asked what success he had 
met with. Philip, who wished to hide nothing from him, replied : 
" By my faith, Peter, from the answer which my lord of Flanders 
has given by those of his council whom he sent to Tournay, he will 
not pardon a soul in Ghent ; no not one." " By my troth," said 
Peter du Bois, " he is in the right, and has been wisely advised to 
send such an answer ; for we are all equally implicated one as much 
as another. I have succeeded in my expectntion ; for the town of 
Ghent is in such confusion that it cannot well be appeased. We 
must become desperate, and it shall be seen if there be not prudent 
and valiant men in Ghent. In a few days, the town of Ghent will 
be the most respected in Christendom, or the most humbled. How- 
ever, if we do perish in this quarrel, we shall not die alone. You 
must now, Philip, consider how you will relate the conferences of 
Tour.'.ay to-morrow, so that every one may be satisfied with your 
conduct. You are at this moment in high favor with the people, for 
two reasons ; one, on account of the name you bear, for Jacob von 
Artaveld, your father, was formerly much beloved in this town ; the 
other, from the genrie and friendly manner with which you address 
them, which they publicly praise i they will therefore firmly believe 
everything you shall tell them ; and, toward the end, you shall add, 
' If I were to advise, I would do so and so :' but it is necessary you 
consider this well, so that you stand on sure grounds and gain honor 
by it." " Peter," said Philip von Artaveld, "you speak truth ; and 
I think I shall be able to explain and harangue in such a manner on 
the affairs of Ghent that, between ourselves, we who are the gov- 
ernors and lenders in Ghent shall live and die with honor." Nothing 
more was said or done at that time, for they separated : Peter du 
Bius returned to his house, and Philip remained where he was. 

You may easily imagine, when the day so eagerly expected was 
come, in which Philip was to report what had passed in the confer- 
ences at Tournay, that all the inhabitants of Ghent were early in 
the market-place. It was on a Wednesday morning, and the time 
of meeting nine o'clock. Philip von Artaveld, Peter du Bois, Peter 
ie Nuitre, Francis Atremen, and the other chiefs came there ; and, 
having entered the town-hall, they ascended the staircase, when 
Philip, showing himself from the windows, thus spoke : " My good 
friends, it is true, that through the entreaties of the ^-ery noble lady 
the duchess of Brabant, the most puissant and noble prince duke 
Albert, regent of Hainault, Holland and Zealand, and of my lord 
the bishop of Liege, a conference was appointed to be holden at 
Tournay these last days, which the earl of Flanders was personally 
to attend, and which he had promised to the noble persons just men- 
tioned, who have indeed most handsomely acquitted themselves. 
They sent thither their most able counsellors, and the principal in- 
habitants from the greatest towns, who waited several days in expec- 
tation of the earl of Flandei-s ; but he came not, nor indeed sent 
any excuses. When they perceived this, they resolved to choose 
three knights from the three countries, and six citizens, and send 
them to him. Out of affection to us they undertook the business, 
and went to Bruges, where they found my lord of Flanders, who 
entertained them well, as they said, and willingly listened to them : 
he then declared, that out of respect to their lord, and to his sister, 
in-law, madame de Brabant, he would send his council to Tour- 
nay in the course of five or six days, so well instructed, that they 
would clearly explain his determined intention, which when they 
should hear, they would know how to act : not obtaining any other 
answer, they returned on the day appointed. In consequence of 
this, the lord de Raseflez, the lord de Gontris, sir John Villames, 
and the provost of Hariebecque, came to Tournay, where they very 
graciously informed us of the will of the earl, and the only means 
of putting an end to this war. They declared his final terms for 
peace between him and the inhabitants of Ghent were, that every 



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303 



male inhabitant, excepting priests and monks, from the age of six- 
teen to that of sixty, should march out of the town in their shirts, 
with bare heads and feel, and halters about their necks, and should 
thus go two leagues or more to the plains of Burlesquans, where 
they would meet the earl of Flanders, attended by such whom he 
may choose to bring with him ; and that, when he should see us in 
this situation, with joined hands, crying out for mercy, he would, if 
he pleased, take compassion on us. But I could not learn from his 
council, that there was the least plea of justice to put to death such 
numbers of people as would be there that day.* Now, consider if 
you will have peace on these terms ?" 

When Philip had done speaking, it was a melancholy sight to be. 
hold men, women, and children, bewailing, with tears, their hus- 
bands, fathers, brothers, and neighbors. After this tumult and noise 
had lasted some time, Philip again addressed them, and cried out, 
*' Silence, silence !" when, on his beginning to speak, they ceased 
lamenting, "Worthy inhabitants of Ghent, you who are here assem- 
bled, are the majority of its citizens, and you have heard all I had 
to report to you : I see no means of remedy but a determined con- 
duct. You know how very nmch we are straitened for all sorts of 
provision, and that there are thirty thousand persons in this town, 
who have not ealen bread for fifteen days. In my opinion, we have 
but the choice of three things ; the first, that we close all our gates, 
and then, after having confessed ourselves, most fully, retire into the 
churches and monasteries, and there die confessed and repentant, 
like martyrs, to whom no mercy has been shown. In this state God 
will have pity on us, and on our souls ; and wherever this shall be 
told or heard, they will say that we died nobly, like loyal men-at. 
arms. Or, let us resolve to inarch out, men, women, and children, 
■with halters about our necks, bareheaded, and with naked feet, and 
implore the mercy of my lord the earl : he is not so hard-hearted, 
nor so obstinate, but when he shall see us in such a humiliating con- 
dition, he will be softened, and take pity on his subjects ; and I will 
be the first to offer him my head, in order to assuage his hatred, and 
sacrifice myself for the city of Ghent. Or, let us choose from five 
to six thousand of the most determined men in the town, and in. 
stantiy march to attack the earl in Bruges ; we will give him com- 
bat ; and if w'e should be slain in the attempt, at least we shall die 
with honor, and God will have mercy u])on us ; and the world will 
say, that we have gallantly and valorously maintained our quarrel. 
If however, in this battle we be victorious, and our Lord God, who 
in ancient times delegated his power into the hands of Judas Mac- 
cabeus, the chief of his Jewish people, so that the Syrians were 
defeated and slain, would be indulgent enough to grant us this kind- 
ness, we should be everwhere the most honored people since the 
time of the Romans. Now consider which of these three proposi- 
tions you will make choice of, for one of them must be adopted." 

Those who were near him, and had most distinctly heard w-hat he 
had said, replied, " Ah, dear lord, we put our whole confidence in 
you : what woidd you advise us ? for we will do whatever you think 
will be most for our advantage." " By my faith, then," said Philip, 
" I would advise that we all march in arms against my lord. We 
shall find him at Bruges ; and, when he hears of our coming, he will 
sally forth and fight with us ; for the pride of those in Bruges and 
about his person, who excite him day and night against us, will urge 
him to the combat. If God shall, through his mercy, grant that we 
gain the field, and defeat our enemies, our affairs will be instantly 
retrieved, and we shall be the most respected people in the universe. 
If we be defeated, we shall die honorably, and God will have pity on 
us ; and thus the remainder of the inhabitants of Ghent will escape 
and be pardoned by the earl our lord." 

.\t these words, they all shouted out, " We will follow this plan, 
and no other !" Philip then said, " My good gentlemen, since you are 
thus resolved, return home and get ready your arms ; for in the 
course of to-morrow, I am determined to march for Bruges : the 
remaining longer here will not be to our advantage. Within five 
days we shall know if we be to die, or to live with honor. I will order 
the constables of the different parishes to go from house to house, 
and choose the best armed and those most fit for the service." 

Immediately after the meeting broke up, and every one returned 
home to make ready, each according to his abilities ; they kept the 
gates of the town so closely shut that no person whatever was suf- 
fered to come in or go out before Thursday afternoon, when those 
who were to march on the expedition were prepared : in all about 
five thousand men, and not more. They loaded about two hundred 
carts with cannon and artillery, and only seven with provisions ; 
that is, five with bread and two with wine, for there were but two 
tuns of wine in the town. You may judge from this to what straits 
they had been reduced. 

It was a miserable spectacle to see those who went and those who 
remained. These last said to them, " Good friends, you see what 
you leave behind ; but never think of returning unless you can do 



so with honor, for you will not find anything here. The moment 
we hear of your defeat or death, we will set fire to the town, and 
perish in the flames, like men in despair." Those who were march, 
ing ou", replied, by way of comforting them, " What you say is very 
just. Fray God for us ; for wc place our hopes in him, and trust he 
will assist you, as well as us, before our return." 

Thus did these five thousand men of Ghent march ofl' with their 
slender stores, and encamped about a league from Ghent, but touched 
not their provision, taking up wi'h what they could find in the 
country. On Friday, they marched the whole day, and then med- 
dled not with their store." : but their scouts picked up some few 
things Ml the country, wiih which they made shift, and fixed their 
quarters that evening a long league from Bruges. They halted 
there, considering it a proper place lo wait for their enemies, for 
there were in front two extensive marshes, which were a good de- 
fence on one side ; and they fortified themselves on the others with 
the carriages, and thus passed the night. 



* " Mais je ne puis veoir. n'entendre, par iR relation de son conseil. qu'il ne convienne 
mourir honteusement par punition de justice et de prison, la greigueur partie du peuple 
qui Ik sera en ce jour." are tiie words of Froissart. accordniK to D, Pauvaee, wliicli 
are well rendered by Lord Bernera : " But. sirs. I cannat knnwe by the relacion of any 
of his counsttyle, but that by shameful! punycion of lustyce, and by imprisonment, 
tliere shall auffre dethe the moost part of the people that appere there that day." Mr. 
Johnes appears to have followed another copy, but tbe version which he has adopted 
does not appear very intelligible —Ed 



CHAPTER XCVI. 

THE OKDEK OF BATTLE OF THE GHEHT MEN. THEY DEFEAT THE EARL 
OF FLANDERS AND THE MEN OF BRUGES. THE MEANS BY WHICH THIS 
WAS BROUGHT ABOUT. 

The Saturday* was a fine bright day, and, being the feast of the 
Holy Cross, the inhabitants of Bruges, according to custom, made 
their usual processions. News was soon brought to Bruges, that 
the Ghent army was near at hand ; so that every one began to mnr. 
mur until the earl heard it, as well as those about his person. He 
was much surprised, and said, " See how the wickedness of these 
mad and foolish people of Ghent leads them to their destruction : 
indeed it is time this war should be put an end to." His knights, 
and othci-s, instantly waited on him, whom he very graciously 
received, and said, " We will go and fight these w'icked people ; 
however, they show courage in preferring death by the sword rather 
than famine." They determined to send out three men-at-arms to 
examine the force and situation of the enemy. The marshal of 
Flanders ordered three valiant squires on tnis service, whose names 
were Lambert de Lambres, Damas de Buffy, and John de Beart : 
they set out, mounted "n the finest horses in the town, and advanced 
toward the Ghent army. While this was going forward, every per. 
son in Bruges made himself ready, and showed the most eager desire 
to sally forth and combat the men of Ghent ; of whom I will now 
say a word, and of the manner in which they had drawn themselves 
up. 

On the Saturday morning, Philip von Artaveld ordered his whole 
army to pay their devotions to God, and masses to be said in different 
places ; (for there were with them several monks) that every man 
shotdd confess himself, and make other becoming preparations, and 
that they should pray to God with that truth, as people looking to 
him alone for mercy. All this was done, and mass celebrated in 
seven different places. After each mass was a sermon, which lasted 
an hour and a half; the monks and priests endeavored, by their dis- 
courses, to show the great similitude between them and the people 
of Israel, whom Pharaoh king of Egypt detained so long in slavery, 
and who, through God's grace, were delivered, and conducted by 
Moses and Aaron into the land of promise, while Pharaoh and the 
Egyptians were drowned. " In like maimer, my good people," 
preached the monks, " have you been kept in bondage by your 
lord, the earl of Flanders, and by your neighbors of Bruges, whom 
you are now to meet, and by whom you will, without doubt, be com- 
bated, for your enemies are in great numbers, and have little fear of 
your force ; but do not you mind this ; for God, who can do all 
things and is acquainted with your situation, will have mercy on 
you : therefore, think of nothing but what you have left behind ; for 
you well know, that everything is lost, if you be defeated. Sell 
yourselves well and valiantly ; and if you must die, die with honor. 
Do not be alarmed if great numbers issue forth from Bruges against 
you, for victory is not to the mullitude, but whither God shall please 
to send it ; and, by his grace, it has been often seen, as well by the 
Maccabees as the Romans, that those who fought manfully, and con. 
fided in God, discomfited the greater number. Besides, you have 
justice and reason on your side in this quarrel, which ought to make 
you feel yourselves bold and better comforted." In such words as 
these the priests had been ordered to preach to the army, and with 
these discourses they were well pleased. Three parts of them com. 
municated, and all showed great devotion and much fear in God. 

After the sermons, the whole army assembled round a small hill, 
on which Philip von Artaveld placed himself, in order lo be the bet. 
ter heard, and harangued them very ably, explaining to them every 
point in which they were justified in this war; and how Ghent had 
frequently sought pardon from the earl, and never could obtain it, 
without submitting to conditions too hard for the town and its inliab. 
itants : that now they had advanced so far they could not retreat ; 
and that, if they would consider, they would see nothing could be 
gained were they to return, for all they had left behind were in sor. 
row and misery. They ought not, therefore, to think of Ghent, 
their wives and children who were in it, but to act in such manner 



* •' The 3rd of May."— See I'.in ie Firijicr les Datts. 



304 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND. BR ANCE, SPAIN. & c . 



as was becon.ing their honor. Philip von ArtavelJ addressed many 
more fine speeches to them : for he was very eloquent and had 
words at command, which was fortunate tor him, and toward the end 
he added " My good friends, you see here all your provision : divide 
it amon"-' you fairly, like brethren, without any disturbance; for 
when it Ts gone, you must conquer more, if you wish to live." 

At these words they drew up very regularly, and unloaded the 
carts, when the bags of bread were given out, to be divided by con- 
stablewicks, and the two tuns of wine placed on their bottoms ; and 
there they moderatelv breakfasted, each man having a sufficiency at 
that time ; after which breakfast they found themselves more deter- 
mined and active on their feet than if they had eaten more. This 
repast being over, tliev put themselves in order, and retired within 
their ribaudeaus. These ribaudeaus are tall stakes, witli points shod 
with iron, which they were always accustomed to carry with them. 
They fixed them in front of their army, and inclosed themselves 
within. 

The three knights who liad been sent by the earl to reconnoitre, 
found them in this situation : they approached the entrances of these 
ribaudeaus ; but the Ghent men never moved, and rather seemed 
rejoiced to see them. They returned to Bruges, where they found 
the earl in his palace, surrounded by many knights, waituig ior them, 
to hear what intelligence they had brought back. They pushed 
throu<^li the crowd, and came near the earl, when they spoke aloud, 
for the earl wished all present to hear, and said, " they had advanced 
so close to the Ghent army, that they might have shot at them, i 
they had so chosen, but they left them in peace ; and thtit they had 
seen their banners, and the army inclosed within their ribaudeaus." 
" And what are iheir numbers, think ye ?" said the earl. They 
answered, " that aa near as they could guess, they might be from hve 
to six thousand." " Well," said the earl, " now let every one in- 
stantly get ready ; for I will give them battle, and this day shall not 
pass without a combat." At these words the trumpet sounded in 
Bruges, when every one armed himself, and made tor the market, 
plac'c. As thev came, they drew up under their proper banners, as 
tliey had usually done, in bands and constablewicks. 

Many barons, knights, and men-at-arms, drew up before the pal. 
ace of the earl. When all was ready, and the earl armed, he came 
to tlie market-place, and was much pleased to see such numbers in 
battle-array. They then marched off, for none dared disobey his 
commands ; and, in order of battle, made for the plain : the men-at. 
arms afterwards issued forth from Bruges. It was a haridsome^sight, 
for there were upward of forty thousand armed heads ; and thus 
horse and foot advanced in proper order, near to the place where the 
Ghent men were, and then halted. It was late in the afternoon when 
the ea^l and his army arrived, and the sun going down. One of the 
knii'hts said to the carl, " My lord, you now see your enemies : they 
are "but a handful of men in comparison with your army, and as they 
cannot escape, do not engage them this day ; but wait for to-morrow, 
when you will have the day before you : you will, besides, have more 
light to see what you are about, and they will be weaker, for they 
have not anything to eat." , ,, ■,,■ i i, „ 

. The earl approved much this advice, and would wdlingly have 
followed it ; but the men of Bruges, impatient to begin the fight, 
woidd not wait, saying, they would soon defeat them and return back 
to their town. Notwithstanding the orders of the men-at-arms, for 
the earl had not less than eight hundred lances, knights, and squires, 
tlie Bruges men bean to shoot and to fire cannons. 

The Ghent men, being collected in a body on an eminence, hred 
at once three hundred cannon; after which they turned the marsh, 
and placed the Bruges men with the sun in their eyes, which much 
distressed them, and then fell upon them, shouting out, -'Ghent !" 
The moment the men of Bruges heard the cannon and the cry ol 
Ghent, and saw them marching to attack them in front, they, like 
cowards, opened their ranks, and letting the Ghent men pass without 
roakinc any defence, flung down their staves and ran away. 1 he 
Ghent°men were in close order, and, perceiving their enemies were 
defeated, began to knock down and kill on all sides. They advanced 
with a quick step, shouting, " Ghent !" and saying, " Let ua pursue 
briskly our enemies, who ai'e defeated, and enter the town with 
them : God eyes us this day with looks of pity." 

They followed those of Bruges with so much courage, that when, 
ever they knocked down or killed any one, they marched on without 
halting or Quitting the pursuit, while the men of Bruges fled with the 
haste of a defeated army. I must say, that at this place there were 
multitudes of slain, wounded, and thrown down ; for they made no 
defence, and never were such cowardly wretches aa those of Bruges, 
or who more weakly or recreantly behaved themselves, after then- 
insolence when thev first took the field. Some may wish to excuse 
them by supposing there might have been treason, which caused tlua 
defeat. This was not so ; but such poor and weak conduct fell on 
their own heads. 



defeat, and that there was not any remedy for it, for every man was 
running away as fast as he could, they were much suiprised, and 
began to be alarmed for themselves, and to make oflT in different 
directions. It is true, that had they seen any probability of recover- 
in" the loss which the Bruges men were sufi'ering, they would have 
doTic some deeds of arms, by which they might have rallied them a 
little : but they saw it was hopeless, for they were flying to Bruges 
in all directions, and neither the son waited for the father nor the 
father for his child. 

The men.at.arms, therefore, began to break their ranks. Few 
had any desire to return to Brages, for the crowd was so great on 
the road tluther, that it was painful to see and hear the complaints 
of the wounded and hurt. The men of Ghent were close at iheir 
heels, shouting out, " Ghent, Ghent I" knocking down all that ob. 
structed them. The greater part of the men-at-arms had never 
before been in such peril : even the earl was advised to make for 
Bruges, and to have the gates closed and guarded, so that the Ghent 
men should not be able to force them and become masters of the 
town. The earl of Flanders saw no help for his men, who were 
flying on all sides, and, as it was now dark night, followed this ad- 
vice and took the road to Bruges, his banner displayed before him. 
He entered the gates one of the firet, with about forty others, for no 
more had followed him. He ordered the guards to defend the gates 
if the Ghent men should come hither, and then rode to his palace, 
from whence he issued a proclamation, that ever\- person, under pain 
of death, should assemble in the market-place. The intention of 
the earl was to save the town by this meaas : but it did not suceeod, 
as you shall hear. 

While the earl was in his palace, and had sent the clerks of the 
different trades from street to street, to hasten the inhabitants to the 
market-place, in order to preserve the city, the men of Ghent, having 
closely pursued their enemies, entered the town with them, and in- 
stantly made for the market-place, without turning to the right or left, 
where they drew themselves up in array. Sir Robert Mareschaut, 
one of the'earl's knights, had been sent to the gates to see they were 
guarded : but, while the earl was planning means for defending the 
town, sir Robert found a gate fiung off its hinges, and the Ghent 
men mastera of it. Some of the citizens said to him, " Robert, 
Robert, return and save yourself, if you can, for the Ghent men have 
taken the town." The knight returned as speedily as he could to 
the earl, whom he met coming out of liis palace on horseback, with 
a number of torches. The knight told him what he had heard ; but, 
notwithstanding this, the earl, an.xious to defend the town, advanced 
toward the market-place, and, as he was entering it with a number 
of torches, shouting, " Flanders for the Lyon ! Flanders for the Earl !" 
those near his horse and about his person, seeing the place full of 
Ghent men, said, " My lord, return ; for if you advance further you 
will be slain, or at the best made prisoner by your enemies, as they 
are drawn up in the square and are waiting for you." 

They told him truth ; for the Ghent men, seeing the great blaze 
of torches in the street, said, " Here comes my lord, here comes the 
enrl • how he falls into our hands !" Philip von Artaveld had given 
orders to his men, that if the earl should come, every care was to be 
taken to preserve him from harm, in order that he might be earned 
alive and in "ood health to Ghent, when they should be able to 
obtain what peace thev chose. The earl had entered the square, 
near where the Ghent men were drawn up, when several people came 
to him and said, "My lord, do not come further ; for the Ghent men 
are nia<^tcre of tlie market-place and of tlie town, and if you advance, 
you will nin a risk of being taken. Numbers of them are now 
searching for their enemies from street to street, and many of the 
men of Bruges have joined them, who conduct them from h6tel to 
hotel to seek those whom they want. You cannot pass any of the 
gates without danger of being killed, for they are in their possession ; 
nor can you return to your palace, for a large rout of Ghent men 
have marched thither." , , • 

When the earl heard this speech, which was heart-breaking as 
you may guess, he began to be much alarmed, and to see the peril 
he was in. He resolved to follow the advice of not going further, 
and to save himself if he could, which was confirmed by his own 
judtrment. He ordered the torches to be extinguished, and said to 
those about him, " I see clearly that affairs are without remedy : I 
therefore five permission for evcrv one to depart and save himself in 
the be«t manner he can." His orders were obeyed. The torches 
were put out and thrown in the streets ; and all who were m com- 
panv with the earl separated and went away. He himself went to 
a by street where he was disarmed by his servant, and, throwing 
down his clothes, put on his servant's, saying, " Go about thy busi- 
ness, and save thyself if thou canst; but be silent il thou fall into 
the hands of mv enemies; and if they ask anything about me, do 
information." " My lord," replied the valet, I 



CHAPTER XCVII. 

BRUGES IS TAKEN BV THE GHENT ARMY. THE EARL 01' rL.lfTDERS 
SAVES HIMSELF IN THE HOUSE OF A POOR WOMAN. 

When the earl of Flandei-s and the men-at-arms saw that, by the 
miserable defence of the men of Bruges, they had caused their own 



not give them any : 
will sooner die." . , , , •. u . i . 

The carl of Flanders thus remained alone, and it may be truly 
said he was in the greatest danger; for it was over with him if he 
had at that hour, by any accident, fallen into the hands of the mob. 
who were going up and down the streets, searching every house for 
the friends of the earl ; and whomsoever they found they carried 
before Philip von Artaveld and the other captains in the market, 
place when they were instantly put to death. It was God aloao 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



305 



who watched over him, and delivered him from this peril : for no 
one had ever before been in sueh imminent danger, as I shall pres- 
ently relate. The earl inwardly bewailed liis situation from street 
to street at this late hour, for it was a little past midnight, and he 
dared not enter any house, lest he should be seized by the mobs of 
Ghent and Bruges. Thus, as he was rambling through the streets, 
he at last entered the house of a poor woman, a very unfit habitation 
for such a lord, as there were neither halls nor apartments, but a 
small liousc, dirty and smoky, and as black as jet ; there was only in 
this place one poor chamber, over which was a sort of garret that 
was entered by means of a ladder of seven steps, where, on a mis. 
erable bed, the children of this woman lay. 

The earl entered this house with fear and trembling, and said to 
the woman, who was also much frightened, " Woman, save me ; I 
am t!iy lord, the carl of Flanders ; but at this moment I must hide 
myself, for my enemies are in pursuit of me ; and I will handsomely 
reward thee for the favor thou showest me." The poor woman knew^ 
him well, for she had frequently received alms at his door ; and had 
often seen him pass and repass, when he was going to some amuse- 
ment, or hunting. She was ready with her answers, in which God 
assisted the earl : for liad she delayed it ever so little, they would 
have tound him in conversation with her by the fireside. "My lord, 
mount this ladder, and get under the bed in which my children sleep." 
This he did, whde she employed herself by the fireside, with another 
child in a cradle. 

The earl of Flanders mounted the ladder as quickly as he could, 
and, getting between the straw and the coverlid, hid himself, and 
contracted his body into as little space as possible. He had scarcely 
done so, when some of the mob of Ghent entered the house ; for one 
of them had said, he had seen a man go in there. They found this 
woman sitting by the fire, nursing her child, of whom they demanded, 
" Woman, where is the man we saw enter this house, and shut the 
door after him ?" " By my troth," replied she, " I have not seen 
any one enter here this night; but I have just been at the door to 
throw out some water, which I then shut after me ; besides, I have 
not any place to hide him in, for you see the whole of this house ; 
here is my bed, and my children sleep overhead." Upon this one of 
them took a candle, and mounted the ladder, and, thrusting his head 
into the place, saw nothing but the wretched bed in which the chil- 
dren were asleep. He looked all about him, above and below, and 
then said to his companions, " Come, come, let us go : we only lose 
our time here : the poor woman speaks truth ; there is not a soul but 
herself and her children." On saying this, they left the house and 
went into another quarter; and no one afterwards entered it, who 
had had intentions. 

The earl of Flanders, hearing all this conversation as he lay hid, 
you may easily imagine, was in the greatest fear of his lite. In the 
morning he could have said he was one of the most powerful princes 
in Christendom, and that same night he felt himself one of the small- 
est. One may truly say, that the fortunes of this world are not stable. 
It was fortunate for him to save his life ; and this miraculous escape 
ought to be to him a remembrance his whole lifetime. 

We will now leave the earl of Flanders, and speak of Bruges, and 
how the Ghent men prospered. 



CHAPTER XC VIII. 

THE GHENT MEN SPARE THE FOREIGN MERCHANTS AT BRUGES. THE EARL 
OF FLANDERS QUITS BRUGES, AND RETURNS T9 LIELE, WHITHEK SOME 
OF HIS PEOPLE HAD ALREADY RETREATED. 

Francis Atremen was one of the principal leadera of the mob. 
He was ordered by Philip von Artaveld and Peter du Bois, to search 
the town of Bruges, and guard the market-place, until they should 
find themselves complete masters of the town. He was particularly 
commanded to suffer no harm to be done to foreign merchants, or 
other strangers then at Bruges, for they had nothing to do with their 
quarrels. This order was very well observed, and neither Francis 
nor any of his company did the smallest hurt to a foreigner. The 
search of the Ghent men was especially directed to the four trades, 
of jerkin.makers, glassmen, butchers, and fishermen ; for they had 
resolved to put to death all whom they should find of these different 
trades, because they had been partisans of the earl of Flandera at 
Oudenarde, and other places. They sought for them everywhere, 
and when they found any, they were killed without mercy. There 
were upward of twelve hundred, one with the other, slnin this night ; 
and many murders and robberies committed, which were never 
known : several houses robbed, and women and girls violated ; cof. 
fers broken open, and a variety of wicked deeds done ; insomuch, 
that the poorest of the Ghent army became very rich. 

On the Monday morning, the happy news of the defeat of tlie earl 
and his army, was brought to Ghent; that their men had not only 
conquered them, but also the town of Bruges, of which they were 
now mattere. You may guess the joy the people folt, who had been 
so lately in the greatest tribulation ; they made many processions to 
the church to return thanksgivings to God for the mercy he had 
show n them, and for the victory he had given to their army. Every 
day there came good news, which so much delighted them, they 
j iardly knew what they were about. I mention this ; for had the 



lord de Harzelles, who had remained in Ghent, marched that Sunday, 
or the Monday morning, with three or four thousand men to Oude- 
naide, he would instantly have conquered it : they were in such con. 
sternation at the success of the Ghent men, that they were on the 
point of quilting the town, to save themselves in Ha'inault, or else- 
where, and had made preparations for so doing. But when they 
perceived the Ghent people did not come, nor had any inteUigence 
respecting them, they recovered their courage. The knights who 
were there, such as sir John Bernage, sir Thierry du Ban, and sir 
Fleuriant de Heurl(Se, guarded and comforted them until tlie arrival 
of sir Damos de Haluin, who was sent thither by the carl, as I shall 
relate when I come to that period. 

No people ever behaved themselves better toward their enemies 
than the men of Ghent did to those of Bruges, nor conducted them, 
selves more graciously to a conquered town : they did no harm to 
any of the small tradesmen unless there were very strong accusations 
against them, ^^'hell Philip von Artaveld, Peter du Bois and the 
other captains saw they were completely masters of the place, they 
issued out a proclamation in their name for all persons to retire to 
their houses, and that no one should break open or pillage any house, 
nor be any way instrumental in raising of riot3, under pain of death. 

They then inquired what had become of the earlt some said, he 
had left the town on Saturday night: others that he was yet at Bruges, 
but so closely hid that he could not be found. The captains of the 
Ghent army paid no great attention to him ; for they were so rejoiced 
at their victory that they thought nothing of any earl, baron or knight 
in Flanders, and looked on themselves as so mighty that all the world 
must obey them. Philip von Artaveld and Peter du Bois considered, 
that when they had quitted Ghent they had left it destitute of all pro. 
vision, for there was neither corn nor wine in the town : they instantly 
detached a large party to Uamme and Sluys to gain those towns, and 
the provisions which were in them, in order to supply their fellow- 
citizens in Ghent. On the detachment arriving at Damme, the gates 
were thrown open, and the town with all in it surrendered. They 
ordered out of the fine cellars the wines of Poitou, Gascony, and la 
Rochelle, and from other distant countries, to the amount of si.x thou, 
sand tuns, which they loaded on carriages and sent by land to Ghent, 
and also by boats on the river Lis. 

They then marched on to Sluys, which instantly submitted to them 
and opened its gates. They found there great quantities of casks of 
corn and flour, in ships and in the storehouses of foreign merchants, 
and having paid for the whole, sent it by land and water to Ghent. 
Thus was Ghent delivered from famine, through the mercy of God. 
It could not have happened otherwise, and well ought the Ghent men 
to remember it ; for that God assisted them is very clear, when five 
thousand famished men defeated forty thousand, even before their 
own doors. They and their leaders ought to have humbled them, 
selves ; however they did not, but rather increased their pride, inso- 
much that God was angered with them, and punished their folly before 
the year was expired, as shall be related in the course of thiB history, 
for an example to the rest of the world. 

I was informed, and believe my authority good, that on the Sunday 
evening, when it was dark, the earl of Flanders escaped from Bruges. 
I am ignorant how he accompUshed it, or if he had any assistance, 
but some I believe he must have had. He got out of the town on 
foot, clad in a miserable jerkin, and when in the fields was quite joy- 
ous, as he might then say he had escaped from the utmost peril. He 
wandered about at first, and came to a thorn bush, to consider whither 
he should go; for he was unacquainted with the roads or country, 
having never before travelled on foot. As he lay thus hid under the 
bush, he heard some one talk, who by accident was one of his 
knights, that had married a bastard daughter of his : his name was 
sir Robert Mareschaut. The earl, hearing him talk as he was pas. 
sing, said to him, " Robert, art thou there ?" The knight, who well 
knew his voice, replied, " My lord, you have this day given me great 
uneasiness in seeking for you all round Bruges; how were you able 
to escape V " Come, come, Robert," said the earl ; " this is not a 
time to tell one's adventures ; endeavor to get me a horse, for I am 
tired with walking, and take the road to Lille, if thou knowest it." 
" My lord," answered the knight, " I know it well." They then 
travelled all night and the morrow till early morn, before they could 
procure a horse. The first beast they could find was a mare, belong, 
ing to a poor man in a village. The earl mounted the mare, without 
saddle or bridle, and travelling all Monday, came, toward evening, 
to the castle of Lille, whither a great part of his knights who had 
escaped from the battle of Bruges had retired. They had got off as 
well as they could ; some on foot, others on horseback, but all did 
not follow this road ; some went by water to Holland and Zealand, 
where tlu^y remained until they received better news. 

Sir Guy de Guistelles was fortunate in getting into a good situa. 
tioJi ; for he found the count Guy de Blois in one of his towns in 
Zealand, who handsomely entertained him, and gave him where. 
withal to remount and equip himself again, retaining him with him 
as long as he chose to stay. In a similar manner were the discom- 
fited knights remounted by those lords to whom they had fled ; they 
took great compassion on them, which was but justice, for nobles 
and gentlemen ought to be assisted and comforted by each other. 



30G 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &( 



CHAPTER XCIX. 

THE CONDUCT OF THE GHENT MEM AT BRUGES. ALL THE TOWNS IN 
FLAMDERS SURRENDER TO THEM EXCEPT OUDENARDE. 

News was spread throuffh all countries of the defeat which the 
earl of Flanders and th-e city of Bruges had suffered from Ghent. 
Many were rejoiced at it, more particularly the common people. 
Those in the principal towns of Brabant and the bishopric of Liege 
were so much connected with them that they were the more pleased, 
as it was partly their own concern. Those of Paris and Rouen were 
equally delighted, though they dared not show it openly. When 
pope Clement heard the news, he mused awhile and then said, that 
this was a rod from God, to make the earl take warning, and that 
he had sent him this affliction, because he had rebelled against him. 
Several great lords in France and other countries said, the earl was 
not much to be pitied if he suffered a little ; for his presumption 
was such, that he never valued nor loved any neighboring lord, how- 
ever great, neither king of France nor other, if not agreeable to him ; 
on which account they felt the less for his distresses. Thus it falls 
out ; and as the proverb says, " On him to whom misfortune happens, 
every one turns his back." 

The town of Louvain, in particular, showed great joy at the vic- 
tory of Ghent, and the misfortunes of the earl ; for they were quar- 
relling with the duke of Brabant, their lord, who was inclined to 
make war on them, and pull down their gates; but they thought he 
would do better to remain quiet. They publicly said in the town 
of Louvain, that if Ghent were as near to them as Brussels, they 
wotdd be closely united. All these speeches were carried to the 
duke and duchess of Brabant ; but it behooved them to shut their 
eyes and ears, for it was not the moment to notice them. 

The Ghent men, during their residence at Bruges, made many 
innovations. They resolved to level two gates and the walls, and 
to fill up the ditches with them, that the inhabitants might be dis. 
abled from rebelling. They also determined, when they marched 
away, to take with them five hundred of the principal citizens to 
Ghent, to keep the town in greater fear and subjection. While the 
leaders were thus employed in destroying the gates and walls, and 
filling up the ditches, they sent detachments to Ypres, Courtray, 
Bergues, Gassel, Poperingue, Bourbourg, and to all the towns and 
castles in Flanders, on the sea-coast, and dependent on Bruges, to 
place them under their obedience, and to bring or send the keys of 
llie castles and towns, as a token of their submission. All obeyed ; 
for none dared to oppose them : and, according to the summons, 
they waited on Philip von Artaveld and Peter du Bois at Bruges. 
These two styled themselves commanders-in-chief in their procla- 
mations; but particularly Philip von Artaveld, who took the lead in 
the government of Flanders, and, during his residence at Bruges, 
kept the state of a prince. He had his minstrels daily to play before 
him at his dinners and suppers ; and was served on plate, as if he 
had been earl of Flanders. Indeed, he might well live in this mag- 
nificent manner, for he had possessed himself of all the plate, both 
gold and silver, that belonged to the earl, as well as the jewels and 
furniture of his apartments, found in his palace at Bruges, whence 
nothing had been saved. 

A detachment of the Ghent men was sent to Marie, a handsome 
house belonging to the earl, situated half a league from Bruges, where 
ijiey committed all sorts of outrages. They destroyed the house, and 
broke the font at which the earl had been baptized ; and, having 
ladeti on carts everything that was precious, of gold, silver or jewels, 
sent them to Ghent. During a whole fortnight, there were upward 
of two hundred carts daily going and returning from Bruges to Ghent 
with the immense pillage which Philip von Artaveld and the Ghent 
men had made by this conquest of Bruges ; the value of which was 
so great, that it was difficult to estimate its worth. 

When the Ghent men had done everything they willed to the city 
of Bruges, they sent to Ghent five hundred of its principal citizens, 
to remain there as hostages. Francis .\tremen and Peter le Nuitre 
escorted them with a thousand of their men. Peter du Bois remained 
governor of Bruges, until the walls, gates and ditches were completely 
levelled. Then Philip von -\rtaveld departed, taking the road toward 
Ypres ; where, on his arrival, he was met by all manner of persons, 
and received as much honor as if he were their natural lord, who 
had come, for the first time, to view his inheritance. -\11 submitted 
to his obedience. He renewed the powers of the mayor and sheriffs, 
and established new laws. Then came those of the castlewicks, 
beyond Ypres, Cassel, Bergues, Bourbourg, Furnes, Poperingue, who 
submitted to him, and swore allegiance and homage, as to their lord 
the carl of Flanders. 

When he had fully assured himself of their submission, and had 
remained eight days at Ypres, he departed, and went to Courtray, 
where he was received with great joy. He continued there five 
days, and sent his summons to the town of Oudenarde, ordering the 
citizens to come and submit themselves to him; for they risked much, 
seeing the whole country had turned to Ghent, while they alone re- 
mained behind. The messengers also told them plainly, that if they 
did not do as the others had done, they might depend on having the 
town instantly besieged ; and that the siege would not bo broken up 
until it were conquered, and all put to the sword. When this sum- 



mons was brought to Oudenarde, the governor, sir Damos de Haluin 
was absent, and only the three knights before mentioned in the place! 
They replied, with warmth, " That they were not to be frightenetl 
by the menaces of the son of a brewer of metheglin ; and that they 
would not, and could not, surrender, or any way diminish, the in. 
heritance of their lord, the earl of Flanders, but would guard and 
defend it with their lives." This was the answer the messengers 
carried back to Courtray. 



CHAPTER C. 

PHILIP VON ARTAVELD, ON HIS RETURN TO GHENT, LIVES IN GREAT POMP. 
THE EARL OF FLANDERS RESIDES AT LILLE. 

When Philip heard from the garrison of Oudenarde, that they 
neither cared for him nor his menaces, he swore, that whatever it 
might cost the country of Flanders, he would not attend to anything 
until he had taken and razed to the ground the town of Oudenarde. 
He was greatly enraged, and thought he might easily accomplish his 
threats; for all Flanders was inclined to serve him. After a residence 
of six days at Courtray, where he renewed the laws, and received the 
homage and allegiance of every one, just as if he had been earl of 
Flanders, he returned to Ghent. There came out a grand procession 
to meet him, and with such joy, that the earl, their lord, was never 
received so honorably. The people adored him as if he had been 
their god, because, through his advice, their town enjoyed such power 
and wealth. It is impossible to tell the vast quantities of valuables 
which came hither by land and water from Bruges, Damme and Sluys. 
The bread, which three weeks before was sold for an old groat, was 
now not worth more than four farthings. The wine which was at 
twenty-four groats, was now sold for two. All things were much 
cheaper at Ghent than at Toumay or Valenciennes. 

Phihp von Artaveld, like a great prince, kept a magnificent estab. 
lishment of horses, and was as grand in his hotel as the earl of Flan, 
dels was at Lille. He had his officers throughout Flanders, such as 
bailiffs, governors, receivers and Serjeants, who every week brought 
considerable sums to Ghent, where he kept his state, and was clothed 
in scarlet robes lined with furs, like the duke of Brabant or earl of 
Hainault. He had also his exchequer-chamber, where the money 
was paid, like to the earl ; and he gave dinners and suppers to the 
ladies and damsels of Ghent, as the earl used to do ; and, like him, 
was not more sparing of his money where his pleasures were con- 
cerned. When he wrote, he signed hiiuself Philip von Artaveld, 
regent of Flanders.* 

During this time, the earl of Flanders, who resided at Lille, had 
reason to be thoughtful, seeing that his country was more than ever 
in rebellion against him, an<i that from himself alone he had not any 
hopes of recovering it ; for all the towns were so much connected 
with each other that they could never be separated but by a very 
superior force. The whole country no more spoke of him, nor ac- 
knowledged him for their lord, than if he had never existed. He 
now remembered his connection with the duke of Burgundy, who 
had married the lady Margaret his daughter, by whom he had two 
fine children. He said he was happy king Charles was dead, and 
that there was a young king in France under the guardianship of his 
uncle the duke of Burgundy, who would manage and govern him 
according to his inclinations. " It will be therefore natural for the 
king of France, as I should suppose, to be enraged against my rebel- 
lious subjects ; for he has good inclinations, and is desirous of sig. 
nalizing himself in arms. The duke of Burgundy will easily induce 
him to do so, when he explains to him their insolent pride, and that 
he is bound to assist his vassals when their subjects rebel." 

But some imagine the king would not have interfered in the mat- 
ter, if it had not been for the intrigues of the duke of Burgundy ; 
for, if nothing had been done, he would have annexed Flanders to 
the crown of France by some means or other ; for the earl of Flan- 
ders was not enough in his favor to induce him to exert himself in 
his aid. We will, however, drop at present this subject until the 
proper time come, and speak of the earl of Flanders' conduct in Lille. 
After his late great discomfiture before Bruges, he learnt that sir 
Thierri du Ban, sir Fleuriant de Heurl6e and sir .John Bernage, had 
entered Oudenarde, and kept possession of it during all the events 
which had followed the defeat at Bruges. He well knew that these 
knighis were not in sufficient strength t-o oppose the force of Flan- 
ders, if they should lay siege to it, as it was expected they would 
instantly do. In order to reinforce and victual it, he called to him 
a knight, named sir Daniel de Haluyn,+ and said to him, " Daniel, 
you will go to the town of Oudenarde : I appoint you its governor, 
and you shall take with you one hundred and fifty lances, good men- 
at.arms, one hundred cross-bows, and two hundred luE<y varlets with 
pikes and shields. You will be careful of the garrison, for I give it 
loyally into your charge ; and hasten to victual it with corn, oats. 



* " Regent of Flanders.'* Tn ttie original this stands, " Regard de Flandres," wliicb 
D. Sauvage, on the authority of the fragment he distinguislies by the name of Sala, 
proposes to alterto Regent. Lord Berners' translation, "the oocrlotker of Flandeis.]' 
is probably a more correct interpretation of tlie title than regent, wliich is only appli- 
cable to a governor acting as a deputy, reignitig for another, whereas Von Artaveld 
now admitted no superior. —Ed. 

t "Daniel de Haluyn." This must be the person whom he before calls Damat, aoa 
Oamaux de Haluin. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



307 



salted meals, and wines from our good friends and neighbors in the 
town of Tournay, who I ti-ust will not fail us in this lu-gent neces- 
sity.'' " My lord," replied the knight, " your orders shall be obeyed ; 
and I accept the guard of the town of Oudenarde, since it pleases 
you to canimand me. No accident shall happen to it through any 
fault of mine." " Daniel," said the earl, " you comfort me much 
by what you say." 

Upon this, sir Daniel de HaUiyn took leave of the earl and went 
to Oudenarde, which he reinforced with good men-at-arms, victualed 
il again, and made every other necessary preparation. 



CHAPTER CI. 

PHILIP VON AKTAVELD AND THE GHENT MEN LAY SIEGE TO OCDENAKDE. 

Philip, who resided in Ghent, hearing that the garrison of Oude- 
narde had been reinforced with men-at-arms, said he would provide 
a remedy, lor such things were not to be suffered : it was a disgrace 
to all Flandere that the town should continue thus disobedient. He 
declared he would lay siege to it, and never march away until he 
had destroyed it, and put to death all who should be found within, 
knights and others. He issued his summons through Flanders, lor 
every one to be ready prepared before Oudenarde on the 9th day of 
Jime. None dared disobey this summons ; those in the principal 
towns of Flanders, of the Franconate and of Bruges, made themselves 
ready, and came before Oudenarde, where they extended themselves 
in the fields, meadows and marshes thereabouts. Philip, by whose 
orders everything was done, lived in great state before Oudenarde. 
During this time, he laid a tax throughout Flanders of four groats on 
every fire, which were to be paid weekly, by all persons indiscrimi- 
nately. Philip gained large sums by this tax, for no one was ex- 
empted. He had his sergeants in all parts of the country, who made 
both rich and poor pay it, whether they would or not. 

It was said tliere were upward of a liundred thousand men at this 
siege of Oudenarde. The Flemings diove into the river Scheld 
large stakes, so that no vessels could come from Tournay to Oude- 
narde, while they had in their army plenty of everything necessary. 
They had halls for cloth, furs and merceries : every Saturday was 
the market, to which were brought from the adjacent villages all 
sorts of groceries, fruits, butter, milk, cheese, poultry, and other 
things. In their army there were taverns as plenty as at Brussels, 
wliere Rhenish wines, and those of France, Galrigaches,* Malmseys 
and other foreign wines were sold cheap. Every one might go 
thither, and pass and repass, without peril ; that is to say, those of 
Brabant, Hainaidt, Germany and of Liege, but not those of France. 

When sir Daniel de Haluyn entered Oudenarde, he laid in all his 
preparations of stores and provision, which were equally divided 
among the garrison, each according to a fixed ration. All the horses 
were sent away, and the houses near the walls pulled down, and 
covered with earth, to guard against tlie cannon, of which the enemy 
had abundance. The women and children who remained (for many 
were sent away) were lodged in the chm'ches and monasteries. No 
dog was left in the town, but all were killed and thrown into the 
river. The garrison made many gallant sallies, both mornings and 
evenings, doing great execution to the army. There were among 
others two squires from Artois, brothers, called Lambert and Tristan 
de Lambres, who frequently performed very gallant deeds of arras, 
bringing back with them provisions from the enemy, whether they 
would or not, and even prisoners. 

Thus they remained the whole summer. It was the intention of 
Philip and his council to continue until they sliould .starve them out ; 
for it would cost them too many men were they to attempt to carry 
it by stonn. They with much labor placed on the hill of Oudenarde 
a prodigiously great engine, twenty feet wide and forty long, which 
they called a Mutton, to cast heavy stones and beams of timber into 
the town, and crush everything they should fall on. They had also, 
the more to alarm the garrison, fired a bombard of a very great size, 
which was fifty feet in length, and shot stones of an immense weight. 
When they fired ofl' this bombard, it might be heard five leagues ofi' 
in the day-time, and ten at night. The report of it was so loud, 
that it seemed as if all the devils in hell had broken loose. 

The Ghent men made likewise another engine, which they pointed 
against the town, to cast large bars of hot copper. With such 
machines, as cannons, bombards, sows and muttons, did the Ghent 
army labor to annoy the garrison of Oudenarde. They, however, 
comforted each other as well as they could, and defended themselves 
against these attacks. They made sallies three or four times a week, 
in which they gained more honor than disgrace, and also more profit 
than loss. 

CHAPTER CII. 

A DETACHMENT OF THE GHENT ARMY FROM BEFORE OUDENARDE, IN OVER- 
RUNNING THE LANDS OF THEIR LORD, BURN SOME VILLAGES ON THE 
FRONTIEES OF FRANCE, WHICH CAtTSES A WAR BETWEEN THE KING OF 
FRANCE AND THEM. 

While the siege of Oudenarde was going forward, eleven hundred 
men left the army, with a detennination to scour the country, and 
* " Galrigacbes "—a sort of strong white wine, or liqQeur. 



to ruin and destroy the houses of those knights who, having quitted 
Flanders, had established themselves, with their wives and 1"amilie8, 
in Hainault, Brabant, and in Artois. They accomplished their pur! 
pose ; for this detachment committed great damage throughout 
Flanders, not leaving any house of a gentleman unburnt, or stand, 
ing. They then came again to Marie, the house of the earl, and 
completely destroyed if. They found there the cradle in which he 
had been nureed, and the bathing tub in which he had been washed, 
both of which they entirely demolished. They pulled down the 
chapel, carrying away with them the beU to Bruges, where they met 
Peter du Bois, and Peter le Nuitre, who entertained them weU, and 
told them they had performed good services. When these men had 
refreshed themselves, they took the road to the bridge of AVarneston, 
crossed the river Lis, and came before Lille, where they destroyed 
some windmills and set fire to other villages of Flanders. Upward 
of four thousand of the inhabitants of Lille armed themselves, and 
sallied out on horseback and on foot, after these marauders, whom 
they soon overtook, slew many and seized others, who had after- 
wards their heads stnick off in Lisle ; but, had they been well pur. 
sued, not one of them would have escaped. Notwithstanding this 
check, the detachment from the Ghent army entered the country of 
Tournay, where they did much mischief, and burnt the town of 
Sechlin, and some of the adjacent villages which belong to the king, 
dom of France. They then returned with a very considerable booty, 
to the siege of Oudenarde. 

News was carried to the duke of Burgundy, at Bapaume in Artois, 
how the Ghent men had pillaged and burnt some villages in France. 
He instantly wrote an account of it to his sovereign, who at that 
time was at Compiegne, as well as to his brother the duke of Berry, 
to the duke of Bourbon, and to the king's council, that they might 
consider of it. The duke of Burgundy wished not the Flemings to 
have acted otherwise ; for he though it would be now necessary to 
call on the king for aid, otherwise his father-in-law, the earl of 
Flanders, would never regain his inheritance ; besides, on every 
account, this war exasperated him most exceedingly, for he was, in 
right of his wife, the heir of Flanders. 

The earl of Flanders resided at this moment at Hedin. He there 
learnt that the Ghent men had destroyed his house at Marie, through 
spite to him, even the chamber wherein he was bom, and had broken 
the font wherein he had been baptized, with the cradle of his child, 
hood, which was of sUver. The bathing tub wherein he had been 
washed was beaten to pieces and carried away. All this vexed hiin 
exceedingly. While at Hedin he thought of different plans : for he 
saw his country had turned against him, except Dendremonde and 
Oudenarde, and no succor to be looked for, but from France. Hav- 
ing weighed w-ell all circumstances, he resolved to visit his son the 
duke of Burgundy, who lived at Bapaume, and explain to him his 
situation. He departed from Hedin and went to Arras, where he 
reposed himself two days. On the morrow he came to Bapaume, 
and dismounted at the h6tel of the counts of Artois, which was now 
his own ; for, by the death of his lady-mother, he was count of 
Artois. The duke of Burgundy took much compassion on him, and 
comforted him kindly, when he had heard his complaints, saying, 
" My lord, by the faith I owe to you, and to the king, I will not 
attend to anything but the recover}' of your country. You shall be 
repossessed, or we will lose the remainder; for it is not to be suffered 
that such a set of scoundrels as are now in Flanders should govern 
that countiy, as in that case all knighthood and gentility may be 
destroyed and pulled down, and consequently all Christianity." 

The earl of Flanders was much consoled by the duke engaging 
to assist him. He took leave of him, and went to the city of Arras. 
At this tune, he held in prison upward of two htmdred persons from 
the chief towns in Flanders, who had only bread and water for food ; 
and cverj' day they were threatened to lose their heads. When the 
earl returned to Arras, he gave them all their liberties, in honor of 
God and the Virgin ; for he found, from what had passed in Flan- 
ders after their imprisonment, that they were not any way to blame- 
He made them all swear to be true and loyal to him, and then gave 
them money to cari-y them to Lille or Douay, or wherever else they 
pleased. The earl gained much popularity by this measure. He 
then left Arras, and returned to HSdin. 



CHAPTER CIII. 

THE DUKE OF BtTRGUNDY INSTIGATES HIS NEPHEW KING CHARLES TO 
MAEE WAR ON GHENT AND ITS ALLIES, AS WELL IN REVENGE FOR THE 
BURNT VILLAGES AS TO ASSIST IN THE RECOVERY OF FLANDERS FOR 
THE EARL, WHO WAS HIS VASSAL. 

The duke of Burgundy was not forgetful of the engagements he 
had entered into with his lord and father the earl of Flanders. He 
set out from Bapaume attended by sir Guy de la Trimouille and sir 
John de Vienne, admiral of France, who were very desirous the 
earl should be assisted. These two were the principal persons of 
his council. They continued their journey until they airived at 
Senlis, where the king was with his two uncles of Berry and Bour- 
bon. He was received with joy, and then was asked what was the 
news in Flanders, and how the siege of Oudenarde was going on- 
The duke of Burgundy made very prudent replies to these fii-st 



308 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



questions of tlio king and his uncles ; but when he found an oppor- 
tunity, he drew his brother the duke of Berry aside, and explained 
to him how the Ghent men, in the insolence of their pride, were 
endeavoring to be masters everywhere, and to destroy all gentlemen ; 
that they had already burnt and pillaged part of the kingdom of 
France, which was much to the prejudice and dishonor of the realm, 
and ought not to be patiently borne. 

"Fair brother," said the duke of Berry, ''we will talk to the 
king on this subject : you and I are the principal of his council. 
The king being made a party, no one will attempt to thwart our 
inclinations in fomenting a war between France and Flanders, which 
have hitherto been at peace with each other : it will be proper we 
give some good reasons for it, and that the barons of France be of 
our opinion; otherwise we may be blamed, and the fault thrown on 
us; for the king is young, and every one knows that he will do 
whatever we shall tell him or advise liim. If it turn out successful, 
it will be passed over ; but, should it he otherwise, we shall be 
charged with it, and much more blamed, and with reason, than any 
of the other counsellors. Every one will say, ' See how badly the 
king's uncles, the dukes of Berry and Burgundy, have advised the 
king ; they have engaged the nation in a war in which it had nothing 
to do.* I therefore say, my tair lord, that we muft assemble the 
greater part of (he prelates and nobles of the kingdom of France, 
and lay before them, in the presence of tlje king, who is personally 
interested in this business, all the events which bear any relation to 
the inheritance of Flanders : wc shall then soon see what is tbe 
general wish of France." 

The duke of Burgundy replied, " You say well, my I'air brother, 
and what you have advised shall be done." At thei;'e words, the 
king entered the apartments where his uncles were, with a falcon 
oh his wrist : he was struck with the duke's last words, and said 
with much good humor, " What were you speaking of, my fair 
uncles, at this moment with so much earnestness ? I should like to 
hear it, if it be proper for me to know." " Yes, my lord," an- 
swered the duke of Berry ; '■' for what we were discussing personally 
concerns you. Your uncle, my brother of Burgundy, has just been 
complaining to me of the Flemings : those villains of Flanders have 
driven the earl their lord out of his country, and all the gentlemen. 
They are now, to the amount of a hundred thousand men, besieging 
Oudenarde, under a captain called Philip von Artaveld, an English. 
man for courage, who has sworn he will never break up the siege 
until he has had his will on those of the town, unless you shall force 
him to it. This reservation he has made. Now, what do you say 
to this ? will you assist your cousin of Flanders to regain his inher- 
itance, of which peasants, in their pride and cruelty, have deprived 
him?" " By ray faith, my dear uncles," replied the king, " I have 
a very great inclination so to do, and in God's name let us march 
thither. I wish for nothing more than to try my strength in arms, 
for never hitherto have I had armor on. It is necessary, therefore, if 
I wish to reign with honor and glory, that I learn the art of war." 

The two dukes, looking at each other, were much delighted with 
what the king had said ; and the duke of Berry added, " My lord, 
you have very properly spoken, and you are bound to do what you 
say ; for the country of Flanders is a dependence on the domain of 
France ; and you have sworn, and we also for you, that you will 
support in their rights your vassals and liege men : the earl is also 
your cousin ; you therefore owe him affection. Now, since you are 
in such good inclinations, do not change them, but say the same 
to all who shall speak to you on this subject ; for we will assemble 
in haste the prelates and barons of your realm, and in your presence 
lay before them this business. Do you speak your mind then, as 
clearly and as loudly as you have done to us, and they all will say 
we have an enterprising and well-intentioned king." " On my 
faith, my fair uncle, I wish everything were ready for us to march 
thither to-morrow ; for, from henceforward, the greatest pleasure I 
shall have will be to abase the pride of these Flemings." The two 
dukes were well pleased at hearing the king thus speak out. The 
dnke of Bourbon now came, having been sent for by them; and 
they related to him all you have heard, and how eager the king was 
to march to Flanders, with which he was much pleased. 

Things remained in this state. The king and his uncles wrote 
letters to all the lords of the council, ordering them to come to Com. 
piegne on a certain day, when there Would be a council held on the 
affairs of the realm. Every one obeyed, as was right ; but the 
king was so much rejoiced at what he had heard, and so muchoccu. 
pied was his mind witb this subject, that nothing could put it out of 
his head. He frequently said, " The council would be too tedious 
to accomplish the business well ;" adding, that " when any one 
wishes to perform an enterprise successfully, deliberations should not 
be too long ; for at last the enemy gains information of it." He also 
said, when they laid before him the dangers that might happen, " Yes, 
yes ; nothing vemure, nothing gain." In this manner did the young 
king of France converse with the knights and squires ol' his chamber. 
I will now relate to you a dream which he had at this time at Senlis ; 
and frorn which ho took a flying hart for his emblem, a.? I was then 
informed 



CHAPTER CIV. 

CHARLES THE SIXTH, KING OF TRANCE, FROM A BREAM, CHOOSES A FLT. 
INS HART FOR HIS DEVICE. 

It happened that during the residence of the young king Charles 

at Senlis, as he was sleeping in his bed, a vision appeared to him. 
He thought ho was in the city of Arras, where, until then, he had 
never been, attended by all the flower of knighthood of his kingdom : 
that the earl of Flanders came there to him, and placed on his wrist 
a most beautiful and elegant pilgrim-falcon, saying, " My lord, in 
God's name, I give this falcon to you, for the best that was ever seen, 
the most indefatigable hunter, and the most excellent striker of 
birds." The king was much pleased with the present, and said, 
'* Fair cousin, I give you my thanks." He then thought he turned 
to the constable of France who was near him, and said, *' Sir Oliver, 
let you and I go to the plains, and try this elegant falcon which my 
cousin of Flanders has given me." When the constable answered, 
"Well, let us go." Then each mounted their horses, and went into 
the fields, taking the falcon with them, where they found plenty of 
herons to fly him at. The king said, " Constable, cast off the falcon, 
and we shall see how he will hunt." The constable let him fly, and 
the falcon mounted so high in the air, they could scarcely see him : 
he took the direction towa-rd Flanders. " Let us ride after my bird," 
said the king to the constable : " for I will not lose him." The 
constable assented, and they rode on, as it appeared to the king, 
through a large marsh, when they came to a wood, on which the 
king cried out, " Dismount, dismount : we cannot pass this wood on 
horseback." They then dismounted, when some servants came and 
took their horses. The king and the constable entered the wood 
with much difliculty, and walked on until they came to an extensive 
heath, where they saw a falcon chasing herons, and striking them 
down ; but they resisted, and there was a battle between them. It 
seemed to the king that his falcon pertormed gallantly, and drove the 
birds before him so far, that he lost sight of him. This much vexed 
the king, as well as the impossibility of following him ; and he said 
to the constable, " I shall lose my falcon, which I shall very much 
regret ; for I have neither lure, nor anything else to call him back." 
While the king was in this anxiety, ho thought a beautiful hart, with 
two wings, appeared to issue out of the wood, and come to this heath 
and bend himself down before the kijig, who said to the constable, 
as he regarded this wonder with delight, " Constable, do you remain 
here, and I will mount this hart that offers himself to me, and follow 
my bird." The constable agreed to it, and the young king joyfully 
mounted the hart, and went seeking the lalcon. The hart, like one 
well tutored to obey the king's pleasure, carried him over the tops 
of the highest trees, when he saw his falcon striking down such, 
numbers of birds, that he marvelled how he could do it. It seemed 
to the king that when the falcon had sufficiently flown, and struck 
down enough of the herons, he called him back, and instantly ; as if 
well taught, he perched on the king's wrist, when it seemed to him, 
that after he had taken the falcon by its lure, and given him his reward, 
the hart flew back again over the wood, and replaced the king on 
the same heath whence he had carried him, and where the constable, 
was waiting, who was much rejoiced at his return. On his arrival 
he dismounted : the hart returned to the wood, and was no more 
seen. The king then, as he imagined, related to the constable how 
well the hart had carried him : and that he had never rode so easy 
before in his life; and also the goodness of his falcon, who had 
struck down such numbers of birds : to all which the constable wil- 
lingly listened. The servants then seemed to come after them with 
their horses, which, having mounted, they followed a magnificent 
road that brought them back to Arras. The king at this part awak- 
ened, much astonished at the vision he had seen, which was so im- 
printed on his memory, that he told it to some of his attendants who 
were waiting in his chamber. The figure of this hart was so agree, 
able to him, that he could not put it out of his imagination ; and 
this was the cause why, on this expedition to Flanders against the 
Flemings, he took a flying hart for his device. 



CHAPTER CV. 

DURING THE SIEGE OF OUDENARDE, THE REBELS ENTREAT KING CHARLES 
TO MAKE PEACE BETWEEN THEM AND THE EARL OF FLANDERS. THE 
KING ANSWERS THEM WITH CONTEMPT. THEY THEN ENDEAVOR TO 
DRAW THE ENGLISH INTO AN ALLIANCE WITH THEM. 

Philip von Artaveld, although he had been very successful at the 
battle of Bruges, and though fortune had smiled on him at his de. 
feat of the earl and citizens of Bruges, possessed not any abilities for 
war or sieges. When young he had not been educated for it, but in 
fishing with a rod in the rivers Scheld and Lis ; and he clearly proved 
his incapacity during the siege of Oudenarde. He knew not how 
to take the town, and, through pride and presumption, thought that 
it must be his, and that the inhabitants ought to come and surrender 
it to him. They had no such inclination ; but behaved themselves 
like valorous men, skirmishing frequently with these Flemings at the 
barriers, in which they slew many and wounded more ; and then 
retired without loss into their town. In these sallies, Lambert de 



CHRONICLES OF ENt)i.A 



FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



Lambres, Tristan his brother, and the lord de Lunelhein, gained 
great renown. 

The Flemings, ohserving that the ditches of Oudenarde were wide 
and full of water, and that they could not approach the place but 
with great peril, resolved in council to collect quantities of faggots 
and straw to fill them up, to enable them to come near the walls and 
engage hand to hand. As it had been ordered, so it was executed ; 
but the garrison held what they were about cheap, and said, that if 
there was no treason between them and the townspeople, they were 
not alarmed for the event of the siege. However, sir Daniel de 
Hahiyn, the governor, to prevent any misconduct, had kept the citi- 
zens eo much under command, that they had not any power what- 
ever : and he had strictly ordered, that none of the inhabitants should 
dare to ascend the walls, day or night, without being accompanied 
by some of the men-at-arms; otherwise, if found, they would risk 
the loss of their lives. In this manner wa.s the siege continued. The 
Flemings had plenty of provision in their army, which was brought 
to them by sea and land, as well as down the rivers, for they were 
lords of the whole of Flanders. They were also near the countries 
of Holland, Zealand, Brabant, and a part of Hainault, the inhabitants 
of which, through avarice of gain, privately brought their army pro- 
vision in quantities. 

This Philip von .A.rtaveld had a courage more like English than 
French. He would have been glad if they had adhered more to the 
former, and made an alliance with England ; for, should the king of 
France, or duke of Burgundy, march an army against them to re. 
cover llie coui.'try, they would have been assisted. Philip had al- 
ready in his army two hundred English archers, who had stolen 
away from their garrison at Calais, and were paid every week. 

Philip, to put a better color on his actions, and to know what they 
said of him in France, resolved to send letters from himself and from 
the country of Flanders, to the king of France; humbly entreating 
the king to take the trouble of bringing about a sound reconciliation 
between them and the earl their lord. He had no sooner mentioned 
this idea than it was executed : he wrote amicable letters to the king 
of France and to his council, which he ordered a messenger to carry 
to France and deliver to the king. The messenger said he would 
willingly obey, and rode on with the letters until he came to Senlis, 
where the king was, to wliom and to his uncles he gave the letters. 
The king took them, and had them read in the presence of his 
uncles and council. After they had been read and comprehended, 
the auditors burst out into laughter. The messenger, because he 
had come into the king's presence without a passport, was ordered 
to be arrested, and put into prison, where he remained for upward 
e( three weeks. 

When Philip heard of this, he was very indignant ; and, having 
summoned the captains of the army to him, he said, " You see what 
honor the king of France pays to us, after we have so amicably 
written to him, for which he detains our messenger. We certainly 
make too many difficulties in connecting ourselves w-ith the English, 
and may sufler for it. The duke of Burgundy is now in France and 
governs the king just as he pleases, for he is but a child. Do you 
think that he will leave tilings in their present situation ? Certainly 
not. Take for example our messenger, whom fee has detained. It 
will therefore be prudent in us to send to England, as well for the 
general good of Flanders, as to secure ourselves and alaiTir our en- 
emies. I am desirous," said Philip, " that we send thither ten or 
twelve of our principal men, that the knowledge of it may be carried 
to France, and that the king and his council may think we intend to 
unite ourselves with his adversary, the king of England. But I do 
not wish such alliances to be made in a hurry, nor at all if we were 
not thus circumstanced ; but I would that our embassadors should 
demand privately of the king of England and his council the sum of 
two hundred thousand old crowns, which w"e have a just rii^ht to, 
and which Jacob von Artaveld, my father, and the states of Flanders, 
lent to the king of England when before Tournay, to pay his troops. 
Let them also tell the king of England, his uncles and his counsel- 
lors, that the states of Flanders in general, and the chief towns who 
made this loan, demand the payment of it ; and that when this shall 
have been done, which the king of England is obliged to perform, he 
and his subjects shall have free entry into Flanders for the time to 
come. " It is much better," added Philip, " that we make use of 
what is our own, than that foreigners should do so ; and we never 
can have a better opportunity than now^ to get it back again, for 
the king and realm of England will not hesitate to gain the entry, 
love, and alliance of such a country as Flanders now is : besides, the 
English have not in the whole coast from Bordeaux to Sluys any 
port, except Calais, Cherbourg, and Brest, to gain entrance into 
France. Flanders, therefore, will open her ports to them very op- 
portunely ; for Brittany, excepting Brest, is quite shut against them, 
and the duke of Brittany, has sworn to be a true Frenchman, which, 
if he were not, he would so become, through love to his consin-ger- 
man tlie earl of Flanders." 

All who heard him, answered, that he had well and wisely spoken, 
and what ho had proposed should be followed ; and that whoevei was 
of the conti-ary opinion, was not a wellwisher to the prosperity of 
Flanders. Phili]) did not delay executing it ; he wrote on this sub- 
ject to Peter in Bois and Peter le Nuitre, governors of Bruges, and 
also to those of Ypres and Courtray, who agreed to his proposal. 



309 

One or two citizens were chosen from the principal towns, but from 
Ghent six. Among the first were Francis Atremen, Kasse de la 
Verdelle, Louis de Vaux, sir John Stotclaie, Martin Blondel.Vatre, 
Jacob Bernare, and a clerk who had been nominated bishop of Ghent 
by pope Urban. Master John d'Albert, who had been dean of the 
church of our Lady at Tournay, had proposed to make a bishopric 
of the town of Ghent, which should enjoy the profits the bishop of 
Tournay ought to have. 

When the twelve citizens had received their full instnictions, aa 
to what they were to say and do, they took leave of their friends, 
departed from the siege of Oudenarde, and continued their journey 
until they arrived at Calais. Sir John d'Albrenes,* the governor, re. 
ceived them very politely ; when he understood they wanted to go to 
England, he provided them with ships and passage-boats. They re 
mained there only three days, when they embarked, landed at Dover, 
and pursued their road to London. 

At the time this embassy from Flanders arrived at London, the 
king of England with his council, sir John Montague, sir John Bur- 
ley, and sir William Beauchamp, were at Westminster, occupied in 
the investing sir Perducas d'Albrcth, with tlie whole barony of Chau. 
mont in Gascony, which had reverted to the king, for him to do with 
it as he pleased ; and I wdll tell you how this happened. King Ed 
ward, in former times, had given it to sir John Chandos, who had 
held it as long as he lived : after his death, he had given it to sir 
Thomas Felton. Now sir Thomas was lately dead, and the barony 
had reverted to the king of England. It was improper it should long 
remain without a lord who would reside on the spot : for it joined 
the lands of the lord d'Albreth, who at that period was a loyal French- 
man. The king's council considered that sir Perducas d'Albreth, 
having faithfully served the kings of England, Edward, Richard, and 
the prince, as well as the country of the Bourdelois for upward of 
thirty years, was well deserving to have this estate, which he would 
defend against any one. 

Sir Perducas d'Albreth, on receiving the investiture of the lands of 
Chaumont from the hands of the king, in the presence of the nobles 
of England, thus addre.=sed his majesty : " Sire, I take and receive 
this inheritance for myself and for my heirs, on condition that I and 
my heirs faithfully serve you against all mankind, except against the 
house of Albreth ; for against that whence I am sprung, I will never 
make war as long as my inheritance is left in peace." The king 
and his council replied, " In God's name be it so ;" and on these 
terms he was invested. 

I will now relate what befel this sir Perducas d'Albreth. When 
he was returning to Gascony to take possession of liis estate, and the 
seneschal of Bordeaux had given him seisin of the barony, the lord 
d'Albreth was much rejoiced ; for he knew his cousin would not 
make war upon him, and that the lands of Albreth and of Chaumont 
would remain in quiet. The lord d'Albreth showed much affection 
to his cousin, for he expected that after his decease he would be put 
in possession of such of his castles as were in the barony of Chau- 
mont. But Perducas had not any such intentions. It chanced that 
ho fell sick; and, when he was lying on his death-bed and saw there 
were no hopes of recovery, he summoned all his vassals, and calling 
to him a young squire and good man-at-arms, named Perduch,t said 
to him, " I transfer to thee, in the presence of my vassals, my whole 
estate of Chaumont. Be, therefore, a true Englishman, and loyal to 
thoking of England. But I will not, that against the house of Albreth, 
whence we are sprung, thou shouldest ever make war, unless they 
commit outrages against thee." The squire cheerfully answered, " Sir, 
I willingly accept it on these ternts." Thus was Perduch d'Albreth 
lord of Chaumont in Gascony. Sir Perducas died soon after, which 
is all I know about it. 



CHAPTER CVI. 

THE EMBASSADORS FROM GHENT FAIL IN FOKMING AN ALLIANCE WITH 
ENGLAND. 

When these Ghent men were come to London, their arrival was 
soon known, and information of it carried to the king and his coun. 
cil, who sent to them to know what they wanted. They came in a 
body to the palace of Westminster, where they were met first by the 
duke of Lancaster, the earl of Buckingham, the earl of Salisbury, 
and the greater part of the council ; but the king was not present at 
this first interview. These embassadors having made their obei. 
sances to the English lords, the bishop elect of Ghent spoke for them 
all, saying, " My lords, we arc come hither by orders from the town 
of Ghent, and from all Flanders, to request counsel, comfort, and as. 
sistance from the king of England, on account of certain articles, and 
for reason of ancient alliances which subsisted between England and 
Flanders. We wish to renew them, as the country of Flandere now 
stands in need of assistance, being at this moment without a lord. 
The principal towns and the country have chosen a regent,} named 
Philip von Artaveld, who recommends himself particularly to the 
king, and to you all who are of his council. He entreats you to re. 
ceive this commendation in good part; for if the king shall wish Jo 
come into Flanders he will find all its ports open, and the coun' y 



* a "Si' John i;'.i;\,(ei.es."' 

t Sala calb him " Verduret de la Breth his nephew." J " Regard.'^ .See p. dOG 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



310 ^ 

well disposed toward him, where he may repose and refresh him. 
self and people aa long a time as he shall please ; and he may call 
upon Flanders for one hundred thousand men, all armed. We are 
also ordered to request from you the two hundred thousand old crowns* 
which Jacob von Artaveld, and the chief towns of Flanders, formerly 
lent to king Edward, of good memory, at the sieges of Toumay and 
of Calais, and which they now desire may be paid back. It is the 
intention of the principal towns in Flanders, that before anything 
further be done in a treaty of alliance this sum be paid down, by 
which means the king of England, and all his subjects, may say they 
are friends to the Flemings ; and they shall have free entrance, at 
their pleasure, into Flanders." 

When the lords had heard this speech and demand, they looked 
at each other, and some began to smile. The duke of Lancaster, 
addressing them, said, " My fair lords of Flanders, what you have 
said requires counsel. Go and return to London, and the king will 
consider your requests, and send you such answers as you shall be 
contented with." The Ghent men replied, " God wilt it be so." 
They then quitted the council chamber, leaving the lords of the 
council behind, who began to laugh among themselves, and say, 
" Did you notice these Flemings, and hear the request they made ? 
They ask assistance, saying, they are in very great want of it, and, 
besides, demand our money. It is by no means reasonable that we 
should pay, and assist them into the bargain." They looked on the 
Flemings as proud and presumptuous, in thus demanding a debt of 
two hundred thousand old crowns of so very ancient a date as forty 
years. 

Nothing could have happened more opportunely for the king of 
France, who was eager to invade Flanders ; for if the Flemings had 
been silent, respecting these crowns, and had only requested assist- 
ance from the king of England, he would have gone in person to 
Flanders, or would have sent thither such a powerful force, that the 
Flemings who were in the field might have resisted the greatest 
power on earth. But it fell out otherwise, as you will hear related 
in this history. 

CHAPTER CVII. 

THE MESSENGEK WHICH THE GHENT MEN HAD SENT TO KINS CHARLES 
OF FKANCE IS DELIVERED FKOM PRISON. SOME PRISONERS FROM 
TOUKNAY AND COURTEAY ARE EXCHANGED FOR EACH OTHER. 

Intellisence was carried to the king's council in France, that 
Philip von Artaveld, and the country of Flanders, had sent embas. 
sadors to England to form an alliance. And it was commonly report- 
ed, that the king of England, with a large army, was about to come 
this season to Flanders, and that he would fi.\ his quarters at Ghent. 
This news was very probable, for it was to be supposed the Flemings 
would strengthen themselves by some means or other. It was then 
thought proper to liberate the messenger of Philip. Indeed, to say 
the truth, they had not any right to imprison Iiim. He was there- 
fore set at liberty, and sent to Oudcnarde, where the army lay. 

At this time, the citizens of Bruges had seized and imprisoned 
some from Toumay. The Flemings showed by this that they were 
indifferent as to war or peace with the French. Those of Tournay, 
in return, captured some citizens of Courtray, whom they carried 
away prisoners to their town. Thus was the hatred increased be. 
tween the men of Toumay and the Flemings. The lords of Tour- 
nay, however, who wished not to make war on the Flemings, their 
neighbors, on their own account, without receiving orders from the 
king of France, resolved to send two of their citizens to Philip von 
Artaveld, to make up matters between them, so that they might 
recover their townsmen who were prisoners, and render back, in 
exchange those whom they had taken. .John Bon Enfant and John 
Picard were chosen to go on this business. They went to the siege 
before Oudenarde, and spoke with Philip, who, in honor of the city 
of Tournay, and not out of any respect to the king of France, as he 
told them, received them very amicably : for the king had not used him 
nor the country of Flanders well, when he had imprisoned a mes. 
senger whom he had sent to him on friendly terms. 

" Sir," replied the two citizens, " you have received back your 
messenger." " That is true," said Philip ; " but it was more through 
fear than otherwise. Now tell me," added Philip, "what business 
has brought you hither '!" " Sir," answered the citizens, " it is to 
have back our townsmen who are imprisoned at Bruges." " Ha," 
replied Philip ; " if they are detained, you have, also, imprisoned 
some from Courtray. You must not lose anything for this journey, 
so do you return ou men, and you shall have yours." The men 
from Tournay answered, " You say well, and we will cheerfully 
consent to it." The agreement was instandy made, and Philip von 
Artaveld wrote to Peter du Bois and to Petre le Nuitre, who resided 
in Bruges, to deliver up the citizens of Tournay whom they had 
thrown into prison ; and that they would have in exchange those 
who had been detained from Courtray ; for he declared the city of 
Tounjay had written to request it. 

When they took their leave, Philip thus spoke to them : " Gen. 
tlemen, mind my words : I do not wish to betray you ; you are from 
the town of Toui'nayj which is a dependence on the king of France, 
with whom we wi'l not enter into any treaty, until Dendremonde 

■" " Old crowns ;" eacii wo*"^!' seven shilUnss and twopence.— Cotgrave. 



and Oudenarde shall be surrendered to us. Do not therefore come 
hither again, for those who do will be detained. Advise your coun- 
trymen and merchants not to pass through Flanders ; for we well 
know, that the king of France, your lord, will make war on us, for 
which we are prepared." 

These citizens of Toumay, after having heard this speech, re- 
turned to Tournay to relate all that had passed. A proclamation 
was made, that no one should have any intercourse with the Flem- 
ings, without incurring the indignation of the king. The citizens 
of Tournay, who had been imprisoned at Bruges, returned ; and 
those from Courtray were sent back. They dared not deal openly 
with the Flemings; but, when they wanted any merchandise from 
Flanders, they applied to Valenciennes ; for those of Brabant, Hoi- 
land, Hainault, Zealand, and Liege, might travel and carry on their 
commerce through all Flanders with perfect security. 

The siege of Oudenarde still went on in the same manner. Philip 
and his Ghent men were encamped on the hill of Oudenarde, on 
the side of Hainault, where they had planted bombards, cannons, 
and large machines, which made such a noise when fired that they 
could be heard upward of six leagues. Near them, but below, on 
the banks of the Scheld, were encamped those from Bruges, as you 
ascend the river by the gate of Bruges. Those of Poperingiie, 
Ypres, Cassel, and the Franconate, were quartered near them, so 
that they surrounded the town completely, 

Oudenarde being thus surrounded, the Flemings thought they 
should starve those within it ; but the garrison made frequent sal- 
lies, in which sometimes they gained the advantage, and at others 
lost it, as in such cases must happen. How*ever, there were not 
any attempts made to storm it. Philip would not rashly risk the 
lives of his men, and said he would have it otherwise than by storm ; 
and that it could not hold out much longer, since there was not a 
possibility of its being reinforced. A bird could scarcely fly into 
Oudenarde without being seen by the besieging army, so completely 
was it invested on all sides. 



CHAPTER CVIII. 

king CHARLES ORDERS COMMISSIONERS TO ENTER INTO CERTAIN TKEA. 
TIES WITH THE FLEMINGS. THEIR MESSENGERS ARE IMPRISONED AT 
THE MOMENT THEY DEMANDED PASSPORTS. 

We will now return to the king of France. His uncles and coun. 
cil thought it prudent to send to Tournay some knights and prelates 
of the realm to treat with the Flemings, and to learn more clearly 
their intentions. They therefore ordered sir Milles de Dormana, 
bishop of Beauvais, the bishop of Au.xerre, the bishop of Laon, sir 
Guy de Harcourt, and sir Tristan du Bois, to Tournay as commis- 
sioners from the king of France, where they found John Bon En- 
fant and John Picard, just returned from the siege oi Oudenarde. 
They told these commissioners that Philip von Artaveld hod de. 
dared to them on taking leave, that the Flemings would never enter 
into any treaty until Oudenarde and Dendremonde were in their 
power. " Well," replied the commissioners, " Philip, with all his 
pride and presumption, of which he has enough, is not master of all 
the great towns in Flanders. We will therefore write to Ghent, 
Bruges, and Ypres, and send to each town letters by a messenger. 
We must enter on this business by some means or other." 

The commissioners wrote letters to the three principal towns in 
Flanders, and directed them to Philip von .4rtaveld as the chief 
leader. These letters contained as follows : " To Philip von Arta. 
veld and his companions, and to the good people of the three towns 
of Flanders and the Franconate of Bruges. May it please you to 
know, that the king of France has sent us hither with the good inten- 
tions of establishing a peace, as lord paramount, between the noble 
lord of Flanders, his cousin, and the commonalty of Flanders. Pub- 
lic report says, that you seek to form an alliance with the king of 
England and the English ; which w^ill be unreasonable, and prejudi- 
cial to the kingdom of France, and which the king declares he will 
not suffer. We therefore entreat you, in the king's name, to send us 
passports, that we may endeavor to bring this peace to a good and 
solid conclusion, for which the king will thank you. You will write 
us word what are your intentions, and may the Lord keep you. 
Written at Tournav the sixteenth day of the month of October" 
(1382.) 

When these three letters, which contained the same words, were 
written and ,'^ealed, they gave them to three men, to carry to Ghent, 
to Bruges, and to Ypres, and to bring back the answers. They re- 
plied, they would bring back an answer, if they could get one, and 
then departed, each following the road to the town he was sent to. 

By accident, Philip happened to be at Ghent the day the messenger 
arrived with his letter ; for otherwise those of Ghent would not have 
opened it in his absence. When he had read it, he did nothing but 
laugh, and set out soon after from Ghent, on his return to Oudenarde, 
carrying the letter with him ; but the messenger remained in prison 
in Ghent. When arrived at Oudenarde, he called to him the lord de 
Harzelles and others of his companions : having read to them the 
letters from the commissioners, he said, " I think these French peo. 
pie wish to make a mockery of me and the country of Flanders. I 
told the citizens of Tournay when they were here the day before yes. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



terday, tliat I would not listen to any proposals from France, nor enter 
into any treaty which they might offer, until Oudenarde and Dendre- 
monde weje svuTendered to us." At these words, news came from 
the governors of Bruges and Yprcs, that they had also received let. 
ters, and' that the messengers wlio had hrought these letters were 
detained and lodged in the town prisons. " This is well done," 
continued Philip. He then examined the letters for a while, and 
said he wotdd write himself to the French commissioners. He did 
80, in consequence, and addressed them, " To the very noble and 
discreet lords the commissioners from France." 



3i: 



CHAPTER CIX. 

THE ANSWER OF PHILIP VOK ARTAVELD TO THE FRENCH COMMISSIOMERS 
WHICH HE SENT BY A PRISONER OF WAR FROM OUDENARDE. 

"Very dear and potent lords, may it please you, in your noble 
discretion, to know that we have received very amicably the letters 
sent to us by the most excellent lord Charles, king of France, inform. 
ing us, that your very noble lordships are come by his orders into 
these parts, to negotiate a peace between us and the most noble 
prince my lord of Flanders and the country of Flanders, and that the 
king aforesaid and his council have authority to bring it to a conclu- 
sion, as the citizens of Tournay, om' dear and good friends, testify to 
us by letters patent which we have seen. Now, since the king 
writes to us that he is much displeased that these discords have so 
long continued and still exist, we are much surprised that he should 
treat them so lightly ; as in former times, when the town of Ghent had 
besieged that of Oudenarde, we, by the unanimous consent of the 
three great towns of Flanders, wrote to him, as to our sovereign lord, 
to request that he woidd make peace with us ; but at that time he did 
not seem so willing to do what at this moment he is so desirous of. 

" We have also received letters patent to say, that twice you have 
written to us, and that you have come twice hither commissioned by 
the king aforesaid, as is declared in these letters patent. But it seems 
to us, that in our answers, which we have sent, we have clearly 
explained our intention respecting a treaty, which is, that we are 
resolved no treaty shall be entered into by us and the countr>' of 
Flanders, until those towns and fortresses which are shut against the 
towns and countiy of Flanders, and particularly and expressly 
against the good town of Ghent, of which we are regent, shall be 
thrown open to the will of us the regent, and the good town of 
Ghent ; and, if this be not done as a preliminary, we shall not treat 
in the manner you request. For it seems to us, that the king, 
according to you, means to assemble a large army to assist his cousin 
our lord. We know and feel that there are double dealings going 
forward at this time, as was the case foimerly. Our intention 
therefore is, to be on sure ground and prepared for our defence ; for, 
if it should fall out as we expect, he will find our army ready to de. 
fend us against our enemies ; and we hope, through God's assist- 
ance, to be as fortunate as formerly in gaining a victory. 

"With regard to what you say of public ramor, that we, or some 
of our countrymen, have sought an alliance with the king of Eno-. 
land, and that we are to be aided from thence ; it is a truth that we 
are subjects of the crown of France, and that the king is our lord 
paramount, to whom we are bounden in allegiance. This we ever 
have performed. And even in these last days we sent him our let- 
ters, as to our sovereign lord, to entreat he would conclude a peace, 
to which he not only made no reply, but detained and imprisoned 
our messenger. This seems to us a blameable conduct in such a 
lord, and still greater in him, for we wrote to him as to our lord 
paramount, and he never condescended to send u5 any answer. 
Since therefore he has thus acted, we thought ourselves justified in 
seeking advantage for the country of Flanders from whatever persons 
we pleased, which has been the cause of the embassy to England, 
but nothing hitherto has been concluded. The king may not there- 
fore be too late, provided all the strong places shall be laid open to 
us. Notwithstanding, we had forbidden those of Tournay, the last 
time they came to our army, in future to dare to carry any letters or 
verbal message, withsut proper passports ; yet letters and messages 
have been carried to Bruges and Ghent ; for which reason we have 
imprisoned the messengers, and we will teach them not to carry 
such letters, that others may take warning from their example. We 
know well that yon are seeking to sow dissensions among us, and 
especially against me, Philip von Artaveld (whom God guard and 
preserve,) and that you wish to stir up treason where at this moment 
there is peace. We therefore warn you not to continue such prac. 
tices, until the before. mentioned towns be opened unto us, which, 
with God's help, they shall shortly be, and to whose protection we 
commend you, 

"Written before Oudenarde the 20th day of October, in the year 
1383, Philip von Artaveld regent of Flanders," 

When Philip had written the above, in the presence of his coun. 
cil, they thought it coidd not be amended, and sealed it. They then 
considered to whom they should give it to carry, Philip asked, 
" Have we no prisoners from Oudenarde ?" " Yes," they replied, 
'■ we have a varlet who was taken yesterday in a skirmish, who is 
from Artois," " Send for him hither," On his coming, Philip said, 
<•' Thon art my prisoner, and I may, if I choose, put thee instantly to 



death, but thou hast had a narrow escape ; for since thou art here 
thou shalt have thy liberty, on condition that thou pledge Ihy troth 
to caiTy these letters to Tournay, and deliver them into the hands 
of the king's counsellors whom thou wilt find there," The varlet 
was never so happy in his life as when he was promised his liberty, 
for he considered his death as certain, and replied, " I swear my 
lord, on my troth, that I will carry them whithersoever you please, 
were it to hell," Philip, bursting out into laughter, said, "Thou 
hast well spoken," He ordered two crowns to be given to him, 
and had him escorted out of the camp, and put in the road to 
Tournay. 

When he arrived at Tournay they showed him the h6tel of the 
bishop of Laon, whither he went, and falling on his knees, punc- 
tually delivered his message to the bishop. They asked him news of 
Oudenarde and of the besieging army, when he told them all he 
knew. He was invited to dinner, and was, during dinner-time, 
closely questioned by the attendants of the bishop. The bishop of 
Laon went away, being unwilling to open the letters without his 
companions. When the three bishops and the knights were a.ssem- 
bled ihey opened the letters, read them attentively, and considered 
them maturely. They then delivered their sentiments, saying, 
" This Philip von Artaveld seemeth full of pride and presumption, 
and little loves the royal majesty of France." Having consulted 
together, they added, " The provosts, jurats and council of Tournay 
know that we have sent to Philip and the towns of Flanders : it is 
just they should learn the answer Philip has sent us." They sent 
for the provost, had the town.hall opened, and sounded the bell 
which called the council together. When they were all assembled, 
they read to them the letters they had received. The wisest were 
astonished at the presumptuous expressions they contained. It was 
resolved that copies of these letters should remain at Tournay, The 
council then broke up, and every man returned to his home. 



CHAPTER ex. 

PHILIP rON ARTAVELD WRITES AFFECTEDLY CIVIL LETTERS TO TOUK- 
NAY. THE FRENCH COMMISSIONERS RETtJRN TO THE KINO, 

Philip continued with the army before Oudenarde, as you have 
before heard. He did not repent having sent such harsh and pointed 
answers to the commissioners of the king of France, but was sorry 
he had not written cajoling letters of civility to the provost and jurats 
of Tournay, pretending to show them honor, though he had very 
little respect for them ; for he was not willing to increase the hatred 
and ill will they bore him, 

Philip therefore wrote in manner and form following : the super- 
scription was, " To our honorable, wise and good friends, the provosts 
and jurats of the good town of Tournay, "Very dear and good 
friends, may it please you to know that we have received your 
letters, wherein mention is made of the two citizens of your town, 
ill intentioned carriers of letters to Ghent and Bruges, from the 
commissioners of the king of France, who have been arrested and 
detained by us, and whom you entreat to be set at liberty ; by which 
means the love and affection (which, through God's grace, subsists 
between us) may be continued uninteiTupted between you and the 
country of Flanders. This love, very dear friends, does not appear 
to be very great : for we have received information that the king of 
France, the dukes of Burgundy and Brittany, are assembling their 
lorces to come to the assistance of my lord, the earl, against the 
country of Flanders, to regain that country, and to fight with us, 
notwithstanding the letters which they have sent us to treat of peace 
and concord, which to us does not seem to be conduct becoming 
such persons; and for which reason we are upon our guard, and 
shall continue so henceforth day and night. With respect to the 
prisoners, your townsmen, we shall detain them until we know for 
a certainty the truth of this assembling of forces, and until it shall 
please us to set them at Uberty, You know, tliat when your citizens 
were lately in Flanders seeking peace, it was then ordered that no 
person whatever should bring messages or letters without a proper 
passport, Tliis however is what the lords commissioners, being 
with you, have done, in order to excite discord and dissensions in 
the country. We therefore entreat of you, dear friends, that you 
will not in futnre send any of your citizens or townsmen to Flanders 
by order of these commissioners. But if there should be anything 
that we can do, affecting your town or its citizens, we will attend 
to it in the same manner as we should wish our affairs might be 
attended to by you, in whom we have the greatest confidence, such 
as good neighbors ought to have for one another. And it is the 
general intention of all Flanders, that merchants and merchandise 
pass safely from country to country, without suffering the smallest 
injury. May God take you into his holy keeping! 

" Written at our army the 22nd day of October, in the year 1383, 
Philip von Artaveld regent of Flanders." 

Three days after the first letter had been sent to the commissioners 
from France, and while these lords were assembled in council in 
the hall, this second letter was brought by a varlet from Douay, who 
said, that those who were before Oudenarde had sent it to them. 
It was carried to the hall where the commissioners were, and read 
and considered at leisure. At length the commissioners replied ta 



■312 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



those of Tournay, who requested their advice on the occasion : 
" Gentlemen, we would advise you not to have any acquaintance 
or dealings with the Flemings, for you will not be thanked for it in 
France. Neither receive nor open any letters which may come 
from them ; for, if it should be known in the king's council that you 
do BO, you will be blamed, and swfi'er for it. Affairs will not long 
remain in the state they are now in.*' Those of Tournay answered, 
" They would follow this advice, and, if it pleased God, they would 
never do anything to deserve a reprimand." 

The French commissioners staid but three days longer at Tournay, 
when they set out on their return to the king, whom they found at 
Peronne, and his three uncles, the dukes of Berry, Burgundy and 
Bourbon, with him. 



CHAPTER CXI. 

KINS CHAKLES, AFTER HEARING THE REPORT OF HIS COMMISSIONERS, AT 
THE INSTIGATION OF THE EARL OF FLANDERS WHO WAS PRESENT, 
ASSEMBLES HIS ARMY IN ARTOIS, AGAINST THE FLEMINGS. FIULIF 
V&N ARTAVELD GUARDS THE PASSES INTO FLANDERS. 

The day before the return of the commissioners, the earl of Flan- 
ders arrived at Peronne, to lay his aflairs before the king and council, 
and to do homage for the county of Artois, which he was bounden 
to do and had not performed since the decease of his mother, who 
had died this year. On the arrival of the commissioners, the council 
was assembled in the presence of the young king, when the letters 
before mentioned were read ; that of Philip to them, and the one he 
had sent to Tournay. They considered them in an unfavorable 
light, and declared that such pride and presumption in Flanders 
ought not to be sufl'ered. The earl of Flanders was not, as may be 
supposed, displeased on hearing tiiis : he therefore laid his griev- 
ances before the king and council very opportunely, when they 
were heard and attended to with pleasure. The king was advised 
to make the following answer : " Earl of Flanders, you will return 
to Artois ; and in a short time wc will ourself be at Arras, where 
you will perform your duty in the presence of the peers of France. 
I cannot better show you that I make the quarrel my own, than by 
my intention to march against our enemies." 

The earl was satisfied with this answer. Three days afterwards, 
ho left Peronne, and, returning toward Artois, came to Hedin. But 
the king of France, like one who was desirous of marching to 
Flanders to abase the pride of the Flemings, as his predecessors had 
formerly done, set his secretaries at work, and sent his letters and 
summons by messengers to all parts of his kingdom, ordering every 
one to hasten to Arras without delay, accoutred each, according to 
his rank, in the best manner ho was able ; for, if it were God's 
pleasure, he was determined to fight the Flemings in their own 
country. 

No lord of his realm disobeyed, but all sent orders to their vassals, 
and marched from the most distant countries, such as Auvcrgnc, 
Rouerguc, Toulousain, Gascotiy, Poitou, Limousin, Saintonge and 
Brittany : others came from the Bourbonois, For6t9, Burgundy, 
Dauphin(5, Savoy, Bar and Lorrain, and from all parts of France 
and its dependencies, to Arras. The assemblage of such numbers 
of men-at-arms wa^ a wonderful beautiful sight. The earl of Flan- 
dera resided at Hedin, and heard daily, from the king of France and 
the duke of Burgundy, of the great levies which were making, and 
in consequence issued a proclamation throughout Artois, forbidding 
any one, under pain of losing his life and fortune, to withdraw any- 
thing whatever from house, fortress or town ; for he was desirous 
that the men-at-arms who were marching to Artois should have the 
advantage of being served with whatever was in the low countries. 

The king of France came into Artois, where he remained. Men- 
at-arms came to him from all quarters, and so handsomely equipped 
it was a tine sight to see ; they quartered themselves as they arrived 
in ihe plains, and found all the barns quite full and well fm'nished. 
The earl of Flanders came to Arras, which greatly pleased the king 
and his lords: he performed his homage in the presence of those 
peers who were there, for the county of Artois, and the king ac- 
cepted hini as his vassal. His majesty then addressed him, saying, 
" Fair cousin, if it please God and St. Denis, wc will restore you to 
your inheritance of Flanders, and will abate the pride of Philip von 
Artavcld and the Flemings so effectually, that they shall never again 
have it in their power to rebel." " Mv lord," replied the earl, " I 
have full confidence in it; and you will acquire such honor and 
glory that as long as the world lasts you will be praised, for certainly 
the pride of th-e Flemings is very great." 

Philip, while at th« siege of Ondenarde, was informed of every- 
thing, and that the king of France was inarching a large army against 
him, though he pretended not to believe it ; and said to his people, 
" By what means does this young king think to enter Flanders ? He 
is as yet too young by a year to imagine he can frighten us by his 
assembling an army. I will have the entrances so well guarded that 
it shall not be in their power for this year to cross the river Lis." 
He sent to Ghent for the lord de Haraelles. On his arrival, he said 
to him 1 " Lord de Harzelles, you hear how the king of France is 
making preparations to destroy us. We must have a council on 
ihie subject. You shall remain here, and I will go to Bruges to learn 



surer intelligence, and to encourage the citizens of the principal 
towns. I will go to establish such garrisons on the river Lis, a-nd at. 
the chief passes, that the French shall not be able to advance through 
them." 

The lord de Harzelles having assented to this, Philip left the siege, 
and took the road toward Bruges. He travelled like a lord, having 
his displayed pennon before him, blazoned with liis arms : which 
were three hats argent on a field sable. On his arrival at Bruges, 
he found Peter du Bois and Peter le Nuitre, the governors of Bru. 
ges ; and having informed them, that the king of France was march- 
ing toward Flanders with a large army, and that it was necessary to 
provide a remedy by guarding the passes, he added ; " You, Peter 
du Bois, must go to the pass of Uommmes, il» j^'iiard tile river; and you, 
Peter le Nuitre, will defend the bridge of Warneton ; you will break 
down all the bridges on the river as far as La Gorge, Haselies, Meu- 
reville and Courtray, by which means the French will not bo able to 
pass. I will myself go to Ypres, to encourage them, and to remon- 
strate with them, that as we are all united in one common cause, 
none should fail or hesitate to perform what we have sworn to do. 
It is not in the power of the king of France, nor these Frenchmen, 
to cross the river Lis and enter Flanders provided the passes be well 
guarded, for they must follow the course of the river to seek for a 
passage." 

The two Peters replied, "Philip, you speak well, and we will obey 
what you have ordered. But have you had any news from our peo. 
pie in England V " No, by my troth," said Philip, " which I won- 
der at. The parliament is sitting at London, and very shortly we 
must receive intelligence from them. The king of France cannot 
make such haste, but we shall have received succors from England, 
before they could do us much harm. I hope that the king of Eng- 
land has issued his summons, and that the English will arrive here 
some night before we are aware." Thus did these companions dis- 
course together, who held all Flanders under their obedience, except 
Dendremonde and Oudenarde. 



CHAPTER CXI I. 

SEVERAL KNIGHTS OP THE PARTY OF THE EARL OF FLANDERS, HAVINS 
PASSED PONT-AMENIN, ARE DEFEATED AND KILLED ON THEIR ATTE>rPT 
TO REPASS IT, THE FLEMINGS HAVING BROKEN DOWN THE BRIDGE. 
PHILIP, HEARING THIS NEWS WHEN AT YPRES, HAKES USE OF IT TO 
ENCOURAGE THE INHABITANTS. 

While these preparations were going forward, and during the 
residence of the king of France at Anas, great bodies of men-at. 
arms were assembling in the Tourneois, Artois, and castleivick of 
Lille and its neighborhood. Some knights and squires, who resided 
at Lille and thereabout, resolved to perform feats of arms that should 
gain them renown, chiefly through the exhortations of the Haze de 
Flanders. They collected about six score knights and squires, and 
crossed the river Lis at Pont-Amenin, which was not then broken 
down, two leagues from Lille. They rode for the town of Harle, 
which they surprised ; and, after slaying many in the town and envi- 
rons, they drove the remainder out of the town. Their cries were 
heard in the neighboring villages; the inhabitants of which sounded 
their alarm bells, and marched toward Harle and Pont-Amenin, 
whence the cries seemed to come. 

When the Haze, sir .John Jumont, the constable de "V'uillon, sir 
Henry Duffle, and the other knights and squires had sufficiently 
alarmed the country, they thought it was time for them to retreat, 
and set out on their return, intending to repass the bridge, but they 
found it strongly occupied by Flemings, who were busily employed 
in destroying it; and, when they had broken down any parts they 
covered them with straw, that the mischief might not be perceived. 
The knights and squires at this moment arrived, mounted on the 
host of horses, and found upward of two thousand peasants drawn 
up in a body without the town, prepared to advance upon them. 
The gentlemen, on seeing this, formed, and having fixed their lances 
on their rests, those best mounted instantly charged this body of peas- 
ants, with loud shouts. The Flemings opened their ranks through 
fear, but others say through malice ; for they well knew the bridge 
would not bear them ; and they sold among themselves, " Let U8 
make way for them, and we shall soon see fine sport." . 

The Haze de Flanders and his companions, desirous to get away, 
for any further stay would be against them, galloped for the bridge, 
which was now too weak to bear any great weight : however, the 
Haze, and some others, had the courage and good luck to pass 
over : they might be about thirty : but, as others were following, the 
bridge broke down under them. Horses and riders were overthrown, 
and both perished together. Those behind, seeing this misfortune, 
were Ihundei'Struck, and knew not whither to fly to save themselves. 
Some leaped into the river, intending to swim, but they were not 
able thus to escape. Great slaughter ensued ; for the Flemings fell 
upon them and killed them easily, and without pity. They made 
several leap into the water, and they were drowned. Sir John de 
Jumont narrowly escaped, for the bridge broke under him, but, by 
great agility of body he saved himself: he was, however, badly 
wounded on the head and body by arrows, and it was six weeks be. 
fore he recovered. At this unfortunate action were killed, the con. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, 



&,c . 



313 



stables de Vuillon, de Boucliais, de St. Hilaire, and more drowned 
sir Henry Duffle was slain. Including drowned and killed, there 
were upward of si.\ty ; and very I'ortunate were those who escaped. 
Great numbers returned wounded from this enterprise. News was 
carried to the lords of France at Arras, of their countrymen having 
lost tlie day: and that the Haze do Flanders had conducted this fool- 
ish expedition. He was pitied by some, but by others not. Those 
who had been most accustomed to arms said, they had acted ill, to 
cross a river that was not fordable, attack a large town and enter an 
enemy's country, and return the way they had come, without having 
established guards on the bridge. It was not an enterprise planned 
by prudent men-at-arms, who were desirous of success; but, since 
they planned their enterprise with so much self-sufficiency, they had 
suffered from tlie consequence. 

This affair passed off, and was soon forgotten. Philip departed 
from Bruges and came to Ypres, where he was most joylully received. 
Peter du Bois went to Commincs, where all the inhabitants of the 
flat country were assembled, and instantly began liis preparations for 
defence, loosening the planks of the bridge, so that, if there should be 
eccasion, it could immediately be pulled down: but he was unwil- 
ling totally to destroy the bridge, lest the inhabitants of the adjacent 
flat country might suffer, who daily crossed it with their cattle in 
droves, to place them in greater security on that side of the Lis. The 
whole country was so much covered with them it was marvellous 
to see. 

The day Philip von Artaveld came to Ypres, news arrived of the 
defeat of the French at Pont-Amenin, and that the Haze had been 
nearly taken. Philip was mightily rejoiced at this, and said with a 
smile, to encourage those near, "By the grace of God, and the just 
cause we are engaged in, it will all end so ; and never sliall this king, 
if he should be so foolishly advised to cross the Lis, return again to 
France." 

Philip was five days in Ypres, and harangued the people in the 
open market-place, to encourage them and to keep them steady to 
tlieir engagements, telling them that the king of France was coming 
to destroy them without the least shadow of right. " Good people," 
said Philip, "do not be alarmed if he should nnirch against us; for 
he will never be able to cross the river Lis, as I have had all the 
passes well guarded, and have ordered Peter du Bois to Coramines 
with a large body of men : he is a loyal man, and one who loves the 
honor of Flanders ; and Peter le Nuitre I have sent to Warneton ; all 
the other bridges on the Lis are broken down, and there is neither 
pass nor ford which they can cross but at these two towns. I have 
also heard from our friends whom we sent to England. In a short 
time we shall receive considerable succors from thence, as we hai^e 
made a strong alliance with them. Keep up, therefore, valiantly 
your hopes, for our honor shall be unsullied ; and observe punctually 
what you have promised anil sworn to us in the good town of Ghent, 
which heis had such trouble and difficulty to maintain the rights and 
franchises of Flanders. Now, let all those who are determined to 
remain steady to the cause, according to the oath they took, gallantly 
lift up their hands to heaven as a token of loyalty." 

At these words, all who were in the market-place, and who had 
heard the speech, held up their hands as a sign of their loyalty. 
After this, Philip descended from the scaffold on which he had ha- 
rangued, and returned to his house, where he remained the whole 
day. On the morrow, he and his attendants mounted their horses 
and went toward Oudenarde, where the siege was still going on, 
notwithstanding the news of the French ; but on passing through 
Courtray, he rested two days. 



CHATTER CXIII. 

THE ORDER OF THE FRENCH ARMY IN ITS MARCH TO FLANDERS, AFTER 
THEY HAD HEARD THE BRIDGES WERE BROKEN AND GUARDED. 

We will for a while leave Philip von Artaveld, and speak of the 
young king of France, who resided at Arras, and who, as he showed, 
had a great desire to enter Flanders, to lower the pride of the Flem- 
ings ; and was daily increasing his army, by the arrival of men-at- 
arms from all quarters. After the king had tarried eight days at 
Arras, he went to Lens, in Artois,* where he staid two days. On 
the third day of November he departed and came to SecHn,+ where 
he halted. A council was held, in the presence of the constable of 
France, the marshals of France, Burgundy and Flanders, to consider 
how they should proceed ; for the common report in the army was 
the impossibility to enter Flanders in case the passes of the river 
should be strongly guarded. It rained, besides, at this time contin- 
ually, and was so exceedingly cold that they could not advance. 
Some of the wisest said it was wrong to undertake such an expedi- 
tion at this season of the year, and to bring the king so far into such 
a country^ They ought not to have united before the summer to 
carry the war into Flanders, for the king had never been so far in 
his life. 

Ti^in nver Lis is so difficult to cross, that, e.vcept at certain places, 
it cannot be passed. There are no fords, and the country it runs 
through is so very marshy, horses cannot approach it. The con- 



* " Lens "—a town in Artois on the Souchets, four leagues from Betliuue. 
t " SeclJa "—an ancient town in Flanders, near Lille. 



stable, on hearing this, asked, " Where does i4rise ?" He was an- 
swered, that it came from near Aire and St. Omer. " Since it has 
a spring," replied the constable, " we will easily pass it. Order our 
men to march toward St. Omer, where we can cross this river at 
our ease, and enter Flanders. These Flemings are so proud and 
self-sufficient, they will march to attack us, either before Ypres or at 
some other place." 

The marshals agreed to the proposition of the constable, and every, 
thing remained in this state the whole day and night, when, on the 
morrow, the lord d'.A-lbreth, the lord de Coucy, sir Aimemon de 
Pommiers, sir John de Vieime, admiral of France, sir William de 
Poitiers, the bastard de Langres, the bfegue de Villaines, sir Raoul. 
de Coucy, the count de Conversant, the viscount d'Acy, sir Raoul 
de Raineval, the lord de St. Just, sir Arthur de Hfidin, sir Anthony 
d'Archies, the lord de Saimpi, sir William des Bourdes, the lord de 
Longueville, the lord de Sulli, sir Tristan de I'Estouet, sir Oliver du. 
Guesclin, sir Maurice du Tresiquidy, sir Guy le Baveux, sir Lucas 
de I'Estrughen, sir Nicholas Pamel, the two marshals of France, sir 
Louis de Sancerre, and sir Louis de Blainville, the marshals of Bur- 
gundy and Flanders, sir Enguerrant de Haluyn, entered the chamber 
of the constable, to receive orders, how, and in what direction, they 
were to advance : whether they should march through Lille to Com- 
mines and Warneton, where the passes were guarded, or make for 
the upper countries of Vcnoye and St. Venant,* and there cross the 
Lis. There were many debates among these lords on this subject ; 
and those who knew the country said : " Certainly, at such a season 
as this, it will not be right to advance into that country, nor can we 
go into the' territories of Cassel, Surnes, or Verthes." " And what 
road shall we then take .'" cried the constable. Upon which, the 
lord de Coucy said, " 1 would propose that we march to Tournay and 
there cross the Scheld, and take the road toward Oudenarde. This 
road is very easy, and we shall engage with our enemies. After 
passing the Scheld, we shall not have anything to stop us before 
Tournay. We may thus arrive before Oudenarde, and punish Philip 
von Artaveld. We can liave daily refreshments of provisions come 
to us from Hainault, and follow us down the river from Tournay." 
This speech of the lord dc Couey was well attended to, and supported 
by several for some time : but the constable and marshals were more 
inclined to follow the course of the Lis, to seek a shorter passage, 
than to march to the right or left, by a longer road ; and they urged 
strong reasons for it, saying, " If we look for any other road but the 
straight one, we do not show ourselves good men-at-arms ; at least 
it is our duty to examine if we cannot pass the river above or below 
this pass of Commines, which is guarded. Besides, if we retreat, 
our enemies will rejoice and be encouraged : their forces will in. 
crease, and they will say that we fly from them. There is also 
another point which ought to be considered : we are ignorant what 
has been the success of the embassadors they sent to England ; for 
it, by any treaty, assistance should come to them from that quarter, 
they will give us much trouble. It is therefore better that we get 
rid of this business in Flanders as speedily as possible, than be thua 
long in determining upon it. Let us instantly, and with courage, 
march toward Commines, and God will assist us. We have so often 
crossed and recrossed larger rivers than this Lis, that it cannot long 
prevent us from passing it. Happen what may, when we are on its 
banks we can then form our opinions ; and when those of our com- 
pany in the vanguard (who have for these twenty or thirty years 
seen many more dangerous passes than this) have crossed this river, 
and gained the other side, our enemies will be a hundred times more 
frightened than if we had marched at our ease, seeking a passage 
on the right or left, out of our direct road : we may then consider 
ourselves as lords of Flanders." 

This plan was unanimously adopted. During the time these lords 
were assembled, they considered how they should form their battal- 
ions ; and selected those who were to march on foot with the con- 
stable in tlie vanguard, in order to clear the roads for the army to 
pass and march in a line, and to act as scouts to observe and find 
out their enemies. They also chose those who were to be in the 
king's battalion, regulated the arms with which they should serve, 
and appointed proper persons to carry the oriflamme of France and 
to guard it ; and likewise determined of what numbers the wings 
were to be composed, and how many were to be in the rear-guard. 
All these tilings they debated and arranged. AVhen these points had 
been settled, and they could not tlunk of anything more that was 
necessary to be done, the council broke up, and eveiy one retired to 
his lodgings. Those lords and barons who had not been present 
were informed of the regulations, and the manner in which they 
were to act from henceforward. It was this day ordered, that the 
king should on the morrow dislodge from Seclin, march through 
Lille without halting, and take up iiis quarters at Margnette I'Ab. 
bayee ; and that the vanguard should pass on to Commines and 
Warneton, and do the most they could in the course of the day„ 
This being settled, the master of the cross-bows, in conjunction with 
the constable and marshals, unanimously appointed sir Josse de Ha- 
luyn and the lord de Rambures to the command of the infantry, who 
were to clear the roads by cutting down hedges and forests, filling 
up valleys, and everything else that might be necessary : their num- 
bers amounted to seventeen hundred and sixty. 



* A town in Artois on the Lis, four leognes from Bethune. 



314 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



against all who might wish to attack them : they were upward of 
nine thousand, under the command of Peter du Bois and others, who 
showed good inclinations to repulse any attempt. Peter du Bois had 
placed himself on the causeway, at the end of the bridge, with a 
battle-axe in his hand ; and the Flemings were drawn up on each 
side. 

The constable of France and the lords with him, having con. 
sidered the situation, thought it impossible to pass the river at that 
place unless the bridge were rebuilt ; they ordered their sen'ants to 
follow the course of the river, and examine its banks for about a 
league up and down. When they returned, tliey informed their mas- 
ters, who were waiting for them, tlicy had not been able to find any 
place where the cavalry could pass. Upon hearing this, the con- 
stable was much vexed, and said, '■ We have been badly advis-ed to 
take this road : better would it have been for ur, to have gone to St, 
Omer than remain in this danger, or to have crossed the Scheld at 
Toiirnay, as the lord de Coucy advised, and to have marched straight 
to Oudenarde and fought our enemies, since it is both our duty and 
inclination to combat them ; and they are so presumptuous they 
would have waited for ug at their siege." The lord Louis Sancerre 



In the vanguard w«e the marshals of Flanders, France and Btu-- 
gundy, who had under their command seventeen hundred men.at. 
arms and seven hundred cross-bows, besides four thousand infantry 
whom the earl had given to them, armed with large shields and other 
weapons. It was also ordered that the earl of Flanders, and his 
battalion, consisting of about sixteen hundred men-at.arms, knights, 
squires and infantry, should march on the wings of the vanguard to 
reinforce it, should it be necessary. It was likewise ordered that 
the king's battalion should march between the vanguard and the 
battalion of the earl of Flanders, and that the king's three uncles, 
Berry, Burgundy and Bourbon should be in it ; and also the count 
de la Marche, sir James de Bourbon, his brothers, the count de Cler- 
mont, the dauphin d'Auvergne, the coimt de Dampmartin, the count 
de Sancerre, sir .Tohn de Boulogne, to the amount of si.x thousand 
•".-.cn-at-arnis, two thousand Genoese cross-bows and others. 

The rear-guard was to consist of two thousand men-at-arms and 
two hundred archers ; the commanders of which were the lord John 
d'Artois count d'Eu, the lord Guy count de Blois, sir Waleran count 
de St. Pol, sir WiUiam count de Harcourt, the lord de ChSitillon and 
the lord de Sere. 

Sir Peter dc Villiers was 
appointed to bear the Ori- 
flamme, attended by four 

knights, whose names were Si:^!^-, 

sir Robert le Baveux, sir - - 

Morice de Sancourt, sir Guy '_~^^ 

de Tresiquidi and Brandon '' , 

de la Heuse : le borgne de 
Ruetand le borgne de Mont- 
doulcet were named toguard 
the banner. ^ 

It is proper to be known, 
that the lords who had plan- ^ ., , 

ned this expedition had de- 
termined tlicy would never 
return to France until they 
had engaged Philip von Art. 
aveld and his forces, and it 
was for this reason they had 
drawn up their battalions as 
ready for the combat on the 
morrow. The lords d'Al. 
breth, de Coucy, and sir 
Hugh de Hanlon were or- 
dered to form the battalions 
and place them in array. 
Sir William dc Bannes and 
the lord de Champreny were 
appointed marshals to attend 
to the Quarters of the king 
and his battalion. 

It was also ordered, that 
on the day of battle, no one 
but the king and eight val 
iant men appointed to attend 
his person, should be on 
horseback. The names of 
these eight men were as fol- 
lows : the lord de Raineval, 
le bfegue de Villaines, sir Aymemon de Pommiers, sir Enguerrant then said, " I am of opinion that we fix our quarters here for this 






A French Knioht unfurling the Oriflammk.— Designed from contemporary authorities. 



de Haluyn, the viscount d'Acy, sir Guy le Baveux, sir Nicholas de 
Pennel and sir William des Bourdes. The lord de Raineval and 
sir Enguerrant de Haluyn were to take post in front of the king : le 
bigue de Villaines and the viscount d'Acy (who is called in several 
places hereafter the viscount d'Aunoy) were to place themselves on 



day, and lodge our army, should it arrive, as well as we are able ; 
and that we send to Lille to seek for boats and hurdles, that may 
come down the river, with which to-morrow we can throw a bridge 
from these fine meads and cross over ; for we have no other alterna- 
tive." Upon this, sir Josse de Haluyn said, " My lord, we have 



each .side ; and sir Aymemon de Pommiers, sir Nicholas de Pennel, been informed that there will be great difficulties between this and 
sir Guy le Baveux and sir William des Bourdes, were to take post in! Lille; for the river Mcnyn, on which all boats must pass to come 
the rear. It was likewise ordered, that on the day of battle, sir Oliveri hither, has been obstructed by large beams thrown across it by the 
de Clisson, constable of France, and sir William de Poitiers, bastard Flemings who are in those parts: they have totally destroyed the 
de Langres, should advance on horseback, to reconnoitre and obseivel bridge, and we learn it is impossible for any vessels or boats to pass." 



the appearance of the enemy. 



CHAPTER CXIV. 

SOME FEW OF THE FRENCH, NOT BEINS ABLE TO CROSS THE LIS AT THE 
BRIDeE OF COMMINES, FIND MEANS OF DOING SO, BY BOATS AND OTHER 
CRAFT, UNKNOWN TO THE FLEMINSS. 

The orders above mentioned were punctually obeyed ; and the 
vanguard dislodged on the morrow, marching in order of battle to- 
ward Commines. They found the roads well made, for the lord de 
Fransures* and sir Josse de Haluyn had paid great attention to them: 
this was on the Monday. When the constable and marshals of 
France, with the vanguard, arrived at the bridge of Commines, they 
were forced to halt ; for it was so completely desti'oyed, that it was 
was not in the power of man to repair it, if any opposition should be 
made when they were attempting it, as the Flemings were in great 
force on the opposite side of the river, and ready to defend the pass 



"Fransures." He before calls him Ramburcs. 



I know not then," added the constable, " what we can now do. 
It will be better for us to take the road to Aire, and cross the Lis at 
that place, since we are unal)le to do so here." 

During the time the constable and marshals of France and Bur. 
gundy where in this dilemma at the bridge of Commines, several 
knights and squires silently withdrew, with the intent to hazard some 
gallant deeds of arms and attempt to cross the river, whatever it 
might cost them. They meant likewise to combat the Flemings in 
their intrenchments, and open a passage, as I shall now relate. 
While the vanguard was on its march from Lille to Commines, the 
lord de St. Py, and some other knights from Hainault. Flanders, Ar- 
tois, and even France, had held a council without the knowledge of 
the constable or marshals. They said, " We will procure two or 
three boats, which we will launch into the river Lis, at a sheltered 
place below Commines, and will fix posts on each side of the river 
where it is not wide, to fasten cords to. We shall by this means 
soon convey over a large body of men, and by marching on the rear 
of our enemies we may attack them, and, if victorious, we shall gain 
the reputation of valiant men-at-arms." After they had thus deter- 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



3ie 



rained in council, the lord de St. Py exerted himself so much that 
he procured from Lille a boat and cords, with every other necessary 
article. On the other hand, sir Hcrbeaux de Belleperche and sir 
John de'Iioye, who were companions in this expedition, had also 
caused a boat to be brought. Sir Henry de Manny, sir John de 
Malatrait and sir John Chauderon, Bretons, who had been of this 
council, had likewise provided one, and followed the preceding 
companies. 

The lord de St. Py was the first who arrived at the river with his 
boat, cords and fastenings. They fixed a strong stake to which 
they tied the cord : three varlets then crossed over, and the boat, 
■with the cords, being launched, they fixed on the opposite side 
another strong post, to which they fastened the other end of the 
cord : and, this being done, they returned with the boat to their 
master. It happened that the constable and marshals of France 
were at that time at the bridge of Commines, pondering how they 
could discover a passage. They were then informed of the inten- 
tions of the lord de St. Py and the other knights. Upon which the 
constable, addressing himself to the lord Louis de Sancerre, said, 
" Marshal, go and see what they are doing, and if it be possible to 
cross the river in the manner they propose, add some of our men to 
theirs." 

Just as these knights were preparing to embark, the marshal of 
France came thither, attended by a large company of knights and 
squires. They made way for him, as was right. He stopped on the 
bank, and with pleasure saw the arrangement of the boats. The 
lord de St. Py, addressing him, said, " My lord, is it agreeable to 
you that we should cross here ?" "I am very well pleased with it," 
replied the mai-shal ; " but you are running great risks ; for if our 
enemies, who are at Commines, should know your intentions, they 
would do you great mischief" " My lord," answered the lord de 
Saint Py, " nothing venture nothing win : in the name of God and 
St. George, we will cross over, and, before to-morrow evening, will 
fall suddenly on our enemies and attack them." The lord de Saint 
Py then placed his pennon in the boat, and was the first who stepped 
into it : he was followed by nine others, who were as many as the 
boat could hold ; and instantly, by means of the cord they held, 
crossed over. When disembarked, in order to prevent themselves 
from being discovered, they entered a small alder grove, where they 
lay hidden. Those on the bank, by means of the cord, drew tie 
boat back. The count de Conversant, lord d'Anghien, embarked 
with his banner, with the lord de Vertain his brother, and seven 
others. These nine then passed, and the third time others followed 
them. 

The two other boats now anived that belonged to sir Herbaut de 
Belleperche, sir John de Roye and the Bretons, which were launched 
in the same manner the first had been. These knights then crossed, 
and none but determined men-at-arms did the same. It was a pleas- 
ure to see with what eagerness they embarked : at times a great 
crowd was pushing who should cross first, so that if the marshal of 
France had not been there, who kept them in proper order, accidents 
■would have happened from their overloading the boats. 

News was brought to the constable and the lords of France at the 
bridge of Commines, how their people were crossing the river, when 
he said to the s«5neschal de Rieux, " Go and examine this passage, 
I beg of you, and see if our people be passing as they tell us." The 
lord de Rieux was never happier than when h« had this commision, 
and, clapping spurs to his horse, hastened thither with his whole 
company, to the amount of full forty men-at-arms. When he arrived 
at the passage where one hundred and fifty of his countrymen had 
already crossed, he immediately dismounted, and said he would also 
pass the river. The marshal of France would not refuse him ; and 
intelligence was sent to the constable, that his cousin the lord de 
Rieux had crossed. The constable mused a little, and then said, 
" Make the cross-bows shoot, and skirmish with the Flemings who 
are on the other side of the bridge, to occupy their attention, and 
prevent them from observing our people ; for, if they should have 
any notion what they are about, they will fall upon them, destroy 
the passage, and kill all those who have crossed : and I would much 
rather die than that should happen." 

Upon this, the cross-brows and infantry advanced. There were 
among them some who flung hand-grenades,* which bursting, cast 

* I call bombards, liand-greniides : to my mind, it explains this passage more easily. 
Liord Berners totally omits it. 

[The original is as follows : " Et y en avoit aucun autres qui eeltoyent bombardes 
portatives et qui gettoyent gros carreaux eiiipennez de I'er, et les faisoient volar outre 
le pout, jusque^ k la viile de Commines;" literally, "and they had fliere sitnie others 
who threw portable bombards, and which (or who) threw large quarrels (cross-bow 
bolls) pointed with iron, and made Ihein fly beyond the bridge as far as the town of 
Commines." The construction of the original sentence is such as to render it obscure : 
it is not clear whether the soldiers, or the bombards, threw the quarrels into the town. 
It does not appear that the town was near enough for the soldiers to throw grenades 
into it, over the river, and it is difficult to believe that the explosion of a hand-grenade 
could do damage at any considerable distance. Most of the cannons made about tlie 
time, when they began to be in general use, were of small dimensions, and were fitted 
with rings at tlie sides, by which they were earried ; to such, the tprm " portable bom- 
bards " may be justly applied, but grenades adapted to be thrown by the hand would, 
in all probability, have been more particularly distinguished. If we read, " They had 
there some others who carried portalde bombards which threw," &c., we shall proba- 
bly restore tjie true text, and tiie sentence becomes at once perfectly clear. Those who 
are at all acquainted with the nature of the errors which creep into and are continued 
ia repeateU MS. transcripts, ^vill readily perceive the cause, ifl this instance, where the 



out bolts of iron beyond the bridge, even as far as the town of Com- 
mines. The skirmish now began to be very sharp, and the van- 
guard, by their movements, seemed determined to cross the bridge 
if they could. The Flemings, being shielded up to their noses, 
made a good appearance, and defended themselves well. Thus 
passed this day, which was a Monday, in skirmishing ; and it was 
soon dark, for at that season the days are very short. The boats, 
however, continued to carry over men-at-arms in great numbers, 
who, on their landing, hid themselves in the alder wood, waiting 
for more. 

You may easily guess what perils they were in ; for, had those in 
Commines gained the least intelligence of them, they must have had 
them at their mercy, and conquered the greater part, besides taking 
the boats ; but God favored the other party, and consented that the 
pride of the Flemings should be humbled. 



CH.\PTER CXV. 

A SMALL BOnV OF FRENCH, HAVING CROSSED THE LIS, DRAW DT IN 
BATTLE ARRAY BEFORE THE FLEMINGS. 

I MAiNTAi.N, that all men of understanding must hold this enter- 
prise of the boats, and passage of men-at-arms, as a deed of superior 
valor and enterprise. Toward evening, the knights and squires of 
the vanguard were eager to cross with their companions ; and the 
lord de Laval, the viscount de Rohan, the lord de la Belliere, the 
lord de Combort, sir Oliver du Guesclin, le Barrels des Barres, the 
lord de Collet, sir Reginald de Thouars, the lord de Pousanges, air 
William de Lignae, sir Walter de Passat, le sire de Thouars, sir 
Louis de Consaule, sir Tristan do la Jaille, the -viscount de Meaux, 
the lord de Mailly, passed over, and Bretons, Flemings, Poitevins, 
French, Berruyers, Burgundians, Artois-men, Troyens, and Hain- 
auliers, in numbei-s, so that late in this Monday evening there were, 
on the Flanders side of the river, about four hundred men-at-arms, 
all the flower of knighthood : for no varlet was suffered to cross. 

The lord Louis de Sancerre, seeing so many gallant men (sixty 
banners and thirty pennons,) said, he should think himself to blame, 
if he remained behind. He then entered the boats, with his knights 
and squires ; and the lord de Hangest, tfcc. crossed at the same time. 
When they were all assembled, they said, *' It is time to march 
toward Commines, to look at our enemies, and see if wo cannot 
make our quarters good in the town." Upon this, they tightened 
their arms, buckled their helmets on their heads in a proper manner, 
and advancing through the marshes which are contiguous to the 
river, marched in order of battle, with banners and pennons displayed, 
as if they were immediately to engage. The lord de Saint Py was 
the principal conductor and commander-in-chief, because he knew 
the country better than any of the others. 

As they were thus marching in close order, in their way toward 
the to-ft-n, Peter du Bois and the Flemings were drawn up on the 
causeway ; when, casting their eyes toward the meads, they sa'w 
this body of men-at-arms approaching. They were exceedingly 
astonished, and demanded from Peter du Bois, " by what devil of a 
road have these men-at-arms come ? and how have they crossed the 
Lis ?" He replied, " They must have crossed in boats, and we 
have known notliing of the matter ; for there is neither bridge nor 
passable ford over the Lis between this and Courtray." " What 
shall we do !" said some of them to Peter du Bois : " shall we offer 
tliem battle ?" "By no means," replied Peter: "let them advance: 
but we will remain in our strength and in our place : we are on high 
gronnd, and they on low, so that we have great advantage over 
them ; and, if we descend to meet thein in the plain, we shall lose 
it. Let us wait until the night become more obscure, and then we 
will consider how we had best act. They are not of force sufficient 
to withstand us in battle : and, besides, we are acquainted with all 
the roads of the country, of which they must be ignorant." This 
advice was followed ; for the Flemings never budged from their 
post, but remained steady at the foot of the bridge, drawn up in 
order of battle on the causeway, in silence, and, by their appearance, 
seemed as if they had not noticed what was passing. Those who 
had crossed the river continued advancing slowly through the marshes, 
following the course of it as they approached Commines. 

The constable of France, on the opposite side of the water, saw his 
men-at-arms, with banners and pennons fluttering in the wind, drawn 
up in a handsome small battalion, and marching toward Commines. 
On seeing this, hrs blood began to run cold from the great dread he 
had of their being defeated ; for he knew the Flemings were in great 
force on that side of the water. In the excess of rage, he cried out, 
"Ah, St. Ives! ha, St. George! ha, our Lady! what do I see there ? 
I see in part the flower of our army, who are most unequally matched, 
I would rather have died than have witnessed this. Ah ! sir Louis 
de Sancerre, I thought you more temperate and better taught than I 

improper repetition of the word " gettoyent" has rendered a passage, at first perfectly 
plain, inelegant, and unintelligible. Mr. Johnes having once taken up tlie idea of the 
hand-grenade (which, according to all received accounts, was not invented till long 
after the events narrated in the text.) has spoken of their bursting, a circumstance not 
alluded to by Froissart. Lord Berners. who, though he docs not speak of grenades^ 
does not omit tlie bombards, gays. " Then the croes-bowes and men a-fote, and ^tuk- 
ncrs, shote over the bridge into the towne."— JEd.J 



316 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &. c . 



see you now are ; how could you have hazarded so many noble 
knights and squires, and men-at-arms, against ten or twelve thousarid 
men, who are proud, presumptuous, and well prepared, and who will 
ahow them no mercy, wliilc we are unable, if there should be a neces- 
sity, to aid Ihem? Ah, Rohan ! ah, Laval! ah, Rieux! ah, Beauma. 
noir! ah, Longueville I ah, Rochforl! ah, Manny! ah, Malatrait! 
ah. Conversant ! ah, such a one and such a one, how afflicted am I 
for you all ! when, without consulting me, you have run into such 
imminent danger. Why am I constable of France ? for, if you be 
conquered, I shall incur all the blame, and they will say I ordered 
you on this mad enterprise." The constable, before he heard that 
such numbers of valiant men had crossed, had forbidden any of those 
near him to pass the river ; but, when he saw the appearance of 
those who had passed, lie said aloud, " I give free liberty for all who 
wish it to cross, if they be able." 

At these words, the knights and squires stepped forth, seeking 
means to cross the bridge ; but it was soon night, and they were 
forced to leave off their attempt, though they had begun to lay planks 
on the beams, and even some had placed their targets to make a 
road ; so that the Flemings who were in Commines had enough to do 
to watch them, and were puzzled how to act, for on the one hand 
they saw below tlie bridge, in the marshes, a large body of men-at- 
arms, who had halted with their lances advanced before them, and to 
whom great reinforcements were coming, and on the other, those of 
the vanguard on the opposite side of the bridge, were constantly 
skirmishing with them and e.xerting themselves lustily to repair the 
bridge. 

In this situation were the French who liad that evening crossed 
over in boats. They had halted on the marslies, in mud and filth, 
up to their ancles. Now consider what must iiave been their courage 
and difficulties, when in these long winter nights they thus remained 
a whole night with their arms and helmets on, with their feet in the 
inire, and without any sort of refreshments. Certainly, I say, they 
•are wortliy of great renown, for they were but a handful of men in 
comparison with the Flemings in Commines and in that neighbor- 
hood. They dared not, therefore, advance to attack them, and for 
this reason had halted, saying among themselves, " Let us stop here 
until it be daylight, when we shall have a eight of these Flemings 
who quit not tlie advantage of their intrenchments ; but at last they 
will not fail to come to us, and when near we will shout our war 
cries with a loud voice, each his own cry, or the cry of his lord, not. 
withstanding alt our lords may not have joined us : b}' this means we 
shall frighten them, when we will fall on them with a thorough good 
will. It is in the power of God, and within the compass of our own 
ability, to defeat them, for they are badly armed, while our spears 
and swords are of well-tempered steel from Bordeaux ; and the hau- 
bergeons* they wear will be a poor defence, and cannot prevent our 
blows from penetrating through them." With such hopes as these 
did those who had passed the river comfort themselves, and remain 
in silence during the night. 

The constable of France, who was on the other side of the river, 
toward Lille, had great anguish at heart on their account, and wished 
himself and army in the town of Commines with them. The. marshals 
of Burgundy and Flnndera, and those knights who were near his 
person, in order to comfort him, said; " My lord do not be cast down ; 
for all must own that those who have crossed the river are truly val- 
iant, as well as prudent knights, and we must believe they will not 
d.o anything but what shall be dictated by good sense and valor. 
They will not engage in combat this day, and you have given per- 
mission for all to pass the river as they can. To-morrow, as soon as 
daybreak shall appear, let us e.xert ourselves to cross the bridge. 
Wc have this day made more provision of planks and timber than 
will be necessary, so that we may be soon over to reinforce them, 
should they have need of it, and these wicked people will be pre. 
Tented from overpowering them." 

Thus was the constable of France consoled by the valiant men in 
his company. 



CHAPTER CXVI. 

THE FKENCH WHO HAD fKOSSED THE LIS DEFEAT, WITH GREAT SLAUGHTER, 
PETER DU BOIS AND THE FLEMINGS. THE TANGt'ARD OF THE FRENCH 
ARMY REPAIR AND PASS OVER THE BRIDGE OF COMMINES. 

Peter do Bois, knowing these men-at-arms were in the marshes 
joining Commines, was not perfectly at his ease, for he was uncertain 
what might be the event. He, had, however, under his command, 
six or seven thousand men, to whom, during the night, he h;id thus 
spoken : " The men-at-arms who have crossed the river to fight with 
us are neither of iron nor steel. They have labored hard this whole 
day, and have been all night standing in these mai"shes, so that it is 
po.-eible, that toward daybreak, they will be overpowered with sleep. 
While they are in this situation, we will come slily to attack them : 
our numbers are sufficient to surround them : but when we have so 
done, let no one dare to rush upon them, but remain silent ; for when 
it shall be proper time for you to act, I will inform you." To this 
command of Peter they all promised obedience. On the other hand, 
the barons, knights and squires, who had remained in the marshes so 



* " Haubergeons"— small coats ofmeil. 



near the enemy, were far from being comfortable : some of them were 
up to their ancles in mud, and others half way up their legs. But their 
eagerness and joy, on gaining this pass with so much honor (for very 
gallant deeds of arms were likely to ensue,) made them forget all their 
pains and difficulties. If it had been in summer-time, instead of the 
seventh day of November, they would have enjoyed it ; but now the 
ground was cold, muddy and dirty, and the nights were long. At 
limes also it rained heavily on their heads, but it ran oft", as they had 
their helmets on and everything prepared for the combat, and were 
only \\'aiting for the enemy to come and attack them. The great 
attention they paid to be in readiness kept up their spirits, and made 
them almost forget their situation. 

The lord de Saint Py full loyally acquitted himself in this expe- 
dition, as a scout and observer of what the Flemings were doing, 
though he was the commander-in-chief. He was continually on the 
look-out, and went privily to reconnoitre their motions. On his 
return, he said to his companions in a low voice, " Now up : our 
enemies are very quiet : perhaps they will advance on us at day- 
break : therefore be on your guard, and prepare to act." He would 
then return again, to see if anything were going forward, and then 
come back to tell what he had observed. This he continued to do, 
until the hour which the Flemings had fixed upon to attack them. It 
was on the point of day when they began tlieir march in close order, 
without uttering a word. The lord de Saint Fy, who was on the 
watch, no sooner saw this manoeuvre than he foimd they were in 
earnest, and hastening to his companions, said to them, "Now, my 
lords, be alert, we have but to do our utmost, for our enemy is on his 
march, and will be instantly here. These barons of new date are 
advancing slowly, and think to catch and surprise us : show your- 
selves true men-at-arms, for we shall have a battle." As the lord de 
Saint Py uttered these words, the knights and squires, with great 
courage, seized their long Bordeaux spears, and having grasped them 
with a hasty will, placed themselves in as good order as any knights 
or squires could devise. 

When the lords who had crossed the river, and, as I have before 
said, found themselves obliged to halt in the marehes, saw that the 
Flemings waited their opportunity to attack them, they said among 
themselves, " Since we are not in sufficient force to begin the com- 
bat, when the Flemings advance upon us they will not know what 
numbers we are : let us each set up one cry, or that of the lord to 
whom we may belong whether he be present or not : and, by thus 
shouting loudly, we shall so much alarm thom that they may be de- 
feated. In addition to this, we will receive them on the points of 
our spears." In this manner did it fall out : for, when the Flemings 
advanced to the combat, the knights and squires began to utter their 
war cries, insomuch that the constable and vanguard, who had not 
yet crossed the bridge, heard ihcm, and said, "Our friends are en- 
gaged : may God help them ! for at this moment we are unable fo 
give them any assistance." Peter du Bois marched in front, and was 
followed by his Flemings; but, when they approached the French, 
they were received on the sharp points of their long Bordeaux spears, 
to which their coats of mail made not more resistance than if they 
had been ff cloth thrice doubled ; so that they passed through their 
bodies, heads and stomachs. 

When the Flemings felt these sharp spears which impaled them, 
they fell back, and the French advancing gained ground upon them ; 
for there were none so hardy but that feared their strokes. Peter du 
Bois was one of the first who was woirnded and run through by a 
lance. It came quite out at his shoulder: he was also wounded on 
the head, and would have been instantly slain if it had not been for 
the body-guard he had formed, of thirty stout varlets, who taking him 
in their arms, carried him as quickly as they could out of the crowd. 
The mud from the causeway to Commines was so deep that all these 
people sunk in it up to the middle of their legs. The men-at-arms, 
who had been long accustomed to their profession, drove down and 
slew the Flemings without let or hindrance : they shouted, " St. Py 
for ever !" " Laval, Sancerre, Anghien '." and the war-cries of others 
who were there. The Flemings were panic-struck, and began to 
give way, when they saw these knights attack them so vigorously 
and pierce them through with their spears. They retreated, and 
falling back on each other, were followed by the French who marched 
through them or around them, always attacking the thickest bodies. 
They no more spared killing them than if they had been so many 
dogs ; and they were in the right, for, had the Flemings conquered, 
they would have served them the same. 

The Flemings, finding themselves thus driven back, and that the 
men-at-arms had won the causeway and bridge, counselled together, 
to set fire to the town, in hopes it would cause the French to retreat, 
or enable them to collect their people. This was executed, and fire 
set to several houses, which were instantly in flames; but they were 
disappointed in thinking by this to frighten the French, for they pur- 
sued them as valiantly as before, fighting and slaying them on the 
ground, or in the houses whither they had retreated. Upon this the 
Flemings made for the open plain, where they collected in a body. 
They .sent to Vertain, Poperingue, Bergues, Rollers, Mesieres, Warne- 
ton and the other neighboring towns, to urge them to come to their 
assistance at Commines. Those who fled, and the inhabitants of the 
villages near Commines, began to set their bells a-ringing, which 
clearly showed there was an engagement going forward. Some of 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, Sec. 



Sir 



them, however, began to slacken, and others to occupy tliemselves in 
saving what they coiild of their goods, and to carry them to Ypree or 
Courtray. Women and cliildren ran thither, leaving their houses full 
of furnitare, cattle and grain. Others again marched in h;iste toward 
Commines, to help their countrymen who were fighting. 

While this was passing, and those valiant knights who had crossed 
the Lis in hoats were so gallantly engaged, the constable and van- 
guard were busily employed in attempting to repair the bridge and 
cross it. There was a very great throng, for the constable had given 
permission for all to pass it who could. There was much danger for 
those who crossed it first ; and the lords who did so were obliged to 
Btep on targets thrown on the beams of the bridge. When they had 
crossed, they began to strengthen the bridge, for they found the 
planks lying on the ground, which they put iu their proper places. 
During the night two wagon-loads of hurdles were brought, which 
were of great use to them, so that shortly it was made as strong as 
ever. On Tuesday the whole vanguard passed, took possession of 
the place, and, as they crossed, fixed their quarters in the town. 

The earl of Flanders, hearing that the vanguard was engaged at 
the pass of Commines, sent thither six thousand infantry to their as- 
sistance ; but when they arrived, the business was over and the 
bridge rebuilt. The constable sent them to Warneton to rebuild 
that bridge, that the baggage might pass it this Tuesday without 
delay. News was brought on Tuesday morning to the king of 
France at the abbey of Marquette, that the pass at Commines was 
won, and the vanguard on the other side, which was very agreeable 
to the king and his uncles. It was instantly determined that the 
king should cross the river ; and, the king having heard mass w'ith 
his lords and drank a cup, they mounted their horses and took the 
road to Commines. Those of the vanguard who were in Commines 
drove out the Flemings. There were slain of them in the streets 
and fields about four thousand, not including those killed in the pur- 
suit, in wind-mills, and in monasteries, whither they had fled for 
shelter ; for, as soon as the Bretons had crossed, they mounted their 
horses and began a chase after the Flemings, and overran the coun- 
try, which was then rich and plentiful. 

The lords de Rieux, dc Laval, de Malatrait, the viscount de la 
Belliere and the lord de Combort, with their men, rode on until they 
came to Vertain, which is a large town : it was taken and burnt, 
and those found in it were put to death. The Bretons had great 
profit from their pillage, as well as the others who had spread abroad 
over the country. They found the houses full of draperies, furs, with 
cloths of gold and silver : for, trusting to the strength of the passage 
over the river Lis, the Flemings had not carried away anything from 
their houses to their strong towns. 

The first Bretons, Normans and Burgundians who entered Flan- 
ders by the pass at Commines, paid no attention to pieces of cloth, 
furs or jewels, but to the gold and silver which they found. How- 
ever, those who followed cleared the whole country, for everj'thing 
*va3 acceptable to them. 



CHAPTER CXVII. 

PHILtP VON ARTAVELD TAKES MEASURES TO RESIST THE FORCE OF THE 
KING OF FRANCE. HE RECEIVES AN ANSWER FROM HIS EMBASSADORS 
IN ENGLAND. 

Bad news soon flies abroad. On Tuesday morning Philip von 
Artaveld heard, while he lay before Oudenarde, that the French had 
crossed the Lis on the Monday in boats, and had advanced as far as 
Commines, having conquered the Flemings pos*ed there and in the 
adjacent parts : that about six thousand Flemings had been slain, and 
that Peter du Bois was supposed to be dead. Philip was thunder- 
struck at this intelligence ; and he asked the lord de Harzelles, who 
was present, " what was to be done." The lord de Harzelles replied, 
"You must go to Ghent, and collect as many people as you can in 
the town, and return with them hither : you must then march your 
whole army to Courtray ; for when the king of France learns that 
you are marching in full force against him, he will consider well be- 
fore he advances furiher into the country. We ought in a short time 
to receive news from our embassadors in England. It may be that 
the king of England and his uncles will cross the sea with a large 
army, or perhaps they have already done so, which will be fortunate 
for us." 

" I am surprised," answered Philip, " how the English can so 
long delay it, when they know- they are to have free entrance into 
this country ; and I marvel what they are thinking of, as well as our 
people who are there. Notwithstanding, I will not hesitate going to 
Ghent to draw out the arriere-ban, with w'hich I will return and ofler 
battle to the king of France, whatever be the consequences. I am 
informed by Peter du Bois, that the king of France has full twenty 
thousand men-at-arms, which constitute sixty thousand fighting men. 
I will draw up in battle array as many to meet him ; and if God, out 
of his grace, and the just cause we have, should enable me to de. 
feat him, I shall be the most respected lord in the world ; if I be dis. 
comfiled, better fortune will befal a greater lord than myself." 

As Philip von Artaveld and the lord de Harzelles were thus con. 
versing, some soldiers arrived who had been at the battle of Com. 
minee, who confirmed the first intelligence. Philip said, "And 



Peter du Bois, is he dead, or a prisoner ?" They answered, " Neither ; 
but ho has been severely wounded in the battle, and has retired to 
Bruges." At these words, Philip mounted his horse and ordered 
thirty of his men to do the same, when he set out for Bruges. He 
quitted, however, the direct road, to view some of the gaiTison of 
Oudenarde who had made a sally the preceding night, but had been 
overpowered and slain : they were twelve in number who had been 
put to death. As he was thus examining the dead, he saw, coming 
toward him from Ghent, a herald attached to the king of England, 
whose name was Chandos, though called Ireland king-at.arms. Philip 
was much pleased at the arrival of this herald, and asked " what 
news he had brought." " My lord," replied the herald, " five of 
your embassadors returned to Ghent, accompanied by a knight called 
sir William Frenenton,* who, by orders from the king and council, 
bring letters (as we learnt from them at Dover) addressed to you as 
regent of Flanders. When yon know the contents of these letters, 
and approve of the great alliance oftered to you, large reinforcements 
will be instantly sent to you on the return of the knight and his com- 
panions to England." Philip said, " I am not well satisfied with 
such an arrangement ; the succors will come too late. Go to my 
quarters." He ordered him to be conducted to the lodgings of the 
lord de Harzelles, that he might hear the news ; while he took the 
road to Ghent, but in so melancholy a temper of mind that nothing 
could be got from him, nor could he be persuaded to enter into any 
agreeable conversation. 

CHAPTER CXVII I. 

THE ICING OF FRANCE CROSSES THE LIS AT THE BRIDGE OF COMMUTES. 
THE TOWN OF YFKES SURRENDERS TO HIM. 

We will now return to the king of France, and say how he went 
on. When intelligence was brought him of Commines being con- 
quered, that the Flemings were dispersed, and the bridge rebuilt, he 
set out from the abbey of Marquette, where he had lodged, and 
marched with his whole army in battle-array, as was befitting him 
to do, toward Commines. The king and his uncles arrived at Com- 
mines on Tuesday, and took up their lodgings in the town ; from 
whence the vanguard had marched for the hill of Ypres, where they 
had fi.'ced their quarters. On the Wednesday morning the king ad- 
vanced to the hill of Ypres, where he remained until the baggage 
and the remainder of his anny should cross the river at Commines 
or at Warneton, for there were very numerous trains, and multitudes 
of horses. 

On Wednesday, the king's rear.guard passed the bridge of Com. 
mines. It consisted of two thousand men-at-arms and two thousand 
cross-bows, under the command of the count d'Eu, the count de 
Clois, the count de St. Pol, the count de Harcourt, the lords de 
Chatillon and de la Fere. These lords with their men, lodged this 
Wednesday at Commines. 

When the night came, and these lords thought of reposing them- 
selves after their march, they heard the cry, " To arms !" They 
thought certainly they should have a battle, and that the Flemings 
from Ypres, Cassel, Bergues, and their dependencies, were collected 
and on their march to attack them. The lords armed themselves, 
put on their helmets, displayed their banners before their lodgings : 
and, having lighted torches, each lord advanced to the causeway 
under his banner or pennon : as their men came, they drew up and 
arranged themselves under their proper banners ; and thus they re- 
mained, half way up their legs in mud, almost the whole night. 
You may imagine if these lords had the best of it, such as the count 
de Blois and the others, who had not been accustomed to eufier such 
cold and comfortless nights as these a month before Chrislmas ; but, 
when their honor was at stake, they minded it not, for they thought 
they should be attacked every moment : however, it was not so, for 
this was a false alarm caused by a scuffle among the varlets. Their 
lords, however, suffered for it, which they bore as well as they coiild. 

On Thursday morning, the rear.guard dislodged from Commines, 
and marched, in good order, toward their main amiy, which was 
encamped on the hill of Ypres, the vanguard, the battalion of the 
king and all. The principal commanders held a council, to consider 
whether they should march to Ypres, Courtray, or Bruges. While 
they remained there, the French foragers overran the country, where 
they found a marvellous quantity of beasts, grain, and all other pro- 
visions ; for since they had gained the passage at Commines, tiiey 
were never in want. The inhabitants of Ypres, finding the king 
so near with his whole army, and the passage gained, were not 
much at their ease, and considered how they shoidd act. The town, 
council assembled. The lichest and chief inhabitants, who had 
been of the moderate parly, but who had not dared to show it, pro- 
posed throwing themselves on the king's mercy, and sending to him 
the keys of the town. The governor, who was from Ghent, ap. 
pointed by Philip von Artaveld, would not listen to a surrender, but 
said, " Our town is sufficiently strong, and We are well provided 
with evei^thing. We will stand our ground ; during which time 
Philip will assemble his forces, to combat the king and raise the 
siege." Others replied, " That he was not assured that this would so 
happen : that it was not in the power of Philip von Artaveld, nor of 

» "Sir W. FrtDeoton." a. If not Fonington. 



318 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



the whole country, to defeat the king of France, unless they had the 
assistance of the English, of which there was not any appearance ; 
and tliat in short, tlie best thing they could do would be to surren- 
der themselves to the king of France." High words ensued, which 
ended in a riot, in which the chief inhabitants were masters. The 
governor, named Peter Vauclaire, was slain. When this was over, 
they called to tliem two preaching friars, whom they sent to the 
king and his uncles on the hill of Ypres, to know if it were agree- 
able to them to enter into an amicable treaty with the town. 

The king was adWsed to grant passports to twelve of the citizens 
and an abbot (who being at Ypres had interfered in this business,) 
to come to the camp, and explain more fully what their intentions 
were. The friars returned to the town, when the twelve citizens 
elected by the council and inhabitants, and the abbot, went to mount 
Ypres, where, casting themselves on their knees, they offered to 
place the town under the king's obedience for ever, and without any 
terms of reservation. The king of France, following the good ad- 
vice which was given him, to gain the country by gentle means, 
and not wishing to show any ill will or cruelty, received them 
kindly, and accepted their offer ; on condition that the town would 
pay forty thousand francs, to defray the smaller expenses which this 
expedition had hitherto cost. 

The inhabitants of Ypres were much rejoiced at this event, and 
never afterwards rebelled. Thus were the citizens pardoned. They 
entreated the king and his uncles would be pleased to partake of 
some refreshments in their town, which would give great joy to the 
inhabitants. A promise was in truth made them, that the king 
should come thither, when he should be further advanced in Flan. 
ders. Upon this the deputation returned to the town, mightily 
pleased to find themselves at peace with the king of France. The 
forty thousand francs were instantly raised among themselves, and 
paid to the king, or his commissioners, before he made his entry 
into Ypres. 

CHAPTER CXIX. 

TUE KING OF FRANCE RECEIVES INFORMATION OF A RIOT AMONS THE 
PARISIANS. SEVERAL PLACES IN FLANDERS SURRENDER TO HIM. 

DcRiNG the time the king of France was on the hill of Ypres, 
news was brought that the Parisians were in rebellion : and that 
they had resolved, as it was then reported, to pull down the castle of 
Beaut^, which is situated in the wood of Vincennes, and the castle 
of the Louvre, as well as other castellated houses in the neighbor, 
hood of Paris, to prevent being oppressed in future by their means. 
One of their leaicrs made a speech to excite to mischief, but which, 
however, as it appeared afterwards, turned out quite the contrary : 
" My fair sirs, let us abstain from doing this until we see how the 
king's affairs turn out in Flanders. If the Ghent men succeed, as I 
truly hope they will, then will be the time to destroy all these cas. 
ties. Let us not begin anything which we may repent of after. 
•wards."' It was Nicliolas le Flamand who by this speech made the 
Parisians give up their intentions of committing outrages. They 
kept within the walls of Paris, which they had amply supplied with 
everything ; and had as rich and handsome armor as if they had 
been great lords. There were upward of thirty thousand armed 
from head to foot, like true men.at.arms, and more than thirty thou, 
sand armed with mallets. They worked day and night in forging 
helmets, and purchased armor wherever it was to be sold. 

Now, consider what a sad devilment it would have been, if the 
king of France, and the gallant chivalry with which he was accom- 
panied, had been defeated in Flanders. It may readily be supposed, 
that then all the nobility would have been destroyed in France, as 
■well as in other places ; for the Jacquerie were never so ferocious as 
they would at such a time have been. In like manner the peasants 
began to rebel at Rheims, at Chalons in Champagne, and down the 
river Mame, and to menace those gentlemen, ladies and children, 
■who had remained at home. At Orleans, Blois, Rouen, and in the 
Beauvoisis, the devil had entered their heads to prompt them to mur- 
der every one, if God had not provided a remedy, as you will soon 
have related. 

When those of the castlcwicks of Cassel, Bergues, Bourbourg, 
Gravelines, Furnes, Dunkerque, Poperingue, Tourrout, Vaillant, and 
IVIalines, had heard that the men of Ypres had surrendered and put 
themselves under the obedience of the king of France, who had 
graciously pardoned them, they began to be much alarmed. After 
hese towns had well considered the business, the inhabitants seized 
iheir governors, whom Philip von Artaveld had put over them, and 
having bound them strongly, so that they could not escape, led them 
to the king on mount Ypres, in order to please him and to appease 
his anger. On their arrival, they cast themselves on their knees and 
said, " Noble king, we put our lives, towns, and fortunes, under your 
obedience, and wish so to remain. In order to show that we regard 
you as our true lord, here are the governors whom Philip von Arta- 
■veld had set over us ; for by foice, and not otherwise, lias he made 
us obey him : you may do your pleasure with them, for they have 
governed us according to their wills." The king was advised by his 
lords to grant his pardon to all these towns : on condition, however, 
that they should pay him, as part of his expenses in this war, sixty 
thousand francs. All the provisions were to be given up, and what. 



ever cattle might be found in the fields ; but they were assured that 
their towns should neither be burned nor pillaged. This was very 
satisfactory to them, and they greatly thanked the king and his 
council. They were much rejoiced on finding they had escaped so 
well ; but the governors of Philip von Artaveld, who had been car, 
ried thither, were beheaded on the bridge of Ypres. 

No mention whatever was made in these treaties and submissions 
of the earl of Flanders ; nor was he, or any one of his court, ever 
summoned to the councils of the king. If he was displeased at this 
I am ignorant, but during the whole expedition he was treated in 
the same manner. None of his people were permitted to quit the 
army, or the battaUon which was posted by orders of the master of 
these cross-bows, on the wings, although they were Flemings. It was 
also ordered by the king, under pain of death, that no one in the 
army should speak Flemish, nor carry any stick bound with iron.* 



CHAPTER CXX. 

THE KING OF FRANCE LODGES IN YPRES. PETER DH BOIS PREVENTS 
BRUGES FROM SURRENDERING TO THE KING. PHILIP VON ARTAVELD 
ASSEMBLES HIS FORCES TO COMBAT THE FRENCH. 

While the king and his who' ," array were on mount Ypres, many 
markets were there held, and plentv of pillage was sold to those of 
Lille, Douay, and Tournay ; indeed to all who wished to buy. A 
piece of cloth of Vexin, Malines, Poperingue or Commines, was sold 
for one franc. People were clothed there too cheaply. Some Bre* 
tons and other pillagers, detemrined on gain, went in large bodice^ 
and loaded carts and horses with their booty of clotlis, linen, knives^ 
money in gold and silver, dishes and plates of silver wherever they 
found them, which they sent, well packed up, to a place of safety on 
the other side of the Lis, or by their servants into France. 

The king and all the lords came to Ypres, where they quartered 
themselves as well as they could, and in as greet numbers as the 
town would hold. They remained there to refresh themselves four 
or five days. The inhabitants of Bruges had received information 
of the conduct of the king, that he was at Ypres, and how the whole 
country, as far as Gravelines, had submitted to him. They were 
doubtful whether to negotiate with the king, or let it.^lone : how. 
ever, for the present they did nothing. The principal cause which 
withheld them from surrendering, was the great niiinbei- wf men-at- 
arms which Philip von Artaveld had with him from their town : for 
there were at least seven thousand at the siege of Oudenardc ; and 
their principal citizens were at Ghent as hostages, in order that Peter 
du Bois might more easily govern the place. 

Besides, Peter du Bois and Peter le Nuitre were in the town, ■who 
comforted them, saying, " My good gentlemen, do not h.-, alaruied If 
the king of France is corae to Ypres : you know that fornierJy the 
whole power of France was sent by king Philip to Courtray,t and 
could not withstand the courage of our fathers, for his whole army 
was slain and defeated. Know then, that this army shall in like 
manner be destroyed ; for Philip von Artaveld, with an immense 
force, will not leave things thus without combating the king. It may 
very well happen, that from the good cause we are engaged in, and 
the good fortune that follows Ghent, Philip may defeat the king, so 
that not one shall escape or recross the river, but the whole country 
which has submitted will instantly be reconquered. Thus will you 
remain like true and loyal men in your franchises, and in the grace 
of Philip and of us Ghent men." With such speeches as this, Peter 
du Bois and Peter le Nuitre daily harangued the men of Bruges, 
and restrained them from entering into any treaty with the king of 
France. 

While these things were going on, the citizens of Ghent, with sir 
William Fermiton,t arrived at Calais, from England, to conclude and 
seal those treaties and agreements which the English wished to enter 
into with the Flemings. Sir John Devereux, governor of Calais, 
sent for them, and told them, " that they could not continue their 
journey at that time, for the kir,.'; of France was at Ypres, and that 
all the country, from Calais to Ypres, had surrendered to him. We 
shall shortly have more news : for it is reported that Philip von 
Artaveld is assembling his forces to combat the king of France, and 
we shall see who will have the best of it. Should the Flemings be ' 
beaten, you have nothing to do in Flanders ; and if the king of 
France tf defeated, it is all our own. This," said the English 
knight, " you may depend upon as truth." The intelligence detained 
the citizens of Ghent and sir William Fermiton. 

We will now return to PhiUp, and say what he was doing. Being 
eager to combat the king of France, as he plainly showed, he or- 
dered, on his arrival at Ghent, every man capable of bearing arms, 
after leaving a sufficient garrison in the town, to follow him. All 
obeyed ; for he gave them to understand, that by the grace of God, 

* Boston a viroUe. literally, " a stick with a ferule."— [Ed. 

t ■• Courtray." The battle 1303. 

J "Fermiton." Froissart before calls liim Fremeton. I should have supposed this 
person was sir William Farendon, or Frampton. if, in the Rolles FraUf^ois. the names 
of those sent by Richard had not been particularly named, as may be seen underneatll. 

Ann. Dora. 1383—1383. Membrana 4. 

" De potestate data Johanni Devereux, Briano de Stapilton, Willielmo Ermyn, et 
Johanni de Burley, ad tractandum cum comiti Flandria et gentibus ibidem de debatis, 
et de attempiatis reforniandii."— Data apud Westminster, 16th May. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &,c. 



319 



they would defeat the' French, be lords of Ghent, and rank as sove- 
reigns among other nations. Philip von Artaveld carried with him 
about ten thousand men as the arriere-ban : lie had before sent to 
Bruges, Damme, -4rdembouig, Sluys, to the sea-coasts, the Quatre 
Meslicrs, and constablevvicks of Giammont, Dcndremonde, and 
Alost, and had raised from those places about thirty thousand more. 
He and his whole army were quartered one night before Oudenarde : 
on the morrow they marched away, and came before Courtray : he 
had with him about Kfty thousand men. The king of France re- 
ceived intelligence, that Philip von Artaveld was approaching, and, 
as it was said, with full sixty thousand men. Upon this, the van. 
guard set off from Ypres, under the command of the constable and 
marshals of France, and encamped a league and a half from Ypres, 
between Rollers and Rosebecque : on the morrow, the king and all 
the lords, with the main battalion and rear-guard, quartered them, 
selves there also. I must siy that these lords, while they were in 
tlie field, suffered greatly ; for it was in the heart of winter, the be- 
ginning of December, and it rained every day. They slept on the 
roads every night, for they were in daily and hourly expectation of 
a battle : it was commonly said in the army, " They will come to- 
morrow ;" which they believed, from the news the foragers brought 
when they returned from their excursions. 

The king was quartered in the midst of his army. The lords of 
France were much vexed at Philip for delaying, for they were very 
impatient of being out in such bad weather. It should be known, 
that with the king were all the flower of French knighthood : it was 
therefore highly presumptuous in Philip von Artaveld and the Flem- 
ings to think of fighting with them ; for if they had been satisfied 
with continuing their siege of Oudenarde, and had slightly intrenched 
themselves, the French, considering the wetness of the season, would 
never have marched to seek them ; and, if they had done so, they 
would have combated them under the greatest disadvantages. But 
Philip was so vain of the good fortune he had met with at Bruges, 
that he thought nothing could withstand him, and he hoped he should 
be lord of the world. No other thoughts had he, and was nothing 
afraid of the king of France nor his army ; for, if he had entertained 
any fears, he would not have done that which he did, as you shall 
hear related. 

CHAPTER CXXI. 

PHILir VON AKTAVELD, BAVINS ENTERTAINED HIS CAPTAINS AT SUPPER, 
GIVES THEM INSTRUCTIONS HOW THEY ARE TO ACT ON THE MORROW 
AT THE BATTLE OF KOSEBECQCE. WONDERFUL AIPEARANCES IN THE 
HEAVENS ARE SEEN DUP.IKG THIS NIGHT. 

Philip von Artaveld, with his whole army, on the Wednesday 
evening preceding the battle, was encamped in a handsome position, 
tolerably strong, between a ditch and grove, and with so good a 
hedge in front that they could not easily be attacked. It was be. 
tween the hill and town of Rosebecque where the king was quartered. 
That same evening, Philip gave a magnificent supper to his captains 
at his quarters ; for he had wherewithal to do so, as his provisions 
followed him. When the supper was over, he addressed them in 
these words : " My fair gentlemen, you are my companions in this 
expedition, and I hope to-morrow we shall have something to do ; 
for the king of France, who is impatient to meet and fight with us, 
is quartered at Rosebecque. I therefore beg of you to be loyal, and 
not alarmed at anything you shall see or hear ; for we are combating 
in a just cause, to preserve the franchises of Flanders, and for our 
right. Admonish your men to behave well, and draw them up in 
such manner that, by this means and our courage, we may obtain 
the victory. To-morrow, through God's grace, we shall not find 
any lord to combat with us, or any who will dare take the field, 
unless he mean to remain there, and we shall gain greater honor 
than if we could have depended on the support of the English ; for, 
if they had been with us, they alone would have gained all the repu. 
tation. The flower of the French nobility is with the king, for he 
has not left one behind : order, therefore, your men not to grant 
quarter to any one, but to kill all who fall in their way. By this 
means we shall remain in peace ; for I will and command, under 
pain of death, that no prisoners be made, except it be the king of 
France. With regard to the king, I wish to support him, as ho is 
but a child and ought to be forgiven ; for he knows not what he 
does, and acts according as he is instructed : we will carry him to 
Ghent and teach him Flemish ; but as for dukes, earls, and other 
men-at-arms, kill them all. The common people of France will 
never be angry with us for so doing; for they wish, as I am well 
assured, that not one should ever return to France, and it shall 
be so." 

His companions who were present at this discourse, and who were 
from the different towns in Flanders and the country of Bruges, 
agreed to this proposal, which they thought a proper one, and with 
one voice replied to Philip, " You say well, and thus shall it be." 
They then took leave of Philip, and each man returned to his quar. 
ters, tj order his men how they were to act conformably to the 
instructions they had just had. Thus passed the night in the army 
of Philip: but about midnight, as I have been informed, there hap. 
pened a most wonderful event, and such that I have never heard 
juiything equal to it related. When the Flemish captains had 



retired, and all gone to their quarters to repose, the night being far 
advanced, those upon guard fancied they heard a great noise toward 
the ;\Iont d'Or. Some of them were sent to see what it could be, 
and if the French were making any preparations to attack them io 
the night. On their return, they reported, that they had been as far 
as the place whence the noise came, but that they had discovered 
nothing. This noise, however, was still heard, and it seemed to 
some ot them that their enemies were on the mount about a league 
distant : this was also the opinion of a damsel from Ghent whom 
Philip von Artaveld had carried with him, on this e.xpedition, as his 
sweetheart. 

While Philip was sleeping under his tent on a coverlid near the 
coal-fire, this damsel went out of the tent about midnight, to examine 
the sky, and see what sort of weather it was and the time of night, 
for she was unable to sleep. She looked toward Rosebecque, and 
saw, in divers parts of the sky^ smoke and sparks of fire flying about, 
caused by the fires the French were making under hedges and 
bushes. This woman listened attentively, and thought she heard a 
great noise between their army and that of the French, and also the 
cry of Montjoye and several other cries ; and it seemed to her that 
they came from the Mont d'Or, between the camp and Rosebecque. 
She was exceedingly frightened, returned to the tent, awakened 
Philip, and said to him, " Sir, rise instantly, and arm yourself; for I 
have heard a great noise on the Mont d'Or, which I believe to be 
made by the French who are coming to attack you." 

Philip at these words arose, and wrapping himself in a gown, took 
a battle-axe and went out of his tent to listen to this noise. In like 
manner as she had heard it, Philip did the same ; and it seemed to 
him as if there were a great tournament. He directly returned to 
his tent, and ordered his trumpet to be sounded to awaken the army. 
As soon as the sound of the trumpet was heard, it was known to be 
his. Those of the guard in front of the camp armed themselves, and 
sent some of their companions to Philip to know what he wished to 
have done, as he was thus early arming himself. On their arrival, 
he wanted to send them to the part whence the noise had come, to 
find out what it could be ; but they reported that that had already 
been done, and that there was no cause found for it. Philip was 
much astonished ; and they were greatly blamed, that having heard 
a noise toward the enemy's quarters, they had remained quiet. 
" Ha," said they to Philip, " in truth we did hear a noise toward 
the Mont d'Or, and we sent to know what it could be ; but those 
who had been ordered thither, reported that there was nothing to be 
found or seen. Not having seen any positive appearance of a 
movement of the enemy, we were unwilling to alarm the ar.my lest 
we should be blamed for it." This speech of the guard somewhat 
appeased Philip ; but in his own mind he marvelled much what it 
could be. Some said it was the devils of hell running and dancing 
about the place where the battle was to be, for the abundance of 
prey they expected. 

Neither Philip von Artaveld nor the Flemings were quite at their 
ease after this alarm. They were suspicious of having been be. 
trayed and surprised. They armed themselves leisurely with what- 
ever they had, made large fires in their quarters, and breakfasted 
comfortably, for they had victuals in abundance. About an hour 
before day, Philip said, " I think it right that we march into the 
plain and draw up our men ; because, shoidd the French advance to 
attack us, we ought not to be unprepared, nor in disorder, but pro. 
perly drawn up like men, knowing \Vell what we are to do." All 
obeyed this order, and, quitting their quarters, marched to the heath 
beyond the grove. There was in front a wide ditch newly made, 
and in their rear quantities of brambles, junipers, and shrubs. They 
drew up at then- leisure in this strong position, and iormed one large 
battalion, thick and strong. By the reports from the constables, 
they were about fifty thousand, all chosen men, who valued not 
their lives. Among them were about sixty English archers, who, 
having stolen away from their companions at Calais, to gain greater 
pay from Philip, had left behind them their armor in their quarters. 

Everything being arranged, each man took to his arms. The 
horses, baggage, women, and varlets, were dismissed; but Pliilip 
von --Vrtaveld had his page mounted on a superb courser, worth five 
hundred florins, which he had ordered to attend him, to display his 
state, and to mount if a pursuit of the French should happen, in 
order that he might enforce the commands which he had given to 
kill all. It was with this intention that Philip had posted him by 
his side. Philip had likewise from the town of Ghent about nine 
thousand men, well armed, whom he placed near his person ; for he 
had greater confidence in them than any of the others : they there- 
fore, v/ith Philip at their head with banners displayed, were in front ; 
and those from Alost and Grammont were next ; then the men from 
Courtray, Bruges, Damme, Sluys, and the Franconate. They were 
armed, tor the greater part, with bludgeons, iron caps, jerkins, and 
with gloves de fer de baleine. Each man had a staff with an iron 
point, and bound round with iron. The different townsmen wore 
liveries and arms, to distinguish them from oho another. Some had 
jackets of blue and yellow, others wore a welt of black on a red 
jacket, others chevroned with white on a blue coat, others green 
and blue, othere lozenged with black and white, others quartered 
red and white, others all blue. Each carried the banners of their 
trades. They had also large knives hanging down from their 



330 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



girdles. In thia state they remained, quietly waiting for day, which 

soon came. r , r- i r n 

I will now relate to you the proceedings of the Irench as lully as 
I have done those of the Flemings. 



CHAPTER CXXII. 

Illte CHARLES ENTERTAINS AT SUPPER HIS UNCLES AND SOME OTHERS OE 
HIS PRINCIPAL BAKONS ON THE EVE OF THE BATTLE OF ROSEEECQUE. 
THE CONSTABLE DE CLISSON IS EXCUSED FROM ATTENDINS THE KING'S 
PERSON DURINS THE BATTLE. 

The king of France, and the lords with him, knew well that the 
Flemings were advancing, and that a battle must be the consequence ; 
for no proposals for peace were offered, and all seemed to have made 
up their minds for an engagement. It had been proclaimed on the 
Wednesday morning in the town, of Ypres, th!.H the men-at-arms 
should follow the king into the field, and post themselves according 
to the instructions they had received. Every one obeyed this order, 
and no inan-at-arms, or even lusty varlet, remained in Ypres, except 
those appointed to guard the horses, which had been conducted to 
Ypres when their lords dismounted. However, the vanguard had 
many with them for the use of their light troops, and to reconnoitre 
the battalions of the enemy ; for to them they were of more service 
than to the otiiers. 

Tne Frencli on this Wednesday remained in the plain pretty near 
to Rosebecque, where the lords and captains were busy in arranging 
their plans. In the evening the king gave a supper to his three 
uncles, the constable of France, the lord de Coucy, and to some 
other foreign lords from Brabant, Hainault, Holland, Zealand, Ger- 
many, Lorraine, and Savoy, who had come thither to serve him. 
He, as well as his uncles, thanked them much for the good services 
they had done and were willing to do for them. The earl of Flan- 
ders this evening commanded the guard of the king's battalion, and 
had under him six hundred lances, and twelve hundred other men. 

After the supper which the king had given on the Wednesday to 
these lords, and when they had retired, the constable of France 
remained to converse with the king and his uncles. It had been 
arranged in the council with the king, that the constable, sir Oliver 
de Clisson, should resign his constableship for the morrow (as they 
fully expected a battle,) and that, for the day only, the lord de Coucy 
was to take his place, and sir Oliver remain near the king's person : 
BO that when the constable was taking his leave, the king said to 
him, as he had been instructed, in a courteous and agreeable man- 
ner, " Constable, we will that you resign to us, for to-morrow only, 
your office ; for we have appointed another, and you shall remain 
near our pereon." These words, which were new to the gallant 
constable, surprised him so much, that he replied, " Most dear 
lord, I well know that I can never be more highly honored than in 
guarding your person; but, dear lord, it will give great displeasure 
to my companions, and those of the vanguard, if they do not see 
me with them: and we may lose more than we can gain by it. I 
do not pretend that I am so valiant, that the business will be done 
by me alone ; but I declare, dear lord, under the correction of your 
noble council, that for these last fifteen days, I have been solely oc. 
cupied how I could add to your. honor, to that of your army, and to 
my own office. I have instructed the army in the manner in which 
they were to be drawn up : and if to-morrow, under the guidance of 
God, we engage, and they do not see me ; or, if I fail in giving them 
advice and support, I who have always been accus'omcd in such 
cases so to do, they will be thunderstruck; some may say I am a 
hypocrite, and have done this slily, in order to escape from the first 
blows. I therefore entreat of you, most dear lord, that you would 
not interfere in what has been arranged and ordered for the best, for 
I must say you will gain the more by it." 

The king did not know what answer to make to this speech, any 
more than those present who had heard it. At last the king said, 
very properly, " Constable, I do not mean to say that it has been 
any way thought you have not, on every occasion, most fully acquit- 
ted yourself, and will still do so ; but mv late lord and father loved 
you more than any other person, and had the greatest confidence in 
you : it is from this love and confidence which he reposed in you 
that I should wish to have you on this occasion near to me, and in 
my company." " Very dear lord," replied the constable, " you will 
be so well attended by such valiant men, all having been settled 
with the greatest deliberation, that it cannot any way be amended, 
so that you and your council ought to be satisfied with it. I there- 
fore beg of you, for the love of God, most dear lord, that you will 
permit me to execute my office : and to-morrow your success shall 
be such that your friends will be rejoiced, and your enemies enraged." 
To this the king only answered, " Constable, I will it be so : in 
God's name, and in the name of St. Denis, act as becomes your 
office. I will not say one word more to yuu on the subject ; for you 
see clearer in this business than I do, or those who first proposed it. 
Be to-morrow at mass." " Willingly, sir," replied the constable. 
He took leave of the king, who saluted him, and returned to his 
quarters, with his attendants and companions. 



CHAPTER CXXIII. 

PHILIP VON ARTAVELD AND HIS FLEMINGS QUIT THE STRONG POSITION 
THEY HAD TAKEN IN THE MORNING, TO ENCAMP ON MONT D'OR, NEAR 
TO YPRES. THE CONSTABLE AND ADMIRAL OF FRANCE, WITH THE 
BASTARD OF LANGRES, SET OUT TO RECONNOITRE THEIR SITUATION. 

On the Thursday morning all the men-at-arms of the army, the van- 
guard, the rear-guard, and the king's battalion, armed themselves 
completely, except their helmets, as if they were about to engage : 
for the lords well knew the day could not pass without a battle, from 
the reports of the foragers on the Wednesday evening, who iiad seen 
the Flemings on their march demanding a battle. The king of 
France heard mass, as did the other lords, who all devoutly prayed 
to God, that the day might turn out to their honor. In the morning 
there was a thick mist, which continued so long that no one could 
see the distance of an acre : the lords were much vexed at this, but 
they could not remedy it. 

After the king's mass, which had been attended by the constable 
and other great lords, it was ordered that those valiant knights sir 
Oliver de Clisson, constable of France, sir John de Vienne, admiral 
of France, and sir William de Poitiers, bastard of Langres, who 
had been long used to arms, should reconnoitre the position of the 
Flemings, and report to the king and his uncles the truth of it : du- 
ring which time, the lord d'Albreth and sir Hugh de Chatillon were 
employed in forming the battalions. These three knights, leaving 
the king, set off on the flower of their steeds, and rode tov.-ard that 
part where they thought they should find the Flemings, and toward 
the spot where they had encamped the preceding night. 

You must know that on ihe Thursday morning, when the thick 
mist came on, the Flemings having, as you have before heard, 
marched, before daybreak, to this strong position, had there remained 
until about eight o'clock, when, not seeing nor hearing anything of 
the French, their numbers excited in them pride and self-sufficiency : 
and their captains, as well as others, began thus to talk among them- 
selves : " What are w-e about, thus standing still, and almost frozen 
with cold? Why do we not advance with courage, since such is 
our inclination, and seek our enemies to combat them ? We remain 
here to no purpose, for the French will never come to look for us. 
Let us at least march to Mont d'Or, and take advantage of the 
mountain." Many such speeches were made, and they all consented 
to march to Mount d'Or, which was between them and the French. 
In order to avoid the ditch in their front, they turned the grove and 
entered the plain. While they were thus on their march round the 
grove, the three knights came so opportunely that they reconnoitered 
them at their ease, and rode by the side of their battalions, which 
were again formed within a bow-shot from them. When tliey had 
considered them on the left, they did the same on the right, and thus 
carefully and fully examined them. The Flemings saw them plainly, 
but paid not any attention to them; nor did any one quit his ranks. 
The three knights were well mounted, and so naich used to this 
business that they cared not for them. Philip said to his captains, 
" Our enemies are near at hand : let us draw up here in battle-array 
for the combat. I have seen strong appearances of their intentions : 
for these three horsemen who pass and repass have reconnoitred us, 
and are still doing so." 

Upon this, the Flemings halted on the Mont d'Or, and formed in 
one thick and strong battalion ; when Philip said aloud, " Gentle- 
men, when the attack begins, remember our enemies were defeated 
and broken at the battle of Bruges by our keeping in a compact 
body. 6e careful not to open your ranks, but let every man 
strengthen himself as much as possible and bear his staff right before 
him. You will intermix your arms, so that no one may break you, 
and march straight forward with a good step, without turning to the 
right or left ; and act together, so that, when the conflict begins, you 
may throw your bombards and shoot with your cross-bows in such 
manner that our enemies may be thundei-strack with surprise." 

When Philip had formed his men in batde-array, and told them 
how to act, he went to the wing of his army in which he had the 
greatest confidence. Near liim was his page on the courser, to 
whom he said, " Go, wait forme at that bush out of bow.shot ; and, 
when thou shalt see the discomfiture of the French and the pursuit 
begin, bring me my horse and shout my cry ; they will make way 
for thee to come to me, for I wish to be the first in the pursuit." 
The page, on these words, left his master and did as he had ordered 
him. Philip placed near him, on the side of this wing, forty English 
archers whom he had in his pay. Now, if it be considered how 
well Philip had arranged this business, I am of opinion, and in this 
I am joined by several others, that he well knew the art of war : but 
in one instance, which I will relate, he acted wrong. It was in 
quitting the first strong position he had taken in the morning ; for 
they would never have sought to fight him there, as it would have 
been too much to their disadvantage ; but he wished to show that 
his people were men of courage, and had little fear of their enemies. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



321 



CHAPTER CXXIV. 

IBE BATTLE OF HOSEBECQUE, BETWEEN THE FRENCH AMD FLEMINGS. 
THILIP VON ARTAVELD IS SLAIN, AND HIS WHOLE ARMY DEFEATED. 

The three knights returned to tlie king of France and to his bat. 
talions, wliich had ah'eady been formed and were marching slowly 
in order of battle : for there were many prudent and brave men, 
who h:id been long accustomed to arms, in the vanguard, in the 
king's battalion, and in tiie rear-guard, who knew well what they 
■were to do, for they were the flower of chivalry in Christendom. 
Way was made for them; and the lord de Clisson spoke first, bow- 
ing to the king from his horse, and taking off the beaver he wore, 
saying, " .Sire, rejoice : these people are onr own, and our lusty var- 
lets will fight well with them." " Constable," replied the king, 
*' God assist you ! now advance, in the name of God and St. Den- 
is." The knights, before mentioned as the king's body-guard, now 
drew up in good order. The king created many new knights, as 
did different lords in their battalions, so that several new banners 
were displayed. 





W i N 


'^^mJj 


:-} 




Battle of Roseeecque.— Designed from various authorities in the llaileian MSS 



It was ordered, that when the engagement was about to commence, 
the battalion of the king, with the oriflamme of France, should march 
to the front of the army, that the van and rear-guards should form 
the two wings as speedily as possible, and by this means inclose and 
straiten the Fleming.^, who were drawn up in the closest order, and 
gain a great advantage over them. Notice of this intended move- 
ment was sent to the rear-guard, of which the count d'Eu, the count 
de Blois, the count de St. Pol, the count de Harcourt, the count de 
Ch^tiUon, and the lord de la Gere were commanders. The young 
lord de Haurcl displayed his banner thi^ day before the count de 
Blois, who also knighted sir Thomas d'Istre, and the bastard sir 
James de Himcth. According to the report of the heralds, there 
were tliis day created four hundred and sisty-seveir knights. 

The lord de Clisson, sir John de Vicnne, and sir William de Lon- 
gres, having made their report to the king, left him and went to their 
post in the vanguard. Shortly afterwards, the oriflamme was dis- 
played hy sir Peter de Villiers, who bore it. Some say (as they find 
it written) that it was never before displayed against Christians, and 
that it was a matter of great doubt during the march whether it should 
be displayed or not. However, the matter having been fully con- 
sidered, they resolved to disphy it, because the Flemings followed 
opinions contrary to that of pope Clement, and called themselves Ur. 
hanists; for which the French said they were rebellious and out of 
the pale of the church. This was the principal cause why it had 
been brought and displayed in Flanders. 

The orifi.imme* was a most excellent banner, and had been sent 



* The orifljimuie wuft Fis,icrcd l)iinner, cnrefully preserved, of n red color, and had 
die name of rit. Dl'i'iysitis on it. This was never called out hut on tJie most ureent 
^"^capionB. wi.en the king himselt was present, and to be displayed solely against 
leretics 



from heaven with great mystery : it Is a sort of ganfanon,* and is of 
much comfort in the day of battle to those who see it. Proof was 
made of its virtues at this time ; for all the morning there was so 
thick a fog, tliat with difficulty could they see each other, but the 
moment the knight had displayed it, and raised his lance in the air, 
this fog instantly dispersed, and the sky was as clear as it had been 
during the whole year. The lords of France were much rejoiced 
when they saw this clear day, and the sun shine, so that they could 
look about them on all sides. 

It was a fine sight to view these banners, helmets, and beautiful 
emblazoned arms: the army kept a dead silence, not uttering a 
sound, but eyed a large battalion of Flemings before them, who 
were marching in a compact body, with their staves advanced in the 
air, which looked like spears ; and, so great were their numbers, 
they had the appearance of a wood. The lord d'Estonnenort told 
me, that he saw (as well as several others) when the oriflamme was 
displayed, and the fog had dispersed, a white dove fly many times 
round the king's battalion. When it had made several circles, and 
the engagement was about to begin, it perched on one of the king's 
banners : this was considered as a fortunate omen. 

The Flemings advanced 
so near, that they com- 
menced a cannonade with 
bars of iron, and quanels 
headed with brass. Thus 
was the battle begun by 
Phihp and his men against 
the king's battalion, which 
at the outset was very 
sharp ; for the Flemings, 
inflamed with pride and 
courage, came on with 
vigor, and, pushing with 
shoulders and breasts like 
enraged wild boars, they 
were strongly interlaced, 
one with the other, that 
they could not be broken, 
northeir ranks forced. By 
this attack, of cannons 
and bombards, the lord d'- 
Albaruin, banneret, Mor. 
let de Haruin, and James 
Dor^, on the side of the 
French, were first slain, 
and the king's battalion 
obliged to fall back. But 
the van and rear-guards 
pushed forward, and, by 
inclosing the Flemings, 
straightened them much. 
Upon the two wings 
these men-at-arms made 
their attack : and, with 
their well-tempered lan- 
ces of Bordeaux, pierced 
through their coats of 
mail to the flesh. All who 
were assailed by them drew back to avoid the blows, for never would 
those that escaped return to the combat : by this means, the Flem- 
ings were so straitened that they could not use their staves to de. 
fend themselves. They lost both strength and breath, and, falling 
upon one another, were stifled to death without striking a blow. 

Philip von Artaveld was surrounded, wounded by spears, and 
beaten down, with numbers of the Ghent men, who were his guards. 
When Philip's page saw the ill success of his countrymen, being 
well mounted on his courser, he set ofl^, and left his master, for he 
could not give him .-my assistance, and returned toward Courtray, 
on his way to Ghent. When the Flemings found themselves in. 
closed on two sides, there was an end to the business, for they could 
not assist each other. The king's battalion, which had been some, 
what disordered at the beginning, now recovered. The men-at. 
arms knocked down the Flemings with all their might. They had 
well sharpened battlc-a.Kes, with which they cut through helmets 
and disbrained heads : others gave such blows with leaden maces 
that nothing could withstand them. Sarccly were the Flemings 
overthrown before the pdlngers advanced, who, mi.xing with the 
men-at-arms, made use of the long knives they canied, and finished 
slaying whoever fell into their hands, without more mercy than if 
they had been so many dogs. The clattering on the helmets, by the 
axes and leaden maces, was so loud, that nothing else could be heard 
for the noise. I was told, that if all the armorers of Paris and Bru-T. 
elles had been tliere working at their trade, they could not have made 
a greater noise than these combatants did on the helmets of their 
enemies; for they struck with all their force, and set to their work 
with the greatest good.will. Some, indeed, pressed too forward into 

* Gonfanon was a square pennon fixed to the endof a lance, such as aie now used 
in Italy ■ and the bearer was called Gonfunonier, or Gonfaloniere. 



322 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



the crowd, and were surrounded and slain : in particular, sir Louis 
de Gousalz, a knight from Berry, and sir Fleton de Reniel. There 
were several more, which was a great pity ; but in such a battle as this, 
■where such numbers are engaged, it is not possible for victory to be 
obtained without being dearly bought: for young knights and squires, 
eager to gain renown, willingly run into perils in hopes of honor. 

The crowd was now so great, and so dangerous for those inclosed 
in it, that the men.at-anns, if not instantly assisted, could not raise 
themselves when once down. By this were several of the French 
killed and smothered ; but they were not many, for, when in danger, 
they lielped each other. There was a large and high mount of the 
Flemings who were slain ; and never was there seen so little blood 
spilt at so great a battle, where such numbers were killed. When 
those in the rear saw the front fail, and that they were defeated, they 
■were greatly astonished, and began to throw away their staves and 
armor, to disband and fly toward Courtray and other places, not 
having any care but to save themselves, if possible. The Bretons 
and French pursued them into ditches, alder groves, and heaths, 
where they fought with and slew them. Numbers were killed in the 
pursuit, between the field of battle and Courtray, whither they were 
flying in their way to Ghent. 

This battle on Mont d'Or took place the 27th day of November, 
on the Thursday before Advent, in the year of grace 1382 ; and at 
that time the king of France was fourteen years of age. 



CHAPTER CXXV. 

TBI NUMBER OF SLAFN AT THE BATTLE OF DOSEBECQUE AND PTJKSDIT 
AFTERWARDS. PHlLrP VON ARTAVELD IS HANGED AFTER HE WAS DEAD. 
THE SIEOE OF OtTDENARDE IS RAISED. PETER DU BOIS RETREATS TO 
GHENT. THE KINO OF FRANCE FIXES HIS QUARTERS IN THE TOWN OF 
COURTKAT. 

Thus were the Flemings defeated on Mont d'Or, their pride hum. 
bled, and Philip von Artaveld slain ; and with him nine thousand 
men from Ghent and its dependencies (according to the report of 
the heralds) on the spot, not including those killed in the pursuit, 
which amounted to twenty-five thousand more. This battle, from 
the beginning to the defeat did not last more than half an hour. The 
event was very honorable to all Christendom, as well as to the no- 
bility and gentry ; for had those low-bred peasants succeeded, 
there would have been unheard of cruelties practiced, to the destruc- 
tion of all gentlemen, by the common people, who had everywhere 
risen in rebellion. Now, let us think of the Parisians : what they 
■will say, when they hear the news of the defeat of the Flemings at 
Rosebecque, and the death of Philip von Artaveld, their leader ? 
They will not be much rejoiced more than several other large towns. 

When this battle was completely finished, they allowed time for 
the pursuers to collect together, and sounded the trumpets of retreat, 
for each to retire to his quarters, as was proper. The vanguard 
halted beyond the king's battalion, where the Flemings were quar- 
tered on the Wednesday, and made themselves very comfortable ; 
for there was a sufficiency of provision in the king's army, besides 
the purveyances which came from Ypres. They made, the ensuing 
night, brilliant fires in different places, of the staves of the Flemings ; 
whoever wished for any could collect sufficient to load his back. 

When the king of France arrived at his camp, where his niagni. 
fieent pavilion of red silk had been pitched, and when he had been 
disarmed, his uncles, and many barons of France, came, as was 
right, to attend him. Philip von -4rtaveld then came into his mind, 
and he said : ** If Philip is dead or alive, I should like to see him." 
They replied, " they would have a search made for him." It was 
proclaimed through the army, that whoever should discover the body 
of Philip von Artaveld, should receive one hundred francs. Upon 
this the varlets examined the dead, who were all stripped, or nearly 
so, and Philip through avarice was so strictly sought after, that he 
■was found by a varlet, who had formerly sei-ved him some time, and 
■who knew him perfectly. He was dragged before the king's pa. 
vilion. The king looked at him for some time, as did the other 
lords. He was turned over and over to see if he had died of wounds, 
but they found none that could have caused his death. He had 
been squeezed in the crowd, and falling into a ditch, numbers of 
Ghent men fell upon him, who died in his company. When they 
had sufficiently viewed him, he was taken from thence and hanged 
on a tree. Such was the end of Philip von Artaveld. 

Sir Daniel de Haluin, who, with his knights and squires, had held 
out Oudenardc so higlily to his honor, knowing well the king of 
France was in Flanders, and that there would be a battle with the 
Flemings, lighted, late at night on the Wednesday preceding the 
battle, four torches, which he hoisted above the walls, as a signal 
that the siege would be raised. About midnight, on the Tliursday, 
news was brought to the lord of Harzelles and the others, that their 
army had been completely routed, and Philip von Artaveld slain. 
Upon this they instantly broke up the siege, and marched away for 
Ghent, leaving behind them the greater part of their stores, each 
running as fast as he could to Ghent. The garrison of Oudenarde 
was. ignorant of this retreat, and remained so until the morrow morn, 
ing. On being informed of it, they sallied out, and carried into 
Oudenarde great pillage of knives, caniage^ and stores, which they 
found hid. 



On Thursday evening, intelligence arrived at Bruges of the defeat 
of the army, and of everything being lost. They were more aston. 
iahed than ever, and said among themselves, " Our destruction is now 
come upon us : if the Bretons should advance hither and enter out 
town, we shall be pillaged and murdered, for they will spare none." 
Upon this, the townspeople of both sexes, collected their jewels and 
most precious effects, and began to embark in vessels, to save them. 
selves by sea, in Holland or Zealand, or wherever fortune should 
carry them. In this manner wore they employed four days : and 
you would not have found in all the hdtcls of Bruges one silver 
spoon. Everything was packed up for fear of the Bretons. 

When Peter du Bois. who was confined to his bed from the 
wounds he had received at Commines, heard of the defeat of the 
army, and death of Philip von Artaveld, and how much the inhabit, 
ants of Bruges were alarmed, he did not think himself very safe, and 
therefore declared he would set out from Bruges and return to Ghent; 
for he thought that Ghent would be much frightened : he therefore 
ordered a litter for himself, as he could not ride. You must know, 
that when the news anived at Ghent of the great loss of their men, 
the death of Philip von Artaveld, and the destruction of their army, 
they -were so much cast down, that if the French on the day of the 
battle, or even on the Friday or Saturday, had advanced to Ghent 
before Peter du Bois arrived there, they would have opened the gates 
to them, without any opposition, and submitted to their mercy. But 
the French did not attend to this, thinking themselves perfectly mas. 
ters since Philip was dead : and that the Ghent men would, of their 
own accord, surrender themselves to the king's mercy. This meas- 
ure, however, they did not adopt. On the contrary, they alone car- 
ried on the war with greater vigor and bitterness than before, as you 
will hear related in the continuance of this history. 

On the Friday the king dislodged from Rosebecque, on account 
of the stench of the dead : he was advised to advance to Courtray to 
refresh himself. T)ie halzc* and some knights and squires who well 
knew tlie country, mounting their horses, entered the town of Cour- 
tray full gallop ; for there was not any opposition made. The women, 
both rich and poor, and many men also, ran into cellars and churches 
to save themselves, so that it was a pitiful siglit. Those who first 
entered Courtray gained considerably by the pillage. The French 
and Bretons next came there, and lodged themselves as they entered. 
The king of France made his entry the first day of December. 

A strict search was now made over the town for the Flemings 
who had hid themselves, and no luan was admitted to mercy, for the 
French hated them as much as they were hated by the townspeople, 
on account of a battle which had formerly been fought before Cour- 
tray, when the count Robert d'Artois and all the flower of the French 
nobility were slain. The king had heard that there was in a chapel 
of the Virgin in Courtray five hundred gilt spurs, which had belonged 
to the knights of France who had perished at the battle of Courtray 
in the year 1302, and that the inhabitants every year kept a grand 
solemnity, by way of triumph, for the success of this battle. He 
declared he would make them pay for it : and, on his departure, 
would give up the town to fire and flame ; so that they should remem- 
ber, in times to come, that the king of France had been there. 

Soon after the arrival of the king and his lords at Courtray, sir 
Daniel de Haluin, with fifty lances from the garrison of Oudenarde, 
came thither to pay their respects to the king. They were very 
graciously received by him and his lords ; and, after staying there 
one day, they returned to their companions in Oudenarde. 



CH.4.PTER CXXVI. 

BRUGES SUBMITS TO THE KING'S MERCY. THE COUNT DE BLOIS GUARDS. 
THE COUNTRY OF HAINAULT FROM BEING PILLAGED. THE INHABITANTS 
OF GHENT GAIN COURAGE FROM PETER DU BOIS. 

The Bretons and the vanguard showed very plainly the great desire 
they had to march to Bruges and to divide the spoil among themselves, 
for they were quartered between Tourout and Bruges. The earl of 
Flanders, who had an affection for the town of Bruges, and who 
would have been sorry for its destruction, had strong suspicions of 
their designs. He had received intelligence of what was going for- 
ward in Bruges, and how very much they were frightened. He there, 
fore took compassion on them, and spoke to his son, the duke of 
Burgundy, remonstrating with him, that if the town of Bruges should 
throw itself on the king's mercy, it ought not to be refused ; tor, if 
the Bretons or otliers were permitted to enter it, it would be irrevo. 
cably ruined. The duke agreed to this. Now it happened that, 
during the king's residence at Courtray, the inhabitants of Brugcg, 
who were in great alarms and knew not whether to quit their town 
or wait the event, determined to send two friars to the king, to solicit 
a passport for twelve of the principal inhabitants to wait on his majesty 
and lay their cases betore him. 

The monks came to Courtray and spoke with the king and his 



■*This name has puzzled me very much; 1 ciiniiDl find it in any dictinnnry. It is 
called, butJi ill MSS. and print, ilase. Haze. Ila/ale and Ilnlze— [//a^e was a title 
conferred on tlie Rastard of Flanders and Brabant, but it is difficult t) account fur its 
origin; thenieaninp of the word, according to Cuti:r!ive's Dictionary, is "an old female 
conie or hare," and in subsequent parts of the work the same peiT;on is cnlletl " Le . 
Lievm de Brabant," Uie hare of Brabant. Some accidental circumstance probably 
gave occasion for tliis somewhat strange appellation.— Ed.] 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



323 



council, and the carl of Flanders, who softened the business as much 
as he could. The king granted the passport for the twelve citizens 
to como and retiun, and said he would willingly hear them. On the 
return of the monks to Bruges, twelve deputies set out, under the 
passport tiiey had brought, end came to the king at Courlray, where 
they fuund him accompanied by his uncles. Tiiey cast themselves 
on their knees, and entreated him to accept them for his subjects ; 
that they were his men, and the town was at his mercy ; but begged 
him, fur t!ie love of God, to have mercy on them and not suffer the 
town to be destroyed or pillaged ; for, if it were, too many persons 
would be ruined. Witli regard to having opposed their lord, they 
had been forced to it by Philip von Artaveld and the Ghent men ; 
for they had always loyally acquitted themselves to the earl. The 
king heard this speech through the interpretation of the eavl of Flan- 
ders, who was present, and who on his kiiees entreated for them. 

It was explained to the citizens of Bruges, that it would be neces- 
sary to satisfy the Bretons and men-at-arms who were encamped 
between Touront and Bruges, and that there was no other means of 
doing so but with money. Upon this, negotiations were entered 
upon as t:) the sum : at first, two hundred thousand francs were de. 
manded ; but it was reduced at last to si.\ score thousand francs, 
sixty thousand of which they were to pay down, and the remainder 
-at Candlemas ; for which the king assured them peace ; but they 
surrendered themselves simply as liege men to the king of France 
ty faith and homage. By this means was the good town of Bruges 
prevented from beine nillnged. The Bretons were much vexed at 
it, for they thought to have had their share ; and some of them said, 
■when they heard peace had been made, that this war in Flanders 
was not worth anything ; that they had gained too little pillage, and 
that it did not end well for them ; adding, " But when we return 
home, it shall be through the country of Hainault ; and duke Albert, 
who governs it, has not assisted his cousin the earl of Flanders, but 
has acted in a double manner. It will be right that we pay him a 
■\isit : for Hainault is a rich and plentiful country : besides, we shall 
not find any one to obstiuct our passage, and we may there make 
amends for our losses and ill-paid wages." 

There was a time when those of this opinion amounted to twelve 
hundred spears, Bretons, Burgundians, Savoyards and others. You 
may suppose the charming country of Hainault was in jeopardy. 
The gallant count de Blois, who was one of the greatest lords of the 
Tear-guard, and of the king's council, heard of this intended march, 
and that the Bretons, Burgundians and others, who only looked for 
pillage, menaced the fair country of Hainault ; he took immediate 
steps to prevent it, saying, it was not to be suifcred that so fine a 
country should be overrun and pillaged. He summoned to his lodg- 
ings his cousins, the count de la Marche, the count de St. Pol, the 
lord de Coucy, the lord d'Anghien and several more, all holding lands 
in Hainault, and v\ho had come thither to serve the king, and remon. 
Btrated witli them, that they otight not by any means to suffer the 
good country of Hainault, whence they had sprung, and where they 
had estates, to be pillaged in any way whatever ; for, with regard to 
the war, Hainault had not been in the least wanting, but had most 
loyally assisted the king in this expedition with its barons, and, before 
the king came into Flanders, it had aided the earl of Flanders with 
its knights and squires, who had shut themselves in Oudenarde and 
Pendremonde, at the risk of their lives and fortunes. 

The count de Blois exerted himself so much, and gained so many 
partisans, that all those measures were broken, and Hainault remained 
in peace. This gallant lord performed another noble service. There 
-was in Flanders a knight called the lord d'Esquemine, who from 
affection to a relation of his, called Daniel Buse, killed in Valen- 
ciennes by his own fault, had declared he would make war on and 
harass that town. He had done so, and threatened to insult it still 
more, being seconded by many friends inclined to evil ; for it was 
reported that he had collected full five hundred spears, who would 
follow him into Hainault to attack the town of Valenciennes, in which 
they said he was justified. But when the count de Blois heard of 
it, ho went to him nobly accompanied, and ordered the knight not 
-to dare enter Hainault, nor to conduct any men-at-arms into the 
countries of his cousin duke Albert, otherwise he should pay dearly 
for it. This gallant count went further, and made the knight his 
particular friend, and obsequious to himself and the lord de Coucy ; 
and thus was that town kept in peace. Such services did the count 
de Blois to Hainault and Valenciennes, for which he gained great 
love and affection, but particularly- from Valenciennes. 

The lords and the men-at-arms still remained in and about Cour- 
tray, for they knew not whether the king would march to Ghent or 
not. The French imagined, that when Bruges had surrendered itself 
to the king's mercy, Ghent w-oidd do the same, since it had lost it^ 
leader, and such numbers of men at the battle of Rosebecque. In 
truth, for three days, the inhabitants were well inclined so to do, 
and knew not how to act : to quit the town and leave everything, 
or to send the keys to the king, and surrender themselves to his 
mercy. They were so completely cast down that there was neither 
-union nor steadiness among them. The lord de Harzelles, though 
"in the town, was incapable of giving them comfort. 

When Peter du Bois arrived, he found the gates open without any 
guards, which much surprised him ; and he asked, why they did not 
better guard the town. Those who came to him, and who were 



much rejoiced at his arrival, replied : " Ah, sir, what can wc do ? 
You know we have had our good captain slain ; and, by an exact 
account, the town of Ghent has lost, without counting strangers, full 
nine thousand men. This loss touches us so nearly that we have no 
hopes left." " Ye foolish people," answered Peter du Bois, " arc ye 
thus thunderstruck when the war is not near over, nor the town of 
Ghent so famous as she shall be ? If Philip is dead, it has been by 
his own violence. Close your gates, and think of preparing to de- 
fend yourselves. Ye do not suppose that the king of France w-ill 
come here this w-inter.time ; and before the proper season shall arrive, 
wc shall have gained reinforcements from our friends in Holland, 
Zealand, Guelderland, Brabant and other places. We can have 
men enough for our money. Francis Atrenien, who is now in' Eng. 
land, will soon return, and he and I will be your captains. The war 
has never been so serious, or so well conducted, as we w^ill have it. 
We are much better alone than joined by all Flanders ; for while 
we had the country with us, we knew not how to make war. Let 
us now attend to the business ourselves, and we shall perform greater 
exploits than have hitherto been done." 

By such speeches as this did Peter du Bois rally the cast-down 
inhabitants of Ghent, who would, without doubt, have surrendered 
themselves unconditionally to the king of France, if Peter du Bois 
had not been there. So much depends upon the courage and ability 
of a single man. When the Ghent men saw five or six days pass 
over without any attempt being made on their town, nor any ap. 
pearance of a siege, they recovered their courage, and became more 
presumptuous than before. 



CHAPTER CXXVII. 

THE TKEATT BETWEEN THE ENGLISH AND FLEMINGS IS BROKEN. THE 
KING OF FKANCE DEPAKTS FROM FLANDERS. 

You have before heard how' sir William Fremiton, having beea 
sent by the king of England and his council with letters to the prin- 
cipal towns in Flanders on the subject of the intended treaties be- 
tween them, had remained at Calais, and with him Francis Atremeii 
and the six citizens of Ghent. When the Flemings heard of the 
defeat at Rosebecque, they were so much astonished, that the Eng. 
lish knight saw he had no occasion to proceed further, for there was 
an end of the treaty. He therefore took his letters without having 
sealed them, and returned to England as speedily as he could, to 
relate the particulars of this event. 

The nobles of England were not sorry on hearing it ; for they 
said, that if the commonalty of Flanders had been victorious over 
the king of France, and his nobility had been slain, the pride of the 
common people would have been so great that all gentlemen would 
have had cause to lament it, for appearances of insurrections had 
been shown in England. The Flemings, who had been sent to 
London with Francis Atremen, were much cast down, and, hastily 
embarking at Calais, sailed to Middlebourg in Zealand. The depu. 
ties returned to their different towns, and Francis Atremen and his 
companions got to Ghent as well as they were able, through Zea- 
land, but not until the king of France had left Flanders. 

During the residence of the king of France in Courtray, many 
councils were held, to determine whether they should lay siege to 
Ghent or not. The king was well inclined for so doing, as were the 
Bretons and Burgundians. But the lords of the council, as it was 
now the heart of winter, considered, that no effectual war could be 
carried on, and that the knights were much weakened and harassed 
by the cold ; that, as the rivers round Ghent were wide and deep, it 
would be time thrown away to attempt the siege : besides, the chiefs 
were also worii down by the rains, the cold, and lying on the ground, 
so that, everything considered, the king was advised to return to 
Tournay, where he might recruit himself and keep his Christmas. 
Those from the more distant parts, such as Auvergne, Dauphiny, 
Savoy and Burgundy, were to march quietly into their own coun- 
tries. But the king and his council wished the Bretons, Normans 
and French to remain with him and the constable ; for, as he could 
depend on them, he intended employing them against the Parisians, 
who had been so busy in forging armor, to make them behave better 
than they had hitherto done, since the coronation of the king. 

When the king of France departed from Courtray, he was not for. 
getlul, any more than his lords, of the gilt spurs which had been hung 
up in a church at Courtray, and which had belonged to the French 
nobility who had fallen with Robert d'Artois at the battle of Cour- 
tray. The king therefore ordered the town to be burnt and destroyed. 
The carl of Flanders, on hearing of this, went to the king, in hopes 
of remedying it, and flung himself on his knees, begging of him to 
rccal his orders ; but the king answered, he would do no such thing. 
The earl dared not renew his request, but went away to his lodgings 
before they were set on fire. The duke of Burgundy had taken 
down a curious clock which struck the hours, the handsomest that 
was to be seen on either side of the sea, which he had caused to be 
packed up, and placed on carts with its bell, and carried to Dijon, 
where it was placed, and there strikes the hours day and night. 

After the king had quitted the town, it was harshly treated ; for 
it was burnt and destroyed without mercy : and many knights, 
squires, men-at-arms, fine children, both boys and girls, were earned 



334 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c 



away as slaves, to be ransomed. Tlie king rode on to Tournay, 
where he was shown every respect due to him, and fixed his quar- 
ters at tire abbey of Saint Martin. The inhabitants were all dressed 
in white with three green bars on one side : and proper houses were 
alloted to the lords. The king was at Saint Martin's: and his at- 
tendants occupied one quarter of the town. 1 he duke de Berry 
was lodged in the palace of the bishop ; the duke de Bourbon at the 
Crown; the duke of Burgundy at the Golden Head; the constable 
at St. James's Head. 

Proclamation was made for none to do any damage to the good 
people of Tournay, under pain of death, nor take anything without 
paying for it, nor to enter the country of Hainault with intent of 
doing mischief. All these orders were observed. The lords re- 
freshed themselves there with their men : but those from the distant 
parts returned to their homes through Lille, Douay and Valenci- 
ennes. The count de Blois took leave of the king and his uncles, and 
of his companion the count d'Eu, and retired to his inheritance in 
Hainault. He stopped one day and night at Valenciennes, where 
he was magnificently entertained; for he had gained the affection 
of the inhabitants, as well in gratitude for the services he had ren. 
dered by preventing the Bretons, Burgundians and Savoyards, from 
putting their intentions into execution of overrunning the country, 
as in regard to sir Thierry d'Esqucniinc, who had long kept them in 
alarm, and who, by having put himself under the obedience of the 
count and the lord de Coucy, had given them peace. The count de 
Blois left Valenciennes and went to Landrecies, where he passed 
some time, with the lady Mary his wife and his son Louis, in recov. 
ering himself from his fatigues. The following summer he went to 
Blois ; but the countess and her son continued in Hainault, and lived 
the greater part of the time at Beaumont. 



CHAPTER CXXVIII. 

VAIN ATTEMPTS MADE FOR PEACE BETWEEN THE KING OF FRANCE AND 
GHENT. THE KING, ON HIS RETURN TO PARIS, ORDERS THE CHAINS 
TO BE TAKEN AWAY THAT BARRICADED THE STREETS. HE SEVERELY 
PUNISHES THE PARISIANS. 

The count de la Marche and sir James de Bourbon, his brother, 
left Tournay to refresh themselves at their castle of Hainault. The 
lord Guy de Laval, a Breton, went to Cheure in Hainault, which is 
divided between sir Robert de Namur and himself. The lord de 
Coucy stopped at Mortagne on the Scheld, where he rested himself 
and his men : but the greater part of the time he was with the king 
at Tournay. The count de St. Pol was commissioned to correct the 
Urbanists of the town, which was reported to contain many. Several 
■were discovered, and wherever found, even in the church of Ndtre 
Dame, they were arrested, cast into prison, and paid dearly for their 
liberty. By this means the count de St. Pol amassed in a very few 
days seven thousand francs ; for none obtained their liberty without 
paying, or giving very good security. 

During the king's residence at Tournay, the men of Ghent had a 
passport granted them to come thither and return. There were 
hopes that they would have been pardoned ; but, during the confer- 
ences which were holden, they were as proud and hardened as if they 
had been the conquerors at the battle of Rosebecque. They declared, 
indeed, that they would willingly put themselves under the obedience 
of the king, and would form part of the domain of France, under the 
jurisdiction of Paris ; but that they would never acknowledge for their 
lord earl Louis, because they could never love him for the great mis. 
chiefs he had done them. Several attempts were made to obtain a 
peace between the king and his council with these deputies ; but, 
notwithstanding the interference of some wise prelates, they could 
not get from them any other answer. They declared to the prelates, 
that if they were to live in such peril as would turn the town upside 
down for three or four years, they would never alter their minds. 
They were told they might return when they pleased : upon which, 
they departed from Tournay to Ghent, and things remained in a 
state of war. 

The king of France and his lords took great pains that all Flan- 
ders should become Clementists, and obey pope Clement : but the 
principal towns were as strongly inclined to Urban as the earl, that 
they could not be moved. They replied, through the earl's council, 
that they would consider of it, and give a determined answer before 
Easter : the business, therefore, was held over till then. Tlie king 
of France kept his Christmas at Tournay : and, when he departed, 
he appointed the noble lord de Guistelles governor of Bruges, the lord 
de St. Py governor of Ypres, the lord de Guistelles chief regent* of 
Flanders, and sir .lohn de .lumont governor of Courtray, whither the 
king sent two hundred Bretons and other men-at-arms, and to gar- 
nson Ardembourg. Sir William de Laumeghien was nominated to 
Oudenarde, with about one hundred lances for his garrison. Thus 
were all the strong places in Flanders provided with men-at-arms and 
stores, to enable them to carry on the war during the winter upon 
the enemy's garrisons. 

These things being an-anged, the king set out from Tournay for 
Arras, attended by his uncles and the earl of Flanders. During the 
residence of the king at Arras, the city ran a gi-eat risk of being 

* " Jicgaril.*' " " 



pillaged by the Bretons, to whom large sums were due for their pay, 
and who liad fought hard in this campaign : they were much dis- 
contented with the king, and it was with some difficulty they were 
restrained. The constable and marshals of France appeased them, 
by promising that their whole pay should be completely paid them at 
Paris ; and, with the lord Louis de Sancerre and the lord de Blaia- 
ville, pledged themselves for their performance. 

Upon this the king departed, following the road to Peronne. The 
earl of Flanders took his leave of tlie king, and returned to Lille, 
where he resided. The king continued his route through Peronne, 
Noyon, Compiegne, to Senlis, where he stopped. The army took 
up their quarters in the villages between Senlis and Meaux in Brie, 
and upon the river Marne and round St. Denis, so that the whole 
country was filled with men-at-arms. The king having left Senlig 
for Paris, ordered his officers to make ready the Louvre, where he 
intended to dismount. His three uncles did the same, sending their 
servants to prepare their hotels, as did other lords. This they were 
advised to, by way of precaution ; for the king and his lords had 
been counselled not to enter Paris suddenly, as the Parisians were not 
to be depended on, but to observe what countenance they would 
show, and what preparations they had made against the king's return. 
The king's officers, and the servants of the other lords, were ordered, 
if any questions were asked about the king, and if he were coming, 
to reply, " Yes, truly : he will be here instantly." 

The Parisians, on learning this, resolved to arm themselves, and 
show the king, on his entrance into Paris, the force that was in the 
city armed from head to foot, ready for hini, if he pleased, to dispose 
of. It would have been better for them to have remained quiet in 
their houses, for this display cost them dearly. They said they had 
done it with good intentions, but it was taken in an opposite sense. 
The king lodged at Louvres,* and from thence went to Bourget :1" 
it was immediately reported in Paris, that the king would be in. 
stantly there : upon which, upward of twenty thousand Parisians 
armed themselves and took the field, and drew up in a handsome 
battalion between St. Ladre and Paris, on the side of Montmartre, 
Their cross-bowmen had large shields and mallets, and all were pre* 
pared as for instant combat. The king was still at Bourget, with hia 
lords, when this news was brought them, and an account of the state 
of Paris. " See," said the lords, " the pride and presumption of this 
mob ! what are they now making this display for ? if they had thus 
come to serve the king when he set out for Flanders, they would 
have done well ; but their heads were only stuffed with prayers to 
God, that none of us might return." To these words some, who 
would have iieen glad to have gone further, and attacked the Paris- 
ians, added, " if the king be well advised, he will not put himself 
into the hands of such people, who meet him fully armed when they 
ought to come in all humility, with a procession, ringing the bells of 
Paris, and returning thanks to God for the grand victory he has been 
pleased to give us in Flanders." 

The lords were somewhat puzzled how to act: at last, it was de. 
tcrmined that the constable of France, the lord d'Albreth, the lord 
de Coucy, Sir Guy de la Trimouille and Sir John de Vienne, should 
go to speak with them, and demand the reason why they had come 
out of Paris in such a body, armed from head to foot, to meet their 
king; for that such a proceeding had never before been known in 
France. These lords were prepared to answer, whatever might be 
their reply to this question ; for they were fully capable to manage a 
business, had it been of ten times the importance. They set out 
from the king unarmed, and, to give a pretext to their mission, they 
took with them three or four heralds, whom they ordered to ride for- 
ward, saying, *' Go to those people and demand from them a passport 
for our coming to them and our return, as we are ordered to parley 
with them, and tell them the king's comniands." The heralds, stick- 
ing spurs into their horses, soon came up to the Parisians. When 
the Parisians saw them coming, they never thought they were or- 
dered to speak with them, but that they were going to Paris, like 
men who wished to get there beforehand. 

The heralds, who had their emblazoned tabards on, asked, with a 
loud voice, "Where are the chiefs? where are the chiefs? Who 
among you are captains ? because it is to them our lords have sent 
us." These words made some of the Parisians perceive they had 
acted wrong, and, bowing their heads, replied, " There are no chiefs 
here : we are but one, and under the command of our lord the king. 
Speak, in the name of God, what you have to say." " My lords," 
answered the heralds, " our lords (naming them) have sent us hither ; 
for they cannot perceive what are your intentions ; and to require 
that they may peaceably and without peril come hillicr and speak 
with you, and return to the king with such an answer as you shall 
give them ; for otherwise they are afraid to come." " By my troth," 
replied those to whom this speech was addressed, " there was no 
need to say this to us, unless it came from their noble minds ; but 
we think you are laughing at us." " We have told you nothing but 
the truth," said the heralds. " Well then," replied the Parisians, 
" go and tell them they may come here in perfect safety ; for they 
shall have no harm from us, who arc ready to obey their commands." 
The heralds returned to their lords and related what you have just 
read. The four barons then advanced, attended by the heralds, to 

* " Louvres"— a town in the Iste of France, five leagues from Senlis, six from Paris., 
t " Bourget"— a small town id the Isle of t'lance, about a league from Parir. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN. &c. 



325 



the Parisians, whom they found drawn up in very handsome battle. 
array. Tiiey were upward of twenty thousand. As these lords rode 
by them, examining and praising, in their own minds, their hand- 
some appearance, the Parisians bowed as they passed. When they 
were. arrived in the centre, they stopped ; and the constable address. 
ing them, said with a loud voice, " You people of Paris, what can 
have induced you thus to quit your town in such array ? It would 
seem that, thus drawn up, you were desirous of combating the king, 
your lord, you who are his subjects." " My lord," replied those 
who heard liini, " under your favor we have no such intentions, nor 
ever had. We have come out in this manner, since you please to 
know it, to display to our lord the king, the force of the Parisians, 
for he is very young and has never seen it ; and, if he should not be 
made acquainted with it, he can nevor know wiiat service he may 
draw from us should there be occasion." " Well, gentlemen," 
answered the constable, " you speak fairly : but we tell you from 
the king, that at this time he does not wish to see it, and what you 
have done has been sufficient for him. Return, therefore, instantly 
to Paris, each man to his own house, and lay aside your arms, if you 
wish the king should come thither." " My lord," replied the Paris- 
ians, *' we will cheerfully obey your orders." 

The Parisians upon this marched back to Paris, and each went to 
his house to disarm himself. The four barons retuined to the king, 
and reported to him and his council the words you have heard It 
was then ordered that the king and his uncles, with the principal 
lords, should enter Paris with some men-at-arms, but that the main 
body should remain near the city, to keep the Parisians in awe. The 
lord de Coucy and the marshal de Sancerre were ordered to take the 
gates off the hinges from the principal gates of St. Denis and St. 
Marcel immediately on the king's entrance into Paris, so that the 
gates might be open day and night for the men-at-arms to enter the 
more easily, and master the Parisians should there be any necessity 
for it. They also commanded the chains which were thrown across 
the streets to be taken away, that the cavalry might pass through the 
streets without danger or opposition. These orders were punctually 
obeyed. 

The king made his entrance into Paris and lodged at the Louvre, 
and his uncles with him : the other lords went to their own hotels, 
at least those who possessed any. The gates were taken off their 
hinges, and the beams which had been laid under the tower of the 
gates, with the chains from the streets, were carried to the palace. 
The Parisians, seeing this, were in great alarm, and so fearful of be- 
ing punished that none dared to venture out of doors, nor to open a 
window ; they remained in this situation for three days ; in great 
fright lest they should receive more harm than they had done. It 
cost them several large sums ; for those whom they wished to mark, 
were sent for one at a time, to the council chamber, where they were 
fined ; some six thousand, others three, others one ; so that they 
exacted from the city of Paris, to the profit of the king, his uncles 
and ministers, the sum of four hundred thousand francs. They 
never asked any but the principal persons as to their means of pay- 
ment, who thought themselves happy to escape with only a fine. 
They were ordered to carry their armor in bags, each man his own, 
to the castle of Beaut^, which is now called the castle of Vincennes, 
where they were thrown into the great tower, with the mallets. 

In this manner were the Parisians punished, as an example to the 
other towns of the kingdom of France. In addition, they were taxed 
with subsidies, aides, gabelles, fouages, with the ts^'elfth and thir. 
teenth penny, and many other vexations. The flat country was also 
completely ransacked. 



CHAPTER CXXIX. 

SETEKAI. OF THE PRINCIPAL CITIZENS OF PARIS ARE BEHEADED, WITH 
JOHN DES MARETS, AND MANY OTHERS IN THE DIFFERENT TOWNS AND 
CITIES IN FRANCE. 

The king and his council arrested and threw into prison whatever 
persons they pleased. Many were drowned ; but, in order to calm 
the fears of the others, proclamation w-as made in the king's name in 
all the streets and squares of Paris, that no one, under pain of death, 
should hurt the inhabitants, nor pillage their houses. This procla. 
mation greatly appeased the Parisians. There were, however, car- 
ried to execution several of the inhabitants who had been condemned 
to death for having stirred up the people : but it was with great as- 
tonishment John des Mar^ts* was seen among the number; he was 
considered as a wise and upright man ; and some say he was con. 
demned unjustly, for he was always known to have acted with the 
utmost prudence, and was above all one of the greatest and wisest 
members of the courts of law. He had served king Philip, king 
John and king Charles, with so much credit, that no fault was found 
in him: nevertheless, he was condemned to be beheaded, with twelve 
others in his company. -\s they were conducting him to his execu. 
tion, seated in a cart high above the others, he called out, " Where 
are those who have condemned me ? Let them come forth, and jus. 
tify, if they can, the cause and reason why and wherefore ihey have 



* "John des Marets" — was an upright man, a distinguished m,igistrat«, and avocat- 
e6n6ral. He suffered from the hatred ofthe dukes of Berry and Burgundy, which M'as 
most inveterate toward him. 



judged me guilty of death." He then harangued the people, and 
those who were to suffer with him, which made all pity him, but they 
dared not speak out. 

He was carried to the market-place in front of the town-house, 
where all who accompanied him were beheaded before his eyes : in 
the number was Nicholas Flamand, a draper, for whose life forty 
thousand francs had been offered in vain. When the executioner 
came to behead John des Marfits, he said to him, " Master John, 
beg for mercy of the king, that he may pardon you your crimes." 
Upon which he turned, and said, " I have served his greatgrand- 
father king Philip, king John, and king Charles his father, faithfully 
and loyally : and never did these three kings find fault with me, nor 
would this king have done so, if he had arrived at the wisdom and 
age of manhood. I firmly believe that, in my condemnation, he is 
not any ways culpable. I have not, therefore, any cause to beg his 
mercy ; but from God alone shall I beg it, and that he would forgive 
all my sins." Upon this he took leave of all the people, who, for the 
greater part, were in tears ; and thus died Master John des Marets. 

In like manner were several executed in the city of Rouen, and 
many fined, in order to intimidate the people. At Rheims, Chalons, 
Troyes, Sens and Orleans, similar scenes paf-"d. The towns were 
heavily fined because they had been disobeuient at the commence, 
ment of this reign. Immense sums were thus raised throughout the 
kingdom, and all went to the dukes of Berry and Burgundy, for the 
king was under their management. However, to say the truth, the 
constable and marshals had great part of it to pay the men-at.arras 
who had served in the expedition to Flanders. The lords and great 
barons of France, such as the count de Blois, the count de la Marche, 
the count d'Eu, the count de St. Pol, the count de Harcourt, the 
count dauphin of Auvergne, the lord de Coucy and others, had 
granted to them assignments on the royal domain, to raise as much 
as the king owed them for their services in Flanders, and to pay their 
men. I know not how these lords were paid their assignments, for 
very shortly new taxes were imposed on these lands by orders from 
the king. Most commonly the king's tax was insisted on being paid 
first, and the lords were obliged to wait for their arrears. 



CHAPTER CXXX. 

the GHENT MEN RENEW THE WAR. THE EARL OF FLANDERS BECOMES 
AN OBJECT OF HATRED TO THE ENGLieH. 

You know that when the king of France departed from Courtray, 
the town of Ghent was still in a state of war. The governors of it 
at this rime were Peter du Bois, Peter de Nuitre and Francis Atre. 
men, who reinforced their army with soldiers who came from different 
countries, and were not in the least dismayed with their situation, 
but as fresh and vigorous as ever. These captains heard that there 
was a garrison of Bretons and Burgundians in the town of Ardem- 
bourg, and therefore determined to pay them a visit. Accordingly, 
Francis jVtremen marched from Ghent with three thousand men, and 
arrived at Ardembourg, where there was a severe skirmish. In fact, 
the Ghent men won the town ; but it cost them a number of men, 
as there were full two hundred of their soldiers killed. The town 
was stormed, pillaged, and the greater part of it burnt. They then 
marched back to Ghent with their booty, where they were received 
with great joy. Shortly after this they advanced to Dendremonde, 
Alost, and as far as Oudenarde, plundering the whole country. 

The earl of Flanders, who resided at Lille, heard how the Ghent 
men were ravaging the country, and marching to different parts to 
plunder it. He was much enraged thereat, not supposing they would 
have had either the courage or power so to do, since they had lost 
Philip von Artaveld. Those present answered, " My lord, you have 
always heard how very artful the men of Ghent are : they have shown 
it to you, and will now do so the more since their embassadors are 
returned from England, especially Francis Atremen, who was the 
intimate friend of Philip : and as long as he lives, you will never be 
free from war. We also know- for a truth that he has concluded a 
treaty between Ghent and the king of England ; for he is secretly, 
in spite of appearance, attached to England, and receives daily from 
thence one franc as wages. John Saplemon, who lives at Bruges, 
and has resided there under you for twenty-four years, pays him 
monthly. To corroborate the truth of his connections with England, 
Rasse de Voirie, Louis de Voz and John Sercolat, who are from 
Ghent, and the clerk who solicits the bishopric, have remained be- 
hind in England to complete the treaties. In the month of May, 
you will hear more of all this than we now have told you." The 
earl of Flanders pondered on what he had heard, and believed the 
fact w-as so. He turned his attention to John Saplemon and the 
English at Bruges, and ordered his Serjeants to summon them to 
app°ear on a certain day before him. The Serjeants ordered John 
Saplemon and several other rich Englishmen, who were quite nnpr&. 
pared for such a proceeding, to appear that day fortnight before the 
carl, at the castle of Lille. 

The English were much astonished at the summons, and consulted 
together. They could not imagine for what cause the earl had thus 
summoned them. Having weighed every circumstance, they began 
to have their suspicions, for they knew the earl was very hasty in his 
anger. They said among themselves, " He who is not careful of his 



820 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



own person, is careful of notliing. I suspect the earl lias had some 
intelligence concerning iis ; for with Francis Atremen, who has a 
pension from our king, there are two citizens of this town in England, 
who, having turned to his party, may perhaps liave given information 
against us, and placed us in his ill graces." This idea struck them 
all, and made tliem afraid to wait the day of summons, and to appear 
at Lille. They set out from Bruges for Sluys, where, by great ex- 
ertions, they purchased a vessel that was ready to sail, and having 
embarked, weighed anchor, and arrived at the quays of London. 
When the earl of Flanders heard of this, and saw that the English 
did not come according to his summons, lie was much ve.xed. He 
found, from appearances, that what he had been told was tho truth. 
He instantly sent his Serjeants to Bruges, and caused to be seized 
whatever could be found belonging to those English who had fled, 
Belling the articles collected ; and John Saplcmou of London and his 
companions were banished Flanders for one hundred years and a day. 
Those who had been arrested were thrown into the dungeon of the 
prison, which cost some of them their lives, while others recovered 
all they had lost. 

There is a common and true saying, that envy never dies. This 
conies to my remembrance, because the English aj'e too envious of 
another's good fortune, and have always been so. You must know, 
that the king of England, his uncles, and the nobility, were much 
vexed at the good success and great honor which the king of France 
and his nobles had gained at the battle of Rosebecque. When the 
English knights conversed together on the subject, they said : " Ha, 
by holy Mary ! how proud will the French be now, for the heap of 
peasants they have slain. I wish to God, Philip von Artaveld had 
had two thousand of our lances and six thousand archers : not one 
Frencliman would have escaped death or imprisonment. By God, 
they shall not long keep tlris honor, for we have novv a fine opportu- 
nity of entering Flanders. That country has been conquered by the 
king of France, and we will conquer it for the king of England. 
The earl of Flanders shows at this moment how completely he is 
subject to France, and how much he wishes, in every respect, to 
please her, by banishing from Bruges and Flanders our English mer- 
chants, who have resided there upward of thirty years. The time 
has been when he would not have done so for any consideration, but 
at present he dares not act otherwise for fear of the French." 

This, and such like speeches, were common in England ; and it 
was publicly said, that things should not remain as they were : now, 
one may fairly suppose, that envy was the original cause of it. 



CHAPTER CXXXI. 

rOPE URBAN SENDS BULLS INTO ENGLAND FOK THE DESTRUCTION OF THE 
CLEMENTISTS. THE BISHOF OF NORWICH APPOINTED COMMANDER-IN- 
CHIEF ASAINST THEM. 

About this period, he who signed himself pope Urban the sixth, 
came from Rome to Genoa by sea, where he was grandly received, 
and he fixed liis seat there. You have heard how all England was 
obedient to him, both church and commonalty, and now more than 
ever. Because the king of France and that country were Clement- 
iflts. Urban (whom the English and several other countries obeyed,) 
during his residence at Genoa, sought how he could obtain succors 
from England to annoy the king of France ; and I will tell you by 
what means. He was to send his bulls to the archbishops and bishops 
of the coimtry, to proclaim that he absolved, and would absolve, from 
all crime and fault, every one who would assist in the destruction of 
the Clementists. He had heard that his adversary Clement had re- 
Borted to this means in France, and was daily doing so ; and that the 
French called the Urbanists, as to matters of faith, dogs, which those 
retorted back on the Clementists, whom Urban was very desirous of 
condemning to the utmost of his power, and he knew that he had 
no other means of hurting them but through the English. It was 
necessary, however, that he should have a considerable sum of ready 
money, if he wished to put his plans into execution ; for it was well 
known that the nobles of England would not, for all the absolutions 
in the world, undertake any expedition, unless such were preceded 
by offers of money. Men-at-arms cannot live on pardons, nor do 
they pay much attention to them except at the point of death. He 
therefore determined, that with the bulls he sent to England for the 
prelates to preach upon, he would order a full tenth to be raised by 
the church, and to be paid by them to the nobility, without affecting 
the king's tieasury, nor oppressing the common people. This, he 
imagined, would be agreeable to the knights and barons of England. 

He instantly hastened the writing and engrossing his bulls, as well 
to the king as to his uncles and the prelates of England, with his 
pardons and absolutions from all crimes ; he granted, besides to the 
king and his uncles, a full tenth to be by them raised and levied 
throughout the kingdom, on which he enlarged very much. And 
because all these sums were to come from the church, he would have 
a churchman command the expedition. The lord Henry Spenser, 
bishop of Norwich, was appointed, that the commonalty and churches 
of England might have greater faith in it. In addition to this, be- 
cause he knew that the king of Spain was contrary to his interest, 
^and much allied with the king of France, he declared, that with the' 
money that should be thus raised in England, the duke of Lancaster, 



who, in right of his wife, called himself king of Castille, should set 
out for that country to raise a similar army there ; and, if the duke 
of Lancaster would undertake this expedition with a powerful force 
of men-at-arms, he would grant to the king of Portugal {who had 
just commenced a war against don John king of Castille) a full tenth 
on the whole kingdom of Portugal. 

In this manner was Urban active in his own concerns. He sent 
upward of thirty btdls to England, where they were received with 
much joy. The prelates preached up in their dioceses this expe- 
dition in the manner of a croisade ; and the people of England, who 
were credulous enough, believed it too readily, so that none of cither 
sex thought they should end the year happily, nor have any chance 
of entering paradise, if they did not give handsomely to the expedi. 
tion as pure alms. At London, and in that diocese, there was col- 
lected a large Gascony tun full of money, and he who gave the most, 
according to the pope's bull, gained the greatest number of pardons. 
All who should die at this time, and who had given their money, 
were absolved from every fault ; and, by the tenor of the bull, happy 
were they who would now die, in order to obtain so noble an abso- 
lution. They collected during the winter and ensuing Lent, through- 
out England, as well by alms as by the tenth from the church, for 
everything was received, and they so cheerfully taxed themselves, 
that the sum of twenty-five hundred thousand francs was amassed. 



CHAPTER CXXXII. 

THE BISHOP OF NORWICH, COMMANDER OF THE ENGLISH IN THE CKOISADE 
OF URBAN AGAINST THE CLEMENTISTS, DISEMBAKES AT CALAIS WITH 
HIS ARMY OF URBANISTS. 

When the king of England, his uncles, and council, were informed 
of the amount of the above sum, they were greatly rejoiced, and said 
they had money sufficient to carry on a war against the two king- 
doms of France and Spain. Thomas, bishop of London, and bro- 
ther to the earl of Devonshire, was nominated to accompany the 
duke of Lancaster to Spain, in the name of the pope and prelates of 
England. They were to have two thousand lances and four thou- 
sand archers, and one half of the money which had been raised ; but 
they were not to leave England so soon as the army under the com- 
mand of the bishop of Norwich, because this last was to march to 
Calais and enter France. They were uncertain how far in that 
country they could advance, and whether tlie king of France would 
meet them in force to give them battle. 

There was anotlier circumstance adverse to the duke of Lancas- 
ter, who had great expectations from his intended expedition : the 
common people of England inclined in general to follow the bishop 
of Norwich in preference to him : for a considerable time he had 
not been popular with them : besides, France was much nearer than 
Spain. Some said privately, that the duke of Lancaster, more through 
avarice and a desire to partake of the large sums which had been col. 
lectcd from the church and from the alms of good men than through 
devotion, had planned this expedition ; but that the bishop of Nor- 
wich represented the pope, and had been appointed by him to the 
command, for which reason the greater part of the people, as well aa 
the king, had greater faith in him. 

There were in the pay of the church, and under the command of 
this bishop of Norwich, several good knights of England and Gas. 
cony, such as the lord de Beaumont, sir Hugh Calverley, sir Thomas 
Trivet, sir William Helmon, sir John Ferrers, sir Hugh Spenser, 
nephew of the bishop, being his brother's son, sir William Fermiton, 
sir Matthew Redman, governor of Berwick, the Lord de Ch^teauneuf, 
and his brother sir John de Chflteauneuf, Raymond Masson, William 
de Pau, Gariot Vighier, John de Cachitan, with many others : in the 
whole, about five hundred lances and fifteen hundred other men ; but 
there were multitudes of priests, because it was an affair of the 
church, and had been set on foot by the pope. The men-at-arma 
were punctual in laying in their stores, and the king gave them a 
passage from Dover and Sandwich. Their purveyances were at 
those places about Easter ; and all who were desirous of going on 
this expedition, which was a sort of a croisade, marched thitlier in 
small bodies. Before the bishop and the captains embarked, but 
particularly sir Hugh Calverley, sir Thomas Trivet, and sir William 
Helmon, they were summoned to attend the king's council, where 
they solemnly swore, in the presence of the king, to fulfil the object 
of the expedition, and that they would never make war on, or harass 
any country or men who acknowledged pope Urban, but only those 
who were under the obedience of Clement. 

After they had taken this oath, the king, by advice of his council, 
addressed them, saying, "Bishop, and you, Thomas and William, 
when you shall have arrived at Calais, you will remain there for a 
month or thereabouts, in which time I will send you a good marshal 
and valiant man, sir William Beauchamp : for I have dispatched 
messengers to him on the borders of Scotland, where he at ineseul is 
holding conferences on our part with the Scots, for the truce between 
us and Scotland will expire on St. John's day. On his return, you 
shall have him without fail in your company : therefore wait for him, 
for he will be of great use to you by his good sense and advice." 
The bishop of Norwich and the above-named knights assented to 
this proposal, and quitted the king : they went to Dover, where they 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



327 



embarked, and arrived af Calais the 23rd of April, 1383. Sir John 
Delvernes was at tliat time governor of Calais, who received the 
bishop and his companions witli much pleasure. They disembarked 
a few at a time, with their horses and armor; and those who had 
the opportunity of doing so, lodged themselves in the town ; the rest 
abided in huts which they erected in the neighborhood, and con. 
tinned thus until the 4th day of May, expecting their marshal, sir 
William Beauchaaip, who, however, did not arrive. 




The Bishop of Norwich atthb head of his Troops.— Designed from Contemporary Authoiilies. 



The bishop of Norwich, young and eager, and wisliing to bear 
arms, having never done so but in Lombardy with his brother, find- 
ing himself at Calais, and at the head of so fine a body of men-at- 
arms, said to his companions, " For what purpose, my good sirs, are 
we thus waiting here so long ? Sir William Beauchamp will never 
arrive, and the king and his uncles have totally forgotten us. Let 
lis perform some deeds of arms, since we have been ordered so to do, 
and loyally employ the money of the church, since we are living upon 
it, and make conquest on our enemies," "It is well spoken," re- 
plied those who heard him. " Give notice to our men, that in three 
days we shall make an excursion, and let us determine to what part 
we shall march. We cannot issue out of the gates of Calais without 
entering an enemy's country ; for France surrounds us on all sides, 
as well toward Flanders as toward Boulogne and St. Onicr : Flan- 
ders is now a conquered country, by the power of the king of France. 
Considering all things, we cannot do a more honorable thing than to 
reconquer it ; for the earl of Flanders has done great injustice to our 
countrymen, whom, without any apparent reason, he has banished 
from Bruges and Flanders. Two years ago, he would not willingly 
have done so ; but at this moment he must obey the orders and good 
pleasure of the king of France." " On which account," said the 
bishop of Norwich, " if If I may be believed, the first expedition we 
undertake should be to Flanders." " You shall be believed heartily,' 
replied sir Thomas Trivet and sir William Helmon : " give orders 
for this, and let us march thither in three days, for it will be on ene- 
my's ground." This was adopted by all the council, and they gave 
notice of it to the rest of the army. 



CHAPTER CXXXIII. 

THE BISHOP OF NORWICH, C0MMANHEE OF THE UREANISTS, ENTERS FLAN- 
DERS CONTRARY TO THE OPINION OF SIR HUGH CALVEEI.ET. THE EAKL 
OF FLANDERS SENDS EMBASSADORS TO THE BISHOP, WHO RETURNS A 
HARSH ANSWER. 

Sir Hugh Galverley was not present at this council, having gone 
to see a cousin called sir John Droicton,* who was governor of Gu- 
ines, and had remained there all that day, intending to return on the 
following, which he did. The bishop sent for him to the castle, 
where he was lodged, as were the others, because sir Hugh had been 
longer accustomed to arms, and had seen more than they had done. 
The knights had told the bishop, that they wished to have sir 
Hugh's opinion before they undertook anything. The bishop related 
to sir Hug h, in their presence, the conversation whicli had passed, 
* "Droictoo." Q. DrartuD. 



and demanded his advice on it. Sir Hugh thus replied to the bishop; 
" Sir, you know on what terms we have left England : our expedi. 
tion has nothing to do with what concerns the wars of kings, but is 
solely pointed against the Clementists. We arc the soldiers of pope 
Urban, who has given us absolution from all faults if we destroy the 
Clementists. Should we march into Flanders, notwithstanding that 
country may now appertain to the king of France and the duke of 
Burgundy, we shall forfeit our engagement ; for, I understand, that 

the earl of Flanders and 
all the Flemings are as 
good Urbanists as our- 
selves ; besides, we have 
not a sufficient army to 
enter Flanders, for they 
are prepared and accus. 
tomed to war, having had 
nothing else to do for these 
last four years. They are 
a numerous people, and 
itwill be difficult to march 
through so strong a coun- 
try. But if you are deter, 
mined on an expedition, 
let us march into France, 
there we shall find our 
enemies. The king, our 
lord, is now at open war 
with them, and the French 
are all Clementists, hold- 
ing a contrary faith to us 
and to our pope. We 
ought to wait for our mar- 
shal, sir William Beau- 
champ, who cannot fail 
to arrive soon with large 
reinforcements ; and the 
last w'ord the king said to 
us was, that he would send 
him. I therefore advise, 
since 3-ou are resolved on 
an expedition, that we 
march toward Aire or 
Montreuil : none will ven- 
ture, as yet, to oppose us, 
and we shall add to our numbers by the Flemings, who, having lost 
their all, will come and join us in the hopes of gain. They have still 
rankling in their minds the misfortunes the French brought on them 
by the slaughter of their fathers, sons, and friends, in their wars." 

Scarcely had sir Hugh done speaking, when the bishop, in a rage, 
hot and impetuous as he was, replied, " Yes, yes, sir Hugh : you 
have learnt so long to fight in France, that you know not how to 
fight elsewhere. Now, can we anywhere make an excursion with 
more advantage to ourselves than toward the sea, by Bourbourg, 
Dunkirk, Nieuport, and thence to the dependencies of Casscl, Ber- 
gues, Ypres, and Poperingue ? In the country I have named, ac- 
cording to the informations I have received from citizens of Ghent 
who are with us, they have never been harassed by the war ; we 
will therefore go thither to refresh ourselves, and wait for the arrival 
of sir William Beauchamp, if he intend coming, but as yet we have 
not had any intelligence of him." 

Sir Hugh Calverley, seeing himself thus rebuffed by the bishop, 
who was of high birth and his commander, notwithstanding he was 
a valiant knight, made no reply, and the rather, because he had not 
any support from sir Thomas Trivet, nor from sir William Helmon : 
he therefore left the place, saying, " By God, sir, if you make an 
excursion, sir Hugh Calverley will accompany you, and you shall 
take neither road nor march but he will be of the party." " I wil- 
lingly believe," said the bishop, " that you have a great desire for an 
excursion : therefore make yourself ready, for we shall march in the 
morning." In this resolution they agreed, and then separated. 
Orders were sent to all the quarters in and round Calais, that every 
one might be prepared for the expedition in the morning. When 
morning came, the trumpet sounded, and all marched off, taking the 
road toward Gravelines. They were, according to a muster made, 
three thousand armed heads. They continued their march until 
they came to the port of Gravelines ; but it was at the time of ebb ; 
they therefore passed by the port, and attacked and pillaged a mon- 
astery which the townsmen had i^ortificd. The town could not hold 
out long, for it was only inclosed by palisadoes, and the inhabitants 
were seamen. If there had been any gentlemen in the town it 
would have held out longer than it did. Neither had the country 
any notice of this war, nor did fliey any way suspect the English of 
thus attacking them. The English therefore conquered the town of 
Gravelines by storm, and, having ended it, advanced toward the 
monasteiy, whither these good people had retreated, carrying with 
them their wives, children, and fortunes, which they placed therein, 
depending on the strength of the walls. They had made deep 
ditches oil round this strong place, so that the English could not 
immediately win it, but remained two days in the town before they 



328 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND. FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



took it. In the end, they conquered, and alew thoee who defended 
it, doiii" with the remainder according to their pleasure. 1 hus 
were they lords and masters of Gravelines, where the whole army 
was quartered, and found plenty of provisions. The country began 
to take alarm on hearing the English were iu possession of Grave- 
lines ; and those of the low countries sheltered themselves in the 
fortresses, sending their wives and children to Bergues, Bourbourg, 

and St. Omer. , , , , 

The earl of Flanders heard at Lille, where he resided, that the 
English had made war on his country, and had taken Gravelines. 
He°began to have suspicions of them, as well as of Bruges and its 
dependencies. Summoning his council, he said to them, " I am 
very much astonished that the English should overrun my country, 
and take my towns without giving me any notice of it ; and that, 
without sending me any defiance, they should have entered my 
territories." " Indeed, my lord," some of them replied, "you have 
cause to wonder ; but one may suppose they consider Flanders as 
belonging to France, since the king had advanced so far into it, that 
the country surrendered to him." " Well, what had we best do ?" 
asked the earl. " It will be right," replied his council, " that sir 
J<.hn de Villain and sir .John du Moulin, who are here, and have 
pensions from the king of England, should go in your name to Eng. 
land to speak with the king, and report to him a detail of this atlair, 
and demand, in your name, for what purpose he thus makes war on 
you. I believe, that when he shall have heard your embassadors, 
he will be angered at those who have thus harassed your country, 
and recal them thence with much blame." " This is veiy well," 
said the earl, " but during the time our knights are going to England, 
those at Gravelines (and who will stop them ?) may do great damage 
to the inhabitants of the Franconate." • The earl was thus answered : 
" It is necessary some parley should be held with them, as well to 
obtain passports for Calais and England as to know what it is they 
want ; and sir John Villain and sir John du Moulin are such discreet 
persons, that they will manage to restore peace to the country." " I 
consent to this," replied the earl. 

The two knights received their instructions from the earl and his 
council, in regard to the parley with the bishop of Norwich, as well 
as respecting their mission, and what they were to say to the king 
of England and his uncles. While these knights were preparing to 
set oul for Gravelines to the bishop of Norwich, all the country rose 
in the environs of Bourbourg, Bergues, Cassel, Poperingue, Furnes, 
Nieuport, and other towns, and advancing to Dunkirk, entered that 
town, declaring that they would in a short time march out to guard 
the frontiers and fight the English. These Flemings had for leader 
a knight called sir John Sporequin, who was governor or regent of 
the te°rritories of madame de Bar, which are situated on this frontier 
and extend to the gates of Ypres. Sir John Sporequin was ignorant 
of the earl's intentions of sending to England : the haze de Flanders 
had come to him with thirty lances, and said that the earl was at 
Lille ; but that he knew nothing more ; and that he was about to 
marry his sister there with the lord Delbauurin. These two knights 
took great pains to stir up the country, and to collect all men of 
courage : they amounted at last to twelve thousand men, armed 
with pikes, staves, coats of mail, jackets,* iron caps and helmets, 
and all of them were, for the greater part, as I was informed, vassals 
of madame de Bar, residing between Gravehnes and Dunkirk. 

Three leagues off, and near the road, is Mardyke, a large village 
quite open on the sea.sliore, whither the English advanced ; and at 
times there were skirmishes. Sir John Villain and sir John du 
Moulin arrived at Gravelines with a passport, for which they had 
waited at Bourbourg, where one of their heralds brought it. On 
their arrival at Gravelines, and soon after they had dismounted, 
they waited on the bishop of Norwich, who outwardly gave them a 
handsome reception and good entertainment. He had that day at 
dinner all the barons of his army ; for he well knew that the knights 
of the earl of Flanders were coming, and therefore wished they 
might meet with them altogether. The knights opened their busi. 
ness, and said to the bishop, " Sir, we are sent hither by my lord of 
Flanders." "What lord?" said the bishop. " The eari of Flan, 
ders, sir: Flanders has no other lord." " By my God," replied the 
bishop, " we consider it as belonging to the king of France or to the 
duke of Burgundy, our enemies, for by force of arms have they just 
conquered it." " Under respect to your grace," answered the 
knights, " the territory was loyally remitted at Tournay into the 
hands and government of my lord the earl of Flanders, who has sent 
us hither to entreat of you to grant us, who are attached by faith 
and pension to the king of England your lord, passports to go to Eng- 
land, to the king, to know his reasons for making war on my lord 
the earl of Flandei-s and his country, without sending him any defi- 
ance." The bishop replied he would consider of it, and they should 
have his answer to-morrow morning. They could not obtain more 
at this moment, and retired to their houses, leaving the English in 
council, who resolved as I shall tell you. 

Having fully weighed every circumstance, and the enterprise they 
had undertaken, they resolved not to grant passports to the two 
knights to go to England, for the journey was long, and while they 
were going and returning, the v,'hole country would be secured and 



greatly strengthened ; for the eari, who was a subtle character, might 
inform the king of France and duke of Burgundy of his situation 
by whose means so large a force might in a few days come upon 
them, that they would be unable to resist it. Having formed this 
resolution as to the answer they would give in the morning to the 
knights from Flanders, sir Hugh Calverley was called upon for his 
opinion, who said to the bishop, " Sir, you are our commander : 
you will tell them that we are on the teiTitories of the duchess of 
Bar, who is a Clementist ; that you make war for Urban and no one 
else ; and that if the people of this country, with the churches and 
monasteries, will be good Urbanists, and march with you through 
the country, your men shall peaceably pass, paying for whatever 
they may want : but in respect to granting them passports to go to 
England, you will do no such thing ; for our war does not regard 
either the king of France or the king of England, but solely pope 
Urban, whose soldiers we are. It seems to me that such an answer 
ought to satisfy them." All present assented to it, and particularly 
the bishop, who had no other care, whatever might be said or done, : 
but to fight and carry on the war. Thus was this business arranged ■ 
for the night. On the morrow after mass, the two knights, desirous 
of having their answer, went to the lodgings of the bishop, and 
waited until he came out to hear mass, when they placed themselves 
before him. Outwardly he seemed glad to see them, and conversed 
with them on different topics to delay the time, until his knights 
should come. On their arrival the bishop said, " My fair gentlemen, 
you are come for an answer, and you shall have one. With regard 
to the request you made to us from the earl of Flanders, I inform you, , 
you may return when you please to the earl ; but as to Calais or 
England, you will go at your perils, for I will not give you any pass, 
port. I am not king of England, nor commissioned to do so. I am 
the soldier of pope Urban, and all those who are with me are so 
likewise, having taken his money to sei-ve him. We are at this 
moment on the territories of the duchess of Bar, who is a Clemen. 
tist. If the people of this country hold that opinion, we make war 
on them. If they will follow us, they shall have their share of the 
absolutions ; for Urban, who is our pope, and for whom we march, 
absolves from all crimes those who shall aid in the destruction of the 
Clementists." 

When the two knights heard this speech, sir John Villain said, 
" Sir, with respect to what concerns the pope, I believe you have 
never heard but that my lord of Flanders is a good Urbanist; you 
have therefore been badly advised if you make war on him or on his 
country : and I do not believe that the king of England has given 
you such extensive orders ; for if such had been his intentions, he 
is so noble and considerate, he would first have sent him a defiance." 
This answer enraged the bishop, who said, " Go and tell your earl 
he shall not have any other answer, --^nd if he wishes to send you 
or any others to England, to learn more particularly the king's inten. 
tions, let him look to it ; for those he sends must take another road 
than this, and they shall not cross at Calais." When the knights 
found they could not have any other answer, they took their leave 
and departed. They returned to their lodgings to dinner ; and then, 
mounting their horses, went that day to St. Omer. 



* " Hociuetoits.'' a Quilted gnnnent generally worn beneath steel aimor, but occa- 
Jlionaliy used as the sole ormor of li^ht troops.— Ed. 



CHAPTER CXXXIV. 

THE BISHOP OF NORWICH MARCHES TOWARO DUNKIRK. HE DEFEATS 
TWELVE THOUSAND FLEMINGS AND TAKES THE TOWN. 

The same day that the knights of Flanders had departed, news 
was brought to the bishop and the English, that there were at Dun. 
kirk and in its neighborhood, upward of twelve thousand men armed, 
and that the bastard of Flanders commanded them, but that there 
were other knights and squires who also advised them. That they 
had skirmished with their men at Mardyke, and had repulsed and 
killed one hundred. The bishop said, " Now observe the conduct 
of the earl of Flanders : he affects to do nothing, and yet he is at the 
bottom of all : he wants to negotiate sword in hand. I am resolved 
to march to-morrow toward Dunkirk, and see what sort of men these 
are." This proposal met universal approbation, and notice was sent 
of it through Gravelines. This day two knights joined the army, 
one from Calais, the other from Guines, with about thirty lances and 
si.xty archers. These knights were called sir Nicholas Cliton* and 
sir John Dracton,t governor of Guines. 

On the ensuing morning, every one was ready for the march*. 
They took the field, amounting in number to more than si.x hundred 
lances and fifteen hundred archers. They advanced toward Mar- 
dyke and Dunkirk ; and the bishop of Norwich had the arms of the 
church borne before him, the banner of St. Peter, gules with two 
keys en sautoir, as being gonfalonnier of pope Urban. His pennon 
had his own arms, which were argent quartered with azure, with a 
fret or, on a field azure, and a baton gules on a field argent ; and, be. 
cause he was a younger brother of the Dispensers, his arms were 
charged with a bordure gules. Sir Hugh Dispenser, his nephew, 
was there with his pennon, and the lord de Beaumont, sir Thomas 
Trivet, sir William Helmon and sir Hugh Calverley, had both banner * 
and pennon. Sir William Drayton, sir John Drayton, his brother^ 



*" Cliton." Q. if not Clinton. 



t " Dractou." Q. if not Drayton. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &, c . 



399 



sir Matthew Redman, sir John Ferrers, sir William Frenenton,* and 
sir John de Neufchastel, Gascon, had only pennons. These men- 
at-arms came to Mardyke, where they refreshed themselves, and, 
having drank a cup, continued their march toward Dunkirk. The 
Flemings, who were in the town, heard that the English were 
marching in order of battle to combat them. Upon this, they re- 
solved to take the field, and draw up in battle-array to defend them- 
selves if there should be any occasion, for it would not be for their 
advantage to shut themselves up in the town. They instantly exe- 
cuted this resolution, and all who were in Dunkirk armed and 
marched into the fields, where they drew up in good array on a hill, 
and mustered upward of twelve thousand men. 

The English were now advanced near to Dunkirk, when, on look- 
ing toward the rising grounds on the right, in the direction of Bour- 
bourg, and near the sea. shore, they saw the Flemings formed in a 
large and well-arranged battalion. On this they halted, for they 
thought, from the manner in which the Flemings had drawn them- 
selves up, that they had an intention of fighting. The principal 
captains assembled to consider how they should now act, and many 
words passed, for some, and especially the bishop, wished to march 
instantly to the combat ; but others, such as the lord de Beaumont 
and sir Hugh Calverley, were of a contrary opinion, and assigned as 
their reason, that the Flemings had never done them any wrong ; 
and that, in truth, they had never sent any declaration of war to the 
earl of Flanders, though they had entered his country. "We do not 
make war in a gallant manner, but like a mob, that whoever can, 
may pillage. The whole country where we are is Urbanist, and fol- 
lows the same opinion as ourselves : now, consider what just cause 
have we for attacking them." The bishop answered, " How do we 
know whether they are Urbanists or not ?" "In God's name," said 
sir- Hugh Calverley, " let us send a herald to them to know why they 
are thus drawn up in battle-array, and what they want ; and let 
them be asked which pope they obey. If they answer pope Urban, 
j'ou will require of them, by virtue of the bull we have with us, that 
they accompany us to St. Omer, Aire, Arras, or whithersoever we 
may wish to lead them. When they shall have had these questions 
put to them, we shall know their intentions, and may then call a 
council." This proposal was adopted, and a herald called, whose 
name was Montfort, and attached to the duke of Brittany. He was 
ordered by these lords to ride to the Flemings, and told what he was 
to say, and how to act when among them. He obeyed their com- 
mands, and, clothed in his proper coat of arms, without suspecting 
any accident, made for the Flemings, who were drawn up in hand- 
some order of battle. He wished to address himself to some knights ; 
but he could not, for as soon as the Flemings saw him, without ever 
asking what was his business, or making any inquiries, they sur- 
rounded him and slew him, like ignorant people, nor could those gen- 
tlemen who were there save him. The English, on seeing this action, 
for they kept their eyes on them, were mad : as were also the citizens 
of Ghent who accompanied them, and were eager to urge them on ; 
hoping that, by these means, new troubles would fall on Flanders. 

The English said, " This mob has murdered our herald : they 
shall pay dearly for it, or we will all die on the spot." The archers 
were ordered to advance on the Flemings. A citizen of Bruges or 
Ghent was made a knight, and shortly the battle began briskly ; for, 
to say the truth, the Flemings defended themselves very well, but 
the archers wounded or beat down many, when the men-at-arms 
broke through them, and with their pointed spears killed multitudes 
on thtir first charge. In short, the English won the day, and the 
Flemings were defeated. They thought to keep together in a body 
and enter Dunkirk ; but the English followed them closely and kept 
up the engagement so warmly that they entered the town with them. 
Numbers were slain in the streets or on the shore, though they there 
gained some advantage, for the English lost four hundred at least. 
As the English pursued, the Flemings retired : many detached par- 
ties fought, in which several knights and squires from Flanders 
were slain ; scarcely any escaped death or captivity. Thus did this 
afiair end : there were full nine thousand Flemings killed at this 
battle of Dunkirk. 

The day the battle had taken place, sir John Villain and sir John 
du Moulin had returned to the earl of Flanders at Lille, and hod 
repeated to the carl all they had seen and heard from the English. 
The earl was very melancholy on the subject, not knowing how to 
act : he was still more so, and with greater reason, when he heard 
the news of the slaughter and defeat of his men at Dunkirk. He 
bore it with tolerable patience, and comforted himself as well as he 
could, by saying, " VVell, if we have lost at this time, at another, 
please God, we shall \vin." He instantly dispatched a messenger to 
the duke of Burgundy, who was with the king of France, with pri- 
vate letters, to give him information of this event, and for him to 
consider of it; for he concluded that since the English had thus en- 
tered Flanders and killed his subjects, they would not rest there, but 
would advance further into the country and do more mischief. The 
duke of Burgundy, on receiving tl.is intelligence, sent knights and 
squires to garrison St. Omer, Aire, St. Venant, Bailleul, Bergues, 
Cassel, and all the strong places on the frontiers of Flanders, and to 
gviatd the entrance of Artois. 

We will return to the English, and say how they prospered. 



" FreiientoQ.'' Q. FarringdoD, or Frampton. 



CHAPTER CXXXV. 



THE ENGLISH, UNDER THE COMMIND OF THE BISHOP OF NORWICH, HAV. 
ING CONQCERED ALL THE COAST FROM GRAVELIHES TO SLUYS, LAY 
SIEGE TO YPRES. 

After the defeat near Dunkirk and the conquest of that town, 
the English were swollen with pride, and thought all Flanders was 
their own. To say the truth, had they marched directly to Bruges, 
many who were well acquainted with the state of that town, say it 
would have surrendered to them : but they acted otherwise ; for they 
had determined to march to Bourbourg, to take that town, and then 
to advance to Aire and Cassel, conquering the whole country so as 
to leave no enemy in their rear, and then to lay siege to Ypres. 
They imagined the town of Ypres would surrender on seeing that 
the country was conquered. They left Dunkirk, after having done 
their pleasure with it, and marched for Bourbourg : the inhabitants 
of which place, being much alanned, no sooner saw them coming 
than they instantly surrendered, on having their lives and fortunes 
spared. The English entered the place with great joy ; for they 
said they would there establish a handsome garrison, to make war 
on St. Omer and the adjacent frontiers. 

After this, they gained the castle of Dixmude : but it was three 
days before they took it by storm, and the garrison of two hundred 
men were slain. The English repaired it, and declared they would 
keep it to the utmost of their power, garrisoning it again with fresh 
men-at-arms. They continued their march to Cassel, which they 
took, where they made a great booty, and peopled it again witii 
their own men. They still continued their march, saying that they 
would have a look at Aire ; but many, well acquainted with its sit- 
uation, knew it was not easy to be taken, and would cost too much ; 
however, the bishop of Norwich said, he would have a near view 
of it. 

At this time, the governor of Aire was a gallant knight from 
Ficardy, called sir Robert de Bethune, viscount de Meaux : there 
were also with him sir John de Roye, the lord de Clary, sir John de 
Bethune his brother, the lord de Montigny, sir Perducas de Pont 
Saint, sir John de Chaugny and sir Florens his son, with several 
more ; so that there were about six score lances of good men-at- 
arms, knights and squires. When the bishop of Norwich, sir Hugh 
Calverley, sir Henry de Beaumont, sir Thomas Trivet, sir William 
Helmon, sir Matthew Redman and the rest were advanced to a 
place near Aire, called the New Ditch, they formed themselves in 
battle-array, and thus marched on in close order with banners and 
pennons fluttering in the wind ; for they knew not what intentions 
the viscount and his companions might have. 

The viscount with his knights and squires were handsomely drawn 
up on the causeway before the barriers of Aire, and plainly saw the 
English march beside them, on the road to St. Venant ; but as they 
were not in numbers sufficient to bar that passage, they remained 
quiet at their post to defend themselves if attacked. The English 
marched by, and took up their quarters tw^o leagues from St. Venant ; 
the governor of that place was a knight of Picardy called sir Wil. 
liam de Melle, who had fortified the church of the town to serve as 
a place of retreat should it be necessary : he found it so, for the 
town was only inclosed by small palisadoes and ditches. The at- 
tack did not last long before the English entered it, when the French 
retreated, some to the castle, others to the church. Those in the 
castle were not attacked ; for it was marvellously strong, and could 
not be approached for the deep and wide ditches which surrounded 
it : but the church was instantly assaulted by the English on their 
entrance into the town, for they had heard that the men-at-arms had 
retreated thither. Sir William de Melle was a good and gallant 
knight, and would have defended the church of St. Venant valiantly ; 
but the English archers had surrounded it, and shot so rapidly and 
with such good aim that scarcely any dared show themselves in 
its defence. Those who were on the battlements were provided 
with stones, pieces of wood and artillery, which they used with such 
success as to wound many ; but the attack was continued with so 
great earnestness by the English, that the church was taken by 
storm and sir William in it, who had fought valiantly. The others 
did the same ; and had they entertained any hopes of being sup- 
ported, they would have held out longer, which was the cause that 
they were thus easily taken. Sir William de Melle was made a 
prisoner : he agreed for his ransom, and returned to Franco with the 
consent of his captor, to whom he had given his word according to 
the manner in which all French and English gentlemen behave to 
one another in similar cases ; but not so the Germans, who, when- 
ever they take a prisoner throw him into durance vile, loaded with 
irons, in order to gain a more considerable ransom. 

The bishop of Norwich and his army, on their departure from St. 
Venant, quartered themselves in the forest of Niepe, which was not 
far distant, and near to Bailleul. They entered the castlewick of 
Poperingue, and took all the inclosed towns, wherein they found 
much money and great booty, which they sent to Bergues or Bour- 
bourg. When they had thus laid the whole countiy under their sub- 
jection, so that none came to oppose them, and when they were 
masters of the coast from Gravelines to Sluys, having possessed 
themselves of Dunkirk, Nieuport, Furnes and Blanquenbergue, they 



330 



HRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &. c . 



advanced to lay siege to Ypres. There the bishop, air Hugli Cal- 
-'verlcy and the English halted, and then sent messengers to Ghent. 
.1 have good reason to suppose that Francis Atiemen went to them, 
"and was at all their battles and conquests, and had served as con. 

ductor of the English from town to town, and from village to village. 



CHAPTER CXXXVI. 

THE MEN OF GHENT ASSIST THE ENGLISH IN THEIR SIESE OF YPKES. THE 
LORD DE ST. LEGER GOING TO REINFORCE THE GARRISON OF COURTRAY, 
BY ORDERS OF THE KING OF FRANCE, IS DEFEATED EY A PARTY OF 
ENGLISH NEAR COMMINES. 

When Peter dn Bois, Peter le Nuitre, and the captains in Ghent 
Tieard that the English demanded their assistance, and were lying be- 
fore Ypres, they wore much pleased, and prepared themselves to 
tnar<?h thither as speedily as possible. They set out from Ghent on 
the Saturday morning after the octave of St. Peter and St. Paul, to 
the amount of near twenty thousand, with a very considerable train 
•t>f carts, and in good array. They marched by Courtray, and came 
'tefore Ypres. The English were rejoiced at their coming, and made 
great cheer for them, saying they would take Ypres, and then con- 
quer Bruges, Damme and Sluys, making no doubt that, before Sep- 
tember, they would have conquered all Flanders. Thus did they 
boast of their good fortune. 

Tiie governor of Ypres at that time was the lord de Saint Pi, a 
■very prudent and valiant knight, who had thrown himself into the 
place, where everything was done according to his plans and orders. 
The men-at-arms who had accompanied this knight thither by order 
of tlie duke of Burgundy and earl of Flanders, were sir .Tohn Bou- 
graigne, castellan of Ypres, sir Baldwin de Delbedene his son, the 
lord Disseghien, the lord de Stades, sir .lohn Blanchart, sir John de 
"Merfelede, sir Ilamel, sir Nicholas Belle, lord de Harlequebecque, 
the lord de RoUeghen, sir John Ahoutre, John de Saint Pi, nephew 
to the governor, Francois Belle, .sir George Belle, and many more. 
They haH great difficulty to withstand the English, who attacked 
them openly and covertly. They were likewise under alarm lest 
there should be some understanding between the townsmen and 
those from Ghent ; and lest the place should, by treason, fall into 
their hands. 

A gallant knight of Hainault, called sir John de Jumont, was at 
this time in Courtray as its governor, having accepted it at the earnest 
entreaties of the duke of Burgundy and earl of Flanders. At that 
•time no knight of Flanders dared to undertake it, so dangerous 
did the defence of it appear; for when the king of France had 
marched away it was dismantled and burnt, on which account very 
few resided there , and it was so much destroyed, that they could 
scarcely find a place to put their horses in. Sir John de Jumont un- 
dertook the grand enterprise of defending it. He speedily repaired 
it, and behaved so gallantly, through God's mercy and grace, that 
there was not any damage done it ; on the contrary, much honor 
accrued to him. 

i The duke of Burgundy, who carefully attended to the afifairs of 
Flanders, as they so nearly concerned him, sent from France si.xty 
Breton lances to Courtray, to reinforce and encourage sir John de 
Jumont. These men-at-arms marched to Lille, under command of 
the duke ; from thence they set out on a Friday morning to Com- 
mines, where they arrived, under the command of the lord de St. 
Leger and Yvoimet de Cantemat. By the break of day, full two 
hundred lances had come to the town of Commines, to collect forage 
from the flat countries, and carry it to the army before Ypres. These 
Bretons had not any expectation of their coming, and fell into their 
hands. There was a sharp engagement at the foot of the bridge of 
Commines, where the Bretons defended themselves marvelously well, 
and if they had been supported by as many again as themselves, they 
would have escaped without loss. As it was, they were constrained 
to fly, for they v/ere too few to oppose such numbers. The greater 
part were slain or taken as they were escaping toward Lille. The 
lord de St. Leger was desperately wounded, and left for dead on the 
field. Fortunate were those who escaped from lliis engagement ; and 
the pursuit of the English after the Bretons, lasted to within half a 
league of tlie town of Lille. The lord de St. Leger, although mor- 
tally wounded, vyas carried to that town with great difficulty, where 
he died five days afterwards. Five of his squires died also, and thus 
ended this adventure. 



CHAPTER CXXXVII. 

IBE BISHOP OF LIEGE, NOT BEING ABLE TO BEING ABOIT A PEACE BE- 
TWEEN THE BISHOP OF NORWICH AND THE EARL 0? FLANDERS, RETURNS 
HOME. 

The siege of Ypres continued with great activity on the part of 
the English and Flemings, who made many assaults, which much 
frightened those in the town. The earl of Flanders was not very 
■well assured but that Ypres must fall ; for the English are very subtle, 
and they could receive great reinforcements from England, by way 
of Calais, without his knowledge, or opposition, having garrisons in 
all the towns on the road. They might, if they had chosen, have had 



reinforcements from England ; but they did not think much was to 
be dreaded at the commencement, cither from the earl or the power 
of France, for several great English barons were prepared and ready 
to cross the sea at Calais, to assist their countrymen from the envi. 
tons of Dover, Sandwich, and Lewes, had they been so required • 
they amounted to a thousand lances, and two thousand archers in 
the parts above mentioned. Sir William Beauchamp and sir William 
Windsor, marshals of England, were appointed by the king and 
council to command these men-at-arms, by whicli the duke of Lan. 
caster lost this opportunity of making his expedition to Portugal. 
All England, as I have before said, were more inclined to serve in 
the army of the bishop of Norwich than in that of the duke of Lan. 
caster. 

The earl of Flanders was informed of all these events which were 
passing in England, as well as of what was going forward before 
Ypres. He therefore resolved to provide, as much as was in his 
pov/cr, a remedy for them ; for ho supposed the duke of Burgundy 
would c.\cite the barons of France to e.xert themselves to drive the 
English out of Flanders, and from the countries which they had re- 
cently conquered. But as he knew that France was very extensive, 
that several barons bound to serve the king were at a great distance, 
and that many things might happen before they could arrive, he re. 
solved to send sir Arnoul de Sorge, bishop of Liege, who was a 
stanch Urbanist, to request he would come to Ypres and negotiate 
with the English to decamp and march elsewhere ; for he had been 
much astonished at their proceedings, since it was well known to the 
world that both himself and country were good Urbanists. 

The carl managed so well that the bishop of Liege came to Hain 
ault, and from thence to Valenciennes, Douay and Lille, where he 
had a conference with the earl, who informed him of what he wished 
him to do. After this, the bishop left Liege and came to the camp 
before Ypres, where the English and Ghent men received him very 
politely, and attentively listened to all he had to say. I was told at 
the time, that the earl of Flanders, through the means of the bishop 
of Liege, offered to the bishop of Norw'ich and the English, if they 
would break up their siege, and carry their war against the countries 
of the Clemcntists, to send them five hundred lances to serve under 
their orders for three months, and at his own expense. 

The bishop of Norwich replied, he would attentively consider and 
discuss this proposal. Many words passed ; for the Ghent men ad. 
vised him not to put any trust in what the carl had said, for there 
was no dependence on his promises, and told him that if he could he 
would deceive him. Having therefore maturely considered every- 
thing, he gave notice to the bishop of Liege, that he might return 
when he pleased, for he would not pay any attention to his offers; 
and, as for the siege, he would never depart thence until he had re- 
duced the town of Ypres to his obedience. The bishop, finding he 
could obtain nothing more, took his leave and returned to Lille, and 
gave the earl of Flanders the answer he had received. When the 
carl saw that he could not obtain any terms, he M'as more pensive 
than before ; for he clearly perceived, that unless the force of France 
raised the siege, he should lose his good town of Ypres. He there- 
fore wrote other letters, giving a detail of what answers he had re- 
ceived, and what was going forward, which he sent by one of his 
own knights to his son and daughter of Burgundy, who resided at 
Compiegne. The bishop of Liege left the earl, and returned through 
Douay and Valenciennes to his own country. 



CHAPTER C XXXVIII. 

THE KING OF FRANCE ISSUES A GRAND SUMMONS, WITH THE INTENTIOH ' 
OF RAISING THE SIEGE OF YPRES. SOME OF THE EARL OF FLA.NDERS' 
WEN ARE DEFEATED BY THE ENGLISH BEFORE THE CHUiiCH OF EMENUf. • 

Phe duke of Burgundy, being convinced that things w'ould end 
badly if the king of France with an army did not provide a remedy, 
exerted himself for a parliament to be holden at Compiegne of all 
the great barons and princes of the realm of France. To this par. 
liament all who were sunniioned came, and the duke of Brittany 
personally attended. It was there discussed, whether or not the king 
of France, with his uncles the dukes of Berry, Burgundy and Bour. 
bon, should march to Flanders with a greater force than he had com. 
mandcd at Rosebecque, to raise the siege of Ypres, and cffer combat 
to the English and Flemings, if they should think proper to wait for 
him. It was resolved in the affirmative ; and the king of France 
issued his summons throughout the kingdom of France for every man 
to be at Arras, or in that neighborhood, by the 15th day of August, 
provided with all things suitable to his rank. The king wrote also 
to those at a distance, such as the counts d'Armagnac and Savoy, 
and to duke Frederick of Bavaria. This duke was in upper Ger- 
manv, and the son of one of the brothers of the reigning duke : he 
was very desirous of visiting the couit of France and bearing aims 
for it, as he was fond of every sort of honor ; and they had told him, 
which he believed as fact, that all honors in the world were to be 
had in France. Duke Frederick, being at such a distance, was the 
first sent for : he made his preparations on receiving the summoift, 
and said he would come through Hainault, to -visit his uncle and his 
cousins, the count de Blois and others. 

During the time these warlike preparations were making, the sieg'? 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



331 



of Ypres continued with great vigor. There were many attacks and 
skirmishes, in which several were killed or wounded : but the gov- 
ernor, sir John de Saint Pi, made so good a defence, that no essentia! 
damage was done. During this siege, the carl of Flanders was in- 
formed that the church of Emenin was strong, and fortified ; for, 
should the English come thitlier, they would easily take it, as it had 
no garrison, and they would from ihence much harrass the country. 
The earl resolved to take possession of it;* and, sending for sir John 
du Moulin, he said to him, " Sir John, collect a body of men from 
this town, and with cross-bows go to Emenin, and gain the church, 
lest the English fortify it ; for, if tliey win it, tlicy will harass all 
the surrounding country." Sir John replied, he would willingly do 
so, and immediately made preparations for the excursion. On the 
morrow morning, he mounted his horse, accompanied by a young 
knight, a bastard son of the earl of Flanders, called sir John Sans- 
terre, and about sixty lances, with the same number of archers. On 
their leaving Lille, they took the road to Emenin, but found only a 
few men-at-arms there, who, in their own free will, were guarding 
the church. 

This same day, about two hundred English and Gascon lances 
made also an excursion, and learning from tlie foragers that there 
were some men-at-arms and cross-bow's at Emenin, they stuck spurs 
into their horses, and never halted until they arrived at the town, 
when, dismounting in the square before the church, they grasped 
their spears and shouted their cries. Sir John du Moulin and the 
bastard of Flanders, seeing from this body of men that a combat was 
unavoidable, formed in battle array in the square, and ordered their 
cross-bows to shoot : they at first wounded several of the English, 
who soon broke through them ; but for a small body they made a 
good fight, though many were struck down, wounded, and killed. 

The English were so superior in numbers, that the Flemings were 
defeated, and the two knights made prisoners, who behaved gallantly 
in defending themselves. Of the remainder, many were taken ; and 
very few returned to Lille, being mostly slain or captured. Thus 
ended this cvpedition to Emenin, which greatly vexed the earl of 
Flanders, but at that time he could not help it. The Gascons and 
English carried their prisoners with them, and made much of them; 
but it was not long before they ransomed themselves. 



CHAPTER CXXXI.X. 

THE ENGMSH AND GHK.NT JIE.V MAKE A SHARP ATTACK OX YPEES ; BUT, 
LEARNtNG THAT THE KING OF FRANCE HAD MARCHED AN ARMY INTO 
ARTOIS, THEY INSTA.VTLY BREAK L'P THE SIEGE. 

It always happens, that in war there are gains and losses : very 
extraordinary are the chances, as those know well who follow the 
profession. The siege of Ypres was pushed on with unwearied 
force ; and it was fully the intention of the bishop oi Norwich, the 
English, and Peter du Bois, to conquer Ypres by storm or otlierwise, 
as the vigor of their attacks show'ed. Among the many assaults, 
there was one much severer than the rest ; for it lasted from morning 
until almost night. Many valiant actions were done by several on 
both sides, and the English and Flemings made vast exertions to con- 
quer it. The besieged created that day four knights ; John de St. 
Pi, nephew to tlie governor, Fan(;ois Belle, George Belle, and John 
Belle, who showed themselves good knights in this first display of 
their knighthood, ."^n English squire, called Lewis Lin, was kiUedt 
at this attack, which was very sharp : and numbers were wounded 
on each side, who too rashly exposed themselves. 

The English archers, posted on the ditches of the town, shot so 
expertly and rapidly that scarcely any dared to appear on the battle- 
ments to defend the place. There were collected that day in Ypres 
two tonst of artillery, especially arrows, which were shot into the 
town, so that none ventured to pass through those streets near the 
walls where the attack was made, for fear of being killed, if not well 
armed and shielded. This attack lasted until night, when the Eng- 
lish and Flemings, who had fought the whole day in two batalions, 
returned to the camp quite tired, as were likewise those in the town. 

The English and Flemings, finding they could not take the town 
by storm, and having expended much of their artillery, resolved !o 
have quantities of faggots made and collected, with which and earth 
they could fill up the ditches, so that they might advance to fight 
hand to hand with the garrison, undermine the walls, and, by thrmv- 
ing them down, win the place. Workmen were instantly employed 
to procure and cut down as much wood as possible in the neio-hbor- 
hood of Ypres, which was to be placed withinside of the ditchers, and 
covered with earth : but this was not so soon done, nor could they 
accomplish their intentions ; for the king of France, having a great 
desire to raise the siege and fight with the English at all events, 
hastened his preparations, set sut from Compiegne, and marched to 
Arras. 



* Mr. Johnea seems to have misunderstood the text. The earl determined to desem- 
parer (to demolish) the church, not to keep possession of it ; and the original subse- 
quently states lliat. "the two knijihts(wheii they arrived at the church at viinster as 
Froissart terms it) he?an to puil duwn, and demolish the minster." This passase is 
omitted by Mr. Johnes. 



t " D'un tr;.iot du canon :'* by a cannon ball, according to D. Sauvoge.— En. 
X " La valeiir de deux tnnneaux pleins d'artillerie ;" as much as tivo Uns fi 
two tons wei(;ht, of artillery.— Ed, 



tuns full, not 



The constable of France, with many barons who formed the van 
of the army, had already arrived, and were quartered in Artois. The 
duke of Brittany came with two thousand lances, as he was anxious 
to assist his cousin the earl of Flanders on this occasion. Indeed he 
was much bounden so to do, for he had found him, in former times, 
eager to befriend him in his distress. All the lords, both from far 
and near, were on their march and at hand. The count of Savoy 
and the count of Geneva, came with seven hundred honest Savoy- 
ards. Duke Frederick of Bavaria was hastening with a strong body 
of men-at-arms, and had arrived at Hainault. He resided at Ques- 
noy with his uncle duke Albert, his aunt, the duchess Margaret, and 
with his cousins. 

The dukes of Lorraine and Bar arrived with a large body in Ar- 
tois. Sir William de Namur, not having attended the former war, 
as the earl had excused him, came with two hundred good lances to 
serve the king of France and duke of Burgundy. He had passed 
through Hainault, and fixed his quarters in the country rounc^Tour- 
nay. It was wonderful to see what bodies of men different lords 
brought to serve the king of France. The count Guy de Blois lay 
ill at Landreey* during the whole time these warlike preparations 
were making, and neither himself nor his people knew if he would 
be able to bear the fatigues of this campaign with the king. He was 
carried in a litter to Beaumont in Hainault, and was somewhat better, 
for that air was more agreeable to him than that of Landreey. Not. 
withstanding he was very unwell and feeble, he made ample prepa- 
rations, as did his dependents in the country of Blois, such as the 
lord de Montigny, the lord de Vresin, sir Vilhennes de St. Martin,, 
sir Waleran de Doustienne governor of Remorentin, and other knights 
and squires who came to serve under the young king of France 

News was brought to the bishop of Norwich, sir Hugh Calverley 
and the English besieging Ypres, that the king of France was hasten- 
ing by i'orced marches, with an amiy of upward of twenty thousand 
men-at-arms, knights and squires, and sixty thousand other men. 
This intelligence was repeated from so many quarters, that at last it 
was thought to be true, for at first they would not believe it. They 
heard for certain that it was so, and that if they remained where they 
were, they would have to fight with them. They also learnt that 
the duke of Brittany was with the king of France, and coming 
against them, which astonished them much. They called a council 
on this information, to consider what line of conduct to pursue. 
Having weighed every circumstance, and not finding themselves in 
sufficient strength to wait for the whole force of the king, they judged 
it to be more prudent for Peter du Bois, Peter le Nuitre and the Ghent 
men to return to their town, and the English to retreat toward Ber- 
gues and Bourbourg, which they w-ere to garrison : and if any force 
should come from England, or if king Richard or his uncles should 
cross the sea, they would send them advice of it. This resolution 
was adopted, and they broke up their camp. The Ghent men set 
out on their return home, where they arrived. The English retired 
to Bergues and Bourbourg, and entered the forts wliich they had 
conquered. 

The day that the English began their retreat, Thomas lord Percy, 
son to the earl of Northumberland, arrived. He came from Prussia, 
and hearing on his road that the kings of France and England were 
to engage in the plains of Flanders or Artois, each at the head of 
his army, the knight was so much rejoiced, and had so great a desire 
to be present at the battle, that the journey, which at a moderate rate 
of travelling would have taken forty days, he performed in fourteen, 
leaving his equipage and servants behind, and frequently changing^ 
horses. He aftersvards learnt that his baggage had arrived in less 
than twenty days in the town of Ghent. Such good will and gallantry 
deserve much praise. 



CHAPTER CXL. 

DUKE FREDERICK OF BAVAKIA ARRIVES AT THE ARMY OF THE KINS OF 
FRANCE. COU.NT GUY DE BLOIS, NOTWITHSTANDING HIS ILL HEALTH, 
COMES TO ARRAS ATTENDED BY HIS .VEN-AT-ARMS. 

Intelligence was brought to the king of France, in the city of 
Arras, and to the lords with him, that the English and Ghent men 
had raised the siege and decamped from before Ypres. The king 
was eager to hurry matters and pursue them, so that they should not 
escape. He set out from Arras, and came to Mont St. Eloy, a very 
handsome abbey, where he remained four days waiting for the arri- 
val of the duke of Berry. The army was continually increased by 
those who came to it from all parts, and it was known, through the 
constable, the marshals and sir Guiscard count dauphin, master of 
the cross-bows, that the king had with him upward of one hundred 
thousand men. 

The king departed from Mont St. Eloy, following the road to St. 
Omer, and came to Aire, of which place the viscount de Meaux was 
governor. He tarried there two days, the army still increasing. The 
constable with the van were advanced, and quartered in ihelownof 
Cassel. The king went to St. Onier, where he stopped for the ar- 
rival of his people, who were coming to him from every quarter. 
When duke Frederick of Bavaria arrived at the army, the great 
barons of France, in order to do hiin honor, went out to meet him, 

* "Mudrecy,'* a itrong town in Hainault, diocese of Courtray. 



332 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



as he had come from such a distant country to serve the king, who 
entertained him handsomely, and was thankful for his arrival. He 
caused him to be quartered as near to himself 9s possible during the 
whole expedition, as was but just. 

In the army were full three hundred thousand horses : and it was 
wonderful where provisions could come from, or be found to supply 
such an army. At times, indeed, there was a scarcity ; at others, 
tlicy had abundance. The count Guy de Blois, who resided at Beau- 
inont in Hninault, notwithstanding he was not yet recovered from the 
long illness he had been visited with during the summer, thought it 
would not be for his honor to remain idle, when so many great and 
powerful princes and lords were in the field ; besides, inquiries had 
been made after him, as he was one of the leaders of the rear.ward. 
It was therefore belter for him to join them, trusting to the will of 
God, than to remain behind under a supposition of dissembling. 

This pliant lord began his journey; but as he was unable to ride, 
he ordered his litter, and took leave of the lady his wife, and of his 
son Lewis. Several of his council, on account of the great heat and 
closeness of the weather, looked on this journey as a wrong measure, 
while others who heard of it thought it a great proof of his courage. 
He was accompanied from Hainault by the lord de Sanzest, the lord 
de Hanzelles, sir Gerard de VVarrieres, sir Thomas de Distre, the lord 
de Doustrenent, John de Ghisnelle, who was created a knight on the 
road, and several more. He passed through Cambray, and came to 
Arras, and the longer he travelled the better was his health. His 
vassals from Blois, hearing of his journey, went to meet him. On 
his arrival at Arras, his people collected together, to the amount of 
more than four hundred lances, and always followed him. He had 
his provisions from Hainault, and in this respect was most abundantly 
supplied. Let us return to the king of France. 



CHAPTER CXLI. 

THE VAN OF THE FRENCH ARMY TAKES CiSSEL AND TRUGHEN. THE ENG. 
LISH ABANDON BEEGtIES, AND RETIRE TO EOUKBOURG, WHEREIN THE 
KING OF FRANCE BESIEGES THEM. 

The king of France continued his march to St. Omer, where he 
halted and refreshed himself. The van, with the constable and mar- 
shals, advanced to Cassel, which was in the liands of the English. 
The town was attacked, taken by storm, and all in it put to the 
sword. Those who could escape retreated to Bergues, where was sir 
Hugh Calverley with fidl three thousand English. The bishop of 
Norwich was not there, having retired to Gravclines, to be the sooner 
at Calais should there be occasion. The English had burnt and pil. 
laged all the country near to Cassel. The king of France, on his 
ttrrival at St. Omer, was lodged at an abbey out of the town, on the 
road to Bergues, called Ranombergues, where he remained. He came 
there on a Friday, and on the following day the constable, the mar- 
shals, with the lord de Coucy and a great number of good men.at- 
arms, took the field and came before the castle of Trughen, wherein 
were about three hundred men-at-arms, who had formed a garrison 
of this place the whole season. 

They made a vigorous attack on the castle, and exerted themselves 
very much: indeed, they were forced to do so if they wished for con- 
quest, as the English within defended themselves so valiantly that it 
was marvellous to think of their prowess. However, by continued 
attacks, and gallant deeds of arms, the castle was taken, and all within 
put to death, for the constable would not show mercy to any one. In 
the lower court was found the most beautiful white horse that had 
heen seen for years, which was presented to the constable, who in- 
stantly sent it to the king of France. The king willingly accepted 
the horse, and was so pleased with it that he rode it all Sunday. 

The count de Blois, at this period, arrived at the army with his 
company. He was appointed to the rear division, as he had been 
last year at the battle of Rosebecque, in company with the count 
d'Eu, the count de Harcourt, the lord de Chatillon and the lord de 
la Fere. Men-at-arms were constantly coming in from all parts. It 
was a fine dry summer, otherwise it would have been bad for the 
horses near the sea-shore and imp(jesiblc for them to have advanced 
into the country. All the English except the bishop, who, quite 
thunderstruck, was gone to Gravelines, had retired into the town of 
Bergues, which was only inclosed by a palisade and ditches: he 
sorely repented having undertaken this expedition, for he saw that all 
he had done would now be turned with shame against him, and was 
still more sorry for the words he had uttered which had been repeated 
through France. He had boasted during the time he was besieging 
Ypres, that he would there wait for the king of France and his army, 
and offer them combat. He now felt how suddenly he had been 
forced to raise the siege and fly, for his army could not resist that of 
the king. 

The English at Calais found great fault with him. saying he had 
very ill employed the pope's money. In truth, the duke of Lancaster, 
who had been prevented by this expedition of the bishop from carry- 
ing his own into execution, did not wish it would turn out otherwise. 
The principal barons of England were of the same sentiment ; for 
when sir William Windsor, their marshal, sent to tell them, while 
before Ypres, that if they wished for reinforcements, they should have 
very nimierous ones, the bishop answered, as did sir Thomas Trivet 



and sir William Helmon,* that they had strength enough, and more 
than they wished, to combat the king of France and the army he 
could bring against them. But sir Hugh Calveriey, who had seen 
more service than any of the others, had always held a different Ian. 
guage, and said during the siege of Ypres, when he heard of the offer 
from the barons in England ; " Gentlemen, you seem to have great 
confidence in your strength : why should we refuse the assistance of 
our countrymen, when they offer to come to us and the country con. 
sents to it ? A day may come, perhaps, when we shall repent of our 
refusal." But these words were not attended to, as they said they 
had men sufficient. Things, therefore, continued as they were, and 
in the end they lost more than they gained by it. 

Sir Hugh Calverley, on his arrival at Bergues, quartered himself 
and his men in the different hotels and houses of the town : they 
were in the whole, including archers, more than four thousand men. 
Sir Hugh said, " I am detennined to keep this town ; it is of good 
strength, and we are enough to defend it. I expect we shall have, in 
five or six days, reinforcements from England ; for they will learn our 
situation, and also the force of our enemies." All replied, " God assist 
us !" Upon this he made very pnident regulations: on dividing his 
men under pennons and into companies, to mount the walls and guard 
the gates, he found he had numbers sufHcient. He ordered all the 
ladies and women, children and lower classes of inhabitants, to retire 
into a church, whence they were not to stir. 

The king of France was at the abbey of Ranombergues, and learnt 
that the English had retreated to Bergues. A council was held on 
the occasion, when it was ordered that the van, with the constable 
and marshals, should advance beyond the town and encamp on one 
of its sides ; and the king of France, with the dukes of Berry, Bur. 
gundy and Bourbon, would follow with the main army; that the count 
de Blois and the count d'Eu, with the rear division, should lodge 
themselves on the other side of the town, and thus surround the Eng. 
lish. Tliis plan was executed ; and the Jiing set out from Ranom. 
bergues, attended by his whole army. It was a beautiful sight to 
behold these banners, pennons and helmets glittering in the sun, and 
such numbers of men-at-anns that the eye could not compass them: 
they seemed like a moving forest, so upright did they hold their 
lances. Thus they marched in four divisions toward Bergues, to 
inclose the English in that town. 

About eight o'clock in the inorning, an English herald entered the 
town, who, by the courtesy of the lords of France, had passed through 
their army : he waited on sir Hugh Calverley in his hotel, and spoke 
so loud that every one heard him. "Herald, whence dost ihou come?" 
" My lord," replied the herald, *' I come from the French army, where 
I have seen the finest men-at-arms, and in such vast numbers, that 
there is not at this day another king who can show the like." "And 
these fine men-at-arms which thou art speaking of," said sir Hugh, 
"what number are they?" "By my faith, my lord, they are full 
twenty-six thousand men-at-arms : handsomer nor better armed were 
never seen." " Ha, ha !" replied sir Hugh, who was much provoked 
at the latter part of his speech, " thou art a fine fellow to come and 
mock us with this pompous tale. I know well thou hast lied ; for 
many a time have I seen the armies of France, but they never 
amounted to twenty.six thousand ; no, not even to six thousand 
men-at-arms." 

As he said this, the watch of the town, who was at his post, 
sounded his tnimpet, for the van of the enemy was about passing 
near the walls. Sir Hugh then, addressing the knights and squires 
present, said ; " Come, come : let us go and sec tliese twenty.six 
thousand men-at-arms march by, for our watch blows his horn." 
They went on the walls of the place, and, leaning on them, obseived 
the march of the van, which might have consisted of about fifteen 
hundred lances, with the constable, the marshals, the master of the 
cross-bows and the lord de Coucy. Next came the duke of Brit. 
tany, the earl of Flanders and the count do St. Pol, who had under 
their command about fifteen hundred lances more. Sir Hugh Cal- 
verley, who thought he had seen the whole anny, said, " Now see 
if I did net say the truth: where are these twenty-six thousand 
men ? Why, if they be three thousand men-at-arms, they are ten 
thousand. Let us go to our dinner, for I do not yet see such a force 
as should oblige us to surrender the town. This herald would 
frighten us w'ell, if we were to believe him." 

The herald was much ashamed, but he said, " My lord, you have 
as yet only seen the vanguard : the king and his uncles are behind 
with the main army, and there is besides a rear division, which con. 
sists of more than two thousand lances. You will see the whole in 
four hours if you remain here." Sir Hugh paid not any attention 
to him, but returned to his house, saying he had seen eveiything, 
and seeted himself at table. He had scarcely done so, than the 
watch again blew his horn, and so loud as if he would burst it. 
Sir Hugh rose from the table, saying he woidd see what was the 
cause of this, and mounted the battlements. At this moment, the 
king of France marched by, attended by his uncles, the didie Fred. 
erick, the duke of Lorraine, the count of Savoy, the dauphin of 
Auvergne, the count de la Marche and their troops : in this battalion 
were full sixteen thousand lances. Sir Hugh felt himself much dis- 
appointed, and said to the herald, v;ho was by his side, " I have 
been in the wrong to blame you : come, come : let us mount oar 
* " Sir WiUiara HeUnoa.*' Elmham, accordias to Carte. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



333 



boises and save ourselves, for it will do us no good to remain here. 
I no longer know the state of France : I have never seen such num- 
bers collected together by three. fourths as I now see and have seen 
in the van : besides, tlie rear division is still to come." Upon tliis, 
sir Hugh Calverley left the walls and returned to his house. All the 
horses being ready saddled and loaded, they mounted, and, having 
ordered the gates to be opened which lead to Bourbourg, they set oft" 
without any noise, carrying with them all their pillage. Had the 
French suspected this, tliey could easily have stopped them ; but 
they were ignorant of it for a long time, so that they were nearly 
aiTived at Bourbourg before they heard of it. 

Sir Hugh Calverley halted in the plain to wait for his rear and 
baggage. He was very melancholy, and said to sir Thomas Trivet 
and others who had come to meet him ; " By my faith, gentlemen, 
we have this time made a mo.st shameful expedition : never was so 
pitiful or wretched a one made from England. You would have 
your wills, and placed your confidence in this bishop of Norwich, 
who wanted to fly before he had wings : now see the honorable end 
you have brought it to. There is Bourbourg ! if you choose it, re. 
tire thither; but for my part I shall march to Gravelines and Calais, 
because I find we are not of sufficient strength to cope with the 
king of France." The English knights, conscious they had been 
to blame in several things, replied ; " God help us ! we shall return 
to Bourbourg and wait the event, such as God may please to ordain." 
Sir Hugh on this left them ; and they threw themselves into Bour- 
bourg. 

The king of France heard tliat the English had marched from 
Bergues and retreated to Bourbourg, leaving Bergues quite empty; 
the gates of which were opened to him, when the king entered 
with all who wished it. The first who did so found enough to pil- 
lage, for the English had not been able to carry away everything. 
The women were saved and sent to St. Omer, but almost all the 
men were put to death and the town set on fire. The king marched 
on to lodge at a village, on account of the greatness of the fire. 
This happened on a Friday ; and the lords encamped themselves 
separately in the fields as well as they could. It was fortunate for 
them that it was dry weather, for it could not be a finer season ; had 
it been cold and rainy, they could not have foraged. Indeed it was 
wonderful where they found forage for such numbers of horses, as 
well as provision for so large an army. But on the day on which 
they came before Bourbourg great quantities of stores arrived, of 
which the lords of France were duly informed. They resolved to 
surround the town and attack it. The Bretons were, from avarice, 
eager to take it, on account of the great booty they expected to find 
there. 

On the Siturday morning it was clear weather, and the army 
made itself ready to march to Bourbourg. The vanguard, the duke 
of Brittany, the earl of Flanders, the count de St. Pol, the constable 
of France, with about three thousand lances, marched on the out- 
side of the walls, and halted opposite to the king's division, which 
consisted of the finest men-at-arms that could be seen or imagined. 
They advanced to a large plain before Bourbourg, where the differ- 
ent lords drew up their men ; and it was for a long time their intcn. 
tion to storm the place. Banners and pennons were flying in the 
wind, and each lord under his own banner. The lords of France 
made a splendid show, and had not been sparing of any expense in 
exhibiting appearances suitable to their rank. The lord de Coucy 
and his state were particularly noticed, for he had led coursers 
richly caparisoned, and ornamented with housings with the ancient 
arms of Coucy mixed with those he now bore. He himself was mount- 
ed on a beautiful horse, on w-hich he rode from side to side in a most 
graceful manner, to the delight of those who saw him ; all praised 
him for the agreeable manner with which he addressed every one. 
The other great lords kept up a st;ite suitable to their dignity. More 
than four hundred knights were this day created. The heralds mus- 
tered the knights who were before Bourbourg with the king, and 
they amounted to from seven to nine tliousand. In the army were 
upward of twenty-five thousand men-at-arnia and squires. 

The English were at their posts in the town of Bourbourg, and 
seeing this immense force of the king of France before them, ex- 
pected an assault : they were pleased at the thought ; but when they 
found themselves shut up in a town which was only defended by 
palisadoes, they were not so well satisfied : however, like men of 
courage, they had posted themselves in companies round the town. 
The lord Beaumont* (who is an earl in England, and his name 
Henry,) commanded one hundred men-at-arms and three hundred 
archers, to guard one part of the town : sir William Elmham, with 
as many men, guarded another part. Sir John de Chateauneuf, 
with the Gascons, had another quarter to defend as far as the tower, 
opposite to the quarters of the constable. The lord Feners, an 
Englishman, was with forty mcn-at.arms and as many archers at 
another part, so that the whole place was well guarded with men-at- 
arms and archers. Sir William Farrendon, sir Matthew Redman, 
and sir Nicholas Tracton,t with two hundred men and as many 
archers, were posted in the square before the church. They had 
appointed a body of men to watch and extinguish any fires that 

"Lord Reaumont." Froiasart mistakes : he was a baron, and hii name was John : 
JUB son's name was Henry.— See Dugdals 
tQ. If not Drayton, or Tresham. 



might happen ; for the English were much afraid of the town being 
burnt, as the houses were only covered with thatch. 

In this situation were the English. I must now relate the gallant 
action which Francis Atremen performed this same Friday in the 
evening, when the king of France, after having taken Bergues, con- 
tinued his march. 



CHAPTER CXLII. 

FKANCIS ATREMEN SURPRISES OUDENARDE IN THE NISHT-TIME. 

Francis Atremen, Peter du Bois, Peter !e Nuitre and the other 
captains, after their return to Ghent from the siege of Ypres, were 
daily and nightly imagining how they could annoy their enemies. 
Francis Atremen found out, that the governor of Oudenarde, sir 
Gilbert de Lieneghen and the men-at-arms, had left Oudenarde, by 
orders from the earl of Flanders, and were with the army of the king 
of France before Bergues and Bourbourg. He also learnt that the 
town was carelessly guarded, and that the ditches in the meadows 
on the road to Hamme were dry, as they had emptied them of water 
to get the fish, so that the walls of the town might be approached on 
foot, and might be entered with ladders. Such was the intelligence 
the spies of Francis Atremen had brought to Ghent, who, at their 
leisure, had examined the town ; for the guards held the Ghent men 
very cheap, and, as it were, had forgotten, or were quite indifferent 
concerning them. 

When Francis Atremen had heard all this from his spies, he went 
and related it to Peter du Bois, and said : " Peter, such is the situa. 
tion of Oudenarde : I am resolved to risk the chance of taking it 
with scaling ladders : there never can be so good an opportunity as 
the present, for neither the governor nor the men-at-arms are in it, 
but with the king of France near St. Omer, and they have not the 
least fear or suspicions of any one." Peter du Bois instantly assented 
to the proposal, and said : " Francis, if you succeed in this expedi- 
tion, no man will ever have behaved better, and every one will praise 
you for so gallant an action." " I do not know," replied he, " how 
it may turn out, but my courage does not fail me, and my heart tells 
me that this night I shall gain Oudenarde." 

Francis Atremen then chose four hundred men in whom he had 
the greatest confidence, and, toward night-fall, set out on his road 
to Oudenarde. It was in the month of September, when the nights 
are tolerably long, and such beautiful weather that it was a pleasure 
to be out in it. About midnight they arrived in the meads of Oude- 
narde, having ladders with them. As they were traversing the 
marshes, there was a poor woman gathering grass for her cows, who, 
hiding herself, heard their conversation, and knew from it that they 
were Ghent men going to surprise the town, for she saw them carry- 
ing ladders. She was at first nnich frightened, but recovering cour- 
age, said to herself, that she would hasten to the town and inform 
the guard of what she had heard and seen. She made for the town 
by a short path she was acquainted with, and arrived at the ditches 
before the Ghent men, when she began to moan and coniplain, so 
that one of the night-guard going his rounds heard her, and asked 
who she was; she said she was a poor woman who had come to tell 
them that a body of Ghent men were close at hand, and that she 
had seen them carrying many ladders to surprise Oudenarde ; but 
now she had given this information she nmst get away, for should 
they meet her she would be a dead woman. The poor woman de- 
parted, and the watch remained perfectly astonished. He determined 
to keep quiet where he was, to see if this woman had told truth. 
The Ghent men, without horn or trumpet, were silently advancing 
to begin their enterprise : they made not any noise except by talking. 
Francis Atremen sent forward four of his men, ordering them to 
reconnoitre without making the least noise by coughing or otherwise, 
and report to him, should they observe anything. 

They obeyed their orders, and Francis Atremen remained hid in 
the marshes with his men, very near this poor woman, who heard 
and saw them distinctly ; but they did not notice her. The four men 
advancing up to the ditches, neither saw nor heard anything. It was 
very unlucky ; for, if they had hut seen a lighted candle, they would 
have thought there had been a good watch kept. They returned to 
Francis telling him they had not seen anything, nor heard the least 
noise. *' I believe the watch has gone his rounds," said Francis, 
" and is now retired to bed : come, let us take this upper road which 
leads to the gates, and enter the ditches." The good woman heard 
these words ; and what did she do ? Why, she instantly returned 
by the same way as before, and came to the man who was listening 
on the walls and told him all she had heard, begging of him, for 
God's sake, to be on his guard, and go to the Ghent gate to see if hia 
companions were in a proper state, for very shortly the Ghent men 
would be at their post. " I must now return," said the woman, " as 
I dare not stay longer, but I have told you all I have seen and heard : 
pay proper attention to it, for I shall not again come to you this night." 
On saying which, she departed. The man now remained alone, but 
did not treat the information he had received with indifference. He 
went to the gate leading to Ghent, where he found the guard playing 
at dice. "Gentlemen," said he, "have you well fastened your gates 
and your barriers ? for a woman came to me this night, and gave me 
notice of her having seen a body of Ghent men marching hither." 



334 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



" Yes " replied they : " our gote3 are fust enough : but may a scurvy 
night 'befid this woman, who hais thus alarmed you at such an hour. 
There probably were cowa and calves that had got untied, and these 
she fancied to have been Ghent men comijig hither : they have not 
any such intentions." ,, r i 

While this convcreation was passing between the constable ot the 
watch and the guard at the gate, Francis Atremen and his compan- 
ions were executing their plan : they had got into the ditches, which 
were dry, as they had fished them this week, and had broken down 
a little of the palisadoes near the wall, against which they had placed 
their ladders and had entered the town. They marched to the mar- 
ket-place without any noise, and continued so until they were all 
collected, when they met a knight, ca led sir Florens de Halle, lieu- 
tenant-governor, who was Uiere on guard with about thirty men-at- 
amis of the town. The Ghent men began to shout '■ Ghent, Ghent !" 
and to attack the guard, whom they slew, as well as sir Florens de 
Halle. Thus was Oudeiiarde taken. You may suppose that the 
inhabitants, who were sleeping in their beds, were exceedingly aston- 
ished when they heajd these shouts and saw the town taken by 
scalado without having any remedy for it. Their houses were forced 
open, and those within slain ; for they were so suddenly surprised, 
there was not any help for it. Those who could escape did, leaving 
their houses in a state of nakedness, and leaping over the walls, saved 
themselves by the ponds and ditches of the town. None of the rich 
men could carry any part of their wealth with them, but were happy 
if they saved their lives. This night gieat numbers were killed, or 
drowned in the ponds ; and thus ended tliis expedition. 

In the morning, when the Ghent men saw themselves masters of 
the town, they sent out of it all the women and cMldren in their 
shifts, or in the meanest dress they had. In this plight those who 
had escaped got to Mons, Arras, Cond^, Valenciennes, or Tournay, 
in the best manner they could. News was spread everyw-here of the 
capture of Oudenarde. The inhabitants of Ghent were greatly re- 
joiced at it, and said that Francis Atremen deserved to be liighly 
prized for his valor. Fraricia Atremen remained governor of Oude- 
narde, where he gained great riches, with all sorts of stores, which 
■was a fortunate circumstance for the captors, such as corn and wines 
of all sorts. Everything fell into their hands, and all the wealth 
which was there from France, Flanders, and Tournay ; but what- 
ever belonged to Hainault was saved, nor was any part of that taken 
but what was duly paid for. 



When Girardon saw himself thus caught, he was stupefied, as in- 
deed he had reason ; for Aymerigot would not give up Ids hand with, 
out nailing it to the wall, unless he received the keys. With his 
other hand, therefore, he gave the keys, for he had them near him, 
" Now, sec," said Aymerigot to his companions, when he had got 
the keys, " if I have not well cheated the fool : I am equal to many 
sucli feats as this.'' They opened the tower gate, and, being the 
mastcra, put out of the castle the governor and all who were in it, 
without doing them any other harm. News was carried to the 
countess dauphinc, who resided at a strong castle in the good town 
of Zaides, a league distant, how the English had won Marqucl. The 
lady was much surprised, and because her lord, the dauphin, was not 
in the country, she immediately sent to all of tlie knights and sqidres 
who were at home, to request they would assist her in recovering 
possession of her castle. Knights and squires, on hearing this, in. 
stantly waited on the lady and laid siege to the casde ; but the Eng- 
lish were not alarmed, and held the place for fifteen days. During 
this time the lady entered inio a treaty, and Aymerigot received five 
thousand francs in hard money, for wliich he and his men surren- 
dered it and returned to liis garrison. 

In another jiart those of Caluisel, of which Perrot le Brenoie 
was captain, harassed much the countries of Auvergne and Limou- 
sin. The English had at that time upward of si.xty strong castles on 
the borders of Auvergne, Limousin, and Quercy, and they could 
march from fort to fort, even unto Bordeaux. But tlie castle which 
harassed the country most was Vcntadour,* one of the strongest cas- 
tles in the world : the captain of it was a Breton, called Geoflry Tfite. 
noir. This Geoli'ry was a wicked man, showed mercy to none, and 
would just as soon put to death a knight or squire as a peasant : h^ 
held all men so cheap, and was so much feared by his soldiers, that 
they dared not anger him. He maintained in this castle full four 
hundred rnen, whom he paid regularly every month ; and the whole 
country was under such subjection and awe of liim, that none dared 
to ride over his lands. His castle of Ventadour was more largely sup- 
plied with every sort of store than that of any lord. There were ware. ■ 
houses of Brussels and Normandy cloths, of furs, merceries, and other 
articles, which he sold to his people, deducting the prices from their 
pay. He had stores of steel, iron, wa.x, spices, and every necessary, 
in as great plenty as at Paris. Sometimes he made war on the 
English as well as on the French, in order to be tlie more dreaded : 
and his castle of Ventadour was always well provided for a siege of 
seven years. We will now return to the aft'airs of Flanders. 



CHAPTER CXLIII. 

AYJlERiaOT MARCEL, AN ENGLISH CAPTAIN ON THE BOKDEKS OF AUVEKGNE, 
TAKES BY STRATAGEM THE CASTLE OF MARQUEE. THE COUNTESS 
DAtTUINE KAaNSOMS IT FOB FIVE THOUSAND FRANCS. 

In the same week an almost similar adventure happened in Au- 
vergne, where the English held several castles bordering on the ter- 
ritories of the count dauphin, and on those of the bishops of St. Fleur 
and of Clermont. The English garrisons knew the country of Au- 
vergne had been drained of men-at-arms, for the greater part of them 
were with the king of France in Flanders : they, in consequence, 
began to lay plans for surprising some of the strong places of Auvergne. 
Aymerigot Marcel, governor of Aloise, a handsome castle situated a 
league distant from St. Fleur,* set ofi' from his casde at daybreak, 
attended only by thirty picked men. He marched silently for the 
lands of the count dauphin, having formed his plan to take by scalado 
the castle of Marquel (which the count dauphin bears for his arms,) 
and rode through woods and a close country. Aymerigot and his 
men took up their lodgings early in a small wood near the castle, 
where they remained until sunset, and the garrison had retired into 
the castle : while the governor, whose name v/as Girardon BuisscI, 
was at supper, the English, who knew well what they were to do, 
affixed their ladders and entered the castle at their ease. 

Those passing through the court saw them climbing over the 
walls, and instantly cried out, *' Treason, treason !" On Girardon 
hearing this, he had not any hopes of saving himself but through a 
private passage which led Irom his apartment to the great tower, 
a.nd which served as the dungeon of the castle. Thither he instantly 
retired, taking with him the keys of the gates, and shut himself in, 
while Aymerigot and his companions were otherwise employed. 
When they discovered tliat the governor had escaped into the great 
tower, which they were unable to take, they said they had done no- 
thing, and repented greatly having thus inclosed themselves ; for, the 
gates being fastened, they could not get out. Aymerigot having 
mui-od a little, came to the tower, and, addressing the governor, said, 
" Girardon, give us the keys of the eastle.gate, and I promise you 
we will leave it without doing any mischief tj the castle." " In- 
deed," replied Girardon, " but you will cany ofi" all my cattle : how 
can I believe you ?" "Give me thy hand," said Aymerigot to him, 
" and I swear to thee, on my faith, that thou shall not suffer the 
snnllest loss." Upon this, he, like a fool, came to a small window 
in the tower, and offered his hand for him to pledge his faith on ; but 
the moment Aymerigot got hold of it he pulled it to him, squeezing 
it very hard, and called for his dagger, swearing he would stick his 
hand to the wall unless he gave up all his keys. 

-^ *' St. Fkur "— u city of Auversne, situated on & mounL-un, generality «f Riom. 



CHAPTER CXLIV. 

THE KING OF FRANCE ORDERS BOTJREOURG TO BE ATTACKED. IT IS SttR. 
RENDERED TO HIM BY CAPITULATION, WHEN THE ENGLISH QUIT FLAX-^ 
DERS. HE THEN DISBANDS HIS ARMY. 

When the king of France came before Bourbourg there were never 
seen such fine men-at-arms, nor such numbers as he had with him. 
The lords and their men were all drawn up, and eager for the attack. 
Those who reconnoitered the place said, it could not hold out long; 
but that it would cost dearly in men : and several wondered why the 
attack was delayed. Some said, that the duke of Brittany and the 
earl of Flanders, who were on the other side of the town, were treat- 
ing with the English to surrender without wailing for the assault. 
On this the Bretons, Burgundians, Normans, Germans, and others, 
who knew there was much wealth in the place, which, if taken by 
storm, would probably fall to their share, were much exasperated at,, 
the thoughts of a cajjjtulation, and began to skirmish with the infan- 
try at the barriers, without waiting for orders from the constable or 
mai'shals of the army : indeed, they were not forbidden to assault it. 
This skirmish increased so much that the French set fire to tlic town 
by means of fire-arrows and cannons, so that such a flame and smoke 
came from the houses of Bourbourg as might have been seen forty 
leagues off. The attack then began with shouts; and sir William 
de Namur, who with his men, was in the front ranks, fought val- 
iantly. Many gallant deeds were done, and the assailants leaped 
cheerfully into the mud of the ditches above the knees, when they 
engaged with the English at the palisades and barriers. 

The garrison defended themselves handsomely : indeed they had 
need of their exertions, for they knew not on which side to turn 
themselves. They were attacked on all parts: and the houses of 
the town were blazing with fire, which more conlbunded the English 
than anything else. This, however, did not throw them off their 
guard, nor cause them to quit their posts. Sir Matthew Redman 
and sir Nicholas Drayton, with their men, in the centre of the town^., 
endeavored to check the progress of the fire; but it was such a dry, 
season, that the smallest spark set the houses in flimee. It is cer- 
tain, that if the attack had began earlier, or had not the night come 
on so soon, the town must have been taken by .'^torm ; but the approach 
of night put an end to it. Sir William de Namur's division had 
thirty-six killed and wounded; and the army lost, according to the 
report of the heralds, upward of five hundred. On the attack ceas- 
ing, the French retired to their quarters, to attend the sick and bury 
the dead. They said, that on the morrow they would renew the at- . 

* " Ventadoui"— a castle ia the dioccae of Laraoget, near TuUea. 1, 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



335 



tack, and it should be irresistible. The English, all this Saturday 
night were employed in repairing the palisadoes which had been 
broken, in putting all things in a good state, and in extinguishing the 
fires in the town. They were in a most perilous situation, being 
surrounded on all sides, witliout means of escaping by flight. 

On the Sunday morning when the king liad heard mass, it was 
proclaimed through the army, that whosoever should bring a faggot 
to the king's tent shoidd receive a halfpenny, and as many faggots 
so many halfpence. These faggots were intended to be thrown into 
the ditches, so that they might resolutely pass over them, and engage 
with the English on the Monday morning at the palisadoes. Upon 
this all the lower ranks, and the servants, began to make faggots and 
caiTy them to the king's tent, insomuch that a very large heap of them 
was made theie. Sunday passed without any attack. Some say 
that on this day, and appearances confirmed it, the duke of Brittany, 
who was on the opposite side of the town to the lung, entered into 
negotiations with the English, aware of the peril they were in. He 
advised them to surrender the town, on their lives and fortunes being 
spared. This they were very willing to do, and they entreated the 
duke, through love of God, and in honor of his gentility, to under- 
take the business. 

The duke sent infonnation of what he had done to the king, his 
uncles, the constable of France, the count de St. Pol, and" to the 
council. Having considered how advisable it was to gain all the 
strong places in Flanders, in whatever manner they were oft'ered to 
be surrendered, and that to win Borbourg they must renew the attack, 
which would cost them probably numbers of lives ; besides, they 
should at last only conquer a handlul of men, who would defend 
themselves until they dropped ; the king of France and his uncles 
replied, that, in God's name, they would willingly agree to a treaty, 
if the duke of Brittany and the constable of France would undertake 
it. In this manner Sunday passed without anything being done. I 
heard that, in the evening, on a promise of safety, John de Chateau, 
neuf, a Gascon, and Remonnet de St. Marc, came to the tent of the 
lord Guy de la Treniouille to play and amuse themselves, where they 
staid all night. On the Monday morning they returned to Bour- 
boiu-g; and at their departure the lord Guy said to them, "John and 
Remonnet, ye shall both be my prisoners this evening." They re- 
plied, they would prefer being his, than belonging to any other knight. 

Intelligence arrived this Sunday of the capture of Oudenarde, 
which much ve.xed sir Gilbert de Liencghien the governor, as it had 
been lost through his absence ; but he was exculpated from all blame 
by his lord the earl of Flanders, who had sent for him. The eoimt 
de Blois commanded the king's guard this Sunday, and every one 
thought the attack would be renewed on Monday : but in the morn- 
ing it was proclaimed through the army, that the king forbade any 
attack until further orders. This proclamation made every one 
qttiet ; and several lords guessed that the English would escape by 
means of a treaty, as the attack was forbidden. After dinner, those 
who were to negotiate came out of the town, such as sir William 
Elmham, sir Thomas Trivet, sir Nicholas Drayton, sir Matthew 
Redman, and others, to the number of fourteen knights and squires, 
whom the duke of Brittany, the constable of France, and the count 
de St. Pol, conducted to the tent of the king. The king was much 
pleased thereat, as he had scarcely seen any English except sir Peter 
Courtenay, who had come to Paris to fight with the lord Guy de la 
Treniouille, but the king and his council had made up the quarrel. 
Now, as the English had been much renowned for gallantry and 
deeds of arms, the young king of France wished to see them : and 
their treaty was much the better for it. 

On the Monday tliis negotiation was carried on in the lung's tent, 
and in his presence. There were also present the dukes of Berry, 
Burgundy, Bourbon, Brittany, the earl of Flanders, the constable of 
France, and no more. The duke of Brittany was very active in this 
business : and it was settled, that the English should depart from 
Bourbourg and Gravelines, and carry away with them as much of 
their wealth as they could. Several of the Bretons, French, Nor- 
mans, and Burgundians were much vexed at this treaty, for they 
thought of partaking of the spoils ; but the king and his council had 
ordered it otherwise. 

After the treaty had been signed, the English took leave of the 
king of France, his uncles, the duke of Brittany and the constable, 
and went with the count de St. Pol, who carried them to supper at 
his house, where he entertained them as handsomely as he could in 
such a situation. After supper he had them conducted to the gates 
of Bourbourg, for which they testified to him their thanks. The 
whole of Tuesday they employed in shoeing their horses, and in 
packing up all their wealth, of which they had much, and in making 
preparations for their departure. On the Wednesday morning they 
loaded their baggage-horses and began their march, passing through 
the army with passports from the king. The Bretons were much 
exasperated when they saw them so loaded ; and they treated very 
indifferently a few who tarried behind. Thus the English marched 
to Gravelines, where they halted. On the Thursday morning, when 
they left it, they set fire to the place, burned it to the ground, and ar- 
rived at Calais with all their pillage. They stopped there to refresh 
themselves, and to wait for a favorable wind to return to England. 

The king of France, and oil the lords of his army, with their 
attendants, entered Bourbourg on the Thursday morning, when the 



Bretons began (o plunder it, without excepting even the church of 
St. Jolm : in which church, a pillager having mounted on an altar, 
with the intent of forcing out a precious stone that was in the crown 
of an image made to represent the person of our Lady, the image 
turned about, and the pillager in his fright fell from the altar and 
was instantly strack dead. This is a certain truth, for many persons 
were witnesses of it. Shortly afterwards, another pillager came 
with a smiilar intent of robbing the image ; but all the bells began 
a peal without any one touching them, for no one could have rung 
them, the bell-ropes being drawn up and fastened. On account of 
these miracles, the church was visited by crowds. The king made 
a handsome present to it, as did all the lords, so that the amount of 
their gifts was upward of three thousand francs. . 

On Tuesday, the army began to decamp, and the king and con- 
stable gave pennission to several of his men-at-arms to return home. 
The king thanked these wdio had come from distant ports, and in 
a particular manner the dulie of Bavaiia and the count of Savoy, 
who had come from such a distance to serve him. Each lord now 
returned home, and the king went to France ; but the duke of Bur- 
gundy staid a short time with his father-in-law the earl of Flanders, 
to regulate his affairs, and resided at St. Omer. The lord de Coucy, 
with many knights and squires from Ponthieu, Vimeu and Picardy, 
entered Gravelines when the English had left it, repaired and greatly 
strengthened it, and made it a garrison as a frontier to Calais. 

The countries of Furnes, Dunkirk, Dixmude, and Nieuport were 
by degrees repeopled. They had lost everj'thing by this war, but 
they now began somewhat to recover themselves. 



CHAPTER CXLV. 

THE BISHOP OF NORWICH AXD THOSE W-RO ACCOMPANIED HIM IN HIS 
EXPEDITION ARE BADLY RECEIVED ON THEIR RETURN TO ENSLAND. 
CERTAIN GREAT PERSONAGES ARE DEPUTED TO NEGOTIATE A PEACE 
OR TRUCE BETWEEN THE KINGS OF FRANCE AND ENGLAND. THE 
DUKE OF BAVARIA DIES. 

You must know that the duke of Lancaster was not very sorry 
this expedition of the bishop of Norwich had failed, for by it his 
intended voyage to Spain and Portugal had been frustrated. When 
these knights returned to England, they were attacked by the com- 
mon people, who told them they had behaved very badly in their 
expedition, for, from the prosperity they had been blessed with at 
the beginning, they ought to have conquered all Flanders. Sir 
Thomas Trivet and sir William Ehnham were more blamed than 
the rest ; but sir Hugh Calverley was not any way found fault with, 
either by the king's council or the populace, for they well knew, 
that if they had paid attention to what he had advised, the event 
would have been more to their honor. They laid to their charge, 
that they had sold Bourbourg and Gravelines to the king of France, 
which exasperated the people to a great degree, and they were at 
one time in danger of their lives. The king ordered these two 
knights to be confined in the Tower of London, and during the time 
of their imprisonment the country was qtiieted : on their liberation, 
they threw themselves on the king's mercy.* 

At this time, negotiations were set on foot to conclude a truce 
between England and France, in which the Ghent men were in. 
eluded, to the great displeasure of the earl of Flanders ; but he 
could not help it. When the army decamped from Bourbourg, the 
duke of Brittany remained with his cousin the earl of Flanders at 
St. Omer, and was desirous that a long peace or truce should be 
established between his lawful lord, the king of France, and the 
king of England. In order to make a beginning to such business, 
he had mentioned the subject to some of the English knights, on 
the Monday, when they were in the king's tent before Bourbourg ; 
which knights had promised, on their arrival in England, to propose 
it to the king, his uncles, and his council. However, to show that 
this matter was quite agreeable to him, and that he was anxious 
about it, he sent two of his knights to England under good passports. 
These knights, the lord de la Houssaye and the lord de Mailly, 
managed matters so well, that the duke of Lancaster, the earl of 
Buckingham, the bishop of Hereford, the lord John Holland, brother 
to the king, the lord Thomas Percy, and others of the king's council, 
were ordered to Calais, having full powers from the king of England 
to conclude a peace or truce, according to their pleasure. On the 
other hand, there came to Boulogne the duke of Berry, the duke of 
Burgundy, the bishop of Laon, and the chancellor of France, having 
also full powers from the king of France and his council to conclude 
either a peace or truce. 

When assembled at Calais and Boulogne, they were delayed a 
short time by the non-arrival of the deputies from Spain ; for the 
French would not enter into any treaty that did not at the same 
time include the .Spaniards. At last, a bishop, a dean, and two 
knights anived on the part of the king of Spain. As they were not 



* Writs were issued to the sJieriffs of London. Somerset. Dorset. Eeeex, Norfollt, and 
Suffolk, to levy on the goods of sir W. Elmham. for 3080 golden francs— sir \V. de 
Farndon, 1400 diuo— sir Thomas Trivet. 1*0 ditto— sir Honry de Ferrers, t»8) ditto- 
Robert Fitzrauf 300 ditto. They were also tnJien into custody ; hut no mention is 
made of the Tower of London. Robert de Foulmer, dork, treasurer to the bishop of 
Norwich, was also imprisoned, and SOCJ golden francs levied on his goods. Dated tltli 
March— pardoned Hth May.— RYiifiBi aiu;. 13&i, ann. 7 Ric. H- 



336 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



empowered on either side to grant passports, that the negotiators 
from France might come to Calais, or the English go to Boulogne, 
it was settled between them, that the conference should be trans, 
ferred to a village that had a church, half way between these two 
towns, above Buissem,* called Bo- 
lignes.t Thither all the parties went, 
and the lords, with their council, were 

together for many days. The duke ^ 

of Brittany and the earl of Flanders 
were present, and the great tent of 
Bruges was pitched, wherein the earl 
entertained at dinner the duke of Lan. 
caster, the carl of Buckingham, and 
the other English lords. Each nego- 
tiator kept up a grand state ; but, not- 
withstanding there were many confer- 
ences holden,yet they could not agree 
upon a peace, for the French wanted 
the English to give up Calais, Guines, 
and all the fortresses which they pos- 
sessed in Normandy, Brittany, Poitou, 
Saintonge, and La Rocheile, as far as 
the river Garonne. But the English 
would not any way listen to such a 
proposal ; nor would they ever consent 
to give back such places as Calais, 
Guines, Cherbourg, or Brest. These 
conferences lasted three weeks, in 
which they or their councils discussed 
these matters daily. 

At this period, the gallant duke Win- 
ceslaus of Bohemia departed this life 
in the town of Luxembourg : he was 
in his time magnificent, blithe, pru- 
dent, amorous and polite ;t and, when 
he died, it was said that the prince of 
the highest birth, of the most noble 
blood, and most numerously and hon- 
orably connected, was gone. God have mercy on his soul I 
lies buried in the abbey of Vaucler, near Luxembourg. 
Jane, his duchess, remained a widow, and never had any inclination 
to marry again. All who loved the duke were exceedingly con- 
cerned at his death. 



for their safety, in going to and returning from Scotland through 
England. 

On the part of the English were included all their allies and 
adherents, wheresoever they might be. Ghent was expressly men. 




FCNERAl Of TBI EiRi or Flaxdiks.— lieariiii 



the body into tlie Chiircli, with an array of Priesthood, &c. 



CHAPTER CXLVI. 



He I tioned in all their deeds, to the great displeasure of the earl of Flan- 
The lady | dcrs. Tliis truce was to last until the Michaelmas of the year 1384 : 
and these commissioners were to sec that the articles were duly ob- 
served, having full powers to enforce them. Public acts were made 
of each diflerent article for the better observance of them ; and the 
Jords present swore they should all be loyally kept, and in no way 
infringed. 



DURINS THESE CONFERENCES THE GHENT .MEN INSULT TOURJtAY. A TRUCE 
IS CONCLTJDED BETWEEN THE KINGS OF FRANCE AND ENGLAND AND 
THEIR ALLIES. 

We will now return to the conferences which were holding be. 
tween the lords of France and England, half-way between Calais and 
Boulogne, at the before-mentioned village. Neither side seemed 
willing to accommodate the other. Some said it was owing solely 
to the earl of Flanders, at the instigation of the town of Bruges, who 
would not consent that the Ghent men should he included in the 
treaty. This the English resented, and of course the treaty was 
stopped; for they had formed so strong a connection with Ghent, 
that they would not conclude a peace unless that place were included. 
They had sworn to observe this during the time they were together 
at Calais, and this compact frequently interrupted the negotiations. 

Since there seemed no probability of a solid peace being made, 
they proposed a truce, and on this ground the conferences were con- 
tinued. The earl of Flanders would willingly have had Ghent ex- 
cluded, and remain in a state of war, but the English absolutely 
refused to consent, so that a truce was made to cotnprehend Ghent, 
and everything was to remain in its present situation, without any 
surrender of forts : Oudenarde and Gravelines therefore belonged to 
Ghent. Notwithstanding the conferences, the Ghent men in garri. 
son at Oudenarde marched to Tournay, burnt the suburbs, and re- 
turned back in safety with their pillage. About Christmas the Ghent 
men went and received the rents of tlie lord d'Estournay in his own 
town, which made him very melancholy ; and he swore to God, that 
if he would be pleased to assist him, whatever treaty or agreement 
should be made between the country of Flanders and these men, he 
would never pay any attention to it, but would continue the war 
against thcni to the utmost of his power, for they had robbed him of 
his inheritance. He was ignorant how he should live, if his friends 
in Brabant did not assist him, so completely had they plundered him. 

With some difficulty, the lords who had held so many conferences 
at Boliiiges concluded a truce between the kings of France and Eng. 
land and their allies. On the part of France was included all Spain, 
as well as Scotland. The king of France bound himself to send no- 
tice of this truce to the king and barons of Scotland as speedily as 
possible ; and the bearers of this information were to have passports 

* Probably what is now Haul Buisson. 
t Q. If not Bollinghem, now a villaee, near Boulogne. 

X Noble, joli. frisque, sage, armerct et amoureux— noble, handsome, lively, wise, val- 
ic«I, and amorous.— Ed 



CHAPTER CXLVII. 

THE EARL OF FLANDERS DIES. THE CEREMONY OF HIS FDNEKAL. 

On the conference breaking up, the French lords returned to France, 
and the English lords to Calais. The duke of Brittany went bade 
to his duchy, and the earl of Flanders to St. Omer. Shortly after, he 
was taken so ill that he died.* It was ordered that he should be 
buried in the church of St. Peter in Lille. The earl departed this 
life on the 20th day of January, in the year 1383, and his body was 
carried to Los, an abbey near to Lille. The body of the countess 
his lady, who had died five years before in the county of Rethel, was 
also brought thither, and from thence to Lille, where they were in- 
terred together in the church of St. Peter.t 

I will now relate the arrangement of this ceremony, and the man- 
ner in which it was conducted, and describe the order of procession 
at the funeral of the earl and countess of Flanders, whose bodies had 
been carried to Los, an abbey near Lille. When they were about 
to enter Lille, a great number of lords from France, Flanders, Hain- 
ault and Brabant, who had arrived there the eve of the funeral, were 
to meet the body at the gate of the Invalids, and to carry it through i 
the town to the church of St. Peter. They were to be armed as for 
war, as well as their squires who supported them. 

Sir .John Haluin was nearest the body, supported by Enguerrand 
de Volcmie, and Roger de I'Espierrc : then the lord tie la Marque, 
supported by John de I'EspieiTe, and the lord Sausee de Fretin; the 
lord de Mauvis, sujiported by Godfrey de Noille, and Henry de la 
Vacqueric. The names of those appointed to the convoy were, sir 
Peter de Bailleuf, near the body, supported by Guyot de Lompr6, and 
John Louis lord of Lamberticourt: sir Sohier de Gand advanced be. 
fore sir Peter de Bailleuf, supported by Hugart de Quinghen, and by 
Michael de la Quarrie : sir John du Moulin advanced before sir So- 
hier de Gand, supported by John de Quinghen and Haubcquin le 
mareschal. Next followed the banners of the bier; first, sir Francis 
de Hasurquerque and sir Goussain le Sauvage in front; sir Lancelot 
de la Pcrsonne before sir Goussain, and sir John de la Helle before 
sir Lancelot de la Personne. Those who bore the banners of the j 



* .Some authorities state that he was stabbed by the duke of Berri, because he insisted' 
on receiving the homage of the latter for the earldom at Boulogne, held by himself in 
right of his wife. — Ed. 

t The eurl of Flanders left only one lesitimate child. Margaret of Flanders, his sole 
heiress ; but he had eleven illegitimate children, the eldest ol whom was Louis, before- 
mentioned, called the Haze, Anglice //are of Flanders. The origin of this title is un- 
certain.— Ed 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



337 



bier and convoy came next, sir Matthew de Hunieres, and before him 
sir John de Helles lord des Avcaux, and sir Cierohelart do la Barre 
before the above-named lord des Aveaux ; and sir John de Paris be- 
fore Cierchclart. The names of those barons who assisted to carry 
the corpse of the earl from the gate of the Invalids, in procession 




Placing the body before tlie Altar. 



throtigh the tovrn of Lille, to the church of St. Peter : first, sir John 
de Vicnne, admiral of France, on the right, and the lord de Gnis- 
tcUes on the left; sir Vrileran do Ravenal on the right, the castellan 
de Disquenieii on the left ; the lord d'Estournay on the right, and sir 
Ansel de Salins on the left. 

Those barons who assisted in bearing the corpse of the countess 
of Flanders from the gate of St. Ladre to the church of St. Peter 
were, the lord de Sully on the right, 
and the lord de Chatillon on the left 
side of the body ; sir Guy de Pontal. 
Hers, marshal of Burgundy, on the 
right, sir Guy de Giiistelles on the left; 
then sir Henry du Going on the right, 
and the castellan of Fumes on the left. 

I shall now mention the regulations 
on the day of the obsequies, which 
were performed in the church of St. 
Peter, the names of those present, as 
well as of the squires who supported 
the shields during the whole mass, 
until the offertory: first, the duke of 
Burgundy by himself, and tJie firs, 
shield was borne before him, which 
shield was supported by the lord de 
Ravenal, by the lord de la Gouneuse, 
by Labequini do la Coutre, and by 
John de Pontalliers, brother to the 
marshal of Burgundy. 

The second shield was borne before 
iny lord John of Artois, count d'Eu, 
and the lord Philip de Bar, by Valeran 
de la Sale and Lesclaus d'Annequin. 
Next followed the count de la Marche 
and the lord Philip d'Artois; the shield 
was borne by Gillon de Labert and 
Robin de Florigny. Then came sir 
Robert de Namur, and with him his 
nephew sir William de Namur : the 
shield was borne by Chaux Bernard 
and Girard de Sternaille. 

The shields of the convoy: the lord 
d'Anghien, and with him sir John de Namur ; the shield carried 
by AiUart de Ponthfies and Henry de Moucy. Next followed sir 
Esne de Chiktillon, and the lord de Fere ; the shield supported by 
John de Heluin and Edward de Castron ; then the lord d'Ancoing 
and the lord dc Guistelles : the shield-bearers were Tristan de Lan- 
dres and John du Beart ; then the lord de Moriennes and the lord 
de Silly : the shield borne by Fresinjue and by Damas de Bucy. 

Then came those who were to make offerings of the war-hor?es 
of the earl; first my lord de Chitillon and sir Simon de Lalain, 



bailiff of Hainuult. These lords were on foot, and the horse was 
armed and caparisoned ; with the second horse were sir Valeran de 
Ravenal and the castellan de Dixmude : with the third, sir Hugh do 
Melun and the lord d'Aucy : the lord de Burnel and the lord de Brameu 
were with the fourth horse. Then came those who were to offer 
the steeds of the convoy : first, sir Henry 
d'Ancoing and sir Gerard dc Guistelles ; 
with the second, the lord de Montigny 
and the lord de Rasenghien ; the lord de 
la Haurade and the castellan de Furnes 
were with the third ; and the foiuth had 
the lord de Saugmelles and sir Rowland 
de la Clicque. 

Next came those who were to offer the 
earl's swords of war ; my lord admiral of 
France bore the first, the lord de Rary 
the second, the marshal of Burgundy the 
third, the lord de Saint Py the fourth. 
The names of those who offered the 
swords of the convoy : sir William de 
Ponthieu bore the first, sir William de la 
Trimouille the second, the castellan of 
Yprcs the third, and sir Guy de Ukn. 
coyrt the fourth. Then came those who 
offered the war-helmets of the earl ; the 
lord de Manly bore the first ; the second 
was borne by sir William de Homes and 
sir Ansel de Salins : sir John Doppem 
and the castellan of St. Omer had the 
third ; and sir Guy Guistelles and le Ga- 
lois d'Aunoy the fourth. 

The helmets of the convoy were borne 

and offered as follows : the first by sir 

Jusse de Hallain and sir Oliver de Guffy ; 

the second by the lord d'Ysebobecque 

and the lord dc Lalain ;* the fourth by 

sir Tristan du Bois and sir John dc Ju- 

mont. Then came those who offered 

the banners of war : the lord de Lisn-e- 

naille offered the first, sir Leoncel d'Airainnies the secoud, sir Giles 

de la Gouneuse the third, and sir John de Luisolom the_ fourth. 

The banners of the envoy were next ofiered : the first by sirOrengois 

de Rely, the third t by sir John de Disquenieu, and the fourth by 

sir Vilaines de la Clicque. 

Those who, after the obsequies were ended, laid the body of the 
earl of Flanders in the earth were, sir John de Vienne, admiral of 




Placing tlie body in tiu> Tomb. 



France, the lord de Guistelle, sir Valeran de Ravenal, the castellan 
de Dixmude, the lord de Ray and Sir Ansel de Salins. Those who 
interred the body of the countess, consort to the earl, were, sir Guy 
de la Trimouille, the lord de Chatillon, the seneschal of Burgundy, 
the lord Gerard de Guistelles, sir Henry d'Antoing, and the castellan 
of Furnes. 

It should be observed, that all who officially had entered tha 



* Tlie third is not mentioned in any of my editions, 
t The second is forgotten. 



338 



CHRO^'ICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, 



PAIN, & c . 



church of St. Peter at Lille, with the corpse in the evening, remained 
there until the mass of the morrow, as well those knights who 
were armed as those who bore the banners, and the squires who led 
the horses. There were about four hundred men, clothed in black, 
appointed to carry the body of the earl and countess of Flanders, 
through Lille, to the church of St. Peter, and each of them bore a 
torch in his hand. These four hundred men held their torches on 
the morrow in the church during mass, and they were all of them 
officers in the principal towns or of the earl's household. 

The archbishop of Rlieims celebrated the mass, assisted by the 
bishops of Paris, Tournay, Cambray and Arras, and likewise by five 
abbots. There were in the church, during the obsequies, seven hun- 
dred candles or thereabouts, and each candle weighed one pound. 
On the catafalque were five banners ; in the centre, the banner of 
Flanders ; on the right, that of Artois ; on the left, lower down, that 
of Boulogne ; tlie fourth of Nevers, and the fifth of Rethel. The 
catafalque was emblazoned on the right side with the scutcheons of 
Flanders, and on the left with those of Flanders and Brabant. Down 
the church were twelve hundred and twenty-six candles, similar to 
those around the bodies. There was not any lady or damsel present 
on the part of the duke or duchess of Burgundy e.xcept the lady of 
the governor of Lille. 

A magnificent dinner was provided, and every knight and squire 
were gratuitously entertained the day and night of the obsequies ; 
and all the black cloth they had worn was given to them. After this 
ceremony they all returned to their homes. 

The duke of Burgundy placed in the garrisons and towns in Flan- 
ders, knights and squires, notwithstanding the truce which had been 
made between France and England, and between their allies, for 
every one was on his guard. The duke of Burgundy then returned 
to France, but the lady-duchess remained a considerable time in 
Artoia. 

CHAPTER CXLVIII. 

THE EARLS OF NORTHUMBERLAND AND NOTTINSHAM RAISE A BODY OF 
BNaLISH TO MAKE AN EXCURSION INTO SCOTLAND. EMBASSADORS ARE 
SENT FRO'M prance TO SCOTLAND, TO NOTIFY THE TRUCES WHICH HAD 
BEEN MADE BETWEEN FRANCE AND ENSLAND. 

Yoo bave before heard how the lords of France who had attended 
the conferences in Bolinge had engaged on their departure to notify 
the truces that had been made between them and the Englishj to the 
Scots and to the king of Scotland, so that any misunderstanding 
should be prevented between the two countries. The council of 
France, however, to say the truth, did not use all the diligence they 
should have done; for they were to have sent instant information of 
this ti'uce, which they did not do. I know not how this happened, 
except it were owing to the duke of Burgundy being so much en- 
gaged by the death of his fatlier-in-law the earl of Flanders, and 
taken up with the business of his obsequies, as you have heard re- 
lated. He likewise did not imagine the English would have acted 
as they did ; for, soon after Easter, the earls of Northumberland and 
Nottingliam, and the barons of Northumberland, collected a body of 
about two thousand lances and si.x thousand archers, with which they 
marched by Berwick and Ro.vburgh, and entered Scotland. 

They burnt all the lands of the earl of Douglas and of the lord 
Lindsay, and left nothing unmolested as far as Edinburgh. The 
barons of Scotland were not apprised of this invasion, and took the 
affair much to heart, saying they would revenge it to the utmost of 
their power. They added, that the English ought to have been at 
peace with them according to what had been reported of the truce ; 
but they knew not this for certain, as in fact it had not at that time 
been notified to them ; and they well knew that they had not entered 
Into any treaty with the English. The war was thus begun ; and 
they had suffered in the first instance from it, which greatly dis- 
pleased them. Intelligence soon spreads abroad; it was known in 
Flanders, particularly at Sluys, from some merchants who had sailed 
from Scotland, that the Enghsh had invaded that country, and that 
king Robert and his barons were collecting a numerous force to en- 
gage the English. It was also known in France that the English 
had taken the field, and they said among themselves that a battle 
must be the consequence. 

The dukes of Berry and Burgundy, and the king's council, hearing 
this news, said it was foolishly done not to have notified the truce to 
Scotland, according to their promise. It was then ordered by the 
king, his uncles and his council, that sir Hemart de Massd, a very 
prudent knight, should go to Scotland, properly authorized, and with 
him sir Peter de Flamel ; and a serjeant-at-arms of the king, who was 
of the Scots nation, and called Janequin Champenois, was likewise 
ordered to attend them, because he was acquainted with the country 
and understood the language. While these embassadors were ma. 
king their preparations, and the English overrunning Scotland, the 
news of which was spoken of everywhere, several men-at-arms from 
France who had fixed their residence at Sluys, not knowing where to 
offer their services, as a truce was now established between France 
and England, resolved to go to Scotland. They heard the news of 
this war between Scotland and England ; and it was confidently [ 
said at Sluys, that an engagement must very soon take place. These 
men-at-arms, such as sir GeofTry de Charny, sir John de Plaissy, sir 



Hugh de Boulon, sir Sainge de Villiers, sir Gamier de Libourne, but 
Garnier de Gussangin, sir Odin de Motin, sir Robert de Campignen, 
James de Montfort, John de Heluin, John de Mellez, Michael de la 
BaiTe, William Gobart, heard this information with pleasure ; they 
might amount to about thirty men-at-arms, knights and squires. 

In order to advance their renown, they had determined among 
themselves, since they knew not where to offer their arms, to hire a 
vessel and seek for adventures with the Scots. This resolution they 
followed, and having embarked all their arms and baggage, they 
themselves went on board, and set sail from Sluys as soon as the 
wind became favorable. They left their horses behind, on account 
of the dangers of the sea and the length of the voyage ; besides, the 
mariners who conducted them knew they could not land at Edin- 
burgh, Dunbar, nor any of the adjoining ports, on account of the 
English fleet, with the purveyances which followed the army, being 
masters of all the havens. 

About this time the embassadors from France arrived in Engliuid, 
and waited on the king and his uncles, who entertained them hand- 
somely. They dissembled a little the first day, because they knew 
a war was carrj'ing on in Scotland ; but, on hearing their people had 
finished the business, they hastened the messengers from France, sir 
Hemart de Masse and the others, and, for their greater security, 
ordered some of the king's heralds to attend them through England, 
and to have all towns and castles opened to receive them. This 
being an'anged, they set out on their embassy. The French knights 
who had sailed from Sluys, by coasting the shores of Holland and 
England, and carefully avoiding the English fleets, arrived safely at 
a small sea. port in Scotland, called Monstres.* The Scots who 
lived in the town, hearing that the passengers were Frenchmen, 
come hither to seek for deeds of arms, showed them great kindness, 
and supplied them with every necessary to the utmost of their power. 
When these knights and squires had refreshed themselves for two 
days, and had gained sufficient intelligence, they set out mounted 
on hackneys, and rode to Dundee, from whence, continuing their 
journey as well as they could, they came to Perth, a handsome town. 
The river T<iy runs by it; there is a good sea-port, from whence one 
may sail to any part of the world. On their arrival at Perth, they 
learnt that the English had retired, and that the king and all the 
nobility of Scotland were assembled in parliament at Edinburgh, 
Upon this they resolved to send sir Garnier de Cuissangin and 
Michael de la BaiTe, to Edinburgh, to have a conference with the 
king and the nobles, to know if they could be employed, and to 
testify their good will, at least, in coming from Flanders to Scotland : 
sir GeofTry de Charny and the rest were to remain at Perth, until 
they heard how they had been received. 

As they had resolved, so was it executed : the embassadors set 
out from Perth and came to Edinburgh, where the king was. The 
earl of Douglas was there, whose name was James, for sir William, 
the present earl's father, was lately dead : there were present also 
the earls of Moray and Orkney, the lords de Versi, Sutherland, 
Lindsay and his six brothers, who were all of them knights. These 
Scots lords entertained very handsomely the knights of France. 
Sir Garnier explained to the king and his barons the intentions of 
his companions, and their reasons for coming to Edinburgh. The 
embassadors from France, sir Hemart de Masse, sir Peter de Flamel 
and Janequin Champenois, arrived with copies of the truces entered 
into between the kings of France and England ; but the Scots 
having no inclination to accept them, dissembled, by saying that 
they had come too late, and that they should not now pay any atten- 
tion to them, for tlie English had just made a grevious war on the 
country. King Robert did everything he could for their being 
accepted, saying, that in truth, since they had been notified to them, 
they had not any pretence for a refusal : this caused a difference 
between the king and the knights of his country. 

The earl of Douglas, the earl of Moray, the children of Lindsay, 
and such knights and squires of Scotland who wished for war, held 
a secret meeting in the church of St. Giles at Edinburgh, where the 
French knights, sir Garnier and Michael de la Barre, were desired 
to attend. The Scots barons said they would enter into a treaty 
with their companions, and they should soon hear good news from 
them, but it must be kept secret. Upon this they returned to Perth, 
and related all they had seen and heard. 



CHAPTER CXLIX. 

THE BARONS AND KNIGHTS OF SCOTLAND, IN CONJUNCTION WITH SO.ME 
FRENCH KNIGHT.S UNDERTAKE AN EXPEDITION INTO ENGLAND WITH- 
OUT THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE KING OF SCOTLAND, WHO SENDS A 
HERALD TO MAKE HIS EXCUSES TO THE KING OF ENGLAND. 

Sir Geoffry de Charny and the other knights and squires were 
much pleased at this intelligence. Leaving Perth, they continued 
their march until they arrived at Edinburgh. They gave not the 
smallest hint of their expectations, and had not remained there 
twelve days when the earl of Douglas gave them a secret invitation 



* " Monstress." Mr. D. M'Plierson. in his excellent Gecgrapliical IJlustrations of 
Scottish History, translates it Melrose: but I think it must be a mistnlte. as Frois- 
sart calls it, "un petit port." From what follows it must be some snmll port near 
10 Dundee : and 1 should suppose it to mean Montrose. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND. FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



.■J39 



to come to liim, and at the same time sent horses to conduct them 
to his castle of Dalkeith. On the morrow after their arrival, he 
carried them to where the barons and knights of Scotland were 
mustering their men. In three days' time they amounted to upward 
of fifteen thousand on horseback, all armed according to the usual 
manner of the country. When the whole were collected, they said 
they would make an inroad, and revenge themselves on the English 
for the mischiels they had done. 

They began their march through the woods and forests of their 
country, and entered Northumberland, on the lands of the lord Percy, 
which they pillaged and burnt. They advanced still further, and 
then returned through the estates of the carl of Nottingham and the 
lord Mowbray, to whose lands they did much damage. They passed 
by Ro.tburgh : for they had a very large booty with them, as well 
in men as in cattle, and returned to their own country without any 
loss ; for the English had been some time disbanded, and could not 
be reassembled in time to oppose them : they were, therefore, 
obliged to suffer this insult, as they had before given a similar one 
to the Scots. The king of Scotland could easily excuse himself for 
this inroad, as he had been kept entirely ignorant of their assembling 
and march. Since the country was so inclined, it was not material 
that he should know au-ything about it ; but supposing he had known 
it, and there had been no other treaties than those which existed 
between the two countries, they would not have acted otherwise for 
him. 

Notwithstanding the barons of Scotland, with the French knights, 
had thus invaded England, sir Hemart de Massi and sir Peter de 
Flamel continued to reside at Edinburgh, near king Robert : they 
allowed the Scots to act as they pleased, that it might not be said, 
nor the English suppose, that it was through their fault, or those of 
their country who had come with them, that the treaties had been 
infringed which had been concluded at Bolinghen by the nobles and 
council of France, England and Castille. The king of Scotland and 
the embassadors sent each a herald to England fully instructed what 
Ihey were to say. When the heralds arrived in England, they 
found the whole country in motion, and eager to renew the war, by 
marching into Scotland. The duke of Lancaster and the earl of 
Cambridge were, however, an.xious to go to Portugal and Castille in 
the course of the year, with a large body of men.at-arms and 
archers, under the power of one or both of them ; for they considered 
themselves as heirs by their ladies to all Castille, and they wished to 
renew the war between the king of Portugal and the king of Castille. 
King Fernando was dead, and the Portuguese had crowned his 
bastard brother don John, a valiant man who wished for a war with 
the Spaniards, but not without having succors from England. Of 
this the duke of Lancaster was well informed, but dissembled his 
knowledge as well as he could, and endeavored through his friends 
to prevent any forces being collected to carry on a war with Scot, 
land. It was asserted, that the king of Scotland had refused to 
authorize the war which the French and Scots knights wished for, 
and that the late expedition had been made without his knowledge. 

The Scots herald on his appearance before the king of England 
and his uncles, well knowing his duty, threw himself on his knees, 
and requested that, as herald from the king of Scotland, he might 
deliver his message. The king and the nobles granted his request : 
he then declared why he had been particularly sent by the king and 
the embassadors from France, and excused them, by saying, that the 
king of Scotland had graciously received the embassy from France, 
and having assented to the treaties which the king of France had 
made, should conform to the truce : that he had ordered, as strongly 
as lay m hiin, his vassals to do the same ; but that the borderers of 
Scotland, on the lands of the lord Percy and the earl of Nottingham, 
such as the earl of Douglas, the earl of Mar his uncle, sir Archibald, 
sir Rame, sir Peter, sir William and sir Thomas Douglas, all the 
brothers of Lindsay and Ramsay, with sir William Seton, would 
not attend the parliament in which this treaty was agreed to, nor 
would they accept it ; for they said there had been such damage 
done to their lauds as was disagreeable to themselves and friends, 
which they would revenge the very first opportunity. These lords, 
whom I have just named, collected their forces to invade England, 
but they never mentioned it to the king, nor to any of his household, 
for they well knew he would not have consented to it. " They say, 
however, in Scotland, that England began hostilities; that, my lords, 
you knew well a truce had been concluded beyond sea ; and that on 
your return from Calais, it ought to have been signified to us. They 
say likewise, that the embassadors from France, when they passed 
through this country, were detained from coming to us as they were 
bound to do, and that you kept them too long here with your enter- 
tainments : on which accounts, this misunderstanding has happened 
between Scotland and England, urged on by those who had long 
meditated it, and under shadow of dissimulation the greater part of 
it has been effected. But my most redoubted and sovereign lord, 
the king of Scotland, and the embassadors from the king of France, 
who reside at present with him, exculpate themselves from any 
knowledge of the last expedition which the barons and knights of 
Scotland made into England, having been completely ignorant of it. 
Therefore, to redress all complaints and place things on a proper 
footing, I am ordered to say, that if you will conform to the treaties 
concluded beyond sea through the discretion and wisdom of the 



counsellors of the king of France and your own, and will agree that 
the truces last the time such truces have been agreed to with my 
very redoubted and sovereign lord the king of Scotland, he and his 
council will confirm them, and swear to keep and maintain them, 
out of respect to the king of France and his council, as well by 
himself as by his vassal ; and upon this subject you will be pleased 
to give me your*nswer." 

The king of England and hia uncles paid attention to the herald 
while he was speaking, and willingly heard him. The duke of 
Lancaster told him, that indeed he should have an answer. They 
ordered him to remain in London, where he had had his audience, 
to wait the answer from the king of England. 



CHAPTER CL. 

THE TRUCES WHICH HAD BEEN .MADE BETWEEN THE FEENCH, THE EN8MSH 
AND THEIR ALLIES, ARE PROCLAIMED IN SCOTLAND. THE FRENCH 
KNISHTS, ON THEIR RETURN FROM SCOTLAND, ARE IN GREAT DANSEB 
FRO.M THE ZEALANDEES. 

*Vt the end of two days, the council agreed on an aswer. Sir 
Simon Burley, chamberlain to the king, drew it up : and by these 
means all disputes were settled. To say the truth, the lords of Eng- 
land who had been at the conferences at Bolinghen had not acted 
very honorably when they had consented to order their men to march 
to Scotland and burn the country, knowing that a truce would speed- 
ily be concluded : and the best excuse they could make was, that 
it was the French, and not they who were to signify such truce to 
the Scots. The herald was told, that in God's name he was wel- 
come, and that it was the intention of the king of England, his uncles 
and council, to keep and maintain what they had sealed and sworn 
to, and that they would no ways infringe it, but, on the contrary, 
would preserve it, for those who had been most active had lost the 
most. The herald demanded all this to be put in writing, that he 
might the more readily be believed. They made him rich presents, 
and in such quantity that he was well contented, and gready thanked 
the king and his nobles. Having left London, he continued his jour- 
ney until he arrived in Scotland, where the embassadors from France 
were waiting to know his answer, for they were anxious to learn 
how the English would conduct themselves. When they saw the 
answers from the king and his uncles, in the sealed letters which 
were delivered to them, they were well satisfied and much 'rejoiced 
thereat. Thus was the truce continued fu- this year between Eng- 
land and Scotland, and for greater security it was proclaimed through, 
out the two kingdoms. 

The French embassadors returned to their own country, through 
England, without any accident, and related to the king of France 
and his uncles what they had done, and the opposition they had 
met with: in short, they recounted everything you have just heard. 
When sir Geoffry de Charny and the French knights in his company 
found that the truce was to be established between Scotland and 
England, they took their leave of the barons of Scotland, more espe- 
cially of the earls of Douglas and Moray, who had shown them 
much kindness. These barons of Scotland, as well as some other 
knights, said to them, joking, " Gentlemen, you have seen the con. 
dition and manner of our country, but you have not seen its whole 
strength and power. Know that Scodand is the country of the 
world most dreaded by the English ; for we can, as you have seen, 
enter England at our pleasure, without any danger from the sea : if 
we were in greater numbers, wc should do them more mischief than 
we are now able to do. Be so good, therefore, when you are in 
France, to tell this to your knights and squires, who shall be eager 
for renown, to excite them to come hither in search of deeds of arms. 
We can assure you, that if we had a thousand lances from France, 
with the good people here, we would give such a considerable blow 
to England that it should be visible for forty years to come. Have 
the goodness to remember this when you shall be on the other side 
of the water." 

The French knights replied they would not fail to do so, for it 
was not a thing to be forgotten. Upon this they embarked on board 
a vessel they had engaged to carry them to Sluys ; but they had con. 
trary winds when at sea, which obliged them to run for a port in 
Zealand called la Virille.* When they had landed there, they thought 
they were in a place of safety, hut were disappointed, for the Nor- 
mans had lately visited the coast, and had done, as it was said, much 
mischief to the Zealanders. These knights and squires were in 
great danger; for, while a different language was held in the town, 
their vessel was seized, their trunks broken open, and their arms 
taken away, and they themselves in risk of losing their lives. 

A.t that time there was in the town a squire of the count de Blois, 
whose name was Jacob, an agreeable man, who assisted them in all 
things. He talked with the principal people of the town, and with 
such good effect that a part of their baggage was restored to them. 
In order to save them from their peril, for he knew the people were 
much enraged against them, and had intentions of attacking them 
on the sea, as they had sent notice of their plans to the neighboring 
towns, and were in sufficient force to do so, he showed them much 
courtesy, and out of affection to them, explained how greatly the 



' La Vinlle." a. '( not la Brille. 



340 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND. FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



country was exasperated against them, but that, out of regard to his 
lord and the realm of France, he would counteract it. They warmly 
thanked him for his kind intentions. Well, what did Jacob do ? 
He went to a mariner and hired a vessel to carry him wherever he 
pleased, saying his intentions were to go to Dordrecht. The mari- 
ners having agreed to this proposal, he and his company embarked 
on board the vessel, and at first made for Dordrecht; but, when 
Jacob siiw it was time to alter their course, he said to the sailors, 
" Now, mind what I am going to say : I have hired with my money 
this vessel to carry me whithersoever I shall please : turn, therefore, 
the helm for Strueghene,* as I want to go thither." The sailors re- 
fused to do so, saying they had been only engaged to sail to Dor- 
drecht. "Attend to me,"' replied Jacob: " do what I have ordered 
you, if you do not wish to be put to death." The sailors dared not 
make any reply, for they were not the strongest ; so they at once 
turned the helm and set the sails, and made for the town of Estri- 
mohee,t where they arrived without fear of danger, for it belonged 
to the count de Blois. After they had refreshed themselves, they 
departed and returned through Brabant and Hainault to their own 
country, thanking Jacob for the kindness he had done them. ^ 

When sir Geoffry de Charny, sir John de Plaissy and the other 
knights and squires who had been in Scotland, returned to France, 
they were interrogated as to news from that country. They related 
all they had seen and heard from the barons and knights of Scot- 
land. Sir John de Vienna, admiral of France, conversed on the 
subject with sir Geoffry de Charny, who was surprised, as well as 
other barons of France, to hear that the French, through Scotland, 
could gain an easy entrance into England. Sir Hemart de Mass^ 
continued the conversation, and added, the Scots could not any way 
love the English ; and he had been directed to say this by order of 
the Scots council, that the king of France and his uncles might have 
information of it. The French instantly determined, as soon as the 
truces should be expired, to send a powerful army to Scotland to lay 
waste England. This was planned by the dukes of Berry and Bur- 
gundy, who at that time governed the realm at their pleasure, and 
the constable of France ; but the whole was kept very secret. 



CHAPTER CLI. 

THE LORD DESTOtmNAY ASSEMBLES FORCES TO RETAKE OtJDENARDE. 
BE CONQUERS IT BY STRATAGEM. 

YoD have before heard how Francis Atremen took by scalado the 
town of Oudenarde, while the treaties for a truce were negotiating 
before Bergues and Bourbourg, to the great surprise of Tournay and 
the adjacent towns. The garrison of Oudenarde, during this time, 
had overrun the country : and done much mischief to the territories 
of Tournay : the whole estate of the lord Destournay was under 
their subjection. They had at the feast of Christmas collected his 
rents and duty-fowls, from the towns belonging to him, for their own 
use, which displeased him and his friends exceedingly. He there- 
fore declared, that whatever truce or respite there might be between 
the kings of France and England with the Flemings, he should not 
pay any attention to it, but would exert himself in doing them as 
much damage as he was able, for they had so grievously oppressed 
him that he was become a poor man. 

The lord Destournay turned his whole attention to retake Oude- 
narde, and succeeded through the friendship of some knights and 
squires from France, Flanders, and Hainault, who assisted him in it. 
When he sent to these friends, several were ignorant of his inten- 
tions. The expedition was undertaken on the 17th day of May, 
1384 ; for the lord Destournay learned by his spies, that Francis 
Atremen was gone to Ghent, trusting to the truce which had been 
made with the French : by so doing he committed a fault, and was 
no longer attentive to guard Oudenarde, as I shall relate. The lord 
Destournay formed a considerable ambuscade of four hundred 
knights, squires and good men-at-arms, whom he had entreated to 
assist him. These he posted in the wood of Lart, near to the gate 
of Oudenarde. There were among them sir John du Moulin, sir 
James de la Trimouille, sir Gilbert and sir John Cacquelan, sir Roland 
de I'Espiene, sir Blanchart de Calonne, and the lord d'Estripouille, 
who was created a knight. 

I will now relate- their stratagem, and how those of Oudenarde 
were deceived by it. They filled two carts with provision, which 
they put under the charge of four hardy and determined men dressed 
as carters, clothed in gray frocks, but armed underneath. These 
carters drove the carts to Oudenarde, and gave the guards to under- 
stand that they had brought provision from Hainault to victual the 
place. The guards not thinking but all was right, drew up the port, 
cullis, and allowed them to advance on the bridge. The carters 
knocked out the pins which held the traces of the horses, and flung 
them into the ditch. Upon this the guards cried out to them, " Why 
do not you drive on?" and taking hold of the horses, drove them 
before them, and thus left the carls standing, for, as I said, they 
were unharnessed. The guands then found out that they had been 
deceived and betrayed, and began to strike the carters, who defended 
themselves ably : for they were well-armed under their frocks, and 
were men of tried courage. Having killed two of the guards, they 



' Stmelwne." • (i. G«rtrurdenberg. 



t " Estriraohe." Q. 



were instantly reinforced ; for the lord Destournay followed them so 
close with his men, that the guards fled into the town, crying out, 
" Treason, treason 1" but before the townsmen could be awakened, 
the men-at-arms had entered it, and killed all who put themselves 
on their defence, shouting out as they came to the square, '' Victory !" 
Thus was Oudenarde won. Of the Ghent men, full three hundred 
were killed or drowned. A large sum was found in the town, 
belonging to Francis Atremen, which I heard amounted to fifteen 
thousand francs. 

News was soon spread abroad, that Oudenarde had been taken 
during the truce, which angered the Ghenters much, as was natural, 
for it nearly affected them. They held a meeting on this subject, 
and resolved to send to the duke of Burgundy to remonstrate with 
him on the capture of Oudenarde during the truce, and to say, that 
if it were not delivered back to them they should consider the truce 
as broken. But the duke excused himself, declaring he had not in. 
teifered any way in the business, and that as God might help him, 
he was entirely ignorant of this expedition of the lord Destournay : 
he added, that he would willingly write to him, which he did, and 
order him to give back Oudenarde, for it was neither honorable nor 
agreeable to the duke to capture any towns, castles, or forts during 
a truce. . 

The lord Destournay acknowledged the letters from the duke, and 
in answer said, that the garrison of Oudenarde had always made 
war on his lands, whether truce or no truce, and had seized on his 
inheritance, and that he had never consented to any truce with 
them ; that he had conquered Oudenarde in fair war, and that he 
would keep possession of it as his own proper inheritance until 
Flanders and Ghent should be completely reunited, for his other 
property had been ruined by the war. Things remained in this state, 
for nothing better cotdd be done. 

Francis Atremen was very much blamed for not having better 
guarded the place, and especially by the lord de Harzelles, insomuch 
that Francis was wroth with the knight, and high words ensued, 
adding, whatever he might have done in regard to Oudenarde, he 
had always acquitted himself loyally toward Ghent. This provoked 
answers, and the lie was given on both sides. Shortly after, the 
lord de Harzelles was killed ; and some say that Francis Atremen 
and Peter du Bois were the authors of ii. About this time, the 
Ghent men requested the king of England to send them a valiant 
man for governor, and one who was connected with the crown by 
blood. In consequence, the king sent to Ghent one of his knights, 
a gallant man of sufficient prudence to govern the town : his name 
was sir John Bourchier,* who remained governor of Ghent upward 
of a year and a half. 



CHAPTER CLI I. 

THE DUEE OF ANJOU DIES AT A CASTLE NEAR NAPLES. HIS WIDOW IS 
ADVISED TO SOLICIT THE POPE FOR THE POSSESSION OF PKO\'ENCE. 

You have before heard how the duke of Anjou, who styled him- 
self king of Sicily and Jerusalem, had marched into la Puglia and 
Calabria, and had conquered the whole country as far as Naples : 
but the Neapolitans would never turn to his party, and continued the 
support they had always given to the lord Charles Durazzo. The 
duke of Anjou remained on this expedition three whole years ; you 
may suppose, therefore, that his expenses were very great, for there 
is no treasury, however rich, but men-ot.arms will drain it : whoever 
is desirous of their ser\'ices must pay them well, if they expect any 
advantage from them. It must certainly have cost the duke immense 
suras of money ; but those who sunk his treasury the deepest were 
the earl of Savoy and the Savoyards. That earl, however, and a 
great many of his knights, died on this expedition, which weakened 
the duke of Anjou in men. It was on this account that he sent to 
France to implore the assistance of his brothers the dukes of Berry 
and Burgundy, who did not fail him in his necessities, but replied 
that they would support him with men and money. These two 
dukes considered who would be the proper persons to send on this 
expedition. After having maturely weighed everything, they thought 
they could not fix better than on the gallant lord de Coucy and the 
lord d'Anghien, count de Conversano,t whose earldom is situated 
in la Puglia. 

These two lords, having been solicited to undertake the business 
by the king of France and his uncles, cheerfully complied, for it was 
highly honorable to them. They instantly began their preparations, 
and set oft' as speedily as possible with a handsome company of men- 
at-arms : but when they arrived at Avignon, and were busily employed 
in forwarding their troops and other business, certain intelligence 
was brought them of the death of the duke of Anjou at a castle near 
Naples. t The lord de Coucy, on hearing this, advanced no further, 
seeing that the expedition was at on end ; but the lord de Convcrsano 
continued his march, for he had many things to settle in his own 



*" Sir John iJonrchier." JjordBourchier of Essex.— See Dugdale. 
t Conversano is a town in tlie Neapolitan dominions, near Bari: its biiiliopric is 
suffraaan to Bari. ,- -^ , 

t He died at Bisclia. near Bari. the 20th or 21st September, 1384.— .«rt de t frifier Us 

The authors of the JVouDfou Dictimnaire UistoriQuc. by mistake, have placed hi» 
death at Paria. but with the same date. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &.c. 



341 



country, in la Puglia and in Conversano. This intelligence was soon 
luiown in France to the king and his uncles, who supported the death 
of the king of Sicily as well as they could. 

When niadame d'Anjou, who resided at Angers, heard of the death 
of her lord, you may imagine she was greatly afflicted. The count [ 
Guy de Blois, her cousin-gcrman, who lived at Blois, on receiving ' 
the news, set out with all his equipage to visit her at Angers, where | 
he remained a considerable time comforting and advising her to the ' 
best of his abilities. From thence the queen came to France (for 
she styled herself queen of Naples, Sicily, la Puglia, Calabria, and 
Jerusalem,) to wait on the king and the dukes of Berry and Burgundy, 
to have tlu-ir advice and comfort ; she \va3 accompanied by her two 
sons, Lnuis and Charles. The lady was advised by the nobles of 
her blood to go to Avignon, and entreat of the pope that she might 
have possession of Provence, which is a territory dependent on Sicily. 
The queen approved the advice, and made preparations for her jour- 
ney, carrying with her her eldest son Louis, who was everywhere on 
the road called king, from being heir to the king his father ; but these 
affairs were not so speedily terminated as I have pointed them out. 



CHAPTER CLIII. 

PREPARATIONS ARE MADE IN FRANCE FOR THE RENEWAL OF THE WAR 
WITH ENGLAND. THE DtTCHESS OF BRABANT SUCCEEDS IN FORMING A 
MARRIAGE BETWEEN THE CHILDREN OF BURGUNDY AND THOSE OF 
HAINAULT. 

During the winter, the French were busily employed in prepara- 
tions to send forces to Scotland ; but the truces were prolonged be- 
tween the French and English, and their allies, from Michaelmas to 
the ensuing first day of May. They, however, continued their pre- 
parations by sea and land, for it was the intention of the council of 
France to carry on the war with vigor in the course of the ne.xt 
sxmimer ; and the admiral of France was to sail for Scotland with 
ten thousand spears, knights and squires. On the other hand, the 
duke of Bourbon and the count de la Marche were ordered into 
Languedoc, Limousin, and .^.uvergne, with two thousand men, to 
recover certain castles which the English and pillagers held, and 
which did much mischief to the country. Great numbers of battle- 
axes were ordered to be made in Picardy and Hajnau'lt for the ex- 
pedition into Scotland ; and in Artois, Lille, Douay, and Tournay, 
much biscuit was made, and various other stores got ready along the 
coast from Harflenr to Sluys, which was the principal harbor Whence 
this armament was intended to be embarked. 

The duchess of Brabant, widow of Wiiiceslaus duke of Bohemia, 
by whose death she had lost a companion and much comfort, which 
had caused her great gi'ief, resided with her attendants at Brussels. 
She was much hurt at the troubles which existed in Flanders, and, 
if she had possessed the means, would most cheerfully have put an 
end to them ; for she was daily hearing how the Ghent men were 
strengthening tliemselvcs by an alliance with the English, who prom- 
ised them great support. She also saw that her nephew and niece 
of Burgundy, who were in truth her heirs, and among the greatest 
princes of the world, as well by their own heritages as by what they 
had in reversions, were very uneasy at these disturbances in Ghent. 
She knew that duke Albert, regent of Hainault, had two fine sons 
and two handsome daughters, neither of whom were yet married ; 
but she had heard that the duke of Lancaster was very desirous to 
accomplish the marri:ige of his daughter Philippa. who had been 
borne to him by the lady Blanche his first wife, with the eldest son 
of duke Albert, who, by liis own right, was heir to the countries of 
Hainault, Holland, and Zealand. 

This lady foresaw, that if such an alliance should take place be- 
tween Hainault and England, the French would be much hurt, and 
the fair country of Hainault harassed either secretly or openly, by 
all those who should pass and repass from France to Flanders. In 
addition to this, the Hollanders and Zealanders who bordered on the 
sea assisted the Ghent men in various v\'ays, of which the duke of 
Burgundy and his council had been informed. He did not love duke 
Albert the better for this ; not, however, that he was any way to be 
blamed for it ; for with regard to the Hollanders and Zealanders, as 
the war in Flanders no way concerned them, he could not, neither 
ought he to have, forbidden the free course of commerce. 

The good lady having considered all these things, and the dan- 
gerous consequences which might ensue, resolved to bring the duke 
of Burgundy and duke Albert to a good understanding, and offered 
herself as guaranty of all the treaties. She was determined also to 
prevail on the duke of Burgundy to receive the men of Ghent into 
his mercy. Clerks and messengers were immediately set to work: 
and she managed so well, that a conference was fixed to meet at 
Cambray on the part of the two dukes. They both assented to it, 
as well as their council, though neither of them knew the subjects 
this conference was to treat of. To this conference, which they had 
under their seals appointed to be held at Cambray, on the twelfth 
day in the ensuing .lanuary, the two dukes came, attended by their 
councils. The duchess of Brabant came thither also, who was the 
mover in the business. She first addressed the duke of Burgundy, 
saying, " He was the greatest prince on earth, and had very fine 
children : she, however, would be more haopy if they were placed 



in a different situation from what they actually occupied, which 
would increase their wgrth ; and, for the present, she could neither 
see nor point out any better place than Hainault, Holland, and Zea- 
land, which would unite the whole country together, and give greater 
fear and alarm to its enemies ; for, ' fair nephew,' added she to the 
duke of Burgundy, ' I know for a truth, that the duke of Lancaster, 
who is so powerful in England, is extremely anxious for his daughter 
to espouse my nephew, William of Hainault, and I certainly wish 
such good fortune may fall to your children rather than to tht Eng- 
lish.' " " My good aunt," replied the duke of Burgundy, " I return 
you my thanks, and, as a proof that I believe you, I shall allow you 
to unite my daughter Margaret with the youth of Hainault." Upon 
such good success, she instantly began to treat of this muniage. 
Duke Albert, to whom the proposition was quite new, replied very 
courteously, but said, he had not with him those whom he wished to 
consult on the subject. " And what advice do you want ?" answered 
the duchess, " when it is a question to act properly, and keep your 
country in peace." " My wife," replied the duke ; " for without her 
I shall do nothing : she is as much interested in my children as I 
am; and, besides, fair aunt, it will be proper that the nobility of the 
country be apprised of it." The duchess answered, " Well, God's 
will be done." She thought the best she could now do was to let 
them separate in good humor with each other, and desire they would 
permit her to call them again together in the same city during Lent, 
and that they woidd bring the duchess of Burgundy and madame de 
Hainault, with their councils, along with them. 

The lady acted in all this so secretly, that very few persons knew 
anything of the matter, nor why this conference had been holden. 
In this state the two dukes left Cambray : the duke of Burgundy 
went to the city of Arras, where his lady was, and duke Albert re- 
turned to his duchess in Holland. The duchess of Brabant returned 
to her own country, and continually wrote to each party, but secretly. 
She had great difficulty to bring them and their ladies to Cambray, 
and labored hard at it ; for she was very eager this marriage should 
take place, to confirm the union and friendship of Flanders, Brabant, 
and Hainault. The duchess managed so well that the different par- 
ties and their councils met her and her council at Cambray, where 
was a grand display of pomp, for each was anxious to do honor to 
the other. The duchess Margaret of Burgundy and the duchess 
Margaret of Hainault were present, and the last very active in this 
business. She said, that if they wished to marry their son with 
Margaret of Burgundy, John of Burgundy must marry her daughter, 
by which the ties of affection would be the more strengthened. 

It was much against the inclination of the duke of Burgundy to 
marry his children at once and to the same family. He thought it 
sufficient for his daughter to marry the heir of Hainault, and excused 
himself for not agreeing to the marriage of his son John, on account 
of his youth. The duke's intention was to marry him to Catharine 
of France, sister to his nephev<' the king of France. These treaties 
and conferences w'ere, therefore, on the point of being broken ; for 
the duchess of Bavaria declared, a marriage should never take place 
with her children, unless they were both married at the same time ; 
and this resolution she kept, notwithstanding all they could say to 
make her alter it. The duchess of Bralmnt took great pains in going 
from one to the other, and in preventing the treaties from being 
broken ofl": she at last succeeded, by reasoning properly with the 
duke and duchess of Burgundy, to bring the affair again under con. 
sideration ; and it was then agreed that the marriages should take 
place between the children of the duke of Burgundy and those of 
duke Albert. 

This business had been delayed four or five days by an obstacle 
which had arisen from the council of the duke of Burgundy, who 
stated that duke Albert had only a reversionary interest in Hainault, 
for his elder brother William was then alive, though dangerously ill 
at Quesnoy, and he might survive his brother, and if that should 
happen, it was clear his other brothers would have the government 
of Hainault, and the children of duke Albert be driven from thence. 
This obstacle delayed the marriages a short time, which was em- 
ployed in proving that duke Albert had no other brotlier but William, 
and that the country of Hainault must descend to him and to his 
children. When all this was cleared up, there was not any longer 
delay, but the marriages were concluded and sworn to for William 
of Hainault to have for his wife Margaret of Burgundy, and John 
of Burgundy to espouse Margaret of Hainault. They were all to 
return to Cambray the octave of Easter, in the year of grace 1385, 
to perform the ceremonies of the marriages. 



CHAPTER CLIV. 

THE ZING AND THE NOBLES OF FRANCE AND HAINAULT LAY IN GREAT 
PROVISION OF STORES AT CAMBRAY. THE DUKE OF LANCASTER SENDS 
EMBASSADORS TO THE EARL OF HAINAULT. THE MARRIAGES OF THE 
CHILDREN OF EtmGUNDY AND HAINAULT ARE CONCLUDED. 

Things were in this state when they all left Cambray. The duke 
of Burgundy returned to the king in France ; the duchess to Arras. 
Duke Albert and his duchess went to Quesnoy in Hainault ; and 
the duchess of Brabant to her own country. Carpenters and masons, 
and all sorts of workmen, were instantly sent to prepare hotels in 



342 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



the city of Cambray, and purveyors were also ordered thither to lay 
in vast quantities of provision ; it was proclaimed, that every store 
was to be delivered into the city the week before the octave of Easter. 
When the king of France heard of this, he said that he would be 
present at the marriage of his cousins ; and commanded his maitres. 
d'hdtel to lay in there such provisions as was befitting him. The 
palace of the bishop had been retained for the duke of Burgundy, 
and was already preparing for him ; but it was necessary to give it 
up to the king, and workmen were set to embellish it in a royal 
manner, as it appears at this day ; for never was there a feast in the 
memory of man, nor for these last two hundred years, that had such 
grand preparations made for it. The nobility, in order to appear 
with the most pomp and magnificence, were no more sparing of their 
money than if it had rained gold on them ; and each endeavored to 
outshine the other. 

Intelligence of these marriages was carried to England, and how 
the dukes of Burgundy and Albert intended uniting their children 
together. The duke of Lancaster (wlio had nourished the hope that 
William of Hainault would choose his daughter, at least he had so 
been given to understand) was pensive and melancholy at this news; 
in order to be better assured of it, he determined to send, as embas. 
sadors, knights and squires of his household to Ghent, with instruc. 
tions to talk with duke Albert on the subject. When they arrived 
at Ghent, they found there the lord Bourchier, Francis Atremen and 
Peter du Bois, who entertained them handsomely for two or three 
days. They then departed and went to Mons in Hainault ; from 
thence to Quesnoy where duke Albert resided, and waited on him. 
The duke, the duchess, and their children, in honor of the duke of 
Lancaster received the English very politely, and the duke enter, 
tained them well, as did the lord de Gouvingen. 

The master of the wool-staple of all England, being one of the 
envoys, delivered his credential letters, and spoke first. He strongly 
recommended the duke of Lancaster to his cousin duke Albert, and 
then began on the subjects with which he had been charged. Among 
other topics, as I have been informed, he asked the duke if it were 
his intention to persevere in the proposed union of his children with 
those of the duke of Burgundy. This speech moved a little the 
duke's choler, who replied, " Yes, sir, by ray faith do I : why do 
you ask ?" " My lord," said he, " I mention it because my lord of 
Lancaster has hitherto had hopes that the lady Philippa, his daughter, 
would have been the wife of my lord William your son." Upon 
this, duke Albert said, " My friends, tell my cousin, that when he 
marries any of his children, I shall never interfere : he therefore need 
not trouble himself about mine, nor how I marry them, nor with 
whom, nor when." This was the only answer the English had frojn 
duke Albert. The master of the staple and his companions took 
leave of the duke after dinner and went to Valenciennes, where they 
lay that night : on the morrow they returned to Ghent. More of 
them I know not, but I believe they returned to England. 

Easter was the time fixed for the king of France, the dukes of 
Burgundy, of Bourbon, the duke Albert with the duchess his lady, 
tire duchesses of Burgundy and of Brabant, sir William and sir John 
de Namur, to be at Courtray. The king resided in the bishop's 
palace, and each lord and lady at their own hdtels. You may easily 
imagine, that where the king of France was and so many of his 
nobles, there would also be the flower of his knighthood. The king 
arrived at Cambray on the Monday by dinner-time. All the nobles 
and ladies, hanng preceded him, went to meet him out of his city; 
into which he was escorted, and conducted to the palace, to the 
sound of numerous trumpets and minstrels. On Monday, the con. 
tragts of marriage were signed in the presence of the king and his 
nobles. The lord AVilliam was to possess from thenceforward the 
county of Ostrevant,* and the lady Margaret his wife was to have 
the whole territory and castlewick of Arquet in Brabant : the duke 
of Burgundy gave besides to his daughter one hundred thousand 
francs. Thus were the portions settled. 

On Tuesday, at the hour of high mass, they were married, in the 
cathedral church of our Lady in Cambray, with great solemnity, by 
the bishop of Cambray, whose name was .lohn, and a native of 
Brussels. There was a very magnificent dinner at the palace, to 
which were invited many of the great nobles. The king of France 
had the bridegrooms with their brides seated at his table. Several 
of the principal lords served the king and his guests, mounted on 
large war-horses. The constable and the admiral of France were 
seated at table. Sir Guy de la Trimouille and sir William de Namur 
served, w-ith many other great barons of France. There had not 
been, for five hundred years, so magnificent or renowned a solem- 
nity seen in Cambray as was that of which I am now speaking. 

After this noble and grand dinner, great numbers of lords and 
knights armed and made themselves ready for the tournament. It 
was held in the market-place, and there were forty knights. The 
king of France tilted with a knight from Hainault called sir Nicholas 
d'Espinoit. This tournament was very handsome : the tilts were 
well performed and lasted a considerable time ; a young knight, 
called sir John Destrenne, from near Beaumont in Hainault, won the 
prize. This knight tilted to the satisfaction of the lords and ladies. 



* Ostrevant, or island of St. Amantl. Ttiis v%'as formerly a part of the country of 
Valenciennes. It lies on the borders of Flanders and .^rtois.— BArDRAjJD 
T a. if not .\th. 



and received as the prize a clasp of precious stones, which the duchess 
of Burgundy took from her breast ; and the admiral of France and 
sir Guy de la Trimouille presented it to him. These feasts and 
amusements continued until Friday, when they took leave of the 
king after dinner ; and the king, the lords and the ladies, departed 
from Courtray. The duchess of Burgundy carried with her, to Arras, 
Margaret of Hainault, her daughter-in-law : and madame de Hain. 
ault carried madame Margaret of Burgundy to Quesnoy. Thus 
ended all this business. 



CHAPTER CLV. 

THE DUKE OF BEKRY BETEOTHES HIS DAUGHTER TO THE SON OP THE 
COUNT DE ELOIS. THE DUKE OF BOtTKBON AND THE COUNT DE LA 
MAKCHE ISSUE THEIK SUM.MONS TO INVADE LIMOUSIN. 

About this time there was a treaty of marriage between Louis de 
Blois, son of the count Guy de Blois, and the lady Mary de Berry, 
daughter of the duke of Berry. The count de Blois carried his 
countess and his son Louis, well attended by lords and ladies, to 
Bourges in Berry, where the duke and duchess were waiting for 
them, who received them and their company most magnificently. 
Everything was there settled respecting this marriage, and the arch- 
bishop of Bourges betrothed them in the presence of a large company 
of iroljility of both sexes. The marriage was not solemnized at that 
time, because both were very young ; but all the contracts and en- 
gagements were sighed, as to its future completion, in the presence 
ot several great barons and knights. There were, at this betrothing, 
great feasts of dinners, suppers, dancings and caroUings ; after which, 
the count and countess returned with their son to Blois. The young 
lady remained with the duchess her mother, at a handsome castle in 
Berry called Mehun sur Yevre.* 

At this time, the dnke of Berry set out for Auvergne, Languedoc 
and -\vignon, to visit pope Clement. It had been before determined 
that the duke de Bourbon and the count de la Marche should enter 
Limousin, with two thousand men-at-arms, to free the country from 
the English thieves, who were pillaging it; for there were still some 
castles in Poitou and Saintonge whose garrisons did much mischief; 
and, complaints of them having been made, the duke of Berry was 
desirous of providing a remedy for them. He had therefore entreated 
his cousin the duke de Bourbon to undertake it, and not to quit 
Limousin or Saintonge until he should have conquered the castle of 
Vertueil : for it was from that garrison the country had suffered the 
most. The duke de Bourbon accepted the command, and issued 
his summons for the assembling of his vassals in Moulins in the Bour. 
bonnois, the fii-st day of June. From thence they marched toward 
Limoges, and were met by several bodies of men-at-arms. The duke 
de Bourbon had at that time for his squire an amiable gentleman 
called John Bonne Lance, t master and captain of his men-at-rinns. 
Of all the flower of his knights and squires, certainly this squire was 
well worthy of such a command. 

The count de la Marche was to accompany the duke de Bourboa 
in this expedition, and made his preparations in the town of Tours. 



CH.A.PTERCLVI. 

SIR JOHN DE VIENNE, ADMIRAL OF FRANCE, SAILS TO SCOTLAND TO CARRY 
ON THE WAR AGAINST THE ENGLISH AT THE EXFIRATIO.V OF THE TRUCE. 

At this period, the men-at-anns who had been fixed on to accom- 
pany sir John de Vienne, admiral of France, to Scotland, arrived at 
Sluys in Flanders. He was to have under his command a thousand 
lances, knights and squires, and, I believe they were all there : for 
such was the. ardor of those who wished to advance themselves, that 
several went with the admiral though they had not been summoned. 

The fleet was ready prepared at Sluys, and the stores in great 
abundance and good. They embarked arms sufficient for twelve 
hundred men from head to foot. These they had brought from the 
castle of Beaute, near Paris, and they were the arms of the Paii- 
sians, which had been ordered to be deposited there. With the 
admiral were plenty of excellent men-at-arms, of the flower of knight- 
hood. It was the intention of the admiral to give these arms to the 
knights and squires of Scotland, the better to succeed in their enter- 
prise ; for sir Geoffry de Charny and the others had told the king, 
on their return home last year, that the Scots were very poorly armed. 

I will now name some of those lords of France who went into Scot- 
land. First, Sir John de Vienne, admiral of France, the count de 
Grand-pre, the lords de Verdenay, de Sainte Croix, the lord de 
Montbury, sir Geofiry de Charny, sir William de Vienne, sir James 
de Vienne, lord d'Espaigny, sir Girard de Bourbonne, the lord de 
Hetz, sir Florimont de Quissy, the lord de Marnel, sir Valeran de 
Rayneval, the lord de Beausang, the lord de Wainbrain, the lord de 
Rinolle, baron d'Yury, the lord de Coucy, sir Perceval d'Ameual, 
the lord de Ferrieres, the lord de Fontaines, sir Bracquet de Braque- 
moiit, the lord de Grandcourt, the lord de Landon, a Breton, sir Guy 
la Personne, sir William de Courroux, sir John d« Hangiers, sir 



* " Meliun sur Yevre "—four leagues from Bourges. 

t " Bonne Lance." I suspect this is a ?K>m de guGrre, for no mention is made of bim 
under this name in the hfe of the duke. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



34S 



Bery de Vinselin, cousin to the grand master of Prussia, and many 
other good knights whom I cannot name : there were a thousand 
lances, knights and squires, witliout reckoning the cross-bows and 
sturdy varlets. 

They had favorable winds and a good voyage ; for the weather 
was very fine, as it usually is in the month of May. The truces had 
expired between the French and English, the Ghent men and the 
Flemings, and all other parts. War was sought for, as it seemed, in 
every quarter ; and these knights and squires who went to Scotland 
gallantly wished for it, as they said, with the assistance of the Scots 
they would make a good campaign, and carry on a successful war 
against England. However, the English, who had received intelli. 
gence of this expedition, very much suspected whither it was bound. 



CHAPTER CLVII. 

THE riLLAGEKS OF GHENT, SfRNAMED PORKERS, COMMIT JtUCH MISCHIEF. 
FRANCIS ATREMEN DEFEATS SOME FRENCH TROOPS NEAR ARCEMBOUEfi. 

The lord Bourchicr, who had the government of Ghent by order 

of the king of England and the captains of the commonalty, Francis 

Atremen, Peter du Bois and Peter le Nuitrc, had made every pre- 

; paration, knowing the war was to be renewed. They had been 

\ very busily employed during the truce, in strengthening and victuaU 

i ing the town of Ghent, as well as the castle of Gauvre and all other 

places under their obedience. 
1 At this period, there were a set of vagabonds who had taken 

refuge in the wood of Respaille, and had fortified themselves in a 
I house so strongly that it could not be taken. They had been driven 
I out of Alost, Grammont and other tow'ns in Flanders : having wasted 
their all, and not knowing how to live otherwise than by plunder, 
they robbed and pillaged any one who fell in their way. The sub. 
ject of universal conversation was these Porkers of la Respaille, wliich 
wood is situated between Regnais, Grammont, Anghien, and Lys- 
ines. They did much mischief in the castlewick of Ath, and on the 
lands of Floberge, Lysines and Anghien ; and these pillagers were 
supported by Ghent. Under their countenance they committed 
many murders and robberies : they entered Hainault, from whence 
they dragged people out of their beds, and carried them to their 
fort, when they ransomed them, and thus made war on all mankind. 
The lord de Baudrius and de la Morte, castellan of Ath, watched 
ihem several times, but he coidd never catch them, for they were 
too well acquainted with the means of escaping. They were so 
much dreaded on the borders of Hainault and Brabant that none 
dared to travel those roads, nor through that jiart of the country. 

The duke of Burgundy, in consequence of the renewal of the 
war, had reinforced the garrisons of his towns and castles in Flan- 
ders with men and stores. The lord de Guistelles was commander 
in Bruges, and sir John de Juniont in Courtray : for sir William de 
Namur was at that time lord of Sluys : sir Roger de Guistelle gov. 
erned Damme, and sir Peter de la Sieple Yprcs. Men-at-arms were 
stationed in all the frontier towns of Flanders by order of the duke 
of Burgundy. Sir Guy de Pontarlier, marshal of Burgundy, re- 
mained in garrison in the town of Ardembourg, with sir Rafflart de 
Flandies, sir John de Jumont, sir Henry du Going, the lord de Mon- 
tigny in Ostrevant, the lord de Longueval, sii- John de Bernecte, sir 
Peter de Bailleul, Belle-Fourriere, Phelipput Ganey, Raoullin de la 
Folic, and several more, to the amount of two hundred combatants. 
They determined among themselves to make an excursion into the 
Quatre Mesteirs and ravage that country, for much provision was 
carried from thence into Ghent. They, therefore, having fixed on 
a day for this enterprise, armed themselves and marched thither. 

The same day that the French had fixed on their expedition, about 
two thousand determined men had sailed out of Ghent under the 
command of Francis Atremen : accidentally they found themselves 
in a village in the midst of the French. VVhen they had reconnoi- 
tred each other, they saw a battle was unavoidable. The French 
instantly dismounted, and, grasping their lances, advanced on the 
enemy : the Ghent men, who were as numerous, did the same. The 
combat began sharply ; but the Ghent men advanced into a pass 
which was much to their loss, where the battle was more severe : 
many gallant deeds were done, and many beat down. Sir Rafflart 
de Flandres in that place showed the greatest courage ; and the 
knights and squires engaged the Ghent men with determined valor, 
as indeed it behooved them to do, for quarter was given to none. At 
last the Ghent men, by having superior numbers, gained the field, 
and the French were obliged to mount their horses or they would 
have been slain, for their opponents much outnumbered them. In 
this encounter were killed sir John de Bernecte, sir Peter de Bail- 
leul, Belle-Fourriere, Pholippot de Ganey, Raoullin de la Folic, and 
many others : the more the pity. The rest were obliged to fly and 
reenter Ardembourg, or they must inevitably have been killed. 

After this event, the viscount de Meaux was sent with all his 
men-at-arms to garrison Ardembourg, which he repaired and strength, 
cned. He had with liim several knights and squires who were good 
determined soldiers. At this time sir John de Jumo.nt was great 
bailiff of Flanders, and had been so for the two preceding years. 
He was much feared through all the country for his great prowess, 
and ihe deeds he had performed. Whenever he got hold of any 



Ghent men he put them to death, or had their eyes thrust out, or 
their hands, ears or feet cut off, and in this state sent them away to 
serve as an example to their fellow-citizens. He was so renowned 
throughout all Flanders for his pitiless justice in thus cruelly punish, 
ing the Ghent men, that no one was talked of but him in the whole 
country. 

CHAPTER CLVIII. 

THE DUCHESS OF ANJOU URGES HER CLAIM TO THE POSSESSION OF PRO- 
VENCE. GALEAS VISCONTI, COUNT DE VERTUS, ORDERS HIS UNCLE BER- 
NABO VISCONTI TO BE IMPRISONED. 

Thus was there confusion in all parts of the world, as well between 
the kings of France and England as between John king of Castille 
and the king of Portugal, for the war there had been renewed. 

Madame d'Anjou, v\ho retained the title of queen of Naples and 
Jerusalem, went to Avignon, where the pope resided, and there kept 
her state with her son Lewis, who styled himself king of Sicily, 
which his father had conquered. The queen had intentions to make 
war on the Provemjals, if they did not acknowledge her as their 
sovereign lady and put themselves under her obedience. Sir Ber- 
nard de la Salle had already entered Provence and declared war in 
her name. At this time, the lord de Coney was also at Avignon ; 
for he had been confined to his bed for fifteen weeks from a bniise 
he had received on his leg during an excursion on horseback. On 
his recovery, he often visited the queen, and comforted her much, as 
he was well able to do. She was expecting the duke of Berry, who 
was on his road to Avignon to hold a conference with the pope, to 
assist her. 

The king of France and his uncles had sent the lord Louis de 
Sancerre, marshal of France, to Provence, with five hundred men-at- 
arms, to make war on the Provencals, if they did not submit to the 
queen. Some had done so, but not all : however, the city of Mar- 
seilles and the greater part had surrendered themselves to her ; but 
the cities of Aix and Trascon, and some knights of the country, re. 
fused to admit her claim to the county of Provence, until she had 
been peaceably acknowledged as queen, and her son as king, of la 
Puglia, Calabria, Naples and Sicily ; and they said, that when she 
should be in quiet possession of the above, all Provence, as was just, 
would obey her. The count de Conversano and his son sir John de 
Luxembourg made war for her in those distant parts, against the 
lord Charles Durazzo. Sir John de Bueil remained with the queen, 
at Avignon, as her counsellor. 

At this period, another mar^'cllous event happened at Lombardy, 
which was the subject of general conversation. The count de Ver. 
tus, whose name was John Galeas Visconti,* and his uncle were the 
greatest personages in all Lombardy. Sir Galeas and sir Bernabo 
were brothers, and had peaceably reigned and governed that country. 
One of these lords possessed nine cities, and the other ten ; the city 
of Milan was under their government alternately, one year each. 
When sir Galeas, the father of the count de Vertus, died, the affec- 
tions of the uncle for his nephew were much weakened ; and sir 
Galeas suspected, that now his father was dead, his uncle Bernabo 
would seize his lordships, in like manner as sir Galeas, his father, 
and uncle Bernabo had done to their brother sir Matthew, whom they 
had put to death. The count de Vertus was very supicious, and 
plainly showed that he had his fears of tliis event taking place. How- 
ever, by his actions and the capture he made, he proved himself the 
more subtle of the two. I will relate the circumstance. 

Sir Bernabo heavily oppressed that part of Lombardy of which he 
was lord, and taxed his vassals, two or three times a-year, a half or 
a third of their wealth ; but none dared to murmur against him. Sir 
Galeas, count de Vertus, to acquire popularity and praise, did not 
levy any taxes on his possessions, but simply lived on his rents. This 
mode he had followed for five years, ever since the death of his father, 
which gained him so much the love of the Lombards, that they all 
praised lum, and lived happily under him ; while, on the contrary, 
they abused underhand sir Bernabo, who would not leave them any- 
thing. The count de Vertus (who had formed his plan, and was 
acting accordingly, from tlie suspicions he had of his uncle, and, as 
some said, from appearances having been manifested, that confirmed 
them) issued a secret summons to those in whom he confided the 
most : to some of whom he revealed his plan, but not to all, lest it 
should be made public. A day had been appointed by sir Bernabo 
to make an excursion of pleasure from one of his castles to another. 
Upon this, his nephew placed three ambuscades on the road sir Ber. 
nabo was to take ; so that it was not possible but he must fall into 
one of them. He had ordered that he should be made prisoner, and 
on no account killed, unless he made too obstinate a defence. 

Thus as sir Bernabo was riding from one town to another, mis- 
trusting no evil, nor any way thinking of his neprhew, but consider, 
ing hynself as perfectly safe, he entered one of the ambuscades, when 
the men planted in ambush instantly advanced to him full speed and 
with lances in their rests. Sir Bernabo had a German knight with 
him, who cried out, " My lord, save yourself I for I see people of a 
bad mien coming toward you, and I know them to be persons be- 
longing to your nephew sir Galeas.'' Sir Bernabo replied, that "he 



* John Galeas Visconti, count of Vertus, succeedeU his father Galeas la thegoven> 
ment of one-halfof Lombardy in 1378.— Ed. 



.■344 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, 



■was not acquaiiilcd with any place wliere he could save himself, if 
ihey had any evil intentious against him, and that he was uncon. 
.scions of having done anything against his nephew that should make 
him fly." Those who had been placed in ambuscade continued a^'- 
vancing toward sir Bernabo. When the German, who was a man of 
honor and knight of the 
body to sir Bernabo, saw 
them thus approaching 
his lord, having the 
sword of his master be- 
fore him, he instantly 
drew it out of its scab, 
bard and placed it in the 
hands of sir Bernabo 
(wluch was seen by 
those who were press, 
ing forward ;) and then 
the knight drew his own 
sword, Uke a valiant 
man, and put himself 
on his defence. This, 
however, did not avail, 
/or he as well as sir Ber- 
jiabo were instantly sur. 
jounded, and the knight 
■was slain, under pre- 
tence that at the com- 
mencement he meant 
to defend himself ; for 
whose death sir Galeaa 
wa£ afterwards sorely 
vexed. 

Sir Bernabo was 
made prisoner witliout 
any defence made by 
-him or his attendants, 
and carried to a castle 
where his nepi.?w waa, 
who was much rej'::ced 
on his arrival. Thu; 
..same day his wife, and 
.children that were mar- 
riageable were also ar- 
rested, and confined by 

the lord of Milan, who took possession of all the lordships, castles, 
■towns, and cities which sir Bernabo held in Lombardy. His uncle 
died shortly after; but I know not by what means, though I believe it 
was from being bled in the neck, for in Lombardy they are accus- 
tomed to make such bleedings when they wish to hasten the death 
of any one.* News of this was soon spread abroad : some were 
pleased at it, others vexed ; for sir Bernabo had in his time done 
so many acts of cnielty, and without reason, that few pitied him, 
saying, he had well deserved it. This was the end of sir Bernabo Vis- 
conti, who had reigned most powerfully in Lombardy. 



On the duke's arrival at Niort, he found plenty of men-at-arms 
impatient for his arrival. His cousin the count de la Marche, with 
a large body, the viscount de Tonnene, sir Henrj' de Thouars, 
seneschal of Limousin, the lords de Pons, de Partenay, do TouiB, de 
Pousanges, and many other barons of Poitou and Saintonge were 




'Genoese Cross-bowmbn attacking the Bridge of Taillebourg. The Archers taken from contempornry Illumination, andfrom Specimens 
of their Costumes and Weapons, in Sir Samuel Meyrick's Collection, Goodrich Court, 



there. Sir William de Lignac came thither to wait on the duke, 
having conquered the castle de I'Aigle, for which the duke felt him- 
self obliged to him. When all these men-at-arms were mustered, 
they amoimted to full seven hundred lances, not including the Ge- 
noese and the lusty varlets ; in the whole, two thousand combatants. 
They then held a council whither they should turn their arms ; to 
Bertucil, Taillebourg,* or .Montlieu.t After having well considered 
each situation, they determined to march to Montlieu, because it was 
a strong castle near the moors of Bordeaux ; and, if they should suc- 
ceed in taking it, the others would be weakened, and none able to 
quit Bordeaux without their knowledge. 

They marched through the Angoumois, and on arriving at Mont- 
lieu, prepared for the siege. Sir .lames Poussart and John Bonne- 
lance were the leaders of the duke of Bourbon's men-at-arms, and 
of the whole army. They were not long besieging Montlieu before^ 
they made ready their ladders and other things, necessary for an 
attack. They surrounded the castle and began the nssaidt, but 
those within defended themselves vigorously. The combat was 
sharp, long continued, and many gallant deeds were done ; for the 
French mounted their ladders with rapidity, and fought hand to hand 
on the battlements with tlieir daggers : in short, they exerted them- 
selves so much that the castle was fairly won by storm, and most 
within perished. ' t 

When the lords of France had got possession of Montlieu, they 
reinforced it with a new garrison and stores, and then took the road 
to Taillebourg on the Charente. Dinandon do la Perate, a Gascon, 
was governor of this fortress, an able man-at-arms, who held the 
French cheap. When they came from Taillebourg, the duke of 
Bourbon and his company took two small forts wliich had much ha- 
rassed the borders of Poitou and Limousin, la Froncette, and Archac : 
the garrisons were slain, and the castles given up to tliose of the ad- 
jacent countries, who instantly razed them to the ground. 

The siege of Taillebourg was now formed, and four block-houses 
were erected before it. Near Taillebourg was a bridge, tlie Cha- 
rente, which the English and Gascons had fortified, so that no vessel 
from la RochcUe or Saintonge could pass without great danger, un- 
less by paying toll. The French lords determined to gain this 
bridge, to facilitate their other attacks, and to be in greater security 
in their block-houses. They ordered vessels ready prepared and 
armed to ascend tlie Charente from la Rochelle, in which they had 
placed large bodies of cross-bows and Genoese, to skirmish with 
those at the bridge. The attack was severe, for the English and 
Gascons had well fortified the bridge, and they defended it with 



CHAPTER CLIX. 

•WILLIAM DE LIGNAC, SENESCHAL OF SAINT0N8E FOR THE KING OF FRANCE, 
CONQUERS TROyi THE ENGLISH THE CASTLE OF AIGLE. THE ARMY OF 
THE DUKE OF BOURBON TAKES MONTLIEU AND THE BRIDGE OF TAILLE- 
BOURG, WHILE BESIEGING THAT PLACE. 

We will now return to the army which the duke of Bourbon and 
the count de la Marche conducted into Poitou and Limousin. The 
duke left Moulins in the Bourbonnois, and marched with a handsome 
company of knights and squires to accomplish his expedition, at- 
tended by John de Harcourt his nephew. The duke of Bourbon had 
issued his special summons for those of Berry, Auvergne, Poitou, 
Rouergue, Saintonge, and Limousin, to assemble at Niort, twelve 
leagues from Poitiers. While this army was assembling, sir William 
de Lignac, a valiant knight and seneschal for the king of France of 
Saintonge, and governor of MiUau,t resided in that country. He 
advanced into the Angoumois with all his men-at-arms, to the amount 
of two hundred combatants, and halted before the castle of Aigle, 
which the English possessed, and from this place during the winter and 
the preceding summer, they had exceedingly harassed the country. 

Sir William, on his arrival at the castle, dismounted, and ordered 
his men to do the same, when they instantly began the attack. It 
was very severe and of long continuance, for those within it fought 
for their lives. Sir William performed such gallant deeds as proved 
him worthy of being their leader. He did not spare himself, and 
showed how they ought to attack it. The place was at last taken 
by storm, and the French, entering it by ladders, made prisoners of 
all that were found there, or put them to the sword. This first con- 
quest this season was made by sir William de Lignac, as he was 
waiting for the duke of Bourbon and his army. 

* Bernabo was sei7.ed by his nephew on tlie 6Lh of May and died on the 18th of De- 
^cembpf, 1385.— Ep. 
t " Millau." Q if not Millac : which is in those parts. 



* " Taillebourg," a town in Saintonge on the Charente, three leo^ues fromSaiotes. 
t " Montlieu," a village in Saintonge, election ofSaintes. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



345 



spirit, as it behooved them to do, for they were vigorously attacked 
by land and water. The eldest son of the count de Harcourt, named 
John, was made a knight at this assault, by his uncle the duke of 
Bourbon, and displayed his banner. 

Tliis attack on the bridge of Taillebourg was long continued: 
many gallant actions were perfomied; but the cross-bows and Ge- 
noese in the vessels shot so ably, that those on the bridge scarcely 
dared to appear and defend themselves. Why should I make a long 
tale of this ? The bridge was carried by storm, and all found there 
slain or drowned: not one escaped. Thus did the French gain the 
bridge of Taillebourg. Their siege was carried on more eagerly for 
this. Taillebourg is situated three leagues from St. Jean d'Angely, 
and two from Saintes, in the finest country in the world. 

Dinandon, and those in the castle, were much astonished and 
vexed at the capture of the bridge ; and they had reason, for they 
lost by it the passage of the river. However, they would not sur- 
render ; for they felt themselves in a strong place, and expected 
succors from Bordeaux, as it had been currently reported on the 
borders of the Bordelois, and confirmed by all the English and Gas- 
con garrisons, that the duke of Lancaster or the earl of Buckingham, 
was to arrive at Bordeaux with two thousand men-at-arms and four 
thousand archers, to combat the French and to oblige them to raise 
all their sieges : in this they placed great hopes, but it turned out 
otherwise, as I shall tell you. 

In truth, before the army imder the command of the admiral of 
France was prepared to sail for Scotland, it had been ordered in 
England that the duke of Lancaster, sir John Holland, brother to the 
king, sir Thomas Percy, sir Thomas Trivet, the lord Fitzwalter, sir 
William Windsor, sir John Silbain, and otlier barons and knights to 
the amount of a thousand lances and three thousand archers, should 
sail for Bordeaux, and remain there the whole summer, to reinforce 
Mortaignc, Bouteville, and those castles which held out for them in 
Gascony and Languedoc : they were to fight with the French, should 
they find them hi the country ; and, after liaving remained there a 
season, they were to march to Castille by n-ay of Bayon'ne and Na- 
varre, for there was a treaty between them and the king of Navarre. 
All this had been settled in the imaginations of the English, but 
it proved a disappointment ; for, when they learned for a truth that 
the admiral of France with a thousand lances of chosen knights and 
squires were preparing to sail for Scotland, their counsels were 
changed, and none dared to think of quitting their country, nor of 
weakening their forces : for they much dreaded the consequences of 
this junction of the French with the Scots. There was also a report 
at this time, that England was to be attacked in three different parts 
by the French. One expedition was from Brittany, as it was said 
that the duke of Brittany was become a good Frenchman ; another 
from Normandy, where the constable of France was making his pre- 
parations at Harfleur, Dieppe, and all along the coast as far as St. 
Valery and Crotoy ; the third from Scotland. From fear of this, the 
government of England would not allow any knights or squires to 
quit the country, but attended to the fortifying of their harbors. At 
this season Richard, earl of Arundel, admiral of the English sea, 
was cruising with sixty or fourscore large vessels, armed and fitted 
with men-at-arms and archers : he had, besides, nine light vessels 
ofl" Normandy to gain inielligence. 

We will leave for a while the duke of Bourbon and the siege of 
Taillebourg, which lasted upward of nine weeks, and relate how the 
admiral of France, with the army under his command, landed in 
Scotland, and what a handsome reception, in appearance, they met 
with from the coimtry. 



CHAPTER CLX. 

SIR JOHN DE VIENNE, ADMIRAL OF FRANCE, ARRIVES IN SCOTLAND WITH 
HIS ARMY. BE MEETS WITH BAD TREATMENT THERE. 

The French army that was bound for Scotland had very favorable 
winds, for it was in the month of May, when the weather is temper- 
ate and agreeable. They coasted Flanders, Holland, Zealand, and 
Fiiseland, and advanced until they approached so near Scotland as 
to see it ; but before they arrived there an unfortunate accident befel 
a knight of France and an expert man-at-arms, named sir Aubert 
d'Angers. The knight was young and active, and to show his agil. 
ity he mounted aloft by the ropes of his ship completely armed ; but, 
his feet slipping, he fell into the sea, and the weight of his armor, 
which sunk him instantly, deprived him of any assistance, for the 
ship was soon at a distance from the place where he had fallen. All 
the barons were much vexed at this misfortune, but they were forced 
to endure it, as they could not any way remedy it. 

They continued their voyage until they arrived at Edinburgh, the 
capital of Scotland, where the king chiefly resides when he is in that 
part of the country. The earls of Douglas and Moray, from the in. 
formation they had received, were waiting for them in Edinburgh ; 
and as soon as they were come, hastened to meet them at the harbor, 
and received them most amicably, bidding them welcome to their 
country. The Scots barons instantly recognized sir Geoffry de 
Charny, for he had resided full two months with them last summer 
in Scotland. Sir Geoffry made them acquainted, as he very well 
knew how, with the admiral and the barons of France. At that 



time the king was not in Edinburgh, but in the Highlands* of Scot- 
land : his sons received them handsomely, telling them the king 
would shortly be there. 

They were satisfied with this information, and the lords and their 
inen lodged themselves as well as they could in Edinburgh, and 
those w-ho could not lodge there were quartered in the different vil- 
lages thereabout. Edinburgh, notwithstanding it is the residence of 
the king, and is the Paris of Scotland, is not such a town as Toumay 
or Valenciennes; for there are not in the whole town four thousand 
houses. Several of the French lords were therefore obliged to take 
up their lodgings in the neighboring villages, and at Dunfermline, 
Kelson,t Dunbar, Dalkeith, and in other villages. 

News was soon spread through Scotland, that a large body of 
men-at-arms from France were arrived in the country. Some began 
to murmur and say, " What devil has brought them here ? or who 
has sent for them ? Cannot we carry on our wars with England 
without their assistance ? We shall never do any effectual good as 
long as they are with us. Let them be told to return again, for we 
are sufficienlly numerous in Scotland to fight our own quarrels, and 
do not want their company. We neither understand their language 
nor they ours, and we cannot converse together. They will very 
soon eat up and destroy all we have in this country, and will do us 
more harm, if we allow them to remain among us, than the English 
could in battle. If the English do burn our houses, what conse- 
quence is it to us ? we can rebuild them cheap enough, for we only 
require three days to do so, provided we have five or six poles and 
boughs to cover them." Such was the conversation of the Scots on 
the arrival of the French : they did not esteem them, but hated them 
in their hearts, and abused them with their tongues as much as they 
could, like rude and worthless people as they are. 

I must, however, say that, considering all things, it was not right 
for so msny of the nobility to have come at this season to Scotland : 
it would have been better to have sent twenty or thirty knights from 
France, than so large a body as five huijdred or a thousand. The 
reason is clear. In Scotland you will never find a man of worth : 
they are like savages, who wish not to be acquainted with any one, 
and are too envious of the good fortune of others, and suspicious of 
losing anything themselves, for their country is very poor. When 
the English make inroads thither, as they have very frequently done, 
they order their provisions, if they wish to live, to follow close at 
their backs; for nothing is to be had in that country without great 
difficulty. There is neither iron to shoe horses, nor leather to make 
harness, saddles or bridles : all these things come ready made from 
Flanders by sea ; and, should these fail, there is none to be had in 
the country. 

When these barons and knights of France, who had been used to 
handsome hotels, ornamented apartments, and castles with the good 
soft beds to repose on, saw themselves in such poverty, tliey began 
to laugh, and to say before the admiral, " What could have brought 
us hither ? We have never known till now what was meant by 
poverty and hard living. We now have found the truth of what our 
fathers and mothers were used to tell us, when they said, ' Go, go, 
thou shah have in thy time, shouldst thou live long enough, hard beds 
and poor lodgings ;' all this is now come to pass." They said also 
among themselves, " Let us hasten the object of our voyage, by ad- 
vancing toward England : a long stay in Scotland will be neither 
honorable nor profitable." The knights made _ remonstrances re- 
specting all these circumstances to sir John de Vienne, who appeased 
them as well as he could, saying, " My fair sirs, it becomes us to 
wait patiently, and to speak fair, since we are got into such difficul- 
ties. We have a long way yet to go, and we cannot return through 
England. Take in good humor whatever you can get. You cannot 
always be at Paris, Dijon, Beaune or Chalons : it is necessary for 
those who wish to live with honor in this world to endure good and 
evil." 

By such words as these, and others which I do not remember, did 
sir John de Vienne pacify his army in Scotland. He made as much 
acquaintance as he could with the Scottish barons and knights : but 
he was visited by so very few it is not worth speaking of; for, as I 
have said before, there is not much honor there, and they ore people 
difficult to be acquainted with. The earls of Douglas and Moray 
were the principal visitants to the lords of France. These two lords 
paid them more attention than all the rest of Scotland. But this was 
not the worst, for the French were hardly dealt with in their pur- 
chases ; and whenever they wanted to buy horses, they were asked, 
for what was worth only ten florins, sixty and a hundred : with diffi- 
culty could they be found at that price. When the horse had been 
bought there was no furniture nor any housings to be met with, un- 
less the respective articles had been brought with them from Flan- 
ders. In this situation were the French : besides, whenever their 
servants went out to forage, they were indeed permitted to load their 
horses with as much as they could pack up and carry, but they were 
way-laid on their return, and villainously beaten, robbed, and some, 
times slain, insomuch that no varlet dared go out foraging for fear of 
death. In one month the French. lost upward of a hundred varlets: 
for when three or four went out foraging not one returned, in such a 
hideous manner were they treated. 

" * En la sauvage E9co39e'^ 

t " ICelson"— Q. Kelso would have been too far distant. 



346 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



With all this the king required many entreaties before he would 
come forward : the knights and squires of Scotland were the cause 
of this, for they declared, they would not at this season wage war 
with England, that the French might pay more dearly for their com. 
ing. Before the king would come to Edinburgh, it was necessaiy 
to pay him a large sum of money for himself and his courtiers. Sir 
John de Vienne engaged, under his seal, that he would never quit 
Scotland until the king and his people were perfectly satisfied : for, 
had he not done so, he would not have had any assistance from the 
Scots. He was obliged to make this bargain or a woi-se ; but how. 
ever advantageous it was for them, and whatever affection he gained 
by it, they made the war solely profitable for themselves, as I shall 
relate in this history. At present I wish to return to what was pass, 
ing in Flanders, and to speak of the marriage of the young king of 
France, which happened at this period. 



CHAPTER CLXI. 

THE TOV/N OF ARDEMBOURG* NARROWLY ESCAPES REIMS TAKEN BY SCR. 
PRISE BY FRANCIS ATREMEN AND HIS GHENT MEN. 

After the defeat of the detachment of sir RafHart de Flandres, 
which he had led into the Quatre Mestiers, sir Robert de Bethunc, 
viscount de Meaux, came to Ardembourg, whitltcr he had been sent 
to garrison it. He found there sir John de Jumont and liis compan. 
ions : he had also brought with him about forty knights, who were 
eager to meet with adventures. On the viscount's arrival, he began 
to repair and strengthen the fortifications of the town. Francis 
Atremen and those of Ghent were constantly devising plans to annoy 
their enemies, and do them mischief. Their attention was particu. 
larly directed to places in their neighborhood, such as Oudenarde, 
Dendremonde, Ardembourg, Damme, Bruges and Sluys. It behooved 
those towns to keep a strict guard and watch well ; for in regard to 
storming and scaling towns, and such like subtleties, these Ghent 
men were very skilful and alert. 

About the end of May, Francis Atremen, with seven thousand 
armed men, sallied out of Ghent, with the intent to take Ardembourg 
by surprise, and to make all the knights and squires there in garrison 
prisoners. They were more desirous to take the governor, sir John 
de Jumont, than all the rest; for he had done them much mischief, 
by slaying and taking their people, thrusting out their eyes, cutting 
off their hands or ears, so that they could not love him. For this 
purpose, they came on Wednesday at daybreak to Ardembourg, 
having with them their ladders ready prepared. Now observe what 
great peril they were in : the viscount de Meaux, sir John de Jumont, 
sir Rafflart de Flandres, the lord de Daymart, sir Tiercclot de Mon- 
tigny, sir Perducas de Port St. Marc, the lord de Longueval and sir 
John his son, sir Hugh Desnel, the lord de Lalain, sir Reginald de 
Lommie and several more, were sleeping quietly in their beds, trust- 
ing to the watchfulness of the guard : but the guards of the night 
were almost all retired, and the watchman was mounting his post, 
when Francis Atremen and his Ghent men, with their ladders on 
their shoulders, had crossed the ditches and fixed tlieir ladders to the 
walls, which the foremost had begun to mount. 

By accident, the lord de St. Aubin and a squire from Picardy, 
called Enguerrand Zendequin, were at this moment parading the 
town close by the walls : they had with them three picards armed 
with pikes. I believe they had been on guard this night, and were 
then retiring. To say the truth, if they had not been where they 
were, Ardembourg must infallibly have been taken, and all the 
knights in their beds. Wlien the lord de St. .A.ubin antl Enguerrand 
Zendequin perceived the Ghent men mounting by ladders to the 
battlements, and that one of them was actually putting his leg over 
the wall to enter the town, they were very much alarmed, but not so 
much as to prevent them defending the place : they saw clearly, that 
if they fled, the town must be conquered ; for the Ghent men had 
arrived there so opportunely, that they were entering it just between 
the time of the dismissal of the night-guard and the watchman 
mounting his post. 

" Forward, forward I" cried sir Enguerrand to the pikemen : " here 
are our enemies: let us defend ourselves nnd our town, or it is taken." 
They then advanced to the place where they had fi.xed their ladders 
and intended entering. The pikemen attacked him who was about 
to enter so vigorously with their pikes, that he tumbled into the ditch. 
At this time, the watch was at his post, who, noticing the large bat- 
talion in the ditches and thereabouts, sounded his horn, crying out, 
" Treason, treason 1" The town was in motion, and the knights 
heard in their beds the noise and confusion, and also how the Ghent 
men wanted to surprise their town. They were very much aston- 
ished, and having anned themselves as speedily as they could, sallied 
forth against them. Notwithstanding they were discovered, the 
Ghent men labored hard to enter the town ; but those five men held 
out valiantly against them for upward of half an hour, and performed 
wonders in arms, for which they were highly praised. 

The lords now advanced in handsome array ; the viscount de 
Meaux with his banner before him, sir John de Jumont with his 
pennon, sir Rafflart de Flandres and all the others, shoutini? their 



♦Ardembourg, tan miles N. E. from Biug. 



war-cries, and found the knight and squire, with the three pikemen, 
defending the walls most gallantly. When Francis Atremen and the 
Ghent men found their scheme had failed, they called back their 
men and retreated in a handsome manner into the Quatre Mestiers. 
The garrison were more attentive in guarding their town for the 
future, and in posting their sentinels. They honored gi-eatly their 
five defenders ; for, if they had not been there, Ardembourg had been 
lost, and all their throats cut. 



CHAPTER CLXII. 

LEWIS OF FRANCE, BROTHER TO KING CHARLES VI. IS MARRIED BY PRO- 
CURATION TO MARGARET OF HUNGARY. MADAME DE BRABANT CAUSES 
THE DAUGHTER OF DUKE STEPHEN OF BAVARIA TO COME TO FRANCE TO 
MARRY KING CHARLES. 

You have before heard how the duke of Anjou, who styled him. 
self king of Naples, Sicily, and Jerusalem, had carried on a war for 
three years in la Puglia, Calabria and Naples, against Charles de 
Durazzo, and that during the last war he had died.* His opponent 
was dead also. It was said he was killed in Hungary with the con- 
sent of the queen ; for, after the death of the king of Hungary, being 
the son of his brother, he wished to maintain that the kingdom had 
devolved on him, as the king of Hungary had left no male issue. 
The queen, suspecting his intentions to disinherit her daughter, had 
him put to death.t This event caused much wonder everywhere ; 
and the war of the queen of Naples and her son Lewis, who resided 
in Avignon, was more strenuously carried on in Provence. 

During the lifetime of the late king of Hungary, the great barons 
and prelates had advised that the eldest of his daughters, the lady 
Margaret,t who was very handsome, and was likewise heiress to the 
kingdom, should be given to Lewis count de Valois, brother to the 
king of France, because they thought he would reside in Hungary, 
and the king, had he lived, would have followed this advice. 

After the decease of the king of Hungary, embassadors were sent 
to France, to the king and his uncles, to notify the wish of the queen 
of Hungary to unite the count de Valois with his eldest daughter. 
This seemed to the king and the barons of France as if it was very 
desirable, except that it would separate and place at too great a dis. 
tance the count de Valois from his family and the powerful kingdom 
of France. On the other hand, they considered it was a grand as 
well as a profitable offer for the count de Valois to be king of Hun- 
gary, which is one of the greatest realms in Christendom. The 
Hungarians sent by the queen were magnificently received, and large 
presents were made to them. The bishop dc Maillcrets and John 
de Personne, returned with them as embassadors from France, who, 
on their arrival in Hungary, espoused by procuration, in the name of 
the count de Valois, the princess Margaret. John de la Personne 
courteously lay on a bed beside hers. They then came back to 
France, and showed their letters patent and other public instruments, 
which gave great satisfaction to all France ; and the count de Valois 
signed himself king of Hungary f 5r a long time. 

You have before heard how the duke of Burgundy and duke 
Albert of Bavaria, lord of Hninault, Holland, Zealand, and Friee. 
land, had intermarried their children in the city of Cambray, at which 
marriage the king of France had assisted with great magnificence. 
Some seemed to say, as I was then informed, that the same week 
the king and all his nobles were at this marriage, there was a secret 
negotiation for a marriage between the young king of France and 
the lady Isabella, daughter of duke Stephen of Bavaria, chiefly 
through the means of the duchess of Brabant. The late king of 
France had on his dying-bed ordered, that his son should be married, 
if possible, to a princess of Germany, to strengthen the union of 
France with that country ; for he had seen that the king of England, 
by marrying the sister of the emperor of Germany, had gained by it. 
The duchess of Brabant was a lady of a very active mind ; she con. 
versed with the king's uncles and his council, wlule in the city of 
Cambray, on this subject, explaining to them, that as this young lady 
was the daughter of a great lord in Germany, and the most powerful 
in Bavaria, through him great alliances might be made in that coun- 
try ; that duke Stephen was so potent, he could well break the pur. 
poses of the great lords of the empire ; for- he was as powerful, if 
not more so, than the emperor. This object made the council of 
France listen more readily to the proposal : it was, however, carried 
on with the utmost secrecy, and very few knew anything of it until 
it W.TS settled. The reason for this you shall hear. ' It is customary 



*At the cajitle of Bideelia. near Bari. 

tTiie Hungarian noble*, tired of the government of two women (Elisabetli the wife 
of 1.0UJS, and jMary fiis daughter) and tiieir favoritee, secretly called iji Charles of Du- 
razzo, who. in spit« of ijie entreaties of his wife Margaret, whom he appoiutod rngent of 
the kingdom of Naples, set sail on the 4th September, 133^. for Signa m Sclavonio, and 
was proclaimed kinc by the nobles unanimously, in a diet held at ."Vlba-Royal. Ke 
was, however, in February, ;2?5 old style, or 138tt now style, set on by assa^fins era- 
ployed by the queen's favorites, and brouB.h'. 'o tl'e ground by a sabre cut on the liead : 
all his attendants were massacred, diaries sur\ i ,-ed his wounds, but he was imprisoned 
at Visgradi, and on the 3rd of June, 13S6, poison completed the work left unfinished by 
tlje sword. — Sismondi's Italian Ktritb.—'Ev. 

t This is a mistake : the lady's name was .Mari/. not Margaret ; Froissnrt appears to 
have been also misinformed regarding tlie proposed alUance between her and the count 
de Valois, for she Imd already been betrothed to yigisnrond. marquis of Brundenbuig, 
whom she afterwards married, and no mention is made of it by other hisloriaiis.— Ep. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



347 



in France, for the lady destined to be niarried to the king, however 
high may be her birth, to be exajiiined quite naked by ladies, whether 
she be well made, and have no apparent hindrance to her bearing 
children. As this lady was to come from so distant a countrj' as 
Bavaria; they were ignorant if she woidd be agreeable to the king, 
for otherwise everytliing would be broken off. These were the rea- 
sons why this aflair was kept so secret. About Whitsuntide the 
young lady was brought to the duchess in Brabant, who received her 
cordially, and accustomed her to the usages in France. She was 
accompanied by duke Frederick of Bavaria, her uncle, by whom, in 
truth, this marriage was first moved, for the causes which I will ex- 
plain to you. 

When duke Frederick was before Bourbourg, in the service of 
the king, lie was much feasted by the king's uncles, and the other no- 
bles, for having come two hundred leagues to serve France. They 
considered his services as verj- great ; and he always quartered near 
the king, out of affection to him, and had the greatest respect paid 
him. When he left Bavaria, he thought tliat there must be a pitched 
battle, between the kings of France and of England, either in France 
or Flanders, for such had been the current report in Germany. The 
king of France and his uncles were very thankful for his coming. 
It happened, that during the e.xpedition to Bergues and Bourbourg, 
the king's uncles and other nobles, in amicable conversation, had 
asked him if he had no daughters to marry ? for they wanted a wife 
for the king of France ; and they would prefer marrying him to 
Bavaria than elsewhere, Bavaria having formerly been in the coun. 
oils of France. Duke Frederick, in reply to this speech, said he had 
none himself, but that his brother, duke Stephen of Bavaria, had a 
very handsome one. " And how old is she ?" demanded the king's 
uncles. " Between thirteen and fourteen," replied the duke. Then, 
said the uncles, " This is what we want. Do you, on your return to 
Bavaria, talk with your brother, and..conduct your niece, as if in pil- 
grimage, to St. John at Amiens, an3jhe king shall be. placed beside 
her. Should he tind her handsome, we hope he will be desirous of 
her, for he loves beauty ; and if he appear eager for her, she shall 
be queen of France." This was the beginning of the business, and 
neither more nor less was said on the subject. The king of France 
was ignorant that anything had been mentioned respecting his 
marriage. 

Duke Frederick, on his return to Bavaria, repeated these words to 
his brother, who pondered some time on them, and thus answered, 
" Fair brother, I believe such speeches have been made to you, and 
that my daughter would be very fortunate if such a high honor as to 
become the queen of France should fall to her lot ; but the distance 
is great from hence, and it is a matter of great consideration to at- 
tempt the making a queen. I should be exceedingly vexed if, after 
having carried my daughter to France, she should be returned to me : 
and I would rather marry her at my leisure, nearer home." Such 
was the answer duke Stephen gave his brother, with which he was 
contented : and he wrote the substance of it to the uncles of the king, 
to his own uncle, duke Albert, and madanie de Brabant, to whom 
he had communicated the business on his return home. They thought 
he had been too indiflerent about it, and had made overtures else- 
where, on the subject of the king's marriage. A match was shortly 
after proposed between the king and the daughter of the duke of 
LoiTaine : she was a very handsome lady, and nearly of his own age : 
of high birth, being of the family of Blois. The duke of Lancas- 
ter's daughter, afterwards queen of Portugal, was also talked of, but 
this could not be brought about on account of the war : the aflTair was 
therefore at a stand. 

The duchess of Brabant, when at these marriages at Cambray, and 
the king and his court present, brought this subject again on the 
carpet, saying, that a union with Bavaria was the most desirable for 
the king, on account of the alliances that might be formed with the 
Germans. " It is so, indeed, lady," replied the king's uncles ; " but 
we now hear nothing of it." " Be yo^ silent," answered the duciiess, 
" and I will make such advances that you shall, without fail, have 
certain intelligence of it in the course of the summer." The pro. 
mises of the duchess were verified ; for she managed so well, that 
duke Stephen allowed his brother, duke Frederick, to conduct his 
niece, as you have before heard : and it was given out on the road, 
that they were going on a pilgrimage to St. John at Amiens. Every 
body believed it ; for the Germans are fond of performing pjlerimages, 
and it is one of their customs. After duke Frederick andSis niece, 
the lady Isabella of Bavaria, had been three days at Brussels, they 
took leave of the duchess : it was, however, her intention to be at 
Amiens as soon, if not sooner, than they were. 

They went through Hainault to Quesnoy, where they found the 
duke and duchess, and William count of Ostrevant and his wife ; 
by all of whom they were most graciously received, for duke Albert 
was his imcle. They were much surprised at their coming, and in- 
quired the reasons of it. " Certainly," said duke Frederick ; " I 
have had much difficulty to persuade my brother ; but, as you see, I 
have at last brought him to consent that I should conduct his daughter 
hither. On taking leave, he called me aside and said, ' Now, Frede- 
rick, my fair brother, you are carrying away Isabella, and upon no 
certain conditions; for if the king of France refuse her, she will be 
for ever ruined : therefore, consider well this business, for should you 
bring het back, you will never have a more bitter enemy than me :' 



and you see, my good uncle, the dangerous situation I am in." " Dear 
nephew, do not be alarmed ; for, if it please God, she shall be queen 
of France, and you stand acquited of blame, and retain tlie affections 
of your brother." They remained at Quesnoy for three weeks, during 
which time the duchess, who was very able, tutored the young lady 
of Bavaria, as to her manners and appearance ; and did not allow 
her to keep the clothes, she then wore, as being too plain and simple 
for the French fashions, but had her dressed up and adorned as if 
she had been her own child. When all had been properly prepared, 
the duchess and her daughter, the future duchess of Burgundy, set 
tut in great magnificence for Amiens, with the young lady, where 
the duchess of Brabant was already aiTived, as were ihe king, the 
duke and duchess of Burgundy, and the council. 

The lord dc la Riviere, sir Guy de Trimouille, with many barons 
and knights, went out of the city of Amiens to meet the company 
from Hainault, whom they escorted into town with many honors, and 
they visited each other out of love and affection. But the king could 
hardly close his eyes that night from the desire of seeing her who 
was afterwards his spouse. He a.skcd the lord de la Riviere when 
he should see her. This question much amused the ladies. And 
on the Friday when the young lady was dressed for the occasion, 
the three duchesses presented her to the king. She instantly kneeled 
down very low, but the king directly raised her up by tlie hand, and 
continually kept his eyes upon her : so that from that time love and 
pleasure pierced his heart. 

The constable, observing what passed, said to the lord de Coucy, 
" By my faith, this lady will remain with us : the king cannot take 
his eyes off' her." When the ladies had remained some litde time 
with the king, they took lea\'e of him, and carried back the damsel. 
But as the intentions of the king were not known, the duke of Bur. 
gundy charged the lord de la Riviere to sound him when he retired 
to his closet, which he diligently did, by saying, " Sire, how do you 
like this young lady ? will she remain with us ?" " Yes, by my 
troth, will she," replied the king ; " for she pleases us, and you will 
tell my good uncle of Burgundy to hasten the business." 

When the lord de la Riviere heard these words, he repeated them 
to the duke of Burgundy, who announced them to the ladies ; and 
they were so well pleased thereat, they began carrolling. The 
whole court were joyous on the occasion ; and it was intended by 
the king's uncles to celebrate the feast at Arras, but it did not please 
the king to go further. He entreated his uncle to make every haste, 
for he assured him that he wished no delay, but was anxious to 
have the business completed in the good city of Amiens. " Very 
well, my lord," replied the duke, "it shall be done as you order." 

The duke of Burgundy, in company with the constable, sir Guy 
de la Trimouille and several others, waited on madame de Hainault, 
and found her niece seated beside her. The duke related all that 
had passed, adding that the king haa made him alter his intention 
as to the place where the marriage ceremony was to be performed ; 
for he was so deeply smitten, that he had owned he could neither 
sleep nor take and repose on account of her whom he wished for 
his wife, but on the morrow they would cure all liis ailings. The 
duchess went out m a fit of laughter, and they separated from each 
other with much joy and satisfaction. 



CHAPTER CLXIII. 

FKANCIS ATREMEN TAEES DAMME. THOSE OF BEtJ&ES ATTEMPT TO 
RETAKE IT. 

On a Saturday night, Francis Atremen marched with seven thou, 
sand men from the Quatre Mestiers, whither he had retreated after 
the failure of Ms attempt on Ardembourg : he had promised his 
townsmen, on his departure, that he would never return until he had 
taken some good town. The Ghent men were desirous of finding 
the French employment, so that they should be unable to send more 
men to the admiral in Scotland, to make war on the English; for it 
was currently reported, that the constable, together with a large body 
of men-at-arms and cjpss-bows, was about to embark to reinforce 
those sent to Scotland.^, 

Francis Atremen, being an expert man-at-arms, sallied out one 
Saturday evening from the country called Quatre Mestiers, and when 
it was dark, advanced to the walls of Bruges, in hopes of taking it, 
but could not. When he found he could do nothing, he marched 
toward Damme, and met his spies whom he had sent thither and 
round that neighborhood : they told him he would do well to advance 
to Damme, for sii- Roger Guistelles had left it, and only women 
were there. This was true .' for he had gone to Bruges, thinking 
the inhabitants were able to defend themselves, but in this he was 
disappointed. When Francis Atremen heard that sir Roger de 
Guistelles was not in Damme, he divided his men into two divia. 
ions, and, taking the smallest, said to the other, " You will advance 
to that gate, and make no attack until you hear our trumpets sound : 
then attempt the barriers, and cut down and destroy all, and on the 
side we will break down the gate, for we shall never enter the town 
by ladders." 

His orders were punctually obeyed. He advanced with the 
smaller division, leaving the other behind him : the foremost 
marched with ladders through the ditches, where they met with no 



348 



CHRONIOLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



resistance, and, having passed the mud, fixed their ladders to the 
walls : on entering the town, they sounded their trumpets and 
made for the gates without opposition, for they were masters of the 
place, the good people being still in their beds. It was the 17th 
day of July when Damme was thus surprised. They advanced to 
tlie gate, and broke all the bars of it with strong axes : those without 
destroyed the barriers, and thus all sorts of people entered the town. 

The inhabitants began to be in motion; but it was too late, for 
they were made prisoners in their houses, and those whom they 
found armed were slain without mercy. Thus was the good town 
of Damme taken, wherein they found much wealth : in particular, 
cellars full of Malmsey and other wines. I heard also that those of 
Bruges had brought thither great riches for fear of a rebellion of the 
populace whom they suspected. Francis Atremen was much re. 
joiced on being master of Damme, and said, " Now I have well 
kept my promise to Ghent : this place will enable us to conquer 
Bruges, ^luys, and Ardembourg." He instantly issued a proclama- 
tion, that not the smallest harm or insult should be offered to the 
noble ladies in the town ; for there were seven ladies, the wives of 
knights, who had come thither to visit madame de Guistelles, who 
was with child and near lying-in. After having pillaged the town 
and put to death those who would not join their party, they began to 
repair it. 

When those in Bruges heard of this, they were much enraged, 
and not without cause : they instantly armed and marched to 
Damme, and began to skirmish and attack it ; but it was of no avail, 
for they lost more than they gained: they therefore marched back 
to Bruges. You may suppose, when this news reached Ghent, they 
were much pleased, and considered it as a valiant enterprise, and 
also looked on Francis -A.tremen as a gallant soldier. 



CHAPTER CLXIV. 

KING CHARLES ESPOUSES THE LADY ISABELLA OF BAVARIA. HE BE- 
SIEGES DAMME. 

We will return to the marriage of king Charles of France, and 
relate how it was concluded. The duchess Margaret of Hainault, 
who had the young queen under her care, on the morning of the 
wedding dressed her aut handsomely, as she knew well how to do, 
when the duchesses of Brabant and Burgundy came thither grandly 
attended by ladies and damsels. These three ladies conducted the 
lady Isabella of Bavaria in the richest covered cars ever seen, with a 
crown on her head, that was worth all tlie wealth of the country, and 
which the king had sent to her a little before. The bishop of 
Amiens performed the marriage ceremony in the presence of the 
lords and ladies before-mentioned.* After the mass and other cere- 
monies thereto appertaining, the king, with the lords, ladies, and 
damsels went to dinner, which was very sumptuous and magnificent, 
and that day the counts and barons served at it in grand array. 
After dinner, they amused themselves in different manners, which 
continued with great enjoyment until evening, when the king re 
tired with his bride. 

The feasts were continued until the Tuesday following, when 
news was brought to the king and to his council that Francis Atre- 
men had taken the town of Damme. A herald arrived at the same 
time from the duke of Bourbon, who brought letters that Taille. 
bourg, with its castle and bridge, had been subdued, and that the 
duke, with his army, was on full march to besiege Verteuil, having 
already conquered back again in Poitou and Limousin, six fortresses. 
This news rejoiced somewhat the court, and made them indifferent 
as to the loss of Damme : but it was determined the king should not 
undertake anything until he had marched to Flanders and retaken 
Damme. He declared he would enter the Quatre Mesticrs, from 
whence this mischief had sprung, and would not leave any house 
undestroyed. Messengers were immediately sent over the kingdom 
with summons for every man-at-arms to be in Picardy by the first of 
August, to march to Damme. This was soon spread through 
France, and all knights and squires made their preparations for 
waiting on the king as they had been comnunded. This same day, 
duke Frederick of Bavaria, duke Albert, Wd the other barons took 
leave of the king and departed for their homes, leaving behind the 
lady Isabella of Bavaria, now queen of France as you have heard. 
The king of France, who had sent his summons through the realm, 
declared he would not return to Paris before he had been at Damme. 
On the twentieth day of July he set out from Amiens, with the con. 
stable and many lords, and came to Arras, where he slept one night. 
On the morrow he went to Lens,t in Artois : men-at-arms \v°ere 
daily coming to him from all quarters. He continued his march un- 
til he arrived at Ypres, so that by the first of August he was before 
Damme, and quartered himself so near the town that the arrows 
flew over his head. 

Three days after\vards arrived William of Hainault, who »vas very 
welcome to the king, and to my lord of Burgundy. The siege was 
laid to Damme in a handsome manner, and Francis Atremen was 
inclosed within it. He behaved very gallantly, for every day there 

* The marri.ige took place on the 18th July, US.— Ed. 
T ■ iieili"— four lefteues from Arras. 



were attacks and skirmishes, unless prevented by short truces. 
The lord de Clary, master of the ordnance to the lord de Coucy, was 
hit by an arrow* from the town, which caused his death : it was a 
pity, for he was a gallant knight. Those of Bruges -and Ypres came 
to this siege ; and there were present upward of one hundred thou- 
sand men. The king was quartered between Damme and Ghent. 
The lord de St. Py and the lord de Guistelles were the commanders 
of the Flemings : they had about twenty-five lances, and quartered 
themselves among them for fear of dissensions. 

An attack was made on Damme at which all the lords were pres- 
ent. William of Hainault was made a knight by the king's hand, 
and that day he displayed his banner : during the course of the siege 
he showed himself an excellent knight. The French, by this assault, 
lost more than they won, for Francis Atremen had with him some 
English archers who sorely galled the assailants : he had also many 
pieces of artillery, for the town, before it was surprised, was well 
provided ; and Francis had ordered more thither from Ghent when 
he knew it was to be besieged. 



CHAPTER CLXV. 

SOME CITIZENS AT SLUYS AKE BEHEADED FOB TREASON TO THE FRENCH. 
THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY ACQUIRES SLUYS FROM SIR WILLIAM DE NAMUR, 
BY AN EXCHANGE FOR THE LANDS OF BETHUNE. 

During the siege of Damme, some of the principal citizens of 
Sluys who governed it, were accused of high treason against the 
king of France : they wanted to deliver the town to his enemies, to 
murder the governor and all his garrison in their beds, and to set 
fire to the numerous fleet of France, which was then at anchor in 
their port, well filled with all sorts of stores. Before the expedition 
to Damme, the king of France had intended to follow his admiral 
to Scotland. These wicked pepple of Sluys also meant to destroy 
the dikes of the sea, and droHiii all or the greater jiart of the army. 
This had been bargained for by those of Ghent, and it was all to 
have been done in one night : it would have been executed if one 
of the inhabitants of the town had not overheard the malice they 
were devising. He directly went to the governor and told him what 
was intended, and named the greater part of the conspirators. The 
knight was much astonished when he heard of this, and taking with 
him his garrison, which consisted of about sixty lances, went to the 
houses of the different conspirators, whom he arrested, and sent to 
separate prisons under a strong guard. He then mounted his horse 
and hastened to the king's tent, before Damme, where the duke of 
Burgundy at that time chanced to be. He related to thern all that 
he had heard and done : how near the town was being lost, and his 
army drowned. The king and liis nobles were much surprised ; and 
the governor was ordered to return to Sluys, and to keep his prison- 
ers no longer confined, but instantly to put them to death, that others 
might from them take example. The governor, on his return, had 
them beheaded, and thus ended the business. 

The same week, the duke of Burgundy, by the advice of sir Guy 
de la Trimouille, who had last summer resided at Sluys witli a con- 
siderable force, resolved to open a negotiation with his cousin, sir 
William de Namur, to obtain that town by exchange for other 
lands, to add it to the country of Flanders, which lands were equally 
profitable as to revenue. Sir Wlliam de Nuniur was much displeased 
when he first heard this proposal for an exchange ; for the town of 
Sluys, with its dependencies and sea-rights, was a noble and profita- 
ble inheritance ; it had also devolved to him from Ms ancestors, 
which made him like it the more. Notwithstanding this, since the 
duke of Burgundy was desirous of it, he found it necessary to com- 
ply. It was the intention of the duke, when in possession of it, to 
erect there a handsome and strong castle, like to Calais and other 
places, which should command the harbor of Sluys, and garrison it 
with men-at-arms and archers, so that none could approach his ter. 
ritories without danger from them. He said he would build it high 
enough to see from it twenty leagues at sea. In short, sir William 
was so hard pressed by the duke and his coimcil, that he consented to 
the exchange of Sluys for the whole territory of Bethunc, which is 
one of the fairest inheritances of the whole country. It was given 
to him and to his heirs. Immediately afterwards, the duke set work- 
men on the castle he intended to build at Sluys. We will now 
return tajthe siege of Damme, and say how it prospered. 



CHAPTER CLXVI. 

FRANCIS ATREMEN AND HIS MEN ABANDON DAMME. . THE TOWN IS DE- 
STROYED BY THE FRENCH : THEY ALSO RUIN THE COUNTRY OF THE 
QUATRE MESTIERS. 

There were several skirmishes almost daily at the barriers of 
Damme, where many were wounded and slain. The walls could 
not be approached, because the ditches were filled with mud and 
filth : and, if it had been rainy weather, the army would have hod 



* D. Sauvage's edition says, that the lord de Clary, while approachinc the town to 
view the guns on the walls was stxucb by a quarrel from one of them, not by an ar- 
row.— £0. 



CHRONMCLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &. c. 



349- 



enough to do, and must have decamped whetiier they would or not: 
but for the space of one month, during which this siege lasted, there 
never fell one drop of rain. They had provision in great abundance ; 
but the stench of the beasts killed by the army and the dead horses 
corrupted- the air, and caused many knights and squires to be so ill 
and low spirited that they retired to Bruges or elsewhere : the king 
was wont to lodge at Marie, notwithstanding his tents were lelt 
standing in the camp. It was the intention of Francis Atremen to 
hold out this siege, till the reinforcements which he expected from 
England should arrive to raise it : for it is certain that Francis, and 
the men of Ghent, had sent to England for assistance. The uncles 
of the king of England would undoubtedly have carried over a suf- 
ficency of men-at-arms and archers, if the admiral of France had not 
at that time been in Scotland with so large a force. It was confi- 
dently said, that the constable was to reinforce the admiral with 
a greater body: by which means the Flemings were not assisted, 
and those of Damme were forced to make a bad bargain of it f for 
on the 27th day of August, 1365, was the town of Damme conquered 
back again. 

When Francis Atremen found, after the king of France had be. 
sieged him for a month, that he was not to e.xpect any succor, and 
that his artillery began to fail, he was much cast down, and said to 
those of his council, " I wi'l, that all of us from Ghent return home: 
but let it be made known to them secretly, so that none of the town be 
informed of our intended departure, and attempt to save themselves 
with their wives and children, by sacrificing us. They would obtain 
peace, and we should be slain : but I must take good care to prevent 
this ; for we will keep in a body, and go round the town to visit the 
guard. We will secure all the inhabitants, not having arms, in the 
churches, and give them to understand, we do so because we expect 
a grand attack to be made to-morrow, and do not wish them to suf. 
ferfrom it. Wo must tell the guard of the night that we intend to 
beat up the enemy's quarters, and the moment we are in the plain 
we will spur for the fastest to Ghent." His council replied, that he 
had well spoken. Every man made his preparation accordingly, and 
in the eveniiig packed up their all, and put the women, children and 
lower sort ot people in the churches : they even ordered thither the 
ladies of the knights who were prisoners, telling them, that on the 
morrow there was to be a grand attack, and they wished them not 
to be frightened : all this was thought very proper. 

The first hour of the night the Ghent men went their rounds : there 
were none of their townsmen on the walls, but only those of Damme. 
Francis Atremen said to them, " Keep up a strict watch about mid- 
night ; and on no account, whatever you may see or hear, quit the 
battlements, for in the morning we shall be attacked ; but I am re- 
solved this night to beat up their quarters." His words were believed, 
for they thought he was speaking the truth. After Francis Atremen 
had arranged all his business, he ordered the gate to be opened, and 
sallied forth with those his townsmen from Ghent. They were not 
half a league from the town when day appeared, and the inhabitants 
discovered that Francis and his companions were gone off: they 
were much disheartened : but their leaders began to negotiate with 
those belonging to the king, and said they had killed Francis Atre- 
men the preceding evening. 

Several of the town, understanding that Francis Atremen was 
gone away, and the gate still open, set out from the town as fast as 
they were able. When this news arrived at the camp, the Bretons 
and Burgundians, who were eager for pillage, mounted their horses, 
and pursued them within two leagues of Ghent : several were slain, 
and upward of five hundred made prisoners ; they were not from 
Ghent, but the inhabitants of Damme who were running away. 
While they were pursuing them on all sides, the town, now defence, 
less, was attacked : the French entered it at different parts by lad- 
ders, which they carried over the ditches with much difficulty. When 
they entered, they imagined they should roll in riches ; but they found 
nothing, except poor people, women and children, and great quanti- 
ties of good wines. In spite, therefore, they set fire to the town and 
burnt almost the whole of it. The king, and duke of Burgundy 
were much ve.xed at this, but they could not prevent it. The noble 
ladies were, however, saved, but with some difficulty, from having 
any harm done to their persons. 

After Damme had been thus regained by France, the king was 
advised to decamp, and to fix his own quarters at a small town two 
leagues from Ghent called .\rtavelle, and that, during the time he 
should be there, the men-at-arms should scour the country of the 
Quatre Mestiers, and completely destroy it ; because, in former 
times, all sorts of provision were sent from thence to Ghent, and 
more assistance given to that town from those countries than from 
any others. The king of France and his army marched from before 
Damme : he took up his quarters at Artavelle ; during which time 
the rnen.at-arms destroyed the country, burning all houses, monaste. 
ries and forts which had held out for them. They left not any house 
whole, and killed or drove into the woods all the women and chil. 
dren. When the French had completed this destruction, they were 
ordered to march and lay siege to the castle of Gaure, and after. 
wards to do the same to Ghent. But all this ended in nothing. 



CHAPTER CLXVII 

THE KING OF FRANCE LEAVES FLANDERS, AND DISBANDS HIS AEMT. DF. 
RING THE TIME HE IS AT PARIS, TREATING wrTH EMBASSADORS FROM 
HUNGARY, NEWS ARRIVES THAT THE MARQUIS DE BLANCQUEFORT* 
HAD FORCIBLY MARKIED THE HEIRESS OP HUNGARY. 

Intelligence was brought to the king, while at Artavelle, that the 
queen of Hungary had sent the bishop of Vassereul, attended by 
several knights and squires as her embassadors, who had brought 
credential letters to say that they were come to seek for the lord 
Lewis of France, count de Valois, and who signed himself king of 
Hungary, whom John de la Personne,a French knight, had espoused 
by procuration for the said Lewis count de Valois. This news 
pleased greatly the king and his council, who, being desirous of pro. 
pcrly equipping the young count de Valois, resolved to return to 
France, saying they had done enough for this season. Th^ king 
set out from Artavelle the 12th day of September, and disbanded all 
his men-at-arms, when each returned to his home. The men of 
Ghent were much delighted at this event. 

The king went to Cray,t where the queen resided ; for, when he 
left -4miens to go to Flanders, she was sent thither to hold her court, 
I know not how many days he staid there with her ; but, when they 
left it, the king came to Paris, and the queen went to Vincennes, 
where she resided a while, for they were busily employed in the 
equipment of the young count, as they were anxious he should have 
furniture and attendants suitable' to his rank as king of Hungary ; 
but things iir a short time turned out differently in Hungary, as you 
shall hear.t True it is, that the queen-mother of Hungary took 
great delight in the idea of Lewis of France being king of Hungary, 
and considered her daughter as married to him. She wished not for 
any other but him for her son-in-law ; and with this intent she had 
sent the bishop of Vassereul, with many knights and squires, to con- 
duct him to his queen. 

It happened, that while these embassadors were on their road to 
France, the emperor of Germany, who styled himself king of the 
Romans, had a brother younger than himself, called Henry de Blanc- 
quefort.§ The king of the Romans had been informed of the state 
of Hungary, of the treaties which had been entered into with the 
count Louis de Valois, and that the before-named embassador was 
gone to conduct him to Hungary. The king of the Romans loved 
his brother's interest more than his cousin's, had long considered 
this business, and had already arranged it in his mind to bring it 
cautiously and secretly about according to his own plan ; for, had the 
queen of Hungary had the slightest intimation of his intent, she 
would have guarded effectually against it : but it was clear she had 
not. 

It was known to the council in Germany, that the queen of Hun- 
gary and her daughter were gone to a castle near the borders of 
Germany, to amuse themselves : upon which, the marquis de Blanc- 
quefort set off with a large body of men.at-arms, ten thousand at 
least, to lay siege to this castle and inclose the ladies within it. The 
queen, on perceiving her situation, was thunderstruck, and sent to 
know from the marquis why he thus kept her confined, and what he 
wanted. The marquis sent for answer, " it was done solely because 
she intended marrying her daughter to the brother of the king of 
France, who was a stranger, and from whom she never could have 
any comfort ;" adding, that " it would be better and more advan- 
tageous for the kingdom of Hungary, if he, who was her neighbor, 
should many her, than another, who came from such a distant country 
as Louis de Valois." The queen answered, that she had never be- 
fore heard one word of his pretensions, and for that reason had con- 
sented to her daughter's union with the brother of the king of France; 
besides, the king of Hungary, during his lifetime, had ordered Rer so 
to do." To this the marquis replied, that " he paid little attention 
to what she said ; that he had the consent and good will of the 



^ This, Isuppose. aiiouid be Brandenburgh. 

t " Cray." ti. If nut Craoniie, wliicJi is a town in Picardy. 

I Tlieremust be some mistake, or perhaps Froissart was misinformed, furl cannot 
find any mention of the crown ofHunsary being offeied to the count de Valois. Under- 
neatli is ail that is said of the matter ni the "Art de Verifier les Dates." 

Jilarv, surnamfd Kins .Vary.— -Mary, daughter of Charles tlie Great, was crowneii 
in Albe Royale, or Stol Weissembourg, in the year 138*2, under the na»ie of King Mary. 
As she was too young to govern the kingdom, the regency was given to her mother 
queen Elizabeth. Nicholas deGarn 'raving gained theconfidence of thetwo princesses, 
ruled despotically in their names, insomuch that it excited great murinurs among the 
Hungarians. In the vear 1285, Charles le Petit, king of Naples, at the solicitations of 
the discontented party, arrives atBudn, seizes the govermnent, and caused himself to be 
crowned king of Hungary in Albe Royaie the 3Uth of September, in the same year. On 
the 5th of February following, he is assassinated in Buda, by order, and in the presence 
of Elizabeth. On the 1st of May, 1383, John Horwarh, ban of Croatia, surprises the 
two queens, attended by Nicholas de Gara. while on a journey : he massacres the last 
before their eyes, drowns Ehzabeth the ensuing night, and carries off Mary prisoner to 
Croatia. Sigismond, marquis of Brandenburg, flies, o n hearing this, to deliver Mary, 
I to whom he was betrothed. He joins her at .\lbe Royale, whither she had been sent, 
marries her at that town, and is crowned king of Hungary on the lOtli of June, Whit- 
Sunday, being only twenty years old. The ban of Croatia was this same year arrested 
by his order, and expiated his crimes by tortures. Mary died at Buda, 1312. Her body 
was buried at Peter- Waradin. 

§ This should he Sigismond marquis of Brandenburg ; he was a son of the emperor 
Charles IV. and brother of the emperor Wenceslaus, and had been betrothed to Mary 
in bis infancy. The whole story concerning the comitde Valois is very apocryphal ; no 
other historian mentions it.— Ed. 



350 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, 



i P A I N , &, c . 



greater part of the Hungarian nation, and that he would, by fair 
means or otherwise, have her, now she was in his power." The 
lady was inuch cast down at these words, but, notwithstanding, held 
out as well as she could ; and, though she sent to her subjects to 
come to her assistance, none obeyed, nor did they make the least 
movement against the marquis, which plainly showed the Hunga- 
rians preferred the Germans to the French. 

When the queen 
fotmd she was not 
to expect any as. 
sistance from her 
subjects, she be. 
gan to listen to 
reason ; for the 
marquis threaten- 
ed her, that if she 
suffereS'the castle 
to be taken by 
Btorm he would 
confine her in a 
tower, where she 
would have only 
bread and water, 
as long as she 
lived. These me- 
naces frightened 
her, for the place 
was weak, and she 
had come thither 
without enough of 
men or provision. 
She therefore en- 
tered into a treaty 
with the marquis; 
and in this situa. 
tion she gave him 
her daughter, who 
was directly mar- 
ried, and he in- 
stantly went to 
bed to her. 

Thus did sir 
Henry of Bohe- 
mia, marquis de 
Btancquefort,gai]i 
-the inheritance of 

Hungary, of which he was king rather through foice than love, with 
regard to the consent of the queen-dowager; but she was obiisjed to 
abide by this bargain, or worse might have happened. News of this 
■was soon published, and it was sent to the bishop and knights of Hun- 
gary who were on their return from France ; for the count de Valois, 
iiaving completed his arrangements, had proceeded as far on his jour- 
ney as Troyes. He was much enraged when this event was told 
Slim ; but he could not any way remedy it. The Hungai-ians departed 
very angry, as indeed they had reason ; and the young count de Valois 
returned to his brother and uncles at Paris, who, having never de- 
pended much on this maniage, said, '• the count de Valois was for- 
tunate iii having his wife taken from him, for Hungary was a dis- 
tant country, and out of reach of the French, from whence they could 
never have had any assistance." These considerations made them 
indifferent about it, and induced them to think of another connection 
for him. This was the duke of Milan's daughter, heiress of Lom- 
bardy^ which territory is more valuable than all Hungary, and nearer 
at hand to the French. 

We will leave these marriages, and speak of the duke of Bourbon, 
■who, having taken Taillebourg, was in Poitou bc'sieging Verteuil ; 
and return to the admiral of France in Scotland, and say how he 
went on. 



strength, and showing his people how to bank it, a stone, shot from 
a dondaine* by the besiegers, wounded him mortally, and caused his 
instant death. This Bertrand had escaped from sixteen very dan- 
gerous sieges. His companions lamented much his death ; but, as 
that was now irretrievable, Andrew remained sole governor. Fifteen 
days afterwards, negotiations were opened, and a treaty concluded, 
that the garrison should surrender the castle, with all its provisions 




Kins Robert of Scotland an-i his .\ine Sons wlio loved arms. Designed from Contemporary UlustraUons. 



on being conducted in safety to BouIcviUe, of which place Durandon 
de la Perede was governor. Thus did the French gain the castle of 
Verteuil, which they afterwards repaired and reinforced with stores, 
artillery and me]i-at-arms. They then marched to an adjoining town 
called Cares, and when they departed thence, came to Limoges, 
where the duke of Bourbr>n remained full eight days. He was ad- 
vised to return to Paris, whicii he did, and found the king with hia 
nephew the count de Valois, who received lijm «ith great joy. 

We will now return to the affairs in Scotland, and speak of the 
admiral of France. 

CHAPTER CLXIX. 

THE SCOTTISH ARMY WITH THAT OF THE ADMIRAL OF FRANCE ENTER 

NORTHUMBERLAND EVT THE ENGLISH, BEING ON THEIR MARCH TO 

MEET THEM, THEY RETREAT WITHIN THE BORDERS. 

You have before heard how the admiral of France, with a large 
body of men-at-arms, had landed at tlie port of Edinburgh, and that 
they found it a very different country from what they had expected 
from the accounts of the barons of Scotland. The king's council 
and other barons had told those knights who had been in Scotland 
last year, particularly sir Geofl'ry de Charny and sir Amyard de 
Marse, that if the seneschal, the constable or the admiral of France 
would cross the sea to Scotland, with a thousand good lances and five 
hundred cross-bows, with armor for a thousand Scotsmen and pro- 
per equipments for the leaders, with their assistance the rest of Scot- 
land would make such a fatal irruption into England, it would never 
recover the blow. With this expectation had the French crossed the 
sea, but had not found these promises realized. In the first place, 
they met with savage people, bad friends and a poor country ; and 
the knights and squires knew not where to send their varlets to for- 
age, for they dared not do so except in very large parties for fear of 
the wicked people of the country, who lay in wait for them, attacked 
and killed them. 

At last, king Robert of Scotland arrived, with red bleared eyes, of 
the color of sandal wood, which clearly showed he was no valiant 
man, but ivlio would rather remain at home than march to the field: 
he had, however, nine sons who loved arms. On the king's arrival 
at Edinburgh, the barons of France waited on him to pay their 
respects, as they well knew how to do : the earls of Douglas, Moray, 
Mar, Sutherland, and several more, were at this intcniew. The 
admiral requested the king to fulfil the terms on which they had 



CHAPTER CLXVIII. 

-THE DUKE OF BOURBON TAKES VERTEUIL IN POITOC, AND RETUItNS TO THE 
* KING OF FRANCE AT PARIS. 

DtniiNG the time the king was before Damme, the duke of Bour- 
bon, with a handsome body of men-at-arms, made an excursion into 
Poitou and Limousin, -where he took many English castles and forts, 
such as Archeac, Garnate, Montlieu, eight leagues ffom Bordeaux, 
and Taillebourg on the Charente ; he then laid siege to Verteuil, a 
strong ca-stle in Poitou, on the borders of Limousin and Saintonge. 
Andrew Prior, an Englishman, and Bertrand de Montrinet, a Gas- 
con, were governors of Verteuil, and had -vvith them numbers of stout 
companions. There were skirmishes, therefore, almost daily at the 
barriers, and many gallant deeds of arms done, in which several 
were slain or wounded. The duke declared he would not move 
from thence until he was master of the castle, for to this efi'ect had 
he given his promise the last time he had conversed with the duke of 
Berry. 

It happened that while Bertrand de Montrinet, one of the govern- 
ors, was planning a ditch to be made within the castle to add to its 



* '■ Dondaine"— a large machine to throw stones from. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



351 



come to Scotland ; for that on his part he waa determined to enter 
England. Those barons of Scotland who were eager to advance 
themselves were rejoiced at hearing this, and replied, that if it pleased 
God, they would make such an inroad as would be both profitable 
and honorable. 

The king issued his summons for a very large annament : on the 
day fixed for their assembling at Edinburgh, there were thirty thou, 
sand men on hoi'seback, who, as they arrived, took up their quarters 
after the manner of the country, but they had not everything com- 
fortable. Sir John de Vienne was very impatient to make an excur- 
sion, and to aflbrd his men opportunities of performing gallant deeds 
of arms in England ; he no sooner saw the arrival of the Scottish 
men-at-arms, than he said it was time to march, for they had remained 
idle too long. The departure was then proclaimed, and they took 
their marcii to^va^d Ro.\burgh. The king was not with the army, but 
remained at Edinburgh : however, all his children accompanied it. 
The thousand* complete suits of armor brought from France, were 
delivered to the Scottish knights who were badly armed, and those 
who had them were much delighted. They began their march to- 
ward Northumberland, which they continued until they came to the 
abbey of Melrose, where they quartered themselves on each side of 
the river Tweed : on the morrow, they advanced to Lambir Law, and 
then came before Roxburgh. 

The governor of the castle of Roxburgh for the lord Mountague, 
to whom it belonged as well as all the circumjacent lands, was a 
knight called sir Edward ClifTord. The admiral of France, with his 
whole army, as well as the Scots, halted before it, and, having re. 
connoitred it, thought they should gain nothing by the attack, as the 
castle was large, fair, and well provided with artillery. They there- 
fore continued their march down the river, toward Berwick and the 
sea, until they came to t^^■o square towers, tolerably strong ; in which 
were two knights, father and son, of the name of Sti-ande. A good 
farm of fine fields of grass, with a country-house, was hard by, which 
was instantly burnt and the towers attacked. Several feats of arms 
were performed, and many of the Scots wounded by arrows and 
stones ; but the towers were at length taken by storm, and the knights 
within them, who had valiantly defended themselves as long as they 
had been able. 

After the conquest of these two towers, the Scots and French 
came before a very strong castle in another part of the country, 
which is called Werley ;t it belonged to sir John Mountague. Sir 
John Lassebourne was the governor for him, and had in it his wife, 
children, and all his family ; for he had been informed that the Scots 
and the French were advancing that way. He had in consequence, 
fully provided the place with men-at-arms and artillery, to the utmost 
of his power, in expectation of tlie attack. The army soon came and 
encamped before Werley, situated on a handsome river which runs 
into the Tweed below it. There was one grand assault on this castle, 
where the French behaved much more valiantly than the Scots ; for 
they crossed the ditches, though with much difficulty ; and, having 
fixed their ladders, many gallant deeds were done, for the French 
ascended to the battlements, and there fought hand to hand and 
dagger to dagger with the garrison. Sir John Lussebourne showed 
himself a good knight and powerful in arms, by engaging the French 
knights as they mounted the ladders. At this attack a German 
knight, called sir Alberis Gastelain, was slain, which was a pity ; 
many others were killed and wounded. The enemy, however, were 
so numerous, and the attack so often renewed, tiiat the castle was 
taken, and the knight, his wife, and children, who were within it. 
The French who first entered made upward of forty prisoners ; the 
castle was then burnt and destroyed, for they saw they could not keep 
nor guard it, being so far advanced in England. 

After the capture of this casrte, and of sir John Lussebourne, the 
admiral and barons of France and Scotland marched toward Amith,t 
the estate of the lord Percy, and quartered themselves all around it. 
They destroyed several villages, and marched as far as Boul,§ a 
handsome and strong castle on the sea-coast, belonging to the earl of 
Northumberland : they did not attack it, for they knew they should 
lose their labor, but continued their march to half-way between Ber- 
wick and Newcastle-on-Tyne, where they learnt that the duke of 
Lancaster, the earls of Northumberland and Nottingham, the lord 
Neville, with the barons of the counties of Northumberland, York, 
and Durham, were hastening with a large force to meet them.jl The 
admiral and barons of France were much delighted at this intelli- 
gence, for they were desirous of an engagement ; but the Scots were 
of a contrary opinion, and advised a retreat toward Scotland, on ac- 
count of their stores, and to have their own country in their rear and 
wait for the enemy on their own borders. Sir John de Vienne wished 
not to act in contradiction to their wishes, and followed what they 
had advised ; they did not therefore advance further into Northumber- 
land, but made for Berwick, of which place sir Thomas Redman was 
governor, and had with him a great number of men-at-arms. The 
French and Scots came before it, but made no attack, and continued 
their road to Roxburgh, on their return to their own country. 

* In oilier editions the number is staled as tioo hundred, wliich appears more proba- 
l)le.-ED. t"Werly." Q. ifnot tVari. 

t"Amii)i." Q.Alnwick. 5"Boul." Q. ifnot Cnrnhijl. 

K Mr. Re<!riatb, in bis Border HLfltcry, gives a very short account indeed of tliisexpedi- 
tion. and of these places ; he atlds— " It is said, they look and destroyed the castles of 
Wark. CcmbiU, and Ford." 



News was spread all over England, how the French and Scots 
had entered Northumberland, and were burning and destroying it. 
You must, however, know, that before this, the arrival of the admiral 
and the French in Scotland was known. All the lords were there, 
fore prepared, and the king had issued his summons : as they as. 
sembled, they took the road to Scotland, threatening much the Scots. 
The English at this time had made greater preparations than ever 
for their expedition to Scotland, as well by land as by sea ; for they 
had freighted six score vessels, laden with stores and provision, which 
followed their march along the coast. The king took the field, ac- 
companied by his uncles, the earls of Cambridge and Buckingham, 
his brothers sir Thomas and sir John Holland. There were also the 
earls of Salisbury and Arundel, the young earl of Pembroke, the 
young lord de Spencer, the earl of Stafford, tlie earl of Devonshire, 
and so many barons and knights, that they amounted to full forty 
thousand lances, without counting those of the duke of Lancaster, 
the earl of Northumberland, the earl of Nottingham, the lord Lucy, 
the lord Neville, and other barons of the marches, who were in pur. 
suit of the French and Scots, to the number of two thousand lances 
and fifteen hundred archers. The king, and the lords who attended 
him, had full fifty thousand archers, without including the varlets. 
He hastened so much the march of his anny after the duke of Lan. 
caster, that he arrived in the country about York ; for he had had 
intelligence on the road that there was to be an engagement between 
his men and the Scots in Northumberland ; and for this reason he 
had made as much haste as possible. The king lodged at St. John 
de Beverley, beyond the city of York, in the county of Durham, where 
news was brought him that the Scots had returned to their own 
country. The army therefore quartered themselves in the county of 
Northumberland. I will relate an accident that happened in the 
English army, which caused a mortal liatred between difierent lords. 



CHAPTER CLXX. 

SIB JOHN HOLLAND KILLS LOKD RALPH STAFFORD. THE EAEL OF STAF. 
FORD DE.MANDS JUSTICE FROM THE KINS. 

The king of England was quartered in the country round Beverley, 
in the diocese of York, with numbers of carls, barons, and knights 
of his realm ; for every one tried to be lodged as near him as possi. 
ble, more especially his two uncles. Sir Thomas Holland, earl of 
Kent, and sir John Holland, earl of Huntington, his brothers, were 
also there with a handsome company of men-at-arms. 

With the king was a knight from Bohemia, who had come to pay 
a visit to the queen ; and, out of affection to her, the king and barons 
showed him every attention. This knight was gay and handsome 
in the German style, and his name was sir Meles. It happened one 
afternoon, that two squires attached to sir John Holland quarrelled in 
the fields of a village near Beverley, for the lodgings of sir Meles, and 
followed him, to his great displeasure, with much abuse. At this 
moment two archers belonging to lord Ralph StafTo^came thither, 
who took up the quarrel of sir Meles, because he ^s a stranger : 
they blamed the squires for their language, and added : " You have 
used this knight very ill by thus quarrelling with him, for you know 
he is attached to the queen and from her country : you would have 
done better to have assisted him than to act thus." " Indeed 1" re. 
plied one of the squires to the archer who had first spoken, " thou 
villainous knave, thou wantest to intermeddle : what is it to thee if 
I laugh at his follies?" " What is it to me !" answered the archer; 
" it concerns me enough, for he is the companion of my master ; and 
I will never remain quiet to see or hear him abused." " If I thought, 
knave," said the squire, " thou wouldst aid him against me, I would 
thrust my sword through thy body." As he uttered these words, he 
made an attempt to strike him : the archer drew back, and having 
his bow ready bent, with a good arrow, let fly, and shot him through 
the body and heart, so that he fell down dead. The other squire, 
when he saw his companion fall, ran away. Sir Meles had before 
returned to his lodgings, and the two archers returned to their lord 
and related to him what had happened. Lord Ralph, when he had 
heard the whole, said, " You have behaved very ill." " By my 
troth," replied the archer, " I could not have acted othei-wise, if I 
had not wished to have been killed myself, and I had much rather 
he should die than that I should." " Well," said lord Ralph, " go 
and get out of sight, that thou mayest not be found : I will negotiate 
thy pardon with sir John Holland, either through my lord and father, 
or by some other means." The archer replied, " he would cheer- 
fully obey him." 

News was carried to sir John Holland, that one of sir Ralph Staf. 
ford's archers had murdered his favorite squire ; and that it had 
happened through the fault of the foreign knight, sir Meles. Sir 
Joim, on hearing it, was like a madman, and said he would neither 
eat nor drink until he had revenged it. He instantly mounted his 
horse, ordering his men to do the same, though it was now vciy late, 
and, having gained the fields, he inquired for the lodgings of sir 
Meles : he was told that he was lodged at the rear-guard with the 
earl of Devonshire and the earl of Staflbrd, and with their people. 
Sir John Holland took that road, riding up and down to find sir Me. 
les. As he was thus riding along a very narrow lane, he met the. 
lord Ralph Stafford : but, being night, they could not distinguish 



352 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &.c. 



each other. He called out, " Who comes here ?" He was answered, 
" I am Stafford :" " And I am Holland." Then sir John added, 
" Stafford, I was inquiring after you. Thy servants have murdered 
my squire, whom I loved so much." On saying this, he drew his 
sword and struck lord Ralph such a blow as felled him dead, whicli 
■was a oreat pity. Sir John continued his road, but knew not then 
that he'had killed him, though he was well aware he had stricken 
him down. The servants of the lord Ralph were e.xceedingly wroth, 
as was natural, on seeing their master dead : they began to cry out, 
" Holland, you have murdered the son of the earl of Stafford : heavy 
will this news be to the father when he shall know it." 

Some of the attendants of sir John Holland, hearing these words, 
said to their master, " My lord, you have slain the lord Ralph Staf- 
ford." " Be it so," replied sir John. " I had rather have put him 
to death than one of less rank ; for by this I have the better revenged 
the loss of my squire." sir John hastened to Beverley, to take ad- 
vantage of the sanctuai-y of St. John's church, whither he went, and 
did not quit the sanctuary ; for he well knew he should have much 
trouble in the army from the affection it bore to lord Ralph, and he 
was uncertain what his brother the king of England would say to it. 
To avoid, therefore, all these perils, he shut himself up in the sanc- 
tuary. 

News was carried to the earl of Stafford, that his son had been 
unfortunately killed. The earl asked who had done it. They told 
him, " Sir John Holland, the king's brother," and related why, and 
wherefore. You may suppose, that the father, having only one be- 
loved son, who was a young, handsome, and accomplished knight, 
was beyond measure enraged. He sent for all his friends, to have 
their advice how he ought to act to revenge this loss. The wisest 
and most temperate did all they could to calm him, adding, that on 
the morrow the fact should be laid before the king, and he should be 
required to see law and justice put in force. 

Thus passed the night. In the morning, the lord Ralph Stafford 
was buried in the church of a village near the spot where he fell : he 
was attended by all the barons, knights, and squires related to him 
that were in the army. After the funeral, the earl of Stafford, with 
full sixty of his own relations, and others connected with his son, 
mounted their horses, and went to the king, who had already re- 
ceived inforriiation of this unfortunate event. They found the king 
attended by his uncles and many knights. When the earl ap- 
proached, he cast himself on his knees, and thus spoke with tears 
and anguish of heart : " Thou art king of all England, and hast 
solemnly sworn to maintain the realm in its rights, and to do justice. 
Thou art well acquainted how thy brother, without the slightest 
reason, has murdered ray son and heir. I therefore come and de- 
mand justice : otherwise thou wilt not have a worse enemy than me. 
I must likewise inform thee, my son's death affects me so bitterly, 
that if 1 were not fearful of breaking up this expedition by the trouble 
and confusion I should make in the army, and the defections it would 
cause, by my honor, it should be revenged in so severe a manner 
that it should be talked of in England a hundred years to come. For 
the present, hi^ever, and during this expedition to Scotland, I shall 
not think of it ; for I like not the Scots be rejoiced at the misery of 
the earl of Stafford."* The king replied, " Be assured, I myself 
will do justice, and punish the crime more severely than the barons 
would venture to do; and never for any brother will I act other- 
wise." The earl of Stafford and hia relations answered, " Sir, you 
have well spoken, and we thank you." Thus were the relations of 
lord Ralph Stafford appeased. He performed the expedition to 
Scotland, as I shall relate to you ; and, during that whole time, the 
earl of Stafford seemed to have forgotten the death of his son, in 
which conduct all the barons thought he showed great wisdom. 



CHAPTER CLXXI. 

TBI KINS OF ENGLAND DESTROYS THE ABBEY OF MELKOSE IN SCOTLAND. 
THE BARONS OF FRANCE AND SCOTLAND INVADE CUMBERLAND. 

The army of the king of England, which consisted of seven thou- 
sand men-at-arms and sixty thousand archers, kept advancing : none 
had remained behind, for it had been confidently reported through 
England that sir John de Vienne would give them battle. Indeed, 
such were his intentions, and he had in a manner told this to the 
barons of Scotland, when he said, " My lords, make your army as 
considerable as you can ; for, if the English come as far as Scotland, 
I will offer them combat." The Scots replied, " God assist us !" but 
they afterwards changed their mind. 

The king and his army advanced beyond Durham, Newcastle-on- 
Tyne, and through Northumberland to Berwick, of which sir Mat. 
thew Redmond was governor. He received him with all due respect; 
but tlie king did not stay there long ; he continued his march, and 
the whole army crossed the river Tweed, which comes from Rox- 
burgh and the mountains in Northumberland, and took up his quar- 
ters in the abbey of Melrose. This monastei'y, in all the preceding 
wars of Englajtd and Scotland, had been spared, but it was now 
burnt and destroyed ; for it had been determined by the English to 



* The earl of Stafibrd. in the 9th Kic. U., made a pilsrimnee to Jeru^alom, probably 
on the loss of his son. and died the ensuing year, on his return, at Rliodes. 



ruin everything in Scotland before they returned home, because the 
Scots had allied themselves with the French. 

The admiral of France, on learning that tlie king of England and 
his army had crossed the Tyne and Tweed, and were now at Lam- 
bir Law, said to the Scottish barons, " Why do we remain here, and 
not reconnoitre our enemies to fight them? You told us, before we 
came into this country, that if you had a thousand, or thereabouts, 
of good men-at-arms from France, you would be sufficiently strong 
to combat the English. I will warrant you have now a thousand, if 
not more, and five hundred cross-bows; and I must tell you, that the 
knights and squires who have accompanied me are determined men- 
at-arms, the flower of knighthood, who will not fly, but abide the 
event, such as God may please to order it." The barons of Scot- 
land, who well knew the strength of the English army, and had not 
any desire of meeting it, answered, " Faith, my lord, we are con- 
vinced that you and your companions are men of valor, and to be 
depended on ; but we understand that all England is on its march to 
Scotland, and the English were never in such force as at present. 
We will conduct you to a place from whence you may view and 
consider them : and if, after this, you should advise a battle, we will 
not refuse it, for what you have repeated as having been said by ua 
is true." " By God, then," said the admiral, '* I will have a battle." 

Not long afterwards, the earl of Douglas and the other Scots barons 
earned the admiral of France to a high mountain, at the bottom of 
which was a pass through which the English would lie forced to 
march with their baggage. From this mountain, where the admiral 
was stationed, with many of the French knights, they clearly saw the 
English army, and estimated it, as nearly as they could, at six thou- 
sand men-at-arms, sixty thousand archers and stout varlets. They 
allowed they were not in sufficient force to meet them in battle, for 
the Scots were not more than one thousand lances, with about thirty 
thousand others badly armed. The admiral said to the earls of 
Douglas and Moray, " You were in the right in not wishing to fight 
the English ; but let us consider what must be done, for they are 
numerous enough to oveiTun your whole country and ruin it. Since 
we are not able to combat them, I request you will lead us by un- 
frequented roads into England, and let us carry the war into their 
own country, as they liave done here, if such an enterprise may be 
practicable." The barons told him, it was very practicable. 

Sir John de Vienne and the Scots barons resolved in council, tcv 
quit that part of the country and suffer the English to act as they 
pleased in it, and to make an inroad on Cumberland, near Carlisle, 
where they should find a plentiful country, and amply revenge them- 
selves. This resolution was adopted. They marched their men in 
an opposite direction to the English, through forests and over moun- 
tains, and laid waste the whole country on their line, burning towns, 
villages and houses. The inhabitants of Scotland carried their pro. 
visions to their retreats in the forests, where they knew the English 
would never seek for them. The Scots barons marched hastily 
through their own country ; ajid the king, not being well enough in 
health to accompany them, retired into the highlands, where he re- 
mained during the war, and left his subjects to act as well as they 
could. The French and Scots passed the mountains which divide 
Cumberland from Scotland, and entered England, when they began 
to burn the country and villages, and to commit great devastations 
on the lands of Mowbray, belonging to the earl of Nottingham, on 
those of the earl of Stafford, as well as on the lands of the baron of 
Grisop* and of the lord Musgrave, and then continued their march 
to Carlisle. 

CHAPTER CLXXI I. 

THE KING OF ENGLAND DESTROYS EDINBURGH, AND GREAT PART OF 
SCOTLAND. THE FRENCH AND SCOTS DO THE SAME ON THE BORDERS 
AND IN NORTHUMBERLAND, 

While the admiral of France and those with him, such as the 
count de Grand Pr(:, the lord de Sainte Croix, sir Geoffry de Charny, 
sir William de Breune, sir James de Boenne, the lords de Peigny, de 
Hees, de Marnel, sir Valeran de Rayneval, the baron d'lvry, the 
baron de Fontaines, the lord de Croy, sir Braque de Bracquemont, 
the lord de Lendury, amounting to a thousand lances at least, of 
barons and knights of France, with the lords of Scotland and their 
army, were thus overrunning the northern parts of England, burning 
and destroying the towns, houses and country ; the Idng of England, 
with his uncles, barons and knights, had entered Scotland, wasting 
the country as they advanced. The English had quartered them- 
selves at Edinburgh, where the king remained for fi\e days. On 
their departure, everything was completely burned to the ground 
except the castle, which was very strongly guarded. 

During the residence of king Richard at Edinburgh, tlie English 
overran the whole country in the neighborhood, and did greiit mis. 
chief; but they found none of the inhabitants, for they had retreated 
into forts and thick forests, whither they had driven all their cattle. 
In the king's army there were upward of one hundred thousand 
men, and as many horses ; ot course, great quantities of provision 
were wanted ; but, as they found none in Scotland, many stores fol- 
lowed them from England by sea and land. When the king and his 
lords left Edinburgh they went to Dunfermline, a tolerably handsome 



" Gri»3p." U. Gre^stocke. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



353 



town, where is a large and fair abbey of black monks, in which the 
kings of Scotland have been accustomed to be buried. The king 
was lodged in the abbey, but after his departure the army seized it, 
and burnt both that and the town. They marched toward Stirling 
and crossed the river Tay,« which runs by Perth. They made a 
grand attack on the castle of Stirling, but did not conquer it, and 
had a number of their men killed and wounded : they then marched 
away, burning tlie town and the lands of the lord de Versy. 

The intention of the duke of Lancaster and of his brothers, as 
well as of several knights and squires, was to lay waste all Scotland, 
and then pursue the Frencli and Scots (for they had information of their 
march to Carlisle,) and by this means inclose them between England 
and Scotland, so that they should have such advantage over them, 
not one would return, but all should be slain, or made prisoners. In 
the mean time, their army overran the country at their pleasure, for 
none ventured to oppose them, the kingdom being void of defence, 
as the men-at-arms had all followed the admiral of France. The 
English burnt the town of Pertli, which is on the banks of the Tay, 
and has a good harbor, from whence vessels may sail to all parts of 
the world. They afterwards burnt Dundee, and the English spared 
neither monasteries nor churches, but put all to iire and flame. The 
light troops of the English, and the vanguard, advanced as far as the 
city of Bredane,t which is situated on the sea, at the entrance into 
the highlands, but they did no harm to it, though the inhabitants 
were exceedingly alarmed, supposing they should be attacked, and 
that the king of England was coming. 

Just in the same manner as the English conducted themselves in 
Scotland, did the French and Scots in Cumberland, and on the 
borders of England, where they burnt and destroyed large tracts of 
country. They entered Westmoreland, passing through the lands 
of Greystock, and of the baron CliflTord, and burnt on tlieir march 
several villages where no men-at-arms had before been. They met 
with no opposition, as the country was drained, for all men-at-arms 
were with the king in his expedition. They came at length before 
Carlisle, which is well inclosed with walls, towers, gates and ditches : 
king Arthur formerly resided here more than elsewhere, on account 
of the fine woods which surround it, and for the grand adventures 
of arms which had happened near it.t 

There were in the city of Carlisle, sir Lewis Clifford, brother to 
sir William Neville, sir Thomas Musgrave and his son, David Holl- 
grave, the earl of Angus, and several others from the neighborhood ; 
for Carlisle is the capital of that part of the country, and it was for- 
tunate to have such men to defend it. When the admiral of France 
and his army arrived, he made a very severe attack with ordnance, 
which lasted some lime, but there were within those capable of 
making a good defence, so that many handsome feats of arms were 
performed before Carlisle. 



CHAPTER CLXXIII. 

THE EARL OF SUFFOLK PREVENTS THE ZINS OF ENGLAND FROM PUR- 
SUINC5 THE FRENCH AND SCOTS WHO HAD INVADED ENOLAND. THE 
ENGLISH AR5IY RETURN HOME THE SAME WAY THET HAD ENTERED 
SCOTLAND. THE FRENCH AND SCOTS RETURN IN A SIMILAR MANNER. 

The king's uncles and the other lords supposed the admiral of 

France and the Scots would continue their march, and that they 

would do as much mischief as they could on the borders and in 

Cumberland. They therefore thought they could not do better, 

when their stores were all arrived, than to follow their line of march 

until they should overtake and fight them ; for, as they could not any 

way escape, they must be attacked to a disadvantage. Of this opin. 

ion was the duke of Lancaster, his brothers, several of the nobles of 

the rgalm, and the greater part of the army. Their stores were now 

all arrived by sea or land, and the king had, in the presence of his 

uncles, ordered this plan to be adopted. But in one night, Michael 

de la Pole, earl of Suffolk, who at that time was the heart and sole 

council of the king, and in whom he placed his whole confidence, 

undid the whole business. I know not what his intentions were for 

so doing ; but I heard afterwards, he should say to the king, " Ah, 

ah, my lord, what are you thinking of? You intend then to follow 

tlie plan your uncles have devised. Know, that if you do so, you 

will never return, fur the duke of Lancaster wishes for nothing more 

earnestly than your death, that he may be king. How could he dare 

advise your entering such a country in the winter ? I would recom- 

Ihend you not to cross the Cumberland mountains, where are thirty 

passes so narrow, that if once you be inclosed within them, you will 

run into the greatest danger from the Scots. Never engage in such 

a perilous expedition, whatever they may say to you ; and if the 

duke of Lancaster be so desirous to go thither, let him, with that 

division under his command : for never, with my consent, shall you 

undertake it. You have done enough for one time : neither your 

father, nor your grandfather Edward, have been so far in Scotland as 

you have now been. This, I say, should satisfy you. Take care 

of your own person, you are young and promising; and there are 

those who profess much, but who little love you." 

* There is a mistake in geography here, for the Tay does not run near the road to 
Btirhng. I should suppose he must mean the Forth, t " Bredanc." Q. Atwrdeen. 
J Frgissart mislalies Uiis place, probably, for Carleon 



These words made so strong an impression on the king, he could 
never get them out of his head, as I shall hereafter relate. On the 
morrow morning, when the lords of England were preparing for their 
march toward Carlisle, in search of the French, and to fight with 
them, as had been resolved in council the preceding night, the duke 
of Lancaster waited on the king, ignorant of what had passed 
between his nephew and lord Suffolk. When the king saw him, 
being peevish and choleric from the preceding conversation, he said, 
harshly, " Uncle, uncle of Lancaster, you shall not yet succeed in 
your plans. Do you think that, for your fine speeches, we will 
madly ruin ourselves ? I will no longer put my faith in you nor in 
your councils, for I sec in them more loss than profit, both in regard 
to your own honor and to that of our people : therefore, if you be 
desirous of undertaking this inarch, which you have advised, do so, 
but I will not, for I shall return to England, and all those who love 
me will follow me." " And I will follow you," replied the duke of 
Lancaster : " for there is not a man in your company who loves you 
so well as I do, and my brothers also. Should any odier person, 
excepting yourself, dare say the contrary, or that I wish otherwise 
than well to you and to your people, I will throw him my glove." 
No answer was made by any one. The king was silent on the 
subject. He only spoke to those who served him, on different mat- 
ters, and then gave orders for returning to England by the way they 
had come. The duke left the king quite melancholy, and went to 
make other preparations ; for he had concluded they were to pursue 
the French and Scots, who had already advanced beyond the bor- 
ders ; but, as this was altered, they took the direct road to England. 

Thus did the earl of Suffolk, who governed the king, break up 
this expedition. Some lords said, the king had been badly advised, 
not to pursue the Scots, as they had all their stores with them, and 
it was still in their way home. Others, afraid of the difficulties, said 
that, concerning all things, as well the quantity of provisions neces. 
sary for so large an amiy, as the hardships they would be exposed 
to in the winter season, when crossing the Cumberland mountains, 
they might lose more than they could gain. Thus were affairs 
managed. The English army returned, with the king and barons, 
by the way they had entered Scotland, but not before they had des- 
troyed the greater part of that country. 

News was brought to the admiral of France that the English were 
retreating homeward. They called a council to deteiTnine how they 
were to act, when it was resolved that, as their provision began to fail, 
they would return to Scotland, for they were now in a poor country, 
having ruined all round Carlisle, and the lands of lord Clifford, lord 
Mowbray and the bishop of Carlisle ; but the city of Carlisle they 
could not conquer. The French said among themselves, they had 
burnt in the bishopricks of Durham and Carlisle more than the value 
of all the towns in the kingdom of Scotland. The French and Scots 
marched back the way they had come. When arrived in the low- 
lands, they found the whole country ruined ; but the people of the 
country made light of it, saying, that with six or eight stakes they 
would soon have new houses, and find cattle enow for provision: 
for the Scots had driven them for security to the forests. You must, 
however, know, that whatever the French wanted to buy, they were 
made to pay very dear for; and it was fortunate the j'rench and 
Scots did not quarrel with each other seriously, as there iftre frequent 
riots on accoun' of provision. The Scots said, the French had done 
them more mischief than the English : and when asked, '* In what 
manner?" they replied, " by riding through their corn, oats and bar- 
ley, on their march, which they trod under foot, not condescending 
to follow the roads, for which damages they would have a recom- 
pense before they left Scotland ; and they should neither find vessel 
nor mariner who would dare to put to sea without their permission." 
Many knights and squires complained of the timber they had cut 
down, and of the waste they had committed to lodge themselves. 



CH.A.PTER CLXXIV. 

THE SCOTS TREAT THE ADMIRAL OF FRANCE AND HIS MEN VERY HARSHLY. 
THEY RETURN TO FRANCE. 

When the admiral, with his barons, knights and squires, were re- 
turned to the neighborhood of Endinburgh, they suffered much from 
famine, as they could scarcely procure provisions for their money. 
They had but little wine, beer, barley, bread, or oats: their horses, 
therefore, perished from hunger, or were ruined through fatigue ; and, 
when they wished to dispose of them, they could not find a purchaser 
who would give them a groat either for their horses or housings. 
These lords remonstrated with their commander on the manner in 
which they were treated, a circumstance well known to himself. 
They said, " they could not long endure such difficulties, for Scot- 
land was not a country to encamp in during the winter; and that, if 
they were to remain the ensuing summer, they should soon die of 
poverty. If they were to spread themselves over the country, to bet- 
ter their condition, they were doubtful if the Scots, who had so vil- 
lainously treated their foragers, would not murder them in their beds, 
when they should be divided." 

The admiral, having fully weighed what they said, saw clearly 
they were justified in thus remonstrating; notwithstanding, he had 
intentions of wintering there, and of sending an account of his situ- 



3S4 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, & c . 



ation to the king of France and duke of Burgundy, who, as the adrai- 
lal imagined, would hasten to him reinforcements of stores, provision 
amd money, with which, in the course of the summer, he would be 
enabled to carry on an advantageous war against the English. But 
having considered how ill intentioned the Scots were, and the dan. 
ger his men were in, as well as himself, he gave pemiission for all 
who chose to depart. But how to depart was the difficulty, for the 
barons could not obtain any vessels for themselves and men. The 
Scots were willing that a few poor knights who had no great com. 
mand should leave the country, that they might the easier govern 
rile rest. They told the barons of France " that their dependents, 
when they pleased, might depart, but that they themselves should 
not quit the country until they had made satisfaction for the sums 
&at had been expended for the use of their army." 

This declaration was very disagreeable to sir John Vienne and 
fee other French barons. The earls of Douglas and Moray, who 
pretended to be exasperated at the harsh conduct of their country- 
men, remonstrated with them, that they did not act becoming men. 
at-arms, nor as friends to the kingdom of France, by this behavior 
to its knights : and that henceforward no Scots knight would dare 
So set his foot in France. These two earls, who were friendly enough 
fo the French barons, pointed out the probable effect their conduct 
would have on their vassals ; but some replied, " Do dissemble with 
shem, for you have lost as much as we." They therefore told the 
admiral, they could not do anything for him : and, if they were so 
anxious about quitting Scotland, they must consent to make good 
(Sieir damages. The admiral seeing nothing better could be done, 
and unwilling to lose all, for he found himself very uncomfortable, 
aerounded by the sea, and the Scots of a savage disposition, acceded 
6i> their proposals, and had proclaimed through the realm, that all 
&ose whom his people had injured, and who could show just cause 
Sk amends being made them, should bring them their demands to 
Ste admiral of France, when they would be fully paid. This proc. 
tarnation softened the minds of the people ; and the admiral took 
every debt on himself, declaring he would never leave the country 
■ntil everything were completely paid and satisfied. 

Upon this many knights and squires obtained a passage to France, 
and returned through Flanders, or wherever they could land, fam. 
ished, and without arms or horses, cursing Scotland, and the hour 
they had set foot there. They said they had never suffered so much 
in any expedition, and wished the king of France would make a 
truce with the English for two or three years, and then march to 
Scotland and utterly destroy it: for never had they seen such wicked 
people, nor such ignorant hypocrites and traitors. The admiral 
wrote to the king of France and duke of Burgundy, by those who 
first returned, a full state of his situation, and how the Scots acted 
toward him : that if they wished to have him back, they must send 
Mm the full amount he had engaged to pay the Scots, and for which 
he had boimden himself to the knights and squires of Scotland : for 
die Scots had declared, that they had at this time made war for the 
king of France and not for themselves ; and that the damages which 
fte French had committed must be satisfied before they would be 
allowed to return, which he had promised and sworn to perform to 
Ae barons f Scotland. 

It was incumbent on the king of France, the duke of Burgundy 
■sd their councils, to redeem the admiral, for they had sent him 
&ither. They had the money instantly raised, and deposited in the 
town of Bruges, so that the whole demand of the Scots was paid to 
&eir satisfaction. The admiral left Scotland when he had thus 
amicably settled matters, for otherwise he could not have done it; 
and taking leave of the king, who was in the highlands, and of the 
earls of Douglas and Moray, was attended by them to the sea-shore. 
He embarked at Ediiiburgh, and having a favorable wind, landed at 
Sluya in Flanders. Some of his knights and squires did not follow 
the same road, as they were desirous of seeing other countries besides 
Scotland, and went into different parts ; but the greater number re- 
tnnied to France, and were so poor that they knew not how to 
remount themselves : especially those from Burgundy, Champagne, 
Bar, and Lorrain, who seized the laboring horses wherever they found 
tiiem in the fields. 

The young king of France, and the duke of Burgundy, feasted 
the admiral splendidly on his return, as was but just. They made 
many inquiries respecting the situation of the king and barons of 
Scotland. He told them " the Scots would naturally incline to the 
English, for they were jealous of foreigners ; and added, that as 
God may help him, he would rather be count of Savoy or of Artois, 
w some such country, than king of Scotland : that he had seen the 
whole force of that country as,sembled together, as the Scots had 
assured him, but there were never more than five hundred knights 
and squires together, and about thirty thousand other men, who 
would be unable to withstand the English archers, or a thousand 
men-at-arms." The admiral was asked, " if he had seen the Eng- 
Ksh army." He replied ho had ; " for when I saw the manner in 
which the Scots fled from the English, I requested tliey would lead 
me to a place whence I might see and consider them. They did so, 
and I saw them pass through a defile, to the amount of sixty thou, 
sand archers, and six or seven thousand men-at.arme. Tire Scots 
said, ' that this was the whole strength of England, for none had 
»»niained behind.' " The company paused a little, and said, " Siity 



thousand archers and six or seven thousand men-at-arms is a great 
force." " They may be as many as that," said the constable of 
France ;* " but I would rather combat the whole of them in their 
own country than one-half on this side the water, for this was the 
doctrine my master taught me in my youth." " By my faith, con- 
stable," replied sir John de Vienne, " if you had been there with a 
good command of men-at-arms and Genoese, as I proposed, and as 
it was agreed on when I undertook this expedition, we would have 
engaged them when in Scotland, or destroyed them from want of 
provision." 

In this manner did the constable and admiral converse, which 
excited a great desire in the duke of Burgundy to make a powerful 
invasion of England. We will now for a while leave them, and 
return to the affairs of Flanders. 



CHAPTER CLXXV. 

THE STATE OF FLANDERS. TWO HONEST BUKGESEES OF RHENT NE&OTIATE 
SECRETLY A PEACE WITH THE DUKE OF BURSUNDY, WITH THE ASSENT 
OF FRANCIS ATREMEN. 

In truth, the duke of Burgundy had a strong desire to undertake 
a grand expedition against England in the ensuing summer of 1386, 
and did all he could to urge the king of France to consent to it. On 
the other hand, the constable of France, who in his youth had been 
educated in England, and was a knight of gallant enterprise and 
much beloved in Fiance, advised it strongly, as did sir Guy de la 
Trimouille and the admiral of France. The duke of Berry was at 
this time in Poitou, and in the upper parts of Limousin, ignorant of 
these councils and this intended expedition. The duke of Burgundy 
was the greatest personage in France, next the king : he had many 
designs, and knew that, as long as the war continued in Flanders, 
the invasion of England could not take place : he was therefore 
much softened, and more inclined to enter into a treaty with the town 
of Ghent ; for they had allied themselves with the king of England, 
who had sent thither a knight, called the lord Bourchier, to advise 
and govern them. The citizens of Ghent were also desirous of 
peace ; for they had suffered so much from the war that the richest 
and principal persons of the town were no longer masters of their 
property : it was at the command of a few wicked soldiers, who 
governed them at their pleasure : the wisest foresaw that this could 
not last long without their being entirely ruined. When they were 
talking over their affairs among themselves, some wondered they had 
been thus long kept together in unity ; but others knew that unity to 
have been the effect of force, and more through fear than love, for 
Peter du Bois would not desist from his wickedness, and none dared 
before him to speak of peace or of treating : the moment he heard 
of any one thus talking, he was instantly arrested, however respecta. 
ble he might be, and put to death. 

This war, which Ghent had carried on against its lord the earl 
Lewis of Flanders and the duke of Burgundy, had lasted near seven 
years ; and it would be melancholy to relate all the various unfortu. 
nate events which it had caused. Turks, Saracens and Pagans 
would have been sorrowful on hearing them, for all conmierce by 
sea was ruined. The sea-coasts from east to west, and all the north, 
suffered from it ; for in truth the riches and merchandise of seven, 
teen kingdoms were sent to Sluys, and the whole was unshipped at 
Damme or Bruges. Now consider, that if these distant countries 
suffered, still more bitterly must those nearer have felt it. No means 
of peace could be imagined. It was first thought on by the grace 
of God and divine inspiration, and by the prayers of devout people 
to the LoKD, who, at their request, opened his ears, and took pity on 
the poor people of Flanders. 

I will detail how a peace was made between them and thejluke 
of Burgundy, as minutely as I have before related the cause of the 
war, which originated in the hatreds of Gilbert Mathew, John Lyon, 
and their accomplices, and I shall beg you will have the goodness to 
attend to me. At the time I am now speaking of, the lord Bourcliier 
governed the city of Ghent for the king of England, and Peter du 
Bois assisted him in maintaining his authority, and retaining the 
affections of the wicked. There were several prudent men that 
were disgusted with such dissensions, and who had suffered much 
from them : they dared not open themselves to each other but in 
secret, for if Peter du Bois heard that any person was desirous of 
peace, he was put to death without mercy, in like manner as he and 
Philip von Artaveld had slain sir Symon Bete and sir Gilbert Gente, 
and latterly, in order to frighten the town of Ghent, they had de- 
stroyed many of the inhabitants. 

When Francis Atremen had been driven from the town of Damme 
by the king of France, who, having totally burnt and destroyed the 
Quatre Mestiers, was returned to France, as it has been before re- 
lated, the principal persons of Ghent supposed the king would, the 
ensuing summer, return before that town with'a very powerful army. 
Peter du Bois and those of his party were unwilling to believe it, 
' adding, they should be very glad to see the king come thither, for 
they had formed such strong alliances with the king of England as 
to be certain of assistance. At this time, there were in Ghent two 
1 valiant men, of good life and conversation, of moderate birt h and 
I * Oliver ie Clision. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



3SI 



fortune, neither of the higliest nor of the richest, who were very 
much vexed at this war against its natural lord the duke of Burgundy, 
but were afraid openly to declare their sentiments, from the exam- 
ples which had been made by Peter du Bois. One of them was a 
mariner ; the other the most considerable butcher in the market, 
called James d'Ardembourg. By these two men was the business 
first brought about. In addition to them, I must include a worthy 
knight of Flanders, named sir John d'Elie, a prudent intelligent man, 
who interested liimself much in this affair; but, if it had not been 
through the means of the two aforementioned persons, he would not 
have interfered in it so happily ; nor, as it may easily be believed, 
could all the knights of Flanders have succeeded. 

This sir John d"Elle was much beloved by many in the town of 
Ghent, and he went in and out at his pleasure, without being sus. 
pected by any one. At the beginning he was afraid of talking either 
about war or peace ; nor would he ever have done so, if it had not 
been previously mentioned by Roger de Cremin and Jame« d'Ardem- 
bourg, and I will tell you how it happened. These two were much 
displeased at the continued troubles in Flanders, insomuch that they 
conversed together on the subject, when Roger said to James, 
" Whoever could interfere between this our native town of Ghent, 
which is so much oppressed, and the duke of Burgundy our natural 
lord, would do a deed of great charity, and acquire by it grace from 
God and praise from men ; for the differences and confusion which 
arc so unbecoming would by this means be put an end to." 

" You speak truly, Roger," replied Ja'mes ; " but it will be a dif- 
ficult and dangerous thing to do, on account of Peter du Bois : no 
one dares talk of peace from fear of him, for if he knew of it, those 
who had meddled in the business would instantly be put to death." 
" What 1" said Roger, " shall things then remain always as they are ? 
There must be an end to it." " Tell me how," answered James, 
" and I will cheerfully listen to you." Roger replied, " You are the 
principal buicher in the market, the richest and most respected : you 
can talk secretly and boldly with your most confidential friends and 
brethren in trade ; and when you shall find theyunderstand you, by 
degrees you can draw them more forward. I, on the other hand, 
who ain a mariner, and well beloved by all such sort of peo])le, 
whose courage I know, and who hate the war, for they have lost 
much by it, will remonstrate with some of them on the subject, and 
they will induce others to incline the same way : when we shall have 
gained over these two trades, which are numerous and powerful, the 
other trades, and honest people who wish for peace, will join us." 
" Very well," said James ; " I will sound my people : do you the 
same by yours." 

Each of them performed his promise ; and they discoursed so pru- 
dently with their friends on the subject that, through the grace of 
the Holy Spirit, James d'.\rdembourg found all his brother butchers 
well inclined to his way of thinking. Roger, on the other hand, 
with his eloquence, brought the mariners, who were anxious to re- 
gain the pilotage they had been so long deprived of, to the same 
opinion. When these two honest men were conversing on the busi. 
ness, and had shown how desirous they had found their people to 
obtain peace, they said, " We want a proper person to represent our 
situation to the duke of Burgundy," and instantly thought of sir 
John d'EUe, on whom they determined to call, as he was then in the 
town. This they did, and loyally told him their whole secret, say- 
ing, " Sir John, we have so effectually worked pn our brethren of 
the trade, they are all eager for peace ; but on condition that my lord 
of Burgundy will engage to pardon every one, and keep to us our 
ancient privileges, for which we can show sealed charters." Sir 
John replied, "You say well, and Twill cheerfully negotiate the 
matter between you." 

The knight waited on the duke of Biu-gundy, who at the time was 
in France with the king, and related to him all he had heard. He 
demonstrated so well the advantages of the business, that the duke 
willingly listened to his proposals. In truth, he was desirous of 
peace with Ghent, on accoimt of the intended expedition which he 
wished the king to make against England. His own council advised 
it, as did sir Guy de la Trimouille, sir John de Vicnne, and also the 
constable of France and the lord de Coucy. He therefore told the 
knight he would assent to the terms proposed, and that he might re- 
turn with his answer to those who had sent him. The duke inquired 
if Francis Atremen had been present when this matter was brought 
forward : he said, " No, my lord : he is governor of the castle of 
Gaurc ; and I know not if those who have sent me would like he 
should be made acquainted with the business." "Tell them," an- 
swered the duke, " to speak to him boldly on the subject : he will 
not do anything in opposition, for I understand he most earnestly 
wishes to make his peace with me." The knight returned to Ghent 
with this good news, with which they were well pleased. He then 
went to the castle of Gaure to Francis Atremen, when he opened 
the whole matter to him, but under secrecy. Francis, having 
paused a Uttle, replied gayly, •' Since my lord of Burgundy is will- 
ing to pardon everything, and to secure to the town of Ghent its 
privileges, I will no longer be a rebel, but endeavor by all means to 
obtain my peace." 

The knight left Francis Atremen in Gaure, and returned to the 
duke of Burgundy in France with the account how matters .stood. 
The duke heard him with pleasure, and wrote very amicable letters 



to those of Ghent, sealed with his seal, and on this issue of the treaty 
the knight went back to Flanders and to Ghent, but he did not cany 
thither his letters : he, however, gave such assurances to Roger 
Cremin and James d'Ardembourg that he had them to produce, as 
to lead them to consider the affair as good as concluded. Now, 
consider what great peril these men and the knight were in ; for, U 
the lord Bourchier or Peter du Bois had known of it, their Uvea 
would have paid the forfeit. 



CHAPTER CLXXVI. 

THE TWO CITIZEXS FIX ON A DAY TO ASSEMBLE TH£IR FRIENDS, 10 AC 
CO.MPLISH THEIR PLAN. ALL GHENT ARE UNANIMOUS FOR PEACE, 
NOTWITHSTANDING THE ATTEMPTS TO PREVENT IT BY THE GOVERNOK 
FOR THE KING OF ENGLAND AND PETER DU BOJS. 

Roger Cremin and James d'Ardembourg, by whom the whole 
business was managed, said to sir John d'Elle : " Come hither on 
Thursday morning exactly at nine o'clock, and bring my lord rf 
Burgundy's letters with you ; we will show them, if we succeed in 
otu- intentions, to the commonalty of Ghent, and have them pubUcly 
read ; by which means they will put greater confidence in them, for, 
at the time we mention, we shall be masters of the town, or dead 
men." Sir John replied, he would do as tliey had said ; when their 
council broke up, and sir John left the town to consider how he was 
to act. These two citizens were very active to complete their plana^ 
and constantly busy with their principal supporters, the deans of 
guilds. By their assiduity, they had gained over the greater number 
of the populace ; and it was ordered, at eight o'clock on Thursday, 
they should quit their houses, the banner of Flanders displayed be- 
fore them, and shout, " Flanders for the Lion ! the lord of the coim. 
try grants peace to the good town of Ghent, and pardon to all evil- 
minded persons." 

This business could not be carried on so secretly but that Peter dn 
Bois knew of it : the moment he had the information, he went to the 
lord Bourchier, who was governor-in-chief for the king of England, 
and said to him : " My lord, Roger Cremin and James d'Ardem- 
bourg intend assembling the inhabitants to-morrow morning, at eight 
o'clock, in the inarket-place, with the banner of Flanders in their 
hands, and are to shout out through the streets, ' Flanders for the 
Lion I the lord of the countiy grants peace and pardon to the good 
town of Ghent for all misdemeanors.' What are we now to do? 
The king of England will no longer be obeyed in this town, if we 
be not beforehand with them, and drive them out of our territories." 
*' How shall we do this ?" replied the lord Bourchier. Peter saidl, 
" We must assemble all our people to-morrow morning in the towa- 
house, when, after we have armed them, we will march through the 
town, crying out also, * Flanders for the Lion ! the king of England 
for the country, and lord of the town of Ghent.' When we have got 
to the market-place, those who are our friends will join us, and then 
we will kill all traitors and rebels." '• Be it so," answered lord 
Bourchier : " you have well imagined it, and it shall be done." 

God was wondrous kind to these two honest citizens ; for they 
had intelligence given them of the arrangement just mentioned. Oa 
hearing it, they were not dismayed, but in the evening visited their 
friends the deacons, and said to them, ** We had fixed to be in the 
market-place to-morrow at eight, but we now must change it to seven 
o'clock." This they did to break the measures of Peter du Bois, 
who was on the watch with forty others, and all agreed to change 
tlie hour. On Thursday morning, the lord Bourchier, with sixty of 
his men, went to the town. house. Peter du Bois came thither with 
his forty, when they all armed and put themselves in good array. 

Roger Cremin and James d'Ardembourg assembled their friends 
at the place they had fixed on, when the greater part of those wh» 
had been deans of guilds joined them. They then displayed the 
banner of the carl, began their march through the town, shouting 
the cry before-mentioned. Those that heard it, and saw the dea- 
cons of their trades and the banner of the earl, mixed with their com- 
panions and followed the banner as fast as possible. They arrived 
at the luarket.place on the point of seven o'clock, where having 
halted, and placed the banner of the earl before them, they were 
continually joined by crowds of people, who drew up among them. 
News was carried to lord Bourchier and Peter du Bois, who were 
in the town-house mustering their men, that Roger Cremin and 
James d'.^rdembourg had taken possession of the market-place. 
On hearing this, they marched out with the banner of England dis. 
played ; and, as they advanced, they shouted their cry. In this 
maimer they arrived in the market-place, and drew up opposite ta 
the others, waiting for more to join them ; but very few did so, for 
they went to those who had the earl's banner, insomuch that Roger 
and James had eighty from every hundred men who came thither. 
The market-place was full of men-at-arms, who kept silent, eyeing 
each other. Peter du Bois was thunderstruck when he perceived 
thot the deans of guilds, with their men, had united w-ith Roger 
Cremin and James d'Ardembourg, and began to fear for his life ; for 
he saw that those who had been used to follow him now avoided 
him. He therefore quietly got out of the crowd, and v/ent to hide 
himself for fear of being killed. 

Roger Cremin and James d'Ardembo«rg finding, from appearances, 



356 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAlK, &c.' 



that almost all the inhabitants had put themselves under their banner, 
were much rejoiced, and with reason, for they then well knew things 
were in a good train, and that the people would keep peace with 
their lord. They advanced, with a large detachment of their men, 
leaving the main body behind, with the banner of Flanders carried 
before tjiem, toward the lord Bourchier and the English, who did not 
think their lives very secure, Roger halted opposite to lord Bourchier, 
and said, "What have you done with Peter du Bois ? We wish to 
know your intentions, and whether you are friends or enemies ?" 
The knight replied, that he imagined Peter du Bois was there ; but, 
when ho found he was gone, said, " I know not what is become of 
him : I thought he had been with me : for my part, I shall be steady 
to the king of England, who is my right natural lord, and who has 
sent me hither at your own entreaties, if you will be pleased to re- 
member it." " That is true," they answered ; " for if the good town 
of Ghent had not sent for you, we would have put you to death ; but 
in honor to the king of England, wlio has ordered you hither at our 
request, neither you nor your men shall run the smallest risk. We 
will save you from all danger, and conduct you, or have you con- 
ducted, as far as the town of Calais. Retire now, therefore, peace- 
ably to your houses, without stirring thence for anything you may 
see ar hear, as we are determined to have for our lord the duke of 
Burgundy, and no longer to carry on the war." The knight was 
much pleased with this speech, and said, '" My fair sirs and good 
friends, since it may not be otherwise, God assist you '. and I thank 
you for the offers you make me." 



CHAPTER CLXXVII. 

SIK JOHN D'ELLE BKIN&S LETTERS PATENT OF PEACE AND PAKDON TO TITE 
MEN OF GHENT, FROM THE DUEE OF BURGUNDY. THIS PEACE IS CON- 
FIRMED AT TOURNAY BY OTHER LETTERS PATENT OX EACH SffiE. 

TiTE lord Bourchier and his men quietly left the market-place, and 
those of Ghent who had been with him, slily slipt away to hide them- 
selves, or mixed w-ith the others, under their banner. Shortly after- 
wards, sir John d'Elle entered the town and rode to the market-place, 
bringing with him letters patent, couched in fair language, and prop- 
erly sealed, from the duke of Burgundy to the town of Ghent, which 
were publicly read and shown to all, and gave universal satisfaction. 
Francis Atremen was now sent for from the castle of Gaure, who 
instantly came, and agreed to the whole of the treaty, saying, '.' It 
was well done." 

Sir John d'Elle now returned to the duke of Burgundy, who was 
with his duchess at Arras : he related to him all that had passed at 
Ghent ; that Peter du Bois had lost all power there, and would prob- 
ably have been killed had he been found ; that Francis Atremen had 
behaved gallantly and loyally iji respect to the peace. The duke 
was much pleased with all this, and signed a truce to last until the 
first day of January ; and ordered a day to be fixed on, in the mean 
time, for conferences to be holden at Tournay, to confirm the peace. 
With these papers properly sealed and signed, the knight returned 
to Ghent ; which gave such joy to every one, as plainly showed 
peace was the unanimous wish. 

The lord Bourchier, the English, and Peter du Bois, still remained 
in Ghent, but nothing was done against them. Peter du Bois con- 
tinued in peace, because he had sworn he would never more inter- 
fere ill any war with the good people of Ghent against their lord the 
duke of Burgundy. He was, however, much assisted in this peril 
by Francis Atremen, who had spoken handsomely for him to the in- 
habitants ; and tor this reason Peter remained unmolested : besides, 
they knew that Peter had only held siinilar opinions to their own, 
and that he was a good and loyal captain. During the truce which 
had been made between the duke of Burgundy and the town of 
Ghent, they elected those who were to attend the conference at 
Tournay. Francis Atremen was chosen as principal, because he 
was well mannered, of good dispositions, and acquainted with the 
lords he was to treat witli ; Roger Cremin and James d'Ardembourg 
were elected with him. They arrived at Tournay duiing the octave 
of St. Andrew, escorted by fifty horse, and lodged altogether at the 
Salmon Inn, in the street of St. Brice. 

Th£ duke and duchess of Burgundy, with madame de Nevers, 
their daughter, came tliither on the fifth day of December, and en- 
tered Tournay by the gate of Lille. The Ghent men instantly rode 
out to meet them on handsome horses: they did not dismount, but, 
bareheaded, saluted the duke and the ladies. The duke passed 
hastily through the town, to meet the duchess of Brabant, whq came 
that same day, and entered it by the Mechlin gate : she was lodged 
at the bishop's palace. The conferences now began, relative to the 
treaty wliich the duke had gi-anted to Ghent. Sir John d'Elle at- 
tended them, as he had, with much difficulty, brought this business 
to an end between the two parties. At last, at the entreaties of the 
duchess of Burgundy and madame de Nevers, the duke pardoned 
everything ; and peace was proclaimed, after it had been drawn out 
and sealed by both parties, in manner following. 



CHAPTER CLXXVIII. 

THE TREATY OF PEACE BET\VEEN DUEE PHILIP OF BOHGtrNDY, EARL OP 
FLANDERS, IN BIGHT OF HIS WIFE, AND THE TOWN OF GHENT AND ITS 
ALLIES. 

PtnLiP of France, duke of Burgundy, earl of Flanders and Ar- 
tois, palatine of Burgundy, lord of Salins, count of Rethel, and lord 
of Mechlin, with Margaret, duchess and countess of the countiies 
aforesaid, to all to whom these presents shall come, greeting : be it 
known, that our well-beloved subjects, the sheriffs, deacons, council 
and commonalty, of our good town of Ghent, having humbly suppli- 
cated our lord, the king, and us, to have mercy upon them, and that 
our said lord, together with us, having had compassion on them, by 
other letters than these present, and for the reasons contained in 
them, have pardoned and forgiven all misdemeanors and offences 
committed by them, our subjects of Ghent ; and have fully confirmed 
all the said customs, privileges, and franchises, provided they place 
themselves wholly under the obedience of our said lord and us. 
Which grace and pardon the aforesaid subjects of Ghent and their 
allies have very humbly received from our said lord and us, by their 
letters and embassadors, which they have sent to our said lord and 
us, being at Tournay, and have renounced all wars and disputes, 
being returned most heartily to their obedience to the said lord and 
us, promising henceforward to be good friends and loyal subjects to 
our said lord the king, as to their sovereign lord, and to us as their 
natural lord, in right of Margaret, our wife, being their natural lady 
and heiress. For which cause, our said lord and ourselves have re. 
ceived our said subjects of Ghent and their allies into our favor, and 
have granted them letters of remission for all ofiences, singly and 
absolutely, with the restitution of all their franchises and privileges, 
as will be more fully apparent in these our letters. After which 
grace and remission, our said subjects of our good town of Ghent, 
having made several supplications which we have received, and have 
had maturely considered by our council, and they, according with 
the common good of the country, in order to put a final end to all 
dissensions, from our love and favor to our good subjects, have or- 
dered as follows, in regard to these said supplications : 

First, with regard to their request, that we would confirm the privi- 
leges of Courtray, Oudenarde, Grammont, Meule, Dendremonde, 
Russelmonde, Alost, Ath, Breuilles, Deynse, and the jurisdictions 
of these towns in the low countries. We order the inhabitants of 
these said towns to wait on us with their said privileges ; and, al'ler 
examination of them by our council, we will so act, tliat our subjects 
of Ghent, and the other good towns, shall be satisfied therewith : and 
should any of the said privileges be lost or accidentally destroyed, 
after strict inquiry made on the subject, we will provide accordingly 
as it has been before mentioned. 

Item — as to their request concerning commerce, we consent that 
it have free course through our country of Flanders, on paying the 
usual duties. 

Item — should any of their friends or allies be hereafter arrested 
in any foreign country, on account of the late disturbances, we will 
have them sent home in safety. AVe likewise consent, that if any 
of them be thus arrested, we will assist and defend them to the-utmost 
of our power, as good lords should do to loyal subjects. 

Item— we are willing that all prisoners of their party, supposing 
them to have agreed for their ransom, shall have their liberty, on 
paying the stipulated sum and other reasonable expenses ; provided, 
however, that if any of the said prisoners, their relations or friends, 
held any fortresses against us, such be first given up : and on like 
terms shall those attached to us, and confined by our subjects of 
Ghent or their allies, be set at liberty. 

Item — out of our abundant goodness we have ordered, and by 
these presents do order, that all those who may have been banished 
from our good towns of Bniges, Ypres, or other places, on account 
of these dissensions, as well as those who may have been banished 
by law and justice from our good town of Ghent, or who may have 
voluntarily absented themselves, be restored, so tliat they may return 
to the said towns and reside ; provided, those who have held for the 
party of Ghent be in like manner restored to their different towns or 
country, and when they reenter the towns to which tliey are restored, 
they make oath before our oflicers in the town of Ghent, and swear 
to keep the peace in such towns, and not commit any damage either 
in a public or private manner on any of the inhabitants. In the like 
manner will those swear who reenter Ghent. 

Item — all those who may return to our town of Ghent, with their 
allies and other inhabitants, will be obedient to our said lord and to 
us, and will promptly put themselves under our obedience. With 
regard to those who may now be absent, they shall be restored, in 
time hereafter to be specified, to their fiefs, houses, lands, and inher- 
itances, in whatever place they may be, notwitlistanding any mischiefs 
they may have done during, and on account of tliese disturbances, 
in as full a manner as they enjoyed them previous to that period. 

Item — should any of the inhabitants of the said town of Ghent, or 
their allies, be in Brabant, Hainault, Holland, Zealand, Cambresis, 
or in the bishopric of Liege, and should they, within two months 
after the publication of this peace, put themselves under the obedi- 
ence of our said lord and us, and fmthemiore, take such oaths aa 



CHRONICLKS OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



357 



shall be hereafter declared before us, or before those whom we may 
appoint to receive them, they shall fully enjoy all the before-men- 
tioned pardons and graces. And those who may be in England, 
Frizeland; or Germany, should they, within four months as aforesaid, 
put themselves under our obedience, they shall enjoy the like privi- 
leges. If such as may be beyond sea at Rome, or at St. Jago de 
Compostella, should, within one year from the pubUcation of the 
peace, without fraud, take the oaths aforesaid, they shall enjoy the 
same privileges, and in like manner all those banished by judgment 
of law, or such persons as may have voluntarily absented themselves 
on account of the dissensions, shall be restored to their fiefs, houses, 
lands, and inheritances, according to their several claims. 




(-^IIENT.— The old Mansion de Ville. From an Original Drawing. 



Item — with regard to moveable property, wliich may have been 
taken on both sides, no restitutions be made, but each party remain 
acquitted to each other ; unless, indeed, restitutions be made to dis- 
charge the consciences of those \^■ho may have taken such things. 

Item — those now in possession of the houses which are to be re- 
stored, as well on one side as on the other, shall not carry away any 
fixture whatever ; and such houses shall be restored with all their 
appurtenances and rents which may then be due ; and henceforward 
all rents and profits shall be collected peaceably by those to whom 
they legally belong. 

Item — it having been reported to us, that some of our subjects of 
Ghent or their allies, have done homage for fiefs which they hold to 
other lords than those to whom they legally appertain, and by such 
means have forfeited their fiefs, notwithstanding which, we will, out 
of our grace, that such fiefs remain to them, on perforining liomage 
to us, for what had been ours, and of our vassals holding from us ; 
and we acknowledge, out of our especial favor, any leases or recog- 
nizances as legal between the present parties. 

Item — our said subjects of Ghent, the sheriffs, deacons, council, 
commonalty, and their allies, by our orders, and tlieir own free wil'l, 
having renounced all alliances, oaths, obligations, acts, and homages, 
which they, or any of them, may have done to the king of England, 
to his commissioners, deputies, or officers, or to others who may not 
be in the good pleasure of our said lord or of us, do now make oath 
that from hcceforward they will be good and loyal subjects to our 
said lord, and to his successors, the kings of France, as well as to 
ua ; and will perform such services to us and to our successors, as 
good and loyal subjects are bounden to do to their lord or lady, to 
defend their persons, honor, inheritances, and rights, and prevent all 
who may endeavor to invade them, by giving direct information to 
our officers, saving always their own rights and privileges. 

Item — that our subjects of our good town of Ghent may remain 
always in peace, and under the obedience of our said lord the king 
and us, as well as of our heirs, the earls of Flanders our successors, 
and that all disturbances which may in future arise be prevented, 
we will that all these aforesaid articles be strictly maintained without 
any infringement. And we forbid our subjects, however ill they 
jnay have acted toward us in the late dissensions, to venture in any 
way, either directly or indirectly, by word or deed, to offer any injury, 
■by reproaches or insults, to the aforesaid men of Ghent. 



Item — if any one act contrary to these our orders, and injure those 
of Ghent, under pretence of taking our part, for what may have 
passed during the late disturbances, such offence shall be brought 
before the lord, and the courts to which it may belong ; and such 
criminal act shall be punished by corporal punishment and confisca- 
tion of goods, as shall in like manner the ofl'ences of their accom- 
plices, abettors, and those who may attempt to conceal them, after 
having been convicted of infringing the peace, as well by the justice 
of our officers or of other lords, as by the laws of the country to 
whose jurisdiction it may more immediately appertain : a reasonable 
satisfaction shall be made to the injured party, from the criminal's 
effects, and the surplus shall be paid to us, or to whatever lord has 

the right to it, saving the 
privileges of the towns. 
^ii -— .. Item — should any of the 

citizens of oiu" said town of 
Ghent be banished from the 
said town for fraction of the 
peace ; and supposing that 
prior to this peace, by the 
privileges of the town, their 
effects could not be confis- 
cated ; nevertheless, for the 
better preserving this peace, 
they shall, for such cause, be 
confiscated, and from such 
effects shall reparation be 
made to the party injured, 
as has beeir before stated, 
and the residue revert to their 
legal heirs, just as if such 
persons were deceased, sav- 
ing in all other respects the 
privileges of our good town 
of Ghent : and if such wicked 
persons cannot be arrested, 
so as to suffer corporal pun- 
ishment, their effects shall be 
confiscated as aforesaid. 

Item — if any abusive lan- 
guage shall be uttered, and 
come to the ears of any of 
our civil officers, against this 
our order, we will that the 
person uttering such be pun- 
ished by arbitrary fine, so as 
to serve for an example to 
others, by the legal judges 
of such places before whom 
he or they shall have been brought, saving the franchises and privi- 
leges of those places. 

Item — if any churchman be guilty of any acts against the said 
peace, let him be transferred to his ordinary, to he punished as an 
infringer of the peace, according as the case may require. 

Item — this same peace shall be publicly proclaimed and published 
in the said town of Ghent, and in all our other towns in Flanders. 

Item — should any doubts or obscurity appear on the face of the said 
articles of peace, we declare, and will order our council to declare, 
that such doubts and obscurities, should any such arise, shall be in- 
terpreted and explained in such manner as shall give satisfaction to 
the complainants. 

And we, the deans and commonalty of the town of Ghent, do by 
these presents accept for ourselves and for our .allies these acts of 
clemency, pardon and grace done to us, by king Charles, our lord 
paramount, and by the aforesaid duke and duchess, earl and countess 
of Flanders, our lawful and natural lords : and we thank them, from 
the bottom of our hearts, for these said graces and pardons. We also 
swear obedience, as good and loyal subjects should do, to them, and 
will guard, to the utmost of our power, their persons and honor. 

In testimony of which, we the duke and duchess aforesaid have 
had our seals put to these letters ; and we the sherifi's, deacons and 
commonalty of the town of Ghent have also affixed the seal of the 
town. 

In addition to which, we the duke and duchess aforesaid have 
entreated and do entreat our very dear and well.beloved aimt the 
duchess of Luxembourg and Brabant, and our very dear and well- 
beloved brother duke Albert of Bavaria. And we also, the sheriffs, 
deacons, and commonalty of Ghent, entreat the very powerful and 
puissant princess the lady duchess of Luxembourg and Brabant, and 
the high and puissant prince duke Albert aforesaid. And also we 
the duke and duchess of Burgundy, and we the sheriffs, council, and 
commonalty of Ghent, entreat the barons and nobles of the country 
of Flanders, hereafter named, from the good towns of Bruges, Ypres, 
the Franconate, Mechlin, and Antwerp, for the security of the peace, 
and assurance of the truth of the above-mentioned articles, to affix 
their own seals, and the seals of the different towns, to these presents. 
And we Jane, by the grace of God duchess of Luxembourg, Bra. 
bant, and Limbourg; and we duke Albert of Bavaria, bailiff, regent, 
and heir to the countries of Hainault, Holland, Zealand, and lordship 



358 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



of Frizeland : we William, eldest son to the earl of Namur and lord 
of Sluys ; Hugh, lord d'Antoing and warden of Ghent; John, lord de 
Guistellee. and de Harucs, Henry de Bruges, lord de Dixmude and 
de Havre, John, lord de Gonuseberge and de la Jentoise, Arnold de 
Jouste, lord d'Estournay, Philip, lord d'Axalle, Louis de la Hasle, bas. 
tard of Flanders, Girard de Rasenhen, lord de Baserode, Walter, lord 
de Halun, Philip de Hamur, lord d'Eque, John Villain, lord de St. Jean 
d'Outre, warden of Ypree, Lewis, lord de Lambres knight : and we 
the burgomasters, with the sheriffs of the towns of Bruges and Ypres: 
we Philip de Redehen and de Montferrant, sheriHs : Montfranc de 
Montamar knight, sheriff of the Franconate, in the name of that ter- 
ritory, which has no common seal : and we, the council of the towns 
of Mechlin and Antwerp — have at the aforesaid request, for the good 
of the peace, and for the greater security and tnith of all the fore, 
mentioned articles, and every one of them, caused to be affixed our 
seals and the seals of the aforesaid towns to these presents. Ex- 
ecuted at Tournay the 18th day of December, in the year of grace 
1385. 



CHAPTER C LXXIX. 

JETEK DU BOIS, AFTER THE CONCLUSIOiV OF THE PEACE, KETIRES TO ENG. 
LAND WITH THE LORD BOURCHIER, GOVERNOR OP GHENT. 

When all these ordinances and treaties of peace had been en- 
grossed and sealed, they were published before the parties : the duke 
of Burgundy had one part, and the deputies from Ghent the other. 
Francis Atremen and the deputation with him most humbly took 
leave of the duke and duchess o{ Burgundy, and of the duchess of 
Brabant, thanking them repeatedly, and offering their services to 
them for ever. The good lady of Brabant returned their thanks, and 
kindly entreated them firmly to maintain the peace, and induce oth- 
ers to do the same, and desired them never to rebel against their 
lord and lady, for they had seen with how much difficulty peace had 
now been brought about. They thanked her heartily, and the con- 
ference broke up, and each retired to his home. 

The duke and duchess of Burgundy went to Lille, where they staid 
some time, and the deputation returned to Ghent. When Peter du 
Bois saw peace so firmly established that there was not a possibility 
of any future disturbance or rebellion, he was greatly cast down : he 
doubted whether to remain in Ghent, considering that now every- 
thing had been pardoned under the seal of the duke, so that none 
were afraid, or whether to accompany the lord Bourchier and the 
English to England. Having paid due attention to all circumstan- 
ces, he did not tliink he could venture to trust himself in Ghent. 
True it is, that Francis Atremen, when he mentioned his intentions 
of quitting Ghent, said, "Peter, everything is pardoned; and you 
know, by the treaties made and sealed with ray lord of Burgundy, 
that no one can suffer for what has passed." " Francis," replied 
Peter, " real pardons do not always lie in letters patent : one may 
pardon by word of mouth, and give letters to the same effect, but 
hatred may still lie in the heart. I am but a man of low birth, and 
little consequence in the town of Ghent, and yet have done all in my 
power to maintain its rights and privileges. Do you tliink, that in 
two or three years hence, the people will remember it ? There are 
persons of high birth in the town ; Gilbert Matthew and his brethren, 
who were enemies to my master John Lyon, will return, and will 
never view me but with evil eyes ; as will also the relations of sir 
Gilbert Gente and sir Symon Bete, who were slain by me: never 
can I trust myself safely in this town. And will yoti venture to re- 
main among such traitors, who have broken their faith with die king 
of England ? I swear, that you yourself will in the end suffer." " I 
know not what may happen," answered Francis ; " but I have such 
faith in the treaty, and in the promises of my lord and lady of Bur- 
gundy, that I shall certainly stay here."* 

Peter du Bois made a supplication to the sheriffs, deacons, coun- 
cil, and governors of Ghent, saying, " My fair gentlemen, I have 
served the good town of Ghent to the very utmost of my power : 
many times have I hazarded my life for it : and for aU these services 
the only reward I ask is, that you would have me and mine, my wife 
and children, escorted in safety with the lord Bourchier, whom you 
have ordered to England." Those present unanimously complied 
with his wish ; and I must say, that Roger Cremin and James d'Ar- 
dembourg, by whom the peace had been made, were more glad than 
Bony at his departure ; as were likewise the principal persons in 
Ghent, who wished peace and love to all. Peter du Bois made his 
preparations, and left Ghent in company with lord Bourchier and the 
English, carrying with him his whole fortune ; for, in truth, he was 
well provided with gold, silver, and jewels. Sir John d'EUe escorted 
tliem, under a passport from the duWe of Burgundy, as far as the town 
of Calais, and then returned to Ghent. The lord Bourchier and Pe- 
ter du Bois made as much haste as possible to England, where he 
was presented to the king and his uncles, to whom he related every, 
thing which had happened in the affairs of Ghent, and the means by 
which peace had been concluded with the duke of Burgundy. The 
king, the duke of Lancaster, and his brothers entertained him hand- 
somely, and were well pleased that he had come to them. The king 
retained him in his service, and instantly gave him one hundred 



marcs yearly revenue, assigned on the wool-staple of London. Thue 
did Peter du Bois remain in England, and the good town of Ghent 
in peace. Roger Cremin was appointed deacon of the pilots of 
Ghent, which is a most profitable office when commerce is uninter- 
rupted ; and James d'Ardembourg was made deacon of the small 
crafts, \yhich is likewise an office of great trust in the town of Ghent. 

Although tJie present edition is divided into two volumes only, such being the most 
convenient arrangement of the work in its present form, yet ttie importance of retaining 
the original divisions of tiie Author has not been lost siijht of, and ihey have accordingly 
been preserved. Froissart produced each of his volumes at some considerable interv^ 
from tl)e preceiling. " When," says M. de St. Palaye in his life of our uutlior, "oor 
liistorian tinished one of Ijip parts of his History, he brought it down to the time when 
he was writing ; and toward the end be related the events ns tiiey were passing ; irora 
whence it ha ppens, as it seems to me, that tiiere is much confusion, often omissions and 
mistakes, which he has been obliged to correct or alter in the folJowmg part5." This 
is exemplified in the third volume, which was not begun until 1390, two years after the 
compleUon of tlie second ; in it he returns to events which had happened since 1382, and 
gives a fuller account of tliem from the more correct information he had subsequently 
obtained. It would cause still greater confusion if the separate accounts wore com- 
bined in an undistinguished train of chapters, and the cause of such repetitions wua 
thus left without explanation. The third volume, which was finished in the year 
1392, WHS written by the order and at the expense of the celebrated Gaston Phosbus 
Count de Blois, at whose court Sir John Froitisart was then resident.— Ed. 

END OF THE SECOND VOLUME OF THE CHRONICLES OF SIR JOHN FROISSART 



THIRD VOLUME 

OF TEE 

CHRONICLES OF SIR JOHN FROISSART- 



^ Atremen was afterwards assassinated. 



CHAPTER I. 

FROISSART GIVES HIS REASONS FOR VISITING THE COVNT DE FOIX. 

I HAVE been a considerable time without speaking of the affaire 
of distant countries. Those nearer home were at the moment so 
fresh in my memory, and so much more agreeable, that I have de- 
layed mentioning others. Such valiant men, however, as were 
desirous of advancing themselves, whether in Castille, Portugal, 
Gascony, Rouergue, Quercy, Limousin, or in Bigorre, did not re- 
main idle, but employed themselves underhand against each other, 
in the wish to perform deeds of arms that mig;ht surprise and con- 
quer towns, castles, or fortresses. And for this reason, I, sir John 
Froissart, liaving undertaken to indite and chronicle this history at 
the request and pleasure of that high and renowned prince, Guy de 
Chatillon, count of Blois, lord of .'Vvesnes, Beauvois, Estonnehonne, 
de la Geude, my good and sovereign master and lord, considered in 
mj'self diat grand deeds of arms would not fall out for a long space 
of time in the marches of Picardy and the country of Flanders, 
since there was peace in those parts ; and it was very tiresome to me 
to be idle, for I well know, that when the time shall come, when I 
shall be dead and rotten, this grand and noble history will be in much 
fashion, and all noble and valiant persons will take pleasine in it, and 
gain from it augmentation of profit. And moreover, since I had, God 
be thanked, sense and memory, and a good collection of all past 
things, with a clear understanding to conceive all the facts of which 
I should be informed, touching my principal matters, and since I was 
of an age and constitution of body well fit to encounter difficulties, 
I determined not to delay pursuing my subject. And in order to 
know the truth of distant transactions, without sending upon the 
inquiry any other in place of myself, I took an opportunity of visiting 
that high and redoubted prince Gaston Phoebus, count de Foix and 
de Bdarn ; for I well knew, that if I were so fortunate as to be 
admitted into his household, and to remain there in quiet, I could 
not choose a situation more proper to learn the truth of every event, 
as numbers of foreign knights and squires assembled there from all 
countries, attracted by his high birth and gentility. It fell out just 
as I had imagined. 

I told this my intention to my very renowned lord the count de 
Blois, and also the journey I wished to undertake, who gave me let- 
ters of recommendation to the cotmt de Foix. I began my journey, 
inquiring on all sides for news, and, through the grace of God, con- 
tinued it, without peril or hurt, until I an-ived at the count's resi- 
dence, at Orthes in B^arn, on St. Catherine's day in the year of grace 
1388. The count de Foix, as soon as he saw me, gave me a hearty 
welcome, adding, with a smile and in good French, that he was 
well acquainted with me, though he had never seen me before, but 
he had frequently heard me spoken of. He retained me in his 
household, and by means of the letters which I had brought, gave 
me full liberty to act as I pleased as long as I should wish to remain 
with him. I there learnt the greater part of those events which had 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



359 



happened in the kingdoms of Castille, Portugal, Navarre, Arragon, 
even in England, in the Bourbonnois, and everything concerning the 
whole of Gascony : lie himself, when I put any question to him, 
answered it most readily, saying, that the history I was employed on 
would in times to come be more sought after than any other ; " be- 
cause," added he, "my fair sir, more gallant deeds of arms have 
been performed within these last fifty years, and more wonderful 
things have happened, than for three hundred years before." 




FROI33ART AT THE COURT OF TBI ConuT SI Foix.— From a MS. Froiasart of the 15th Centnry. 



1 was thus received by the count de Foix in his hotel, and enter- 
tained according to my pleasure. My wish was to inquire after news 
relative to my history, and I had at my option, barons, knights, and 
squires, who gave nie information, as well as the gallant count de 
Foix himself. I will therefore illustrate, in good language, all I there 
learnt, to add to my materials, and to give examples to those wor- 
thies who wish to advance themselves in renown. If I have hereto- 
fore dwelt on gallant deeds, attacks and captures, of castles, towns, 
and forts, on hard-fought battles and skirmishes, many more will now 
ensue ; all of which, by God's grace, I will truly narrate. 



CHAPTER II 

A SHORT REPETITION OF WHAT IS CONTAINED IN SOME OF THE PRECEDING 
CHAPTERS, FOR THE BETTER UNDERSTANDING THE HISTORY OF THE WAR 
BETWEEN KING JOHN OF CASTILLE AND THE EASTAKD OF PORTUGAL, 
BROTHER TO THE LATE KI.NG DON FERNANDO. 

You have before seen in this history,* that Edmund earl of Cam- 
bridge, son of the late king of England, had departed from Portugal, 
and embarked with his army at Lisbon, notwithstanding he had be- 
trothed his son John to the lady Beatrice, daughter of don Fernando 
king of Portugal. The earl was discontented with Fernando, because 
he had remained for fifteen days encamped with his army before 
king .Tohn of Castille, without any engagement, and had entered into 
a treaty with the Castillians against his opinion. This had greatly 
displeased him ; and, when the treaty was negotiating, he thus spoke : 
*' Sir king, take good heed what you do,; for we are not come into 
this country to eat, drink, and to rob, but to make war on this son of 
a bastard who calls himself king of Castille and count of Transta- 
mare, to conquer our lawful inheritance, which this John de Trans- 
tamare holds and possesses. You well know, that by marriage with 
the heiresses of the kingdom of Castille, daughters of don Pedro, who 
was your cousin-german, my brother and myself have the claims of 
Tight ; and you have offered to assist in the recovery of this kingdom 
(for every good lord ought to lean to the lawful right, and not to its 
opposite,) by your knight who here stands, and whom you sent to 
England to say, that if we would bring into tliis country two thou, 
sand lances, and from two to three thousand archers, with the aid 
you would give us, you bad great hopes that we might regain our in- 
heritance. I am therefore come hither, not indeed with as many in 
number as you wrote for ; but those I have are well inclined, and 



See p. 300, 



bold enough to abide the event of a batUe, if joined by your army, 
against the force which the count de Transtamare has at this mo- 
ment : and we shall be much dissatisfied with your conduct if a battle 
do not take place." Such were the words spoken by the earl of 
Cambridge to the king of Portugal, before his departure, who dis. 
tinctly heard them ; but, nevertheless, he dared not to offer battle to 
the Castillians, although they were within sight of each other. There 
were none of his council who did not say, " Sir, the array of the 
king of Castille is at this moment 
too powerful ; and if, by accident, 
you lose the day, you will lose your 
crown, without a chance of recover- 
ing it : you had better, therefore, en. 
dure much, than do anything where- 
in is such great peril and risk." 
The earl of Cambridge, finding he 
could not gain anything, returned to 
Lisbon, ordered his vessels to be 
made ready, and took leave of the 
king of Portugal. When he em- 
barked, he would not leave his son 
John with the king and the damsel 
that was to be his wife, but sailed 
for England, leaving none behind. 
Such was the end of the Portuguese 
armament at this season. 

The earl of Cambridge, on his ar- 
rival in England, represented to his 
brother, the duke of Lancaster, how 
the king of Portugal had acted, and 
the state of the country. The duke 
became very thoughtful, for he saw 
the conquest of Castille was very 
distant and doubttul : besides, his 
nephew king Richard, had in his 
council those who were unfriendly 
to him, more especially the earl of 
Oxford, who had the sole manage- 
ment of the king. This lord did 
everything in his power to make a 
breach between the king and his 
uncles. He said to him, " Sir, il 
you wish to support your two uncles, 
my lords of Lancaster and of Cam. 
bridge, in their war with Spain, it 
will cost you the whole revenue of England, and they will not at last 
gain anything. It will be more prudent to keep at home men and 
money, than that they should be scattered abroad without any profit 
to yourself: you had better guard and defend your own inheritance, 
which is invaded on all sides from France and Scodand, than employ 
your men elsewhere." The young king was well inclined to follow 
this advice of the earl, for he loved him with his whole heart, they 
having been brought up together. The carl of Oxford was connected 
with several English knights, and never acted without the advice of 
sir Simon Burley, sir Robert Tresilian, sir Nicholas Bramber, sir 
John Beauchanip, sir John Salisbury and sir Michael de la Pole : 
sir Thomas Trivet and sir William Elmham were also named among 
his advisers. From these differences between the king and his 
uncles, and the nobles with the commonalty, many serious ills befel 
England, as I shall hereafter relate in the course of this history. 

Not long after the departure of the earl of Cambridge from Por- 
tugal, king Fernando fell ill. His disorder, after oppressing him with 
languor for a year, caused his death. He had no other children but 
the queen of Spain. The king of Castille received information that 
the realm of Portugal was now fallen to him, as the rightful successor 
to the deceased king. Many councils were holden on this occasion ; 
but, when they spoke to him on the subject, he replied, " The Portu- 
guese are an obstinate race : I shall never gain them but by conquest," 
The Portuguese, finding themselves without a king, took counsel 
together, and resolved to send a deputation to a bastard.brother of 
king Fernando, a valiant and wise man called Denis ;* but he was a 
monk, and master of the order of Avis. They declared they had 
much rather be under the government of this valiant man, than of 
the king of Castille ; for, in the eyes of God, he who acted well was 
no bastard. The grand-master was exceedingly rejoiced on hearing 
the universal good will the four principal cities in Portugal bore him ; 
and that the affection of Lisbon and the others was so strong, they 
were desirous of crow'ning him their king. He secretly wrote to his 
friends, and went to Lisbon, which is the principal town in Portugal. 
The townsmen received him joyfully, and demanded, should they 



* Froissart mistakes one brother for another. Peter the Severe had three children by 
Ines de Castro ; Denis, tlie eldest, was confined at this time in the prisons of Spain. 
John, the person meant in the text, was the son of Peter by Theresa Laurezzo, and 
surnamed tlie Fatherof his Country. Hewas grand-master of the order of Avis: and, 
alter the death of his brother Ferdinand, was chosen king, to the prejudice of Beatrice, 
only child of Ferninand. Pope Urban, by dispensation, freed him from his religious 
vows in 13S7. He married Philippa, daughter of John of Gaunt duke of Lancaster, by 
Blanche of CastiUe, by whom he had several cluldrep.— MoRKRi— .^rt de Ferijier Its 
Dates. 



360 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



crown him king, would he be good and loyal, and preserve the 
country in its privileges ? He answered, that he would, and be 
the best king they ever had. Upon this, the citizens of Lisbon 
wrote to those of Coimbra, Oporto and Ourique, which are the 
keys of the realm, that for their mutual advantage, they were de- 
sirous to crown king the grand. master Denis, who was wise and 
valiant, of good conduct, and brother to king Fernando ; for that the 
kingdom of Portugal could no longer remain without a head, as well for 
fear of the CastiUians, as of the infidels at Granada and Bugia, who 
bordered on the country. These four principal towns, and the land 
proprietors of Portug;aI, excepting a few great barons and knights, 
were inclined to favor his election ; but some barons said, it was not 
right a bastard should be crowned king, if he were not of the best 
dispositions. The towns replied, that he was so qualified, and thatit 
was a case of necessity, for they had no other choice ; that he was a 
man of sense and of courage in arms ; and there was a precedent in 
Henry of Transtamare, who had been crowned king of all Castille, 
by the choice of the country, for its common advantages, even during 
the lifetime of don Pedro. 

The election, whether the nobles would or not, took place : and 
Denis was crowned king in the cathedral church of Coimbra, with 
the unanimous consent of the commonalty of Portugal. He swore 
to administer justice honestly, to maintain the people in all the rights 
and privileges which they had enjoyed from former times, and which 
they were entitled to have preserved to them. This gave great satis- 
faction to all. When news of this was carried to the king of Cas- 
tille, he was wroth for two reasons : one, because his queen was the 
legal heiress of Portugal ; the other, that the people had crowned a 
king of Portugal by election. He therefore made this a pretext for 
■war, and demanded from the town of Lisbon two hundred thousand 
florins, which king Fernando had promised him when he espoused 
his daughter. He sent as embassadors to Portugal the count de 
Tierme and de Rebede, and the bishop of Burgos, with a gr?nd suite 
of attendants. When arrived at Santarem, the, last town of Castille 
toward Lisbon, they sent a herald to the king and citizens of Lisbon, 
to demand passports for the security of their coming and returning. 
These were instantly granted. The council of the town were as- 
sembled to hear explained the cause of their embassy ; at the end 
of their harangue they said : " You Lisboncrs should properly under, 
stand this matter, and not be surprised if our king, in his anger, de- 
mands so large a sum from you, which you are bound to pay him, 
since you have thought proper to give the noble crown of Portugal 
to a clerk, a monk, and a bastard. This act is not to be suffered : 
for, by rightful election, it belongs to our king, as the natural lord 
and true heir : besides, you have acted contrary to the opinion of the 
nobility of the kingdom : therefore, he now declares by us, that you 
have been guilty of a high misdemeanor, and if you do not hasten to 
make every reparation, he is resolved to make war upon you." Don 
Ferdinand Gallopes de Villasons, a noble citizen and of great weight 
in Lisbon, thus answered : " My lords, you greatly reproach us for 
our election, but your own is in the same predicament, for you have 
crowned in Castille a bastard, the son of a Jewess. The fact is 
universally known. With regard to the justice of your election, 
there is none ; for your king has no right to the crown of Castille : 
it belongs to the daughters of don Pedro, Constance and Isabella, 
who are married to the duke of Lancaster and the earl of Cambridge, 
to their children, and to their husbands for them. You may, there- 
fore, depart when you please, and tell him that sent you, that our 
election is good, and shall be upholden ; for that we will not have 
any other king as long as the present one shall choose to be so. 
With regard to the sum of money you demand from us, we say that 
■we 'are no way obliged to pay it : you must tlierefore call upon those 
who bound themselves to the payment, and who had all the advan- 
tage of it." The king of Portugal was not present at this assembly, 
though he well knew what answer his people were to make. The 
embassadors from the king of Castille, perceiving they should gain 
nothing from the Portuguese, took leave, as was becoming them, set 
out and returned to Seville, where they had left the king and his 
council. Having related all that you have just heard to the king, he 
summoned a council to deliberate on what was to be done. It was 
determined to send defiances to the king of Portugal and his parti- 
sans, and that the king of Castille had just reasons for declaring war 
against them, .\fter these defiances had been sent to Portugal, the 
king of Castille issued a special summons for raising an army, de- 
claring he would lay siege to Lisbon, and not depart thence tmtil he 
had gained it, for the insolent replies that had been made to his 
embassadors, so that they should pay dearly if they were obliged to 
sue for mercy. The king of Castille advanced to Santarem with his 
whole force, that being the place of rendezvous. About this period, 
a knight of Castille, of the name of Navaret, was e.xpelled that court ; 
and, if the king in his anger had caught him, he would have had 
him beheaded. The knight, however, had timely notice, for he had 
friends on the watch, and, quitting the kingdom of Castille, came to 
Lisbon to the king of Portugal, who was much pleased at his arrival, 
retained him in his service, and made him captain of his knights. 
He afterwards did much harm to the CastiUians. 

The king of Castille marched from Santarem with his whole army, 
to Lisbon, which he besieged, inclosing within it the king. This 
siege lasted upward of a year. The count de Longueville was con- 



stable of the army, and sir Reginald de Limousin marshal of it. This 
sir Reginald was a Liniousin knight, whom sir Bertrand du Guesciin 
had carried into Castille during die wars of king Henry ; he had 
conducted himself so faithfully that tlie king had given him a fair 
estate and a handsome lady to his wife, by whom he had two sons, 
Reginald and Henry : he was much esteemed throughout Castille 
for his prowess. With the king of Castille, at this siege, were Dag- 
henes Mandat, sir Digho Per^ement, don Peter Ro^erment and don 
Marich de Versaux,* Portuguese, who had turned to the CastiUians. 
The grand-master of Calatrava, with his brother, a young knight 
called don Dighemeres.t Peter Goussart de Seville," .Tohn Radigo de 
Hoyex, and the grand-master of St. Jago. The army before Lisbon 
amounted to upward of thirty thousand men ; many were the skir- 
mishes and gallant deeds of arms performed on each side. 

The CastiUians knew well the king of Portugal would not be sup- 
ported by the nobles, for the commonalty had elected him against 
their will ; for which reason there were great dissensions between 
them ;t and the king's intentions were to conquer Lisbon and the 
whole country before he returned, for no assistance, except from 
England, could come to them. This only he feared ; bot, having 
ccnsidercd that the English were at a great distance, and that the 
king of England and his uncles were not on good terms with each 
other, he carried on the siege with security. The army was so 
plentifully supplied with every sort of provision, there was not a 
town or market in all Castille where was more abundance. § The 
king of Portugal remained with his people in Lisbon, much at his 
ease, for they could not be deprived of .the advantage of the sea. 
His council advised him to send able ehibassadors to England, to 
the king and duke oi' Lancaster, to renew the alliance which had 
subsisted between the king of England and his brother Ferdinand ; 
to charge the embassadors to ask his daughter Philippa from the 
duke of Lancaster, who would willingly give her to him for his 
queen ; to offer, under the strongest terms, a perpetual alliance be. 
tween the two countries, and to d^_clare he would exert himself so 
effectually, if the duke would rjme thither with two or three thou- 
sand combatants, ai^d as mp.iy archers, that he should recover the 
kingdom of Castille, which rt"as his lawful inheritance. Two knights 
of his household, sir John Rodriguez and sir John Testedor, with a 
clerk of laws called Trfarchc de la Figgierc, archdeacon of Lisbon, 
were nominated to go as embassadors to England. Having provided 
themselves with all things necessary, they embarked with a favorable 
wind, and left the harbor of Lisbon, steering for the coasts of England. 

On the other hand, the king of Castille, during his siege of Lisbon, 
was advised to write to France and to Gascony, for assistance of 
knights and squires, as the Spaniards naturally imagined that the 
king of Portugal would apply to England, for succors to raise the 
siege : he was not willing, therefore, to be unprepared, nor that his 
army should not be in sufficient strength to resist the united forces 
of the Portuguese and English. The king, in consequence of this 
advice, sent letters and messengers to many knights who were anx. 
ious to display their courage, more particularly to those of B6am 
and the county of Foi.x : for in these countries were many good 
knights, who wished for opportunities of showing their love of arms, 
but could not find them, as the count de Foix at this period was at 
peace with the count d'Arraagnac. These looked. for alUes of the 
kings of Spain and Portugal were not so soon ready, nor near at hand. 
Hostilities still continued to be carried on in Auvergnc, the Toulou- 
sain, Rouergue, and in the country of Bigorre. We will now leave 
the affairs of Portugal, and speak of others. 



CHAPTER III. 

THE COUNT DE FOIX, AT THE ENTREATY OF THE FKINCESS OF WALES, RE- 
MITS THE COUNT D'aEMAGNAC SIXTY THOUSAND FRANCS OUT OF HIS 
RANSOM OF TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND. THE ENGLISH GAR. 
RISON AT LOURDEII GOVERNS THE ADJOINING COUNTRY. 

Between the comity of Foix and h6arn lies the county of Bigoire, 
which belongs to France, and is bounded on the one side by the 
Toulousain, and on the other by Comminges, and Bearne. In this 
country of Bigorre is situated the strong castle of Lourde, which 
has always been regarded as English since the country was given up 
to the king of England and the prince, as part of the ransom for king 
John of France, according to the treaty of peace made at Brctigny 
near Charlres, and afterwards ratified at Calais, as it has already been 
mentioned in the former part of this liistory. When the prince of 
Wales left England to take possession of the duchy of Aquitaine, 
(which the king his father had given him to hold as a fief and inher- 
itance under him, in which were two archbishopricks and twenty- 
two bi^hopricks,) accompanied by the princess of Wales, they resided 
at Bordeau.x about a year. They were entreated by John count 
d'Armagnac to come to the handsome city of Tarbes, in the county 
of Biforre, to see and visit that pari of the countrj^ which the prince 



*ltese names ate probably very mucli disfieured, but 1 am unable to recufy Ihem. 
[Dieeo Mendoza. Dieeo Perez Samiiento. Don Peter Ruiz Sarmiento, Maiiriquez 
D'Aversaulu.J— Ed. , ,, , „„ 

t Don Diego Merlo.-Eo. t i- f- Thu nobles and commonalty. 

5 The plague broke out in the array, and obheed them to abandon tlie siege.— Bu- 
ll ■■ Lourde," capitol of the valley of Lavidan, in Gascony, diocese of Tarbee, n«r 
Busneres. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &. 



361 



bad never yet done. The count d'Armagnac imagined, that the 
count de Foix would pay his respects to the prince and princess du. 
ring the time they were in Bigorre ; and, as he was indebted to him 
two hundred and fifty thousand francs for his ransom, he thought he 
woidd try to prevail on them to request the count de Foix to release 
him from a part, if not the whole of it. The count d'Armagnac 
managed so well, that the prince and princess of Wales came with 
their court, which at that time was very numerous and splendid, into 
Bigon'e, and fixed their residence at Tarbes. Tarbcs is a handsome 
town, situated in a champaign country, among rich vineyards : there 
is a town, a city, and a castle, all separated from each other, and in- 
closed with gates, walls, and towers : the beautiful river Lisse, which 
rises in the mountains of B^arn and Catalonia, and is as clear as 
rock-water, runs through and divides the town. Five leagues from 
tlience is situated the town of Morlans, in the county of Foix, at 
the entrance into Beam and under a mountain. Six leagues dis- 
tant from Tarbes is the town of Pau, which belongs also to the count 
de Foix. During the time the prince and princess were at Tarbes, the 
count was in his town of Pau, erecting a handsome castle adjoining 
to the outskirts of the town, and on the river Gave.* 

As soon as he was informed of the arrival of the prince and prin- 
cess at Tarbes, he made his preparations and \isited them in great 
state, accompanied by itpward of six hundred 1. trse and sixty knights. 
They were much pleased at his visit, and entertained him hand- 
somely, as he was well deserving of it, and th? princess paid him 
the most engaging attentions. The count d'Ai iiagnac and the lord 
d'Albrcth was present, and the prince was entnated to request the 
count de Foix to release the count from all, or p; it of what he was 
indebted to him for his ransom. The prince bein^ a prudent as well 
as a valiant man, having considered a while, said, he would not do 
so, and added : "Count d'Armagnac, you were inade prisoner by 
fair deeds of arms, and in open battle : you put out cousin the count 
de Foix, his person and his men, to the hazard of tie fight; and, if 
fortune has been favorable to him and adverse to you, he ought not 
to fare the worse for it. Neither my lord and father nor myself 
would have thanked you, if you had entreated us to give back what 
we had honorably and fortunately won at the battle of Poitiers, for 
which we return thanks to the Lord God." The count d'Armagnac, 
on hearing this, was quite thunderstruck ; and, notwithstanding he 
had failed in his e.xpectations, he made a similar request to the prin. 
cess, who cheerfully entreErted the count de Foix to grant her a boon. 
" Madam," replied the count, " I aiji but a small gentleman, and an 
insignificant bachelor ; therefore, I cannot make large gifts : but, if 
the boon you request do not exceed sixty thousand francs, I grant it." 
The princess was anxious to gain the whole ; but the count, being 
a wary man, paid much attention to all his personal affairs : besides, 
he suspected this boon regarded the ransom oF the count d'Armag- 
nac : he therefore continued, " Madam, for a knight like me, who 
am building towns and castles, the gift I offer you ought to suffice." 
When the princess found she could not gain more, she said, " Count 
de Foix, I request and entreat you would forgive the count d'Armag- 
nac." " Madam," answered the count, " I ought to comply with 
your request. I have said, that if the boon you solicited did not ex- 
ceed sixty thousand francs, I would grant it ; the count d'.^rmagnac 
owes me two hundred and fifty thousand, and at your entreaty I give 
you sixty thousand of them." Thus ended the matter ; and the count 
d'Armagnac, by the princess's entreaty, gained sixty thousand francs. 
The count de Foix, shortly afterwards, returned to his own country. 

I, sir John Froissart, make mention of all these things, because 
when I visited Foix and B^arn, I travelled through Bigorre, and 
made inquiry after all that had passed, and what I had not heard 
before. I there learnt that the prince of Wales, during his residence 
at Tarbes, had a great desire to sec the castle of Lourde, three leagues 
distant, among the mountains. When he had fully examined that cas- 
tle and co\mtry, he was much pleased, as well with the strength of the 
place, as its situation on the frontiers of several countries ; for those 
of Lourde can overrun the kingdom of An'agon to a great extent, and 
as far as Barcelona in Catalonia. The prince called to him a knight 
of his household, named sir Peter Arnaut, of the country of B^arn, 
who had loyally served him, and in whom he had great confidence : 
he was an expert man-at-arms, and cousin to the count de Foix. 
" Sir Peter," said the prince, " I nominate and appoint you governor 
and captain of Lourde, and regent of the country of Bigorre : now, 
guard well this castle, so as to give a good account of it to my lord 
and father, and to myself." " My lord," replied the knight, " that I 
will cheerfully do ;" and he instantly did homage and pledged his 
faith, when the prince put him in possession of it. 

Now, you must know, that when the war was renewed between 
the kings of France and England, as had been before related, t the 
count Guy de St. Pol, and sir Hugh dc Chastillon, master of the cross- 
bows in France, besieged and took the town of Abbeville, and the 
whole country of Ponthieu : about the same time, two great barons 
of Bigorre, whose names were sir Marnaut Barbasan and the lord 
d'Anchin, turned to the French interest, and seized the town and 
castle of Tarbes, for they were weakly guarded. The castle of 
Lourde was under the command of sir Peter Arnaut, of B^arn, who 
would not surrender on any terms, but carried on a sharp contest 



* '■ Gave," in the patois of the country signifies a river, and that at Pau is tlius called, 
"Le Gave de Pou."-Ed. t In 136»-Ed. 



against France. He sent to Upper Gascony, and B^arn, for some 
knight adventurers to assist him in the war ; and many able men 
came to him. He had six captains, each of whom had fifty lances 
or more under his command : hie brother, John (ie B^arn, a gallant 
squire, Peter d'Anchin de Bigorre, brother-german to the lord d'An. 
chin, who would never turn to the French, Ernauton de Sainte Co. 
lombe, Ernauton de Montagu, de Sainte Basile, and le bourg de 
Carnela. These captains made many excursions into Bigorre, the 
Toulousain, the Carcassonois, and on the Albigeois ; for the moment 
they left Lourde they were on enemy's ground, which they overran 
to a great extent, sometimes thirty leagues from their castle. In 
their march they touched nothing, but on their return all things were 
seized, and sometimes they brought with them so many prisoners, 
and such quantities of cattle, they knew not how to dispose of, nor 
lodge them. They laid under contribution the whole country except 
the territory of the count de Foix ; but there they dared not take a 
fowl without paying for it, nor hurt any man belonging to the count, 
or even any who had his passport ; for it would have enraged him 
so much that they must have been ruined. 

These companions in Lourde had the satisfaction of ovemtnning 
the whole country wherever they pleased. Tarbes, which is situated, 
as I have said, hard by, was kept in great fear, and was obliged to 
enter into a composition with them. Between Tarbes and their 
castle is a large village, with a handsome abbey, called Guyors, to 
which they did much mischief, but they also compounded with them. 
On the other side of the river Lisse is a goodly inclosed town called 
Bagneres, the inhabitants of which had a hard time of it ; for they were 
much harassed by those of Malvoisin, which is situated on a moun- 
tain, the river Lisse running at the foot of it, in its course toward 
Tournay, an inclosed town. This tow^n of Tottrnay was the common 
pass for those of Lourde and Malvoisin, to which they did no harm, 
because they had a free passage, and the townspeople had good bar- 
gains of their pillage : they were, therefore, forced to dissemble with 
them, if they were desirous of living, for they did not receive aid or 
succor from any one. The governor of Malvoisin was a Gascon, 
called Raymonet de I'Esp^e, an able man-at-arms. Those of Lourde 
and Malvoisin, put under contribution the merchants of Arragon and 
Catalonia equally with those of France. 



CHAPTER IV. 

SIK JOHM FROISSAKT, IN HIS JOLItNEY TOWARD BEARN, IS ACCOMPANIED 
BY A KNIGHT ATTACHED TO THE COUNT DE FOIX, WHO RELATES TO 
HIM HOW THE GARRISON OF LOI'RDE TOOK ORTINGAS AND LE FALLIER, 
ON THE RENEWAL OF THE WAR IN GUYENNE, AFTER THE RUPTURE 
OF THE PEACE OF BRETIGNY. 

At the time I undertook my journey to visit the count de Foix, 
reflecting on the diversity of countries I had never seen, I set out 
from Carcassone, leaving the road to Toulouse on the right hand, 
and came to Monteroral, then to Tonges, then to Belle, then to the 
first town in the county of Foix ; from thence to Maisieres, to the 
castle of Sauredun, then to the handsome city of Pamiers,* which 
belongs to the count de Foix, where I halted, to wait for company 
that were going to B^arn, where the count resided. I remained in 
the city of Pamiers three days : it is a very delightful place, seated 
among fine vineyards, and suiTounded by a clear and broad river, 
called the Liege. Accidentally, a knight attached to the count de 
Foix, called sir Espaign du Lyon, came thither, on his return from 
Avignon : he was a prudent and valiant knight, handsome in person, 
and about fifty years of age. I introduced myself to his company, 
as he had a great desire to know what was doing in France. We 
were six days on the road travelling to Orthez. As we journeyed, 
the knight, after saying his orisons, conversed the greater part of the 
day with me, asking for news ; and when I put any questions to 
him, he very willingly answered them. On our departure from 
Pannert we crossed the mountain of Cesse, which is difficult of as- 
cent, and passed near the town and castle of Ortingas, which belongs 
to the king of France, but did not enter it. We went to dine at a 
castle of the count de Foix, half a league farther, called Carlat, 
seated on a high mountain. After dinner, the knight said : "Let us 
ride gently, we have but two leagues of this country (which are 
equal to three of France) to our lodging." " Willingly," answered 
I. " Now," said the knight, " we have this day passed the casde of 
Ortingas, the garrison of which did great mischief to all this part of 
the country. Peter d'Anchin had possession of it: he took it by 
surprise, and has gained sixty thousand francs from France." " How 
did he get so much ?" said I. " I will tell you," replied the knight. 
" On the feast of our lady, the middle of August, a fair is holder, 
where all the country assemble, and there is much merchandise 
brought thither during that time. Peter d'Anchin and his compan. 
ions of the garrison of Lourde, had long wanted to gain this town 
and castle, but could not devise the means. They had, however, in 
the beginning of May, sent two of their men, of very simple out. 
ward appearance, to seek for service in the town : they soon found 
masters, who were so well satisfied with them, that they went in and 
out of the town whenever they pleased, without any one having the 
smallest suspicion of them. 

* " PamieR"— three leasues from Foix, eighteen froiD Toulotase. 



362 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



"When mid-August airived, the town was filled with foreign 
merchants from Foix, B^arn, and France : and, you know, when 
merchants meet, after any considerable absence, they are accustomed 
to drink plentifully together to renew their acquaintance, so that the 
houses of the masters of the two servants were quite filled, where 
they drank largely, and their landlords with them. At midnight 
Peter d'Anchin and his company advanced toward Ortingas, and hid 
themselves and horses in the wood through which we passed. He 
sent six varlets with two ladders to the town, who, having crossed 
the ditches where they had been told was the shallowest place, fixed 
their ladders against the walls : the two pretended servants, who 
■were in waiting, assisted them (while their masters were seated at 
table) to mount the walls. They were no sooner up, than one of the 
servants conducted their companions toward the gate where only two 
men guarded the keys : he then said to them, ' Do you remain here, 
and not stir until you shall hear me whistle ; then sally forth and 
slay the guards. X am well acquainted with the keys, having more 
than seven times guarded the gate with my master.' 

" As he had planned so did they execute, and hid themselves well. 
He then advanced to the gate, and having listened, found the watch 
drinking : he called them by their names, for he was acquainted 
■with them, and said, ' Open the door : I bring you the best wine you 
ever tasted, which ray master sends you that you may watch the 
better.' Those who knew the varlet imagined he was speaking the 
truth, and opened the door of the guard-room : upon this, he whistled, 
and his companions sallied forth and pushed between the door, so 
that they could not shut it again. The guards were thus caught cun. 
ningly, and so quietly slain that no one knew anything of it. They 
then took the keys and went to the gate, which they opened, and let 
down the drawbridge so gently it was not heard. Tlijs done, they 
sounded a horn with one blast only, which those in ambuscade hear- 
ing, they mounted their horses and came full gallop over the bridge 
into the town, where they took all its inhabitants either at table or 
in their beds. Thus was Ortingas taken by Peter d'Anchin of 
Bigorre and his companions in Lourde." 

I then asked the knight, " But how did they gain the castle ?" 
" I will tell you," said sir Espaign du Lyon. " At the time the town 
"svas taken, by ill-luck the governor was absent, supping with seme 
merchants from Carcassone, so that he was made prisoner, and on 
the morrow Peter d'Anchin had him brought before the castle, 
wherein were his wife and children, whom he frightened by declaring 
he would order the governor's head to be struck off", if they did not 
enter into a treaty to deliver up the castle. It was concluded, that 
if his lady would surrender, the governor should be given up to her, 
with permission to march immolested away with everything that be- 
longed to them. The lady, who found herself in such a critical 
situation, through love to him who could not now defend her, in order 
to recover her husband and to avoid greater dangers, surrendered tlie 
castle, when the governor, his wife and children, set out with all that 
belonged to them, and went to Pamiers. By this means Peter 
d'Anchin captured the town and castle of Ortingas ; and, when they 
entered the place, he and his companions gained thirty thousand 
francs, as well in merchandise which they found there, as in good 
French prisoners. All those who were from the county of Foix or 
B^arn received their liberty, with tlieir goods untouched. 

" Peter d'Anchin held Ortingas for full five years ; and he and his 
garrison made frequent excursions as far as the gates of Carcassone, 
which is sixteen long leagues distant, greatly ruining the country, as 
well by the ransoms of towns which compounded, as by the pillage 
they made. During the time Peter d'Anchin garrisoned Ortingas, 
some of his companions made a sally, being desirous of gain, and 
came to a castle a good league ofl', called le Faillier, of which Ray- 
mond du Paillier, a French knight, was the lord. They this time 
accomplished their enterprise, having before attempted it in vain ; 
and, by means of a scalado, they took the castle, the knight and his 
lady in bed. They kept possession of it, allowing the lady and 
the children to depart, but detained the knight four monUis in his 
own castle, until he had paid four thousand francs for his ransom. 
In short, after they had sufficiently harassed the country, they sold 
these two castles, Ortingas and le Paillier, for eight thousand francs, 
and then retired to Lourde, their principal garrison. Such feats of 
arms and adventures were these companions daily practicing. 

" It happened likewise at this time, that a very able man-at-arms, 
one of the garrison of Lourde, a Gascon, called le Mengeant de 
Sainte Basiie, set out from Lourde with twenty-nine others, and rode 
toward the Toulousain and the Albigeois, seeking adventures. His 
wishes were to surprise the castle of Penne in the Albigeois, which 
he was nearly doing, but failed. When he f.iund he was disap- 
pointed, he rode up to the gate, where he skirmished, and sev- 
eral gallant deeds were done. At this same hour, the eastellan of 
Toulouse, sir Hugh dc Froide-ville, had also made an excursion 
with sixty lances, and by accident arrived at Penne while this skir- 
mish was going forward. Ho and his men instantly dismounted, and 
advanced to the barriers. Le Mengeant would have made off"; but, 
as that was impossible, ho fought valiantly hand to hand with the 
knight : he behaved gallantly, and wounded his adversary in two or 
three places, but at last was made prisoner ; for he was not the 
Strongest; and of his men few escaped being killed or taken. Le 
Mengeant was carried to Toulouse ; and the seneschal had great 



difficulty to save him from the populace, who wanted to put him to 
death when they saw him in the hands of their own officer, so much 
was he hated at Toulouse. 

" Fortunately for him, the duke of Berry chanced to come to that 
city, and he liad such good friends that the duke gave him his lib. 
crty, in consideration of a thousand francs being paid the seneschal 
for his ransom. Le Mengeant, on gaining his liberty, returned to 
Lourde, where he ceased not from his usual enterprises. One time 
he set out with others, without arms, disguised as an abbot attended 
by four monks ; for he and his companions had shaven the crowns 
of their heads, and no one would have imagined who saw them but 
that they were real monks, for they had every appearance in dress 
and look. In this manner he came to Montpelier, and alighted at 
the hotel of the Angel, saying he was an abbot from Upper Gas- 
cony going to Paris on business. He made acquaintance witli a rich 
man of Montpelier, called sir Beranger, who was likewise bound for 
Paris on his affairs. On the abbot telling him he would carry him 
thither free from all expense, he was delighted that the journey 
would cost him nothing, and set out with le Mengeant attended only 
by a servant. They had not left Montpelier three leagues when le 
Mengeant made him his prisoner, and conducted him through 
crooked and bye-roads to his garrison of Lourde, whence he after, 
wards ransomed him for five thousand francs." " Holy Mary !" 
cried I, " this le Mengeant must have been a clever fellow." "Ay, 
that he was indeed," replied he ; " and he died in his armor at a 
place we shall pass in three days, called Larre in Bigorre, below a 
town called Archinacb." " I will remind you of it," said I, " when 
we shall arrive at the spot." 



CHAPTER V. 

SIK lOliy TROISSART AND THE KNIGHT OF FOIX ARRIVE AT CASSERES, 
WHERE THE KNIGHT RELATES TO HIM THE CAPTURE OF THE TOWN 
BY THE ARJIAGNACS, AND ALSO THE RE-CAPTDKE OF IT BY THE COUNT 
DE FO:r ; AND, AS THEY JOURNEY, THEY CONVERSE ON DIFFERENT 
FEATS OF ARMS BETWEEN THE AR.MAGNACS AND FOIXIENS. 

Thus rode we on to Montesquieu, a good inclosed town belong- 
ing to the count de Foix, which the Armagnacs and Labrissiens* 
took by surprise, but held it only three days ; in the morning we left 
Montesquieu, and rode toward Palaminicii, another inclosed town, 
situated on the Garonne, and belonging to the count de Foix. When 
we were close to it, and though! of entering it by the bridge over 
the Garonne, we found it impossible ; for the preceding day it had 
rained so heavily in the mountains of Catalonia and Arragon, that 
a river, called the Saluz, which rises among them, and falls into the 
Garonne with great rapidity, was so much swollen as to carry away 
one of the arches of the bridge, which was of wood. We were 
therefore forced to return to Montesquieu to dinner, and remain there 
the whole day. 

On the morrow, the knight was advised to cross the Garonne, 
opposite the town of Casseres, in a boat ; we therefore rode thither, 
and by our e-xertions the horses passed, and we ourselves afterwards 
with some difficulty and danger ; for the boat was so small that only 
two horses and their men could cross at a time with those who man. 
aged the boat. When we had crossed, we made for Casseres, where 
we staid the whole day. While our servants were preparing the 
supper, sir Espaign du Lyon said, " Sir John, let us go and see the 
town." " Come then," replied I. We walked through the town to 
a gate which opens to Palaminich, and, having passed it, went near 
the ditches. The knight, pointing to the walls, said, " Do you ob. 
serve that part of the walls ?" " Yes, sir : why do you ask ?" " I 
will tell you : because it is newer than the rest." " That is true," 
answered I. " I will relate to you how this happened ten years ago. 
You have heard of the wars between the count d'Armagnac and the 
count de Foix, which took place in the country of Beam, that apper- 
tains to the count de Foix : the count d'-\rmagnac overran it, though 
at present he is quiet on account of the truces made between them. 
I must say, the Armagnacs and Labrissiens gained nothing, but had 
often great losses. On the night of the feast of St. Nicholas, in the 
winter of the year 1362, the count de Foix made prisoners, near to 
Montmarsen, the count d'Armagnac and his nephew the lord d'Al. 
breth, and many nobles with them, whom he earned to Orthez, and- 
confined them in the tower of the castle ; by which capture he re- 
ceived ten times told one hundred thousand francs. 

" It happened afterwards that the count d'Armagnac, father of the 
present, called Sir John d'Annagnac, set on foot an armament, with 
which he came and took Casseres by scalado : they were full two 
hundred men-at-arms, who seemed resolved to keep the place by 
force. News was brought to the count de Foix, at Pau, that the 
Armagnacs and Labrissiens had taken his town of Casseres. He, 
who was a prudent and valiant knight, and prepared for all events, 
called to him two bastard brothers whom he had among his knights, 
sir Arnault Guillaume and Sir Peter de B^arn, and ordered them to 
march instantly to Casseres, telling them he would send men from 
all parts, and in three days would be there in person. " Be careful, 
therefore," added he, "that none get out of the town without being 

* " Labrisaiens," those attacJietl to the family of Labrelh, which we call Albretli.— 
D. S. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



fought with, aa you will have strength enough ; and on your arrival 
at Casseree, make the country people bring you plenty of large pieces 
of wood, which you will fix strongly round the gates, and com- 
pletely bar them up ; for I am resolved that those now in the town 
shall be so shut up in it, that they never pass through the gates : I 
will make them take another road." 

" The two knights obeyed his orders, and marched to Palami- 
nich, accoijipanied and followed by all the men-at.arms in B^arn. 
They encamped before tlie town of Casseres ; but those within paid 
no attention to them, nor observed that they were so completely shut 
in, they could not pass through the gates. On the third day, the 
count de Foi,\ came with five hundred men-at.arms, and on his arri- 
val had the town encompassed with fortifications of wood, as well 
as by his army, that no sally might be made from it in the night. In 
this state, without making any attack, he blockaded them until their 
provisions began to fail ; for though they had wine in plenty, they 
had nothing to eat, and could not escape by fording the river, which 
was then too deep. They therefore thought it belter to surrender 
themselves as prisonere, tlian shamefully perish with hunger. The 
count de Foi.\ listened to their offers. He had them inl'ormed, that 
as they could not pass through any of the town.gates, he would make 
a hole in the wall through which the garrison, one by one, must 
pass, without arms, in their common dress. They were forced to 
accept of these terms, otherwise the business was at an end ; and, 
if the count de Foi.x had not been thus appeased, all within were 
dead men. He had a hole made in the wall, which was not too 
large, through which they came out one by one. The count was 
there, with his forces drawn up in battle array ; and as they came 
out of the town they were brought before him, and sent to different 
castles and towns as prisoners. He took there liis cousin, sir John 
d'Amiagnac, sir Bertrand d'Albreth, sir Manaut de Barbasan, sir 
Raymond de Benach, sir Benedict de la Corneille, and about twenty 
of the most respectable, whom he carried with him to Orthez, and 
received from them, before they gained their liberty, one hundred 
' thousand francs, twice told. For this, my fair sir, was this wall 
broken down, as a passage for those of Armagnac and Albreth : 
afterwards it was rebuilt and repaired." When he had finished his 
history we returned to our lodgings, and found the supper ready. 

On the morrow we mounted our horses, and riding up the side of 
the Garonne, passed through Paiaminich, and entered the lands of 
the counts de Comminges and d'Armagnac. On the opposite side, 
fronting us, was the Garonne, and the territories of the count de 
Foix. As we rode on, the knight pointed out to me a town, which 
appeared tolerably strong, called Marteras le Toussac, which belongs 
to the count de Comntinges ; and on the other side of the river, two 
castles of the count de Foix, seated on a mountain, called Montaural 
and Monclare. As we were riding among these towns and castles, 
in a beautiful meadow by the side of the Garonne, the knight said : 
" Sir John, I have witnessed here many excellent skirmishes and 
combats between the Armagaacs and the Foixiens ; for there was 
neither town nor castle that was not well garrisoned with men-at. 
anns, who engaged with and pursued each other. Do you see yon- 
der those ruins ? They are the remains of a fort which the Anuag- 
nacs raised against these two castles, and which they filled with 
men-at-arms, who did much damage to the lands of the count de 
Foix, on the other side of the river ; but I will tell you how they 
paid for it. The count de Foix one night sent his brother, sir Peter 
de Beam, with two hundred lances and four hundred peasants, laden 
with faggots, and as much wood as they could cut from the hedges, 
which they piled around this fort and set on fire, so that the fort was 
burnt with all in it, for none received quarter ; and since that time 
no one has dared to rebuild it." 

Witli such conversation did we daily travel, travelling toward the 
source of the river Garonne, on each side of which were handsome 
castles and forts. All on the left hand belonged to the count de 
Foix, and on the other to the count d'Armagnac. We passed Mont- 
pesac, a fine strong castle, seated on the top of a rock, below which 
is the road and the town. On the outside of it, at the distance of a 
cross-bow, there is a pass called la Garde, with a tower between the 
rock and the river, and an iron gate : six men could defend this pass 
against all the world, for only two persons abreast can advance be- 
tween the rock and river. Upon seeing this, I said to the knight, 
" Sir, this is a strong pass, and a difficult country." " It is, indeed," 
answered the knight ; " but, strong as it is, the count de Foix and his 
men once forced it, and advanced to Paiaminich, Montesquieu, and 
even to Pamiers. The pass was very strong, but the English archers 
greatly assisted him in this conquest. Come and ride by my side, 
and I will tell you all about it." I then rode by the side of sir Espaing 
t du Lyon, who thus continued his narration : 

■ " The count d'Armagnac and the lord d'Albreth invaded the 

country of Foix, with upward of five hundred men, and advanced 
into those parts near Pamiers. It was in the beginning of August, 
when the corn was harvesting and the grapes ripe : in that year there 
was great abundance of both. Sir John d'Armagnac and his people 
were encamped before the town and castle of Sauredun, a short 
league distant from Pamiers. They made an attack on it, and sent 
word to Pamiers, that if they did not pay a composition for their 
corn and wines, they would burn and destroy all. Those of Pamiers 
were afraid of waiting the event, as their lord was at too great a dis. 



363 

tance, being then in B^arn, so that they thought it more prudent to 
pay the ransom, which was settled at five thousand francs ; but they 
demanded a delay of fifteen days, which was granted to them. The 
count de Foix heard of all this, and, by great haste and sending to 
all parts for aid, he got into Pamiers through this difficult pass. As- 
sistance came to him from several quarters, so that he found himself 
at the head of twelve hundred lances: he would have given battle, 
without fail, to sir John d'.'Vrmagnac, if he had waited for it; but 
they retreated into the country of Comminges, leaving behind the 
money from Pamiers, as they had no time to stay for it. The count 
de Foix, however, did not hold them quit, but claimed the ransom, 
as he said he had deserved it ; for he had come to their assistance, 
and to drive his enemies out of the country. He paid with it his 
men-at.arms, and remained there until the good people had harvested 
their corn, finished,their vintage, and put all their etrects in safety." 
" By my faith," Safd I to the knight, " I have heard you with pleas- 
ure." Thus discouring, we passed near a castle called la Bretite, 
and then another castle called Bacelles, all in the county of Com- 
minges. 

As I rode on, I saw on the other side of the river a very handsome 
and large castle, with a town of goodly appearance. I asked the 
knight the name of this castle. He told me it was called Montes- 
plain,* and belonged to a cousin of the count de Foix, who bears the 
cows in his arms, named sir Roger d'Espaign. He is a great baron 
and land proprietor in this country and in the Toulousain, and at this 
moment is sfineschal of Carca.ssone. Upon which I asked, " What 
relation was this sir Roger d'Espaign to sir Charles d'Espaign, con- 
stable of France ?" '• He is not of that family," replied the knight; 
" for sir Lewis and sir Charles d'Espaign, of whom you are speaking, 
came originally from Spain, and were of Spanish extraction ; but by 
their mothers are of French also, and cousins.german to king Al- 
fonso of Spain. I served in my youth under sir Lewis d'Espaign, in 
the wars of Brittany : for he was always of the side of St. Charles 
de Blois against the count de Montfort." 

Here ended our conversation on this subject. We came that day 
to Gouffers, a good town belonging to the count de Foix, and on the 
morrow to dinner at Moncuil, a strong town also, which belongs to 
the king of France and is held by sir Roger d'Espaign. After din- 
ner, we mounted and took the road toward Lourde and Malvoisin, 
and rode over heaths that extend fifteen leagues : they are called 
Lane-bourg, and are well calculated for those who are evil-inclined. 
Amid the heaths of Lane-bourg is situated the castle de la Mesere, 
belonging to the count de Foix, a good league above the town of 
Tournay and below Malvoisin, which castle tlie knight showed me, 
saying, " See, yonder is Malvoisin : have you not inserted in your 
history (of which you have been speaking to me) how the duke of 
Anjou, when he was in this country, advanced to Lourde, besieged 
and conquered it, as well as the castle of Trigalet on the river before 
us, and which belongs to the lord de la Barde ?" 

I considered a little, and replied : " I believe I have not mentioned 
it, nor have I ever been informed of such an event. I therefore pray 
you relate the business, to which I shall attentively listen ; but tell 
me, lest I forget it, what is become of the river Garonne ? for I can 
no longer see it." " You say truly," answered the knight; " it loses 
itself between these two mountains. It rises from a spring three 
leagues ofl^, on the road to Catalonia, below a castle called .St. B^art, 
the last castle of France on the frontiers of Arragon. The governor 
of it and the surrounding country at this time is a squire named Er- 
nauton, who is called the bastard of Spain, and cousin.german to 
sir Roger d'Espaign. The moment you see him you will say, he ia 
formed for a downright man-at-arms. This bastard of Spain has 
done more mischief to the garrison of Lourde than all the knights 
and squires of this country put together ; and I must say, the count 
de Foix loves him well, for he is his brother in arms. I will not say 
more of him, for, at the ensuing Christmas, you will see him yourseif 
at the hotel of the count ; but I will tell you what the duke of Anjou 
did when he was in this country." 



CHAPTER VI. 

rKOISSART CONTINUES HIS JOfRNEY WITH THE KNISHT OF FOIX, WHO RE. 
LATES TO HIM SEVERAL PARTICULARS RELATIVE TO THE SIEGES OP 
BREST AJ^D DERVAL, AND HOW THE DUKE OF ANJOU RECOVERED MAL- 
VOISIN AND TRIGALET FROM TEE ENGLISH. 

We then rode gently, and he began his narration as follows : " At 
the first renewal of the war, the French conquered back again from 
the English all their possessions in Aquitaine, and sir Oliver de Clis. 
son, having turned to the French interest, conducted the duke of 
Anjou, as you know, into Brittany to the estates of sir Robert Knolles 
and to the siege of Derval ; all which, I dare say, you have in your 
history, as well as the treaty made by sir Hugh Broc, cousin to sir 
Robert, to surrender the castle, for which he had given hostages, 
imagining the duke of Anjou to be in such strength that the siege 
could not be raised ; and you probably relate how sir Robert Knolles, 
having entered the castle of Derval, refused to abide by tliis treaty." 
" Truly, sir, I have heard all you have just related." " And have 



« ■• Montesplain "— Mootespan, in tlie diocese gf ComminjeB. 



364 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAJSTD, FRANCE, SPAIN, &,c. 



you noticed the ekinnish which took place before the castle, when j 
six Oliver de Clieson was wounded?" " I cannot say," replied I, : 
" that I have any remembrance of it. Tell me, then, what passed at 
this ekinnish and at the siege ; perhaps you may know more partic- 
ulars than I do ; and you can return afterwards to the history of 
Liourde and Malvoisin." 

" That is true," said the knight : " I must tell you, however, that 
sir Garsis du Chatel, a very valiant knight of this country and a good 
Frenchman, had gone to seek the duke, to conduct him before Mal- 
voisin, when the duke had issued his summons to march to Derval : 
he made sir Garsis marshal of his army for his valor. It is a truth, 
as I was informed afterwards, that when sir Garsis found sir Robert 
determined not to keep the treaty, and the castle of Derval not likely 
to surrender, he came to the duke and asked, ' My lord, what shall 
we do with these hostages ? It is no fault nor cjime in them if the 
castle be not surrendered ; and it will be a great sin if you put them 
to death, for they are gentlemen, undeserving such punishment.' 
The duke replied, ' Is it right, then, that they should have their lib- 
erty V ' Yea, by my faith,' said the knight, who had much com. 
passion for them. ' Go,' replied the duke, ' and do with them what 
you please.' -\t these words, as sir Gareis told me, he went to de- 
liver them, but in his road met sir Oliver de Clisson, who asked him 
whence he came, and whither he was going. ' I come from my 
lord of Anjou, and am going to set at liberty the hostages.' ' To 
set them at liberty ?' said sir Oliver : 'stop a little, and come with 
me to the duke.' On his return, he found the duke very pensive. 
Sir Oliver saluted him, and then said, ' My lord, what are your in. 
tentions ? shall not these hostages be put to death ? By my faith 
shall they, in spite of sir Robert KnoUes and sir Hugh Broc, who 
have belied their faith : and I would have you know, if they do not 
suffer death, I will not, for a year to come, put on a helmet lo serve 
you ; they will come off too cheaply, if they be thus acquitted. This 
siege has cost you si.xty thousand francs, and you wish to pardon 
your enemies who keep no faith with you.' At these words, the 
duke of Anjou grew wroth, and said, ' Sir Oliver, do with them as 
you list.' ' I will, then, that they die ; for there is cause for it, since 
they keep not their faith.' He then left the duke and went to the 
square before the castle ; but sir Garsis never dared to say one word 
in their favor, for it would have been lost labor, since sir Oliver was 
determined upon it. He called to him Jocelin, who was the heads- 
man, and ordered him to behead two knights and two squires, wliich 
caused such grief that upward of two hundred of the army wept. 

" Sir Robert Knolles instantly opened a postern-gate of the castle, 
and had, in revenge, all his prisoners beheaded, without sparing one. 
The great gate was then opened, and the drawbridge let down, when 
the garrison made a sally beyond the barriers to skirmish with the 
French, which, according to sir Garsis, was a severe business : the 
first arrow wounded sir Oliver de Clisson, who retired to his quarters. 
Among the wounded were two squires from B^arn, who behaved 
themselves well : their names were Bertrand de Barege and Ernau- 
ton du Pin. On the morrow they decamped. The duke marched 
with his men-at-arms from Derval to Toulouse, and from thence to 
this country, with intent to destroy Lourde, for the Toulousains made 
great complaints of it. What happened there I will tell you. The 
duke lost no time in marching his army to the castle of Malvoisin, 
which we see before us, and laying siege to it. He had in his army 
full eight thousand combatants, without reckoning the Genoese and 
the commonalty from the principal towns in that country. 

" A Gascon squire and able man-at-arms, named Raymonet de 
I'Ep^e, was at that lime governor of Malvoisin. There were daily 
skirmishes at the barriers, where many gallant feats were done by 
those who wished to advance themselves. The duke and his army 
were encamped in these handsome meadows between the town of 
Tournay and the castle, on the banks of the Lisse. During this 
siege, sir Garsis du Chatel, who was marshal of the army, marched 
with five hundred men-at-arms, two hundred archers and cross. bows, 
and full two thousand common men, to lay siege to the castle of 
Trigalet, which we have left behind us. A squire of Gascony had 
the command of it, for his cousin the lord de la Barde, and was 
called le Bastot de MauWon : he had about forty companions with 
him, who were lords of Lane.bourg ; for no one could march through 
these parts except a pilgrim to the shrine of St. Jago, without being 
made a prisoner, and, if not ransomed, put to death. There was 
another strong place, near to le Mesen, of which thieves and robbers 
from all countries made a garrison, called le NemiUeux : it is very 
strong, but always in dispute between the count d'Armagnac and 
the count de Foix ; and for this reason the nobles paid not any atten- 
tion to it when the duke of Anjou came into the country. 

" Sir Garsis, on arriving at Trigalet, had it surrounded on all sides 
but that toward the river, which they could not approach, and a sharp 
attack commenced, in which many of each party were wounded. 
Sir Garsis was five days there, and on every one of them were skir- 
mishes ; insonmch that the gamson had expended all their ammuni- 
tion, and had nothing left to shoot with, which was soon perceived 
by the French. Upon this, sir Garsis, out of true gallantry, sent a 
passport to the governor to come and speak with him. When he 
saw him, he said, ' Bastot, I well know your situation ; that your 
ganison have no ammunition, nor anything but lances to defend 
thcm:i,lve3 with when attacked. Now, if you be taken by storm, it 



will be impossible for me to save yours or your companions' lives 
from the fury of the common people, for which I should be very 
sorry, as you are my cousin. I therefore advise you to surrender 
the place, and even entreat you so to do : you cannot be blamed by 
any one for it, and seeking fortune elsewhere, for you have held out 
long enough.' 

" ' My lord,' replied the squire, ' anywhere but here I would freely 
do what you advise, for in truth I am your cousin: in this instance, 
I cannot act from myself, for those who are with me have an equal 
command, though they affect to consider me as their captain. I 
will return, and tell them what you have said : if they agree to sur- 
render, I shall consent ; if they be resolved to hold out, whatever may 
be my fate, I must, with them, abide the event.' ' This is well said,' 
answered sir Garsis : ' you may depart whenever you please, since 
I know yoxu" intention.' 

" The Bastot de Mauldon returned to the castle, and assembled 
all his companions in the court-yard, to whom he related what sir 
Garsis had said, and then demanded their opinions, and what they 
would do. They debated for a long time : some said they were 
strong enough to wait the event : others wished to withdraw, say. 
ing it was full time for it, as they had no longer any annnunition, 
and the duke of Anjou was severe, and the whole country of Tou. 
louse and Carcassonne enraged against them for the mischiefs they 
had done. Everything having been considered, they agreed to sur. 
render the castle, but on condition they shoidd be escorted, them- 
selves and baggage, to chateau Cullie,* which their friends were in 
possession of, on the Toulousain frontier. Upon this, Bastot de 
Maul6on returned to sir Garsis, who granted their demand ; for he 
saw the castle was not easy to win by storm, and it would probably 
have cost him many lives. They made their preparations to depart, 
packing up everything they could. Of pillage they had enough, and 
carried away the best part of it, leaving the rest behind them. Sir 
Garsis had them safely escorted as far as chateau Cullie. By this 
means did the French gain the castle of Trigalet, which sir Garsis 
gave to the commonalty of the country who had accompanied him, 
to do with it what ihey chose. They determined to destroy and 
raze it, in the manner you have seen, which was so completely done, 
that no one since has ever thought of rebuilding it. 

" Sir Garsis would have marched from thence to castle Nautil- 
leux,t which is situated on the moors near the castle of Lamen,{ to 
free it from those companions who had possession of it ; but on the 
road they told him, ' My lord, you have no need to advance further, 
for you will not find any one in caslle Nautilleux : those who were 
there are fled, some one way, some another, we know not whither.' 
Sir Garsis, on hearing this, halted in the plain to consider what was 
best to be done. The seneschal de Nobesen happened to be pres- 
ent, who said, .' Sir, this castle is within my jurisdiction, and should 
be held from the count de Foix: give it me, I beg of you, and I will 
have it so well gviarded at my costs, that no person who wishes ill to 
the country shall ever enter it.' 'My lord,' added those from Tou- 
louse who were by, ' he speaks well : the seneschal is a valiant and 
prudent man, and it is better he should have it than another.' 'I 
consent to it,' said sir Garsis. Thus was the castle of Nautilleux 
given to the seneschal de Nobesen, who rode thither, and, having 
found it empty, had repaired what had been destroyed. He appointed 
governor a squire of the country named Fortifie de St. Pol, and then 
returned to the siege of Malvoisin where the duke was. Sir Garsis 
and his men had already related to the duke their successful exploits. 
The castle of Malvoisin held out about six weeks ; there were, daily, 
skirmishes between the two armies at the barriers, and the place 
would have made a longer resistance, for the castle was so strong it 
could have held a long siege; but, the well that supplied the castle 
with water being without the walls, they cut off" the communication: 
the weather was very hot, and the cisterns within quite dry, for it had 
not rained one drop for six weeks ; and the bcseigers were at their 
ease on the banks of this clear and fine river, which the/ made use 
of for themselves and hoi-ses. 

" The garrison of Malvoisin were alarmed at their situation, for 
they could not hold out longer: they had a sufficiency of wine, but 
not one drop of sweet water. They determined to open a treaty; 
and Raymond de I'Ep^c requested a passport to wait on the duke, 
which having easily obtained, he said, ' My lord, if you will act 
courteously to me and my companions, I will surrender the castle of 
Malvoisin.' ' What courtesy is it you ask ?' replied the duke of 
Anjou : ' get about your business, each of you to your own countries, 
without entering any fort that holds out against us ; for if you do so, 
and I get hold of you, I will deliver you up to Jocelin, who will 
shave you without a razor.' ' My lord,' answered Raymonet, ' if we 
thus depart, we must carry away what belongs to us, and what we 
have gained by arms and with great risks.' The duke paused a while, 
and then said, ' I consent that you take with you whatever you con 
carry before you in trunks and on sunipter.horses, but not otherwise; 
and, if you have any prisoners, they nntst be given up to us.' ' I 
agree,' said Raymonet. Such was the treaty, as you hoar me relate 
it ; and all yho were in the castle departed, after surrendering it to 

* A castle in Auvergne. ^ 

t *' Nautilleux." fLaraen." Denys Sauvflge adds a marginal note: ' Judge 
whether these two places may not be what he before calls KeiDilieux anu Mesen." 
Froissart calls it NutiUeux and NantiUeux. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



36& 



the duke of Anjou, and carrying all they could with them. They re. 
turned to their own country, or elsewhere, in search of adventures : 
but Raymonet I'Ep^e turned to the French : he served the duke of 
Anjou a long time, passed into Italy with him, and was killed in a 
skirmish before the city of Naples. 

"Thus, my fair sir, did the duke of Anjou at that time conduct 
himself, and win the castle of Malvoisin, which gave him great joy. 
He made governor of it a knight of Bigorre, called sir Ciquart de 
Luperiere, and afterwards gave it to" the count de Foix, who still 
holds it, and will do so as long as he lives ; for it is well guarded by 
a knight of Bigorre, a relation of his, called sir Raymond de Lane. 
The duke of Anjou having gained possession of Malvoisin, and freed 
the country, and all Lane.bourg, of the English and other pillagers, 
laid siege to the town and castle of Lourde. The count de Foi.x, 
seeing him so near his territories, began to be very doubtful what his 
intentions might be. He therefore issued his summons to his knights 
and squires, and sent them into different gamsons. He placed his 
brother, sir Arnaut William, with two hundred lances, in Morlens ; 
his other brother, sir Peter de B^arn, with the same number of lances, 
in Pau ; sir Peter de Cabesten, with the like number, in the city of 
I'Estrade ; sir Mouvant de Novalles in the town of Hertillet, with one 
hundred lances ; sir Crual Geberel in Montgerbiel with the like num- 
ber ; sir Fouquart d'Orterey in the town of Sauveterre,* with the 
same ; and I, Espaing du Lyon, was sent to Mont-de-marsen with 
two hundred lances. There was not a castle in all Beam that was 
not well provided with men-at-arms : he himself remained to guard 
his florins in the castle of Orlhez." 

" Sir," said I to the knight, " has he a great quantity of them ?" 
"By my faith," replied he, " the count de Foi.x has at this moment 
a hundred thousand thirty times told ; and there is not a year but he 
gives away sixty thousand ; for a more liberal lord, in making pres- 
ents, does not exist." Upon this I asked, '* To whom docs he make 
these gifts V He artswered, " To strangers, to knights and squires 
who travel through his country, to heralds, minstrels, to all who con- 
verse with him : none leave him without a present, for he would be 
angered should any one refuse it." " Ha, ha, holy Mary "' cried I, 
" to what purpoes does he keep so large a sum ? where does it come 
from ? Are his revenues so great to supply him with it ? I should 
like to know this, if you please." " Yes, you shall know it," an. 
swered the knight, " but you have asked two questions : if you wish 
them answered, I must begin with the first. You ask, for what pur- 
pose he keeps so large a sum of money ; I must tell you, that the 
count de Foix is doubtful of war between him and the count d'Ar- 
magnac, and of the manceuvres of his neighbors the kings of France 
and of England, neither of whom he would willingly anger ; and 
hitherto he has not taken any part in their wars, for he has never 
borne arms on either side, and is on good terms with both. I tell 
you (and you yourself will agree with me when you have made ac- 
quaintance with him, and have conversed together, and seen the es- 
tablishments of his household,) that he is the most prudent prince 
living, and one whom neither the king of France nor king of Eng. 
land would willingly make an enemy. With regard to his other 
neighbors, the kings of Arragon and Navarre, he thinks but little of 
them, for he could instantly raise more men-at-arms (so many friends 
has he made by his gifts, and such power has his money,) than these 
kings could ever do. I have heard him say, that when the king of 
Cyprus was in B^arn and explained to him the intended expedition 
to the holy sepulchre, he was so anxious to make that valuable con. 
quest, that if the kings of France and England had gone thither, he 
would have been the most considerable lord after them, and have led 
the largest army. He has not yet given up this idea, and it Is for this 
reason also he has amassed such wealth. The prince of Wales, like, 
wise, when he reigned in Aquitaine, and resided at Bordeaux, in. 
duced hijn to collect large sums ; for the prince menaced him in 
regard to his country of B^arn, and said he would force him to hold 
it from him : but the count de Foix declared he would not, for B<;arn 
was free land, and owed no homage to any lord whatever. The 
prince, who was then very powerful and much feared, said he would 
make him humble himself; for the count d'Armagnac and the lord 
d'Albreth, who hated the count de Foix for the victories he had 
gained over them, poisoned the prince's mind. The expedition of 
the prince into Spain prevented hostilities ; and sir John Chandos, 
who was the principal adviser and much beloved by the prince, 
strenuously opposed this intended war. The count de Foix and sir 
John Chandos loved each other for their gallant deeds. 

" The count, however, was suspicious of the prince, whom he knew 
to be powerful and warlike, and began to amass large sums to aid 
and defend himself should he be attacked. He imposed heavy taxes 
on the country and on all the towns, which now exist, and will do so 
as long as he lives : each hearth pays two francs per annum, one with 
the other ; and in this he has found and iinds a mine of wealth, for 
it is marvellous how cheerfully his subjects pay it. With this, there 
is not any Englishman, Frenchman, nor pillager, who rob his people 
of a single farthing : his whole country is protected and justice well 
administered, for in matters of justice he is die most sBvere and up- 
right lord that exists." With these words we found ourselves in the 
town of Toumay, where our lodgings were prepared : the knight, 
therefore, ceased speaking ; and I made no further inquiries, for I 



* Situated on the Gave of Oleron, seven leagues from Pau. 



had well remarked where he had left olT, and could again remind him 
of it, as we had yet to travel together. We were comfortably lodged 
at the hotel of the Star. When supper was served, the governor of 
Malvoison, sir Raymond de Lane, came to see us, and supped with 
us : he brought with him four flagons of excellent wine, as good as 
any I drank on the road. These two knights conversed long to- 
gether, and it was late when sir Raymond departed and returned to 
his castle of Malvoisin. 



CHAPTER VII 

FROISSART CONTINUES HIS JOURNEY : IN TRAVELLING FROM TOURNAY TO 
TAREES, THE KNIGHT RELATES TO HIM HOW THE GARRISON OF LOUItDE 
HAD A SHARP RENCOUNTER WITH THE FRENCH FROM THE ADJACENT 

GARRISONS WITH SEVERAL PARTICULARS TOUCHING THE SIEGE OF 

LOURDE, AND THE DEATH OF THE GOVERNOR, WHO WOULD NOT SUR- 
RENDER IT TO HIS RELATION THE COUNT DE FOIX. 

In the morning, we mounted our horses, set out from Toumay,. 
passed the river Lisse at a ford ; and, riding toward the city of Tar- 
bes, entered Bigorre, leaving on our left the road to Lourde, Bagnftres, 
and the castle of Montgaillard. We made for a village called in the 
country Terra Cimitat, and skirted a wood, which we afterwards en- 
tered, on the lands of the lord de Barbasan ; when the knight said, 
" Sir John, this is the pass of Laire : look about you." I did so, and 
thought it a very strange country, and should have imagined myself 
in great danger if I had not had the company of the knight. 

I recollectK?d what he had said some days before respecting the 
country of Larre and Mengcant de Lourde, and, reminding him of 
them, said, " My lord, you promised that when we came to the coun- 
try of Larre, you would tell ine more of Mcngeant de Lourde, and 
the mamier of liis death." " It is true," replied the knight : " come 
and ride by my side, and I will tell it you." I then pushed forward 
to hear him the better, when he began as follows : 

" During the time Peter d'Anchin held the castle and garrison of 
Ortingas, as I have before related, those of Lourde made frequent 
excursions at a distance from their fort, when they had not always 
the advantage. You see those two castles of Barbasan and Marteras, 
which had always considerable garrisons ; the towns of Bagnires, 
Toumay, Montgaillard, Salenges, Benach, Gorre, and Tarbes, were 
also full of French troops. When they heard that those of Lourde 
had made any excursion toward Toulouse or Carcassonne, they col- 
lected themselves and formed an ambuscade, to slay them and carry 
off what pillage they should have collected : sometimes several on 
each side were killed, at others those of Lourde passed unmolested. 
It happened once, that Ernauton de Sainte Colombe, le Mengeant 
de Sainte Corneille, with six score lances, good men-at-anns, set 
out from Lourde, and advanced round the mountains between the 
two rivers Lisse and Lesse, as far as Toulouse. On their return, 
they found in the meadows great quantities of cattle, pigs, and sheep, 
which they seized, as well as some substantial men from the flat 
countries, and drove them all before them. 

" It was told to the governor of Tarbes, a squire of Gascony, 
called Ernauton Biffete, how those of Lourde were overrunning and 
harassing the country, and he sent infonnation of this to the lord de 
Benach and to Enguerros de Lane, son of sir Raymond, and also to 
the lord de Bitrbasan, adding, he was determined to attack them. 
These knights and squires of Bigorre, having agreed to join him, 
assembled their men in the town of Toumay, through which tlie 
garrison of Lourde generally returned. The bourg d'Espaign had 
come thither from his garrison of St. B^art, and they were in the 
whole two hundred lances. They had sent spies into the country to- 
see what appearance their enemies made on their return. On the 
other hand, those from Lourde had likewise spies on tlie watch, to 
observe if there were any men-at-arms out to intercept them : both, 
parties were so active, that each knew the force of the other. When 
those of Lourde heard that the French garrisons were waiting for 
them at Tournay, they began to bo alarmed, and called a council to 
determine how to conduct their pillage in safety. It was resolved 
to divide themselves into two parties ; one, consisting of servants and 
pillagers, was to drive the booty, and take bye-roads to Lane.bourg, 
crossing the bridge of Tournay, and the river Lesse between Tournay 
and Malvoisin ; the other division was to march in order of battle on 
the high grounds, and to make an appearance as if they meant t<x 
retm-n by the pass of Larre below Marteras, but to fall back between 
Barbasan and Montgaillard, in order that the bfggage might cross 
the river in safety. They were to meet all together at Montgaillard, 
from whence they would soon be at Lourde. This plan they executed:- 
and the bastard de Carnillac, Guillonet de Hariies, Perot Boursier, 
John Calcmin de Basselle, and le Rouge Ecuyer, collected forty 
lances, with all the servants and pillagers, and said to them : ' You 
will conduct our plunder and prisoners by the road to Lane-bourg, 
and then descend between Toumay and Malvoisin, where you will 
cross the river at the bridge : follow then the bye. road between Cim- 
itat and Montgaillard : we will go the other road by Marteras and 
Barbasan, so as to meet all together at Montgaillard.' On this they 
departed ; and there remained with the principal division Ernauton 
de Resten, Ernauton de Sainte Colombe, le Mengeant de Sainte 
Corneille, and full eighty companions, all men.at-arms : there were 
not ten varlets among them. They tightened their armor, fixed 



366 



CHRONICLES OF E^fGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



their helmets, and, grasping their lances, marched in close order as 
if they were instantly to engage : they indeed expected nothing else, 
for they knew their enemies were in the field. 

" Tlic French, in like manner as those of Lourde, had called a 
council respecting their mode of acting. Sir Monant de Barbasan 
and Emauton Biscete* said : ' Since we know the men of Lourde 
are bringing home great plunder and many prisoners, we shall be 
much vexed if they escape us : let us, therefore, form two ambus- 
cades, for we are enow for both.' Upon this it was ordered, that le 
bourg d'Espaign, sir Raymond de Benach, and Engiierros de Lane, 
with one hundred spears, should guard the passage at Tournay, for 
the cattle and prisoners must necessarily cross the river ; and the lord 
de Barbasan and Ernauton Biscete, with the other hundred lances, 
should reconnoitre, if perchance they could come up with them. 
They separated from each other, and the lord de Benach, and le 
bourg d'Espaign, placed themselves in ambuscade at the bridge be- 
tween Tournay and Malvoisin. The other division rode to the spot 
where we now are, which is called the Larre, and there the two 
parties met. They instantly dismounted, and leaving their horses to 
pasture, with pointed lances advanced, for a combat was unavoidable, 
.shouting their cries, ' St. George for Lourde '.' 'Our lady for Bigorre !' 
"They-charged each other, thrusting their spears with all their 
strength, and, to add greater force, urged them forward with their 
breasts. The combat was very equal ; and for some time none were 
struck down, as I heard from those present. When they had sufB. 
ciently used their spears, they threw them down, and with battle, 
axes began to deal out terrible blows on both sides. This action 
lasted for three hours, and it was marvellous to see how well they 
fought and defended themselves. When any were so worsted or out 
of breath, that they could not longer support the fight, they seated 
themselves near a large ditch full of water in the middle of the plain, 
when having taken otf their helmets, they refreshed themselves: this 
done, they replaced their helmets and returned to the combat. I do 
not believe there ever w^as so well fought or so severe a battle, as 
this of Marteras in Bigorre, since the famous combat of thirty Eng- 
lish against thirty French knights in Brittany.t 

" They fought hand to hand, and Ernauton de Sainte Colombe, an 
excellent nmn-at-arms, was on the point of being killed by a squire 
of the country called Guillonet de Salenges, who had pushed him so 
hard that he was quite out of breath, when I will tell you what hap. 
pened : Ernauton de Sainte Colombe had a servant who was a spec- 
tator of the battle, neither attacking nor attacked by any one ; but, 
seeing his master thus distressed, he ran to him, and, wresting the 
battle-axe from his hands, said, ' Ernauton, go and sit down ; recover 
yourself: you cannot longer continue the battle.' With tliis battle. 
axe he advanced upon the squire, and gave him such a blow on the 
helmet as made him stagger and almost fall down. Guillonet, smart, 
ing from the blow, was very wroth, and made for the servant to 
strike him with his axe on the head ; but the varlet avoided it, and 
grappling with the squire, who was much fatigued, turned him round, 
and flung him to the ground under him, when he said, ' I will put 
you to death, if you do not surrender yourself to my master.' ' And 
who is thy master V ' Ernauton de Sainte Colombe, with whom you 
have been so long engaged.' The squire, finding he had not the 
advantage, being under the servant, who had his dagger ready to 
strike, surrendered on condition to deliver himself prisoner, within 
fifteen days, at the castle of Lourde, whether rescued or not. Of 
such service was this servant to his master ; and, I must say, sir John, 
that there was a superabundance of feats of arms that day performed, 
and many companions were sworn to surrender themselves at Tarbes 
and at Lourde. Ernauton Biscete and le Mengeant de Sainte Basile 
fought hand to hand, without sparing themselves, and performed 
many gallant deeds, while all the others were fully employed : how. 
ever, they fought so vigorously that they exhausted their strength, 
and both were slain on the spot. Thus fell Ernauton Biscete and le 
Mengeant de Sainte Basile. 

" Upon this, the combat ceased by mutual consent, for they were 
so worn down that they could not longer wield their axes : some 
disarmed themselves, to recruit their strength, and left there their 
arms. Those of Lourde carried with them the dead body of le Men. 
geant, as the French did that of Ernauton to Tarbes ; and, in order 
that the memory of this batde should be preserved, they erected a 
cross of stone on the place where these two knights had fought and 
died. See, there it is : I point to it." On this, we turned to the 
right, and made for the cross, when each said an Ave Maria and a 
Pater.noster for the souls of the deceased. " By my faith," said I 
to the knight, "I have listened to you with pleasure ; and in truth it 
was a very severe affair for so small a number ; but what became of 
those who conducted the pillage ?" " I will tell you," replied he. 
"At the bridge of Tournay, below Malvoisin, where they intended 
to cross, they found the bourg d'Espaign in ambuscade, who, on 
their arrival, sallied out tipon them, being in sufficient force. Those 
of Lourde could not retreat, and were obliged to abide the event. 
I must truly say, that the combat was as severe and as long, if not 

* *' Biscete"— before BiiTete. 

ITIiis celebrated combat took place between tliirty English under ttie command of 
Bembro twho seems inconsiderately to have engaged in it) and tliirty French under 
Beaumanoir, at the ouk h.iir way between Ploormel and JosseUo, in the year 1351.— 
See ncte. page 92. 



longer than that at Marteras. The bourg d'Espaign performed won- 
ders : he wielded a batile.axe, and never hit a man with it but ha 
struck him to the ground. He was well formed for this, being of a 
large size, strongly made, and not too much loaded with flesh. He 
took with his own hand the two captains, the bourg de Cornillao* 
and Perot Palatin de B^arn. A squire of Navarre was there slain, 
called Ferdinand de Miranda, an expert man-at-arms. Some who 
were present say the bourg d'Espaign killed him, others that he was 
stifled through the heat of his annor. In short, the pilkige was res. 
cued, and all who conducted it slain or made prisoners ; for not three 
escaped excepting varlets, who ran away and crossed the river Lease 
by swimming. Thus ended this business, and the garrison of Lourde 
never had such a loss as it suffered that day. The prisoners were 
courteously ransomed, or mutually exchanged ; for those who had 
been engaged in this combat had made several prisoners on each 
side, so that it behooved them to treat each other handsomely." 

" Holy Mary !*' said I to the knight, " this bourg d'Espaign, is he 
so strong a man as you tell me ?" " Yes, that he is, by my troth," 
said he, " and you will not find his equal in all Gascony for vigor of 
body : it is for this the count de Foix esteems him as his brother in 
arms. Three years ago, I saw him play a ridiculous trick, which I 
will relate to you. On Christmas.day, when the cotint de Foix was 
celebrating the feast with numbers of knights and squires, as is cus- 
tomary, the weather was piercing cold, and the count had dined, 
with many lords, in the hall. After dinner he rose and went into a 
gallery, which has a large staircase of twenty-four steps : in this 
gallery is a chimney where is a fire kept when the count inhabits it, 
otherwise not ; and the fire is never great, for he does not like it : 
it is not for want of blocks of wood, for Beam is covered with wood 
in plenty to warm him if he had chosen it, but he has accustomed 
himself to a small fire. When in the gallery he thought the fire too 
small, for it was freezing and the weather very sharp, and said to 
the knights around him, ' Here is but a small fire for this weather.' 
Ernauton d'Espaign instantly ran down stairs; for from the windows 
of the gallery, which looked into the court, he had seen a number of 
asses with billets of wood for the use of the house, and seizing the 
largest of these asses, with his load, threw him over his shoulders, 
and carried him up stairs, pushing through the crowd of knights and 
squires who were around the chimney, and flung ass and load, with 
his feet upward, on the dogs of the hearth, to the delight of the count, 
and the astonishment of all, at the strength of the squire, who had 
carried, with such ease, so great a load up so many steps." \ 

This feat of strength did I hear ; and all the histories of sir Espaign 
du Lyon gave me such satisfaction and delight, I thought the road 
was much too short.' While this was relating, we crossed the pass 
of Larre, and leaving the castle of Marteras, where the battle was 
fought, passed very near the castle of Barbasan, which is handsome 
and strong, a league distant from Tarbes. We saw it before us, and 
had a good road, easy to be travelled, following the course of the 
river Leschez, which rises in the mountains. We rode at our leisure,' 
not to fatigue our horses ; and he pointed out to me, on the other 
side of the river, the castle and town of Montgaillard, and the road 
which goes straight to Lourde. It then came into my mind to ask 
the knight about the duke of Anjou, when the castle of Malvoisin 
had surrendered to him, and how he had acted on his march to 
Lourde. He very cheerfully told me as follows : 

" When the duke of Anjou marched his army from before Mal- 
voisin, he crossed the river Leschez by the bridge of Tournay, and 
lodgeci at Bagneres (where there is a handsome river which runs by 
Tarbes : for that of Tournay takes a diflerent course, and falls into 
the Garonne, below Montmillion) in his way to lay siege to Lourde. 
Sir Peter Arnaut de B^arn, with his brother John, Peter d'Auchin, 
Ernauton de Restin, Ernauton de Sainte Colombe, and le Mengeant, 
who was then alive, Ferdinand de Miranda, Oliver Barbo, le bourg 
de CorniUac, le bourg Camus, and the other companions within 
Lourde, had good information of his arrival, and had much strength, 
ened the place, in all respects, against his coming. Lourde held 
out, in spite of all the attacks they could make on it, for sixteen days 
consecutively. Many gallant deeds were done, and much mischief 
to the town by the machines which the duke brought to bear againat 
it, so that at length it was conquered ; but the garrison suffered 
nothing, nor lost man, woman, nor child, for they had all retreated 
to the castle, as they knew well the town could not always hold out, 
being only fortified with palisadoes. 

'• When the French had won the town of Lourde they were much 
pleased, and, having fi.ved their quarters in it, they surrounded the 
castle, which was impregnable but by a long siege. The duke was 
there upward of six weeks, and lost more than he gained ; for the 
besiegers ciiidd not hurt those within the castle, as it is situated on 
a perpendicular rock, and can only be approached by ladders, or by 
one pass. There were at the barriers several handsome skirmishes 
and deeds of arms, when many squires of France were killed and 
wounded from having advanced too near. The duke of Anjou, see- 
ing he could not gain the castle of Lourde by force, opened a nego. 
tiation with Tlie governor, offering him large sums of money if he 
would surrender his garrison. The knight was a man of honor, and 
excused himself by saying, ' the garrison was not his ; and that he 
could neither sell, give, nor alienate the inheritance of th e king of 
* Uelbre Cumiiiat. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &e. 



3G7 



flsgland, unless he were a traitov, which he scorned to be, and would 
remain loyal to his natural lord. When the fort was intrusted to 
him, it was on condition that he swore solemnly on his faith, in the 
hands of the prince vi' Wales, to guard and defend the castle of 
Lourdc until death, against every man whatever, unless he were sent 
to hini from the king of England.' No other answer could be had 
from him, in reply to all the offers and promises they made ; so that, 
when the duke and his council saw they could not gain anything, 
■they broke up the siege of the castle of Lourde ; but, on their de- 
camping, tliey burnt the town to the ground. 

" Tile duke retreated with his army along the frontiers of B6arn 
■toward Montmarsen : he had heard that the count de Foi,\ had rein- 
forced all his garrisons with men-at-arms. This did not displease 
him so Tnuch as that the B^arn men should hold out Lourde against 
him ; but he could never obtiiin anything satisfactory on this head. 
The count de Foix, as I have mentioned before, was very suspicious 
of the intentions of the duke, who did him no harm, though the count 
d'Armagnac and the lord d'Albretli wished him to act otherwise ; 
but he was not so iiiclined. While he was encamped between 
Montmarsen and the high lands of Albreth, he sent sir Peter de 
Beuil to Orthfes, where on his arrival he was handsomely received by 
the count de Foi.'c and lodged in tlie castle. He entertained him 
splendidly, and presented him with fine horses and mules, and to his 
people gave other gifts : he sent by him to the duke of Anjou four 
beautiful horses and two Spanish grayhounds, so handsome and good 
■there were none like them. Some secret negotiations passed be- 
tween the count and sir Peter de Beuil, of which we knew nothing 
for a long time ; but, from circumstances which shortly happened, 
we suspected wliat I will now tell you, and by that time we shall 
arrive at Tarbes. 

" Soon after the duke of Anjou had ended his. expedition and was 
returned to Toulouse, the count de Foix sent letters by a trusty mes- 
senger to his cousin sir Peter Arnant de B^arn at Lourde, for him to 
come to Orthfes. The knight on receiving these letters and noticing 
the bearer, who was a man of high rank, became very thoughtful 
and doubtful whether to go or not : however, on full consideration, 
he said he would go, fur he was unwilling to offend the count de 
Foix. When on the point of departure, he called his brother, John 
de B^arn, and said to him, in presence of the garrison : ' My lord, 
the count de Foix has sent for me ; on what account I know not, 
but since he is desirous I should come to him, I will go, I suspect 
very much that I shall he required to surrender this castle ; for the 
duke of Anjou has marched along the frontiers of his country with- 
out entering it, and the count de Foix has long wished for the castle 
of Malvoisin, in order to be master of Lane-bourg and the frontiers 
of BigoiTe and Comminges. I am ignorant if any treaties have been 
made between him and the duke of Anjou ; but I declare, that as 
long as I live, I will never surrender the castle of Lourde but to my 
natural lord the king of England. I therefore order you, brother 
John, should I appoint you to the command of it, that you swear to 
me, upon your faith and gentility, you will hold it in the same man- 
ner as I do, and that you will never fail in so doing fw life or death.' 
John took the oath as his brother required, v%ho then set out for 
Orth^s, where on his arrival he dismounted at the hotel of the Moon. 

" When he thought it was decent time to wait on the count, he 
went to him at the castle, who received Irim most amicably, made 
him sit at his table, and showed him every mark of attention. Din- 
ner being over, the count said, ' Peter, I have many things to talk 
with you upon : therefore, you must not go away without my leave.' 
The knight answered, ' My lord, I will cheerfully slay until I have 
your permission to depart.' The third day the count addressed him, 
in the presence of the viscount de Gousserant, his brother, the lord 
d'Auchin in Bigorre, and several knights and squires, and so loud 
that all heard him : ' Peter, I have sent for you, to acquaint you, that 
my lord of Anjou is very angry with me, on account of the garrison 
of Lourde which you command. Through the good offices of some 
friends I have in his anuy, my territories have narrowly escaped 
being overrun ; and it is his opinion, and others in his company who 
hate me, that I support you, because you are of Beam. Now I do 
not wish to incur the anger of so powerful a prince as the duke of 
Anjou : I therefore command you, under pain of my displea-sure, 
and by the faith and homage you owe me, to give up the castle of 
Lourde to me.' 

" The knight was thunderstruck on hearing this speech, and 
thought awhile what answer to make ; for he perceived the count 
"had spoken in a determined manner. Having considered, he said, 
'My lord, in truth I owe you faith and homage, for I am a poor 
knight of your blood and country ; but, as for the castle of Lourde, I 
will never surrender it to you. You have sent for me, and you may 
therefore do with me as you please. I hold the castle of Lourde 
from the king of England, who has placed me there ; and to no 
other person but to him will I ever surrender it.' The count de 
Foix, on hc>nring this answer, was exceedingly WTOth, and said, as 
he drew his dagger, ' Ho, ho '. dost thou then say so ? By this head, 
thou haft not said it for nothing.' And, as he uttered these words, 
be etrack him foully with the dagger, so that he wounded him 
severely in five pbces, and none of the barons or knights dared to 
interfere. The knight replied, ' Ha, ha, my lord, this is not gentle 
treatment : you have sent for rae hither, and are murderbig me.' 



Having received these five strokes from the dogger, the count ordered 
him to be cast into the dungeon, which was done ; and there he died, 
for he was ill cured of his wounds. 

" Ha, holy Man'," sold I to the knight, ' was not this a great act 
of cruelty ?" " Whatcve"- it was," said he, " so it happened, and ill 
betide him who angers the count, for then he pardons none. Ho 
kept liis cousin-gennan, the viscount Chilteoubon, even though he ia 
his heir, eight months prisoner ill the castle of the tower of Orlhfes, 
and then ransomed him for forty thousand francs." " What, sir," 
said I, " has not the count de Foix any children ?" " F,h, in God's 
name, not in lawful marriage ; but he has two young knights, bas. 
tards, sir Jenuain and sir Gracien, whom you will see, and whom 
he loves as well as himself." "And wais he never married?" " Yes, 
and is so still, but madamc de Foix does not live «ith him." " Where 
does she reside?" "She lives in Navarre, for the king of Navarre 
is her brother : she was daughter of king Louis of NavaiTe."* 
"The co^t de Foix, had he never any children by her?" "Yes; 
a very fine son, who was the delight of his father and of the coun- 
try : through him the country of B(Sarn, which is in dispute, would 
have been- settled, for his wife was the sister c^ the count d'Ar- 
magnac." " And pray, sir, may I ask what became of this son ?" 
" Yes," replied he ; " but the story is too long at present, for we are, 
as you see, arrived at the town." 

At these words I left the knight quiet ; and we soon after enteretJ 
Tarbes, where we were very comfortable at the hotel of the Star. 
We remained there the whole of that day, for it was a commodious 
place, to refresh ourselves and horses, having good hay, good oats, 
and a handsome river. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

DURING THE JOURNEY FROM TAKBES TO MORLENS, THE KNIGHT OF FOIX 
RELATES TO FROISSART THE QUARREL AND RECONCILIATION BETWEEN 

THE DUKE OF BERRY AND THE COUNT DE FOIX AND ALSO THE CAUSE 

.OF THE WAR BETWEEN HIM AND THE COUNT d'ARMAGNAC. 

On the morrow, after mass, having mounted our horses and left 
Tarbes, we came to Jorre, a town w'hich has always gallantly de- 
fended itself against the garrison of Lourde. We passed by it, and 
entered Beam, when the knight stopped in the plain and said, "We 
are now in B^arn." There were two roads that crossed each other, 
and wc knew not which to tnke, whether that to Morlens or to Pau : 
at last we followed that to Morlens. 

In riding over the heaths of B^arn, which are tolerably level, I 
asked, in order to renew our conversation, " Is the town of Pau near 
us ? " Yes," said he, " I will show you the steeple ; but it is much 
further off than it appears, and the roads are very bad to travel on 
account of the deep clays, + and it would be folly for any one to 
attempt going through them that is not well acquainted with the 
country. Below are seated the town and castle of Lourde." "And 
who is governor of it now ?" " John de Beam, brother to sir Peter 
de BCarn that was murdered, and he styles himself sfineshcal of Bi. 
gorre for the king of England." " Indeed !" said I, " and does 
this John ever visit the count do Foix ?" " Never since the death 
of his brother ; but his other companions, such as Peter d'Auchin, 
Ernauton de Reslin, Ernauton de Sainte Colombe, and others, go 
thither, whenever they have occasion." " Has the count de Foix 
made any amends for the murder of the knight ? or has he ever 
again been in such passions ?'^ " Yes, very often," replied the 
knight ; " but as for amends, he has never made any, except indeed 
by secret penances, masses, and prayers ; he has with him a son of 
John de Beam, a young and courteous squire, whom he greatly 
loves." 

" Holy Mary !" exclaimed I, " since the duke of Anjou was so 
desirous to gain Lourde, he ought to be well pleased with the count 
de Foix, who could murder a knight and his cousin, to accomplish 
the duke's wishes." "By my faith, he was so; for soon after the 
event of his nephew coming to the crown of France, he sent sir 
Roger d'Espaign and a president of the parliament of Paris, with 
fair letters patent engrossed and sealed, of the king's declaration that 
he gave him the county of Bigorre during his life, but that it was 
necessar)' ho should become liege man and hold it of the crown of 
France. The count de Foix was veiy thankful to the king for this 
mark of his affection, and for the gift of Bigorre, wliich was unso- 
licited on his part ; but, for anything Roger d'Espaign could say or 
do, he would never accept it. He only retained the castle of Mal- 
voisin, because it was free land, and the cattle and its dependencies 
held of none but God, and formerly had been part of his patrimony. 
The king of France, to please the duke of Anjou, gave it to the 
count de Foix ; but the count swore he would only hold it on con- 
dition never to admit into it any one ill inclined to France ; and in 
trutli he had it well guarded. The garrison of Malvoisin would 
have been as much afraid of the English as any other French or 
Gascon garridon, but they dared not invade the territories of Foix." 

I was much pleased with this history of sir Espaign du Lyon, 
which I have well remembered ; for as soon as we dismounted at our 



* Ines or A£ii«:, wife of Gaston Phrebus. count de Foix, was daughter of Jotm of 
Novone anJ Philip VI. king of Frunze— Ed. 

t Les s'avfs.— Places situated on the banks of rivers, and covered with nioruig 
b-aiids.— Ed. 



368 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



inns, I wrote all down, whether it was late or early, that poaterity 
might have the advantage of it, for there is nothing like writing for 
the preservation of events. 

We rode this morning to Morlens ; but, before we arrived, I again 
began the conversation by saying, " My lord, I have forgotten to asU 
you, when you were telling me the history of Foix and Armagnac, 
how the count de Foix was able to dissemble with the duke of Berry, 
who had married a daughter and ^ister to the counts d'Armagnao ? 
and if the duke of Berry made war on him, how he behaved ?" " How 
he behaved ?" said the knight: '* I will tell you : in former times, 
the duke hated him mortally ; but at this moment, by means which 
you will hear, when at Orthfes, they are very good friends." " My 
lord, was there any reason for the duke's hatred ?" " Father of 
God ! no," replied the knight : " I will tell you the cause of it. 
When Charles king of France, father to the present king, died, the 
kingdom was divided into two parties respecting its government. My 
lord of Anjou, who was impatient to go to Italy, and inj^ed this he 
afterwards did, took possession of it, and set aside his two brothers 
the dukes of Berry and Burgundy. The duke of Berry had the 
government of those parts within the Langue d'Oc, and the duke of 
Burgundy of the Langue d'Ouy and all Picardy.* 

" When the inhabitants of Languedoc heard that my lord of Berry 
was to govern them, they were much alarmed, especially those of 
Toulouse and its dependencies; for they knew the duke to be a 
spendthrift, who would get money anyway he could, without caring 
how he oppressed the people. Some Bretons still remained in the 
Toulousain, Carcassonnois and Rouergue, whom the duke of Anjou 
had left, and they pillaged the whole country : it was reported the 
duke of Berry supported them, in order to be master of the principal 
towns. The duke himself %vas not at the time I am speaking of in 
Languedoc, but attending the king in the wars in Flanders. The 
citizens of Toulouse, who are a powerful body, perceiving how young 
the king was and how much occupied wath the atiairs of his uncle 
the duke of Burgundy in Flanders, and that they were perpetually 
plundered by Bretons and other pillagers, so that they knew not how 
to prevent it, sent to the count de Foix offers of paying him a certain 
sum monthly, if he would undertake the government and deience of 
their city and the other neighboring towns. They entreated him very 
earnestly to comply with their request, because they knew him to be 
an upright man, a great lover of justice, fortunate in Ms affairs, and 
much feared by his enemies. The inhabitants of Toulouse have 
always borne him great affection, for he has ever been a good neigh- 
bor to them. 

" He undertook the charge o!" their government, and swore to hold 
and defend the country in its right against all who were ill inclined, 
with the reservation of the rights of the king of France. He instantly 
ordered considerable detachments of men-at-arms on the different 
roads the pillagers used to take ; and one day he had hanged or 
drowned upward of four hundred of them, at Robesten in the Tou- 
lousain, which gained him so much the love of those of Toulouse, 
Carcassonne, Beziers, Montpelier and the other towns, that it was 
reported Languedoc had revolted and chosen for its lord the count 
de Foix. The duke of Berry, who had the government of it, was ill 
pleased at this intelligence, and conceived a great hatred to the count 
de Foix, for interfering so much in the affairs of France, and for his 
supporting the people of Toulouse in their revolt. He ordered men. 
at-arms into that country, but they were severely repulsed by the 
partisans of the count de Foix, and were forced to retreat, or ihey 
would have suffered for it. This'angered the duke still more; he 
said the count de Foix was the proudest and most presumptuous man 
in the world ; and he would not suffer his name to be mentioned with 
praise in his presence ; but he did not make war against him, for 
the count had all his towns and castles so well garrisoned, none dared 
to invade his territories. 

" When the duke oi Berry entered Languedoc, the count resigned 
the government, and would not any way meddle, in prejudice to the 
duke ; but his dislike still continued as great as ever. I will now 
say a word of the means that established peace between them. About 
ten years ago,t Eleanor de Comminges (at present countess of Bou- 
logne, a near relation to the count de Foix, and lawful heiress to the 
county of Comminges, notwithstanding the count d'Armagnac was 
in possession) came to the count de Foix at Orthfcs, bringing with 
her a young girl, three years old. The count entertained her hand, 
somely, inquired her business, whence she came, and whither going ? 
' My lord,' said she, ' I am going to my uncle and aunt.in.law, the 
count and countess de Durgueil,in Arragon, there to remain; for I have 

* " It is very probable these two denominations liad been in use before the ordinance 
of Phihn le Bel in 1304 and la05. It is in anotlier ordinance of Cliarlcs VI. 1384, wliich 
states the crown of France to be divided into Langue d'Oc, and I.angue d'Oii. The 
word Langue was employed anciently for nation or province : in the order of Malta, 
the term is preserved at present. Guillaume de Nangis. in his chronicle, points out the 
environs of Pans by the name ol Langue d'Oil, in the year 1344. where an epidemical 
disorder began to desolate the country toward the end of August. In la Salade. by 
Anthony de la Salle, about 1410, he speaks of an unknown knight, whom he supposes 
from Languedoc, * because he and tile greater part of his aUendnnts used in theivspeech 
Oc, the language which is spoken at Saint-Jago of Compostella.' 

" All these general distinctions ceased from tjie lime of Francis I, There is not any 
mention after that period, m the treasury receipts, of the Langue d'Oc nor of tlie Lan- 
gue d'Oil. The Langue d'Oc was considered as the country souUi of Hie Loire, and the 
Langue d'Oil, or Picarde, to the north of it,"-Sr. PALiVK, Mfm. de r.lcaiimie, 
vol. .Yxiv. T This took place in 1383.-Kd. 



nuich displeasure in living with my husband, sir John de Boulogne. 
son of the count de Boulogne. I expected he would have recovered 
for me mine inheritance of Comminges from the count d'Armagnac, 
who not only keeps it, but has confined my sister in prison; but my 
husband is too soft a knight, whose sole delight is eating and drink, 
ing, and enjoying his pleasures ; and the moment his father dies, he 
will sell the greater part of his estates to multiply his luxuries : it is 
for these reasons I cannot live with him. I have also brought my 
daughter with me, whom I deliver up to your charge, and appoint 
you her guardian, to instruct and defend her; for I well know that, 
from our relationship, you will not disappoint me ; and I have the 
greatest confidence in the care you will take of my duughtemJoan. It 
was with much difficulty I could get her from her father's hands, 
and out of the country ; but as I know the Armagnacs, your adver- 
saries as well as mine, are capable of carrying her ofl", being the true 
heiress of Comminges, I deliver her to you ; therefore do not fail me 
in the business, I entreat of you ; for I firmly believe, that when my 
husband shall know I left her under your care, he will be pleased, 
having frequently said, that this girl would give him much trc-'uble.' 

" The count de Foix was delighted to hear his cousin, the lady 
Eleanor, thus talk, and thought in his own mind (for he has a very 
fertile imagination,) that this giil was brought to him very oppor. 
tunely, as by her means he could make a stable peace with his ene. 
mies, or marry her so nobly they would fear him. He answered, 
' Madame and cousin, I will most cheerfully comply with your re. 
quest : I am bounden to do it by our relationship. With regard to 
your daughter, I will defend, and be as careful of her as if she were 
my own child.' ' A thousand thanks, my lord,' said the lady. Thus 
did the young lady of Boulogne remain with the count at his house 
in Orthes, which she has never since quitted, and the lady her mother 
pursued her journey to Arragon. She has returned to see her two 
or three times, but has never asked to have her back ; for the count 
acquits himself toward her as if she were indeed his own child. But 
I must tell you the means by which, if formerly he was in the ill 
graces of the duke de Berry, he is now on good terms. The duke 
at this moment is very desirous to marry her ; and from what I heard 
at Avignon from the pope, who spoke to me on the subject, and who 
is cousiii-genuan to her father, the duke will employ him to ask for 
him, as he is determined to make her his wife." 

*' By holy Mary,"said I to the knight, " your history hasgivenme 
much pleasure and done me service : you shall not lose a word you 
have said, for they shall all be chronicled with everything I say and 
do, if God grant me health to return again to Valenciennes, of which 
place I am a native ; but I am very angry at one thing." *' What is 
that?" said the knight. " On my faith, it is, that so noble and val. 
iant a prince as the count de Foix should not have any legal heirs 
by his wife." " Please God he had," replied the knight ; " for if his 
child were now alive, he would be the happiest lord in the world, 
and his vassals be equally rejoiced." " What !" said I, " will his 
estates be without an heir ?" " Oh, no : the viscount dc Chflteau. 
bon, his cousiu-german, is his heir." " Is he a valiant man-at-arms ?" 
" God help him ! no ; and for that reason the count de Foix cannot 
bear him. He will make his two bastard-sons, who are young and 
handsome knights, his heirs, and intends to connect them very highly 
by marriage ; for he has money enough, which will find them wives 
to uphold and assist them." " Sir," said I, " all this is very well ; 
but I do not think it just nor decent that bastards should inherit 
lands." " Why not ?" added he, " if proper heirs be wanting. Do 
not you see how the Spaniards crowned for king the bastard don 
Henry ? and the Portuguese have done the same thing. It has fre- 
quently happened, that bastards have gained possession of several 
kingdoms by force. Was not William the Conqueror bastard-son of 
a duke of Normandy ! He won all England, as well as the king's 
daughter who then governed, and was himself king, and from him 
all the kings of England are descended." 

" Well, sir," said I, " all this may be well, for there is nothing 
but what may happen. Surely those of the Armagnac party are too 
strong, and this country must always be at war. Tell me, my dear 
sir, the first origin of the wars between Foix and Armagnac, and 
which had the fairest cause." " That I will, by my faith," answered 
the knight : " It has, however, been a wonderful war, for each 
thinks he has justice on his side. You must know, that formerly, 
I imagine about one hundred years from this time, there was a lord 
of B^arn called Gaston,* a most gallant man-at-arms ; he was buried 
with great solemnity in the church of the Freres Mineurs, at Orthfes, 
where you will find him and may see of what a size he was in body 
and limbs, for during his lifetime he had a handsome resemblance 
made of him, in brass. This Gaston had two daughters ;t tlie eld- 
est of whom he married to the count d'Armagnac of that period, 
[ and the youngest to the count de Foix, nephew to the king of Arra- 
i gon. The counts de Foix still bear those arms (for they are de- 
scended from the kings of -Arragon,) wliich are paly or and gules; 
j and this, I believe, you know. It happened that the lord of B6arn 

j ^' Gaston VII. of the house of Mon^ada. He began to reign in 1232, and died, April 

] 22, 1290. He built the castle of Orthes.— Ed. 

t Gaston VII. had /ot/r daughters and no heir male. These four daughters were 
Constance, the eldest, who married the infant of .\rrngon ; Margaret, who married Ro- 
ger Bernard, count de Foix ; Amata, who married the count of Armagnac ; and Gtiil- 
leinetle, married after the death of her father.— Ed. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



369 



had a severe and long war with the king of Castille of that time,* 
who, marching througli Biscay with a numerous army, entered Beam. 
Sir Gaston de Beam, having intellTgence of his march, collected 
people from all quarters, and had written to his two sons-in-law, the 
counts d'Arraagiiac and de Foix, to come with all quickness with 
their foj-ces, to assist him in the defence and preservation of his 
inheritance. 

" On the arrival of these letters, the count de Foix assembled his 
vassals as speedily as possihle, and sent for assistance to all his 
friends. He exerted himself so effectually, that he collected five 
hundred knights and squires and two thousand footmen armed with 
javelins, darts and shields : accompanied by these, he marched into 
B^arn to assist the lord his father, who was much delighted there- 
with. This army crossed the river Bane by the bridge of Orthes, 
and took up their quarters between Sauveterre and I'Hopital. The 
king of Castille, with full twenty thousand men, was encamped not 
far from them. Sir Gaston de Beam and the count de Foix, expect- 
ing the count d'-A.rmagnac, waited for him three days : on the fourth 
a herald arrived from the count d'Armagnac with letters to sir Gas- 
ton, to say he could not come, and that it was not agreeable to him 
to arm in behalf of the country of Beam, for at present he had not 
any interest in it. Sir Gaston, perceiving he was not to have any 
assistance from the count d'Armagnac, was much astonished, and 
asked the count de Foix and the barons of B^arn, how he should 
act : ' My lord," replied the count de Foix, ' since we are assembled, 
we will offer battle to your enemies.' This advice was followed, 
and instantly they all armed : they might be about twelve hundred 
men with helmets, and six thousand on foot. 

" The count de Foix, with the van division, charged the king of 
Castille and his army in their quarters. The battle was very severe 
and bloody : upward of two thousand Castillians were slain. The 
count de Foix made ^prisoners the son and brother of the king of 
Castille, whom he sent to sir Gaston de Beam, who commanded the 
rear division. The Castillians were completely defeated. The 
count de Foix pursued them as far as the gates of St. Andero in 
Biscay, where the king took refuge in an abbey, and put on a monk's 
frock, otherwise he would have been taken : those saved themselves 
who could, on board of vessels. The count de Foix on his return 
to sir Gaston de Beam, was received by him with much joy, as in- 
deed he had reason, for he iiad saved his honor and secured the 
country, which otherwise wotild have been lost. This battle and 
defeat of the Castillians, and the capture of the son and brother of 
the king, induced him to accede to a peace with the lord de B^am 
on such terms as he dictated. 

" Sir Gaston de Beam, on his return to Orthfes, in the presence of 
all the knights of Beam and Foix, took the count de Foix by the hand 
and said : ' Fair son, you are indeed my son, my loyal son, and have 
secured for ever my honor and the honor of my countiy. The count 
d'Armagnac, who married my eldest daughter, has excused himself 
from assisting in the defence of my inheritance, in which he was so 
much interested. I therefore declare, that he has forfeited and shall 
lose whatever share he may have expected from it in behalf of my 
daughter. You, count de Foix, shall inhe^t the whole of my territory 
of B€arn after my decease, you and your heirs for ever. I entreat and 
command all my subjects to agree with me, and to seal this gift, which 
I present to you, my fair son of Foix.' All present answered, ' My 
lord, we will most cheerfully do so.' Thus did the former counts de 
Foix become lords of B6arn ; they bear the arms and the name, and 
have the war-cry and profit. However, the Armagnacs have not the 
less urged their claims, to those rights they say they are entitled 
to ; and this is the cause of the quarrel and war between Armag. 
nac, Foix and Beam." 

"By my faith," said I to the knight, "you have perfectly well 
explained the matter. I never before heard anything of it, but, 
since I now do, I will perpetuate it, if God grant that I return to 
my own country. But there is one thing more I could wish to 
know ; what caused the death of the son of the count de Foix ?" 
The knight became pensive, and said, " It is too melancholy a sub- 
ject : I therefore wish not to speak of it ; but when you are at Or- 
thfes, if you ask, you will find many there who will tell you the 
■whole history." I was obliged to content myself with this answer ; 
so we continued our journey until we arrived at Morlens. 



CHAPTER IX. 

SIR JOHN FROISSAKT ARRIVES AT ORTHES. AN OLD SQUIRE RELATES TO 
HIM THE CRDEL DEATH OF THE ONLY SON OF THE COUNT DE FOIX, AND 
HOW STRANGE DREAMS AFFECTED SIR PETER DE BEARN BASTARD-BRO- 
THER TO THE COUNT. 

On the morrow we set out, and dined at Montgerbal, when hav- 
ing remounted, and drank a cup at Ercie, we arrived by sunset at 
Orthfes. The knight dismounted at his own house : and I did the 
same at the hotel of the Moon, kept by a squire of the count, called 
Ernauton du Pin, who received me with much pleasure on account 
of my being a Frenchman. Sir Espaign du Lyon, who had accom- 
panied me, went to the castle, to speak with the count on his affairs : 



^ Tills was probably about the year 1353.— Bd. 



he found him in his gallery, for a little before that hour he had dined. 
It was a custom with the count, which he had followed from his in- 
fancy, to rise at noon*" and sup at midnight. 

Tile knight informed him of my arrival, and I was instantly sent 
for ; for he is a lord above all others who delights to see strangers, 
in order to hear news. On my entering, he received me handsomely 
and retained me of his household, where I staid upward of twelve 
weeks well entertained, as were my horses. Our acquaintance was 
strengthened by my ha\dng brought with me a book which I had 
made at the desire of Winceslaus of Bohemia, duke of Luxembourg 
and Brabant. In this book, called le Meliador, are contained all the 
songs, ballads, roundelays and virelays, which that gentle duke had 
composed, and of them I had made this collection. Every night af. 
ter Slipper I read out to him parts : during which time neither he 
nor any one else spoke, for he was desirous I should be well heard, 
and took much delight in it. When any passages were not per- 
fectly clear, he himself discussed them with me, not in his Gascon 
language, but in very good French. 

I shall relate to you several things respecting him and his house- 
hold, for I tarried there as long as I could gain any information. 
Count Gaston Phoebus de Foix, of whom I am now speaking, was 
at that time fifty-nine years old ; and I must say, that although I 
have seen very many knights, kings, princes and others, I have never 
seen any so handsome, either in the form of his limbs and shape, or 
in countenance, which was fair and ruddy, with gray and amorous 
eyes, that gave delight whenever he chose to express afl'ection. He 
was so peif ectly formed, one could not praise him too iriiich. He 
loved earnestly the things he ought to love, and hated those which 
it was becoming him so to hate. He was a prudent knight, full of 
enterprise and wisdom. He had never any men of abandoned 
character with him, reigned prudently, and was constant in his devo. 
lions. There were regular nocturnals from the Psalter, prayers 
from the rituals to the Virgin, to the Holy Ghost, and from the burial 
service. He had eveiy day distributed as alms, at his gate, five 
florins in small coin, to all comers. He was liberal and courteous 
ill his irifts ; and well knew how to take when it was proper, and to 
give back where he had confidence. He mightily loved dogs above 
all other animals ; and during the summer and winter amused him- 
self much with hunting. He never liked any foolish works nor 
ridiculous extravagancies ; and would know every month the amount 
of his expenditure. He chose from his own subjects twelve of the 
most able to receive and administer his finances : two of them had 
the management for two months, when they were changed for two 
others ; and from them he selected one as comptroller, in whom he 
placed his greatest confidence, and to whom all others rendered their 
accounts. This comptroller accounted by rolls or written books, 
which were laid before the count. He had certain coffers in his 
apartment, from whence he took money to give to different knights, 
squires or gentlemen, when they came to wait on him, for none ever 
left him without a gift ; and these sums he continually increased, in 
order to be prepared for any event that might happen. He was 
easy of access to all, and entered very freely into discourse, though 
laconic in his advice and in his answers. He employed four secre- 
taries to write and copy his letters; and these secretaries were obliged 
to be in readiness the moment he came out from his closet. He 
called them neither John, Walter, nor William, but his good-for- 
nothings, to whom he gave his letters after he had read them, either 
to copy, or to do anything else he might command. 

In such manner did the count de Foix live. When he quitted his 
chamber at midnight for supper, twelve servants bore each a lighted 
torch before him, which were placed near his table, and gave a bril- 
liant light to the apartment. The hall was full of knights and squires ; 
and there were plenty of tables laid out for any person who chose to 
sup. No one spoke to him at his table, unless he first began a con- 
versation. He commonly ate heartily of poultry, but only the wings 
and thighs ; for in the day-time, he neither ate nor drank much. He 
had great pleasure in hearing minstrels, as he himself was a profi. 
cient in the science, and made his secretaries sing songs, ballads and 
roundelays. He remained at table about two hours ; and was pleased 
when fanciful dishes were served up to him, which having seen, he 
immediately sent them to the tables of his knights and squires. 

Ill short, everything considered, though I had before been in several 
courts of kings, dukes, princes, counts, and noble ladies, I was never 
at one that pleased me more, nor was I ever more delighted with 
feats of arms, than at this of the count de Foix. There were knights 
and squires to be seen in every chamber, hall and court, going back- 
wards and forwards, and convcreing on arms and amours. Every- 
thing honorable was there to be found. All intelligence from distant 
countries was there to be learnt •, tor the gallantry of the count had 
brought visitors from all parts of the world. It was there I was in. 
formed of the greater part of those events which had happened in 
Spain, Portugal, Arragon, Navarre, England, Scotland, and on the 
borders of Languedoc ; for I saw, during my residence, knights and 
squires arrive from every nation. I therefore made inquiries from 
them, or from the count himself, who cheerfully conversed with me. 

I was very anxious to know, seeing the h6tel of the count so spa. 
cious and so amply supplied, what was become of his son Gaston, 

* " Que il se couchoit et levoit !i haute nonne ;" that is to say. he took his morninf 
meilj at that hour.— £d. 



370 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND. FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



and by what accident he had died, for sir Espaign du Lyon would 
never satisfy my curiosity. I had made so many inquiries, that at 
last an old and intelligent squire informed me. He thus began his 
tale : 

" It is well known that the count and countess de Foix are not on 
good terms with each other, nor have they been so for a long time. 
This dissension arose from tlie king of Navarre, who is the lady's 
brother. The king of Navarre had ofi'Lred to pledge himself for the 
lord d'Albreth, whom the count de Foix held in prison, in tlie sum 
of fifty thousand francs. The count de Foix, knowing the king of 
Navarre to be crafty and faithless, would not accept his security, 
which piqued the countess, and raised her indignation against her 
husband : she said, ' My lord, you show but litde confidence in the 
honor of my brother, the king of Navarre, when you will not trust 
him for fifty thousand francs ; if you never gain more from the 
Armagnacs and Labrissiens than you have done, you ought to be 
contented ; you know that you are to assign over my dower, which 
amounts to fifty thousand francs, into the hands of my brother : 
therefore jou cannot run any risk for repayment.' ' Lady, you say 
truly,' replied the count; 'but if I thought the king of Navarre 
would stop the payment for that cause, the lord d'Albreth should 
never leave Orthfes until he had paid me the utmost farthing. Since, 
however, you entreat it, it shall be done, not out of love to you, but 
-out of affection to my son.' Upon this, and from the assurance of 
the king of Navarre, who acknowledged himself debtor to the count 
de Foix, the lord d'Albreth recovered his liberty : he turned to the 
French interest, and married a sister of the duke of Bourbon. He 
paid, at his convenience, to the king of Navarre the sum of fifty 
thousand francs, according to his obligation ; but that king never 
repaid them lo the count de Foix. 

" The count on this said to his wife, ' Lady, you must go to your 
brother in Navarre, and tell him that I am very iU-satisfied with him 
for withholding from me the sum he has 'eceived on my account.' 
The lady replied, she would cheerfully gi thither, and set out from 
Orthfes with her attendants. Onher arriva atPampeluna, her brother 
the king of Navarre received her with much joy. The lady punc- 
tually delivered her message, which when the king of Navarre heard, 
he replied, ' My fair sister, the money is yours, as your dower from 
the count de Foix ; and, since I have possession of it, it shall never 
go out of the kingdom of Navarre.' ' Ah, my lord,' replied the lady, 
'you will by this create a great hatred between the count de Foix 
and me ; and, if you persist in this resolution, I shall never dare 
return, for my lord will put me to death for having deceived him.' 
• I cannot say,' answered the king, who was unwilling to let such a 
sum go out of his hands, 'how you should act, whether to remain or 
return ; but as I have possession of the money, and it is my right to 
keep it for you, it shall never leave Navarre.' 

" The countess de Foix, not being able to obtain any other answer, 
remained in Navarre, not daring to return home. The count de 
Foix, perceiving the malice of the king of Navarre, began to detest 
his wife, though she was no way to blame, for not returning after she 
had delivered his message. In truth, she was afraid ; for she knew 
her husband to be cruel when displeased with any one. Thus things 
remained. Gaston, the son of my lord, grew up, and became a fine 
young gentleman. He was mamed to the daughter of the count 
d'Armagnac, sister to the present count and to sir Bernard d'Ar- 
magnac ; and by this union peace was insured between Foix and 
Armagnac. The youth might be about fifteen or sixteen years old : 
he was a very handsome figure, and the exact resemblance of his 
father in his whole form. 

" He took it into his head to make a journey into Navarre, to visit 
his mother and uncle ; but it was an unfortunate journey for him and 
for this country. On his arrival at Navarre, he was splendidly enter- 
tained : and he staid some time with his mother. On taking leave, 
he could not prevail on her, notwithstanding his remonstrances and 
entreaties, to accompany him back ; for, the lady having asked if the 
count de Foix, his father, had ordered him to bring her back, he re- 
plied, that when he set out, no such orders had been given, which 
caused her to fear trusting herself with him. She therefore remained, 
and the heir of Foix went to Pampeluna to take leave of his uncle. 
The king entertained him well, and detained him upward of ten 
days : on his departure, he made him handsome presents, and did the 
same by his attendants. The last gift the king gave him was the 
cause of his death, and I will tell you how it happened. As the 
youth was on the point of setting out, the king took him privately 
into his chamber, and gave him a bag full of powder, which was of 
such pernicious quality as would cause the death of any one that ate 
of it. 'Gaston, my fair nephew,' said the king, 'will you do vvhat I 
am about to tell you? You see how unjustly the count de Foix 
hates your mother, who being my sister, it displeases me as much as 
it should you. If you wish to reconcile your father to your mother, 
you must take a small pinch of this powder, and when you see a 
proper opportunity, strew it over the meat destined for your father's 
table ; but take care no one sees you. The instant he shall have 
tasted it, he will be impatient for his wife, your mother, to return to 
him ; and they will love each other henceforward so strongly they 
will never again be separated. You ought to be anxious to see this 
accomplished. Do not tell it to any one : for, if you do, it will lose 
its effect.' The youth, who believed everything his uncle the king 



of Navarre had told him, replied, he would cheerfully do as he had 
said ; and on this he departi^ from Pampelima, on his return to 
Orthes. His father the count de Foix received him with pleasure, 
and asked what was tlie news 'in Navarre, and what presents and 
jewels had been given him : he replied, 'Very handsome ones,' and 
showed them all, except the bag which contained the powder. 

" It was customary, in the hotel de Foix, for Gaston and his bastard 
brother Evan to sleep in the same chamber : they m\itually loved 
each other and were dressed alike, for they were nearly of the same 
size and age. It fell out, that tlieir clothes were once mixed together; 
and, the coat of Gaston being on tlie bed, Evan, who was malicious 
enough, noticing the powder in the bag, said to Gaston, ' What is 
this that you wear every day on your breast ?' Gaston w;is not pleased 
at the question, and replied, 'Give me back my coat, Evan: you have 
nothing to do with it.' Evan flung him his coat, which Gaston put 
on, but was very pensive the whole day. Three days after, as if God 
was desirous of saving the Ufe of the count de Foix, Gaston quarrelled 
with Evan at tennis, and gave him a box on the ear. The boy was 
vexed at this, and ran crying to the apartJnent of the count, who had 
just heard mass. The comit, on seeing him in tears, asked what was 
the matter. ' In God's name, my lord, replied Evan, ' Gaston has 
beaten me, but he deserves beating much more than I do.' ' For 
what reason V said the count, who began to have some suspicions. 
' On my faith,' said Evan, ' ever since his return from Navarre, he 
wears on his breast a bag of powder: I know not what use it can be 
of, nor what he intends to do witii it ; except that he has once or 
twice told me, his mother would soon return hither, ajid be more in 
your good grac-es than ever sJie was.' 'Ho,' said the count, 'hold 
thy tongue, and be sure thou do not mention what thou hast ju?t told 
me to any man breathing.' ' My lord,' replied the youth, ' I will 
obey you.' The count de Foix was very thoughtful on this subject, 
and remained alone until dinner-time, when ne rose up, and seated 
himself as usual at his table in the hall. His son Gaston always 
placed the dishes before him, and tasted the meats. As soon as he 
had served the first dish, and done what was usual, the count casthi3 
eyes on him, having formed his plan, and saw the strings of the bag 
hanging from his pourpoint. This sight made his blood boil, and he 
said, 'Gaston, come hither: I want to whisper you something.' The 
youth advanced to the table, when the count, opening his bosom, 
undid his pourpoint, and with his knife cut away the bag. The • 
young man was thunderstruck, and said not a word, but turned pale 
with fear, and began to tremble exceedingly, for he was conscious he 
had done wrong. The count opened the bag, took some of the pow. 
der, which he strewed over a slice of bread, and, calling a dog to him, 
gave it him lo eat. The instant the dog had eaten a morsel his eyes 
rolled round in his head, and he died. The count on this was very 
wroth, and indeed had reason : rising from table, he would have 
struck his son with a knife ; but the knights and squires rushed in 
between them, saying, ' For God's sake, my lord, do not be too hasty, 
but make further inquiries before you do any ill to your son.' The 
first words the count uttered were in Gascon ; ' Ho, Gaston, thou 
traitor! for thee, and to increase thy inheritance which would have 
come to thee, have I made war, and incurred the hatred of the kings 
of France, England, Spain, Navarre, and Arragon, and have borne 
myself gallantly against them, and thou wishest to murder me I Thy 
disposition must be infamously bad : know therefore thou shall die 
with this blow.' And leaping over the table widi a knife in his 
hand, he would have slain him : but the knights and squires again 
interfered, and on their knees said to him with tears, ',4h, ah I my 
lord, for Heaven's sake, do not kill Gaston : you have no other child. 
Let him be confined and inquire further into the business. Perhaps 
he was ignorant what was in the bag, and may therefore be blatne- 
less.' ' Well,' replied the count, ' let him be confined in the dungeon, 
but so safely guarded that he may be forthcoming.' The youth was 
therefore confined in this tower. The count had many of those who 
served his son airested, but not all ; for several escaped out of the 
country: in particular, the bishop of Lescar,* who was much sus- 
pected, as were several othere. He put to death not less than fifteen, 
after they had suffered the torture ; and the reason he gave was, that 
it was impossible but they must have been acquainted with the 
secrets of his son, and they ought to have informed liira by saying, 
' My lord, Gaston wears constantly on his breast a bag of such and 
such a form.' This they did not do, and suffered a terrible death for 
it; which was a pity, for there were not in all Gascony such hand- 
some or well-appointed squires. The household of the count de Foix 
was always splendidly established. 

" This business went to the heart of the count, as he plainly 
showed ; for he assembled at Orth6« all the nobles and prelates of 
Foix and B6arn, and others the principal persons of the country. 
When they were met, he informed them of the cause of his calling 
them together, and told them how culpable he had found Gaston ; 
insomuch that it was his intention he should be put to death, as he 
thought him deservii>g of it. They unanimously replied to this 
speech: ' My lord, saving your grace's favor, we will not that Gaston 
be put to death: he is your heir and you have none other.' When 
the count thus heard his subjects declare their sentiments in favor of 
bis son, he hesitated, and thought he might suificienlly chastise him 
by two or three months' confinement, when he wo uld Kcnd him o n 
* " Lescar"— a city in B^artt, abuut uiw leofiue from P&u. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &, c . 



.•?71 



his travels for a few years, until liis ill conduct should be forgotten, 
and he feel grateful for the lenity of his punishment. He therefore 
dissolved the meeting; but those of Foix would not quit Orthte until 
the count had assured them Gaston should not be put to death, so 
great was- their affection to him. He complied with their request, 
but said he would keep him some time in prison. On this promise, 
those who had been assembled departed, and Gaston remained a 
prisoner in Orthte. News of this was spread far and near, and 
reached pope Gregory XI. who resided at Avignon: he sent instantly 
the cardinal of Amiens, and his legate, to B^arn, to accommodate 
this affair; but he had scarcely travelled as far as Beziers, when he 
heard he had no need to continue his journey, for that Gaston the son 
of the count de Foix was dead. I will tell you the cause of his 
death, since I have said so much on the subject. The count de Foix 
had caused him to be confined in a room of the dungeon where was 
little light: there he remained ior ten days. He scarcely ate or drank 
anything of the food which was regularly brought to him, but threw 
it aside. It is said, that after his death, all the meat was found un- 
touched, so that it is marvellous how he could have lived so long. 
The count would not permit any one to remain in the chamber to 
advise or comfort him : he therefore never put off the clothes he had 
on when he entered his prison. This made him melancholy and 
vexed him, for he did not expect so much harshness : he therefore 
cursed the hour he was born, and lamented that he should come to 
Buch an end. On the day of his death, those who brought him food 
said, ' Gaston, here is meat for you.' He paid not any attention to 
it, but said, *Put it down.' The person who sei"ved him, looking 
about, saw all the meat untouched that he had brought thither tlie 
last days: then, shutting the door, he went to the count and said, 
' My lord, for God's sake, look to your son : he is starving himself in 
hifl prison. I do not believe he has eaten anything since his confine- 
ment; for I sec all that I have carried to him lying on one side un- 
touched.' On hearing this, the count was enraged, and, without 
saying a word, left his apartment and went to the prison of his son. 
In an evil hour, he had in his hand a knife, with which he had been 
paring and cleaning his nails; he held it by the blade so closely that 
scarcely the thickness of a groat appeared of the point, when, pushing 
aside the tapestry that covered the entrance of the prison, through ill 
luck, he hit his son on a vein of his throat, as he uttered, ' Ha, traitor, 
why dost thou not eat ?' and instantly loft the room, without saying 
or doing anything more. The youth was much frightened at his 
father's arrival, and withal exceedingly weak from fasting. The point 
of the knife, small as it was, cut a vein, which as soon as he felt he 
turned himself on one side and died. The count had barely got 
back again to his apartment when the attendants of his son came and 
said, ' My lord, Gaston is dead.' * Dead !' cried the count. ' Yes, 
God held me ! indeed he Is, my lord.' The count would not believe 
it, and sent one of liis knights to see. The knight, on his return, 
confinned the news. The count was now bitterly affected, and cried 
out, ' Ha, ha, Gaston ! what a sorry business has this turned out for 
thee and me ! In an evil hour didst thou go to visit thy mother in 
Navarre. Never shall I again enjoy the happiness I had formerly.' 
He then ordered his barber to bo sent for, and was shaven quite 
bare : he clothed liimself, as well as his whole household, in black. 
The body of the youth was borne, with tears and lamentations, to 
the church of the Augustin friars at Orthfes, where it was buried. 
Thus have I related to you the death of Gaston de Foix : his father 
killed him indeed, but the king of Navarre was the cause of this sad 
event." 

My heart was much affected at this recital of the squire of B<;arn 
relative to the death of Gaston ; and I was truly sorry for the count 
his father, whom I found a magnificent, generous, and courteous lord, 
and also for the country that was discontented for want of an heir. I 
then took leave of the squire, after having thanked him for the 
pleasure his narration had given me. I saw him frequently after- 
wards in the h6tel de Foix, when we had always some conversation. 
I once asked him about sir Peter de B^arn, bastard-brother to the 
count, who seemed to me a knight of great valor, and if he were rich 
or married. " Married indeed he is," replied he, " but neither his 
wife nor children live with him." " For what reason ?" said I. " I 
will tell you," replied the squire. 

'■• Sir Peter dc Beam has a custom, when asleep in the night-time, 
to rise, arm himself, draw his sword, and to begin fighting as if he 
were in actual combat. The chamberlains and valets who sleep in 
his chamber to watch him, on hearing him rise, go to him, and inform 
him what he is doing : of all which, he tells them, he is quite ignorant, 
and that they lie. Sometimes they leave neither arms nor sword in 
his chambi-T, when he makes such a noise and clatter as if all the 
devils in hell were there. They therefore think it best to replace the 
arms, and sometimes he forgets them, and remains quietly in his bed." 
I again asi\ed, if he had a large fortune with his wife. " Yes, in 
God's name had he," says the squire ; " but the lady keeps posses, 
sion of it, and enjoys the profits, except a fourth part, wliich sir Peter 
has." " And where does his lady reside ?" " She lives with her 
cousin the king of Castille : her father was count of Biscay and 
cousin.german to don Pedro, who put him to death. He wanted also 
to lay hands on this lady, to confine her. Ho seized her lands, and 
as lung as he lived she received nothing from them. It was told her, 
when, by the death of her father, she became countess of Biscay ; 



' Lady save yourself; for if don Pedro lay hands on you, he will put 
you to death, or at least imprison you, for he is much enraged that 
you should say he sh'angled his queen, sister to the duke of Bourbon 
and the queen of France, in her bed ; and your evidence is more 
readily believed than any other, fou yon were of the bed-chamber.' 
For this reason, the countess Florence de Biscaye quitted the coun- 
try with few attendants, as one naturally wishes to fly from death, 
passed through Biscay and came hither, when she told my lord her 
history. 

" The count, who is kind and affectionate to all ladies and damsels, 
had compassion on her, detained her at his court, and placed her 
with the lady de la Karasse, a great baroness of this country, and 
provided her with all things suitable to her rank. Sir Peter de B^arn, 
his brother, was at that time a young knight, and had not then this 
custom of fighting in his sleep, but was much in the good graces of 
the count, who concluded a marriage for him with this lady, and re- 
covered her lands from don Pedro. She has a son and daughter by 
sir Peter, but they are young, and with her in Castille, for she would 
not leave them with their father ; and she has the right of enjoying 
the greater part of her own lands." 

" Holy Mary !" said I to the squire, " how came the knight to 
have such fancies, that he cannot sleep quietly in bed, but must rise 
and skirmish about the house ! this is very strange." " By my faith," 
answered the squire, " they have frequently asked him, but he knows 
nothing about it. The first time it happened, was on the night follow- 
ing a day when he had hunted a wonderfully large bear in the woods 
of B^arn. This bear had killed four of his dogs and wounded many 
more, so that the others were afraid of him ; upon which sir Peter 
drew his sword of Bordeaux steel, and advanced on the bear with 
great rage, on account of the loss of his dogs : he combated him 
a long time with much bodily danger, and with great difficulty 
slew him, when he returned to his castle of of Langnedudon, in Bis. 
cay, and had the bear carried with him. Every one was astonished 
at the enormous size of the beast, and the courage of the knight who 
had attacked and slain it. When the countess of Biscay, his wife, 
saw the bear, she instantly fainted, and was carried to her chamber, 
where she continued veiy disconsolate all that and the following day, 
and would not say what ailed her. On the third day site told her 
husband, 'she should never recover her health until she had made a 
pilgrimage to St. .James's shrine at Compostella. Give me leave, 
therefore, to go tliither, and to carry my son Peter and my daughter 
Adricnne with me : I request it of you.' Sir Peter too easily com. , 
plied : she had packed up all her jewels and plate unobserved by any 
one ; for she had resolved never to return again. 

" The lady set out on her pilgrimage, and took that opportunity of 
visiting her cousins the king and queen of Castille, who entertained 
her handsomely. She is still with them, and will neither return her. 
self nor send her children. The same night he had hunted and killed 
the bear, this custom of walking in his sleep seized him. It is ru. 
mored, the lady was afraid of something unfortunate happening, the 
moment she saw the bear, and this caused her fainting ; for that her 
father once hunted this bear, and during the chase, a voice cried out, 
though he saw nobody, ' Thou huntest me : yet I wish thee no ill ; 
but thou shalt die a miserable death.' The lady remembered this 
when she saw the bear, as well that her father had been beheaded 
by don Pedro without any cause ; and she maintains that something 
unfortunate will happen to her husband ; and that what passes now 
is nothing to what will come to pass. I have told you the story of 
sir Peter de B^arn," said the squire, " in compliance with your 
wishes : it is a well-known fact ; and what do you think of it ?" 

I was pensive at the wonderful things I had heard, and replied, 
" I do believe everything you have said : we find in ancient authors 
how gods and goddesses formerly changed men into beasts, accord. 
ing to their pleasure, and women also into birds. This bear, therefore, 
mfght have been a knight, hunting in the forest of Biscay, when he, 
perchance, angered some god or goddess, who changed him into a 
bear, to do penance, as Acteon was transformed into a stag." " Ac. 
teon !" cried the squire : " my good sir, do relate it, for I shall be 
very happy to listen to you." "jVecording to ancient authors, we 
read that Acteon was a handsome and accomplished knight who 
loved dogs and the chase above all things. He was once hunting a 
stag of a°prodigious size : the chase lasted the whole day, when he 
lost his men and his hounds ; but, eager in pursuing the stag, he came 
to a large meadow, surrounded by high trees, in which was a foun. 
tain, where the goddess of Chasti y and her nymphs were bathmg 
themselves. The knight came upon them so suddenly that they 
were not aware of him, and he had advanced so far he could not re. 
treat. The nymphs, in their fright, ran to cover their mistress, whose 
modesty was wounded at thus being seen naked. She viewed the 
knight over the heads of her attendants, and said, ' Acteon, who. 
ever has sent thee hither has no great love for thee : I will not, that 
when thou shalt go hence, thou brag of having seen me naked, as 
well as my nymphs ; and for the outrage thou hast commi»ted, thou 
shalt prrfortn a penance. I change thee, therefore, into the form of 
the sta" thou hast this day hunted.' He was instantly transformed 
into a stag, who naturally loves water. Thus it may have happened 
with rcgal-d to the bear whose history you have told me, and the 
countess may have had some knowledge or some fears which at the 
moment sho would not discover : she therefore ought to be excused 



372 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



for what she has done." The squ»e answered, " It may perchance 
be so ;" and thus ended our conversation. 



CHAPTER X. 

THE COUNT DE FOIX HOLDS SOLEMN FESTIVALS ON THE FEAST OF ST. 
NICHOLAS AND AT CHKISTMAS ; DURING WHICH FEOISSAKT BECOMES 
ACQUAINTED WITH EASTOT DE :MAULEON, WHO RELATES TO HIM, AMONG 
OTHER THINGS, HOW SEVERAL OF THE CAPTAINS OF THE FREE COM. 
PANIES IVEKE DEFEATED BEFORE THE TOWN OF SANCERRE. BOW HE 
SURPRISED THE TOAVN OF THURIE IN THE ALBIGEOIS, AND HOW ONE OF 
THE NAME OF LIMOUSIN REVENGED AN OUTRAGE COMMITTED AGAINST 
HIM BY LOUIS RAIMEAUT. 

Among the solemnities which the count de Foix observes on liigh 
festivals, he most magmficently keeps the feast of St. Nicholas, as I 
learnt from a squire of his household the third day after my arrival 
at Orthfts. He holds this feast more splendidly than that of Ea.ster, 
and has a most magnificent court, as I myself noticed, being present 
on that day. The whole clergy of the town of Orthes, with all its 
inhabitants, walh in procession to seek tiie count at the castle, w*ho 
on foot returns with them to the church of St. Nicholas, where is sung 
the psalm "Benedictus Doniinus, Deus meus, qui docet manus meas 
ad proelium, et digitos meos ad bellum," from the Psalter of David, 
which, when finished, recommences, as is done in the chapels of the 
pope or king of France, on Christmas or Easter days, for there were 
plenty of choristers. The Bishop of 
Pamiers sang the mass for the day ; 
and I there heard organs play as me. 
lodiously as I have ever heard in any 
place. To speak briefly and truly, 
the count de Foix was perfect in per- 
son and in mind ; and no contempo- 
rary prince could be compared with 
him for sense, honor, or liberality. 
At the feasts of Christmas, which he 
kept with great solemnity, crowds of 
knights and squires from Gascony 
waited on him, to all of whom he gave 
eplendid entertainments. I saw there 
the bourg d'Espaign, of whose sur- 
prising strength sir Espaign du Lyon 
had told me, which made me more 
desirous to see him, and the count 
Bhowed him many civilities. I saw 
also knights from Arragon and Eng. 
land ; wliich last were of the house- 
hold of tile duke of Lancaster, who 
at that time resided at Bordeaux, 
whom the coimt received very gra- 
ciously, and presented with hand- 
some gifts. 

I made acquaintance with these 
knights, and by them was informed 
of several things which had happened 
in CastiUe, Navarre, and Portugal, 
which I shall clearly detail in proper 
time and place. I saw there also a 
Gascon squire, called le Bastot de 
MauMon, an expert man-at-arms, and 
about fifty years old, according to his 
appearance. He arrived at the hotel 
of the Moon, where I lodged with 
Ernauton du Pin, in grand array, having led horses with him like to 
a great baron, and he and his attendants were served on plate of 
gold and silver. When I heard his name, and saw how much re- 
spect the count de Foix and all the others paid him, I asked sir Es- 
paign du Lyon, "Is not this the squire who quitted the castle of 
Trigalet, when the duke of Anjou lay before Mauvoisin?" " Yes," 
replied he ; " and he is as able a captain and as good a man-at-arms 
as any existing." Upon this I besought his acquaintance, as he was 
lodged in the same hotel as myself, with a cousin of his, a Gascon, 
called .'Vrnauton, governor of Carlat in Auvergne, whom I well 
knew, and who assisted me in it, as did also the bourg de Copaire.* 

One night, as we were sitting round the fire chatting and waiting 
for midnight, which was the hour the count supped, his cousin be- 
gan a conversation relative to his former life, and asked him to tell 
his adventures and success in arms, without concealing loss or profit, 

M% I ''i"*^*' '^'^ '^""''^ ^^'^" remember them. Upon this he said, 
'Sir John, have you in your chronicle what I am going to speak 
' 1 d6 not know," replied I : " but begin your story, which I 



sand francs. The following year I was in Prussia with the count 
de Foix, and his cousin the captal, under whose command I was. 
On our return, we found the duchess of Normandy, the duchess of 
Orleans, and a great number of ladies and damsels, shut up in 
Meaux in Brie. The peasants had confined them in the market- 
place of Meaux, and would have violated them, if God had not sent 
us thither : for they were completely in their power, as they 
amounted to more than ten thousand, and the ladies were alone. 
Upward of six thousand Jacks were killed on the spot, and they 
never afterwards rebelled. ■--.,; 

" At this time there was a truce between the kings of France and 
England, but the king of Navarre continued the war on his own per- 
sonal quarrel with the regent of France. The count de Foix re- 
turned to his own country, but my master and self remained with 
the^king of Navarre and in his pay. We made, with tlie help of 
otiiers, a severe war on France ; particularly in Picardy, where we 
took many towns and castles in the bishoprics of Beauvois and 
Amiens : we weie masters of the country and rivers, and gained 
very large sums of money. When the truce expired between 
Franoe and England, the king of Navarre discontinued his war, as 
peace had been made between him and the regent. The king of 
England crossed the sea with a large army, and laid siege to Rheims, 
whither he sent for the captal, who at that time was at Clermont in 
Beauvoisis, carrying on the war on his own account. We joined 
the king of England and his children. But," said the squire, " I 
fancy you must have written all this, and how the king of England 




of?" 



shall be hi^py to hear ; for I cannot recollect every particular of my 
history, nor can I have been perfectly informed of everv event." 
" Tliat IS true," added the squire, and then began his history in 
these words : 

" The first time I bore arms was under the captal de Buch, at the 
battle of Poitiers : by good luck I made that day three prisoners, a 
knigh t and two squires, who paid me, one with the other, four thou- 
t. e. he assisted liiiii. 



BiSHOf or Pamiers sineing the Mass el the Festival of St. Nicholas, held hy the Count de Foix. The Organ drawn from 
Harl. MS. 3469. and Ihe Costume from a MS. Froissart of Fifteenth Century. 



broke up his siege through famine, and how he came before Char- 
tres, and how peace was made between the two kings." " That ia 
true," replied I : "I have all tlii.^', as well as the treaties which were 
then concluded." Upon this Bastot de MauMon thus continued Ms 
narration : 

" This treaty of peace being concluded, it was necessary for all 
men-at-arms and free companies, according to the words of the 
treaty, to evacuate the fortresses or castles they held. Great num- 
bers collected together, with many poor companions who had learnt 
the art of war under different commanders, to hold councils as to 
what quarters they should march, and they said among themselves, 
that though the kings had made peace with each other, it was ne- 
cessary for them to live. They marched into Burgundy, where 
they had captains of all nations, Germans, Scots, and people from 
every country. I was there also as a 'captain. Our numbers in 
Burgundy, above the river Loire, were upward of twelve thousand, 
including all sorts ; but I must say, that in this number, there were 
three or four thousand good men-at-arms, as able and understanding 
in war as any could be found, whether to plan an engagement, to 
seize a proper moment to fight, or to surprise and scale towns and 
castles, and well inured to war; which indeed w-e showed at the 
battle of Brignais, where we overpowered the constable of France, 
the count de Forfits, with full two thousand lances, knights, and 
squires. This battle was of great advantage to the companions, for 
they were poor, and they then enriched themselves by good prison- 
ers, and by the towns and castles which they took in the archbislv 



CHRONICLES'OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



373 



opric of Lyons on the river Rhone. They carried on their warfare 
until they had gained tlie Pont dn St. Esprit : and the pope and car- 
dinals would not have been freed from them nntil they had destroyed 
everything, if they had not thought of a good expedient, by sending 
to Lombardy for the marquis de Montferrat, who was a gallant 
knight, and at that time at war with the lord of Milan. On his arri- 
▼al at Avignon, the pope and cardinals had a conference H'ith him : 
and he negotiated with the English, Gascon, and German troops for 
their services, for sixty thousand francs, which the pope and cardi. 
nals paid to different leaders of these companies : such as sir John 
Hawkwood, a valiant English knight, sir Robert Bricquet, Carsuelle, 
Naudon le Bagerant, le bourg Camus, and many more. They 
marched into Lombardy, having surrendered the Pont du St. Esprit, 
and carried with them six parts of the companies ; but sir Sequin de 
Batefol, sir John Jewel, sir James Planchin, sir .Tohn Amery, le 
bourg de Pcrigord, Espiote, Louis Raimbaut, Limousin, James Trit- 
tel, and myself, with several others, remained behind. We had pos. 
session of Ance, St. Clement, la Barrellc, la Terrare, Brignais, le 
Pont St. Denis, l'H6pital d'Ortifart, and upward of sixty castles in 
the Maconnois, Forets, Velay, and in Lower Burgundy on the Loire. 
We ransomed the whole country, and they could only be freed from 
us by well paying. We took, by a night-attack, la Charite, which 
we held for a year and a half. Everything was ours from la Charity 
to Puy in Auvergne (for sir Sequin de Batefol had left Ance, and re. 
sided at Brioudc in Auvergne, where he made great profit, and 
gained there and in the adjacent country upward of one hundred 
thousand francs,) and below Loire as far as Orleans, with the com- 
mand of the whole river Allien The archpriest, who was then a 
good Frenchman, and governor of Nevers, could not remedy this ; 
but, being our old acquaintance, we sometimes complied with his 
entreaties to spare the country. The archpriest did great good to 
the Nivernois, by fortii'ying the city of Nevers, which otherwise 
would have been ruined several times: for we had in the environs 
upward of twenty-six strong places, as well towns as castles, and no 
knight, squire, nor rich man, dared to quit his home unless he had 
compounded with us ; and this war we carried on under the name 
and pretext of the king of Navarre. At this time happened the bat. 
tie of Cocherel,* where the captal de Buch commanded for the king 
of Navarre, and many knights and squires went from us to assist 
him : sir James Planchin and sir John Jewel carried with them two 
hundred lances. I held at this i]eriod a castle called le Bee d'.A.llier, 
pretty near to la Charite, on the road to the Bourhonnois, and had un- 
der me forty lances, where I made great profit from the countiy near 
Moulins, and about St. Pour^aint and St. Pierret le Moustier. 
When news was brought me that the captal, my master, was in Con- 
stantin, collecting men from all parts, having a great desire to see 
him, I left my castle with twel# lances, with whom I joined sir 
James Planchin and sir John Jewel, and without accident or adven- 
ture we came to the captal. I believe you must have all this in 
your history, as well as the event of the battle." " Yes, I have," 
said I : " how the captal was made prisoner, and sir James Plan, 
chin and sir John Jewel killed." " That is right," added he : " I 
also was made prisoner ; but good luck befell me, for it was to my 
cousin : he was cousin to my cousin now by my side the bourg de 
Cop aire: and his name was Bernard de Turide : he was killed in 
Portugal, at the affair of Aljubarrota. Bernard, then under the com- 
mand of sir Aymemon de Pommiers, ransomed me in the field t'or a 
thousand francs, and gave me a passport to return to my fort of Bee 
d'Alliers. Instantly on my arrival, I counted out to one of my ser- 
vants a thousand francs, which I charged him to carry to Paris, and 
to bring me back letters of acquittance for the payment, which he 
did. At this same season, sir John Aymery, an English knight, and 
the greatest captain we had, made an excursion down the Loire to. 
ward la Charity : he fell into an ambuscade of the lords de Rouge- 
ment and de Vendelay, with the men of the archpriest. They were 
the strongest, and overpowered him : he was made prisoner, and 
ransomed for thirty thousand francs, which he instantly paid down. 
He was, however, so much vexed at being captured, and with his 
loss, that he swore he would never reenter his fort until he had had 
his revenge. He collected, therefore, a large body of companions, 
and came to la Charity on the Loire, and entreated the captains, 
such as Lamit, Carsuelle, le bourg de Perigord, and myself (who 
were come thither for our amusement,) to accompany him in an ex- 
pedition. We asked him, 'Whither?' ' By my faith,' replied he, 
'we will cross the Loire at port St. Thibaut, and scale the town and 
castle of Sancerre.§ I have made a vow, that I will never reenter 
my own castle until I shall have seen the boys of Sancerre ; and if 
we could conquer that garrison, with the earl's children within it, 
John, Louis, and Robert, we should be made men, and masters of 
the whole country. We may easily succeed in our attempt, for they 
pay no attention to us, and our remaining longer here is not of any 
advantage.' ' That is true,' we answered, and promised to accom- 
pany him, and went away to make ourselves ready. 

" It happened," continued le Bastot de Maul^on, " that our plot was 



• Baule ofCochercl. 1361. 

t Bl. Poutnain de Melcheres and St. Pouigain sar Vesbre. rillages of Bourbonnois, 
near Moulins. 
t '' St. Pierre le MoCilier"— a town of Nivernois, seven leagues from Moulins. 
5 " Sancorte"— an ancient town in Berr)-, near the Loire, eight leagues from Bourges. 



discovered, and known to the town of Sancerre. A valiant squire 
from the lower part of Burgundy, called Guichart d'Albigon, was at 
the time governor of the town, who took great pains to guard it well. 
The earl's children, who were all three knights, were with him. 
This Guichart had a brother, a monk in the abbey of St. Thibaut, 
near Sancerre, who was sent by the governor to la Chajit<!, with the 
composition-money that some of the towns in the upper districts 
owed. They were careless about him, and he discovered, I know 
not how, our intentions and what our numbers were, as well as the 
names of the captains of the diiibrent forts near la Chariie, with tlte 
strength of their garrisons, and also at what hour and in what man. 
ner we were to cross the river at Port St. Thibaut. Having gained 
this information, he hastened to disclose it to his brother and the 
young knights of Sancerre. They made instant preparations for 
their defence, and sent notice of the intended attack to the knights 
and squires of Berry and the Bourbonnois, and to the captains of the 
different garrisons in the neighborhood, so that they were four hnn. 
dred good lances. Thej' placed a strong ambuscade, of two hun- 
dred spears, in a wood near the town. 

" We set out at sunset from la Charity, and rode on briskly, in 
good order, until we came to Prully, where we had collected a num- 
ber of boats, to pass us and our horses over the river. We crossed 
the Loire, as we had intended, and were all over about midnight : 
our horses crossed, also, without accident ; but, as daybreak was near, 
we ordered a hundred of onr men to remain behind to guard the 
horses and boats ; and the rest advanced with a good pace, passing 
by the ambuscade, which took no notice of us. When we had gone 
about a quarter of a league, they sallied forth upon those at the river 
side, whom they instantly conquered, for all were slain or made pris- 
oners ; the horses were captured, and the passage of the river se- 
cured, when, mounting our horses, they stuck spurs into them, 
and arrived at the town as quick as we did. They shouted on all 
sides, ' Our lady for Sancerre !' for the count himself was in the 
town with his men, and sir Louis and sir Robert had formed the am- 
buscade. We were thus completely surrounded, and knew not 
which way to turn oursehes : the shock of lances was great ; for 
those on horseback instantly dismounted on their arrival, and attacked 
us fiercely ; but what hurt us the most, was the impossibility of ex- 
tending our front, for we were inclosed in a narrow road, with 
hedges and vineyards on each side, with our enemies before and be. 
hind us. They knew well the country, and had posted a body of 
their men and servants in the vineyards, who cast stones and flints 
that bruised us much : we could not retreat, and had also great diffi. 
culty to approach the town, which is situated on a hill. 

" We had very hard work : sir John Aymery, our captain, who 
had led us thither, was dangerously wounded by Guichart d'Albigon, 
who, exerting himself to save him, pushed him into a house in the 
town, and threw him on a bed, telling the master to take great care 
of his prisoner, and make haste to have his wounds dressed, for his 
rank was such, that if his life were saved, he would pay twenty thou- 
sand francs. On saying this, Guichart left his prisoner and returned 
to the battle, where he showed himself a good man-at-arms. 

*' Among others, the young knights of Sancerre had come to de- 
fend the countr)', with sir Guichart Dauphin, the lord de Marnay, sir 
Gerard and sir William de Bourbon, the lords de Cousant, de la 
Pierre, de la Palice, de Neutey, de la Croise, de la Sicete, and many 
more: I must say it was a very hard-fought and murderous battle; 
we kept our ground as long as M'e were able, insomuch that several 
were slain and wounded on both sides. By their actions they seemed 
more desirous to take us alive than to kill us : at last they made 
prisoners of Carsuelle, Lamit, Naudon, le bourg de Perigord, le bourg 
de I'Esparre, Angerot, Lamontgis, Phillip du Roc, Pierre de Corthon, 
le Pesat de Pamiers, le bourg d'-4rmesen ; in short, all our compan- 
ions who were in that neighborhood. We were conducted to the 
castle of Sancerre in great triumph : and the free companies never 
suffered such loss in France as they did that day. Guichart d'Albi- 
gon, however, lost his prisoner through negligence, for he bled so 
much that he died : such was the end of John Aymery. By this de- 
feat, which happened under the walls of Sancerre, la Charite sur 
Loire surrendered to the French, as well as the garrisons thereabout, 
by which means we obtained our liberties, and had passports given 
us to quit the kingdom of France, and go whithersoever we pleased. 
Fortunately for us, sir Bertrand du Guesclin, the lord de Beaujeu, 
sir Arnold d'Andreghen, and the count de la Marche, at this moment 
undertook an expedition into Spain, to assist the bastard Henry 
against don Pedro. Before that time, I w.as in Brittany at the bat. 
tie of Auraye, where I served under sir Hugh Calverley, and recov. 
ered my affairs ; for the day was ours, and I made such good 
prisoners, they paid me two thousand francs. I accompanied sir 
Hugh Calverley with ten lances into Spain, when we drove from 
thence don Pedro ; but when treaties were afterwards made between 
don Pedro and the prince of Wales, who wished to enter Castillc, I 
was there, in company with sir Hugh Calverley, and returned to 
Aquitaine with him. 

" The war was now renewed between the king of France and the 
prince : we had enough to do, for it was vigorously carried on ; and 
great numbers of English and Gascon commanders lost their lives : 
however, thanks to God, I am still alive. Sir Robert Briquet was 
slain at a place called Olivet, in the Orleannois, situated between the 



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CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &e. 



territories of the duke of Orleans and the country of Bloia, where a 
squire from Hainalt, a gallant man-at-arms, and good captain, called 
Alara de Doustiennea, surnamed de Barbazan, for ho was of that 
family, met him, and conquered both him and his company. This 
Alars was at tiiat time governor of Bluis and its dependencies, for the 
lords Lewis, John, and Guy de Blois ; and it chanced that he met 
sir Robert Briquet and sir Robert Cheney at Olivet, when both were 
slain on the spot, and all tiieir men, for none were ransomed. After, 
wards, at the battle of Niort, Carsuelle was killed by sir Bertrand du 
Gue^clin, and seven hundred English perished that day. Richard 
Kllis and Richard Heline, two English captains, were also killed at 
St. Severe ; I knovv but few, except myself who have escaped death. 
I have guarded the frontiers, and supported the king of England ; fur 
my estate is in the Bordelois ; and I have at times been so miserably 
poor that I had not a horse to mount ; at other times rich enough, 
just as good fortune befell me. Raynionet de I'Espee and I were 
some time companions : we held the castles of Mauvoisin, Trigalet, 
and Nantilleu.x, in the Toulousain, on the borders of Bigorre, which 
Tvere very profitable to us. When the duke of Anjou came to 
attack them with his army, Raymonet turned to the French ; but I 
remained steady to the English, and shall do so as long as I live. 
In truth, when I lost the castle of Trigalet, and was escorted to 
castle Cuillel, after the retreat of the duke of Anjou into France, I 
resolved to do something which should either make me or ruin me. 
I therefore sent spies to reconnoitre the town and castle of Thurie 
in the Albigeois, which castle has since been worth to me, as well 
by compositions as by good luck, one hundred thousand francs. 1 
will tell you by what means I conquered it. On the outside of the 
town and castle, there is a beautiful spring of water, where every 
morning the women of the town come to fill their pails or other 
■vessels ; which having done, they carry them back on their heads. 
Upon this, I formed my plan ; and, taking with me fifty men from 
the castle of Cuillet, we rode all day over heaths and through woods, 
and about midnight I placed an ambuscade near Thurie. Myself, 
with only six others, disguised as women, with pails in our hands, 
entered the meadow very near the town, and hid ourselves in a heap 
of hay ; for it was about St. John's day, and the meadows were 
mown and making into hay. When the usual hour of opening the 
gates arrived, and the women were coming to the fountain, each of 
us then took his pail, and having filled it placed it on his head, and 
made for the town, our faces covered with handkerchiefs so that no 
one could have known us. The women that met us, said, ' Holy 
Mary, how early must you have risen this morning!' We replied 
an feigned voices, and passed on to the gate, where we found no 
other guard but a cobbler, who was mending shoes. One of us 
sounded his horn, as a notice for the ambuscade to advance. The 
cobbler, who had not paid any attention to us, hearing the horn, cried 
out, ' Hola ! who is it that has blown the horn ?' We answered, 
' It is a priest who is going into the country : I know not whether 
he be the curate or chaplain of the town.' ' That is true,' replied 
he : 'it is sir Francis, our priest, who likes to go early to the fields 
in search of hares.' Our companions soon joined us, when we 
entered the town and found no one prepared to defend it. Thus did 
I gain the town and castle of Thurie, which has been to me of 
greater profit and more annual revenue than this castle and all its 
dependencies are worth. At this moment, I know not how to act : 
for I am in treaty with the count d'Armagnac and the dauphin 
d'Auvergne, who have been expressly commissioned by the king of 
France to buy all towns and castles from the captains of the i'ree 
companies, wherever they may be, in Auvergne, Rouergue, Limou. 
sin, Agen, Qucrcy, Perigord, Albigeois, and from all those who have 
made war under the name of the king of England. Several have 
sold their forts, and gone away ; and I am doubtful whether oi^ not 
to sell mine." Upon this, the bourg de Copaire said, " Cousin, 
what you say is true ; for I also have had intelligence since my 
arrival at Orthfes, from Carlet, which I hold in Auvergne, that the 
lord Ijouis de Sancerre, marshal of France, will soon be here : he is 
now incognito at Tarbes, as I have heard from those who have seen 
him." 

They now called for wine, of which when brought wc all drank, 
and Bastot de Mauleon said to me, " Well, sir John, what do you 
say ? Have I well told you my life ? I have had many more ad- 
ventures, but of which I neither can nor will speak." " Yes, that 
you have, by my faith," added I : and, wishing him to continue his 
conversation, I asked what was become of a gallant squire, called 
Louis Raimbaut, whom I had met once at Avignon. " I will tell 
you," replied he. " At the time when sir Sequin de Batefol, who 
had possession of Brioude in VChy, ten leagues from Puy in Au- 
vergne, after having carried on the war in that country with much 
success, was returning to Gascony, he gave to Louis Raimbaut and 
to a companion of his, called Limousin, Brioude and Ance on the 
Saone. The country at that time was so desolated and harassed, 
and so full of free companies in every part, that none dared to ven- 
ture out of their houses. I must inform you, that between Brioude 
and Ance, the country is mountainous, and the distance from one of 
those towns to the other twenty.six leagues. However, when Louis 
Raimbaut was pleased to ride from one of these places to the other 
he made nothing of it ; for he had several forts in Forets and else' 
where, to halt and refresh himself. The gentlemen of Auvergne 



Forfits, and Vfilay, had been so oppressed by ransom to regain their 
liberty, they dreaded to take up arms again ; and there were ne 
great lords in France who raised any men. The king of France 
was young, and had too much to do in various parts of his kingdom ; 
for the free companies had quartered themselves everywhere, and he 
could not get rid of them. Many of the great lords of France were 
hostages in England ; during which time their property and vas.sals 
were pdlaged, and there was not any remedy for this mischief, as their 
men were too dispirited even to defend themselves. Louis Raim- 
baut and Limousin, who had been brothers in arms, at length quar- 
relled, and I will tell you why. Louis Raimbaut had at I rioude a 
very handsome woman for his mistress, of whom he was passionately 
fond ; and, when he made any excursions from Brioude to Ance, he 
intrusted her to the care of Limousin. Limousin was his brother in 
arms, and in him did he put his whole confidence ; but he took such 
good care of the fair lady that he obtained every favor from her, and 
Louis Raimliaut had information of it. This enranged Louis Raim- 
baut against his companion : and, in order to insult him as much as 
possible, he ordered him to be seized by his servants and marched 
naked, all but his drawers, through the town, and then flogged with 
rods : at every corner of a street, trumpets sounded before him, and 
his action was proclaimed : he was then, in this state, and with only 
a plain coat on, thrust out of the town, and banished as a traitor. 
Louis Raimbaut thus insulted Limousin ; but he was so much hmt 
at it, he vowed revenge whenever he should have an opportunity, 
which he afterwards found. 

" Limousin, during the time he was in command at Brioude, had 
always spared the lands of the lord de la Voulte, situated on the 
Rhdne, in his difterent excursions to Ance, and in the country of 
V<;lay, for he had been kind to him in his youth. He therefore 
resolved to go to him, entreat his mercy, and beg he would make 
his peace with France, for that he would henceforward be a loyal 
Frenchman. He went therefore to Voulte, being well acquainted 
with the roads, and entered a house, for he was on foot : after he 
had inquired what hour it was, he went to the castle to wait on its 
lord. The porter would not at first allow him to enter the gate ; 
but, after many fair words, he was permitted to come into the gate- 
way, and ordered not to stir further without permission, which he 
cheerfully promised. The lord de la Voulte, in the afternoon, came 
into the court to amuse himself, and advanced to the gate : Limou- 
sin instantly cast himself on his knees, and said, ' My lord, do you 
not know me V ' Not I, by my faith,' replied the lord, who never 
imagined it was Limousin ; but, having looked at him some time, 
added : * Thou resemblest very much Limousin, who was formerly 
my page.' * On my troth, my lord, Limousin I am, and your servant 
also.' He then begged his pardon for what had passed, and told 
him exactly everything that had hiujpened to him, and how Louis 
Raimbaut had treated him. The lord de la Voulte said, ' Limousin, 
if what thou hast told me be true, and if I may rely on thy assurance 
that thou wilt become a good Frenchman, I will make thy peace.' 
* By my faith, my lord, I have never done so much harm to France 
as I will henceforward do it service.' ' I shall see,' replied the lord 
de la Voulte. From that time he retained him in his castle, and did 
not allow him to depart until he had made his peace everywhere. 
When Limousin could with honor bear arms, the lord de la Voulte 
mounted and armed him, and conducted him to the sfineschal de 
V^lay, at Puy, to make them acquainted with each other. He was 
there examined as to the strength and situation of Brioude, and also 
respecting Louis Raimbaut; at what times he made excursions, and 
whither he generally directed them. ' I know by heart the roads he 
takes, for with him and without him I have too often traversed them; 
and, if you will collect a body of men-at-arms for an expedition, I 
will forfeit my head if you do not take him within a fortnight.' The 
lords agreed to his proposal, and spies were sent abroad to observe 
when Louis Raimbaut should leave Brioude for Ance in the Lyonois. 
When Limousin was certain he had left Brioude, he told the lord de 
la Voulte to assemble his men, for that Raimbaut was at Ance and 
would soon return, and that he would conduct them to a defile 
through which he must pass. The lord de la Voulte collected his 
men, and made him the leader of the expedition, having sent off to 
the baliffof Vtilay, the lord de Montclare, sir Guerrot de Salieres, 
and his son, sir Plouserat de Vernet, the lord de Villeneuve, and to 
all the men-at-arms thereabout ; they were in the whole full three 
hundred spears; and when assembled at Nonnay, by the advice of 
Limousin, they formed two ambuscades. The viscount de Polignac 
and the lord de Chalen5on commanded one, and the lords de la 
Voulte, de Montclare, de Salieres, and sir Louis de Tournon, the 
other. They had equally civided their men ; and the viscount de 
Polignac and his party were posted near St. Rambut in Forets, at a 
pass where Louis Raimbaut would be forced to cross the river Loire 
at the bridge, or higher up at a ford above Puy. 

When Louis Raimbaut had finished his business at Ance, he set 
out with his forty lances, not expecting to meet with any one, nor 
suspecting anything from Limousin, as he was the farthest from his 
thoughts. I must tell you, that he was accustomed never to go and 
return by the same road : he had come by St. Rambut. On his re- 
turn, he went over the hills above Lyons, and Vienne, and below 
the village of Argental,* and then straight toward le Mon astier , 
* ".'VrgeDtal," a village of Forets, diocese of Vienns. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &.c. 



375^ 



throe short leagues from Puy ; and after passing between the castles 
of Menestrol and Montfaucon, he made a circuit toward a village 
called le Batterie, between Nonnay and St. Julien. There is a pass 
in the wood there that cannot be avoided by imy of those who take 
this road, unless they go thjough Nonnay ; and there was posted the 
ambuscade of the lord de la Voulte, with about two hundred spears. 
Louis Rainibiiut, suspecting nothing, was surprised ; and the lord de 
l-a Voulte and his men knowing what they were to do, lowered their 
Janees, and shouting their cry of ' La Voulte !' instantly charged Mm 
and his companions, wlio were riding much at their ease. On the 
first shock, the greater part were unhorsed : and Louis Raimbaut was 
struck to the ground by a squire of Auvergne, called Aniblardon, 
■who, advancing on him, made him his prisoner ; the remainder were 
cither killed or taken ; not one escaped ; and they found in a private 
trunk the sum of three thousand francs, which he had received at 
Ance as the composition of the villagers near, which gave much 
pleasure to the captors, for each had a share. 

" When Limousin saw Louis Raimbaut thus caught, he showed 
himself, and said reproachfully, ' Louis, Louis! you should have been 
better accompanied. Do you remember the insult and shame you 
made me undergo at Brioude, on account of your mistress ? I did 
not tliiiik that for a woman you would have made me suffer what you 
did i for, if it had happened to me, 1 should not have been so angry. 
To two brothers in arms, such as we were then, one woman might 
have occasionally served.' The lords laughed at this speech, but 
Louis had no such inclination. By the capture of Louis Raimbaut, 
those of Brioude surendered to the seneschal of Auvergne ; for, after 
the loss of their leader and the flower of their men, they could not 
keep it. The garrisons at Ance and in the other forts in Velay and 
ForiJis did the same, and were glad to escape with their lives. 

" Louis Raimbaut was carried to Nonnay and imprisoned ; infor. 
mation was sent the king of France of the event, who was much 
rejoiced thereat ; and soon after, as I have heard, orders came for 
him to be beheaded at Villeneuve, near Avignon. Thus died Louis 
Raimbaut : may God receive his soul 1 Now, my fair sir," said Bas- 
tot de Mauleon, "have not I well chatted away the night? and yet 
all I have said is true." " Indeed you have," answered I, " and 
many thanks for it : I have had great pleasure in listening to you, 
and it shall not be lost ; for, if God permit me to return to my own 
country, all I have heard you say, and all I shall have seen worthy 
to be mentioned, in the noble and grand history which the gallant 
count de Blois has employed me on, shall be chronicled, through 
God's grace, that memory of such events may be perpetuated." 

On saying this, the bourg de Copaire, whose name was Ernauton, 
began to spe-ik, and, I could perceive, would willingly have related 
the life and adventures of himself and his brother, the bourg Ang- 
lois; and how they had borne arms in Auvergne and elsewhere, but 
there was no time ; for the watch of the castle had sounded his horn, 
to assemble those in the town of Orthfes, who were engaged to sup 
with the count de Foix. The two squires then made themselves 
ready, and having lighted torches, we left the inn together, taking 
the road to the castle, as did all the knights and squires who lodged 
in the town. 

Too much praise cannot be given ts the state and magnificence of 
the count de Foix, nor can it be too much recommended ; for, du- 
ring my stay there, I found him such, as far to exceed all that I cafl 
say of him, and I saw many things which gave me great jileasure. 

On Christmas-day were seated at his table four bishops of his own 
country, two Clementisis and two Urbanists. The bishops of Pam- 
iers and Loscar, Clementists, were seated at top, and next to them 
the bishops of Aire and Ron, on the borders of the Bordelois and 
Bayonne, Urbanists : the count de Foix sat next, then the viscoimt 
de Roquebertin, a Gascon, the viscount de Bruniquel, the viscount 
de Gousserant, then an English knight called sir William Willoughby, 
whom the duke of Lancaster, at that time residing at Bordeaux, had 
sent thither. At another table were five abbots and two Arragonian 
knights, called sir Raymond de Montflorentin and sir Martin de 
Ruane. At another table were seated knights and squires from Gas. 
cony and Bigorre : first, the lord d'Anchin, then sir Gaillard de la 
Motte, sir Raymond de Chateauneuf, the lord de Chaumont, Gas- 
cons, the lords de Copaire, de la Lanne, de Moniferrat, sir William 
Bernard, sir Peter Courton, the lord de Valenchin, and sir Aingale, 
surnamed le Basele. At other tables were many knights from B^arn. 
Sir Espaign du Lyon, sir Siquart du Bois Verdun, sir Nouvans de 
Nouvailles, and sir Peter de Vaux, in B^arn, were chief stewards 
of the hall. The count's bastard-brothers, sir Ernaut Guillaume 
and sir Peter de Bearne, waited ; and his two bastard-sons, sir Evan 
de I'Eschelle placed the dishes, and sir Gracien served him with wine. 
There were very many minstrels in the hall, as well those belonging 
to the count, as to the strangers, who, at their leisure, played away 
their minstrelsy. This day the count gave to the minstrels and he- 
ralds five hundred francs among them ; and he clothed the minstrels 
of the duke de Touraine, who were there, with cloth of gold trimmed 
with ermine, which dresses were valued at two hundred francs. The 
dinner lasted until four o'clock in the afternoon. I willingly like to 
talk of the handsome establishment of the gallant count de Foix, for 
I was twelve weeks of his household, and generously treated, in all 
respects. During my residence at Orth^s, it was my own fault it I 
did not collect information from every country, for the gentle knight. 



sir Espaign du Lyon, with whom I had entered the country, and to 
whom I told all my wants, made me acquainted with such knights and 
squires as were well able to inform me justly of all the things I woe 
desirous of knowing. I there learnt much concerning Portugal and 
Castille : how their affairs were going on, and the battles which these 
two kings and their allies had fought, of which I will give a true- 
account. 

CHAPTER XI. 

A SHORT KECAPITtTLATION OF WHAT HAS BEEN BEFORE SAID, OF THE WAR 
BETWEEN KINS JOHN OF CASTILLE AND JOHN OF FOKTUGAL. THIS- 
SUBIICT CONTINtJED. 

You may remember, that I have before related, how don John of 
Castille had besieged the master of Avis, whom the principal towns- 
had crowned king for his valor, though in truth he was a bastard, ia 
the city of Lisbon. You have also heard how this king had sent 
special embassadors to the duke of Lancaster and earl of Cambridge 
for succor, as they had married his cousins. The embassadors were 
two knights, sir John Radinghos and sir John Testa-d'oro, with a- 
professor of law, who was also archdeacon of Lisbon : they continued 
their voyage with a favorable wind, and arrived at Southampton,, 
where they disembarked, and staid a day to recover themselves :- 
they then hired horses, for they had not brought any with them, and 
took the great road to London. It was in the month of August, when 
the king was in Wales hunting and taking his pleasure. The duke 
of Lancaster and the earls of Cambridge and Buckingham were also 
at their seats in the country. This gave the embassadors the more 
pain ; but they went first to the duke of Lancaster, who resided at 
Hertford, twenty miles from London. The duke graciously received- 
them : he opened their credential letters, and read them over three 
limes, the better to comprehend them, and then said: "You are 
welcome to this country : but you could not have come at a more 
unfortunate season in the whole year to obtain speedy assistance, for 
the king and my brothers are all scattered abroad in different parts,., 
so that you cannot have any answer before Michaelmas, when the 
parliament will assemble at London, and the king return to West- 
minster. But as this business more particularly affects my brother 
and myself, I will write to him ; and we will shortly be in London,, 
and then consider with you how it will be best for us to act in this 
afl'air. You will return to London, and I will let you know when 
my brother and myself are there." The embassadors from Portugal 
were well satisfied with this answer, and leaving the duke of Lan- 
caster, returned to London, where they lodged themselves and re- 
mained at their ease. 

The duke of Lancaster was not forgetful of his promise, and in- 
stantly wrote private letters to the earl of Cambridge, containing aa 
account of what you have heard. When the earl had perused them 
attentively, it was not long before he set off for Hertford, near Ware, 
where the duke of Lancaster resided. After consulting on this busi- 
ness three days together, they came to London, according to the 
duke's promise to the Portuguese, where on their arrival they dis- 
mounted at their houses. These two lords had many and long con- 
sultations with the Portuguese embassadors; for the earl of Cambridge 
was very ill. pleased with the conduct of don Ferdinand, the late king 
of Portugal, saying he had carried on the war in too cowardly a 
manner, and had made peace with the Spaniards contrary to the will 
of the English. The earl, therefore, very much doubted if, in the 
ensuing parliament, the king's council would assent to an expedition 
to Portugal ; for the one that had been sent thither had cost the 
nation a large sum, not less than one hundred thousand francs, and 
had nothing done. 

The Portuguese embassadors readily comprehended what the earl 
said, and replied, " My lord, those times are passed, and it is now 
otherwise. Our late king, God pardon his soul ! was marvellottsly 
afraid of the chances of war ; but the present king is full of enter 
prise and valor, for were he to meet his enemies in the field three 
times more in number than himself, he would combat them, what, 
ever might be the consequences ; and we can most loyally assure 
you, that this is fact. My lords, it is very clear that you are inte- 
rested in this quarrel ; for it is your business to make war on Cas- 
tille, and conquer it, as by right it belongs to you as the heritage of 
your wives. Now, to obtain this conquest, you cannot have any 
entrance into CastiUe like that through Portugal ; for you will have 
all that country for your friends. Therefore, exert your influence, 
that one of you may go thither with such a powerful force, that joined 
to those you will find there, you will be enabled to keep the field !" 
The duke of Lancaster replied, " It does not depend on us, but 
on the king and the nation, and you may be assured we will do 
everything we possibly can." Thus ended these conferences. The 
Portuguese remained in London waiting for the meeting of parlia- 
ment, and the didte of Lancaster and earl of Cambridge went )p 
their estates in the north of England. 

About Michaelmas, when the parliament was to meet at West- 
minster, the king was on his return toward London, and had arrived 
at Windsor ; from thence he came to Chertsey and to Richmond. 
He was accompanied wherever he went by the queen, his whole 
court, and the earl of Suffolk, for his favor was such, nothing wae 
done without his approbation. At the period I am now speaking 



376 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



of, the wars in Flanders were going on between the duke of Bur. 
gnndy and the Ghent men. The bishop of Norwich, sir Hugh Cal- 
verlev sir Wilham Elmham, sir Thomas Trivet and the otliers, were 
just come back to England, whom the king of France had surrounded 
at Bourboiirg, as has aheady been related in this history. 

Truces had been concluded between the Flemings, French, Eng- 
lish, and Scots, to last until Michaelmas in 1384 : notwithstanding 
which, the English liad so much on their hands that they knew not 
wliich way to turn ; for, besides the business of Portugal, the coun. 
cil of Ghent was in London, to request as governor, to assist and 
direct them, one of the king's brothers, or the earl of Salisbury. 
There were in this parliament many debates, as well respecting the 
Flemings as the Portuguese and the Scots ; for the war still contin- 
ued in those parts by the truce not having been proclaimed. The 
duke of Lancaster, in particular, labored hard to obtain the command 
of a large body of men-at-arms and archers to caiTy to Portugal, and 
explained to the prelates, barons, and commoners of the realm, how 
they were bound to assist him and his brother in the recovery of their 
inheritance, which they had sworn and engaged to do when their 
nephew the king was crowned, as was apparent by deeds then sealed. 
The duke complained bitterly of the wrongs that had been done him 
and his brother by delaying the matter ; and that in truth, when the 
carl of Cambridge had gone thither on the faith of their promising 
him everything necessary for such an expedition, they had meanly 
fulfilled their engagements : he was to have had two thousand lances 
and as many archers sent to him, but they never were ordered, which 
had caused the settlement of the dispute for their just rights and in. 
heritances to be so much the longer delayed. 

This speech of the duke of Lancaster was attentively heard, and 
some of the most able in the council declared he was in the right ; 
but, the necessities of the kingdom being more pressing, they must 
be first attended to. Some were for instantly agreeing to his request : 
others remonstrated by saying, it would be wrong to weaken the 
kingdom by sending two thousand men-at-arms and four thousand 
archers to such a distance as Portugal. Besides, so long a voyage 
was dangerous, and the cUmate of Portugal hot and unhealthy ; and, 
if such a considerable force were sent, the kingdom might suffer an 
irrecoverable loss. Notwithstanding these arguments and doubts of 
■what might be the consequences, it was settled that the duke of 
Lancaster should cross the sea in the summer with seven hundred 
men-at-arms and four thousand archers, and that they should all re- 
ceive pay for one quarter of a year in advance : it was, however, 
reserved, that should anything in the mean time fall out inimical 
from France or Scotland, the expedition to Portugal was to be de- 
ferred. The duke of Lancaster assented to this, for he could not 
gain more. 

You have before seen in this history, that after the duke of Lan- 
caster had collected his men and stores at Southampton, ready to 
embark for Portugal, and though the embassadors had returned 
thither with information of the speedy arrival of the duke and the 
number of his forces, which gave the Portuguese much pleasure, an 
■event was found to have happened in England that forced him to 
retard it for some time. The admiral of France, sir John de Vienne, 
■with a thousand good men-at-arms, had embarked at Sluys, and 
landed in Scotland ; from whence he had made war on England, 
which obliged the whole force of that kingdom to march against 
him, as has been before related. I do not wish, therefore, to men- 
tion it twice, but return to the siege of Lisbon and the king of Spain, 
that I may narrate all I have heard. While the king of Spain was 
before Lisbon, news was brought him, by some Spanish merchants 
returned from Flanders and Bruges, of the large armament the duke 
of Lancaster was collecting to raise the siege of Lisbon. The intel- 
ligence was believed ; for the Spaniards well knew how anxious the 
duke was to renew the war with Castille, as he claimed a share of 
it. Notwithstanding this information, the king continued the siege, 
and sent letters and messengers to France for assistance ; he had in 
particular written to B6arn ; so that from the territories of Foix and 
B^arn there came to him, in less than four days, upward of three 
hundred lances, the flower of the chivalry of tliat country. Sir John 
du Ru, a Burgundian, and sir Geoffry de Partenay, had already 
passed through Orthfes from France, in their way to Castille, to serve 
the king ; eacli of whom had his own company. 

I will nam ■ the principal knights of Bfiarn who prepared for this 
expedition : Ijrst, a great baron, companion to tht count de Foix, the 
lord de Lingnach, sir Peter Lier, sir John de Lepres, the lord des 
Bordes, sir Bertrand de Barege, the lord de .Marciage, sir Raymond 
d'Aussac, sir John de Sallegre, sir Mouvant de Sarmen, sir Peter de 
la Robiere, sir Stephen de Valentin, sir Raymond de Rarasse, sir 
Peter de Hanefane, sir Ogerot de Domesson, and many others. Sir 
Espaignolet d'Espaign, eldest son of sir Roger d'Espaign, cousin to 
the count de Foix, joined this company of B^arn men. These barons 
iftd knights fixed their rendezvous at Orth^s and in that neighbor- 
hood ; and I heard, from those who saw them march away, they were 
the handsomest and best equipped knights who had for a long time 
left B^arn. 

When the count de Foix found that they really intended to go to 
Castille, he ivas greatly vexed and pensive, though at the first he had 
consented they should receive pay from the king of Castille, for he 
"Waa afraid his country would be too much weakened by their depart- 



ure. He sent, therefore, to the barons and knights above-mentioned, 
two knights of his household, sir Espaign du Lyon and the lord de 
Cabestan, to request they would come to the castle, for he was de. 
sirous to give them a dinner, by way of wishing them a good journey. 
The knights, as was natural, accepted the invitation, and the count 
de Foix received them most graciously. After mass, he led them 
into his cabinet, and thus addressed them : '• My fair sirs, are you 
indeed resolved to leave my country and assist the king of Castille 
in his wars, while I have on hand my dispute with the count d'Ar. 
magnac? Your departure makes me very uneasy." "My lord," 
replied they, " it is really so ; for we are obliged to it, as we have 
received pay from the king of Castille ; but this war between Spain 
and Portugal will be soon ended, when we hope, if it please God, to 
return in good health to you." " Soon ended I" exclaimed the count : 
" not so soon, for it is now but beginning. There is a new king in 
Portugal, and they have sent to England for support. This dispute 
in which you are about to engage is of a nature to last a long time, 
and keep you in the field ; for you will not be fought withal until the 
arrival of the duke of Lancaster and his reinforcements, so that your 
pay will cost you dear enough." " My lord," they answered, " since 
we have gone so far, we must conclude the business," " God help 
you," said the count ; " but come, let us go now to dinner, for it is 
time." 

The count, with his barons and knights, entered the hall where the 
tables were laid, and dined magnificently and at their leisure, for 
they were served with all things becoming such a day. The count, 
after dinner, conducted his knights into his galleries, where he waa 
used to solace himself in the afternoons, and, again addressing them, 
said : " Indeed, my good gentlemen, I am much vexed that you leave 
my country ; not that I am sorry for your advancement and honor, for 
on every occasion I would attend to it and exalt it ; but I am sorry 
on your own account, for you are the flower of chivalry of B<iarn, 
and are going into a foreign land. I will advise you, and have be- 
fore said so, to give up this expeditioir and leave the kings of Spaia 
and Portugal to fight their own battles, for you are by no means in- 
terested about them." " My lord," replied they, " under favor of 
your grace, we cannot thus act, and you know it better than you say : 
if you would be pleased to consider, that as we have received pay 
from the king of Castille, we must in conseqticnce do something for 
it." " Well," answered the count, " that is true enough, but I will 
tell you what will happen to you in this expedition : you will either 
return so very poor and naked the lice will eat you up and grow be. 
tween your nails (showing them by his gestures of rubbing the two 
palms of his hands together what he meant,) or you will be slain or 
made prisoners." 

The knights burst out into laughter, and said, " My lord, we must 
indeed try our fortunes." The count then quitted this subject, and, 
conversing with them on the manners of the Spaniards, said they 
were nasty and lousy, and envious of the good fortune of others, ad- 
vising them to be on their guard. After some other conversation, 
he called for spices and wine, of which all drank who were present. 
He then took his leave of thern shaking each by the hand, recora. 
mending them to the care of God, and entered his closet. The 
knights mounted their horses at the gate of the castle, as their men 
and the equipages had already set out for Sauvetere,* where they 
lodged that night. On the morrow they departed, entering Biscay ; 
and following the road to Panipeluna, they passed everywhere in 
safety, for they regularly paid for whatever they had occasion for. 



CHAPTER XII. 

THE INHABITANTS OF SANTAREMt REEEL AGAINST SOME OF THE MEN-AT- 
ARMS OF CASTILLE. THE KING OF CASTILLE HAVING RAISED THE SIEGE 
OF LISBON, MARCHES TOWARD THAT TOWN, WHEN IT MAKES ITS PEACE. 

During the time the king of Castille lay before Lisbon (and he 
had been there about a year,) the town of Santarem rebelled against 
him and closed its gates, declaring, that neither Frenchmen nor 
Spaniards should enter it, for. the great oppressions it had suffered. 
Some say it was the fault of the party under the command of sir 
Geoffry Ricon and sir Geoffry de Partenay, composed of Bretons, 
who took or destroyed everything they could lay hands on, paying no 
attention to friends or foes. The citizens therefore possessed them, 
selves of the town and the two castles, declaring they would defend 
them against all who wished to harass them. On the day they re. 
belled, they killed upward of sixty Bretons, who were pillaging; and 
would have slain sir Geoffry de Partenay, but he escaped over the 
wall which joined his house. Upon this the French and Bretons 
there quartered fought one whole day with those of Santarem, and 
made a grand attack on the place, but they lost more than they gained, 
without damaging the town. 

Intelligence was brought to the king of Castille that Santarem had 
turned to the Portuguese, and was ready to surrender its town and 
castles, which the citizens had gotten possession of, to the king of 
Portugal. The king, on hearing this, was very melancholy, and, 
calling his marshal, sir Reginald de Limousin, said: "Take one or 

♦ " Sauvetere"— seven leagues from Pau. 

t " Santarem"— handsome town on the Tagus, thirtr-five leagues from Lisbon. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



377 



two hundred spears, and see what they are doing at Santarem : why 
the inhabitants of that town have rebelled; and what could have 
caused them to act as they have done." Sir Reginald replied, "he 
would punctually obey." He took muler his command two hundred 
lances, and, following the road to Santarem, arrived there, but sent 
before him a herald, to announce his coming, who parleyed with the 
inhabitants at the barriers, and delivered his message. They an- 
svvered, " We know well sir Reginald de Limousin for a gentleman 
and a valiant knight, and that he is marshal to the king : he is per- 
fectly welcome liither, and may enter the town, but unarmed." 
This was the answer the herald brought back to sir Reginald, who 
said, he was not come thither to do them any harm, but solely to 
know what their intentions were. It is indifferent to me whether I 
enter armed or disarmed, provided I speak with them and learn their 
will. He quitted the place where he then was, and rode on unarmed, 
with five others only, and dismoujited at tlie barriers, leaving his 
men behind. When those on guard saw the manner in which he 
had arrived, they opened the barriers, and received him handsomely. 
The inhabitants were assembled in a square of the town, when he 
thus addressed them : " Ye men of Santarem, listen to what I am 
about to say : I am sent hither with orders to demand from you the 
reasons why you have rebelled, have shut your gates, and slain the 
king's allies who were coming to assist him. Know that the king is 
violently enraged against you ; for he has been informed you have 
taken possession of the two castles of the town, which are his in. 
heritance, and are willing to surrender them to his enemies of Por- 
tugal." " May it please your grace, sir Reginald, we wish not to 
siurender them, nor deliver them up into any other hands than those 
of the king of Castille, from whom we hold them, but let him govern 
U8 in peace and with justice. What we have done has been caused 
by these pillaging Bretons who were quartered in the town, and from 
their outrages ; for, had we been Saracens, or worse people, they 
could not have more wickedly behaved, in forcing our wives and 
daughters, breaking open our coffers, destroying our casks of wine, 
and ill-treating and wounding us whenever we complained of their 
conduct. You ought not, therefore to be surprised, when we suf- 
fered such outrages ourselves, and witnessed the same on those 
whom we were bound to defend, that we were much enraged, for 
smaller things will cause that. You may, therefore, if you please, 
tell the king this, and that we have unanimously resolved, whatever 
may be the event, never to acknowledge nor receive any Frenchman 
nor Breton, nor any other than the king's person himself, or such as 
he may depute hither to treat us kindly." 

When sir Regijiald heard these words, he was well satisfied, and 
did not think they had been so much to blame in driving their ene- 
mies out of the town. He thus replied : " My good people, I have 
now heard what you had to say ; and you shall remain quiet, for I 
•will return to the king and tell it to him, and in good truth I will do 
everything I can to serve you." " We thank you, my lord, most 
heartily ; and we trust, that whatever wrong information concerning 
lis may have been given tlie king, you will rectify it." On this sir 
Reginald mounted his horse, and departed to his men, who were 
waiting for him in the plain, and then rode for Lisbon. After dis- 
mounting at his quarters, he waited on the king, and told him all he 
had seen and heard at Santarem. The king, on learning the truth 
of what had passed, said, " By my faith, they have acted like wise 
men, since they could not trust these pillagers." Sir Geoffry Ricon, 
sir Geoffry de Partenay, and their companions, finding they could 
have no redress from Santarem, and that the king was dissembling 
with them, were much angered, and said among themselves, " We 
are well used for having left France to come to this country, to serve 
the king of Spain, when we are thus debased before a set of low 
fellows, against whom we cannot obtain justice. There will shortly 
come a large body of knights from Gascony : we will not notice this 
until their arrival, when we will inform them of what has passed 
and they will help us to revenge ourselves for those companions 
who have been killed." Information was carried to the king and 
his council, that the Bretons threatened much those of Santa- 
rem, boasting that, when the Gascons should arrive, they would 
make them pay dearly for what they had done. The king was ad- 
vised to break up the siege of Lisbon, and march to Santarem, to 
recruit himself, and put everything on a proper footing, and wait 
there for the Gascons, who were on their march, to the amount of 
about four hundred spears, good men-at-arms. He did not wish 
they should find the kingdom in confusion, when such numbers were 
to be provided for. 

Orders were given by the king to break up the siege and march 
to Santarem, which was instantly obeyed. When the town of San. 
tarem learnt the king was coming thither, they deputed twelve of 
the principal inhabitants on horseback, to meet the king and to 
know his pleasure. They rode on until they met the army about 
two leagues from Santarem, and learnt that the king was dismounted 
and had retired from the great heat under the shade of some olive, 
trees. Sir Reginald de Limousin, marshal of the aniiy, was with 
the king and had had information of their arrival, who, when they 
were come near, east themselves on their knees and said, " Most 
renowned lord and noble king of Castille, we are deputed hither by 
the poor commonalty of your unhappy town and castlewicks of San- 
tarem, who have been given to understand that you are much an- 



gered with them ; and should this be true, most renowned lord, the 
fault has not been with them, but in the injuries and oppressions 
they have suffered from the Bretons when they were in your and 
our town. Now, as all their evil deeds could not be known, we do 
not blame their knights, squires and captains, but only such as have 
committed them ; and it would be incredible, were all the infamous 
acts of these Breton pillagers told. They kept for a long time the 
town and castlewicks of Santarem under their subjection, of which 
many complaints were made to us ; but, in spite of this they broke 
open our coffers with their hatchets, took our money, and violated 
our wives and daughters before our eyes ; which when we com- 
plained of, we were beaten, wounded, and some murdered. In this 
miserable condition were we for upward of two months ; for which 
reason, most redoubted lord and noble king, we supplicate, that if 
we have angered you for this or any other cause, you would be 
pleased to do us justice, and take such loyal information concerning 
us, that we may be judged legally, as you promised and swore to u« 
when you first entered Santarem as king, and the possession of it 
and its dependencies devolved and rested on you. You will do an 
act of charity ; and, since you are coming thither, we have that 
confidence in you and in your council, that you will find the gates 
open. Your poor people, who are crying for redress for the injuries 
they have sustained, beg your royal majesty will grant them mercy 
and remission of all offences." 

The king remained for a while silent, when sir Reginald de Li. 
mousin, kneeling before the king, said : " Most dear lord, you have 
heard the complaints of your subjects of Santarem, who have laid be. 
fore you all they have suffered ; condescend to give them an answer." 
*' Reginald,'' said the king, " we see they have had just cause for 
what they did : go, and tell them to rise, and return to Santarem to 
make ready everything proper for us, as we shall sleep there this 
night, and let them know they shall be carefully defended in their 
rights." Sir Reginald de Limousin arose and went to the deputies 
from Santarem, bidding them arise : "The king, our lord, has favor- 
ably heard all you have said ; and, understanding you only desire 
justice, he will see that it be done to you. Now go, and make 
ready the town for his reception ; and let it be so well done that he 
may be pleased, for everything will turn out as you wish, by the 
good assistance of the friends you have." " My lord" replied they, 
" we give you our best thanks." They then took leave, returned 
to Santarem, and related all that had passed with the king, and the 
answer sir Reginald had made them from their sovereign. They 
were exceedingly rejoiced at this intelligence, and richly deco- 
rated their town against the king's arrival, strewing the streets 
with fresh herbs. The king made his entry at vespers : he was 
lodged in the castle called the Lion, and his men in the town ; that 
is to say, as many as could, but the greater part were quartered in 
the fields and in the adjacent villages. 

The king remained there a month ; and things were in that state 
that those who e.'tpected to gain by confusion, were greatly disap- 
p tinted. 

CHAPTER XIII. 

THE SPANIARDS ARE JEALOtJS OF THE FRENCH AND BEARNOIS. FIVE 
HUNDRED ENGLISH ARRIVE TO SERVE THE KINS OF PORTUGAL. 

During the residence of the king of Spain at Santarem, there 
arrived a handsome company of men-at-arms from B^arn. Sir Re- 
ginald de Limousin rode out to meet them, and received them very 
politely, as he knew how to do, and conducted them to the king, 
who was much pleased at their coming, and commanded sir Regi. 
nald to see that they were well lodged, and at their ease, for such 
were his wishes. Sir Reginald acted in a manner to satisfy them. 
The state of the king's affairs continued the same during the time 
he remained at Santarem, and while his army was in and near to 
that town, which consisted of four thousand men.at-arms and thirty 
thousand others. He called the barons of France to his council, to 
consider of the best means to carry on the war ; for he had lain a 
long time, and with great expenses, before Lisbon, and had done 
nothing. It was imagined, if the Gascons had not by their arrival 
encouraged the king to proceed, he would have retreated from San- 
tarem to Burgos, or into Galicia, for his men were weary with being 
so long in the field. 

When the knights of France and B^arn were admitted to the 
council, the king thus addressed them : " My fair sirs, you are intel- 
ligent and active in war : I therefore wish to have your advice how 
I may most advantageously continue my war against the Portuguese 
and Lisboners : they have maintained their ground against me up- 
ward of a year, and I have done nothing. I was in hopes to have 
drawn them out of Lisbon, and have fought them, but they would 
not accept my challenge. My friends have advised me to dismiss 
my army, and permit every man to return to his home. I therefore 
wish to know what your opinions may be on this subject." The 
knights from France and B^arn, being just arrived at the army, were 
eager for battle ; for, though they had as yet been idle, they were 
desirous of deserving the pay they had received ; and replied, " Sir, 
you are a great and powerful prince, and it little matters to you to 
pay the expenses of your army, especially when it is in its own 
country. We will not say, but that, if it had been in a foreign land 



378 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN. &c. 



and depnvod of provisions, the advice which has been given you 
■would have been good : we see, however, that it is as comfortably 
situated here as if every man were at his own home. We there- 
fore say (not indeed as a resolution of council, for your wisdom and 
prudence will enable you to choose tlie best opinion) you ought to 
keep the field, which may easily be done until Michaelmas, when 
perhaps your enemies will march out to meet you when you least 
expect them, and thus they may be combated. We are very anxious 
for conquest, for our equipment has cost us very considerable, and 
we have had many difficulties before we could come hither: we 
therefore never shall be of the opinion of your counsellors, for we 
wish to see the enemy." " By my head," said the king, " you speak 
"well and loyally, and in this and on other occasions I will hencefor- 
ward take your advice, for my late lord and father as well as myself 
have always found your opinions fair and honorable. May God 
have pity on the soul of sir Bertrand du Guesclin 1 he was a good 
and loyal knight, and through his means we gained many important 
victories." -^ 

This conversation between the king of Castille and the foreign 
knights, as well as the advice they had given, was soon known to 
the Spanish barons : they were mucli vexed for two reasons ; one, 
because they imagined the king had greater confidence in these 
strangers than in his own liege subjects who had crowned him ; and 
because the French knights had advised the king to keep his ground, 
while they were tired of the war. They therefore privately caballed 
together, and said, " The king knows not how to carry on a war but 
by the French, as his father did before him." They now conceived 
a hatred to the French, which their servants and foragers soon made 
manifest. They had quartered all the French together, but when 
they sent oiit parties for forage, the Spaniards being more numerous, 
took their forage from them, and beat and wounded several, inso- 
much that complaints were made to the king. The king much 
blamed sir Reginald de Limousin, his marshal, for not having pre- 
vented this. The marshal excused himself, by saying, " As God 
might help him, he knew nothing about it; but that he would in. 
stantly provide a remedy, by ordering men-at-arms into the field, to 
attend carefully that the French collected their forage in security." 
He also issued a proclamation for all who had provisions, or other 
necessaries, to bring them to the army at Santarem, when a reason- 
able price would be given for them. The foreigners were amply 
supplied, for, by the king's orders, they were to be served before any 
others, which increased the hatred of the Spaniards. 

It happened, that the same week the king of Castille broke up the 
siege of Lisbon, three large ships, having on board English men-at- 
arms and archers, entered the port : they inight amount, in the whole, 
to about five hundred ; but throe parts of them were adventurers, 
under no command and without pay, from Calais, Cherbourg, Brest, 
and Montaigne in Poitou, who, hearing of the war between Castille 
and Portugal, had assembled at Bordeaux, and said, " Let us go 
seek adventures in Portugal : we shall there find some one to receive 
and employ us." Sir John Harpedane, who at that time was senes- 
chal of Bordeaux, had strongly advised them so to do ; for he was 
not willing that they should remain in arms in the Bordelois, as they 
might do more harjn than good, being adventurers who had nothing 
to lose. 

Of all who thus arrived at Lisbon I heard of no knights, only three 
English squires, who were their leaders : one was called Northberry, 
the other Morberry, and the third Huguelin de Hartsel ; and not one 
of them was more than fifty years old, good men-at-arms, and well 
accustomed to war. The Lisboners and the king of Portugal were 
much rejoiced at the arrival of the English. As he wished to see 
Ihem, they were conducted to the palace, and received handsomely 
by the king, who asked if the duke of Lancaster had sent them. 
" By my faith, sir," replied Northberry, " it is a long time since he 
has known anything of us, or we of him : we are people from differ- 
ent countries, who come to seek the chance of arms and adventures: 
there are some of ua who have even come from the town of Calais 
to serve you." " On my troth," said the king, " you and they are 
very welcome : your arrival gives us much joy ; and know, that we 
shall very shortly employ you. We have been, for a time, shut up 
here, which has tired us much ; but we will take the advantage of 
the field, as the Spaniards have done." " We desire nothing bet- 
ter," answered the captains; "and entreat we may speedily see our 
enemies." 



CHAPTER XIV. 

THE KING OF PORTUOAL ISSUES HIS ORDERS FOR HIS ARMY TO MARCH 
TOWARD SANTAREM, THE KING OF CASTILLE QUITS THAT PLACE TO 
MEET HIM. 

The king of Portugal had these new-comers to dine in the palace 
of Lisbon, and ordered them to be well lodged in the city, and their 
pay to be advanced them for three months. The king made his 
secretaries draw up letters, which he sent throughout the realm, 
commanding all persons, capable of bearing arms, to come instantly 
to Lisbon, under pain of his displeasure. Few paid any obedience 
to these letters, and too many remained at home ; for three parts of 
the kingdom were on bad terms with the Lisboners, because they 



had crowned a bastard for king, and abused them much behind their 
backs. The king of Castille and his counc"il, knowing of this ditfer 
ence of opinion in Portugal, had thus advanced, with the intent of 
conquering it ; for they said it would be the aflPair of only one battle, 
when, if the Lisboners were conquered, the rest of the country would 
be rejoiced, and th« grand-master of Avis would be overthrown and 
slain, so that the kingdom would fall to Spain, for the queen was the 
right heiress to it. King John of Castille, however, would willingly 
have avoided this war ; but his subjects would not permit it, as they 
said he had just cause for it, and thus emboldened him. 

When the king of Portugal found his summons so little attended 
to, and disobeyed by those on whose sei'vices he had counted, he 
was very pensive. He assembled the principal persons of Lisbon, 
and the knights of his household who had been most active in 
crovvning him, and who had served under king Ferdinand ; such as 
sir Jolm Radighos, sir John Testa d'Oro, the lord de la Figuire, sir 
Goinme de Tarbeston, Ambrose Condrich, Peter Condrich his bro- 
ther, sir Monges de Navaret, a knight of Castille whom, having 
been banished thence by the king, the king of Portugal had made 
captain of his knights. At this council the king explained several 
things, and said, " My fair sirs who are here assembled, I know I 
may depend on your friendships, for you have made me king ; but 
you must perceive that great numbers of ray subjects refuse me their 
as-sistance in this time of need, and will not take the field. I must 
own I should have been truly happy to have seen them as well dis- 
posed as myself to meet our enemies ; but alas ! it is otherwise, for 
they draw back and dissemble. I solicit your advice on this business, 
how I had best act, and beg of you to give me your opinions." Sir 
Gomme de Tarbeston, a Portuguese knight, then spoke : " Sir, I ad- 
vise, for your own honor, that you instantly take the field, with as 
many men as you can collect, and hazard the event: we will assist 
you until death, for we hold you king and lord of this town ; and if 
there be any rebels or discontented persons in Portugal, it is, I say 
(and in this I am joined by many in the town,) because you have 
never yet atacked nor showed yourself to your enemies. You have 
had hitherto the renown of being a valiant man-at-arms, but on this 
occasion you have not acted like one. This has encouraged your 
enemies, and checked the ardor of your subjects ; for, when once 
you show courage and resolution, they will fear you, as well as your 
enemies." " By my head," said the king, " sir Gomme, you speak 
well : and now order our men to be made ready, and every other 
])reparation to hasten our march, for we will meet our enemies, and 
gain all or lose all." 

" My lord," replied the knight, " it shall be done : if God send you 
good success, and the day is ours, you will reign king of Portugal, 
and be prized and honored in all countries wherever you shall be 
known. You can only have the complete government of this king- 
dom by a battle ; and I give you as an example king don Henry, 
your cousin, the father of don John of Castille. He gained all his 
inheritances by the sword, and would never otherwise have suc- 
ceeded ; for you know how the power of the prince of Wales re- 
placed don Pedro on the throne, when afterwards by the event of the 
battle before Montiel, he forfeited his life, and don Henry regained 
possession of the kingdom. He in that day risked his own person 
as well as that of his friends ; and you must do the same if you wish 
to live with honor." " By ray head," said the king, " you say well ; 
and I will not ask other advice, but follow this, which is much to 
my advantage." The council now broke up ; and orders were given 
for the army to march in three days' time, to choose a proper po ition 
to wait for the enemy. The gates of Lisbon were kept so closely 
shut, that no person whatever was allowed to quit the town ; for the 
king and the inhabitants would not that the Spaniards should know 
their intention nor their numbers. 

The English were much pleased when they learnt they were to 
march toward Santarem, where the king and his army lay. Every 
one now prepared his arms ; the archers their bows and arrows each 
according to his rank. On a Thursday, in the afternoon, the king 
W'ith his army marched out of Lisbon, and encamped that day on the 
banks of a small river two leagues from the town, with their front 
toward Santarem : they said they would never return before they 
had seen their enemies, and that it was much better they should offer 
battle than for the enemy to come to them. They had remarked 
the difference between those who sought and those who waited for 
a battle, and that inferior numbers had frequently gained the day : 
for in almost all the victories the English had obtained over the 
French, they had been the first to offer battle ; and they observed, 
that an attacking army is naturally more courageous than one on the 
defence. This was the opinion of the inhabitants of Lisbon when 
they marched out of the town, and they thus continued their conver- 
sation : " Some of us were with the men of Ghent when they marched 
to Bruges and offered battle to the count of Flanders and his army 
in that town ; and we well know, that Philip Von Artaveld, Peter 
du Bois, John Cliqueriel, Frangois Atremen and Peter le Nuitie, the 
leaders of the Ghent-men, had not under them more than seven thou- 
sand men; but they fought the battle, and defeated eleven thousand. 
This is a known fact, for there was n.;t any treachery : fortune was 
favorable to Ghent on the day of battle, which was fought on a Sat- 
urday, a long league distant from Bruges, as we were informed on 
the morrow when they had conquered that city." They comforted 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, <fec. 



379 



tliemselves that there was as good a chance to win as to lose, and 
that, if lliey wished to succeed in arms they must act boldly. Such 
were the conversations of the Lisboners among themselves on the 
Thursday, as they continued their march. When the king heard 
how resolutely they discoursed, he was much pleased. 

Wlie'n the trumpets of the king's army sounded on the Friday 
morning, all made themselves ready, and marched on tlie right, fol- 
lowing the river and the flat country, on account of the baggage and 
provision which followed them, and advanced four leagues. Ne\vs 
was brouglit, on this Friday, to the king of Castille at Santareni, that 
the Portuguese, under the command of the master of Avis, whom 
the Lisboners had crowned king, were advancing to meet him. This 
intelligence was soon spread through the army ; and it gave the 
Spaniards, French, and Gascons much joy ; they said, " These Lis- 
boners are valiant fellows, thus to come and fight with us : let us 
hasten to tlie field, and surround them if we can, that we may pre- 
vent their return : for, if we can help it, not one of them shall see 
Lisbon again." It was proclaimed through the army, by sound of 
trumpet, for every one to be ready, both horse and foot, on Saturday 
morning, as on that day the king would march to combat his ene. 
mieji. Every one was prepared and showed great joy at the orders, 
and at the event likely to happen. 

Oil the Saturday morning, all the trumpets in the Castille army sound- 
ed. The king heard mass in the castle, then drank a cup, as did his 
attendants, and mounting their horses, they marched into the plain in 
handsome order : sir Reginald de Limousin, marshal of the army, 
led the van. Scouts were ordered to examine the appearance of the 
enemy, where they were, and what might be their numbers. Two 
squires were ordered on this duty by the French; one aBurgundian, 
and the other a Gascon. The Burgundian was called William de 
Montigny, and of the company of sir John de Rue : the Gascon came 
from B^urn, and his name was Bertrand de Barege. They were both 
on that day made knights, and with them a lord of Castille, an able 
man-at-arms, called sir Pedro Fernando de Medina ; he was mounted 
on a light genet that had wonderful speed. While these three knights 
were exploring the country on all sides, in search of the Portuguese, 
their main army, which consisted of full two thousand lances, knights, 
and squires, Gascons, Burgundians, French, Picards and Bretons, as 
well equipped and mounted as men-at-arms could be, and twenty 
thousand Spaniards, all on horseback, marched at a foot's pace, and 
had not advanced the distance of a bow-shot when they halted. The 
king of Portugal had also sent three scouts to observe the countenance 
and order of the Spaniards, two of whom were English squires and 
expert men-at-arms, whose names were James d'Hartleberry and 
Philip Bradeston, and with them a Portuguese called Fernando de 
la Gresse. They were all well mounted, and rode so far, that from 
an eminence where they were hid by the leaves of the trees, they 
examined carefully the whole Spanish army. They then returned 
to the king of Portugal and his army, which they found drawn up in 
the plain, and related what they had seen. " Sire, we have advanced 
so far as to have fully reconnoitred your enemies : they are very 
numerous, thirty thousand horse at least : therefore consider well the 
business." The king asked, " Do they march in one body ?" " No, 
sir ; they are in two battalions." The king turned about, and said 
aloud, " Now all of you attend to what I say, for here must be no 
cowardice : we shall soon engage our enemies, who are on their 
march and eager to meet us : this they will do, for we can neither 
fly nor return to Lisbon. We have left that town : therefore act well 
and sell your lives dearly. You have made me your king : this day 
I shall see whether the crown is to be peaceably mine ; for be assured 
I will never fly, but abide the event." They replied, " God assist 
U9 ! we will all stand by you." 

Northberry and Hartsel were then called, with others the most 
experienced in arms, and men who had seen the greatest number of 
battles, when they were asked their opinion, as to the best mode of 
acting, to wait the event of a battle ; for they were likely to be forced 
to fight, as the enemy was advancing fast, and in such numbers that 
they were at least four to one. The Englishmen said, " Since-we 
must have a battle, and they are superior to us in numbers, it is an 
unequal chance, and we cannot conquer them but by taking advan- 
tage of the hedges and bushes : let us therefore fortify ourselves in 
such manner, and you will see they will not so easily break us as if 
we were in the plain. The king replied, " You speak wisely, and 
it shall be done as you recommend." 



CHAPTER XV. 

THE rORTUGUESE FORTIFY THEMSELVES, NEAR THE CHURCH OF ALJOBA- 
ROTA,* BY THE ADVICE OF THE ENGLISH. KING JOHN OF CASTILLE, 
THROUGH THE COUNSEL OF THE FRENCH AND BEARNOIS, RESOLVES TO 
FIGHT THEM. THE HATRED AND JEALOUSIES OF THE CASTILLIANS 
.STILL CONTINUE AGAINST THE FOREIGNERS. 

The Portuguese and Lisboners approved the advice of the Eng- 
lish, and gave their opinion whither they should march. They were 
then near Aljubarota, a large village, to which place they had sent 



* '■ Aliubnrota," a village in Estrerandoura in Portugal, four leagues from the town 
of Leina. 



tlieir stores, sumpter-horses and baggage, as the situation in which 
they had intended lodging that night, battle or not. About a quarter 
of a league without the village is a considerable monastery, whither 
the inhabitants go to hear mass. The church is on a small eminence, 
a little beside the road, surrounded by large trees, hedges, and bushes, 
which, with some litde assistance, might be made a strong post. 
This was then told thti king and his council : but he would have the 
English called, for, though they were very few in number, he wished 
to follow their advice. They said : " Sire, wo know not any spot 
near, more favorable than the monastery of Aljubarota, situated as 
it is among trees : it is now a strong position, but may be much 
strengthened by art." Those who knew the country agreeing to the 
truth of this, the king said, " Let us march thither, and form our- 
selves in such a manner as good men-at-arms should do ; so that our 
enemies, when they advance, may not find us unprepared." This 
was instantly done : they marched slowly to Aljubarota, and came 
to the square before the church, when the English and sir Monges de 
Navarut, with other valiant Portuguese and Lisboners, attentively ex- 
amined the place and the environs. The English said, '• This spot 
can be made sufficiently strong, and we may securely wait liere the 
event." They cut down the trees fronting the plain, and laid them 
across, so that the cavalry could not pass them, leaving one entry not 
too wide, on the wings of which they posted all their archers and 
cross-bows. The men-at-arms were on foot, drawn up beside the 
church, where the king was : and they had already displayed the 
king's standard and banners. 

When they saw themselves thus drawn up they were much con- 
tented, saying, if it pleased God, they were in a situation to hold out 
for a long time and to gain the advantage by it. The king addressed 
them : " My fair gentlemen, show your valor this day, and think not 
of flight ; for that will be of no avail, as you are too distant from 
Lisbon ; and besides, there is no safety in flight, for three good men 
will overpower and slay twelve runaways. Prove that you are mea 
of courage and offer yourselves \igorously to your opponents : con- 
sider, should the day be ours, which it will be, if it please God, how 
much we shall be honored and praised in the different countiies 
where news of it shall be carried ; for the victors are always exalted, 
and the conquered abased. Consider also, you have made me your 
king, which should strengthen your courage ; for be assured, that as 
long as this battle-axe in my hand shall hold, I will continue the 
fight : and should it break or fail me, I will get another, and show 
I am determined to guard and defend the crown of Portugal for 
myself, and for tlie right I have to the succession of my lord and bro- 
ther, in which, on my soul, I declare and say they oppose me wrong- 
tully, and that the quarrel is personal." 

Those of his countrymen who had heard him, replied : '• My lord 
and king, you have graciously admonished and greatly advised us to 
be men of valor, and to support you in defending what we have given 
to you and the same time acknowledged to be your own. Know, then, 
that we will remain with you steadily, and never leave the field alive, 
untU we gain the battle, or be carried away. Have it proclaimed to 
your men, for they have not all heard you, that none dart, on his 
life, think of flying ; and if there should be any whose courage fails, 
so that he fear to await the battle, let him come forward, and he shall 
have leave to depart (for one faint heart discourages a dozen of good 
men-at-arms,) or have his head struck off' as an example to others." 
The king said it should be done, and two knights were ordered by 
him to examine the army and admonish it, and see if any symptoms 
appeared among them of fear. The knights, on their return, reported 
to the king, that wherever they had visited, and they had examined 
all the different companies, they had found every one resolute and 
determined to await the event of the battle. " So much the better," 
said the king. He issued orders to the army, if any persons were 
desirous of knighthood, to come forward, and he would confer on 
them the order of knighthood in the name of God and St. George. 
From the information I had, it seems that sixty new knights were 
created, which pleased the king nmch ; and placing them in front 
of the army, he said, " My fair sirs, the order of chivalry is more 
exalted and noble than imagination can suppose ; and no knight 
ought to suffer himself to be debased by cowardice or any villainous 
or dirty action ; but when his helmet is on his head, he should be bold 
and fierce as a lion when he sees his prey ; and because I wish you 
to show your courage this day when it will be needful, I order you 
to the front of the battalion, where you must exert yourselves, that 
we may both obtain honor, otherwise your spurs will not become 
you." Each new knight answered in his turn, as he -marched by, 
" Sire, we will, with God's grace, do so, that we shall gain your love 
and approbation." In this manner were the Portuguese drawn up, 
and fortified near the church of Aljubarota. None of the English 
were desirous to be knighted this day : they were requested by the 
king to be so, but excused themselves for that time. 

We will now return to the king of Castillo, and to the knights, 
squires and men-at-arms from Fiance and Gascony with him, and 
speak of the appearance of the Spaniards, and how they were drawn 
up. The knights they had sent out to reconnoitre, had returned, and 
said : " Sir king, and you barons and knights present, we have leis. 
urely examined our enemies : w^e do not believe their whole amount 
is more than ten thousand men : they have marched to the abbey of 
Aljubarota, where they have halted, and are drawn up in order q( 



360 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



battle ; and there they may be found by whoever chooses to seek 
for them." Upon this the king summoned a council, to which, in 
particular, the barons and kniglits of France were invited : they were 
asked, what was best to be done, when they instantly replied, " Sir, 
it is proper they should be fought with: we see nothing else to be 
done ; for. from the report of our scouts, they are alarmed for the 
event, as they find themselves distant from any fortress whither they 
may retreat, and Lisbon is six leagues oft"; they cannot, therefore, 
easily run thither, even if they should take advantage of the night, 
without being overtaken on the road. We therefore, sir, advise, 
since we know where they are, that we be drawn up in battle array, 
and march to combat them, while your men are in a good disposition 
to behave well." 

The king then asked his countrymen their opinions, such as Don 
Gonzales Nunez de Gusman, don Diego de Mendoza, Peter Gonza- 
les de Mendoza, Peter Lopez d'Ayala, and the grand-master of CaL 
atrava, who replied : " My lord, we have well heard the French 
knights advise you to march instantly against your enemies ; but we 
■wish you and them to know, that before we can arrive thither it will 
be night, for the sun is now on the decline, and we have not yet 
arranged our order of battle. It would be better to wait until morn- 
ing, and approach them so near that we may discover by our scouts, 
whom wc can spread over the plain, in what manner they have posted 
themselves ; and if they should incline to march away during the 
night, we might also decamp, when they cannot escape, for the coun- 
try is quite open, and there is not any strong place except Lisbon, 
so they must fall an easy prey to us. Tliis is the advice we give." 
The king, on hearing this, was silent, and looked first on the ground 
and then on the foreigners; when sir Reginald de Limousin, mar- 
shal of the army, thus spake (in order to please the French) in Span- 
ish, that he might be heard and understood by all, for he spoke that 
language fluently, so long had he resided among Ihcm, addressing 
himself to the Spaniards who were near the king, and who had given 
him the last advice : " How can you, my lords, (calling each of them 
by name, for he was well acquainted with them all) pretend to have 
more knowledge of battles or more experience in war than the valiant 
knights and squires here present ? how can you imagine you can 
devise any plan superior to theirs, or even that could be of any value? 
For their whole life has been employed in travelling from one king, 
dom to another, in search of adventures. How can you dare oiler 
any other opinion, or thus detract from what they have so nobly said 
in the defence of the honor of the king and country ; in which you 
are more interested than they are, for you have therein your proper- 
ties as well as your persons, while they have only their persons. 
They have oflcred a proof of their attachment, by requesting of the 
king to be posted in Iront of the battalions, which his majesty has 
disapproved. Consider how disinterested they must be, when they 
made this offer. It would appear to some persons as if you were 
envious, and wished not that any honor or profit might accrue to 
them, or that the king should gain the victory over his enemies. 
Honorable men-at-arms, who seek perfection, should be above low 
jealousies and such base passions, and always be of one and the same 
■way of thinking. Besides, through your advice, has the king been 
thus long and expensively kept at the siege of Lisbon, without hav. 
jng an opportunity of a battle, until now when the master of Avis 
(who signs himself king of Portugal, though he can have no such 
right, being a bastard) has taken the field. He is at Aljubarota at 
this moment with all the force he can muster, but it is not any way 
great : if it should therefore happen that he make his escape from us, 
and avoid a battle, you ^vill run the risk of the people rising and slay- 
ing you ; or the king, considering you as traitors, will have you be. 
headed, and your estates confiscated. I therefore see no better means 
for you than being silent, and agreeing with those who have been 
actors in more matters of this sort than you ever have been engaged 
in, or ever will be." 

As sir Reginald ended this speech, the king raised his eyes from 
the ground, and seemed highly pleased with what he had heard : the I 
Spaniards on the contrary, were thunderstruck, and thought, at the 
moment, they had done worse than they really had ; for, notwith- 
standing the marshal had thus opposed and reproved them, they had 
wisely and prudently advised the king, for he could not hpve had 
better counsel; but his valor and frankness made him speak as fol. 
lows, in compliance with the French and the strangers present, who 
were eager for battle. Every one was silent, when the king said : 
" In the name of God and my lord St. James, I will that we combat 
our enemies, and that those who desire knighthood, may advance, 
and receive the order of chivalry in honor of God and St. George." 
Many squires of France and Bdarn came forward, and were knighted 
by the king's hand ; such as sir Roger d'Esp-.iign, and his son Ed- 
mund : from the county of Foi,\, sir Beitrand de Barege, sir Peter 
de Salbiere, sir Peter de Valentin, sir William de Quer, sir Anglers 
de Sollenaire, sir Peter de Vaud, sir William de Mondigy, with many 
more ; in all, one hundred and forty, who willingly accepted the order 
of knighthood. Some barons of B^arn first displayed their banners 
with several of Castille and sir John de Rue, 

You might have seen these young knights, full of vigor and gal- 
lantiy, carrying themselves so handsomely that it was a pleasant 
spectacle to see ; and they were, as I have said, a large battalion of 
themselves. The lord de Lingnach then approached the king, ac- 



companied by all those who had come from different countries, and 
whom the Castillians called indiscriminately Frenchmen, completely 
armed except their helmets, and said : " My lord king, v.'C are come 
from distant countries with the best disposition to serve you : grant us, 
we beg of you, that we may form the van battalion." " 1 grant it," 
replied the king, " in the name of God, St. James, and my lord St. 
George, and may they be with you !" Upon this, the Spaniards 
whispered one to another, " See, for God's sake ! see how our king 
confides wholly in these foreigners : he has not any trust in others. 
They have obtained the honor of the van, and hold us so cheap they 
will not invite us to make a part. They are now drawing themselves 
up separately. Well, we will do the same on our part, and, by God, 
let them combat and fight by themselves. Have they not already 
boasted they are sufficient to vanquish the Portuguese ? Be it so, 
then : we are contented ; but it will be right we ask the king if he 
choose to remain with us or go with the Frenchmen." They were 
murmuring a long time, whether they slioiUd put such a question to 
the king or not, for they were much afraid of the reprimands of sir 
Reginald de Limousin. Having fully considered, they thought there 
w^ould not be any harm in asking the question. Six therefore of the 
principal nobles, employed about his person, advanced, and, with 
many obeisances, thus spoke : " Most noble king, we perceive plainly 
that this day there will be an engagement with your enemies. God 
grant you may have the victory and honor ! as we sincerely wish it ; 
but we are anxious to know your pleasure, whether you will remain , 
with us or march with the Frenchmen ?" " By no means," replied 
the king : " my fair sirs, if I have determined on battle, in conse. 
quence of the advice of the knights and squires from France who 
have come to serve me, and who are men of great valor and abilities, 
I do not renounce you, but will remain among you, and you will 
therefore help in defending me." The Castillians were delighted 
with this answer ; and said, '* That, my lord, \v\]\ we do, and never 
fail you as long as we live ; for we have sworn to do so, and pledged 
our faith on the day you were crowned : we had besides so great 
an affection for the good king your father, that nothing shall ever 
make us desert you." The king of Castille remained with the Cas- 
tillians, who amounted to full twenty thousand horse all covered with 
armor. Sir Reginald de Limousin was in the first battalion, that 
post being his right as marshal. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

THE BATTLE OF ALJUBAROTA, IN WHICH THE FRENCH AND BEARNOIS, IK 
THE INTEREST OF CASTILLE, ARE DEFEATED AND SLAIN BY THE FOKTU- 
GUESE, FROM NOT BEING PROFERLY SUPPORTED BY THE CASTILLIANS, 
WHO WERE JEALOUS OF THEM. THEY AFTERWARDS MEET THE SAMa 
FATE. 

This Saturday had been a fine clear day, but the sun was now 
declining, and it was about the hour of vespers, when the first bat- 
talion of the CastiUian army came before Aljubarota, where the king 
of Portugal and his men were drawn up in battle array. The French 
knights amounted to two thousand, as gallant lances as could be" 
seen. The moment they perceived the enemy they formed in close 
order, like men of resolution who knew their business, and advanced 
within bow-shot. This attack was very sharp ; for those who were 
eager after glory, and to perforni feats of arms, assaulted the place 
which the English had fortified. The entrance having been made- 
narrow caused a great pressure of the assailants against each other, 
and much mischief was done by the English archere, who shot so 
vigorously and quick that the horses were larded, as it were, with 
arrows, and fell one on the other. The few English men-at-arms and 
the Lisboners now came forward, shouting their cry of "Our Lady 
for Lisbon !" They were armed with well steeled Bordeaux lances, 
with which they pierced through everything, and wounded knights 
and squires. The lord de Lingnach of B^arn was unhorsed, his 
banner taken, and himself made prisoner, and numbers of his men 
slain or taken. On the other hand, sir John de Rue, sir Geoffry 
Ricon, sir GcofTry de Partenay, with difficulty, had entered the fort 
with their men ; but their horses were so wounded by the archers, 
they fell down under them. The men-at-arms on their side were in 
great danger, for one could not assist the other, nor could they gaia 
room to exert themselves, while the Portuguese, seeing the ill success 
which had attended the first assailants, were as fresh and as active as 
ever for the ctjmbat. The king of Portugal was mounted on a tall 
courser decorated all over with the arms of Portugal, and his banner 
set up before him : he was much pleased at seeing the defeat ot his 
enemies, and to encourage his men, and for his own pleasure he 
laughed aloud, crying out ; " Go on, my good fellows : defend your- 
selves well, for, if there be no more than what I see, we shall not 
make much of them ; and if I have any knowledge of war, these 
men must remain with us." 

Thus did the king of Portugal encourage his men, who fought 
valiantly, and, having inclosed the first comers within their fort, they 
were putting numbers of them to death. True it is, that this first 
battalion of which I am speaking, under the command of knights 
from France and B^arn, expected to have been more quickly and 
better supported by the Castillians than they were ; for if the king of 
Castille with the main army, which consisted at least of twenty 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &.c. 



381 



thousand men, had advanced to check the Portuguese in nnothor 
quarter, the day must have been theirs ; but they did nothing, for 
which they suffered much loss and blame. It is also true, that tlie 
battle began too soon; but they did so to acquire greater honor, and 
to make their words good wiiich they had said in the presence of the 
king. On the other hand, as I have heard, the Castillians made no 
great haste to advance, for the French were not in good favor with 
them, and they iiad said ; " Let them begin the fight, and tire them, 
selves : they will find enough to do. These Frenchmen are too great 
boasters, and too vainglorious, and our king has not any perfect con. 
fidence but in them. Since he wishes that they should have the 
honor of the day, it shall be so ; for we will have it our own way, or 
not at all." Conformably to this resolution, the Spaniards kept in a 
large body, twenty thousand at least, in the plain, and would not ad- 
vance, which vexed the king much ; but he could not help it, for they 
Baid ; " My lord, it is all over, (though none had returned from the 
battle :) tlicse French knights have defeated your enemies : the 
honor and victory of the day are theirs." " God grant it may be so !" 
replied the king ; " but let us advance a little." They advanced 
about a bow-shot, and halted again. It was truly a fine sight to view 
their appearance, so well and handsomely were they armed and 
mounted. During all this time the French were fighting ; and those 
knights and squires who had been able to dismount performed many 
gallant deeds, for, when their lances were broken, they used their 
battic-a.\cs, and with them gave such desperate blows on the helmets 
of all who opposed them, that wounds, if not death, were the conse- 
quences. Whoever is engaged in such-like combats as this at Alju- 
barota must abide the event, if safety be not sought in flight: but in 
flight there is more danger than in the heat of the battle, for, when 
any one flies a pursuit is made, and, if overtaken, he is slain: when 
in a battle, if the chance turn unfortunate, he surrenders, and is well 
taken care of as a captive. 

It cannot be denied but that the knights and squires from France, 
Brittany, Burgundy and Bfiarn, fought valiantly : they were over, 
powered at the first onset, from the advice the English had given to 
fortify the place : besides, in this attack, the Portuguese were supe. 
rior in numbers. They therefore were at their mercy, and all were 
elain or taken, for few escaped. At this beginning they made a 
thousand knights and squires prisoners, which gave them much joy. 
They did not e.xpect any further battle that day, and entertained their 
prisoners handsomely, saying to them ; " Do not be cast down : you 
have valiantly fought and have been conquered fairly : we will be. 
have to you as generously as we should wish to be dealt with our- 
selves, were we in your situation. You must come and recruit 
yourselves in the good city of Lisbon, where you shall have every 
comfort." Those to whom such speeches were made, replied by 
returning thanks. Some were ransomed on the spot, and others said 
they would wait the event, for they did not imagine things would 
remain as they then were, but that the king of Spain would come 
with the main army and deliver them. 

As the king of Gastille and his people were drawing near to Alju. 
barota, news of what had happened speedily came to them from the 
runaways (for unfortunate indeed is the battle whence no one es- 
capes,) who cried aloud and with much fear ; " Sir king, advance ; 
for your whole van battalion are either slain or made prisoners, and 
there is no hope of deliverance but from you." When the king heard 
this he was much enraged, and with reason, for it too nearly con- 
cemed him : he instantly gave orders to march, saying, " March, 
banners, in the name of God and St. George : let us hasten to the 
rescue of our friends who have been captured, for they have needof 
tts." The Castillians began to quicken their march in close order : 
it was now past vespers, and the sun was setting, when some of them 
«aid, it would be better to wait for the morning, as it would soon be 
night, when they would be unable to perform any good deeds of 
arms. But the king was determined to advance, and was in the 
right ; for he said, " Ho«' can we think of thus deserting our friends, 
who are fatigued and in distress ? whoever gives such advice neither 
loves me nor regards my honor." They continued therefore to ad. 
Vance, with trumpets sounding and drums beating, and making a 
great noise to frighten their enemies. 

I will now relate how the king of Portugal and his army had em. 
ployed themselves. As soon as they had defeated the van division 
and taken care of their prisoners, as has been before said, they did 
not confide in this first victory, though they saw not any appearance 
of reinforcements, but ordered six men-at-arms, the best mounted, to 
reconnoitre, and bring them intelligence, if they were to expect an- 
other battle. Those who had been sent on this expedition, saw and 
heard the army of the king of Castille, which was at least twenty 
thousand men on horseback, and approaching very near to Aljuba- 
rota : they returned full gallop to their friends, and said aloud, "My 
lords, take care of yourselves, for hitherto we have done nothing : 
the king of Castille is advancing with his whole army, of twenty 
thousand horse, for not one has remained behind." On hearing this 
they held a short council, as the necessity of the case obliged them, 
and came to a pitiless resolution ; for it was commanded, under pain 
of death, that whoever had taken a prisoner should instantly kill 
him, and that neither noble, nor rich, nor simple, should be exempted. 
Those barons, knights and squires, who had been captured, were in 
s melancholy situation, for entreaties would have been of no avail. 



They were scattered about disarmed in different parts, considering 
themselves in safety, for their lives at least ; but it was not so, which 
was a great pity. Each man killed his prisoner, and those who re. 
fused, had him slain before their eyes : for the Portuguese and Eng- 
lish, who had given this advice, said, " It was better to kill than to 
be killed ; and if we do not put them to death they will liberate 
themselves while we are fighting, and then slay us, for no one ought 
to put confidence in bis prisoner." By this order were killed the lord 
de Lingnach, sir Peter de Salbiere, the lords de Lespre, de B^arn, 
des Bordes, sir Bertrand de Barege, the lord de Moriane, sir Raymond 
Donzack, sir .Tohn Afolege, sir Manaut de Saremen, sir Peter de Sali- 
bieres, si> Stephen de Valentin, sir Raymond de Courasse, sir Peter 
de Hausane, with full three hundred squires from Bcarn. Of French- 
men, there were sir John de Rue, sir Geoffry Ricon, sir Geoffry de 
Partenay, and many more. This was a very unfortunate event to the 
prisoners, as well as to the Portuguese ; for they put to death, this 
Saturday, as many good prisoners as would have been worth to them, 
taking one with another, four hundred thousand francs. When they 
had thus cleared the place, by putting every one to death (for none 
escaped but those who had been carried to the village of Aljubarota, 
where the baggage and stores were,) they again formed themselves 
in the same position and place as when the van battalion commenced 
their attack. 

The sun was now setting, when the king of Castille advanced in 
puissant array, with banners displayed, and on barbed horses, shout- 
ing out "Castille I" and entered the fortified pass. They were 
received with lances and battle-axes, and the first flight of arrows" 
grievously wounded their horses, threw them into confusion, and 
many were wounded or slain. The king of Castille, ignorant of the 
unfortunate fate of the van, imagining they were only prisoners, was 
anxious to deliver them, as you have heard. The battle raged with 
violence : many were thrown to the ground, and the Portuguese had 
not the advantage : they were forced to fight most valiantly, or they 
would have been overpowered : they owed their safety to the impos- 
sibility of being attacked but in one place. The king of Portugal- 
dismounted, and, taking his battle-axe, placed himself at the pass^ 
where he performed wonders, knocking down three or four of the 
stoutest of the enemy, insomuch that none dared to approach him. 
I must not omit to notice the manner in which the Spaniards gene- 
rally act in war. It is true they make a handsome figure on horse- 
back, spur off to advantage, and fight well at the first onset ; but as 
soon as they have thrown two or three darts, and given a stroke with 
their spears, without disconcerting the enemy, they take alarm, turn 
their horses' heads .snd save themselves by flight as well as they can :. 
this game they played at Aljubarota ; for they found their enemies- 
obstinate, and as fresh as if they had not had an engagement, whicb 
astonished them much ; and their surprise was increased by not 
hearing anything of the van battalion. 

The Spaniards had a hard afternoon's work, and the fortune of 
war was greatly against them : all who through courage, or a wish 
to distinguish themselves, had entered the fort of the Lisboners, were- 
cut to pieces ; for they could not ransom any, whether poor or noble, 
(such had been their orders) nor encumber themselves with prisoners. 
Verj' many of the nobles of Castille were there slain : among the 
greatest barons who suffered, were sir Dangommes Neudrich, sir 
Diego Parsament, don Pedro de Rourmont, sir Marc de Versaux, the 
grand-master of Calatrava, and his brother, who was that day created- 
a knight, and called sir Diego Moro, .^ir Peter Goussart de Modesque, 
don Pedro Goussart de Seville, don John Roderigo de la Rousselle, 
with upward of sixty barons and knights of Spain. There were not 
even at the battle of Najara, when the prince of Wales defeated the 
king, don Henry, so many nobles of Castille killed, as at this battle 
of Aljubarota, which was on a Saturday, the feast of our Lady, 
August, 1385. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

THE KING OF CASTILLE, AFTER HIS DEFEAT AT ALJCBAKOTA, KETKEATS- 
TO SANTAREM. THE KINO OF PORTUGAL RETORNS TO LISBON. A 
TRUCE IS CONCLUDED BETWEEN TUEM. 

When king Henry perceived that his anny was defeated, the van 
battalion having been totally destroyed, that sir Regiuald de Limou- 
sin, his marshal, was slain, and that the flower of his own chivalry, 
as well as that of France, which had come so willingly to serve him, 
were dead or disabled, he was mightily cast down, and knew not 
how to act. He saw his men flying in all directions, and heard them 
crying to him, " My lord, march away : it is time for you : the battle 
is over : you alone cannot conquer your enemies, nor repair your 
losses : your men are running away on all sides, for every one now 
looks to himself: you know, also, it will be prudent, at this moment, 
to follow their example, and if fortune is now against you, another 
time she may be more favorable." The king of Castille followed 
this advice : he changed his horse, and mounted a fresh one that had 
not been rode that day, and which had great speed. The king stuck, 
spurs into him, turned his back to his enemies, and made for Santa- 
rem, whither all the runaways, who wished to save themselves, 
followed. 

The king of Castille had that day ordered a knight of his house- 



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hold, called sir Peter Harem, to boar his helmet. This helmet was 
encircled with gold, and might be worth twenty thousand francs. 
The king intended wearing it at the battle, and had so ordered it the 
morning he marched from Santarcm, but did not do so ; for, when 
the army was forming, there was so great a crowd round the king, 
the knight could not come near, and, not hearing himself called, he 
ceased to attempt it. Shortly afterwards, he heard that the Portu- 
guese had gained the day, and saw liis own army (lying in all direc- 
«ions : fearful of losing so-rich a jewel as the king's helmet, that was 
valued so highly, he put it on his own head, not to lose it nor have 
it stolen from him by meeting the enemy, and fled : he did not follow 
the road to San'.arem, but took another, like to peop'.-; thunderstruck 
and discomfited ; but the greater part made for Santarem, where the 
king arrived i}i llie evening, confounded and cast down. 

After the defeat of tho Spaniards at Aljubarota, the Porluguese 
und Lisboncrs kept the field of battle : the slaughter was great, and 
■would have been more if they had puraued the enemy ; for the Eng- 
lish seeing the enemy turn their backs, called aloud to the king of 
Portugal, " Sir king, let us mount our horses, and set out on the 
pui-suit, and all these runaways shall be dead men." " I will not," 
replied the king : " what we have done ought to satisfy us. Our 
men are fatigued, and have fought hard this evening : it is now so dark 
we shall not know whither we are going, nor how many are flying. 
Their army was very numerous, and perhaps this may be a stratagem 
to draw us out of our fort, and the more easily conquer us. We will 
this day guard the dead, and to-moiTow call a council and consider 
how we shall next act."' " By my faith," replied Hartscl, an Eng- 
lishman, " the dead are easily guarded : they will do us no hamt, nor 
shall we have any profit from them, for we have slain our rich pris- 
oners. We are strangers, come from a distance to serve you, and 
would willingly gain something from these calves that are flying 
without wings, and who drive their banners before them." " Fair 
brother," said the king, " all covet, all lose : it is much better that 
we remam on our guard, since the honor and victory are ours, through 
God's grace, than run any risk where there is no necessity for it. 
Thanks to God, we have enough to make you all rich." Nothing 
more was said on the subject. Thus, as I have related, happened th(^ 
battle of Aijul)arota, which the king of Portugal completely gained. 
There were slain about five hundred knights, and full as many, if not 
more, squires, which was a great pity, and six or seven thousand 
otlier men : God have mercy on their poor souls ! 

The king of Portugal and his men remained all night under arms, 
at their post without stirring, until about six o'clock on Sunday morn- 
ing. They ate a morsel standing or sitting, and quaffed a cup or so 
of wine, which was brought to them from the village of Aljubarota. 
At sunrise, the king of Portugal ordered twelve knights to mount 
their horses, and scour the country, to see if there were any bodies 
of men assembled together. When they had rode far and near, on 
their return, they said they had seen nothing but dead men. " Of 
them we have no fear," said the king, who gave orders for the army 
to march to the village of Aljubarota, where they were to halt the 
rest of the day and that night until Monday morning. Upon this they 
tieeamped, leaving the church of Aljubarota, and quartered them, 
selves in the village the whole of Sunday and the following night. 

Ou Monday morning, it was ordered in council that they ahould 
return to Lisbon, and the trumpets sounded to decamp. They then 
formed themselves in handsome array, and took the road to Lisbon. 
On the Tuesday, the king entered the city, amid an immense con. 
course of people, with great glory and triumph, and was conducted 
by a numerous company of minstrels, and a long procession of 
churchmen, who had come out to meet him as far as the palace. As 
he rode through the streets, all the people, and even the children, paid 
him the greatest respect and reverence, shouting out, " Long live 
the noble king of Portugal 1 to whom God has been gracious in giv. 
ing victory over the potent king of Castille, the gain of the field and 
discomfiture of his enemies." By this fortunate victory which the 
king of Portugal had over don John of Castille, as I have just related, 
lie won so much the affections of all Portugal, that those, who before 
this battle had dissembled their sentiment.^, now came to Lisbon, 
■took the oaths, and paid their homage to him, saying, he was worthy 
to live, and God must love him when gave liim the victory over a 
king more powerful than himself, and that he deserved to wear a 
crown. Thus did the king acquire the love of his subjects, more es- 
pecially of the vvhole commonalty of the kingdom. 

We will now say something of the kmg of Castille, who, after his 
defeat, retreated to Santarem, regrettmg and bewailing the loss of 
his men, and cursmg the hard fate he had had, when such numbers 
of noble knights of his kingdom, as well as those from France, lay 
dead on the field. At the time he entered the town of Santarem, he 
knew nut the greatness of his loss, but was made acquainted with it 
on the Sunday, when he seiu his heralds to examine the field of bat. 
tic, having imagined the greater part of those barons and knights 
whom tliey found lying dead, had been prisoners to the Portuguese. 
He was so much enraged when the heralds relumed, on learning the 
names of those who had fallen, and the certainty of their deaths, that 
he could not be appeased or comfurted. He declared with an oath, 
he should never again taste joy, lor the loss of so manv noble knights, 
who had perished through his fault. 

At the end of the three days the king had passed at Santarem, his 



knight, sir Martin Harene,* came into the town, bringing with him 
his majesty's helmet, which was estimated at twenty thousand francs, 
on account of the rich jewels with which it was ornamented. Much 
had been said on this subject in the king's household, and some had 
declared he had fraudulently canied it oft', and would never moro 
return. When the knight came before the king, he cast himself on 
his knees, and made such fair excuses that the king and council held 
him blameless. Things remained in this state, and the king of Gas. 
tille returned to Burgos, the twenty-fifth day after his arrival at San- 
tarem, having dismissed his whole army. Negotiations were now 
entered on between the kings of Castille and Portugal, and a truce 
was made between ihem and their allies, as weW on land as at sea, 
from Michaelmas until the first day of May. The bodies of the 
barons and knights who had been slain at^iVljubarota, were buried 
in that and in the neighboring churches: the bones of many were 
carried by their servants to their own countries. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

THE COnNT DE FOI.X IS RAPIDLY, AND IN A SECRET MANNER, INFORMED 01 
IVHAI HAD HAPPENED AT ALJUBAROTA. FROISSART, !K CONSECiUZNCE 
OF THIS, RELATES A STORY WHICH HAD BEEN TOLD HIM OF A FAMILIAR 
SPIRIT, CALLED ORTIION, WHO SERVED THE LORD DE CORASSE IN THE 
LIKE MANNEP.. 

A FACT I am about to relate will astonish my readers, if they con- 
sider and pay any attention to it. It was told me in the hotel of the 
count de Foix, at Orth^s, and by the same person who had informed 
me of the battle of Aljubarota, and the event of that day. I will 
therefore narrate it ; for, ever since the squire related it to me, I have 
much thought on it, and shall do so as long as I live. It is a fact, as 
the squire assured me, that the count de Foix was informed, the day 
after the battle of Aljubarota, of everything that had there happened, 
the same as I have related it, which surprised me exceedingly how 
this could possibly have been. 

The whole days of Sunday, Monday, and the following Tuesday, 
he was in his castle of Orthes, and made such poor and melancholy 
meals that not one word could be drawn from him ; nor would he, 
during that time, quit his chamber, nor speak to knight or squire, 
however nearly they were related by blood, unless he had sent for 
him ; and it also happened, tiiat he even sent for some, to whom he 
never opened his lips during these three days. On the Tuesday, in 
the evening, he called his brother Arnold WiUiam, and said to him 
in a low voice, " Our people have had a desperate battle, which has 
vexed me very much, for it has happened to them just as I had fore- 
told at their departure." Arnold William, v\'ho was a wise man and 
a prudent knight, well acquainted with the temper of his brother, 
was silent. The count, anxious to cheer up his courage, for he had 
too long nurtured in his breast this sad news, added, " By God, sir 
Arnold, it is just as I have told you; and very soon we shall have 
news of it. Never has the country of Beam suffered so severely for 
these hundred years past, as it has now at this battle in Portugal." 
Many knights and squires who were present, and heard the words of 
the count, were afraid to speak, but commented within themselves 
on them. 

Within ten days, the truth was known fron? those who had been in 
the battle, and they first told the count, and all who wished to hear 
them, everything relative to their disputes withthe Castilliaris and 
the event of the battle at Aljubarota. This renewed the grief of the 
count, and of those persons belonging to the country, who had lost 
brothers, relations, children, or friends. " Holy Mary '." said I to the 
squire, " how was it possible for tho count to know, or even to guess 
at it, on the moiTOW after it had happened ?" " By my faith," re- 
plied he, " he knew it well enough, as it appeared afterwards." "Is 
he a wizard, then," said I, " or has he messengers who ride on the 
winds ? for he must have some secret art." Upon this, the squire 
began to laugh, and said, " In truth, he must have know n it by means 
of necromancy. We indeed are ignorant in tVis country, how he 
manages, but we have our suspicions." Upon this, I said to tlie 
squire, " Now do have the goodness to tell me what your suspicions 
are, and I shall be very much obliged to you. If it be necessary to 
keep it secret, I will be silent, and never open my mouth on the sub- 
ject as long as I live or remain in this country." " 1 must entreat 
Ihat of you," replied the squire, " for I would not have it known that 
I had told it to you; for we only speak of it secretly when among 
our friends." Upon this, he drew me aside to a corner of the vault 
of the chapel of Orthfes, and thus began his tale : 

" About twenty years ago, there lived a baron in this country, 
called Raymond, lord of Corasse. You must understand, that Co- 
rasse is a town seven leagues distant from Orthte. This lord of 
Corasse had a suit at Avignon, before the pope, for the tithes of his 
church, against a priest of Catalonia : this priest was very learned 
who claimed these tithes, which were worth a hundred florins a 
year. He proved his right so clearly that pope Urban V. in full con- 
sistory, gave a definitive judgment in favor of the priest, condemning 
the kniglit to costs of suit. The priest obtained a copy of this sen- 
tence, and hastened to B^arn, where showing it, and his bulls from 

* His name is nut mentioned in the printed cnpies until now, but lie is called in my 
MSS. Peter Harem. 



I 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



383 



the pope, he obtaiiied possession of the tithes. The. lord de Co- 
rasse, bting doubiful of the priest and of liis designs, went to him 
tind said . ' Master Peter, or master .Martin (according as he was 
called,) do you tliiiik I will lose my inheritance through the papers 
you have brought hither? I do not believe you will be bold enough 
to c»llect anything belonging tu me ; for il' you do, your life shall 
pay for it. Go elsewhere and seek for benefices, for you shall not 
have anything from my estates ; and, imce for all, I forbid you to 
take any lithe.^.' The c\rrk wa= fearful of the knight, as he knew 
him to be a ciiiel man, and dared not persevere, but resolved to re. 
turn to Avignon, wliich he did. Before he set out, he came again 
to the lord de Corasse, and said to him : ' By force, and not by jus- 
tice, you deprive me of the rights of my church, for which, in con- 
science, you behave c.>:ceedingly ill. I am not so powerful in this 
country as you are ; but know, that as soon as I possibly can, I will 
send you a champion that you will be more afraid of than you have 
hitherto been of me.' The lord do Corasse, not alarmed at his men- 
aces, replied : ' Go, in God's name go : do what thou canst : I fear 
thee neither dead nor alive ; and for thy speeches I will not lose my 
property.' The clerk then departed, and went I know not whether 
to Catalonia or to Avignon, but did not forget what he had told the 
lord de Corasse on leaving him ; for, about three months after, when 
the knight least thought of it, and was sleeping in his bed with his 
lady, in his casde of Corasse, there came invisible messengers, who 
made such a noise, knocking about everything they met with in the 
castle, as if they were determined to destroy all within it : and they 
gave such loud raps at the door of the chamber of the knight, that 
the lady was exceedingly frightened. The knight heard it all, but 
did not say a word, as he would not have it appear that he was 
alarmed, for he was a man of sufficient courage for any adventure. 
These noises and tumults continued, in ditTerent parts of the castle, 
for a considerable time, and then ceased. On the morrow, all the 
servants of the household assembled, and went to their lord, and 
said: ' My lord, did you not hear what we all heard this night?' 
The lord de Corasse dissembled, and replied, ' What is it you have 
heard ?' They then related to him all the noises and rioting they 
had heard, and that the plates in the kitchen had been broken. He 
began to laugh, and said, 'it was nothing: that they had dreamed 
it, or that it had been the wind.' ' In the name of God,' added the 
lady, ' I well heard it.' 

" On the following night, the noises and rioting were renewed, but 
much louder than before ; and there were such blows struck against 
the door and windows of the chamber of the knight, that it seemed 
they would break them down. The knight could no longer desist 
from leaping out of his bed, and calling out, ' Who is it that at this 
hour thus knocks at my chamber door ?' He was instantly answered, 
' It is I.' ' And who sends thee hither ?' asked the knight. ' The 
clerk of Catalonia, whom thou hast much wronged : for thou hast 
deprived him of the rights of his benefice : I will, therefore, never 
leave thee quiet, until thou hast rendered him a just account, with 
which he shall be contented.' ' What art thou called,' said the 
knight, 'who art so good a messenger?' ' My name is Orthon.' 
' Orthon,' said the knight, ' serving a clerk will not be of much ad- 
vantage to thee ; for, if thou believest him, he will give thee great 
trouble : I beg thou wilt therefore leave him and serve me, and I 
shall think myself obliged to thee.' Orthon was ready with his an- 
swer, for he had taken a liking to the knight, and said, ' do you 
wish it V ' Yes,' replied the knight ; ' but no harm must be done to 
any one within these walls.' 'Oh no,' answered Orthon: ' I have 
no power to do ill to any one, only to awaken thee and disturb thy 
rest, or that of other persons.' ' Do what I tell thee,' added the 
knight : ' we shall well agree ; and leave this wicked priest, for he 
is a worthless fellow, and serve me.' 'Well,' replied Orthon, 'since 
thou wilt have it so, I consent.' 

" Orthon took such an affection to the lord de Corasse, that he 
came often to see him in the night-time ; and, when he found him 
sleeping, he pulled his pillow from under his head, or made great 
noises at the door or windows ; so that, when the knight was 
awakened, he said, ' Orthon, let me sleep.' ' I will not,' replied 
he, ' until I have told thee some news.' The knight's lady was so 
much frightened, the hairs of her head stood on end, and she hid her- 
self under the bedclothes. ' Well,' said the knight, ' and what 
news hast thou brought me ?' Orthon replied, ' I am come from 
England, Hungary, or some other place, which I left yesterday, and 
isuch and .such things have happened.' Thus did the lord de Co- 
rasse know by means of Orthon all things that were passing in dif- 
ferent parts of the world ; and this connection continued for five 
years ; but he could not keep it to himself, and discovered it to tb.e 
count de Foi.x, in the manner I will tell you. The first year, the 
lord de Corasse came to the count de Foi.x at Orthes, or elsewhere, 
and told him, ' My lord, such an event has happened in England, in 
Scotland, Germany, or some other country ;' and the count de Foix, 
whe found all this intelligence prove true, marvelled greatly how he 
could have acquired such early information, and entreated him so 
earnestly, that the lord de Corasse told him the means by which he 
had acquired his intelligence, and the manner of its communication. 
When the count de Foix heard this, he was much pleased, and said, 
' Lord de Corasse, nourish the love of your intelligencer : I wish I 
had such a messenger : he costs you nothing, and you are truly in- 



formed of everything that passes in the world.' ' My lord,' replied 
the knight, ' I will do so.' The lord de Corasse was served by Or- 
thon for a long time. I am ignorant if Orthon had more than one 
master ; but two or three times every week he visited the knight, 
and told him all the news of the countries he had frequented, which 
he wrote immediately to the count de Foix, who was nuich delighted 
therewith, as there is not a lord in the world more eager after news 
from foreign parts than he is. Once, when the lord de Corasse was 
in conversation on this subject with the count de Foix, the count 
said, ' Lord de Corasse, have you never yet seen your messenger ?' 
' No, by my faith, never ; nor have I ever pressed him on this mat- 
ter.' ' I wonder at that,' replied the count : ' for had he been so 
much attached to me, I should have begged of him to have shown 
himself in his own proper form ; and I entreat you will do so, that 
you may tell how he is made, and what he is like. You have said, 
that he speaks Gascon as well as you or I do.' ' By my faith,' said 
the lord de Corasse, ' he converses just as well and as properly ; and, 
since you request it, I will do all I can to see him.' 

" It fell out, when the lord de Corasse, as usual, was in bed with 
his lady (who was now accustomed to hear Orthon without being 
frightened,) Orthon arrived, and shook the pillow of the knight, 
who was asleep. On waking, he asked who was there ? Orthon 
replied, ' It is I.' ' And where dost thou come froin ?' ' I come 
from Prague in Bohemia.' ' How far is it hence ?' * Sixty days' 
journey,' replied Orthon. ' And hast thou returned thence in so 
short a time ?' ' Yes, as may God help me : I travel as fast as the 
wind, or faster.' ' What, hast thou got wings ?' ' Oh, no.' ' How, 
then canst thou fly so fast?' ' That is no business of yours.' 'No" 
said the knight. ' I should like exceedingly to see what form thou 
hast, and how thou art made.' ' That does not concern you to 
know,' replied Orthon ; ' be satisfied that you hear me, and that I 
bring you intelligence you may depend on.' ' By God,' said the 
lord de Corasse, ' I should love thee better if I had seen tliee.' 
' Well,' replied Orthon, ' since you have such a desire, the first 
thing you shall see to-morrow morning, in quitting your bed, shall 
be myself ' I am satisfied,' said the knight ; ' you may now de. 
part : I give thee thy liberty for this night.' 

" When morning came, the knight arose, but his lady was so much 
frightened she pretended to be sick, and said she would not leave 
her bed the whole day. The lord de Corasse willed it otherwise. 
' Sir,' said she, ' if I do get up, I shall see Orthon ; and, if it please 
God, I would neither see nor meet him.' ' Well,' replied the 
knight, 'I am determined to see him;' and, leaping out of his bed, 
he seated himself on the bedstead, thinking he should see Orthon in 
his own shape ; but he saw nothing that could induce him to say he 
had seen him. When the ensuing night arrived, and the lord de 
Corasse was in bed, Orthon came and began to talk in his usual 
manner. ' Go,' said the knight ; ' tliou art a liar : thou oughtest to 
have shown thyself tome this morning, and hast not done so.' ' Nol' 
replied Orthon ; ' but I have.' ' I say, no.' ' And did you see no. 
thing at all when you leaped out of bed ?' The lord de Corasse was 
silent, and, having considered awhile, said, * Yes ; when sittii.g on 
my bedside, and thinking of thee, I saw two straws which were 
turning and playing together on the floor.' ' That was myself,' re. 
plied Orthon, ' for I had taken that form.' The lord de Corasse 
said, ' That will not satisfy me ; I beg of thee to assume some other 
shape, so that I may see thee and know thee.' Orthon answered, 
' You ask so much that you will ruin me and force me away from 
you, for your requests are too great.' ' You .shall not quit me,' said 
the lord de Corasse ; ' if I had once seen thee, I should not again 
wish it.' ' Well,' replied Orthon, ' you shall see me to-morrow, if 
you pay attention to the first thing you observe when you leave 
your chamber.' ' I am contented,' said the knight ; ' now go thy 
ways, for I want to sleep.' Orthon departed. On the morrow, 
about the hour of eight, the knight had risen and was dressed ; on 
leaving his apartment, he went to a window which looked into the 
court of the castle. Casting his eyes about, the first thing he ob- 
served was an immensely large sow ; but she was so poor, she 
seemed only skin and bone, with long hanging ears all spotted, and 
a sharp-pointed lean snout. The lord de Corasse was disgusted at 
such a sight, and, calling to his servants, said, ' Let the dogs loose 
quickly, for I will have that sow killed and devoured.' The servants 
hastened to open the kennel, and to set the hounds on the sow, who 
uttered a loud cry and looked up at the lord de Corasse, leaning on 
the balcony of his window, and was never seen afterwards ; for sho 
vanished, and no one ever knew what became of her. 

" The knight returned quite pensive to his chamber, for he then 
recollected what Orthon had told him, and said, ' I beUeve I have 
seen my messenger Orthon, and repent having set my hounds on 
him, for perhaps I may never see liim more : he frequently told me, 
that if I ever angered him, I should lose him.' He kept his word, 
for never did he return to the h6tcl de Corasse, and the knight died 
the following year. Thus have I related to you the history of Orthon, 
and how for a time he supplied the lord de Cofasse with intelligence." 
" That is true," said I to the squire ; " but, with what intent have 
you told it ? Does the count de Foix make use of such a messenger?" 
" In good truth, that is the real opinion of several of the inhabitants 
of Beam ; for there is nothing done in this country or elsewhere but 
what he instantly knows, when he sets his heart on it, even when it 



384 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



is the least suspected. Thus it was respecting the inteUigence lie 
told us of our good knights and squires, who had fallen in Portugal. 
The reputation and belief of his possessing tliis knowledge is of great 
service to him, for there would not be lost a gold or silver spoon, or 
anything of less value, in tliis country, without his instantly knowing 
of it." I then took ray leave of t)ie squire, and joined other com. 
pany, with whom I chatted and amused myself. However, I kept 
in my memory every particular of the tale he had told me, as is now 
apparent. I will leave for a while the affairs of Spain and Portugal, 
and speak of those of Brittany, Languedoc, and France. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

SIESE IS LAID TO BREST. ST. F0K8ET AND SEVERAL OTHER ENGLISH 
6ARKIS0NS IN THE ENVIRONS OF TOULOCSE ARE RECOVERED BT THE 
FRENCH. 

DoRiNO the time these matters were passing in Castille and in 
distant countries, sir Oliver de Clisson, constable of France, ordered 
a blockhouse to be built before the castle of Brest in Brittany, which 
the English held, and had done so for a considerable time, and would 
not quit it, neither for the king of France nor for the duke of Brit- 
tany, to whom it belonged. The dukes of Berry and Burgundy, and 
the king's council, had frequently written on this subject to the duke 
of Brittany ; for at tliat time, as you know, the young king of France 
was under the government of his uncles. They had entreated the 
duke of Brittany to exert himself to conquer the castle of Brest, 
which being held by tlie English was mucli to his discredit. The 
duke, in compliance with tiieir entreaties, as well as knowing him. 
self to be the lord of Brest, had once besieged it, but had not pushed 
it forward : when he marched away, he said nothing could be done : 
at which several knights and squires of Brittany murmured behind 
his back, saying that he feigned and dissembled, as those who held 
it were his great friends, and that he would not on any account wish 
it even in his own possession, nor in tliat of the king of France ; for, 
if the French had it, he woidd not be the master, but be much weak, 
ened by it ; and, as long as the English held it, the French would 
not dare to anger him. 

The constable of France, having considered the whole business, 
thought that, if the duke of Brittany were indifferent as to the recov- 
ering the town and castle of Brest from the hands of the enemies of 
France, it would be dishonorable to liim and to the nobles of Brit, 
tany. He therefore ordered it to be besieged, and sent thither great 
numbers of knights and squires, under the command of the lord de 
Malestroit, the viscount de la Belliere, Morfonace, and the lord de 
Rochederrien. These four valiant men laid their siege as near to 
Brest as was possible, and erected a large and fair blockhouse of 
wood, surrounding also, the place with palisadoee and walls, so that 
the garrison was shut up from all communication but by sea : on that 
side it was not possible for them to surround them. There were 
frequent skinnishes before Brest ; for those companions who were 
fond of arms advanced gayly to the barriers, where they called out 
the garrison and fought with them until some were killed or wounded, 
and then they retired : scarcely a day passed without some warlike 
deeds being done. 

At this period there was in the Toulousain a valiant knight from 
France, called sir Walter de Pa.ssac : he was an expert captain and 
excellent man-at-arms, and born in Berry, on the borders of Limou. 
sin. Before his arrival, sir Hugh de Froideville, seneschal of Tou. 
louse, and sir Roger d'Espaign, seneschal of Carcassonne, had written 
to the king and council of the state of Toulouse and Rabastens ;* 
that several gallant companions from the garrisons of Lourde and 
chattel Cuillet had made war successfully for the English ; and hav- 
ing possession of Saint Forget, la Bassere,t le Mesnil, Pomperon, 
Convalle, Rochefort, JuUians.t Navarot, and some other forts, they 
liad surrounded the good city of Toulouse, so that the inhabitants 
could not quit it, nor the farmers labor their vineyards or gardens 
but with great risk, for there was neither truce nor any composition 
entered into between them. They were commanded by an able 
man from Biscay, called Espaignolet, who performed wonders and 
took by scalado the castle of Erniaille, wliile its master, sir Raymond, 
was absent at Toulouse, and kept possession for upward of one year. 
During this time, he dug a mine that, after passing under the apart, 
ments, opened to the fields, which, when finished, was so well cov. 
ered, that no one would imagine there was a subterraneous passage 
under the castle. When about this, the lord of Ermaille was treat, 
ing with Espaignolet respecting the sum for which he would surrender 
to him his castle ; and, on the mine being completed, he yielded the 
castle to sir Raymond for two thousand francs, who, ha'vin" again 
possession, had it repaired and strengthened. Not fifteen days passed 
before Lspaignolet advanced with his men to the mouth of this mine, 
which they entered about midnight, gained the castle, and took the 
knight in his bed, whom he again ransomed for two thousand francs, 
and theti allowed him to depart : but Espaignolet kept possession of 
the castle, which he strongly garrisoned, and much harassed the 
country from thence with others of his companion^ 

For these and such like causes was sir Walter de'Passac sent into 
• " Rab!«tens"-a town of Upper Longuodoc. ninelengues from Toulouse 
1 LaBiissere"-avUIegcnearToibcs. l"Jullmns"-a village ueaiTarbes. 



Languedoc, witli full powers over all the troops in that district, and 
to free the country from these pillagers and robbers. Having sent 
letters to sir Roger d'Espaign and sir Hugh de Froideville, and other 
leaders, they came to serve under him with all their men. Sir Roger 
brought sixty lances and one hundred men with shields ; and the 
seneschal of Rouergue, with sir Hugh de Froideville, joined him 
with as many, if not more. When they were all assembled, they 
amounted to four hundred spears, and upward of one thousand aimed 
with shields, including lusty varlets. The son of the lord d'Esterack 
was there, with a handsome company ; and also the lord de Barba- 
san, sir Benedict de FaignoUes, and sir William Conderom, a Breton, 
with his rout. They marched from Toulouse straight to St. Forget, 
where they halted. It was then commanded by a B^arnois, called 
le bourg de TaiUesac, a grand marauder. When these lords had 
drawn up their troops, the attack commenced, and the cross-bowmen 
shot so briskly, scarcely any of the garrison dared to show themselves 
in its defence for fear of the arrows ; but the French did not gain it 
at this first assault. In the evening they retired to repose and refresh 
themselves, as they had brought plenty of everything with them. 

On the morrow, the trumpets sounded for a renewal of the attack, 
when the lords, with their men, gallantly marched to the foot of the 
ditches. Whoever had seen them thus advancing, their heads cov- 
ered with shields, with their lances measuring the depth of the water 
in the ditches, would have had much pleasure. When the first 
ranks had passed through, the others did not delay following, or they 
would have been gi-eatly blamed for remaining behind. This second 
party carried pick.axes and iron crows to batter the walls ; and, in 
so doing, they fastened their shields on their heads, to ward off the 
stones and other things that were thrown at them from the battle, 
ments : but they suffered little from this, as the cross-bows posted 
on the banks, by their alertness in shooting prevented many from 
appearing. They shot so well, as hardly ever to miss what they 
aimed at ; and several on the walls were mortally struck on their 
heads by the small bolts, which caused many in the garrison to 
dread their blows. The attack was so long and successfully contin. 
ued that a large breach was made in the wall. This alarmed those 
within, who oflered to surrender on having their lives spared ; but 
they were not listened to, and fell into such good hands that every 
one was put to death, for sir Walter had ordered no quarter to be 
given. Thus did the barons and knights of p^ ranee regain the cas- 
tle of St. Forget, which sir Walter gave up to its proper owner, who 
had lost it last year from neglect of well guarding it, as several 
other castles in France had been formerly lost in like manner. When 
the knight was repossessed of his castle, he had it repaired where 
wanted ; for the French had done much damage by their attack. 

The French then marched to tlie castle of la Bassere, of which 
Ernauton de Batefol was captain. He had strongly fortified it, in 
expectation of the visit the French intended him. On their arrival, 
they reconnoitred it on all sides, to see where they could better make 
their attack, and with the least loss to their men : having carefully 
examined it, they posted themselves opposite the weakest part. The 
cross-bowmen were ordered to advance before those intended for the 
assault, and they did their duty so well that few dared to appear on 
the battlements. Ernauton de Batefol was at the gate where the 
attack was the sharpest, performing such wonders in arms that the 
French knights cried out, " Here is a squire of great valor, who be- 
comes his arms well, and makes excellent use of them ; it would not 
be amiss to treat with him to surrender the castle, and seek his for. 
tune elsewhere : let him be informed, that if sir Walter de Passac 
conquer it by storm, no power on earth can save him ; for he has 
sworn to put to death, or have hanged, all whom he may find in 
any castle or fort." The seneschal de Toulouse then charged a 
squire from Gascony, named William Aliedcl, who was well ac- 
quainted with Ernauton, they having formerly borne arms together, 
to talk with him on the subject. He willingly undertook it ; for he 
would have been very sorry if Ernauton had suffered loss of honor 
or death, as other things could be remedied. 

William stepped forward, and made signs to Ernauton that he 
wanted to speak to him on what nearly concerned him, to which his 
friend assented ; and the assault was at that place discontinued, though 
not elsewhere. " Ernauton," said William, " you arc risking too 
much : our leaders have compassion on you, and send me to tell 
you, that should you be taken, sir Walter de Passac has strictly or- 
dered you to be instantly put to death, as he has done to those who 
were in St. Forget. It is, therefore, much better for you to surren. 
der the place, as I would advise, than to wait the event ; for I can 
assure you, we shall not depart before we be masters of it." " I 
know very well," replied Ernauton, " that, although you now bear 
arms against me, you would never advise anything disgraceful to my 
honor ; but if I do surrender, all who are with mc must be saved 
likewise ; and we must carry away with us as much as we can, ex- 
cepting the provisions, and be conducted in safety to the castle of 
Lourde." " I am not commissioned," answered William, " to go so 
far, but I will cheerfully mention it to my commanders." On this, 
he returned to the seneschal of Toulouse, and related what you have 
heard. Sir Hugh de Froideville said, " Let us go and apeak with 
sir Walter; for I know not what lys intentions may be, although I 
have advanced so far in the treaty ; but I fancy we shall make him 
agree to it." 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



385 



When they came to sir Walter, tliey found liim engaged in as- 1 become of us ; for there is not one man in the army that is acquainted 
saulting another part of the caslle ; the seneschal addressed him, | with tliis mine." His proposal was agreed to : and that snmB 



' Sir Walter, I have opened a treaty with the captain of the castle 
who is willing to surrender the place as it is, on condition that him- 
self and garrison be spared and escorted to Lourde, and that they 
carry away everj'thing but the provision : now, what do you say to 
this ? We should lose more, if any of our knights or squires were 
killed by arrows or stones : and you would have more sorrow than 
profit, even should you win it and put all to death ; but that is not 
yet done ; it will cost us many lives ; for it will not be so easily con- 
quered as St. Forget." " That is true," added the seneschal of 
Carcassonne, who was present : " it is impossible but in such attacks 
there must be many killed and wounded." Sir Walter de Passac 
then said, " I am willing to consent : order the attacks to cease. 
We have still farther to march ; and, by litde and little, we shall gain 
all these castles from the pillagers ; if they escape from us cheaply 
at this moment, they will fall into our hands again some time hence, 
when they shall pay for all. Ill deeds bring the doers to an ill end. 
I have hanged and drowned in my time more than five hundred such 
scoundrels, and these will at last come to the same fate," 

William Aliedel and others then returned to the gate, where Er- 
nauton was waiting for them, to conclude the treaty. " By my 
troth, Ernauton," said W^illiam, "you and your companions ought 
to give many thanks to God and to sir Hugh de Froideville, for he 
has obtained for you your own terms of surrender. You and your 
garrison may depart hence, taking with you all you are able to carry, 
and will be escorted to Lourde." " I am satisfied," replied Er- 
nauton, " since it cannot be otherwise ; but know, William, I am 
very sorry to quit my casde, which has been of infinite service to 
me since my capture at the bridge of Tournay, below Mauvoisin, 
by the bourg d'Espaign, who made me pay two thousand francs for 
my ransom ; indeed, to say the truth, I have more than repaid my- 
self the loss since I have been here. I have been so long in this 
part of the country that I like it well ; and whenever I wished to 
make an excursion, I always was fortunate in meeting with prey, 
that fell into my hands, from some merchant from Rabastens, Tou. 
louse, or Rodais." "Ernauton," answered William, "I readily 
believe you ; but if you will turn to the French, I will obtain your 
pardon, and put a thousand francs into your purse besides : and will 
pledge my honor that you be steady to the French interest, when 
once you have sworn so to do." " Many thanks," said Ernauton ; 
" but I like not your party, and will remain firm to the English ; for, 
as God may help me, I do not think I can ever be a good French- 
man. Return now to your army, and say that we shall employ this 
day in packing up ; but we will surrender the place to-morrow and 
depart : you will therefore order an escort to conduct us to Lourde." 
The attacks on la Bassere had ceased, and the French retired to 
their quarters, where they refreshed themselves at their ease, for they 
had wherewithal so to do. On the morrow, by eight o'clock, the 
army wa.s drawn out, and those who were to escort the garrison 
selected. Sir Weaker then sent the stSneschal of Toulouse to take 
possession of the castle, where he found Ernauton with his com- 
panions and their baggage packed, and all ready to set out. He 
ordered a knight of Lourde, called Sir Mouvant de Salenges, to es- 
cort them, which he undertook to do safely ; and I believe kept his 
word. This castle was given to Bortrand de Montesquieu, a squire 
of that country to guard, as well as the territory adjacent. The 
army then marched away, and came before a castle colled Pulpiron ; 
it was in the possession of marauders, under the command of -\nge- 
rot and le petit Meschin, who had done much damage to the counti-y 
round about. 

Sir Walter de Passac had sworn by the soul of his father, that in 
return for the mischief they had done, he would never grant them 
mercy, but hang them the moment he could lay hands on them. 
The army laid siege to this castle, which is seated on a rock, whence 
the view is extensive and pleasant. On forming the siege, sir Wal. 
ter again swore he would never depart until he had gained it, and 
taken all within, who should not be allowed to surrender and go 
away, if they even wished it. Many attacks were made : but the 
French failed in all, as it was ably defended. "I know not," said 
sir Waller, " how things may tmn out ; the king of France is rich 
enough to keep up the siege, and if I remain here a whole year, I will 
not leave it until I be the master." What he had said was attended 
to, and all things necessary for a long siege were done. 

The two captains in the castle, seeing the French were determined 
not to depart wiihout having gained it, cost what it would, began to 
feel alarmed, and thought it advisable to leave it, whether their ene- 
mies would or not. They could easily do so at their pleasure, for there 
was a subten'aneons passage, that had an outlet half a league from 
the castle, of which the French had not any suspicion. When An. 
gerot noticed how the besiegers had posted themselves, and seemed 
resolved to have them by famine or otherwise, he said to his com- 
panions, " Gentlemen, I find the lord de Passac hates us mortally, 
and that by a blockade he will starve u?. He may easily do it, if he 
erect a small fort and garrison it wilh only one hundred lances ; for 
we shall then be prevented quitting the castle. I therefore propose, 
that we this night pack up all we can cany, and sally through the 
mine, which is wide enough and opens into a small wood hard by. 
We shall thos be out of all danger before any one knows what is 



night, having packed up their all, they entered the subterranean 
passage with lighted torches, and issued out in a wood half a league 
trom the castle. There were those with them able to conduct them 
tjirough by-roads to other fortresses in Limousin and Rouergue 
Some, however, the moment they were out of danger, departed dif! 
terent ways, saying, they would not carry on the war longer Au 
gerot with four others, went to a castle in Perigord, called Mont 
Koyal, where the lord of it received them handsomely ; for he and 
his dependents were entirely English, and would never turn French 
when others did so, and many were of his wav of thinkincr. Thus 
did the garrison of Pulpiron escape, not leaving a single varlet be 
hind ; and, before it was known to the army, they had arrived at the 
different places whither they intended going. 

On the third day after the garrison were gone away, the command. 
ers of the army ordered an assault. They had made a large machine 
four stones high, and each story would hold twenty cross-bows' 
When this machine was completed, which thev called a Passavant' 
It was moved to what they thought the weakest place of the walls' 
and Genoese cross-bowmen were posted in it. The cross-bows 
began shooting, but as no one appeared on the battlements, they 
imagined the castle was empty, and ceased to shoot, for they were 
unwilling to lose their bolts and arrows. They left the machine, and 
surprised their captains by their sudden return. They said : " Mv 
lords, the garrison have certainly quitted the castle ; for there is not 
a man within it." " How can you know this ?" replied sir Walter. 
" We know, that notwithstanding our shooting, not one showed himi 
self." Ladders were upon this ordered to be affixed to the walls, and 
lusty varlets, proper for the business, to ascend them. They mounted 
without opposition, for the castle was empty ; and having passed the 
walls and ascended into the court, they found near the gate a large 
bunch of keys, among which was that of the gate. They with 
some difficulty, opened it and the barriers. ' 

The lords were much surprised ; but more especially sir Walter de 
Passac, who thought it must have been by enchantment they had been 
able thus to escape, and asked his knights how it could have been 
done. The seneschal of Toulouse replied : " That if they were 
gone, it must have been through some subterraneous passage." The 
castle was searched, and this passage discovered in the cellars, with 
the door wide open. The lords would examine it ; and sir Walter 
said to the seneschal of Toulouse : " Did not you know of this pas 
sage, sir Hugh ?" •' By my faith," he replied, " I certainly have 
heard that such a thing was in this castle ; but I forgot it, and never 
imagined they would have made use of it." " But in God's name 
they have done so," answered sir Walter, " as is very clear. Have 
all the castles in this country similar mines and passages ?" " Sir " 
said sir Hugh, " there are many castles which have been built in the 
same manner, particularly all those that belonged to Reginald de 
Montauban; for when he waged war against king Charlemagne ■of 
France, he had them so well built, by the advice of Maugis his cousin, 
that when the king was besieging them with his whole power, and 
resistance would have been vain, they made use of their tunnels, and 
departed without taking leave." " By my troth," said sir Walter, 
" I admire the thought. I know not if any king, duke, or neighbor 
I have, will make war upon me ; but on my return home I will have 
instantly built, at my castle of Passac, just such a passage." Here 
ended this conversation. They took possession of the castle, and 
having placed a good garrison therein to guard it, they began' their 
march toward the town and castle of Couvalle,* in which were 
Espaignolet de Papercau, a Biscayan, and a number of pillagers. 



SOME OTHER 



CHAPTER XX. 

THR CASTLE OF CONTALLE IS STORMED BY THE FRENCH. 
FORTRESSES TURN TO THE FRENCH INTEREST. 

Sir Walter de Pas.sac, with his army, came before Convalle, and 
surrounded it on all sides. Having called to him the seneschal of 
Toulouse, he said : " Was this one of sir Reginald de Montauban's 
castles?" He answered, that it was. " Then it has a subterraneous 
passage like his others." "Ay, in God's name truly there is one; 
for by means of this passage did Espaignolet take the castle a second 
time and the lord within it." "Order the knight to whom it belongs, 
and who is with ns, to come hither; for it will be proper," added sir 
Walter, "that we first get information from him." On sir Raymond 
de Convalle appearing, he was asked concerning the strength of the 
place, and if there were a subterraneous passage like that of la Bas- 
sere. He replied, that it was by such means he had been captured ; 
lint he had long ago stopped it up as useless; " but these robbers 
who keep possession of my castle have repaired it, and entered the 
caslle through it." "And do you know its issue?" "Yes, my lord: 
it opens into a wood not far hence." " It is well, by God," said sir 
Walter, and was then silent. At the end of four days, sir Walter 
was conducted by sir Raymond to the opening of the mine in the 
wood, accompanied by two hundred of the country peasants well 



* This place is called before * 
note, D. Sauvaoe. 



Ennaille,'* Sala calls it " CrimaiUe."— .J/oT-^Turf 



386 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &,c. 



armed. When arrived at the entrance, he had all the earth and 
thorns cleared away from before it, and a number of torches lighted, 
and said to those with him : " Enter this passage, which will lead 
you to the hall of the castle : when you come to the door, break it 
open, for you are sufficiently strong to do it, and to combat all you 
ehall'find in the castle." They replied, they would cheerfully obey. 

Having entered the passage, they came to the steps that lead to the 
door of t°he hall, and began to make use of their a.\es and hammers 
in battering the door. As it was about night-fall, the ganison kept 
a good watch, and heard them working in the mine to enter the cas. 
tie. They instantly informed Espaignolet of it ; he was going to bed, 
but he advised them to place benches, stones, and other things in the 
doorway, to embarrass it so much that they might not enter. This 
was instantly done, and no better defence could have been made ; 
for although their opponents had cut the door into a thousand pieces, 
they found their difficulties so increase upon them, they gave it uji, 
and returned about midnight to tell their lords, how the garrison, 
having heard them, had blocked up the passage, making it inipossi. 
ble to gain entry by that way. Upon this the passavant was ordered 
from la Bassere, which being taken to pieces, was brought on carts 
to Convalle, and remounted on its wheels, fit for immediate service. 
When all was ready, sir Walter de Fassac, impatient to win this 
castle, ordered his trumpets to sound, and the host to arm and ad- 
vance in proper array. The seneschal of Toulouse was on one side, 
with all his seneschalship ; on the opposite sir Roger d'Espnign, in 
like manner, with his men from Carcassonne ; there were the lord 
de Barbazan, sir Benedict de FaignoUes, the lord de Henoch, the son 
of the coimt d'Estarac, sir Raymond de I'Isle, and the knights and 
squires of the country, each with his company, drawn up in good 
array. The attack and defence now seriously commenced : the gar- 
rison defended themselves valiantly ; indeed it behooved them so to 
do, for they found themselves hard pressed ; and knowing that sir 
Walter would show them no mercy, if taken, were resolved to sell 
their lives as dearly as possible. The Genoese cross-bows behaved 
well, and shot so truly with their bolts, that the boldest was afraid of 
them ; for whomsoever they struck on the head, it was over with 
him. 

Sir Walter de Pasaac was in the front acting wonders in arms, 
and crying out : " How, my lords I shall such a stinking crew keep 
us here all the day ? If they were good men-at-anns, I should not 
■wonder ; for in them is much more vigor than in such fellows as we 
are attacking; it is my intention to dine in the castle, and it will 
depend on you that I accomplish my purpose." Those who were 
desirous to obtain his favor advanced eagerly to the attack, and fi.\ed 
several ladders to the walls, near where the large machine was placed, 
which they mounted under protection of the cross-bows, who pre- 
vented the garrison from showing themselves. The French thus 
entered the castle of Convalle sword in hand ; they pursued their 
enemies, killing great numbere, and the remainder they made pris- 
oners. Sir Walter, having entered by the gates, was asked what he 
would have done with the prisoners. " By St. George, I will they 
be all hanged." His orders were instantly obeyed, and Espaignolet 
BufTered the first. The lords dined in the castle, and the men-at-anns 
in the town, where they remained the whole day. Sir Walter gave 
to the lord de Convalle his town and castle, and then made prepara- 
tions to continue hia march. 

After the conquest of ConvaUe, the army marched for a fort, called 
MastuUe, which, with the others, had done much mischief to the 
country. On tlieir arrival, they began an attack, which was bravely 
resisted at first ; but it lasted not long, for the place was taken by 
stonn, and all within slain or hanged. When those of Roix, Roche- 
fort, and other castles in possession of these pillagers, heard that sir 
Walter de Passac was on his march, and that, whatever places he 
took, he had hanged the garrisons, they were doubtful whether they 
might not come to the same end, and in consequence, left their forts 
in the night time, by subteiTanean passages or otherwise ; for Roix 
and Rochefort have mines, having fonnerly belonged to sir Reginald 
de Montauban, so that when the French arrived they found them 
both empty. Having taken possession, they re-gai-risoned and re- 
victualled thein, and then mai-clied toward Toulouse to enter Bigorre, 
for there were in that country two castles on tlie borders of Tarbes, 
called Jullians and Nazareth,* held by these marauders, who much 
harassed Tarbes and its neighborhood, as well as the territory of the 
lord d'Auchin. 

SirWalterde Passac and his army, having refreshed themselves in 
Toulouse, took the road toward Bigorre, and seated themselves be. 
fore Jullians, saying they would never depart until they had deUvered 
the country from its oppressors. Sir Walter was joined by the 
seneschal of Donnezan,t who represented the count de Foix, accord. 
ing to tlie summons of sir Walter to come to his aid in driving the 
pillagers out of the countty ; for they made, when opportunity offered, 
as free with the country of Donnezan as they did elscwere. It was 
for this reason the sfineschal had come, and with the approbation of 
the count, otherwise he would not have dared to have done it. 

They were fifteen days before they could gain the castle of Jul- 
lians, for It was strong, and the captain a (Jascon squire, called Bruyer 



de Brunemote, of great skill and valor. He had quitted la Bassere in 
the manner before mentioned ; and at last, finding they conld not 
take it by storm, they consented te a capitulation, agreeing to spare 
the lives of the garrison and to conduct them to Lourdc. A squire,' 
called Bertrand de Montdighen, escorted them thither. When the 
French had possession of the castle of Jullians, they debated whether 
to keep or to raze it ; at last they determined to demolish it on ac- 
cent of its vicinity to Lourde, for that garrison, the men being trai- 
tors, might, after they had left it, regain |)Ossession by stratagem or 
open force. It was therefore razed ; and the stones to this day remain 
in heaps, without the expectation of its being rebuilt. 

The army then came before Nazareth, a strong place, of which 
some adventurous companions had kept possession for more than a 
year. When they heard that those of Jullians had retreated, they also 
withdrew, having obtained a passport, and went to Lourde, where 
they knew they would not seek them, unless they wished to lose 
their labor, for Lourde is so strong it is hnpossible to be conquered. 
The French, finding Nazareth empty, razed it to the ground, to the 
great joy of the inhabitants of Tarbes, as they had received many 
injuries from it. They then marched to the castle of Auch, in Bi- 
gorre, situated among the mountains on the borders of Beam. They 
remained there about fifteen days, but only conquered the lower 
court with all the horses within it, though very many attacks were 
made : the great tower, being seated on a high rock, they could not 
win, for it is impregnable. The lords seeing they were laboring in 
vain, and that William Morenton, the captain, would neither sur- 
render nor listen to any treaty whatever, mai'ched away, and returned 
to Tarbes. Sir Walter de Passac then disbanded his army, with 
liberty for them to return to their homes. Those who had served in 
this army received their pay in money or in promissory notes, at 
their option : he himself retired to recruit himself at Carcassonne, 
and in that neighborhood. 

During his residence at Carcassoime, he received orders from the 
King of France to go to Bouteville in Saintonge, on the borders of 
Poitou and the Bordelois, which was under the command of a Gas- 
con called Sainte-Foy, as it had been reported that sir John Harpe- 
dane, seneschal of Bordeaux, was collecting a large force at Libourne 
on the Dordogne, to march thither and attack such forts as the Poite- 
vins and saintongers had raised before it. Sir Walter, as was natural, 
obeyed the king's ordere, and took with him sixty lances and one 
hundred Genoese cross-bows. On leaving Carcassonne, he marched 
through Rouergue and Agen, skirted Perigord, and aiTived at Boute- 
ville, where he found the seneschals of la Rochelle, Poitou, Perigord, 
and Agen, with numbers of men-at-arms. 



* " Nazareth "—a small town in the Condomis, diocese of Condora. 
t " Donnezan "—a small countrr in the eoTernment of Foix contii 



nta, about three miles square. Querigtit is the chief place. 



Foix. conti£u<nis to Catalo ■ 



CHAPTER XXI. 

A SHORT DIGKESSION ON THE MAN.NKRS OF THE EN6LISU AND GASCONS IN 
THE TIME OF FROISSART. 

Foreign countries may well wonder at the noble realm of France, 
how finely it is situated, and what numbers of cities, towns, and 
castles it possesses, as well in the distant parts as in the heart of the 
country. There are, in travelling from Toulouse to Bordeaux, the 
underneath rich towns, situated on the Garonne, called Gironde at 
Bordeaux: Grenade, Verdun, St. Nicholas, .A-uvillas, Valence, Leiiac, 
Agen, Porte St. Maria, Aguillon, Tonneins, Mannande, St. Basile, 
la R^ole, St. Macaire, Langon, Cadillac, Rioiis, Castres. Then as- 
cending the Dordogne, which falls into the Garonne, are the follow- 
ing castles : St. Andr^, Libourne, Castillon, St. Foy, Bergerac, la 
Linde, Limeul, St. Cyprian, Domnies, SouUioc. Some of these being 
English and others French, carried on a war against each other : 
they would have it so ; for the Gascons were never, for thirty years 
running, steadily attached to any one lord. True it is, that the whole 
of Gascony submitted to king Edward and to his son the prince of 
Wales, but the country afterwards, as has been clearly shown in this 
history, revolted from those English masters. King Charles, son to 
king John ot France, gained by his wisdom, prudence, kind treat- 
ment, and great gifts, the affections of their principal barons, such 
as the count d'Armagnac, the lord d'Albreth, and others, whom the 
prince of Wales lost through his pride. 

I, the author of this history, was at Bordeaux when the prince of 
Wales marched to Spain, and witnessed the great haughtiness of the 
English, who are affable to no other nation than their own ; nor could 
any of the gentlemen of Gascony or Aquitaine, though they had 
ruined themselves by their wars, obtain office or appointment in their 
own counti-y; for the English said they were neither on a level with 
them nor worthy of their society, which made the Ga-scons very in- 
dignant, as they showed on the first opportunity that presented itself. 
It was on account of the harshness of the prince's manneis that the 
count d'Armagnac and the lord d'Albreth, with other knights and 
squires, turned to the French interest. King Philip of France, and 
the good John his son, had lost Gascony by their overbearing pride; 
and in like manner did the prince. But king Charles, of happy 
memory, regained them by good humor, liberality, and humility. In 
this manner the Gascons love to be governed. King Charles, the 
more firmly to strengthen the connection, married iiis sister, the lady 
Isabella de Bourbon, to the lord d'Albreth ; by whom he had two 
fine children, which causes love to endure the longer. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &,c. 



387 



True it is, that when I lived among these lords at Paris, I once 
heard the lord d'Albreth use an expression that I noted down. I 
believe it may have been said in joke : however, it contained, in my 
opinion, much truth and good sense. A knight from Brittany, who 
had borne arms lor him, inquired after his health, and how he man- 
aged to remain steady to the French : when he thus answered ; 
" Thank God, my health is very good ; but I had more money at 
command, as well as my people, when I made war for the king of 
England, than I have now ; for, whenever we took any excursions 
in search of adventures, we never failed meeting some rich merchants 




English and Gascon Lords at BoRDE.iUX.— From an old Black LeUer History of Bertrand du Guesclin. 



from Toulouse, Condom, la Reole, or Bergerac, whom we squeezed, 
which made us gay and debonair ; but now all that is at an end." 
The knight, on hearing this, burst into laughter and replied, "In 
trutli, that is the life Gascons love : they willingly hurt their neigh. 
bor." On hearing this, I concluded that the lord d'Albreth heartily 
repented his having turned to the French, in the same manner as the 
lord de Mucident, who, when made prisoner at Yurac, swore to the 
duke of Anjou, he would set out for Paris and become ever after a 
geod Frenchman. He did go to Paris, where the king handsomely 
received him ; but he was not treated to his satisfaction, so that he 
slunk away from the king, and left Paris without taking leave, to re- 
turn to his own country, where he again became an Englishman, and 
broke all his engagements with the duke of Anjou, The lords de 
Rosem, de Duras, and de Langurant, did the same. 

Such are the Gascons : they are very unsteady, but they love the 
English in preference to the French, for the war against France is 
the most profitable ; and this is the cause of their preference. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

THE ARRIVAL OF I.EON, KING OF ARMENIA, IN FRANCE; ON WHICH OCCA- 
SION FR0IS3ART DESCRIBES THE STATE OF GENOA IN HIS TIME, AND 
RELATES THE DEATH OF THE KING OF CYPRUS. 

About this period Leon, king of Armenia,* arrived in France ; not 
indeed with a king-like state, but as one driven from his throne and 
kingdom, which had all been conquered from him by the Turks, ex- 
cept a castle, situated on the sea-shore, called Courth.t This castle 
is the key or entrance into Alexandria and the territories of the sul- 
tan. The Genoese carry their commerce everywhere, by means of 
the duties they pay, even to the farther India, and the realm of Pres- 
ter John :t they are universally well received on account of the gold, 
silver, and rich merchandise they bring from Alexandria, Cairo, Da- 
mascus, or from the Saracens. It is thus the world is supplied, for what 
is not in one country is in another : but all this is well known. The 

* In torn. vii. p.4W. of the Fffidra. we find Richard II. had settled a pension of 10001. 
yearly on Leon, the Clinstian king of .'Vrmenia, who had been driven from his kingdom 
by the Turks. In former reigns, there had been frequent collections made in England, 
as well as elsewhere, for supporting those Christian kings against the Turkish power, 
T*"hich, however, at length swallowed them up.— Andkrson's Ifu^t. of Commerce, £lc. 
vol. i. p. 313. The Grandes Chroniques de France place the arrival of the king of Ar- 
menia in 1835. 

t " Whatever may be the name of this castle, and wherever situated, I have no 
doubt but those who are acquainted with the two Armenias. will think what our author 
hereafter says very strange. It is not for me to gainsay him : I am satisfied, if he be 
eontistent with himself."— -l/ar^inn; note by D. Saitage. 

t The Dalai Lamas was formerly denominated Prester John ; and Thibet was the 
country of Prester John. 



Genoese are the most adventurous navigators, and are much superior 
to the Venetians as lords of the sea, being more feared by the Sara- 
cens than any others, and are excellent and determined seamen, and 
one Genoese galley would attack and probably conquer four galleys 
of the Saracens. 

If the Turks and Tartars have frequently hurt Christendom, the 
Genoese felt it not ; for, being masters of the sea, they could attack 
the infidels, and had always fifty galleys and large ships gtiarding the 
islands of Rhodes, Cyprus, and Candia, and the shores of Greece, as 
far as Turkey, where they possess the handsome town and castle of 
Pera, situated on the sea-shore opposite 
to Constantinople, which is garrisoned at 
their expense, and supplied with provis. 
ion and stores three or four times a year. 
The Turks and Tartars have often at- 
tempted to win it, but have always failed, 
and have lost more than they have gain- 
ed ; for Pera is seated on a rock, with 
only one entrance, and this the Genoese 
have well fortified. The Genoese have 
also Jaffa, which is a strong place, pro- 
fitable both to them and to all Christen, 
dom ; for did they not possess Jaffa, and 
Rhodes, the infidels would invade Na- 
ples, and attack Gaietta and Rome : but 
the strong garrisons of men-at-arms in 
these two places and their galleys on the 
sea, hold them in check. 

These reasons prevented the infidels 
making any excursions, except from 
Constantinople, toward Hungary ; but if 
that noble king of Cyprus, Peter de Lu. 
signan, had longer lived, he would have 
found the Sultans and Turks more em- 
ployment than they had met with since 
the days of Godfrey of Boulogne. Hav. 
ing conquered the cities of Alexandria 
and Satalia, the infidels, knowing his 
prowess and enterprise, and fearful of 
further losses from him, bargained with 
his brother Jacquet to have him put to 
death ; who himself slew the gallant king 
in his bed.* It was an infamous act thus 
to assassinate the valiant king of Cyprus, whose thoughts were solely 
occupied, day and night, on the means of conquering the holy land, 
and driving out of it the infidels. 

Philip de Mesieres,t being chancellor to the king of Cypras, had 
engraven on a monument he erected to him,t in the chapter-house of 
the Celestins at Paris, as follows : " Peter of Lusignan, fifteenth Latin 
king of Jerusalem, since Godfrey of Boulogne, and king of Cyprus, 
by his magnanimous prowess and enterprise, conquered in battle, 
with an army supported at his own cost, the cities of Alexandria in 
Egypt, Tripoli in Syria, Layas in Armenia, Satalia in Turkey, with 
several other cities and towns, from the enemies of the faith of Jesus 
Christ. 

" Anima ejus requiescat in pace." 

When the Genoese, who were much attached to him, and with 
reason, heard of his melancholy end, they armed seven galleys, and 
sent them to Famagousta, which they took by storm and Jacquet in 
it. They overran the greater part of the island, and would have de. 
stroyed the whole had they not feared the consequences ; but, the 
towns being strong and on the frontiers of Turkey, they left them in 
the hands of the natives. They kept possession of Famagousta, 
where they amassed great wealth from its plunder, which they car- 
ried to Genoa, and also Jacquet, who had murdered his brother, that 
that the state might determine on his destiny. The late king of Cy. 
prus had a son, whose marriage the Genoese procured, after which 
they crowned him king.^ Jacquet, tliough sufl'ered to live, was 
closely confined in prison. They did not yield up Famagousta ; but 
I am ignorant if they have it at this day. The king of Cyprus died 
in his bed, and without heirs, to the great grief of the Genoese. I 

* He was assassinated hy two lords of his country whom he had offended. Peter tar- 
nished, by his debaucheries and cruelty, the last years of his life, and even the glory he 
hail acquired by his former exploits. — .4r( de P'erifier les Dates. 

T For further particulars respecting Philip de Mesieres, seeamemoir on this subject by 
;\I. !e Ba>uf, in the 17th vol. of les Memoires de IWcademie des Inscriptions. &c., and 
also the first vol. pp. 460. 461, of les Antiquites de Paris, par M. Sauval. 

t i. e. The king of Cyprus. In the original it stands, first ecrite du dit Roy de Cipre 
Sltr sa tombe qui est au chapitre des Celestins, &c. 

§ Peter II. or Petrin, ascended the throne in 1372, when twelveyearsof age, under the 
regency of his uncles James and John, to the exclusion of his mother. The day of his 
coronation, there arose a dispute between the bailiffs of Venice and the consuls of Ge- 
noa for precedency ; and, the court having declared in favor of the Venetians, the 
Genoese revenged themselves for this affront, in 1373, by conquering the whole island. 
Only two places made any resistance, Famagousta and Cherines. The first surrendered 
the 10th October, and was pillaged during three days ; the second submitted about tlie 
middle of March following. The king was made prisoner, but recovered his liberty by 
the cession of Famagousta, and the promise of one million of ducats to the Genoese. 

In the year 1375, at the soUcitation of his mother, he caused his uncle John to be as- 
sassinated in his presence, to revenge the death of his father, in which this prince had 
been a principal actor. Peter died on the 17lh of October, 1383, aged twenty-six, without 
leaving any children by his queen, Valentine, daughter of Bernabo Visconti, 



388 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c 



know not who now reigns tliere ; but the year I was in B^arn the 
lord de Valenchin, a luiight of that courtO', told me the Genoese had 
a great share in its government, being masters of Famagousta, and 
that they had crowned Jacquet* king, in default of heirs. I know 
not how the devil he escaped from prison, nor out of the hands of 
the Genoese. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

THE KINS OF AK.MENIA RELATES MANY STORIES OF THE TURKS ANr 
TARTARS. 

The king of Armenia, on his first arrival in France, was well en- 
tertained by the king and his lords, as was proper, for he had come 
from a far country. They gained from him infounation respecting 
Greece and Constantinople ; for he was well questioned concerning 
the power of the Turks and Tartars, who had driven hint out of his 
kingdom. To (heir questions he answered, that the cham of Tartary 
had always made war upon idm, and had at last overpowered liim. 
"And this cham of Tartary; is he so powerful ?" " That he is in. 
deed ; for he has, with the assistance of the sultan, conquered the 
emperor of Constantinople." The lords then asked if Constantinople 
were under the law of the Tartars. " Oh no," replied the king : 
" the cham and sultan having continued the war on Constantinople 
for a long time, it was at length agreed (for other\vise the emperor 
would not have had peace) that the emperor of Constantinople, who 
was son of Hugh de Lusignan and Maty of Bourbon, should give his 
sou in marriage to the cham ; but notwithstanding this union, he 
was to enjoy his laws and privileges.t He was then asked what the 
count Verd de Savoye had done with his gallant company of knights, 
squires, and men-at-arms. He replied : " That when the count de 
Savoye had come to Hungary, he had carried his war as far as he 
could into Turkey, but had made no great progress into the country; 
but by his prowess he had conquered the large town of Gallipoli 
and Limonia :t in the last, he left a sufficiency of men to guard it, 
and, during the life of the king of Cyprus, he had always kept pos- 
session of it. The moment the sultan and cham of Tartary heard 
of the king's death, they were no longer afraid of the emperor of 
Constantinople, but raised an army of one hundred thousand men, 
which they marched to Constantinople, and from thence laid siege 
to Gallipoli, took it by storm, and slew all the Christians within it. 
They made so deadly a war on the emperor, that he would have lost 
everything, if it had not been for the attachment the son of the cham 
had for his daughter, whom he afterwards married. This is a melan- 
choly prospect for the time to come, for the officers of the cham are 
already in Constantinople, and the Greeks only live there as it were 
by sufferance from them; if therefore, the princes of the west do not 
apply a speedy remedy, the Turks will conquer all Greece, and bend 
it to their faith and laws. They already boast that they will do so ; 
and only laugh at the two popes, one at Rome and the other at Avig- 
non, saying, ' The two gods of Christendom are waging w'ar against 
each other, by which their government is wealiened and easier to be 
destroyed :' adding, ' tliat those who ought to attend to this, act with 
such indifference as to leave it to its own ruin.' " 

The king of Armenia was ne.xt asked if the sultan of Babylon and 
the cham of Tartary were the most powerful princes among the infi. 
dels, knowtt to the Greeks, on the other side of the mountains. 
" By no means," he replied ; " for the Turlts have always been looked 
to as the most wise and potent in war, as long as they are under an 
able chief; and this they have had for these last hundred years: 
although the cham completely governs the emperor of Constantino. 
pie, the Turkish chief keeps him also under subjection. The name 
of their present leader is Ainurat, a prudent and able man both in 
arms and council, of whom, to say the truth, I have not any cause of 
complaint, for he lias never injured me, having carried his war against 
the king of Hungary." " This Amurat, of whom you speak, is he 
then of such consequence and power, and so much renowned and 
feared ?" " Yes," replied the king of Armenia ; " and even more 
than I say ; for, if the emperor of Constantinople and the king of 
Hunga.ry are afraid of him, the caliph of Babylon and the cham of 
Tartary equally dread him. It was supposed, indeed I have heard 
it from tJie Tartars, that the cham would have been more hard on 
the emperor of Constantinople and that country, had he not been 
afraid of Amurat. He is well acquainted with his jealous temper; 
and that, the instant he finds any one more powerful than himself, 
he never rests until he shall have lowered him, and brought him 
under his subjection. It was the knowledge of this that prevented 



* James I. constable of Cyprus, wns a bostngent Genoa when his nephew Peter 11. died. 
He was ?ent home at the demand of his countrymen, who crowned him kins- He died 
in 1338, aged sixty-four, lenvhig chUdren by -A^jnes c^ , Bavaria, his queen, John, Iiis 
successor to the throne uf Cyprus ; lliiu'b, cardinitl aj»;ibi<!iop ofNicosia : rliilip, con- 
stable ofCyprus ; llcnry, prince of GaUlee ; Mary, manic « > Ladislaus king of iNaples : 
IsAbella, married to Pel»!r of Cyprus ; Civa died unmarried, 13S3.— .<2rf. clc ViriJUr Ics 
Dates. 

t Froissart must have been misinformed ; for 1 see by Anderson's Royal Genealoeiee. 
that John Paleologus must have been eiupurur uf Constantinople at this time. He wns 
routed by Cantacuzenus, and restored by the Genoese, to whom lie gave Lesboti. He 
afterwards made peace witli Cantacuzenus. made him his colleague, and married his 
daughter. He died 1396. liaving reigned forty-si.x years. 

i Lunonia is a small island in the Archipelago, near Rhodes, betweeu that island and 
Stapalia. 



the cham from doing all he could have done against the emperor of 
the east." 

" Does Amurat keep on foot a large army ?" " Yes ; he was not 
thirty years of age before he had an army of one hundred thousand 
horse, which he always kejit in the field, never quartering himself 
in any large town : besides, he had ten tliousand Turks to scrvx and 
defend his person. Wherever he marches, he carries his father with 
him." " How old is he ?" "He is full sixty years old, and Ids father 
is ninety. Amurat loves the French language, and those who come 
from France : he says lie would rather see the king of France and 
his state than all the other potentates of the earth. He is greatly 
pleased when any one talks to him on this subject, and in favor of 
the lords of that country." " Why does Amurat remain on terms 
with the cham, since he is so great a conqueror?" "Because the 
cham is afraid of him, and dares not malie war : there are, also, cer- 
tain ports and towns in Tartary which pay Amurat heavy duties : 
they are both of the same faith, and will not destroy their law. It 
has been a great matter of wonder to him that Christiajis shoidd 
make war on each other ; and he has frequently had an inclination 
to enter Christendom and conquer all before him. It would have 
been to my advantage if he had conquered me, rather than the cham 
of Tartary." They asked the king of Armenia, why it would have 
been to his advantage, who replied : "Amurat is a man of treble 
birth ; and, were he thirty years younger, is formed to make coiu 
quests wherever he should please to march his army. When he 
conquers any country or town, he oidy insists on the payment of a 
ta.v, leaving every one to follow his own religion ; and he has never 
taken any man's inheritance from him, only requiring the supreme 
government of the country. It is for these reasons, I say, that if he 
had conquered Armenia, instead of the Tartars, he would have left 
me my kingdom and religion, and remained in peace, on my acknow. 
lodging him as lord paramount, like other great barons on his fron- 
tiers, Greeks and Thracians, who thus acknowledge him, to free 
themselves from all danger from the caliph of Babylon and the grand 
cham." " What are the names of these barons ?" " I will tell you," 
answered the king : " first, there is the lord de Satalia, the lord de 
la Palice, and the lord de Haute-loge : these lords and their terri- 
tories, by means of the tax they pay to Amurat, remain in peace, and 
there is neither Turk nor Tartar that dares injure them."* They 
then asked the king, if Armenia was so totally lost that there were 
no means of recovering it. " Yes, indeed," he replied, " unless a 
force superior to the Turks and Tartars cross the mountains and 
conquer Greece ; for excepting the town of Courth, which is the 
entrance to my kingdom, and as yet remains to Christendom, the 
infidels have possession of all the rest : and, where the churches used 
to be, they have placed tlieir idols and their mahoraets." "And this 
town of Courth, is it strong ? ".A.y, in God's name is it," said the 
king of Armenia : " it is not to be taken unless by treachery or a 
vei7 long siege ; for it is situated in a dry spot on the sea-shore, and 
between two rocks that cannot be approached. Should the Turks 
or Tartars gain it, and another good town not far distant, called 
Adelphe.t all Greece must inevitably be lost, and Hungary besides 
in a short time afterwards." The king of Armenia was asked if 
Hungary were on the frontiers of the Turks and Tartars. He said 
it was ; but nearer to the Turks and the territories of Amurat thati 
to any other potentate. " It is very extraordinary," they replied, 
" that Amurat, who is so valorous, and such a conqueror, should leave 
so near a neighbor in peace." " In God's name," answered the 
king, " he has not for some time even pretendea to Keep peace wita 
Hungary, but made such exertions, to the injury of that kirtgdom, 
that if an unfortunate accident had not befallen him, he would at this 
moment have been far advanced in that country." "And what was 
that accident ?" " I will tell you," replied the king. 



CHAPTER XXIV. t 

CONTI.NUATION OF THE INTELLIGENCE WHICH THE KING OF ARUSITIA RE- 
LATES TO THE BAROSS OF FRANCE. 

" When Amurat saw that all the adjoining princes feared him, 
and that the shores of the sea as far as Hungary bounded his domin- 
ion, he determined, as the kingdom of Hungary had, by king Fred- 
erick's death, devolved on the queen, to declare war and conquer it. 
He therefore issued a particular summons to his vassals throughout 
Turkey, which being obeyed, he began his march and encamped in 
the plains of Satalia, between la Palice and Hauteloge, to strike 
more fear into his enemies. It was his intention to enter the king- 
dom of Hungary, notwithstanding it is a country inclosed with high 
rocks and mountains which make it so much the stronger. He sent 
before him embassadors and heralds, with a mule laden with a grain 
called millet, telling them, ' Go you into Hungary, to the cjunt de 

* Sauvage. in a marginal note, says he would willingly IcU where those territories ate. 
! but he has not been able to find tliem out, and thinks there must have been some mis- 
takes in their names. 
1 f'Adelphc." Q, If not meant for Delphos. 

j t Deny^ Suuvage complains that he cannot understand this chapter, nor the nccounta 
I from the Levant. Tliere was not any king of Hungary at that period of the name of 
I Frederick. Lewis the Great reigned in 1342, and his daughter Mary succeeded him 
1 13ii2. I find myself therefore obhged, lUce Sauvage. to leave it as I find it. 



CHROfflCLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &i 



389 



Lazaran,* whose territories lie among the mountains of Meleabre and 
Rob^e, tiirough wliich we mean our army to pass, and tell him we 
order and command, if he wisli for himself and country to remain at 
peace, tliat he come and render us obedience, as he knows the lords 
do Satalin, do la Palice and dc Haute.Ioge have done, and lay open 
his country for us to pass through. If he should refuse to obey and 
appear rebellious, tell him from us, that we will pour into his territo. 
ries, to destroy them, as ma'ny heads as you will show you have 
grains of millet in your bags.* The embassadors instantly departed 
on receiving these instructions, and arrived in the territory of the 
-ount de Lazaran in Hungary : they found him at one of his castles 
-called Architorme. He received the embassadors from Amurat 
kindly, and handsomely entertained them, but was much surprised 
when he saw the mule enter his court laden with he knew not what. 
He at fii-st imagined it might be gold or precious stones, which Amu- 
rat had sent to seduce him to his party, and to bribe him to allow a 
passage for his army through his country ; but he had resolved, that 
he would never submit to be corrupted by any presents whatever. 

** When the embassadors had their audience, they spoke as fol- 
lows : * Lord de Lazaran, we are sent hither by that high and mighty 
prince, our redoubted sovereign, Amurat, lord of Turkey and of all 
its dependencies ; and we tell you from him, that he orders you to 
place yourself under his obedience in the same form and manner as 
you know the lords de Satalia, dc la Palice and de Haute-loge have 
done, and that you delay not coming to perform your homage to him, 
in like manner as your neighbors have done. You will open your 
country to his army, if you wish to have peace, and by so doing you 
will greatly enjoy his good favor : but, should you refuse and prove 
rebellious, we are commanded to say, that our sovereign lord, Amu- 
rat, will pour more heads into your country, to destroy it, than there 
are grains of millet in this bag.' Having said this, he opened the 
bag to show him its contents. The lord de Lazaran was advised to 
return a temperate answer, and not discover his thoughts at once. 
He replied, ' Tie up your bag ; I see what is within it, and I have 
heard from you what Araurat's intentions are : within three days 
you shall have an answer, for these demands require deliberation.' 
They replied, * You say well ;' and, in confidence of having an 
answer, they tarried three days. I will now tell you what the count 
de Lazaran did during these three days ; he got collected and brought 
to his castle ten thousand head of poultry of all sorts, which he caused 
to be shut up without any food whatever. On the day appointed 
for the embassadors to receive their answer, he conducted them to a 
gallery which overlooked a court, bidding them lean over the rail, 
and, before he gave them his answer, he would show them some, 
thing new : they, not thinking what he was about, did as he ordered. 
Two doors were instantly opened, when all his poultry who had 
been starving for two days rushed out ; and the millet bag being 
opened, and its contents scattered about, the whole was devoured in 
less than half an hour, and more would have been eaten if they could 
have had it. The count de Lazaran then, turning toward the em- 
bassadors, said : ' My fair sirs, you have seen how the millet you 
have brought hither, from your master, with many menaces, has 
been destroyed by this poultry, who would have destroyed more had 
they had it ?' ' Yes,' replied they, ' but wherefore do you mention 
it?' ' Because you have your answer in what you have witnessed 
and in the fact you have seen. Amurat threatens that, unless I 
obey him, he will pour into my country men-at-arms without num- 
ber, to destroy it : tell him from me, I wait for him, and that with 
whatever force he come, he shall be destroyed in the same manner 
as the fowls have destroyed your millet.' The embassadors, on re- 
ceiving this ans%ver, became quite pensive. They took leave of 
the count, and travelled by short days' journeys, until they came to 
where Amurat and his army lay. They related lo him all that the 
count da Lazaran had done and said, and that he seemed to hold 
his menaces very cheap. Amurat was very wroth on hearing this 
answer, and swore that things should not remain as they were ; but 
that he would enter the territories of the count whether he would or 
not, and lay waste all his lands, in revenge for his insolent answer. 

" I will now tell you what the count de Lazaran did, since war 
had been di;nounced against him, which he knew would be speedily 
followed otherwise than by words. He instantly made preparations 
of stores and provision, and sent expresses to inform his knights 
and squires, and all those capable of bearing arms, that Amurat was 
about to invade Hungary, and to order them to guard valiantly all 
the passes into the country, and join him as speedily as may be, for 
there was no time for delay. Amurat remained with his army on 
the plains of Haute.Ioge. As it was to defend Christendom, all the 
knights to whom the count had written obeyed his orders and came 
to him, as did many more to whom he had not sent, but who had 
heard it accidentally, to support the faith and destroy the infidels. 
The count had the forests cut down and thrown across the roads 

*SauvaEe says in a note. " According to Paul Jnvius and father Anthony Geoffrai. 
his proper name was Lazarus, despot or lord of Serria, formerly called by the Romans 
Missia Inferior." 

This probably isthe person railed by Frnissort the lorfl de Lazaran. 

" Servin made formerly part of Mfssia, lllyria and Pannnnia. At the fall of the I'lO- 
man empire, it belonged to the fc?ervian3, who had come thither from Sarmatia in Asia. 
It had afterwards its own despots, some of whom depended on the kings of Hutfgary. 
The lust had the misfortune to be captured in battle, and his army cut to pieces by 
-Amurat I. in the 14th century." 

See Rervie. in the Encyclopodie par Ordre des Mati^res. 



Amurat was to pass, which he expected would have a great effect 
in checking the Turks on their march. The count, accompanied by 
ten thousand Hungarians and as many cross-bows, intrenched him , 
self and men on each side of n pass through which he knew Amurat 
must march. He had also with him two thousand peasants, armed 
with axes and wedges, to fell the timber and block up the road on a 
signal given. When everything was prepared, the count said : 
' Without doubt Amurat will come hither, for he has sent me word 
he would do so ; be therefore steady and valiant in defending this 
pass, for, should it be won by the Turks, all Hungary is in danger 
ol being conquered. We are strongly posted, and one man here is 
equal to four. It will be more for our honor to perish in the field, 
defending the faith of Jesus Christ, than to live in bondage under 
these dogs of infidels, notwithstanding the courage and ability of 
Amurat.' ' Sir,' replied they unanimously, ' we will with you abide 
the event : let the- 'Turks come when they will, we are ready to re- 
ceive them.' The Turks .were quite ignorant of all this; for the 
count, fearful lest his plans should be discovered by Amurat's spies, 
and revealed to him, had posted some of his most confidential friends 
between him and the enemy, to prevent any communication what- 
ever between the two armies. >■ 

" Amurat was not forgetful of his menace, but declared he would 
visit the territories of the count de Lazaran, in such a manner that ho 
should remember it ; for he was unwilling to be thought a liar in 
breaking his promise. Having selected sixty thousand men, for he 
had two hundred thousand men in his camp, he gave the command of 
them to four captains attached to his household and faith ; their names 
were, the duke Mansion of Mecca, the governor of Damietta, Alpha, 
lory de Samarie, andthe prince de Corde, surnamed Brachin, to whom 
he said, on their leaving him, " You will march these men, whom I put 
under your command, a number sufficient to open a passage into 
Hungary, to the lands of the lord de Lazaran, which you will com- 
pletely destroy by fire and sword. As soon as I shall be informed of 
your anival there, I will follow with the remainder of my army ; for 
I am resolved to have Hungary under my obedience, and afterwards 
the empire of Germany. The wizards of my country, and the divi- 
ners of Egypt, have pronounced that I am destined to be king of all 
the worJd ; but the place that I would most willingly visit is Rome ; 
ior, in ancient times, it formed part of our inheritance : and our pre- 
decessors have conquered and governed it several times. I will lead 
with me le Galifre de Baudas, the cham of Tartary, and the sultan of 
Babylon, who shall there crown me.' The captains, who were on 
their knees, replied, they would cheerfully obey his commands, and 
then marched off with the sixty thousand men. Among them were 
twenty thousand of the most able and best armed men of the Turkish 
army, who formed the van battalion. When they came to the moun- 
tains on the frontiers of Lazaran, the van, finding no one to oppose 
them, entered them, under the command of the duke of Mecca, and 
the governor of Damietta, and passed the ambuscade of the count de 
Lazaran. As soon as the count and the Hungarians saw they had en- 
trapped their foe, they began to work, by cutting down the forest trees 
and laying them across the road, so that it was quite impossible for the 
Turks to retreat or advance, for the passage was entirely blocked up. 

" Thus were twenty thousand Turks inclosed, who were so vigor- 
ously attacked by the Hungarians from each side of the forest, and 
with such good effect, that all were slain. Not one escaped death, not 
even the two commanders. Some attempted to fly, but were pursued 
through the wood and killed. The rear division, unable to advance 
through the fallen forest, returned to Amurat, and related the unfor- 
tunate event which had happened to his army. He was v«ry pensive 
on hearing i>t, and summoned his council to consider what was to be 
done, as he had lost the flower of his army." The king of Armenia, 
having thus finished his history of the defeat of the Turks, resumed 
the account of his own melancholy situation, to the king of France 
and his uncles. They took compassion on him, because he had come 
from such a distant part of the world as Greece to seek aid and com. 
fort ; and being a king diiven out of his realm, without any means 
of keeping up his state, or even supporting himself, as his complaints 
evidenfly showed. The king of France, young as he was, said : 
" We will, that the king of Armenia, who has come to us in hopes of 
assistance, have allowed him wherewithal to maintain his dignity, 
suitable to his rank, as he is a king like ourself ; and when we are 
able, he shall have men-at-arms to aid him in the recovery of his 
kingdom ; for we have a very good inclination to do so, being bound 
to support the Christian faith." 

The speech of the king was applauded by all. His uncles and 
council were willing to fidfil these commands ; and a proper allow- 
ance was ordered to be paid to the king of Armenia monthly, from 
the chamber of accounts, to keep up his state. The sum allowed 
was six thousand francs yearly ; and he had five thousand presented 
him, to provide himself with plate and other smaller necessaries. 
The palace of St. Ouen, near St. Denis, was likewise given to him 
for his residence. Such assistance did the king of Armenia receive on 
his first arrival in France, which was constantly increasing. He was 
at times much with the king, particularly at all the grand festivals.* 



* Sauval. in his Antiquities of Paris, copies Froissart in the account of the reception of 
the king of Aianenia by the court of Charles VL ; but adds, from Juvenal des Uraint, 
tluuthis prince was not so wretched in his fortune, having saved many jewels, and even 
lomeof hii treasure, when he fled fVom the Tartars. He \va» a fruitless negotiatoi of 



390 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

DTOINS THESE WAKS OF THE TURKS, DISSENSIONS CONTINUE BETWEEN 
THE TWO POPES, URBAN VI. AND CLEMENT VII. FRIAR JOHN DE LA 
ROCHE-TAILLARD DELIVERS A GOOD APOLOGUE, RESPECTING THE rAPACy, 
TO THE CARDINALS. 

About this period, Otho of Bninswick came to pope Clement at 
Avignon, to receive his pay for the war he had carried on for the 
pope and church against the Romans and Bartholomew Prignano, 
who styled himself pope Urban VI. as you have before seen in this 
history. He remonstrated with the pope and cardinals on various 
topics, to which they attentively listened ; but, as for his pay, he 
could not obtain one penny, the treasury being so empty that the car- 
dinals were unable to get what was their due. Sir Otho, therefore, 
left them much discontented ; but, before he set out for Avignon, 
they gave him one thousand francs, which he held cheap, and the 
war of the pope was greatly weakened, for sir Otho would not hence, 
forward concern himself about it. Besides, Margaret de Duras, 
duchess of Anjou,* who resided at Gaietta, sent for his assistance 
against the Neapolitans. Sir Otho balanced for a time, not knowing 
which side to take ; some of the council advising him to aid Marga- 
ret in the defence of her realm, and take her to wife, as she had not 
any objection and was of noble birth, and by this means they told 
him that he might become king of the country : but others advised 
the contrary, lest it might have an unfavorable issue ; for her children 
by the duke of Anjou, who had been crowned king in Bari, were 
young, and had many relations and friends, especially in the king of 
France their cousin-german, who would certainly support their 
claims, as well as the lady Jane, duchess dowager of Anjou, who 
would have great weight. Sir Otho was so long doubtful between 
the two parties that at length neither had him. 

About this time, the forces subsidized by pope Clement, tmder the 
command of the lord de Moetroye, a right valiant knight from the 
country of Geneva and Savoy, sir Talebert, a knight of Rhodes, and 
sir Bernard de la Salle, had shut up pope Urban in the city of Peru- 
gia. He was much straitened, and on the point of being made cap- 
tive. I was told it depended only on the payment of twenty thousand 
crowns; for count Conrad, a leader of a large body of Germans, 
would have delivered him up to pope Clement for that sum. Sir 
Bernard de la Salle was sent to Avignon to inform the pope, and to 
remonstrate with him and the cardinals on the subject, but in vain 
with regard to the money, for the court was so poor that he could not 
obtain anything, and returned, very discontented, to the siege of Pe- 
rugia. The siege was slackened on both sides, and Urban escaped 
from this danger to Rome, where ho remained. 

I know that in times to come, these things will be wondered at, 
and it will be a matter of astonishment how the church could fall 
into such troubles, and those of so long a duration. It was a punish, 
ment sent by God, to make the clergy feel and consider the great 
pomp and superfluities they possessed : but many paid no attention 
to it, being so swollen with pride and arrogance, that each would 
imitate his superiors, and thus was religion little regarded ; and if 
the Holy Spirit, w'ho enlightens tlie hearts of the devout, had not 
kept them steady, and in unbon, it would have been severely shaken, 
if not lost. The great proprietors of land, who at the first were such 
noble benefactors to the church, now make a joke of it, even at the 
time I was writing and chronicling this history, in the year of grace 
1390 ; at which the commonalty were much surprised, and wondered 
why such g^eat lords as the kings of France and Germany, and the 
other great princes of Christendom, did not provide a remedy for it. 
But, to satisfy the people and excuse the great barons, I must say, 
that as there cannot be a yolk of an egg without its white, nor a 
white without the yolk, so neither the clergy nor the lords can exist 



peace between England and France, and was sent to Boulogne, with others on this sub- 
ject. He died in I31'3. in the palace of Tournelles. situated in tlie street of .St. Antliony. 
opposite the royal hotel of St. Pol, where the kings of France usually resided. He was 
huricl in the church of Si. Celestins, after the manner of his own country, his friends 
clothed in white, carrying torches of white wax: his body, dressed in royal robes of the 
tlie same color, was laid upon a white bed of suite, and his head encircled with a crown 
of gold. At this funeral ceremony, many of the princes and great lords assisted, and 
crowds of common people.— Antiqtut^s dc Pnris, vol. ii. p. 251. 

Holingshed says, Leo. king of Armenia, came to England and received a pension of 
£1000 from Richard II.; the object of his visit was to make peace between the two 
Coimtrics of France and England. 

* The text which Mr. Johnes here follows is essentially difterent from Uiat of U. Sau- 
vage and more recent French editions, and lord Berners, and is moreover not consonant 
to the truth. Margaret of Duras was not duchess of Anjou, but widow of Charles Duras, 
king of Naples, the competitor of Louis, duke of .\njou. for that kingdom. According 
to D. Sauvage. &c.. the passage should run as follows : " Besides Margaret of Duras, 
who resided at Gaietta, and was opposed to the queen of Naples, widow of king Louis 
duke of Anjou, begged his assistance to make war on the Neapolitans. Sir Otho bal- 
anced for a time, not knowing which side to take. Some of liis council advised him to 
take part with Margaret ofDuras, who was heiress of Naples and Sicily, and assist her 
to delend and keep her lieritage, and to take her to wife, as she was very willing to have 
him fora husband, he being ot noble and high lineage; and he would thus become king 
and lord of the couirtries which she claimed. Others .advised him to the contrary ; for 
the children of king Louis, who had been crowned in the city of Bari, were young and 
had numerous friends and relations, especially the king of France, who were willing to 
assUt them ; and their lady rriother, queen .loan, duchess of Anjou and Maine was a 
■woman of great intrigue. All these doubts were laid before him by his council Sir 
Otho held hack and hesitated so long that ho lost both parties." We should here ob- 
serve, that Margaret ofDuras was not heiress of the kingdom of Naples, but regeot da 
ring tlie minority of her son Ladislas — Ep, 



independently of each other ; for the lords, not being ruled by the 
clergy, would degenerate into beasts. 

I will say, that in my time I have for certain seen much of man 
kind ; whether for my own amusement, or in travelling to learn the 
history of what passes in the world relative to deeds and adventures 
in arms, which are described in this book ; but I have never met 
with any lord, except the count de Foix, who had not his minions, 
pages, and jesters, most honorably entertained. The count de Foix 
had none such ; for he was naturally grave, and of great good sense, 
which was of more value than anything they could have aflbrded 
him. I do not say, that those lords who are attended by minions* 
are mad ; they are worse than mad, for they are blind having two 
eyes. 

When information of this disputed choice was first brought to king 
Charles of France, of happy memory, he paused, and left it to his 
clergy ; who, having considered the matter, resolved that pope Cle- 
ment had been truly elected. To this opinion the kings of France, 
Castillo, and Scotland assented ; and, notwithstanding the schism 
which was caused in ihe church, these three kings, being allied to. 
gether, remained steady to Clement; but the kings of England and 
Portugal were of a contrary way of thinking. The earl of Flanders 
had formed his creed as you have heard in this history ; for he would 
acknowledge pope Clement, because he had, at the first conclave, 
voted for the cardinal of Bari, and because, while cardinal of Ge- 
neva, he had written to the earl to say Urban had been legally elected 
pope, for which reason the earl of Flanders considered his as the true 
one as long as he lived. The emperor and all Germany, with the 
king of Hungary, acknowledged Urban. 

While writing of these dissensions that happened in my time both 
in the state and in the church (which was somewhat shaken thereby,) 
and it is to be understood that the great landed proprietors were act- 
ing like hypocrites, it comes to my remembrance how in my young 
days, during the reign of pope Innocent, at Avignon, there was con. 
fined in prison a learned clerk, called Friar John de la Roche-taillade. 
This friar, as I have been told by several privately, for it was never 
talked of in public, foretold, while in prison, many of the great events 
which would happen shortly in the world, more especially those that 
related to France. He prophesied the capture of king John of France, 
and the misfortunes that were to befal the church from the pride and 
arrogance of those who governed it. It was said, that during his 
imprisonment he was brought to the pope's palace, when the cardinal 
of Ostia, commonly called cardinal of Arras, and the cardinal of 
Auxerre, disputed with him on these subjects. Friar John gave 
them for answer the following apologue : " In former days a bird 
was hatched without any feathers. When the other birds heard of 
this, they went lo see him, for he was fair and pleasant to look on. 
Having considered, that without feathers he could not fly, nor with, 
out flying live — which, however, they were detennined to assist him 
in, for he was a prodigiously hanilsome bird — they resolved that every 
bird should give him some of his feathers. The best feathered gave 
most, so that he was soon enabled to fly. The other birds took much 
pleasure in seeing him. When this bird saw himself thus in feather, 
and that all the birds paid him great honor, he grew proud, and not 
only held those cheap w-ho had made him so, but pecked and drove 
them from him. The birds held an assembly to consider how they 
should act, in consequence of the treatment they received from this 
bird whom they had clothed, and who now despised them. The 
peacock said, ' He is too finely dressed in my feathers : I will take 
them from him.' ' In God's name,' said the falcon, ' so will I mine.* 
The other birds said they would do the same, and immediately be. 
gan to unfeather him. The bird, on seeing this, humbled himself 
greatly, and acknowledged the honors and wealth he had received ; 
and that his fine feathers were not his own, for he had come into the 
world naked and fcatherles; and those who had feathered him might, 
if they chose, retake them. He cried out for mercy, and promised, 
henceforward, never to risk, by pride or presumption, the loss of his 
feathers. The gallant birds who had plucked him, seeing him thtis 
humbled in his deportment, restored his feathers ; but said, on giving 
them back, ' We will gladly see thee fly among us, as long as thou 
shall bear thyself meekly, for so it becometh thee ; but if ever thou 
shalt act arrogantly, we will pluck thee bare, and leave thee in the 
naked state wc found thee.' Thus, my fair sirs," said friar John to 
the cardinals, " will it happen to you. The emperors, kings, and 
princes of the earth, have given you wealth, and power, and posses- 
sions, that you may serve God ; but you expend it in pomp, luxury, 
and all extravagances. Why do you not read the hfc of St. Silves. 
ter,« the first pope who succeeded St. Peter, and weigh well the 
conditions on which the emperor Constantine gave the tithes to the 
church ? St. Silvester did not travel with two or thiee hundred at- 
tendants on horseback, but lived simply and retired at Rome, solely 
with his churchmen, when the angel, through God's grace, appeared 
to announce that the emperor Constantine, then an infidel and unbe- 
liever, had sent for him. It had likewise been revealed to the em- 
peror, by the angel of the lord, that Silvester woidd put him in the way 
of being cured of his leprosy ; for he was so ill of that disorder, his 
limbs were rotting. On his arrival, he pointed out to him his cure. 



* Marmousets. . 

t Silvester svas tlie thirty second pope, leckouine St. Peter as the first.— .an dc vin- 
fier Ics Dates- 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



391 



by means of baptism. He was baptized and cured, which eo strongly 
impressed his ni'.'id with the goodness of God, that he believed, and 
made his empire believe also. He gave to Silvester and to the 
church all tithes, which he had before held himself, with many other 
rich gifts and territories, for the augmentation of our faith and church. 
It was his intention that these should be prudently and properly gov- 
erned, and not with pomp and pride as is now done ; for which the 
Lord is wroth, and his anger will be much increased against you in 
times to come. Should the nobles excuse themselves from giving 
support to the church, and grow cold in their devotions, and perhaps 
retake what they have given, it must speedily be destroyed." 

Thus spoke friar John to the cardinals, who were much astonished 
thereat, and would have put him to death, but they coidd not find 
out any just cause for it. They suffered him to live, but confined 
him a close prisoner ; for he proposed such deep questions, and ex- 
amined so closely the Scriptures, that he might perhaps, had he been 
at liberty, have led the world astray. However, many things were 
seen to happen, which he had foretold in prison, and which he proved 
from the apocalypse. His proofs saved him sometimes from being 
burnt, and some of the cardinals took compassion on him, and did 
not oppress him as they might have done. 

We will now leave these narrations and return to the principal 
matters of this history, the affairs of Spain, Portugal, France, and 
England, and say what events were passing there worthy of being 
recorded. 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

THE REASONS WHY THE PORTUGUESE PREFER THE GRAND MASTER OF 
AVIS FOR THEIR KING T9 DON JOHN, KING OF CASTILLE, WHO HAD 
JIARRIED BEATRICE, DAUSUTER OF DON FERDINAND, LATE KING OF 
PORTUGAI.. 

You have before heard how don .lohn, son of don Pedro, king of 
Portugal, and bastard brother to the late king, had gained possession 
of the crown, through the boldness of four of the principal towns in 
Portugal ; for the nobles and knights ought not to be inculpated in 
the matter, as they had ever borne themselves loyally to don John 
of Castille, who had married Beatrice, the daughter and heiress of 
don Ferdinand. Many, however, were of opinion she was a bas- 
tard, being the daughter of a Portuguese lady, whose husband, a 
knight of Portugal, was still living.* The king of Portugal having 
seized his wife, married her; and the knight left the country and 
resided with the king of Castille : he never returned to Portugal, 
notwithstanding his noble birth, through fear of the king. 

This opinion of her being a bastard was the more extraordinary, 
as don Ferdinand considered her as legitimate, having received dis- 
pensations from pope Urban VI. to that purpose. When peace was 
concluded between the kings of Castille and Portugal, don John 
Ferdinand Audfere, who ruled the Portuguese council, proposed a 
marriage between the daughter of his king, and don John, king of 
Castillo, who was at that time a widower. The council of Castille, 
when this union was proposed, had mentioned their doubts of the 
legitimacy of the lady's birth ; and to satisfy the king of Castille, 
don Ferdinand made his principal barons and nobles of Portugal 
Bwear, that after his decease, they would consider her as their queen, 
and would unite their kingdom to Castille. He had also forced the 
principal towns to promise the same, and to acknowledge the king 
of Castille as their king, under a penalty of two hundred thousand 
francs. The Lisboners, having put to death don Ferdinand Audfere, 
because he had interfered in this business, and exerted himself, at 
the king of Portugal's death, to have it confirmed, elected the master 
of Avis, and would have no other king. They said, that were Por- 
tugal to be turned topsy-turvy, they would never submit to Castille, 
nor to the Castillians, so greatly did they hate each other. The Lis- 
boners were the great instigators of this dispute ; they said the lady 
Beatrice could not be their queen, for she was a bastard, a thorough 
bastard ; and, during the lifetime of don Ferdinand, and now when 
he is dead, Lorenzo d'Acunha, the husband of her mother, still exists. 
For this reason, the four cities of Lisbon, Coimbra, Ourique, and 
Oporto, elected don John, and crowned him king of Portugal. They 
would have a king from among themselves, and noticed the great 
affection the commonalty had for the master of Avis. 

One of the chief causes for this hatred of the Portuguese to the 
Castillians, was, that after the marriage had been concluded between 
the king of Castille with don Ferdinand's daughter, and it had been 
agreed that Portugal should, after the death of don Ferdinand, revert 
to Castille ; wherever the Castillians met the Portuguese, they mocked 
them, and said, they should return under their obedience whether 
tkey would or not ; that they would keep them in subjection and 
slavery, and teach them, like Jews and slaves, to obey their wills. 
The Portuguese replied, they would never be under theirs nor the 
subjection of any men in the world. Owing to such reproaches, 
they elected the grand.master of Avis king, who was bastard son to 
don Pedro, king of Portugal. Don Ferdinand, during his reign, paid 
no attention to his brother, nor ever imagined the Portuguese would, 
after his decease, choose him their king, to the disparagement of his 

* Ferdinand, at the conclusion of the war between him and Henry de Traf .'.iniare, 
ling of Caalille, engaged to marry Henry's daughter. This he did not > ii. but 

manied I^onora Tellez, the wife of Lorenzo d'Acunha. 



daughter ; but so they did ; and don Ferdinand Audfere was in the 
right, when he advised the king to have him put to death, for the 
people had too great an affection for him. The king would never 
consent to this, saying that the people had no power over the nobihty 
of the realm ; and that his son-in-law, the king of Castille, was 
powerful enough to punish any rebellion that might break out ; that 
he had no just cause to imprison him nor put him to death ; and 
besides, his brother was of a religious order, and possessed great 
wealth, without thinking of the crown of Portugal. These were the 
reasons why he escaped death. 

All these are well-known facts ; for I, the author of this history, 
was told them by the nobles of Portugal. It was certainly strange 
they should choose a bastard for their king : but they found none 
nearer in blood to the crown ; for they declared that the queen of 
Castille, daughter of the lady Leonora d'Acunha, being a bastard, 
should never possess the crown of Portugal, nor should any of her 
descendants. The count de Foix was of a similar opinion, as he 
told the knights when he gave them an entertainment on leaving his 
country for Portugal ; for he is perfectly well infonned, though he 
resides at Orthfes, of everything that passes in Castille or Portugal, 
When his knights departed, he said ; " Gentlemen, you have not any 
business to interfere in the disputes between Castille and Portugal ; 
for the queen of Castille, daughter of don Ferdinand king of Por- 
tugal, has no claim to that crown. This war is begun foolishly, and 
with much bitterness : you may therefore, as well as those who first 
stirred it up, heartily repent when it is too late." They replied, 
" that having received earnest of pay from so great a lord aa don 
John of Castille, they were bound to serve him." He then suffered 
them to go : but, as I have before related, the greater part never 
returned home again. 

CHAPTER XXVII. 

FROISSART TRAVELS TO MIDDLEBUKGH IN ZEALAND, TO HAKE INQUIRIES 
FROM A KNIGHT, WHO IS GOING TO PRUSSIA, OF THE AFFAIRS OP 
PORTUGAL. 

We will not yet quit the affairs of Portugal, as they ought not to 
be forgotten ; but the grand feats of arms which took place there 
should 'be chronicled, that those who come after our time may find 
them related and written down. It would be pity they were anni- 
hilated : and it was by means of clerks of former days, who enre- 
gistered histories, that facts are now known, for there is no memory 
equal to writing. In truth, I must say, and I wish those who in after 
times shall come may know the fact, that I have taken infinite pains 
to seek out the truth of what was passing in my day, and have trav- 
elled through many a kingdom and over many countries for this pur- 
pose. I have been personally acquainted with many valiant men, as 
well in France, England, Castille, Portugal, as in the duchies and 
countries adjoining, and with their companions in war, from whom I 
have never failed asking many questions for my information ; and I 
have never willingly neglected, after having heard any fact, making 
every possible inquiry to know the truth of it. 

During the time I resided with the gallant count Gaston de Foix at 
Bdarn, I heard many of the transactions which happened in Portugal ; 
but on my return home to Valenciennes in Hainault, having rested 
myself a while, my passion for the history I had begun was renewed, 
and I bethought myself that I could not impartially continue it, 
having only heard that side of the question which related to the king 
of Castille. It was proper therefore, if I wished to avoid partiality, 
to hear what the Portuguese had to say, as I had listened to the Gas- 
cons and Spaniards in the castle of Foix, and upon the road in going 
thither and in returning. Indifferent as to bodily fatigue, I set out 
for Bruges, expecting to meet some Portuguese and Lisboners, a3 
many of that nation are generally there : I was most fortunate in my 
journey, for it was told me, and I since found it true, that if I had 
considered for seven years, I could not have come more opportunely 
to Bruges than at that moment. I had only to go to Middleburgh ii. 
Zealand, where I should find a valiant knight of Portugal, and of the 
king's council, called don Juan de Portelet, who would E-i\ o me a 
true account of the events that had passed in Portugal, iuiving been 
a party concerned in all of them : he was but lately ^Trived, intend- 
ing to embark for Prussia, whither his valor had l-o liim. This in. 
telligence rejoiced me much, and I set out from P.niges in company 
with a Portuguese well acquainted with tli. knigl.l. On our .sr-vjai 
at Sluys, we embarked, and, thanks to C-od, arrived safely at ^'' 
burgh. I made myself acquainted, thrors?^ niv companion, v. ■, 
knight, whom I found prudent, honoi, 'S and plea^an' | 

remained with him about six davs. • .ve done so Inger 

had I pleased, when th ■ 1 ,i ' ' - t '■ i , uened n the 

wars between Castil'e 'i:"i ■ kingrtrdi. 

nand, until the til'-' he ^.a. ... -a:,^ ii. .- iiM il''c\ei-My 

and fully thnt ' .d gp.at ! i -ht in licario' hmi, and writing down 
what'he ':;.': • - 

W.nn I h' '«! ^a found tlie wind to be 

favoiablc, I ;■ he accompanied me to the 

I vessel, M di'-' ^i" "^"nntry who had come 

i from '.Irugce ' ^ "''-er good people of Mid- 

Idleburgh. Li..- - , of the count de Novaire,* in 

. ■■' .ereira.— Ea 



393 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &,e. 



Portugal, and other knights and squires from those parts : but greater 
respect was paid to don Juan tlian to any of the others : and cer- 
tainly from wliat I saw, he was very deserving of it, for he was a 
handsome well-made man, formed for vigorous exploits. I returned 
Jhence, through Bruges, home, where I chronicled all I had heard 
from don Juan Fernando de Portelet, relative to what had passed in 
the realms of Portugal and CastiUe until the year of our Lord 1390. 



to carry them to England, if God permitted, and if they should escape 
from enemies and robbers ; for there are as many, if not more, on the 
sea than on land. 

Having freighted a vessel called a lin, which keeps nearer the wind 
than any other, they look leave of the king, the bishop of Coimbra, 
and the council of Portugal, and embarked for England. The wind 
was favorable, and they were three days without seeing anything but 
sky and water; on the fourth they discovered the land of Cornwall. 
By God's aid, and favorable winds, from which their mariners knew 
how to profit, they arrived in safety at Southampton, where they 
anchored. When they disembarked, to reiVesh themselves in the 
town, they were summoned before the bailifi', who demanded whence 
they came and whither they were going. On answering that they 
were from Portugal, and sent by the king and his council, they were 
made very welcome. After they had allowed themselves some rest, 
they were provided with horses for their own use and that of their 
attendants, and with guides to conduct them to London, for they were 
quite ignorant of the country ajid roads. On leaving Southampton, 
tltey continued their journey until they arrived in London, where 
they dismounted in Gracechurch, at the hotel of the Falcon, kept by 
Thomelin de Winchester, and then sent back their horses and guides 
to Southampton 

Fortunately for them, the king and his court were at the time at 
Westminster, which rejoiced them much. Being arrived at London, 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

THE PORTUGUESE, AFTER THE BATTLE OF AI.JUBAKOTA, SENB EMBAS. 
SADORS TO EN&LAND, TO INFORM THE KING AND HIS NOBLES OF THAT 
EVENT. 

After don John had defeated the Spaniards at the battle of Alju. 
barota, which took place, as we have heard, near the monastery of 
Alcoba^ar, whereat were slain such numbers of knights and squires 
from France, Gascony, and CastiUe, he returned triumphant to Lis- 
bon, his head crowned with laurel, like the Roman conquerors of 
old. The Portuguese highly honored him for his courage and vic- 
tory ; and, after many grand festivals, a parliament was held by the 
barons, knights, and magistrates from the principal towns, on the 
state of the kingdom, and on the means by which they could best 
persevere in what they had been so fortunate in commencing. The 
wisest among them said, 
now was the time to 
strengthen themselves, so 
that they might be ena- 
bled to withstand the 
power of the king of Caa- 
tille,and enjoy with honor 
to themselves the fruits of 
their victory. Tliis con- 
ference was holden in the 
cathedral church of St. 
Dominick, at Lisbon, 
where many proposals 
were made, but not such 
as were worth recording. 
It was at last determined 
to send to the duke of 
Lancaster, who claimed 
the crown of CastiUe, in 
right of the lady Con. 
Btance, his duchess, eldest 
daughter to don Pedro 
the Cruel, and indite let- 
ters to him in such words 
as these ; That if ever he 
wished to claim the king- 
dom of CastiUe, and not 
surrender his right, which 
had been some time in 
suspense and nearly lost, 
now was the time for him 
to hasten to Portugal, well 
accompanied by men-at- 
arms and archers. 

The count de Novaire,* 

constable of Portugal, thus EMBASSiDORS or PoRTCaiL (the Grand Master of St. James nnd Lawrence Pongasse) presented to Richaid II. by the Duko of Laacastar. 
spoke at the conference : Desinned from coutemjmrary sculptures and illuminations. 

"Since we have deter- 
mined to send to the duke 
of Lancaster, from whom we hope to have counsel and assistance, and 




it is the wisest measure we can take to make us feared by our ene 
mies, let us select the best informed and properest persons to carry our 
message to England, so that the duke may be induced to come hither 
with such a force as may enable him, with what he receives from 
us, to oppose and conquer his enemy. We may well suppose the 
king of CastiUe wiU call for aid from the king of France, and the 
French, as they know not where to seek adventures, for there is 
truce between France and England until St. John the Baptist's day, 
and peace is now established between France and the Flemings, who 
have found them full employment for several years past." 

This speech of the constable was much applauded, and his advice 
yllowed. It was then ordered that tlie grand-master of the order of 
S. James, in the kingdom of Portugal, and Lawrence Fongasse, an 
ate and prudent squire, and who understood and spoke the French 
laijuage well, should set out for England ; for, according to the 
opijon of the king's council, there could not be found abler men to 
execfl*''*'.'!'-^-""-^'-'"''' Letters were drawn up in French and Latin, 
addressed to the kin^of England, the duke of Lancaster, and his 
uncles of Cambridge ai) Buckingham. When they had been fairly 
engrossed, they were reaito the king and his council, wh.o, finding 
them properly done, had '.em sealed and delivered to the envoys, 
the ffrand-master of St. Jamw and Lawrence Fongasse, who engaged 

*NnQO Alvarez Pereira. He was i ^ted constable of Portugal by the master or 
AvB to whom he rendered essenUnI sei .03 in aiding him to obtain the crown. Nufio 
Alvarez i! celebrated in PortueuM« bistori us i. <■ i.:^ lime.— Ed. 



about nine o'clock they sat down to dinner ; when that was over, 
having selected their letters for the duke and duchess of Lancaster, 
they waited on tiiem. The duke and duchess were desirous to see 
them, as they were anxious for news from Portugal. They had in- 
deed heard some rumors from that quarter, but had not believed 
them, as they had not received any letters which tended to confirm 
the report. The grand-master of St. James and Lawrence Fongasse, 
were conducted into tiieir presence, and the latter, on account of his 
facility in the Frencli language, was the spokesman. After his sa- 
lutations, he gave tire duke the letters he had brought from Portugal, 
who, opening tiiem, gave the duchess that wiiich wa^ addressed to 
her. Having each read them, the duke said, '■ You are welcome, 
gentlemen, to this country : we will to-morrow attend the king, and 
you shall have assistance, as it is but reasonable you should." The 
duchess, taking Lawrence apart, asked the news of CastiUe and Por- 
tugal, and what was going on in those jiaits. Lawrence, having 
made exact answers to all the lady's questions, the duke ordered 
wine and spices, of which the envoys partook, and then returned 10 
their hotel. On the morrow, by si.x o'clock, they again waited on 
the duke, who had heard mass, and entering a large barge, rowed 
up the Thames to Westminster, where the king and the greater part 
of his council resided. 

The duke of Lancaster made them enter the council.chamber, 
and addressing the king, said, " My lord, here is the grand-master 
of St. James in Portugal, who brings you letters : will you please to 
see them ?" " Willingly," replied the king. Upon which, the two 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



393 



embassadors, kneeling, presented the letters, which the king having 
taken, he made them rise, and then opened and read them. They 
also gave letters to the earls ol' Cambridge and Buckingham, 

The king replied very graciously to the embassadors, saying, 
" You are welcome to this country, and your coming has given us 
much pleasure. You will not immediately return, nor without hav- 
ing letters to your satisfaction. Make my fair uncles acquainted 
with your business, who will attend to it, and not allow it to slip 
their memories." They answered on their knees, " Verf dear lord, 
we will cheerfully so do." They tlien quitted the council-chamber, 
and amused themselves in the palace, waiting for the duke of Lan- 
caster, who remained in conference until high noon. Wlien the 
parliament rose, the duke carried his two brothers, with the enibas. 
sadors, in his barge to dine with him. The earl of Cambridge was 
well acquainted with the grand-master and Lawrence Fongasse, as 
he had known them in Portugal. After dinner he began a conver- 
sation with them in the presence of his brothers, and asked about 
the marriage of the lady Beatrice, who was to have been his daugh- 
ter-in-law, and how she went on. The embassadors gave such 
answers as satisfied the company. 

Before the arrival of these embassadors, the duke of Lancaster 
and carl of Cambridge had held frequent conferences respecting 
Castille ; for the earl, as you have heard, was greatly displeased with 
the late king of Portugal, for having remained fifteen days with his 
army in sight of that of Castille without coming to an engagement. 
The earl had pointedly remarked this fault, by saying, " I have only 
with me, sir king, one hundred lances and a thousand archei'S ; but 
I would have you and your barons know that we have unanimously 
resolved to risk a battle with our enemies, and abide whatever be 
the event God may please to ordain." King B'erdinand replied, 
that neither himself nor council thought it advisable to offer battle. 
Upon this, the earl of Cambridge left the country, carrying his son 
John with him to England.* When he was departed, the king of 
Portugal offered his daughter to the king of Castille, to strengthen 
the peace, by the advice of don Fernando Audfere, in whom alone 
he put confidence. The king of Portugal asked his daughter whom 
ahe would prefer for her husband, the king of Castille or John of 
Cambridge : she answered, " The last." The king demanded, 
" Why ?" " Because he is a handsome youth, of her own age, and 
because she wished to avoid being united to the king of Castille," 
who, she plainly said, was not to her liking. The king, notwith- 
standing, to preserve peace, as their kingdoms adjoined each other, 
married her to the king of Castille. 

The earl of Cambridge was also much dissatisfied with don Fer- 
nando Aud^re, who had taken great pains to conclude a peace on 
the grounds of this match. He had told his brother that he much 
suspected the Portuguese would rebel against the lady Beatrice, 
after her father's death ; for the majority of the people, although the 
king had espoused the lady Eleanora d'Acunha, considered her as a 
bastard ; and, when he was there, great were the murmurs about it, 
and this is one reason why he had so hastily brought his son thence. 
The duke of Lancaster, whom these circumstances afleeted more 
nearly, having mamed the old heiress of the late king of Castille, 
by whom he had a daughter called Constance, was anxious to learn 
as much as possible respecting the affairs of Castille, and not suffer 
his claim to remain longer in a state of suspense. He perceived 
that he never could have a more convenient entrance into that country 
than through Portugal ; more especially as king .Tohn was so desi- 
rous tor him to come thither, and the king of England and his coun- 
cil had consented thereto. He looked on don John as valiant and 
wise, and honored him much for the victory he had won over the 
Castillians. That he might gain more information as to the real 
state of Portugal, together with the claims the lady Beatrice had on 
that crown, and the reasons why the commonalty had elected the 
grand-master of Avis their king, he invited the embassadors to a 
private dinner ; when it was over, he ordered all the attendants out 
of his apartment, and called the grand-master of St. James and 
Lawrence Fongasse most kindly to him, and began to converse on 
the affairs of Portugal ; but, as Lawrence spoke French so fluently, 
he addressed himself to him, saying, " Lawrence, I entreat you will 
relate to me everything that has happened in Portugal since my 
brother left it ; for the king of Portugal writes me word, that no one 
can give me such e.xact information as yourself; and by so doing 
you will very much oblige me." " My lord," replied the squire, 
" your pleasure shall be obeyed ;" and he immediately began to this 
effect. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

LAWRENCE FONGASSE, ONE OP THE EMBASSADORS FROM PORTUGAL TO 
ENGLAND, RELATES TO THE DUKE OF LANSASTER THE EVENTS WHICH 
HAD HAPPENEB IN PORTUGAL SINCE THE EARL OF CAMBRIDGE HAD LEFT 

rr. 

" The kingdom «f Portugal has been in great trouble since the 
departure of the eari of Cambridge ; but, thanks to God, all has 
turned out well, and affairs are now on a steady footing. If the Lord 
had not interfered, matters must have ended badly, and all from the 



' In October, 1383.— Ed. 



fault of don Fernando our last king, as was generally reported, and 
believed by the more sensible part of the nation. King Fernando 
fell desperately in love with the wife of one of his knights, called 
Lorenzo d'Acunha, and was so much enamored he would have her 
by force : the lady made the best defence she could, but at length 
he succeeded, and told her he would make her queen of Portugal, 
for that, if he was smitten with her charms, it was not to lower her, 
but on the contrary to exalt and marry her. ' Ah, my lord !' replied 
the lady, with tears and on her knees, ' I beg your grace's pardon : 
I can never have the honor of being queen of Portugal ; for you 
know, as well as all the world, that I have a husband, to whom I 
have been married these five years.' ' Leonora,' said the king, 
' that shall not prevent it ; for I will never have any other woman to 
wife since I have enjoyed you ; but I will have you divorced from 
your husband before I make you my bride.' The lady could not 
obtain any other answer, and related all that had passed to her hue. 
band. The knight on hearing it was very melancholy, and bethought 
himself what was to be done ; he resolved at first never to quit hia 
wife ; but, suspecting the king's designs, he set out from Portugal 
toward Castille, where he was well received by king Henry and ap- 
pointed of his household, which appointment he held during his 
life, and was continued in the same by his successor don John. 

" The king of Portugal, to gratify his foolish passion, sent for the 
lady and her husband ; but the knight was gone. He then sent for 
the bishop of Coimbra, who was chancellor of the kingdom and of 
his council, and told him of his intention of marrj'ing Leonora 
d'Acunha. The bishop was silent through fear, knowing the vio- 
lence of the king's haughty temper ; but sir Fernando Aud^re, who 
was the king's bosom friend and counsellor, in order to please the 
king, said, ' Bishop, you may very well do it, and my lord will make 
atonement once for all.' The bishop united them, and they lived 
together. This lady was crowned queen of Portugal, with as much 
pomp and magnificence as ever queen of Portugal was ; and the 
king begot on her the lady Beatrice, now queen of Spain. True it 
is that king Fernando, in his lifetime (it was oefore the earl of Cam- 
bridge came w-itli his army to Portugal,) summoned all the nobles, 
prelates, principal citizens of his realm to Lisbon, and made them 
all swear obedience to his daughter Beatrice, then only five years 
old ; and pledge themselves that they would acknowledge her as 
heiress of the kingdom after his decease. He made them take this 
oath, as he had ordered, whether they would or not. The greater 
part knew well his daughter was a bastard, and born in adultery ; 
for the husband of her mother, don Lorenzo d'Acunha, resided in 
Castille, and has outlived the king of Portugal. I believe, my lord, 
that, had this child been a boy, the commonalty would have been 
more inclined toward him ; for they declare they would rather die 
than live under subjection to Castille : Portugal and Castille can 
never be thoroughly united, for the natives of both countries hate 
each other, and carry on their wars with as much bitterness as the 
English and Scots." 

The duke of Lancaster was much delighted with this conversa- 
tion, and with Lawrence Fongasse's manner. He said, '' Lawrence, 
at the time you were talking of, where was don John, the present 
king ?" " By my faith, my lord," answered the squire, " he was in 
Portugal, at the head of a noble establishment of gentlemen, whr 
bear an order of chivalry from beyond sea. There are full two hu 
dred knights of this order, who are dressed in white m.antles wi* 
red cross on them ; he is the chief, and called the mastei of 
The king gave him this appointment, but thought nothing 
about him ; nor, indeed, did he any way concern himself, oi 
meddle with the affairs of Portugal, nor ever form any intrig\ 
the crown. Certainly, had the king guessed that he could havi 
what he is now, the love he bore lady Lenora and her daughter > 
have made him put him privately to death : but, seeing him 
quietly with his brother knights, without interfeiing in anything » 
he suffered him to go on without interruption. 

" With regard to the quarrel between the Castillians and Porti 
guese, if I say the truth, I must own the Castillians have alone been 
to blame." " How so ?" asked the duke. " I will tell you," replied 
the squire. " When they saw the king of Portugal give his daughter 
in marriage to the king of Castille, it seemed to them as if he had 
done so by way of buying a peace for them, and that we were afraid 
of them. Upon this they grew proud and arrogant, and made use 
of such speeches as follow, which the Portuguese were forced to 
hear : ' Oh now, ye Portuguese, who are as savage as beasts, the 
time is coming when we shall have a good bargain of ye, for ye are 
our slaves. We will treat you like Jews, who only exist by our hav- 
ing granted them a truce, and ye shall be like them subjected to us. 
This ye cannot deny, since our king of Castille will become yours 
also.' With such like speeches did the Castillians show their rancor, 
whenever any of the two nations met, during the reign of don Fer- 
nando ; and this caused so great a hatred of the Portuguese to the 
Castillians, that when our king lay at the point of death, the citizens 
of the principal towns murmured much, and said, ' It were better to 
suffer anything than be under the subjection cf" Castille.' 

" After the death of Fernando,* who was buried in the church of 
St. Francis, by the religious of that order in Lisbon, the chief towns 
and castles had closed their gates. The Lisbonera, being acquainted 



• He died 22nd Oct.. 1383.-Ed. 



394 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &. c . 



■Willi the intentions of the other three towns, Coimbra, Oporto, and 
Oiuique, sent for don John, the present king, and said to him, ' Mas- 
ter of Avis, we will make you our king, although you be a bastard : 
■we think the lady Beatrice, your niece, and queen of Castille, is more 
of a bastard than you ; for the first husband of the lady Leonora is 
now living. Since the crown is fallen between two bastards, we 
will choose the one who will be to our greatest advantage : the more 
sensible part of the nation is inclined to you ; for never shall a wo- 
man bear the crown of Portugal, nor will we ever be under the obe. 
dience of Castille. We had rather give up all to you, that you may 
defend us, than have the Castillians our masters. Accept, therefore, 
this crown as our gift, for we will have it so.' The master of Avis did 
rot, however, accept it at this, nor at a second offer ; but replied, 
' My good people, I know well your affection for nie : you offer me 
the crown and realm of Portugal — a noble offer — by declaring T have 
a better right to it than my niece Beatrice the queen of Castille ; in 
truth she is a bastard, the mother's first husband being now in Cas. 
tille ; but there is one point you have forgotten, which is, that you 
alone cannot act in this matter : it is necessary that the nobles of the 
kingdom join you.' * Ha,' said the Lisboners, ' we are sure of them : 
for several have opened to us their minds on this subject, as well in 
this city, as in those of Coimbra, Oporto, and Ourique.' Don John 
replied, * Well, be it so, then ; I am willing to comply with your de- 
sires. You know that the lady Leonora, who styles herself queen of 
this country, is in the town, and with her grand adviser, don Fer- 
nando Audfere, who will want to preserve the crown for the queen of 
Castille and her descendants ; for he broke ofl" the marriage with the 
Bon of the earl of Cambridge, to give her to the king of Castille, and 
patch up a peace. He will send, or perhaps has already done so, to 
the king of Castille, to hasten hither with a sufficient force to over- 
power us. I know that don Fernando has in part acted as I say, 
and he will still more e.\ert himself on the day of the obsequies ol 
my late king and brother, which will shortly be performed in this 
town, when all the nobility of the kingdom, unless they send excuses, 
must be assembled.' Those present ans\vercd, that he did not sur 
prise them by what he had said, for they well knew it was so ; but, 
should they hear don Fernando say anything contrary to his interest, 
they would that day provide a remedy against it. Upon this the 
meeting broke up. 

" Not long after, the obsequies of the late king were perfonned in 
the church of the Franciscans at Lisbon, where he lies, and the cere- 
mony was attended by great numbers of the nobility, according to 
the invitations they had received from the queen, and don Fernando 
Audfere who governed her. The grand.mastcr of Avis was present, 
and many from the towns of Coimbra, Oporto, and Ourique, who 
had assented to what had been proposed at Lisbon. When the cere- 
mony was over, don Fernando Audfere entreated the nobility, who 
had assisted* in behalf of the queen, not to leave Lisbon for a day or 
two, that he might have a conference with them, on the means he 
should use to send to king John of Castille, as his queen was now 
become his legal heiress of Portugal. Many of the nobles paid no 
attention to what ho said ; for they were afraid of the people then 
present, as they had heard them declare they would only have the 
master of Avis for their monarch ; and this likewise was heard by 
don Fernando. He begged the nobles to support him steadily in his 
allempts to bring the people to his way of thinking ; but they all left 
him. As soon as the funeral was ended and the queen had returned 
to her palace, they called for their horses, which the majority mounted, 
and set out from Lisbon. Some few attached to the grand-master 
might remain, but they retired to their houses, and kept witliin, ex- 
pecting the event to happen which I am about to relate. 

" The citizens of Lisbon, Coimbra, Ourique, and Oporto, after the 
fimeral, wi'jnt to the cathedral, which is dedicated to Si. Dominick, 
instead of going to their homes, and the grand-master with them, 
•where they held a#hort conference. ' .My good people,' said don 
John, ' If you wiali to have me for your king, which I think my just 
right, and are resolved to persevere in it, you must now bestir your- 
selves, and begin by acting to show your strength. You have seen 
how Fernando Audfere is working on ihe nobles to send for the king 
of Castille, to whom he says the crown of Portugal now belongs in 
right of my niece ; but I maintain that it shall, if you assist me, be 
mine ; for J have a much better claim to it in every way. I am a 
man, and the son of the good don Pedro who so gallantly reigned 
over you. My niece, the queen of Castille, it is true, is daughter to 
don Ferdinand, but not in legal marriage.' The Lisboners replied, 
' What you say is true : we will have you for our king ; no one else ; 
and we will make you such, let who will urge us to the contrary. 
Now, swear before us that you will he good and merciful, and main- 
tain strict justice, withotit flattering the strong more than the weak ; 
and that you will defend, willi heart and hand, in conjunction with 
our aid, the rights and privileges of Portugal.' The king replied, 
' My good people, I now heartily swear to follow what you have 
said ; but let us hasten to the mint, where John Fernando Audfere 
resides with Leonora d'Acunha ; for I must have him put to death, 
as he has acted contrary to our interests, in supporting the claims of 
others than those you wish well to.' ' We will do so,' they answered ; 
' for in truth he has behaved to you like a rebel, and shall die for it, 
that those who are your enemies may take example.' 

" On saying this, the Lisboners left the church of St. Dominick, 



in the whole about fifteen hundred, headed by their new king, and 
marched through the town toward the mint, where the queen and 
Fernando Audfere, with their attendants, lived. On their arrival 
they broke open the doors, and entered the lady's apartment by force. 
Leonora, much alarmed on seeing this crowd enter her chamber, 
threw herself on her knees before don John, and with uplifted hands 
begged his mercy for that she was not guilty of any misdeeds; and, as 
for the crown oi inheritance of Portugal, she had never made any 
claim to tl^em, as many present knew, if they would be pleased to 
remember. ' 1 entreat, therefore, you and all the company to recol- 
lect, that it was contrary to my will and wish that don Ferdinand 
exalted me to be his wife and queen of Portugal.' ' Lady,' replied 
don John, ' fear nothing, for not the least harm shall be done you : 
we are not come hither with such intent, but to seek that traitor John 
Fernando Audere, and put him to death ; and then the king of Cas 
tille may revenge it if he can, for he has been his advocate too long 
in this country.' Those who had been ordered to do so sought the 
knight, whom they discovered and .slew : after this, no person was 
injuied; but they all returned peaceably to their homes, and the king 
retired to the palace. 

"After the death of Fernando, ilie lady Leonora, who had been 
queen of Portugal, was desirous of quilling Lisbon and retiring to 
her daughter in Castille ; for she had been so much alarmed by the 
murder of Fernando, that she had almost died through fear. She 
would not therefore remain longer in Lisbon, where she had neither 
peace nor respect, but sent to ask leave of the king to depart, who 
readily granted her request, adding, she was in the right to go away. 
The lady set off with her attendants, and continued her journey until 
she came to Seville, where the king and queen of Spain resided. 
She found almost all the nobility of Spain assembled there in Parlia- 
ment, on the subject of Portugal : for king John declared that king, 
doni was now fallen to him by the death of don Ferdinand, who had 
so settled it when he married the lady Beatrice ; and, the states of 
the country having Ukewise agreed to it, he wanted their advice how 
to act. 

" The lady Leonora was received with joy by the king and her 
daughter, and many inquiries were made relative to what was pass- 
ing in Portugal. She told tlicni truly everything she knew, and 
added, that Ihe people would assuredly crown the master of Avis 
king, if not prevented ; for that, don Fernando Audere having been 
always a zealous friend to the rights of Castille, they had murdered 
him. They readily believed what she said, as every appearance 
testified its truth. Some knights and barons of Portugal, from affec- 
tion to the daughter of their late king, and to keep the solemn en 
gagements they had entered into at her marriage, quilted their country, 
and joined the king of Castille at Seville, leaving behind their wealth 
and properties. Among them were, don Pedro Alvarez Pereyra, 
grand prior of St. John, don Henriqucz Manuel, count of Cintra, Juan 
Te.\eda, chancellor to the queen, and about twenty more, which 
emigration at this time greatly weakened Portugal, and much pleased 
the king of Spain, who was strengthened thereby. 

" The king of Spain issued a special summons throughout his realm 
for all persons capable of bearing arms, from the ages of fifieen to 
sixty, to hasten to Seville , for he was determined to enter Portugal 
with a force sufficient to conquer it and make it his own. His com. 
mauds were obeyed ; and there were assembled before Seville up- 
ward of sixty thousand men of every description. Lorenzo d'Acunha, 
on hearing that his wife, whom the late king of Portugal had ravished 
from him and made his queen, was arrived in Castille, waited on some 
of the king's council by whom he was beloved, and asked their ad- 
vice in the following terms : ' My lords and assured friends, have I 
any means to obtain possession of my wife, who has left Portugal 
and is now in Seville ? I know that Ferdinand took her by force, 
and against her inclinations. He is, as you know, dead ; and in 
justice, therefore, I ought to have back my wife ; tell me, then, how 
I should act.' They replied, 'Lorenzo, there is not any chance of 
your ever having her again ; for you would risk too much, and debase 
the honor of the lady, as well as that of the queen of Castille, and 
establish her bastardy. You see that our king is determined to con- 
quer Portugal, and add it to his crown, as appertaining to him in 
right of his queen. Take care not to muddle more by your claims 
what is already troubled enough, for you will be put to death if you 
persevere. You may judge yourself what may be expected, if you 
prove the queen a bastard, which we maintain in this country to be 
false, and that she was born in legal marriage by a dispensation in 
due form from the pope.' ' What had I best do, then V said Lorenzo, 
' The best way for you to act is to set out instantly fryr your estate in 
Portugal, and leave the lady Leonora with her daughter; we see no 
other means of safety for you.' ' On my troth, I believe you advise 
me like real friends,' answered Lorenzo. He only staid three days 
after this conversation in Castille, and having secrelly packed up alt 
his things, rode off in haste to Portugal, where he waited on the 
master of Avis, saying he was coming to serve under him, for he 
acknowledged him his king. Don John was rejoiced at this, made 
him governor of Lisbon, and restored to him all his property. Thus, 
as I have related to you, my lord, was the fortune of Lorenzo d'Acunha 
restored to him." 

The duke of Lancaster took great pleasure in this conversation 
with Lawrence Fongasse, for he spoke French well, and the matter. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &,c. 



_^ ^^* 

When tlieir hopes began to fail of help from England, the king was 
advised to embark for that country, as their embassadors had brought 
intelligence thence that assistance would be sent; and that your 
grace would bring reinforcements." " In God's name, that is very 
true," replied the duke of Lancaster ; " for I was on the point of 
sailing, hating everything prepared, when the war in Flanders broke 
out. The men of Ghent called on England for aid ; and they had 
given to them all, or at least the greater part, of those troops which 
I was to have led into Portugal. The bishop of Norwich carried 
them with him beyond sea, and thus retarded the expedition to Por- 
tugal." " I vow to God, my lord," said the squire, " we in Lisboii 
thought that there had something happened in England to prevent 
your coming to us. We managed, however, as well as we could, 
and bore up against the power of the king of Castille, which was 
not small ; for he has upward of sixty thousand men on sea and land, 
and menaced daily to destroy us without mercy, and burn Lisbon to 
the ground. During this siege of Lisbon, a lord of nur country, 
called d'Acosta, did us a noble piece of service, and gained by it 
great renown. He freighted and armed twenty galleys at Oporto 
with good men-at-arms and provision, with which he put to sea, and 
by the grace of God, having a favorable wind to second their exer- 
tions, passed through the Spanish fleet, consisting of one hundred 
great vessels, that were lying at anchor before Lisbon, so opportunely 
that, whether they would or not, he arrived in tlio port with all his 
galleys unhurt, carrying with him four of the enemy's vessels which 
he had conquered. The inhabitants were very much rejoiced at the 
success and the anival of the lord d'Acosta." 

" By my faith," said the duke, *■ this lord d'Acosta did you indeed 
a great service. Now, Lawrence, relate to me how this siege was 
raised, for I am well satisfied with your conversation." " My lord," 
replied the squire, " the siege lasted, as I have said, upward of a 
year, for the king of Castille had sworn he would never break it up 
until Lisbon were under his obedience, or until some more powerful 
prince should force him to it. Considering what happened, the king 
of Castille religiously kept his vow of not breaking up the siege, un- 
less forced to it by a more powerful lord, as I will explain. A most 
destructive pestilence burst out in his army, so that persons died sud- 
denly while in conversation with each other. Upward of twenty 
thousand were carried off by this plague ; which so much alarmed 
the king, that he was advised to break up the siege, and retire to 
Santarem or elsewhere, and disband his army imtil the disorder should 
be checked. He consented to this very unwillingly ; for he had 
solemnly sworn he would never leave the place until he had won it 
by fair or foul means ; but he was forced to it by the principal lords 
in his army, who pressed him to march to Santarem. 

" My lord, w'e Portuguese have always thought, and have publicly 
said, that the .\lniighty, to afford us assistance, had, out of hia grace, 
sent this pestilence among our enemies ; for those in the city wherein 
we were inclosed never t'elt the smallest attack from any such sick- 
ness, nor did we lose a man. Our king, when he saw the Castillians 
marching away, made the townsmen and garrison of Lisbon arm, 
and sallying out on horseback, fell on the rear of those who were 
not in good array, broke their ranks, killed and wounded great num- 
bei-s, and captured many of their stores. He also issued a proclama- 
tion, that no one, under pain of death, should touch or carry into 
Lisbon any of the provisions the Spaniards had left in their camp, but 
that everything should be burnt, that the town might not be infected. 
All the provisions and stores were given up to the flames; but, I be- 
lieve, wherever any money and plate were found, better care was 
taken of them. 

" The king of Castille, on his arrival at Santarem, which is on the 
borders of his realm, remained there for some time. He made the 
most earnest solicitations to France for succor, but more particularly 
to Gascony, B^arn, and the county of Foix, whither he sent three 
horses laden with nobles of Castille and florins, as an advance to 
knights and squires, for he well knew he could not by any other 
means induce them to quit their castles or country. The courage of 
the barons and knights of Portugal was much exalted when they 
found the king of Castille had retired from Lisbon, which he had be- 
sieged for upward of a year,* but more especially the commonalties 
of Oporto, Ourique, and Coimbra. They took counsel together, and 
instantly determined to crown the master of Avis king ; for they had, 
through their love and good pleasure, already raised him to that honor, 
saying it was the common wish of the country, and that God would 
that he should be crowned, for he had displayed his virtues to the Cas- 
tillians. It was proclaimed throughout the country, that all interested 
should be at Coimbra on a certain day, when the master of Avis 
would be solemnly crowned king of Portugal. All those of his party, 
and, considering the size of the country, it was a numerous body, 
attended the coronation, which was performed by the bishops and 
prelates with great pomp, in the cathedral church of Coimbra, dedi- 
cated to St. Mary, on Trinity-day, in the year of grace I384.t The 
king on that day created sixty knights, as well of his own as from 
foreign countries. There were magnificent festivals at Coimbra, 
which lasted for two or three day.s. The barons, counts, knights, 
and squires, who held fiefs of the crown, renewed their homage ; 



concerned him nearly. He was anxious to learn as much as possi- 
ble, and, with great kindness, said : " Lawrence, speak out boldly : 
I have not these two years heard any foreigner so explicit, and all 
you say appears truth itself. Continue, therefore, I beg of you ; for 
the king of Portugal writes me word, you are the only person who 
can give me the fullest information of what has happened in that 
country." " My lord," returned the squire, " there have been few 
deeds of arms done in Castille and Portugal, but on occasions when 
I have been an actor in them; and, since it pleases you that I con- 
tinue my narration, I will do so. 

" King John of Castille assembled his forces as speedily as he 
could, and marched with a great power before Lisbon, prior to the 
coronation of the king, in order to alarm the inhabitants and make 
good his claim to the kingdom. He advanced to Santarem, which 
is on the borders, ajid halted there two days. The garrison and 
townsmen, alarmed at liis numbers, opened their gates, and surren- 
dered themselves to him. When he had taken possession and re- 
garrisoned the place, he marched to Leyria,* which is a very strong 
town, and surrounded it. Leyria was attached to the Spanish inte- 
rest, for the town formed part of queen Leonora's dower ; and, at 
the first attack of the king of Castille, it instantly surrendered. 
Having left there a strong body of men-at-arms, he advanced to Va- 
ienza d'Alcantara, and laid siege to it. He sent to tell the townsmen 
to humble themselves before him and receive him as their lord. The 
citizens replied, by advising him to march away to Lisbon, adding, 
that as soon as they should know he had gained that town by affec- 
tion or force, they would send him the keys of Valenza. This answer 
being agreeable to the king of Spain, he marched away. Another 
town called Serpa, which the king wished to gain, made a similar 
answer. Other towns did the same, so that he took the road to Lis- 
bon ; for he imagined, if he could conqu'er that city, he would soon 
master the remainder of the country. Wherever the king marched, 
he carried his queen with him, to show the Portuguese that it was 
in her right he claimed the crown, and that he had a just cause for 
so doing. Don John of Castille arrived with his whole army before 
Lisbon, and by his manner of forming the siege plainly showed he 
would not break it up until he had it in his power. He menaced 
the master of .\vis, who was within the town, that if he could take 
him, he would put him and all the other rebels to an ignominious 
death. 

" The army of don John was very numerous ; and the Castillians 
and the French, who had come to his assistance, had so closely sur. 
rounded Lisbon, that no one could come out or go in without danger 
of being taken. When any Portuguese were made prisoners by the 
Castillians in a skirmish or otherwise, their eyes were torn out, their 
legs, arms, or other members were cut off, and in such maimed state 
they were sent back to Lisbon, and bid tell theii' townsfolk that they 
had been so treated in despite of the Lisboners and their master of 
Avis, whom they were so eager to crown king ; and that they would 
keep the siege until they had won the town by storm or famine, 
when they would show mercy to none, but put all to death, and give 
up the city to fire and flame. The Lisboners, however, did not re- 
venge themselves so cruelly ; for, whenever they made any prisoners, 
their king afforded them every comfort, and did not send them back 
with hurt of any sort. They made many of the army say, he was a 
gallant fellow thus to return good for evil. 

During this siege of Lisbon, which lasted upward of a year, there 
were every week two or more skirnnshes, in which many were killed 
and wounded on both sides. The town was besieged by sea as well 
aa by land; and the besiegers had jjlenty of all things, for provisions 
came to them from different parts of Spain. The Spaniards made 
one course up to the very gates of Lisbon ; when Lorenzo d'Acunha 
sallied forth out of the barriers with his pennon, having the arms of 
Acunha borne before him, accompanied by many gallant friends, and 
excellent deeds of arms were then done with lance and dart." 

" By my faith, Lawrence," said the duke of Lancaster, ''of all 
the arms tire Castillians and your countrymen use, I love the dart the 
best, and like to see it used : they are very expert at it ; and I nmst 
say, that whoever they liit with it, unless strongly armed, he will be 
pierced through."- " Indeed, my lord, you say truly : for I saw more 
bodies transfixed at these assaults than I ever witnessed before in my 
life. We lost one whom we much regretted. Lorenzo d'Acunha 
was struck with a dart that passed through his plates, his coat of 
mail, and jacket, though stuffed with silk, and his whole body, so 
that he was felled to the ground. The skirmish ceased on account 
of the dead knight ; and thus was the lady Leonora made a widow, 
in one year, of both her husbands. Lorenzo d'Acunha was much 
lamented, my lord, for he was vaUant in arms, and prudent in coun- 
cil. After his death, his cousin, called la Pouvasse d'Acunha, was 
appointed governor of Lisbon. He made three or four sallies on the 
Spaniards, in which he was victorious. 

" The siege of Lisbon was continued to the great dismay of the 
inhabitants ; for no succor seemed to come to them from any quarter. 

* " Leyria." Froissart calls it Tuy ; but Tuy is a town of Spain, on the opposite side 
of the river Mitiho to Valencia. There mast be some mistakes ; for tlie king of Spain, 
on leavinp Seville, marches to besiege Lisbon. He comes to Santarem : so far is well ; 
but from thence he turns ofl'to Leyria and Valenza d'Alcantara ; and. when the battle 
of Aijubarota takes place, the Portuguese march from Guimareaos to combat the 
Spaniards. 



* It did not continue more than nine moatfis. It wus raised in the mOQth of Novera 
ber of the same year in wbicfi it was begun.— Ed. 
f6th April, 1383.-ED. 



3i)6 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



and the kin" ewore to govern the realm with justice, and to maintain 
all their rights. The people swore to obey faithfully the king and 
his heirB after him, whether male or female, and never to desert him 
until death. Thus passed the coronation of the king of Portugal. 

" The king of Castillo, on hearing that the Portuguese, and par- 
ticularly ihe commons, had crowned the master of Avis king, and 
had sworn to him homage and fidelity, was more pensive than be- 
fore ; for he did not imagine they would have been in such haste to 
crown him, as he had in his army eo many of the nobles of Portugal. 
He said to those near him, 'I see clearly that by fair or foul means I 
must conquer what is my own, if I wish to possess it ; for there never 
•will be any peace between Castillo and Portugal until the Portuguese 
have made amends for what they have done.' 

'* After the coronation, the king went to Lisbon, where he re. 
mained, and attended diligently to the affairs of the kingdom, at the 
same time endeavoring to acquire the affection of his subjects. He 
sent knights and squires to all his garrisons on the frontiers of Spain, 
for the king of Castillo was now returned to Seville. The king of 
Portugal ordered sir John Ferdinand Portelet, an able and valiant 
knight, full of enterprise, to Treulouse*, and with him two excellent 
knights, sir Vasco Martin d'Acunha, and his brother, sir Gil Vasco 
d'Acunha, and two hundred good men at-arms well mounted. Sir 
John de Pcreira was sent with fifty lances to the castle of Le>Tia, 
near Aljubarota ; sir John Gomez da Silva, to Valen^a, which is op. 
posite to the town of Tuy ; this place had turned to the Spaniards 
when they marched to Lisbon, and it was a numerous garrison of 
Cnstillians and French. Sir Mondech Radigo was ordered to Serpa 
witli fifty spears : to Oporto, Coimbra, and Ourique, the king sent 
none, for he knew the loyalty and attachment of tiiose cities to his 
cause. Thus, as I tell you, were all the strong places garrisoned, 
and there were frequent skirmishes with one or the other ; in which, 
as must happen, sometimes one side gained, sometimes another. 
There was, in particular, one celebrated skirmish between the gar- 
rison of Trancoso and the Castillians." 

"Ah, Lawrence," interrupted the duke, "do not pass this over 
slightly, but tell me all the particulars ; for my greatest delight is the 
hearing of gallant deeds of arms." " My lord," repHed the squire, 
"it is but right I should do so ; for I well remember everything that 
happened, as I was banner-bearer on that day to John Ferdinand de 
Portelet, governor of Trancoso, who began the skirmish. 

" You must know, my lord, that the king of Castille had placed 
good garrisons in all his towns on the frontier, who, by collecting at 
times together in one body, overran and much harassed the country. 
It happened that seven Spanish captains, of high birth and valor, as. 
eembled a body of three hundred lances, well mounted, with which 
they entered Portugal, and made a great booty of pillage and prisoners. 
They might have returned into Castillo had they pleased, but their 
pride and presumption urged them to boast they would see what the 
garrison of Treutouse was made of. The whole country fled before 
them, so that the governor was apprised of the invasion. He called 
for his arms, on hearing the enemy were in the plain, and had his 
trumpet sounded to alarm the knights in the town. All armed in 
haste, and, mounting their steeds, sallied out of their place, when, on 
mustering themselves, they amounted to full two hundred spears. 
They drew up in good array, and showed plainly they were in earnest 
to meet their enemies. On demanding from the runaways, who were 
hastening to save themselves in Trancoso, where the Castillians might 
be found, they answered, not far off; as they were only marching at 
a foot's pace, on account of the quantity of booty they had with them. 
Sir John Ferdinand Portelet was rejoiced on hearing this, and said 
to his companions, the brothers d'Acunha; 'My lords, let us advance, 
I beg of you ; for I will never enter town or castle until I have seen 
our enemies, to offer them battle ; and by every means attempt to 
recover the pillage and the prisoners they are carrying away.' He 
then added, ' Lawrence, display my banner ; for we shall speedily 
come up with the enemy.' I instantly obeyed this order ; and, as 
we rode on at a good pace, we soon saw the dust the Castillians 
made. We took advantage of the sun being in our back, and over. 
took them. 

" The enemy, perceiving us, halted and drew up in good array, 
placing their prisoners and plunder on one side. We were so near 
each other, that we could speak to them, and noticed three banners 
and four pennons ; and we judged they were full three hundred, all 
well mounted. I -will tell you the names of the captains: there were 
sir Juan Rodriguez, de Castinhedo, a baron of Castille, sir Alvaro 
Garcia de Albornoz, sir Adiantado de Toledo, Pedro Soaiez de 
Toledo, Adiantado de Ca^orla, Juan Rodriguez Pereira, and Diego 
Eancs de Tavor^ 

" When we were thus near to each other, both parties dismounted, 
and the horses were given to the pages and varhits ; but before any 
blow was struck, tliere was a parley held by the leaders of each troop; 
and, being present, I heard everything that was said. Sir John 
PorteKt began by asking them why they had thus invaded Portugal? 
Sir Adiantado de Toledo replied, that they had a right to invade any 
country they chose, to chastise rebels ; for they had been commanded 
by their lord, the king of Castille, who was the true lord of Portugal, 
to enter that country, and plunder it; and, the inhabitants being 



*" Treutouse." It Uthua in alt mj copies, M9. and printed : but 1 camiot correct the 
nijitake utberwise than by supposing it to mean Estreinoy. 



rebels, they were carrying them away as prisoners. ' You shall not 
carry them away nor their property neither,' said sir John Portelet ; 
' for we will take them from you, as you have not any right thus to 
act. Do you not know that we have a king of our own, who has 
sworn to govern justly, and punish oil thieves and robbers ? I there, 
fore order you in his name, to lay down all that you have pillaged in 
Portugal, or else we shall fight with you, having justice on our side.' 
Sir Adiantado de Toledo answered; 'As for our prisoners, we will 
not for certain yield them up ; but in regard to other matters, we will 
consider of it.' 

" The Castillian chiefs then withdrew to hold a consultation, and 
plainly showed, by what followed, that, although they had thus vaunt- 
ingly advanced to Trancoso, they readily would have been excused 
a battle. After a short delay, they said that in regard to the cattle, 
they had determined to give them up, as well as the horses, and other 
things which would embarrass them on their return, but that they 
would keep the prisoners. ' Oh, but,' replied the Portuguese, ' it 
shall not be so : for you must give up all, or fight.' The battle upon 
this, commenced very sharply, for neither party spared itself: ihcy 
were both active, and the field of battle was extensive. Javelins 
were thrown with such force, that whoever they struck, unless well 
armed, was knocked down. Many gallant deeds were done ; and sir 
John Fernando Portelet made good use of his battle-axe, as did the 
two brothers d'Acunha make great havoc with theirs. The Castil. 
lians, on their part, behaved admirably ; and their fighting and push- 
ing lasted upward of three hours, without either side being shaken. 
It was wonderful how they could remain so long a time under arms, 
but their anxiety to leave the field with honor supported them ; and 
I must say, that both nations are hardy in fight, more particularly 
when they feel the necessity of it. They were so long and so equally 
engaged, that any one who had seen them would not have known 
which side would be victor. However, thanks to God, no banner 
nor pennon was damaged in our army ; but those of our adversaries 
began to give way, which greatly encouraged our men, who were 
now as fresh as ever, and, shouting out ' St. George for Portugal !* 
broke through the ranks of the Castillians, and began to knock down 
on all sides. Such deadly strokes were given with battle-axes and 
leaden mallets, that they were completely defeated. The pages, 
seeing the discomfiture of their masters, took advantage of their horses 
and galloped off. Of the seven captains only one escaped, and he 
was indebted for it to his good page, who, perceiving him hard 
pressed, brought him a horse, and, having mounted him, led him out 
of the battle, so that Adiantado de Cagorla that day received a most 
essential service from his page. All the rest were put to death, for 
quarter was shown to none. Thus were the Castillians defeated by 
air John Fernando Portelet, though there were at least two to one 
more in numbers, on a Wednesday, in the month of October, near the 
town of Trancoso, in the year of our Lord 1384. 

" When all was over, and the field clear, our men mounted their 
horses, and gave liberty to all whom the Castillians had captured ; 
they also allowed them to carry away as much of the plunder as they 
pleased ; but the cattle, which amounted to more than eight hundred, 
were driven to the town, as a supply for the garrison. On reenter- 
ing Trancosa we were received with so much joy, that the inhabit- 
ants could not make too much of us, for having freed the country of 
its enemies. All who had heard of this battle praised tis most highly 
for our valor. 

" We had another successful engagement in the plains of Seville : 
but I will first relate the most brilliant success that has for these two 
hundred years ever happened to a king of Portugal, and which our 
king had about four months ago, when the enemy were upward of 
four to one, all of them excellent men-at-arms and of high renown, 
which makes our victory the more glorious. But I fancy, my lord, 
you have heard enough of this battle before ; and, being now suffi. 
ciently tired I had better end the conversation." " Oh, by no means," 
replied the duke : " continue your narrative, for I shall cheerfully 
listen to you. In truth, I have in my household a herald called Derby, 
who was, as he says, present at this battle, and tells us that our 
countrymen performed wonders ; but I doubt it rnuch, for I cannot 
conceive that any numbers could have been there, as my brother 
Cambridge, when he left Portugal, brought back all the English and 
Gascons which had accompanied him. There are many heralds 
such liars, they exaggerate or depreciate according to their affections 
or dislikes ; and, since these boasted exploits cannot have been for. 
gotten, I shall thank you to be particular about them, whenever you 
speak of that part of the battle." "On my troth." answered Law- 
rence, " there were not with our king, at the battle of Aljubarota, 
more than two hundred foreigners, including English, Gascons, and 
Germans. The ablest captains ainong them were two Gascons and 
a German from the Duchy of Gueldres, whose names were, sir Wil- 
liam de Montferrand, and Bernardon, Gascons, and Albert the Ger- 
man. There were a few English archere : but I never heard any 
name of note except of two squires, Northbury and Hartsel, who 
assisted at the council whenever the king had it nssembled." 

" Now relate to me how this famous battle was fought," said the 
duke. " Willingly," replied the .squire, " for it was for this I was 
sent hither. I have already told you, that before the coronation of 
our king at Coimbra, the king of Castille had raised the siege of Lis- 
bon, on account of the groat mortality in his army, and had retired 



CHRONICLKS OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &,c. 



39T 



10 Santarem. He waa greally mortified when he heard of the coro- 
nation of king John, in opposition to his claim on Portugal in right 
of his queen, and was advised to send everywhere for men-at-arms, 
especially to France, as the French had before been their allies in 
the wars erf" his father the late king. His council said ; My lord, yoii 
only want one successful battle over the Portuguese to have them 
under your subjection ; for that kingdom is, as you know, much 
divided in regard to the person to whom the crown belongs. You 
have now with you its principal nobles, who have acknowledged 
your right, which is assuredly of great importance to your war. If 
you march to combat this bastard of Portugal, whom the commonalty 
have crowned king, before he be reinforced by the English you will 
conquer him, and the country be your own ; for it is not of that ex- 
tent but we can soon overrun it. The king of Caslille sent envoys 
to France, Poitou, Brittany, Normandy and many other places where 
he thought it probable men-at-arms would come to serve him, but 
more particularly into Beam, wlienee indeed numbers of gallant 
knights and squires did come. From that country there were more 
than from any other; and the army amounted, when at Santarem, to 
upward of seven hundred lances and thirty thousand Spaniards, all 
well mounted, and eager to do us mischief. 

" News was soon carried to Portugal of the great power the king 
of Castilte had collected, and that he intended to renew again the 
aiegc of Lisbon. The king held a council to consider how he should 
act, when the nobles declared for marching to meet their enemies, 
and not shutting themselves up in any town of the Idngdom ; for if 
they were inclosed, they must remain so, and the Castillians in the 
mean time would overrun the country at their ease, and in the end 
starve them into submission. But if they marched, and posted them- 
selves advantageously to wait the enemy, it would be most advi- 
sable ; ' for,' added they, ' we know, my lord, that you will never 
enjoy peaceably the crown we have placed on your head before you 
have had a battle, and have once or twice defeated your adversary, 
the king of Castille, and all the force he can bring against you. If 
we gain the victory, the kingdom is yours ; and, should we be oVer- 
tlu-own, it will still remain in suspense. It is by far more honorable 
to Beek our enemies than wait to be sought for; and many are the 
instances where the first have had the advantage over the latter. 
We therefore advise you to send to all from whom we expect assist- 
ance.' ' You say well,' replied the king, ' and I will follow what you 
recommend.' He issued his summons for his subjects to meet him 
at Oporto on a fixed day. But you must know that those to whom 
he had thus written neither obeyed nor paid any attention to his or- 
ders ; for the country were not unanimous in their choice of a king, 
and thus dissembled to see which of the two kings would be victo- 
rious. Indeed, some of the nobility had even joined the king of 
Castille, thinking his the jusler cause. Notwithstanding this, the king 
of Portugal assembled all the forces he could muster, at Coimbra, 
To say the truth, those of the highest birth and of the greatest weight 
in Portugal were attached to him through personal affection ; he had 
full five ^"d twenty hundred knights and squires, and about twelve 
thousand infantry. He appointed the count de Novaire constable, 
and sir Aleync Pereira* marshal of the army, both of them able and 
valiant knights, who knew well how to lead an army to battle. 

"They left Coimbra, and took the road toward Aijubarota at a 
gentle pace, on account of their heavy baggage following them. 
They sent forward tiieir scouts, to obser\'e the disposition of tiie 
enemy's army. Sir John Fernando de Portelet had not joined the 
king, but remained in the castle of Ourem, five leagues from Aiju- 
barota, not knowing, I believe, that an engagement was so near at 
hand. I can readily suppose the king of Castille had early notice 
of our march, which gave him and his army, as they showed, much 
pleasure. He was advised to hasten to meet us and give us battle, 
especially by the Gascons, who were eager for it, and requested to 
lead the van, which they obtained. Sir William de Montferrand, 
who waa on our side with forty lances, had told us truly when he 
said, * Be assured you will soon have a battle, since you have Gas- 
cone opposed to you ; for they like nothing better.' The king lodged 
on the morrow with his whole army at Leyria, two leagues from 
Aijubarota, where, on the next day, we came and fixed our quarters. 
The Castillians followed us and encamped on the spot we had left; 
for they well knew by their scouts our line of march. 

" My lord, the Portuguese have always had great confidence in 
God, and in the good fortune that would attend them at Aijubarota ; 
and it was for this reason they had now there encamped themselves." 
" Ay," said the duke, *' pray teil me why." " Willingly," answered 
the squire. "In former days, Charlemagne, v/ho was king of France, 
and emperor of Germany and Rome, and a great conqueror, over- 
threw, at Aijubarota, seven infidel kings, slaying upward of one 
hundred thousand of these unbelievers, as it is fully related in all our 
old chronicles.t By this defeat, he won the city of Coimbra and all 
Portugal, which he turned to the Christian faith : and in honor of 
this victory over the infidels, he erected and endowed a large mon. 
aslery for black monks, the revenues of which they were to receive 
as long as they should reside in Portugal. 



* Sir Alvaro Pereim. brother to the Constable Nufio Alvares Pereira.— Ed. 

t This is a niistiike. Charlemacne never approacbed Aijubarota. The exploit of 
Alphonio Heiiriquez. Uie founder of the Portuguese monarchy, who defeated five 
Moortjili Kings at the bailie of Ouriqua, k probably the origin of this story.— Eo. 



" There was also another celebrated battle at this place, abou* 
two hundred years ago, which was won by the brother of a king of 
Castille, called the count of Portugal :* for at that time there were 
no kings of Portugal. There ^ell out a deadly hatred between thesB 
two brothers, caused by a dispute in the division of the countries ; 
so that there was not any chance of peace without the event of a 
battle being first tried. The Portuguese were as warm in the matter 
as the count, and declared they would rather bo put to death than 
become subject to Castille. They therefore marched, in battle- 
array, to meet the king at Aijubarota. The king of Castille came 
thither in such force that his army amounted to more than ten times 
the Portuguese, whom he held in the utmost contempt. The battle 
took place on the plains of Aijubarota, and was very bloody; but, 
in the end, the Portuguese gained the day, defeating the enemy and 
making their king prisoner. By this capture, the count of Portugal 
obtained what terms of peace he desired, and the boundaries of the 
two kingdoms were firmly established. The Portuguese, sensible- 
that their victory was owing to God's mercy, in enabling a few to 
overcome such numbers, were desirous to illustrate their country, 
and had their count crowned king by the nobles and prelates, in the 
city of Coimbra. They carried him in triumph throughout the king- 
dom, with a crown of laurel on his head, as a token of victory, like 
to that which kings were used to wear in former times ; and ever 
since that day Portugal has had its king : and know, my lord, that 
the Portuguese, sooner than be under the subjection of the Castillians^ 
would look for the most distant relation of any of their kings who 
had died witliout issue. 

" When king John of Portugal was arrived at Aijubarota, all these 
old stories were told him. While tlie constable and marshal were 
arranging their men, sir John Fernando de Portelet arrived with his 
forty lancemen, having left the castle of Ourem that morning. His 
coming gave pleasure to all ; and he was posted in the division near 
the king's person. When our army was drawn up in proper array^ 
and we were waiting for our enemies, whose numbers and state the 
scouts had been sent to observe, the king advanced to the centre, 
and, having ordered silence, said : * Ge-ntlemen, you have crowned 
me your king : now show your loyalty ; for, since I am on the plaine 
of Aijubarota, I will never retreat until I have combated our ene- 
mies.' The army unanimously answered, ' My lord, we will remain- 
steady to you, and, be assured, will never turn our backs.' The 
two armies approached, for the Castillians were desirous of battle, 
as they plainly showed. Our scouts were ordered to examine them 
narrowly, as to number and order, that we might take measures 
accordingly. They were more than three hours returning ; and wc 
began to fear we had lost them. At last, they came back with par- 
ticular accounts of the enemy's strength. They said there were in 
the van battalion at least seven thousand men, armed from head to- 
foot, in the handsomest manner possible ; in that of the king, thirty 
thousand horse, and all well armed. When our men and their leaders 
heard the numbers of the enemy, and how they were marching, the 
van battalion being two leagues in advance of the main body with 
the king — for the Gascons and foreigners w^e not on good terms 
with the Castillians — they resolved to keep in a compact body within 
their intrenchments, and to form two wings with the men-at-arms, 
who amounted to about twenty.fivc hundred, in the rear of the wings. 
You would there, my lord, have witnessed a fine order of battle, and 
men showing great courage. The king commanded, under pain of 
death, that no one should be ransomed, if the day were ours, but that 
all should be put to death. This was wisely done ; for our lords said, 
that if we occupied ourselves in making prisoners, we should think 
of nothing else, and risk the lose of the day : it will be mUch better 
to combat vigorously, than to attend to the dictates of avarice by 
making'prisoners, and sell ourselves like men whose all is at sta-ke. 

*' Our enemies now were advancing in as close order as possible 
just before us. They dismounted, and, driving their horses away, 
laced their plates and helmets very neady, and, with vizors down. 
and presented lances, marched to us very boldly ; in good truth, 
there were the flower of chivalry and squireship, as was very appa- 
rent. Between us was a ditch, not so wide but a knight could leap 
over it, which was of some advantage to us ; for our wing-^ lanched 
very sharp darts as the enemy attempted to pass it, which wounded 
several so sorely, they were checked in the attempt. When they 
had all crossed it, the battle raged ; for they imagined the king of 
Caslille, with the main body, were close behind them ; but it was 
not so, and they were all slain before his arrival. The manner of 
this happening was as follows : 

*' They were surrounded, as it were, by those called the common 
alty of our country, who, coming on their rear, attacked them sharply 
with axes ; while our men-at-arms, that were quite fresh, charged 
them in front, and drove them back into the ditch they had crossed. 
In less than half an hour the business was over, and all this body, 
of four thousand good men-at-arms, were put to death : none were 
ransomed ; for whenever any of ours wished to show quarter to hia 
prisoner, he was slain while in his hands. Thus did this slaughter 
befal the van battalion: not one escaped. Shortly after, the king 
of Castille and his army, consisting of thirty thousand men, well 
mounted, came up : but it was now night, and they were ignorant 

* Count Henry of Burgundy marriftd Therewi, naturaJ dauE^ter of AJphonso VX.> 
king of Castille and Leon. 



398 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



of the loss of their van. They were desirous of displaying their 
horsemanship, and, by way of gallantry, more than five hundred 
leaped over the ditch ; but, my lord, not one of them ever returned 
back again. Among them that were thus slain were some of the 
highest rank, the most anxious for deeds of arms, and several of 
those noblemen who had left Portugal to serve under the king of 
Caslilie, Our men, on seeing the enemy thus defeated, advanced, 
and crossed the ditch, now nearly filled with water, from the number 
of bodies which had choked up the current; they then mounted 
their horses and pursued the enemy, who had taken flight ; but it 
lasted not long, for it was soon scftdark they were afraid of fuUowing- 
them rashly, lest they might fall. into some ambuscades: besides, 
they were not so well mounted as the CastillJans. Had it been 
otherwise, they would have suffered more, and their king been either 
slain or made prisoner ; but the obscurity ol the nigfit, and the bad- 
ness of our horses, saved them. 

" I will now mention those who fell in this battle : and, to begin 
with the Portuguese who had changed sides, don John Aiphonso 
Tello, the grand prior of St. John in Portugal, don Alvarez his 
brother, with several more. Of Spaniards, don Pedro of Arragon, 
son to the constable ; don Juan, son to don Tello, and don Fer- 
iiando, son to don Sancho, both brothers-in-law to the queen ; Die. 
go Maniique, president of Castille ; the marshal Carillo ; the admiral 
Juan de Fovar, Pedro Alvarez Pereira, grand-master of Calatrava ; 
the grand-master of St. Jame?, with others. Of French, sir John 
de Ris ; sir GeofFry de Ricon ; sir Geoffry de Partenay ; sir Espaign- 
olet d'Espaign ; sir Reginald de Soulier, surnamed Limousin, mar- 
shal of the king of Castille's army. From Gascony and B^arn lay 
dead, the lord de B^arn ; the lord de Mortan ; the lord dc Brig, 
nolles ; sir Raymond d'Eurach ; sir Berchand de Varuge ; sir John 
Asolme ; sir Raymond de Valentin ; sir Adam de Mourasse ; sir 
Meuvent dc Sar^ment ; sir Peter de Sarembifere, and many more, to 
the amount, in all, of upward of twelve hundred gentlemen, knights, 
and squires. I will now name the most conspicuous of our party : 
first, the count de Novaire, constable of Portugal ; Galopes Portelet ; 
Peter Portelet, and Agalip Fernando Portelet his brother, who was 
by the king's side, at his bridle ; le Pouuassc d'Acunha ; Egeas 
Toille de Podich d'Assue ; Vasco Martin de Melx ; his son Vasco 
Martin, who was killed that day by a dart passing through his body. 
There were also among the dead, Gousselenas de Merlo ; Alve Po- 
ne, marshal of the army, an excellent knight ; Radighos Pereira ; 
John James de Salve; John Radigos, cousin to the king ; Daminon- 
desque ; Radigo ; Radiges de Valeronceaux, and Mendignes de 
Valconsiaux." 

He was here interrupted by a burst of laughter from the duke ; 
ond Lawrence asked, " My lord, what makes you laugh so heartily '?" 
" Why, have I not sufficient cause ? for I never in my life heard 
euch a catalogue of strange names as you are repeating." *' On my 
faith," replied the squire, " these are all proper names in my coun- 
try ; and we have some you would think more strange." " I be- 
Ueve it," said the duke ; " but, Lawrence, what became of the king 
of Castille after this d^eat ? Did he never attempt to rally his men ? 
Drd he shut himself up in any of his towns ? Did not the king of 
Portugal pursue him ?" *■ No, my lord, we remained that night on 
the field of battle, and until noon the next day, when we marched to 
Leyria, and from thence to Coimbra. The king of Castille fled to 
Santarem, where he entered a barge, and, followed by fourteen oth- 
ers, embarked on board a large vessel, and went by sea to Seville, 
where the queen was. His army was dispersed in all directions, so 
that it was impossible to rally them, for their loss had been great. 
They will be long before they recover it : indeed they never will, 
unless succored by the king of France.* It is to counterbalance 
this alliance that the king of Portugal and his council have sent us 
hither, to renew and strengthen our connection with the king of 
England and your lordship." The duke said, " Lawrence, you 
shall not leave this country without having satisfactory answers to 
carry back ; but tell me about the engagement you hinted at, which 
the Portuguese had with the Spaniards near Seville ; for I love to 
hear of feats of arms, though I am no great knight myself." 

'• After the glorious victory which king John had gained at Aljuba- 

* Don John, in commemoration of this event, founded the beautiful monastery and 
church of Bntallia. It has been magnificently described by Mr. Murphy ; and 1 copy 
a note from his publicntion, page 23. 

"The following account is given of this battle by Emanuel de Faria, in his history 
of Portugal : ' The king of Portugal, underilanding tlie approacli of the Castillinns, 
drew trtgother his forces from Coimbra, Oporto, and other places, and marched out of 
Guinmraens to give them battle. On the morning of the 14th August. 1385, ho entered 
the phiins of Aljubarota, where he knighted several gentlemen. The Castillians at 
first intended to march directly to Lisbon ; yet, afler some consultation, Uiey resolved 
to engage. Tlie forces on both aides were very unequal : tlie Cnstillians are reported 
to have been thirty tliousand strong, and the Portuguese but six thousand five hundred, 
besides having some local disadvantages. The sun was setting wiien these two unc(itial 
armies engaged. The Castillians, at tlie first cliarge, broke the vansuiird of the Tor- 
tupuese; but the king coming up, his voice and example so reunimjited his men, that 
in less Uian an hour the multitudinous army were put to the rnuf. The king of Cas- 
tille, who bended his troops, being troubled willi an ague, was forced to take horse to 
save lumself. Mo^t of the Portugoese who sided witli Castille, and wlio were in front 
of the army, were put to the sword, for no quarter was given them. 'I'he royal stand- 
ard of CastUle was taken : but many pretendiuc to tlie honor, it could not be decided 
by wliom. The number of the slain is not exactly known, though very great on the 
part of the Castillians. Oftheir cavalry, three thousand are supposed to have perished, 
and many persons of distinction. This is the famous battle of Aljubamta, io called, 
because it was fought near a village of that name.' " 



rota, he returned in triumph to Lisbon, not hearing of the Castilliana 
or French collecting in any bodies to continue the war. The king 
of Castille, with his queen, left Seville, and went to Burgos, and the 
remains of his army shut themselves up in different casdes and 
towns. The garrisons of both sides frequently made war on each 
other. It chanced that the count de Novaire,* constable of Portu- 
gal, entered Castille, not far from Seville, having with bim about 
forty spears : he intended riding to Valverde, having heard there 
were in that town two hundred men-at-arms. When arrived at the 
harriers, he made a display of his strength, as a signal that he wished 
for batde ; but those within remained still, and seemed to pay no 
attention to him, though they were secretly arming and preparing 
themselves. 

" Our people having paraded before the place some time in vain, 
tiu'ned about and began their retreat homeward at a foot's pace. 
They had not marched a country league before they saw the whole 
garrison of Valverde following them fidl gallop. They were led by 
a gallant man-at-arms, Diego de Padilla, grand-ma.ster of the order 
of St. Jago, who brought them handsomely to the charge. The con- 
stable and his men instantly dismounted, and gave their horses to 
the pages and varlets : having grasped their spears, they drew up in 
a line. The Castillians, who were very numerous, wanted to cap. 
ture their horses and varlets, saying, ' Let us seize their horses: we 
cannot more effectually distress them than to make them return on 
foot ;' but the grand-master would not consent. ' We will not do 
so,' said he : 'if we have the horses, wc will have their masters 
also ; for we will fight them ; and therefore dismount ; they cannot 
withstand our numbers.' While the Castillians were thus consult- 
ing, our men, without paying any attention to their horses, seeing a 
small brook in their rear, crossed it quietly, and posted themseivea 
on its bank. The enemy, having observed this, repented not having 
instantly made the attack ; but, thinking they could soon defeat 
them, they began the combat by lanching darts, and whatever else 
they could lay hands on, so that it lasted from noon to evening. 
The constable, seeing the enemy had expended all their artillery, 
and had not wherewithal to fight, crossed the rivulet, with his ban- 
ner displayed, and attacked them with lances. They were sooa 
broken and in disorder ; for, being tired by the weight of their 
armor, they could not withstand our charge, nor, from weakness, 
assist each other. They were speedily vanquished : the grand-mas- 
ter, with sixty more, were left dead on the field, and the rest took to 
flight. We recovered our horses, and many others which the Cas- 
tillians had rode thither. What is your opinion, niy lord ? did not 
our men behave gallantly ?" '* That they did, by my faith," replied 
the duke. " By such feats of arms and conquests have the Portu- 
guesc entered the career of glory, since the accession of don John 
to the crown of Portugal. They say God is with them, and is their 
help in maintaining their right.?. Indeed, my lord, they never fail 
declaring that God is on their side; for, ever since the death of 
king Ferdinand, in all matters of arms they have been concerned in, 
whether of consequence or not, victory has been for them. The 
count de Fobc, who at this day is one of the most potent and wise 
lords, says, as we have been told by those from his country, that for- 
tune sides with Portugal ; and that, if his knights would have listened 
to him, they would never have left B^arn to fight against the king 
of Portugal. 

" My lord, our king is wise and prudent ; he fears and lovee God, 
and has an affection for the church, which he exalts as much as ia 
in his power. He is frequently on his knees in his oratory and hear- 
ing divine service, and is very strict in never being disturbed while 
at prayer, whatever may be the business. He is a learned man and 
understands some Utde of astronomy ; but above all, he will have 
justice administered impartially in his dominions, and the poor main- 
tained in their rights. I have now, my lord, told you everything, 
according to your request, relative to our king and country, as I was 
charged to do when I left it; and you will give me such answers as 
may be agreeable to you." " Lawrence, I before told you, and I 
now repeat it, that your coming hither and your conversation have 
given me great pleasure. You shall not depart without having every 
point of your demands fully answered." "I thank you, my lord," 
replied the squire. Upon this, the doors of the apartment were 
thrown open, and wines and spices were brought in, of v/hich the 
embassadors having partook, they departed to their h6tei of tlie Fal- 
con to repose themseivea. 



CHAPTER XXX. 

THE EMBASSADORS FROM PORTPGAL RETURN WITH .SATISFACTORY AN- 
SWERS. THE DUKE OF LANCASTER EMBARKS ON AN EXPEDITION TO 
RECOVER CASTILLE. 

Not long after this conversation, the duke of Lancaster had a con- 
ference with his brother, the earl of Cambridge, on the affairs of 
Castille and Portugal. The earl, who had been in the latter coun- 
try upward of a year, said, that during the reign of doVFerdinand, 
when he was in Portugal, the canon de Robersac, and sir William 
Windsor and other knights whom he had led thither, had told him 



* Nunez Alvarez Pereira, who was odIjt twenty-four year? of age when he won the 
battle of Aljubarota.— Eb. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND. FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



399 



of the mui-murs of the common people relative to the auccession, and 
on this account had pressed him to carry away his aon. " In God's 
name," replied the duke, " the Portuguese squire has informed me 
most circumstantially of all this matter ; and we cannot gain a more 
convenient entrance to Castille than through Portugal. Arragon is 
too distant, and, besides, the king of Arragon has always been more 
attached to France than to us. It is not right, since Portugal asks 
from us assistance, it should be refused." 

A parliament was held at Westminster on this subject, when it 
was determined that the duke of Lancaster should have, at the pub. 
lie expense, a thousand or twelve hundred lances, all chosen men, 
two thousand archers, and one thousand lusty varlets, and that they 
should receive half a year's pay in advance. The king's uncles were 
well satisfied with this grant : in particular, the duke of Lancaster, 
to whom, as the matter more nearly concerned him, the command of 
this army was given. To e.vpedite the embassadors' return to Por- 
tugal, who were iitrpatient to set out, the king of England wrote very 
affectionate letters to the king of Portugal, declaring the strict union 
and intelligence he wished to subsist between the subjects of each 
kingdom. He made also magnificent presents to the grand.master 
of St. James and Lawrence Fongasse, who were continually with 
the duke of Lancaster and earl of Cambridge. The day on which 
they took leave of the king and his council, they dined with the duke 
of Lancaster and his brother, and had liberty to depart. I believe 
the duke mentioned in his letters to the king of Portugal, as well as 
to his embassadors, his wish tliat seven galleys, and from ciglueen 
to twenty large vessels, might be sent from Portugal to the port of 
Bristol, on the confines of Wales, where the duke and his army would 
embark. 

The embassadors, having promised this should be performed, took 
leave and set out for Southampton, where their vessel was waiting for 
them. Having embarked, they put to sea with a favorable wind, and, 
crossing the Spanish main, arrived in five days at Oporto, where fortu- 
nately the king was, and much rejoiced at their return. They re- 
lated to the king all they had seen and heard in England regarding 
king Richard and his uncles, and, in confirmation, delivered letters 
from them. The king of Portugal, impatient for the aid of the Eng- 
lish to retaliate on the Spaniards, did not delay calling his council, 
when it was resolved, that don Alphonso Vietat, liigh admiral of Por- 
tugal, should get ready seven galleys and eighteen ships, to sail to 
England, and bring back the duke of Lancaster and his army. Don 
Alphonso was soon ready, and, setting sail from Oporto with fitvor- 
able winds, arrived in six days at Bristol, where he anchored. 

The duke was much rejoiced on hearing of his arrival, for he was 
at the lime in Wales, where the king and all his court were : he hast- 
ened his preparations, as his knights, squires and archers were near 
Bristol ; he having provided at Bristol two hundred vessels to trans- 
port them, under convoy of the Portuguese fleet, to the continent. 
It "Was intended by the duke that his duchess and daughters should 
accompany him to Castille and Portugal, where he proposed nobly 
marrying them ; for he wished not to return very soon, and with 
reason, as he perceived afi*airs in England were badly managed, and 
the young king governed by wicked counsellors. This made him the 
more desirous of quitting the country. Before his embarkation, and 
in the presence of his brothers, he appointed his son, Henry early of 
Derby, his lieutenant for whatever concerned him during his absence, 
and chose for him a set of able advisers. This Henry was a young 
and handsome knight, son of the lady Blanche, first duchess of Lan- 
caster. I never saw two such noble dames, so good, liberal, and 
courteous, as this lady and the late queen of England, nor ever shall, i 
were I to live a thousand years, which is impossible. 

When the duke of Lancaster had arranged his afl'nirs in England, 
and had taken leave of the king and his brothers, he came to Bris- 
tol where he tarried fifteen days, until his horses, to the amount of \ 
more than two thousand, and his stores, were safely embarked, with 
ample provision of hay, straw, oats, and fresh water. The duke 
then entered a handsome galley, having, beside it, a large vessel for 
his household and the duchess, who had consented, with great cour- 
age, to accompany him on this expedition ; for she expected, on her 
arrival in her native country, or at least before her return, to be queen 
of Castille. She had with her her own daughter Catherine, and two 
other daughters of the duke by his former marriage, called Isabella 
and Philippa. Isabella*' was married to sir John Holland, constable 
of the army. The marshal of the host, sir Thomas Moreaux, was 
also married to another daughter of the duke of Lancaster ; but she 
was a bastard, and mother to the lady Morielle, Demoiselle Marie de 
St. Hilaire de Hauman.t The lord Percy was admiral of the fleet. 

Among the knights who followed the duke of Lancaster were sir 
Evan Fitzwarren, the lord Lucy, sir Henry Beaumont, the lord de 
Pommiers, sir Richard Burley, the lord Talbot, the lord Basset, sir 
William Windsor, sir Thomas Tresham, sir Hugh Despenser, the 



lord Willoughby, the lord Bradcston, sir William Farrington, sir John 
d'.'Vmbreticourt, sir Hugh Hastings, sir Thomas Worcester, sir Mau. 
brun de Linieres, sir Lewis Rochester, sir John Sounder, sir Phihp 
Tickel, sir Robert Clinton, sir Hugh Calverley, David Holgrave, 
Thomas Aller^', Hobequin Beaucester, and many others witli pen. 
nons, without including the banners. There were more than one 
thousand lances of knights, squires and good men-at-arms ; two 
thousand archers, and one thousand stout varlets. It w!is the month 
of May when they embarked ; and they had the usual fine weather 
of that pleasant season. They coasted the isles of Wight and Guern- 
sey, so that they were distinctly seen from the Norman shores ; and 
a line sight it was, for there were upward of two hundred sail. It was 
delightful to observe the galleys, which had men-at-arms on board, 
coast the shores in search of adventures, as they had heard the 
French fleet was at sea. In truth, they were out before they showed 
themselves on the coast of Carentan ; but, when they perceived them 
approaching, they retired into the port of Havre. 



* Her name was Elizabetli. Sir John Holland was created earl of Huntingdon htM 
duke of E.\eter- Siie was, after his death, married to sir John Cornwall, lord Fanhope, 
but had no ifiaue by hijn. By sir John Holland she had a son (John) who succeeded his 
father. 

1 1 cannot explain who this lady is; nor can I find anywhere, but in Froissnrt, men 
tioo made of this natural daughter of John of Gaunt, nor of tlie marriage with sir Tho 
m&s Moreau^t. 

Btowe says, sii Ricliard Borghley was conEtable of the duke's army, and after him 
lUr Thomas de la Moleneau-x. 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

MANY FRENCH KOTGHTS AND SQt;iRES OFFER THEIR SERVICES TO THB 
KING OF CASTILLE. 

Nothing happens but what is known, more particularly if relating 
to deeds of arms ; for knights and squires willingly converse on such 
topics. The news of the defeat of the king of Castille at Aljuba. 
rota was soon spread abroad, and was known in France ; for those 
who had lost their friends or relations loudly lamented them. Cas- 
tille alone ofl'ered a field for deeds of arms, as it was rumored the 
duke of Lancaster, to support his claim on that crown, had assem- 
bled a large army, and would march thither or to Portugal, and with, 
out doubt there would be many battles. Some knights and squires, 
of the interior part of France, consulted together on this, and which 
was the best road to Castille. Several were of opinion, to march by 
land, to avoid the dangers of the sea, and of falling into the hands 
of the English fleet ; but others said, the road by land was long, and 
the intentions of the king of Navarre were not quite clear ; for he 
was not much attached to France : that nation, he said, had robbed 
him of his lands in Normandy ; but I know not if his complaints 
were just. They were doubtful what road to take ; for, should they 
go round by Arragon, they would never arrive at their journey's end. 
.\t length they resolved to embark from la Rochelle, where they 
freighted eighteen vessels, with their baggage and stores, but did not 
take many horses with them. 

When all was ready, and the wind favorable, they put to sea, and 
made for the coast of Bayonne ; for that was their line of direction. 
They were three hundred knights and squires who had volunteered 
on this expedition. Among them were the lord de Coursy, sir John 
Handoye, the viscount de la Vcrliere, sir Peter de Vellamines, sir 
Guy le Baveux, sir John de Chatelmorant, the lord de St. Liger, sir 
James d« Fougeres, the lord de Bellanes, sir Tristan de Langurant, 
the lord Barrois des Barres, with many more. They arrived without 
accident, in the port of St. Andero, in Biscay, on the 4th day of May, 
1386, where they rested themselves two days, and had their horses 
and baggage disembarked. When they had laden their horses, they 
inquired where tliey could find the king of Castille, and were told 
that he was then at Burgos, holding a parliament on the aflairs of the 
nation. On leaving St. Andero, they followed the road to Burgos, 
and waited on the king, who was truly glad to see them, and asked - 
the news from France, and which way they had come. They re-. . 
plied, " By .sea from la Rochelle," and that it was rumored in France 
the duke of Lancaster had raised a very large force of mcn-at-amia 
and archers, to lead into Castille or Portugal ; that it was not known 
where he intended to land, but that the king of Portugal had sent 
to him many ships and galleys. 

The king, on hearing this, became pensive, although it was what 
he expected, and did not at this meeting display his courage ; for he . 
perceived, from every appearance, he should have a severe war made - 
on him. However, he entertained the knights very handsomely, and : 
thanked them much for coming. -Addressing himself to sir Robert ~ 
de Braquemont, and his brother, fir John de Braquemont, he said, " I 
desired you both, when you left me last year, that, on your return, 
you would bring me from Paris some tennis balls, that we might 
amuse ourselves at that game ; but I believe it would have been 1 
better I had desired you to bring good helmets and armor ; for I 
fancy we shall soon have much need of them." " Sire," replied the 
lord de Braquemont, " wc have brought both ; for we can neither 
fight nor play continually." In tnith, the king of Castille showed' 
great attention to these knights, feasted them well, and liberally sup- 
plied them with everything they wanted. Some of them having ; 
vows to perform, wished to make a pilgrimage to the shrine of St. 
James at Saint Jago, since they were in the country; and all of them 
set out in company, having armed themselves as if they were going 
to batde : it was fortunate for them tlicy had done so; and whoever 
had advised there showed prudence, as you will see hereafter : but I 
must now return to to the duke of Lancaster, and his fleet, whom 
we left coasting Normandy. 



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CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



CHAPTER XXXII. 

THE DUKE or LANCASTER, IN HIS TOYAGE TO CASTILI.E, ATTACKS THE 
FRENCH BEFORE BREST, AND FORCES THEM TO RAISE THE BLOCKADE. 

Jdst as pilgrim falcons, who have long rested hungry on their 
perch, are desirous of flight in search of prey, (if I may use the com- 
parison,) were those English knights and squires impatient to try 
their arms in the field. As they coasted Normandy, they said to 
each other, " Why do we not disembark in some of these Norman 
ports, where we shall meet with knights ready to offer us combat?" At 
last, these speeches reached the ears of the duke, who knew well, 
before he left England, that sir John de Malestroit, the lord de Mal- 
eetroit, the lord de Cambor, Morfonace, with a number of other 
knights and squires from Brittany, had blockaded Brest, under the 
command of the constable ; so that when he learnt the eagerness 
his knights e.xpressed for some deeds of arms, he ordered his admiral, 
the lord Thomas Percy, and his constable, lord John Holland, to steer 
the fleet toward Brittany, for he wished to visit the castle of Brest, 
and his countrymen who were within it. This order gave great joy 
to the English ; and don Alphonso Vietat, who was admiral-in-chief, 
and well acquainted with these dangerous seas, took the lead, for the 
rest of the fleet to follow him. The weather was now delightful, 
and the sea so calm, it was a pleasure to be on it : the fleet advanced 
with an easy sail, and arrived at the mouth of Brest harbnv, where, 
waiting for the tide they entered it in safety. The clarions and trum- 
pets sounded sweetly from the barges and the castle. Sir John de 
Malestroit and his companions were seated at table when the news 
was brought them of the arrival of the English fleet : they instanfly 
leaped up and armed themselves. They knew that, as soon as the 
duke of Lancaster had landed, they should have an engagement ; for 
tlic English were come to raise the blockade. 

They were not long in making themselves ready, and amounted 
to about three hundred men-at-arms, knights, and squires. The 
English were rejoiced at finding themselves in Brest harbor, and that 
the Bretons were still guarding their blockhouse ; for they were 
aware an engagement must ensue, and they were thirsty for battle. 
T'he duke of Lancaster and his men landed as near as possible to 
the castle, but left their horses and stores on board their ships. The 
ladies, however, went on shore to repose themselves. The first day 
they made no attack, only marched out of their quarters, when some 
of the lords fixed their tents and pavilions on the harbor side and 
near the castle, where they remained that day and the following 
night. On the morrow, the constable and marshal's trumpets sounded 
for the army to make ready for an assault. When all were armed, 
they marched in good array toward the castle and blockhouse which 
had been raised in front of it. This was so solidly built, it would 
have lasted nine or ten years ; for it was surrounded with ditches, 
and had walls, towers and gates of strong limber. 

The English knights, on their arrival, began to skirmish gallantly 
at the barriers of the blockhouse, and attempted to win them. The 
knights and squires within, and there were numbers of good ones, 
vigorously defended themselves ; and in order to gain more room, 
they took away the palisades, which was fooliaU enough, but they 
trusted to their skill and valor. Many were the fine deeda of arms 
and much pushing with lances, and those fared the best who could 
the longest hold their wind. The English, being so numerous, gave 
the Bretons full employment, and, by dint of courage, won the bar- 
riers : within the court of the blockhouse were upward of one hun- 
dred, so that the Bretons were on the point of losing everything. 
Sir John de Malestroit and the viscount de Cambor, seeing this, 
shouted their cry, and said, "How, gentlemen, shall we be thus over- 
come ? Advance, advance, and push with vigor, for there must be 
no sham-fighting here : we have only the choice of death or victory." 
Upon this they rallied, and, placing the ends of their lances in the 
ground, made an obstinate resistance to those who had driven them 
within the barriers. Hard blows were given on each side ; but the 
English, whether they would or not, were forced to retire, and were 
beaten back out of the court, so that during the day they could not 
regain it. 

On the other side of the blockhouse was a stone tower situated on 
a rock, which the Bretons had garrisoned. A severe attack was 
made on it by the English ; for, while the fight was going on at the 
barriers, they had crossed a narrow ditch, and, with pick.a.ves, ad- 
Yanced up to the walls, where they had began to work and force out 
the stones. Those within defended themselves well with what they 
could lay hands on ; but the archers shot so sharply that none dared 
show themselves unless strongly shielded. The pick-axe men con. 
tinned their work, until the tower, which leaned much on that side 
(for they had undermined the foundation) opened in two parts. The 
garrison saved themselves in the ruins of what remained, for one-half 
fell to the ground. On this, the English' set up a grand shouting ; 
but, it being now late, the trumpets sounded the retreat, as they im- 
agined they had done enough for one day. When they marched 
away, they said to the Bretons, " Gentlemen, keep a good watch to 
night, and stay where you are, for to-morrow we will visit you ai»ain ■ 
you see well what situauon you are in, and that you have notlJn" to 
shelter you from us." ° 



It was fully the intention of the English to return the next day and 
conquer the blockhouse with its garrison, for it was in their power ; 
and in this idea they passed the night comfortably, as they had whore, 
withal so to do. There is an old saying, that " John is as wise as 
his master," which I repeat, because, if the English are subtle in war, 
the Bretons match them ; for they were equally clear-sighted as to 
what was to their advantage, and what not. They saw, if they 
wished to avoid death or captivity, there was no lime to be lost in 
packing up their baggage and leaving the blockhouse. They in- 
stantly made themselves ready, and, mounting their horses, rode 
toward Hennebon, which was four leagues distant. They acted 
wisely; for they were not afraid of a pursuit, as the English had not 
disembarked any of their horses. 

Sir John de Malestroit and his companions anived safely in Hen. 
nebon, the gates of which they found open, without any suspicion of 
the English being so near. On the morro%v, the trumpets sounded 
for a renewal of the attack, and they were anxious to make up for 
their forced retreat of the preceding day ; but the news was brought 
that the Bretons had evacuated the blockhouse. The English re. 
pentcd sorely not having laid an ambush, to have prevented the loss, 
of their prey. The lords .sent varlets to destroy the blockhouse, and 
set it on fire. Thus was the siege of Brest raised by the duke of 
Lancaster. The duke, sir John Holland, and some of the other 
knights, went to the casde of Brest, carrying the ladies with them, 
where they had refreshments, and then returned to their quarters. 
On the morrow, being the third day, they had their vessels watered ; 
and on the ensuing day they embarked and continued Oieir voyage. 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 

the duke of LANCASTER ARSIVES AT COKUNA IN GALICIA. THE FRENCH, 
IN THE SERVICE OF SPAIN, ENTER THE CATTLE TO OPPOSE HIM. THElf 
SHORTLY AFTER DEFEAT A PARTY' OF HIS FORAGERS. 

Before the duke sailed from Brest, he held a council to determine 
whether they should steer for Lisbon, Oporto, or Coruiia. To this 
council the Portuguese admiral and his captains were called, and it 
lasted some time. Don Alphonso A^ietat said, that he had been or- 
dered to England for their service by the king of Portugal, by whom 
they would be made heartily welcome, should they land in his coun- 
try ; for he was expecting them, and would be much gratified by their 
coming. Upon this, they determined to make for Oporto, which is 
but thirty leagues from Lisbon ; but they altered their mind, saying 
it would be more honorable to land on the enemy's coast, and that 
by so doing they should the more alarm them. They then steered 
for Coruiia, and, having a favorable wind, were not more than five 
days sailing thitlier from Brest : they cast anchor in the road, to wait 
for the tide, as it was too low water when they arrived to approach 
near the shore. 

I will now speak of the French knights, sir Barrels des Banes, sir 
John de Ch4telmorant, the brothers de Braquemont, and the rest, 
who had been sent out on a pilgrimage to St, Jago de Compostella. 
After they had made their offerings and prayers to the shrine of St. 
James, and were sitting at their inn, news was brought by those who 
were guarding the coasts, that the English fleet was in sight, and 
showed a disposition to land at Corufia. Before their baggage was 
unloaded, or the saddles had been taken from their horses, they 
mounted agidn, saying, they must hasten back to Coruiia, to defend 
the port ; for, should the English unfortunately gain die castle and 
town, they would be masters of the whole country. Some of the 
knights bormvved horses at St. Jago, and made such dispatch as to 
arrive at Coruna that night, though it was fourteen country leagues 
distant, and a difficult road to find. They got there very opportunely, 
just as the English fleet was entering the harbor. The garrisons in 
town and castle were well pleased at the coining of the French 
knights, whose baggage and armor followed in the course of the 
night. It was a fine sight, on the morrow, to view all the ships anti 
galleys enter the port laden with men-at-arms and purveyances, widi 
trumpets and clarions sounding ; and those signals were answered, by 
way of defiance, by the trumpets and clarions of the casfle. 'The 
English from this knew there were good garrisons in both town and 
casde, and that the French had possession of the casfle. 

The lords and their men landed on the shore, but did not approach 
the town, as it was too well fortified, and seemed filled with men.at. 
arms. They, however, took up their lodgings in some huts of fisher- 
men and seafaring men on the outside of the walls. They were 
forced to build other huts, as they were so numerous ; and the four 
first days after their landing they were thus employed, as well as ia 
clearing the vessels of their stores and purveyances, which wore in 
great quantities, and in disembarking their horses. They had been 
fifteen days on board ; and though they were plentifufly supplied with 
hay, oats, and fresh water, yet the rolling of the sea had as much 
atrected them as it had done their masters, which made it needful to 
walk them about and take every care of them. When the ships had 
been entirely cleared, the duke was asked his pleasure concerning 
them. He replied, "Let all the sailors be well paid, and take the 
ships for their pains : I shall dismiss them, for I wish all the world 
to know that I shall never recross the sea to England until I be maa. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



401 



ter of Castille or die in tlie attempt." These orders were obeyed ; 
and the sailors being paid to tJieir satisfaction, made sail, some to 
Portugal, Lisbon, Bayonne, Brittany, or England, as they pleased, but 
none remained beliind. The duke of Lancaster and his army were 
lodged in huts covered with leaves, or in such houses as they met 
with, and remained before Coruna upward of a month amusing them, 
selves ; for the chief lords had brought hounds for their pastime, and 
hawks for the ladies. They had also mills to grind their corn, and 
ovens to bake ; for they never willingly go to war in foreign coun- 
tries without carrying things of that description with them. 

The foragers went daily in search of what forage they could find ; 
for, as they were in a poor deserted country, it was not very plenti- 
ful, which forced them to seek it at a distance. The French knights 
at Coruna were eager to meet their enemies ; and having learnt how 
foolishly unguarded the foragers were, said, they would some day or 
other catch them, and make them pay, once for all, for what they 
had pillaged. They armed themselves, to the number of about two 
hundred, and, mounting their horses, were conducted by guides, at 
night-fall, through woods, and over mountains, until they came to a 
mounttiii!, called in that country Espincte, by break of day, where 
they halted ; for they had learnt that the English foragers were out 
in that part. The foragers had been absent from their army two 
days, collecting as much as they could carry, and were on their re. 
turn to Coruna : but their only road lay over this mountain of Es. 
pinete. The in.stant they came there, the French knights nished 
upon them, shouting out, " Les Barres for the Barrels !" The fora- 
gers were thunderstruck ; for the greater part were unarmed : there 
might be si,x score archers, who gallantly drew themselves up in ar- 
ray, and wounded, with their arrows, both horses and riders. When 
they had expended their arrows, they flung down their bows, and de. 
fended themselves as well as they could widi the other arms they 
haid : some fled and hid themselves, in hopes of escaping. Why 
should I make a long story ? Of the three hundred foragers, full two 
hundred were slain ; the rest saved themselves, as well as they could, 
among bushes and racks, where no horse could venture. The runa- 
ways fled to Coruiia and related their misfortune, and how sir Bar- 
rois des Barres and his company had discomfited them. 

The army was much surprised at this ; and sir Thomas Moreau.\, 
the marshal, had five hundred, or more, instantly armed and mounted, 
- when, taking the pennon of St. George, he galloped off with them 
tov/ard the mountain of Espinete, to meet the French. When there 
arrived, he only perceived the slaughtered foragers ; for the French 
had returned by the road they had come ; but had they not had good 
guides, they would never have found it through the inclosures. The 
English, on their return, when within half a league of their army, 
saw the French reenter the castle of Coruna, which vexed them 
much : but help it they could not. The army blamed the marshal 
for having suffered the foragers to go without an escort of men-at. 
arms, when the enemy was so near, and in such numbers. The 
constable and duke of Lancaster were so sharp with him, he was 
quite ashamed: he said, that they had been caught, to b^ sure, this 
once, though they had foraged ten times before without any inter- 
ruption. " Sir Thomas." said the duke, '* be more cautious in future ; 
for such things may fall out in one day or hour as may not happen 
again in a century." 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 

THE DnKE OF LANCASTER, AFTER KEMAININO BEFORE CORUN'A UPWARD 
OF A MONTH, MARCHES HIS ARMV TO SAINT JAOO, WHICH SURRENDERS 
ON CAPITULATION. 

When the duke of Lancaster had remained before Coruiia upward 
■of a month, as I have before said, and when his men and horses were 
quite recovered, he was advised to march toward St. Jago, where 
there was a richer and more open country for his cavalry. The army 
dislodged from before Coruna, and marched in three battalions. The 
marshal led the van, of three hundred lances and si.\ hundred archers; 
then marched the duke with four hundred spears, accompanied by 
-all the ladies. The rear was composed of four hundred lances and 
seven hundred archers, accompanied by the constable sir John Hol- 
land. They marched very slowly, and were three days in going 
from Coruiia to St. Jago. You must know, that the province of 
Galicia was much alarmed at the arrival of the duke of Lancaster ; 
for they remembered his power well. When the marshal and the 
van came before the town of St. Jago de Compostella, where the 
body of St. James reposes, and which many make such long journeys 
to visit, he found the gates shut, as might have been supposed. There 
was no other garrison but its inhabitants ; for the French knights re- 
fused taking upon them the defence of it, to the last extremity, as it 
waa not strong enough to withstand the force under the duke of 
Lancaster. The marshal sent forward a herald, to hear what the 
townsmen would say. The h.erald found at the barriers the captain 
of the guard, called don Alphonso Sene, and said to him, "A few 
paces hence is the marshal of my lord of Lancaster's army, who 
would wish to speak with you.** " I am very agreeable to it ; let 
him advance, and I will parley with him." The herald returned to 
the marshal with this answer. 

The marshal left his army, with only twenty lances, and rode to 



the barriers, where he found the captain and some of the townsmen 
waiting. The marshal dismounted, with twelve others, among h hom 
were the lord Basset and sir William Farringdon, and addressed him 
as follows : " Captain, and you men of St. Jago, the duke, and 
duchess of Lancaster your queen, (she being the eldest daughter of 
Don Pedro, your late king,) send me to know how you mean to act; 
to open your gates and receive them as your legal sovereigns, as good 
subjects ought to do ; or force me to assault your walls, and take 
your town by storai. But know, that if you suffer the place to be 
stormed, all within shall be put to the sword, that others may take 
warning." The captain replied ; " We wish to follow the dictates 
of reason, and acquit ourselves loyally toward those to whom we owo 
obedience. We know well that the duchess of Lancaster is daughter 
to don Pedro of Castille ; and if that king had reigned peaceably in 
Castille, she was heiress to his crown ; but things are altered ; for 
the whole kingdom turned to the obedience of his brother, king 
Henry, by the success of the battle of Monteil : we all swore fidelity 
to him ; and he was acknowledged king as long as he lived : after 
his decease we all swore obedience to don John, his son, who reigna 
at this moment. Tell us how those of Coruiia acted ; for it is im. 
possible but that, during the month you lay before that place, some 
negotiations and treaties were concluded." Sir Thomas Moreaux 
answered ; " You speak truly ; we have had indeed negotiations 
with those of Coruna, otherwise we should not have marched hither, 
though that town is double the strength of yours. I will tell you 
what they have done : they have entered into a composition with us, 
by declaring they will act in the same manner as you do ; but, if you 
force us to the assault, they will not follow that example. If Galicia 
suiTcnder to my lord duke and his lady, they will surrender also ; for 
which they have given us such pledges as are satisfactory." 

" W^ell," replied the captain, "we will agree to this: there axe 
many large towns and cities in the realm : ride on, therefore, and 
leave us in peace ; for we will act as they shall, and give you good 
security for our performing it." " Oh, this will never do," said the 
marshal : " such a treaty will by no means please the duke and 
duchess ; for they are resolved to reside in this town, and keep their 
state as monarchs should in their own kingdoms. Answer me 
briefly what you mean to do : surrender, or have yourselves and 
town destroyed ?" " My lord," said the captain, "allow us a litde 
time to consult together, and you shall be speedily answered." " I 
consent," said the marshal. The captain then withdrew into the 
town, and assembled the inhabitants at the usual place where public 
meetings were held, and related to them the conversation that had 
passed between him and the marshal. I believe the townsmen at 
last consented to receive the duke and duchess as their monarchs, 
and to entertain them as such in their town as long as they might 
please to reside there, if don John, king of Castille, did not, with his 
power, attack lliem. But if it should happen that after they had 
made St. Jago their residence for a year, or a longer time, according 
to their pleasure, and should depart from the country, for England, 
Bordeaux or Bayonne, or wherever else they may prefer, the duke 
must engage to leave behind a sufficient force of men-at-arms to de. 
fend them against their enemies, otherwise they would surrender the 
town to don John of Castille, and hold themselves acquitted of alle- 
giance to the duke. Sir Thomas Moreaux cheerfully accepted these 
terms, and told them they had well spoken, and to the purpose, and 
that the duke and duchess wished for nothing better. The marshal 
returned to his division, and to the duke and duchess, who were 
waiting for him on the plain ; to whom he related all that had passed, 
and the treaty he had concluded, to which they assented, saying it 
was well done. 

The army was advancing gayly in battle array toward the town of 
St. Jago : when about two French leagues from the place, they were 
met by a long procession o[ the clergy, bearing relics, crosses and 
streamers, and crowds ot men, women and children, and the principal 
inhabitants carrying the keys of the town, which they presented on 
their knees, with much seeming good-will, to the duke and duchess 
(but whether it was feigned or not, I cannot say,) and acknowledged 
them for (heir king and queen. Thus they entered the town of St. 
Jago, and rode directly to the church of St. James, where the duke, 
duchess, their children and attendants, kneeling, ofiered up their 
prayers to the holy body of St. James, and made rich gifts at the 
altar. It was told me that the duke, duchess, and the ladies, 
Constance and Philippa, were lodged in the Abbey, and there held 
their court. Sir John Holland and sir Thomas Moreaux, with their 
ladies, were lodged in the town : the other barons and knights 03 
they could, and the men-at-arms on the plains round the town. Those 
who could not find houses, built themselves huts covered with boughs, 
of which there were plenty in the country, and made themselves 
comfortable with what they could get. Meat and strong wines were 
in abundance ; of which the archers drank so much that they were 
for the greater part of their time in bed drunk ; and very often, by 
drinking too much new wine, they had fevers, and in tlie morning 
such headaches as to prevent them from doing anything the remain, 
der of the day ; for it was now- the vintage. 



402 



CHRONICLE.S OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



CHAPTER XXXV. 

THE TREKCB K-VIOITTS I^AVK COEUHA A.ND JOIN THE KINO OF CASTILLE. 
THET ACQnRE MCOH WEALTH BY FLCNDEKIXG THE COVSTRT, IN OK- 
BER TO FHVSTRATE THE EKGLISH. 

Sir John de Cliatelmorant, le Barrois dee Barres,'and the other 
French knigha who had guarded Coruna, hearing that the duke of 
Lancaster had been peaceably received in St. Jago, held a council 
on what they should do, saying, " It does not signify for us to re. 
main here any longer, since we shall meet with no fortunate adven- 
tures : let us march to Burgos, where tlie king is, and learn from 
him what his intentions are : perhaps he may be going to meet the 
English ; for, if he allow ihem quietly to establish themselves, by 
degrees they will be lords of Castille. It will be more for our honor 
to go to him than to stay here." They accordingly made prepara. 
tions, and leaving the castle, procured guides to conduct them to 
Burgos ; otherwise they would probably have fallen in with their 
enemies. They rode tlirough Biscay, and skirted Galicia to Leon, 
where the king and qneen at that time resided. When these knights 
waited on the king, he received them very kindly, and inquired from 
them the news, although he knew enough. They told him of their 
opportune arrival at Coruiia, as tlie English fleet was entering the 
harbor, wherein they found seven galleys and ships of Biscay, laden 
with wine, of which the English took advantage ; for the merchants 
were soon eased of the whole. " It is thus in war," replied the 
king : " they were unwise, when they heard the English fleet were 
at sea, not to run somewhere else for safety." " In God's name, 
sir," returned the knights, " they had come thitlier for security : they 
said, their cargoes of wine were for Flanders, and having heard from 
the sailors of Saint Andero that the English were in the Bay of Bis- 
cay, and that the king of Portugal had sent them large ships and gal. 
leys, it was natural to conclude they would have steered for Portu. 
gal i but they did the contrary, as it appears, and landing at Coruna, 
have entered Galicia." Upon this the king said, " Now, you knights 
from France, who are so well acquainted with arms, and know mure 
about warlike matters than my subjects, from being so long trained 
to them, what are your opinions of the English ? how do you think 
they will act this season!" "By my faith," said some, (for all 
gave their opinions) " we can but ill judge what they will do, for the 
English are very reserved ; and we can only guess how they will 
act, or whither they will march. We must suppose that the duke of 
Lancaster will remain all the ensuing winter in St. Jago, and his 
army thereabouts ; whence be will overrun Galicia, conquer some 
small forts, and lay in stores of provision, until the return of summer, 
when treaties will be formed between him and the king of Portugal, 
for them to act in concert. Perhaps a family.alliance may take 
place ; for you will observe that the duke has brought with him his 
daughters, those that are married as well as (he others : now, as there 
are two unmarried, we imagine the king of Pc-tugal, your adversary, 
will have one of them." " What would you advise me to do ?" said 
the king. " We will tell you sire," replied the knights ; " order all 
your strongest castles on the borders of Gahcia to be well guarded, 
and destroy the smaller ones. We learn that it is the custom of this 
country to fortify churches and towers, whereto the inhabitants of 
the flat countries carry their wealth and stock. This will turn out 
to their destruction and the confusion of your kingdom ; for when 
the English take the field, these churches and towers will prove no 
obstacle to them : on the contrary, they will be recruited from the 
Tictual they will there iind, and continue the war with more vigor, 
and conquer tlie remainder. We therefore advise you to destroy all 
euch like forts, while you have time so to do, and to give up all, that 
is not secured in largo and strong towns, by Michaelmas, or at the 
latest by Andrew's day, to your men-at-arms ; for it is better they 
should have tlie advantage and profit than your enemy. We advise 
you, in particular, to send some well-informed embassadors to the 
king of France, and to his uncles of Berry and Burgundy, that they 
may be made acquainted with the real state of your country, and 
that by tlie return of summer, or sooner if the season permit us to 
take the field, you may wage such a war as was never before made 
in Castille. Write pressing letters to the king and his uncles, that 
they may assist you in this necessity with such numbers of men-at- 
arms that you may resist your enemies and preserve your kingdom. 
There is a strong connection between you and the king of France, 
which was first made by your predecessor and father ; and you may 
be assured, that in your distress neither the king nor realm of France, 
which can do no more than England and Portugal united, will desert 
you. Believe us, that as soon as the king and his council shall learn 
your situation, they will take euch steps as will prevent you from 
receiving any loss in tliis war ; for know, that those French knighf? 
and squires, who are desirous of glory, will, at the slightest word, 
hasten hither to seek it ; for at this moment they know not where to 
employ their arms. We mention tliis, because there is now a peace 
between the French and tlie Flemings, and a truce with the English 
and French on the other side the Loire until St. John the Baptist's 
day ensuing. You will therefore see men.at-amis, knights and 
squires, fly hither from France, as well to advance their own honor 
as to see this country and meet the English. But, eire, we particu- 
laily recommend the destruction of those email forts, if you wish to 
prtservc your country." 



The king replied, " You have advised me loyally, and I shall in. 
stantly follow your counsel, and order, without further consultation, 
all such forts to be demolished as are not tenable, and make you a 
present of whatever may be found in them." The knights said, he 
had well spoken, that they would attend to that business, and assist 
him in defending and preserving his realm. This gift of the king of 
Castille to the knights from France and those about his person, was 
worth to them two hundred thousand francs, especially to those first- 
comers, who had thrown themselves into Coruna when tlie duke of 
Lancaster had arrived, and pursued his march to St. Jago. 

All the small forts, churches, and towers, which had been embat. 
tied in Castille, were abandoned and destroyed, and the poor pea. 
sants disappointed in their expectations of having therein deposited 
their wealth and stock in safety ; for the knights and squires went 
thither with their men, and seized on all the wines, com, and cattle, 
and drove them to their quarters ; but the gold and silver which 
they found, and the sums they made the peasants pay for their ran- 
soms, or to have their slock back again, went into their own purses, 
unknown to any one but themselves. Some of the poorer squires, 
more bold and cunning than the rest (for there are always some of 
that sort,) who had left their homes miserably mounted or on foot, 
were so active that they had now fine coursers and genets for plea- 
sure, with five or six silver girdles, and purses with a thousand or 
two of francs in them. Thus did these companions, who first en- 
tered Castille, make fortunes which the flat countries paid ; for every 
place was rifled and devoured even by their own countrymen, who 
would not that their enemies should be any gainers by their inva- 
sion. When it was told in France how poor knights and squires 
were enriching themselves in Castille, where they spared neither the 
lands of friends nor those of their foes, their companions were more 
eager tlian ever to leave France, in the hopes of being sharers with 
them. 

CHAPTER XXXVI. 

GREAT PREPARATIONS ARE MADE THROUGHOtTT FRANCE FOR THE INVASION 
OF ENGIjlND. THE DEATH OF FRANCIS ATREMEN. 

The king of France, his uncles, and council, had been well in- 
formed of the intended expedition of the duke of Lancaster before 
he had sailed from England (for fame spreads all things abroad,) 
and that it was meant against Castille. It was for this reason the 
duke of Burgurwiy had concluded so easily a peace with tlie Flemings, 
and in order that the king of Castille might have assistance ; for the 
king of France was bound to aid him, as he had always succored 
France, when called upon, with men and ships. Add to this the 
great desire the young king of France had ever shown to invade 
England with a powerful army and navy. In this he was joined 
by all the chivalry of the realm, but especially by the duke of Bur. 
gundy, the constable of France, and the count de St. Pol, although he 
had married king Richard's sister, as well as by the lord de Courey. 

These lords said, " Why should not we, for once, make a visit to 
England to see the country and its inhabitants, and learn the way 
thither, as the English have done in France ? This year, therefore, 
1386, we will go thither, as well to break up the expedition of the 
duke of Lancaster, and force him to return home, as to give alarm 
to the English, and see how they will behave." Greater amaments 
were made in France than had hitherto been done. Heavier taxes 
were imposed on all the towns and country than for one hundred 
years, and such sums had never been raised, nor were ever greater 
preparations made by sea and land. The whole summer, until Sep- 
tember, was employed in grinding flour, and making biscuit in Ar- 
ras, Bethune, Lille, Douay, Amiens, Si, Onier, and in all the towns 
near to Sluys ; for it was the plan of the king to embark at Sluys, 
sail for England, and destroy the whole country. Many of the rich 
men of France wi'.e forced to pay a third or fourth of Iheir property, 
in order to build vessels of a sufiicicnt size ; and the poorer sort 
were taxed as much as they were worth, to pay the men.at.arme. 
There was not a vessel of any size from the port of Sc\-ille to Prus. 
sia, that the French could lay their hands on, but was seized, by fair 
or foul means, for the king of France. Provisions arrived from all 
quarters. Very great quantities of wine, salted meats, oaL", trusses 
of hay, onions, verjuice, biscuit, flour, butter, the yolks of egge in 
powder, and rammed in barrels, and every otlier necessary, were 
sent from Flanders ; so that, in future times, those who have not 
been eye-wilnessee will never believe the accounts. 

Lords and knights, at great distances, were written to, to request 
they would accompany the king of France in this expedition ; even 
as far as Germany, Savoy, and tlie lands of the count d'Armagnac. 
The earl of Savoy was retained with five hundred lances; as were 
also the count d'Armagnac and the dauphin of .\uvergne ; and, be- 
cause these lords were so distant, they sent before them vast provision 
of stores : and it was wonderful to see the quantity of costly articles 
that came to Flanders, by land and sea, tlirough Damme, Bruges and" 
Sluys. 

When St. John's day was come, all the great vessels in Holland, 
Zealand, Middleburgh, Dordrecht, Schoenhoven, Leydcn, the Brille, 
and other places near the sea, were sought for, to carry this army 
from Sluys ; but the Hollanders and the reet snid, that if tliey wanted 
their vc«e<l» or their services, they must pay them down the sunw 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



403 



agreed on, otherwise they would not stir. They were wise in so 
doing J for they were instantly paid, before they would leave their 
houses or harbors. Never, since God created the world, were there 
seen such numbers of large ships as filled the harbors of Sluys and 
Blanckcnburgh : for, when they were counted, in the month of Sep. 
tember, this same year, they were twelve hundred and eighty.seven 
ships. Their masts, on coming from sea, appeared like a thick 
forest. 

The constable's ship was building at Treguier, in Brittany; and 
the constable had there constructed a town of framework, of large 
timber, which was to be put together, on their landing in England, 
for the lords to retreat to as a place of safety, and to be lodged therein, 
to prevent any danger that might arise from nightly attacks. This 
town was so constructed, that, when they dislodged, it could be taken 
to pieces, roofs and all ; and many carpenters and other workmen, 
■\rho had been employed on it, were engaged, at very high wages, to 
attend the properly taking it to pieces and erecting it again. I never 
heard the name of the duke of Brittany, nor had he laid up in Flan- 
ders stores of any kind, nor of the duke of Touraine, the king's 
youngest brother, nor of the count de Blois, as among the number of 
those who were to accompany the king on this occasion. But all 
could not go : it was necessary some should remain behind in France, 
to guard the realm. 

Whoever had been at Damme, Bruges or Sluys, at this time, and 
had seen how busily all were employed in loading the vessels with 
hay in trusses, garlic, onions, biscuit in sacks, pease, beans, cheese- 
bowls, barley, oats, rye, wheat, wa.x-candles, housings, shoes, boots, 
helmets, spurs, knives, hatchets, wedges, pick-axes, hooks, wooden 
pegs, boxes filled with ointments, tow, bandages, coverlids for sleep. 
ing on, horseslioe nails, bottles of verjuice and vinegar, iron, stone- 
ware, pewter and wooden pots and dishes, candlesticks, basins, 
Viises, fat pigs, hasters, kitchen furniture, utensils for the buttery, and 
for the other offices, and every article necessary for man or beast, 
"would have been struck with astonishment. The eagerness and 
pleasure were so great in the beholding it, that, had any one had a 
fever or a toothache, lie would have got rid of them by running from 
one place to another. The conversations which were overheard be- 
tween the French showed they considered England would be ruined 
and destroyed beyond resource, the men put to death, and the wo- 
men and children carried in slaver)' to France. 

The king of England and his council were duly informed of these 
grand preparations ; and it was confidently affirmed and believed 
that the French would not fail to invade the country, as they had 
sworn they would do so. It is not strange that such formidable pre- 
parations should require the utmost attention, nor would it be matter 
■of much surprise if the English were at first much alarmed ; for, 
immense as these armaments were, they were greatly magnified ; 
and it was not certain whether they were meant to invade England 
or attack Calais by sea and land ; for the English knew well there 
was not a town the French were more desirous of regaining than 
Calais. On this account, great stores of corn and other grain, salted 
meat and fish, wines, and brandies, were sent from England to Ca- 
lais. Sir Thomas Holland, earl of Kent, sir Hugh Calverley, sir 
William Elmham, the earl of Angus, sir Walter Warren, sir Walter 
Paul, sir William Touchet, sir Lewis de Montalban, sir Colarsd'Am- 
breticourt, v.ere ordered thither to defend it, and with them five 
hundred men-at-arms and as many archers. The earl of Arundel 
and lord Henry Despcnser put to sea with forty large ships, having 
on board three hundred men-at-arms and si.\ hundred archers com- 
pletely armed. 

It was, on the other hand, reported in several places in France, 
Hainault, and Picardy, that this armament was not destined for either 
England or Calais, but that, when it was completed, it would invest 
the town of Ghent. I was told, the men of Ghent were seriously 
alarmed ; but they were to blame if they showed any fear ; for the 
duke of Burgundy, their lord, wished them nothing but prosperity, 
although Francis Atremen, shortly after the peace, was slain at Ghent. 
The duke was no way implicated in his death, for he bore him no 
hatred, although, during the war of Ghent, he had performed many 
gallant deeds in the service of his townsmen, as have been truly re- 
lated in this history. If Francis Atremen came to such an end, he 
has nobody to blame but himself ; for, had he believed Peter du Bois, 
this misfortune would not have befallen him. Peter du B.is gave 
him notice what he might expect at the conclusion of the peace be- 
tween the duke of Burgundy and Ghent, on their return to Ghent 
from Tournay. When Peter was making his preparations to accom- 
pany the lord Bourchier to England, he said, " Francis, what do you 
say? will you not go to England with us ? for now is the time." 
" ^fo," replied he, " I will rema>.i in Ghent." "And how," said 
Peter, " can you suppose you will live there in quiet ? for there are 
many who mortally hate both you and me. I would not remain 
there for any sum of money ; for there is no dependence on the pop- 
ulace. Have you never heard how they murdered Jacob von Arta- 
Treld, who had done them much service, and given them such good 
advice, and had on all occasions assisted them ? and yet, from the 
speeches of a linen-weaver they slew hiin, without any of the prin- 
cipal inhabitants interfering in his behalf. On the contrar)', they 
dissembled, and in their hearts were rejoiced at his death. Now, 
Francis, just so it will happen to you, and to me, if I stay ; but that 



I will not, so I bid you adieu." " It will not so happen," replied 
Francis, " for my lord of Burgundy has pardoned all, and offers me, 
if I choose to reside with him, to be equerry of his stables with four 
horses at my command, and shows me, as well as the lord Guy de 
la Tremouille and the other knights of his household, every mark of 
affection." " In God's name," said Peter, " I do not speak of my 
lord of Burgundy, nor of his knights, for they are well inclined to 
keep peace, but of the Ghent men. There are some to whom you 
have not always behaved well : have you forgotten the lord de Har- 
zelles, whom you caused to be assassinated, and such and such 
others ? Know, that the revenge of their relations will fall on you 
within a short time, if you remain : take my advice : rather than 
live here, accept the duke's offer." " I will consider of this," an- 
swered Francis ; " but I am determined not to go to England." 
Thus the conversation ended. Francis Atremen staid in Flanders, 
and Peter du Bois, as you have before heard, went with lord Bour- 
chier to England. What followed you shall hear. Soon after peace 
had been declared throughout Flanders, an edict was published in all 
towns dependent on the duke of Burgundy, forbidding any one 
whatever to wear armor or swords, or to have arms carried by their 
followers. 

Francis Atremen, during the war of Ghent, had been one of its 
principal rulers, and one who had the most attention paid him. 
Whenever he walked the streets, he was followed by thirty or forty 
varlets, who were well pleased at any orders he chose to give them. 
He had kept this state so long, that he was loth to give it up, and 
was desirous of being followed by three or four armed with swords 
or defensive staves. Wheii this proclaination of the duke of Bur- 
gundy was made, he never imagined it in any way concerned him, 
so much did he fancy himself in favor with the duke and the town : 
but he was mistaken ; for seven or eight days after the publication 
of the edict, the duke's bailiff came to him and said, " Francis, you 
seem suspicious and afraid of our lord's officers, or why do you now 
go armed through the town of Ghent, followed by your varlets, armed 
also with swords as in times of war ? We are much displeased 
thereat, and command you, in the name of the duke and duchess of 
Burgundy, that you lay them aside." Francis, who in fact meant no 
ill, but kept up this state through pomp, replied, " Bailiff, I shall 
willingly obey your orders, as is right ; for, thank God, I bear no 
malice nor wish evil to any one; but I thought I was so well con- 
sidered in the town, that I might have had my sword and armor 
borne after me without its being objected to." " You are mistaken," 
said the bailiff: " it is the townsmen, to whom you have done so 
many services, who have interfered, and tell me they are surprised 
how I suffer it ; for it seems to them you want to renew a war, for 
which they have no inclination. I therefore beg of you, Francis, 
that you will so act, as that I may hear no more of it, for if you do 
not observe the edict, I shall look on you as an enemy to the duke 
and duchess of Burgundy." 

The bailiff of Ghent departed. Francis Atremen returned to his 
house, and ordered his varlets to lay aside their arms. He became 
melancholy ; and, for the greater part of the times he went abroad, 
it was alone, or having one varlet or a boy attending him. Not long 
after this conversation with the bailiff, a festival was kept at the 
monastery of St. Peter, without Ghent, whither Francis went alone, 
or only attended by a single varlet, neither having swords nor arms. 
He was watched, and followed by a bastard of the late lord de Har- 
zelles, anxious to revenge his death, in which common fame reported 
Francis Atremen to have been guilty. The bastard, having provided 
himself with arms, followed him out of the town, and when at a 
proper distance, and no one near, he called out to him, " Francis, 
you are a dead man; you put to death my father, and I will do the 
like to you." As Francis turned round, the bastard, who was a stout 
fellow, struck him so violent a blow on the head, that it split his 
skull to the neck and felled him dead. The bastard walked quietly 
away, for none pursued liim, and no more was said. Francis Atre. 
men came by his death for not following the advice of Peter du 
Bois. When news of this reached England, and came to the know, 
ledge of Peter du Bois, he but slightly pitied him, saying, "Before I 
left Ghent, I truly told him what would happen ; but he would not 
mind what I said, and has suffered for it. See if any one will med. 
die in the matter : certainly none of those who, during the war, 
seemed such warm friends to him, and honored him so much. It 
was for fear of such events that I followed the advice of lord Bouc- 
chier, and came with him to England." 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 

THE FRENCH rt'T THEMSELVES TO USELESS EXPENSE ON THEIR MARINE. 
THE ENGLISH MAKE JCDICIOCS PKEPARATIOSS TO OPPOSE THEM. 

We will return to the preparations going forward at Damme and 
Sluys, which were so formidable, that the like was never remem- 
bered in the memory of man, nor is there any written account of 
such. Money was no more spared than if it rained gold, or was 
pumped up from the sea. The great barons of France had sent their 
servants to Sluys to embark everything they might have occasion for 
in this expedition ; for all were impatient to cross over ; and the 
king, young as he was, showed greater impatisnce than any. Each 



404 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



lord strove to have his vessel the best supplied, and the most orna- 
mented with painting and gilding, with their arms emblazoned on 
them and on the flags. Painters made a good har\est, for they were 
paid whatever they asked, and even with this there were not a suffi- 
ciency. The masts were painted from top to bottom ; and some, by 
way of magnificence, were even covered with sheets of fine gold, 
above which were emblazoned the arras of the different lords to whom 
the vessels belonged. It was told me, particularly, that sir Guy de 
la Tremouille expended such sums in ornamenting and painting his 
own ship, that they amounted to upward of two thousand francs. 
Their banners, peimons, and standards, were so very grand, as to 
surprise all who saw them. No ornament or decoration could be 
imagined but these lords employed it on their vessels. The poor of 
France paid for all : the taxes were so grievous in that country, that 
the rich complained, and the poorer sorts ran away. 

All that was going forward in France, Flanders, Bruges, Damme, 
and Sluys, was known in England, and with many additions to the 
real truth. The people in several places were exceedingly alarmed, 
and generally the priests made processions in many towns three times 
a week ; where, with much devotion, they offered up their prayer to 
God, to avert this peril from them. There were upward of one hun- 
dred thousand who were desirous the French should come to Eng- 
land, saying, to comfort the weak-hearted, " Let them come : by 
God I not a soul shall return back to tell their story." Such as were 
in debt, and had not any intention of paying, nor wherewithal to do 
so, were delighted, and said to their creditors, " Hold yoiu tongues : 
they are coining florins in France, and we will pay you with them :" 
and thus they lived extravagantly, and ypended largely, for credit 
■was not refused them. Whenever they were asked to pay, they re- 
plied, " How can you ask for money 1 is it not better that we spend 
it, than that Frenclunen should find it and carry it away ?'' Thus 
were many thousand pounds sterling foolishly spent in England. 

The king of England was diu-ing this time in Wales with the earl 
of Oxford, who governed England, for without his consent nothing 
was done. The king's privy council consisted of sir Simon Burley, 
sir Nicholas Bramber, sir Robert Tresilian, sir Robert Beauchamp, 
sir John Salisburj', sir Michael de la Fole, and also the bishop of 
Nonvich and sir William Neville, brother to the lord Neville. These 
counsellors did with the king as they pleased, and carried him whither- 
soever they liked ; for neither had his uncles of Cambridge and 
Buckingham been able to retiin any influence, nor could they act, 
without knowing whether it were agreeable to the above-named 
counsellors. .^11 these discords were the topic of conversation in 
France, and incited them to hasten their preparations. They wished 
to force the duke of Lancaster to return from Castille, but would not 
on that account have given up their invasion. The lords, prelates, 
and citizens of the principal towns in England, ha\*ing obtained exact 
information that the French were nearly ready to put to sea, held an 
assembly, in which they debated what was proper to be done. The 
king was written to by his uncles to return to London, as the whole 
coimtry was much dissatisfied with him and bis advisers. The king 
and his council, not daring to refuse, left Wales, where he and his 
queen had resided a considerable time. On his arrival at Windsor, 
he staid some days, and, there leaving his queen, came to his palace 
of Westminster. Those who had any business to transact went 
thither to the king; and before the parliament was holden, a council 
was called to consider how they might appease the great discontents 
which appeared in the country. In this parliament, which was at- 
tended by the king, his uncles, and all the nobles and prelates of the 
realm, the earl of Salisbury, a prudent and valiant man, spoke as 
follows : " Your majesty, and my lords present, need not be surprised 
if our adversary, the king of France, proposes to invade us ; for since 
the death of the most potent and sagacious prince, Edward of happy 
memory, our sovereign lord, this realm has incurred several risks of 
being destroyed by its own subjects and the commotions of peasants. 
It is also perfectly well known in France that we disagree among 
ourselves, and are torn by faction, wliich makes them imagine their 
enterprise caimot fail of success. The danger is indeed great, for 
he must be weak who fears not his enemy. While we remained 
united, the king with the people, and the people with the king, we 
were victorious and powerful, and there were none able to do us any 
essential injur)'. It is therefore necessary (and never was anything 
in England more pressing) for us to act in imity, and reform what 
may be wrong, if we wish to preser\e our honor, as well as for us to 
inquire into the state of our ports, that such defence may be made 
that the kingdom be not any way hurt, nor we accused of neglect by 
tae country. This realm has been long in its flower ; and you know 
that what is in flower has greater need of attention than if in fruit. 
W e must therefore act as if it was in flower ; for, since these last 
sixty years, those knighte and squires who have gone out of it have 
acqui-ed more renown than any others of what nation soever. Let 
US exert ourselves, that our honor be preserved untarnished as Ion" 
as we live." 

This speech, of the earl of Salisbury was attentively listened to; 
and the lords said, it would be right to follow his advice. I will not 
longer dwell on what was debated at this meeting, for I do not pre- 
tend to know everything ; but I do know, that after proper care bad 
been taken, as I have already noticed, for the defence of Calais, all 
the coast of England, where it was thought the French would land, 



I was well guarded. The earl of Salisbury, because his estate wtjs 
! in the Isle of Wight, which lies opposite to the country of Caux in 
Normandy, was ordered thither to guard and defend it with the men. 
at-arms and archers of that country. The earl of Devonshire was 
! sent to Southampton with two hundred men-at-arms and six hundred 
j archers, to guard that haven. The earl of Northumberland to the 
port of Rye, with the same number of men-at-arms and archers. 
The earl of Cambridge was sent to Dover with five hundred men-at- 
arms and twelve hundred archers. His brother, the earl of Bucking- 
ham, to Sandwich, with six hundred men-at-arms and twelve hundred 
archers. The earls of Stafford and Pembroke to Orwell, with five 
hundred men-at-arms and twelve hundred archers. Sir Henry and 
sir FauLx Percy to Yarmouth, with three hundred men-at-arms and 
six hundred archers. Sir Simon Burley was appointed governor of 
Dover castle only. 

Every port and harbor from the Humber to Cornwall was well 
provided with men-at-arms and archers, and watchmen were posted 
on all the hills near the sea-coasts opposite to France and Flanders, 
The manner of posting the watches was as follows : they had large 
Gascony casks filled with sand, which they placed one on the other, 
rising like columns ; on these were planks, where the watchmen 
remained night and day on the look-out. They were ordered, the 
moment they should observe the fleet of France steering toward land, 
to light torches and make great fires on the hills to alarm the coun- 
try, and the forces within sight of these fires were to hasten thither. 
It had been resolved to allow the king of France to land, and even 
to remain unmolested for three or four days : they were first to attack 
the fleet, and destroy it and all their stores, and then to advance on 
the king of France, not to combat him immediately, but to harass 
his army, so that they might be disabled and afraid to forage ; for the 
corn countries were all to be burnt, and England at best is a difficult 
foraging country ; by which plan they would be starved and easily 
destroyed. Such was the plan laid down by the coimcil of England. 
Rochester bridge was ordered to be broken down, for a deep river 
runs under it, which flows through Sussex and Kent, and falls into 
the Thames, opposite the island of Sheppy. The Londoners woiUd 
pull this bridge down, for the greater security of their town. 

If the taxes were burdensome on towns and persons in France, I 
must say they were not much lighter in England, and the country 
suffered from them a long time afterwards ; but they were paid cheer- 
fully, that iliey might be more effectually guarded.* There were at 
this time ten thousand men-at-arms and one hundred thousand arch- 
ers in England, although the duke of Lancaster had led so large a 
force to Castille. I will now speak a little of this duke, and of tlie 
interview between him and the king of Portugal, and then return to 
England, for the matter presses, and I wish to speak of each and of 
their respective transactions. 



CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

THE KISU CF PORTUGAL, WHEN I.NFORMED OF THE DCKE OF LANCASTER'S 
ARKIVAX AT SAINT JAGO, WRITES BIM FRIENDLY LETTERS. THE KING- 
OF CASTILLE DEMAJJDS SUCCORS FROM FRANCE. THE TOWJi OF ROUEL- 
LES IN GALICIA TAKEN BY THE ENGLISH. 

Yor have before heard of the arrival of the duke of Lancaster 
with a large army at Coruiia ; how that city, but not the castle, had 
j surrendered to him on terms similar to those which were imposed on 
^ the other towns in Castille, by which means the eny was neitiier 
! attacked nor hurt ; you have also heard how he and his family had 
1 taken possession of Saint Jago de Compostella, where he intended to 
I reside, until he should have some intelligence from the king of Por- 
tugal. Don John, as soon as he knew the duke to be at St. Jago, 
I was much rejoiced, thinking that, when united, they could carry on 
I an advantageous war against Castille. He ordered the most friendly 
letters to be written to the duke and duchess, and to be forwarded 
instantly by special messengers. The receipt of such letters gave 
much pleasure'to the duke and duchess ; for they had great depend- 
ence on the king of Portugal, and knew that, without his aid, they 
would never be enabled to do anything effectual against Castille. 
They, therefore, made rich presents to the messengers, and returned 
the warmest answers. The duke, in his answer, gave the king to 
understand, that he should have much pleasure if an interview took 
place between them, as he wanted to have some conferences with 
him. 

While all these marks of affection were reciprocally tendered and re- 
ceived between the king of Portugal and the duke of Lancaster, the 
king of Castille wasstrengthening himself by every means in his power. 
He frequently stated his situation to the court of France, and was 
urgent in his demands for assistance to defend his realm ; for he ex- 
pected, when the season would allow, that there would be a vigorous 
war made on him, as the king of Portugal and the duke of Lancaster 
would then form a junction, and would be in such force as would 

* The dissensions between the king and Iiis parhament mn high at this period ; tJie 
parliament refused to grant supphes, and the king declared that if tJiey were denied he 
would apply to the ting of France, to whom he would sooner be obliged than his sub- 
jects. Ad accommodation was at length effected, Richard consented to banish his 
favorite, the earl of Suifolb. and supplies were voted to maintain the war against the 
king of France ; their administratioD was however confided to a body of thirty oom- 
missiooer!,— Ed. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, iRANCE, SPAIN, &. c . 



405 



overrun all CastiUc, unless he could raise an army to oppose them. While this was going on, others on the battlements, over the gate- 



The king of France and bis council, in their answer, desired the 
king of Castillc not to be uneasy ; for, before the month of January 
was passed, tiiey would give the English so much to do at home, as 
to prevent them from knowing which way to turn themselves ; that 
when England should be completely destroyed, they would come to 
his aid by sea, through Galicia or Portugal ; and if their enemies 



ways, threw down large stones and bars of iron, so that none dared 
venture too near for fear of these things, which killed whomever 
they hit. Thus did these peasants hold out their town against the 
English, who suffered indeed no loss until night ; but they were 
forced to retreat to a deserted village, a long league distant, to seek 
for lodgings, where they remained until the morrow. The spies 



till remained in that country, they would drive them out of it in a I sent after them brought back word that they had taken up their 



handsome manner, and within the year put an end to all these wars. 
The king of Castille contented himself with this answer as well as 
he could : indeed, he could not help himself; for none came to him 
from Frtmce, excepting those who had defended the castle of Coruiia. 
All knights and squires, however great their distance in the kingdom, 
hastened to Paris, Lille, and Douay : and the whole of that country, 
to the extent of fourteen leagues, was filled with men-at-arms and 
their followers. The multitudes were so great, that those who su. 
perintended the shipping, notwithstanding the number of vessels, 
declared they could not be all transported at once, by at least forty 
thousand men. 

It was ordered that no one was to be received on board the trans, 
ports but true men-at-arms ; and no knight was to have more than 
one varlet, nor any great baron more than two squires. No horses 
were to be embarked but those of the principal lords ; and this was 
so strictly observed at Sluys that the names of none were written 
down for the passage, nor received on board, but good men-at-arms. 
There was such a rascally crew in Flanders, in tlie country of Tour- 
nay, and in the castlewicks of Lille, Douay, and Artois, that they 
devoured and plundered everything, to the great loss of the poor in- 
habitants, on whom they lived, though they dared not complain for 
fear of their lives. They were more destructive than the English 
would have been if quartered in that country. The king of France 
and his lords had many fears ; for, should they leave these scoun- 
drels behind, they would unite and master the country ; and this 
woidd have happened, had the invasion taken place, and been im- 
successful. 

During the residence of the duke and duchess of Lancaster at St. 
Jago, several of their knights and squires made excursions into the 
country, and supported themselves in the best manner in which they 
were able, on whatever they could find. It fell out that sir Thomas 
Moreaux, marshal of the army, in company with sir Maubrun de 
Linieres, sir John d'Arabreticourt, Thierry, and William de Soimiain, 
and about two hundred spears and five hundred archers, when in | 



quarters at the village of Lyrias, but it seemed as if they would, on 
the next day, renew the attack. The townsmen, on hqpring this, 
said among themselves, " The shortest folUes are the best : we can 
never be blamed for surrendering to the duke of Lancaster, or to his 
marshal, having, ourselves, held out one whole day against them, 
without advice or assistance from any gentleman whatever. This 
we caimot long persist in, and, having begun the attack, the enemy 
will, of course, renew it, since they know the way. It will, there. 
fore, be better to sturender before they begin an assault ; for, if we 
be taken by storm, we shall lose our lives as well as our money." 

All agreed to this : and it was determined that, if the English re- 
turned on the morrow, they would go out to meet them, and surren- 
der the town on having their lives and properties spared. In truth, 
the EngUsh made their appearance shortly after stmrise, fresh and 
eager to renew the attack., ^\^len they were observed, four of the 
principal townsmen were sent out to conclude a treaty. As the 
marshal advanced under his pennon, casting his eyes around, he 
perceived these four men, and said, " I believe there are some from 
Rouelles, who want to parley with us : make them come forward." 
This was done ; and when they were near the marshal, they cast 
themselves on their knees, and said, " My lord, the inhabitants of 
Rouelles have sent us to parley with you ; will you hear us ?" 
"Yes," replied the marshal ; " what have you to say ?" '•' My lord, 
we come to offer the surrender of our town, if you will take us and 
all we possess under your protection ; and we will acknowledge the 
duke and duchess of Lancaster for our sovereigns, in like manner 
as those of Coruiia and Saint Jago have done." " I will take you, 
and all that belongs to you, under my protection," answered the 
marshal ; " but I will not insure your provisions, for men-at-arms 
must live." The deputies said, "That was reasonable; and the 
country abounded in provisions of all sorts ; but wait here a moment, 
that we may return to the town and relate what you have said, for 
we will keep the agreement, and we trust you will do the same." 
" Yes, on my faith wUl I," replied sir Thomas ; " but make haste 



Galicia, came before the town of Rouelles, seven leagues from Saint back." Upon this the four men returned to the town, to relate how 



Jago. He had heard that the townsmen would not acknowledge the 
duke of Lancaster for king ; and had slain his foragers, who, on their 
return, had passed by their barriers. They had ruined their roads 
so much, that the only tolerable one was close to the town ; and, 
when they foimd a good opportunity, they rushed out, and, like 
thieves as they were, murdered all passers, whether foragers or not. 
Complaints had been made of their conduct to the marshal, who was 
determined to apply a remedy, that being a part of his official duty. 
He and his companions dismounted, when near the town. The 
^atch had before sounded his horn, which had prepared the inhab- 
itants, and they had closed the gates and mounted the battlements ; 
for it would not have fared well to any one who had remained with, 
out the wall. The marshal, seeing from their appearance it must 
be assaulted, and having mused a wliile, said to sir John d'.\mbreti- 
court and Thierry de Soumain, " Mount your horses, and ride round 
the town to see where we may the best make our assault, and with 
the least loss of our men." Having mounted their horses, they soon 
rode round the place, for it was of no great circuit, and carefully 
examined every part of it. On their return to the marshal, who was 
waiting for them, they said, " Sir, this town has but two gates : you 
are at one, and the other is directly opposite : these are the two pla- 
ces which seem to us easiest of attack ; for the ditches round the 
town are deep, difficult of descent and ascent, on account of thorns 
and brambles." " I believe you are right,"' replied tlie marshal : ■' I 
will remain here with a part of our men, and you Maubrun, shall 
take the other and commence the attack. I know not what may be 
tlie event, but I with joy see those fellows, who, from their battle- 
ments, observe all we are doing. Look at them, they are as sulky- 
looding as monkeys eating pears, which children want to take from 
them.'" His companions burst out a laughing at this expression, and 
casting up their eyes to see the villains (which they had not before 
thought of,) went away with JIaubrun and his pennon 



sir Thomas had agreed to accept their terms, except in the article of 
provisions. They said, " God grant it may be so ; for you have suc- 
ceeded better than we expected." They then disencumbered the 
gate of the casks, beams, and faggots, and opening it wide, advan. 
ced to the barriers with the keys in their hands. WTien the mar- 
shal approached, he and his companions dismounted ; and the towns- 
men on their knees, presenting the keys, said, " My lord, you are 
sent hither, we learn, by the duke and duchess of Lancaster : we 
therefore offer you the keys, and surrender oiu- town, as agreed on 
between you and our men." " Upon these terms I accept the keys," 
replied the marshal ; and he and his men entered the town, where 
they quartered themselves here and there in the best manner they 
could. Sir Thomas Moreaux remained there the whole day. On 
the morrow, before his departure, he said to sir Thomas Maubrun 
de Linieres, " I give this town up to you and your men : you will 
make a good garrison of it." " By St. George, and so I will," re- 
plied sir Maubrun ; " for I like it well." 

Sir Maubrun de Linieres remained in garrison in Rouelles, having 
under him sixty spears and one himdred archers. Sir Thomas Mo- 
reaux remmed to the duke and duchess at Saint Jago. 



CHAPTER XXXIX. 



THE MAKSHAI. OF THE DUKE OF LA-VCASTEK S ARMY ATTACKS A!fD 
GAIXS BY TREATY THE TOWN OF VHXECLOPE I-V GALICIA. THE 
DfKE SE^^)S EMEASSADOKS TO THE EKG OF PORTTGAL TO AEBA>'GE 
AX CrrERVTEW BETWEEN THEM. 

Shokti-t after the marshal's return from Rouelles, he assembled 
a body of about three hundred spears and six himdred archers, and, 
thus accompanied, advanced into Galicia a long day's journey from 
They were I Saint Jago, and came before a town called Villeclope, which was 
about one hundred lances and three hundred archers, who advanced j only defended by the common people of the place. The marshal 
slowly to the opposite gate and halted. i not only examined it himself, but made his companions do so, and 

Attacks were made on both gates with great gallantry ; but the ' then asked if they thought it might be taken by storm. After some 
men of Rouelles, from their battlements, defended themselves with consideration, they said it could. Upon this they all dismoutited; 



Btones and darts, so that the archers and cross-bowmen were unable 
to act with success, and many were severely wounded. However, 
as the barriers were defenceless, for all had retired within the walls, 
the English destroyed the palisades and advanced up to the gates. 
They battered them so as to make them shake again ; but the in. 
habitants, aware of the mischief which might ensue from their gates 
being forced, came down from the battlements, and placed against 
them faggots and large beams of wood. Women and others brought 
earth and stones, with which they filled casks, and these they ar- 
ranged against the gates, closing up the whole of the entrances. 



and gave their horses to the servants to be led to the rear. They 
divided themselves into three divisions, and gave their orders like 
able men-at-arms. Sir Thomas Moreaux had the first : he gave the 
second to sir Evan Fitzwarren, and the third to sir John d'.Ajnbreti- 
court. Each had tmder his command eighty spears, and seven score 
archers, which was thought sufficient for the attack of such a place. 
They approached the town, entered the ditch, and gallantly made 
themselves masters of it, for it was dry, and ascended to the walls 
well shielded :• the archers were posted on the banks of the ditch, 



* Bien tarpts et pavi*^*. 



406 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &,c. 



and shot 80 ably that scarcely any dared to show themselves in its 
defence. Notwithstanding this, the townsmen fought valiantly, and 
they were very numerous : some lanched darts, others stones, aod 
used long poles shod with iron, which gave such blows that on 
whomsoever they fell, unless well armed, he was severely wounded 
or slain. The kniglits and squires, eager for renown, were busily 
employed in loosening the wall with pick-a.xes and crowbars, which 
they had brought with them, and continued their work in spite of 
the stones and lime-pots thrown down on their pavisses and basnets. 
Many gaKant deeds were done ; and in particular by two squires 
from Hainault, Thierry and William de Soumain. They, with their 
assistants, made a breacli in the wall, and fought hand to hand with 
those within. These two brothers gained seven lances, which were 
pushed at them through the breach, by wresting them out of the ene- 
my's hands. They were under the pennon of sir Evan FitzwaiTen. 
Sir John d'Ambreticourt made no boy's-play, but showed himself 
a true knight : he posted himself at the foot of the walls, and his 
pennon, with his arms of two hamets gules on a field ermine, fi.\ed 
in the ground before him : he had a pick-axe in his hand, laboring 
with all his might to batter the wall. One may be surprised the 
townsmen were not frightened when they saw themselves thus 
attacked on all sides : but it lasted not long, for there were too many 
able men employed, and, perceiving what must happen, they re- 
solved to surrender. The bailiff of the town, through whose means 
the place had held out for the king, came forth, and, having de- 
manded who was the commander, said : " My lord, order a cessa- 
tion of arms, for the inhabitants wish to enter into a treaty with you." 
The marshal replied, he would cheerfully do so, and sent a herald 
round the ditches, who thus spoke to the English : " Cease assaulting 
until you shall hear the trumpet of the marshal, for there is a treaty 
going forward with the townsmen." On this speech of the herald, 
the attack was suspended, and the assailants reposed themselves: 
indeed, many had need of it, for tliey had labored hard and were 
much fatigued. The townsmen, by their bailiff, said they were 
willing to yield the town on having their lives and fortunes spared, 
as the other towns in Galicia had done. " Indeed !" said the mar- 
shal, " but you will not come off so cheaply ; for you have given us 
much trouble, and wounded our men. You see plainly you cannot 
hold out longer, and you must purchase your peace from us, or we 
return to the attack, and take your town by storm." " And what is 
the sum you e.xpect for our ransom V " In God's name," said the 
marshal, " ten thousand francs." " You ask too much," replied 
the bailiff; " I offer you two thousand, for the town is poor, and has 
been heavily taxed." " I will not accept your offer," said the mar- 
shal ; " but take time to consider of it, and do not let the place be 
lost for three or four thousand francs, for all must be ours. I am 
already blamed by my companions for having entered into any 
treaty with you : therefore make haste, and either pay a handsome 
ransom or take the consequences." The bailiff returned to the 
town, and, calling the inhabitants together, said, " What will you 
do ? If you suffer the English to renew the attack, they will storm 
the town, put us all to death, and plunder our wealth. They de- 
mand ten thousand francs, and I have offered two, which I know is 
too little, and they will never take them : we must increase our offer 
two or three thousand more." Some, who were much alarmed for 
their lives and fortunes, said : " Bailiff, do not fail making a bargain 
with them ; for, sooner than they shall renew the assault, we will 
give four thousand francs.'" '■ It is well said," answered the bailiff, 
" and I will again treat with them." 

On this, the bailiff came again to the marshal, who was waiting 
for him ; and a ransom was agreed on, which, if I recollect, waa six 
thousand francs. The gates were thrown open to the army, who 
quartered themselves in the town, and refreshed themselves there 
two days. The marshal gave the place as a garrison to sir Evan 
Fitzwarren, who had under him two hundred men-at-arms and four 
hundred archers ; he held the place upward of eight months : but 
the ransom-money went to the duke of Lancaster, the marshal 
retaining one thousand francs. 

After this surrender of Villeclope, the marshal returned to St. 
Jago, which was his head-quarters, for the duke was desirous of 
having him near his person. At times, he marched to the borders 
of Castille, to alarm the French : but in general the English did not 
quit Galicia, whither the king of Castille sent none to oppose them; 
for he was advised not to attack them with a large army, but to ha- 
rass them from his garrisons, and to wait for succors from France. 
The duke's counsellors said to him as follows : " My lord, it is ne- 
cessary that you and the king of Portugal should have an interview 
to confer together. You write to each other, but that is not enough ; 
for the French are a subtle race, and see farther into affairs than 
most other nations. Should they, underhand, make a peace between 
the king of Portugal and the king of Castille, who has at his court, 
as we have been informed, several of the great barons of Portugal, 
either by a marriage or otherwise, so as to prevent you from having 
any assistance from him, what would become of you ? You would 
be in a much worse condition than ever in this country, and the 
Castilhans would not care anything for us, for you know they are 
the falsest and most gloomy petpple in the world. Do you imai^ine 
the king of Portugal has not thoroughly examined everything that 
concerns him ? and if the king of Castille would agree to a peace. 



allowing him for his life to reign in Portugal, and himself to be un- 
molested in Castille, we doubt not but he would turn his back on 
you, notwithstanding he has been so pressing to bring you liither. 
Thus will you be completely ruined. You are well acquainted with 
the present state of England, that it has enough to do to make head 
against its old enemies the French and Scots. Make the most, 
therefore, of the men you now have, and push on the war vigorously ; 
for, if you expect any reinforcements from England, you will be dis- 
appointed. You were two years in obtainmg what you now havje, 
and the king, your nephew, does not feel for the interests which 
made you quit the country. He is young, and confides in young 
counsellors, which has thrown England into much peril. Have an 
interview, therefore, with the king of Portugal as speedily as may 
be, and talk to him yourself; for you will gain more in one conver- 
sation than by four months' writing.'' 

The duke of Lancaster treasured up these words ; fur he knew 
they were the truth, and that they had loyally advised him. He 
answered, " What would you have me do?" '* We wish you would 
send five or six of your knights to the king of Portugal, and we ad- 
vise that a baron, at least, be of the number, to remonstrate with 
him on public affairs ; and let it be suggested that you are very anx- 
ious to have some personal conferences with him. Those whom 
you send will, of course, act with piudence ; but, by all means, let 
them press for an immediate interview.'* The duke consented to 
this proposal ; and the lord Poinings, a great baron in England, sir 
John Bancel,* sir John d'Ambreticourt, and sir John Sounder, has. 
tard brother to the constable of the army, were ordered to go to Por- 
tugal. These lords made themselves ready to set out from Saint 
Jago, with one hundred spears and two hundred archers ; but just as 
they were on the point of departure, having received their credential 
letters, there arrived from Portugal a knight and squire, attended by 
twelve lances. The knight's name was Vasco Martin d'Acunha, 
and the squire Fernando Martin de Merlo : they were both of the 
king's household, and the nearest about his person. They were 
comfortably lodged in Saint Jago, and presented to the duke and 
duchess, by each of whom they were most graciously received. 
They delivered their letters to their graces, which being read, they 
found, that in addition to the strong expressions of friendship and 
affection, the king of Portugal had sent two handsome ambling white 
mules, which gave them much pleasure. The English embassy was 
not for this laid aside ; it was only retarded four days. On the fifth 
day they set out, accompanied by the Portuguese ; and the duke, as 
a token of friendship, sent the king of Portugal two such beautiful 
pilgrim-falcons as had never been seen, and six English grayhounds, 
excellently trained for hunting all sorts of beasts. 

The English and Portuguese continued their journey through 
Galicia, without fear of the Castillians, for they were at too great a 
distance. On the road sir John d'Ambreticourt and Ferdinand de 
Merlo commenced an acquaintance ; for the squire had, in former 
times, served with sir Eustace d'Ambreticourt, sir John's uncle, and 
had even been with him when he died in Carentan. They continued 
in conversation until they arrived at the gate of Coimbra, where th« 
king of Portugal resided. As they were riding gently together, be. 
hind the rest of their company, they met a herald and his servant 
from Coimbra, on the road to the duke and his lords at Saint Jago 
He was attached to the king of Portugal, who, at the time of his 
coronation, had given him the name of Coimbra. The herald had 
already conversed with the lords who were advanced ; and when 
don Ferdinand saw him, he said : " Here comes the king's herald, 
who has not been long in this country : I will inquire some news 
from him." When they met, the squire said, " Where have you 
been for this year past, that I have not seen you ?" " In God'a 
name," replied the herald, " I have been in England to the king 
and his uncles, who have made me very rich. I went thence by 
sea to Brittany, and was present at the marriage of the duke, and at 
the grand feasts he gave two months in the town of Nantes on his 
union with the lady Jane of Navarre. t From thence I returned to 
Guerrande, and by sea to Poringal." 

While he was thus speaking, the squire kept his eyes fixed on an 
enamelled scutcheon that hung on the herald's breast, on which were 
emblazoned the arms of the king of Portugal and other kniglits of 
Portugal. Pointing with his finger to a coat of arms, he said : "Ah, 
here are the arms of a gallant knight of Portugal, sir John Portelet, 
which I am happy to see ; for he is a valiant knight, and was once 
of great service to me, which I ought always to remember.'' When, 
taking out of his purse four florins, he gave them, to the herald, who 
returned him thanks. Sir John d'Ambreticourt also examined the 
scutcheon, and remembering the arms, told me some time afterward, 
that the arms were two chaudi^res sables on a field argent, with an 
endenture gules. 

When the herald had taken his leave and departed, the squire thus 
spoke : " Sir John, you noticed those sable chaudieres, which the 
knight, to whom I am so much indebted, bore in his arms !" " Yes, 
I did," replied sir John ; " but tell me the cause why you praise him 
so much : I shall willingly listen to you ; for, as we ride on, we shall 



* d. if not lord Bumel. In the lutcst French edition it is BuvreU ; angUce Borerly. 
-Ed, 

t On the decease of Ihe duke of Brittanr. she was queen of England, by her manias^ 
with Henry IV. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



407 



be at a loss for conversation." " That I will do," replied he ; " for I 
such a knight is worth tiilkiiig of. A litde before the battle of Alju. 
barota, as the king of Portugal was inarching through the country 
from Coinibra, he sent me to seek some of his knights, tliat they 
might be present at the engagemenl. I therefore rode oft', attended 
(inly by a single page. In my way, I fell in with twenty Gascon 
■ lances, and I was suddenly in the midst before I perceived them, 
when I was made prisoner, and asked whither I was going. I said, 
< To ihe castle du Rout.'* ' What to do there ?' ' To seek sir .Tohn 
Fernando Portclet ; for the king wishes for his company at Aljuba. 
rota.' ' What 1 is not don Fernando governor of Ront, with your 
king of Portugal ?' 'No,' I replied, 'he is not; but he will hasten 
thither the moment he hears my message.' ' In God's name,' said 
they, ' he shall hear it ; for we will ride thitlier.' On saying this, 
they turned about, and took the road to Ront. When they were 
within sight, the watch on the battlements sounded his horn, as a 
signal for the appearance of an enemy. 

" Don Fernando asked from what quarter they were coming. 
'From the side of Oporto,' replied the watch. 'Ah, ah,' said he, 

* they must be Castillians seeking adventures, and on their road to 
Santarem. I will go and look at them ; for they may possibly tell 
me some news, and where the king is.' Having ordered his horse 
to be saddled, and his pennon to be unfurled, he set ofl'on a gallop, 
•with only nineteen more, to meet the enemy, who had formed an 
ambuscade. The Castillian party had sent one of their men to scour 
over the plain, mounted on a genet, which' being perceived by don 
Fernando, he said to a squire, ' Gallop thy genet, and see who that 
fellow is prancing on the plain.' The squire, sticking spurs into his 
horse, soon came up with the horseman, who suffered himself nearly 
to be overtaken : for his orders were to return instantly to the am- 
buscade, if followed by any one. When they were hard by, the 
whole party sallied forth and pursued the squire, who, being well 
mounted, had turned back. In the ct.ase, they shouted ' CastiUe I' 
which convinced don Fernando, who had halted under his pennon, 
to wait for his squire, whom they were closely pursuing, that they 
were enemies ; and he said, ' I am now sure they must be Castillians: 
let us sfiout " Portugal !'' for I am resolved to meet them.' At these 
words he grasped his spear, and came on full speed up to them. 
The firat whom he met he struck to the ground, and the second shared 
the same fate. Of the twenty-five spears, ten were already lying on 
the ground ; the remainder took to flight ; and of them several were 
likewise slain or wounded. All this I witnessed with great pleas- 
ure ; for I saw in it my deliverance, and in a few minutes was left 
alone. I then advanced toward don Fernando, who, on seeing me, 
recollected me ; for I had been formerly acquainted with him, and 
asked from whence I came, and what I was doing there : I then re- 
lated to him my adventure, and how the Spaniards had taken me. 

* And where is the king? Do you know nothing about him ?' ' On 
my troth, sir, to-morrow he will give battle to the king of CastiUe ; 
and I was sent to tell this to such knights as were ignorant of it.' 
' To-morrow I' said don Fernando. ' Yes, on my faith ; and, if you 
doubt me, ask these Castillians whom you have taken.* 

" He went to his prisoners, and inquired from them if there were 
certainly to be a battle on the morrow. They said, that in truth 
there would be a general engagement on the morrow between Cas- 
tiUe and Portugal, and that each side was making every exertion. 
The knight was well pleased at this intelligence, insomuch that he 
aaid to them, ' For the good news you have told me, I give you all 
your liberties, but surrender to me my countryman.' Thus did I re- 
gain my freedom ; and, don Fernando having taken leave of those 
■who captured me, they went their way. We returned to Ourem, 
where the knight made himself ready, and we set off together about 
midnight. The distance from Ourem to Aljubarota may be about 
Bix leagues ; but, to avoid the Castillians and their parties, we length, 
ened our road. We heard, long before we saw the armies drawn 
up, that there was to be a battle ; and, when we approached, we saw 
the king of Portugal in array, and the king of CastiUe opposite to 
him. At first, the knight could not distinguish the Portuguese from 
the Castillians, but said, ' I should imagine the largest army must be 
that of CastiUe.' We rode so near that we plainly distinguished the 
enemy drawn up in battle array : some put themselves in motion, 
in pursuit of us ; but I fancy they were foreigners, from Gascony. 
Don Fernando, observing them, said, ' Here are our enemies : let 
1)3 hasten away.' The enemy advanced full gallop, shouting, ' Cas. 
tille, CastiUe I' but our men. seeing our situation, came to our assist- 
ance ; the main body, howTver, did not take any step in consequence. 
The king received don Fernando with great joy, and he was posted 
at the bridle of the king's horse, for he was one of our bravest 
knights. I feel myself under the greatest obligation to him for hav- 
ing delivered me from the hands of mine enemies ; otherwise I 
should not have been present at this famous battle of Aljubarota. 
Now, did he not do me a great service ?'' " On my faith, that he did," 
replied sir John ; " and, from what you have said, he must be well 
acquainted with his business." " Ay, that he is," answered the 
squire. Upon this, they rode on a little faster to overtake their com- 
panions ; and they all arrived that night at Coimbra. 



• "Castle du Ront."— Q, if not Onrem. 



CHAPTER XL. 

THE DUKE or LANCASTER HAS AN INTERVIEW WITH THE KlNCi OF PORTU- 
S.iL. A MARRIASE IS ASREED UPON BETWEEN THE KING AND THE 
LADY FHILIFPA, DAUGHTER OF THE DUKE. 

The king of Portugal was well pleased at the arrival of the Eng- 
lish knights, and commanded that they shguld be comfortably lodged. 
When they were ready, don Martin d'Acunha and don Fernando 
Martin de Merlo, who were acquainted with the king's habits, intro- 
duced them to him. He received them very graciously ; and after 
some conversation, which they knew well how to keep up, they pre. 
sented the falcons and grayhounds. The king cheerfully accepted 
them, as he was fond of the chase. They returned the king thanks, 
on the part of the duke and duchess of Lancaster, for the handssme 
mules he had given them. The king rephed, these were trifles, 
merely tokens of aff'ection, such as lords desirous of maintaining love 
and friendship ought to make to each other ; but he should soon oft'er 
more splendid presents. Wine and spices were now brought, of 
which the English knights having partaken, they took leave of the 
king and returned to their lodgings, where they supped. On the 
morrow, they dined at the palace, and the lord Poinings and sir John 
Bancel were seated at the king's table. Sir John d'Ambreticourt 
and sir John Sounder were at another table with the great barons of 
the kingdom, among whom was Lawrence Fongasse, squire of honor 
to the king, who was well known to these knights, having been ac- 
quainted with them in England ; on which account he made them 
the best cheer in his power, and this he knew well how to do. 

The dinner the king of Portugal gave to these knights was very 
handsome and well served : when over, they adjourned to the coun. 
cil.chamber, and the knights, addressing themselves to the king, the 
count d'Acunha and the count de Novaire spoke as follows : " Sire, 
with all the compliments the duke of Lancaster has charged us to 
pay you, he ordered us to say that he is very desirous of having a 
personal interview with you." The king replied, he was equally 
anxious for it, and added, " I beg of you to hasten everything as 
much as possible, that we may have a conference together." " That 
will be very proper," said the barons of Portugal ; " for until you 
meet you will never understand each other. You may then confer 
on the most eftectual means of carrying on the war against the king 
of CastiUe." " That is true,'' answered the knights. " Be speedy 
about it, then," said the king : " for, if the duke wishes to see me, I 
wish also to see him." They then entered on other conversation ; 
for the council was to determine when and where this meeting should 
take place, and infomi the English knights of it. This was done. 
It was agreed the king of Portugal should go to Oporto, and the duke 
of Lancaster advance along the borders of Galicia ; and somewhere 
between them and Oporto the meeting was to be held. When the 
English knights had remained three days at Coimbra, they departed 
and foUowed the same road back to Saint Jago, where they related 
to the duke and duchess all that had passed. They were, with 
reason, well satisfied with it, for their affairs seemed now likely to 
be attended to. 

When the day of meeting approached, the duke of Lancaster left 
his army, under the command of his marshal, at Saint Jago, and at. 
tended by three hundred spears and six hundred archers, and sir 
John Holland, (who had married. his eldest daughter,) with many 
knights, rode toward the frontiers of Portugal. The king of Por. 
tugal, hearing that the duke was set out from Saint Jago, left Oporto 
with .six hundred spears, and went to a town called in that country 
Mon(;ao, the last town of Portugal on that side. The duke came 
to a town on the frontiers called Melgayo, Between Mon^ao and 
Melgacjo runs a small river through meadows and fields, over which 
is a bridge caUed Pont de More.* 

On a Thursday morning, the king of Portugal and the duke of 
Lancaster had their first interview at this bridge, attended by their 
escorts, when they made acquaintance with each other. On the 
king of Portugal's side had been built a bower, covered with leaves, 
in which the duke was entertained at dinner by the king. It was a 
handsome one ; and the bishop of Coimbra, the bishop of Oporto, 
as also the archbishop of Braganza, were seated at the king's table 
with the duke, and a litUe below him were sir John Holland and sir 
Henry Beaumont. There were many minstrels, and this entertain- 
ment lasted until night. The king of Portugal was that day clotlied 
in white lined with crimson, with a red cross of St. George, being 
the dress of the order of Avis, of which he was grand.master.t 
When the people had elected him their king, he declared he would 
always wear that dress in honor of God and St. George, and his at. 
tendants were all dressed in white and crimson. When it became 
late, they took leave of each other, with the engagement of meeting 
again on the morrow. The king went to Mon^ao, and the duke to 
Melgai;o, which places were only separated by the river and mead- 
ows. On the Friday, after hearing the mass, they mounted their 
horses, and rode over the Pont de More, to the spot where they had 
met the preceding day. The house which had been erected for this 
occasion was the fairest and greatest that had been ever seen there. 
The king and duke had each their apartments hung with cloth and 

* " Pont de More."— CI. 

T Fvoisdart mistakes the color of the cross : it was green, and borne on U^e left side. 



408 



;hronicles of England, France, spain, &.«. 



covered with carpets, as convenient as if the king had been at Lis. 
bon or the duke in London. 

Before dinner they had a conference on the state of their aiTairs, 
how they should carry on the war, and wlien they should commence 
it. They resolved to order tlieir marsiials to continue their attacks 
during tiie winter, which the king was to pass in Portugal, and the 
duke at Saint Jago ; and it \vas settled that, early in March, they 
would unite their forces, «nd march to combat the king of Castille, 
■wherever he might be, and whoever he might have with him ; for 
the English and Portuguese, when united, would be full thirty thou- 
sand men. When this had been determined, the king's council in- 
troduced the subject of a marriage with their king ; for the country 
was very desirous he would man-y, as it was now time ; and by it 
they would be much strengthened ; and they thought he could not 
make a better choice for himself, nor one more agreeable to them, 
than by intermarrying with the house of Lancaster. The duke, 
who saw the attachment the king and the Portuguese had for him, 
and that he had need of their assistance, as he was come from Eng- 
land to Portugal to regain his kingdom of Castille, replied \vilh a 
smile, addressing the king : " Sir King, I have at Saint Jago two 
girls, and I will give you the choice to take which of them shall 
please you best. Send thither your council, and I will return her 
with them.'' " Matiy thanks," said the king : "you ofler me more 
than I ask. I will leave my cousin Catherine, of Castille ; but I 
demand your daughter Philippa, in marriage, whom I will espouse 
and make my queen." At these words the conference broke up, as 
it was dinner-time. They were seated as on the preceding day, and 
most sumptuously and plentifidly served, according to the custom of 
that country. After dinner, the king and duke returned to their 
lodgings. 

On the Saturday after mass, they again mounted their horses, and 
returned to Pont de More in grand array. The duke this day en- 
tertained at dinner the king and his attendants. His apartments 
were decorated with the richest tapestry, with his arms emblazoned 
on it, and as splendidly ornamented as if he had been at Hertford, 
Leicester, or at any of his mansions in England, which very much 
astonished the Portuguese. Three bishops and one archbishop were 
-Seated at the upper table ; the bishops of Lisbon, of Oporto, of Coim- 
bra, and the archbishop of Braganza. The king of Portugal was 
placed at the middle, and the duke somewhat below him : a little 
lower than the duke, the count d'Acunha and the count de Novaire. 
At the head of the second table was the deputy grand-master of Avis: 
then the grand-master of St. Jajuce. in Portugal,* and the grand- 
master of St. John, Diego Lopez Pachceo, Joao Fernandez Pacheco 
his son, Lopo Vasquez d'Acunha, Vasco Martin d'Acunha, Lopo 
Diaz d'Azevcdo, Vasco Martin de Merlo, Gonzalves de Merlo, all 
great barons. The abbot of Aljubarota, the abbot of St. Mary, in 
Estremadoura, sir^JMvarez Pereira, marshal of Portugal, Joao Rod- 
riguez Pereira, Joao Gomez de Silva, Joao Rodriguez de Sa, and 
many other Portuguese knights, were there seated ; for not one Eng- 
lishman was at the table that day, but served their guests. There 
were numbers of minstrels, who played their parts well ; and the 
duke gave them and the heralds one hundred nobles each. 

When this festival was ended, they took a most friemlly leave of 
each other, until they should meet again. The king returned 1 1 
Oporto, and the duke to Melga^o, from whence he journeyed towanl 
Saint Jago. The count de Novaire escorted him with one hundred 
Portuguese lances, until he was out of all danger, when he took 
leave and returned to Portugal. The duchess was very impatient 
for the duke's return, to hear how the conferences had passed ; of 
course, you may suppose, she received him with joy. She asked 
what he thought of the king of Portugal. " On my faith," replied 
the duke, " he is an agreeable man, and has the appearance of being 
a valiant one, and I think he will reign powerfully ; for he is much 
beloved by his subjects, who say that they have not been so fortunate 
in a king for these hundred years. He is but twenty.si.x years old, 
and, like the Portuguese, strong, and well formed in his limbs and 
body to go through much labor and pain." " Well, and what was 
done in regard to the marriage?" said the duchess. " I have given 
him one of my daughters." " Which ?" asked the duchess. " I 
ofTered him the choice of Catherine or Pliilippa ; for which he 
thanked me much, and has fixed on Philippa." "He is in the right," 
said the duchess; "for my daughter Catherine is too young for 
him." 

The duke and duchess passed the time as well as they could ; 
winter was approaching, though in Galicia the severity of that sea. 
son is scarcely felt ; for it is always there so warm, that some fruits 
are eatable, even in March, and beans, peas, and grass, are high and 
flourishing in February. Their hay-harvest is over before Midsum- 
mer-day ; and, by that time their corn is, in several places, com- 
pletely ripe, 

CHAPTER XLL 

THE EUKE OF Lancaster's marshal gains for him severai, places in 

SALICIA. THE CONDUCT OF THE KINS OF CASTILLE. 

Notwithstanding the duke of Lancaster lived quietly at St. Jago 
with his duchesa and children, it was not so with his army ; for the 
* Rodricucz de Viiectmeeilos. 



commanders made frequent excursions over the country, conquering 
towns and castles, of which, for a time they held possession. I will 
faithfully narrate the manner in which they did this, and the names 
of the towns they gained ; for I was told all the particulars of the 
campaign by those English knights who had been actors in these 
conquests ; but more particularly by that gallant knight of Portugal 
whom I have before mentioned, who, in the most friendly manner, 
entered into all the details at Middleburgli, in Zealand, where he 
was, on his way to Prussia. I have already told his name, but I will 
repeat it: he was called John Fernando Portelct, who informed rae 
as follows : 

" When the duke of Lancaster was returned to Saint Jago, from 
the frontiers of Portugal, Sir Thomas Moreaux, the marshal of his 
army, said to him, that he was unwilling to remain in idleness ; and 
that, since they were in an enemy's country, he would make some 
excursions to conquer towns or castles, and employ the army who 
were very anxious for it. He gave his orders accordingly, and de- 
clared he would penetrate into Galicia farther than he had hitherto 
been, and would not leave town nor castle behind him without their 
submitting to the duke. He began his march from Saint Jago, with 
six hundred lances and twelve hundred archers, and took the road 
to Pontevedra, a good town of Galicia, which held out for the king 
of Castille. The townsmen were well aware of the intended attack; 
for all the inhabitants of the flat countries fled before the English, to 
diff'erent towns, to save themselves and fortunes. When the marshal 
came before the place, the inhabitants were in deep consultation, 
whether to surrender, or to defend themselves ; but they were not 
unanimous. The lower sort of inhabitants wanted to surrender in- 
stantly : the bailift' (who had been ordered thither by the king to guard 
and defend it,) with those who were the richest, wished to hold out ; 
for they said that an instant surrender would not redound to their 
honor nor profit. They were still in debate, when the watch sounded 
his horn to announce the arrival of the English. This broke up the 
assembly ; and every one ran to the battlements, armed with stones, 
darts, and javelins, with a full determination to defend the place, 
and not to surrender it until pushed to extremities. 

'• When tiic marshal and his companions arrived at P.wtevedra, 
they dismounted and gave their horses to their servants. They drew 
up their men for instantly attacking it. The archers were ranged 
round the walls with bows bent for shooting ; and men-at-arms, well 
.-u-mcd and shielded, descended into the ditch. On the marshal's 
trumpet sounding, the assault commenced ; and those who were in 
the ditch scrambled up to the walls, with pick.a.xes and iron crows to 
undermine thcra. The townsmen showered down on them stones 
and flints to their great annoyance : they would have done mure, if 
the archers had not made good use of their bows : few, after some 
time, dared to show themselves on the bulwarks, for they killed and 
woimdcd many. The bailifl'of the town was so severely struck by 
an arrow, which pierced his helmet and head, that he was forced to 
be carried to his house. The ill-intentioned in the place were not 
sorry at this, because he would not consent to a suirendcr. This 
accident, however, did not cause the defence to be weakened ; on 
the contrary, tliey were the more active ; and the attack continued 
until night, when the enemy sounded a retreat. Many were wounded 
on each side. The English relumed to their quarters, fully deter- 
mined to renew the attack on the monow, and to gain the place by 
capitulation or storm. 

" During the night, the inhabitants held a meeting and said : ' We 
are mad, thus to suffer ourselves to be killed and wounded for noth- 
ing. Why do not we act like the other towns which have surren- 
dered ? "They have j'ielded themselves to the duke of Lancaster 
and the lady Constance, daughter to king don Pedro, on condition 
that, if the rest of the towns in Spain acknowledge him for king- 
they will do the same : in which they have acted wisely, for they 
have remained unmolested.' * In God's name,' said others, * we 
wanted to do so, but our bailiff persuaded us to the contrary, for 
which he has paid severely ; for there is a great chance if he will 
ever recover from the wound in his head.' ' Let us go,' said some, 
' and speak with him, and ask how we hod best act now ; for the 
English w-ill certainly return to-morrow, and conquer us by fair or 
foul means.' This proposition was adopted, and twelve of the prin- 
cipal townsmen went to the bailiff''s house, whose name was, I be- 
hove, Diantale de L^on. They found him lying on a couch, his 
wound having been just dressed ; and, as it had so lately happened, 
he did not suffer much from it, and made good cheer to those among 
them whom he knew, and had come to see him. He inquired how 
the attack had been carried on, and if they had weU defended diera- 
selves. They said, ' Tolerably well ; and, thanks to God, no one, 
excepting himself, of any consequence, had been hurt ; but to-morroW 
will be the day, for we are assured we shall be very hard pushed ; 
and such ignorant and simple persons as ourselves will never be able 
to withstand their attacks. We therefore come to yon for advice 
how to act. The English menace us greatly ; and should they svin 
the place by storm, they will put all to the sword, and plunder the 
town.' 

" ' In tlie name of God,' replied Diantale de L6on, 'you can never 
be blamed for surrendering; but treat prudently, and manage by all 
means to avoid being taken by storm. Offer to put yourselves under 
the obedience of the duke and duchess of Lancaster, on tlie same 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



409 



tenns with those of Coruna, for no Englishman ever entered that 
town. They sent out to them provisions for money ; and, if you 
will follow my advice, you will do the same. I believe they will be 
glad to accept your submission, for there are many other towns in 
Galicia to conquer, and they will not hold out for trifles.' ' You say 
well,' replied the townsmen, ' and we will do as you advise.' They 
then left him, and passed the night as well as they could._ By sun. 
rise, on the morrow, they had properly instructed seven of the prin. 
cipal inhabitants, whom they sent out of the town to treat with sir 
Thomas Moreau.x : they met him on his march to renew the attack. 




Attack on tsk Fortifications of 1'onti;vediia. Co.iiposed IVom ilarleiaii MS., 4425, and MS. Froissart of the 15th 

century. 



They cast themselves on their knees, and, having saluted him, said, 
* My lord, we are sent hither by the inhabitants of Pontevedra, who 
offer to place themselves under the obedience of the duke and duchess 
of Lancaster, on the same terms which those of Coruna have ob- 
tained. This they have ordered us to tell you, and also that you may 
have provision in plenty on paying a fair price. It is the wish of 
those who have sent us, that you push them no farther, and that 
neither yourself nor any from you enter the place armed and by 
force ; but that if you or any others be desirous of courteously enter- 
ing the town, they shall be welcome.' The marshal had with him 
one who understood perfectly the Galician tongue, who repeated to 
him in English all that had been said. The marshal replied, ' Return 
quickly to your town, and let those who have sent you come to the 
barriers. I will grant them respite until to-morrow at sunrise, should 
we not make a satisfactory agreement.' They promised to comply 
with his command, and departed. When arrived at the barriers, 
they found there the greater part of the townsmen waiting, to whom 
they told all thai had passed between them and the marshal; add- 
ing, 'The marshal will soon be here himself: therefore, if you do 
not think yourselves of sufficient consequence to parley with him, 
hasten those hither whom you may wish for.' 

'* -\s tlie principal inhabitants were at the barriers, they saw sir 
Thomas Moreaux, with about forty lances, advancing, who on his 
arrival dismounted, and his companions likewise. He addressed 
them as follows : ' You, the inhabitants of Pontevedra, have sent to 
us seven of your brother townsmen, and persons in whom I am sat- 
isfied you have confidence : they have told us that you are willing to 
submit yourselves to the duke and duchess of Lancaster, on the same 
terms which those of Coruiia have obtained, but that you wish to 
have no other governors but yourselves. Now tell me, I beg of you, 
what sovereignty my lord would have if he had not his own officers 
in the town ? When you pleased you would acknowledge him for 
your king, and when you pleased disavow him. Know, that it is 
my intention, as well as that of those around me, to give you a wise, 
valiant and prudent governor, who will defend you and do ample 
justice to all alike, and I mean to thrust out the officers of the king 
of Castille : let me hear, therefore, if you consent to these terms, for 
such are our fi.ved resolutions.' They requested leave to consult 
together, and having done so. replied : * My lord, we have the fullest 
confidence in you, but we are afraid of pillagers; for we have for- 
merly been so ill treated by persons of that description, when sir 
Bertrand du Guesclin and the Bretons first came hither : they left 
us not a rag, and we are in dread of the like happening again.' * You 
need not,' said sir Thomas, ' for no pillager shall ever enter your 
town. You shall lose nothing by us : all we want is your obedi- 



ence.' This speech settled the business, and sir Thomas and his 
company entered the town, his army taking up their quarters in tents 
without the walls. The inhabitants sent them twenty-four horse- 
loads of wine, as much bread, and poultry in abundance for the 
principal officers. 

" The marshal remained the whole day in Pontevedra, to arrange 
a government for the duke of Lancaster. He appointed an honest 
Galician governor, Jvho had followed the duchess to England, with 
whom the inhabitants were satisfied. On the morrow, he returned 
to his army, and in a council he determined to march against another 
town that was rebellious, called Vigo, 
six leagues distant from Pontevedra. 
They instantly began their march ; and, 
when within two leagues of the place, 
jA they sent forward to know if they would 

surrender, as Pontevedra and other 
towns had done, which, if they refused, 
they might rest assured they should be 
attacked in the morning. The inhabit- 
ants paid no attention to this menace, 
and said, that they had often had as- 
saults, but had never been the worse for 
them. When this answer was carried 
to the marshal, he swore by St. George 
they should be attacked in earnest. 
' What ! are the scoundrels so proud to 
send me such an answer V They passed 
the night comfortably with what they 
brought with them, and on the morrow 
hy sunrise were on their march to Vigo. 
It was near ten o'clock when they 
came before the town, and each party 
made preparations for the attack and 
defence. Vigo, though not a large 
town, is sufficiently strong ; and had 
there been within it some knights and 
squires, who understood their profession, 
I do not believe the English would have 
gained it so easily as they did ; for the 
moment the inhabitants felt the arrows 
of the English and saw many killed and 
wounded by them, for they were badly 
armed, they were panic-struck, and 
said, ' Why do we let ourselves be killed 
and wounded for the king of Castille ? We may as well have the 
duke of Lancaster, who married the daughter of don Pedro, for our 
king, as the son of don Henry of Transtamare, We must know, that 
if we be taken by storm, our lives will be forfeited and our town 
plundered, and there does not seem succor coming to us from any 
quarter. A month ago, we sent a remonstrance to the king of Castille 
at Burgos on our situation, and the peril we should be in, if the English 
marched hither, as we heard they intended doing. The king indeed 
spoke to the French knights who are with him on the matter, but no 
orders were given for any men-at-arms to be sent hither as a garrison, 
any more than to other parts of Galicia, which plainly showed it was 
indifferent to the king whether we were won or not. He told our 
envoys to return and do as well as they could. This proves he does 
not wish us to be slain, nor the place taken by storm.' 

" On saying this, some of the townsmen mounted over the gate- 
way, and from a window made signs they wished for a parley, to 
treat of peace. They were observed ; and the marshal, going thither, 
asked what they wanted. They said ; ' Marshal, order your men to 
retire : we will submit ourselves to the duke and duchess of Lan. 
caster, on the same terms as those of Coruiia and other towns have 
obtained ; and if you want provisions, you shall courteously have 
them from us ; but we will not suffer any one to enter the town by 
force of arms. This is our proposal, and by this we mean to abide.' 
The marshal was advised to answer, ' I agree to your terms ; but I 
must appoint an able governor, to counsel and defend you, should 
there be any need of it.' They answered, they would also admit of 
this. Thus was the treaty concluded ; and, on the assault ceasing, 
the army retreated from before it into the plain. The marshal, sir 
Evan Fitzwarren, sir John Abuurelle,* the lord de Pommiers, and 
sir John d'Ambreticourt, entered the town to refresh themselves, 
where they remained the whole day. Those without the walls re- 
ceived bread, wine, and other provision from the town in abundance. 
"-\fter the conquest of Vigo, where the lords had availed them- 
selves of the opportunity to refresh themselves at their ease, for it is 
situated in a rich country, and had nominated as governor an Eng- 
lish squire called Thomas Albery, a prudent and valiant man, to 
whom they gave twelve archers for his defence, they marched from 
thence, skirting the mountains and borders of Castille, toward the 
large town of Bayona. When they had advanced within two leagues 
of the place, they halted and took up their quarters for the night. 
On the morrow, they dislodged and marched in battle-array lo Bay. 
ona. When near, they formed themselves into two divisions, and 
sent forward a herald to learn the intentions of the inhabitants, 
whether they would surrender without being assaulted. The herald 

* limacinethismualbeintendedfoisirHushlordBurne!. S^ DvsMe. 



410 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &,c. 



had not far to go ; and, when arrived at the barriers, he found plenty 
of common people there, though badly armed, to whom he delivered 
his message ; for he well understood their language, being a Portu- 
guosc. His name was Coimbra, and attached to the king of Por- 
tugal. ' You men of the town,' said he, ' what are your intentions ? 
Will you suffer yourselves to be attacked, or will you surrender 
quietly to your sovereigns, the duke and duchess of Lancaster? My 
lord marshal and his companions send me hither to know what you 
mean to do.' Upon this they collected together and began to talk 
aloud, saying, ' What shall we do ? Shall we defend ourselves, or 
surrender >' An old man who had learnt experience, from having 
seen more than they had, addressed them : ' My good sirs, in our 
situation wc must not hold long councils; and the English are very 
courteous in thus allowing us time to deliberate. You are aware 
that we have not any hopes of succor ; for the king of Gastille, w-ho 
knows our situation well, and has done so since the an-ival of the 
duke and duchess at Coruna, has not provided any resources for us, 
nor does he seem inclined so to do. If we, therefore, allow our- 
selves to be attacked, the town is so large and ill fortified, we can- 
not guard the whole ; and the English are subtle in war : they will 
exert themselves to conquer us, in hopes of plunder; for they are, 
like all men-at-arms, eager to enrich themselves ; and this town is 
supposed to be more rich than in fact it is. I therefore think it most 
advisable that we quietly submit to the duke and duchess of Lancaster, 
and, by not foolishly resisting, lose more, but obtain peace on ad- 
vantageous terms. This is the advice I give you.' 'They replied, 
they would follow it ; and as he was a man of consideration in Bay. 
ona, they requested him to answer the herald. ' I will cheerfully 
do so ; but we must give him some money, which will bind him to 
our interests, and induce him to make a favorable report to his lords." 
On this he advanced to the herald, and said : ' You will return to 
your lords, and assure them we are willing to put ourselves under 
the obedience of the duke and duchess of Lancaster, in the same 
manner other towns in Galicia have done, or may do. Now, go and 
do our business well, and we will give you twenty florins.' The 
herald was delighted on hearing this speech, and the promise of 
twenty florins ; and said, ' Where are the florins?' They were in. 
stantly paid down, and he set oft", gayly, to rejoin the English army. 

" The marshal and his companions, on seeing him return, asked 
what news he had brought. * Do the townsmen mean to surrender 
or wait the attack ?' ' By my faith, my lords,' replied the herald, 
' they have no such intentions. They desire me to inform you, they 
are willing to submit themselves to the duke and duchess, on simi- 
lar terms to those which other towns have obtained ; and if you will 
go thither, they will gladly receive you.' ' Well,' said the marshal, ' it 
is better we thus gain the place than by assault ; for our men, at 
least, will neither be wounded nor slain.' The marshal and his 
army marched at a foot's.pace to the town, where he dismounted, 
and went to the barrier and gate. There were numbers of people 
assembled, but their whole armors were not worth ten francs, to see 
the English ; and the person who had given the answer to the he. 
raid was there also, to conclude a treaty. The moment the herald 
perceived him, he said to the marshal, ' My lord, speak to that el- 
derly man who is bowing to you. for he has the greatest weight in 
the place.' The marshal advanced, and said, ' Now, what have you 
to say ? Will you surrender yourselves to my lord, the duke of 
Lancaster, and to his duchess, as to your legal sovereigns ?' ' Yes,' 
my lord,' replied the old man : * we surrender ourselves to you, and 
acknowledge them for our lords, as other towns in Galicia have 
done ; and, if you and your companions please to enter the town, 
you are welcome ; but on condition That, should you want provision, 
you do not seize it, but loyally pay for whatever you may take.' * 1 
agree to this,' said the marshal ; * for we only desire the love and obe- 
dience of the country; but you must swear, that should the king of 
Gastille come in person, or send hither any troops, you will defend 
yourselves boldly against him and all his allies.' ' We willingly 
swear this ; and should he come himself, or send any troops, we will 
remain steady to your interest ; for you will never find any deceit in 
US.' ' I am satisfied,' answered the marshal, ' and do not require 
more. Before the expiration of the year, the dispute will be de. 
cided ; and the crown of Gastille, Cordova, Galicia, and Seville, 
will fall to the strongest; for, by the end of August, there will be 
^uch numbers of men-at-arms in Gastille as have not been seen for 
these hundred years.' ' Well, my lord,' answered the -elder, * let 
happen what may, and the right fall where it ought, we of Galicia 
venture to wait the event.' 

" Upon this, the holy sacrament was brought, and those who gov. 
erned the town swore upon it to behave loyally and faithfully, like 
good subjects, to the duke and duchess of Lancaster, and to acknow- 
ledge them as their ."-overeigns, in the same manner as other towns 
had done. The marshal, in the name of the duke of Lancaster re. 
ccived them as his subjects, and swore to defend and govern them 
in peace and justice. When all this had been done, the barriers 
and gates were thrown open, when all entered who chose, and lodged 
themselves where they could. They remained there four days, to 
recruit themselves and horses, and also to wait for fair weather ; for, 
during these four days, it rained incessantly, and the rivers were 
much swelled. There are, in Galicia, many rivers which are so 
.gpeatly increased by the mountain.torrents, that they are very dan- 



gerous to pass. While waiting for a change in the weather, they 
held a council, whether they should march for Betancos or Ribada. 
via, which is a strong town, inhabited by the most insolent and treach- 
erous people in all Galicia. On the fifth day, the English dislodged 
from Bayona, and took the field. The weather was now temperate, 
and the rivers, to their great joy, reduced to their usual size. They 
rode toward Ribadavia without any opposition ; and, as no one 
came out against them, they thought themselves lords of Galicia. 
They arrived near the town, with a large train of baggage, horses 
and victuallers, and encamped in a grove of olive trees on a hand- 
some plain, about half a league from the place. They resolved to 
send a herald to parley with the townsmen, before they made any 
preparations for the attack ; for the marshal well knew they were 
the falsest and worst people in all Gastille, extensive as it js ; and 
that they paid no regard to the king, nor to any one but themselves, 
depending on the strength of their town. 

" The herald, before he set out, was charged to learn their inten- 
tions ; but, when he came to the barriers, he found them and the 
gate closed. He shouted and called, but received no answer what- 
ever. He saw, indeed, several pass backward and forward on the 
battlements ; but for all he could do, not one would come and speak 
with him, though he remained an hour thus bawling to them. Find- 
ing he could not obtain a hearing, he said to himself, ' 1 fancy these 
men of Ribadavia have had some communication with those of Bay- 
ona, who are vexed they should have given me twenty florins for 
so little trouble, and want to make me here pay for it. By holy 
Mary ! 1 believe they wish to keep me until it be late, and then 
seize and hang me.' On saying this, he remounted his horse, and 
returned to the marshal and his army. On his arrival, he was asked 
what news, and whether the inhabitants of Ribadavia would surren- 
der as the other towns had done, or force them to th.e attack V ' By 
my troth,' replied the herald, * I know not what they mean to do ; for 
they arc so proud, that though I bawled to them for an hour, they 
never deigned to give me any answer.' -Sir John Burnel then said, 
' Hast thou seen no one ? Perhaps they are fled, and have left their 
town for fear of us.' ' Fled !' replied the herald ; ' begging your par- 
don, my lord, they disdain to do such a thing as fly ; and before you 
conquer them, they will give you more plague than all the other 
towns in Galicia together. Know that there are plenty of men 
within it ; for I saw them when I called out, " Listen to me, listen 
to me ! I am a herald, whom my lord marshal has sent hither to par- 
ley and treat with you ;'' but they gave me no answer, only starinjf 
at me, and bursting out in laughter.' ' Ah, the insolent scoundrels !* 
said the marshal : * by St. George, they shall be well punished for 
this ; and, unless my lord of Lancaster shall order otherwise, never 
will I quit this place until I have reduced it under his obedience. 
Let us now eat and drink to refresh ourselves, and then march to 
the assault ; for I will see this town nearer, and what is its strength, 
that makes the scoundrels thus insolent, and induces them to hold us 
so cheap.' 

" When they had finished their repast, they mounted their horses, 
and, with trumpets sounding, rode gently on, for the weather was as 
sweet as in the month of May. On coming before the place, some 
knights and squires, to make a di-splay, galloped up to the barriers, 
where they found a large body of cross-bowmen drawn up in front 
of the gate, who, by their shooting, killed and wounded many horses. 
The archers then advanced, and, posting themselves on the bank of 
the ditch, and at the barriers, attacked the cross-bowmen. The as- 
sault was severe, and lasted a considerable time ; for the town was 
tolerably strong, and difficult to be conquered. One side is situated 
on a perpendicular rock, impossible to be mounted : the other, in- 
deed, is on the plain, but surrounded by wide ditches, which, though 
not filled with water, cannot easily be crossed. The knights and 
squires, however, did cross them, and ascended the banks to the walls, 
with targets on their heads, to defend themselves from the arrows, 
or whatever might be thrown down from the battlements. The arch- 
ers shot so well, that scarcely any dared show themselves; atid this 
attack was long continued, many on each side being killed or 
wounded. Toward evening, it ceased, on the trumpets sounding the 
retreat ; and the English returned to their camp, where they made 
themselves comfortable, and attended to their wounded. Thierry de 
Soumain was so badly wounded in the arm at the barriers, by a bolt 
from a cross-bow, that it was necessary to have it forced through the 
arm ; he was upward of a month unable to use it, and obliged to 
hear it in a scarf. 

" While the marshal of the duke of Lancaster's army was thus 
overrunning and turning Galicia to his intere.=it, the duke and duchess, 
with their children, resided quietly at St. Jago. They heard fre. 
qiicntly from the king of Portugal, as a continual intercourse was 
kept up between them on their mutual affairs. King John of Gas. 
tiUe held his court at Vp.lladolid, attended by the French knights, 
whom he frequently consulted on the state of his kingdom ; for he 
vv'as perfectly acquainted with everything that was passing around 
him. He said to them, ' My fair sirs, I greatly marvel that no suc- 
cor comes to me from France, to assist me in my distress ; for my 
country will be lost, if no reinforcements arrive to prevent it. The 
EngUsh keep the field ; and I know fur truth, that the duke of Lan- 
caster and king of Portugal have had an interview, and that the last 
is to marry one of the duke's daughters, for she has been betrothed 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, & c 



411 



to him ; and, as soon as this marriage shall have taken place, you 
will see tiiem unite together and enter my kingdom, and, when 
■ united, they will prove too much for me.' The French knights, to 
comfort hiiii, replied, ' Do not be uneasy : if the English gain on 
one side they lose on anotlier. We have certain intelligence, that 
the king of France, with upward of an hundred thousand armed 
men, has at this moment invaded England to conquer and destroy 
that whole country. When that shall be accomplished, and Eng. 
land reduced to a state of subjection from whence it can never rise, 
the king of France and his army will embark on board their navy, 
which is so considerable, and disembark during the course of the 
summer at Corufia. He will reconquer in one month more than 
you have lost during the year, and surround the duke of Lancaster 
in such a manner that you will see him fly to Portugal. Thus will 
you be revenged of your enemies ; for be assured, that if France 
were not at this moment occupied with the conquest of England, 
you would have had, some time since, three or four thousand lances 
from thence. The king of France, his uncles and council, have a 
great affection for you, and are very anxious to put an end to your 
war. Never mind if the English keep the field, and borrow from 
you a little of your kingdom : before St. John's day shall come, 
they will be forced to restore the whole of it back to you.' 

" Such were the conversations that frequently passed at Valladolid 
between the king of CastiUe and his council, with the French knights. 
The king, having such an opinion of them, believed all they said, 
and took comfort. They indeed thought what thoy had said was 
truth ; for they concluded the king of France had invaded England, 
according to the rumors spread throughout CastiUe. You must know 
that the duke of Lancaster did not hear from his people one quarter 
of what was told them by pilgrims and merchants from Flanders ; 
and, though the king of Portugal wrote frequently to inquire after the 
duke's health, these rumors prevented him from hastening his pre- 
parations, and from demanding the lady Philippa for his queen. His 
council said, that as all the intelligence from France and Flanders 
agreed England to be in a most perilous slate of being destroyed, 
neither the alliance nor marriage with the duke of Lancaster or his 
daughter would bo of any advantage to him, and that he should dis. 
senible his thouglits, but still preserve an outward appearance of great 
affection to the duke and duchess, by letters and otherwise, until he 
should see what turn affairs would take." 

We will now for a while leave speaking of Spain and Portugal, 
and return to France. 

CHAPTER XLII. 

THE KING OF FRANCE GOES TO LILLE, WITH THE INTENT TO INVADE ENG- 
LAND. SIR SIMON BtTRLEY ADVISES THE RE.MOVAL OF THE SHRINE OF 
ST. THOMAS A BECKET FROM CANTERBURY TO DOVER CASTLE, FOR FEAK 
OF THE FRENCH. 

At this period, (1386,) the number of ships, galleys, and vessels of 
every description, which had been collected to carry over to England 
the king of France and his army, were so great, that the oldest man 
tlien living had never seen nor heard of the like. Knights and squires 
were aniiing on all sides, and, when they quitted their homes, they 
said ; " We will invade these cursed English, who have done such 
mischief to France, and now avenge ourselves for the losses they 
have caused us by the death of our fathers, brothers, or friends." It 
was twelve weeks before all the purveyances of the different lords 
were ready and embarked, so grandly had they provided themselves. 
The report was kept up for some time in Flanders, that the khig 
would be there on the morrow, to hasten them. Men were con- 
tinually arriving I'rom Gascony, Armagnac, the Toulousain, Bigorre, 
Comminges, Auvergne, Berry, Limousin, Poitou, Anjou, Maine, Brit- 
tany, Touraine, Blois, Orleans, Beauce, Normandy, Pieardy, and 
from every province in France, who quartered themselves in Flanders 
and Artois. 

When the middle of August came, which was the time fixed on 
lor the invasion taking place, in order the more to hasten those from 
the distant parts of the realm ; and, to show that the king was in 
earnest to embark, he took leave of queen Blanche, the duchess of 
Orleans, and the other princesses. He heard a solemn mass in the 
church of NOtre Dame at Paris, and it was his intention, when he 
should quit Paris, never to reenter it until he had landed in England; 
and of this all the principal cities and towns were persuaded. The 
king of France went to Senlis, whither he was accompanied by his 
queen : the duke of Berry was in Berry, though his purveyances were 
collecting in Flanders and at Sluys, like the others. The duke of 
Burgundy was also in his own country, but he bade adieu to his 
duchess and children, and set off for Flanders, meaning to take leave 
of his aunt, die duchess of Brabant, in his way thither. On his do. 
parture from Burgundy, he travelled in great pomp and magnificence, 
attended by the admiral of France and the lord Guy de la Trimouille, 
unto Brussels, where the duchess and her ladies received him and 
his company with great joy. He tarried there two days, and then 
went to Mons in Hainault, where he found his daughter madame 
d'Ostrevant, duke Albert, and his son the lord William of Hainault, 
count d'Oslrevant, who entertained them handsomely, and conducted 
the duke to Valenciennes, where he was lodged in the apartments of 
ihe count, and duke Albert at the h6te,l of Vieongncras. The duke 



of Burgundy, on leaving Valenciennes, went to Douay and Arras, 
where the duchess was waiting for him. From Senlis the king of 
France came to Compiegne, Noyon, Pcronne, Bapaumo and Arras ;- ' 
and there were such numbers of men-at-arms pouring into those 
countries from all quarters, that everything was destroyed or devoured 
without a fartliing being paid for anything. The poor farmers, who 
had filled their barns with grain, had only the straw, and, if they 
complained, were beaten or killed. The fish-ponds were drained of 
fish, and the houses pulled down for firing, so that if the English had 
been there, they could not have committed greater waste than this 
French army did. They said, " We have not at present any money, 
but shall have enough on our return, when we will pay for all." The 
farmers, not daring to speak out, cursed them inwardly, on seeing 
them seize what was intended for their families ; and said, " Go, go 
to England, and may never a soul of you come back." 

The king of France arrived at Lille, with his two uncles of Bur. 
gundy and Bourbon ; but the duke of Berry still remained behind, ia 
his own country, arranging his affairs. With the king were the duke 
of Bar, the duke of Lorraine, the count d'Armagnac, the count de 
Savoye, the count dauphin d'-A.uvergne, the count de Geneve, the 
count de St. Pol, the count d'Eu, the count de Longueville, the lord 
de Coucy, sir "William de Namur, and so many of the great lords of 
France that I can never name them. It was said that twenty thou-' 
sand knights and squires were to embark for England, which was ' 
indeed a goodly company, with about the same number of eross-bowe, 
including the Genoese, and twenty thousand stout varlets. 

Sir Oliver de Clisson was still in Brittany making his preparations, 
and equipping his fleet at the port of Treguier, from whence he in- 
tended to embark his wooden town, that was to be put together, and 
erected on his landing in England, as you have before heard. The- 
flower of Breton chivalry was to accompany the constable, such as 
the viscount do Rohan, the lords de Rays, de Beaumanoir, de Lava), 
de Rochefort, de Malestroit, the viscount de Combor, sir John de 
Malestroit, the lord de Dinant, the lord d'Ancenis, and five hundred 
spears, all picked men. The constable had always declared, that no 
one ought to be employed on this expedition if he were not a good 
man-at-arms and such as coidd be depended on. He had said to the 
admiral ; *' Be careful not to suffer any boys or servants to embark 
on board the fleet, for they will do us more harm than good." And f^ 
the knights, unless they were of high rank, or had hired vessels for 
themselves, were not allowed to take with them more than one horse 
and one servant. To say the truth, their arrangements were very 
well made : and it was the opinion of many, that if the army could 
have been landed together at the place they had fixed on in OrweH 
bay, the whole country would have been thrown into confusion. In- 
deed, I believe there was little doubt of it ; for the great lords, such 
as prelates, abbots, and rich citizens, were panic-struck, but the com- 
monalty and poorer sort held it very cheap. Such knights and squires, 
as were not rich, but eager for renown, were delighted, and said to 
each other, " Lord, what fine times are coming, since the king of 
France intends to visit us! He is a valiant king and of great enter- 
prise ; there has not been such a one in France these three hundred 
years. He will make his people good men-at-arms ; and blessed may 
he be for thinking to invade us ; for certainly we shall be all slaia 
or made powerfully rich : one or the other must happen." 

If the preparations for this inva.'iion were great in France, those in 
England, for its defence, were not less so, as I have before mentioned, 
and will therefore slightly return to it. The ta.ves in England were 
equally heavy with those in France ; but though they were very op- 
pressive, the common people said they ought not to complain, for, 
they were raised for the defence of the country, and paid to knights 
and squires to guard their lands, and they were their laborers, who- 
provided them with food, and tlie sheep tVom whom they took the 
wool ; but, if England should be conquered, they would be the 
greatest losers. No one was exempted from the payment of these 
taxes ; so that two millions of florins were raised for the defence of 
the country, and paid into the hands of the archbishop of York, 
the earl of Oxford, sir Nicholas Bramber, sir Michael de la Pole, sir 
Simon Barley, sir Peter Gouloufrc, sir Robert Tresihan, sir John 
Boauchamp, sir John Salisbury, and others of the king's privy council, 
who were appointed receivers and paymasters of the above sum, for 
the king's uncles were not consulted in the business. They would 
not interfere, nor by so doing throw the kingdom into trouble, but 
exerted themselves to the utmost in putting all the coast in a good 
state of defence ; for they most assuredly thought the king of France 
would attempt to land his army in England during the course of the 
summer. The before.named receivers did in the king's name as. 
they thought proper in respect to this tax ; but the carl of Oxford 
was the most active, and made the greatest advantage of it. Every, 
thing was done by him, and without his consent nothing ; for which, 
when this alarm was over, the people were much dis-satisfiod, and 
wanted to know what had become of the large sums that iiad been 
raised ; and the principal cities and towns, urged on by the king's 
uncles, would have an account how they had been disbursed, as I 
will relate in proper time and place, for I wish not that anything, 
should be forgotten in this history. 

Sir Simon Burley was governor of Dover ctistle^ and, from hiS' 
situation, received frequent intelligence from France by the fishermen 
of the town, who related to him what they heard from the Frencit 



412 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, Sec. 



fisheimen, as they were often obliged to adventure as tar as Wisean 
or Boulogne to obtain good fish. When the fishernien from France 
met them at sea, they told them enough, and more than they knew ; 
or though there were wars between France and England, they were 
never interrupted in their pursuits, nor attacked each other, but, on 
the contrary, gave mutual assistance, and bought and sold, according 
as either had more fish than they were in want of; for, if they were 
to meddle in the national quarrels, there would be no fishing, and 
none would attempt it unless supported by 
men-at-arms. Sir Simon learnt from the 
fishermen that the king of France was ab. 
solutely determined on the invasion ; that 
he intended to land one division at or near 
Dover, and another at Sandwich, and that 
his forces ivere immense. He, as well as 
the rest of England, believed all this was 
true ; and one day he set out for Canterbury 
to visit the abbey, which is very large and 
handsome ; near it is Christ-church, which 
is also rich and powerful. 

The abbot inquired, " What news ?'' and 
sir Simon told him all he knew, adding, 
" that the shrine of St. Thomas, so respect, 
able and rich, was not safe in Canterbury, 
for the town was not strong ;* and if the 
French should come, some of the pillagers, 
through avarice, would make for Canter, 
hury, which they would plunder, as well 
as your abbey, and make particular in. 
quiries after the shrine, and will take it 
away, to your great loss. I would there, 
fore advise, that you have it carried to 
Dover castle, where it will be perfectly safe, 
.though all England were lost." The abbot 
and all the convent were so angered at 
this speech, though meant well, that they 
replied, " How ! sir Simon, would you 
■wish to despoil this church of its jewel 1 
If you are afraid yourself, gain courage, 
and shut yourself up in your castle of Do. 
\er, for the French will not be bold enough, 

nor in sufficient force, to adventure themselves so far." This was 
the only answer he had ; but sir Simon persisted so long in his pro- 
position, that the common people grew discontented, and held him 
for an ill-inclined person, which, as I shall relate, they afterwards 
showed more plainly. Sir Simon made but a short stay and returned 
to Dover. 

CHAPTER XLIII. 

THE KING OF FRANCE VISITS HIS FLEET AT SLUTS. THE KINS OF AKME- 
KIA Cr.OSSES TO ENSLAND, TO ATTEMPT A RECONCILIATION BETWEEN 
THE TWO KINGS. THE ANSWER HE RECEIVES. 

The king of France, to show his impatience for the invasion and 
his dislike of being at too great a distance, came to Sluys. The 
report was now daily current in Flanders and Artois, " The king will 
•embark Saturday, Tuesday, or Thursday." Every day of the week 
they said, " He will embark to-morrow, or the day after." The duke 
■of Touraine.t the king's brother, the bishop of Beauvais, chancellor, 
and other great lords, had taken leave of the king at Lille, and re- 
turned to Paris. I believe, indeed it was assured me for fact, that 
the duke was appointed regent during the king's absence, in con. 
junction with the count de Blois and other principal barons, who had 
not been ordered on the invasion. The duke of Berry was still be- 
liind, though he was advancing slowly, for he had no great desire to 
go to England. The king of France and duke of Burgundy were 
much vexed at his delay, and wished his arrival : however, the em- 
barkation of stores continued at a vast expense to the great lords : 
for what was worth only one franc they were made to pay four ; and 
those who were hoping speedily to cross over valued not their maney 
in making preparations, but seemed desirous to rival each other in 
expense. 

If the principal lords were well paid, those of inferior rank suffered 
for it, as there was a month's pay due to them, for which the pay- 
master of the forces was unwilling to account ; and he and the clerks 
of the treasury told them to wait another week, and they should be 
satisfied. Thus were they put ofl" from week to week ; and when 
they made them any payments, it was only for eight days, when 
eight weeks were due. Some, who were so treated, became melan- 
choly, and said the expedition would never succeed ; and foreseeing 
what would happen, whenever they coidd amass any money, Uke 
wise men, set out on their return home. The poor knights and 
.squires, who were not retainers on the great lords, had expended 



their all ; for everything was so dear in Flanders, they had difliculty 
in procuring bread or wine. If they wished to pawn their wages or 
arms, they could not obtain a farthing for what, when new, had cost 
them large sums. There were such crowds at Bruges, Damme, Ar. 
dcmbourg, and particularly at Sluys, when the king arrived, that it 
was difficult to find any lodgings. 

The lords de St. Pol, de Coucy, d'Antoing, and the dauphin of 
Auvergne, with other barons from France, remained at Bruges, to 




* The walls of Canterbury were much out of reiiuir ; and there Ls an order now ex- 
isting for their reparation, from llie oourt ofChancery. in the 19lb year of Richard II.— 
Hasted'^ Kttrt. 

t Lonis, count of Valoia, the king's brother, did not enjoy tlie title of duke of Tou- 
-rninetill the return of '.his fruitless expedition. lie was afterwards created duke of 
Orleans.— Ed 



Gbneral View of Sluys.— From an old plan, in Fiandria lUustrata, by Ant. Sanderus 



be more at their ease, and every now and then rode over to Sluya, 
to inquire from the king when they were to embark. They were 
told, within three or four days ; or when the duke of Berry should 
arrive, or when the wind was favorable. There was always some 
delay ; but the time passed, and the days became shorter and cold, 
with bad weather. Many of the lords were discontented they were 
so long in embarking, for their provision would be spoiled. 

While they were waiting for the duke of Berry and the constable, 
the king of Armenia, who resided in France, on a pension from the 
king of six thousand francs, desirous to make a journey to England, 
in hopes of bringing about a peace, or at least a truce between the 
two kings, left his hfttel of St. Ouen, near St. Denis, and, with few 
attendants, travelled to Boulogne, where he hired a vessel, and, hav- 
ing a favorable wind, landed at Dover. He found there the earls of 
Cambridge and Buckingham, with a hundred men-at-arms and two 
thousand archers to guard the place ; for the rumor ran, that the 
French intended landing there, or at Sandwich. At this last place 
were the earls of Arundel and Northumberland. At Orwell, the 
earls of Oxford, Pembroke, and Nottingham, and sir Reginald Cob- 
ham, with three thousand infantry. The king and part of his coun- 
cil remained in London, where he had intelligence daily from the 
different ports. The king of Armenia, on his arrival at Dover, was 
very well received, and conducted by some knights to the uncles of 
the king, who entertained him handsomely, as they knew well ho\Y 
to do. At a proper opportunity they asked him whither he came, 
and what were the reasons of his visiting England. To these ques. 
lions he answered, that, in hopes of doing good, he had come to 
wait on the king of England and his council, to see if, by any means, 
he could negotiate a peace between him and the king of France. 
" For this war,'' added the king of Armenia, "is not very becoming 
between them ; the long continuance of it has greatly emboldened 
and raised the pride of the Turks and Saracens. No one now makes 
any opposition to them ; and this has been the cause why I have 
lost my crown and kingdom ; nor have I any chance of recovering 
them, until a firm peace be established in Christendom. I would 
willingly explain this matter, which so nearly touches every true 
Chrislian, to the king of England, as I have done to the king of 
France." 

The English lords asked him, " if the king of France had sent 
him ?'' He said, " No one had sent him : that be had come of his 
own accord, and solely with a view to do good, to see the king of 
England and his council, and to try if they would listen to terms of 
peace." They then asked "where the king of France was." "I 
believe he is now at Sluys ; but 1 have not seen him since I took 
my leave of him at Senlis." " How can you then think of forming 
a treaty, when you have not been so charged by him 1 Should you 
enter into anv terms with the king, our nephew, and his council, and 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &e. 



413 



the king of France, in the mean time, sail from Sluys, and disembark I 
his large army in England, you would be much blamed, and your 
person run great risks from the people." The king of Armenia re.'| 
plied, " I have the greatest confidence in the king of France, to 
whom I have sent messengers to entreat ho would neither embark 
nor put to sea until I be returned to Sluys ; and I am convinced he 
is so noble and considerate, that he will comply with my request. I 
therefore beg of you, through pity and love of goodness, to procure 
me an interview with the king of England, that I may speak to him, 
for I desire to see him ; or if you, who are his uncles, and the most 
powerful of his subjects, be authorized to give me answers to my 
demands, I hope that you will instantly do so." Thomas, carl of 
Buckingham, said, '* King of Armenia, we are solely ordered here 
-by the king and his council, to guard and defend the frontiers, and 
we do not any way concern ourselves with the government of the 
realm, unless we be specially commanded by him. Since motives 
of goodness, or the appearance of them, have brought you hither, 
you are welcome ; but you must not e.\pect to receive from us any 
definitive answers to such demands as you may make ; and, though 
we are not now of the king's council, we will have you conducted to 
London without danger or expense." The king of Armenia replied, 
" That he greatly thanked them, and wished for nothing more than 
to see and convei-se with the king of England." 

After having refreshed himself for one day at Dover, and held 
many conversations with the king's uncles, he set off, well escorted, 
to protect him on the road. He continued his journey until he ar- 
rived at London, where he was much stared at by the Londoners : 
the better sort, however, showed him every honor and respect. Hav- 
ing fi.xed on his lodgings, at a proper time and hour he waited on 
the king, who resided in a private manner at the wardrobe ; but his 
council were in London, each at his own house ; for the Londoners 
were so panic-struck, they thought of nothing but how to fortify their 
town. When the arrival of the king of Armenia was publicly known, 
the king's council assembled at the wardrobe to learn the news, and 
what could have brought that king, at this time of trouble and alarm, 
to England. The king of Armenia entered the presence-chamber, 
and the two kings having mutually saluted each other, the king of 
Armenia began his speech, by declaring, the causes for his coming 
were principally to sec the king of England, which he had never 
before done ; that he was much gratified in being in his presence, 
from which he flattered himself good would arise ; and also to at- 
tempt to avert the great pestilence that was ready to befal England : 
not that either the king of France or his council had sent him thither, 
for he was come of his own free will, to endeavor to make a peace or 
a Iruce between the two crowns. He paid many compliments both 
to tlie king and to his council. He was briefly answered as follows : 
" Sir king, you are welcome to this country, for our king and selves 
are glad to see you. We must inform you, that the king has not all 
his council at this moment with him, but they will shortly assemble, 
as he had summoned them, and you shall then have an answer." 

The king of Armenia was contented with this, took his leave, and 
returned to the house where he was lodged. Within four days, the 
"king was advised what answer to make : I believe he consulted his 
uncles on the subject, but they were not present when it was given. 
The king went to Westminster, where his council was assembled, 
and thither the king of Armenia was invited. When in the presence, 
the king of England was seated, according to custom, then the king 
of Armenia and the prelates and lords of the council. The lung of 
Armenia was desired to repeat what he had before told the king and 
a part of his council. He did so in an elegant harangue, showing 
how Christendom was too much weakened by the destructive wars 
of France and England, and that the knights and squires of the two 
countries thought of nothing but joining one party or other : by which 
the empire of Constantinople would be destroyed, where formerly 
the gentlemen of France and England used to take pleasure in seek- 
ing deeds of arms, and that liis own kingdom was already lost. He 
therefore entreated, through the love of God, they would listen to 
some terms of peace between the two kings. The archbishop of 
Canterbury, who had beforehand been ordered by the king and coun- 
cil to deliver the answer, replied : *' King of Armenia, it is not usual, 
nor has it ever been admitted, that in such weighty matters as are 
now in dispute between the king of England and his advei-sary of 
France, the king cf England should have requests made him, with 
an army ready to invade his country. I will therefore declare oin* 
opinion, that you return to the French army, and prevail on them 
to retreat to France ; and, when we shall be fully assured that ever)' 
man has retired to his home, do you return hither, and we will then 
pay attention to any treaty you shall propose." 

This was the answer the king of Armenia received. He dined 
that day with the king, who paid him every possible honor, and of- 
fered him handsome presents of gold and silver; but he refused them 
all, though he had need of them, and would only accept a single ring, 
worth one hundred francs. After the dinner, which was splendid 
and good, he returned to liis lodgings, for he had received his an- 
swer, and on the morrow set out for Dover, making two days' jour- 
ney of it. He there took leave of the English lords, and embarked 
on board a passage-boat to Calais, whence he went to Stuys. He 
related to the king of France and his uncles the journey he had made 
to England, and what answer he had received : but the king and his 



lords paid no attention to it, and sent him to France ; for they were 
resolved to sail the firet fair wind for England, after the anival of 
the duke of Berry and the constable. Hitherto the wind had been 
unfavorable : it would never have served them to land in those parts 
they intended to attempt, but was very fair to carry them to Scotland. 



CHAPTER XLIV. 

THE DUKE OF BERRY LEAVES PARIS FOR SHrifS. THE CONSTABLE, AFTER 
SUFFERINO MANY DELAYS FROM CONTRARY WINDS, AT LENUTH JOINS 
THE KINO OF FRANCE. 

The duke of Berry arrived at Paris, and, after hearing mass at the 
church of N6tre Dame, took his leave, making it to be understood 
that he would never return until he had been in England, although 
his intentions were quite the contrary ; for, as the season was so far 
advanced, he had no desire to undertake it. On his road, he daily 
received letters and messengei-s from the king and the duke of Bur- 
gundy, to hasten him, and to say they were only waiting for his 
coming to embark. The duke of Berry continued his march, though 
by short days' journeys. The constable of France embarked at Tre. 
guier, a town on the sea-coast of Brittany, with a fine body of men-at- 
arms, and ample purveyances on board seventj'-two large vessels. 
Some of them were freighted with the wooden town that was to be 
erected on their landing in England. The constable had a favorable 
wind when he left the harbor : but, when he approached the English 
coast, it became contrary, and the farther they advanced the more 
violent it blew. When opposite to Margate at the mouth of the 
Thames, the storm was so violent, it dispersed the fleet, whether the 
mariners would or not, and there were not twenty sail together. Some 
were blown into the "Thames, where they were captured by the Eng- 
lish ; and among them was one that had two or three parts of the 
wooden town on board, and the workmen who were to erect it. . 
They and the town were sent to London, which much pleased the 
king and the citizens. Seven other vessels of the fleet, laden with ' 
stores and provision, were driven on die coast of Zealand, and seized; 
but the constable and his lords, with much difficulty, arrived at Sluys, 
where they were joyfully received by the king and his liarons. The 
moment the king saw the constable, he said ; " Constable, what say 
you ? when shall we sail? I have for certain a great desire to see 
England. I therefore pray you to hasten the business, and that wo 
embark as speedily as possible. My uncle Berry will be here in- 
stantly, for he is now at Lille.'' "Sire," replied the constable, "we 
cannot sail until the wind be favorable. This south wind, which is 
completely against us, has blown so long, that the sailors say they; \ 
have never seen it so constant in one point as it has been for these 
two months." 

"Constable," said the king, "on my faith, I liave been on board 
my ship. I like the sea much, and I believe I shall be a good sailor, 
for I was not in the least sick." " In the name of God," answered 
the constable, "it was not so with me, for we were in great danger 
in our voyage from Brittany hither." The king would know how, 
and in what manner, which the constable related to him, adding, " By. . 
ill fortune and the storm which blew from the English coast, we have 
lost our men and vessels, for which I am exceedingly sorry : and if 
I could make up their loss I would, but at this moment it is not 
possible." 

CHAPTER XLV. 

THE LORD DE GUISTELLES APPEASES AN INSURRECTION OF THE MEN OP 
BRUGES AGAINST THE FRENCH. THE INVASION OF ENGLAND IS GIVEN 
UP, ON ACCOUNT OF CONTRARY WINDS, THE NEAR APPROACH OF WINTER, 
AND IN CONFORMITY WITH THE ADVICE OF THE DUKE OF BERRY, WHICH 
CAUSES GREAT REJOICINGS IN ENGLAND. 

While the king of France and his constable were thus conversing 
and arranging dift'erent matters, winter was begun, and the lords and 
army lay exposed to the cold, and to some danger ; for the Flemings- 
wished them away, more especially the lower sorts. They said, when 
among themselves, " Why the devil does not the king free us from 
them, by passing over to England ? Are we not sufficienfly poor 
without these Frenchmen adding to it ?" Others answered, "You 
will not see them cross over this year. They think they shall in- 
staiitly conquer England ; but it will not be so : it is not so easy a 
matter, for the English are made of other stuff" than the French. What 
can they do to England? When the English invaded France, they 
shut themselves up in their castles and .'trong towns, and fled before 
them like larks before a sparrow-hawk." 

It was more particularly in Bruges, where the greater resort of tlie 
French was, that the discontents were the highest ; and the smallest 
trifle was suflicient to set them by the ears. At length it became 
serious, and waa begun by a few French varlcts, who had beaten and - 
wounded some of the Flemings : the artificers then rose, and, having 
armed themselves, assembled in the market-place. Not one French 
knight or squire would have escaped death ; for many of the Flem- 
ings had not forgotten the battle of Rosebecque, and were eager to 
revenge themselves for their fathers, brothers, or friends who had 
been there slain ; but God, providentially for the French, sent thither 
the lord de Guistellea. When he learnt that the common peopla 



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were arming themselves, and that others were running to their houses 
to do the same, he saw the town would be infallibly rumed : he there- 
fore mounted his horse, attended by no more than four or iive others, 
and rode up and down the streets ; and, whenever he met any of the 
townsmen armed going toward the market-place, he said to them ; 
" My good people, what are you about ? whither are you going ? 
Would" you ruin yourselves ? have you not had enough of war ? are 
you not every day prevented from following your trades ? You may 
BO act as to cause the complete destruction of Bruges ; for do you not 
know that the king of France is now in the neighborhood with his 
whole amiy?" Thus did the lord de Guistelles by his kind speeches 
calm them, and make them return to their homes ; but this would 
not have been so easily done, had he not fortunately been in Bruges. 
The barons and knights of France were so much alarmed, they had 
shut themselves up in their quarters to wait the event. 

On the arrival of the duke of Berry at Sluys, the king said to him, 
*' Ha, ha, fair uncle, though I was so anxious to see you, you have 
been long in coming : wliy have you made such delay, when we 
ought to have been at this moment in England, where we should 
have combated our enemies ?'' The duke laughed and made his 
excuses for the delay, but did not at first deliver his real sentiments : 
he wished to examine the state of the purveyances and the fleet, 
which made so beautiful a show in the road that it was delightful to 
see it. He had been at Sluys for more than seven days, and it was 
daily rumored they were to sail on the morrow ; but in truth the wind 
was quite contrary to sailing for England. As it was now St. An. 
drew's tide, the weather was hazy ; and you may judge if this were 
a fit season for so many noble persons to put to sea as were now 
waiting to embark at Sluy.s, whose stores and provision were on 
board. Some of the young princes of the blood-royal, with a desire 
to display their courage, had indeed made a few cruises near the har- 
bor, saying, that they would be the first to land in England, should 
none others venture thither. In this number were sir Robert and sir 
Philip d'Artois, sir -Henry de Bar, sir Peter de Navarre, sir Peter 
d'Albreth, sir Bernard d'Armagnac, with many more. These young 
lords, having once-begun, were so impatient to sail in earnest, that 
a council was held, in the presence of the king, to determine how 
they should proceed. The duke of Berry broke up the whole ; and 
gave such well-grounded reasons, that the greater part of those who 
were the most forward to embark were discouraged ; and said it 
Avould be folly and madness to advise the king, who was then but a 
child, to put to sea in such weather, and to make war on a people 
and country, whose roads no one was acquainted with, and a country 
which was likewise disadvantageous for warlike exploits. " Now, 
suppose," said the duke of Ben-y, " we were all landed in England, 
we cannot fight the English unless they like it, and we dare not leave 
our purveyances behind, for \\hoever should do so would lose the 
whole. But if any one wished to make this voyage, though of no 
great length, he would do it in the middle of summer, and not in the 
heart of winter. Summon all the sailors who are here, and they will 
tell you that what I say is true ; and that, notwithstanding the very 
numerous fleet we have collected, should we put to sea, of the fifteen 
hundred sail, there would never be three hundred together, or within 
Eight. Now, consider what risks we may run ; but I do not say this 
out of any desire to be excused from being of the party myself, but 
solely as I believe it sound sense, and that lire council, and the ma- 
jority of France, are of my way of thinking. I am willing, brother 
of Burgundy, that you and I undertake this expedition, but I will 
never advise the king to do so ; for, should any accident happen to 
him, the whole blame would be laid on us for having consented to 
it." " In God's name,'' replied the king of France, " I am resolved 
to go, should no one follow me." The lords laughed, and said the 
king has a strong inclination to embark. 

It was determined in this council, that the invasion should be de- 
ferred until April or May ; and that what stores could be preserved, 
such as biscuit, salted meat, and wine, should be put in warehouses: 
and regulations were made for the men-at-arms to return to Sluys in 
t'lie month of March. -"^U this was soon known; and thus was the 
grand expedition broken up, which had cost France one hundred 
thousand francs, thirty times told. The council had ordered that the 
king should return to France, and the dift'erent lords to their homes ; 
that all things should remain on the same footing on which they then 
rested until the spring, when every one should be prepared to obey 
the king's summons, and commence their voyage under more for- 
tunate auspices than at this moment. It would have surprised any 
one to have seen the rage of the knights and squires on hearing these 
orders : more especially those who had come from distant parts, and 
had spent all their money, in the hope of amjily repaying themselves 
in England. Among them were the count de Savoye, the count 
d'Armagnac, the count dauphin d'.\uvergnc, and a hundred great 
baronf , who departed much discontented at not having seen England. 
The king was equally vexed, but he could not amend it. The army 
now separated, some pleased, and others angry ; but the servants of 
the principal lords staid behind, for the benefit of their masters, and 
to sell off their stores: in this, great losses accrued ; for what had 
cost one hundred francs was disposed of for ten, and eveir under. 
TJio count dauphin d'Auvergnc a-sstned me on his faith, that for his 
'stores, which had cost him ten thousand francs, he did not receive 
one thou.s,-ind when resold; hie servants, like those of others, suffered 
everything to go to niu. 



When the news of this reached England, those who were afraid of 
the French coming were greatly rejoiced ; while other^ were sorry, 
for they expected to have made themselves rich from them. A grand 
feast was given in the city of London to all those who had been ap- 
pointed to guard the diH'erent harbors. The king kept his Christmas 
in a solemn manner, at Westminster, and there created three dukes ; 
first, the earl of Cambridge, duke of York ; his brother, the earl of 
Buckingham, duke of Gloucester ; the earl of Oxford, duke of Ire. 
land.* These feasts were long and magnificently continued, and 
the people of England thought they had escaped from great danger ; 
but others, who had not the same alarms, said, that the army and 
navy, w^hich had been so pompously collected at Sluys, were only to 
frighten England, and force the duke of Lancaster to return from Ga- 
licia, where he was conquering towns and castles at his pleasure. 



CHAPTER XLVI. 

TWO CUAMPIONS TILT AT PARIS, FOR LIFE OR DEATH. 

About this period, there was much conversation in France respect- 
ing a duel which was to be fought, for life or death, at Paris. It had 
been thus ordered by the parliament of Paris, where the cause, which 
had lasted a year, had been tried, between a squire called James le 
Gris and John de Carogne, both of them of the household of Peterj 
count d'Alen(;on, and esteemed by him ; but more particularly James 
le Gris, whom he loved above all others, and placed his whole con- 
fidence in him. As this duel made a great noise, many from distant 
parts, on hearing of it, came to Paris to be spectators. I will relate 
the cause as I was then informed. 

It chanced that sir John de Carogne took it into his head he should 
gain glory if he undertook a voyage to the Holy Land, having long 
had an inclination to go thither. He took leave of his lord, the coiuit 
d'.4lcn^on, and of his wife, who was then a young and handsome 
lady, and left her in his castle, called Argenteil, on die borders of 
Perche, and began his journey toward the sea-side. The lady re- 
mained, with her household, in this casde, living in the most decent 
manner. Now it happened (this is the matter of quarrel) that tlie 
devil, by divers and perverse temptations, entered the body of James 
le Gris, and induced him to commit a crime, for which he afterwards 
paid. He cast his thoughts on the lady of sir John de Carogne, 
whom he knew to be residing with her attendants, at the caslle of 
Argenteil. One day, therefore, he set out, mounted on the finest horse 
of the count, and arrived, full gallop, at Argenteil, where he dis. 
mounted. 'The servants made a handsome entertainment for him, 
because they knew he was a paiTicu'lar friend, and attached to tlic 
same lord as their master ; and the lady, thinking no ill, received 
him with pleasure, led him to her apartment, and showed him many 
of her works. James, fully intent to accomplish his wickedness, 
begged of her to conduct him to the dungeon, for that his visit was 
partly to examine it. The lady instantly complied, and led him 
thither ; for, as she had the utmost confidence in his honor, she was 
not accompanied by valet or chambermaid. As soon as they had en. 
tercd the dungeon, James le Gris fastened the door unnoticed by the 
lady, who was before him, thinking it might have been the wind, as 
he gave her to understand. 

When they were dius alone, James embraced her, and discovered 
what his intentions were ; the lady was much astonished, and would 
willingly have escaped had she been able, but the door was fastened ; 
and James, who was a strong man, held her tight in his arms, and 
flung her down on the floor, and had his will of her. Immediately 
afterwards, he opened the door of the dungeon, and made himself 
ready to depart. The lady, exasperated with rage at what had 
passed, remained silent, in tears ; but, on his departure, she said to 
him ; " James, James, you have not done well in thus deflowering 
me ; the blame, however, shall not be mine, but the whole be laid 
on you, if it please God my husband ever return." James mounted 
his horse, and, quitting the casde, hastened back to his lord, the 
count d'Alen^on, in time to attend his rising at nine o'clock ; he had 
been seen in the hfitel of the count at four o'clock that morning. I 
am thus particular, because all these circumstances were inquired 
into, and examined by the commissioners of the parliament, when 
the cause was before them. 

The lady de Carogne, on the day this unfortunate event befel her, 
remained in her casde, and passed it ofi' as well as she could, with, 
out mentioning one word of it to cither chambermaid or valet, for 
she thought by making it public she would have more shame than 
honor ; hut she retained in her memory the day and hour James le 
Gris had come to the castle. The lord de Carogne returned from his 
voyage, and was joyfully received by his lady and household, who 
feasted him well. When night came, sir John went to bed, but his 
lady excused herself; and, on his kindly pressing her to come to 
him, she walked very pensively up and down the chamber. At last, 
when the household were in bed, she flung herself on her knees at 
his bedside, and bitterly bewailed the insult she had suflered. The 
knight would not believe it could have happened ; but at length, she 
urged it so strongly, he did believe her, and said, " Certainly, lady, 
if the matter has passed as you say, I forgive you, but tlio squire shall 



* Robert de Vere. eorl of Osford, mw crealeU laarqua ol Dviblin in 1385 tuid tiiiXe of 
IrelauJ in U86.-E11. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



415 



die ; and I shall consult your and my relations on the subject ; should 
you have told me a falsehood, never more shall you live with me." 
The lady again and again assured him, that what she had said was 
the pure truth. 

On the moiTOw, the knight sent special messengers with leters to 
his friends and nearest relations of his wife, desiring them to come 
instantly to Argenleil, so that in a few days they were all at his cas- 
tle. When they were assembled, he led them into an apartment, and 
told them the reason of his sending for them, and made his lady re. 
late most minutely everything that had passed during his absence. 
When they had recovered their astonishment, he asked their ad- 
vice how to act: they said, lie should wait on his lord, the count 
d'Alen^on, and tell him the fact. This he did ; but the count, who 
much loved .Tames le Gris, disbelieved it, and appointed a day for 
the parlies to come before him, and desired the lady might attend to 
give her evidence against the man whom she thus accused. She at- 
tended as desired, accompanied by a great number of her relations; 
and the examinations and pleadings were carried'on before the count 
to n great length. James le Gris boldly denied the charge, declared 
it was false, and wondered much how he could have incurred such 
mortal haired from the lady. He proved by the household of the 
count, thai he had been seen in the castle at four o'clock in the 
morning : the count said that he was in his bed-chamber at nine 
oVlock, and that it was quite impossible for any one to have ridden 
three-and-tvventy leagues and back again, and do what he was 
charged with, in four hours and a half. The count told the lady he 
would support his squire, and that she must have dreamed it. He 
commanded, that henceforward all should be buried in oblivion, and, 
under pain of incurring his displeasure, nothing farther done in the 
business. The knight, being a man of courage, and believing what 
his wife had told him, W'ould not submit to this, but went to Paris 
and appealed to tiie parliament. The parliament summoned James 
le Gris, who replied, and gave pledges to obey whatever judgment 
the parliament should give. The cause lasted upward of a year, 
and they could not any way compromise it, for the knight was posi. 
live, from his wife's information, of the fact, and declared, that since 
it was now so public, he would pursue it until death. The count 
d'Alen(;on, for this, conceived a great dislike against the knight, and 
would have had him put to death, had he not placed himself under 
the safeguard of the parliament. It was long pleaded, and the par- 
liament at last, because they could not produce other evidence than 
herself against James le Gris, judged it should be decided in the tilt- 
yard, by a duel for life or death. The knight, the squire, and the 
lady, were iiistantly put under arrest until the day of this mortal 
combat, which, by order of parliament, was fi\ed for the ensuing 
Monday, in the year 1837 ; at which time the king of France and 
his barons were at Sluys, intending to invade England. 

The king, on hearing of this duel, declared he would be present 
at it. The dukes of Berry, Burgundy, Bourbon, and the constable 
of France, being also desirous of seeing it, agreed it was proper he 
should be there. The king, in consequence, sent orders to Paris to 
prolong the day of the duel, for that he would be present. This order 
was punctually obeyed, and the king and his lords departed for France. 
The king kept the fear' of the Calends at Arras, and the duke of 
Burgundy at Lille. L. the mean time, the men-at-arms made for 
their different homes, as had been ordered by the marshals; but the 
principal chiefs went to Paris to witness the combat. When the 
king of France was returned to Paris, lists were made for the cham- 
pions in the place of St. Catherine, behind the Temple ; and the 
lords had erected on one side scaflblds, the better to see the sight. 
The crowd of people was wonderful. The two champions entered 
the lists armed at all points, and each was seated in a chair opposite 
the other; the count de St. Pol directed sir John de Carogne, and 
the retainers of the count d'Alen^on James le Gris. On the knight 
entering the field, he went to his lady, who was covered with black 
and seated on a chair, and said, " Lady, from your accusation, and 
in your quarrel, am I thus venturing my life to combat James le 
Gris : you know whether my cause be loyal and true." " My lord," 
she replied " it is so ; and you may fight securely, for your cause is 
good." 

The lady remained seated, making fervent prayers to God and 
the Virgin, entreating humbly, that through her grace and interces- 
sion, she might gain the victory according to her right. Her afflic- 
tion was great, for her life depended on the event ; and should her 
husband lose the victory, she would have been burnt, and he would 
have been hanged. I am ignorant, for I never had any conversation 
with her or the knight, whether she had not frequently repented of 
having pushed matters so far as to place herself and husband in 
such peril ; but it was now too late and she must abide the event. 
The two champions were then advanced and placed opposite to each 
other; when they mounted their horses, and made a handsome ap- 
pearance, for they w^ere both expert men-at-arms. They ran their 
first course without hurt to either. After the tilting, they dismounted, 
and made ready to continue the fight. They behaved with courage ; 
but sir John de Carogne was, at the first onset, wounded in the 
thigh, which alarmed all his friends : notwithstanding this, he fought 
so desperately that he struck down his adversary, and, thrusting his 
sword through the body, caused instant death ; when he demanded of 
the spectators if he had done his duty : they replied that he had. The 



body of James le Gris was delivered to the hangman, who dragged 
it to Montfaucon, and there hanged it. Sir John de Carogne ap- 
proached the king and fell on his knees : the king made him rise, 
and ordered one thousand francs to be paid him that very day : he 
also retained him of his household, with a pension of two hundred 
livres a-year, which he received as long as he lived. Sir John, after 
thanking the king and his lords, went to his lady and kissed her : 
they went together to make their oflcring in the church of Nfttro 
Dame, and then returned to their home.* 

Sir John de Carogne did not remain long after in France, but set 
off, in company with the lord Boucicaut, sir John des Bordcs, and 
sir Lewis Grat, to visit the holy sepulchre, and the sultan of the 
Turks, whose fame was much talked of in France. Sir Robinet 
de Boulogne was also with him : he was squire of honor to the king 
of France, and had travelled much over the world. 



CHAPTER XLVII. 

THE DEATH OF PETER, KING OF AKRAGON. HIS SUCCESSOR, KING JOHIT, 
DETAINS PRISONER THE ARCHBISHOP OF BORDEAUX, WHO WAS NEGO- 
TIATING, FOR THE DUKE OF LANCASTER, THE PAYMENT OF CERTAIN 
SUMS WHICH HE CLAIMED AS DUE TO HIM FROM ARRAGO.V. 

About Candlemas of this year, (1386,) king Peter of Arragon lay 
on his death-bed. When he found there were no hopes of his recov. 
ery, he sent for his two sons, John and Martin, t to whom he said, 
" My fair children, I leave you well established, and the affairs of 
my kingdom properly arranged. Live peaceably and lovingly and 
you will gain honor and renown. With regard to ecclesiastical mat- 
ters, for my conscience's sake and greater safety, I have always 
been neuter : do you do the same, until the knowledge, which pope 
is the true one, shall be more apparent." 

His two sons dutifully replied, that they would do so, and punc. 
tually obey whatever he should order. The king died soon after.t 
He was a valiant man in his time, and had considerably added to 
the crown of Arr.agon by the conquest of Majorca, which he kept. 
He was buried in the city of Barcelona, and there lies. When the 
death of the king of Arragon was known at Avignon, the pope and 
cardinals instantly sent off letters to the king of France, his uncles, 
and to the duke and duchess of Bar, who were his supporters and 
parents to the young queen of Arragon, the lady Jolante,§ and to the 
queen herself, and were so busy, that the whole court of Arragon 
acknowledged him as pope. The duke and duchess of Bar wrote 
pressing letters to their daughter, as did the king of France, the dukes 
of Berry and Burgundy, who sent a cardinal as embassador, to in- 
struct the new king, his brother, and subjects. The cardinal, with, 
the assistance of the queen, who paid too much attention to what 
her relations had urged, gained over the king, who had before deter* 
mined to follow the example of his father in preserving a neutraUty, 
and the whole kingdom to the obedience of pope Clement. 

At the time of the late king of Arragon's death, the archbishop of 
Bordeaux was at Barcelona. He had been sent thither by the duke 
of Lancaster, and I will explain the cause of his journey. The late 
prince of Wales (who, though only duke of Aquitaine, was much 
feared by his neighbors, the kings of France, Arragon, Casdlle and 
Navarre, and even by the king of the Saracens, who had heard of 
his great prowess and renown,) had entered into a treaty with the 
king of Arragon, which had been sworn to, and sealed by each party, 
as well as by the king of England, that neither the prince nor the 
king of England, nor their successors, would ever wage war against 
Arragon, so long as the king of Arragon and his heirs should serve 
the lord of Aquitaine with five hundred spears, against any enemy 
with whom he was at war ; and that, if he chose not to send his men, 
he bound himself to pay a certain sum of money. Ten years of 
arrears were now due from Arragon : for the king had never paid 
anything, nor done any service to the king of England nor to his 
deputies. When the duke of Lancaster left England, he brought 
with him letters-patent, sealed with the great seal of the realm, in 
the presence of the king and his council, appointing him lieutenant, 
for the king, over all the countries of Bordeaux, Bayonne, and Aqui- 
taine, giving him legal power to demand whatever might be owfng 
from Arragon, and from all other parts dependent or allied to Eng- 
land. They also gave the duke power to retain, for his own use, 
whatever sums might be due, and to give receipts, wliich would be 
acknowledged as legal. 

While the duke was at Saint Jago, he hethought himself of the 
king of Arragon, and that he was indebted to him a very large sum 
of arrears, by virtue of his commission, and that it would come now, 

* This was tiie last judicial combat which took plac« in France under the award of 
parliament. The combat was claimed in England as late as 1819. by one Thornton. 
This man wa* tried for murder, and acquitted. The brother of the person murdered (a 
youne girl} brought an appeal, .and Thornton offered to ju^slify him,-eir by single com- 
bat. The appellant, however, withdrew hii appeal, and un act was immediately passed 
to abolish Uie wager of battle.— Ed. 

t Martin was king of Sicily, and on the death of John, \U\e4 by a fall from his horse 
in pursuing an enormous wolf, succeeded to the crown of Arragon. .Toiui did not fol- 
low his father's counsels wLth respect to the disputed tiara, but acknowledged Cleraent 
VIL—Jlrt de Virifier les Dates. t The 5th January, 1387.— Ed. 

I The lady Jolante wes his serond wife. He w.as Erst married to Jaae, daught«i ol 
John, count d'Arraagnac. 



416 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCK, SPAIN, 

ir.r.«T-tnnf^lv tr» /-nrrv on his war ax'ainst Cns. tin. the kinxr'a brnthpT. whn was vArv 



& C . 



■with other aids, very opportunely, to carry on his war against Gas. 
tille. During his residence at Saint Jago, he sent some of his coun. 
cil to Bordeaux, to the archbishop, and sir John Harpedon, the se. 
neachal, ordering one or botli of them to set out for Arragon, and 
remonstrate strongly with the king, on the large sums he had long 
owed the king of England, as duke of Aquitaine. The archbishop 
and seneschal, having weighed the orders from tlie duke, thought it 
best for the seneschal to remain at Bordeaux, and the archbishop to 
undertake the embassy. He therefore set out, but arrived in Arra. 
gon, unluckily, when the king was on his death-bed. When he 
was deceased, the archbishop followed the princes and council of 
Arragon to the interment at Barcelona, and then remonstrated so 
strongly, as it seemed to the council, that he was ordered to prison : 
though not closely confined, he was forbidden to leave the city of 
Barcelona. 

CHAPTER XLVIII. 

THE DUKE OF LANCASTER MAKES WAK ON AKRAGON. THE ARCHBISHOP 
OF BORDEAUX IS RELEASED. THE VISCOUNTESS OF CASTELBON, SUS- 
rCCTED OF HAVING ADMITTED THE ENGLISH INTO HER CASTLE, APPEASES 
THE KING OF ARRAGON, THROUGH THE INTERFERENCE OF THE COUNT 
DE FOIX. 

When news was brought to Bordeaux of the imprisonment of the 
archbishop, the seneschal said, " I am not surprised at it : the arch, 
bishop is too hot-headed. I believe it would have been bettor had 
I gone thither ; I should have spoken more calmly ; and there is a 
method of urging claims suited to different persons." The sdneschal 
Bent information of what had happened to the duke of Lancaster, 
who was very wroth with the king of Arragon and his council, for 
having imprisoned such a person as the archbishop of Bordeaux 
when negotiating his business. The duke wrote orders for the gar- 
rison of Lourde instantly to invade Arragon, and attack Barcelona, 
where the archbishop was confined. The governor, John de Bdarn, 
who styled himself seneschal ol Bigorrc, Peter d'Anchin, Ernaulton 
de Resten, Ernaulton de Sainte Colombe, and the whole gaiTison, 
were much delighted with these orders, and overran the kingdom of 
Arragon, as far as Barcelona, so that no merchants dared venture 
without its walls. In addition to this mischief, the principal towns of 
Arragon would not consent to the king's wishes of being crowned, 
unless he would first promise and solemnly swear that no taxes, pay 
for soldiers, or other impositions, should be raised in the country ; 
and unless he would engage for a compliance with other demands, 
which the king and his council thought very unreasonable and un- 
just. He threatened to make war upon them, more particularly on 
those of Barcelona, who he said were too rich and presumptuous. 

There was at this period, in Languedoc, on the borders of Rou- 
ergue and Auvergne, toward Pesenas and Us^s, a band of armed men, 
who called themselves Routes, that were daily multiplying to do evil. 
Four men-at-arins were their leaders, who made war on every man 
they met on horseback, caring not whom. Their names were, Peter 
de Montfaucon, Geoffry Chastelier, Hainge de Sorge, and le Goulet. 
These had under them full four hundred combatants, who ruined all 
the counU-y wherever they haunted. They were mightily rejoiced 
when they heard of the archbishop of Bordeaux's imprisonment, of 
the duke of Lancaster's making war on the Arragonians, and that 
the king of Arragon was dissatisfied with his subjects in the princi- 
pal towns ; for such people always love mischief in preference to 
good. They therefore resolved to march toward the frontiers of Ar- 
ragon, and surprise some fort, which the king or principal towns 
would negotiate with thein to regain. They set out, and made for 
the castle of Duren,* which they had planned to surprise. This cas- 
tle is in the archbishopric of Narbonne, between France and Arra- 
gon, and situated precisely on the limits of the two kingdoms. They 
arrived there by night-faU undiscovered, and, finding it weakly 
guarded, soon conquered it, to the great dismay of all the country, 
especially of Perpignan, which is but four leagues distant from this 
castle. 

The garrison from Lourde, this same week, captured likewise a 
castle in Arragon, four leagues from Barcelona, called the old castle 
of Rolbais, belonging to the viscountess of Castelbon, cousin.ger- 
Jnan to the count de Foix. The lady was much surprised at this 
event, and went to her cousin, the count de Foix, to beg, for God's 
sake, he would get her castle restored to her ; for those who had won 
it were from his country of Bdarn. The count, in his answer, de. 
sired her not to be alarmed ; for that her castle had been taken 
solely to harass Barcelona from thence, as the archbishop of Bor- 
deaux was in confinement there for a trifling cause, and that she 
should have it again undamaged. The lady was satisfied with this 
answer but kept it secret, and went to reside at another castle, near 
Roquebertin. Those of Duren, Rolbais, and the garrison from 
Lomde kept up a severe warfare on the borders of Arragon. The 
king, indeed, winked at this, that the towns might be punished, but 
their discontents increased ; for those of Barcelona, Perpignan, and 
Other towns, could not carry on their commerce without being made 
prisoners, and ransomed. They dcteimined to set the archbishop of 
Bordeaux at liberty, but, as was right, to consult the king on the 
subject. They, in consequence, negotiate d privately with don Mar. 
""Duren." Q. if notDuiban. 



tin, the king's brother, who was very popular in the country, that he 
would interfere betwen them and the king, and obtain peace with 
those of Lourde and Rolbais. In order to encourage their loyalty, 
he engaged to do what they desired, and prevailed on his brother to 
give the archbishop his liberty, and send him back to the Bordeloie. 
Shortly afterwards, by the c-ount de Foix's exertions, the viscount. 
ess recovered her castle, and those who had ca^Jtured it departed, in 
return for the service the count had done to the duke of Lancaster 
in the course of this year. The king of Arragon, seeing the vis- 
countess so quick regain her castle, sent for her, and when in his 
presence, charged her with having admitted tlie English into her 
castle to make war on him, for which she had been very criminal. 
The lady clearly exculpated herself, saying, " My lord, as God may 
help me and mine, and by the faith I owe you, when I heard of my 
castle being taken, I had never any connection, nor entered into 
any treaty with the English. I instantly infonned my cousin, the 
count de Foix of it, and begged of him, for God's sake, to aid me 
to recover my castlfe, as it had been taken by the garrison from 
Lourde, who are his subjects, and from Beam. The count sent me 
word not to alarm myself, for that those who had conquered it had 
only borrowed it to make a more effectual warfare on Barcelona." 
The king replied, " If you can prove this answer from the count de 
Foix, I will restore your castle." " That I can easily do," answered 
the lady. She informed the count, who at that time resided at Or- 
thes, in Bcarn, of this conversation, and entreated he would satisfy 
the king of Arragon. The count sent letters to the king of Arra. 
gon by one of his knights, called sir Cicart de Saurelin, to request 
he would hold his cousin excused, and allow her to possess her lands 
in peace, otherwise it would displease him. The king of Arragon 
acceded to this request, and having well entertained the knight, said 
to him, " The viscountess has acted prudently, in thus having her 
cousin the count de Foix make excuses for her." 



CH.A.PTER XLIX. 

THOSE COMPANIONS ^VBO HAD CONQUERED DUREN ARE DEFEATED AND 
SLAIN BY A STRATAGEJI OF RAYMO.VD DE BACHEZ, COUSIN TO THE KINO 
OF ARRAGON. 

Thus affairs remained : the viscountess de Castelbon had quiet 
possession of her castle ; but the merchants were not the less ha. 
rasscd by the garrison who had come from Lourde. Those of Bar- 
celona and its neighborhood were frequently pillaged and made 
prisoners by them, unless they had entered into a treaty and paid 
composition-money for their safety. These compositions extended 
over many parts of Catalonia and Arragon ; and the gan'ison of Du- 
ren was desirous of adopting the same plan, which they would have 
executed or perhaps worse, had they not been checked. They had 
done more mischief to the country than those of Lourde ; for they 
were poorer, and made no distinction whom they attacked, whether 
officers of the king and queen, or merchants. The king at length 
assembled his council on this business ; for the great towns mur- 
mured, and said, that the king, who ought to have destroyed such 
wretches, supported them. These and such description of speeches, 
when told to the young king, gave him much uneasiness, and he 
was vexed that his subjects should thus talk of him respecting Du- 
ren. because the crown of his father, who had been so greatly be- 
loved, was but jUEt fallen to him. He called to him a great baron of 
AiTagon and his cousin, named sir Rajnnond de Bachez, and said, 
" Sir Raymond, ride toward Duren, and learn from those who have 
surprised it what they want in my country, and make some treaty 
with them, that you may get them out of it, by fair or foul means." 
The knight obeyed, and sent a herald to the garrison of Duren, to 
say he wished to negotiate a treaty with them. When Montfaucon 
and the other captains learnt that sir Raymond do Bachez wanted 
to treat with them, they thought they should obtain a large sum to 
deliver up the place, and said to the herald, " Friend, tell your mas- 
ter, sir Raymond, from us, that he may safely come here, for we will 
not do him any injury." The herald returned with this answer to 
sir Raymond at Perpignan, who instantly left the place, and on his 
arrival at Duren held a parley with them. He asked why tliey re- 
mained so long on the borders of Arragon ; they replied they were 
wailing to join the army from France that was coming to the sup. 
port of the king of Castille, " Ha, my gentlemen," said sir Ray- 
mond, " if you wait for that, you will stay here too long ; for the 
king of Arragon will not allow you thus to plunder his country and 
its inhabitants." They replied, " that since the king would not suf. 
fer them to support themselves, he must prevent it, for live they 
would. If he would ransom the country, they would march away, 
but not otherwise." "And what do you ask ?" said sir Raymond 
"Sixty thousand francs : we are four of us, and each must havo fif- 
teen thousand for his share." " In God's name," said sij- Raymond,- 
" that is money enough ; but I will report it to the king : it is better 
for him to pay you this sum, for the good of the country, than to al- 
low you further pillaging.'' He added this to keep them in good 
humor, but thought the contrary to what he had said. On taking 
leave, sir Raymond told them they might expect the sum they had 
asked, and perhaps more. He then returned to Perpignan, where 
the king was, and related to him all that had passed. The king 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &.c. 



417 



said, " You must at all events free the country from them, and pay 
the thieves ; if I could get hold of them, I would hang them all, 
which is the ojily payment they deserve : but the place is so strong, 
it will be difficult to draw them out of it." 

" Sir," replied sir Raymond, " I will manage it ; only do not in. 
terfere. " Well," said the king, ** do so ; I will not meddle further 
in the business ; but see that the country be delivered from them." 
Sir Raymond collected a body of men-at-arms, to the amount of five 
hundred spears, which he placed in ambush, and gave the command 
of them to a squire of Gascony, called Naudon Scighin, who was 
valiant and e,\pcrt in arms. The ambuscade was about a short league 
trom Duren, and sir Raymond ordered, that as soon as the garrison 
should have passed by, they should fall on them, and, if possible, put 
all to death. Sir Raymond wrote to the garrison, to desire they 
would mouitt their horses and advance to Perpignan, making a show 
of attacking the place, to alarm the inhabitants, otherwise he should 
never be able to raise their quota of the money he was to pay them. 
They were much pleased to receive such intelligence, believing it 
true, and, mounting their horses the same day the ambush was posted, 
rode for Perpignan, galloping up to the barriers. When they had 
done this, they began their retreat, thinking to return quietly home ; 
but they had scarcely gone half-way before they met Naudon Seighin 
and his troops, who instantly charged them. They now perceived 
they had been tricked, and prepared to defend themselves: they fought 
W.2II, during the time the combat lasted ; but that was not long, for 
there were among them numbers of pillagers badly armed, who were 
soon defeated. Among the slain were, Geoffry Chastelier, Hainge 
de Sorge, Guyot Moresque, John le Geulant, and many more. Peter 
de Montfaucon, Amblardan de St. Just, and forty others, were made 
prisoners, and carried to Perpignan, where, as they passed the streets, 
the inhabitants came out of their hou=es, and hooted at them, as 
they wDuld have done at a wolf. Le Geulant and Peter de Mont- 
faucon were put in the pillory, and the rest thrown into a dungeon. 

The duke of Berry, about this time, arrived at Carcassone, from 
a visit to pope Clement at .A.vignon. Having tliere heard that Duren 
was regained, and the gaiTison slain or made prisoners, he instantly 
wrote to tlie king of AiTagon, and to his cousin Jolante de Bar, to 
beg they would give up to him Peter de Montfaucon and his com. 
panions. His request was immediately complied with, and they 
were sent to the duke of Berry. They were indebted to him, or 
they would infallibly have all been put to death. 



CHAPTER L. 

iN ACHIEVEMENT OF ARMS, PERFORMED BEFORE THE SENESCHAL OF BOR- 
DEAUX, BETWEEN A KNIGUT ATTACHED TO FRANCE AND ONE ATTACHED 
TO ENGLAND. 

At this period there was an achievement of arms performed by 
two knights at Bordeaux, in the presence of the seneschal, sir John 
Harpedon, and other noblemen. These knights were the lord de 
la Rochefoucault, son to the sister of the captal de Buch, and sir 
William de Montferrant, attached to the English interest. As this 
tilt was to be made before all the lords and ladies of Bordeaux, the 
count de Foi.\ sent tkither some knights of his household to advise 
and direct the lord de la Rochefoucault, who was the son of his 
cousin, and likewise different sorts of armor, daggers, battle.a.iics, 
and swords well tempered, although he had before properly provided 
himself with all things necessary. These knights armed themselves 
on the appointed day, and were attended by a numerous body of 
chivalry. The lord de la Rochefoucault was accompanied by two 
hundred knights and squires, all connected with him by blood ; and 
sir William de Montferrant by as many, if not more. Among the 
number were the lords de Rohun, de I'Esparre, de Duras, de Maci- 
dent, de Landuras, de Curton, de Languran, de la Barde, de Tarbe, 
de Mont-croyat in Perigord, who had come from distant parts be. 
cause he was their relation, and to be spectators of the feats of arms 
of two such valiant knights. 

When they were mounted, and had their helmets laced on, their 
spears and shields were given them. They instantly stuck spurs 
into their horses, and met each other full gallop, with such force that 
the laces of the helmets burst asunder, and their helmets were 
knocked off, so that they passed each other bare-headed, excepting 
the caps which were under the helmets. '• On my faith," the spec, 
tators said, " they have gallantly performed their first course." The 
knights now had their armor set to rights, and their helmets laced 
again, when they pertormed their second and third courses with 
equal ability. In short, they behaved, in every attack, most gallantly, 
and to the satisfaction of all present. The seneschal, sir John Harpe- 
don, entertained at supper, that evening, all the lords and ladies in 
Bordeaux ; and on the morrow the company departed, and went to 
their different homos. The lord de la Rochefoucault made prepara. 
tions for his journey to Castille ; for king John had sent to him, and 
the time was drawing nigh for him to set out. Sir William de 
Montferrant, when returned home, made also his preparations to cross 
the sea to Portugal; for that king had, in like manner, written to him. 



CHAPTER LI. 

SIR OLIVER DE CLISSON DELFVEBS JOHN OF BLOIS, SON OF THE LATE LORD 
CHARLES OF BLOIS, FROM HIS LONG IMPRISONMENT IN ENGLAND, AND 
GIVES HIM BIS DAUGHTER IN MARRIAGE, TO THE GREAT DISPLEASURE 
OF THE DUKE OF BRITTANY. 

In such a grand and noble history as this, of which I, sir John 
Froissart, am the author and continuator until this present moment, 
through the grace of God, and that perseverance he has endowed 
me with, as well as in length of years, wliich have enabled me 
to witness abundance of the things that have passed, it is not 
right that I forget anything. During the war of Brittany, the two 
sons of the lord Charles de Blois (who, for a long time styled him- 
self duke of Brittany, in right of his lady, Jane of Brittany, who 
was descended in a direct line from the dukes of Brittany, as has 
been mentioned in this history,*) were sent to England as hostages fop 
their father, where they still remain in prison ; for I have not as yet 
delivered them from it, nor from the power of the king of England, 
wherein the lord Charles had put them. 

You have before seent how king Edward of England, to strengthen 
himself in his war with France, had formed an alliance with the earl 
of Montfort, whom he had assisted, with advice and forces, to the 
utmost of his ability, insomuch, that the earl had succeeded to his 
wishes, and was duke of Brittany. Had he not been thus supported, 
the lord Charles de Blois would have possessed seven parts of Brit- 
tany and the earl only five. You have read how, in the year 1347, 
there was a grand battle before la Roche.derrien, between the forces 
of the countess of Montfort, and of sir Thomas Hartwell and the lord 
Charles de Blois, in which the lord Charles was defeated, and carried 
prisoner to England. He was handsomely entertained there ; for 
that noble queen of England, the good Philippa, (who, in my youth, 
was my lady and mistress,) was, in a direct line, his cousin-german. 
She did everything in her power to obtain his freedom, which the 
council were not willing to grant. Duke Henry of Lancaster, and 
the other barons of England, declared, that he ought not to have his 
liberty ; for he had too mighty connections, and that Philip, who 
called himself king of France, was his uncle : that as long as they de. 
tained him prisoner, their war in Brittany would be the better for it. 
Notwithstanding those remonstrances, king Edward, tln-ough the per- 
suasion of that noble and good lady, his queen, agreed to his ransom 
for two hundred thousand nobles : and his two sons were to be givea 
as hostages for the payment of this sum, which was very considerable 
to the lord Charles, but would not now^ be so to a duke of Brittany, 
The lords of those days were differently situated from what they are 
at present, when greater resources are found, and they can tax their 
people at their pleasure. It was not so then, for they were forced 
to content themselves with the amount of their landed estates; but 
now, the duchy of Brittany would easily pay lor the aid of its lord 
two hundred thousand nobles within the year, or within two years at 
the farthest. 

Thus were the two young sons of the lord Charles de Blois given 
up as hostages for the payment of his ransom. He had, at"terwards, 
in the prosecution of his war in Brittany, so much to pay his soldiers, 
and support his rank and state, that he could never, during his life- 
time, redeem them. He was slain in the battle at Auray.t de- 
fending his right, by the English allies of the earl of Montfort, and 
by none others. His death, however, did not put an end to the war; 
but, king Charles of France, ever fearing the effects of chance, 
when he saw the earl of Montfort was conquering all Brittany, sus- 
pected, should he wholly succeed, that he would hold the duchy in- 
dependent of paying him homage for it ; for he had already held it 
from the king of England, who had so strenuously assisted him in the 
war. He therefore negotiated with the earl, which, having been 
already mentioned, § I shall pass over here : but the earl remained 
duke of Brittany, on condition that his homage should be paid to his 
own right lord, the king of France. The duke was also bound, by 
the articles of the treaty, to assist in the deliverance of his two cousins, 
sons of the lord Charles de Blois, who were prisoners to the king of 
England. In this, however, he never stirred ; for he doubted, if 
they should return, whether they would not give him some trouble, 
and whether Brittany, which was more inclined toward them than 
to him, would not acknowledge them as ils lord. 

For this reason he neglected them, and they remained so long 
prisoners in England, under the guard, at one time, of sir Roger 
Beauchamp, a gallant and valiant knight, and his lady SybiUa, at 
another under Sir Thomas d'Ambreticourt, that tlie youngest brother, 
Guy of Brittany, died. John of Brittany was now alone prisoner, 
and frequently bewailed his situation with wonder ; for he was sprung 
from the noblest blood in the world, the advantages of which he had 
been long deprived ; for he had been thirty.five years in the power 
of his enemies, and, as he perceived no appearance of help coming 
to him from any quarter, he would rather have died than thus have 
existed. His relations and friends kept at a distance, and the sum 
he was pledged for was so great, that he could never have procured 
It, without a miracle ; for the duke of Anjou, in aD his prosperity, 



* Vol. i. chap. 74. 
: Vol. i.cJiap.2S7. 



T In chAp. 78, and the following, vol. i. 
I Vol. i. cliap.as. 



f I. 
418 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



though the person who had married his sister-german, by whom he 
bad two fine sons, Lewis and Charles, never once thought of him. 

I will now relate how John of Brittany obtained his liberty. You 
have before read of the earl of Buckingham's expedition, through 
France, to Brittany, whither the duke had sent for him, because the 
country would not acknowledge him for its lord. The earl and his 
array remained the ensuing winter, in great distress, before Nantes 
and Vannes, until the month of May,* wlien he returned to England. 
During the time the earl of Buckingham was at Vannes, you may re. 
member, there were some tilts between knights and squires of France 
and those of England, and that the constable of France was present. 
There was much conversation kept up by him and the English 
knights ; for he was acquainted with them all, from his childhood, 
having been educated in England. He behaved very politely to 
many of them, as men-at-arms usually do, and the French and Eng- 
lish in particular, to each other ; but, at this moment, he was more 
attentive, as he had an object in view, which occupied all his thoughts, 
and which he had only disclosed to a single person, who was squire 
of honor in his household, and had served the lord Charles de Blois 
in the same capacity. If the constable had made it. more public, he 
would not have succeeded as he did, through the mercy of God, and 
his own perseverance. 

The constable and duke of Brittany had for a long time hated each 
other, whatever outward appearances they might put on. The con. 
stable was much hurt at the length of the imprisonment of John of 
Brittany, and at a time when he was rather on better terms with the 
duke, said to him, " My lord, why do not you exert yourself to de. 
liver your cousin from his imprisonment in England ? You are 
bound to do so by treaty ; for when the nobles of Brittany, the pre. 
lates and the principal towns, with the archbishop of Rheims, sir 
John de Craon, and sir Boucicaul, at that time marshal of France, 
negotiated with you for peace before Quimper Corentin, you swore 
you would do your utmost to liberate your cousins John and Guy, 
and as yet you have never done anything ; know, therefore, that the 
country does not love you the more for it." The duke dissembled, 
and said, " Hold your tongue, sir Oliver : where shall I find the three 
or four hundred thousand francs which are demanded for their Ub. 
erty ?" " My lord," replied the constable, " if Brittany saw you were 
really in earnest to procure their freedom, they would not murmur at 
any tax or hearth-money that should be raised to deliver these prison- 
ers, who will die in prison unless God assist them." " Sir Oliver," 
said the duke, " my country of Brittany shall never be oppressed by 
such taxes. My cousins have great princes for their relations ; and 
the king of France or duke of Anjou ought to aid them, for they have 
always supported them against me. When I swore, indeed, to aid 
them in their deliverance, it was always my intention that the king 
of France and their other relations should find the money, and that 
I would join my entreaties." The constable could never obtain more 
from the duke. 

The constable, therefore, when at these tournaments at Vannes, 
saw clearly that the earl of Buckingham and the English barons and 
squires were greatly dissatisfied with the duke of Brittany, for not 
having opened his towns to them, as he had promised, when they 
left England. The English near Hennebon and Vannes were in such 
distress, that they frequently had not wherewithal to feed themselves, 
and their horses were dying through famine : they were forced to 
gather thistles, bruise them in a mortar, and make a paste which they 
cooked. While they were thus suffering, they said ; " This duke of 
Brittany does not acquit liimself loyally of his promises to us, who 
have put him in possession of his duchy ; and, if we may be believed, 
we can as easily take it from him as we have given it to him, by set. 
ting at liberty his enemy, John of Brittany, whom the country love 
in preference. We cannot any way revenge ourselves better, nor 
sooner make liim lose the counlry. The constable was well informed 
of all these murmurs and discontents, which were no way displeasing 
to him ; on the contrary, for one murmur he wished there had been 
twelve ; but he took no notice of it, and only spoke of what he had 
beard to this squire, whose name, I think, was John Rolland. 

It happened that sir John Charlton, governor of Cherbourg, 
came to chateau JosseUn, where the constable resided, who enter- 
tained him and his company most splendidly ; and to obtain their 
friendship, out of his special favor, escorted them himself until they 
were in safety. During the time of dinner, the before-mentioned 
squire addressed sir John Charlton, saying, " Sir John, you can, if 
you please, do me a very great favor, which will cost you nothing." 
" From friendship to the constable," replied sir John, " I wish it may 
cost me something : what is it you wish me to do V '• Sir," repUed 
he, " that I may have your passport to go to England, to my master 
John of Brittany, whom I am more anxious to see than anything in 
the worid." " By my faith," said sir John, " it shall not be my fault 
if you do not. On my return to Cherbourg, I shall cross over to 
England : come with me, therefore, and you shall accompany me, 
and I will have you conducted to him, for your request cannot be re- 
fused." " A thousand thanks ; my lord, I shall ever remember your 
goodness." The squire returned, with sir John Charlton, to Cher- 
bourg; when, having arranged his affaii-a, he embarked, and made 
straight for London, attended by John Rolland, whom he had con- 
ducted to the castle where John of Brittany was confined. John of 



Brittany did not, at first, recollect him ; but he soon made himself 
known, and they had a long conversation, in which he told him, that 
if he would exert himself to procure his freedom, the constable would 
make the greatest efforts to second him. John of Brittany, desiring 
nothing more eagerly, asked, " By what means?" "I will tell you, 
my lord : the constable has a handsome daughter whom he wishes 
to marry, and if you will promise and swear, that on your return to 
Brittany you will marry her, he will obtain your liberty, as he has 
discovered the means of doing it." John of Brittany replied, "he 
wotild truly do so ;" adding, " When you return to the constable, 
assure him from me, that there is nothing I am not ready to do for 
my liberty, and that I accept of his daughter and will cheerfully marry 
her." They had several other conversations together before the 
squire lel't England and embarked for Brittany, where he related to 
the constable all that had passed. The constable, eager to advance 
himself and marry his daughter so nobly, was not dilatory in search. 
ing out means to obtain his end. He considered to whom he should 
address himself in England ; and, had lie not made choice of the carl 
of Oxford, he would never have succeeded ; but, notwithstanding 
this nobleman had the complete government of the king, matters 
were not instantly brought about ; for as long as the duke of Lancas. 
tcr remained in England, he never mentioned anytliing concerniitg 
it to the king. The earl of Buckingham, on his return from Brittany, 
irritated the king and his brothers so much against the duke that it 
was publicly said, the duke had acted treacherously toward him and 
his array ; and they were so greatly angered, that John of Brittany 
was summoned before the king and council, when he was addressed 
as follows : " John, if you will be willing to hold the duchy of Brit- 
tany from the king of England, you shall have possession of it, and 
be married in this country as nobly as the present duke has been ;" 
(for the duke of Lancaster was desirous of giving him his daughter 
Philippa, who was afterwards queen of Portugal.) John of Brittany 
replied, " that he would never consent to such a treaty, nor be aa 
enemy to the crown of France : he would willingly accept of the 
daughter of the duke of Lancaster, but he must first have his liberty." 
On this, he was remanded to prison. 

When the earl of Oxford, who now bears the title of the duke of 
Ireland, found the duke of Lancaster was landed in Castillc, and all 
expectation of the connection with John of Brittany broken off by 
his caiTying his daughter with him, he resolved to solicit the king to 
give up to him John of Brittany, as a remuneration for past services, 
or for those he might perform. If he succeeded, he could then treat 
with the constable of France, who had offered him, as the price of 
his ransom, six score thousand francs, to be made in two payments 
of sixty thousand each : the first to be paid at Boulogne on the ar- 
rival of John of Brittany in that town, and the second in Paris, 
which was the place he had fi.Ked on himself. The duke of Ireland 
coveted the money, and was so pressing with the king that he gave 
up John of Brittany absolutely to his disposal ; which surprised all 
England, and caused much talking, but there it ended. The duke 
of Ireland had John of Brittany conducted to Boulogne, where he. 
found equipages ready, which the constable had caused to be pre. 
pared for him. He set out directly for Paris, where he was kindly 
received by the king and his other relations. The constable was 
there waiting for him, and carried him to Brittany, wliere he espoused 
his daughter in conformity to their agreement. 

When the duke of Brittany learnt that John of Brittany had ob- 
tained his liberty, and was returned to France, through the aid of the 
constable, he conceived a greater hatred against sir Oliver de Clisson, 
and said, " Indeed ! does sir Oliver think to thrust me out of my 
duchy ? He shows some signs of it by ransoming John of Brittany, 
and marrying him to his daughter. Such things are very displeasing 
to me ; and, by God, I will tell liim so some day when he little 
thinks of it." This, in truth, he did ; for before the end of the year, 
he spoke to him very sharply on this subject, as yon will hear in the 
course of this history. But we must now say something respecting 
the aft'airs of Castillo and Portugal, and of an expedition which the 
English made against Sluys. 



CHAPTER LII. 

FRANCE MAKES PREPARATIONS TO ASSIST KINS JOHN OF CASTrLLE. 
THE DUKE OF BOtJRBON IS APPOINTEr COMMANHER-IN.CHIEF OF THE 
FRENCH ARMY. 

You have heard how the grand armament of the king_ of Franco 
at Sluys was broken up, not indeed through the will irt tlie king, 
who was eager to the last to pass over to England, and when he saw- 
it could not be, was the rrtost vexed of any. The whole blame was 
laid on the duke of Berry : perhaps he saw more clearly into this 
matter than others, and his advice of not attempting the invasion of 
England was for the honor and advantage of France ; for, before 
anything of this sort be undertaken, the end of it should be con- 
sidered ; and the duke of Berry had remained so long in E.ngland as 
an hostage for king John, and had conversed so much witli English- 
men, he probably foresaw the event would be unfortunate : but the 
principal reason for putting it off" was the season of the year. It 
was, however, said, that the constable iu the course of the summer, 
should lead thither six thousand men-at-arm3 and as many cross- 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND. FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



419 



bows, which he and the council thought would be fully sufficient to 
combat the English. The constable was supposed to know this from 
his having been educated in England. 

On the return of the lords to France, it was considered who should 
be sent to the aid of king John of Castille, against the king of For. 
tugal and duke of Lancaster : for it was clear there would be deeds 
of arms, as the English kept the field. None could be sent thither 
without much cost ; for the distance was great, and there was not 
any money in the exchequer, nor in the hands of the receivers : the 
immense sums which had been raised from the people were all dis. 
Bipated. Recourse was, therefore, had to a tax that should be in. 
stantly levied, and published for the assistance of the king of Castille, 
and the expulsion of the English from that country. This t«x having 
been proclaimed, the king's commissioners came to the different 
towns, and said to the principal inhabitants, " Sirs, this city, or tliis 
town, is taxed at such a sum, which must be instantly paid." 
" Very well," tliey replied, " we will collect it, and send the whole 
amount to Paris." " That will not do," said the commissioners : 
"we cannot wait so long, and shall act more expeditiously." On 
saying this, they ordered, in the king's name, which protected them 
from harm, ten or twelve of the richest inhabitants to prison, unless 
they should find the money. These, being afraid of the king's dis. 
pleasure, soon brought the sum required, which they afterwards col. 
lected from the townsmen. The taxes were so frequent, that one 
■was scarcely paid before another was called for. Thus was the 
noble kingdom of France governed, and the poor oppressed ; which 
caused numbers to sell their houses and lands, and retire toHainault, 
or mo msQopnc .~ i.icgo, wnerc no such taxes existed. 

The leaders of the troops destined to Castille were next thought 
of. The gallant duke of Bourbon was chosen commander-in-chief; 
but, before he left France, it was resolved to appoint two other com- 
manders, to attend to the men-at-arms, and instruct those who had 
never been in Castille. The duke was to have two thousand lances, 
of knighls and siiuires, for his rear-ward, of as good men as could 
be found. The two knights appointed to lead the van, and to com. 
mand the first dirision, were sir William de Lignac and sir Walter 
de Passac ; and, on receiving their orders, they made every prepa. 
ration suitable to their rank. Knights and squires were summoned, 
throughout France, to go on this expedition : and all the passes into 
Castille were thrown open, as well through Arrngon as through 
Navarre. Many, therefore, came from all the diiferent provinces of 
the kingdom, and took the road to Castille. Sir William de Lignac 
and sir Walter de Passac had the command of them, and set out in 
grand array. 

CHAPTER LIII. 

IHE ENGLISH FLEET DEFEATS THAT OF SIR JOHN DE EUCQ, ADMIRAL OF 
FLANDERS FOR THE DUKE OF BURGtTNDY. THE ENGLISH, AFTER DOING 
MDCH SUSCHIEF TO SLUVS, AND THAT PART OF THE COUNTRY, RETURN 
TO LONDON. 

While these knights and squires of France were making them- 
selves ready to march for Castille, and each, as soon as prepared, set 
off, more especially from the distant parts, as the journey was long ; 
the English fleet was at sea, between the coasts of England and 
Flanders. The carl of Arundel was admiral of it ; but he had un- 
der him the earl of Devonshire, the earl of Nottingham, and the 
bishop of Norwich, with five hundred men-at-arms and one thousand 
archers, and they were cruising about in search of their enemies. 
They received supplies of provisions from the English coast, the 
islands of Cornwall, Brittany, and Normandy; but were much vexed 
that the Flemish fleet had escaped into La Rochelle, and still more, 
ftat the constable of France should have passed Calais, from Tre. 
guier to Sluys, without their having mtt him. They were desirous 
of engaging him, though he had as many vessels as themselves ; but 
he sailed through them in the night, with a favorable wind and tide. 

The fleet, after this, anchored in Margate-roads, at the mouth of 
the Thames, to wait for the return of the Flemings from La Rochelle, 
which they knew would soon happen. The merchants from Flan- 
ders, Hainault, and several other parts, who had sailed in a body for 
fear of the English, having loaded their vessels again with wines, 
set sail from the port of La Rochelle, with a favorable wind, for 
Flanders and Sluys, from whence they had come. They had passed 
the Ras-St-Matthieu,* in Brittany, and coasted the shores of Nor 
mandy and England, until they came to the mouth of the Thames, 
where the English fleet were lying at anchor. The Flemings des- 
cried their masts, and those aloft said, " Gentlemen, prepare your- 
selves, for we shall meet the English fleet; they have seen us, and 
will take advantage of the wind and tide to give us battle before 
night." This intelligence was not very agreeable to several of the 
merchants from Hainault and other countries, who having their goods 
on board, would have wished to have sheered off. However, as a 
combat was now unavoidable, they made preparations for it ; they 
had, of cross-bows and other armed men, upward of seven hundred, 
under the command of a noble and valiant knight of Flanders, called 
sir Jolm de Bucq, who was admiral of the Flemish seas for the duke 
of Burgundy, and who had done much mischief to the English at 

* Ra»-St. Mauhieu. I suppose, m jit mean Raa-de-Blanqviet, which is a narrow strait 
of the aea between .^Idemey and Cape la Hogue. 



sea. Sir John de Bucq, having ably and prudently drawn up his 
vessels, said to their crews, " My fair sirs, do not be alarmed, for we 
are enow to combat the English, should the wind be in our favor; 
but remember to make a running fight of it, and make for Sluys ; if 
we can draw them on the Flemish coast, we shall have the best of 
the day." Some were comforted by these words, others not ; but 
they continued their preparations for battle, and the guimers made 
ready their bows and cannons. 

The two fleets now approached each other. The EngUsh had 
some light galleys, in which they had embarked archers ; and these 
galleys advancing, by dint of oars, began the combat with a shower 
of arrows, which were lost ; for the Flemings sheltered themselves 
in their vessels, and were unhurt, while they sailed on before the 
wind. Some of the cross-bows, out of arrow.shot, let fly bolts, which 
wounded many, and prevented those in the galleys from being of any 
service. The large ships, tmder lord Arundel, the bishop of Nor. 
wich, and others, now advanced, and ran in among those of Flan. 
ders, but they had not any advantage ; for the cross.bowmen de. 
fended themselves gallantly, as their commander, sir John de Bucq, 
had advised them. He and his company were well armed, in a ship 
equal to any he might meet, and had their caimons on board, which 
shot balls of such a weight that great mischief was done. The 
Flemings, diuing the engagement, made aa much sail as they could 
for Flanders ; indeed, some of the merchant.ships had already gained 
the coast, and had run into shoal water, where the large ships could 
not follow them for fear of the sand.bank. This battle was very 
long and obstinate, for it continued three or four hours, and many 
of the vessels were sunk by the large bolts of iron, sharply pointed, 
that were cast down from the tops, and drove holes through them. 
When night came on, they separated and cast anchor, to repair their 
damages and take care of the wounded ; but, on tlie return of the 
tide, they set their sails and renewed the combat. Peter du Bois 
commanded a body of archers and sailors, and gave tlie Flemings 
enough to do ; for, having been a sailor himself, he knew how to act, 
and was enraged at the Flemings for having held out so long. The 
English continually gained on the Flemings, and, having got between 
them and Blanquenberg and Sluys, drove them to Cadsand, where 
the defeat was completed. They received no succor, for at this time 
there were neither men-at-anns nor vessels at Sluys fit for sea. 

Indeed, a squire of Sluys, called Arnold le Maire, when he heard 
of the engagement, embarked on board a handsome sloop of his own, 
taking with him some Serjeants, and about twenty cross-bows, and 
made sail for the fleet ; but it was toward the end of the defeat, for 
the English had taken the greater part of the enemy's ships, with 
their admiral, sir John de Bucq, and all on board. Arnold le Maire, 
perceiving it was over, made his cross-bows shoot thrice, and then 
made off: he was chased as far as the harbor of Sluys, and there 
escaped, from the large vessels being unable to follow him, through 
the shoals and low water. 

The inhabitants of Sluys were terrified when it was known that 
their fleet from La Rochelle had been conquered by the English, and 
every moment expected to be attacked. The inhabitants knew not 
how to act, whether to fly or embark on board their laid. up vessels, 
to wait the event and defend themselves. Had tlie English suspected 
the state of Sluys, they might have been lords of that town and castle, 
or had they followed the advice of Peter du Bois, who strongly re. 
commended, when they were masters of tlie fleet, to make for Sluys, 
which they would be sure to gain. The English, however, thought 
they had done sufficient ; and some said, " We shall commit a great 
folly if we enter Sluys ; for those of Bruges, Damme, and Ardem- 
bourg, will shut us up in it, and we shall thus lose all we have won. 
It is much better that we keep our prizes, and make war with pru. 
dence." The English, therefore, did not disembark, but contented 
themselves with attempting to bum the vessels that were in the har- 
bor. They selected the lightest vessels from those they had con- 
quered, and filling and bedaubing them with pitch, oil, and other 
combustibles, let them float with the tide into the harbor of .Sluys. 
These vessels burnt so clear and well, that the English hoped they 
would set fire to some large ships from Castille and other countries, 
indifferent to them which ; but they did not the sm.-illest damage to 
any. The English, by this victory, gained great wealth, especially 
in wine, as they capmred more than nine thousand tuns, which 
caused wine to be as dear in Flanders and Hainault all that year as 
it was of course cheap in England. Thus it happens, one man's 
gain is another's loss. The English, however, did not sail from 
Sluys, but remained at anchor, and from the galleys and barges 
landed on the opposite side of the river to Sluys, at Tremue, which 
they burnt, with the monastery, and some other towns on the coast, 
whither they went along the sea-shore, or on the dikes, called Turn. 
hout and Moerdyck. They made many of the countrymen pris- 
oners, and lay thus at anchor upward of ten days ; during which time 
they formed several ambuscades between Damme and Sluys, and on 
the road to Coxye. Sir John de Iiaimay,-a man-at-arms from Tour- 
nay, was there made a prisoner, who, in company with the lord 
d'Estrinay and sir Blanquart de Coulonge, had set out full gallop, 
with forty lances, for Sluys, on hearing the English were on the coast. 

It fortunately happened, that sir Robert Marchand, who had mar- 
ried one of the late earl's bastards, was at the time in Bruges : he 
instantly hastened to Sluys, and flung himself into the castle, which 



420 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



he found weakly guarded, and unprovided. But if the English had 
landed, and entered Siuya with the same earnestness they had done 
at Tremiie on llie other side of the river, they must have gained the 
castle ; for so great was the alarm in the town, that no one paid at- 
tention to anything, nur thought of defending themselves. Sir Robert 
Marchand encouraged them by saying, " You men of Sluys, what 
are you thinking of? It would seem from your appearance that you 
are defeated without striking a blow. Men of valor ought to show 
a good countenance as long as possible ; and, should they be taken 
or slain in their own defence, they will have the grace of God and 
praise of the world." Thus did sir Robert harangue those of Sluys ; 
notwithstanding which, the whole country, as far as Bruges, was 
under the utmost alarm, as long as the English remained on the 
coast ; for they now daily disembarked and foraged far in the country. 
Not having horses, they were always on foot: when their expeditions 
were ended,, tliey slept on board, and on the morrow renewed their 
excursions to the east and west, without opposition. They burnt 
the town of Coxye, and another large village on the road from the 
coast to Ardembourg, called Hosebourg: they would have done 
more if they had known the state of the country. After staying as 
long as they pleased, and finding no attempt made to regain what 
they had won on sea and land, they set sail with a favorable wind 
for England, carrying with tliem more than two hundred thousand 
francs of wealth. Having entered the Thames, they landed at Lon. 
don, where they were joyfully received for the fine wines of Poitou 
and Saintonge they had on board, which were intended to have been 
drunk in Flanders, Brabant, Hainault, Liege, and other places. 
They were dispersed throughout England, and the prices so nmch 
depressed from the quantity, a gallon was sold for fourpence. The 
English who resided on the frontiers of Flanders, Holland, and Zea- 
land, were too enterprising in their voyages to Dordrecht, Zuric-zee, 
Middlebourg, and the Brielle in Holland. Some of the merchants 
of Zuric-zee had, on board the fleet that was captured, much wine 
from La Rochelle, which was restored to them. The English were 
right in thus courteously treating them ; for Zuric-zee would never 
ioin the French in their invasion of England, nor permit them to 
have any vessels or boats from thence, and this conduct acquired 
them the love of the English. 

Sir John de Bucq was a prisoner at London, on his word : he was 
permitted to go anywhere about the town, but at sunset he was to 
return to his lodging ; nor would the English ever listen to any ran- 
som for him, though the duke of Burgundy would willingly have 
given in exchange a bastard brother of the king of Portugal, who 
had been taken at aca in coming from Middlebourg : had he been 
within the limits of Zealand, he would have escaped. I believe sir 
John de Bucq remained a prisoner in London for three years, and 
there died. 

CHAPTER LIV. 

THE KING OF PORTUGAL SE.NDS EMBASSADORS TO THE DUKE OF LAN- 
CASTER TO CONCLUDE HIS MARRIAGE WITH THE LADY PHILIPPA. 
SIR BARROIS DES BARRES IS ORDERED BY THE KING OF CASTILLE 
TO THE CASTLE OF NOYA.* 

It is time for us now to return to the affairs of Castille and Portu- 
gal, and to speak of the duke of Lancaster, as to the prosperity of 
his undertakings, for his concerns were not trifling; and hkewise to 
mention the aid France sent king .Tohn of Castille, for otherwise his 
fortunes would have made a small figure : he would have lost this 
year his whole kingdom, if it had not been for the friendship of the 
ting of France. Intelligence is soon spread abroad, and the king of 
Portugal was as quickly informed of what was doing in France, rela- 
tive to the great armament that was to invade England, by his mer- 
chants on their return home, as the duke of Lancaster ; for the king 
resided, at that season, at Oporto, which is one of the largest cities 
and the most frequented port of his realm. He was rejoiced to hear 
it was at an end, for ho had been lold England would be ruined ; 
and this had made him hesitate as to the conclusion of his marriage, 
amusing the duke and duchess with fine words and compliments. 
When he learnt for certain, that the king of France and his nobles 
were returned home, he summoned his council, and said : '■ My fair 
sirs, you know that the duke and duchess of Lancaster are in Galicia : 
you also know, a great affection subsists between us, and that we 
have had several conferences ; in one of which it has been proposed 
by our councils, that I should take the lady Philippa to wife. I 
mean to persevere in this business, and to make an honorable de- 
mand of her, as is becoming two such princes as the duke of Lan- 
caster and myself; for I will have her for my queen." "Sir," 
replied those to whom he addressed himself, " you are in the right, 
for so you have solemnlv promised and sworn. Now, whom shall 
we send to conduct the lady hither ?" The arclibishop of Braganza 
and sir Joao Rodriguez de Sa were named ; and as they were not 
present, they were sent for, and informed how they were to act. 
1 hey undertook the business with pleasure, and were escorted going 
and returning by two hundred spears. 

We will now speak of sir Thomas Moreaux's siege of Ribadavia, 
and relate what happened there. I believe the inhabitants expected 



Jko 



Noya is an ancient town in Galicio, five or sL\ leagues to the westward of Saint 



succors from the king of Castille and the French knights at Valla, 
dolid, otherwise they would not have held out ; and I know not how 
such peasants, who had none but themselves to advise with, could 
so vigorously have opposed the flower of the English army, and how 
it happened tliat they were not frightened, for every day there were 
skirmishes and assaults. The bravest captains of the army said to 
sir Thomas : " Let us leave tliis town, and may lightning destroy it, 
and advance further into the country, toward Mamez,* Noya, or 
Betances ;t we can at any time return hither." " By my faith," 
replied sir Thomas, " such peasants shall never have it to say they 
have defeated me, were I to remain here these two months, unless 
the duke shall otherwise order." The marshal was thus obstinate 
in continuing the siege. i 

King John received frequent intelligence, at Valladolid, how the 
men at Ribadavia were defending themselves valiantly, and would 
not surrender. " In God's name," said Barrois des Banes, " I am 
much vexed I had not sent thither some Frenchmen, who would 
have greatly encouraged the inhabitants, and still more that I did 
not go myself, for I should then have acquired all the honor which 
these peasants will now have ; and, if they had really told me it was 
a town of such strength, and that it required such a garrison, I would, 
without doubt, have reinforced it, and have personally risked the 
command ; and God would have given me grace to guard and de- 
fend it, as he has done to these peasants." Such were the conver- 
sations that frequently passed between the king of Castille and the 
French knights, who were eager to be employed. They said to the 
king : " It will be right, sir, that you send one hundred spears to the 
castles of Noya and Coruna, and they will defend those parts of 
Galicia situated between those two castles." " And whom can we 
send thither ?" Several knights instantly offered their services, such 
as sir Tristan de Roye, sir Reginald and sir Lambert de Braque- 
mont, sir Tristan de la Jaille, sir John de Chatelmorant, and sir Bar- 
rois des Banes, whom the king heard with pleasure, and said ; " My 
fair sirs, I give you many thanks for your wiUingness ; but you can- 
not all go : some must remain with me in case of accidents ; and 
for the present, I shall entreat sir Barrois des Barres, if he please to 
undertake this business." The Barrois was much delighted on 
hearing this, for he had too long remained idle, and replied; "Sir 
king, I thank you : I will defend tliem to the utmost of my power ; 
and, when I am once within them, I will never depart without your 
special order." '' By God," said the king, " I believe we shall soon 
have news from France." The knights were ignorant of the de- 
campment from Sluys, though the king knew it; for the duke of 
Bourbon had written to him the whole account, and what was going 
forward in France ; how he was to come to Castille with three thou- 
sand spears; but that sir William de Lignac and sir Walter de Pas- 
sac were first to clear the passes, with an equal number of lances. 
He asked the knights if they wished to hear news. " Ah, sire, tell 
us some from France, for we are very anxious to hear from thence." 
" Willingly," replied the king. He then told them that the duke of 
Bourbon was appointed by the king of France and his council, com- 
mander-in-chief of all the forces sent to Castille, which amounted to 
six thousand spears ; that sir William de Lignac and sir Walter de 
Passac were to lead the van, of three thousand knights and squires, 
and were then on their march ; that the invasion of England was de- 
ferred until May, when the constable of France, the count de St. 
Pol, and the lord de Coucy, should there land, with four thousand 
lances. " ^^'hat do you say to this?" asked the king. " What do 
we say, sire ?'' replied the knights, who were rejoiced : " we say 
that it is delightful news, and we cannot have better ; and, in the 
course of the summer, many gallant deeds will be done in your 
country ; for, if they have ordered six thousand, nine thousand will 
come. We shall certainly combat the English, who now keep the 
field ; and, before St. John's day, we will shut them up." " On my 
faith," said each of the knights, " the three you have named are 
gallant men, especially the duke of Bourbon: and the other two are 
weW qualified to command men-at-arms. 

The news of this army coming from France was soon known in 
Valladolid, and throughout Castille ; and that it had been ordered to 
arrive by the first of May, to the great comfort of all, and joy of the 
knights and squires. 



CHAPTER LV. 

THE DUKE OF LANCASTER SENDS A REINFORCEMENT TO THE SIEGE OF 
RIBADAVIA. ON THAT TOWN BEING TAKEN BY STORM, MADRES t IN- 
STANTLY SURRENDERS. 

Sir Barrois des Barres left the king of Castille in Valladolid, and 
accompanied by only fifty spears, rode toward the town of Noya. 
News was brought to sir Thomas Moreaux's army, but I know not 
by whom, that the French were on their march, to the amount of 
five hundred lances, to raise the siege of Ribadavia. Sir Thomas 
too easily believed this intelligence ; for those who told it affirmed it 
for truth, and that they had seen them on their march, on this side 
the river Duoro, and encamped at Villalpando. The marshal was 
advised to let the duke of Lancaster have information of this, which 



* " .Mamez.' 

X "Maures." 



Q, Muros. 
Q. Mures. 



t " Betancei." Q. Betan^.os, or Eiitanfa. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &. c . 



421 



he did, by sending to him sir John d'Ambrcticourt, and a herald well 
acquainted with the roads in Galicia. He himself was always on 
his guard, lest he should be surprised in the night, and one half of 
his army was on duty, while the other half slept. When the arrival 
of sir John and the herald at Saint Jago, where the duke and duchess 
resided, was known, the duke said, " They have brought some intel- 
ligence," and, sending for them, asked the news. " Good news, my 
lord : the marshal sends me hither to know how you would wish him 
to act ; for he has learnt for certain, that the French have assembled 
a strong body in Castillo, and are on their march to cross the river, 
and engage with our men before Ribadavia. This is the news I have 
brought." " In God's name," replied he, " it is news enough, but 
■we will soon provide a remedy." He looked at sir John Holland and 
sir Thomas Percy, his constable and admirable, and said to them : 
" Take three hundred spears and five hundred archers, and join our 
companions before Ribadavia, who are looking for the French coming 
to attack them." They replied, they would cheerfully obey, and, 
making themselves ready, set out with the above-mentioned force, 
and arrived before Ribadavia, to the great joy of their countrymen. 

Sir John Holland said to the marshal ; " What do these fellows of 
Ribadavia mean? will they not surrender?" No, by my faith," re. 
plied sir Thomas, " they are so presumptuous : notwithstanding they 
have seen all the neighboring towns do so, they obstinately follow 
tlieir own inclinations. They are but peasants ; for not one gentle- 
man is in the town." " Say no more," answered sir John : " before 
four days we will put them in such plight, that they will gladly sur. 
render to any who will show them mercy ; but tell tlie admiral and 
me, are tlie French abroad ?" " I was so informed," said sir Thomas, 
*' and was assured there were upward of five hundred in one body. 
This is very probable : for men-at-arms are continually coming from 
France to Castille. I afterwards heard, that only sir Barrois de^ 
Barres had entered the castle of Noya with fifty lances, and I know 
nothing more of them." The conversation now ceased; and the 
new comers were lodged among them as well as circumstances would 
admit, and were well served from tlie provision which had followed 
them. Four days after the arrival of sir John Holland and sir Thomas 
Percy, great preparations were made for a general assault ; and a large 
machine of timber was built, and mounted on wheels, which could 
he pushed anywhere. It would contain, with ease, one hundred 
men-at-arms, and the same number of archers ; but, for this attack, 
it was filled with archers only, and the ditches were levelled where 
it was intended to pass. 

When the attack commenced, this machine was wheeled up to the 
walls by main force ; and the archers, being well provided with ar- 
•rows, shot vigorously on their enemies, who returned it by throwing 
darts and such other missile weapons, as wss wonderful to behold. 
The roof of this machine was covered with strong ox-hides to shelter 
them from the effects of the stones and the darts : underneath were 
men-at-arms well shielded, that with pick-a.xes worked hard, and with 
success against the walls ; for the townsmen could not prevent them 
for fear of the archers, who gave them full employment. At length 
a large breach was made in the wall, and a considerable part thrown 
into the ditch ; which when the Galicians perceived, they were so 
dismayed, that they cried loudly, " We surrender, we surrender I" 
No one made any answer ; but the English laughed at them, and said, 
** These peasants have done us much mischief, and mock us by now 
offering to surrender, for the town is ours." Some of the English 
replied, " If you wish to say anything to us, it must be in good French 
or English, for we do not understand Castilian," and kept advancing 
and slaying those who were flying before them. They killed them 
in heaps; and that day there were fifteen hnndred put to death, in- 
cluding Jews, many of whom were resident in the town. Thus was 
Ribadavia taken by storm ; those who first entered it gained great 
■pillage, especially from the houses of the Jews, wherein they found 
more wealth in money than elsewhere. After the town had been 
plundered, the marshal was asked what he intended doing with it, 
and if they should set it on fire. " Oh, no," replied he, " we will 
keep it, and make it as strong as any town in Galicia." 

After they had consulted whither to go next, they determined to 
march to Muros, another tolerably good town in Galicia. The gar- 
rison of Ribadavia, consisting of twenty spears and sixty archers, was 
put under the command of sir Peter Clinton, a valiant knight and 
e-tpert man-at-arms. The army earned away much provision from 
the town, which was well stored, particularly in pork and wines : 
these last were so strong and fiery, they could scarcely drink them ; 
and when any of the English drank too much, they were disabled for 
two days. On their departure from Ribadavia, they took the road 
toward Muros, and had their large machine taken to pieces and 
brought after them, for they fomid it had caused great alarm to many 
■other towns. 

When the inhabitants of Muros heard that the English were on 
their march to attack them, that Ribada\ia had been stormed and 
numbers put to death, and that they had with them a devil of a ma- 
chine, so great and wonderful it could not be destroyed, they were 
much frightened thereat, and were apprehensive what the English 
might do to them. They held a council, whether they should defend 
the town or not, and thought it would be more for their advantage to 
surrender ; for, should the town be stormed, they would lose their 
lives and fortunes, and they saw no hopes of aid from any quarter. 



" Consider," said some of the most prudent, " what has been the con- 
sequence of the defence of Ribadavia, which was much stronger than 
our town ; they held out for near a month, but no reinforcements 
were sent them. The king of Castille, as we understand, looks on 
all Gahcia, as far as the river Duoro, as lost, and you will never, this 
year, see any of the French enter it. Let us, therefore, handsomely 
surrender, without making any opposition, in the like manner the 
other towns of Castille have done." " It is well said," the hearers 
replied, and they unanimously agreed to adopt this opinion. "But 
how shall we manage it?" said some of them. " In God's name," 
replied those who proposed the surrender, " we will go out to meet 
the English, and present them the keys of our town ; for they are a 
civil people, and will not hurt us : if we receive them kindly, we 
shall have their thanks." 

Having determined on this plan, fifty of the principal inhabitants 
went out of the town as soon as they heard the English were ap- 
proaching, and waited on the road, about a quarter of a league off. 
News was brouglit to the English army, that those of Muros had 
come out of their town, not in hostile array, but with the intention of 
surrendering and offering the keys of the place, which they had 
brought with them. Some of the lords rode forward to know the 
truth of it, but ordered the army to halt until their return. As they 
were advancing, the townsmen were told, " Here come three of the 
principal lords of England, sent by the duke of Lancaster to conquer 
the country : speak to them." On which, they cast themselves on 
their knees, and said ; " My lords, behold the poor inhabitants of 
Muros, who are desirous to put themselves under the obedience of 
the duke and duchess of Lancaster : we therefore entreat you to re- 
ceive us in your favor, for all we have is yours." The three lords, 
having consulted together, replied ; " Good people, we will return 
with you to your town, and enter it with part of our army, but not 
all, and there you shall take such oaths as good subjects ought to their 
lord and lady." They answered, they would cheerfully do so. "Now, 
then," said the lords, "go back, and open your gates, for your sur- 
render is accepted." They flung open the gates and barriers for the 
constable and other lords, who might amount to four hundred lances, 
but not more ; the rest remained without the walls, but had much 
provision from the town, wherein the leaders were lodged, and where 
they made the townsmen take the usual oaths of obedience. 



CHAPTER LVI. 

THE LADY PHILIPPA OF LANCASTER IS MAHRIED, BY PROCtmATION, TO THE 
KltlG OF PORTUGAL. THE CEREMONY IS AGAIN PERFORMED WITH GREAT 
MAGNIFICENCE AND FEASTINGS AT OPORTO. 

On the morrow, after the surrender of Muros, when the knights 
were preparing for their march toward Betan^os, a messenger from 
the duke of Lancaster arrived with letters, ordering them to return 
instantly, whatever might be their situation ; for he was daily expect- 
ing the archbishop of Braganza and sir Joao Rodriguez de S4, em- 
bassadors from the king of Portugal, who were to marry his daughter 
by procuration, and conduct her to that king at Oporto, where he was 
waiting for her. Sir John Holland, the marshal and admiral, on 
learning this, altered their plans, and said it was proper that their 
lord the duke, when he received embassadors from the king of Por- 
tugal, should have all his council with him. Having placed sufficient 
garrisons in the towns they had won, they said they would not at. 
tempt more until the month of May, and returned to Saint Jago, 
whither the duke had sent for them. Three days after their arrival, 
came the archbishop of Braganza and sir Joao Rodriguez de S^, who 
entered the town of Saint Jago with two hundred horse, where they 
were all lodged, everything having been prepared for them. 

When the archbishop, with the knights and lords in his company, 
had refreshed themselves, they waited on the duke and duchess ot 
Lancaster in grand array, who received them most graciously. They 
then declared the motive of the embassy, which the duke heard with 
pleasure ; for he was rejoiced at the exaltation of his daughter, and 
the connection with the king of Portugal, which was very opportune, 
if he persevered in his intention of conquering Castille. "The arch- 
bishop explained, to the satisfaction of the duke and his council, that 
by power of the king's procuration, he was authorized to espouse 
personally the lady Philippa of Lancaster, in the name of don John, 
king of Poriugal. During the residence of these embassadors at 
Saint Jago, the ceremony was peformed by virtue of the above-men. 
lioned procuration ; and the archbishop of Braganza and the lady 
Philippa were courteously laid beside each other, on a bed, as married 
persons should be. This being done, on the morrow the lady and 
her attendants were ready to depart ; and, having bidden adieu to her 
father and mother, she mounted her palfrey, as did her damsels, and 
her bastard sister, the wife of the marshal, who accompanied her to 
Portugal. Sir John Holland, sir Thomas Percy, and sir John d'Am. 
breticourt, were ordered to escort her, with one hundred spears and 
two hundred archers. They followed the road to Oporto, and, when 
near, were met by the king and his court, with all the prelates at that 
time in Oporto, to do her honor ; such as the bishops of Lisbon, 
Evora, Coimbra, and Oporto : among the barons wer<| the counts 
d'Angouse, de Novaire, de I'Escalle, Guadalupe Ferrant Pacheco, 
Vasco Martin de Merlo, with upward of forty knights, and great 



422 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



crowds of ladies and other persons, and the whole of the clergy in 
their holiday dresses. Thus was the lady Philippa conducted to the 
king's palace at Oporto, where she dismounted. The king took her 
by the hand and kissed her, performing the same ceremony to all 
the ladies who accompanied her, and then led her to her apartments, 
where he took leave of her and her companions. 
' The English lords and their men were lodged in the town, which 
ia of considerable size ; and this night they kept the vigil of the feast 
by caroling, dancing, and other amusements, until the morrow's 
dawn. On Tuesday morning,* the king of Portugal, the prelates and 
lords of his country, were dressed by eight o'clock, and, mounting 
their horses at the palace gate, rode to the cathedral called St. Mary's 
church, where they waited for the queen. She followed shortly after, 
attended by her ladies and damsels ; and, though the embassadors 
had before espoused her in the king's name, the ceremony was 
again performed ; which done, ihey returned to the palace, where 
were grand and jsolcmn feastings. In the afternoon were tilts and 
tournaments before the king and queen ; and in the evening the 
prizes were distributed. Sir John Holland gained the one destined 
for strangers ; and that for the natives was won by a knight attached to 
the king, sir Jolm Testad'oro. The day and night passed thus jovially 
in various amusements. That night the king lay with the queen ; 
and it was reported by those who were near his person, that he had 
hitherto been perfecdy chaste, and had never known woman. 

On the morrow the feastings and joustings were renewed, when 
Bir Vasco Martin dc Merlo gained one prize, and sir John d'Ambre- 
ticourt the other. The night was spent as before, in caroUngs, 
dancing, and other sports ; and while the English staid at Oporto, 
there were tournaments every day. With such rejoicings was the 
queen of Portugal received on her arrival at Oporto. They lasted 
upward of ten days ; and the king made all the strangers, on their 
departure, such gifts as satisfied them. The English lords, having 
taken leave of the king and queen of Portugal, returned to Saint 
Jago. The duke and duchess of Lancaster made great inquiries, 
and were told all that had passed ; that the king saluted them, and 
that the queen recommended herself to their love. Sir John Holland 
and sir Thomas Percy added, " My lord, the last words the king said 
to us were, that you might take the field when you pleased, for that 
that he would join you and enter CasliUe." " That is good news, 
indeed," replied the duke. 

About fifteen days after the return of the lords from Portugal, the 
duke of Lancaster ordered them to prepare for conquering the remain- 
ing towns in Galicia, for there were several he was not master of. It 
was settled by the council of the duke, that when he should depart 
from Saint Jago, the duchess and her daughter Catherine should visit 
the king and queen of Portugal, at Oporto. The town of Saint Jogo 
was placed under the command of an English knight, called sir 
Lewis Clifford, with thirty spears, and one hundred archers, for his 
garrison. 

CHAPTER LVII. 

THE BTJKE OF LANCASTER MAKCHES HIS ARMY TO ENTENCA. THE INHABI- 
TANTS SEND, WITH THE CONSENT OF THE DUKE, TO THE KINU OF CAS- 
TILLE FOR SUCCOR. 

When the duke of Lancaster marched from Saint Jago, he left no 
more in garrison than those already mentioned. He rode on, in com- 
pany with his duchess, toward the city of Entcnc^a, which is a good 
town in one of the extremities of Galicia, and the last on the bor- 
ders of Portugal, in the direct road from Saint Jago to Oporto and 
Coirabra. They had taken this line of march, because the duchess 
and her daughter were to visit Portugal. The inhabitants of Enten^a, 
hearing that the duke and his army were advancing against them, 
held a council to consider what conduct they should pursue. After 
many debates, it was at length agreed that they should send si.x of 
their principal men to the duke and duchess, to entreat they might 
not be attacked for eight days only, when they would let the king of 
Castille know their situation, and if he sent them no aid they would 
surrender unconditionally. The six citizens, on leaving the town, 
took the road the Englisli were coming, and first met the vanguard 
under the command of the marshal, by whom they were instantly 
arrested. They said they were deputed by the inhabitants of En- 
tenga to parley with the duke. Upon which the marshal said to sir 
John Sounder, who was by his side, "Conduct these men to my 
lord ; for it will be necessary to escort them, or they may be slain by 
our archers." The knight replied, he would take care of ihem ; and 
then the marshal said, " Go, go, this knight will conduct you." They 
all departed, and rode together until they came up with the duke 
and duchess, who had dismounted, and were sitting under some fine 
olive trees, attended by sir John Holland, sir Thomas Percy, and 
others. On seeing sir John Sounder approach, they eyed him well ; 
and sir John Holland said, "Fair brother, Sounder, are these pris. 
oners thine ?"' " They are not prisoners, sir, but men from En. 
tenja whom the marshal has ordered me to conduct to my lord ; and 
from what I can learn, they wish to treat with him." The duke 
and duchess heard all this ; and sir John Sounder continued, " Come 
forward, nw good people : you see your lord and lady." 

Upon this the six men advanced, and, casting themselves on their 



knees, thus spoke : " Our most redoubted lord and lady, the com. 
monalty of the town of Enten^a, hearing you were marching your 
army against them, have sent us hither to entreat you would delay 
advancing further for eight or nine days only, in which time they 
will send to the king of Castille, in Valladolid, an account of the 
great peril they are in ; and if, during those nine days, they be not 
reinforced sufficiently to offer you combat, they will put themselves 
fully under your obedience. In the mean time, should you or your 
army be in want of provision or stores, those of the town will cheer- 
fully serve you with both for your money." The duke made no re. 
ply, leaving it to the duchess, as she was from that country. She 
looked at the duke, and said, "Well, my lord, what do you say ?'* 
" Lady, what do you say ? you are the heiress of this country, and, 
as the inheritance comes through you, you must reply." " It will 
be right then, my lord, that their offer be accepted ; for I do not be- 
lieve that the king of Castille has any desire to combat you so soon." 
" I do not know that," answered the duke ; " God grant it may hap. 
pen otherwise : we shall the sooner put an end to the business ; and 
I wish it were to take place within six days ; hut, since you are 
desirous their offer be accepted, I consent." The duchess then ad. 
dressed the deputies, saying, " You may return, for your offer is 
accepted ; but you must deliver up to the marshal twelve of your 
principal citizens, as pledges for the due performance of the treaty.'* 
They replied they would do so, and, rising up, were given to the 
care of sir John Sounder, who conducted them back to the marshal,, 
and told him what had passed, which gave him satisfaction. The 
deputies returned to their town and related the success of their mis. 
sion. Twelve of the principal inhabitants were sent to the marshal, 
and the place was unmolested, on the terms mentioned. In another 
council they resolved to send the same six men, and no others, to 
inform the king of Castille of their situation. They rode to Valla- 
dolid, where the king resided, with part of his council, and, their ar- 
rival being notified to him, he was eager to see them, to learn the 
news and talk with them ; for he was ignorant of the treaty they had 
entered into, and that the English were before Enten^a. 



* The nth of February, 1387. the day of the Purification. The king was twenty-nine j 
9vaiS9f &ge, the queen twenty-eiRht.— Ed. 



CHAPTER LVIII. 

THE DUCHESS OF LANCASTER AND HER DAUGHTER VISIT THE KINO AND 
QUEEN OF PORTUGAL. THE INHABITANTS OF ENTENCA RECEIVING 
NEITHER ANSWER NOR SUCCOR FROM THE KING OF CASTILLE, SURREN. 
DER TO THE DUKE OF LANCASTER, ACCORDING TO THE TERMS OF TUEIR 
TREATY. 

While these six deputies were journeying toward Valladolid, the 
duke of Lancaster gave directions for the departure of his duchess 
and daughter, the lady Catherine, to visit the king and queen of For. 
tugal. On their setting out, the duke said, " Constance, you will 
salute from me the king my son, my daughter, and the barons of 
Portugal, and give them all the intelligence you can ; how Enten^a 
has entered into a treaty with me ; but that I doubt if John de 
Transtamare, your adversary, will allow them to keep it, or whether 
he will offer me battle ; for well I know that great reinforcements 
are to come to him from France, and those who are eager for renown 
will hasten to Castille as speedily as possible. It will be necessary 
for me to be daily on my guard, in expectation of an engagement, 
which you will tell the king and his barons ; and that, if I shall learn 
anything for certain of a combat being likely to take place, I will 
instantly signify it to the king of Portugal. Desire him from me, to 
be well prepared to come to our assistance, in the defence of our 
right, as he has solemnly sworn to do in the treaties concluded be. 
tween us. You will return to me ; but leave our daughter Catherine 
with her sister, the queen of Portugal, for she cannot be better 
placed, nor more in safety." " My lord," replied the duchess, " all 
this I will cheerfully perform." 

The duchess, her daughter, and the ladies and damsels who ac 
companied them, took their leave and departed. They were escorted 
to Oporto by the admiral, sir Thomas Percy, sir Evan Fitzwarren, 
the lord Talbot, sir John d'-\mbreticourt and sir Maubrun de Lin- 
ieres, with one liundred spears and two hundred archers. The king 
of Portugal, hearing the duchess of Lancaster and her daughter were 
on the road, was much pleased, and sent some of his principal cour. 
tiers to meet them, such as the counts d'Angouses, de Novaire, sir 
Joao Rodriguez de Sk, sir Joao Ferrant Pacheco, sir Vasco Martin 
de Merlo, sir Egeas Colic, and twenty other knights. They rode 
two long leagues before they met the ladies, who received them gra. 
eiously and gayly. The duchess politely made acquaintance with the 
different knights, and, as they rode together, she conversed with 
much affability among them all. Thus did they arrive at Oporto, 
when the duchess and her ladies were conducted to the palace. The 
king was the first who waited on them, and kissed them all round ; 
then came the queen, attended by her ladies, and received her lady, 
mother and sister most kindly and honorably. The whole palace 
was rejoiced at the arrival of these ladies ; but I will not pretend to 
speak very particularly of what passed, for I was not there : all I 
know was from that gallant knight, sir Joao Ferrant Pacheco, who 
was present. The duchess took a proper opportunity to deliver the 
duke's message to the king of Portugal, who replied with pradence 
and friendship, " Lady and cousin, I am prepared, should the king 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



423 



of Caetille take the field, with three thousand lances, who arc sta. 
tioned on the borders of Castille, whom I can collect in three days, 
and I shall also bring with me full twenty thousand men from the 
commonaity of the countrj', who are not to be despised, for they 
were of the greatest service to me at the battle of Aljubarota." 
"Sir," said the duchess, " you say well, and I am greatly thankful to 
you ; and if my lord gain any further intelligence, he will instantly 
let you know." Such was the conversation that passed between the 
king of Portugal and the duchess of Lancaster. 

We will now return to Enten^a, and say what success their depu- 
ties had at Valladolid. On their being introduced to the king of 
Castille, they cast themselves on their knees, and said, " Most re. 
doubted lord, if you will condescend to listen to us, we have been 
sent hither by your town of Enten^a, wliich has been forced to enter 
into a treaty with the duke and duchess of Lancaster. The terms 
of which are, that the English will abstain from any attack for nine 
days ; and if, within that time, you shall come in sufficient force to 
offer them combat and resist the duke, the town will remain yours : 
bnt, if not, the town has given up hostages to surrender it to them. 
You will be pleased, most redoubted lord, to say what you will do." 
The king replied, that " he would advise upon it, and they should 
have an answer." He then left them, and retired to his chamber. 
I am ignorant if he summoned his council or not, or how the matter 
was managed ; but these six men were there for eight days without 
obtaining any answer, nor did they again see the king. The day 
came for the surrender of the town before any of the deputies re- 
ttirned. The duke, therefore, sent his marshal to Enten^a, on the 
tenth day, to say, that if the town were not sun'endered, according 
to the terms of the treaty, he would instantly cut off the heads of the 
hostages. The marshal, on arriving at the barriers, whither he sum- 
moned the inhabitants, thus addressed them : " My good people, the 
duke of Lancaster sends me to know why you have not brought him 
the keys of the town, and put yourselves under his obedience, as you 
were in duty bound ? The nine days expired, as you know, yester- 
day. If you do not instantly comply, he will order the heads of the 
nostages to be struck off, and then march hither to storm the town, 
when you will all be slain, without mercy, like to those of Ribadavia." 

The men of Enten^a, hearing this, were much afraid, not only for 
themselves, but also for their friends who were pledged for the ob- 
servance of the treaty, and replied, " In good truth, my lord marshal, 
llie duke has reason for saying what you tell us ; but we know not 
what is become of the deputies we sent to the king of Castille, nor 
what can have kept them at Valladolid." " Sirs, they may perhaps 
be confmed," said the marshal ; " for the news they carried could 
not be very pleasant to the king, and my lord will not longer wait. 
Consider well what answer you make, for, if it be not agreeable, I 
am ordered to commence the attack." They answered ; " My lord, 
only allow us time to collect all the inhabitants together, that we 
may know their determination." " I consent to it," said he. They 
entered the town once more, and, by sound of trumpet in every 
street, the inhabitants were summoned to the market-place, where, 
when assembled, the chief citizens told them all that had passed be- 
tween them and the niarshal. Having agreed to sun'ender the town, 
for the release of their hostages from prison, whom they were un- 
willing to lose, they returned to the marshal and said, " Marshal, 
your demands are reasonable, and we are ready to receive, as sove- 
reigns, the duke and duchess of Lancaster in our town, of which 
here arc the keys. We will accompany you to the duke's quarters, 
if you will have the goodness to escort us." " I will willingly do 
that," said the marshal. There came out of Enten^a upward of 
sixty persons, carrying with them the keys of the gates : the marshal 
conducted them to the duke, and obtained for them an audience, 
where they were well received, and had their hostages given up. 
The duke entered Enten^a the same day, where he was lodged, and 
as many of his people as could be accommodated. 

Four days after the surrender of Entenga, the six deputies returned 
from Valladolid. They were asked why they had stayed so long ; 
which they answered, by saying thoy could not help it. They had 
indeed seen and spoken to the king, who replied that he had heard 
them, and would advise on what answer to give ; " but, though we 
waited eight days for it, we are come back without any, for no fur- 
ther notice was taken of us." They had heard in Valladolid, that 
the king was expecting great succors from France ; that numbers of 
men-at-arms were already arrived, and quartered up and down the 
country; but that their commanders, sir WiUiam de Lignac and sir 
Walter de Passac, were still behind : that the main body of the 
army, with the knights and squires, were on their march for Castille, 
but that those who had been retained to serve under the duke of 
Bourbon were still at their homes. 

t 



CHAPTER LIX. 

THE COUNT EE FOIX PERMITS THE FRENCH CAPTAINS TO PASS THROUGH 
HIS TERRITORIES, ON CONDITION THEY SHOULD PAY FOR WHATEVER 
THEY TAKE. THEY ARRIVE AT ST. JEAN PIED DE PORT, AT THE EN- 
TRANCE OF NAVARRE. 

Sir William de Lignac and sh: Walter de Passac passing through 
France, assembled their men in the Toulousain, Narbonnoia and 



Carcassone, where, as they arrived, they quartered themselves in the 
richest parts, and many never paid anything for what they took. 
News was brought to the count de Foi.x at Orthfes, where he resided, 
that the French men-at-arms were advancing near his country, witli 
the intent of marching through it in their way to Castille. Those 
who told him this, added, "But, my lord, the mischief is, that they- 
pay for nothing they take, and the people fly before them as if they 
were English. The captains are still at Carcassone, and their men 
overrun from thence all the adjacent countries. They cross the 
Garonne at Toulouse, and enter Bigorre, from whence they will soon 
be in your territories ; and, if they do there what they have done on 
their march, they will greatly injure your domains of B^arn. Con. 
sider, therefore, how you will act." The count de Foix, who had 
instantly formed his resolution, replied, " I will, that all my castles, 
as well in Foix as in B^arn, be well garrisoned with men-at-arms, 
and that all the country be put on its guard, as if an immediate bat- 
tle were to take place ; for I will not suffer from the wars in Cas- 
tille. My lands are free ; and, if the French want to pass through 
them, they shall truly pay for whatever they may want, or they shall 
be shut against them. This I order you, sir William and Peter 
de B^arn, to see obeyed." These two knights were bastard-brothers, 
valiant in arms, and able to support the count's orders. They re- 
plied, they would undertake the charge willingly. 

Proclamation was made, throughout the territories of the count, 
for every one to provide himself with proper arms, and to be pre- 
pared to march on instant notice, wherever sent for. Numbers came 
to Foix, B^arn, and the stewartry of Toulouse, prepared for battle. 
Messire Espaing de Lyon, with a hundred good lances and men-at- 
arms, was sent to the city of Pamiers ; messire Ricart de Saint Leger, 
to Savredun ; Peter de B^arn held Mazeres with a hundred lances ; 
messire Pierre Cabestan was at Bellepuich at the entrance into the 
county of Foix ; messire Pierre Menaut de Noailles with fifty lances, 
at Saint Shibaut, on the Garonne ; messire Pierre de la Roche at 
Palaminich ; the bastard d'Espaigne, at the castle of Lamesen ; mes- 
sire Arnault Guillaume, with, in all, a hundred lances, at Morlans ; 
messire Guy de la Motte, at Pan ; messire Raymond de ChasleL 
Neuf, at Mont-de-Marsan ; messire Evan de Foix, bastard son to the 
count, at Sauvcterre ; messire Berdruc de Nebosem, at Montesquieu; 
messire Jean de Saint Marcille, at Aire ; messire Hector de la Garde, 
at Oron ; John de Chastel-Neuf, at Montgerviel ; Jean de Morlans, 
at Erciel. Messire Raymond I'Aisne, who had the command of the 
castle of Malvoisin, was ordered to be very attentive to the whole of 
that frontier, and sent his cousin, sir Arnaulton d'Espaign, to St, 
Gaudens. In short, there was not a town or castle in Foix and 
B^arn unprovided with men-at-arms, which the count said were suf- 
ficient to oppose double their numbers ; for they amounted, in the 
whole, to twenty thousand picked men-at-arms. 

It was told to sir William de Lignac, who resided at Toulouse, 
and sir Walter de Passac, at Carcassone, how the count de Foix had 
summoned his men-at-arms and reinforced all his garrisons ; and that 
it was reportec^ he would not suffer their army to pass through his 
country. The two knights, on hearing this, though captains of the 
others, were much astonished, and appointed a day to meet and 
confer on the subject. Tliey met at the castle of Aury, half way 
between Toulouse and Carcassone, when the following conversation 
passed on the means of gaining permission from the count de Foi\ 
to march through his territories : 

" I wonder," said sir William, "very much, that neither the king 
of France nor his council have written to him, to obtain liberty for 
us to march quietly through Foix and B^arn. You must go to him, 
sir Walter, and amicably explain how we are sent by the king of 
France to continue our march peaceably, and to pay /or whatever 
we may want ; for you must know, that the count de Foix is so 
powerful, that he can, if he please, shut up the passage, and force 
us to go round by Arragon, which would be too long, and much 
against us. In truth, I know not of whom he is suspicious, nor why 
he has thus strengthened his towns and castles, nor if he have formed 
any connection with the duke of Lancaster ; but I beg of you to go 
thither, and learn the truth of what we have heard." " I will wil- 
lingly do so," replied sir Walter ; and the two knights, having dined 
together, took leave of each other, and departed different ways: sir 
William de Lignac returned to Toulouse; and sir Walter de Passac, 
attended by only forty horse, crossed the Garonne at St. Thibaut, 
where he met sir Menaut do Noailles, who entertained him hand- 
somely. Sir Walter asked, where he could find the count de Foix, 
He replied, "At Orthfes." The two knights having passed some 
little time together, conversing on different matters, separated ; and 
sir Walter went to St. Gaudens, where he made good cheer. On 
the morrow he came to St. John de Riviere, and, riding through 
Lane-bourg, skirted Malvoisin, and lay at Tournay, an inclosed town 
of France. The next day he dined at Tarbes, and stayed the whole 
day : having met the lord d'Anchin, and sir Menaut de Barbasan, 
two great barons of B^arn, they had much conversation together ; 
but, as the lord de Barbasan was an Arrnagnac, he would not say 
anything favorable of the count de Foix. Sir Walter, on the mor- 
row, left Tarbes, and dined at Morlas in Bdarn, where he found sir 
Reginald William, bastard brother to the count, whe received him 
kindly, and said, " Sir Walter, you will meet my lord of Foix at 
Orthis, who, you mav be assured, will be glad to see you." " God 



434 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



grant it may be so," answered sir Walter ; " for I am come pur- 
posely to wait on him." They dined together, and sir Walter went 
afterwards to Montgerbeil where he lay. On the ensuing day he ar. 
rived at Orthes, about eight o'clock in the morning, but could not 
see tlie count until the afternoon, when he usually left his chamber. 
The count de Foix, hearing of the arrival of sir Waller de Passac, 
hastened to leave his apartment sooner than common ; and sir Wal- 
ter, seeing him come out of his chamber, advanced to meet him, and 
saluted him very respectfully. The count, who was perfectly polite, 
returned the salute ; and, taking him by the hand, said, " Sir Wal- 
ter, you are welcome : what business has brought you to B^arn ?" 
** My lord,*' replied the knight, " sir William de Lignac and myself, 
whom the king of France has appointed commanders of the force 
which, you must have heard, he is sending to assist the king of Gas. 
tille, have been given to understand that you intend to prevent us, 
by shutting your country of B^arn against us and our men." The 
count replied, " Sir Walter, under favor, I never mean to close my 
country against you, nor any person who may travel peaceably 
through it, and pay honestly and fairly for whatever they may want, 
to the satisfaction of my people ; for I have sworn to defend and 
protect them in their rights, as good landholders ought to do, for 
■ upon these terms do they possess them. But I have heard that you 
have a set of Bretons, Barrois, Lorainers and Burgundians, who never 
think of paying. It is against such I shall close my country ; for I 
will not have my people harassed nor oppressed." 

" It is the intention of my brother-commander and myself," re. 
plied sir Walter, " that no one pass through your lands without pay- 
ing for all things peaceably and to the contentment of your people, 
otherwise let him be arrested and punished according to your laws, 
and make restitution for the damage he may have done, or we will 
make satisfaction for him, on havijig him given up to us; and, if no 
gentleman, we will inflict such exemplary justice on him, in the 
presence of your people, that all may take warning. Should the 
offender be a gentleman, we will make ample restitution t~or what he 
may have done, should he be unable so to do himself. This order 
shall be proclaimed by sound of trumpet, in all our quarters ; and 
we will have it repeated when on the point of entering your territo. 
ries, so that no one may e-'ccuse himself, by pleading ignorance, and 
in consequence act otherwise than honestly. Tell me, if this be 
satisfactory to you." " Yes, sir Walter," replied the count, " I am 
contented with what you say ; and you are welcome to this country, 
for I see you with pleasure : but come, let us go to dinner, it is now 
time, and we can have some further conversation. Accursed be 
this war of Portugal, sir Walter ; for I never suffered so much as I 
did in one battle between the kings of Castillo and Portugal, when 
I lost the flower of my men-at-arms from B^arn, who were there 
slain. When they took leave of me, I forewarned them to act with 
caution, for the Portuguese were a hardy race, who, whenever they 
had the upper hand, showed mercy to none. I advise you, therefore, 
that when you and sir William de Lignac, u'ho are the commanders 
of the men-at-arms that have passed, and of those tllit are to follow, 
are arrived in Castille, and the king asks counsel of you, you be not 
too hasty in recommending a battle with the duke of Lancaster and 
the king of Portugal, without evident advantage, nor with the Eng- 
lish and Portuguese ; for they are a hungry race, and the English 
are, for two reasons, eager to fight. They have not gained anything 
for some time, but rather lost, consequently are poor : they therefore 
wish to hazard an engagement, in hopes of gain ; and those who are 
bold, and anxious to obtain the property of others, fight valiantly, 
and are commonly fortunate. The other reason is, that the duke of 
Lancaster sees clearly he can never succeed in winning the crown 
of Castille,»which he claims in right of his wife, but by a battle ; 
and that, if the day should be his, and the king defeated, the whole 
of Castille would surrender, and tremble before him. For this he 
has landed in Galicia, and given one of his daughters in marriage to 
the king of Portugal, who is to assist him with all his might in his 
claim. I mention this ; because, should matters turn out unfortu- 
nate, you and sir William de Lignac would be more blamed than 
any others." 

" My lord," answered sir Walter, " I return you many thanks for 
the advice you give me. I ought to follow what you say ; for you 
are, at this day, the wisest of Christian princes, and the most fortu- 
nate in your affairs. But my companion and myself are under the 
duke of Bourbon, who is our commander-in-chief; and, until he be 
arrived ia Castille, we shall not hasten our march, and will not, for 
what any person may say, press the engaging with our enemies." 
Other conversation now took place, until the count de Foix called 
for wine. When it was brought, sir Walter and all present drank 
of it, and took leave of the count, who reentered his chamber. Sir 
Walter returned to his lodging, accompanied by the knights of the 
count's household ; and, at the usual hour, he again went to the 
castle and supped with the count. On the morrow, after dinner, sir 
Walter took leave of the count, who, among other gifts, presented 
him on his departure with a handsome horse and mule. Sir Walter, 
having returned him his thanks, and his attendants being ready, 
mounted his horse and quitted Orthes for Erciel, where he lay that 
night. He arrived at Tarbes the following day, for he had ridden 
hard to finish this day's journey, where he halted, that he might 
write to sir William de Lignac respecting the success of his visit to 



the count de Foix. He told him he might order the army to advance 
as they would find the country of B^arn and the towns open to 
thein, by paying for whatever they might want, but not otherwise. 
The messenger delivered this letter to sir William do Lignac at Tou. 
louse, who, having read it, communicated the contents to the leaders 
of the men-at.arms, and gave them orders to begin the march, and 
to pay for whatever they might want in B^arn, or they would be 
called upon to make due restitution. This order was proclaimed, 
by sound of trumpet, in all their quarters ; and, shortly after, the 
men-at-arms began their march from Toulouse, Carcassone, and other 
places, toward Bigorre. Sir William de Lignac left Toulouse, and, 
on his arrival at Tarbes, found his brother-commander, sir Walter 
de Passac. They mutually entertained each other with good cheer, 
as was natural, while their men-at-arms were continually passing 
toward Bigorre, where they were to assemble and traverse Foix asd 
Beam, in a body, to cross the Gave at Orlhfes. 

The instant you leave B^arn you enter the country of the Basques,* 
where the king of England has large possessions in the archbish- 
opric of Bordeaux and bishopric of Bayonne. The inhabitants of 
fourscore villages with churches, attached to England, on hearing of 
this march of the French, were greatly alarmed lest their country 
would be overrun and spoiled ; for at that time there were not any 
men-at-arms to defend it. Those, therefore, counselled together 
who were of the most influence and of the largest properties, and 
determined to negotiate with the French for the ransom of their 
country. They, in consequence, sent four deputies to Orthfes, em. 
powered to treat for peace. They related to Ernauton du Pin, a 
squire of the count de Foix, an agreeable and discreet man, the cause 
of their coining, and entreated him, when, in two days' time, sir 
William and sir Walter shoidd come to Orthes, to assist them in 
their treaty. This Ernauton readily promised ; and as they lodged 
with him, he aided them so much that they were well satisfied to 
pay two thousand francs to save their country from ruin. The count 
de Foix again entertained the commanders at dinner, and gave sir 
William de Lignac a beautiful horse. On the morrow, they marched 
to Sauveterrc, and entered the country of the Basques : and though 
it had been ransomed, they seized provision wherever they found 
any, but continued their march, without doing further mischief, to 
St. Jean Pied de Port, at the entrance of Navarre. 



CHAPTER LX. 

SIR JOHN HOLLAND AND SIR REGINALD DE ROYE PERFORM A TILT JK 
THE TOWN OF ENTEN<;A, BEFORE THE KING AND QUEEN OF PORTCOAL 
AND THE DDKE OF LANCASTER. 

You have before heard how the town of Enten^^a surrendered to 
the duke of Lancaster, for the king of Castille sent thither no assist- 
ance ; and how the duchess of Lancaster and her daughter visited 
the king and queen of Portugal at Oporto, when the king and his 
court, as was right, received them most honorably. During the stay 
of the duke of Lancaster in Enten^a, a herald arrived from Valla- 
dolid, who demanded where sir John Holland was lodged. On being 
shown thither, he found sir John within ; and, bending his knee, 
presented him a letter, saying, " Sir, I am a herald-at-arms, whom 
sir Reginald de Roye sends hither : he salutes you by me, and you 
will be pleased to read this letter.'' Sir John answered, he would 
willingly do so. Having opened it, he read that sir Reginald de 
Roye entreated him, for the love of his mistress, that he would de- 
liver him from his vow, by tilting with him three courses with the 
lance, three attacks with the sword, three with the battle-axe, and 
three with the dagger ; and that, if he chose to come to Valladolid, 
he had provided him an escort of sixty spears ; but, if it were more 
agreeable to him to remain in Enten^a, he desired he would obtain 
from the duke of Lancaster a passport for himself and thirty com- 
panions. 

When sir John Holland had perused the letter, he smiled, and 
looking at the herald, said, " Friend, thou art welcome ; for thou hast 
brought me what pleases me much, and 1 accept the challenge. 
Thou wilt remain in my lodging with my people, and in the course 
of to-morrow, thou shalt have my answer, whether the tilts are to 
be in Galicia or Castille." The herald replied, " God grant it." He 
remained in sir John's lodgings, where he was made comfortable ; 
and sir John went to the duke of Lancaster, whom he found in con. 
versation with the marshal, and showed the letter the herald had 
brought. "Well," said the duke, "and have you accepted it?" 
"Yes, by my faith, have I: and why not? I love nothing better 
than fighting, and the knight entreats me to indulge him : consider, 
therefore, where you would choose it should take place." The duke 
mused awhile, and then said : " It shall be performed in this town : 
have a passport made out in what tenns you please, and I will seal 
il." " It is well said," replied sir John ; " and I will, in God's name, 
soon make out the passport." The passport was fairly written and 
sealed, for thirty knights and squires to come and return ; and sir 
John Holland, when he delivered it to the herald, presented him 
with a handsome mantle lined with a minever, and twelve nobles. 

* Basquea, a small country near tUe Pyrenees, bounded by Spain, the seo, the riTer 
Adour, and Bdam. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &.c. 



43£ 



The herald took leave and returned to Valladolid, where he related 
what had passed, and showed his presents. 

News of this tournament was carried to Oporto, where the king 
of Portugal kept liis court. '• In the name of God," said the king, 
" I will be present at it, and so shall my queen and the ladies." 
" Many thanks," replied the duchess ; " for I shall be accompanied by 
the kirig and queen when I return." It was not long after this con- 
versation, that the king of Portugal, the queen, the duchess, with her 
daughter, and the ladies of the court, set out for Entencja, in grand 




Battl£-a^e Fiqht between Sir John Holland and Sib Reginald de Koyk 

by several cuts in Keuer's Maximilian. 



From cotemporarr MSS.. afloifited 



array. The duke of Lancaster, when they were near at hand, mounted 
his horse ; and, attended by a numerous company, went to meet them. 
When the king and duke met, they embraced each other most kindly, 
and entered the town together, where their lodgings were as well 
prepared as they could be in such a place, though they were not so 
magnificent as if they had been at Paris. Three days after the ar- 
rival of the king of Portugal, came sir Reginald de Roye, handsomely 
accompanied by knights and squires, to the amount of si.x score horse. 
They were all properly lodged; for the duke had given his officers 
strict orders they should be well taken care of. On the morrow, sir 
Jolm Holland and sir Reginald de Roye armed themselves, and rode 
into a spacious close in Enten^a, well sanded, where the tilts were to 
be performed. Scaffolds were erected for the ladies, the king, the 
duke, and the many English lords who had come to witness the com- 
bat ; for none had stayed at home. 

The two knights who were to perform this deed of arms, entered 
the lists so well armed and equipped that nothing was wanting. Their 
spears, batile-a.\cs and sword.s, were brought them ; and each, being 
mounted on the best of horses, placed himself about a bow-shot distant 
from the other, but, at times, they both pranced about on their horses 
most gallantly, for they knew every eye to be upon them. All being 
iio%v arranged for their combat, which was to include everything, ex- 
cept pushing it to extremity, though no one could see what mischief 
might happen, nor how it would end ; for they were to lilt with 
pointed lances, then with swords, which were so sharp that scarcely 
a helmet could resist their strokes ; and these were succeeded by 
battle-axes and daggers, each so well tempei-ed that nothing could 
withstand them. Now, consider the perils those run who engage in 
such combats to e.talt their honor ; for one unlucky stroke puts an 
end to the business. 

Having braced their targets and examined each other through the 
visors of their helmets, they spurred on their horses, spear in hand. 
Though they allowed their horses to gallop as they pleased, they ad- 
vanced on as sti'oight a line as if it had been di'awn with a cord, and 
hit each other on tlie visors, with such force that sir Reginald's lance 
■was shivered into four pieces, which flew to a greater height than 
they could have been thrown. All present allowed this to be gal- 
lantly done. Sir John Holland struck sir Reginald likewise on the 
visor, but not with the same success, and I will tell you why : sir 
Reginald had but slightly laced on his helnitt, so that it was held by 
one thong only, which broke at the blow, and the helmet ilew over 
his head, leaving sir Reginald bare-headed. Each passed the other, 
and sir John Holland bore his lance without halting. The specta- 
tors cried out that it was a handsome course. The knights returned 
to their station, when sir Reginald's helmet was fitted on again, and 



another lance given to him: sir John grasped his own, which was 
not worsted. When ready, they set off full gallop, for they had ex 
cellent horses under them, which they well knew how to manage, 
and again struck each other on the helmets, so that sparks of fire 
came from them, but chiefly ironi sir John Holland's. He received 
a very severe blow, for this time the lance did not break ; neither 
did sir John's, which hit the visor of his adversary without much 
efTect, passing through and leaving it on the cruperof the horse, and 
sir Reginald was once more bare-headed. " Ha," cried the English 
to the French, *' he docs not fight fair ; 
why is not his helmet as well buckled on 
as sir John Holland's? We say he ia 
playing tricks : tell him to put himself 
on an equal fooling with his adversary." 
"Hold your tongues," said the duke, 
" and let them alone : in arms every 
one takes what advantage he can : if sir 
John think there is any advantage in 
thus fastening on his helmet, he may do 
tlie same. But, for my part, were I in 
their situations, I would lace my helmet 
as tight as possible ; and if one hundred 
were asked their opinions, there would 
be fourscore of my way of thinking." 
The English, on this, were silent, and 
never again interfered. The ladies de. 
clared they had nobly justed ; and they 
were much praised by the king of Por- 
tugal, who said to sir John Fernando, 
" In our country they do not tilt so well, 
nor so gallantly: what say you, sir John?'' 
" By my faith, sir," replied he, " they 
do tilt well ; and formerly I saw as good 
justs befoi"e your brother, when we were 
at Elvas to oppose the king of Castillo, 
between this Frenchman and sir Wil- 
liam Windsor ; but I never heard that 
his helmet was tighter laced then than 
it is now." The king on this turned 
from sir John to observe the knights, 
who were about to begin their third 
course. Sir John and sir Reginald eyed 
each other, to see if any advantage were 
to be gained, for their horses were so 
excellent that they could manage them as they pleased, and sticking 
spurs into them, hit their helmets so sharply that their eyes struck 
fire, and the shafts of their lances were broken. Sir Reginald waa 
again unhclmed, for he could never avoid this happening, and they 
passed each other without faUing. All now declared, they had well 
justed ; though the English, excepting the duke of Lancaster, blamed 
greatly sir Reginald : but he said, " he considered that man as wise 
who in combat knows how to seize his vantage. Know," added 
he, addressing himself to sir Thomas Percy and sir Thomas Moreaux, 
" that sir Reginald de Roye is not now to be taught how to tilt: he 
is better skilled than sir John Holland, though he has borne himself 
well." 

After the couises of the lance, thoy fought three rounds with swords, 
battle-axes, and daggers, without either of them being wounded. The 
French carried off sir Reginald to his lodging, and the English did 
the same to sir John Holland. The duke of Lancaster entertained 
this day at dinner all the Fiench knights and squires : the duchess 
was seated beside him, and sir Reginald de Roye next to her. After 
dinner, they entered the presence-chamber ; and the duchess, taking 
sir Reginald by the hanti, led him thither : and they were followed 
by the other knights, who conversed on arms and on other subjects a 
long time, almost until wine was brought. The duchess then drew 
nearer to the French knights, and thus spoke : " I wonder greatly 
how you knights of France can think of supporting the claims of a 
bastard ; for it is well known to the whole world, that Henry who 
called himself king of Castiile, was a bastard, and how eon yo« 
thus, with your arms and counsel, disinherit the right heir of Caetille 
and deprive him of the crown ? for this I know, that myself and sister 
are the legal daughtei's of the late king, don Pedro ; and God, who ia 
Truth itself, knows that our claim on Castiile is just." The lady, 
when speaking of her father, don Pedro, could not refrain from tears, 
as she doatcd on him. Sir Reginald de Roye bowed to her, and 
thus replied : " Madam, we know that what you have said is true ; but 
our lord, tho king of France, holds a dilTerent opinion from youre ; 
and, as we are his subjects, we must make war for him, and go 
whithersoever he may send us, for we caimot disobey him." At 
these words, sir John Holland and sir Thomas Percy handed tho 
lady to her chamber, and the wines and spices were brought. The 
duke and his company drank of them, and the French knights took 
their leave ; the horses being ready at their lodgings, they mounted 
and left Enten^a. They rode that day to Noya, which wai? attached 
to the king of Castiile, where they reposed themselves, and then coa- 
tinued their journey to Valladolid. 



426 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, & c . 



CHAPTER LXI. 

THE KINO OF POKTOGAI, PROMISES TO ENTER CASTILLE WHILE THE DCKE 
OF LANCASTER FINISHES THE CONQUEST OF GALICIA, AND THEN TO 
UNITE THEIR FORCES. 

The king of Portugal and the duke of Lancaster had a long con. 
ference together the day after this tournament, when, I believe, their 
plans of operation were settled. The king of Portugal having as. 
Bembled his army ready to take the field, it was determined that he 
should enter Castille, while the duke remained in Galicia, to conquer 
such towns and castles as had not acknowledged him for king ; and 
it was likewise resolved, that if king John of Castille made any 
movements which showed an inclination for battle, they were to join 
their forces. It was judged, that if the two armies were always 
■united, there would be difficulty in procuring forage for such num. 
bers. Other evils might arise also respecting forage and quarters ; 
for the English are hasty and proud, and the Portuguese hot and im- 
petuous, easily angered, and not soon pacified. But in the e.xpecta- 
tion of a battle, they would agree as well together as Gascons. 

Having determined as above, the king of Portugal addressed the 
duke of Lancaster, " Sir, when I shall learn that you have taken the 
field, I will do the like ; for my men are ready and eager for battle." 
The duke replied, " I will not long continue idle ; but as I have 
heard there are some towns in Galicia still in rebellion, and that the 
people will not acknowledge me, I must first conquer them, and then 
inarch where I may the soonest meet my enemies." Upon this, the 
king and queen of Portugal took leave of the duke and duchess, as did 
thetady Catherine their daughter; for it had been setded, that during 
the war she should live with her sister in Portugal, as the place of 
greatest security for her, and the duchess was to return to Saint 
Jago. Tlius were these matters arranged, and the king of Portugal 
and his court set out for Oporto, and the duchess for Saint Jago, each 
party well escorted by knights and squires ; but the duke remained 
with his army at Enten<;a, or in the neighborhood. They were very 
eager to commence the campaign, for it was now the pleasant month 
of°April, wlien the grass is ripe in the meads, the corn in ear, and 
the flowers in seed ; for it is so hot in that country, that the harvest 
is over in June : they therefore wished to perform some exploits in 
arms while the weather was fine, for it was a pleasure at such a sea- 
son to be out in the fields. 

We must now speak of the arrangements of the French, and of 
the king of Castille, as fully as we have done of the English. 



CHAPTER LXII. 

SIR WILLIAM DE LIGNAC AND SIR WALTER DE PASSAC TRAVERSE THE 
IINGDOM OF NAVARRE WTITH THEIR ARMY, AND ARRIVE AT BURGOS, 
WHERE THEY MEET THE KING OF CASTILLE. 

You have heard how sir AValter de Passac obtained permission 
from the count de Foix for the French army, intended for Castille, to 
pass through B(;arn. The count likewise gave, of his own free will, 
(for he was no way bounden to do so,) very rich presents to such 
knights and squires as waited on him at the castle of Orthfes, to pay 
thefr respects, and tell him what was passing in the way of news. 
To some he gave tv^■o hundred, to others one hundred, fifty or forty, 
florins, according to their ranks ; and, as the treasurer assured me, 
the passage of this first division cost the count de Foix one thousand 
francs, without including the presents he made of coursers and 
hackneys. Now show me the prince who does such things, or who 
has the inclination to do them. In good truth, so desirous am I ot 
speaking to his advantage, it is a pity that such a one should ever 
grow old and die ; for he is not surrounded by base minions, who 
tell him, " Take this, give that ; take on all sides." No ; he never 
had, nor will have, any such about his person : he does all himsell ; 
for he has, by nature, abilities to know to whom he should give, and 
from whom he should take, when required. True it is, that the large 
presents he makes oppresses his people ; for his revenue is not equal 
to giving every year at least sixty thousand francs, and keeping up 
his establishments, which are uneqtialled by any one, and to the 
amassing a treasure to serve him in case of accidents. He has been, 
for the last thirty years, laying by large sums ; and they say there is 
in the tower of Orthfes one hundred thousand franca, thirty times 
told. His subjects only pray to God that he may have long life, and 
never complain of anything he does ; and I have heard them say, 
that on the day he shall die, there will be ten thousand persons m 
Orthfes, who would wish to die also. Consider that this must be the 
effect of their affection ; and, if they have such great love for him, 
they have reason for it, as he maintains strict justice, and his sub- 
jects enjoy their lands free and in peace, like to a terrestrial paradise. 
Let it not be thought that I thus speak through flattery, or my love 
to him, or for the presents he has made me ; for I can readily prove 
all I have said of the gallant count de Foix, and still more, by a 
thousand knights and squires, if called upon. Let us return to sir 
WiUiam de Lignac and sir Walter de Passac, the commanders of 
the men-at-arms destined for Castille. 

Having crossed Basques, and the pass of Roncesvalles, which 
took them three days, (for, though it was in the month of April, the 



snows and cold were so deep and severe, that they had much diffi. 
culty in the passage with their men and horses,) they arrived at 
Pampeluna, the kingdom of Navarre being open to them. The 
king of Navarre was unwilling to displease the king of Castille, aa 
his son Charles de Navarre had married his sister ; and when tha 
last treaties were concluded, during the reign of the late don Henry, 
they were so strong as bound the king of Navarre to peace. Indeed, 
he can never withstand the king of Castille, unless he have tha 
kings of Arragon and England for his allies. The king of Navarre 
very amicably received, at Pampeluna, the leaders of this force,* 
and had them, with some other knights that accompanied them, to 
dine with him in his palace. After dinner, he led them into his 
council-chamber, and began conversations on different subjects, (for 
he was a wondrous subtle and eloquent man,) and at last turned tha 
discourse on France, and harangued on the wrongs the king of 
France and his council had unjustly done him, by depriving him of 
his lands in Normandy, which had descended to him from his pre- 
decessors the kings of France and Navarre. This injury he should 
never forget ; for he had lost, by the seizure of lands in Normandy, 
Languedoc, and in the barony of Montpensier, about sixty thousand 
francs of yearly rent, and in respect of this grievance he knew not 
to whom, except to God, to apply for redress. " I do not say this, 
my lords," added he, " that you should any way interfere in the bu. 
siness ; for I know you have not the power, nor would anything you 
could say be listened to. You are not of the king's council, but 
knights-errant and soldiers, who are obliged to march wheresoever 
the king or his council may order you. This is fact ; but I say it to 
you, because I know not to whom I can complain, except to ail who 
shall come from France through this country." 

Sir Walter de Passac replied : " Sir, what you say is true : noth. 
ing will be done by any recommendation of ours ; for, in truth, wa 
are not of the king's council. We go whither we are sent ; and my 
lord of Bourbon, uncle to the king, is our commander, and, as you 
know, is to follow us this road : you may lay your complaints before 
him, either when coming or on his return ; for he has niacli influ- 
ence, and your wrongs may be redressed. May God assist you, for 
the honor you have done us 1 When returned to France, we shall 
praise your attentions, to the king, as well as to the dnke of Bourbon, 
our commander, whom we shall see first."' Wine was now brought, 
of which they partook, and then left the king, who parted from them 
kindljs and sent to each, at their lodgings, a handsome war-horse, to 
their great joy. The men-at-arms thus passed Navarre, and arrived 
at Logrono, where they inquired after the king of Castille. They 
were told he had resided for some time at Valladolid, but that he 
was then at Burgos, making great preparations of stores and pro- 
vision. They then followed the road toward Burgos, leaving that 
into Galicia, which country was not secure, for the English had 
marched far into it. News was brought to the king of Castille that 
great succors were on their march, to the amount of two thousand 
lances, from France. This delighted him greatly, and he set out 
from Valladolid, accompanied by ten thousand horse, for Burgos, 
where the French, on their coming, were quartered over the country. 
They were daily joined by others from France. 



CHAPTER LXIII. 

MANY PLANS ARE OFFERED TO THE KING OF CASTILLE FOR CARRYINS 
ON THE WAR : HE IS DETERMINED BY THE COMMANDERS OF THE 
FRENCH FORCE TO DELAY AN ENGAGEMENT UNTIL THE ARRIVAL OF 
THE DUKE OF BOtTRBON, AND TO MAKE EXCURSIONS FROM THE DlF- 
FERENT GARRISONS. 

Sir William de Lignac and sir Walter de Passac, on their arrival 
at Buroos, waited on the king, at his palace, who received them 
kindly,°and thanked them br the trouble and pains they had taken, 
out of affection to him, and for coming to assist him. The knights 
bowed, and said : " that if they could do anything essential lor his 
service, their pains and trouble would soon be forgotten." Many 
councils were holden, to consider whether to march against the 
enemy, or carry on the war by excursions from the garrisons, until 
the duke of Bourbon arrived. The two knights said, •' bend tor sir 
Oliver du Guesclin, sir Peter de ViUaines, sir Barrels des Barres, 
Chatclmorant, and the other companions, who are better acquainted 
with this country than ourselves, for they have come hither belore 
us, and we will then confer together; and if it please God, your 
kingdom shall, from our counsels, acquire both profit and renown. 
The king said, they had spoken openly and loyally, and he was wil- 
ling thei? advice should be followed. Secretaries were instantly ern- 
ployed in writing pressing letters to the diflereiit kmghts and othera 
whom they wished to see, which were sent oil by messengers to he 
different parts where they resided When it was known to them that 
sir William de Lignac and sir Walter de f'>^^'tf''Yf,°,'^]t 
had sent for thenCthey were much pleased. They left the towns 
and castles in which they were garrisoned, under the command ot 
such as they could depend on, and hastened to Burgos where, in a 
short time, good part of the cliivalry of France were collected. 

The French Itniehts returned from this expedition before the e»- 
The king of Navarre died January 1, 1387.— Ed. 



* This was in 1386. 
pirauon of the year. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



427 



! - Tlie king of Castille held a grand council with the barons and 
fciights of France, on the manner of commencing the campaign, for 

' they knew the enemy had taken the field. He was desirous of aet- 
ing in a manner becoming tlie honor of a king, and for the benefit 
of his country. Many were the debates, and the amount of the force 
in Castille was estimated. It was said, that the king could summon 

, into the field thirty thousand horse, witli their riders armed, according 
to the custom of the country, with darts and javelins, and thirty thou. 
sand infantry, if not more, with slings. The French knights con. 

[ sidered all this, and said it was certainly a great number of people, 
but it was useless as an army ; for they had formerly acted in so 
cowardly a manner that no confidence could be placed in them. 
Through their cowardice, the prince of Wales had won the battle of 

; Najarra ; and the Castillians had been completely defeated by the 
Portuguese at Aljubarota. The count de Lerma took up this speech, 
and supported the Castillians. By way of excuse, he said: " With 
regard to the battle of Najarra, I must beg leave to speak to that. 
It is true that many noble knights from France were present with 
sir Bertrand du Gucsclin, who fought valiantly, for they were all 
slain or captured ; but you must also know that the flower of knight, 
hood of the whole world was under the command of the prince of 
Wales, whose good sense, courage, and prudence, were unrivalled. 
Such is not now the case with the duke of Lancaster. The prince 
had, at the battle of Najarra, full ten thousand spears, and six thou, 
sand archers ; and among the chivalry were three thousand equal to 
the Rolands and Olivers ; such as sir John Chaados, sir Thomas Fel- 
ton, sir Oliver de Clisson, sir Hugh Calverley, sir Richard de Pont- 
chardon, sir Garsis du Chatel, the lord de Raix, the lord de Rieux, 
sir Louis de Harcourt, sir Guiscard d'Angle, and hundreds more 
whom I could name, who were then present, but who are either 
dead, or have turned to our side. These are not now opposed to us, 
nor is the event so doubtful as it was in former times ; so that who- 
ever has confidence in me, will join my opinion for an instant com- 
bat ; and that we march to cross the river Duoro, which will redound 
to our honor." 

This speech of the count de Lerma was attentively listened to by 
the council, and many were of his mind. Sir Oliver du Guesclin 
next spoke : " Count de Lerma, we know that what you have uttered 
proceeds from the good sense and courage you possess ; and, suppose 
we were to march and offer combat to the duke of Lancaster, had 
■we no other enemy, we should do well ; but you have forgotten the 
king of Portugal, whom we shall have on our rear, and whose forces 
consist, as we have been informed, of twenty-five hundred lances, 
and thirty thousand other men. It was the dependence on the king 
of Portugal that made the duke land in Galicia ; and we know that 
their alliance is very much strengthened by the marriage of the king 
with the duke's daughter. Now, let us hear what you can say to 
this." " In God's name," replied the count de Lerma, " the French 
being four thousand lances, are more than a match to combat the 
duke of Lancaster; and the king, w*ith his Castillians to the amount 
of twenty thousand horse, and thirty thousand foot, as they say, may 
surely withstand the king of Portugal : it appears to me so clear, 
that I will risk the event with them." 

The knights from France, seeing themselves thus rebuffed by the 
count de Lerma, said : " By God, you are in the right, and we in the 
wrong ; for we ought first to have weighed w-hat you have said : it 
shall be so, since you will it, and no one seems to oppose it." " My 
lords," said the king, " I beg of you to consider well the advice you 
give me, not through haste or pride, but with all attention, that the 
best plan may be adopted. I do not look on what has been said as 
decisive, nor approve of it : I will that we meet again in this same 
apartment to-morrow, and particularly that you, sir William de Lig- 
nac, and you, sir Walter de Passac, who have been sent hither by 
the king of France and the duke of Bourbon, as the commanders-in- 
chief, do confer together, and examine carefully what will be the 
most honorable and profitable for my kingdom ; for you shall deter, 
mine whether we march to offer combat to our enemies or not." 

They bowed to the king, and said they would cheerfully attend to 
his orders. The conference then broke up, and each retired to his 
lodging. The French knights had this day after dinner, and in the 
evening, much conversation on the subject. Some said : "We can. 
not in honor offer battle until the arrival of the duke of Bourbon ; for 
how do we know what will be his intentions, to fight or not ? Should 
we engage and be victorious, the duke will be highly indignant 
agaiiist the captains from France : should we be defeated, we not 
only ruin ourselves, but Castille also ; for if we be slain, there can be 

' no hopes of recovery to the Castillians, and the king will lose his 
crown. We shall be blamed, should this happen, more than any 
others ; for it will be said, that we proposed the battle, and were 
ignorant advisers. Besides, we know not if the country be unan. 
imous in their affection to the king, or whether they may not have 
sent underhand, for the duke of Lancaster and his lady, as the legal 
heiress of Castille, for she is the daughter of don Pedro, as is well 
known to all. Now, should the Castillians say, on seeing the duke 
and the English in the field, that his is the justest cause, for that king 
John is a bastard, they may turn about toward the latter end of the 
day, as they did at NajaiTa, and leave us to be slain on the spot. 
Thus there is a double danger for the king and for us. They must 
be mad or foolish who advise a battle ; and why have not those who 



ought to have spoken, such as sir William de Lignac and sir Walter 
de Passac, delivered their sentiments?" " Because, '> replied others, 
" they wished to know our opinions first ; for it is not possible but 
that, when they left the council of France and the duke of Bourbon, 
they were well instructed how to act. We shall all know to-morrow." 
There was much disputing this evening between the knights from 
France, as well as among those of Castille. The well-wishers to the 
king would not advise him to offer battle, for the reason that, if 
they should be defeated, the kingdom was infallibly lost. The king 
himself was of this opinion : he dreaded the chances of war ; for he 
was ignorant of the support he should have, and whether he was be- 
loved by all his subjects or not. The matter thus remained until 
the morrow, when they were again assembled in the presence of the 
king. 

In this conference there were many speakers, for all were desirous 
to offer the king advice to the best of their abilities. It was visible 
the king was against the plan of the preceding day ; for he had not 
forgotten the unfortunate event of the battle of Aljubarota, where he 
was defeated by the king of Portugal with such loss, that another 
similar to it would lose him his realm. When all had delivered their 
opinions, sir VV^illiam de Lignac and sir Walter de Passac were asked 
theirs ; for, as they were the commanders-in-chief, everything should 
bo ordered and executed by them. The two knights, looking at 
each other, sir William said, " Do you speak, sir Walter." " Not 
I," replied sir Walter : " do you, for you have been longer used to 
arms than myself." Sir William having paused a while, thus spoke : 
" Sir king, you ought, methinks, to return many thanks to this noble 
chivalry of France, who have come so far to serve you in your dis- 
tress, and who have shown you so much affection as to decline shut- 
ting themselves up in any of your castles or towns, but are eager to 
take the field and combat your enemies wherever they may find them: 
which, however, saving your grace and the good will you show, can- 
not be done at present for many reasons ; the principal of which is, 
the absence of my lord the duke of Bourbon, who will soon arrive 
with a considerable reinforcement of men-at.anns. There are also 
many of our knights and squires who have never before been in this 
country, and are ignorant of the roads, to which they must attend ; 
and things which are hastily concluded never end well. Instead, 
therefore, of attempting a general engagement, we shall carry on the 
war for two or three months, or as long as may be necessary, from 
different garrisons, and let the English and Portuguese overrun Gali. 
cia, or other parts, if they can. If they conquer a few towns, it will 
be no great loss : we will regain them before we quit the country, 
for they shall only borrow them for a time. To conclude : in war- 
fare there are jnany unforeseen events, and the English during the 
hot season may, in their various excursions through Galicia, meet 
with such difficulties, and suffer such disorders, as may make them 
repent ever having undertaken the business ; for they will not find 
the climate like that of France, nor the wines so good, nor the water 
so pure as in our country ; but the rivers muddy and cold from the 
melting of the snows on the mountains, which will chill them and 
their horses after the burning heat of the sun in the day time, and be 
the destruction of them both. They are not of iron or steel, and 
must in the end suffer from the heats of Castille, but like to ourselves ; 
and we cannot any way more easily defeat them than by avoiding a 
combat, and allowing them to go whithersoever they please. They 
will find nothing to pillage in the low countries, nor anything to com- 
fort themselves; for, I am informed, that has been all destroyed by 
our people, for which I praise them greatly ; and, were it now un. 
done, I would have given them such orders. Now if any person can 
give better advice, let him do so ; for sir Walter and myself will 
cheerfully listen to him." 

The council unanimously replied : " We approve of what sir Wil- 
liam has offered, and cannot but think it the best advice for the king 
and kingdom of Castille." It was then determined to wait for the 
duke of Bourbon and the stores before they made preparations for 
taking the field, but to garrison strongly the frontier, and suffer the 
English and Portuguese to overrun Castille at their pleasure ; for, 
when they returned from their excursions, they could luit carry away 
the land with them. The conference ended, all left the chamber; 
and this day the king entertained at dinner, in his palace at Burgos, 
the barons and knights of France ; it was magnificently grand, ac- 
cording to the custom in Spain, On the morrow, before noon, all the 
men-at-arms were sent off to their different garrisons, with instruc- 
tions from their leaders how to act. Sir Oliver du Guesclin, count 
de Longueville, was ordered, with a thousand spears, to a tolerably 
strong town on the borders of Galicia, called Ville-saincte ;* sir Re- 
ginald and sir Tristan de Roye to another town, ten leagues further, 
but on the frontier of Galicia, called Ville-d'Agillare-de-Champ,t with 
three hundred lances ; sir Peter de Belesme, with two hundred lances, 
to BcneventS ; the count de Lerma to the town of Zamora ; sir John 
dcs Barres, with three hundred, to the castle of Noya ; sir John de 
Chatelmorant and sir Tristan de la Jaille, with others, to the city of 
Valencia; the viscount de Besliere to the town of Ribesda, with sir 
John and sir Robert de Braquemont. In such manner were the men- 
at-arms divided : sir Oliver du Guesclin was nominated constable, 
having the largest body under his command ; and sir 'William de 

* " Ville-sainclc.'* Ci. VilaJpando. t " Viile-d'AgiUare-de-Champ." Q. Avilft. 



428 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



Lignac and sir Walter de Passac remained near the king at Burgos 
and attended him wherever he went. 

Thus were affairs managed in Castille, waiting for the duke of 
Bourbon, who was still in France making his preparations. But we 
will leave the armies of Castille and of the duke of Lancaster, for a 
short time, and return to them again when necessary, to speak of 
such events as happened in France and England ; many of which 
were strange enough, and dangerous to both kingdoms, but particu- 
larly displeasing to the king of England and his council. 



CHAPTER LXIV. 

THE CONSTABLE DE CLISSON MAKES GREAT PREPARATIONS TO INVADE 
ENGLAND. MUCH MURMtmiNG AND DISCONTENT IN ENGLAND AGAINST 
KING RICHARD AND HIS COUNCIL. 

I HAVE before related at length, how the grand expedition, which 
was preparing at Sluys to invade England, was broken up ; but to 
show how much the French were in earnest, and that it might not be 
said they had given it over through 
cowardice, but were still eager to land 
in England, it was ordered that the con. 

stable should sail thither in the month of ^ 

May, when the weather was fine, and 
the sea calm. His force was to consist _r- -^ 

of four thousand men-at-arms and two -\ 

thousand cross-bows, who were to as. ^' ■ - -' ^ 

semble in a town of Brittany called ^-~ 

Tr^guier,* situated on the sea-coast, and 
opposite to Cornwall. His preparations, 
which were very considerable, were all 
made there, and the horses were to em- 
bark at that port, the more easily to over- 
run England ; for without horses no war 
on land can be carried on with effect. 
In this harbor were numbers of vessels 
of all descriptions, which were laden 
with wines, salted meats, biscuits, and 
other things, in such quantities, as might 
sei-ve them four or five months, without 
requiring anything tVom the country ; for 
the constable know, that when the Eng. 
lish should hear of his landing, they 
would destroy all the lowlands, to pre. 
vent him from having any support ; and 
it was for this reason he had provided 
such immense stores. Another large 
fleet, to invade England, was likewise 
prepared at Harfleur, by the lord de 
Coucy, the lord de St. Pol, and the ad. 
miral of France, who were to embark 
on board of it with two thousand spears ; 
but it was said that this was solely intended to force the duke of Lan. 
caster to withdraw himself and his army from Castille. The duke of 
Bourbon was still at Paris ; for he knew the duke of Lancaster must 
return to England, and it would be unnecessary for him to take so long 
a journey to Castille. The army of the constable consisted of Bretons, 
Angevins, Manceaux, Saintongers, and knights and squires from the 
adjoining countries. That of the count de St. Pol and the lord de 
Coucy was composed from the Isle of France, Normandy, and Picardy. 
The duke of Bourbon had two thousand spears from Berry, Auvergne, 
Limousin, and lower Burgundy. Such was the distribution of the 
forces in France ; and every man knew how he was to be employed, 
whether in England or Castille. 

England was, at this period, in greater danger than when the peas- 
ants, under Jack Straw, rose in rebellion, and marched to London ; 
and I will tell you the cause. The nobles and gentlemen were unani- 
mous, at that time, in their support of the king, but now there were 
many serious differences between them. The king quarrelled with 
iiis uncles of York and Gloucester, and they were equally displeased 
with him, caused, as it was said, by the intrigues of the duke of Ire- 
land, the sole confidant of the king. The community, in many 
towns and cites, had noticed these quarrels, and the wisest dreaded 
the consequences that might ensue ; but the giddy laughed at them, 
and said, they were owing to the jealousy of the king's uncles, and 
because the crown was not on their heads. But others said ; " The 
king is young, and puts his confidence in youngsters : it would be to 
his advantage if he consulted his uncles more, who can only wish the 
prosperity of the country, than that puppy, the duke of Ireland, who 
is ignorant of all things, and who never saw a battle." Thus were 
the English divided ; and great disasters seemed to be at hand, which 
was perfectly known all over France, and caused them to hasten their 
preparations for invading the country and adding to its miseries. The 
prelates of England were also quarrelling ; the archbishop of Canter- 
bury with that of York, who was of the house of Neville. They hated 
each other mortally, because the lord Neville had been appointed 
lieutenant of Northumberland, in preference to the sons of the earl of 

* "Treguier"— ten leagues nortliwest of St. Brieux, and twenly-tliree northeast of 
Brest. 



Northumberland, sir Henry and sir Ralph Percy, which the arch- 
bishop, who was one of the king's council, had obtained for his 
brother, through the duke of Ireland. 

As soon as the English learnt that the camps near Sluys were 
broken up, and the invasion given over, great niurmurings were 
general throughout England. Those who wished mischief said ; 
" What is now become of our grand enterprises and our valiant cap. 
tains ? Would that our gallant king Edward and his son, the prince 
of Wales, were now alive ! We used to invade France and rebuff 
our enemies, so that they were afraid to show themselves, or venture 
to engage us ; and, when they did so, they were defeated. What a 
glorious expedition did our king Edward, of happy memory, make, 
when he landed in Normandy, and marched through France ! After 
many battles and other fine exploits, he defeated king Philip and the 
whole power of the French at Crecy, and took Calais before he re. 
turned home. Where are the knights and princes of England who 
can now do such things ? Did not likewise the prince of Wales, son 
of this gallant king, make prisoner the king of France, and defeat hia 
army at Poitiers, with the small force he had, compared with that of 




Cttt of Bdroos.— From La Borde's Voyage TiUoresque en Espagne. 



king John ? In those days we were feared, and our renown was 
spread abroad, wherever chivalry was esteemed ; but at this moment 
we must be silent, for they know not how to make war, except on 
our pockets : for this they are ready enough. Only a child reigns 
now in France, and yet he has given us more alarms than any of his 
predecessors, and shows good courage and inclination to invade us. 
It was not his fault, but thai of his advisers, that he did not attempt 
it. We have seen the time when, if such a fleet had been known to 
have been collected at Sluys, the good king and his sons would have 
hastened to attack it; but now-a-days the nobles are delighted to have 
nothing to do, and remain in peace ; but they will not suffer us to 
live in quiet, as long as we have anything in our purses. We have 
seen the time when conquests were made by us in France, and no 
taxes demanded ; but every one was made rich from the great wealth 
which abounded in France. What is become of the immense sums 
which have been raised, as well by taxes as by the current revenue? 
They must have been wasted or purloined. We must know how the 
country is governed, and who are the advisers of the king : if is not 
right that such things be longer unattended to; for this country is 
not so rich, nor able to bear the burdens Franc'e does, which abounds 
in all things. It seems, also, that we are weakened in understanding 
and activity as well as in courage ; for v/e used to know what was 
intended by France, and what were its plans, some months before 
they could execute them, by which we were prepared to resist them. 
Now, we are not only ignorant of what is going forward in France ; 
but they are well informed of all that passes, though under the seal 
of secrecy, in our councils, and wo know not whom to blame. But 
a day must come when all this will be public ; for there are secret 
traitors in the council, and the sooner this is inquired into the better: 
we may delay it so long that it will be too late to provide a remedy." 
Such conversations were very common, not only with knights and 
squires, but among the inhabitants of many of the towns, which placed 
the realm in much danger. 

The knights and squires who had been summoned to the defence 
of the kingdom, now demanded their pay; and other large sums 
were called for, to defray the great expenses the kinij and his council 
had been at in guarding the country against the invasion from France. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN 

efore aasembled in London, of the nobles, pre. same time, which I will relate in pre 



& c . 



429 



A parliament was therefore aasembled in London, of tlic nobles, pre. 
lates, and commonalty, to consider of laying a general tax throughout 
the country to answer all these demands. The parliament adjourned 
from London to Westminster, when those summoned attended, and 
indeed many others, who came to hear the news. The king and his 
two uncles of York and Gloucester were present ; and the parliament 
was harangued on the subject of the finances, and assured that there 
was not in the royal treasury more than sufficient to support, even 
with economy, the usual expenses of the king. The council said, 
there was no other means than laying a general tax on all the country, 
if they were desirous of paying the great sums the defence of the 
kingdom had cost. Those from the archbishopric of Canterbury, 
the bishoprics of Norwich and Warwick, the counties of Devonshire, 
Hampshire, and Wiltshire, readily assented; because they knew bet. 
ter what had been done, and were more alarmed than those at a 
greater distance, in Wales, Bristol, and Cornwall, who were rebellious, 
and said ; " We have never seen any enemies come into this country : 
why therefore should we be thus heavily taxed, and nothing done ?" 
" Yes, yes," replied the others : " let them call on the king's council, 
the archbishop of York and the duke of Ireland, who received sixty 
thousand francs, for the ransom of John of Brittany, from the con- 
stable of France, which ought to have gone to the general profit of 
the kingdom. Let them call on sir Simon Burley, sir William Elm- 
ham, sir Thomas Brand, sir Robert Tresilian, and sir John Beau- 
champ, who have governed the king. If they gave a true account 
of the sums raised in England, or were forced so to do, there would 
be more than money enough to pay all expenses, and poor people 
might remain in quiet.'' 

The king's uncles were much pleased when these speeches were 
told them ; for those they had named were unfriendly to their interests, 
and opposed their obtaining any favors from the court. They en. 
couraged such discourses ; and, to gain popularity, said ; " The good 
people who hold such language are well advised in wishing to have 
an account of the management of the finances, and in refusing to pay 
their taxes ; for, in good truth, there ia cash enough either in the 
purses of the king or of those who govern him." By degrees this 
discontent was much increased among the people, who declared 
against any tax being laid on, and who grew bolder in their language 
when they saw that the king's uncles, the archbishop of Canterbury, 
the earls of Salisbury and Northumberland, with many other great 
barons, supported them. The ministers, therefore, withdrew the tax, 
and said nothing should be done in the matter until Michaelmas, 
when the parliament would again meet. 

Those knights and squires who were expecting their pay, were 
much angered against the king and his council for their disappoint, 
ment, and the ministers appeased them in the best manner they 
could. When the parliament broke up, and the members went dif. 
ferent ways, the king did not take leave of his uncles, nor they of 
him. The king was advised to retire into Wales for a time until 
more favorable circumstances, which he agreed to, and left London 
without taking leave of any one. He carried with him all his coun- 
cil, except the archbishop of York, who returned into his diocese. 
It was fortunate for him he did so, otherwise it would have happened 
to him as to the other counsellors of the king, as I shall presently 
narrate. But I must speak as much of France as of England, when 
the matter requires it. 



CHAPTER LXV. 

THE CONSTABLE OF FRANCE WITH SEVERAL OTHERS MAKE PREPARATIONS 
TO INVADE ENGLAND. THE DUKE OF BRITTANY PRACTICES TO PREVENT 
THIS EXPEDITION. 

When the sweet season of summer and the delightful month of 
May were come, in the year of our Lord 1387, while the duke of 
Lancaster was making conquests in Galicia, and, in conjunction with 
the king of Portugal, overrunning Castillo without opposition ; there 
were, as I before said, great preparations making in France for the 
invasion of England, by the constable, at Tr<;guier in Brittany ; and 
by the count de St. Pol, the lord de Coucy, and the admiral of 
France, at Harfleur. They had under their command six thousand 
men-at-anns, two thousand cross-bows, and six thousand lusty varlets. 
whom they intended to land at Dover and Orwell. It waff ordered, 
that no one was to embark unless he were provided with suitable 
armor and provision for three months. They were the flower of 
chivalry, and had plenty of oats and hay for their horses. Their 
leaders had appointed a day for sailing, which was now almost ar. 
rived ; and their servants were as busily employed as at Sluys, in 
laying in all stores and other necessaries at the two parts of Tr^guier 
and Harfleur. The men-at-arms, under the count de St. Pol and the 
admiral, were paid fifteen days in advance ; but they were still on 
shore, and those in the more distant parts were daily arriving. All 
things were now in such forwardness, no one could have imagined 
it would not take place. It was not, however, broken up by the cap- 
tains, but by a most extraordinary event which happened in Brittany. 
The king of France and his council were sorely vexed thereat ; but, 
as they could not amend it, they were forced to endure it as well aa 
they could, and act prudently, for this was not the moment of re- 
venge. Other newa was brought to the king from Germany, at the 



same time, which I will relate in proper lime and place ; but I will 
mention that of Brittany first, as it so occurred in point of time, and 
was the most unfortunate, though the events in Germany were cause 
of greater expense. 

If I were merely to say, such and such things happened at such 
times, without entering fully into the matter, which was grandly 
horrible and disastrous, it would be a chronicle, but no history. I 
might, to be sure, pass it by, if I had chosen it : that I will not do ; 
but relate fully the fact, if God grant me life, abilities, and leisure, to 
chronicle and historify the matter at length. You have before seen, 
in different parts of this history, how sir John de Montfort, called 
duke of Brittany, (who indeed was so by conquest, though not by 
direct descent,) had always supported the English'to the utmost of 
his power against France. He had reason to attach himself to them ; 
for they had made war for him, and without their assistance he would 
never have conquered before Auray nor elsewhere. You know also, 
from this history, that the duke of Brittany had no power over the 
greater part of his nobles nor the principal towns ; more especially 
sir Bertrand de Guesclin, as long as he lived, sir Oliver de Clisson 
constable of France, the lords de Beaumanoir, de Laval, de Raix, de 
Dinant, the viscount de Rohan, and the lord de Rochefort, refused 
him obedience ; and whichever way these lords incline, the whole 
duchy follow their example. They were willing, indeed, to support 
him against any power but France ; and truly I must say, that the 
Bretons have ever gallantly defended the honor of France, as will be 
apparent to any person who shall read this history. But let it not be 
said, that I have been corrupted by the favor of count Guy de Blois, 
(who has induced me to undertake, and has paid me for this history 
to my satisfaction,) because he was nephew to the rightfid duke of 
Brittany ; for count Lewis of Blois was cousin-german to St. Charles, 
who as long as he lived was the true duke. It is not so ; for I will 
speak the truth, and go straight forward, without coloring one side 
more than another, and that gallant prince who patronized this history 
never wished me in any way to act otherwise. 

To return to my subject. You have read how the duke of Brit, 
tany, when he found he could not manage hia subjects, became sus. 
picious of them, and fearful lest they should arrest him and confine 
him in one of the king of France's prisons. He left Brittany for 
England, with his household and the lady Jane his duchess, daughter 
of that good knight sir Thomas Holland. After staying there some 
lime, he went to Flanders, where he resided, with his cousin-german 
count Lewis, upward of a year and a half, when his coimtry, being 
more favorable, sent for him back. Some of the towns, however, on 
his return, continued their rebellion, especially Nantes ; but all the 
barons, knights, and prelates, submitted to him, except those whom 
I have before named. In order to put them under his obedience, by 
means of some of the principal cities which assented to his plans, and 
for the purpose of giving alarm to the king of France and his council, 
who were desirous of laying taxes on Brittany similar to those of 
France and Picardy, which he and the country would never suffer, 
he demanded aid from the king of England of men-at-arms and 
archers, assuring the council of England, that if the king or one of 
his uncles would come to Brittany, in sufficient force, the whole 
country would be open, and ready to receive them. 

King Richard and his council were greatly pleased on receiving 
this intelligence, which seemed to them so good, that they could not 
do better than accept the offer, since Brittany was so well inclined to 
receive them. They ordered thither the earl of Buckingham, with 
four thousand spears and eight thousand archers, who, having landed 
at Calais, marched through the kingdom of France without meeting 
any opposition, although they frequently offered battle, as you have 
before read. When they came to Brittany, they expected to find all 
ready to receive them, as they had indeed sustained a long inarch : 
but everything was contrary to what had been promised ; for the 
duke's advisers had managed with so much prudence, that they had 
made his peace with the young king of France : had Charles V. 
been alive, it could not have been done, for he hated him too much. 
The duke of Burgundy, who was, at that time, at the head of the 
government of France, was greatly instrumental in bringing this ac- 
commodation about through the entreaties of his duchess, who was 
very nearly related to the duke of Brittany. He was, in consequence, 
forced to break all the engagements he had made with the English, 
from the impossibility of his keeping them ; for Bretons will never 
firmly join the English in making war on France. They never had, 
nor ever will have, such inclinations. The English were obliged to 
lodge themselves in Vannes and its neighborhood, and to suff^er the 
greatest distress and poverty, which destroyed many of their men, 
and all their horses. When they left Brittany, they were greatly dis- 
contented with the duke, more particularly the ear! of Buckingham, 
who, on his return to England, made such heavy complaints agains*' 
him to the king, the duke of Lancaster and the council, that it was 
resolved by them to give John of Brittany his liberty, and carry him 
to Brittany, to wage war against the duke under his name. It was 
there said ; " Sir John de Montfort knows well that he owes his 
duchy solely to us, for without our aid he never could have gained it 
and a pretty return he has made us, by wearing our army down with 
fatigue and famine, and fruitlessly expending our treasure. We 
must make him feel for his ingratitude ; and we cannot better revenge 
ourselves than by setting his tival at liberty, and landing him in ^hat 



430 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



country, where the towns and castles will open their gates to him, 
and expel the other who has thus depeived us." 

This resolution was unanimously adopted. John of Brittany was 
brought before the council, and told they would give him his liberty, 
regain for him the duchy of Brittany, and marry him to tlie lady 
Philippa of Lancaster, on condition that Brittany should be held 
as a fief from England, and that he would do the king homage for it. 
He refused compliance with these terms. He would, indeed, have 
accepted the lady, but peremptorily refused to enter into any engage, 
inents inimical to France, were he to remain prisoner all his days. 
The council, hearing this, grew cool in their offers of freedom, and 
replaced him undgr the guard of sir Thomas d'Ambreticourt. This 
I have already related, but I now return to it on account of the event 
which happened in Brittany, as being the consequence ; for the duke, 
well aware he was in disgrace with all England, was greatly alarmed 
at the dangers tliat might ensue, from the treatment the earl of Buck- 
ingham and his army were forced to put up with, from the breach of 
all his engagements. Neither the king of England nor his uncles 
longer wrote him such friendly lettere as they were used to do before 
the earl of Buckingham's e.\pedition. His alarms were much in- 
creased when he heard that John of Brittany was returned from Eng- 
land, and said, the English had given him his liberty in revenge for 
his late conduct. 

The duke upon this determined, by one bold stroke, to recover 
the favor of England, and do it so secretly and opportunely that the 
English should thank him. He knew there was not a man on earth 
whom they more hated and dreaded than sir Oliver de Clisson, con- 
Btable of France ; for, in truth, his thoughts were daily and nightly 
employed on the means to injure England. He was the proposer of 
the late great armament at Sluys, and the chief dictator of those car- 
ried on at Treguier and Harfleur. The duke, therefore, to please 
the English, and to show he had not much dependence on nor love 
for the French, resolved to prevent the intended invasion of England 
taking effect : not, indeed, by forbidding his subjects to join in this 
attack on England, under pain of forfeiting their lands, for that would 
have too clearly discovered the side to which he leaned. He went 
to work more secretly, and thought he could not act more to his ad- 
vantage than to arrest the constable, and put him to death, for which 
the English would thank him, as they hated him much. He was not 
afraid of his family, as it was not powerful enough to make war 
against him ; for he had but two daughters, one married to John of 
Brittany, and the other to the viscount de Rohan. He could easily 
withstand them ; and, as there would be but one baron slain, when 
dead, none would make war for him. 



CHAPTER LXVI. 

THE DUKE OF BRITTANY SUMMONS HIS BARONS AND KNIGHTS TO A COUN- 
CIL AT VANNES. SIR OLIVER DE CLISSON AND THE LORD DE BEAUMA- 
KOm ARE HADE PRISONERS IN THE CASTLE OF ERMINE, AND IN SREAT 
DANGER OF THEIR LIVES. 

The duke of Brittany, to accomplish his plan, appointed a great 
parliament to be holden at Valines, and sent very affectionate letters 
to his barons and knights, to entreat they would be present ; but he 
w.ts particularly pressing with the constable of France, adding, that 
he was more an.\ious to see him than all the rest. The constable 
never thought of excusing himselt", for the duke was now his acknow- 
ledged lord, and he wished to be in his favor : he came therefore to 
Vannes, as did great numbers of other barons. The assembly was 
numerous, and lasted some time ; and many things were discussed 
which concerned the duke and the country, but tlic intended inva- 
sion of England was never touched on, for the duke pretended to 
know nothing about it, and kept a strict silence. The parliament 
was held in the castle de la Motte at Vannes, where the duke gave 
a grand dinner to the barons of Brittany, and kept them in enjoy- 
ment and affectionate conversation until night, when they returned 
to their lodgings in the suburbs witliout the town. At this diinier 
were the greater part of the barons of Brittany, toward the end of 
which the duke showed them the most friendly attention ; but he 
had other thoughts in his heart, unknown to all excepting those to 
whom he had confidentially opened himself. The constable of France, 
to please the knights of Brittany, and because he thought his office 
required it, invited all who had dined with the duke to dine with 
him on the morrow. Some came, but others went home to take 
leave of their wives and families ; for it was the intention of the 
constable, on leaving Vannes to make for Treguier and embark on 
board his fleet, which was ready for him. All this the duke knew, 
but never said one word ; for he wished to have it believed that he 
was ignorant of it. When the duke entered the hotel of the consta. 
ble, and was announced, all rose up, as was right, and kindly re- 
ceived him in the manner in which their lord should be accosted. 
He behaved in the most friendly manner, and, seating himself among 
them, eat and drank, and showed them stronger marks of affection 
than he had ever before done. He said, " I ly fair sirs, friends and 
companions, God send that you may ever come and go from me with 
equal pleasure, and that you may perform such deeds of arms as may 
satisfy you and gam you profit and renown." " May God," they 
feplied, " render you the same, and we most humbly thank you that 
jou are thua kindly come to see ua before we depart." 



You must know, that in these days, the duke of Brittany was 
building a very handsome and strong castle near Vannes, called the 
castle of Ermine, which was almost completed. Being eager to 
catch the constable, he said to him, the lord de Beaumanoir, and 
other barons, " My dear sirs, I entreat, that before you quit this 
country, you will come and see my castle of Ermine, that you may 
view what I have done, and the plans I intend executing." They 
all accepted his invitation, for his behavior had been so kind and 
open, that they never thought he was imagining mischief. They 
accompanied the duke on horseback to this casde ; and, when ar- 
rived, the duke, the constable, the lords de Laval and de Beauma- 
noir, dismounted and entered within its apartments. The duke led 
the constable by the hand from chamber to chamber, and to all parts, 
even to the cellars, where wine was offered. When he had carried 
them all over it, they came to the keep ; and, stopping at the entrance, 
the duke said, "Sir Oliver, there is not a man on this side of the sea 
who understands masonry like you: enter, therefore, I beg of you, 
and examine the walls well ; and if you say it is properly built, it 
shall remain, otherwise it shall be altered." The constable, who 
thought nothing ill was intended, replied, he would cheerfully do so, 
and desired the duke to go first. "No," said the duke; "go by your- 
self, while I talk a Utde here with the lord de Laval." The consta- 
ble, desirous to acquit himself, entered the tower and ascended the 
staircase. Wlien he had passed the first floor, some armed men, 
who had been there posted in ambush, knowing how they were to 
act, shut the door below them, and advanced on the constable, whom 
they seized, and dragged into an apartment, and loaded him with 
three pairs of fetters. As they were putting them oil, they said, 
" My lord, forgive what we are doing, for we are obliged to it by the 
strict orders we have had from die duke of Brittany."* If the con. 
stable was alarmed, it is no wonder ; but he ought not to have beea 
surprised, for, since the quarrel which he had had with the duke, he ' 
would never come near him, though many invitations and passports 
were sent. He was fearful of trusting himself with the duke, in 
which he was justified ; for, when he did come, you see the conse- 
quences of the duke's hatred, which now burst out. 

When the lord de Laval, who was at the entrance of the tower, 
heard and saw the door shut with violence, he was afraid of some 
plot against his brother-in-law ; and, turning to the duke, who looked 
as pale as death, was confirmed something was wrong. He said, 
"Ah, my lord, for God's sake what are they doing ? Do not use 
any violence against the constable." " Lord de Laval, mount your 
horse, and go hence, for you may depart when you please ; I know 
well what I am about." " My lord," replied the lord de Laval, "I 
will never depart without my brother-in-law, the constable." At 
these words, the lord de Beaumanoir (whom the duke greatly hated) • 
came and asked where the constable was. The duke, drawing his ■ 
dagger, advanced to him and said, " Beaumanoir, dost thou wish to' 
be like thy master?' " My lord," replied Beaumanoir, " I believe* 
my master cannot be in a good plight." " I ask thee again, if thou 
wouldst wish to be Uke him." " Yes, my lord," said de Beauma- 
noir. The duke then taking his dagger by the point, said, " W'ell. 
then, Beaumanoir, since thou wouldst be like him, thou must thrust 
one of thy eyes out."t The lord de Beaumanoir, seeing, from the 
duke's countenance, things were taking a bad turn, cast himself on 
his knee, and said, " My lord, I have that opinion of your honor and 
nobleness of mind, that, if it please God, you will never act other, 
wise than right. We are at your mercy, and are come hither solely 
to accompany you, and at your own request ; do not therefore dis- 
honor yourself, by executing any wild scheme, if such be in your 
thoughts, for you may hereafter repent of it." " Go, go," replied 
the duke ; " thou shall have neither better nor worse than him." 
He was then arrested by those who had previously received their 
orders, dragged into a room, and fettered with three pairs of irons. 
He was much alarmed, as you may suppose, for he knew the duke 
loved him as litde as he did the constable, but he could not then 
help it. 

News was soon spread through the castle and town, that the con- 
stable and the lord Beaumanoir had been arrested and confined ; 
but it surprised many that the lord de Laval was not confined with 
them ; and that the duke had allowed him to depart when he pleased. 
The constable's impiisonment astonished all who heard it, and not 
widiout cause; for it was said the duke's hatred was so strong, that 
he would have him and his companion put to death. The duke 
was exceedingly blamed by all knights and squires who heard of 
this; they said, "That no prince had ever dishonored himself so 
much as the duke of Brittany. He invites the constable to dine 
with him, who accepts the invitation, goes to his palace, and drinks 
of his wine. He is then requested to view his buildings, wherein 
he is arrested : never was the like heard of. What does the duke 
think to do with him ? He has rendered himself infamous, for never 
was there a more disgraceful act ; and, henceforward, no one will 
have confidence in princes, since the duke has thus played the traitor, 



* These excuses were afterwords ofno avail : for llie ronslaWe punislied tliem accord- 
ing to their deserts. He only pardoned a squire, t.amcd liernard. who had die humanity 
to give him his cloak, to preseive him from the dampness of the pUice.-Wiif. (It: BH- 

'°f Aliudine to the constable havinc but one eye. He lost it at the balUc of .'Vuray ■ 
notwilhsuindiiis which, he never quitted the field of battle. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



431 



and, by treacherous means, enticed these gallant men into his castle, 
wherein he imprisons them. What will the king of France say to 
this ? and especially as the consequence must be, that he must give 
■up the intended invasion of England. Never was such wickedness 
thought of. At present he has discovered what was rankling in his 
heart. Did any one in Brittany, or elsewhere, ever hear of the like : 
If a poor knight had done so, he would have been for ever disgraced 
In whom can any man place confidence but in his lord, who is 
bounden to act uprightly, and redress such wrongs as his vassals 
may complain of? Who can take upon him to punish this deed, or 
■who is capable of it, but the king of France ? The duke now 
openly shows his attachment to the English, and that he means to 
assist them, by thus preventing the expedition against them taking 
effect. What ought the knights and squires of Brittany at this mo. 
ment to do ? Why, they should instantly leave their homes, and 
hasten to lay siege to the castle of Ermine, and inclose the duke 
within it, and never depart until they have taken him, dead or alive, 
and carried him, like a false and disloyal prince, to the king of 
France, for him to punish him according to his deserts." Thus did 
those knights speak who had been at the parliament, and who had 
not left Vanncs and that part of the country ; but they were much 
afraid lest the duke should put them to death. Others said, " The 
lord de Laval is still with the duke, and will prevent it ; for he is so 
wise and prudent, he will check the duke's rage." In effect, he did 
so ; for, had he not e.verted himseU' to the utmost, there is not a doubt 
but that the constable would have been murdered that night, had he 
had a thousand lives. 



CHAPTER LXVII. 

TKE CONSTABLE DE CLISSOX, THKOCGH THE EXERTIONS OF THE LORD DE 
LAVAL, OBTAINS HIS LIBERTY, BY PAYING A LARGE SUM OF MONEY, 
AND DELIVERING UP TO THE DUKE OF BRITTANY SOME OF HIS CASTLES. 

It may be readily believed, that the constable was not at his ease, 
when he found himself thus entrapped and ironed. He was guarded 
by thirty men, who were unable to comfort him, for they could only 
obey their lord's orders. In his own mind, he considered himself as 
a dead man ; for he had not the most distant hope of any assistance 
coming to him. Ho had his fetters taken thrice from him, and was 
stretched on the floor ; for the duke, at one time, would have him 
beheaded, at another drowned ; and one or other of these deaths he 
would certainly have suffered, if it had not been for the lord de La. 
val. When he heard the duke give orders for the constable's death, 
he flung himself on his knees, and, with uplifted hands and tears, 
said, " .\h, my lord, for God's mercy, think better of this matter ; do 
not act so cruelly against, my brother-in.law the constable. He 
cannot have deserved death. Through kindness, tell me what it is 
that has so mightily angered you against him. I swear, that what- 
ever may be his crime, he shall make such amends, in body and 
estate, or I for him, or both of us together, as shall surpass anything 
you may imagine, or condemn him to, excepting death or imprison, 
ment. Remember, for God's sake, my lord, how you were educated 
together, in the same hotel with the duke of Lancaster, who is so 
loyal and gallant a prince, none ever was, nor will be his equal. 
For God's mercy, remember, my lord, how, in former times, before 
iie had made his peace with France, he had always served you loy. 
ally ; he assisted you in the recovery of your duchy ; and you ever 
found him ready to support you in the field and in council. If you 
have not any very just cause indeed, that moves your passion, he 
cannot be deserving death." ." Lord de Laval," rephed the duke, 
" allow me to act as I please. Clisson has so frequently angered 
me, that it is now necessary I make him feel it. Go your ways, I 
want nothing with you : let me show my cruelly ; for I am resolved 
he shall die." " Ah, my lord," replied the lord de Laval, " moderate 
your rage, and hear reason. If you thus put him to death, no prince 
will ever so completely disgrace himself; and there ■\vill not be a 
knight, squire, nor honest man in all Brittany, who will not mortally 
hate you, and do everything they can to drive you out of your duchy. 
Neither the king of England nor his council will thank you ; and 
would you thus disgrace yourself for the life of one man ? For the 
love of God, change your intention, as the one you want to carry 
into effect is not only good for nothing, but dishonorable. It would 
be infamous thus to put to death so great a baron and so gallant a 
inight as the lord de Clisson ; and should you do so, it will be con. 
sidered as traitorous, and a reproach to you before God and by all 
the world. You invited him to dine with you : he came. You then 
seek for him, in the most friendly manner, and desire him to accom. 
pany you to sec your buildings : he does so : he obeys your every 
command, and drinks of your mne ; and is all this affection you 
show him but a veil to cover your treachery, and the means to rob 
him of his life ? Should you do so, no lord will be ever so disgraced : 
all the world will detest you, reproach you for it, and make war upon 
you. But, since your hatred is so violent against the constable, I will 
tell you how you shall act : you shall give him his liberty for a large 
sum of florins. This you may compound for; and, should he hold 
any ctsstle that you jnay claim as yours, he shall deliver it up ; and I 
will be his security for the due performance of whatever vou may 
agree to." 



When the duke of Brittany heard the lord de Laval thus address 
him, and never for one moment quit his presence, for he followed 
him the whole night, he paused awhile, and, being somewhat cooled, 
said, " Lord de Laval, you have been of the greatest service to your 
brother.in.law ; for know, that he is the man whom I hate the most 
in the world, and, if you had not been here, he should not have been 
alive to-moiTow morning : but your eloquence has saved him. Go 
to him, and ask if he be willing to pay down one hundred thousand 
francs ; for I will have no other security but the money ; and sur- 
render to me three castles and one town, such as CluVteau Broc, 
Chateau Josselin, Lamballe, and the town of Jugon. When he shall 
pay his ransom, and put me, or those I may send thither, in posses- 
sion of these places, I will give him his liberty."* . " My lord," re- 
plied the lord de Laval, " I give you a thousand thanks for having so 
graciously listened to my entreaties : be assured that all you ask shall 
be granted : the town and castles shall be given up, and the money 
paid, before he leave this place." The lord de Laval was rejoiced 
beyond measure when he found his brother thus freed from prison 
and death. He had the gate of the tower opened, which could not 
be done but by the duke's order, and, mounting the staircase, found 
the constable much alarmed, (for he was expecting every moment to 
be put to death,) and chained down with three pairs of fetters ; but 
when he saw the lord de Laval, his heart revived, for he imagined 
some treaty had been entered into. The lord de Laval said to the 
guards, "Unfetter my brother Clisson, and then I shall talk with 
him ;" and addressing himself to the constable, " Dear brother, will 
you consent to whatever I may have done ?" " Yes, brother," re- 
plied the constable. At these words, his irons were taken off. The 
lord de Laval took him aside, and said, " Brother, I have, with much 
difliculty, saved your life ; but it is on condition, that you pay down, 
before you leave this place, one hundred thousand francs, and sur- 
render to the duke three castles and your town of Jugon, otlierwise 
you will not have your liberty." " I agree to all this," rephed the 
constable. " You are in the right, brother," said the lord de Laval. 
" But," said the constable, " who will go to Clisson and elsewhere 
t-o collect the money ? I believe, fair brother de Laval, you must 
undertake this." " No," replied the lord de Laval : " I will never 
quit this castle until I have you with me ; for I too well know the 
duke's cruel disposition; and he may repent of his bargain when I 
am gone, by some foolish conversation he may hear concerning you, 
and the whole be broken off." " And whom then can we send 
thither?" asked the constable. " The lord de Beaumanoir," replied 
his brother-in-law : " ive will send him, for he is a prisoner like your- 
self, and he shall undertake to collect the whole." " Well," said 
the constable, " go down stairs, and order whatever you shall tliink 
for the best." 

CHAPTER LXVIII. 

THE LORD DE BEAl'MANOIR IS SET AT LIBERTY BY THE DUKE OF BRITTANY, 
THAT HE MAY COLLECT THE RANSOM FOR THE CONSTABLE, WHO OB- 
TAINS HIS FREEDOM ON SURRENDERING THE PLACES AGREED ON. THE 
IMPRISONMENT OF THE CONSTABLE IS KNOWN AT THE COURT OF FRAHCE. 

The lord de Laval lost no time in going to the chamber of the 
duke, who was undressing himself for bed, as he had not slept the 
whole night. On his entrance he bowed, and said, " My lord, you 
must set at liberty the lord de Beamanoir, that brother Clisson may 
talk with him ; for it is he who must go for the money, and give your 
people possession of the castles and town." " Well," replied the 
duke, " let his irons be taken off, and put them in an apartment to- 
gether : I shall look to you for the performance of the treaty, as I do 
not wish to see them ; and, when I shall have slept a little, return to 
me again, and we will talk more on the subject." " Very well, my 
lord," said the lord de Laval, and quitted the chamber, accompanied 
by two knights, who conducted him to the place where the lord de 
Beaumanoir was confined. He was in hourly expectation of being 
put to death • and, when the door opened (as he owned afterwards,) 
he thought they were come to lead him to execution. On seeing the 
lord de Laval, his spirits were raised, and still more when he said, 
" Lord de Beaumanoir, rejoice : your liberty is granted." On this 
his tetters were taken off, and he was led into an apartment, whither 
the constable was also conducted, and placed between them. Wine 
and plenty of provision were brought, and the whole of the household 
were much pleased when they heard how matters were going on, 
and that all would end well. They had very unwillingly witnessed 
what had been done to the constable and the lord de Beaumanoir ; 
but they could not help it, bound as they were to obey their lord's 
orders, right or wrong. From the time the drawbridge had been 
raised, and the gates shut, no person whatever had entered the castle 
(for the keys were in the duke's chamber,) until he was awakened, 
which was not sooner than nine o'clock, when he arose. This, 
alarmed those squires and varlets who were waiting without, and 
they knew not what to think of it. News of what had passed was 
already carried to Tr^guier, where they said, " Do you know what 



* The historian of Brittany, dom Morice, mentions the following castles and places 
wh ch the duke insisted on having, with the hundred thousand francs, for the ransom 
of the constable: Josselin, Lamballe, Broon, Jugon, Bleiu, Guingamp, La Roclieder- 
rien, Ciiastellaudren, Clisson, and Chateau-gui, which were strong places, some be* 
longmg to the constable, and others to John of Brittany, count de Penthievre. 



432 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



has happened? The duke of Brittany has imprisoned, in his castle 
of Ermine, the constable of Fiance, the lord de Laval, and the lord 
de Beaumanoir, and, it is supposed, will murder them, if he has not 
already done it." Knights and squires were astonished, and deplored 
the event, saying, " Our expedition is at an end, for we shall lose the 
fine weather. Ah, constable I how unfortunate you have been to 
suffer weak counsel to deceive you. The parliament held at Vannes 
was purposely to entrap you. Your opinion formerly of the duke 
was sucli that you said, if he were to send you five hundred assu- 
rances of safety, you would never trust yourself with him, so strong 
were your suspicions then ; but now you simply accompany him alone, 
and are miserably paid for it 1" 

The whole duchy of Brittany bewailed the 
treatment of the constable, and knew not 
how to act. The knights and squires of the 
fleet said, " Why do we stay here ? why do 
we not go and invest the duke in his castle 
of Ermine ? and, if he should have put the 
constable to death, confine him ; if he detain 
him in prison, why do we not remain there 
until we have set liim free ; for Brittany has 
never suffered such a loss as now, by the 
capture of the constable." Such were the 
different conversations that passed ; but no 
one moved, as they were waiting for further 
intelligence ; and all were running to differ- 
ent quarters in search of it. Within two 
days, the king of France and his uncles were 
informed of what had happened to the con- 
stable, to their great astonishment. The 
duke of Bourbon had then left the court and 
was at Avignon, on his way to Castille, as 
he was desirous of first seeing the Pope. He, 
however, heard of it when at Lyon with the 
count Savoye. The count de St. Pol, the 
lord de Coucy, and the admiral of France, 
were on the point of embarking at Harfleur, 
when Jhey learnt how the duke of Brittany 
had, by a trick, imprisoned the constable and 
the lord de Beaumanoir; and that it was cur- 
rently believed in Brittany he had put them 
to death, for he hated them mortally. These 
lords were so astonished at the intelligence, 
that they said, " Our expedition is at an 
end : let us disband our men-at-arms, and 
make for Paris, where we shall know from 
the king what he would have us do." " It is 

well that we should go to Paris," replied the admiral ; " but there is 
not any necessity for dismissing all our men-at-arms. Perhaps they 
may be wanted elsewhere, in Castille, whither the duke of Bourbon 
is gone, or in Brittany against this duke. Do you imagine the king of 
France will quietly suffer what he has done ? No, by God : he will 
never escape without losing two hundred thousand florins at least, for 
the indignity he has shown a constable of France ; and he will be 
lucky if he come off so well. Was ever anything heard or seen like 
this conduct, which has ruined the king's expedition, and prevented 
him from annoying his enemies ? Let us stay where we are for two 
or three days, when we shall hear something more from Brittany 
or Paris." 

CHAPTER LXIX. 

THE DUKE OF BRITTANY DICTATES THE TERMS OF THE TREATIES, FOR TliE 
SURRENDER OF DIFFERENT PLACES BY THE CONSTABLE. THE EXPEDI- 
TIONS FROM TREGUIER AND HARFLEUR ARE BROKEN UP. THE CON- 
STABLE, ON HIS DELIVERANCE, MAKES HIS COMPLAINT TO THE KINS OF 
FRANCE, AND RESIGNS TO HIM HIS OFFICE OF CONSTABLE. 

I WILL now return to the duke of Brittany. When he had reposed 
a Utile, he arose, dressed himself, and sent for the lord de Laval to 
his chamber, with whom he held a long conversation. A treaty was 
then written down, as the duke dictated, to bind the constable to the 
complete surrender of the places before mentioned, and to settle them 
on the duke and his heirs, absolutely and without appeal, which 
treaty was to be sealed by the constable. 

The lord de Beaumanoir was ordered by the constable to go to 
his castles and town, to dismiss all his officers, and give possession 
to those whom the duke might send thither. With the surrender of 
all these places, it was necessary, likewise, to pay down one hundred 
thousand francs. On the gates being opened, the lord de Beauma- 
noir departed, accompanied by some of the duke's people, to fulfil 
the orders of the constable, who entreated him to make all speed for 
his deUverance. By them Vannes and the country, which was be. 
ginning to be in motion, learnt that the constable was not in danger 
of his life, having been ransomed. All those attached to him were 
greatly rejoiced ; and such knights and squires as had taken it up the 
most warmly remained quiet ; but, had matters been otherwise, they 
were determined to surround the castle of Ermine and inclose the 
duke within it, and would never have done anything with more wil- 
lingness. News is soon spread abroad, on wings more speedy than 



the wind. The three barons of Hai-fleur were informed that the 
constable was out of danger of being murdered, but that he had very 
narrowly escaped ; and was obliged, to save his life, to surrender 
three of his castles and a town, besides paying down as a ransom 
one hundred thousand francs. In their conversation, they said, 
" Things now go well, since his life is safe : as for his castles and 
ransom, the constable will soon regain them ; and the king has 
enough for him, should he want any money. It is over: our expe- 
dition is put an end to ; and we may now disband our people and go 
to Paris, to learn from the king what is to be done ; for we know 
that all the armaments at Treguier are countermanded, which is a 
sure sign that nothing will be attempted this season, and with rea- 




LordBeauuakoirpatirg ths RvNbOM I THE CoNST&BLE DE CL1S90M —Designed ftoiQ Hart MS 3469 and a 

MS. Froissart of tlie 15th century. 



son ; for the constable will be solely occupied to revenge himself for 
the insult the duke of Brittany has put upon him." These three 
lords, having dismissed all the men-at-arms and cross-bows that were 
in and about Harfleur, took the road for Paris, where the king re- 
sided. The lord de Beaumanoir was so active, that, within four 
days, he put the duke's officers in the possession of the three castles 
and the town of .Tugon, to the satisfaction of the duke. He after- 
wards collected the amount of the ransom, and paid it according to 
the duke's pleasure. When this was all done, the lord de Laval said 
to the duke, " My lord, you have now received the whole of your 
demands : the three castles and Jugon, and one hundred thousand 
francs, deliver up to me, therefore, my brother-in-law, the constable." 
" Willingly," replied the duke: " let him depart: I give him his 
liberty." The constable was then given up, and instantly set out, 
with the lord de Laval, from the castle of Ermine.* 

When they were at liberty, the constable made no long stay in 
Brittany, but, mounting a good courser, and attended solely by a 
page, made such haste, as to arrive at Paris in two days. He dis. 
mounted at his own h6tel, and instantly waited on the king and his 
uncles at the Louvre. His servants and equipage followed him in 
handsome array. The court had already been informed of his de- 
liverance, but they knew not that he was so near. The doors of 
the king's apartments were, according to orders, opened to him ; and, 
when in the presence of the king, he cast himself on his knees, and 
said, " Most redoubted lord, your father (may God pardon his sins) 
appointed me constable of France, which office I have truly executed 



* This conduct of the duke of Brittany is diirerenlly related by dom Morice, the hu- 
torian of DriUany, hy nliich it appears that the constable very narrowly escaped death. 

The duke called to him sir John de Bazvaleii. hi whom lie had the greatest confidence, 
and ordered him to put the constable to death, at midniehl. as privately as possible. 
Bazvalen represented in vum the consequences that ivould ensue, for the duke said ha 
had resolved on it. and would have it done. During the niglil, Ins iiassion being calmer, 
he repented having given such orders, and. at daybreak, sent for Bazvalen. and asked 
if his orders had been obeyed. On being answered in the aftrmative. the duke cried cut. 
" How is Clisson dead "•" " Yes, my lord : lie was drowned this night, and Ins body 
is bnrie'd in a garden." ' ' Alas ;" replied the duke. " this is a most pitiful good-morrow. 
Would to God, sir .lohn. I had believed what you ursed against it. I see that Irom 
henceforward all comfort is lost to me. Unit my presence, and never agam let me see 
your face" Af\er the knight had allowed him to suffer for some time the pains of his 
remorse, he returned and said. " My lord, as I know the cause of your misery, I believe 
I can provide a remedy ; for there is n cure for all things." " Not for death, replied 
the duke. Bazvalen then told him, that foreseeing the consequences and the remoreehe 
would feel if his orders, then given from passion, were obeyed, he had not executed ms 
commands, and that ihe constable was alive. The lordde Laval then «Btered. and tue 
temmodei u neorly as Froisaatt relates it. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



433 



to the best of my abilities, and there never has been any complaint 
made against me. If any one, excepting yourself and my lords your 
uncles, shall say to the contrary, or that I have acted otherwise than 
most loyally toward you and the crown of France, I will throw him 
my glove for him to prove it." Neither the king nor any other person 
made reply to this speech. Upon which the constable added, " Most 
noble lord and king, it has happened in Brittany, that while I was 
■executing the duties of your office, tlie duke had me arrested and 
confined in liis castle of Ermine ; and would have put me to death, 
without any other cause than his own outrageous will, if God, and 
brother de Laval, had not assisted me. To deliver myself from his 
hands, I was constrained to suiTender to him three strong castles and 
a handsome town, besides one hundred thousand francs paid down. 
The insult and loss, which the duke of Brittany has put on me, most 
nearly concerjis your royal majesty ; for the invasion of England, 
which I and my companions were eager to attempt, is now put an 
end to. I therefore resign into your hands the oflice of constable, 
for you to make such provision in the matter as you may please : I 
will not longer hold what I cannot gain any honor by," 

"Constable,'' replied the king, " we have before heard the great 
insult you have suffered, which has been very much to our prejudice 
as well as that of the country. We shall summon our peers of France, 
and consider how we should act in such a case. Do not you trouble 
yourself about the matter; for you shall have ample justice done by 
us, whatever may be the consequence." He then took the constable 
"by the hand, and made him rise, saying, *' Constable, we will not 
that you thus resign your office, but that you continue to exercise its 
functions until we order otherwise." The constable again fiung him- 
self on his knees and said, " Dear sir, the insult and disgrace I have 
suffered from the duke of Brittany oppresses my nrind so much, that 
I am unfit to hold the office, which is so considerable, that it requires 
the utmost attention. I am, besides, obliged to give answers, and 
converse with all manner of persons who come to me on business ; 
and, indeed, at this moment, I am not capable of giving the orders 
1 ought : I beg of yon, therefore, to accept it, and appoint another 
for a time ; for I shall be always ready and willing to obey your com- 
mands." " Well, sir," said the duke of Burgundy, "he offers very 
handsomely : you will consider of it." " That I will," replied the 
king, who again made him rise. 

The constable advanced respectfully toward the dukes of Berry 
and Burgundy, to converse with them on public affairs, and to inform 
them more particularly of what had passed in Brittany ; for they were 
much interested in it, as they had the government of the kingdom. 
In the course of his conversation, the constable found they were 
more indifferent about the matter, than the king's answer made him 
believe ; for they greatly blamed him for having gone to Vannes. 
He replied, he could not offer any excuses for it. The duke of Bur- 
gundy added, " How could you think of going thither, when your 
fleet, and the knights and squires, were ready, and waiting for you 
at Trdguier ? Besides, when you were at Vannes, and had dined 
with him, why did you not return ? for you had no business to re- 
main their longer ; and what could have induced you to attend him 
to his castle of Ermine?" " My lord," replied the constable, "he 
showed me so many attentions that I could not refuse it." " Con- 
stable,'' said the duke of Burgundy, " such attentions are always de- 
^jeitful : I thought you had been more cunning. You may now go : 
the business shall have a favorable end ; and we will, at our leisure, 
attend to it." The constable next addressed himself particularly to 
the duke of Berry, but soon discovered that these lords were more 
indifferent about him than the king, for not having acted according 
to their expectations : he therefore left the Louvre, and returned to 
his h6tel. Many great lords of the parliament and council came 
thither to visit and comfort him : among the number were, the count 
do St. Pol, the lord de Coucy and the admiral of France, who said, 
" Constable, be not cast down : you shall be amply revenged on the 
duke of Brittany, for he has now committed himself so strongly by 
the insult offered France that he may pay for it by the loss of his 
duchy. Go, and amuse yourself at your estate of Montlehery,* 
while we act for you here : the peers of France are summoned, 
and things shall not remain as they are." The constable followed 
their advice, and went to Montlehery, having for a time surrendered 
his office. It was said, that the lord Guy de la Tremouille was to 
succeed him ; but it was not so : he was too prudent and wise ever 
to have accepted it over the head of sir Oliver de Clisson. 



CHAPTER LXX. 

THE DUKE OF GUELDRES SENDS A CHALLENGE TO FRANCE I.V FAVOE OF 
ENGLAND. 

The same week in which the news came to Paris of the consta- 
■ble's imprisonment, there was intelligence from Germany highly dis- 
pleasing to the king, his uncles, and the council. The duke of 
Gueldres, son to the duke of Juliets, had entered into an alliance 
with England, to make war on France, and had accepted of a sub- 
sidy of four thousand francs yearly. This pension his father, the 
duke of Juliers, formerly possessed, but had renounced it ; and the 



'Montlohery, a. town in the isle of Fraace, seven leagues from Paris. 



I son, who was young, had taken it, at the soUcitations of the king of 
England and hi? council, on condition he should send his challenge 
to the king of France, and carry on a war against him to the utmost 
of his power. He was the more inclined to support the English be- 
cause he was already at war with the duchess and country of Bra. 
bant, which country was favorable to France, for tlie reversion of it 
would fall to the duke of Burgundy and to his children. The duke 
of Gueldres, to show he was in earnest and determined to act against 
France, sent, during the time the news of the constable's misfortune 
was fresh, to defy the king of France, by letters sealed with his seal, 
that were very bitter and wrathful. They were not accepted with 
pleasure by the king nor his uncles, as I shall explain hereafter in 
the course of this history, when I speak more fully of the wars of 
Brittany and Gueldres. 

The king, however, showed no outward signs of dissatisfaction, 
but handsomely entertained the squire who had brought this chal. 
lenge. He had been very much terrified at Tournay ; for, having 
shown the challenge to the provost and principal inhabitants, he 
wanted not to go further, saying, that it was fully sufficient to have 
delivered his commission at so grand a city as Tournay. This did 
not satisfy the provost, though Tournay belonged to France, and he 
arrested the squire and had him closely confined ; he then wrote to 
the duke of Burgundy, to say what he had done, and to know hia 
further commands on the subject. The duke ordered the provost to 
conduct the squire to Paris, who certainly thought that now he could 
not escape death. It fell out otherwise, for the king, his uncles, 
and the court, graciously received him ; and the king of France 
gave him a silver goblet weighing four marcs, with fifty francs within 
it. He was well entertained, and, when he returned, had a good 
passport given to him. The king and the whole court were much 
troubled on this matter, when the constable arrived to make his com. 
plaints against the duke of Brittany ; and this increased it, for, it 
was now apparent, difficulties were arising on all sides, and much 
prudence and good sense would be necessary to meet them. The 
king and his council, notwithstanding this vexation from Gueldres, 
were unwilling that the constable, who had so faithfully served the 
king in Flanders and elsewhere, should not have redress for the 
wrongs he had suffered from the duke of Brittany, by confining hia 
person and seizing his castles and towns, without a shadow of right. 
The lord de Coucy and the admiral were particularly active in this 
business. 

We will return to the duke of Lancaster and the king of Portu. 
gal, who were carrying on a prosperous war in Galicia, and speak 
of their operations. 

CHAPTER LXXI. 

TWO BRETON CAPTAINS, HAVING VALIANTLY DEFENDED THE TOWN OP 
OKEXSE AGAINST THE DTTKE OF LANCASTER, CAPITULATE ON TERMS OF. 
FERED BY THE ENGLISH. 

You have heard that the king and queen of Portugal were present 
at the tilt between sir John Holland and sir Reginald de Roye, at 
Enten(;a. The king, before he departed, told the duke of Lancaster, 
that on his return to Oporto, he would, within six days, take the 
field, for that his men were now quite ready. The duke ordered the 
lady Constance, his duchess, to remain at Saint Jago, under the 
guard of the lord Fitzwalter, a powerful English baron, with one 
hundred men-at-arms and two hundred archers, saying, on hia quit, 
ting Enten^a, " Lady, you will retire to the city of Compostella, 
while the king of Portugal, myself, and army, seek our enemies in 
Castille, and combat them wherever we may find them ; and we 
shall then know if ever we be to possess any part of Castille." The 
lady replied, " God's will bo done." They then separated for the 
present. The duchess was escorted out of danger by sir Thomas 
Percy and sir Evan Fitzwarren, with two hundred spears, who then 
returned to the duke. He had left Enten9a, and was marching to. 
ward a city in Galicia, called Orense, which would not acknow. 
ledge his claim to the crown. The place was strong, and had a 
garrison of Bretons, who had undertaken the defence at their own 
risk ; and, as they expected the duke and his English would come 
thither, they had greatly added to its strength. The marshal of the 
army had received frequent information, that those of Orense had 
refused obedience to the duke, and were daily increasing the forlifi. 
cations of the place : he therefore, in conjunction with the consta. 
ble, sir John Holland, advised the duke to march thither. 

When the army was tolerably near, it was halted and quartered 
thereabout. The first night was very fine, and so wondrous hot (for 
it was about Ascension day,) that the lords had their tents and pavil- 
ions pitched in the plain, under the beautiful olive-trees which were 
there. They remained within them all the night and following day, 
thinking the town would instantly surrender, without waiting to be 
assaulted. The townsmen would willingly have done so, if they had 
been the masters, but some adventurous Bretons governed it. Two 
gallant captains from lower Brittany, one called the bastard d'AuI- 
roy, the other Pennefort, were the commanders. They were gojd 
men-at-arms, as it appeared, when they undertook to defend the 
town of Orense, without other assistance, against the aimy of the 
duke of Lancaster. On the third day, the English having well ex- 
amined the place, to choose the weakest parts for their attacks, the 



434 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



constable, the marshal, and the admiral, ordered their trumpets to 
Bound for the assault. The army then armed itselt and assembled 
on the plain, when it was foi-med in four divisions, to make as many 
different attacks. They marched slowly and in handsome array, 
with trumpets sounding before them, as far as the ditches, and 
halted. There was not any water in them ; but there was a strong 
palisade in front of the walls, and so many thorns and brambles, 
that no man-at-arms could pass through. The attack, however, com. 
menced at four places ; and men-at-arms and lusty varlets crossed the 
ditches with hatchets on their wrists, with which they cleared away 
the thorns, to tiie utmost of their power. The Galicians annoyed 
them with lanching darts ; and, had they not been well shielded, num- 
bers must have been killed or wounded ; but those men-at-arms, who 
entered the ditch, were defended by their servants, bearing shields 
before them. The English archers made such good use of their bows, 
from the top of the ditch, that scarcely any dared to appear on the 
bulwarks. 

The duke of Lancaster came to view the attack, mounted on a 
very tall horse, which the king of Portugal had given him, and to 
notice those who behaved well, and was so delighted, that he stayed 
upward of tlirce hours. All the thorns and brambles were cleared 
away by this first attack, so that the palisades might be approached. 
The retreat was sounded ; for the duke said to the marshal, " Our 
men, sir Thomas, have done enough for to-day : let them retire, for 
they must be fatigued." " My lord, I am willing it should be so," 
replied the marshal, and ordered the retreat. The army returned to 
its quarters, carrying with them the dead and wounded, and there 
passed the night. They had plenty of wine, but it was so hot they 
could scarcely drink it ; and, unless mixed with a great deal of 
water, those who made too free with it were rendered unfit for any- 
thing the ensuing day. On the morrow, they determined, in council, 
that, on account of the excessive heat, the fatigues the army had suf. 
fered, and the consequences of their having drank too much of this 
wine, there should not be any attack made the whole day ; but that, 
on the next day, they would renew the assault before sunrise, in the 
cool of the morning, until eight o'clock. Orders were issued for the 
army to remain quietly in camp, and no one to arm until the trumpet 
of the marshal sounded. 

The duke of Lancaster received this day intelligence from the king 
of Portugal. He had left Oporto, and was on his march toward San- 
tarem ; for he intended to enter Castille by that frontier, and the 
armies to join on the river Duoro, and besiege Beneventd or Vilal- 
pando. Such was the plan of the king of Portugal, if, indeed, tlie 
king of Castille and his French allies, who were daily increasing, 
did not march to oppose him. Should they make no opposition, nor 
show any signs of offering batde, it was necessary the junction of 
the two armies be made as soon as possible. The duke was so well 
pleased with this news as to give the bearer of it ten nobles. On 
the appointed day for the renewal of the attack, the marshal's trum- 
pet sounded at the first dawn of the morning. Knights and squires 
made instantly ready, and posted themselves under their banners 
and pennons ; but it was upward of an hour before they were all 
drawn up. 'The duke remained in his pavilion, and did not rise 
thus early, for there was not any need of it. The marshal advanced 
into tlie plain, knowing well the duties of his office ; and those 
ordered for the attack placed themselves under his pennon. News 
was spread through Orense, that the English were marching to the 
assault : for the Bretons on guard had discovered it from the sound- 
ing of the marshal's trumpet. The men and women of the town 
were on the alert ; and the Bretons cried to them : " Hasten to the 
bulwarks : be men of courage, and not frightened at what you may 
see ; we are not frightened ; for we know the place is very strong, 
and we have plenty of darts, and well-tempered lances, to repulse 
our enemies, besides stones and flints to cast down on them ; we 
know, also, that should we be hard pushed, they will receive us 
favorably; and that is the worst we can suffer." "By God," said 
the captains who were present, '* we have been in many weaker 
places than this, and were never the worse for it." The Galicians, 
whether they would or not, took courage from the exhortations of 
the Bretons. This would not have been the case if the Bretons had 
not been in the town ; for they would have surrendered on the first 
summons. To say the truth, the common people of Castille and 
Galicia are good for nothing in war ; they are badly armed, and of 
poor courage. The nobles, who call themselves gentlemen, are tol. 
erably well ; but they like better to prance about, spurring their hor- 
ses, than to he engaged in more serious matters. 

The English arrived about sunrise before Orense, and, having 
entered the ditch, which, though dry, was deep enough, advanced to 
the palisades, with hatchets and iron bars, and began to break down 
and level them. When this was done, tliey had still another ditch 
to cross, before they could approacli tlie wall, which was as wide as 
the other, and many parts full of mud ; but they were indifferent to 
this, and rushing into it, came to the walls. Those on the battlements 
were not dismayed at what they saw, but defended themselves 
valiantly. They lanched darts at the enemy, the stroke of which is 
very deadly ; and it required strong armor to resist their blows. 
The English, having prepared ladders the preceding day, had them 
brought and fixed to different parts of the walls ; and you would 
have seen knights and squires, eager for lenown, ascend them with 



targets on their heads, and fight, sword in hand, with lie Bretonsr 
who, in truth, defended themselves gallantly ; for I hold such con- 
duct valorous, in allowing themselves to be so often attacked, know- 
ing well they should not have assistance from any quarter. The 
king of Castille and the French knights had determined to permit 
the English to overrun Galicia, or any other parts, if they could, 
without offering them the chance of a general combat, and with this 
the Bretons had been made acquainted. 

Some of the English said : " Ah, if all the towns in Castille give 
us as much trouble as this, we shall never have done." Others re- 
plied : " There is much to be pillaged within it, that has been 
brought thither from all parts ; and it is this which induces them to 
make so obstinate a resistance, that they may surrender on terms, 
and preserve their wealth and merchandise from being plundered." 
Some asked : " Who are the captains ?" " They are two bastard 
Bretons, good men-at-arms, who know what sieges and assaults are, 
for they have been at many. Their names are the bastard de Pen- 
nefort and the bastard d'Aulroy." " Whoever they may be, they 
are valiant fellows thus to hold out, without any appearance of succor 
coming to them.'' Those who mounted the ladders were sometimes- 
repulsed so severely, as to be tumbled to the ground, which caused 
much shouting among the Castillians. When the duke of Lancaster 
was risen and had heard mass, he said he would go and view the 
attack. He mounted a courser, but unarmed, and had his pennon,, 
that was emblazoned with the arms of Castille, England, and France, 
borne before him, which fluttered in the wind, so that the extremities 
touched the ground. On the duke's arrival, the besiegers exerted 
themselves the more, in order to be noticed and praised. The 
enemy, observing the pennon, knew the duke was come, and they 
also gained courage to continue the defence. Thus were both par- 
ties employed until it was eight o'clock; and there did not seem any 
probability that Orense would speedily be won by such attacks. 
The duke asked who were the captains of the garrison. On their 
being named, he said : " Tell the marshal to treat with them ; or 
send some one to know if they be willing to enter into a negotiation 
for surrendering the town, and placing it under our obedience. I 
do not believe that question has been put to them. Go," added he, 
to one of his knights, " sir William, and bring the marshal to speak 
with me.'' 

The knight left the duke, rode to the marshal, and said : " Sir 
Thomas, my lord wishes to speak with you." The marshal went to 
him ; and, when in his presence, the duke said : " Marehal, do you 
know whether these Bretons, who hold the place against us, would 
be willing to put themselves under our obedience ? We are fa. 
tiguing and wounding our men, and wasting our ammunition, when 
we know not how soon we may be in greater want of it. I there- 
fore beg you will go, and inform them you are willing to treat." 
" My lord," replied sir Thomas, " I will cheerfully do so ; and since 
you wish to show them mercy, it is just they should be heard.'* 
The marshal then returned to the assault, and, calling to him a he. 
raid, said : " Go, and manage to speak with the besieged ; our men 
will make way for thee ; and tell them I am willing to enter into a 
treaty." The herald said he would do so, and entered the ditch 
clothed in a coat of arms which had belonged to the duke of Lan- 
caster, saying, " Open your ranks, and make way for me : I am sent 
by the marshal to parley with these Bretons." As he said this, they 
made room for him to pass. The bastard d'Aulroy, seeing him push 
through the crowd, for he had observed from the ramparts what had 
passed between him and the marshal, advanced on the battlements, 
and, showing himself, said : " Herald, what is it you want ? I am 
one of the captains in this town, with whom I fancy you come to 
speak." "It is so," replied the herald, whose name was Percy: 
" my lord marshal bids you come to the barriers, for he is desirous to 
parley and treat with you." " I will do so," said the bastard, " if 
he will order the attack to cease and his men to retire, otherwise not.'-' 
"I believe you," answered the herald, and returned to relate his 
answer to the marshal. The marshal called his trumpet, and said : 
" Sound the retreat ;" which was done, and the assault ceased on 
all sides. Upon this, the captains in the town passed the gates, and 
came to the barriers, where they met the constable, sir John Hol- 
land, the marshal, and many others of the English. " How, my fair 
sirs," said the marshal, "canyon think of thus holding out and suf- 
fering yourselves to be taken by storm, by which you may probably 
be slain, and for certain will lose all. We know well that the towns, 
men are very willing to surrender to our lord and lady, and would 
long ago have done so, if you had not been with them. You may 
repent of it ; for, let happen what will, we shall never depart hence 
until the place be ours by fair means or foul. Consult together, and 
then come with your answer, for I havp full powers to treat with 
you." 

" Sir," replied the bastard Aulroy, " we have already consulted 
and formed our resolution. If you will consent that we, and what 
belongs to us, he conducted in safety to Vilalpando, or wherever else 
we may please to go, wc will suiTender the town ; but the inhabit- 
ants of both sexes, who may choose to remain in it, shall be per- 
mitted so to do, without any risk or molestation, provided they sub- 
mit themselves to the duke and duchess of Lancaster, as other towns 
in Galicia have done. We know that you are tlie marshal of the 
army, part of whose office is to enter into treaties with an enemy, 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



435 



and likewise that the duke will ratify whatever engagements you 
may enter into." "That is true," answered sir Thomas: "now 
suppose I consent to all you have asked, I will not that the town be 
pillaged, under pretence of its wealth having been gained from the 
adjacent country, for that would cause riots between your men and 
our?." " Oh, no," said the bastard : " we will only carry away 
what is our own : but, if any of our men shall have taken or bought 
anything without paying, we will not enter into any dispute on that 
account. With regard to provisions, I do not believe our men have 
paid one penny since they have been here in garrison." " As for 
that," replied the marshal, "it is nothing: it is an advantage our 
jnen will take as well as yours : but I speak of moveables." " Sir," 
answered the bastard d'Aulroy, " we have not our men under such 
command but that some will transgress." Sir John Holland now 
interfered, and said : " Let them pass : what they have got belongs 
to them : we shall not be so strict as to search their trunks." " Be 
it so, then," said the marshal. 

Everything was now settled, and they were to march away on the 
morrow. The English returned to their quarters to disarm, and re- 
fresh themselves with what ihey had brought. The Bretons em- 
ployed the whole day in packing up the great plunder they had made, 
even from Castille, for the king had abandoned the whole country to 
them, which enriched prodigiously the first comers. While thus 
employed, they seized from the inhabitants of Orense whatever they 
could conveniently lay their hands on, such as furs, cloth, and jewels ; 
and when the poor people said : " Gentlemen, this belongs to us ; 
you did not bring it hither ;"' they answered, " Hold your tongues, 
ye wicked people : we have a commission from the king of Castille 
to pay ourselves. We have served you faithfully and valiantly : you 
are therefore bound to increase our pay, and it is thus we take it." 
The next morning the marshal mounted his horse, and, attended by 
about sixty lances, rode to the barriers of Orense, where he waited 
awhile for the Bretons. When they came, he asked, " Are you all 
ready ?" " Yes," they replied : " give us our passport and escort." 
" Whither do you wish to go?" " To Vilalpando." " It is well," 
replied the marshal : " here is your escort :" and, calling to him an 
English knight whose name was Stephen Eastbury, said, " Take 
ten of our lances, to escort these Bretons, and return to-morrow." 
He obeyed the marshal's orders, and the Bretons marched away well 
packed and heavily laden. 

When they were all gone, the marshal and his men entered the 
town, where he was received with the greatest respect ; for they took 
him for the duke of Lancaster, which was the reason of their humility. 
He asked some of the townsmen, " These Bretons, who are gone 
away so heavily laden, have they carried oft'any of your properties ?" 
" Of ours, my lord '. yes, by God, a great deal." " And why did you 
not complain to me ? I would have made them restoje it." " My 
lord, we were afraid ; for they threatened to murder us, if we said 
one word : they are a cursed race, for there is not one but is a thief ; 
and how can we complain when they rob one another ?" The mar- 
shal laughed, and, having paused, demanded the principal persons of 
the town. When they arrived, he made them swear to preserve the 
town of Orense in obedience to the duke and duchess of Lancaster, 
in like manner to other towns in Galicia : which being done, he re- 
newed the officers of the town, who took similar oaths. All being 
finished, he and his company drank some wine, and returned to the 
duke of Lancaster, who was reposing under the shade of the olive- 
trees ; for it was so very hot, neither man nor horse could withstand 
the heat of the sun, and after eight o'clock it was impossible to go 
abroad and forage. The greatest pleasure the duke could have re. 
ceived would have been the information, that the king of Castille 
was on his march to offer him battle ; for he was well aware he could 
never otherwise succeed in his claim on that kingdom. He was 
continually making inquiries how the king of Castille was employed, 
and he was answered : " My lord, we learn from the pilgrims who 
come to Saint Jago, that he is not making any preparations to take 
the field, but has shut himself and his men up in garrisons. The 
duke of Bourbon is not yet arrived, nor is there any intelligence re- 
ceived of his coming." The duke was advised to remain but five 
days in Orense, and then march to Zamora, and endeavor to force a 
passage over the Duoro by the bridge. The knight, on his return 
from escorting the Bretons to Vilalpando, was asked what were 
the numbers in garrison ; he said, " He had heard sir Oliver du 
Giiesclin was there, with one thousand spears, French and Bretons. ' 
" It will be a good thing, my lord," said the constable and sir Thomas 
Percy, " if we go thither and skirmish with them. Perhaps they may 
come out, and accept our challenge, for some of them are very im- 
patient to sigaalize themselves." " I agree to it," replied the duke ; 
"*' let us dislodge and march hence, for we can gain nothing by stay, 
ing longer here." Orders for decampment on the morrow were 
issued, and for the army to march toward Vilalpando, and then to 
Zamora. 

We will now say something of the king of Portugal, and what befel 
him on his entrance into Castille to form a junction with the duke 
of Lancaster 



CHAPTER LXXII. 

THE KING OF PORTUGAI,, BEING KEP0LSED IN HIS ATTEMPTS TO STOBK 
THE CASTLES OF SANTAKEM, Bl'KNS THE TOWN. HE MARCHES TO FER. 
ROL IN GALICIA. 

The king of Portugal, on his departure from Oporto, left his queen, 
his sister-in-law, and the city, under the guard of the count de No- 
vaire, with one hundred lances, of Portuguese and Gascons who had 
come to serve him. When the king took the field, he halted the first 
day at the distance of only three leagues from Oporto. On the mor ■ 
row, he dislodged, and marched in three battalions ; but, on account 
of the infantry, which consisted of twelve thousand men, and the 
baggage, he could but advance at a foot's pace. The main battalion 
with the king followed, which was a thousand good spears, and in it 
were don Galois, Fernando Portelet, John Fernando Portelet, Guada- 
loupe Fernando Portelet, and Pounass d'Acunha, sir Vasco Martia 
d'Acunha, who bore the king's banner, John Radighos, Peter John 
Gomez de Salnes, Joao Rodriguez de St, and the master of Avis, 
Fernando Rodriguez de Sequeira, all great barons. The constable 
of Portugal commanded the rear battalion, consisting of five hundred 
spears ; with him were the count d'Angouse, the count de I'Escalle, 
le petit Danede, Mondest Radighos, Roderigo de Valconsiaux, Ange 
Salvese de Geneve, John Ansale de Popelan, all barons and knights. 

In this manner did the Portuguese continue their march toward 
Santarem. They advanced by short marches, and halted every third 
day : they also lay by the greater part of the day. They amved at 
Aljubarota, where they halted for two days, and took as many in 
going from thence to Ourem. At last they came to Santarem, and 
quartered themselves therein ; for they found the town had been 
abandoned since the battle of Aljubarota, for fear of tho Portuguese, 
and the inhabitants had retired with their effects into Castille. The 
castles, however, were well garrisoned with Bretons and Poitevina, 
who had been sent thither for their defence. The king of Portugal 
was advised to attack these castles, which were situated at each end 
of the town ; for he could not, in honor, pass by without attempting 
some deeds of arms : besides, as the Castillians had conquered this 
place from the Portuguese, they wished to try if they could recover 
them. They had brought machines of war from Oporto, for they 
knew they should have need of them on their march. The king and 
his army were quartered in and about Santarem, which is situated at 
the entrance of Castille, on the Tagus. By means of this river, they 
could have all their provision and stores conveyed to them from Lis- 
bon or Oporto, of which they took the advantage ; for they were up. 
ward of thirty thousand men. 

The constable, with his division and one half of the commonalty 
of Portugal, posted himself opposite the eastern castle, called la Per- 
radc. The marshal with his battalion, and the other half of the com- 
monalty, did the same at the opposite castle, called CaUidon. Morice 
Fonchans, an able man-at-arms, and a knight from Brittany, com. 
manded in la Perrade ; and sir James de Mont-merle, a knight from 
Poitou, in Callidon. They might each have with him fifty lances. 
Fifteen days passed without anything being done : their machinea 
were, indeed, pointed against the walls, and cast heavy stones ten or 
twelve times a day, but did little damage, except to the roofs of tha 
towers, which they ruined ; but the garrisons paid no attentiom to this, 
for their lodgings were well arched : and no engine nor springall 
could hurt them with any stones they could throw. When the Por. 
tuguese saw they had no hopes of success, they grew tired, and re. 
solved to decamp and enter Galicia, to join the duke of Lancaster, 
which would increase their strength, and the king and duke might 
then advise together, whither to march. When they departed from 
Santarem, they so completely burnt the town, that there did not re. 
main a shed to put a horse in. The garrisons, seeing them depart, 
were so much rejoiced, that they sounded their trumpets, and, with 
other signs of joy, continued playing until the whole were out of 
hearing. The army marched that day for Pontferrant, in Galicia, in 
their route to Val-Sainte-Catharine, and arrived at Ferrol, which is a 
tolerably strong town, and in the interest of the king of Castille, and 
they halted before it. 

CHAPTER LXXIII. 

THE KING OF PORTUGAL, NOT BEING ABLE TO TAKE FERROL BY STORlli 
SAINS IT BY AN AMBUSCADE, AND PUTS IT UNDER THE OBEDIENCE OP 
THE DUKE OF LANCASTER. 1 

The king of Portugal and his anny found a plentiful country at 
Ferrol, which they surrounded ; and the constable and marshal said, 
they would storm it, as it was to be taken. They were two days, 
however, without making any attempt, for they expected that it 
would surrender without an assault, but they were mistaken ; for 
there were in it some Bretons and Burgundians, who said they would 
defend it to the last. The machines were brought forth on the third 
day, and the marshal's trumpets sounded for the attack, when all 
made themselves ready, and advanced to the walls. The men-at- 
arms in Ferrol hearing the trumpets, knew thnt they should be stormed, 
and made preparations accordingly. They armed themselves, and 
all men capable of defence, and ordered the women to gather and 
bring to them stones, to throw down on the enemy. You must know, 



436 



CHRONICLES OF BTN GLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



that the women in Galicia and Castille are of good courage to de- 
fend themselves, and equally useful as the men. The Portuguese 
marched in handsome array to the ditches, which, though deep, were 
dry, and merrily entered them. They began to ascend the opposite 
bank witli much courage, but were sorely treated, unless well shielded, 
by those of the town, who, from the walls, cast down on them stones 
and other things, that wounded and killed several, and forced them 
to retreat whether they would or not. There was much throwing 
of darts on both sides ; and thus lasted the attack until eight o'clock, 
when the day became e.xceedingly hot, without the least wind or 
breeze, insomuch that those in the ditches thought they should be 
hurnt : this heat was so excessive, that the attack was put an end to, 
though the machines cast stones into the town merely for the chance 
of success. The Portuguese retired to refresh themselves, and attend 
to the wounded. The marshal resolved not to renew the attack but 
by his machines, for otherwise it would cost too many lives ; and to 
skirmish at the barriers, to amuse the young knights, and enure them 
to deeds of arms. This being settled, there were, almost daily, skir- 
mishes at the barriers ; and these within the town were accustomed 
to post themselves without the gates, between them and the barriers, 
the better to engage their enemies. 

Sir iVlvarez Pereira, the marshal of Portugal, who was subtle, and 
had been long used to arms, observing this conduct, planned upon it 
an ambuscade. Opening himself to don Juan Fernando, he said, 
" I see these soldiers, when skirmishing, sometimes venture beyond 
the gate^ : I have formed a plan, which, if you will assist me to exe- 
cute, I think we may discomfit them. I propose that we form an 
ambuscade, as near the barriers as possible, of five or si.x hundred 
men, well mounted, and then commence a skirmish, as usual, but in 
no great number ; and retreat by degrees, the moment they seem 
willing to pass their barriers, which I think i.i^> avarice and eager- 
ness will induce them to do. We must then turn -*ut and attack 
them lustily, and the ambuscade will gallop between them and the 
gates. The garrison will now be alarmed, and hasten to order the 
gates to be opened, and whether they will or not, we shall enter the 
place with them. But should the townsmen refuse to open the gates, 
all those who are without must be our prisoners." " It is well im- 
agined," replied don Juan. " Well," said the marshal, " do you 
comiriand one party, and I will take the other. You, sir Martin de 
Mello, and Pounass d'Acunha, shall have the ambuscade, and I 
will sldrmish, as that is part of my ofiice." This plan was adopted, 
and five hundred men, well armed and mounted, were chosen to form 
the ambuscade. 

For three days there had not been any skirmishing, to the surprise 
of the garrison, who said to the inhabitants : " See, wicked people 
as ye are, ye wanted to surrender to the king of Portugal without 
striking a blow, and w-ould have done so, if we had not been here 
to defend the honor of your tosvn ; this we have so successfully done, 
that the king of Portugal is on the eve of his departure, without hav- 
ing effected anything.'' 

On the fourth day, according to what had been laid down, the 
marshal advanced to the skirmish with but few followers : the great 
ambuscade remained behind. The Bretons, eager to make rich 
prisoners, having already captured si-T, seeing the Portuguese at the 
barriers, had the gates opened, which they left unfastened, in case of 
failure (for they had no great dependence on the townsmen,) and the 
wicket wide open, and sallied forth to skirmish with darts and lances, 
as is usual in such combats. The marshal, when he saw the time 
was come, made his men wheel, and act as if they were tired, re- 
treating by degrees. Those within the place, observing this, and 
thinking they should make prisoners of them all, opened the whole 
of the barriers, sallied forth, and, falling on the Portuguese, captured 
five-and-tweuty. In the struggle and pursuit, the Bretons never 
thought of closing the barriers ; and the marshal now made his sig- 
nal for the ambuscade to advance, which it did full gallop, and, by 
getting between the Bretons and the place, made themselves masters 
of the barriers. The French and Bretons now hastened to reenter 
the gates, but it was of no avail, for the Portuguese entered with them ; 
and thus was the town won. Very few were slain, and the soldiers 
in garrison were made prisoners, e.xcept ten or twelve, who escaped 
by a postern gate, and went to Vilalpando, where sir Oliver du Gues- 
clin was in garrison, with one thousand French lances at least, and 
these runaways related to him how Ferrol had been lost. In this 
manner was the town won by the Portuguese, and put under the 
obedience of the duke of Lancaster, for whom they made war. 
The king of Portugal was much pleased at the success of his men, 
and instantly sent intelligence of it to the duke, adding, he had greatly 
increased his inheritance by the capture of a town ; and that he and 
his army were desirous and active to conquer the rest. 



CHAPTER LXXIV. 

THE ARMY OF THE I)UKE OF LANCASTER COMES BEFORE NOVA IS GALICIA. 
THE ENGLISH ARE RECEIVES, AT THE BAREIEKS, BY BARROIS DES BARRES 
AND HIS COMPANIONS. 

The duke of Lancaster was much rejoiced at the news from the 
king of Portugal : he had left Orense, and was on his march toward 
I^oya, where le Barrois des Barres, sir John de Chitelmorant, sir 



Tristan de la Jaillc, sir Reginald de Roye, sir William de Montignj', 
and many other knights and squires were in garrison. When°the 
duke came within sight of the castle, the marshal said, " There is 
Noya : if Coruna be one of the keys of Galicia toward the sea, the 
castle of Noya is another toward Castille ; and whoever wishes to be 
lord of Castille must be master of those two places. Let us march 
thither, for they tell me that Barrois des Barres, one of the ablest cap. 
tains of France, is within it, and let us have some skirmishing with 
the garrison at the end of the bridge." " We are willing to do so," 
said sir Maubrun de Linieres and sir John d'Ambreticourt, who were 
riding by his side. The van battalion now advanced, consisting of 
five hundred men-at-arms, for the duke was desirous of making a 
good appearance to those within the castle ; and he knew also that 
his marshals would offer to skirmish, should they find any to accept 
their challenge. The watch on the castle, seeing the van of the 
English approach, began to sound his horn so agreeably, it was a 
pleasure to hear him. 

Le Barrois and his companions, to the amount of one hundred men- 
at-arms, hearing that the English were at hand, armed themselves, 
and, in good array, advanced to the barriers, where they drew up 
under twelve pennons. Sir John des Barres, being the most re- 
nowned, was the commander-in-chief, and next to him, sir John de 
Chatelmorant. When sir Thomas Moreaux, the marshal of the army, 
found himself near the place, he halted, and, having dismounted as 
well as his companions, they gave their horses to the pages and ser- 
vants, and marched in a compact body, each knight and squire with 
his spear in hand, toward the barriers : every si.x paces they halted, 
to dress themselves without opening their ranks. To say the truth, 
it was a beautiful sight. When they were come as far as they 
wished, they halted for a short time, and then advanced their front 
to begin the action. They were gallantly received ; and, I believe, 
had the two parlies been in the plain, many more bold actions would 
have taken place than it was possible to find an opportunity for where 
they were ; for the barriers being closely shut, prevented them from 
touching each other. The marshal hit sir John de ChMelmorant with 
his lance, as did sir John the marshal ; for each was eager to hurt 
the other, but from the strength of their armor, they could not. Sir 
Thomas Percy attacked Barrois des Barres ; Maubrun de Linieres, 
sir William de Montigny ; sir John d'.\mbreticourt, sir Reginald de 
Roye ; the lord Talbot, sir Tristan de la Jaille ; so every man had 
his match : and when they were fatigued or heated they retired, and 
other fresh knights and squires renewed the skirmish. This was 
continued until past eight o'clock : indeed, it was twelve before it 
was entirely over. The archers next came to the barriers ; but the 
knights withdrew, for fear of the arrows, and ordered their cross-bows 
and Castillians to oppose them, which they did until noon, when the 
lusty varlets continued the skirmish until sunset, and the knights then 
returned fresh and vigorous to renew it. 

Thus was the day employed until night, when the English retired 
to their quarters, and the knights into the castle, where they kept a 
good guard. The English were quartered about half a league from 
Noya, on the banks of the river, which was very welcome to them 
and their horses, for they had great difficulty in procuring water on 
their march. They intended to remain there five or si.x days, and 
then march to Vilalpando, and look at the constable of Castille and 
the French there in gariison. They had also heard from the king 
of Portugal, who was encamped in the plains of Ferrol, and intended 
marching for the town of Padron,* in Galicia, which was in the line of 
march of the English; and I believe the king and duke were to 
meet in this town, to confer together on the state of affairs, and de- 
termine on a plan for carrying on the war. They had already beea' 
one month in the enemy's country, and had conquered all Galicia,, 
e.xcept one or two places, without having any intelligence of the king" 
of Castille or the French, wliich greatly surprised them ; for they 
had heard that the king of Castille had issued his summons from 
Burgos, where he resided, to all parts of Castille, Seville, Cordova, 
Toledo, Leon, Valladolid, Soria, and had collected sixty thousand 
men, not including six thousand men-at-arms from France. The 
duke of Bourbon was likewise daily expected, for he had quitted 
Paris. 

It was for this reason the English and Portuguese wanted to unite 
their armies, to be in greater force, and better enabled to meet the 
enemy ; for they believed all that had been told them respecting the 
French and Castillians as true, and outwardly showed much joy 
thereat. They would willingly have encountered their enemies, for 
they were convinced they could never bring their dispute to any 
decision without a battle. 

Sir William de Lignac and sir Walter de Passac were always about 
the king's person, and accompanied him wherever he went ; for they 
had two or three times a week intelligence from France of what was 
going on, and likewise from the duke of Bourbon. They were 
waiting for him, as he had begun his journey by way of Avignon, to 
visit the pope and cardinals; and would not therefore offer combat 
during his absence, nor would it have been becoming them so to do. 
Among the news they had from France, the most surprising was the 
account of the duke of Brittany's arrest and confinement of the con- 
stable in the castle of Ermine, until he ransomed himself, by paying 

* Pudron is situated on the river Ulla, four leagues to tlie soutjiward of Saint Jaf Or ; 
it was formerly a bishopric, but is now transferred to Saint Jago. • 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



down one hundred thousand francs and the surrender of three castles 
and a town, by which the intended invasion of England was pre- 
Tented. They were greatly astonished, and could not imagine what 
the duke of Brittany meant by it : they however supposed that he 
must have been instigated thereto by the council of England. 



CHAPTER LXXV. 

THE KINS OF FRANCE SENDS SOME OF HIS NOBLES TO DEMAND FROM THE 
DUKE OF BRITTANY THE REASON OF THE INSULT OFFERED HIM IN THE 
PERSON OF HIS CONSTABLE. 

The court of France, more particularly the king's uncles, and the 
principal lords, were much distressed by the defiance that was sent 
by the duke of Gueldres ; for it was outrageous and rude, and not 
in the common style of such challenges, as I shall explain when I 
mention the particulars. Tiiey were likewise much vexed at the late 
conduct of the duke of Brittany, which had broken up the expedi. 
tion to England by the imprisonment of its leader. This had been 
greatly prejudicial to the king, nor could they discover any cause he 
had to assign for such conduct. The king did not pay such attention 
to these matters, which, considering his youth, was not to be won- 
dered at, as if he had been of more advanced years ; for some of the 
lords, who remembered former times, said, " That by a similar act 
the kingdom had been much agitated, when the king of Navarre as. 
sassinated sir Charles d'Espaign, who at the time was constable of 
France, for which king John could never afterwards bear the king 
of Navarre, and had deprived him, as far as he was able, of all his 
possessions in Normandy." " Do you suppose," said others, " that 
if king Charles, the father of our king, were now alive, who loved 
so much the constable, he would not have made the duke pay dearly 
for this insult ? By my faith would he, and instantly have declared 
war against him, and, cost what it would, have driven him out of his 
duchy." Thus was the matter discussed through France, where all 
agreed that he had acted very ill. The king and his uncles, to pacify 
the people, who were much dissatisfied, and to inquire into the 
grounds of this business, resolved to send a prelate, and three able 
and prudent barons, to hear the duke's reasons, and to summon him 
to Paris, or wherever else the king might please, to make proper 
excuses for his conduct. SiPlVIilon de Dormans, bishop of Beauvais, 
was nominated as principal : he was a most able man, of great elo- 
quence, and was to be accompanied by sir John dc Vicnnc, sir John 
de Bueil, and the lord de la Riviere, who had received full instruc. 
tions what they were to say ; but to be the more particularly in. 
formed of what had passed, the bishop of Beauvais went to MontM. 
hery, the residence of the constable, to learn from hiui the most 
minute details. This town and castle, with its dependencies, had 
been given to him and to his heirs by king Charles. The bishop, during 
this visit, was seized with an illness that forced him to keep liis bed, 
and after fii'teen days' struggle against the fever, it carried him off, 
so very severe was the attack. The bishop of Langres was nonii. 
nated in the place of the bishop of Beauvais, who set out, with the 
before-mentioned barons, for Brittany. 



CHAPTER LXXVI. 

PKOISSART MENTIONS THE PERSON FROM WHOM HE LEARNT THE ARREST 
OF THE CONSTABLE DE CLISSOS ; WHO LIKEWISE INFORMS HIM THAT 
SIR BERTRAND DU GtTESCLIN OUSHT TO BE CALLED DU GLAY.AQUIN. 

I MAT, perhaps, be asked, how I became acquainted with the 
events in this history, to speak so circumstantially about them. I 
reply to those who shall do so, that I have, with great attention and 
diligence, sought in divers kingdoms and countries for the facts which 
have been, or may hereafter be, mentioned in it : for God has given 
me grace and opportunities to see, and make acquaintance with the 
greater part of the principal lords of France and England. It should 
be known, that in the year 1390, 1 had labored at this history thirty, 
seven years, and at that time I was fifty.seven years old : a man 
may, therefore, learn much in such a period, when he is in his vigor, 
and well-received by all parties. During my youth, I was five years 
attached to the king and queen of England, and kindly entertained 
in the household of king John of France and king Charles his son. 
I was, in consequence, enabled to hear much during those times ; 
and, for certain, the greatest pleasure I have ever had, was to make 
every possible inquiry, in regard to what was passing in the world, 
and then to write down all that I had learnt. 

I will now say from whence I heard of the arrest of the constable, 
and the consequences that followed. I was riding about the time 
this passed, or perhaps a year after, from Angers to Tours, and had 
slept at Beaufort en Vallt;e.* On the morrow I overtook a knight 
from Brittany, called sir William d'Ancenis, who was going to visit 
madame de Maille in Touraine, who was his cousin, as she had lately 
become a widow. I made acquaintance with the knight, for he was 
courteous and obliging in speech, and inquired the news from him ; 
more particularly about the imprisonment of the constable, the truth 
of which I was eager to know. He gave me the information I 



* Beaufort ea VaUee— or Beaufort la Ville, a town of Anjou, on the river Authion, 
iil leoEUes frcai .'jifers, Eijteen torn Toue. 



_^ 437 

wanted ; for he said he had been at* the parliament at Vannes, •with 
his cousin the lord d'Ancenis, a powerful baron in Brittany. In the 
same manner as sir Espaign du Lyon told me all that passed in Foix, 
B^arn, and Gascony, and as don Juan Fernando Portelet the events 
in Castille and Portugal, did the gallant knight converse with me, and 
would have continued it longer, had I rode farther in his company. 
We had advanced four long leagues between Montlihargne and 
Preuilly, riding at a gentle pace, when he told me many things on 
the road respecting Brittany, which I treasured up in my memory. 
As we were thus riding, we entered a meadow near to Preuilly, when 
he disinounted, and said ; " Ah, may God keep the soul of the good 
constable of France ; for he had, on this spot, a most honorable com- 
bat, and greatly profitable to the country ; but he was not then con- 
stable, and served under the banner of sir John de Bueil, on his return 
from the expedition into Spain." " Pray have the goodness to relate 
it to me." "I will," said he; " but let us remount our horses." We 
did so, and, continuing our journey, he thus began : 

"In the time I am speaking of, this country was quite filled ivith 
English, and thieves from Gascony, Brittany, Germany : adventu. 
rers from all nations had fixed their quarters on both sides of the Loire, 
for the war between England and France was renewed. A party of 
them had fortified themselves in the castle of Beaufort en Valine ; 
which you have seen, and supported themselves by plundering the 
country all round it. But to come to the immediate object of my 
story ; some English and Gascons had possessed themselves of Preu- 
illy, and strengthened it so much, that none attempted to dislodge 
them : they had also Eome other smaller forls near ; and when they 
made any excursions, they could assemble between eight hvmdred 
and a thousand combatants. 

" The constable, sir Bertrand du GuescUn, sir John de Bueil, the 
lord de Mailly, and other knights, detennined to deliver the country 
from these people, and collected about five hundred spears. They 
learnt that the English intended marching toward Saumer ; that all 
the captains of the difierent forts were to unite their forces ; and that 
the place of meeting was Preuilly, which you see before us. Our 
men, having crossed the river, placed themselves in ambuscade, in 
the wood below us, on the right hand. The enemy left Preuilly at 
sunrise, to the amount of nine hundred fighting men ; and when our 
party in ambush saw them advancing, they knew a combat to be in- 
evitable. They held a council on what should be their cry, and 
were desirous it should be 'Sir Bertrand I' but he would not consent, 
and declared he would not display either banner or pennon, but be 
under that of sir John de Bueil. Our enemies entered the mead, 
where we just now dismounted, and they had scarcely done so before 
our men sallied out of their ambush to meet them. On seeing ua, 
being of good courage, they drew themselves up in handsome order. 
We did the same, and both parties advanced to the combat, which 
instantly commenced with such thrusting of lances, that many were 
thrown down on each side. It lasted a considerable time without 
either giving way ; but, to say the truth, we were all picked men, 
and with the enemy were numbers badly armed and plunderers. 
They gave us, however, full employment ; but sir Morice Trisequedy, 
sir Geoffry Ricon, sir Geoiiry Kerimel, and Morfonace, joining sir 
Bertrand du Guesclin, full gallop, reinforced us with sixty good spears, 
whom they brought with them, and, attacking the English on horse- 
back, threw them into a confusion they never could recover. The 
leaders of these pillagers, perceiving the event was likely to turn out 
unfavorable to them, mounted their horses, but not all ; for seven lay 
dead on the field, with three hundred of their men. The pursuit 
lasted as far as St. Maur, where sir Robert Cheney, Robert Hervey, 
Richard Giles, and James Clerk, got into a boat, and saved them. 
selves by crossing the Loire. They made for four castles the English 
had on that side the river, wherein they did not long remain, but 
hastened for Auvergne and Limousin, as they fancied the constable 
was still at their heels. 

"By this defeat, my good master, was all this country delivered 
from pillagers, and never since that time have any English or others 
established themselves here. I therefore say, that constable Bertrand 
was a gallant man, and of great honor and advantage to France, for 
he regained large tracts of temtory from her enemies." " By my 
faith, sir, you say truly : he was indeed a very valiant man, and so 
is sir Oliver du Guesclin." On my naming him du Guesclin, the 
knight laughed ; and I said, " Sir, what do you laugh at ?" " Because 
you call him du Guesclin, which is not his proper name, nor ever was, 
although he is generally so called, even by us who come from Brit. 
tany. Sir Bertrand was during his lifetime desirous to alter this, but 
could not ; for this word is more naturally pronounced than the one 
he wished to substitute for it." " Pray, sir," said I, " have the kind- 
ness to tell me if there be any great difference between them." " No, 
God help me : the only difference is Glay.aquin instead of Glesquin, 
or Guesclin. I will tell you whence tliis surname is derived, accord- 
ing to what I have heard the old people in Brittany say, and it is 
certainly true, for you may find it written in the old chronicles of 
Brittany." This speech gave me great pleasure, and I replied ; " Sir, 
I shall think myself much obliged by your so doing ; and what you 
say shall not be forgotten, for sir Bertrand du GuescUn was so re- 
nowned a knight, that his reputation ought to be augmented by every 
possible means." " That is true," said the knight, and thus began : 
" In the reign of Charlemagne, that great conqueror, who added 



433 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



80 much to Christendom and France ; for he was the emperor of 
Rome as well as king of France and Germany ; and whose body lies 
now at Aii.la-Chapcllc ; this king Charles, as is seen in the ancient 
chronicles (for you know that all the knowledge we possess in this 
world we owe to writing, and upon no other foundation can we depend 
for truth Imt on what is contained in approved books,) was several 
times in Spain, where he once remained for nine years without re- 
turning to France, but conquering all before him. At this time there 
was a pagan king, called Aquin, who reigned over Bugia and Bar- 
bary, that lie opposite to Spain. The kingdom of Spain was very 
considerable, if you follow its coasts from St. Jean du Pied des Ports, 
for it then contained all Arragon, Navarre, Biscay, Oporto, Coimbra, 
Lisbon, Seville, Cordova, Toledo, and Leon, and these formerly were 
conquered by this great Jiing. During his long residence in Spain, 
Aquin, king of Bugia and Barbary, assembled an army and embarked 
for Brittany, where he landed at the port of Vannes. He brouglit his 
wife and children with him, and, having established himself and his 
army in the country, proceeded to make farther conquests. King 
Charles was duly informed of what was passing in Brittany ; but he 
would not let it interfere with his present undertaking, saying ; ' Let 
him establish himself in Brittany : it will not be difficult for us to free 
the country from him and his people ; but we will first complete the 
conquest of this country, and submit it to the Christian faith. This 
king, Aquin, built a handsome tower on the sea-shore near to Vannes, 
called the Glay, wherein he took pleasure to reside. When Charle- 
magne had accomphshed his expedition to Spain by the delivery of 
Galicia and other provinces from the Saracens, whose kings he had 
slain, and, by driving out the infidels, had brought the whole kingdom 
under the Christian faith ; he sailed for Brittany, and gave batde to 
king Aquin and his adherents, with such success that the greater part 
of the infidels were killed, and king Aquin forced to fly, in a vessel 
that lay ready prepared for him at the foot of the tower of Glay. He 
was so hard pressed by the French, he could only embark himself, 
his wife, and some of his family, and in the hurry forgot a young 
child, of about a year old, that was asleep in the tower. The king 
having escaped, this cliild was brought to Charlemagne, who was 
much pleased with him, and had him baptized. Roland and Oliver 
were his godfathers at the font, and the emperor gave him handsome 
presents and the lands his father had won in Brittany. This child, 
when grown up, was a valiant knight, and called Oliver du Glay. 
aquin, because he had been found in the tower of Glay, and was the 
son of king Aquin. 

" Such was the foundation of the family of sir Bertrand du Gucs- 
clin, which, as you sec, ought to be called du Glay-aquin. Sir Ber- 
trand was used to say, that when he should have expelled don Pedro 
from Spain and crowned don Henry do Transtamare, he would go to 
Bngia, as he should have only the sea to cross, and demand his in. 
heritance : and would undoubtedly have executed it ; for don Henry 
would gladly have supplied him with men and ships ; but the prince 
of Wales, by bringing back and replacing don Pedro on the throne 
of CastiUe, put an end to it. Sir Bertrand was made prisoner by sir 
John Chandos, at the famous battle of Najarra, and ransomed for one 
hundred thousand francs. He had been before ransomed by the 
same knight, and for the like sum, at the battle of Auray. The re- 
newal of the war between England and France put an effectual stop 
to this African expedition, and gave him so much employment that 
he could not attend to anything else. He was, nevertheless, the direct 
issue from king Aquin, who reigned over Bugia and Barbary. Thus 
have I traced to you the descent of sir Bertrand du Guesclin." " That 
is true," replied I, " and I arn very thankful to you for it, which I 
will not forget." As I said this, we arrived at Preuilly.« 



CHAPTER LXXVII. 

IMBASSADOES FROM THE KING OF FRANCE WAIT ON THE DUKE OF BRIT- 
TANY RESPECTING THE ARREST OF HIS CONSTABLE. THE DUKE, HAVING 
HEARD THEM, GIVES THEM HIS ANSWER. 

If I could have been as long with sir William d'Ancenis as I was 
with sir Espaign du Lyon, when we travelled together from Pamiers 
to Orthfcs in B^arn, or with sir Juan Fernando Portelet, he would 
have told me many interesting things : but it could not be ; for, soon 
after dinner, we came to two roads ; one leading to Tours, whither 
I was bound, and the other to Mailly, which he was to follow. Here 
then we took leave of each other, and separated ; but on our road 
front Preuilly, before our separation, he told me many things about 
the bishop of Langres, who had succeeded the bishop of Beauvais 
in the embassy to the duke of Brittany with sir John de Beuil, and 
the answer they received from the duke. Upon the authority of 
^ r^i^ knight said, I have written as follows : 

The embasaado rs^Jia ving tak en leave of the king and council, 

province by his l,eutena„t,, and ,vTs n/vfr'Se f t'ion tr^T, T,?""'^ "'",' 
name of the home oldu Gueschn was not gS?- Z^'^T:, „*'''»^',.T''>' ""= ""«'""' 
two Breton words, Gwar and Pl,c, whrch s°sn^ fes a cS 'ai^d 1'^ h"' l,'^""'"'""'' "^ 
the old castle du Guarplic, that ^as huii o^7^,ZTo,^^ifTc^JjJ^^^^^^ 
pariah ofSaint Coulomb, diocese of D61. ^ ■ "" Concale bay, in the 

For Jurther particulars, see I'Hifitoire de la Bretagne. 



continued their journey until they came to Nantes, where they in- 
quired the residence of the duke. They were told, that he chiefly 
resided at or near Vannes in preference to any other place. They 
left Nantes, and did not stop until they arrived at Vannes, as it is 
only twenty leagues distant, and dismounted in the town, for the 
duke lived in the castle called La Motte. When they had equipped 
themselves in a manner becoming their rank, they waited on him, 
who received them outwardly with much affection. The bishop of 
Langres, being a prelate, was the spokesman, and harangued in a 
handsome manner, in the presence of liis two companions, sir John 
de Vienne and sir John de Beuil, saying, " Lord duke, we are sent 
hither by the king our sovereign, and by my lords his uncles, the 
dukes of Berry and Burgundy, to say they are wondrously surprised 
you should have prevented the invasion of England from taking place, 
when on the point of sailing, and have ransomed the constable of 
France for such an immense sum, besides seizing tlu-ee of his castles 
in Brittany and the town of Jugon,* which, should they turn against 
the country, may seriously injure it. W'e are, therefore, charged to 
order you, on the part of our sovereign lord the king, and of our 
lords his uncles, to restore sir Oliver de Clisson, constable of France, 
those parts of his inheritance you now withhold from him, and give 
him peaceable possession thereof, according to justice, in the same 
condition they were in before they were surrendered up to you through 
constraint, and not according to any just claim you had upon them, 
and also the sum of money you have received, wholly and fully, 
wherever he shall be pleased to have it paid. The king and his 
council likewise summon you to appear at Paris, or wherever else 
they may direct, to excuse yourself for what you have done. The 
king is so good-tempered and forbearing, that, from ties of blood, he 
will readily listen to your excuses. Should they not be quite satis, 
factory, our lords, the dukes of Berry and Burgundy, will so fashion 
them to the utmost of their abilities, and by entreaties or otherwise 
manage the matter so that you shall remain friend and cousin to the 
king, as it is reasonable you should be." 

The bishop, turning to sir John de Vienne, said, " Do you agree 
in my sentiments ?" " Yes, sir," he replied. Sir John de Beuil 
made a similar answer : when this passed, there were but these four 
in the apartment. The duke, having heard the bishop, was very 
thoughtful, and not without reason, for the words were so clear they 
required no expounding. At length he said, "Sir, I have well heard 
what you had to say : it was proper I shguld do so, as you come from 
my sovereign lord the king of France, and my lords his uncles. I 
am therefore boundcn to pay you, as coming from them, every honor 
and respect, and am willing to do so. What you have said, how- 
ever, demands consideration ; and I shall take the advice of my 
council, that I may give you such an answer as may please you, for 
I would not act otherwise. " You say well," replied the embassa- 
dors, " and we are satisfied." They then took leave, and returned 
to their hotel. Toward evening, they received an invitation from 
the duke to dine with him on the morrow, which they accepted. 
The next day they went to the castle, where they found the duke 
and his knights, who received them magnificently. Shortly after 
their arrival, basins and ewers were brought, for them to wash before 
they sat down to table. The bishop of Langres, in respect to his 
prelacy, was seated above all the company : next to him was the 
duke, then sir John de Vienne and sir John de Beuil. The dinner 
was very splendid, sumptuous, and well served : when it was over, 
they entered into the presence-chamber, where they conversed on 
different subjects, and amused themselves in hearing the minstrels. 

The lords from France thought they should have then received 
their answer, but were disappointed. Wine and spices were brought, 
which having partaken of, they retired to their hotels, and remained 
the whole evening comfortably at home. On the ensuing morning, 
it was signified to them that the duke wished to see them at the 
castle, whither they went; and, being introduced to the apartment 
where the duke was, he received them kindly, and thus spoke ; 
" My fair sirs, I know you are anxious for an answer to what you 
have been charged to tell me from my sovereign and other lords, 
that you may report it to them : I therefore declare, that I have done 
nothing to sir Oliver de Clisson that I repent of, except that he has 
escaped too cheaply and with his life : this I spared solely on account 
of his office, and not in any manner out of personal regard ; for he 
has behaved so very ill to me, in several instances, that I hate him 
mortally; and, begging my sovereign's and their graces' pardon, I 
have not prevented the expedition to England taking place by the 
arrest of the constable. Of this I am willing and able to exculpate 
myself; for the day I had him arrested, I was thinking no harm 
against it :t it is proper to take advantage of an enemy wherever it 
may be found. If he had been slain, I believe the kingdom of 
France would not have been the worse governed for having lost the 
supposed benefit of his counsel. With regard to the castles he sur- 
rendered to me, and of which I am in possession, I shall keep them 
until the king by force dispossesses me of them. As to the money, 
I reply, that from the hatred of sir Oliver de Clisson, I have incurred 

"Jugon must hare been a place of considerable conscciuence, for I believe there is as 

old proverb „ . t, , 

Qui a Bretagne sans Jugon 

A un chappe sans chaperon." 
t The original runs, " nul raal je n'y peosore." 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



439 



debts in this and other countries, and have from this sum repaid those 
to wliora I was indebted." Such was the answer the duke of Brit, 
tany gave to the embassadors from the king of France. Many de- 
bates ensued, to induce the duke to send a more moderate answer; 
but his replies were always to the same efiect as what he had before 
spoken. When they found they could not obtain anytliing more, 
they desired to take their leave, which being granted, they prepared 
for thiir departure, and journeyed until they arrived at Paris ; thence 
they went to the castle of Beauie, near Vincennes, where the king 
and queen resideiK The dukes of Berry and Burgundy soon followed 
ijioni, as they were impatient to hear the duke of Brittany's answ'er, 
which as you have heai'd I will not repeat. But as those sent into 
Brittany had not succeeded in any one point, the king and council 
were greatly displeased with the duke, and said he was the proudest 
and most presumptuous man alive, and that matters should not re. 
main as they were ; for the consequences would be too prejudicial 
and disgraceful to the crown of France. It was fully the intention 
of the king and his council to make war on the duke of Brittany. 

The duke expected nothing less : for he knew he had angered the 
king of France as well as those of his council ; but his hatred against 
the constable was so deep, it deprived him of the use of liis reason ; 
and he sorely repented that, when in his power, he had not put him 
to death. Things remained in this state a considerable time. The 
duke resided at Vannes, but seldom went abroad for fear of ambus, 
cades : he paid great court to the principal cities and towns in the 
duchy, and made secret treaties with the English : he also garrisoned 
his strong places the same as in times of war. His opinion continu- 
ally varied, as to what liad passed : sometimes he said, he wished he 
had not arrested the constable ; at others, to excuse himself, he de. 
clared that Clisson had so grievously insulted him, he had good rea- 
son for what he had done. This conduct had caused him to be 
feared in the country ; for the lord hath small authority who is not 
feared by his subjects ;* for whenever he pleases he may be at peace 
with them. 

We will now leave the duke of Brittany, and return to tlie affairs 
of England^ which, at this moment, were in a troubled and danger- 
ous state. 



CHAPTER LXXVIII. 

TBE DUKES OF YOKE AND GLOUCESTER, TNCLES TO THE KING, CONFEDE- 
BATE, WITH OTHER BARONS, AGAINST HIM AND HIS COUNCIL. THE PEO- 
PLE ARE DISCONTENTED WITH THE DUKE OF IRELAND. THE LONDONERS, 
THROUGH THE MEANS OF THE DUKE OF GLOUCESTER AND HIS FRIENDS, 
OBTAIN FROM THE KING, THAT A DAY SHOULD BE FIXED FOR THOSE 
^VHO HAD MANAGED THE FINANCES TO RENDER AN ACCOUNT OF THEM. 

You have before heard, that the dukes of York and Gloucester had 
confederated with the earl of Salisbury, the earl of Arundel, the earl 
of Northumberland, the earl of Nottingham, and the archbishop of 
Canterbury, against the king and his council, with whom they were 
very much dissatisfied. They said, " This duke of Ireland doth with 
the king and the realm as he pleases : the king has only base knaves 
about his person, without any regard to noblemen ; and as long as 
lie attends to no other advice than that of those now near him, things 
cannot go on well ; for no kingdom can prosper when governed by 
wicked men. It is well known, that when a poor person is exalted 
and supported by his lord, he corrupts the people, and destroys the 
country : for what can a base-born man feel of honor? his sole wish 
is to enrich himself: just Like the otter, who, on entering a pond, de- 
vours all the fish therein. Whence comes it that this duke of Ireland 
hath such power over the king, (we know his origin) and governeth 
all England at his pleasure, while the king's uncles are disregarded ? 
Such conduct is no longer to be suffered. We are not ignorant who 
the earl of Oxford was, and that in this country he had not one good 
quality, either of sense, honor or gentility allowed him." " Sir John 
Chandos," added a knight, " made him feel this very sharply once, 
at the palace of the prince of Wales, at St. Andrews, in Bordeaux." 
" How so ?" demanded another, who wished to know the particulars. 
" I will tell you," replied the knight, " for I was present. Wine 
was serving round to the prince of Wales and a large party of Eng. 
Ush lords, in an apartment of his palace ; and, when the prince had 
drunk, the cup was carried to sir John Chandos, as constable of 
Aquitaine, who took it and drank, without paying any attention to 
the earl of Oxford, father to this duke of Ireland, or desiring him to 
drink first. After sir John Chandos had drunk, one of his squires pre- 
sented the wine to the earl of Oxford ; but, indignant that Chandos 
had drunk before him, he refused it, and said, by way of mockery, to 
the squire who was holding the cup, ' Go, carry it to thy master, 
Chandos: let him drink.' ' Why should I go to him? for he has 
drunk. Drink yourself, since it is offered you : for, by St. George, if 
you do not, I will throw it in your face.' The earl, afraid lest the 
squire should execute what he had said, for he was bold enough to 
do so, took the cup and put it to his mouth and drank, or at least pre- 
tended to drink. Sir John Chandos was not far oft", and heard and 
saw the whole, and his squire, while the prince was in conversation 
with others, came and told him what had passed. Sir John Chan- 
dos took no notice of it until the prince had retired, when, stepping 



* Car c'est petite seigneuiie de seigneur qui a'est craint et doubts de ses gea.i. 



up to the earl of Oxford, he said, ' What, sir Aubrey,* arc you dis- 
pleased that I drank first, who am the constable of this country ? I 
may well drink and take precedence before you, since my most re- 
nowned sovereign, the king of England, and my lords, the princes, 
assent to it. True it is, that you were at the battle of Poitiers ; but 
all now present do not know the cause of it so well as I do : I will 
declare it, that they may remember it. When my lord, the prince, 
had finished his journey to Languedoc, Carcassone and Narbonne, 
and was returned to this city of Bordeaux, you took it into your heatl 
that you would return to England ; but what did the king say to you? 
I know it well, though I was not present. He asked, if you had ac- 
complished your service ; and, aiterwards, what you had done with 
his son. You replied, " Sir, I left him in good health at Bordeaux." 
" What !" said the king, " and have you been bold enough to come 
hither without him ? Did I not strictly enjoin you, and the others 
who accompanied him, never to return without him, under the for- 
feiture of your lands ? and yet you have dared to disobey my com- 
mands. I now positively order you to quit my kingdom within four 
days and return to the prince ; for if you be found on the fifth day, 
you shall lose your life and estates." You were afraid to hazard dis. 
obedience, as was natural, and left England. You were so fortunate, 
that you joined the prince four days before the battle of Poitiers, and 
had, that day, the command of forty lances, while I had sixty. Now, 
consider if I, who am constable of Aquitaine, have not the right to 
take precedence, and drink before you do.' The earl of Oxford 
was much ashamed, and would have willingly been anywhere but 
there. He was forced, however, to bear with what sir John Chandos 
said, who spoke aloud that all might hear him." "After this," said 
another knight, " we ought not to be surprised that the duke of Ire- 
land, who is the son of this earl of Oxford, is not more considerate, 
and does not keep in his memory what may be told him of his father, 
instead of ruling the whole kingdom of England, and setting himself 
above the king's uncles." " And why should he not do so," replied 
others, "since the king wills it?" 

There were great murmurings throughout England against the duke 
of Ireland ; but what injured him the most was his conduct to his 
duchess, the lady Philippa, daughter of the lord de Coney, earl of 
Bedford, who was a handsome and noble lady, and of the highest ex- 
traction. He fell in love with a German lady, one of the attendants 
of the present queen ; and, by his solicitations at the court of Rome, 
pope Urban VI. granted him a divorce from the lady Philippa, with- 
out any title of justice, but through presumption and indifference. 
When he married this lady, king Richard consented thereto; for he 
was so blinded by the duke of Ireland that, if he had declared that 
black was white, the king would not have said to the contrary. The 
mother of the duke was mightily enraged with him for this conduct, 
and took the lord de Coney's daughter to her home and made her her 
own companion. The duke certainly acted ill, and evil betel him 
for it, as this was one of the principal causes of the hatred all England 
bore hini.t It is but just that what is conceived in evil should have 
an unfortunate end ; and this duke confided so much in the affection 
of the king, he thought no one would dare to injure him. 

It was reported through England, that a new tax was to be levied 
on every fire, and that each was to pay a noble, the rich making up 
for the deficiencies of the poor. The king's uncles knew this would 
be difficult to bring about ; and they had caused it to be spread in the 
principal towns how greatly the inhabitants would be oppressed by- 
such taxes, and that, as there must remain great sums in the treasury, 
the people ought to insist on having an account of their expenditure 
from those who had the management, such as the archbishop of York, 
the duke of Ireland, sir Simon Burley, sir Michael de la Pole, sir 
Nicholas Bramber, sir Robert Tresilian, sir Peter Gouloufre, sir John 
.Salisbury, sir John Beauchamp, and the master of the wool.staple ; 
and, if iJiese would render an honest account, there would be found 
money enough for the present demands of the kingdom. It is a well 
known maxim, that no one pays willingly, or takes money from his 
purse, if he can avoid it. These rumors were soon spread through, 
out England, and especially in London, which is the chief key of the 
realm, so that the people rose in rebeUion, to inquire into the govern- 
ment of the country, for that there had not for some time been any- 
thing known concerning it. 

The Londoners first addressed themselves to Thomas of Wood- 
stock, duke of Gloucester, though he was younger than the duke of 
York ; for he was much beloved for his valor, prudence, and steadi- 
ness in business. When they were in his presence, they said, " My 
lord, the good city of London recommends itself to your care ; and 
its citizens, as well as all England, entreat you would take upon you 



''' This earl of Oxfird's mime was Thomas. Si.- Alberic de Veie was his brolher. He 
was employed in different negotiations by Richard II. 

Robert was the son and heir of Thomas, the last ea/1 of Oxford, and created duke of 
Ireland. 

See Dugdale's Baronage. 

t Wakinyham. speaking of this transaction says ; " Accidit his diebus. ut Robertas 
Vere. elatus de honoribus quos rex impendebateidemjugiler, suam repudiaret uxorem 
juvenculam, nol'ilem, atque pulchram, genitam de illustris Edwardi re?is tilia Isabella, 
et aham duceret. quse cum regina Anna venerat de Boemia tut ferturj cujusdam Oel- • 
larii filiam, ignobilem prorsus atque foedam : ob quam causam magna surrepsit occasio 
scondalorum (cujus nomen ernt in vulgaria idiomate Lanceerona.) Favebntsibi in his 
omnibus ipse rex, nolens ipsum in aUquo contristare. vel potius (prout dicitur) non valens 
suis \'Otis aiiquabter obviore. qui nialeficijs cujusdam frau-is (qui cum dicto Roberto fiiit) 
rex irapeditus nequaquam quod bonura est et honestum ceroere, vel sectari valebal." 



440 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN. &.'c. 



the government of the realm, and learn from those who have pos. 
seesed themselves of the kingdom how it has been hitherto governed ; 
for the common people make bitter complaints, that taxes upon taxes 
are continually imposed, and that the kingdom, since the coronation 
of the king, has been more grievously oppressed by these and other 
extraordinary aids, than for fifty years preceding it. No one knows 
how these sums have been expended, nor what is become of them. 
You will be pleased to inquire into this, and provide a remedy, or 
things will turn out ill, for the discontents of the people are very 
strong." The duke of Gloucester replied, " My good sirs, I have 
attentively listened to what you have said ; but I alone can do noth. 
ing. I know you have well-founded cause of complaint, as well as 
the rest of England ; but notwithstanding I am son to a king of Eng. 
land, and uncle lo the present king, if I were to interfere by speak- 
ing to him, he would not attend to me ; for my nephew has counsel- 
lors near his person in whom he confides more than in himself, and 
these counsellors lead him as they please. If you wish to succeed 
in having your grievances redressed, you should enter into a confed- 
eracy with the principal towns, and with some of the nobles and 
prelates, and come before the king, where my brother and myself 
will cheerfully meet you, and say to the king, " Most dear lord, you 
have been crowned when very young, and have hitherto been very 
badly advised, nor have you attended to the affairs of your kingdom, 
from the mean and weak counsellors you have chosen. This has 
caused the mismanagement of affairs, as you must have seen ; and 
if God, out of his mercy, had not stretched forth his hand, the coun- 
try must inevitably have been ruined. For which, most redoubted 
lord, we supplicate you, in the presence of your uncles, as good sub- 
jects should entreat their lord, that you attend to these matters, that 
the noble kingdom and crown of England, wliich has descended to 
you from the most powerful and gallant king this country ever pos- 
sessed, may be supported in prosperity and honor, and the common 
people, who now complain, be maintained in their just rights and privi. 
leges. This you swore to perfonn on the day of your coronation. 
We also entreat, that you would assemble the three estates of the 
realm, that they may examine into the late manner of your govern- 
ment. Should it have been managed in a manner becoming a per- 
son of your rank, those who have governed will acquire profit and 
honor, and shall remain as long as they choose, and while it may be 
your good pleasure, in their offices. But if those who may be ap- 
pointed to examine into these matters find anything contrary to good 
government, they will provide a remedy by quietly dismissing from 
your person those who have so acted, and replacing them by others 
better qualified; but with your consent first had, then that of your 
uncles and ot' tlie prelates and barons of the realm, who will pay at. 
lention in the choice to your honor and to that of your kingdom." 

" When you shall have made this remonstrance to the king,'' said 
the duke of Gloucester to the Londoners, " he will give you an an- 
swer. If he should say. ' We will consider of it,' cut the matter 
short, and declare you will not have any delay ; and press it the more 
to alarm him, as well as his minions. Say, boldly, that the country 
will not longer suffer it ; and it is wonderful they have borne it so 
Ion". My brother and myself will be with the king, and also the 
archbishop of Canterbury, the earls of ,'Vrundel, Salisbury and North- 
umberland ; but say nothing should we not be present ; for we are 
the principal personages in England, and will second you in your re- 
monstrance, by adding, that what you require is but reasonable and 
just. When lie shall hear us thus speak, he will not conti'adict us, 
unless he be very ill advised indeed, and will appoint a day accord, 
ingly. This is the advice and the remedy I offer you." The London, 
ers replied, " My lord, you have loyally spoken ; but it will be difficult 
for us to find the king and as many lords as you have named, at one 
time in his presence." " Not at all," said the duke : " St. George's 
day will be within ten days, and the king will then be at Windsor ; 
you may be sure the duke of Ireland and sir Simon Burley will be 
there also. There will be many others. My brother, myself, and 
the eavl of Salisbury, will be there. Do you come, and you will act 
according to circumstances." 

The Londoners promised to be at Windsor on St. George's day, 
and left the duke of Gloucester, well pleased with their reception. 
When diat day came, the king of England held a grand festival, as 
his predecessors had done before him, and, accompanied by his queen 
and court, went to Windsor. On the morrow, the Londoners came 
thither with sixty horse, and those from York and other principal 
towns in like numbers, and lodged themselves in the town. The 
king was desirous of leaving the place for another three leagues otf, 
when he heard of the arrival of the commons of England, and still 
more so, when told they wanted to speak to him ; for he dreaded 
greatly their remonstrances, and would not have heard them : but his 
uncles and the earl of Salisbury said, " My lord, you cannot depart, 
for they are deputed hither by all your principal towns. It is proper 
you hear what they have to say : you will then give them your an- 
swer, or take time to consider of it." He remained, therefore, but 
sore against his will. 

The commons were introduced to the presence, in the lower hall, 
without the new building, where the palace stood in former times. 
The king was attended by his two uncles, the archbishop of Canter- 
bury, the bishop of Winchester, lord chancellor, the earl of Salis- 
bury, the carl of Northumberland, and several others of the nobility. 



The commons made their harangue to the king, by their spokesman 
a citizen of London, called Simon de Sudbury, a man of sense and 
oratory. He formed his speech from what the duke of Gloucester 
had said to them ; and, as you have heard that, I need not take more 
notice of it. The king, having heard it, replied : " Ye commons of 
England, your requests are great and important, and cannot be ira. 
mediately attended to ; for we shall not long remain here, nor are all 
our council with us : indeed the greater part are absent. I therefore 
bid each of you return quietly to your homes, an^ there peaceably 
remain, unless sent for, until Michaelmas, when the parliament shall 
be assembled at Westminster. Come thither and lay your requests 
before us, which we will submit to our council. What we approve 
shall be granted, and what we think improper refused. For think 
not we are to be ruled by our people. That has never been ; and 
we can perceive nothing but what is right and just in our govern- 
ment, and in those who govern under us." Upward of seven in. 
stantiy replied to the king, and said, " Most redoubted lord, under 
your gi-ace's favor, your justice is weak, indeed, in the realm, and 
you know not what behooveth you to know : for you neither make 
inquiry, nor examine in-to what is passing ; and those who are your 
advisers will never tell you, for the great wealth they are amassing. 
It is not justice, sir king, to cut off" heads, wrists, or feet, or any way 
to punish ; but justice consists in the maintaining the subject in hia 
right, and in taking care he live in peace, without having any cause 
of complaint. We must also say that you have appointed too long 
a day by referring us to Michaelmas. No time can be better than 
the present : we, therefore, unanimously declare, that we will have 
an account, and very shortly too, from those who have governed your 
kingdom since j'our coronation, and know what is become of the 
great sums that have been raised in England for these last nine years, 
and whither they have passed. If those who have been your treas- 
urers shall give a just account, or nearly so, we shall be much re- 
joiced, and leave them in their offices. Those who shall not produce 
honest acquittances for their expenditure shall be treated accordingly, 
by the commissioners that are to be nominated by you, and our lords 
your uncles." 

The king, on this, looked at his uncles to see if they would say 
anything, when the duke of Gloucester said, " That he saw nothing 
but what was just and reasonable in the demands they had made : 
what do you say, fair brother of York?" " As God may help me, 
it is all true," he replied, as did the other barons who were present ; 
but the king wished them to give their opinions separately. " Sir," 
added the duke of Gloucester, " it is but t'air that you know how 
your money has been expended." The king, perceiving they were 
all united, and that his minions dared not utter one word, for they 
were overawed by the presence of the nobles, said, " Well, I consent 
to it : let them be sent away ; for summer is now approaching, and 
the time for my amusement in hunting." Then, addressing the Lon- 
doners, he added, "Would you have the matter instantly dispatched V 
" Yes, we entreat it of you, noble king : we shall likewise beg of 
these lords to take part, more particularly our lords your uncles.'* 
The dukes replied, they would willingly undertake it, as well on the 
part of their lord and king, as for the country. The commons then 
said ; " We also wish that the reverend fathers, the lord archbishop 
of Canterbury, and the bishops of Lincoln and Winchester, be par- 
ties." They said, they would cheerfully do so. When this was 
agreed to, they nominated the lords present, such as the earls of Sal- 
isbury and Northumberland, sir Reginald Cobham, sir Guy do Bryan, 
sir Thomas Felton, sir Matliew Gournay, and said there should be 
from two to four of the principal persons from each city or large 
town, who would represent the commons of England. All this was 
assented to, and the time for their meeting fixed for the week after 
St. George's day, to be holden at Westminster ; and all the king's 
ministers and treasurers were ordered to attend, and give an account 
of their administrations to the before-named lords. The king con- 
sented to the whole, not through force, but at the solicitations and 
prayers of his uncles, the other lords, and commons of England. It, 
indeed, concerned them to know how affairs had been managed, 
both in former times and in those of the present day. All having 
been amicably settled, the assembly broke up, and the lords, on leav- 
ing Windsor, returneci to London, whither were summoned all col- 
lectors and receivers, from the different counties, with their receipts 
and acquittances, under pain of corporal punishment and confisca- 
tion of goods. 

CHAPTER LXXIX. 

TnE C05IMISSI0NERS OF ACCOUNTS CONDEMN SIK SIMON BUKLEY TO BE IM- 
PKISONED IN THE TOWEK OF LONDON. SIR THOMAS TRIVET IS KILLED 
BY A FALL FROM HIS HORSE. SIR WILLIAM ELMHAM IS ACQUITTED OP 
UAVINS TAKEN MONEY FOR THE SURRENDER OF BOURBOURG AND 
GRAVELINES. 

The assembly of the commissioners of accounts was held at West- 
minster, consisting of the king's uncles, the prelates, barons, and de. 
puties from the principal towns of England. It lasted upward of a 
month. Some of those who appeared before it, not producing fair 
or honorable accounts, were punished corporally, and by confiscation 
of whatever they possessed. 

Sir Simon Burley was charged with defalcations to the amount of 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &e. 



441 



two hundred and fifty thousand francs, notwithstanding he had been 
tutor to the king, and had assisted him in the government from his 
earliest youth. Wlien called upon to account for what had become 
of it, he cast the blame on the archbishop of York and sir William 
Neville, saying he had never acted but with them and by their advice, 
and in conjunction with the king's chamberlains, sir Robert Tresilian, 
sir Robert Beauchamp, sir John Salisbury, sir Nicholas Bramber, 
and others ; but those, when examined, excused themselves, and 
flung the whole fault on him. The duke of Ireland said to Simon 
privately ; " I tmderstand you are to be arrested and sent to prison 
until you shall pay the sum you are charged with. Do not dispute 
the matter, but go whither they may order: I will make your peace 
with the king, though they had all sworn to the contrary. You know 
the constable of France owes me forty thousand francs for the ran- 
som of John of Blois, and this sum he will shortly pay : I will offer 
the amount to the cominissioners, which, for the moment, will satisfy 
them : but the king is sovereign ; he will pardon you all, for the bal- 
ances must be paid to him and to none other.'' " If I did not depend," 
replied sir Simon Burley, " that you would strongly support me with 
the king, and assist me personally in this matter, I would cross the 
sea and go to the king of Bohemia. I should be well received there, 
and remain for a time until all this bustle were blown over." " I will 
never forsake you," said the duke of Ireland : " are we not compan. 
ions, and equally implicated ? You must ask time for payment. I 
know well that you can pay when you please, in ready money, one 
htindred thousand francs. Do not fear death, for they will never 
push matters so far as that ; and before Michaelmas, things shall have 
a different turn from what these lords think : let me only once have 
the king in my power, and I will have him, for all that he now does 
he is forced to. We must satisfy these cursed Londoners, and put 
an end to all this discontent they have raised against us and our 
friends." 

Sir Simon Burley put a little too much confidence in these words 
of the duke of Ireland, and presented himself before the commis- 
sioners, when called upon. They said ; " Sir Simon, you have been 
a knight who has done honor to our country, and were greatly beloved 
by our lord the late prince of Wales. You and the duke of Ireland 
have been the prijicipal ministers of the king. We have carefully 
examined all your accounts that have been laid before us, and must 
fell you, they are neither fair nor honorable, which has displeased us 
for the love we bear you. We have therefore unanimously resolved 
that you be sent to the Tower of London, there to be confined until 
you shall have repaid, in this chamber, according to our orders, the 
sum you have received for the king and realm, and for which, from 
the examination of the treasurer, you have never accounted : the sum 
amounts to two hundred and fifty thousand francs. Now, have you 
anything to say in your defence ?" Sir Simon was much disconcerted, 
and said ; " My lords, I shall willingly obey, as it is proper I should, 
your commands, and go whither you may please to send me. But I 
entreat that I may have a secretary allowed me to draw out an account 
of the great expenses I have formerly been at in Germany and Bohe- 
mia, when negotiating the marriage of our king and lord. If I should 
have received too much, grant me, through the king's grace and 
yours, that I may have a reasonable time for repayment." " To this 
we agree," replied the lords ; and sir Simon Burley was then con. 
ducted to the Tower. 

The accounts of sir Thomas Trivet and sir William Elmham were 
next examined. They were not popular with any of the barons of 
England, nor with the people, on account of their conduct in Flan- 
ders : for it was said no Englishman had ever made so shameful an 
expedition. The bishop of Norwich and the governor of Calais, who 
at that time was sir Hugh Calverley, had cleared themselves from any 
blame : but the charge laid to the two knights, of taking money for 
the surrender of Bourbourg and Gravelines, prevented them doing the 
same : and some in England wanted to have their conduct (which 
has been before related) construed into treason ; and the knights had 
given security for their appearance, when called upon, to the king, 
his uncles, and the council. This charge was now renewed, and 
they were summoned before the commissioners. Sir William Elm- 
ham appeared ; but sir Thomas Trivet did not come, and I will tell 
you the cause. The same week the summons from the commissioners 
was brought to his house, in the north, he had mounted a young 
horse, to try him in the fields. His horse ran away with him over 
hedge and through bushes, and at length fell into a ditch and broke 
tlie knight's neck. It was a pity, and his loss was much bewailed 
by the good people of England. Notwithstanding this, his heirs were 
forced to pay a large sum of florins to what was called the king's 
council ; but the whole management was well known to rest with 
the uncles of the king, and the commissioners they had nominated. ^ 
For, although the duke of Gloucester was the youngest of the king's 
uncles, he was the most active in business that concerned the country ; 
and the better part of the prelates, nobles, and commons, looked up 
to him. j 

When the composition-money of the late sir Thomas Trivet, who ' 
was killed as you have heard, was paid, the blame cast on sir Wil- j 
liam Elmham was much lightened. His former deeds in the Borde- 
lois, Guienne, and Fieardy, where he had displayed much valor in 
Kjipport of England, pleaded for him, having behaved like a gallant j 
knight, so that nothing could be laid to his charge but having taken 



money for Bourbourg and Gravelines. But he excused himself by 
saying ; " My lords, when any one is placed as we were, in respect 
to these two towns, it appears to me (from what I have heard sir John 
Chandos and sir Walter Manny, who had abundance of good sense 
and valor say,) that when two or three means offer, the one most 
profitable to ourselves, and that which can hurt our enemies the most, 
ought ever to be adopted. Sir Thomas Trivet and myself, finding 
ourselves surrounded, so that succor could no way come to us, and 
that we should not be able long to withstand their assaults, (for they 
were such knights and squires as few in England ever saw, and in 
such numbers, from the account of our herald, as to amount to six. 
teen thousand men-at-arms, and forty thousand others, while we were 
scarcely three hundred lances, and as many archers ; our town was 
also so extensive we could not attend to all parts of it, which we soon 
felt to our cost, for, while we were defending one side, it was set oa 
fire on another,) we became very much confused, which the enemy 
perceived. And, in truth, the king of France and his council acted 
handsomely by granting us a truce, for if they had on the morrow re- 
newed their attack, in the situation we were in, they must have had 
us at their mercy. They honorably treated with us, through the duke 
of Brittany, who took much trouble on the occasion. We ought to 
have paid for this, but they gave us money ; and instead of being 
worsted by our enemies, we despoiled them. We certainly over, 
reached them, when they paid us, and suffered us to depart safe and 
well, carrying away whatever we had gained by tliis expedition in 
Flanders. Besides," added sir William, " to purge myself from all 
blame, should there be in England, or out of England, anv knight or 
squire, except the persons of my lord the dukes of York aiid of Glou- 
cester, who shall dare to say that I have acted disloyally toward my 
natural lord the king, or have been any way guilty of treason, I am 
ready to throw down my glove, and with my body try the event by 
deeds of arms, such as the judges may assign me." 

This speech, and the known valor of the knight, exculpated him,, 
and freed him from all fear of death, which he was in danger of at 
the beginning. He returned to his estate, and was afterwards a re- 
nowned knight, much advanced, and of the king's council. Sir Si- 
mon Burley was still confined in the Tower, for he was mortally hated 
by the king's uncles and the commons of England. The king did 
everything in his power to deliver him from prison, during the time 
he resided at Sheene ;* but the commissioners, being determined to 
oppress him, dissembled, and said they could not as yet set him at 
liberty, for his accounts were not closed. The king, accompanied 
by the duke of Irreland, journeyed toward Wales, by way of Bristol ;, 
and wheresoever he went he was followed by the queen, and all the 
ladies and damsels of her court. 



CHAPTER LXXX. 

THE KIN'S OF ENGLAND HAVING LEFT LONDON, SIR SIMON BURIEY IS BE. 
HEADED, TO THE GREAT DISPLEASURE OF THE KING AND QtJEEN. A 
CHANGE OF THE MINISTRY. 

Althougu the king of England had left London, his uncles there 
remained with their advisers. You have often heard, that when any 
disorder is in the head, all the other members of the body are affected 
by it, and that this sickness must be purged away by some means or 
other. I say this, because the duke of Ireland was in such favor 
with the king, that he managed him 'as he pleased, and governed 
him at will. Sir Simon Burley was also one of the principal advi- 
sers; and between them both they ruled, for a long time, king and 
kingdom. They were suspected of having amassed very large sums 
of money, and it was rumored they had sent great part of it for 
safety to Germany. It had also come to the knowledge of the king, 
his uncles, and the rulers of the principal towns in England, that 
great cases and trunks had been secretly embarked from Dover castle 
in the nighutime, which were said to contain this money sent fraud- 
ulently abroad by them to foreign countries, in consequence of which 
the kingdom was greatly impoverished of cash. Many grieved much 
at this, saying, that gold and silver were become so scarce as to oc. 
casion trade to languish. Such speeches increased the hatred to sir 
Simon Burley, and the commissioners declared they thought he de.. 
served death. In short, they, on finishing his accounts, condemned 
him to sufl'er this punishment, instigated thereto by a desire to please 
the country, and by the archbishop of Canterbury, who related to the 
lords that sir Simon wanted to remove the shrine of St. Thomas from 
Canterbury to Dover castle, as he said, for greater security, at the 
time the French invasion was expected ; but it was commonly be- 
lieved that he meant to seize it, and carry it out of England. Many, 
now he was in prison, came forward against him ; and the knight 
was so overpowered, that nothing he could say in his defence availed 
him ; so that he was carried forth out of the Tower, and beheaded, 
as a traitor, in the square before it. God have mercy on his mis. 
deeds! Notwithstanding I thus relate his disgraceful death, which 
I am forced to by my detemiination to insert nothing but truth in this 
history, I was exceedingly vexed thereat, and personally much 
grieved ; for in my youth I had found him a gentle knight, and, ac- 
cording to my understanding, of great good sense. Such was the 
unfortunate end of sir Simon Burley. 



442 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



Richard Burley, was with the duke of for, as the king was so young, he managed him as he pleased, and, 
- ■ ■ ■ ■ ' should he leave him, he was afraid the king's affection would be 



His nephew and heir, sir -- - -•-,,. , „„j „ „ 

Lancaster in Galicia, when this misfortune bcfel lus uncle, and one 
of the most renowned in his army, after the constable ; for he had 
once the chief command of the whole army, and instructed su- 
Thomas Moreaux in his office of marshal ; he wag likewise oi the 
duke's council, and his principal adviser. You may suppose that, 
when he heard of the disgraceful death his uncle had sutfcred, he 
was mightily enraged ; but, alas ! this gallant knight died in his bed, 
in Castille, of sickness, with very many more, as I shall fully relate 
vhen arrived at that part of my history. 

When king Richard, who was amusing himself in Wales, heard 
of the death of sir Simon Burley, he was very wroth ; for he had 
been one of his tutors and had educated him ; and he swore it should 
not remain unrevenged, for he had been cnielly put to death, and 
■without the smallest plea of justice. The queen also bewailed his 
loss ; for he had been the principal promoter of her marriage, and 
had conducted her from Germany to England. The king's council 
tegau now to be seriously alarmed, such as the duke of Ireland, sir 
Nicholas Bramber, sir Robert Tresilian, sir John Beauchamp, sir 
John Salisbury, and sir Michael do la Pole. The archbishop of 
York, whose name was William Neville, brother to the lord Neville 
of Northumberland, was dismissed from his office of lord treasurer, 
which he had held a considerable time, and forbidden, by the duke 
of Gloucester, if he valued his life, ever again to intermeddle ^wjth 
the affairs of England ; but he might retire to his bishopric of York, 
or to any other part of his diocese, for that of late he had been by far 
too busy. He was told that, from consideration of his dignity and 
birth, many things had been overlooked that were highly disgraceful 
10 him ; and that the greater part of the deputies from the cities and 
towns were for having him degraded from the priesthood, and pun- 
ished in like manner to sir Simon Burley. He soon left London, and 
went to reside on his bishopric in the north, which was worth to him 
about forty thousand francs a year. His whole family was much 
enraged, and thought his disgrace had been caused by Henry of 
Northumberland, though he was his relation and neighbor. 

The archbishop of Canterbury, who was valiant and learned, and 
much in favor of the king's uncles, succeeded to the treasurership : 
he was of the family of the Montagues and the eari of Salisbury was 
his uncle.* The commissioners appointed the earl of Salisbury, the 
carl of Arundel, the carl of Northumberland, the earl of Devonshire, 
the earl of Nottingham, and the bishop of Norwich, who was called 
sir Henry de Spencer, the king's council ; but the bishop of Win- 
chester retained his office of chancellor, and continued near the per- 
son of the king's uncles. The most renowned of the council, after 
the duke of Gloucester, was sir Thomas Montague, archbishop of 
Canterbury ; and well was he deserving of it, for the great pains he 
took to reform the abuses of government, and withdraw the king 
from the management of his minions. He spoke very frequently on 
this subject to the duke of York, who repUed, " Archbishop, matters 
will, by degrees, turn out differently from what my nephew and the 
duke of Ireland imagine. But we must wait for a favorable oppor- 
tunity, and not be too pressing; for what is done in haste is never 
well done. I agree with you, that if we had not in time taken up 
this business, the king would have been so governed, that the king- 
dom must have been ruined. The king of France and his council 
were well acquainted with our state ; and for this did they make 
such immense preparations, to take the advantage to invade us." 



CHAPTER LXXXI. 

■WHILE THE COUNCIL, ON THE STATE OF THE NATION, IS SITTIN& AT LON. 
DON, KING KICHAED, BY THE ADVICE OF THE DUKE OF IRELAND, DETEK- 
MINES TO WAGE WAR AGAINST HIS UNCLES AND THE PRINCIPAL TOWNS. 

In like manner as the king's uncles and the new council of state 
were devising at Westminster on the means of reforming abuses in 
the government, and of having the king and realm under their power, 
the duke of Ireland and his council were plotting day and night how 
they could keep their places, and destroy the uncles of the king, by 
means which I will now explain. 

When king Richard, accompanied by his queen,t arrived at Bris. 
tol, which is a handsome and strong town, he fixed his residence in 
the castle. Those in Wales, and at a distance, thought he had done 
so to favor the duke of Ireland, who had caused it to be reported 
that he intended going thence to Ireland, and to assist him with 
money to increase his followers, for that had been agreed on by the 
parliament. It had been ordered that the duke, on setting out for 
Ireland, where he was to remain three years, should have the com. 
mand of five hundred men-at-arms and fifteen hundred archers, paid 
by England, and that money for this purpose should be punctually 
remitted to him.t But the duke had no inclination to go thither ; 

r * Thismust ben mistake. In 1381 William Courtney was archbishop of Canterbury, 
and in 1391 Tiiomas Fitzallan, son of the eai'l of Arundel. 

t So saya Jean Petit, ■' et la riiyno aveques lui." 

i There is a variation in Ute copies of the oriBinal, as Jean Petit runs thus ; "When 
he departed from the king and his inicles, it was agieed with him, liiat in case he should 
go on this voyage, he should have, at the charge of England, five hundred men-at-arms 
and fifteen hundred archers. It w,as ordered that he should abide there three years, and 
that he should be always well paid." This readmg appears to be simpler than that of 
4lie te.vl. Sec Jean Petit's edition, vol. III. p. 46. 



cooled. Add to this, he was so greatly enamored with one of the 
queen's damsels, called the landgravine, that he could never quit 
her. She was a tolerably handsome pleasant lady, whom the queen 
had brought with her from Bohemia. The duke of Ireland loved 
her with such ardor, that he was desirous of making her, if possible, 
his duchess by marriage. He took great pains to obtain a divorce 
from his present duchess, the daughter of the earl of Bedford, from 
Urban VI., whom the English and Germans acknowledged as pope. 
All the good people of England were much astonished and shocked 
at this ; for the duchess was grand-daughter of the gallant king Ed. 
ward and the e.\cellent queen Philippa, being the daughter of the 
princess Isabella. Her uncles, the dukes of York and Gloucester, 
were very wroth at this insult; but, notwithstanding their hatred, 
which he held cheap, the duke of Ireland was so smitten and blinded 
by his love, he was using every means to obtain a divorce, and had 
promised the lady he would make her his wife, if he had the king 
and queen's consent, and a dispensation from Rome, which the pope 
would not dare refuse him ; for his present lady was a Clcmcntist, 
and the lord de Coucy, her father, had made war in Italy for Cle- 
ment, against Urban, which inclined the latter not to be over-fond 
of him, and induced him to listen too readily to the proposals for a 
divorce. Thus was he urging on matters, according to his promise 
to the landgravine of Bohemia,- and would not have any connection 
with his wife by legal marriage. But this duke of Ireland had a 
mother living, the countess dowager of Oxford, who, so far from ap. 
proving her son's conduct, greatly blamed him for his follies, saying 
that he would by them anger Heaven, who would one day punish 
him severely, when it would be too late to repent. She had the 
duchess home with her, and gave her as handsome an establishment 
as she could, so that all who loved the young lady were pleased with 
this conduct. 

In such a situation was the kingdom of England ; but, to bring 
the history to a conclusion, I will continue the subject from the in- 
formation I then received. You have heard that the duke of Ireland 
kept close to the king during his residence at Bristol and in Wales, 
solely occupied night and day with the means of succeeding in his 
plaiLS. He was assiduous in his attentions to the king and queen, 
and to all knights and squires who waited on them at Bristol and at 
tlie hunts in that neighborhood, to draw them over to his faction ; 
for tlie king suficred him to act as he pleased. 

The duke, during this period, took infinite pains in visiting all the 
gentlemen near to Bristol, and went frequently into Wales, where 
he complained to all who would listen to him, that the king's uncles, 
from their ambition to obtain the government, had driven from the 
council the most noble and wisest members, such as the archbishop 
of York, the bishop of Durham, the bishop of London, sir Michael 
de la Pole, sir Nicholas Bramber, sir John Salisbury, sir Robert Tre- 
silian, sir John Beauchamp, and himself; that they had put to death, 
without any justice whatever, that valiant knight sir Simon Burley ; 
and, if they continued to govern as they had begun, they would soon 
destroy all England. He repeated this so often, and with such sue. 
cess, that the greater part of the knights and squires of Wales and 
the adjoining countries believed him. They came to Bristol, and 
demanded from the king, if what the duke had told them had his 
approbation. The king replied it had, and begged of them, from 
their affection to him, to put every confidence in the duke, for that 
he would avow whatever he should do ; adding, that in truth his 
uncles were too ambitious, and that he had his fears they intended 
to deprive him of his crown. Those from Wales, who had always 
loved the prince of Wales, father to the king, having heard of the 
transactions in London, were firmly persuaded that the king and the 
duke of Ireland had been wronged, and demanded from the king 
how he wished them to act. The king answered, " He would gladly 
see the Londoners, who had been the chief movers in this business, 
punished and brought to their senses, as well as his uncles." The 
Welchmen said they were bounden to obey his commands, for he 
was their king and sovereign lord, to whom, and to none else, they 
owed faith and homage. They wore therefore willing to go whither- 
soever he would order them. The king and the duke of Ireland 
were well satisfied with this answer ; and the latter, seeing the king 
take up the matter as personal to himself, was extravagant in his joy, 
and said to the council, " they could not act better than return to 
London to show their force, and, by fair or other means, bring the 
citizens back to their obedience ; and he also said, and always repre- 
sented to the king, that whenever there were so many rulers in a 
kingdom, it must"be its ruin." The king said, " that his opinion 
was the same, and that, if hitherto he had suffered things to be so 
carried, he would not any longer, but bring forward such a remedy 
that other countries should take example from it." 

Now, consider in your own mind if I had not good cause to say, 
that England was, at this period, in the greatest peril of being ruined 
past recovery. It certainly was, from the causes you have heard; 
for the king was exasperated against his uncles and the principal 
nobility of the kingdom, and they were so likewise against him and 
many nobles of his party. The cities and towns were quarrelhng 
with each other, and the prelates in mutual hatred, so that no remedy 
for all these evils could be looked for but from God alone. The 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



447 



duke (Jf Ireland, when he perceived he had gained tlie Iting, and the 
greater number of those in Bristol, Wales, and the adjoining parts, 
proceeded to aay to the king, " My lord, if you will appoint me your 
lieutenant, I will lead twelve or fifteen thousand men to London, or 
to Oxford, which is your and my city, and show my strength to these 
Londoners and your uncles, who have treated you with such indig- 
nity, and have put some of your council to death, and, by fair words 
or otherwise, reduce them to obedience." The king replied, he was 
satisfied ; adding, " I now nominate you lieutenant-general of my 
kingdom, to assemble men wherever you can raise them, and to lead 
them whithereoever you shall think it most for the advantage of our 
realm, that all may sec the whole of it to be our inheritance and 
right. I order you to bear our banner, guidon, standard, and other 
our proper habiliments of war, which we ourselves should have done, 
had we taken the field. I should imagine, that all conditions of men, 
on perceiving my banners, would flock to enrol themselves under 
them, and would be fearful of incurring, by a contrary conduct, my 
displeasure.'' This speech greatly rejoiced the duke of Ireland 




SlCBlRS 11. AT Bristol. Desisned ftom Uluminations in the Metrical History of Richard U.— Haileian MS. 1319. 



CHAPTER LXXXII 

THE KINS OF ENGLAND ISSUES HIS ORDERS FOR ALL CAPABLE OF EEAEINO 
ARMS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF BRISTOL TO M.ARCH TO LONDON. SIR 
ROBERT TRESILIAN, SENT THITHER AS A SPY, IS DISCOVERED, AND BE- 
HEADED BY COMMAND OF THE KINg's UNCLES. 

The king of England issued his summons to many great barons, 
knights, and squires in Wales, in the country round Bristol, and on 
the Severn-side. Some excused themselves by sending satisfactory 
reasons; but others came and placed themselves under the obe- 
dience of the king, notwithstanding their conviction that it was im- 
possible to augur anything good from the enterprise. 

While this army was collecting, the king and the duke, in a secret 
conference, determined to send one of their confidential friends to 
London to observe what was going forward, and, if the king's uncles 
still remained there, to discover what they were doing. After some 
consideration, they could not think on a proper person to send on 
this errand ; when a knight, who was cousin to the duke, and of the 
king's as well as of his council, called sir Robert Tresilian, stepped 
forth, and said to the duke, " I see the difiiculty you have to find a 
trusty person to send to London : I will, from my love to you, risk 
the adventure." The king and the duke, well pleased with the of- 
fer, thanked him for it. Tresilian left Bristol disguised Uke a poor 
tradesman, mounted on a wretched hackney : he continued his road 
to London, and lodged at an inn where he was unknown ; for no 
one could have ever imagined that one of the king's counsellors 
and chamberlains would have appeared in so miserable a dress. 

When in London, he picked up all the news that was public, for 
he could not do more, respecting the king's uncles and the citizens. 
Having heard there was to be a meeting of the dukes and their 
council at Westminster, he determined to go thither to learn secretly 
all he could of their proceedings. This he executed, and fixed his 
quarters at an ale-house right opposite the palace-gate : he chose a 
chamber whose window looked into the palace-yard, where he posted 
lumsell' to observe all who should come to this parliament. The 



greater part he knew, but was not, from his disguise known to them. 
He, however, remained there, at different times, so long, that a- 
squire of the duke of Gloucester, saw and knew him, for he had 
been many times in his company. Sir Robert instantly recollected 
him, and \\ ithdrew from tlie window ; but the squire having his sus- 
picions, said, " Surely that must be Tresilian ;" and to be certain of 
it, he entered the ale-house, and said to the landlady, " Dame, tell 
mc, on your troth, who is he drinking above : is he alone or in com- 
pany ?" " On my troth, sir," she replied, " I cannot tell you his 
name ; but he has been here some time." At these words, the squire 
went up stairs to know the truth, and having saluted sir Robert, found 
he was righ.t, though he dissembled by saying, " God preserve you, 
master I I hope you will not take my coming amiss, for I thought you 
had been one of my farmers from Essex, as you are so very Uke 
him." " By no means," said sir Robert: " I am from Kent, and 
hold lands of sir John Holland, and wish to lay my complaints be- 
fore the council against the tenants of the archbishop of Canterbury, 
who encroach much on my farm." " If you will come into the hall," 
said the squire, " I will have way made 
for you to lay your grievances before 
the lords." " Many thanks," replied 
sir Robert : " not at this moment, but 
I shall not renounce your assistance.'* 
At these words, the squire ordered a 
quart of ale, which having paid for, he 
said, " God be with you '." and left the 
ale-house. He lost no time in hasten. 
ing to the council. chamber, and called 
to the usher to open tlie door. The 
usher, knowing him, asked his busi- 
ness : he said, " he must instantly speak 
with the duke of Gloucester, on mat- 
ters that nearly concerned him and 
the council." "The usher, on this, bade 
him enter, which he did, and made 
up to the duke of Gloucester, saying, 
" My lord, I bring you great news." 
" Of what ?" rephed the duke. " My 
lord, I will tell it aloud ; for it concerns 
not only you but all the lords present. 
I have seen sir Robert Tresilian, dis- 
guised like a peasant, in an ale-house 
close by the palace gate." " Tresil- 
ian !" said the duke. " On my faith, 
my lord, it is true ; and you shall have 
him to dine with you, if you please.'' 
" I should like it much," replied the 
duke ; " for he will tell us some news 
of his master, the duke of Ireland. 
Go, and secure him ; but with power 
enough not to be in danger of failing.'' 
The squire, on these orders, left the 
council-chamber, and, having chosen 
four bailiffs, said to them, " Follow 
me at a distance ; and, as soon as you 
shall perceive me make you a sign to arrest a man I am in search 
of, lay hands on him, and take care he do not, on any account, es. 
cape from you." The squire made for the ale-house where he 
had left sir Robert, and, mounting the staircase to the room where 
he was, said, on entering, " Tresilian, you arc not come to this 
country for any good, as I imagine : my lord of Gloucester sends 
for you, and you must come and speak with him." The knight 
turned a deaf ear, and would have been excused, if he could, by say- 
ing, " I am not Tresilian, but a tenant of Sir John Holland." 
" That is not true," replied the squire ; " your body is Tresilian's, 
though not your dress." And, maldng the signal to the bailifls, who 
were at the door, they entered the house and arrested him, and, 
whether he would or not, carried him to the palace. You may be- 
lieve there was a great crowd to see him ; for he was well known in 
London, and in many parts of England. The duke of Gloucester 
was much pleased, and would see him. When in his presence, the 
duke said ; " Tresilian, what has brought you hither ? How fares 
my sovereign? Where does he now reside ?" Tresilian, finding he 
was discovered, and that no excuses would avail, replied, " On my 
faith, my lord, the king has sent me hither to learn the news : he is 
at Bristol, and on the banks of the Severn, where he hunts and 
amuses himself." " How !" said the duke, " you do not come 
dressed like an honest man, but like a spy. If you had been desi- 
rous to learn what was passing, your appearance should have been 
like that of a knight or a discreet person." " My lord," answered 
Tresilian, " if I have done wrong, I hope you will excuse me ; for 
I have only done what I was ordered." " And where is your master, 
the duke of Ireland ?" " My lord," said Tresilian, " he is with the 
king our lord." The duke then added, " We have been infoi-med 
that he is collecting a large body of men, and that the king has 
issued his summons to that effect: whither does he mean to lead 
them ?" " My lord, they are intended for Ireland." " For Ireland !" 
.said the duke. " Yes, indeed, as God may help me," answered 



Tresilian. 
The duke mused awhile, and then spoke ; 



" Tresilian, Tresilian^ 



444 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



your actions are neither fair nor honest ; and you have committed a 
great piece of folly in coming to these parts, where you are far from 
being loved, as will be shortly shown to you. You, and others of 
your faction, have done what has greatly displeased my brother and 
myself, and have ill.counselled the king, whom you have made to 
quarrel with his chief nobility. In addition, you have excited the 
principal towns against us. The day of retribution is therefore 
come, when you shall receive payment ; for whoever acts justly re. 
ceives his reward : look to your affairs, for I will neither eat nor 
drink until you be no more." This speech greatly terrified sir Rob. 
ert, (for no one likes to hear of his end,) by the manner in which it 
was uttered. Ho was desirous to obtain pardon, by various excuses, 
and the most abject humiliation, but in vain ; for the duke had re. 
ceived information of what was going on at Bristol, and his excuses 
were fruitless. Why should I make a long story? Sir Robert was 
<3elivered to the hangman, who led him out of the palace to the place 
of execution, where he was beheaded, and then hung by the arms to 
a gibbet. Thus ended sir Robert Tresilian. 



CHAPTER LXXXIII. 

WHEN THE NEWS OF THE DEATH OF SIR ROBERT TRESILIAN IS BROUGHT 
TO THE ARCHBISHOP OF YORK AND SIR NICHOLAS BEAMBER, THET 
CONFIRM THE KING IN HIS INTENTION OF MAKING WAR ON HIS UN. 
CLES. THE DOEE OF IRELAND, AS LIEUTENANT-GENERAL, LEADS 
THE ARMY TO OXFORD. 

Intelligence was hastily carried to king Richard at Bristol, that 
sir Robert Tresilian had been put to a shameful death. He took it 
sorely to heart, and swore things should not remain in the state they 
were ; for that his uncles were conducting themselves ill, and putting 
to death, without the least plea of justice, his knights and servants, 
who had loyally served him and the prince liis father, plainly show- 
ing their intentions were to deprive him of his crown, and that such 
conduct touched him too nearly not to resent it. The archbishop of 
York had been the chief of his council for a considerable time, and, 
being then with the king, said : " My lord, you ask counsel, and I 
will give it you. Your uncles behave shamefully, and want to make 
the world believe you have only traitors near your person, and that 
you take counsel from none but them. Great danger now hangs 
over the country ; for if the cojnmons rise, and the nobility be uni- 
ted, much mischief will ensue. I therefore advise, that you settle 
all these things by force : you are now in a very populous country : 
issue your summons for all capable of bearing arms, gentlemen and 
others, to join you here ; and, when they be assembled, march them 
tinder the orders of the duke of Ireland, who will gladly take the 
■command, toward London ; and let there be no other banners but 
those with your own arms, to show more distinctly the business is 
your own. The whole country, on their line of march, will join 
them, and perhaps the Londoners also, who have no personal hatred 
to you, who have never done them any injury. All the mischief that 
could have been done you has already been effected by your uncles. 
iHere is sir Nicholas Bramber, who has been frequently mayor of Lon. 
•don, and whom you created a knight for the gallant service he per- 
formed in former times ;* consult him, for he ought to be well 
acquainted with the Londoners, being a fellow. citizen, and must, 
likewise, have some steady friends among them. You run a. risk of 
■losing your kingdom from those tumultuous and disloyal proceedings. 

The king, on this, turned to sir Nicholas Bramber, and desired 
iim to speak. *' My lord,'' said sir Nicholas, "since you command 
•me, I will speak my sentiments before these lords, according to the 
best of my judgment. In the first place, I do not believe, nor ever 
shall, that the majority of the Londoners are wanting in affection to 
■our lord who is present. They greatly loved my lord, the prince his 
father, of happy memory ; and they gave proofs of their loyalty, 
w^hen the rabble of peasants rose in rebellion : for, to say the truth, 
had they been inclined to have joined them, there would have been 
an end of the king and monarchy. The uncles of the king have it 
now all before them, and laugh at the citizens, whom they make be. 
lieve whatever they please ; for there is no one to contradict them, 
•or to show what falsehoods they daily publish. They have put aside 
all the king's officers, myiielf in the number, and replaced them with 
others of their way of thinking. They have sent the king to a corner 
of his kingdom ; and one cannot suppose any good will follow, for 
we are perfectly ignorant what their ultimate intentions maybe. If 
matters continue in this state much longer, the king will be driven 
out of his kingdom ; for they act by force, and the king by kindness. 
Have they not already put to death that gallant knight sir Simon 
Burley, who had performed such meritorious services beyond sea ? 
and have they not, publicly, imputed to him the greatest falsehoods, 
which they knew to be untrue, such as, that he intended to deliver 
to the French the town and castle of Dover, and that, for that pur- 
pose, he had caused them to assemble at Sluys and other parts of 
Flanders ? Have they not, also, in despite to the king, disgracefully 
slain his knight sir Robert Tresilian ? and they will treat the rest in 
the same manner the very instant they can lay hands on them : I 
therefore advise, that the king use rigorous measures. It is well 



^ Alluiliiie to his conduct at the time Wat Tyler inwilted tJie king in Sinilhfield. 



known throughout England that he is king ; that he was educated 
by our late valiant and good king Edward, at Westminst*, who 
made all his subjects, great and small, swear obedience to him aa 
their king, after his decease, which oath the king's uncles also took. 
It appears to many, if they dare speak out, that he is not now con- 
sidered as king, nor does he keep the state or manner of a king ; for 
he is not suffered to act as he pleases : they have only allowed him 
and his queen a pension, and plainly show them, that they have not 
sense to govern the realm, and that their whole council is made up 
of traitors and evil-designing men. I say, therefore, that such con. 
duct is not longer to be borne ; and I would rather die than remain 
in such a state of danger, and see the king thus treated, and ruled as 
he is by his uncles." The king interrupted him by saying : " What 
is now doing does not please us ; and I tell you, that the advice you 
have given seems to me both honorable and good for us and for our 
realm." The conference now broke up ; but not before the duke of 
Ireland was ordered, as king's lieutenant, to march, with all the 
force he could collect, toward London, to try the courage of the citi- 
zens, and see if, by negotiation and the greatest promises on the part 
of the king, he could not turn them to his faction. It was not long 
before the duke, with fifteen thousand men, left Bristol on his march 
to Oxford, where they quartered themselves, and in the country round 
about. They bore banners and pennons with only the arms of Eng. 
land, for the king would have it known it was his personal quarrel. 

News was carried to the dukes of York and Gloucester, that the 
duke of Ireland was on his march to London with fifteen thousand 
men ; that they were already at Oxford, and that he bore the king's 
own banners. It was time for them to consider how to act : they 
summoned all the principal leaders in London for wealth or power 
to a conference at Westminster, wherein they tol-d them how the 
duke of Ireland was marching against them with a large force. The 
citizens, like persons prepared to obey the will of the king's uncles, 
for they were in truth all so inclined, replied : " Be it so, in God's 
name : if the duke of Ireland demand battle from us, he shall have 
it. We will not shut a gate for his fifteen thousand men : no, nor 
for twenty thousand, if he had them." The dukes were much con. 
tented with this answer, and instantly employed numbers of persons 
to assemble knights and squires from all parts, and archers from the 
principal towns. Those whom the dukes had summoned obeyed, as 
was just, for they had sworn so to do. Men came from the counties 
of Norwich, Kent, Southampton, from Arundel, Salisbury, and the 
country round London. Many knights and squires came thitlier also, 
without knowing whither they were to be sent or conducted. 



CHAPTER LXXXIV. 

THE DUKE OF IRELAND SENDS THREE KNIGHTS TO LONDON TO LEARN IN. 
TELLIGENCE. THE DUKES OF YORK AND GLOUCESTER TAKE THE FIELD 
AGAINST THE DUKE OF IRELAND AND HIS ARMY. 

I WILL now say something of the duke of Ireland, who had fixed 
his quarters at Oxford. He had indeed fifteen thousand men, but 
the greater part had joined him more through constraint than good, 
will. The duke, to sound the Londoners, resolved to send thither 
sir Nicholas Bramber, sir Peter Gouloufre, and sir Michael de la 
Pole : they were to enter the town by the Thames, and to hoist the 
king's flag, and observe how the citizens, on seeing it, would act. 
These three knights, in compliance with the duke's orders, left Ox. 
ford with only thirty horse, and rode secretly to Windsor, where they 
lay that night. On the morrow, they crossed the Thames at the 
bridge of Staines, and dined in the king's palace at Slieene,* where 
they remained until late in the evening, when they departed and 
rode for another of the king's palaces at Kensington, nearer London, 
three leagues distant, where they left their horses, and, having entered 
boats, took advantage of the tide, and passed through London. bridge 
unobserved, for the watch had not any suspicions of their arrival. 
They entered the Tower of London, and found the governor whom 
the king had appointed. From him they learnt many things relative 
to the king's uncles, and what was passing in London. He told 
them, they had run great risks in coming to him. " How so ?" said 
they. " We are knights attached to the king's person, and may 
surely lodge ourselves in any of his castles." " You will not find 
things so," answered the governor ; " for though this town and all 
within it are willing to submit themselves to the obedience of the 
king, they will only do so as long as he will allow himself to be gov. 
erned by his uncles, and no longer. What I tell you is for your 
welfare ; and I am bound to advise you, as far as my abilities and 
understanding will enable me ; for I suspect that when day shall 
return to-morrow, if it please God, andnews get abroad that there 
are arrived in the Tower persons on the part of the king, you will 
see this castle besieged by the citizens on all sides, who will not de. 
p.-.rt until they have gained admittance and have seen who are here 
lodged. Should they find you, they will carry yon to the king's 
uncles, and you may guess what will be the result. I am satisfied 
they are so much enraged against the duke of Ireland, and the other 
advisers of the king, that if once they lay hold of you, you will never 
escape with life. Consider well what I have said, for it is all true." 



*RlcbmonJ. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



445 



The three knights, who thought they should do wonders, were in 
despair at what they heard : tliey held a council, and determined to 
remain where they were until the morrow, hut in so secret a manner 
that none should know of their arrival. The governor loyally prom. 
ised to assist them to the utmost of his power, and, in their presence, 
took possession of all the keys that gave admittance. When day 
came, the three knights held another council, on their future pro. 
ceedings ; and, having well considered their situation, they were 
afraid of waiting until it should be known they were in the Tower, 
for they were convinced they would be shut up in it ; so that when 
it was dark, and the tide ilowing, they embarked in a large boat, 
and left the Tower, without having dared to display the king's ban- 
ners. They slept that night at Kensington, and on the morrow, at 
daybreak, mounted their horses and rode by Cherlsey to Windsor, 
where they dined and lay. The next day they arrived at 0.\ford, 
where was the duke of Ireland and his army : they told all that had 
passed, which you have heard ; and that, although they were received 
into the Tower of London, they dared not abide there. The duke 
was mightily cast down on hearing this, and knew not what to say, 
nor how to act ; for he was already sensible that the force he had 
assembled were not all of the same way of thinking, nor well affected 
to his cause : not knowing whether to stay where he was or return 
to the king, he called a council of his knights. The council deter, 
mined, that since the king had appointed him lieutenant.general, to 
punish all who were in rebellion, he must keep the field ; for, should 
he act otherwise, he would be greatly blamed, incur the indignation 
of the king, and prove clearly that he did not think the cause just or 
good : and that it would be better to risk the event, and die with 
honor, than show any want of courage. He was advised to inform 
the king of his situation, and to be thankful he was able to keep his 
ground without any opposition, for none had hitherto advanced to 
meet him. The duke sent messengers from O.vford to the king, to 
signify his situation, and to entreat he would send liim more men, 
which he did. 

When the dukes of York and Gloucester heard at London, that 
the duke of Ireland was at Oxford with a powerful army, they called 
a council to consider how to act. All the chief lords of their party 
were present, such as the archbishop of Canterbury, the earls of 
Arundel, Salisbury, Northumberland, and many other great barons, 
with the whole magistracy of London. It was there resolved (for 
the duke of Gloucester would have it so,) instantly to prepare and 
take the field, and that the mayor of London should arm by eonsta- 
blewicks, all such as he might think capable of assisting them ; for 
he declared he would march to meet the duke of Ireland, and fight 
with him wherever he should find him. The mayor of London was 
himself a soldier, and he only selected his men from those between 
twenty and forty years of age ; and the lords above mentioned had 
at least one thousand men-at-arms retainers on them. This army 
marched from London, and lodged at Brentford and the adjoining 
villages ; on the ne.\t day at Colebrook, their force increasing all the 
way. They followed the road to Reading, to gain a passage over 
the Thames ; for the bridges of Staines and Windsor had, by com- 
mand of the duke of Ireland, been broken down, by which they had 
a better and more level country for their march. The duke of Ire- 
land, hearing they were fast approaching 0.\ford, was much alarmed, 
and demanded counsel. He was advised to draw up his army in 
battle-array, with the king's banners displayed in front ; and if it 
pleased God, the day would be his, for he had a good cause. This 
plan was followed ; the trumpets sounded to arm, and march out of 
Oxford, which was done, and the army drawn up with the king's 
banners displayed. The day was delightful, and the weather clear 
and pleasant. 

CHAPTER LXXXV. 

THE kino's uncles gain a victory over the duke of IRELAND, WHO 
SAVES HIMSELF BY FLIGHT WITH OTHERS OF HIS ARMY. 

News was brought to the duke of Gloucester, who was encamped 
in a handsome mead along a river that falls into the Thames, three 
leagues from Oxford, that the duke of Ireland had taken the field, 
and had drawn up his force in order of battle. The duke was well 
pleased with this intelligence, and said he would offer him combat, 
but they must cross the Thames. The trumpets sounded to dislodge, 
and the army was formed as if for immediate battle. They were 
within two leagues of the enemy, lying in ambush, until they could 
cross the river. The duke of Gloucester sent scouts to have the 
fords examined, who brought word the river had not, for thirty years, 
been so low as it then was. The scouts after this easily crossed, 
Bnd advanced to observe the position and countenance of the enemy. 

On their return, they said to the duke, " My lord, God and the 
liver are for you : it is so low, it does not reach the bellies of our 
horses. We have seen the army of the duke of Ireland, which is 
well and handsomely drawn up. We know not if the king be there 
in person, but his banners are ; and we could not perceive any other 
banner than those of the king, emblazoned with the arms of England 
and France." The duke replied, " God assist us ! my brother and 
self have a right to those arms. Let us advance, in the name of God 
and St. George ; for I will have a nearer look at them." His men 
began their march, and in higher spirits, on knowing the river was so 



easy to be crossed. The horse passed first, and then the main body. 
When the duke of Ireland was told that the king's uncles had passed 
the Thames with their army, and that shortly there must be a battle, he 
was much frightened ; for he well knew, that if he were taken by the 
duke of Gloucester, he would not accept of any sum for his ransom, but 
put him instantly to a disgraceful death. He called, therefore, sir Peter 
Gouloufre and sir Michael de la Pole, and said to them, " My cour. 
age entirely faileth me this day ; for I dare not abide the event of a 
batde with the king's uncles, who, if they take me, will put mo to a 
shameful death. How the devil could they have crossed the Thames? 
This is a bad omen for us." " What do you intend to do ?" asked 
the two knights. " I mean to save myself : do you the same," added 
the duke, " and the whole army, if it can." " Well," replied the 
knights, " let us keep on one of the wings, and we shall have two 
cords to our bow. We shall see how our men behave : if they do 
well, we will remain, for the honor of the king who has sent us hither: 
if they be defeated, we can make off, and have the advantage of 
going whithersoever we like." 

This plan was adopted ; and the duke changed his horse for a very 
active one, as did also the knights. They rode round the army, 
showing i^ good countenance, and telling the men to behave well : 
that they should have the day, if it pleased God and St. George, for 
they had the right ; and the quarrel was the king's, which was to 
their advantage. Thus dissembling, they got out of the crowd, and, 
making for a corner of the army, formed part of a wing. They had 
scarcely done so, when the dukes of York and Gloucester, and the 
other lords, were seen advancing, with banners displayed, and trum- 
pets sounding. The king's army no sooner perceived their array 
than they were panic.struck, quitted their ranks, and turned their 
backs ; for it was the general report that the duke of Ireland and his 
friends had fled. All was now in disorder, every one running away 
for the fastest, without making the smallest defence. The duke and 
his knights were soon at a distance, for they were not desirous of 
returning to Oxford. 

The duke of Gloucester, on seeing the condition of the king's 
army, felt compassion, and would not do the ill he might ; for he 
knew the greater part had been assembled through fear, or by the 
excitement of the duke of Ireland. He therefore said to his men, 
" Sirs, the day is ours ; but I forbid, under pain of death, that any 
of our enemies be slain, unless he make a defence. If you find 
knights or squires, take them, and bring them to me." This order 
was obeyed : few were killed, except in their flight, by riding over 
or against each other. Sir John, called the Little Beauchamp, and 
sir John Salisbury, were made prisoners in the pursuit, and brought 
to the duke of Gloucester, to his great pleasure. The lords marched 
to Oxford, where they found the gates open ; and those who could 
do so lodged themselvgs there, though much straitened. When the 
duke of Gloucester inquired if the duke of Ireland were taken, he 
was told that he had escaped. The duke remaine'd two days at 
Oxford, when he gave liberty for the men.at-arms to return to their 
homes, after having thanked them for their services. He told the 
mayor of London and the leaders of the bands, that they might now 
return to London, which they cheerfully did ; and thus the expedi- 
tion ended. 

CHAPTER LXXXVI. 

THE DtJKE OF IRELAND, WITH SOME OF HIS COMPANIONS, ESCAPES INTO 
HOLLAND. THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY IS SENT BY THE DUKES 
OF YORK AND GLOUCESTER TO TREAT WITH THE KING. HE CONDUCTS 
HIM WITH HONOR TO LONDON. 

I WILL now say what became of the duke of Ireland, sir Peter 
Gouloufre, and sir Michael de la Pole, on the day on which they had, 
like their army, saved themselves by flight. In truth, this was wisely 
done ; for, had they been taken, they would have been put to death 
without mercy. I do not believe they fled to the king at Bristol : if 
they did, they made no long stay, but hastened out of England as 
quickly as they could. I heard that they rode through Carlisle to 
Edinburgh, where they embarked on board a vessel bound for Hoi. 
land and the Texel, and landed at Dordrecht. They were much 
rejoiced at thus being in a place of safety ; and it was told me, that 
the duke of Ireland had, for a long time before, made large deposits 
of money at Bruges, by means of the Lombards, to be prepared for 
every event ; for, though he knew his power over the king of Eng- 
land, he was much afraid of the nobles and the people. During his 
prosperity he had made very ample provision of money in Flanders 
and in other places, where he thought he might need it. I heard, 
also, that the first payment of sixty thousand francs, for the ransom 
of John of Brittany, was waiting his orders, and the time was nearly 
elapsed for the receipt of the other sixty thousand francs. He had, 
therefore, provided himself with money for a long time. 

When the duke Albert of Bavaria, who was regent of Hainault, 
Holland, and Zealand, for his brother, count William, then alive, was 
informed that the duke of Ireland had fled from England, and had 
taken up his residence at Dordrecht, he mused awhile, and thought 
it improper he should make any long stay there. He had quitted 
England as a fugitive, and was iu the ill-favor of his cousins.german, 
the dukes of York and Gloucester, to whom he owed love and affec- 
tion : he had, besides, behaved shamefully to his duchess, who was the 



446 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



daughter of his cousin, the princess Isabella of England. In con. 
sequence ho sent to tell the duke, that since he had displeased his 
fair cousins of England, and had broken his marriage to connect 
himself with another woman, he must instantly leave his country 
and seek other quarters ; for he would never suffer the duke of Ire. 
land to inhabit any town of his. When he received this order, lie 
was much alarmed lest he should be arrested and given up to his 
enemies, and humbled himself exceedingly to those who brought the 
order, saying he would cheerfully obey the duke's commands. He 
instantly directed all his accounts to be settled and paid, and em. 
barked on board a vessel, with attendants, for Utrecht, which is a 
town solely dependent on its bishop, where he arrived, and tamed 
there until other intelligence was brought hun. We will now leave 
him, and return to the affairs of England. 

r When the army of barons had been disbanded at Oxford, I know 
not if the dukes of York and Gloucester, and the archbishop of Can- 
terbury, did not remain there some days longer ; during which time 
the two knights, sir John Salisbury and the little Beauchamp, were 
beheaded. After this execution they returned to London, where they 
stayed some time, expecting to hear from tlie king ; but all they learnt 
was that he continued in Bristol. It was determined in council at 
Westminster, through the advice of the archbishop of Canterbury, 
to send a deputauon from the chief barons to the king, to remon- 
etrate with him, in an amicable manner, on his opposition to the 
principal persons of his kingdom, who were naturally bound to guard 
his honor, and for having placed his confidence in a set of minions ; 
which conduct had nearly lost him his crown. While this was gomg 
forward in the council, sir Nicholas Bramber had been taken m 
Wales, and brought to London. The king's uncles were rejoiced at 
this, and said they should not wait long, but that he should suffer a 
similar death to his friends. Sir Nicholas, unable to offer anything 
to prevent his execution, was led to the usual place, without tne town, 
and there beheaded. He was lamented by some of the citizens, for 
he had, in former times, been their mayor, and had, during that tune, 
well and honestly governed the city. He had also been of essential 
service to the king at the time of the peasants' rebellion, by slaying, 
with his own hand, Lister ; wliich dismayed the insurgents greatly, 
and put them to flislit ; and for this the king had created him a knight. 
He was beheaded^like the others, for having too readily put his faith 
in the duke of Ireland. 

The king's uncles, seeing that now all those of the king's council 
■whom they hated, were either dead or had quitted tlie countiy, 
thought it time to put the government on a stable footing ; for, not- 
withstanding they had put to death, or banished, all wlio were ob- 
noxious to them, they never intended to deprive the king of his crown, 
but only to refonn and regulate his government more to iiis own and 
country's honor. They therefere said to the archbishop of Canter. 
bury, " You will go with your state to Bristol, where you will find 
the king, and remonstrate with him on tlie affairs of his realm, and 
the condition thev are now in : recommend us to him, and say, that 
we entreat he will not put any belief in what he may hear to our 
discredit • for he has too long done so, against his own honor and 
profit, as well as to the hurt of the kingdom. You will hkewise 
say, that we and the good city of London beg he will return hither, 
where he will be received with the utmost joy ; and we will agree to 
his having the nomination of his council in any way must agreeable 
to him. We charge you, however, archbishop, on no account to re. 
turn without him, for those who are now attached to him will be 
made discontented. Tell him, also, not to be angered ior such 
traitors as were near his person, who may have been slain or driven 
out of the kingdom, for by them his crown was in danger of being 
lost." „ , 

The archbishop promised to accomplish the matter as well as he 
was able, and, having soon made his preparations, set out for Bristol 
in grand array, such as became so reverend a prelate and fixed his 
iodcrings in the town. The king lived very privately, for all those 
who used to be with him were either dead or banished, as you have 
heard. The archbishop was one whole day and two nights in the 
town before the king would see him, so sorely vexed was he with his 
uncles for having driven away the duke of Ireland, whom he loved 
above all mankind, and for having put to death his chamberlains and 
knights At length, he was so well advised that he admitted the 
archbishop to his 'presence. On his entrance, he hiunbled himself 
much before the king, and then addressed him warmly on the sub. 
jects the dukes of York and Gloucester had charged him with. He 
gave him to understand, if he did not return to London, according 
to the entreaties of his uncles, the citizens of London, and the fr">ter 
part of his subjects, he would make them very discontented ; and he 
remonstrated, that without the aid of his uncles, barons, prelates, 
knights, and commons, from the chief towns, he would be unable to 
act, or to have any compUance given to his will. This he had been 
charged to tell him, and likewise that he could not more rejoice his 
enemies, nor more effectually hurt his country, than by making war 
on his friends. The young king was inclined to listen to the argu- 
ments of the archbishop; but the insult that had been offered him, 
by beheading those of his council in whom he had no fault to find, 
was too fresh in his memory for him instantly to comply. Many 
plans were proposed to him ; at last, by the good advice of the queen, 
and of the most prudent of Ills counsellors, who had remained with 



him, such as sir Richard Stenor and others, he restrained his choler, 
and said to the archbishop, that he would cheerfully accompany him- 
to London. My lord of Canterbury was highly pleased on hearing 
this ; and he gained much honor by having brought matters to so 
happy a conclusion. The king did not remain at Bristol long after 
this, but leaving there his queen, set out with his retinue toward Lon- 
don, the archbishop accompanying him. On his arrival at Windsor, 
he stopped three whole days. 

When news was brought to London that the archbishop of Canter- 
bury had so far succeeded in his mission, that the king was on his 
return to the city, the whole town was rejoiced ; and they determined 
to "0 out to meet and conduct him, in the most honorable manner, 
to his palace. The day on which he left Windsor, the whole road 
from London to Brentford was covered with people on foot and horse- 
back. The dukes of York and Gloucester, and prince John of York, 
the earls of Arundel, Salisbury, Northumberland, and many barons 
and prelates, went, in great state, to conduct the king. They met 
him within two miles from Brentford, and received him most affec. 
tionately, as good subjects should their lord. The king, who had 
their late proceedings still rankling in his heart, scarcely stopped 
when he met them, nor cast his eyes toward them. The person he 
talked the most to on his road was the bishop of London. On their 
arrival in Westminster, the king dismounted at his palace, which had 
been prepared for him. He there partook of wines and spices, as did 
his uncles, the barons, prelates, and knights, who were entitled to the 
honor. Several of them now took leave, and those who resided in 
London went home, but the king's uncles, the archbishop of Canter- 
bury, and the whole of the council, remained to keep liim company, 
to be on better terms together, and to consult on the affairs of the 
nation, for they had formed their plans, and were lodged, some in the 
palace, and others in the abbey. 



CHAPTER LXXXVII 

THE KING, BY THE ADVICE OF HIS UNCLES AND COt^NCIL, SUMMONS THE 
NOBILITV AND COMMONERS OF THE REALM TO A PARLIAMENT AT 
WESTMINSTER, AND TO RENEW THEIR HOMAGE TO HIM. 

A STECiAL parliament being ordered to meet at Westminster, all the 
barons, prelates, knights, and chief citizens from the principal towns, 
were summoned to attend, and all who held fiefs from the king. 
The reason for this parliament being made so general, was, that the 
archbishop of Canterbury had remonstrated in the council, and to the 
king's uncles, that when they had crowned king Richard, though all 
who held fiefs under him had made their homage, and held their lauds 
accordingly, he was not of a proper age legally to receive their oaths.' 
A king by' right must be twenty-one years of age before he can justly 
govern the kfugdom, and, until that time, should be under the tutelage 
of his uncles, if he have anv, or under those of his subjects the nearest 
related to him. The archbishop added, that as now the king was of 
the proper age, he advised, for greater security, all who held any 
lands under him should renew their homage, and acknowledge him 
for their lord. This opinion of the archbishop was acceded to by 
the king's uncles, and was the cause of so general a summons being- 
sent ab°road for all persons to attend this parliament. Every one 
having obeyed, London and Westminster were much crowded. 

On the day appointed, the king heard mass royally clothed, with 
the crown on his head, in the chapel of the palace,* which is very 
handsome and richly decorated. The archbishop of Canterbury said 
mass, and performed divine service. He was attentively heard, for 
he was an excellent preacher. When the service was over, the king's 
uncles kissed him, in sign of homage, and swore loith and duty to 
him for ever. Then came the barons, prelates, and all who held any- 
thing under him, and with joined hands, as was becoming vassals, 
swore faith and loyalty, and kissed him on the mouth. It was visible 
that the king kissed some heartily, others not ; for though he checked 
himself as much as possible, all were not in his good graces ; but he 
dissembled, for he wished not to act contrary to his uncles. If he 
had possessed the power, he would not have behaved thus, but have 
wreaked a cruel revenge on those who had, as he thought, so unde 
servedly put to death sir Simon Burley and his other knights. 

The archbishop of York was summoned by the council to attend 
to do his homage, and purge himself from the things that had been 
laid to his charge ; for he had always been a partisan of the duke of 
Ireland, and in opposition to the king's uncles. When he reeeived 
this summons, knowing he was not beloved by the dukes of \ ork or 
Gloucester, he was fearfid of the event, and therefore sent his nephew, 
the son of lord Neville, to make liis excuses. He instantly set out 
for London, and, on his arrival waited on the king first, to whom he 
made excuses for his uncle, and performed, as pro.xy, the homage of 
the archbishop. The king received his excuses, for he loved this 
archbishop more than that of Canterbury, and bore him out before 
the council, otherwise he would have been heavily fined : through 
attention to the king the couiicU admitted his excuses, and he was 
suffered to remai n in his diocese. For a long time, however, he was 

™,sL"n"of U,:™o:l,l";lomMLd on ihe u„,„„, „,.„>• of .l,.pa,„t,„.s and otl.« 
unmments were discovered, tiad have been engraven and puW.iI.ed. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &,e. 



447 



afraid to reside at York, but lived at Newcastle on Tyne, near the I any towns, ladica con do but little." This was the language held in 
castles of his brother Neville and cousins. Thus were afl'uire in I diflereiit parts of the English army, by many knights and squires when 



Bra^limd ; but the king had not for some time tlie command of hi: 
council, which was, under the control of his uncles, and llic barons 
and prelates before named. Wc wJU now return to what was going 
forward in Castille and Portugal. 



CHAPTER LXXXVIII. 

THE KING OF rOHTUGAL AND DDKE OP LANCASTER UNITi; THEIR 1 ORCES. 
WHEN DISTRTSSED TO CKOSS THE RIVEK DUORO, A ijaLlCIAJI SQOIRi;, 
J-RISONER OF WAR, DIRECTS THEM TO A FORD. 

It is right, since the matter requires it, that I now say something 
of the expedition of the duke of Lancaster, and how he persevered 
in it this season in Galicia. I will continue it from where I left off, 
ae I have a great desire to complete its history. 

"When the duke and his army had conquered the town and castle 
of Orense, they halted there four days to refresh themselves, as there 
were plenty of provisions. On the fifth daj', they departed, taking 
the road to Noya. They quartered themselves, for four days, in a 
large meadow along the river-side ; but the ground was already burnt 
up by the great heat of the sun, and the water was so bad that the 
horses would scarcely drink it : many that did so died. Orders were 
given to dislodge and return to Orense : for the marshals, sir Thomas 
Moreau.\ and sir Richard Burley, had declared the castle of Noya to 
tie impregnable but by a long siege, with great expense of money, 
and many assaults. The duke of Lancaster, likewise, when there, 
rec?ived intelligence of the approach of the king of Portugal and his 
army, consisting of three thousand spears and ten thousand service, 
able men : so that, when the two armies should be united, something 
essential might be done ; for the duke had with him fifteen hundred 
knights and squires, and six thousand archers. Tl:is intelligence 
greatly pleased the duke ; he decamped from before Noya, where he 
had done nothing, and returned to Orense. He sent for his duchess 
and ladies, declaring he would there wait the arrival of the king of 
Portugal. 

The king of Portugal and his marehals, having taken possession 
of Ferrol, marched for Orense to meet the duke of Lancaster. On 
their road, they came to Ville-de-Padron, which at first showed symp- 
toms of rebellion, but, when thearmy appeared, they submitted. The 
king and his army remained in the town and adjoining country fif. 
teen days, and greatly wasted its provisions, notwithstanding a suffi. 
ciency came to them from Portugal. Galicia was ruined by these 
two annics; and the weather was now become so exceedingly hot, 
that none could venture abroad, after eight o'clock in the morning, 
wthout risk of death. While the duke and duchess of Lancaster 
remained in Orense, their men and horses were suflering greatly for 
want of forage and water : there were neither fresh grass nor green 
food, for the ground was too parched for any seeds to spring. The 
whole country was burnt up ; and the English were forced to send 
their foragers twelve, sixteen, nay twenty leagues, for food for them- 
selves and horses. Consider what their difficulties must have been. 
The knights and squires of England found the wines so strong and 
ardent, that they affected their heads, stomachs, and bowels, and 
they had not any remedy ; for there was a great scarcity of good 
water, to temper them with, or to cool them. Their food was con- 
trary to what they had always been accustomed to; for in their own 
country they live at their ease, while now they were burnt with ex- 
ternal and internal heat. The greatest lords were in the utmost 
poverty and distress ; and sucK effects as were natural, followed, 
which I shall relate to you. 

The English knights and squires, seeing their difficulties increase, 
from the scarcity of forage and the extreme heat of the weather, be- 
gan to murmur and say, " Our expedition seems drawing to a poor 
end ; for we remain too long in one place.'' " That is true,'' replied 
others : " and we have another thing much against us ; we have 
hrought women, who only wish to remain quiet ; and for one day 
that they are inclined to travel, they will repose fifteen. It is this 
which has checked us, and will be our destruction ; for if, on our 
landing at Coruiia, we had advanced into the country, we should 
have succeeded in putting it under our obedience, for none would 
have dared to oppose us ; but these long residences have encouraged 
our enemies, who have strengthened their strong places, and rein- 
forced their towns and castles with men-at-anns from France ; and 
have also posted them in the narrow passes, and along the rivers, to 
guard and defend them. They will defeat us without a battle ; for 
they know it would be more to their advantage to decline it. 'This 
kingdom of Castille is not so pleasant a country to make war in as 
France, where there are plenty of large villages, a fair country, fine 
rivers, ponds, rich pastures, and agreeable and substantial wines for 
men-at-arms to refresh themselves mth, and a sun and climate finely 
temperate ; but here everything is the reverse." " What the deuce," 
£aid others, " what business had the duke to bring his wife and 
daughters with him, since he oame hither for conquest ? It was quito 
unreasonable, for they have been a great hindrance to him- It is 
well known throughout all Castille, that he and his brotJier are the 
lawful heirs of the crown, in right of their wives, wlio were daughters 
of don Pedro ; but, with regard to the conquest or the siUTender of 



among themselves. Thoy were much rejoiced on learning that the 
king of Portugal was near at hand ; and when he was within two 
miles of the town, the duke of Lancaster and his knights mounted 
their horses, and ivcnt forth to meet him. There was much apparent 
joy, and the king and the duke, as well as the English and Portu. 
guese knights, testified great ploa.sure at meeting. 'The army of 
Portugal was behind, under the connnand of six gieat barons of that 
coimtry, namely, Pounasse d'Acunha, Vasco Martin do Morlo, the 
posdich Dosnedegouase, Salvase de Merlo, sir Alleync Pereira, mar. 
shal, arid Joao Rodriguez dc Sa. Several barons were with the king, 
whose escort was but three hujidred spears. On their arrival at 
OreiLse, the king was lodged becoming his state, and much at hia 
case, and the place was full of horses. The king, didce, and lords, 
were five days in council, and determined to make an exciursion, 
with the united armies, toward Medina del Campo and Vilalpando, 
where sir Oliver du Guesclin, constable of Castillo, and the largest 
ganison of Frenchmen, were stationed. They were puzzled how 
to cross the Duoro, which at times is dangerous, and more so in the 
summer, from the melting of the snows on the mountains, than in 
the winter, when it is frozen, like all other streams. Notwithstand- 
ing this difficulty, they resolved to march to Campo, in the hopes of 
finding a ford ; and orders were issued to the armies to this effect. 
They were well pleased to receive them, for they had suffered very 
severely at Orense, and in those parts ; and many had been carried 
off by sickness. 

The king of Portugal and the duke of Lancaster left Orense to- 
gether ; but their armies were separated, because they were not ac- 
quainted, nor understood each other's language, and likewise to pre. 
vent any disputes or riots that might fall out between them ; for the 
Portuguese are passionate, overhearing, and not easily pacified, and 
the English are spiteful and proud. The constables and marshals of 
each army, when they sent out parlies to forage, ordered them to 
take separate routes. These armies, which were sufficient to com- 
bat what force the king of Castille and his allies could bring to the 
field, continued their march until they came to the river Duoro. This 
was not easy to pass ; for it is deep, with high banks, and full of 
broken rocks, except at certain bridges, which had either been de- 
stroyed, or so strongly fortified and guarded, it was not possible to 
attempt them with hopes of success. While they were considering 
how they could cross it, it chanced that sir John Holland, the con. 
stable, sir Thomas Moreaux and sir Richard Burley, the marshals, 
or their foragers, during an excursion, fell in with a squire of Galicia, 
called Domingo Vargas, who was riding through the countiy, having 
passed the river : he knew that all the bridges were broken down, 
but he was acquainted with a ford that could easily be passed on 
horseback or on foot ; and when he saw the enemy, he liad turned 
back, and was riding for this ford. He was made prisoner, and 
brought to these lords, who examined him as to a ford ; and the con. 
stable told him, that if he would show them a safe one, for he had heard 
there were such, he would not ordy give him his liberty, but make 
him a handsome present besides. The squire was not well advised, 
and too eager to gain his liberty and the constable's gift ; he there- 
tore said, that he would show them a place where the whole army 
might cross in safety. The constable and marshals were so joyful 
on hearing this, that they sent to acquaint the duke with the good 
news. The armies followed the vanguard of the constable, which had 
arrived at the ford. The squire entered the river as their guide ; and 
when they saw there was not any danger, all passed in the best man- 
ner they could. 

The van, having crossed, halted on the bank to guide the main 
army over. Sir John Holland kept his promise with the Galician 
squire, by giving him his liberty and a present ; and he instantly set 
off for Medina del Campo, where the king of Castille then was. It 
is a handsome and strong city in that country. The duke of Lan- 
caster and the king of Portugal rode in company, and came to this 
ford, which is called Place-ferrade, where the gravel is sound and 
firm. They crossed widiout difficulty, as did their armies ; the rear 
division crossed on the morrow, and they all encamped themselvee 
on its banks. News was soon carried to Roales Castroreris, Medina 
del Campo, Vilalpando, Saliagan, and to the other towns and castles 
in Castille, that the English had passed the Duoro, having discovered a 
ford. They were much surprised, and said they must have been 
shown it through treachery ; for, if it h»d not been made known by 
some of the natives, they would never have found it out. There is 
nothing but what sooner or later i" discovered, by servants or other- 
wise. The lords attached tc the king of Castille learnt that Do. 
mingo Vargas had pointe'J out to them this ford ; he was instantly ar- 
rested, and having arJ^nowledged what he had done, was condemned 
to death. He w«8 tarried to Vilalpando, and there beheaded. 



448 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



CHAPTER LXXXIX. 

Sm WALTER DE FASSAC AND SIK WILLIAM DE LIGNAC ADVISE THE KING 
OP CASTILLE NOT TO KISIC A BATTLE BEFORE THE ARRIVAL OF THE 
BUKE OF BOURBON. A PARTY OF THE ENGLISH SKIRMISH WITH THE 
GARRISON OF VILALPANDO. THE DUKE OF LANCASTER IS DISPIRITED 
BY HIS OWN ILL HEAiTH AND THE GREAT SICKNESS OF HIS ARMY. 

The king of Castillo, on hearing that the king of Portugal and the 
duke of Lancaster were fast approaching with so great a force, was 
much alarmed, and sent for sir Walter de Passac and sir William de 
Lignac, to whom he said, " I am exceedingly surprised that the duke 
of Bourbon is not arrived. Our enemies have taken the field, and, if 
no one oppose tliem, will destroy my whole country. My subjects 
are very discontented that we do not ofl'er them combat. Tell me, 
my fair sirs, how I had best act.!' The two lords, who from great 
experience, knew more of arms than the king, and for tliis had they 
been sent from France to Castille, replied, " Sir king, depend upon 
it, the duke of Bourbon will come. On his arrival, we will consider 
what is to be done; but, until then, do not make any preparations 
to meet your enemies. Let them make what excursions they please : 
they keep the field, and we the towns and castles, which are well pro- 
vided with everything, and garrisoned by good men-at-arms. They 
are suffering from the heat of the sun and weather, while we enjoy 
the shade and refreshing breezes. They have found the country 
■wasted, and the further they advance they will have so much the 
greater scarcity of forage. It was for the chance of their entering 
your country, that all the small forts have been demolished, wherein 
the fanners intended placing their wealth. This was, sir king, wisely 
done ; for they would by tlieir means have been enabled to keep pos- 
session of those parts where they now are ; but at present they can 
find nothing but what they have brought with them, except the great 
heat of a burning sun, which you may be assured must soon destroy 
them. Though all your towns and castles are well provided and 
garrisoned, we can believe that some may be attacked and won, for 
that is the delight of men-at-arms. In such way they love to pass 
their time, and for this do they seek adventures through the world. 
Do not, therefore, be any way cast down ; for in this business, we 
engage, you shall not suflTer any great loss." This speech greatly 
comforted the king of Castille, and he was well pleased with them, 
for he felt that what they had said was the truth. 

We will return to the duke of Lancaster and the king of Portugal, 
who, though they kept the field, would have willingly gained some 
town to refresh themselves ; for the foragers could not find anything, 
and were forced to unite in large bodies for fear of ambuscades. 
They were so hard pressed, that when, in their excursions, they saw 



at a distance a large "village, they were rejoiced, and cried out, "Come 
quick : let us hasten to that village, where we shall find enough 
to forage and enrich ourselves." They hastened their march ; but 
■when they arrived, they found only the bare walls : there was neither 
inhabitants, nor even a dog, nor fowl, so completely had the French 
mined this part of the country. They thus lost their time and ex- 
pectations, and returned to their lords empty-handed. Their horses 
■were in sorry condition from the want of proper food, and they were 
fortunate whenever they could meet with any green pastures. Some 
were so feeble they could not advance, and dropt dead on the road, 
through famine and heat. Their masters were not in a much better 
condition, from fevers caused by the oppressive heat of the day, and 
the chill of the nights, without having anything proper to refresh or 
recover themselves. Thus was it in the duke's army ; for the Eng- 
lish have a weaker constitution than the Portuguese, who bore all 
these difficulties without hurt, being hardy and accustomed to the 
climate of Castille. In this melancholy state were the English : 
many died of their disorders, more especially such as were not well 
attended, and hod not wherewithal to provide proper remedies. 

Sir Richard Burley, sir Thomas Percy, the lord Fitzwalter, sir 
Maubrun de Linieres, sir .Tohn d'Ambreticourt, Thierry and William 
de Soumain, with two hundred lances of such as were desirous to seek 
renown, mounted the best horses in the army, with the intent to sur- 
prise the French garrison in Vilalpando. They had heard that sir 
Oliver du Guesclln, constable of Castille, had with him there, in gar- 
rison, some of the ablest knights of France. They left the army one 
morning, after drinking a cup, equipped like foragers, and came to 
a small brook that runs below Vilalpando, which they crossed by 
spurring their horses over. The alarm was soon spread through the 
town, that the English were at the barriers. You would have seen, 
had you been there when this ww known, knights arming themselves 
hastily, and advancing toward the idgings of the constable, servants 
saddling horses and hurrying with them to their mastera. Sir Oliver 
du Guesclin would have restrained his coraoanions from sallying 
forth to meet the English, had he been able ; but. their courage was 
too impetuous, so out they sallied, gallantly mounted nn horses that 
had been inactive and well fed. Among the first weio. sir John 
des Barres, the viscount de Besliere, sir Robert and sir John d- Bra- 
quemont, sir Peter de Villaines, sir Tristan de la Jaille. 

When the English had made tlieir course before the town, they 
repassed the brook in the same manner as before, and retreated to a 
large sand bank, when they drew up in handsome array, about three 
tow-shots distant from the brook. The French knights advanced, 



shouting their cries, with their epears in their rests ; and, when near, 
the English being prepared, stuck spurs into their horses to meet 
them. The shock was very great ; and several of each side were 
unhorsed on the sand. This would not have ended so speedily, and 
other weapons would have been resorted to when the lances failed ; 
but the dust from the movements of the horses, was so great and 
disagreeable, they could not know each other ; their horses were 
covered with dust as well as themselves ; and it was in such clouds 
tlrat they could not breathe without swallowing large mouthfids. 
This caused the attack to cease, and the French and English to 
withdraw from the combat : the first returned to Vilalpando. There 
was not any slain, nor much hurt on cither side. The English knighta 
went not more than one league beyond Vilalpando before they re. 
turned to their army, when they disarmed themselves ; for they were 
seized with fevers and other disorders, which brought them to death's 
door. 

The duke of Lancaster was greatly dispirited, and knew not how 
to act ; for he saw his army daily wasting away, and was grieved to 
find that the greater and better part were confined to their beds. He 
himself was so unwell, that if he had not been afraid to dishearten 
his men, he would gladly have kept his chamber. He addressed 
himself to the king of Portugal, and desired him to say what, in the 
present circumstances, should be done ; for he was much alarmed at 
this mortality in his army. The king replied ; " That, from appear- 
ances, it did not seem probable the Castillians would offer them com- 
bat at this season : for they showed more inclination that they should 
waste themselves and their provision." " How then would you ad- 
vise rae to act?" asked the duke. "I will tell you," answered the 
king : " as the weather is now so exceedingly hot, I would advise 
that you march your army into Galicia, and give your men permis- 
sion to recruit themselves wherever they please ; but to return pre- 
pared to recommence the campaign in March or April. Endeavor 
to procure large reinforcements from England, under the command of 
one of your brothers, and provision in plenty for the winter season. 
A kingdom is not soon conquered, nor a climate instantly rendered 
agreeable to the constitution of strangers. Your army will be quar- 
tered in the dilferent towns now under your obedience, and will pass 
their time as they can." 

" This may be right," said the duke ; " but the consequence will 
be, that as soon as our encmis shall know ■we have separated, and 
are acquainted that you are retired to Portugal with yotir army, and 
I with mine to St. Jago or Coruiia, they will take the field ; for I 
have heard that the king of Castille has four thousand lances, French 
and Bretons, and he w2l collect as many or more, in his own coun- 
try. Add to this, that the duke of Bourbon is on liis march with two 
thousand men-at-arms, and will be eager to signalize himself on liis 
arrival. Now, consider, should all this force enter Galicia, what is 
there to oppose it? Before wo can collect our men and form a June- ■ 
tion, they will have done us considerable damage." " Well, then," 
replied the king of Portugal, " in the name of God, let us keep the 
field : my men are fresh and unhurt, and equally willing with myself 
to abide the event." The conference now broke up ; and it was 
resolved they would wait the arrival of the duke of Bourbon, to see 
if, when he had joined the Castillians, they would offer them battle. 
The English and Portuguese desired nothing more eageriy; for the 
season was passing, and the heat increasing : it was about St John's 
day, when tlie sun is at its height, and intolerably hot, especially In 
Castille, Granada, and countries far to the south. There had not 
fallen any rain or dew since the beginning of April, so that the whole 
country was burnt up. The English ate plentifully of grapes wher- 
ever they found them ; and, to quench their thirst, drank of the strong 
wines of Castille and Portugal : but the more tltey drank the more 
they were heated ; for this new beverage inflamed their livers, lungs, 
and bowels, and was in its effect totally different from their usual 
liquors. The English, when at home, feed on fresh meats and good 
rich ale, which is a diet to keep their bodies wholesome ; but now 
they were forced to drink hard and hot wines, of which they were 
not sparing, to drown their cares. The early part of the night ia 
warm, from the great heat of the day, but toward sunrise, it is very 
cold, which afflicted them sorely ; for they slept without covering, 
and quite naked, from the heat of the weather, and the wine, ao that 
when morning came they were chilled by the change of the air, 
which checked all perspiration, and flung them into fevers and fluxes, 
so as to carry them ofl" instantly to their graves. Thus died very many 
of the barons and knights, as well as of the lower ranks ; for these 
disorders spared none. 



CHAPTER XC. 

THE DVKE OF LANCASTER DISBANDS HIS IRMT. THREE ENGLISH KNIGHTS, 
HAVING OBTAINED PASSPORTS, WAIT ON THE KING OF CASTILLE, TO NE. 
GQTIATE A RETREAT FOR THE MEN-AT-ABHS THROUGH HIS KINGDOM. 

Good or evil fortune depends upon a trifle. You may readily be- 
lieve that the duke of Lancaster, having gamed a footing mCastiUe, 
would never have lost, by any defeat in battle, such numbers as he 
was now daily doing by sickness. He himself was almost dead ot 
the pestilence 1 have mentioned. Sir John Holland, constable of the 
army, saw, with great concern, the miserable situation it was in from 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



449 



this disorder, from which scarcely one escaped ; and was forced daily 
to hear the complaints of high and low, in such terms as these ; " Ah, 
my lord of Lancaster, why have you brought ue to Castille ? Ac- 
cursed be the expedition. He does not, probably, wish that any 
Englishman should ever again quit his country to serve him. He 
seems resolved to kick against the pricks. He will have his men 
guard the country he has conquered ; but when they shall all be 
dead, who will then guard it ? He shows but poor knnwIeHge nf 
war ; for, when he saw that no one came to oppose him, why did he 
not make an opportune retreat into Portugal or elsewhere, to avoid 
the losses he must now sulier ? for we sliall all die of the confounded 
disorder, and without having struck a blow." Sir John Holland was 
much hurt on hearing such language, for the honor of the duke, 
whose daugliter he had married ; and, as it was increasing, he deter, 
rained to remonstrate with him on their situation, whicli he could, 
from his connection, more freely do than any other. He tlicrefore 
addressed him ; ■' My lord, you nmst immediately alter your plans, 
for your army is wholly laid up with sickness. If any attack should 
be now made on you, you could not draw any service from it ; for 
the men are all worn down and discontented, and their horses dead. 
But high and low are so discouraged by this disorder, that I repeat, 
you must not expect any service from them." "What can I do ?" 
replied the duke : '• I wisli to have such advice as is reasonable." 
" My lord," said sir John Holland, " 1 think you had best give per- 
mission for your men to retire whithersoever they please ; and I would 
advise that you yourself go to Portugal, or return to Galicia, for you 
are not in a state to undergo hardships." *' That is well considered," 
answered the duke : " I consent to what you propose ; and you may 
give our men notice, that I permit them to go into Castille, France, 
or wherever else they may choose, so they enter not into any treaty 
with our enemies ; for I clearly see this campaign is oyer. Let them 
be fully paid for their services as far as our treasury can go, and also 
for the expenses of their journey, and then make our chancellor de- 
liver them their discharge." 

The constable replied, that he would see this done. He ordered 
the intentions of the duke to be signified throughout the army by 
sound of tnmipet, and gave notice to the captains to come to him 
with their accounts, when they would be settled and paid, to their 
satisfaction. This order was agreeable to all, particularly to those 
■who hoped change of air would restore them to health. The barons 
and knights held a council how they were to return to England : by 
sea it was impossible, for they had no vessels, and were at a distance 
from any seaport. They were, besides, so emaciated and weak, 
from the fevers and fluxes, that they would have been unable to bear 
a sea voyage. Having considered the matter well, they found they 
had no other choice than through France ; but some said : " How 
can we go thitlier ? we have enemies in all the countries we must 
pass. First, tliere is Castille : we arc now carrying on a destructive 
war against it : then Navarre and Arragon. These two kingdoms 
are allied, the one to Castille, and the other to France. Arragon has 
already showed its spite, for the s6neschal of Bordeaux informs us, 
that since our arrival in this country, he has thrown the archbishop 
of Bordeaux into prison at Barcelona, who had gone thither to demand 
from the king the arrears that are due to England. Sliould we send 
to ask passports from France, the journey would take up too much 
time ; and, when our messenger should be arrived, we have little 
hopes that the king, who is young, or his council, would grant them ; 
for the constable of France, sir Oliver de Clisson, hates us mortally, 
and tlus is increased by his imagining his enemy, the duke of Brit- 
tany, intends turning to England. Others, who were farther sighted, 
and of more sense, said ; " Let all doubts be laid aside. The best 
thing we can do is to try the king of Castille, who may perhaps not 
only allow us to pass peaceably through his country, but also obtain 
for us the same permiseion from Arragon, France, and Navan'e." 

This measure was adopted, and a herald, called Derby, sent for, 
to whom were given letters addressed to the king of Castille. The 
herald set off, and followed the road to Medina del Campo, where 
the king then resided. When in his presence, he east himself o" lis 
knees and presented his letters, which were written in JT'ench. 
When the king had read them, and understood their lueaning, he 
smiled, and, turning to a knight who was the stewa'-J of his house- 
hold, said ; " Take care of tliis herald : he shall have his answer to- 
night, that he may return early to-morro" morning." The king 
entered his closet, and sent for sir Wniter dc Passac and sir William 
de Lignac, to whom he showed <Iie letters, and asked what answer 
he should send. The snbotimce of these letters was, in a few words, 
as follows. Sir John Holland, constable of the English army, desired 
the king of Castille to send passports for three knights to come to hjjn 
and return, that they might have a conference with him. The two 
knights replied ; " It will, my lord, be right that you grant these pass- 
ports, for then you will know what it is they want." " I agree to it," 
said the king, and instantly ordered a passport to be drawn out for 
the coming and return of six knights, if it were agreeable to the con- 
stable, with their attendants. When this was sealed with the great 
seal, and with the king's signet, it was given to the herald, and 
twenty franca with it ; having received the whole, he returned to the 
duke of Lancaster and the constable at Orense. 

The herald gave the constable the passport, who appointed sir 
Maubrun de Linieres, sir Thomas Moreaux, and sir John d'Ambre- 



ticourt, embassadors to the king of Castille. They act off as soon as 
possible, for there was much want of phj'sicians and medicines, as 
well as of fresh meat for the numerous sick who were scattered in 
different parts. These embassadors passed through Vilalpando, 
where sir Oliver du Guesclin received tliem handsomely, and enter, 
tained them at supper. On the morrow, one of the knights called 
Tintemach, a Breton, wan their conductor, to secure them against 
ili.^ numorouB parties of Bretous wliich were abroad. They arrived 
safely at Medina del Campo, where they found the king impatient to 
know what had brought them thither. When they had refreshed and 
dressed themselves at a hotel that had been prepared for them, they 
were conducted by some knights of the household to the presence of 
the king, who apparently received them with pleasure. They pre. 
sented him letters from tlie constable, but from none else ; for the 
duke of Lancaster excused himself, and would not at this time, not 
on such a subject, write to him. 

The knights and squires of France were not present at this inter- 
view, although they were of the king's privy council, and nothing 
was done respecting the war without their consent. The embaesa. 
dors addressed the king, saying : " Sir king, we arc come hither on 
the part of the constable of the army the duke of Lancaster has 
brought from England. But unfortunately very great sickness and 
mortality have befallen it : the constable therefore entreats, that you 
would have the goodness to open your country and towns to such as 
may desire to try change of air for the recovery of their health, if it 
may ho recovered, and to enter your towns to recruit their strength ; 
and if some should wish to return to England by land, he begs you 
would interest yourself with the kings of France and Navarre, that 
they may, at their own costs, freely pass through their territories, in 
their way home. This is the sole object of our mission, and the re. 
quest we have to make you." The king very graciously replied ; 
" We will consider what will be proper for us to do, and give you 
our answer." The knights replied, they vrero satisfied. 



CHAPTER XCI. 

THE ENGLISH EMBASSADORS OBTAIN PASSPORTS FROM THE BINO FOR THESl 
SICK TO PASS IN SAFETY THROUGH CASTILLE, OR TO REMAIN THERE TO 
KECOVEK THEIK HEALTH. MANY KNIGHTS AND SQUIRES DIE IN CAS. 
TILLE. THE DL'KE OF LANCASTER DANGEEOUSLY ILL AT ST. JAGO. 

The English knights, on taking leave of the king, went to their 
lodgings, where they remained until the tliird day, when they re. 
turned to the palace. The king of Castille was much rejoiced at 
their request ; for he saw there would be an end to the war for a 
long time, when his enemies solicited leave to march peaceably 
tlirough his kingdom. He was determined what answer to make, 
though his council had advised otherwise ; and, wishing to pay due 
honor to the French knights, he sent for sir Walter de Passac and 
sir William de Lignac. Having explained to them the object of the 
English knights' embassy, and the request of the constable, be de. 
manded from them how he should act ; and desired sir Walter to 
give him his opinion. Sir Walter was unwilling to speak before the 
members of the comicil ; but, as the king would have it so, he said; 
" Sir, matters are come to the conclusion we always foretold, thaS 
your enemies would be worn down and destroyed, without sti-ikinj 
a blow. Since their sick so humfjly ask assistance and comfort ia 
your country, you should grant their request; but on condition that, 
if thev recover, they do "Ot return to the duke of Lancaster or to 
the king of Portugal, but continue their road straight homeward, 
and that tliey engage not to bear arms against you, nor the realm of 
Castille, for the »-rm of six years. We also hcpe you may be sue- 
cessful in ob'^iniug leave for them to pass with safety through Na- 
varre and France." The king was well contented with this advice, 
for it >vas what he was inclined to ; and he was indifferent what 
tp.nis were made, so that he got rid of the English. He replied to 
sir Waiter, " You have loyally counselled me, and I thank you : it 
shall be done as you propose." 

The English knights were sent for, and conducted into the presence, 
chamber, where were the king and his whole council. The bishop 
of Burgos, as chancellor, and a great orator, thus addressed them : 
" Ye knights of England, attached to the duke of Lancaster, who 
have been sent liither by his constable, listen to the answer the king 
gives to yoiu- requests. Out of his great pity and goodness he is de. 
sirous of doing to his enemies all the kindness in his power. On 
your return to the constable, you will tell him from the king of Cas. 
tille, that he may publish, by sound of trumpet, throughout his army, 
that this country is open and ready to receive, sick or well, all 
knights, squires, and their attendants, who may be desirous of coming 
hither, on condition that, at the gates of whatever city or town they 
may wish to enter, they there lay aside their armor and aijjfcwhen 
they will be conducted, by those ordered for the purpose, ^^otels 
prepared for them. They will then have their namec written down 
and delivered to the governor, in order that those who may have 
resided in any towns may not, on any pretext whatever, return to 
Galicia or Portugal, but quit the country as soon aa may be. In ad- 
dition, the king of Castillo engages to obtain a safe pas&agc for sach 
as may intend to go to Calais, or any other seaport they may choose, 
in Brittany, Saintongc, Normandy, or Picardy, tlirough the kingdoms 



450 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPA3N, <5t,c. 



of Fran'-e and Navarre. It is the king's command, that those 
knights and squires, of whatever nation they be, who shall under- 
take this journey, do not bear arms against the kingdom oi Castille, 
binder any pretence, for the space of six years : this they will sol- 
emnly swear to observe at the time the passports are delivered to 
them. Yoii will carry with you all these conditions, fairly written, 
to the constable, and to your companions, who hove sent you hither." 

The knights tlianked the king and his council for the aunwti iliuy 
had received, but added, " They would not say that all the condi- 
tions should be accepted : if they were not, they would send back 
their herald ; and should he not return, they might conclude the 
■whole were accepted." "We are satisfied," replied the council, 
i'he king withdrew to his closet ; but sir Walter de Passac and sir 
William de Lignac remained with the knights, and conducted them 
Jo a handsome apartment where a dinner was provided for them. 
They all dined together : when the dinner was over, they partook of 
wines and spices in the king's closet, and then took their leave, as 
their passes were ready for them. On their return to their hotel, 
they instantly mounted their horses ; for the king's harbingers had 
supplied them with all things at his expense, and, leaving Medina, 
they rode to Vilalpando, and lay at Noya. The next day they came 
to Orense, where they found the constable. During the time they 
had been on this embassy, the lord Fitzwaltcr,* one of the greatest 
barons in the duke's army, had died : he was a valiant knight, and 
much lamented ; but none can strive against death. His obsequies 
were very honorably performed, and the king of Portugal and the 
duke of Lancaster attended them. 

The three knights waited on the duke, to show him their papers, 
and relate what they had seen and heard. Some said the conditions 
were hard ; but others denied it, and said they were courteous 
enough, considering the situation and danger they were in. It was 
known in the army, that the duke would discharge all who desired 
it, and that they might enter Castille with safety. Those who felt ill 
or feeble, and wished to change the air, took leave of the duke and 
constable, and left the army as soon as they were able ; but, before 
their departure, many received their whole pay in hard money, others 
had sufficient security for it, so that they were all well contented. 
Some went to Vilalpando, others to Ruelles, to Noya, to Medina 
del Campo, to Caleforis, or to St. Phagon. They were everywhere 
well received, and had lodgings found them, and had their names 
written down and given to the different governors in the manner I 
have mentioned. The greater part of the nobility went to Vilal. 
pando, because it was garrisoned by foreigners, Bretons, French, 
Normans, and Poitevins, under the command of sir Oliver du Gues- 
clin. The English had more confidence in those I have named, and 
with reason, than in the Castillians. 

Thus was the expedition of the duke of Lancaster put an end to, 
and every one sought the best he could for himself. You may sup- 
pose that this was a bitter disappointment to the duke, for he saw all 
his ambitious expectations annihilated : he bore, however, his mis- 
fortunes like a gallant prince as he was, for he perceived he could 
not any way amend it. The king of Portugal, finding the business 
was over, dismissed his army, retaining only three hundred spears, 
and left Orense, with tlic duke of Lancaster, who returned with his 
duchess to Saint Jago de Compostella. The king remained there 
with them four days : on iKo fifth he departed, with all who had 
accompanied him, for Oporto, whoi-e his queen resided. 

I must now relate what befel many of those knights and squires 
■who, on leaving the duke, had retired into Castille, and were lodged 
in different towns. Those who had been afflicted with the disorder, 
notwithstanding they had changed the air and medicines, could never 
recover, and several died in Vilalpando. Many batons and knights 
of England died in their beds to the great loss of their i-iuntry, while 
the king of Castille was obtaining them passports to travel throui'h 
Navarre and France ; but the disl'jnce, and other obstacles uUayed 
the accomplishment. Three great and powerful barons died at Vil. 
alpando ; eir Richard Burley, who had been chief marshal of the 
army, the lord Poining8,t and sir Henry Percy, cousin-german to the 
earl of Northumberland. Sir Maubrun de Linieres died at Noya : 
he was a valiant and able knight from Poitou. Lord Talbot,! a great 
baron in Wales, died at Ruelles : and of this pestilence there died, 
»n different places, twelve potent barons, full eighty knights, and two 
hundred squires, all gentlemen. Consider what an unfortunate loss 
this was, and to be sustained without having a battle or striking a 
blow. Of archers and other men, upward of five hundred died ; 
and I was told by an English knight with whom I conversed, on his 
return through France, whose name was sir Thomas Qneensbury, 
that of fifteen hundred men-at-arms and about four thousand archers 
whom the duke of Lancaster had brought with him from England, 
not one-half ever returned home 

T 
low 



on^nalt ever returned home. 

I'lJBltuke of Lancaster fell dangerously sick, and became very 
'-spirited, at Saint Jago. He was so ill, that it was frequently 



• "Lord Fitzwalter." Pee Ducrialc. who mentions his gaUanlrr in the .-ittnck on tlie 
Wock-housc before Breit, but oiniu taking nouce of his denth in Spain. Indeed, he only 
lays, that, "he departed tins hfe the year ensuing (10th Richard II.I on a Wednesday 
preceding the feast of St. Michael. This docs not tally with the senson of ihe year 
when the heats are so great in Spain. t ■' L, rd Poimncs/'— See nuoDALtt. 

X This niust be a mistake, for Lord Ttilbot did not die nnut liie LOUi Richiird U — 
DVQDALB. 



reported through Castille and France that he was dead : indeed, hs 
very narrowly escaped. Thierry de Soumain, who was of grout 
valor, and squire of the body to the duke, was attacked by this dis. 
order, and died at Bctancos. He was born in Hainault, and his death, 
was much bewailed. His brother William continually attended him 
during his illness, by which he ran great risk of his life. You must 
know, that there were none so bold, so rich or so ■fair, but were 
nfi aid, and were daily expecting death. The disorder solely attacked 
the duke's army, for the French were no way affected. 

This caused great murmurings among them and the CaatilUans : 
they said : " The king allows these English to recruit themselves ia 
his towns, which may cost us dear by their bringing tho disorder 
among us." But others replied : " They are Christians like our- 
selves, and we ought to have compassion on each other." Tnie it 
is, that at this period a French knight died in Castille, who was 
greatly lamented : for he was courteous, gallant, and boW in arms : 
his naine was sir John de Roye, and he was brother-german to sir 
Tristan, sir Reginald, and sir Lancelot de Roye. I v.'ill relate the 
cause of his death. While in garrison in a town of Castille, called 
Segbonne, he had an imposthume in his body. Being young and 
lusty, he paid no attention to it, and one day mounting his courser, 
in galloping him over the plains, this imposthume broke. On his re- 
turn, he was laid on the bed, and all seemed well, but on the fourth 
day he died. There were very great lamentations made after him by 
all his friends : he was deserving of them for his amiable character 
and gallantry in arms. 



CHAPTER XCII. 

SIR JOHN HOLLAND TAKES LEAVE OF THE DUKE OF LANCASTER, AND^ 
RETURNS WITH HIS LADY, THROUSH CASTILLE, NAVARRE, AMD BAY- 
ONNE, TO B0RDEAU3. SIR JOHN D'aMBRETICOURT GOES TO PARIS,. 
TO ACCOMPLISH A DEED OF ARMS WITH THE LORD BOUCICAUT. 

Notwithstanding this disorder was so very infectious that the 
greater part of the English fled from it, sir John Holland and several- 
knights and squires remained with the duke. The knights, seeing 
there was an end to the war, were impatient to change the air, and 
said to the constable : " Sir, permit us to set out on our return to 
Bayonne or Bordeaux, to escape the effect of this pestilence, for our 
lord of Lancaster desires it. When he shall wish to have our servi- 
ces, he can easily so do by writing his commands ; and we shall 
serve him more effectually when we have recovered our health, than 
in the state of languor we now fatally experience." They repeated 
this so often, that sir John Holland told the duke of their discontents. 
The duke answered : " Sir John, I am willing that you and sucli. 
knights as choose, set out on your return home, and that you take all 
our people with you. Recommend me to my lord the king, and 
salute from me my brothers, and such and such pei'sons," whom he 
named. " I will cheerfully do so," replied the constable ; " but 
my lord, are you aware, that though the council of Castillo has hand- 
somely allowed our sick to enter any towns they may please for the 
recovery of their health, they must not, when well, return to you in. 
GaUcia, nor in Portugal ? And if we pass through France, in our 
road to Calais, the French knights of the council of Castille have 
conditioned that we do not arm against France for the space of six 
years, unless the king of England command in person." 

" Sir John," said the duke, " you must know that the French, 
whenever they have an opportunity, will take every advantage over 
us. But I will tell you how you shall act. You will pass through. 
Castille in a courteous manner, and, when you shall be on the fron- 
tiers of Navarre, send to the king : he is our cousin : formerly we 
were strongly united, and the connection is not broken ; for, ever 
since we bore arms for him in his wtir against our adversary of Cas^ 
tille, we have constantly kept up a mutual correspondence, like 
cousins and friends. We have never had any quarrel, nor have we^ 
like the French, made war upon him. For these reasons, he will 
reMily grant permission for you and your men to pass through his 
countf/. On your arrival at St. Jean du Pied dcs Ports, take tire 
road throixeh Biscay to Bayonne : that is our inheritance : and 
thence you mti-/ go to Bordeaux without any danger from the French, 
to refresh yoursei.^s. When recovered, you may there embark, 
traverse the deep, and land in Cornwall, or Southampton, as the wind 
may be favorable." Sir John replied, he would punctually follow 
the plan he had laid down, and began to make his preparations 
accordingly. It was not long after thlc that the constable, with all' 
the men-at-arms and others, took their departure ; and the duke and 
^chess remained at Saint Jago, attended by their household only. 
Sir John Holland carried his lady with him, and arrived at the city 
of Zamora, which is large and handsome, where he met the king of 
Castille, sir Walter de Passac and sir William de Lignac. They 
politely received him and his company, as lords do when they meet. 
In truth, the king was more rejoiced at the departure of the English 
than at their arrival; for it seemed clear to him that the war was 
completely at an end, and that the duke of Lancaster would never be 
able to bring again so large a force to Castille from England, for he 
was well informed how much that country was disunited witliin 
itself. 

When the English, who had retired to the tovms in Castille for- 



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451 



the recovery of their healths, heai'd that sir John Holland was on his 
march with the remnant of the army homeward, they were greatly 
rejoiced, and made instant preparations to join him. Among the 
nimiber were, the lord dc Ghameaux,* sir Thomas Percy, the lord 
de Leluyton,t and the lordBradestan, with many more, to the amonnt 
of a thousand horec. Those that were sick looked on themselves as 
half recovered the moment their hopes were raised of returning to 
England, so much had they of late suffered. 

When sir John Holland took leave of the king of Castille, he 
showed to him anil his borons much affection, and gallantly pre- 
sented them with handsome mulee; he likewise ordered all the ex. 
penses of their journey to be defrayed. On their departure, they 
took the road to St. Ph.agon, where they rested three days : they 
were well received in all i)laces they passed ; for they were accom- 
panied by some knights of the king's household, who paid for what, 
ever they wanted or wished. They continued their route until they 
were out of Casiille, and arrived atNajarra, where the famous battle 
had been fought, then they proceeded to Pamierst and Logrono, 
where they halted : for they were uncertain if the king of Navarre 
would allow them to pass through his kingdom. 

They deputed to him two knights, whose names were sir Peter 
Bisset and sir William Norwich, who found the king at Tudela. 
They had an interview with him, and managed so well, they oh 
tained permission to pass, on paying for whatever they should want. 
When the knights returned, they left Logrono for Pampeluna, and 
passed the Pyrenees at Roncesvalles : they then quitted the road for 
B^am, and took that through Biscay, forBayonne, where they arrived. 
Sir John Holland and his countess remained there a considerable 
time, but several of his countrymen continued their route to Bor. 
<ieau.\. Thus ended this expedition of the duke of Lancaster. 

It happened, during tlie most active part of the campaign in Cas- 
tille, when knights and squires were eager after adventures and deeds 
of arms, that the lord Boucicaut had taken the field, and had sent a 
herald to demand from sir John d'Ambreticourt three courses with 
spears on horseback. Sir John had agreed to meet him, with the 
addition of three courses with daggers, and the same with battle. 
axes, all on horseback. Sir John, having so readily assented, sought 
for him everywhere ; but I know not for what reason he had not 
advanced to that part of the country. I do not, however, say, nor 
mean to say, that the lord Boucicaut was not equal to such a chaU 
lenge, nor even to one of more hardy adventure. When sir John 
d'Ambreticourt was at Bayonne, with sir John Holland, he thought 
much on this challenge, which, having accepted, he considered him. 
self bound to accomplish ; and that he could not honorably leave 
France without doing so, lest the French might say he had returned 
to England dishonorably. He consulted his companions, but espe. 
cially sir John Holland, how to act. He was advised to pass through 
France, as he had a good passport, which the duke of Bourbon had 
obtained for him, and go tg Paris in search of the lord Boucicaut : he 
might hear of him on his road, or at Paris, and the matter would be 
settled to his honor. This advice being agreeable to him, he de. 
parted, and took the road through the country of the Basques, and 
came to Orth^s in B^urn, where he found the count de Foix. The 
count received him handsomely, detained him some short time, and, 
on his going away, presented him with two hundred florins and a 
very fine horse. Sir John d'Ambreticourt continued his road through 
B^arn, Bigorre, the Toulousain, and Carcassonnois. He was ac- 
companied by William de Soumain and other squires from HainauU, 
who were returning to their own country. On their arrival at Paris, 
he learnt that the king was at that moment in Normandy, and the 
lord Boucicaut, as they said, in Arragon. Sir John, to acquit him- 
self honorably, waited on the principal barons of France that were 
then at Paris, and having staid there eight Jays to amuse himself, he 
continued his journey to Calais, and those from Hainault went home. 
Thus were the different captains of the army of Castille separated. 



CHAPTER XCIII. 

THE DUKE OF BOUKBON, ON LEAVING AVIGNON, CONTINUES HIS MARCH 
TO BtTRGOS, AVHERE HE MEETS THE KING OF CASTILLE. THE DUKE OF 
LANCASTER, REING INFORMED OF THIS, ADDRESSES HIMSifeLF TO THE 
KING OF PORTUGAL. THE DUKE OF BOURBON, AFTER A SHORT STAY, 
TAKES LEAVE OF THE KING^OF CASTILLE, AND RETURNS TO FRANCE. 

The duke of Bourbon, who had been nominated commander-in- 
chief of the French in Castille, was duly informed of everything that 
was passing ; but, had he imagined the king of Castille had been so 
much pressed, he would have hastened his march : for he had taken 
a long time on his journey, and, besides, had followed a round-about 
road. He first went to Avignon, to visit the person who styled him- 
self pope Clement, where he staid some time, then to Montpelier, 
where he halted five days, and as many at Bezieres and Carcassonne ; 
from thenc« he went to Narbonne and Perpignan, and entered Arra- 
gon ; for he was desirous of seeing the young king of Arragon and 
his cousin, the lady Jolante de Bar. The duke continued his journey 
to Barcelona, where he met the king and queen of Arragon, with a 
numerous body of earls and barons of the country, who had come 



* " Lord deChameaux." Ci. Chftn\vell. 

t " Lord de I.elurton." Q. Some copies read Helrason. 



I " Pamiers." Q. 



thither to receive and feast him. When he had been thus enter- 
tained for the space of six days, he departed, and went to Valencia. 
It was there he first heard that the English anny had retreated, and 
that sir John Holland had led the greater part into Navarre ; that 
there had been a great mortality among the English; and tliat his 
cousin, the duke of Lancaster, lay dangerously ill at Saint Jago : the 
report was, that he was actually dead. Notwithstanding this intelli. 
gence, which rendered his march useless, he continued advancing, 
and informed the king of Castille of his anival, who was much re- 
joiced thereat, and appointed Burgos for their place of meeting. The 
king ordered all things to be properly prepared in that city for his 
reception, and went thither ; for many of the French, who were with 
him, were anxious to see the duke of Bourbon. The duke, having 
passed Valencia and Saragoesa, entered Castille and came to Burgos. 
He was most kindly received by the king, barons and prelates of the 
realm. Sir Oliver du Guosclin, constable of Castille, sir William de 
Lignac, sir Walter de Passac, sir John des Ban'es, sir John and sir 
Reginald de Roye, and several knights of France, were present, 
who had left their garrisons to meet tlve duke of Bourbon. They 
had no longer any fears of the English or Portuguese, for they had 
all retreated, and the English had already given up those towns they 
had conquered in Galicia ; for they knew that, as their army had left 
the country, they could not withstand the power of France. -^ 

The news was carried to Galicia, that the duke of Bourbon was 
arrived in Castille, with a large body of men-at-arms from France ; 
and, as it was spoken of, this force was multiplied to more thaa 
double its number. The country, at first, was alarmed lest the duke 
of Bourbon should march thither to reconquer such towns as had 
surrendered ; and though the duke of Lancaster was with them, and 
comforted them as much as he could, they could not get rid of their 
fears. When the duke of Lancaster heard his cousin, the duke of 
Bourbon, was with the king of Castille at Burgos, he instantly sent 
to the king of Portugal, to entreat he would not disband his army ; 
for he knew not what the French might intend, now the country 
was in so defenceless a state. The king of Portugal, having dis- 
missed his army, was desirous to oblige the duke, from khe connec- 
tion between them, and left Lisbon for Coimbra, whence he issued 
a summons for all men-at-arms instantly to prepare themselves and 
march to Oporto, to the assistance of the duke of Lancaster, whose 
illness would not suffer him to take the field in person, aV.hough he 
was daily recovering his health. 

The duke of Bourbon remained with the king of Castille at Bur- 
gos, where he received the greatest honors from the king, (he barons 
and lords of the realm. Many councils were held, as to what they 
should now do : whether to enter Galicia or return to France. The 
king and his ministers saw very clea'ly which was most to their ad. 
vantage, and said, when together, " Our country is wasted and rained 
by the French ; and although they have defended it against the Eng- 
lish, we have paid dear enough. It will be just we thank the duke 
of Bourbon for the trouble he has had in coming thither, and entreat 
him, through affection to us, to withdraw his men, for there was not 
now any appearance of war to detain them ; that as for Galicia, they 
could invade and conquer that province themselves, whenever they 
pleased, as it was a trifling matter." The king's ministers added: 
" If we keep these men, they will expect pay, and, if that be not 
given to them, they will rob and pluntler the country. There are, 
already, many discontents on this subject ; and it behooves us to dis- 
miss them in a handsome manner." This measure was adopted ; 
for the king knew well that his kingdom could not be hurt, without 
his suffering from it. The archbishop of Burgos therefore, in the 
presence of the king and many knights from France, proposed the 
matter to the duke of Bourbon. The duke, as well as his knights, 
instantly agreed to it; for they most certainly preferred returning to 
France, which is a different country in all respects from Castille, and 
gave their orders accordingly. The duke of Bourbon, though he 
came the last, was the first to return, and declared his intentions 
were, to pass through Navarre, that his people might make prepara- 
tions for so doing. On taking his leave of the king, very rich pres 
ents were made him ; he might have had more, had he chosen it 
but he refused several that were pressed on him, and accepted only 
mules, horses, and dogs called Allans* in Castille. 

Proclamation was made for all persons to leave Castille and return 
to France, according to the orders which had been given by the 
commander-in-chief; but sir Oliver du Guesclin and tlie marshal, 
with about three hundred lances, Bretons, Poitevins and Saintongers, 
were to remain behind. The duke of Bourbon, having taken leave 
of the king, queen, and barons, was escorted as far as Logrono, 
when he entered Navarre. Wherever he passed, he was most 
honorably received, for the duke was courteous, gallant, and much 
renowned. The king of Navarre entcrtaised him very kindly, and 
showed not any appearance of the hatred he bore to the king of 
France for having seized his inheritance of the county d'Evreux in 
Normandy. He knew that the present king, who was so nearly re- 
lated to the duke of Bourbon, was no way to blame, for at the time 
he was an infant. He mentioned his complaints in an amicable 

* "Allan— a kind of big, thick-headed and short-snouted dog; the breed whereof 
came first out of Albania, old Epirus." 

" Allan de boucherie, like a mastiff— Allan gentil, somewhat like a Rtoyhound— Al- 
lan saulre, a cur to bait wolves," &c.— Cotqravb's DioUffnaTy. 



452 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &.c. 



manner to the duke, and entreated him to mediate between him and 
hia cousin of France, for which he should hold himself much obliged. 
The duke promised to use his endeavors ; and on this they parted, 
and the duke continued his journey with his men-at-arms peaceably 
through Navarre, and, liaving crossed the mountains at Roncesvalles 
and traversed the country of the Basques, entered B^arn at Sauve. 
terrc. 

CHAPTER XCIV. 

THE COtraT DE FOIX KECEIVES THE DUKE OF BOUKBON MOST MAGNIFI- 
CENTLY, AND MAKES HIM HANDSOME PRESENTS. THE SIEN-AT-ARMS 
WHO WERE UNDER SIR WALTER DE FASSAC AND SIR WILLIAM DE LIGNAC 
SACK THE TOWN OF ST. FBAGON, ON THEIR DEPARTURE FROM CASTILLE. 
THE KING IS VERY WROTH FOR THIS AGAINST THE TWO CAPTAINS WHO 
HAD REMAINED WITH HIM. 

Count Gaston de Foix was well pleased, ou hearing the duke of 
Bourbon was at Sauveterre. He summoned at Orthfes, where he re- 
sided, a gallant company of chivalry, and set out with a grand array 
of five hundred knights and squires excellently mounted. They had 
advanced two leagues before they met the duke, who was likewise 
attended by a large company of knights and squires. On their ineot. 
ing, they embraced and showed every token of friendship, such as 
well-educated princes know how to do. After they had conversed 
together a short space, as I was informed when at Orthfes, the count 
de°Foix withdrew with his conipany into the plain, but the duke re- 
mained where they had met. Then three knights, sir Espaign de 
Lyon, sir Peter Campestan and sir Menault de Nouailles, advanced 
to the duke and said, " My lord, we come to offer you a present from 
the count de Foi.x on your return from Castille, as he knows you 
have been at a heavy expense. He first welcomes you to his coun- 
try of B^arn, and presents you with eight thousand florins, this mule, 
two coursers and two palfreys." " My fair sirs," replied the duke, 
" I am very much obliged to the count de Foix. With regard to the 
florins, we cannot receive them ; but as for the rest we accept them 
with great pleasure." The florins were therefore returned, and the 
horses and mule kept. Shortly afterwards, the count placed himself 
beside the duke, and conducted him, under his pennon, to Orthfes, 
when he was lodged in the castle, and his attendants in the town. 

The duke of Bourbon remained for three days at Orthfes, magnifi- 
cently entertained with dinners and suppers. The count de Foix 
showed him good part of his state, which would recommend him to 
such a person aa the duke of Bourbon. On the fourth day he took 
his leave and departed. The count made many presents to the 
knights and squires attached to the duke, and to such an extent that 
I was told this visit of the duke of Bourbon cost him ten thousand 
francs. The duke took his road to France by Montpelier, the city 
of Puy, and coimty of Forets, of which he was lord in right of his 
duchess. Though the duke of Bourbon had thus left Castille, the 
men-at-arms under sir William de Ligiiac and sir Walter de Passac 
were not impatient to do so. They were upward of three thousand 
spears and six thousand others, who in small parties were daily quit- 
ting the country. Many of them, having expended their pay, and 
being weary of the war, set out on their return ill mounted and m 
rags, so that the meeting them was unfortunate, for they dismounted 
such as were on horseback, and made war on all passengers and on 
whoever had remained in the open country, whether churchmen or 
not, and plundered them, under the pretext that the king of Castille 
had not given them their pay, and that they had been ruined by the 
war. They said tliey would pay themselves, and all towns not well 
inclosed were under great alarms. Every place shut its gates against 
them, for whatever they could find was seized on unless well fought 
for. Such knights and squires as returned through Foix, and waited 
on the count, were well received by him, and received magnificent 
presents. I was told that this expedition, including the going to 
Castille and return, cost the count de Foix, by hia liberalities, upward 
of forty thousand francs. 

After the departure of the duke of Bourbon, an accident befel the 
town of St. Fhagon, that I am about to relate, which caused the 
deaths of five hundred men. You must know, that when sir Wil- 
liam de Lignac and sir Walter de Passac first came into Castille, 
their force, which was very considerable, quartered themselves over 
the country near St. Phagon, which is rich, and abundant in all sorts 
of provision. Among these men-at-arms were many Bretons, Poi- 
tevins, Saintongers, who, riding first to St. Phagon, entered the town 
in parties of six, ten, fifteen and twenty, so that at last they amounted 
to more than five hundred, including servants. As they entered, 
they lodged themselves, and began to pillage and pack up every val- 
uable they could find. The inhabitants, noticing their conduct, se. 
cretly closed their gates, that no more should enter ; and, when these 
strangers thought to repose themselves, the townsmen cried " To 
arms '." and entering the chambers where they lay, slew them with- 
out pity or mercy : happy were they who could escape, for they mur- 
dered upward of five hundred. News of this was brought, in the 
morning, to the French lords quartered near the town, and they held 
a councd to consider how they should act. They thought it improper 
at the moment to retaliate on them for this conduct, for if they should 
begin by burning towns and villages, the whole country would rise 
against tliem, to the great joy of tlieir enemies ; but they determined 



that, when the expedition should be ended, and they on their return 
thoy would then talk to them, and make them pay severely. 

When this army was on its return to France, which included all 
except those who remained with sir Oliver du Guesclin, they said 
among themselves : " Our arrival at St. Phagon cost us dear, but 
they shall fully repay us on our return." They were all of this mind, 
and, having assembled about one thousand, they entered the town, 
as there was neither guard nor watch ; for the townsmen had forgot- 
ten what had passed, and hoped the French had done so likemse, 
and that no more quarrels would happen between them. It was not 
30, to their great lo.ss ; for, when they thought themselves secure, the 
cry of " To arms 1" resounded from more than one hundred places, 
accompanied with voices shouting, " Let us kill and destroy all the 
scoundrels of this town, and plunder what they may have, in revenge 
for their murders of our countrymen." The Bretons instanUy began 
to put these threats into execuUon, and to enter every house where 
they expected pillages, killing the inhabitants, breaking open desks 
and trunks, and doing every mischief in their power. There were, 
this day, more than four hundred slaughtered, the town robbed and 
half burned, which was a great pity. Such was the revenge the 
companions took on St. Phagon, and then marched away. 

Intelligence was sent to the king of Castille that the men-at-arms,, 
who had been under sir William de Lignac and sir Walter de Pas. 
sac, had, on their return, pillaged the good town of St. Phagon, 
murdered upward of four hundred of its inhabitants, and set the 
town on fire. They added, that if the English had taken it even by 
storm, they would not have treated it so cruelly. At the time this 
was told the king, the two above-named knights were with him, and 
were severely reprimanded by him and his council. They excused 
themselves, saying, " That as God may help them, they were igno. 
rant of the intentions of their men: they had, indeed, heard they 
were much displeased with the inhabitants of St. Phagon, who, on 
their coming to Castille, had murdered many of their companions, 
for which revenge had lurked in their hearts ; but that, in truth, they 
thought it had been forgotten." The king of Castille was forced to 
pass it over, as it might have cost him more had he thought of pun- 
ishing it; but he was very ill pleased with these two commanders, 
which he showed, when they took leave of him to return to France. 
Had he been contented with them, it may be supposed they would 
have had more magnificent presents. The duke of Bourbon, his 
knights and squires, having quitted the king to his satisfaction, and 
left the country first, had earned oft' the flower of the presents. 

The French marched out of Castille in various directions, some 
through Biscay, others through Arragon. Many knights and squires, 
who had lived on their pay, disdaining to plunder, returned poor and 
sorrily mounted; while others, who had seized on whatever they 
could meet with, were well furnished with gold and silver, and heavy 
trunks. Thus it happens, in these adventures, some gain and others 
lose. The king of Castille was very much rejoiced when he found 
himself and kingdom freed from such men. 



CHAPTER XCV. 

■JHri DUKE OF LANCASTER LEAVES SAINT JAGO, FOR COIMDRA, AND THENCE 
GOES TO EAYON^'E. 

We will return to the duke of Lancaster, whom we left ill in bed 
at Saint Jago, where he resided with his duchess and daughter Cath. 
erine. You may suppose, the duke felt many mortifications, from 
the complete fuilure of his hopes of the crown of Castille, and the 
great loss of his chivalry, whom he daily and nightly lamented, and 
whom he had brought with such difliculty from England. He had 
now no expectation of making a treaty of peace that should allow 
the duchess any right to the crown, or yield up, by way of compo- 
sition, to her any part of the kingdom ; for he had heard from pil- 
grims, to Saint Jago, from Brabant, Hainault and other countries, 
who had passed through the French army in Castille, that the Cas- 
tillians and French made their jokes on him, saying to the pilgrims, 
" Ye are going to Saint Jago, are ye ? Ye will find there the duke 
of Lancaster, who, for fear of the sun, keeps his chamber. Give our 
compliments to him, and ask him, on his faith, if we French know 
how to make war, and if we have not fought him fairly, and if he 
be contented with us. The English use* to say, that we knew bet- 
ter how to dance and sing than to fight ; but the tables are now 
turned : it is they who repose and sing, and we keep the field and 
guard our frontiers, so that we have nojlost anything." 

The duke of Lancaster, like a wise man, bore all this patiently, 
for he could not do otherwise ; and, when he was able to ride, he 
departed from Saint Jago with his duchess and family. The king 
of Portugal had sent his constable, the count de Novaire, and sir 
John Fernando Portelet, with five hundred lances, to escort him. 
Among these knights were the Pounasse d'Acunha, Egeas Colle, 
Vasco Martin de Merlo, Galopes Fernando, sir Alvarez Perez, John 
Radighos de Sar, Gaynes de Falnes, all barons. With this escort, 
the duke and his family left Compostella, and continued their march 
to Oporto, where the king and queen of Portugal were waiting for 
them, and entertained them handsomely. Soon after the arrival of 
the duke, the king and queen left Oporto, and went to Coimbra, 
which is but one day's journey distant. The duke of Lancaster re- 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



453 

oxtciisivc inheritances within it ; but we very much suspect that these 
Gascons and B^arnois, when they shall have received the sums agreed 
for, and the country shall be weakened, will, in the course of threa 
or four months, return, regain possession of their castles, and commit 
greater waste than they have hitherto done." The count dauphia 
replied to the council, " My lords, it is our intention, that when this 
sum be raised, it shall be deposited at Clermont or Riom, and there 
remain until we have certificates of these companies having quitted 
the country." 

"That is well said," answered the dukes of Beny and Burgundy: 
" we are willing the money be raised and put in a place of safety ; 
for at all events, should they refuse to conform to the treaty, it will 
serve to collect forces to make war upon them, and drive them out 
of their forts. This sum shall be under the direction of you, the 
count d'Armagnac, and the bishops of Clermont and Puy : you will 
take care that it be honorably disposed of, and for the advantage of 
1 the realm.'' Having declared he would do so, he took leave of the 
king, his uncles, and council, and de- 
parting from Rouen, continued his road 
until he came to Clermont, where he 
found the count d'Armagnac, his 
brother, and numbers of lords, waiting 
his arrival. He related to them that 
the king and his council had their 
"_ doubts of the captains of the free com- 

=. panies, and the manner this money 

^' was raised, and deposited in a place of 

security until the intentions of these 
captains, who by force kept possession 
of forts and castles in the realm, should 
be known. They replied, " that such 
was their wishes ; and, since it is agree, 
able to the king, we will finish the busi-' 
ness ; but we must first conclude a 
peace or truce with the leaders, that the 
country may be assured the tax we are 
-, about to raise will be properly applied 

for their security." Commissaries were 
sent by the count d'Annagnac to parley 
with Perrot le B^arnois, and Amerigot 
Marcel, who were the principal chiefs 
of the forts on this side the Dordogne, 
in conjunction with the bourg de Com. 
pane, Bernard des Isles, Olim Barbe, 
Abton Seghin, the lord de I'Exera. 
plaire, and many more. These cap. 
tains could never agree as to terms, for 
what one party acceded to in one week, 
the next it was refused : the reason was, that being from different 
countries, they had various opinions. Those from Arraagnac, who 
were a sort of retainers to the count, readily assented to what he 
oiTered ; but the greater part, and most determined pUlagers, were 
from B^arn and FoLx. I 

I do not mean to say that the count de Foix ever wished anything 
but what was honorable and advantageous to France ; but when he 
first heard of these negotiations with the captains of strong places in 
Auvergne, Quercy, and Rouergue, he was desirous to know upon 
what terms they were made, and the cause why the count d'Armag, 
nac was so busy in the matter, and would be informed, when these 
places should be evacuated by the companions, what road they in. 
tended to take, and where they meant to fix themselves. He waa 
answered : " My lord, it is the intention of the count d'Armagnac to 
engage these men-at-arms, when they shall have surrendered the forts, 
to lead them into Lombardy, where his brother-in-law (who, you 
know, maiTied liis sister, the widow of your son Gaston,) has great 
difficulty in defending his inheritance, for there seems every proba. 
bility of a war in Lombardy." The count de Foix made no answer 
to this, seeming not to have heard it, but turned about to those pros, 
cnt, and conversed with them. He was not, however, the les3 
thoughtful about what had been said, and determined secretly to 
prevent any of these treaties being concluded : at least, from the se. 
quel it so appears. 

The count d'Armagnac could never succeed, notwithstanding hia 
repeated attempts, toward inducing any of the captains who were 
from B^arn, or Foix, to yield up their forts, or accept of any engage, 
ment, to serve the count or his brother Bernard. The count de Foix, 
who was prudence itself, considering that these two lords, his cousins, 
and those of Albreth, were very powerful, and acquirmg friends on 
all sides, was unwilling to add to their strength by those who were 
his retainers : he therefore determined what line he would follow, aa 
was told me, when at Orth^s, by sir Espaign de Lyon, the bourg de 
Compane, captain of Carlat in Auvergne, and the bourg Angloia. 
The count de Foix was at war with the Armagnacs, though at this 
moment there was a truce, which was usually renewed five or six 
times every year; and, should the .\rmagnaca and Albreths obtain 
the assistance of these captains of free companies, who were so hardy 
and cunning in war, they would be enabled to bring a large force 
into the field, and do the count de Foix great mischief. This was 
the principal cause why the captains who were dependent on him 
would never accept terms from the count d'Armagnac. 



znained there for two months and attended to his affairs, and to the 
making of preparations for his departure. By the king's orders, the 
high admiral of Portugal, don Alphonso Brecart, had equipped some 
galleys for his reception ; on board of which, when the weather and 
wind were favorable, they embarked, and, weighing anchor, took to 
the deep, and in one day and a half were at Bayonnc, which is up- 
ward of seventy-two leagues. On their arrival, they were disap- 
pointed in not meeting sir John Holland and the other English ; but 
they had left it for Bordeaux, where they had embarked, and had 
landed in England. 

The duke of Lancaster made a loijg residence at Bayonne, and 
enforced the payments of arrears, and other dues from the duchy of 
Aquitaine, and such parts as were under the obedience of king Rich- 
ard ; tor he had a commission to impose and receive all taxes to his 
own use, and he styled himself duke and governor of Aquitaine. 
We will now leave the duke and the English, until it shall be proper 
to return to them, and speak of other matters. 




BiYOKKE, as it appeared in tlie seventeenth century. From tn old French print 



CHAPTER XCVI 

TEE COTOIT b'aHMAGNAC TAKES GKEAT PAINS TO PREVAIL ON THE FREE 
COMPANIES TO GIVE UP THEIR FORTS FOR A SUM OF MONEY. THE 
COU-N'T DE FOIX, DUnERHA.VD, PRE^'ENTS HIS SUCCESS. 

The count d'.\rmagnac, at this period, resided in Auvergne, and 
was negotiating with such free companies as held forts in .■\uvergne, 
Quercy and Limousin. The count took great pains, from his attach- 
ment to France, to make the leaders of these garrisons, who did 
■ great mischief to the country, surrender them up, and depart to other 
places. All the captains, except Geoffry Tete.noire, who held Ven. 
tadour, seemed willing to accept his terms, and receive, in one sum, 
two hundred and fifty thousand francs. On payment of this sum, 
they were all to quit the country, which would gladly have seen them 
depart ; for the inhabitants could not till the earth, nor carry on 
trade, for fear of these pillagers, unless they had entered iiito com- 
position with them, according to their wealth and rank ; and these 
compositions amounted, in the year, to as much as was now de. 
manded for the evacuation of the forts. Although these garrisons 
made war under pretext of being English, there were very few of 
that nation ; but the greater part Gascons, Germans and Foixiens, 
and from different countries, who had united together to do mischief". 
When this treaty had been fully concluded with all the captains, 
except Geuffry Tete-noire, the count d'Armagnac entreated the 
count dauphin d'Auvergne, who was a great baron and able nego. 
tiator, to join him in this treaty, and from his affection to him, to 
undertake a journey to Paris, to the king and the dukes of Berry and 
Burgundy, who at that time governed the kingdom, to explain what 
he had done in regard to these free companions, and to have their 
consent ; for without their orders the sum of money to pay them 
could not be raised in the country. The count dauphin complied 
with this request, and rode to Paris; hut the king was gone to Rouen, 
whither the count followed him. He there explained to the king 
and his council the state of the country, and the treaty the count 
d'Armagnac had made with the companions. He did not soon ac- 
complish the object of his coming ; for the lords of the council know, 
ing well what sort of people these free companions were, had no 
faith in their professions, and dreaded they would not abide by any 
treaty. They said to him, " Count dauphin, we know that you and 
the count d'Armagnac are anxious to promote everything for the 
honor and advantage of the kingdom ; for both of you have rich and 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &e. 



454 

~Thev indeed gave him hopes of agreeing with him ; but although 
^'^''^ .TJ^tB weie made for a meeting, they kept none, but 
roany ''PP""'""^^ ^ "^^'d pillaged it at theiv pleasure, just the same 
'""w ,P am- ueaty was talked of. The count was daily expecting 
To conclude one ; and the captaiti he was most anxious to gaiii over 
wa^ Pe rot le B(Sarnois, who held the strong castle of Chalu^et, and 
wS the principal commander in Auverg.ie and Limousm, for Ins 
romposttions extended as far as La Rochelle. The otliers were Wil- 
Samde &amtc Foix, who held BouteviUe ; Amengot Marcel, who 
resided at Loyse, near St. Flour in Auvergne j the bourg de Compane 
and the bourg Anglois, who held Carlat. He said, he could at any 
time have Amcrigot Marcel ; but lie was desirous of gaining over 
Perrot le B^arnois, and Geoffry T6te-noire, who held Ventadour, and 
was the chief of them all. They only laughed, and made their jokes 
of the count, disdaining to enter into any treaty with liini or any one 
else GeoilVv knew his castle was impregnable, and provided with 
stores and a sufficient garrison for seven or eight years; and it was 
not in the power of any lord to shut him up, so that he could not be 
prevented from making sallies whenever he chose. Geoffry began 
aU his passports and treaties of composition with, < Geoffry T6tc-noire, 
duke of Ventadour, count of Limousin, sovereign lord and commander 
«f aU the captains in Auv'ergne, Rouergue, and Limousin. 1 will 
now leave these matters, and speak of what was passing in my own 
country, from the peace which was granted to the Ghent men on the 
conclusion of their war, by the duke and duchess of Burgundy, who 
signed and sealed it in the noble city of Tournay. To add strength 
to my history, I must speak of what was passing in Gueldres and Bra- 
bant • for the king of France and duke of Burgundy were much ai. 
fected by the events that happened in those countries, and took great 
part in the war that ensued. 



CHAPTER XCVII. 

A BiaRESSION ON THE QUAKREL BETWEEN THE HOUSES OF BRABANT AND 
GUELnRES. THE LIFE OF COUNT REGINALD OF GimLDRES AND HIS SUC. 
CESSORS, UNTIL THE REIGN OF CHARLES VI. OF FRANCE. THE DUKE OF 
BUELDRES, BEING AN ALLY OF ENGLAND, SENDS HIS CHALLENGE TO 
FRANCE. THE CAUSE OF THIS CHALLENGE. 

There had been, for some time, a hatred between the houses of 
Brabant and Gueldres : their countries border on each otlier ; but the 
origin of this hatred of the Brabanters was on account of the town of 
Grave, which the dukes of Gueldres had taken possession of, and 
kept by force. This the Brabanters complained of, as it is situated 
on their side of the river Meuse ; and, though many conlere^nces were 
held on the subject, their hatred was not abated. Those of Gueldres 
complained, that the duke of Brabant had, in revenge, seized on 
three castles on their side of the Meuse, and at the entrance of their 
country, called Gambet, Buct, and Millo.* These quarrels between 
the two dukes were frequently embittered ; but it was t'lo oP""™ °\ 
many able knights and squires in arms, that il the lord Edward ol 
Gueldres, (who was unfortunately slain by an arrow from an archer 
of the dukes of Luxembourg or Brabant, at the battle of Juhers t) had 
survived and gained the victory, he was so valiant, he would have 
reconquered these three castles. 

I will now relate, according to my promise, how these castles came 
into the possession of Brabant, that I may embellish my history ; and 
I will begin with speaking of the dukes of Gueldres.t It was not 
long before I began to indite this work, that there lived a count ol 
Gueldres, called Reginald. Gueldres is not so rich, nor so extensive 
a country as Brabant : notwithstanding this, count Reginald, coming 
to his property when a young man, had every inclination for expense, 
and cared not what his pleasures cost him. He attended all tilts and 
tournaments in the greatest magnificence, and expended, year y, four 
times more than his usual revenue. He was generous and liberal, 
and made extravagant presents, so that he borrowed from the Lom- 
bards on all sides, and was soon so indebted he knew not whither to 
turn himself. His relations were greatly angered by such conduct, 
and blamed him exceedingly ; but in particular the archbishop ol 
Cologne, who was his uncle bv his mother's side. One day, when 
he had him in his closet, he said ; " Reginald, my fair nephew, you 
have mana.'od your affairs so well, that you will soon find yourscli 
a poor man ; for your lands are mortgaged all round. In this world, 
poor lords are not valued. Do you imagine that those to whom you 
have made such great gifts will return them to you ? No, as God 
mav help me ; they will fly from you when they know you have 
nothing more to give, and will laugh at and mock you for your foolish 
expenses, and you will not find' one friend to assist you. Do not de- 
pend on me; for though I am archbishop of Cologne, I will not 
curtail my establishment to repair your fortune, nor give you the 
patrimony of the church : no, I vow to God, my conscience forbids 
it, and neither the pope nor cardinals will consent to it. The count 
of Hainault, who has not kept the state you have, has married his 
eldest daughter, Margaret, to Lewis of Bavaria, emperor of Gemany. 
He has three more whom he will also many very nobly. Had you 
lived as was becoming you, and had you not mortgaged your lands, 

• a. Goch, neeck, and Meson. T 1373. 

J Thoy were first created duleee of Gueldrw by the emperor, Lewis of Bavaria, 1339, 
at Frankfort. 



towns, or castles, you were a proper person for such an alliance ; but, 
situated as you now are, you will never obtain one of them. You 
have nothing to dower a wife with, if you had one : not even one 
poor lordship." 

The earl of Gueldres was thunderatruck at this reprimand of liis 
uncle, for he felt the truth of it. He requested, out of love to him, 
he would give him advice. " Advice '." replied the archbishop : " It 
is now, my fair nephew, too late : you wish to shut the etable.door 
when the steed is stolen. I see but one remedy for your distress." 
" And what is that ?" said the count. " I will tell you," answered 
the archbishop. " You are much indebted to Bertaldo of Mechlin, 
who is at present the richest merchant in the world, from the great 
commerce he carries on with all parts of it by sea and land. His 
galleys and vessels sail as far as Alexandria, Cairo, and Damascus, 
with'cargoes of the value of one hundred thousand florins: he also 
has a mortgage on the greater part of your lands. Bertaldo has one 
daughter now of an age to marry, and no other children. Several 
grcal barons of Germany and other countries have demanded her in 
marriage, but, I know not why, unsuccessfully : he may perhaps fear 
some as being too high, and others he may hold cheap : I tlierefore 
advise you to treat with Bertaldo, who may listen to you, and give 
you his daughter, that you may clear yourself of all your debts, and 
regain possession of your lands; for I should suppose, from your birth 
an'd in consideration of your having your possessions, between the 
Meuse and the Rhine, so well filled with populous towns, he will com- 
ply with your request." " By my faith, uncle," replied the count, 
" you advise me well, and I will follow what you have said." 

Count Reginald, shortly after, summoned those of his friends m 
whom he had the greatest confidence and affection, and declared to 
them his intentions of marrying the daughter of Bertaldo of Mechlin. 
He requested them to go thither and demand her, and he would make 
her countess of Gueldres, on such conditions as the archbishop of 
Cologne should be agreeable to. His friends complied cheerfully, 
and made instant preparations for their journey to Mechlin, where 
they waited on Bertaldo, and told him the object of their coming. 
Bertaldo received these knights and clerks from the count de Guel. 
dres very graciously, entertained them well, and said he would con. 
sider of their demand. Being so very rich, for he was worth at least 
five or six millions of florins, he was anxious for the advancement of 
his daughter, and, thinking he could no way ally her more nobly than 
to the count de Gueldres, had partly in his own mind a.ssented to it. 
Before he declared it, he had many doubts, and said to himself, " If 
I give Mary to the count, he will wish to be my master, and I shall 
no longer have a will of my own. Besides, should she have children 
and die, which may happen, he, who will be enriched by my wealth 
and repossessed of all his lands in the country of Gueldres, may marry 
again, and as nobly as he pleases, and have children by his second 
wife, who, from the high blood of their mother, may hold my daugh. 
ter's children in contempt, and perhaps disinherit them. I must have 
all these doubts cleared up before I give my consent. I will, how- 
ever, mention all this to the friends of the count, and make them such 
an answer as this : That their coming has pleased me much, and that 
my daughter would be very happy to be so nobly married as to the 
count de Gueldres: but at this moment it was well known the 
nffaiis of the count were in the utmost disorder ; that all his lands 
between the Meuse and the Rhine were under mortgage, and that, 
to clear off his incumbrances, he has demanded my daughter in mar- 
riage. Before I consent to this union, I wish to know how he means 
to settle his estates, and that my daughter's children, should she have 
sons or daughters, may succeed to the inheritance of Gueldres, not- 
withstanding any other marriage take place in case of her death. On 
this point I am determined, and I must likewise have this succession 
assured by himself, his relations, and all who may have any claims 
thereto, as well as by the nobility and principal towns in the coun. 
try." Thus did Bertaldo form the answer he was to give to the com- 
missioners from the count de Gueldres. 

On the morrow, at a proper hour, Bertaldo signified to the count's 
friends he was prepared with his answer. They were well pleased 
on hearing this, and repaired to the hfttel of Bertaldo, where every- 
tliing displayed his riches. Ho met them in the hall, and, after some 
aTecablc conversation, conducted them to an apartment fitted up m 
a°manner becoming a king, where some of his friends were assem- 
bled When the door was closed, Bertaldo desired them to declare 
the cause of their visit to him, and he would give them his answer. 
Upon this, the dean of Cologne, cousin to the count de Gueldres, and 
a valiant clerk, explained so eloquently the object of their embassy, 
it was a pleasure to hear him. Of his speech I need not make any 
further mention, for the subject of it has been told, and it related 
solely to the advantages of this alliance, and its convemency to both 
parties. , , . , i 

Bertaldo, who, the preceding day, bad formed his plan, answered 
as follows ■ " My fair sirs, I and my daughter shall hold ourselves 
much honored by so noble an alliance as the one yoii have proposed ; 
and when such matters are brought forward, the less delay afterwards 
the better I say this, because an alliance by mamage, between so 
nowerf-ul and renowned a lord as count Reginald de Gueldres with 
Mary, mv daughter, pleases me right well. You require that his ca- 
tate which is now much entangled, by his debts to Lombards and 
other" should be cleared bv this marriage, and every incumbrance 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



465 



done away. Thanks to God, I Iinve the abilitT.as well as inclination 
80 to do ; but I muat first sec the following settlements fairly en- 
grossed and sealed, so that, hereafter, no contention ensue between 
any of the parties : first, my daughter's children shall inherit the 
country of Gueldres, comprehended within its present limits ; and, if 
my lord Reginald should die before her, without having any heirs 
from her body, she shall peaceably retain the possession of that coun- 
try during her life, and then it may revert to the next lawful heir. If 
it should happen that my daugliter have an heir or heirs by my much 
honored prince, count Reginald, and she die before him, the count 
de Gueldres shall not, on account of any secondary marriage, disin. 
herit, or otherwise deprive the heir or heirs of my daughter of the 
succession of Gueldres. I consent, however, that if it shall be his 
good pleasure in such case to marry again, he may dower the lady 
with those acquired lands on the other side of the Meuse, bordering 
on the bishopric of Liege and duchy of Brabant, but without charging 
any part of the country of Gueldres. When the relations and friends 
of the honorable prince, count Reginald, and all those who may, 
from their family connections, have any claims on the duchy of Guel- 
dres, and the chief towns, shall have signed and sealed settlements 
drawn up in the manner I have mentioned, I give my consent to the 
marriage. You may now, therefore, make any reply you have been 
charged with." 

The knights from Gueldres, after some short conversation together, 
said : " Sir, we have well heard your terms ; but, not being commis- 
sioned to say anything in confirmation, or otherwise, on the subject, 
we must be silent. We will return to our lord, and relate punctu- 
ally to him and his council what you ofier, and very shortly you shall 
have from him his answer.'' " God grant it may be favorable," re- 
plied Bertaldo ; *' for I wish it." On this they all left the apartment 
and went away. As you have heard everything that passed on this 
subject, I shall not dilate on it more. When the commissioners w'ere 
returned home, matter's seemed likely to be soon brought to a con- 
clusion ; for the count thought, in his present situation, he could not 
do better than marry the daughter of Bertaldo, who was powerfully 
rich. For greater security, all the settlements were drawn up, and 
engrossed in his house : when they were finished, the count signed 
and sealed them, as did all his relations whose names were men- 
tioned therein, and the nobility and magistrates of the ptincipal 
towns. 

Bertaldo being now satisfied, the marriage was consummated, the 
debts of the count were paid, and all his lands freed from every in- 
cumbrance. Thus was the count de Gueldres made rich : he took a 
new h6tei, and formed a different establishment. If, formerly, he 
had been thoi^ht to keep a magnificent one, this was superior ; for 
he had now wherewithal to support it, as he never wanted for any 
money Bertaldo could give him. The count behaved right honora- 
bly to his lady, who was very handsome, good, prudent, and devout. 
At the end of four years, the lady died, leaving a daughter of the name 
of Isabella. The count, being a young man when he became a 
widower, married again very nobly ; for king Edward of England, 
father of that king Edward who besieged Tournay and conquered 
Calais, gave him his daughter Isabella.* By this lady he had three 
children, two sons and a daughter, sir Reginald, sir Edward, and 
Joan, who was afterwards duchess of Juliets. t 

When king Edward III., who was uncle to these children of Guel- 
dres, came first into Germany to visit the emperor, and had been ap- 
pointed by him vicar-general of the empire,} as is contained in the 
first volume of this history, the county of Gueldres was made a duch}-, 
and the marquisate of Juliers a county, to elevate those families in 
dignity. But to come nearer to our time, and connect this with our 
history, it happened that, after the decease of this count Reginald 
we have been speaking of, his son, also called Reginald, nephew to 
the king of England, died without heirs. § Sir Edward of Gueldres 
succeeded to both : he was married to the eldest daughter of duke 
Albert of Hainault ;|| but she was so young, that sir Edward never 
carnally knew her, and he died also without heirs ; for, like a valiant 
knight, he was slain in battle, in a war against duke Winceslaus of 
Brabant, before Juliers. T 

.Sir Edward's sister-geniian was married to count William of Jul- 
iers, and her brother dying without issue, she claimed Gueldres as 
her inheritance, and brought forward her pretensions. Her elder 
jsister, by the first marriage,** made a similar claim, and said, since 



* There seems some mistake here, but I cannot make it oat, nor find in any of tlie 
genealogical accounts of the counts of Gueldres, notice of tliis marriage with the daugh- 
ter of the merchavt Bertaldo of Mechlin. 

"Reginald II.. the 9th count of Gueldres. married, in 1343. Sophia, cmmtess of Mech- 
lin, and 135y, Eleanora of England."— Anderson's Royal Geneahgies. 

t William, the sixth marquis, and afterwards duke of Juliers, married Marj', a daugh- 
ter of the count do Gueldres, but by his first wife, Sophia of Mechlin. Two children 
onl^, Reginald and Edward, are ascribed to the second marriage in Z.'.'Jrt de verifier 
ies Date,-.— Ed. t In 1338.— Ed. 

§ Reginald III. died in 1371, tearing no children bj- his wife Mary, daughter of John 
duke of Brabant.- Ed. 

It He married Catherine, daughter of Albert, regent of Holland, on the 16th May, 1371 
—Ed. 

IT He died on the 24th August, 1371, from the effects ot n wound received at the battle 
*f Battweiler, two days before. He was only thirty-six years old,— Ed. 

** Froissart's account ofthe genealogy ofthis family isnot correct. Thedisputewas 
between Mary, countess of Juliers, the half sister of Edward and Reginald, and Wil- 
Lojn, her grandson, on the one part, and Matilda, Mary's eldor sister, widow ol John, 



no male heirs remained from the second marriage, tho duchy became 
her right, according to the settlements that had been made and 
signed. As this dispute ran high between the two sisters, tlie 
elder was advised to unite herself, by marriage, with some person 
well allied, that would defend her rights. She followed this advice, 
and desired the archbishop of Cologne, at that time with tlie lortl 
John de Blois,* whose brother, count Lewis, was still alive, to open 
the matter to him, and, if he were agreeable, she would make him 
duke of Gueldres ; for, by the death of her two brothers, without 
male issue, the duchy had become her inheritance, and none other had 
any legal claim to it. The lord John de Blois, who had been brought 
up in Holland and Zealand, having fair inheritances there, and speak- 
ing the language, willingly listened to the proposal ; for he would 
never marry in France, thinking he should acquire a large tract of 
country in the parts he liked best. The knights of his council, in 
Holland, advised him to accept of the lady. He consented to this ; 
but, before he made it public, he rode to Hainault, to consult his 
cousin, duke Albert, and hear what he would say to it. 

Duke Albert, in tnith, knew not what advice to give him, or, if he 
did, he kept it to himself, and delayed so long, before he could make 
up his mind, that lord John de Blois was tired of waiting, and, mount- 
ing his horse, rode to Gueldres, married the lady I have mentioned, 
and took possession of the duchy. He was not, however, acknow- 
ledged duke by the whole country, nor were her claims universally 
allowed ; the majority of knights, squires, and chief towns, inclined 
more to the lady of Juliers, who, having a handsome family of chil- 
dren, had gained their hearts. The lord John, therefore, had with 
his wife a war, which cost him much. By the death of his brother, 
count Lewis, he became count of Blois, lord of Avesnes in Hain- 
ault ; and the rich inheritances of Holland and Zealand fell likewise 
to him. Notwithstanding this, his council advised him t-o pursue 
the claim of his lady on Gueldreland. He did so, to the utmost of 
his power; but Germans are a covetous people, and they only con- 
tiitued the war as long as they were duly paid. The dispute cost 
lord John very large sums, and was never of any service to him. 
This gallant count, lord John de Blois, died in the castle ofthe good 
town of Schoonhoven, in the month of June, of the year of grace 
1381, and was carried to the church of the Cordeliers and Valenci- 
ennes, and buried beside his grandfather, sir John of Hainault.t 

The lord Guy de Blois succeeded his brothers in all their posses- 
sions in France, Picardy, Hainault, Holland, and Zealand, as well as 
in the country of Blois. I know not how many years the lady of 
lord John survived him, but, on her decease, her sister, the countess 
of Juliers, remained peaceable possessor of the duchy of Gueldres. 
It was, however, settled, at the request of the nobility and inhabit, 
ants of the duchy, that lord William de Juliers, eldest son of the 
count of Juliers, should be duke of Gueldres; for it had reverted to 
him in direct succession from his uncles, and, on this account, duke 
Albert and his duchess had given him their daughter in marriage, 
who had been betrothed to the duke Edward, as before mentioned. 
Thus was this lady still duchess of Gueldres, and this last marriage 
was more suitable, for they were both nearly of the same age. The 
duke resided constantly in his own country ; but the more he in- 
creased in age the greater was his love for tilts, tournaments, and 
such amuscinents, and he was more attached to the English than to 
the French, which he showed as long as he lived. He had always 
rankling in his breast a similarhatrcd to what had subsisted between 
his ancestors and the dukes of Brabant, and was ever seeking for 
occasion of quarrel with them for two reasons : one, because he was 
the ally of king Richard 11. ; the other, because Winceslaus of Bo. 
hemia, duke of Luxembourg, had purchased from the count do 
Mours, a great baron in Germany, those three castles I have before 
mentioned, but will now mention again, to make the matter clearer, 
Goch, Becck, and Megen ; they are situated beyond the Meuse, on 
the territory of Fauquemont. "The dukes of Gueldrest had in former 
times been lords of these castles, and the present duke was much 
vexed that he could not add them to his inheritance ; but as long as 
duke Winceslaus lived he kept all this to liimsclf. 



CHAPTER XCVIII. 

FROISSAKT r.ETURNS TO THE QUAKKEL BETWEEN THE HOUSES OF BKABANT 
AND CUELDEES, WHICH UE HAD LEFT UNFINISHED IN THE PRECEDIKG- 
CHAPTER, AND CONTINTTES THE HISTORY OF TlfE DUKES OF GUELDRES TO 
DUKE WILLIAM, WHO SENDS HIS CHALLENiJE TO CHARLES VI. KING OF 
FRANCE. 

Duke Reginald of Gueldres, cousin-gcrman to the prince of Wales, 
had mortgaged the three above-mentioned castlcsfor asum of flotins 
to a great baron of Germany, called the count de Mours. He kept 
possession of them for a time ; but, when no intention was shown 

first count of Cleves, on the other part. Whether Mary and Matilda were both the 
daughters of Sophia of Mechlin, or whether Kegurald Uie second married thrice, and 
had Matilda by a prior wife to Sophia, is uncertain ; but no mention of a third majriage 
is to be met with in any i«cords of the tmie.— Ed. 

* John de Chatillon, count of Blois. married Matilda in 1372.— Ed. 

t The lords Lewis, John and Guy, were sons of the count Guy de Blois, brother to 
Charles de Blois, duke of Brittany, by a daughter of sir John of Hainault, who ooi>- 
ducted queen Isabella of France to England, with her son Edward HI. Aimotatioa 
X.— Dknts SAU\-AaE. 



45G 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &, c . 



of paying back the money he had lent on their security, he grew mel. 
ancholy, and sent legal summons for payment to duke Reginhld. 
But he made light of this, as he had not any money to acquit him- 
self of the debt, which frequently happens to many great lords when 
they are called upon for payment. When the count de Mours per. 
ceived this, he made advances to the duke of Brabant, and offered 
him these castles for the money for which they were mortgaged. The 
duke eagerly accepted the proposal, for they were on the confines of 
the territory of Fauquemont, of which he was lord. The duke was 
desirous to increase his inheritance, for he thought surely to stirvive 
his present duchess, the lady Johanna,* 

He took possession of these 
castles, and placed in them, as 
governor, the lord de Kale. 
When, upon the death of duke 
Reginald, the lord Edward sue. 
ceeded to the duchy of Gueldres, 
he sent embassadors to the duke 
of Brabant, to request he might 
have his castles for the money he 
had paid them. The duke, not 
having purchased them for this 
end, returned a positive refusal. 
The duke of Gueldres was highly 
indignant at this answer, and in 
consequence was hard on his 
sister in-law, the widow of the 
lord Reginald, and 5'ounger sister 
to the duchess of Brabant, by pre- 
venting her from receiving her 
dower. The lady went to Bra- 
bant, and laid her complaints of 
the vexations which the duke of 
Gueldres was occasioning her, 
before the duke and duchess. 
On account of the long-subsisting 
hatred between the Brabanters 
and those of Gueldres, for the 
seizure of Grave, the first were 
well inclined to aid the lady by 
force of arms. A large body of 
men-at-arms were indeed once 
collected in Brabant, and ad. 
vanced to Blois-le-Duc, to the 
amount of twelve hundred spears. 
The duke of Gueldres had like- 
wise assembled his forces, and 

it was generally thought a battle would have been the consequence ; 
butdtike Albert, the count de Moui-s, and the count of.Iuliers tliis time 
interfered, and they separated without coming to blows. 

This same year duke Winceslaus was victorious over some free 
companies, who had overrun and despoiled his lands in Luxembourg : 
he banished many, and put to death their leader, called the Little 
Mesclin, in the tower of the castle of Luxembourg. In this year also, 
the lord Charles of Bohemia, emperor of Germany, appointed the 
dnke of Brabant chief of an institution called in Germany Langue- 
fride, which signifies an association for the repairs and security of 
lite public roads, so that persons may travel from one part to another 
without danger. The emperor gave him also great possessions in 
Alsace on both sides of the Rhine, that he might guard the country 
against the Linfars, who are a most wicked people, robbing all with- 
out mercy. He gave him likewise the sovereignty of the large city 
of Strasburg, and, to add to his dignity, created him a prince of the 
Holy Roman Empire. He certainly could not give him too much, 
for this duke Winceslaus was generous, amiable, courteous to all, 
and gallant in arms. Great things must have been expected from 
him, had he been granted longer life, but he died in the flower of 
his age ; on account of which I, the author of this history, greatly 
grieve, and wish he had enjoyed a course of eighty years or more, 
for he would have done much good to mankind. The schism in the 
church afflicted him greatly, as he often expressed himself to me, 
who lived with him on the most intimate and friendly footing. And 
notwithstanding that I have seen and personally known upward of 
two hundred powerful princes in my various travels, I have never 
found any more courteous and amiable than this duke of Brabant, 
and my very good lord the count Guy de Blois, who commanded me 
to indite this Chronicle. These were the two princes, of my time, 
of the greatest liberality, humility, and goodness, who lived magnifi- 
cently on their revenues, without malice or any way oppressing their 
subjects by taxes, and issuing any hurtful edicts through their terri- 
tories. But I will now return to the principal subject of this chapter. 

When the dukes of .lulicrs and Gueldres, who were brothers by 
marriage, and whose hearts were too much attached to the English 
(for they had long been the allies of the kings of England, and 



strongly united to each other,) heard of the dignities conferred by the 
emperor on the duke of Brabant, they were much exasperated ; not 
from any wish to do good or correct the wicked, but that such honors 
should be conferred on their enemy: more particularly that he should 
have the appointment of LanguetYide, and execute the office with. 
severity, for it affected their lands. This institution had been first 
formed for the security of those merchants of Hainault, Brabant, 
France,Flanders, and Liege, who travelled thence to Cologne, Treves, 
Lucca, Constance, and other cities and fairs in Germany. Mer- 
chants could not enter those countries without risk, through the states 
of Juliers or Gueldres. It happened there were some robberies cora- 




* Winceslaus was the second husband of Johannn, heiress of Brabnnt and Liinbourg. 
She was married to him, 13jo. After Uie death of Winceslaus, the 8lh December, 1384, 
and his son, she constituted Anthony, second son of the duke of Burgundy, her heir. 
1404. Her first husband, William, count of Holland, died, 1345, without issue. Jo- 
hanna died 1406.— ANDE .son's R. G. 



The Emperor constituting the Duke of Bradant Lanodefridb, or Keeper of the PtnjLic Roads. Designed from- 
MSS. Illuminations of the l^'ifleenth Century. 



mittcd on the highways by these Linfars, who had escaped into the 
territory of the duke of Juliers; and it was told me, that the duke 
had even lent them horses and the use of his castles. Heavy com- 
plaints were made of this to duke Winceslaus, who at that time was 
resident in Brussels, and that the Languefride was held in contempt; 
that the persons who had violated it were retired into the duchy of 
Juliers, where they lived unmolested. • 

The duke of Brabant, at that time young and chivalrous, high in 
birth and rich in fortune, was greatly piqued at this conduct, and hurt 
by the complaints of those who had been robbed ; he declared he 
would speedily provide a remedy, and, being nominated chief of the 
Languefride, would not that any blame should fall on hiin for negli. 
gence iii the due support of it. To be assured of the fact, and through 
the advice of his friends, he sent to the duke of Juliers some of the 
first men in his country, such as the lord d'Urquon, the lord Bour- 
gueval, sirScelar archdeacon of Hainault, Geoffry de la Tour grand, 
roulier of Brabant, and several more, to remonstrate with him in an 
amicable manner on the impropriety of his conduct, and that proper 
excuses must be made for the offence, as it afl'ectcd too strongly the 
duke of Brabant as chief of the Lanpuefiide. 

The duke of Juliers paid but little attention to their remonstrances, 
for he seemed rather to piefer war to peace, which displeased so 
much the envoys from the duke of Brabant, that they took leave of 
him, and returned to relate all that had passed. The duke of Bra- 
bant, having heard them, asked their advice how to act. " Sir," 
they replied, "you know it full well yourself: speak your will." 
" Well, then," said the duke, " it is not my intention to let this matter 
sleep, nor shall it be said, through cowardice or weakness of heart I 
have suffered any robberies to be committed within my jurisdiction 
with impunit)', as I will make my cousin, the duke of Juliers, and his 
adhcrints, very soon feel, and that the business is personal to me." 
The duke was not idle, but instantly set clerks to work in wriUng 
letters to all from whom he expected any assistance : some he en. 
tieatcd, others he commanded, and gave sufficient notice to the duke 
of Juliers and his allies of his intentions. Each of these lords pro- 
vided themselves as ably as they could : but the duke of Juliers would 
have made an indiflcrent figure withmit his brother-in-law the duke 
of Gueldres, who greatly reinforced him with men-at-arms and friends. 
These two lords collected men secretly from Germany ; and as the 
Germans were avaricious, and had not for some time had any oppor- 
tunity of gain, they accepted their pay, and came in greater numbers 



CHRONICLE S OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, 



&c. 



457 



as they were ignorant they were to be employed against the duke of 
Brabant. 

The duke of Brabant left Brussels in grand array, and went to 
Louvain, thence to Maestricht, where he found upward of one thou- 
sand good speara waiting for him : other forces were coming to his 
aid from- France, Flanders, Hainault, Namur, Lorrain, Bar, and dif- 
ferent parts, so that his army amounted to full two thousand five 
hundred lances. Four hundred spears, under the lord of Geant, 
were on their march to join him from Burgundy ; but they arrived 
too late, from not knowing when an engagement would take place, 
and were much vexed when they heard that it was over without their 
being present. While the duke of Brabant remained at Maestricht, 
he could not obtain any intelligence of his enemies : he therefore 
determined to advance and enter their lands, which he did on a 
Wednesday, and there encamped. He lialted that day and the next, 
and learnt from his scouts that the enemy had taken the field. He 
commanded the army to advance into the territory of .Tuliers and 
burn it. This Thursday he halted at an early hour. The van was 
commanded by Guy de Ligny, count de St. Paul, and the lord Wal. 
eran his son, who though very young, being no more than sixteen 
years old, was then made a knight. The Brabanters encamped very 
close together, and, as it appeared, the Germans were better informed 
of their state than the Brabanters were concerning them : for, on the 
Friday morning, as the duke had heard mass, and all were on the 
plain, not thinking a battle would soon take place, the dukes of 
Juliers and Guledres made their appearance, with a large and well, 
mounted body of men-at-arms. The duke of Brabant was told : 
" Sir, here are your enemies ; put on your helmets quickly, in the 
name of God and St. George." He was well pleased on hearing 
this ; and that day he had near his person four squires, well informed, 
and ot courage to save such a prince, having been engaged in many 
deeds ol arms and pitched battles : their names were John de Valcon, 
Baldwin de Beaufort, Gerard de Bles, and Orlando de Cologne. 

The men of Brussels surrounded the duke : some were mounted 
with their servants behind them, who carried flagons of wine, and 
salmon, trout, and eel-pies, neatly packed in handsome towels at- 
tached to their saddles. These people, with their horses, filled up 
the place so much, that no proper orders could be given. At length, 
Gerard de Bles said to the duke, " Sir, order all these horse away 
that surround us : they are greatly in our way, and prevent us from 
knowing what has become of the van and rear division, under your 
marshal sir Robert de Namur." " I consent," replied the duke, and 
gave his orders. Upon this, Gerard and his companions, sword in 
hand, began to lay about them, on helmets and horses, so that the 
place was instantly cleared ; for no one would willingly have his 
horse wounded or killed. To make an end of the business, the 
dukes of Juliers and Gueldres advanced ftdl gallop on the van, under 
the command of the count de St. Paul and his son, which they broke 
and defeated, and many were slain and made prisoners. This divis- 
ion made the greatest resistance, and tire count de St. Paul and his 
son were among the dead. Fortune was unkind to the duke of 
Brabant and his allies ; for this battle was so severe, few men of 
honor escaped death or captivity. 

The duke of Brabant, sir Robert de Namur, sir Lewis, his brother, 
sir William de Namur, son to the count de Namur, were made 
prisoners, and such numbers of others, that their enemies were 
fully occupied when they surrendered to them. There were many 
slain on the side of the duke of Juliers : but you know it is a gen- 
eral observation, a defeated army always suffers the most. The 
Brabanters, however, had one satisfaction in their great loss, in the 
death of duke Edward of Gueldres ; for it was the opinion of all, 
that had he survived, he would have overrun the country, and con- 
quered the whole, as well as Brussels, without meeting any opposi-, 
tion ; for he was a most outrageously bold knight, and detested the 
Brabanters, on account of the three castles they held from him. 
The duke of Juliers gained this victory on a Friday of August, the 
eve of St. Bartholomew's day, in the year of our Lord, 1371. 

The duchess of Brabant, in her distress, had recourse to king 
Charles V. of France, who was nephew to the duke. The king 
advised her to apply in person to the emperor of Germany, as being 
brother to the duke of Brabant, and because he had suflbred in sup- 
port of the emperor's rights. The lady did so, and went to Coblentz, 
where she found the emperor, to whom she made her complaints. 
The emperor heard her with attention, and was bound by several 
reasons to grant her relief and comfort ; first, because the duke was 
his brother, and because he had appointed him his vicar of the em- 
pire, and chief of the Languefride. He consoled the duchess, and 
told her, that before the ensuing summer were passed, he would pro- 
vide an ample remedy for what had happened. The duchess returned 
to Brabant greatly comforted. The emperor, lord Charles of Bohe. 
mia, was not inactive ; for as soon as the winter was passed, he went 
to the noble city of Cologne, where he made such vast provision of 
stores, as if he were about to march to the conquest of a kingdom. 
He wrote to all counts and dukes who held lands under him, to meet 
him tTie third day of June,* at Aix-ia-Chapelle, each accompanied 
by fifty horse, under pain of forfeiture of liis lands for disobedience. 
He particularly summoned duke Albert, earl of Hainault, to Aix, 
with fifty horse, who obeyed. 

* 13!2.-Eb. 



When all the lords who had been summoned were arrived at Aix- 
la-Chapelle, the place was much crowded, and the emperor then de. 
clared he would instantly enter the duchy of Juliers to destroy it, on 
account of the great outrage that had been offered him, by the duke 
of Juliers taking up arms against his vicar and brother ; for such had 
been the sentence adjudged in the courts of the empire. The arch, 
bishop of Treves, the archbishop of Cologne, the bishop of Mentz, 
the bishop of Liege, duke Albert of Bavaria,* his brother, and many 
great barons of Germany, relations of the duke of Juliers, having 
consulted together, thought that to destroy the whole of the territo- 
ries of so vahant a knight, was a punishment too severe. They 
therefore proposed that the duke of Juliers should be summoned, and 
brought to acknowledge his error. This being agreed to, all parties 
labored to bring about a reconciliation. 

Duke Albert and his brother went to Juliers, where they found the 
duke so much dismayed at this large armament of the emperor, that 
he knew not how to act, nor what counsel to follow, for he had heard 
it was intended against him, unless his friends exerted themselves to 
avert it. The duke of Juliers was much rejoiced and comforted by 
the arrival of two such lords as duke Albert of Bavaria and the duke 
Otho, his brother, besides being his relations ; for he knew they 
would not allow him to suffer any disgrace, but would give him the 
best advice for his conduct. They counselled him as follows : To 
send some of his principal knights for his cousin the duke of Brabant, 
whom he had detained a prisoner at large in the town and castle of 
Judeque.t When he was brought to them, these lords paid him 
every respect that was his due. They then all left Juliers together, 
and rode to Aix-, wherew they dismounted at the hotels which had 
been prepared for them. Duk» Albert, his brother, and the before- 
mentioned prelates, who had been mediators in this business, went 
to the emperor and his council, and told them, that the duke Juliers 
was, of his own free will, come to wait on him, and was willing to 
put hiirjself, without reservation, in his power, as he acknowledged 
him for his sovereign and liege lord. These humble words greatly 
softened the anger of the emperor, and he replied, " Let the duke of 
Juliers come hither." 

When the duke of Juliers was in the presence of the emperor, he 
cast himself on his knees, and said, "Most redoubted and sovereign 
lord, I understand you are much displeased with nie for having de- 
tained so long in prison your brother of Brabant. I am willing to 
refer the whole matter to your noble self, and will conform to what- 
ever may be your judgment and that of your council." The emperor 
made no answer to this speech ; but his son, the king of Bohemia, 
replied, "Duke of Juliers, you have behaved very outrageously, in 
keeping so long our cousin of Brabant prisoner; and had it not been 
for your well-beloved cousins, the dukes of Bavaria and Austria, 
who have so warmly interceded for you, this matter would have 
turned out very disagreeably to you, and you would have well deserved 
that it should do so. Continue your harangue, and manage that we 
be satisfied with you, and that we have i^|^r again any cause to com- 
plain of your conduct ; for another time it will cost you very dear."^ 

The duke of Juliers was still on his knees before the emperor, 
seated on his imperial throne, and thus spoke : " My very redoubted 
and sovereign lord, I acknowledge that I have been guilty of con- 
tempt to your imperial dignity, by raising an army, and engaging 
with it my cousin, your brother, the vicar of the holy empire. If the 
fortune of war gave me the day, and your brother was taken prisoner, 
I now restore him to you free of all ransom ; and, if you please, 
there shall never again be ill-will or revenge thought of between us." 
The prelates and princes, standing round, said, "Most renowned lord, 
accept the excuses and offers which your cousin the duke of Juliers 
makes you, and let thent satisfy you." " We are willing to do so,'* 
said the emperor ; and, as it was told me, in further confirmation he 
took the dulte of Juliers by the hand, as he rose, and kissed him on 
the mouth. The king of Bohemia and duke of Brabant did the same. 

Thus was Winceslaus of Bohemia, duke of Luxembourg and Bra- 
bant, delivered from prison, by the power of the emperor, without 
ransom, as were all that had been made prisoners by the duke of 
Juliers, and who had not paid their ransoms, by the treaties that were 
drawn up in consequence of this reconciliation. When this matter 
had been concluded, the assembly broke up, and tdl returned to their 
homes. The emperor went to Prague, the duke of Brabant to Brus- 
sels. When the duke of Brabant had there arrived, he imposed a 
very heavy tax on the country, to make restitution to the knights and 
squires for some part of the losses they had suffered. 



CHAPTER XCI. 

A C0XTINt7ATI0N OF THE HISTORY Of THE QUARREL BETWEES BRABANT 
A>fD GUELDRES. ON THE DEATH OF DUKE WINCESLAUS, THE YOUNIJ 
WILLIAM OF JULIERS, DUKE OF GUELDRES, ENDEAVORS BY EVEIMT 
MEANS TO REGAIN THE THREE CASTLES. HE ALLIES HIMSELF TO THE 
KING OF ENGLAND, BECAUSE FRANCE StTPPOKTS THE RIGHTS OF THE 
WIDOW.DUCHESS OF BRABANT. 

I HAVE taken much pains to detail all the particulars of this matter 
in my history, to bring it to the point I aim at, which is to explain 

* Otho v.. sumamed " le fitineunt." margrave of Br&Ddenburg.— Ed. 
t "Juduque." Q. If Dot JiJicI), Juliers. 



45S 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



why king Charles of France led a powerful army into Gemiany. I 
might indeed have passed it more briefly over, if I had chosen; but 
the dates of all these circumstances ought to be inserted in this his- 
tory. In truth, I have my own manner of relating things, which, 
though pleasing to mo, is indifferent enough. When I leanit that the 
kings of France and Ejigland were about to interfere in this business, 
I exerted myself to examine more deeply into the subject than I had 
lutherto done, and shall continue it as follows. 

On the return of duke Winceslaus to Brabant, freed from all dangers 
of prison, as you have heard, he was desirous of visiting his states and 
castles, as well in the duchy of Luxembourg as elsewhere. He took 
therefore his road toward Alsace and the city of Strasburg, through the 
territory of Fauquemont. He visited those three castles which had 
caused the hatred of the duke of Gueldres.and found them strong, hand- 
some, and well situated. If he liked them before, he was now still 
more pleased with them, and ordered the tenants around to assist in 
strengthening their fortifications. He employed masons, carpenters 
and ditchers, to repair and ornament them ; and before his departure, 
he appointed a prudent and valiant knight called sir John Grosset. as 
governor in chief, with orders to guard and defend them at ids peril. 
The duke continued his journey through his states, stopping at vari- 
ous places, according to his pleasure, and then returned to Brabant, 
which was his iixed place of residence. 

Sir John de Blois had at this period married the duchess-dowager 
of Gueldres, to whom that duchy had fallen by the death of lord Ed. 
ward, slain, as you have heard, at the battle of Julicrs : but the duchess 
of Juliers opposed her claim on Gueldres, and was supported by the 
majority of the nobility and principal towns ^ for she was more pop. 
ular with them than her eldest sister because she had a fine son, of 
an age to defend them in war, and neither her sister nor her husband, 
sir John de Blois, had ever peaceable possession of the duchy. The 
war to support the claim of the duchess, in which he was forced to 
engage, cost him upward of one hundred thousand francs; and after 
all William de Juliers, son to the duke of Juliers, (who had early 
shown in his youth that chivalry and love of arms had descended to 
him by blood on both sides,) remained duke of Gueldres. A union 
was concluded between him and the eldest daughter of duke Albert, 
who was married to the lord Edward of Gueldres, but the marriage, 
on account of her extreme youth, had never been consummated. By 
this union with lord William, she remained duchess of Gueldres. 

Time and seasons pass and change ; and this young duke increased 
in honor, strength, and understanding, with a great desire for deeds 
of arms, and a strong inclination to add to his sister states. His heart 
was more English than French, and he had declared in his younger 
years that he would always aid the kings of England in their wars ; 
for, being more nearly connected by blood with them than with the 
kings of France, he bore them greater affection. When his council 
gave him to understand that the Brabanters did him much injury by 
the detention of the three casdes which the duke and duchess held 
from him, he replied, "YlMfao: wait a while- pvcrything has its 
turn. It is not yet time i^^me to exert myself, for our cousin of 
Brabant has too many powerful friends ; but a time may come, when 
I will rouse myself in earnest.'' Things remained in this state, until 
God was pleased to call to him duke Winceslaus, who died duke of 
Brabant and Luxembourg, as has been already related in this history. 
The duchess and the states suffered a great loss by the death of this 
gallant duke. 

The young duke of Gueldres, who was now of an age to maintain 
his pretensions by arms against his enemies, began to take measures 
for the regaining these three castles, which had created such hatred 
between Brabant and his uncle, the lord Edward of Gueldres. He 
sent persons properly authorized to treat.with the duchess of Brabant 
for the surrender of tlie castles, on payment of the sum they had been 
mortgaged for : but the lady replied that, as they were now legally 
in her possession, she would keep them for herself and her heir, as 
her lawful inheritance ; and that if the duke were in earnest in his 
professions of friendship to Brabant, he would prove it by yielding 
up the town of Grave, which he unjustly detained. The duke of 
Gueldres on hearing this answer, wluch was not very agreeable to 
him, was much piqued, but did not the less adhere to his plans. He 
now attempted to gain over to his interest the governor of those cas. 
ties, sir John Grosset, by purchase or otherwise. The knight was 
prudent and steady : he told those who had been sent secreUy to treat 
with him, never again to mention the subject, for, were he to die for 
it, he would never act dishonorably, nor be guilty of treason to his 
lawful sovereign. When the duke found he had not any hopes of 
succeeding with the governor, he (as I was informed) addressed 
himself to sir Reginald d'Esconvenort, and excited such a hatred 
between him and sir John Grosset, for a very trifling cause, that the 
knight was shortly after murdered in the plains, cither by sir Reginald, 
or by his people, or through an ambuscade, to the great vexation of 
the duchess of Brabant and that country. The three castles were 
put under another governor by order of the duchess and her council. 
Affairs remained some years in this state ; but their mutual hatred 
was privately kept up, as well for these casdes as for the town of 
Grave. Those of Gueldres that bordered on Brabant did as much 
mischief as they could to their neighbors, more particularly the inhab. 
ilants of Grave, which is but four leagues distant from Bois.le-Duc, 
and a fine open country to ride over : they therefore harassed greatly 
the Brabanters near that uart. 



During the time these things were passing, the duke of Gueldres 
crossed the sea to England, to vj;it his cousin king Richard, and his 
relatives the dukes of Lancaster, York, and Gloucester, who were 
then at home, and the great barons of England. They made him 
good cheer, for they were desirous to sec and make acquaintance 
with him, having before heard how much the duke was attached to 
England. In this journey he entered into an alliance with the king 
of England ; and although he had not hitherto received anything 
from the king to induce him to become his liegeman, he now accepted 
a pension of one thousand marcs on the king of England's treasury, 
which, according to the value of the coin, was equal to four thousand 
francs ready money.* He was advised to renew his claims on Bra- 
bant, and was promised to be effectually assisted by England, that 
no loss should accrue to him. In return for which, he swore to be 
for ever loyal in his services to England : all this he too readily en. 
tered into. When this treaty had been concluded, he took leave of 
the king and his barons, and returned to Gueldres, when he told the 
duke of Juliers what he had done, and how he had strengthened him- 
self by his alliance with England. 

The duke of Juliers, who, from age, had more experience than his 
son, was not much rejoiced on hearing it, and said, " William, what 
you have done may be the cause that both you and I shall dearly pay 
for your visit to England. Are yoii ignorant of the power of the 
duke of Burgundy, and that he has not his equal in this respect ? He 
is the next heir to the duchy of Brabant, and how can you think of 
succeeding in any opposition to him, or of resisting so potent a 
prince ?" " How !'.' replied the duke of Gueldres, " the more rich 
and powerful he is, the better to make war on. I had rather have 
for my enemy a rich man, who has large possessions, than a little 
baron from whom nothing can be gained : for one blow I receive, 1 
wish to give six ; besides, the emperor of Germany is so much con-' 
nected with England, that I may look for assistance from him should 
there be occasion." " By my faith, fair son William, you are mad ; 
and more of your schemes will fall to the ground than will be accom- 
plished." 

I will explain why the duke of Juliers thus checked his son, and 
doubted of the success of his enterprises.' The late king of France 
e.xerted himself much to gain friends in different parts : and, though 
he could not prevail on many to join him in his wars, yet, by gifts 
and other compliments, he kept them quiet, and by such means 
acquired several friends in the empire and elsewhere. When the 
emperor had forgiven the duke of Juliers' conduct to the duke of; 
Brabant, and the last, by obtaining his liberty, was reconciled to the 
duke of Juliers, he, at the desire of the king of France, waited on 
him at Paris, where he was most kindly received. The king gavej 
to him and his knights very rich presents of jewels, to the great satis-' 
faction of the duke. In this visit the duke was presented with Vier- 
sont and its lordships, which he held as a iief from the king, to whom 
he swore he would never bear arms against France. Vierson was 
originally dependent on the crfunts de Blois, is situated between Bloia. 
and Berry, and may be worth about five hundred francs a year.; 
During the reign of Charles V., he truly kept his oath, and, as long . 
as the king lived, neither bore arms himself, nor entered into any j 
treaty with the enemies of France. When Charles VI. began his 
reign, he was so much embroiled with the wars with Flanders and; 
England, that he could not attend to everything. The duke of Juliers, | 
not being summoned, did not renew his homage for Vierson ; and the , 
duke of Berry, noticing this, seized the lands, which he said were 
dependent on him, and thus deprived the counts of Blois of their 
rights. This, however, caused no quarrel between the families, for 
I saw them frequently together, and, indeed, from their comtection 
it was right they should be good friends ; for Lewis, son of the duke 
of Berry, was married to the lady Mary, daughter of the count de 
Blois. The duke of Jidiers had thoughts of claiming the lands of 
Vierson, until ho found his son had so hastily, and, as he thought, 
imprudently alUed himself with England, which he imagined would 
never turn out to his advantage. He had therefore spoken to him in 
the manner I have related, when the duke of Gueldres returned from 
England ; but ^ paid not any attention to it, and, as he was young 
and rash, replied to his father, that he would not do otherwise than 
he had said ; and that he preferred war to peace, and war against 
the king of France to a contest with a poorer person. 



CHAPTER C. 

TirE DUCHESS OF BRABANT SE.NDS EMBASSADORS TO FRANCE FOR ASSIST- 
ANCE AGAINST THE DUKE OF GUELDRES. THEY ARRIVE AT THE SAME 
TIME TDE duke's CHALLENSE IS BROUGHT, AND RECEIVE FAVORABLE 
ANSWERS. 

The duchess of Brabant, who resided at Brussels, was well in- 
formed of everything that was passing, and that the duke of Guel- 
dres menaced the Brabanters with war. She was fearful that he 
would put his threats in execution, and said : " Ah, may God gra- 
ciously pardon my deceased lord ; for, had he been alive, the duke 

* See the Foedera, an. 10 Ricardi II. wbere the txeaty is at length. The pension \n» 
for life, of one thousand pounds sterling. 

t " Viereon."— a city of Berry, OQ the Clier, dio«e«e of Bourges. twenty-two lea^et 
from Orleans. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND. FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



4&» 



of Gueldres would not have dued to use the expressions I hear ho 
has done ; but, because I am a woman, and old, he wants to attack 
and make war on mc." The duchess assembled her council on tlie 
occasion ; for she knew her opponent was of a hasty temper, and 
that action would soon follow his words. At the time tliis council 
■ was held, the duke of Gueldree had sent his defiance to the kinc of 
France, which had caused great slander in all countries where it had 
heen told ; for the duke was but a petty prince in comparison with 
others ; and the tenor of tliia challenge was, as I heard, ^vritten in 
each imperious and coarse language as astonished all who saw it. 
This ciiallenge was spoken of variously, according as the different 
persons to whom it was told were attaciied. 

The council of the duchess, in answer to her when she demanded 
their advice, said, " In the name of God, lady, what you ask may be 
speedily given. We advise, that you send embassadors to the king 
of France and to the duke of Burgundy. You have a good oppor- 
tunity ; for the duke of Gueldres has sent his defiance to the king 
of France and all his allies. Should he carry his tlueats into execu- 
tion, and, as it is reported, make war on that kingdom, in conjunc- 
tion witii die English and Germans, he cannot gain a more convenient 
entrance into it, than through your duchy. It is right, therefore, the 
king and the duke of Burgundy be prepared, and that all your castles 
on the frontiers be well supplied with men-at-arms ; for there is no 
enemy so contemptible, but that he should be feared. We do not 
mean to say that against him alone, nor for what the Gueldrians may 
be able to do against us, we should seek for assistance or allies : oh, 
no ; but on account of the connections he may have formed with 
foreign countries, especially with the English, in whose cause he is 
now arming, and the Germans, who are avaricious, and eager to 
make war on France for the wealth they hope to find there." The 
duchess replied, " Your advice is good, and I will that attention be 
paid to it." The envoys to France were chosen from among the 
privy counsellors of Brabant, and were the lord de Bourgueval mas- 
ter of the household, sir John Opem, a most amiable knight, sir 
Nicholas de la Monnoye, and John de Grave, a clerk. When their 
credential letters were drawn out and sealed, they left Brussels and 
took the road to Paris. At that time, however, the king and the 
duke of Burgundy were at Rducu, whither the embassadors went. 

On their arrival at Rouen, they waited first on the duke of Bur- 
gundy, who entertained them handsomely, as he knew well, and 
showed him their credential letters. The duke having perused them, 
at the proper hour led th.om to the king, who received them graciously, 
from his regard to their duchess. The king, after reading their pa. 
pers, said : " What you request, demands consideration : keep near 
our fair uncle of Burgundy, and your business shall be attended to, 
and concluded as speedily as may be." This answer was satisfac- 
tory to them, and, having taken leave of the king and the duke of 
Burgundy, they returned to their lodgings. The king of France, his 
uncles and the lords of his council, had, at this moment, full employ- 
ment, and were daily in council respecting different matters which 
required it. The challenge of the duke of Gueldres was not very 
agreeable ; and they knew not the intentions of the duke of Brittany, 
from his strange conduct in regard to the constable of France. They 
had likewise heard he was busy in providing all his towns and cas- 
tles with stores and men-at-arms ; and that his correspondence was 
now more frequent than ever with the king of England and his two 
uncles : for the duke of Lancaster was still in Galicia. The council 
of France had, therefore, enough to do, to weigh well these matters ; 
and were so much occupied on them, that the Brabanters waited 
some time for their answer. At length the duke of Burgundy gave 
it them as follows : " You will return to our fair aunt, and salute her 
many times in my name. Give her these letters from the king and 
from me ; and tell her, that we consider her affairs as our own, and 
desire her not to be alarmed at anything, for she will have speedy 
aid ; and tell her that the country of Brabant shall not, in any way, 
be hurt or damaged." This answer was very agreeable to the em- 
bassadors, who instantly returned to Paris, and thence to Brussels, 
and gave the duchess a detailed account of what had passed, and of 
the answer they had received, so that she was perfectly contented. 



CHAPTER CI. 

CONCETlNINGr THE KTTMORS OF THE SIGNS OF SANCTITY WHICH WEtlE HAN. 
IFESTED BY THE CARDINAL DE LUXEMBOURG AFTER HIS DEATH. THE 
EXTRAORDINARY END OF THE KING OF NAVARRE. 

About Uiis period, there were many rumors, that the body of Saint 
Peter de Luxembourg, who had been a cardinal, showed miraculous 
powers in the city of Avignon. This holy cardinal was the son of 
the lord Guy de Saint Paul, slain at the battle of Julicrs. I must 
say, that the cardinal led a most holy and devout life, doing works 
agreeable to God ; for he was courteous, modest, chaste, and a great 
ahnsgiver. He kept from his church preferments merely sufficient 
for his maintenance, and gave all the rest to the poor. He was the 
greater part of the day and night in prayer, and shunned all worldly 
vanities. His life was so devout that it pleased God to call him in 
his youth ; and, instantly after his death, his body, which he had 
ordered to be buried in the common sepulchre with the poor, per. 
formed miracles, for his whole life was full of humility, but it was 



intencd in the chapel of St. Michael. When the pope and cardinals 
perceived that miracles increased from this holy body, tiioy sent an 
account of them to the king of France, and to the elder brother of 
the saint, count Waleran de St. Paul, inviting him to come to Avig. 
non. The count could not refuse, and, when he went thither, pre- 
sented those fine silver lamps which arc now before hie iiltar. It 
was wonderful the great faith that was in this saint, and the num- 
bers who came thither when I was at Avignon ; for by that city 1 
returned from Foix, to witness this. His miracles and votaries daily 
multiplied, and it was said he would be canonized ; but I never 
heard more about it. 

Since I have related the death of this lioly cardinal, I will men- 
tion that of a different person, for £ have not yet spoken of the death 
of a king who has supplied ample materials for many a part of this 
history. His actions, however, were the reverse from those of the 
preceding personage, for by them the realm of France was nearly 
destroyed. You will readily guess I mean the king of Navaire. It 
is a truth well known, that nothing is more certain than death. I 
repeat it because the king of Navarre, when he died, did not think 
his end so near. Had he supposed it, he probably would have taken 
more care of himself. He resided in the city of Pampeluna, and 
took it into his head that he would raise two hundred thousand flo- 
rins by a tax on his country. His council dared not contradict him, 
for he was a cruel man to all who did so. The principal inhabitants 
of the great towns were summoned, and, fearful of disobeying, they 
came.. When all were assembled in the palace, the king himself, 
who was a subtle and eloquent man, explained to them the reasons 
why he wanted money; and that two hundred thousand florins must 
be raised from the country, in such wise that the rich should pay 
ten francs each, the middling ranks five, and the poor, one franc. 
This demand much astonished his audience ; for the preceding year 
there had been a battle in Navarre, which had caused a tax to be 
laid for one hundred thousand florins : he had, besides, in the same 
year married his daughter the lady Jane to the duke of Brittany, and 
there were large arrears of the lax of her dower yet unpaid. 

The king having demanded their answer, they requested some 
time to consult together; he allowed them fifteen days, when they 
were all to meet again in the same place, that is to say, those who 
had come from the cities and towns : on which they departed. 
When the news of this heavy tax was known, the whole country 
was in consternation. At the end of the fifteen days, they assem- 
bled again at Pampeluna, and the deputies from the principal towns 
amounted to about sixty persons. The king would hear their answer 
in person, and he ordered them to make it in a large orchard, which 
was distant from the palace, and inclosed with high walls. In giving 
their answer, they explained how impossible jt was for the country 
to pay this new tax, from the poverty. of the kingdom, and from the 
arrears of former taxes being still unpaid. They were unanimous 
in this declaration, and begged of him, for God's sake, to have pity 
on them, for the country could not in truth bear any additional tax. 

When the king of Navarre found he had not any hopes of sue. 
cess, he was silent and discontented : on leaving them he said, 
"You have been badly advised: consult together again:" and then 
went away, followed by his council. The deputies were shut up in 
this orchard, with orders for no one to be suffered to go out of it, 
and very little meat or drink to be given them. They remained thua 
in great fear of their lives, and none dared open their lipg. It may 
be supposed he succeeded at last in his plan ; for he beheaded three 
of the most determined in their opposition, to frighten the others to 
his will. At this moment an extraordinary event happened at Pam. 
peluna, which seemed a judgment from God. I will relate it, as 
several persons from Pampeluna told it me at Foix, which is but 
three days' journey off. 

It was reported, that the king of Navarre was fond of women, 
and had at this time a very handsome lady for his mistress, with 
whom he occasionally amused himself, for he had been long a wid- 
ower. Having passed a night with her, he returned to his own 
chamber, shivering with cold, and said to one of his valets, "Pre- 
pare my bed, for I want to lie down and repose myself a little." 
When ready, he undressed himself and went to bed ; but he was 
no sooner laid down than he began to shake, and could not get warm 
He was of a great age, about sixty, and accustomed to have his bed 
well warmed with heated air to make him sweat ; and this practice 
he had long continued without any visible harm. He ordered hia 
servants to warm the bed as usual ; but this time, cither by the will 
of God or the devil, it turned out very unfortunate, for the flames 
somehow set fire to the sheets, and it could not be extinguished be- 
fore they were destroyed, and the king, who was wrapped up in 
them, horribly burnt as far as his navel. He did not instantly die, 
but lingered on, in great pain and misery, fifteen days ; for neither 
surgeon nor physician could apply any remedies to prevent his death. 
Such was the end of the king of Navarre, which, however, freed 
his poor subjects from the tax he would have laid on them. His son 
Charles was a young, handsome, and gallant knight ; he was ac- 
knowledged king of Navarre by all his subjects, and soon after the 
obsequies of his father was crowned in the city of Pampeluna.* 

* " Charles king of Navarrfi died in 1367, aged 55 years. Hi* death wns wortJiy of hh 
life. He was wrapped up in cJoths that had Ixen dipped in spirits of wine and sulphur 
to reanimate the cbUi in hie liiDia, caueed by bia debaucheries, uod to cure bii< leproay. 



460 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



) 



CHAPTER CII. 

THE DUKE OF BEURY EESIESES VENTADOUK.* 



You liave before read of the treaties the count d'Armagnac and 
the dauphin of Auvcrgne attempted to make with the captains of 
the free companies who held castles and forts in Auvergne, the Ge- 
vaudan, and Limousin, and were at. war with their neighbors. 
Many of them were inclined to accept the terms offered, for they 
thought they had sufficiently plundered France, and wished to do 
tjhesame elsewhere. Tlie count d'Armagnac promised to lead them 
into Lombardy : but the count de Foi.'s, whom it was not easy to de- 
ceive, imagined that Was not his intention, and made secret inquiries 
as to the progress of the business, and whither the men-at-arms were 
to march on quitting their strongholds. The common report was, 
that they still continued their courses, for the men of the country so 
related it to him. Upon hearing this, he shook his head, and said, 
" Such men-at-arms will not be trifled with. The count d'Armag- 
nac and his brother Bernard are young, and I know they neither 
love me nor my country : these men-at-arms, therefore, may per- 
chance fall on me, unless I shall take proper order to guard against 
them. The proverb says, ' Long provision beforehand maketh sure 
possession.' " 

The count de Foix was not, in truth, wrong in his conjectures, as 
appearances at one time showed, which I shall relate, if I carry my 
history to that length. You have heard how that Breton, Geofl'ry 
Tfite.noire, had long held the castle of Ventadour, on the borders of 
Auvergne and Bourbonnois, and had refused to surrender for any 
money that had been offered him. He considered this castle as his 
own inheritance, and had forced all the surrounding country to enter 
into composition with him to avoid being plundered. By this means 
every one could labor the ground at their pleasure, and he was en- 
abled to keep the state of a great baron. He was a cruel man, and 
very ferocious in his anger, minding no more killing a man than a 
beast. You must know, that when the tax for the redemption of 
these castles was first raised, those in Auvergne, imagining that 
Ventadour would be surrendered to the duke of Berry, and the coun- 
try delivered from the oppressions of the garrison, very cheerfully 
paid their quota. But when they saw, that of those garrisons who 
continued their inroads, that of Ventadour was the most daring, they 
were very disconsolate and considered the tax that had been raised 
as thrown away. They declared, that mitil the garrison of Venta- 
dour was prevented from overrunning the country, they would never 
pay one farthing of any future tax. This was carried to the duke of 
Berry, who was lieutenant of Limousin, Gevaudan, and Auvergne, 
and he declared to his council, that those who had made such decla- 
ration w'ere in the right, and that the promises that had been held out 
were badly kept, by their not having so closely besieged the place, 
as to prevent the garrison sallying forth. The duke then ordered 
that four hundred spears should be collected, and paid by the coun- 
try, and placed under the command of sir William de Lignac and 
sir John de Bonne. lance, a courteous and vahant knight from the 
Bourbonnois, for them to invest Ventadour completely on all sides 
with block-houses. 

These knights and men-at-arms laid their siege as closely as they 
^could to the castle, and erected four block-houses : they also had 
large trenches cut by the peasants, and every obstruction thrown across 
-the roads they used to take, so that tlie garrison was completely shut 
in. Geoffry, however, was indifferent to this ; for he knew he had pro. 
•vision and stores to last for seven years, and that his castle was 
80 strongly placed upon a rock that it could not be taken by storm ; 
and, notwithstanding these block-houses, and this supposed complete 
blockade, he, at times, with some of his companions, made sallies 
through a postern that opened between two hidden rocks, and over- 
ran the country in search of wealthy prisoners. They never brought 
anything besides with them to the castle, on account of the difficulty 
of the passes. This opening could not be closed, and, to the sur- 
prise of the country, they were found abroad seven leagues distant : 
if they were by accident pursued, and had once regained their moun- 
tains, though the chase lasted for three leagues, they considered 
themsnlves as secure as if in their fort. This manner of harassing 
the country was long continued ; and the siege of the castle in the 
mann?r I have related, lasted for more than a year : by it the country 
was saved the large sums they used to pay as composition-money. 

By some accident, they cauglit fire, as they were sewing them ahout hini, and burnt the 
Ge^h ofl" his bones. It is thus that almost all the French historians relate the deatli of 
Charles ; but in the letter of tlie bishop of Da.\, his principal minister, to queen Blanche, 
tlie sister of this prince, and widow of Philii de Valois, there is not one word said of 
this horrid accident, but only of the great pains he suffered in his last illness, and the 
resignation with which he bore them. Voltaire pretends that Charles was not worse 
than many other princes. Ferreras had said before him, that the French surnamed him 
Charles the Bad, on account of the troubles he had fomented in tlie kingdom ; but that, 
if his actions were examined, be would be found not sufficiently wicked to deserve such 
a surname. It is, however, precisely bis actions that have caused it. He was, says 
father Daniel, treacherous, revenaefiil, cruel, and tlie sole cause of the ruin of France, 
f ntlier Daniel speaks exactly bke Mariano, who has painted with energy his cruelties, 
his infamous debaucheries, and bis treasons. Our best historians have done the same. 
But it is one of the folliiis of our a?c to attempt the rei'stablishment of tlie most worth- 
less characters, and to cry down those reputtilions that have been the most exalted."— 
JVbuuMii Dicttonnairs liistoriqxie. 

For more of Charle? de Navarre, see les AUmoiies de rAcad6inie. 

* '■ Ventadoiir " a castle iu the.dioccae of Uimogej 



Wc will, for the present, leave Ventadour, and, by way of variety 
speak of other matters. 

CHAPTER CIII. 

THE DUKE OP BORGtlKDY SENDS FOUR HUNDRED SPEARS TO THE DUCHESS 
OF BRABANT. THEY SURPRISE AND BURN THE TOWN OF SEAULLE IN 
GUELDRES. 

The duke of Burgundy was not forgetful of his promise to his aunt, 
the duchess of Brabant. He assembled a body of four hundred good 
men-at-arms, from Burgundy and other parts, and appointed two 
knights for their commanders : the one was sir William de la Tr6- 
mouille, a Burgundian ; the other, sir Gervais de Merande, a German ■ 
and said to them, " You will conduct these men-at-arms to that par 
of the frontiers of Brabant and Gueldres our fair aunt and her couii 
cil have fi-xed on, and make a severe war on her enemy, for such are 
our commands." The knights replied, they were ready and willing 
to obey his orders. When all their stores and men were assembled, 
they set out for Brabant, and having entered the duchy of Lexembourg, 
sent to inform the duchess of their coming. The marshal of Brabant 
went to meet and conduct them, and, by the directions of the coun- 
cil, quartered them in the three castles the duke of Gueldres claimed, 
of which they now formed the garrison, and, being on the enemy's 
land, went forth daily in hopes to meet them. The duke of Guel- 
dres, perceiving that hostilities were begun, reinforced all his towns 
and castles, and made every preparation to withstand his opponents. 
Sir William de la Tremouille, desirous to gain renown, and to do 
some act that should make it known he was in the country, cast hia 
eyes on a town of Gueldres, about four leagues from the castle wherein 
he was, in hopes to gain it : it was called Seaulle. Having secretly 
opened his mind to sir Gervais de Merande, and explained his inten- 
tions, he agreed to accompany him ; for he was equally anxious for 
deeds of arms. Having collected men from the different garrisons, 
they marched off' at midnight, at a brisk trot, under the care of able 
guides, who brought them to Seaulle near the point of day. They 
then halted, and formed another disposition, which, as it was told 
me, was as follows : sir Gervais, with only thirty lances, was to leave 
the main body, and, if possible, to gain and keep the gate, until sir 
William should arrive with the remainder ; for if the whole had ad- 
vanced, an alarm might have been given, but so few would possibly 
be taken for a party whom the duke of Gueldres had sent to rein- 
force the place, or some of his men who were riding from one town 
to another. 

As they had planned, so was it executed : sir Gervais left the army 
with thirty German spears, and rode toward the town. He passed 
indeed many people on his road thither ; for it was market. day, and, 
as he passed, saluted them in German, which made them all suppose 
they were their countrymen, attached to the duke of Gueldres, and 
going to the garrison. Sir Gervais rode on until he came to the 
gate, which he found wide open and slightly guarded : indeed it was 
so early, that few were out of bed. They there halted, and were 
scarcely masters of the gate when sir William de la Tremouille, with 
the main body, came up full gallop, and entered the town, shouting 
their cry. Thus was the town won without any defence being made : 
the garrison never imagined the French would have been so enter- 
prising, and the greater part were still in bed. It was on the Martin, 
mas eve this deed was done. Three days before, an English knight 
had entered the town with ten spears and thirty archers, whom the 
king of England had sent thither. The knight's name was sir Wil. 
liam Fikaoul ;* and, at the moment of the first noise and bustle, he 
was getting out of his bed. Hearing the town was taken, he asked 
by whom; he was told by Bretons. "Hal" said he, "Bretons are 
wicked fellows : they will pillage and burn the town, and then leave 
it : whose cry have they?" " In the name of God," cried a knight, 
" they cry Trdmouille I" 

Sir William Fikaoul, upon this, armed himself, and made his men 
do the same, and barricade his house, to see if any would come to 
his rescue, but in vain ; for every one was so frightened, they were 
flying in all directions, some for the church, others to escape by an 
opposite gate to that the enemy had entered, abandoning all they 
possessed. The French set fire to the town to alarm others at a dis- 
tance, but there were many houses of stone and brick which could 
not be affected by it : however, the greater part was burnt down and 
pillaged, for nothing worth taking was left; and they carried away 
some of the richest inhabitants prisoners. 

The English knight was taken doing his duty. When he saw all 
was lost, he ordered his house to be cleared of the barricades ; for 
he was fearful of fire, as his hall was full of smoke, and placing him- 
self and men in front, fought very valiantly, but at length was made 
prisoner by sir William de la Tremouille : his men were likewise 
taken, for few were slain. When the French had done all they listed 
at Seaulle, in Gueldres, and their servants had packed up the plun- 
der, they departed, for it would have been folly to have remained 
longer, and marched to their different garrisons. Such was the sue- 
cess of this first blow the duke of Gueldres received : he was much 
vexed when he heard of his loss, and hastened thither with a large 
body of men-at-arms, hoping to find the French still there. He 

» " Fikaoul." Feratd has VUzraoul, and my MS. Fitz-Pou], Lord Bemets bos Un 
same as in the text. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



461 



strengthened and repaired the town, and placed therein a garrison, 
who were more diligent in guarding it than the preceding one had 
been. Thus it happens in war ; sometimes one side loses, and 
sometimes another. 

The duchess of Brabant was highly pleased with the success of 
ail William de la Tr(;mouille and sir Gervais de Merandc, and they 
acquired much renown for it throughout the country. It wae the 
common talk in Brabant, that in the course of the ensuing summer, 
■they would renew the attack, and keep possession of it, for they 
should then have a sufficient force. The duke of Burgundy was well 
pleased to hear such satisfactory accounts of the good conduct of 
those he had sent to Brabanl; and, to encourage them to persevere, 
he frequently wrote to his knight, sir William de la Tremouille. They 
guarded so well the castles on the frontier, that no loss happened ; 
and the enemy was more careful in regard to their towns than they 
had been before the capture of SeauUe. I will now relate an ex. 
ploit of Pen-ot le B^arnois in Auvergne, and detail the whole history 
of it at length. 

CHAPTER CIV. 

OERONNET DE MAUBURANT, ONE OF THE CAPTAINS OF PERROT LE BEAK- 
NOIS, HAVING BEEN MADE PRISONER BY JOHN BONNE. LANCE, AT MONT- 
FERRANT IN AUVERGNE, FINDS MEANS, AFTER HIS RANSOM WAS PAID, 
TO PUT LE BEARNOIS IN POSSESSION OF MONTFERRANT. 

This same year, about the middle of May, forty bold companions 
set out from Chalucet,* in the possession of Perrot le B^arnois, in 
Limousin, to seek adventures in Auvergne, under the command of 
a squire from Gascony, called Geronnet de Maudurant, an able man- 
at-arms. On account of the dread this country and the borders of 
the Bourbonnois had of these people, the duke of Bourbon had ap- 
pointed, for its defence, one of his knights, a valiant man.at-arms, 
called sir John Bonne-lance, who was courteous, amorous, and eager 
to display liis courage. Wlien he heard these companions were 
abroad, he asked how many they might be : and when they said, 
"About forty," he replied, "As for forty lances, we do not fear that 
number : I will take as many to meet them." He then departed 
from the place where he had heard of this excursion, but his greater 
force was before Venladour, and collected about forty or fifty of his 
men-at-arms that were dispersed on the borders of Limousin, Au. 
vergne, and the Bourbonnois, for he was very desirous to perform 
some deed of arms. He had with him sir Lewis d'Ambiere, sir 
Lewis d'Abton, and the lord de St. Obise. They took the field with- 
out following any particular road, for they were well acquainted with 
the country, and came to a pass through which they imagined the 
enemy must cross, and nowhere else, on account of the mountains, 
and a river which is wide and deep from the melting of the snow. 
They had not been there half an hour when the enemy appeared, no 
way su.'specting this meeting. Bonne. lance and his party, with their 
spears in their rests, charged them, shouting their cry as they were 
descending the mountain on foot. When they found they must fight, 
they put a good countenance on it, and prepared for their defence : 
Geronnet, who was a stout squire, set them the e.xample. Many 
were, at the first onset, beaten down on both sides ; but, to say the 
truth, the French were by far better men-at-arms than these adven. 
turers, which they showed, for not one turned his back but the ser- 
vants, who by flight saved themselves while their masters were fight. 
ing. Two-and-twenty were made prisoners, and sixteen left dead 
on the field: their leader surrendered himself prisoner to Bonne lance. 

The victorious party set out on their return, carrying their prisoners 
with them. On the road. Bonne-lance recollected that, about a 
month ago, when at Montferrant in Auvergne, he had been well 
received by the ladies and damsels, and that, as they were amusing 
themselves, they said to him, " Fair brother Bonne-lance, you are 
often in the field, and must at times meet your enemies." A lady, 
who was much in his good graces, added, " I am sure you have fre. 
<juent engagements with them, and I say so because I should like to 
see an Englishman. I have often heard, from a squire of this country 
with whom you are well acquainted, of the name of Gourdines, 
that they are determined men-at-arms, and as expert as any in this 
country. Indeed, they prove it by their gallantry, and by taking 
from us towns and castles, and keeping possession of them.'' " By 
God, fair lady," replied Bonne-lance, " if I have the good fortune 
to make one of them my prisoner, you shall see him." "Many 
thanks," answered the lady. When Bonne-lance remembered this, 
he had taken the road to Clermont in Auvergne, as the engagement 
had been hard by ; but he quitted it, and followed that to Montfer- 
rant, which lay about one league off" on the left hand. The inhabit- 
ants of Montferrant were in high spirits at the success of Bonne, 
lance over these adventurers, and gave him a hearty welcome. 
1 When he and his people had dismounted at the hbtel, they disarmed 
and took their ease. The ladies and damsels assembled to entertain 
and feast Bonne-lance, whom they came twenty times to see. He 
gallantly received them, for he was a prudent knight, and addressing 
himself to the lady who was so anxious to see an Englishman, said, 
" Lady, I am come to acquit myself of the promise I made you about 
a month ago, that if I should, by good fortune, take an Englishman 



' " Chnlus«t," election of Limoges, neut f iene-biiffiere. 



prisoner, I would show him to you. Through the grace of God, I 
have this day fallen in with a party of very valiant ones ; but, although 
they gave us enough to do, the field is ours. They were not indeed 
real Englishmen, but Gascons who wage war under that name, and 
come from Beam and upper Gascony. You may view them at your 
leisure ; for out of my love to you, I shall leave them in this town 
until they have paid me their ransom." The ladies laughed, turned 
the matter into merriment, and said they were obliged to him. 
When they departed, he accompanied tliem, and remained in Mont, 
ferrant for three days, amusing himself with the ladies and damsels. 
Bonne-lance, during his stay, gave good entertainment to Maudurant 
and his companions, as he saw they were poor, but bold fellows in 
the field ; it would have been better for the town had he killed or 
drowned them than to have left them there. 

When he was going away, he said to Geronnet, " You will remain 
here as hostage for your companions, who are to seek your ransom ; 
and, when you shall be prepared to pay, I have ordered a person to 
receive it for me ; and, the moment you have acquitted yourself to 
me, you may depart, for I have left instructions that you may meet 
with no impediment. Remember, Geronnet, that I have treated you 
handsomely ; and, if any of our men fall into your hands, do you 
treat them in like manner." "On my faith," replied Geronnet, "my 
fair lord and master, that I will cheerfully do, for we are bounden to 
it by your generous conduct." Bonne.lance returned to the siege 
of Ventadour, and twelve of his prisoners remained in Montferrant. 
The ten others, according to agreement, returned to Chalu5et, to 
seek from Perrot le Bearnois two-and-twenty hundred francs; for 
this was the sum their ransoms had been fixed at. The twelve in 
Montferrant were lodged in a handsome house, and lived at much 
expense. They were not strictly watched ; and, during the fifteen 
days they staid, they went about the town to amuse themselves, and 
made such observations on the state of it as cost it afterwards one 
hundred thousand francs. 

When the captain of Chalu9et heard of the ill success of Geronnet 
de Maudurant, and that he and his companions had been defeated 
by sir John Bonne.lance, he was very indifferent about it, and said 
to those who had brought him the news, "You are come hither to 
seek for money to pay his and your ransoms : are you not ?" " Yes," 
they replied, " for gain is not always to be looked for." " I know 
nothing of gain or loss," answered the captain ; " but this I know, 
you will get nothing from me. I did not send you on this e.xcursion: 
it was your own free election to seek an adventure. Send to, or tell 
your companions when you see them, that adventure must deliver 
them. Do you suppose that I will thus spend my money ? No, my 
friends, that I will not, by my faith ! I can always have men enough, 
who will make more prudent excursions than ye have done. I will 
not, therefore, ransom any man belonging to me, who is not taken 
when in my company." This was all the answer they could get 
respecting Geronnet's ransom. They consulted together, and thought 
it would be right to send three of them to give Geronnet information 
of this, that he might consider the matter. The three who were 
sent, passing without tlje walls of Clermont, gave their horses water 
at the mill brook, which runs hard by. They remained some time 
in the brook observing the walls of Clermont, and noticing they were 
not too high to be scaled. " By the head of St. Anthony," said they 
among themselves, " this town may be easily taken : if we come here 
some night, we may have it, provided the guard is not very strong." 
They then added, in their Gascon dialect, " We will bargain for it 
now, and another time buy it : one cannot bargain and buy in the 
same day." They then passed on, and arrived at Montferrant, where 
they found Geronnet and his companions. They related to them, 
word for word, all that had passed between them and Perrot le Bear- 
nois, which, as they knew not where else to seek for money to pay 
their ransoms, vexed them exceedingly, and for a day and night they 
were outrageous at his conduct. 

Geronnet having calmly considered the matter, said to those who 
had come from Chainlet, " Brother-soldiers, return to our captain, 
and tell him from me, that ever since I have been under his com- 
mand, I have loyally and faithfully served him, and, if he pleases, 
will continue to do so ; and let him know, that if I shall be forced 
to turn to the French to obtain my liberty, he will not gain by it. I 
shall, however, delay doing this as long as I can ; and it will be 
always against my own inclinations. Tell him also, that if he will 
pay our ransoms, I will, within one month after our deliverance, 
conduct him to such a place, that it will be his own fault if he does 
not gain one hundred thousand francs from it." The three com. 
panions returned to Perrot, and punctually gave him the message 
that Geronnet had charged them with. On hearing it, he mused a 
while, and said, " It may be so : I will speedily give him his liberty." 
He ordered a large coffer to be opened, that contained upward of 
forty thousand francs, money acquired by pillage, you must under- 
stand, and not from the rents of his estate in B^arn ; for the town 
wherein he was born, and always resided before he left B^arn, has 
but twelve houses, and belongs to the count-de Foix. The name 
of it is Dadam, three leagues from Orthes. Perrot le Bearnois had 
counted out before him two.and-twenty hundred francs, and one 
hundred for their expenses, which he put into a purse, and calling 
to him the three companions who had returned from Montferrant, 
said, " I give you three-and-twenty hundred franca : a friend in tjeed 



462 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &.c. 



is a friend indeed : I ehali risk theni for Geroiinet's freedom : he is 
able to regain for me, if he pleases, as much again, if not more." 

The companions took the money and set out again for Montfer. 
rant, which was fourteen long leagues distant ; but they had very 
good passports, wliich permitted them to pass and repass. Geronnet, 
on learning that they had returned with the money, was much pleased : 
ho sent for those to wliom sir John Bonne-lance fiad directed him to 
pay it, and said to them, " Count it : you will find the purse contains 
two thousand two hundred francs, which is all we are to give you." 
After this, he paid liberally, and to the satisfaction of all, the expen. 
aes they had been at. When this was done, Geronnet borrowed and 
hired horses and men to conduct themto Chaiuyet, sir John Bonne. 
lance having received a certiiicate of the ransom being paid. I am 
ignorant whether sir John Bonne-lance sent for this money or left it 
in Montferrant, trusting to the strength of the place ; for sir Peter de 



noticing the meiTy life iliey led, and not having the Bmallest suspicion 
of them, went to bed. 

I will now return to Perrot le B^arnois and his companions. Thia 
same day, toward evening, they left Donzae, under the command of 
seven captains. Perrot le BSarnois was the chief, then the bourg cl« 
Copane, whose nam.c was Arnoudon, the bourg Anglois, le bouig 
Carlat, Apton Seighin, Olim Barbe, and Bernadon des Isles : there 
was also with them a grand pillager fronj Beam, called the lord de 
Lance-plaine. It was from him and the bourg de Copane I learnt 
all this business, and the manner of its being undertaken, after Can- 
dlemas, when the nights are long and cold. The weather this night 
was so severe, with wind and rain, that the captain of the guard 
would not leave his house, but sent his son, a boy about sixteen 
years old, to examine the slate of the guard. On his arrival, between 
the outitard and inward gate, he found four old men, almost frozen 



the money, wliich he took, and suffered the guard to go home. Ge- 




-Designed from a MS. Illumination of the 15lh Century, 



Giac, at that time chancellor of France, h.ad there deposited his j with cold, who said to him, " Take from each of us a halfpenny, 
wealth, of which he lost the w-holc, or at least as much as could be I and allow us to go and warm ourselves." The youth was eager for 
discovered, according to what you will hear told. ' . • . . , , _ . . 

When Geronnet de Maudurant returned to 
Chaluyet, his companions gladly received him, 
and made liim good cheer. After three or 
four days, Perrot le Bearnois called him, and 
said, " Geronnet, you are obliged to the fair 
offers you sent me, for your freedom, and to 
them alone ; for you know, I was not any 
way bound to pay your ransom when taken 
in excursions made without my orders : now, 
keep your word, and prove the truth of your 
offer ; otherwise we shall be on bad terms, and 
you will incur my serious anger : for know 
that I have not learnt to lose, but to win." 
" Captain," replied Geronnet, " you have rea- 
son to say so ; and I now offer to put you in 
possession of Montferrant within fifteen days, 
if you be willing to undertake it. In this 
town tliere is great wealth and wherewithal 
to plunder ; for, besides its riches in silk and 
merchandise, many of the inhabitants have 
much money. Sir Peter de Giac, chancellor 
of France, who knows well where to seek for 
money, has deposited, as I have been informed, 
a very large sum in this town of Montferrant; 
and I must say, it is the weakest and worst 
guarded town in the realm ; this is the offer 
I sent to you, and the promise I entered into." 
" In God's name," answered Perrot, " it is 
well said, and I accept it ; I will secretly make 

preparations; you know all the outlets of the Perrot le Bearnois asd a Cojipajit opPillaoers 
town: but will it require many men?" 
" Three or four hundred spears," said Geron- 
net, " will do the business ; for they do not seem people likely to 
make any great resistance." " Well, by God," replied Perrot, " I 
■will undertake it, and make it known to the captains of the forts 
that are near us, and when we be all assembled, will marcli thither." 

In consequence, Perrot le Bfiarnois got himself in readiness, and 
sent information of his intentions to the captains of the forts in the 
neighboi-hood, and fi.\ed their rendezvous at the castle of Donzae,* 
in the bishopric of Clermont, that was not far distant from Montfer- 
rant: Olim Barbe, a Gascon, and famous pillager, was the captain 
of it. The companions from seven forts attached to the English 
met, on the appointed day, at Donzae, and were upward of four 
hundred lances, well mounted, whence they had only six leagues to 
ride to Montferrant. The first captain who arrived v/as Perrot le 
Bearnois, to show he was tlie chief of the expedition, and to consult 
with the other leaders before the whole came thither, and lay their 
plans according to the information which had been given by Geron. 
net de Maudurant, and as to the time he had fixed for their coming 
to the town. 

Geronnet, with eleven companions, dressed themselves in coats of 
friese, like to traders, and each leading a horse well laden, according 
to the custom of the country, set out from Donzae before day, con- 
ducting their horses on the road, as carriers : they arrived about noon 
in the town of Montferrant. No one made any inquiries who they 
were, never suspecting them to be otherwise than traders or carriers, 
as their dresses showed, and supposing that they were come to pur- 
chase draperies and linens at the fair; for they had travelled, they 
said, from beyond Montpclier for this purpose : and already much 
merchandise had arrived from the neighboring towns. Geronnet 
carried his company to the Crown Inn, where, having put their horses 
in a stable, they chose a handsome apartment for themselves, where 
they remamed in quiet, not venturing abroad, in the town, lest their 
plan might be discovered, but thought only of enjoving themselves, 
as they mtended others should pay their reckoning.' Toward even- 
ing, they took a great deal of care of their horses, and gave the host, 
hostess, and servants to understand, as they had come afar off, it was 
necessary they should be well attended to. Thev called so loudlv for 
candles, they con d not satisfy them ; and would not go to bed,' but 
kept dnnking and roaring in their chamber. The host and hostess. 



Donzoc," a vUltse m Almiienac, diocese and eeneralilj. ef Auch. 



ronnet or some of his people were constantly on the watch at the gate 
of the Crown, for the relief of the guard. Observing the youth re- 
turn, and the guard with him, they said, " Things go well : it will 
be a good night for us: there are none in the town but those who 
are now in bed, and, as the guard is dismissed, we have nothing to 
fear." 

Perrot and his companions were making all the haste they could • 
but they were obliged to pass under the walls of Clermont. When 
within one league of that place, they met Amcrigot Marcel, gov- 
ernor of Aloise, near St. Flour, with about one hundred spears. 
When they were known to each other, there was much joy; and 
they mutually asked whither they were going in such bad weather, 
and what were the objects of their being abroad. Amerigot Marcel 
said, '■ I come from my castle of Aloise, and am going to Carlat" 
" 111 God's name," replied the two captains of Carlat, the bourg An- 
glois, and the bourg de Copane, " here we are, if you have anything 
to say to us. Do you want anything ?" " Yes," said he :" you have 
some prisoners who belong to the dauphin d'Auvcrgne, and you know 
he is in treaty with us through the count d'.\rniagnac. I wish, there- 
fore, to have those prisoners in exchange for some others who are in 
my fort, as I have been earnestly requested to get them by the lady 
dauphin, and she is so good a lady, one cannot refuse her anything." 
The bourg de Copane replied, " Amerigot, you are indeed bounden 
to oblige this lady, for you had from her, three years ago, five thou- 
sand francs of her money for the ransom of tlie castle of Mcrcier. 
Where is now the lord dauphin ?" " They tell me," says Amerigot, 
" that he is at Paris, negotiating the treaties you know we have en- 
gaged in with him and the count d'Aimagnac." " Come with us," 
said Perrot le Bearnois, " and leave all these things : you will gain 
by it, for you shall have a share of our booty." " Whither are yon 
going?" asked Amerigot. "By my faith, brother-soldier, we are 
going straight to Montferrant, as that town is to be delivered to mo 
this night." Amerigot replied, " Perrot, what you are about is very 
wrong; for you know we have entered into a treaty with the count 
d'Armagnac and this country, which, on that account, thinks itself 
in a perfect state of security. You will act indeed very ill, if you 
execute what you have said, and by it break off all our treaties." 
" On my troth, companion, I will never keep any treaty," said Perrot, 
"as long as I am master of the field, for we mupt live. Come with 
us, for you have nothing to do at Carlat, as the captains are here, and 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, ice. 



463 



those they have left behmd will never give you admittance into the 
fort." 

" With you," replied Amerigot, " I will not go, but, since things 
are thu«, return to my own castle." The parties then separated, and 
Perrot continued his road toward Clermont and Montferrant. When 
they were below Clermont, they suddenly halted, for a nev.- thought 
had struck some of them from what the Gascons told who had been 
backward and forward to Chaluijet from Montferrant. They said 
to the captains who were collected together : " This city of Clermont 
is large and rich, and as easy t:) be taken as Montferrant : since we 
have ladders with us, let us scale tlie walls ; we shall gain more than 
at Montferrant." On hearing this, they had almost resolved to put it 
into execution ; but their captains, having considered it, said : 
*' Clermont is a strong town, populous, and well pro\ided with arms : 
if once we alami them, they will collect together and defend them- 
selves. There is not a doubt of our having the worst of it ; and if we 
be repulsed, and our horses taken or lost, we shall be disabled from 
advancing any farther. We are at a distance from our castles : the 
country will rise against us : we shall be pursued, and run the great- 
est hazard of loss of life or liberty. It will be more advisable to con- 
tinue our road, and finish what had been first fixed on, than to 
attempt any new exploit that may cost us too dear." This advice 
was followed, and not one word more said on the subject. They 
passed Clermont as quietly and quickly as they cculd, and, on the 
point of eleven o'clock, came before Montferrant. They suddenly 
halted, when they perceived the town about two bow.shots oft', and 
Perrot said : " We are now at Montferrant : our people must be 
within it. Do you wait here, and I will go by these ditches to see 
if I can learn anything of Geronnet, who has brought us hither ; and 
do not you stir until I return." " Go," replied his companions : 
" we will wait for you.'' 

On this, Perrot Ic B^arnois, with three others, went away ; but it 
was so very dark, they could not see the length of an acre, and it 
rained, snowed and blew-, most unmercifully. Geronnet was at this 
hour on the walls, impatiently listening to hear of the arrival of his 
friends. He looked down, and saw, as he thought, the shadows of 
men entering the ditches : on this he began to whistle. He was 
heard by Perrot, who advanced more into the ditch, for there was no 
water in it on that side ; and Geronnet asked, " Who is there ?" 
Perrot knew him from his Gascon pronunciation, and said, " I am 
Perrot le Bearnois : is it thou, Geronnet?" "Yes," replied he: 
" if you will make yourself ready, and advance your men, you shall 
enter the town at this place : we cannot fail of success, for the in- 
habitants are all in bed." " At this place !" said Perrot, '■ God for- 
bid : I will never enter that way; and, if I do at all, it shall be 
through the gate." " Then you will not enter at all," replied Ge- 
ronnet, in a passion. " On my troth, Perrot, it is not in my power; 
come hither with jour rope-ladders, and none wdl attempt to oppose 
yeur entrance." " Listen to me, Geronnet," said Perrot : " thou 
hast promised to give me entrance into this town ; and, according to 
thy engagement, I will enter it in no other way than by the gate.'" 
"I cannot help it,'' said Geronnet, " for it is impossible to enter by 
the gate, as it is closed and guarded, although the men may be 
asleep." 

While they were thus disputing, some of Perrot's men came near 
the ditch to hear if anybody were stirring. Near to where they were, 
was a small insulated house, adjoining the walls, in which lived a 
poor tailor, who, having been bard at work until that hour, was going 
to bed. As the wind carried the sounds of their voices, and as per- 
-sons hear better in tife night than in the day-time, he fancied he heard 
;Some loud talking on the bulwarks. He left his house, and, advan- 
cing on the walls, saw Perrot's men walking about ; on which he 
«ried out, " Treason 1" when one of Geronnet's companions seizing 
him by the throat, said : " If thou utterest another word, thou art a 
dead man." On this, fearing to be murdered, he was silent, and Ge- 
ronnet, turning toward them, ."^aid : " Do not kill the fellow, f.sr he 
comes so opportunely, it must be through the mercy of God that he is 
sent, since by his means we shall completely succeed in our enter- 
prise." Then addressing himself to Perrot, he added : " Do you re. 
turn to your men ; and, when you shall hear the inner gate open, do 
you attack the outward one with axes to gain admittance." He then 
told him the use he meant to make of the tailor. Perrot went to his 
men, and related to them all you have heard. When he was gone, 
Geronnet said to the tailor, " If thou (lost not promise to do all I 
.ahall order thee, thou art instantly a dead man." " And what do 
you want me to do ?" " I want thee to go with me to the gate of 
the town, and awaken the porters, and tell them the governor has 
sent thee thither to order them to open the gates, or to let thee open 
them, to some merchants from Montpelier, who are without, heavy 
laden with merchandise for the fair." " I do not think they will be- 
lieve me,'' said the man. " Yes, they will if thou tell them, as a 
token of being sent by the governor, that he could not come himself 
to relieve the guard, but sent his son in his stead. If thou doat not 
well perform all I have now told thee, or should we fail in our ex. 
ploit, I will slay thee with this dagger." 

The poor man, seeing himself menaced with death, for the Gas- 
cons are ready enough at thia business, promised to do everything 
accordmg to the orders given to the utmost of his power. They 
went 10 the gate, and after knocking at it for some time, awakened 



the porters : they asked : " Who are ye that awaken us at such an 
hour?" " I am such a one," naming himself, " who have this night 
carried home some work to the governor's house ; and as I was com- 
ing this way, news was brought that some merchants from Mont. 
pelier were without the gate, quite jaded and wet with their journey 
and loads. He has therefore sent me to tell you to open the gates, 
or to give me the keys to do so ; and, as a proof I am sent by him, I 
was to say he did not relieve the guard this evening, but sent his 
son." " That is true," replied they : " thou shah have the keys r 
only wait a moment." One of thom arose, and taking the keys, that 
were hanging on a peg, opened a small window, and gave tliem to 
him. The moment after, Geronnet snatched them from him, and 
went to the bars of the gate. The first key he put into the lock 
luckily opened it : and he then went to the outward gate, thinking 
to do the same there, b,-.t in vain. 

Perrot and his companions were on the outside, waiting its open- 
ing ; but, as Geronnet's endeavors were fruitless, he said to them, 
" My fair sirs, give some assistance ; for I cannot any way open this 
gate." Then those who were provided with axes and wedges, be- 
gan to use them like carpenters. As soon as they had made a hole, 
Geronnet gave them hatchets and saws to cut the bars. Several of 
the inhabitants, on hearing the noise, quitted their beds, wondering 
what it could be ; for they never imagined the English were come to 
awaken them at such an hour. The porters at the gate, who had sa 
badly guarded it, hearing the clattering of armor and the neighing of 
horses, knew they had been deceived and surprised. They went to 
the windows over the gate, and bawled out, " Treason ! treason 1" 
which alarmed the whole town : many rose and fled to save them- 
selves and fortune in the castle, but few were allowed to enter it : for, 
when the governor heard the English had surprised the town, for Sear 
of consequences he would not lower the drawbridge. He received, 
indeed, some of his friends at the first moment, by means of a plank ; 
but when he heard the cries of the women and children, he withdrew 
the plank, and would never replace it, but made his preparations for 
defence, in case the castle shoiUd be attacked. .• 

I have said how the first gate was opened : the second was cut 
down with axes, and the captains, with their companions, marched 
into the town without any opposition. They did not, at first, enter 
a house, for they knew not if any bodies of men were collecting to 
resist them, but went through the town to be assured of it. They 
only found a few, who were attempting to enter the castle, that made 
any resistance, but they were soon either slain or made prisoners. 
Why should I make a long story of it? The town of Montferrant 
was thus surprised, on a Thursday night, the thirteenth day of Feb- 
ruary, by Perrot le Bearnois and his accomplices. When they saw 
themselves masters of the place, they took up their lodgings at differ- 
ent hotels, without doing violence to any one ; for Perrot had ordered, 
under pain of death, that neither woman nor damsel should be vio. 
lated, that no houses should be burnt, nor any prisoners made without 
his knowledge : and that no one, under the same penalty, should 
hurt church or churchman, nor take away anything from thence. 
These were the orders Perrot le Bearnois always gave ; and he had 
made them strictly observed ever since he had entered France, to 
carry on a war against its towns and castles. 

Such was not the conduct of Geoffry Tete-noire : it was indifferent 
to him whether churches were plundered or not, so that he gained by 
it. When news was brought to Clermont, which is but a short 
league distant, of the capture of Montferrant by the English, the in- 
habitants were greatly alarmed, and not without cause, for their en- 
emies were too near. They knew not well how to act ; but they 
made preparations for the defence of the town. This intelligence 
was also carried to Chflteau-neuf, on the Allier, Thionne, Vic, 
Yssoire, Riom, Aigue.perse, and the strong castle of Montpensier : 
all, or the greater part, of these places belonged to the duke of Berry. 
Those who heard it, or were any way afTected by it, were exceed- 
ingly surprised : and the neighboring parts of Auvergne, Bourbonnois, 
For^ts, and even as far as Berry, trembled. When the news came 
to Paris, the king and his uncles were, as was natural, very wroth. 
The count-dauphin of Auvergne was at this time in Paris, on the 
affairs of his country, and greatly hurt when told of the surprise of 
Montferrant; for, as he was with the count d'Armagnac, lieutenant 
for the king over these countries, he was afraid blame would be im- 
puted to him for being absent from his government. But his excuse 
was, that he was at Paris for the completion of the treaties that had 
been entered into with the captains of the free companies, and that, 
on the faith of them, the country had thought itself in perfect security. 
The dauphin, however, set out from Paris, for Auvergne, the moment 
he heard of it, leaving his state behind, and, only attended by one 
page, took the road for Moulins, in the Bourbonnois, changing horses 
daily. In this haste, he came to St. Pierre le Moustier,* where he 
learnt otlier intelligence, which I will relate to you. 



. Piom le Mouitiej"-ft t«ivo in Iho Ni«moB, seven Imjum fiom HonSm. 



464 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



CHAPTER CV. 

lERROT LE BEARNOIS AND HIS COMPANIONS DETERMINE NOT TO KEEP 
rOSSESSION OF MONTFEKBANT. THEY MAKE A SALLY ON SOME TROOPS 
FHOM CLERMONT, WHO HAD ADVANCED TO THE BARRIERS OF THE CAP- 
TURED TOWN, AND INSTANTLY DEFEAT THEM. 

On the Friday morning these captains, being complete lords of 
Montferrant, and having had all the inhabitants tied together, so tliat 
they could not any way oppose them, searched their houses, and 
packed up whatever they thought would be profitable to them, in 
draperies, cloths, furs, dresses, and other articles. When at break- 
fast they had a long consultation, whether to keep the town or not: 
some were for keeping and fortifying it ; but the majority were of a 
contrary opinion, and said it would be madness to do so, for they 
would be at too great a distance from their own castles, and be in- 
closed within it. Should they be besieged, they were not in force to 
hold out, and too far from any assistance. They would be starved 
into a surrender ; for there were numbers of gentlemen in the towns 
and cities about; and the duke of Berry, as soon as he should hear 
what they had done, would order thither the marshal of France, the 
lord Lewis de Sancerre. The count d'Armagnac and tlie dauphin 
would advance to the siege with a great force, without waiting to be 
sent to ; for they had under them the following great barons : the 
'lords de la Tour, d'Apton, d'Aptiel, de Renel, de la Palisse, and 
several more ; but, above all, sir John Bonne-lance would come 
hither, with a large body of friends ; for it had been said the town 
was lost by his imprudence and neglect. 

Such were the arguments urged against keeping the town, partic- 
ularly by Pcrrot le BiSarnois and Glim Barbe. Many other reasons 
were added ; for, should they be taken, they would lose all they had, 
be punished for what they had done, and their forts would be taken 
from them. They therefore resolved to inarch away that evening, 
and carry away their booty and prisoners, of whom they had more 
than two hundred. To prevent any hindrance to this plan, they 
posted strong guards at all the gates, so that no one could leave the 
lown. 

I will now relate a skirmish that passed between them and some 
from Clermont. When news first came to Clermont that Montfer- 
rant was taken by the English, they were much alarmed at having 
such neighbors, and held many consultations on the subject. There 
was, on the road from Clermont to Montferrant, the handsomest, 
strongest, and best built church, belonging to the mendicant friars, in 
France. It had large inclosures, surrounded by higli walls, within 
which were very productive vineyards; for, one year with another, 
ihesc friars made from one hundred to six score hogsheads of wine. 
.In these consultations, some advised the destruction of this monas- 
tery ; as they said it was so near the town, that it was not unlikely 
to be its ruin, if in the hands of these pillagers. The pulling it down 
had been in agitation formerly, and they were now eager to effect it. 
But others said, it would be a pity to destroy such handsome build- 
ings ; and that it would be better to march to Montferrant, and 
skirmish with the conquerors, at the barriers, and, if possible, invest 
the place, to prevent the enemy leaving it ; for, within four days, the 
knights and squires of the Bourbonnois and Forets would be collected 
and lay siege to it. While these conversations were going forward 
in the city of Clermont, about sixty men-at-arms, well mounted, were 
ready to march toward Montferrant, and skirmish at the barriers, and 
then return home again. No one checked their ardor : for there 
were among them some of the noblest in the town, who seemed eager 
to perform deeds of valor. Being all equipped, they set off for Mont- 
ferrant, taking with them thirty cross-bows. Upward of two hundred 
volunteers left Clermont and followed them on foot. 

It was told to the companions in Montferrant, that a party from 
Clermont, were at the barriers. This news pleased them much : 
upward of one hundred of the most expert having armed themselves, 
and mounted their horses, ordered the gates to be thrown open, and 
fell upon those from Clermont, shouting, " Saint George !" When 
the party saw them"selves thus vigorously attacked, they were panic- 
sti'uck and instantly defeated, without making the smallest defence, 
but flying in all directions. The best mounted, on leaving Clermont, 
took the lead, and said on the road they would be the first to attack 
these pillagers ; but shortly they were the first to return to their town, 
and the Gascons at their heels. Had the last had as good horses, all 
or the greater part would have remained with them : they, however, 
chased them until they met the volunteers on foot, who, when they 
perceived the defeat of their townsmen, kept no longer any order, 
but ran away for the fastest, leaping from hedge to hedge, and from 
ditch to ditch, to save themselves. The cross-bows from Clermont 
kept in better array when the others fled, and drew themselves up in 
a vineyard with presented bows, making a show of defence. They 
there remained until the EngUsh had returned to Montferrant, for 
they never thought of going after them. The Clermontois lost twenty 
ol their men, six killed and fourteen made prisoners. 



CHAPTER CVI. 

PERROT LE BEARNOIS AND HIS CO.MPANtONS, HAVING- PLUNDERED MONT. 
FERKANT, RETREAT TO THEIR FORTS. HIS ANSWER TO THE DAUPHIIJ 
OF AUVERGNE, WHO COMPLAINS OF HIS HAVING SURPRISED THIS TOWJI 
DURING THE TIME TREATIES WERE IN AGITATION FOR HIS LEAVING THE 
COUNTRY. 

When this business was over, they were busily employed until 
near night in packing up their plunder. On the point of six o'clock, 
having completed it, they were on foot, except about sixty on horse- 
back, and conducted down the streets more than four hundred horses 
laden with cloths, furs, and whatever they had seized. They had 
found in the houses of the rich, caskets full, but had left them empty. 
Having bound all the inhabitants, two and two, they had the gates 
opened after nightfall and departed, not having staid at Montferrant 
more than eighteen hours. They sent their baggage and prisoners 
before, with those on foot ; and the captains followed close after on 
horseback. It was dark night ; and, as the country did not suspect 
their stay would have been so short, they were not pursued. About 
midnight they came to Donzac, which they had left two days before, 
and there unpacked and examined their plunder. I heard, when in 
that country, that they gained by this expedition upward of one hun. 
dred thousand francs, besides prisoners ; for sir Peter de Giac, chan- 
cellor of Franco, alone lost more than thirty thousand francs in gold. 

The companions had wisely resolved to leave Montferrant as they 
did ; had they staid two days longer, they could not have attempted 
it without great danger of their lives. The whole surrounding coun- 
try were collecting, and advancing in great bodies to lay siege to 
them, under the command of the lords de la Tour, de Montague, 
d'Aptheir, d'Apthon, sir Guiscard Dauphin, the marquis of Gaiulhat, 
sir Lewis d'Ambiere, the lord de la Palisse, sir Ploustrac de Chaste- 
lux, and the sdneschal de Montaigne. None remained at home, and 
the count dauphin was very active in the matter. He would have 
been there within two days, had he not heard that the Gascons had 
retreated to their forts : at the same time, he received an account of 
all the mischief which they had committed. When he was assured 
this intelligence was true, he travelled more slowly to Saint Pour- 
?ain, and thence to Moulins in the Bourbonnois, where he met his. 
daughter, the duchess of Bourbon, who had been very much alaniied, 
but was rejoiced on hearing the enemy had retreated, though those 
of Montferrant had suflered severely by their visit, as her country- 
was now freed from such near and troublesome neighbors. "On my 
faith," said the count-dauphin, " though it were to cost me a very 
large sum of money, I wish these pillagers had remained at Mont- 
ferrant, for it should have ended badly with them. We in Auvergne 
could never have had so fair an opportunity of punishin.g them, and 
gaining their forts. They prove their abilities in war by having so 
expeditiously finished the matter. They have now reentered their 
forts, and their plunder is in safety." Thus did the count-dauphin 
of Auvergne and his daughter, the duchess of Bourbon, converse 
together. 

Perrot le B^arnois, Olim Barbe, le bourg de Copane, le bourg An- 
glois, Apthon Seighin, and the other captains of the free companies, 
on their arrival at Donzac, made a division of their pillage and pris- 
oners ; some they ransomed, others were carried M'ith them to their 
different forts, when they separated at Donzac for Carlat, Chalu9et, 
and their other garrisons. The country of Auvergne was now better 
guarded than ever. The count d'Armagnac and the count-dauphin 
sent, however, to tell Perrot le Bearnois, that he had treacherously 
and wickedly surprised and plundered Montferrant, during the time 
when treaties were negotiating between them, and that, as he had 
assented to such treaties, they expected he would make reparation 
for the mischief that had been done. Perrot replied to this message 
by saying, that " under their graces' favor, neither he nor any of the 
seven captains, who had plundered Montferrant, had ever entered 
into any treaty with them : that they liad not taken the town treach- 
erously nor by scolado, but had fairly entered by the gate, which had 
been opened to them on their arrival : that if they had assented to a 
treaty, legally sworn and sealed, they would, on tlieir part, religiously 
and loyally have adhered to it ; but that was not the (act, nor had 
they any intentions of ever entering into any treaty with him." 
Things remained in this state, nor could these lords gain anything 
more. Sir Peter de Giac was much vexed at his loss, and the towns- 
men of Montferrant recovered themselves as well as they could from 
such an unfortunate adventure. 



CHAPTER CVII. 

THE LORD LEWIS OF BLOIS MARRIES THE LADY MARY OF BERRY, AND 
THE LORD JOHN OF BERRY THE PRINCESS MARY OF FRANCE, WHO DIES 
SHORTLY AFTER. THE DEATH OF THE LADY JA.VE OF ARMAGNAC, 
DUCHESS OF BERRY. 

Count Guy de Blois, in company with !iis countess and a hand- 
some attendance of knights, squires, and ladies, set out in the month 
of August, in the year of our Lord 1386,* in grand array, from his 



* Denis Souvage, in a marsinal note, says, tliat Froissart liavins omitted to notice 
these marriages at tlieir proper time, prefers racntioniiig them here mther than OBuV 
them entirely. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



4«5 



castle ol' Blois, lor Berry. They carried with them their young son, 
who, the preceding year, had been betrothed to the lady Mary, 
daughter of the duke of Berry ; and it was tlie intention of all par. 
lies, that on their arrival at Bourges the marriage should be consum- 
mated. ■ When the contracts had been signed, the marriage ceremony 
was performed in the cathedral church of St. Stephen, at Bourges, 
by a valiant prelate, the cardinal of Avignon. The chancellor of 
Berry and the bishop of Poitiers had betrothed them to each other 
the year before. There were many grand feasts and entertainments 
at this wedding of lord Lewis of Blois with the lady Mary of Berry, 
and the tilts and tournaments of the knights and squires lasted for 
eight days. The count and countess of Blois, when all was over, 
took leave of the dulce of Berry and returned to Blois, accompanied 
by their daughter-in-law. 

This same year, John of Berry, son of the duke of Berry, and 
styled count de Montpensier, ^^•as married to lady Mary of France, 
sister to king Charles. The duchess of Berry, with her sou and the 
lady Mary of France, paid a visit to the count and countess of Blois 
during the Lent of the ensuing year. They and their attendants 
were grandly received in the castle of Blois, as the count understood 
these matters well. I was present at the time of this visit. When 
the duchess and her children had staid three days, they departed for 
Poitiers ; but they ifent by water down the Loire as far as Amboise, 
and from thence travelled in cars and on horseback to Poitou. The 
duchess and her children resided for the most part in the fair castle 
of a handsome town called Chinon.* 

In this year died the lady Mary of France, the young bride of the 
count do Montpensier. Soon after died also, the lady Jane d'Ar. 
magnac, duchess of Berry. Thus the duke and his son were left 
widowers : they, however, married again, but not immediately. I 
shall speak of these second marriages, more especially of that of the 
duke, at a proper time, as our history claims that mention be made 
of it. 



CHAPTER CVIII. 

WHILE THE CO0.>JCIL OF FRANCE IS IN DELIBERATION WHETHER OK NOT 
TO JIARCH AN ARMY AGAINST THE DUKE OF GUELDRES, THE DtJKE OF 
BERRY SEiNDS THE COUNT D'ESTAMPES TO THE DUKE OF BRITTANY, TO 
ENDEAVpR TO WIN HIM OVER TO THE PARTY OF FRANCE, AFTER HAVINS 
ALIENATED HIMSELF FROM IT BY THE ARREST OF THE CONSTABLE. 

I HAVE before mentioned the challenge wliich had been sent by 
the duke of Gueldres to the king of France. It was much talked of 
everywhere, from the uncourteous and indeed rude language it was 
said to contain. I was in truth shown some rough drafts, which were 
said to be exact copies of this challenge ; but as I never saw the 
original, nor any certified copy, I did not give much credit to what 
so nearly concerned a little prince, like the duke of Gueldres, and a 
king of France. It was evident that this conduct had greatly angered 
the king of France, who seemed dctcraiined to have reparation, and 
expected excuses to be made for it by the duke of Gueldres. The 
king's council had resolved it should not remain quiet : tor the great 
barons had declared, that if the king did not show his resentment, 
whatever sums it might cost France, they would be alone to bhime : 
for the king had proved, when in Flanders, his willingness to pursue 
his enemies. The king was young, indeed, but of good courage ; 
and if he suffered such insults with patience, foreign countries would 
hold the nobility of France very cheap, as they were the king's ad- 
visers, and had sworn to guard his honor. The lord de Coucy took 
great pains in the council, that no blame might fall on him ; and 
showed clearly he personally felt the insult. He was better acquainted 
with the character of the Germans than many others, from his dis- 
putes with the duke of Austria, and from different transactions in 
which he had been engaged with them. 

The king's ministers saw that the greater part of the nobles of the 
realm were for war against Gueldres, and, in particular the duke of 
Burgundy, on account of the warfare the duke was carrying on against 
his aunt, the duchess, and the country of Brabant. This duchy re. 
verted to him after the decease of his aunt and her sister,t who were 
both old ladies. The duke of Bui-gundy would very gladly have 
seen the duke of Gueldres, who was chivalrous enough, checked by 
fair or foul means. It was necessary, however, the kingdom should 
be unanimous in this disposition ; for it was a great distance the 
king of France would have to march into Germany, to make con. 
quests and put lords under his obedience ; and he must carry with 
liim the whole force of the kingdom ; for, as the Germans were so 
avaricious, it was uncertain if they would not all unite in the support 



* " Chinon," an ancient town of France, election of Tours. It is remarkable for the 
death of Henry II. of Englonil, and the residence of Charles VII. of France. Rahelai.s 
was born very near to it. 
T In tlie 12th annotation of Denis Sauva[:e, he makes the following obser\'ations : 
" Sister^ " 1 should suppose this sister to he Jane, widow of the late William count 
of Ilainault, according to the 29th and lUtli chapters of the first volume, if the 237th of 
the same volume, and the 20!'th of the second, did not incline me to UcUeve. that this 
widow was the Jane of Brabant married again to Winceslaus. Inst duke of Brabant, 
who acnuired. by his union with her. that duchy. The countess of Flanders, who was 
sister to this duchess, died five years before her husband, count Lewis of Flanders, who 
deceased in the month of January. 1384 ; so Uiat I suspect tlie reading should be. ' nOer 
the decease of his ount who was now very old ;' for I cannot my who thjs sister was." 



of the duke of Gueldres. In addition, the duke of Burgundy and the 
other nobles w'ere aware of the consequences the conduct of the 
Duke of Brittany might lead to ; for he showed his preference of 
war to peace with France ; and the lords of the council knew he 
was laying provision of stores and artillery in all his strong towns 
and castles for their defence, in case of being besieged. Besides 
this, he was constantly sending over letters and messengers to 
England, to the king and his council, in the most affectionate terms, 
offering henceforth the strongest friendship, so that the English might 
continue the war with the most flattering hopes of success. 

The council were unwilling to decide on any bold measures, until 
this cloud, which hung over Brittany, was removed by some means 
or other, so that the kingdom might not have any fear from that 
quarter ; for, should the king march into Germany, the country 
would be left defenceless, and they knew not well how to bring 
about an accommodation. Those who had been sent into Brittany, 
the bishop of Langres, sir John de Vienne, and sir John de Bueil, 
were returned, and had told the king and his uncles of their ill suc- 
cess. Upon this the duke of Berry resolved to send thither his 
cousin, the count d'Estampes, who was a valiant man and able nego- 
tiator. He therefore addressed him in such words as these : " Fair 
cousin, I entreat you would go to Brittany ; it is absolutely necessary 
you should do so, to negotiate with our cousin, the duke of Brittany ; 
and should you find him hot and imperious in speech, do not mind 
it, nor put yourself in any passion. Treat him gently, and with the 
greatest attention, and endeavor to make him listen to reason : tell 
him that the king, myself, and brother of Burgundy, wish him every- 
thing good, and bear him the strongest affection; and that, if he 
would come and live with us, he would find us always ready to serve 
him. In respect to the castles which he holds from the constable, 
say, jokingly, that, to be sure, he had seized them unjustly, and that, 
if he would be pleased to render them back it would redound greatly 
to his honor, and the king would give him as rich and as strong onea 
in any part of the kingdom he may choose. Exert yourself, deal 
cousin, to bring us back good news ; and do not quit him, however 
you may be delayed, without bringing matters to some sort of a con 
elusion, taking care to remember all the duke's answers, and to ex- 
amine well the state of the duchy." The count d'Estampes assured 
the duke he would cheerfully undertake it ; and he made no long 
delay, from the time of his conversation, in his preparations for tlie 
journey. When ready, he set out for Brittany, taking his road 
through Chartres and Mans, and the rich country of Maine to An- 
gers, where he met the queen of Naples, widow of the duke of Anjou, 
who had styled himself king of Naples, Sicily and Jerusalem, duke 
of La Puglia, and count de Provence. Her two sous, the lords Lewis 
and Charles, were with her. 

The queen received her cousin, the count d'Estampes, handsome- 
ly, and becoming her situation ; and they had many conversations 
together, such as lords and ladies are accustomed to have. John 
of Brittany was likewise there, who was not in the good graces of 
the duke of Brittany, whither the count was going : but he carried it 
off as well as he could ; for, not having any farces to support his pre- 
tensions, he was obliged so to do. The count remained at Angela 
a day and night, and then took his leave, and departed for Chanto- 
ceaux,* where he arrived that day, and then continued his journey 
to Nantes, where he refreshed himself, and inquired after the duke 
of Brittany. He was told that he was at Vannes, or in that part of 
the country, which was his usual place of residence. He took the 
road for Vannes, where, on his arrival, he waited on the duke, who 
recei\cd him very kindly, for tliey were nearly connected by blood. 
The count d'Estampes, knowing well how to conduct himself with 
groat princes and dames, for lie liad been brought up and educated 
with them, acquitted himself with much prudence when in the pres- 
ence of the duke, and, dissembling with him, did not, for some days; 
discover the object of his coming. When he found a proper oppor- 
tunity, he began upon it with great caution and humility, to gain the 
duke's affection, in manner something like the following : " My lord 
and very dear cousin, you must not be surprised if I am come to see 
you from such a great distance, for I was very desirous of so doing." 
He then continued to inform him, word for word, what the duke of 
Berry had charged him to say. The duke of Brittany did not seem 
to pay any great attention to what he said, but, when he had done, 
replied to the count d'Estampes, " We have in truth heard before 
what you now tell us, and will consider of it, for we have not as yet 
done so. You will remain with us as long as you please, for your 
coming has given us much pleasure." 

i The count could not, for the present, obtain any other answer; 
but he continued with the duke, and was lodged within his castle. 

\ He staid about fifteen days with the duke of Brittany in Vannes and 
thereabouts, who treated him with much affection. He showed him 
his fair castle of Ermine, wliich he had had newly repaired and 
beautified, as he there enjoyed himself the most. The count, one 
day finding him in good humor, again remonstr.Tted with him on his 
late conduct, and repeated the cause of his coming; but, though the 
duke's answers were fair, there was no dependence to be placed on 
his restitution of the hundred thousand francs and the castles to the 
constable. He did at length restore them ; but it was of his own 
free.will. without any request being made, and w hen it was the least 
* " Chaatoceau.x,"— a ^mall town, diocese ofNantes. 



466 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN. St. c. 



BiDBcted as I will relate in the course of this history, according to i tugal had held such language to induce his father-in-law to take cour- 
ihl information I received. The count d'Estampes, finding that a age, the duke was not ignorant that England was in a very troubled 
longer stay in Brittany would be useless, determined to take his leave | state, that the council had many weighty things to attend to, as weU 
of the duke, and return to France, to the duke 
of Berry, who had sent him thither. The duke 
of Brittany parted with him very affectionately, 
and presented him with a handsome white pal- 
frey, saddled and equipped as if for a king, and 
a ring -vvith a rich stone, which had cost at least 
one thousand francs. 

The count, on leaving Brittany, went to An- 
gers, where ho waited on the queen of Naples 
and John of Brittany, who were anxious to hear 
what had passed. They said, " Fair cousin you 
must have been well employed, for you have 
made a long stay in Brittany." He related to 
them partly what he had dene, but the conclu- 
Bion was, that he had been unsuccessful. When 
he had remained with them one day, he departed 
for Tours, and continued his journey into Berry, 
and found the duke of Berry at Mehun-sur- 
Yevre,* where he had lately built a very fine 
castle, and was daily adding to it. The duke 
of Berry entertained the count well, and inquired 
what had passed in Brittany. The count told 
him, word for word, the conversation between 
him and the duke, and that it had been impos- 
sible to turn him from his purposes, whatever 
they might be. The duke of Berry, seeing no- 
thing better could be done, made light of it, and, 
shortly after, returned to the king and duke of 
Burgundy, to relate to them the ill success of the 
journey the ceunt d'Estampes had undertaken, 
at his request, to Brittany. As they saw they 
could not do more, affairs remained in this state 




OiTEZ or Brittastt presenting Count d'Estampes with " a handaorae white pnlfrej. saddled and equipped u 
if fgr a king." Designed from a MS. IlIuminatioR of the IStli century. 



CHAPTER CIX. 

THE CASTILLIANS AND FKENCH, AFTER THE DEPARTURE OF THE DUKE OF 
LANCASTER FROM GALICIA, RECONQUER, IN A VERY SHORT TIME, ALL 
THE TOWNS AND CASTLES HE HAD WON. THE ENGLISH ABUSE CASTILLE, 
WHEN IN THEIR OWN CODNTRT. THE KING OF FRANCE AND HIS COUN- 
CIL INVITE THE DUKE OF IRELAND, WHO HAD FLED FROM ENGLAND, TO 
PARIS. 

You have before heard how the English, who had comc witli the 
duke of Lancaster to Galicia, had departed, and how the duke and 
duchess had retired to Oporto, where they had resided some time 
with king John of Portugal, who had married the duke's daughter. 
The duke of Lancaster was very disconsolate that his affairs had 
taken so ruinous a turn, and that his best knights and squires had 
fallen victims to disease. The whole country of Galicia was now 
returned to its allegiance to the king of Castille ; for the moment 
the Castillians, and the French knights under sir Oliver du Guesclin, 
heard of the duke of Lancaster's departure for Portugal, and that few 
English had remained behind, they sallied forth to conquer Galicia 
back again, which was soon done. The inhabitants of cities and 
towns were more attached to the king of Castille than to the duke 
of Lancaster, provided, however, he was able to keep the field ; for 
the Castillians and Galicians resemble a good deal the Lombards and 
Italians, who are always on the side of the strongest, and shout out, 
*' The conqueror for ever!" 

All which the duke of Lancaster had been able to win before the 
beginning of July was regained, and the places garrisoned again by 
French and others under the obedience of the king of Castille. The 
English, who thought to pa^s the winter quietly there, were driven 
out by fair or foul means, for such as made resistance were put to 
death. Others, seeing afiairs go badly, surrendered on having pass- 
ports given them to return through Castille to Gascony by Bayonne 
and Bordeaux. The duke of Lancaster was duly informed of all 
this when at Oporto, and not being able any way to provide a remedy, 
it gave him great unquietness of heart. This may be readily be- 
lieved, for the higher the spirit and expectations are, the more bitter 
are disappoinmients when things turn out contrary. He, however, 
kept up his courage tolerably well, and said at times that if he had 
been unsuccessful this year, through the grace of God he would do 
better another : for the fortunes of this world are so changeable, they 
cannot remain always the same. The king of Portugal comforted 
him as much as it was in his power, sajing, " Sir, you will keep your 
state in this country, while you write to your brothers and friends in 
England the melancholy event of your expedition, though they now 
be fully informed of all, and press them to send you, early in March 
next, five or six hundred spears and two thousand archers. I will 
reassemble my forces, for my subjects are well inclined to fight the 
Castillians, and we will make an effectual war against them. A 
kingdom may be won and lost in one campaign." 

The duke, on hearing the king thus discourse, was much pleased 
and returned him his thanks. But, notwithstanding the king of Por- 

* " Mehun-sui Y»-re," a town in Berty, »d the Ym, four leosues from Bourses 



respecting the affairs of the borders of Scotland, which gave them 
much uneasiness, as concerning the duke of Brittany, who was ne. 
gotiating important treaties with them. He remembered also, that 
he had many difficulties to obtain the force he had brought with him 
to Galicia, and that, knowing his countrymen well, he had never had 
any intention of seeking a reinforcement, for he was aware the 
country at present was as heavily pressed as it was able to bear; that 
those who had gone home from Castille would never return thither, 
and he was fearful they would discourage any others from coming to 
his aid. Although he knew all this, he did not behave well to the 
king and barons of Portugal in hiding it from them. After residing 
some time at Oporto, he told the king, that many reasons urged him 
to return to Bayonne and the Bordelois; for that Portugal, though he 
was so agreeably received there by all, was not his own inheritance. 
He added, that as there were so many strong places and castles in 
the archbishopric of Bordeaux, on the borders of Foix, Araiagnac, 
beyond the Garonne and Dordogne, in Quercy, Perigord, Limousin, 
Auvcrgne, and other parts, which were still attached to the English, 
and whose garrisons were carrying on a war under his name : it 
therefore was his duty to go thither, and give them aid and advice, 
should there be occasion. He was besides, when in Portugal, too 
remote to hear news from England ; for the English dread the voyage 
to Portugal, for its length and danger of meeting Castillian, Galiciau, 
or Seville vessels, which cover that sea, either in going to, or return- 
ing from Flanders, with merchandise. 

For these and other reasons, the duke of Lancaster made his pre- 
parations for departure ; and when the galleys, which the king of 
Portugal had provided for him, under the command of his principal 
admiral Alphonso Bretat, were ready, and the weather favorable, he 
and his duchess took leave of the king, their daughter, and the ba. 
rons of Portugal, and embarked and put to sea. They coasted the 
shores, and, having wind and weather fair, arrived safely at Bayonne 
in a few days. The inhabitants of Bayonne and the adjacent parts 
were much rejoiced at their arrival, for they desired greatly their 
coming, and waited on them to pay their respects. News of the 
duke and duchess being at Bayonne with their daughter, was spread 
far and near, and gave much pleasure to Bordeaux and the Bordelois. 
Sir John Harpedon, seneschal of Bordeaux, and the seneschal dca 
Landes, with other gendemen of the country, such as the lord dc 
Mucident, the lords de Duras, de Rosem, de Landuras, de Chan. 
inont, dc I'Esparre, de Copane, and several more of the principal 
barons and knights, paid their compliments to the duke. He received 
them kindly as thev came, for they arrived separately. All ofi"ered 
him such sei-vices and affection as are due to a lord. The duke re- 
sided this season at Bayonne. He frequently wrote to the king of 
England and to his brothers ; but, for whatever he could urge, he 
had not any reinforcement of men-at-arms or archers ; and, as things 
were then situated, the duke of Lancaster and his concerns were 
totally disregarded. Those who had returned to Castille gave such 
accounts as discouraged others from going thitlier. They said, 
" The voyage was so long, a war with France would be far more 
advantageous. France has a rich country and temperate climate, 
with fine rivers ; but Castille has nothing but rocks and high moun- 
tains, a sharp air, muddy rivers, bad meat, and wines so hot and 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &. c . 



467 



hareh there is no drinking tliem. The inhabilaiits are poor and 
filthy, badly clothed and lodged, and quite difierent in their manners 
to u9, 90 that it would be folly to go thither. When you enter a 
large city or town, you expect to find everything, but you will meet 
with nothing but ivines, lard, and empty coffers. It is quite the con. 
tiary in France ; for there we have many a lime found, in the cities 
and towns, when the fortune of war delivered them into our hands, 
Buch weoltli and riches as astonished us. It is such a war as this 
we ought to attend to, and boldly hazard our lives, for it is very pro- 
fitable, and not in a war witli Castiile or Portugal, where there is 
nothing but poverty and loss to be suffered." 

Sucli were the convei-sations of the English who had returned from 
Castiile, so that the ministers who ruled the country, perceived that 
any expedition thither would be very unpopular. The country was 
not as yet recovered from the late troubles, which the executions of 
sir Robert Tresilian and others, and the flight of the duke of Ireland, 
had thrown it into. The king had also new counsellors, with whom 
he was not, at that time, well reconciled. All these things prevented 
any attention being paid to what related to the duke of Lancaster, 
who still resided at Bayonne. The situation of England, with respect 
to its internal divisions, the desperate state of the affairs of the duke 
of Lancaster, and all that related to the duke of Ireland and his par. 
tisans, were perfectly known to the king of France and his council. 
To gain more information on these subjects, tire king, by the advice 
of his uncles, resolved to invite the duke of Ireland into France, and 
to send to him at Utrecht, where he resided, proper passports for his 
coming thither, and for remainiTig as long as it should be the king's 
pleasure, and to return whenever the duke should please. It was 
necessary to send special messengers, and that his passport should be 
particularly made out, otherwise the duke would not quit Utrecht ; for 
he knew he was in tlie ill graces of tire lord de Coucy, (who was a 
great baron, and of high birth in France,) and not witltout cause, for, 
to say the truth, he had very scandalously treated hi? duchess, the 
daughter of the lord de Coucy. This certainly was the principal 
reason that had blasted his character in France and elsewhere ; for 
he was there as much hated and despised as in England. When this 
was discussed in the council of France, the lord de Coucy strongly 
opposed it ; but they gave so many reasons for the advantages that 
might be reaped from the duke's coming, as to induce him to yield ; 
indeed as the king willed it, he could not say more. 

The king, being young, was desirous to see the duke of Ireland, 
because he had been told he was a gallant knight, and that the king 
of England's love for him had been unbounded. A knight and clerk, 
W'ho was one of the king's notaries, were sent to seek him. The duke 
of Ireland was very much astonished when he first heard the king of 
France wished to see him, and had inany ideas what could be the 
(Muse of it. Having considered the passport, he found he might 
safely go to the king of France, and return to Utrecht when he pleased. 
He therefore left Utrecht, in company with those who had been sent 
for him, and continued liis journey until he arrived at Paris, for the 
king then resided at the castle of the Louvre. The duke was well 
received by the king and his uncles ; and the king was desirous he 
would fix his residence in France, and had a hotel appointed for 
him to live and keep his state. He had wherewithal to do so hand. 
Bomely, for he had brought immense sums of money with him from 
England, and the constable of France was still much indebted to him 
for the ransom of John of Brittany, as the whole had not been paid. 
The duke of Ireland made frequent visits to the king, who enter, 
tained him well ; and he was invited to all the feasts, tUts and tour- 
naments. 

CHAPTER ex. 

THE COtJUCI'L or FR.\NCE DISAGREE, AS TO THE KING'S GOING INTO GEE. 
MANY, ON ACCOUNT OF THE S.TATE OF THE KEALM. THE DUKE OF BKIT- 
TANY STRENGTHENS HIS GARRISONS, AND FORMS ALLIANCES WITH 
E.NGLAND AND THE KING OF NAVARRE. TUE ENGLISH RAISE A LARGE 
AK.MV. 

Yo? have before heard how the count d'Estampes was sent by the 
duke of Berry into Brittany, in the hopes of conciliating the duke of 
Brittany, and had returned unsuccessful, to the great vexation of the 
duke of Berry, but more particularly to the king's council ; for they 
knew the eagerness of the king to march to Germany, to revenge 
himself' for the rude and outrageous challenge the duke of Gueldres 
had sent him. The wisest of the council, foreseeing what might 
happen, thought it would be too dangerous for the king, at tliis mo. 
ment, to leave the realm. They now clearly saw the duke of Brit- 
tany would not Usten to terms of accommodation, and felt his con- 
duct, in arresting, confining, and ransoming the constable for one 
hundred thousand francs, three castles and a town, highly offensive 
to the honor of France. They heard also, that the duke had entered 
into a strong alliance with the king of England, and was laying up 
stores of all kinds in his different towns and castles. He was seek- 
ing friends on all sides, so that his barons and knights knew not bow 
to act, (or at least the greater part,) whether to go to. France, or re- 
main with the duke and abide the event ; but they would never have 
taken amis against France, for the knights and squires of Brittany 
are too loyal Frenchmen to he induced to be guilty of such conduct. 
The councd were feartul, and with reason, should the king march to 



Germany with a large force, and he could not do otherwise, that the 
duke of Brittany would introduce the English into his country, by 
Saint Malo, Saint Matthieu, Kemper, Treguier, Guerrande, Vannes, 
or on some other parts of the coast, for they could not gain a better 
entrance into France. They were, therefore, much puzzled, how 
they could, without compromising the king's honor and that of the 
realm, bring about a reconciliation with the duke. But some of the 
council said, " that it would be very blameable in the king to put off 
his expedition for this duke of Brittany, who was not master of his 
own country ; and he might be assured that the knights and barons 
of Brittany would never side with him against the king of France. 
Let the king, in God's name, undertake the expedition, and the con. 
stable, with his Bretofis, may stay at home to guard the country." 
This opinion was ably supported in the council ; but others opposed 
it, saying, " It cannot be done, for the king will never undertake it 
without the constable, as he knows more of war than any other 
knight." Some argued, saying, " Let the king then remain, and send 
thither one of his uncles, for instance my lord of Burgrmdy, mth two 
thousand lances and seven thousand lusty varlets ; for, as the war 
principally affects him, he is bound to go thither, from his connection 
with Brabant, which is the seat of war ; and he will be joined, when 
in that country, by seven hundred spears, and from twenty to thirty 
thousand of the common people." " What you say is to no purpose," 
others replied, " for the king is determined to go, as commander-in- 
chief: he says, since he htis been challenged, he will not refuse it. 
It is proper he should therefore go; and, as he is young, the oftener 
he bears arms, the more will he like them." " ,A.I1 this is well," said 
some, " but who will be bold enough to advise the king to march so 
far into Germany, and among such proud and crafty people ? The 
entrance may be easy enough, but not so the return ; for, when they 
know that the king of France and his nobles are in the heart of their 
country, they will collect together at some of the passes they are ac- 
quainted with, and of which we are ignorant, and completely destroy 
us. They are the most avaricious of mankind, and the most cruel to 
their prisoners ; for, when they take any in war, they throw them 
into close dungeons, loaded with fetters, and such-like prison furni- 
ture : they are cunning enough in these matters, in order to obtain a 
larger ransom for them. They are in the highest spirits when they 
make captive a nobleman or man of rank, and carry him with tliom 
into Bohemia, Austria, or Saxony, and confine him in some uninhab- 
ited castle, where you must seek for him. Such people are worse 
than Pagans or Saracens, for their extreme covetousness robs them 
of all ideas of honor. Now, if you conduct the king to such a coun- 
try, and any melancholy event happen, and who can foresee what 
unfortunate accidents may not occur ? it mil be said that we have 
advised him, like traitors, to his ruin, and not for the welfare of him 
or the kingdom. But, should the king persist in this expedition (God 
defend the realm from harm !) whom will he take with him, and 
what nobles are to attend him ? for he must be properly accompanied, 
and the country, being left empty of defenders, is in risk of total de- 
struction. Who will now advise the king to undertake this matter 
in person ?" "What can be done then?" said others, in reply. 
" Why," answered those who had more maturely considered the mat- 
ter, and weighed all the difficulties attending it, " let the king think 
no more of it, nor send any considerable force thither. The duke 
of Gueldres is young and hot-headed, and puffed up with having 
challenged a king of France. It has not proceeded from any soUd 
understanding, but from the self-sufficiency of a young man, who 
wants to fly before he has wings. Since he has sent his defiance, 
let him follow it up : the kingdom of France is large, and the mo- 
ment he shall enter it, whatever part it may be, the king will be 
informed of it, and have just cause for calling on his subjects for sup. 
port, and for marching to repel the invader, should he have remained 
in France, or for pursuing him into Germany. The king will, by 
such conduct, acquire honor for himself and his kingdom, at a much 
cheaper rate than by marching into Gueldres. We ha,ve been in- 
formed, by those well acquainted with the country, that there are four 
large rivers to cross before you arrive at the duke's territories, and 
that the smallest is as wide as the Loire at Nemours or La Charity, 
and tlie country was covered with heath and offered no place fit for 
encampment. Now, those who please may advise the king to un- 
dertake his expedition through such a country." 

Thus, as I have said, was the council divided respecting this ex. 
pedition to Gueldres, which the king was very anxious to accomplish. 
Indeed, more progress would have been made toward it, if they had 
not been afraid of the mischief that might come from Brittany ; and 
this delayed it much. There was cause for their fears ; for the duke, 
who had received information of the challenge of the duke of Guel- 
dres, and of the king's eagerness to march against him, was only 
waiting until the king had quitted the lungdom, to introduce the 
English, with whom he had formed an alliance, into his duchy. The 
duke had by his subtle arts gained over the principal towns to his in- 
terest, such as Nantes, Vannes, Rennes, Treguier, Guerrande, Lam- 
balle, St. Malo, and St. Matthieu de Fine.Pfiterne, but had failed ia 
his attempts to gain the nobles. He hoped, indeed, they would 
accompany the constable into Germany and give him freer scope for 
his war. He filled his towns and castles with all sorts of stores, ar- 
tillery and provisions, plainly showing he preferred war to peace. 
He had likewise formed a strict alliance with his brother-in-law, the 



488 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



young king of Navarre, and had promised him, that if he succeeded 
in his attempt to bring over a body of English men-at-arms and arch. 
era he would lead them instantly to Normandy, and recover for him 
all those towns and places the late king of France had won from his 
father by himself, or the lord de Coucy and others. The king of 
Navarre indulged in these hopes, and paid every respectful compli- 
ment to the duke of Lancaster at Bayonne, with whom he entered 
jnlo an alliance. 

On the 7th day of April, in the year of grace 1388, it was deter- 
mined in the council of tlie king of England, by the dukes of York 
and Gloucester, that Richard earl of Arundel should be ajipointed 
commander in thief of a naval expedition. He was to have under 
him one thousand men-at-arms and three thousand archers, who were 
to assemble at Southampton, the 15th of May, when the fleet would 
be ready prepared to receive them, and it was fixed that those who 
were to accompany him were immediately to begin their march to 
Southampton. The king of England kept a grand feast on St. 
George's day, this year, at Windsor, which was attended by a num- 
ber of the lords, who were to accompany the earl of Arundel, and 
who there took leave of the king, the queen, liis uncles and ladies. 
The whole of tliis armament were at Southampton or in those parts, 
on the appointed day, and embarked on board the fleet the twentieth 
day of May, when the weather was fine and clear. With the earl of 
Arundel were, the earls of Nottingham and Devonshire, the lord 
Thomas Percy, the loi-d Clifford, sir John de Warwick, sir William 
lieslie, the lord Camois, sir Stephen de Liberie, sir William Helmon, 
sir Thomas Moreaux, sir John d'Ambreticourt, sir Robert Scot, sir 
Peter de Montbeny, sir Lewis Clanborough, sir Thomas Cook, sir 
William Paulet, and several more : in the whole, there were one 
thousand good men-at-arms and about three thousand archers. They 
embarked no horses with them ; for they hoped, if successful, to find 
horses in plenty in Brittany. The day they weighed anchor the sea 
was so calm and serene, that it was beautiful to behold. They made 
for the shores of Brittany or Normandy, with a determination to land 
nowhere else, unless other intelligence should be sent them. They 
had in their fleet some light vessels (called Bulnicrs Coursiers) which 
iliew but little water, and these were sent in advance, to seek adven- 
taros ; in the same manner as knights and squires, mounted on the 
fleetest horses, are ordered to scour in front of an army, to see if 
there are any ambuscades. We will, however, leave this army, and 
tfetik. of the affairs of Gueldres, Brabant, and of the siege of Grave. 



CHAPTER CXI. 

3BE BRABANTERS LAY SIEGE TO THE TOWN OF GRAVE. THE CONSTABLE 
OP FRANCE GAINS THE TOWNS OF SAINT MAI.0 AND SAINT MATTHIEU 
PE FINE-POTERNE, AND GARRISONS THEM WITH HIS HEN. 

I HAVE before given an account of the ancient dukes of Gueldres, 
and how the eldest son of the first duke married Bertaldo of Mech- 
Un's daughter, in order to redeem his inheritance, and had mortgaged 
three of his castles to the count de Mours, who, unable to regain the 
money he had lent, had sold them to AVinceslaus, duke of Brabant, 
for the same sum, and all the subsequent events to the time of duke 
William of Gueldres, son of the duke of Juliers. The duke of Guel- 
dres, finding he could no way succeed in recovering his before-men. 
tioned three castles on the Mouse, which had been part of his 
patrimonial inheritance, resolved to secure himself the possession of 
Grave from the Brabanters. He had married his bastard-daughter to 
the young lord of Bruk, who claimed the town of Grave as lord par- 
amount. There was an amicable treaty made between them, such 
aa should be made when fathers and children are concerned : and the 
young lord of Bruk yielded to the duke all his claims on Grave, and 
the territories thereto belonging, in the presence of the knights of 
Gueldres and Juliers. The duke of Gueldres gave him, in return, 
tile town and territory of Breda, situated on the river Merck, in the 
duchy of Gueldres, bordering on Holland, below Brabant. It had a 
handsome castle : the town was extensive and of much trade, but 
Grave was more valuable. The duke had made this exchange to 
strengthen himself against the claim of the Brabanters ; but the 
duchess and her subjects said, that the lord of Bruk was only mort. 
gagee in possession, and that she or her heirs might redeem it when- 
ever they pleased. The duke of Gueldres denied tliis, and hence 
arose their mutual hatreds and wars. 

The Brabanters this year, in the month of May, came with a pow- 
erful force of barons, knights, and squires, to lay siege to the town 
of Grave. They brought with them springalls, and various otiier 
machines of attack, and they amounted altogether to forty thousand 
men. There were almost daily skirmishes at the barriers. The 
town of Grave is situated on the Brabant side of the Mouse, over 
wliich there is a bridge that connects it with Gueldres. This siege 
was a bold enterprise : but great plenty was in the army of Brabant, 
and everything was to be had there for money, and as cheap as at 
Bi-ussels. In these continual skirmishes at the barriers, where the 
cross-bows sometimes ventured, the success was variable, as muot 
aiways happen when the parties are nearly equal. 

The duke of Gueldres was regularly informed of everything that 
passed at the siege, for he had fixed his residence only four leagues 
off at Nimeguen. He wrote frequently to England for assistance 



and was in hopes the armament at sea, under the earl of Arundel, 
should the winds prove favorable, would come to raise this siege. 
He knew the town of Grave was strong, and that it was amply sup- 
plied w'ith stores and provisions, and could not be won by storm. 
As it could only be gained by capitulation, he felt assured on that 
head, as he depended on the fidelity of the inhabitants, that they 
would never desert liim. This siege, therefore, lasted a very con. 
sidcrable time. The earl of Arundel's fleet was still at sea, and 
though no landing had been attempted, it hovered along the coasts 
of Brittany and Normandy, so that the Normans from St. Michael's 
Mount along the shore to Dieppe, Saint VaMry, and even Crotoy in 
Ponthieu, were much alarmed, and uncertain at what place they 
would disembark. All these seaport towns were well provided with 
men-at-arms, by orders from the king of France, to oppose any in. 
vasion. 

The marshal de Blainville, who commanded on the coast, sent the 
lord de Coucy and the lord de Hambre, two great Norman barons, 
to the town of Carentan, which is situated on the sea-shore, and 
formerly belonged to Charles king of Navarre. The constable of 
France took possession of the towns of Saint Malo and Saint Mat. 
thieu de Finc-Poterne ; and, as soon as he learnt the English were 
at sea, he placed sufficient garrisons in both, in the name of the king 
of France. It was thought in France that war would be declared 
against the duke of Brittany. The knights and squires said, that 
this appearance of the English fleet was another instance of the 
duke's perfidy ; for, by their continued hovering along his coasts, it 
was clear that he had invited them thither. They never quitted their 
stations, unless forced by stress of weather, and, when favorable, 
returned to them again. 

CHAPTER CXII. 

THE DUIvE OP LANCASTER HAS THOUGHTS OF MARRYING HIS DAUGHTER TO 
THE DUKE DE LA TOURAINE, BROTHER TO THE KING OF FRANCE. THE 
DUKE OF BERRY PROPOSES HIMSELF FOR HER HUSBAND. THE DUKE OP 
LANCASTER IS MUCH SATISFIED THEREAT. 

I HAVE before said that the duke of Lancaster had quitted Castille 
and Portugal. His thoughts on the unfortunate event of his expedi. 
tion, were not very agreeable ; for he saw his hopes annihilated, and 
that fortune, as very often happens in worldly affairs, had suddenly 
turned against him, at a time when it was the least expected : for 
he had left England well accompanied with men-at-arms, and with 
every expectation of finishing his campaign in a different manner. 
It was told him, that his adversary had regained \vithin fifteen days 
after he left the country, all his conquests, which had occupied him 
sLx weeks. His army had been wasted away by sickness, and he 
despaired of any assistance from home ; for the Enghsh were tired 
of this war, as it was at such a distance, and the accounts they had 
heard of the country disgusted them : besides, the duke knew that 
England was much troubled within itself. He foresaw little hope 
of amendment in his affairs ; and though he said not much on this 
subject, he thought a great deal. At times, he compared himself 
and Ills expedition to the duke of Anjou and his march to Naples ; 
for, when he set out from France, he was so magnificently equipped, 
nothing was ever seen like to it, and attended by multitudes of 
knights, squires, and men-at-arms ; but the end had been, that all 
were either killed or ruined. 

It was not surprising that the duke, considering his hopes were 
totally destroyed, should be sometimes melancholy ; for the count 
de Foix, who was one of the wisest princes, in conversation with 
his knights, had declared the duke of Lancaster's expectations, in 
regard to the crown of Castille, were completely at an end. The 
duke was, however, of a high spirit, and sought consolation in the 
prospect of the elevation of his children. He had widi him a hand- 
some daughter, by the lady Constance, daughter of don Pedro, in 
whose right he made war on Castille : he, therefore, musing on this 
subject, said, " If fortune is now unfavorable to me, it may be other, 
wise to my daughter, who is yotnig and handsome, and by her grand, 
father and mother the true heiress of Castille. Some gallant prince 
of France may seek her in marriage, either for flie above right or 
her high birth ; for she may boast that she springs from the best 
blood in Christendom." He would gladly have had some overtures 
made him from France on this subject ; for he knew the king had a 
younger brother, in the duke of Touraine : " and," added the duke, 
"we might, through this means, recover our inheritance of Castille ; 
for it has been solely through the aid of France that our adversary 
has kept his crown: shotdd that power turn against him, which 
would be the case if a marriage took place with the duke of Tou- 
raine, he must speedily surrender his throne to my daughter." Such 
were the expectations the duke of Lancaster flattered himself h ith, 
and his imaginations were in a way to be realized ; not, indeed, by 
the king of France's brother, but by one who was well qualified to 
change the face of affairs in Castille, and who had the complete gov. 
ernment of France, for without his consent nothing was done : I 
mean the duke of Berry. 

You have before heard how he and his son were made widowers 
nearly at the same time. What I am about to relate, I know from 
my own knowledge ; for I, the author of this book, was at the tims 
in the country of Blois, on the borders of Poitou and Berry, with 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



4C9 



my very dear and honored lord, the count Guy de Blois, by whose 
desire and encoui'agement this liistory was undertaken. The duke 
of Berry had, among his other tliouglits and plans, a desire to marry 
again. He frequently said to (hose near his person, that a lord was 
nothing without a lady, nor a man without a wife. Those in whom 
he had tlie greatest confidence replied, " Very well, my lord, marry 
then your son John : your house will be more pleasant, and better 
managed.'' " Ah," said the duke, " he is too young." " That is 
nothing, my lord : do not you see the count de Blois has married his 
son, who is of the same age, with your daughter Mary ?'* " That is 
true," answered the duke ; " well, name then a lady for him." " We 
name the daughter of the duke of Lancaster." The duke mused a 
while, and was some time before he made any reply, when, address, 
ing himself to tliem, he said, " You propose marrying my son John 
with my cousin, the daughter of tlie duke of Lancaster : by St. Denis, 
you have made me imagine that she will be an excellent match for 
myself, and I will shortly write to the duke on the subject. He re- 
sides, as I liear, at Bayonne ; and I will signify to him that some of 
my council shall very speedily wait on him to treat of this marriage 
with me, I say : not for my son John, whom I will marry elsewhere." 
Those to whom he had spoken, on hearing the above, burst out into 
laughter. " What do you laugh at ?•• sold, the duke. " We laugh, 
my lord, because it seems that j'ou prefer to have a good thing your- 
self, rather than give it your son." " By my faith, I am in the right ; 
for my fair cousin of Lancaster will not so readily give his daughter 
to my son as he will to me." 

Letters were instantly written and sent to the duke of Lancaster. 
The messengers, on their arrival at Bayonne, presented the letters to 
the duke, who, having opened tViem and perused their contents, was 
highly delighted, and made those who had brought them good cheer, 
giving them to understand that their intelligence was very agreeable 
to him. The duke returned such answers by the messengers as 
showed the proposal was very satisfactory, and had given him much 
joy. The messengers, on their return, found the duke of Berry in 
Poitou, hut preparing to return to Paris; for the king and the duke 
of Burgundy had expressly sent for him, to consider of the state of 
Brittany. Having read the answer from the duke of Lancaster, 
which afforded him much pleasure, he determined to persevere in 
the business, although he could not defer his journey to Paris. He 
resolved, however, to proceed in it by the shortest mode, and sent 
letters lo one of his knights, called sir Helion de Lignac, who at that 
time was seneschal of La Rochellc, ordering him to place the town 
under the government of those he could depend upon, and then, 
without fail, to hasten to him at Paris. Sir Helion, on receiving the 
duke's orders, sealed with his seal, and noticing the haste in which 
he was summoned to follow him, lost no time in putting La Rochelle 
and its clependencies under the command of two valiant knights of 
Beauce, called sir Peter de Jouy and the lord Peter Taillepi(5. When 
this was done, he took the shortest road he cotdd to join the duke, who 
he knew, from the tenor of his letter, would be impatient to see him. 

We will now return to the duke of Lancaster at Bayonne, and 
say what were his thoughts on the proposal from the duke of Berry. 
He was not willing it should be kept secret : on the coiitrary, he 
published it everywhere, that his enemies might be alarmed, and the 
matter knoivn in the court of his adversary of Castille. The duke, 
in consequence, wrote several letters, detailing the whole business, 
with copies of the duke of Berry's proposals, and his answers of con. 
sent, to the count de Foix ; because he knew there was a continual 
intercourse of knights and squires from all countries at Orthfes, going 
or returning to Castille, or on pilgrimage to or from Saint Jago. He 
did the same thing to the king of Navarre, who had married the 
king of Castillo's sister, and by whom he had a numerous family, 
that the intelligence of this marriage might be more readily believed 
in Castille than if told by common report. He wrote also on the 
same subject to the king of Portugal, but was silent respecting it in 
his letters to the king and his brothers in England, for he knew the 
English would not be pleased at it : indeed, they gave proofs of their 
dislike to this marriage, as soon as they heard of it, as I shall relate 
when I come to that part of my history ; but I must now return to 
the duke of Brittany, as that matter presses. 



CHAPTER CXIII. 

THE LORD DE COIJCY AND OTHER EAKONS OF FRANCE ARE SENT TO 
THE DUKE OF BRJTTANY. BEFORE THEIR ARRIVAL,' HE HAD RE- 
STORED TO THE OFFICERS OF THE CONSTABLE THE PLACES HE BAD 
TAKEN FROM HIM. 

On the duke of Berry's arrival at Paris, many councils were held 
by those most in the conlidencc of the king and his uncles, such as 
the bishop of Langres and Laon, the lord de Coucy and other privy 
■counsellors, as well on the affairs of Gueldres, whither the king was 
still very desirous of going, as of Brittany ; for the duke would not 
accept of the advances that had been made him toward a reconcilia- 
tion with France. They knew not whom they could send to make 
another attempt, since the former negotiators had failed. The coun- 
cil were much troubled on this account, for they had learnt that the 
duke of Brittany had been busily employed during the winter in vict. 
Mailing again and reinforcing all his towns and castles, which plainly 



indicated his wish to have been for war. The wisest of the council 
said : " You talk of going to Germany : you should rather go to Brit- 
tany, and destroy that insolent duke, who holds in contempt the 
crown of France and refuses to obey its orders. You will not obtain 
anything from him by treaty : and his presumption is so great, he 
must be taught his duty : he neither loves nor esteems any one but 
himself. It is clear, that if the king go to Germany, and leave the 
realm unprotected by men-at-arms, (and unless he be handsomely 
attended, he need not think of it,) this duke will introduce the Eng. 
lish into his country, and give them an entrance to Franco. The ap. 
pearances are now very strong that he will do so ; for there is a large 
English fleet on his coasts, which never leaves them but when forced 
to it by stress of weather, and when fair it returns ; so that I see no 
alternative; you must have open war or peace." "It wo,uld be 
well," replied others, " that we again send to him the bishop of 
Langres and the count de St. Pol, for this last is, by marriage, his 
brother-in-law."* " Oh, no, no," interrupted sir Yves d'Orient : 
" if you will send to him again, you cannot send one more agreeable 
tc) him, nor of greater weight, than the lord de Coucy : for they are 
connected by marriage, and have always had a great affection for 
each other ; and to the lord de Coucy add whomsoever you please." 
"Since you have made this proposal, sir Yves," said the duke of! 
Burgundy, " name those whom you think should accompany the lord 
de Coucy." " Willingly," replied sir Yves : " if you please, then, 
sir John dc Vienne and the lord de la Riviere shall go with him. 
They are three very intelligent lords ; and, if any can make him . 
listen to reason, they will." " We agree to this," said the dukes of 
Berry and Burgundy. 

Although the three lords were instructed what they were to Gay, 
and how to act, and to use every amicable means to settle the busi. 
ncss, they did not quit Paris immediately. The duke of Brittany ' 
heard, before these noblemen left France, of their mission, but those 
who had informed him knew not the particulars they were charged 
with. He was confident, however, it related to matters of great 
importance, by the lord de Coucy's appointment. He frequently 
meditated on the subject, and opened his thoughts to some of the 
most confidential of his council, for them to give him advice how to 
act. " It was commonly reported," he said, " that the duke of 
Lancaster was about marrying his daughter in France to the duke 
of Berry, and that matters had gone so far that sir Helion de Lignae 
was on his road to Bayonne to conclude the business with the duke^ 
who was well inclined to it. Such a report surprised him exceed- 
ingly ; for the duke of Lancaster, who was his brother-in-law, had 
never written to him on the subject, and all he knew was from public 
rumor. This silence had not been usual to him formerly, for when- 
ever any of his affairs had a connection with France, he regularly 
had informed him of thera.'' His council replied : " Sir, you must 
alter your plans, whatever they may be, or you may be too great a 
loser, and bring destruction on your country. This you should 
dread ; for what occasion have you to go to war since you are now at 
peace, and they are begging you to remain so ? Your lady is far 
gone with child, and you should pay attention that in her situation 
she be not alarmed. The king of Navarre can give you but little 
support, for he has enough to do himself. The duke of Lancaster is 
a valiant and wise prince ; but he marries, as they say, his daughter 
to the duke of Berry. This will be the foundation for a long peace 
between France and England, and various treaties will be formed in - 
consequence. You will see shortly the king of Castille driven from 
his throne ; for, as the French seated him on it, they can as easily 
dethrone him : indeed, more easily, for they will have the aid of the 
duke of Lancaster and the English. We have in truth heard, that 
the lord dc Coucy, the admiral of France, and the lord de la Riviere, 
are coming hither, and you may suppose it must be on affairs of rfie 
greatest consequence to the king and kingdom, or on the matter of 
the constable of France, whose cause the king has warmly espoused. 
They are probably ordered to know positively what are your inten. 
tions, and if you persist in your former opinions. Should this last be 
the case, we suppose (for one may judge tolerably well from appear- 
ances) that the immense force, now rumored to be destined against 
Gueldres, will be turned against you. Now consider from whom 
you may expect assistance, should war be declared by France, as it 
most certainly will be, unless you consent to a reconciliation, should 
the duke of Lancaster marry his daughter to the duke of Berry ; 
and this he will do, for where can he ally himself better in regard to 
the recovery of his inheritance ? The majority of prelates, barons, 
knights, and principal towns of the duchy, are in opposition to you. 
We therefore say, since you ask our advice, that it is at this moment 
more than ever requisite for you to consider well your situation, and 
to avoid risking the loss of your country, which has cost you so much 
labor and blood to gain. We know how great your hatred is to sit 
Oliver de Clisson, and that you have mutually shown your disUkes to 
each other; but you must soften it some little, at least in appearance, 
for since the king of France, his uncles and barons have taken up 
his quaiTel, they will support him: he is and will continue their con- 
stable. Had the late king been alive, who loved him so much, and 
you had acted the same, we know it would have cost the king half 
his kingdom, but he would have made you suffer for the injury done 

• The duke of Brittany and the count de St. Pol married two daughters of sir John 
Holland, earl of Kent. 



4T0 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND. FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



him. The present king, his son, is young, and does not pay that 
attention to affairs which may be expected from him, if he live, ten 
Tears hence: he is coming on the stage, and you are going off 
Should you, tliercfore, engage in a new war with France, after all 
■we have said, it will be contrary to our opinions, and to those of 
every man who has any attachment to you. You must dissemble at 
present what your real inclinations may be. What is it to you the 
holding these castles from sir Oliver de Clisson, which form part of 
his inheritance, considering the manner in which you gained them ? 
and, whether you have peace or war, they will cost you more to 
guard for three years than ever you will gain from them in twelve. 
Give them back, therefore, handsomely ; and when the rumor shall 
be spread abroad, for there is no fire without smoke, that you have 
80 done of your own free-will, you will pacify the anger of many, and 
greatly please the duke of Burgundy, who has never interfered so 
much in this business as he might, had he so pleased, througli the 
good offices of your cousin the duchess of Burgundy : this we know 
for fact. She has a numerous family, who are now your nearest re- 
lations : recollect, tliercfore, whence your origin, and wlio are your 
connections, and do not estrange yourself from those with whom you 
ought to be more strongly united : it will be madness if you do, and 
you will be undeserving pity for what consequences may ensue. 
Have no connection witli England : the English have sufficient em. 
ployment at home. They will make you great protestations of 
friendship, in order to take their advantage of it, and notliing more : 
this you know, for you were in your youth brought up anions them." 
The duke was much struck on hearing such very forcible reason, 
ing, and remained some time leaning over a window that opened into 
a court, without making any reply. His council were standing be- 
hind him; and, after some musing, he turned round and said: "I 
perceive clearly that you have well and honestly advised me. I 
want nothing but good counsel, and yet how can I pretend to cher- 
ish love where I only feel hate ? How can I ever love sir Oliver de 
Clisson, who has given me such repeated causes for haired ? and the 
thing I most repent of in this world is, the not having put him to 
death when I had him in my castle of Ermine." " la the name of 
God, sir," replied those near him, " had you put him to death, you 
could never have possessed yourself of his estates, for there is an 
appeal from this duchy to the parliament of Paris. John of Brittany 
and the son of the viscount de Rohan are his heirs by marriage with 
his two daughters, and would of right have succeeded to his estates ; 
and you are much blamed for what you have already done respect- 
ing the three castles, by their friends in France. The constable has 
made his complaints to the chamber of parliament at Paris, where 
sentence will be given against you, for you have no one there to 
make any defence for what he may accuse you of When you shall 
have lost this cause, sir Oliver de Clisson and his heirs will be enti. 
tied to follow up the judgment by force of arms ; and, should the 
ting and country take part in enforcing them, you must have a 
greater power than we know you have at this moment to make any 
resistance. It will therefore be more to your advantage, if, while 
this matter is pending, you surrender up these castles, and be thanked 
for so doing, rather than wait until judgment be given against you, 
with heavy damages. You will also regain the good will of your 
Bubjects, which is certainly worth having, and live in peace with 
those whose affections you should wish to preserve ; I mean the 
king of France, who is your sovereign and natural lord, and my lord 
of Burgundy and his children your cousins. You have seen an e.\- 
ample in your own time in the late earl of Flanders, your cousin, 
german, who, though a valiant and wise prince, was, through e.\tra. 
ordinary events, at the latter end of his days, nearly driven out of his 
inheritance ; but, by humbling himself to the king of France and his 
uncles, they assisted him in the recovery of his country." " Well," 
replied the duke, " I see, since I have asked your advice, it will be 
proper for me to follow what you have said." 

I believe everything went on well afterwards ; at least, such were 
the appearances ; for the duke of Brittany, who had hitherto kept 
possession of the constable's castles, now remanded his men from 
them, and gave up their possession to the officers of sir OUver de 
Clisson. This was the first act of moderation on his part : but ii did 
not satisfy the king nor council of France, who insisted on the res. 
titution of the money that had been paid as part of the ransom, and 
that the duke should come to Paris, and personally make e.\cuses for 
his conduct to the king, in the presence of the peers of France, and 
submit to such punishment as the king and his peers might, after 
great deliberation, adjudge him. The three envoys to Brittany were 
well pleased when they heard of the restitution of the constable's 
castles, and the lord de Csucy said, " Now, gentlemen, we have one 
obstacle the less to surmount, and I suppose the duke will listen to 
what we may have to say to him." 

I was told, that before these three barons left Paris, the dukes of 
Berry and Burgundy held several private consultations with them, 
and recommended them to use every gentle method to bring matters 
10 a favorable conclusion, in preference to harsh ones ; and to pre. 
Tail on the duke to come to Paris, or at least half way to the town 
of Blois, where they would meet him and hold a conference together. 
The three barons, who were prudent and had received their full 
instructions, said, they would use their utmost endeavors to comply 
■frith their wishes. On leaving Paris, they continued their journey 



until they came to the city of Rennes in Brittany, where, on asking' 
for the duke, they learnt he was at Vannes, vvhither they went. 
Their earning was already known in the household of the duke, for 
they had sent forward servants to prepare their lodgings. The duke 
had assembled his council and the principal barons of Brittany near 
his person, to show them the more honor. They were well received 
on their entering Vannes, by the knights and others of the duke'a 
household, who had gone forth to meet them, and in particular by 
the lord de Laval, who resided there. 

They dismounted at their lodgings, and, having dressed and re- 
freshed themselves with what they there found, remounted their 
horses, and rode to the castle de la Motte, the residence of the duke, 
who met and received them with much joy, telling them they were 
welcome, for that he was very happy in seeing them. He took the 
lord do Coucy by the hand, and showed him much kindness, saying, 
" Fair broth-er, you are welcome : I rejoice to see you in Brittany : 
before you leave me, I will give you fine sport with hunting stage,, 
and in hawking." " Dear brother and lord," replied the lord de 
Coucy, " I thank you : and I and my companions will cheerfully 
partake of them." The duke showed them every attention, and 
conducted them, laughing and \oking, to his apartments, where they 
amused themselves with much cheerfulness, as great lords are accus- 
tomed to do who have not seen each other for some time. All four 
knew how to keep up a brilliant conversation as well, if not better, 
than any lords I ever saw, not excepting the duke of Brabant, the 
count de Foix, nor the count de Savoy ; and, in particular the lord 
de Coucy shone above all others, as was acknowledged by all lorde 
and ladies, in whatever country he had visited, whether France, 
England, Germany, Lombaidy, or any other places. He had seen 
much of the world, and had travelled to various parts, to which he 
was naturally inclined. 

During the time these lords were in conversation, spices were 
brought in handsome silver comfit boxes, and fine wines in gold and 
silver cans. The lords partook of both, and shortly after took leave 
and returned to their lodgings. Thus passed the first day, without 
one word being said of the cause of their coming. 



CHAPTER CXIV. 

WHILE HELION EE LISNAC, EMBASSADOK FEOM THE DUKE O-F EERKY TO 
THE DUKE OF LANCASTER, IS NEaOTUTINO THE MARRIAGE WITH HIS^ 
DAUGHTER, THE KING OF CASTILLE SENDS E.MBASSADORS PRIVATELY TO 
BREAK IT OFF, AND TO DEMAND THE LADY IN .1IARRIAGE FOE BIS SON. 
HELION DE L:GNAC IS SENT AWAY, THE DAY OF TIIEIK ARKIVAL, WITH 
SO.ME TRUCES RESPECTING THE FRONTIERS OF At^UITAINE. 

We will now return to sir Helion de Lignac, who had been sent 
by the duke of Berry to the duke of Lancaster. The knight arrived 
safely at Bayonne, and, having dismounted at his inn, made himself 
ready to wait on the duke, who had already been informed of his 
arrival, and, as a mark of honor, had sent two of his knights to visit, 
him at his h6tel, and to conduct him to him. Sir Helion, on being 
introduced to the duke, saluted hira very profoundly, as was proper, 
and he knew well how to acquit himself. The duke received him 
most honorably, raised him up in his arms, and took him by the hand 
to lead him into an apartment, for they had met in the hall. Sir 
Helion then gave him the letters he had been charged with from the 
duke of Berry. The duke, having opened and read them, advanced 
toward sir Helion, who declared the business he had been sent on. 
The duke very courteously replied, and said to sir Hehon, he was 
welcome ; that the matter he was come to treat on was of such im- 
portance, it was necessary he should deliberate with his council 
thereon, and that he could not instantly give him a decided answer. 

Sir Helion de Lignac remained at Bayonne with the duke of Lan- 
caster and his knights upward of a month, and was treated most 
kindly by words and otherwise, and made to understand that the 
duke was not unwilling to accept of the duke of Berry's proposals ; 
but this was not the fact, for all these fine speeches and delays were 
fictions, and solely used to give more publicity to what was going 
forward, more especially that it should be known in the kingdom of 
Caslille,for there his afl'ections were placed. The duke of Lancas- 
ter said to sir Helion, that if his cousin of Berry married his daughter, 
he must unite all his force with him to wage war on his adversary 
of Castille, that his daughter's inheritance might be recovered. Sir 
Helion, in reply, said, " My lord, I am not charged to say anything 
respecting this matter : you will, before my departure, write down 
what you expect, and I will carry it to the duke of Berry, whose af. 
fection is, I know, so strong toward you, that he will enter into all 
reasonable alliances you may propose." "We wish for nothing 
more," said the duke. Things remained in this state during the time 
of sir Helion's residence at Bayonne, where he was gayly entertained 
according to the orders the duke had given. 

In the meanwhile, news of this intended marriage was everywhere 
spread abroad ; and, in particular, it was carried to the court of king 
John of Castille by those who said, "Do you know what is going 
forward ? There are important treaties negotiating with tlie dukes 
of Berry and Lancaster, for a match between the duke of Berry and' 
the lady Catherine ; and, if this be concluded, as there seems every 
probability, it will not be done without strong alliances being made 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



471 



between them. The duke of Berry has at this moment great power : 
he is the elder uncle of the king of France, and takes the lead in the 
government of that country. He will succeed in whatever he may 
propose, as to peace or long truces with England : and, on the other 
hand, the duke of Lancaster stands in the same relation to the king 
of England, is wise, and of great power ; and, as it should seem, tlie 
English are tired of war. If, therefore, by means of this connection 
with France, a firm peace should be established with England, we 
shall have the war to support alone ; for the duke of Lancaster will 
not give up tamely his claims on Castille, but, on the contrary, insist 
on establishing them, as his daughter's lawful inheritance and dower. 
We shall thus have war with France and England." Those most in 
tlie confidence of the king of Castille said to him, " Sire, have you 
heard the rumors that are abroad ? You had never such need of 
good advice as at this moment. The dangers from the duke of 
Lancaster are thicker than ever, and the blast comes from France." 
" How ;'' replied the king : " what do you mean ?" " In the name 
of God, sir, the report is everywhere current, that the duke of Berry 
is to many the duke of Lancaster's daugliter, and you may suppose 
this will not be done without great alliances being made between 
them ; and you may in future suffer as much from the French as you 
have lately gained by them." The king, on hearing this, was very 
pensive, for he knew what they had said was true. He demanded 
advice i^rom those who had ever been attached to him, how, in such 
a circumstance, he ought to act, and they gave him loyal and good 
counsel, as I will relate. 

You have before heard, in this history, how king Henry of Castille 
had made his peace with the king of Arragon, on condition that his 
son John, the present king of Castille, married his daughter. This 
marriage brought peace to the two countries. King .John had one son 
by this lady, who shortly after died ; and then, by the advice of his 
council, he married again with the lady Beatrice, daughter to the king 
of Portugal. The son, by the princess of Arrogon, was a promising 
youth, though very young. The council of Castille, in reply to the 
king's demand, said ; " Sire, we can only see one remedy to avert 
the evils that may be consequent to this marriage with the duke of 
Berry."' " What is it ?" asked the king. " It is the infant don Henry 
your son, who is alone capable of preventing this matcli ; for we are 
persuaded, that if 'he duke and duchess of Lancaster were informed 
you were willing to unite him with the lady Catherine, they would 
prefer him to the duke of Berry." " In God's name," answered the 
king, " you say well, and 1 will instantly set about it ; for our sub- 
jects will be quite satisfied, that by such a maniage they will have 
peace with England on sea and land. Now, consider of the most 
proper persons to send to treat with the duke of Lancaster." 

" Sire, it is necessary you should, in this matter, employ those of 
the greatest prudence and sagacity, and that it be treated with the 
utmost secrecy, lest you incur the hatred of the king of France. Great 
jealousies are now abroad, and persons are more eager to report 
scandal than good actions, for evil reports are sooner made public 
than others. When it shall be told to the court of France that you 
are in treaty with the duke ef Lancaster, they will vvisli to know the 
subject and the particulars, lest it may prejudice the strong alliance 
the late king, your father of worthy memory, entered into with them, 
and on which account the Frencii have assisted you in your wars. 
You must, therefore, send to the duke of Lancaster wise and discreet 
persons, that the matter may be secretly treated, and kept private 
until all things be completely settled." " What you have said is right," 
replied the king : " now name those whom you think capable of ac- 
complishing the matter." " Sire," said they, " we will send your 
confessor, father Fernando de Torre, and the bishop of Geghenc,* 
who was confessor to the late king, and Peter Gardelempos, who is 
a great orator." "Be it so, then," answered the king: "I consent; let 
them be sent for, and instructed what they are to say, and how to act; 
for formerly, when there was a treaty of peace in agitation, they were 
not listened to by the duke of Lancaster, who insisted, as a prelimi- 
nary, that I should lay down my crown, and tliis I will never do." 

The throe above-mentioned persons were summoned to Burgos, 
where the king resided, and told from him on what object they were 
to be sent to Bayonne, to treat with the duke of Lancaster. They 
professed themselves willing to undertake it to the best of their abili- 
ties, and set out on their journey with few attendants, not like to 
embassadors going to form alliances, for they were not certain what 
success they should have. On entering Navarre, they made for 
Pampeluna, the residence of the king, who had married the king 
ef Castille's sister. She entertained them kindly, but they did not 
discover to her, nor the king the object of their journey. They passed 
over the mountains of Pampeluna and Roncesvalles, through the 
country of the Basques, and arrived at the good town of Bayonne. 
At the time of their arrival, sir Helion de Lignac was still there, but 
made no long stay afterwards ; for father Fernando, the king of Cas. 
tille's conlessor, waited privately on the duke of Lancaster, as better 
acquainted with him than the others, and gave him to understand the 
cause of their coming, and by whom they were sent. 

The duke, on hearing this, opened his ears, for the intelligence 
was highly agreeable to him, and bade father Fernando a hearty wel- 
come. This same day he gave sir Helion de Lignac leave to depart; 
and it seems to me that the duke consented to a truce for those who 

* "GegbeBe." Q. 



were carrying on the war under his name in the s^neschalships of 
Aquitaine, Bigorre, Toulouse, and other places, comprehending all 
within the river Loire, but not beyond it, to last until the first day of 
May 1389. This trace had been requested by the duke of Berry, 
that his people might pass and repass from him to the duke of Lan- 
caster with greater security ; for those of Mortagne.sur-mer, Boute- 
ville, and the garrisons in Quercy, Perigord, and on the Garonne, 
were very cruel, sparing none, and acknowledging no lord. It was 
to keep these people in better order that the duke of Berry had so- 
licited a truce, wliich was well ob.'served. Sir Helion de Lignac left 
the duke of Lancaster on terms of the strongest affection, and he 
seemed sensible things were in the train he wished them, for the duke 
seemed very well satisfied with what the duke of Berry had offered. 
He had indeed declared, that he never could marry his daughter in 
France without the consent of his nephew the king of England and 
the English council ; but matters were now so far advanced, he 
seemed to think there would not be any great difficulty to obtain 
them. On these assurances, sir Helion returned to France, delivered 
letters from the duke of Lancaster to the duke of Berry, and related 
to him all that had passed ; with which he was much satisfied. 

We will now speak of the embassadors from Castille. These were 
indeed cordially listened to by the duke and duchess, for their hearts 
were wrapped up in the hopes of regaining the crown for themselves 
or their child. They were very kindly received on their introduction 
at the castle by the duke and duchess, to whom they delivered their 
credential letters, and explained the object of their mission. They 
first proposed a treaty of peace with Castille, which the father-con- 
fessor discoursed much on, in the apartment of the duke where only 
the duchess was present, who interpreted to the duke what he did 
not understand, as she had in her youth been educated in Castille 
and understood the language perfectly well. The duke of Lancaster, 
at this first interview, did not discover his real sentiments, although 
he entertained them well, but said it would be difficult to exchange 
such hatred for peace, and to establish it with one whom they wanted 
to disinherit, and that it was not his intention to relinquish his claim 
to the crown of Castille. The friar and bishop replied ; " that there 
was one means of reconciling his right and the right of their lord and 
king ; and, my lord, we have found it." " What is it V said the 
duke. " Sir, you have by your lady a beautitul daughter, of an age 
to marry, and our lord of Castille has a handsome and young son; if 
a union between those two could be brought about, the kingdom of 
Castille would have peace for ever; for what you claim will fall where 
it ought, to your own heir, who is the lineal descendant from our 
kings of Castille ; and all the fatigues you have undergone in this war 
must have been for the ultimate succession of this young lady." 

" That is true," replied the duke ; " but I must have my expenses 
reimbursed, for I would have you know that my expedition to Castille 
has cost England and me upward of five hundred thousand francs. 
I should like, therefore, to hear what you say of repayment." " My 
lord," said the confessor, " if what we have proposed shall be agree, 
able to you, we will manage all other things to your perfect satisfac- 
tion." " Your coming hither," replied the duke, " has given us 
l)lcasure ; and I shall certainly maiTy my daughter, before I return 
to England, to Castille or France, as I have had proposals from thence ; 
but matters like these are of such importance, that an answer cannot 
be giveir at the first overture. With regard to my daughter, whom I 
consider as the rightful heiress of Castille, I would be well acquainted 
with him who should marry her." " That is but reasonable, my lord,** 
said the confessor. Thus as I have related, were the proposals of 
nrarriage made from France and Castille, to the duke of Lancaster, 
for the marriage of his daughter. They were both well received, re- 
fusals made to neither, and the embassadors well entertained. The 
marriage, however, with Castille was more agreeable to the duke and 
duchess, because their daughter would in due time become queen of 
Castille. 

We will now leave the duke of Lancaster, and return to the affairs: 
of Brittany. 

CHAPTER CXV. 

THE DVKES OF BERKY AND BURGUNDY LEAVE PARIS FOR BL0I3, TO HOLD A 
CONFERENCE WITH THE DUKE OF BRITTANY, WHO MEETS THEM THERE.- 
THEY PERSUADE HI.M, AGAINST HIS INCLINATION, TO COME TO PARIS. 

The duke of Brittany, as I have said, received the French knights 
with much kindness, more particularly the lord de Coucy, whom he 
had been desirous to see. I was informed at the time, the lord de 
Coucy was the most instrumental in making the duke change his 
mind : not but that sir John de Vienne and the lord de la Riviere 
exerted themselves to the same purpose, but all princes, when they 
are entreated, will naturally incline to some persons more than oth- 
ers. The duke of Brittany consented, with great difficulty, to meet 
the dukes of Berry and Burgundy at Blois : after many fair speeches, 
he said he would go thither, but not one step farther. The lord de 
Coucy replied, that they asked nothing more, unless it should be 
perfecdy agreeable to him. These three lords stayed with the duke 
of Brittany I know not how many days, and then returned to the 
dukes of Berry and Burgundy to tell them their success. 

Upon this, the two dukes made preparations for going to meet the 
duke of Brittany at Blois, and sent before all purveyances suitable 



472 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



to their rank. The duke of Berry arrived first at the castle, where j 
he was kindly received by the countese of Blois, his son, and her 
daui'liter, as was becoming liim and them. Count Guy de Blois was 
not at this time in the country, but at Cha,tel Regnaud, and, as the 
countess and her children were at home, he paid no attention to the 
anival of the duke of Berry. The duke of Burgundy came in a grand 
style, accompanied by hie son-in-law, lord William of Hainault, count 
d'Ostrevant, and his son .Tohn of Burgundy, called count de Nevers. 
The duke was also lodged in the castle, and held there his court. 

The duke of Brittany came last, but with no great array, attended 
only by those of his household, in number about three hundred 
horse ; for it was his intention to return to his own country as soon 
as these conferences should be over. Such, however, were not the 
intentions of the other dukes ; for they said, whether he would or 
not they would force him to come to Paris. The duke of Brittany 
was lodged at the house of a canon of St. Sauveur, witliin the cas- 
tle ; but his attendants, with those of the other lords, were quartered 
in the town. These princes kept their state in the castle, which is 
large, and one of the handsomest in the kingdom of France. 

Conferences were held between the three dukes ; and those of 
France gave handsome entertamments to the duke of Brittany, 
showing him much affection, and repeatedly thanking him for com. 
ing to Blois. The duke dissembled as well as he could, and said, that 
indeed it was from his love to them he had undertaken such a jour, 
ney, for that he was very unwell. In the course of their conversations 
they told the duke of Brittany, that since he had come so far, he 
would have done nothing if he did not continue his journey to Paris, 
for the king was very anxious to see him. The duke made every ex- 
cuse for not complying with this proposal, saying his healtli was too 
bad to go so far ; that he had not brought any attendants with him, 
but simply those of his household, meaning to return home directly. 
They kindly answered, that, begging his pardon, it would not be 
decorous to visit his lord paramount with too large a company ; that 
if he were too ill to ride, they were provided with litters and cars 
that should be at his service ; and that he was bound to pay his hom- 
age to the king, which he had never yet done. 

The duke of Brittany, in excuse, said, that when the king should 
be of age, and take the reins of government, he woidd come to Pa. 
ris, or to any other place wliither he might order him, to perform his 
homage, for he was bounden so to do. The dukes of Berry and 
Burgundy replied, that he was of sufficient age and understanding 
to receive homage ; and that every lord of France, and all who held 
fiefs under the crown, excepting himself, had done their homage, for 
tlie king was now in his twenty-first year. The duke of Brittany, 
finding his excuses of no avail, said, " Should I go to Paris, it will 
be much against my incUnation, and very prejudicial to my interests ; 
for, when there, I shall meet sir Oliver de Clisson, whom I hate, and 
we can never cordially love each other after what haa passed : ho 
vn.]! make me bitter and injurious reproaches, and consider what 
may be tlie consequences." " Oh no," answered the two dukes, 
but in particular tlie duke of Burgundy, " fair cousin, have no fear 
from that quarter; for we solemnly swear to you, that neither the 
constable nor John of Brittany, unless you wish it, shall see or speak 
with you : of this be assured : but you shall see the king, who is 
anxious for it, and the barons and knights of France, who will make 
you good cheer ; and when you have completed the object of your 
journey, you shall return home without hindrance or hurt." 

Why. should I make a long story ? The duke of Brittany was so 
sweetly entreated, that he consented to go to Paris ; but he insisted 
that he should never see the constable of France nor John of Brit, 
tany, and that they should never be in the same company with him. 
The two dukes solemnly pledged themselves to all his requests ; and 
on their faith he engaged to set out for Paris. They remained five 
or six days in the castle of Blois, and alternately gave grand enter- 
tainments to each other, the countess, and her children. Everything 
having been so settled, the two dukes took leave of the duke of 
Brittany and returned to Paris ; but the lord William of Hainault 
did not accompany his father-in-law the duke of Burgundy. He at- 
tended the countess of Blois and her family to Chiltel Regnaud, to 
visit count Guy de Blois, where he was kindly received and enter- 
tained for three days, when he took leave of them and went to Pa- 
ris, by way of Chateaudun* and Bonncval.t 



CHAPTER CXVI. 

LEWIS OF ANJOtI, SON TO THE I.ATE DUKE OF ANJOtI, t"NCLE TO KING 
CUARLES VI., MAtiES HIS PUBLIC ENTRY INTO PARIS AS KING OF SICILY. 
THE DUSE OF BRITTANY COMES THERE SHORTLY AFTER. THOMAS HA- 
PURGAN, AN ENGLISHMAN, AND JOHN DBS BARRES, A FRENCHMAN, PER- 
FORM A DEED OF ARMS BEFORE THE EING OF FRANCE AT MONTEREAU- 
SUR-YONNE.t 

The duke of Brittany went to Beaugency, on the Loire, where he 
made his preparations for going to Paris. But before he came 
thither, there arrived the queen of Sicily and Jerusalem, widow of 

* •' Cltate.iu-dun," an ancient town in Beauce, diocese of Blois, twelve leagues from 
Chartreg, tliirty-four from Paris. 

t " Bonneval," a town in Beauce, four leagues from ChaK'au-dun. 

t " Montereau-sui-Yonne." a to^vn in Brie, seven leagues from Molun tw»aty and a 
hairiViim P.iris. 



the late duke of Anjou, who had borne the title of king of those 
countries, as weU as of Naples. She had brought with her her youn" 
son Lewis, who throughout France was acknowledged as kin<» of 
Naples, and was likewise accompanied by her brother, John of 
Brittany. Before she entered Paris, she signified to her brothers, 
the dukes of Berry and Burgundy,* her arrival, with her son Lewis, 
their nephew, and desired to know whether he should make his en. 
try as king, or simply as duke of Anjou. The two dukes, having 
considered the matter, sent for answer, that they desired he would 
make his entry as king of Naples, Sicily, and Jenisalem, although 
he was not as yet in possession of these kingdoms ; for they would 
assist him, and prevail on the king of France to do the same, so ef. 
fectually, that he should recover those territories, and peaceably po3. 
sess them as his right, and what they had most sacredly promised to 
perform to their late brother the king of Naples. The lady, upon 
this, made preparations accordingly ; and, having entered Paris, her 
son passed in grand cavalcade, through the street of St. James, to 
his hotel in the Grfive, with kingly state, accompanied by numbers 
of dukes, counts, and prelates. The queen and her son, having es. 
tablished themselves there, waited on the king, wdio resided at the 
castle of the Louvre expecting the duke of Biittany. 

The duke of Brittany, on his approach to Paris, slopped one night 
at Bourg la Reine, previous to his entry, which he made on the mor- 
row. This was great news for the Parisians, on account of the late 
events of the arrest and imprisonment of the constable, and the 
fruitless embassies that had been sent to summon him ;+ his late 
conduct, and his coming now as it were of his own free will, were 
variously spoken of. It was on a Sunday, the vigil of St. John Bap. 
list's feast, in the year 13S8, at ten o'clock in the morning. Tiie 
duke of Brittany entered Paris by the gate de l'Enfer,t and passing 
the whole length of the rue de la Harpe, crossed the pont de St. 
Michel, and came in front of the palace. He was handsomely ac- 
companied by numbers of barons and knights ; among whom waa 
the lord AVilliam of Hainault, count d'Ostrevant : his brother-in-law 
John of Burgundy, and the lord William de Namur rode before him. 
When he arrived at the castle of the Louvre, he dismounted, and, 
as he passed through Paris, was much stared at by the common 
people. 

The duke entered the gate of the Louvre well prepared w^hat to say, 
and how to act. He was preceded by the lord de Coucy, the count 
de Savoye, sir John de Vienne, sir Guy de la Trcmouille, sir John de 
Beuil, the count de Meaux, sir Reginald de Roye and sir John des 
Barres ; nearer to him, on each side, were the lord William de Na- 
mur, John of Burgundy, and the count d'Ostrevant : behind him were, 
tlie lord de Montfort in Brittany, and the lord de Malestroit, his re- 
lation and minister. There was a great crowd in the apartment, 
which was not only small, but the table was spread in it for the 
king's dinner, who was standing before it with his three uncles, Berry, 
Burgundy, and Bourbon. The moment the duke of Britanny entered 
the room, way was made for him, and an opening formed to the king, 
by the lords falling on each side. When in the presence, he dropped 
on one knee, but speedily arose, and advanced about ten or twelve 
paces, when he again kneeled : on rising, he came close to the king, 
keeled the third time, and saluted him bare-headed, saying, " My 
lord, I am come to see you : may God preserve you !" " Many 
thanks," replied the king. " I was anxious for your coming ; we will 
see and converse with you at our leisure." On which he took liim 
by the hand, and raised him up. When the duke had risen, he bowed 
to all tlie princes present, one after the other, and then stood opposite 
to the king without saying a word ; but the king never took his eyes 
ofi' him. 

A signal was made to the masters of the household to bring water, 
when the king washed, and the duke of Brittany held the basin and 
towel. AVhen the king was seated, the duke took leave of him and 
his uncles. The lord de Coucy, the lord de Saint Pol, and other 
great barons conducted him to the court where his horses w'aited, 
and, having mounted, he returned with his attendants the way they 
had come, through the street de la Harpe, and dismounted at his 
hotel. None of those who had attended him remained, excepting 
such as had accompanied him from Brittany to Paris. The duke 
of Brittany had frequent conferences with the king of France and 
his uncles to their mutual satisfaction ; and they religiously kept the 
promise they had made him, for he never saw, during his stay at 
Paris, John of Brittany nor the constable of France. When affairs 
were in so good a train that they had not reason to be suspicious of 
the duke of Brittany, (for if he had not consented to everything the 
king and his council wished, they would never have suffered him to 
escape from their hands, as they now had him in Paris,) they thought 
it time to -prepare for the expedition to Gueldres for which the king 
was impatient to punish the duke of Gueldres, for the insolent and 
rude challenge he had sent him ; which, the more it was considered, 
was the less to be borne. 

The lord de Coucy was therefore ordered into the country, near 
Rheims and ChMons in Champagne, to mark out the line of march 



*Her brothers-in-law, own brother? to her deceased husband Louis of Anjou.— Ed. 

T He had been summoned several times, and the king had expected his appeaninc« 
ever since Uie month of May.— Ed. 

X " De I'Enfer." It is now the gate of Saint Rlichel. For more particulars, seeSau- 
TOl, Antiquites de Paris, torn. i. p. 36. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAN-D, FRANCE, SPAIN, &.c. 



473 



for the king and his arm)', and to excite the knights and squires of 
Bar and Lorraine to join hini. He was in no way to introduce the 
king's name, but to engage them for himself, as if preparing for an 
expedition into Austria. Upon this, the lord de Coucy left Paris, 
and weirt to Chalons, where he resided about one month, and re. 
tained knights and squires from ail parts in Bar, Lorraine, Cham, 
pagne, and in the Retholois. The king of France, after several 
conferences with the duke of Brittany, left Paris, though the duke's 
pleadings in liis courts were not near concluded ; for their proceed. 
ings, when they choose, are very tedious, and they make the suitors 
spend much money without any great advances in their suits. 




PaIack of the LotjvRE OS it appeared in tlie 16tli century. From a print in ChastiUon's Topographie FrancoiK. 



The king went to Montereau-sur-Yonne, on the borders of Brie 
and the Gatinois, where he held his court, and frequently amused 
himself with hunting stags and other animals in the adjacent forests. 
During the residence of the king at Montereau, a deed of arms was 
there performed by an English knight attached to the duke of Ireland, 
called sir Thomas Hapurgan, and sir John des Barres. This duel 
had made a great noise throughout France, and in other countries ; 
and it was to be fought witlr five courses of the lance on horseback, 
five thrusts with swords, the same number of strokes with daggers 
and battle. axes ; and, should their armor fail, they were to be sup. 
plied anew, until it were perfect. ; 

The knights being well anned, mounted their coursers to perform 
their duel, in the presence of the king, his barons and knights, and 
a great concourse of people. They tilted on horseback four courses 
■very stiffly, and kept their seats well. It was then the custom, I be. 
lieve, to lace on the helmets with a slight thong, that they might not 
make too great resistance to the blow of the lance. At the fifth 
course, John des Barres struck his opponent so violent a blow on the 
shield,that he knocked him over the crupper ofhis horse to the ground, j him. after ha\ing left garrisons in their forts strong enough to prevent 



The earl of Arundel was much cast down when he heard the 
above, and called a council of his principal officers, to consider how 
they were to employ their force during the remainder of the season. 
In this council they resolved to sail for la Rochelle and make war on 
that country ; for, though they had not any castles in those parts, yet 
they were in sufficient numbers to withstand the force Saintonge or 
Poitou could send against them. They intended likewise to make 
their situation known to their friends in Limousin and Auvergne,by 
some person in their fleet that was acquainted with the country, 
whom thoy would land on the coast of Brittany. The truces which 
sir Helton de Lignac had obtained from the duke of Lancaster had 
not yet taken effect. They were to 
commence on the first of August, and 
the knight was at this time going or re- 
turning, I know not which, to or from 
the duke of Lancaster at Bayonne. 

It fell out just as the earl of Arundel 
and the English barons wished ; for they 
.:_- found out a man from lower Brittany, 

:;,->JB£i who served under sir William Helmon, 

then on board, who came from near 
Vannes, and understood four languages 
perfectly well, that of lower Brittany, 
English, Spanish, and French. Before 
they landed him on the sand, they gave 
him the following orders : " Thou wilt 
go by all the bye.roads in this country, 
which thou sayest thou art acquainted 
with, until thou shah come to Chalu. 
5et.* Thou wilt salute Pcrrot le B^ar- 
nois, from us, and tell him, that we de- 
sire he will take the field, with as many 
other garrisons of our party as he can, 
and make war on France under our 
commission. Thou shalt not carry any 
letters for fear thou mightest be stopped 
and searched. Say, if thou findest thy. 
self in danger, that thou belongest to a 
wine.merchant of la Rochelle, who had 
sent thee with some commissions, and 
thou wilt pass everywhere. Tell Per-' 
rot to give instant alarm to Berry, Au-' 
vergiie, and Limousin, by taking the 
field ; for we will disembark near la 
Rochelle, and make such a war that he shall soon hear of us." 

The Breton said, he would faithfully deliver the message, unless 
he was stopped on the road. On being landed, as he knew well the 
country of Brittany, he avoided all great towns, and, passing safely 
through Poitou and Limousin, arrived at Chaluget, of which Perrot 
le Bfiarnois was governor. On coming to the barriers, having made 
acquaintance with the garrison, they allowed him to enter, after ex. 
amining him at the gates, and led him to Perrot, to whom he punc 
tually delivered the message, to the great joy of the governor, who 
had been long impatient to hear some news of the fleet, and now he 
had it quite fresh. He said to the Breton, " Thou art welcome : my 
companions and myself are very eager to take the field, which we 
will now speedily do, and then act as we are ordered." Perrot le 
Bearnois instantly sent to the governors of Carlat, the bourgde Com- 
pane, to Olim Barbe, captain of Ouzach, to Amerigot Marcel, cap. 
tain of Aloise, near Saint Flour, and to the captains of the other 
forts in Auvergne and Limousin, to say he was about to take the 
field, as the season was now favorable, and desiring they would join 



Sir Thomas was stupefied by the fall, and it was with diffic.:lty he 
could be raised : however, he recovered well enough to perform his 
other courses with the different arms, to the satisfaction of the king 
and his lords. 



GH.APTER CXVII. 

PERROT LE EEARXOIS TAKES THE FIELD BY COMMAND OF THE EAKL OF 
ARUNDEL, WHO LANDS HIS FORCES AT MARANS,* NEAR LA ROCHELLE. 

I HAVE been some time silent respecting the expedition that was at 
sea under the command of the earl of Arundel : it is now necessary 
that I should speak of it. You have before heard the cause of its 
being sent from England, and the treaties that were made between 
the king and the duke ol' Brittany. This fleet had remained the 
whole season on the coasts of Brittany and Normandy, except when 
driven off by storms, but it always returned to its station. There 
were in this fleet some light vessels called Balleniers, which are much 
used by corsairs ; for, as they draw little water, they can the easier 
approach the shores. This fleet had Inin nt anchor upward of a 
month off the island of Brehat, whence u had got provision. As it 
was not far from la Roche-derrien, they heard that the duke of Brit, 
tany was gone to Blois, to meet the dukes of Berry and Burgtmdy, 
who had held such fair language as persuaded him to go to Paris, 
where he had been so well received by the king, as to prevent him 
from lea\'ing that place until everything had been satisfactorily setded. 

* " Marans," a town in Aunis, four leagues from la Rochelle. 



any accident during their absence. These companions had as great 
a defire to take the field as Perrot le Bearnois ; for they could only 
enrich themselves by the losses of others, and, making their prepara. 
tions in haste, came to Chaluc;ct, where the general assembly had been 
fi.\ed. They amounted to full four hundred lances, and thought 
themselves in sufficient strength for any gallant enterprise, and that 
there was not a lord in the country able to withstand them ; for sir 
William de Lignac and Bonne.lance would not, on their account, 
break up the siege of Ventadour. 

Being masters of the country, they began their march through Au. 
vergne, toward Berry, because they knew the duke was with the 
king at Montereau-sur-Yonne. We will, for a while leave Perrot le 
Bearnois, and speak of the earl of Arundel and his fleet, and what 
they did on quitting the coast of Brittany. When they weighed 
anchor, the weather was so fine and beautiful, they hoisted every 
sail, and advanced as it pleased God. It was a magnificent sight to 
view this fleet of six score vessels, whose streamers, emblazoned 
with the arms of the different lords, were glittering in the sun, and 
fluttering with the wind. They floated, as it were, on a sea that 
seemed proud to bear them, and which might be compared to a 
vigorous courser, who, after being long confined in the stable, gains 
its liberty to bound over the plains : for thus did the sea, gently ruf. 
fled by the wind, swell on with a burden it was lustily bearing, and, 
figuratively speaking, it may be supposed to say, " I delight in carry, 
ing you, and will do so without danger, until you be arrived in a safe 
harbor." 



" Chalufet," a town in Limousin, near Pierre-buffiere. 



474 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &. c . 



Tlie fleet coasted Saintonge and Poitou, and cast anchor off Ma. 
rans, near la Rochelle. Some of the most adventurous, to the amount 
of two hundred, observing the tide was flowing, entered their barges, 
and sailed up the river to the town of Marans. The watch on the 
castle had noticed the Engbsh fleet anchoring, and the barges as- 
cending the river with the tide, and had sounded his horn frequently, 
to alarm the townsmen, that they might save all they could of their 
property. The inhabitants, of both sexes, carried their most valu. 
able things to the castle for safety ; and it was well they did so, or 
they would have been lost. While the English were landing, they 
discontinued saving their property, to take care of their lives. The 
English, on entering the town, began to pillage it, for this had been 
the object of their coming, but they only found empty coffers ; their 
contents had been carried to the castle. They discovered, however, 
plenty of corn, wine, and salted provisions: for there were upward 
of four hundred tims of wine in the town. They resolved to remain 
19 guard this provision, which came very opportunely to them ; for, 
should they depart, they imagined the greater part would be carried 
away by the French, up the river, to Fontenay le Comte. They re- 
mained this night in the place, having arrived there only about ves- 
pers, and gave themselves full liberty, sending, however, to inform 
their companions of their situation, and the reason why they did not 
return. 

The earl of Arundel and the other lords were satisfied, and said 
they had acted right. On the morrow, when the tide began to flow, 
the smaller vessels weighed anchor, and in them were embarked the 
armor and other necessaries from the large ships, that, from their 
size, could not enter the river. There were left in them one hun. 
dred men-at-arms and two hundred archers to guard them, as they 
lay at anchor ofl" the mouth of the river. When this had been done, 
they sailed for Marans, and landed at their leisure, for none came to 
oppose them, and Hxed their quarters between Marans and la Ro. 
chelle, which is but four short leagues distant. The alarm was soon 
spread over the country that the English had landed at Marans, to 
the amount of four hundred combatants, including archers. The 
towns and castles in the low country were much frightened, and the 
villagers instantly fled to the neighboring forests for protection. 



CHAPTER CXVIII. 

THE ROCHELLEKS SKIRMISH WITH THE ENGLISH NEAR MARANS. THE 
ENSLISH, AFTER PILLAGING THE COUNTRY ROUND, RETIRE WITH THEIR 
BOOTY TO THEIR FLEET. PERROT LE BEARNOIS DOES THE SAME TO 
HIS FORT, WITH A GREAT DEAL OF PLUNDER. 

If the English had had horses, they would have much harassed 
the country round la Rochelle ; for it was void of men-at-arms, at 
least such as could have opposed them successfully. True it is, that 
the lords de Fartenay, de Pons, de Linieres, de Tannaybouton, sir 
Geoffrey d'Argenton, the lord de Montendre, sir Aimcry de Roclie- 
chouart, the viscount de Thouars, and many otherknights and squires 
of Poitou and Saintonge, were in the country, but each was in his 
•wn castle ; for they had not any suspicions of the English coming 
to invade them. Had they been so fortunate as to obtain notice of 
their intentions, they would have been prepared to receive them, but 
it was not so ; and the surprise was so great, that all were frightened, 
and impatient to save what they could. The farmers began to has- 
ten their harvest of corn, for it was the beginning of August. Add 
to this, there was not then in the country any person to take the lead. 
The lieutenant of Poitou, the duke of Berry, was at Montereau ; the 
seneschal of Poitou was just gone to Paris : the seneschal of Saint- 
onge was from home : the seneschal of la Rochelle, sir Hclion de 
Lignac, was at Bayonnc, on the business of the duke of Berry, by 
which the country was left defenceless ; for, from want of heads, 
their courage failed, and without that nothing effectual can be done. 
The country was much alarmed for two causes : they had the Eng. 
lish army and fleet on one side, and nimor had already informed 
them that Porrotle B<5aniois was on his march, with more than fif- 
teen hundred combatants, and had already entered Berry. They 
knew not what measures to adopt, except that of placing their wealth 
in safety ; for it was said these two armies were to form a junction 
in Saintonge or Poitou, as was the intention of many. 

There were, indeed, at the time the English landed at Marans, two 
gallant knights from Beauce in the town of la Rochelle, sir Peter de 
Jouy and the lord TaiUepi^, whom sir Helion de Lignac had placed 
there for its defence, when he set out to meet the duke of Berry at 
Paris. They had acquitted themselves ably ; and on hearing that 
the armament under the earl of .'Vrundel, which had been much talked 
of all the summer, had disembarked at Marens, they told the mayor 
and the principal citizens, for it is a populous place, that it would be 
light to beat up the English quarters ; and added, " We hear they 
have established themselves at ."Marans, and lay the surrounding 
country under contribution : we two are determined to bid them wcl. 
come, and they shall pay us, or we will repay them, for what they 
have done. Great blame and reproaches will fall on us, to whom 
has been committed the government of this town and country, if we 
suffer them quietly to fix their quarters there. There is one thing 
much in eur favor : they have not any horses, and are for the most 
part sailors, while we are all well mounted. We will send our cross- 



bows before us to awaken them witli a shower of arrows ; and when 
they have made their attack, they will return homeward : the English 
will soon be on foot, and we will then charge them, and, being on 
horseback, may do them great mischief." 

Those who heard this speech approved of it, and instantly aseem. 
bled a body of twelve hundred cross-bows and varlets, including all 
sorts. At the first dawn of day, they were all prepared, and set out 
from la Rochelle at a good pace, to beat up the quarters of the Eng. 
lish. During this, the horse got ready, and they were about three 
hundred ; for many knights and squires had hastened to la Rochelle 
on the first intelligence of the English having landed at Marans. 
They left the town under the command of the two knights before 
named. Had the English fortunately had any suspicion of this attack 
from the Rochellers, and had formed an ambuscade of two hundred 
archers and one hundred men-at-arms, not one would ever have re- 
turned to la Rochelle. 

When the cross-bowmen arrived at the English quarters, it was 
very early morn ; and lucky it was for them that the guard, who had 
watched all night, was retired at sunrise. The cross-bowmen began 
to shoot their bolts and arrows, which passed through the huts made 
of boughs and leaves, to the great surprise of the English who were 
asleep within-side on straw. Many were wounded before they dis- 
covered they were attacked by the French. When they had made 
each about six shots, they retreated, according to their orders, and 
the men-at-arms advanced on horseback amid the English huts. 
Knights and squires speedily left their lodgings, and drew up together ; 
and the French captains, seeing they were preparing themselves in 
earnest to take the field, made after their cross.bows and infantry, 
who were hastening homeward, for they were much afraid of the 
English arrows. Thus hurrying, and in dismay, were the Rochellers 
pursued, though the horse guarded the rear, to the town of la Rochelle. 
The earl of Arundel with upward of four hundred men-at-arms was 
closely following, each man with his lance in his hand or on his shoul- 
der. There was much crowding and difficulty to pass the gates; and sir 
Peter de Jouy and the lord Taillepi^ fought Uke valiant heroes in de- 
fending their men, keeping still on their rear, until they were come to 
the barriers. They were so bard pressed by the English, who were at 
their heels, they ran a great hazard of being slain or made prisoners ; 
for the attack was the more vigorous against them as it was visible 
they were the commanders. Sir Peter de Jouy had his courser killed 
under him, and was with great difficulty dragged within the barriers. 
Sir Peter Taillepi^ was pierced through the thigh with a lance, and 
hit by an arrow on tlie helmet, which entered his head, and his good 
horse fell dead under him at the gate. There was much slaughter 
made on the Rochellers reentering the town : upward of forty dead 
and wounded lay at the gates. The inhabitants had mounted the 
battlements, and fired so many cannons and bombards that the Eng. 
lish dared not ajiproach nearer. 

Thus ended this skinnish between the English and Rochellers. As 
it was near noon, the earl of Arundel had sounded the retreat, when 
the men-at-arms and archers retired in handsome array to their 
quarters, where they disarmed and refreshed themselves. They had 
wherewithal, having been amply provided with wines and meat from 
the surrounding country. The English lords remained at Marans for 
fifteen days, waiting for deeds of arms and adventures ; but the 
Rochellers never ventured again to come near them, for they had 
found, to their cost, how valiantly they had defended themselves. 
Their two commanders were also wounded, which induced the others 
to wish for peace. The carl of .'Arundel, indeed, had sent four times 
parties to overrun the country round la Rochelle, and as far as 
Thouars, who did much mischief and terrified the inhabitants. They 
would have done more had they had horses ; but only a few were 
mounted on what they could find in the country, and these were 
scarce, for no sooner was the invasion known than all tire inhabitants 
of the flat country fled with their stock and wealth to the great towns, 
and there shut themselves up. 

When the English had remained near la Rochelle for fifteen days, 
without seeing any attempt made to oppose them, and the wind be- 
came fair, they embarked a great quantity of wine and fresh meat 
they had taken, and, having weighed anchor, put to sea. This same 
day, they met twelve ships from Bayonne, on their voyage to Eng- 
land with Gascony wines and otherinerchandise. They sailed together 
for some time, being much rejoiced at this meeting, for they were 
well acquainted, and the Bayonnois gave the earl of Arundel two 
pipes of wine for the love they bore him. The Bayonnois then sepa- 
rated to continue their voyage, and the fleet kept cruising about in 
search of adventures. 

While this armament was lying before Marans, Perrot Ic B(5arnois 
and his companioas had taken the^ficld, and, having passed Limousin, 
had entered Berry. He had with him four hundred spears and as 
many pillagers, and carried off in one day all the merchandise that 
was in the town of le Blanc* in Berry, and gained great wealth and 
many prisoners, for it was fair-day. He then marched to Selles.t 
which he plundered. Thus did Perrot le B^arnois maintain himself. 
He advanced far into the interior of the country, doing great mis- 
chief wherever he went, for none ventured to oppose him ; and all 



* "Le Blanc." in the generality of Bourgee. seventeen league? from Poitiers. niD« 
from Argenton. 
t " Selles," or Celles, three leagues from St. Aignan, ten from Blois. 



CHRP NICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



* A tiU« bo^lo^ved indiffewatly od rovng noljlej of both soxes.— Ed. 



parts were alarmed, even as far as the county of Blois an.i the Tou. 
raine, for they were uncertain whither these two armies would march 
next. Some imagined they would unite ; but it was not so, for the 
earl of Arundel had embarked again, as I have mentioned, and Per- 
rot with his companions returned to their stronghold?. When they 
had completely plundered the country, they thought it would be more 
safe for them to retire to their castles and secure their gains. They 
to»k, in consequence, the roads through Limousin and Auvergne to 
their forts ; and nothing more was done, as to deeds of arms, in these 
two provinces the remainder of the season, for the truce that had 
been agreed to last until the ensuing month of May, now took 
place. The siege of Ventadour by sir William de Lignac, sir John 
Sonne.lancc, and sir John le Bouteiller, still continued ; for Geotfry 
TSte.noire was so presumptuous as to pay not the least attention 
«o the truce, nor to the besiegers, depending on the strength of his 
castle. 

We will now, for variety, return to the affairs of Brabant and 
Gueldres. 

CHAPTER CXIX. 

THE BRABANTERS PKESS GEAVE HARD BT THEIK SIEGE. THE GUELDRIANS 
BtJKN A BRIDGE THE BRABANTERS HAD THROWN OVER THE MEUSE, TO 
ENTER GUELDRES. 

I HAVE already discoursed of and explained the situation of the 
dukes of Gueldres. How the ancestor of the duke of Gueldres of 
whom I now treat, married the daughter of Bertaldo of Mechlin, to 
rescue and repair his heritage which was very much embarrassed and 
dilapidated ; and how the duke of Gueldres, son of the duke of Ju. 
liers, to maintain the city of Grave against the Brabanters, for which 
he had good cause and title, determined, since he could not recover 
the three before-mentioned castles seated on the river Meuse, Goch, 
Buch, and Mille, which had once been his fiefs, that he would attach 
the city of Grave to his heritage in perpetuity. This duke had a 
bastard daughter bestowed upon and married to the damosel* of Kuck, 
which sire de Kuck was the heir of the city of Grave. So he ap- 
plied himself to him so amiably that both father and son had nothing 
else left for it ; and the damosel de Kuck gave him the city and 
lordship of Grave, and assured him the inheritance in the presence 
of the knights and barons of Juliers and Gueldres ; and on this account 
the duke of Juliers recompensed him with the land and lordship of 
Bois-le-Duc, situated on the river Ligne, in the duchy of Gueldre- 
land. A very handsome castle belongs to tills city of Bois-le-Due, 
which is a good large town and of good profit, but Grave is worth 
more. The duke of Gueldres made this bargain, to the intent that 
he niight have a good ground of quarrel to take Grave from the Bra- 
banters ; for the duchess of Brabant and her council said that an. 
ciently the lords of Kuck had held it in mortgage, but that she or her 
heirs might redeem it whenever they pleased, and that the duke of 
Gueldres had no right to keep it except as a pledge. The duke 
of Gueldres maintained an opposite opinion, and said that it was his 
good inheritance and he would hold it to the last. This was the 
eause of the war and ill-will that arose between those of Brabant and 
Gueldreland : and, in the month of May, the Brabanters came to lay 
siege to the city of Grave ; knights, squires, and the commonalty of 
the good towns ; and they brought and carried engines, springalls, 
trebus, and all other such machines for the assault. And there were 
full forty tliousand men one with another, who were encamped be. 
fore Grave, over against the valley of the river Meuse. And their 
host was well furnished, for they had their own country behind and 
on all sides of tliem, from whence they received plentiful supplies. 
And this is the delight of the Brabanters, for, wherever they may be 
or go, they will be stuffed to the neck with wine, meat, and delica. 
ciee, or they will return to their own houses. 

You have before heard how anxious the duchess of Brabant was to 
make war on the duke of Gueldres, and to besiege Grave. There 
was a great force of knights and squires from the principal towns 
before it, who declared their intentions were not to depart until they 
had gained possession of it ; and the duchess, to show how interested 
she was in the matter, had come to reside at Bois-Ie-Duc, four leagues 
distant from it. The besieging army was plentifully supplied with 
all things that came thither by sea, or down the Meuse, from the rich 
country of Brabant, so that the siege was long continued ; and the 
Brabanters had many large machines which threw into the town 
atones of such weight as to do much damage wherever they fell. In 
addition, they flung into the town all the dead carrion of the army 
to empoison the inhabitants by the stink. This was sorely felt by 
them, for the weather was hot, and the air too calm to carry off these 
Tillainous smells. 

At times, many of the knights and squires of Brabant came to 
skirmish with the garrison at the barriers ; for the duke of Gueldres 
had placed within the town some gallant companions, who were not 
shy of showing their courage when occasions called for it, and the 
enemy advanced so near as the barriers. The siege lasted a long 
time; and the duke of Gueldres had fixed his quarters at Nimeguen; 
but he could neither raise the siege, nor offer combat to the Brabant- 
ers, for want of eufficient force. He had sent to England an account 
«f his situation, and expected for certain he should have a reinforce- 



475 

ment from thence, but he was disappointed ; for England at that 
time was in a very unsettled state, and new ministers had been forced 
on the king by his uncles and the archbishop of Canterbury. A 
parliament was indeed holden, about St. John Baptist's day, at the 
duke's request, to consider whether a body of men-at arms and arch- 
ers should be sent to assist the duke of Gueldres, according to treaty. 
Having considered the matter fully, they would not agree to it ; for 
It was strongly rumored, that the king of France was assembling a 
large army, and it was doubtful whither he would march it, and the 
English imagined it was intended to attack Calais. They were also 
uneasy respecting the Scots on the borders, and were fearful of send, 
ing more forces out of the kingdom, as a large body of men-at-arms 
and archers were at sea, under the earl of Arundel, lest the countiy 
might be defenceless. When the council was considering the affairs 
of Gueldres, some of the lords said, " Let the duke of Gueldres take 
care of himself: he is valorous enough, and in his own country, and 
will withstand all the Brabanters can do against him : if anything 
worse befal him, he shall have assistance. He has again the Ger. 
mans, his neighbors, on his side, who formerly joined him against 
France." Such was the state of affaii-s in England ; but those in 
Grave suffered much from the siege. During the time it lasted, the 
Brabanters resolved to throw a wooden bridge over the Meuse, that 
they might have an entrance into Gueldreland, overrun that country, 
and, by investing the town of Grave en all sides, prevent any pro- 
vision from entering it ; for they were numerous enough to surround 
it, could they gain a passage over the river. As they finished tlie 
different parts of this bridge, they joined and placed them in their 
proper situations, and had made such advances, that it was within 
the length of a lance of the opposite share. Y ou may suppose that 
the duke was no way ignorant of what they were about, but he gave 
not any Interruption to their building the bridge, until it was nearly 
completed. He then advanced with cannons and other artillery, 
and attacked it so roughly, that it was set on fire and destroyed. 
Thus did the Brabanters, to their great vexation, lose all the effect 
of their labor. They, upon this, called a council to determine how 
to act. 



CHAPTER CXX. 

THE BRABANTERS HAVING PASSED THROUGH RAVENSTEIN,* ENTER GtrEL. 
DRELAND, AND ARE DEFEATED BY THE DUKE OF GUELDRES. THE SIE8E 
OF GRAVE IS RAISED IN CONSEQUENCE. 

Three short leagues from Grave lies the town of Raienstein, be- 
longing to the lord de Bourne, who is a vassal to Brabant. At the 
council I mentioned, the lord de Bourne was solicited by the minis- 
ters of the duchess of Brabant, and by the knights and squires, to 
open his town of Ravenstein for them to gain an entrance into GueU 
dreland, and, with part of their army, overrun It : he complied with 
theii- request. The duke of Gueldres, I know not whether by spies 
or otherwise, gained information that the Brabanters intended enter, 
ing his territories by the bridge of Ravenstein, through the compli. 
ance of the lord de Bourne. He was much cast down when he learnt 
this, as his force was not near sufficient to meet that of Brabant, 
which consisted of more than forty thousand men. He formed van. 
ous plans how to act, and at last determined that, if the Brabanters 
entered his countrj', he would retaliate by the bridge of Grave, for 
he was resolved not to be shut up in any town. He consulted the 
lord de Ghesme, a great baron In Gueldreland, and his principal ad. 
viser, who would not at first agree to his taking the field, on account 
of the smallness of his numbers. "And what must I do then?" said 
the duke. " Would you have me sliut myself up in one of my towns, 
while they are plundering and burning my country ? This woiUd 
be too great a loss. I vow to God and our Lady," added the duke, 
" that I will take the field to meet my enemies, and follow the best 
measures I can devise that the event may be favorable." 

This plan he executed ; and, on the morrow, after he had paid his 
devotions in the church, and made his offering at the altar of the 
Virgin, he drank some wine, and, mounting his horse, set out for 
Nimeguen. He was accompanied by only three hundred spears, or 
indeed less, and they made straight for the place where they sup- 
posed they should find their enemies. You may from this judge of 
the duke's courage, although some blamed him. When they were 
without the town of Nimeguen, like a valiant knight, he shouted out, 
" Forward, forward 1 let us, in the name of God and St. George, 
hasten to meet our enemy ; for I had rather perish with honor in the 
field than die dishonorably shut up In a town." With him were the 
lord de Ghesme, who commanded the expedition, and a valiant and 
prudent knight, called the heir of Hanseberth, the lord de Huckelem, 
sir Ostez, lord of Naspre, and several other knights and squires of 
good courage. 

The same day on which the duke of Gueldres had taken the field, 
the seneschal of Brabant had done the same at a very early hour of 
the morning, with a large body of knights and squires from Brabant, 
who were eager to enter Gueldreland, and gain there both honor and 



*" Ravenstein "r-a town of the Netlterlands in Dutch Brabant, and capital of a 
connty of the same name, with an ancient and strong casUe. It belongs to the elector 
Palatine : but the Dutch have a right to put a ^n-ison there. It is situated on th«s 
MeuBe. on the coofine* of Gueldreland, tea mile« southwest of Nitneffuen — BRooms'i 



476 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN. &.c. 



profit. Upward of ten thousand men crossed the bridge of Raven- 
stein ; and the seneschal, tlie lord de Ligniere, the lord de Bourgueval, 
the lord de Gence, and the rest, were much pleased at having crossed 
the Mcuse, and said among themselves, they would that day ride 
as far as Nimeguen, and burn its mills, suburbs, and the villages that 
were round about ; but they had shortly other news brought them 
by their scouts, whom they had sent forward to examine the country. 
The duke of Gueldrcs was infomied, that his enemies, to the amount 
of ten thousand, were abroad, and had passed the Meuse at the 
bridge at Ravenstein. The duke halted, on hearing this, to consider 
again the best mode of proceeding, for some of his companions were 
alarmed at the smallness of their numbers in comparison with the 
enemy, who were at least thirty or forty to one. They said, " How 
is it possible for three or four hundred lances to oppose ten or twelve 
thousand ? it is not in our power to overthrow them, but they may 
very easily slay us." Several assembled round the duke, and advised 
him to retreat to Grave ; but he replied, " he would never do so, nor 
confine himself in any town, but march to meet his enemies, for his 
courage told him he should defeat them ; and he preferred dying 
with honor to living in disgrace. We will overthrow," said he, 
our enemies, and gain this day infinite honor and wealth." He 
then, after a short pause, added in a loud voice, " Forward, forward : 
those who love me will follow me." This speech of the duke greatly 
encouraged his men, more especially those who had heard the whole ; 
and they all showed a great earnestness to combat their enemies, 
who were fast approaching. They tightened their armors, lowered 
the visors of their helmets, and regirthed their saddles, and marched 
slowly in handsome array, that their horses might be fresh for the 
charge. Some few knights were made, and they marched in this 
order toward Ravenstein. 

The Brabanters, with great nmnbers of common people, had al- 
ready crossed the river, when news was brought to the seneschal and 
his knights that the duke of Gueldrcs had taken the field, and was 
so near that they must speedily see him. They were much surprised 
at this intelligence, and concluded that the duke must at least have 
had with him si.x times more men than lie had. They instantly 
halted, and would have drawn themselves up in array, but had not 
time ; for the duke of Gueldrcs appeared with his company full gal- 
lop, with spears in their rests, and shouting their cry, " Our Lady for 
Gueldrcs !" A squire of Gucldreland, called Hermaut de Morbec, 
deserves particular attention, from the great desire he had to exalt 
his name. He left the ranks of the battalion, and, spurring his horse, 
was the first to assault the enemy, and at tliis gallant tilt unhorsed 
the man lie struck. I know not if he were raised from the ground, 
for the crowd was so great, that wlien any were dismounted, unless 
instantly relieved, they ran great risk of being crushed to death. 
More than six score Brabanters were unhorsed at this first charge. 
Great confusion and dismay, with but a poor defence, reigned among 
them. They were so suddenly attacked, (which is the way enemies 
should bo by those who wish to conquer tiiem,) that although they 
were so numerous, and had many great lords, they were dispersed : 
they could never form any array, nor could the lords rally their men, 
nor these last join their lords. Those in the rear, hearing the noise, 
and seeing the clouds of dust, thought their men must have been dis- 
comfited, and that the enemy were coming to them, so that they be- 
came panic-struck, and, turning about, fled for Ravenstein or t)ie 
Meuse. Their fright was so great, they rushed into the river, whether 
on horseback or on foot, without sounding the bottom or knowing if 
it were fovdable, for they imagined the enemy was at their heels. 
By this si.lf-defeat, upward of twelve hundred perished in the river 
Meuse ; for they leaped one on the other, without any distinction, 
like wil 1 beasts. Many great lords and barons of Brabant (whose 
names / shall not disclose, to save them and their heirs from the dis- 
grace (hat would attach to them) most shamefully fied from the field, 
and s(,ught their safety, not by the river, nor by Ravenstein, but by 
other roads that carried them to a distance from their enemies. 

T'lis unfortunate event to the chivalry of Brabant happened be. 
tween Grave and Ravenstein. Great numbers were slain. All wlio 
could suiTCnder did so instantly ; and the Germans took them at 
ransom very readily, for the great profit they expected to make from 
them. Those who had fled to Grave gave the alarm to the besieging 
army ; for they arrived out of breath, and so harassed that they could 
scarcely say to them, " Retire as fast as you can, for we have been 
totally defeated, and nothing can save you." When those in camp 
saw their appearance and heard their report, they were so frightened 
that they would not stay to pack up anything, nor even take down 
their tents and pavUions, but set oft' without bidding adieu, and left 
everything behind them. They were seized with such a panic as 
neither to take victual nor carriage ; but sucli as had horses leaped 
on them, and fled for safety to Bois-le-Duc, Houdan, Mont St. Ger. 
vais, Gertruydenberg, or Dordrecht. Their only care was to save 
themselves, and fly from their enemies. Had the garrison of Grave 
known of this defeat of the Brabanters, they would have greatly 
gained by it, and killed or brought back many of the runaways. 
They were not made acquainted with it until late, when tliey sallied 
forth, and took possession of tents, pavilions, and warlike engines 
the Brabanters in their fright had left behind, which they brought at 
their leisure into Grave, for there were none to oppose them. Thus 
was the siege of Grave broken up, to the great loss of the Brabanters. 



News was spread far and near, how a handful of men had overthrown 
forty thousand and raised the siege of Grave. The lord de Bour- 
gueval and the lord de Linieres were made prisoners, with others to 
the amount of seventeen banners. These and the pennons you will 
find hung up before the image of our Lady at Nimeguen, that the 
perpetual remembrance of this victory may be kept up. 



CHAPTER CXXI. 

THE DUKE or GUELDRES, AFTER THE DEFEAT OF THE BRABANTERS, RE. 
TURNS TO NIJIEGUEN. ON THE NEWS OF THIS VICTORY, THE KING AND 
COtJNCIL OF FRANCE SEND EMBASSADORS TO THE EKPEKOR OF GERMANY, 
THE MORE SECURELY TO CARRY ON THEIR WAR AGAINST GUELDRELAND. 

Scarcely can I for shame perpetuate the disgracefid defeat of the 
Brabanters ; but, as I have promised at the commencement of this 
history to insert nothing but what was stricriy true, I must detail the 
unfortunate consequences of this battle. The young duke of Guel- 
drcs gained this renowned victory about Magdalen-tide, in the month 
of July 1386. When the defeat and pursuit were over, which took 
up about two hours' time, and the field cleared, the Gueldrians co!. 
lected together, and greatly rejoiced, as indeed they had cause, at the 
fortunate success of the day, for they had many more prisoners than 
they were in number themselves. The heralds were ordered by them 
to examine the dead, and report who had been slain. Among them 
was the young and handsome son of the count de Namur, (who was 
styled the Vaissier de Celles, lord de Balastre,) which, when told to 
the duke, greatly afflicted him ; and he bitterly lamented his loss, for 
he was of a most amiable character, and had been the preceding year 
his companion at arms in Prussia. 

A council was held in the field, whether or not to retire to Grave 
and carry their prisoners thither ; but the duke opposed it, saying : 
" I made a vow to our Lady of Nimeguen when I left that town, and 
which I again renewed before we began the combat : in obedience 
to which, I order, tliat we gayly return to Nimeguen, and offer our 
thanksgivings to the Holy Virgin, who has assisted us in our victory." 
This command was obeyed ; for, as the duke had given it, no one 
made any objection ; and they set out, on their return toward Nime- 
guen, full gallop. It was two long leagues from the field of battle, 
but tliey were soon there. 

On this fortunate news being told in that town, great rejoicings 
were made by both sexes ; and the clergy went out in procession to 
meet the duke, and received him with acclamations. The duke did 
not turn to the right nor left, but rode with his knights straight to the 
church where the image of our Lady was, and in which he had great 
faith. When he had entered her chapel, he disarmed himself of every- 
thing to his doublet, and offered up his armor to the altar, in honor 
of our Lady, returning thanksgivings for the victory he had gained 
over his enemies. Tlie banners and pennons of the enemy were all 
hung up in this chapel, but I know not if they be still there :* the 
duke retired to his hotel, and his knights to their homes, to pay at- 
tention to themselves and their prisonei-s, from whom they expected 
great ransoms. When the report of this victory over the Brabanters 
was made public, the duke of Gueldrcs was more feared and honored 
than before. 

The duchess of Brabant, who had resided at Bois-le-Duc, was 
much ve.xed, as indeed she had reason, at this unfortunate turn in her 
aifairs, and that the siege of Grave was raised. She ordered a strong 
garrison into Bois-le-Duc to guard the frontiers, and then returned 
through Champagne to Brussels. She wrote frequently to the duke 
of Burgundy the state of things, and eagerly pressed him to assist her 
in the recovery of her losses ; for all her hopes were in him. You 
may suppose, the news of this victory was instantly known in France, 
particularly at the court of the king ; but they were little surprised 
at it, rather holding it cheap, imagining, when the king marched 
thither, they should make themselves ample amends. Ordere were 
sent to sir William de la Tremouille and to sir Gervais de Mcrande, 
who had been placed by the duke of Burgundy in the three castles 
on the Meuse, to guard well that frontier, and to make no sallies 
where there should be any risk of loss ; for that they would shortly 
hear from the king, who was preparing to visit this duke of Gueldres 
and his country in person. Sir William had been greatly hurt at the 
late defeat of his friends, but the intelligence from France raised his 
spirits, and lie acted conformably to the orders he had received. 

Let us return to what was passing in France. The king's ardor for 
the mvasion of Gucldreland was no way abated : he was anxious to 
undertake it at all events, for the challenge of the duke had mightily 
enraged him ; and he declared that, cost what it would, he would 
have ample reparation, or his territories, with those of his father, the 
duke of Juliers, should be despoiled and burnt. Summonses were 
sent to all the dukes, counts, knights, barons and men-at-arms, of 
France, to provide themselves with suflicicnt purveyances for a long 
journey ; and one of the marshals of France, sir Louis dc Sanccrre, 
was ordered to remain to guard the kingdom, from beyond the river 
Dordogne to tlie sea ; for in Languedoc, and in the country between 
the Garonne and the Loire, the truce had been accepted ; and the 
other marshal, the lord de Blainville, was to accompany the king. 



* In the lait paragrttpli of the preceding chapter, it is intimated that they wwe stili. 
temaining.— £d. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



477 



The different lords made such immense provision of stores of all 
kinds, it was wonderful to think of, more especially in wines. All 
those in Champagne were bespoken for the king, the dukes of Berry, 
Burgundy, Touraine, and Bourbon ; carriages also, of every descrip- 
tion, in those parts, were likewise retained for them : indeed, the 
preparations for this expedition were prodigious. 

The duke of Brittany ivas still at Paris, and could not obtain any 
decision respecting his affairs, ^br the king resided chiefly at Mon. 
tereau-sur-Yomie. He was, however, well entertained with feasts 
and fair words. The nobles begged of him to have patience, for he 
would very shortly have his business finished ; but that tlte king was 
60 impatient to begin his march ti Germany, he attended to nothing 
else. The duke was forced to make the best he could of it, per- 
ceinlng he could not amend it, and, since he had come to Paris, was 
resolved not to depart but with the good-will of the king, although 
his stay was attended with vast expenses. When it was known for 
certain that the expedition to Gueldreland was to take place, and that 
a tajt had been ordered throughout France, for the payment of the 
knights and men-at-arms, many of the wisest in the country, whether 
of the council or not, said that it was ill advised to encourage a king 
of France to march such a distance in search of his enemies, and 
that the kingdom might suffer from it, (for the king was young, and 
very popular with his subjects,) and that it would have been fully 
sufficient for one of the king's uncles, or both of them, with the con- 
stable of France, to have gone with six or seven thousand lances, 
without carrying the person of the king thither. 

The king's uncles were of a similar opinion : they most prudently 
remonstrated with him on the impropriety of his marching with 
his army, and were urging many strong reasons against it, when 
he flew into a rage, and shortly interrupted tliem, by saying, "If 
you go tliither without me, it will be contrary to my will and 
pleasure ; but I can assure you, you shall not receive one penny, 
for otherwise I cannot restrain you.'' When the dukes of Berry and 
Burgundy lieard tliis answer, they saw he was determined upon go- 
ing, and replied, '• God be with you : you shall go then ; and we will 
no more think of undertaking it without your company." These 
lords and the council deliberated on an affair of some consequence 
to this intended war. There had been a treaty for a long time in 
force, between tlie king of France and the emperor of Germany, 
which stipidated, that neither of them were to enter the territories 
of the other witli an armed force ; that is to say, that the king of 
France and the emperor could not make war on each other without 
incurring a heavy penalty, and the sentence of the pope, who had 
solemnly sworn, at his coronation, to maintain these two kingdoms 
in peace. It was therefore resolved, in case the king persisted in 
his intention of invading Gueldreland, which was a dependence on 
the empire, to make the emperor fully acquainted with the duke of 
Gueldres' rash conduct, and lay before him the insolent challenge he 
had sent the king of France, who, to make him sensible of his folly, 
was preparing to march an army into Germany, not any way hostile 
to the emperor or his territories, but solely against this duke of Guel- 
dres, and to attack Mm wherever he should find him. 

Sir Guy de Honcourt, a vahant knight, and sir Yves d'Orient, one 
of the judges in parliament, were appointed embassadors to carry 
this message to the emperor. When they had received their instruc- 
tions and made their preparations, they took leave of the king and 
his uncles, and rode for Chalons in Champagne, with an attendance 
suitable to their rank, and the purpose they were going on. They 
met the lord de Coucy at Cha.lons, retaining knights and men-at-arms 
from Bar, Lorraine, and Champagne, for this expedition, of which he 
was to command the vanguard. He entertained the embassadors 
one day splendidly at dinner, and on the morrow they continued the 
road to Sainte Menehould, and thence toward Luxembourg, to gain 
intelligence where the emperor was. 



CHAPTER GXXII. 

THE KING OF FRANCE AND BIS COUNCIL PEKMIT THE BCKE OF EKITTANY 
TO RETtJKN HOME. THE STATES OF BRABANT SEND EXCUSES TO THE 
KING OF FRANCE, FOR NOT ALLOWING HIS ARMY TO PASS THROUGH 
THEIR COUNTRY. THE SUCCESS OF THE EMBASSADORS WITH THE 
EMPEROR. 

Although embassadors had been sent to the emperor, the French 
did no way relax their warlike preparations. It was signified to all 
to assemble in readiness for the field in or near the country of Cham- 
pagne, by the middle of the ensuing August ; since the king had 
then determined to begin his march, whether or not he should receive 
answers, through sir Guy de Honcourt and master Yves d'Orient, 
from the emperor of Germany. The king and liis uncles thinking 
it was now time to dismiss the duke of Brittany, he was summoned 
to Monterean, where the king most kindly received him, as did the 
dukes of Burgimdy and Touraine. The duke of Berry was at the 
time in Berry making his preparations and levies of men-at-arms, 
having fixed on Poitou for the place of assembly, before they began 
their march. The king and duke of Burgundy, as I have said, 
treated the duke of Brittany in the most friendly manner. He had 
before surrendered the castles and town of Jugon to the officers of 
the constable, but made great difficulty to pay back the hundred 



thousand francs, which had been expended in the provisioning his 
castles, and in retaining men-at-arms the whole of last winter, think, 
ing a war would be declared against him ; but he was so fairly- 
spoken to, that he promised the king and the duke of Burgundy to 
repay this sum, of one hundred thousand francs, in the course of five 
years, by yearly payments of twenty thousand francs. The duke, 
after this, took leave of the king, who made him very handsome 
presents of jewels, and went back to Paris. The dulce of Burgundy, 
before his departure, gave to him and his knights a magnificent en. 
tertainmenf in his hotel, called the hotel d'Artois, when they separa- 
ted on the most friendly terms. ; 

The duke of Brittany made no longer stay after this at Paris ; but 
having arranged his affairs, and had his expenses paid by his officers, 
he set out, taking the road to Estampes, travelled through Beauce to 
Beaugency on the Loire, with a numerous body of attendants riding 
before him. From Beaugency his attendants continued their road 
through the country of Blois, Touraine, Maine, and Anjou ; but the 
duke had his vessels waiting for him at Beaugency, and embarking 
on board a handsome yacht, with the lords de Montfort and de 
Malestroit, sailed down the Loire, passing under the bridge at Blois, 
and not stopping until he came to Nantes, when he was in his own 
country. I will now leave tlie duke of IJrittany, who strictly kept 
the engagements he had entered into with the king of France and 
his uncles, and has never done anything since worthy of being re. 
membered in this history, nor do I know if he ever will. If he 
should, I will relate it, according to the manner it shall be told me. 

The king of France was busily employed in making his prepara. 
tions to invade Gueldreland. The lord de Coucy, on his return to 
Montereau, intormed the king and his uncles, that all the chivalry 
of Bar, Lon-aine, Burgundy, and as far as the Rhine, were ready and 
willing to attend them, in their expedition to Germany. The king 
was much pleased on hearing this, and said, that " if it pleased God, 
he would this year pay a visit to his cousins of Gueldres and Juliers." 
A council w-as held on the most convenient line of march, when 
some said, that the shortest way would be through Tierache,* along 
the borders of Hainault and Liege, and passing through Brabant into 
Gueldres ; but others proposed crossing the Mouse at or near Utrecht, 
and, having passed that river, to enter Juliers, and march thence into 
Gueldreland. Upon this, the king and council wrote to the duchess 
and states of Brabant, to signify that the king and his army intended 
marching through their country. The duchess would have readily 
consented ; but the states refused the passage, saying the country 
would suffer too much from it. The principal towns and nobles 
were of this opinion, and told the duchess, that if she allowed the 
French to enter their country, they would never bear arms for her 
against Gueldres, but would shut themselves up in their castles, and 
defend all the entrances to the country, for they should have more 
damage done to themselves and lands by such passengers than if 
their enemy were in the country. The duchess, finding so strong 
an opposition to allowing a passage to the French, dissembled her 
real thoughts, and calling to her sir John Opem, master John Grave, 
and master Nicholas de la Monnoye, charged them to set out in. 
stantly for France, and make excuses for the states of Brabant, to 
the king and the duke of Burgundy, for their refusal to allow the 
French army to pass through Brabant, fearful lest the country would 
be too severely oppressed ; and to entreat them, for the love of God, 
not to be dissatisfied with her, as she had done everything in her 
power to obtain their consent. 

These envoys left Brussels, and arrived at Montereau-sur-Yonne, 
where they found the king and his uncles, whose whole conversation, 
day and night, was on the expedition to Gueldreland. They first 
waited on the duke of Burgundy, to whom they gave their letters, 
and explained so well the reason of the states' refusal that he was 
contented, and, at the prayer of his aunt, promised to mediate be. 
tween them and the king. The lord de Coucy was likewise of very 
great service to them, so that the first plan of passing through Bra- 
bant was given up, and the excuses from the duchess and her states 
were accepted. It was then determined, as more honorable for the 
king and his allies, to march straight through his kingdom. A 
council was held on the choice of those who were to form the van- 
guard ; and two thousand five hundred pioneers were appointed to 
clear away all trees and hedge-rows, and to make smooth the roads. 
The army liad by their means a most excellent road through France 
to the forest of Ardennes ; but there it failed them, for rocks, forests, 
and various obstacles opposed their passage. The lord de Coucy, 
who had the command of the vanguard, consisting of one thousand 
lances, sent forward persons to examine which would be the safest 
road for the king and baggage to march, (for there were upv.-ai'd of 
twelve thousand carriages, without counting baggage horses,) to lay 
open the forest, and make roads where no traveller had ever before 
passed. Every one was eager to be thus employed, more particularly 
those who were near the king's person ; for he was never so popular 
at any time as he was now in Flanders, nor were his subjects ever 
so united to assist liim as in this expedition against Gueldres. While 
this was passing, the king sent the lord de Coucy to Avignon, to the 
person who styled himself pope Clement, I know not on what busi. 

* "Ti6rach6 "—a fertile country in Picardy, watered by the Oise and Seine, to Ih© 
nest of ChaiDpaene gmd the south of Hunault. 



478 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



neee ; and the viscount de Means, sir John de Roye, and the lord de 
la Bonne, commanded in his absence. 

We will now say something of the embassadors who had been 
sent to the emperor of Germany. They continued their journey 
until they came to Convalence,* where the emperor resided. After 
dismounting at their h6tel, they made themselves ready to wait on 
him, who had before heard of thcii' coming, and was very impatient 
to know the cause of it. Having assembled his council, the cmbas. 
Badors were introduced to the presence of the emperor, whom they 
saluted most reverently, and gave him their credential letters from 
the king of France. After he liad attentively perused them, he eyed 
sir Guy de Honcourt, and said, " Guy, tell us, in God's name, what 
you are charged with." Tiie knight spoke long and ably in explain- 
ing to the cniporor and his council the reasons why the king of 
France was about to enter the German territory with a large army, 
not with the smallest intent to injure that or any other part of the 
territories belonging to the emperor, but against a personal enemy. 
He then named liim, and added, " The duke of Gueldres has thought 
proper to send the king of France a most insolent challenge, couched 
in outrageous language, not usual in such cases, for which the king 
and his council have detennined to punish him. The king, there- 
fore, entreats you, dear sire, from your connections with him by 
blood, not to abet this duke in his presumptuous conduct, but keep 
those treaties of alliance which have formerly been made between 
you and France, as he on his part is resolved to abide by them." 
The emperor, in reply, said, " Sir Guy, we have some time been 
informed, that our cousin, the king of France, has been collecting a 
large body of men-at-arms, at a vast expense, when it was unneces- 
sary for liim to give himself so much trouble for so small an object ; 
for, had he made his complaints to iHe, I would have forced the duke 
of Gueldres to hear reason without the great expense he has been 
at." " Sire," answered sir Guy, " you are very kind in thus express- 
ing yourself; but our lord, the king of France, values neither ex- 
pense nor trouble wherever his honor is concerned ; and his council 
are solely anxious that you should not be dissatisfied with him, for 
he is determined in no way to infringe the treaties that exist between 
France and Germany : on the contrary, to strengthen them as much 
as possible, and for this have sir Yves d'Orient and myself been sent 
hither." " We are by no means," said the emperor, " dissatisfied 
with what is doing in France, and thank my cousin for the informa- 
tion he sends me : let him come, in God's name, for I do not intend 
to move." 

The embassadors were well pleased with this reply, and considered 
the matter as concluded to their wish. They requested answers to 
the letters they had brought, which were cheerfully promised. They 
dined that day at the emperor's palace, and by his orders were well 
feasted. In the evening they retired to their lodgings, and managed 
tilings so well, that the business was finished to their satisfaction. 
Having received their letters in reply to those they had brought, they 
took leave of the emperor, and returned by the way they had come 
to the king of France ; of whom we will now speak. 



CHAPTER CXXIII. 

THE COUNT OF BLOIS SENDS TWO HUNDRED LANCES TO SERVE TIIE KL\G IN 
HIS EXPEDITION TO GUELDRES. THE EMBASSADORS BRING FAVORABLE 
ANSWERS FROM THE E.-tIPEROR OF GERMANY. THE KING OF FRANCE 
CONTINUES HIS MARCH TOWARD THE FOREST OF ARDE.NNES. SIR HE- 
LION DE LIGNAC MAKES HIS REPORT TO THE DUKE OF BERRY, TOUCHING 
BIS MARRIAGE WITH THE DAUGHTER OF THE DUKE OF LANCASTER. 

The great lords and barons of France were busily employed in 
making their preparations for the expedition to Gueldres ; and those 
from the more distant parts of the kingdom, in Auvergne, Limousin, 
Qucrcy, Rouergue, and other provinces, had already begun their 
march toward Champagne. The greater numbers came from Pi. 
cardy, Burgundy, Champagne, Bar, and Lorraine, because they were 
nearer the place of assembly. The villages in France were not so 
harshly treated as usual ; for the king had forbidden, under ptun of 
death, that anything should be taken from them without payment. 
Notwithstanding this order was made very public, the men-at-arms 
on their march did much miiichief ; for, though the punishment was 
so heavy, they could not abstain from what they had been accus- 
tomed to. They were indeed veiy badly paid, and consequently 
thought they had a right to provide for themselves. This was the 
excuse they made whenever they were reprimanded by their captains 
or marshals. The count de Blois was summoned, and he returned 
for answer, he would send two hundred chosen lances well equipped 
and paid. I know not how he was dealt withal, but he sent two 
hundred knights and squires to serve the king, from his county of 
Blois, under the command of the lord de Vienne, sir William de 
Saint Martin, sir William de C'haumont, and the lord de Montigny, 
who marched at their leisure toward Champagne, whither they had 
been ordered. 

The king of France left Montereau-sur-Yonne, and took the road 

for Chalons in Champagne, without the duke of Berry joining him. 

He was still in Berry, waiting the return of sir Helion de Lignac, 

with answers from the d uke of Lancaster, re specting hia marriage 

* " ConTRleaoe." Q. CoiMUnoe. 



with hie daughter. He, however, received none ; for the duke of 
Lancaster detained him at Bayonne, dissembling his opinion between 
him and the embassadors from Castille ; but he was more inclined 
as well as the duchess, to close with the last ; yet, before tliem, he 
showed the utmost attentions to sir Helion, to make them the more 
eager to finish the business. The Castillian embassadors labored 
hard "to bring the marriage to a conclusion. They were four in num- 
ber ; don Fernando de Leon, doctor in divinity and confessor to the 
king, the bishop of Segovia, don Pe'dro Gadelope, and don Diego 
Loup, who were continually going or returning from one party to the 
other. The duke, however, gave them to imderstand that he would 
prefer a union with Castille to one with France, provided they would 
agree to his terms. He demanded payment of six hundred thousand 
francs within three years, twelve thousand annually for his and the 
duchess's lives, and two thousand more for the duchess's household 
yearly.* 

When it was known t'natthe king had left Montereau for Ch&lons, 
all those who had remained at home hastened their march to join 
him. Thither came the duke of Berry, whose quarters were at Es- 
pinay, and the duke of Bourbon, the count de la Marche, the dau- 
phin d'Auvergne, the count de St. Pol, the count de Tonnerre. Near 
the king's person were the duke of Burgundy, the duke of Lorraine, 
the duke of Touraine, the constable of France, sir John de Vienne, 
sir Guy de la Tremouille, sir Barrels des Barres, and sir John de 
Bueil. The whole country round Rheims and Chalons, to the extent 
of twelve leagues, was destroyed by these men-at-arms, who were 
dispersed over it, from .Saiiite Menehould to Monstier in Bar, to 
Chaumont in Bassigni,t to Vitry en Pertois,} and the whole of the 
bishoprics of Troyes and Langres. The Lord de Coucy was not yet 
returned from his journey to Avignon. 

About this time sir Guy do Honcourt and sir Yves d'Orient came 
back from their embassy to the emperor, and met the king at Ch4- 
lons. The king and his nobles were rejoiced at their arrival, and 
inquired the news. They told them all that passed ; that the em. 
peror had very kindly received them, and handsomely entertained 
them ; and sir Guy added, " Sire, and you my lords, when the em- 
peror and his council had read your letters and the copy of the duke 
of Gueldres' challenge, they were very indignant at his presumption, 
and are desirous, from what we could learn, that he should be pun- 
ished for his insolence : nor will the emperor make any opposition 
to your intended war, which he seems indeed much to approve of, 
but keep strictly to all the articles entered into between him and 
France, so that all your doubts concerning his conduct may be dissi- 
pated." The king of France and his council were well satisfied on 



*.\ccording to Lopez de Ayala, the messengers sent by the king of Castille to the 
duke of Lancastei- at Bayonne were, Ferrnnd de Itlescas, a monk of the order of Su 
Francis, confessor to the king, Pero Sanchez del Castillo and .Mvar Martinez de V iUa- 
real. both royal auditors. Before their departure for Bayonne, the king of Castille as- 
semlileil the general cortes at Briviesca, in order to raise the sums demanded by the duke. 
and to relieve both himst'If and the kingdom from a competitor who was so dangerous 
an enemy. Ayala details all the conditions of the treaty ; the following are the princi- 
pal articles : 

Don Henry, eldest son of don John of Castille, aged nine years, was, within two 
moiithsfromthesignatureof the treaty, to marry Catherine, daughter of the duke of Lan- 
caster, aged fourteen years. If the infant Henry should die before he altained the age 
of fourteen years, or vvithout consummating the marriage, Catherine was to marry his 
next brother, don Ferranil. Don Henry « as, immediately upon the marriage, to receive 
the title of prince of the Asturias, and Catherine that of princess of the Asturios. 

The king of Castille was to assign to don Henry and Catherine the city of Soria and 
the towns of Amazan, Atienza, Soria. and Molina, for the support of their household, 
being the same which king Henry of Castille had granted to Bertrand du Guesclin, and 
which he had at^erwards redeemed. 

\Vithin two months ne-\t after the treaty, the king don John bound himself to ao- 
knowledge don Henry and Catherine as his successor?. 

The king don John was to pay down 600,IXK) French francs to the duke and duchess 
of Lancaster, as the price of their renunciation of all claim upon the crown of CoMille. 

The king don John further engaged for himself and his heirs, to pay the further annual 
sum of 40,(X)0 francs to the duke and duchess, until the death of the survivor. 

Hostages from the kingdoms of Castille and Leon were to be given to the duke of 
Lancaster, as pledges for the payment of the 600.000 francs. These hostages were don 
Fiidririue. duke of Benevento. and brother lo king John of Castille; Pero Ponce da 
Leon, lord of Marchena : John de V'ehtsco, son of Pero Fernandez de Velasco ; Carlos 
de Arrelano, John de Fadillo, Rudripo de Rojas, Lope Ortiz de Estuniga. John Rodri- 
guez de t'isneros, Rodrigo de Casteneda, and several other citizens of various larga 
towns: in all sixty-six persons. (The safe-conduct granted to them by Richard IL OQ 
the 26th .-Vngust, 1388, is given in Rymer.) 

Free p.irdon was lo be granted to all who had taken pan with the duke of Lancaster. 

The duke and duchess of Lancaster, on their parts, renounced all pretension to the 
kingdoms of Ca=ti]le, Leon, Toledo, Calicia. Seville, Cordova, Murcia, Jaen, the Al- 
garves, Algesiras, the lordships of Lara and Biscay, and that of Molina ; and they ac- 
knowledged don John as king, and lifter him don Henry; and, in case of his death 
without children then don Ferrind and all. other lawful descendants of the king don 
John who should ascend the throne in default of any other legitimate heir. They fur- 
ther engaged never to procure from the pope a dispensation from their oath, either 
openly or in secret. ■ r ., . e 

Constance, duchess of Lancaster was further to be put in posses.ion of the tow ns of 
Guadahnara. Medina del Campo, and Oline.lo, for her life, she engaging that tjiey 
should, at her death, be delivered back, and that the government should be intrusted ta 

" Nolwi'ttoandling" Ws new alliances with England, the king, don John, stipulated fot 
the preservation of his ancient alliance with France. .= ,,.,-..„ 

To pay the sums agreed upon with the duke of Lancaster and ratified by the cort«. 
the king raised a sort of loan ih'oughout the kmgdoin, as his father had done when be 
edeemed'he land, granted to Bertrand du Guesclin. All Uie ciuzens. with the B.xcep. 
t on of bishops, piiests, and nobles, contributsd to an impost, w-luch was afterwards re- 



paid to them by successive drawbacks on the ordin_ary taxes.-F.B, 
f " Bussigni," asm 



nail country on the confines of Champagne and Lorraine: ChAH- ■ 



""r'vitry ea'pe'tois," a smalltown in Champagne, near Vitry \» FranjoU, 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



479 



hearing this, although many said, that whether the emperor would or 
not, they were in sufficient numbers to go whither they pleased with- 
out fearing any one. 

The king gave orders for the march of the army, and he left Chi. 
Ions for Grand Pr^,* where he remained for three days. He could 
not make any long marches, from the great concourse of men that 
were in his front, in his rear, and on all sides ; and he was forced to 
move gently on account of his great train of baggage and purvey- 
ances, wliich occupied a length of fourteen country leagues, and was 
daily increasing. The count de Grand Pr^ received the king in his 
town witli every respect, and ordered all things so much to the king's 
pleasure, that he expressed his satisfaction to the count, who was at. 
tached to the van division. The duke of Lorraine and sir Henry de 
Bar here joined the king with a handsome company of men-at-arms. 
The duke of Lorraine was ordered to the division of his son-in-law, 
the lord de Coucy, but sir Henry de Bar remained near the king. 

The pioneers had been continually employed in clearing the for- 
est of Ardennes, by felling of timber, and making roads where none 
had ever been before. They had much difficulty in the filling up of 
valleys, and forming a tolerable road for the carriages to pass, and 
there were upward of three thousand workmen who labored at noth- 
ing else, from Vierton to NeufchAtel in the Ardennes. The duchess 
of Brabant was exceedingly pleased when she heard for certain that 
the king of Franch was on his march through the Ardennes, and 
concluded she should now have her revenge on the duke of Guel- 
dres, and that the king of France would make both him and his fa- 
ther, the duke of .Tuliers, repent of their conduct, which had given 
her many mortifications. She set out in handsome array from Brus- 
sels, accompanied by the lord de Samines, in the Ardennes, the lord 
de Bocelars, the lord de Broquehort, and several others, for Lu.xem- 
bourg, to receive the king, and have some conversation with him. 
She crossed the Meuse by the bridge at Huy,t and went to Bastoigne, 
where she halted ; for the king was to pass there, or very near it, 
which he did. When he set out from Grand Pre, he crossed the 
Meuse at Morsay,t with his whole army ; but his marches were very 
short, for the reasons I have before given. 

News was brought to the dukes of Juliets and Gueldres, for such 
intelligence is soon spread abroad, that the Icing of France was on 
his march to visit them, with an army of one hundred thousand men ; 
and that he had never collected so large a body, except when he 
marched to Bourbourg, imagining the English to be in greater force 
than he found them. The duke of Juliets began to be greatly 
alarmed ; but his son, the duke of Gueldres, made light of it, say- 
ing, " Let them come : the greater the number, the sooner will they 
be worn down, their baggage destroyed, and their purveyances ruined. 
Winter is coming on, and my country is a strong one ; they will not 
easily enter it, and, when they make the attempt, shall be driven 
back with other sounds than trumpets. They nmst always keep to- 
gether, which will be impossible, if they mean to invade my terri- 
tory ; and, if they separate, my people will take them whether they 
will or no. However, our cousin of France shows good courage ; 
and I give him credit for doing what I would attempt if in his place." 
Such were the conversations the duke of Gueldres held with his 
knights on this subject ; but the duke of Juliers was, on the con- 
trary, quite disconsolate ; for he saw, if the French were determined 
on it, his country must be ruined and burnt. He sent for his brother, 
the archbishop of Cologne, aiid his cousin, sir Arnold de Homes, 
bishop of Liege, to consult with them on the occasion, and see if 
there were any probable remedy to prevent his lands being despoiled. 
These two prelates gave him the best advice in their power, and re- 
•commended him to humble himself before the king of France and 
his uncles, and submit to their will. The duke having answered, 
that he would most cheerfully do so, the bishop of Utrecht, who was 
likewise present, with the assent of the archbishop, advised the 
bishop of Liege to set out with his array to meet the king of France, 
and treat with him on this subject. 

The king of France continued his march, but only two, three, or 
four leagues a day, and sometimes not one, from the great baggage, 
which was too large by far, that accompanied him. Sir William de 
Lignac, and his brother sirHelion, joined the king between Mouzon 
and N6tre Dame d'Amot,^ where the duke of Beny, with his body 
of five hundred spears, was quartered. Sir William had come from 
the siege of Ventadour, by order of the duke of Berry, as had sir 
John Bonne-lance by similar ones from the duke of Bourbon. They 
had left their army under the command of Sir John Boulciller and 
sir Lewis d'Ambiere, as they were desirous of attending the king in 
this expedition. Sir Helion had come from Bayonne, where he had 
been treating, as you have heard, with the duke of Lancaster, for the 
marriage of his daughter with the duke of Berry. The duke of 
Berry made him good cheer, and inquired after his success. Sir 
Helion related everything that had passed, and told him the king of 
Castille was earnestly negotiating a peace with the duke of Lancas- 
ter by the union of his son, the prince of Galicia, with his daughter, i 
The duke was very ]iensive on hearing this, and, after a pause, said ; 
" Sir Helion, you will return to France ; and I will send you once 

* "Grand Pre," a town in Champagne, election of Sainte Menehould. 
t " Huy," a town in the bishopric of Liege, capital of the Condrotz, on the ronfiu- 
ence of the small river Huy and the Mease. 
f'Motsay." Q. Mouzon. § " Araot.'' Q. Arlon. 



more, accompanied by the bishop of Poitiers, for the duke of Lan- 
caster's decisive answer ; but at this moment we have enough on 
our hands." This same week, the lord de Coucy returned from 
Avignon to the king in the Ardennes, to the great joy of the whole 
army. 

CHAPTER CXXIV. 

THE PRINCIPAL BARONS OF SCOTLAND ASSEMBLE IN ARMS TO MAKE 
WAR ON ENGLAND. THEY LEARN FROM A SPY WHOM THEY TAKE 
PRISONER THAI THE ENSLISH ARE ACQUAINTED WITH THEIK IN. 
TENTIONS. 

I HAVE before related in this history the troubles king Richard of 
England had suffered from his quarrels with his uncles, urged on by 
the wicked counsel of the duke of Ireland, which had caused several 
knights to lose their heads, and the archbishop of York nearly to be 
deprived of his benefice. By the advice of the archbishop of Can. 
terbury and the king's new council, the lord Neville, who had com. 
manded the defence of the frontiers of Northumberland for five 
years against the Scots, was dismissed : for this service he had been 
paid by the counties of Northumberland and Durham, the sum of 
si.xteen thousand francs annually. Sir Henry Percy being appointed 
in his stead to this commanci, with a salary of eleven thousand 
francs yearly, was a circumstance which created much animosity 
and hatred between the Percies and Nevilles, who were neighbors 
and had been friends. The barons and knights of Scotland, know, 
ing of this, determined on an inroad to England, as the opportunity 
was favorable, now the English were quarrelling among themselves, 
to make some return for the many insults they had suffered from 
them. 

In order that their intentions might not be known, they appointed 
a feast to be holden at Aberdeen, on the borders of the Highlands. 
The greater part of the barons attended ; and it was then resolved, 
that in the middle of August of the year 1388, they would assemble 
all their forces at a castle called Jedworth, situated amid deep for. 
ests and on the borders of Cumberland. Having arranged every, 
thing concerning this business, they separated, but never mentioned 
one word of their intentions to the king ; for they said among them- 
selves, he knew nothing about war. On the appointed day, earl 
James Douglas first arrived at Jedworth : then came John earl of 
Moray, the earl of March and Dunbar, William, earl of Fife, John 
earl of Sutherland, Stephen earl of Menteith,* William earl of Mar, 
sir Archibald Douglas, sir Robert Erskine, sir Malcolm Drummond, 
sir William and sir James Lindsay, sir Thomas Berry, sir Alexander 
Lindsay, sir John Swinton of Swinton, sir John de Sandelans, sir 
Patrick Dunbar, sir John Sinclair, sir Walter Sinclair, sir Patrick 
Hepburn, sir John Montgomery, fir John his son, and his two sons ; 
sir John Maxwell, sir Adam Glendinning, sir William de Redurin,t 
sir William Stuart, sir John Halliburton, sir John de Ludie, and sir 
Robert Lauder, sir Stephen Frazer, sir Alexander and sir John Ram. 
say, sir William of North Berwick, sir Robert Hart, sir William 
Wardlaw, sir John Armstrong, David Fleming, Robert Campbell, 
with numbers of other knights and squires of Scotland. 

There had not been seen, for sixty years, so numerous an assem- 
bly : they amounted to twelve hundred spears, and forty thousand 
other men and archers. With the use of the bow the Scots are little 
acquainted ; but they sling their axes over their shoulders, and, when 
engaged in battle, give deadly blows with them. These lords were 
well pleased on meeting each other, and declared they would never 
return to their homes without having made an inroad on England, 
and to such an eifect that it should be reniembered for twenty years 
to come. The more completely to combine their plans, they fixed 
another meeting to be held at a church in the forest of Jedworth, 
called Zedon,t before they began their march to England. 

Intelligence was carried to the earl of Northumberland, (for every- 
thing is known to those who are diligent in their inquiries,) to his 
children, m the seneschal of York, and to sir Matthew Redman, 
governor of Berwick, of the great feast that was to be kept at Aber- 
deen. To learn what was done at it, these lords sent thither heralds 
and minstrels. The Scots barons could not transact their business 
so secretly but it was known to these minstrels, that there was to be 
a grand assembly of men-at-arms in the forest of Jedworth. They 
observed also, much agitation through the country, and, on their re- ■ 
turn to Newcastle, gave a faithful report of all they had seen or heard 
to their lords. The barons and knights of Northumberland in con. 
sequence made their preparations, but very secretly, that the Scots 
might not know it, and put off their intended inroad, and had retired 
to their castles ready to sally forth on the first notice of the arrival of 
the enemy. They said: "If the Scots enter the country through 
Cumberland by Carlisle, we will ride into Scotland, and do them 

* " Earl of Menteith."' " At the time of this battle (of Otterboume.) the earldom of 
Mentejth was possessed by Robert Stewart, earl of Fife, third son of king Robert H. 
who, according to Buchanan, commanded the Scots that entered by Carlisle. But our 
minstrel had probably an eye to the family of Graham, who liad this earldom when tha 
ballad was written."— iie/^gjffs of Jiruient English Foetri/. 

t " Redurin." Ci 

t ■* Zedon. The monastery of Zedon, at \vhicli tiie Scottish leaders are said to have 
held Uieir meeting previous to entering England, is, I should suppose, the modem Kirk- 
Vetholm, exactly upon the Borders, and near the foot of Cheviot : the name is pro- 
nounced Vetto'm, which comes very near Yedon."— W. S. 



480 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



more damage than they can do to ub; for theirs is an open country, 
which may be entered anywhere, but ours is the contrary, with strong 
and well fortified towns and castles." 

To be more sure of their intentions, they resolved to send an Eng- 
lish gentleman, well acquainted with the country, to this meeting in 
the forest of Jedworth. The English squire journeyed without in- 
terruption until he came to the church of Yelholm, where the Scots 
barons were assembled, and entered it, as a servant following his mas- 
ter, and heard the greater part of their plans. When the meeting 
■was near breaking up, he left the church on his return and went to 
a tree, thinking to find his horse which 
he had tied there by the bridle, but he 
was gone ; for a Scotsman (they are all 
thieves) had stolen him. He was fearful 
of making a noise about it, and set off on 
foot, though booted and spurred. He had 
not gone two bow-shots from the church 
before he was noticed by two Scots knights 
who were in conversation. The first who 
saw him said : " I have witnessed many 
wonderful things, but what I now see is 
equal to any : that man yonder has, I be. 
lieve, lost his horse, and yet makes no in. 
quiries after it. On my troth, I doubt 
much if he belongs to us ; let us go after 
him, and see whether I am right or not." 
The two knights soon overtook liini. On 
their approach he was alarmed, and wished 
himself anywhere else. They asked him 
whither he was going, whence he had 
come, and what he had done with his 
horse. As he contradicted himself in his 
answers, they laid hands on hiiii, and said 
he must come before their captains, and 
he was brought back to the church of 
Yetholm, to the earl of Douglas and thn 
other lords. They e-xarnined him closely, 
for they knew him for an Englishman, aa 
to the reasons he had come tliither, and 
assured him, if he did not truly answer all 
their questions, his head should be struck 
off; but, if he told the truth, no harm 
should happen to him. Very unwillingly he obeyed, for the love of 
life prevailed ; and the Scots barons learnt that he had been sent 
by the earl of Northumberland to discover the number of their forces, 
and whither they were to march. This intelligence gave them the 
greatest pleasure, and they would not on any account but have taken 
this spy. 

He was asked where the barons of Northumberland were ? if they 
had any intentions of malting an excursion ? and what road to Scot- 
land they would take ; along the sea-shore from Berwick to Dunbar, 
or by the mountains through the country of Menteith to Stirling ? 
He replied, " Since you will force me to tell the truth, when I left 
Newcastle, there were not any signs of an excursion being made ; 
but the barons are all ready to set out at a moment's warning, as 
soon as they shall hear you have entered England. They will not 
oppose you, for they are not in sufficient numbers to meet so large a 
body as you are reported to them to consist of." " And what do they 
estimate our numbers at in Northumberland ?" said lord Moray. 
" They say, my lord," replied the squire, " that you have full forty 
thousand men, and twelve thousand spears ; and by way of counter- 
acting your career, should you march to Cumberland, they will take 
the road through Berwick to Dunbar, Dalkeith, and Edinburgh : if 
you follow the other road, they will then march to Carlisle, and enter 
your country by these mountains." The Scottish lords, on hearing 
this, were silent, but looked at each other. The English squire was 
delivered to the governor of the castle of Jedworth, with orders to 
have particular guard over him ; when tliey conferred together in the 
church of Yetholm, and fonned other plans. 



sand stout infantry and archers, all well mounted, should make for 
Newcastle-on-Tyne, cross the river, and enter Durham, spoiling and 
burning the country. They will have committed great waste ia 
England before our enemies can have any information of their being 
there : if we find they come in purejit of us, which they certainly 
wfll, we will then unite together, and fix on a proper place to offer 
them battle, as we all seem to have that desire, and to gain honor; 
for it is time to repay them some of the mischief they have done to 
us." This plan was adopted, and sir -Archibald Douglas, the earl of 
Fife, the earl of Sutherland, the earl of Menteith, the earl of Mar, the- 




CHAPTER CXXV. 



THE SCOTS FORM THEIR ARMY INTO TWO DIVISIONS; ONE, TTNDER THE 
COMMAND OF SIR ARCHIBALD DOUGLAS, MARCHES TO CARLISLE, AND THE 
OTHER TO NEWCASTLE-ON-TVNE, COM.IIANDED BT THE EARL OF DOUG- 
LAS ; AT THE BARRIERS OF WHICH PLACE, HE CONQUERS THE PENNON 
OF SIR HENRY PERCY. 

The barons of Scotland were in high spirits at this intelligence, 
and considered their success as certain, now they knew the disposi- 
tion of the enemy. They held a council, as to their mode of pro- 
ceeding, and the wisest and most accustomed to arms, such as sir 
Archibald Douglas, the carl of Fife, sir Alexander Ramsay, sir .lohn 
Smclair, and sir James Lindsay, were the speakers: they said, "That 
to avoid any chance of failing in their attempt, they would advise the 
army to be divided, and two expeditions to be made, so that the ene- 
my might be puzzled whither to march their forces. The largest 
division, with the baggage, should goto Carlisle in Cumberland : and 
Ihe other, consisting of three or four hundred spears, and two thou- 



Jedworth. (Jedburgh.) Prom an Oiigina! Drawine 



earl of Stratherne, sir Stephen Frazer, sir George Dunbar, with six- 
teen other great barons of Scotland, were ordered to the command 
of the largest division, that was to march to Carlisle. The earl of 
Douglas, the earl of March and Dunbar, and the earl of Moray, were 
appointed leaders of the three hundred picked lances and two thou- 
sand infantry, who were to advance to Newcastle-on-Tyne and in- 
vade Northumberland. When these two divisions separated, the 
lords took a very affectionate leave of each other, promising that if 
the English took the field against them, they would not fight until 
they were all united, which would give them such a superiority of 
force as must insure victory. They then left the forest of Jedworth, 
one party marching to the right and the other to the left. The barons 
of Northumberland not finding their squire return, nor hearing any- 
thing of the Scots, began to suspect the accident which had happened. 
They therefore ordered every one to be prepared to inarch at a mo- 
ment's notice, or when they should hear of the Scots having entered 
the country, for they considered their squire as lost. 

Let us return to the expedition under the earl of Douglas and hi» 
companions, for they had more to do than the division that went to- 
Carlisle, and were eager to perform some deeds of arms. When the 
earls of Douglas, Moray, and March were separated from the main < 
body, they determined to cross the Tyne and enter the bishopric of 
Durham, and, after they had despoiled and burnt that country as far 
as the city of Durham, to return by Newcastle, and quarter them- 
selves there in spite of the English. This they executed, and riding- : 
at a good pace, through bye. roads, without attacking town, castle, or 
house, arrived on the lands of the lord Percy, and crossed the river 
Tync, without any opposition, at the place they had fixed on, about 
three leagues above Newcastle, near to Brancepcth,* where they en- 
tered the rich country of Durham, and instantly began their war, by 
burning towns and slaying the inhabitants. 

Neither the earl of Northumberland nor the barons and knights of 
the country had heard anything of their invasion : but when intelli- 
gence came to Durham and Newcastle that the Scots were abroad,. 
which was indeed visible enough from the smoke that was every- 
where seen, the earl of Northumberland sent his two sons to New. 
castle ; but ho himself remained at Alnwick, and issued orders for 
every one to repair tliither also. Before his sons left him, he said: 
" You will hasten to Newcastle, where the whole country will join 
you : I will remain here, for it is the road they may return by ; if we 
can surround them, we shall do well ; but I know not for certain 
where they now are." Sir Henry and sir Ralph Percy obeyed their 
father's orders, and made for Newcastle accompanied by the gentle, 
men and others fit to bear arms. In the mean time, the Scots con. 
tinued destroying and burning all before them, so that the smoke was 



* " BmncepeUi'*— fourmiles from Durham. A ruin of a tineold cajstle remains, whicfc' 
1 believe has been lately tittcd up and repaired for a residence. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, Sec. 



481 



visible at Newcastle. They came to the gates of Durham, where 
they skirmislied, but made no long stay, and set out on their return, 
as they had planned at the beginning of the expedition, driving and 
carrying away all the booty they thought worth their pains. The 
country i-( very rich between Durham and Newcastle, wliicli is but 
twelve English miles distant : there was not a town in all this dis- 
trict, unless well inclosed, that was not burnt. The Scots recroseed 
the Tyne at the same place, and came before Newcastle, where they 
halted. All the knights and squires of the country were collected at 




Brancepeth Castle. From an Originnl Drawing, 

Newcastle, and thither came the seneschal of York, sir Ralph Lang- 
ley, sir Matthew Redman, governor of Berwick, sir Robert Ogle, sir 
Thomas Grey, sir Thomas Halton, sir John Felton, sir John Lilburne, 
sir William Wolsingharn, sir Thomas Abington, the baron of Halton, 
sir John Copeland, and so many others, the town was filled with 
more than it could lodge. 

The three Scots lords, having completed the object of their expe- 
dition into Durham, lay before Ne%vcastle three days, where there 
wa.s an almost continual skirmish. The sons of the earl of North- 
umberland, from their great courage, were always the first at the 
barriers, when many valiant deeds were done with lances hand to 
hand. The earl of Douglas had a long conflict with sir Henry Percy, 
and in it, by gallantry of arms, won his pennon, to the great vexation 
of sir Henry and the other English. The earl of Douglas said, " I 
will carry this token of your prowess with me to Scotland, and place 
it oil the tower of my castle at Dalkeith, that it may be seen from 
far." " By God, earl of Douglas," replied pir Henry, " you shall not 
even bear it out of Northumberland : be assured you shall never have 
this pennon to brag of." " You must come then," answered earl 
Douglas, " this night and seek ("or it. J will fix your pennon before 
my tent, and shall see if you will venture to take it away." 

As it was now too late, the fikirmish ended, and each party returned 
to their quarters, to disarm and comfort themselves. They had plenty 
of everything, particularly flesh meat. The Scots kept up a very 
strict watch, concluding from the words of sir Henry Percy, they 
should have their quarters beaten up this night : they were disap- 
pointed, for sir Henry was advised to defer it. 



CHAPTER CXXVI. 

THE EARL OF DOUGLAS, WHEN LNCAMFED BEFORE 0TTEEB0L*RNE, IS AT- 
TACKED BY SIR HENRY TERCY, TO RECONqUER HIS PENNON, AND A SEN- 
ERAL BATTLE ENSUES. 

On the morrow, tlae Scots dislodged t'rom before Newcastle ; and, 
taking the road to their own country, they came to a town and castle 
called Ponclau,* of which sir Raymond de Laval, a very valiant 
knight of Northumberland, was the lord. They halted there about 
four o'clock in the morning, as tliey learnt the knight to be within it, 
and made preparations for the assault. This was done with such cour- 
age, that the place was won, and the knight made prisoner. After they 
had burnt the town and castle, they marched away for Otterbourne,t 
which was eight English leagues from Newcastle, and there en- 
camped them.selvee. 

This day they made no attack ; but, very early on the morrow, 

* " Ponclau." Pontland, a vilUigo on the BIythe, about five miles from Newcastle. 
— W. S. 

t "Ottei bourne"— is so well known from this celebrated battle, and the old balltids, 
that it is almost needless to say it is situated in the parish of Elsdon, Nortliumberland. 



I their tnmipets sounded, and they made ready for the assault, advan- 
cing toward the castle, which was tolerably strong, and situated among 
marshes. They attacked it so long and so unsucceesfully, that they 
were fatig\ied, and therefore sounded a retreat. When they had re- 
tired to their quarters, the chiefs held a council how to act; and the 
greater part was for decamping on the morrow, without attempting 
more against the castle, to join their countrymen in the neighborhood 
of Carlisle. But the earl of Douglas overruled tliis, by saying : "In 
despite of sir Henry Percy, who the day before yesterday declared 
he would take from me his pennon, that I 
conquered by fair deeds of arms before the 
gates of Newcastle, I will not depart hence 
for two or three days ; and we will renew 
our attack on the castle, for it is to be taken : 
: !i^ J^ife^ we shall thus gain double honor, and see if 

within that time he will come for his pen. 
non : if he do, ii .shall be well defended." 
Every one agreed to what earl Douglas had 
said ; for it was not only honorable, but he 
was the principal commander ; and from af- 
fection to him, they quietly returned to their 
quarters. They made huts of trees and 
branches, and strotigly fortified themselves. 
They placed their baggage and servants at 
the entrance of the marsh on the road to 
Newcastle, and the cattle they drove into 
the marsh lands. 

I will return to sir Henry and sir Ralph 
Percy, who were greatly mortified that the 
earl of Douglas should have conquered their 
pennon in the skirmish before Newcastle, 
They felt the more for this disgrace, because 
SIT Henry had not kept his word ; for he had 
, told the earl, that he should never carry liia 
pennon out of England, and this he had ex- 
plained to the knights who were with him 
in Newcastle. The English imagined the 
army under the earl of Douglas to be only 
the van of the Scots, and that the main body 
was behind ; for which reason those who had 
the most experience in arms, and wei^ the best acquainted with war- 
like affairs, strongly opposed the proposal of sir Henry Percy to pursue 
them. They said, " Sir, many losses happen in war : if the earl of 
Douglas has won your pennon, he has bought it dear enough ; for he 
has come to the gates to seek it, and has been well fought with. 
Another time, you will gain from him as much if not more. We 
say so, because you know, as well as we do, that the whole power 
of Scotland has taken the field. We arc not sufficiently strong to 
offer them battle ; and perhaps this skirmish mav have been only a 
trick to draw us out of the town ; and if they be,' as reported, forty 
thousand strong, they «nll surround tis, and have us at their mercy. 
It is much better to lose a pennon than two or three hundred knighta 
and squires, and leave our country in a defenceless state." 

This speech checked the eagerness of the two brothers Percy, for 
they would not act contrary to the opinion of the council ; when other 
news was brought them by some knights and squires who had fol. 
lowed and observed the Scots, their numbers, dispositions, and where 
they had halted. This was all fully related by knights who had 
traversed the whole extent of country the Scots had passed through, 
that they might carry to their lords the most exact information. They 
thus spoke : " Sir Henry and sir Ralph Percy, we come to tell you 
that we have followed the Scottish army, and observed all the coun- 
try where they now are. They first halted at Pontland, and took 
sir Raymond de Laval in his castle : thence they went to Otterbonme, 
and took up their quarters for the night. We are ignorant of what 
they did on the morrow, but they seemed to have taken measurea 
for a long stay. We know for certain that their army does not con. 
sist of more than three thousand men, including all sorts." Sir 
Henry Percy, on hearing this, was greatly rejoiced, and cried out, 
" To horse ! to horse ! for by the faith I owe my God, and to my 
lord and lather, I will seek to recover my pennon, and to beat up 
their quarters this night." Such knights and squires in Newcastle 
as learnt this were willing to bo of the party, and made theraselvea 
ready. 

The bishop of Durham was expected daily at the town ; for he had 
heard of the irruption of the Scots, and that they were before it, 
in which were the sons of the earl of Northumberland preparing to 
offer them combat. The bishop had collected a number of men, and 
was hastening to their assistance, but sir Henry Percy would not 
wait ; for he was accompanied by six hundred spears, of knights and 
squires, and upward of eight thousand infantry, which, he said, 
would be more than enough to fight the Scots, who were but three 
hundred lances and two thousand others. When they were all as. 
sembled, they left Newcastle after dinner, and took the field in good 
array, following the road the Scots had taken, making for Otter. 
bourne, which was eight short leagues distant ; but they could not 
advance very fast, that their infantry might keep up with them. 

As the Scots were supping, some indeed were gone to sleep, for 
they had labored hard during the day, at the attack of the castle, and 



483 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



intended renewing it in the cool of the morning, the English arrived, 
and mistook, at their entrance, the huts of the servants for those of 
their masters. They forced their way into the camp, which was, 
however, tolerably strong, shouting out, " Percy 1 Percy '." In such 
cases, you may suppose an alarm is soon given, and it was fortunate 
for the Scots the English had made their first attack on their servants' 
quarters, which checked them some little. The Scots, expecting 
the English, had prepared accordingly ; for, while the lords were arm. 
ing themselves, they ordered a body of their infantry to join their 
servants and keep up the skirmish. As their men were armed, they 
fonned themselves under the pennons of the three principal barons, 
who each had his particular appointment. In the mean time, the 
night advanced, but it was sufficiently light ; for the moon shone, 
and it was the month of August, when the weather is temperate and 
serene. 

When the Scots were quite ready and properly arrayed, they left 
their camp in silence, but did not march to meet the English. They 
skirted the side of a mountain which was hard by ; for during the 
preceding day, they had well examined the country around, and said 
among themselves, " Should the English come to beat up our quar- 
ters, we will do so and so:" and thus setded their plans beforehand, 
which was the saving of them ; for it is of the greatest advantage to 
men-at-arms, when attacked in the night, to have previously arranged 
the mode of defence, and well to have weighed the chance of victory 
or defeat. The English had soon overpowered the servants ; but, as 
they advanced into the camp, they found fresh bodies ready to oppose 
them, and to continue the 6ght. The Scots, in the mean time, 
marched along the mountain side, and fell on the enemy's flank quite 
unexpectedly, shouting their cries. This was a great surprise to the 
English, who, however, formed themselves in better order, and rein- 
forced that part of their army. The cries of Percy and Douglas 
resounded on each side. 

The battle now raged : great was the pushing of lances, and very 
many of each party were struck down at the first onset. The Eng- 
lish being more numerous, and very anxious to defeat the enemy, 
kept in a compact body, and forced the Scots to retire, who were on 
the point of being discomfited. The earl of Douglas being young, 
and impatient to gain renown in arms, ordered his banner to advance, 
shouting, "Douglas! Douglas!" Sir Henry and sir Ralph Percy, 
indignant for the affront the earl of Douglas had put on them, by 
conquering their pennon, and desirous of meeting him, hastened to 
the place from which the sounds came, calling out "Percy! Percy!" 
The two banners met, and many gallant deeds of arms ensued. "The 
English were in superior strength, and fought so lustily they drove 
back the Scots. Sir Patrick Hepburne, and his son of the same 
name, did honor to their knighthood and country, by their gallantry, 
under the banner of Douglas, which would have been conquered but 
for the vigorous defence they made ; and this circumstance not only 
contributed to their personal credit, but the memory of it is continued 
with honor to their descendants. 

I was made acquainted with all the particulars of this battle, 
by knights and squires who had been actors in it on each side. 
There were also, with the English, two valiant knights from the 
county of Foix, whom I had the good fortune to meet at Orthes the 
year after this battle had been fought. Their names were sir John 
de Chlteauneuf and John de Cautiron. On my return from Foix, I 
met likewise at Avignon a knight and two squires of Scotland, of the 
party of earl Douglas. They knew me again from the recollections 
I brought to their minds of their own country ; for in my youth, I, the 
author of this history, travelled all through Scotland, and was full 
fifteen days resident with William earl of Douglas, father of earl 
James, of whom we are now speaking, at his castle of Dalkeith, five 
miles distant from Edinburgh. Earl James was then very young, 
but a promising youth, and he had a sister called Blanche.* I had 
ray information, therefore, from both parties, who agree that it was 
the hardest and most obstinate battle that ever was fought. This I 
readily believed, for the English and Scots are excellent men-at-arms, 
and whenever they meet in batde they do not spare each other ; nor 
19 there any check to their courage so long as their weapons endure. 
When they have well beaten each other, and one party is victorious, 
they are so proud of their conquest, that they ransom their prisoners 
instantly, and in such courteous manner to those who have been 
taken, that on their. departure they return them their thanks. How- 
ever, when in battle, there is no boy's play between them, nor do 
they shrink from the combat ; and you will see, in the further detail 
of this battle, as excellent deeds performed as were ever witnessed. 



CHAPTER CXXVII. 

THE EAUL of DOUGLAS, IN RALLYING HIS MEN WHO WERE RETREATING, 
IS MORTALLY WOUNDED. SIR RALPH PERCY, BADLY WOUNDED, SUR. 
RENDERS TO SIR JOHN MAXWELL, WHO PUTS HIM IN THE HANDS OF THE 
EARL OF MORAY. 

The knights and squires of either party were anxious to continue 
the combat with vigor, as long as their spears might be capable of 
holding. Cowardice was there unknown, and the most splendid 



• " Blanche." Earl William Douelas was liral married to Margaret, daughter of the 
earl of Mar. By her he had two children, James, who succeeded him in bis honors, and 
isabel. 



courage was everywhere exhibited by the gallant youths of England 
and Scotland : they were so closely intermixed, that the archers' 
bows were useless, and they fought hand to hand without either bat- 
talion giving way.* The Scots behaved most valiantly, for the Eng. 
lish were three to one. I do not mean to say the English did not 
acquit themselves well ", for they would sooner be slain or made pris. 
oners in battle, than reproached with flight. As I before mentioned, 
the two banners of Douglas and Percy met, and the men-at-arms, 
under each, exerted themselves by every means, to gain the victory; 
but the English at this attack, were so much the stronger, that the 
Scots were driven back. The earl of Douglas, who was of a high 
spirit, seeing his men repulsed, seized a battle-axe with both hia 
hands, like a gallant knight, and, to rally his men, dashed into the 
midst of his enemies, and gave such blows on all around him, that 
no one could withstand them, but all made way for him on every 
side ; for there were none so well armed with helmets or plates but 
that they suffered from his battle-axe. Thus he advanced, like 
another Hector, thinking to recover and conquer the field, from hia 
own prowess, until he was met by three spears that were pointed at 
him : one struck him on the shoulder, another on the stomach, near 
the belly, and the third entered his thigh. He could never disen- 
gage himself from these spears, but was borne to the ground fight- 
ing desperately. From that moment he never rose again. Some of 
his knights and squires had followed him, but not all ; for though the 
moon shone it was rather dark. Tiie three English lances knew 
they had struck down some person of considerable rank, but never 
thought it was earl Douglas: had they known it, they would have 
been so rejoiced that their courage would have been redoubled, and 
the fortune of the day had consequently been determined to their 
side. The Scots were also ignorant of their loss until the battle 
was over, otherwise they would certainly, from despair, have been 
discomfited. 

I will relate what befel the earl afterwards. As soon as he fill, hia 
head was cleaved with a battle-axe, the spear thrust through hia 
thigh, and the main body of the English marched over him without 
paying any attention, not supposing him their principal enemy. In 
another part of the field, the earl of March and Dunbar combated 
valiantly ; and the English gave the Scots full employment who had 
followed the earl of Douglas, and had engaged with the two Percies. 
The earl of Moray behaved so gallantly in pursuing the English, that 
they knew not how to resist him. Of all the battles that have been 
described in this history, great and small, this of which I am now 
speaking was the best fought, and the most severe ; for there was 
not a man, knight or squire, who did not acquit himself gallantly, 
hand to hand with his enemy. It resembled something that of Coch- 
erel, which was as long and as hardily disputed. The sons of the 
earl of Northumberland, sir Henry and sir Ralph Percy, who were 
leaders of this expedition, behaved themselves like good knighta in 
the combat. Almost a similar accident befel sir Ralph as that which 
happened to the earl of Douglas ; for, having advanced too far, he 
was surrounded by the enemy and severely wounded, and, being out 
of breath, surrendered himself to a Scots knight, called sir John 
Maxwell, who was under the command, and of the household of the 
earl of Moray. 

When made prisoner, the knight asked him who he was ; for it 
was dark, and he knew him not. Sir Ralph was so weakened'by 
loss of blood, which was flowing from his wound, that he could 
scarcely avow himself to be sir Ralph Percy. " Well," replied the 
knight, " sir Ralph, rescued or not, you are my prisoner : my name 
is Maxwell." " I agree to it," said sir Ralph ; " but pay some at 
tention to me ; for I am so desperately wounded that my drawers 
and greaves are full of blood." Upon this, the Scots knight was 
very attentive to him ; when suddenly hearing the cry of Moray hard 

* Lord Berners is always best when battles occur. His spirit arises, and his word* 
sound like the neiiih of the war-horse. We can give here his version of the combat at 
Otterbourne. 

"Knishtes and squyeR were of good courage on bothe parties to fyghte valyauntly, 
cowardes there had no place, but hardynesse rayned with goodly teutea of armes. for 
knyghtes and squires were so joined togyder at hande strokes, that archers had no place 
of nether party. There the Scottes shewed great hardynesse and fought meryly, with 
great desyre of honour ; the Englysshmen were three to one. Ilowboit I say net but 
Eoglysshmen dyd nobly acquyte themselfe, for ever the Englysshmen had rather ben 
shiyne or taken in the place than flye. Thus as I have sayd the baners of Douglas and 
Percy nnd their men were met cache against other, envyous who sliulde Wynne the 
honour of that journey. .\t the begynnynge the Englysshmen were so stronge, that 
they reculed bacbe their enemyes. Than the erle Duglass. wlio was of great harte and 
hyph enterprise, seeyinge his men recule backe, than to recover the place and sliewe 
knyghtly valure. he toke his a.^e in bothe his handes and entered so into the prease that 
lie made hymselfe waye in such wyse that uone durste nproche nere hyni. and he was so 
well armed that he bare well of such strokes as he recyued. Thus lie wenle ever forwarde 
lyk a hardy Hector, wyllynge alone to conquere the field, and to discomfyte his enemyes. 
But at Inste he was encountred witli thre speares all at ones ; the one strake hym on 
the shoulder, the other on the breste, a»d ike stroke glemtcd doioie to his bely, and the 
thyrd slrake him in the thye, and sore hurt with all three strokes so that be was home 
perforce to the erthe. and after that he culde nat again be releved. Some of his knyghtes 
and squyres folowed hym, but nat all, for it was nyght, and no lyght but by tlie shynj-nge 
of the mone. The Englysshmen knew well they had borne one down to the erth, but 
they wyst nat who it was. for if they had knowen that it had bene the erle of DuglasB, 
they had bene thereof so joyful and so prowde that the vyctorye had bene theirs. Nor 
also the Scottes knew nat of that adventure tyll the ende of the batayle. for if they had 
knowen it they should have bene so sore dyspayred and dyscornged that they wolde 
have fledde awaye. Thus as the erle Duglass was telled to the erth. he was stricken 
into the heed with an a-\e. and another stroke throughe Uie thye. The Englysshmen 
passed lortJie and tooke no hede of hym ; they thoughte none otjierwjse but that Uier 
hadde siayne a man-at-armes."— £p. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &.c. 



483 



by, and perceiving the carl's banner advancing to Iiim, sir Jolin ad. 
dressed liiniself to the earl of Jloray, and said, " My lord, I present 
you with sir Ralph Percy, as a prisoner ; but let good care be taken 
of him, for he is very badly wounded." The earl was much pleased 
St this, and replied, " Maxwell, thou hast well earned thy spurs this 
. day." He then ordered his men to take every care of sir Ralph, 
who bound up and stanched his wounds. The battle still continued 
to rage, and no one could say at that moment which side would be 
the conqueror, for there were many captures and rescues that never 
came to my knowledge. 




Death of Douglas. Designed from MSS. lUuminations of the 15th century. 



CHAPTER CXXVIII. 

THE EAKL OF DOrGLAS, TBOrGH MORTALLY WOITJDED, ORDERS HIS BAN- 
NEB TO RE RAISED, AS THE BEARER HAD BEEN SLAIN, AND FORBIDS HIS 
LAMENTABLE STATE TO BE MADE KNOWN TO HIS MEN, LTRGING THEM 
ON TO THE COMBAT, BY WHICH THEY DEFEAT THEIR ENEMIES AND 
MAKE SIR HENRY TLRCY WITH MANY MOKE FRISONERS. 

The young earl of Douglas had this night performed wonders in 
arms. When he was struck down, there was a great crowd round 
him; and he could not raise himself, for the blow on his head was 
mortal. His men had followed him as closely as they were able ; 
and there came lo him his cousins, sir James Lindsay, sir John and 
sir Walter Sinclair, with other knights and squires. They found by 
his side a gailani kniyht that had constantly attended him, who was 
his chaplain, and had at this time exchanged his profession for that 
of a valiant man-at-arms. The whole night ho had followed the earl 
with his battle-axe in hand, and had by his exertions more than once 
repulsed the English. This conduct gained the thanks of his coun. 
trymen. and turned nut to his advantage, for in the same year he 
was promoted to the archdeaconry and made canon of Aberdeen. 
His name was sir William of North Berwick. To say the truth, he 
was well formed in all his limbs to shine in battle, and was severely 
wounded at this combat. When these knights came to the earl of 
Douglas, they found him in a melancholy state, as well as one of his 
knightg, sir Robert Hart, who had fought by his side the whole of the 
night, and now lay beside him, covered with iifteen wounds from 
lances and other weapons. 

Sir John Sinclair asked the earl, " Cousin, how fares it with you ?" 
*' But so so," replied he. " Thanks to God, there are but few of my 
ancestors who have died in chambers or in their beds. I bid you, 
therefore, revenge my death, for I have but little hope of living, as 
my heart becomes every minute more faint. Do you Waiter and sir 
John Sinclair raise up my banner, for certainly it is on the ground, 
from the death of David Campbell, that valiant squire, who bore it, 
and who refused knighthood from my hands this day, though he was 
equal to the most eminent knights for courage or loyalty ; and con- 
tinue to shont 'Douglas '.' but do not tell friend or foe whether I am 
in your company or not ; for, should the enemy know the truth, they 



will be greatly rejoiced." The two brothers Sinclair, and sir John 
Lindsay, obeyed his orders. The banner was raised and " Douglas !" 
shouted. Their men, who had remained behind, hearing the shouts 
of " Douglas !" so often repeated, ascended a small eminence, and 
pushed their lances with such courage that the English were repulsed, 
and many killed or struck to the ground. The Scots, by thus val- 
iantly driving the enemy beyond the spot where the earl of Douglas 
lay dead, for he had expired on giving his last orders, arrived at his 
banner, which was borne by sir John Sinclair. Numbers were con- 
tinually increasing, from the repeated shouts of " Douglas \" and 

the greater part of the Scots 
knights and squires were now 
there. The earls of Moray 
and March, with their ban. 
ners and men, came hither 
also. When they were all 
thus collected, perceiving the 
English retreat, they renewed 
the battle with greater vigor 
than before. 

To say the truth, the Eng- 
lish had harder work than 
the Scots, for they had come 
by a forced march that even- 
ing from Newcastle on Tyne, 
which was eight English 
leagues distant, to meet the 
Scots, by which means the 
greater part were exceeding- 
ly fatigued before the combat 
began. The Scots, on the 
contrary, had reposed them, 
selves, which was to them of 
the utmost advantage, as was 
apparent from the event of 
the battle. In this last attack, 
they so completely repulsed 
the Engli.sh, that the latter 
could never rally again, and 
the former drove them far be. 
yond where the earl of Doug- 
las lay on the ground. Sir 
Henry Percy, during this at- 
tack, had the misfortune to 
fall into the hands of the lord 
Montgomery, a very valiant 
knight of Scotland. They 
had long fought hand to hand 
with much valor, and without 
hindrance from any one ; for 
there was neither knight nor 
squire of either party who did 
not find there his equal to fight with, and all were fully engaged. 
In the end, sir Henry was made prisoner by the lord Montgomery. 

You would have seen, in this engagement, such knights and squires 
as sir Malcolm Drummond, sir Thomas of Erskine, sir William, sir 
James and sir Alexander Lindsay, the lord Saltoun, sir John Sandi. 
lands, sir Patrick Dunbar, sir John and sir Walter Sinclair, sir Patrick 
Hepburne and his two sons, the lord Montgomery, sir John Maxwell, 
sir Adam Glendinning, sir William Redoue,* sir William Stuart, sir 
John Haliburton, sir John Lundie, sir Robert Lauder, sir Alexander 
Ramsay, sir Alexander Frazer, sir John Edmonstone, sir William 
Wardlaw, David Fleming, Robert Campbell and his two sons, John 
and Robert, who were that day knighted, and a hundred other knights 
and squires, whose names I cannot remember; but there was not one 
who did not most gallantly perforin his part in this engagement. 

On the side of the English, there were sir Ralph de Langley, sir 
.Matthew Redman, sir Robert of Ogle, sir Thomas Graham, sir 
Thomas Haltoun, sir John Felton, sir Thomas Abington, sir John de 
Lilburn, sir William Walsingham, the baron de Haltoun, sir John de 
Copeland, seneschal of York, and many more, who on foot main- 
tained the fight vigorously, both before and after the capture of sir 
Heniy Percy. t The battle was severely fought on each side ; but 
such is the fickleness of fortune, that though the English were a more 
numerous body of able men-at-arms, and at the first onset had re. 
pulsed the Scots, they in the end lost the field ; and all the above, 
named knights, except sir Matthew Redman, governor of Berwick, 
were made prisoners. But he, seeing they were defeated without 
hopes of recovery, and the English flying in all directions, while his 
brother knights were surrendering themselves to the Scots, mounted 
his horse, and rode off. 

Just as the defeat took place, and while the combat was continued 
in different parts, an English squire, whose name was Thomas Fel- 
ton, and attached to the household of lord Percy, was surrounded by 
a body of Scots. He was a handsome man, and as he showed, val. 



* Rutherford or Rutliven.— Ed. 

t The names of the parties on lioth side* were rectified by Mr. Johnes. assisted by sir 
Waller S.-ott, .ind have been further corrected from the recent Frencli edition of M. 
Buchon. wlio has cle.ired up many difficulties by reference to the MSS. to wiiich he has 
had access.— Ed. 



48^ 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



iant in arms. He had that and the preceding night been employed 
in collecting the best arms, and would neither surrender nor dejgn 
to fly. It was told me, that he had made a vow to that purpose, and 
had declared at some feast in Northumberland, that at the very first 
meeting of tlie Scots and English, he would acquit himself so loyally 
that for having stood Ms ground, he should be renowned as the best 
combatant of both parties. I also heard, for I never saw him, that I 
know of, that his body and limbs were of a strength befitting a vigor- 
ous combatant ; and he performed such deeds of valor, when engaged 
with the banner of the earl of Moray, as astonished the Scots, but he 
was slain while thus valiantly fighting. They would willingly have 
made him a prisoner for his courage ; and several knights proposed 
it to him, but in vain, for he thought he should be assisted by his 
friends. Thus died Thomas Felton, while engaged with a cousin of 
the king of Scotland, called Simon Glendinning, much lamented by 
his party. 

According to what I heard, this battle was very bloody from its 
commencement to the defeat : but when the Scots saw the English 
were discomfited and surrendering on all sides, they behaved cour- 
teously to them, saying, " Sit down and disarm yourselves, for I am 
your master;'' but never insulted them more than if they had been 
brothers. The pursuit lasted a long time, and to the length of five 
English miles. Had the Scots been in sufficient numbers, none 
would have escaped death or captivity ; and if sir Archibald Doug- 
las, the earl of Fife, the earl of Sutherland, with the division that 
had marched for Carlisle, had been there, they would have taken 
the bishop of Durham and the town of Newcastle on Tync, as I 
ehall explain to you.* 

CHAPTER CXXIX. 

TUE BISHOP OF PURHAM IS AKXIOVS TO SUCCOR THE ENGLISH AND KESCtTE 
SIR HENRY PERCY, BUT IS SO BADLY StTPPORTED BY HIS MEN, THAT HE 
IS FORCED TO RETREAT. HE MAKES SIR JAMES LINDSAY PRISONER, 
WHO HAD TAKEN SIR MATTHEW REDSIAN. 

The same evening that sir Henry and sir Ralph Percy had left 
Newcastle, the bishop of Durham, with the remainder of the forces 
of that district, had arrived there and supped. While seated at table, 
he considered that he should not act very honorably if he remained 
in the town while his countrymen had taken the field. In conse. 
quence, he rose from table, ordered his horses to be saddled, and his 
trumpets to sound for those who had horses to make themselves 
ready, and the infantry to be drawn out in array for quitting the 
place. When they had all left it, they amounted to seven thousand 
men ; that is, two thousand on horseback and five thousand on foot. 
Although it was now night, they took the road toward Ottcrboiirne ; 
but they had not advanced a league from Newcastle before intelli- 
gence was brought that the English were engaged with the Scots. 
On this, the bishop halted his men ; and several more joined them, 
out of breath from the combat. They were asked how the atlair 
went : they replied, '■ Badly, and unfortunately : we are defeated, and 
here are the Scots close to our heels." This second intelligence, 
being worse than the first, gave the alarm to several, who broke from 
their ranks ; and when, shortly after, crowds came to them flying 
like men defeated, they were panic-struck, and so frightened with 
the bad news, that the bishop of Durham could not retain five hun- 
dred of his men together. 

Now, supposing a large body had come upon them and followed 
them in their flight (with the addition of its being night,) to regain 



* Tlirough the kindness of my friends nt Edinburgh, particularly Dr. Robert Anderson 
and Walter Scott, Esq. to whom tlie public are indebted for many instructive and 
amusing pprformances. I am enabled to clear up, in some measure, my historian's 
blunder's in the names of the heroes at this celebrated battle, and to add a few more par 
ticulars concerning it. 

" The present mansion of Otlerbourne, belonging to Mr. Ellis of Newcastle, is founded 
upon the ancient castle or tower which Douyias was besieging when attacked by Percy. 
The fielil of battle is still called BatUe-crcfts. There is a cross erected on the spot 
where Douglas fell." 

See Uie two ballads on tliis battle, published by Dr. Percy in his Rclitiues of Ancient 
English Poetry, and by Walter Scott, Esq. in his Border MirislreUy : from the Scots 
ballad I extract as follows. 

" Douglas was armed with an iron mace, which few but he could wield, and rushed 
into the combat, followed only by liis chaplain anil his two squires. Before his followers 
could come up, their brave leader lay streU;hed on the ground, witJi three mortal wounds, 
and liis two squires dead by his side: the priest alone, armed with a lance, was pro- 
tecting his master from further injury. ' 1 die like my forcfrthei-s,' s.iid the expiring 
hero, ■ in a field of battle, and not on a bed of sickiieas. Conceal my ileaili, defend my 
standard, and avenge ray fail. It is an old proverb, that a dead man shall gain a held, 
and I hope it will be accomplished this night.* 

** The two squires of the body to Douglas were Robert Hart and Simon Glendinning : 
tlie chaplain, Richard Lundie. afterwards archdeacon of Aberdeen. 

•• The banner of Douglas was bor.;e by his natural son. -\rchibald Douglas, ancestor 
of the family of Cavers hereditary shoriffs of Tiviotdale, amopg wiiose archieves this 
glorious relic is sliU jiroserved. The earl, at the onset, is said to have charged his son 
to defend it to the last drop of his blood. 

" Hotspiir for his ransom to the lord Montgomery, budt the Castle of Penoon, in 
Ayrshire, beloiigmg to ihe family of Montgomery, now earls of Eglintoun." 
^ 1.1 thiSfballad, Douglas is said to have been murdered by one of his own men ; and, 
in the introductory discourse there seems to have been a traditionary foundalion for it, 
snd the very person is named that was supposed to have done the deed ; but Mr. Scott 
rejects this as totally untrue, and arising Iron, the common desire of assigning some re- 
mote and extraordinary cause for the death of a great man 

Dr. Percy says in a note that "Otterbourne is near the old Walling-strcet road, in the 
rarish of FJsdon. 1 he Scots were encamped on a grassy plain near the river Read 
The place where the Scots and English fought is still called Battle-rig-s." 



the town, would not there have been much mischief? for those ac- 
quainted with arms imagine the alarm would have been so great, 
that the Scots would have forced their way into the place w-ith them. 
When the bishop of Durham, who was eager to reinforce the Bng. 
lish, saw his own men thus join the runaways in their flight, he de. 
manded from sir William de Lussy,* sir Thomas Cliff'ord and other 
knights of his company, what they were now to do ? These knighta 
could not, or would not advise him : for to return without having 
done anything would be dishonorable, and to advance seemed at. 
tended with danger, they therefore remained silent ; but the longer 
they waited, the more their men decreased in numbers. The bishop 
at length said, " Gentlemen, everything considered, there is no honor 
in fool-hardiness, nor is it requisite that to one misfortune we add 
another : we hear and see that our men are defeated : this we can. 
not remedy ; for, should we attempt to reinforce them, we scarcely 
know whither we should go, nor what numbers the enemy consist 
of. We will return this night to Newcastle, and to.morrow reas. 
semble and march to find our enemies." They replied, " God assist 
us in it !" Upon this they marched back to Newcastle. Observe 
the consequences of this alarm ; for had they remained steady in a 
body, as they had left Newcastle, and forced the runaways to return 
with them, they must have defeated the Scots, which was the opin. 
ion of many. But it was not to be so, and the Scots remained vie- 
torious. 

I will say something of sir Matthew Redman, who had mounted 
his horse to escape from the battle, as he alone could not recover the 
day. On his departure, he was noticed by sir James Lindsay, a 
valiant Scots knight, who was ne'ur him, and, through courage and 
the hope of gain, was desirous of pursuing him. His horse was 
ready, and leaping on him with his battle-axe hung at his neck, and 
spear in hand, galloped after him, leaving his men and the battle, 
and came so close to him, that he might, had he chosen, have hit 
him with his lance ; but he said, " Ha, sir knight, turn aboul : it ia 
disgraceful thus to fly ; I am James Lindsay ; and, if you do not 
turn, I will drive my spear into your back." Sir Matthew made no 
reply, but stuck spurs harder into his horse than before. In this 
state did the chase last for three miles, when sir Matthew's horse 
stumbling under him, he leaped oft', drew his sword from the scab- 
bard, and put himself in a posture of defence. The Scots knight 
made a thrust at him with his lance, thinking to strike him on the 
breast ; but sir Matthew, by writhing his body, escaped the blow, 
and the point of the lance was buried in the ground, and there re. 
mained fixed. Sir Matthew now stepped forward, and with hia 
sword cut Ihe spear in two. 

Sir James Lindsay, finding he had lost his lance, flung the shaft 
on the ground, and, dismounting, grasped his batde-a.xe, which was 
slung across his shoulder, and handled it with one hand very dex. 
terously, for the Scots are accustomed thus to use it, attacking the 
knight with renewed courage, who defended himself with much art. 
They pursued each other for a long time, one with the battle-axe 
and the other with the sword, for there was no one to prevent them; 
but, at last, sir James laid about him such heavy blows, that sir 
Matthew was quite out of breath, which made him surrender ; and 
he said, " Lindsay, I yield myself to you," " Indeed !" replied the 
Scots knight, " rescued or not." "I consent," said sir Matthew: 
" you will take good care of me." " That I will," answered sir 
James. Sir Matthew on this put his sword in the scabbard, and 
said, " Now, what do you require of nic, for I am your prisoner by 
fair conquest ?" "And what is it you would wish me to do ?" re- 
plied sir James. " 1 should like," answered sir Matthew, " to return 
to Newcastle ; and, within fifteen days, I will come to you in any 
part of Scotland you shall appoint." '• I agree," said sir James, " on 
your pledging yourself, that within three weeks you be in Edinburgh; 
and wherever you may go, you acknowledge yourself as my pria. 
oner." Sir Matthew having sworn to observe these conditions, each 
sought his horse, that was pasturing hard by, and, having mounted, 
took leave and departed, sir James by the way he had come, to join 
his countrymen, and sir Matthew to Newcastle. 

Sir James, from the darkness of the night, as the moon did not 
shine very clear, mistook his road, and had not advanced half a 
league before he fell in with the bishop of Durham and more than 
five hundred English : he might have escaped tliis danger had he 
chosen it, but he thought they were his friends in pursuit of the 
enemy. When in the midst of them, those nearest asked who he 
was. He replied, "I am sir James Lindsay." Upon this, the bishop, 
who was within hearing, pushed forward and said, " Lindsay, you 
are taken : surrender yourself to me." " And who are you ?" said 
Lindsay. "lam the bishop of Durham." " And where do you come 
from ?" added Lindsay. " By my faith, friend, I intended being at 
the batde, but unfortunately was too late ; and in despair I am re. 
turning to Newcastle, whither you will accompany me." " If yoa 
insist on it I must comply," answered sir James; "but I have made 
a prisoner, and am now one myself: such is the chance of war." 
" Whom have you taken ?" asked the bishop. " I have captured 
and ransomed, after a long pursuit, sir Matthew Redman." "And 
where is he ?" said the bishop. " On my failh," replied sir JameB, 
" he is returned to Newcastle : he entreated I would allow him three 
weeks' liberty, which I complied with." " Well, well," said the 

*"DeLus.-y." Q. Lucy. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN. &. c . 



465 



bishop, " let us go on to Newcnsili', where you shall converse with 
him." Thus tliey returned to Newcastle, sir Janics Lindsay as pris 
oner to the bishop of Durham. Under the banner of the earl of 
March, a squire of Gascony, John de Ch&teanneuf, was made pris. 
oner, as was his companion, John de Cauteron, under the banner of 
the earl of Moray. 

CHAPTER CXXX. 

THE BISHOP OF DURHAM MARCHES ON THE MORROW OF THE BATTLE TO 
THE SCOTS CAMP, BUT RETIRES WITHOUT DARING TO ATTACK IT. THE 
SCOTS RETURN TO THEIR OWN COUNTRY. 

Before the dawn of day, the field was clear of combatants. The 
Scots had retired within their camp, and had sent scouts and parties 
of light-horse toward Newcastle and on the adjacent roads, to ob- 
serve whether the English were collecting in any large bodies, that 
they might not a second time be surprised. This was wisely done : 
for when the bishop of Durham was returned to Newcastle, and had 
disarmed himself at his lodgings, he was very melancholy at the un- 
fortunate news he had heard that his cousins, the sons of the earl of 
Northumberland, and all the knights who had followed them, were 
either taken -or slain. He sent for all knights and squires at the 
time in Newcastle, and demanded if they would suffer things to re. 
main in their present state, for that they would be disgraced should 
they return without ever seeing their enemies. They held a coun. 
cil, and determined to arm themselves by sunrise, and to march horse 
and foot after the Scots to Otterbourne and offer them battle. This 
resolution was published throughout the town, and the trumpets 
sounded at the appointed hour. 

The whole army made themselves ready, and were drawn up be- 
fore the bridge. About sunrise they left Newcastle, through the 
gate leading to Berwick, and followed the road to Otterbourne. 
They amounted in the whole, including horse and foot, to ten thou- 
sand men. They had not advanced two leagues before it was sig- 
nified to the Scots, that the bishop of Durham had rallied his troops 
and was on his march to give them battle. This was likewise con- 
firmed by their scouts, who brought the same intelligence. 

Sir Matthew Redman, on his return to Newcastle, told the event 
of the battle, and of his being made prisoner by sir .Tames Lindsay, 
and learnt, to his surprise, from the bishop, or from some of his peo- 
ple, that sir James had in his turn been taken by the bishop. As 
soon, tlierefore, as the bishop had quilted Newcastle, sir Matthew 
went to his lodgings in search of his master, whom he found veiy 
melancholy, looking out of a window. " What has brought you 
here, sir James ?" was the first salute of sir Matthew. Sir James, 
interrupting his melancholy thoughts, advanced to meet him. bade 
him good day, and replied, " By my faith, Redman, ill luck ; for I 
had no sooner parted with you, and was returning home, than I fell 
in with the bishop of Durham, to whom I am prisoner, in like man- 
ner as you are to me. I believe there will be no need of your com- 
ing to Edinburgh to obtain your ransom, for we may finish the busi. 
ness here if my master consent to it."' " We shall soon agree as to 
that," replied Redman : " but you must come and dine with me ; 
for the bishop and his men have marched to attack your countrymen. 
I know not what success they will have, nor shall we be informed 
till their return." " I accept your invitation," answered Lindsay. 
In such manner did these two enjoy each other's company in New- 
castle. 

The barons and knights of Scotland, on being informed of the 
bishop of Durham's approach with ten thousand men, held a council, 
whether to march away or to abide the event. On mature conside. 
ration, they resolved on tlie latter, from the difficulty of finding so 
-Strong a position to defend themselves and guard their prisoners, of 
whom they had many. These they could not carry away with them, 
on account of the wounded, nor were they willing to leave them be- 
hind. They formed themsalves in a strong body, and had fortified 
their camp in such a manner that it could be entered by only one 
pass. They then nnde their prisoners swear, that rescued or not 
they would acknowledge themselves prisoners. When this was all 
done, they ordered their minstrels to play as merrily as they could. 
The Scots have a custom, when assembled in arms, for those who 
are on foot to be well dressed, each having a large horn slung round 
his neck, in the manner of hunters, and when they blow all together, 
the horns being of different sizes, the noise is so great it may be 
heard four miles off", to the great dismay of their enemies and their 
own delight. The Scots commanders .ordered this sort of music now 
to be played. • 

The bishop of Durham with his banner, under which were at least 
ten thousand men, had scarcely approached within a league of the 
Scots, when they began to play such a concert, that it seemed as if 
all the devils in hell had come thither to join in the noise, so that 
those of the English who had never before heard such, were much 
frightened. This concert lasted a considerable time, and then ceased. 
After a pause, when they thought the English were within half a 
league, they recommenced it, continuing it as long as before, when 
it again ceased. The bishop, however, kept advancing with his 
men in battle-array until they came within sight of the enemy, two 
bow-shots oft": the Scots then began to play louder than before, and 
for a longer time, during which the bishop examined with surprise 



how well they had chosen their encampment, and strengthened it to 
their advantage. Some knights held a council how they should act, 
and it seemed that, after much deliberation, they thought it not ad 
visatble to risk an attack, for there were greater chances of loss than 
gain, but determined to return again to Newcastle. 

The Scots, perceiving the English were retreating, and that there 
was no appearance of any battle, retired within their camp to refresh 
themselves with meat and liquor. They then made preparations for 
departure : but because sir Ralph Percy had been dangerously 
wounded, he begged of his master to allow him to return to New. 
castle, or wherever else in Northumberland he niigh have his wounds 
better attended to, and remain there untd cured ; and in case this 
favor was granted him, as soon as he should be able to mount a 
horse, he pledged to sunender himself at Edinburgh, or in any other 
part of Scotland. The earl of Moray, under whose banner he had 
been taken, readily assented to this request, and had a litter prepared 
for him. In a similar manner, several knights and squires obtained 
their liberty, fixing on a time to return in person to those who had 
captured them, or to send the amount of their ransoms.* 

I was told by those who were of the victorious party, that at this 
battle, which was fought in the year of grace 1388, between New. 
castle and Otterburne, on the 19th day of August, there were taken 
or left dead on the field, on the side of the English, one thousand 
and forty men of all descriptions; in the pursuit eight hundred and 
forty, and more than one thousand wounded. Of the Scots, there 
were only about one hundred slain, and two hundred made prisoners. 
As the English were flying, they at times rallied, and returned to 
combat those who were pursuing them, whenever they thought thejr 
had a favorable opportunity, and it was thus their loss was so con- 
siderable in the pursuit. You may judge, from the number of killed 
and prisoners on each side, if this battle was not hardily fought. 

When everything had been arranged, and the dead bodies of the 
earl of Douglas, sir Robert Hart and sir Simon Glendinning were 
inclosed within coffins, and placed on cars, they began their march, 
carrying with them sir Henry Percy and upward of forty English 
knights. They took the road to Melrose on the Tweed, and oa 
their departure they set fire to their huts. They lodged this night in 
England without any opposition, and on the morrow decamped very 
early and arrived at Melrose, which is an abbey of black monks, 
situated on the borders of the two kingdoms. They there halted, 
and gave directions to the friars for the burial of the earl of Douglas, 
whose obsequies were very reverently performed on the second day 
after their arrival. His body was placed in a tomb of stone, with 
the banner of Dougla.s suspended over it. Of this earl of Douglas, 
God save his soul ! there was no issue, nor do I know who succeeded 
to the estate of Douglas ; for when I, the authority of this history, 
was in Scotland, at his castle of Dalkeith, during the lifetime of 
earl William, there were only two children, a boy and a girl. There 
were enow of the name of Douglas ; for I knew five handsome bro- 
thers, squires, of this name, at the court of king David of Scotland, 
who were the children of a knight called sir James Douglas. t The 
earl's arms, of three oreilles gules on a field or, descended to them ; 
but I am ignorant to whom fell the land.t You must know, that the 
sister of Archibald Douglas whom I have often mentioned as a gal- 
lant knight, and one much feared by the English, was a bastard. 

When they had finished the business which had brought them to 
Melrose, they departed, each to his own country ; andjhose who had 
prisoners carried them with them, or ransomed them before they left 
Melrose. In this manner the English found the Scots very courteous 
and accommodating, which pleased them much, as I learnt at the 
castle of the count de Foix from John de Chateauneuf, who had been 
made prisoner under the banner of the earl of March and Dunbar: 
he praised the earl exceedingly for his generosity in allowing him to 
fix his ransom at his pleasure. Thus did these men-at-anns separate, 
having very soon and handsomely setded the amount of the ransoms 
for their prisoners, who by degrees returned to their homes. It was 
told me, and I believe it, that the Scots gained two hundred thou- 
sand francs from the ransoms ; and that never since the battle of 
Bannockburn, when the Bruce, sir William Douglas, sir Robert de 
Versy and sir Simon Frazer pursued the English for three days, have 
they had so complete nor so gainful a victory. 

When the news of it was brought to sir Archibald Douglas, the 



• Tlie rtinsoms were estimated M 200,000 francs. Kobert HI. granteil to Henry Pres- 
ton, for the redemption of Ralpli Percy, the lands and baronies of Frondin, Aberdeen- 
shire, the town of Fyvie. and place thereof, the town of Meikle Gaddies. die five mark 
land of Park-hill. Scots Cal. f. 104. Froissarlapparentlverrs in the nome of liis captor; 
yet Mar had Wt. a year for a third of it, tlie whole of it exceeding 600/.— PikkertoN's 
Hist, of Scot/anf/, vol. ii. p. 41. jwte. 

t Earl James Douglas married the lady Isabella Stuart, daughter of king Robert II., 
and dying without lawful issue, was succeeded by his brother. Archibald lord Gnllowny, 
called Archibald the Grim. This last was the issue of enri VVdIiam's second marriass 
wilh MargnKt. daughter of Patrick earl of March.— Crawford's Peerage of Scot- 
land. , . n 

X These a.nis, according to Crawford, must be wrong ; for. m his Peerage. Uie arms 
are dojcribed as " Four coats quarterly ; 1. Azure, a lion rampant, crowned with aa 
imperial crown, or ; 2. A lion rampant gules, surmounted of a ribbon sable ; 3. Or. a 
fesee cheque, azure and argent, surmounted of a bend sable, charged with five buckles, 
or- 4. .Urgent, three pyles gules, over all. in a shield of pretence argent, a heart, gules, 
cnsigned with' an imperial crown, or, on a chief azure, three mollels of the first, sup- 
ported on the dexter wilh a savage, wreathed about the loins with laurel, and on tha 
sinister by a stag proper; crest a salamander vomiting fire: motto, Jamais arriere. all 
within a compartment of stakes impaled " 



486 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE. SPAIN, &c. 



earls of Fife and Sutlierland, before Carlisle, where they were with 
the larger division of the army, they were greatly rejoiced, but at the 
same time vexed that they had not been present. They held a 
council and determined to retreat into Scotland, since their compan- 
ions had already marched thither. In consequence, they broke up 
their camp and reentered Scotland. 

We will now leave the English and Scots, and speak of the young 
king of France, and the large array he marched info Germany to re. 
venge himself on the duke of Gueldres, 



CHAPTER CXXXI. 

THE KING OF FRANCE ENTERS THE DCCHY OF LVXEMBOURG, ON HIS MARCH 
TO GUELDRES. THE DUKE OF JULIERS, FATHER OF THE DUKE OF GUEL- 
BKES, MAKES EXCUSES FOR HIS SON TO THE KING OF FRANCE. HE IS 
GRACIOUSLY RECEIVED, AND HAS THE TERRITORY OF VIERSON RESTORED 
TO HIM, FOR WHICH HE FAYS HOMAGE TO THE KING. 

When the king of France and his army had crossed the Meuse at 
the bridge of Morsay,* they took the road to the Ardennes and 
bishopric of Luxembourg, and had always in advance a large body 
of pioneers to clear the bushes and level the roads. Tlie king's 
army was very numerous, and well appointed. The duke of Juliets 
and his subjects much dreaded their approach, for they knew they 
should be first attacked ; and the country of Juliers is so level that 
the men-at-arms would in one day despoil the whole, excepting a 
few castles and towns which would perhaps make some little resist- 
ance, but they could not hold out long. The king of France entered 
Luxembourg, and was lodged for two days at the monastery where 
duke Winceslaus of Brabant had been buried. At his departure, 
he took the road to Bastogne,t and encamped at the distance of a 
league from where the duchess of Brabant was lodged. The duch. 
ess had notified to the duke of Burgundy her arrival at Bastogne, 
■who waited on her, and conducted her to the king's tent. The" king 
received her very kindly ; and, after they had conversed some time 
together, she returned to Bastogne, escorted by sir John de Vienne 
and sir Guy de la Tremouille. On the morrow the king continued 
his march until he arrived on the borders of Germany, ready to en- 
ter Juliers. But, before he had advanced so far, Arnold bishop uf 
Liege had waited on him, and had e.xerted himself much to excul- 
pate the duke of Juliers, and to soften the anger the king of France 
bore him, as father to the duke of Gueldres ; and had said to the 
king and his uncles, that with regard to the imprudent and outrage- 
ous challenge the duke of Gueldres had sent to France, he had never 
consulted his father on the subject, nor informed him of it until it 
was done, and therefore his territories ought not to suffer for it. 

These excuses, however, were not agreeable to the king nor to his 
ancles ; and it was their intention, that unless the duke of Juliers 
come in person, and made a more satistactory apology, putting him- 
self totally in the king's mercy, he and his country should be the 
first to pay for it. The bishop of Liege, the barons of Hasbain,J 
and the magistrates from the principal towns, who had accompanied 
the bishop, now offered the king and his uncles a free entrance for 
their army into their country, to pass and repass, and refresh them- 
selves with provision on paying for it, and to remain there if they so 
pleased. 

The king and nis uncles thanked them for their offer, which lliey 
did not refuse, as they were ignorant how affairs would turn out. 
The bishop returned to the duke of Juliers and archbishop of Co. 
logne, and told them all that had passed, that they might consider 
of it. The duke of Juliers was very much alarmed lest his country 
should be ruined, and sent for all those knights that were depend- 
ent on him, to have their advice, lor the French were daily ap- 
proaching. The lord de Coucy commanded the vanguard, of one 
thousand spears ; and with him were the duke of Lorraine and the 
TJscount de Meaux, with about two hundred lances more, 
f When the French were near the borders of Germany, they 
inarched in a more compact body, and took great precautions in their 
encampments ; for a body of three hundred Linfars,^ from the op. 
posite side of the Rhine, had collected together on their line of 
march. These are the greatest robbers and plunderers in the world; 
and they hovered alongside the French army, to take advantage of 
any negligence on their part. The French were suspicious of them, 
and dared not attempt foraging but in large bodies. I believe the 
lord Boucicaut, the elder, and sir Lewis de Grach, were made pris. 
oners by them, and carried to Nimeguen. These Germans rode 
through by.ways, and, like birds of prey, night and morning fell upon 
the French wherever they found a favorable opportunity ; and this 
had made them more careful. 

When the king of France was come to the confines of Juliers, 
and the vanguard and foragers had already entered it, the duke, un. 
\villing that his country should be destroyed, listened to the advice 
ofthe archbishop of Cologne and bishop of Liege, and consented 



■* "Moi^ay." Q. Mouson, or Mexieres. 

t ■• Bastogne." or Basloenack, is a small tovm in the duchy of Luierabours : it was 
formerly more considerable, ami called llie Paris of the Ardennes 

J" Hasbain," a small territory in the circle of Westphalia : it forms the principal part 
or the bishopric of Liege. 

§ Leichtfertig— vagabonds, freebooters.— Ed. 



they should negotiate with the king and his uncles, and entreat that 
his country should remain in peace, on such terms as I shall men 
tion. These two prelates, having laid the foundation for a peace, 
conducted the duke of Juliers into the king's presence, who was 
attended by his uncles, the duke of Lorraine, and other great barons 
of France of the blood royal, and his council. On the duke's ap. 
preaching the king, he cast himself on his knees, and made very 
handsome excuses for the challenge his son had sent to France. He 
told the king that his son was a madman ; that he had never con. 
suited him respecting this challenge, nor indeed in anything else, but 
always acted for himself. He offered his services to the king, and 
said, " My lord, with your permission, I will go to hira,and sharply 
remonstrate with him on his follies, and order him to come and 
make his apology to you and to your council. If he refuse to follow 
my advice, and continue to act from his own headstrong will, I offer 
to give you possession of all my inclosed towns and castles, for you 
to garrison with men-at-arms, and carry on the war against him until 
he shall submit himself to your mercy." The king, on this, looked 
at his brother, his uncles, and council, as it seemed to him, and to 
many who were present, a very fair ofi'er. He made the duke rise, 
who had hitherto continued on his knees, and said, " AVe will con- 
sider what you have offered, and the promises you make us." The 
duke, having risen, remained with the two prelates who had brought 
him thither ; and the king retired with his uncles and privy counsel, 
lors, to discuss the proposal that had been made them. 

This council lasted some time, and various propositions were 
made, each pressing his different plan. The duke of Burgundy was 
the most active, as indeed the matter more essentially affected him, 
on account of his being heir, in right of his duchess, to the succes- 
sion of the duchess of Brabant, and it was in tnith owing to him 
that the king had undertaken this e.vpedition. He was therefore 
very anxious that the quarrel should be amicably terminated, and a 
solid peace established between all parties, that there might not be 
any necessity for renewing the war ; for the distance was great for 
the king and lords, besides being very expensive, and heavy on the 
kingdom. After several had given their opinions, he addressed him- 
self to the king, to the duke of Berry, and to all present, saying : 
" My lord, and you brother of Berry, and gentlemen of the council, 
whatever is rashly or inconsiderately begun, generally ends badly. 
We have heard our cousin, the duke of JiiUers, excuse himself hand- 
somely, and we have heard the ofi'er he has made, that his son shall 
do so hkewise : he is of that gallantry and birth, being connected 
with mc by blood, that we ought to believe what he has said. He 
offers to the king his person, his country, his towns, and castles, in 
case his son shall continue obstinate, and refuse to make any apology 
for his rash challenge. If we have the duke of Juliers on our side, 
the duke of Gueldres, whom we want to punish, will be so much 
the more weakened, that he will the more dread us, and the sooner 
bend to our will. I therefore advise that the excuses of the duke of 
Juliers and his offer be accepted, for he has greatly humbled him- 
self ; and the archbishop of Cologne, the bishop of Liege, with other 
potent barons, entreat likewise that this may be done.'' 

No one making any reply, it was unanimously agreed to ; and the 
archbishop and bishop, who had opened the negotiation, were called 
in. They were told very minutely every act the duke of Juliers 
was to swear to perform, if he were desirous that his country should 
remain in peace. First, that he should go liimseh", or send to his 
son, the duke of Gueldres, to remonstrate with him on his folly and 
impertinence, in sending so unusual and rude a challenge to so pow- 
erful a prince as the king of France, and oblige him to come per. 
sonally and submit himself to the mercy of the king, if he did not 
satisfactorily excuse himself. Should the duke of Gueldres refuse 
compliance, through pride and weakness of understanding, and per- 
sist in his opinion, then the duke of Juliers was to engage, on his 
oath, not to afford him the least support^ but, on the contrary, to 
unite himself with his enemies, and to assist the army of the king, 
which during tlie ensuing winter would be quartered throughout the 
country of Juliers, in order to be ready to carry on the war against 
the duke of Gueldres ; and all towns and castles, belonging to the 
duke of Juliers, shall receive, on the most friendly footing, the men. 
at-arms of France. 

These two prelates, who had been solely called to the council to 
remonstrate touching these matters with the duke of Juliers, repeated 
to him what they had heard, adding such weighty reasons, that the 
duke assented to the terms: indeed, he saw he must do so, if he 
wished to preserve his country from ruin. He therefore solemnly 
swore to observe faithfully all the articles of the treaty, and to remain 
a firm friend to the king and to his uncles, for which his duchy was 
saved from being despoiled : but forage, of which there was enough, 
was completely given up to the French. Thus did the duke of Ju. 
liers become liege man to the king of France, and paid homage for 
the territory of Vierson, situated between Blois and Berry. He sup- 
ped that night with the king : it was on a Thursday ; and there were 
seated at the king's table, first, the bishop of Liege, the archbishop of 
Cologne, the king, the duke of Burgundy, the duke of Touraine, the. 
duke of Juliers, and the duke of Bourbon. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



487 



CHAPTER CXXXII. 

KINS CHARLES VI. QUARTERS HIS ABMY, ON A FRIENDLY FOOTING, IN THE 
DUCHY OF JULIERS. A SQLnRE OF AUVERONE IS MURDERED BY A WOOD- 
CUTTER WHOM HE IS LEADING AWAY AS HIS PRISONER. 

Such was the conclusion of the treaties between the king of France 
and the duke of Juliers, by which the last enjoyed peace, although 
the king quartered himself and his army in his duchy, which he found 
a ricJi country, and full of every kind of provision. The duke of 
Juliers went to his son, but not immediately, and in the interval some 
gallant feats of arms were done ; for the Germans were so eager of 
gain, that they frequently, during the night or at very early morn, 
beat up the quarters of the French : sometimee they got the advan- 
tage, at other times they were made prisoners ; but for one German 
that was taken, they made four Frenchmen prisoners in return. In 
consequence, the constable of France, the lord de Coucy, the duke of 
Lorraine, the marshal de Blainville, sir John de Vienne, and the lord 
de la Trcmouille, assembled tlieir men, to the amount of about four 
thousand men-at-arms, and marched toward a town in Gueldres 
called Remogne,* and drew up in handsome array before it. At this 
time the duke of Gueldres was within it, and thought highly of their 
appearance ; but he made no sally against tliem, for his force was 
not equal to attempt it, which ve.xed him much. The French men- 
at-arms remained four hours drawn up in order of battle before the 
place ; but when they saw that none came out to oppose them, they 
retreated to their quarters. 

It happened that this same evening several knights and squires as- 
sembled at the lodgings of the duke of Berry, with the intent of 
making an excursion on the morrow into the enemy's country in 
search of adventures. They each, to the aiuount of about one hun- 
dred lances, pledged theinsclves to this ; but, when the morning came, 
the project was broken ofl". A squire from Auvergne, called Oourdi- 
nois, a valiant man-at-arms, and serving under the banner of the lord 
d'.A.Mgre, finding this exursion laid aside, was much vexed thereat ; 
and, speaking of it to some of his companions of as good courage as 
himself, they collected about thirty spears, and rode out that morning, 
but met with no adventure. Gourdinois was so desirous of feats of 
arms, that he felt sorely the disappointment of returning without 
having struck a blow, and said to his companions; "Do you ride on 
gently, while I and my page will skirt this wood, to see if there be 
any ambuscades, or any persons within it, and wait for me at the 
foot of yonder hill." Having assented to this, Gourdinois and his 
page left them, and rode alongside the wood. They had not ad- 
vanced far, when he heard some one whistle : he instantly stuck 
spurs into his horse, and came to a hollow road, where he found a 
Gueldrelander squaring timber. Gourdinois seized his spear, and 
charged the man full gallop, to his great astonishment, and made 
signs to him to follow him; for he said to himself, "At least, I shall 
show to my companions, that I have done something by making this 
man my prisoner, and he may be of some use to us in our quarters." 

He now set out on his return, riding on a small hackney, followed 
by the woodman on foot, with a large axe on his shoulder with which 
he had been working. The page of Gourdinois was behind mounted 
on his courser, bearing hia helmet and dragging his lance, half asleep 
from having left his bed too early. The German, who knew not 
whither he was going, nor what might be done to him, thought he 
might as well attempt to escape : he therefore advanced close to 
Gourdinois, and with his uplifted axe smote him such a blow on the 
head as split his skull to the teeth, and laid him dead on the ground. 
The page, from his distance and sleepiness, neither saw nor heard 
anything of the matter ; and the peasant ran to hide himself in tlie 
wood, from which he was not far off. Those who heard of this un- 
fortunate accident were much distressed ; for Gourdinois was well 
beloved by all who knew him, particularly by his countrymen in 
Auvergne, for he was the man-at-arms most dreaded by the English, 
and the person who had done them most mischief. He would never 
have been suffered to remain a prisoner, though twenty thousand 
francs had been asked for his ransom. 

We will now return to the duke of Juliers. 



CHAPTER CXXXIII. 

IHE DUSE OF JULIERS AND ARCHBISHOP OF COLOGNE LEAVE THE KING OF 
FRANCE, AND GO TO THE DUKE OF GUELDRES AT NIMEGUEN. BY THEIR 
REMONSTRANCES AND NEGOTIATIONS, HE OBTAINS PEACE WITH THE KING 
OF FRANCE AND DUCHESS OF BRABANT. 

You have before heard how the duke of Juliers made his peace 
with the king of France, through the mediation of the two prelates 
already mentioned and the duke of Lorraine his cousin, who had taken 
great pains in the business, and had gone to seek him in the town 
of Atdeke,t whence he had brought him, with the archbishop of 
Cologne, to a conference with the king of France and his uncles. 
The duke had then promised to oblige his son, the duke of Gueldres, 
to submit himself to the king, otherwise he was to unite with the 
king in his war against him. These terras he was forced to comply 
with, or hie duchy would have been destroyed. 



• "ReraoEne." G' 



t • Atdeke." Q. 



The duke of Juliers, having made his preparations, set out with 
the archbishop of Cologne for Gueldres, and having crossed tlie river 
Waal, arrived at Nimeguen, where the duke of Gueldres then resided. 
He received them most affectionately, as was but right, for what tie 
is nearer than that of father or mother ? He had before heard that 
the duke of Juliers had made his peace with the king of France, 
which was not very pleasing to him, but he had no occasion to show 
his dislike to it. The duke of Juliers and the archbishop remon- 
strated with him for some time on the simarion he and his country 
were in. At first he paid no attention ; for he had so strongly con. 
nected himself with the king of England, he could not immediately 
break it off, nor had he any inclination so to do, for his heart was 
devoted to the English. He argued the matter with them obstinately, 
declaring he would abide the event ; and if, from the arrival of the 
king of France with an army, he shoidd suffer any loss, he was young 
and might at other times revenge himself on France or on the Bra- 
banters their allies ; adding, that in war the chances are uncertain, 
and no prince can undertake one without expecting loss as well as 
gain. 

This language greatly enraged the duke of JuUers, who said, 
" William, how will you carry on the war ? and from whom do you 
expect compensation for your losses ?" " The king of England and 
his power," replied he ; " and I am very much astonished I have had 
no intelligence of their fleet ; for if they had kept their engagement, 
by which they were to come hither, I would more than once have 
beaten up the French quarters." " Do you wait for them, William?" 
asked the duke of Juliers. " The English have so much on their 
hands at this moment, they cannot give you any assistance. There 
is our cousin, the duke of Lancaster, at Bayonne, who has left Gas. 
tille with the shattered remains of his army, having lost the greater 
part by sickness, and by that the season for making war. He is so. 
liciting reinforcements of men-at-arms and archers from England, but 
will not obtain twenty spears. On the other hand, the English have 
lately experienced a severe overthrow in battle with the Scots near 
Newcastie-on-Tyne, in Northumberland, in which all the chivalry of 
the north have been made prisoners or slain. England, besides, is 
not unanimous in their affection to the king ; you will therefore act 
wisely not to depend on the English at this moment, for you will not 
have assistance from them, nor from any other quarter. I would 
therefore advise that you suffer us to manage for you, and we will 
pacify the king of France, and make up this quarrel without your 
being dishonored or a loser from it." " My lord," answered the 
duke of Gueldres, " how can I with honor accommodate my differ- 
ence with the king of France ? were I to have my country ruined, 
and be forced to go and live elsewhere, I would not do it: I am 
strongly bound to the king of England ; and for him I have defied 
the king of France. Do you think," added he, " that for his menaces 
I will recall my word or break my engagement ? You only wish my 
disgrace. I entreat you, therefore, to leave me to myself; I will 
make head against the French, for their threats do not alann me. 
The rain, wind, and cold weather will make war for me ; and before 
the month of January be arrived, they will be so worn down, that 
the boldest among them will wish to be at home." 

Neither the duke of Juliers nor the archbishop of Cologne could, 
at this first interview, prevail on the duke of Gueldres to change his 
resolution, though they were six days laboring at it, and daily in 
council. At length the duke of Juliers, finding his arguments of no 
avail, was so angry, as to say to him, " that if he did not pay more 
attention to his advice, he would displease him greatly, insomuch 
that he should never inherit one foot of his duchy of Juliets, which 
he would dispose of to another, who should be powerful enough to 
defend it against him ;" adding, " that none but a fool refused coun- 
sel." The duke of Gueldres, seeing his father inflamed with pas- 
sion, replied by way of softening matters : " Advise me, then, how 
with honor I may act ; and since you desire it, from my love to you, 
I will pay attention to it; for I assuredly owe you all obedience, and 
shall never in that be wanting." " Now," said the duke of Juliers, 
" you speak well and to the purpose ; and we will consider the 
matter." 

It was then determined, after many and long consiUtations, that 
the duke of Gueldres should wait on the king of France, and pay 
him the honor and respect befitting so great a prince, and should ex- 
cuse himself for having sent him such a challenge, in similar words 
to these : "My lord, it is very true that a letter, sealed with my sig. 
net, was sent into France and delivered to you, in which was con- 
tained a challenge draw-n up in very outrageous terms, and contrary 
to such as are generally used in the like cases, when princes or lords 
defy each other ; but this I disavow, as never having been uttered 
t'rom my mouth, nor written by my commands, as I would be far 
tVom defaming your name or rank. For the confirmation of what I 
now say, and to remove all doubts, I must inform you, that at the de- 
sire of my much-redoubted lord, the king of England, and his coun- 
cil, with whom I have entered into very close alliance, I sent to 
England four of my knights to whom I intrusted my signet, for them 
to seal whatever might be required of them. They were to write 
and seal, and not I : so that I never knew the contents of the letter 
sent to France until it had been sealed. Be pleased, therefore, to 
accept of this as my apology, for it is the truth. With regard to my 
oath of allegiance to my redoubted lord, the king of England, I am 



488 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



resolved to adhere to it, and to obey, as far as in me lies, whatever 
he may command, whether to challenge you, and assemble my for- 
ces, wherever he may please, to oppose you or any other prince, ex- 
cept my natural h)rd, the emperor of Germany : for to him I have 
personally sworn my homage in the fullest manner. But out of re. 
spect and honor to you, and as some recompense for the trouble and 
charges you have had, in coming to this distance to learn the tiuth 
of this challenge, I am willing to swear, and that oath I will punctu- 
ally keep, that, henceforward, I will never make any war upon you 
Dor your kingdom without having first given you one year's notice 
of my intention ; and, my lord I hope you will think this sufficient." 
The duke of Gueldres replied, that all this he would willingly say : 
for it did not seem to him to convey anything blameable or dishon- 
orable. 

Upon tliis being settled, tlie duke of Juliers and the archbishop 
departed and returned to Juliers, and thence to Endesker.* At a 
proper season they waited on the king of France, and related to him 
and his uncles every particular which had passed between them and 
the duke of Gueldres ; and, that the matter might be immediately 
considered, they added, there could not anything more be obtained 
from his son. The king of France was so desirous to see his cousin 
the duke of Gueldres, who had given him such trouble, that he as- 
sented to the terms of the treaty. The duke of Burgundy was also 
anxious that the territories of the duchess of Brabant should remain 
in peace, and took pains that this treaty should be agreed to, and 
that the duke of Gueldres, on the strength of it, should come to them. 
There was also another reason for their consenting to it: winter was 
approaching, and the nights were already cold and long. The 
French lords were told that Gueldres was a miserable country to 
winter in, and they daily received information of losses of knights, 
squires, and horses, that had been captured by the ambushes of 
these Linfars. 

From all these reasons, matters were so far concluded that the 
duke of Gueldres came to the French camp, and was introduced by 
the duke of Juliers his father, the duke of Lorraine his cousin, and 
the archbishop of Cologne, to the king's tent. There were present, 
at this interview, the king's uncles, his brother the duke of Touraine, 
the duke of Bar, the count de la Marche, the count de St. Pol, the 
count daupliin d'Auvergnj, the lord de Coucy and the constable of 
France. Oji his entrance the duke of Gueldres cast himself on his 
knees before the king ; but I heard that the king made him rise, (in 
this matter, however, I know nothing but what I learnt from others,) 
and that he boldly excused himself for the challenge, in the terms 
you have before heard. The king accepted his apology: and he 
then declared, on his oath, that if he were ever again to challenge 
or make war on France, he would send notice of it one year before- 
hand. Thus did Gueldres and Brabant remain in a secure state, 
and those who had expected the most were the greatest losers. 

Everything being now settled, the duke of Gueldres supped with 
the king of France at his table : and I must say he was much looked 
at, for the great plague he had given them. These treaties were 
fairly written and sealed; and, when all was done, the lords took 
leave of each other : but, before the duke of Gueldres departed, he 
requested that the prisoners the French had made in this war might 
be given up, which ^vas agreed to in the manner he desired. The 
king of France demanded that all prisoners made from him shoulj 
likewise be set at liberty ; but the duke of Gueldres excused himself, 
saying : " My lord, that cannot be done : I am a poor man, and 
when I heard of your march hither, I strengthened myself as much 
as possible with knights from the other side of the Rhine and else- 
where, agreeing with them that everything they might take should 
be their own property. It is not possible for me, therefore, to de. 
spoil them of what I have given, nor have I the power so to do ; 
and, should I attempt it, they would make war upon me. Be pleased, 
therefore, to let this matter remain as it is, for I cannot remedy it." 
The king, perceiving he could not obtain anything more, bore it as 
well as he could, without adding a word in reply, and comforted 
himself on the greatness of his power that could enrich so many poor 
persons. They took leave of each other mutually satisfied, and or- 
ders were given for the army to march back to France. It was said, 
the king would hold the feast of All.saints in the city of Rhcims. 

I will now say a word of the English fleet. 



CHAPTER CXXXIV. 

THE EARL OP ARUNDEL AND HIS FLEET ARE DRIVEN BY STORMS TO LA 
FALICE, NEAR LA ROCHELLE. THE LORD LEWIS DE SANCERRE, HAVING 
HAD INFORMATION OF THIS, CHASES THEM AT SEA, BUT IN VAIN. THE 
DUKE OF LANCASTER HARRIES HIS DAUGHTER TO THE HEIR OF CASTILLE. 

Before the king of France went to Gueldres, and during the time 
he was there, the English fleet under the command of the earl of 
Arundel kept hovering along his coasts, just as the wind drove them, 
in search of adventures. You must know, that generally from the 
first of October to All-saints day the weather is stormy ; but this year 
it was unusually so, which shattered the English fleet, and there 'was 
no seaman on board, however bold ho might be, but was frightened 
at its violence, which forced the ships to run to any port lest worse 



might befal them. The earl of Arundel, with twenty-seven other 
vessels, made for the harbor of la Paliee, two leagues distant from la 
Rochelle, where he anchored : indeed, he was forced so to do, for 
the wind was contrary and he could not leave it. When news was 
brought of this to la Rochelle, the townsmen were much alarmed, 
thinking the English intended attacking the place : they closed their 
gates, and remained guarding thera for a day and a half. Intelligence 
came from la Paliee, that the force of the English amounted to no 
more than twenty-two vessels, driven thither by stress of weather, 
and desirous only of putting to sea again ; that, however, the earl of 
Arundel, sir Henry Beaumont, sir William Elmham, and upward of 
thirty English knights, were there. The Rochellers, on this con- 
sulted how to act ; and, having well considered the matter, they said 
they should not do their duty if they did not march to skirmish with 
the enemy. 

At this period, the lord Lewis de Sancerre, marshal of France, wo3 
arrayed and marshalled before the castle of Bouteville, with a large 
body of the chivalry of Poitou, Saintonge and other parts, and had 
there inclosed William de Sainte Foix, a Gascon ; for all men-at-arms 
had not accompanied the king of France, and the lord de Sancerre 
was lieutenant of the country from Montpellier to la Rochelle, during 
the absence of the lord de Coucy with the army in Germany. The 
Rochellers determined to send information of the arrival of the Eng- 
lish to the lord de Sancerre, who on hearing it was much rejoiced. 
He ordered the townsmen to arm six or eight galleys, and to embark 
on board, for he was on his march to combat the English. This they 
did ; and sir Lewis broke up his siege and marched away, thinking 
it would be more to his honor and profit to engage the earl of Arun- 
del and the English knights lying at anchor, than to continue the 
siege, for he could again return to this at his pleasure. 

He came to la Rochelle, followed by a large body of knights and 
squires. I know not by what means, but the earl of Arundel had 
infoimation at la Paliee, that the marshal of France with a powerfvil 
company of knights and squires was marching to attack him. The 
news was not very agreeable to him ; but fortunately the weather had 
becoTie calm, and he instantly gave orders to weigh anchor and pat 
to sea. This was speedily effected : had they waited longer they 
would have been surrounded within the haven, and every one of his 
vessels must necessarily have been taken, for not one could have 
escaped. The galleys from la Rochelle, fully armed with cannons 
and other artillery, appeared in sight, steering for la Paliee, as the 
English were under sail. They chased them two leagues, saluting 
them with their cannon, but dared not follow them further, for fear 
of the dangers of the sea. They therefore returned to la Rochelle ; 
but the marshal of France was much angered against them, for hav- 
ing been so tardy to inform him of the arrival of the enemy. 

The earl of Arundel sailed for the mouth of the Garonne, to repair 
to Bordeaux ; and the siege of Bouteville was put an end to, for Wil. 
liam de Sainte Foix, during the time the marshal had gone, as he 
thought, to fight the English, had provided his castle with all things 
necessary for a long defence. 

We will now return to the duke of Lancaster, and speak of his 
negotiations with the king of Castille and duke of Berry respecting 
the marriage of his daughter. The king of Castille was desirous of 
having her for his son, as the means of peace with England. The 
duke of Lancaster was wise and prudent : he saw that the most ad- 
vantageous alliance for himself and for his country was Castille, in 
preference to the duke of Berry ; for by it he should recover the in. 
heritance of Castille for his daughter, in times to come. If he gave 
her to the duke of Berry, and he should die before her, she would be 
poor iu comparison with other ladies ; for the duke had children by 
his first marriage, who would be entitled to all his landed property. 
The duchess of Lancaster was likewise more inclined to the connec- 
tion with Castille, so that when sir Helion dc Lignac had left the 
duke, on his return to the duke of Berry in Germany, the commis- 
sioners from the king of Castille came forward, and pushed the mat- 
ter so warmly, that the marriage was agreed and sworn to, between 
the lady Catherine and the son of the king of Castille. Proper con. 
tracts were drawn up and scaled, with covenants to prevent any 
danger of breaking off the match; and the duchess consented, when 
the whole should be concluded, to conduct her daughter into Castille. 



' " Bndeskcr." Q. 



CHAPTER CXXXV. 

THE KINS OF FRANCE, WHILE ON THE FRONTIERS OF JULIERS, HAS FART 
OF HIS CAMP SLTIPRISED, AND SEVERAL PRISONERS MADE, BY SOME GER. 
MAN PILLAGERS. THE KING, BEING TWENTV.ONE YEARS OF AGE, TAKES 
ON HIMSELF THE GOVERNMENT OF HIS KINGDOM. HE SENDS TO THE 
KING OF CASTILLE, ON HEARING OF THE MARRIAGE OF HIS SON WITH 
THE DAUGHTER OF THE DUKE OF LANCASTER, TO REMONSTRATE WITH 
HIM NOT TO ENTER INTO ANY TREATIES THAT MAY BE PREJUDICIAL TO 
HIM OR TO HIS KINGDOM. 

The king of France was still on the borders of Juliers, (for you 
have heard on what grounds peace had been made between him and 
the dukes of Juliers and Gueldres,) though on his march with the 
army back to France, when, one clear moonlight night, as they were 
encamped on the confines of Germany, some German robbers, who 
would never accept of any terms of peace, made, about midnight, aa 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, kc. 



469 



attack on the French. These men were under tlie lord de Blanque- 
nemcn and sir Peter de Arembcrg, and came well mounted, to ob- 
serve where they could make the severest attack on the camp. They 
passed the quarters of the viscount de JVIeaux, but found him and liis 
men on their guard ; and, having gone backward and forward with- 
out saying a word, they returned, to give an account to their leaders, 
at their ambuscade, of what they had seen. Shortly after, a large 
body of these Germans made an irruption on the French camp, over- 
throwing I know not how many, and making fourteen men-at-arms 
piisoners. Tlie lord de la Vieville and the lord de Montkarel were 
nmong the number, in consequence of great neglect in not having 
placed sufficient guards. When it was known, on the morrow, that 
these two lords were made prisoners, the army were much vexed at 
it, and ever afterwards were more attentive to their guards. 
■ When the king left Juiiers, none of the garrisons remained behind : 
sir William de la Tremouille and sir Gervais de Merande joined him, 
and the Brabanters retired to their own homes. While on the march, 
and immediately on the king's return to France, it was determined, 
by great deliberation of the council, that the king, who had since the 
death of his father been under the management of his uncles, sliould 
now take on himself the government of the kingdom, which his 
uncles must resign into his hands, as they had enough to do else- 
where, and the king had now entered his twenty-first year. When 
this was made public, it gave universal satisfaction, 

I believe the king-, with his uncles and brother, kept the feast of 
All-saints at Rhcims ; and that there they first heard of peace being 
made between the king of Castille and duke of Lancaster, and of the 
marriage of the lady Catherine with the infant. The king of France 
laughed and joked much with his uncle, tlie duke of Berry, saying ; 
" Fair uncle, you have failed in your intended marriage, for another 
has seized the lady you meant f»r your bride. What do you say to 
this ? How does your courage stand ■ " The duke good-humoredly 
replied ; " My lord, if I have been disappointed in this, X will address 
myself elsewhere." 

Those present began to murmur about this marriage, and to say, it 
had not been concluded without some treaties of alliance having been 
fonned which might be very prejudicial hereafter to France ; " for," 
added some, who seemed to be fully aware of the consequences, 
" should England, Castille, and Portugal unite, and make war upon 
ns, they would be enabled to do us very serious mischief by sea and 
land. It will bo right for the king of France to send some discreet 
person to prevent this wicked king, who has thus connected himself 
with a dead man, (for the duke of Lancaster has neither money nor 
men,) from entering into any treaties without the consent of the coun- 
cil of France ; otherwise to say, the king would reduce him to the 
state of the lowest varlct, with the same ease with which he had 
raised him to his present state ; f^r at this moment he has no ally 
strong enough to support him. A war with Castille would now come 
very opportunely ; and, after dethroning this wicked king, the son of 
41 bastard, the king might bestow the crown on his brother, the duke 
of Touraine, who is not over rich : he would govern it wisely, and 
defend it valiantly. How could this king of Castille think of enter- 
ing into any treaty whatever with the duke of Lancaster, unknown 
to our king, wlio has so generously assisted him in his distress ; and 
had it not been for the blood of France, he must have lost his realm. 
He bargains well, and has now done so ; but let it be as we say, and 
he will be deserted and disgraced ; and, in God's name, let such an 
envoy be sent thither as will be attended to, and make him feel how 
very ill he has behaved." 

These murmurings increased so much that the king, his uncles, 
and council, deliberated whom the}' should send to remonstrate with 
the king of Castille, that he enter not, at his peril, into treaties with 
the dukr of Lancaster and the English any way detrimental to the 
crown of France. If he had done so, or intended it, he was to be 
told, that the power of France would debase him as much, if not 
more, than it had exalted him; and that the king and his country 
would not attend to any other thing before they had completed his 
destruction. It was long debated wlio would be the properest per- 
son to send thither ; for it was agreed it should be some one of courage 
and well spoken, as it would be fruitless sending simple persons on 
such a message. There were named : the lord de Coucy, sir John 
de Vienne, admiral of France, and sir Guy de la Tremouille, and 
either of these three would be fully qualified to go to Castille. Hav- • 
ing considered all things, they chose sir John de Vienne ;* and it was 
told him, on the part of the king and his council : " Admiral, make 
yoiu- preparations for a jom-ney to Castille ; you will have no other 
than credential letters, for it is enough that you are master of the sub- 
ject on which you are sent. Tell the king of Castille to read or 
have read to him all the treaties of alliance, and promises of friend- 
ship, which have been formed and sworn to between the two crowns ; 
and remember %vell all the answers you may receive from him or his 
ministers on this subject, that we may regulate our conduct accord- 
ingly." All this, the admiral said, he would studiously attend to. 
The admiral was not long in making prtjjjralions for his journey, 
and, having taken leave of the king and his uncles, left Paris, taking 
the road toward Burgundy ; for he was desirous of visiting the pope 
and his brother at Avignon, which he did. 



Wc will now for a while leave him, and say something of Geoffry 
Tfite-noire and the siege of Ventadour, in which he was inclosed ; 
but we must first speak of tho duke of Berry, whose impatience t» 
marry again was shown within the year, when he look to himself a 
wife of whom I shall speak, and say who she was, and where he 
was married. 



CHAPTER CXXXVI. 

THE DUKE OF BEREV, BEINS DISAPPOINTED IN mS MARRIAGE WITH THE 
DAUGHTER OF THE DUKE OF LANCASTER, SENDS TO THE COUNT DE FOIX 
TO DEMAND THE DAUGHTER OF THE COtTNT DE BOULOGNE, WHOM HE HAJ) 
IN WARDSHIP. 



* Accordinc to liopez d' Ayala, Moler de Mauny. the king's chamberlain, was joined 
is comnii5--ion willi sir John de Vieune.— Ed. 



The duke of Berry, having been disappointed in marrying the daugh- 
ter of the duke of Lancaster, was told that the count de Boulogne 
had a beautiful daughter called Jane, by the lady Eleanor de Com- 
minges ; that she was not with her father nor mother, but in the 
country of B^arn with his good friend and cousin the count de Foix ; 
that she had been educated by the count, in hie castle of Orthfes, for 
the space of nine years, and he had the wardship of all her property; 
and that her father and mother had not anyway interfered since she 
had been under the care of the count, nor had the young lady cost 
them anything ; that she had been often demanded in marriage, but 
the count de Foix had turned a deaf car, saying, she was yet too 
young ; and in particular by sir Bernard, brother to the count d'Arm- 
agnac, who had repeatedly pressed the matter, promising, on the 
accomplishment of this marriage, to put an end to his war on B^ara 
and his claims on that country. Notwithstanding these fair promises, 
the count would not listen to him, but said that his cousin was too 
young. He gave, however, other reasons to his confidential friends, 
and said to sir Espaign du Lyon, " These Annagnacs must think me 
a great fool, when they ask me to consent to my destruction. If I 
give them my cousin, I shall add to their strength and weaken my- 
self. They already withhold from her by force her inheritance, in 
right of her mother, of Comminges ; for the count de Boulogne ia as 
nobody to oppose them." 

When the count d'Armagnac and his brother, sir Bernard, found 
they could not succeed, they spoke to the duke of Berrj', during the 
life of their aunt, his first duchess, that it would be a good match for 
his son John of Berry. The duke, in consequence, had sent properly 
qualified persons to the count de Foix in B^arn, to entreat that all 
former animosities might be forgiven and forgotten, and that he 
would consent to the marriage of his cousin and ward with his soa 
John : for that the count de Boulogne, her father, was very well 
satisfied that it should take place. ; 

The count entertained the envoys handsomely, but excused him. 
self for not complying with their demand, as the lady was too young; 
and because he had most solemnly promised and sworn to the coun- 
tess her mother, when she delivered her into his hands, that he would 
never betroth her to any person whatever without her knowledge. 
He would therefore keep his oath, and no one ought to attempt to 
make him break it. These were the excuses the count made ; for 
lie knew well that his cousin, the countess of Comminges, who re- 
sided with her brother the count d'Urguel, in Arragon, would never 
consent to her daughter's marriage with any one connected with the 
Armagnacs. 

The embassadors from the duke of Berry returned, therefore, im- 
successfully ; and in their absence the count de Foi.\ said, (as I learnt 
from sir Espaign du Lyon) — " The duke of Berry and his advisers 
must think me very weak and ignorant, when they propose that I 
should reinforce my enemies. John of Berry is cousin to my adver- 
saries, the Armagnacs : this match I will never consent to, and had 
much ratiier marry her in England ; and I have already had proposals 
from Henry of Lancaster, son to the duke of Lancaster. If I were 
not afraid of too much angering the king of France, no one else 
should have my cousin. At this moment I know not how to act ; but 
I will marry her to my own satisfaction, to prevent any of the Armag- 
nacs having her against my will : for, as the whole depends on my 
determination, I have no occasion to he melancholy, or to be very 
anxious on this subject." 

When the duke of Berry knew for certain that the duke of Lan- 
caster intended marrying his daughter with the infant of Castille, and 
that there were no hopes of breaking it off, he was so pensive and 
melancholy for five or six days, that those of his nearest relations ia- 
quircd the cause of it. Having opened his mind to them, and com- 
plained of his disappointment, his council replied : " Sir, if you have 
failed with the lady Catherine of Lancaster, you may be more suc- 
cessful in another quarter, with the daughter of a great lord, and who, 
in due time, will be a considerable heiress, though at this moment 
she is a litde too young for your time of life ; and I know not if the 
count de Foix will not on this account refuse his consent." " Is she 
the daughter of the count de Boulogne ?" asked the diike. " Yes, my 
lord." " In God's name," replied the duke, "let us make the trial." 
It was not long after this before he wrote to the count de Foix, to 
signify to him, in the most friendly manner, that he would send to 
him four knights of high quality, such as the count de Sanccrre, the 
lord de la Riviere, sir Guy de la Tremouille, and the viscount 
d'Assy, to treat with him for his ward, the daughter of the count de 



490 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



Boulogne, ia marriage; and these lords were of such importance, as 
to justify him in putting implicit faith in them ; but he begged of 
him to send him a speedy answer to his letter, that these knights 
might not undertake a commission that would be unsuccessful. The 
count de Foix received handsomely the messengers who brought this 
letter, and wrote back by them to the duke of Berry, that he was 
very happy in the proposals he had made, and was ready to receive 
the four knights either in Foix or in B^arn ; but that the consent of 
the count and countess de Boulogne must first be had. 

The duke of Berry was well pleased on receiving such an answer, 
and negotiated with ^one and another, during the winter, that his 
marriage might take place in the course of the summer. The busi- 
ness, however, was not so soon accomplished ; for the duke of Berry 
knew well that the count de Foi.v was not a person to act hastily, 
and that there would be many questions and replies before the matter 
could be expected to be brought to a conclusion. He therefore pru- 
dently carried on the treaty, by sending special messengers to pope 
Clement, who was nearly related to the young lady. The pope was 
rejoiced at hearing his cousin would be so highly connected as with 
the duke of Berry, uncle to the king of France; and he wrote, in 
consequence, to the count de Foi.\, to notify him in an honorable 
manner, that he would not on any account this proposal should be 
rejected, for their families would be made by it. The count de Foix 
received letters from all quarters ; for he could, on such occasions, 
well dissemble his real sentiments, and yet retain the affections of 
all, the pope as well as the duke of Berry ; but there were none so 
wise among them, that knew what were the count's real thoughts. 

We will now leave this matter, and return to the siege of Venta. 
dour. 

CHAPTER CXXXVII. 

CEOFFKY TETE-NOIKE IS WOUNDED IN THE HEAD, AT A SKIK^IISH, AND 
COMMITS EXCESSES WHICH CAUSE HIS DEATH. HE MAKES A WILL, AND 
SUBSTITUTES TWO GOVEKNOKS OF VENTADOUR IN HIS KOOM. 

You have before heard how sir William de Lignac and sir John 
Bonne-lance, with many knights and squires from Auvergne and 
Limousin, had besieged the castle of Ventadour, and Geoffry Tete- 
noir within it. It was so strong, that it could not be taken by storm ; 
and he had laid in such stores of all things, as to secure a sufficiency 
for seven or eight years, without anything new being added. The 
besiegers, who had surrounded it with blockhouses, came at times 
to skirmish at the barriers ; and it happened that, at one of these, 
Geoffry Tete-noire advanced so far that he was struck on the head 
by a bolt from a cross-bow, which passed through the helmet and 
cap underneath, and wounded him so severely as to occasion Mm to 
be carried to his bed. His companions were much vexed at this, 
and, during the time he was in this state, all skirmishing ceased. 
Had he taken proper care of himselt', he would have soon been cured 
of this wound ; but he indtdged himself in many excesses, particularly 
in fornication, for which he paid dearly enough by his death. He 
was warned of the consequences of this conduct, and told that he 
was in so dangerous a condition, (the wound having become an im- 
posthume,) that it was necessary he should settle liis affairs. He 
did, and made his will in the way I shall relate. 

He ordered the principal persons in his garrison, and those who 
had been the most used to arms, into his presence ; and when they 
were come, he said to them, sitting up in his bed, " My fair sirs, and 
companions in arms, I know I am in great danger of death: we have 
been a long time together, and I have been a loyal captain to you all, 
to the utmost of my power ; I should wish, therefore, to see, before 
I quit this world, my successor appointed, who would gallantly be- 
have himself toward you and defend this castle, which I shall leave 
plentifully stocked with all necessary things, such as wines, provis. 
ions, ami artillery. I therefore beg you will tell me if you have 
taken any steps, or have thought of electing any one able to govern 
and lead you as men-at-arms ought to be governed and led, for such 
has been my manner of carrying on the war ; and in truth I cared 
not against whom. I did indeed make it under shadow of the king 
of England's name, in preference to any other ; but I have always 
looked for gain and conquest, wherever they may be had ; and such 
should be the conduct of adventurous companions, who are for deeds 
of arms and to advance themselves. This country is very fertile : 
many good compositions have been made with it, though the French 
now check them by their war ; but this cannot always last, for their 
blockhouses and siege must have an end. Now, tell me truly, have 
any of you thought of the person who is to succeed me ?" 

The companions remaining silent, he again addressed them with 
the utmost good-humor, saying, " I can easily believe you have had 
some conversations together on what I have mentioned ; and I also, 
during the time I have been forced to keep my bed, have thought 
on this matter for you." " Sir," replied they, " we refer the matter 
to you J and it will be more agreeable if it came from you than from 
us : you will therefore be pleased to inform us of your will." " Yes," 
Baid Geoffry, " I will tell you, and name those I wish to succeed me. 
Here is AUeyn Roux and his brother Peter, my cousins, who are 
good men-at-arms and of my blood : I entreat you, therefore, to ac- 
cept of Alleyn as your governor, and that you will swear to him, in 
my presence, loyalty and obedience, as well as to his brother ; but I 



mean that AUeyn should have the sovereign command." " Sir '*" 
answered they, " we wiH cheerfully do so, for you have well chosen." ' 
All the companions then took oaths of obedience to Alleyn Roux, 
and to his brother Peter. When this was done, Geoffry T^te-noire 
again addressed them : " Well, my friends, you have complied with 
my request, and I thank you for it. Because I wish you should par. ' 
lake of what you have helped me to conquer, I must inform you, 
that in that chest which you see yonder, (pointing to it with his 
finger,) there is a sum of thirty thousand francs. I would acquit my 
conscience and myself toward those who have faithfully served me : ■' 
say, therefore, if you will truly fulfil the articles of my will." Having 
said they would, he continued : " In the first place, I leave the chapel 
of St. George, within our walls, the sum of fifteen hundred francs for 
repairs and additional buildings. I give to my mistress, who has 
been faithfully attached to me, two thousand five hundred francs — 
To Alleyn Roux, your governor, two thousand francs — To my valets, 
de-chambre, five hundred francs — To my officers, fifteen hundred 
francs. The surplus I thus dispose of: you are about thirty com. 
panions, all engaged in the same enterprise, and you should behave 
like brothers to each other, without envy, riot, or strife. The sum 
I have mentioned you will find in the chest : divide it, therefore, 
among you fairly and honorably ; but should the devil get among' 
you, and you cannot agree, here is a well.tempered sharp axe, cut 
open the chest, and let those who can seize the contents." To this 
speech, they unanimously replied, " Lord and master, we will not 
disagree. We have so much loved and feared you, we will never 
break the chest, nor disobey any of the orders you have given us." 

Such as I have related was the will of Geoffry Tete-noire, who 
only lived two days more, and was buried in the chapel of Saint 
George in Ventadour. All his legacies were paid, and the overplus 
divided among them according to his orders, and Alleyn Roux with 
his brother Peter were obeyed as governors of the castle. The 
blockade, however, was not for this raised, nor were the skirmishes 
less frequent. The French knights and squires of .'Auvergne and 
Limousin were rejoiced at the death of Geoffry- Tete-noire, and were 
not so much afraid of those he had left behind, for he had been a 
most active and successful captain in war and in forming garrisons. 

We will. now return to the duke of Gueldres for a short time, and 
say what befel him at this season ; having already mentioned the 
trouble he had given to the king of France and his uncles, by forcing 
them to march to the borders of his country, and then to return 
without doing him any considerable damage. 



CHAPTER CXXXVIII. 

THE DtnCE OF GUELDRES IS MADE PRISONER IN PRUSSIA ; AND, THOUCB 
DELIVERED BY THE KNIGHTS OF THE TEUTONIC ORDER, HE RETURNS TO 
KEEP HIS FAITH TO THE PERSON WHO HAD TAKEN HIM. 

When the duke of Gueldres perceived that the whole army of 
France had retreated, and that peace was established with the 
duchess of Brabant and his other enemies by means of the treaties, 
the particulars of which you have heard related — one of the articles 
being understood to have been the surrender of the town of Grave 
within the year, on such conditions as had been agreed on between 
him, the duke of Burgundy and the duchess of Brabant — and when 
he found he had now nothing to do at home, under these circum- 
stances, I say, he resolved to make an excursion into Prussia. He 
made preparations accordingly, and, accompanied by many knights 
and squires of his own and other countries, began his journey thither 
about the octave of Saint Martin, taking his road through Germany. 
Wherever he passed, he was handsomely received, and arrived on 
the territory of Prussia. I know not how it happened, but he and 
his company were waylaid in the plains, and attacked by a body of 
men-at-arniB, of whom they had no suspicion, and for that reason 
they were overpowered. They lost their arms, horses, gold and 
silver plate, and were carried prisoners to a town hard by, where all 
who could ransom themselves did so : particularly the duke of Guel. 
dres pledged himself to a squire called Arurant ; his surname I am 
ignorant of; and then the duke of Gueldres and his company were 
led to a strong town of the duke de Stolpen, not that the duke was 
there in person. 

When the grand-master and knights of the Teutonic order heard 
that the duke of Gueldres had been attacked and made prisoner on 
his road to Prussia, they were exceedingly enraged, and said it should 
not remain unpunished, otherwise they would be greatly blamed. 
They instantly issued their summons for the attendance of their vas. 
sals, and marched with a large force of men-at-arms from Commis. 
berg* to the town wherein the duke of Gueldres was detained 
prisoner. The squire who had made the duke prisoner, having 
heard of this expedition, was alarmed for the consequences, and do- 
ttrmined to leave the castle, as ill might befal him should he be 
taken ; but before he departed he waited on the duke of Gueldres, 
and thus spoke : " Duke of Gueldres, you are my prisoner, and I am 
your master. You, as a gendeman, have pledged your faith and 
oath, that wherever I should please to go, thither you would follow 
me. I know not if you have sent for the grand-master of the Teutonic 



'Commiibcrg." Q. RoningsberK- 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



491 



order, but he is marching hither in such force that I do not think it 
prudent to wait for him. Do you remain, if you please, but I shall 
carry away your faith with me." To this the duke of Gueldres 
making no reply, the squire departed, and, ha\ing mounted his 
horse, rode off to a castle of greater strength ; but, on his going 
away, he added, " You will find me at such a place," and named 
to him the castle, which was very strong, and far from all roads. 
He was no sooner gone than the grand. master arrived, with a con. 
siderable force ; no one issued forth to oppose him ; and, had he 
found the squire within, he would infallibly have put him to death. 
He therefore returned to Koningsberg, carrying the duke of Guel- 
dres with him. 

I will relate what was the end of this event ; for in whatever 
country it was told, and especially in Germany, it was variously 
spoken of, to the great astonishment of all lords who heard it. 
When the duke of Gueldres arrived at Koningsberg, having obtained 
his liberty in the manner I have said, he considered that he had 
pledged his faith to return to the squire who had made him prisoner : 
likewise remembering what the squire had said on his departure, he 
was much east down, and thought himself bounden in honor to ac- 
quit himself loyally toward him. He therefore told the grand-master 
he could not longer remain with him, nor for any dispensation or 
absolution w'ould give up his intention of surrendering himself to his 
master, in the castle where he had been appointed to do so ; which 
every one considered as an act of great honor. When this came to 
the ears of his relations and subjects in Gueldres, they treated for 
his liberty, which they obtained through the means of the duke of 
Stolpen, who took much pains in the business ; but, before the duke 
would consent to his enlargement, he made the duke of Gueldres 
swear, that neither himself, his heirs, nor any person attached to 
him, would ever seek open or private revenge for the insult he had 
received. Thus was the duke of Gueldres set at liberty ; but in the 
year 1388 did this misfortune befal him. Let us return to sir John 
de Vienne, admiral of France, and relate what he said from the king 
of France to the king of Castille. 



CHAPTER CXXXIX. 

SIR JOHN DE VIEN^'E, HAVING KECEIVED HIS ANSWER FKOM THE KING 
OF CASTILLE, RETtmNS TO FRANCE. THE DCKE OF LANCASTER PRO- 
CEEDS IN THE MARKL4GE OF HIS DAUGHTER TO THE INFANT OF CAS- 
TILLE. THE EARL OF ARUNDEL, HAVING MADE SOME CRUISES ON 
THE COASTS OF NORJtANDT, RETURNS WITH HIS FLEET TO ENGLAND. 

TuE admiral of France continued his journey until he arrived in 
Castille, when he inquired where the king resided. He was an- 
swered, " Most commonly at Burgos," whither he then rode. Hav. 
ing dismounted at his inn, he made himself ready to go to the palace ; 
but as soon as the king's household heard of his arrival, he was vis- 
ited by them, most honorably, according to the custom of the coun- 
try, from their attachment to the king of France, to whom they held 
themselves much indebted, and he was conducted to the king's 
apartment. Sir John was kindly greeted by the king, to whom he 
gave his letters. The king took them, and called his council aside, 
when, having read and considered them, they found he had full 
powers given him, and sir John was called and bade to explain the 
cause of his coming. He, who was ready prepared, thus spoke, in 
handsome language : " Sir king, and you gentlemen of his council, 
the king of France sends me hither, on account of the marriage 
which he has heard is about to take place between your son and the 
daughter of the duke of Lancaster, who is, as you know, his enemy. 
The king of France and his ministers are greatly at a loss to conceive 
how you could think of entering into any treaty of marriage or other 
engagement, without their being made acquainted with it ; for they 
say truly, that no union can be formed between children without 
great intimacy and affection of the parents being the conseque-nces. 
They therefore tell you by my mouth, to be careful not to enter into 
any treaties that may be prejudicial to the king of France ; and that 
those, so solemnly sworn to be obser^■ed by the late king Henry, your 
father, the prelates, nobles and cities of the realm, be no way in- 
fringed, otherwise you will incur the pain of excommunication from 
the pope, and the indignation of the king and barons of France, 
whom you will find, to your disgrace, your most bitter enemies. 
This is what I am ordered to say to you from the king of France 
^nd his council." 

When the king of Castille, and those present, heard such a re- 
proachful message from the king of France, they were so much 
astonished, that they looked at each other, but not one attempted to 
make any reply. A bishop, however, who happened to be there, 
made the following answer : " Sir John, you are newly arrived in 
this country, and the king and ourselves are glad to see you, and bid 
you welcome. Fair sir, the king has perfectly heard and understood 
your message, and you shall shortly, within a day or two, have such 
an answer as will give you satisfaction." "It is enough," replied 
sir John de Vienne, who then took leave of the king and council 
and returned to his lodgings. It was reported to me, that he re- 
mained seven days without having any answer ; that there was very 
great dissembling on this occasion, and he became quite melancholy, 
for he never saw the king, but remained in his apartment, scarcely 



visited by any one. Sir John de Vienne, noticing this delay, spoke 
of it to some of the council, whom he sometimes saw, declaring he 
would return without the answer. They suspected he would keep 
his word and do as he said, for in truth such was his intention. 

He was therefore invited to the palace, and such answers made 
him, that, on his return, he told the king of France, and those who 
had sent him, not to be under any uneasiness respecting the king of 
Castille or his council, for they would never enter into any treaties 
with England that should, in the smallest degree, be detrimental to 
those which had been formed between France and Castille. If the 
king of Castille married liis son to the daughter of the duke of Lan. 
caster, according to the unanimous wish of his country, as the means 
of obtaining peace, and extinguishing all claims on his crown, it 
ought not to have given umbrage to the king of France nor to that 
nation ; for the king of Castille and his subjects were firmly resolved 
to adhere to every point of the treaties e.\isting between them and 
France. 

Such was the purport of the answer sir John de Vienne had 
brought from Castille. The king of Castille and the duke of Lan. 
caster proceeded in the marriage, and a treaty of peace was amicably 
agreed on between them, by the before-mentioned commissioners, 
for the duke still resided in the Bordelois. He had come with his 
duchess and daughter from Bayonne to Bordeaux, where he was 
joyfully received, as they were desirous of his living among them, 
and thence had gone to Libourne.* 

When it was known for certain, in the castle of the count de Foix, 
that the king of Castille had made peace with the duke of Lancas- 
ter, and had put an end to all his claims, by the marriage of his son 
with the lady Catherine of Lancaster, to whom he had given exten- 
sive territories in Castille, besides a large sum to the duke, amount, 
ing to two hundred thousand nobles, the count was greatly aston- 
ished, (for I was then present,) and said : " This king of Castille is a 
poor creature, to make peace with a dead man ; for I am sure the 
duke of Lancaster was in so bad a way he knew not where to turn 
himself. On my faith," continued the count, " the duke is a man 
of ability, and has prudently managed this matter." 

It was about Christmas that the fleet of the earl of Arundel, which 
had been hovering the whole year along the coasts of Brittany, la 
Rochelle, Saintonge, and the Bordelois, came to the shores of Nor- 
mandy, and sailed by Carentan. It had indeed before landed at 
Cherbourg, and the earl seemed inclined to make war on that part 
of the country. The town of Carentan and its dependencies were 
under the command of the lord de Hambre and the lord de Torci, 
who had with them a considerable number of knights and squires of 
Normandy. The earl of Arundel learning how strongly it was gar. 
risoned, passed by, thinking he might lose more than he could gain 
were he to attack it, and fell on another town, called Torigny.t 
which he took by storm, and gained great wealth by plundering it. 
They carried away many prisoners, and marched to the barriers of 
Bayeux, but only made a slight skirmish. The English passed the 
fords of St. Clement, and did great damage to those parts ; for they 
stayed there fifteen days without any one coming to oppose them. 

The marshal de Blainville was indeed in Normandy ; but he had 
no information of what was passing, or he would have provided a 
remedy. The English having finished their expedition, and done 
one hundred thousand francs of mischief to Normandy, made a pru- 
dent retreat, and recrossing the fords, returned to Cherbourg, where 
they embarked their pillage safely on board the fleet ; having weighed 
anchor, they took to the deep, and landed at Southampton. Such 
were the deeds done by this fleet, under the command of the earl 
of Arundel. 

CHAPTER CXL. 

THE LORD LEWIS DE SANCERRE VISITS THE COUNT DE FOIX AT ORTHES. 
A DEED OF ARMS IS PERFORMED, BEFORE THE DUKE OF LANCASTER AT 
BORDEAUX, BETWEEN FIVE FRENCH AND FIVE ENGLISH MEN. 

The lord Lewis de Sancerre, marshal of France, at this time resided 
at Toulouse or Carcassonne in Languedoc, and was well informed 
of the treaties that were in agitation between the duke of Berry and 
the count de Foix, for the marriage of the daughter of the count de 
Boulogne, whom the duke wished to have, although the lady was 
very young. The marshal had a desire to visit the count de Foix at 
Orthes, and I believe (from the information I had from his people 
who found me there at Christmas,) the king of France had ordered 
him thither, and I will relate on what errand. 

The king of France was at this period very young, though anxious 
to manage his government well. He had never visited Languedoc, 
which is an extensive province filled with towns and castles, that had 
been almost ruined by the oppressions of the duke of Berry. Heavy 
complaints of this had been made to the king when he took the 
government into his own hands ; and he said he would travel into 
Languedoc, and visit the pope, whom he had never yet seen ; and 
he was likewise desirous of seeing the count de Foix, of whose 
largesses and valor he had heard so much. 



* " Libourne," a town on the confluence of the Dordogne and Garonne, five leagues 
northeast from Bordeaux. 
t " Torigny," a town ia Normandy, three leagues from St. L6, eight from Coutances. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



492 _^ 

The marshal de Sancerre left Toulouse with full five hundred 
horse rode to Tarbes in Bigorre, and thence to Orthfes in B^arn. 
The coun' de Foix, liaving had intimation of his coming, ordered 
the stewards of his household to have the toNvn of Orthf;s properly 
prepared for Iiis reception, as his visit gave him great pleasure. 
These orders were punctually obeyed, and lodgings were marked out 
in the town for the marshal's attendants, but he himself dismounted 
at the castle. The count de Foix went out of the town to meet him, 
attended by more than three hundred horse, and received him most 
kindly. The lord Lewis de Sancerre remained at Orthfcs about si.x 
days ; and he then acquainted the count of the king's intended jour- 
ney into Languedoc, and his desire to see him. " In good faith," 
replied the count do Foix, " he will be welcome there, and I will 
•with pleasure wait on him." " Indeed, my lord," answered tlie 
marshal, " but it is the king's wish to know on his arrival in Lan- 
guedoc, plainly and openly, whether you mean to attach yourself to 
the French or to the English ; for in these wars you have dissembled 
your real sentiments, and have never borne ar.ms either from sum. 
mons or entreaties." 

" Ah, lord Lewis," said the count de Foix, " I give you many 
thanks for having spoken to me on this subject. If I have excused 
myself from bearing arms for either side, I have, as I think, good 
reasons for it : the wars between England and France no way con- 
cern me, for I hold my country of B^arn from God, my sword, and 
by inheritance. I have not, tlierefore, any cause to enter into the 
service, or incur the hatred of either of these kings. I know well, 
that my enemies, the Armagnacs, have done all in their power to put 
me in the ill graces of both monarchs ; for before the prince of Wales 
marched into Spain, at the instigation of the count d'Armagnac, he 
would have made war on me, having a strong inclination for it, if sir 
John Chandos had not prevented him. Thanks, however, to God, I 
have always kept myself on my guard in as courteous a manner a.s 
possible, and shall continue to do so as long as I live : after my 
death, matters must take the turn that is natural for them." Thus 
did the count de Foix and the marshal de Sancerre converse as long 
as he stayed. On his departure, the count presented him with a 
handsome courser, a fine mule and good hackney, all of them richly 
caparisoned. He gave also to sir Robert Challies, to sir Richard 
Dauphin, and to the knights of the marshal, two hundred francs 
each, and to five of his squires fifty francs. 

When the marshal took his leave, to return to Toulouse, I wanted 
to accompany him ; but the count de Foix would not allow me, and 
bade me stay longer with him. This I was forced to comply with, 
and wait his will. The lord Lewis on leaving Orth^s, took the road 
to Tarbes, whither he was escorted by the lord dauphin of Bigorre, 
and sir Peter Cabestan, one of the count de Foix's household. 

About tills time, of the year 1389, there was a deed of arms per- 
formed at' Bordeaux, before the duke of Lancaster, between five 
Englishmen and the same number of French, of whom some were 
of the household of the marshal of France. The combatants were 
Bir Petiton de Pellagie, a Gascon Englishman ; against sir Morice 
Mauvinet, a Frenchman ; sir Raymond of Arragon, English, against 
the bastard de Chauvigny, French ; sir Lewis Malapers, governor 
of Aigues-Mortcs, English, against .Tanncquin Corne de Cerf, French ; 
Archibald dc Villiers, French, against the son of the lord de Chau- 
mont, Gascon-English. Many knights and squires from B^arn, and 
of the household of the count de Foix, being desirous of seeing these 
combats, went thither : I accompanied them ; for it is but twenty, 
four leagues from Orthis to Bordeaux, and we were spectators of 
these duels, which were fought in the square before St. Andrew's, in 
the presence of the duke and duchess of Lancaster, their daughter, 
and the ladies and damsels of the country. They did not combat 
all together, but each party separately ; and were to perform three 
courses with spears, three with swords, the same number with battle, 
axes, and three with daggers, all on horseback. The tiltings occu- 
pied three days, and were gallantly performed without any of the 
ten being wounded. Sir Raymond killed the horse of the bastard 
de Chauvigny, which greatly angered the duke of Lancaster ; he 
blamed the knight much for having pointed his spear too low, and 
presented the bastard with one of his own horses. 

Such was the end of this deed of arms, which being finished, 
every one returned to his own home. 



CHAPTER CXLI. 

THE DUCHESS OF LANCASTER CARRIES HER DAUGHTER TO CASTILLE, TO 
MARRY HER TO THE INFANT. HAVING FOUND THE BONES OF HEK 
FATHER, SHE HAS THEM CONVEYED TO SEVILLE, AND BURIED WITH 
REGAL OBSEQUIES. 

Shortly after these deeds of arms, the duchess of Lancaster made 
preparations for her journey into Castille, whither she was to carry 
her daughter, to solemnize her marriage with the son of the king of 
Castille. It was her intention, when in Castille, to visit the field of 
battle of Monteil, where her father, don Pedro, had lost his life, and 
make strict inquiries where his body had at that time been buried, 
which, when found, was to be taken up, and conveyed to the city of 
Seville, and magnificently interred there, in a manner becoming a 
king. When, in the month of March 1389, the sun began to have 



some force, and the days to lengthen, the duchess, having her array 
ready, set out from Bordeaux, and went to Bayonne, where she parted 
from the duke, who returned to Bordeaux. She and her ladies con- 
tinued their journey to the city of Dax, where they were joyfully 
received, as that town belonged to England. They there reposed 
themselves for two days, ansl then pursued their road through the 
country of the Basques, the passof Roncesvalles, and entered Navarre. 
At Pampeluna, they found the king and queen of Navarre, who re. 
ceived them kindly : for the queen was sister to the king of Castille.* 

The duchess of Lancaster and her daughter were upward of a 
month traversing Navarre, for they resided at different parts with the 
king and queen ; and wherever they went all their expenses were 
defrayed. On their entrance into Castille, they were most respect, 
fully treated by those of the king's household who had been sent to 
meet them : there wei-e also deputies from different parts of the 
realm. All the kingdoms of Spain, Castille and Galicia, Seville and 
Toledo, and Cordova, were rejoiced at the arrival of these ladies, 
since the younger was about t:> marry the son of king John their 
lord. And it seemed to thenr all that profound peace would ensue, 
for they should be freed from all fear of the English ; and as to the 
Portuguese, they should, as they said, make head against them very 
easily. Thus the ladies proceeded to meet king John of Castille at 
Burgos, who gave them a splendid and affectionate reception ; the 
prelates and barons of the country were there also, who received 
them in a similar manner. So they were entertained in such a man- 
ner as was due to them ; and the agreements before entered into, 
written and sealed, between John king of Castille and John duke of 
Lancaster, were then confirmed. The duke of Lancaster, and his 
wife, were to receive a yearly revenue of fifty thousand francs, for 
which four cities and the whole country of Medina del Campo were 
pledged ; and further, the duchess of Lancaster was to receive for 
the support of her household sixteen thousand francs ; and her daugh. 
ter and the son of the king were, during the lifetime of the king, to 
be put in possession of the whole country of Galicia, and the young 
prince was to have the title of prince of Galicia. t 

The marriage having been solemnized, and all contracts signed, 
the duchess left her daughter with the king and her young husband, 
who was then but eight years old. She took leave of the king to go 
to Monteil, as she had proposed, who had her attended by the great- 
est personages of his court. On her arrival at Monteil, such re. 
searches were made, that she discovered where her father was baried, 
and had his bones taken up, washed and embalmed, and carried in 
a cofiin to Seville, where the cavalcade was met by large processions 
from that town. The bones were conveyed to the cathedral, and 
there most reverently buried, with very solemn obsequies, which 
were attended by king John of Castille, his son, the young prince of 
Galicia, and the greater part of the prelates and barons of the realm. 
After the obsequies, each person returned home : the king of Cas- 
tille, accompanied by his son and daughter-in-law, went to Val di 
Soria ; but the duchess of Lancaster went to Medina del Campo, a 
handsome and large town, which now belonged to her by the late 
treaties of peace, and remained there some time. 

We will leave speaking of her and Castille, and relate the mar- 
riage of the duke of Berry, and other events which ensued. 



CHAPTER CXLII. 

THE DUKE OF BERRY NEGOTIATES SO SUCCESSFULLY WITH THE COUNT DK 
FOIX, THAT HE SENDS TO HIM HIS COUSIN OF BOULOGNE, \VHOM VOL 
INSTANTLY MARRIES. 

The duke of Berry, whose first duchess, the lady Joan of Armag. 
nac, had departed this life, was very impatient to marry again ; for 
no sooner was he assured of having failed in his proposals to the 
duke of Lancaster, than he set clerks to work, and, with proper mes. 
sengers, sent to negotiate with the count de Foix for the daughter 
of the count de Boulogne, whom he had had in wardship for nine 
years. Because the duke of Berry had no prospect of success but 
through the count de Foix, (who was of such a character that he 
would do notluHg that was disagreeable to himself for either father, 
mother, pope, or any friend tlie young lady had,) he opened himself 
to his nephew the king of France, and to his brother of Burgundy, 
entreating them earnestly to interfere in the business. The king 
laughed most heartily at his uncle of Berry, who was now of a cer- 
tain age, and said : " My good uncle, what will you do with a young 
girl of only twelve years old, and you arc .sixty ? On my faith, it ja 
great folly in you to think of such things. Propose my fair cousin 
John, vour son, to her, who is of a proper age, and a more suitable 
match!" " My lord," replied the duke, " this has been proposed, 
but the count de Foix would not listen to it, because my son descends 
by the mother from the Armagnacs, and they are now and have been 
some time at war. If the girl is too young, I will spare her awhile, 
until .she be a perfect woman." " Indeed !" said the king, " but, 
my bonny uncle, she will not spare you." He then laughingly added: 
" However, since we see your love for her is so strong, we will cheel. 
fully assist you in tlie matter." i 

* Chnries II. king of Navarre married, in 1361, Leonora, daughter of Henry U. fta4 
sister of John, king of Castille.— Ed. 
1 Hi> title was Prince of tlie Asturiaa.— Ed. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



493 



Not long after this, the king ordered the lord de la Riviere, his 
first knight, steward of his household and chamberlain, to undertake 
a journey to B^arn, and with him the viscount d'Assy. The duke 
of Burgundy named, as envoys on his part, the bishop of Autun, and 
sir William de la Tremouille. The duke of Berry entreated a pru- 
dent arid valiant knight, called John de Sancerre, to go thither on 
his part These five knights, who were appointed to demand this 
young lady in marriage, for the duke of Berry from the count de 
Foix, left their homes, and were all to meet at Avignon. They staid 
■with pope Clement, who was cousin-gennan to the father of the lady, 
full fifteen days, and about Candlemas departed, taking the road 
through Nismes and Montpellier to Toulouse. 

They travelled, with gr?..; : tc and ehort journeys, unto Beziers 
and Carcassonne, where they found the marshal de Sancerre, who 
received thera very magnificently, as was right. He conversed witli 
them concerning the count de Foix, of his affairs and establishments, 
for it was not more than two months since he had returned from 
thence. From Carcassonne they went to Toulouse, and there re- 
mained while they sent messengers to the count de Foix, at Orthbs. 
They opened their proposals of marriage, but distantly, for at the 
beginning the count was very cold, on account of the duke of Lan. 
caster, who at the time resided at Bordeaux or Libourne, having 
made offers ot his son, the earl of Derby, for the young lady of Bou. 
logne ; and it was thought, from the long lime these lords remained 
at Toulouse, the marriage would not take effect. They regularly 
sent daily and weekly accounts of their progress, and what answers 
they received from the count de Foix, to the duke of Berry, who re. 
sided at La Nonnette* in Auvergne, and the duke, whose only an.x 
iety was to bring the matter to a conclusion, repeatedly wrote back 
to press them not to desist until they had completed the business. 

The count de Foix, who was wise and subtle, seeing the ardor of 
the duke, treated very coldly, and managed the matter so well, that, 
with the consent, and indeed at the entreaty of all parties, he received 
thirty thousand francs for the time the young lady had been under 
his care and wardship. He might have had a larger sum, had he 
demanded it ; but he wished to show moderation, that he might have 
their thanks, and also that the duke of Berry should feel himself un- 
der obligations to him. When everything was concluded, the count 
de Foix sent the young lady of Boulogne to Morlans, escorted by five 
hundred lances, under the command of sir Espaign du Lyon, sir 
Reginald William, sir Peter do Cabestan, sir Adam de Cacasse, sir 
Manaut Nouilles, and sir Peter de Kes. She was there delivered, 
in the name of the duke of Berry, to the embassadors from France, who 
were escorted by the marshal of France with five hundred spears, 
and there the two parties separated. Those from Foix returned 
home, and the French carried with them the lady. 

The duke of Berry had sent to her his array of cars and horses, 
with every sort of dress and ornament for her head, as if she had 
been queen of France. I, John Froissart, the author of this history, 
took my departure from Orthfes at the same time with her ; for the 
count de Foi.x had told me, I need not be in a hurry to leave him, 
for he would take care I should return in good company. The 
duchess of Berry, for such I shall henceforth call her, continued her 
journey until she came to Avignon, when she dismounted at lodg. 
ings provided for her by the pope at Villeneuve, without Avignon. 
On the morrow, between eight and nine o'clock in the morning, all 
the cardinals waited on her ; when, having mounted a white palfrey 
the pope had given her, she crossed the bridge over the Rh6ne in 
great state, and waited on the pope at his palace at Avignon, who 
was seated in consistory on his papal throne to receive her. He 
kissed her on the mouth, on account of their relationship ; and the 
duchess, with her company, then went to dinner at the h6tel of the 
cardinal of Turin, below the pope's palace, and there met a great 
company of cardinals. This was on a Tuesday : the following day 
the pope entertained her and her attendants at dinner ; and this visit 
of the duchess, as I have heard say, cost the pope ten thousand francs. 

On the Friday she supped at the palace, and took leave of the 
pope. On the Saturday she departed, and dined and lay at Orange. 
She continued her journey on horseback, or in a carriage, through 
Valence and Vienne, to Lyon, where she reposed herself for two 
whole days. On her departure she went to La Bresle, then passing 
through the country of Forfits, came to La Palisse, in Burgundy, 
then to Quissy, to Hanche-sur-Allier, and to Riom, in Auvergne, 
where she likewise remained two days, before the duke of Berry 
arrived. He came thither in great state, the night of Whitsunday, 
and on that day, at two o'clock in the morning, he was married to 
her. The marriage was very magnificent, and there were present 
the count de Boulogne, the count d'Estampes, and the count dau- 
phin d'Auvergne. The feastings and tournaments lasted four days, 
and I, the writer of this book, was a partaker of them all. 



CHAPTER CXLIII. 

CTOTAUt TRCmE^T MEN NE30TUTE A TRUCE, FOR THREE TEARS, BETWEEN 
THE FRENCH AND ENGLISH, AND ALL THEIR ALLIES. 

You have heard that a truce had been concluded with all the Eng- 
lish garrisons, from the Loire to the country beyond the Garonne 



• " La NoDnMte," a Iowa in Auvergne, election «ff Issoije. 



and Gironde, to last until Saint John the Baptist's day, 1389. Dm. 
ring this time, some wise and great lords opened a negotiation for a, 
general tmco between France and England, on sea and land, for 
three years. It was the intention of these persons that all the allies 
of either side should be included in it, such as the kings of Castille 
and Scotland, the king of Portugal and many barons of Upper Gas. 
cony. They had much trouble before they could accomplish this ; 
for the Scots would no way listen to it, though, when the proposal 
was first made by the king of France to the king of Scotland, he 
himself had readily assented, for he wished not for war. He sum- 
moned, therefore, the prelates and barons of his realm, to lay the 
matter before them, as he could not agree to this truce for the king- 
dom without their consent ; and, if he had, they would not have 
abided by it. The letters which had been received from the king 
of France were read in their presence, containing his wish that 
they would agree with him for a ti-uce of three years. This intelli- 
gence was very disagreeable to them, and they said, " The king oT 
France seems to propose a truce, when it is the moment to continue 
the war: we have completely defeated the English at Olierbourne; 
and the season is not so far advanced, but that we may do it again 
and again.'' Many debates ensued, for they were very unwilling to 
accept of a truce. It was at length resolved to send a bishop and 
three knights to the king of France and his council, to prevent the 
treaty from being further advanced, and to offer the friendship of the 
realm of Scotland. 

The bishop of St. Andrews, sir Archibald Douglas, sir William 
Lindsay, and sir John Sinclair, were appointed to this embassy. 
They departed as speedily as they could, and, having landed at 
Sluys, rode on to Paris. They laid their credential letters, from the 
prelates and barons of Scotland, before the king of France and hia 
council, and were readily listened to, from the great desire they had 
to prosecute the war against the English. But, notwithstanding this, 
the treaty was now so far advanced, that they could not retract: the 
Scots, therefore, had very civil answers given them ; but the treaty 
was, of necessity, completed. 

The truce was concluded, through the means of commissioners of 
high rank on both sides, who held their conferences at Leulinghem^ 
between Boulogne and Calais. In it were included all the allies of 
France and England, who agreed to preserve the peace inviolate, by 
every means, public or private, for the space of three years. The 
commissioners from the king of France were the bishop of Bayeux,, 
count Waleran de St. Pol, sir William de Melun, sir Nicholas 
Bracque, and sir John le Mercier, who resided at Boulogne. On 
the part of the king of England were the bishop of Durham, the 
earl of Salisbury, sir William Beauchamp, governor of Calais, John 
Lanon, Nicholas de Gaberth, and Richard Roelle, clerk and doctor of 
laws, who remained at Calais. The place of conference, where they 
mutually assembled, was Leulinghem, between Boulogne and Calais. 

At this period, there was much bustle in France and elsewhere, 
on account of the splendid feasts king Charles intended holding in 
Paris, on the entry of his queen Isabella, who had never as yet vis- 
ited that city. Knights, squires, ladies and damsels made the rich- 
est dresses for the occasion ; of all which I will give an exact account,. 
before I say more of the truce that was fairly written out, and sealed 
by all the parties. 

END OF THE THIRD VOLtJ.ME OF THE CHRONICLES OF SIR JOHM FROISSABT- 



FOURTH VOLUME 



CHRONICLES OF SIR JOHN FROISSART, 



CHAPTER I. 

FROISSART RELATES HIS TRAVELS AFTER HE HAD LEFT ORTHES. 

You who take delight in this history must know, that on my leav.^ 
ing the castle of the noble count Gaston de Foix, I returned through 
Auvergne and France, in company with the gallant lord de la Riviere 
and sir William de la Tremouille, who had conducted the lady Jane 
of Boulogne to the duke of Berry in the town of Riom, where he 
had married her, as has been related ; for, h.iving been present at all 
these feasts, I may well speak of them. I went thence to Paris, 
where I met the noble lord de Coucy, one of my patrons, who had 
lately married a daughter to the duke of Lorraine. 

The lord de Coucy entertained me kindly, and asked many ques- 
tions about Foix, B^arn, pope Clement, and Avignon, as well as con- 
cerning the nuptials of the duke of Berry, and of a particular friend 
of his, and likewise one of my patrons, the lord Berald, dauphin of 
Auvergne. To all his questions I satisfied him as to what I knew. 



494 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



or had seen, insomuch that he was well pleased ; and said, " You 
shall come with me into Cambresis, for I am going to a castle the 
king has given me, called Crevecosur : it is two leagues from Cam- 
bray, and nine from Valenciennes." " The distances are very right, 
my lord," replied I, and accepted his offer. On the road, he told me, 
that the bishop of Bayeux, the count de St. Pol, sir William de 
Melun, and sir John le Mercier, were at Boulogne, by orders from 
•he king of France ; and that there were at Calais, on the part of 
king Richard of England, the bishop of Durham, the earl of Sails. 
bury, sir William Beauchamp, governor of Calais, sir John Clambon, 
6ir Nicholas Grandbourg, knights and chamberlains to the king of 
England, and sir Richard Rocharle,* doctor of laws ; who had re. 
mained at Boulogne and Calais upward of a month, waiting for com- 
missioners from Scotland, " who were not arrived si.\ days ago, as 
my cousin S;iint Pol writes me word. The king of France has 
therefore written to king Robert of Scotland, to press him to accept 
of the truce, for the English will not consent to it unless the Scots 
be included.'' 

Thus continuing our journey, we came to Crevecocur, where I re- 
mained with him three days to repose and refresh myself, when I 
took leave, and went to Valenciennes. After staying there a fort- 
night, I went to Holland, to visit my gallant patron and lord, the 
count de Blois, whom I found at Schoenhoven. He made me good 
cheer, and inquired after news. I told him enough of all I had seen 
or heard, and was with him upward of a month, as well at Gouda 
as Schoenhoven, and then took leave to return to France, to learn 
the particulars of the conferences that were holding at Leulinghem, 
between the French and English, and likewise to be present at the 
magnificent feasts that were to be given at queen Isabella's public 
entry into Paris, where as yet she had never been.t 

To learn the most I could, I travelled through Brabant, and man- 
aged to arrive at Paris eight days before the commencement of the 
feasts. I had so much forethought, respecting the French and Scots 
lords who had been at the conferences at Leulinghem, that I made 
acquaintance with sir William de Melun, who related to me all their 
transactions, and that the count de St. Pol had passed over to Eng- 
land, to visit his brother-in-law, king Richard, and to have the truce 
confirmed, which was to last for three years ; but he said he would 
be here at all events to partake of the feasts. I asked sir William, 
" what lords the Scots had sent to the conference ; for that in my 
younger days I had been in Scotland, as far as the Highlands, and 
as at that time I was at the court of king David, I was acquainted 
with the greater part of the nobility of that country." He told me, 
" that the bishop of Aberdeen, sir James and sir David Lindsay, and 
sir Walter Sinclair, were the commissioners for Scotland.''^ All 
this I carefully remembered, that I might enregister it in my Chron. 
icle, with all I should see or hear at this grand feast of Isabella's 
entry, the arrangement of which was as follows. 



CHAPTER II. 

qUEEN ISABELLA OF FBANCE MAKES HER PUBLIC ENTRY INTO THE CITY 
OF PARIS. 

Oh Sunday the 20th day of June,§ in the year of our Lord 1399, 
there were such crowds of people in Paris, it was marvellous to see 
them ; and on this Sunday, the noble ladies of France who were to 
accompany the queen, assembled in the afternoon at Saint Denis, 
with such of the nobility as were appointed to lead the litters of the 
queen and her attendants. Tlie citizens of Paris, to the amount of 
twelve hundred, were mounted on horseback, dressed in uniforms of 
green and crimson, and lined each side of the road. Queen Joan 
and her daughtcr,|l the duchess of Orleans, entered Paris first, about 
an hour after noon, in a covered litter, and passing through the great 
street of Saint Denis, went to the palace, where the king was wait- 
ing for them, and this day they went no farther. The queen of 
France, attended by the duchess of Berry, the duchess of Burgundy, 

* "Clambon, Grandbourg. Rocliarle.'" These names are different in almost all the 
copies, MS. or printed. They are called Lanon, Li'asnon— Claberth, Gunboch— Roolle 
and [loh.ale. Lord Berners retains them as in the preceding chapter, but totally omits 
them in this. The treaty, which is at length in Rymer, has the names as lijllows. Those 
from France are also different from Froissnrt. 

The bishop of Durham, sir Wdliam Beauchamp. governor of Calais, sir John Deve- 
reux, steward of the king's household, six John Ctanvow. sir Nicholas Daggeworth, 
knights of the king's chamber. 

t Underneath is the translation of a note, vol, iii. p. 85. of M. Levesque's liistory of 
the five first kintcs of the race of Valois. 

" One would be tempted to believe, from the recitals of our historians, tliat the queen, 
who had now been married four years, made this her first entry into Paris, It is a mis- 
toko. She was there in 1386, when Charles wrote to her. the 23th April, from Montdi- 
dier, to send to Amiens the amount of tJie taxes, and to hasten all men-at-arms and for- 
eigners that were intended for the invasion of England from Paris. He orders her at 
the same time to proclaim war against the Flemings and their allies. One may conjec- 
ture, from this letter, that he had intrusted her with the regency," 

t The Scots commissionci-s arc evidently wrong. The finest MS. in the British Museum 
has sir Archibald and sir William Lindsay, and sir John Sinclair. But in Rymer, there 
is mention o.dy made of the archbisliop of Glasgow and bishop of Dunkeld. 

4 " .rune." My MSS. and thot in the B. Museum have the 20th of .August. 

II " QuMn Joan and her iUiushtf-r." I ?»jspect there must be some mistake, altlrough 
tliis paragraph is in all the editions I know of, printed and MS.; but I cannot discover 
who these personages were, for all the queens of that name were dead, the last of them 
the preceding year, and the duke of Touraine. the king's brother, succeeded to the title 
of duke of Orleans on the death of Philip, in 1391 : he had been lately married to Val- 
eatina, of Milan, who is mentioned afterwards as forming part of the procession. 



the duchess of Touraine, the duchess of Lorraine, the countess of 
Nevers, the lady of Coucy, with a crowd of other ladies, began the 
procession in open litters, most richly ornamented. The duchess of 
Touraine was not in a litter, but to display herself the more, was 
mounted on a palfrey, magnificently caparisoned. 

The litter of the queen was led by the dukes of Touraine and 
Bourbon at the head ; the dukes of Berry and Burgundy were at the 
centre, and the lord Peter de Navarre and the count d'Ostrevant be- 
hind the litter, which was open and beautifully ornamented. The 
duchess of Touraine followed, on her palfrey, led by the count de 
la Marche and the count de Nevers, the whole advancing slowly, at 
a foot's pace. After her came the duchess of Burgundy and her 
daughter, the lady Margaret of Hainault, in an open litter, led by 
the lord Henry de Bar, and sir William, the young count de Namur. 
Then came the duchess of Berry, and the daughter of the lord de 
Coucy, in an open and ornamented litter, led by sir James de Bour- 
bon, and sir Philip d'Artois. Then the duchess of Bar and her 
daughter, led by sir Charles d'Albret and the lord de Coucy. There 
was no particular mention made of the other ladies and damsels who 
followed in covered chariots, or on palfreys, led by their knights. 
Serjeants, and others of the king's officers, had fidl employment, in 
making way for the processions, and keeping off the crowd ; for 
there were such numbers assembled, it seemed as if all the world 
had come thither. 

At the gate of St. Denis, that opens into Paris, was the represent- 
ation of a starry firmament, and within it were children dressed as 
angels, whose singing and chanting was melodiously sweet. There 
was also an image of the Virgin holding in her arms a child, who at 
times amused himself with a windmill, made of a large walnut. The 
upper part of this firmament was richly adorned with the arms of 
France and Bavaria, with a brilliant sun dispersing its rays through 
the heavens ; and this sun was the king's device at the ensuing tour- 
naments.* The queen of France and the ladies took delight in view- 
ing this as they passed, aa indeed did all who saw it. The queen 
then advanced slowly to the fountain, in the street of Saint Denis, 
which was covered and decorated with fine blue cloth, besprinkled 
over with golden flowers-dc-luce. The pillars that surrounded the 
fountain were ornamented with the arms of the chief barons of France ; 
and, instead of water, it ran in great streams of Claire, t and e.^cel- 
lent Piement.t Around this fountain were young girls handsomely 
dressed, having on their heads caps of solid gold, who sang so sweetly, 
it was a pleasure to hear them ; and they held in their hands cups of 
gold, offering their liquors to all who chose to drink. The queen 
stopped there to hear and look at them, as did the ladies as they 
passed by. 

Below the monastery of the Trinity there vi&a a scaffold erected in 
the street, and on this scaffold a castle, with a representation of the 
battle with king Saladin, performed by living actors ; the Christians 
on the one side and the Saracens on the other. All the lords of re- 
nown, who had been present, were represented with their blazoned 
war-coats, such as were worn in those times. A little above was the 
person of the king of France, surrounded by his twelve peers in their 
proper arms : and when the queen came opposite the scaffold, king 
Richard was seen to leave his companions, and advance to the king 
of France, to request permission to fight the Saracens, which having 
obtained, he returned to his aiTny, who instantly began the attack on 
Saladin and the Saracens. This battle lasted for a considerable time, 
and was seen with much pleasure. 

The procession then passed on, and came to the second gate of 
St. Denis, ^ where, like to the first, there had been made a represent- 
ation of a richly starred firmament, with the Holy Trinity seated in 
great majesty, and within the heaven litde children as angels singing 
very melodiously. As the queen passed under the gate, two angels 
descended from above, holding an extraordinarily rich golden crown, 
ornamented with precious stones, which they gently placed on the 
head of the queen, sweetly singing the following verses : 

" Dame enclose entre fleurs de Lys, 
Reine etes vous de Paris. 
De France, et de tout le pais. 
Nous en r'allons en paradis." 

When they came opposite to the chapel of St. James, they found a 
scaffold erected on the right hand, richly ornamented with tapestry, 
surrounded with curtains, in the manner of a chamber : within which 
were men who played finely on organs. The whole street of Saint 
Denis was covered with a canopy of rich camlet and silk cloths, as 
if they had had the cloths for nothing, or were at Alexandria or Da- 
mascus. I, the writer of this account, was present, and astoni.?hed 
whence such quantities of rich stuffs and ornaments could have come ; 
for all the houses on each side the great street of Saint Denis, as far 
as the Chatelet, or indeed to the great bridge, || were hung with tap- 
estries representing various scenes and histories to the great delight 
of all beholders. 

The queen and her ladies, conducted by great lords in their litters, 



* Louis XIV. took the same device, with the motto of " Nee pluribus tmpor." 

t " Claire," or clairet— light red wine.— Ed. 

t " Pienienl"— is a liquor made of honey, wine, and different spices.— Du Canoe, 

§ Denys Sauvnge, in a marginal note, says, " that he thinks this gate was called la 
Porte aux Peintres," and was pulled down in the reign of Francis I. It wojb called Porte 
aux Peintrea. because many painters resided near it.— Sauval. 

II Denys Sauvoge says, he means by the ^eat bridge tlie bridge of Notre-Dame. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, Sc : 



495 



arrived at length at the gate of tlie Chatelet, where they stopped to 
see other splendid pageants tlmt had been prepared for them. At 
the gate of the Chatelet was erected a castle of wood, with towers 
strong enough to last forty years. At each of the battlements was a 
knight completely armed t'rom head to foot ; and in the castle was a 
superb bed, as finely decorated with curtains and everything else, as 
if for the chamber of the king, and this bed was called the bed of 
justice, in which lay a person to represent St. Anne. On the espla- 




Triumphal Entry of Qceen Isabella into Paris. From a MS. Froii^sart of the 15th cenlorj-. 



nade, before tne costie, (which comprehended a tolerably large space,) 
■was a warren and much brush-wood, within which were plenty of 
hares, rabbits and young birds, that fled out and in again for fear of 
the populace. From this wood, on the side near the queen, there 
issued a large white hart, that made for the bed of justice ; from an. 
other part came forth a lion and eagle, well represented, and proudly 
advanced toward tlie stag. Then twelve young maidens, richly 
dressed, with chaplets of gold on their heads, came out of the wood, 
holding naked swords in their hands, and placed themselves between 
the hart, the lion, and eagle ; sliowing, that with their swords they 
were determined to defend the Xart and the bed of justice. 

The queen, the ladies and lords, having seen this pageant with 
pleasure, passed on to the bridge of Notre-Damc, which was deco- 
rated so handsomely, it could not be amended : it was covered with 
a starry canopy of green and crimson, and the streets were all hung 
with tapestry as far as the church of Notre-Dame. When the queen 
and her ladies had passed the bridge, and were near the church, it 
was late in the evening ; for the procession, ever since it had set out 
from St. Denis, had advanced but a foot's pace. The great bridge 
of Paris was hung all its length with green and white sarcenet; but 
before the queen and her company entered Notre-Dame, she was 
presented with other pageants that delighted her and her ladies very 
much : I will describe them. 

A full month before the queen's entry to Paris, a master engineer 
from Geneva had fastened a cord to the highest tower of Notre- 
Dame, which, passing high above the streets, was fixed to the most 
elevated hou'-e on the bridge of tiaint Michael. As the queen was 
passing down the street of Notre. Dame, this man left the tower, and, 
seating himself on the cord, tiescended, singing, with two lighted 
torches in his hand, for it was now dark, to the great astonishment 
of all .. no saw him how he could do it. He kept the lighted torches 
in his hands that he might be seen by all Paris, and even two or 
three leagues off. He played many tricks on the rope, and his agility 
was highly praised. 

The bishop of Paris and his numerous clergy, clothed in tlieir 
robes, were witl-.out the church of Notre-Dame, waiting for the queen, 
who was helped out of her litler by the four dukes, of Berry, Bur- 
gundy, Touraine and Bourbon. When the other ladies had left their 
litters and dismounted from their palfreys, they all entered the church 
in grand procession, preceded by the bishop and priests, singing 



aloud to the praise of God and the Virgin Mary. The queen was 
conducted through the nave and choir to the great altar, where, on 
her knees, she made her prayers according as she thought good, and 
presented, as her offering, four cloths of gold, and the handsome 
crown which the angels had put on her head at the gate of Paris, aa 
has been related. The lord John de la Riviere and sir John le Mer- 
cier instantly brought one more rich with which they crowned her. 
This being done, the queen and her ladies returned to their litters, 

wherein they were seated 
as before ; and, as it was 
late, there were upward 
of five hundred lighted ta. 
pers attending the proces- 
sion. In such array were 
they conducted to the pal. 
ace, where the king, queen 
Joan, and the duchess of 
Orleans, were waiting for 
them.* The ladies here 
quitted their litters, and 
were conducted to differ- 
ent apartments ; and the 
lords, after the dancing, re- 
turned to their hotels. t 

On the morrow, which 
was Monday, the kinggave 
a grand dinner to a nu- 
merous company of ladies ; 
and, at the hour of high 
mass, the queen of France 
was led by the before-men. 
tioned dukes to the Holy 
Chapel, where she was an- 
ointed and sanctified aa 
queens of France usually 
are. Sir William de Viare, 
archbishop of Rouen, said 
mass. After mass, which 
was well and solemnly 
sung, the king and queen 
returned to their apart- 
ments, as did the sther 
ladies to theirs who lodged 
in the Palace. Shortly 
after the mass, the king, 
queen, and all the ladies 
entered the hall. You 
must know, that the great 
table of marble,! which is 
in the hall, and is never removed, was covered with an oaken plank, 
four inches thick, and the royal dinner placed thereon. Near the 
table, and against one of the pillars, was the king's buffet, magnifi . 
cently decked out with gold and silver plate, and much envied by 
many who saw it. Before the king's table, and at some distance, 
were wooden bars with three entrances, at which were serjeants-at- 
arms, ushers, and archers, to prevent any from passing them but those 
who served the table ; for in truth the crowd was so very great, that 
there was no moving but with much difficulty. There were plenty 
of minstrels, who played away to the best of their abilities. 

The ki:<g3, prelates, and ladies, having washed and seated them- 
selves at table, their places were as follows : the bishop of Noyen 
was seated at the head of the king's table, then the bishop of Langres, 
and then the archbishop of Rouen, by the side of the king of France, 
who was that day clothed in a crimson surcoat, lined with ermine, 
and the royal crown upon his head. A litde above the king was the 



* Denys Sjiuvage. in a marginal note, says that this queen Joan was the widow of 
Char!e% le Bel. and her daushwr Blanche married to Philip duke of Orleans, brother to 
the late king .John. 

Froissart lias mentioned tftem before ; but the widow of Charles le Bel died, according 
to I'Art de Verifier les Dates, at Brie-comte-Roberl, 1370. and queen Isabella's entry was 
in 12S». 

t Froissart having omitted a curious circumstance that happened at this entry of tht 
queen. I shall trnnslrtte it from Les Grandes Chroniques de St. Denys. 

"The king haWng heard what fnie pageants were preparing, said to Savoisi. who 
was one of Ins valets-de-chambre, 'Savoisi. I beg that thou wouldst mount my good 
hor^e, and I will get up behind thee : and we will disguise ourselves so that no one ehatl 
know us, anil go and see the entry of my wife.' Savoisi did all he could to dissuade the 
king from tlus but [he king would be obeyed. They therefore disguised themselves, and 
the king rode iHjhind Savoisi to different parts of Paris. They came to the Cliatelet as 
the queen was passing, and the crowd wos so great, that SavoLsi got into the midst. 
BaililTs armed with staves, had been stationed there to prevent any harm being done to 
the pageant, who laid about them most lustily, to keep off the crowd. Savoisi and 
the king, still pushing for\vard, the baiiitis, who knew not the king, gave to each several 
sh'irp blows on their shoulders. In the evening, the king told the ladies what had hap- 
pened to him at the Chatelet. and there was much laughing and joking on the occasion 
among them. 

I "At one end of the hall of the Palace was placed a marble table that filled up almost 
the whole breadth of it, and was of such a size for length, breadth and thickness. th»t 
it was supposed tii be the greatest slab of marble existing. 

" It served, f ,r two or three hundred years, very ditferent purposes : at one time for a 
theatre, on which the attorneys' clerks acted their mummeries, and at another for the 
royal feasts, where only emperor?, kings, and princes of the blood were admitted, with 
their ladies : tlie otiier great lord? dined at separate tables. It was conaumed bf fire ia 
I618."--Saval, AnttQv.itis de Paris. 



496 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



queen, crowned also very richly. Next the queen was placed the 
king of Armenia, then the duchess of Berry, the duchess of Burgundy, 
the duchess of Touraine, madame de Nevers, mademoiselle Bonne 
de Bar, madame de Coucy, and mademoiselle Marie de Harcourt. 
There were none others at the king's table, except at the very lower 
end, the lady de Sully, wife of sir Guy de la TremouiUe. There 
were two other tables in the hall, at which were seated upward of 
five hundred ladies and damsels; but the crowd was so very great, 
it was with difficulty they could be served with their dinner, which 
was plentiful and sumptuous. Of this it is not worth the trouble to 
give any particulars ; but I must speak of some devices which were 
curiously arranged, and would have given the king much amusement, 
had those who had undertaken it been able to act their parts. 

In the middle of the hall was erected a castle of wood, forty feet high, 
twenty feet long, and as many wide, with towers at each corner, and 
one larger in the middle. This castle was to represent the city of 
Troy the great, and the tower in the middle the palace of Ilion, Irom 
which were displayed the banners of the Trojans, such as king 
Priam, Hector, his other sons, and of those shut up in the place with 
them. The castle being on wheels, was very easily moved about. 
There was a pavilion likewise on wheels, on which were placed the 
banners of the Grecian kings, that was moved, as it were, by invisi- 
ble beings, to the attack of Troy. There was also, by way of rein- 
forcement, a large ship, well built, and able to contain one hundred 
men-at-arms, that, like the two former, was ingeniously moved by 
invisible wheels. Those in the ship and pavilion made a sharp attack 
on the castle, which was gallantly defended ; but from the very great 
crowd, this amusement could not last long. There were so many 
people on all sides, several were stifled by the heat ; and one table 
near the door of the chamber of parliament, at which a numerous 
company of ladies and damsels were seated, was thrown down, and 
the company forced to make oflf as well as they could. 

The queen of France was near fainting, from the excessive heat, 
and one of the doors was forced to be thrown open to admit air. 
The lady of Coucy was in the same situation. The king, noticing 
this, ordered an end to be put to the feast, when the tables were re- 
moved, for the ladies to have more room. Wine and spices were 
served around, and every one retired when the king and queen went 
to their apartments. Those ladies who did not lodge in the Palace 
Teturned to their hotels, to recover themselves of their sufferings from 
the heat and crowd. The lady of Coucy remained in her h6tel until 
it was late ; but the queen, about five o'clock, left the Palace, attended 
by the duchesses before named, and, mounting an open litter, pro. 
ceeded through the streets of Paris, followed by the ladies in litters, 
or on horseback, to the residence of the king, at ihe hbtel de St. Pol. 
She was attended by upward of one thousand horse. The king took 
boat at the Palace, and was rowed to his hotel, which, though it was 
sufficiently large, there had been errected in the court, at the en- 
trance leading to the Seine, an immense hall, covered with undressed 
cloths of Normandy, that had been sent from divers places : the sides 
were hung with tapestry, that represented strange histories, and gave 
delight to all who saw them. In this hall the king entertained the 
ladies at a banquet: but the queen remained in her chamber, where 
she sapped and did not again appear that night. The king, lords, 
and ladies, danced and amused themselves until daybreak, when 
the amusements ceased, and every one retired to his home, each of 
them to sleep and repose themselves, as it was full time. 

I will now speak of the presents the Parisians made to the king, 
queen, and duchess of Touraine, who was but lately arrived in France 
from Lombardy : she was called Valentine, and was daughter to the 
duke of Milan. She had this year been married to the duke of 
Touraine, and had never been in Paris before this public entry of 
the queen : the citizens, therefore, were bound to bid her welcome. 
About twelve o'clock, forty of the principal citizens of Paris, all uni- 
formly dressed, waited on the king at his h6tel of Saint Pol, bring- 
ing a present they had displayed through the streets of the town. 
Their gift was in a very richly worked litter, borne by two strong 
men, dressed as savages. This litter was covered with a transparent 
crape of silk, through which might be seen the magnificent things it 
contained. 

On their arrival, they advanced to the king's chamber, (which was 
open and ready prepared to receive tliem, as their corning was known, 
and welcome is always made to those who bring gifts;) and, having 
placed the litter on vessels, in the midst of the apartment, they cast 
themselves on their knees, and thus spoke : " Most beloved lord and 
king, your citizens of your good town of Paris present to you the plate 
tliat is contained in this litter, as tokens of their joy that you have 
taken the government of the kingdom in your own hands." " Many 
thanks, my good people," replied the king: "they are fair and rich." 
i he citizens then rose up, and having taken leave of the king with- 
drew. Wlien they had gone, the king said to sir William des Bordes, 
and to Montaigu,* w ho were then present, " Let us go nearer, and 



rf'.h^;,^:?'"""",""'^'^" '^""''^ °™'"' ^'' PWta'ity to tJ-e wisechoK^e he had made 
Wisest oiKinps. noviant, chiirecHi With tho t,Mr,„,.„.„ j r.L .- ,. . 

order of lobiUty, thoush without f"rt,ne and Mo^u?T "^ "'V'""""^' "'"A'^"" 
«,1fho h;. loUnV. ■ K.,. oi. II .i. ,' ; MoiUligu. bom ui obscurity, taued him 

self by h„ tilenu . but, above ail. the duke of Bourbon, who had preserved hi, integrity 
tnoueh he had ))ppn ininfiH in Thp rcffcn„u ..,..1. .).- J ., -— *^ .-u lujinvctiiLj 



examine what their gifts are." They approached, and looked into 
the litter. I will now mention what presents it contained. First, 
there were four pots of gold, four saucers to match, four golden salts, , 
twelve cups of the same, twelve porringers, and six dishes of gold 
also : the whole weighed one hundred and fifty marcs. 

Another party of citizens, very handsomely equipped in uniforms 
of cloth, waited on the queen, and presented her with a fitter borne 
by two men dressed, one as a bear, the other as a unicorn, which 
they placed in her chamber, and the citizens recommended their town 
and inhabitants to her protection. This present consisted of the 
model of a ship in gold, two large flaggons of gold, two comfit boxes, 
two salts, six cups, and as many saucers, all of gold : twelve lamps 
of silver, two silver basins, two dozen of silver porringers, the same 
number of silver cups : the whole weight of gold and silver being 
three hundred marcs. 

The third present was carried, in like manner, to the chamber of 
the duchess of Touraine, by two men representing Moors, having 
their faces blackened, and richly dressed with while turbans, as if 
they had been Saracens or Tartars. This litter was ornamented and 
covered, like the others, with gauze, and accompanied by twelve 
citizens in uniforms, who presented the duchess with a ship in gold, 
a large flaggon of gold, two comfit boxes, two large dishes, and two 
salts, all of gold : six jugs of silver, and two dozen cups and saucers 
of the same: the whole weighing two hundred marcs. The duchess 
of Touraine was exceedingly pleased with this present, as she had 
reason, for it was very magnificent, and returned handsomely her 
thanks to those who had brought it, and to the good city of Paris that 
had given it to her. 

Such were the gifts made this Tuesday to the king and queen of 
France, and to the duchess of Touraine. You may judge from them 
the liberality and riches of the Parisians ; for it was assiired me, the 
author of this history, that all these presents, which I saw, had cost 
upward of sixty thousand golden crowns. When these ceremonies 
were concluded, the hour tor dinner arrived ; but this day the king 
and his court dined in private at their different li6tels, for at three 
o'clock the tournament was to take place in the square of Saint 
Catherine, where scaffolds had been erected for the accommodation of 
the queen and the ladles. 

I will name the knights of this grand tournament, who were styled 
the knights of the Golden Sun, which, although it was that day the 
king of France's device, was borne by others, who tilted in hopes of 
gaining the prize. These knights were thirty, including the king : 
first, the duke of Berry, the duke of Burgundy, the duke of Bourbon, 
the count de la Marche, sir James de Bourbon his brother, sir Wil- 
liam de Namur, sir Oliver de Clisson constable of France, sir John 
de Vienne, sir James de Viennc, lord d'Espaigny, sir Guy de la Tre- 
mouiUe, sir William de la TremouiUe his brother, sir Philip de Bar, 
the lord de Rochfort a Breton, the lord de Rais, the lord de Beauma. 
noir, sir John de Barben^on called the Ardenois, the halze of Flan- 
ders, the lord de Torcy a Norman, sir John des Barres, the lord do 
Nantouillet, the lord de la Rochefoucault, the lord de Garencieree, 
sir John de Harpedant, the baron d'Ury, sir William Marciel, sir 
Reginald de Roye, sir Geoffry de Carin, sir Charles de Changiet, and 
sir William de Lignac. All these knights were sumptuously dressed, 
and each had on his shield a splendid sun. At three o'clock, they 
entered the square of St. Catherine, where the queen had already 
arrived in a magnificent car, and the duchesses and other ladies in 
great state, and taken their places on the seats prepared for them. 
The king of France next made his appearance completely equipped 
for tilting, of which amusement he was very fond. 

The justs now began, and were carried on with vigor, for there 
were many knights from foreign parts. Sir William de Hainault, 
count de Ostrevant, tilted right well, as did those knights who had 
accompanied him, such as the lord de Gommines, sir John d'Andre- 
gines, the lord de Cantan, sir Ansel de Transsegines, and sir Clinquart 
de Herinno. Every one performed his part, in honor of the ladies ; 
and the duke of Ireland tilted well : being then a resident at Paris, 
the king had invited him to the tournament. A German knight from 
beyond the Rhine, called sir Gervas de Mirande, gained great com- 
mendation. The number of knights made it diflicult to give a full 
stroke, and the dust was so troublesome that it increased their diffi- 
culties. The lord de Coucy shone with brilliancy. The tilts were 
continued without rela-xation until night, when the ladies were con- 
ducted to their hotels. 

The queen of France and her attendants were led back to the 
hotel of St. Pol, where was the most magnificent banquet for the 
ladies, ever heard of. The feast and dancing lasted until sunrise, 
and the prize of the tournament was given, with the assent of the 
ladies and heralds, to the king, as being the best tilter on the oppo- 
nents' side, and the prize for the holders of the lists was given to the 

bo lieheaded. This wafi done without the king's kjiowlodge, at the instigation of the 
duke of Burgundy and the kine of Navarre. He was beheaded in the market-place of 
P.iris, the 17th October, I40.\ and his remains weire carried to tlie gibbet nt Monttaucon, 
where they remained hanging for nearly three yeai-s, since his body was not taken down 
until Ihe 17th SeiKember, 1413, and carried to the convent of tlie Celestijis of Murcousai, 
which lie had founded. 

" Although he was executed w itJiout the knowle<lge of the king, lie did not the lew 
allow the confiscation of his property, to be eiveii to Louis, duke de Guienne. dauphin. 

" [ was, however, informed by M. Perron, who has carefully opphed himself to learn, 
the particulars of U« lift of this lord, that bis property wag restored to his bein."-* 

^KNAOtuNA. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



4a? 



haize de Flandics, bastard-brother to the duchess of Burgundy. On 
account of the complaints the knights made of the dust, which had 
prevented many from exerting themselves to the utmost at the late 
tournament, the king ordered the lists to be watered. Two hundred 
water-carriers were employed on the Wednesday to water the square, 
but, notwithstanding their efforts, there was still a sufficiency of dust. 

The count de St. Pol arrived this Wednesday straight from Eng- 
land, having made haste to be present at these feasts, and had left 
sir .lohn dc Chatel.Morant to follow with the treaty of the truce. The 
count de St. Pol was kindly received by the king and his lords : his 
countess, who had been near the person of the queen at these festi- 
vals, was rejoiced at his arrival. In the afternoon of the Wednesday, 
thirty squires, who had been in attendance the preceding day, ad- 
vanced to the lists where the tournaments had been held, whither the 
ladies also came, in the same state, and seated themselves as before. 
The tilting was ably and vigorously kept up until niglit, when the 
company returned to their homes. The banquet this evening at the 
hdtel de St. Pol was as grand as the preceding one, and the prize 
was adjudged by the ladies and heralds to a squire from Hainault, 
who had accompanied the count d'Ostrevant, called John de Flaron, 
as the most deserving of the opponents, and to a squire belonging to 
the duke of Burgundy, called John de Poulee^es, for the best tenants 
of the field. 

The tournament was continued on the Thursday, when knights 
and squires tilled promiscuously, and many gallant justs were done, 
for every one took pains to excel. Night put an end to it, and there 
was a grand entertainment again for the ladies, at the h6tel de St. 
Pol, when the prize for the opponents was given to sir Charles des 
Armoyes, and for the tenants, tu a squire attached to the queen, called 
Lons. 

On the Friday, the king feasted the ladies and damsels at dinner, 
which was very splendid and plentiful. Toward the end of it, as the 
king was seated at table, with the duchess of Berry, the duchess of 
Burgundy, the duchess of Touraiae, the countess de Saint Pol, the 
lady of Coucy, and many more, two knights, completely armed, en- 
tered the hall, (which was very spacious, having been, as I have said, 
erected for the occasion,) on barbed horses, with lances in their hands. 
One was sir Reginald de Roye, the other sir Boucicaut the younger. 
Having tilted bravely for some time, they were joined by sir William 
de Namur, sir Charles des Armoyes, the lord de Garencieres, the 
lord de Nantouillet, sir John de Barben^on, and several others, who 
gallandy tilted for two hours before the king and ladies ; and when 
they had sufficiently amused themselves, they returned to their hrttels. 

The ladies and damsels took their leave, this Friday, of the king 
and queen, as did such lords as pleased, and returned to their homes. 
The king and queen thanked very graciously such as took leave, for 
having come to this feast. 

CHAPTER III. 

SIR JOHN DE CHATEL-MORANT BRINGS FROM ENGLAND THE TRUCES FOR 
THREE YEARS, SEALED BY KI.\G RICHARD AND HIS ALLIES. LEWIS OF 
ANJOU, KING OF SICILY, IS BETROTHED AND MARRIED TO A DAUGHTER 
OF THE KING OF ARRAGON. 

After this grand festival, and when the lords and ladies, who had 
assisted at it, were returned to their castles, the lord de Chtitel- 
Morant, whom the lord de Saint-Pol had left in England, arrived at 
Paris with the truces, signed by the king of England and his allies. 
He delivered to the king and his ministers the charter of the truce 
that was to last for three years, and read aloud its contents in the 
presence of the lord de Coucy, who was lieutenant for the king, *■-' 
guard and defend all the country, from the Dordogne to the se«, '"- 
eluding Auvcrgne and Limousin. All who should infringe! or any 
way break this treaty, or cause it to be broken, whate'^J'' were his 
rank, would be considered as a traitor, and incu'' punishment of 
death. The lord de Coucy had also a copy deli-^-red to him, to show 
if necessary, to those garrisons of Ventad"'"'' Chainlet, Orbesi,* 
Donzach,t who were carrying on war ■••■ider name of the English, 
that they might not have any cause (V excuse, and incur the^ penalty, 
should they continue their warfxie. The lord Lewis de Sancerre, 
marshal of France, had it if like manner read to him, and a copy 
given to him. This was very necessary ; for he was lieutenant over 
all the country of Languedoc, from the river Rh6ne and Avignon, 
within which are many valuable estates and lordships, as far as the 
Dordogne. Hi' government contained the s^neschalships of Beau- 
caire, Carcassonne, Toulouse, Rouergue, Agen, Quercy, Bigorre, 
Perigord and Limoges, where were many forts and castles that 
minded not the truce, but continued to carry on the war, such as 
ChAtel-Cuillier, and the strong castle of Lourdes, on the frontiers of 
B^arn, which kept the neighborhood under continual alarms. 

About this time there wa.s a treaty of marriage on foot, between 
the lord Lewis d'Anjou, son to the late duke, who styled himself 
king of Naples, Sicily, Jerusalem, and count of Provence, and the 
daughter of the king of Arragon. The queen of Naples went to visit 
the pope at Avignon, carrying with her the young lord Lewis, and 
there met the lord de Coucy, who was much rejoiced at her arrival. 
The queen was handsomely received by the pope and cardinals ; of 



♦ " Orf)c«i" — Otbessaa, a village in Anna^ac 
} "l>oiuach"--a village in Armagoac. 



which she was indeed deserving, for she was an active bustling lady, 
and one who did not sleep over her interests. She entreated the loni 
de Coucy to escort her eon to Arragon, and to remain with him until 
he were married. He replied ; " Certainly, madam, there is not a 
voyage that, for seven years past, I would more willingly have un- 
dertaken than to Sicily and Naples, more particularly, in company 
with my lord your son, if I have the consent of our lord and king." 
" Many thanks, lord de Coucy," said the queen : " you show us your 
good inclinations ; but, for the present, it will be sufficient if yon 
will accompany our son to Arragon. The queen of Arragon will be 
very happy to see you, for your daughter is married to her brother 
sir Henry de Bar." 

The lord de Coucy cheerfully agreed to undertake this journey, 
and the king of Sicily, having made his preparations, took leave of 
pope Clement, and of his mother, with many tears. Their hearts 
were wrung, not indeed without cause, at this separation, for he wa» 
going to a far country, and it was uncertain when they sliould meet 
again. It had been settled, that instantly after the marriage had 
taken place, the young king and queen were to embark at Barcelona, 
and sail as expeditiously as they could for Naples or any other part 
of that country. The young king of Sicily was handsomely attended, 
and, having passed through Montpellier and Beziers, came to Nar- 
bonne, where he and his company were honorably received by the 
viscount. Having retVeshed their horses for one day, they continued 
their route toward Perpignan, the first town of Arragon. News of 
his arrival had reached the court of Arragon, and the queen had sent 
proper persons to receive him and his attendants, and show them all 
respect, so that, wherever they passed, they were well entertained, 
and all their expenses paid. The viscount de Roquebertin and sir 
Raymond de Baighes were their conductors. They continued their 
journey until they arrived at Barcelona, where the king, queen, and 
princess were expecting them. The young king Lewis was very 
kindly received ; and the queen was particularly pleased on seeing 
the lord de Coucy, and thanked her future son-in-law for having 
brought him with him, adding, that everything would fare the better 
for it. 

The marriage was performed and consummated between these two 
persons ; but as winter was approaching, the sea voyage was deferred, 
because at such a time the sea is stormy and dangerous. They said 
they would collect all the purveyances during the winter, and embark 
in the beginning of the ensuing month of March. The lord de Coucy 
was perfectly well received by the king and queen of Arragon ; but, 
having had letters from the king of France, ordering him to return, ho 
took his leave of them, and of the young king and the queen of Sicily, 
as well as of the lords of Arragon, and set out for France. If he had 
had time, he would have returned by .\vignon ; but he sent his ex. 
cuses to the pope and queen of Naples, and wont straight toAuvergne. 
.\t the time of this marriage of the king of Sicily with the princess 
of Arragon, many treaties were concluded be<>veen him and the Ar- 
ragonians, who were to assist him with m^n and galleys in the recov. 
ery of his kingdom. They were to cnvey him to Naples, with two 
hundred spears, one thousand cr^is-bows, and the same number of 
infantry armed with brigandin'S, who were to serve him at their owa 
charges, during the war, ""'i' I'O should have full possession of Na- 
ples, Sicily and its def^'ndencies, la Puglia, Calabria and the city of 
Gaieta, the resido«^e of Margaret de Durazzo, who claimed all thesa 
territories as h^r own. 

When '■''^ sweet month of March was arrived, and the winds were 
becop'^ calm and the waters smooth, and the trees once more clothed 
ip green, and all purveyances ready and embarked, as well as the 
men-at-arms who were to be of this expedition, the young couple 
took leave of the king and queen of Arragon. The queen with tears 
saw them depart, and recommended them to the particular care of 
the count de Roddes, a very valiant knight, and sir Raymond de 
Baighes. They promised special obedience to the queen's wishes, 
although the count d'Orghel and the count de la Lune were their 
superiors and had the command of the convoy. 

There were on board these galleys fifteen hundred spears, two 
thousand cross-bows, and two thousand lusty varlets armed with 
pikes and shields. They were in such force the better to resist their 
enemies, and any adventurers they might encounter at sea ; for the 
voyage iVom Barcelona to Naples is long, and Margaret de Durazzo, 
their adversary, might have had intelligence of their motions, and 
stationed a fleet accordingly : they therefore were desirous of having 
strength enough to oppose any she could bring against them. 

We will now leave the afTairs of Sicily, and return to those of 
France, which is our principal object, and to several other events. 



CHAPTER IV. 

THE KING OF FRANCE IS DESIROUS OF VISITING THE DISTANT PARTS OP 
HIS KINGDOM. AT THE REQUEST OF THE LORD DE COUCY, HE ORDERS 
THE DUKE OF IRELAND OUT OF FRANCE. 

When the king of France saw that his kingdom was now at peace, 
in consequence of the truce with England, he had a great desire to 
visit the more distant parts of it, and particularly Languedoc. The 
lord de la Riviere and sir John le Mercier, at that time his most inn. 
mate advisers, urged him to visit th« pope and cardinals at AvignoB, 



498 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



who were desirous of that honor, and thence go to Toulouse, saying 
that a king when young, should visit his realm to acquaint himself 
with its inhabitants and inquire how they have been governed, as it 
would redound to his profit and glory, and cause himself to be more 
beloved by his subjects. 

The king was so inclined, and willingly attended to all matters of 
government. The lord de la Riviere, who was but lately returned 
from those parts, told him that his subjects in the s^neschalships of 
Toulouse, Carcassonne and Beaucaire, were impatient to see him ; 
for that the duke of Berry, during his government of that country, 
had sorely oppressed them with taxes and other impositions, through 
the means of one of his familiars, called Bethisac,* who had pity on 
none, and that they were quite ruined. On this account, therefore, 
it would be proper for him to go thither, and he could then summon 
the count de Foix, whom he was so anxious to see, to meet him at 
Toulouse. 

The king having assented to this proposal, ordered immense pur- 
veyances to be provided for him on the road he was to travel. He 
signified to his uncle and aunt, the duke and duchess of Burgundy, 
that, as he passed through their lands, he should be glad to see their 
children, his cousins ; and that he would bring with him his brother 
of Touraine, and his uncle of Bourbon. This news of the king's 
intended visit to Burgundy, was highly pleasing to the dake and 
duchess. They had proclaimed a festival and tournament to be 
holden at Dijon, and sent inntations to the knights and squires of 
Savoy and the adjoining countries, who made their preparations ac. 
cordingly. During the time all these different arrangements were 
making for the king's journey to Avignon and Languedoc, other 
events happened in France. 

You have heard how the duke of Ireland, formerly earl of O.xford, 
had been driven out and banished England, for his demerits, by the 
power of the uncles of king Richard, but especially by the duke of 
Gloucester, who had been more bitter against him than all the rest ; 
and how he had fled to Holland, and had remained a short time at 
Dordrecht, when he was forced thence by duke Albert, the lord of 
Dordrecht and Holland, who refused him a residence on his lands, 
from a wish not to act contrary to the will of his cousins in England, 
notwithstanding king Richard had written to lum in his favor. The 
duke of Ireland, being forced to depart, went to Utrecht, where he 
resided some time, and miglit have staid there as long as he pleased ; 
for Utrecht is a free town to receive whoever lists, if they pay for 
what they want, and this duke had a sufficiency of money ; for he 
had received of the constable, sixty thousand francs, as the balance 
of the ransom of John of Brittany. You have also heard how the king 
of France had sent him passports to come to France, having invited 
him thither, and where he had remained for more than a year, the 
king showing him very great attention, because he was a foreigner. 

There is nothing but what one is tired of. True it is, that, not- 
witlistanding this duke was so well received by the king, the lord de 
Coucy mortally hated him, ind not without reason ; for although, in 
other affairs, he showed great srood sense, honor and liberality, he 
had behaved infamously to the dac^hter of the lord de Coucy, whom 
he had married, and without any rttsons, except temptation and 
deceit, he had divorced and taken anotht, ,vife, who was from Bo- 
hemia, and one of the ladies attached to i\^ queen of England. 
The king and queen had improperly and sinfully .-onsented to this ; 
and pope Urban had, at their entreaties, sent from Rwne a dispensa- 
tion for the marriage. This new marriage not only woji^jjed the 
reputation of the duke of Ireland, but was the principal caust, of his 
ruin. 

The lord de Coucy was one of the king of France's council, and 
very deservedly in favor, from the services he had done, and was 
willing to do, his country : he therefore, with the assistance of his 
friends, sir Oliver de Clisson, the lord de la Riviere and sir John le 
Mercier, prevailed on the king to dismiss the duke of Ireland. Orders 
were, in consequence, sent him from the king, to choose any other 
residence but France, and that he should be safely conducted out of 
that kingdom. The duke of Ireland perceived they were tired of 
him, and that he ran daily risks, from the lord de Coucy and from 
his relations. He therefore thought it would be best for him to leave 
France as soon as possible, and retire to Brabant ; and begged of 
the king to write to the duchess of Brabant, that he might live peace, 
ably in her country. The king cheerfully complied with his request, 
and wrote to his aunt, the duchess, who at his desire assented to it. 
The duke of Ireland was escorted by the king of France's officers 

*" John BetliisiLC was one of the chief advisers of the duke of Berry, and was accused 
with Tiotac and de Bar, two other domestics of this prince, of having' raised enormous 
levies trom the Liuignedocians, over whom the duke was guvernnr. and, under liis name 
of having committed great plunder and much violence, and of having put large sums 
into their own pockets. This report gave rise to tlic following pasquinade, that is even 
current in our times : 

Ti6tac, de Bar, et Bethisac, 

Ont mis I'argent du roi au sac." 
"Bethisac suSered tlie punishment of his crijnes, but the duke of Berry having 
claimed him as his domestic, those who had sworn his ruin persuaded liim to own he 
had erred in several articles of faiUi, which would cause him to be transteired to the 
bishop, and the duke could the easier save him. Crime often stupefies. Bethisac was 
simple enough to fall into tlieir trap. The bishop of Bez en had him tried and given 
over to the secular arm as a heretic and sodomile. This wretch was burnt alive, wliich 
was. says Mezeray. a feu de joio for the people whom he had horribly tormented His- 
tory does not say whence ho sprunj. but ptobably he was of low origia who wanted to 
rile too rapidly."— i>icEwniwrrtf tiiatoriquf. 



as far as Louvain, where he fixed his residence : he went, indeed, 
at times, to a castle near Louvain, which he had borrowed from a 
knight of Brabant. The archbishop of York, who was of the house 
of Neville, lived with the duke, as he had been banished England 
for the same cause as himself. The archbishop's family were very 
powerful in Northumberland, from their property and connections. 
These two lords, as I have heard, remained at Louvain as long aa 
they lived, for they could never obtain favor with the uncles of the 
king of England, and there died. I never heard more of them. 



CHAPTER V. 

KING CHAKLES OF FKANCE VISITS HIS UNCLE THE DUEE OF BtJRSUNDT, 
AND POPE CLEMENT AT AVIGNON. 

About Michaelmas 1399, the king of France set out .'rom the 
castle of Beaute, near Paris, where he left the queen, and took the 
road to Troyes in Champagne in his way to Burgundy. He waa 
accompanied by his uncle the duke of Bourbon, the duke of Tou- 
raine, the lord de Coucy and many other knights, and continued his 
journey until he arrived at Dijon. 

The duke of Burgundy, and his son the count de Nevers, had 
gone as far as Chatillon-sur-Seine to meet the king. On his arrival 
at Dijon, he was received with every respect and affection by the 
duchess of Burgundy, the countess of Nevers, and all who had come 
thither to do him honor. From love to the king, many ladies and 
damsels, whose company he preferred, were come to Dijon, such as 
the lady of Sully, the ladies of Vergy and Pagny, and several others, 
handsome and gay, and richly dressed. The dancings and carolings 
instantly began: the ladies exerted their talents in singing and dan- 
cing to amuse the king, the duke of Bourbon, the duke of Touraine 
and the lord de Coucy. On the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 
were tilts gallantly performed, and prizes given to the most deserv. 
ing. The king remained eight whole days at Dijon, thus amusing 
himself : on the tenth, I believe he took leave of the duke and duch- 
ess of Burgundy and their family. It was the intention of the duke 
of Burgundy instantly to follow the king, and remain with him ; and, 
on this being settled, he departed from Dijon, having bidden adieu 
to the ladies and damsels. 

The king continued his journey until he came to Villeneuve, near 
Avignon, where his palace had been prepared. The cardinals of 
Amiens,* Aisgrenel,+ Saint Marcel,t Neufchastel,^ and upward of 
thirteen others, went out to meet the king, as they were rejoiced at 
his arrival. The duke of Berry was already at Avignon, and lodged 
in the palace of the pope ; but he came to Villeneuve to meet his 
nephew, and fixed his quarters at the h6tel of Arras, called Amon- 
tais, on the road to Montpellier. The duke of Burgundy arrived the 
day after the king, at Villeneuve, down the Rhbne, for at Lyons he 
had embarked on board a large barge. 

These three dukes, being assembled, determined to accompany 
the king in his visit to the pope in his palace. Having had every- 
thing prepared accordingly, the king of France, attended by his 
brother, his three uncles, and twelve cardinals, crossed the Rh6ne 
at nine o'clock, and went to the palace, where pope Clement was 
waiting for him in full consistory, seated in his robes, on his papal 
chair. 

When the king came into his presence, he bowed ; and, when 
near to him, the pope rose up, and the king kissed his hands and 
mouth. The pope then seated himself, and made the king sit by 
him on a handsome seat prepared for the occasion. The four dukes, 
»fter having kissed the pope's hands and mouth, seated themselves 
alsv- among the cardinals. When these ceremonies were over, it 
was dti.ier.time : they therefore went into the other apartments of 
the pope a^^ the hall, where the tables were spread. When they 
had washed, fi.^ pope took his place at a table alone, in much state. 
The king was placed at another table below that of the pope, and 
alone also. The carfcnals and dukes seated themselves according 
to their rank. The dinne. was splendid, plentiful and long. When 
over, wine and spices were brought ; and the king then retired to an 
apartment that had been prepared for him in the palace, as did the 
dukes to theire, for all of them had t\>ambers, properly ornamented, 
provided for them, and which they inhabJed as long as they staid at 
Avignon. 

On the fifth day after the arrival of the king of France at Avignon, 
the young count de Savoye, cousin to the king, and nephew to the 
duke of Bourbon, came thither. The king was pleased at his com. 
ing, for he had seen him as he passed through Lyons, and \iad invited 
him to Avignon. The king of France, the duke of Touraine and 
the count de Savoye, being young and giddy, neither could nor would 
refrain from dancing, caroling, and amusing themselves with the 
ladies and damsels of Avignon, though they were in the pope's pal- 
ace and among the cardinals; and the count of Geneva, brother to 
the pope, was their master of the revels. The king made such 
magnificent presents to the ladies, that they all praised his liberality. 

* John de la Grange was minister of state under Charles V. who procured him the 
purple. He was c-ovetous and ambitious. 

t Not in the list of cardmols. J Q. if not MarcelJin. 

i John de Neufchvtel— cirealed curdiaal bf p«p« Clement, for further ptitticgl*n. 
we Moreri, 6lc 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



499 



The pope and eardinab were much rejoiced at this visit of the 
luiig of France, as indeed they had good reason to be ; for without 
his support they would have been in little estimation. There were 
DO kings in Christendom who paid him obedience but such as were 
allied to France. The kings of Castille and Scotland acknowledged 
him for pope, as did the king of Arragon, through the intercession 
ef the queen Jolande de Bar, who was cousin-german to the king 
of France, otlierwise he would have remained neuter like his father. 
You may, therefore, suppose the pope and hie cardinals were happy 
in receiving the king of France ; for all they had to depend on was 
obtained throngh his favor. The king of France remained, I know 
not how many days, with the pope and cardinals, revelling and 
amusing himself. The pope, on this joyful occasion, gave pardons 
to the clergy who were in his courts, and plenary indulgences to all 
for one month to come. He likewise presented the king with the 
Dominations to all his cathedrals and other churches, and in each 
church the reversion of two prebends, deferring all his former prom- 
ises, tliat tliese now made might have tlie precedency, which was 
fortunate for many of the French clergy, who were thus provided. 
He gave also reversions to the dukes of Touraine, Berry, and Bur. 
gundy, and the lord de Coucy, which threw back all those he had 
formerly promised ; and the pope was so courteous and liberal on 
this occasion, that none went away discontented. 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE KINS OF FK.iNCE SENDS THE DUKES OF BERRY- AXD EtlKGCSDY TO 
IHEIR HOMES, TO THEIR GREAT DISSATISFACTION, AND CONTINtJES HIS 
JOURNEY FROM AVIGNON TO LANGUEDOC. 

The king of France resided with the pope about eight days, during 
which lime his holiness had fully discussed with him his situation, 
and what trouble the other pope at Rome gave him, in depriving 
him of his right, in the schism he caused in the church. The king 
was willing to do everything in his power to relieve him, and said 
that on his return to France, he would endeavor to provide a remedy, 
and exert himself to unite the church. Upon this he took leave of 
the pope, and went to Villeneuve, as did his brother and his uncles 
of Berry and Burgundy. The king entertained at dinner all the 
cardinals and the count of Geneva, after which he took leave of 
them, returning them his vhanlis for their attentions, saying, he 
should, on the morrow, begin his journey to Montpellier. 

The cardinals having left the king, it was determined in council, 
that he should set out very early, in company with his brother and 
the duke of Bourbon. He took leave, therefore, of his uncles of 
Berry and Burgundy, bidding them return to their own estates, as 
he had not then any further occasion for them, intending to go as far 
as Toulouse, and summon thither the count de Foi.'c to meet him. 
His uncles were much disconcerted at this order ; but the king's 
council was at that time so formed, that the dukes of Beriy and Bur- 
gundy had no voice in it, nor weight, but in triiles. The govern- 
ment of Languedoc had been taken from the duke of Berry, and 
divided into seneschalships, which was not only more profitable to 
the king, but more agreeable to the country ; for the duke bf Berry, 
during his government, had grievously oppressed the inhabitants, 
by heavy taxes, as I shall more fully relate, for it is deserving to be 
detailed. 

The dukes of Berry and Burgundy were very melancholy, when 
they found the king was determined they should not accompany him 
in his journey ; but they dissembled their thoughts from all but each 
other, and thus conversed : •' The king is going to Languedoc to 
hold inquisition on those who have governed it, and to treat with 
the count de Foi.\, (who is the proudest person existing, and never 
loved nor esteemed, though neighbors, the kings of France, England, 
Castille, Arragon or Navarre,) and only takes with him la Riviere, 
le Mercier, Montaigu and the bfegue de Villaines. What do you 
Bay to this, brother?" added the duke of Berry. "Our nephew is 
young, and if he follow young counsel he will be deceived, and the 
end will not be prosperous, as you will see. For the present, we 
must dissemble this affront ; but the time will come, when those 
who have advised it shall repent of it, as well as the king. Let 
them go whither they please, in God's name ; we will return to our 
homes ; and, so long as we are united, they cannot do us any injury, 
for we are the greatest personages in France." Such was the Ian. 
guage of these two dukes. 

The king of France left Villeneuve early in the morning, for 
Nimes, whrrc he arrived to dinner; but his uncles and the lord de 
Coucy staid with the pope, at Avignon, four days longer, when they 
all separated, and each went different ways. The day the king 
dined at Nimes, he lay at Lunel, and the next day dined at Mont, 
pellier, which was but three short leagues distant. He was joyfully 
received by the citizens, ladies, and damsels, who were desirous to 
Bee him, and offered him magnificont and rich presents ; for Mont- 
pellier is a powerful and wealthy town, full of merchandise, and was 
much valued by the king, when he had considered its importance. 
The citizens told him it had been infinitely richer than he now found 
it, before the dukes of Anjou and Berry had plundered it, as they 
had severally done in their turn. The king compassionated them 
much for the losses they had sustained, and promised that he would 



have every grievance reformed, and the government placed on a dif- 
ferent footing. The citizens likewise addressed the king during his 
stay at Montpellier, saying, " Sire, the poverty of this town is nothing 
to what you will see the further you advance ; for this place haa 
many resources in its commerce, which its inhabitants carry on by 
sea and land. In the seneschalships of Toulouse and Carcassonne, 
and in that part of the country, where these dukes have laid their 
hands, there is absolutely nothing ; for they have carried off every, 
thing portable ; and you will find the inhabitants so poor, that those 
who were in good circmnstances have not wherewithal to cultivate 
their fields or vineyards. It is melancholy to see them, their wives 
and children ; for they had every year five or six taxes on their backs, 
and they compounded for a third, a half, and sometimes all their 
property was taken from them ; and no sooner was one tax paid 
than another was demanded. These two lords, your uncles, since 
they have had the government of Languedoc, have collected, as the 
account will prove, upward of thirty tliousand francs from the coun- 
try, beginning with Villeneuve, near Avignon, to the Toulousain, as 
far as the river Garonne, and turning back by the river Dordogne. 
Since the departure of the duke of Anjou to Naples, this government 
has been given to the duke of Berry, and he has more severely op. 
pressed the country, which he found rich and plentiful : the duke of 
Anjou made only the rich pay, who were well enabled to do so ; but 
the duke of Berry spares neither poor nor rich : he swallows up 
everything by means of one Bethisac, his counsellor and treasurer, 
who is a native of Beziers, as you will hear from the complaints the 
poor will make to you, in crying out for vengeance against him." 

The king replied, "May God forsake my soul, if I will not cheer- 
fully listen to their complaints, and, before I return, provide a rem- 
edy for them. I will punish the wicked, and have an inquisition 
holden on the officers and servants of my uncles, who formerly had 
this government ; and those who have behaved ill shall be treated 
accordingly." 

CHAPTER VII. 

DURING THE TUIE KING CHARLES OF FRANCE IS AT MONTPELLIEH, THREE 
OF HIS CHAMBERLAINS UNDERTAKE TO HOLD A TOURNAMENT NEAR TO 
CALAIS, AGAINST ALL COMERS. 

The king of France resided at Jlontpellier upward of twelve 
days, because the respect and amusements he enjoyed there from the 
citizens, ladies and damsels, pleased him greatly. Indeed, the king 
was at this time young and giddy : he therefore danced and caroled 
with these frisky ladies of Montpellier all night. He entertained 
them with handsome suppers and banquets, and presented to those 
most in his favor rings and clasps of gold. He acquired so greatly 
the love of the Montpellier ladies that some wished he had made a 
longer stay, for it was one continued revel and pastime the whole 
time he was there. You know, or must have heard it noticed, that the 
intercourse of young gentlemen with the fair sex encourages sen. 
timents of honor, and a love of fame. I mention this, because there 
were with the king of France three gentlemen of great enterprise 
and valor, which they were probably induced to display from that 
intercoui'se, as I shall relate. 

The names of these three knights were, sir Boucicaut the younger, 
sir Reginald de Roye, and the lord de Saimpi. These knights were 
chamberlains to the king, and were much esteemed by him for their 
worth, for accoutering him so ably with his arms, and in other ser. 
vices, such as good knights owe to their lord. While they were at 
Montpellier amusing themselves with the ladies and damsels, they 
were called upon to answer a challenge in the course of the ensuing 
summer : the principal cause of this, as I was informed, was as follows. 

During the reign of king Charles V. of happy memory, an Eng. 
lishman of high birth and great renown, called sir Piei-s Com-teney, 
came from England to Paris to challenge sir Guy de la Tremouille, 
in a combat before the king and lords of France, and whoever else 
might wish to be spectators of it. Sir Guy de la Tremouille ac 
cepled the challenge ; and the king, with the duke of Burgundy and 
many of the great barons, were present at this combat. I believe 
they only ran one course with the lance, for the king would not suffer 
more to be done, to the great discontent of the English knight, who 
seemed desirous of pushing the combat to extremities. He was, 
however, appeased by fair speeches, saying he ought to be satisfied, 
for he had done enough ; and lie was presented with very rich gifts 
by the king and the duke of Burgundy.* 

Perceiving he could do nothing more, sir Piers Courteney set out 
on his return to Calais ; t»id the lord de Clary, who at that time was 
a gay and lively knight, was ordered to escort him. They rode on 
until they came to Lucen,t where the countess de St. Pol, sister to 
king Richard of England, resided. The countess was rejoiced to 
see sir Piers Courteney ; for before her marriage with the coimt de 
St. Pol, she had been united to his cousin the lord Courteney ,t but he 



» Sir Tiers Courteney is menlioned by Ilub'dnle, vol. i. p. 639, to have oblAmed licence, 
in theTlh Ric. H to senii various presents to die liine and lords of France, m return lor 
the honors they Had paid him in his cumbat with a kniglit of that countrj'. This talcht 
was probably sir Guy de la Tremouille. Tlie licence is in the FiBdera. 
fLucen." Q. Luzeuz, a town in the comte de St. PoL ,_.... r 

t ThU penon was Hugh Oourteney, soa of the carl of Devonshire ; but he died before 
his father, and of course did not inherit the earldom. His widow Maude, danehtel ot 
sir Thomas Holland, married Walcran count de St. PoL-DcoDill. 



500 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, tc. 



had died young, and the English called her lady Courteney rather 
than countess of St. Pol. While there, the countess, in the course 
of conversation, asked sir Piers what he thought of the kingdom of 
France : he repUed, " Certainly, madam, France is very e.xtensive, 
rich and plentiful, and well guarded. In our country we do not form 
a true estimate of it." " And are you pleased witli the reception 
the lords of France have given you? have they not entertained you 
Handsomely ?" " To be sure, madam, I am perfectly contented as 
to the reception I have had ; but, in regard to my having crossed the 
sea, they have but shabbily acquitted themselves : and I must say, 
that if the lord do Clary, who is a French knight, had come to Eng- 
land, and challenged any one, however high his rank, it would have 
been accepted, and the terms faithfully fulfilled to his utmost plea- 
sure ; but this has been refused me. True it is, that sir Guy de 
la Tremouille and myself were brought into the lists ; but, when we 
had run one course with the lance, I was stopped, and ordered from 
the king to attempt nothing more, for that we had done enough. 
I therefore say, madam, and shall say and maintain it wherever I go, 
that I have not met any one able to oppose me in arms ; and that 
it has not been my fault, but rests solely with the knights of France." 

The lord de Clary who was present, marked this speech in his 
memory, and with great difHcuity held his tongue, on account of his 
having the English knight under his care. The countess of St. Pol 
replied ; " My lord, you will leave France with much honor, having 
complied with the request of the king of France, not to proceed 
further in your combat ; for you \\ould have been unable to do more 
contrary to his will. You cannot incur any blame in this matter ; 
and all those on each side of the sea that shall hear it told, will give 
you more praise than blame ; I therefore beg of you to rest satis- 
fied." " Lady," said the knight, " that I will do, and not give my- 
self any further care about it." 

Here the conversation on this matter ended ; and other subjects 
were discoursed on, during the day and night they remained. On 
the morrow, sir Piers Courteney took leave of the countess de St. 
Pol, who presented him with a handsome clasp of gold, and another 
to the lord de Clary, as being his companion, and because the Eng- 
lish knight was under his care and escort. They left Lucen early 
in the morning, and took the road to Boulogne, where they lay that 
night, and the ne.xt day rode through Marquise to Calais. Between 
Boulogne and Calais there are but seven short leagues, and a good 
road ; and at the distance of two leagues from Calais you enter on 
the territory of Melle, Oye, and Guisnes, which then belonged to the 
king of England. When they were near to Calais, sir Piers Courte- 
ney said : " Lord of Clary, we are now on the territories of the 
king of England : you have handsomely acquitted yourself, in escort- 
ing me ; and I give you many thanks for your company." 

The lord de Clary had not forgotten the speech of sir Piers to the 
countess de St. Pol, in the presence of many persons ; for it had made 
him sulky and full of anger, which, although at the time he had not 
noticed as he thought it deserved, he was unwilling that it should 
pass off unanswered ; for he considered it as presumptuous, and dis- 
honorable to the chivalry of France. Sir Piers had publicly de- 
clared, that he had purposely left England to seek deeds of arms in 
France, and had not found any one in that country willing to oppose 
him. The lord de Clary had therefore determined, in his own mind, 
that such expressions should not remain unnoticed. He therefore, 
on taking leave, said : " Sir Piers, you are now on the lands of the 
king of England, whither I have escorted you, by orders of my king 
and my lord of Burgundy. You may recollect that, the day before 
yesterday, when we were in the apartnrent of the countess de St. Pol, 
who entertained us handsomely, you spoke with too great latitude as 
it seemed to me, and too much to the blame and prejudice of the 
French chivalry ; for you said you had come to the court of the king 
of France, and had fvund no one willing to oppose you in arms ; 
and you seemed to have it understood, that there was not a knight 
in France, who dared to tilt with you three courses with a lance. I 
■wish you tlierel'ore to know, that I (who am one of the smallest knights 
of the realm,) offer myself, to maintain that France is not so devoid 
of knights, but that you may find many willing to accept your chal- 
lenge ; and if you will accept of me to this intent, either this day or 
to-morrow, I will meet you without hatred or any ill-will. It is 
solely with a view to defend our honor, and that you may not return 
to Calais or England, and boast you have defeated the chivalry of 
France without striking a blow : now, say whether you will accept 
Biy challenge or not." Sir Piers Courteney was ready with his 
answer, and said : " Ijord de Clary, you speak well : I accept your 
challenge, and proposs that you be at this place to-morrow, armed 
as you please. I will be so likewise ; and wo will tilt three courses 
with the lance, by wliich you will recover the honor of France, and 
give mo much satisfaction." " Agreed," replied the lord de Clary : 
" I will be here at the hour you shall appoint." The two knights 
then pledged their faith to each other for this tournament, and sepa- 
rated : the lord de Clary went to Marquise, which was not far dis- 
tant, where he provided himself with armor, a shield, and lance. He 
was not long in doing this ; for the knights on the frontier of Bou- 
logne and Calais take care to have ample supplies. He did it all, 
however, as secretly as he could ; for he was unwilling that too many 
should know and speak of it. i 

In like manner, sir Piers Courteney, on his arrival at Calais, was 



not unmindful of the engagement he had made. He hod no occasion 
to seek either for armor or arms, for he had brought with him from 
England his own proper arms, which were good and strong. 

At this time sir John Warnes* was governor of Calais, to whom 
he told the engagement he had made with the lord de Clary. Sir 
John replied, that he would accompany him, with some other knighta 
of Calais. On the ensuing morning, the two knights met at the 
appointed place ; but the English knight was better accompanied 
than the lord de Clary, for he had with him the governor of Calais. 
On their meeting there was not much conversation, for each knew 
what he was to do. 

Both of them were strongly and completely armed, to abide the 
event, such as the fortune of arms should decide, and they were well 
mounted. They had their targets fast buckled on, and their lances 
given them, which were of sharp, well-tempered Bordeau.v steel, 
H,aving taken their distance, they spurred their horses full gallop, 
against each other, but missed their strokes, which seemed to vex 
them greatly. On the second course, they met full ; and the lord de 
Clary gave sir Piers so severe a blow with his stiff and well-tempered 
lance, that it pierced the target, and, entering deeply into the shoul- 
der, struck him off his horse. The lord de Clary, having so ably 
tilted, passed on, and finished his career as an accomplished knight 
should, and remained quiet ; but seeing the English knight was 
unhorsed, surrounded by his friends as he lay on the ground, and 
thinking that he might have wounded him, for his lance with the 
blow was shivered in pieces, rode toward him. The English ad- 
vanced to meet him, saying he was not a courteous tilter. " Why 
so?" replied the lord de Clary. " Because you h.ave thrust your lance 
into sir Piers's shoulder : you ought and could have tilted more libe- 
rally." " It was not my part to be over courteous ; for I was ready 
prepared to meet with such an accident, or perhaps a worse, if it had 
so happened : but since he had such pleasure in justing, ask him, or 
I will for you, if he be satisfied, or wish for more." Sir John Bernes, 
upon this, said : "No, sir knight: you may depart, for you have 
done enough." The lord de Clary went away with his company, 
and the English carried sir Piers Courteney to Calais, that his wound 
might be attended to and cured. The lord de Clary returned to 
France, expecting to receive great praise for the goodly act he 
thought he had done : but I will tell you how it turned out. 

When it was made known to the king of France, the duke of 
Burgundy, and their council, that the lord de Clary, in accompanying 
sir Piers Courteney, had fought with, and so dangerously wounded 
him, that he was in danger of his life, they were highly enraged 
against him, and in particular sir Guy de la Tremouille. They de- 
clared his conduct deserved at least confiscation of his lands, and 
perpetual banishment from the kingdom of France. Others, who 
were his enemies, said he had acted like an infamous traitor, in chal- 
lenging and fighting a knight that had been placed under his guard 
by the king and the duke of Burgundy ; that he was guilty of an un- 
pardonable crime, and ought to suffer death. 

The lord de Clary was summoned to appear, which summons he 
obeyed, and when brought before the king, the duke of Burgundy, 
and the council, was sharply reprimanded, for having dared to injure 
a knight who had come from foreign countries to the court of France 
to perform a deed of arms and gain renow*n, and had left that court 
with perfect satisfaction to all, and under his safeguard ; notwith- 
standing which, he had on his return, at the boundary of the two 
kingdoms, challenged him to mortal combat, without having de- 
manded permission of iiis sovereign, on whose tei'ritories he was : 
that this was a crime deserving the severest punishment, by which 
others might take example. The lord de Clary, on hearing this bit. 
ter reproof, was thunderstruck, for he thought what he had done de- 
served a contrary treatment. Having paused awhile, he said : " My 
lords, it is indeed true that you intrusted to my care sir Piers Court- 
eney, with orders to escort him as far as Calais or to the borders of 
the kingdom. Of this I have acquitted myself loyally and faithfully, 
which, if necessary to prove, I can readily do so from himself. It is 
also true, that on our road we visited the countess de St. Pol at Lu- 
zieuz, who received us very kindly. While there, the following con- 
versation passed : The lady asked sir Piers, if he were contented 
with the lords of France, and what he thought of the country ? The 
knight courteously replied, 'Madam, the state of France is rich, ex- 
tensive, and plentiful. With respect to its lords, I am peifectly satis- 
fied with the reception and entertainments I have had from them, ex- 
cepting one thing. I have put myself to very great expense in my 
preparations and journey to Paris, to perform a deed of arms, but, 
when arrived there, found none willing to accept of my challenge.' 
My lords, when I heard this speech before such a lady as the countess 
of St. Pol, sister to the king of England, my blood boiled within me ; 
but, with much difficulty I kept silence, because you had intrusted 
him to my care and protection ; and I never gave him the least 
cause to suspect I was any way hurt by what he had said, so long 
as we continued together in France. But true it is, that when we 
were about to separate on the borders of the country of Guisnes, I 
reminded him of his expressions to the countess de St. Pol, which, 
I suid, were neither civil nor honorable, as he seemed to wish it to 



* I cannot discorer sir John Warnes. and must suppose it q mistake : foT sir William 
Reuuriiamp was governor of Calais when the truoewas signed. Lord Uerner^ calU 
him sir John Bemes. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



501 



be understood, that the chivalry of Fiance was ao much debased that 
he could not meet with any one ^dio dared to fight with him : that 
I, as a knight of France, if such were his meaning, offered to prove 
the conti-ary, being unwilling that, on his return to England, he 
should have the power of renewing his boastings : that I was ready 
and deeii'ous to afford him the pleasure of tilting three courses with 
a lance, either that or any future day. Certainly, my lords, I made 
this offer for the honor of the kingdom of France and its chivalrj', 
who arc here present : and it seemed to me, that he accepted my 
challenge with much joy, and fixed the meeting for the mon'ow, on 
the spot where we were speaking. He then went to Calais, and I 
returned to Marquise, where I provided mj'self with the necessary 
arms, as he was to do at Calais. On the mon-ow, according to our 
appointment, we met. He cantc well attended by some of the gar- 
rison of Calais, and some of the knights and squires of the borders 
came with me, such as the lord de Montcarel and sir John de Long, 
villiers. When we met, we had but a short conversation, and then 
tilted with spears of war, for we were both completely armed, to the 
best of our abilities. The fortune of the combat fell to me, for at the 
second course I drove my lance into him, and threw him on the 
ground. I then went to see what situation he was in, and if he 
wished to continue the combat. The governorof Calais told me that 
what had been done was sufficient, and that I might depart. This 
I did. You have ordered me hither, and here I am. I thought I 
had acted properly in support of the honor of the king domand its 
chivalry, and have related to you the e.\aet truth. If I am to be pun- 
ished for what I have done, I shall submit myself to the judgment of 
my lord the constable, and the marshals of France, and also to the 
evidence of sir Piers Courteney himself, with whose consent I have 
fought this duel, and to the discretion of all knights and squires of 
honor in France or England, who may wish to attend to it." 

The lord de Clary, having thus clearly exculpated himself, greatly 
softened the anger of those who had sent for him : but this did not 
prevent him fro-:n being committed to prison, where he remained a 
considerable time in much dange;-. His lands were seized, and him. 
self on the point of banishment from France, when the lord de Coucy 
and the duke of Bourbon, who loved him, interfered, and with great 
difficulty made his peace, by means of the countess de St. Pol, who 
testified to the truth of what he had said, of the conversation that had 
passed at her house. On obtaining his liberty, he was addressed ; 
" Lord de Clary, when you challenged sir Piers Courteney to fight, 
instead of acting, as you thought, very gallantly, you behaved in. 
famously ; tor he was under the protection of the king, and you had 
orders to conduct him in safety to Calais. You committed a great 
outrage, when you noticed, in the manner you have yourself declared, 
the conversation he held in joke at the countess de St. Pol's. Before 
you had proposed this combat, you ought to have returned hither to 
my lords, and have told them, that sir Piers Courteney had held such 
aiid such insolent language against the honor of the knights of France 
in your presence. They would then have ordered you how to act. 
Because, therefore, you have not done this, you have been thus pu[i- 
ished. Be another time more discreet ; and return thanks for your 
deliverance to my lord of Bourbon and the lord de Coucy ; they have 
exerted themselves much to serve you, as has the countess de St. 
Pol ; for that good lady took great pains that you should be acquit, 
ted." The lord de Clary replied: " Many thanks, my lords ;" ad- 
ding. " I certainly thought I was deserving more praise than blame, 
when I acted as I did." 

During the stay of the king of France at Montpellier, he gave a 
grand banquet to many ladies and damsels of that town ; during 
which, all I have just related was talked over, and the cause was, 
that the three knights, who were desirous of holding the lists against 
all comers, wished to avoid falling under like blame to the lord de 
Clary. 

Sir Boucicaut the younger, sir Reginald de Royc, and the lord de 
Saimpi, offered to hold a field of arms on the frontier of Calais, in the 
course of the ensuing summer, against all foreign knights and squires, 
for the space of thirty days, and to tilt with blunt lances or others. 
The king of France, as well as those present, thinking this proposal 
was rather presumptuous, remonstrated with them, and desired they 
would put down their challenge on paper, that if any improper lan- 
guage were made use of, it might be corrected ; for the king and his 
ministers wished to examine it, being unwilling that any improper or 
unusual terms should be used. The three knights agreed that this 
would be right, and, in reply to the king, said they would insiandy 
obey his commands. They ordered a clerk, with pens, paper, and 
ink, into another apartment, and dictated to him as follows : 

" From the great desire we have to become acquainted with the 
nobles, gentlemen, knights, and squires bordering on the kingdom of 
France, as well as with those in the more distant countries, we pro- 
pose being at St. Ingelvere* the twentieth day of May next ensuing, 
and to remain there for thirty days complete ; and on each of these 
thirty days, excepting the Fridays, we will deliver from their vows 
all knights, squires, and gentlemen, from whatever countries they 
may come, with five courses with a sharp or blunt lance, according 
to their pleasure, or with both lances if more agreeable. On the out. 
side of our tents will be hung our shields, blazoned with our arms ; 
than is to say, with our targets of war and our shields of peace. Who- 

* " St. Ingelvere"— a village in Picordy, nerir Calais. 



ever may choose to tilt with us has only to come, or send any one, the 
preceding day, to touch with a rod either of these shields, according 
to his courage. If he touch the target, he shall find an opponent ready 
on the morrow to engage him in a mortal combat with three courses 
with a lance : if the shield, he shall be tilted with a blunted lance ; 
and if both shields are touched, he shall be accommodated with both 
sorts of combat. Every one who may come, or send to touch our 
shields, must give in his name to the persons who shall be appointed 
to the care of them. And all such foreign knights and squires as shall 
be desirous of tilting with us, shall bring with them some noble friend, 
and we will do the same on our parts, who will order what may be 
proper to be done on either side. We particularly entreat, such noble 
knights or squires as may accept our challenge, to believe that we do 
not make it through presumption, pride, or any ill-will, but solely with 
a view of having their honorable company, and making acquaintance 
with them, which we desire from the bottom of our hearts. None of 
our targets shall be covered «ith steel or iron, any more than those 
who may tilt with us; nor shall there be any fraud, deceit, or trick 
made use of, but what shall be deemed honorable by the judges of 
the tournament. And that all gentlemen, knights and squires, to 
whom these presents shall come, may depend on their authenticity, 
we have set to them our seals, with our arms, this twentieth day of 
November, at Montpellier, in the year of grace 1389." Underneath 
was signed, Reginald de Roye, Boucicaut, Saimpi. 

The king of France was well pleased with this courageous chal. 
lenge of his three knights, and declared it should have his consent, 
if, on examination by his ministers, there was no fault found with the 
terms it was couched in. It was objected to by some, that it was 
wrong to fix the place for this tournament so near to Calais, as the 
English might think it was arrogantly and particularly aimed at 
them ; and that all occasions of quarrel should be avoided, for a truce 
had been agreed to for three years between France and England- 
The king's ministers were one whole day considering the matter, 
without coming to any conclusion. Some of the most prudent said, 
it ought not to be allowed, nor the whims ef wild young knights to 
be acceded to, for more evil than good might ensue from them. Tha 
king, however, %vho was young himself, greatly inclined toward them, 
and said ; " Let them perform their enterprise : they are young and 
courageous, and, besides, have vowed to do so before the ladies of 
Montpellier. We are desirous they should undertake it, and bring 
it to the happiest end they can.'' 

When the king had thus declared his mind to the council, no one 
made further opposition, to the great joy of the knights. The chal. 
lenge having been agreed to in the manner the knights had drawa 
it out, the king called them into his closet, and said ; " Boucicaut, 
Reginald, and Saimpi, be attentive to this your enterprise, to guard 
well your own honor and that of our kingdom : let nothing be spared 
in the state you keep ; for I will not fail to assist you as far as tett 
thousand francs." The three knights cast themselves on their knees, 
and returned the king their warmest thanks. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

DURING THE KING OF FRANCE'S RESIDENCE AT BEZIERS, ACCUSATIONS ARB 
MADE AGAINST BETHISAC, TREASURER TO THE DUKE OF BERRY. THINK. 
ISO TO BE SENT TO THE FOFE AND ESCAPE PUNISHMENT, HE CONFESSES 
HIMSELF A HERETIC AND SODOMITE, BUT IS TRANSFERRED OVER, BY THE 
OFFICIAL AT BEZIERS, TO THE SECULAR POWER, AND BURNT. 

When the king of France had, for fifteen days or more, taken his 
amusements with the ladies and damsels of Montpellier, and his min- 
isters, during that time, had attended to the state of the town, for that 
had been the cause of his coming, and had made many reforms and 
taken off several heavy taxes of which the inhabitants had complained, 
he graciously took his leave of the ladies, and one morning very 
early departed, following the road to Alipiam,* where he dined, and 



lay that night at St. Thibery.t On the morrow, after his morning 
draught, he set off and came to Beziers, where he was received most 
joyfully ; for the good people of that town, and the adjoining ones of 
Pezenas, Cabestan, and Narbonne,t were anxious to see him, in order 
to make their complaints against an officer of the duke of Berry, 
called Bethisac, who had impoverished the country all around, by 
seizing whatever he could lay his hands on. This Bethisac had at. 
tended the king's company ever since he had left Avignon ; but the 
king's ministers, who sought his ruin, never told him, " Bethisac, look 
to yourself, for very strict inquiries will be made into your manage- 
ment ; there have already been made very heavy accusations against 
you to the king." But, on the contrary, they made him good cheer, 
joked and laughed with him, and promised him increased honors, ia 
which he was disappointed, as I shall shortly relate. 

The king of France left St. Thibery at one o'clock in the after- 
noon, and between three and four entered the town of Beziers. He 
was met by the bishop and all the clergy in their robes, and the 
citizens, ladies, and damsels in procession : they formed a lane, 
through which he rode a foot's pace ; and,~as he passed, they all fell 

• ■' Alipiam." It is Olipiom in the MSS. and Aipiam in Verard. Q. if nut intaniled 
for Ville Aimc, which is on the luie from Mon'pollier to St. Thibery. 
t " St. Thibery"— a town in the diocese of Adge. near Pezenas. 
I " Pezenis, Cabestan. and Nnrbonne." towns in Lower Languedoc. J^. 



563 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



on their knees. In this manner was he conducted to the cathedral, 
and dismounted at the portico, where had been erected a rich altar, 
adorned with holy relics from the church. The king, having on his 
knees very devoutly made his prayers at this altar, was conducted 
into the church by the bishop of Beziers and the duke of Bourbon, 
followed by all the great lords. He remained in the church about 
half an hour, and then went to the palace that was adjoining, where 
he, his brother the duke of Touraine, and his uncle the duke of 
Bourbon, were lodged. The other lords were lodged in the town, 
■which was of a sufficient size, for Beziers is a large city. 

The king was for three days revelling 
with the ladies and damsels of Beziers, 
before any notice was taken of Bethisac ; 
but the inquisitors who had been ap- 
pointed to make inquiries concerning 
him were not idle, but did their office 
secretly, and discovered many atrocious 
acts deserving the severest punishment. 
On the fourth day, Bethisac was sum. 
moned before the council, and shut up 
in a chamber for liis examination. He 
■was ordered to make answer to the fol. 
lowing accusations, and was shown at 
the same time a number of complaints 
and petitions that had been presented to 
the king at Beziers, accusing him of 
weak management and such great extor- 
■tions as made the whole country cry out 
against him. All these were read in his 
presence. To some he gave satisfac- 
tory answers, to others not, saying he 
had no knowledge of them, and refer, 
ring them to the seneschals of Beaucaire 
and Carcassonne, and to the chancellor 
of Berry. They concluded this exami. 
nation by telling him, it was necessary 
1o commit him to prison until he should 
clear himself from these heavy charges. 
This he obeyed, for he could not help it ; 
and, as soon as he was gone, the inquisi. 
tors went to his house, and seized all his 
papers and accounts of whatever things 
he had been concerned in, carrying them 
away to search into them more at leisure. 

They discovered a variety of transactions and accounts of large sums 
that he had extorted from these countries. He was asked, if these 
accounts were just, and what had become of the large sums he had 
received ; he answered, " that the accounts were just ; that the 
whole amount had been paid to his lord ot Berry, and had passed 
through his hands, or those of other treasurers, for which he had re. 
ceived legal acquittances, that were in such a place of his house." 
Persons •were sent thither, who laid them before the council : and 
they were found, on comparing them, to tally tolerably well with the 
accounts of receipt. 

The inquisitors and the council were satisfied, and Bethisac was 
no longer closely confined. The council conferred together, and 
said, " Bethisac is clear from this accusation; for it is apparent, that 
all the sums the people complain of having been exacted from them 
have been paid to the duke of Berry. How can we help it if these 
Eums have been extravagantly spent?" Bethisac's defence was 
nothing but the truth; for this duke of Berry was the most covetous 
man alive, and if he could only get money cared not by what means; 
and when he had it, he miserably expended it, like many of the pres. 
ent and past times. 

The king's ministers found nothing in the conduct of Bethisac 
that was deserving death. -\11, however, were not of this opinion ; 
for some of them said, "Bethisac has made such cruel levies, and 
80 impoverished the people, to gratify the passions of my lord of 
Berry, that the blood of these poor creatures cries out loudly against 
him; for that he being the only one from those parts of the duke's 
council, and knowing the poverty of the country, should have remon. 
strated with the duke, and if he refused to listen to him, he should 
have come and informed the king and council of the situation of the 
country, and of the duke's intentions : proper measures wjuld then 
have been taken, and himself exculpated for the large sums he was 
now accused of having amassed." 

In consequence, Bethisac was remanded before the council, and 
again more closely examined, touching the expenditure of the great 
sums that had been raised and paid to the duke of Berry, for they 
had found the amount to be three millions of francs. He replied, 
" My lords, I cannot make out any clearer account of this : the duke 
has laid out large sums in the reparations of his castles and houses, 
in the purchase of lands in the county d'Estampes, from the count 
de Boulogne, and in jewels ; and you know he is very careless in 
Buch purchases. His establishments, which were very great before, 
have been much increased ; and he has made such presents to Thi- 
baut and Morinot, and the valets about his person, that they are be. 
come very rich." " And you, Bethisac," asked the council, " have 



you been well paid for the pains and services you have done him 1 
one hundred thousand francs i# a pretty tolerable recompense." 
" My lords," said Bethisac, "I am very well satisfied with what my 
lord of Berry has given me ; for he wished all his people to be rich." 
" Ha, Bethisac," replied the council, " you now talk like a fool : 
riches, ill acquired, are neither honorable nor profitable. You must 
return to prison, and we will consider what you have now told us, 
and wait there the king's pleasure, to whom we will report every. 
thing you have said in your defence." " My lords," replied B&thisac, 
" God assist me !" 




Entry op Charles King of France to Bezibrs. Designed froji 



i^[ihii(.p;;-^ ofUie period. 



He remained in pnson four days without being noticed by the 
council. When it was known in the country that Bethisac had been 
arrested and thrown into prison, and that an inquisition was holding 
on his conduct; and that whoever had any complaints to make should 
come forward; numbers hastened to Beziers, and presented petitions 
and accusations of heavy charges against Bethisac at the king's 
palace. Some complained that he had robbed them of their lands 
without cause ; others of the violences he had committed on their 
wives and daughters. In short, the complaints were so numerous, 
that the king's council were tired of hearing them : they plainly 
showed how niuch he was hated by the people, which arose from the 
great exertions he had made to fill the purse of the duke of Berry. 

The council were embarrassed to know how to act ; for the duke 
of Berry had sent to Beziers two knights, the lord de Nantouillet 
and sir Peter Mespin, with credential letters to the king. These 
knights avowed, in the name of the duke, all the acts Bethisac had 
committed, as done by his command, and claimed, at the same time, 
the person of Bethisac, that they might conduct him to his lord, the 
duke of Berry. The king, from the many infamous stories he had 
heard of Bethisac, hated him, and he ajid his brother were inclined 
to have him put to death: but the council dared not condemn him, 
as they too much feared the duke of Berry. They said to the king, 
"In case my lord of Berry takes on himself all the acts of Bethisac, 
whatever they may deserve, we do not see that, with any plea of 
justice, we can put him to death. For at the time when he raised 
all these vast sums, by harassing the people with taxes, levies, and 
subsidies, the duke of Berry acted as if he were king, with the same 
royal power you have at this moment. We can, however, do one 
thing, as a punishment for his crimes : we may take possession of 
all his goods, moveable and immoveable, and reduce him to the state 
in which the duke of Berry found him, and distribute these among 
such as have suffered the most from his wickedness." 

Why should I make a longer story of it ? Bethisac was on the 
point of escaping with the loss indeed of his fortune, when other 
events happened that I will relate. I know not, nor have ever been 
able to lea.rn but from his own confession, whether he was or was 
not guilty of the crimes he accused himself of. He declared he had 
been for a long time a heretic, and had done many horrid and wicked 
deeds. According to the information I had, some persons visited 
him by night in prison, and, to frighten him, said : " Bethisac, you 
are in an unfortunate situation ; for the king of France, his brother, 
and the duke of Bourbon, are detemiined on your death ; and they 
have had so many accusations against your conduct, when you for. 
merly governed Languedoc, that they judge you deserving the gal. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



50S 



lows, and you will not escape wilh the confiscation of your wealth. 
This has been offered to the king ; but he hates you mortally, and 
has refused it, saying, that both your property and your body too 
was forfeited to hiiri, and you should not long remain confined. We 
tell you this, that you may consider and make the best of your time ; 
for to-mOrrow you will be brought from prison, and, from the appear- 
ances we have observed, we suppose you will be condemned to death. 
This speech greatJy terrified Beihisac, who exclaimed, "Ah, holy 
Mary ! are there no means to avoid this ?" " Yes," replied they : 
"say to-morrow that you wish to speak to the council; they will 
either come or send for you. When in their presence, say, ' My 
lords, I fear I have greatly offended God, and for this offence am I 
now suffering under these slanderous reports.' They will ask what 
you mean. Reply, that you have for a long time erred from the faith, 
and that you are a heretic. Keep steady to this declaration. The 
bishop of Beziers, when he hears this, will claim you to be given up 
to him. This will be instantly complied with, for such cases devolve 
to the ecclesiastical jurisdiction. You will be sent to -'Vvignon, where 
no one will venture to accuse you in opposition to the duke of Berry, 
whom tlie pope dare not anger. By this means you will escape, 
without loss of life or fortune ; but, if you hesitate in taking advan- 
tage of the earliest opportimity, to-morrow you will be hanged : for 
the king hates you from the clamor of the people, with whom you 
know how unpopular you are." 

Beihisac unfortunately believed all this false information that had 
been given to him, for those who are in peril of their lives are much 
confused in mind : he said, " You are my good friends who thus 
kindly advise me, and may God reward you for it I The time may 
perhaps come when I shall be enabled to thank you otherwise than 
by words." Upon this, his visitors departed. When morning came, 
Bethisac called the jailer, and said : " My friend, I beg of you to 
go, or send, to such and sucli persons," whom he named, in the 
number of his inquisitors. He replied, he would do so ; and they 
were int"ormed, tha,t Bethisac wanted to speak with them in his prison. 
They hastened thither, in the hope that they were already acquainted 
with the purport of his sending for them. When arrived, they asked 
what he wanted : he answered, " My fair sirs, I have had time to 
examine the state of my conscience : and I fear I have greatly of- 
fended God, by having for a long time erred in my faith ; for I do 
not believe one word of the Trinity, nor that the son of God has ever 
deigned to debase himself by descending from heaven, and putting 
on the human form by being born of woman. I believe likewise, 
that when we die, our soul dies with us." " By holy Mary, Bethi. 
sac," replied the infcn-mers, " you do indeed err gready against the 
church : consider well what you have said, for your speech deserves 
the flames." " I know not," answered Bethisac, " whether my speech 
deserves fire or water; but such have been my opinions ever since I 
came to understanding, and such will they continue as long as I live." 

The inquisitors were so rejoiced at what he had said, that they 
would not for the present listen to more ; buton their departure, strictly 
charged the jailer not to admit to him man or woman, lest he should 
retract his opinions, and hastened to lay before the council what they 
had heard. They went to the king, in his chamber, and reported 
what Bethisac had declared. He was greatly astonished, and said : 
*' We order him to be put to death : he is a wicked wretch, a heretic 
and thiet". We will, that he be burjit and hanged, that he may have 
the reward he deserves ; nor for anything my uncle of Berry shall 
say, will I pardon him." 

News was soon spread thraugh Beziers and other places, that Be- 
thisac had of his own free will, without the least constraint, confessed 
himself a heretic and had long followed the doctrines of the Bulga. 
lians,* and that the king had condemned him to be burnt and hanged. 
The inhabitants of Beziers w'cre pleased at this, for he was much 
hated by them. The two knights from the duke of Berry were 
thunderftruek, and knew not how to act : at legth sir Peter Mespin, 
addressing himself to the lord de Nantouillet, said : " I suspect that 
Bethisac has been betrayed, ar.d that some one, who has been to see 
him in prison, has frightened him, and advised him to accuse him- 
self; and that, if he persist in owning himself guilty of these horrible 
and infamous crimes, the church will claim him to be tried accord- 
ing to its canons, and he will be delivered up to the pope at Avignon. 
Ah, the blockhead will be deceived ! for I have already heard the 
king has declared he shall be burnt and hanged. Come, let us hasten 
to his prison, and remonstrate with him on his folly, and make him 
retract all he has said, for he has been betrayed by false friends." 

The two knights immediately went from their lodgings to the 
prison, and demanded from the jailer to speak with Bethisac. The 
jailer ercused himself, saying ; " My lords, I am particularly ordered, 
as well as these four sergeants. at-arms, who have been sent hither 
by the king, nor to suffer any one to converse with the prisoner, un- 
der pain of our lives ; and this command of the king we dare not 
disobey." The knights perceived all further attempt would be vain, 
for it was over with Bethisac, and that he must die for the crimes of 
which he had been wickedly induced to accuse himself. They then 

* This name was eiven to the Manicheans. Their doctrines had passed from Greece 
into Bulparia, from whence they had spread over Europe ; hence the name of BmUgres 
or Bulgarians was given to thooe whom the church of Rome called heresiarchs. The 
AJhigenses had in the prijceding century been dLsUnguished by this naine.— Kd. 



returned to their inn, paid their expenses, momited their horses, and 
set out on their return to the duke of Berry. 

The end of Bethisac was, that about ten o'clock in the morning 
ol the next day he was carried from prison to the palace of the bishop, 
where were assembled his judges and the official of the bishop's 
court. The bailiff of Beziers, under whose care he had been com. 
mitted prisoner, said to the officers of the bishop, " Here is Bethisac, 
whom we deliver to you as a Bulgarian, a heretic, and one erring 
greatly against the faith, who, had he not been a clerk, should have 
been punished by us according to his deserts." The official de. 
manded if he were such a person as had been represented, and that 
he would, in the hearing of the people, avow or deny it. Bethisac, 
who expected to escape by confessing himself guilty, replied, that 
the charges were true. He was thrice asked this question, and thrice 
acknowledged it aloud. You may suppose how grossly he must 
have been deceived : had he kept firm to the defence he had made 
to the accusations brought against him, he would have been acquit- 
ted ; for the duke of Berry had taken upon himself all the charges 
of extortion, in raising the taxes in Languedoc. Fortune, one may 
conclude, played him this trick; and when be was seated, as he 
thought, on the top of her wheel, she suddenly turned it round and 
whirled him in the dirt, as she has done to thousands since the world 
began. 

Bethisac was, by the official, given over to the bailiff of Beziers, 
who, in temporal matters, governs for the king : without delay, he 
led him to the square before the palace, and made such haste, that 
Bethisac had no time to make any defence, nor retract w^hat he had 
said ; for when he saw the fire, and that he was put into the hands 
of the executioner, he was affrighted, and perceived that he had been 
betrayed. He called aloud to be heard, but no attention whatever 
was paid to him : he was told, " Bethisac, the order is given, and 
you must die : your evil deeds have brought you to a disgraceful 
end." Much haste was made, for the fire was lighted ; and they 
had erected a gallows and a post, with a large collar and chain : they 
opened the collar by a hinge, and closed it again, when round his 
neck, and dragged him to the post, fastening him thereto with the 
chain. He cried aloud, saying : " Duke of Berry, they wrongfully 
and treacherously are putting me to death." The moment he was 
fastened to the stake, they covered him with dry faggots, to which 
they set fire ; and thus was Bethisac burnt, and his bones hanged : 
the square being in front of the palace, the king of France, if he 
pleased, might have witnessed it from the windows of his apartments. 
Such was the miserable end of Beihisac ; and the people revenged 
on him the many great vexationS and violences he had committed 
during the time he governed Languedoc* 



CHAPTER IX. 

WHEN THE KtNG OF FRANCE IS AT TOULOUSE, HE StraiMONS THE COUNT DE 
FOIX, WHO, ON HIS ARRIVAL, PAYS Hljl HOMASE FOR HIS COUNTY OP 

Forx. 

The king of France did not remain long in Beziers after this severe 
act of justice, but set out with his array, taking the road toward 
Carcassonne. Since he had let't -\vignon, he had been always at- 
tended by his marshal, sir Lewis de Sancerre. The king did not 
follow the straight road, but visited different towns, such as Cabea- 
tan,+ Narbonne,! Lymoux,^ Montroyal,|| and Fougans, thence he re- 
turned to Carcassonne, where he resided four days. On his departure 
he passed through Ville-franche,1I -\vignonet** and Mont-giscard,+t 
in his way to Toulouse. The inhabitants of this city, being anxious 
to see him, went out in grand procession, hsndsomely dressed, and 
escorted him with much pomp to the castle of Toulouse. The citi- 
zens of the town, which is rich and important, made the king such 
presents, on his arrival, as well pleased him. 

When the king had refreshed himself for three days in Toulouse, he 
was advised to summon the count de Foix, who had left Beam, and 
fi.^ied his residence at a town in Foix, called Mazeres, fourteen leagues 
from Toulouse ; for he had received information of the king's arrival 
at Toulouse, and of his intention to summon hi\n. The marshal of 
France and the lord de la Riviere, were ordered to wait on the count, 
who, setting out on a Wednesday after dinner, arrived at a tolerably 
good town in the Toulousain, called Isle .Tourdain,tt and on the 
morrow, by dinner-time, came to Mazeres. The count de Foix, on 
learning their arrival, received them kindly, from his affection to the 
king, and from his former acquaintance with them. 

The marshal, addressing him, said : " My lord of Foix, our very 
dear lord, the king of France, sends us to invite you to come to Tou- 



* Don Vaissette, in his history of Languedoc. gives very satisfactory reasons, to show 
that ' Froissart wars mistakes as to tire time of Bethisac's execution, which took place 
the 22nd December, 13S9. at Toulouse, some montlis alter the king had left DezietB, 
For further particular, I refer to that history. 

t " Cabestan"— a town in lower Languedoc, diocese of Nimes. 

t " Narbonne"~a large city in lower Langnedoc. 

§ " Lymoux"— a city in upper Languedoc, tive leagues from Oarcassonne. 

II "Mont-royal." Q.. 

^ " Ville-franche"— a town in upper Languedoc, diocwe of Alby. 

** " Avienonet"— a town in upper Languedoc. diocese of St. PapouJ. 

tt " Mont-giscard" — a town in upper LanguGd')c. tliree leagues from Toulotufe, 

XX " Isle of Jourdain"— a town in Armagnac, »^j,t leagues from Toulouse. 



:S04 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &. c . 



Iriuse J otherwise, so great is his desire to see you, that he will do his 
utmost to visit you in your own country." The count replied, " Sir 

Lewis, I will not give the king the trouble of coming to me : for it 

is more becoming that I wait on him. You will tell him, therefore, 

if you please, from me, that I will be in Toulouse within four days." 

" It is well said," replied the knight : "we will return, and carry 

him this your answer." " That you may 

boldly do,'' said the count ; *' but not to- 
day; for you shall now stay with me, as 

I am heartily glad to see you both ; and in 

the morning you shall set out on your 

return." The two knights remained with 

the count, who was in the highest good 

humor, that day and night, and they con- 
versed on various subjects. The count 

was a wise and prudent man, and had a 

talent of drawing from any person with 

whom he conversed, be iiis station what 

it might, his most private thoughts. At 

bed-time, they took leave of the count, 

intending to set out very early in the 

morning for Toulouse, which they did, 

and I believe performed the jonrney in 

one day. On their return, they found the 

kivig playing at chess with the duke of 

Bourbon, who, on seeing them, called out, 

"Weil, what news? Will the count de 

Foix come or not ?" " Yes, sire," replied 

la Riviere : " he has a very earnest desire 

to come to you, and will be here within 

four days." " Well," said the king, " we 

shall be very happy to see him." 

The two knights then left the king to 

continue his game, and went to sup and re- 
fresh themselves, for they had rode a long 

day's journey. The count de Foix, who 

resided at Mazeres, was not forgetful of 

the journey he was to make ; and his pre- 
^paralions were soon ready, for he had 
given orders on that head when he had 
■first heard of the king's coming to Toulouse. He sent forward to 

Toulouse purveyances in abundance, suitable to his rank, and had 
ordered two hundred knights and squires from Beam to attend him. 
On the day the count had fi.\ed for his arrival at Toulouse, he entered 

the city with upward of six hundred horse, and well accompanied by 
knights and squires of his vassalage. Among them were, sir Roger 
d'Espaign his cousin, the lord de Corasse, the lord de Valentin, the 
lord de Quer, the lord de Baruge, sir Espaing du Lyon, the lord de 
Roquepaire, the lordde Lane, the lord de Besach, the lord de Perle,sir 
Peter de Cabestan, sir Menaut de Noailles, sir Richard de la Mothe, 
sir Arnold de Saint Basile, with many others. He was also attended 
by his two brothers, sir Peter and sir Arnold de B^arn, and his two 
bastard sons, whom he affectionately loved, sir Evan and sir Gracien 
de Foix. The count had intentions of settling on these two sons the 
greater part of BiSarn, which, being free land and dependent on no 
one but God, he could dispose of as he pleased. 

The count de Foix dismounted at the convent of the Friar Preach- 
ers, where he and his household were lodged ; and his people quar- 
tered themselves as near him as they could. The citizens of Tou- 
louse showed much joy at the arrival of the count de Foix, for they 
loved him from his being so kind a neighbor, and never suffering 
any of his people to make war or commit violence on their country. 
They presented him with the finest wines, and so many other things, 
that he was well contented with them. He made his entry into 
Toulouse rather late in the evening, and remained all that night in 
his lodgings. On the morrow, about ten o'clock, he mounted his 
horse, as did those who were to attend him to the king, consisting of 
more than two hundred knights, all men of distinction ; and in this 
state he paraded through the streets of Toulouse to the castle, where 
the king resided. He dismounted in the court within the first square 
of the castle, where servants took and held their horses. 

The count and his company ascended the steps of the great hall, 
whither the king had gone from his chamber to wait his arrival ; for 
he was very anxioiis to see him for the gallant actions he had per- 
formed, and on account of his fair reputation. The count de Foix, 
who was very handsome in person and in countenance, entered the 
hall bareheaded, (for he never wore a cap,) with his hair scattered 
about : when he perceived the king, his brother, uncle, and the lords 
of France, in the act of doing the king honor, and not till then, he 
bended very low on one knee ; he afterwards rose up, advanced, and 
knelt a second time close to the king, who raised him up with his 
hand, and embraced him, saying, " Fair cousin of Foix, you are 
welcome, for your visit has greatly rejoiced us." " My lord," replied 
the count, "I thank you much for what you are pleased to say." 
They had a long conversation together, until dinner-time arrived, but 
I neither heard the words nor the subject. Water being brought, 
they washed, and seated themselves at table. The archbishop of 
Toulouse was seated at the head of the king's table, next to him the 
.king, then his uncle the duke of Bourbon, then the count de Foix, 



the counts de la Marche and de Venddme, and none others At ths 
second were seated, the lord Charles d'Albret, the count de Har- 
court, the lord Philip de Bar, and four other knights attached to the 
count de Foix. At another table were placed the marshal de San. 
cerre, sir Roger d'Espaign, and eight of the count's knights. Thia 
dinner was magnificent and splendid in all respects. When they 




Count dk Harcourt presenting the CoMfix-Box to the Kino. Designed from Roynl MS. 14 E. 1. 



had dined, the tables were removed ; and, grace being said, they 
amused themselves in various ways. The king and the lords were 
on their feet nearly two hours, in the presence chamber, listening to 
the minstrels, for the count de Foix took delight in them. 

After this, wine and spices were brought, and the comfit box was 
presented solely to the k-ing by the count de Harcourt. .Sir Gerard 
de la Pierre did the same to the duke of Bourbon, and sir Menaut 
de Noailles to the count de Foix.*" WMien this was done, it was 
nearly four o'clock in the afternoon ; the c . unt de Foix took leave 
of the king, the duke of Bourbon, and the other lords, and, leaving 
the hall, went into tlie court, where he found his horses and attend, 
ants waiting for him. The count and his company having mounted, 
returned to his lodgings, much pleased with the reception and enter- 
tainment the king of France had given him, and praised him ex- 
ceedingly when conversing with his knights. During the time the 
king of France and count Gaston de Foix were at Toulouse, many 
tokens of affection passed between them, which was encouraged to 
the utmost of their power by the marshal Sancerre and the lord de la 
Riviere, because they saw the king, as will as the duke of Bourbon, 
had conceived a friendship J'or the count de Foix. 

The count de Foix one day entertained at dinner the duke of 
Touraine, the duke of Bourbon, the count de la Marche, and the 
other French lords. The dinner was beyond measure grand and 
plentiful, ^\■ith numerous dishes and devices. Upward of two hun- 
dred knights were seated at table, served by those of the count de 
Foix ; and, just as the tables were on the point of removal, the king 
of France, who had dined at the castle, made his appearance, at- 
tended by the lord Charles d'Albret and the lord Philip de Bar, his 
cousin-germans. He could not resist the pleasure of seeing this 
company, and had come to the lodgings of the count attended by 
only eleven others. The count de Foix and the whole company 
were highly pleased at this condescension of the king in coming to 
visit him. Various were the diversions on this occasion ; and the 
Gascons and French tried their skill and strength in wrestling, 
throwing the bar or javelin for the farthest or highest; and it was 
night belore the king and the company separated. The count pre- 
sented that day to the duke of Touraine, the duke of Bourbon, and 
to the knights and squires attached to the king, more than sixty 
coursei's, palfreys, and ambling mules, all saddled and caparisoned 
becoming their different ranks. He gave also to the minstrels of the 



* " Tiiere was nnotlier custom at tlie tables of tlie king and great liarons, wliich was 
not usual al llie eiitertiiinments of private persons. Besides tlie spices wliich composed 
tlie dessert, and were intended for the guests m common, tiiere were other more rar« 
spices, tliat were served in a box divided into compartments, which was of gold and 
silver, or silver gilt, and called a 'drageoir' (comfit box.) It was commonly a squire 
or some person of distinction who had the honor to jtresent it to his lord alone, unless 
lie wished to hnve particular respect paid to any of his guests, to whom he sent it." 
Fruissiirt is then quoted as in llie t«xt, by M. le Grand dWussy, to whom I refer for 
further particulars respecting this and other ancient customs, in his ** Vie priv6e dea 
Francois." 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &.c. 



505 



king, the duke of Touraine, and the duke of Bourbon, two hun- 
dred golden crowns, and to the heralds a like sum. All, therefore, 
were loud in the praise of his generosity. 

On the fourth day after this entertainment, the count do Foi.t, well 
attended by the barons and knights of BcSarn and Foix, waited on 
the king, at the castle, to perform what had been required of him ; 
that is to say, his homage for the county of Foix and its dependen. 
cies, reserving to himself, as free land. Beam. There had been, be- 
fore this, many treaties negotiated between the king and count de 
Foix, through the king's ministers, the lord de la Riviere, sir John 
le Mercier, and the bishop of Noyon, who had lately arrived from 
Avignon; but these treaties were kept very secret. It was said, 
tliat the count de Foix required of the king that Evan de Foix should, 
after his decease, inherit that country, in consideration of which the 
king should receive, on the day of the count's death, one hundred 
thousand francs ; that his other son, sir Gracien, should hold the 
lands of Aire in B^arn, with the good towns of Aire and Mont- 
marsea ; and that all the lands the count then held in B6am, should 
revert to his heir, the viscount de Chateaubon. This distribution 
had caused a diflerence between the count, his barons, and knights ; 
several of whom said, that this could not be legally done without 
the public consent of the vassals of B(3arn and Foix. As an inter- 
mediate step, homage was made of the county of Foix to the king 
of France, who, by the advice of his council, said to the count and 
barons of Foix, '• I now hold in my hand the homage for my county 
of Foix ; and if the succession should happen to be vacated, by the 
death of our cousin, the count de Foix, in our lifetime, we will come 
to such resolutions concerning it, through the advice of our council, 
that Evan de Foix, and all the vassals of that country, shall be per- 
fectly satisfied therewith."* 

This speech was sufficient for the count and his barons then pres- 
ent. When the regulations had been properly written out and 
sealed, the count de Foix took leave of the king, his brother, uncle, 
and the French lords ; but that day he dined with the king, and in 
the evening returned to his lodgings. On the morrow, after drinking 
a cup, he departed from Toulouse, leaving his purveyors behind to 
pay his expenses, and, having crossed the Garonne at the bridge of 
Toulouse, returned to his own country by way of Montmarsen, and 
arrived at Orthes, where he dismissed all who had accompanied him, 
retaining only those necessary for his service. It was told me, and 
I believe it, that this visit of the king of France to Languedoc and 
Toulouse, cost the count de Foix more than forty thousand francs : 
great, however, as this sum was, the count was so courteous and 
hberal, that he very cheerfully paid it. 



CHAPTER X. 

THE KING OF FRANCE AND HIS BROTHER, THE DUKE OF TOfRAlNE, WAGER 
WHICH SHALL ARRIVE THE SOONEST AT PARIS, FROM MONTPELLIER, 
EACH ATTENDED ONLY BY ONE KNIi>HT. 

I BELIEVE that the king of France, during his residence at Tou- 
louse, attended much to the state of that pari of his realm. He re. 
moved seneschals and other officers, and made such reforms that he 
was popular with all ranks of people. One day, in the presence of 
his brother, his uncle, the duke of Bourbon, and numbers of lords 
of France and Gascony, that it might be had in perpetual remem- 
brance, he gave permission to his cousin-german, the lord Charles 
d'Albret. to quarter the fleur-de-lis of France, alternately with his 
own ; for the arms of Albret were simply gules without any distinc- 
tion, but at present they are quartered with those of France. The 
lord d'Albret considered this a most distinguished gift; and the day 
the king had thus enriched the arms of Albret, the lord Chariesgave 
a dinner that cost him one thousand francs ; and presented the he- 
ralds and minstrels who had attended it, with two hundred francs, 
■which circumstance caused them to proclaim his liberality. 

Shortly afterwards, it was announced that the king would leave 
Toulouse, on his return to Paris, and his attendants made prepara- 
tions accordingly. As soon as it was known, the archbishop and 
seneschal of Toulouse, with the citizens and ladies, came to take 
their leave of the king, who received them all very kindly. He set 
out from Toulou?o after breakfast, and lay the first night at Chiiteau- 
neuf d'Aulroy, and then continued his journey to Montpellier, where 
he was joyfully received. He there remained for three days to amuse 
himself; for the town and the ladies afforded him much pleasure. 
He was, however, very impatient to return to Paris, to see his queen. 
One day, while at Montpellier, he said, jokingly, to the duke of Tou- 
raine, " Fair brother, I wish we were at Paris, and our attendants 
where they now are ; for I have as great a desire to see the queen, 
as I suppose you must have to see my sister-in-law." " My lord," 
replied the duke, " we shall never get there by wishing it : the dis- 
tance is too great." " That is true," answered the king ; " but I 
think, if I pleased, I could very soon be •'■ere." " Then it must be 
by dint of hard riding," said the duke of Touraine, " and not other. 

* Tliese precftutions were vain. M.ittliieu de Foix, a descendaat of Roger Bernard, 
viscount de Castel-bon, lord of Moncade and j-ounsest son of Gascon 1. count de Foix. 
having his pretensions supported by the nobility, seized the government, and had his 
Tight acknowledged Ijy the court of France, through some arrangements he made with 
it,— ViLLARLT. tome vi. 



wise, and I also can do that ; but it would be through means of my 
horse." " Come," said the king, " who will be there first ? you or 
I : let us wager on this." " With all my heart," answered the duke, 
who would at all times exert himself to get money. A wager was, 
in consequence, made between them, for five hundred francs, who 
should the first arrive at Paris, setting out, on the morrow, at the 
same hour, taking with them only one servant, or one knight, as 
they pleased. No one attempted to prevent the race from taking 
place, and they set out as they had settled it : the lord de Garencieres 
accompanied the king, and the lord de Vicfville the duke of Touraine. 
Thus these four, who were young and active, rode on night and day, 
frequently changing horses, or had themselves conveyed in carts, 
when they wished to take any repose. 

The duke of Bourbon returned by Puy in Auvergne to his own 
country, and, on his road, visited his father-in-law, the dauphin of Au. 
vergne, the dauphiness, and their children, who were eight in number, 
brothers and sisters to the duchess of Bourbon by a second marriage. 

The king of France and his brother continued their journey w ith 
much exertion, to gain the wager. Consider what pains these two 
young princes must have taken, for all their establishments were left 
behind. The king took four days and a half to perform the journey 
to Paris, and the duke of Touraine only four days and one third,* 
so near were they to each other ; but the duke won the wager, by 
the king sleeping eight hours at Troycs in Champagne. The duke 
embarked on the Seine, and went as far as Melun by water : there 
he remounted and rode on to Paris, straight to the li6tel de Saint 
Pol, where the queen and the duchess resided, and inquired after the 
king, (for he was ignorant whether he was arrived or not,) and waa 
rejoiced to learn that he was not come. He said to the queen, 
•• Madam, you will very shortly hear of him." This was true ; for 
not long after the duke's arrival, the king made his appearance, and 
the duke ran to him and said, " My lord, I have won the wager : 
order me to be paid." " That is but just," replied the king, " and 
it shall be done." They then related to the ladies their adventures 
on the road, and how they had come in four days and a half from 
Montpellier, a distance of one hundred and fifty leagues. The ladies 
turned the whole into a joke, and laughed at it ; but they were sen. 
sible how greatly they must have been fatigued, and nothing bnt 
their youth and courage could have borne them through it. You 
must know, the duke of Touraine insisted on the wager being paid 
in ready money. 

CHAPTER XI. 

THE DEATH OF POPE URBAN AT ROME, CALLED THE -ANTI-POPE. POPS 
CLEMENT WRITES TO THE KING OF FRANCE, HIS UNCLES, AND THE UNI- 
VERSITY or PARIS, ON THE OCCASION. THE ELECTION OF POPE BONI. 
FACE BY THE ROMAN CARDINALS. 

About this period, pope Urban VI. died at Rome, to the sorrow 
of the Romans, who loved him much.t He was buried, with great 
solemnity, in the church of Saint Peter ; and, when this ceremony 
was ended, the cardinals formed a conclave to elect another pope, 
and hastened the matter that it might be done before any intelligence 
of the death of Urban could be carried to Avignon. Pope Clement 
and his cardinals did not hear of the decease of Urban until the tenth 
day after it had happened. They immediately assembled at the pal- 
ace, where many proposals were discussed ; and they had strong 
hope that the schism of the church would be concluded, and a union 
formed of the two parlies ; for this error had lasted too long. They 
imagined that the cardinals at Rome would not be in any hurry to 
form a conclave, but would agree to acknowledge the pope of Avig- 
non, and were indulging in these flattering hopes, when other ac- 
counts forced them to think differently. They signified to the king 
of France the death of Urban, whom they called the anti-pope, and 
entreated him to support the pretensions of Clement, by writing in 
his favor to his cousins the emperor of Germany, the king of Hun- 
gary, the count de Vertus, and to the duke of Austria, who had ac- 
knowledged the late pope Urban, and to request they would agree 
to restore peace to the church; for that there ought not to be any 
variation in the faith, and, as there is but one God in Heaven, there 
cannot, nor ought there to be, more than one vicegerent on the earth. 

When this information arrived at Paris, the duke of Burgundy, to 
whom the pope and cardinals had likewise written to the same pur- 
port, was with his nephew. The king appeared very much pleased 
on hearing it, and said to the duke, " Good uncle, we had a great 
desire to march a large army to Rome, and destroy these unbelievers; 
but this is checked by the death of the anti-pope, for pope Clement 
and his cardinals have assured us that Urban is dead. They suppose 
that there will not be any conclave held at Rome to elect another, 
but that the cardinals will submit themselves to the obedience of 
pope Clement. He has likewise requested, that we would write t» 
our cousin the emperor of Germany, his brother the king of Hungary, 
to the count de Vertus, and to the duke of Austria, to secure their 
favor in his support. What would you advise us to do?" "My 
lord," replied the duke of Burgundy, " it is very true that Urban is 
dead ; but we know nothing of the state of the cardinals at Rome, 



* The distance from Montpellier to Paris is 191 leagues.— OazetUer. 
t He died 18th Oct. 1389. Butso far from being beloved, he was detested for hia vto- 
ien* and tyrannical conduct.— Ed. 



50G 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



nor of the Romans ; nor whether these cardinals mean to persist in 
their opinion. It will be difficult for them to change, as the Romans 
are their masters ; and as they formerly forced them to elect the 
archbishop of Bari pope, whom they obeyed as long as he lived, they 
may again force them to elect another according to their pleasure. 
You have therefore no occasion to be iii any haste respecting thLs 
matter, nor to write to those who will not do mucli for you in the 
business, as they have already shown. Remain quiet, therefore, 
until you shall have heard further on the subject ; for it may happen 
that the cardinals at Rome may be of one mind, and, though differ- 
ing with each other, may dissemble with the Romans, and acknow. 
ledge no other pope but Clement ; and, in order to keep the Romans 
in good humor, promise them that Clement shall fix his residence at 
Rome, which he will very readily 
consent to, if the matter could be 
brought to depend on that. Should 
this appear probable, it will then be 
time for you to write to those Chris- 
tian kings and lords who hold con- 
trary opinions in religion to you, to 
entreat they would vmite to put an 
end to the schism, and to promote 
the reestablisliment of union in the 
church. This is what you ought to 
do ; for we are not yet assured what 
turn the business may take, and it will 
not be long before we have further 
intelligence." When the duke had 
ended this speech to the king and 
council, no one made any reply ; for 
they thought his reasoning unan. 
swerable. The king seemed con- 
vinced by it, and said : " Good uncle, 
we believe your reasons, for you see 
farther into church affairs than we 
do ; and we will not take any steps 
in the matter without your advice 
and approbation." The busineea 
was here ended, and other matters 
discussed. 

The intelligence of the death of 
Urban caused great disputes among 
the students at the university. They 
ceased following their usual studies, 
and were employed in disputing how 

the cardinals would act ; whether they would elect a pope in the room 
of Urban, or acknowledge the pope of Avignon. They made it the 
subject of ai-gument, and it was earned on with much heat and ani. 
mosity. They knew that Clement had written to the king, to the 
duke of Touraine, to the duke of Burgundy, and to the ministers, on 
the state of his affairs ; and he had also written, in general terms, to 
the university, that that body might do as much as was possible, and 
with all diligence, for his assistance. The students proposed several 
subjects of argument, which were warmly discussed among them- 
selves. Those interested for Clement said, " It is time for the king 
and our lords in France to write to the chiefs in Christendom, such 
as the emperor of Germany, the king of Hungary, the lord of Milan, 
the duke of Austria, and all who hold contrary opinions respecting 
the pope, and press them to return to the true faith ; for it would do 
them infinite honor." Tluee times, in three several days, the priu. 
cipal students of the university assembled, and went in a body to the 
h6tel de Saint Pol, to entreat the king and his council to put an end 
to the schism, and to comply with the solicitation of the pope, who 
had written to them in such humble terms. They, however, were 
not admitted, nor had any answer given to them, wliich made them 
very discontented : however, the following news, which arrived a 
few days after, appeased them. 

The Roman cardinals had assembled in conclave, and elected the 
cardinal of Naples, a pnident and courageous clerk, to the papacy, 
who took the name of Boniface.* The king of France and his lords, 
on hearing this, were very melancholy, and thought the schism iji 
the church likely to continue for a long time. " Now see," said the 
duke of Burgundy to the king, " of how little avail your letters 
would have been, which they were urging you to write : it has hap- 
pened just as I foresaw." " My good uncle," replied the king, "you 
have indeed judged truly." Pardons were offered in abundance by 
Boniface, and notified to all the clergy in the different kingdoms 
under his obedience. Those who wished to gain them set out on 
their journey to Rome ; but when they approached near Ancona and 
Romagna, they ran great risks ; for sir Bernard de Salle, who guarded 
this frontier, and made war on the Romans in the name of Clement, 
had these pilgrims watched on the roads, and did them much evil, 
several of whom were slain or lost. We will for the present leave 
speaking of these popes, and introduce other events. 



CHAPTER XII. 

THE SURBENDEK OF TRE STRONG CASTLE OF VENTADOUR IN LIMODSIN, 
THAT HAD BEEN THE CHIEF RESIDENCR OF GEOFFRY TETE-NOIRE. 

You have before heard how Gcoffiry Tfite-noire was master of the 
castle of Ventadour, which he had held against all the force sent 
against him as long as he lived ; that he had laid the country imder 
contributions upward of thirty leagues round ; and that, when he 
died, he had on his death-bed named his two nephews, Alleyne and 
Peter Roux, to succeed him in the command, to whom all the leaders 
of that garrison had, in his presence, sworn obedience and fidelity. 
After the decease of Geoffry Tfite-noire, these two brothers governed 



H 



'p!i^. 




• Pietto. or Perrin de Tomaceili, cardinal of Naples, pope Boniface IX. 



CoBOMATtos or Pop* Bonifack. rrom a MS. Froiuart of the FifVeentli Century. 



successfully for some time, keeping the whole country under subjec- 
tion. This castle belonged to the duke of Berry by purchase from 
the count de Montpensier, and his son, John of Berry, bore its title ; 
but, though the garrison gave him much vexation, he could not then 
amend it. He had besieged it several times with block-houses, and 
pressed it as much as he could, but in vain : the garrison held his 
attempts cheap, and sallied out, whenever they pleased, to overrun 
the country. The two brothers would not pay any attention to the 
truce that had been agreed on between France and England, saying 
they were not bound to abide by it, but would make war when and 
where they pleased. The two countries of Auvergne and Limousin 
suffered greatly ; and to remedy it, a gallant knight of Auvergne, sir 
William le Bouteiller, with sir .Tohn Bonne-lance, sir Lewis d'Am- 
biere, and other knights and squires from Limousin and Auvergne, 
erected block-houses before Ventadour, and had there remained the 
whole of the season, at the charge of the country. 

It was about this time, as I was told, that the governors laid a plot 
to entrap sir William le Bouteiller and sir John Bonne-lance, who had 
done them much mischief. They determined to hove it told these 
two knights in a secret way, that they were desirous of surrendering 
the fort for a certain sum of florins ; for they were tired of remaining 
there longer, and wished to return to their own countiy or elsewhere. 
They imagined the knights would readily comply, for the duke of 
Berry was eager to gain it on any terms ; and they resolved not to 
ask a larger sum than what might be instantly procured. One bro- 
ther asked the other, " What sum shall we fix on ?" " Ten thousand 
francs, for that will be enough, as we shall have besides the bodies 
of the two knights by an ambush we will place in one of the towers." 

Consider how foolish those two Bretons must have been to imagine 
they could deceive two such knights and keep their money. If evil 
befel them, they are unworthy of regret or pity. Following their 
plan, they sent one of their varlets out of the castle, saying, " Go as 
far as the French block.houses : allow thyself to be taken, but de- 
mand to be carried to sir William le Bouteiller or sir John Bonne.lance, 
which of them thou pleasest ; give them these letters, and require an 
answer, as their contents are of consequence to them and to us." 
The servant, who thought nothing evil, said he would obey their 
commands, and advanced to the nearest block-house of the French. 
On perceiving him, those within came out to meet him and demanded 
his business : he said, he wanted to speak to .sir William le Bouteiller 
or sir John Bonne-lance. He was conducted to them, for the two 
knights happened to be then together. When in their presence, he 
bowed, and took them aside to deliver his letters, saying that sir A|. 
leyne and sir Peter Roux had sent him to them. They were much 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE. SPAIN, &c. 



507 



surprised on hearing this, and thai the governors of Ventodour should 
write to (hem. They took the letters, and read them ; but their con- 
tents were merely to say, that Alleyne and Peter Roux would wil. 
hngly hold a parley with them on something to their advantage. 
When they had perused the letters, they were more astonished than 
before, -and suspected some treachery. They, however, consulted 
together on what could be wanted with them, and returned a verbal 
message, that if the governors wished to meet them without the 
castle, they would promise tlieni, and those who should accompany 
them, perfect security for their persons until they had reentered the 
place. Such was the answer the varlet brought back to his masters. 
Sir Peter said to sir Alleyne, '■ May we confide in such promises ?" 
" Oh yes," replied his brother ; " for consider, their word is given, 
and they are loj'al knights incapable of breaking it. We will inform 
them of our intended surrender, which they will eagerly accept." 

On the morrow, about eight o'clock, they ordered the wicket ad- 
joining the gate to be opened, and the bridge to be lowered down, 
and they leant on the chains until sir William le Bouteiller and sir 
John Bonne.lance arrived, who dismounted before the bridge, and 
■ordered their attendants to retire. When the two Breton governors, 
on the bridge, saw them, they asked, " May we come and converse 
with you in safety ?" " Yea," replied the knights ; " but is there 
no treachery on your side ?'' " Oh no," answered the Bretons : " it 
is now truce between us." " Well then, come with all security, and 
tell us what you have to say." Peter and Alleyne Rou.x then passed 
the bridge, and went to the place where they were waiting for them. 
The two knights said : " What is the subject of the treaty or parley 
you wish to have with us ? Are you inclined to surrender Venta- 
dour?" "Yes," said they, "but on conditions. We only ask ten 
thousand francs for the stores ; for we are tired of carrying on the 
war longer, and wish to retire to Brittany or to whatever other coun. 
try we may choose." The two knights were rejoiced at this propo- 
sal, and replied : " You offer terms we shall not refuse ; but at this 
moment we have not such a sum. We will, however, instantly set 
about providing it." " Well," answered the governors, '• when you 
have got it, let us know, and we will keep to our offer : but let the 
matter be most secret, for if the ganison should hear of it, they 
would instantly murder us, and you would be disappointed in your 
expectations of gaining the place." Sir William le Bouteiller re. 
plied, " Never fear us : we will manage the business in such a man- 
ner that you shall not incur any danger." On this, they separated : 
the brothers reentered Ventadour, and the knights returned to their 
quarters. 

Sir William le Bouteiller and sir John Bonne-lance believing this 
transaction was honorable, no way suspecting the Bretons meant to 
deceive them and gain possession of their persons as well as money, 
instantly wrote as fair-languaged letters as they could to the duke of 
Berry, who at that time was at Riom in Auvergne. They desired 
one of their gentlemen, who had been well educated, called Guyon. 
nel de Saint- Vydel, to carry the letter, and, having informed him of 
the fact, desired he would forget nothing, in his conversation with 
the duke of Berry, that might induce him to agree to the terms of 
surrender: for they thought he would be well pleased, as he had 
been for a long time very anxious to get possession of Ventadour. 
The squire, having received the letter, and his instructions, what to 
say and how to act, left the block-house, and, traversing Limousin 
and Auvergne, rode on until he came to Riom, where I believe he 
found the duke of Berry. 

On entering his presence, he knelt and gave the duke the letters, 
recommending to him the two knights, as he knew well how to do. 
The duke took the letter and read it : when he had a short time con. 
sidered its contents, he was so well pleased, that he ordered his 
attendants to take particular care of the squire, which was done. 
The duke called to him such of his council and treasurers as were 
with him, and said : " Here is great news. Our knights, who are 
blockading Ventadour, write us word they have opened a treaty with 
Alleyne and Peter Roux, who are willing to surrender that place for 
ten thousand francs. That is no large sum : it has cost Limousin 
and Auvergne, yearly, sixty thousand francs, as composition money, 
to be unmolested by the garrison. We wish to accept their offer, 
and as speedily as may be, lest they should repent of having made 
it. Now, treasurers, find me instantly ten thousand francs. We 
will make a loan of them, as is but just ; and when we are in pos- 
session of this castle, will levy a tax on all the lands which have paid 
contribution, that will doubly repay us." " My lord," replied the 
treasurers, " we are prepared : only give us five or six days to col- 
lect it." " You shall have them," said the duke. Thus was the 
matter settled. The treasurers produced the sum in golden crowns, 
and in francs of France, which were packed up in four small boxes. 
The same day on which those who were to carry the money to 
the two knights were on their departure, everything being ready for 
their setting out, the dauphin of Auvergne and the lord Reneil arrived 
at Riom, on business with the duke of Berry, such as was common 
between great lords. They were made welcome by the duke, who 
-was so pleased at the thought of gaining Ventadour so cheaply, that 
he could not refrain from making them acquainted with it, and show, 
ing them the letters from sir William le Bouteiller and sir John 
Bonne.lance. When they had perused them, they were silent, and 
the duke noticing it, said : " What are you considering ? Have you 



any suspicions of deceit ? Tell me, before the money be sent off." 
" My lord," replied the dauphin, " you know for how long a time 
the count d'Armagnac and myself have been employed by the coun. 
tries of Limousin, Cahorsin, Rouergue, and Auvergne, to gain pos- 
session, by force or otherwise, of all the enemy's forts in theso 
sdneschalships. We have entered into several treaties with many 
of them, but we never could any way make the least impression on 
the garrison of Ventadour, to induce them to surrender ; and scarcely 
would they deign to return us an answer when we sent to them. If, 
therefore, they have agreed to the treaty you have shown us, it can- 
not be from want of provision ; for, should no purveyances enter the 
fort for eight years, I know they have enough ; and it is this which 
astonishes us, and makes us suspect treachery ; for such men.at-arms, 
when shut up in fortresses, have a lively imagination, and, when it 
twrns to wickedness, they know too well how to succeed ; therefore, 
my lord, be cautious how you act." " In God's name," answered 
the duke of Berry, " you do not tell us anything extraordinary, but 
have well spoken, when you thus advise us ; and I will take more 
precautions than I at first intended." 

He then called to him a knight, whose name was sir Peter Mespin, 
and said : ■' You will go with the ransom-money for Ventadour, to 
the block. houses before that place, and tell sir William le Bouteiller 
and sir John Bonne-lance, from us, to be very cautious how they act, 
respecting their treaty, and not to put too much confidence in these 
Bretons of Ventadour ; for that we have had such intelligence con- 
corning them, of which they are ignorant, they must be very prudent 
and observing." 

The knight undertook the journey, and, being soon ready, de- 
parted with the money from Riom, and rode on until he arrived at 
the block.houses, where he was kindly received by his companions. 
The money was unpacked, and placed in security. Sir Peter Mes- 
pin, after some general conversation, told his message as follows : 
" My lord of Berry orders me to inform you, sir William and sir John, 
that you must act with the greatest precaution in this treaty with the 
governors of Ventadour, that you may not lose your own persons and 
the money he sends you by me, f:r that he has had accounts given 
him, of the characters of these people, that displease him much, 
which is the reason he is anxious for you to act with prudence to be 
a match for them, as he suspects this offer is only made to betray you. 
The countries of Auvergne and Limousin would many times have 
given sixty thousand francs for the evacuation of Ventadour, which 
the governors well knew, and now they offer it to you for ten thou, 
sand : it is this which makes my lord suspect treachery." The two 
knights were for a moment pensive, and then said : " Two heads are 
better than one. You have well spoken, a:id we thank you for the 
advice you have given. You will remain here to assist us, which 
will be but right, for within two days we shall know how the matter 
will turn out." Sir Peter Mespin replied, he would cheerfully stay 
with them. 

Shortly after this the two knights sent one of their servants to the 
castle, for there was now a truce between them, to let the governors 
know the ten thousand francs were come, and that they were ready 
to complete the bargain. They replied, they would keep to their 
agreement, that they might come when they pleased, or inform them 
when they were to bring the money. Alleyne and Peter Rou.x, who 
had no good inclinations, as was proved against them, had already 
made their preparations for the capture of the two knights. They 
had thus planned it. At the entrance of the castle of Ventadour, 
and withinside, is a large tower, that commands the gate ; and, with, 
out having first gained this tower, the castle cannot be won. It was 
for this reason it was always kept well stored with artillery, provision, 
and men, that in case the castle should be surprised, the garrison 
might retire thither in safety. 

The two Bretons, whose heads were full of malice, posted in this 
tower thirty determined men, armed at all points ; who, when the 
French should think themselves in secure possession of the castle, 
toward late in the evening, were to sally forth and slay all without 
mercy. Everything being now ready, they sent to sir William le 
Bouteiller and sir John Bonne.lance that they might bring the money 
in all security to the castle, the gates of which would be thrown open 
to them. The French knights were all alive at this message, and 
said to the servant who had brought it ; " Return to thy masters, and 
tell them from us, that we will be with them to. morrow morning." 
When the servant was gone, the two knights assembled a larger 
council than ever they had before done, on account of the orders sir 
Peter Mespin had brought from the duke of fierry. 

It was resolved in this council to place an ambuscade near the 
castle, and that the two knights should go thither accompanied by 
thirty men armed secretly like themselves. On their entrance into 
Ventadour, they were cautiously to examine every part of it : if they 
should perceive anything that could induce them to suspect treach- 
ery, they were to sound a horn and seize the draw.bridge. On hear- 
ing this horn, the ambuscade was to advance full gallop, dismount 
at the bridge and gain the castle. In the manner in which they had 
planned it the project was executed; and on the morrow morning, 
all being prepared, they rode forward, and placed a large ambush of 
six score lances, and then, with thirty companions, secretly armed, 
went to Ventadour, carrying sir Peter Mespin to assist them with his 
advice. They did not forget the ransom-money, which was neatly 



508 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



packed up in three baskets, on the backs of two strong horees. They 
found Alleyne and Peter Roux at the barriers, which were thrown 
quite back on their approach : having passed them and entered the 
gate, the brothers would have closed the barriers again; but the 
French knights said ; " Let them remain : is it a fair bargain or not? 
You know you have engaged to surrender the castle for ten thousand 
francs in hard money t tliey are ready, and on the two sunipter horses 
you see. If you act loyally to us, we will do the same to you." 
They knew not what answer to make to this speech ; but to prevent 
them having any suspicions, they said ; " You say well ; and we are 
■willing to act as fairly as yourselves." 

The French parly passed on, and the barriers remained open. Had 
tliey been closed, the ambuscade would never have been able to ar- 
rive in time to counteract the trick the Bretons intended playing 
them, and their scheme would have succeeded. All having entered 
the gate, Alleyne and Peter Rou.x went to shut it ; but the French 
said to Alleyne ; " Let it be open : we wish it, for we are ready to 
pay you down the money as agreed upon between us." "Be it so," 
replied the Bretons ; " let us see the cash." " That you shall," said 
the French, and instantly spread on the ground a sheet, on which 
they emptied the florins. While the two Bretons were examining 
the money, which made a handsome heap, the knights were doing 
the same to the castle ; and, in consequence, sir Peter Mespin said 
to sir William le Bouteillcr ; " Have that tower opened before you 
count the money, for there may perchance be in it an ambush to 
surprise us, and we may lose our lives as well as our money." 

" On this, sir William said to Alleyne Roux, " Let that tower be 
opened, for we will have that done before we proceed any farther." 
Alleyne replied ; " that he would do no such thing, for the keys were 
lost." The moment he had uttered this, the knights were more sus. 
picious than before, and said : " Alleyne, it is impossible that the keys 
of the principal tower should be lost. Open it by fair means, or we 
vill have it forced ; for you have promised to surrender to us the 
castle, as it is, without fraud or treachery, for the sum of ten thou, 
sand francs, which you now see lying before you." Alleyne an. 
Bwered ; " I will neither open it myself, nor suffer it to be done, until 
I shall have received and placed in security the whole money • when 
that is done, I will seek for the keys." Tlie knights replied ; " We 
will not wait so long ; and we tell you plainly, that we expect no 
favor from your last speeches, which clearly indicate that you mean 
to deceive us. We therefore arrest you, Peter and Alleyne Roux, in 
the names of the king, our lord, and the duke of Berry. The tower 
shall be opened by force, though the doors of it be broken : and every 
part of it, as well as of the castle, shall be minutely searched, to see 
if you have not placed an ambush to surprise us, and regain the castle. 
Should any such bo found, you are lost, past redemption, as in justice 
due to treason ; but if, on the contrary, the castle be in the situation 
it ought loyally to be, from an honorable bargain, we will punctually 
keep every article of our treaty, and you shall be safely conducted 
whithersoever you may please ; even as far as the gates of Avignon, 
ehould you desire it." 

The two brothers were thunderstruck, and half dead, on being thus 
arrested ; and, hearing this declaration of the knights, their courage 
failed them, and they repented having gone so far, for they found 
their intentions must now be discovered. The French knights saw 
plainly they were guilty of what they had suspected, and that the 
castle was not meant to be surrendered. They made a sign for him 
who bore the horn to sound for their ambuscade to advance : which 
having done, those in ambush stuck spurs to their horses, saying, 
" Let us hasten to Ventadour, for we are wanted : our people have 
not found things as they expected, and have been deceived by Al- 
leyne and Peter Roux." They were soon at the castle, for it was 
jiot far distant, and the barriers and gate being open, though well 
guarded by the French, for the Bretons were no longer masters, they 
entered the place, and found their captains in the court talking to the 
garrison. The governors were more astonished than before, on seeing 
themselves thus surrounded by their enemies ; for they knew they 
had acted dishonorably. 

Those within the great tower were ignorant of what was going 
forward ; for the openings in the walls were too high for them to see 
what passed. Some said ; " We hear in the court a great noise : our 
people may perhaps be tricked, for the French are a cunning race. 
We thought to deceive, but we may be deceived, and Alleyne, as 
well as ourselves, may be entrapped and taken ; for we cannot get 
tint without permission." They would willingly have been anywhere 
else ; for their governors had brought them into a melancholy situa. 
tion. Sir William le Bouteiller and sir John Bonne-lance, finding 
themselves so superior in force, spoke out more boldly their senti. 
ments, and ordered the cash, which was scattered over the sheet, to 
be collected and replaced in the baskets, before the face of the two 
brothers, who were surrounded by the French. They said; "Alleyne 
and Peter, give us the keys of the tower ; for it must and shall be 
examined, to see if any one be within it;" but they answered, in the 
hope of prolonging the time ; " Begin your search elsewhere, and 
come here at the last." But the knights replied ; " Alleyne, you trifle 
too much with us, for we will examine this tower first ; and, if you 
make any further resistance, we will put you to death with our dag- 
gers." On hearing this, they feared they would put their threat into 
execution ; for all avoid death as long as they can, though, in good 



truth, it would have been more honsrable for them had they beea 
slain, than carried away, and afterwards punished for this act, by a 
disgraceful death, as you will speedily hear in this history. During 
the dispute, Peter Roux thought of an expedient to excuse their con. 
duet, but this was of no avail, and said ; " My lord William, and you 
sir John, it is indeed true that there are in this tower thirty armed 
men, whither my brother and self have with much difficulty forced 
them ; for we well knew they would not assent to our treaty with 
you. It is for this reason that we have confined them in that tower 
until you should be masters of the castle ; and we will, with your 
permissions, leave them there, to be your prisoners. Give us the 
money, the whole, or part of it, as you are bounden to do, and let u» 
go away." 

The knights were tolerably satisfied on hearing this ; but sir Wil. 
liam le Bouteiller, having considered a little, said ; " Whatever trutU 
may be in what you have told us, before we unpack the money again, 
we must have all the keys of the castle delivered to us, and the dif- 
ferent parts pointed out to which they lead." Alleyne, seeing he 
could no longer delay, sent for them to the room wherein they were 
deposited. On their being brought to the court, the knights said ; 
" Now, explain to us what gates they unlock, and whither they lead." 
Very much against their will, they pointed out the keys of the great 
tower, for their destruction lay in it. When they had possession of 
them, they opened its gates, and found the thirty companions com- 
pletely armed, who had been therein hid. 

Alleyne was much cast down, when he saw the French knights 
draw themselves up in array before the gate, and heard sir William 
le Bouteiller say: " You who are hidden within this tower, come forth 
instantly and without fear, under pain of being all put to death. V/e 
shall make you our prisoners, and you need not fear any punishment 
if you will tell us the truth." When they saw and heard the French 
offer them pardon, taking them as prisoners only, they flung down 
their staves and arms, and surrendered, for defence would not have 
been of any avail. These men were then separated, and examined 
one by one in the presence of Alleyne and Peter Roux, and acknow- 
ledged the intended treason, which they now could no longer deny. 
The French knights addressed them ; " It is very displeasing to us, 
that you should have been guilty of so disgraceful a crime. We shall 
not punish you for it : as it seems to us so heinous, we shall leave it 
to my lord of Berry ; and, if he will show you mercy, we shall not 
object. We rather hope he may be so inclined, from the great 
pleasure the possession of this castle will give him, which was the 
thing in the world he was most anxious to gain." This speech gave 
some hopes to the two brothers, who found themselves fallen into a 
similar trap to what they had laid for others. They were confined in 
rooms well guarded, and the garrison in the towers and in other parts 
of the castle. It was then thoroughly visited, and found full of stores 
and provision ; all of which they left untouched, contenting them, 
selves with the money and arms they discovered, and which, as fair 
plunder, was divided among them ; but the prisoners were given to 
the knights. 

Thus, as I have related, was the strong castle of Ventadour re- 
gained by the French. Sir William le Bouteiller appoicted a valiant 
and prudent squire of Limousin, called Peter Madich, governor, with 
thirty good lances for its defence. He ransomed such as were de. 
serving of it ; but having discovered among the prisoners several 
renegade Frenchmen, who had been cruel plunderers, he had their 
heads cut off, or hung them on a new gallows that had been erected 
in front of the castle. When all things had been settled, the two 
knights resolved to ride to Riom, to wait on the duke of Berry, and 
carry Alleyne and Peter Roux with them. News was soon spread 
abroad that Ventadour was retaken, to the great joy of the inhabiU 
ants of Auvergne and Limousin ; for the enemies of the realm had 
kept possession of it fifteen years, and, during that time, had done 
much mischief to the country, and had greatly impoverished it. 

Sir William le Bouteiller had found in the castle of Ventadour a 
young and handsome squire from Brittany, called le Monadich,* a 
cousin to Geoffry Tete-noire, who had lately left a convent in Brit, 
tany, and come thither to learn the art of war, for he would not be 
a monk. The French knights wanted to have him beheaded, or 
hanged like the others; but sir William took compassion on him, 
and saved his life, for which he swore he would faithfully serve him, 
and remain for the time to come a loyal Frenchman. They made 
no long stay after this, but, having pulled down the block-houses, 
went to the duke of Berry. The men-at-arms separated, each going 
to his own home. The knights arrived at Riom, with the two 
brothers prisoners. They were much cast down, and on the road 
entreated sir William and sir John to interest themselves in their 
behalf, that the duke might not he too severe on them. The duke 
was with the duchess at Riom, and most kindly received the two 
kni.'hts : he considered the gain of the castle of Ventadour as a very 
gallant exploit, for which he made them handsome and rich gifts. 

The knights asked him, what was his pleasure respecting the two 
prisoners. He said, he would consider of it ; which having done, it 
was thought by his council most advisable to send them to the king 
at Paris. The seneschal of Auvergne was sent for, and to him were 
delivered the Bretons. He carried them to Paris, where they were 



• "The little monk."— Ed. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



50* 



confined in the castle of Saint Anthony,* under the guard of the 
viscount d'Asci, who was at that time governor of it. They were 
not kept long in prison, but delivered over to the provost of Paris, 
who carried them to Chatelct, where they were tried and judged 
guilty of death, as traitors and robbers. They were then given up 
to the hangman, who placed them bound in a cart, and carried them 
through the streets, with sound of trumpet, to a place called Les 
Hallcs, and put on tlie pillory, which was turned four times round, 
that the populace might view them. Their actions were then read 
aloud; after which they were beheaded and quartered, and their 
quarters fixed to the four principal gates of the town. Thus did 
Alleyne and Peter Roux lose thrir castle of Ventadour, and forfeit 
their own lives by a disgrace; ui ucath. 



was the first to cross the sea : 




TounnAMitNT AT ST. IiiGLXviiix. From a MS. Froinart of the Fifteenth Century 



CHAPTER XIII. 

THREE FRENCH K.MCiHTS HOLD A TOURNAMENT AT ST. I.NGLEVEBE, NEAR 
CALAIS, AND DEFEND THE LISTS, FOR THIRTY DAYS, AGAINST ALL 
COMERS, FROM ENGLANH, AND ELSEWHERE. 

At this season, the truce between England and France was punc. 
tually observed on sea and land by both parties, excepting a few 
pillagers in Auvergne, who continued a war against the peasants, 
on each side the river Dordogne. Their principal leaders, who had 
Btirrendered on capitulntion, were not openly guilty of any breach 
of the truce, but secretly encouraged the mischiefs that were daily 
committed in Auvergne. Such complaints were made of this to the 
king of France, that he determined, with the advice of his council, 
to remonstrate with the king of England on the conduct of these 
pillagers, who, notwithstanding the truce, still carried on a war In 
Auvergne and the adjoining country, which could not be suffered, 
neither ought it to be. I believe the king of England excused hini- 
Belf, by saying that those who had committed the acts complained 
of were lawless people, over whom he had no control. 

During the time in which these things were passing, the three 
knights before mentioned, who had undertaken to maintain the lists 
against all comers, at St. Inglevere, near Calais, namely, sir Bouci. 
taut the younger, the lord Reginald de Roye and the lord do Saimpi, 
were making preparations to fulfil their engagement. This tourna. 
ment had been proclaimed in many countries, but especially in Eng. 
land, where it had caused much surprise, and excited several knights 
and squires, who were fond of adventures and deeds of arms, to 
confer on the subject. Some said they would be blameworthy, if 
they did not cross the sea, when the distance was so short to Calais, 
pay a visit to these knights, and tilt with them. I will name those 
who were most eager in these conversations. The first was sir John 
Holland, earl of Huntingdon, sir John Courtenay,t sir John Traic- 
ton,t sir John Goulouffre,^ sir John Roussel,|| sir Thomas Scora. 
bonne,ir sir William Cliseton,** sir William Clinton, sir William 



* Probably the Bastille, which was at the gate of St. Anthony before the revolution 
in 1789. t My MS.S. have air Peter Courtenay. 

t " Sir John Traicton." Q. Drayton. The MSS. Peter. 
i " Sir John Goulouffre." (i. Sir John Walworth. 
11 "fiii John RouBFel." Q, Russel. 
^ " Sir Thomas Scorahonne. Q. Sherborne. 
»» '■ Sir WUIiam CUseton." U. Chfton. 



Taillebourg,* sir Godfrey de Seton, sir William de Haquenay.t 
sir John Bolton, sir John Arundel, sir John d'Ambreticourt, sir John 
Beaumont and many more, to the amount of upward of one hundred 
knights and squires, who said : " Let us prepare ourselves to attend 
this tournament near Calais ; for these French knights only hold it 
that they may have our company : it is well done, and shows they 
do not want courage : let us not disappoint them." 

This challenge was made so public in England, that many who 
had no intention of taking part themselves, said, they would go thither 
to witnsss the performance of others. Such knights and squires as 
proposed being there, when the appointed term was approaching, 
sent beforehand their purveyances, and arms for tilting and for war, 
to Calais. Sir John Holland, half-brother to the king of England, 
more than sixty knights and squires 
accompanied him, and took up thcit 
quarters in Calais. 

At the beginning of the charming 
month of May, the three before-men- 
tioned young French knights were 
fully prepared to maintain their chal- 
lenge in the lists at Saint Inglevere. 
They first came to Boulogne, where 
I know not how many days they tar- 
ried, and then went to the monastery 
of Saint Inglevere. On their arrival, 
they learnt that numbers of English 
knights and squires were come to Ca- 
lais. This gave them much pleasure ; 
and to hasten the business, and that 
news should be carried to the English, 
they ordered three rich vermilion-co- 
lored pavilions to be pitched near the 
appointed place for the lists, and be- 
fore each were suspended two targets, 
for peace or war, emblazoned with the 
arms of each lord. It was ordered, 
that such as were desirous of perform- 
ing any deed of arms should touch, 
or send to have touched, one or both 
of these targets according to theii 
pleasure, and they would be tilted with 
agreeably to their request. 

0.1 the 2l8t of the month of May, 
as it had been proclaimed, the three- 
knights were properly armed and their 
horses ready saddled according to the 
laws 01 the tournament. On the same 
day, those knights who were in Calais sallied forth, either as spec- 
tators or filters, and, being arrived at the spot, drew up on one side. 
This placeof the tournament was smooth, and green with grass. 

Sir John Holland was the first who sent his squire to touch the 
war-target of sir Boucicaut, who instantly issued from his pavilion 
completely armed. Having mounted his horse, and grasped his spear, 
which was stiff and well steeled, they took their distances. Whea 
the two knights had for a short time eyed each other, they spurred 
their horses and met full gallop with such force, that sir Boucicaut 
pierced the shield of the earl of Huntingdon, and the point of his 
lance slipped along his arm, but without wounding him. The two 
knights, having passed, continued their gallop to the end of the list. 
This course was much praised. At the second course, they hit each 
other slightly, but no harm was done ; and their horses refused to 
complete the third. The earl of Huntingdon, who wished to con. 
tinue the tilt, and was heated, returned to his place, expecting that 
sir Boucicaut would call for his lance ; but he did not, and showed 
plainly he would not that day tilt more with the earl. Sir John 
Holland, seeing this, sent his squire to touch the war-target of the 
lord de Saimpi. This knight, who was waiting for the combat, sal- 
lied out from his pavilion, and took his lance and shield. When 
the earl saw he was ready, he violently spurred his horse, as did the 
lord de Saimpi. They couched their lances, and pointed them at 
each other. At the onset, their horses crossed ; notwithstanding 
which, they met; but by this crossing, which was blamed, the earl 
was unhelmed. He returned to his people, who soon rehelmed 
him ; and, having resumed their lances, they met full gallop, and hit 
each other with such force in the middle of their shields, that they 
would have been unhorsed had they not kept tight seats by the pres- 
sure of their legs against the horses' sides. They went to the pro. 
per places, where they refreshed themselves and took breath. Sir 
John Holland, who had a great desire to shine at this tournament, 
had his helmet braced, and grasped his spear again ; when the lord 
de Saimpi, seeing him advance on a gallop, did not decline meet- 
ing, but, spurring his horse on instantly, they gave blows on their 
helmets, that were luckily of well-tempered steel, which made sparks 
of fire fly from them. At this course, the lord do Saimpi lost his 
helmet ; but the two knights continued their career, and returned 
to their places. 



* •' Sir William Taillebourg." 
t " Sir William de Haquenay. 



Q. Tallboys or Talbot. 
Q. Hackney. 



510 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



This tilt was much praised ; and the English and French said, 
that the earl of Huntingdon, sir Boucicaut, and the lord de Saimpi, 
had excellently well justed, without sparing or doing themselves any 
damage. The earl wished to break another lance in honor of his 
lady, but it was refused him. He then quitted the lists, to make 
room for others, for he had run his six lances with such ability and 
courage as gained him praise from all sides. 

A young and gallant knight of England next came forth, called 
the earl-marshal,* who sent, according to the regulations, to touch 
the war-target of sir Reginald de Roye. This being done, sir Re- 
ginald came from his pavilion completely armed, and mounted his 
horse that was ready for him ; having had his shield and helmet 
buckled on, he seized his lance and took his distance. The two 
knights spurred their horses, but, at this first course, failed in their 
strokes, from their horees swerving out of the line, to their great 
vexation. Sir Reginald was hit with the second lance, and had his 
own broken. At the third course, they met with such force that the 
fire sparkled from their helmets, and the earl was unhelmed. He 
continued his career to his own place, but justed no more that day, 
as he had done sufficiently. 

The lord Clitford,1 a valiant knight, and cousin.german to the 
late sir John Chandos, of famed renown, then advanced, and sent 
to have the war-shield of sir Boucicaut touched with a rod. Sir 
Boucicaut instantly appeared, and, having his armor laced, mounted 
his horse : placing his lance in its rest, they met full gallop, and 
made, by their blows, the fire fly from their helmets, but they neither 
broke their lances nor lost their stirrups : having passed, they re- 
turned to their places, making ready for the second course. This 
was done without any way sparing themselves ; sir Boucicaut broke 
his lance and was unhelmed, but did not for this fall to the ground. 
Lord Cliflord returned to his place, to prepare himself for another 
course, but sir Boucicaut did not again put on his helmet. Lord 
Cliflord noticing this, resolved to perform a tilt with another knight, 
and sent his squire to touch the shield of the Lord de Saimpi. The 
lord de Saimpi being ready, sallied forth from his pavilion ; they 
ran at each other with great force, met full, and lord Clifford broke 
his lance into three pieces against the target of his adversary. In 
return, the lord de Saimpi struck ofi" his helmet, and both continued 
their career to their places. The lord Clifford tilted no more that 
day, for the spectators said he had honorably and valorously borne 
liimself. 

Sir Henry Beaumontt then came forward, and sent to have the 
target of sir Boucicaut touched, who was instantly ready to reply to 
the call, having not dismounted from the tilts with lord Clifford. 
The lord Beaumont did not manage his lance well, and hit Bouci- 
caut on the side ; but sir Boucicaut struck him so full on the mid- 
dle of his shield that it drove him to the ground, and continued his 
course. Lord Beaumont was raised up by his attendants and re- 
mounted. The lord de Saimpi then presented himself, and they 
tilted two courses very handsomely without hurt to either. 

Sir Peter Courtenay, who was anxious to engage and to run six 
lances, sent a squire to touch with a rod the three shields of war. 
This caused a good deal of surprise, and he was asked what were 
his intentions by so doing. He replied, that he wished to tilt with 
each of the French knights two lances, if no misfortune befel him, 
and he entreated they would comply with his request. They were 
ready to consent to it, and sir Reginald de Roye first ofliered him. 
self. Having made themselves ready, they spurred their horses, and 
took good aim not to miss their stroke ; but, from the restiveness of 
their horses, they failed. They were much vexed, and returned to 
their places. On the second course they met full gallop ; and sir 
Reginald de Roye, having unhelmed his adversary, relumed gently 
toward his pavilion, his two courses being completed. Sir Peter 
Courtenay being armed once more, the lord de Saimpi advanced, 
and their lances were broken at the first shock : they continued their 
•course, when new lances were given them. They advanced toward 
•each other furiously, and the lord de Saimpi hit sir Peter, whose 
horse swerved a little ; but sir Peter struck of his helmet, and rode 
-on at a gentle pace to his post. Sir Boucicaut now came to com. 
plete the two other courses ; and at their onset they struck each 
other on the shield so rudely, that the two horses were suddenly 
checked in their career : no other damage ensued. At the second 
■course, they were both unhelmed. When these six tilts were done, 
sir Peter requested, as a favor, to run one more with any of the three 
knights who pleased, but it was refused ; and he was told, that he 
had done enough that day. 

An English knight, called sir John Gouloufre, came forth, armed 
from head to foot, and sent his squire to touch the war-shield of sir 
Reginald de Roye. The knight obeyed the summons, and both ad- 
vanced full gallop. They hit each other's helmets, but were neither 
unhelmed nor had their lances broken. Their horses refused to run 
the second course, to their great vexation. At the third tilt they 
struck their shields and broke their lances. They were supplied 
■with others, and, from the swerving of their horses, passed their 
fourth career without striking a blow. The fifth lance was too well 



*I suiipose this must be Thomas Mowbray, earl of NoHinghara and oarl-marslial : 
Jie was afterwards created duke of Norfolk. See Diigdale. 

tFroissarl calls him sir Louis deClifford, but he was Tlmmas lord Clifford ofCumber- 
Jand. See Dugdale. 

i Lord Beaumont Se« Ougdal?. 



employed, for they were both unhehned, and then each rode to his 
own party. 

Sir John Rousseau,* an expert and valiant knight from England, 
but well known for his prowess in various countries, ordered his 
squire to touch the shield of the lord de Saimpi, who was already 
armed and mounted. On receiving his lance, he spurred his horse 
against the English knight, and the shock of their spears against the 
targets instantly forced them to stop. Each returned to his post, and 
it was not long before they commenced their second course with 
equal vigor : but when near, the horses swerved, which prevented 
their stroke. To their sorrow, they were thus obliged to return again 
to the end of the lists. They were more successful the third course ; 
for they struck each other with such force, that the vizors of their 
helmets were broken off: the knights continued their career, and the 
Englishman tilted no more that day. 

Sir Peter Shirborne, a young knight, but of good courage, sent his 
squire to touch the war-shield of sir Boucicaut. The knight was 
ready to answer him, for he was armed and on horseback, leaning 
on his spear, to wait for an adventure. Perceiving himself called 
upon, he raised his spear, and looked to see what his adversary was 
about, and observing that he was handling his horse, did the same. 
When they began their course, they couched their spears, thinking 
to make sure blows ; but they were disappointed, to their great vex- 
ation, by the swerving of their horses, which forced them to return 
to their posts. They determined to manage them better at their sec. 
end tilt, and spurred them both so vigorously, they each struck the 
other on the vizor. Sir Boucicaut broke his lance, but not so the 
English knight ; for he employed it with such force, that he not only 
unhelmed, but made the blood spout from his nose as he broke off 
the helmet of sir Boucicaut, who then retired to his pavilion : he 
tilted no more that day, for it was now nearly vespers. Sir Peter 
Shirborne, however, would not desist until he had completed his 
number of lances: he, in consequence, sent his squire to touch the 
war-target of the lord de Saimpi, w-ho was prepared to meet him. 
The two knights spurred on violently against each other, and hit on 
the top of their helmets; but the lances slipt over, and they passed 
each other without hurt. The spectators said, had their spears been 
pointed lower, and the shields received the blows, one or both must 
have suffered severely from the shock. The next course they struck 
full on their targets, and broke their lances into three parts ; but the 
blow of the lord de Saimpi was so strong, that the English knight 
lost his seat and fell to the ground, from whence, howevcv, he in- 
stantly arose, and was led by his attendants from the lists. The lord 
de Saimpi returned to his post, viewing the state of his adversary, 
and showing his willingness to renew the tilt with him he had over- 
thrown or with any other; but none came forward, as it was now 
time to leave off for this day, and return to their hfitels. The Eng- 
lish, and such as had accompanied them, set off full gallop for Calais, 
where they remained that night enjoying themselves, and talking 
over the feats of arms that had been performed. The French retired 
to Saint Inglevere ; and, if the English talked much of what had 
been done, you may readily suppose the French were not silent. 

On Tuesday, after mass and drinking a cup, all those who intended 
to tilt, and those who wished to see them, left Calais, and rode in an 
orderly manner to where the lists had been held the preceding day. 
The French were already there, as was right, and prepared to receive 
them. The day was bright, clear, and sufficiently warm. The Eng. 
lish drew up on one side, and armed those who were to tilt. 

Sir WiUiam Clifton, a very valiant and export knight, was the first 
who sent his squire to touch the shield of sir Boucicaut ; the knight 
instantly came forth, armed completely for the tournament, mounted 
his horse, and grasped his lance. The two knights met full gallop, 
hitting each on the target, but passed on without anything more. 
The second course was very handsome : they met, and hit each on 
the helmet, the lances crossing. The third course they struck again 
their shields, and with such violence, that the horses were stop- 
ped. The fourth course with lances was gallantlv performed, for 
they hit each other so strongly on the vizors of their helmets, they 
were driven off by the blow to different sides. The English knight 
tilted no more that day, for he was told he had dene enough. 

After this, sir Nicholas Clinton, a young English knight, sent to 
touch the target of the lord de Saimpi, who immediately appeared 
ready armed and mounted. The two knighls spurred their horses, 
bearing their spears in good array : when near, they struck iheir op- 
ponent's target with such violence that the steel remained fixed ; and 
it is wonderful no other harm ensued, for they were both young, of 
good courage, and did not spare themselves. They neither fell nor 
were wounded, but their lances were shivered to pieces. They then 
passed on, each to his post. The second course was well tilted: 
they struck each on the helmets, but, as it was on the top, they did 
no damage, and passed on. At the third course with lances, the 
horses swerved, to their sorrow; and, at the fourth, the lord de 
Saimpi unhelmed the English knight, who returned to his country- 
men and tilted no more, for they assured him he had behaved most 
valiantly, and that he must allow others to have their share. 

When sir Nicholas Clinton was returned from the lists, a gallant 
knight of England, nearly related to the earl of Huntingdon, called 



* He is called before Roussel, In the MS. in the British Mu.«ura, Rousse!. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



511 



Williain Seimon," left his tent, and sent to touch thp target of sir 
Reginald de Roye, who appeared to meet him. Each having taken 
his post, they vigorously spurred their horses, and gave such blows 
on their shields, that it was surprising they were not unhorsed ; but 
both ke.pt their seats, as they rode well. They passed on to their 
places ; but the English knight let fall Jiis lance, and sir Reginald 
bore his in handsome array. 

The English knight having had his lance given to him, he placed 
it in its rest, and spurring his horse, intended to have done wonders. 
Indeed the blow would have been good if it had been straight, but, 
by the swerving of his horse, it was very weak ; and I doubt if it 
were not, in some measure, the lault of the knight. Sir Reginald 
struck him such a blow on the shield, as made him bend backward, 
but they passed on without further hurt. Being prepared for the 
third course, they again spurred their horses and couched their lan- 
ces, and hit each other so rudely on the helmets that the fire sparkled 
from them. They passed on, but from this blow their lances fell to 
the ground : persons were at hand to pick them up and give them to 
the knights. Having replaced the lances in their rests, they renewed 
the tilt, and, aiming well, struck each other on the vizors of their 
helmets so severely, that sir William Seimort was unhelmed and 
nearly thrown to the ground ; but, though he staggered, he kept his 
seat. The English knight then went to his countrymen, and did 
nothing more that day. 

A squire called Lancaster now stepped forth, and sent to touch die 
shield of sir Boucicaut. He was ready mounted to answer the call, 
and, haNing grasped his spear, they met most cour.igeously : they 
struck their helmets, so as to make the fire fly from them, and it was 
astonishing they kept them on their heads. No harm being done, 
each returned to his post, where they made no long stay before they 
began their second course with great vigor, each hitting on his op. 
ponent's target; the horses swerved, which prevented this from being 
a handsome or effectual tilt ; but this they could not help. At the 
third lance ihey met, and the blow was so well placed, that the Eng- 
lishman was unhelmed, and passed on to his post bareheaded all but 
the scull-cap, and would not that day tilt more. 

A young knight, whose name was sir John Tallboys, next made 
his appearance, completely armed, and sent to touch the war-target 
of the lord de Saimpi. That knight was ready for the tilt, and, hav- 
ing grasped his spear, stuck spurs into his horse : their first onset 
was so rough, their lances were shivered. The two knights passed 
each other without other damage, and were not long before they be. 
gan their second course, having received new lances, of which there 
was a provision ready, all of the same length. From the fault of 
their horses, though they aimed well, they missed hitting ; but the 
third course was well performed, for they unhelmed each other, and 
then each retired to his own party, and the English knight did noth- 
ing more that day. 

Sir Godfrey de Seca next presented himself : he was a gallant 
knight, and showed, by his manner of riding and bearing his lance, 
that he was an able tilter, and desirous of renown. He sent his 
squire to touch the war-target of sir Reginald de Roye. That knight 
came forward instantly, as he was ready mounted, and, placing him- 
self properly for the tilt, they both set ofT full gallop, and gave such 
blows on their targets, that though their spears, from their strength, 
did not break, they remained fastened to the shields, and by dint of 
hard pushing, the horses were checked : each knight returned to his 
post without losing his lance, but bearing it handsomely before him. 
Having placed them in their rests, they again spurred their horses, 
which were strong and active, but by their swer\'ing, they missed 
their stroke and dropped their spears. Those near picked them up 
and returned them, and again they renewed the tilt ; for they were 
heated, and seemed unwilling to spare each other. The English 
knight hit sir Reginald a severe blow on the top of his helmet, with- 
out otherwise damaging him ; but sir Reginald gave him so strong a 
thrust on the target, (for at that time he was counted one of the stout- 
est tilters in France, and was smitten with love for a young lady that 
made all his affairs prosper,) it pierced through it as well as his left 
arm ; the spear broke as it entered, the butt end falling to the ground, 
the other sticking in the shield, and the steel in the arm. The knight, 
however, did not for this fail to finish his course gallantly ; but his com- 
panions came to him, and the broken spear and steel were extracted, 
the blood stanched, and the arm tied up. Sir Reginald returned to his 
friends, and there remained, leaning on another lance that had been 
given him. Sir Reginald was much praised by the French and Eng- 
lish for this tilt ; and no one said anything improper against him, on 
account of the Englishman being wounded, for such are the events of 
arms : to one they are fortunate, to another the reverse ; and, to say 
the truth, they did not spare each other. 

An English squire, called Blaquet,t then sent to strike the war- 
shield of the lord de Saimpi. When they were both ready, they 
spurred their horses, and hit on the helmets hard blows, though the 
points of their spears slipped off: on finishing their career, they lost 
their lances. When they were restored to them, they began their 
second course, but, by the fault of their horses, nothing was done. 
At the third onset, Blaquet gave the lord de Saimpi a hard blow on 
the helmet, but was struck by him much harder on the vizor, and 



' Q. S«ymour.— £b. 



f "Blaquet." tj. BInke. 



unhelmed, with a force that broke the buckle which fastened it be 
hind, and it fell on the ground. They finished their course, and the 
English squire went among his countrymen, not intending to tilt more 
that day. The lord de Saimpi remained gallantly on horseback, 
leaning on his spear, to wait until he should be again called upon. 

Sir John Bolton, a gallant knight from England, shortly after this 
tilt was over, sent his squire to touch the shield of the lord de Saimpi, 
who, being prepared, entered the lists, his target on his neck and 
spear in hand. Each hit his adversary's shield, and it was surprising 
they were not pierced, for their lances were strong, and their heads 
well tempered ; but they passed without further loss than of their 
spears, which fell to the ground. When they were picked up and 
given them, they again spurred their horses, and struck the helmets, 
but without effect, and continued their career. At the third course 
their horses crossed. The lord de Saimpi, at the fourth, unhelmed 
sir John Bolton, by a hard blow, and then the two knights returned 
to their friends. 

Thomelin Messidon,* a young English knight, well and richly 
armed, with a great desire to gain honor, sent to touch the shield of 
sir Boucicaut. The knight instantly came forth, and, having grasped 
his lance, both spurred their horses ; and each made his stroke by 
crossing under the helmet : they passed on without hurt or blame, 
but were not long before they spurred on again. In this course, they 
hit very roughly on the targets ; Thomelin Messidon shivered his 
lance ; but sir Houcicaut's blow was so severe, it drove his opponent 
over the crupper of his horse to the ground. Those of his party ran 
to raise him up, and carried him off, for he tilted no more that day. 

Another squire of England, called Navarton.t instantly stepped 
forth, and sent to touch the war-shield of sir Boucicaut, saying he 
would revenge his companion, whom he had struck to the ground in 
his presence. Boucicaut was ready to answer him, being armed and 
mounted, and leaning on his spear. They met full gallop, and hit 
each other on the vizors of their helmets, but passed on without other 
damage. Having had their helmets readjusted, and their lances given 
them, they again met with great violence, and from the shock of the 
blows on the targets, the horses were stopped, and the lances broken 
into three pieces, but they completed their course without any hurt. 
They had new spears given them ; and at the third course sir Bou. 
cicaut was hit hard on the target, but he gave Navarton a blow that 
unhelmed him : he then withdrew to his countrymen, and tilted no 
more that day ; for they said he had done sufficient, and had gained 
great applause. 

After this, another squire advanced, called Sequaqueton,t an able 
man-at-arms and expert tilter. He sent to touch the shield of sir 
Reginald de Roye, who replied that he was prepared and mounted. 
They spurred their horses, and gave violent strokes on their targets, 
without sparing each other. Sequaqueton bore himself handsomely 
without falling, to the surprise of the spectators, for sir Reginald's 
blow made him bend backward almost on the cnipper of his horse ; 
but he raised himself, and gallantly finished his career with the loss 
only of his lance. Having received another, they ran the second tilt 
with great courage, and struck such blows on their helmets as made 
the fire fly from them. It was a handsome course, and no damage 
done. They repaired to their posts, and spurred again for the third 
time. In this tilt, Sequaqueton was severely unhelmed, and on the 
point of falling, both himself and horse, for he staggered considera. 
bly. The squire, when on his feet, returned to his companions and 
tilted no more : indeed, there was an end to the whole for the day, 
as it was now late. The English collected together and returned to 
Calais, as did the French to St, Inglevere, 

You must know, though I have not before made mention of it, 
that king Charles of France was present at these justs. Being young, 
and desirous of witnessing extraordinary sights, he would have been 
much vexed if ho had not seen these tournaments. He was there- 
fore present at the early part and latter end of them, attended only 
by the lord de Garencieres ; but both so disguised that nobody knew 
of it; and they returned every evening to Marquise, § 

The ensuing day, Wednesday, was as fine as the foregoing ; and 
the English, who had crossed the sea to take part in or view this 
tournament, mounted their horses, at the same hour as on the prece- 
ding day, and rode to the place appointed for the lists, to the delight 
of the French, who were rejoiced to see them. It was not long after 
their arrival when an English squire, a good tilter, called John Sav- 
age, squire of honor and of the body to the earl of Huntingdon, sent 
to touch the shield of sir Reginald de Roye. The knight answered, 
he was ready and willing to satisfy him. When he had mounted his 
horse, and had his helmet buckled and lance given to him, they set 
off full gallop, and gave such blows on the targets, that had the spears 
not broken, one or both inust have fallen to the ground. This was 
handsome and dangerous ; but the knights received no hurt, though 
the points of the lances passed through the targets, and slipped off 
their side-armor. The spears were broken about a foot from the 
shaft, the points remaining in the shields ; and they gallantly bore 
the shafts before them, as they finished their career. The spectators 

* " Thomelin Messidon." It is Meseiden in the fllSS. 
t Warneston.— BucHON. 
J "Sequaqueton." CI. Swinnerton. 

6 " Marquise"-a town in Picatdy, live leoeues from Calais, three and ft half ftoi» 
Bouloene. 



512 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



thoiight they must have been seriously wounded ; and the French and 
EngUsh hastened each to their companion, whom, to their- joy, they 
found unhurt. They were told they had done enough for that day : 
but John Savage was not satisfied, and said that he had not crossed 
the sea for only one tilt with a lance. This was repeated to sir Re- 
ginald, who replied : " He is in the right ; and it is but just that he 
should be gratified, either by me or one of my companions." When 
they had rested themselves a while, and received new lances, they 
began their second course, each aiming well at the other ; but they 
failed from the swerving of their horses, to their great vexation, and 
returned to their posts. Their lances, which had been accidentally 
dropped, were given to them, and they set off on their third course. 
This time they hit on the vizors of their helmets ; and, by the force 
and crossing of their lances, both were unhelmed as they passed. 
The tilt was much applauded for its correctness and vigor. When 
they returned to their posts, the English told John Savage, that he 
had very iionorably performed, and that it was now time for him to 
make way for others to tilt as well as himself. He compUed with 
this, and, laying aside his lance and target, dismounted, and rode on 
a hackney to witness the performances of others. 

An English squire, named William Basquenay, cousin to the earl- 
marshal, came forth fully armed for the occasion, and sent to have 
the war-shield of sir Boucicaut stricken. The knight instantly made 
his appearance at the end of the iiots, and each galloped toward the 
other as straight as they could. They struck, ilieir helmets gallantly ; 
and the blow was so effectual on the vizors that they were buth un 
helmed, and continued their course without further hurt. Their 
friends, who were near, readjusted their armor; and, giving them 
their spears, they commenced their second course by desperate strokes 
on their targets ; but, the lances breaking, no harm was done, and 
they continued their career. They were supplied wiih new lances, 
that were stout and good ; but, t'rom the fault of their horses, they 
missed their strokes. At the fourth lance, they hit ; and William 
Basquenay was unhelmed a second time, and then returned to his 
companions, not tilting more that day. 

A squire from England, whose name was John Scot, sent to have 
the war-shield of the lord do Saimpi touched. He immediately ap- 
peared, and at their onset they gave such blows on their targets as 
stopped their horses ; but, their lances being strong, they neither broke 
nor fell out of their hands. The second course was well performed : 
the lord de Saimpi hit his adversary ; but Scot had more success in 
unhelming him, for which he was much applauded by his countrymen. 
The lord de Saimpi was soon rehclmed ; and, grasping his spear, 
they spurred against each other with great violence. They placed 
their blows on their targets, but with a force that drdve John Scot 
out of his saddlt; to the ground, and thus did the lord de Saimpi re- 
venge himself. The squire was raised, and carried off by his com- 
panions. 

Bernard Stapleton, an English squire, sent to strike the lord de 
Saimpi's shield, who was not dismounted from his last tilt. They 
met, and hit each other on the helmets so forcibly as to make the 
sparks Ry from them ; but they passed on without hurt and returned 
to their posts. Still grasping their spears, they couched them, and 
at this second course, struck very severe blows on their targets ; 
but kept their seats well, without falling or staggering, to the end of 
their career. The third lance struck the helmets, and both were 
unhelmed. The English squire retired from the lists, as liis friends 
told him he had acquitted himself with honor. 

The next that presented himself, was a young gay knight from 
England, who shone in tournaments, in dancing, and in singing, 
called sir John Arundel. He sent his squire to touch the war-shield 
ef sir Reginald de Roye The knight replied, that he wished for 
nothing more agreeable than to tilt with him. Having received their 
spears, they galloped ofl'at the same moment, and gave and roooivod 
hard blows on their shields ; but they kept their seats handsomely, 
and continued their career. Their lances having fallen from their 
hands, were restored to them by those appointed for that purpose ; 
and they began their second course with blows on the helmets that 
made the fire fly, but they passed on without further hurt. At the 
third onset, the horses swerved ; and the knights in their attempt to 
strike, lost their lances, and with difficulty recovered themselves. At 
the fourth they struck the helmets, but without harm or unhelming. 
At the fifth course, they hit each other on the target, and broke their 
lances, without any other damage. Sir John Arundel completed his 
career, and returned to his friends. 

After this, Nicholas Stone, an English squire, sent to touch the 
war-shield of sir Boucicaut. The knight seizing his lance, they 
spurred against each other and hit on the helmets ; but the spears 
slipped oflf, and they passed unhurt. Holding still their lances in the 
rests, they set off again, and hit so hard on the targets, that the horses 
staggered with the shock, and the knights dropped their spears. When 
they had received their lances, they again galloped off full speed, 
and their blows on the helmets were effectual : at least the English 
squire lost his helmet and retired, for his friends said he had done 
enough. 

Another squire from England, called John Marshal, advanced to 
the lists, completely armed, and sent no touch the war-target of sir 
Boucicaut, who replied, he was ready, and waiting to be called upon. 
At their first couwe they hit each other on the targets, but the lances 



fell to the ground, and they returned to their stations without other 
damage. On their being restored, they continued their tilt, and struck 
hard blows on the helmets without anything more, and pursued their 
career, bearing their lances handsomely before them. When they 
had rested a little, they considered how they could best annoy each 
other, and, having aimed well, spurred on their horses. John Mar- 
shal gave such a thrust on Boucicaut's shield that his lance was bro- 
ken to the stump, and Boucicaut's blow unhelmed his opponent, and 
drove him on the crupper of his horse. The squire, notwithstanding, 
completed his course without falling, and then went to his compan- 
ions, who said he ought now to be satisfied, for that he had well 
perfoiTiied. 

When the squire had withdrawn, a yeung and frisky knight ad- 
vanced, who was eager to gain renown. His name was sir John 
Cliseton,* and he bore for arms a field argent, fretted azure, with a 
mullet argent in chief. He sent his squire to touch the war-shield 
of sir Reginald de Roye, who was much pleased at the summons. 
Having taken their stations and received their lances, they spurred 
their horses and hit each other full on the helmets, but passed and 
completed their career. They kept their lances in their rests, and 
were not long before they commenced the second course, in which 
they gave heavy thrusts on their sliields, but without any loss, except 
of their spears, which feU to the ground. Having received their 
lances, they hit each other, on the third course, such blows on the 
tops of the helmets as made the fire fly. At the fourth course their 
horses swerved, to their great disappointment. The fifth was well 
pertornieJ, for each broke his lance. The two knights grew warm, 
and plainly showed they were desirous of trying each other's valor to 
the utmost. When at their stations they had fresh lances given them, 
that were stiff" enough ; and, after a short delay, they again spurred 
their horses, and laid in such blows on the helmets that both were 
unhelmed. This course was greatly praised by all present, and when, 
they had completed their career, they returned to their countrymen ; 
for the English knight tilted no more that day. 

When this was finished, a squire from England, called Roger Lamb, 
whose arms were a cross gules, on a field argent and sable quartered, 
came forward, handsomely equipped, and gayly sent to touch the war- 
target of the lord de Saimpi. The knight instantly obeyed the call, 
and by his alacrity showed he preferred tilting to remaining idle. On 
the first onset, they checked their horses, by the force of their blows 
on their shields ; but the lances, being strong, did not break, and 
they continued their course. On the second tilt, they hit the helmets 
hard enough ; but, as the points of their lances grazed off, no harm 
was done. Roger Lamb was unhelmed at the third course, and re- 
turned to his countrymen without doing more that day. 

After this, a gallant knight from that part of Hainault called Ostre . 
vant, a good man-at-arms and able tilter, offered himself He had 
been educated in England at the court of lung Edward, and his name 
was sir John d'Ambreticourt, and brother to that excellent knight, 
sir Eustace d'Ambreticourt. He bore for his arms ermine two bars 
humetty gules, each charged with three escallop shells argent. The 
knight was well equipped for the tournament, and sent one of his 
squires to touch the war.target of sir Reginald de Roye. Having 
taken their stations, they eyed each other well, and spurring their 
horses, gave such blows oa the shields as made sparks of fire fly from 
them, and the horses to bend under them. The tilt was handsome, 
for no harm was done, and they continued the career. They were 
not long before they ran their second course, and again hit on the 
shields. It was wonderful that this was not attended with mischief, 
for they were both strong and courageous tilters, fearless of death or 
danger. The shock of this attack was so great that their horses were 
forced on their haunches, and the two knights staggered. Neverthe- 
less, they continued their career, but with the loss of their lances. 
Having received their lances, they ran their third course, and sir 
John d'Ambreticourt unhelmed sir Reginald de Roye so as to injure 
him very considerably, and to terminate his career. Sir Reginald 
went to his party, and plainly showed he would not tilt more that 
day. When sir John d'Ambreticourt perceived this, as he had a 
great delight in tilting, he sent to touch the war-shield of sir Bouci- 
caut, who instantly advanced to the lists. Having had his target 
buckled on, and placed his spear in the rest, they spurred against each 
other, and gave such blows on the shields that it was surprising they 
were not pierced through ; but this might be owing to the swerving 
of the horses. When returned to their stations, they did not remain 
long before they commenced their second course with vigor, and kit 
each other hard on the helmets ; but the spears slipped off, and they 
continued their career. The knights having lost their spears, they 
were brought to them by their squires, and they renewed the tilt. 
This time they were both very severely unhelmed, and gallantly- 
finished their course. 

The English now collected together, as evening was approacliing, 
and returned to Calais, where they passed the night in talking over 
the different feats of arms that had been that day performed. The 
French amused themselves in like manner at Saint Inglevere. On 
Thursday morning, the fourth day of the tournament, the English 
found that there were yet many knights and squires who had not 
entered the lists, and who had purposely come from England ; they 
therefore said, that all who had any intentions to tilt should do so. 



» "Sil Jolut CUsstan." H. Cliltsa, 



-;l 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



513 



otherwise they would not be hnndsomely treated. The lords of Eng- 
land had agreed to return to Saint Inglevere on the Thursday, for 
those who pleased to perform tlicir justs : in consequence, they left 
Calais after mass, and, on arriving at the lists, found the three French 
knights ready in their pavilions to answer all who might call on them, 
attended by those that were to serve them and such as came to wit- 
ness the deeds of arms. 

An English knight, called sir Godfrey d'Estas,* was the first who 
entered the lists : he bore for arms a lion sable on a field or, with 
three bars gules, and charged with a mullet or, on the dexter paw of 
a lion, and was completely and gayly armed. He sent a squire to 
touch the war-shield of sir Boucicaut, who instantly advanced from 
his pavilion prepared to obey the summons. Having received their 
spears and bucklers and eyed each other for a short time, they spurred 
on their horees, and both struck violent blows on the helmets ; but, 
as the points of their lances slipped oft', they continued their course 
to their stations. Keeping the lances in the rests, they recommenced 
the tilt, and met with such force on their bucklers, that had not their 
spears broken, much mischief might have ensued. When they had 
rested a while and had new lances, they ran a third course with great 
violence, and hit the vizors so fairly and well that both were un- 
helmed ; they continued their career, and then retired to their own 
people. The English knight did nothing more this day, for he was 
told that he had performed well, and must give way to others. 

Alain Bourch,t an able and expert English squire, sent to touch 
the war-target of the lord de Sainipi, who came from his pavilion iy; 
obedience to the call. They gave blows on their helmets at the first 
onset, that made the fire sparkle, but no other harm was done. At 
the second tilt, their lances met on their bucklers with such force as 
shivered them in pieces, but they continued their career unhurt. 
They were quickly supplied with new lances ; and, spurring on the 
third time, they placed their thrusts so well and strong that they 
were both unhelmed, and completed their course : the Englishman 
retired to his countrymen, to allow others to show their skill and 
valor. 

An English squire, called John Storp,! sent to touch the target of 
sir Boucicaut, who issued forth out of his pavilion, and his horse 
being ready, mounted him and entered the lists. They failed in 
their first course, from the fault of their horses. Wlien they returned 
to their statiuns, they were not long before they ran the second ; and, 
although they gave each other severe blows on the helmet, no mis. 
chief ensued. At the third course, John Storp was forcibly struck 
to the ground ; whence he was raised by his friends and did no more 
that day. 

A Bohemian knight now advanced, who was of the household of 
the queen of England, called sir Herchauce. He was esteemed a 
strong and expert tiller, and bore for his arms three griffins' feet sable 
on a shield argent ongle with azure. When he entered the lists, he 
was asked wliich of the three knights he wished to tilt with : he re- 
plied, " With Boucicaut." On this an English squire was sent, ac- 
■cording to the regulations, to touch sir Boucicaut's war.target. The 
knight, having kept himself prepared for any summons, left his 
pavilion, and having fastened l.-;s buckler and grasped his lance, 
entered the lists. His opponent was then ready to meet him ; and 
spurring their horses, they thought to give full strokes ; but it was not 
so, from the ill conduct of the Bohemian knight, for which he was 
greatly blamed. He had, out of the line of tilting, hit sir Bouci. 
caut on the helmet, and continued his career : for tliis impropriety, 
of which the English saw him guilty, he had forfeited his arms and 
horse, should the French insist upon them. The French and Eng- 
glish held a long conversation on this ill-placed stroke ; but at last 
the French knights pardoned it, tha better to please the English. 
Herchauce begged, as a favor, that he might be permitted to run 
only one course more. On being asked " With which of the three 
knights?" he sent to touch the target of sir Reginald de Roye. That 
knight was waiting in his pavilion, not having tilted that day, and 
declared his willingness to accommodate sir Herchauce, since his 
request had been granted. Sir Reginald mounted his horse, and hav- 
ing had his buckler fastened, and his lance given him, he eyed his 
opponent, that he might well point his stroke. Both spurred their 
horses at the same moment, and hit on the shields ; but sir Reginald 
(who was one of the firmest and best tilters in France,) thrust with 
such force as made the Bohemian fly out of his saddle, and fall so 
so severely on the ground that the spectators imagined that he was 
killed. Sir Reginald continued his course to his own station. Sir 
Herchauce was raised with much difficulty by his attendants, and 
■carried to the English, who were well pleased at what had happened 
to him, for the uncourteous manner in which he had run his first 
course. He had not any desire to tilt more that day. 

The next who came forward was Robin Seorneborne,§ an able and 
gay squire from England. He sent to touch the war-target of the 
lord de Saimpi, who was ready mounted and prepared to answer 
him. At their first course they hit their helmets, and continued their 
career. At the ne.\t, they struck their bucklers, but unsuccessfully, 
as before, excepting the loss of their lances. Having recovered them 



* " Sir Godfrey il'Estas." Eiutace. 

t "Alain Bourch." Q. Birch. Lord Bera«n Call* him Aieyne Borrowe. 

X '* John Storp." Lord Bemera— Scrope. 

i4 *■ Robin Seomeborne." Q. Sherbum, or Shubum. 



again, they, on the third onset, placed their thrusts so ably and forci- 
biy on the visors, that both were unhelmed, and finished their course. 
The English squire returned to his companions, and was idle during 
the rest of the day. 

Another English squire, called John Merlan, now advaitced. He 
bore for arms a bend sable on a field argenty charged with three 
lion.heads sable, and sent to touch the war-target of sir Reginald 
de Roye. The knight answered, he was at his service. Having 
entered the lists, they at the first onset gave violent blows on the 
helmets, but without any efl'ect, and, by firmly holding their lances, 
returned to their stations without loss of any kind. The second 
course, their spears met on their bucklers, and the horses were 
checked ; having thrown down their lances, they continued their 
career, each to his station, and made ready to tilt well the third lance. 
When their spears had been given them, they set ofi' full gallop, and 
sir Reginald hit sir Jolin Merlan a blow on his buckler, which lorced 
him out of the saddle to the ground. He continued his course to 
his station, and the Englishman was raised and carried to his coun. 
try men. 

John Mouton, another squire from England, next offered himself. 
He bore for arms a chevron sable on a field gules, three pierced mul. 
lets or, with an indented bordure sable, and sent to strike the war- 
shield of sir Boucicaut, who replied, he was always ready to tilt. 
Their strokes met on their bucklers, but without damage. It was 
not their fault, for the blows were well placed, and they gallantly 
passed, bearing their lances before them, to their stations. They 
were not long before they commenced their second tilt, and hit very 
severely on the helmets, but without loss, excepting their lances, and 
returned to their posts. Those who were appointed to gather the 
lances that fell, instantly presented them to the knights, who renewed 
the tilt; but at the third course sir Boucicaut unhelmed John Mou. 
ton, who retired to his companions. 

A very handsome knight from England now came forth : he was 
well armed at all points, and kept an excellent position on his horse, 
and was called sir Jaquemin Strop.* He sent to touch the war- 
target of the lord de Saimpi, who being mounted and armed before his 
pavilion, advanced to the lists. At their first course they missed their 
stroke, from their horses' running out of the line, which ve.xed them 
much. They were not long before they again set off full gallop, and, 
when they met, gave such blows on the helmets as made them strike 
fire : they passed on without loss but of their spears. As soon aa 
they were returned to their stations, their lances were brought them, 
and after a short delay, they began their third course. They both 
hit with great force on the bucklers; but sir James Scrope's lance 
broke, while sir Reginald unhorsed his opponent and continued his 
career. Sir James was raised from the ground by his attendants, 
a]id did no more that day. 

Another English knight, called sir William Masquelee, was ready 
to enter the lists, and to engage with whoever pleased ; for he had 
crossed the sea with the earl of Huntingdon in this view. He sent 
to touch the war-target of sir Boucicaut, who had his buckler fast- 
ened, and instantly advanced to meet his adversary. They both at 
the same moment spurred their horses, which were fresh and eager 
to begin the course ; for the very instant they felt the points, they 
bounded forward. The two knights took good aim, and mutually 
gave such strokes on their helmets that fire sparkled from them : aud, 
though the points of the lances slipped ofi', the tilt was much praised 
by all present. They continued their career to their different sta- 
tions, but did not make any long stay before they again spurred 
their horses and couched their spears, for they did not drop them, 
and met with such violence, that their lances must have pierced the 
bucklers, if the horses had not swerved. They finished their course, 
throwing down their lances, and completed their career like good 
tilters, in excellent array to their posts. Having received their spears, 
they set off as fast as their horses conld carry them, and, on their 
meeting, hit the vizors of the helmets severely. The tilt was loudly 
applauded, for they were both unhelmed, and bareheaded all but the 
scull.caps ; they finished their career, and then retiu-ned to their 
friends, for they had excellently performed. 

An English squire called Nicholas Lamb, well and elegantly armed, 
advanced, having a great desire to try his skill in arms. He sent to 
strike the war-target of the lord de Saimpi, who was already mounted 
and armed, in front of his pavilion, with his buckler on his breast, 
blazoned with his arms. He grasped his spear, and flew to the lists 
with the eagerness of a hawk to seize his prey. The English squire 
did the same, and, setting off at full speed, they gave such blows on 
their bucklers, that their lances were shivered : it was fortunate they 
broke, or the knights must have been greatly hurt, or unhorsed, but 
they kept their seats firmly. When returned to their stations, they 
were supplied with new lances, and with th^ ' '" " ^'*- 

made the fire fly from their helmets ; no o* 
the spears had crossed, and they continue 
After a short rest, they commenced their 
amined where they could place their f 
performed ; for they hit, justly, the up 
the points of the lances entered : be 
that the lacings burst, and the helme' 



* " Sir Jaquemin Strop. 



514 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



horses on the field. The knights kept iheir seats and completed 
their course in handsome array, and returned to their countrymen. 

The tournament was now at an ena, for no more tilters appeared 
on the part of the English. The earl of Huntingdon, the earl.mar. 
shal, the lord Clifiord, the lord Beaumont,* sir John Clifton, sir John 
d'Ambreticourt, sir Peter Sherburne, and all those knights who had 
tilted the preceding days, then waited in a body on the French 
knights, and thanked them warmly for the amusements they had 
given them. They said, " All the knights who have accompanied 
us having now tilted, we take our leave of you, and return to Calais 
on our way to England. We know well that whoever may wish to 
try their skill in arms will find you here for thirty days, according to 
your proclamation. On our return to England, we shall loudly speak 
of your gallantry, and tell all those who may inquire of these deeds 
of arms to come and witness them in person." " Many thanks," 
replied the three knights : " they shall be made welcome, and de. 
livered by deeds of arms as you have been ; and we desire you will 
accept our best acknowledgments for the courtesy you have shown 
US." 

In such friendly manner did the English and French knights sep. 
arate, in the plain of St. Inglevere : the first took the road to Calais, 
but made no long stay ; for on the Saturday morning they embarked 
on board passage-boats, and landed at Dover about mid. day, when 
each retired to his inn. They stayed the whole of Saturday, and 
Sunday until after mass, at Dover ; where having refreshed them, 
selves and their horses, they continued their journey to Rochester, 
and there lay that night : on the morrow they arrived at London, 
when they separated, and each returned to his home. The three 
French knights before named, kept their engagements valiantly at 
St. Inglevere. When the English knights were gone, the king of 
France and the lord de Garencieres, who had witnessed the tourna. 
ment in disguise, returned to their inn at Marquise ; and on the morrow, 
at break of day, they set out for Paris, and never ceased riding until 
they came to Creilt on the river Oise, where at that time the queen 
of France resided. Scarcely any one knew that the king was pres- 
ent at these tilts, but his confidential valets-de-chambre. 

From the time the English left Calais, I never heard that any others 
came from England to Inglevere to try their skill in arms. The three 
knights, however, remained there until the thirty days were fully ac- 
complished, and then leisurely returned each to his home. When 
they waited on the king of France, the duke of Touraine, and other 
lords at Paris, they were most handsomely received. Indeed, they 
were entitled to such reception, for they had gallantly behaved them- 
selves, and well supported the honor of the king and of the realm of 
France. 

■ CHAPTER XIV. 

THE DUKE OF BOUltBON IS APPOINTED CHIEF OF AN EXPEDITION TO 
AFRICA, THAT IS UNDERTAKEN BS SEVERAL KNISHTS OF FKA.NCE AND 
ENGLAND AT THE SOLICITATION OF THE GENOESE. 

I HAVE delayed, for a long time, speaking of a grand and noble 
enterprise that was undertaken by some knights of France, England 
and other countries, against the kingdom of Barbary. I wish not to 
forget nor to defer it ; but, as I had begun on the tilts at St. Ingle- 
vere, I was desirous to complete that account. Since that is done, 
I will return to other subjects, and refresh my memory accordingly ; 
for such events as I have to relate are greatly amusing, and, if I had 
not taken pleasure in inditing them, I should never have succeeded. 
The text of the subject I mean to proceed on says, that about this 
time the Genoese were reported throughout France and other coun- 
tries, to be desirous of raising a large army to invade Barbary ; and 
that all knights, squires or men-at-arms, who would engage in this 
expedition, should be supplied with such purveyances as biscuit, fresh 
water, vinegar, and vessels and galleys to transport them thither. 

The cause of their forming this armament was, that the Africans 
had attacked the country of Genoa, plundering the Islands belonging 
to them, and carrying off such from the coasts of Genoa as were not 
on their guard, by which they were kept under continual alarms. 
They possessed also a town, situated on the sea-shore of Barbary, 
which is beyond measure strong, and called Africa,? surrounded with 
high walls, gates and deep ditches. Like as the strong town of 
Calais is the key to France and Flanders, and whoever is master of 
it may at all times enter those countries, and from thence may be 
sent a powerful force by sea, to do mischief to their neighbors ; just 
so is the town of Africa the stronghold of the inhabitants of Barbary, 
Bugia and Tunis, and other infidel countries. The Genoese, who are 
rich merchants, bore great hatred to this town ; for its corsairs fre- 
que- •' —it'-hpft iher>^ •>< sea, and when strongest, fell on and plun- 
T their spoils to this town of Africa, which 
'ace of deposit, and may be called their 

nd to such conduct, and satisfy the com- 

\ys his name waa John, instoad gfHeiirj-, ae 

-uea and a haif from Pari!:, 
ry, seventy miles distant from Tunis. It was 
the command of the emperor Charles V. and 



plaints of their subjects, that were daily made to them from the 
island of Albe,* Isja,t Guerse,t Buscan,§ Gorgennen,|| and from 
the coast as far as the gulf of Lyons to the islands of Sardonne,T 
Finesse,** and even from the island of Majorca,+t determined to 
make their situation known to the court of France, and to offer to 
such knights as would undertake an expedition against the infidels, 
vessels of provision, with a passage thither and back free of all costs, 
provided that one of the king's uncles, or his brother the duke of 
Touraine (who, being young, ought to labor to gain renown,) would 
take the chief command. They likewise offered the aid of pilgrims, 
from foreign parts to assist them, twelve thousand select Genoese 
cross-bows, and eight thousand infantry armed with spears and 
shields, all at their expense. They imagined, that as now there was 
a truce between France, England and their allies, their knights 
would, from having nothing to do, be glad to join in this warfare, and 
that they should have numbers of them from those kingdoms. 

When this intelligence was first brought to the French knights, 
they were much rejoiced, in hope of gaining honor ', and the embas- 
sadors from Genoa were told they should not return without their 
business being attended to, and succor afforded them, for their anx- 
iety to extend the Christian faith was very praiseworthy. They 
waited at Paris, while it was under deliberation of the council who 
should be appointed commander-in-chief. The duke of Touraine 
offered his services to the king and council ; but they, as well as the 
dukes of Berry and Burgundy, remonstrated, that this command was 
not fit for him. They considered, that as the Genoese insisted on 
the king's brother, or one of his uncles, taking the command, the 
duke of Bourbon would be the most proper person, and that he should 
have for his second the lord de Coucy. The Genoese embassadors, 
having received a favorable answer from the king, and certain assu- 
rances of being assisted with knights and men-at-arms from France, 
under the command of the duke of Bourbon, in the course of the 
year, were greatly contented. They took leave of the king, and re- 
turned to their own country, to relate the good news, and make pre. 
parations accordingly. 

Reports of an invasion of Barbary were soon spread throughout 
France : to some knights and squires it was agreeable, to others the 
contrary ; all who were desirous of going thither could not, as it 
would have been at their own charges, for no lord paid for any but 
those of his own household. It was also ordered, that no one from 
France should make part of this expedition but such as had the king's 
leave : for the council wished not the realm to be void of defence, 
and the Genoese were expressly bound not to suffer any servants to 
embark, but solely such as were gentlemen, and who could be de- 
pended upon. It was, besides, meant as a compliment to the knights 
and squires of other nations who might wish to join in the enterprise. 
This regulation gave pleasure to all foreign knights who heard of it. 
The duke of Bourbon, having accepted the command, sent his serv. 
ants to Genoa, where they were to embark, to make the necessary 
preparations for him and his household. The gallant count d'Au- 
vergne, who was likewise of the expedition, did the same. The 
lord de Coucy, sir Guy de la Tremouille, sir John de Vienne, and all 
the great barons and knights of France who had obtained leave to 
make part of this army, were not behind-hand in sending thither 
purveyances suitable to their state. The lord Philip d'-'Vrtois, count 
d'Eu, sir Philip de Bar, the lord de Harcourt, sir Henry d'Antoing, 
did so likewise. From Brittany and Normandy many great lords 
made preparations for this expedition to Barbary, as well as from 
Hainault : among the last, were the lord de Ligne and the lord 
de Havreth. Several knights came from Flanders ; and the duke 
of Lancaster had a bastard son, called Henry de Beaufort, whom, 
through devotion, he sent thither. He had him well accompanied 
by many knights and squires of rank in England. 

The count de Foix was unwilling his bastard son, Evan of Foix, 
should remain behind, and had him properly attended by knights 
and squires, as he wished him to keep his state grandlj-. Every one 
had taken care to send beforehand all he should want ; and thoee at 
the greatest distance from Genoa, left their countries the middle of 
.May, but it was about a month before all were assembled. The 
Genoese were well pleased on their arrival, and made handsome and 
rich presents to the chiefs, the better to secure their affections. As 
the knights arrived, they were posted adjoining each other, and, on 
being mustered by the marshals, amotinted to fourteen hundred 
knights and squires. They were embarked on board of ships and 
galleys, that had been properly equipped for the voyage, on Saint 
John Baptist's day, in the year of grace 1390. 

It was a beautiful sight to view this fleet, with the emblazoned 
banners of the different lords glittering in the sun and fluttering in 
the wind ; and to hear the minstrels and other musicians sounding 
their pipes, clarions and trumpets, whose sounds were reechoed back 
by the sea. When all were embarked, they cast anchor, and re- 
mained that night at the mouth of the harbor ; but the servants and 
horses were left behind on shore. A horse worth fifty francs was on 
their embarkation sold for ten, as many of the knights and squires 
were uncertain when, or if ever, they should return, and the keep of 



•".1.lbc." a. Elba. t "Isja." Q. Ischia. t"Guerse." O. Cotsioa. 

% " Buscnn." H. II " Gorgeiuien." Ci. Gorgona. 

V "Sardonne." Q. Sardinio. ** "Finesse.'* Q. 

tt " IVIajorca," &c. belonged to the king of Arragon. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND. FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



515 



five horses at Genoa was upward of a franc a day ; tliey therefore, 
on departing, made of them what money they could, but it was little 
enough. 

There were about three hundred galleys to transport the men-at- 
arms and archers, and upward of one hundred vessels for the pur- 
Teyances-and other necesHaries. On the morrow, at daybreak, they 
•weighed anchor, and rowed coastwise that and tlie succeeding night. 
The third day, they made Port-fiao, where they lay that night : at 




English anp French Knights under the Duke of Bourbon on their voyage to Africa. 
a MS. Froissart of the Fifteenth century. 



sunrise, they rowed to Porto.Venere, and again cast anchor. The en- 
suing morning they weighed and took to the deep, putting themselves 
under the protection of God and St. George. When they had passed 
the island of Elba, they encountered a violent tempest, which drove 
them back by Gorgona, Sardinia and Corsica, into the gulf of Lyons, 
a position always dangerous ; but they could not avoid it, for the 
tempest was so violent, that the ablest mariner could not do anything 
to prevent their running the utmost risk of destruction : they waited 
therefore the will of God. This storm lasted a day and night, and 
dispersed the fleet. When the weather became calm and the sea 
tranquil, the pilots, who were acquainted with those seas, steered as 
directly as they could for the island of Comnieres,« which is but 
thirty miles from the town of Africa, whither they bent their course. 
The masters of the vessels had held a council before they entered the 
gulf of Lyons, and determined, that should they part company, they 
would rendezvous at the island of Commeres, and wait there until 
they were all assembled. This plan was adopted ; and it was up- 
ward of nine days before all were collected, so much had they been 
scattered. 

The island of Commeres, though not large, is very pleasant. The 
lords there refreshed themselves, and praised God for having all met 
again without essential loss or damage. When on the eve of de- 
parture, the French lords, who took the lead, held a council on their 
future proceedings, as they were now so near the port of Africa. 
We will for a while leave this expedition, and speak of events that 
happened in France, more particularly in Auvergnc. 



From 



CHAPTER XV. 

AYMERIGOT MAKCEL, CAPTAIN OF THE PILLAGING COMPAKIES, HAVI.XG 
FORTIFIED LA ROCHE DE VENDAIS ON THE BORDERS OF LIMOUSIN AND 
AtlVERGNE, IS BESIEGED BY THE VISCOUNT DE MEAUX, BY COMMAND OF 
THE KING OF FRANCE. 

During the time of the assembly of this body of men-at-arms in 
France, for the expedition to extend the Christian faith, and gain 
renown, there were another sort of men-at-arms wholly given up to 
plunder, in Limousin, Auvergnc, and Rouergue, who, in spite of the 
truce, were continually doing mischief to these countries, which 
thought themselves in security. The king of France had caused 
the truce to be- publicly notified to the captains of the freebooters, 
particularly to Perrot le B^arnois, governor of Chainlet, Aymerigot 
Marcel, Olim Barbe, captain of Donzac in Auvergne, who were per. 
sonally named in the act, and were assured, that if the truce were 



* "Cornmeres." This island is called Conimbres and Cominieres. in tlie printed and 
MS. editions. I suppose it must mean Comino orCumin. Cuminuni. nnd formerly He- 
phestia, a smaU island in the Mediterranean, tietwcen Gozo and Mulla, belonging to the 
■Knights of Malta.— B,\UDR*N. 



in the smallest degree infringed, those guilty of it should be corpo. 

rally punished, without hope of mercy. This was done, that there 

might not be any e.xcuaes made from ignorance of the treaty. Some 

of the captains, fearful of a disgraceful death, or of incurring the 

king's indignation, kept the peace very well. Others did not, for 

which they paid severely, as you will hear in the continuation of thia 

history. 

You have before found it related in the course of these Chronicles, 

indited and arranged by me, sir John Frois. 

sart, treasurer and canon of Chimay, how 

peace had been agreed on with many of the 

captains of castles in Auvergne, Limousin, 

Rouergue, and Cahorsin, by the mediation 

of John count d'Armagnac, and Berald 

dauphin of Auvergne, to whom they had 

surrendered their castles for different sums 

of money. The captains were also, by 

these treaties, bound to renounce, during 

the truce, the continuance of the warfare 

in France, and to accompany the coujit 

d'Armagnac to Lombardy, or whither else 

he might lead them. He was desirous to 

employ them in a war he was meditating 

against the lord Galeas de Visconti, count 

de Vertus, for having disinherited his cou. 

sins-german, the sons of his late uncle the 

lord Barnabo, as has been before men. 

tioned. 

The count d'Armagnac and the dauphin 
of -Auvergne had labored hard to gain over 
these captains, that the country might be at 
peace ; and for this end a large sum had 
been raised in Auvergne, Gevaudan, Rou. 
ergue, Cahorsin and Limousin, to the 
amount of two hundred thousand francs. 
This tax pressed so hard on rich and poor, 
tnat many were forced to sell their inheri. 
tancc to obtain peace. They imagined, 
that having paid such sums, they should 
remain unmolested by these robbers ; but 
it was not so in many places, more espe- 
cially in those parts where Aymerigot Marcel had his garrison. Not. 
withstanding the fact that he had surrendered, by capitulation, his 
castle of Aloise, which is situated in the heart of Auvergne, to 
the count d'Armagnac, he continued to do much mischief to the in. 
habitants. Aymerigot was so rich as to be able to pay down, if 
necessary, for his ransom, one hundred thousand francs, which he 
had gained by plunder during ten years that he had carried on this 
trade. The count d'Armagnac was anxious to have Aymerigot 
among his t'ollowers to Lombardy for two reasons : one was, to have 
his advice, as in everything relative to war he was subtle and enter, 
prising, and ver}- able respecting the escalade of forts, and the mode 
of war to be carried on : he therefore caused him to be told how de. 
sii'ous he was of his company, and that he would be a great gainer 
if he would join him. The other reason of his wish was, that if 
Aymerigot should remain behind, although he had sold Aloise, he 
might still do great harm to that country. 

Aymerigot dissembled in his negotiations with the count, and said 
to those sent to him, " When I shall witness the departure of the 
count d'.Armagnac to Lombardy, and see for certain that he is in 
earnest, I do not think, from the inclination I feel toward him, that 
I shall remain behind." This was the only answer that could be 
obtained from him. The count d'Armagnac resided in Comminges 
and in the Toulousain, making his preparations and collecting men. 
at-arms. He would have hastened'ftis expedition, if that to Africa 
had not interfered ; but that delayed it for some little time, for many 
knights and squires who were gone thither had promised him their 
assistance, as soon as he should begin his march. The suddenness 
of the invasion of Barbary deranged his plans, and likewise induced 
the more speedy capitulations with the captains of the free companies. 
Aymerigot Marcel was much vexed that he had sold his castle of 
Aloise, near St. Flour,* for his importance was lost, and he was less 
feared. During the time he held it against the whole force of the 
country, he was dreaded and respected by his companions in arms. 
He kept it always in good repair, and well provisioned ; for his com. 
positions with the country round amounted to twenty thousand florins 
yearly. He was quite melancholy when he thought of his reduced 
state, and would not diminish his treasure, which he had gained by 
his robberies, now the means of increasing it were closed. He said 
to himself, that he heartily repented what he had done, because in 
his opinion the pillaging life he had led, taking all things into con- 
sideration, was not to be despised. At times, he conversed on this 
subject with his former companions, and said, " There is no pleasure 
nor glory in this world like what men-at-arms, such as ourselves, 
enjoyed. How happy were we, when riding out in search of adven- 
tures, we met a rich abbot, a merchant, or a string of mules, well 
laden with draperies, furs, or spices, from MontpeUier, Beziers, or 



Riom. 



"Saint Floiif "—a town in Auvergne, 2ij leagues from Clermont-ferrand, 25 from 



516 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



other places. All was our own, or at least ransomed according to 
our will. Every day we gained money. The peasants of Auvergne 
and Limousin loved ue, and provided our castle with corn, meal, 
baked bread, litter for our horses, oats, hay, good wine, fat beeves, 
sheep, and all sorts of poultry : we lived like kings ; and when we 
went abroad, the country trembled : everything was ours, both in 
going and returning. How did I and the bourg Copane take Carlat ? 
and how did I and Perrot le BiSarnois win Chalu9et > How did we, 
you and I, without other assistance, scale the strong castle of Mar- 
flue!, that belongs to the count, dauphin ? I only kept it five days, 
and was paid down on a table five thousand francs for it, of whicli 
I gave back one thousand, from love to the count's children. By 
my troth, this was a profitable and pleasant life, and I feel myself 
much reduced by selling Aloise, which was strong enough to resist 
any force that could be brouglit against it; and was besides, at the 
time of my surrendering, bo plentifully stored with provisions and 
other necessaries, that it would not have needed anything for seven 
years to come. I consider myself, therefore, as deceived by this 
count d'Armagnac : indeed, Olim Barbe and Perrot le Bearnois fore- 
warned me that I should repent when too late, and I now find their 
words very true, for I most certainly do repent having parted with 
this castle." 

When his companions, who were now poor, thus heard Aymerigot 
complain, and perceived he was in earnest, they replied, " Aymerigot, 
we are ready to obey your commands. Let us renew the war, and 
consider what strong place we may seize on in .\uvergne or Limou- 
sin, and fortify it. We shall soon recover our losses, and have full 
scope for pillaging, as the count-dauphin and liis brother Hugit are 
BOW out of the country, with many other knights and squires, on the 
expedition to Barbary ; and in particular the lord de Coucy, who is 
lieutenant for the king over all these parts, is now likewise absent 
on this same expedition. We need not therefore fear him, nor the 
duke of Berry, who is at Paris, and has been so some time amusing 
himself." " I know not well how to act," said -A.ymerigot ; " for 
though I am well inclined to follow what you advise, yet as I am 
personally named in the treaties, I am particularly pointed at." 
" Ah," answered his companions, " that need not make any difi'er- 
ence, if you be willing. You are no vassal to the king of France, 
and therefore owe him neither homage nor obedience. You are the 
king of England's man, and your inheritance, which is now destroj'ed, 
was in Limousin. We make war to obtain a livelihood, for we must 
live, and the English will never be displeased with us for so doing. 
All wlio wish for gain will join us ; and I think we may show a suf- 
ficient cause for making war, by declaring we have not been paid 
the compositions t!.-at are due to us from -^.uvergne. Let us send, 
therefore, to the peasants of different villages (taking care, however, 
to be strong enough to enforce our orders,) and tell them, that unless 
they compound with us, we will make war on them." " Well, be it 
so," replied Aymerigot ; " but where can we at this moment fix our 
place of residence ?" Some of them said, " We know of a fort that 
is dismantled, belonging to the lord de la Tour, which no one guards. 
Let us go thither, and repair and strengthen it ; and, when this is 
done, we will garrison it, and overrun at our pleasure Limousin and 
Auvergne." " -'^nd where is this fort situated ?" asked Aymerigot. 
" One league from la Tour," answered those who were acquainted 
with it, and had well examined its situation : " it is called La Roche 
de Vendais." "On my faith, you say well: it is the very place for 
us," replied Aymerigot ; " and, although the lands are now separated 
from its dependence, it is a mesne fief of Limoges. We will go 
and look at it, and, if worth while, take possession and fortify it." 

Having determined on this, they all went to La Roche de Vendais, 
examined its strength minutely, and were more pleased with it than 
before : they instantly took possession, and by degrees fortified tlie 
place before they made any excursions or did harm to the country. 
When they had made it sufficiently strong to withstand an attack or 
siege, and the companions were all mounted, they began to overrun 
the more immediate neighborhood, to make prisoners and ransom 
them. They laid in stores of flesh, meal, wax, wine, salt, iron, steel, 
and other necessaries ; for nothing came amiss to them that was not 
too hot or too heavy. 

The inhabitants of the country were much astonished at this, for 
they thought themselves in perfect security on account of the truce 
between the two kings ; but these robbers seized whatever they 
pleased in their houses, or in the fields, calling themselves the -■Ad- 
venturers. The lord de la Tour had his town and castle well guarded, 
for he was not well pleased to have such neighbors a league from 
his residence. The dauphiness of Auvergne, a valiant lady and of 
great prudence, who lived with her cliildren in the strong castle of 
the good town of Sardes, situated on the river Evoque, did not think 
herself in safety when she heard that Aymerigot and his band had 
fortified themselves within La Roche de Vendais. She instantly 
ordered the garrisons of her casUes of Marquel, Ondable, Chillac, and 
Blere, to be reinforced with men-at-arms, to avoid their being sur- 
prised; for she much dreaded .4ymerigot, ever since he had received 
from her, in one payment, five thousand florins. 

The countries of Auvergne and Limousin now took alarm ; and 
the knights and squires, with the townsmen of Clermont, Montfcr- 
rant, and Riom, and the towns on the Allier, resolved to send notice 
(A their situation to the king of France. In this they were joined by 



the dauphiness ; but, during this time, those in La Roche de Vendais 
fortified themselves very strongly, and while about it they erected 
huts covered with boughs for their horses. When it was known to 
those who had been disbanded, and were now out of pay, that Ay. 
merigot Marcel was continuing the war, they were much rejoiced : 
many came to offer him their services, and he had very soon more 
than he wished. None of them asked for pay, but solely to be re. 
tained by liim, for tliey knew well that those under him would gain 
a sufficiency from the overplus of the plunder which he gave up to 
his men. Sometimes he made excursions in the upper parts of the 
district, and sometimes on the contrary side, for no one ventured as 
yet to oppose him, so that his fame was spread far and near. Noth. 
ing was talked of in Auvergne and Limousin but the robbers of La 
Roche de Vendais, and greatly was the country frightened by them. 

The garrison of Chainlet, under the command of Perrot le Bear- 
nois, adhered steadily to the truce ; and when he learnt that Aymeri. 
got was thus harassing the countries where the inhabitants imagined 
themselves to be at peace with every one, he was nmch angered, 
and said he had behaved very ill. He also sent to teU him not to 
expect any assistance, nor to be admitted into Chalu(;et nor into any 
other place under his command. Aymerigot was indifferent as to 
this, for he had plenty of places to retire to, in case of need, besides 
Chainlet, and men enough. There were besides, numbers that had 
nothing to do, and wished for mischief, who daily offered to increase 
his forces. Perrot le Bearnois forbade his men, under pain of death, 
to make any sallies injurious to the country people, i"or he declared 
he would most strictly and honorably abide by the letter of the truce. 
Olim Barbe, however, captain of Donzac, dissembled in this business, 
saying publicly he would adhere to the terms of the truce ; but I was 
told that his men sometimes made excursions privately, and, when 
they had collected any considerable booty, he insisted on having the 
advantage of it. 

The deputies from Clermont, Montferrant, and Riom, arrived at 
Paris, where they found the king, the duke of Berry, the duke of 
Touraine, and sir OUver de Clisson constable of France. They im- 
mediately waited on the duke of Berry and his council, to state the 
cause of their coming, and to inform them iliat Aymerigot Marcel 
was pillaging Auvergne, and that evil-minded persons were daily 
increasing. They entreated them for God's sake to provide a rem. 
edy, for, if it were suffered to continue much longer, the whole of 
-\uvergne and Limousin would be completely destroyed. The king 
and the duke of Berry were much astonished on hearing this intelli- 
gence, for they thought the whole country was at peace, in conform- 
ity to the truce. The deputies asked if the garrisons of Chainlet 
and Donzac remained quiet ; they replied : " they had no complaints 
to make against any one but Aymerigot Marcel and his companions, 
who had fortified La Roche de Vendais." " Well," replied the king 
and the duke of Berry, " now, good people, return home, and look 
to us ; for we will speedily provide a remedy that shall be sufficient: 
make what haste you can back, and tell this as our answer, to those 
who have sent you." The deputies were well pleased with this 
speech, and, having reposed themselves for two days at Paris, they 
set out on their return, having taken leave of the king and the duke 
of Berry. 

The king and his council did not delay attending to this business, 
for the duke of Berry had large possessions in Auvergne, and urged 
them on. They considered whom they should send thither, for the 
lord de Coucy, the lieutenant of all the country, from La Rochelle to 
Bordeaux, was now abroad in Barbary. He had, indeed, at his 
departure, appointed his cousin, sir Robert de Buthune viscount de 
Meaux, his deputy during his absence. The council did not forget 
this, and thought he was best entitled to the command. Inquiries 
were made where he was to be found, and they learnt that he was 
at his residence at Cond^ sur Marne. Letters were written to him, 
in the king's name, for him to come to Paris, and the messenger 
hastening with them, found him and his lady at CondiS. Having 
delivered his letters, the viscount read their contents, and said he 
would instantly obey the king's orders, as was but right. Having^ 
made his preparations as speedily as he could, he left Cond^ and 
rode on to Paris, where he waited on the king and council. On 
entering the council-chamber he was told : " Viscount, make haste and 
assemble all your retainers of men-at-arms, for you must immediately 
set off for .\uvergne. There are bands of pillagers, of whom Aymeri- 
got Marcel, as we are informed, is the chief, who rob and imprison 
the country people. Let them be driven thence ; and if you can any 
way entrap Aymerigot and deliver him up to us, we shall have great 
joy. Orders have been given for you to receive the pay of your 
men-at-arms at Clermont in Auvergne ; and, H-ith regard to your 
expenses thither, speak to our treasurer of the army. He has been 
charged to pay your smaller expenses, and to hurrj' you away, for 
the business requires it." 

The viscount replied he was quite ready, and, leaving the council, 
returned to his inn, where he employed persons to write to such 
knights and squires of the isle of France and in Picardy, who were 
his acquaintance and dependents, desiring them instantly to set out 
for Chartres, where they would find bim prepared to muster them. 
All to whom he had sent complied with his request ; for they loved 
him, and looked to him as to an able captain. They were all at 
Chartres on the appointedday, and amounted to two hundred lances,. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



517 



good men and to be depended on. After they had been mustered, 
they let't Chartves, and took the road toward Auvergne, through the 
Bourbonnois. The news of tliis assistance coming thither was soon 
spread abroad, to the great joy of the inhabitants of Auvergne. It 
was tortunate so much haste had been made in forwarding this force ; 
for, had -it been delayed si,\ days later, Aymengot and his troops had 
planned to ravage the country, between Clermont and Montferrant, 
and down the river Allier, and also the surrounding country of Riom, 
as far as Gannat.* Had they done so, they would have plundered 
it of one hundred thousand francs at least ; for the parts I have men- 
tioned are the very richest in Auvergne. None could have opposed 
them, for the whole country was void of men-at-arms ; and the reports 
were, that .\ymcrigot's troops were more numerous than ever. 

-Aymerigot and his men were prepared for this excursion ; but 
they learnt, I know not how, whether from pilgrims or spies, that a 
large body of men-at-arms was marching against them, under the 
command of the Wscount de Meaux, to besiege and to drive ihem 
out of their fortress of La Roche de Vendais. This intelligence made 
them defer their intended excursion, and shut themselves within 
their fort., for they foresaw they would be besieged. Aymerigot now 
began to repent what he had done, for should he be taken, no ran. 
som would be accepted for his life. He thus opened Iiimself to 
some of his cotnpan'ons : " I am completely disgraced, by having 
followed bad advice, and avarice will be my ruin; for I shall be de- 
stroyed without hope of ransom." They replied : " Why are you 
now so doubtfui of yourself 1 We know you are the most powerful 
man-nt-arms in tliese countries, and you have a good garrison, well 
provided with all things. We are men of determined resolution, as 
eager to defend our lives, as you can be to defend your own. You 
cannot be ruined without our suHering with you ; if, unfortunately, 
you be made prisoner, you are so wealthy, you can easily tempt them 
with your ransom ; but our poverty must prevent us from so doing, 
and our heads pay the forfeit. We will therefore sell them as dearly 
as we can, and guard them to the utmost of our abiUties. Be not, 
therefore, alarmed at anything you may see or hear : we need not 
care for the siege, if we manage our defence with prudence." Thus 
did the companions of Aymerigot Marcel comfort him. 

The viscount de Meaux, with his men-at-arms, continued their 
inarch through Moulins, in the Bourbonnois ; but the duchess of 
Bourbon, daughter to the count dauphin, received there the viscount 
and the knights very grandly, and entertained them at dinner. 
That evening they lay at Saint Pour^ain. Thence they marched to 
Gannat, Aigue.perses,t and Riom, where they halted. They then 
marched to Clermont, and were gladly received by the bishop and 
the inhabitants. The men-at-arms received pay at Clermont, for a 
tax had been levied to this effect, and it was there delivered to them. 
They continued their march to Notre. Dame d'Orcinal.t four leagues 
from La Roche de Vendais. The viscount de Meaux there fixed his 
quarters, as the knights and squires from .\uvergne and Limousin 
had named this place for the point of assembly. When they were 
all collected, they amounted to more than four hundred lances, and 
one hundred Genoese cross-bows. There were with the viscount, 
the lord de Jlontagu from the Vermandois, and his brother, the lord 
de Dommart, sir Bernard de la Riviere, sir William le Bouteiller, the 
lord de Domme, the lord de la Roche, the lord de la Tour, sir Lewis 
d'Abicre,§ the lord de Saint.Ampisse, sir Robert Dauphin, with 
many more. The captains of the Genoese were two valiant squires, 
called Albert u'EspinoUe and Callinace. Sir Lewis I'Esglivesle, a 
gallant squire, was at this time the viscount's master of the house- 
hold. The Genoese, as well as the whole army, were completely 
equipped with arrrrs and other necessaries, or they would not have 
passed the muster made by the viscount de Meaux. 

The garrison under the command of .\ymerigot Marcel and his 
uncle Giiyot du Sel, in La Roche de Vendais, hearing that so large a 
force was now advanced to Notre Dame de Roquemadour, with the 
intention of besieging them, called a general council, to consider 
how they could the most effectually resist it. They first resolved, 
they had not any occasion for horses, since they would be prevented 
from using them by the siege. Tolerably near to La Roche de Ven- 
dais was another fort, called Saint Soupery, under the government of 
Aymerigot, where his wife resided, and whither he had sent the 
greater part of his wealth. He gave orders for the servants and hor- 
ses to be received in this fort, until better times. La Roche de Ven- 
dais was naturally strong, and the present garrison had fortified it 
by every means in their power. The lord de la Tour was greatly 
blamed by the country for his neglect of it, as they said it was from 
this circumstance that they were now so harassed ; and, if he had 
thought the expense of keeping a guard too great, why had he not 
given it up to the inhabitants of the country, who would have dis- 
mantled it, so that no one would have ever thought of repairing it ? 
■whereas now the walls had been left entire, and the mansion tolera- 
bly good : such was the state in which -Aymerigot had found it. 

La Roche de Vendais is separated from the high mountains that 
snrroimd it, and is seated on an insulated rock ; one side of which 



* " Gannat "'—a town in the Bourbonnois, tive leagues from Riom. 
t " Aigue-fierses' —a rillaee in Limousin, diocese of Limoges. 

I " Notre-Dame d'Orcinal"— is nol in the Gazetteer, but Nolre-Dame de Roquen^a- 
dour, which is the name in the MSS., is a celebrated pilgrimage in Quercy, near Figeac. 
§ In the MS. it IS sir L&uis d'.intiliiere. 



they had so strongly fortified that it could only be approached in front, 
and attacked by skirmishes. The force, under the command of the 
viscount de Meaux, left Notre-Dame de Roquemadour, and advanced 
to La Roche de Vendais, which they laid siege to, and by degrees 
improved their quarters. The countess-dauphine, on hearing that La 
Roche de Vendais was besieged, with a sufficient force under the 
viscount de Meaux, was greatly rejoiced ; and as she imagined, 
from the haste in which he had left Paris, he might not have brought 
tents or pavilions with him, she instantly ordered two handsome 
tents belonging to her lord to be made ready, and sent to him as a 
loan, for his better accommodation during the siege. The viscount 
received very thankfully these tents, which came so opportunely, 
and returned his best compliments to the countess for her attentions. 
The lord de la Tour was at home, being but one league from his 
castle, so that he had everything he could wish for. The other 
knights and squires accommodated themselves as well as they could. 
They had provision in abundance and cheap, for it was sent thither 
from all quarters. As it was the middle of August, the weather 
was warm and pleasant, and the knights were comfortably lodged 
under huts made of green boughs. 

Intelligence was brought to the ariny, that made them suspicious 
lest the neighboring garrisons of Chainlet and Donzac would unite 
together, and one morning or evening, when they were oiT their 
guard, come and attack them, to force them to raise their siege. 
The viscount de Meaux and his knights held a council on this intel- 
ligence, and resolved to send a herald to Perrot le B^arnois, governor 
of Chalu9Ct, and to Olim Barbe at Donzac, to know whether they 
were at war or peace with these garrisons, and according to their 
answer to prepare themselves. The herald, being instructed as to 
what he was to say and how he was to act, departed, and, on his 
arrival at Chainlet, accidentally found Perrot le B^arnois at the bar- 
riers amusing himself with his companions in throwing the bar. He 
dismounted, and asked for the governor. On his being pointed out, 
he advanced toward him, and punctually delivered the message he 
had been charged with. Perrot replied : " Herald, you will tell 
your masters who have sent you hither, that we mean as loyally and 
truly to keep the truce which has been concluded between France 
and England, as we expect it will be kept with us. Should any of 
our people infringe the smallest article of it, and we be made ac- 
quainted therewith, we will lay hands on them, if it should be in our 
power, and inflict such punishment as they deserve and as we have 
promised to execute on them. I wish you would also tell your mas- 
ters, that what Aymerigot Marcel has done was without any advice 
from us, to whom he never spoke on the subject. We have forbidden 
him or his people to seek refuge within our domain, and should they 
think of so doing it will ill befal them." 

The herald was conducted within the fort, and entertained at din- ' 
ner ; after which he took his leave, and Perrot, out of love to the 
lords of France, presented him with ten francs. The herald received 
them thankfully, and departed for Donzac, where he saw the gov. 
ernor Olim Barbe, a Gascon. He addressed him as he had done 
Perrot, and received for answer, that he would not on any account 
infringe the truce, for by so doing he should be disgraced. The 
herald dined at the castle of Donzac, and, on taking leave, had ten 
francs given to him. He returned to La Roche de Vendais, where he 
was surrounded by knights and squires anxious to hear the answers 
he had brought. The herald minutely related everything that had 
passed ; and the viscount de Meaux and his companions were more 
easy respecting Perrot le Bdarnois and Olim Barbe than before : 
without fear from that quarter, they continued their siege with 
greater vigor. 

CHAPTER XVI. 

AYMERIGOT MARCEL ENDEAVORS, BUT IN VAIN, TO RAISE THE SIESE OF LA 
EOCHE DE VENDAIS BY LETTERS AND MESSAGES TO TEE KING OF ENG- 
LAND, THE DUKE OF LANCASTER, THE VISCOUNT DE MEAUX, AND EVEN 
TO TBE DUKE OF BERRY. 

During the siege of La Roche de Vendais, which lasted for nine 
weeks, there were constant skirmishes between the two parties, in 
which many were wounded by the cross-bows, for the Genoese are 
expert marksmen. The garrison had much the advantage of the 
besiegers, and I will tell you how. They could sally forth when- 
ever they pleased, for it would require six thousand men at least to 
have completely surrounded the castle. When the siege first took 
place, Aymerigot felt that he was acting wrong ; but to turn the 
matter as much to his advantage as he could, and if possible pre- 
serve La Roche de Vendais, he determined to send one of his men, 
who was well spoken, to England, with credential letters to the king 
and the duke of Lancaster. Aymerigot opened the matter to his 
uncle, Guyot du Sel, who, though about sixty years of age, was well 
acquainted with arms and with mankind. Guyot approved of the 
manner in which his nephew intended acting, and said, that to send. 
a person well spoken, and well informed, to England, would not be 
lost pains. They selected a varlet who had been educated by them, 
and instructed him as follows : " We will conduct thee in safety out 
of this fort in spite of our enemies, and give thee money sufficient 
for the journey thou art to perform, as well as for thy other wants. 
Thou wilt carry to England these three letters ; one to the king, one 



518 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &,c. 



to the duke of Lancaster, and the other to the lung's council ; which 
thou wilt punctually deliver. Thou wilt recommend me handsomely 
to them ; and, as these are credential letters, they will ask, • What 
is the object of thy coming ?' thou wilt say that Aymerigot Marcel, 
their little soldier and subject, who is firm in his obedience to their 
■will is besieged in a small fort belonging to the king of England, 
as one of the mesne fiefs of Limousin ; that those who are before it 
exert themselves to their utmost to gain the place, and make him 
and his companions prisoners ; that the besiegers are sent thither by 
the king of France, under the command of a cousin to the lord de 
Coucy, called sir Robert viscount de Meaux ; that the object of this 
mission is to request the king of England, his council, and the duke 
of Lancaster, as lieutenant for the king in the Bordelois, to write to the 
viscount de Meaux to depart instantly from before La Roche de Ven- 
dais with all his men. Be sure to have inserted in the letters for the 
viscount, that he be careful not to infringe the ti'uce signed at Leu. 
linghen, or to dread the consequences, because I know not what ef- 
fect these letters may have on the viscount, nor what answer he will 
make, for he is a strange sort of man. Obtain, likewise, letters 
from the king, the council, and the duke of Lancaster, to the duke 
of Berry , for, if he please, the siege will be instantly raised. Man- 
age to bring back with thee, for thy greater credit, one of the knights 
of honor to the king or the duke of Lancaster, or Derby the herald. 
Salute him from me, and say, if he will accompany thee, (for he is 
an able negotiator, and well acquainted with the duke of Berry and 
the lords of France,) I will give him one hundred francs. Keep 
■well in thy memory all I have said, and tell every one to whom thou 
shah speak, that this little fort, which I have garrisoned, will be very 
convenient to the English on the renewal of the war ; for it is situ- 
ated on the borders of Auvergne and Limousin, and those countries 
may be made to contribute upward of two hundred thousand francs 
in one season." 

Aymerigot Marcel having, in the presence of his uncle, well tu. 
tored his messenger, and given liim his credential letters, and one 
hundred francs for his expenses, he was escorted from the fort at mid- 
night, on foot, to another fort belonging to Aymerigot, called Saint 
Soupery. He there chose the best horse, as they were all at his dis- 
posal, for he had a long journey to make, and passed tlii'ough France 
as a native of the province of Auvergne. On his arrival at Cal-dis, 
he made acquaintance with sir .Tohn Beauehamp, the governor, to 
whom he told a part of his business that he might be the sooner for- 
warded on his journey. This succeeded ; for sir John ordered him 
an immediate passage to Dover, whence, on having his horse put on 
shore, he continued his road to London, and there arrived in a day 
and a half. He was fortunate to find the king, his two uncles of 
Lancaster and York, with the council, at the palace of Westminster, 
considering the affairs of Northumberland, and what force they 
should send thither, for the Scots no way observed the truce. The 
messenger from Aymerigot having intrusted the subject of his com. 
ing to the master of the inn where he put up, he conducted him to 
Westminster, and procured him admission to the duke of Lancaster, 
■who had arrived before the other counsellors, and was in the pres- 
ence-chamber. He presented the duke with the letter addressed to 
him, who, having opened and read it, took the messenger aside to 
learn the cause of his arrival. The varlet related to him every par- 
ticular wherewith Aymerigot had charged him. The duke, having 
heard him, asked if lie had more letters. He replied, " One for the 
king, and another for the council." " It is well," answered the 
duke : I will obtain for you an audience," and gave orders to one of 
his attendants to take care of him. 

' The duke entered the council-chamber, and when he saw a favor- 
able opportunity, mentioned the arrival of Aymerigot's messenger : 
by his motion, the varlet was introduced, and presented his letters 
to the king and to the council. When they were read, he was de- 
sired to explain the object of his mission. Being well tutored, and 
not afraid of speaking, he was not abashed, otherwise he need not 
have made the journey, and he explained so eloquently the reasons 
of his coming, and the wishes of Aymerigot, that he was attentively 
listened to. When he had told all he was charged with, he was in- 
formed that they would consider the matter, and that he should have 
an answer to his demands. He then quitted the council-chamber, 
and waited for the answer to the letters. He was told that the king 
would write to the viscount de Meaux, and to the duke of Berry, in 
the manner Aymerigot had desired. The duke of Lancaster prom- 
ised to do the same, and that these letters should be delivered by an 
English squire attached to the duke ; and that Derby the herald 
should cross the sea and accompany them when they gave their let- 
ters, to aid their success ; for he was well known to many lords in 
Auvergne, particularly to the duke of Berry. 

Aymerigot's messenger was very happy to hear this, and followed 
so closely the duke of Lancaster that in a few days the letters were 
written, and the gentleman, whose name I believe was Cherbury, 
who was to carry them, received orders of departure. The herald 
Derby most willingly went with him, for Aymerigot's varlet had told 
him from his master, that if he would cross the sea, he should re- 
ceive one hundred francs on his arrival at La Roche de Vendais. 
The letters being sealed, these three took their leave of the duke of 
Lancaster, and hastened to Dover : they crossed to Calais in a pas- 
sage-boat, where they lay that night, and at low water disembarked 



their horses, and on the morrow rode to Boulogne. They passed 
through Picardy to Paris, but, making no stay there, continued their 
journey to Auvergne. 

When arrived at Limoges and the environs of La Roche de Ven- 
dais, they cautiously advanced to enter the castle privately ; but, on 
consideration, the squire and herald did not think it prudent to enter 
La Roche de Vendais, but sent the messenger forward, saying they 
could now find the way themselves, and that it would not have a 
good appearance should they be seen with liim, for it would look as 
if he had been sent to bring them from England ; and that what they 
had to say to the viscount de Meaux would come with more weight 
as from the king of England himself, than if any others had inter- 
fered in it. The varlet agreed to their reasons, and, at nightfall, 
returned to the fort, by a road he was acquainted with, without any 
hindrance from the besiegers. He there found Aymerigot Marcel, 
his uncle Guyot du Sel, and the other companions, who made him 
good cheer, and were astonished that he could have returned from 
England in so few days. He related everything that had passed, 
and that a squire from the duke of Lancaster, and Derby the herald 
had accompanied him with letters from the king and the duke to the 
viscount de Meaux and to the duke of Beny, should there be occa- 
sion. " And why did they not come with you hither ?" asked Ay. 
merigot. " Through prudence, as they told me," replied the varlet, 
" for they will undertake the commission and delivery of their let. 
tcrs themselves, and think it better than that any appearance of col- 
lusion should be seen between you and them." " They act wisely," 
said Guyot du Sel, " and show by this, that the king of England 
and the duke of Lancaster send them of their own accord, and that 
they are interested in the matter." " Such are their intentions," an- 
swered the messenger. 

Aymerigot was delighted on hearing this, and told his varlet that 
he had done justice to his commission, and he in a few days would 
handsomely reward him for it. The English squire and Derby rode 
on for La Roche de Vendais, to the place where the besiegers lay, and 
inquired for the quarters of the viscoimt de Meaux. On being con. 
ducted thither, they found the viscount amusing himself with seeing 
the bar thrown. On their approach, they bowed, which civility he 
returned, and asked, " whence they came ?" They replied, " from 
England, and that they were sent by the king and the duke of 
Lancaster." " You are welcome," said the viscount ; " but what 
business can have brought you to this wild country ?" " My lord," 
answered Derby, " this is a squire attached to the duke of Lancas- 
ter, who brings you letters from the king of England and from his 
lord, which, if you please, you will read. I have accompanied him, 
because I am so well acquainted with this country, to serve him as 
a guide." 

The squire presented his letters, which the viscount, after exam, 
ining the seals, knew to be authentic, and to come from England. 
He called one of his men aside who could read, and had their con- 
tents repeated over two or three times, until he was fully master of 
them. He was a while pensive, for the king of England had written^ 
to complain that he was day and night occupying a part of his teiTi- 
tories with a large army, and doing acts to infringe the truce, which 
he ought not to do, being directly contrary to the articles that had 
been sworn and sealed between him and his adversary of France ; 
and that as soon as he should have perused these letters, he mtist raise 
the siege, march away his army, and leave Aymerigot Marcel in 
peaceable possession of a castle which had cost him such large sums 
to fortify. Such and many other expressions in favor of Aymerigot, 
did these letters contain. The letter from the duke of Lancaster was 
nearly similar to those from the king and council ; for he was sove. 
reign lord and duke of Aquitaine. 

The viscount de Meaux, having consulted some of his friends, said 
to the squire and the herald ; " My fair sirs, the intelligence you have 
brought demands full consideration : I will advise upon it, and you 
shall soon have my answer." They were then conducted to the vis- 
count's tent, to partake of his wine. During this, a council was sum- 
moned of the lord de la Tour, sir William le Bouteiller, sir Robert 
Dauphin, sir Louis d'Abiere, the lord de Montagu, and sir Berald de 
la Riviere, for this last was of the household of the viscount. When 
they were assembled, the viscount explained to them the cause, and 
laid before them the letters he had received. The knights were much 
surprised how intelligence of their siege could have been carried to 
England for such letters to be sent from thence, as their siege had not 
lasted one month. '• I will tell you what I imagine," said the vis- 
count : " this Aymerigot is a cunning fellow ; and the moment he 
perceived we intended besieging him, he sent a person to England to 
request such letters might be written as are now before you, and 
which I shall obey or not as I please. I inform you that I shall in. 
stantly answer them : but, in regard to the orders of the king of Eng. 
land and the duke of Lancaster, I shall not pay any attention to them, 
for 1 am no way bound to obey them, but solely the king of France, 
my lord, who has intrusted me with this command, and sent me 
hither. Let the herald and squire be introduced, and I will give 
them my answer." They were sought for, and conducted to the as- 
sembly of the viscount and his knights: when in their presence, they 
bowed their heads, and the viscount thus spoke : " You Derby, and 
you Thomas Cherbury, for such I think are the names you are de. 
signated by in the letters which you have brought from the king of 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



519 



England and the duke of Lancaster. They have been informed, it 
seeni3, (but I know not how, wlietlier by a messenger from Aymeri- 
,got Marcel or some friend of his, who lias been in his name to Eng. 
land,) that I am quartered with a large army on the lands of the king 
of England, and order me instantly to raise the siege, march away my 
men, and leave Aj-merigot in peaceable possession of the small fort 
that has cost him so large a sum to repair and strengthen. They tell 
me likewise that I am risking my own dishonor, by thus infringing a 
truce, which has been agreed to for three years, between the kings 
of France and England, and their allies. I declare to you, my fair sirs, 
that I will not, by any means, nolate the smallest article of the truce, 
nor shall it be infringed by any act of mine, during my residence here. 
I am the king of France's subject, my liege lord, who has ordered me 
hither as his marshal, for the present, from the complaints that have 
been made him, by the nobles and other inhabitants of the countries 
of Auvergne and Limousin, of the great damages they have suffered 
from Aymerigot Marcel, who has seized a fort on the confines of 
these two provinces that had been abandoned, and was never again 
intended to be inhabited, which he has repaired and strengthened, 
not as a mansion, or house for recreation, but as a castle and ren- 
dezvous for robbers and marauders. I am therefore ordered hither 
to defend and guard the country against such pillagers as may be 
collected within this fort, called La Roche de Vendais, to prevent their 
increase in numbers and in wickedness, and to arrest all of them I 
may be able to lay hold of, that they may suffer the punishment due 
to their crimes. In consequence, my fair sirs, I shall strictly obey 
the commands I have received, and loyally acquit myself of my duty. 
Of course, therefore, I shall not move from hence for any orders I 
may receive, until I shall have possession of this fort and the garrison 
that now holds out against me and my companions. 

" Should Aymerigot Marcel set up a plea, that I have any way 
broken the truce, which is equivalent to a perfect peace for the time, 
let him come forth, and I will have him fought with by as good if 
not a better man than himself, and prove that it is he alone who has, 
and continues to violate the articles of the truce. Now, my fair sirs, 
having maturely weighed everything, I have given you my answer, 
and you may return when you please ; but I beg that, on your return, 
you will neither add to nor diminish any part of what I have said to 
you ; for reporters, by not relating the e.xact words in which any con- 
versation has taken place, do not truly inform their lords of the matter." 
" My lord," replied the squire, " Derby and myself are come hither 
solely to hear what answer you shall be pleased to make us, and carry 
it back, and since you have done so, we need not longer remain." 

They took leave of the viscount, who ordered ten francs to be 
given to the herald, out of affection to the king of England, who had 
sent Irim, and regard for the duke of Lancaster, to whom he was at. 
tached. When they were on the road to Clermont, for they said they 
had come that way and would return by the same, and when they 
had advanced about half a league, the following conversation passed 
between them : " We have had ill success : we must wait on the 
duke of Berry, who lives in Auvergne." " He is lord of this whole 
country," said Derby, " and himself duke of Berry and Auvergne." 
If he will order the viscount de Meau-x to decamp, he must do so, for 
he dare not disobey him. As we have letters to him from the king 
and the duke of Lancaster, it is but right he should see them, and 
that we should know his intention on their subject." Thus did they 
converse until they arrived at Clermont. They were made welcome, 
for the herald was well acquainted in these parts, having been there 
before ; and when any questions were asked, who and what they 
were, they declared themselves messengers from the king of England. 
Having inquired where the duke resided, they were told at a hand- 
some castle called La Nonnette. The herald knew it well, and, leav- 
ing Clermont, they rode to Issoire, and thence to La Nonnette, but 
the mountain is very steep on which is situated the castle. On their 
arrival, they found numbers of the duke's servants playing in the 
square before the castle-gate. The herald was known to many of 
them, and conducted to the duke of Berry, who, in consideration of 
his regard to the king of England and the duke of Lancaster, ordered 
him and his companions to be well taken care of. 

The squire, being the bearer of the letters from the king, presented 
tliem to the duke, who, having read them twice slowly through, 
paused a little, and then gave such courteous answers as both were 
satisfied with; for he said, "from his affection to his cousins, he 
would do all in his power to comply with their requests." The herald 
and squire concluded from this, that they should completely succeed 
in their mission, and were in high spirits ; but, as you shall hear, 
they were disappointed. The duke of Berry was not neglectful of 
the business, and exerted himself to have the siege of La Roche de 
Vendais raised, from his regard to the king of England and the duke 
of Lancaster, who entreated it ; and engaged, that if Aymerigot Mar- 
cel were left in the quiet possession of his fort, he should not, here- 
after, molest the country, and that he should make any reparation to 
the king of France for having offended him. The duke «f Berry, 
anxious to oblige the English who were in his castle, wrote letters 
to this purport to the viscount de Meaux ; and, before they were 
sealed, had them read to his guests, who were exceedingly pleased 
with their contents. 

The letters were dispatched by an able squire of the duke to the 
viscount de Meaux, who, having learnt their contents, summoned his 



principal knights, and had them again read in their presence, during 
the time the squire who had brought them was made welcome ; for, 
out of love to the duke of Berry, they gave him good cheer. "Gen- 
tlemen," said the viscount to his companions, " we shall never have 
peace since the duke of Berry supports Aymerigot, who is the great, 
est enemy Auvergne and its poor inhabitants have ever had, and for 
these last twelve years has so sore oppressed them. I thought the 
duke hated him ; but it seems I was mistaken, for he commands me 
to break up the siege. I will not at this moment obey his orders, but 
excuse myself from so doing, by the commission I have received from 
the king our lord, who strictly enjoined me, on leaving Paris, not to 
quit this place for any orders I might receive, except they came from 
himself, until I had conquered the fort of La Roche de Vendais, and 
taken Aymerigot by fair or foul means. The duke now commands 
me to raise the siege, the instant I have read his letters ; but, by my 
faith, I will do no such thing." " Sir," replied the knights and squires 
of Auvergne, " you say loyally and well : we will keep steady to you. 
We suppose that my lord of BeiTy is induced to write thus in favor 
of his enemies, by similar letters from the king of England and the 
duke of Lancaster to those you have received, which the herald and 
English squire have carried to him." " I dare say you have guessed 
right," said the viscount : "I will, if I can, find out the truth of it." 

The squire was called in to receive his answer, and when in the 
presence of the assembled knights, the viscount thus addressed him, 
calling him by his name, for he knew him well : " Peter, I wish you 
to understand that I owe, and am desirous of paying, all obedience 
to my lord of Berr)', for he is so noble, and so nearly related to the 
king, that I should be sorry to do otherwise ; but myself and com- 
panions, whom you see, have been for these five weeks before this 
fort, to take it and the thieves who garrison it, by positive orders 
from the king and council. We wonder, therefore, and not without 
reason, how my lord of Berry can entreat us in favor of his enemies, 
and desire us to raise the siege and march away. Wc all agree in 
declaring that, if it were done, we should give the greatest encourage, 
ment to all thieves who in future may overrun the kingdom, and in- 
duce them to commit the greatest outrages. Peter, you will tell the 
duke of Berry from us all, and from me in particular, that we are 
ready and willing to obey his commands, but that I have been so 
positively ordered to continue this siege, with as much vigor and 
patience as possible, mitil I be master of the place and garrison, that 
I dare not act contrary ; and say, that I shall not obey any other 
commands but those of the king, whose subject I am, and who has 
sent me hither. I beg of you, Peter, to tell me one thing, if it is not 
an improper question for you to answer, how comes it that my lord 
of Berry sues in favor of Aymerigot Marcel, who has done such 
mischief to Auvergne and Limousin, now that he is in a fair way of 
being caught and punished for his wickedness and breach of faith 
in the articles of the truce ?" 

The squire replied, " Two Englishmen, a herald and another, have 
come to the duke, with very pressing letters from the king of Eng- 
land and the duke of Lancaster in favor of Aymerigot." " I readily 
believe you," said the viscount ; '• it is Derby the herald, and a squire 
called Cherbury, who likewise brought me the other day letters simi- 
lar, I suppose, to those you mention. Say also from me, in addition 
to what I have before spoken, that I beg my lord of Berry to con- 
sider well this matter ; that letters thus obtained from lords on the 
other side of the water deser\'e no attention from lords on this side, 
who love the honor or advantage of the kingdom of France." " My 
lord," answered the squire, " be assured that I will repeat every word 
you have said to the duke of Berry, for Aymerigot is not so much ia 
my favor but I would rather see his punishment than his deliverance." 
On this, the squire took leave of the viscount and knights present, 
mounted his horse, and rode to La Nonnette, where he related to the 
duke of Berry, that the viscount de Meaux would not, for any other 
commands but those directly from the king, break up his siege. 
This answer was not very agreeable to the duke, who imagined he 
was of that importance, his letters ought to have attention paid them 
in France, or at least in Auvergne. When Derby and his companion 
learnt the purport of the answer, they were much cast down, for 
they saw they had labored in vain. They asked the duke, what 
they were now to do. " Shall we leave you with unsatisfactory an- 
swers to our king and the duke of Lancaster ? who had the fullest 
hope you would have had the siege of La Roche de Vendais raised, 
for it is within your territories." " A little patience," replied the 
duke : " Aymerigot is in a very strong place, and, unless some un. 
fortunate accident happen, cannot for a long time be taken. I must 
shortly go to Paris ; and, when there, I will press the matter warmly 
with the king and his council, since my good cousins of England are 
so earnest in the matter. You both shall accompany mc, and wit- 
ness the exertions I make." This speech contented the squire and 
the herald. 

Within four days afterwards, the duke set out from La Nonnette, 
leaving there the duchess and the greater part of his household, and 
went to Riom in Auvergne. He waited there eight days for the 
count de Sancerre and the lord de Renel," whom ho had sent to 
Avignon on his private affairs. On their arrival, they set out together 
through the Bourbonnois, and, by a short day's journey, came to 
Bourges, where they tarried two days. On the third, the duke de- 



■ The lo d de Renel." The MSS. have Kevel. 



520 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, PRANCE, SPAIN, &,c. 



parted, and came to Mehun-3ur.Yevre,» where he liad one of the 
handsomest castles in the world ; for the duke had expended upward 
of three hundred thousand francs in building and ornamenting it. 
He remained there a fortnight, to the great uneasiness of the two 
Englishmen who were suitora for Aymerigot : but, as they could not 
help it, they dissembled their thoughts. Indeed, the duke no longer 
intended interfering about him, and I will explain why. The count 
de Sancerre, the lord de Renel, and sir Peter Mespin, were his prin- 
cipal advisers : they heavily charged Aymerigot with several crimes, 
gently blaming the duke, and saying it was unbecoming him to in- 
terfere in the afl'airs of so notorious a pillager, whose whole life had 
been infamous; that he had committed such disgraceful acts in Au- 
vergne and Limousin, it would be improper to speak in his favor, 
and that he ought to be left for the king's justice to punish. This, 
and speeches similar to it, had so cooled the duke as to prevent him 
from thinking longer on the subject ; but the two Englishmen did 
not neglect their duty in reminding the duke of it, who, dissembling 
his real opinion, courteously answered, " Have patience : we shall 
soon be at Paris." Notwithstanding this, he still remained at Me- 
hun-sur-Yevre more than three weeks, planning new improvements 
with his master of the works, Andrew Beau-ncveu, in sculpture and 
painting ; for in such arts he took great deliglii, and was well skilled 
in them. There was not a more able man in this respect than mas. 
ter Andrew Beau-neveu, in any country, as may be judged from the 
many fine works he executed in France, Hainault, (his native coun- 
try,) and England, where they now remain. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

iYMERIGOT MAKCEL HAVING LEFT LA ROCHE DE VENDAIS, TO SEEK SUC- 
COR FRSM OTHER PILLAGERS, HIS LIEUTENANT, GUYOT DU SEL, IS 
.SURPRISED BY AN AMBUSCADE, AND THE FORT SURRENDERS ON CAPI- 
TULATION. 

I WILL now relate what happened to .\ymerigot Marcel, and to his 
fort of La Roche de Vendais. He had a quick imagination, and 
concluded, from the continuance of the siege, that the letters from 
the king of England and the duke of Lancaster had failed in the 
effect he looked to from them. He therefore thought of another ex- 
pedient, which was to leave his castle and ride night and day unto 
the garrisons in Perigord and other places, to call upon Guyonnet 
de Sainte Foix, Ernauton de Sainte Colombo, Ernauton de Rostera, 
John de Morsen, Peter d'Anchin, Remonnet de Copane, with other 
Gascon and Bfiarnois men-at-arms of the English party, and entice 
them by fair speeches to enter Auvergne for the sake of plunder, 
and then to advance to La Roche de Vendais, some morning or eve. 
ning, and capture the knights and squires before it, which would 
bring them more than one hundred thousand francs for their ransoms, 
without counting smaller articles of pillage. He explained his whole 
plan to his uncle, Guyot du Sel, and asked his opinion. He replied, 
that he very much approved of it, for that he saw no other means of 
being delivered from the French. " Well, uncle," said Aymerigot, 
"since you approve, I will undertake it; but I must beg one thing 
of you before I set out." " What is that?" replied Guyot. " It is, 
that during my absence you never sally out of the castle, nor open 
the barriers, whatever skirmishes the French may make, for you 
may lose more than you can gain." " I will take care not to do it," 
answered Guyot: " wc will remain shut up here until your return, 
or until we hear some news of you." " Indeed, my good uncle, I 
beg it ef you, for we cannot vex ther,i more than by keeping within 
our walls : as for their attacks and skirmishes, we do not value them." 
Within three days after, .\ymerigot left the castle attended only by 
a page, and began his journey without fear of the French. His in- 
tention was to bring back with him some bold companions, and raise 
the siege. 

Although Aymerigot had quitted La Roche de Vendais, it was un- 
known to the besiegers ; for the garrison could go in and out with- 
out danger from them. There were daily skirmishes before the 
castle and at the barriers ; and, about five or si.\ days after the de- 
parture of Aymerigot, there was a grand assault made by the French, 
who were divided into three parties, all of which were engaged. 
Guyot du Sel was a good man-at-arins, and had long used them ; but 
through aiTogancc, and neglecting to observe the orders of his nephew 
not to open the barriers nor to sally forth on any account, he suffered 
ae you will hear. 

Three squires, two from Auvergne and one from Brittany, dis. 
played great courage, and were preeminent at this attack at the part 
of the old walls very near the castle. The squires from Auvergne 
were called Richard de la Violette and Lubinot de Rochefort ; the 
Breton was le IMonadic, who, when made prisoner, at the taking of 
Ventadour, had attached himself to sir William le Bouteiller. This 
assault lasted until night, and, though these squires gained renown, 
the besiegers, in spue of their labor and pain, made no other profit. 
The viscount de Meaux determined, that at the next skirmish he 
would place an ambuscade of twelve men-at-arms in an old grotto 
withoutside the fort ; and he told his men, " Advance to skirmish 

• '■ Mehun-sur-Yevre." Charles VII. built a large castle, or probably repaired tliis 
of the duke of Berry, wherein he died, 1461, havmB starved himself for fear of being 
poisoned by his son, IjOuis XT. 



at the barriers ; and if you shall perceive the garrison inclined to 
make a sally, as is likely enough for such covetous persona to do, 
retire gently on this side the ambush, when you will wheel round to 
renew the attack, and they, being thus surrounded, will be made 
prisoners or slain." , 

The viscount's plan was executed. Those named for the ambus, 
cade were Lewis de la Glisvelle, Robert de Bethencourt, Vandelle, 
William de la Saulsoye, Peter de Saint Vidal, Gionnet de Villerac. 
que, Peter de Col, Andrew de la Roche, John Salmage, with three 
others to make up the dozen of good men-at-arms, who posted them- 
selves within the old grotto. Another party went to skirmish, under 
the command of the three before-named squires : they were richly 
armed at all points, the more to tempt the avarice of the garrison, 
and were only twelve in number. When arrived at the barriers, 
they purposely began the attack most awkwardly, so that Guyot du 
Sel held them cheap, and said to his companions, " By saint Marcel,. 
we will make a sally ; for there are at the barriers a set of youngsters 
who, from their manner, do not seem much accustomed to the use 
of arms. We will teach them their use ; and they cannot avoid 
being our prisoners." At these words, he had the barriers flung open, 
and sallied forth, forgetful of his promise to Aymerigot. The great 
desire he had to perform some deed of arms, and to gain a prize, 
induced him to act thus. The French were much rejoiced to see 
the garrison without the fort, and that Guyot du Sel was among the 
first : they retreated, by little and little, until they had passed the 
ambush, eagerly pursued by Guyot's party. When those in ambush 
saw it was time, they quitted the grotto, and posted themselves on 
the road to the fort, shouting out " Coney for the viscount I" and thus 
inclosed their front and rear. ' 

Guyot du iSel, observhig this, knew he had been in fault, and that 
it would be difllcult for him to save himself, or to return to the fort. 
He began to retire toward the barriers, but was strongly opposed. 
Why should I lengthen my story ? They were all made prisoners, 
as it were in a trap, and led in triumph to the quarters of the viscount 
and the other knights. When the viscount de Meaux saw Guyot 
du Sel, he asked him " where was Aymerigot Marcel ?" for he thought 
he was in the castle. Guyot replied, " he was ignorant where he 
was, for he had left the fort twelve days ago." The knights, hearing 
this, concluded he was gone to seek for aid. Guyot du Sel and his 
fellow-prisoners were then ordered away; and the viscount asked 
the knights of Auvergne, " what should be done to these prisoners ?" 
for he wished to act from their decision. Sir William le Bouteiller 
answered, "Sir, I certainly believe that Aymerigot Marcel is gone 
to persuade the garrisons of other forts to come to his assistance : he 
will easily find, in spite of the truce, adventurers, who will join him 
in his wickedness, and they may fall on us some morning or evening 
when we arc unprepared to resist them, and do us much damage : 
Aymerigot is very cunning, and of great wealth. Let us therefore 
tell Guyot du Sel to surrender La Roche de Vendais, and if he refuse 
his consent, that his own head, and those of all his companions, shall 
instantly be sacrificed." 

" This is good advice," replied the viscount ; " for, in truth, to 
obtain this fort are wc come into the country. If we have not now 
-Aymerigot Marcel, another time we may be more successful." Upon 
this, the viscount, the lord de la Tour, sir Robert Dauphin, sir Wil- 
liam le Bouteiller and their companions, advanced as near to the fort" 
as they could, carrying with them Guyot du Sel and the other pris- 
oners. The viscount, addressing himself to Guyot as the captain, 
said, " Guyot, you, as well as your friends, who are now our prisoners, 
must know that, unless you wiU surrender to us the fort of La Roche 
de Vendais, we shall instantly order your heads to be cut off; but, 
if you will yield it up, we will allow you freely to depart whither 
you please. Now, consider which you prefer, death or liberty." 
Guyot du Sel replied, " My lord, I will do all I can to accommodate 
you:" and with this he advanced to the barriers to speak with those 
within the fort. You must know, that the remaining garrisen looked 
on themselves as conquered ; for they knew not how to act, nor 
whom to choose for their leader, since they had now lost their two 
captains, the most able among them. Guyot du Sel had no sooner 
explained his situation, than they agreed to surrender on the terms, 
that they should carry away with them all they were able, and be 
allowed one month to retire whither they pleased. This was in- 
stantly agreed to, and written and signed. The French, by the for- 
tunate issue of the skirmish, became masters of La R^che de Vendais: 
so true is it, that good or ill fortune in arms is the lot of perseverance. 

The whole country was much rejoiced on hearing of this surren- 
der. The articles of the treaty with Guyot du Sel were punctually- 
observed, and when the garrison had packed up all they could carry,, 
they had permission to depart, and passports given them, to continue 
for one month. The viscount de Meaux and his knights abandoned 
La Roche de Vendais to the country people, who instantly set about 
demolishing it, and never left it until there did not remain one stone 
on another. The men-at-arms from .4uvergne, who had joined the 
viscount, now took leave of him, and returned to their homes. The 
viscount permitted many of his own men to depart for Picardy : he 
himself went for La Rochelle, but stopped at Saint Jean d'Angely, to 
defend that part of Saintonge against pillagers, who, whenever they 
found a good opportunity, overran it, for his orders were to oppose: 
them. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &.c. 



521 



CHAPTER XVII L 

TBE MESSENGERS FROM ENSLAND, HEARINS OF THE SURRENDER OF LA 
ROCHE DE VENDAIS, TAKE LEAVE OF THE DUKE OF BERRY. AYMERISOT 
RETIIJES TO THE HOUSE OF A RELATION, CALLED TOLTiNEMINE, WHO 
BETRAYS HIM TO THE lilNU OF FRANCE. HE IS CARRIED TO PARIS, AND 
THERE BEHEADED AND HIS BODY QL'AKTERED. 

You have heard how La Roche de Vendais was won, to the con. 
tentment of the surrounding country, for, had it been otherwise, it 
would have suflered much from the garrison. News of this was car. 
ried to tlie dukeof Berry at Canlelon, a manor of his situated between 
Chartres and Montlchery, nine leagues from Paris ; but he was indif- 
ferent about the matter, for he was become quite cool in regard to 
Boliciting the king in favor of Aymerigot Marcel. 




ExEClTio.-i or ."^vaKRiGOT JliRcEt, AT Paris. From a MS. FroUsart of the Firteenth century. 



AVhen Derby the herald heard of the surrender from the duke's 
knights, he said to Cherbury, " I have lost one hundred francs, which 
Aymerigot had promised me." " Fur what .' and how have you lost 
them ?" asked the squire. " In God's name," said Derby, " La Roche 
de Vendais has surrendered : the French have conquered it. Let us 
take leave of the duke of Berry awd return to England, for we have 
nothing further to do here." " Since it is so," answered the squire, 
" I agree to it." They demanded leave of the duke to depart, who 
granted it, and gave them letters to the king of England and the 
duke of Lancaster, in answer to those they had brought. On their 
departure, he presented the herald with forty francs, and gave to the 
squire a handsome hackney. On quitting the duke, they took the 
shortest road to Calais, and, I believe, w-ent straight to England. 

News of the loss of this fort was carried to Aymerigot Marcel, as 
he was raising troops to break up the siege. When he first heard it, 
he would have all the particulars told him. On learning that it had 
been occasioned by an imprudent sally Guyot du Sel had made on 
the French, he exclaimed ; " Ah, the old traitor '. by Saint Marcel, 
if I had him here, I would slay him. He has disgraced me and all 
my companions. On my departure, I had most positively ordered 
him not to quit the fort, whatever attempts the French might make, 
and he has done just the contrarj'. This loss can never be recovered; 
nor do I know whither to make my retreat. The garrisons of Cha. 
lu^et and Donzac arc determined to abide by the truce, and my com- 
panions are scattered abroad like diseonjfited persons ; but, if they 
were with me, I know not whither I could lead them. Considering 
all things, I am in a distressing situation : I have too greatly angered 
the king of France, the duke of Berry, and the barons and common, 
ally of Auvergne, to expect any favor ; for I have made war on them 
during the truce, thinking to gain, but I am now more likely to lose 
everything : I know not how to act ; I wish at this moment that my 
wife, myself and fortune, were in England ; we there should be safe ; 
but how the devil are we to get thither ? for I shall be robbed of my 
wealth twenty times before I can arrive at the sea-shore. All the 



roads through Poitou, Normandy, and Picardy, that lead to the sea, 
are well guarded. I have forfeited my life ; that is clear ; and, if I 
am taken and sent to Paris, shall be punished accordingly, and lose 
my all. My safest plan will be to make for Bordeaux, and to have 
my wealth sent thither by Utile and little, and then to remain there as 
long as the truce holds ; for I am in hopes that, after these truces, a 
curse on them ! the war will be renewed with more vigor than ever 
between France and England. The free companions will, by that 
time, have spent their former gains, and be eager to replenish their 
purses." Thus did Aymerigot Marcel converse with himself: he was 
east down and sorrowful, and knew not from whom to ask advice, 
nor whether to return to Auvergne, or go to Bordeau.\ and send for 
his wife, and have his fortune brought thither by little at a time. If 
he had followed this plan, he would have done well ; but he acted 
otherwise, and, as the event will show, suffered for it. It is thus 

Fortune treats her favorites ; 
when she has raised them to 
the highest point of her wheel, 
she suddenly plunges them in 
the dirt : witness Aymerigot 
Marcel. The foolish fellow 
was worth, as was believed ia 
Auvergne, more than one hun. 
dred thousand francs in money, 
which he lost in one day, to. 
gether with his life. I there- 
fore say, that dame Fortune 
played him one of her tricks, 
which she had played to sev- 
eral before, and she will do 
the same to many after him. 

Aymerigot, in his tribula- 
tions, bethought himself of a 
cousin-german he had in Au- 
vergne, a squire called Tourne- 
mine, to whom he resolved to 
apply, and ask his advice. 
This he did, and, only attended 
by a page, entered the castle 
of his cousin. He thought to 
be well received there, on ac- 
count of his relationship, but 
was disappointed ; for this 
squire was not in the good 
graces of the duke of Berry, 
who indeed hated him, as the 
squire knew well. He was 
afraid of the consequences, 
and resolved, on seeing his 
cousin Aymerigot enter his 
castle, to arrest him and inforra 
the duke of Berry what he had 
done, and offer, if he would 
forgive him and be on good 
terms for the future, to deliver 
up Aymerigot Marcel, for him to do with him as he should please. 
All this he executed ; for, when Aymerigot entered the castle, he 
was shown into a chamber, when, having pulled off his sword and 
cleaned himself, he asked the servants, "Where is my cousin Tourne- 
mine ?" " He is in his chamber," replied the servants, who already 
knew their master's design : " come and see him." "With all my 
heart," said Aymerigot. Having put on a new dress, and laid aside 
his coat of mail, which he usually wore, he said to the servants, 
" Come, let us go to my cousin Tournemine, for it is a long time 
since I have seen him." They conducted him straight to his 
chamber, and, on entering it, -\ymerigot saluted him, suspecting no 
evil : but Tournemine said ; " How is this, Aymerigot ? Who has 
sent for you ? and what has brought you hither ? You wish to die. 
honor me. I therefore arrest you as my prisoner ; for I should not 
otherwiso«loyally acquit myself to the crown of France, nor to my 
lord of Ben-y : you are a wicked traitor, who have broken the truce, 
and shall suffer for it : it is on your account the duke of Berry hates 
me mortally, but, through your means, I will make my peace ; for, 
dead or alive, you shall be given up to him, and never,'on any other 
account, shall you leave this castle." This speech astonished Ay- 
merigot, who replied ; " Why, Tournemine, I am your cousin. Are 
you in earnest in what you say ? or do you do it to try me ? I came 
hither, in full confidence, to see you and ask your advice, and I meet 
with this cruel and harsh reception." " I know not what you pro- 
posed for yourself," answered Tournemine, " but I shall certainly 
execute what I have intimated to you," and then laid hands on him : 
his servants, who knew what they were to do, advanced and seized 
him. Thus was Aymerigot taken without a possibility of making 
any defence ; for, as I have said, he had disarmed himself; nor could 
any entreaties prevent Tournemine from ordering him heavy fetters 
on his legs, and causing him to be conimed in a strong tower under 
safeguards. 

When this was done, he had the gates of the castle locked, taking 
himself the keys, ordering his Bervants, under pain of death, not to 



sm 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, f'RANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



go near ihe gates unless scni by him. He then wrote letters to the 
duke of Berry, to say he had made Aymcrigot Marcel his prisoner ; 
and if he woiild forgive him and make a solid peace, he ^vould give 
him up to his pleasure. When the letters were finished and sealed, 
he called to him his most confidential servant, and said ; " Set out 
instantly for Paris, and deliver these letters to the duke of Berry : 
recommend me to him, and be sure not to return without answers." 
The varlet took the letters, mounted an active horse, and rode to 
Paris, where the duke of Berry was. On being admitted, he pre. 
sented the letters from his master, Tournemine. The duke, having 
opened and read them, said smiling to his knights ; " Would you like 
to hear news ? Aymerigot Marcel is caught : his cousin-gerinan 
Tournemine, as he writes me word, holds him in prison." The 
knights replied ; "My lord, this is e.xcellent news for Auvergne and 
Limousin ; for they have had, for a long time, a bad neighbor in Ay- 
merigot. He has done so much mischief that, if you please, he shall 
make his end on a gibbet, for he deserves no favor nor pardon." " I 
know not," said the duke, " what the king or his council may wish 
to do with him : I shall talk with them on the subject." Not long 
after this conversation, the duke took boat and crossed the Seine to 
the Louvre, wliere the king and his council were. He related the 
intelligence ho had received, and gave them the letters of Tourne- 
mine to read, which afforded satisfaction to all. The lords said, that 
such pillagers always came to a disgraceful death, and that sooner or 
later it awaited them. It was determined, that the duke of Berry 
should imdertake the management of this business, and order the 
seneschal of .-Vuvergne to fetch Aymerigot, and bring him to Paris, 
where he should be confined in the Bastille, at the gate of St. An. 
thony, and delivered over to the provost of the Chatelet, who would 
take good care of him. It was also resolved, that on account of the 
agreeable service Tournemine had now done to the crown of France, 
all his former misdeeds should be forgiven, and a pardon granted by 
letters patent, which Tournemine's servant brought back with him, 
and by it pleased his master greatly, for in them he confided. 

It was not long before the seneschal of Auvergne, by an order 
from the duke of Berry, came to the castle of Tournemine, and had 
Aymerigot Marcel delivered up to him : who was thunderstruck at 
thus finding himself in the hands of his enemies. Why should I 
make a long story of it ? The seneschal had him escorted by a 
body of men-at.arms through the country, and crossed the Seine and 
Marne at Charenton. Thence he conducted him to the castle of 
the Bastille, and delivered him to the charge of the viscount d'Achy, 
ivho was at that time governor of it. He was not long detained 
there, but given up to the provost of the Chiitelet, who carried him 
thither. True it is, that he offered si.\ty thousand francs for his 
pardon, but no one would have anything to do with him : they told 
him the king was rich enough, and wanted not his money. From 
the time he was delivered to the provost, there was no delay in his 
trial, when he was condemned to a shameful death, as a traitor to the 
crown of France. 

He was fiist carried in a cart to the pillory in the marketplace, 
and turned round within it several times. His different crimes were 
then read aloud, for which he was to receive death. Sir William le 
Trun* was by his side a long time, and talked much with him, on 
the afi\urs of Auvergne, as it was supposed, and to learn the truth 
respecting several captains of forts, whether they had been associates 
in his wickedness. This was certainly known to the lords, but I 
never could gain information respecting it. His head was cut off, 
and his four quarters afh.xed over four different gates of Paris. Such 
was the end of Aymerigot Marcel ; but I know not what became of 
Jiig wife, or of his wealth. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

THE CHRISTIAN LORDS WEISH ANCHOR, AND LEAVE THE ISLAND OF 
COmiNO, IN ORDER TO LAY SIE&E TO THE TOWN OF AFRICA. THE 
MANNER IN WHICH THEY CONDUCT THEMSELVES. 

I HAVE dwelt very long on the subject of Aymerigot J^Iarcel, in 
■detailing his actions, that I might illustrate his life and death ; for in 
such a history as this, both good and bad must be spoken of, that 
they may serve as an e.\citement or warning in times to come. Had 
Aymerigot turned his mind to virtue, he would have done much 
good, for he was an able man.at-arms and of great courage ; but, 
having acted in a different manner, he came to a disgraceful death. 

We will return to the noble enterprise the knights of France and 
other countries had undertaken against Africa, and continue our 
narrative from the place where we left off'. It was, I believe, at the 
island of Coniino that the knights had assembled, after the great 
storm in the gulf of Lyons, to wait for those who had separated from 
the fleet, as that island was but thirty miles from Africa, whither 
they were bound. They remained there nine days, and, when re- 
covered from their fatigues, they addressed the masters of the galleys 
as follows : " Gentlemen, we are now on the nearest land to the 
strong town of Africa, whither, if it please God, we will go, and 
besiege it. We must therefore consult with you how we may enter 
the harbor and disembark. We propose to send m advance our 



* In the MSS. it is sir William le Bouteiiler, whjcti I sliould think more probable 



smaller vessels, called brigandines, to amuse the enemy, while we 
remain at the mouth of the harbor : on the following day we will, 
at our leisure, land, through God's grace, and encamp ourselves as 
near the town as possible, out of the reach of their bricolles :* the 
Genoese cross-bows shall be drawn up, and ready for defence or at. 
tack. We suppose that, on our debarkation, a multitude of your 
young squires will demand to be knighted, for increase of honor and 
advancement. Instruct them gently how they ought to act, for you 
are very capable of doing it ; and know, gentlemen, that we are well 
inclined to acquit ourselves handsomely toward you ; and, to show 
our eagerness to annoy the enemy, we shall take every possible 
pains that this town of Africa may be won. It has done you too 
great damage to be longer endured, and is, besides, the key to the 
empire of Barbary and the surrounding kingdoms of Africa, Morocco 
and Bugia. Should God, of his goodness, permit us to conquer it, 
all the Saracens will tremble, as far as Nubia and Syria, and we 
shall be everywhere talked of. With the assistance of^ the princes 
of Christendom, who are the nearest to us, w'e may reinforce it with 
men, and victual it again ; so that, if once we gain possession, it 
will become a place for all knights and squires to adventure them, 
selves in arms against the enemies of God, and conquer their lands." 
" My lords," replied the masters of the vessels, " we shall never pre. 
tend to teach you how to act, but give our opinions with all modesty 
and humility ; for you are too noble, wise and valiant, for us to pre- 
tend to lay down rules for your conduct." The lord de Coucy said, 
" We should, however, wish to have your opinions, for we have 
observed nothing but what is praiseworthy in you ; and, as it is you 
who have brought us hither, to accomplish deeds of arms, we shall 
never act without having your advice." Such were the conversa. 
tions held in the island of Comino, in the presence of the duke of 
Bourbon, the count d'Eu, and some of the great barons of France, 
with the captains of the' Genoese vessels, before they sailed for the 
coast of Africa. 

When all was ready, and the men-at.arms had reembarked on 
board their galleys, with a good will to meet their enemies the Sara- 
cens, the admiral gave orders for the trumpets to sound, and the fleet 
to get under weigh. The sea was now calm, and the weather fine : 
it was a pleasure to see the rowers force their vessels through its 
smooth surface, which seemed to delight in bearing these Christians 
to the shores of the infidels. Their fleet was numerous and well 
ordered; and it was a fine sight to view their various banners and 
pennons, emblazoned with their arms, fluttering with the gentle 
gales, and glittering in the sun. Late in the evening, the Christians 
saw ihe towers of Africa, as pointed out to them by the sailors, 
which, as they advanced, opened more to their view. Every one 
was rejoiced at this sight, and not without cause, as they had in part 
accomplished the object of their voyage. If the Christians, on thus 
seeing Africa, conversed much concerning the war they were about 
to commence, the Saracens, who had so plainly observed them from 
their town, and were on the watch, did the same. They were as. 
tonished at the great number of vessels, of all descriptions, and con. 
eluded they had a very large army on board, to besiege the town. 
They were not cast down with this, for they knew the place was 
strong, well fortified with towers, and plentifully stored with artillery 
and provisions. 

On their first noticing the fleet, they sounded, according to custom, 
a number of bells on the towers, to alarm and inform the country 
that an enemy was on the coast. There were encamped near the 
town a large body of barbarians and infidels, whom the kings of 
Tunis and Bugia had sent thither to defend the coast, and prevent 
the Christians from making any progress into the interior of the 
country. The noise of the trumpets and drums announced the arrival 
of the Christians ; and, in consequence, they formed their army 
according to their manner, and sent some of the ablest captains to 
the shore to observe the motions of the enemy, and the manner of 
their debarkation. They also posted their most expert men.at-arms 
on the towers and battlements of the town, that they might not be 
taken by surprise ; for it was strong enough to resist everything but 
a long siege, if they were on their guard. 

As I, .lohn Froissart, the author of these chronicles, was never in 
Africa, I sought all the information I could from those knights and 
squires who had been on tliis expedition, and made several journeys 
to Calais to learn the truth of all thatpassed.t [Having inquired as 
to the size and form of the town of Africa, some who had been there 
figured it out to me, and said it was in the form of a bow, like to 
Calais, extending its arms toward the sea. This town of Africa, at 
the time the lords of France and other nations were before it, with 
an anxious desire to win it, was wonderfully strong, surrounded with 
high walls at proper distances : the entrance of the harbor was 
defended by a tower larger than the rest, on which was placed a 
bricolle to cast large stones and quarrels, with which it was well 
provided. 

When the Christians approached the harbor, the walls of the town 
seemed to be hung with cloths or tapestry, somewhat similar in ap. 
pearance to coveriids of beds. They cast anchor about one league 



* " Bricolles," machine- to throw stonus : a sort of sUn;.— Dli CanoB. 

T AU witlim these marks [ ] is additional matter, omitted by Sauvage and Verrard,, 
from MS. No. 4379, Bib. Harl. in the Museum, and from a MS. in the Hafod Librarr. 
which is precisely the same. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND. FRANCE, SPAIN, &c, 



523 



•"distant from the port, where tliey remained until the morrow. The 
night was clear and serene, for it was the month of July, about Mag. 
dalen-tide ; and they made themselves comfortable, rejoicing that, 
through God's pleasure, they had ao far succeeded as to have the town 
of Africa now before them. 

The Saracens, who were on the opposite shore watching the Chris, 
tian fleet, held this night a council on their future mode of proceeding, 
for they knew the town would be besieged. They thus conversed 
among themselves : " Our enemies are now arrived : they will, if 
they can, land and lay siege to Africa, which is the key to the ad. 
joining kingdoms. We must, therefore, consider well our plans for 
opposing them ; otherwise we shall be greatly blamed, and especially 
if we should not at first dispute their landing." It was proposed by 
a valiant Saracen, called Mandifer, to resist their landing, as being 
the most honorable, and to oppose them instantly with their whole 
force, or they would probably have fault found with them. This 
was strongly supported by many, as it seemed the most courageous 
plan ; when an ancient Saracen began to speak, who had great in. 
fluence among them, as he showed. This lord came from a town 
ill Africa called Maldages, and his name was Bellius. He gave his 
opinion quite contrary to that of Jlandifer, and supported it with the 
following reasons : " Gentlemen, we are sent hither to guard the 
coast and defend this country : but we have no orders from the kings 
of Tunis or of Bugia to attack our enemies without having maturely 
considered the consequences. What I have to propose, I will main- 
tain by such reasons as these : First, you must suppose that this array 
of Christians has been long in preparation, and is provided with all 
things necessary. Their captains, you may also believe, are perfect 
men.at.arms, as able in council as in the field, with the greatest ardor 
to perform deeds of arms. If we meet them on the shore, they will 
advance their Genoese cross.bows, for you may be assured they have 
brought numbers of them. It will be against them who have such 
excellent cross.bows that we must support the first attack ; and we 
are not armed nor have we shields to guard us against their arrows : 
our men, finding themselves wounded, will draw back and refuse the 
combat, so that these Genoese will make good their landing in spite 
of us. Their men.at.arms, desirous of displaying their courage, will 
leap from their boats, and, observing our disorder, will attack us with 
lances, and gain a victory : should this happen, the town of Africa 
is irrecoverably lost for anything we can do to prevent it. Those 
within will be so much discouraged by our defeat, that before our 
men can be rallied, the place will be taken by storm or capitulation, 
and be so well guarded that we shall have the greatest difficulty to 
regain it. The French, and those with them, are very expert and 
subtle in arms. I therefore maintain, that it will be more to our ad. 
vantage that the enemy should be ignorant of our force at the onset ; 
for at this moment we have not a sufficiency to offer them battle, 
though our strength is daily increasing. I advise, that we suffer them 
to disembark at their ease ; for, as they have no horses to advance 
into the country, they will remain where they land, suspicious of our 
intentions.] The town of Africa is not afraid of them, nor of their 
attacks, for it is tolerably strong, and well provided with everything. 
The air is now warm, and will be hotter. They will be exposed to 
the heat of the sun, while we shall be in the shade. Their provisions 
will be destroyed, without hopes of having a supply, if they make 
any long stay, and we shall have abundance from our own country : 
we will frequently beat up their quarters ; and should they be unfor. 
tunate in these skirmishes, they will be worn down. We must avoid 
all general engagements, otherwise we cannot conquer them ; but 
we shall do it by this plan, and trusting to the chmate, which is con. 
trary to the nature of their constitutions. [They will not have any 
reinforcements, and we shall have many. The extreme heat of the 
sun, and the fatigue they will undergo from being always armed in 
fear of us, will very soon bring on disorders which will carry num. 
bers to the grave, and thus shall we be revenged without striking a 
blow.] Such is the plan I propose ; and, if I knew of any better, I 
would lay it before you." 

All those in the council who had been used to arms, adopted the 
advice the old Saracen lord had given. It was in consequence for- 
bidden, under pain of death, for the army to attack or skirmish with 
the Christians on the sea-shore, but they were ordered to remain 
quietly in their quarters, and suffer them to land and encamp them- 
selves without any opposition. None dared infringe these orders. 
They sent a body of their archers into the town of Africa, to assist in 
its defence, and never made any movement until the morrow, so that 
the country seemed uninhabited. 

The Christians having lain this night, as I have said, at anchor at 
the mouth of the harbor, made themselves ready the next day, which 
was a clear bright morning, for approaching the town, being very de- 
sirous to land. Trumpets and clarions began to sound and make a 
loud noise on board the different galleys and ships. When it was 
about nine o'clock, and the Christians had drunk a cup, and partaken 
of soup made of Grecian or Malmsey wines, with which they had 
abimdantly pro-vided themselves, to cheer their hearts and raise their 
spirits, they began to execute the plan they had laid down while ot 
the island of Comino. They sent, as it seems to me, some light ves- 
sels called brigandines, armed with bricolles and cannons, first toward 
the harbor. When they were properly drawn up in array, they en. 
tered the haven, and saluted the town with arrows and stones ; but 



the walls were hung with wet carpeting to deaden the blows. These 
brigandines entered the port without damage, and were followed by 
the galleys and other vessels in such handsome order as to make a 
pleasant show. In turning into the harbor, there was a large casllc 
with towers, and on one larger than the rest was placed a bricolle, 
for the defence of the place, which was not idle, but threw quarrels 
among the fleet. On each of the towers on the walls was a bricolle 
which shot well ; and, to say the truth, the Saracens had laid in stores 
for a long time, from the expectation of a siege. 

When the Christians entered the port of Africa, to disembark, the 
weather was so beautiful, and their order so well preserved, that it 
was delightful to see it. Their trumpets and clarions made the air 
resound, and were echoed back by the waves. Many knights both 
from France and from other countries now displayed their banners, 
and several knights were created. The first of whom was John lord 
de Ligny, in Hainault: he was knighted by his cousin, sir Henry 
d'Antoing , and the lord de Ligny there first displayed his banner, 
which was emblazoned with his arms on a field or, having a bend 
gules. He was accompanied by his cousin-german, the lord d'Hav- 
reth in Hainault. All the knights and squires disembarked in view 
of the Saracens, on a Wednesday, the vigil of Magdalen-day,* in the 
year of grace 1390, and as they landed, encamped according to or- 
ders from the marshals. Thus they took possession of the lAl of 
their enemies, who, noticing their camp, could not avoid highly prais- 
ing the good order of it. Those in the larger galleys, that could not 
lie near the shore, were put into boats and conveyed to land, under 
the banner of our Lady. The Saracens, both within and without 
the town, allowed them to land peaceably, for they were not in num- 
bers sufficient to oppose them : and the French advanced with dis. 
played banners, on which were emblazoned their arms, to places 
marked out for their lodgings by the marshals. 

The duke of Bourbon, as commander-in-chief, was lodged in the 
centre of his army, with all honor, and powerfully guarded. The 
device on his banner, powdered over with flowers-de-luce, was a 
figure of the Virgin Mary in white, seated in the centre, and an es- 
cutcheon of Bourbon at her feet. I will name those lords of rank 
who were quartered on the right of the duke, looking toward the 
town : first, sir William de la Tremouille and his brother with a pen- 
non ; the lord de Bordenay, with a banner ; sir Helion de Lignac, 
with a pennon ; the lord de Tours, the same. Then were placed the 
Hainaulters, whose standard bore the device of the lord William of 
Hainault, at that time count d'Ostrevant, eldest son of duke Albert of 
Bavaria, count of Holland, Hainault and Zealand, which device was 
a harrow or, on a field gules. There was the lord d'Havreth with 
his banner ; the lord de Ligny, with his ; and then the lord Philip, 
count d'-'irtois, with his banner; the lord de Mathefelon, with his 
banner ; the lord de Calan, with a pennon ; the seneschal d'Eu, with 
the same ; the lord de Linieres, with a banner; the lord do Thim, 
with the same; the lord d'Ameval, with the same; sir Walter de 
Chastillon, with a pennon ; sir John de Chiteaumorant, with a ban. 
ner ; the brother to the marshal de Sancerre, with a pennon ; the 
lord de Coucy, with his banner, and better supported than any, ex- 
cept the duke of Bourbon ; the lord de Licques, with a pennon ; sir 
Stephen de Sancerre, with the same ; and then the pennon of the 
king of France, blazoned with his device ; beside it, was sir John le 
Barrels, with his pennon ornamented with his arms ; sir William 
Morles, with his banner ; the lord de Longueval, with a pennon ; sir 
John de Roye, with a banner ; the lord de Bours, with a pennon ; 
the viscount d'.'Vusnay, with a banner ; and sir John de Vienne, ad- 
miral of France, with his banner. 

Those on the left hand of the duke of Bourbon were, the lord 
d'Auseniont, with a banner ; sir John Beaufort, bastard to the duke 
of Lancaster, a banner ; sir John le Bouteiller, an Englishman, a 
pennon ; sir John de Crama, a banner ; the souldich de I'Estrade, a 
pennon; sir John de Harcourt, a banner; the lord Berald, count 
de Clermont, and dauphin of Auvergne, a banner, and with good 
array ; sir Hugh Dauphin, his brother, a pennon ; the lord de Berth- 
encourt, a pennon ; the lord de Pierre Buffiere, a banner ; the lord 
de Saint Semere, a banner; the lord de Louvart, marshal of the army, 
a pennon ; the begue de Beausse, a pennon ; the lord de Louvy, a 
banner ; sir Gerard de Louvy, his brother, a pennon ; the lord do 
Saint-Germain, a banner ; and then the pennon on a standard, with 
the device of the duke of Bourbon ; the lord Philip de Bar, a banner ; 
sir Lewis de Poitiers, a pennon : sir Robert de Calobre, the same ; 
the viscount de Les, a banner ; the lord de Nogent, the same ; the 
lord de Villeneuve, a pennon ; sir William de Moulin, the same ; the 
lord de Longwy, a pennon ; sir -■Vngorget d'Amboise, the same ; sir 
Alain de la Champaigne, a pennon. 

All these banners and pennons that I have named were placed in 
front of the camp, facing the town of Africa ; but there were many 
knights and squires, of great courage and abihty, who were quartered 
in the fields, whom I cannot name, and, if I could, it would take up 
too much space, for they were, in the whole, fourteen thousand, all 
gentlemen. This was a handsome army, able to perform many gal. 
lant deeds, and support a hard warfare, if the Saracens had ventured 
an attack, which they did not, contenting themselves this day with 
throwing large bolts, not meaning to act contrary to their plan. 

* " Macdftlen-dRy"— tlie fflod July. 



524 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &.c. 



When the Christians were encamped, it was necessary for them to 
be careful of the provision they had brought, for they could not now 
venture to forage in this country, nor collect wood nor boughs for 
huts, as they would have run many risks, by foolishly venturing 
themselves for such objects. 

The knights were lodged under tents and pavilions of cloth, which 
they had procured at Genoa. The Genoese cross-bows formed two 
wings, inclosing within them the principal lords, and, from their 
numbers, tliey occupied a great deal of ground, turning toward the 
sea-shore. All their provision was on board the vessels, and there 
were boats continually employed in bringing different articles from 
them, as they were wanted. When the inhabitants of the neighbor- 
ing islands, such as Sicily and others, as well as those in the king- 
dom of Naples, la Puglia, and Calabria, heard the Christians were 
laying siege to --Vfrica, they e.xerted themselves to supply them with 
every sort of provision : some from a desire of gain, others from af- 
fection to the Genoese. From Candia were brought good sweet 
wine and grenaches,* to comfort and refresh them, without which 
they could not long have supported their fatigues. They were a very 
large body of men, who daily consumed much in eating and drink- 
ing. However, these purveyances did not come regularly ; for at 
times the supply was most abundant, at others, they were in great 
distrTO from want. 



CHAPTER XX. 

THE CONDUCT OF THE SARACENS DURING THE SIE&E OF THE TOWN OF 
AFRICA. THEY SEND TO DEMAND FROM THE FRENCH THE CAUSE OF 
THEIR MAKING WAR AGAINST THEM. 

I WILL say something of the Saracens, for it is but just they should 
be equally spoken of as the Christians, that the truth may be more 
apparent. You must know that these infidels had, for a long time, 
been menaced by the Genoese, and were expecting the town of Africa 
to be besieged, in which they were not disappointed. They had 
made preparations for resistance, when they heard of tlie arrival of 
the Christian fleet, an event that had been long looked for by the 
neighboring nations ; for they are not prudent nor well advised, who 
fear not their enemies, however small they may be The Saracens, 
however, do not hold the Christians cheap : on the contrary, they 
consider them as men of courage and enterprise, and much fear 
them. The better to resist their enemies, they assembled the most 
experienced warriors from the kingdoms of Bugia, Morocco, and 
Tunis, in which last the town of Africa is situated, and encamped 
on the downs near the sea-shore. They took advantage of a large 
and thick wood in their rear, to avoid any danger from ambuscades 
or skirmishes on that side. The Saracens showed much ability in 
thus posting themselves. They amounted, according to the estimate 
of able men-at-arms, to thirty thousand archers and ten thousand 
horse. Others thought they were more ; but their exact numbers 
were unknown, for the Christians supposed many were lodged in the 
wood. They were very numerous, for they were in their own coun- 
try, and could come and go from tlieir army at their pleasure without 
danger. They received continual supplies of fresh provision, which 
was brought on the backs of cauels. 

The second day after the Christians had landed, the Saracens, 
about dawn, came to attack the camp, sir Henry d'-\ntoing having 
the command of the guard of two hundred men-at-armsltnd one 
thousand Genoese cross-bows. The skirmish lasted more than two 
hours, and many gallant deeds were done in shooting and thrusting 
the lance, for there was not any engagement with the sword hand to 
fcand. The Saracens did not fool-hardily risk themselves, but fought 
with valor and more prudence than the Christians. When they had 
skirmished some time, the Saracens retreated ; for the army began 
to be in motion, and some of the French barons had come to witness 
the action, and observe the manner of their enemies' fighting, that 
they might be prepared to meet them another time. The Saracens 
retired to their camp, as iid the Christians to theirs ; but, during the 
whole time of this siege of Africa, the Christians were never left 
quiet, for their camp was every night or morning attacked by the 
enemy. 

Among the Saracens was a young knight, called Agadinquor Oli- 
ferne, excellently mounted on a beautiful courser, which he managed 
as he willed, and which, when he galloped, seemed to fly with hlin. 
From his gallantry, he showed he was a good man-at-arms ; and, 
when he rode abroad, he had with him three javelins, well feathered 
and pointed, which he dexterously flung, according to the custom of 
his country. He was completely armed in black, and had a kind of 
white napkin wrapped round his head. His seat on horseback was 
graceful; and, from the vigor and gallantry of his actions, the Chris- 
tians judged he was excited thereto by his affection to a young lady 
of the country. True it is, he most sincerely loved the dauirhter of 
the king ol Tunis, who, according to the report of some Genoese 
merchants who had seen her, was very handsome, and the heiress of 
his kmgdom. This knight, called Agadinquor, w as the son of duke 

I J 'l?."1^fn"~i'°'''°''"!' °""T ""'^ of the fourteenth century mentions, ut^r 



Oliferne ; but I know not if he ever married this lady. I heard that 
during the siege, he performed many handsome feats of arras, to tes! 
tify his love, which the French knights saw with pleasure, and would 
willingly have surrounded him ; but he rode so good a horse, and 
had him so well in hand, that all their efforts were vain. The Chris, 
tian lords were very anxious to make some Saracens prisoners, to 
learn from them the real state of their army ; but they could not suc- 
ceed, and, having noticed their intent, the Saracen chiefs gave orders 
accordingly. The Saracens were much afraid of the Genoese cross, 
bows : they shielded themselves as well as they could against their 
bolts, but they are not armed so strongly as the Christians ; for they 
know not the art to forge annor like theirs, nor have they workmen 
who could make such. Iron and steel are not common among them; 
and they wear light targets hanging on their necks, covered with 
boiled leather from Cappadocia, that no spear can penetrate, if the 
leather has not been overboiled. Their manner of fighting, accord- 
ing to wliat I heard, was to advance on the Christians, and shoot a 
volley of arrows at the Genoese the moment they made their appear, 
ance, and then to fall down under shelter of their shields, by which 
they avoided the bolts from the cross-bows, that went over them : 
they then rose, and either shot more arrows, or lanched their javelins 
with much dexterity. 

Thus, for the space of nine weeks that the siege lasted, were con- 
tinual skirmishes made ; and on both sides many were killed and 
wounded, more especially such as ventured too rashly. The Chris, 
tians imitated the Saracens by avoiding a close combat ; and the 
lords from France and other countries took delight in their manner 
of fighting, for, to say the truth, novelty is always pleasing. The 
young lords of these infidels were greatly struck with the glittering 
armor and emblazoned banners and pennons of their enemies, and, 
wlien returned to their camp, they conversed much about them. 
They were, however, astonished at one thing, which I will now re. 
late. The Saracens within the town of Africa were anxious ta 
know on what pretence the Christians had come with so large an 
army to make war on them ; and, to learn the reasons, they resolved, 
as I was told, in council, to send a person that could speak Genoese, 
and gave him the following orders : " Go and take the road to the 
camp of the Christians, [and manage, before thou returnest, to speak 
with some lords in their army,] and demand, in our name, why they 
have brought so powerful a force against us, and taken possession of 
the lands of the king of Africa, who has not done anything to offend 
them. True it is that, in former times, we were at war with the 
Genoese, but that should no way concern them ; for they come from 
very distant countries, and the Genoese are our neighbors. Our cus. 
tom has been, excepting in times of truce, to seize mutually all we 
can from each other." 

Having received these instructions, the messenger departed and 
rode on to the camp. The first person he met was a Genoese, to 
whom he said that he was sent by the Saracens to speak with some 
baron from France. The Genoese, to whom he had addressed him- 
self, was called Antonio Marchi, a centurion of cross-bows, who took 
him under his care, to his great joy, and conducted him instantly to 
the duke of Bourbon and the lord de Coucy. They both listened 
very attentively, and what they did not understand the centurion in. 
terpreted in very good French. When he had finished all he had 
been ordered to say, he asked for an answer. The French lords 
told liini he should have one as soon as they had considered the pur. 
port of his message. Twelve of the greatest barons of the army as- 
sembled in the duke of Bourbon's tent, and the messenger and inter, 
preter being called in, the last was ordered to tell him from the lords 
present, " That in consequence of their ancestors having crucified 
and put to death the son of God, called Jesus Christ, a true prophet, 
without any cause or just reason, they were come to retaliate on them 
for this infamous and unjust judgment. Secondly, they were im- 
baptized, and infidels in the faith to the holy Virgin, mother of Jesus 
Christ, and had no creed of their own. For these and other causes, 
they held the Saracens and their whole sect as enemies, and were 
come to revenge the injuries they had done to their God and faitli, 
and would to tliis effect daily exert themselves to the utmost of their 
power." When the messenger had received this answer, he de. 
parted from the army unmolested, and returned to report to his mas. 
tcrs what you have just read. The Saracens laughed heartily at 
hearing it, and said, they made assertions without proofs, tor it was 
the Jews who had crucified Jesus Christ, and not they. Things 
remained on the former footing : the siege was continued, and each 
army on its guard. 

CHAPTER XXI. 

SOME MIRACLES ARE SHOWN TO THE SARACENS, AS THEY ATTEMPT TO 
attack the CAMP OF THE CHRISTIANS. SEVERAL SKIRMISHES DtT. 
RING THE SIEGE. THE CLIMATE BECOMES UNWHOLESOME, AND OTHER 
ACCIDENTS BEFAL THE BESIEGERS. ^i 

Shortly after this message, the Saracens determined in council 
to remain quiet for seven or eight days, and, during that time, neither 
to skirmish nor any way to annoy the Christians, but, when they 
should think themselves in perfect security, to fall on their camp Uke 
a deluge. This was adopted ; and the ninth evening, a little before 
midnight, they secretly armed their men with their accustomed arms, 



CKRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, ice. 



525 



and marched silently in a compact body toward the Christian camp. 
They had proposed making a severe attack on the opposite quarter 
to the main guard, and would have succeeded in their mischievous 
attempt, if God had not watched over and preserved them Iiy niira. 
clea, as I will now relate. As tlie Saracens approached, they saw 
before them a company of ladies dressed in white ; one of whom, 
their leader, was incomparably more beautiful than the rest, and bore 
in front a white flag, having a vermilion cross in the centre. The 
Saracens were so greatly terrified at this vision, that they lost all 
strength and inclination to proceed, and stood still, these ladies keep- 




SiEGE OF THE T:iivx OF .\fri(a. From a M-S. Froisssrt of the 15th century. 



ing steadily before them. The Genoese cross.bows had brought 
with them a dog, as I heard, from beyond sea ; but whence no one 
could tell, nor did he belong to any particular person. This dog had 
been very useful to them ; for the Saracens never came to skirmish, 
but by his noise he awakened the army, and as every one now knew 
that whenever the dog barked the Saracens were come, or on their 
road, they prepared themselves instantly : in consequence of this, the 
Genoese called him the dog of our Lady. This night, the dog was 
not idle, but made a louder noise than usual, and ran first to the main 
gTiard, which was under the command of the lord de Torcy, a Nor- 
man, and sir Henry d'Antoing. As during the night all sounds are 
more easily heard, the whole army was in motion, and properly pre- 
pared to receive the Saracens, who they knew were approaching. 

This was the fact; but the Virgin Mary and her company, having 
the Christians under their care, watched over them ; and this night 
they received no harm, for the Saracens were afraid to advance, and 
returned the way they had come. The Christians were more atten- 
tive to their future guards. The Saracen knights and squires, within 
the town, were much cast down at the sight they had seen, more 
especially those who were advanced near this company of ladies. 
While, on the other hand, the Christians were greatly e.\erting them, 
selves to win the place, which was courageously defended. At this 
period the weather was exceedingly hot ; for it was the month of 
August, when the sun is in its greatest force, and that country was 
warmer than France, from being nearer the sun, and from the heat 
of the sands. The wines the besiegers were supplied with from La 
Puglia and Calabria were fiery, and hurtful to the constitutions of the 
French, many of whom suffered severely by fevers, from the heating 
<juaUty of their liquors. I know not how the Christians were enabled 
to bear the fatigues in such a climate, where sweet water was difli- 
cult to be had. They, however, had much resource in the wells they 
dug ; for there were upward of two hundred sunk, through the sands, 
along the shore ; but, at times, even this water was muddy and heated. 
They were frequently distressed for provision, for the supply was 
irregular, from Sicily and the other islands : at times they had abund- 
ance, at other times they were in want. The healthy comforted the 
sick, and those who had provision shared it with such as had none ; 
for in this campaign they were all as brothers. The lord de Coucy, 
in particular, was beloved by every gentleman : he was kind to all, 
and behaved himself by far more graciously, in all respects, than the 
<lukc of Bourbon, who was proud and haughty, and never conversed 
with the knights and squires from foreign countries in the same 
-agreeable manner the Lord de Coucy did. 

The duke was accustomed to sit cross-legged the greater part of 
•the day before his pavilion ; and those who had anything to say to 



him were obliged to make many reverences, and address him through 
the means of a third person. He was indifferent whether the poorer 
knights and squires were well or ill at their ease : this the lord de 
Coucy always inquired into, and by it gained great popularity. It 
was told me, by some foreign knights who had been there, that had 
the lord de Coucy been commander-in-chief, instead of the duke of 
Bourbon, the success would have been very different ; for many at- 
tacks on the town of Africa were frustrated by the pride and fault of 
the duke of Bourbon : several thought it would have been taken, if 
it had not been for him. 

This siege lasted, by an exact ac- 
count, sixty-one days ; during which, 
many were the skirmishes before the 
town and at the barriers : they were 
well defended, for the flower of the 
infidel chivalry was in the town. The 
Christians said among themselves, 
" If we could gain this place by storm 
or otherwise, and strongly reinforce 
and victual it during the winter, a 
large body of our countrymen might 
then come hither in the spring and 
gain a footing in the kingdoms of Bar- 
bary and Tunis, w hich would encour- 
age the Christians to cross the sea an- 
nually and extend their conquests." 
" Would to God it were so," others 
replied ; " for the knights now here 
would then be comfortably lodged, and 
every day, if they pleased, they might 
have deeds of arms." The besieged 
were alarmed at the obstinacy of their 
attacks, and redoubled their guards. 
The great heat, however, did more fer 
them than all the rest, added to the 
uncertainty of being attacked ; for the 
policy of the Saracens was to keep 
them in continual alarms. They were 
almost burnt up when in armor ; and 
it was wonderful that any escaped 
death ; for, during the month of Au- 
gust the air was suffocating. An ex- 
traordinary accident happened, which 
if it had lasted any time, must have 
destroyed them all. Durin» one week, from the heat and corruption of 
the air, there were such wonderful swarms of flies, the army was cov- 
ered with them. The men knew not how to rid themselves of these 
troublesome guests, wliich multiplied daily, to their great astonish- 
ment ; but, through the grace of God and the Virgin Mary, to whora 
they were devoted, a remedy was found, in a thunder and hail-storm, 
that fell with great violence, and destroyed all the flies. The air, by 
this storm, was much cooled, and the army got to be in better health 
than it had been for some time. 

Knights who are on such expeditions must cheerfully put up with 
what weather may happen, for they cannot have it according to their 
wishes ; and, when any one falls sick, he must be ntu^sed to liis 
recovery or to his death. Although the knights from France had un- 
dcrtaken this voyage with an eagerness and resolution that bore them 
up under the pains they suffered, they had not many luxuries to grat- 
ify them ; for nothing was sent them from France, nor had any in 
that kingdom more intelligence from them than if they were buried 
under ground. Once, indeed, there came a galley from Barcelona, 
laden more with oranges and small grain than with anything else. 
The oranges were of the greatest service, by the refreshment thejr 
afforded ; but, whatever vessel came to them, none returned, for fear 
of meeting the Saracens at sea, and because they wished to wait the 
event of the siege, and see whether the Christians would conquer the 
town. 

The young king Lewis of Sicily exerted hiinself, in order that hia 
subjects should carry a constant supply of provision to them, for he 
was their nearest neighbor. It was fortunate the Saracens were not 
strong enough at sea to prevent the vessels coming from the ports of 
Sicily and Naples, or they would have conquered them without 
striking a blow. They therefore contented themselves with keeping 
the Christians under perpetual alarms on land. The Saracens have 
not a large navy like the Genoese and Venetians ; and what they get 
at sea is by thievery ; and they never dare wait the attack of the 
Christians unless they be in very superior numbers, for a well-armed 
galley with Christians will defeat four of such enemies. In truth, 
the Turks are better men-at-arms by sea and land than any other 
nation of unbelievers of our faith ; but they were at too great a dis- 
tance from Africa, and the town could not receive any aid from them. 
The Turks had heard that the town of Africa was besieged by the 
Christians, and had often, but in vain, wished, to have been there. 



526 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &( 



CHAPTER XXII. 

A CHAXLENOE IS SENT BY THE SARACENS TO OFFER COMBAT OF TEN AC3AINST 
TEN CHRISTIANS. THE SARACENS FAIL IN THEIR ENGAGEMENT. THE 
TOWN OF AFRICA IS STORMED, BUT UNSUCCESSFULLY, AND WITH THE 
LOSS OF MANY WORTHY HEN. 

The besiegers and their enemies studied day and night how they 
could most eiTectually annoy each other. Agadinquor Ohfenie, 
Madifer de Tunis, BeUns Maldages, and Biahadin de Bugin, and 
some other Saracens, consuhed together, and said ; " Here are our 
enemies the Christians encamped before us, and we cannot defeat 
them. They are so few in number when compared to us, that they 
must be well advised by their able captains ; for, in all our skirm- 
ishes, we have never been able to make one knight prisoner. If we 
could capture one or two of their leaders, we should acquire fame, 
and learn from them the state of their army and what are their inten- 
tions. Let us now consider how we may accomplish this." Agadin- 
quor replied, " Though I am the youngest, I wish to speak first." 
" We agree to it," said the others. " By my faith," continued he, " I 
am very desirous of engaging them ; and I think, if I were matched 
in equal combat with one of my size, I should conquer him. If you 
will therefore select ten valiant men, I will challenge the Christians 
to send the same number to fight with us. We have justice on our 
side in this war, for they have quarelled with us without reason ; and 
this right and the courage I feel, induce me to believe that we shall 
have the victory." Madifer de Tunis, who was a very valiant man, 
said : " Agadinquor, what you have proposed is much to your honor. 
To-morrow, if you please, you shall ride as our chief toward the 
camp of the Christians, taking an interpreter with you, and make a 
signal that you have something to say. If you be well received by 
them, propose your combat of ten against ten. We shall then hear 
what answer they give : and, though I believe the ofTer will be 
accepted, we must take good counsel how we proceed against these 
Christians, whom we consider as more valiant than ourselves." 

This being determined on, they retired to rest. On the morrow, 
as usual, they advanced to skirmish ; but Agadinquor rode on at some 
distance in front with his interpreter. The day was bright and clear, 
and a little after sunrise the Saracens were ready for battle. Sir 
Guy and sir William de la Tremouille had commanded the guard of 
the night, and were on the point of retiring, when the Saracens ap- 
peared in sight about three bow-shots distant. Agadinquor and his 
interpreter advanced toward one of the wings, and made signs to give 
notice that he wanted to parley with some one ; by accident, he came 
near the pennon of a good squire-at.arms called Aflfrenal, who, no- 
ticing his signs, rode forward a pace, and told his men to remain as 
they were, " for that he would go and see what the Saracen wanted : 
he has an interpreter with him, and is probably come to make some 
proposition." His men remained steady, and he rode toward the 
Saracen. 

When they were near each other, the interpreter said, " Christian, 
are you a gentleman, of name in arms, and ready to answer what 
shall be asked of you?" " Yes," replied Affrenal, "lam: speak 
wh".t you please, it shall be answered." "Well," said the inter- 
preter, " here is a noble man of our country who demands to combat 
with you bodily; and, if you would like to increase the number to 
ten, he will bring as many of his friends to meet you. The cause 
for the challenge is this: They maintain, that their faith is more per- 
fect than yours ; for it has continued since the beginning of the world, 
when it was written down ; and that your faith has been introduced 
by a mortal, whom the Jews hung and crucified." " Ho," inter- 
rupted AflVenal, " be silent on these matters, for it does not become 
such as thee to dispute concerning them ; but tell the Saracen, who 
has ordered thee to speak, to swear on his faith that such a combat 
shall take place, and he shall be gratified within four hours. Let 
him bring ten gentlemen, and of name in arms, on his side, and I will 
bring as many to meet him." The interpreter related to the Saracen 
the words that had passed, who seemed much rejoiced thereat, and 
pledged himself for the combat. 

This being done, each returned to his friends ; but the news had 
already been carried to sir Guy and to sir William de la Tremouille, 
who, meeting Affrenal, demanded how he had setded matters with 
the Saracen. Afirenal related what you have heard, and that he had 
accepted the challenge. The two knights were well pleased, and 
said, "Afirenal, go and speak to others, for we will be of your number 
ten." He replied, " God assist us ! I fancy I shall find plenty ready 
to fight the Saracens." Shortly after, Affrenal met the lord de Thim, 
to whom he told what had passed, and asked if he would make one. 
The lord de Thim willingly accepted the offer ; and of all those to 
whom Affrenal related it, he might, if he pleased, have had a hundred 
instead of ten. Sir Boueicaut, the younger, accepted it with great 
courage, as did sir Helion de Lignac, sir John Russel, an English. 
man, sir John Harpedone, Alain Boudet and Bouchet. When the 
number of ten was completed, they retired to their lodgings, to pre- 
pare and arm themselves. When the news of this combat was 
spread through the army, and ihe names of the ten were told, the 
knights and squires said, " they are lucky fellows, thus to have such 
a gallant feat of arms fall to their lot." " Would to Heaven," added 
many, " that we were of the ten." All the knights and squires seemed 



to rejoice at this event, except the lord de Coucy. I believe the lord 
de Thim was a dependent on, or of the company of, the lord de 
Coucy : for, when he repaired to his tent to arm, he found hira there, 
and acknowledged him for his lord. He related to him the challenge 
of the Saracen, and that he had accepted being one of the ten. All 
present were loud in praise of it, e.xcept the lord de Coucy, who said 
" Hold your tongues, you youngsters, who as yet know nothing of the 
world, and who never consider consequences, but always applaud 
folly in preference to good. I see no advantage in this combat, for 
many reasons : one is, that ten noble and distinguished gentlemen 
are about to fight with ten Saracens. How do we know if their op. 
ponents are gentlemen? They may, if they choose, bring to the 
combat ten varlets, or knaves, and, if they are defeated, what is the 
gain ? We shall not the sooner win the town of Africa, but by il 
risk vei7 valuable lives. Perhaps they may form an ambuscade, 
and, while our friends are on the plain waiting for their opponents, 
surround them and carry them ofl^, by which we shall be greatly 
weakened. I therefore say, that Affrenal has not wisely managed 
this matter; and, when he first met the Saracen, he should have 
otherwise answered, and said, ' I am not the commander-in-chief of 
our army, but one of the least in it ; and you Saracen, who address 
yourself to me and blame our faith, are not qualified to discuss such 
matters, nor have you well addressed yourself. I will conduct you 
to my lords, and assure you, on my life, that no harm befal you in 
going or in returning, for my lords will cheerfully listen to you.' He 
should then have led him to the duke of Bourbon and the council of 
war, when his proposal would have been heard and discussed at 
leisure, his intentions been known, and answers made according as 
they should think the matter deserved. Such a combat should never 
be undertaken but after great deliberation, especially with enemies 
like to those we are engaged with. And when it had been agreed 
on, and the names and qualities of each combatant shAuld be de. 
clared, we would then have selected proper persons to meet them, 
and proper securities would have been required from the Saracens 
for the uninterrupted performance of the combat, and a due observ. 
ance of the articles. If matters had been thus managed, lord of 
Thim, I think it would have been better. It would be well if it 
could be put on this footing ; and I will speak to the duke of Bour. 
bon and the principal barons in the army, and hear what they shall 
say on the subject." The lord de Coucy then departed for the tent 
of the duke of Bourbon, where the barons were assembled, as they 
had heard of this challenge, to consider what might be the probablo 
event of it. Although the lord de Coucy had intended his speech to 
the lord de Thim as advice for his benefit, he did not the less arm 
himself : when fully equipped, he went with his companions, who 
were completely armed, and in good anay, with sir Guy de la Tre- 
mouille at their head, to meet the Saracens. 

During this, there was conversation on the subject between the 
lords in the tent of the duke of Bourlion : many thought the accept- 
ing such a challenge improper, and supported the opinion of the lord 
de Coucy, who said it ought to have been ordered otherwise. But 
some, and in particular the lord Philip d'Artois, count d'Eu, and the 
lord Philip de Bar, said, " Since the challenge has been accepted by 
our knights, they would be disgraced were the combat now broken 
off": and in the name of God and our Lady, let them accomplish it 
the best manner they can." This was adopted ; for it was now too 
far advanced to be stopped. It was therefore ordered to draw out 
the whole army properly arrayed, that if the Saracens had formed 
any bad designs, they might be prepared to meet them. Every one, 
therefore, made himself ready : the whole were drawn up, as if for 
instant combat ; the Genoese cross-bows on one side, and the knights 
and squires on the other ; each lord under his own banner or pennon 
emblazoned with his arms. It was a fine sight to view the army thus 
displayed, and they showed great eagerness to attack the Saracens. 

The ten knights and squires were advanced on the plain waiting 
for their opponents, but they came not, nor showed any appearance 
of so doing; for, when they saw the Christian army so handsomely 
drawn out in batde-array, they were afraid to advance though they 
were thrice their numbers. At times they sent horsemen, well 
mounted, to ride near their army, observe its disposition, and then- 
gallop back : which was solely done through malice, to annoy the 
Christians. 

This was the hottest day they felt, and it was so extremely op- 
pressive that the most active among them were almost stifled in their 
armor: they had never suffered so much before, and yet they re. • 
maincd expecting the ten Saracens, but in vain, for they never heard 
a word trom them. The army was ordered to attack the town of 
Africa, since they were prepared, and thus pass the day ; and the ten 
champions, in regard to their honor, were to remain on their ground 
to the evening. 

The knights and squires advanced with great alacrity to the at. 
tack of the town, but they were sorely oppressed with the heat ; and 
had the Saracens known their situation, they might have done them 
much damage ; probably they might even have raised the siege and 
obtained a complete victory, for the Christians were exceedingly 
weakened and worn down. True it is, they gained by storm the 
wall of the first inclosure : but no one inhabited that part, and the 
enemy retired within their second line of defence, skirmishing as 
they retreated, and without any great loss. The Christians paid deal. ■ 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



527 



for an inconsiderable advantage: the heat of the sun and its reflec- 
tion on the sands, added to tlie fatigue of fighting, which lasted until 
evening, caused the death of several valiant knights and squires : the 
more the pity. 

I will mention the names of those who this day fell victims to the 
heat and unhealthiness of the climate. First, sir William de Gacille, 
sir Guiscard de la Garde, sir Lyon Scalet, sir Guy de la Salveste, sir 
William d'Estapelle, sir William de Guiret, sir Raffroy de la Cha- 
pelle, the lord de Pierre Buffiere, the lord de Bonnet, sir Robert de 
Hanges, sir Stephen de Sancerre, sir Aubert de la Motte, sir Alain 
de la Chanipaigne, sir Geoffry Sressiers, sir Raoul d'Econflan, the 
lord de Bourg from Artois, sir John de Crie, bastard de la Mouleraye, 
sir Tristan his brother, sir Arne de Consay, sir Arn(; de Donnay, sir 
John de Compaignie,sir Fouke d'Escauffours, sir John de Cathenais. 
I will now add the names of squires who fell : Fouchans de Liege, 
John des Isles, Blondelet d'Arenton, John de la Motte, Blomberis, 
Floridas do Rocque, the lord de Bellefreres, William Frondrigay, 
Walter de Canfours, John Morillon, Peter de Manlves, Guillot Vil. 
lain, John de la Lande, John Purier, John le Moine, John de Lau- 
nay and William du Pare. 

Now consider how great was this loss ; and, had the advice of the 
gallant lord de Coucy been followed, it would not have happened, for 
the army would have remained quietly in its camp, as it had hitherto 
done. The whole army was dismayed at it, and each bewailed the 
loas of his friend. They retired late to their camp, and kept a stronger 
guard than usual, during the night, for fear of the Saracens. It passed 
however without further accident, and more pmdent arrangements 
were made. The Saracens were ignorant of what their enemies had 
suffered ; had they known it, they would have had a great advantage 
over them, but they were in dread of the Christians, and never ven- 
tured to attack them but in skirmishes, retreating after one or two 
charges. The person among them who had shown the most courage 
was Agadinquor Olii'erne. He was enamored with the daughter 
of the king of Tunis, and in compliment to her, was eager to perform 
brilliant actions. 

Thus was the siege of Africa continued ; but the relations and 
friends of the knights and squires who had gone thither, from France 
and other countries, received no intelligence, nor knew more of them 
than if they were dead. They were so much alarmed at not having 
any news of them, that many processions were made in England, 
France and Hainault, to the churches, to pray God that he would 
bring them back, in safety, to their several homes. The intention 
of the Christians was to remain before the town of Africa, until they 
should have conquered it by storm, treaty or famine. The king of 
Sicily, as well as the inhabitants of the adjacent islands, were an.xious 
it shoiUd be so, for the Africans had done them frequent damage ; 
but the Genoese were particularly kind, in supplying the knights and 
squires with everything they wanted, to prevent them from being 
tired with the length of the campaign. 

To say the truth, this was a very great enterprise, and the knights 
and squires showed much courage and perseverance in continuing 
the siege in so unhealthy a climate, after the great losses they had 
Buffered, without assistance from any one ; and even when the Geno- 
ese, who had first proposed the expedition, were dissembling with 
them, and as it was said, wore in treaty with the Saracens, to leave 
the Christian army unsupported and neglected, as I shall relate in due 
time, according to the reports that were made to me. 

We will now leave the affairs of Africa, and speak of the hand- 
some feasts that were at this time given at London. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

A GRAND TOURNAMENT IS HOLDEN AT LOWDON. THE KING OF ENGLAND 
GIVES SrLENDID ENTERTAINMENTS DURING THE SIEGE OF THE TOWN OF 
AFRICA BY THE CHRISTIANS. THE COUNT D'OSTREVANT RECEIVES THE 
ORDER OF THE GARTER, WHICH DISPLEASES THE KING OF FRANCE. 

News of the splendid feasts and entertainments made for queen 
Isabella's public entry into Paris wascanied to many countries, and 
very justly, for they were most honorably conducted. The king ol 
England and his three uncles had received the fullest information of 
them : for some of his knights had been present, who had reported 
all that had passed with the utmost fidelity. In imitation of this, the 
king of England ordered grand tournaments and feasts to be holden 
in the city of London, where sixty knights should be accompanied 
by sixty noble ladies, richly ornamented and dressed. The sixty 
knights were to tilt for two days ; that is to say, on the Sunday after 
Michaelmas-day, and the Monday following, in the year of grace 
1390. The sixty knights were to set out at two o'clock in the after- 
noon from the Towerof London, with their ladies, and parade through 
the streets, down Cheapside, to a large square called Smithfield. 
There the knights were to wait, on the Sunday, the arrival of any 
foreign knights who might be desirous of tilting ; and this feast of 
the Sunday was called the challengers'. The same ceremonies were 
to take place on the Monday, and the sixty knights to be prepared 
for tilting courteously with blunted lances against all comers. The 
prize for the best knight of the opponents was to be a rich crown of 
gold ; that for the tenants of the lists a very rich golden clasp ; they 
were to be given to the most gallant tiltcr, according to the judgment 



of the ladies, who would be present with the queen of England and 
the great barons, as spectators. 

On the Tuesday, the tournaments were to be continued bysquires, 
against others of the same rank who wished to oppose them. The 
prize for the opponents was a courser saddled and bridled, and for 
the tenants of the lists a falcon. The manner of holding this feast 
being settled, heralds were sent to proclaim it throughout England, 
Scotland, Hainault, Germany, Flanders, and France. It was ordered 
by the council to what parts each herald was to go ; and, having 
time beforehand, they published it in most countries. 

Many knights and squires from foreign lands made preparations to 
attend it : some to see the manners of the English, others to take 
part in the tournaments. On the feast being known in Hainatilt, 
sir William de Hainault count d'Ostrevant, who was at that time 
young and gallant, and fond of tilting, determined, in his own mind, 
to be present, and to honor and make acquaintance with his cousin, 
king Richard, and his uncles whom he had never seen. He there, 
fore engaged many knights and squires to accompany him ; in par. 
ticularthe lord de Gomegines, because he was well known in England, 
having lived there some time. Sir William resolved, while his pre. 
parations were making, to visit his father, the count of Hainault, 
Holland, and Zealand, to speak with him on the subject, and to take 
leave of him before he went to England. He therefore set out from 
Quesnoy, in Hainault, and continued his journey to the Hague, a 
good town in Holland, where his father then resided. During the 
visit, he told his father his intentions to partake of the great feast in 
England, to see his cousin and other English lords whom he was de- 
sirous of knowing. " William," replied the count, " my good son, 
you have nothing to do in England : you are now connected by mar. 
riage with the blood-royal of France, and your sister is the wife of 
the eldest son of our cousin the duke of Burgundy ; you have no oc- 
casion, therefore, to seek other connections." " My lord," answered 
sir William, " I do not wish to go to England to form any alliance, 
but merely to tilt and enjoy this feast, which has been publicly pro. 
claimed everywhere, and visit my cousins, whom I have never seen. 
Should I not go thither, after the particular invitation I have had, for 
a purpose messenger brought it me, my refusal will be considered as 
the effect of pride and presumption. I feel myself bound therefore 
in honor to go, and beg, father, that you will not refuse me your 
consent." " William," replied the count, " you are your own mas. 
ter ; act as you please ; but I should think, for the sake of peace, it 
were better you did not go." 

The count d'Ostrevant, perceiving this subject was disagreeable 
to his father, turned the conversation to other matters ; but his reso. 
lution was fixed, and his purveyances were continued to be made and 
forwarded to Calais. His herald, Gomegines, was sent to England 
to inform the king and his uncles, that he would come honorably at. 
tended to his feast. They were much pleased at this intelligence, 
and presented the herald with great gifts, which were very acceptable, 
for he became blind toward the end of his days. I know not if he 
had angered God, that he was afflicted with such a punishment ; but 
this herald, when in power, had behaved with so much insolence, 
that he was little pitied in his distress. The count d'Ostrevant took 
leave of his father, and, on his departure from the Hague, returned 
to his lady at Quesnoy. Many noble knights were busy in prepara. 
tions for this feast that had been so pompously proclaimed. 

The count Waleran de Saint Pol, who had married the half-sister 
to king Richard, assembled a handsome body of knights and squires, 
and with them made for Calais, where passage-vessels were waiting 
to convey to Dover the lords and knights going to this tournament. 
From Dover they continued tlieir journey to London, where their 
servants had previously secured their lodgings. 

The count d'Ostrevant set out from Hainault with a numerous at- 
tendance of knights and squires, and travelled through Artois to 
Calais, where he met the count de St. Pol. When the wind was 
favorable, and their attendants embarked, they crossed the channel ; 
but it was told me, and I believe it, that the count de St. Pol arrived 
first at London, where he found the king and his brother-in-law, sir 
John Holland, who, with many other nobles, made him a hearty wel- 
come, and inquired the news in France. The count d'Ostrevant 
having crossed the sea, stopped at Canterbury, and on the Friday 
morning, without breaking his fast, paid his devotions at the shrine 
of Thomas h Becket, making at the same time a very rich offering 
at that altar. He remained that whole day at Canterbury, and on 
the following went to Rochester. On account of his numerous train, 
he travelled but a short day's journey, to spare his horses that car. 
ried the baggage. After mass he left Rochester and dined at DarU 
ford, whence he continued his journey to London, for it was on this 
Sunday the tournaments were to begin. 

This Sunday, according to proclamation, being the next to Mich, 
elmas-day, was the beginning of the tiltings, and called the feast of 
the challengers. About three o'clock, there paraded out f-om the 
Tower of London, which is situated in the square of Si. Cathenne, 
on the banks of the Thames, sixty barded coursers ornamented for 
the tournament ; on each was mounted a squire of honor that advanced 
only at a foot's pace ; then came sixty ladies of rank, mounted on 
palfreys most elegantly and richly dressed, following each other, 
every one leading a knight with a silver chain, completely armed for 
lilting ; and in this procession they moved on through the streets of 



528 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



London, attended by numbers of minstrels Qnd trumpets, to Smith, 
field. The queen of England, and her ladies and damsels, were 
already arrived and placed in chambers handsomely decorated. The 
king was with the queen. When the ladies who led the knights 
arrived in the square, their servants were ready to assist them to 
dismount from their palfreys, and to conduct them to the apartments 
prepared for them. The knights remained until their squires of honor 
had dismounted, and brought them their coursers, which having 
mounted, they had their helmets laced on, and prepared themselves 
in all points for the tilt. 

The count de Saint Pol with his companions now advanced, hand, 
somely armed for the occasion, and the tournament began. Every 
foreign knight who pleased tilted, or had time for so doing, before 
the evening set in. The tiltings were well and long continued, 
until night forced them to break off. The lords and ladies then re- 
tired where they had made appointments. The queen was lodged 
in the bishop of London's palace near St. Paul's church, where the 
banquet was held. 

Toward evening, the count d'Ostrevant arrived, and was kindly 
received by king Richard and his lords. The prize for the opponents 
was adjudged to the count de St. Pol, as the best knight at this 
tournament, and that for the tenants to the earl of Huntingdon. The 
dancings were at the queen's residence, in the presence of the king, 
his uncles, and the barons of England. The ladies and damsels con- 
tinued their amusements, before and after supper, until it was time 
to retire, when all went to their lodgings, except such as were at- 
tached to the king or queen, M'ho, during the tournament, lived at 
the palace of the bishop of London. 

You would have seen on the ensuing morning, Monday, squires and 
varlets busily employed, in different parts of London, furbishing and 
making ready armor and horses for their masters who were to engage 
in the justs. In the afternoon, king Richard entered Smithfield mag- 
nificently accompanied by dukes, lords, and knights, for he wa=i chief 
of the tenants of the lists. The queen took her station as on the 
preceding day, with her ladies, in the apartments that had been 
prepared for her. The count d'Ostrevant came next, with a large 
company of knights and squires fully armed for tilting ; then the count 
de Saint Pol and the knights from France. 

The tournament now began, and every one exerted himself to the 
utmost to excel : many were unhorsed, and more lost their helmets. 
The justing continued with great courage and perseverance until 
night put an end to it. The company now retired to their lodgings 
or their homes ; and, when the hour for supper was near, the lords 
and ladies attended it, which was splendid and well served. The 
prize for the opponents at the tournament was adjudged, by the 
ladies, lords, and heralds, to the count d'Ostrevant, who far eclipsed 
all who had tilted that day ; that for the tenants was given to a gal. 
lant knight of England called sir Hugh Spenser. 

On the morrow, Tuesday, the tournament was renewed by the 
squires, who tilted in the presence of the king, queen, and all the 
nobles, until night, when all retired as on the preceding day. The 
supper was as magnificent as before at the palace of the bishop, where 
the king and queen lodged ; and the dancing lasted until daybreak, 
when the company broke up. The tournament was continued on 
the Wednesday by all knights and squires indiscriminately, who 
were inclined to just ; it lasted until night, and the supper and dances 
were as the preceding day. 

On Thursday, the king entertained at supper all the foreign knights 
and squires, and the queen their ladies and damsels. The duke of 
Lancaster gave a grand dinner to them on the Friday. On Satur. 
day, the king and his court left London for Windsor, whither the 
count d'Ostrveant, the count de St. Pol, and the foreign knights who 
had been present at the feasts, were invited. All accepted the invi- 
tation, as was right, and went to Windsor, which has a handsome 
castle, well built and richly ornamented, situated on the Thames 
twenty miles from London. The entertainments were very mag- 
nificent in the dinners and suppers king Richard made, for he thought 
he could not pay honor enough to his cousin the count d'Ostrevant. 
He was solicited by the king and his uncles to be one of the com. 
panions of the order of the blue Garter, as the chapel of St. George, 
the patron, was at Windsor. In answer to their request, he said he 
would consider of it, and instantly consulted the lord de Gomegines 
and the bastard Fierabras de Vertain, who were far from discour. 
aging him from accepting the order. He returned to the king, and was 
admitted a knight companion of the Garter, to the great surprise of 
the French knights then present. They murmured together, and then 
said : "This count d'Ostrevant plainly shows that his heart is more 
inchned to England than to France, when he thus accepts the order 
of the Garter, which is the device of the kings of England. He is 
purchasing the ill-will of the court of France and of my lord of Bur- 
gundy, whose daughter he has married, and a time may come for 
him to repent of it. However, to say the truth, he must know what 
concerns him best : but he was well beloved by the king of France, 
his brother the duke of Touraine, and aU the royal family ; so that 
when he came to them at Paris or elsewhere, they showed him more 
Kindness than to any other of their cousins." 

Thus was the count d'Ostrevant blamed by the French, without 
the smallest cause ; for what he had done was no way to injure the 
erown of France, nor his cousins and friends of that country. Noth- 



ing was farther from his mind than any hostility to the king of France ; 
but he had accepted the Garter to oblige his cousin in England, and 
on occasion to be a mediator between the two countries. Wheri he 
took the oaths usual on the admission of knights to the order, it ought 
to he known publicly that notliing was said or done prejudicial to 
France, nor any treaties entered into with that intent. I mention 
this, since it is impossible to prevent the envious from spreading 
abroad their tales. When the entertainments at Windsor had lasted 
a sufficient time, and the king had made handsome presents to the 
knights and squires of France, particularly to the young count d'Os. 
trevant, the company took leave of the king, the queen, and the 
court, and dejiarted for their different homes. 

Rumor, which magnifies everything, carried to the king of France, 
his brother and uncles, every particular that had passed at this feast 
in England. Those who had been there confirmed it ; nothing was 
forgotten, but rather additions made with the intent of doing mis. 
chief in preference to good. They related, that William of Hainault, 
who called himself count d'Ostrevant, had taken great pains to honor 
this feast ; that he had the prize given him at the tournament in pref. 
erence to many other foreign knights, and that he was loud in the 
praise of the English, and was become the liegeman to the king of 
England by taking the oaths and accepting the order of the blue 
Garter, in the chapel of Saint George at Windsor, which order had 
been established by king Edward and his son the prince of Wales; 
that no one could be admitted a knight companion of that order, 
without making oat'n never to bear arms against the crown of Eng- 
land ; and this oath the count d'Ostrevant had taken without the 
smallest reservation. 

The king of France and his uncles, on hearing this, were much 
troubled and ve.xed with the count d'Ostrevant. The king said : 
" Only think, it is not a year ago since the count begged of me that 
his brother might be bishop of Cambray; but after what we have 
heard, that would now be much to our prejudice. It will be better 
that our cousin of St. Pol have Cambray than John of Haniault. The 
Hainaulters were never our sincere friends, nor ever will be, for they 
are too proud and presumptuous, and have always been more attached 
to England than France ; but a time may come when they shall dearly 
pay for it. We will," added the king, '• that the count d'Ostrevant 
be summoned to appear before us, and to do homage for the county 
of Ostrevant, or we will dispossess him and attach it to our crown.'* 
Such of the council as were present, replied, " Sir, you say well, and 
what you order ought to be done." The duke of Burgundy, whose 
daughter the count had married, was highly displeased at these re. 
ports ; for he had always pushed his son.in.law as much as he could 
into the good graces of the king and the royal family. This business 
was not neglected ; for the king of France wrote very sharp letters 
to the count d'Ostrevant, which he sent to him at Quesnoy, com. 
manding him to come to Paris, and, in the presence of the peers of 
France, do homage for the county of Ostrevant, or he would make 
war upon him, and dispossess him of it. 

The count d'Ostrevant, on perusing these letters, found that the 
king and his council were much angered, and instantly assembled 
his most confidential counsellors to consider of the answer. He 
caUed to his aid the lord de Fontaines, the lord de Gomegines, sir 
William de Heremies, the lord de Trassegnies, the bailiff of Hain. 
ault, the lord de Sancelles, sir Race de Montigny, the abbot de Cres- 
pin, John Semart, and James Barrier of Valenciennes. These 
counsellors having some time debated, and turned the matter over 
various ways, thought it most advisable to write to the king of France, 
and answer generally to what he had urged, and demand an oppor- 
tunity for so doing more particularly, by persons that were properly 
qualified and not by letters. In the mean time, they recommended 
sending a well-informed messenger, to duke Albert in Holland, to 
acquaint him with what was passing, and have his advice. This 
was done : they wrote such humble and discreet letters to the king- 
of France and his council as gready pacified them ; and sent the 
lord de Trassegnies, the lord dc Sancelles, John Semart, and James 
Barrier to Holland. On being admitted to the count of Holland they 
laid before hira the situation of Hainault, and the letters that had been 
received from the king of France. 

If the count of Holland was not surprised at what had happened, 
it is not to be wondered at ; for he replied, " I was just thinking that 
what you tell me would come to pass : my son Wilham had no busi- 
ness to go to England. I have given up to him the government of 
Hainault : let him advise with the wisest and most prudent in that 
country. Make interest with our fair cousin, the duke of Burgundy; 
for he has the power to set to rights all this business. I cannot give 
you better advice, nor recommend a more fit person to address your- 
sevles to." On this the envoys returned to Hainault, and related all 
that had passed, which gave satisfaction. The lord de Trassegnies, 
sir William de Heremies, sir Race de Montigny, John Semart and 
James Barrier, were ordered to wait on the king of France and the 
duke of Burgundy. The detail of all that passed would be too lung 
for such a history as this, that embraces so many objects. The con- 
clusion was, that notwithstanding the support of the duke of Burgundy, 
the count d'Ostrevant was forced to go to Paris to perform his duty, 
and acknowledge his holding the county of Ostrevant from the crown 
of France, otherwise he would have had war instantly carried into 
Hainault. The Wrd de Coucy and sit Olivet de Clisspn .took much 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &( 



539 



pains that a war should ensue ; but the lord de la Riviere and sir 
John le Mercier counteracted them to the utmost of their power. As 
we have dwelt too long on these matters, we will return to the barons 
and knights of France, who were besieging the strong town of Africa 
against the Saracens. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

THE SIESE OF AFRICA IS RAISED. THE CAUSE OF IT. THE KKISHTS AND 
SQVIBES RETURN TO THEIR OWN COUNTRIES. 



You have before heard, what pains the Christians look to conquer 
the town of Africa ; for they thought, if they succeeded, they should 
gain renown, and be able to withstand, during the winter, all tlie | have seen the varlets in the greatest bustle packing up the purvey. 



days." The Genoese were not well pleased with the French lords 
for thus breaking up the siege of the town of Africa ; but, as they 
could not amend it, they were forced to bear with it as well as they 
could. 

There was a rumor cuiTent in the Christian camp, that the Genoese 
were treating with the Saracens to betray and deliver up to them the 
remainder of the army. It was firmly believed by many, and they 
said : " Our principal commanders, the duke of Bourbon, the dauphin 
of Auvergne, the lord de Coucy, sir Guy de la Tremouille, sir Philip 
de Bar and sir John de Vienne, are well acquainted with this plot ; 
and for this reason they have determined suddenly to break up the 
siege." When it was proclaimed that every one was to embark on 
board the galleys or other vessels, in an orderly manner, you would 



forces the infidels could bring against them, until they should be 
reinforced from Europe, especially by the king of France, who was 
young and fond of arms, and there were stiU tv>-o years to run of the 
truce with England : the Christians h.-id therefore laid siege to Africa, 
as being the most convenient entrance into Barbar)'. The infidels, 
suspicious of such being their intentions, well victualled the place, 
and reinforced it with a new garrison, the better to guard it. 

The siege still continued, although, after the before-mentioned loss 
on the ptirt of the Christians, little advantage was gained, and the 
men-at-arms were greatly discouraged ; for they could not obtain any 
opportunity of changing the tiresomeness of their situation, and of 
revenging themselves on the enemy. Many, in consequence, began 
to murmur and say, " We remain here in vain ; for if we do nothing 
more effectual than skirmishing, we shall never gain the town : if, 
by accident we kill one infidel by our arrows, they supply his place 
with ten more, as they are in their own country, and have provision 
and stores in abundance, while ours are brought with much difficully 
and uncertainty. What will become of us, if we stay longer ? The 
cold nights of winter freeae and benumb us to death. We shall be 
in a most disagreeable state for many reasons : first, at that time of 
the year the sea will be so tempestuous no one will venture on it. 
We have now but eight days provision, and should the stormy weather 
set in, and prevent any vessels arriving, we must inevitably perish. 
Secondly, suppose we have provision and stores in plenty, how can 
the army support, for so long a time, the fatigue of a regular guard ? 
The danger will be too great ; for the enemy is on his own ground, 
and well acquainted with the country, and may attack us in the night, 
season, as we have already seen, and do us infinite damage. Thirdly, 
should we be infected with any disorder, from want of belter air and 
fresh provision, it may be contagious, and we shall drop off one after 
another, for we have not any remedies to guard against such a mis- 
fortune. Besides, should the Genoese, who are a treacherous race, 
wish to return without us, they might embark in the night-time, and, 
when once on board their vessels, we could not prevent them, and 
they would leave us here to pay the reckoning. It will be right that 
we remonstrate with our lords, who are enjoying their ease, on these 
our suspicions ; for the Genoese do not conceal their opinions of us. 
Some of their talkers have said to our men, ' You Frenchmen are 
odd men-at-arms : when we sailed from Genoa, we thought you 
would have conquered this town of Africa within a week or a fort- 
night after your landing ; but we have been here nearly two months, 
and nothing has been done : by the assaults and skirmishes yon 
make, the town need not fear you these two years ; and at the rate 
you go on, you will never conquer the kingdoms of Tunis or Africa.' '' 

The Genoese had so frequently held this language lo the varlets 
and others of the army, that it reached the ears of their lords, and 
was repeated to the lord de Coucy, who was "ise and prudent, and 
to whom the whole army looked up. He considered a while, and 
then said to himself, " The conversations of these Genoese are but 
too well founded in truth : to put a stop to them, a full assembly of 
the principal knights must be held, to consider how we are to proceed, 
for winter is fast approaching." At this council, which was held in 
the duke of Bourbon's tent, various plans were proposed ; but the 
conclusion was, that they would, for this season, break up the siege, 
and every person should return home the way he had come. The 
chief lords secretly made preparations accordingly, and, calling to 
them the masters of the galleys and other vessels, acquainted them 
with their intentions. The captains were much surprised, and said, 
" My lords, do not harbor any suspicions of us, for we are pledged 
to you by our honor and oaths, and we will most loyally and honestly 
acquit ourselves. Had we pleased, we might have accepted the 
favorable oft'ers that were made us by the Africans, but we refused 
to enter into any treaty with them, from our attachments and engage- 
ments to you." 

" We have no doubts of you, gentlemen," replied the lord de 
Coucy, " for we look on you as loyal and valiant men : but we have 
considered our situation ; winter is at hand, and we have a scarcity 
of provision. Should it be God's good pleasure that we return to 
France, we will inform the king, who is young and fond of war, of 
the state of this country. At this moment he knows not where to 
employ his force, for he and the king of England are at peace. He 
is unhappy when idle, and we shall advise him to undertake an ex- 
pedition hither, as well to have the pleasure of meeting the king of 
Sicily as to conquer this country from the Saracens. Prepare and 
make ready your galleys, for we shall leave this coast in a very few 



ances of their different lords, and conveying tliem on board the ships 
which lay at anchor off the shore. When all things were embarked, 
the knights entered ihc galleys that had brought them thither: many 
had borgaJned with the captains to carry them to Naples, others to 
Sicily, Cyprus or Rhodes, thence to perform a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. 
After having remained si.\ty-one days before the town of Africa, 
they broke up the siege, and set sail from that country in sight of the 
Saracens from the walls. This gave them such joy that they sounded 
horns and beat drums, and made so great a noise by their shoutings, 
as to be heard in the army of the Saracens. Several young knights 
mounted their horses, and galloped to the place where the camp had 
been, to see if they could find anything left behind. Agadinquor 
d'Oliferne and Brahadin de Tunis were the first to arrive ; but the 
Christians had so completely cleared the camp, that there was noth. 
ing for them to carry away. The Saracens left their station to 
examine the camp, and remained more than two hours noticing the 
manner and form of it. They praised much their subtlety in sink- 
ing wells for fresh water, and, having for some time viewed the 
galleys under sail, they returned to visit their friends in the town of 
Africa. Others went to their quarters, and rejoiced greatly that the 
Christians had not dared to remain longer. They held their power 
very cheap, and said, they should no longer fear, as they had done, 
the French or Genoese. They spoke truly, as I shall explain. When 
this siege was raised, the Saracens grew proud on the occasion, for 
they saw the Genoese had exerted themselves to their utmost power 
to annoy them : this expedition could not have been undertaken 
without an enormous expense, and they had not gained anything. 
But they did not know the great losses the Christians had suffered 
until that day, and I will tell you by what accident it happened. In 
the camp of the Christians was found, lying on the ground, a Genoese 
varlet, who was too ill with a fever to be removed when the sailors 
sought for their men to embark on board the barges. The Saracens 
were delighted on finding this man, and ordered no harm to be done 
him. They carried him to the principal commanders of their army, 
and told them where they had found bini. An interpreter was sent 
for, to examine him ; but at first be would not make any answers, 
considering himself as a dead man, and desiring they would put him 
out of his pain. The chiefs of the army, such as Agadinquor d'Oliferne 
and Brahadin dc Tunis, thought they should gain nothing by his death ; 
and to induce him to answer truly, without any equivocation, what 
que^^cions should be put to him, they promised to spare his life, and 
send him safe and well to his own country on board of the first gal. 
ley that should come thither from Genoa or Marseilles, with a present 
of one hundred golden besants. The valet hearing this, was freed 
from his fears of death and made easy ; for he knew that these Sara- 
cens never break their words ; and, as every one dies as late as he 
can, he said to the interpreter, " Make them all swear on their faith 
to keep what they have promised, and I will tndy answer whatever 
you may ask." The interpreter repeated this to the lords, who hav. 
ing consented to his demand, the varlet said, " Now ask what ques. 
tions you please, and I will answer them." He was firet asked who 
he was, and his place of residence, and replied, "Portevances;* [that 
his name was Simon Mollevin, and son to a captain of a galley at 
Portevances :"] then as to the commanders of the Christian army. 
He named several ; for, having kept company and drank with the 
heralds, he had often heard their names mentioned and remembered 
some of them. He was asked, if he knew the reasons why they had 
so suddenly raised the siege and departed. To this he made a very 
prudent reply, by saying, he was ignorant of it, as he was not present 
at the council of war when it was determined on, and could only tell 
them what was the common report in the army. It was said, that 
the French suspected the Genoese of a design to betray them ; but 
the Genoese declared this was false, and wrongfully imputed to them 
by the French. They had left the coast because they were afraid to 
winter in this country, and risk the loss of as many knights as they 
had once done. " Ask him," said the lords to the interpreter, " to 
explain this." He rephed, " So great was the loss on the day the 
combat was to have taken place between ten of your knights with 
ten of ours, that upward of sixty knights and squires, men of renown, 
died that day ; and it was solely on this account," as the Genoese 
said, " the siege was raised." The Saracen chiefs seemed very 
much pleased on hearing this, and made no further inquii'ies, but 
punctually kept the promise they had made him. 



• "Po.teTonces." In the MSS. Portenauc*. Q. if not Ponoctoss, one of theislandu 
of Hieres, off Provenc*. 



530 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



On his return to Poiievances and Genoa, he related all that had 
passed and what answers he had made, for which he was no way 
blamed. The Saracens said among themselves, "We have been very 
negligent in not taking better measures against this union of the 
French and Genoese ; for, though they have been this time unsuc- 
cessful against Africa, we must henceforward put our coast in a bet- 
ter state of defence, (which we may easily do ;) and we must, in 
particular, guard the straits of Morocco so strongly that neither the 
Genoese nor Venetians shall carry their merchandise to Flanders 
through this strait, without paying so great a toll as to make all the 
world wonder thereat, and even then it shall be considered as a mat- 
ter of favor." 

What these Africans had proposed they executed : and all the 
kingdoms to the south, west and east, formed an alliance, such as 
Africa, Tunis, Bugia, Morocco, Benmarin, Treme^en and Granada, 
■with a resolution of well guarding their coasts, and equipping such a 
fleet of galleys as should make them ma=to«i of the sea, through 
hatred to the French and Genoese for their late siege of Afiicn. They 
interiTipted so much the navigation of the Venetians and Genoese, 
that merchandise from Alexandria, Cairo, Damascus, Venice, Naples 
or Genoa, was difficult to be had in Flanders for money ; and, in 
particular, every sort of spicery was enormously dear. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

KIN8 CHARLES OF FRANCE PROPOSES TO MARCH TO ITALY, Te FORM AN 
UNION OF THE CHURCH BY FORCE, AND THENCE TO BARBARY. EMBAS- 
SADORS FROM ENGLAND OFFER PROPOSALS FOR A PEACE BETWEEN HIM 
AND KING RICHARD. THE DEATH OF JOHN KING OF CASTILLE. BE IS 
SUCCEEDED BY HIS SON HENRY, WHO IS CROWNED KING, THOUGH BUT 
NINE YEARS OF AGE. 

When the Christian fleet sailed from Africa, all crossed the sea, 
but did not disembark at the same port. Part met with heavy tem- 
pests, that put them in great danger : the greater part, however, re- 
turned to Genoa. Religious processions were making in France for 
their safety, for they knew not what was become of them, not having 
had any intelligence since their departure. The ladies of Coucy, of 
Sully, and the dauphiness of Auvergne, were in great anxiety for 
their lords, as long as the expedition lasted, and were much rejoiced 
on hearing they were returned. The duke of Bourbon and the lord 
de Coucy set off privately for Paris, leaving their attendants behind, 
and arrived there about Martinmas-day. The king, as was natural, 
■was well pleased to see them, and asked many questions respecting 
Barbary, and the success of the expedition. They related all they 
had seen or heard, which was eagerly listened to by the king and his 
brother, the duke of Touraine. The king said, " If we can manage 
to restore union to the church, and establish a sound peace between 
us and England, we should very much like to lead a great army to 
Barbary, to exalt the Christian faith, confound the infidels, and acquit 
the souls of our predecessors, king Philip of happy memory, and king 
John our grandfather ; for both of them put on the vermilion cross, 
to pass the sea for the holy land ; and they would have done so, if 
Tiolent wars had not nearly overturned their kingdom. Now, if we 
can restore union and peace to the church, and lengthen our mice 
with the English to a proper term, we are resolved to undertake this 
expedition." Such were the conversations between the kins of 
France and his uncle, the duke of Bourbon, and the lord de Coucy, 
and thus did things remain. By degrees, those who had been in 
Africa returned home. The king lived at Paris the ■whole season, 
residing sometimes at the Louvre, at others, with the queen, at the 
hfttel de St. Pol. 

About St. Andrew's day, when the knights were almost all returned 
from Barbary, circumstances which served for a topic of conversation 
■with every one, another expedition was talked of, at the court of 
France, but I cannot say who was the first promoter of it. The 
king of France, who had a great love of arms, was thus addressed : 
" Sire, your devotion and inclination naturally lead you to wish to' 
carry an expedition against the infidels beyond sea, to conquer the 
holy land." "That is very true," answered the king: "it consti. 
tutes the occupation of my thoughts night and day." I believe the 
proposal was made by the lord de la Riviere or air John le Mercier ; 
for they were both too much attached to pope Clement, and so greatly 
in the king's favor, that whatever they said was done. Others, who 
were at the time in the king's company, said ; " Sire, you cannot, in 
conscience, undertake such an expedition, while the church is dis- 
united : begin with the head, and your enterprise will end the better." 
"How would you have me begin?" asked the king. " Sire," re- 
plied they, " at this moment you have nothing on your hands. You 
are at peace with the English ; and you may, during the truce, un. 
dertake.if you please, an e.xpedition : we do not see a more brilliant 
one, than to march a large army to Rome and destroy this anti-pope, 
whom the Romans, through error, have elected and placed on the 
throne of St. Peter. This may be done, if you exert yourself : a 
more meritorious or honorable service cannot be performed ; and the 
instant the anti-pope and his cardinals shall learn you are advancing 
against them with a large anny, they will surrender themselves to 
your morcy. 

The king listened attentively to this, and said ho woiJd consider 



of it. In truth, he was warmly attached to pope Clement ; for the 
preceding year, when at Avignon, he had received the greatest honors 
and attentions from him, and he had given to him, his brother and 
uncles, more than they had asked. This he thought was deserving 
some return, and, on his taking leave, he had promised the pope, that 
he would attend to his aflairs in such wise that the effect of his in. 
terference would soon be known. He considered himself bound 
therefore, to do something in his behalf. 

At this time, the dukes of Berry and Burgundy were at Paris ; 
and it was generally reported, that soon after March the king would 
set out from Paris, for Savoy and Lombardy, and that the duke of 
Savoy was to send his cousin-german with him. The king was to 
have under his command the duke of Touraine and four thousand 
spears ; the duke of Burgundy two thousand ; the duke of Berry the 
same number ; the constable of France two thousand Bretons and 
Saintongers, from the flat countries ; the duke of Burbon one thou- 
sand spears : the count de St. Pol, and the lord de Coucy, one thou- 
sand spears ; and all thcee men-at-arms were to be engaged and paid 
for three months, and thus from time to time. The pop'e and cardi- 
nals at Avignon were as much rejoiced, when intelligence of this 
was carried to them, as if the expedition were already commenced. 
It was proposed in the council that the king should invite the duke 
of Brittany to form part of it, as they did not think it prudent to 
leave him behind. The king in consequence wrote him a handsome 
letter, to explain tho plan and intention of the expedition, and to in- 
vite him to make a part of it, which he sent by an honorable man, 
one of his ushers-at-arms. 

When the duke of Brittany had read the letter, he burst out into 
laughter, and calling to him the lord de Montbouchier, said : " See 
what my lord of France writes me. He has undertaken to set out 
in the month of March next for Rome, and destroy by the power of 
his arms, pope Boniface and his cardinals. As God is my help, he 
will never succeed, but shortly have other fl^ix to spin, which will 
force him to give up such foolish business. He desires me to accom- 
pany him with two thousand lances. As I wish to pay him every 
honor that is his due, I shall write a very civil answer back to please 
him, and say that, if he persists in undertaking the expedition men- 
tioned in his letter, he shall not go without me, since he is desirous 
of my company ; but I tell you, lord de Montbouchier, that I shalll 
not trouble any of my vassals on the occasion, for I repeat, it will onfl 
in words." The duke of Brittany sent very handsome letters by the 
usher-at-arms, to the king at Paris, who was well satisfied with the 
answer. No one attempted to discourage the king respecting this 
expedition, for it was highly agreeable to the knights and squires, as 
it made them of importance, and employed their time. All ranks 
of persons made their preparations, even the clergy, and the prov- 
inces were willing to ta'x themselves to send men-at-arms, at their 
expense, to serve the king. 

This e.xpedition ended, however, as the duke of Brittany had fore- 
told ; and I will relate what occasioned its being broken off. About 
Candlemas, intelligence was brought to the king and his council, 
which they had not thougl-.t of, nor foreseen. Part of the king of 
England's cabinet-council were sent, in handsome state, to wait on 
the king of France at Paris. At the head of this legation were, sir 
Thomas Percy, sir Lewis Clifford, sir Robert Bricquct, and other 
knights, whose names I never heard. The arrival of these knights 
at Paris was a great surprise, though the king had been informed of 
their coming ; for tlie king of England had written to him, to say he 
should in a (avt days send some of his council to Paris, if he would 
be there. The king of France was very anxious to learn why these 
embassadors had been sent in such haste, and what they had to pro- 
pose. The English knights dismounted at the sign of the Chateau 
de Festu, in the street of ia Croix du Tiroir, where they had fixed 
their lodgings. The king of France was at the Louvre, and the 
duke of Touraine with him ; his three uncles, and the constable of 
France, were likewise at their different h6tels in Paris. The Eng- 
lish arrived at Paris in the afternoon, and staid the remainder of that 
day and the night at their inn : on the morrow, about nine o'clock, 
they mounted their horses, which were handsomely decorated, and 
went in state to the Louvre, where the king was waiting for them- 
He was attended by his brother, his uncles, the count de St. Pol, the 
lord de Coucy, sir Oliver de Clisson, constable of France, sir John 
dc Vienne, sir Guy de la Tremouille, and other great barons. 

The embassadors dismounted in the square before the Louvre, and, 
on entering the gate, were met by the lord de la Riviere, sir John le 
Mercier, sir Helion de Lignac, sir Peter de Villiers, sir William de 
la Tremouille, and sir William Marcel, who received them as knights 
of the king of England's council, and conducted them most respect- 
fully to a handsome apartment where the king of France was. On 
their entrance they took of their hoods, and bowed very low. Sir 
Thomas Percy was the bearer of their credential letters, which he 
presented to the king, who, on receiving them, made the knights 
rise. When they were risen, they retired some paces back. Tho 
king of France, having perused the letters, called to him his brother 
and uncles, and showed their contenls. His uncles then said, " My 
lord, call to you the knights from England, and demand the cause of 
their coming hither." The king did so, and the knights were asked 
the purport of their credential letters. Sir Thomas, in reply, said : 
" Dear sire, it is the wish of our lord the king of England, thai his 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



531 



moat confidential counsellors, such as his uncles of Lancaster, York, 
or Gloucester, or some prelates of England of whom that country has 
the best opinion for sense and prudence, should meet others of like 
character, of your council, that they might consider on the means of 
forming a solid peace between you and him and your allies. This, 
if it could be effected, would give him such great satisfaction, that 
he would not complain of any trouble or pain his counsellors may 
endure, whom he shall send across the sea to Amiens, or any other 
appointed place, for the carrying on this negotiation ; and we are 
come hither from our lord to propose this matter, and to learn your 
intentions upon it." The king replied, " Sir Thomas, you and your 
companions are welcome, and your ^isit has given us very great plea- 
sure. You will not leave Paris immediately : in the mean time, we 
will assemble our council, and, before your departure, you shall have 
such answer as shall be satisfactory to you." The English were 
well pleased with this reply, and the king entered on other matters 
of conversation. It was now dinner-time; and the English knights 
were dei;iined to dine in the Louvre, and given in charge to the lord 
de Coucy and the lord de la Riviere, who led them into a very richly 
ornamented apartment, where a table was spread for them. They 
dined well, and at their leisure, the lord de Coucy and the constable 
keeping them company. When dinner was over, they went into 
the king's apartment, and staid until wine and spices were brought 
in splendid comfit boxes of gold and silver. After the knights had 
partaken of these, they took leave of the king and his lords, and 
descended into the court, where they mounted their horses and re- 
turned to liieir lodgings. 

The proposals sir Thomas Percy had brought from England were 
exceedingly agreeable to the king of France, to his uncle the duke 
of Burgundy, and to others of his council; but not to all, especially 
to those who were interested concerning the pope of Avignon. They 
foresaw, that if negotiations were once begun between the two 
crowns, it would require a long time to bring them to a conclusion, 
and thus retard the expedition that was intended against Rome, to 
reduce pope Boniface and his cardinals to the obedience of pope 
Clement. The object of peace, however, was so welcome to all 
parts of Christendom, and would be of such advantage to every 
countrj', that no one dared to say anytliing against it. Besides, the 
duke of Burgundy and his council, and the duke of Bourbon, were 
unanimous in their opinion with the king. The king of France 
showed much attention to sir Thomas Percy and his companions ; 
but there was one knight among them, called sir Robert Bricquet, 
whom he did not see with pleasure, for he was a Frenchman, had 
always been of the party of England or Navarre, and was now a 
knight of the king of England's chamber. The king prudently dis- 
sembled his thoughts ; but, when he conversed with them, he always 
addressed himself to sir Thomas Percy, sir Lewis Clifford, or to sir 
John Clanvow. The king said, " We shall be happy to see a solid 
peace established between our adversary of England and us, for the 
war and quarrel has lasted too long a time ; and I wish you to un- 
derstand that it shall be no way our fault if the negotiations be not 
happily concluded." " Sire," replied the knights, " our lord the king 
of England, who has sent us hither, has the same peaceable inclina- 
tions, and said, on our departure, that it should not be to his blame 
if these wars and dissentions were not put an end to, for they had 
lasted too long ; and he was much surprised some prudent means 
had not been sooner thought of for this purpose." '• Well," replied 
the king, " we shall see what good affection he bears us." 

The English remained at Paris six days, and dined everj' day with 
one or other of the dukes. In the mean time, the matter of their 
coming had been debated in council, and it was settled that the king 
of France, his uncles, and his cabinet-council, should be at Amiens 
the middle of March, and wait there for the king of England, his 
imcles and council, if they were willing to meet them. The Eng- 
lish knights engaged, that on their side there should not be any de- 
lay, and that some of the king's uncles, if not all, would be at Amiens 
on the appointed day. Thus was this business concluded ; and the 
day before the embassadors were to take leave of the king and quit 
Paris, he went to the palace, and magnificently entertained at dinner 
these English lords : his brother and uncles were present : he made 
sir Thomas Percy sit at his table, calling him cousin, from his rela- 
tionship with the earl of Northumberland. 

During the dinner, sir Thomas Percy and his companions were 
presented with rich and handsome jewels, all but sir Robert Bricquet : 
he was passed unnoticed. The knight, who presented them in the 
name of the king, (sir Peter Villiers, high steward of the household) 
said to him : " When you shall have done service acceptable to the 
king, he is rich enough to reward you for it ;" and then passed by. 
Sir Robert was melancholy on hearing this speech, and then first 
learnt he was disagreeable to the king of France : he was therefore 
forced to put up with the slight as well as he could. When dinner 
was over, and they had washed and the tables were removed, grace 
having been said, minstrels of song and others were called in, who 
performed, as usual, before the king and his company. After this, 
sir Thomas Percy advanced, and, casting himself on his knee, said : 
" Very dear sire, I and my companions are much surprised at one 
thing. You have most splendidly entertained us, and presented us 
with rich gifts, for which we feel very thankful ; but sir Rober Bric- 
<}uet, who is a knight-at-arms, and chamberlain to our sovereign lord 



the king of England, has been passed by, and we would willingly 
know the reason of it." The king of France replied : " Sir Thomas, 
the knight you have named, since you wish to know the cause of 
his being overlooked, ought not to have taken part against us ; for, 
had he been made prisoner in war, his ransom would have instantly 
been paid by his death." On saying this, he raised up sir Thomas 
Percy, and conversed on other matters. Shortly after, wine and 
spices were brought, which having partaken of at their pleasure, the 
embassadors took leave of the king, returned to their lodgings, and 
paid the amount of their expenses. On the morrow, they departed 
from Paris, and continued their journey to England, where they re. 
lated to the king and his uncles everything that had passed, greatly 
extolling the king of France's magnificent entertainments, and' the 
rich gifts he had made them. 

We will, for a while leave speaking of England, and say what was 
passing in Castille. You have heard of the alliance between the king 
of Castille and the duke of Lancaster, who had claimed that crown 
in right of his duchess, the lady Constance, eldest daughter of the 
late don Pedro, by whom he had a beautiful daughter, that was mar- 
ried to don Henry, prince of Galicia, heir to the crown of Castille. 
This marriage confirmed the peace between them. About two 
years after the celebration of these nuptials, king John of Castille 
departed this life, and was buried in the city of Burgos.* On this 
event, the great barons and prelates of the realm assembled, and de. 
clarcd their intentions to have for their king the young prince of 
Galicia. This was done, and the prince was crowned in the ninth 
year of his age : his queen was six years older. Thus was the 
daughter of the duke of Lancaster, by the lady Constance, queen of 
Castille, and of all the possessions of don Pedro, don Henrj', and don 
John, excepting those parts which had been assigned to the duke and 
duchess of Lancasterfor their joint lives. They had, besides, a pen- 
sion of one hundred thousand florins, for which four of the most 
opulent cities in Castille were pledged. The duke of Lancaster had 
the pleasvu-e of seeing his two daughters queens of Castille and 
Portugal. 

We will now speak of the expedition made by John count d'Ar- 
magnac in Lombardy, for the matter requires it. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

OF THE EXPEDITION OF COUNT JOHN d'aRMAGNAC INTO LO.MEARDY. HIS 
DEATH, AT THE SIEGE OF ALEXANTKIA. 

The intention of the count d'Armagnac to lead an army into Lom- 
bardy has been already mentioned in this history. His object was 
to assist his sister-german and her husband, sir Bernabo Visconti, 
eldest son of that Bernabo whom the duke of Milan had unnaturally 
put to death. This duke was Galeas Visconti, count de Vertus, 
whose daughter the duke of Touraine had married. The lady of sir 
Bernabo was daughter to sir John d'Armagnac, and, being in great 
affliction, had recourse to her brothers, to whom she related the misery 
of her situation, her poverty and necessity, and humbly prayed their 
pity, and that they would defend her against that tyrant, the count 
de Vertus, who had disinherited her without the smallest reason. 
The count d'Armagnac promised his sister that he would comply 
with her request, and had declared, that whatever it might cost him 
to recover her rights, he would exert himself in the attempt to the 
utmost of his power. What he had engaged to do, he performed ; 
for I have before mentioned, that in conjunction with the dauphin 
d'Auvergne, he had entered into treaties with many of the captains 
of forts in Auvergne, Limousin, Quercy, or other parts, who, under 
color of fighting for the king of England, had done the greatest mis. 
chiefs to France. These garrisons of EngUsh, Gascons, and Bre- 
tons, received different sums, and a pardon from France, on surren. 
dering their castles and quitting the kingdom. They readily, there- 
fore, engaged to follow the count d'-A.rmagnac into Lombardy, and 
retired until the proper time toward the rivers Rhbne and Saone. 
The dukes of Berry and Burgundy permitted them to take what pur- 
veyances they pleased in their lordships, for they were very desirous 
to be rid of them. The lieutenant of the king of France for Dau- 
phiny was at that time sir Enguerrand Durdin, and the king had 
written to him to permit all men-at-arms and their companions, who 
should say they belonged to the count d'Armagnac, to pass freely 
through Dauphiny, and to have whatever they might be in need of, 
for their money. 

The count de Foix, hearing at his residence at Orthes of the large 
armament the count d'Armagnac was raising, began to be alarmed, 
for he was of a suspicious temper. He had indeed learnt, for com- 
mon report flies everywhere, that it was intended for Lombardy 
against the duke of Milan ; but as the ancestors of tliis count d'Ar- 
niagnac, and himself and his brother sir Bernard, had been at war 
with him, he was doubtfid if this expedition might not in the end 
be directed against him. Not to be unprepared, therefore, he had 
reinforced and revictualled all his castles, that if they should make 
an attack, he might be enabled to meet them. But neither the count 
d'Armagnac nor his brother had such thoughts: they were desirous 

• King John died from the injuries received in a fall from his horse, on Uie iMth Au- 
gust, 1390, aged thirty-two. His son Henry, who succeeded hiiu. wa^ tlien tUven yeare 
old.-Ep. 



532 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, 4. c . 



rtricly to observe the truce now establiBhed between them. Many 
knJghte and squires from Gascony, England, and Brittany, who had 
fensLed their services to the count d'Armagnac, had he declared war 
against the count de Foix, would have left him and jomed his adver- 
rary : so much was the count de Foix beloved by men-at-arms for 
his liberality and courage. , , , ,,. 

When the duchess of Touraine was informed that the count d Ar- 
maonac was preparing to lead a large body of men-at-arms into Loin, 
bardy to make war on her tather the duke of Milan, and that the 
dukes of Berry and Burgundy consented, from their desire to rid tlic 
kingdom of so many pillagers which had of late so grievously ha- 
rassed it, she did not remain idle, but instantly wrote letters to the 
count de Vertus to give notice of it, that he might provide himself 
accordingly. The duke of -Alilan was already informed of this in. 
lention of the count d'.A.rmagnac, and had collected men-at-arms 
wherever he could find them, and reinforced his towns and castles 
■with men, stores, and provision, concluding he should have a war to 
support against this count d'-\rmagnac. 

About the middle of March, the greater part of the men-at-arms 
were assembled in the country near Avignon : between that place 
and Lyons, on the banks of the Rhone, were fifteen thousand horse. 
They crossed that river where it was easiest to pass, and, entering 
Dauphiny, took up their quarters in the villages or fields. Others 
continued their route, the more speedily to clear the passes of the 
mountains, which are dangerous for man and horse. The count 
d'Armagnac, his brother, with other knights, visited pope Clement 
and his cardinals at Avignon, and ofiered to serve them and the 
church against the tyrant of Lombardy, for which they felt them- 
selves obliged, and returned many thanks. They staid at Avignon 
eight days, while their troops passed : they then took leave ot the 
pope and cardinals, and made ready to follow them. The two 
brothers, sir John and sir Bernard d'Armagnac, here separated, and 
thus sir John addressed him : " Fair brother, you will now return 
to Comminges and Armagnac, to guard our lands, for all the torts 
are not yet free t'rom the marauders. There is Lourde, which sir 
Arnaute de Beam holds in the name of the king of England ; and 
Bouteville is garrisoned by Foi.\en3 under the command of sir John 
de Greilly, son to the late captal de Buch. Notwithstanding there 
is a truce between the count de Foi.x and us for the present, he is 
80 bold and enterprising a knight, that we are never sure what his 
intentions may be ; and for these reasons I wish you to return in- 
stantly home. You shall hear very frequently from me during my 
absence, and do you write constantly." Sir Bernard readily consent- 
ed to what his brother had proposed, for he thought it prudent and 
well advised : he had not, besides, any great inclination to cross the 
mountains. Just on his departure, the count said : " Bernard, you 
will go hence to our cousin Raymond de Touraine, who has married 
my cousin the daughter of the prince of Orange, and is now engaged 
in war with the comti5 Venaissain, that belongs to the pope : entreat 
of him, for I have been so requested by the pope, that he make his 
preparations to follow me in this e.'cpedition, and he shall be my com- 
panion in all things : I will wait tor him at Gap,* situated among the 
mountains." Sir Bernard promised to convey this message, and the 
brothers separated, never to see each other again. 

The count d'Armagnac took the road leading to the town of Gap, 
and sir Bernard that to the castle of Boulogne, where sir Raymond 
de Touraine resided, who received him very kindly. Sir Bernard 
eloquently delivered the message liom his brother, to induce him the 
more readily to comply with the request contained in it. Sir Raymond 
replied, " Fair cousin, before your brother, the count d'Armagnac, 
shall have advanced far into Lombardy, or laid siege to any town, it 
is very possible that I follow liim ; but it is full time as yet for me and 
my people to begin our march. If niy cousin therefore sends me in. 
telligence about the middle of May, I will set out, for by that time 1 
hope to make an end of my war against my uncle, the pope at Avig- 
non, and his cardinals, who not only refuse me justice, but detain 
from me, by force, everything that my uncle, pope Gregory, disposed 
of in my favor. They think to tire me out and e.vcommunicate me, 
but they shall be mistaken. They engage knights and squires to 
make war on me, by granting them absolutions, but such have no 
talents for war ; and I sliall have more cflective men-at-arms for a 
thousand florins, than they can obtain by their absolutions for seven 
years." " My good cousin," answered sir Bernard, " keep to your 
resolutions : what you say is true ; and I would not, by any means, 
advise you to act otherwise than you do: just as you have spoken 
will I write to my brother d'Armagnac." 

i' They were one whole day together, in the castle of Boulogne. 
On the morrow, sir Bernard d'Armagnac departed, and crossing the 
Rhiine at the Pont du Saint Esprit, rode over the mountains, through 
Quercy, until he reached his destination, leaving his brother to man- 
age lor himself his war with the count de Vertus. Before, however, 
he lel't Pont du Saint Esprit, he wrote letters to the count d'Armag- 
nac, to inform him of tlie answer he had received from sir Raymond 
de Touraine, and had also letters from his brother, on his road to- 
ward Gap. Having read their contents, he pursued his journey with- 
out farther attending to them. 



noble 



Gap"— on nncient city in Dauphiny, capital of ilie Gopen^ols aenerality of Cre- 



We will continue our history of the count John d'Armagnac* until 
we bring it to a conclusion, without speaking of other events. It was 
his great love and affection for his sister and brother, who had been 
fraudulently disinherited by the count de Vertus, who styled himself 
lord of Milan, that had induced him thus gayly to march into the 
plains of Piedmont and Lombardy. There were, likewise, two very 
just reasons for this armament ; one was, the carrying away such 
numbers of pillagers, who had for so long a time oppressed and robbed 
many of the provinces in France, for by this means the country was 
cleared of them : the other to assist his sister and her husband, who 
had unjustly been deprived of their inheritance, so that he had, oa 
every account, justice on his side. The companions were unanimoua 
to serve him, and e.\claimed, " Let us cheerfully attack these Lom- 
bards : we have a just quarrel and a good captain, which will assist 
our cause, and we are going to the richest country in the world ; for 
Lombardy receives the fat from other parts ; and, as the Lombards 
are rich and cowards, we shall gain great profit. Wc, who are cap- 
tains, shall return so enormously rich, that we need never more think 
of war, nor carry on any future warfare." 

Such were the conversations on their march ; and when they came 
to a rich country they halted there for some time, to refresh them- 
selves and their horses. At the time I am now speaking of, that gal- 
lant English knight, sir John Hactonde,t was making war on the 
Florentines for pope Boniface, and had fixed his quarters in the 
neighborhood of Florence. That country as well as Perugia were 
in rebellion against the pope. The count d'Armagnac thought if he 
could gain the assistance of John Hawkwood, who was a most en- 
terprising and courageous knight, he should be more successful in 
his war. In consequence, during his residence in Grande,t at the 
entrance into Piedmont, he wrote to him long letters, explanatory of 
his situation, and the reasons which urged him to make war on the 
duke of Milan. Having properly sealed these letters, he gave them 
to a prudent messenger, who performed his duty well, in delivering 
them to sir John Hawkwood ; he was then near Florence, and had 
under his command full two tliousand combatants. He read the 
letters, or had them read to him. On hearing their contents, he was 
well pleased, and replied, " that as soon as he should have put an 
end to the war he was then engaged in, he would not attend to any 
other before he had joined the count d'Armagnac." The squire ef 
the count, wlio had brought these letters, was an honorable man, and 
replied, " Sir, you speak well and to the point : have the goodness 
to put into writing what you say, that my lord, the count d'Armagnac, 
may be the more assured of your intentions." " Very willingly," 
said sir John Hawkwood ; " and it is but right, since my pleasure 
and will are to meet him." In the course of two or three days, the 
letters were written and given to the squire who had come from the 
count d'Armagnac. He instantly set out on his return, and found 
the count near to Pignerol.^ There were great negotiations going 
forward between him and the marquis de Saluces, and the marquis 
was to join him in his war against Milan. The news the squire brought 
from sir John Hawkwood was highly agreeable to the count d'Ar- 
magnac. He said, "that if it pleased God, he would this season 
make so severe a war on the count dc Vertus, that he should be glad 
to accept of reasonable terms, or he would perish in the attempt." 

From what you have heard, you may suppose the count d'Armag- 
nac had a great desire to aid his sister, and it was compassion for her 
that urged l-.im to it. When his men-at-arms had passed the moun- 
tains, and had gained the rich plains of Piedmont, near to Turin, they 
were not long before they made excursions, and committed great 
destruction on the surrounding villages, which could not any way 
withstand them. The count d'Armagnac laid siege to Asti,|| intend- 
ing to wait there for Sir John Hawkwood. Purveyances came from 
all quarters ; and the companions ransomed small forts for provis- 
ion, and, until their wants were supplied, they took everything away. 
The country of Pignerol and the territories of the marquis of Mont. 
ferrat were open to their foraging for themselves and horses. There 
came likewise great quantities of provision to them from Dauphiny 
and Savoy. Many leant to tlie count d'Armagnac from the justice 
of his quarrel with the count de Vertus, who had wickedly put to 
death his uncle Beriiabo, to gain his inheritance ; and, alt'nough sev. 
eral of the great lords of that country were silent on the subject, they 
felt much compassion for those who had been thus disinherited. 

During the siege of Asti, very agreeable news was brought to the 
count d'-A.rmagnac from sir John Hawkwood. He informed him, 
that the Florentines and Venetians had submitted to the mercy of 
the pope ; that he was to be paid sixty thousand florins, for himself 
and his companions; and that, the moment these were received, he 
would march with five hundred men-at-arms and a thousand infan- 
trylT toward the frontiers of Genoa, and, whether his enemies would 
or not, he intended to force a passage to join him. The count d'Ar- 
magnac and his army, were much pleased at the thoughts of being 

• John III. of .\rmagnac. His sister had inariied Charles Visconti. the son ofBer- 
nabo. — £d. 
T "Sir John Hactonde." Sir John Hawkwood. 

t "Grande"— in the MSS. Granido. Q. Grenoble. The count of .\rniagnac entered 
Italy in July. 1391. 
§ " Pignerol"— an episcopal town of Piedmont. :.t the entrance of tlie ralley of Perousflt- 
11 "Asti, "—an ancient town of Piedmont, five leagues N. E. from .Mbi. eight S. W. 
froniCasal. 

^ MiiU Brigands. A thousand soldiers armed with l/rigandines. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



533 



assisted by so able a commander as John Hawkwood ; and he was 
advised to break up the siege of Asti, and transfer it to a larger town 
called Alexandria, situated at the entrance of Lombardy, and, after 
they should have conquered it, to advance to Vercelli, which is also 
a large and handsome city. The siege was, in consequence, trans- 
ferred from Asti to Alexandria, which is a fine city, and seated in a 
rich plain on the frontiers of Piedmont and Lombardy, in the direct 
road to Genoa. The men-at-arms had crossed the Tesino, and 
lodged themselves at their ease in this plentiful country. 

Sir Galeas, lord of Milan,* count de Vertus, resided in the city of 
Pavia, and daily heard of his enemies establishing themselves in his 
country : but his greatest surprise was, how the count d Armagnac 
found money to satisfy the large body of men-at-arms he had brought 
with him. His council, with whom he conversed on this subject, 
replied, "Sir, these are free companions, and part of those pillagers 
who have so long harassed France : they do not require pay, but to 
seek adventures, and run the chance of gain from plundering the 
country. In order to deliver France from them, after the surrender 
of their strongholds, the count d'.\rmagnac leads them hither. The 
duke of Berry and tlie dauphin of Auvergne, whose lands they had 
sorely oppressed, treated with them by means of the count d'Armag- 
nac, who offered the king of France and the above-mentioned lord.s 
to engage them in his quarrel with you. By dint of money he pur- 
chased their forts ; and the king of France granted them a free par- 
don for all their past deeds, on condition they joined the count d'Ar- 
magnac ; and whatever they could conquer in these countries was to 
be their own. They, therefore, ask no pay ; and there are among 
them men-at-arms that have five or six horses, who, if in their own 
country, would be constrained to go on foot like absf'"'" j-uupers. 
They advesture themselves boldly. onJ u is nazardons to engage 
with them, for they are all of determined courage. The best advice 
we can give is, that you guard well your cities and principal townSi 
which are strongly garrisoned and well provided with all things ; for 
they have no artillery, nor any machines tor carrying on a siege 
worth thinking of. They will advance to the barriers of your towns 
to skirmish and do gallant deeds of arms ; but they will not gain any- 
thing you may regret, if one may judge by what has passed, for they 
have now been in this country more than two months, and have only 
conquered a small and insignificant fort. Let them therefore come 
and go, without offering them combat ; for they will soon be tired of 
the war, and will be defeated without a battle. When they have 
destroyed all the low countries, they will be in want of provision, and 
famine will force them to retum, if no worse accidents befal them. 
You must order your men-at-arms to keep in bodies near to each 
other, that, in case of need, they may succor and give advice to 
those of the garrisons who may wajit it. Reinforce with them all 
your towns and castles ; for the rich citizens are not accustomed to 
war, and will not defend themselves like knights or squires who 
have been brought up to the profession. Send some of your chivalry 
into Alexandria: you will gain doubly by it, for your city will be 
more ably defended, and yonr subjects will love you with greater 
affection when they see you are attentive to them in their distress. 
You are besides bounden to do this, for they pay you taxes and other 
levies, for your governing and taking care of them. Your enemies 
cannot have a sufHcient force to surround .Alexandria on all sides, 
and prevent the men-at-arms you shall send thither from entering the 
town ; and, when the inhabitants shall see them arrive, their courage 
will be raised, their attachment to you increased, and any treaties 
they might have thought of entering into with your enemies will be 
put an end to." 

The lord of Milan followed the advice that had been given him, 
and without delay, sent thither a body of knights and men-at-arms 
that were in his pay On being mustered, they amounted to five 
hundred lances ; and an ancient knight, who had long been used 
to arms, called sir James de la Berme,t was appointed their com- 
mander. They rode through bye-ways until they arrived at .Alexan- 
dria in the evening, and entered rl, when their enemies had retired 
fatigued to their quarters, from skirmishing at the barriers, for they 
could not remain idle. The citizens were rejoiced at the arrival of 
sir James de la Berme and his companions, and not without cause ; 
for the count d'.Armagnac, not having seen any men-at-arms during 
the three days he laid before it, concluded none were in the town, 
and had kept up a continual assault at the bamers ; but, small as the 
defence was, it had done so well, that the .\rmagnacs had not gained 
any advantage. Sir James de la Berme, on entering the town, re- 
tired with his men to the lodgings which had been assigned them, 
and, having taken some refreshment, they were waited on by the 
principal inhabitants, to congratulate them on their arrival. He in- 
quired into the state of the town, and the numbers and situation of 
the enemy, in order that he might act accordingly. The most Intel- 
ligent replied, " that from the moment the count d'.Armagnac had 
come, there had never been any cessation of skirmishes and attacks 
on the barriers." " Weil," replied the knight, " to-morrow if it please 
God, we will see how they bear themselves, and what they may be 
inclined to do. They are ignorant of my arrival, and I will lay an 
ambush for them, and make a private sally." " Ah, my lord," said 



* He was created Duke of Miiaa 1395, Uy Whiceslaus king of the Rotnans.- 
Sist. 
^ Known also as Jaques del Verme. 



-Diet. 



those who had before spoken to him, "you must be very cautious 
how you act, tor thev are sixteen thousand horse at least and. should 
they discover you in the open plain, they will surround and over 
power you by their numbers, without striking a blow." The knight 
answered, "We will consider more of it; for, since we are come, we 
must attempt some deeds of arms." The conversation now ended 
and every one returned to his home ; but the knight told his men, 
secretly, he intended making a sally and placing an ambush, that all 
might be prepared against the morrow. 

The next day, sir James de la Berme and his troops being armed, 
made a sally through a private gate, on the opposite side of the town 
to the place where the besiegers lay. He was accompanied, at the 
distance of half a league, by about three hundred of the townsmen, 
to a narrow valley where they coidd not De seen. He had left two 
hundred without the barriers, with orders, if they were attacked to 
defend themselves faintly, retreating toward this valley, where they 
would be supported by the ambuscade. They promised punctual 
obedience to these orders. The day was exceedingly hot ; but the 
count d'.\rmagnac was young and enterprising : having heard mass 
in his pavillion and drank a cup, he demanded his arms, and, having 
completely equipped himself, displayed only his pennon, and was 
attended by no more than one hundred men ; for he did not expect 
to meet with greater opposition than usual, and aJvanced at a slow 
pace toward the barriers. True it i°, '''"t some few men-at-arma 
followed him by degrees ; bu» ^'tuers said, "What signifies arming? 
and why should we s"" ourselves so much trouble, when we cannot 
meet with ""y one at the barriers worth fighting with ?" They staid, 
fiicieiore, within their camp, eating and drinking. The count d'Ar- 
magnac, on coming to the barriers, began to overthrow and beat down 
many of those posted there to receive liim, as good men-at-arms 
know how to do ; but the townsmen did not wait long, before they 
began to retreat slowly toward the ambuscade. 

When sir James de la Berme saw it was time, he sallied forth out 
of the ambush, and the Amiagnacs were surrounded and attacked 
on all sides. They valiantly defended themselves, and were rein- 
forced by little and little with men from the camp. Many gallant 
deeds were done this day, which was the feast of St. James and St. 
Christopher. It was so very hot, that those who bore arms thought 
they were in an oven, for there was not any wind ; and the young 
men-at-arms were overpowered by the heat, and unable to exert 
themselves. Add to this, that the force of the lord de Milan was 
three to one of the Armagnacs. The dust oppressed them so much, 
they could not see each other ; but the .Armagnacs, in this, suffered 
the most. This was an unfortunate day for the count, who was so 
overcome by the heat, and near fainting, that he withdrew from the 
battle, without friend or foe knowing whither he was gone. He had 
retreated to a small grove of alders, through which ran a little brook ; 
and he no sooner felt his feet in the water, than he thought he was 
in paradise, and seated himself by the side of the stream. He, with 
some difficulty, took off his helmet, and remained covered only by 
the linen scull-cap, and then plunged his face in the water, at the 
same time, unfortunately, drinking large draughts ; for he was thirsty 
from the heat, and could not quench it. He drank so much, that his 
blood was chilled, and a numbness of limbs seized him, with a strong 
inclination to faint. He could not move, and lost the use of speech. 
His attendants knew not what was become of him, and were the 
more uneasy, because many prisoners had been made : they there- 
fore ceased fighting. 

A short time after this, a squire belonging to the duke of Milan 
perceived the count d'Avmagnac, and wondered much, when he saw 
him, who he could be ; for it was visible he must be some knight or 
man of high rank : he called out, " Who are you ? Surrender ; for 
you are my prisoner." The count heard him, but could not make 
any answer, as he was unable to articulate, but held out his hand, 
and made signs that he surrendered. The squire then endeavored 
to raise him, but, finding iiis attempts vain, seated himself beside 
him, while the skirmish was still continued, and many gallant ac- 
tions performed. 

Sir James de la Berme, being a prudent and valorous knight, per- 
ceiving the day was his own, and that many of the enemy were 
killed and wounded, but that his men were growing weary, and the 
.Armagnacs increasing by fresh men from their camp, ordered a re- 
treat to -Alexandria, his men vigorously defending themselves as they 
retired. The squire, who had fortunately found the count d'Armag- 
nac in the state I have mentioned, unwilling to leave him behind, 
for he thought him a person of distinction, called to some of his com. 
panions to assist in carrying him to the town ; and declared, that 
whatever he should receive for his ransom, he would handsomely 
divide with them for the trouble they would have. They complied 
with his request, and, with some difficulty, carried him to the squire's 
lodgings in the city, where the count was disarmed, undressed, and 
put to bed. By this time, sir James de la Berme had, with his men, 
reentered the place, and barricaded the bars and gates, having many 
prisoners with them. They disarmed and refreshed themselves with 
what they found at their quarters, as did likewise the Armagnacs, 
who had been at this skirmish, on their return to the army. 

When it was mentioned in the camp that no one knew what was 
become of the count d'Armagnac, they were much alarmed, and 
I some went to search the places in the neighborhood where the skir- 



534 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



mish had been fought ; but, to the great dismay of their companions, 
they returned without liaving discovered any traces of him. The 
squire, into whose hands he had fallen, desirous to know who he 
was addressed himself to a Gascon squire, a man of honor that had 
been made prisoner, and begged of him to accompany him, with the 
person who had captured him, to his lodgings. They went thither, 
and the Lombardy squire led the Gascon to his chamber, where the 
count d'Armagnac lay, bitterly bemoaning. He brought a candle 
near his face, and said to the Gascon, " My friend, do you know 
who this man is ?" The Gascon, leaning down to examine his fea- 
tures, instantly recognized him, and 
replied, " Yes, I ought to know him 
well ; for it is our commander, the 
count d'Armagnac." The Lombardy 
squire was rejoiced to hear his pris. 
oner was of such distinction ; but the 
count was so very ill he heard nothing 
they asked of him. Upon which, his 
master said ; " Come, come, let us 
leave him quiet, that he may recover 
himself ;" and they all quitted the 
chamber. He died, however, that 
same night. When, nu the morrow, 
it was known that the couu» d'Ar- 
magnac had died in his bed at Alex- 
andria, sir James de la Bermc would 
not that it should be made secret, but 
sent information of the event by some 
of the prisoners to the camp, to see 
how they would act on the occasion. 

The whole army were in dismay 
on hearing their loss ; for they had 
now no commander-in-chief to look 
up to, as they were mostly all free 
companions. They therefore said, 
*' Let us hasten back to our own coun- 
tries, for we have lost all opportunities 
of gaining anything here." It was 
soon known in Alexandria that the 
Armagnacs were in despair for the 
death of the count : they therefore 
made a sally from the town, advan- 
cing full gallop to the camp, shouting 
" Pavia for the lord of Milan 1" Not 
one of the Armagnacs made any de- 
fence, but allowed themselves to be 

slain, like wicked people as they were : the conquest was great, for 
the army were so cast down, that they surrendered without striking 
a blow, and throwing down their arms, made for Alexandria, whither 
the Germans, and other soldiers in the pay of the lord of Milan, drove 
them like a herd of cattle. This unexpected death of the count d'Ar- 
magnac happened very unluckily for himself and his army. Had he 
remained quiet but five days, sir John Hawkwood would have arrived 
with five hundred horse and one thousand foot ; and many valiant 
deeds would have been done by this knight and his men ; but an 
end was now put to everything by this loss. 

You may suppose the count de Vertuswas in high spirits on hear- 
ing his enemies, whom he greatly dreaded, were killed, made pris- 
oners or put to flight, and that the count d'Armagnac was dead. He 
more dearly prized his knight, sir James de la Berme, through 
whose prudence and valor this good fortune had befallen him. He 
appointed him commander-in-chief of his chivalr.v, and president of 
his council. The lord of Milan considered how he should act to- 
ward the prisoners ; and, as he was an.\ious to free his country of 
them, he behaved in the most courteous manner, giving to every 
gentleman a horse, and to the infantry one florin each, besides their 
liberty, free of ransom ; but he made them all take an oath that they 
would never more bear arms against him. 

Thus did this army return defeated from Lombardy and Piedmont, 
to Savoy and Dauphiny ; but they were in the utmost distress, for 
the inclosed towns refused them admittance, and the gates of all cas- 
tles were shut against them. They had soon spent their florins, and 
it was necessary for them to work or starve. Some showed com- 
passion, and gave them money ; but others, on the contrary, laughed 
at and abused them, saying, " Go, go seek your count d'-\rmagnac, 
who has burst himself by drinking at a fountain near Alexandria." 
They were still worse off when they came to the rivers Rhftne and 
Saone, which they thought to cross without molestation ; but it was 
otherwise, for the king had commanded all the bridges and fords to 
be guarded against them. They fell now into the greatest poverty, 
and were never after able to unite together. 

Thus was the armament of count John d'Armagnac destroyed, and 
his sister remained in the same distressful state as before. The lord 
ot Milan ordered the body of the count d'Armagnac to be embalmed, 
put mto a cothn, and escorted by a bishop of his country and such 
ot his relations as had remained to his brother sir Bernard d'Armag- 
nac, who was much concerned at the melancholy event, but could 
not ariy way remedy it. The count d'Armagnac was buried in the 
cathedral church of Rodez, where he lies. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

THE KING OF ENGLAND IS ANXIOUS TO MAKE A PEACE WITH FRANCE. THE 
DUKE OF GLOUCESTER THROWS OBSTACLES IN THE WAY. SIR PETER DE 
CRAON, FORMERLY THE FAVORITE OF KING CHARLES AND HIS EROTHER 
THE DUKE OF TOURAINE, INCURS THEIR HAIRED, AND TAKES REFUGE 
WITH THE DUKE OF BRITTANY. 

Sir Thomas Percy, as you have heard, was sent by the king of 
England to propose a treaty of peace to the court of France, for Wng 




Richard II. and bis threb Uncles the Dokes of LiNCASxER, York and Gloucester. From an illumination 
at the head of a most beautiful MS. Epistle, written br an old Monk of the order of the Celestines at Paris on the subject 
of tlie peace between France and England, and presented, (as shown by the drawing) br him to Richard. Royal MStf. 
30. B. VI. 



Richard was very desirous to accomplish it. Two of his uncles, the 
dukes of Lancaster and York, were of his opinion ; but his other 
uncle, Thomas of Woodstock, duke of Gloucester, earl of Essex and 
Buckingham, and constable of England, would no way listen to it ; 
telling his friends secretly, that he would never agree to any peace 
with France, whatever negotiations might be taken in hand on the 
subject, if it were not an honorable one ; that all the towns, castles, 
and lordships which were yielded to England, but had since been 
fraudulendy taken back, must be restored, and the sum of 1,400,000 
francs, which had remained unpaid by the French when they began 
the war, must also be paid down. He declared, that as long as he 
lived he should never change these sentiments ; in which he was 
joined by many of the barons of England, particularly the earl of 
Arundel, who privately said the duke of Gloucester was in the right, 
though they dissemblecl their opinions in public from seeing how much 
the king of England was bent upon peace. 

The ])oorer knights and archers were of course for war, as their 
sole livelihood depended upon it. When these things are considered, 
and the claims of the French, it will be very clear nothing like peace 
could be concluded. The French demandeti to have Calais destroyed, 
and possession given them of the lordships of Guines, Hames, Merle 
and Dye, with the lands of Fretun and the dependencies of Guines 
as far as the river that runs by Gruvelines. True it is, the king of 
France and his commissioners were willing to give up to the king of 
England and his heirs as many lands in Aquitaine, of equal or more 
value as to revenue than those they demanded ; but the duke of 
Gloucester made too firm an opposition to this article, saying, " The 
French wish to pay us back with our own lands ; for we have the 
charter of king John, sealed by him and his children, which gives up 
to us the whole of Aquitaine in fee simple. Whatever they have 
taken from it since, has been a fraud and a robbery ; and their whole 
attempt, night and day, is to deceive us. Should Calais and the lands 
they require be given up to them, they will be lords of the sea and 
attack our coasts. Never, therefore, so long as I live, will I consent 
to peace with France on these terms," 

At the time I am now speaking of, a knight of noble extraction, 
from Anjou and Brittany, was greatly in favor with the king of France, 
as well as with his brother the duke of Touraine. His name was air 
Peter de Craon, and of such power that nothing was done but with 
his advice. He had been favorite of the late duke ot Anjou, king of 
Sicily, and was immensely rich, which had given rise to many scan- 
dalous reports against him ; for it was currently said in France, that 
he had robbed the duke of Anjou. This caused him to avoid the 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



535 



presence of the young king of Sicily and the queen hia mother ; but 
ke had managed to acquire the affections of the king of France and 
the duke of Touraine. The constable sir Oliver de Clisson, was like, 
wise in high favor with the king and his brother for the meritorious 
services he had done them in arms, and his brilliant actions during 
the reign of the late king. Sir Oliver's daughter was married, as you 
have heard, to John of Brittany, brother to the qucen-downger of 
Sicily ; and liis marriage had sorely displeased the duke of Brittany, 
who mortally hated the constable, considering both him and John of 
Brittany as his secret enemies. He had often repented not having 
put the constable to death when he had him in his castle of Ermine. 
Sir Peter de Craon was a favorite with the duke of Brittany, being 
also liis cousin, and, during the reign of his power with the king of 
France and the duke of Touraine, would willingly, had he been able, 
have caused a quarrel between them and the constable. Thus envies 
and jealousies, which have always underhand ruled in France, con- 
tinue to act until they bring their favorites to an unfortunate end. 

The constable of France had been so loyal in his whole conduct 
toward the crown, that he was beloved by all e.\cept the duke of 
Burgundy ; and the hatred he bore him originated in the duchess, 
who was a lady of a high spirit, and too nearly related to the duke 
of Brittany to love the constable ; besides, she continued the affec. 
tion of her father to all whom he loved, and hated those he had hated ; 
such was her temper. Sir Peter de Craon, who at this time resided 
at the court of France with the duke of Touraine, kept up a frequent 
correspondence with the duke of Brittany, they writing, in the most 
friendly manner to each other, concerning the state of their affairs. 

I am unable to describe the exact grounds of their correspondence ; 
but I, John Froissart, author of this history, during the time of my 
residence at Paris, (which was when sir Peter de Craon made the 
daring attack, in the night-time, on the constable, who narrowly es- 
caped death, as I shall relate,) seeing public affairs liltely to be much 
troubled and turn out unfortunate, made many and frequent inquiries 
why sir Peter de Craon had so very suddenly lost the affections and 
favor of the king and the duke of Touraine. I had so often demanded 
the cause from those who ought to be acquainted with it, that at last 
I heard the truth of wh^t was commonly believed to have occasioned 
it. He was under the displeasure of the duke of Touraine, for having 
revealed secrets intrusted to him by the duke, to the duchess ; and, 
if he did so he behaved shamefully. The duke was so fond of sir 
Peter de Craon that he made him his companion, dressed him in the 
same clothes as himself, and carried him wherever he went, intrust, 
ing him with all his most secret thoughts. The duke, at the time 
young and amorous, much amused himself with the company of ladies 
and damsels, and, as I heard, was particularly attached to a young 
frisky damsel of Paris. His intrigue was known and his secrets be- 
trayed, to the great ve.xation of tlie duke, who could not accuse any 
other of having done it but sir Peter de Craon ; for to him alone the 
duke had discovered it, and had led him with him when he visited 
secretly this noble young lady. The duke was much smitten with 
her, and had proffered her, if she would consent to his wishes, one 
thousand golden crowns ; but she had refused them, saying, " That 
her love for him was not on account of his riches, but that his affec- 
tion had won hers ; and that she scorned to sell her honor for gold." 
The whole of this business was told the duchess, who sent for the 
young lady to her chamber. On her entering, she called her by her 
name, and, with much anger, said, " How is this ? do you see4c to ' 
wrong me w ith my lord ?" The lady was thunderstruck, and, with , 
tears replied, " Oh no, madam : please God, I never will nor even ' 
think of it." ' It is not so," said the duchess ; " for I am well in. j 
formed, my lord and you love each other mutually ; and the matter : 
is so far advanced, that, at such a time and place, he offered you a j 
thousand golden crowns to possess you. You refused them, for 
■which you behaved well, and this time I forgive you; but, I caution 
you, if you value your life, not to have any further conversation with 
jny lord, but tlirough your regard to me send him a dismissal." 

The young lady, finding herself very justly accused and in some 
danger, replied : " Madam, I will free myself from him as soon as 
possible, and henceforth so act that you shall never again hear any- 
thing disagreeable of me." On this, the duchess permitted her to 
depart, and she returned home. The duke much in love, and igno- 
rant of what had passed, went to the place where the lady resided ; 
but, on seeing him, she fled, and acted contrary to her usual manner, 
showing dislike rather than love ; for she was afraid to do otherwise, 
from the promises she had made to the duchess. The duke noticing 
such a difference in his reception, was very melancholy, and would 
know the cause of it. The young lady, with tears, said, "My lord, 
you have revealed to the duchess the offer you once made me, or, if 
not yourself, some one has done it for you : recollect yourself, for 
you are discovered. Madame de Touraine told me of it herself, and 
frightened me exceedingly ; but she has this time forgiven me, on 
condition that I promised, on my oath, never again to give her cause 
for jealousy by any further conversation with you." The duke was 
much ve.xed at hearing this speech, and said : " Fair lady, I swear 
on my faith, that I would rather have lost one hundred thousand 
francs, than have betrayed you to the duchess. Since you have given 
her a promise on oath, keep it ; but, cost what it may, I will find out 
who has discovered our secrets." He then went away, and though 
he dis6e;nbled his agitation, he did not think the less concerning the 



cause. In the evening, he came to the duchess's apartments and 
supped, showing her more affection than he had hitherto done, inso. 
much that, by fair speeches and attentions, the duchess discovered 
the author of her information concerning his intrigue to be sir Peter 
de Craon. 

The duke took no further notice of the matter, and, having passed 
the night, on the morrow, at nine o'clock, mounted his horse, and 
went from the hdtel de St. Pol to the Louvre. The king was going 
to hear mass, and received his brother affectionately; but perceiving 
from his manner that he was angered, he said, " Fair brother, what 
ails you ? you seem much agitated." " My lord, if I am I have good 
cause for it." "What is the matter?" said the king, "we wish to 
know it." The duke, unwilling to hide his grief, told him, word 
for word, everything that had passed, complaining bitterly of sir Peter 
de Craon, and added : " My lord, if it were not for the love I bear 
you, and for my own honor, I swear on the faith I owe you I would 
have him slain." " Do no such thing," said the king ; " we will 
order him, by our special counsellors, to quit instantly our palace, 
for that we have no further need of his services ; and do you the same 
on your part." " That I intended," replied the duke of Touraine, 
who was satisfied with what the king had said. This same day, sir 
Peter de Craon was told by the lord de la Riviere and air John le 
Mercier, from the king, that he must no longer reside in the palace, 
and instantly seek other lodgings. At the same time, sir John de 
Bueil and lord d'Ervaux, seneschal of Touraine, delivered him a sim. 
ilar message from the duke of Touraine. Sir Peter, seeing himself 
thus dismissed, was much ashamed and greatly angered : he could 
no way account for it, as the messenger had not declared to him the 
cause of his disgrace. Being desirous of admittance to the presence 
of the duke, to learn from him how he had angered him, he was told, 
that neither the king nor the duke would hear anything he had to 
say. When he found his disgrace was resolved on, he packed up all 
he wanted, and set out much dejected, from Paris, for a castle of his 
in Anjou, called Sable*. He remained there for some time, but in 
very low spirits, from being driven from the palaces of France, Tou. 
raine and Sicily. He therefore determined, since their gates were 
shut against him, that he would retire to the duke of Brittany, and 
relate to him what had happened. 

This he executed, and met the duke at Vannes, who received him 
kindly. He had already heard what had befallen him, and sir Peter 
again told him every particular that had passed, and that he was 
banished the court of France. The duke of Brittany, having heard 
his story, replied, " Good cousin, make yourself easy ; it is the lord 
de Clisson who has brewed this mischief for you." From this speech 
a deadly hatred sprung, and greatly increased, as you will hear in 
the course of this history. Sir Peter de Craon lived so long with the 
duke of Brittany, that he was forgotten in France ; for the constable 
and the king's council never publicly mentioned his name. Thejr 
did not like the duke of Brittany more for having invited and retained 
him ; but the duke was indifferent to the king of France's anger or 
love, and provided all his towns and castles plentifully with stores 
and provisions, plainly showing he cared not whether it was war or 
peace between him and France. Everything he did was known to 
the king and his council ; and those most in the king's favor thought 
him presumptuous, and menaced him for his conduct. The duke 
held their menaces cheap, and declared he would wage war on the 
count de Penthievre in earnest, and on all his abettors, for he had 
just cause of quarrel. He said, " This count de Penthievre, our 
cousin, signs himself John of Brittany, as if he were our heir. We 
have no objection to his signing John, for that is his name, or count 
de Penthievre ; but we are resolved he shall lay down the ermines, 
and title himself John of Blois, or of ChitiUon, and bear none other 
arms but those; if he refuse, we will force him to do it, and take 
from him his lands, which he holds in vassalage from us. With re- 
gard to the duchy of Brittany, he need not think of that, for we have 
a son and a daughter who are our heirs. Let him seek some other 
inheritance, for he will be disappointed in ours." Such were the 
conversations of the duke with sir Peter de Craon, who, far from coo- 
tradicting any of his future plans, rather urged him on, from hatred 
to the constable and council of France. 

We will now leave this subject, and speak of a more melancholy 
one relative to the count Guy de Blois, whom I have before mentioned 
in this history as my great patron and master. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

THE DEATH OF THE YOUNS COUNT LOUIS DE CHASTILLON, SON TO COITNT 
GUY DE BLOIS. THE SUDDEN DEATH OF GASTON COUHT DE FOIX. 

I HAVE already spoken of the mtrriage that took place between 
Louis de Chastillon, son of the count de Blois, and the lady Mary, 
daughter of the duke of Berry. In the settlements of this marriage, 
the duke managed well for his daughter ; for she had a dower of six 
thousand livres, French money, (which are well worth the same sum 
of francs, reckoning them as florins) assigned her on the county of 
Blois, so that if she survived her husband, the county of Blois would 
be obliged to pay her this sum annually during her life. Now it fell 

* The castles of Craon and Sabl6 are in Anjou, two leagues discaot &om la fldchfi. 



536 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, 



out, that about St. John Baptist's day, in the year of our Lord 1391, 
the boy whom I have caMed Louis de Blois, son to the count de Blois, 
left his father at tJie chateau des Moutils,* situated m the county of 
Blois, and set out for Hainault to visit liis mother and wife. Not 
long after his arrival, he was seized with a fever, for he had rode very 
hard and tlie weather was hot : he was also of a tender age, being 
no more than fourteen yeass old, and, in spite of the physicians, he 
died, for ihey could not check the fever. His parents, you may sup. 
pose, were much grieved for the loss of their heir, as was the young 
lady of Berry : she loved him most affectionately, and considered 
herseh' as nobly married. The count de Blois was uneasy at the con- 
sequences, for his affairs were rather in confusion, and he knew (he 
duke of Berry to be avaricious beyond measure, who, in order to 
grasp at the dower of liis daughter, would take possession of the 
county of Blois : he therefore awaited the event in silence. 

Thus were the two daughters. Bona and Mar)', widowed in the 
same year. The eldest was married to Amadous count of Savoy, 
who died very suddenly, and so much was said on the subject, that 
6ir Otho Grandeson was near being arrested for the suspicions that 
were laid to his charge, and forced to quit Savoy, France, and Ger- 
many, to fi.\ his residence in England. 

In this year, died likewise suddenly, the noble and gallant count 
de Foi.\. I will say how it happened.! True it is, that of all the 
pleasures of this world he took most delight in the chase, and was 
always well provided with hounds of all sorts, having never less than 
si.xteen hundred. The count de Foi.\ was at this season hunting in 
the forest of Savaterre, on the road to Pampchma in Navarre, not 
far distant from Orthes in Beam. The day he died, he had all the 
forenoon been hunting a bear, and it was late in the evening when he 
was taken and cut up. His attendants asked where he pleased to 
have his dinner prepared ; he said, " At the inn of Rion, where we 
will dine, and in the cool of the evening ride to Orthes. His orders 
were obeyed. The count with his companions rode a foot's pace 
toward the village of Rion, and dismounted at the inn. The count 
went to his chamber, which he found ready strewed with rushes and 
green leaves ; the walls were hung with boughs newly cut, for per. 
fame and coolness, as the weather was marvellously hot, even for 
the month of August. He had no sooner entered this room, than he 
said •' These greens are very agreeable to me, for the day has been 
desperately hot." When seated, he conversed with sir Espaign du 
Lyon on the dogs that had best hunted ; during which conversation 
his bastard-son sir Evan, and sir Peter Cabestan entered the apart- 
ment, as the table had been there spread. He called for water to 
wash, and two squires advanced, Rayraonet de Lasne and Raymonet 
de Copane : Ernaudon d' Espaign took the silver basin, and another 
knight, called sir Thibaut, the napkin. The count rose from his 
seat, and stretched out his hands to wash ; but no sooner had his fiji. 
gers, which were handsome and long, touched the cold water, than 
he changed color, from an oppression at his heart, and, his legs fail- 
ing him, fell back on his seat, exclaiming, " I am a dead man : Lord 
God, have mercy on me 1" He never spoke after this, though he did 
not immediately die, but suffered great pain. The knig'nts present 
and his son were much terrified : they carried him gently in their 
arms to another chamber, and laid him on a bed, covering him well, 
thinking he was only chilled. 

The two squires who had brought water to wash in the basin, said, 
to iree themselves from any charge of having poisoned him, " Here 
is the water : we have already drank of it, and will now again in your 
presence,'' which they did, to the satisfaction of all. They put into 
his mouth bread, water, and spices, with other comforting things, but 
to no purpose, for in less than half an hour he was dead, having sur- 
rendered his soul very quietly. God, out of his grace, was merciful 
to him. 

You may imagine all present were exceedingly afflicted at what 
had happened : they fastened the door of the chamber, that his house, 
hold might not instantly be made acquainted with his death. The 
knights, seeing sir Evan lamenting and wringing his hands, said to 
him, " Evan, the business is over : you have lost your father and lord. 
We know that he loved you in preference to all others. Take care 
of yourself: mount your horse, ride and gain possession of the castle 
of Orthes, and the treasure within it, before any one know of your 
lord's death." Sir Evan made them a low reverence, and replied : 
" Gentlemen, I return you many thanks for the friendship you now 
show me ; I trust I shall not torget it ; but tell me what are my lord's 
tokens, or I shall not gain admittance into the castle." " You say 
true," answered the knights : " take them." This he did. The 
tokens were a small golden ring the count wore on his finger, and a 
little knife with which he sometimes cut his meat at table. These 
were the tokens the porter of the castle at Orthfcs was acquainted 
with, and had he not seen them lie would never have opened the g'te. 

* " Lcs MoutiU."— a village in the Blesois, diocese of Blois. 

t Gaston de f ois was born in 1331, and died in 1391. His character is nowhere belter 
delineated than in the pages of Froissart ; from them posterity have forraeil their judg- 
ment. One accompUshnieut. however, he has left unrecorded : Gaston was a poet, or 
at least a rhyiKer, for the verses he has left behind him do not display much of tire poelic 
fire ; but tlie accomplishment olverse-maliing was considered a necessary part of a Pro- 
vencal gentleman's education, and accordingly we find that Phubus possessed it. This 
surname, or rather sobriQuet, is not well accounted for ; some say it was given from his 
love for the chase, others from his fiiir complexion, ana others Irom his choice of the sun 
as his armorial bearings.— Ed. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

SIR EVAN DE FOIX, BASTARD-SON TO THE LATE COUNT, INTENDING TO 
CARRY AWAY PRIVATELY THE TREASURE OF HIS FATHER, IS DISCOV. 
EEED RY THE TOWNSMEN OF ORTHES, WHO, HOWEVER, PRO-IIISE EVERT 
ASSISTANCE TO HIM AND TO HIS BROTHER THAT IS NOT INCOMPATIBLE 
WITH THE TRUE HEIR TO THE COUNT DE FOIX, THE VISCOUNT DE CHAS- 
TELBON. 

Sir Evan de Foix left the inn at Rion with only two servants, and 
rode in haste to Orthfes, where nothing was known of the count's 
death. He passed through the streets without speaking to any one, 
or his errand being suspected, until he came to the castle, and called 
to the porter. The porter said, " What does my lord Evan want ? 
Where is my lord ?" " He is at Rion," answered the knight, "and 
has sent me to seek for some things that are in his chamber, and to 
return back to him. To convince you of what I say, look, here are 
his tokens, his ring and knife. The porter, having eyed them through 
a window, knew them well and opened the wicket, through which 
sir Evan entered, and his servants led the horses to the stable. When 
sir Evan had passed the gate, he told the porter to fasten it ; which 
being done he seized the keys, and said to him, " Thou art a dead 
man, if thou do not obey me." The porter was frightened, and asked 
the cause. " My lord and father is dead," said the knight, " and I 
wish to gain possession of his treasure before any one know of it." 
The poiter obeyed, as it was necessary for him to do ; but he would 
indeed have prefeiTed that sir Evan should have the treasure to all 
other persons. Sir Evan knew well enough where it was deposited, 
in the great tower, but he had three pair of strong doors to open, and 
with separate keys, before he could gain admittance. These keys 
he was unable for some time to find, as they were in a small long 
box of fine steel, locked with a little steel key, which the count de 
Foix carried with him when he rode abroad; and it was found hang- 
ing to a piece of silk which he wore over his shirt. The knights, 
who were watching the body of the count at Rion, noticing this key, 
could not imagine the use of it ; but the chaplain of the count, sir 
Nicholas de I'Escalle, being present, knew it well. He had been 
much loved by the count, who intrusted hini'with all his secrets, and, 
when he had visited his treasure, had never taken any one but his 
chaplain with him. On seeing the key, he said, " Sir Evan will lose 
his pains, for without this key he can never enter the treasury : this 
opens a small steel casket in which the other keys are." The knights 
were ve.xed at hearing this, and said, " Carry it to him, sir Nicholas : 
you will act well by so doing, for it is better sir Evan should gain 
the treasure than any other : he is a good knight, and our late lord 
loved him exceedingly.'' The chaplain answered, " Since you ad. 
vise me, I will cheerfully do it ;" and, instantly mounting his horse, 
he hastened with the key to the castle of Orthes, where sir Evan was 
very melancholy at not finding the keys, and at the impossibility of 
forcing the locks of the doors, as they were very strong, and he had 
not any instruments for the purpose. While he was in this distress, 
and sir Nicholas on the road to assist him, it was known in Ortlids 
(I know not whether by inspiration, or from women and servants 
returning from Rion) that the count de Foi.x, their lord, was no more. 

This was very afflicting news, for the count was greatly beloved 
by all ranks. The whole town was in motion, and met in the pub- 
lic square, where they conversed together on the subject. Some who 
had noticed sir Evan ride up the town, said, " We saw sir Evan de 
Foix gallop toward the castle, and he seemed much distressed." 
Others replied, " Without doubt, what \vc have heard is true ; for it 
is not usual for him to ride without his father." As the -men of 
Orthfes were thus conversing and murmuring, the chaplain, sir Nicho- 
las, fell into their hands. They surrounded him to inquire the news, 
and said, " Sir Nicholas, how fares my lord ? they tell us he is dead: 
is it true ? " No," rephed the chaplain : " he is not dead, but most 
dangerously ill ; and I am hastening to seek for some things that 
may do him good, which I .shall return with to him." On saying this, 
he passed on to the castle. Having gained admittance, sir Evan 
was rejoiced at his arrival, for without the small key he could never 
have entered the tower. 

I will say how the townsmen behaved. They began to suspect 
the death of the count had been hid from them, and said among them- 
selves, " It is now night, and we hear nothing certain of our lord's 
health, from his officers or secretaries. Sir Evan and his chaplain, 
who was his confidential secretary, have entered the castle : let us 
guard that place this night, and to-morrow we shall have certain 
news. We will send privately to Rion to inquire how things are ; 
for we know that the greater part of our lord's treasure is in the cas- 
tle, and if he be robbed or defrauded of any part of it, we shall be 
blamed. We must therefore be on our guard concerning what passes." 
" That is true," replied others, who thosght the advice good. They 
instantly surrounded the castle, and placed sufficient guards at all 
the gates of the town, so that no one could enter or go out without 
permission ; and this strict watch they continued until the morrow. 
The truth was now known of the count's death, and caused the 
greatest tribulation among the inhabitants of all descriptions, for he 
was much beloved by his subjects. The guards were now doubled» 
and the principal townsmen drew up before the castle. 

When sir Evan de Foix saw, from the castle of Orthes, the man- 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



ner in which the townsmen had drawn tliemselves up, and that the 
death ©f the count was known to them, he said to the clmplain, " Sir 
Nicholas, I have failed in my attempt: I can never go hence without 
leave of the inliabitants, for they know my father is dead, and their 
numbers are every moment augmenting. I must humble myself to 
them, for force will be of no avail." " You say well," replied the 
chaplain ; " you will gain more by civil words than by harsh ones : 
go, and speak to them, but act cautiously." Sir Evan went to a 
tower near the gate, which had a window looking over the bridge to 
the square where the townsmen were assembled. It was in this 
tower the lady Jane of Boulogne was brought up and educated, until 
she became duchess of Berry, as has been already noticed in this 
history. 

Sir Evan opened the window of the tower, and called to him some 
of the principal inhabitants, who advanced on the bridge to hear what 
he had to say. He thus addressed them aloud : "Good people of Or- 
th^s, I know but too well why you are thus assembled and sorrowful : 
you have good cause for it. I therefore most earnestly entreat, for 
the love you bore my late lord and father, that you will not be dis. 
pleased nor angered, if I l\ave hastened to take possession of this 
castle and what is contained within it, for I mean nothing but what 
is just. You know the great affection my lord and father had for me, 
and that he would willingly have made me his heir. It has happened, 
by the will of God, that he died without having completed any regu. 
lations to that eftect, which has thrown me upon you, with whom I 
was brought up and educated, a poor knight, bastard to the count de 
Foix. I tlierefore beg you would counsel me how to act, and assist 
me in this time of distress. I pray God that you will have compas. 
sion on me, as it will be an act of ciiarity ; and I shall open the castle 
for your free admittance, as I never thought of closittg its gates 
against you." 

The chiefs among the townsmen answered, " Sir Evan, you have 
well spoken, and to the purpose, and we are satisfied. We therefore 
say, that you shall live among us : and it is our intention that you 
keep this castle, and all that is witliin it, which we will aid you to 
defend. Should the viscount de Chittelbon, your cousin, who is heir 
to the territory of B^arn, and the nearest relation to our late lord, 
your father, claim anything belonging to this castle, we will strenu- 
ously defend you, and your brother sir Gracien, in your rights. But 
we suppose, that when the king of France was last at Toulouse, and 
our lord, your father, waited on him, some regulations were made 
respecting these matters; and your cousin, sir Roger d'Espaign, ought 
to know all the circumstances relative to them. We will write, to 
inform him of the death of our lord, and to invite him hither, to give 
us his advice, as well on the state of Beam and Foix, which may fall 
to ruin, as respecting the moveables and funeral of our lord. What 
we have now said, we promise you most faithfully and loyally to 
observe." 

Sir Evan was well satisfied with this speech, and threw open the 
gates of the castle for all to enter who pleased. Many did so, ex- 
amined it well, and placed sufiicient guards to defend it. 



CHAPTER XXX. 

THE COKPSE OF THE COVXT DE FOIX IS BROUGHT FROM KION TO ORTHES. 
THE KING OF FRANCE SENDS THE BISHOP OF XOYON AND THE LORD DE 
LA RIVIERE INTO THE COUNTRY OF FOIX, TO .MAKE ARRANGEMENTS, AC- 
CORDING TO THE DECREE OF THE COUNCIL. 

This same day, the body of the count do Foix was put into a coffin, 
and brought to Orthfes. The inhabitants, men, women and children, 
who went to meet it, wept most bitterly, remembering his valor, pru. 
dence and generosity, and the happiness they had enjoyed during 
the whole of his reign ; for there was neither Englishman nor French- 
man who dared to anger him. They said, " Our neighbors will now 
make war on us who have hitherto lived in peace, and we shall in- 
habit a land of misery and slavery. No one will now attend to or 
defend our rights. Ah, Gaston 1 fair child, why didst thou anger thy 
father ? If thou hadst remained to us, whose youth promised so 
much, wo should be comforted ; but we lost thee when too young, 
and thy fiitlier has lived too short a time. He was but sixty-three 
years old,* and that is no great age for such a handsome and healthy 
prince, and one who had every comfort about him. Ah, desolated 
and comfortless B^arn ! now thou hast lost thy prince, what will be- 
come of thee ? Never shah thou have an equal to the gallant and 
noble Gaston." With such lamentations was the body of the noble 
count carried through Ortlifts, attended by the following knights: first, 
the viscount de Brnniquel and the lord de Copane, then sir Roger 
d'Espaign and the lord de Laisne, sir Raymond de la Mottc and the 
lord de Besach, sir Menaut de Noailles and sir Richard de Saint 
George. Sir Evan de Foix ivalked in the rear, attended by the lo-rd 
de Corasse, the lord de Bnrentin, the lord de Baruge, the lord de 
Quer, and upward of sixty knights of B<Sarn, who had hastened to 
Rion on hearing the melancholy news of their lord's death. The 
body of the count was borne, with his face uncovered, to the church 
of the Cordeliers in Orthfes, where it was opened, embalmed, and put 
into a leaden coffin, and left in that state until the day of its inter- 
ment. It was handsomely watched ; for there were continually burn- 



537 

ing around it, night and day, twenty-four large wax tapers, whiclr 
were held by as many varlets ; twenty.four being employed on this 
service during the day, and the like number of others during the night. 

The death of the count de Foix was now public in various places, 
and more were sorry than rejoiced ; for he had made, in his lifetime, 
innumerable valuable gifts, and was beloved by all who were ac- 
quainted with him. Even pope Clement showed much concern on 
hearing it, notwithstanding tlie difficulties the count had, for a long 
rime, thrown in the way of the marriage of his cousin, the lady Jane 
of Boulogne, now duchess of Berry. The bishop of Pamiers was at 
this time resident at Avignon ; for he was afraid of living in his 
diocese, from the hatred the count de Foix bore him. Although they 
were relations, and the count had made him a bishop, he incurred 
the count's disgrace, from his attempts to extend his jurisdiction to 
the prejudice of the count. The pope sent for him to the palace, and 
said, " Bishop of Pamiers, your peace is made : the count de Foix is 
dead." The bishop was well pleased to hear it, and, in a few days,, 
set out from Avignon, for his bishopric in the county of Foix. 

When intelligence of the count's death was carried to the court of 
France, the king, his brother, and the duke of Bourbon were grieved 
thereat, for his many good qualities. The council addressed the king : 
" Sire, the county of Foix is now yours by lawful succession ; for, 
since the count has died, without leaving any heirs by marriage, no 
one can dispute your claim. This is understood by the landholders 
of Foix. There is also another circumstance which adds to your 
claim, you have lent on mortgage of that county fifty thousand francs ; 
send and take possession for payment, and hold it as your legal in- 
heritance : those of the county desire nothing more eagerly than to 
be under your government. It is a fair possession, and comes very 
opportunely, for it borders on Catalonia and Arragon ; and if, in time 
to come, you should be at war with the king of Arragon, the county 
of Foix will be a good frontier ; for it has many castles and forts which 
may be very advantageously garrisoned with men-at-arms." The 
king listened with pleasure to this speech, and, agreeing with his 
council, said, " See whom we shall send thither." They resolved 
on the lord de la Riviere, because he had formerly been there, and 
determined that he should be accompanied by the bishop of Noyon. 
These two lords on liearing of their embassy, made very handsome 
preparations, but did not immediately set out. When they did, they 
travelled slowly and at their leisure, taking the road to .'Vvigncn. 



' He died on the 12th of Ausust 1391, and was born in 1331.-ED. 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

THE VISCOUNT DE CHATELBON, HEIR TO THE COUNT DE FOIX, ATTENDS HIS 
FUNERAL AT ORTHES. HE IS ADVISED TO SEND TO THE BEFORE-NA:Ci:D 
COMMISSIONERS FROM FRANCE, TO DE5IAND POSSESSION OF THE SUCCES- 
SION WHICH HAD FALLEN TO HIM BY THE DEATH OF THE COUNT DE 
FOIX : HE AFTERWARDS SENDS, TO THE SA.ME PURPORT, TO THE KING- 
OF FRANCE. 

The death of the count de Foix was signified to the viscount de 
Chatelbon in Arragon. He instantly set out for Beam, and arrived 
at Orthfes ; but, though the inhabitants made him very welcome, they 
did not acknowledge him for their lord. They said, "They were but 
a part of the country ; and that it would be necessary for all the ba- 
rons, prelates, and citizens of the principal towns to assemble, and 
consider of the business ; that Beam was an independent territory, 
and those lords who resided in it would never consent tliat it should 
pay homage to any one." It was now detemiined to perform the 
obsequies of tlie count de Foix, and then to summon all the barons 
of Beam and Foix ; that all who pleased might attend and deliberate 
how to act, on the present occasion, in the choice of a lord. The 
barons, prelates and chief citizens of Beam and Foix were invited 
to the funeral of the count. Those from B^arn came ; buttheFoLx- 
iens refused, sayng they shotUd stay at home to guard and defend 
their country until the matter of succession were determined, for 
they had heard the king of France laid claim to it. The bishop of 
Pamiers, notwithstanding this, being a rclarion and invited, went to 
Orthfes in handsome state, becoming his rank. j , 

Great were the numbers who attended the funeral of Gaston count 
de Foix, the last of the name, in the church of the Cordelier friars of 
Orthfts, on a Monday, the 12th day of October, in the year of oui 
Lord 1391 . In addition to the barons and knights, there were three 
bishops : first, the bishop ot Pamiers, who said mass and performed 
the service ; then the bishops of Lcscar and Oleron. The church 
was splendidly illuminated, and, during mass, four knights displayed, 
in front of the altar, the emblazoned banners of Foix and B^am. 
The first was supported by sir Raymond de Chitelneuf, the second 
by sir Espaign du Lyon, the third by sir Peter de Quer, and the fourth 
by sir Menaut de Noailles. Sir Roger d'Espaign made the offering 
of his sword, supportc;! by the bourg de Copane* and sir Peter An- 
drew de B^arn, governor of Lourde. The viscount de Bruniquel 
offisred the shield, supported by sir John de Chatelneuf and John de 
Chantiron. The helmet was offered by the lord Valentin de B^am, 
sucported by sir Arnold de Rostem, and Arnold de Sainte-Colombe. 
The war-horse was offered by the lord de Corasse, supported by sir 
Arnauton d'Espaign and Raymonnet de Copane. 

* The family of Copane is Joiown at this day under the name of Caupenne. Th© 
castle of Caupenne is near Bayonne.— JVofe by tM Marguis de •'<!/. 



538 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



Every part of the obsequies was most honorably and magnificently 
performed according to the custom of the country. Sir Evan and 
sir Gracien de Foix, the two bastard-sons of the count, were present, 
as were the viscount de Chatelbon, all the barons from Bi^arn, and 
some from Foix ; but the last, as soon as the service was ended, 
mounted their horses, and went to dine at Heritiel, two leagues dis. 
tantfrom Orthfis. Very early on the morrow, the bishop of Pamiers 
took his departure, refusing to assist at the assembly of the barons of 
Bfiarn, which was fixed for that day. As soon as the obsequies had 
been performed, the body of the count de Foi.x was taken from the 
leaden coffin, enwrapped with a new and handsome waxed cloth, 
and buried in front of the grand altar in the choir of the church of the 
Cordeliers. Of him there is an end : God pardon his sins I 
. I will now say what was done at this great meeting of prelates, 
barons, knights, and principal citizens of Bfiarn, at Orthes. I imag- 
ine, from the information I received, the viscount de Chateaubon was 
addressed nearly as follows : "My lord, we know well that, from your 
relationship to our late much honored lord, whose soul God pardon ! 
you are entitled to succeed to all his inheritances, as well in B^arn as 
in Foix ; but at this moment we dare not acknowledge you as our 
lord, lest we be guilty of great imprudence, and hazard this country 
of B^arn in a dangerous war ; for we have heard that the king of 
France, who is our good neighbor, and very powerful, has ordered 
hither some of his council : we know not, nor shall we learn until 
they arrive and tell us, on what cause they are sent. You are not 
ignorant, any more than ourselves, that our late lord, whom God for- 
give ! was last year with the king of France at Toulouse, when they 
had many secret conferences ; and the object of these must be ex- 
plained, for, should he have signed and sealed any transfer of Foix 
and Beam, the king of France will think himself justified to possess 
them by force. We therefore must know the terms of such treaties 
if they exist, for we are otherwise situated than Foix. Ours is a free 
country,* which owes neither homage nor servitude to any one ; 
whereas the county of Foix is a tenure from the king of France, and 
the Foi.xicns are so attached to France, that they will cheerfuly ac- 
knowledge that king for its lord : indeed, they already say, that since 
the count de Foix has deceased without heir-male by legal marriage, 
that county naturally falls to the king of France, its lord paramount. 
My lord, you know we shall maintain our rights, and that wc will not 
surrender them to any lord, whether the king of France or you. 
We recommend, therefore, that in this business you take the lead, by 
treaty or otherwise." The viscount replied; " And how would you 
advise me to act ? for I have declared my willingness to follow ev. 
erything in reason that you shall counsel me." " My lord," said 
they, " we think you should desire your cousin sir Roger d'Espaign, 
who is here present, to accompany you at your expense to the county 
of Foix, to negotiate with the barons, prelates and principal inhabit- 
ants. If you succeed in prevailing on them to accept you for lord, 
or to keep secret their intentions until you shall have gained over the 
king of France by means of a composition in money, that the inher- 
itanco mav 'je yours, you will have done well. Have an interview 
with the commissioners sent by the king of France to Foix, and offer 
one or even two hundred thousand francs ; you will find it cheaply 
bought, and have more than enough to pay it from the treasure our 
iate lord (whose soul may God pardon I) has left behind him. But 
wc are resolved that his two bastard-sons shall have a handsome 
share of his landed property, and of the ready money." 

The viscount de Chateau-bon answered ; "Gentlemen, I consent to 
all your wishes. Here is sir Roger d'Espaign, and in your presence 
I entreat that he will accompany me on this journey." Sir Roger 
said, he would cheerfully do so, as he might mediate between them ; 
but if the king of France, his sovereign lord, or his commissioners, 
should require him to be of their party, or wish him to retire, he 
should then return. The viscount was satisfied with this answer, and 
said, " I will never act, cousin, but by your advice ; and when you 
are by my side, I shall be more encouraged and the sooner accom- 
plish my ends." On this, the meeting was on the point of being dis- 
solved, when the viscount requested that he might have, by way of 
loan, five or six thousand francs from the treasury, to carry on his 
affairs. The two bastards likewise put in their claims, and desired 
they might have a share of the money of their father which the men 
of Orthfes had now under their guard. The barons, prelates and citi- 
zens, having considered these demands, agreed that the viscount 
should have five thousand francs, on the terms he had proposed, and 
the two bastards of Foix two thousand. Orders were accordingly 
given for their delivery. This was complied with, and the treas- 
urers summoned to pay it. Not one person who had any oflice under 
the late count was dismissed ; but the guard of the castle of Orthfes, 
and all within it, was given to the inhabitants of the town. 

The viscount de Ch9.teau-bon, on his arrival at Orthfes, set at lib- 
erty all prisoners confined in the casde. They were very numerous ; 
for the count de Foix was very cruel to any person who incurred his 
indignation, never sparing them, however high their rank, but order- 
ing them to be thrown over the walls, or confined on bread and water 
during his pleasure ; and such as ventured to speak for their deliv- 
erance ran risks of similar treatment. It is a well-known fact, that 
he confined, in a deep dungeon, his cousin. german, this viscount de 
Ch^teau-bon, during eight days ; and he would not give him his lib- 



^* ITie B6arTiese had their own courts and custoni-s which they long preserved.— Ed. 



erty until he had paid down forty thousand francs. Since that time 
he bore him such a hatred, that he dared not appear before him; and 
had the count lived two years longer, the viscount de Chlteau-boa 
would never have inherited his posessions in Foix and B^arn. Those 
who had attended this meeting at Orthfes now separated, to return to 
their homes, leaving the viscount to the care of his own affairs. He 
was not idle, but collected about his person those knights and squires 
he thought attached to him, and left Orthes with an attendance of 
two hundred horse. He went to Morlaas, a good town and well 
inclosed ; it is the last in B^arn, on the side of Bigorre, four leagues 
from Pau, and six from Tarbes. 

On the morrow, as he was preparing to set out for Saint Gaudens, 
another good town at the entrance of Foix, on the Garronne, news 
was brought him that the bishop of Noyon and sir Berau de la Riviere 
were arrived in great state at Toulouse. The viscount de Chateau- 
bon asked sir Roger d'Espaign how he should act. Sir Roger replied, 
" Since we have non^ heard of them, we will remain and observe 
how they proceed. In a few days, they will make us acquainted 
with their intentions." This advice of sir Roger was followed : in- 
deed, it would have been useless to advance further into Foix, for all 
the chief towns, castles, and passes over the river Garonne were shut 
against them, such as Palaminich, Castres, Montesquieu, Carthas, 
Ortingas, Sossa, the city of Famiers, the castle of which was under 
the guard of the townsmen, Savredun, Montant, Mazeres, Vespuis, 
and all the castles on the frontier of Arragon. The inhabitants of 
Foix declared that no foreign power, of men-at-arms, should enter 
their country, until the right of succession was established : they, 
however, showed a great inclination that France should have their 
country, and that it should be governed by a seneschal, like Tou- 
louse, Carcassonne and Beaucaire ; but it happened otherwise, as I 
shall shortly relate. 

When the commissioners from France arrived at Toulouse, they 
sought intelligence from the archbishop, the seneschals of Foix and 
Toulouse, who told them enough ; for the two last had, from the 
great love they bore the count de Foix, with many of the principal 
persons in Toulouse, attended his funeral at Orthes. They had, when 
there, inquired into the state and disposition of the country, from 
such as they imagined could inform them. Upon hearing their re- 
port, the bishop of Noyon and lord de la Riviere consulted together, 
and determined to send for sir Roger d'Espaign, for he was liege- 
man to the king of France, his officer, and seneschal of Carcassonne, 
and keep him with them should there be occasion. According to 
tliis plan they sent oft' an honorable squire, with letters sealed to sir 
Roger. He left Toulouse, thinking to meet sir Roger at Montreal 
or at Saint Gaudens, with the viscount de Chateau-bon ; for he had 
heard they had left Morlaas on their road to enter Foix. The squire 
followed the road to Saint Gaudens, and soon arrived there, as the 
distance was not more than twelve leagues. He presented the letters 
to sir Roger, telling him at the same time from whom they came. 
Sir Roger, having read them, said, " You shall stay here to-day : 
to-morrow you shall return, and I hope have company with you." 
The squire assented to this. 

The viscount and sir Roger had a long conference on the subject 
of these letters, and it was concluded that sir Roger should wait on 
the commissioners at Toulouse, when he would hear what was the 
object of their coming, and what their intentions. On the morrow, 
the knight, in company with the squire who had brought ihe letters, 
set out for Toulouse, and they continued their journey until they 
arrived there in the evening, when sir Roger retired to his lodgings, 
and the squire to his masters. On learning that the knight was ar- 
rived, the commissioners said, " Since sir Roger d'Espaign is come 
in person, to-morrow we shall have some intelligence." The next 
day, after mass, sir Roger waited on the bishop of Noyon and the 
lord de la Riviere, who kindly received him. After some conver- 
sation on different subjects, they told him the cause of their com- 
ing, and showed the king's procuration, for them to take posses, 
sion, in his name, of the county of Foix. Sir Roger observed their 
papers and credential letters were properly drawn up, and, after a 
short pause, he replied : " My lord of Noyon, and you my lord de la 
Riviere, I am not such an intiiuate counsellor of the king as ye are, 
for, if I were, I would (under your favor) advise him to take the 
money, and indeed somewhat more than what he has, on mortgage 
on this county, advanced to the late count, and to be repaid on his 
death, and let the natural heir succeed to his inheritances. This 
would be, in mv mind, greatly to his honor and profit, and to the 
salvation of his 'soid. I will give you other substantial reasons why 
this should be done, if you will listen to me. First, it is well known 
that this mortgage was fraudulently made by the late courit, tor he 
abounded in money ; and was in this matter actuated so ely by his 
hatred to the true heir, the viscount de Chateau-bon, whom he thought 
he could never sufficiently injure. The king may therefore, if he 
consent to it, be imphcated in this disgraceful transaction Secondly, 
by following my advice the king will be a gainer; lor the county ot 
Foix will cost him full as much to guard and defend as his receivers 
can collect from it, and he will, besides, lose the homage and service 
of a powerful man. Thirdly, he will heavily load his conscience by 
thus disinheriting another; for if he had meant to act justly m such 
a bargain and sale, he ought to have called upon all the relations ot 
the late count, who had the remotest claims on his succession, to 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



539 



oppose this act, if they should have thought it necessary, whicli was 
not done. Consider, tlierefore, my lords, you who have so good un- 
derstandings, and are come hither as those most looked up to in the 
king's council, all that I have said, before you approve yourselves 
abettors of frauds, which must aflect the conscience of the king, for 
on you will the whole blame be thrown, and, before it be too late, 
apply a remedy. You have now time, for my cousin the viscount 
de Ch^teau-bon, has sent me to remonstrate with you on this busi- 
ness ; and he, as well as myself, beg you will pay attention to our 
complaints ; for it is not just to seize all that strength and power may 
enable you to do." When sir Roger had done speaking, the bishop 
of Noyon and the lord de la Riviere looked at each other ; and the 
bishop thus replied ; " Sir Roger, we are convinced the proposition 
you have made us is caused by your love of justice ; but our commis. 
sion does not extend to annihilate the bargains which may have been 
made between the king of France and the count de Foix. However, 
from consideration and love to you, and for the satisfaction of all 
parties, we will not proceed further in the business, if you will un- 
dertake a journey to Paris, and make to the king and council what 
remonstrances you may please relative to it. If you can by your 
eloquence prevail, that the succession of Foix devolve to the viscount 
de Chftteau-bon, who is indeed, as you say, the legal heir, we shall 
be right glad, for we are no way inclined to disinherit him." " My 
lords," replied sir Roger, " you make me very happy by what you 
say : remain, therefore, and amuse yourselves in Toulouse during 
my absence, for all your expenses shall be defrayed from the treasure 
in the castle of Orthfes." 

Thus did sir Roger d'Espaign manage the matter, during his stay 
of two days in Toulouse with the commissioners from France ; a 
better negotiator could not have been sent. On the third morning, 
when taking leave of them he said : *' My lords, since I have begun 
this business, I see the necessity for my going to Paris, to bring it to 
a conclusion ; but I know not in what disposition I shall find the king 
and his court. Should I stay longer than I propose, I beg you will 
not be uneasy, for it will be the fault of those with whom I must 
tieat, if I do not very speedily return : in the mean time you shall 
constantly receive messages with letters from me." 
^ " Go, in God's name,'* said the two lords: " we know it will not 
be your fault if any delay happen." Thus satisfied with each other, 
they separated. The commissioners remained at Toulouse, and sir 
Roger returned to the viscount de ChMeau-bon at St. Gaudens, to 
tell him what had passed. The viscount was rejoiced on hearing it, 
and said, " Sir Roger, my fair cousin, I put my whole confidence in 
you, and the matter interests me greatly ; for it is nothing less than 
whether I am or not to have the property of my family, from whom 
I am sprung, and whose arms I bear. I have none other but you to 
send to France, nor any one on whom I can depend, to lay before 
the king and council the hardship of ray case, with a force of elo- 
quence equal to the occasion. I therefore entreat, from your affec- 
to me, and for the obligation I shall ever be under to you, that you 
would undertake this journey." Sir Roger said, " I knew well that 
you would charge me with this business, and, from my love to you 
and our relationship, I will readily undertake it."' He was not long 
in making his preparations to go to Paris, and took the road through 
Rodez, as being the shortest, for there was now a truce between 
France and England. Had it not been so, this way would not have 
been the most expedient ; for there were many forts on the borders 
of Quercy, Rouergue and Limousin, in the hands of the English. 

We will now leave sir Roger to pursue his journey, and speak of 
the king of France and the duke of Biittany. 



CHAPTER XXXII. 

Tin; KING OF FRANCE AND THE DUKE OF BKITTANY MEET AT TOUHS, TO 
SETTLE THEIR DIFFERENCES. E.MBASSADORS FROM ENGLAND COME 
THITHER ALSO TO NEGOTIATE A PEACE. 

The great hatred which subisted between the duke of Brittany and 
sir Oliver de Clisson, constable of France, has been repeatedly men- 
tioned in this history. The duke, in addition to the ill-will he bore 
him, was envious of the favor he was in with the king of France, 
and the opinion he had of his advice : he would willingly have pre- 
vented or troubled this, if he had the power, and was not fearful of 
offending the king. This made him frequently repent that he had 
not put him to death when in his castle of Ermine, for no one would 
have revenged it, and the matter would soon have been forgotten. 
The duke, on account of this hatred and envy of the constable, was 
very backward in his duties to the crown of France, and, when he 
could, absolutely refused paying them. He knew he was acting im- 
properly, but persisted in this conduct, for he was too much inclined 
to England, and provided his castles and towns with artillery and 
stores, sending secretly to England for men. at. arms and archers, 
whom he placed in his forts, giving it out that he was expecting war 
to be made on him ; but his subjects could not guess from what 
quarter. 

News of all that he was doing was carried to the court of France, 
and several spoke loudly against him. The duke, indeed, knew that 
many of the French lords disliked him ; but he was indifferent as to 
this, and continued to act as before, intrusting only the duchess of 



Burgundy with the real state of his afiairs and his intentions. He 
was right so to do, for he was by her strongly supported. She had a 
great affection for the duke of Brittany, not only because he was her 
relation, but her father, the late earl of Flanders, had been much 
attached to him, and comforted him in all his distresses. This 
duchess of Burgundy was a determined lady, and the duko, her hus- 
band, would not willingly have angered her, as was indeed natural ; 
for he had gained by his marriage with her immense possessions, and 
was the father of many fine children, which bound him, as well as 
the w hole royal family, the more to her. 

These hatreds and jealousies were daily increasing; and although 
the duke of Brittany went to Paris, and paid his homage to the king, 
I will not pretend to say that it was done from the heart, for on his 
return to Brittany, very little change was observed in his conduct. 
He had also sworn obedience to the pope of Avignon, but acted con- 
trary to his solemn pledge, for he disclaimed him by words, and 
would not allow his bulls to have effect in his duchy. He was neuter 
between the two popes in many things, and disposed of vacant bene. 
fices according to his pleasure ; so that no foreign clerk, unless he 
was perfectly agreeable to the dulie, could obtain any benefice in 
Brittany. -4nd with regard to any writs, or law processes, which 
were sent thither from the parliament of Paris, he held them very 
cheap, and seemed to expect that his own officers should take the 
precedence in all such proceedings. 

The duke deprived even the prelates of Brittany of many of their 
rights, who, though they made loud complaints of this to the par- 
liament of Paris, could not obtain redress ; for when the duke was 
summoned to defend himself against these charges in the courts of 
justice, lie never came nor sent any persons sufficiently authorized to 
answer for him. When, by order of the parliament, the king's offi. 
cers were sent into Brittany to serve the duke with writs of summons, 
they never could speak with him nor obtain a sight of him, from dif. 
ferent excuses he made ; but when they had left his country, and 
were returned to Paris, he said : " Yes, to be sure I will go to Paris 
to hear law 1 never will I do such a thing. Three years ago, I was 
there for that purpose and to obtain justice ; but the last I never could 
get. Our judges of the parliament turn it as they please ; and they 
must think me very young and ignorant, when they want thus to 
manage me. I wish to let them know, that if all my subjects were 
unanimous in the same opinions with me, I would find the king of 
France so much employment that the most obstinate should listen to 
reason. -'^11 who had loyally and faithfully served, should be re. 
warded accordingly, and such as had acted on opposite principles 
should be punished ; and those who demanded justice should have 
it." Such speeches, which were often repeated, were carried to the 
French court ; and the king's most confidential ministers said, " This 
duke of Brittany is so presumptuous and obstinate in his opinions, 
that, if he be suffered to go on with such discourses, the kingdom 
will be weakened, by other lords following his example, and the rights 
of the crown by degrees may be lost." It was therefore resolved, to 
obviate all difficulties, that the duke of Brittany should be civilly in- 
vited to come to Tours, where the king of France, from the aflection 
he bore him, would endeavor to give him the meeting, attended only 
by the dukes of Berry and Burgundy, and the bishops of Chartres 
and Autun, members of his council, who were expressly named, as 
more in favor with the duke of Brittany than any other lords in 
France, except the lord de Coucy and the lord d'Estanipes. 

Thi»plan being followed, the count d'Estampes and sir Yves d'- 
Orient were sent into Brittany, where they had much difficulty to per- 
suade the duke to meet the king of France and his uncles at Tours. 
They discussed the matter so ably, he at length said, " that he would 
go to Tours; but they need not press him to prolonghis journey, for 
further he would not go, neither would he see his enemy, sir Oliver 
de Clisson, as he hated him mortally." These terms were complied 
with before he would consent to set out for Tours. The two envoys 
returned to France to tell the king and his uncles their success with 
the duke of Brittany. They appeared satisfied therewith, since they 
could not do better. The king and his lords began to make prepa- 
rations for this journey to Tours on a large scale ; for they imagined 
they should remain there two or three months, as the treaties and 
negotiations which were to be proposed, would require much time 
before they could be concluded. 

The king of France, the duke of Touraine, the duke of Beny, the 
duke of Burgundy, his son John of Burgundy, the duke of Bourbon, 
the lord de Coucy, the count de la Marche, the count de Saint Pol, 
and the whole of their councils, came to Tours, where lodgings had 
been provided for them. The constable of France and his son-in- 
law, John of Brittany, came thither from a different quarter, as in- 
deed they were nearly concerned in the matters then going forward. 
The duke of Brittany, after keeping them waiting a fortnight, at 
last arrived. Some said, that notwithstanding he had made them 
come there, he would not meet them ; for he had sent twice or thrice 
to say he was too ill to ride ; but having considered the business, he 
at length came. His purveyances were grand, and he and his people 
were lodged at their ease. 

[The negotiations instantly began on both sides ; but as the days 
were now short, it being the winter season, there could not be any 
long discussions before dinner, which were renewed afterwards until 
the evening. During the time these treaties were going forward at 



540 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &,c. 



Tours, between the king of France and the duke of Brittany, which 
lasted 'good part of the winter, sir Roger d'Espaign and sir Espaigu 
du Lyon arrived there from Toulouse on a Wednesday. The city 
was so full of lords and other company, that it was with much diffi. 
culty thev could find lodgings. Having at last obtained them, they 
waited oii the king and his ministers, and explained, as eloquently 
as they were able, the cause of their coming, and the case of the 
viscount de Chiiteau-bon, in regard to his claims on the county of 
Foix, and the honor of B^arn.] The king and liis council were so 
fully occupied with the affairs of Brittany, which touched them more 
nearly, that they could not attend to other business. 

Sir Roger d'Espaign was however well heard, though he had not 
a speedy answer: he remained there upward of two months, and 
•was daily told his proposal should be considered, but the answer was 
not given. There was another cause of delay, during the king's 
residence at Tours, that increased the labors of his council ; for sir 
John Clanvow, counsellor and chamberlain to the king of England, 
and Richard Rowhall, clerk, doctor of laws, and of the council of 
England, arrived there from king Richard, on the subject of a peace 
whTch had been first proposed by sir Thomas Percy and the lord de 
Clifford, some time before at Paris, as you have heard. On their 
arrival, all other business was laid aside, and they alone were at- 
tended to. It was told me, they had brought credential letters to 
the king, and the dukes of Berry and Burgundy, who heard what they 
had to say. Their mission was to know if the king of France and 
his council were willing to hold conferences at Amiens, as had been 
proposed, to endeavor to establish a lasting peace between the two 
kiMgdoms and their allies. The king of France, who, from every 
appearance, seemed desirous of peace, answered in the affirmative, 
and said, " that as soon as the business between him and the duke 
of Brittany was finished, and he was returned from Tours, he would 
not attend to anything until he arrived at Amiens, according to the 
former propositions ; and that he would await there the arrival of the 
commissioners from England, who should be made welcome with 
the best cheer of the country." 

The English were well pleased with this answer, and staid five 
days at Tours, passing their time with the king, the chief lords and 
tK-i chancellor of France. Having accomplished the object of their 
coming, they took leave of the king and court. The king made 
tliem handsome presents, for which they returned thanks, and had 
all their expenses, while at Tours, paid. During their stay, they 
neither saw nor spoke with the duke of Brittany, for they were anx- 
ious to avoid giving the French any cause of suspicion of under- 
hand dealing. They returned through Paris and Picardy to Calais, 
and, having a favorable passage, arrived at Dover, and thence jour, 
neyed to London, where they found the king and council assembled 
at Westminster, and related to them the answer they had received, 
and what observations they had made. The king and council were 
satisfied with what they heard, and gave orders respecting the con- 
ferences to be holden at Amiens. 

We will now return to the embassadors from Beam and Foix. 



CHAPTER XXXIII 

3IR ROGER d'ESPAISN AND SIR ESPAIGN nU I.YON, EMBASSADORS FROM 
THE VISCOUNT DE CHATEADBON, PRACTICE SO SUCCESSFULLY WITH THE 
COURT OF FRANCE, THAT HE IS DECLARED HEIR AND SUCCESSOR TO THE 
CODNT DE FOIX BY LETTERS PATENT FROM THE KINO OF FRANCE. 

Sir Roger d'Espaign and sir Espaign du Lyon acquitted them- 
selves handsomely and successfully, in regard to the afl'airs of the 
viscount de Chatcaubon. They had many difficulties to overcome 
with the king and court, more especially with the members of the 
privy council, who had advised the king to annex the county of Foix 
to the crown of France, since the inhabitants were desirous of it. 
The king was likewise of this opinion, but the duke of Burgundy 
more wisely opposed it, and recommended it to the king to do noth. 
ing more than to receive back the money he had advanced, saying, 
he had lands enough to guard without adding these, and disinheriting 
the lawful heir. I believe the duke of Burgundy's advice would not 
have been attended to, if the duke of Berry had not taken up the 
matter. You have heard, that formerly he had sent to the count de 
Foix the count de Sancerre, the viscount d'Assy, sir William de la 
Tremouille, and the lord de la Riviere, to treat for his marriage with 
the lady Jane of Boulogne, whom the count de Foix had in ward. 
The count listened to the proposals, but told the envoys that the duke 
of Berry should never have her for his wife, if he did not give him 
thirty thousand francs for the expenses of her education ; and this 
demand the duke paid, for he was determined to have the lady. 
This he had not forgotten, and, sending for sir Roger d'Espaign and 
air Espaign du Lyon to his chamber at Tours, shut the door and con- 
versed with them in private, saying, "You may, if you please, suc- 
ceed in the object of your journey hither ; but you must first promise 
me, that I shall be fully repaid the sum my treasurer gave the count 
de Foix when I was married to my present duchess. I have always 
determined, that if I survived the count, this money should be paid 
me back." 

The two knights, hearing the duke thus talk, looked at each other, 
*ut said not » word. The duke added, " My fair sirs, it was for this 



I wished to speak with you by ourselves : consult together on what 
I have told you ; for, be assured, whether you consent or not, I will 
obtain repayment, and your treaty shall not succeed. I can depend 
on my good brother of Burgundy acting as I please ; he is lieutenant 
over all the countries of Oil, as I am over those of Oc, and none 
will dare to controvert my orders, or oppose my will. This viscount 
de Chateaubon will find money enough for my demand, since the 
late count l»s left more behind him than the king has in his tieasury." 
Sir Roger d'Espaign now answered, " My lord, suppose we were to 
accede to your proposal, we have not any money with us." " Oh," 
replied the duke, " sir Roger, that shall be no hindrance. You shall 
take the debt on yourself, and give me your bond for it : I have that 
opinion of your honor I will credit you for this, or a much larger 
sum if it were necessary." " My lard," said sir Roger, " I thank 
you: we will consult together, and you shall to-morrow have our 
answer." " I am satisfied," answered the duke ; when the conver- 
sation ended, and the doors were opened. 

The two knights returned to their lodgings, and had many conver- 
sations, whether or not they should agree to the duke's demand, and 
accept of his mediation. Everything considered, they thought the 
best they could do would be to consent ; for the matter had been 
drawn out to a great length without any appearance of being de- 
cided : but on condition that all the landed property was yielded to 
the viscount de Chateaubon. On the morrow, they returned to the 
duke of Berry, and engaged themselves for the payment of thirty 
thousand francs, on condition he would influence the king and council 
to allow the viscount de Chatcaubon to inherit Foix, on his paying 
back the sum it had been mortgaged for. The duke replied, "Leave 
that to me : I will have it done, otherwise I shall not expect you to 
fulfil your engagements." From that day forward, the duke of Berry 
was so anxious to receive his thirty thousand francs, and so able an 
advocate for the viscount de Chateaubon, that everything was ar- 
ranged according to his wishes. The king and council desisted from 
their first demands; and the two foreign knights had given them 
letters of confirmation of the county of Foix to the viscount de Cha- 
teaubon, addressed to the bishop of Noyon and the lord de la Riviere, 
who had remained at Toulouse. 

The substance of these letters, as I learnt from credible persons 
who had been on this embassy, was as follows : " We Charles, by 
the grace of God king of France, order and command our reverend 
father in God the bishop of Noyon, and our knight and chamberlain 
the lord de la Riviere, to allow the viscount de Chateaubon, heir of 
Foix and B<;arn, to have peaceable possession and enjoyment of the 
same, and of all dependencies thereto belonging, on condition that 
he firet pay into your hands the sum of sixty thousand francs, which 
you will receive in one payment in the city of Toulouse ; and we 
will, after payment made, that the receipt, sealed by our seneschal 
of Toulouse, to the viscount de Chateaubon, shall be a full and legal 
acquittance to him, and to whomever else it may concern. In ad- 
dition, we expect payment of twenty thousand francs, for the expenses 
you have been at in your journeys to and from the coimty of Foix 
on this occasion : you will for this money give acquittances from our 
above-named office in Toulouse : saving and reserving that sir Evan 
and sir Gracien de Foix, bastard-sons of the late Gaston count de 
Foix, of happy memory, have a reasonable share of the moveable 
property and inheritances of their deceased father, according to the 
discretion and advice of sir Roger d'Espaign, the viscount de Bruni- 
quel, sir Raymond de Chateauneuf, and the lord de Corassc, to whom 
we will write, that they acquit themselves in the matter honorably 
to the discharge of our conscience ; for, some lime since, we made 
such promise to their father. And should any demur arise, either 
on the part of the four knights to whom we have intrusted this bus- 
iness, or from obstinacy and rebellion on the part of the viscount de 
Chateaubon, we annul and declare all treaties we may have entered 
into void, and of no effect. In testimony whereof, we have given 
these letters under our seal, in the city of Tours, this 15th day of 
December, in the 12lh year of our reign." 

When these letters were finished to the satisfaction of the king, 
council, and embassadors, the knights made preparations for their 
departure ; and, having taken leave of the king and lords, and paid 
their expenses, they set out from Tours on their return home. 

You before heard that the lord Louis de Sancerre, marshal of 
France, was resident in the neighborhood of Carcassonne, and had 
been so a long time, as lieutenant for the king over all those coun 
tries as far as the Dordogne. The bishop of Noyon and the lord de 
la Riviere sent for him to Toulouse, and thus addressed him : " Mar- 
shal, the viscount de Chatcaubon, who declares himself heir, by the 
death of Gaston count de Foix, to the county of Foix and its depeiid- 
encies, save and except what may concern B^arn, is in treaty with 
us. We have sent intelligence of it to the king and his council ; 
but we know not, nor indeed can we as yet, how the king and his 
ministers may please to act in the matter. Be you, therefore, pro- 
vided with a sufficient body of men-at-arms, and garrison well the 
frontiers of Foix. Sir Roger d'Espaign and sir Espaign du Lyon 
are now in France ; and if we hear from them, or by messengers 
from the king, that there is no probability of any compromise taking 
place, but that the king means to annex Foix to his crown, you will 
instantly enter that county, and take possession of it, according to 
the powers the king has intrusted to us in this affair." The lord 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &.c. 



541 



Louis said, that in regard to this lie was well prepared, and was in- 
creasing his strength daily, waiting for the answer from the king. 
Wc will now return to the duke of Brittany. 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 

DITRING THE RESIDENCE OF THE KINd OF FRANCE AND DUKE OF BRITTANY 
AT TOURS, THEIR DIFFERENCES ARE PARTLY ACCOMMODATED EV MEANS 
OP THE .MARRIAGES OF THE DVKE'S SON WITH A PRINCESS OF FRANCE, 
AND A SON OF JOHN OF BRITTANY, SON TO THE LATE LORD CHARLES 
DE BLOIS, WITH A DAUGHTER OF THE DtJKE OF BRITTANY. 

I HAVE mentioned that treaties were negoti: ti'ig at Tours between 
tlie king of France and the duke of Brittai: ■. The duke gave the 
king and his council a great deal of trouble, l^r he would not abate 
any of his pretensions. When any propo.«itii:)n9 were made to liini, 
he refused them ; and in like manner was it returned, when he of- 
fered any on his part ; so that there did not seem a probability of 
their disputes being terminated. The duke declared himself willing 
to serve the king according to the homage he had paid, and to the 
duty he owed. "Why then," asked the king's council, "since you 
acknowledge yourself vassal to the king, do you not obey him in all 
things?" "Wherein am I a rebel ?" demanded the duke. They 
mentioned many instances, and first, his conduct toward the pope of 
Avignon, whom the king, his lort4, obeyed as the true pope, and with 
regard to whom he was dissembling his opinion, and refused to obey 
his commands, filling up all the vacant benefices in his duchy, with- 
out paying attention to those who had provided themselves with bulls 
from the pope. This, they said, was rebellious against the king in 
thought and deed. The duke replied : " That no one had a right 
to arraign or judge his conscience but God alone, who was its supreme 
lord. With regard to the two rival popes, he had never made any 
declaration ; that when Urban was elected, he was with his cousin, 
tlie earl of Flaiideis, in the town of Ghent ; that the cardinal, Robert 
de Geneve, sent to the earl letters patent, sealed with his seal, which 
signified and certified to my cousin, that, by the grace of God and 
the divine inspiration, the conclave had elected Urban pope. How 
can an election be set aside that seems to be made in the most regu- 
lar maimer ? I wish not to say a word against the king or his crown, 
for I am his cousin and vassal, and will faithfully serve him, when- 
ever I am required, to the utmost limits of my duty; but I shall 
speak my mind as to those who do not advise him honorably." 
" Tell us who they are, and we will provide a remedy." 

" Oh," replied the duke, " you know them better than I do, for 
you live more with them ; but, as to what you have said touching 
the vacant beneficies, I am not so severe against suitors for them as 
you say, for I permit the clergy of my duchy to provide themselves 
with bulls from pope Clement ; but I object to strangers having the 
same liberty, and will tell you why I refuse it. They want to carry 
all the profit of the benefices out of the country, without serving 
them. This is so contrary to reason, conscience, and justice, that I 
will never consent to it. You say my conduct was rebellious and 
haughty, respecting the king's sergeants that came with writs into 
my country of Brittany. I neither am rebellious nor wish to be so. 
You ought to know, or, if you do not, you should learn, that the fief 
of Brittany is so noble, no law proceedings can take effect unless the 
duke, its natural loi'd, shall hold an open court of justice, to hear 
causes, and the reasons why any appeals may be made thence, and 
to see that the officers, who bring writs of appeal or summons, do 
their duty regularly : should there be sergeants or other officers in 
my duchy negligent, or against whom strangers have cause of com- 
plaint, I would punish them severely, for a warning to others. In 
addition to what I have said, that the king's council do many repre- 
hensible things, they plainly discover their inclinations to encourage 
the hatred of the king against me : the proof is clear, by their sufler- 
ing my cousin, John of Blois, to act in two instances very injuriously 
against me : the first is, the signing liimself John of Brittany, as if, 
by bearing this name, he could form a claim on the inheritance of 
that duchy ; but he cannot have any right, because I have children, 
a son and daughter, who will succeed to my possessions. Secondly, 
he bears the ermines, which are the arms of Brittany, and he had 
formerly renounced the name, anna, and all things thereto appertain- 
ing. True it is, that sir Oliver de Clisson supports him in this con- 
duct, to vex me ; and, as long as this shall continue, I will not listen 
to any treaty of peace or friendship with the king. I shall not make 
war against him, for he is my natural lord, but if, through envious or 
malevolent informations, he make war on me, I will defend myself, 
and shall be found ready on my own territories. All that I have 
now said, I wish the king to be made acquainted with." 

-Such was the bitterness with which these negotiations were car- 
ried on between the king of France and the duke of Brittany. The 
duke was master of his council, but the king was led by sir Oliver 
de Clisson, the bfegue de Villaines, sir John le Mercier, and sir Wil- 
liam de Montagu. The duke of Burgundy, who saw more clearly 
into this matter, was uneasy that the duke's reasons were made pub- 
lic, though he supported them privately as much as he could, in 
which he was assisted by the duke of Berry, who hated the confi- 
dential advisers of the king. By their means, his treasurer, Bethisac, 
had suffered an ignominious death at Beziers, which he was forced 
to put up with, for it was not yet time to revenge himself. 



In this state did they remain at Tours for upward of three months 
without any progress being made in the treaties. They were on the 
point of being broken off, for the king was impatient at the delays, 
and wanted to return to Paris, whence he would issue a special 
summons for the ensuing summer, and make war on the duke of 
Brittany and his allies, leaving all others in peace. But the dukes 
of Berry and Burgundy, the lord de Coney, the count de Saint Pol, 
sir Guy de la Tremouille, the chancellor of France, and many other 
great barons and prelates, desirous that an end should be put to these 
differences, held a conference, and said : " We, who are so nearly 
connected with the king and the greatest barons of his realm, hav- 
ing agreed to meet the English commissioners this Lent at Amiens, 
to consider of a treaty of peace, must hasten to put an end to this ill 
humor of the king and the duke of Brittany ; for should we separate 
without doing so, the English would have the advantage in the busi- 
ness at Amiens : they will e.xpect the support of the duke of Brittany 
and his country, for they are near neighbors, and we shall have a 
war with Brittany and England, like what we had before, and it will 
be too heavy for us.'' 

These lords and their councils so often turned the matter over, 
that they at length discovered a means of reconciliation between the 
king and the duke of Brittany. I will mention it, for without this I 
do not believe it would ever have taken place. It was proposed that 
a marriage between the son of the duke of Brittany and a daughter 
of the king of France should take place ; and, as John of Brittany 
had a son, a similar connection should be formed with the daughter 
of the duke of Brittany. These articles were agreed upon ; but, 
notwithstanding this alliance, John of Brittany was obliged to lay 
aside the arms of Brittany, and take those of Chitillon ; and, if he 
were desirous of bearing anything relative to Brittany, as a descend- 
ant of that house by his mother's side, he might bear on the arms of 
Chiltillon a bordure ermine, three sables or, and an escutcheon er- 
mine in chief gules, and none others. Thus was the business brought 
to a conclusion, and the duke restored to the friendship of the king 
of France and his uncles. He dined with the king, in company with 
John of Brittany, count de Penthievre ; and much affection was 
mutually displayed by all parties, on account of the marriages which 
had been agreed to be solemnized. 

The duke of Brittany would never see sir Oliver de Clisson, for 
the hatred he bore him ; but the constable was indifferent to this, as 
the hatred was mutual. All things being now settled, and the lords 
having sworn to see these marriages consummated when the chil- 
dren should be of a proper age, and the different treaties having been 
engrossed, they thought it time to quit Tours, for their stay had been 
too long, and to return to Paris, as the time was approaching for the 
conferences at Amiens. The king of France, his brother, uncles, 
and council, had promised to be there to receive the king of England 
and his council. The duke of Brittany took leave of the king, his 
brother, and uncles, and of those most in his favor, and set out from 
Tours for his own country ; as did the dukes of Berry and Burgundy, 
with other lords ; but the king, the duke of Touraine, the duke of 
Bourbon, and the lord de Coucy, staid at Tours, and I will tell the 



CHAPTER XXXV. 

THE COUNT DE BLOIS AND MARY OF NAMUR, BIS COUNTESS, SELL TO THE 
DUttE OF TOURAINE THE COUNTY OF BLOIS WITH OTHER LANDS. THE 
VISCOUNT DE CHATEAUBON TAKES POSSESSION OF THE INHERITANCES OF 
THE LATE COUNT DE FOIL 

I HAVE before recorded in this history, that Louis de Blois, son to 
the count de Blois, had died when young, at Beaumont in Hainault, 
leaving the lady Mary, daughter of the duke of Berry, a widow, who 
lost by the event many of the good things of this world : for her hus- 
band was a rich heir, and would have been a powerful lord. I men- 
tion this, because I wish it to be known in times to come how such 
large properties have been disposed of or alienated. The count and 
countess of Bloia were not formed to have any more children ; for by 
indulging themselves too much in the pleasures of the table, and eat- 
ing too many sweet dishes, they were become enormously fat. The 
count could no longer mount his horse, but was always carried in a 
car whenever he travelled from one place to another, or took the di- 
versions of hunting or hawking. As this was well known t» the 
lords of France, a thought struck the duke of Touraine, during his 
residence at Tours, which he carried into efl^ect. 

The duke had a large sum of ready money, perhaps a million of 
florins, lying idle, which he had received from the count de Vertus, 
on his marriage with the lady Valentina of Milan. This money he 
wanted to dispose of to advantage. He knew the great properties of 
the count de Blois would be dispersed after his death. The county 
of Blois would fall to John of Brittany, who was his cousin-german ; 
the lands in Hainault to the duke of Juliers and duke of Lancaster, 
excepting Chimay, which would go to Conflans in Champagne. The 
county of Soissons had belonged formerly to the counts of Blois, but 
was alienated to the lord de Coucy, for the ransom of Guy de Blois, 
from England. The lands of Argies and Nouvion went to other 
heirs : Holland and Zealand fell to the count of Hainault. Thus 
would this noble inheritance be dispersed piece-meal, for it was well 
known it must happen on the death of the present possessor. The 



Ma 



CHPO^vICLES of EXGLAXD. FRANCE, SPAIN 



duke « Touraint cast his eres on this p-opertr, as he had moBey 

oxn^ to porcfcsse i', were it sold ai * fau- pri<:€, and de--=: = - - 

ieste the ki=s- hi^ brother, to treat with the cocnt de ^ 
CctracT oi B.o^ which was a viaabLe propertj, and ver. : 
to hitn by bonJeriij^ on his dachy- oi Toaraiae. To this cotinrr are 
also sta;i»ed tniay coostderabie neis. The duke oi" Tooiaine, har- 
ing this scheme in his head, did not rest before he raentiiHted it, nist 
to the kins, then to the dnie ct Botiriwa, and :o die lonl de Coocy, 
wfeo was aa ab.e negotiator and nijch in favor with tite eoont de 
Bhss, for he sad njanied the daughter of his coasin-geiman the duke 
01 Lmaioe. The dtike oi TcKiraine and the abore-jnentioned per- 
S(BE were careinl not to drop the least hint o: this business to the 
dake « Berry, because aie iady Mary, nis cacshier, had her jcantore 
of ai thossand aancs a year settled on this county, and the doke of 
Benry imasioed diat, for this som and the charges that wooid accme, 
hs ^Mjoid obtain the coonif ot Biois ; for a person more coTetoos of 
ol&er peopled pnipei^ coajd wx be fonnd. The dnke of BmgiUHiy 
was abo kepi KDOtaat of liiiE plan, becaose die iady Margaret, h^ 
eldest daughter, was married to William of Hainaolt, son to the cocnt 
of Haioanit ; and he ifaoogfat that by srane incideni, by patchase or 
when* fee , die lands of Hoiiand, Zealand and Haiminlt, might lerert 
to fajs soo-ioJaw, dse count d'Ostrerant, of id his son Jtdm qf Bor- 
giirady, wko had married Maigaiet, eid^ danghto' of the cotmt of 
Haiaaah. Tbe lri»ig and tbe three od>er knfe propaeed therefore, on 
deB' departure fiora Toors, to T^t their cooaa die coimt Got de 
Has, who resded at a hamfaome casde, eisht leagues tcaa Toius, 
caBed QBtean-moiaBt, aadto<9^ a treaty tot the sale d the coonty 
of Blois, with the count aiid the coontess, who was very avaridoas. 

It dnrteed, br sarae accident I am imacqoainted with, that the 
ha3iff of Biois, named sir Keginald de Sens, a knight of law and 
aoDE, and of great prudence, beard of this intended viat and is pur- 
poses. He was much eoncemed from die hne he bote his lord, lest 
he mi^bt di^KHMK himself and di^nherit l'»g*fi^ br a sale, for which 
he had no need, and severelf wooed his conscience. He deter- 
mined ti>aef<Ke, if poeabie, to prevent it, and, setting ont ncEn Biois, 
rode all eight to Chateaiunonnt, where, being innodnced to the 
coont, he said : " My lord, the king of France, die dukes of Ton- 
laroe and Boatb<m, with die lord de Coscy, are enming hither.'- 
" Tfet is troe," rqfied the coont : " why do yea mention it ?" '-I 
am come to tell it, because yon wiii be pressed to sell yocr heritage. 
ConsideT weS die snl^ect, as yoo have time beforehand." Tiie coont 
de Biois was much a ui pt i Mid at hearing this, and said : '^ I cannot 
{■eresl any OOB &am ^leaking to me, or o&iing {Hoposals ; bat, be. 
foie I coQsent to qglWng tny inheritance, frandnloidy disinheriting 
my heirs and didiaaorii^ n^self, I mtis: have neidieT plate nai por. 
rii^er of slver to pawn."' " My kjrd," repHed tbe knight, ^ remem- 
ber tioE when the time comes, for yotj wO see that all I have told 
yoa is trae." " Don't donbt it, bailiff,^ said the coont : " I am not 
so yocng oor so footi^ as to Imes to such jm^Msals.'' On th^ the 
basis' retsmed to Blms, where he resided, for he did not wi^ the 
coo^azzy he bad mentioced ^loold find him there. Two days after, 
the fcwig and his company arrived at Cfaateao-morant, to the great 
joy of the connt and coontess of Blois, at his visting them, and they 
entertained hfm splsodidlj. Use king, to win the auctions of the 
coont, and gain Mii over to his plan, said : " Fair cocsin, I see yoc 
fire the k»d in onr kingdom the most endowed with honor and libe- 
raliiy, and that inf<Kiser times yoa mtist have had large expenses : to 
assist and recOTipense yoti, we will grant too a tax on the cotmty cf 
Hois that shall be worth -wezrr thocsand fiancs." 

T5*e coot rstnmed his t^arik^ aad accepted the gift, which, how- 
eTK, was of no value to him, for he never received one peimy from 
it. After thfe, die matter of sale of the cocniy oi Biois was entered 
CB, &st by the king, and second by tbe duke of Boorbon : bat, find- 
ing the coont very cool and indifierect abotit it, they addresed them- 
edves to his lady ; aad reoiooaxaled with her, in specioos terms, 
lesfieetii^ the hnad ^>e incurred of beii^ reduced to a poor estate 
dnsld ste sarvive the eoont, as she had every appearance of doing : 
="»> it wooid be fat her advantage to have riches and jewels in l^eoty, 
which she might eaa.'y sectce, if ^le wonld persoade ba lord to i^ 
ten to 'Jie pn^oeels tliey had made tor die purdiase of the coanQr 
of Biois. The cosntes, &am her avaricioos dispositioa and her 
eagerness to receive the flotins, assented, and ptoc ui ed evervlhing 
ibey wanted, with the asastaoee of anodier peisoD, that is to say, 
a vsJet-de-charabre of <iie eomit, called S<^er, who was ti^ son 
of a dodi-woTker in &e town of Mechlin. This Sohier so com- 
piecely goTenKd-^ie connt, that everything was dene as be ordered, 
aad the cotmt had given him upward of five hnndred francs of yearly 
leieuue for er^. See die ntsehief of socfa cases, and how m^era- 
Wy sotne lords are governed ; for Sofaier had neither prodence cor 
teasB worth mentiamng, to deserve sach rewards, except the foc4ish 
pteasnre of hia lord, who >*^ T>W«>n a friendship to him. 

In tike ntaan^r, the dtike rf Beny had a wrathles fellow, called 
James Thibaot, 6as gcvemed him, to whom he bad, at difi ei eu t 
times, given two handred tfaoosaBd francs, which ke might as well 
have thrown i-^ti the river. If, therefore, S<Aier woaM hsve w^hcd to 
^~- ' °sa]elaii^p!aee,hecotJdnot,for, if he 

ts - ■ nave been doee ; bet to giatify the kiitg, 

lis w..^.; .„. i.' : Bcurbon, and the lord de CoDcy, as weQ 

2s ±e coticiess cf 6!ois, who, thrcsgh avarice, hadalteady e<n>sented 



to everrihmg, he urged on the count m private, and made him lotallv 

r- : everything he had promised his bailiif, and the reversion of -J.*- 
y c:' B;;is was sold few two hundred thousand francs, ani -•; 
T of Touraine was to take on himseif the payment of the cou- ;=;= 
ce Danois^ jointure of six thousand Canes. Cotmt Guy de Biois, 
indeed, reserved in this last sale the consent of the count de Hain- 
atiit, the lord pararaonnt <h these lands, but who would never insist 
on his homage fw them. The king oi France and the duke <rf Tou. 
raine, however, took on them to answer for the coiEequences, and 
before they left the coont they bound him so compiete-y in v^Titings 
sealed, that he could not in any way retract, for he had none to ad. 
vise him btit Sohier, who was illiterate, having never had any edu- 
cation, and he was already oa their side. 

In sach a maimer were these bargains concloded, which 1 have 
detailed as fully as I was able, that in intnre times the whole truth 
of the transaction may be made public, by means of these chron. 
icles. In good troth, my lord and patron, coont Guy de Blois, like 
an ignorant and iii-advised person, pushed on by his cotmtess and 
his valet-de-chambre, made these miserable sales. When everything 
was concluded relative to this business, to the satisfaction o: the king, 
the doke of Tooraine and their cconseJors, they tc-ok leave of the 
coont and retained to Paris. The news of these purchases made a 
great noise in many cotmtries, and astonished all who heard it. 

We will speak of sir Roger d'Espaign and sir Espaign da Lyon, 
and say how they prospered since they departed from Touis, on the 
road to Toulonse, where the bishop of Noyon and the lord de la Riviere 
were waiting for them. Their arrival at Toalotise gave great pleas- 
ure, for they had been long expected : they instantly waited on the 
commissioners from France, to show their papers, which they had 
received from the king, and which fully explained the scccesful 
issne of their jonmey. The bishop of Noyoa and the lord de la 
Riviere entertained them well, and showed they were much rejoiced 
at the succe^on, with all its dependencies, of the count de Foix, 
devolved on the viscount de Chateanbon, according to the tenure and 
form whereby the coimt of Gaston had held them, and in the man- 
ner detailed in the v^tien doctiments. After considering the busi- 
ness, they ihooght it advisable that sir Roger d'Espaign and sir 
Espaign da Lyon, who bad taken so much pains and inctsred so 
much labor in it, should wait on the viscotint de Chaieaobon and the 
councils OS Foix and Beam, to imorm them what had been agreed 
on, that ail things might be regaiarly managed, to brisg Lie whole 
to a happy conclusion. 

Tbe knights consented to this proposal, and, having refre^ed 
themselves two days in Toulouse, set oat for Saint Gaudens. The 
viscotmt was not there, but at a beaatiiiil castle, at the entrance of 
Beam, called Pan, where they round him. He was happy to see 
them, having long wished it, but much more so when he leamt that 
the ^-'ricr of France desised from tatiing possession of the county of 
Foix : he knew well where to find the money required for the repay- 
ment of the mortgage, and that enough would remain after this was 
done. 

I believe my readers, as well as myself, will think I have said 
enough respecting the a&irs of Foix and Beam : I will therefore 
leave ihem, and enter on other mitters ; for it wonld take op too 
much time to pttisne in detail everything that pased there on the 
retom oi the two knighs from France. To conclude, the viscotmt 
de Chateanbon was acknowledged count de Foix and Beam, on the 
same terms on which cotmt Gaston de Foix, of happy memory, bad 
held them,* and he received the homage of all who were his vassals. 
He satii^ied his two cousins, sir Evan and sir Gracien,t the bastards 
of Foix, by the handsome allotment he gave them of the inheritances 
and moveables of their father, and repaid to the commi^oners from 
France, the mortgage that was on Foix. Before all these things 
were accomplished, sommer was far advanced, and the bishop of 
Xovon remained at Tottlouse with the lord de la Riviere : for they 
wotild not depart tmtil everything was completely settled, to the 
honor and profit of the crown, according to the instmctioas they bad 
received from the king of France- 



CHAPTER XXXTI. 

A SRiXD iSESCBLT il AXTESS, OF THE S-^yS iSD LOESS OF FXAXCE 
ASD I35I-i5D, IQ TB£AI OF i FZACE BETWZES TaZ TWO nSS- 
DOXS. 

We win now speak erf the grand assembly of the lords of Fraitce 
and England, which was held ia the city of Amiens, to treat of a 
final peace between the two countries, at Mid-lent, ia the year of 
grace 1391. Great oreparations were made before tie arrival of the 
lords : and in particolar those made for the king, his three uncle^ 
I and manv of the great barons and prelates, were very sumptoooB. 
Odtc "ords were desiroos to make a figure : lor it was currently re. 
ported aad believed, that king Richard of England intenced being 
there in person, to form an acqttaintance with those he had never 



* Tte «^L^iMj ^ G^asobao w&s afknmrkdsed as sorezeigu of Beaia, br de 
I 111 ■■■Mill Hffr^~ '"'• ^"'' ^^^ He ir« HtniedU) tbe oairdmeKefrf 

Don Jol«k»gaf Aji»e««-— Ed. 

^ GrEixa waioBi TaheBm. de la Ct:i2. i i^^itfset of tbe ki:^ of CtsISc, a* 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, Ac. 



543 



jiet seen, but he did not come. Thai he had intentions of being 
tbere was certain, for he came as far a3 Dover with his three tuicies 
of Lancaster, York, and Gloucester, meaning to cross the sea with 
them. Many councils were heid at Dover, to debate whether the 
king should proceed further or not ; and the council, having con- 
sidered all things, decided he should remain in the castle of Dover, 
and the duke of Gloucester with him. The dokes of Lancaster and 
York, the earl of Himtingdon, the eari of Derby, sir Thomas Percy, 
the bishop of Durham, the bishop of London, and others of the king's 
cooncil, prepared to cross the channel. They did not all pass over 




of liancaster rode between the dukes of Beny 'txiI Burgandy, and 
when their horses moTed it was but a foot's pace. Their botsee" 
heads were in a line, which they to<^ care u> keep ; and thus these 
three passed the gates, riding very slowly and paying each other 
mato^ honors, to the palace of the bishop, where the king and the 
doke of Tooraine were. Having dismoonted, they ascended the 
ste|» ; and the dukes of Berry and Bojgimdy, taking the Ea^isb 
dukes by their hands, led ihem toward the Ung of France, ibe otliet 
lords following. 

When in die presence of the king, the three dokes who supported 
the uncles of the kiiig of Rnj'an.^, 
and the odier French hxis, cast 
themselves oo dieir knees ; bet die 
two Kngiiali dizkes remained as they 
were, inclining gently their beads 
in hoot? of the king. The tma 
instantly advaaced to them, took 
dieir bands and bade his uncles and 
the other lords rise, and then en- 
tered inu a friendly conveisatio!! 
with them, as did the barons of 
France with those of EngUnd. Ai 
ter this first interview, the lords pt 
England took their leave rf tise 
king, his brother and uncles, and 
were attended as far as the steps of 
tie pi!ace,when they moonted tfeir 
horses, and were ^carted to thai 
hotels by the constable of France, the 
lord de Coscv, the cotmi de St. Pol, 
sir John de Vienne, and the oier 
lords of France, who diere to-jfc 



AsstiiBL I or THE FRzycs Eisre asd th* I-oai>= or Frasce ^tsd E5Gi.t.vr . t 
TWO KissDOSi. Fr&m a MS- of FTosean of the Flr.tT 



instantiv, bat sent their purveyances forward, and then crossed iem. 
fielves to Calais- where they were lodged. When the day approached 
for the meeting at Amiens, these lords set oat from Calais together: 
they were mort than two hundred horse, and it was a fine sight, for 
they rode in handsome array. The feinj of France had given orders 
&at, during the time the conferences should last, all the expenses of 
the English, in comiog to and returning from Amiens to Calais, 
should be defrayed by his treasurr ; that is to say, their noiuishment 
as well as that of their horses. 

In company with the dokes of Lancaster and York was their 
niece, daughter of their sister and the lord de Coucj : she was styled 
duchess of Ireland, having been married to that doke, as you have 
lieard. This young lady came to visit her father at Amiens ; for 
hitherto she had seen but little of him, which naturally made her 
more anxious to wait on him. She travelled in good state, but like 
a widow who had enjoyed but litde pleasure in her marriage. It 
had been ordered by the king and council of France, that the Eng- 
lish lords who were coming to .Amieiis to arrange a solid peace, 
should be received with the greatest honors ; and that the four dukes 
then at Amiens, namely, the dokes of Toiiraine, Berry, Btagundy 
and Bourbon, should ride without the town to meet and bid them 
welcome. As soon, therefore, as the English were near .\mi>'^- 
these dokes, attended by all the great barotis of France, ro<^- lorth 
in grand array. The duke of Toaraine took the lead, in t»<sat state, 
and, when he met his cousins of England, they mn'»''-'5' saluted 
each other, with every respect, as such lords i^^^ tow to do. 
When the duke of Toiirsine had conversed a •=iort ti™e ^-'^ them, 
he took his leave, returned to the town with ^^^ nnmerons attendanE, 
and dismounted at the palace of the bbWP' where die king resided, 
remaining nith him in his chamber 

The odier three dukes, after 5^e deparrore of the doke of Ton- 
raine, rede each with his ar^y to meet the English lords : and, on 
their meeting, many old ^cquiintances were renewed with a satis- 
faction such as was = pleasure to behold. When these dokes had 
conversed a litdf, die gallant cotmt-dauphia of .\uvergne (who. 
daring the time he was a hcetage in England, had lived moch with 
the duke of Lancaster, and bore tiim great afiecrion) advanced his 
horse, and saluted him : the duke uf Lsncaster no sooner recollected 
him than he pressed Vi'm in his arms, and showed him every sign of 
fiiendship ; their conversation was interrupted by the dukes oi Berry 
and Burgundy, who joined the duke of Lancaster, The dcke of 
Bourbon, the lord de Coacy and the count de St. Poi, rode with the 
duke of York, the earl of Huntiagdon and sir Thomas Percy, con- 
versing all the way as they approached Atniens. At the entrance 
of the city, the honors paid the English were increased ; for the doke 



^ p£ACZ 22T^Ztv TSZ 



ants, at her father the lord de dm-- 
cy's hdteL 

It had been forbidden by d>e king 
and cotmcil, (and pobiie proclama- 
ncm had been made before the am- 
val of the Fjigiiah, diat no one mi^t 
plead ignorance,) that any outrages 
whatever be conmutted dnring tise 
holding of these conferences cnder 
pain of death, or any quaireliing with the Euglish, or riot, arjir^ their 
stay in the city of Amieiis. All knight and s<;Tnres were scietjy com. 
mandedby the kii^, tinder pain of it: — :"r "" "\'"-stion, not ic 

lalk of, or propose, any deeds of arms ; "e from Eng- 

land, bttt to treat them with the otmoe'. . - . -;«i wherever 

they should meet, in the fields, the palace, orin'^""rcn : that no pages 
nor vatlets of any lords of Fiance cause ri** or (jtianeu in the urns, 
under pain cf losing their heads ; and Aat whatever die Ei^iisb 
knights or squires mi^t ask for shotil^ be imm eciateiy given liieOL z 
that no innkeeper rfould demacd paynwnt lot meat or drink, oc 
other common necessaries. It was «^3o fwbidden any knight or 
squire of France to be »at at niyht witbont a torch ; but the Engliak 
might do so, if ther l^eased ,• and if any Esg'iishman were foand oa 
the it»ds, or ix any otter place, having lost his way, be sfaonld be 
courteoDsly condor*^ to where he lodged. 

Four fuanls "^ one thoosand men each, were statiened at the foar 
squares of unieos ; and, shoold there be a fire doting die night is 
any part J* the town, these gnards were not to move on any accoam 
fVom <^^ posts ; bet, when the fite-bell rang, those appmnted to 
tb" duty were to hasten to extinguish it. It was likewise ordered, 
jiat no knight or squire should advance from hfe place to qieak wilk 
the king, utiles caEed or spoken to by his inaj^*y ; and that, dimns 
the time the English barons were in the king's presence, no kn^K 
or squire converse togedier nor addre^ the Engli^. It was c<hii- 
manded, under heavy penaldes, that no innkeeper, or others, steal oc 
pat aside, through avarice, any of the bows or arrows of the English : 
bot if, out of coortesy, the Fna^idi thought pn^r to give any Co 
diem, they might accept soch presente. 

Yoa must know, that all tfa^ orders and resnlaoaos were fomied 
with great deliberation of cotmdl, to do the more honoi' to die &g- 
lisn, who were come to n^otiate a peace, and prodaimed several 
times, that they might be stricdy attended to ; f«r, if tbey w«e 
infringed, those guilty oi it wete to have been ponisfaed wiiimbc 
merry. 

Every day, conferences were held with ihe Sogtisb lords, witb 
scarcely any interndssioD. dann? the fortnight they stayed at Amiens, 
without coming to anv concltision. for the difierence was too gieax in 
their demands. The French would have Calais tared to the grosnd, 
so that it should never again be habitable. Tlie Knglish wooid not 
listen to this, nor dared they consent to ench an arade in tje treaty ; 
for the commons of England love Calais moe dian any odser town 
in the woild, saying, that as long as tbey are masters oi Calais, Atf 
carry the keys o( France at their girdle. However great tbs diS*. 
ence between the lord? of Ei^Und and France In these matters, aai, 
the length of time they were occtmied on diem, they separated wit 



514 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAI-N, &,c. 



great good humor on both sides from the conference, saying, " We 
will again meet to-morrow on this business ; and we hope, through 
our dili»ence, to bring the matter at last to a happy conclusion." 
The kin" of France entertained the lords of England three times 
mxist magnificently at dinner in the episcopal palace. The duke of 
Touraine, the duke of Berry, the duke of Burgundy, the duke of 
Bourbon, the lord de Coucy, the count de Saint Pol, gave each a 
dinner to the English commissioners. Whatever the English wanted 
was delivered them, free of cost, by clerks who were appointed to 
take an account of all things they had, which they referred to the 
king's exchequer for payment. 

You must know, that although the dukes of Lancaster and York 
were at Amiens, they had received such instructions from the king 
of England and his council, that they could not add to nor alter any 
of the terms of the treaty they had been charged with. Many per. 
sons will not readily believe what I am about to say, though it is 
strictly true, which is, that the English are fonder of war than of 
peace. During the reign of king Edward of happy memory, and in 
the lifetime of his son, the prince of Wales, they made such grand 
conquests in France, and by their victories and ransoms of towns, 
castles and men, gained such wealth, that the poorest knights became 
rich ; and those who were not gentlemen by birth, by gallantly haz. 
arding themselves in these wars, were ennobled for their valor and 
wealth. Those who came after them were desirous of following 
the same road, although sir Bertrand du Guesclin and many other 
knights of France, as has been related in this history, by their valor 
and prudence had greatly changed the face of the English possessions 
in France since the times of king Edward and his eon. Even the 
duke of Gloucester, son of king Edward, inclined to the opinion of 
the commons, as did many other knights and squires, who were de. 
sirous of war to enable them to support their state. This caused 
great diiEculties in forming any treaty of final peace, notwithstanding 
the king of England was earnest about it. By him and the duke of 
Lancaster were these conferences holden, in the city of Amiens ; 
but they were fearful of angering the commons of England : they 
indeed would have consented to a peace, it* the French would have 
restored all that had been given them by the treaty of Bretigny, and 
paid the arrears of fourteen hundred thousand francs, which were 
unsettled when they recommenced the war. 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 

THE FRENCH AND ENGLISH LORDS, NOT BEING ABLE TO AGREE ON THE 
TERMS OF PEACE, PROLONG THE TRUCE ONE YEAR. THE ENGLISH, ON 
THEIR RETDRN, ARE ACCOMPANIED BY THE LORD DE OHATEAU-MOKANT, 
TO BRING BArK THE KING OF ENGLAND'S FINAL ANSWER. 

The conferences were held at Amiens, respecting a peace, with 
great perseverance and attention on the part of the lords commission- 
ers of each nation, it was wondered why the matter failed ; for 
the duke of Burgundy ai4 the duke of Lancaster were much in 
earnest to bring it to a happj conclusion, reserving always what was 
contained in their private instractions, which they dared not go be. 
yond. The French, perceiving the English were obstinate in their 
terms, in order to soften them offoi-ed, if vViey would consent to raze 
Calais, the peaceable possession of wtim they n.<.n held in Aquitaine, 
■with nine bishoprics, independent of all oiKer jurisdictions, and pay- 
ment of the fourteen thousand franks within tlit«e yeau. The duke 
of Lancaster and his council replied : " We have remaitied here a 
long time without concluding anything, nor shall we^ble to finish 
the business without returning to England, and reporting y, ihe king 
our lord, and the three estates of the realm, what you have i^w pro. 
posed. Be assured, that my brother York and myself will use o-.ery 
diligence, as well as our council who have attended us hither, i„ 
ending the matter according to our and your wishes, with the excep. 
tjoji of what you demand concerning Calais ; but that we dare not 
mention, without incurring the hatred of the people. It will be 
therefore better to remain silent, than to say what would bring blame 
and hatred against us." The king of France was tolerably satisfied 
with this answer, as were his uncles : they said, that if, when returned 
to England, they would exert themselves to obtain peace, a trifle on 
their part should not prevent it ; for the war had lasted too long, and 
caused numberless misfortunes to both countries. 

During the assembly at Amiens, the commissioners bethought 
themselves, that as the truce between France and England would 
e.tpire on St. John Baptist's day, they might prolong it, for themselves 
and their allies, without any blame, for one year longer, by sea and 
land. With regard to the determination that might be given by the 
parliament to their proposals, they desired to send two knights with 
them to England, to bring back the final answer. To this the dukes 
of Lancaster and York readily assented. 

I was told and believe truly, from the appearances I observed, that 
the king of France was very desirous of peace at almost any rate ; 
for there were reports current throughout France, that Amurat* had 
invaded with a powerful army of Turks, the kingdom of Hungary. 
The intelligence had been brought by the elder lord Boucicaut, mar. 
shal of France, and sir John de Carouge, who were lately returned 
from Greece and parts of Turkey. 



The king of France, when younger, had an anxious wish to im- 
dertake an expedition against Amurat, and recover Armenia, whick 
the Turks had siized from king L^on, who was then present at the 
conferences at Amiens. He had stated his grievances to the dukes 
of Lancaster and York, who knew him well, for he had been in 
England to offer his mediation for peace between the two countries, 
when the king of France was encamped near Sluys. The king of 
France, weighing this invasion of the Turks in his mind, and hia 
former promises of support to the king of Armenia, thus spoke to 
the duke of Lancaster when he took his leave ; " Fair cousin, if peace 
shall be established between us and the king of England, we may 
undertake an expedition to Turkey, to assist the king of Armenia 
and the emperor of Constantinople,* whom Amurat presses very hard, 
and recover Armenia from the hands of the Turks. They tell us 
that Amurat is a man of great valor and enterprise, but of a sect 
contrary to our faith, which he daily oppresses : we ought, therefore, 
to unite in its defence ; and I entreat, fair cousin, that you will con. 
sider of it, and do everything you can to promote this expedition 
when returned to England." The duke of Lancaster promised to 
comply with his request, and to exert himself so strongly in the matter 
that the effects would soon be apparent. Upon this they took leave 
of each other. 

The conferences at Amiens lasted fifteen days, and the lords from 
England were the first to separate. They carried with them the out- 
lines of a treaty, to lay before the king of England and his council. 
The duchess of Ireland bade adieu to her father, the lord de Coucy, 
and accompanied her uncles on their return. All the English, on 
their road to and from Calais, and while at Amiens, need not to have 
expended a farthing unless they chose it, for the king had ordered 
their whole expenses to be defrayed by his officers. The duke of 
Burgundy went to Arras, where he met his duchess, who, during 
the time of the conferences, had visited Flanders. The dukes of 
Touraine, Berry, and Bourbon remained with the king, whose inten- 
tion it was to go to Beauvais and Gisors, to amuse himself, and re- 
turn that way to Paris. 

In company with the dukes of Lancaster and York, were the two 
French knights who were sent to England by orders from the king of 
France ; their names were sir John de Chdteaumorant and sir Taupin 
de Cantemerle ; and they were to bring back the final answer of the 
king and council of England respecting a general peace. The Eng- 
lish dukes were escorted to Calais by sir Reginald de Roye, the lord 
de Montaurel and the lord de la Vieville, who then took their leave 
and returned. The English crossed the channel at their leisure, to 
Dover, where they found the king and duke of Lancaster waiting for 
them. A grand council was holden by the king and his lords on all 
that had passed at Amiens ; the king was well pleased with what 
his uncles had done there ; but the duke of Gloucester, who was 
always against any treaty with France, declared, that not any propo- 
sitions for peace could be determined on till they were laid before 
the parliament, which ought instantly to be summoned ; and what. 
ever measure the three estates of the realm should resolve on, that 
ought to be adopted, and none other. 

This proposal of the duke of Gloucester was agreed to : indeed 
they dared not oppose him, for he was too popular with the commons 
of England. The French knights were told that they must continue 
their journey to London, otherwise they could not obtain any answer. 
They were willing to consent to this, as was right, and set out with 
the king and his lords, the greater part of whom went to London ; but 
the king turned off at Dartford, and took the road to Eltham, where 
he had a handsome palace. He there staid some little time with the 
queen, and they came together to Shene,+ and thence to Windsor, 
where the French knights received an answer : but before I say what 
that answer was, I must speak of the king of France. 



CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

the FIRST -LLNESS OF KING CHARLES. COUNT BERNARD d'aRMAGNAO 
DOES HOMAG.. jo xHE KING. THE LORD DE CHATEADMORANT. KETDHHS 
FROM ENGLAND ,r[XH AN ANSWER RESPECTING PEACE. 

After the conferenct™ atAmiens,the king of France, unfortunately, 
and through his imprudei>ce, was seized with a burning fever, for 
which he was advised to change the air. He was put into a litter 
and carried to Beauvais, where ho remained in the bishop's palace 
until cured. His brother, the duke oc Touraine, and his uncles of 
Berry and Bourbon, attended him consiuitly, and there kept their 
Easter. When the king was perfectly recovo.red, and able to ride, 
he went to Gisors, at the entrance of Normandy, for the pleasure of 
hunting, as there are many large forests in the neighborhood. Du- 
ring his residence at Gisors, sir Bernard d'Armagnac, brother to the 
count who died in Itally, came tliither in handsome state, accompa. 
nied by the dauphin of Auvergne, whom he met at Pari^. As he 
held the counties of Armagnac and Rodez from the crown of France, 
he paid the king homage for them, in the usual manner of vassals to 
their lord paramount for the fiefs they hold. He became now the 
king of France's man, and, having had the articles of homage properly 
drawn out and engrossed, he and the dauphin took leave of the king. 



' Amurat died the some year, and was succaedod by Bojazet.— Ed. 



• fimanuol Paleolo«ue.— Ed. 



t Richmond. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



and returned to Auvcrgne and Languedoc. About Aecension-day, 
the king came to Paris in perfect health, and fixed his rssidence at 
the h6tel de Saint Pol, which had been prepared tor him, the queen, 
and the duchess of Touraine having arrived there before him. 

The lord de Chiteaumorant and sir Taupin dc Cantemerlc were 
all this time waiting in England for an answer. They had attended 
the fea?t of Saint George at Windsor, where was a brilliant com- 
pany of barons, and the king's uncles. The lords who had been at 
Amiens consulted together, on the proniLses they had made the king 
of France, as well as in respect to an answer tor the two knights, 
who were very pressing to have one, and leave to return home. 
After considering the matter, they thus addressed them : ** You 
Chateaumorant, and you Cantemerle, must know, that at this mo. 
ment we cannot obtain any answer for you to carry to the king of 
France. It will be a long time before the parliament will take up 
the matter, for it does not meet before Michaelmas. But to acquit 
Ourselves, and to excuse you, we will write letters fully explanatory 
of the delay ; and if you, or any others, will return hither during the 
sitting of parliament, you shall receive such answer as the three 
estates of the kingdom shall think proper to give." The French 
knights hearing this, and seeing no probability of having any other 
answer, replied, " In the name of God, we are satisfied with what 
you now say : write and seal your letters, and we will set out on our 
retuj'n." This being done, they took leave of the king, and went to 
London to make preparations for their departure. The king ordered 
all their expenses to be paid, and had them conducted to Dover, 
where the bailiff had provided a vessel for them and their horses ; 
but they were detained at Dover five days waiting for a wind. On 
the sixth it was favorable, and they landed at Boulogne. They 
took their road through Amiens, and by short days' journeys arrived 
at Paris, when they found the king and his lords, for it was Whit. 
Buntide. They delivered their letters, which were immediately read, 
but I believe no great reliance was put on them ; and in a short 
time, they had other affairs of greater consequence at home to at. 
tend to. 

CHAPTER XXXIX. 

SIR PETER DE CRAON, THROUGH MALEVOLENCE, WAYLAYS SIR OLIVER DE 
CLISSON, BEATS AND SEVERELY WOUNDS HIM. THE KING AND COUNCIL 
ARE GREATLY ANGERED THEREAT. 

You have before heard how sir Peter de Craon, a knight of high 
birth and great wealth, was disgraced by the king of France and his 
brother, as well as the reasons for it ; and that having retired to the 
court of Brittany, the duke had assured him that sir Oliver de Clis. 
eon was at the bottom of this business. Some supposed the duke 
had been instigated to say this from his hatred to the constable, 
whom he wished to dishonor and destroy. While sir Peter de Craon 
was with the duke of Brittany, they had frequent conversations on 
what means they would employ to put sir Oliver to death ; for they 
said, that if he were but destroyed, no one would seek to revenge 
his loss ; and the duke expressed his regret he had not put him to 
death when in his castle of Ermine, adding, he would willingly give 
one hundred thousand francs if he could once more have him in his 
possession. Sir Peter de Craon, observing the mortal hatred of the 
duke to Clisson, thought of an extraordinary expedient when medi- 
tating alone on this subject, for it is from appearances we must judge. 
He resolved, whatever might be the consequences, that he would 
himself assassinate the constable, or have it done under his own 
eyes, and not attend to anything until the deed were performed, 
when he would afterwards treat for his pardon. Ho was no way 
afraid of what John of Blois or the viscount de Rohan, who had 
married the constable's two daughters, could do against him : he 
held them very cheap, for, with the assistance of the duke and his 
family connections, he could withstand them both. The house of 
Blois was much weakened, and the count Guy de Blois had just sold 
the reversion of that county to the duke of Touraine, which by suc- 
cession, ought to have descended to John of Brittany, who had in 
this sale been very unkindly treated by the count de Blois. Now, 
if the constable were slain, by degrees he would soon get the better 
of the favorites of the king and the duke of Touraine, such as the 
lord de la Riviere, sir John le Mcrcier, Montagu, le b6gue de Vil. 
laines, sir John de Bueil, and others in the king's confidence ^vho 
were friends of the constable, and whom the dukes of Berry and 
Burgundy detested, notwithstanding the outward marks of frienJ- 
ehip they showed them. 

Sir Peter de Craon persevered in his abominable desi^"^* urged 
on by that enemy who never sleeps, and who deligh'* i" ''is heart 
of the wicked man that is inclined toward him. H* regularly formed 
his whole plan, in the manner I shall mention f &"». had he foreseen 
the great evils and mischiefs that ensued fr^m them, it is to be hoped 
reason and temperance would have ™(ed in his heart to prevent 
them from being put into execn'^n. It is truly said, that a too 
great desire to accomplish ap object clouds the understanding, and 
that vicious inclinations p*errule virtue. Thus it happened to sir 
Peter de Craon, whos« eagerness to destroy the constable made him 
listen to the coup^ls of folly and madness. He had secured a safe 
retreat with tl'C duke of Brittany, after the deed should be done and 
the constaMe dead, without fear of any search being there made for 



545 

him, for the duke had promised him an asylum ; and, should the 
king of France follow him with a powerful army to Brittany, in 
one night he could embark and sail for Bayonne, Bordeaux, or Eng- 
land, where ho could not come after him. The English mortally 
hated Clisson, from his great severity to them from the time he had 
turned to the French : before that period ho was strongly connected 
with them, and had done the crown essential services, as you have 
had it related in this history. 

Sir Peter de Craon long brooded over this intended deed, without 
mentioning it to any one : I know not if he even told it to the duke 
of Brittany. Some think he nmst have disclosed it to him ; but 
others thought the contrary : the first opinion, however, was strength- 
ened, if not confirmed, by sir Peter and his accomplices returning 
by the shortest road, and as expeditiously as possible, to Brittany, 
instantly after the assassination, as to a place of refuge. In addition 
to this, he sold all the castles and estates he held in Anjou to the 
duke of Brittany, and had renounced his allegiance to the king oi 
France, under pretence of taking a journey to the Holy Land. I 
shall not say more of these surmises, but relate the fact ; for I, the 
author of this history, was at Paris when this misfortune happened 
to sir Oliver de Clisson, and ought, therefore, to be well informed 
from the inquiries I made concerning it. 

You must know, that at this period sir Peter de Craon had a 
very handsome house near the churchyard of Saint John at Paris,* 
like other great lords, to receive him, when he came to that city. 
This hdtel was, in his absence, under the care of a house.steward ; 
and, during the last Lent season, he had sent varlets thither for hia 
service, with orders to lay in a large store of wines, and all sorts of 
provision. He had likewise written to the steward to purchase for 
liim armor, such as coats of mail, gauntlets, steel helmets, and otlier 
things sufficient for forty men, and to let him know when they were 
provided, that he might send for them, but to observe the greatest 
secrecy in the business. The steward, thinking no harm, obeyed 
the orders, and provided the armor; during which time, sir Peter 
resided at a handsome castle of his in Anjou, called Sabl^, from 
whence he sent at different times four or more determined fellows, 
in the most secret manner possible, to his hdtel in- Paris. He said 
to them nothing more when they left him, but, " When you arrive 
at my house in Paris, make yourselves comfortable, and ask the 
house.steward for whatever you may want, who will instantly give 
it to you ; but do not, on any account, pass the gates or show your- 
selves. I will one day satisfy you well for your obedience, and pay 
you handsome wages." Upon this, they departed, and journeyed to 
Paris, which they entered at their pleasure ; for in those days the 
gates were never shut night or day. At length, they amounted to 
forty courageous bravos, for such were what sir Peter wanted. 
There were several among them who, had they known the business 
they were engaged in, would not have come ; but sir Peter took good 
care not to betray his secret. About the feasts of Whitsuntide, sir 
Peter de Craon came to his h6tel in Paris, not in state, but as pri- 
vately as his men had done. On his arrival, he asked for the porter, 
and said : " I command thee, under pain of having thy eyes thrust 
out, not to admit either man or woman into the h6tel, nor permit any 
one to go out, without my special orders." The porter, as well aa 
the house-steward, promised obedience. He shut up in their cham- 
bers the wife of the latter, her children and the chambermaid. He 
was in the right to do this. Had these women or children gone into 
the street, his arrival would have been known : for young children 
and women naturally tell all they see, and "'hat is intended to be 
concealed. Thus, as I have related, wmc the whole of his people 
confined within the walls of the h^iel, until the feast of the holy 
sacrament. You may suppose, ('lat sir Peter had his spies fully em- 
ployed to bring him intelligeJice ; but it was not until the eve of this 
feast he found a fit opportunity u execute his scheme, which had 
vexed him much. 

It happened that, on '-''^ feast of the holy sacrament, the king of 
France kept an ope" court at the hdtel de St. Pol, where he enter- 
tained all baron^ and lofds who were in Paris. He was in high en- 
joyment, as ivere the queen and the duchess of Touraine : to add to 
their a--uusements, after the dinner, lists were prepared witlrin the 
coi'iis of the hotel, and young knights and squires, ready armed and 
mounted for tilting, came thither, and justed very gallantly. The 
tiltina"> were well performed, to the delight of the king and queen, 
Udies, and damsels, and lasted until the evening. The prize for the 
best tilter was adjudged by the queen, the duchess of Touraine, and 
the ladies and heralds appointed to the office, to sir William de Flan- 
dree, count de Namur. The king entertained at supper, in the hd- 
tel de St. Pol, every knight who wished to partake of it; and, 
afterwards, the dancings continued until one o'clock in the morning. 
When these were over, every one retired to his home, without guard 
and without suspicion. Sir Oliver de Clisson remained the last; 



* *■ The street of the M.iuvais-garcon?. in the rue des Boucheriei, took its name from 
a sign. With regard to the other rue des Muuvais-gar^x)ns, which leads fjom the rue 
de la Verrcrie to that of la TLxeranderie, it was formerly called rue de Chartron : but 
when the lords de Craon built a house tliere, which is now a churchyard, it was called 
rue de Craon, to the time wlien Peter de Craon liid himseirand accomplices within it, to 
assassinate sir Oliver de Clisson. The street then changed its name, and was called la 
rue des Mauvais-garcons. The hotel was, by orders from the king, razed to the ground, 
and the spot given to the ciuiich-wardens of St. John, to enlarge their churchyard. — 
Sauval, .'IntiQuitis de Paris. 



546 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



and, when he had taken leave of the king, he returned to the apart. 
ment of the duke of Touraine, and asked, " My lord, shall you stay 
here to-night, or do you go to Poulain's?-' This Foulain was treas. 
urer to the duke of Touraine, and lived at the Croix du Tiroir, near 
the Silver Lion. The duke replied : " Constable, I am not deter- 
mined whether I shall stay or not ; but do you go, for it is high time 
to retire." " My lord, God give you a good night !" said sir Oliver, 
and went away. He found his servants and horses waiting for him 
in the square before the hotel ; but they had not more than eight or 
ten torches, which the varlets lighted. When t-!ie constable was 
mounted, and the torches were borne before him, he rode down the 
broad street of St. Catherine. 

Sir Peter de Craon's spies had this day exerted themselves, and he 
knew every particular relative to the constable : of his staying behind 
the rest of the company, the exact number of his horses and attend- 
ants. He had, in consequence, quitted his hotel with his men all 
mounted and secretly armed ; but there were not six of them who 
knew what his real intentions were. He had advanced to the cause, 
way, near the place of St. Catherine, where he and his people lay 
hid, waiting for the constable to pass. As soon as the constable had 
left the street of St. Pol, and turned into the square of the great 
street, advancing a foot's pace, with a torch on each side to light 
him, he began a conversation with one of his squires, saying : " I am 
to have at dinner, to.morrow, my lord of Touraine, the lord de 
Coucy, sir John de Vienne, sir Charles d'Angers, the baron d'lvry, 
and several more : be sure take care they have all things comforta- 
ble, and let nothing be spared." As he said this, sir Peter de Craon 
and his company advanced, and, without saying a word, fell on the 
constable's attendants and extinguished the torches. The constable, 
hearing the clatter of the horses behind him, thought it was the duke 
of Touraine who was playing him a trick, and cried out : " My lord, 
by my faith, this is very ill done ; but I excuse it, for you are so 
young you make a joke of everything." At these words, sir Peter 
de Craon, drawing his sword front the scabbard, said : " Death, 
death! Clisson, you must die." " Who art thou," said Clisson, "that 
utterest such words?" "lam Peter de Craon, thy enemy, whom 
thou hast so often angered, and thou shalt now pay for it." Then, 
calling to his people, he said : " Advance, advance ! I have found 
him I was in search of, and whom I have long wanted to seize." 
He then struck him several blows, and his men, drawing their 
swords, fell on him. Sir Oliver was quite unarmed, having only a 
short cutlass, not two feet long, which, however, he drew, and de. 
fended himself with it as well as he could. His servants, being quite 
defenceless, were soon dispersed. Some of sir Peter's men asked, 
if they were to murder all ? " Yes," replied he, " all who put 
themselves in a posture of defence." They could not resist the 
attack, for they were but eight, and without armor. Sir Peter's men 
fully intended to murder the constable, and their master wished noth. 
ing more than to see it done ; but, as I heard from some of those 
who had been in this attack, tlie moment they learnt that the person 
they were assassinating was the constable of France, their arms be- 
came, as it were, nerveless through surprise, and their blows were 
given weakly and through fear : for in perpetrating wickedness none 
are bold. 

The constable parried the blows tolerably well with his short cut. 
lass ; but his defence would have been of no avail, if God's provi- 
dence had not protected him. He kept steady on horseback some 
time, until he was villainously struck on the back part of his head, 
which knocked him off his horse. In his fall, he hit against the 
hatch of a baker's door, who was already up to attend to his busi- 
ness and bake his bread. Having heard the noise of horses on the 
causeway and high words, i\u> baker had, fortunately for the con- 
stable, half opened the hatch ; and sir Oliver, falling against it, burst 
it quite open and rolled into the shop Those on horseback could 
not follow him, as the entrance was ne>it<er wide nor high enough, 
and besides, they did their work like cowards, it must be owned for 
truth, that God showed great favor to the conataW.^ ; if he had not 
exactly fallen against the hatch, er if it had been closed, he would 
infallibly have lost his life, and have been trampled to deiLth by the 
horses, for they were afraid to dismount. Several of them imagined 
even sir Peter de Craon and the person who had hit him, that tKc 
blow on his head which unhorsed him must cause his death : sir 
Peter, therefore, said : " Come, let us away : we have done enough : 
if he be not dead, he never can recover from the last blow, which 
was given by a lusty arm." On saying this, they collected together 
and left the place at a good trot, and were soon at the gate of Saint 
Anthony, which they passed, and gained the fields; for since the 
battle of Rosebeeque, ten years ago, the gates were never shut. 
The Parisians had then their mallets taken from them by the con- 
stable, and many of the citizens punished and fined for their impru- 
dent conduct, aa I have fully narrated. 



CHAPTER XL. 

THE KING or FRANCE SENDS HIS OWN PHYSICIANS AND SDBSEONS TO 
VISIT THE CONSTABLE DHRINS THE NIGHT. HE ORDERS THE PRO. 
VOST OF PARIS TO PURSUE SIR PETER DE CRAON, WHO HAD FLED 
FOR REFUGE TO THE DUKE OF BRITTANY. SOME OF HIS MEN, HAV. 
ING REMAINED AT PARIS, ARE EXECUTED. 

Thus was sir Oliver de Clisson left for dead at the baker's, who 
was much frightened when he leanit it was th6 constable. Sir 
Oliver's attendants, who had been little hurt, for sir Peter de Craon's 
men were only bent on killing their master, collected together as 
well as they could, and dismounting before the baker's door, entered 
the shop, where they found their lord severely wounded on the head, 
and his face covered with blood. They were, as may be supposed, 
greatly alTected, and with tears and groans bewailed his loss, for at 
the first moment they thought he was a dead man. 

News of this v.'as carried to the king at the h6tel de Saint Pol, 
just as he was going into bed. In much alarm, they said, " Ah, 
sire I we dare not conceal from you a shocking event that has just 
happened in Paris." " What event ?" asked the king. " Your 
constable, sir Oliver de Clisson, is murdered." "Murdered!" re. 
peated the king. " How ? and who has done it ?" " Sire, that we 
do not know ; but this misfortune has befallen him hard by, in the, 
great street of St. Catherine." " Come, quickly light torches, for I 
will go and see him," replied the king. The torches being ready, 
the varlets bore them before ; and the king threw only a cloak over 
him, while the shoes were putting on his feet. The men.at.anna 
and ushers of the guard of the palace escorted him. Those who 
were gone to bed, on hearing W'hat had passed, instantly dressed 
themselves to follow the king, who had left the h6tel de Saint Pol in 
such haste, that sir Walter Martel and sir John de Lignac were the 
only chamberlains that attended him, for he would not wait for oth- 
ers, and thus he walked at a good pace with torches before and be. 
hind him. In this manner he arrived at the baker's shop, which he 
entered ; but the chamberlains, with many torches, staid without. 
The king found his constable nearly in the state he had heard him 
to be in, except that he was not dead ; for his servants had stripped 
him to see if he had received many wounds, and where they had 
been given. The first words the king said, were, " Constable, how 
faros it with you ?" " Dear sire," replied he, " but so so, and very 
weak." " And who has put you in this state V " Sire, Peter de 
Craon and his accomplices have traitorously, and without the small- 
est suspicion, attacked me." " Constable,'' said the king, " noth- 
ing shall ever be more severely punished than this crime, nor can any 
sufferings make amends for it : run quickly," added the king, " for 
doctors and surgeons." These were before sent for; and they 
arrived from all quarters, particularly those attached to the king's 
person. On their arrival, the king was well pleased, and said, 
" Attend well to my constable, and tell me what state he is in ; for 
I am sorely grieved at his misfortune." The doctors, having declared 
they would, examined him all over, the king being present, who 
was greatly angered at this event ; he asked, " If there were any 
danger of death V The doctors unanimously replied, " Sire, cer- 
tainly not ; and, within fifteen days, we will restore him well enough 
to ride on horseback." This answer pleased the king, who said, 
" God be praised, this is excellent news." Then addressing himself 
to the constable, added : " Take care of yourself, and do not think 
of this or other business ; no crime shall be more rigorously pun- 
ished than that of these traitors : they shall pay for it as if it were 
done to myself." The constable faintly answered, " May God repay 
you all, and for your kindness in this visit." 

On this, the king took leave and returned to his palace, and sent 
for the provost of Paris, who made no long delay before he arrived, 
for it was now quite day. When the provost entered, the king said: 
" Take with you a body of armed men, and pursue that traitor, Peter 
de Craon, who has treacherously assassinated, and nearly murdered, 
our constable. You cannot do us a more agreeable service than to 
take him and bring him before us." The provost replied : " Sire, I 
will do everything in my power ; but what road do you suppose he 
may have taken?" " Inquire, and make good dihgence," said the 
liing. At that time, the four principal gates of Paris were always 
open night and day : this regulation had been observed from the 
time the king returned from Flanders, after defeating the Flemings 
at the battle of Rosebeeque, and when the Parisians, showing symp. 
toms of rebeUion, had their mallets taken from them. In order the 
more easii/ to chastise the Parisians, sir Oliver de Clisson had ad- 
vised the chair.,, to be taken from across the streets, and the gates 
ofi' their lunges, wv.ich had been done ; and the gates had been, for 
the last ten years, lyi«a against the walls, so that any one might 
enter, or go out of Paris, ut gU hours. Now, observe how the sea- 
sons repay, sir Oliver reapeQ -irhat he had sown himself: had the 
gates and chains remained, sir Pemr de Craon would not have dared 
to commit this outrage, for he could nt-ier have got out of Paris; but 
knowing he could set off at any hour, tic was encouraged thus to 
disgrace himself. When he left the constable, he concluded he was 
dead, or at least that he would never recover ; but it was not so, as 
you have heard, to his great mortification. He quitted Paris by St. 
Anthony's gate, about one o'clock in the mornijig, and, as .^ome say, 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



547 



crossed the Seine at the bridge of Charenton, and continued liis road 
to Chartres ; but, according to others, after going out of Paris, he 
returned by the gate of St. Honors, under Montmartre, and crossed 
the Seine at Ponton. Whicliever way he passed the river, he ar. 
rived at Chartres at eight o'clock in the morning, with some of the 
best mounted of his accomplices. All did not follow but took differ- 
ent routes, and in small companies, to avoid being taken in the pur- 
suit. On his way to Paris ho had ordered twenty horses to be in 
waiting for him, at tlie house of a canon, who was his friend and 
had served him; but it would have been better for him never to 
have known him, although the canon was ignorant of the crime he 
had committed. Sir Peter de Craon, on his arrival at Chartres, drank 
Bome wine and changed horses, and then instantly departed, taking 
the road for Maine. He continued his journey, until he came to a 
strong castle he still possessed, called Sabl^, where he stopped and 
refreshed himself, and said he would not go further, but wait there 
until he heard some intelligence of the constable. 

On the Friday, the day following this assassination, it was all the 
news of Paris, and every one greatly blamed sir Peter de Craon. 
The lord de Coney was no sooner informed of it, than he mounted 
his horse, attended by only seven persons, and rode to the constable's 
hotel behind the Temple, whither he had been carried ; for they 
mutually loved each other, styling themselves brothers and compan- 
ions in arms. This interview with the lord de Coucy was of service 
to the constable ; and he was visited by all the other lords of the 
court. The duke of Touraine accompanied the king in his ne.\t 
visit : the two brothers were very wroth, and said sir Peter de Craon 
had committed this crime in spite of them ; and that it was a plot 
formed by traitors to throw the kingdom into confusion. The duke 
of Berry, who was at the time in Paris, dissembled his sentiments, 
and seemed to make light of what had passed. I, the author of this 
history, was then informed, that if he had pleased, this accident would 
not have happened, for it was in his power to have prevented it, and 
I will tell you how. 

The day of the feast of the holy sacrament, a clerk, who was one 
of the familiars of sir Peter de Craon, came to the duke of Berry, 
and said : " My lord, I would willingly open my mind to you, re- 
specting some improper conduct that is going forward, which is ille- 
gal, and may end unfortunately, for you are more able than any other 
to put a stop to it." " What is it /'' asked the duke. " My lord, I 
must first insist that you pro.-.iise my name shall never be brought 
into question ; for, to prevent great mischief being done, and the 
peril that may ensue in the matter, I am come to discover the whole 
to you." " Speak out then, boldly," replied the duke : " I will bear 
you through it." " My lord," said the clerk, " I very much suspect 
that sir Peter de Craon intends murdering the constable ; for he has 
collected within his hotel, in the churchyard of St. John, a number 
of companions, whom he has secretly kept there, ever since Whit- 
suntide. Should he accomplish his purpose, the king will be exceed- 
ingly ve.\ed, and confusion ensue to the kingdom. It is for this I 
disclose it to you, my lord ; for, although I am secretary to my lord 
of Craon, and have sworn fidelity to him, I cannot suffer such an 
outrage to he committed. If you do not take measures to prevent 
this none others will, at this moment, and I beg you will remember 
what I have now told you, at a proper opportunity ; for, since I find 
sir Peter do Craon is determined to persevere in this business, I must 
fly, and never again return to his service." The duke of Berry per- 
fectly well comprehended all the clork had told. He said to him : 
"Remain with me today, and to-morrow morning I will inform my 
lord of this plot. It is now too late, and I wish not to trouble the 
king on such a day as this, but, to-morrow, I will not fail doing it; 
and we will provide a remedy, since sir Peter de Craon is in the 
town, which I was ignorant of." Thus, by the delay and negligence 
of the duke of Berry, did the mischief happen, as I have related. 

The provost of Paris, with upward of sixty horse, issued out at the 
gate of St. Honor^, on the traces of sir Peter de Craon. When he 
came to Ponton, to cross the Seine, he asked the bridge-keeper, if 
any one had passed that morning? he answered : " Yes, my lord, a 
company of about twelve horsemen ; but I did not see any knight or 
person whom I knew." " And what road did they take ?" demanded 
the provost. " That leading to Vannes," said the bridge-master. 
"Ah," replied the provost, " it may very probably be they, who are 
making for Cherbourg." He then quitted the road to Chartres, fol- 
lowing that to Cherbourg, and thus lost all traces of them. When 
they had rode on the road to Vannes till it was dinner-time, they 
met a knight of that country hare-hunting ; and, making inquiry from 
him, he said that he had seen in the morning about fifteen horsemen 
riding over the fields, and he thought they were going to Chartres. 
Upon this, the provost again changed his road, and, arriving in the 
evening at Chartres, learnt that sir Peter de Craon had been at the 
canon's house about eight o'clock, where he had disarmed himself 
and changed horses. He now saw that all further pursuit would be 
vain, as sir Peter had got so much before him, and returned to Paris 
on the Saturday. 

The king of France and the duke of Touraine were very anxious 
to lay hands on sir Peter de Craon ; and, as it was uncertain what 
Toad he had taken, they ordered sir John le Barrois, with sixty horse, 
after him by the gate of Saint Anthony. Sir John crossed the Seine 
and Marnc at the bridge of Charenton, and scoured the whole coun. 



try as far as Estamps. On Saturday ho arrived to dinner at Char, 
tres, where he heard the truth of his escape, and concluded it would 
be fruitless to follow him, as he must be at too great a distance. He 
returned to Paris on the Sunday, and related to the king the country 
he had been over, with the same ill success as the provost had be- 
fore complained of. 

On the Saturday morning, the officers of justice, who had been 
searching all the villages round Paris, discovered in a hamlet seven 
leagues from Paris, two men-at-arms, squires to sir Peter de Craon, 
and his page, who had stopped in this village from inability or un- 
willingness to proceed further. They were arrested by the officers, 
brought back to Paris, and executed on the Monday following. They 
were, however, first led to the place where the crime had been com- 
mitted, and each had his iiand cut off at the wrist : they were then 
beheaded in the market-place, and their bodies hung on a gibbet. 
On the Wednesday following, sir Peter's house-steward was exe- 
cuted ; but many said this was unjustly done, while others replied, 
that he suffered for not having revealed the arrival of sir Peter de 
Craon at Paris. The canon of Chartres, at whose house sir Peter 
had stopped to refresh himself and change horses, was arrested and 
confined in the bishop's prison. Everything he possessed was con. 
fiscated, and himself condemned to perpetual imprisonment on bread 
and water : no excuses he could plead for his innocence in this mat- 
ter were of the smallest avail, though he bore in Chartres the charac- 
ter of an honest prudent man.* 

Sir Peter de Craon was exceedingly vexed, when he heard for cer- 
tain, at his castle of Sabl^, whither he had retired, that the constable 
was not dead, and had not received any wounds that, in si.x weeks' 
time, could prevent him mounting his horse. He considered that he 
would not be safe in this castle when it should be known where he 
was, and that he would be too closely surrounded to quit it when he 
pleased. He, in consequence, gave the charge of it to some of his 
people, and left it secretly, taking the road toward Brittany, where 
he arrived without stopping and found the duke at Susmet.t The 
duke, who had already heard the issue of the assassination, and that 
the constable was not dead, said, on receiving sir Peter de Craon, 
" You are a poor creature, who cannot slay a man when you have 
him in your power." "My lord," replied sir Peter, "it was a dam- 
nable business. I believe all the devils in hell, to whom he belongs, 
defended him, and preserved him from mine and my men's blows. 
There were upward of sixty thrusts and cuts made at him with 
swords and cutlasses ; and when he was knocked oft" his horse, in 
good truth, I thought he was dead ; but his good fortune made hira 
fall agaJ'ist the hatch of a baker's shop that was half open, by which 
means he rolled into the shop. Had he fallen in the street we would 
liave killed him, and trampled him under our horses' feet." " Well," 
said the duke, " it cannot be otherwise at present. I am sure it will 
not be long before I hear from the king of France, and shall incur 
as much hatred as yourself. Keep quiet near me ; for I am convinced 
things will not remain as they now are, but that the king and con- 
stable will wage a serious war against me. However, since I prom- 
ised you protection, I will keep my word." 



CHAPTER XLI. 

THE KING OF FRANCE SUMMONS THE DnEE OF EKITTANV TO DELIVER IIP 
SIR PETER DE CRAON. HIS ANSWER NOT BEING SATISFACTORY, THE 
KING DECLARES WAR AGAINST HIM. THE KINg's UNCLES MURMUR AT 
THE GREAT RICHES OF THE CONSTABLE, WHICH WERE DISCLOSED BV HIS 
WILL. 

Intelligence was brought to the king of France, some days after 
the assassination of the constable, that the duke of Brittany had re- 
ceived sir Peter de Craon. His most confidential counsellors advised 
him to send instantly to the duke of Brittany, and summon him, on 
his faith and homage, should that false traitor to the crown of France, 
sir Peter de Craon, be in any part of Brittany, to arrest him and send 
him without delay to France. When these letters were written and 
sealed, they were given to one of the king's messengers, who set out 
for Brittany, and found the duke at his castle of Ermine, near Vannes. 
The duke, having received and read the letters, told the messenger, 
he would write an answer to the king. The substance of it was, 
that he excused himself from knowing anything of sir Peter de Craon, 
or where he was ; nor did he wish to know anything, for it was no 
concern of his ; and that, as to sir Peter's hatred and quarrel with 
sir Oliver de Clisson, it no way touched or regarded him, and he en- 
treated the king to hold him excused. When this answer had been 
properly drawn up and sealed, it was given to the messenger, who 
returned with it to Paris. The king and his council were impatient 
to receive the duke's answer ; and, when the letters were delivered 
to the king, ho attentively read them, and turning to his brother the 



* A process was instituted against Peter de Craon, who was condemned for contu- 
macy. All his goods were confiscated, his houses taken possession of, his furniture 
seized by the Iving and liis lands given txj tiie duke of Orleans and other courtiers. The 
monk ofSt. Denis relates that Jean de Vienne, the admiral ofFrance, who was charged 
with taking possession of the estate of Ferte-Bernard, disgraced himself by infamously 
outraging the modesty of Jeanne de Chastillon the wife of Peter de Craon, and her 
daughter, a celebrated beauty of the time, and afterwards turning them out of doors in 
their chemises.— BuciloN- 

t " Au Susmet." Q.. Succinio, which was a residence of the duke of Brittany. 



54S 



CHRONICLES OF ENG 



LAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



duke of Touraiiie, and the council said, " Thi8 is not satisfactory. 
OtLrs replted .hit the duke of Brittany was at tlie bottom of the 
"hole misSf. The king and the duke of Touraine declared that 
such an outrage was too great to be lightly passed over, and was a 
direct attack on the royal majesty of France. , . .. r 

Tlie duke of Berry was at this time in Fans, and, in his Irequent 
yisits to the palace, the king talked much to him concerning the crime 
of sir Peter de Craon. The duke replied : " My lord, he has certainly 
committed a great outrage ; and if it were known where ho was, I 
would advise that he be arrested and punished for it." " Good uncle, 
said the king, " he is now with the duke in Brittany, and nowhere 
else : we are determined to march thither, and you shall accompany 
us."' The duke of Berry assented, though he was dissembling his 
real sentiments, and added, " My lord, we must have our good 
brother of Burgundy also with us." " We will have him," replied 
the kirn', " for we will not go without him ; and our army shall be 
of strength sufficient to conquer all our enemies. We now clearly 
Bee, that this duke of Brittany neither loves nor esteems us. Good 
uncle, he is very proud and presumptuous ; and we will not attend 
to any other affair until we have brought him to reason." Thus did 
the kinc' and the duke of Berry converse together : the duke assented 
to evei-ything his nephew proposed, though determined, in his own 
mind, to act in opposition to it. The king of France was too earnest 
in his desire to revenge the insult offered his constable, and was 
daily pressing forward the preparations for his expedition to Brittany. 
He was to march first into Anjou, to destroy all the castles and pos. 
sessions held there by sir Peter de Craon, notwithstanding the duke 
of Brittany claimed them for his own by purchase. The king and 
his council answered, that he had never had possession given him of 
them ; and that from having supported and protected sir Peter de 
Craon, he had incurred personally the indignation of the crown of 
France, although a marriage had this season been formed between 
the son of the duke and a princess of France. 

While these preparations were going forward, and the rumor of 
the king's expedition against Brittany was everywhere talked of in 
Francerthe bishop of Noyon and the lord de la Riviere returned to 
Paris, having fulfilled their mission to Boarn and Foix. They related 
to the king and council what they had done, but the affairs of Brittany 
occupied so entirely the time of the council, they could not attend to 
anything else ; and the king was impatient for the constable to be 
sufluciently recovered to mount his horse. 

Before the king left Paris, he commanded the very handsome hotel 
sir Peter de Craon had, near the churchyard of Saint John, to be 
razed to the ground, and the spot given for an addition to the church- 
yard. The king ordered large provision of stores to be made on the 
roads to Anjou, Maine, Touraine, Brittany, and along the banks of 
the Loire, ready for his intended expedition : for no one dared to 
make any opposition to it. It was well known in Paris, and likewise 
in difl"erent parts of the country, that sir Oliver de Clisson, constable 
of France, had made his will, in order that, in case of death from his 
wounds, his heirs might know where to seek for his wealth. He had 
but two children, both females, one married to John of Brittany, 
count de Penthievre, whom he had ransomed from England for six 
score thousand francs paid to the duke of Ireland, as has been related. 
His other daughter was, or would be viscountess de Rohan, in right 
of her husband. The whole of his money and moveable property, 
without including any part of his heritage, amounted to seventeen 
hundred thousand francs, to the great astonishment of all who heard 
it, as to the means by which he had been able to amass so large a 
sum. The dukes of Berry and Burgundy, in particular, were much 
surprised, as well as their councils, for the constable was not any way 
in favor with them : so that, when among themselves they thus spoke 
very freely on the subject: "How the devil can this constable have 
collected such an immense sum of florins, and such splendid furni- 
ture ? The king of France has nothing like it. We must suppose 
tliat it has not been lawfully acquired." This passed oiT; but those 
who hated him did not think the less of it. 

The king was still at Paris, though his preparations were ready ; 
and all who had been summoned to accompany the expedition to 
Brittany were assembling accordingly. The duke of Burgundy was, 
however, much vexed at tliis war, saying that it was made without 
reason, and would end badly ; for neither France nor Brittany, nor 
their knights and squires, were any way concerned in the quarrel 
between sir Oliver de Clisson and sir Peter de Craon ; nor had they 
any business to make war on their account, but should let them fight 
it out themselves, without thus destroying and harassing the poor of 
both countries. The duke of Berry was of the same opinion ; but 
they could not be heard, for the king had other counsellors, to whom 
he listened in preference. They knew not, therefore, how to prevent 
the war from taking place, and when they saw the king was obsti- 
nately bent upon it, they obeyed, but as slowly as they could. I 
heard, and believe it true, that, through the intervention of the duke 
ef Burgundy, the count d'Ostrevant was summoned by the king of 
France to attend him with three hundred lances : the count, who 
loved arms, made his preparations, and summoned his vassals ; but, 
when he had completed everything at a great expense, he received 
counter-orders, not to stir. 



CHAPTER XLII. 

THE DtIKE OF TOURAINE IS CREATED DtlKE OF ORLEANS. THE CONSTABLB 
OF FRANCE BEIN& RECOVERED, THE KINS OF FRANCE ADVANCES TO 
MANS, WITH THE INTENTION OF CONTINUING HIS MARCH, TO MAKE 
WAR ON THE DUKE OF BRITTANY. 

When all things were ready for the king's departure from Paris, 
an exchange of lands was made between the king and the duke of 
Touraine, but this exchange was greatly in favor of the duke ; for 
he surrendered to his brother the duchy of Touraine and its depend, 
encies, receiving in return the duchy of Orleans, which was of four 
times the value,°on the same terms and conditions that Philip duke 
of Orieans had formeriy held it. We shall henceforward call him 
the duke of Orieans.* The king was so pleased when sir Oliver de 
Clisson had recovered from his wounds suflnciently to ride, that he 
said he would now set out from Paris to Brittany, to show he made 
the quarrel his own. In consequence, he and the duke of Orleans 
took leave of the queen, the duchess, and the other ladies and dam- 
sels who were at the hotel de Saint Pol, and went that night to the 
house of his minister, Montagu, where they supped and lay. The 
duke of Bourbon, the count de Namur, and the lord de Coucy, went 
with them. I know not if they all lay there, but the king did so, 
and dined there on the morrow. In the afternoon he departed in 
handsome array, and supped and lay at St. Germain-en-Laye, where 
he remained several days. At this period, according to the report 
of his physicians, the king's health was not good : but, he was so 
impatient to carry on the war, he declared his health was better than 
theirs. This he said to push forward the business ; for his two 
uncles of Berry and Burgundy were still behind, and showed clearly 
the expedition was contrary to their opinion, and that willingly they 
would avoid going with him. They had, however, issued sum- 
monses to their vassals, for they were bound in honor to accompany 

the king. r ,-r , j 

When the king had sojourned at St. Germain for fifteen days, and 

the difl'erent lords were arrived, or on the road, he was advised to 

depart. He did so, crossed the Seine, and marching for Chartres, 

arrived at Auneau, a good town and handsome castle, that belonged 

to the lord de la Riviere in right of his wife. In company with him 

were the dukes of Orleans and Bourbon. The lord de la Riviere 

received the king and these lords very magnificently, as he was able 

to do, and they remained his guests for three days. On the fourth 

day they departed, and went to Chartres, of which place the brother 

of Montagu was bishop. The king, the duke of Orieans, and the 

duke of Bourbon, were lodged in the ei)iscopal palace. On the 

second day, the duke of Berry, and the count de la Marche, came 

there ; but the duke of Burgundy was still behind. He had begun 

his journey, and on the fourth day arrived, to the great joy of the 

king. iVIen-at-arms were pouring in from all quarters ; and the king 

said he never would return to Paris until he had made the duke of 

Brittany listen to reason, who had so often given him plague and 

vexation. There were too many about the king, who urged him on ; 

so that the dukes of Berry and Burgundy, who wished for more 

moderate counsels, were not attended to. This created a disgust in 

them and their advisers ; and they said among themselves, that public 

affairs could not long remain in their present hazardous and unsettled 

circumstances, and that the king was cutting out for himselt and 

kingdom work enough, when he rejected the advice of his uncles 

and listened to others of Ultle weight. After staying about seven 

days in Chartres, he departed for Mans. He was followed by men. 

at-arms from Artois, Beauvais, Vermandois and Picardy, and other 

distant countries. They said when together, " How comes tliis duke 

of Brittany to give us so much trouble. He is full of pride, and has 

never been truly affeciionate to the crown of France. If it had not 

been for his cousin, the late earl of Flandets, who supported him^ 

and the duchess of Burgundy, who does so at this moment, he would 

long ago have been destroyed. He never could bear the lord de 

Clisson from the moment he quitted the English party, and is greatly 

to blame now in assisting sir Peter de Craon against the king and 

the constable." Others repUed, " Let the king alone ; for he has 

taken this business so much to heart, he will make the duke repent 

of it before he returns." " That he will," said others, " if there be 

no treachery in his way. Do you suppose that all who now accom- 

pany him are enemies to the duke of Brittany ? Certainly not ; for 

whatever they may dare say, they show their inlcntions too openly 

by their actions. They are plotting night and day how they may 

prevent the expedition, and they harass the king so much, it will ba 

well if he keep his health." . 

Such were the conversations of the men-at-arms on their march, 
followin»- the king to Maine. The king, on his arrival at Mans, was 
lodged in the castle, and his lords in the town, as well as the state 
of its accommodations would allow. The army spread themselves 
abroad in the plains, which were rich and good lodging for men-at- 
arms The king and his court remained at the city of Mans upward 
of three weeks, for the king was in a very feverish state and unfit to 
ride The physicians told the duke of Orieans and his uncles, that 
the kin" was oppressed with too much business, and was not in a 
situation to "o through with it ; that rest and quiet were absolutely 



He was created Duke of Orleans on the 4tb of June. 1393.— Ed. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c.' 



Si§ 



necessary, for that ever since he had loft Amiens after the confer- 
ences, his health had not been so good as it was formerly. The 
king's uncles remonstrated on all this with the council, for the king 
would not pay any attention to what the physicians said j and he 
was so impatient to carry the war into Brittany, he told his uncles, 
that he was always better when on horseback, than when doing 
nothing ; and ndiled, " %Vhoover advi^pq me fn the contrary will highly 
displease me, and show he has not any love for me." This was all 
the answer he would give. Every day there was a council holden, 
which lasted until noon, or beyond it ; and the king would always 
be present, to check any delays being made to the expedition into 
BrXtany. 

CHAPTER XLIII. 

THE KINS OF FRANCE, DHBINO HIS STAT AT MANS, AGAIN SENDS SOME 
NOBLE FEKSONAGES TO THE DUKE OF BRITTANY, WITH ORDERS TO 
DISMISS SIR PETER DE CRAON. THE KING IS INFORMED THAT SIR 
PETER IS ARRESTED AT BARCELONA BY COMMAND OF THE QUEEN OF 
ARRAGON. 

The king was advised, during his stay at Mans, to which he as- 
sented, out of affection for his uncles, to send four knights to Brittany. 
They were to remonstrate strongly with the duke, on the part of the 
king and council, how greatly he had misbehaved by affording an 
asylum to an enemy of the king and realm ; and that, if he were 
desirous to acknowle^lge his fault, and make amends for it, he must 
send sir Peter de Craon to Mans, when they would endeavor to 
make his peace with the king, and prevent this expedition from doing 
harm to him or to his country. According to what I heard, sir 
Reginald de Roye, the lord de Garencicres, the lord de Chateau- 
morant, and sir Taupin de Cantemelle, governor of Gisors, were or- 
dered on this mission. They left the city of Mans with forty lances, 
and, having passed through Angers, journeyed on to Nantes, when, 
having entered the town, they found there the duke. He gave them 
a good welcome, and entertained them with a splendid dinner ; but, 
before this, they had fulfilled their commission, and had ably ex- 
plained to him the object of their coming, and what the king and 
council had ordered them to say. The duke answered prudently 
and nobly, " That he would be most happy to arrest and give up to 
the king sir Peter de Craon, but, as God might help him, he neither 
knew where he was, nor what he was about : he therefore entreated 
these lords to make his peace, for he had assured them of the truth ;" 
adding, " he had heard, upward of a year ago, sir Peter de Craon 
declare, that sir Oliver de Clisson hated him so mortally, he would 
attack him the first favorable opportunity, with all the force he could 
muster, let the event be what it would. When he told me this, I 
asked him if he had notified this to sir Oliver : he said he had, and 
had sent him his defiance ; adding, that he would put him to death, 
by day or night, the very first time he met him. I know nothing 
further of the matter, and am surprised that my lord should think of 
making war on me for this cause. Begging his pardon, I do not feel 
that I am any way so blameable, either toward him or the kingdom 
of France, that war should be declared against me ; for never will I 
infringe, if it please God, the alliances that have been entered into 
between us, as well in regard to the marriage of our children, as re. 
specting other matters." This was the answer the French knights 
received from the duke of Brittany ; and, when they had dined with 
him, and remained one day more at Nantes, they took leave, and set 
out on their return the way they had come. 

The king and council were impatient for their arrival, to hear the 
duke's answer. What you have just heard, the knights repeated to 
the king, and to those interested, from the duke of Brittany. The 
dukes of Berry and Burgundy were well satisfied with it, and would 
have persuaded others to be so likewise, saying, the answer was 
proper and reasonable. But the king declared that, from the infor- 
mation he had received, he was of a contrary opinion, and since he 
was come so far, he would never return to Paris until he had hum. 
bled the duke of Brittany. The dukes of Berry and Burgundy 
would willingly have altered this declaration, Imd they known how, 
but they were not attended to ; and the kins' had taken such a hatred 
to sir Peter de Craon, whom he said 'he duke of Brittany secreted 
in his country, that no excuses were of avail. 

There was a report at Mans, and in many other places of France, 
that the lady Jolande dc Bar, queen of Arragon, and cousin-german 
to the king of France, had thrown into the prisons of Barcelona, a 
knight who was unknown to her or to her people ; and, from his re. 
fusal to tell his name, he was thought to be sir Peter de Craon. The 
queen of Arragon, wishing to please the king, wrote to him in the 
most friendly terms, to say, " that on the fifth day of July a knight, 
with a handsome array, had come to Barcelona, with intent to cross 
the sea ; that he had hired at a very dear rale, a vessel to cany him, 
as he said, to Naples. Having had all our ports well guarded, so 
that no stranger could leave them without permission, and this knight 
refusing to say who he was, we have detained him in prison. We 
suppo.=e, from the great anxiety he shows for his liberty, that he is 
the knight you are seeking for, and on whose account you have writ. 
ten to us. Have the goodness, therefore, to send hither, as speedily 
as may be, some persons who are acquainted with sir Peter de Craon ; 
for he whom we hold in prison shall not be set at liberty until we 



have heard from you. We shall learn with pleasure that the intelli. 
gence we have sent has been agreeable to you and to your council. 
May the Holy Spirit have you in hie keeping ! Written at Perpignan 
the ninth day of July," and signed " Jolande de Bar, queen of Ar- 
ragon and Majorca, lady of Sardinia." The superscription was, 
" To our very redoubted lord the king of France." 

This intelligence softened the hearts of many, and the expedition 
was on the point of being broken off; but the friends of the consta. 
ble thought this was an invented story, to prevent the king advancing 
further ; and that sir Peter de Craon was in danger of no other prison 
than what the duke of Brittany pleased, for he was safely in refuge 
within his duchy. The king paid no attention to this letter, saying 
it was all deceit ; but the duke of Burgundy rephed, " At least, my 
lord, to satisfy my niece of Arragon, who has written to you, and to 
deliver this knight, if he be guiltless, condescend to send some one 
thither, that our cousin may not be displeased with you and with us." 
" We are very willing to do so, good uncle," said the king, " for I 
wish not to vex you. Let some persons be sent to Barcelona ; but 
I am firmly persuaded that the traitor, Peter de Craon, is not there 
nor in any prison but the duke of Brittany's palace ; and I swear, by 
the faith I owe St. Denis, that one day he shall severely pay for it." 
Nothing could alter the king's opinion that sir Peter de Craon was 
in Brittany. The duke of Brittany received regular information of 
what was passing, and, as the king was so much enraged against 
him, was not well satisfied of his security ; for he saw that the dukea 
of Berry and Burgundy had no weight in the council, and that the 
party of his adversary, Clisson, led the king just as they pleased. 
He had his castles and towns most strictly guarded ; but, unfortu. 
nately for him, there were no towns or casdes he dared trust hia 
person to, e.xcepting Vannes, Campel, Dol, Quimperie, Ermine, 
Quimper-Corentin, and Suseniot. He had written to the knights 
and barons of Brittany, from whom he looked for support and advice, 
but they all dissembled with him, seeing the king, their lord para- 
mount, so wroth against him, and from his so openly taking the part 
of sir Peter de Craon against the king and the constable, which was 
very indecent. He almost repented what he had done ; but his spirit 
was so lofty, he disdained to own it, and he said to himself, " If the 
king, as he seems now inclined, enter Brittany with his anny, I will 
not, at the beginning, make any opposition, that I may see who are 
my friends and enemies, nor will I hurry myself to retaliate ; but, 
when he shall think himself in full security, I will fall upon him, 
since there is no other way of obtaining peace." 

Thus did the duke counsel with himself, and at times with his 
ministers ; for he concluded that a war with France was now inevi- 
table. It was not so, however, for matters turned out otherwise than 
he expected, to his great advantage, The old proverb says, " He is 
not poor who is lucky." The duke of Brittany was wondrous for- 
tunate at this season, from an astonishing and pitiable accident that 
befel the king of France. Nothing less could have withdrawn from 
him the dangers he was surrounded by, and permitted him the enjoy, 
ment of peace. 



CHAPTER XLIV. 

THE KING, HAVING LEFT MANS TO CARRY ON HIS WAR AGAINST BRITTANY, 
IS ORDERED TO RETURN, BY AN UNKNOWN PERSON. THIS SAME DAY, 
HIS MIND IS DERANGED, AND HE IS BROUGHT BACK TO MANS. 

When the king of France had resided about three weeks in tha 
city of Mans, during which time councils were daily held, and when 
the knights were returned with the duke of Brittany's answer, as 
you have heard ; the king said, that since he knew what to depend 
on, he would not longer stay at Mans, for it was displeasing and 
hurtful to liini, but advance toward the frontiers of Brittany, nearer 
this duke, who was supporting the traitor, sir Peter de Craon. The 
intention of the king was to deprive the duke of Brittany of his 
duchy, and nominate a governor of it, until his children should be 
of age to have it restored to them, but the present duke was to be 
driven thence ; and this determination was so firmly rooted in his 
mind, nothing could make him change it. He set out from Mans 
between nine and ten o'clock in the morning ; and the lords and 
others who had been quartered there prepared to follow him, after 
they had heard mass and drank a cup. He had, the evening before, 
sent for the marshals of his army to his chamber, and ordered them 
to have the men.at.arms ready by early morn to march to Angers; 
" for," he added, " we have determined never to return from Brittany, 
until we shall have destroyed the traitors who give us so much 
trouble." The marshals gave their orders for the army to inarch on 
the morrow, and assured the captains that it was now determined 
upon to pursue the road to Brittany. The day the king left Mans 
was excessively hot, as was to be expected, for it was the middle of 
August, when the sun is in its greatest force. 

You must know, in order perhaps to account truly for what fol- 
lowed, that the king, during his stay at Mans, labored hard and 
assiduously in the council, where he had but little assistance, and 
was besides not perfectly recovered in health. He had been the 
whole summer feeble in body and mind, scarcely eating or drinking 
anything, and almost daily attacked with fever, to which he was 
naturally inclined, and this was increased by any contradiction or 



550 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



fatigae. He Buffered much from the insult offered his constable, so 
that hi's physicians and uncles noticed that at times his intellects 
were deranged ; but they could not do anything, for he would not 
listen to what they proposed, nor would he consent, on any account, 
to defer the expedition to Brittany. 

I was told tliat a strange accident happened to him as he was 
ridin" through the forest of Mans, for which he ought to have assem. 
bled his coimcil, instead of pursuing his march farther. A man, bare- 
headed, with naked feet, clothed in a jerkin of white russet,* that 
showed he was more mad than otherwise, rushed out from among 
the trees, and boldly seized the reins of the king's horse. Having 
thus stopped him, he said, " King, ride no farther, but return, for 
thou art betrayed." This speech made such an impression on the 
king's mind, which was weak, that his understanding was shaken. 
As the man finished his speech, the men-at.arnis advanced and beat 
him soundly on his hands, which made him drop the reins. They 
sufTered him to run off, without paying attention to wliat he had said, 
thinking he was some madman, for which they were by many after- 
wards greatly blamed and disgraced : they ought at least to have 
arrested him, to have examined if he were really mad, and to learn 
why he had uttered such words, and whence he had come. Nothing, 
however, was done, and he made off by their rear, and was never 
after seen by any who had the least knowledge of him. Those who 
were near the king's person, heard very plainly the words he had 
spoken. 

The king and his army passed on ; and it might be about twelve 
o'clock when they were clear of the forest. They now entered an 
extensive sandy plain ; and the sun was so resplendent, and in such 
force, that scarcely any could endure the heat : the horses, conse- 
quently, suffered much. There were none so used to arms as not to 
complain of the oppressive heat ; and the lords took different routes, 
apart from each other. The king rode by himself, to have less dust ; 
and the dukes of Berry and Burgundy, conversing together, kept on 
his left hand, at about two acres' distance from him. The otlier 
lords, such as the count de la Marche, sir James de Bourbon, sir 
Charles d'Albret, sir Philip d'Artois, sir Henry and sir Philip de Bar, 
sir Peter de Navarre, rode in different paths. The duke of Bourbon, 
the lord de Coucy, sir Charles d'Angers, the baron d'lvry, were fol- 
lowing at a gentle pace, talking together, and some distance from 
the king, not suspecting the misfortune which was on the point of 
befalling him. It was manifestly the work of God, whose punish- 
ments are severe, to make his creatures O'emble. Have we not seen 
many shnilar examples, both in the Old and the New Testament, 
especially in the instance of Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Assyrians? 
He reigned over them with such power, that nothing was spoken of 
but his magnificence and glory ; when suddenly, in the midst of his 
pomp, the Lord of kings, God, the Master of heaven and earth, and 
Creator of all things, struck him in such wise that he lost his senses 
and his kingdom He continued for seven years in tliis deplorable 
Btate, living on acorns and wild fruits, having the taste of a wild boar 
or hog. After this period of penitence, God restored to him his 
Benses and memory ; upon wliich he declared to Daniel, the servant 
of the Lord, that there was none other God but the God of Israel. 
To speak truly, God tlie Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, three 
in name, but one in substance, was, is and ever will be, of as suffi- 
cient power to declare his works as from the beginning, and one 
ought not, therefore, to be surprised at whatever wonderful things 
happen. 

The reason why I thus speak is, that a great influence from Heaven 
this day fell on the king of France, and, as some say, from his own 
fault. The physicians of his body, who ought to have known well 
his constitution, declared, that considering the weak state of his 
health, he should not have thus e.xposed himself to the heat of the 
day, but have rode in the cool of the mornings or eveningrs. Those 
who had advised otherwise were disgraced ; but he had tjoen long 
led by his ministers to act just as they pleased. The king rode over 
this sandy plain, that reffecled the heat, which was much greater 
than had been ever before known or felt in that season : he was be- 
sides dressed in a jacket of black velvet that added to the warmth, 
and had only a single hood of crimson, ornamented with a chaplet of 
large beautiful pearls the queen had presented to him on his leaving 
her. He was followed by one of his pages, who had a Montauban 
cap of polished steel on his head that glittered in the sun, and behind 
him another page rode on horseback, carrying a vermilion-colored 
lance, enveloped with silk for the king, the head of which lance was 
broad, sharp and bright. The lord de la Riviere had brought a dozen 
such when he last came from Toulouse, and this was one ; for he had 
presented the whole to the king, who had given three to the duke of 
Orleans, and the same number to the duke of Burgundy. 

As they were thus riding, the pages, who were but children, grew 
negligent of themselves and their horses ; and the one who bore the 
lance fell asleep, and, forgetful of what he had in his hand, let it fall 
on the casque of the page before him, which made both the lance 
and casque ring loudly. The king, being so near, (the pages rode 
almost on the heels of his horse,) was startled and shuddered ; for 
he had in his mind the words the wise man or fool had spoken when 
he seized his horse's reins in the forest of Mans, and fancied a host 
of enemies were come to slay him. In this distraction of mind, he 



^ Burel blaDc. 



drew his sword, and advanced on the pages, (for his senses were 
quite gone, and imagined himself surrounded by enemies,) giving 
blows of his sword, indifferent on whom they fell, and bawled out, 
" Advance 1 advance on these traitors." The pages, seeing the king 
thus wroth, took care of themselves, for they imagined they had 
angered him by their negligence, and spurred their horses different 
ways. The duke of Orleans was not far diotant from the king, who 
made up to him with his drawn sword, for at that moment his frenzy 
had deprived him of the means of knowing either his brother or 
uncles. The duke of Orleans, seeing him apprroach with his naked 
sword, grew alarmed, and, spurring his horse, made off and the king 
after him. The duke of Burgundy, hearing the cries of the pages, 
cast his eyes to that quarter, and seeing the king pursuing his brother 
with his drawn sword, was thunderstruck, and not without reason : 
he cried out for help, saying, " My lord has lost his senses : for God's 
sake lay hands on him :" and then added, " Fly, fair nephew of Or. 
leans : fly, or my lord will murder you." The duke of Orleans was 
much frightened, and galloped as fast as his horse could go, followed 
by knights and squires. There were now great shoutings, insomuch 
that those at a distance thought that they were hunting a wolf or 
hare, until they learnt it was the king, who was not himself. 

The duke of Orleans, however, escaped by making several turns, 
and was aided by knights, squires, and men-at-arms, who surrounded 
the king, and allowed him to waste his strength on them ; for, of 
course, the more he exerted himself, the weaker he grew. When 
he made a blow at any one knight or squire, they fell before the 
stroke, and I never heard that in this fit of madness any one was 
killed.* Several were struck down by his blows, because no one 
made any defence. At last, when he was quite jaded and running 
down with sweat, and his horse in a lather from fatigue, a Norman 
knight, who was one of his chamberlains, and much beloved by him, 
called sir William Martel, came behind, and caught him in his arms, 
though he had his sword still in his hand. When he was thus held, 
all the other lords came up, and took the sword from him : he was 
dismounted, and gently laid on the ground, that his jacket might he 
stripped from him, to give him more air and cool him. His three 
uncles and brother approached ; but he had lost all knowledge of 
them, showing no symptoms of acquaintance or affection, but rolled 
his eyes round in his head without speaking to any one. The princes 
of the blood were in amazement, and knew not what to say nor how 
to act. The dukes of Berry and Burgundy at length said, " We must 
return to Mans, for the expedition is at an end for this season." 
They did not then say all they thought ; but they made their inten- 
tions very apparent to those who were not in their good graces, oa 
their return to Paris, as I shall relate in the course of this history. 
It must be owned, that when all things are considered, it was a great 
pity for a king of France, who is the most noble and powerful prince 
in the world, to be thus suddenly deprived of his senses. There 
could not be any remedy applied, nor any amendment expected, 
since God willed it should be so. 

Having undressed and cooled him as gently as they could, they 
laid him on a litter, and carried him slowly to Mans. The mar- 
shals instantly sent orders for the van to return, and the whole 
army was informed there was an end to the expedition. To some 
the reasons were told why it was thus put an end to, to others not. 
The evening the king was brought back to Mans, his physicians 
were much occupied with him, and the princes of his blood in the 
utmost trouble. The event was spoken of very differently ; some 
said the king, to ruin the kingdom of France, had been poisoned, or 
bewitched, the morning before he left Mans. These words were S9 
often repeated, that they came to the ears of the duke of Orleans, and 
others of the blood-royal. In conversation together, they said, "Do 
you hear (for you must unless you shut your ears,) what murmurings 
there are against the king's ministers ? It is reported and commonly 
believed, that he has been poisoned or bewitched ; now, how can 
we know whether this has been done or not?" Some made answer, 
" From his physicians, for they must know his habit and constitu- 
tion." The physicians were sent for, and most strictly examined by 
the duke of Burgundy. To this examination they replied, " that the 
king had, for a long tinie, been suffering under this disorder; and, 
knowing that this weakness of intellect oppressed him grievously, 
it would make its appearance." The duke of Burgundy told the 
physicians, " that in the whole of tl^e matter they had honestly 
acquitted themselves, but that the king, from his great anxiety to 
undertake this war, would not listen to any advice on the subject of 
his health. Cursed be this expedition, and unhappy is it that ever it 
was proposed, for it has been his destruction ; and it would have 
been better that Clisson and his whole race had been murdered, than 
that the king had been afflicted with such a disorder. News of it 
will be carried everywhere, and, as he is now but a young man, we 
who are his uncles, and his blood, who should have advised him, 
shall be much blamed, though we have been no way in fault. Now 
tell us," said the duke, addressing himself to the physicians, " were 
you present yesterday morning at his dinner before he mounted his 
horse 7" " ifes, in God's name were we," said they. " And what 
did he eat and drink ?" " So very little, that it is scarcely worth 

* " Les Grandes Chroniques de France" say, that he kiHed four men, and the anony- 
mous MSS. of St. Denys add a fifth, a knight of Guyenne called the Bastard of Pe- 
iignac— £d. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



551 



mentioning ; for he sat musing the whole time." " And who was 
the person that last served him with liquor V' asked the duke. 
" That we kaow not," said the physicians ; " for as soon as the table 
was removed, we went away to make ourselves ready for riding, but 
you will learn it from his butlers or chamberlains." Robert Tulles, 
a squire "from Normandy, and head butler, was called. On his com- 
ing, he was questioned who had served the king with wine. He 
replied, "My lords, sir Robert de Lignac." The knight was then 
sent for, and asked whence he had taken the wine to serve the king 
the morning before he mounted Ms horse. " My lords," said he, 
*' here is Robert Tulles who gave it me, and tasted it, as well as 
myself, in the king's presence." " That is true," added Robert 
Tulles ; " and in this respect there shall not be the smallest ground 
for suspicions ; for there is now some of the very same in bottles to 
what the king drank, which we will open and drink before you." 

The duke of BeiTy then said, "We are debating here about noth. 
ing: the king is only poisoned or bewitched by bad advisers, but 
it is not time at present to talk of these matters. Let us bear the 
misfortune as well as we can for the moment." 



CHAPTER XLV. 

KING CHAELES VI. OF FRANCE, CONTI.NCIN;; DERANGED IN MIND, IS RE. 
MOVED FROM MANS TO CREIL, ON THE OISE. THE REGENCY OF THE 
KINGDOM IS GIVEN TO THE DUKES OF BERRY AND BURGUNDY BY THE 
THREE E.«TATES. 

On the conclusion ef the duke of Berry's speech, the lords retired 
to their lodgings for the night ; and the king's uncles ordered four 
knights of honor to sit up with the king, to attend him quietly, and 
administer to his wants. They were sir Reginald de Roye, sir 
Reginald de Trie, the lord de Garencieres, and sir William Martel. 
The lord de la Riviere, sir John le Mercier, Montagu, the bfegue de 
Villaines, sir William des Bordes, and sir Helion de Lignac, were 
ordered not to interfere in any manner of business until the king 
should be perfecdy recovered. On receiving this order, they de- 
parted, and others took charge of the government. On the morrow 
morning, the king's uncles visited him : they found him very weak, 
and asked how he had slept ? His chamberlains replied, " Very 
little : he cannot rest." " This is sad news," said the duke of Bur- 
gundy. All three then approached him ; and by this time the duke 
of Orleans arrived, and asked him how he was ? He made no an- 
swer, but stared at them without recollecting who they were. These 
lerds were much shocked, and, conversing together, said, " We need 
not stay longer, for he is extremely ill, and we do him more harm 
than good by our presence. We have ordered his chamberlains and 
physicians to take every care of him, which of course they will do. 
Let us consider how the kingdom is to be governed, for a government 
must speedily be provided, or all things will go ill." " Good brother,'' 
said the duke of Burgundy to the duke of Berry, "it will be neces- 
sary for us to go to Paris, and order the king to be brought hence 
gently ; for we can have him better attended when nearer to us than 
here. We will assemble the whole council at Paris, and discuss 
how the kingdom shall be governed, and whether our fair nephew 
of Orleans be regent or we." " It is well spoken," replied the duke 
of Berry : " let us consider of the best place for the king to be removed 
to for the recovery of his health." After some consultation, it was 
determined he should be carried, with every precaution, to the castle 
of Creil, which has a good air, and is in a rich country on the river 
Oise. 

When this was settled, the men-at-arms were disbanded, and or- 
ders given by the marshals for them to retire peaceably to their homes, 
without committing any ravages on the country ; and that, if such 
excesses were indulged in, the leaders would be called upon to make 
reparation. The king's uncles and the chancellor of France sent off 
varlets to the difierent cities and principal towns in Picardy, to order 
the inhabitants to be very attentive in the guard of them, for the rea- 
son that the king was indisposed. These ordei3 were obeyed. The 
French nation was dismayed and concerned when it was publicly 
known that the king labored under a frenzy. They spoke much 
against those who had advised him to this expedition to Brittany, 
and said he had been betrayed by those who had urged him on 
against the duke and sir Peter de Craon. People's tongues could 
not be stopped, for it was so serious a misfortune, it was necessary 
vent should be somehow given to the. vexation it -saused. 

The king was carried to Creil, and put under the care of the be- 
fore-named knights and his physicians. The men-at-arms were 
disbanded, and marched home. It was strictly forbidden the queen's 
household and all others, under pain of being severely punished, to 
mention this misfortune to the queen, who was far gone with cliild. 
It was concealed from her for some time, during which the king was 
under the care of the knights at Creil, and his physicians, who were 
giving him various medicines, which, however, did him little good. 
At this time, there was a most learned physician in France, who had 
not his equal anywhere, a friend of the lord de Coucy, and born on 
his lands. His name was master William de Harseley : he had tixed 
his residence in the city of Laon, which he preferred to any other. 
On first hearing of the king's illness and the cause of it, knowing, 
as he thought, the king's constitution, he said, " Thi^ disorder of the 



king proceeds from the alarm in the forest, and by inheriting too 
much of his mother's weak nerves." These words were carried to 
the lord de Coucy, at that time in Paris with the duke of Orleans 
and the king's uncles. The whole of the council, and the principal 
barons and prelates of the realm, were there assembled, to consult 
on the government of the kingdom during the king's illness, and until 
he should be perfectly restored ; and whether the duke of Orleans, 
or his uncles, or all three, should have the regency. They were up. 
ward of fifteen days before they could agree ; at last, it was thought 
advisable, from the youth of the duke of Orleans, which made him 
unfit to bear so great a weight, that the two uncles of the king should 
govern the kingdom ; but that the duke of Burgundy should be the 
principal ; and that the duchess of Burgundy sheuld remain with the 
queen, and be respected as second to her in rank. 



CHAPTER XLVI. 

THE LORD DE COUCY INTRODUCES THE GREAT PHYSICIAN, MASTER WILLIAH 
DE HARSELEY, TO CURE THE KING OF FRANCE. VARIOUS CAUSES AS- 
SIGNED FOR THIS DISORDER. 

The Lord de Coucy was not unmindful of what he had heard of 
master William de Harseley. He spoke of him to the king's uncles, 
and mentioned his learning and success, and that it would be proper 
he should try his skill to recover the king. The dukes of Berry and 
Burgundy listened to it, and sent for him. On his arrival at Paris, h& 
first waited on the lord de Coucy, with whom he was very intimate, 
and he introduced him to the king's uncles, saying: " Here is master 
William de Harseley, of whom I spoke to you." The two dukes 
received him kindly, and made him welcome. They then ordered 
him to visit the king at Creil, and remain with him until he should 
have restored him to health. Master William, in consequence of 
these orders from the duke, set out from Paris in good array, as was 
becoming him, and arrived at Creil, where he established himself 
near the king's person, and took the lead over the other physicians, 
undertaking to make a cure ; for he saw it was to be done, since the 
disorder was caused by weakness of nerves, from the sudden alarm 
of the appearance of the madman, and then by the noise from the 
blow on the page's helmet; and he was very anxious to restore the 
king to health. 

News of the king of France's illness was carried far and near, and, 
however others may have been grieved at it, you may suppose that 
the duke of Brittany and sir Peter de Craon were not much affected: 
they soon dried their tears, for he was pursuing them with bitter 
hatred. Pope Boniface and his cardinals at Rome were rejoiced on 
hearing it. They assembled in full consistory, and said the worst 
of their enemies, meaning the king of France, was severely chastised, 
when God had thus deprived him of his senses ; and that this pun. 
ishment had been inflicted by Heaven, for having so strenuously sup- 
ported the anti-pope of Avignon ; that this chastisement should make 
him attend more to his own kingdom, and that their cause would 
now be better. 

The pope and cardinals at Avignon, considering the great support 
the king had given them, had cause for alarm ; but they showed none 
for the honor of the king and realm. They said among themselves, 
that the king was young and willful, and had, by his own fault, 
brought on him this disorder; and those about his person had allowed 
him to act too much as he pleased ; and that he had exerted himself 
in different excesses, and by riding post night and day ; and had 
labored unreasonably, in mind and body, on matters that should have 
been done by his ministers and not by himself; and that if he had 
been properly and soberly educated by the advice of his uncles, this 
unfortunate illness would never have happened. They added, that, 
" when he was on his journey to Languedoc, he had promised, on 
the word of a king, and swore likewise on his faith, that he would 
raise a sufficient force to destroy the anti-pope and his cardinals at 
Rome, and put an end to the schism and troubles of the church ; but 
he had done nothing, and thus forfeited his oath and promise, by 
which he has angered God, who, to correct Mm, punishes him with 
this rod of frenzy. It therefore behooves us, when he shall have re. 
covered his health, which may soon happen, to send properly instructed 
legates to remonstrate with him on this breach of promise, in order 
that, through our neglect, he may not be forgetful of it." Such was 
the language at Avignon between the pope and cardinals, who 
agreed that this disorder had been incurred by his own negligence 
and fault ; but they greatly blamed those of his council and house, 
hold for not having better attended to him. Many others, in France, 
did the same. 

In a church at Haspres, in Hainault, dependent on the abbey of 
Saint Vast at Arras, lies the canonized body of Saint .\quaire, in 
a rich shrine of silver. The saint is celebrated for the cures he has 
performed on those afflicted with madness, and on that account is 
much visited from all parts. To pay due respect to the saint, there 
was a figure of wax resembling the king, which was sent thither with 
a large wax taper, and offered, with much devotion, to the shrine of 
the saint, that he might pray to God to alleviate this cruel affliction 
of the king. A similar offering was made to Saint Hermier in Rouais, 
who has the reputation of curing madness, and wherever there were 
saints that were supposed to have efficacy, by their prayers to God, 



552 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



in such disorders, tkither were sent offerings from the king with much 
ceremony and devotion. 

When this event was known in Evigland, the king and lords were 
sreatly concerned thereat. The duke of Lancaster especially testi- 
fied his sorrow, and said to the knights near his person: " On my 
faith it is a great pity, lor he showed himself a man of courage, with 
a strong inclination to do good. When I took leave of him at Amiens, 
he said: 'Fair cousin of Lancaster, I earnestly entreat you will 
exert yourself to the utmost of your power that there may be a solid 
Deace between our kingdoms : we may then march a powerful army 
against this Amm'at, who has conquered the kingdom of Armenia 
from its lawful monarch, and who intends to destroy all Christendom, 
.that we may exalt our faith, as we are bounden so to do.' Now," 
added the duke, " there is an end to this, for he will never again 
have that confidence he before enjoyed put in him." " That is true 
enough," said those who heard him, " and the kingdom of France 
aeems likely to fall into much trouble." 



lady, resided at Paris with the queen, and had the supreme govern, 
ment of her and her household, so that no one was permitted to speak 
with the queen but through her permission. This lady hated with 
her whole heart sir Oliver de Clisson, on account of the duke of 
Brittany, who was nearly related to her. She frequently remonstrated 
with the duke of Burgundy, saying, that those who had supported 
sir Oliver de Clisson against so potent a prince as his cousin the 
duke of Brittany, were very blameworthy. The duke of Burgundy 
was cool and prudent, and saw far into the state of affairs and their 
consequences : he wished not to encourage any troubles in France, 
but to keep every one in good humor as long as it should be possi. 
ble, and on this account had never opposed any measures of his late 
brother, Charles V. nor of his nephew, the present king. He there- 
fore replied thus gently to his wife : " Lady, it is good at all times 
to dissemble. The duke of Brittany, it is true, is a great prince, and 
an overmatch for the lord de Clisson. If I join the duke and make 
myself openly one of his partisans, the kingdom wovtld be dissatisfied, 




Serine or Sr. A40AIRI. Presentation of the waien figure of the King. Designed from contemporary MSS. 



CHAPTER XLVII. 

THE DUKES OF BEREY AND BURGUNDY KUIN THOSE WHO HAD BEEN THE 
CONFIBENTIAL SERVANTS OF THE KINS. THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY 
TREATS RUDELY THE CONSTABLE DE CLISSON. 

Such were the conversations of lords in different countries on hear- 
in" of the king of France's illness, who remained confined in the 
castle of Creil, under the care of the four knights, and master William 
de Harseley, who had the sole management of him: none were 
allowed to speak with the king, nor even enter the castle, but such 
as had his permission, or were acting under his orders. At times, 
the dukes of Orleans and Bourbon came to visit the king, and see 
how he was going on, but the dukes of Berry and Burgundy never 
left Paris. They hod not as yet made any changes in the govern- 
ment, but they shortly intended doing so in regard to many who were 
not in their good graces, from their behavior when iu power, which 
was, as they thought, contradictory and presumptuous. 

The duke of Ben-y said, that Clisson. la Riviere, le Mercier, and 
le biiguede ViUaines, had, during their attendance on the king in 
Languedoc, caused hie treasurer and faithful servant Bethisac to be 
disgracefully punished with death, through envy and wickedness ; 
and that in spite of anything he could say or do, he could never gel 
him out of their hands. " Let them now beware of me, for the time 
shall come when I w;ill repay them with the same coin, and struck 
from the same mint." The duke of Burgundy and those attached 
to him loved no better the above-named persons, who had governed 
the king ; for whenever they wanted anything at court, they were 
repulsed sharply enough, and very little done for them, of which they 
murmured and talked loudly behind their backs. 

The duchess of Burgundy, who was a very unforgiving and haughty 



and not without reason ; for the lord de Clisson would declare and 
prove, that the whole hatred our cousiji the duke bears him is for 
having supported the interests of France, in which we have so large 
a share, and it is so believed throughout the realm. Hitherto I have 
no cause whatever to incline me to the duke against the lord da 
Clisson. It therefore behooves me to dissemble my real sentiments, 
if I wish to preserve the favor of the king and country to whom I am 
bounden by every tie, which is not my case with regard to the duke 
of Brittany. It has happened that my lord the king is indisposed, 
and in an alarming state as you know: this is very much against 
the lord de Clisson, and will be hurtful to all who advised him to 
undertake this expedition, and on which he was so obstinately bent, 
in spite of everything my brother and myself could urge against it. 
The rod is already prepared with which they shall be punished, as 
you shall shortly witness or hear of; but have the goodness, at this 
moment, to have a little patience. Lady, lady, there is no season 
but what makes some return, nor any fortune stable, nor afflicted 
heart but is at times rejoiced, nor angered minds but have their re. 
venge. Clisson, la Riviere, Montagu, le Mercier, de ViUaines, and 
others who have acted improperly, will shortly be made to suffer for 
it." With such conversations did the duke and duchess of Bur. 
gundy amuse themselves ; and not nicny days after this last, the dukes 
of Berry and Burgundy had a private conference. They said, " it 
was now time to punish those who had dishonored their nephew, the 
king, and who had led him to act according to their pleasure. We 
will begin first with the constable, for he is of the highest rank and 
greatest wealth : when he made his will a short time ago, on being 
wounded, he proved he had seventeen hundred thousand francs ia 
money and moveables. How the devil could he have amassed such 
a sum ? For the marriage of his daughter, with our cousin, John of 
Brittany, whotn he ransomed from England, must have cost hira, ia 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



553 



the whole, two hundred thousand francs ! But how shall we manage 
to begin on him, with any reasonable pretext ? for he is strongly 
supported by our nephew, the duke of Orleans, and by many of the 
great barons of France. However, if we can but once lay hands on 
him, we will attack him by law, and the parliament at present is of 
oar party." " That is true," replied the duke of Burgundy ; " and 
the first time he comes to me, which he must do to-morrow on busi- 
ness, I will convince him by the reception I give him, that he is not 
in my favor, and do you, brother of Berry, do the same when he 
comes to you." " That I will," answered the duke of Berry ; and 
■with these words the conference ended. 

The lord de Clisson, who thought not but that he was moderately 
well in favor with the dukes of Berry and Burgundy, waited on the 
last, for business of his office. He had been much teased by many 
knights and squires, who were of the late e-xpedition, and wanted 
money, for they had never received anything : the chancellor of 
France and the treasurer had sent them to the constable to be paid. 
He came therefore one afternoon to the hotel d'Artois, to remonstrate 
with the duke of Burgundy on this business, and nothing else, for he 
had already been dismissed from any share in the government. 
When he arrived at the hotel d'Artois he entered the court with his 
attendants, who were not numerous, and dismounted. The consta- 
ble ascended the stairs attended by only one squire, the others wait, 
ing for him in the court. He found two of the duke's knights in the 
hall, and demanded from them if the duke was disengaged, and if he 
could speak with him. " Sir, we know not," replied they, " but will 
soon inform you if you will wait here." They entered the duke's 
apartment, and found him unoccupied, chatting with a herald, re. 
turned from a grand feast in Germany. The knights interrupted the 
conversation, by saying, " My lord, sir Oliver de Clisson is in the 
hall, and wishes to speak with you, if it be your pleasure." "In God's 
name," replied the duke, " let Mm come forward : we have at pres- 
ent leisure to speak with him, and hear what he has to say." One 
of the knights left the apartment, and called the constable, saying: 
*' Sir, come on : my lord sends for you." The constable no sooner 
entered the room, than the duke changed color, and repented having 
sent for him, although he was anxious to tell him his mind. 

The constable took ofi' his hood, and, bowing to the duke, said : " I 
am come, my lord, to know how^ to act respecting the payment of the 
knights and squires who were of the late expedition, for my office 
is perpetually besieged by them ; and, as you and my lord of Berry 
at present govern the kingdom, have the goodness to inform me." 
The duke of Burgundy angrily replied : " Clisson, Clisson, you need 
not trouble yourself about the state of France ; for, without your office, 
it will be perfectly well governed. In an evil hour have you inter- 
fered in it. How the devil can you have amassed such a sum as 
seventeen hundred thousand francs, wliich you declared yourself to 
be possessed of by your will ? Neither my lord the king, my brother 
of Berry, nor myself, with all our power, have been able to collect 
such a sum. Quit my presence, and leave my house, and let me 
never see you again ; for, if it were not from regard to my own honor, 
I would have your other eye put out." At these words the duke of 
Burgundy went away, leaving the lord de Clisson astonished. He 
quitted the apartment, vs'ith his head sunk down, and quite melan. 
choly, without being attended by any one. Having crossed the hall 
he descended into the court, mounted his horse, and departed with 
his people, taking a private way to his own hotel, without saying a 
word. 

CHAPTER XLVIII. 

SIR OLIVEK DE CLISSON, AFTER THE HARSH ANSWER OF THE DUKE OF 
BtJKGTJNDY, RETIRES TO MONTLHERY. BEINO PURSUED THITHER, HE 
HAS TIME TO MAKE HIS RETREAT TO CHATEAU.JOSSELIN. 

When the lord de Clisson had entered his hotel, he formed various 
plans in his own mind as to his future conduct: he foresaw that very 
shortly public afl'airs would be badly managed, and had no one to 
open his mind to on the subject, for the duke of Orleans was at Creil : 
indeed, had he been at Paris, he had no power to save or defend liim. 
Suspecting, after what had passed, that the duke of Burgundy would 
arrest him, and force his hotel, he determined not to wait the event, 
but ordered his most confidential servants to pack up all he should 
want, and, in the evening, set off from Paris, attended by only two 
persons. He passed the gate of St. Anthony, and rode to Charenton, 
where, crossing the Seine by the bridge, he continued his journey to 
his castle of Montlhery, seven* leagues from Paris, where he re- 
mained until he heard other news. 

The same day the duke of Burgundy had rebuffed the constable, 
he met the duke of Berry at the Lou^tc, on the affairs of the nation. 
He told his brother of Beny how he had spoken to sir Oliver de Clis- 
son, who answered, " You have well done. We must, by some 
means or other, lay hold of him ; for in truth, Clisson, le Mercier, la 
Ririere, and Montagu have plimdered the kingdom ; but the time is 
now come when they must make ample restitution, and their heads 
ought to pay the forfeit also." I know not the particular reasons, but 
it is a fact, that the day the constable left Paris, Montagu did the 
same, and also by the gate of St. Anthony. He took the road for 
Troyes in Champagne, but said he would not stop anywhere until 



Montlhery is only six leagues from Paris.— Ed. 



I he was arrived at Avignon, whither he had already sent the greater 
part of his wealth. He had left a sufitciency with his wife to main- 
tain her state handsomely ; for he foresaw, since the king was de- 
prived of his senses, public affairs would go ill under the government 
of the dukes of Berry and Burgundy, who never spoke to him. 

Sir John le Mercier would have been glad to have done the same, 
had he been able ; but he had been put under an arrest, and nothing 
could come in or go out of his house without the knowledge of his 
guards. What he had before laid by in a place of security was of the 
greatest service to him at a proper opportunity, for all that was known 
to be his was claimed and seized by the two regents. He was after- 
wards committed a prisoner to the castle of the Louvre, as was in like 
manner le b6gue de Villaines, count de Ribadeo in Spain. They 
sent to the hotel of Montagu, but found no one, nor could they learn 
whither he was gone, and with this they were forced to be satisfied. 
Inquiries were made if sir Oliver de Clisson were in Paris, and orders 
were sent to his hotel for him to surrender himself a prisoner in the 
Louvre : but no person was at his hotel except the house-steward, 
who could not give any intelligence concerning liim. Two days 
passed before it was known that he was in his castle of Montlhery. 
The two dukes, impatient to lay hold on him, ordered instantly Bar- 
rels des Barres, sir John de Chftteaumorant, the lord de Coucy, and 
sir William de lay Tremouille to collect three hundred lances, and 
said to them ; " March with this force without delay to Montlhery, 
invest the town and castle, and do not leave it until you shall bring 
us Clisson dead or alive." 

The knights obeyed, as was their duty, for the government of the 
kingdom was now in the hands of these two dukes, and they left 
Paris with three hundred lances, not all at once, but in five separate 
bodies, that their departure might be the less noticed. God, how- 
ever, assisted the constable ; and he had such good friends among 
this armament, that he was punctually informed of its departure, and 
the hour it would arrive, so that he had full leisure to take proper 
measures not to suffer from it. He and his people left Montlhery, 
and by travelling through by-roads, over heaths, and avoiding all in- 
closed towns or cities, arrived safely in Brittany, and entered his 
castle, called Ch^teau-Josselin, which was well provided with all 
things, where he remained to wait other intelligence. 

Bariois des Barres and the other knights put their orders into execu. 
tion, took possession of the town of Montlhery, and surrounded the 
castle. They remained thus one night, imagining the constable was 
within, but he was not, as you have heard. On the morrow, while 
they were preparing for the assault, the servants in the castle came 
out to know what they were about. The knights said they wanted 
sir Oliver de Clisson, and that was the object of their coming. The 
servants in guard of the castle replied, that the lord de Clisson had 
left it four days ago ; and offered to open every part of it for them to 
search. The knights and squires entered the castle armed from head 
to foot, as if for instant combat, for fear of being surprised by treachery 
or an ambuscade. They, however, found that the servants had told 
them the truth ; for they minutely searched every part of it, without 
discovering any traces of the lord de Clisson. After this, they marched 
av/ay on their return to Paris, when they related to those who had 
sent them all they had done. 

CHAPTER XLIX. 

THE LORD DE LA RIVIERE, THE PRINCIPAL MINISTER OF THE KINS OF 
FRANCE BEFORE HIS ILLNESS, IS MADE PRISONER BT ORDERS OF THE 
DUKES OF BERRY AND BURGUNDY. THE DUCHESS OF BERRY INTERCEDES 
FOR HIM WITH HER LORD. 

The dukes of Berry and Burgundy, finding that the constable had 
escaped, were much vexed ; while, on the contrary, the dukes of 
Orleans and Bourbon rejoiced at it. " Now," said the duke of Bur- 
gundy, " he shows by his flight that he suspects us ; but, though he 
has fled, he is not yet acquitted. We will force him hastily to return, 
or he shall loose everything we can lay our hands on. Even this 
shall not free him from some heavy charges which only wait for trial, 
to prove him guilty and deserving punishment. If the great, the 
powerful, and the wicked be not chastised, justice will not be equally 
dealt, and the lower ranks and the poor will in truth be discontented. 
Justice ought to be dealt out without discrimination to all, that every 
one may take example." Such was the discourse of the duke of 
Burgundy ; but the lord de Clisson was safe in his castle of Josselin, 
in Brittany, well provided with everything to defend it, and to hold 
out a long siege. 

The day that Barrels des Barres returned to Paris, to tell his lords 
that sir Oliver de Clisson was not at Montlhery, the two dukes said, 
" Barrois, set out to-morrow very early, and ride to Auneau. We 
have heard the lord de la Riviere is there. Demand to see him from 
us and from the council, and manage so that you give a good account 
of him when we shall require it from you." Sir Barrois, having 
promised obedience, rode the ne.xt morning with his men-at-arms 
to Auneau, near to Chartres. It was a handsome castle, which the 
lord de la Riviere received in marriage with his wife, the lady of 
Auneau, and he had greatly improved both the castle and lands. 
He was much beloved by his vassals, whom he treated with affec- 
tionate care. The commissioners sent by the dukes, on their arrival 
at Auneau, executed their orders on the lord de la Riviere, whom 



554 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



they found with his lady and children. He was expecting such a 
message, for he had already learnt that sir John le Mercier and the 
count de Ribadeo were in prison, and that the constable had fled 
from Mondhery to a more distant and secure castle. Those who had 
brought him this intelligence said : " Sir, save yourself; for the envi- 
ous, who at this present time govern, are against you, and fortune 
has turned with them." To this he had replied ; " Here and every. 
where else I am in the power of God : if I fly or hide, I should 
accuse myself as guilty of crimes of which I feel myself incapable 
and innocent. God has given me all I possessed, and he may take 
it from me whenever he pleases : to his will I submit. I have faith, 
fully and loyally served the late king of happy memory, as well as 
the present king. My services have been well known to both, and 
they have royally rewarded them. I feel bold enough, from what 
by their commands I have done for the good of the kingdom, to stand 
the judgment of the parliament of Paris ; and, if they shall find in 
my whole conduct anything worthy of blame, let me be punished." 

Such was the declaration of the lord de la Riviere to his wife and 
his friends, before the comtnissioners from the regents came to Au. 
neau. On their arrival, his servants said ; " My lord, here are such 
and such persons, with a large force, who want to enter the castle : 
what do you say? shall we open the gates ?" " Why not?" he re. 
plied : " they are very welcome," On saying this, he went to meet 
them, and received every one most graciously ; and in conversing 
together they all entered the hall of the castle of Auneau. After a 
short pause, sir Barrois dcs Barrcs, a gallant and courteous knight, 
with much vexation, arrested the lord de la Riviere, according to the 
orders he had received, which he was bound to execute. The lord 
de la Riviere held him excused, and immediately obeyed his sum- 
mons ; for he neither could nor would otherwise act by disputing it; 
and he remained a prisoner in his own castle of Auneau. You may 
imagine his lady was in great anguish when she saw fortune thus 
adverse to her lord, and she still more dreaded the conclusion. 

The lord de la Riviere was not long a prisoner in his own castle, 
before he was sent for by those who ruled the temporality and spiritu. 
ality of France, (for the person who signed himself pope Clement 
held all his power in that country through the good-will of these 
dukes,) to Paris, where he was confined in the prison of the Louvre. 
Many in France were afllicted at this, but they dared only speak of 
it in private. They were indifferent as to sir John le Mercier, but 
the lord de la Riviere had been courteous, debonair, and patient in 
hearing poor people, and such as were not of rank to attend his pub. 
lie audiences. It was reported in Paris that they were to be be- 
headed ; and it was whispered slanderously, to ruin their popularity, 
that they had been traitors to the crown, and plundered the treasury 
of great wealth ; with which they had kept up their state, and built 
houses and tine castles, while poor knights and squires, who had ex- 
posed their lives in arms for the service of the realm, and sold their 
inheritances for subsistence, could not obtain any payment, for a long 
time past, from sir Oliver de Clisson, the lord de la Riviere, sir John 
le Mercier, or from Montagu, who had fled. Their numerous ene- 
mies, who were in great strength, declared they deserved to die, which 
put them in great risk. They urged as a crime against them, that 
they had advised the king to go to Mans, and thence to Brittany, 
and had, by poisoned liquors which they gave him to drink, brought 
on this frenzy; and it was currently reported, that the king's phy- 
sicians, who had the care of his health, were not, in any way, per- 
mitted to have their will, nor was their advice followed. 

So much was said against these two, that the lord de la Riviere 
and sir John le Mercier were removed from the Louvre and delivered 
over to the provost of the Chitelct, and confined in the castle of St. 
Anthony, under the guard of the viscount d'Acliy, at that time the 
governor. On this removal, though the common report ran that they 
were to be put to death, in truth they were never condemned ; nor 
could those by whom they had been examined, ever in their con- 
sciences find them guilty of death. They were, however, daily at- 
tacked by some, who said, " Take heed to your souls, for your bodies 
are already disposed of; you are both condemned to have your heads 
cut of!'.'' In this distressing state they were kept for some time ; but 
the bfegue de Villaines, a great knight and valiant man-at-arms, from 
the country of Beauce, inculpated in the same accusations, had many 
friends, who pleaded efTcctually in his favor, and he was freed from 
prison with a fuFI acquittal. On his leaving the prison, he was told 
by his relations, sir Barrois des Barres and others, to prepare to set 
out for Castille, where in future he must reside, on the handsome in- 
heritance he gained by his marriage with the countess de Ribadeo. 
He followed the advice that had been given him, and speedily packed 
up all he wanted, and set out for Castille, leaving his two friends in 
prison, and in daily peril of losing their lives. All the property, 
moveable and immoveable, of sir John le Mercier, that was in France, 
and could be laid hold of, was confiscated and given to others. His 
fine house at Pont k Louvion,* in the diocese of Loan, that had cost 
him such immense sums, was seized and given to the lord de Coucy, 
with all its estates, manors, and dependencies. I am ignorant if this 
■was done at his request, but he possessed it, and his heirs afterwards. 

The regents treated the lord de la Riviere very cruelly. They 
confiscated all his estates, as well what had descended to him as 
those he had purchased, and all his move ables wherever they could 

• "Pont ^ Louvion." It is in the MSS. Pont-.\ubumen. and Pont i Lonnion. Q. if 
not Pom ii Woiivion. There are lluee villages of tliat name in tlie election of Lacn. 



be found. The lady, his wife, had, however, reserved to her use all 
the domain of Auneau, and whatever else she had inherited from her 
family, by father or mother. She had a young and genteel daughter, 
of ten years old, who had been betrothed to James de Chastillon, son 
and heir to sir Hugh de Chastillon, who had formerly been master 
of the cross-bows of France ; he was already in possession of large 
estates, and in the expectation of more. He had made several ex - 
cursions with his intended father-in-law, the lord de la Riviere ; but, 
notwithstanding this, the regents would break off the intended mar- 
riage in spite of the young man. This connection was put an end to, 
and he married elsewher'*, according to the pleasure of the dukes of 
Berry and Burgundy, and the lord de la Tremouille, who took the 
managment of the business. 

The lord de la Riviere had likewise a son, a squire, who was his 
heir, married to the only daughter of the lord de Dampmartin, who 
was not likely to have more children, and this daughter was his 
heiress. The regents wanted likewise to break of this marriage, and 
unite her more nobly ; but the count de Dampmartin, like an honor- 
able man, stepped forward, and said : " That as long as the son of 
the lord de la Riviere lived, his daughter should have no other hue. 
band ; and, if violence were used to shorten his days, his daughter 
should remain a widow, and he should so strongly settle his property, 
that those who might wish to gain it by fraud or otherwise would find 
themselves disappointed." When they saw the firmness of the count 
de Dampmartin, and that he would not give up his son-in-law, they 
left him quiet, and the marriage remained good ; but the first I men- 
tioned was set aside by an absolution from pope Clement, who was 
forced to give it whether he would or not ; for he had no power over 
the realm of France but what the two dukes were pleased to allow 
him, so greatly was the church lowered and hurt by the disgraceful 
schism, and by the conduct of those who ought to have ruled it better. 

Many in France, and in other countries, acquitted the lord de la 
Riviere from all blame, but their excusing him was of no avail ; for 
although his innocence was as clear as the day, no one dared to 
speak in his behalf, but that courageous young lady the duchess of 
Berry. Too often had that good lady cast herself at her lord's feet, 
saying, with uplifted hands : " Ah, my lord, you allow yourself to be 
swayed wrongly and sinfully, by the envious and disappointed, who 
poison your mind with tales against this valiant knight, and virtuous 
man, the lord de la Riviere. They accuse him unjustly, and no one 
dares to say a word in his defence. I wish you therefore to know, 
that, if he shall be put to death, I shall never again taste happiness, 
but remain all my days in sorrow and affliction. He is, whoever may 
say the contrary, a most loyal and prudent knight. Ah, my lord, 
you little remember the handsome services he has done you, nor the 
pains and difficulty he had to encounter when he accomplished our 
marriage. I do not say this as pretending to have been worth the 
trouble, for I am but a poor lady in comparison to you ; but you, 
who were so anxious to have me, had to deal with a hard and cun- 
ning lord, the late count de Foix, in whose wardship I then was ; and, 
if it had not been for the persuasive manners of the lord de la Riviere, 
I should have never been your duchess, but settled in England ; for 
the duke of Lancaster solicited me for the earl of Derby, and the 
count de Foix inclined more to him than to you. Most dear sir, you 
ought not to be forgetful of these things, for you know what I say is 
true. I therefore most humbly entreat that you would have compas- 
sion on that gallant knight who so courteously conducted your busi- 
ness, in regard to me, that he suffer neither in life nor limb." 

The duke of Berry, thus attacked by his young and handsome 
wife, whom he doted upon, and feeling that all she had said was true, 
was much softened in his hatred to the lord de la Riviere ; and to 
appease his lady, who he saw was in earnest, replied : " Lady, as 
God may save my soul, I would rather have paid twenty thousand 
francs, than that la Riviere should have misconducted himself toward 
the crown of France. Before this indisposition of the king I loved 
him well, and considered him a prudent and valiant knight. Since, 
however, you thus anxiously interest yourself for him, I will abate 
my anger ; and from your entreaties and solicitations he shall fare 
the better. I will exert my power to the utmost, and do more for 
your prayers than if all Fiance united had petitioned me in his be- 
half." " My lord," answered the lady, " please God, I shall see the 
effects of it. You will do a good and charitable act ; for I believe 
there is not one, besides myself, that has spoken in his favor." " You 
say truly," replied the duke ; " but when you so warmly take up the 
matter, it is fully sufficient." Thus was the duchess contented with 
the answers of the duke; and when he and the duke of Burgundy, 
with their councils, met on the business, there was much altercation. 
There is not a doubt but, if this virtuous lady had not interfered, he 
would have been put to death. From affection to her, it was other- 
wise ; and John le Mercier was fortunate in being the companion of 
the lord de la Riviere, and implicated in the same charges, for they 
could not in conscience have executed one without the other. 

Notwithstanding this delay, they did not feel perfectly secure in 
prison ; for they knew they had many enemies, who were now in 
power, and angry (though they were forced to abide by it) that they 
had not sooner been punished. Sir John le Mercier, during his con- 
finement in the Bastille, was in such continual grief and tears that he 
nearly lost his sight. It was melancholy indeed to hear the bitter, 
ness of his lamentations. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &.c. 



555 



CHAPTER L. 

AFTER MANY ADJOURNMENTS AND DELAYS, THE CONSTABLE DE CLISSON 
IS, BY JUDGMENT OF THE COURT OF PARLIAMENT OF PARIS, BANISHED 
THE REALM OF FRANCE, CONDEMNED TO PAT A FINE OF ONE HUNDRED 
THOUSAND FRANCS, AND DECLARED INCAPABLE OF HOLDINli THE OFFICE 
OP CONSTABLE OF FRANCE. 

During the confinement of the two knights in prison, where they 
Temained upward of a year, uncertain what the conclusion would be, 
the lord de Clisson was attacked every way, to degrade his honor 
and deprive him of his office. They were more desirous to lay hold 
of him than any others of the late ministry, but he took good care to 
prevent it. He was wise in so doing ; for if he had been arrested, 
everything was prepared for his execution the moment he should be 
condemned, without the smallest hope of mercy, to please his adver- 



of France for a false and wicked traitor to the crown, condemned to 
pay a fine of one hundred thousand marcs of silver, for the extortions 
which he had fraudulently and wickedly committed in former times, 
as well in the office of constable as in the exchequer and elsewhere, 
and to be deprived for ever of the office of constable of France. The 
duke of Orleans was invited by the court to be present when this 
sentence was passed, but he would not, and excused himself. The 
dukes of Berry and Burgundy were there, with a great many of the 
barons of France. 

Now observe the works of Fortums, how firm and steady they are, 
when such a valiant and good knight who had labored so successfully 
for the honor of France, was thus maliciously degraded in honor and 
hurt in his fortune. He was lucky in not obeying any of the sum- 
monses, for, had he come, they would have disgracefully put him to 
death ; nor could the ditke of Orleans have saved liim, for, if he had 
interceded for him, no attention would have been paid to it. You 




Kino Cn&RLSs ^nd a Hawkinq P.vkty. Fn^m aa originat desiga. 



aary, the duke of Brittany, who had never done any good to Fiance. 

When the regents found he had escaped, they resolved to proceed 
in a difierent manner. It was ordered, that he should be summoned 
by the court of parliament of Paris to appear before it, and answer 
such charges as should be made against him, under pain of being 
dishonored and banished from France. Commissioners were sent 
after him into Brittany, by the chamber of parliament, to summon and 
aiTcst him. They acquitted themselves well, so far as going into 
Brittany and demanding at all the towns and castles belonging to sir 
Oliver de Clisson where he was to be found, saying, "We are sent 
by the king and council to speak with my lord the constable: tell us 
how we can see him, that we may perform our message." The in- 
habitants of the towns or castles dependent on the lord de Clisson 
answered, as they had been tutored to do ; " Gentlemen, you are 
very welcome : if we wanted to speak with our lord the constable, 
we would go to such a place, where we should find him without fail." 
Thus were the commissioners sent from town to town, asking after 
sir Oliver de Clisson, but without ever finding him, or having any 
other answers. At length being tired of the pursuit, they returned 
to Paris, and related their ill success, and the tricks the constable's 
vassals had played them. Those w'ho had accused him, and wished 
his condemnation, would not that he had acted otherwise, for now, 
they said, they would have instant judgment, and he should be treated 
according to his deserts. 

They publicly summoned, by order of parliament, sir Oliver de 
Clisson in all legal form, allowing the usual interval between each 
summons, to prevent those attached to him from saying that hatred 
or malice had outstripped justice. After every adjournment was 
completed, without any intelligence received from him, and after he 
had been summoned first at the door of the chamber of parliament, 
then publicly at the gates and on the steps of the palace, with every 
usual solemnity, without any answer being returned, a most cruel 
sentence was passed by the court. He was banished the kingdom 



may suppose that the duke of Brittany and sir Peter de Craon, who 
were strongly connected with each other, were much rejoiced at this; 
but they were vexed the constable had not borne company with the 
lord de la Riviere and sir John le Mercier. This sentence made a 
great noise in France and elsewhere. Some pitied him, and said in 
secret that he had been unjustly treated ; others opposed it, saying it 
was fortunate he had not been laid hold of and hanged, for he was 
d-:serving of it. " Our regents," they added, " who are well ac- 
quainted with his manner of life, have not been to blame in suffering 
him to be thus treated. How the devil could he have laid by such 
a sum as a million and a half of florins ? It could not have been by 
conquests in war, but from pillage and robbery, and from the pay of 
poor knights and squires, as is well known at the chancery and 
treasury, where it is all written down. In the expeditions to Flan- 
ders, he raised and received large sums of money, as well as in that 
which the king made into Germany. All the taxes for the war, and 
the payment of the men-at-arms, passed through his hands. He paid 
himself and others as he pleased, keeping the better part, without any 
one daring to say a word against it." In such terms was sir Oliver 
de Clisson accused behind his back ; and the proverb says truly, that 
" those whom necessity forces to sell have never a fair offer." 

The duke of Brittany caused it to be rumored throughout his 
country, that whenever the dukes of Berry and Burgundy should 
please, he could easily reduce the lord de Clisson to the lowest state; 
but at the moment he left him undisturbed, to see what turn affairs 
would take, for he expected, from the measures then pursuing, the 
lord de Clisson must be deprived of the eonstableship. The duke 
of Brittany and sir Peter de Craon were thus suddenly relieved from 
all anxiety by the favor of dame Fortune, who, ever in motion, exalta 
those who least expect it, and tumbles others into the dirt from the 
top of her wheel. 

Sii Oliver de Clisson, the lord de la Riviere, and sir John le Mer- 
cier, w ere principally accused of being the authors of the king's ill. 



556 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &.c. 



ness ; and it was commonly leporled by those who hated them, and 
wished their death, that they had poisoned the kmg. Now consider 
how little there was in this charge, or how Utile probability of their 
attempting such an act, who were sure of being prosecuted if any 
accident happened to the king, and of course would have been the 
most eager to have preserved him in health. But nothing was be. 
lieved which they urged in their defence, as you already know. The 
lord de la Riviere and sir John le Mercier were for a long time im- 
prisoned in the Bastille, and in great danger of being publicly be- 
headed. It would undoubtedly have been done, if the king had not 
very opportunely recovered his health, and had it not been for the 
strong and repeated intercessions the duchess of Berry made for the 
lord de la Riviere. The lord de Clisson resided in Brittany ; and a 
severe warfare was kept up between him and the duke, which cost 
many lives, as will be related hereafter. 



CHAPTER LI. 

HNS CHARLES RECOVERS HIS SENSES THROUGH THE MERCY OF GOD, AND 
THE DILIGENT ATTENTION OF HIS PHYSICIAN, MASTER WILLIAM DE 
HARSELET. 

The disorder, which befel the king on his journey to Brittany, 
greatly affected all his subjects, and they naturally felt for their king, 
who, before his illness, was very popular with all ranks. Being the 
chief, every part of the government suffered ; for, in like manner, 
when the head of a man is sick, his other members are not painless. 
No one ventured to talk openly of his indisposition, which was con- 
cealed as much as it could be. Indeed, it was perfectly unknown 
to the qneen until she was recovered from her lying-in ; and I believe 
this time she was brought to bed of a daughter. Master William de 
Harseley, who had the king under his care, resided quietly with him 
at Creil, and was very attentive to him, which gained him honor and 
profit, for by little and little he recovered for liim his health. He 
first got rid of the fever and great heat he complained of, and then 
restored to him his appetite, sleep, and his recollection of things about 
him. Until he was strong enough to bear removal for change of air, 
he allowed him to ride, hunt, and amuse himself with hawking. 

On the news of the king's recovery being spread abroad, the whole 
kingdom of France was rejoiced, and most heartily and sincerely 
were thanksgivings offered up to God for having restored the king to 
his senses and memory. During his residence at Creil, he demanded 
to see the queen and his son : she came thither, and brought the 
dauphin. The king received them very kindly ; and thus by degrees, 
through the mercy of God, was he restored to health. Master Wil- 
liam de Harseley, seeing him in so fair a way, was in high spirits, 
and not without reason ; for he had performed an astonishing cure. 
He now gave him up to the care of his brother, the duke of Orleans, 
and his uncles, the dukes of Berry, Burgundy, and Bourbon, saying 
to them ; " Thanks to God, tlie king is now well : I deliver him up 
to you ; but henceforward, you must carefully avoid angering or vex. 
ing him, for as yet his nerves have not quite recovered their strength, 
though they will daily get better. Amusements and relaxations from 
the fatigues of business will be of service to him, and above all, he 
must n.jt weary himself too much with his ministers or council ; for 
his head will continue some time weak and delicate, as he has been 
much pulled down and shattered by this indisposition." 

Having consulted together, they resolved to retain master William 
de Harseley at such an ample salary as should satisfy him ; for it is 
the object of all medical men to gain large salaries, and as much 
profit as possible, from the lords and ladies who call for their aid. It 
was therefore proposed to him to remain with the king ; but he ex- 
cused himself, saying, " that he w as old and weakly ; that the man. 
net of living at court would not agree with his years, and that he 
must immediately return to his nursling at home." When they saw 
he was determined in his refusal, they pressed him no further. They 
gave him permission to depart, and, on his taking leave, presented 
him with one thousand crowns of gold, and an order for four horses 
on the postmasters whenever he should please to come to court. I 
believe he never returned ; for he continued in the city of Laon, where 
he died very rich, possessed of thirty thousand francs. He was tlie 
most niggardly man of his time : his whole pleasure was amassing 
money, and never spending a farthing at home, but eating and drink, 
ing abroad wherever he could. With such rods ate physicians cor. 
reeled. 

CHAPTER LII. 

THE TRUCE IS PROLONGED BETWEEN FRANCE AND ENGLAND. THE VIS. 
COUNT DE CHASTELBON DOES HOMAGE FOR THE COUNTY OF FOIX TO THE 
IING OF FRANCE. 

To continue this noble and pleasant history, undertaken at the re- 
quest and pleasure of that hberal and potent prince, my very dear lord 
and patron, Guy de Chastillon, count de Blois, lord of Avesnes, Chi. 
may, Beaumont, Schoenhoven and Turgow ; I, John Froissart, priest 
and chaplain to my very dear lord before named, and at the time 
treasurer and canon of CMmay and Lille in Flanders, set myself to 
work at my forge, to produce new and notable matter relative to the 
wais betweeu France and England and their allies, as clearly appears 



from the various treaties which are of this date, and which excellent 
materials, through the grace of God, I shall work upon as long as I 
live ; for the more I labor at it the more it delights me : just as a 
gallant knight or squire. at-arms, who loves his profession, the longer 
he continues it so much the more delectable it appears. 

You have had it before related in these chronicles, that a truce had 
been agreed on for three years at Leulinghen, between France and 
England ; that embassadors from France, namely the count de Saint 
Pol and the lord de Chateaumorant, had brought the papers signed 
and sealed from England ; and that, since then, the lord de Chateau, 
morant and sir Taupin de Cantemerle, had accompanied the dukes 
of Lancaster and York from the conferences at Amiens to London, 
to learn the intentions of the king and parliament of England, in re- 
gard to the advances which had been made at Amiens toward a solid 
peace between the two nations, subject, however, to the consent of 
England, which had been reserved in the treaty by the dukes of Lan. 
caster and York. The French knights had returned to France; for 
they were told nothing could be done in the matter until the meeting 
of the parliament, which was appointed to be holden at Westminster 
at Michaelmas : that then the affair would be discussed, and they 
should have an answer. When it was known in England how 
grievously the king of France was afflicted, the business was much 
retarded. Nevertheless, the king and the duke of Lancaster were 
desirous of peace between England and France, and, had it depended 
on them, it would have been concluded ; but it was not so, for the 
commons of England preferred war to peace, saying, "that war with 
France was more beneficial to them than otherwise." This was also 
the opinion of Thomas duke of Gloucester, constable of England, 
who was very popular throughout the country. He inclined for war, 
as did all the young men who were anxious to signalize themselves 
in arms; but his brother, the duke of Lancaster, as the oldest and 
most powerful, took the lead, and said, " the war had lasted long 
enough between France and England, and that a good peace, if pro. 
perly attended to, would be very welcome to all parties, who had 
suffered greatly from the long state of warfare." The duke added, 
" that holy Christendom was in danger from Bajazet, who was in 
great force on the frontiers of Hungary, sorely oppressing that country ; 
and that was the proper time for all young bachelors who wished to 
try their skill in arms." 

Let us weigh well these words of the duke of Lancaster, which 
were offered with the best intentions; for he had many times invaded 
France and overrun that country with small gain. He had under- 
gone great bodily fatigue ; and though he burnt and destroyed the 
flat country, it was almost as soon recovered again from the damages 
it had suffered. He said that this war led to no good end ; but, if 
continued, must be pushed forward with vigor, and the slightest re- 
verse might be attended with the worst consequences. He likewise 
porceived the king was more desirous of peace than war. I, the au- 
thor of this history, know not how to determine who was in the right, 
or who in the wrong; but it was said the reason of the duke of Lan- 
caster's conduct was, that he had married his two daughters in Castille 
and Portugal, and therefore he was desirous of peace. His son.in- 
law, the king of Castille, was young ; and to prevent any troubles 
from his grandees, and in order that he might reign quietly, it was 
necessary there should be such a peace with France as the English 
could not infringe. Should they do so, the French would instantly 
fall on Castille ; for they had free entrances thither, through the 
kingdom of Arragon, of which the lady Jolande de Bar, a French 
woman, was queen, and who governed that kingdom as well as 
Catalonia, or through the countries of Beam and the Basques ; for 
the viscount de Ch^teaubon, the heir to the late count de Foix, had 
sworn and sealed to grant this permission, when required by the king 
of France. The French had therefore several entrances to Castille, 
without danger of opposition from the king of Navarre, who would 
not willingly anger his cousin-german the king of France. His 
brother sir Peter de Navarre, was besides at the court of France, and 
would instantly soften any disputes that should arise between the 
king of France and his brother of Navarre ; for he was a good French- 
man, and never acted but fvr the mutual interest of the two kings. 
The duke of Lancaster was fully aware of all the consequences of 
war, and frequendy remonstrated on the subject with his son, Henry 
earl of Derby, who though young, had an understanding and prudence 
that seemed likely to produce perfection. This earl of Derby had 
four fine sons, Henry, John, Humphrey and Thomas, and two daugh- 
ters, by Mary de Bohun, daughter to the earl of Hereford and North- 
ampton, constable of England, and possessed in her right very large 
estates. 

The conclusion of the matter respecting peace, which was long 
discussed in the parliament held at Westminster, of prelates, noble- 
men, and citizens from the cities and principal towns, was, that a 
truce should take place between England, France, and their respec- 
five allies, by sea and land, to last from Michaelmas to Saint John 
Baptist's day, and one year longer. Those who had been sent by 
the king of France, carried back the articles of the truce properly 
signed and sealed, and the agreement was observed by all parties. 

The health of the king of France had been so exceedingly weak- 
ened by his late illness, that his council knew not to whom to apply 
for ad\ice ; for the physician who had before attended, master Wil. 
liam de Harseley, was dead. He had, however, given the king, 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



55T 



before he left him, several good recipes which lie had used, and had 
returned to Paris in the winter with very good healtli, to the great 
jey of his family and the whole commonalty of France, with whom 
he was very popular. The queen accompanied him from Crcil to 
Paris, where the>^ resided at the hotel de Saint Pol. At times he 
went to the Louvre, hut for the most part staid at the hotel de Saint 
Pol; and; during the long winter nights, there were carolings, dan- 
cings and other amusements, in the presence of the king, queen, 
duchess of Berry, duchess of Orleans and other ladies, who thus 
passed the winter nights. 



There was in the king's household, a NormaH squire, called Ha- 
gonin de Gcnsay, a near relation of the bridegroom, who tliought of 
the following piece of pleasantry to amuse the king and ladies. This 
marriage was on a Tuesday before Candlemas-day, and he had in 
the evening provided si.t coats of Imen covered with fine flax, the 
color of hair. He dressed the king in one of them, the count de 
Joigny, a young and gallant knight, in another, which became him 
well ; sir Charles de Poitiere, son of the count Valentinois, had the 
third ; sir Evan dc Foi.x, the fourth ; the son of the lord de Nan 
touillet, a young knight, had the fifth, and Hugonin dressed himself 



few. '' , r ' ' ] — #|J 




The Masque at Paris, in which the King and otJieis were in great danger. From a MS. of the 15th eenterr. 



At this season, the viscount de Chliteaubon came to Paris, to do 
homage to the king for the county of Foix, which he inherited as legal 
heir to Gaston de Foix, and whicli was a fief dependent on France. 
B^arn is an independent state, and the lords of it owe service to 
none other lord but Gad, notwithstanding the claims the late prince 
of Wales, of happy memory, urged against Gaston de Foix, the late 
lord of B6arn. The prince pretended it was dependent on Aqui- 
taine, but the count de Foix denied the fact. To say the truth, all 
these claims of the prince were instigated through the count John 
d'Armagnac, as has been already told, so that I shall now pass the 
matter over. When the viscount de Chateaubon, whom henceforward 
I shall call the count de Foix, came to Paris, he brought a cousin 
with him, a bastard son of the late count, called Evan de Foix, a 
handsome and accomplished knight ; whom his late father would 
have willingly made his heir, with liis brother Gracien, that was now 
with the king of Navarre, but the barons of Beam would not con- 
Bent to it. The matter, therefore remained unsettled, for the count, 
as you have seen, died suddenly. On sir Evan being introduced to 
the king, he took a great liking to him, for he was wonderfully hand- 
some and well made ; he was besides of the same age with the king ; 
and the affairs of the viscount de Chateaubon were benefited by this 
friendship, as they were the more speedily concluded. The viscount 
returned home ; but sir Evan reniained at court, and was named by 
the king one of the knights of his bed-chamber, with twelve coursers 
at the charge of the crown. 



CHAPTER LIII. 

THE KING OF FRANCE IN GREAT DANGER OF BTS LIFE AT A MASKED DANCE 
OF MEN DRESSED LIKC SAVAGES. POPE BONIFACE AND THE CARDINALS 
AT ROME SEND A LEARNED FRIAR TO THE KING. 

Not long after this, a marriage took place between a young squire 
of Vermandois and a damsel of the queen, bot.h of the royal house- 
hold. The court were much pleased at it, and the king resolved to 
keep their wedding-feast at his expense. It was held at the hotel of 
Saint Pol, and great crowds of lords attended ; among whom were 
the dukes of Orleans, Berry, Burgundy, and their duchesses. The 
wedding-day* was passed in dancing and joy. The king entertained 
at supper the queen in great state ; and every one exerted himself to 
add to the gayety, seeing how much delighted the king appeared. 



• The 29th of Jinuwy 1392 oW style, 1333 new Eiyle.-£B. 



in the sixth.* When they were all thus dressed, by having the coats 
sewed round them, they appeared like savages, for they were covered 
with hair from head to foot. This masquerade pleased the king 
greatly, and he expressed his pleasure to the squire. It was so secret- 
ly contrived that no one knew anything of the matter but the servants 
who had attended on them. Sir Evan de Foix, who seemed to have 
more foresight of what was to happen, said to the king, " Sire, 
command strictly that no one come near us with torches ; for, if a 
spark fall on the coats we are dressed in, the flax will instantly take 
fire, and we inevitably be burnt ; take care, therefore, of what I say." 
" Evan," replied the king, '• you speak well and wisely, and your 
advice shall be attended to." " He then forbade his servants to fol- 
low, and, sending for one of the serjeants-at-arms that waited at the 
doors of the appartments, said to him, " Go to the room where the 
ladies are, and command, in the king's name, that all the torches be 
placed on one side of it, and that no person come near six savage 
men who are about to enter." 

The Serjeant did as he had been ordered by the king, and the 
torch-bearers withdrew on one side and no one approached the dan- 
cers, so long as the savages staid in the room. The apartment was 
now clear of all but ladies, damsels, and knights and squires, who 
were dancing with them. Soon after, the duke of Orleans entered, 
attended by four knights, and six torches, ignorant of the orders that 
had been given, and of the entrance of the savages. He first looked 
at the dancing, and then took part himself, just as the king of France 
made his appearance, with five others dressed like savages, and 
covered with flax, to represent hair from head to foot. Not one 
person in the company knew them ; and they were all fastened to- 
gether, while the king led tliem dancing. On their entrance, every 
one was so occupied in examining them, that the orders about the 
torches were forgotten. The king, who was the leader, fortunately 
for him, quitted them to show himself to the ladies, as was natural 
to his youth ; and passing by the queen, placed himself near the 
duchess of Berry, who, though his aunt, was the youngest of the 
company. The duchess amused herself in talking with him, and 
endeavoring to find out who he was; but the king, rising up from 
his seat, would not discover himself. The duchess said, " You shall 
not escape thus, for I will know your name.'' 

At this moment, a most unfortunate accident befel the others. 



* In the history of France, by Villaret, these masquers were — tlie king— Hugues de 
Guissai— le comte de Joigni— Ayinard de Poitier?, son of the count de Valentinois— 4« 
b&tard de Foix— Jean de NantouiUet. 



558 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &e. 



through the youthful gayety of the duke Orleans, who, if he had fore- 
seen the mischief he was about to cause, it is to be presumed would 
not, for any consideration, have so acted. He was very inquisitive 
IB examining them, to find out who they were ; and, as the five were 
dancing, he took one of the torches from his servants, and, holding 
it too near their dresses, set them on fire. Flax, you know, is instant- 
ly i« a blaze ; and the pitch, with which the cloth had been covered 
to fasten the flax, added to the impossibility of extinguishing it. 
They were likewise chained together, and there cries were dreadful ; 
for the fire was so strong, scarcely any dared approach. Some 
knights indeed did their utmost to disengage them, but the pilch 
burnt their hands very severely ; and they suffered a long time after- 
wards from it. 

One of the five, Nantouillet, recollected that the buttery was near, 
broke the chain, and flying thither, flung himself into a trfb of water 
wliich was there for washing dishes and plates. This saved him, or 
he would have been burnt to death like the others : but he was withal 
some time very ill. When the queen heard the cause of the cries, 
she was alarmed lest the king should be hurt, for he had told her he 
would be one of the six, and in her fright fainted and fell down : her 
ladies and knights hastened to her assistance ; and the confusion 
was so great, no one knew what to do. The duchess of Berry saved 
the king by throwing the train of her robe over him, and detaining 
him, for he wanted to quit her. " Where are you going ?" said she : 
" do you not see your companions are in a blaze ? who are you ? for 
it is not now a time to keep it a secret." He then named himself, 
saying, " I am the king." " Ah, my lord," replied the duchess, " put 
on quickly another dress, and show yourself to the queen, for she is 
very much distressed about you." 

The king on this left the room, and, liaving tin-own aside his 
mummery, dressed himself as fast as he could, and returned to the 
queen, who had been much comforted by the duchess of Berry. 
When the king had quitted her, she went to the queen and said, 
** Madam, do not be alarmed for the king : you will shortly see him, 
for I have been talking with him." As she said this, the king ap- 
peared, and the queen trembled for joy ; she was carried by her 
knights to her chamber, where the king attended and comforted her. 
The bastard of Foix, when on fire, cried aloud, " Save the king ! save 
the king!" who indeed was saved in the manner I have related. It 
was the providence of God that inspired him to leave his companions 
and converse with the ladies, for, had he remained with them, he 
must inevitably have been burnt to death. 

This terrible accident happened about twelve o'clock at night, in 
the ball-room, at the hotel de Saint Pol, and it was a most melancholy 
spectacle. Of the four that were on fire, *wo died on the spot : the 
other two, the bastard of Foix and the count de Joigny, were carried 
tfy their hotels, and died two days afterwards in great agonies. Thus 
unfortunately did the wedding-feast end, although the married couple 
oould no way be blamed. The duke of Orleans was alone in fault, 
who certainly intended not any harm when he held the torch so near 
them. His giddiness caused it ; and, when he witnessed how unlucky 
he had been, said aloud : " Listen to me all that can hear me. Let 
no one be blamed for this unfortunate accident but myself: what 
has been dose was through my fault ; but wo is me that it has hap- 
pened ! and, had I toreseen the consequences, nothing on earth should 
have induced me to do it." The duke then followed the king, and 
made his excuses, which were accepted. This melancholy event 
happened on the Tuesday before Candlemas-eve, in the year of grace 
1392 : it made a great noise in France and in other countries. 

The dukes of Berry and Burgundy were not present when the 
maskers were set on fire, but were at their own hotels, having taken 
leave of the king, queen, and ladies. When, on the morrow, it 
became public in Paris, the people wondered greatly, and said that 
God had a second time shown his kind providence to the king, and 
that he ought now to put aside these childish things, and occupy him- 
self more seriously ; for that he had too long played the boy, which was 
unbecoming a king of France. The commonalty murmured among 
themselves, and said, " What a narrow escape the king has had ! if 
he had been burnt like the others, which might easily have happened, 
what would have become of his uncles ? They may be assured not 
one of them would have escaped death, nor any knight found in Paris. " 
The dukes of Berry and Burgundy, hearing of this language, were 
astonished and alarmed, and not without cause. They mounted 
their horses, and rode to the hbtcl de Saint Pol to the king, and con- 
gratulated him on his escape. They found him still frightened, for 
he had not yet recovered the sense of the peril he had been in the 
preceding night. He told them his fair aunt of Berry had saved 
him from being burnt, but that he was exceedingly grieved for the 
melancholy end of the count de Joigny, sir Evan de Foix, and sir 
Charles de Poitiers. His uncles consoled him, saying, " My lord, 
what is done cannot be recovered : you must forget their deaths, and 
render thanks to God for the miraculous escape you yourself have 
had ; for this event might have been nearly the death of the kingdom 
as well as your own. You may easily imagine what would have 
been the consequences, when the commons of Paris hold such lan- 
guage as has been reported to us ; and God knows, that if you had 
perished, they would have murdered us all. Make yourself ready to 
■go in royal state, suitable to your rank, and ride in pilgrimage to the 
church of Notre. Dame and show yourself to your people ; we will ac. 



company you, for the citizens of Paris are very desirous to see you." 
The king replied, he would do as they advised ; and then entered 
into conversation with his brother the duke of Orleans, whom he 
much loved. His uncles received the duke kindly, blaming him a 
little for the youthful trick he had played. It seemed he was not 
displeased at their lecture, and declared he never intended or sus 
pected he was doing wrong. 

On the point of nine o'clock, the king and his attendants mounted 
their horses, and rode through Paris from the h6tel de Saint Pol, to 
the church of Notre-Dame, to appease the people, who were in great 
commotion, where he heard mass, and made his offerings. He then 
returned to the h6tel de Saint Pol with his lords, who dined there. 
This accident was by degrees forgotten, and obsequies, prayers, aad 
alms were made for the dead. Ah, count Gaston de Foix ! Iiadst 
thou been alive and heard of the cruel death of tliis thy favorite son, 
thou wouldst have been sadly grieved, for thou didst love him much, 
and I know not how thou wouldst have been consoled. All the 
lords and ladies in France, when they heard of this accident, were 
shocked and grieved. 

But you must know, that pope Boniface and his cardinals at Rome 
wore well pleased when they learnt the news, because the king was 
contrary to their interests. They said among themselves, in a con. 
sistory, that it was a second punishment sent by God, to make him 
take warning, for having supported the anti-pope of Avignon, Robert 
de Geneve, who was false, proud, and presumptuous, and had never 
done one good act in his whole life, but had deceived the world. 
The pope and cardinals resolved so send in secret manner and with- 
out pomp, a learned friar to the king of France, well instructed how 
to speak and preach, to attempt to bring him and the French nation 
back to the way of salvation. They maintained, that he was now 
gone astray, and that being the greatest king in Christendom, the 
church ought to be enlightened and supported by him more than by 
any other. They selected a devout and sensible man, whom they 
ordered to go into France ; but, before his departure, they instructed 
liim what to say and how to act. This was not so quickly done, nor 
did the envoy soon arrive ; for the distance was great, and he had 
many different states to pass through. It was besides necessary that 
the iViar, who was a Franciscan monk, should know if the king of 
France were willing to see him before he set out. 



CHAPTER LIV. 

THE DUCHESS OF BERRY SUPPOKTS THE LORD DE LA RiVIERE INOPPOSITIOK 
TO THE DUCHESS OF BURGUNDY. 

We will return to the affairs of France, and say how they weue 
going on. Notwithstanding the king's recovery, the dukes of Berry 
and Burgundy did not desist from their attempts to ruin that valiant 
and prudent knight, the lord de la Riviere. He and sir John le Mer- 
cier were still confined in the Bastille of Saint Anthony, under the 
care of the viscount d'Achy ; and it was current through Paris, that 
they would be put to death, insomuch that it was daily expected they 
would be delivered over to the provost of the Chatelet ; and when 
once this was done, nothing could prevent them from being publicly 
beheaded as traitors to the crown of France. From the information 
I then had, I am convinced their execution would have taken place, 
had not the grace of God been shown them, and the duchess of Berry 
exerted herself so much. This good lady was incessant in her 
entreaties for la Riviere — who had carried her to France and con- 
cluded her marriage— but not without great difiiculty, with the duke 
of Berry. Sir John le Mercier was therefore fortunate in his situa- 
tion to share the benefits of her exertions. She frequently, with tears, 
addressed her lord, saying, "that he was instigated by the malicious 
and envious insinuations of the enemies of la Riviere to keep him so 
long in prison, and confiscate his inheritance. Ah, my lord, you 
make him a very ungrateful return for all the pains he took in bring, 
ing about our marriage, when you thus consent to his destruction. 
At least, if you take bis property, spare his life ; for, if he be executed 
for the charges that are so unjustly made against him, I shall never 
again enjoy happiness. My lord, I do not say this from any feigned 
motive, but I really feel that it will weigh most heavily on my mind. 
I therefore pray God you will take proper measures for his deliver, 
ance." The duke perceiving she was in earnest, and that her argu- 
ments were good, abated greatly his hatred to the lord de la Riviere, 
who would sooner have obtained his liberty ; but they were desirous 
of putting to death sir John le Mercier, and they could not punish one 
without the other. This sir John le Mercier had wept so long in 
prison, that he had almost lost his eye-sight. 

Had the duchess of Burgundy been hstened to, they would have 
suffered a disgraceful and public death, without hopes of mercy ; for 
she hated them because they had, with sir Oliver de Clisson, advised 
the king of France to make the expedition into Brittany, to destroy 
her cousin the duke. She said, that Clisson, Ic Mercier, and la 
Riviere were the cause of the king's illness, which would never have 
happened, had they not persuaded him to undertake the war against 
Brittany. You must know, that although the king was now in a tol- 
erably good state of mental and bodily health, the dukes of Berry and 
Burgundy did not resign the government of the kingdom ; and, aa 
they had all the weight, they determined to have the profit also. To 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



559 



this end, they placed only their creatures about the king's person, who 
was but a king in name, for the two dukes took on themselves to 
manage whatever concerned the realm. The duchess of Orleans 
was not pleased that the duchess of Burgundy should have rank sec- 
ond to the queen. She loved honors, and said to those in her confi- 
dence, "The duchess of Burgundy has no right to take precedence 
of me : 1 am nearer the crown of France than she is, for my lord is 
brother to the king. It may so happen that he shall be king ; and, 
as I then must be queen, I know no reason why she is thus eager of 
honors that are not belonging to her, and to place me behind her." 

We will for a while leave these ladies, and speak of some changes 
in France, and of sir Oliver de Clisson, and of the manner in which 
he wa8 treated. 




Marruoe or Pmup d'Artois and Lady .VLirv ue Beret. Designed ftoin Monuments of the familr ut the 

Chateau d'£u. 



CHAPTER LV. 

THE LORD DE COUCY REFUSES TO ACCEPT THE SWORD OF CONSTABLE IN 
THE ROOM OF CLISSO.V. THE DUKES OF EERRY AND BlTtGn.^DV INVEST 
THE LORD PHILIP D'aRTOIS, COU.NT D"EU, WITH IT, IN CONSIDERATION 
OF HIS MARRIAGE WITH THi LADY .MARY OF BERRY, WIDOW OF TEE 
LORE LOUIS DE ELOIS. 

You have before heard that the constable was summoned publicly 
by the parliament of Paris, after an adjournment of fifteen days be- 
tween each summons, and how commissioners were sent in pursuit 
of him to Brittany, but in vain, for he concealed himself from them. 
Had they been able to have spoken to him, they would have sei-ved 
him personally with the orders of the court, and laid hands on him, 
according to the instructions they had received. When, on their re- 
turn, they had given an account of their mission to the parliament, it 
was determined by the court and lords of parliament, that sir Oliver 
de Clisson, constable of France, had forfeited the protection of the 
court, and should be banished France, and deprived of all offices 
and possessions he held within that kingdom ; for that he had con- 
tumaciously refusffd obedience to the summons of the great chamber, 
though sealed with their seal, and also had refused to send back his 
sword of office. The dukes of Berry and Burgundy, with their 
councils, who all hated the constable and wished his ruin, said they 
would provide a remedy ; for the office of constable was so noble, 
and of such weight, it could not long remain vacant, for fear of ac- 
cidents that might happen. 

The lord de Coucy was thought the most proper person to fill it ; 
but he excused himself, and refused positively to accept of it though 
he should be forced to leave France. When they saw he was de- 
termined, they looked elsewhere. At this time, a treaty of marriage 
was in agitation between the lord Phillip d'Artois and the young 
countess de Dunois, the widow of the lord Louis de Blois, and the 
king of France was well inclined that this marriage with his cousin 
should take place, but the duke of Berry refused his consent ; for the 
county of Eu is but of small value, in comparison of what she was 
entitled to from her first union, and he looked to marry her more 
nobly. To say the truth, the countess was, for beauty and goodness, 
and everything belonging to a noble lady, worthy of the highest rank. 
The duke of Berry, however, was unwilling to anger the king of 
France, who knew v/ell that he was solicited by many persons for 
the hand of his daughter : among whom were the young duke of 
Lorraine the count d'Armagnac, and the eldest son of the count de 



Foi.x and de B^am The king was averse to all these proposals, and 
said to the duke of Berry, "Fair uncle of Berry, we are not willing 
that our cousin your daughter should be settled at a distance from the 
fleurs-de-lis. We will provide a marriage for her, that shall be suit- 
able in all respects. We see her with pleasure near us ; and it 
becometh her not to leave her mother-in-law, as they are nearly of 
the same age." These words and others cooled the duke's intentions 
of marrying his daughter otherwise than as it pleased the king, who 
leant to his cousin the lord Philip d'Artois. He was a young and 
gallant knight, and had acquired great renown in arms, in the dif. 
ferent expeditions he had made, as well near home as beyond sea ; 
and was also much in favor of the knights and squires of France. 
The dukes of Beny and Burgundy agreed, that if the king would 
give to their cousin of Artois the office of 
constable of France, which was now va- 
cant, from the sentence against sir Oliver 
de Clisson, the marriage with the lady 
Mary should take place ; for, in case he 
were constable, he woidd be wealthy 
enough to keep a becoming state. They 
resolved to speak to the king on this sub. 
ject, which they did as follows : "My lord, 
your council recommends that our cousin, 
the lord Philip d'Artois, count d'Eu, be 
invested with the office of constable of 
France ; for Clisson, by the sentence of 
your judges in parliament, has forfeited it, 
and the office cannot longer be vacant with- 
out great prejudice to the realm. You are 
bounden, as well as ourselves, to assist our 
cousin of Artois, for he is very nearly re- 
lated to us by blood ; and, since such an 
office is vacant, we catmot better fill it 
than by sir Philip d'Artois, for he will 
ably and loyally execute it, and is much 
beloved by every knight and squire, being 
without envy or avarice." This speech 
was very agreeable to the king, who gayly 
replied, that he would think of it; and, if 
the office was to be disposed of, he would 
rather the count d'Eu had it than any other. 
Things remained some time in this state ; 
but the king was continually solicited by 
his uncles, who were desirous of advancing 
sir Philip d'Artois, and degrading sir Oli- 
ver de Clisson ; for the duke of Berry 
hated him for the death of Bethisac, and the duke of Burgundy for his 
opposition to the duke of Brittany ; but the duchess of Burgundy was 
yet more inveterate against him than her lord. The king at length 
gave his assent, on condition the duke of Berry gave hini his daughter. 
But, before matters had proceeded thus far, in order to avoid dis- 
gusting the king, and to satisfy the duke of Orleans, who strongly 
supported the lord de Clisson, sir William des Bordes, sir William 
Martel, both knights of the king's chamber, and sir Philip de Savoisis, 
knight to the duke of Berry, were again sent to Brittany, to speak 
with sir Oliver de Clisson in the king's name. These knights, hav- 
ing made their preparations, took their road through Angers, where 
they met the queen of Jerusalem and John of Brittany, who hand- 
somely entertained them, in honor of the king. They remained at 
-\ngers two days, and inquired where they could find the lord de 
Clisson, for they had a very courteous message to deliver to him from 
the king alone, who had ordered them to speak with him. They 
replied, that they had not any positive intelligence where he was ; 
but they supposed he must be in one of his castles in Brittany : that 
he did not constantly remain in any one, but moved from one to 
another. At their departure the knights took leave of the queen, her 
son Charles, prince of Tarentum, and John of Brittany, count de 
Penthievrc, and continued their journey to Rennes. The duke of 
Brittany had shut himself up with his duchess in Vannes, without 
making any excursions abroad for fear of ambuscades, and meeting 
his adversary Clisson, as they were carrying on a murderous wax 
against each other. When their parties met, mercy was shown by 
neither, and the field was gained by the death of their opponents : if, 
therefore, he felt alarmed, he had cause for it; for, although the duke 
was sovereign of the country, there was not a knight or squire that 
would bear arms against the lord de Clisson. They dissembled with 
the duke, saying, the quarrel did not in any way concern them, and 
staid at home without interfering. This the duke was forced to put 
up with. 

When the knights arrived at Rennes, they asked where they could 
for certain find sir Oliver de Clisson, but no one could positively 
answer them. They resolved to ride to Chateau.Josselin, and were 
well received by the vassals of sir OUver, out of respect to the king 
of France. They inquired after their lord, and where they could see 
him, for they were sent by the king and theduke of Orleans to speak 
with him. They either would not, or could not, give them any satis- 
factory account; but said, in excuse for themselves and sir Oliver: 
" Certainly, my lords, not one of us knows where to find him : to-day 
he is at one place, to-morrow at another. You may safely ride <iU 



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CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &( 



over Brittany, since y»u come from the king ; and all the castlea and 
houses of our lord will be thrown open to you." 

Perceiviii"' they could not obtain any further information they left 
Chateau-Josselin, and rode to all the castles, both great and small, 
of the lord de Clisson, but without learning anything more. They 
then waited on the duke and duchess at Vannes, who gave them a 
hearty welcome ; but they only staid half a day with them, without 
discovering the object of their secret mission, nor was the duke very 
inquisitive about their coming. They did not see sir Peter de Graon. 
On taking leave of the duke and duchess, they set out on their return 
to Paris to the king and lords, who were expecting them. They 
gave an account to the king and the duke of Orleans, of having vis- 
ited all the towns and castles of the lord de Clisson without seeing 
or gaining any certain intelligence of him. The dukes of Berry and 
Burgundy were pleased at hearing this, and would not have wished 
it otherwise. 

Shortly afterwards the marriage was consummated between the 
lord Philip d'Artois and the lady Mary of Berry. He was appointed 
constable of France, to enjoy all the privileges and emoluments of 
that office, although sir Oliver de Clisson had not resigned it, nor 
sent back his sword of office. He persisted that he was still consta- 
ble, for that he had never done anything against the king or crown 
of France that could deprive him of it. Things, therefore, remained 
in this state. 

CHAPTER LVI. 

THE CONSTABLE DE CLISSON, DURING HIS ABSENCE FROM FRANCE, WAGES 
WAR O.V THE DUKE OF BRITTANY. 

Sir Oliver de Clisson was soon informed that the count d'Eu was 
nominated constable of France, and was to do the duty and receive 
the profits from the date of his appointment, with the consent of the 
king of France, and that he had married the daughter of the duke of 
Berry, widow of lord Louis of Blois. To all this he was perfectly 
indifferent, for he felt that his loyalty and honor were as firm as ever, 
and that he had never done anything to forfeit either against the king 
or crown of France ; but that all these proceedings originated in the 
hatred and malice of the dukes of Berry and Burgundy, which were 
so great that they could not conceal them. This determined the 
lord de Clisson to continue his war with prudence and vigor against 
the duke of Brittany. It was severe and bloody, for neither party, 
when they met, made a sham of fighting, but killed each other with- 
out mercy. The lord de Clisson rode frequently from one of his 
castles to another, and laid more ambuscades than the duke, finding 
himself superior in numbers to oppose him. None of the Breton 
chivalry would interfere by bearing arms on either side ; but, when 
the duke sent for them, they came to know what he wanted. He 
demanded from them aid and advice to correct his vassal, sir Oliver 
de Clisson, who had greatly misbehaved himself toward him. The 
barons of Brittany, such as the viscount de Rohan, the lord de Di- 
nant, sir Herman de Lyon, and many more, excused themselves, say. 
ing, they were uninterested in this quarrel, and would not therefore 
bear arms against the lord de Clisson ; but that they would heartily 
labor to mediate between the duke and him, if they knew how, or 
saw any probability of establishing peace between them. 

The duke, seeing he could no way prevail on them to join him, and 
that in this warfare he was losing more men than the lord de Clisson, 
consented to send the above-named barons to treat with him, and bring 
him, under safe passports, to Vannes, that they might confer together. 
They were to add, that he would Snd him courteous, and well-in- 
clined to listen to any reasonable terms ; and, if he had treated 
him with contempt, he would make such reparations as those he ad- 
dressed should think proper. The knights willingly undertook the 
mission, for the sake of doing good, and set out in search of sir Oliver 
do Clisson, whom I believe they found at Chateau-Josselin. They 
told the message they were charged with from the duke, and urged 
him strongly to accept of peace ; for war between them was very 
unbecoming, displeasing to the nobles, and highly oppressive to the 
lower orders in Brittany. " Sir Oliver," said they, " we are thus 
pressing, in the hope that you will be pleased to wait on our lord ; 
and, for your safety and secure return, we pledge ourselves to remain 
in your castle of Josselin, without ever stirring beyond the gates. 
We imagine, that when our lord and you shall confer together, you 
will very speedily settle your differences, for we left him with the 
best intentions toward you." 

To this speech, sir Oliver replied : " My good sirs, what advan. 
tage can my death be to you ? Do you think I know not the duke 
of Brittany ? Most certainly I do ; and he is too haughty and re- 
vengeful, whatever he may have assured you relative to my security 
and safe return, not to resolve, the moment I shall be in his presence 
to have me put to death, in spite of his promises to you; and, if I be 
killed, your fate will be the same, for my people will of course retali- 
ate on you. It is, therefore, much better we run not such risks. I 
will guard myself well against him ; and let him, if he please, do the 
same." " Fair cousin," replied sir Charles de Dinant, " you may 
say what you please ; we have not seen him show any wish to have 
you killed, if he could converse with you in the manner we have 
proposed, but, on the contrary, the strongest desire to accommodate ali 
matters of dispute. We therefore, for him and for ourselves, beg you 



will consent to it." Sir Oliver answered : " I believe firmly, that 
you wish me every good ; but, on the security he offers through you 
I will not advance one step. However, since you are all so earnest 
in the business, for which it behooves me to thank you, I will mention 
on what terms I will come to him ; and you shall, if they be agreea. 
ble to you, carry them back as my final answer. On your return, 
you will tell the duke, that I will not accept other pledge for my 
safety than his only son, who is betrothed to a princess of France. 
Let him send him hither to remain under the guard of my men, in 
Chateau-Josselin, until I be returned, and I will then set out to wait 
on him. This mode is more agreeable to me than any other, and 
also more reasonable ; for were you to remain here as hostages, as 
you offer, who would there be to negotiate the treaty ? or who would 
be the mediators between us ? and how, without your interference, 
shall we ever come to an agreement ?" When the three barons saw 
he was determined, they took leave of the lord de Clisson, and re- 
turned to Vannes, to relate to the duke what sir Oliver had said. In 
regard to sending his son to Chateau-Josselin, the duke absolutely 
refused ; and the war continued on the same footing as before, so that 
no merchants or others dared to travel through the country. All 
commerce was at a stand in Brittany, which was severely felt in the 
cities and large towns : even the laborers in husbandry were also in 
a state of idleness. 

The duchess of Burgundy assisted her cousin as much as she 
could with men-at-arms from Burgundy and elsewhere, for the duke 
could not prevail on his subjects to take part in the war, and the 
knights and squires, excepting those of his household, dissembled 
their opinions. On the other hand, the duke of Orleans, who 
was attached to the constable, supported him underhand, and sent 
him men-at-arms, and good coursers to re-mount his men. Sir 
Oliver made more frequent excursions than the duke, and it hap. 
pened that he met with two of the duke's squires who were going 
on his business : one of them was called Bernard, and the other 
Yvonnet : they could neither fly nor avoid falling into sir Oliver's 
hands, who was rejoiced at it, for he was well acquainted with them. 
One had in former times done him a service, the other the contrary, 
which he then recollected. They were much frightened at being 
thus caught, and sir Oliver addressed them : " Dost thou remember, 
Yvonnet, how cruelly thou behavedst to me in the castle of Ermine, 
near Vannes, when thou didst shut me up in a dungeon ? Thou, 
Bernard, then hadst pity on me, and pulling off thy coat, because I 
was only in my doublet and lying on the pavement, gavcst it to me, 
to cover me from the cold. I will now return that friendship, by 
sparing thy life ; but as for this wicked traitor, Yvonnet, who might 
have avoided, if he pleased, the cruelty of his conduct, he shall suf. 
fer. At these words, he drew his dagger, and slew him on the spot. 
He then continued his course, without touching the servants. 

Another time, sir Oliver de Clisson, with about three hundred 
lances, was riding before the castle of Auray, in which were the duke 
and duchess. He met about forty of the duke's varlets, who had 
tied their horses to trees, for it was near midsummer, and having cut 
some hay, were trussing it up to carrry, like foragers, to their lodg- 
ings. Sir Oliver galloped among them, without other harm than the 
fright he put them to, and said : " How dare you take the field, and 
carry away the harvest of the farmers ? You have not sown this, 
and are cutting it before it is ripe : you have begun your harvest too 
soon. Come, take up your scythes, and mount your horses: for this 
time I will do you no harm ; but go and tell the duke of Brittany, 
who I know is in Auray, to come hither, or send his men to receive 
me ; and that Clisson informs him he will remain here until sunset." 
The varlets were happy in their escape, for they thought they should 
all be killed ; therefore they picked up their scythes, mounted their 
horses, and returned to the duke in Auray. I doubt not they punc- 
tually delivered the message, but the duke neither sallied out him- 
self, nor sent any of his men to meet sir Oliver de Clisson. Such 
skirmishes passed often between them, but the principal inhabitants 
never interfered. 

We will now leave the affairs of Brittany, and return to those of 
France and England. 



CHAPTER LVII. 

A TREATY OF PEACE IS CONCLUDED BETWEEN THE KINGS OF FRANOE AND 
ENGLAND, THROUGH THE MEDIATION OF THEIR UNCLES. 

You have before heard of the conferences that were held at Amiens 
on a peace between France and England, and on what terms the 
duke of Lancaster had gone back. The English were unwilling to 
consent to a peace, notwithstanding the king, the dukes of Lancas. 
ter and York, and all the commissioners who had been at Amiens, 
strongly urged it ; for the majority of the commons were desirous of 
war ; and two-thirds of the young knights and squires knew not how 
to employ themselves : they had learnt idleness, and looked to war 
as the means of support. However, they were forced to submit to 
the opinions of the king, his uncles, and the more intelligent part of 
the nation. The duke of Lancaster, considering the matter, as well 
in regard to the welfare of his two daughters, the queens of Castille 
and Portugal, as in respect to his nephew, the king of England, who 
was greatly inclined to peace, took much pains to bring it about, be* 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, & c . 



561 



canse he thought it would likewise be for the honor and advantage I should reduce to writing their different grounds of treating, and mu- 
"' '*"""'-"'' tually deliver them to each other, to consider of them at their leisure, 

with their clerks, learned in the laws, who had accompanied them, 
and determine on what parts they could agree to, and what would 
not be accepted. This was assented to by all ; for the dukes were 
before much fatigued in hearing the various papers read and dis. 
cussed ; more especially the English commissioners ; for, as it was 
carried on in French, they were not so well used to the finesse and 
double meanings of that language as the natives, who turned and 
twisted it to their own advantage at pleasure. The English opposed 
this, for they wished everything to be made clear and intelligible to 
every one. The French accused the English of having, at various 
times, infringed the articles of the peace ; and offered to prove it by 
written documents, and the word of their king, as well as by the 
judgment of the pope. This made the English more diligent to 
have everything made out plain ; and, whenever they found anything 
obscure in the proposals that had been given them from the French 
commissioners, which they examined carefully and at leisure, they 
made their clerks demand from the dukes of Berry and Burgundy 
how they understood such expressions ; for the English dukes would 
not pass over an article that had the least tendency to a double mean, 
ing ; and whatever they did not clearly understand, they had erased 
in their presence, declaring they would not allow of anything that 
could bear a misconstruction, for that the French, who had been 
t'rom their youth trained to such things, were more subtle than the 
English. 

^ So many difficulties greatly lengthened the conferences ; and the 
English held themselves obliged to demand restitution of all the lands 
dependent on Aquitaine, and their profits since the commencement 
of the war, as they had been charged to do by the parliament of 
England. This the French would not agree to : they were wilUng, 
indeed, to yield the countries of Tarbes, Bigorre, Agen, and the 
Agenois, with Perigord, but declared they would never restore Cahors, 
Rouergue, Quercy, and Limousin, nor give up any part of Fonthieu 
or Guines more than the English possessed at the present moment. 
On these grounds things remained : they stood out for upward of 
fifteen days, and only came to the conclusion that it should be laid 
before the two kings : to forward the business, the dukes of Berry 
and Burgundy offered to set out for Abbeville, to inform the king 
of France of all that had passed ; and, if he would acquiesce in the 
English proposals, they would not oppose them. They entreated, 
on the other hand, their cousins to write to king Richard, and ami. 
cably let him know what they had done ; for he had, for two years 
past, shown the most anxious desire for peace between England, 
France, and all their allies. The two dukes promised compliance ; 
but you must know, as I was well informed, the duke of Gloucester 
was more difficult to persuade than his brother, and he had been 
purposely chosen his colleague, by those who preferred war to peace, 
because they knew he would not assent to anything that was in the 
least dishonorable to his country. The four dukes then separated in 
a most friendly manner, having been nine days in conference. The 
English commissioners returned to Calais, and the French to Bou. 
logne, whence they set out for Abbeville. They found there the 
king of France, who was amusing himself, he having taken a liking 
to the place. There is scarcely any city in France more pleasantly 
situated ; and within it is a handsome inolosed garden, partly sur. 
rounded by the river Sonnne, in which the king spent much of his 
time, and often supped there, telling his brother and council that the 
air of Abbeville had done his health great good. 

At this time, Leon king of Armenia was with the king of France : 
he was just come from Greece and the frontiers of his own kingdom, 
into which he dared not venture ; for the Turks had conquered, and 
kept possession of it as well as other places, in defiance of the world, 
excepting the strong town of Conich,* situated on the sea.shore, 
which the Genoese had strongly garrisoned and guarded against the 
Turks ; for, if they had possession of this place, they would grievously 
harass by sea the Cypriotes, and other Christians of Rhodes and 
Candia. The king of Armenia would gladly have seen a peace con. 
eluded between France and England, that such knights and squires 
as wished for deeds of arms might travel to Greece, and assist him 
in the recovery of his kingdom. 

The king received kindly his two uncles at Abbeville, and made 
them good cheer. He asked how the treaty was going on, and how 
they were themselves. They having related to him the true state of 
affaiis, and how all had passed, he was well contented, and testified 
his joy and wishes for peace. In like manner, the two English 
dukes, on their arrival at Calais, had written to the king of England 
the demands and answers made to them, which, being sealed, were 
forwarded to him. In reply to which, the king had desired they 
would proceed in the treaty, for the war had lasted long enough, to 
the ruin of the country, and the slaughter of chivalry, and the great 
weakening of Christendom. " This might," he added, '' have serious 
consequences; for Bajazet with his Turks were advancing toward 
the kingdom of Hungary, and were now in Wallachia, as letters to 
France and England had brought information." 

The time was now come for the return of t!ie four dukes and 
commissioners to the renewal of the confe.-ences at Leulitighea. 
With the French lords came the king of Armenia, to remonstrate 



, of England 

, ' On the part of France, the duke of Burgundy greatly exerted him. 
self, for he found the whole weight of the government rested on him ; 
since his nephews, the king and the duke of Orleans, were weak in 
body and mind. He was of great power by his marriage with the 
heiress of Flanders, and daily expecting to inherit Brabant also. If, 
therefore,in times to come, these countries should quarrel with France, 
and unite themselves, as they had formerly done, with England, they 
would be an overmatch for her. The duke of Burgundy was a long- 
sighted politician, as I was told by those who ought to know; and he 
and the duke of Lancaster effected that these conferences should be 
renewed at Leulinghen, where they had before been held, and that 
the commissioners should have full powers to conclude a peace. The 
conferences were to be holden in the ensuing month of May, at Leu. 
linghen, in the year of grace 1393. It had been thus agreed to by 
both parties, and commissioners were appointed by each king. 

On the part of the king of England, were his two uncles the dukes 
of Lancaster and Gloucester: this last was very popular with the 
commons of England, and all others who preferred war to peace. 
From among the prelates were selected the archbishop of York, the 
bishop of London, and other clerks learned in the laws, to expound 
the Latin letters. 

These lords* repaired to Calais soon after St. George's day, which 
is always celebrated at Windsor with great feastings by the knights 
of the blue garter. The dukes of Berry and Burgundy made prepa- 
rations for coming to Boulogne, that they might be near at hand to 
the place of conference. The king of France showed great impa- 
tience for peace, as the wars had lasted too long ; and he said to his 
uncles, that he would fix his residence near to Leulinghen, to prove 
how eager he was in the matter, and to be ready at hand if neces- 
sary. It was proposed that he should be at Saint Omer, on the fron- 
tiers of Calais, or at Therouenne, Montreuil, or Abbeville ; but the 
last place was determined on for his residence, as it was large and 
convenient, and the court could easily be lodged on the banks of the 
beautiful river Somme. 

When this was fixed, great preparations were made for the recep. 
tion of the king in Abbeville ; and the abbey of Saint Peter, as being 
a large and handsome edifice of the Benedictine monks, was chosen 
for his lodgings. Thither came the king of France, accompanied 
by his brother, the duke of Orleans, and sir Reginald de Corbiet 
chancellor of France. The dukes of Berry and Burgundy, with the 
other commissioners, were at Boulogne, and the duke of Lancaster 
and his company at Calais. It was a handsome show to see the 
state and array of the French and English commissioners, when they 
opened the conferences at Leulinghen, between Boulogne and Calais. 
There were tents and pavilions erected for them to take refresh. 
ments, or sleep in on occasion; and two or three days in the week 
the commissioners met, and were frequently nine hours discussing 
the preliminaries for a peace, in a large and handsome pavilion that 
had been pitched for their assembling in. 

It was told me (for I, John Froissart, the writer of this history, was 
at Abbeville, that I might learn the truth of what was passing,) by 
those who were well informed, that after the procurations from the 
two kings had been verified as to the commissioners' powers of con. 
eluding a peace, the French proposed that Calais should be so demol- 
ished, as that it could never again be made habitable. The dukes of 
Lancaster and Gloucester instantly answered, that they needed not 
have made this proposition, for that Calais should be the very last 
town the crown of England would part with ; and that, if they in. 
tended this as a basis for treating, there was an end to the business, 
for they would not hear further on the subject. The dukes of Berry 
and Burgundy, perceiving their cousins of England so determined, 
tiropped the matter, for they found it would be in vain to press it, 
and discoursed on other topics. The English, for a long time, de- 
manded restitution of everything that had been yielded to the late 
king Edward, and, in addition to these territories, the balance of the 
ransom that had been due when the war was renewed between 
France and England. This was resisted strenuously by the French 
dukes, who argued themselves, and by their learned clerks, on the 
unreasonableness of the demand. The two dukes and the chancel- 
lor of France replied with temper : " that with regard to the first de- 
mand, that the whole of the territory that had been yielded to king 
Edward should be restored, it was impossible; for the inhabitants 
of the town?, castles, and lands, which had been assigned to England 
by the treaty of Bretigny, and afterwards confirmed at Calais, in the 
year 1360, were too adverse to such restoration ; and the king of 
France, to whom they had vohmtarily surrendered themselves, had, 
in consequence, accepted their homage, granted them protection, and 
such other privileges, on his royal word, as could not be broken ; and 
that, if they wished for peace, they must offer ather preliminaries." 

It was then resolved, between the four dukes, on whom it solely 
depended whether there should be peace or war, that each party 

* In the FcedemthecoinmissioneR are, the duke of Lancaster, the duke of Gloucester. 
Walter bishop of Durliam, Thomas earl Marshal governor of Calais, sir Thomas Percy, 
sir Lewis CloTord, Richard Rouhall, doctor of laws. 

t I imagine this must be a mistake, thouRh the MSS. are the same ; for Pierre de Giac 
was chancellor after sir Miles desDormans, and died 1407. Arnaudde Corbie succeeded 
him, and died 1413.— Henault. [Pierre do Giac died the HUi of Aug., 1387. and Amaud 
de Corbie succeeded him in that year, and not in 1407.— Eo.] 



" Coaich." The MSS- have Gourch. 



562 



CHRONICLES OF ENG LAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



with the English on his distressing situation: he was well known 
W the duke of Gloucester, when he had visited England during the 
threatened invasion from France, who had shown him many ciyili- 
ries'lnd carried him to a beautiful castle he had in Essex called 
Pleshv The dukes of Lancaster and Gloucester received him well, 
Darticularly the last, on account of former acquaintance. They pa- 
tiently listened to all his grievances, and replied so graciously that 
he was well contented with them. At these conferences many dil- 
ferent proposals were made, and the cardinal de Luna,* in hopes of 
bein" heard by the commissioners, had made a long stay at Abbe, 
viller whither he had been sent as legate by pope Clement for the 
affairs of the church. He was lodged at the convent of the Corde- 
liers, on the river Somme. The French wanted to insert in their 
preliminaries some articles relative to the church and to the support 
of this Robert de Geneve, who styled himself pope : but when the 
English dukes observed this, they stepped forward with courage, 
saying to their cousins of France : " Take away tlus legate : we want 
not to hear his speeches : it has not been without fully weighing their 
merite that we have determined which of the popes to obey. We 
desire, therefore, not to hear anything on this subject: and, should 
he again come forward under your protection, we will break up the 
conference and return home." From this time, nothing more was 
said of the cardinal, who remained quiet in Abbeville. The lords 
now pushed forward the treaty with such success that it was brought 
to a happy conclusion, and to the satisfaction of all parties. 

The four dukes saw their respective kings were anxious for peace, 
more especially the king of France, who, when the duke of Lan- 
caster had taken leave of him at Amiens during the former confer, 
ences, had said: "Fair cousin, I beg you to exert yourself that there 
may be a solid peace between my brother of England and me, that 
we may assist our cousin the king of Hungary against Bajazet, who 
is so powerful in Turkey." The duke of Lancaster had promised 
the king to do his utmost; and indeed, it was through his remon. 
strances with his nephew, king Richard, his brothers, and the parlia- 
ment, that the conferences were renewed at Leulinghen, to establish 
a peace, if possible, to the honor of England. The duke of Glou- 
cester was much colder in the matter, and carefully noticed all the 
contentious speeches of the French, saying, the French always 
wished to fight with both hands. He made so strong an opposition, 
that the adverse party perceiving it, sent a squire of honor, and of 
the bedchamber and the council of the king of France, to the duke : 
his name was Robert I'Hermite ; and this is what he said, for the 
duke related to me the words at his castle of Fleshy. " My lord, for 
the love of God do not oppose a peace. You see how diligent our 
lords of France are in promotins it, and it will be charity in you to 
join (hem, for the war has lasted too long ; and, when kings wish 
for peace, their relations and subjects ought to obey." " Robert, 
Robert," replied the duke of Gloucester, " I wish not to prevent a 
peace ; but you Frenchmen use such specious words, beyond our 
understanding, that, when you will, you may urge them as signifying 
war or peace as you shall choose. In this manner has the business 
hitherto been conducted, dissembling always until you have gained 
your end. If my lord the king had believed me, and the majority of 
those who are bound to serve him, there never would have been 
peace with France, until you had restored to us all you have taken 
through treacherous causes, as is known to God, and to all who will 
search into the business. But, since my lord incUnes to peace, you 
are in the right to press it forward : it is just that we should also ap- 
prove of it, and since peace is so much wished for are we here as- 
sembled : let it, however, be well kept on your side, as it shall be on 
ours." On saying this, the duke of Gloucester went away. Robert 
I'Hermite, at the same time, took his leave, and returned to his coun- 
trymen. I will not protract the subject longer, but come to the con. 
elusion, as the matter requires it. 

The four dukes, having full power from their respective monarchs, 
to conclude a truce or peace, continued their conferences with such 
success, that the report in Abbeville was current of a peace having 
been made between France, England, and their allies. But I, the 
author of this history, who at the time resided in Abbeville, to learn 
news, could never understand that a peace had been concluded : only 
the truce had been prolonged for four years, on sea and land, between 
aU the parties. It was imagined that bel'ore the expiration of this 
term, all the territories and lordships in Languedoc, that were to re. 
vert to the kings of England and their heirs for ever, would be sur. 
rendered to king Richard, or to his commissioners. In return for the 
giving up so many towns, castles, and lordships, which had been 
agreed to by the commissioners for peace, the dukes of Lancaster 
and Gloucester engaged that their captains, of whatever nation they 
might be, who held possession of different forts in France, that were 
to revert to the king of France, should evacuate them, and cease 
from carrying on any war under the name and pretext of the king of 
England or the English. All the articles of the truce were fairly 
written om, signed and sealed by the different lords, and copies of 
ihem sent to the two kings, before they parted, at Leulinghen. 

The king of England was very impatient to hear of peace being 
concluded, and his uncles, knowing this, determined to send him an 
express with the neWM they called to them a herald, named Marche, 

* " The cftrdiiial de Luna," an Ajragoninn, was anti-pope after the death of Clement, 
under the name of Benedict XIU. »«e more of his turbulent life in Jduratori, &c. 



who was king-at-arras in England, and wrote to the king by him the 
whole detail of what had been agreed on, and signed by both parties. 
The herald was rejoiced to receive these letters from the dukes, and, 
leaving the English tents, rode to Calais, where he hired a fishing- 
boat, and, by the grace of God, a favorable wind, and the exertions 
of the lishermen, was speedily landed at Dover. He then continued 
his journey until he came to London, where he found the king. 0(i 
his arrival, he was introduced into the king's chamber, because he 
was come from Calais, where the king's uncles were negotiating a 
peace. He presented his letters; and the king, having perused them, 
was so well pleased with their contents, and the good news he had 
brought, that he gave him very rich gifts, and a handsome annuity, 
as the herald told me afterwards when riding through part of England. 



CHAPTER LVin. 

THE TKEATY OF PEACE IS NEARLY BROKEN OFF BY POPE BONIFACE, AND- 
BY THE KING OF FRANCE RELAPSING INTO HIS FORMER ILLNESS. 

Let us return to the commissioners from France and England at 
Leulinghen. When they pleased they lived in tents, which were 
prepared for them in great numbers and magnificence. The Eng- 
lish were very attentive to the verification of the different papers, that 
nothing obscure or doubtful might remain. They examined every 
paper, and had every expression made clear before they signed them* 
From an event that happened, the negotiations which had taken up 
so much time were near being broken off. I will say what it was f ■ 
for in matters of history everything should be detailed, that the truth 
may be more apparent. You have heard that the king of France 
had made a long stay at .'Vbbeville : he took pleasure in the place^ 
but his stay was prolonged on account of the treaty that was going 
forward at Leulinghen. 

Just at the conclusion of the treaty, the dukes of Lancaster and 
Gloucester declared it was the intention of king Richard and the par- 
liament, that pope Boniface, who was acknowledged for the true pope 
by the Romans, Germans, Hungarians, Lombards, Venetians, Eng. 
lish, and by all Christendom except France, should be received as 
such, and the person who styled himself pope Clement be degraded 
and condemned. This proposal, the two dukes said, they had been 
specifically ordered to make by the three estates of England. When 
the dukes of Berry and Burgundy heard this, to please their cousins 
of England, and to prevent the treaty from being interrupted, they 
desired, in a friendly way, to have a Utile time to consider what they 
had proposed. It being granted, they consulted together ; and the 
duke of Burgundy eloquently and prudently answered as follows, to 
soften the matter to the English dukes: " It does not seem to us any 
way proper that we should intermix with our negotiations the dispute 
between the two popes. My brother of Berry and myself are some- 
what surprised how you could have proposed it, for at the beginning 
of the conferences you objected to the presence of the cardinal de 
Luna, who is now at .\bbeville as legate from the pope, and refused 
to hear anything he had to say. We had before determined, that 
when the cardinals elected Urban for pope, and on his death Boni- 
face, the elections were null, for no one either from your country or 
ours was summoned to them ; and the election of him who calls him- 
self Clement and resides at Avignon is, from the same cause, in the 
like predicament. We do not deny that it would be great charity in 
those who could attend to it, to appease and put an end to this schism 
in the church. But, in regard to ourselves, we must refer the matter 
to the university of Paris ; and, when all our business here shall be 
concluded by a solid peace, we will, in conjunction with the council 
of our cousin the emperor of Germany, willingly attend to this matter,. 
as you may do on your side." 

This reply of the duke of Burgundy was agreeable to the Eng. 
lish dukes, for it seemed reasonable, and they answered, "You have 
well spoken : let the matter now rest, and be as you say." The 
negotiations were going on as well as before ; but there fell out, just 
at the conclusion, a great hindrance, by the king of France relapsing 
into the same frenzy by which he was afflicted in the preceding 
year. He had remained at Abbeville until near midsummer, at the 
abbey of Saint Peter, passing his time in a variety of amusements. 
The first that noticed his relapse was a Norman knight, called sit 
William Martel, who was employed the most about the king's person. 
The dukes of IJerry and Burgundy were at the time at Leulinghea 
or Boulogne, bringing the conference to a close, or at least finishing 
all that could be done this year. The moment the duke of Orleans 
perceived the state of the king's health, he sent information to his 
uncles by a favorite squire of his own, called Boniface, an agreeable 
man. The two dukes, on hearing this unfortunate intelligence, set 
out as speedily as they could ; for they had already taken leave of 
their cousins of England, who were returned to Calais to wait for 
information from the king of Navarre and the duke of Brittany. 

It had been proposed at the conferences, that as the castle of Cher- 
bourg in Normandy had been mortgaged to the king of England for 
sixty thousand nobles, who in consequence had possession, it should 
be restored to the king of Navarre, on the king of France repaying 
the sixty thousand nobles ; and in like manner was the oaslle of Brest 
to be surrendered to the duke of Brittany. The dukes of Berry and 
Burgundy did not wait for the conclusion of these two articles, but 



CHRONICLKS OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &. c. 



hastened to Abbeville, where, to their sorrow, they found the king in 
a very poor state of health. The king's disorder was kept secret as 
long as possible, but in such cases it is very soon publicly known. 
The court at Abbeville was siiortly dispersed, and every one retired 
to his home. Councils were holden as to the proper place the king 
should be conveyed to, and in respect to his management. The cas- 
tle of Creil was again fi.'ied on for liis residence, whither he was car. 
ried in a litter. The weather was now so hot, that they rested the 
day and only travelled the night season : the king was attended to 
Creil by his brother and the duke of 13crry. The duke of Burgundy 
went to Artois, and thence visited Flanders, having met his duchess 
at the castle of Hedin. 

The lord de la Riviere and sir John le Mercier, seemed entirely 
forgotten : no one spoke of them, nor interfered In their delivery 
from prison. This relapse of the king had, however, gready e.xcul. 
pated them for the accusations of having been the cause of his first 
illness, in the eyes of the public. The wisest in France had now 
learnt, that from the weakness of his nerves he was naturally inclined 
to this disorder, which had been brought forward with greater force 
from the excesses he had indulged in. It was much regretted by 
those who wished his recovery, that master William de Harsely was 
no more, for his relatives knew not where to seek a prudent physi- 
eian that was acquainted with his disorder. It was, however, a matter 
of necessity to make the best use of such as they had. 



CHAPTER LIX. 

THE DEATH OF POPE CLEMENT AT AVIGNON. THE ELECTION OF POPE BEN- 
EDICT. A LEARNED CLERK, IN THE ARCHBISHOPRIC c!>F RHEIMS, SUP- 
PORTS THE RIGHT OF THE SEE OF AVIGJ40N, BY HIS SPEECHES AND 
PREACHINGS. 

In the month of September, of this year, Robert de Geneve, whom 
■we have called pope in our history, died at his palace in Avignon.* It 
happened to him just as he had wished, that he might die pope. He 
died, indeed, with the honor and state I have mentioned ; but whether 
he enjoyed these wrongfully or not, I shall not pretend to determine, 
for such matters do not belong to me. The cardinals at Avignon 
were much surprised at this event, and resolved to form a conclLWe 
in haste, and elect one from among themselves as his successor. 

The health of the king of France was again beginning to return, to 
the great joy of all who loved him, and his good queen, who had 
been in great affliction. She was a valiant lady, whom God cor. 
lected and loved ; she had made many processions, and given great 
alms in hopes of his recovery, in several parts of France, but cspe. 
ciallyin Paris. 

The college of cardinals at Avignon, as I was then informed, 
elected pope tlie cardinal legate de Luna. To say the truth, he was 
a devout man, and of a contemplative life ; but they had chosen him 
subject to the approbation of the king of France and his council, oth- 
erwise they would not have been able to maintain their election. 
Consider, how much the church must have been degraded by this 
schism, when those who were, or ought to have been free, thus sub- 
jected themselves to the will of others, whom they should have com- 
manded. All the solemnities required at the coronation of a pope 
were paid to the cardinal de Luna, who took the name of Benedict.! 
He offered a general pardon to all the clergy who should come to 
Avignon ; and, by the advice of his cardinals, wrote letters to the 
king of France, to announce his elevation to Vie papacy. I heard 
that the king paid little attention to his letter ; for he was not yet 
determined whether to acknowledge him for pope or no ; and, to 
have the best advice on the occasion, he summoned before him the 
most learned and prudent clerks of the university of Paris. 

Master John Gigencourt and master Peter Playons,t who were 
esteemed the most learned and acute in the university, told the king, 
as did others, that the schism in the church corrupted the Christian 
faith; that the church ought not longer to be kept in this state, for 
that all Christendom suffered from it, but more particularly church, 
men ; and that it was unbecoming the university to send to pope Ben- 
edict at Avignon, lists of those priests who had need of briefs. The 
king, on hearing their opinions, thought them reasonable, and con- 
sented that there should be a cessation of such lists as were usually 
sent to the pope, until the disputes between the two popes were set- 
tled : things therefore remained in this state. The duke of Berry, 
however, strenuously supported the new pope ; and all the clergy 
dependent on him acknowledged him for the true one ; and many of 
his people were provided with pardons from this Benedict. The 
duke and duchess of Burgundy, the duke of Orleans, with many 
other great lords of France, dissembled their real opinions on the sub. 
ject to the king. Some through favor acknowledged Benedict, who 
was prodigal of his pardons, in order that the court of Avignon might 
thrive the more, 



* He died on the 16tli Septemljer, 1394.— Ed. 

t Peter of Luna, bom of an illustrious family of Spain, was elected Pope on the 28th 
Eeptember, 1394, and took the name of Benedict XIII. Before his election, he sub- 
scribed an act by which all the cardinals promised on oath to use every effort for the re- 
union of the church, and even to resign the pontihcate ifnecessary for that purpose. He, 
however, afterwards showed very little respect to this oath.— Ed. 

t In the Museum MS. it is Gignicourt and Pierre de Lyons : in mine, the first as D. 
filUTage, and tie other Pierre de Palions. 



563 

The duke of Brittany readily enough followed the opinion of the 
king of France ; for he had been in former times so scandalized by 
the information the carl of Flanders, his cousin, had given him of the 
rebellion in the church, that he would never allow of Clement being 
the true pope, although his clergy paid him obedience and acknow. 
ledged him. When any of the churches in France became vacant, 
the king disposed of them to clergymen, without ever speaking of it 
to pope Benedict, who, as well as his cardinals, was greatly surprised 
at such conduct, and began to fear the king would deprive them of 
the benefices they held in his realm. They resolved, therefore, to 
send a well-instructed legate to France, to remonstrate with the king 
and council on the state of the church, and to learn their intentions, 
and likewise to assure them that the pope they had elected was only 
conditionally chosen, in case of his proving agreeable to the king, but 
that otherwise they would dethrone him, and exalt another more to 
his pleasure. 

About this period, the friar, whom I before mentioned to have been 
sent by pope Boniface* to the king of France, but without the pomp 
or state of a legate, arrived at Paris, with the consent of the king, 
who listened to his arguments and sermons with pleasurs. The 
legate from Avignon, a subtle and eloquent clerk, was heard also by 
the king and his court : those attached to the pope at Avignon took 
good care to push him forward, and contrived that he should have 
audiences often. It was the opinion of the council, but it was not 
without great difficulty the university of Paris subscribed to this opin- 
ion, that it would be a wise and prudent measure, if means could be 
found to make the rival popes resign their dignities, as well as all the 
cardinals, and then select the most learned and prudent among the 
clergy, from the empire of Germany, France, and other countries, 
who should form a general council, and then, without favor or affec- 
tion to any party, restore the church to its former unity, discipline, 
and stability. They declared they saw no other way of destroying 
the schism ; for the hearts of different lords were so swollen with 
pride, each would support his own party. 

This idea, which was proposed in the presence of the king, and 
the dukes of Orleans and Burgundy, in council, was approved of; 
and the king, having agreed to it, said he would cheerfully write on 
the subject to the kings of Germany, Bohemia, Hungary and Eng. 
land ; that he thought he could depend on the kings of Castille, 
Navarre, Arragon, Sicily, Naples, and Scotland, obeying whatever 
pope he should acknowledge. In consequence of this proposition 
being adopted, the king of France sent off special messengers with 
letters to the kings above mentioned, but answers were not returned 
to them as soon as e.vpected. During this interval, that learned 
clerk, master John de Gigencourt, died at theSorbonne. The king 
of France, his court, and the university were very sorry for the loss, 
as his equal was not at Paris, and he would have been of singular 
service in reforming the church, and bringing about a union. 

At this time, there was at Avignon a clerk well skilled in science, 
doctor of laws, and auditor of the palace : he was a native of the 
archbishopric of Rheims, and called sir John de Varennes. He was 
much advanced in the church for the services he had rendered pope 
Clement and others, and was on the point of being a bishop or car. 
dinal. He had also been chaplain to a cardinal, called, at Avignon, 
Saint Peter of Lu.xembourg. This John de Varennes, beneficed and 
advanced as he was, resigned all, retaining only, for his subsistence, 
the canonry of our Lady at Rheims, which is worth, by residence, 
one hundred francs ; otherwise not more than thirty. He quitted 
Avignon, returned to his native country, and fixed his abode at the 
village of Saint Lye, near Rheims, where he led a devout life, preach- 
ing the faith and works of our Lord, and praising the pope ot 
-4.vignon. He declared he was the true pope, condemning, by liis 
speeches, that of Rome. He was much attended to, and followed 
by the people, who came to see him from all countries, for the sober 
and holy life he led, fasting daily, and for the fine sermons he preached. 
Some, however, said, that the cardinals at Avignon had sent hint 
thither to support their cause, and to exhibit the holiness of his life, 
which was devout enough to have entitled him to be raised to the 
papacy. Master John de Varennes would not allow himself to be 
called the holy man of Saint Lye, but simply the Auditor. He lived 
with his motlier, and every day said mass very devoutly. All that 
was given him, for he asked for nothing, he distributed in alms to 
the glory of God. 

We will now leave him, and speak of other matters. 



CHAPTER LX. 

THE KINS OF ENGLAND IS ADVISED TO MAKE A JOURNEY TO IRELAND, AND 
TO SETTLE ON THE DUKE OF LANCASTER, AND HIS HEIRS FOR EVER, THE 
DUCHY OF AQt/ITAINE WITH ALL ITS DEPENDENCIES. 

The truces that had been agreed to between the kings of France 
and England, and their allies, were well observed on sea and land. 
There were, however, some pillagers still in Languedoc, who came 
from foreign countries, such as Gascony, Beam, and Germany. Sir 
John de Grailly, bastard.son to the late captal de Buch, a young and 
expert knight, was governor of the strong castle of Bouteville. You 
may suppose that the captains of such forts as Lourde in Bigorre, on 

^ Boniface LX. elected pope the 2nd Nov. 1389.— £d. 



564 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &,c. 



the borders of Arragon, Bouteville on the frontiers ot Saintonge, near 
la Rochelle, and Mortaign, were sorely vexed they could no longer 
overrun the country, and make their accustomed pillage from the 
neighboring towns. They had been particularly forbidden to in- 
fringe the anicles of the truce, under pain of being severely punished. 

At this period, an expedition against Ireland was proposed in the 
English council ; for in the truces king Richard had agreed to with 
France and her allies, young as he was, he had reserved Ireland from 
being included, as his predecessors had always claimed it as their 
right ; and his grandfather, king Edward of happy memory had signed 
himself king and lord of Ireland, and had 
continued his wars against the natives, 
notwithstanding his pressure from other 
quarters. The young knights and squires 
of England, eager to signalize them, 
selves in arms, were rejoiced to learn ;^v: 

that king Richard intended leading a 
large power of men-at-arms and arch- 
ers into Ireland, and that he had de. 
clared he would not return thence un- 
til he should have finally settled every, 
thing to his satisfaction. It was, at the 
same council, ordered, that the duke of 
Lancaster, who in his time had labored 
hard, on sea and land, for the honor of 
England, should make a journey to Aqui. 
taine, with five hundred men-at-arms 
and one thousand archers. He was to 
embark at Plymouth or Southampton, as 
he pleased, and sail for Guienne or Aqui. 
taine. It was the intention of king Rich, 
ard and his council, that the duke of 
Lancaster should hold in perpetuity, for 
himself and heirs the whole territory of 
Aquitaine, with all its s^neschalships 
and domains, in such manner as king 
Edward of England, his father, and the 
former duke of Aquitaine, had held 
them, and which king Richard held at 
this moment, with the reserve of homage 
to the kings of England. The duke of 
Lancaster was to enjoy all other rights, 

lordships, and rents, which stipulation was confirmed by the king, 
wholly and fully, under his seal. 

The duke of Lancaster was very thankful for this magnificent gift, 
as he had reason to be ; for, in truth, the duchy of Aquitaine has 
wherewithal to enable its lord to keep a grand state. The deed 
which was to establish this gift, having been properly engrossed, was 
carefully examined, and passed with great deliberation of council, in 
the presence of the king, his uncles the dukes of York and Glouces. 
ter, the earls of Salisbury, Arundel, and Derby (son to the duke of 
Lancaster,) the earl marshal, the earl of Rostellant,* the earls of North- 
umberland and Nottingham, sir Thomas Percy, the lords Despen- 
cer and Beaumont, sir William Arundel, the archbishops of Canter, 
bury and York, the bishop of London, and of all those who were 
entitled to be present, whether prelates or barons. The duke of 
Lancaster thanked, in the first place, the king his nephew, then his 
brothers, and the barons and prelates of the council. After which 
ho began to make most sumptuous preparations for crossing the sea, 
and taking possession of the duchy the king had invested him with. 
Purveyors were likewise busy in preparing, on a large scale, for the 
king's expedition to Ireland ; and those lords who were to acco-.n. 
pany him were ordered to make preparations of whatever things they 
might think necessary. 



CHAPTER LXI. 

THE DEATH OF THE LADY ANNE OF BOHEMIA, QUEEN OF ENGLAND. THE 
DUHE OF LANCASTER LANDS IN AQUITAINE, AND THE KINS OF ENGLAND 
IN IRELAND. 

The king of England and the duke of Lancaster were daily occu. 
pied in their preparations for leaving England, and had sent their 
men and purveyances to the difl'erent ports they were to embark from ; 
the one to Ireland and the other to Aquitaine ; but their expedition 
was delayed for about two months, by an event I will now relate. 
At this period, the lady Anne, queen of England, fell sick, to the 
great distress of the king and her household. Her disorder increased 
so rapidly, that she departed this life on the feast of Whitsuntide, in 
the year of grace, 1394. The king, and all who loved her were 
greatly afilicted at her death. She was buried in the cathedral 
church of London ;t but her obsequies were performed at leisure, 
for the king would have them magnificently done. Abundance of 
wax was sent for from Flanders tomake flambeaux and torches, and 



the illumination was so great on the day of the ceremony, that nothing 
was ever seen like to it before, not at the burial of the good queen 
Philippa nor of any other. The king would have it so, because 
she was daughter to the king of Bohemia, emperor of Rome and 
of Germany. He was inconsolable for her loss, as thty mutually 
loved each other, having been married young. This queen left no 
issue, for she had never borne children. 

Thus in the same year were the king, the duke of Lancaster, and 
the earl of Derby made widowers. There was no talk of the king's 
marrying again, for he would not hear of it. Although the expe. 




RicBARD U. CM mo VoTAOB TO IRELAND. Metrical Hiitoi; of Richard II. Harleian MSS. 



* Rostellant. U. Rulland. 

t •■ On tJie 7th of June, queen Anne died at Shene in Surrey, and was buried at West 
?' TJ' 7j ,'"ns,t<>°k h" death so heavily Uiat, besides cursing the place where she 
died, he did also for anser throw down the buUdings, unto the which former kings, 
being weary of the city, were wont for pleasure to iesort."-STOW£'s Chbo.nicle 



ditions to Ireland and Aquitaine were delayed by the queen's death> 
those lords who were named to go to Ireland did not fail continuing 
their preparations ; and, as their purveyances were ready, they sent 
them across the sea to Ireland from Brisco* and Lolighett in Wales; 
and the conductors were ordered to can'y them to a city on the coast 
of Ireland, called Dimelin,! which had always been steadily attached 
to England, and was an archbishopric : the archbishop of which place " 
was with the king. 

Soon after Saint John Baptist's day, king Richard left London, 
and took the road for Wales, amusing himself by hunting on the way, 
to forget the loss of his queen. Those ordered to attend him began' ' 
their journey, such as his two uncles of York and Gloucester, with 
grand array, as did the other lords : the earl of Kent, half.brother to 
the king, sir Thomas Holland, his son, the earl of Rutland, son to 
the duke of York, the earl marshal, the earls of Salisbury and Arun. 
del, sir William Arundel, the earl of Northumberland, sir Thomas 
Percy his brother, high steward of England, the earls of Devonshire 
and Nottingham, with numbers of knights and squires. A consider- 
able body remained at home to guard the borders of Scotland ; for 
the Scots are a wicked race, and pay not any regard to truces or res- 
pites, but as it suits their own convenience. 

At the time the king of England undertook this expedition, he had 
not the company of his other half.brother, sir John Holland earl of 
Huntingdon, for he was on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and Saint ' 
Catherine of Mount Sinai, and was to return through Hungary. Hav- 
ing heard at Paris, as he passed through France, where he had been 
handsomely treated by tlie king and his court, in respect to the king 
of England, that tlie king of Hungary and .^nnirat^ were to have a. 
battle, he declared he would not fail being present. 

The duke of Lancaster and his array arrived at Plymouth, where 
transports waited to carry them across the sea. When his men and 
purveyances were all on board, they weighed anchor, and steered 
with a favorable wind for Bordeaux. 

We will return to the king of England, who had with him full four 
thousand men-at-arms and thirty thousand archers. They were ship- 
ped at three diffiBrcnt places, Bristol, Holyhead, and Herford,l| and 
passed over daily ; but it was a month before the whole armament 
and their horses landed in Ireland. On the other hand, there was in 
Ireland a valiant English knight, called the earl of Ormond, who, hke 
his predecessors, held lands in that country, but they were disputed, 
and he had made similar preparations to his ancestors. 

The earl marshal had the command of the van, consisting of fifteen ' 

'""Brisco." Ci. Bristol. T " Lolighet." U. Holyhead. 

t " Dimelin." Q. Dublin. 

§ The person thus called was the sultan Bajazet I. who began his reign 1391. 
II From what follows. I suppose this must mean Haverlbrd-west, in Fembrokefihircas-; ' 
it is pronounced Harford. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



5C5 



hundred Unccs nnd two thousand archers, who prudently and val- 
iantl)' conducted themselves. King Richard and his uncles em. 
barked at Haverford in Wales, many at Holyhead, and others at 
Bristol, and the whole landed without any loss. As they disembarked, 
by orders from the constable and marshals, they quartered themselves 
on the country, occupying a large uninhabited tract, of about thirty 
English miles, beside the city of Dublin. The array lodged them- 
selves prudently, for fear of the Irish : had they done otherwise, they 
would have suffered for it. The king, his uncles, and prelates, were 
quartered in Dviblin and near it ; and I was told that, during the 
whole campaign, they were well supplied with all sorts of provision ; 
for the English are expert in war, and know how to forage and take 
proper care of themselves and horses. I will relate the history of 
this campaign of king Richard, and what bcfel him according to the 
information I received. 

CHAPTER LXII 

SIR JOHN FEOISSART ARRIVES IN E.VSLAND, AND IS PRESENTED TO KING 
RICHARr BY THE DUKE OF YORK, 17NCLE TO THE KING. 

In truth, I, sir John Froissart, treasurer and canon of Chimay, in 
the county of Hainault, and diocese of Liege, had, during my stay at 
Abbeville, a great desire to go and see the kingdom of England : 
more especially since a truce had been concluded, for four years, on 
Bea and land, between France, England, and their allies. Several 
reasons urged me to make this journey; but principally, because in 
my youth I had been educated at the court of king Edward, of happy 
memory, and that good lady Philippa, his queen, with their children, 
and others of the barons of those times, and was treated by them with 
all honor, courtesy, and liberality. I was an.xious, therefore, to visit 
that country, for it ran in my imagination, that if I once saw it, I 
should live the longer ; for twenty-seven years past I had intentions 
of going thither, and if I should not meet with the lords whom I had 
left there, I should at least see their heirs, who would likewise be of 
great service to me in the verification of the many histories I have 
related of them. 

I mentioned my purpose to my very dear patrons, the lord duke 
Albert of Bavaria, count of Hainault, Holland, and Zealand, and lord 
of Frizeland ; to the lord William his son, styled count d'Ostrevant ; 
to my dear and much honored lady Joan, duchess of Brabant and 
Luxembourg ; and to my very much respected lord Engucrrand, lord 
of Coney ; as well as to that gallant knight, the lord de Gomegines. 
We had both, during our youth, arrived together at the English court, 
where I saw also the lord de Coucy, and all the nobles of France, 
who were hostages for the redemption of king John of France, which 
has been before related in this history. The three lords above men- 
tioned, as well as the lord dc Gomegines, and madame de Brabant, 
on my telling them my intentions, encouraged me to persevere, and 
they all gave me letters of introduction to the king and his uncles, with 
the reserve of the lord de Coucy, who, from being now so much attach- 
ed to France, could only write to his daughter, the duchess of Ireland. 

I had taken care to form a collection of all the poetry on love and 
morality that I had composed during the last twenty.four years, which 
I had caused to be fairly written and illuminated. I was also incited 
to go to England and see king Richard, son to the noble and valiant 
prince of Wales and -\quitaine, whom I had not seen since the time 
of his christening in the cathedral church of Bordeaux. I was then 
present, and had intentions of accompanying the prince of Wales in 
his expedition to Spain ; but, when we came to the city of Dax, the 
prince sent me back to the queen his mother in England. I was 
desirous, therefore, to pay my respects to the king of England and 
his uncles, and had provided myself with my book of poesy finely 
ornamented, bound in velvet, and decorated with silver-gilt clasps 
and studs, as a present for the king. Having this intention, I spared 
no pains ; and the cost and labor seem trifling to people, whenever 
they undertake anything willingly. 

Having provided myself with horses, I crossed from Calais to Dover 
on the lath day of July ; but found no one there whom I had been 
acquainted with in my former journeys : the inns were all kept by 
new people, and the children of my former acquaintance were be- 
come men and women. I staid half a day and night to refresh my- 
self and horses ; and on Wednesday, by nine o'clock, arrived at 
Canterbury to visit the shrine to St. Thomas and the tomb of the 
late prince of Wales, who had been buried there with great pomp. 
1 heard high mass, made my offering at the shrine, and returned to 
my inn to dinner, when I heard the king was to come the following 
day in pilgrimage to St Thomas of Becket. He was lately returned 
from Ireland, where he had remained for nine months, or thereabouts, 
and was anxious to pay his devotions in this church, on account of 
the holy body of the saint, and because his father was there buried. 
I thought, therefore, it would be well to wait his arrival which I did ; 
and, on the morrow, the king came in great state, accompanied by 
lords and ladies, with whom I mixed ; but they were all new faces 
to r*e, for I did not remember one of them. 

Times and persons had greatly changed since I was last in Eng. 
land, eight-and-twenty years past. The king had not either of his 
uncles with him : the duke of Lancaster was in Aquitaine, and the ; 
dukes of York and Gloucester in other parts. I was at first quite [ 
astonished, and should have been comforted could I have seen an ' 



ancient knight who had been of the bed-chamber to king Edward, 
and was in the same capacity to the present king, as well as of hia 
privy council, and could I have made myself known to him. The 
name of this knight was sir Richard Sturry. I asked if he were 
alive : they said he was, but not then present, as he was at his resi. 
dence in London. I then determined to address myself to sir Thomas 
Percy, high steward of England. I found him gracious and of agree- 
able manners, and he offered to present me and my letters to the 
king. I was rejoiced at this promise ; for it is necessary to have 
friends to introduce one to so great a prince as the king of England. 
He went to the king's apartments to see if it were a proper time, but 
found the king had retired to repose : he therefore bade me return 
to my inn. When I thought the king might be risen, I went again 
to the palace of the archbishop, where he lodged ; but sir Thomas 
Percy and his people were preparing to set out for Ospringe, whence 
he had come that morning. I asked sir Thomas's advice how to act: 
" For the present," he said, " do not make further attempts to an- 
nounce your arrival, but follow the king; and I will take care, when 
he comes to his palace in this country, which he will do in two days, 
that you shall be well lodged as long as the court tarries there." 

The king was going to a beautiful palace in the county of Kent, 
called Leeds castle, and I followed sir Thomas Percy's advice by 
taking the road to Ospringe. I lodged at an inn where I found a 
gallant knight of the king's chamber, but he liad that morning staid 
behind on account of a slight pain in his head that had seized him 
the preceding night. This knight, whose name was sir William de 
Lisle, seeing I was a foreigner and a Frenchman, (for all who speak 
the language of Oil* are by the English considered as Frenchmen, 
whatever country they may come from,) made acquaintance with me, 
and I with him, for the English are courteous to strangers. He asked 
my situation and business in England, which I related to him at length, 
as well as what sir Thomas Percy had advised me to do. He replied, 
that I could not have better advice, for that the king would on Friday 
be at Leeds castle, and would find there his uncle the duke of York. 
I was well pleased to hear this, for I had letters to the duke, and, 
when young, was known to him while in the household of the late 
king and queen. 

I courted the acquaintance of sir William de Lisle, as a means of 
gaining greater intimacy with the king's household. On the Friday, 
we rode out together, and on the road I asked if he had accompanied 
the king on his expedition to Ireland. He said he had. I then asked 
if there were any foundation in truth for what was said of St. Patrick's 
hole.* He replied there was ; and that he and another knight, du. 
ring the king's stay at Dublin, had been there. They entered it at 
sunset, remained there the whole night, and came out at sunrise the 
next morning. I requested he would tell me whether he saw all the 
marvellous things which are said to be seen there. He made me the 
following answer : " When I and my companion had passed the en- 
trance of the cave called the Purgatory of Saint Patrick, we descended 
three or four steps (for you go down into it like a cellar,) but found 
our heads so much affected by the heat, we seated ourselves on the 
steps, which are of stone, and such a drowsiness came on, that we 
slept there the whole night." I asked, if, when asleep, they knew 
where they were, and what visions they had. He said, they had 



* I.a Langue d'Oil, was the language spoken in the north of France, in contra-dis- 
tinction to the Lungue d'Oc, the dialect of the soutli, whence the name of tlie province 
Languedoe. Oil and Oc, are now both superseded by the modern " Oui."— Ed. 

*" Nothing has rendered this county {Donegal,) so famous as the cave discovered by 
tlie patron saint of Ireland, or his namesake, abbot of Nevers. about four hundred years 
after, in which the holy monk obtained a constant exhibition of the torments of the 
wicked, for the edification of the Irish, But that it could not be Saint Patrick who tirsl 
mvented il, is plain from hissUence about it in his book 'de tribus habilaculus.' heaven, 
earth, and hell. Henry or Hugh, monk of Saltrey, in Huntingdonshire, was the tirst 
who wrote about it. and what one Owen or Tyndal, a soldier, had seen there. It was 
about si.\teen feet and a half long, by two feet one inch wide, built of freestone, covered 
with broad flag^. and green lurf laid over them, and was so low and narrow that a tall 
man could hardly sit, much less stand in it. lu the side was a window just wide enough 
to admit a faint ray of light; in the floor a cavity capable of containing a man at his 
length ; and, under a large stone at the end of tlie pavement, a deep pit, which had 
opened at the prayers ofthe saint. The bottom of tlie cave was originally much below 
the surface of Die ground. It stood on the east side of the church, in the church-yard, 
encompassed with a wall, and surrounded by circles or cells, called Ike Serfs, scarcely 
three leet high, denominated from several saints. The penitents who visited this island, 
after lasting on bread and water for nine days, and making processions round these holy 
stations Uirice a-day barefoot, for the first seven days, and si.x times on the eighth, wash- 
ing their weary limbs each night in Uie ailioining lake, on the ninth enter the cave. 
Here they observe a twenty-four hours' fast, tasting only a liule water, and, upon quit- 
lin» it bathe m the lake, and so conclude the solemnity. The ongmal preparatory fast, 
asweiearufrom Matthew Paris, was fifteen days, and as long after quitting the cave 
out of which all who entered did not return. ... 

" Leave being first obtained of the bishop of the diocese, the prior represented to the 
penitents all the horrors and diflicully of the undertaking, suggestmg to them at the 
same time an easier penance. If they persevered in their resolution, they were conducted 
to the door with a procession from the convent, and. after twenty-lour hours coiihne- 
mcnt let out the next morning with the hke ceremony. In this recess, enlightened only 
bv a kind of twUight, which discovered a field and hall, Owen was first visited by fifteen 
viersons clothed in white, like religious, newly shorn, who encouraged him agamst the 
lorridscenes that were next to present themselves to his view. They were succeeded 
bv troops of demons, who began with laying him on a burning pile, which he soon ei- 
tin-uisheJ, by pronouncing the name of Christ. They then dragged him through tlie 
Lv'eral scenes of torment, where the wicked suffered all the variety of tortures of aricent 
Tartarus • and, stanc-Jig proof against all these horrors, he was favored with a full view 
and description of paradise, by two venerable prelates, who refused to let him ^tay there. 
He met with the same demons and mo,d<s as he we»t out of the cave after which he 
visited the holy sepulchre, and, at his return, uiking upon him the habit, nssBted yi 
founding Besmagovcisth Abbey."-GotJOB's MdUicn to Camden, p. Ml, vol. i. 



56G 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



many very strange dreams, and they seemed, as they imagined, to 
see more than they would have done if they had been in their beds. 
This they both were assured of. " When morning came, and we 
were awake, the door of the cave was opened, for so we had ordered 
it and we came out, but instantly lost all recollection of everything 
we had seen, and looked on the whole as a phantom." I did not 
puph the conversation further, although I should have much liked to 
have heard what he would say of Ireland ; but other knights overtook 
us, and conversed with him ; and thus we rode to Leeds castle, where 
the king and his court arrived shortly after. The duke of York was 
already there ; and I made myself known to him, by presenting him 
letters from his cousins, the count of Hainault and the count d'Ostre- 
vant. The duke recollected me, and made me a hearty welcome. 
Baying, " Sir .Tohn, keep with us and our people ; for we will show 
you every courtesy and attention : we are bounden so to do, from 
remembrance of past times, and affection to the memory of our lady- 
luother, to whom you were attached. We have not forgotten these 
times." I warmly thanked him, as was just, for his kind speech, and 
was well noticed by him, sir Thomas Percy, and sir William de Lisle, 
who carried me to the king's chamber, where I was introduced to 
him by his uncle, the duke of York. 

The king received me graciously and kindly ; lie took all the letters 
I presented to him, and having read them attentively, said I was wel- 
come, and that since I had belonged to the household of the late king 
and queen, his grandfather and grandmother, I must consider myself 
still as of the royal household of England. This day I did not offer 
him the book I had brought ; for sir Thomas Percy told me it was 
not a fit opportunity, as he was much occupied with serious business. 
The council was deeply engaged on two subjects ; first, in respect to 
the negotiation with France, to treat of a marriage between the king 
and the lady Isabella, eldest daughter to the king of France, who at 
that time was about eight years old. The embassadors appointed to 
make this proposal to France, were the earl of Rutland, cousin-gcr- 
man to the king, the earl marshal, the archbishop of Dublin, the 
bishop of Lye, the lord Clifford, lord Beaumont, lord Hugh Spencer, 
and several others.* 

Secondly, the lord de la Barde, the lord de la Taride, the lord de 
Pinterne, the lord de Chateauneauf, the lords de Levesque and de 
Copane, the chief magistrate of Bordeaux, Bayonne, and Dax, were 
come to England, and greatly persecuted the king, since his return 
from Ireland, for an answer to their petitions and remonstrances on 
the gift the king had made his uncle, the duke of Lancaster, of all 
Aquitaine, with its lordships, baronies, and dependencies, which had 
appertained to the king and crown of England. The above-men- 
tioned lords and principal cities and towns in Aquitaine, maintained 
that such a gift could not be made, and that it was null ; for that the 
whole of Aquitaine was a fief depending solely on the crown of Eng- 
land, and that they would never consent thus to be disjoined from 
it. They had made several reasonable propositions for an accommo- 
dation, which I will relate in proper time and place. In order that 
these matters might be more fully considered, and indeed they re. 
quired it, the king had summoned the principal barons and prelates 
of the realm to meet him on Magdalen-day, at his palace of Eltham, 
seven miles from London, and the same distance from Dartford. 
On the fourtli day after the king's arrival, when I learnt that he, his 
Council, and the duke of York, were about to quit Leeds castle and 
g8 to Rochester, in their way to Eltham, I set out in their company. 



CHAPTER LXIII. 

THE INFORMATION FKOISSART GAINS IN ENGLAND, TOUCHING THE OPPOSI- 
TION OF THE INHABITANTS OF AQUITAINE TO THE GIFT THE KING OF 
ENGLAND HAD MADE OF IT TO THE DUKE OF LANCASTER. THE COMMIS- 
SIONERS SENT TO REMONSTRATE ON THE MATTER WITH THE KING, CAN- 
NOT OBTAIN A DECISIVE ANSWER RELATIVE THERETO. 

On the road to Rochester, I asked sir William de Lisle and sir 
John de Grailly, governor of Bouteville, the cause of the king's jour- 
ney to London, and why the parliament was to be assembled at 
Eltham. They both answered me satisfactorily ; but sir John Grailly 
particularly informed me why the lords of Gascony, and the deputies 
from the chief towns were come to England. He was so well ac- 
quainted with them, being as it were from the same country and fel- 
low subjects to England, that they hid nothing from him. He said: 
"That when the duke of Lancaster came last to Aquitaine, he was 
provided with deeds sealed with the great seal of England, which 
had been regularly agreed to in parliament and signed by the dukes 
of York and Gloucester, to whom Aquitaine might possibly revert, 
by succession, to king Richard of England, who had no children, and 
these two dukes were brothers.german, by father and mother, to the 
n* "a ^™'^'^^^^^- The duke of Lancaster sent part of his council 
to Bordeaux, to inform the mayor and magistrates of his coming and 
the cause of it. They were greatly surprised on hearing it ; but, not- 
withstanding, they well feasted the commissioners he had sent, in 



• See the Fadera for full part.culors. The embassadors were the archbishop of Dubhn. 
the bmhepof Samt Uavid's, Uie earl ufllutlaiid, the earl marshal and sir William Scrope 
They were to propose also a marriage, belween the enil of Rutland and the youneest 
«Uiiehter of the Icuib of France. The instructions to these embassadors are dated " heeds 
CUtie. 9lii day of July. 1396." 



honor to the king, to whom they owed service and obedience. They 
desired time to consider of their answer, which being granted, they 
replied, that the duke of Lancaster, as son to king Edward of happy 
memory, who had been their lord, was welcome, but not in any other 
capacity, as they had not yet sufficiently weighed the matter to de. 
termine on receiving him as their lord ; for their sovereign, king 
Richard, to whom they had sworn fealty, had not acquitted them of 
their obedience. The duke's commissioners replied, that as to this, 
the duke would take upon himself to satisfy them they should never 
have any trouble from his nephew the king of England. When 
those of Bordeaux saw themselves thus hardly pressed, they made 
another excuse by saying: " Gentlemen, the grant we perceive in- 
cludes not only us but the cities of Bayonne and Dax, and the pre. 
lates and barons of Gascony who are under the obedience of the 
king of England. Go to them, and as they shall regulate we will do 
the same." The commissioners, not being able to get any other 
answer, left Bordeaux, and returned to the duke of Lancaster at 
Libourne. When the duke heard the above answer, he became very 
thoughtful, and foresaw that the business he was come upon would 
not be so soon settled as he had at first imagined, or had been made 
to understand. He sent, however, his commissioners to Bayonne 
who were received by the Bayonnois in just the same manner as they 
had been received at Bordeau.x, nor could they obtain a different 
answer. 

At length, the prelates, barons, and deputies from all the towns of 
Cascony under the obedience of England, assembled, and, having 
debated the justice of the king of England's grant to the duke of 
Lancaster, came to the following conclusion. They were very wil. 
ling to receive in their castles, cities and towns, the duke of Lancas. 
ter, as son to the noble king Edward of happy memory, and as uncle 
to king Richard of England ; but on condition he would solemnly 
swear, that himself and people would peaceably demean themselves 
during their stay, and they would not take anythinc: by force, but 
pay ready money for whatever they might want ; nor should he, the 
duke of Lancaster, extend the powers of the crown to oppress any 
one, nor do so by other means. The duke replied, that he was not 
come to hurt or oppress the people, but, on the contrary, to guard 
and defend them as his own inheritance, and entreated that the will 
of the king of England should be complied with. But the country, 
with one voice, declared they would not be disjoined from the crown 
of England, and that it w'as not in the power of the king of England 
to turn them over to another. This matter was disputed for a long 
time between the duke of Lancaster, and the Gascons; and when he 
saw he could not prevail on them to receive him as their lord, he re. 
quested they would send sufficiently-authorized persons to the king 
ol England, as he would do on his part, and whatever the parliament 
of England should determine, whether in his favor or not, he would 
abide by. The Gascons, thinking this a very reasonable proposal from 
the duke, agreed to it; and he then came with his attendants to reside 
among them, at his former lodgings in the abbey of Saint Andrew. 
The prelates and barons of Gascony as well as the cities of Bayonne 
and Dax, selected proper commissioners to send to England. 

When the king of France, his uncles, and ministers, heard for cer- 
tain, that the duke of Lancaster had been peaceably received in 
Bordeaux, and that he had there fixed his residence, they knew not 
what to think of it, nor whether he would adhere to the truces that 
had been made between France and England. This gave them so 
much uneasiness, that they resolved to send embassadors t> tlie duke 
of Lancaster to learn his intentions. The lord de Boucicaut, marshal 
of France, sir .Tohn de Chftteaumorant and sir John Barrois des Barres, 
were chosen for this purpose, and they were to have under their com. 
mand one thousand well appointed men-at-arms. They left Paris, 
and continued their march to Agen, where they quartered themselves 
as well as in the surrounding country : they then sent heralds and 
messengers to the duke of Lancaster, in the city of Bordeaux, to 
notify their wishes to speak with him. The duke made the messen- 
gers good cheer, heard what they had to say, and wrote back to their 
lords, that since they were desirous to speak with him, he was anx. 
ious to meet them ; and, in order to give them less trouble, would go 
to Bergerac, where they would confer together. The messengers, 
on their return to Agen, gave the letters Irom the duke of Lancaster, 
which satisfied them as to their safety, and they made preparations 
accordingly. As soon as they heard of the duke's arrival at Berge. 
rac, they left the city of Agen, and marched thither, where they found 
the gates open to receive them. The lords entered the town, and 
went to the hotels which had been prepared for them ; but their men 
lodged themselves in the suburbs and adjacent villages. The three 
lords waited on the duke of Lancaster, who kindly received them, as 
he knew well how to do ; and in reply to what they urged, he said, 
" that he wished always to be a good neighbor, and on friendly terms 
with the king and realm of France, and to adhere to every article of 
the truces that had been lately made between France, England, and 
their allies. He had been very active in forming these truces, and 
of course would be unwilling any way to infringe them; and of this 
they might be perfectly assured." 

The answer of the duke was highly gratifying to the French lords, 
who remained with him on the most friendly terms. He entertained 
them grandly at dinner and supper in the castle of Bergerac, after 
which they separated in a very amicable manner. The duke returned 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &.c. 



567 



to Bordeaux, and the French lords toward Paris; but in tlieir way 
they met tlie duke of Berry in Poitiers, to whom they related all they 
J' had done, and the duke of Lancaster's answer. The duke of Berry 
thought it satisfactory and reasonable, as did the king of France and 
the duke ot' Burgundy, when the three lords reported it to them, on 
their arrival at Paris. Things remained on this assurance quiet. 
" What after happened I have told you," added sir John de Grailly ; 
"for the duke of Lancaster sent hither some of the principal of his 
council, such as sir William de la Perriere, sir Peter Cliqueton, and 
two doctors of laws, master John Huche and master John Richards 
de Lincestre, to plead his cause before the king, his uncles and coun. 
cil.* It is for this reason the king is now going to Eltham ; for as 
Thursday next is Magdalen-day, the parliament will meet there. 
What decision they will come to, I cannot say ; but this I know, that 
the duke of Gloucester will be present, and be violent in his support 
of the duke of Lancaster's claims ; for I have heard from some of 
the English who ought to know, that he would cheerfully see his 
brother firmly established in Guyenne, and never to return to Eng- 
land, for he finds him his superior, and for this reason is desirous he 
should gain the duchy of Aquitaine. The duke of Gloucester has a 
good head, but is proud, and wonderfully overbearing in his man- 
ners. Let him say or act as he pleases, he is always popular with 
the commonalty, for they are mutually attached to each other. He 
was the cause of the execution of that valiant knight sir Simon Bur- 
ley. He it was, likewise, who caused the banishment of the duke 
of Ireland, the archbishop of York, and other knights of the king's 
council, who were either put to death on very slight grounds, or 
forced into foreign countries, during the time the duke of Lancaster, 
who is more feared than loved in this country, was in Castille. 

" Let us for the present," said sir John de Grailly, " quit this mat- 
ter, and speak of the second object that occupies the council. It 
seems to me, from what I have seen and heard, that the king of Eng- 
land wishes to marry again, and has had researches made every- 
where, but in vain, for a suitable lady. If the duke of Burgundy or 
count of Haniault had daughters of a proper age, he would not be 
averse to either; but they have none that are not already betrothed. 
He has been told that the king of Navarre has sisters and daughters, 
but he will not hear of them. The duke of Gloucester has likewise 
a grown up girl and marriageable, and he would be well pleased if 
his nephew would choose her ; but the king says, she is too nearly 
related, being his cousin-german. King Richard's thoughts are so 
bent on the eldest daughter of the king of France, he will not hear 
of any other : it causes great wonder in this country that he should 
be so eager to marry the daughter of his adversary, and he is not the 
better beloved for it. This he seems indiflerent to, and plainly shows 
that henceforward he will prefer war with any other country rather 
than with France. It was known i'rom experience how anxious he 
was that a stable peace should be established between the two coun. 
tries ; for he said the wars had lasted too long between him and his 
predecessors with France, and that too many valiant men have been 
slain on both sides, to the great weakening of the defenders of the Chris- 
tian faith. To put this idea out of the king's mind, for it is no way 
agreeable to the people of England, that he should connect himself 
by marriage with France, they have told him the lady was by far 
too young, and that for five or six years to come she would not be of 
a proper age for a wife. He replied by saying, that every day she 
would increase in age. In addition to this, he gave pleasantly his 
reasons for his preferring her : that since she was young, he should 
educate her, and bring her up to his own mind, and to the manners 
of the English ; and that for himself, he was young enough to wait 
until she should be of proper age for his wife. Nothing can make 
him change his resolution, and before you leave this country, you 
may perhaps witness many strange things. It is for this and the 
other business I mentioned that he is journeying toward London." 

With such conversation did sir John de Grailly entertain me while 
travelling between Rochester and Dartford. He was the bastard-son 
of that gallant knight the captal de Buch. I eagerly listened to all 
he said, and treasured his words in my memory ; for I rode chiefly 
in his company, and sir William de Lisle, the whole way from Leeds 
castle to Eltham. 

The king arrived at Eltham on a Tuesday. On the Wednesday, 
the lords ca.Tie from all parts. There was the duke of Gloucester, 
the earls of Derby, Arundel, Northumberland, Kent, Rutland, the 
earl marshal, the archbishops of Canterbury and of York, the bishops 
of London and Winchester : in short, all who had been summoned 
arrived at Elihnm on the Thursday, by eight o'clock in the morning. 
The parliament was holden in the king's apartment, in the presence 
of the king, his uncles, and council. The knights from Gascony 
and the deputies from the cities and towns, as well as those sent by 
the duke of Lancaster, were present. 

I cannot say what passed at this parliament, for I was not admitted, 
nor were any but the members of it. It sat for upward of four hours. 
When it was over, I renewed my acquaintance after dinner with an 
ancient knight whom in my youth I well knew, when he was of the 
the chamber of king Edward. He was one of the principal advisers 
of king Richard, and deserving of it: his name was sir Richard 
Sturry. He immediately recollected me, though it was twenty.four 



years since we had seen each other; the last time was at Colleberge,* 
at Brussels, in the hdtel of duke Winceslaus and the duchess Jane of 
Brabant. Sir Richard Sturry seemed very glad to see me, and made 
>ie a hearty welcome. He asked me many questions, which I an. 
swered as well as I could. While we were walking near the king's 
apartment at Eltham, I inquired if he could inform me what had been 
the determination of the parliament : having mused awhile, he said 
he would tell me, for it was not worth while to conceal what nmst 
shortly be made public. 

" You know," continued the knight, " or have heard, that the duke 
of Lancaster left England for Aquitaine, on receiving the magnificeat 
gift the king our lord made him. The king loves all who pretend 
friendship for him, but particularly the duke of Lancaster ; and out 
of gratitude, which he strongly feels, for the great services the duke has 
done the crown, as well on this as on the other side of the sea, the king 
has given to him and his heirs for ever the whole of the duchy of Aqui. 
laine, with all its dependencies, excepting the homage, which is the 
sole thing he has reserved for the crown of England in times to come. 
This gift has gone through every legal form, wilh the approbation and 
consent of his other uncles and the English parliament. The king had 
specially commanded all his subjects within the boundaries of Aqui- 
taine, to obey punctually his well-beloved uncle the duke of Lancas- 
ter, as their sovereign lord, and to pay him homage and service, in 
the usual manner as they have done to their lords in former times. 
Should any prove rebellious to these ordere, the king gives the duke 
of Lancaster full powers to punish such within three days after their 
disobedience, without any expectation of support from him. It has 
happened, however, that notwithstanding these strict orders of the 
king, the barons, knights, gentlemen, cities and towns of Gascony, 
under the obedience of England, have united together in opposition 
to the duke of Lancaster, and refuse to obey him, declaring and 
maintaining that the gift the king made his uncle the duke of Lan- 
caster is null and void. The duke, who is desirous of acting in this 
business by fair means, has listened to their reasonings on the sub- 
ject, and advised, to prevent further mischief, that they should send 
hither properly-instructed persons to lay their complaints before the 
king, and declare their reasons for having opposed his orders. 

" They have certainly, this day, very ably explained the cause of 
refusing their obedience to the duke of Lancaster, and have given 
the king and his council enough to think upon. They will probably 
succeed in their mission, and I will tell you my reasons for so think- 
ing ; but you will keep tV.em secret, until the matter shall become 
more public." I replied, that he might depend on my doing it. He 
then continued : " I believe it was the official of Bordeaux, who, for 
his learning, was their spokesman ; he began by showing their pro- 
curations from the different towns, that greater faith might be given 
to what he should say. He then declared, that ' the cities of Bor- 
deax, Bayonnc, Dax, and all the lordships dependent on them, or 
within their limits and jurisdictions, are of such noble condition, that 
no king of England, by any act of his, can disjoin them from the 
domain of the crown of England, nor alienate or dispose of them to 
any child, uncle or brother he may have, nor by any way of marriage- 
settlement nor otherwise. The above-named towns have received, 
from different kings of England, certain privileges, which their suc- 
cessors have sworn to maintain without any infringement ; and the 
moment a king of England comes into possession of the crown of 
England and its dependencies, he swears on the missal in his hand, 
to preserve inviolate all their privileges, which you, dear sire, have 
also done, as these papers will prove.' He then produced charters, 
fairly engrossed and sealed with the great seal of England, which 
king Richard, who was then present, had given them, and read the 
whole, clause by clause. The contents of the charters were well 
understood, for they were in Latin and French ; and at the end he 
named several great barons and prelates, to the number of eleven, 
who had been nominated as sureties. 

" When the papers were read, each lord looked at his neighbor and 
to the king, but not one said a word in reply. The official, having 
finished reading his deeds, thus spoke, addressing himself to the king: 
' Most beloved and renowned sovereign, and you, my dear lords, all 
what you have just heard, am I charged by the deputies of the prin- 
cipal towns and inhabitants of Gascony to lay before you, and t» 
maintain their dependence solely on the crown of England, as the 
charters that have been shown plainly declare. Should the country 
be inclined to receive the duke of Lancaster for its lord, and be freed 
from the service and homage it owes you, the loss would be very 
great to England ; for if, at this moment, the duke is attached to the 
king, and attentive to preserve the privileges of the crown of Eng- 
land, that love and affection will, in course of time, be much weak- 
ened by his successive heirs, and by intermarriages that may take 
place : it is necessary that marriages should be concluded between 
great princes, for the more effectually preserving the love of their 
subjects. Now it may happen, in times to come, that the heirs of the 
duke of Lancaster shall unite themselves by marriage with the daugh- 
ters of the kings of France, the dukes of Berry, Brittany, the counts 
of Foix or of Armagnac, the kings of Navarre, the dukes of Anjou 



* HoUingshed cf.Ilstbem sir Willinm Perreer, sir Peter Clifton, master John Huich, and 
master Joim Richards, a canon of Leicester. 



♦ "Colleberge." I do not understand this passage, for the town of Colberg is in the 
duchy of Pomerania. It never could have been there they met. There is a full stop at 
the end of Coileberg in liie printed and MS, copies. The MSS, say fourteen yehis tns1«ud 
of twenty-four. 



568 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN. &c. 



or of Maine, and farm alliances with their connections on the other 
side of the sea, claiming the whole sovereignty of Guienne, and ruin- 
ing the country, by putting it in opposition to England. The king of 
England wiiuld probably, in such a case, have great difficulty in 
recoveriw" the rights due to the crown. Condescend, therefore, most 
noble king, and you, my dear lords, to consider well all the reasons 
I have laid before you ; for the whole country is unanimous and deter, 
mined to remain under the obedience of our much redoubted lord 
and king, and in dependence on the crown of England.' The offi- 
cial here ended his speech ; and the prelates and lords, looking to each 
other, approached the king, conducted by his two imcles and the earls 
of Derby and Arundel. 

"It was then suggested to those who had come from Aquitaine, to 
leave the chamber until called for, which they did, with the two 
knights who had been sent by the duke of Lancaster. This being 
done, the king demanded from the prelates and barons what answer 
should be made. The prelates referred the answer to the two uncles 
of the king, because the matter more nearly affected them. At first, 
they excused themselves, saying, it was a public concern, and should 
be deliberated on in common, and not treated as any matter of favor. 
The business thus remained for some time ; but the duke of Glou- 
cester being desired to give his opinion, he said, it would be a strong 
measure to take from the king a gift that he had made with the 
unanimous consent of his council, and that had been invested with 
every legal form, because his subjects were reliellious ; that the king 
was not lord of his inheritance if he could not dispose of it as he 
pleased. Some commented on this speech, while others had the 
courage to say the answer was not reasonable, though they dared not 
contradict it ; for the duke of Gloucester was much feared. The 
earl of Derby, son of the duke of Lancaster, added, ' Good uncle, you 
have well spoken, and justly explained the matter, and I support 
what you have said.' The council on this began to separate, and to 
murmur one to another ; but they did not c;ill in the envoys from 
Guyenne, nor those from the duke of Lancaster." 

Here the old knight ended his conversation ; but I learnt from him 
afterwards, that when the king heard this, he dissembled his opinion, 
with the intention of again summoning his council after dinner, to 
know if any measures, more to the advantage of the crown, should 
be adopted, or if anything further should be done in respect to Aqui- 
taine. 

The king made the archbishop of Canterbury speak on the busi. 
ness of his marriage, as he had ordered him in the morning, and 
who should be sent to France, for he was very earnest that this mat- 
ter should be accomplished. It had before been in debate, and was 
nearly agreed to, and those were named who were to cross the sea, 
although their instructions had not been given to them. In this 
council it was ordered, that the archbishop of Dublin, the carl of 
Rutland, the earl-marshal, the lord Beaumont, sir Hugh Spencer, sir 
Lewis Cliflbrd, to the number of twenty knights and forty squires of 
honor, should wait on the king of France, and propose a treaty of 
marriage between the king of England and the lady Isabella, his 
daughter, who might then be about eight years old. She had been 
betrothed before to the duke of Brittany's son, as you have seen, 
when the meeting took place, and peace was made between the king 
of France and the duke of Brittany, at Tours. To break this would 
be difficult, for the king of France and his uncles had put their seals 
to the treaty. Notwithstanding this obstacle, the English embassa- 
dors, having received their instructions, left London, and crossing the 
sea at Dover, arrived in two or three days at Calais. They staid 
there five days to refresh themselves and their horses, and then 
departed, taking the road to Amiens, having sent before the Irish 
lierald March, who had brought them passports from the king of 
France on his return to Calais. The lord de Monchourel* was 
also sent as a guide, and to have all cities and towns opened to 
them, as well as to provide for what they might want. We will 
leave them for a little, and return to the matters we were before 
speaking of. 

As I have mentioned, the deputies from Gascony, and from the 
chief towns in Aquitaine, were earnest in their solicitations to the 
king and council that they might remain attached to the crown of 
England, according to their ancient rights and privileges, which it 
had been repeatedly sworn should be observed, in spite of every 
cause, obstacle, or condition to the contrary. Three parts of the 
council, and the unanimous voice of the people of England, were on 
their side ; but Thomas of Woodstock, duke of Gloucester, youngest 
son of the late king Edward, opposed them, and plainly showed he 
wished his brother of Lancaster to be detained in Aquitaine, for he 
felt he was too powerful when in England, and too nearly allied to 
the king. As for his brother of York, he held him cheap, for he 
interfered little in public affairs, and was without malice or guile, 
wishing only to live in quiet: he had besides just married a young 
and beautiful wife, daughter to the earl of Kent, with whom he spent 
most of his time which was not occupied with other amusements. 
The duke of Gloucester was cunning and malicious, and continually 
soliciting favors from his nephew king Richard, pleading poverty, 
though he abounded in wealth ; for he was constable of England, 
duke of Gloucester, earl of Buckingham, Esse.x, and Northampton. 
He had, besides, pensions on the king's exchequer, to the amount of 

* MoQcboureJ. In the AISS. Mont-caurel. 



four thousand nobles a year ; and he would not exert himself in any 
way to serve his king or country, if he were not well paid for it. 
He was violently adverse to those of Aquitaine in this business, and 
did everything in his power that the duke of Lancaster might not 
return to England, for then he would have everything his own way. 
To show that he governed the king and was the greatest in the 
council, as soon as he had delivered his opinion and saw that many- 
were murmuring at it, and that the prelates and lords were discus, 
sing it in small parties, he quitted the king's chamber, followed by 
the earl of Derby, and entered the hall at Eltham, where he ordered 
a table to be spread, and they both sat down to dinner while the 
others were debating the business. When the duke of York heard 
they were at dinner, he joined them. After their dinner, which took 
no long time, the duke of Gloucester, dissembling his thoughts, took 
leave of the king as he was seated at table, mounted his horse, and 
returned to London. The earl of Derby remained that and the en- 
suing day, with the king and the lords, but those from Aquitaine 
could not procure any answer to their petitions. 



CHAPTER LXIV. 

FKOISSAET TRESENTS HIS BOOK OF LOVE POEMS TO KING RICHAKD OF EJfG- 
LAND. HE RELATES WHAT HE HAD HEARD OF THE LAST EXPEDITION 
OF THE ENGLISH TO IRELAND. 

I HAVE taken much pleasure in detailing everything relative to the 
dispute with Gascony and Aquitaine, that the truth of my histoiy may 
be apparent ; and because I, the author of it, could not be present in 
these councils, that ancient and valiant knight sir Richard Sturry 
told me everything, word f«r word, as I have transcribed. On the 
Sunday, the whole council were gone to London, excepting the duke 
of York, who remained with the king, and sir Richard Sturry ; these 
two, in conjunction with sir Thomas Percy, mentioned me again to 
the king, who desired to see the book I had brought for him. I pre- 
sented it to him in his chamber, for I had it with me, and laid it on 
his bed. He opened and looked into it with much pleasure. He 
ought to have been pleased, for it was handsomely written and illu- 
minated, and bound in crimson velvet, with ten silver-gilt studs, and 
roses of the same in the middle, with two large clasps of silver-gilt, 
richly worked with roses in the centre. The king asked me what 
the book treated of: I replied, "Of love I" He was pleased with 
the answer, and dipped into several places, reading parts aloud, for 
he read and spoke French perfectly well, and then gave it to one of 
his knights, called ^ir Richard Credon, to carry to his oratory, and 
made me many acknowledgments for it. 

It happened this same Sunday, after the king had received my 
book so handsomely, an English squire being in the king's chamber, 
called Henry Castide,* a man of prudence and character, and who 
spoke French well, made acquaintance with me, because he saw the 
king and lords give me so hearty a reception, and had likewise no. 
ticed the book I had presented to the king : he also imagined, from 
his first conversation, that I was an historian ; indeed, he had been 
told so by sir Richard Sturry. He thus addressed me : " Sir John, 
have you as yet found any one to give you an account of the late 
expedition to Ireland, and how four kings of that country submitted 
themselves to the obedience of the king ?" I replied, that I had 
not. " I wi I tell it you, then," said the squire, who might be about 
fifty years old, " in order that, when you are returned home, you may 
at your leisure insert it in your history, to be had in perpetual remem. 
brance." I was delighted to hear this, and offered him my warmest 
thanks. 

Henry Castide thus began : " It is not in the memory of man, that 
any king of England ever led so large an armament of men-at-arms, 
and archers to make war on the Irish, as the present king. He re. 
mained upward of nine months in Ireland, at great expense, which, 
however, was cheerfully defrayed by his kingdom ; for the principal 
cities and towns of England tliought it was well laid out, when they 
saw their king return home with honor. Only gentlemen and archers 
had been employed on this expedition ; and there were with the king 
four thousand knights and squires and thirty thousand archers, all 
regularly paid every week, and so well they were satisfied. To tell 
you the truth, Ireland is one ni the worst countries to make war in, 
or to conquer ; for there are snch impenetrable and extensive forests, 
lakes, and bogs, there is no knowing how to pass them, and carry on 
war advaiitageously : it is so thinly inhabited, that, whenever the 
Irish please, they desert the towns, and take refuge in these forests, 
and live in huts made of boughs, like w ild beasts ; and v.henever 
they perceive any parties advancing with hostile dispositions, and 
about to enter their country, they fly to such narrow passes, it is im- 
possible to follow them. When they find a favorable opportunity 
to attack their enemies to advantage, which frequently happens, from 
their knowledge of the count/y, they fail not to seize it ; and no man- 
at-arms, be he ever so well mounted, can overtake them, so light are 
they of foot. Sometimes they leap from the ground behind a horse- 
man, and embrace the rider (for they are very strong in their arms) 
so tightly, that he can no way get rid of them. The Irish have pointed 



* "Castide. 
him Cristelle. 



TliefllSS.Cristeed. Stowe. Henry Cristall. Sauvage afterwards caUfr 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



569 



knives, with broad blades, sharp on both sides like a dart-head, with 
■which they kill their enemies ; but they never consider them as dead 
until they have cut their throats like sheep, opened their bellies and 
taken out their hearts, which they carry ofl" with them, and some say, 
who are well acquainted with their manners, that they devour them as 
delicious morsels. They never accept of ransom for their prisoners; 
and when they find they have not the advantage in any skirmishes, 
they instantly separate, and hide themselves in hedges, bushes, or 
holes under the ground, so that they seem to disappear, no one knows 
whither. 




Irish CHiErTii»9 aunsa a Charoi. Metrical History, Harleian MSS 



" Sir William Windsor, who has longer made war in Ireland than 
any other English knight, has never been able during his residence 
among them, to leam correctly their manners, nor the condition of 
the Irish people. They are a very hardy race, of great subtlety, and 
of various tempers, paying no attention to cleanliness, nor to any 
gentleman, although their country is governed by kings, of whom 
there are several, but seem desirous to remain in the savage state 
they have been brought up in. True it is, that four of the most 
potent kings in Ireland have submitted to the king of England, but 
more through love and good-humor, than by battle or force. The 
earl of Ormond, whose lands join their kingdoms, took great pains 
to induce them to go to Dublin, where the king our lord resided, and 
to submit themselves to him and to the crown of England. This 
was considered by every one as a great acquisition, and the object 
of the armament accomplished : for, during the whole of king Ed- 
ward's reign of happy memory, he had never such success as king 
Richard. The honor is great, but the advantage is little, for with 
such savages nothing can be done. I will tell you an instance of 
their savageness, that it may serve as an example to other nations. 
You may depend on its trutli ; for I was an eye-witness of what I 
shall relate, as they were about a month under my care and govern- 
ance at Dublin, to teach the usages of England, by orders of the 
king and council, because I knew their language as well as I did 
French and English, for in my youth I was educated among them ; 
and earl Thomas, father of the present earl of Ormond, kept me with 
hini, out of afiection, for my good horsemanship. 

" It happened that the earl above mentioned was sent with three 
hundred lances and one thousand archers to make war on the Irish ; 
for the English had kept up a constant warfare against them in hopes 
of bringing them under their subjection. The earl of Ormond, whose 
lands bordered on his opponents, had that day mounted me on one 
of his best horses, and I rode by his side. The Irish having formed 
an ambuscade to surprise the English, advanced from it ; but were 
so sharply attacked by the archers, whose arrows they could not 
withstand, for they are not armed against them, that they soon re- 
treated. The earl pursued them, and I, who was well mounted, kept 
close by him : it chanced that in this pursuit my horse took fright, 
and ran away with me, in spite of all my efforts, into the midst of the 
enemy. My friends could never overtake me; and, in passing through 
the Irish, one of them, by a great feat of agility, leaped on the back 
of my horse, and held me tight, with both of his arms, but did me no 
harm wjth lance or knife. He pressed my horse forward for more 
than tw o hours, and conducted him to a large bush, in a very retired 
spot, where he found his companions who had run thither to escape 
the English. He seemd much rejoiced to have made me his prisoner, 
and carried me to his house, which was strong, and in a town sur- 



rounded with wood, palisades, and stagnant water : the name of this 
town was Herpelin.* The gentleman who had taken me was caJled 
Brin Costeret,t a very handsome man. I have frequently made in- 
quiries after him, and hear that he is still alive, but very old. This 
Bryan Costeret kept me with him seven years, and gave me his 
daughter in marriage, by whom I have two girls. I will tell you 
how I obtained my liberty. It happened in the seventh year of my 
captivity, that one of their kings, Arthur Macquemaire, king of Lein- 
ster, raised an army against Lionel duke of Clarence, son to king 
Edward of England, and both armies met very near the city of Lein- 
eter. In the battle that followed, many 
were slain and taken on both sides ; 
but, the English gaining the day, the 
Irish were forced to fly, and the king 
of Leinster escaped. The father of my 
wife was made prisoner, under the ban- 
ner of the duke of Clarence ; and as 
Bryan Costeret was mounted on my 
horse, which was remembered to have 
belonged to the earl of Ormond, it was 
then first known that I was alive, and 
that he had honorably entertained me 
at his house in Herpelin, and given me 
his daughter in marriage. The duke of 
Clarence, sir WilUam Windsor, and all 
our party, were well pleased to hear this 
news, and he was offered his liberty, on 
condition that he gave me mine, and 
sent me to the English army, with 
my wife and children. He at first re- 
fused these terms, from his love to me, 
his daughter, and our children ; but, 
when he found no other terms would 
be accepted, he agreed to them, pro. 
vided my eldestdaughter remained with 
him. I returned to England with my 
wife and youngest daughter, and fixed 
my residence at Bristol. My two chil. 
dren are married : the one established, 
in Ireland has three boys and two girls,, 
and her sister four sons and two daugh- 
ters. 

" Because the Irish language is as fa- 
mihar to me as English, for I Iiave always spoken it in my family, 
and introduce it among my grandchildren as much as I can, I have 
been chosen by our lord and king to teach and accustom the four Irish 
kings, who have sworn obedience forever to England, to the manners 
of the English. I must say, that these kings, who were under my 
management, were of coarse manners and understandings ; and, in 
spite of all that I could do to soften their language and nature, very 
little progress has been made, for they would frequently return to 
their former coarse behavior. 

" I will more particularly relate the charge that was given me over 
them, and how I managed it. The king of England intended these 
four kings should adopt the manners, appearance, and dress of the 
English, for he wanted to create them knights. He gave them first 
a very handsome house in the city of DubUn for themselves and at- 
tendants, where I was ordered to reside with them, and never to leave 
the house without an absolute necessity. I lived with them three or 
four days without any way interfering, that we might become accus- 
tomed to each other, and I allowed them to act just as they pleased. 
I observed, that as they sat at table, they made grimaces, that did not 
seem to me graceful nor becoming ; and I resolved in my mind to 
make them drop that custom. When these kings were seated at 
table, and the first dish was served, they would make their minstrels 
and principal servants sit beside them, and eat from their plates and 
drink from their cups. They told me, this was a praiseworthy cus 
torn of their country, where everything was in common but the bed. 
I permitted this to be done for three days; but on the fourth I ordered 
the tables to be laid out and covered properly, placing the tour kings 
at an upper table, the minstrels at another below, and the servants 
lower still. They looked at each other, and refused to eat, saying I 
had deprived them of their old custom in which they had been brought 
up. I replied with a smile, to appease them, that their custom was 
not decent nor suitable to their rank, nor would it be honorable for 
them to continue it ; for that now they should conform to the man- 
ners of the English ; and to instruct them in these particulars was 
the motive of my residence with them, having been so ordered by 
the king of England and his council. When they heard tliis, they 
made no further opposition to whatever I proposed, from having 
placed themselves under the obedience of England, and continued 
good-humoredly to persevere in it as long as I staid with them. 

" They had another custom I knew to be common in the country, 
which was the not wearing breeches. I had, in consequence, plenty 
of breeches made of linen and cloth, which I gave to the kings and 
their attendants, and accustomed them to wear them. I took away 
many rude articles, as well in their dress as other things, and had 

* " Herpelin." In MSS. Herpelepin. 
r " Brin Costeret." Q. Bryan Costeret. 



570 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLA^D, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



great difficulty, at the first, to induce them to wear robes of silken 
cloth, trimmed with squirrel-skin or minever, for the kings only 
wrapped themselves up in an Irish cloak. In riding, they neither 
used saddles nor stirrups, and I had some trouble to make them con- 
form in this respect to the English manners. 

" I once made inquiry concerning their faith ; but they seemed so 
much displeased, I was forced to silence : they said they believed in 
God and the Trinity, without any difference from our creed. I asked 
■which pope they were inclined to : they replied, without hesitation, 
' To that at Rome.' I inquired, if they would like to receive the 
order of knighthood ? for the king would willingly create them such, 
after the usual modes of France, England, and other countries. They 
said they were knights already, which ought to satisfy them. I asked 
when they were made ; they answered, at seven years old ; that in 
Ireland a king makes his son a knight, and should the child have 
lost his father, then the nearest relation ; and the young knight 
begins to learn to tilt with a light lance against a shield fi.\ed to a 
post in a field, and the more lances he breaks the more honor he ac- 
quires. ' By this method,' added they, ' are our young knights trained, 
more especially kings' sons.' Although I asked this, I was before 
■well acquainted with tlie manner of educating their children to arms. 
I made no further reply than by saying, this kind of childish knight, 
hood would not satisfy the king of England, and that he would create 
them in another mode. They asked, ' In what manner ?' ' In church, 
with most solemn ceremonies ;' and I believe they paid attention to 
what I said. 

"About two days after, the king was desirous to create these kings 
knights ; and the earl of Ormond, who understood and spoke Irish 
well, as his lands joined the territories of the kings, was sent to wait 
on them, that they might have more confidence in the message from 
the king and council. On his arrival, they showed him every res. 
pcct, which he returned, as he knew well how to do, and they seemed 
happy at his coming. He began a most friendly conversation with 
them, and inquired if they were satisfied with my conduct and be. 
havior. They replied, ' Perfectly well : he has prudently and wisely 
taught us the manners and usages of liis country, for which we 
ought to be obliged, and do thank him.' This answer was agreeable 
to the earl of Onnond, for it showed sense ; and then, by degrees, 
he began to talk of the order of knighthood they were to receive, 
explaining to them every article and ceremony of it, and how great 
a value should be set on it, and how those who were created knights 
behaved. The whole of the earl's conversation was very pleasing to 
the four kings, whom, however, as I have not named, I will now do: 
first, Aneel the great, king of Mecte j* secondly. Brand de Thomond, 
king .if Thomond and of Aire ;t the third, Arthur Macquemaire, king 
of Leinster ; and the fourth, Contruo, king of Ghenour and Erpe.t 
They were made knights by the hand of the king of England, on the 
feast of our Lady in March, which that year fell on a Thursday, in 
the cathedral of Dublin, that was founded by Saint John the Baptist. 
The four kings watched all the Wednesday.night in the cathedral ; 
and on the morrow, after mass, they were created knights, with much 
solemnity. There were knighted at the same time sir Thomas Or. 
phem,^ sir Joathas Pado, and his cousin sir John Pado. The four 
kings were very richly dressed, suitable to their rank, and that day 
dined at the table of king Richard, where they were much stared at 
by the lords and those present : not indeed without reason ; for they 
were strange figures, and difierent countenanced to the English or 
other nations. We are naturally inclined to gaze at anything strange, 
and it was certainly, sir John, at that 'time, a great novelty to see 
four Irish kings.'' 

" Sir Henry, I readily believe you, and would have given a good 
deal if I could have been there. Last year I had made arrangements 
for coming to England, and should have done so, had I not heard of 
the death of queen Anne, which made me postpone my journey. But 
I wish to ask you one thing, which has much surprised me: I should 
like to know how these four Irish kings have so readily submitted to 
king Richard, when his valiant grandfather, who was so much re- 
doubted everywhere, could never reduce them to obedience, and was 
always at war with them. You have said it was brought about by 
a treaty and the grace of God : the grace of God is good, and of in. 
finite value to those who can obtain it ; but we see few now.a.days 
augment their territories otherwise than by force. When I shall be 
returned to my native country of Hainault, and speak of these mat. 
ters, I shall be strictly examined concerning thenfi for our lord duke 
Albert of Bavaria, earl of Holland, Hainault, and Zealand, and his 
son William of Hainault, style themselves lords of Friesland, an ex. 
tensive country, over which they claim the government, as their pre- 
decessors have done before them ; but the Frieslanders refuse to 
acknowledge their right, and will not by any means submit them- 
selves to their obedience." 

To this Henry Castide answered : " In truth, sir John, I cannot 
■more fully explain how it was brought about ; but it is generally be. 
lieved by most of our party, that the Irish were exceedingly fright, 
cned at the great force the lung landed in Ireland, where it remained 
for nine months. Their coasts were so surrounded, that neither 



provision nor merchandise could be landed ; but the inland natives 
were indifferent to this, as they are unacquainted with commerce, 
nor do they wish to know anything of it, but simply to live like wild 
beasts. Those who reside on the coast opposite to England are bet. 
ter informed, and accustomed to traffic. King Edward, of happy 
memory, had in his reign so many wars to provide for, in France, 
Brittany, Gascony, and Scotland, that his forces were dispersed in 
difierent quarters, and he was unable to send any great armament to 
Ireland. When the Irish found so large a force was now come 
against them, they considered it most advisable to submit themselves 
to the king of England. Formerly, when Saint Edward, who had 
been canonized, and was worshipped with much solemnity by the 
English, was their king, he thrice defeated the Danes on sea and 
land. "This Saint Edward, king of England, lord of Ireland and of 
Aquitaine,* the Irish loved and feared more than any other king of 
England before or since. It was for this reason, that when our king 
went thither last year, he laid aside the leopards and flowers de luce, 
and bore the arms of Saint Edward emblazoned on all his banners : 
these were a cross patenc6 or, on a field gules, with four doves ai. 
gent on the shield or banner, as you please. This we heard was 
very pleasing to the Irish, and inclined them more to submission, for 
in truth the ancestors of these four kings had done homage and ser. 
vice to Saint Edward ; they also considered king Richard as a pru. 
dent and conscientious man, and have therefore paid their homage 
in the like manner as was done to Saint Edward. 

" Thus I have related to you how oHr king accomplished the object 
of his expedition to Ireland. Keep it in your memory, that when 
returned home you may insert it in your chronicle with other histories 
that are connected with it." " Henry," said I, " you have well 
spoken, and it shall be done." Upon this we separated ; and meet. 
ing soon after, the herald March, I said, " March, tell me what are 
the arms of Henry Castide ; for I have found him very agreeable, and 
he has kindly related to me the history of the king's expedition to 
Ireland, and of the four Irish kings, who, as he says, were under hia 
governance upward of fifteen days." March replied, " He bears for 
arms a chevron gules on a field argent, with three besants gules, two 
above the chevron and one below." 

All these things I retained in my memory, and put on paper, for 
I wished not to forget them. 



♦ "Aneel the groat, king of Mepte." d. O'Neale the great, king of Meath. 
t " Thomond and Aire." Q. Ulster. 

t " Contruo, king of Chenour and Erpe." Q. O'Connor, king of Conaaught. 
j " Sir Thomas Orphem." MSS. Ourghem and Gourghem. 



CHAPTER LXV. 

THE DUKE OF LANCASTER IS ORDERED BACK FROM AQUITAINE. KINO 
RICHARD RECEIVES A FRIENDLY ANSWER TO THE PROPOSALS HIS EMBAS. 
SADORS HAD MADE TO THE KING Of FRANCE FOR A MARRIAGE BETWEEN 
HIM AND THE LADY ISABELLA, PRINCESS OF FRANCE. 

I REMAINED in the household of the king of England as long as I 
pleased : but I was not always in the same place, for the king fre. 
quently changed his abode. He went to Eltham, Leeds-castle, Kings- 
ton, Shene, Chertsey, and Windsor ; none very far from London. I 
was told for truth, that the king and his council had written to the 
duke of Lancaster to return to England, for those from Aquitaine had 
boldly declared they would not submit to any other lord but the king 
of England. This had been determined on by so large a majority 
of the council, that the duke of Gloucester, anxious as he was to keep 
his brother out of England, could not prevail that the gift the king 
had made him should be persevered in. The whole council were 
fearful of the consequences : they were perfectly aware of what the 
deputies from Gascony had meant by their speeches ; for they de. 
clared, that should the duchy of Aquitaine be alienated from the 
crown of England, it would in times to come be very prejudicial to 
its interests. They were unwilling, therefore, to risk such a loss, as 
the towns of Bordeaux and Bayonne had always strongly supported 
the cause of England. This was not forgotten to be urged in the 
council during the absence of the duke of Gloucester ; but when he 
was present none dared to declare their real sentiments. The affair, 
therefore, was not further pressed. 

I will now say something of the earl of Rutland, the earl marshal, 
and the other English embassadors, that had been sent to France to 
treat of a marriage between king Richard and the young daughter 
of the king of France, who was not then more than eight years old, 
and tell how they prospered. These embassadors continued their 
journey from Calais, through Amiens, Clermont in Beauvoisis, to 
Paris: wherever they passed, they were most honorably received, ac- 
ording to orders that had been given by the king of France and his 
council. They were lodged at Paris near the Croix du Tiroir, and 
their attendants and horses, to the amount of five hundred, in the 
adjacent streets. The king of France resided at the Louvre, the 
queen and her children at the hotel de Saint Pol, the duke of Berry 
at the hotel de Nesle, the duke of Burgundy at the h6tel d'Artois : 
the duke of Bourbon, the duke of Orieans, the count de Saint Pol, and 
the lord de Coucy, were at their own hotels ; for the king had sum- 
moned the whole of his council, that he might be the better advised 
what answer to make to the English lords. He had ordered that two 
hundred crowns of France should be paid during their stay in Paris, 
for the expenses of them and their horses. 



* Tlus must be a mistake ; for Aquitaine was brought to the crou-n of England by 
the marriage of Eleanora, the divotood queen of Louis le Jeune, king of France, with 
Henry H. 



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571 



I 



Tho principal lords, such as the earl of" Rutland and the earl mar. 
ehal, were frequently with the king, and staid dinner : the king, his 
brother and uncles, showed them every attention, from respect to the 
king of England. The embassadors demanded an answer to their 
proposals, but were some time put off with excuses ; for it was mat- 
ter of great surprise to every one that the English should be so forward 
to offer such an alliance, after the bitter war that had been carried 
on between the two nations, for such a length of time. Some in the 
council said ; "How will it be possible for the king, our lord, to give 
his daughter in marriage to his adversary tiie king of England ? We 
think, that before such a measure can take place, there ought to be 
a solid peace established between France, England, and their allies." 
This and many other points were agitated in the privy council of 
France. 

There was at this period a very wise chancellor of France, called 
sir Amaud de Corbie : he saw far into events likely to happen, and 
knew well the different interests that swayed the kingdom. He said 
to the king and his uncles ; " My lords, we ought to go straight for- 
ward in this business ; for king Richard of England shows plainly 
that he wishes nothing but affection to France, since he is desirous 
to ally himself with us by marriage. We have had two conferences 
for peace at Amiens and at Leulinghen, but neither were brought to 
any better conclusion than a prolongation of the truce. We know 
for certain, that the duke of Gloucester is in opposition to the king 
of England and his two brothers of Lancaster and of York, in every- 
thing relative to a peace with France. Neither the king of England 
nor any others who wish for peace can make him change his senti- 
ments, but in the end he will not be able to withstand the king. Let 
us therefore make the most of this overture, and give the embassadors 
such an answer that they may return satisfied." The king of France 
and his uncles agreed with the chancellor, more especially the duke 
of Burgundy, who was so tired of war that he was anxious for peace 
on almost any terms. He was principally induced to this from his 
territories of Flanders, which he held in right of his duchess, being 
opposite to the shores of England ; and the hearts of the Flemings 
■were more inclined to the English than the French, from the com- 
merce that was carried on between the two countries. It was de- 
termined in the privy council, that the hearty welcome which had 
been made to the English should be continued: the king particularly 
willed it so : and it was advised (whether through dissimulation or 
not) that the embassadors from England should receive kind answers, 
and have hopes given them before their departure that the king of 
England's proposal would be complied with. 

The queen of France resided at the hotel of St. Pol, on the banks 
of the Seine ; and, the better to please the English lords, their request 
was granted, to visit the queen and children, and especiall;- the prin- 
cess whom they were soliciting for their queen, as they were impa- 
tient to see her. This had been at first refused, for the council 
excused themselves, by saying that she was but a child ; and that, at 
her age of eight years, nothing could be judged of what she might 
turn out. She had, however, been well educated, as she showed 
the English lords when they waited upon her; for, when the lord 
marshal had dropped on his knees, saying, " Madam, if it please 
God, you shall be our lady queen," she replied instantly, and with. 
out any one advising her, " Sir, if it please God, and my lord and 
father, that I be queen of England, I shall be well pleased thereat; for 
I have been told I shall then be a great lady." She made the earl 
marshal rise, and, taking him by the hand, led him to the queen, 
who was much pleased at her answer, as were all who heard it. The 
appearance and manners of this young princess were very agreeable 
to the English embassadors ; and they thought among themselves 
that she would be a lady of high honor and great worth. When they 
had staid at Paris more than twenty days, having all their expenses 
defrayed by the king o( France, they received favorable answers to 
their demands from the king and council, with great hopes that the 
object of their mission would be accomplished, but not immediately ; 
for the princess was very young, and had likewise been betrothed to 
the son of the duke of Brittany. This obstacle they were told must 
be first got over, before anything further could be done in the matter : 
it must therefore remain in this state the ensuing winter ; during 
Lent, the king of France would send information of what had been 
done to the king of England ; and, when the days should be length, 
ened, the weather fine, and the sea calm, they might return, or any 
others whom the king of England should prefer to send, and they 
would be well received by the king and council of France. 

This answer was satisfactory to the English embassadors. They 
took leave of the queen, her daughter the lady Isabella, the brother 
and uncles of the king, and of all whom it was necessary to take 
leave, and left Paris, following the same road they had come from 
Calais. The earl of Rutland and earl marshal, who were the princi. 
pals in this embassy, hastened, before any of the attendants, to carry 
the news of what they had done to the king of England. They 
landed at Sandwich, and in less than a day and a half arrived at 
Windsor, where the king then was. He was much rejoiced at their 
arrival, and with the answers they nad brought back. He did not 
neglect this business ; for his mind was so much occupied with it, 
that his whole thoughts were employed on the means of obtaining 
the daughter of France for hie queen. If the king of England was 
thus busily employed, the king and his council of France were not 



less so, in turning their thoughts how they could make the most of 
this marriage to the honor and advantage of their country. 

Many spoke of it, saying, " If our advice were asked on the mat- 
ter, and listened to, we would say, that the king of England should 
never have a princess of France until a firm peace were made between 
the two kingdoms and their allies. What good can be looked to 
from this connection to either country ? for the moment the truces ex- 
pire, and they have but three years to run, the war will recommence 
with as much inveteracy as before. These things ought to be well 
considered." The dukes of Berry and Orleans, with many of the 
great barons of France, were of this opinion, which was well known 
to the king, the duke of Burgundy, and to the chancellor, who were 
eager for any peace that should not be dishonorable to the crown of 
France. 

CHAPTER LXVI. 

A SQUIRE OF NORMANDY, CALLED ROBERT THE HERMIT, HAVINS DECLARED 
HE HAD SEEN A VISION, WHILE AT SEA, ORDERING HIM TO INTERFERE 
IN MAKING A PEACE BET\VEEN FRANCE AND ENGLAND, IS SENT TO KINS 
RICHARD AND HIS UNCLES TO THIS EFFECT. 

At this period a valiant and prudent squire returned home to 
P'rance : he had travelled much beyond sea, and his voyages and 
travels had gained him great renown, both at home and abroad, 
wherever they were known. This squire was from the country of 
Caux in Normandy, and his name was Robert Menuot,* but he was 
called Robert the Hsrmit. He was of a religious and holy life, of 
fair speech, and might be about fifty years old. He had attended the 
conferences at Leulinghen between the lords of France and England, 
where his discourses had been well listened to. When Robert left 
Syria to return home, he embarked at Baruth, but had when at sea a 
furious tempest, so that, for two days and a night, he and his com- 
panions were in such danger they thought they must be lost. Per- 
sons in such peril are generally very repentant and contrite, and have 
a greater fear of God. It happened, toward the end of the storm, 
when the weather and sea became somewhat calmer, that a figure as 
bright as crystal appeared to Robert, and said : " Robert, thou shall 
escape Irom this peril, as well as thy companions for thy sake, for 
God has favorably heard thy prayers. Ho orders thee by me, to re- 
turn to France as speedily as thou canst, and instantly on thy arrival 
to wait on the king, and relate what has befallen thee. Thou wilt 
tell him to listen to peace with his adversary the king of England, 
for their wars have lasted too long. Do thou interfere boldly, when 
conferences shall be holden to treat of peace between king Charles 
and king Richard, for thou shall be heard ; and all those who shall 
any way oppose or prevent peace from taking effect, shall dearly pay 
for their wickedness in their lifetime." Upon this, the voice ceased 
and the figure vanished, leaving Robert very pensive on what he had 
heard. He, however, believed that what he had seen came from 
Heaven : and from that moment they had wind and weather to their 
wishes, which brought them to Genoa. 

Robert, on landing, took leave of liis fellow.passengers, and made 
the best of his way to Avignon, where the first thing he did was to 
pay his devotions in the church of St. Peter. Finding there the 
grand penitentiary, he confessed himself duly and devoudy to him, 
relating the vision you have just read, and asked his advice how he 
should act on the occasion. The penitentiary strictly enjoined him, ' 
not to mention the vision to any one before he had told it to the king 
of France, according to the orders given him, and that whatever the 
king should command he must do. Robert followed this advice, and 
dressing himself in plain gray cloth, with very simple attendance, left 
Avignon, and continued his journey to Paris, where he heard tliat 
the king was at Abbeville, to be near the conference at Amiens be. 
tween the French and English. He immediately went to the abbey 
of St. Peter, where the king was lodged at Abbeville, and was intro- 
duced to the presence by a Norman knight, his nearest relation, called 
sir William Martel, who was of the king's chamber. Robert minutely 
related everj'thing that had happened to him, which the king listened 
to with great attention ; but as the duke of Burgundy and sir Arnaud 
de Corbie, chancellor of France, the two most active commissioners 
for France, were absent at the conference, he said to Robert; "Our 
council are at Leulinghen : you will remain until they shall return, 
when I will talk with my uncle of Burgundy and the chancellor, and 
act according as they shall best advise." " God assist them !" an. 
swered Robert. 

This same week, the commissioners returned to Abbeville from 
the conference, bringing with them a project for peace. The English 
had inserted articles of such importance as a preliminary, that they 
had refused to admit them without knowing first the king's will on 
the subject ; and on their arrival, they laid them before his majesty. 
The king took his uncle of Burgundy and the chancellor aside, to 
inform them of what Robert the hermit had told him, and to know 
if it ought to be believed and acted upon. They, having looked at 
each other some time in silence, said they would examine this Robert 
themselves, and then would give him their opinion. Robert was 
sent for, and being not far from where these secret councils were 
held, soon arrived. On his admission, he paid the king and the 
duke of Burgundy much respect; and the king said, "Repeat once 



* "MenuM." MS6. Mennot. 



572 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



more, very minutely, all that you told me." "Willingly, sire, "replied 
Robert. He then detailed all you have before heard of his adven- 
tures and vision, to which they attentively listened ; and, when he 
had done, they desired him to leave the chamber, these three only 
remaining together. The king asked the duke of Burgundy what 
he thought of it ; " My lord," said he, " the chancellor and myself 
will consider of it, and give you our answer to-morrow." "Very 
well," answered the king. 

The duke and the chancellor consulted a long time by themselves 
on this matter, and on their mode of acting ; for they saw the king 
believed the whole, and was desirous that Robert should be added 
to them as a commissioner ; for he was so eloquent he converted the 
hearts of all who heard him They at last resolved, that if Robert 
should publicly declare the orders he had received in his vision, it 
would be advisable for him to come to Leulinghen and explain it to 
the lords of England, and all who wished to hear it ; that it was law- 
ful so to act ; and this was the answer they made to the king on the 
ensuing day. When the duke of Burgundy and the chancellor re- 
turned to the conference, they carried Robert the hermit with them, 
■who was ready enough to speak what you have heard. On the lords 
of France and England being assembled, Robert came in the midst 
of them, and eloquently told the vision he had had at sea, and main, 
tained, by a long harangue, that wiiat it said was by divine inspira- 
tion, and that God had sent it to him, because he willed it should be 
80. Some of the English lords, such as the duke of Lancaster, the 
earl of Salisbury, sir Thomas Percy, sir William Clanvow, the bish- 
ops of Saint David's and London, were inclined to credit what Robert 
related ; but the duke of Gloucester and the earl of Arundel paid not 
any regard to it, and, when at their lodgings, in the absence of the 
French lords, said it was only a cheat, and a story made up to laugh 
at and deceive them. They unanimously resolved to write to king 
Richard every particular of what Robert the hermit had said and 
seen. This was done, and the letters given to a knight of the 
king's chamber, called sir Richard Credon, who found the king at a 
handsome place in Kent, called Leeds castle. He presented the 
king letters from his commissioners at Leulinghen, which gave him 
a full detail of everything relative to Robert the hermit. The king 
took much delight in perusing these letters at his leisure, and, when 
he came to the part that related to Robert the hermit, he said he 
should be glad to see and hear this Robert ; for he was inclined to 
believe that what he said had happened to him might be true. He 
wrote back to the duke of Lancaster and the earl of Salisbury, to 
press them to exert themselves, that a firm peace should be estab- 
lished between him, the king of France and his allies ; for as Robert 
the hermit had said, the wars had lasted too long, and it was full 
time to hit upon some means to procure peace. 

I have before related the whole of this matter : and that as noth- 
ing was concluded, in regard to a peace, a truce had been agreed on 
by the commissioners on each side, before they separated, between 
the two kingdoms and their alUes, to last for four years, while, in the 
mean time, they would study to promote a lasting peace. Such were 
the intentions of the English commissioners, with the exception of 
the duke of Gloucester; for he was resolved, on his return to England, 
to oppose any peace with France ; but he dissembled then his real 
sentiments, to please the king and his brother of Lancaster. Thus did 
I become acquainted with what passed relative to Robert the hermit. 

Shortly after the return of the earl of Rutland, the earl marshal, the 
archbishop of Dublin, sir Hugh Despencer, sir Lewis Clifford, and 
those who had been attached to the embassy to France bringing with 
them friendly answers relative to the marriage, the parliament as- 
sembled at Westminster. These parliaments lost usually four days, 
when all business relative to the country is settled. 

At the meeting of this parliament the duke of Lancaster returned 
from Bordeaux, whither he had been sent as duke of Aquitaine, for 
the inhabitants had refused to receive hkn in that quaUty. But I 
have mentioned these things before, and shall therefore say no more 
on the subject. The duke of Lancaster, on his return to England, 
was well received by the king and lords, as was right, and they dis- 
coursed on various business together. As soon as it was known in 
France that the duke of Lancaster was in England, the king and his 
council resolved to send thither Robert the hermit, with credential 
letters to the king of England, who was desirous of seeing him ; and 
that, when he should come back to France, the count de Saint Pol 
would go thither. Robert the hermit would be well received by the 
king and lords of England, who would cheerfully attend to all he 
should relate of the affairs of Syria, Tartary, of Bajazet and Turkey, 
where ho had resided a long time ; for of such matters the English 
lords are very curious. Robert was ordered to make his preparations 
for going to England, which much pleased him, saying he would wil- 
lingly go thither, as it was a country he had never seen. 

Credential letters were given him from the king of France to king 
Richard and to his uncles. Robert left Paris with his array of only 
seven horses, (but all his expenses, as was just, were to be paid by 
the king of France,) and travelled to Boulogne, where he embarked 
and crossed to Dover. He then went to Eltham, a palace of the 
king of England, seven miles from London, and met there the king, 
the duke of Lancaster, the earls of Salisbury and Huntingdon, and 
sir Thomas Percy, who showed him much attention, in honor to 
the king of France, as did their sovereign, from his desire to see him. 
He gave his letters to the king and the other lords, who perused them 



with pleasure ; but the duke of Gloucester was, I believe, at this 
lime, at a castle of his called Pleshy, in Essex. When Robert had 
remained at Eltham with the king and his court five days, he took 
his leave, and departed to visit the duke of Gloucester. With this 
intention he rode to London, and, on the next day, continued hia 
journey, and lay at a town, fifteen miles from London, called Bre. 
honde,* and on the morrow arrived at Pleshy, where he was hand- 
somely received by the duke and duchess and their children. Rob. 
ert delivered his letters from the king of France to the duke, who, 
on finding that they were credential letters, took Robert aside and 
demanded the cause of his coming. Robert replied, that he would 
tell him at his leisure, for that he was not come to make a short visit. 
"Well," said the duke, "you are very welcome." Robert the hermit 
was well acquainted with the double character of the duke, and that 
he was violent against a peace with France, and in strong opposition 
to the king and his brother of Lancaster, who were well inclined to 
put an end to the war. He knew not well how to begin on this bus. 
iness, nor what means to urge to make him change his opinion ; for 
he had witnessed his violence at Leulinghen, and knew that a war 
with France was uppermost in his thoughts. This, however, did not 
prevent Robert from talking to the duke of Gloucesirr, respecting a 
peace ; but he found the duke cold and reserved in his answers. He 
said, "that he had two elder brothers, of Lancaster and York, and 
that it was to them such affairs ought to be addressed in prefe. 
rence to him ; besides, supposing he was willing to agree to a peace, 
perhaps the rest of the nation would not consent." 

" My very dear lord," replied Robert, " for the love of our Lokd 
Jesus Christ do not oppose a peace ; you can do a great deal toward 
forming one ; and you know how much your king and nephew is 
inclined to it, who, besides, is anxious to strengthen the love between 
the two kingdoms, by a marriage with the daughter of the king of 
France." To this the duke answered : " Robert, although you are 
at this moment in high favor, and well listened to by the kings and 
lords of both countries, the matter of peace is of so much consider- 
ation, that persons of greater weight than you must interfere in it. I 
repeat to you, what I have frc-quently said at different places and times, 
that I shall never be against a peace that is honorable to my country. 
All that in a former peace was agreed upon with the king my father, 
and my brother the prince of Wales, and confirmed by the oath of 
king John, for himself and successors, under penalty of excommuni. 
cation by the pope, has not been kept, and their oaths are of no value. 
The French have fraudulently broken the articles of this peace, and 
have even taken possession, by treachery and force, of those lands, 
castles and towns, that were given up at the peace to our late king 
and father, and to his successors. Besides, of the three millions of 
francs, which wore to be paid as the ransom of king John, six hun. 
dred thousand are yet unpaid. These matters, Robert, being so fresh 
in our memory, trouble us greatly, and make us cautious ; and we 
wonder (I speak not only of myself, but of others who have a right 
to interfere in the government,) how our king should be so thought, 
less, that he does not compare past times with the present ; and how 
he can think of uniting himself with his enemies, and thereby disin. 
heriting the crown of England of all future advantage." 

" Dear lord," replied Robert, "our Lord Jesus Christ suffered on 
the cross for us sinners ; but he forgave, at his death, those who cru- 
cified him. It is necessary, therefore, that we in like manner forgive 
our enemies, if we expect to be admitted to the glories of paradise. 
All hatred, malice and ill will were put an end to, and mutually par. 
doned, the day the peace was signed by your ancestor at Calais. War 
was afterwards renewed with bitterness betwen the two countries, 
through faults and deceptions on each side ; for, when the prince of 
Wales returned from Castille to Aquitaine, a set of people called 
Companions, the greater part of whom were English, or Gascons 
dependent on the king of England or the prince, collected together 
and entered France, without the smallest title of reason, and carried 
thither a more disastrous war than the preceding one. They called 
the kingdom of France their manor, and were so determined on mia. 
chief there was no resisting them : for this reason, when the realm 
was so oppressed, and the evils daily multiplying, king Charles, son 
to king John, was advised by his vassals to provide a remedy, and 
oppose such conduct by open war or otherwise. Many great barons 
of Gascony at this time allied themselves with the king of France, 
whom the prince of Wales, who ought to have been their lord, wanted 
to oppress and bring more under his power, as they said and wanted 
to prove by various facts, but which they would not longer sufler. 
They made war on the prince, in conformity to their appeal to the 
king of France, who, by the advice of his council, joined them in 
order to rid himself of these free companies that ravaged France. 
Many lords, towns and castles turned to the king of France, from the 
oppressions they labored under from the prince or those employed by 
him. Thus was the war renewed with more inveteracy than before, 
to the destruction of the people and country, as well as of the weak, 
ening of the faith of God. This last is so sensibly felt in Christendom 
that the enemies of our faith, much emboldened, have already con- 
quered great part of Greece, and the empire of Constantinople, through 
fault of not resisting a Turk called Basant, surnamed Amorabaquin.t 

* "Brehonde.'* Q. Brentwood. Burntwood. 

t This Amorabaquin, so raucji disfigured, was the sultan Bajazet, who ascended the 
throue 1391. He was surnamed, like his fether, i'Amurath Bacquin, accoidiag to tho 
M;9aJ. m the Biilish Museum. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &,c, 



573 



He has conquered the whole kingdom of Armenia, with the excep- 
tion of the single town of Courch, situated on the sea-shore, like 
Southampton or Bristol in this country. The Genoese and Venetians 
hold this against the the Turks ; but they cannot long withstand the 
power of Bajazct, emperor of Constantinople, who is of your blood, 
for lie is the son of Hugh de Lusignan, by the lady Mary de Bourbon, 
cousin.german to the queen your mother. But should there be peace 
(as there will, if it please God,) between France and England, all 
knights and squires desirous of glory, and of e.valting their names, 
will ha.sten thither, and assist the king of Armenia to drive out the 
Turks from his kingdom. The war has continued too long between 
France and England, and all those who may any way oppose or de- 
lay the blessings of peace, will severely be pu::: '..■ .1 in this life for 
so doing." 

" How do you know that ?" said the duke of Gloucester. " Dear 
lord," answered Robert, " ail comes from divine inspiration, and was 
given to me in a vision, as I was returning by sea from Baruth in 
Syria toward the island of Rhodes." He then related fully all he had 
seen and heard in this vision, the more effectually to move the heart 
of the duke of Gloucester to listen to terms of peace. But the heart 
of the duke was hardened against peace, and he always returned to 
his former opinions, holding in contempt, by his words, the French 
in all things, notwithstanding what Robert had said to him : however, 
as he was a foreigner, and seemed eager to do good, and knowing 
besides that the king of England wanted to conclude a peace, he 
dissembled his real sentiments as much as he could, and turned the 
conversation to other subjects. 

Robert the hermit staid two days and as many nights at Fleshy, 
with the duke and duchess of Gloucester and their children, who, in 
outward appearance, made him very welcome. On the third day he 
took leave of them, and departed for London ; and went thence to 
Windsor, where the king then resided. He was handsomely enter- 
tained at Windsor, as well in honor of the king of France, who had 
sent him, as on account of his eloquence and good manners. Jt may 
be supposed, that the king of England inquired of him secretly how 
he had succeeded with his uncle of Gloucester, and Robert told him 
truly all that had passed. The king knew well that the duke of 
Gloucester would never willingly agree to a peace with France, from 
his preference to war : he therefore paid much greater court, and 
showed more affection to his other uncles of Lancaster and York, 
and to other prelates and barons of England, who he thought would 
serve him. 

Robert the hermit having been a month or more in England, began 
to make preparations for his departure. When he took leave of the 
king and lords, the king made him very rich presents, out of love to 
the king of France, as did the duke of Lancaster and York, the earls 
of Huntingdon and Salisbury, and sir Thomas Percy. The king had 
him escorted as far as Dover, where he embarked, and landed at 
Calai.i. He then journeyed on to Paris, where he found the king and 
queen of France, and his uncles, to whom he faithfully related the 
detail of his journey, and the good cheer the king of England had 
made him. Messengers were almost daily passing from one king to 
the other, with the most friendly letters from each. The king of 
England was very impatient to succeed in his marriage with the 
daughter of the king of France, who, on his side, had an affection for 
it, as he did not see how he could more nobly marry her. 



CHAPTER LXVII. 

THE LORD DE LA KIVIEKE ANT) 3IK JOHN LE MEBCIER ARE DELIVERED OUT 
OF PRISON. 

The lord de la Riviere and sir John le Mercier, after having been 
carried from prison to prison, and to different castles, were at last 
given up to the provost of the Chatelet, and in daily expectation of 
being put to death, through the hatred of the dukes of Berry and 
Burgundy and their advisers. They had been in this melancholy 
state for more than two years, without the king being able to assist 
them. He, however, would not consent to their execution; and the 
dukes of Berry and Burgundy perceived that the duke of Orleans 
strongly befriended them. The duchess of Berry was incessant in 
her entreaties with her lord in their favor, more particularly for the 
lord de la Riviere ; but they could not condemn one without the 
other, for they were both implicated in the same accusation. The 
solicitations of many worthy persons, added to the justice of thcii 
cause, were of much weight; and several of the great barons of 
France thought they had now sufficiently suffered, and should be set 
at liberty ; for that sir John le Mercier had wept so continually, 
when in prison, his sight was weakened so that he could scarcely 
see, and it was currently reported he was quite blind. 

At length there was an end put to their sufferings ; for the king, 
although he had consented to their imprisonment, for reasons which 
had been given him, granted them his pardon, deferring further in- 
quiry into what had been laid to their charge until a future opportu- 
nity, and when he should be more fully informed. All his lands and 
castles were restored to the lord de la Riviere, and in the first instance, 
the beautiful castle of Auneau, near Chartres, on the borders of 
Beauce ; but he was ordered thither, and never to recross the river 
Seine, unless recalled by the king's own mouth. Sir John le Mercier 



returned to his fine house of Noviant, of which he bore the title as 
lord, in the Laonnois ; and he had similar orders not to repass the 
rivers Seine, Marne and Oise, unless specially commanded by the 
king. They also bound themselves to go to whatever prison they 
might hereal'ter be ordered by the king or by his commissioners. The 
two lords thankfully accepted this grace, and were rejoiced to be de- 
livered from the Chatelet. On gaining their liberty, they thought 
they should be allowed to see the king, and thank him for his mercy, 
but it was not so : they were forced to quit Paris instantly, and set 
out for their different estates. They, however, obtained their liberty, 
to the great joy of all who were attached to them. 



CHAPTER LXVIII. 

THE DUKE OF BRITTANY AND SIR OLIVER DE CLISSON ARE KECONCILED. 
THE DOWAGER QUEEN OF SICILY INSTITUTES A LAW-SUIT IN THE COtJRTS 
OF PARIS AOAINST SIR PETER DE CRAON. 

You have often heard of the feuds between the duke of Brittany 
and sir Oliver de Clisson ; and that, whenever the two parties met, 
a deadly engagement ensued, without either side showing mercy. 
In this warfare, however, sir Oliver had the advantage, for two-thirds 
of the country were in his favor. The barons of Brittany dissembled 
between both ; and the citizens of the chief towns told the duke, that 
this war no way concerned them, and they would not interfere in it, 
for that commerce was more essential to them than a war with the 
lord de Clisson. Sir Oliver held them excused in regard to him, as 
they would be mediators in a peace, which the viscount de Rohan, 
the lord de L^on, and the lord de Dignan, were pressing on the duke 
of Brittany, who had declared to these three lords, that if he could 
obtain a meeting with the lord de Clisson, he would comply with such 
terms as they should think honorable to propose. 

These barons went to the castle where sir Oliver resided, and told 
him how far they had succeeded with the duke, who would at any 
time grant him and his company passports for coming and going ; 
and that they imagined, if once they cojld meet, all their quarrels 
would be put an end to. The lord de Clisson replied : " You are all 
my friends and relations, and I put my whole confidence in you; I 
verily believe what you say from the duke, that he would willingly 
have me in his presence ; but, as God and my lord St. Yves may 
help me, I will never on such words or promise quit my castle. Tell 
him, since he has deputed you here, to send me his eldest son, who 
shall remain as my pledge ; and, when he shall be arrived, I will wait 
on him when and where he pleases. As my end shall be, so will be 
that of his son ; if I return, he shall return ; but, if I be detained, so 
shall he. Such are my conditions." The three barons, seeing they 
could obtain no other answer, were satisfied with it, and, taking their 
leave in a friendly manner, departed for Vannes, where the duke was 
waiting for them, and related to him the proposal from sir Oliver de 
Clisson. The duke could not obtain other terms ; and the lord de 
Clisson had greatly the advantage in this war: the duke conquered 
nothing from him, while sir Oliver won several places from the duke, 
besides having twice captured all his gold and silver plate, with many 
precious jewels, all of which he turned to his own profit. 

The end, however, of this quarrel was as follows : the duke of 
Brittany, as great a prince as he was, saw plainly he could no way 
bend the lord de Clisson to his will, for he had too many friends in 
Brittany. With the exception of the great barons in the duchy, all 
the knights, squires, and inhabitants of the principal towns, inclined 
to the lord de Clisson. The barons dissembled their sentiments, and 
told the duke they would not interfere in the matter unless it should 
be to mediate a peace, if any means could be found out for so doing. 
The duke of Orleans, in particular, supported sir Oliver underhanded 
in various ways, and he was well pleased whenever he received news 
of the good success of his enterprises. The duke of Brittany, who was 
of a subtle imagination, and had labored hard with many difficulties 
in his time, weighed all these circumstances ; and also, that he was 
not beloved by his subjects, who would show it if they dared, with- 
out infringing their homage, as well as the children of sir Charles de 
Blois slain at the battle of Auray ; namely, John of Brittany, count 
de Penthievre and Limoges, married to the daughter of the lord de 
Clisson ; sir Henry of Brittany* his brother, and their sister the queen 
of Naples and Jerusalem. He felt, likewise, that he was growing 
old, that his children were young, and except the duke and dnchesa 
of Burgundy, he had not a friend in France who would take care of 
them, in case of his decease ; for, by the mother's side, they came 
from the branch of Navarre, which was not a family well beloved in 
France, from the remembrance of the many wicked acts, in former 
times, of king Charles of Navarre, the duchess of Brittany's father. 
He was therefore afraid, should he die during the subsisting hatred 
of sir Oliver de Clisson and the count de Penthievre, his children 
would have too many eneiinies. He perceived also that the English, 
who had certainly raised him to the honors he now possessed, were 



* Denrs Suvage says in a mnrginat note, that he never heard of this personage before, 
and supposes that at that period the count de Penthievre had not any brother. 

In Anderson's Royal Genealogies, the lord Charles de Blois had issue Guido count de 
Penthievre. died S. P.— John, married to Margaret de Clisson— N. N. married to Charles 
of Spain, constable of France, murdered by the king of Navarre— Mary, vik of Louis 
I duke of Anjou, son of John king of France. 



1 



574 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



becoming indifferent to his welfare, and wsuld probably increase in 
coolness, if the information he had received of the approaching con- 
nection between the kings of France and England were true. He 
had learnt that the treaty of marriage was far advanced between the 
king of England and the daughter of the king of France, who had 
been promised to his eldest son. 

All these things alarmed the duke, but especially what had been 
last mentioned troubled him more than all the rest. Having fully 
considered them, he resolved to throw aside all dissembling, and 
openly and honestly make peace with sir Oliver de Clisson and John 
of Brittany ; leaving them to say what amends, if any, he should 
make for the damages done them during the war, and for what had 
happened in former times, reserving to himself the duchy of Brittany, 
which was to descend after him to his children, according to the 
treaty that had been signed, with the approbation of all parties, 
by the children of sir Charles de Blois. This treaty he was not de. 
sirous to have broken : on the contrary, he would that every article 
should be observed, and that it should again be swora to and loyally 
maintained in its whole extent. Should John of Blois, count de Pen- 
thievre, not be satisfied with his inheritance in Brittany, he would 
fairly leave it to the viscount de Rohan, the lords de Dignan, de Laval, 
de Leon, de Beaumont, and sir John de Harpedane, to settle the mat- 
ter between them. The duke of Brittany, having maturely arranged 
this in his own mind, without asking advice from any one of his 
council, called a secretary, to whom, on entering his chamber, he gave 
a large sheet of paper, and said, "Write down as I shall dictate." 
The secretary being ready, the duke repeated to him every word he 
was to write. The letter was indited in the most friendly terms to 
sir Oliver de Clisson, desiring him to devise some means for them to 
have an interview, when everything should be settled in the most 
agreeable manner. 

When the letter was folded up, in the presence only of the duke 
and his secretary, he sealed it with his signet, and, calling his most 
trusty varlet into the chamber, said : " Hasten to castle Josselin, and 
say boldly that I have sent thee to speak with my cousin sir Oliver 
de Clisson. Thou wilt be introduced to him : salute him from me : 
if he return the salute, give hint this letter, and bring me back his 
answer ; but on thy life tell no man, woman, or child whither thou 
art going, nor who has sent thee." The varlet, having promised 
obedience, set out, and on his arrival at Chatcau.Josselin, the guard 
was greatly surprised when they heard that the duke of Brittany had 
sent him to speak with their lord. Neverthehss, they informed sir 
Oliver of his coming, who ordered him into his presence : on his en. 
trance, he delivered his message and the letter. The lord de Clisson 
examined the private signet of the duke, which he knew well, opened 
the letter, and read it two or three times over, and was much aston. 
ished, during the perusal, at the affectionate and friendly terms it was 
written in. After musing some time, he told the varlet he would con. 
sider his answer, and ordered him to be conducted to an apartment by 
himself. 

The attendants of the lord de Clisson were confounded at what 
they saw and heard ; for never before had any one come from the 
duke of Brittany who had not been instantly put to death, or confined 
in the deepest dungeon. When sir Oliver had retired to his chamber, 
his thoughts were occupied with the contents of the letter, and his 
hatred to the duke was extinguished, from the submissive and affec. 
tionate manner in which he had written to him : he said to himself, 
that he would prove him, and see if he were really in earnest ; for 
he could not venture to go to him merely on the faith of his letter, 
and, if any accident happened to him he would be pitied by none. 
He determined, therefore, tliLt if the duke would send his son as an 
hostage, he would come to him when and where he pleased, but not 
otherwise. He wrote a very friendly answer, and the conclusion 
was, that if he wished to see him, he must send his son as his pledge, 
who would be taken the greatest care of until his return. This letter 
was sealed and given to the varlet, who hastened back to the duke 
at Vanncs, where he was impatiently expecting him. On receiving 
the letter from sir Oliver, he instantly read it ; having paused a 
moment, he said, " I will do it ; for, since I mean to treat amicably 
with him, every cause of distrust must be removed." He wrote to 
the viscount de Rohan, who resided at his castle of Caire, in the 
neighborhood of Vannes, to come to him. The viscount, on the 
receipt of the duke's letter, waited on him, and he then explained 
his intentions, by saying, "Viscount, you and the lord de Monboucher 
shall carry my son to Chftteau.Josselin, and bring back with you the 
lord de Clisson, for I am determined to make up our quarrel.'' The 
viscount replied, that with joy he would obey him. 

It was not many days after, that the viscount de Rohan, the lord 
de Monboucher, and sir Yves de Tegrc, carried the boy, who might 
be about seven years old, to Chateau-Josselin, where they were hand, 
somely and honorably received by sir Oliver de Clisson. When he 
saw the boy, and this proof of confidence from the duke, he was 
much affected. The three knights also said, "You see, sir, how well 
inclined the duke is to you : he now bears you nothing but the sin- 
cerest affection." " I am at present convinced of it," replied sir Oli- 
ver; "and, smce he makes such advances, I will not be behindhand, 
but put myself under his obedience. I know not if to you, who are 
90 nearly related to him, and in whom he has such trust as to confide 
iiis son and heir, to bring and leave here as an hostage until my return. 



he has told the contents of the letter he sent me under his private sig. 
net." " Sir," answered the knights, "he has assured us of the ear- 
nest and sincere desire he has to make peace with you ; and you 
may believe us, for we are your relations." " I firmly do telicve 
you," said sir Oliver, as he went out to fetch the duke's letter. Hav. 
ing read it to them, they replied, "He certainly has spoken to us in 
the very same terms in which he has written to you, and in conse. 
quence has sent us hither." "So much the better," answered sir 
Oliver. 

It was not long after the arrival of the three knights, with the heir 
of Brittany, before the lord de Clisson had made his preparations. 
They all set out together from Chateau-Josselin, carrying the boy 
with them ; for sir Oliver said he would give him back to his father, 
as henceforward he should never distrust the duke, after the trial he 
had made of him. Such generosity was shown on both sides, that 
it was no wonder a firm peace was the consequence. 

They continued their journey to Vannes, where, according to the 
duke's orders, sir Oliver dismounted at a convent of the Dominicans, 
which is situated without the town, where the duke had fixed the 
meeting to take place. When he heard that the lord de Clisson had 
brought back his son, he was highly delighted with his generosity 
and courtesy. The duke set out from his castle of la Motte, for the 
convent, where he and sir Oliver shut themselves up in a chamber : 
having conversed some time, they went privately into the garden, 
and thence to the banks of the river, and entered a small boat that 
conveyed them to a large vessel that lay at anchor at the mouth of 
the river, which they boarded, and, when at a distance from thpir 
people, continued for a long time in conference. I cannot pretend 
to say what passed between them. But I will relate the conse. 
quences. Their friends thought they were all the time in the con. 
vent, when they were on ship.board, arranging all things on the foot- 
ing they wished them to remain. They were upward of two hours 
together, if not longer, according to what I heard, and made a firm 
peace, which they mutually swore to observe most religiously. 
When they were about to return, they called their boatman, wh» 
rowed them back to the place he had brought them from, and they 
entered the church by a private door, through the garden and clois- 
ters of the convent, whence they soon departed for the castle of la 
Motte, the duke holding sir Oliver by the hand. All who thus saw 
them were pleased : indeed, the whole of Brittany was very happy 
when the news of tliis reconciliation was made public ; but greatly 
were they surprised on hearing how it had been brought about. 

John of Blois, count de Penthievre, was no loser by this peace : 
on the contrary, his revenue was augmented twenty thousand golden 
crowns of France, well and legally assigned to him and his heirs. 
To confirm and strengthen this peace, a marriage was concluded 
between the son of John of Blois, and a daughter of the duke of Brit- 
tany ; so that those who looked for a oontinuancc of w ar were dis- 
appointed. When intelligence of these transactions reached France 
and England, it caused very great surprise.'* 

Yon have before had it related how sir Peter de Craon incurred 
the indignation of the king of France and the duke of Touraine, for 
his attempt to murder the constable of France, sir Oliver de Clisson, 
as he was returning to his h6tel in the night time from the king's 
palace ; and that, from the duke of Brittany having supported and 
given him an asylum, the king of France had declared war against 
him, which he would have carried into effect had he not been sud- 
denly taken ill between Mans and .\ngers, when on his march to 
Brittany : but this melancholy event caused the expedition to be put 
an end to, the amiy disbanded, and every man to return to his own 
home. You have also heard how the dukes of Berry and Burgundy 
took up this business, and showed great hatred to those who had 
advised the king to this expedition against Brittany, such as the lord 
de Clisson, the lord de la Riviere, sir John le Mercier, Montagu, 
and others, whom they made suffer severely for it ; for these two 
dukes had the sovereign government of the kingdom during the ill- 
ness of the king. You have likewise heard of the inveterate wtir 
that was carried on between the duke of Brittany and sir Oliver de 
Clisson, and of their reconciliation ; as well as of the deliverance of 
the lord de la Riviere, sir John le Mercier, and Montagu, from their 
confinentents. Montagu had not so many diftieulties to encounter 
as the other two ; for, the instant the king recovered his health, he 
would have Montagu near his person, and assisted to make his 
excuses for several charges that had been laid against him. You 
must know, however, that this disorder of the king, and many of the 
like kind that followed, (for he had several relaps es, to the great sor- 

* VVlien the duke of Brittany and the lord de Clisson were reconciled, they named 
commissioners to put their agreement into a legal form ; and, accordins to the historian 
of Brittany oiten quoted, these lawyers met at Aucfer, near Redon, Ihe 19th October, 
1395. The principal articles of the treaty were, that the duke should as.ign over to the 
count de Penthievre the lordships of Chateauneuf du Fose, Vhelgouet. Gourien. Duault, 
Chateaulin in Cornuaille, Lannion and Chateauliii sur Trieuc, for the yearly payment 
of eigiit thousand livres; that Uie duke might take back these lands when lie pleased, 
on giving others of like value in Brittany or France ; that tlie count should pay obe- 
dience to the duke, notwithstanding tiie demolition of tlie castle of Tonguedoc, Ul« 
restoration of which he could never insist on ; Uiat the lord de Clisson would acknow- 
ledge the duke for his lord, but to have liberty, during four years, to appear personally 
or by pro.\y ; that alt lands Uiat had been seized by each side during the war should be 
restored to their respective ownem. This treaty was sealed and sworn to by tlie lord do 
Clisson, atRieux, tlie 20th October. The count de Pentliievre swore to it live days after 
at Guingamp, in the presence of the viscount de Fou and Henri de Juck, chambetiaiuf 
to theduke. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, <fec. 



575 



*ow and alarm of France,) greatly weakened his power ; and his wi 
was 80 little attended to, that the three above-named persons, or two 
of them at least, very narrowly escaped death. 

Sir Peter de Craon, hearing of the miserable state of the king and 
kingdom of France, far from being sorry, was much rejoiced, and 
made the strongest entreaties that he might be restored to t^e king's 
faver, and allowed to return to the court of France. His negotiators 
were the duke of Burgundy and sir Guy de la Tr^mouille, vi'ho would 
too easily have succeeded had not the duke of Orleans strenuously 
opposed it. He prevented any treaty being made in favor of sir Peter 
de Craon, as long as the war continued between the duke of Brittany 
and the lord de Clisson ; but, when they were reconciled, his hatred 
against sir Peter was much softened. At this period, the queen of 
Naples and Jerusalem, widow of the late duke of Anjou, was prose, 
outing sir Peter de Craon, in the courts of justice at Paris, for the 
restitution of one hundred thousand francs, a sum she claimed as 
due to her late lord ; and lor that reason, and to attend the more to 
lier aflfairs, she resided privately in Paris. Sir Peter found himself 
ver)- disagreeably situated : he was fearful of the decision of the par- 
liament, for the lady was of great personal weight, and had proved 
from whom, during the life of the duke of Anjou, lie had received 
tJiis sum, and for which as she maintained, he had never accounted. 
He was ill at ease oh this account, and besides knew he had incurred 
the disgrace of the king and the duke of Orleans. The duke and 
duchess of Burgundy comforted him as well as they could ; and he 
was allowed to come to Paris privately, where he remained, during 
the greater part of his residence, at the hdtel d'Artois, under the pro- 
tection of the duchess of Burgundy. 



I 



CHAPTER LXIX. 

THE KING OF HUXGARY WRITES TO THE KING OF FRANCE HIS SITUATION 
IK RESPECT TO THE SULTAN BAJAZET. JOHN OF BUHGCVDY, ELDEST SON 
TO THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY, MARCHES, AS CO.IIMANDER-IK-CHIEF, AN 
ARMY TO THE SUCCOR OF THE HUNGARIANS. 

About this time, Sigismond king of Hungary wrote very afTection. 
ate letters to the king of France, which he sent by a bishop and two 
of his knights. The contents of these letters related to the threats of 
Bajazet, and his boastings to the king of Hungary, of carrying the war 
into the midst of his realm, and thence to Rome, where his horse 
should eat his oats on the altar of Saint Peter. He said he would 
establish that place for the seat of his imperial government, and be 
attended by the emperor of Constantinople and all the principal 
barons of Greece : each of whom should follow their own laws, for 
that he would only reserve to himself his authority as their lord para- 
mount. The king of Hungary entreated the king of France to listen 
to his distress ; and make it public throughout France and other 
countries, that all knights and squires might be moved to provide 
themselves with every necessary for a journey to Hungary, to oppose 
the sultan Bajazet, and prevent holy Christendom from being oppressed 
•or violated by him, and that his vain boastings might be annihilated. 
JVIany afl'ectionate expressions were contained in these letters, such 
as kings and cousins are accustomed to write to each other in cases 
of necessity. Those who brought them were men of rank and under- 
standing, and acquitted themselves so well, that king Charles was 
much inclined to their request; and the propositions from king Rich- 
ard for the marriage of his daughter prospered the more, and were 
sooner agreed to, than if this intelligence from Hungary had not ar- 
rived in France ; for, as king of France and eldest son of the church, 
lie was very desirous of providing a remedy for the evils that threat- 
ened it. The subject of these letters was soon made public, both at 
liome and abroad, to move the hearts of gentlemen, knights, and 
squires, who were desirous (o travel in search of glory. 

At the time this news came to Paris, there were with the king the 
duke and duchess of Burgundy, their eldest son, John of Burgundy 
count de Nevers, who was not then a knight, sir Guy, and sir Wil- 
liam de la Tr^mouille, sir John de Vienne, admiral of France, with 
other great barons. It was proposed, therefore, at the hdtel of the 
duke of Burgundy, who was eager to send assistance to Hungary, 
that his son, the count de Nevers, should undertake an expedition 
thither, as commander-in-chief of the French and other chivalry. John 
of Burgundy was a courteous and amiable youth of twenty-two years 
old, greatly beloved by the knights and squires of Burgundy, and in- 
deed by all who were acquainted with him. He had married a pru- 
dent lady, the daughter of duke Albert of Bavaria, count of Hainault, 
Holland and Zealand, who had brought him two children, whom, in 
due season, he looked to ally nobly. It was hinted to him, to know 
what he would say, that perhaps the king of France might select him, 
to lead a body of men-at-arms to the assistance of the king of Hun- 
gary. He replied, " that if it were agreeable to his lord the king, 
and his lord and father, he would cheerfully accept of this command, 
which came very opportunely, as he had a great desire to gain re. 
nown." " Sir," answered those to whom he had addressed himself, 
" speak first to your father, and learn whether he be willing that you 
go, and if he will talk to the lung on the subject ; for without their 
consent nothing could be done." 

It was not long after this, that John of Burgundy spoke to the duke 
his father, requesting humbly his consent to go on the e.tpedition to 



Hungary, as he had a strong wish for it. When he made this re- 
quest, there were with the duke sir Guy and sir William de la Tr6- 
mouille, sir James de Vergy, and other knights, who, taking part in 
the conversation, said ; " My lord, what John of Burgundy asks is 
very reasonable, for it is time he should receive the order of knight- 
hood ; and he cannot more honorably receive it, than when march. 
ing against the enemies of God and our faith. In case the king intend 
to send assistance to Hungary, whom can he so properly appoint as 
a leader, as his cousin.german, your son ? and you w ill see that 
many knights will join his company to advance their name." The 
duke replied ; " You speak to the purpose, and we have no incUna. 
fion to check the ardor of our son ; but we must first talk to the king, 
and hear what he shall say." The subject then dropped ; but it was 
not long before the duke mentioned it to the king, who instantly 
complied, saying, he would do well to go thither ; and, if he was in 
earnest, he not only gave his consent, but woidd appoint him com- 
mander-in-chief of the expedition. -, 

It was published in Paris and elsewhere, that John of Burgundy 
was to lead a large body of men-at-arms into Hungary, to oppose the 
force of Bajazet ;* that, when this was done, he was to advance to 
Constantinople, cross the Hellespont, enter Syria, gain the Holy Land, 
and deliver Jerusalem and the holy sepulchre from the hands of the 
infidels, and the bondage of the sultan. Knights and squires began 
now to collect together, with other gentlemen who were desirous of 
renown. The duke of Burgundy, on the appointment of his son to 
the chief command, paid greater attention than before to the Hun- 
garian embassadors, who, perceiving the good-will of the king of 
France and the nation, were well pleased, and took leave of the king, 
the dukes of Orleans, Berry, Burgundy, the lord Philip d'Artois, count 
d'Eu, and constable of France, the count de la Marche, and the other 
barons, on their departure for their own country, where the king of 
Hungary was greatly delighted with the news they brought. In 
consequence of this, he gave orders for large stores of provision to be 
provided against the arrival of th» French : aiid sent messengers to 
his brother, the king of Germany, and his cousin, the duke of Austiia, 
for all the passes in their territories to be thrown open, as it would 
be necessary for them to march that way : he likewise ordered plenty 
of provision to be ready prepared, on the road they were to come. 
He sent also information of the e.xpected assistance from France to 
the grand-master of the Teutonic order, and to the knights of Rhodes, 
that they might be ready to meet John of Burgundy, who, in the 
course of this suiraiier, would lead a thousand knights and squires, 
all men of valor, into Hungary, on their way to Turkey, to oppose the 
menaces of the sultan Bajazet. 

While the news of this expedition was the matter of conversation 
everywhere, the lord de Coucy returned from the frontiers of Genoa, 
where he had been upward of a year negotiating with the Genoese. 
Some of the leading men in that city had informed the duke of Or- 
leans, that persons composing the government of Genoa were desi. 
rous of having for their duke one of the blood-royal of France, and, 
as he had married the daughter of the duke of Milan, it would be 
very suitable for him. In consequence of this, the lord de Coucy had 
passed through Savoy and Piedmont, with the consent of the count 
de Savoye and the Savoyards, accompanied by three hundred lances 
and five hundred cross-bows. Having obtained leave from the duke 
of Milan, he continued his journey from Asti in Piedmont to a town 
called Alexandria, and thence to the frontiers of Genoa, to enter into 
negotiations with the Genoese, and learn more plainly their intentions. 
By force he could do nothing, unless he were very superior to the 
Genoese, which was not the case. When the lord de Coucy had 
entered the territories of Genoa, which are not easy to conquer, if 
the inhabitants have any disposition to defend them ; some of those 
lords who had sent the information to the duke of Orleans, and had 
been the cause of his coming, waited on him, and with many friendly 
expressions welcomed him to their country, and offered him their 
castles. But the lord de Coucy was as prudent as valiant, and being 
well acquainted with the character of the Lombards and Genoese, 
was unwilling to trust too rnach to their offers and promises. How. 
ever, he received them kindly, and treated them fairly by words ; for 
although there were many conferences between them, they were held 
in the open fields, and not in any house or castle ; but the more he 
negotiated the less he gained. The Genoese showed him every to- 
ken of affection, and invited him repeatedly to come to Genoa, or to 
Porto Vencre, but the lord de Coucy would never put himself in their 
power. The issue of his negotiation was unsuccessful ; and when it 
was found he could not do anything, having regularly written to the 
duke of Orleans respecting the state of affairs, he was remanded to 
Paris, at the time when the expedition to Hungary was in agitation. 

The duke and duchess of Burgundy were happy at his return, and, 
sending for him to the h6tel d'Artois, addressed him in the most 
amiable manner as follows ; " Lord de Coucy, we have the highest 
opinion of your understanding, valor, and prudence ; and as we have 
made John our son and heir undertake the command of an expedi. 
tion, which we hope will turn out to the honor of God and Christen, 
dom ; knowing that you, of all the knights of France, are the best 
informed of warUke affairs, we beg and entreat most earnestly that 
you would be the counsellor and companion of our son in this expedi . 
tion ; for which we shall be so greatly obliged, that we will return it 

* The Ttir^ were already in possesion of some parts of Greece. 



576 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



by serving you or yours to the utmost of our power." The lord de 
Coucy replied : " My lord, and you madam, what you request is to 
me an order. I will surely be of this expedition, if it please God, for 
two reasons : first from devotion, and to defend the faith of Jesus 
Christ ; secondly, from the honor you do me, by giving me the 
charge of advising my lord John your son. I shall therefore obey, 
and "acquit myself in all respects to the best of my abilities. But, 
jny dear lord, and you my very dear lady, you may readily excuse 
jne from this weight, and lay it on tlie lord Philip d'Artois, constable 
of France, and on the count de la Marche ; for they arc nearly re- 
lated to him, and intend to form a part of the expedition." The duke 
answered, " Lord de Coucy, you have seen much more than either 
of them, and know more of war than our cousins of Eu and de la 
Marche ; and we entreat you to comply with our request." " My 
]ord," said the lord de Coucy, " your words are commands ; and I 
■will do as you require, since it is your pleasure, with the aid of sir 
Guy de la Tremouille, his brother sir William, and sir John de Vienne 
admiral of France." The duke and duchess were well pleased with 
this answer. 

The lords of France made vast preparations for their expedition to 
Hungary, and solicited the company and service of different barons, 
knights, and squires. Such as were not asked, and had a wish to go 
thither, made application to the count d'Eu, constable of France, the 
count de la Marche or the lord de Coucy, that they would take them 
in their company. Some were accepted : but those who were not, 
considering the great distance Hungary and Turkey were from 
France, greatly cooled in their ardor ; for, as they were not retained, 
they were not sufficiently wealthy to perform the journey with credit 
to themselves. Nothing was spared in the preparations for the young 
John of Burgundy, with regard to horses, armor, emblazonments, 
dresses, silver and gold plate, and the duke's officers were fully em- 
ployed in the business. Large sums of florins were given to the ser- 
vants of John of Burgundy, who paid them to the different workmen 
as they finished and brought home their works. The barons, knights, 
and squires, to do him honor, exerted themselves to make their equip- 
ments as handsome as possible. 

The lord Philip d'Artois, count d'Eu, made magnificent prepara. 
tions ; for he was determined to march thither as constable of France ; 
and the king, who much loved him, assisted him with money, and 
he acted in the same manner with respect to the lord Boucicaut, mar- 
shal of France. The duke of Burgundy, considering that this expedi- 
tion would cost him very large sums, and that the state of his wii'e, 
himself, and his son Anthony, ought not to be any way diminished, 
bethought himself of a tax he had in reserve, in order to find a supply 
of money for these expenses. He had received from cities and towns 
in Burgundy, as the usual tax on his eldest son receiving the order 
of knighthood, six score thousand golden crowns : but his additional 
lax was laid on all knights who held fiefs from him, to attend his son 
into Hungary, or compound in money. Some were taxed at one 
thousand livres, others at two thousand ; some at five hundred ; each 
according to liis wealth, or the value of the lands. Ladies and an- 
cient knights, who were unfit or disabled to undertake such an ex- 
pedition, paid compositions at the duke's pleasure. The young 
knights and squires were exempted paying, for they were told, " My 
lord does not want your money : you must accompany the lord John 
at your own cost and charges." Of this last tax, the duke of Bur- 
gundy received from the gentlemen of his duchy sixty thousand 
crowns, for none were exempted. 



CHAPTER LXX. 

THE COTJNT D'OSTREVANT, BROTHER-IN-LAW TO JOHN OF BURGUNDY, BE- 
INO DESIROUS TO MARCH TO HUNGARY, IS ADVISED BY HIS FATHER TO 
ATTEMPT, IN PREFERENCE, THE RE-CONQUEST OF FRIESLAND, WHICH 
BELONGED TO THEM. 

News of this expedition to Hungary -.vas spread far and near. On 
its being announced in Hainault, knights and squires, eager for re- 
nown, assembled together, and said ; " It would not be amiss if our 
lord of Hainault, who is young and promising, were to accompany 
his brother-in-law, the count de Nevers, in this expedition ; and, 
should it take place, we must not fail to attend him." The count 
d'Ostrevant resided in Quesnoy at the time such conversations were 
held, and was informed what his knights and squires said. This 
made him the more willing to accompany his brother-in-law, having 
before had such intentions. Whenever the subject was mentioned 
in his presence, he dissembled his real thoughts, by saying little about 
it, meaning to consult his lord and father, duke Albert of Bavaria, 
count of Hainault, how he would advise him to act. 

It was not many days before he set out to visit the duke and 
duchess of Bavaria at the Hague, where they lived. He addressed 
his father : " My lord, it is currently reported that my brother-in.law 
of Nevers has undertaken an expedition to Hungary, and thence to 
Turkey, against the sultan Bajazet. There must be grand deeds of 
arms performed ; and at this moment I am perfectly idle, knowing 
not whither to bear arms : I wish to learn your intentions, if it would 
be agreeable to you that I should accompany my brother-in-law on 
this honorable expedition, with one hundred of our chivalry. My 
lord and lady of Burgundy will thank me for so doing; and there are 



many knights and squires in Hainault who will eagerly go with nic." 
Duke Albert replied, like one who had well weighed the subject ; 
" William, since thou hast so great a desire to travel, and to seek for 
deeds of anns in Hungary and Turkey, against a people and country 
who have never done us any wrong, it must be caused by vain-glory 
alone, for thou hast not a shadow of reason to induce thee to go 
thither. Let John of Burgundy and our cousins of France perfomi 
their enterprise, and do thou undertake one that more nearly touches 
us. March to Friesland, and conquer back that country, which was 
our inheritance ; for the Frieslanders have, by rebellion, withdrawn 
themselves from our obedience ; and, if thou undertake this, I will 
assist thee." This speech from his father was very agreeable to the 
count d'Ostrevant, and raised his spirit : he answered, " My lord, 
you say well ; and, if it be your opinion I should undertake such an 
expedition, I will do so heartily." By litde and little, the matter 
was so long talked over between the father and son, thai the invasion 
of Friesland was agreed upon; and a circumstance I shall relate 
greatly helped him in this matter. 

The count d'Ostrevant had at that time, for his principal adviser, 
a squire of Hainault, called Fier-i-bras, or the bastard of Vertain. 
He was equal in prudence as in arms, so that when the count told him 
what his father had said, he replied, " Sir, my lord your father gives 
you excellent advice. It will be more for your honor to undertake 
this expedition than to join that to Hungary ; and, when you begin 
your preparations for it, you will find plenty of knights and squires 
in Hainault and elsewhere, ready to accompany and assist you. But 
if you really are in earnest to undertake it, I would recommend that 
you first go to England, to make known your intentions to the knights 
and squires of that country ; and to entreat the king of England, 
your cousin, that he would permit you to retain knights, squires, and 
archers, and allow them to accept of your pay, and to accompc-ny 
you from England. The English are men of valor : if you succeed 
in obtaining their assistance, you will go far to be successful ; and 
if you can prevail on your cousin, the earl of Derby, to take part and 
come with you, there will be still greater chances of success, and 
your enterprise will gain more renown." The count d'Ostrevant in- 
clined to the council of Fier-i-bras de Vertain, for he thought it 
good ; and, when he spoke of it to the lord de Gomegines, he like- 
wise agreed to it, as did all who were friends to the count. News 
of this was whispered throughout Hainault, and a proclamation soon 
after issued, to prohibit all knights and squires from quitting the 
country, to form part of any expedition to Hungary or elsewhere, for 
that the count d'Ostrevant needed their services, and would, this 
summer, lead them against Friesland. 

We will, for a while, leave this matter, and speak of others that 
were in greater forwardness. 



CHAPTER LXXI. 

JOHN OF BURGUNDY, COUNT OF NEVERS, LEADS AN ARMY INTO HUNGARY 
AGAINST THE TURKS. THE NEGOTIATIONS FOR THE MARRIAGE OF KINO 
RICHARD or ENGLAND WITH THE ELDEST PRINCESS OF FRANCE ARE CON- 
TINUED. 

The knights and squires in different countries were all alive at the 
wars that seemed likely to take place in opposite quarters : some 
made themselves ready for the expedition to Hungary ; others for that 
to Friesland : and whenever they met they conversed on these sub- 
jects. The count de Nevers was prepared ; and all those knights 
had been enrolled who were to be under his charges, and to accom- 
pany him. The purveyances were very considerable and well ar- 
ranged; and, as the honorof the expedition was given to him, he made 
handsome presents to his knights and squires, and gave them many 
stores; for, as the journey was long and expensive, it was but proper 
the men-at-arms should be aided to support them. In like manner did 
other lords act ; such as the constable of France, the count de la 
Marche, the lords Philip and Henry de Bar, the lord de Coucy, sir 
Guy de la Tremouille, sir John de Vienne admiral of France, Sou. 
cicaut marshal of France, sir Reginald de Roye, the lords de St. Pol, 
de Montmorel, de Saint Py, the haze de Flanders, sir Louis de Br^z^, 
his brother, and the borgne de Monquel, with many more ; for they 
amounted to one thousand knights and as many squires, all men of 
tried courage and enterprise. 

They left their homes about the middle of March, and advanced 
in good array by companies. They found all the roads open to them, 
for the king of Germany had commanded that his country and Bohe- 
mia should afford them every friendly assistance to supply their wants, 
and that the prices of provision should on no account be raised. Thus 
did these lords of France march to the assistance of the king of Hun- 
gary, whose army was to have a pitched battle against that of Bajazet, 
on the 20th day of the ensuing month of May.* They passed Lor- 
rain, the counties of Bar and Montbelliard, the duchy of Burgundy, 
and entering Aussais.t traversed that whole country, and, having 
crossed the Rhine in many places, marched through the county of 
Ferrette and entered Austria. This is an extensive and wild country, 
with difficult passes ; but they advanced with so good an inclination, 
that they did not suffer from the labor and fatigue. "" *'*'"'' -"" 



The chief con- 



« In Uie year 1396.— Ep. 



t Alsace.— Ed. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &. c . 



537 



versation of the French lords was concerning the power of the Turks, 
which they seemed to make very light of. 

The duke of Austria gave tlie French lords a handsome reception; 
but he was particularly attentive to John of Burgundy, for the lord 
Otho, eldest son to the duke, had espoused Mary of Burgundy, his 
sister.* All these French lords were to assemble at a city called 
Buda, in Hungarj'. Let us return to the affairs of France. 

You have before heard that the king of England had sent as embassa- 
dors to the king of France, to conclude a marriage between hini and his 
daughter Isabella, the archbishop of Dublin, the bishop of St. David's, 
the earl marshal, the earl of Rutland, son to the duke of York, sir Henry 
Clifford, the lord Beaumont, the lord Despencer, sir John de Robesart, 
and several more. They had succeeded well in the business, and 
the French king made them welcome, as did his uncles and council. 
The embassadors returned to England in high spirits, and gave the 
king great hopes that his wishes would be gratified. King Richard 
was not idle in the business, but during tlie following winter, fre. 
quently reminded the king and council of France of it, who were far 
from being adverse, for tliey considered it as one of the surest means 
to put an end to the wars which had lasted so long between France 
and England. The treaty was caiTied on with eagerness and friend- 
ship on both sides ; and the king of England promised, from the 
power he had over his subjects, that there should be peace between 
the two countries. To conclude the business, the earl of Rutland 
and the earl marshal, were again sent to Paris. They were lodged 
at the Croix du Tiroir, and, with tlieir attendants, occupied the whole 
of that street, and part of another : they were full six hundred horse,t 
and remained in Paris upward of three weeks, supplied with every- 
thing from the king of France. 



CHAPTER L X X 1 1 . 

THE QTJEEN OF NAPLES, WFDOW TO THE LATE DUKE OF AHJOU, OBTAINS 
JtJDSJtENT in TAKLIA.MENT AGAINST SIR FETEK DE CRAON. 

During the time these embassadors were at Paris negotiating the 
marriage of the king of England, the dowager queen of Naples was 
also there, busily employed in her own concerns, for she was a lady of 
great activity. Her business at that time was before the parliament, 
where she was pleading two causes : one for the inheritance of the 
county of Roussy against the count de Brianne ; for the late duke of An- 
jou, her lord, had bought and paid for it to a lady who was countess de 
Roussy, some time wife to sir Louis de Namur, from whom she was 
divorced. The other was against sir Peter de Craon, from whom 
she claimed the sum of one hundred thousand francs, and which she 
proved he had received for and in the name of her late lord the 
king of Naples, Sicily, and Jerusalem, on condition to pay the same 
to him in la Puglia ; but, when he was informed of the king of Naples' 
death, he no longer continued his journey but returned to France, mak- 
ing use of the above-mentioned sum to his own protit, without render- 
ing any account of it to the queen of Naples, nor to her two children 
Lewis and Charles, but dissipating it in folly and extravagance. This 
was the cause, as the queen of Naples said, of the loss of that king- 
dom, which was regained by Margaret Durazzo and the heirs of sir 
Charles Durazzo; for the soldiers of her late lord, who were aiding 
her to continue the war in Calabria and la Puglia, deserted her for 
want of pay : many had turned to the count de St. Severino and to 
Margaret Durazzo, and others had retired from the war. 

All these matters were pleaded in the courts of the parliament at 
Paris,forupward of three years; although sir Peterde Craon was absent, 
his advocates defended him well. They said, that in regard to the sum 
of one hundred thousand francs which he was charged with having 
received in the name of the king of Naples, that king was indebted 
to him as much, if not more, for the great and noble services he had 
rendered him. Notwithstanding the length of lime this cause lasted, 
it was impossible to put off for ever its conclusion ; and the lady was 
very urgent that judgment should be given by the parliament. The 
judges, having considered the matter well, declared they would give 
no judgment until both parties were personally before them. This 
was then difficult to accomplish, from the disgrace sir Peter de Craon 
was in with the king and the duke of Orleans, for his attempt to 
assassinate the constable. The lady, finding nothing would be done 
until sir Peter was before the court, perfectly free from every other 
charge except what she accused him of, and with full liberty to go 
anywhere in France, exerted herself greatly to obtain this for liini, 
that an end might be put to her suit. Her solicitations with tJie king, 
the duke of Orleans, the count de Penthievre, sir John Hai-pcdane 
and others, who had any complaints against him, were successful, 
and he was acquitted of all other charges. I know not whether it 
happened through dissimulation or otherwise, but he was shown 
great attention and kindness by the nobles and ladies of France until 
the time when judgment was to be given. He kept up as great state 
at Paris as ever he had done, and was appointed to receive the Eng- 
glish embassadors, and to introduce them to the king, his brotlier, 



» There is n mistake here. Leopold IV.. iluke of Austria, mamed Catherine, not 
Mary, d,iushter of Philippe le HaiUi, and siiler of Jeaii-ssns-peur. the leader ol this 
expedition.— Ed. i i, , j c 

t The monk of St. DenU says that Oieir numbets were more than twelve hundred, ^ut 
hundred horsemen, with their attendant on fmt, (as was customary,) would amount 
to that number.— Ed. 



and uncles, for he was a knight perfectly well versed in all such c«»ie- 
monies. 

The day was fixed for the parliament to decide on the queen tf 
Naples' complaints : the sentence had before been determined upoa, 
and waited solely for the appearance of all parties concerned. A 
great number of the nobility attended, that it might have more au- 
thenticity ; among whom were the queen of Sicily and Jerusaieat, 
duchess of Anjou and countess of Provence, her son Charles, priaee 
of Tarentum, and John of Blois, more commonly called John of Brit- 
tany, count de Penthievre and Limoges, the dukes of Orleans, Beny, 
Burgundy, and Bourbon, the count de Brianne and the bishop of Laos, 
whom the queen had brought before the court on the subject of Ikt 
claim on the county of Roussy. Sir Peter de Craon was likewise 
there, attended by many of his relations and friends. 

The matter of the county of Roussy was first disposed of; and ifaa 
judgment of the court was solemnly pronounced, that the couni^ 
should belong to the count de Brianne, and to his heirs, wha 
was to have immediate possession given him ; but the queen tf 
Naples was to be repaid in money the full amount of what her laSe 
lord, the duke of Anjou, had given to the countess of Roussy, latelf 
deceased. The heirs of the countess of Roussy, to whom the lards 
belonged, thanked the court for the judgment they had given. The 
president, who was to declare the sentence in the second cause, now 
rose, and said, "the parliament had determined that sir Peter de Craosi 
was indebted to the queen of Naples in the sum of one hundred thoau 
sand francs, which he must pay to her, or be committed to prisoa 
until it was done completely to her satisfaction." The queen thanked 
the court for their judgment, and, instantly, on her request, sir Pelec 
de Craon was arrested, in the king's name, and carried to the priam 
of the Louvre, where he was confined and well guarded. Upon tbo^ 
the parliament broke up, and every one returned to his home. Than 
were these two sentences given, through the activity of th« duchsw 
of Anjou. 

CHAPTER LXXIII. 

THE MARRIAGE IS CONCLUDED BETWEEN KING RICHARD OF ENGLAM* 
AND THE LADT ISABELLA, ELDEST DArGHTER TO CHARLES VI. KINS mt 
FRANCE. THE DUKE OF LANCASTER .MARRIES AGAIN. SIR PEIEE. « 
CRAON IS, AFTER SOME TIME, DELIVERED FROM PRISON, AT XOE 
ENTREATY OF THE YOONG QUEEN OF ENGLAND. 

The earl marshal, the earl of Rutland, and the Engli.sh embaaat 
dors remained for twenty-two days in Paris, where they were excel- 
lently well entertained by the king and his court ; their negotiatiooB 
were successful, and the marriage between the king of Englai^ 
and the princess Isabella was agreed on. She was betrothed aa4 
espoused by the ear! marshal, as proxy for the king of England, and 
the lady, ever after, was styled queen of England. I was at tbe 
time told it was pleasant to see that, young as she was, she knev 
well how to act the queen. When this business was completed, oral 
the different treaties signed and sealed, the embassadors took their 
leave of the king and his court, and departed from Paris to Calais, 
on their return to England, where they were joyfully received by the 
king, the duke of Lancaster, and the lords attached to the king's peff. 
son and pleasures. 

However roucli others might be pleased, it was not so with Ike 
duke of Gloucester ; for he saw plainly that by this marriage peaee 
wotdd be established between the two kingdoms, which sorely dis- 
pleased him, unless it should be such a peace as would redound t» 
the honor of England, and everything were placed on the same foot. 
ing as when the war broke out in Gascony. He frequently conversed 
on this subject with his brother the duke of York, and, whenever die 
occasion was favorable, endeavored to draw him over to his way of 
thinking, for he was but of weak understanding. H<> dared not speak 
so freely to his elder brother of Lancaster, "'Jio was of the king'a 
party, and well satisfied with this marri»s>', on account of his tw* 
daughters the queens of Castille apJ Portugal. At this period, tbe 
duke of Lancaster married b" third wife, the daughter of a Haia. 
ault knight, called sir Pa-' de Ruet : he had formerly been one af 
the kni»hts to the "C"^ "nd noble queen Philippa of England, wtt* 
much loved the H''"*"'*ers, as she was herself of that country. 

This lady v-ioni the duke of Lancaster married was called Cath- 
erine ' ar'' i" her youth had been of the household of the ducheiB 
Blanche of Lancaster. Before the lady Blanche's death, and e»ea 
when the duke was married to his second wife Constance, the 
daughter of don Pedro, he cohabited with the lady Catherine de 
Kuet who was then married to an English knight now dead.t 

The duke of Lancaster had three childrcnt by her, previous to ha 
marriage, two sons and a daughter : the eldest son was named Joha 
lord Beaufort of Lancaster ; the other Thomas, whom the duke keptal 
the schools in Oxford, and made a great churchman and civilian. He 
was afterwards bishop of Lincoln, which is the richest bishopric isa 
the kingdom : from affection to these children, the duke niariied 
their mother, to the great astonishment of France and England, fci 



» Catherine Swjnford.— Ed. t Sir Hugh Swynford. 

t Froissart mistakes in the number, and Thomas for Henry. According to SaniCwS, 
he had four children by Catlierine f?wynford : John Beaufort, earl of Somerset— H«i«y 
Beaufort, bishop of Winchester and cardinal of Beaufort— Thomas Beaufort, date « 
E.\eter and earl of Dorset— Joan Beaufort, countess of Westmoreland. 

For further particulor?. see Sandford and Dugdale. 



578 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, Sec. 



Catherine Swynford was of base extraction in comparison to his two 
former duchesses Blanche and Constance. When this marriage was 
announced to the ladies of high rank in England, such as the duchess 
of Gloucester, the countess of Derby, the countess of Arundel, and 
others connected with the royal family, they were greatly shocked, 
and thoiiglit the duke much to blame. They said, " he had sadly dis- 
graced liimself by thus marrying his concubine ;" and added, that, 
*' since it was so, she would be the second lady in the kingdom, and 
llic queen would be dishonorably accompanied by her ; but that, for 
their parts, they would leave her to do the honors alone, for they 
would never enter any place where she was. They themselves 
would be disgraced if they suffered such a base-born duchess, who 
had been the duke's concubine a long time before and during his 
marriages, to take precedence, and their hearts would burst with grief 
were it to happen." Those who were the most outrageous on the 
subject were the duke and duchess of Gloucester. They considered 
the duke of Lancaster as a doating fool for thus marrying his concu- 
bine, and declared they would never honor his lady by calling her 
sister. The duke of York made liglit of the matter, for he lived 
chiefly with the king and his brother of Lancaster. The duke of 
Gloucester was of a different way of thinking: although the young- 
est of the three brothers, he yielded to no man's opinion, was naturally 
very proud and overbearing, and in opposition to the king's ministers, 
unless he could turn them as he willed. Catherine Ruet, however, 
remained duchess of Lancaster, and the second lady in England, as 
long as she lived. She was a lady accustomed to honors, for she had 
been brought up at court during her youth, and the duke fondly loved 
the children he had by her, as he showed during his life and at his death. 

I must mention, that when the sentence of the court of parliament 
at Paris had been pronounced against sir Peter de Craon in favor of 
the queen of Naples, he was confounded. Finding that he must 
refund the one hundred thousand francs or remain his whole life in 
prison, he listened to the council that was given him from the duke 
and duchess of Burgundy. They advised him to solicit the young 
queen of England to intercede with the queen of Naples to obtain his 
hberty for fifteen days only, that he might seek out his friends in 
Paris to pay tliis money, or to become his sureties until he had pro. 
cured it in Brittany or elsewhere, engaging to return with the sum 
he was condemned to pay. The queen of Naples complied with the 
request of the queen of England, but on condition that sir Peter de 
Craon should every night sleep in his prison at the Louvre. Sir Peter 
sought for aid among his relatives in vain ; for the sum was too great 
for them to advance, and they refused being his sureties. At the 
end of the fifteen days, he was forced to return to his prison, where 
be was strictly guarded day and night, and at his own proper costs. 

We will now speak of what actions and enterprises the count de 
Nevers and the lords of France performed this summer in Hungary ; 
and then say something of the expedition the earl of Hainault and 
earl of Ostrevant made into Fricsland. 



CHAPTER LXXIV. 

JOHN OF BURGUNDY, COUNT OF NEVEKS, PASSES THE DANUBE WITH HI.S 
ARMY. AFTER THE CAPTURE OF SEVERAL PLACES, THE TOWN OF KICO. 
rOLI IS BESIESED.* 

On the arrival of the count de Nevers with his army, which was 
composed of numbers of valiant men from France and other c»un- 
Irics, at Buda in Hungary, the king gave them a most hearty recep- 
tion, as indeed he ought, for to serve him they were come. It was 
the intention of lUe king of Hungary, before he took the field, to 
obtain some certain intelligence of the movements of Bajazct, who 
had given him notice since last February to increase his forces, as he 
would in the course of the nionth of May lead an immense army to 
cross the Danube and offer combat to the Hungarians. Many won- 
dered how this could be Jone ; but others replied : " Nothing was 
impossible to man ; that as boiTjct was of great valor and enterprise, 
and had said he would do so, he w^iy gujgiy accomplish it ; but, if 
he failed in his threat, and did not en.., the Danube, we ought to 
cross it, and enter his kingdom of Turkey, "pijg i^j^g ^f Hungary 
could lead thither one hundred thousand men, --ncluding foreigners, 
which was sufiicient to conquer all Turkey, and e.^f, to advance to 
the kingdom of Persia. If we gain a victory over Baji-^et, we shall 
Bo far succeed that we may conquer Syria and the Holy l-nnd, and 
deliver Jerusalem out of the hands of the Sultan and the enem'ics ol 
our God. In the ensuing summer, the kings of France and England 
will jointly raise a large force of men-at-arms and archers ; and, whon 
they shall be united to us, nothing will be able to withstand so pow- 
erful an army." 

Such were the conversations of the French in Hungary. When 
the month of May arrived, being disappointed in their expectations 
of hearing of the march of Bajazet, the king of Hungary sent scouts 
across the Danube to seek intelligence, and, at the same time, issued his 
summons for his power to assemble. The knights of Rhodes came 
thither in numbers during the month of May, looking for the arrival 
of the Saracens, but no news was heard of them. The king of Hun- 

• '■ ISicopoli"— on the Danube, in Bulcaria, sixty leagues N. VV. from Adrianople. It 
B famous for the battle, in 13S»3, between Sisismond, king of Hungary, and Bajazet. 
Siei£mond lost the baUle and twenty thousand men ; but it cost Bajazet sixty thousand. 
who were left dead on the field. 



gary, on this, sent some Hungarians who were used to arms, and 
well acquainted with the country, beyond the Danube, but they 
were as unsuccessful as his former scouts, in not meeting Bajazet : 
they heard that he was still in Asia, at Damascus, Antioch, or Alex, 
andria. The king, on receiving this information, called a council of 
his lords, and those who were come from France, who were eager 
to signalize tliemselves, to consider how they shoulti act in this emer- 
gency. The king told them that he had sent some expert men-at. 
arms to seek Bajazet, who had advanced far into Turkey; and that 
there was no appearance Bajazet would this summer put the menace 
into execution, of crossing the Danube to offer him battle. The king 
wished to have advice on this matter, more especially from the French 
lords. The lord de Coucy having consulted with the other barons, 
answered for them, that if Bajazet should have told lies, and deceived 
them by not keeping his word, they ought not for that to remain idle, 
but attempt some deeds of arms, since they were come thither to 
that effect ; that all the French, Germans, and other foreigners, were 
willing to meet the Turks ; and if under the command of Bajazet so 
much the better, as it would redound more to their honor. What 
the lord de Coucy said was approved of by the French, Germans, 
Bohemians, and others, as the most advantageous manner of employ, 
ing the season. 

Orders were, in consequence, issued by the king and marshals, 
that every one be prepared by a certain day, which was appointed oil 
the octave of Saint John the Baptist, to march for Turkey. These 
orders were punctually obeyed ; and you would have seen servants 
busily employed in preparing all things for their masters' wants. The 
lords of France were desirous of making a handsome figure, and ex- 
amined well their armor and equipages, sparing no money to have 
them as complete as possible. Their appearance was grandly mag- 
nificent, when they took the field from Buda, the principal city of 
Hungary. The constable of Hungary had the command of the van 
division, because ho knew the country well, and led with him a large 
body of Hungarians and Germans. Next to him inarched the FreiKh 
lords, the constable of France, the count de la Marche, the lord de 
Coucy, the lords Henry and Philip de Bar, and many more. 

With the king of Hungary rode the greatest barons of his realm, 
as was proper, and by his side John of Burgundy, who often con. 
versed with him. They were full sixty thousand horse ; the infantry 
were few in number, indeed none but the followers of the army. 
The array of the Christians was noble and handsome ; and among 
the Hungarians were many cross-bow men on horseback. Tins army 
advanced until it came to the banks of the Danube, which it crossed 
in barges, boats, and pontoons, prepared some time since for tliis 
purpose. It was more than eight days before all had passed over ; 
and tis they landed on the opposite shore, they lodged themselves to 
wait for their companions. The Danube divides the kingdoms of 
Hungary and Turkey. When the whole army had crossed, they 
were delighted to find themselves on Turkish ground, for they were 
impatient to try the courage of the Turks. After a council they re. 
solved to bc.siege a town in Turkey called Comccte,* and made pre- 
parations to invest it on all sides. This could easily be done ; for 
it is situated in an open plain, with a river deep enough to bear ves- 
sels, called the Mecte,t which rises in Turkey, and falls into the 
Danube near the sea. This river Danube is very wide, and has 
more than four hundred leagues of course from its spring to the sea ; 
it would be the most profitable of rivers to Hungary and the adjoin, 
ing countries, if the vessels it carries could have a free passage to the 
sea, but that is impossible ; for, right at its mouth, there is a moun- 
tain which divides it into two parts, and chokes the passage : the 
noise of the water is so tremendous, no vessel dares approach it, and 
it may be heard seven leagues off. On both sides of the river Mecte 
are fertile meads, to the gioat advantage of the inhabitants, and vine- 
yards, which in favorable seasons produce good wines. The Turks 
vintage them, and, when made, they are put into goat.skins, and 
sold to the Christians, for, according to their religion, they are for. 
bidden to taste wine under pain of death : at least when discovered 
so doing, they are punished ; they make pleasant beverages of many 
other excellent fruits and spices, and are accustomed to drink much 
of goat's milk, during the hot weather, to refresh and cool them. 

The king of Hungary encamped his army before this town with- 
out opposition, for no one made any attempt to prevent the siege ; nor 
was there any person or army in the place, from Bajazet, to guard or 
defend it. On then arrival, they found the fruits ripe, which was a 
great comfort to them. Many attacks were made on the town, but 
they were valiantly opposed by the inhabitants, in the expectation of 
daily receiving reinforcements from Bajazet, their lord, to raise the 
siege. None, however, came, and the city was taken by storm, with 
great slaughter of men, women, and children ; for the Christians on 
entering it spared none. When Comecte had thus been destroyed, 
the king of Hungary decamped with Ms army and advanced farther 
into Turkey toward the lurge city of Nicopoli ; but, before he arrived 
there, he came to a town called Laquaire, where he encamped fifteen 
days, for it was so long before he could conquer it. This was also 
taken by storm, and destroyed. They then marched to another town 
and castle called Brehappe, governed by a Turkish knight, the lord 
of the place, who had with him a strong garrison. 

The king of Htmgary encamped his Hungarians about a league 



*" Comecte." Q. Nissa, 



T " Mecte." U- Morava. 



CHRONICLES OFENGLAND. FRANCE, SPAIN, Sec. 



distant from it on account of water, for there was none nearer Bre- 
happe ; but the counts de Ncvers, d'Eu, de la Marche, and the lords 
de Coucy, Boucicaut, de Saimpi,de Roye, Henry and Philip de Bar, 
with more than a tliousand French knights and squires, made their 
approaches close to the town. The count de Nevers had been 
created a knight by the king of Hungary, on his entering Turkey; 
and, the day he displayed his banner, upward of three hundred were 
knighted. Those who had advanced to the town won it, within four 
days, by assault ; but the castle was too strong, and resisted all their 
attacks. The lord of Brehappe, whose name was, I believe, Corba- 



579 

into the town, to the joy of the inhabitants. Balachius remained in 
the castle of Brehappe, and Ruffin took the first opportunity of set- 
ting out, passing the Christian army in the night, for he was well 
acquainted with the country, and crossed the Hellespont to learn in- 
telligence where Bajazet was. 

In truth, Bajazet was at Cairo v/iih the sultan of Babylon, to solicit 
his aid, and there the Turk found him. When Bajazet saw him, he 
was much surprised, and imagined something extraordinary had hap. 
pened. He called to him, and asked how things were going on in 
Turkey. " My lord," replied he, " they are very anxious to sec you 




KiKO or UrsoiRV bolkno a Cor.sciL with the Frescb KinGnTs. From MSS. of the 15th Centurr 



das, a very valiant man, saved many of his people within the castle. 
He had three brothers, called Maladius, Balachius, and Ruffin. 
After the capture of the town, the Christians were seven days before 
the castle, and attacked it many times, but they lost more than they 
gained. These four brothers showed they were men of valor by the 
defence they made. The French lords having v;e\[ considered the 
strength of the castle, and that they lost more than they won, saw 
plainly their attempts would be vain, and decamped, for they had 
heard the king of Hungary was desirous to lay siege to Nicopoli. 
Thus was the siege of Breliappe Castle broken up, and the garrison 
left in peace, but the town was burnt. The count de Nevers and the 
lords of France joined the king of Hungary, who instantly prepared 
to march to Nicopoli. 

Corbadas de Brehappe was well pleased to observe the Christians 
inarching away, and said : " We shall now be undisturbed for some 
time : if my town be burnt, it will be rebuilt and recover itself: but 
I am surprised that we have no news from our sultan Bajazet; for he 
told me, the last time I spoke with him in the city of Nicopoli, that 
he would return to this country the beginning of May. His inten. 
tions were to cross the Hellespont, and Hungary. But this he has 
not done ; and the Hungarians, greatly strengthened and emboldened 
by succors from France, have crossed the Danube and entered Tur- 
key, where they will destroy all the possessions of Bajazet, for we 
have no force to oppose them. They will now for certain besiege 
Nicopoli, which, although sufficiently strong to hold out for some 
time, must be well defended. We are four brothers, knights, and re. 
lations to Bajazet : we ought, therefore, to attend to his concerns ; 
and, in consequence, I propose the following plan : I and my brother 
Maladius will go to Nicopoli to assist in its defence; Balachius shall 
remain here to guard Brehappe, and Ruffin shall cross the sea and 
hasten to find Bajazet, and inform him of everything tliat has hap- 
pened, and the great army that has invaded Turkey, that he may 
take instant measures to prevent the dishonorable loss of his posses- 
sions, and march such a force against the Christians as may conquer 
them ; otherwise he will not only lose Armenia that he has won, but 
his own territories also ; for, according to appearances, the king of 
Hungary and the Christians are determined to attempt his complete 
destruction.'' The three Turks approved of what their brother had 
said, and promised obedience. They made preparations accordingly; 
and, in the mean time, the siege was laid before Nicopoli by the 
Christian army, amounting to nearly one hundred thousand men. 
Corbadas de Brehappe and his brother Maladius gained admittance 



there, for the king of Hungary, with an immense force, has crossed 
the Danube, and invaded the country. They have committed great 
destruction, and burnt five or six of your inclosed towns : when I 
left Brehappe, they were marching to Nicopoli. My brothers Cor- 
badas and Maladius have thrown themselves, with some men-at-arms, 
into the town to assist in the defence. You must know, that in thia 
army of the king of Hungary, there is a body of Frenchmen, the most 
gallant and best appointed that can be seen. It behoves you, there- 
fore, to summon your friends and vassals, and hasten to Turkey with 
an army powerful enough to drive these Christians across the Danube; 
but if your force is not very considerable, you will not be able to 
accomplish it." 

"How many are ihey?"' asked Bajazet. " Upward of one hun. 
dred thousand," said the Turk, "and all on horseback, armed in the 
best possible manner.'' Bajazet made no reply to this, but entered 
the chamber of the sultan of Babylon, leaving the Turk, who had 
brought this intelligence, among his people. He related what you 
have just heard to the sultan of Babylon, who answered, " You must 
provide yourself accordingly, and shall have men enough to oppose 
them, for we must, by all means, defend our religion and possessions." 
" That is true," replied Bajazet, " and my wishes are now accom- 
plished ; for I was desirous that the king of Hungary w'ould cross the 
Danube with his army and enter Turkey. At present, I shall let him 
have full scope, but in the end he shall repay me fully for what he 
has done. It is four months since I heard of this e.xpedition, from 
my good friend the duke of Milan, who at the same time sent me 
twelve hawks and gerfalcons, the finest I ever saw. With these 
presents, he wrote me the names and surnames of the barons of 
France wlio were coming to carry the war into Turkey ; adding, that 
if I could capture those named in his letter, their ransoms would be 
worth to me more than a million of florins. Besides the barons he 
mentioned, there ought to be with them from France, or the neigh, 
boring countries, five hundred gallant squires. The duke of Milan 
advised me, if we had a battle, (which will infallibly be the case, for I 
shall march to meet them,) to draw up my men with prudence, and to 
take every advantage in the combat; for they were all men of such 
ability and resolution, that the meanest would not fly, to avoid death. 
They have undertaken this expedition, as the duke writes me, solely 
through valor, to do some deeds of arms that may gain them renown. 
Fur this I feel myself thankful to them ; and their desire for orma 
shall be gratified within three months from this time, when, perhaps, 
they may have more than sufficient." 



CHRONICLES OF EN GLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, fcc. 



CHAPTER LXXV. 

- mSRESSION FROM THE FKINCIPAL HISTORY, TO EXPLAIN WHY JOHN 
CiiEAS OF MILAN WAS MOVED TO GIVE THE TUSK INFORMATION OF THE 
BXPEDITION INTENDED AGAINST HIM. 

What Bajazet liad told the sultan of Babylon respecting the in. 
fimnation he had received from the lord of Milan must surprise every 
one. It was supposed he had been baptized and was regenerated in 
oar faith, and yet he had sought the friendship and alliance of an in. 
Sdel king, an enemy to our religion, and had eveiy year sent him 
HTCsents of hounds and hawks, or the finest linen cloth that could be 
jfocured at Rheims, Cambray, or in Holland, which is very agree- 
able to the Saracens, who have none but what comes from our coun. 
ay. Bajazet, in return, made him rich gifts of cloth of gold and 
jrecious stones, of which they have abundance ; and we caimot obtain 
liicm without great risk, unless by means of the Venetians or Genoese, 
wbo traffic with those parts. With regard to the count de Vertus, 
<iakc of Milan, and the lord Galeas, his father, who reigned over the 
Milanese as tyrants, it is marvellous to think of their fortunes, and 
iow they first gained possession of that country. 

There were three brothers of the house of Visconti, sir Matthew, 
air Galeas, and sir Bernabo. These three brothers had an uncle* 
who was archbishop of Milan during the time the lord Charles de 
IjUiembourg, king of Bohemia and Germany, was elected emperor 
m the room of Lewis of Bavaria, who had obtained that dignity by 
ftffce. He was never acknowledged emperor by the church, but, 
OD the contrary, was excommunicated by pope Innocent VI., who 
Aen reigned. The cause of his excommunication was, that after 
6eing crowned at Rome, by a pope and twelve cardinals of his 
creation, he gave liberty to his German soldiers to plunder Rome, 
tt> make them amends for the pay that was due. This was the 
BBCompense the Romans received for the reception they gave him ; 
and for this cause he died under sentence of e.vcommunication. 
The pope and cardinals whom he had made came of their free 
will to Avignon, and submitted themselves to pope Innocent, who 
absolved them of their error. 

To return to the lords of Milan ; I will say how they first obtained 
possession of the Milanese. This archbishop, their uncle, received 
Bi Milan the new emperor on his return from Aix-la-Chapellc (where 
Ik had performed the usual ceremonies for forty days) with so much 
magnificence and splendor that, in return for his good cheer and for 
a loan of one hundred thousand ducats, the emperor created him 
TOcount of Milan, and gave to him the territory of the Milanese, 
asd to his nephews after him, to hold during pleasure, and until the 
bundred thousand ducats were repaid in one sum. When the arch- 
Kshop died, his nephew, sir Matthew, was acknowledged by the 
emperor as viscount of Milan. His two brothers, sir Galeas and sir 
JBeniabo, who then were far from rich, took counsel together, and 
^termined to seize the government and rule over Lorabardy : to 
accomplish this, they resolved on their brother's death, by poison or 
•lherwise,+ and then to unite themselves so strongly by mairiage 
dial no one would dare to anger them. After the death of sir Mat- 
Aew, they reigned with great power, and were on the best terms 
ihiring their lives. They divided the country of Lombardy between 
IJbem : sir Galeas had ten towns, being the eldest brother, and sir 
Bernabo nine ; and Milan was governed alternately by them for one 
year. To maintain their government, and supply their expenses, 
ttiey laid heavy taxes and gabelles on the people, and, by various 
means, extorted great wealth from their subjects. They had their 
towns garrisoned with foreign mercenaries, Germans, French, Bre- 
tons, English, and from every nation except Lombardy, for in the 
lombards they had no confidence. These soldiers were regularly 
paid every month, and were much dreaded by the people, for none 
dared to oppose them. When any of the neighboring lords ventured 
to resist their encroachments, they took a severe revenge, and de- 
slroyed several, that others might take warning. 

The inhabitants of their towns were under such awe, that they 
possessed nothing but through the good pleasure of sir Galeas and 
air Bernabo, and those who were rich they taxed three or four times 
a year. They said the Lombards were too proud of their riches, 
aod good for nothing unless kept under subjection. They were 
Jndeed so by them, for none dared murmur or say a word against 
any of their commands. The two Ijrothcrs married nobly, but they 
Sought their wives from the wealth of their people. Sir Galeas 
espoused Blanche, sister to the good count of Savoy : before he had 
Sus consent, he gave him one hundred thousand ducats. Sir Ber- 
Babo married in Germany a sister to the duke of Brunswick, and 
iid not pay a less sum than liis brother had done.t They had 
many children, whom they married to powerful families, to add to 
43ieir strength. Sir Galeas had a son called John Galeas, and when 
He heard that king John of Franco had obtained his liberty from 
England, and that he was in great difficulty to procure the first pay- 
iment of his ransom, of three millions of francs, he negotiated with 



* Giovanni Visconti,— Ed. 

t Allhougli they might have intended the crime, tliey had no necessity for its perpe- 
tntion. MattJiew died from the elTects of his intemperance.— Ed. 

t Galens Visconti married Blanche of Savoy, tOth September, 13o0. 

Bernabo Visconli married Beotrix Scalieern, tlirouah prule called Ilesijia, 27th Sep- 
tBEober, l<SO.—^rjctcrson^ s Royal Ocncah^cs. 



the king and his council to have one of the daughters of France for 
wife to his son John Galeas. His proposals were listened to, be- 
cause they knew he was rich, and the king was distressed for 
money. He bought, therefore, the daughter of king John for six 
hundred thousand francs, which being paid to the king of England, 
his son married her. She brought him as her dower the county of 
Venus in Champagne. They had a son and daughter, and the last 
was married, by dint of money, to the second son of the late king 
Charles V. called Lewis, who is at this moment duke of Orleans, 
count of Blois and of Valois. This marriage cost the count de Ver- 
tus, father of the lady, one million of francs, with part of which was 
bought the county of Blois, as you have heard related in this history. 
The two brothers lived in great friendship with each other, which 
increased their power ; and neither pope nor cardinal, who made 
war against them, could gain any advantage, nor any prince, except 
the Marquis of Montferrat, who succeeded through the aid of sir 
John Hawkwood and the English companies, whom he sought in 
Provence, and led into Lombardy. 

.\fter the death of Galeas, his son John Galeas, count de Vertus, 
reigned with great power, and at the beginning was much beloved 
in Lombardy for his prudent and wise conduct. He abolished the 
most oppressive taxes his father had imposed, and was so popular 
that all spoke well of him J but when he had so far succeeded, he 
showed his natural disposition, which h^had long restrained. He 
laid an ambuscade for his uncle, sir Bernabo, who thought himself 
on the best terms with him ; and, when he was taken, he was told 
that one lord was sufficient for Lombardy. He could not obtain 
any favor, for the power was against him, and, being carried to a 
castle, was put to death, but how I know not. Sir Bernabo had 
many fine children ; and the queen of France is the daughter of one 
that was married to the duke of Austiia and Bavaria. Sir Galeas 
seized all the children of his uncle he could lay hands on, as well as 
his possessions, which he annexed to his own, and reigned in great 
splendor and wealth. He shortly after renewed the taxes he had 
taken oflT, and extorted money from his subjects by every means of 
imposition, which made him more feared than loved. He foUo-wed 
the errors of his father, declaring and maintaining, that he would 
never believe in, nor adore God : in consequence, he deprived the 
monasteries of great part of their revenues, which he appropriated 
to himself, saying, the monks lived too delicately on rich food and 
choice wines; that such superfluities prevented them rising at mid. 
night to perform their church duties, and that Saint Benedict had 
not thus framed his laws for their conduct, but he would bring them 
back to eggs and thin wine, that their voices might be louder and 
clearer to chaunt in the church. 

Thus did sir Galeas, father, and son, and sir Bemabo, act like 
popes in their dominions as long as they lived : they did tnuch in- 
justice to churchmen, without fearing anything the popes might say 
or do against them ; and when the schism liappened, and the two 
popes of Rome and Avignon were excommunicating each other, 
these lords of Milan laughed at both, as indeed did many other 
great lords. The daughter of this sir John Galeas, duchess of Or- 
leans, inherited more of the dispositions of her father than of her 
mother, who was a princess of France ; for she was envious, and 
covetous of the pomp of this world, and would gladly have seen her 
lord king of France, no matter how. A scandalous report was very 
current, that the disorder of the king, which had so much distressed 
the kingdom, and baffled all the skill of the physicians, was owing 
to her. I will say what gave rise to these suspicions, and made them 
the more readily believed. 

Valentina, duchess of Orleans, had a handsome son of the age of 
the dauphin of France, and while these two children were playing 
together in the chamber of the duchess, a poisoned apple was thrown 
on the floor, near the dauphin, in hopes he wouM take it, but, 
through God's providence, he did not. The son of the duchess, 
thinking no harm, ran and ate it, but he had no sooner put it into 
his mouth than death followed, in spite of every care to prevent it. 
Those who had the government of the dauphin carried him away, 
and never allowed him afterwards to enter the apartments of the 
I duchess. This story caused great inurmurings in Paris and else- 
where, and the people were so enraged against her, as to occasion 
the duke to hear of it : they publicly said in Paris, that if she was 
not prevented from being near the king, they would come and take 
her away by force and put her to death, for that she intended to 
poison the king and all liis family, having already made him suffer 
by her enchantments. What gave additional weight to this, was 
the king's refusal, during his illness, to see the queen, whom he 
would not recollect, nor any other person than the duchess of Or- 
leans. The duke of Orleans, to put an end to these scandalous 
reports, took her away from the h6tel de Saint Pol himself, and 
sent her to one of his castles called Asnieres, on the road to Beau- 
vais, where she remained some time without ever passing the gates 
of the castle. She was removed thence to Neufchatel on the Loire, 
and the duke hated her much for the accident which had happened 
to his son : his other fine children, however, softened his resentment 
to her. 

Intelligence of this was carried to Milan, and sir Galeas heard with 
fear the great danger his daughter was in. He was very wroth with 
the kin" of France and his ministers, and sent sir James de la Berme, 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND FRANCE, SPAIN, &e. 



with other noble persons, embassadors to France, to excuse his daugh- 
ter, and to say, that if any Itnight should accuse her of treason, he 
would provide a person to cliallenge him to mortal combat. At the 
time these embassadors came to Paris, the king was in tolerable 
health ; but very little attention was paid them, or to the excuses 
they made for the duchess of Orleans, and they received a short an. 
Bwer. When they saw this, they returned to Milan to relate to the 
duke what they had seen and heard. The duke was more angered 
than before, and sent liia df fiance to the king and kingdom of France ; 



581 



but, when it was brought, the most gallant part of the French chivalry- 
had already set out for Hungary, and were now entered into Turkey 
From spite to the king of France, the duke of Milan had formed 
an alliance with Bajazet ; and by his means was the sultan regularly 
informed of all that was passing in Christendom, and the secret his- 
tory of France. , 
We will now leave this matter, and say how the sultan Bajazet 
and the Christian barons and knights in Turkey prospered. 




Battls of NICOPOLI. Designed (rom Contemporary MSS. ; an oriental MS. Hist, of Tamerlane fumisliing tlie Costume of the Torks. 



CHAPTER LXXVI. 

WHILE BAJAZET IS KAISINtt A GREAT AKMY TO OPPOSE THE HUNGARIANS 
AND FRENCH, THE LORD DE COUCY, DURING THE SIEGE OF NICOPOLI, DE- 
FEATS A LARGE BODY OF TURKS WITH AN INFERIOR FORCE. 

Bajazet made no long stay at Cairo with the sultan of Babylon, 
who promised to send a great army to' his aid under the command 
of his best men-at-arras, that he might successfully oppose tlie barons 
and knights of France. They dispatched messengers on all sides to 
all who they imagined could assist, begging they would exert them, 
selves in this affair, which was become of the greatest consequence ; 
for, should the French conquer Turkey, all the surrounding kingdoms 
would tremble, their religion be destroyed, and themselves reduced 
to slavery under the Cliristians, and it were far better to die before 
auch events should happen. 

Many Saracen kings obeyed the summons which Bajazet and the 
sultan of Babylon had sent as far as Persia, Media, and Tartary, 
and to the north of the kingdom of Lecto,* beyond the frontiers of 
Prussia. The Saracen monarchs, having heard the army of the Chris. 
tians was composed of the flower of their chivalry, selected from 
their own sect those of the greatest ability, and who had been longest 
trained to arms ; so that their armament was not soon ready to march, 
nor their purveyances prepared. It was the intention of Bajazet to 
raise a force sufficient to withstand the Christians : he therefore began 
his march toward Turkey, followed by large companies from various 
parts. Tartary, Persia, and Media, sejit him many valiant Saracens, 
who were impatient for the combat, and to try their force against 
the Christians. 

We will now leave Bajazet, and return to the Christians, who were 
besieging the strong city of Nicopoli. The garrison was very nume 
rous, and defended the place valiantly against the attacks of their 
enemies, but expressed themselves much surprised that they heard 
nothing of Bajazet. The emperor of Constantinople had indeed 
written to say, that he was still in the country about Alexandria. The 
besieging army lay before Nicopoli, having provision in abundance 
which came to them from Hungary and the surrounding countries. 
During the siege, the lord de Coucy and some other French knights 
took a fancy to make an expedition farther into Turkey, for they 
were tired of remaining so long inactive, while the king of Hungary 
should continue his approaches to the town. The lord de Coucy, 
as commander-in-chief, left the camp with about five hundred lances 
and aa many cross-bows, on horseback, accompanied by the lords de 
Roye, de Saint Py, the governor of Bcauvoir, the lord de Montcaurel, 

* " tccto." MS. Locco. Qs'. Lithuanin. 



the borgnc de Montquel, and several more. They selected as guides 
some of the best mounted Hungarian scouts, well acquainted with 
the country, to lead them where they thought was probable to meet 
the enemy. This same week, the Turks likewise took the field to 
the amount of twenty thousand men ; for, having heard the Chris- 
tians were destroying and burning their country, they determined to 
put an end to it. They collected in the force I have said, and ad- 
vanced to a pass through which it was necessary the Christians should 
march to enter the open country, for there was no other entrance. 
Having remained there for two days without hearing anything of 
the enemy, they were on the point of returning the third day, when 
the Hungarian scouts came galloping* to the place where the Turks 
lay in ambush. When they thus saw them, they kept quiet to ob. 
serve the Christians, without making any sally or throwing a lance. 
The Christians advanced near to the Turks, and, although they could 
not see the whole, found they were very numerous. After a short 
stay, they returned to inform the lord de Coucy and the other lords 
what they had seen. The Christians were rejoiced on hearing it, 
and the lord de Coucy said : " We must advance and see what kind 
of people they are ; for, since we are come thus far, we must not re- 
turn without offering them combat, otherwise we may be blamed." 
" You are in the right," answered such lords as heard him. 

They then tightened their armor, regirthed their horses, and ad- 
vanced at a gentle pace to where the Turks lay. There was a small 
wood between the two parties : when the French knights came to 
it, they halted, and the lord de Coucy said to sir Reginald de Roye 
and the lord de Saint Py : "I would advise, in order to draw the 
Turks out of their ambush, that you two advance with one hundred 
of our men, while we post the remainder in this wood. The Turks, 
seeing so small a party, will quit their ambush : do you suffer your- 
selves to be pursued, and, when past this wood, wheel round on them: 
we will instantly sally forth, and thus inclose and conquer them at 
our pleasure." This plan was adopted, and the two knights set ofT 
with about one hundred of the best mounted : the main body to the 
amount of eight hundred men of tried courage, entered the wood, 
where they hid themselves. The others galloped toward the Turks, 
who were much pleased, thinking what they saw was the whole 
force of the enemy : they quitted their ambuscade and advanced on • 
the plain. The Christian lords, obsening this, turned about, and 
suffered themselves to be pursued, but, as they were so well mounted, 
the Turks could not come up with them. Both parties passed the 
wood without the ambush being noticed, when the lord de Coucy 
sallied forth with his men, shouting, "Our Lady for the lord de 
Coucy 1" and, falling on the rear of the Turks, struck down many. 



■ It is in D. Sauvage " came to Brechaut :" but the MS. in the Museum has it OS ia 
the text, and my MS. " brochant" (spumngj instead of " couraot.'' 



582 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



The Turks halted, on finding themselves thus surrounded, and 
made the best defence they could ; but it little availed, for, not sus. 
pecting any forces behind, they were thunderstruck when they were 
attacked on all sides. The French displayed great valor, and over- 
threw all that opposed them : they slew heaps on the field, and 
killed all they overtook in their flight like wild beasts. They showed 
mercy to none, and happy were they who could save themselves. 
After this defeat, the French returned in the evening to the camp 
before Nicopoli. 

News was spread throughout the army that the lord de Coucy had, 
hy his valor, overtlirown more than fifteen thousand Turks. Very 
many were loud in his praise for this action, but not so the count 
d'Eu ; for he said, " the expedition had been undertaken through 
vanity, and that he saw nothing praiseworthy in it, as it had put the 
detachment under his command in great risk, by attacking so supe- 
rior a force. It was, besides, his duty (since he was so eager to 
perform some deeds of arms, and had met the Turks in the field) to 
have sent information of his intention to the commander-in-chief, the 
count de Nevers, who was anxious to gain renown." Thus, through 
envy as it may be supposed, did the count d'Eu speak of the lord de 
Coucy. During the whole expedition, he never had any friendship 
for him, notwitlistanding he saw that he was beloved and respected 
by all the French and foreign knights, which, he imagined, should 
have been his due ; for he was very nearly connected by blood with 
the king of France, and bore for arms the flower de luces with a bar, 
and was besides constable of France. Such was the beginning of 
the hatred of the count d'Eu to the gallant lord de Coucy, which at 
last broke out, and caused the destruction of the Christian army, as 
you will soon have related. 

We will now leave this subject, and return to what was passing 
between the kings of France and England. 



CH.\PTER LXXVII. 

THE DUKE OF GUELDKES PREVE-XTS THE EAKL OF DERBY JOININS THE 
COUNTS OF HAINAULT A.ND OF OSTREVANT IN THEIR EXPEDITION 

AGAINST FRIESLAND NEGOTIATIONS FOR FEACE BETWEEN FRANCE 

AND ENGLAND ARE CONTINUED UNTIL KING RICHARD CROSSES OVER 
TO CALAIS, TO CONCLUDE THEM WITH THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY. 

You have before heard in this history that the marriage of the 
king of England with a princess of France was nearly approaching ; 
that the two kings showed great aff'ection to each other, as did the 
relatives on either side, excepting the duke of Gloucester. But he 
had no joy in it ; for he knew that, by this connection, peace would 
be established between the two kingdoms, which he would unwil- 
lingly see, for he only wished for war, and excited all whom he 
thought so inclined, to throw every obstacle in the way. At that 
time, there was a knight in his service called sir John Baquigay,* a 
reserved man, who knew all the secrets of the duke, and who, by 
encouraging his warlike dispositions, followed the natural bent of 
iis own inclinations. 

At this period, the duke of Gueldres came to England to visit the 
king and his uncles, and to offer his loyal services, for he was so 
bounden by faith and homage. The duke would gladly have seen 
the king making preparations for war, for he disliked peace. The 
duke of Gueldres had many conversations with the duke of Lancas- 
ter respecting the intended expedition of the counts of Hainault and 
of Ostrevant against Friesland ; for at this moment Fier-4-bras de 
Vertain was in England, having been sent thither by the count d'Os- 
trevant to seek men-at-arms and archers. The earl of Derby had 
been requested to accompany his cousins of Hainault and Ostrevant, 
lo which he was well inclined, and had told Fier-ii-bras that ho 
should be well pleased to go to Friesland, if it met the approbation 
of the king and his father. When, therefore, the duke of Gueldres 
came to England, the duke of Lancaster spoke to him on this sub. 
ject, and desired him to say what he thought of it. He replied, " that 
the expedition would be attended with much danger ; that Friesland 
■was not a country easily conquered, and that many counts of Hol- 
land and Hainault, who in fonner times claimed it as their inherit- 
ance, had marched thither with great force, to bring it under their 
subjection, but had never returned. Tlie Frieslanders are a people 
■void of honor and understanding, and show mercy to none who fall 
in their way. They pay no respect to any lord, however great his 
lank ; and their country is very strong, surrounded by the sea, and 
full of bogs, islands, and marshes, so that no persons can find their 
■way through it but the natives. 1 have been much pressed to join 
this expedition, but I will never enter such a country ; and I would 
not advise that my cousin of Derby go thither, for it is not suitable 
to him. I am satisfied my brother-in-law d'Ostrevant will undertake 
the expedition, for he is very eager to do so, and will lead many 
Hainaulters with him, but there is a chance if any of them ever 
come home again." 

t This speech of the duke of Gueldres had such an effect on the 
duke of Lancaster, that he resolved in his own mind the earl of 
Derby should not go to Friesland. He signified to him secretly his 
intentions, for his son did not live with him, and that, notwithstand- 
ing the engagements he had entered into, he must break them off, 



"^aciuiEaj-."— Museum 5I.S. Hacquingoy.— Hafgd Mg. Laquineay. 



for neither the king nor himself would consent that he should go on 
this expedition. Thus did the duke of Gueldres prevent the count 
of Hainault and his son from having the company of the earl of 
Derby, in which respect he was not well advised, nor was he 
thanked by either; but he was by nature all his life proud and 
envious. 

Fier-ii-bras de Vertain, notwithstanding this disappointment, was 
not the less diligent in collecting forces, and had engaged many 
knights and squires, with more than two hundred archers. But the 
earl of Derby excused himself, for the reasons above mentioned. 
His excuses were accepted, for they plainly saw, that had not the 
king forbidden his going, at the request of the duke of Lancaster, he 
would have been of the party. The king of England, to do honor 
to his cousin of Hainault, ordered vessels to be prepared in the 
Thames to carry, at his cost, such knights as went on this expedi- 
tion to Encuse,* a seaport belonging to the earl of Hainault, at the 
extremity of Holland, and twelve leagues by water from Friesland. 

About this time, the king of France sent Waleran count de Saint 
Pol to England to press forward the treaty for peace, and to urge 
secretly the king of England to its conclusion. Robert the hermit, 
who had been before in England on this subject, and willingly 
listened to by the king, accompanied the count de Saint Pol. On 
the count's arrival in England, he found the king at his palace 
of Eltliam, with his brothers the earls of Kent and Huntingdon, 
and his uncle the duke of Lancaster. The king received him with 
pleasure and kindness, and, having patiently lieard all he had to say, 
took him aside, and replied — " Fair brother of Saint Pol, with regard 
to this treaty of peace with my father-in-law the king of France, I 
am heartily inclined to it ; but I cannot accomplish it alone, nor do 
everything myself. True it is, that my two brothers, and two uncles 
of Lancaster and York, are equally desirous for it as myself ; but 
my other uncle of Gloucester is violently against it, and he leads the 
Londoners as he wills, and may attempt to stir up a rebeUion in the 
country, and raise the people against me. Now, consider the dan- 
ger I should run if there were a second rebellion, headed by the duke 
of Gloucester and other great barons and knights who are, as I know, 
of his way of thinking. I am puzzled how to act, for my uncle of 
Gloucester is of so reserved a nature, no one knows his real thoughts." 
" My lord," answered the count de Saiiit Pol, " you must gain him 
over by fair and kind speeches. Make him handsome presents, and, 
should he demand anything, however unreasonable, grant it him in- 
stantly. This is the only means to gain him ; and, if you continue 
such conduct until your marriage be completed, your queen brought 
hither, and all afi'airs concluded, you may then follow a different 
method ; for you will be powerful enough to crush all your enemies 
or rebellious subjects, as the king of France will at all times be ready 
to assist you, and this you may securely depend upon." " In God's 
name, brother-in-law," said the king, " you speak to the purpose, 
and it shall be as you advise." 

The count de Saint Pol was lodged in London during his stay in 
England; but he had frequent conferences with the king at Eltham, 
and with the duke of Lancaster on the subject of the marriage. It 
had been ordered at Paris, as the count told the king, that the king 
of France and his uncles would come to Saint Onier, and bring the 
young princess with them who was to be queen of England. It was 
therefore their wish that the king of England should come to Calais, 
and that, between the towns of Saint Omer and Calais, an interview 
should take place between the two kings, who from personal know- 
ledge would have their affections much strengthened ; and then there 
might be some secret treaties made respecting a peace between them 
and their uncles, without employing too many persons in the business, 
before the king carried his queen to England. If a peace could not 
be concluded, the truce was then to be prolonged for the term of 
thirty or forty years, between France, England, and their allies. This 
proposal seemed so fair and honorable to the king of England and 
his council, that orders were instantly issued for purveyances of every 
kind to be made ready for the king's voyage and residence at Calais. 
Many lords did the same. The duke and duchess of Gloucester, 
with their children, were invited by the king to be of the party, as 
were the dukes and duchesses of York and Lancaster: this last lady, 
being with her lord at Eltham, had already been asked. The king 
and the count de Saint Pol travelled together through Canterbury to 
Dover, followed by all the lords who had been invited to accompany 
him. In truth, the count de Saint Pol, from his impatience to carry 
the news to the king of France, crossed the sea on his arrival at 
Dover to Boulogne, and hastened thence to Paris, and related to the 
king and his uncles everything which had passed with the king of 
England. This gave general satisfaction, and the king and court- 
set out from Paris, and by short days' journeys came to -A.miens. 

In the meantime, the king of England, his uncle?, and a large 
train of lords and ladies, had crossed t'ne sea to Calais, where they 
were lodged. The duke of Burgundy canie to St. Omer to press for- 
ward the treaties, which were carried on through the mediation of the 
count de St. Pol and Robert the hermit. The duke of Burgundy was 
conducted by the count de St. Pol to Calais on the Eve of Our Lady 
the middle of August, to wait on the king of England and his uncles. 
He was welcomed with joy by the king and his lords ; and they con- 



*'■ Encuse." Q. Enchuysen. D. Sauvage, in a marginal note, calls it Neuse. 
M9. has Eraaise— ■■ Ift viUe d'Emaise." 



My 



CHRONICLES OK ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



563 



ferred together for some time on the articles for a peace, to which 
the king inclined : indeed, to say the truth, he was indifferent what 
might be agreed on, provided he had his wile. When the duke of 
Burgundy had staid at Calais two days negotiating a peace, the king 
told him that he would lay all the articles on his return to England 
before jhe parliament ; for that neither himself nor his lords could 
agree to anything conclusive without the assent of the people of Eng- 
land, and it must be deferred until their will were known. He added, 
that he himself would go over, and return, and so make one journey 
for the conclusion of all things. " That will be well done," replied 
the duke of Burgundy and the count de Saint Pol ; who returned to 
St. Onier, and thence to Amiens, where they expected to meet the 
king and queen of France with their daughter, the future queen of 
England. The dukes of Berry and Brittany were also there ; for the 
king of France had sent for the last-mentioned duke, who came 
lliither in grand array. 

The king of England and his lords returned to London ; but their 
ladies remained until they should come back, which was speedily 
done. During this period, the expedition from Hainault against the 
Frieslanders took place, commanded by the earl of Hainault and liis 
son tlie count d'Ostrevant. We will relate the arrangement of it, for 
it is now time. 

CHAPTER LXXVIII. 

THE COUNTS OF HAINAfLT AND OF OSTKEVANT KAISE A LARGE ARMY OF 
MEN-AT-ARMS, KNIGHTS AND SQCIRES, TO INVADE FRIESLAND. THE 
KING OF FRANCE SENDS THEM ASSISTANCE, UNDER THE COMJIANT) OF 
COVNT WAXERAX DE ST. POL AND THE LORD CHARLES D'aLERET. 

Yon have before heard the great desire duke Albert of Bavaria 
and his son William count d'Ostrevant had to invade Friesland, and 
to employ their arms in the conquest of it. The Icnights and squires 
of Hainault, Holland and Zealand, were willing to second them, be- 
cause they thought it was their lawful inheritance. To gain assist- 
ance, the count d'Ostrevant had sent one of his squires, a renowned 
man-at-arms, called Fier-i-bras de Vertain, to England, where he had 
been successful : king Richard, out of affection to his cousin, had sent 
him some men-at-arms, and two hundred archers, under the command 
of three English lords ; one was named Cornewall, another CoUeville, 
but the name of the third, who was a squire, I have forgotten. It 
was told me, and likewise that he was a gallant man-at-arms, and 
had long been used to war : a short time before, he had in a riot had 
his chin cut off, which was replaced by one of silver that was fastened 
by a silken cord tied round his head. This force arrived at Enchuy- 
sen in proper time. To be more particular in this matter, I must say 
that I was informed duke Albert held many consultations with his 
Eon, the count d'Ostrevant, and they called into their councils a noble 
and valiant squire, named William de Croembourg,* who earnestly 
exhorted them to the war, for he mortally hated the Frieslanders. 
He had done them som* mischief, and did them much more, as you 
shall hear. 

Duke Albert of Bavaria set out from the Hague in company with 
his son, the count d'Ostrevant, for Hainault, and convened the states 
of that country at Mons, who readily obeyed the summons of their 
lord. He laid before them his wish to invade Friesland, and remon- 
strated on his right to do so, and the lawful claim he had on it. In 
proof of this, he had read to them certain letters patent, apostolical 
and imperial, authentically sealed with lead aiid gold, which evidently 
showed bis right over that country. The duke addressed the meet- 
ing : " My lords, and valiant men our subjects, you know that every 
one ought to guard and defend his inheritance, and that man, in the de- 
fence of himself or country, has a right to make war. You know also, 
that the Frieslanders ought to acknowledge themselves our subjects, 
but they are rebellious against us, and against our rights, like men 
•without law or religion. Notwithstanding the justice of our claim, we 
cannot, my very dear lords, without your personal and pecunary aid, 
attempt to make these people listen to reason. We therefore entreat 
your assistance in this necessity, both personal and pecuniary, that 
we may subjugate these disobedient Frieslanders to our will." 

To this remonstrance the three estates unanimously assented; and, 
as they were always inclined to comply with the desires of their lord, 
they presented duke Albert, from the country of Hainault, the sum 
of thirty thousand francs in ready money, without including the town 
of Valenciennes. This town performed equally well its duty, for 
duke Albert, attended by his son, went thither, and made a similar 
request, to what he had done so successfully at Mons. These two val- 
iant princes were very joyful to see their subjects so forward to assist 
their war, as it assured them they were well-beloved by them. Since 
they had now a sufficiency of money, they resolved to inform the 
lung of France of their intended expedition, and to request aid from 
him. Two prudent and valiant knights, the lord de Ligne and the 
lord de Jumont, were sent thither, and acquitted themselves well, for 
they were much in favor with the French, especially the lord de 
Ligne, whom the king, from his partiality to him, had made one of 
■his chamberlains. He proposed to the king of France the request of 
his lord, duke Albert of Bavaria, so eloquently, that he and his coun- 
cil promised the assistance he required. The duke of Burgundy was 
uiyent for its being granted, because his daughter having married 



* "Croeraboure." In ray MS. Croembooic. Museum XLS. Cuierabourch. 



the duke's son, he thought, if the expedition were successful, it would 
be for the advantage of the count d'Ostrevant. 

Many of the great barons disapproved of it, and spoke againet it, 
saying, "How can these Hainaulters come hither to solicit aid from 
our king, when they have already been to ask the same from the 
English ? Have we not lately seen that the count d'Ostrevant has 
accepted of the order of the Garter, which is the English device ? 
Has he shown, by so doing, any very great affection for France V 
But others, who were better informed, replied, " My fair sirs, you 
are wrong to talk thus ; if tlie count d'Ostrevast has accepted the 
Garter, it was not to ally himself with England ; for he is too strongly 
connected with the French. Is it not true that he has married the 
lady Catherine, daughter to the duke of Burgundy ? and is not this 
a better and more valuable alliance than the blue' Garter ? Never, 
therefore, say that he will not prefer doing services to the French 
rather than to the English. The king will honor himself and exalt the 
French name, if he give him the aid he has been wisely advised to 
afford." Thus did the French converse on these matters, which made 
a great noise in France, for nothing was talked of but the deeds of 
arms that were to be performed in Hungary or Turkey against Ba- 
jazet, and in Friesland against the Frieslanders. The king of France 
did not delay raising an army of iivc hundred lances, composed of 
Picards and French, and gave the command of them to the count 
Waleran de St. Pol and the lord Charles d'Albret, two knights that 
were well qualified for the business. They were to lead this body 
of men to the town of Enchuysen in lower Friesland, as that was the 
place of assembly for the whole army, and they were to embark there 
for upper Friesland, which they did. 

When the two valiant knights, the lord de Ligne and the lord de 
Jumont, saw the good inclination of the king, and were assured that 
every order had been given, and the pay issued for the men-at-arms 
who were to be sent to assist the count of Hainault, they look leave 
of the king of France, and, thanking him for his friendship to their 
lords, returned to Hainault, to relate to the duke of Bavaria and the 
count d'Ostrevant how successful they had been. They were re- 
ceived with the honors they had deserved, and detailed the courte- 
ous answers they received from the king of France and the duke of 
Burgundy, who had feasted them grandly, and the rich presents that 
were given them, for which they thanked the duke and his son, as 
it was from affection to them they had been shown such courtesy. 
The whole would be too long to relate : we will therefore pass it 
over, and come to the principal matter. 

Duke Albert on hearing that the king of France was to send to 
his assistance five hundred lances, assembled all his barons and vas- 
sals of Hainault. The assembly consisted of the lord de Vertain, 
seneschal of Hainault, a very valiant man and renowned in arms ; 
the lords de Ligne and de Gomegines, whom he appointed marshals 
of his army ; the lords de Havreth, Michelet de Ligne, de Lalain, de 
Hordaing, de Chin, de Cautain, du Quesnoy, de Fleron, his brother 
John, the lords de Bousset, de Jumont (who were knights always 
eager to meet their enemies, but at this time they had bleared eyes, 
red as crimson,) Robert le Roux ; the lords de Monthiaux, de Fon- 
taines, de SeuUes, the lords James de Sars, William de Hermes, and 
Pinchart his brother ; the lords de Lens, de Verlammont, Anseaux 
de Trasseigines, Octes de Seaussines and his brother Gerard ; the 
lord de Ictre, his brother John : sir -\nseaux de Sars, Bridaux de 
Montigny, Daniaux de la PouUe, Guy de la PouUe ; the lord de Mas- 
ting; sir Floridas de Villiers, who was a most valiant knight, and 
had gained great renown for his gallant deeds of arms against the 
Turks and Saracens in the Holy Land; sir Eustace de Vertain, sir 
Fier-i-bras de Vertain, who was but just returned from England, and 
rejoiced his lord with the success of his mission there ; the lord de 
Osteven, sir Rasse de Montigny, Thuq de Merse ; the lord de Ror- 
sin, sir John d'Andregines, Persant his brother, and great numbers 
01 other gentlemen and squires, whom, having assembled in his hall 
at Mons, he addressed, saying, " That he hoped they would all arm, 
and provide themselves with followers and ev^ry necessar)-, each ac- 
cording to his power, to assist him in his intended expedition against 
Friesland ; and that, out of affection to him, and regard to their own 
honor and renown, they would accompany him to his town of En- 
chuysen, in lower Friesland, and to Meemelie,* and thence embark 
with liim for upper Friesland, where he proposed being, if it pleased 
God, by the middle of August ensuing, and that he would wait for 
them in one or other of the two before-mentioned towns ; that it was 
his intention to go thither beforehand to make the necessary prepa- 
rations, and to receive his men-at-arms, and such Hollanders and 
Zealanders as would be induced to enter his service, and aid him to 
the accomplishment of his purposes." All the knights, squires and 
lords in Hainault instantly complied with his request, and promised 
him their services like loyal vassals. Duke Albert and the count 
d'Ostrevant found them punctual in the performance of their prom- 
ises, and they made themselves speedily ready, so that about the be- 
ginning of August of the year 1396, they assembled and marched 
off in companies handsomely arrayed, toward Antwerp, where they 
were to embark for Enchuysen, the general rendezvous. i 

You may suppose, that when all these preparations were making 
for the departure of so many knights and squires, the ladies and dam- 

••■Meemelie." British Museum MS. Metenelich. Hafod M9. Metmelic. Q. Ifnat 
Medeodric, which is nottkr &om Enchuysen. 



584 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, See. 



scls were not in high spirits. We must allow they were very much 
cast down for they saw their fathers, brothers, uncles, husbands and 
lovers eoing on a dangerous expedition, not having forgotten how, 
in former times, the Hainaulters with count William had remained 
on the field of battle in Friesland. They were therefore fearful that 
what had happened to their predecessors might befal them, and 
loudly praised the duchess of Brabant for having forbidden any gen. 
tleman or others of her country to take part in this expedition. The 
ladies frequently pressed their lovers and friends to decline going, 
and many meetings were holden, but to little purpose. They were 



particularly angry with Fier-i.braa, bastard de Vertain, for they said 
he was the principal promoter of this expedition. Duke Albert and 
his son, on learing Mons after the promise of the Hainaulters to as. 
sist them, returned to Zealand, and made similar requests to the 
Zealanders, who in like manner complied ; and the lord de la Vere, 
sir Floris de Boessel, Floris d'Abel, the lord de Zenemberge, sir 
Clais de Boysel and Philip de Cortein, were very instrumcrtal in for. 
warding the business. They, as well as many other gentlemen, 
instantly armed, and put themselves in handsome array, plainly 
showing they were desirous to gain renown. 




WiLLUM OF HaikaVIT o» H!3 E.1K0IT10N AOAIKST Frieslans. From MSS. of the 15th Century. 



CHAPTER LXXIX. 

THE EARL OF HAINAtJI.T LANDS WITH HIS ARMY IN FRIESLAND. HE DE. 
FEATS THE FKIESLANDERS IN BATTLE, BUT IS NEVERTHELESS FORCED 
TO RETIRE TO HOLLAND, TO PASS THE WINTER, WITHOUT HAVING GAINED 
ANYTHING IN FRIESLAND. 

The duke of Bavaria and his son, having been so successful in 
Hainault and Zealand, made the same requests to the Hollanders, 
especially to the barons and chief towns. To say the truth, the Hoi. 
landers were much pleased to hear war was about to be made on 
the Frieslanders : they hated them, particularly the knights and squires, 
for there was a continual warfare carried on, and they mutually plun. 
dered each other on the frontiers of the two countries. When the 
great lords in Holland, such as the lord d'Alrel, and other gallant 
knights and squires, heard the supplications of their princes, duke 
Albert and his son count William, they immediately offered their 
services, and promised them every assistance. They were speedily 
armed, and the principal towns supplied them with a large body of 
cross-bows, pikemen and men-at-arms. It was not long before they 
were all assembled at Enchuyscn, where vessels had been provided 
to carry them to Friesland. They were so numerous, they were said 
to be thirty thousand sailors, and that the town of Haarlem alone had 
supplied twelve hundred. These vessels were amply freighted with 
warlike stores and other necessaries. You may imagine the grief 
of the ladies and damsels in Holland and Zealand was not less than 
those of Hainault, when they found their lovers and relations were 
engaged in this war. Their anger fell chiefly on the lord de Cruem- 
bourg, because they thought he had been the great adviser of duke 
Albert in the matter, and on the lord de Merebbedc. This last was 
eager for revenge on the Frieslanders for the injuries they had done 
him : in the before-mentioned battle, when count William was un- 
fortunately slain, he had lost three-and-thirty of his relations, bearing 
his arms on their coats, with sir Daniel de Merebbede their leader, 
none of whom would the Frieslanders ransom. These two lords, 
therefore, were afraid to appear before the princesses and ladies of 
duke Albert's court. 

In a short time the whole army was assembled : the English came 
first, next the Hainaulters in very handsome array, under the com- 
mand of the lord siSneschal de Jumont, and the lord de Gomegines, 
who was marshal ; then the Hollanders and Zealanders ; but the 



French did not come so soon as e.xpected, which delayed the em. 
barkation eleven days. During this interval, there arose a quarrel 
between the English and Hollanders ; and, had it not been for the 
count d'Ostrevant, the English would have been slain. The quarrel 
was made up ; and the French arrived, to the joy of all, for they con 
sisted of a welUappointed body of men-at-arms. Every one was now 
ordered instantly to embark, which being done, they hoisted sail, re. 
commended themselves to God, and put to sea. The water was 
smooth, and seemed to take pleasure in bearing them. There were 
such numbers of vessels that, had they been arranged in a line from 
Enchuysen to Kuynder (which is in upper Friesland, and where they 
intended to land,) though twelve leagues distant, the whole sea would 
have been covered ; but they sailed in one body. 

We will for a while leave them, and speak of the Frieslanders, 
who, as I was informed, had been long acquainted with duke Albert's 
intention of marching against them with a powerful army. They 
held many councils on the subject, and determined to combat their 
enemies at the very moment of their landing ; for they said they 
should prefer death with liberty, to being slaves; and would never quit 
the battle while alive. They also resolved not to accept of ransoms 
for any person, however high his rank, but to put their prisoners to 
death, or keep them in banishment from their own countries. Among 
these was a Frieslander of high birlh and renown : he was of great 
strength and stature, lor he was taller by a head than all his country- 
men. His name was Yves .Touvere ; but the Hollanders, Zealanders 
and Hainaulters called him " The great Frieslander." This valiant 
man had gained nmch reputation in Prussia, Hungary, Turkey, 
Rhodes and Cyprus, where he had performed such deeds of valor 
that he was much spoken of When he heard his countrymen thijs 
readily resolve on battle, ho addressed them : " O ye noble men, 
and free Frieslanders, know that there is no fortune stable. If in 
former limes you have, by your prowess, conquered the Hainaulters, 
Hollanders and Zealanders, those who are now about to invade us 
are men expert in war, and be assured they will act otherwise than 
their predecessors : you will see they will not fly, but fight with the 
utmost prudence. I would therefore advise that we suffer them to 
land and make what progress they can into the country: let us guard 
our towns and fortresses, and give up to them the plains, where they 
will waste themselves. Our country will not long support them. It 
is besides cut up with ditches and dykes, so that they cannot advanca 
far into the interior, and they will be forced to return after having 



CHRONICLES 1-' ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, <fcc. 



585 



burnt ten or twelve villages. This they will the more speedily do, 
for they cannot ride, nor indeed without difficulty march on foot, 
through the country, wliicli will wear them out. The damage they 
can do will be trifling, and we can soon repair it ; but, if we offer 
them battle, I very much fear wc shall be overpowered, for I have 
been credibly informed they are one hundred thousand men under 
aims." He said truly, for they were at least as many, if not more. 
Three valiant Friesland knights, sir Feu de Dorekerque, sir Gerard 
Carin and sir Tiny de Walturg, seconded this proposal ; but the peo- 
ple would not listen to it, and they were supported by several of those 
noble men called Elins, who are gentlemen and judges of causes. 
They opposed what the great Frieslander had offered with such sue. 
cess, OS to occasion it to be determined that, as soon as they should 
hear of the enemy landing, they were to march and offer them com. 
Dat. This being resolved on, the assembly broke up, that every one 
might make his preparations. To say the truth, they were in general 
very poorly armed : many had no other defensive covering than their 
waistcoats made of coaroe thick cloth.scarcely better than horse.cloths. 
Some were armed in leather, others with rusty jackets of mail, which 
seemed unfit for service ; but there were some perfectly well armed. 
When the Frieslanders were ready to march, they took from their 
churches the crosses and banners, and divided themselves into three 
battalions, each consisting of about ten thousand men : they halted, on 
arriving at a pass defended by a ditch, very near to where the Hain. 
ault army was to land, and plainly saw the Hainaulters, Holland, 
ers and Zealanders, for they were close to the shore, and prepar. 
ing to disembark. It was on Saint Bartholomew's day, which this 
year fell on a Sunday, that duke Albert and his army landed in 
Friesland. 

The Frieslanders, noticing the movements of their enemies, sallied 
forth, to the amount of about six thousand, and mounted the dykes to 
see if they could any way prevent their landing. Among the Fries- 
landers, there was a sort of mad woman dressed in blue cloth, who, 
quitting her countrymen, rushed forward toward the Hainaulters and 
Hollanders, making ready for battle. When she had approached 
the army within bow.shot, she turned her back, and, raising up her 
petticoats and shift, showed her bare rump to all who wished to see it, 
bawling out some words in her own language, which meant, " Take 
this for your welcome." Tliose on ship.board, seeing the wicked, 
ness of this woman, let fly such a shower of arrows and bolls that 
her legs and thighs were larded with them ; for it seemed a shower 
of snow, so many were the arrows shot at her. Several leaped into 
the water, and, pursuing this wretched woman with drawn swords, 
soon overtook Iter, and cut her into a thousand pieces. In the mean 
time, the debarkation was taking effect; and the Hainaulters marched 
to the enemy, who received them courageously, with long pikes, and 
staves shod with iron, and repulsed them vigorously. The landing 
was strongly contested, and numbers were killed and wounded ; but 
from the advantage of their bows and cross bows, and by their supe. 
rior mode of fighting, the Hainaulters gained the dyke, and remained 
■i-ictors on the field at this first attack. When they were all disem. 
barked, they ranged theinselves along the dyke, each under his ban- 
ner, and, when thus drawn up, their line e.xtended more than half 
a league. The Frieslanders, on their loss of the dyke, retreated to 
another pass, where they had cast up the earth in their front, and the 
ditch was very deep : they amounted to about thirty thousand, and 
as they were at no great distance, were plainly seen by the Hainault- 
ers and their allies, from their position on the dyke. Each party 
remained on the ground : in the mean time, the whole army was 
landed, with their baggage, and some tents were pitched, under which 
they reposed themselves during the Sunday and Monday, observing 
the Frieslanders, with whom on these two days th»re were many 
skirmishes and deeds of arms. 

Both armies were ready prepared for battle on the Tuesday morn- 
ing : and many new knights were made of the Hainaulters, Holland- 
ers and Zealanders, when it was resolved to attack the enemy. They 
drew up in handsome array, placing their archers in front, intermixed 
with the ranks, and, with trumpets sounding, marched to pass the 
ditch. The Frieslanders guarded themselves from the arrows by 
means of the mound of earth thrown from the ditch, which was as 
high as their heads ; but the Hollanders leaped into the ditch, and 
made bridges of their pikes and lances. The enemy defended them- 
selves valiantly, and gave such rude blows on those who attempted 
to mount the bank, that they drove them on their backs into the ditch. 
In short so many valorous deeds were done, it is impossible to recount 
them all ; but the Hainaulters and their allies were too strongly armed, 
and t!ie Frieslanders could not otherwise Imrt them than by knock- 
ing them down. The new knights acquitted themselves honorably, 
but the enemy displayed great courage : they are a lusty race, though 
very badly armed, and some of them without shoes or stockings ; 
notwithstanding which, they made an obstinate defence. During 
this skirmish, the lord de Ligne, the seneschal of Hainault and the 
lord de Jumont, with other Hainault knights, following the course of 
the ditch found a passage for their horses, and fell upon the rear of 
the Frieslanders, to their utter dismay. They quitted the defence of 
the ditch to repel this last attack ; but the Hainaulters charged them 
so vigorously that the enemy were broken and dispersed, and the 
Hollanders and Zealanders crossed the ditch and joined in the fray. 
The battle was now veiy murderous ; and the Frieslanders gave de- ' 



structive blows with the axes they had armed themselves with, which 
served them to fell timber ; but the great Frieslander, Yves Jouvere, 
lost his life. Not long after this, the Frieslanders yielded the field, 
and took to flight as fast as they could. The carnage in the pursuit 
was horrible, for none were spared : the Hollanders, in particular, 
killed all they could overtake ; even such as had been made prisoners 
by the English, French and Hainaulters, they killed while in their 
hands. 

The lord William de Cruembourg, and his two sons, John and 
Henry, who had that morning been knighted, acquitted themselves 
gallantly, and were the most active in slaying the Frieslanders, 
showing clearly they loved them not. To conclude, the Friesland- 
ers were completely defeated and the greater part killed ; some few 
were made prisoners, and about fifty carried to the Hague, where 
they remained a long time. The lord of Kuynder, who was the lord 
of the town where duke Albert had landed, had surrendered himself 
to the duke on the Monday, and himself and two sons were in the 
battle against the Frieslanders. They lived afterwards under the 
protection of duke Albert and his son count William. 

After this defeat, the Hainaulters, Hollanders, Zealanders, French 
and English, quartered themselves about Kuynder, and took several 
towns and castles ; but their captures were inconsiderable, for the 
Frieslanders did them much harm by ambuscades and skirmishes. 
If they made any prisoners, they had no ransom to offer ; and it was 
seldom they would surrender, but fought until they were slain, say- 
ing they preferred death and liberty to being under the subjection of 
any lord whatever. Their friends or relations never brought any 
ransoms for those who were taken, but left them to die in prison. 
The Frieslanders offered their prisoners in exchange, man for man ; 
but, when their enemies had none to give in return, they put them 
to death. When the Hainault army had been in the country about 
five weeks, and had destroyed and burnt many towns and villages, 
of little value indeed, the weather began to be very cold and to rain 
almost daily : there were also great tempests at sea. Duke Albert 
and his son, in consequence, proposed the return of the army to 
lower Friesland, whence they had come, and to march into Holland, 
the more comfortably to pass the winter, which had set in very hard. 
This was done ; and, on their arrival at Enchuysen, the lords dia. 
missed their men, particularly the strangers, with whom they were 
well contented, and paid them their full pay, thanking them at the 
same time for the services they had rendered. Thus was this great 
army disbanded, without having made any conquest ; but, two years 
after, these noble princes, duke Albert and his son count William, 
returned thither a second time, and made great conquests by their 
excellent prowess, which, if it please God, shall be fully recounted. 
But for the moment we will not say more, and relate the magnificent 
marriage of the king of England with the princess Isabella of France. 



CHAPTER LXXX. 

THE CEREMONY OF THE MARRIAGE OF THE ZINCf OF ENOLANO WITH A 
PRINCESS OF FRANCE. THE KING OF FRANCE DELIVERS HER TO THB 
KING OF ENGLAND, IN HIS TENT BETWEEN AKDRES AND CALAIS. 

You have heard of the journey of the king of England to Calais, 
where he resided with his uncles, prelates, and barons of his council, 
during which time he had held a conference with the duke of Bur- 
gundy respecting the articles of peace. The king had returned to 
London to wait the meeting of his parliament at Michaelmas ; but 
in the mean time great purveyances were made for him and for hia 
barons, and sent to Calais and Guines. The larger part were for- 
warded down the river Thames, but a good deal was collected iu 
Flanders, at Damme, Bruges, and Sluys, which were sent by sea to 
Calais. In like manner, great preparations were made for the king 
of France, the duke of Orleans, their uncles, and tlie barons and 
prelates of France, at Saint Omer, Aire, Therouenne, Ardres, la 
Montoire, Leulinghen, and in all the monasteries and houses round 
about. No expense was spared on either side ; and the lords of 
each country were emulous to outshine one another. In the abbey 
of Saint Berlin,* great were the preparations to receive the royal 
visitors. 

The session of parliament, which usually lasts forty days, and is 
held in the king's palace at Westminster, was now abridged, for the 
king attended it only five days : when the business of the nation, 
and what particularly interested the king, and had caused his return 
from Calais, was settled, he and his two uncles of Lancaster and 
Gloucester, and the members of his council, set out from London, 
and crossed the sea to Calais. The duke of York and the earl of 
Derby did not attend the king, but remained behind to guard Eng. 
land in his absence. Information was instantly sent to the French 
lords in Picardy of the king of England's remrn to Calais ; and the 
duke and duchess of Burgundy came to Saint Omer, and fi.\ed their 
residence in the abbey of Saint Bertin. The king of France sent 
the count de Saint Pol to king Richard, as soon as he heard of his 
arrival at Calais, to compliment him in his name, and to lay before 
him the orders which had been given for the ceremony of hia mar- 

* " Saint Benin"— an abbe? in the city of Saint Omer. 



586 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, & c . 



rage. The king of England eagerly listened to this, for he took 
much pleasure in the business. The count de Saint Pol, on his 
return to Saint Omer, was accompanied by the duke of Lancaster, 
hie son Beaufort of Lancaster, the duke of Gloucester, with his son 
Humphrey, the earl of Rutland, the earl marshal, the earl of Hunt- 
ingdon, chamberlain of England, and many other barons and knights, 
■who were handsomely receiwd by the duke and duchess of Bur- 
gundy. The duke of Brittany came thither also, having left the 
king of France and the young queen of England at Aire. 

You must know that every honor and respect that could be im- 
agined were paid to the English lords. The duchess of Burgundy 
entertained them splendidly at dinner ; at which was present the 
duchess of Lancaster, with her son and two daughters. There was 
an immense variety of different dishes and decorations on the tables, 
and very rich presents made of gold and silver plate : nothing, in 
short, was spared, so that the English were astonished where such 
riches could come from, and especially the duke of Gloucester, who 
told his friends that the kingdom of France was full of wealth and 
power. To soften the temper of the duke of Gloucester, whom the 
French lords knew to be proud, and their bitter enemy, they paid 
him the most flattering attentions. Notwithstanding this, and the 
handsome presents they offered, which he accepted, the same ran- 
cor remained in his breast, and, in spite of everything the French 
could say or do, whenever the subject of peace was mentioned, his 
answers were as harsh and severe as ever. The French are very 
subtle ; but, with regard to him, they could never gain his affections ; 
and his conversation was so reserved, it was not possible to discover 
his real sentiments. When the duke of Burgundy saw this, he said 
to his council : " We shall never succeed until we gain over this 
duke of Gloucester : as long as he lives, there will not be any solid 
peace with England, for he will ever find some cause of quarrel, 
and renew the hatred of the people of both countries : his whole 
thoughts are on this subject ; and were it not for the amiable quali- 
ties of the king of England, which we hope may produce in time 
more favorable effects, in good truth, he should never have our cousin 
as liis wife." After the duchess of Burgundy, the countess of Ne- 
vers, the countess of Saint Pol, and the lords and ladies of France, 
had, as you have heard, magnificently entertained the English lords 
and ladies (at which time it was determined when and where the 
two kings should meet, and the king of England receive his wife,) 
the company took leave of each other, and the two dukes, with 
their duchesses and children, returned with the other barons and 
knights to Calais, and related to king Richard how grandly they 
had been received, and the rich presents that had been made them. 
Their praises pleased the king; for he was delighted whenever he 
heard the king of France or the French well spoken of, so much 
was he already enamored with them, on account of the king's 
daughter whom he was to marry. 

Shortly after this, the king of France, accompanied by the duke of 
Brittany, came to Saint Omer, and was lodged in the abbey of Saint 
Bertin: all who had before occupied it were forced to dislodge. The 
dukes of Berry, Burgundy, and Bourbon, having been ordered to 
confer with the king of England at Calais, set out from Saint Omer, 
and, on their arrival at Calais, were received with every honor 
and kindness by the king and his lords. They were entertained 
with splendor ; and the three dukes concluded certain treaties with 
the king of England and his uncles. Many in France and England 
thought a peace had been concluded, for at that time the duke of 
Gloucester was well inclined to it, in consideration of the kind 
promises of the king, who had engaged, if a peace were made, to 
create his son Humphrey earl of Rochester, and make the annual 
revenu5 of it equal to two thousand pounds sterling, and to present 
the duke of Gloucester with fifty thousand nobles on his return to 
England. Thus, through his avaricious disposition, was the duke of 
Gloucester softened in his opinions respecting a peace with France. 
It was so visible, that the French dukes observed it, for they had 
never before found him so tractable or moderate in his conversation. 
When the French lords had concluded the business they had come 
upon, they took leave of the king, and returned to the king of France 
and the duke of Orleans at Saint Omer, who were impatient to hear 
the success of their journey. The king of France departed from 
St. Omer, and resided in the fort of Ardres : the duke of Burgundy 
went to la Montoire, the duke of Brittany to the town of Esque, and 
the duke of Berry to Tournehem. The plain was covered with 
tents and pavilions full of French and English. The king of England 
and the duke of Lancaster were lodged in Guines, and the duke of 
Gloucester at Hamme. 

On the vigil of the feast of Saint Simon and Saint Jude,* which 
fell on a Friday, in the year of grace 139G, the two kings left their 
lodgings on the point of ten o'clock, and accompanied by their 
attendants, went to the tents that had respectively been prepared for 
them. Thence they advanced on foot to a certain spot which had 
been fi.xed on for their meeting, and which was surrounded by four 
hundred French and as many English knights, brilliantly armed with 
swords in hand. These eight hundred knights were so drawn up, 
that the two kings passed between their ranks, conducted in the 
following order : the dukes of Lancaster and Gloucester supported 
the king of France, as did the dukes of Berry and Burgundy the 
' The feast of Saint Simon and Saint Juile is on the 28Ui October. 



king of England, and thus they advanced slowly through the ranks 
of the knights ; when the two kings were on the point of meeting, 
the eight hundred knights fell on their knees and wept for joy. The 
two kings met bareheaded, and having saluted, took each other ky 
the hand, when the king of France led the king of England to his 
tent, which was handsome and richly adorned : the four dukes took 
each otlfFT by the hand, and followed them. The English and 
French knights remained at their post, looking at their opponents 
with good humor, and never stirred until the whole ceremony was 
over. The spot where the two kings had me* was marked, and a 
chapel in honor of the Virgin Mary was proposed to be erected on it, 
but I know not if it were ever put into execution. On the entrance 
of the two kings holding each other by the hand into the tent, the 
dukes ef Orleans and of Bourbon came forward and cast themselves 
on their knees : the kings stopped and made them rise. The six 
dukes then assembled in front and conversed together : the kings 
passed on, and had some conversation, while the wine and spices 
were preparing. The duke of Berry served the king of France with 
the comflt.bo.x, and the duke of Burgundy with the cup of wine. 
In like manner was the king of England served by the dukes of 
Lancaster and Gloucester. After the kings had been served, the 
knights of France and England took the wine and spices, and served 
the prelates, dukes, princes, and counts ; and, after them, squires and 
other officers of the household did the same to all within the tent, 
until every one had partaken of the spices and wine ; during which 
time, the two kings freely conversed. 

After a short space, the two monarchs took leave of each other, 
as did the different lords. The king of England and his uncles re- 
tired to their tents, while the horses were made ready ; they then 
mounted, and took the road toward Calais; the king to Guines, the 
dukes of Lancaster and Gloucester to Hamme, and the others to 
their lodgings at Calais. In like manner did the king of France 
return to Ardres, accompanied by the duke of Orleans ; the duke of 
Berry to Tournehem, and the duke of Burgundy to la Montoire ; 
for nothing more was done that day, although the tents and pavilions 
of the king of France and other lords were left standing. 

At eleven o'clock of the Saturday morning, the feast of Saint 
Simon and Saint Jude, the king of England, attended by his uncles 
and all the noblemen who had accompanied him from England, 
waited on the king of France in his tent. They were received by 
the king, his brother, and uncles, with great pomp and the most 
affectionate words. The dinner tables were there laid out : that for 
the kings was long and handsome, and the side-board covered with 
the most magnificent plate. The two kings were seated by them- 
selves ; the king of France at the top of the table, and the king of 
England below him, but at a good distance from each other. They 
were served by the dukes of Berry, Burgundy, and Bourbon : the 
last entertained the two monarchs with many gay remarks, to make 
them laugh, and those about the table, for he had much drollery, and, 
addressing the king of England, said, " My lord king of England, 
you ought to make good cheer, for you have had all your wishes 
gratified. You have a wife, or shall have one, for she will be speedily 
delivered to you." " Bourbonnois," replied the king of France, 
" we wish our daughter were as old as our cousin of Saint Pol, 
though we were to double her dower, for then she would love our 
son of England much more." The king of England heard well these 
words, and replied, bowing to the king of France (for he did not 
address himself to the duke of BourboM, since the king had compared 
his daughter with the countess of Saint Pol's,) " Good father-in-law, 
the age of our wife pleases us right well : we pay not so much atten- 
tion concerning her age, as we value your love, and that of our 
subjects, for we shall now be so strongly united that no king in 
Christendom can any way hurt us." 

When dinner was over, which lasted not long, the cloth was 
removed, the tables carried away, and wine and spices brought. 
After this, the young queen of England entered the tent, attended by 
a great number of ladies and damsels. The king led her by the 
hand, and gave her to the king of England, who instantly after took 
his leave. The queen was placed in a very rich litter which had 
been prepared for her; but, of all the French ladies who were there, 
only the lady of Coucy went with her, for there were many of the 
principal ladies of England, such as the duchesses of Lancaster, York, 
Gloucester, Ireland, the lady of Namur, the lady Poinings, and others 
of the nobility, who received queen Isabella with great jay. When 
the ladies were ready, the king of England and his lords departed, 
and, riding at a good pace, arrived at Calais. The king of France 
and his court returned to Saint Omer. where he had left the queen 
and duchess of Burgundy, and staid there the Sunday and Monday 
following. On the Tuesday, which was All-saints day, the king of 
Eno-land was married by the archbishop of Canterbury, in the church 
of Saint Nicholas at Calais, to the lady Isabella of France. Great 
were the feastings on the occasion, and the heralds and mmstrels 
were se liberally paid they were satisfied. 

On the ensuing Thursday, the dukes of Orleans and Bourbon came 
to Calais, to visit the king and queen of England : they staid that 
day, and on the following went back to dinner at St. Omer, where 
the king and queen of France waited for them. This same morning, 
the king and queen of England, having heard an early mass and 
drank some wine, embarked on board the vessels which had been 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &.c. 



587 



prepared for them, witli a favorable wind. They weighed anchor, 
set their sails, and in less than three hours landed at Dover. The 
king dined at the castle, and lay the next night at Rochester : pass- 
ing through Dartford, he arrived at the palace of Eltham, where the 
lords and ladies took leave of the king and queen, and went to their 
homes. 

Fit'teen days after, the queen made her entry into London, grandly 
attended by lords, ladies, and damsels. She lay one night in the 
Tower, seated on the banks of the Thames, and the next day was 
conducted in great pomp, through the streets, to Westminster, where 
the king was waiting in his palace to receive her. This day the 
Londoners made very rich presents to the queen, which were gra- 
ciously accepted. During the time the court was at Westminster, a 
tournament was ordered to be held at Candlemas in Smithfield, 
between forty knights and as many squires ; and notices of it were 
given to the heralds, that they might publish it beyond sea, and 
as far as Scotland. 

When the king of France was returned to Paris after the marriage 
of his daughter, and his lords were gone to their residences, there 



were great rumors of war. It was said to have been settled that, a*, 
the beginning of March, the king was to lead a large army into 
Lombardy to destroy the duke of Milan ; and that the king was so 
bent on this e.xpedition, he would not listen to anything that was said 
against it. The king of England was to send his father-in-law six 
thousand archers ; and the duke of Brittany, who had been constantly 
with the king, offered his services on the expedition, with two thou- 
sand Breton spears. Purveyances were already making for the king 
and lords in Dauphiny and in Savoy. When the duke of Brittany 
took leave of the king of France and his lords, to return to his duchy 
I believe the duke of Burgundy made such earnest intercession with 
the king, and those immediately concerned, that the duke of Brit- 
tany carried with him his cousin sir Peter de Craon, who was con- 
fined a prisoner at his own charges, in the tower of the Louvre, for 
the debt he had been sentenced to pay of one hundred thousand 
francs to the queen of Jerusalem. I imagine he engaged to pay the 
queen the above sum by instalments ; but I will, for the present, 
leave speaking of these matters, and return to what was passing in 
Turkey. 




IfliBiliA ANB THE Kixo OP Ebohsd taeino lbavi OP TUB Kiao OP FRiNcs, *T TUB CiMP BETWKN ABDRI3 iND CiLits. Trom MSS. of llie Ijtli C'enlmr 



CHAPTER LXXXI. 

THE CHRISTIANS AKE FORCED TO RAISE THE SIEGE OF NICOTOLI, BY THE 
ARRIVAL OF BAJAZET IN TrKKEY. THEY ARE DEFEATED AND THE HUN- 
GARIANS PUT TO FLIGHT, THROUGH THE PKESUMFTUOnS FOLLY OF THE 
FRENCH. 

You have bel'ore read in our history how the king of Hungary, and 
Ihe lords from France who had gone to Hungary in search of deeds 
of arms, had valiantly crossed the Danube, and entered Turkey ; 
where during the summer, from the month of July, they had con- 
quered a large tract of country, having mercifully spared the inhab. 
itants and many towns and castles, for none could withstand their 
power. They had besieged the city of Nicopoli, and so hardly 
pressed it by their attacks, that it was on the point of surrendering 
without hearing any intelligence of Bajazet. The king of'Hungary 
had even addressed the French lords, such as the count de Nevers, 
the count d'Eu, the count de la Marche, the count de Soissons, the 
lord de Coucy, and the barons and knights of Burgundy, saying, "My 
fail' sirs, thanks to God, »'e have made a successful campaign ; for 
we have performed many brilliant deeds of arms, and have conquered 
Turkey. I look on the town of Nicopoli as our own, for it is so 
undermined it can hold out no longer than we please. I therefore 
would propose, that after we shall have gained and shown mercy to 
this town, we attempt nothing mote this season, but recross the Da- 
nube, and return to Hungary, where I Kave many handsome towns 
and castles prepared to receive you, since you have so gallantly 
assisted me against the Turks, my bitter enemies. During the win- 
lor we will provide stores for the ensuing summer, each according to 
liis pleasure, and send information of our situation, and what we 
have done, to the king of France, who, before that time, will send 
\\B large reinforcements ; and I hope, when he shall know the suc- 
cess we have had, he may be inclined to come hither in person, for 
he is young and fond of arms. But whether he come or not, if it 
please God, we will next summer cross the Hellespont, regain Ar- 
menia, thence march to Syria, with the towns of Jaffa and Baruth, 
and conquer Jerusalem and the Holy Land. Should the sultan op- 



pose us, we will offer him battle, and never return without having 
combated him." Such was the speech of the king of Hungary to 
the French lords : they considered Nicopoli as won, but it fell out 
otherwise. 

During the whole summer, Bajazet had been busily employed in 
raising an army of Saracens and infidels : he had even sent to Per- 
sia for succor, and the great lords of his religion had joined him 
against Christendom. They had crossed the Hellespont to the 
amount of two hundred thousand ; but the Christians were not only 
ignorant of their numbers, but of their approach ; and they advanced 
so secretly, they were close to Nicopoli before the besiegers knew 
of their having begun their march. Bajazet was as \vell acquainted 
with the stratagems of war as most, and of great valor and enterprise. 
He considered maturely the power of the Christians, and said they 
were a valiant race. Bajazet marched to raise the siege of Nicopoli 
in the following order. His army was drawn up in the form of a 
harrow, and occupied about a league of ground ; in front of this main 
body, and a league in advance, were eight thousand Turks, to mask 
the body of the army, which was divided into two wings. Bajazet 
was in the midst of his main body, who thus quietly advanced, with 
their vanguard of eight thousand in front : they were thus ordered, 
to make an appearance as if they were the whole army ; but when- 
ever they met the Christians, they were to fall back gently toward 
the main body, which was then to extend itself as much as possible, 
and endeavor to inclose the Christians, whom they should then 
conquer at pleasure. Such was the order of battle of Bajazet. 

It happened, that on the Monday preceding Michaelmas-day, in 
the year 1396, about ten o'clock, as the king of Hungary and the 
lords, who were lying before Nicopoli, were seated at dinner, news 
was brought them that their enemies, the Turks, were near at hand ; 
but, as I heard, the scouts did not inform them of the whole truth : 
they had not noticed the main body of the Turks, for the moment 
they saw the vanguard they dared not advance farther, as they were 
not men-at-arms fearless of such an enterprise. The Hungarians 
and French had each scouts of their own, and both parties arrived 
nearly at the same time with this intelligence. The greater part of 
the army were at dinner when the news was carried to the count de 



588 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



Nevers and the other French lords, the messenger bawling out,"Come I 
quickly arm yourselves, that you be not surprised, for the Turks are 
on full march to meet you." This information was agreeable to 
many- who were desirous of arms : they instantly arose, pushed the 
tables aside, and demanded their horses and armor. They were 
somev.'hat heated with wine, and hastened to the field as well as 
they could. Banners and pennons were displayed, under which 
every one ranged himself in his proper post. The banner of the Vir. 
gin Mary was unfurled, and the guard of it given to that valiant knight 
sir John de Vienne, admiral of France. The French were so eager 
to arm themselves that they were the first in the field, drawn up in 
handsome array, and seemingly fearless of the Turks ; for they were 
ignorant of their immense numbers, and that Bajazet commanded in 
person. As the French lords were hastening from their tents to the 
field, the marshal of the king of Hungary, named sir Henry d'Osten- 
lemhalle,* mounted on a handsome courser, came to them with a 
few attendants. He was a valiant and experienced knight, and 
had borne before him a pennon of his arms, which were a cross 
anchored sable on a field argent, which in heraldry is called cross 
moline. He stopped when opposite the banner of Our Lady, where 
the principal lords were assembled, and said aloud, "I am sent hither 
by my lord, the king of Hungary, who entreats you by me, that you 
will not begin the battle before you shall again hear from him ; for 
he much suspects and fears that the scouts have not brought e.xact 
intelligence of the numbers of the Turks. Within two hours you shall 
have more certain intelligence, for we have sent other scouts, who 
will advance farther than the former ones, and bring us better infor- 
mation. Be assured the Turks will never attack you, unless you 
force them to it, or until they have collected all their forces together. 
You will act as you shall think best, but such are my lord the king's 
orders. I must now return, for I cannot longer stay." 

On saying this, the Hungarian marshal left them ; and the lords 
assembled together to consider what was to be done. The lord de 
Coucy was asked his opinion, and replied, that the king of Hungary 
had a right to order them, and that what he had requested was per- 
fectly just. It was mentioned to me that the count d'Eu, constable 
of France, was ve.xed that his opinion had not been first asked be- 
fore the lord de Coucy's, and, through spite and malice, instantly 
opposed what he had said, adding: " Yes, yes, the king of Hungary 
wishes to gain all the honor of the day: he has given us the van- 
guard, and now wants to take it away, that he may have the first 
blow : let those who will believe what he sends to us, for my part I 
never will :" then addressing the knight who bore his banner, he 
said : " In the name of God and Saint George, you shall see me 
this day prove myself a good knight." The lord de Coucy thought 
this a very vain speech of the constable, and, turning to sir John de 
Vienne, who had the banner of Our Lady under his guard, and by 
whom all the others were to rally, asked what ought to be done. 
-' Lord de Coucy," he replied, " when tnith and reason are not 
heard, folly and presumption must reign ; and, since the count d'Eu 
is determined to fight the enemy, we must follow him ; but we 
should have greater advantage, if we waited the king of Hungary's 
orders, and were all united." While they thus conversed, the infi- 
dels were fast approaching: the wings of their army, which con- 
sisted of sixty thousand men each, were already closing round them. 
The Christians, observing this, would have retreated, but that was 
impossible, as they were completely surrounded. Many knights and 
squires, who had been used to arms, now knew the day must be 
lost ; notwithstanding which they advanced, following the banner 
of Our Lady, that was borne by that gallant knight sir John de 
Vienne. 

The lords of France were so richly dressed out, in their embla- 
zoned surcoats, as to look like little kings ; but, as I was told, when 
they met the Turks, they were not more than seven hundred, which 
sufficiently showed the folly of the measure ; for, had they waited 
for the Hungarian army, consisting of sixty thousand men, they 
might, perhaps, have gained a victory, but, to their pride and pre- 
sumption, was the whole loss owing ; and it was so great, that never 
since the defeat at Roncesvalles, where the twelve peers of France 
were slain, did the French suffer so considerably. However, before 
they were overcome, they made great slaughter of the Turks; though 
several knights and squires saw they were marching to destruction, 
through their own folly. The French defeated the van battalion, 
and put it to flight, pursuing it into a valley where Bajazet was 
posted with the main army. The French would have returned, as 
they were mounted on barbed horses, but could not, for they were 
now inclosed on all sides. The battle, therefore, raged with fury, 
and lasted a considerable time. News was carried to the king of 
Hungary, that the French, English and Germans were engaged with 
the Turks, not having obeyed his orders sent them by the marshal. 
He was very wroth on hearing it, as indeed he had reason to be, 
and foresaw they would all be cut off. He said to the grand-master 
of Rhodes, who was beside him, " We shall lose the day, from the 
vanity of the French; if they had believed me, and waited for our 
joining, we should have had sufficient strength to cope with the 
enemy." As he thus spoke, looking behind him, he perceived that 
his men were flying panicstruck, and the Turks pursuing them. 
He then saw the day was irrecoverably lost, and those near his per- 

• MSS. SteulemchaUc. ~ 



son cried out, " Sire, save yourself! for should you be killed or 
taken, Hungary will be completely ruined. We must be defeated 
through French pride ; and their valor will prove in vain, for every 
one of them will be taken or slain ; not one can possibly escape. 
Fly, therefore, from the danger, before it be too late." The kin" 
of Hungary was in the utmost rage to be thus defeated through the 
arrogance of the French, and obliged to fly, if he would avoid cap- 
tivity or death. It was a most unfortunate day for the Hungarians 
and French ; whoever runs away from battle is pursued, and, as the 
Hungarians fled in the greatest confusion, the Turks followed, kill. 
ing them or making them prisoners at pleasure. God, however, 
assisted the king of Hungary and the grand-master of Rhodes ; for, 
on their arrival on the banks of the Danube, they found a small ves- 
sel belonging to the grand-master, into which they entered, with only 
five more, and crossed to the opposite shore. Had they delayed, 
they must have been killed or taken ; for the Turks came to the 
river as they were passing it, and made a great slaughter of those 
who had followed the king thinking to escape. 

We will return to the French and Germans, who were fighting 
most valiantly. The lord de Montcaurel, a gallant knight from Ar- 
tois, seeing the defeat inevitable, and wishing to save his son, who 
was very young, said to his squire, " Carry off" my son : thou mayest 
escape by that wing which is open : save my son, and I will abide 
the event with my companions." The youth, on hearing his father 
thus speak, declared he would not go nor leave him in such danger; 
but the father forced him away, and the squire brought him safely to 
the Danube : the youth, who was very melancholy at the situation 
of his father, was unfortunately drowned by falling between two 
barges, without a possibility of being saved. Sir William de la 
Tremouille and his son displayed great feats of valor before they 
were slain. Sir John de Vieiuie, who bore the banner of Our Lady, 
in spite of his deeds of arms was killed grasping the banner in his 
hands, and thus was he found after the battle. The whole of the 
French force that had been engaged at this battle of Nicopoli were 
defeated and slain, by the means I have related. 

The lord John of Burgundy, count of Nevers, was wondrous richly 
arrayed, as were the lord Guy de la Riviere, and many barons and 
knights from Burgundy in compliment to him. Two squires from 
Picardy, William d'Eu and the borgne de Montquel, who had dis- 
played their courage in many former battles, did the same at Nico- 
poli. These two squires, by their vigorous courage, twice forced 
through the Turkish army, and returned to the fight, but were at 
length slain. To say the truth, the whole of the French chivalry 
and those from other countries acquitted themselves most gallantly ; 
and had they been assisted by the Hungarians with equal courage, 
the day would have turned out differendy. But the whole of the 
mischief was caused by the French, and their presumption was their 
ruin. There was a knight from Picardy, called sir James de Helly, 
who had resided some time in Turkey, and had served in arms un- 
der Amurat, father of the sultan Bajazet, of whom we are now speak- 
ing, and who knew a little of the Turkish language. When he saw 
the day was lost, he thought of saving his life ; and as he knew the 
Saracens to be a covetous race, he surrendered himself to them, on 
their granting him his life. Thus did he escape ; and also another 
squire from the Tournaisis, called James du Fay, who had fonnerly 
served Tamerlane king of Tartary, but when he learnt that the 
French were marching to Turkey, he quitted Tamerlane, and joined 
his countrymen. He was at this battle, and saved by Tamerlane's 
men, who had been ordered thither in compliance with the request 
made to him for assistance by Bajazet. Tamerlane had sent him a 
considerable body of men, as Saracen and Pagan kings always do 
to the aid of each other. 



CHAPTER LXXXII. 

THE TtJK^, AFTER THE BATTLE OF NOCOrOLI, PUT TO DEATH ALL TBEIR 
TRISONERS, EXCEPT THE COVST DE NEVERS AND SOME OTHER GREAT 
LORDS. 

At this battle of Nicopoli, which was so fatal to the French, very 
many were saved, from the extreme richness of their armor : they 
were dressed like kings; and the Saracens and Turks, who are ava- 
ricious, thought, by saving their lives, they should gain large ransoms; 
for they believed them much greater lords, from their appearance, 
than they really were. The count de Nevers was made prisoner, as 
were the counts d'Eu and de la Marche, the lord de Coucy, the lord 
Henry de Bar, sir Guy de la Tremouille, Boucicaut and others. The 
lord Philip de Bar, sir John de Vienne, sir William de la Tremouille 
and Ills son, were killed. This battle lasted for three hours; and 
the king of Hungary lost his whole baggage, his gold and silver 
plate, jewels, and everything else. He had escaped by fortunately 
finding a vessel from Rhodes on the Danube, that had brought pro- 
visions, in which he crossed the river with six others : had he not 
done so, he must have been slain or taken. There were more killed 
in the pursuit than in the battle, and numbers were drowned. 
Happy was he who could escape from such danger by any means. 

When the business was over, and the Turks, Persians, and others 
sent diither by different infidel kings had retired to their lodgings, 
(that is to say, to the tents and pavilions they had conquered fronri. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, & c . 



589 



the Christians, in which they found wines, meats, and eveiy other 
necessary) they enjoyed themselves, and made merry, like men who 
have gained a victory over their enemies. Bajazet dismounted, at 
the sound of many minstrels, according to their custom, at the prin- 
cipal tent that had belonged to the king of Hungary, which was very 
large, and. richly adorned. Bajazet took pleasure in viewing it, and 
glorified himself internally fw the victory he had obtained over the 
Christians, and thanked his God for it, according to the manner of 
their religion. When he was disarmed, to cool and refresh himself, 
he sat on a silken carpet in the middle of the tent, and sent for his 
principal friends, to chat and joke with them. He began the con- 
versation, by saying he would now march a great force into Hun- 
gary, to conquer that country and the rest of Christendom, which he 
would put under his obedience, but that each kingdom might follow 
its own religion and laws, owning him for their lord : that he would 
leign like Alexander of Macedon, who for twelve years governed 
the whole world, as he was descended from his blood. All assented 
to what Bajazet said, and agreed to his proposal. He gave out three 
orders : the first, that every one who had made prisoners should pro- 
duce them before him the next day ; the second, that the dead should 
be carefully examined, and the nobles and great lords be set apart, 
and left untouched until he had seen them ; the third, that exact 
inquiries should be made among the slain and prisoners after the 
king of Hungary, that he might know whether he was dead or alive. 
These orders were fulfilled, for none dared disobey them. 

When Bajazet liad refreshed himself, and changed his dress, he 
resolved to visit the dead on the field of battle ; for he had been told 
the victory had cost him dear, and that he had lost great numbers of 
men. He was much surprised to hear this, and would not believe it. 
He mounted his horse, attended by his vizier, nobles and bashaws : 
some said his principal officers were his brothers, whom he would 
not acknowledge as such, declaring he had no brothers. On his 
coming to the field of battle, he found what had been told him was 
true; for where one Christian lay dead there were thirty of their 
enemies. The sight vexed him much, and he said aloud, " This 
has been a cruel battle for our people : the Christians have defended 
themselves desperately ; but I will have this slaughter well revenged 
on those who are prisoners." He now left the field and returned to 
his tent, comforting himself for the loss he had suffered by the victory 
and defeat of the Christians; but, notwithstanding this, he passed 
the night in great fury. On the morrow, before he was risen or had 
shown himself, great numbers came before his tent, to learn his will 
respecting the prisoners; for it had been rumored that he intended 
having them all put to death without mercy. Bajazet, however, in 
spite of his rage against the Christians, had given orders that all the 
principal lords who had been made prisoners should be separated 
from the others, for he had been told they would pay him large ran. 
eoms, and on that account he was inclined to spare them. He had 
also learnt that many of the Tartars, Arabs, Bedouins and Syrians, 
had made prisoners, from whom they expected to gain large fortunes, 
as indeed they did, by concealing their prisoners from Bajazet. Sir 
James de Helly, whom I mentioned before, was, luckily for him, 
Brought this Tuesday morning before the tent of the sultan, with 
many other prisoners, for he who had taken him was afraid of keep- 
ing him hid. As they were waiting the coming of Bajazet, some of 
the knights of his household, standing round the tent, recollected sir 
James, and delivered him from the hands of those who had taken 
him. He remained with the attendants of the sultan, who hai been 
formerly acquainted with him ; and fortunate it was for him, as you 
will hear related, for to the greater part of the Christians it was a 
disastrous day. 

Before Bajazet appeared, inquiries had been made who were the 
greatest lords among the prisoners, and his interpreters had been 
very strict in their examinations, putting such aside not to be killed. 
The first was John of Burgundy commander-in-chief, then the count 
d'Eu, the count de la Marche, the lord de Coucy, lord Henry de Bar, 
sir Guy de la Tremouille, and two more, amounting in all to eight. 
Bajazet would see and talk with them. He eyed them long in silence, 
and these lords were conjured on their faith to avow if they were the 
persons who had been so named. He also resolved to send for sir 
James de Helly, that he might assure him of the truth. On his 
coming, he was remembered by the sultan whom he had served, and 
was now perfectly secure from danger. He was asked if he knew 
those French lords who were prisoners at the bottom of the tent. 
" I cannot say," he replied ; " but, if I saw their faces, I should know 
them all." Ho was then ordered to go near and examine them, and 
report truly their names to the sultan, for that his determination would 
be according to what he should say. He went near the prisoners, 
and, bowing to them, knew them all. He told them his fortunate 
escape, and that he had been sent by the sultan to see if they were 
the persons answering to the names they had given themselves. ".\h, 
sir James," said they, "you are well acquainted with us all : you see 
how fortune has turned against us, and what great danger we are in 
when we depend on the mercy of this sultan. If it may any how 
save our lives, tell him we are of even greater rank than we have 
said, and able to pay him large sums for our ransoms. " My lords," 
replied sir James, " this I will most cheerfully do, for it is my duty." 
The knight then returned to Bajazet, and said, " Those lords who 
are prisoners, and with whom I have been talking, are of the noblest 



blood in France, nearly related to the king, and willing to pay for 
their liberty a great sum of money." This answer was very agree- 
able to the sultan, who would not listen to more, but said, " Let those 
alone be spared, and all the other prisoners put to death, to free the 
country from them, and that others may take example from their 
fate." 

The sultan now made his appearance to his people before the tent, 
who, bowing down, made him their obeisance. The anriy was 
drawn up in two wings on each side ; the sultan with his nobles, the 
count de Nevers and those who were to be spared, were in the 
centre ; for he would they should witness the execution of their 
companions, which the Saracens were eager to perform. Many ex- 
cellent knights and squires of France and other nations, who had 
been taken in battle or in pursuit, were now brought forth in their 
shirts, one after another, before Bajazet, who eyeing them a little, 
they were led on ; and, as he made a signal, were instantly cut to 
pieces by those waiting for them with drawn swords. Such was 
the cruel justice of Bajazet this day, when upward of three hundred 
gentlemen of different nations were thus pitilessly murdered. It was 
a cruel case for them to suffer for the love of our Saviour Jesus 
Christ, and may he receive their souls ! 

-^mong the murdered of that day was the gallant knight sir Henry 
d'Antoing : may God show gracious mercy to his soul ! The lord 
Boucicaut, marshal of France, was led naked like the others, before 
Bajazet, and would have suffered the same cruel death, had not the 
count de Nevere left his companions, who were motionless at the sad 
sight, and flung himself on his knees to the sultan, entreating him to 
spare the lord Boucicaut, who was much beloved by tlie king of 
France, and well able to pay a considerable ransom ; and the count 
made signs, as paying from one hand to the other, that he would 
give a large sum of money, to soften the anger of the sultan. Bajazet 
consented to the request of the count de Nevers, and the lord Bou- 
cicaut was put aside with those who were not to be killed. Others 
were brought forward, until the number I have mentioned was com- 
pleted ; such was the cruel revenge the infidels had on the Christians. 
It seems, according to what I heard, that Bajazet took delight that 
the victory he had gained over the Christians, and the capture of the 
count de Nevers, should be known in France, and carried thither by 
a French knight. Three knights, of whom sir James de Helly was 
one, were brought before Bajazet and the count de Nevers, who was 
asked which of the three he wished to go to the king of France and 
to his father the duke of Burgundy. Sir James de Helly had the 
good fortune to be made choice of, because the count de Nevers 
was before acquainted with him : he therefore said to the sultan, 
" Sir, I wish that tliis person may go to France from you and from 
me." This was accepted by Bajazet, and sir James de Helly re- 
mained with him and the other French lords ; but the two unsuc- 
cessful knights were delivered over to the soldiery, who massacred 
them without pity. 

After all these things were done, everything was quiet. Bajazet, 
having learnt that the king of Hungary was escaped, resolved to 
march more into the interior o{ Turkey toward the city of Bursa, 
whither he would carry his prisoners, for he had done enough this 
campaign. He therefore disbanded his army, more especially that 
part of it which had come from distant countries. Thus was it done, 
and the army broke up, which had been composed of men from 
Tartary, Persia, Media, Syria, Alexandria and Egypt, and from 
other distant countries of infidels. Bajazet gave particular orders to 
sir James de Helly, that when he went to France, he should take his 
road through Lombardy, and salute from him the duke of Milan ; and 
it was the sultan's intention that sir James should publish, wherever 
he passed, the great victory he had gained over the Christians. The 
count de Nevers wrote by him, as well for himself as for his fellow- 
prisoners, to the king of France, and to the duke and duchess of 
Burgundy. On receiving these letters and other verbal messages, 
the knight departed from the sultan and the lords of France ; but 
before he set out, Bajazet made him promise, on oath, that as soon 
as he should have performed the journey, and delivered all he had 
been charged with to the king of France and the other lords, he 
would return, which the knight swore he would do, and kept his 
oath. We will now leave B.ijazet, and the French lords who re- 
mained prisoners during his pleasure, and speak of other things 



CHAPTER LXXXIII. 

THE FKENCn AND OTHERS WHO HAD BEEN IN ItJRKEY SIJFFEK GEEAT 
HARDSHIPS ON THEIR RETURN HOME, AFTER HAVING ESCAPED FROM 
THE BATTLE OF NICOPOLI. SIR JAMES DE HELLY BRINGS CERTAIN 
INTELLIGENCE OF THIS DEFEAT TO THE EING OF FRANCE. 

After this memorable victory which the Turks and their allies 
gained over the Christians, as has been related in this history, such 
knights as could escape saved themselves. On the Monday morn, 
ing, the day of the battle, more than three hundred knights and 
squires, being out foraging, were not present at it. When they 
heard from the runaways that a defeat was inevitable, they gave 
over all thoughts of returning to their camp, but took different roads, 
to make their escape from Turkey as speedily as they could. French, 
Germans, and others, made for a country adjoining to Hungary, 



590 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



called Wallachia, which is well inhabited, and had been conquered 
from the Turks, and turned by force to the Christian faith. The 
guards of the passes and castles in Wallachia, allowed the Christians 
who came from Turkey free entrance, and gave them lodging ; but, 
on the morrow, when they were about to depart, they took from the 
knights their armor and all they had, and gave them in return a mis- 
erable jacket, and some little money, just enough to bear the day's 
tjtpenses. This favor was only shown to gentlemen ; for those who 
were not of that rank, were stripped naked, and scourged villainously 
with rods. The French and their companions suffered most exceed- 
ingly in poverty and distress, during their passage through Wallachia 
and Hungary ; and with difficulty could they meet with any, who, 
for the love of God, would give a morsel of bread, or lodge them for 
the night. They endured their misery until they came to Vienna in 
Austria, where they were kindly received by tlie good people, who 
clothed such as were naked, and shared with them their food. They 
w ere treated with the same kindness in Bohemia : had they found 
the Germans as hard-hearted as the Hungarians, they would never 
have been able to have returned home, but must have perished with 
cold and hunger on the road. Thus, wherever they came, whether 
alone or in companies, they brought most melancholy news, which 
excited pity for them in every breast that heard their sad tale. 

Those of the French nation, who had fled from Turkey, arrived at 
Paris, and told the melancholy event of the battle of Nicopoli ; but 
they were not believed nor listened to : the Parisians said it was a 
pity that such rascally liars were not hanged or drowned, for daily 
spreading abroad so many falsehoods. This news was, however, 
cot^firmed by others who arrived after them, and told the same tale, 
some one way, and othors differently, but all agreeing as to the com- 
plete overthrow of the Hungarians and their allies. The king of 
France was very much vexed on hearing such melancholy news 
talked of, for there were too many of his own relations implicated 
in the loss, besides other excellent knights and squires of France. 
He therefore forbade anything to be said on the subject, until he 
should receive more positive information, to confirm the truth or 
falsehood of these reports ; and those who had divulged such news, 
saying they were come from Turkey and Hungary, were arrested, 
and confined in the Chatelct of Paris. They consisted of great 
numbers, and were told, that if what they had said should be found 
false, orders had been given for all of them t9 be drowned ; for the 
king was very wroth they should have published such disastrous 
news. 

It happened that, on Christmas-day about noon, sir James de Helly 
arrived in Paris, and the sioment he had dismounted at his inn, he 
inquired where the king was. They told him at the hdtel de Saint 
Pol, en the banks of the Seine, whither he went. There was with 
the king this day, as is usual on such solemn festivals, the duke of 
Orleans, the dukes of Berry, Burgundy, and Bourbon, the count de 
Saint Pol, and many of the nobility. Sir James de Helly entered 
the hotel in the same dress he had rode in, booted and spurred, so 
that he was not known ; for he had, for a long time, been seeking 
adventures in foreign parts, in preference to living with his relations 
and friends. By fair speeches he got at last to the king's apartment, 
and made himself known, saying he was come immediately from 
Bajazet and Turkey, and that he had been present at the battle of 
Nicopoli, where the Christians had lost the day ; and that he had 
brought certain intelligence from the count de Nevers, and from the 
other French lords with whom he had marched through Hungary. 
The knights of the king's chamber were pleased to hear this ; for 
lltey knew the king, the duke of Burgundy, and many lords, were 
very anxious to learn ti-uc intelligence from those coimtries. They 
therefore made way for him to approach the king : when near, he 
fell on his knees, as was right, and told all he had been charged 
with, as well by Bajazet, as by the count de Nevers and the French 
lords his fellow-prisoners. The king and lords listened attentively 
to all he said, for they believed he was speaking the truth. Many 
questions were asked, in order to hear a more detailed account, to 
all of which he answered very pertinently, and to the satisfaction of 
the king, who was greatly affected at the loss the king of Hungary 
and his chivalry had suff'ered. He was somewhat comforted, that 
the king of Hungary had escaped death and prison ; for he supposed 
that he would renew the war against Turkey with vigor, and have 
ample revenge on Bajazet. 

The king of France and his lords were rejoiced that the count de 
Nevers, and his few companions, were free from danger of being 
murdered ; and, as they were now prisoners, the lords debated on 
the means of paying their ransom. Sir Jaines de Helly said that he 
hoped Bajazet would, within a year or two, sell them their liberty, 
for he was very avaricious. This he personally knew, having resided 
a long time in Turkey, and for three years served Amurat, father to 
the present sultan. The king made the knight rise, and treated him 
kindly, as he did the lords present. They said, he had been very 
fortunate to have had a friend in so great a monarch as this infidel 
Bajazet, after such a severe battle, and to be sent by him with his 
message to the king of France. He and his family ought to pride 
themselves on such good fortune. The king ordered all who had 
been confined in the Chatolet, for having first spread abroad this 
intelligence, to be set at liberty. They were happy to hear this, for 
many of them had repented they had talked so much. 



CHAPTER LXXXIV. 

SIR JAMES DE HELLY, HAVING RECEIVED HIS DISPATCHES FROM THE EINT 
OF FRANCE, ARRIVES IN Hl'NGART, ON HIS WAY TO TURKEY. THE EINO 
SENDS SIR JOHN DE CHASTELMORANT, WITH PRESENTS TO BAJAZET, AND 
HIS RECOMMENDATIONS IN FAVOR OF THE FRENCH PKISONEKS. THE 
MANNER IN WHICH IHEV ARE TREATED. 

When the intelligence sir James de Helly had brought was made 
public, all who had lost husband, brother, father, or child, were in 
the utmost consternation, as may easily be supposed. The high 
nobility of France, such as the duchess of Burgundy and the lady 
Margaret of Hainault, were greatly afflicted on account of their son 
and husband the count de Nevers, for he was much beloved by them. 
The countess of Eu lamented her lord the constable, as did the count- 
ess de la Marchc : the ladies of Coucy, of Bar, and Sully, in like 
manner bewailed the melancholy situation of their lords. They were 
fortunate in having only their lords' captivity to lament, and were 
somewhat comforted thereat ; but the relations and friends of those 
who had been massacred were inconsolable, and the grief of France 
lasted a long time. The duke of Burgundy treated most kindly sir 
James de Helly, for having brought him intelligence of his son : he 
made him many rich gifts, and retained him for one of his knights, 
with a pension of two hundred livres a-year during his life. The 
king of France also, and the lords of the court, gave him handsome 
presents. He informed thera he was bound to return to Bajazet, after 
he should have delivered his letters, as the sultan's prisoner ; for he 
was sent solely with a view to publish Bojazet's victory, and to say 
what lords had perished or been made prisoners at the battle of Nico- 
poli. This seemed reasonable, and the king, the duke of Burgundy, 
and such lords as were at Paris, prepared to write to their friends 
and relations who were prisoners. It was determined in council, that 
the king should send some knight of renown, prudence, and valor to 
Bajazet, who, having delivered his message, was to return with more 
detailed accounts of the state of the prisoners, in case sir James de 
Helly were not permitted so to do by the sultan, whose prisoner he 
was. Sir John de Chateaumorant was selected for this embassy, as 
being every way qualified for it. 

Sir James de Helly was asked what jewels or presents would be 
most acceptable to the sultan, that the count de Nevers and the other 
prisoners might fare the better. The knight said that Bajazet took 
great pleasure in viewing fine tapestry from Arras or Picardy, which 
represented ancient histories : he was also fond of gerfalcons : but 
he thought that fine linen from Rheims, and scarlet cloths, would be 
most acceptable to the sultan and his lords. There was plenty of 
cloths of gold and silks in Turkey, with which they were amply pro- 
vided, and consequently would like things they could not get at home. 
The king and the duke of Burgundy, therefore, resolved what to send, 
for they were an.xious to please Bajazet on account of the count of 
Nevers. Sir James de Helly remained at Paris, with the king and 
lords about twelve days, and was well listened to by all : for he en- 
tertained them with his adventures in Hungary and Turkey, and with 
descriptions of the manners of Bajazet. On his departure, he was 
told, '"Sir James, you may now set out on your return to the sultan, 
at your leisure. We suppose you will go through Lombardy, to the 
duke of Milan ; for he and Bajazet are great friends, although they 
have never seen each other: but, whatever road you take, we entreat 
and order you to wait in Hungary for sir John de Chiiteaumorant, who 
will be sent by the king with presents to the sultan, as it is our intent 
that he pursue his journey from Hungary in your company to Turkey, 
or until you shall meet the sultan, that he may behave the more 
kindly to the count de Nevers and his fellow-prisoners, who are now 
in his power." Sir James promised obedience, and, having received 
his dispatches, took leave of the king, the duke of Burgundy, and the 
other lords, and left Paris, following the same road by which he had 
come. He continued his journey, firmly resolved never to return to 
France until he had obtained his liberty. After his departure, the 
duke of Burgundy was constantly employed in preparing the presents 
for the sultan ; and, by the time they were provided, sir John do 
Chateaumorant was ready to set out, for he had begun his prepara- 
tions for the journey on his being first nominated to go thither. They 
made great haste to have the presents from the king to Bajazet in 
time for sir John de Chateaumorant to overtake sir James de Helly. 
These presents consisted of pieces of the best worked tapestry from 
Arras, representing the history of Alexander the Great and his con- 
quests, which was a delightful sight for all men of honor, the finest 
linens from Rheims, and scarlet and crimson cloths, which were 
packed on six sumpter-horses. All these things were easily to be 
had for money ; but there was great difficulty in procurmg white 
gerfalcons. At last, however, they were got, either in Pans or from 
Germany ; and sir John de ChSiteaumorant, having received his final 
instructions, left Paris, and began his journey fifteen days after sir 
James de Helly. 

In the interval during which these knights were on their journey, 
the king of Hungary returned to his kingdom. On his arrival being 
known,°his subjects were greatly rejoiced, and flocked to him, for he 
was much beloved. They comforted him by saying, that if in this 
campaign he had been unfortunate, in another he would be more 
successful. The king bore his misfortunes as well as he could. Im- 



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591 



mediately after the battle, Bajazet disbanded his army and marched 
to the city of Bursa, carrying with him his prisoners. They were 
put under strict confinement, and very little comfort allowed them. 
They suffered much from the change of diet, as they had always been 
accustomed to have their own cooks, and their tables served with 
every delicacy ; but of all this they were deprived, and forced to live 
on coarse meat, and that badly or not thoroughly dressed. They had 
plenty of spices, and millet bread, which is disagreeable to a French 
palate. They had great difficulty in procuring wine : although they 
were great princes, there was not any attention paid them, for the 
Turks were indifferent whether they were sick or in health ; and, if 
the advice of several had been adopted, they would all have been 
put to death. 

These lords of France comforted each other, and thankfully re- 
ceived whatever was given them, for they could no way better them, 
selves. At the beginning of their captivity, several of them were 
very unwell : the count de Nevers bore his misfortune the best, and 
kept up his spirits to comfort the others. He was assisted by the 
lord Boucicaut, the count do la Marche, and lord Henry de Bar, who 
said, that the honors and glories of arms could not be gained without 
meeting with unfortunate reverses; and that no man, however valiant 
or lucky, or accustomed to war, had everything according to his wish ; 
and that they ought to thank God, for having had their lives saved 
from the furious rage of Bajazet and his followers, for it had been 
determined by the army to put every one to death. Boucicaut said, 
" I ought to be more thankful than any one to God for my life being 
spared, for I was brought out to be massacred as my companions had 
been, and should have lost my head, had not my lord of Nevers cast 
himself on his knees to Bajazet, who, at his request, granted me his 
pardon. I hold this a most fortunate escape ; and since it was the 
good pleasure of our lord that I should live, I have no doubt but that 
God, who has delivered us from this peril, will continue his mercy to 
us, for we are his soldiers ; and that we shall soon obtain our liberty, 
for we are now suffering in his cause. Besides, sir James de Helly 
is on his road to France, who svill relate to the king and barons our 
distress ; and I expect, within the year, wc shall receive comfort and 
our liberty. Things will not remain long as they are. There is 
much good sense in the king and the duke of Burgundy, who will 
never forget us ; and, by some means or other, wo shall receive suffi. 
cient sums for our ransoms." 

Thus the gallant knight, the lord Boucicaut, comforted himself, 
and bore his captivity with patience, as did likewise the young count 
de Nevers ; but the lord de Coucy was sorely afflicted, which is not 
to be wondered at. Before this event, he had been a lord of such 
high spirit as nothing could cast down : this captivity in Turkey, 
however, preyed on his mind more than it did on the spirits ef the 
others, and he became quite melancholy. He complained of great 
oppression at his heart, and said he should never return to France ; 
that he had escaped many perils and dangerous adventures, but this 
would be his last. The lord Henry de Bar consoled him, and blamed 
him for being so disconsolate without cause ; and told him it was 
folly to be thus cast down, when he ought to find more satisfaction 
in his own mind than any other. Notwitstanding the advice he was 
giving, he himself severely felt his own situation, and bitterly regret, 
ted his wife. The count d'Eu, constable of France, suffered from 
similar regrets. .Sir Guy de la Tremouille and the count de la Marche 
kept up their spirits very tolerably. Bajazet was desirous they should 
have some amusements in their captivity, and at times visited and 
conversed with them most graciously : he was likewise anxious they 
should witness his state and power. 

We will now leave them, and return to sir James de Helly and sir 
John de Chitteaumorant, who were both journeying toward Hungary. 



CHAPTER LXXXV. 

SIR JAMES DE HELLY, ON HIS REILTtN TO TURKEY, OBTAINS HIS LIBERTY, 
AND CARRIES A PASSPORT FROM THE SULTAN TQ SIR JOHN DE CHASTEL. 
MORANT IN HUNGARY. SIR JOHN DE CHASTELMORANT IS FORCED TO 
SEND A MESSENGER TO THE KING OF FRANCE, TO INFORM HIM THAT 
THE KING OF HUNGARY WILL NOT AXLOW THE PRESENTS TO BE 
CARRIED TO THE SULTAN. 

Sir James de Helly waited about ten or twelve days at Buda, in 
Hungary, for sir John de ChMeaumorant, who was continuing his 
road as expeditiously as he could. Sir James was rejoiced at his 
arrival ; for he was impatient to return to Turkey to acquit himself 
of his promise, and to see and bring comfort to the count de Nevers 
and the other French lords who were prisoners. The king of Hun- 
gary made sir John de Chateaumorant a kind of welcome, in com- 
pliment to the king of France and his royal cousins. He learnt 
from his people that the knight was carrying magnificent presents, 
and rich jewels, to the sultan : this ve.xed him greatly, but he pru- 
dently dissembled any knowledge of it until sir James de Helly 
should have set out for Turkey. He declared, however, to his con. 
fidential friends, that the recreant dog, Bajazet, should never receive 
any presents from France or elsewhere, if he had the power to pre- 
vent it. When sir James had refreshed himself some time at Buda, 
he took leave of the king and Chateaumorant, to continue his jour, 
ney to Turkey, that he might obtain from the sultan a passport for 



sir John to pursue his road to him. When sir James mentioned h, 
the king of Hungary replied he would do well. On this the knight, 
having procured guides, was conducted by them through Hungary 
and Wallachia to Bursa, but did not find there Bajazet, who was 
gone to another town in Turkey called Poly. Wherever he went he 
carried the prisoners with him, excepting the lord de Coucy, who 
was left at Bursa, unable to ride from sickness. There tarried with 
him his cousin, a valiant baron from Greece, and a descendant of 
the dukes of Austria, called the lord de Mathelin. 

Sir .fames de Helly continued his journey to Poly, where he met 
Bajazet, who was glad to see him return from France, and keep his 
word. Sir James humbled himself much before him, and said, 
" Most dear and redoubted lord, here is your prisoner, who has de- 
livered, to the best of his abilities, the message you have charged 
him with." Bajazet replied, " Thou art welcome, for thou hast loy. 
ally acquitted thyself; and, in consideration of it, I now give thee 
thy liberty." Sir James thanked him respectfully for this favor, and 
told him that the king of France, and the duke of Burgundy, father 
to the count de Nevers his prisoner, had sent him an honorable 
knight with credential letters as embassador, and likewise with such 
grand presents as he was sure would give him delight. The sultan 
asked if he had seen them. He replied, " I have not ; but the knight 
charged with thfi commission has brought them as far as Hungary, 
and is now at Buda waiting my return, with passports for him to 
continue his journey: I came to announce this news to you, and. to 
solicit passports, if it be agreeable to you to receive him." " We 
are very willing he should have passports, and you may have them 
made out in any form you choose." The knight thanked him for 
his gracious answer, when the sultan left him to attend to other 
affairs. About an hour afterwards, sir James requested the Sultan's 
permission to visit and converse with the French prisoners, as he had 
much to say to them from their friends and relations. Bajazet was 
some time silent before he gave him an answer, when he said, 
" Thou shah see one of them, but no more." He then made a sign 
to his attendants for the count de Nevers to be brought to converse 
with sir James for a short space, and then to be carried back to his 
prison. The order was instantly obeyed ; and the count de Nevers 
saw sir James de Helly with great joy. He made many inquiries 
after the king of France, the duke and duchess of Burgundy, and 
what was passing in that country. The knight related to him every- 
thing he had seen or heard, and delivered him all the messages he 
had been charged with ; but they were greatly interrupted by the 
officers of the sultan, who pressed them to finish their conversation, 
they had other business to attend to. 

Sir James asked the count if all the other French lords were in 
good health. He replied, " All, except the lord de Coucy, who has 
remained sick at Bursa ; and this favor, I understand, has been 
granted through the credit of the lord de Mathelin, who has pledged 
himself for him, and is much esteemed by the sultan." Sir James 
then told him that the king and d\ike of Burgundy had sent sir John 
Chateaumorant as embassador to Bajazet, with most magnificent 
presents to soften the sultan's anger: but that sir John had stopped 
at Buda in Hungary, until he should return with a passport for hira 
and his attendants ; that the sultan had promised him a passport, 
with which he intended returning to Buda in a very few days. The 
count de Nevers was e.xceedingly rejoiced on hearing this ; but he 
dared not give way to his feelings, for the Turks were observing 
them. The last words the count said to him were, " Sir James, I 
understand that Bajazet has given you your liberty, and that you 
may return to France when you please. On your arrival there, tell 
my lord and father from me, that if he have any intention to ransom 
me and my companions, he must not delay to negotiate through the 
means of Venetians or Genoese merchants, and close with the first 
offer the sultan, or his ministers for him, may make ; for we are lost 
for ever, if it be longer neglected. But I understand that the sultan 
is very loyal and courteous in his character, when applied to prop- 
erly." 

■Thus ended their interview, and the count de Nevers was con- 
ducted back to prison. Sir James de Holly hastened the passport 
which had been promised him. When it had been drawn out in the 
usual form, and scaled by Bajazet, it was delivered to the knight, 
ho took leave of the sultan and his court, and set off on his return 
to Buda. He instantly waited on sir John de Chateaumorant, who 
was impatiently expecting him, and said, "I bring you a passport 
for yourself and your attendants to go and return in safety from 
Turkey, which the .sultan readily granted me." " That is well 
done,'' replied sir John : " let us go to the king of Hungary, and 
tell him the news. To-morrow morning I will begin my journey, 
for I have stayed here long enough." They went to the king's 
chamber, and related to him all you have just heard. The king re- 
plied, " Chateaumorant and Helly, I am glad to see you both, as 
well on your own account .as for the affection I bear to the king and 
my cousins of France, and I shall at all times be happy to serve you. 
You may travel through any part of my kingdom, unmolested, or 
even into Turkey, if it be your pleasure ; but with regard to your 
carrying any rich presents or jewels to the sultan, which you, Cha- 
teaumorant, are charged with from France, I will never consent that 
they pass through my kingdom, to be offered to the infidel Bajazet, 
for he shall never be enriched by them. I should be extremely 



592 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



blamed and Itinglicd at, if in future times he be enabled to boast, 
that to gain his love, and from fear, because he has gained a victory 
over me, and detains some great barons of Fiance prisoners, the 
king of France and his princes have sent him rich presents. In re- 
spect to the gerfalcons, I am indifferent whether he have them or 
not ; for bir^ls fly anywhere, and are as soon lost as given ; but with 
respect to fine tapestry, which would remain a proof of his boastings 
being true, I will not consent that he enjoy the pleasure of possessing 
it. Therefore Chateaumorant," continued the king of Hungary, '• if 
you wish to make a journey into Turkey, to see Bajazet, and present 
him with the falcons, you may do so ; but you shall not carry any. 
thing else.'' 

Sir John de Chiteaumorant replied, " Certainly, sire, it is not the 
intention of the king of France, nor to his honor more than to that of the 
lords who have sent me, that I fail in any particular in the accom. 
plishment of the objects they have charged me with." " Very well," 
said the king : " you will not at present have any other answer from 
me than what you have heard." The two knights left the apartment, 
and consulted together how to act, for this refusal of the king of 
Hungary had disconcerted them. They thought their only expedient 
was to send off a messenger express, with the account of the king 
of Hungary's conduct to the king of France and the duke of Bur- 
gundy, for them to provide a remedy, and to explain the causes of 
their delay. They wrote, in consequence, letters to the king and the 
duke of Burgundy, and engaged a trusty messenger to carry them, 
whom they supplied with a sufficiency of money for him frequently 
to change his horses on the road, that he might hasten his journey, 
while they waited his return at Buda. 

The messenger journeyed with great diligence to Paris, and de. 
livered his letters to the king of France and the duke of Burgundy. 
Having read them, they were much surprised and vexed that the 
king of Hungary should prevent their embassador from continuing 
his journey with the presents to the sultan of Turkey, as they ordered 
him to do. The duke of Berry, however, excused the king of Hun. 
gary, saying he was no way to blame ; for it was too debasing to a 
king of France to send presents and jewels to such a recreant pagan 
king. The duke of Burgundy was more nearly affected in the mat- 
ter, and defended the measure as reasonable, since fortune had been 
80 favorable, to give the sultan a victory, in which the whole force 
of the king of Hungary was slain or put to flight, and the greater 
part of the nobles made prisoners that had been in the battle. It 
therefore behooved their relations and friends to adopt every mode for 
their deliverance, if they were desirous of seeing them again. This 
speech of the duke of Burgundy was supported by the king and 
council. The king asked the duke of Berry, " Good uncle, if this 
eultan Bajazet, or any other pagan king, were to send you a rich and 
sparkling ruby, would you accept of it ?" " My lord," replied the 
duke, " I should consider of it." The king reminded him, that it 
was not ten years since the sultan had sent him a ruby that had cost 
twenty thousand francs. 

The king of Hungary was condemned by all for having prevented 
the presents from being carried to the sultan, which might have the 
effect of adding to the distressful state of the French lords that were 
prisoners. The king was therefore advised to write courteous letters 
to the king of Hungary, to request that he would no longer prevent 
his embassador from proceeding on his journey with the presents to 
the court of Turkey. When they had been fairly written out and 
sealed, they were given to the messenger from Hungary, who, leav. 
ing Paris, set out on his return to Buda. 



CHAPTER LXXXVI. 

THE DtJCHESS OP ORLEANS IS SUSPECTED OF CAUSING THE KISS's 
ILLNESS. 

Every year the king of France had relapses of his frenzy, with. 
out any physician or surgeon being able to prevent it. Some indeed 
had boasted that they would restore him to sound health, but it was 
soon found they labored in vain. The king's disorder never ceased 
until it had run its course, in spite of prayers and medicines. Some 
of the physicians and sorcerers who attended the king, on finding 
their labor lost, declared the king must have been poisoned or en. 
chanted by some pernicious herbs. This agitated greatly the minds of 
tlie nobility and people, for these sorcerers affirmed, the better to gain 
belief, that the king was under the power of sorcery, and that they 
knew it from the devil who had revealed it to them. Several of 
these conjurors had been burnt at Paris and Avignon, for having gone 
so far as to say that the duchess of Orleans, daughter to the duke of 
Milan, was the cause of this mischief, that she might succeed to the 
crown of France. This was so mtich believed, that common report 
said she had frequently practiced such arts, and that, so long as she 
was near the person of the king, he neither would nor could regain 
his health. It was therefore necessary, to put an end to this slander, 
that the duchess of Orleans should quit Paris. She went first to re- 
side at Asniferes, a very handsome castle near Pontoise, that belonged 
to the duke her lord, and then to Neufchateau, on the Loire, which 
also belonged to him. The duke of Orleans was very melancholy 
on hearing such injurious reports against his duchess, which he dia. 
sembled as well as he could, and never on this account quitted the 



king or court, for he took pleasure in attending public business and 
the different councils on the affah-s of the realm. 

Galeas duke of Milan, was duly informed of the infamous crimes 
his daughter, the duchess of Orleans, was accused of. He deeply 
felt the injury, and had twice or thrice sent embassadors to France, 
to exculpate his daughter to the king of France and his council, 
offering, at the same time, a knight or knights that should engage in 
mortal combat any person who should dare to accuse his daughter 
of such iniquitous and treasonable practices. The duke of Milan 
threatened to make war on France ; for he had learnt that the king, 
when he gave his daughter in marriage to the king of England, be- 
tween Ardres and Calais, had declared, that on his return to Paris 
he would not attend to anything until he should march a large army 
into the Milanese ; and that his son.in.Iaw, king Richard, had, to 
his great satisfaction, offered him one thousand English spears and 
six thousand archers. Galeas had likewise heard that purveyances 
were making throughout Dauphiny and Savoy for the king of France, 
for it was by Piedmont he intended entering Lombardy. This ex. 
pedition, however, was laid aside, and no more thought of, when the 
news arrived of the unfortunate issue of the battle of NicopoH, and 
the death and captivity of the French nobles. The king and the 
duke of Burgundy were so afflicted at this event, that they could not 
attend to anything else ; they besides knew that the duke of Milan 
was on the most friendly terms with Bajazet, which was an addi- 
tional reason at this moment not to push any hostile attempts against 
him, and he was left unmolested. 



CHAPTER LXXXVII. 

THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF BURGUNDY DILIGENTLY EXERT THEMSELVES 
TO FIND MEANS TO RANSOM THE COUNT DE NEVERS, THEIR SON, AND 
HIS FELLOW.FRISONERS IN TURKEY. THE KING OE HUNGARY, THROUGH 
THE PERSUASION OF THE GRAND.MASTER OF RHODES, PERMITS THE EM. 
EASSADOR FROM THE KING OF FRANCE TO PASS THROUGH HIS KINGDOM 
WITH THE PRESENTS FUK THE SLLTAN BAJAZET. 

The duke and duchess of Burgundy considered every possible 
means of recovering their son. As they knew they must pay a very 
large sum for his ransom, they reduced their expenses as much as 
possible, to gather all the money they could ; without this, they 
knew they could not succeed ; and made many friends among the 
Venetian and Genoese merchants, for through their means the ran- 
soms were to be negotiated. The duke of Burgundy resided with 
the king, who conversed with him frequently on affairs of state, and 
paid attention to what he said ; for the duke had the principal share 
in the government, which made his own affairs prosper the more. 

At this time there lived in Paris a Lombard, who was a great and 
rich merchant, and transacted business for the other Lombards : he 
was known and spoken of all over the world, wherever commerce 
was carried on ; his name was Dinde Desponde, and by him all ex. 
changes were made. If befsre the event of the battle of Nicopoli 
he was beloved by the king of France and the lords of his court, he 
was now much more so, and had frequent consultations with the 
duke of Burgundy on the surest means to recover his son, and the 
other lords who were prisoners in Turkey. Dinde Desponde said to 
the duke, " My lord, by degrees all things are brought about. The 
merchants of Genoa, and of the islands under their obedience, are 
well known everywhere, and traffic with Cairo, Alexandria, Damas. 
cus, Damietta, and Turkey, and in different countries of infidels ; 
for trade, my lord, as you know, finds its way everywhere, and rules 
the world. Write, therefore, to the Genoese, and prevail on the 
king to do so likewise, in a friendly manner, promising them great 
rewards if they will undertake the business; for there is nothing but 
may be accomplished with money. The king of Cyprus, who is 
near to Turkey, and now at peace with the sultan, may also assist in 
the matter. You must suppose that, as for myself, I will exert my 
powers to the utmost, for I am bound to obey you in everything." 

The duke and duchess of Burgundy neglected no means to free 
their son from his captivity, for they were sorely afflicted by it. He 
was the heir to their vast possessions ; and this misfortune had hap. 
pended to him on his first onset in arms. The ladies of France la- 
mented the loss of their husbands and friends, especially the lady of 
Coucy, who refused all comfort, and bewailed him day and night. 
The duke of Lorrain and sir Ferri de Lorrain, her brothers, visited her 
at Saint Gobin,* where she resided, and consoled her as well as they 
could. They advised her to send into Turkey to gain some intelli- 
gence of him, for they had heard he had greater liberty allowed him 
than the other prisoners. The lady thanked her brothers for this ad- 
vice, and instantly sent for sir Robert De8ne,t a good and valiant 
knight of the Cambresis. She entreated him so sweetly, urging him, 
out of affection to her, to undertake a journey into Turkey, that the 
knight consented, and engaged to go thither and bring back full in- 
telligence of the lord de Coucy. 

Sir Robert soon made his preparations, and, accompanied by four 
others, set out for Hungary. In like manner did other ladies in 

* " Saint Gobin," near La Fere iji Picardr, now famous for its fine mAnuiacttirQ of 
look tog-glosses, 
t •' Sir Robert D«en9." Si^ Eobert ds Set!. MSB. B, M. and Hafbd. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



593 



I'rance send to inquire after their husbands. The king of Hun- 
gary was very obstinate in his refusal to allow sir John de Chateau. 
morant to continue his journey to Turkey with the presents from the 
king of France to the sultan. Though this greatly displeased sir 
John and sir James de Helly, they could not prevail on him to alter 
his resolution. It happened that the grand-master of Rhodes came 
at this' time to Buda. He was most kindly received by the king, as 
indeed he ought to have been, for on the day of the battle he had 
saved the king from death or captivity. He made acquaintance 
with the two knights from France, who related to him the conduct 
of the king of Hungary, and the circumstance of his detaining them 
at Buda. He was much surprised, and said, to soften their anger, 
he would speak to the king on the subject, and, as they should soon 
experience, with good effect. He managed the matter so prudently 
with the king, that they were permitted to continue their journey to 
Turkey with all their presents, which were restored to them. The 
embassador arrived in safety at the place where Bajazet resided, 
owing to the passports sir James de Helly had brought to him. The 
sultan received the knights, and their presents from the king of 
France, with much respect, and seemed very proud of what the king 
had sent him. The knights were only permitted to have one inter- 
view with the count de Nevers, but with none of the others : this, 
however, was of a sufficiently long continuance. On their taking 
leave, the count said : " Recommend me to my lord and father, the 
duke of Burgundy, to my lady-mother, to my lord the king, and to 
my lord of Berry, and salute in my name all my friends. Should 
there be any negotiation going forward with Bajazet, urge the speedy 
conclusion, for we suffer from every delay. We were originally 
eight prisoners, but are now increased, by si.iiteen more, to twenty. 
four:* let the ransom include all of us, for it will be as readily 
agreed to for the whole as for one. Bajazet has settled this in his 
own mind, and you may depend on his steadiness ; and those who 
have sent you hither may rely on his word, for it is inviolable." Sir 
James de Helly and Sir John de Chiteaumorant replied, they would 
say and do everything he had directed. They then took leave of 
the count de Nevers, and the sultan, and set out for Hungary and 
France. On their return, they met the messenger whom they had 
sent to Paris, as has been mentioned, bringing letters to the king of 
Hungary. They made him come back with them, as he had now 
no occasion to proceed farther, for they had been in Turkey; and 
they all returned together, to the king of France at Paris, 



CHAPTER LXXXVill. 

THE BtJKE OF GLOUCESTER PLOTS THE DESTRUCTION OF HIS NEPHEW, THE 
EIKG OF ENGLAND. THE KING, HAVING INFORMATION OF HIS PRACTICES, 
HAS HI.M ARRESTED BY THE EAKL MARSHAL. 

I HAVE been some time without saying anything of the duke of 
Gloucester, the youngest son of the late king Edward of England, 
for I have not had any cause tor so doing. But I will now speak of 
him, because his heart would no way incline to the French, and he 
was more pleased than hurt at the melancholy loss they had sustained 
in Turkey. He had with him a knight called sir John Lackingay, 
who was his most confidential adviser, and, as it was afterwards dis- 
covered, held with him such conversations as the following : " These 
vnin.boasting French have been nearly annihilated in Turkey. Such 
knights and squires as join company with them know not what tliey 
are about, and are ilUadvised when they do so, for they are so full 
of vanity and presumption, that they never can bring to a successful 
issue anything they undertake. This has often been apparent during 
the wars of my lord and father, and our brother the prince of Wales, 
for they never could obtain a victory over our men. I know not 
why we have any truces with them : if it were war with them, as 
we have good cause for quarrel, wc would wage it now more suc- 
cessfully than ever, for the flower of the French chivalry is slain or 
in captivity. Our countrymen wish for war, for without it they can- 
not exist, and idleness to men-at-arms is death. I swear, therefore, 
by God, that if I be alive, and in health, two years hence, the war 
shall be renewed, for I will not keep any truce or peace. The 
French have shown how little they have regarded them in former 
times, and have, by whatever treacherous and underhand means 
they could devise, deprived us of the duchy of Aquitaine, which 
was given up to my late lord and father, in conformity to a sound 
treaty of peace. This I have more than once charged them with, 
in the conference on the other side of the sea ; but they made such 
flourishing and complimentary speeches, they always lighted on their 
feet, and I was not attended to either by the king or by my brothers. 
If the king of England had a good head, and were as desirous as I 
am of war, and would take some pains to recover the inheritance 
they have shamefully stolen from him, he would find one hundred 
thousand archers and six thousand men.at.arma willing to cross the 
sea, and ready to serve him with their lives and fortunes. But 
things are not so. At this moment we have an unwarlike king, who 
is indifferent as to arms, otherwise he would show himself in France : 
for there never was so favorable an opportunity to carry the war 
thither as at this present moment, since they would be as^^ured of a 



•The M83. say nine 



battle, and the people of this csuntry, who are always eager to fight 
with those richer than themselves, for the sake of the spoil, would 
venture boldly, in the hope of having the like success with their an. 
cestors under the king my father, of happy memory, and my brother 
the prince of Wales. 

"I am the last of the royal family of England; but were I be- 
lieved, I would be the first to renew the wars, to retaliate for the 
wrongs that have been done us, and which they are daily doing by 
the connivance and weakness of our rulers, more particularly of our 
head the king of England, who has allied himself by marriage with 
the daughter of his enemy the king of France. That is a sure proof 
he will have no war : certainly not : he is too heavy behind, and 
only wishes for the pleasures of the table and the amusements of la- 
dies. That is not the life for men.at.arms, who are desirous of re- 
nown and profit. I have not forgotten my last expedition through 
France. I might have had with me about two thousand lances and 
eight thousand archers. When we crossed the sea, we entered 
France by way of Calais, and continued our march through the 
country, without meeting any one to oppose us or offer us battle. 
Such formerly was the success of sir Robert KnoUes, sir Hugh Cal- 
verley, sir Thomas Grandson, sir Philip GifTord ; but they had not 
as may men as I had under their command, and yet they marched 
to the gates of Paris, and demanded battle from the king of France. 
No one, howe\er, ventured out to answer their challenge, and they 
continued their route without interruption into Brittany. You might 
then have marched from Calais to Bordeaux, without any one da- 
ring to oppose you ; but I am persuaded whoever should now attempt 
it would be combated ; for he who at present signs himself king of 
France is young, active, and has a strong desire to achieve some 
gallant enterprise. He would therefore fight with us, whatever might 
be the consequences, and that is everything we could desire ; for it 
has been by battle and victories over the French, who are so rich, 
that we are become wealthy : if peace continue, we shall languish 
and become more enervated than ever, since my nephew came to 
the throne of England. Things cannot long remain in this state, 
before the people will perceive and redress them. The king raises 
heavy taxes on the merchants, who are greatly discontented : he 
squanders the money no one knows how, and thus is the kingdonx 
of England impoverished. True it is, that he gives largely to those 
about him, and in whom he confides, but the people pay for tliis, 
and it will shortly cause a rebellion ; for they already begin to mur- 
mur, and to say publicly that such measures must not longer be suf- 
fered. The king gives out that as soon as the truces between 
France and England shall be signed, he will make a voyage to Ire- 
land, and employ there his men.at.arms and archers. He has al- 
ready been there, and gained but little, for Ireland is not worth 
conquering; the Irish are a poor and wicked people, with an impov. 
erished country ; and he who should conquer it one year, would lose 
it the next. Lackingay, Lackingay ! all you have just heard me say 
consider as truth." 

Such were the conversations, as it was afterwards known, between 
the duke of Gloucester and his knight. He had conceived a great 
hatred to his nephew, the king of England, and could no way speak 
well of him ; and although he was, with his brother of Lancaster, 
the greatest personage in England, and one by whose advice the 
government ought to have been carried on, he paid not any atten- 
tion to it. When the king sent for him, if^ it was his pleasure he 
would come, but more frequently he staid at home ; and, when he 
obeyed, he was always the last to come and the first to depart. On 
giving his opinion, it must be implicitly followed, for he would not suf- 
fer it to be contradicted. He then took leave, mounted his horse, and set 
off for a handsome castle he had in Essex, thirty miles from London, 
called Fleshy, where he resided more constantly than anywhere else. 
This lord Thomas was a great lord, and could afford to expend an. 
nually, from his income, sixty thousand crowns. He was duke of 
Gloucester, earl of Essex and Buckingham, and constable of Eng. 
land ; and, from his rough manner, was more dreaded by the king 
than any other of his uncles, for, in his speech, he never spared him. 
The king was always submissive to him, and whatever he asked was 
instantly granted. The duke of Gloucester had ordered many severe 
and hasty executions in England, and, without any title of reason or 
justice, had caused that prudent and gallant knight sir Simon Burlejr 
to be beheaded, with many others of the king's council. This duke 
likewise caused the banishment of the archbishop of York and the 
duke of Ireland from England, notwithstanding the confidence the 
king reposed in them, accusing them of giving evil counsel to the 
king, keeping him under their governance, and wasting the revenues 
of the kingdom on themselves. The duke of Gloucester's two broth. 
ers of Lancaster and York resided generally with the king : he was 
jealous of them, and said to several (such as Robert* bishop of Lon. 
don and others) who went to visit him at his castle of Fleshy, that 
his brothers were too expensive to the king, and that it would be 
more decent for them to live at their own houses. The duke gained, 
by every possible means, the love of the Londoners ; for he thought, 
if he acquired popularity with them, the rest of England would fol- 
low their example. The duke had a nephew, son to his brother 



* Rotiert Brarbook, who succeeded Courtnuy, on his translation to Canteiburr. l?w_ 
and died I4(Xl,havmg beea cliAoc«llor ofEnglaod scarcely six months.— Gouoa'a Pkthy, 

TiOU. p. iff. 



S94 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



Lionel, duke of Clarence, who had married the daughter of Galeas, 
lord of Milan, and died at Asti in Piedmont. The duke of Glouces. 
ter would gladly have seen hi3 nephew, called John earl of March,* 
on the throne of England, and king Richard deposed from it, saying 
he was neither worthy nor capable to hold the government of Eng- 
land ; and this opinion he made secret of to those who were in his 
confidence. He invited this earl of March to come and see him ; and 
when at Pleshy, he unbosomed himself to him of all the secrets of 
his heart, telling him that he had been selected for king of England ; 
that king Ricliard and his queen were to be contined, but with ample 
provision for theii- maintenance, as long as they lived ; and he earn, 
estly besought his nephew to believe all he had said, for he should 
make it a point to put his plans into execution, and that he was 
already joined by the earl of Arundel, sir John Arundel, the earl of 
"Warwick, and many prelates and barons of England. 

The earl of March was thunderstruck on hearing this proposal 
from his uncle ; but, young as he was, he dissembled his real senti. 
ments, and prudently replied, to please his uncle and to get away, 
that he never thought of sucli things, and they were of such a mag. 
nitude as to require his deliberate consideration. The duke then, 
observing the manner of his nephew, desired tliat he would keep 
what he had said very secret. This he promised faithfully to do, 
and, taking his leave, hastened from him, and instantly went to his 
estates in Ireland : he would never listen nor send any answer to all 
the proposals his uncle made him, excusing himself honorably from 
taking part in them, as he foresaw they must end badly. The duke 
of Gloucester employed all possible means to stir up troubles in Eng- 
land, and excite the Londoners against the king. The year that a 
truce had been signed between England and France, to last for tltirty 
years, king Richard and his queen came to London, on their return 
from France : the duke of Gloucester whispered the citizens to pe- 
tition the king to abolish all taxes and subsidies which had been im. 
posed for the last twenty years, as it was reasonable they should now 
cease, since a truce had been signed for so long a term, and they had 
been levied solely as war.taxes, to pay the men-at-arms and archers 
in support of the war. He told the merchants, " it was hard to pay 
thirteen florins out of every hundred as a tax on merchandise, which 
were spent in idle dances and feasts : you pay for them and are sorely 
oppressed. Add to your petition a remonstrance for the realm to be 
governed according to ancient custom and usages, and that when, 
ever there shall be any necessity to raise money for the defence of 
the kingdom, you will tax yourselves with such sums as shall be 
satisfactory to the king and his council." This advice of the duke of 
Gloucester was followed by the Londoners, and many of the princi- 
pal towns. They collected together, and went in a body to the king 
at Eltham, where they demanded redress of what they complained of, 
and that all taxes which had been raised for the support of the war 
should be instantly abolished. Only two of the king's uncles were 
present when the citizens presented their petition and remonstrance, 
namely, the dukes of Lancaster and York. The king desired they 
would answer the Londoners and the other citizens who had accom. 
panied them, but particularly the duke of Lancaster ; who said to 
them : " My fair sirs, you will now, each of you, return to your homes, 
and, within a month from this day, come to the palace of Westmin- 
ster, when the king, his nobles and prelates of the council, shall be 
assembled, and your petition and remonstrance be taken into consid- 
eration. What shall then be thought right to maintain or abolish 
will be determined upon, and you may depend on having such redress 
as ought to satisfy you." 

This answer contented some, but not all ; for there were among 
them rebels attached to the duke of Gloucester, who wanted a more 
speedy decision of their demands ; but the dukes of Lancaster and 
York appeased them by gentle words, and they all departed. The 
matter, however, did not rest here ; but at the month's end they again 
went to the king at Westminster, who was surrounded by his nobles 
and prelates. The duke of Gloucester was now present, and leant 
much to the petitioners ; but, in the answer which was made to them, 
he dissembled his real thoughts, in order that the king, his brothers, 
and the members of his council might not notice them. The duke 
of Lancaster replied for tlie king, and, addressing himself to the 
Londoners, as they composed the majority, said : " Ye citizens of 
London, it pleases my lord the king that I give an answer to your 
petition : in obedience to his command, I shall declare to you what 
the king and his council have determined upon. You know, that to 
provide against dangers to the kingdom, ye, as well as the other cities 
and towns within the realm, agreed, about six years ago, that a tax 
of thirteen per cent, should be laid on all merchandise that was sold, 
and for which the king granted to you many privileges such as he 
will not take from you, but on the contrary augment, if ye prove not 
undeserving of the favor. But since ye seem now to turn rebellious, 
and draw back from what ye had willingly before agreed to, he re. 
cals his former favors : and here are his nobles and prelates, who 



• " He was third son of Edward Mortimer earl of March, by Phihppa. daughter of 
Lionel duke of Clorence. and was hnnged 3rd Henry VI. Sandford. p. 2U. Froissart 
means Roger, his elder brother, blaui iii Ireland, 23nd Ricliard II., whose death Richard 
went over to avenge, when Kenry IV. plotted to dethrone him, lb. p, 236, This Roger 
was declared heir to the crown by parliament. 9lh Rich. 11. Inland's CoUoctanett. vol, 
i. p. 693- Froissart took the opportunity of the marriosc of Lionel and Violanta to visit 

Italy, and dwells oo the solemnities^ and festivah of the wedding " Govgh's Plc3hy 

p. 60. 



have sworn to support him in all his lawful measures to the utmoet 
of their power, and are now willing to continue their aid in main- 
taining all legal grants. Consider, therefore, calmly, this matter, and 
that the state of the king demands great expense ; if his revenue is 
augmented one way it is diminished another ; besides, his receipts 
are not so considerable as they were in former times. The war has 
involved greater costs than were provided for. The expenses of the 
embassadors for the peace, on this and on the other side of the sea, 
have called for large sums ; and those for the king's marriage have 
been very great. Although there is now a truce between England 
and France, the annual charges for the gaiTisons of the different towns 
and castles under the obedience of the king in Gascony, the Bourde- 
lois, Bayonnois, and Bigorre, are very heavy. The fleet which must 
be maintained to guarsl our coasts and harbors, costs a great deal. 
The frontiers of Scotland, and of our possessions in Ireland, must not 
be left defenceless, and they demand large sums. All these articles, 
and several others relating to the state of the king and country of 
England, annually absorb great sums, which the nobles and prelates 
understand and know much better than you can, who attend only to 
your trades and the disposal of your wares. Give thanks to God that 
ye have peace, and consider that no one pays that is not liable so 
to do, and carries on a trade, and that foreigners pay this tax as 
well as yourselves. Ye are much better off than those of France, 
Lombardy, or other countries, where it is to be hoped your merchan. 
disc is carried ; for they are taxed and taxed over again, three or 
four times a.year, while ye have only a moderate duty imposed on 
your wares." The duke of Lancaster addressed thein so mildly 
and calmly, that although they came thither with the worst intentions, 
from the machinations of others, they were satisfied ; and the assem. 
bly broke up without making any new demand, for the deputies from 
the majority of the principal towns were contented with the answer. 
There were some who would have rejoiced to have seen the meeting 
end differently, though they did not show it openly. The duke of 
Gloucester returned to his castle of Pleshy, perceiving that this time 
he was disappointed in his expectations, and was constantly devising 
means of exciting disturbances in England, and causing a rupture 
with France. In this attempt he was joined by the uncle of his 
duchess, the earl of Arundel, who was desirous of war above all 
things ; and they had successfully practiced with the earl of War- 
wick, so that he obeyed their wills. 

The king of England had two brothers by his mother's side ; the 
eldest, Thomas carl of Kent ; the youngest, a valiant knight, sir John 
Holland earl of Huntingdon, and chamberlain of England. The 
last was married to a daughter of the duke of Lancaster ; and it was 
he who had killed the earl of Stafford's son, as has been mentioned 
in this history. The issue of the earl of Stafford was a young squire, 
who was under the protection and wardship of the duke of Glouces- 
ter. The earl of Huntingdon resided chiefly at the court of his 
brother the king of England, and was better acquainted than any 
other with the intrigues of the duke of Gloucester, from the private 
inquiries he made into his conduct. He was much afraid of the 
duke, for he knew him to be proud, cruel, and passionate : he nour. 
ished his enemy under his eye, for the crime he had committed on 
the earl of Stafford's son had never been forgiven. King Richard 
was naturally fond of his brother, and supported him against all : he 
saw with pain that his uncle of Gloucester was his enemy, and took 
much trouble to form a party against him to force him to leave the 
kingdom. He and the earl of Huntingdon conversed frequently on 
this subjct; during which time, the count de Saint Pol arrived in 
England, whiili^r he had been sent by the king of France to see his 
daughter, the young queen of England, how they were going on, and 
to cultivate aflection between the two countries ; for, since the truce 
had been signed, it was the intention of the two kings and their 
councils, that France and England should be on the most friendly 
terms with each other, in spite of what their ilUwishers might attempt 
to the contrary. 

The king and the earl of Huntingdon made the count de Saint 
Pol a hearty welcome on his arrival, sis well from love to the king 
of France as because he had married their sister. At this moment, 
neither the dukes of Lancaster nor of York were with the king ; for 
they began to dissemble with him, and to suspect, from the great 
murmurings in many parts of England on the king's conduct, that 
affairs would not end well : they therefore wished not to be called 
upon by the king or people, but left the whole to the duke of Glou. 
cester and his accomplices. The king of England discoursed very 
freely with the count de Saint Pol, as well on the state of the coun. 
try as concerning his uncle the duke of Gloucester, whom he described 
as very rough in his manners and rebellious in his conduct, and he 
related to him various instances of his .slights. The count de Saint 
Pol, on hearing them, was much surprised, and replied, •' that such 
behavior ought not longer to be borne; for, my lord," added he, "if 
you suffer him to go on, he will be your ruin. It is ctirrently reported 
in France, that his only object is to break the truce and renew the 
war between France and England : by little and little he will win 
the hearts of the more indigent men-at-arms of the country, who 
wish for war rather than peace ; and if such persons uitite together 
and hostilities commence, the more prudent part of the nation will 
not be listened to; for where wickedness and obstinacy govern, wis. 
dom and common sense are not heard. Take your precautions 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &,c. 



595 



beforehand ; for it is better you make your enemies afraid of you, 
than that you should fear them." These words of the count made a 
deep impression on the king's mind ; and, as he was continually 
thiniking on them, he renewed the subject with the earl of Hunting. 
don, on the count de Saint Pol's return to France. The earl replied, 
" My lord, our brother-in-law Saint Pol has told you real truth, and 
I would' advise you to take measures accordingly." 

I was informed, that about a month after tlie departure of the 
count de Saint Pol from England, the king became exceedingly un. 
popular : it was rumored, that the count had come to treat with tlic 
king for the restoration of Calais to the French. Nothiiig could have 
agitated the English more than such reports ; and the people were 
so uneasy, that the Londoners went even to Fleshy, to consult the 
duke of Gloucester on the occasion. The duke, instead of calming, 
excited them more by saying, '■He could do nothing in the business; 
for he was sure the French would give all the daughters of their king, 
if they could recover Calais.'' This answer made the Londoners 
very melancholy ; and they said they would see the king, and re- 
monstrate with him on the agitation the whole country was in. " Do 
so," replied the duke of Gloucester ; "remonstrate with him firmly, 
and make him fear you. Mark well the answer he shall give, so 
that you may repeat it to me the next time I see you ; and, when I 
know his answer, I will then give you my advice how to act. 
It may be that some iniquitous treaties are on foot, for the earl mar- 
shal, who is governor of Calais, has been twice at Paris, where he 
remained some time, and he was the most active in concluding the 
marriage of the king with the lady Isabella. The French are a sub- 
tle race, and see far into consequences : they pursue their object by 
degrees, and are extravagant in their promises and presents to gain 
their ends." 

The Londoners pursued the plan they had settled at Pleshy, and 
went to Ellliam to speak with the king. At that time were with 
him his two brothers, the earls of Kent and Huntingdon, the earl of 
Salisbury, the archbishop of Canterbury, the archbishop of Dublin, 
his confessor, sir Thomas Percy, sir William Lisle, sir Richard Cre- 
don, sir John Golofre, and several more, all knights of the king's 
chamber. The citizens remonstrated temperately with the king: 
told him the cause of their coming, not in a haughty or harsh man- 
ner, but with courteous speech, and repeated to him the reports which 
were so current throughout England. The king was greatly aston- 
ished at hearing them, and was much affected, though he dissembled 
his feelings. He appeased the citizens, by declaring there was not 
one word of truth in all the rumors that were so industriously circu- 
lated : that the count de .Saint Pol had come hither to amuse him. 
self, and that the king of France had also sent him, out of his afiection 
to the king and queen of England, to see them ; but he swore, as 
God might help him, and on the faith he owed the crown of Eng. 
land, that no treaty of any sort had ever been mentioned, and he was 
astonished whence such scandalous reports could have arisen. When 
the king had done speaking, the earl of Salisbury addressed the citi- 
zens : " My good people of London, withdraw to your homes, and 
be assured that the king and his council wish for nothing more than 
the honor and profit of England. Those who have busily said the 
contrary have been ill-advised, and plainly show they would with 
pleasure see the country in trouble, and the people in rebellion against 
their king. This you ought particularly to dread, for you have before 
witnessed how near you were to destruction, when a few wicked 
rebels rebelled, but were severely punished for it ■■ depend upon it, 
that when the people are wicked, neither justice nor truth will be 
attended to.'' These speeches appeased the citizens, who were tol. 
cvably contented with what they had heard. Having taken leave of 
the king, they departed, on their return to London. 

The king remained at Eltham, very melancholy at the words he had 
heard. He retained near his person his two brothers, and such of his 
friends as he had the greatest confidence in ; for he began to doubt 
the affection of his uncles, from observing they now chiefly resided 
at their country-seats. He was, in consequence, very suspicious of 
them, especially of the duke of Gloucester, whom he feared more 
than the dukes of Lancaster and York, and kept up a constant guard, 
night and day, of one thousand archers. The king of England had 
received positive information that the duke of Gloucester and the 
earl of Arundel had plotted to seize his person, and that of the queen, 
and carry them to a strong castle, where they should be confined 
under proper guards, but allowed sufficiently for their table and other 
necessary expenses. That four regents should be appointed over the 
kingdom, of whom the dukes of Lancaster and York were to be the 
chief, and have under them the government of all the northern parts, 
from the Thames to the Tyne, and as tar as the Tweed, that runs by 
Berwick, comprehending all Northumberland, and the borders of 
Scotland. The duke of Gloucester was to have for his government 
London, Esse.x, and that part of the country to the mouth of the 
Humber, and likewise all the coast from the Thames to the water 
of Southampton, and westward comprehending Cornwall. The earl 
of Arundel was to have Sussex, Kent, Surrey, Berkshire, and all 
the country from the Thames to Bristol, and the river Severn, 
that divides England from Wales, where there are very extensive 
lordships, with power of punishing by death all offenders. But 
their chief design was to find out some means of rekindling the 
war with France ; and, if the king of France wished to have his 



daughter again, it might be done, for she was still very young, not 
more than eight years and a half old, and, perchance, when she was 
marriageable, she might repent of this connection, for she was inno- 
cently, and without her being able to judge for herself, married, and, 
besides, it was unjust to break off her match with the heir of Brit- 
tany ; but should she wish to abide by her marriage, she would in 
justice remain queen of England, and enjoy her dower, but she 
should never be the companion of the king of England. Should the 
king die before she was of a proper age, she was to be sent back to 
France. 

These were the plans that had been concerted by many of the 
English, particularly the Londoners, for they hated the king, and 
several now repented they had checked the mobs which attacked 
London from the difierent counties of England ; for they had deter- 
mined, according to their confessions when put to death, to murder 
the king, the earl of Salisbury, the earl of Oxford, and the whole of 
the king's council. Had this been done, the kingdom would soon 
have found another head ; and the citizens, with the consent of the 
country, and the aid of the duke of Gloucester (who took great pains 
to excite trouble and confusion,) would have selected a fit person to 
wear the crown, and placed the government and kingdom in a dif- 
ferent state to what it then was. Such were the secret murmurings 
of the citizens, and others of their party, in their private meetings, 
the whole of which was told to the king by his spy ; and greater 
blame was laid on the duke of Gloucester for all this business than 
on any other person. 

It is not to be wondered, if the king was considerably alarmed at 
the discovery of so much hatred and malice lurking against him. 
He paid greater court than ever to the duke of Gloucester and the 
citizens when they came to see him, but all in vain. At times, the 
king mentioned the matter privately to the dukes of Lancaster and 
York, who resided more with him than his uncle of Gloucester, and 
consulted with them how he could avoid the machinations of the duke 
and his accomplices, all of which he was thoroughly acquainted with. 
He addressed his uncles, saying: "My good uncles, for the love of 
God, advise me how to act. I am daily infomied that your brother, 
the duke of Gloucester, and the earl of Arundel, with others, are 
determined to seize and confine me in one of their castles, and that 
the Londoners will join them. Their plan is to allow me a suffi. 
ciency for my state, but to separate my queen from me, who is but a 
child, and daughter to the king of France, and send her to some 
other place of confinement. Now, my dear uncles, such cruel acts 
as these must not be suffered, if they can be prevented. You have 
paid me homage, and sworn obedience to me as your sovereign, iu 
the presence of your lord and father, king Edward, and my grand- 
father of happy memory, at the same time with the other barons and 
prelates of the realm. It is now twenty years since this was done ; 
and I entreat you, therefore, from the love you bear me, and on the 
oaths you have taken, that you assist me on this occasion; for every- 
thing assures me the duke of Gloucester only desires that war be 
renewed with France, in spite of the truces which you, with us and 
all England, have sworn to observe. In consideration of this was 
my marriage concluded with the daughter of the king of France, 
and wc wish to observe every article of the treaty most punctually, 
You know also, that whoever attempts to infringe this truce wilt 
commit a crime, and be liable to corporal punishment, as well as 
confiscation of goods: you likewise know, that I have borne with 
your brother, my uncle of Gloucester, as much as 1 have been able, 
and made light of his menaces, but in the end they may cost me 
dear. You are bound, therefore, by every tie, to give your best ad- 
vice, since I require it from you." When the dukes of Lancaster 
and of York heard their nephew thus address them, and saw that he 
was in great anguish of heart ; knowing, at the same time, that the 
greater part of what he had said was strictly true ; they replied : 
" My lord, have a little patience, and wait a short time before you 
make any rash resolutions. We know that our brother of Glouces- 
ter has the most passionate and wrong-headed temper of any man in 
England; but he carmot do more than man, and, if he work one 
way, we will counteract him another : you need not fear our brother 
so long as you shall follow our advice. He talks frequently of things 
he cannot execute ; and neither he nor his abettors can break the 
truce which has been signed, nor confine you in any castle : we will 
never suffer it, nor that you be separated from the queen ; for, if he 
imagine such things, he deceives himself. We therefore humbly- beg 
you will be appeased, for, please God, everything shall end well. 
Many things may be said that cannot be executed, and all which a 
man thinketh doth not come to pass." 

By such means, the dukes calmed the king's mind ; but as they 
foresaw that public affairs would, from their bad management, cause 
troubles in the realm, and that the hatred between their nephew and 
brother was daily increasing, to avoid being called upon by either 
party, they left the king's household with their families, taking leave 
of the king for a considerable time, and retired to their different cas. 
ties. The duke of Lancaster carried with him his duchess, who had 
been some time the companion of the young queen of England. 
They took this opportunity of hunting stags and deer, as is the cus- 
tom in England, and the king remained with his attendants in and 
about London. They afterwards, however, greatly repented having 
left the king; for such things shortly happened as troubled the wliol* 



596 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



kingdom, which would not have been done had they remained with 
the king,' for they would have more prudently advised than such 
counsellors as he listened to. 

There was not one of the king's servants that did not fear the 
duke of Gloucester, and wish his death, no matter by what means. 
That gallant and loyal knight, sir Thomas Percy, had been for a long 
time steward of the household, and all the accounts passed officially 
through his hands. He noticed with grief the hatred that subsisted 
between the king and the duke of Gloucester, and other great barons 
of England. Although he was beloved by all, he foresaw, like a 



are suffered, and have been suffered, to reign so long. The French 
say (as the common report runs,) that you intend to lay aside the 
.arms of France from your arms, which causeth great hatred against 
you ; and it is the more readily believed, from the great pains you 
took to have the truce signed, which was done more through force 
than love, for the nobles of this country who had served in these 
wars would not assent to it ; that you have not carefully examined 
the treaties signed by king John of France and his children, which 
those of his blood, now living, have treacherously infringed ; and 
tliat the French, by underhand means, caused a renewal of war, and 




Visit of Richard H. to his Uncle, the Duke or Gloucester, in his Castlb at Plesuv- From MS3. of the 15th Ceoturv . 



man of understanding, that public affairs would end badly, and, in 
consequence, resigned his office into the king's hands in the most 
honorable manner he could, and requested permission to retire, 
which the king very unwillingly consented to. He gave such plau- 
sible reasons for his request, that another was established in his place, 
and sir Thomas Percy went to his own estate, where he resided. 
The king had about his persun many young counsellors, who too 
much dreaded the duke of Gloucester : they frequently said to him, 
" Very dear sire, it is a dangerous office to serve you, for we have 
seen our predecessors, in whom you had great confidence, meet but 
a poor reward. That valiant knight, sir Simon Burley, so much be- 
loved by your lord and father, whom God pardon; and who took such 
pains for the accomplishment of your first marriage ; the duke of I 
Gloucester, your uncle, put shamefully to death, by having him pub- 
licly beheaded like a traitor. He likewise, as you know, had many 
others arbitrarily executed without your being any way able to grant 
them your pardon, or to save them from their ignominious deaths. 
Dear sire, we e.xpect nothing better; for whenever your uncle cometh 
hither to see you, which is not often, we dare not raise our eyes from 
the ground nor look at anybody. He eyes us from head to foot, and 
seems to think we take too much upon us, from being about your 
person ; and be assured, dear sire, that as long as he lives, there will 
never be quiet in England, nor will any one attempt to do anything 
good. Besides, he publicly threatens to confine you and the queen, 
and keep you under subjection during his good pleasure. You will 
be an undone king, and destroyed as well as us, if you do not 
speedily take some strong measures. As for the queen, she need 
not care : she is young, and daughter to the king of France, whom 
they dare not anger, as too many evils would result from it to Eng- 
land. Your uncle of Gloucester, to make you more unpopular with 
your subjects, spreads abroad in London (we have heard it) that you 
are unworthy to bear a crown, and to possess so noble an inheritance 
as England and its dependencies ; that, when you married again, 
you chose the daughter of your adversary the king of France, for 
which you were very blameworthy; and that you have debased the 
chivalry of England, and the courage of its knights, squires, and 
nobles, who had so valiantly carried on the war against France, and 
would have continued it, enfeebled as they are, if you had not pre- 
vented them: that you have placed the kingdom in a most perilous 
BJtuation, with great risk of its destruction, and that it is a pity you 



seized by usurpation the rights of your predecessors, and possessed ' 
themselves of very many towns, cities, and castles in Aquitaine, 
to the great loss of the crown of England, and all through your neg- 
ligence and want of courage : that you have been afraid of your ene- 
mies, and not followed up the advantages you had in the justice of 
this quarrel, which you still have as well as your ancestors, who im- 
mediately have preceded your lord and father the prince of Wales, ' 
and the good king Edward, who both took such pains to augment 
the glory of the cruwn. Dear sire, the Londoners say, as indeed do 
numbers of others, (which it behooves us not to conceal longer from 
you,) that a day shall come when you will be reminded of these 
things to your cost." i 

King Richard treasured up all these speeches in his mind, and 
pondered over them continually. Shortly after the departure of his 
two uncles of Lancaster and York, he summoned up more courage 
than usual, and said to himself, that it would be better he should 
destroy than be destroyed, and, that, within a short time, he would 
hold his uncle of Gloucester so securely, he should be incapable of 
injuring him. As he could not accomplish this alone, he opened 
himself to those most in his confidence. It was to the earl marshal, 
who was his cousin, and also earl of Nottingham, that he discovered 
his intention, and most minutely gave him his orders how he was to 
act. The earl marshal, from the favors he had received, loved the 
king in preference to the duke of Gloucester, and kept the secret he 
was intrusted with from all but such as he was forced to employ, 8S 
he could not do the whole liimself. What I am about to say will 
explain the matter. * 

The king, under pretence of deer-hunting, went to a palace he 
had at Havering-at-the-Bower, in Essex : it is about twenty miles 
from London, and as many from Pleshy, where the duke of Glouces- 
ter generally resided. The king set out one afternoon from Haver- 
ing, without any attendants, for he had left them behind with the 
queen at Eltham, and arrived at Pleshy about five o'clock: t'ne 
weather was very hot; and he came so suddenly to the castle, that 
no one knew of it, until the porter cried out, "Here is the king !" 
The duke of Gloucester had already supped, for he was very tem- 
perate in his diet, and never sat long at dinner or supper. He imme- 
diately went out to meet the king in the court of the castle, and paid 
him all the respect due to his sovereign, as did the duchess and her 
children. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



597 



The king entered the htJl and the apartment, where the table was 
again laid out for tlie king, who ate some httle ; but he had before 
told the duke, " Good uncle, have your horses saddled, not all, but 
five or six, for you must accompany me to London, as I am to have 
a meeting to-morrow with the citizens ; and we shall surely meet 
my uncles of Lancaster and York, but I shall advise with you what 
answer to make to the Londoners' demands. Tell your house-stew, 
ard to follow us with your servants to London, where they will find 
you." The duke, suspecting nothing evil intended against him, too 
easily consented ; and the king, having soon supped, rose from the 
table. Everything being ready, the king took leave of the duchess 
and her children, mounted his horse, and the duke did the same, 
attended only by three squires and four varlets. They took their way 
to Bondelay, to avoid the high road to London and Brentwood, with 
the other towns through which it passes. They rode hard, for the 
king pretended impatience to get to London, and conversed all the 
way with the duke of Gloucester. On their arrival at Stratford, 
near the Thames, where an ambuscade had been laid, the king gal- 
loped forward, leaving his uncle behind, on which the earl marshal 
advanced to the rear of the duke, with a large body of men, and 
said, "I arrest you in the king's name." The duke was panic- 
struck, for he saw he had been betrayed, and cried aloud after the 
king. I know not if the king heard liim, but he did not turn back, 
galloping on faster than before, and followed by his attendants. 

We will now leave this matter for a short time. 



CHAPTER LXXXIX. 

IBE tOBD HE COtrCY AND THE COITNT D'EU, CONSTABLE OF FRANCE, 
DIE IN TURKEY, BEFORE THE TREATY FOR THEIR DELIVERANCE IS 
ARRANGED. A RANSOM IS AGREED ON FOR THE OTHER PRISONERS WHO 
WERE TAKEN AT THE BATTLE OF NICOPOLI. 

You have before heard how sir John de Chiteaumorant and sir 
James de Helly were sent by the king of France and the duke of 
Burgundy as emba^adors to Bajazet, in Turkey, and of the success 
of their mission. On their return to France they were well received 
by the king, the duke and duchess of Burgundy, from the certain 
intelligence they had brought from the count de Nevers and his 
fellow-prisoners. These knights told the king they thought the sul- 
tan would readily listen to terms for their ransom, for they had been 
so given to understand by some of his principal advisers, lest the 
prisoners might die while in captivity, which was likely enough to 
happen, from the difference of air and diet, and they would not in 
that case gain anything by them. These words encouraged the 
duke and duchess of Burgundy to e.xert themselves in procuring the 
ransom of their son and heir, and they were occupied day and night 
in devising means to open negotiations with the sultan. The duchess 
said this battle of Nicopoli had been very unfortunate to her, for she 
had lost by it three of her brothers, who were gallant knights in 
arms : the first, the haze de Flandres, the second, sir Louis de Breze, 
and the third, sir John d'Ypres : there was another brother, the 
youngest of them, who had remained at home. To say the truth, 
the duchess had grief enough, and it was not surprising if she was 
melancholy, but the duke and his advisers calmed her by their 
earnestness in procuring her son's liberty : this was not, however, 
soon done, for the distance and difficulty of treating with such peo- 
ple forced them to go about the business leisurely. 

About the time I am now speaking of, that gallant knight and ex- 
cellent man the lord Enguerraud de Coucy, count de Soissons, and 
a potent lord in France, died at Bursa in Turkey. Sir Robert d'Esne, 
who had been sent to him by the lady de Coucy, had not advanced 
farther than Vienna, on his journey thither, when he was informed 
of his death. He returned with this news to France, and told it to 
the family of the lord de Coucy, though not to the widow, before 
whom he did not appear until the governor of the castle of Saint 
Gobin was sent to seek the body, have it embalmed, and brought to 
France. It was conveyed to the abbey of Nogent near to Coucy, 
and received by the duchess of Bar, the bishop of Laon, and many 
abbots : there the gentle knight was buried, and thus ended the year 
of grace 1397. 

The king of France and the duke of Burgundy were very active 
in their endeavors to abridge the captivity of their friends in 'Turkey, 
and there passed not a day without their having some conversation 
on the subject. Sir Dinde de Desponde was of all their consultations, 
and said the Venetian or Genoese merchants could alone assist them ; 
for by means of merchandise, which governs everything, and their 
connections with other merchants, they could pass everywhere, and 
learn the temper of the infidel sultans. They had great weight, par- 
ticularly in Cairo, Alexandria, Damascus, and Antioch, where they 
had factories, and the Saracens and Christians mutually interchanged 
their merchandises. The king and the duke, therefore, made as 
many friends among these merchants as they could, and gave up all 
intentions of making war on the duke of Milan from the friendship 
they learnt Bajazet bore him. On the other hand, king James of 
Cyprus knew well, that if he could any how soften the anger of the 
sultan, and prevail on him to accept of reasonable terms for the ran- 
som of the French lords, he should greatly oblige the king of France, 
the duke of Burgundy, and the whole of the nation. To accomplish 



this, the king of Cypru-s had a ship made of gold, curiously wrought, 
that might be worth ten thousand ducats, which he sent by his knights 
as a present to the sultan Bajazet. It was beautifully worked, and 
was graciously accepted by the sultan, who replied, he would return 
him double its value in courtesy and affection. This answer brought 
back by the Cypriote knights, was instantly made known to the king 
of France and the duke of Burgundy by some merchants, who wrote 
to sir Dinde that he might inform them of it. King James was wise 
in making this present : he dreaded the king of France, and all kings, 
for having murdered in the night-time his valiant brother, king Peter, 
who had fought so courageously against the Saracens, and had won 
from them the towns of Satalia and Alexandria ; and they were 
more afraid of him than of all the other kings or emperors in Chria- 
tendom. 

King James had sorely repented having committed this crime, or 
being present when it was done ; and, not daring to continue in Cy- 
prus, for the Christians would have put him to a disgraceful death, 
could they have caught him, he embarked on board a galley belong, 
ing to some Genoese merchants which was in the port of Nicosia, 
where the murder had been done, and fled to Genoa. The Genoese 
kindly entertained him, and some say that this villainous murder had 
been instigated by them ; for, shortly after, they entered the harbor 
of Famagousta with a large fleet of galleys and men-at-arms, which 
they took possession of, and have held by force ever since. True it 
is, that tlie late king of Cyprus had a very promising youth for his 
son, whom he brought with him, in company with a knight who had 
travelled through Lombardy to Rome, the last time he had crossed 
the sea : this youth the Cypriotes crowned their king on the assassi- 
nation of his father, but he lived not long to enjoy it. On his death, 
the Genoese brought back James, whom they had crowned king, and 
he has reigned ever since in Cyprus, through the support the Geno- 
ese give him against all nations. They would never give up posses, 
sion of the town or port of Famagousta, and are the masters of it at 
this present moment of my writing these chronicles. Indeed, had 
the Genoese not held it, the Turks and infidels would have con. 
quered the whole of the island, as well as Rhodes and the other 
adjacent islands ; but the Venetians and Genoese are their great 
opponents. When the last saw that the kingdom of Armenia was 
conquered by the Turks, they seized the town of Courch, that is sit. 
uated on the sea-shore, which they have kept under their governance. 
The Turks, were tliey not fearful of Courch and Pera, near Constanti- 
nople, would do the greatest mischief to all who navigate those seas, 
as well as to Rhodes and the neighboring islands. It is by these 
means the frontiers of Christendom are defended; but let us retura 
to king James of Cyprus. When he found, from the base crime he 
had been guilty ol, he was fallen under the displeasure and hatred of 
every crowned head, he e.xerted himself to the utmost to recover 
their favor, and thought himself highly honored by the letter the king 
of France had written to him. He was afraid of him, and not with, 
out reason, for the duke of Buurbon, uncle to the king of France, was, 
by right of succession through the Lusignans, the true heir to the 
throne of Cyprus. This king James, although brother to the late 
king, was not so by lawful marriage, but a bastard, as was well 
known to the Genoese. When they gave him the crown they mu- 
tually entered into special treaties with each other; and the Genoese 
bound themselves to defend his and his descendants' lights to the 
government against all claimants: in consideration of which, they had 
many lordships and tracts of land yielded up to them in the island of 
Cyprus. Everything they did in the defence of king James was to 
strengthen themselves against the Venetians, and to open greater 
markets for their trade with the Saracens, for, as factors, they have 
many connections with them and others of their faith. King James, 
through the Genoese, took great pains to please the king of France 
and his subjects, and it was in consequence of this he had made Ba- 
jazet so very rich a present, which was highly pleasing to the sultan 
and liis ministers, who valued it much. It was supposed by many, 
that sir Dinde Desponde had urged on the Genoese in this matter, as 
they were very warm in their endeavors to bring about a treaty for 
the deliverance of the count de Nevers and the other prisoners. 

The duke and duchess of Burgundy heard, with infinite pleasure, 
that the sultan began to tire of his prisoners, and would readily enter 
into a treaty for their liberty. They selected a valiant knight from 
the country of Flanders, called sir Guissebreth de Linrenglien, who 
was regent of Flanders under the duke and duchess of Burgundy, to 
go to Turkey and treat with Bajazet for the ransom of the French 
lords. At the same time they sent for sir James de Helly, and en- 
treated that he would accompany their embassador, because he was 
well acquainted with the countries he was to travel through, and with 
the court of the sultan, promising that his trouble and attention should 
be handsomely remunerated. Sir James, having promised to fulfil 
their commands, set out in company with the Flemish knight : on 
their arrival in Hungary, they waited on the king, to deliver the let- 
ters which were intrusted to them. The king received the letters 
and knights with joy, in compliment to the king of France : he was 
before acquainted with sir James de Helly. They informed the king, 
the object of their mission to Bajazet was to treat for the release of 
his prisoners, if he were inclined to listen to them. The king of 
Hungary replied, that it would be well done if they could obtain their 
liberty for money : and the attempt was worth trying, for nothing 



598 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &.<•. 



could be lost by thai. He offeicd them every assistance in his power, 
of money or men, for wliich the kniglits thanked him. 

They had many dirtioullies to encounter, before they could enter 
into a personal treaty with Bajazet; for it was first necessary that sir 
James de Holly should wait on the sultan to obtain a passport for sir 
Guissebreth de Linrenghen to travel througli Turkey, which having 
been properly made out he returned with it to Hungary. They 
journeyed to Turkey together ; and Bajazet received the regent of 
Flanders with kindness, and listened to his proposals, which formed 
the basis for a treaty. At this time there lived a Genoese merchant 
called Bartholomeo Pelegrini, in the island of Scio, who was univer- 
sally esteemed for his probity and knowledge in trade, even by Ba- 
jazet himself: to him sir Dinde de Desponde had written to interest 
himself in the business, that it might have a more speedy termination, 
for they were well known to each other, and promised him a hand- 
some recompense, if successful in obtaining tlie French lords' liberty, 
from the duke and duchess of Burgundy, and other lords and ladies 
who had friends or husbands in the power of Bajazet. He entreated 
him to take upon himself the debt for their ransom, however large 
the sum, and to conduct the French lords to Venice, or to some part 
under the government of the Venetians ; and that the moment he 
should be assured from him of their arrival thither, he would, without 
delay, hasten to Venice in person, with the amount of the sum to 
repay him what he had expended. The Genoese merchant complied 
with the request of sir Dinde, as well from personal regard to him, 
as for the profit and honor he should acquire by it, and for the esteem 
he should gain from the king of France ; for, from such a king, it 
was worth having. From the information I had, I am inclined to 
believe that the king of Cyprus sent some of his ablest counsellors to 
push forward the negotiations with the sultan, in compliance with 
the solicitations of the king of France and the duke of Burgundy. 
The lords de Mathclin and d'Amine, two great barons of Greece, and 
much in favor with Bajazet, interfered also in the matter, according 
to the requests that had been made them from France, otherwise 
they would not have troubled themselves about it. 

Turkey was an e.xtensive country, and not convenient to travel 
through, to those unaccustomed to it : Bajazet, therefore, as soon as 
he had consented to a treaty, resolved that all the French prisoners 
should be conveyed to Bursa, where the whole business should be 
concluded. Those lords were brought thither, to tlic amount of 
twenty.five ; but their conductors, the Turks, treated them scanda. 
lously on the road, by beating them forward, for they had purposely 
badly mounted them, and their horses would only go at a foot's pace : 
for this they were beaten by the Turks, who heard, very unwillingly, 
that they were to have their liberty. On their arrival at Bursa, where 
the negotiators from the king of France, the duke of Burgundy, the 
king of Cyprus, the Venetians and Genoese were waiting to receive 
them, they had more liberty than when in the prisons of the sultan : 
but, notwithstanding it was known they were to be ransomed, they 
were so closely guarded that they could not obtain a fourth part of 
their wishes. -Among the different persons who were at Bursa on 
account of the treaty, Bajazet inclijied more to sir Guissebreth de 
Lmrenghen, for sir James de Helly had told him he was regent of 
Flanders and the most confidential counsellor of the duke of Bur- 
gundy. The sultan resided in a handsome castle near Bursa, and 
where the negotiators went to discuss matters with him : the ransom 
for the twenty-five prisoners was fixed at two hundred thousand 
ducats. The lords de Mathclin and d'-'^minc, with the Genoese 
merchant of Scio, pledged themselves to the sultan for the due pay- 
ment of it. The count de Nevers gave his oath to the merchant, for 
himself and the rest, that on his arrival at Venice, he would never 
depart thence until the whole of this sum were paid to his satisfac- 
tion. Before the treaties were concluded, the count d'Eu was so 
much weakened by sickness, change of air, and diet he had not been 
accustomed to, that he departed this life at Haut-loge, where lie had 
been confined with the other lords, who were much afflicted thereat, 
though they could not any way prevent it. The lord Philip d'Artois, 
count d'Eu and constable of France, was, when dead, opened and 
embalmed, and in this state put into a cofiin and carried to France, 
where he lies buried in the church of Saint Laurence at Eu. 

When the sultan Bajazet was completely satisfied as to the secu- 
rity of those who had pledged themselves for the payment of the two 
hundred thousand ducats as the ransom for the French lords, the two 
embassadors from the duke of Burgundy were impatient to return to 
France, and carry the joyful news of their success to the king and 
other lords so greatly interested in it. They took leave of Bajazet 
and those of liis court they were the most intimate with ; and, as 
the regent of Flanders was in his favor, the gallant sultan ordered, 
that twenty thousand ducats should be deducted from the two hun- 
dred thousand he was to receive, and given to the two knights, in 
consideration of the great pains they had taken to accomplish these 
treaties. The two knights gratefully thanked the sultan, as they had 
reason, for Iris magnificent gift, and, after taking leave of the Turkish 
court and the French lords, returned to Bursa. They there left the 
count de Nevers and his companions, waiting the lords de Mathelin* 
and d'Amine, who were to come for them in their galley, and em- 
barked on board a small passage-galley for MatheUn. On quitting 



* D. Sauvage supposes, in a marginul note, this must be the lord of the island of 
Milelino, but confesses his ignorance of the other. 



the harbor, the sea was calm and the weather temperate ; but they 
had not advanced far before it changed, and at length became so 
tempestuous that sir Guissebreth, sorely tormented by sea-sicknesa, 
died before they could reach Mathelin. Sir James Helly was much 
grieved for his loss, and, engaging a Venetian galley, sailed to Rhodes. 
He published everywhere the deliverance and speedy anival of the 
count de Nevers and his companions, to the great joy of the knights 
of Rhodes. On his arrival in France, he made the king, the duke 
and duchess of Burgundy, and the nation, happy by the good news 
he had brought. Sir James spoke loudly in the praise of his com- 
panion, sir Guissebreth, and of the great pains he took to conclude 
the treaty. 

The sultan Bajazet, having had eveiything respecting the ransom 
of his French prisoners setded to his satisfaction, resolved on allow, 
iiig them more liberty, for indeed they were now no longer prisoners, 
and invited them to his presence before the departure of the embas- 
sadors, to show them the magnificence of his establislunents. They 
were said to be very grand indeed ; and immense numbers were 
daily attendant on his person. He sent some of his principal lords 
to invite the count de Nevers and his companions to the castle, 
where ho received and entertained them handsomely : he ordered all 
things they might want to be delivered out to them by his officers, 
as was the usual custom of his court. The snltan conversed daily 
with the count de Nevers, by means of an interpreter, and paid him 
much respect, for he knew that he was, or would be, a very great lord 
in France, by the great exertions that were made, and the large sum 
paid for his ransom, which was enough to satisfy his avarice, having 
securities for the amount of one million of florins. The other French 
lords were equally astonished with the count de Nevers at the power 
and state of Bajazet. He was attended by such numbers, that they 
were always encamped, for no town could lodge them ; and the 
expense must have been very great to supply so many with food. 
It was surprising where such quantities came from, notwithstanding 
the natives of warm climates are very temperate in their diet, eating 
but little meat, hving on spices and sugar, of which they have abun- 
dance, as well as goats' milk, the common beverage of the Turks 
and Saracens, and they have plenty of bread made of millet. 

The sultan had at this time seven thousand falconers, and as many 
huntsmen : you may suppose from this the grandeur of his establish, 
ments. One day, in the presence of the count de Nevers, he flew a 
falcon at some eagles ; the flight did not please him ; and he was 
so wroth, that, for this fault, he was on the point of beheading two 
thousand of his falconers, scolding them exceedingly for want of 
diligence in their care of his hawks, when the one he was fond of 
had behaved so ill. Another time, vvhen the count do Nevers and . 
the French barons were with the sultan, a poor woman come to him 
in tears, to demand justice against one of his servants, and said ; 
" Sultan, I address myself to thee, as my sovereign, and complain of 
one of thy servants, who is, I understand, attached to thy person. 
He this morning entered my house, and seized by force the goat 
milk I had provided for myself and children, and drank it against 
my will. I told him that I should complain to thee of this outrage, 
but I had no sooner uttered the words, than he gave me two great 
cufls, and would not leave me, though I ordered him in thy name. 
Sullan, do me justice, as thou hast sworn to thy people thou 
wouldost, that I may be satisfied, this injury be punished, and that 
every one may know thou wilt see the meanest of thy subjects 
righted." 

The sultan was very rigidly determined that all crimes committed 
within his dominions should be severely punished: he therefore lis- 
tened to her attentively, and said he would do her justice. He then 
ordered the varlet to be brought, and confronted with the woman, 
who repeated her complaint. The varlet, who dreaded Bajazet, 
began to make excuses, saying it was all false. The woman told a 
plain tale, and persisted in its truth. The sultan stopped her, and 
said, "Woman, consider well thy accusation; for, if I find thou 
hast told me a lie, thou shah suffer death." " Sir," replied the 
woman, " I consent to it; for were it not true, I could have no rea- 
son to come before thee, and I only ask for justice." " I will do it," 
answered the sultan, " for I have so sworn, and indiscriminately to 
every man or woman within my dominions." He then ordered the 
varlet to be seized, and to have his belly opened, for otherwise he 
would not have known if he had drank the milk or not. It was there 
found, for it had not had time to be digested ; and the sultan, on 
seeing it, said to the woman, " Thou hadst just cause of complaint: 
now go thy way, for the injurj' done thee has been punished." She 
was likewise paid for her loss. This judgment of Bajazet was wit- 
nessed by the French lords, who were at the time in his company. 



CHAPTER XC. 

THE FRENCXl LOKDS WHO HAD BEEN PRISONERS IN IDRKEY RET0BK 
BY SEA TO VENICE. 

When the count de Nevers and the lords of France who were 
made prisoners ot the battle of Nicopoli (excepting the count d'Eu 
and the lord de Coucy, who had died) had been some time enter- 
tained by the sultan, and had seen great part of his state, he con. 
sented they should depart, which was told them by those who had 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



599 



been ordered to attend to their personal wants. The count and his 
companions waited on the sultan in consequence, to thank him for 
his kindness and courtesy. On taking his leave, the sultan addressed 
him, by means of an interpreter, as follows : " John, I am well in- 
formed that in thy country thou art a great lord, and son to a power- 
ful prince. Thou art young, and hast many years to look forward ; 
and, as thou raayest be blamed for the ill success of thy first attempt 
in arms, thou mayest perchance, to shake off this imputation and 
regain thine honor, collect a powerful army to lead against me, and 
offer battle. If I feared thee, I would make the swear, and likewise 
thy companions, on thy faith and honor, that neither thou nor they 
would ever bear arms against me. But no : I will not demand such 
an oath : on the contrary, I shall be glad that when thou art returned 
to thy country, it please thee to assemble an army, and lead it hither. 
Thou wilt always find me prepared, and ready to meet thee in the 
field of battle. What I now say, do thou repeat to any person, to 
whom it may please thee to repeat it ; for I am ever ready for, and 
desirous of, deeds of arms ; as well as to extend my conquests." 

These high words the count de Nevers and his companions under, 
stood well, and never forgot them so long as they lived. After this, 
when all things for their departure were ready, they were conducted 
by All bashaw and Soli bashaw, with a large escort, to the lords de 
Mathelin and d"-\mine, and the others who had interested themselves 
for their liberty. Before they embarked on board the galleys des- 
tined to carry them, they paid every expense they had incurred at 
Bursa, or at other places, with so much punctuality that they were 
greatly praised. As they weighed anchor, their conductors returned 
to the sultan ; and the galleys, having a favorable wind, soon arrived 
at the harbor, where the count and his friends were received with 
joy. The lady of the lord de Mathelin was of a certain age, but 
perfectly well bred, and as fully accomplished as any lady in Greece, 
for in her youih she had been brought up at the court of Constanti- 
nople with the lady Mary of Bourbon. She had from her learnt 
many things, for the lords and ladies of France are better educated 
than those in any other country. This lady thought herself highly 
honored when she saw the count de Nevers, sir Henry de Bar, Guy 
de la Tremouille, and tVe other lords under her roof, and welcomed 
them with every sign of pleasure. She first clothed them with fine 
new linen and cloth of Damascus made into gowns and vestments, 
according to the taste in Greece. After she had dressed the masters, 
she did the same to their servants in the handsomest manner, each 
according to his rank. The lords were very thankful for her kind, 
ness, and publicly declared their gratitude for her generous conduct, 
as well as tliat of the lords de Mathelin and d'.\mine, who honored 
them by every mark of respect, and administered to their necessities. 
News was soon carried to the island of Rhodes, that the sultan 
had accepted a ransom for the French lords, and that they were now 
at Mathelin. The intelligence gave much pleasure to the grand- 
master and 10 all his knights, who proposed to equip and arm two 
galleys, and send them to Mathelin to convey the count and his 
fellow-prisoners to Rhodes. This was executed ; and, when ready, 
sir James de Brasemont,* a Burgundian, who was marshal of Rhodes, 
embarked on board, and had a favorable voyage to Mathelin, where 
he was made heartily welcome by the lord de Mathelin, his lady, 
and their guests. He remained there four days : on the fifth, the 
galioys having on board the purveyances of the French lords, the 
CO:: :t and his companions took leave of the lord and lady de Mathe- 
liu. ,1 t:irning them their best thanks for all the kindness and friend- 
8lii;i th.ey had received, especially the count de Nevers, who, as the 
principal personage, said he was bound at all times hereafter to ren- 
der them every service in his power. After many compliments on 
both sides, the French lords entered the galleys, and, as long as they 
were in sight, the lord de Mathelin remained on the shore, and after 
that went home. The galleys, having a favorable wind, arrived at 
Rhodes, and anchored in the haven, where vessels from Cyprus, 
Baruth, and other ports in the Levant, usually do. On their land- 
ing, they were received by many of the knights of Rhodes, who 
wear a white cross, in memory of the cross of our Lokd Jesus 
Christ, who suftered to deliver others from the pains of hell. They 
are valiant knights, and give daily assaults by sea or land on the infi- 
dels, to support and defend the Christian faith. 

The count de Nevers and the lords of France were received by the 
grand prior of Rhodes and the grand prior of Aquitaine, in their 
robes of ceremony, who offered to lend them any sum of money, as 
far as their abilities extended, to enable them to discharge their 
daily expenses, which the count and his friends thought a most cour- 
teous ofl'er, and thanked them accordingly. In truth, they were in 
want of money, and the grand prior of ,A.quitaine, a right valiant 
knight, as his actions showed in the Holy Land, lent the count de 
Nevers thirty thousand francs, which were counted out by sir Reg. 
nier Pot, house-steward to the count, and the lord de Rochefort in 
Burgundy. I believe this sum was as much for his companions as 
for the count himself, and was divided among them, although the 
count de Nevei? took on himself the whole debt. The French lords 
remained some time in the island of Rhodes, to recover and properly 
array themselves, for the climate was by far more temperate than in 
the countries where they had lately resided : during the time they 



* "Sir James d« Brasemoat," The MSS. have de Bauffremont, which 1 should 
9refei 



tarried at Rhodes, waiting for the galleys from Venice, sir Guy de la 
Tremouille was seized with so dangerous an illness, that he there 
departed this life. He ordered his body to be buried on the spot 
where he died, and was, consequently, interred in the church of 
Saint John, in the island of Rhodes. His funeral was honorably 
attended by the French lords, who much regretted his loss, more 
especially the count de Nevers, who knew that his father, the duke 
of Burgundy, would be greatly affected by it, as he had always found 
him a wise and honest counsellor. 

The galleys from Venice at length arrived, properly armed and 
equipped, to tlie great joy of the French lords. They were not long 
in making their preparations to depart, and took leave of the knights 
of Rhodes, who recommended their order to them, and to all devout 
souls who would be willing to assist it. The count de Nevers, the 
lords Henry de Bar, de Boucicaut, sir William de la Tremouille, the 
lord de Rochefort, sir Regnier Pot, and the rest, embarked on board 
the Venetian galleys, the captains of which resolved to touch at the 
different islands, that their passengers might sail more at their ease, 
and refresh themselves on shore, and show the count de Nevers the 
various islands which lay between Rhodes and Venice. They 
steered first for Modon,* which is five hundred miles from Rhodes, 
and tarried there some days, to amuse themselves, for the port and 
country belonged to the Venetians. From Modon they had a fine 
passage to Colefo,t as the sea was calm, where they refreshed thera. 
selves ; and from Colefo they made for the island of Garre,t \\-here 
they did the same : thence they sailed for the island of Chifolignie;^ 
and, having anchored, they landed, and were met by a large party 
of ladies and damsels, who have the government of the island. 
They received the French lords with joy, and led them to the inte. 
rior part of the island, which is very beautiful, to amuse and enjoy 
themselves. Some say, who pretend to be acquainted with the state 
of this island, and insist upon it, that fairies and nymphs inhabit it, 
and that frequently merchants from Venice or Genoa, who have 
been forced by stress of weather to make some stay there, have 
seen the appearances of them, and have had the truth of these 
reports confirmed. 

The count de Nevers and his friends were very happy with the 
dames of Cephalonia, for they entertained them gayly, telling them 
their arrival had been matter of joy to them, from their being knights 
of honor and renown, for in general they had no other visitors but 
merchants. I may be asked, if this island be solely inhabited by 
women. I answer no ; but women have the sovereignty of it : they, 
however, employ themselves in needle and other works ; and make 
such fine cloths of silk, that none others can be compared to them. 
The men of the island, being ignorant, arc employed to carry abroad 
these works, wherever they shall think to have the greatest profit, 
but the women remain at home. The men honor the fair sex for 
their works, and because they have always a sufficiency of wealth. 
The state of the island is such, that no one dare approach it, to com- 
mit any injury, for whoever should attempt it would perish, as has 
been frequently seen. For this cause, these ladies live in peace, 
without fear of any one : they are amiable, good-tempered, and 
without pride, and certainly, when they please, converse with fairies, 
and keep them company. 

After the count de Nevers and his companions had amused them- 
selves at this island for five days, they took leave of the ladies : the 
count made them such handsome presents, for their courteous treat- 
ment of them, that they were contented, and thanked him gratefully 
on his departure. When the lords were embarked, they put to sea, 
and favorable winds carried them to a territory called Ragusa, when 
they refreshed themselves again, and thence made for Clarence, |I 
which is one hundred miles distant from Venice. While the galleys 
were at anchor, and the lords in the town of Clarence, which belongs 
to the Venetians, they were known by a squire of honor and renown, 
from Hainault, called Bridoul de la Porte. He was a native of 
Mens, and had made, at his own expense, a pilgrimage, through de- 
votion, to the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem, and had visited Cairo 
and St. Catherine's Mount. The French lords had come to Clarence 
two days before him, and gave him a welcome reception, on hearing 
he w-as so good a man, and a native of Hainault, the country of the 
countess of Nevers, who was daughter to the earl of Hainault, and 
because they were all in countries distant from their own. They 
asked him what parts he was last come from, and also concerning 
the affairs of king James of Cyprus, and respecting Turkey. He 
made no difliculty, but instantly gave prudent and intelligent an- 
swers. The barons of France, having reposed themselves, reera- 
barked, and made sail for Pareuse.t AH large vessels and galleys 
which cannot, from want of water, land their cargoes at Venice, put 
into this port, for here the sea becomes shallow. The French knights 
made no long stay before they embarked in smaller vessels and ar- 
rived at Venice, where they were received with great joy. On their 
landing, they all returned thanks to God for their happy deliverance 
from the hands of the infidels, of which at one time they had 
despaired. The count de Nevers and his companions went to the 

* " Modon," a town and port in the Morea. 

t " Colefo." I should have imajined this to he Corfu, if Cephalonia were not seent- 
ingly intended afterwards. 
t"Garre." U. Zante. ? "Chifolisnie." Q. Cephalonia. 

tl " Clarence." or Chiarenza, is in the Morea. opposite to Cephalonia. 
II " Fareuse." U. f arenzo, a town on the coast of Utna, aeofif opposita lo Yenics. 



600 



HRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, 



&c . 



hotels which had been prepared for them ; for, as their coming was 
known and expected for some time, their friends had sent servants 
and equipages to wait their arrival. The count found part of his 
attendants, whom the duke and duchess of Burgundy had sent thither, 
ready to receive him. Sir Dinde de Desponde had also been at 
Venice some time waiting for them with the amount of their ransom, 
for without his assistance, nothing could be done. 

The French lords, on their arrival at Venice, instantly employed 
clerks and messengers to write and carry letters to France and else- 
where, to inform their friends of their havpy deliveranca. This was 
very soon publicly known, to the joy of all who heard it. The duke 
and duchess of Burgundy lost no time in preparing everything suita- 
hle to the rank of their son the count de Nevers, such as gold and 
silver plate, linen, tapestry, clotlies of all sorts, which were packed 
up on sumpter-horses, and sent to Venice under the care of the lord 
de Hangiers* and sir James de Helly. In like manner did all the 
friends and relatives of the other lords send them every necessary 
suitable to their ranks. You may suppose all this was done at a 
great expense, for nothing was spared : their residence at Venice 
cost much, as it is one of the dearest towns in the world for stran. 
gers. It was proper these lords should keep up a state becoming 
their rank, which fell naturally most heavy on the count de Nevers, 
their commander-in-chief. 

The duke and duchess of Burgundy were very active in procuring 
his ransom, that their son and heir might leave Venice with honor, 
and return to France and Flanders, where his presence was much 
■wished for. The duke said, that wore it not for the aid of his good 
subjects in Burgundy, Artois, and Flanders, the money would never 
have been raised, for their own and their son's other expenses were 
very great. 

The different negotiations and embassies had called for large 
sums, and, though the ransom was but two hundred thousand florins 
to Bajaset, yet the other costs and expenses amounted to as much 
more, as was declared by those through whose hands the money 
passed ; and without this sum their Hberty would never have been 
obtained. It was matter of much consideration how this money 
was to be raised ; for neither the duke nor duchess were inclined to 
abate anything of their state, which was very magnificent. It was 
resolved by his council to lay a tax on all the towns under his obe. 
dience, more especially those of Flanders ; for they abounded in 
wealth, from their commerce, and therefore the greater load was laid 
on them, that the count de Nevers might be at liberty to quit Venice. 
When the matter was mentioned to the townsmen of Ghent, they 
readily declared their willingness to present their young lord fifty 
thousand florins to aid him in his ransom. Bruges, Mechlin, Ant. 
werp, Ypres, Courtray, and the other towns in Flanders, expressed 
their readiness to assist in the ransom of the count de Nevers. The 
duke and duchess of Burgundy were well pleased at these answers, 
and returned their warm acknowledgments to the magistrates of the 
diflierent towns in Flanders, and to those of Artois and Burgundy, 
who had testified equally good inclinations. 

The king of France was also very desirous of aiding the French 
lords in their ransom, although he had already been at a heavy ex- 
pense In sending his embassadors to Hungary and Turkey. These 
charges, however, he did not regret, since his cousins were now safe 
at Venice, and with them his own knight the lord de Boucicaut. 
The count de Nevers and his companions were still at Venice, for it 
was not his intention to depart thence until the discharge of the 
lansom should be completed. The merchants of Scio and the two 
Grecian lords had pledged themselves to the sultan for the payment, 
and such an immense sum was not readily raised. Sir Dinde de 
Desponde took great pains to accomplish the business from his re- 
gard to the king of France and the duke of Burgundy, who had sent 
him to Venice for the purpose, and he was more subtle and conver- 
sant in such business than any other person whatever. 

While others were diligently dispatching the business of their 
ransom, the lords spent their time most joyously at Verrice ; but, 
about this period, an infectious disorder afilicted that town and 
neighborhood, which began in the montit of August, and never ceased 
until Saint Andrew's day. Great numbers fell victims to it, and 
among the rest (the more the pity!) the lord Henry de Bar, eldest 
eon to the duke of Bar, and, in right of hrs wife, heir to all the estates 
of the late lord de Coucy, excepting the dower of hie widow. Thus 
were the two ladies de Coucy made widows in one year, which was 
a great misfortune. The body of the lord Henry was embalmed and 
brought to France, and I believe buried at Paris, for his obsequies 
were there performed with much solemnity. On account of this 
epidemical distemper, and to avoid its danger, the count de Nevers 
left Venice, and fixed his residence at Treviso, where he and the 
other Frencli lords remained, with their households, for upward of 
four months without stirring from it. During their stay at Treviso, 
the king of Hungary was informed by the knights of Rhodes, of their 
having made peace with Bajazet, arid obtained their liberty by pay- 
ment of two hundred thousand francs. He, in consequence, sent 
letters by a bishop and some of his knights to the count de Nevers, 
to mark his affection to him, witli others to those who had the gov- 
ernment of Venice. The bishop and knights were ordered by the 



'" The lord de Hajigiera." D. Sauvage supposes it ought to have been de Hangest. 
for a family «f that name existed in his time in Ficardy. 



king to address the count as follows, ajid of which they handsomely 
acquitted themselves : 

" My lord, we are sent hither by our much-redoubled lord, and your 
cousin, the king of Hungary, who salutes you by us. Here are let- 
ters written by him to congratulate you on your deliverance from the 
sultan Bajazet, his enemy. He is sincerely rejoiced at your and yosr 
companions' escape, for, without the means you have pui-sued, it 
would never have been effected. Dear sir, our lord is well assured 
that your treaties with the sultan must have cost you immense suii» 
of money, and, with the losses you all suffered at the disastrous bat- 
tle of Nicopoli, will have made it difficult to you to procure a suffi- 
ciency for your ransom. Our sovereign, therefore, dear sir, orders 
us to make you his excuses for not offering you, on this occasion, his 
assistance : if it were in his power, he would most cheerfully do it, 
for he conceives and declares he is bound to aid you, from his con. 
nection with you by blood and other causes ; were it not that he and 
his subjects have had such losses by the late defeat, that you, who 
arc a person of great understanding, will readily believe, and know 
the impossibility of his giving any aid at this present moment. The 
revenues of Hungary are ruined for tliis and the ensuing year, but 
whenever they are recovered, and the usual payments made, that he 
may be enabled to show his ofters are not mere empty words, he will 
assuredly come handsomely forward to your service. That you may 
believe our most redoubted sovereign and your cousin is in earnest,. 
we must acquaint you that he has ordered us to offer for sale to the 
rulers of Venice, the rents he receives from this town, which amount 
to seven thousand ducats yearly ; and that whatever these may pro. 
duce you are to dispose of as if it were your own ; and for which 
we will sign receipts to the Venetians, having full authority to do so." 

The speech of the embassadors from the king of Hungary was 
very agreeable to the French lords. They answered by the lord de 
Rochefort, who, in the name of all, said " that they were very sensi- 
ble of this mark of kindness from the king of Hungary, who, to oblige 
his cousin the count de Nevers, offered to sell his inheritance to aid 
them ; that this was not an offer to be refused, nor the friendship and 
courtesy forgotten ; that the count desired to have a little time to con- 
sider of his answer to the king." This was agreed to ; and, within a 
few days, the embassadors were told by the count de Nevers, that " it 
v\'ould be very unbecoming him to pledge or sell the inheritance of 
another ; but that, if it were agreeable to them who had sncli pow- 
ers, to prevail on the Venetians to advance, on the security of 
these rents, a sufficient sum for the count de Nevers' daily expenses, 
and to enable him to acquit himself of the thirty thousand florins the 
grand prior of Aquilaine had lent him with so much generosity in 
the island of Rhodes, he should consider it as a great favor, and 
most kindly thank the king of Hungary and his council for so doing." 

The embassadors cheerfully promised to make the proposal to the 
Venetians. When the Venetians heard it, they coldly replied they 
would deliberately consider of the matter, and demanded fifteen 
days to weigh their determination. When these were expired, they 
answered, (as I was told by one who heard it,) " That if the king 
of Hungary were disposed to sell his whole kingdom, the Venetians 
would willingly make the purchase, and pay the money down ; but 
as for such a trifle as seven thousand ducats of yearly revenue which 
he possessed in the city of Venice, it was of so little value that they 
could not set a price on it either to buy or sell, and they would not 
trouble themselves about so small an object." 

Such was the answer made by the Venetians to the embassadors 
of the king of Hungary. Some said, this reply was mere dissimu- 
lation, and that, thougli the Hungarians had made the offer to the 
count, they, in an underhand way, caused this answer to be given. 
Things, therefore, remained in the state they were in before, and the 
embassadors took leave of the count de Nevers and those of his 
countrymen then with him, who were, sir Regnier Pot, the lord de 
Rochefort, and sir William de la Tremouille. They left Venice, 
and returned to Hungary ; but the French lords continued at Tre- 
viso on account of the gi'eat mortality that reigned in Venice. 



CHAPTER XCI. 

THE LORD LOVtS DE SANCEKKE IS MADE CONSTABLE OF TRANCE IN THE 
POOJI OF THE COUNT B'EU, WHO HAD BIED IN TURKEY. BOUCICAUT, 
DURING HIS ABSENCE WITH THE COUNT DE NEVEKS, IS APPOINTED MArR- 
SHAL OF FRANCE IN THE PLACE OF THE LORD LOUIS DE SANCERRE. TBE 
FRENCH LORDS WHO HAD BEEN PRISONERS IN TURKEY RETURN TO 
FRANCE. 

You have heard that the count d"Eu, constable of Fiance, died in 
his bed at Bursa in Turkey, to the great regret of all his friends, 
more especially the king of France, who much loved him. The con- 
stableship became vacant by his death, and that office is of such 
weight that it must not long remain so. Councils were therei'bre 
held to appoint his successor, and the wiser among them nominated 
the lord Louis de Sancerre, in which they were confirmed by the 
majority in the kingdom. He had been a very long time marshal 
of France, and was so at the time of his election, residing in Lan. 
guedoc. Being sent for by the king to Paris, he was invested with 
the office of constable, and by this vacated the charge of marshal ; 
on which the king said, that he had already thought of a succesBOrj 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, Sec. 



eoi 

fer Philip des Playes was one of these embossadors, who had instruc- 
tions to prevail on the king of Germany to meet the king of France 
in the city of Rhcims ; and that no prelates, cardinals, archbishops, 
or bishops, might any way interrupt tiiis meeting, or interfere with 
the object, it was published that the cause for the two monarchs, with 
their councils, coming to Rheims, was to treat of a marriage between 
a son of the marquis of Brandenburgli^ brother to the emperor, and 
a daughter of the duke of Orleans, and under cover of this they could 
treat of other matters. 

During the time these negotiations were going forward, the lord 
Guy de Chatillon, count de Blois, departed this life in his hdtel at 
Avesnes, in Hainault. He was carried to Valenciennes and buried 
m the church of the Franciscans, in a chapel called the Chapel of 
Artois. True it is, that he had made a large inclosure for the Fran- 
ciscans, and intended erecting his tomb within it ; but he died so 
much in debt, that his countess, the lady Mary of Namur, was obliged 
to renounce all claim to his movables. She dared not act under his 
will, but retired to her dowry of the lands of Chimav and Beaumont, 
and the estates went to their right heirs. The duke of Orleans had 
the county of Blois, for which, during the late count's life, he had 
paid him two hundred thousand crowns of France. The lands in 
Hainault, Holland, and Zealand, went to duke Albert of Bavaria : 
those of Avesnes, Landrecies, and Louvion in Tierache, fell to John 
of Blois, more commonly called John of Brittany, to whom, if count 
Guy had not sold it, the county of Blois would have devolved aa to 
its right heir. Observe what mischief a lord may do his heir by lis. 
tening to bad advice.* [I make mention of it because the count 
Guy de Blois was very anxious, during his life, that I, sir John Frois- 
sart, should indite this history ; and he was at great expenses to 
forward it, for so considerable an undertaking cannot be accom- 
plished without heavy charges. May God receive his soul ! He 
was my lord and patron, of high lionor and great renown, and had 
no need to make the pitiful bargains he did in the sale of his estates ; 
but he too readily believed those who advised him to dishonorable 
and profitless acts. The lord do Coucy, who died at Bursa, was very 
culpable in this business.] We will now return to the affairs of Eng- 
land. 

CHAPTER XCII. 

THE DEATHS OF THE DUKE OF GLOUCESTER AND THE EAR!, Of ARtrOTEl. 
THE MANNER IN WHICH THE DUKES OF LANCASTER AND YORK, AND THE 
LONDONERS, TAKE THE MATTER. 

You have before seen, in the course of this histoiy, that king 
Richard of England would no longer conceal the hatred he bore his 
uncle of Gloucester, but had determined to have him cut off, according 
to the advice given him, setting it forth to be more advisable to de- 
stroy than be destroyed. You have likewise heard how the king 
had rode to the castle of Pleshy, thirty miles from London, and with 
fair words had jacoled the duke out of his castle, and was accompa- 
nied by him lo a lane that led to the Thames, where they arrived 
between ten and eleven o'clock at night; and how the earl-marsha), 
who there lay in ambush, had arrested him in the king's name, and 
forced him toward the Thames, in spite of his cries to the king 
to deUver liim. He was conscious, that from the moment of his 
being thus arrested, his end was resolved on, and it was confirmed 
to him by the king turning a deaf ear to his complaints, and riding 
on full gallop to London, where he lodged that night in the Tower. 
The duke of Gloucester had other lodgings ; for, whether he would 
or not, he was forced into a boat that carried him to a vessel at an- 
chor on the Thames, into which he was obliged to enter. The 
earl-marshal embarked also with his men, and, having a favorable 
wind and tide, they fell down the river, and arrived, late on the mor- 
row evening, at Calais, without any one knowing of it except the 
king's officers. [The earl-marshal, as governor, could enter Calais at 
all hours, without any one thinking it extraordinary: he carried the 
duke to the castle, wherein he confined him.] 

You may suppose, that when news was carried to Pleshy of the 
duke of Gloucester's arrest, the duchess and her children were greatly 
dismayed, and, since such a bold measure had been taken, were much 
afraid of the consequences. Suspecting the duke's life was in great 
danger, they consulted sir John Laquingay what would be best for 
them now to do. The knight advised them to send instantly to the 
dukes of Lancaster and York, the duke's brothers ; for by their me- 
diation, perhaps, the king's choler would be appeased. He saw no other 
means, as the king would not choose to m-ake them his enemies. The 
duchess of Gloucester followed this advice of the knight, and instantly 
dispatched messengers to both, for they resided at a distance from 
each other. They were much enraged at hearing their brother wag 
arrested, and returned answers to the duchess, not to be too much 
distressed at what had happened, for the king would not dare to treat 
him otherwise than by fair and legal measures, for it would not be 
suffered. This answer comforted the duchess and her children. 

The king of England left the tower of London at a very early 
hour, and rode to Eltham, where he remained. The same day, 
toward evening, the earls of Arundel and Warwick were brought to 
the Tower by the king's officers, and there confined, to the great sur- 



fer that no one should have it but his knight the lord Boucicaut. All 
the lords agreed lo the propriety of this choice, for indeed he was 
^serving of it, and when appointed was at Venice. He returned 
home shortly after this, for the ransoms were paid, and the whole of 
those who had been prisoners in Turkey came back to France, to 
the great joy of their friends and countrymen. The lord Boucicaut 
was made marshal of France ; and the count de Nevers waited on 
the duke and duchess of Burgundy, and was well feasted by them 
and others, for he was returned from a long and dangerous expedi- 
tion, wherein he and his companions had suffered many perils, hut, 
through the grace of God, they had escaped, and were returned 
home. The count was seen with much pleasure by all in Flanders, 
Artois, and Burgundy, and other dependencies of his father, as he 
was their heir.apparent. After he had remained some time with the 
duke and duchess, and had visited the countries under their obedi- 
ence, he determined to wait on the king of France and the duke of 
Orleans, both of whom received him honorably and kindly. He 
■was made welcome by all the lords and ladies of the court. The 
king and the duke of Orleans were very glad to see him again, and 
eagerly listened to his relation of what he had suffered. They in- 
quired news of Turkey, of the battle of Nicopoli, of the adventures 
he had met with, how he was made prisoner, and of the state of 
Bajazet. 

The count satisfied them by his answers, for he was well spoken, 
and made no complaints, at least by speech, of the sultan, but said 
he had found him courteous and affable, even to those attached to 
his person ; that he was very well treated ; and he did not forget to 
tell the lords to whom he was speaking, that Bajazet, on his taking 
leave, to quit Turkey, had said, that he was born to bear arms, and 
make conquests in this world every year to a greater extent, and 
that he wished not to prevent his prisoners from again taking up 
arms against him, for he would with pleasure meet them in battle 
two, three, or four times if necessary ; and that it -was his intention 
to march to Rome, and feed his horse on the altar of Saint Peter. 
The count added, that the sultan thought our faith erroneous, and 
corrupted by those who ought to have kept its purity ; and the Turks 
laughed and made their jokes at it. Many Saracens declare that 
Christianity, from the above cause, will be destroyed, and that the 
time is now come for its ruin ; and that Bajazet was born to accom- 
plish this, and be king over all the world. " Such was the language 
the interpreter translated to me ; and, from what I saw and heard, I 
believe they are perfectly well acquainted in Turkey, Tartary, Per- 
sia, and throughout the whole of the infidels' country, with our 
schisms in the church, and how the Christians are at difference, one 
with another, respecting the two popes of France and Italy ; and the 
Saracens are wonderfully surprised how the kings of the different 
countries suffer it." 

This speech of the count de Nevers gave the king and lords of 
France enough to think on. Some said the Saracens were in the 
right to make their jokes and laugh, for priests were allowed to med- 
dle too much in affairs that did not concern them ; that it was 
time to lower their pomp, or force them to do it of themselves. The 
young clergy, who were studying the Scriptures at the university of 
Paris, could not obtain any benefices from this schism in the church, 
and were not displeased that the people murmured against the popes. 
They rejoiced at what the count de Nevers had related, and that the 
Turks and Saracens made derision of our faith. " In good tnith," 
they added, " they are in the right to laugh at it, and, if the king of 
France and the emperor of Germany db not speedily attend to this 
Bchism, we foresee that church-affairs will daily become worse. All 
things considered, those who have been neuter between the two 
popes have acted wisely, and thus it behooves every one who wishes 
for union in the church." 

It was secretly told the king, by those who loved him and were 
desirous he should regain his health, that it was the common opin- 
ion throughout France he would never be perfectly recovered until 
the church were properly regulated. They added, that his father, 
king Charles of happy memory, had, on his death-bed, charged his 
council with this matter ; that he suspected he had been deceived 
by these popes, and had made his determination too soon, for which 
he felt his conscience was loaded. He excused himself, saying, 
" When our lord and father died, we were very young. We have 
followed the counsel of those who have hitherto governed, and if 
we have acted wrong or foolishly, it has been their fault, and not 
ours ; but since we have had fuller information, we will soon attend to 
the business, and in such a manner that the effect shall be apparent." 
The king of France paid more attention to this matter than he had 
ever done before, and promised himself and his council that he 
would provide a remedy. He spoke of it to his brother, the duke 
of Orleans, who inclined instantly to his opinion, as did the duke of 
Burgundy, for, notwithstanding he had acknowledged the pope, who 
styled himself Clement, he had no great faith in him: the prelates 
of France, particularly Guy de Roye, archbishop of Rheims, the 
archbishops of Sens, of Rouen, and the bishop of Autun, had in- 
duced him to acknowledge Clement. 

t It was determined in a private council, that, if a union of the church 
■were sought for, it was necessary to have the assent of Germany. 
Learned men were therefore sent as embassadors to the king of Bo- 
hemia and Germany, who styled himself king of the Romans. Mas. 



* All between the crotchets is ftom the MSS. in the B. Museum and at Hafod. but net 

in the printed copies. 



603 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, See. 



prise of the citizens. Their imprisonment caused many to murmur, 
but they were afraid to act, or do anything against the Iting's plea- 
sure, lest they might suffer for it. It was the common conversation 
of the knights, squires, and citizens of London, and in other towns : 
"It is useless for us to say more on this matter, for tlie dukes of Lan. 
caster and of York, brothers to the duke of Gloucester, can provide 
a remedy for all this whenever tliey please : they assuredly would have 
prevented it from happening, if they had suspected the king had so 
much courage, or that he would have arrested their brother ; but they 
will repent of their indolence : and, if they are not instantly active, 
it will end badly." 

When the duke of Gloucester saw himself confined in the castle 
of Calais, abandoned by his brothers, and deprived of his attendants, 
he began to be much alarmed. He addressed himself to the earl- 
inarhsal : " For what reason am I thus carried from England and 
confined here ? It seems that you mean to imprison me. Let me go 
and view the castle, its garrison, and the people of the town." " My 
lord," replied the earl, " I dare not comply with your demands, for you 
are consigned to my guard, under pain of death. The king our lord 
is at this moment somewhat wroth with you ; and it is his orders that 
you abide here a while, in banishment with us, which you must have 
patience to do, until we have other news, and God grant that it may 
be soon I for, as the Lord may help me, I am truly concerned for your 
disgrace, and would cheerfully aid you if I could, but you know the 
oath I have taken to the king, which I am bound in honor to obey." 
The duke of Gloucester could not obtain any other answer. He 
judged, from appearances of things around him, that he was in dan. 
ger of his life, and asked a priest who had said mass, if he would 
confess hirn. This he did, with great calmness and resignation, and 
■with a devout and contrite heart cried before the altar of God, the 
Creator of all things, for his mercy. He was repentant of all his 
sins, and lamented them greatly. He was in the right thus to exon- 
erate his conscience, for his end was nearer than he imagined. I 
was informed, that on the point of his sitting down to dinner, when 
the tables were laid, and he was about to wash his hands, four men 
rushed out from an adjoining chamber, and, throwing a towel round 
his neck, strangled him, by two drawing one end and two the other.* 
When he was quite dead, they carried him to his chamber, undressed 
him, and placed the body between two sheets, with his head on a 
pillow, and covered him with furred mantles. They then reentered the 
hall, properly instructed what to say and how to act, and declared the 
duke of Gloucester had been seized with a fit of apople.\y as he was 
washing his hands before dinner, and that they had great difficulty to 
carry him to bed. This was spolien of in the castle and town, where 
some believed it, but others not. Within two days after, it was pub. 
lished abroad that the duke of Gloucester had died in his bed at the 
castle of Calais ; and, in consequence, the earl-marshal put on mourn, 
ing, for he was nearly related to him, as did all the knights and squires 
in Calais. 

News of this event was sooner known in France and Fanders than 
in England. The French rejoiced much at it ; for it was commonly 
reported that there would never be any solid peace between France 
and England as long as the duke of Gloucester lived ; and it was 
■well remembered, that in the negotiations for peace he was more 
obstinate in his opinions than either of his brothers ; and, for this 
reason, his death was no loss to France. In like manner, many 
knights and squires of the king of England's household, who were 
afraid of him, for his severe and rough manners, were pleased at his 
death. They recounted how he had driven the duke of Ireland to 
banishment, and had ignominiously beheaded that prudent and gal- 
lant knight sir Simon Burley, who had been so much beloved by the 
prince of Wales, and had done essential services to his country. 
The deaths of sir Robert Trevilian, sir Nicholas Bramber, sir John 
Standwich, and others, were not forgotten, so that the duke of Glou. 
cester was but little lamented in England, except by those who were 
of his party and manner of thinking. 

The dulte's body was honorably embalmed at Calais, and put into 
a leaden coffin, with an outward one of wood, and transported in this 
State by sea to England. The vessel that carried the body landed 
at Hadlcigh Castle on the Thames, and thence it was conveyed on a 
car, unattended, to his castle of Fleshy, and placed in the church 
which the duke had founded in honor of the Holy Trinity, with 
twelve canons to perform devoutly the divine serWce. In this 
church was the duke buried. The duchess of Gloucester, her son 
Hurnphrey, and her two daughters, were sorely grieved when the 
body of the duke arrived. The duchess had double cause of afflic 
lion, for the earl of Arundel, her uncle, had been publicly beheaded 
in Cheapside by orders of the king. No baron nor knight dared to 
interpose, nor advise the king to do otherwise, for he was himself 
present at the c.\ecution, which was performed by the earl's son.in. 
law, the earl-marshal, who bandaged his eyes. 

The earl of Warwick ran great risk of suffering the same death, 
but the earl of Salisbury, who was in favor with the king, interceded 
for him, as did many other barons and prelates. The king listened 
to their solicitations, on condition he were sent to a place he could 
not leave, for he would never absolutely pardon him, as he was deserv. 
ing death, for having joined the duke of Gloucester and the earl of 



* He was smothered with pillows, not strangled. Hall, one of the accomplices, made 
a particular confession of all the circuinsiances. See Pari. Plac. vui. r. 452.— Ei>. 



Arundel in their attempts to annul the truce which had been signed 
and sealed by the kings of France and England, for themselves and 
allies. This alone was a crime to be punished by an ignominious 
death; for the conditions of the treaties were, that whoever should 
break or infringe them was to be so punished. 

The earl of Salisbury was very earnest in his supplications for the 
earl of Warwick. They had been brothers in arms ever since their 
youth ; and he excused him on account of his great age, and of his 
being deceived by the fair speeches of the duke of Gloucester and 
the earl of Arundel : that what had been done was not from his insti. 
gation, but solely by that of others ; and the house of Beauchamp, of 
which the earl of Warwick was the head, never imagined treason 
against the crown of England. The earl of Warwick was, there, 
fore, through pity, respited from death, but banished to the Isle of 
Wight, which is a dependency on England. He was told : "Earl of 
Warwick, this sentence is very favorable, for you have deserved to 
die as much as the earl of Arundel, but the handsome services you 
have done in times past, to king Edward of happy memory, and the 
prince of Wales his son, as well on this as on the other side of the 
sea, have secured your life ; but it is ordered that you banish your- 
self to the Isle of Wight, taking with you a sufficiency of wealth to 
support your state as long as you shall live, and that you never quit 
the island." The earl of Warwick was not displeased with this 
sentence, since his life was spared, and, having thanked the king 
and council for their lenity, made no delay in his preparations to 
surrender himself in the Isle of Wight on the appointed day, which 
he did with part of his household. The Isle of Wight is situated 
opposite the coast of Normandy, and has space enough for the resi- 
dence of a great lord, but he must provide himself with all that he 
may want from the circumjacent countries, or he will be badly sup. 
plied with provision and other things. 

Thus were affairs carried on in England, and daily going from bad 
to worse, as you w ill find it related. When the dukes of Lancaster 
and York heard of their brother's death at Calais, they instantly sus- 
pected the king their nephew was guilty of it. At the time, they 
were not together, but each at his country-seat, according to the cus. 
torn in England. They wrote to each other to consult how they 
should act on the occasion, and hastened to London because they 
knew the citizens were very angry at tlie event. On their arrival, 
they had several meetings, and declared that the putting the duke of 
Gloucester to death for some foolish words ought not to be passed 
over in silence, nor borne ; for, although he had warmly opposed the 
treaty with France, he had not acted upon it ; that there was an 
essential difference between talking and acting, and that words alone 
did not deserve the severe punishment he had suffered, and that this 
matter must be inquired into and amended. The two brothers were 
in a situation to have thrown England into confusion, for there were 
enow who would have supported them, more especially all the kin. 
dred of the late earl of Arundel, which is a powerful family in Eng. 
land, and the family of the earl of Stafford. 

The king at this time resided at Eltham, whither he had summoned 
all his vassals and dependants. He had collected round London, in 
the counties of Kent and Esse.x, upward of ten thousand archers, 
and had with him his brother sir John Holland, the earl.marshal, the 
earl of Salisbury, with many other great barons and knights. The 
king sent orders to the citizens of London not to admit the duke of 
Lancaster within their walls ; but they replied, they knew of no rea. 
son why they should refuse him admittance, and the duke resided 
there with his son the earl of Derby, as did the duke of Yerk with his 
son the earl of Rutland. The king loved the earl of Rutland and 
the earl-marshal beyond measure : the first dissembled his opinions 
concerning the death of the duke of Gloucester, and would willingly 
have seen peace restored on both sides. He said, that his late uncle 
had on several occasions treated the king very unbecomingly. The 
Londoners considered, also, that groat mischiefs might bcfal England 
from these dissensions between the king, his uncles, and their sup. 
porters; that, since the duke of Gloucester was now dead, it could 
not be helped ; and that he, in some measure, had been the cause of 
it, by his too great freedom of speech, and from his attempts to e.xcite 
the people of England to break the truces that had been signed be. 
tween France and England. The citizens, therefore, prudently dis. 
sembled their thoughts ; and, as what was done coulti not now be 
undone, they feared, should matters be pushed to extremities, they 
might suffer very considerably in their commerce from the king of 
France. 

The resentments of the citizens began to cool, and they offered to 
mediate between the king and the duke of Lancaster, who was 
mightily angered by the murder of his brother. He bethought him. 
self, however, that as his nephew was married to the daughter of the 
king of France, should he wage war against king Richard, his two 
daughters married in Castillo and Portugal might suffer for it, from 
the French carrying a war into those countries. The dulce was 
beside forced to change his mind, whether he would or not, from 
the solicitations of the citizens of London and some of the English 
prelates, who had been the mediators between the king and his 
uncles. The king obtained peace, on promising from that day for- 
ward to be solely guided by the advice of the duke of Lancaster, 
engaging never to do anything without first consulting him. The 
promise, however, he paid not any regard to, but followed the counsela 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, (kc. 



G03 



of the rash and evil-minded, for which hereafter he severely suffered, 
as shall be related in this history. Thus did the king of England 
gain peace from his uncles for the murder of the duke of Gloucester, 
and now governed more fiercely than before. He went with his 
state to Fleshy in Esse.\, which had belonged to his uncle of Glou. 
cester, and should have descended to his son Humphrey as heir to 
his father ; but the king took posession of it, for it is the rule in 
England for the king to have the wardship of all children who have 
lost their fathers, and arc under twenty.oue years of age, at which 
period their estates are restored to them. King Richard took his 
cousin Humphrey of Gloucester in ward, appropriating all his posses- 
sions to his own profit. He made him live with him, and the duch- 
ess and her two daughters with the queen. 

The late duke of Gloucester was by inheritance constable of Eng- 
land ; but the king deprived his heir of it, and gave it to his cousin 
the earl of Rutland. The king now assumed a greater state than 
ever king of England had done before, nor had there been any one 
who had expended such large sums by one hundred thousand nobles. 
He also took the wardship of the heir of .\rundel, son to the late 
earl whom he had beheaded in London, as has been related, and 
forced him to live with him. And because one of the knights of the 
late duke of Gloucester, named Cerbec,* had spoken too freely of 
the king and council, he was arrested and instantly beheaded. Sir 
John Lacquingay was likewise in some peril ; but, when he saw the 
turn affairs had taken, he quitted the service of the duchess of Glou- 
cester, and fi.xed his abode elsewhere. At this period there was no 
one, however great, in England, that dared speak his sentiments of 
what the king did or intended doing. He had formed a council of 
his own from the knights of his chamber, who encouraged him to 
act as they advised. The king had in his pay full two thousand 
archers, who were on guard day and niglit, for he did not think him- 
self perfectly safe from his uncles or the .\rundel family .+ 



CHAPTER XCIII. 

A GREAT ASSE.'IIELY HOLDE.V AT EHEIMS, EY THE EMPEROR OF GER- 
MANY AND KING OF FRANCE, ON THE SCHIS.M IN THE CHURCH, AND 
ON THE MEANS OF UNITING THE TWO PARTIES. 

At this period, there was a numerous assembly of great lords in 
the city of Rheims, as well from the empire of Germany as from 
France, whose object was to restore union to the church. At the 
soUcitaiion of the king of France, the emperort had come thither in 
person, attended by his ministers ; but because they wished it not to 
be publicly known that this meeting was to consider of the rivalship 
of the two popes of Rome and of Avignon, they had it rumored, that 
the lords of the empire came to Rheims to treat of a marriage be. 
tween a son of the marquis of Brandenburgh, brother to the emperor, 
and a daughter of the duke of Orleans. The king of France was 
lodged in the archbishop's palace, as were the dukes of Orleans, 
Berry, Burgundy, and count de Saint Pol, wiih other barons and 
prelates of France. When the emperor was about to make his entry 
into Rheims, all these lords and prelates, with Charles, king of Na. 
varre, went to meet him : after receiving him most honorably, they 
conducted him first to the church of Our Lady, and then to the abbey 
of Saint Remy, where he was lodged with all his lords. His atten. 
dants, and the others who had accompanied him, were placed as 
near him as was possible ; and the king of France had ordered, that 
all the e.vpenses of the emperor and Germans, during their residence 
in Rheims, should be paid by his officers in the most ample manner. 
In consequence, there were daily delivered to the Germans ten tons 
of herrings, for it was Lent, and eight hundred carp, without count, 
ing different sorts of fish and other things, which cost the king im- 
mense sums. 

When the emperor paid his first visit to tlie king of France, the 
great lords before-mentioned went to seek him at the abbey of Saint 
Remy, and conducted him in great ?tate to the palace. On the two 
monarchs meeting, they paid many compliments to each other, as 
they knew well how to do, especially the king of France, for the 
Germans are a rude, unmannered race, except in what regards their 
personal advantage, and in this they are active and expert enough. 
The lords of both countries who were present nrade acquaintance 
together, with many outward signs of satisfaction : and the king of 
France entertained the whole at dinner, of which I will mention 
some particulars. .\t the top of the king's table was seated the 
patriarch of Jerusalem : next to him the emperor, then the king of 
France, and the king of Navarre : no more were at this table. At 
tlie others were seated tlie lords from Germany ; and they were 
waited on by the lords of France, for none of them sat down. The 
dukes of Berry, Bourbon, and the count de St. Pol, with other great 
barons, placed the dishes, and served the king's table. The duke of 
Orleans supplied the company with such quantities of plates of gold 
and silver, as though they had been made of wood. The dinner 
was splendid, and abundantly well served, and deserving of remem- 
brance. I was told that the king made a present to the emperor of 



* Cerbec. It is Cerber and Cerbel. 

T For more ample particular; respecting the murder cfthe duke ofGIouceater, 1 must 
refer the reader to ^U. Cough's History of Pleehjr. 
+ Wen'.e- laus of Luxembourg. 



all the gold and silver plate that was used, as well ae what was on 
the side-board, with all the tapestry and ornaments of the apartment 
whither the emperor retired after dinner to partake of wine and 
spices. This gift was estimated at two hundred thousand florins ; 
and the other Germans were presented with magnificent gifts of gold 
and silver plate. The Germans, and other strangers who had come 
thither to view the feast, greatly wondered at the wealth and power 
of France. 

During the residence of these monarchs at Rheims, their ministers 
frequently met to consider of the marriage of the marquLs of Bran- 
denburgh, and the reformation of the church. The marriage was 
agreed on, and published in Rheims, but their consultations and re- 
solutions, concerning the church, were kept secret : what I shall say 
on the subject came to my knowledge afterwards. It was determined 
that Peter d'.A.illy, bishop of Cambray, should be sent an embassador 
from the emperor and king of France to the person wlio styled him- 
self pope Bonit'ace at Rome, and negotiate with him in their names 
with the view of inducing him to submit to a new election ; .should 
the choice again fall on him, he would be acknowledged by them as 
pope, but, if not, then he was to resign. The bishop was to declare 
the same to the pope of Avignon ; adding that, if either of the popes 
refused to comply with this disposition of the two monarchs, they 
would be degraded, and every honor and profit of the church taken 
from them : that in this the kings of England, Scotland, Castille, 
Portugal, and Navarre, had joined. The emperor said he would 
answer for his brother the king of Hungary, and all Bohemia and 
Germany, as far as Prussia, being of the same sentiment. The 
monarchs likewise declared, that, on the bishop's return from his 
embassy, they would exert themselves, with their friends and allies, 
that what they had now agreed on should be executed without any 
variation. Thus ended this meeting: the two monarchs separated 
most amicably, and each returned to his usual place of residence. 
The duke of Burgundy refused to attend at Rheims ; for he said it 
would not answer any purpose, and that whatever might be given to 
the Germans, they would never keep the engagements they should 
enter into. However, notwithstanding this speech of the duke, no- 
tliing was left undone, and matters were concluded as you have 
heard. 

Peter d'Ailly, bishop of Cambray, was not long in making prepa- 
rations for his journey, and set out on his embassy to Rome and 
Avignon, to declare the engagements the emperor and king of France 
had entered into. The king of France sent embassadors to his son- 
in-law, the king of England, to acquaint him with what had been 
done, that he might unite in the same opinion. King Ricliard re- 
ceived the embassadors with joy : and when he learnt the object of 
their mission, which was, to entreat he would remain neuter, if he 
could not prevail on his subjects to unite with France and Germany, 
in case the two popes refused compliance, replied he would so man. 
age that his kingdom should act in the matter as he pleased. This 
he instantly promised, to the great joy of the embassadors. After 
they had stayed with the king and queen of England as long as they 
had chosen, they took leave and returned to Paris by Boulogne, and 
related all that had passed to the king and council. This was very 
agreeable to the king, and affairs remained in this state some time. 

The king of Navarre came to Paris to visit the king of France, 
and thought he might perhaps recover his inheritance of Evreux in 
Normandy, which the king of France had seized from his father, as 
has been related in this history ; but, in spite of every attempt, he 
was unsuccessful. The king of Navarre, seeing he labored in vain, 
took the matter in great displeasure, and abruptly left the court of 
France, discontented with the king and his ministers, and returned 
to Navarre. We will now leave the affairs of (Jermany, France, and 
Navane, to speak of what befel England, whence sprung such mel. 
ancholy events as have not been recorded in this history, and which 
my readers will allow when they come to the detail of them. 



CHAPTER XCIV. 

THE EARL..1IARSHAL CHALLENGES THE EARL OF DERBY, SON 10 THE DVKE 
OF LANCASTER, IN THE PRESENCE OF THE KING AND HIS COUNCIL. 

King Richard of England was of a temper that, when he took a 
liking to any one, he instantly raised him lo high honors, and had 
such confidence in him that no one dared to say anything to his 
prejudice. At the same time, there had not been a king of England 
in the memory of man who so easily believed all that was told him. 
His favorites, however, paid no attention to the miserable fate of 
many of their predecessors; how the duke of Ireland had been ban- 
ished, sir Simon Burley, sir Robert Tresilian, sir Nicholas Bramber, 
and others had lost their lives, for counsels they had given the king, 
and for which the duke of Gloucester had taken great pains in their 
destruction. The duke was now dead, and the favorites of the 
moment, who continually counselled the king as they pleased, were 
not sorry, for they imagined no one would now pretend to oppose 
them. Some about the king's person could not disguise their pride 
and prestimption, especially the earl.marshal, who was in the highest 
degree of favor. To flatter and please the king, and to show how 
true and loyal a servant he was, whenever he heard any reports he 
told them to the king, expecting from euch means to rise still 



604 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &. c . 



higher in favor; but many, lliinking to advance, are repulsed. Thus 
it happened to the earl-marshal. 

k You must know that the earl of Derby and the late duke of Glou- 
cester had married two sisters, daughters to the earl of Hereford and 
Northampton, constable of England : the children, therefore, of the 
earl of Derby and duke of Gloucester were cousins.german by their 
mother's side, and one degree removed by their fathers'. 'To say 
the truth, the death of the duke of Gloucester had displeased many 
of the great barons of England, who frequently murmured at it when 
together; bat the king had now so greatly extended his power, none 
dared to speak of it openly, nor act upon the current rumors of the 
mode of his death. The king had caused it to be proclaimed, that 
whoever should say anything respecting the duke of Gloucester or 
the earl of Arundel, should be reckoned a false and wicked traitor 
and incur his indignation. This threat had caused many to be silent, 
afraid of what might befal them, who were, nevertheless, much dis- 
satisfied. 

At this time, a conversation passed between the earl of Derby and 
the earl-marshal, in w-hich the state of the king and the counsellors 
whom he trusted became the subject of discussion. The earl-mar- 
shal caught at the following words the other had made use of, with 
a good intent, thinking they would never have been mentioned again, 
for they were neither arrogant nor traitorous: "Holy Mary! fair 
cousin, what does the king next intend to do ? Will he drive all the 
nobles out of England 7 There will soon be none left; and he 



was arrived, and all the lords had retired after dinner with the king 
to his council-chamber, the earl-marshal, having settled in his own 
mind how to act and what to say, cast himself on his knees before 
the king, and thus addressed him :] "Very dear and renowned lord, 
I am of your ki.'.dred, your liege man and marshal of England ; and 
I have besides sworn on my loyalty, my hand within yours, that I 
would never conceal from you anything I might hear or see to your 
prejudice, on pain of being accounted a disloyal traitor. This I am 
resolved never to be, but to acquit myself before you and all the 
world." The king, fixing his eyes on hmi, asked, " Earl-marshal, 
what is your meaning in saying thus ? We will know it.'' " Very 
dear lord," replied the earl, " as I have declared, I will not keep any 
secret from you : order the earl of Derby to come to your presence, 
and I will speak out." The earl of Derby was called for, and the 
king made the earl-marshal rise, for he addressed him on his knees. 
On the earl of Derby's arrival, who thought no harm, the earl-mar- 
shal spoke as follows : " Earl of Derby, I charge you with having 
thought and spoken disrespectfully against your natural lord the king 
of England, when you said he was unworthy to hold his crown : that 
without law or justice, or consulting his council, he disturbed the 
realm ; and that, without any shadow of reason, he banished those 
valiant men from his kingdom who ought to be its defenders, for all 
of which I present my glove, and shall prove, my body against yours, 
that you are a false and wicked traitor." 
The earl of Derby was confounded at this address, and retired a 



flf^i!jiM;^i(#liil!iiSlli:t|iV(?ii,i;ii,Jiai|j(«iiit;;;^ 




Tna EiiiL-MA.RsnAL challskoiko TH5 Earl or Uerbv. From MSS. of the Fifteenth Century. 



plainly shows he is not desirous to add to the honor of his realm." 
The earl-marehal made no reply, but treasured this speech in his 
mind, as he considered it very impertinent, in regard to the king, and 
thought within himself that the earl of Derby was well inclined to 
excite troubles in England, for he was marvellously beloved by the 
Londoners. He therefore determined (for the devil entered his brain, 
and what has been ordained to happen must soon come to pass,) to 
report this speech in the presence of the king and his nobility. 

Soon after this conversation, the earl-marshal, to flatter and gain 
favor with the king, said : [" My lord, all your enemies and ill- 
wishers are not dead, nor out of the kingdom." The king changed 
color, and replied, " How, cousin, do you know this ?" " I know it 
well," answered the earl-marshal : "for the moment, I will not say 
more ; but, that you may provide a remedy in time, have it pro- 
claimed that you will hold a solemn feast on this ensuing Palm 
Sunday, and invite all the princes of your blood, particularly the 
earl of Derby, when you shall hear something that will surprise you, 
and what you arc not suspicious of, notwithstanding it so nearly 
concerns you." The king was very pensive on hearing this, and 
begged the earl-marshal to give him further information ; that he 
might safely tell him all, for he would keep it secret. I know not 
if he did so; but the king, if he did, kept it to himself, and allowed 
the earl to act in the matter as he pleased j the consequences of which 
were as follows. 

The king had it proclaimed that he would hold a solemn feast at 
his palace at Eltham on Palm Sunday, and sent particulai' invitations 
to the dukes of Lancaster and York and their children, who, not 
suspecting any mischjof, came ihither. When the day of the feast 



few paces, without demanding from the duke his father, or any of hia 
friends, how he should act. Having mused a while, he advanced, 
with his hood in his hand, toward the king, and said, " Earl-marshaJ, 
I say that thou art a false and wicked traitor, which I will bodily 
prove on thee, and here is my glove." The earl-marshal, seeing his 
challenge was accepted, showed a good desire for the combat, by 
taking up the glove and saying, " I refer your answer to the good 
pleasure of the king and the lords now present. I will prove that 
what you have said is false, and that my words are true." Each of 
these lords then withdrew with his friends, and the time for serving 
wine and spices was passed by ; for the king showed he was sore 
displeased, and retired to his chamber and shut himself within it. 
His two uncles remained without with their children, as did the earl 
of Salisbury and Huntingdon, the king's brother. 

Soon afterwards, the king called to him his uncles, and demanded 
from them how he was to act on this occasion. " Sire, order your 
constable hither, and we will tell you." The earl of Rutland, con. 
stable of England, being sent for, came, and he was told : " Consta- 
ble, go to the earl of Derby and the earl-marshal, and oblige them to 
promise not to quit the kingdom without the king's permission." 
The constable obeyed the order, and returned to the kmg's apart- 
ment. You may believe the whole court was greatly troubled by 
this event, and many barons and knights were much displeased, who 
blamed the earl-marshal for his conduct ; but what he had said he 
could not now retract, and he showed by his manners that he made 
light of it, 80 arrogant and swollen with pride was his heart. The 
lords now separated, each for his own home. The duke of Lancas- 
ter, in spite of appearances, was much vexed at what had passed, 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c, 



665 



and liis opinion was, that the king should not have listened to such 
a charge, but instantly have annihilated it ; and in this he was joined 
by the more sensible barons of the country. 

The earl of Derby resided in London, for he had his house there, 
and kept up his state. The duke of Lancaster, the duke of York, 
the carl of Northumberland, and many other great lords, for he was 
much beloved, were his securities to appear and answer tlie chal- 
lenge. The earl-niarshal was sent to the Tower of London, where 
he lived with his household. These two lords made ample provision 
of all things necessary for the combat ; and the earl of Derby sent 
off messengers to Lombardy to have armor from sir Galeas, duke of 
Milan. The duke complied with joy, and gave the knight, called 
sir Francis, who had brought the message, the choice of all his armor 
for the earl of Derby. When he had selected wliat he wished for in 
plated and mail armor, the lord of Milan, out of his abundant love 
to the earl, ordered four of the best armorers in Milan to accompany 
the knight to England, that the carl of Derby miglit be more com- 
pletely armed. The earl-marshal, on the other hand, sent into Ger- 
many, whence he thought he should be ably assisted by his friends. 
Each provided himself most magnificendy, to outshine the other ; 
but the greater splendor was shown by the earl of Derby, for I must 
say that, when tlie earl-marshal undertook this business, he expected 
to have been better supported than he was by the king. It Mas 
hinted to the king, by those near his person : " Sire, you have no 
occasion to interi'ere further in this matter : dissemble your thoughts, 
and leave them to themselves : they are fully capable of managing it. 
The earl of Derby is wondrous popular in the kingdom, but more 
especially in London ; and, should the citizens perceive that you 
take part with the earl-marshal against the carl of Derby, you will 
irrecoverably lose their aft'ection." 

The king attended to this advice, for he knew it was true : in 
consequence, he dissembled his opinion, and suffered each to provide 
for himself. The news of this co.aibat between the earl of Derby 
and the earl-marshal made a great noise in foreign parts : for it was 
to be for life or death, and before the king and great barons of Eng- 
land. It was spoken of diti'erently : some said, particularly in France : 
" Let them light it out: these English knights are too arrogant, and 
in a short time will cut each other's throats. They are the roost 
perverse nation under the sun, and their island is inhabited by the 
proudest people." But others, more wise, said : " The king of Eng- 
land does not show great sense, nor that he is well advised, when 
for foolish words, undeserving serious notice, he permits two such 
valiant and noble lords, and of his kindred, thus to engage in mortal 
combat. He ought, according to the opinions of many wise men to 
have said, when he first heard this charge : ' You earl of Derby, and 
you earl. marshal, are my near relations : I command, therefore, that 
you harbor no hatred nor malevolence against each other, but live 
like friends and cousins as you are. Should your stay in tliis coun- 
try become tiresome, travel into foreign parts, to Hungary or else- 
where, and seek for deeds of arms and adventures.' " If the king of 
England had done so, orcome forward to prevent this combat, he would 
have acted wisely, according to the opinions of men of sense and pru- 
dence. 

The duke of Lancaster was much vexed and melancholy at see- 
ing the king of England, his nephew, thus badly conduct himself, 
but knew not to whom to open his thoughts. He, like a wise man, 
considered the consequences that might ensue, and at times said to 
those he most confided in : ''Our nephew will ruin everything before 
he have done : he too readily listens to evil counsellors, who will 
destroy him and his kingdom. Should he live long, he will lose by 
little and little all it has cost his predecessors and us so much pains 
to gain. He encourages discord between his nobles and great lords, 
by whom he ought to be honored and served, and the country guarded. 
He has put my brother to death, for it is now notorious he ordered 
it, and likewise the earl of Arundel, because they told him the 
truth ; but this he refuses to hear, and will not listen to any one who 
does not flatter his own imaginations. He cannot sooner ruin his 
country than by exciting hatreds among his nobility and principal 
towns. The French are too subtle a race, for one misfortune that 
befalls us they would wish ten, as they can never obtain their 
ends, or recover their domains, but through ourselves ; and every 
day there are examples of the misery of kingdoms when divided. 
Such has been the unfortunate lot of France, Caslille, Naples, and 
the Roman state ; and the present schism is the ruin of the contend- 
ing popes, as well as the church. Flanders is another example which 
we have seen of self-destruction. Friesland is at this moment in 
a similar state, oppressed by the war of the count of Hainault, and 
ruining themselves by domestic quarrels. We shall be in the same 
situation unless God prevent it, from the appearance of the present state 
of affairs. The king has consented that my son and heir, for I have 
none other by my first two marriages, should be challenged to mortal 
combat for a mere trifle ; and I, his father, dare not say a word against 
it, in regard to my own and my son's honor ; for my son has the 
feelings of a knight, and is of sufficient .strength to encounter the 
earl.marshal. Howbeit, let the best be made of it, they will never 
again love each other as they did before." Such were the conver- 
sations of the duke of Lancaster. 

The two earls, in the meantime, were making every preparation 
for their combat. The duke of Lancaster never went near the king, 



and as seldom saw his son, acting throughout with great good sense. 
He knew the earl of Derby was very popular with all ranks in Eng. 
land, but more particularly with the Londoners, who waited on him, 
and addressed him : " Earl of Derby, make your mind easy : what- 
ever may be the event of this combat it will turn out to your honor, 
in spite of the king and all his minions. We know well how things 
are managed, and what will be the result of them : this accusation 
has been invented by envy, to cause your banishment wit of the 
kingdom, where they are aware you are so greatly beloved by all 
ranks and se.xes ; and should you be forced to quit us in sorrow, you 
shall return in joy, for you are more worthy to rule than Richard of 
Bordeaux. Whoever may choose to search the matter to the bottom, 
to discover the real origin of you both, will soon see that you have a 
greater rigiit to the crown of England than he who wears it, although 
we have paid him homage, and acknowledged him for king these 
twenty years ; but that was obtained by the entreaties of your grand- 
father, king Edward of happy memory, who was suspicious of what 
we hint, and feared the consequences. There was once a serioua 
dispute on this subject between king Edward and your grandfather 
by your mother's side, duke Henry of Lancaster, but the great lords 
interfered and made up matters between them. King Edward was 
valiant and successful in all his enterprises, and had gained the love 
of his subjects high and low. Your grandfather of Lancaster only 
required from the king what was just, and served him and his king- 
dom so loyally, that his conduct deserved the commendation of all. 
Every one who knew him called him their old father. These things 
are worthy of king Richard's consideration, and may make him repent, 
if anything can, at his leisure, that he has not more prudently gov. 
erned." Such conversations did many of the nobles and citizens of 
London hold with the earl of Derby, who was pleased with their af- 
fection, and received them kindly. He did not, however, neglect 
any preparations for his combat, but sent to every one of his friends 
throughout England, to entreat their company at the appointed day 
and place. 

King Richard, notwithstanding he had suffered this challenge and 
appeal to arms to be made in his presence, was uncertain how to act, 
and whether to allow the combat to take place or not. And although 
he was the king of England the most feared of any who had worn 
the crown, he was guarded day and night by two thousand archers, 
who were regularly paid weekly, and had confidence only in his bro. 
ther earl of Huntingdon, and the earls of Salisbury and Rutland, his 
cousin, who were highly in his favor. He paid no regard to others, 
except a few of the knights of his chamber, who were his advisers. 
When the day for the combat was approaching, and the two lords 
had made their preparations, waiting only for the king's commands, 
king Richard's secret advisers asked, " Sire, what is your intention 
respecting this combat between your two cousins, the earl of Derby 
and the earl.marshal ? Will you permit them to proceed ?" " Yes," 
replied the king : " why not ? I intend to be present myself and to 
see their prowess. We may perhaps learn, ffom the issue of this 
combat, what we are now ignorant of, although it may be very ira. 
portant for us to know, that we may provide accordingly : for there 
is no one so great in England, but, if he anger me, he shall dearly 
pay tor it. Should I allow myself to be any way governed by my 
subjects, they would soon overpower me ; I know for certain that 
some of my kinsmen have held secret meetings respecting my gov- 
ernment ; but the most dangerous among them was the duke of Glou- 
cester, for in all England there was none more wrong-headed. He 
is now at peace, and henceforwaid we shall manage the rest well 
enough. But tell me, I pray you, why you ask the question ?" 
" Sire," replied they, " we are bound to advise you to the best of our 
knowledge and abilities. We sometimes hear and observe what you 
cannot, for you are in your apartments, and we abroad in the fields, 
or in London, where many conversations are held that nearly touch 
you, as well as us. There is yet time to provide a remedy, and we 
earnestly advise you not to delay it." " What do you mean ?" said 
the king: " speak out, and do not spare me ; for I wish to act rightly 
and to maintain justice in my kingdom." " Sire, the common report 
throughout England, but especially in London, is, that you are the 
cause of this combat, and that you have induced the earl-marshal to 
challenge the earl of Derby. The Londoners in general, and many 
of the prelates and nobles, say, that you are in the direct road to de- 
stroy all your kindred and kingdom, but that they will not suffer it 
to be doiie. Now, were the citizens to rise and be joined by the 
nobility, who could oppose them ? You have no power but from 
your vassals ; and they are now more suspicious of you than ever, 
from your maniage with a princess of France ; and you are less be- 
loved by your subjects on this account. Know, that if you allow 
these two earls to meet in arms, you will not be lord of the field, but 
the Londoners, united with the earl of Derby's great connections by 
blood, who arc all much attached to him. The earl.marshal is be- 
come very unpopular, particularly with the citizens of London, who 
would willingly put him to death. Three parts of the people of Eng- 
land say, that when you heard the charge of the earl-marshal, you 
should have acted otherwise than you did, and checked the quarrel 
by telling them, ' You are both my cousins and liege men, and I com- 
mand that peace be henceforward between you;' and that you should, 
have taken the earl of Derby by the hand, and led him to your cham- 
ber with every token of affection, Because you did not this, the 



606 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



common report is, that you warmly take the part of the earl.marshal 
against the earl of Derby. Weigh well what we have said, for we 
have told you the truth, and you never had more occasion for good 
advice than at this moment." 

The king, on hearing these words, changed color, (for they had 
boldly spoken out, and certainly what they had said could not be 
contradicted,) turned aside and leant on a window, where he mused 
a considerable time. He then turned to those who had addressed 
him, namely, the archbishop of York, the earls of Huntingdon and 
Salisbury, and three other knights of his chamber, and said, " I 
have attentively heard everything you have advised, and should be 
blameworthy if I followed not your counsel : consider, therefore, 
how you would have me act." " Sire," replied their spokesman, 
•* what we have been talking of is matter of great danger. You 
must dissemble your resentments, and put an end to this business, if 
you wish for peace and to preserve your honor. You ought to pay 
more respect to the general opinion of your realm than to the idle 
talk of two knights. It is believed throughout England that the lord 
marshal behaved himself very ill, and, by stirring up many things 
that were better forgotten, is desirous to pick a quarrel with the earl 
of Derby, raise the people, and throw all things into confusion. He 
must therefore suffer for so doing, and the earl of Derby be acquitted. 
We have considered the matter in every point of view, and advise 
that, before they arm or make further preparations, you send them 
your commands to appear before you, and to abide by whatever you 
determine between them. You will therefore give judgment, that, 
within fifteen days, the earl marshal quit England, without any hope 
of ever returning, and the earl of Derby be banished thence for the 
space of ten years. When the time for their departure arrives, you 
will, to please the people, abridge four years of the earl of Derby's 
sentence, so that his banishment will be only for six years, but that 
he must not expect further favor. Such is the advice we give you : 
be very careful to prevent their meeting in arms, or the greatest mis. 
chiefs may arise from it." The king was thoughtful a moment, and 
replied, " Yon have faithfully advised me, and it shall be done." 



CHAPTER XCV. 

KING KICIIARD OF ENGLAND BAiNISHES TRE EARL OF EERBV FROM ENSLAND 
FOE TE.N YEARS, AND THE EARL-JIARSHAL FOR HIS LIFE. 

Not long after this, the king of England smnraoned a large coun- 
cil of the great nobles and prelates at Eltham. On their arrival, he 
placed his two uncles of Lancaster and York beside him, with the 
earls of Northumberland, Salisbury and Huntingdon. The earl of 
Derby and the earl-marshal were sent for, and put into separate 
chambers, for it had been' ordered they were not to meet. The king 
showed he wished to mediate between them, notwithstanding their 
words had been very displeasing to him, and ought not to be lightly 
pardoned. He required therefore that they should s\ibmit themselves 
to his decision ; and to this end sent the constable of England, with 
four great barons, to oblige them to promise punctually to obey it. 
The constable and the lords waited on the two earls, and explained 
the king's intentions. They both bound themselves, in their pies, 
ence, to abide by whatever sentence the king should give. They 
having reported this, the king said : " Well then, I order that the 
earl-marshal, for having caused trouble in this kingdom, by uttering 
words which he could not prove otherwise than by common report, 
be banished the realm : he may seek any other land he pleases to 
dwell in, but he must give over all hope of returning hither, as I 
banish him for life. I also order, that the earl of Derby, our cousin, 
for having angered us, and because he has been, in some measure, 
the cause of the earl-marshal's crime and punishment, prepare to 
leave the kingdom within fifteen days, and be banished hence for the 
term of ten years, without daring to return unless recalled by us ; but 
we shall reserve to ourself the power of abridging this term in part 
or altogether." The sentence was satisfactory to the lords present, 
who said : " The earl of Derby may readily go two or three years 
and amuse himself in foreign parts, for he is young enough ; and, 
although he has already travelled to Prussia, the Holy Sepulchre, 
Cairo and Saint Catherine's,* he will find other places to visit. He 
has two sisters, queens of Castille and of Portugal, and may cheer- 
fully pass his time with them. The lords, knights and squires of 
those countries, will make him welcome, for at this moment all war- 
fare is at an end. On his arrival in Castille, as he is very active, he 
may put them in motion, and lead them against the infidels of Gra- 
nada, which will employ his time belter than remaining idle in 
England. Or he may go to Hainanlt, where his cousin, and brother 
in arms, the count d'Ostrevant, will be happy to see him, and gladly 
entertain him, that he may assist him in his war against the Fries, 
landers. If he go to Hainault, he can have frequent intelligence 
from his own country and children. He therefore cannot fail of doing 
well, whithersoever he goes ; and the king may speedily recall him, 
through means of the good friends he will leave behind, for he is the 
finest feather in his cap ; and he must not therefore suffer him to be 
too long absent, if he wish to gain the love of his subjects. The 
earl-mai-shal has had hard treatment, for he is banished without hope 
of ever being recalled ; but, to say the truth, he has deserved it, for 



*The monaetery on Mount Sioiu —Ed 



ail this mischief has been caused by him and his foohsh talking : he 
must therefore pay for it." Thus conversed many EngUsh knights 
with each other, the day the king passed sentence on the earl of 
Derby and the earl-marshal. 



CHAPTER XCVI. 

THE EARL OF DERBY, IN CONSEQUENCE OF HIS BANISHMENT, LEAVJES 
ENGLAND FOR FRANCE. THE EARL-MARSHAL, IN OBEDIENCE TO HIS 
SENTENCE, GOES TO FLANDERS, AND THENCE INTO LOMBARDY. 

When the two earls heard the sentence the king had passed on 
them, they were much cast down, and not without cause. The 
earl-marshal bitterly repented what he had said and done, but he 
could not foresee its consequences : he had firmly relied on being 
otherwise supported by the king than he was, or he would not have 
thought of it. It was, however, necessary to make his preparations 
for banishment. He settled the payments of his income through the 
Lombards of Bruges, and, quitting England, arrived at Calais, where 
he had been governor. He staid there a short time, to receive part 
of his equipage which had been left behind. On his departure he 
took leave of the townsmen of Calais, and having li.\ed his route, 
would not go to France nor Hainault, for he had not any business at 
these places, but went to Bruges, where he staid fifteen days. On 
leaving this town, he visited Ghent, Mechlin, Louvain, St. Tron, 
Utrecht, Aix and Cologne, where we will leave him, and speak of 
the earl of Derby, who in like manner made his preparations for 
obeying his sentence of banishment. 

When the day of his exile drew near, he went to Eltham where 
the king resided. He found there his father, the duke of York his 
uncle, and with them the earl of Northumberland, sir Henry Percy 
his son, and a great many barons and knights of England, vexed 
that his ill fortune should force him out of England. The greater 
part of them accompanied him to the presence of the. king, to learn 
iiLs ultimate pleasure as to this banishment. The king pretended 
that ho was very happy to see these lords ; he entertained them well, 
and there was a full court on the occasion. The earl of Salisbury, 
and the earl of Huntingdon, who had married the duke of Lancas- 
ter's daughter, were present, and kept near to the earl of Derby, 
whether through dissimulation or not I am ignorant. When the 
time for the earl of Derby's taking leave arrived, the king addressed 
his cousin with great apparent humility, and said, " that as God 
might help him, the words which had passed between him and the 
lord marshal had much vexed him ; and that he had judged the mat. 
ter between them to the best of his understanding, and to satisfy the 
people, who had murmured greatly at this quarrel. ^Vherefore, 
cousin," he added, " to relieve you somewhat of your pain, I now 
remit Ixjur years of the term of your banishment, and reduce it to six 
years instead of ten. Make your preparations, and provide accord- 
ingly." " My lord," replied the earl, "1 humbly thank you; and, 
when it shall be your good pleasure, you will extend your mercy." 
The lords present were satisfied with the answer, and for this time 
were well pleased with the king's behavior, for he received them 
kindly. Some of them returned with the earl of Derby to London. 
The earl's baggage had been sent forward to Dover, and he was 
advised by his father, on his arrival at Calais, to go straight to Paris, 
and wait on the king of France and his cousins the princes of F'rance, 
for by their means he would be the sooner enabled to shorten his exile 
than by any other. Had not the duke of Lancaster earnestly pressed 
this matter, like a father anxious to console his son, he would have 
taken the direct road to the count d'Ostrevant in Hainault. 

The day the earl of Derby mounted his horse to leave London, 
upward of forty thousand men were in the streets, bitterly lamenting 
his departure : "Ah, gentle earl 1 will you then quit us ? This coun. 
try will never be happy until your return, and the days until then 
will be insulTerably long. Through envy, treachery and fear, are 
you driven out of a kingdom where you are more worthy to reside 
than those which caused it. You are of such high birth and gal- 
lantry, that none others can be compared to you. Why then will 
you leave us, gentle earl ? You have never done wrong by thought 
or deed, and are incapable of so doing." Thus did men and women 
so piteously complain, that it was grievous to hear them. The earl 
of Derby was not accompanied by trumpets, nor the music of the 
town, but^with tears and lamentations. Some of the knights who 
attended him whispered each other: " See the conduct of the peo- 
ple, how readily they complain for trifles ! Whoever is inclined to 
stir up the Londoners against the king may soon effect it, and force 
the king to seek another country, and the earl of Derby to remain . 
but this is not the moment, for, since ir.y lord of Lancaster suilers 
it, we must be patient." 

The mayor of London and several of the principal citizens, accom- 
panied the earl of Derby as far as Dartford : some even rode to Do. 
ver with him, and remained in his company until he embarked on 
board the vessel that was to convey him to Calais, when they re- 
turned to their homes. The earl of Derby, before his arrival at 
Calais, had sent a knight and herald to the king of France, and to 
the dukes of Orleans, Berry, Burgundy and Bourbon, to know if it 
were agreeable to them that he should fix hia residence in Paris, 
paying "punctually for all that he or his people might want, and if 
the court would receive him. 



CHRONICLER OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &.c. 



607 



The king of France, his brother and uncles, readily complied wilh 
his request, and apparently seemed very glad that he would come 
there; for, as they assured the knight, they very sincerely felt for the 
present disgrace of the earl. The knight and herald, on their return, 
met the earl of Calais ; and the king of France had sent with them 
sir Charles de Hangiers, to have all the cities and towns opened to 
the English as they travelled to I'aris. The earl of Derby set out 
in gallant array, becoming his rank, and took the road to Amiens, 
"where, and iii every other town, he was handsomely received. 



CHAPTER XCVir. 

THE COU.VT d'oSTREVANT SE.NDS EMBASSADORS TO THE EARL OF 
DERBY. THE EARL ARRIVES AT PARIS. 

The moment William earl of Ostrevant, who resided at Quesnoy, 
heard that his cousin the earl of Derby had crossed the sea, and was 
at Calais, he ordered sir Ancel de Trassaguies and sir Fier-a,-bras de 
Vertain to ride thither and wait on the earl, and invite him to Hain. 
ault, whither, if he pleased to come and amuse himself, he would 
give him a hearty welcome, for it would be very agreeable to him- 
self and his countess. The two knights obeyed the earl's orders, 
and rode to Cambray and Bapaumes ; for they Iiad heard the carl of 
Derby had left Calais, and taken the road toward Paris through 
Amiens. They determined, in consequence, to push forward, and 
overtook the earl of Derby on his road, to whom they punctually de- 
livered their message. The earl thanked thein, as well as his cousin 
of Hainault who had sent them, but excused himself for the present 
from accepting their invitation, as he was engaged to visit the king 
of France and his cousins, but that he did not renounce the affection 
and courtesy the count d'Ostrevant offered him. The two knights, 
having executed their commission, took leave, and returned to Hain- 
ault, to report all they had seen and heard, and the earl continued 
his journey to Paris. When news was brought to the king, and the 
dukes of Orleans, Berry and Burgundy, that the earl of Derby was 
approaching Paris, the principal French lords instantly made hand- 
some preparations to go out and meet him. The apartments of the 
hdtel de Saint Pol were richly furnished ; and the great barons then 
in town set out for Saint Denis. The king remained at the hotel de 
Saint Pol : but the dukes of Orleans and Berry left Paris, and first 
met the earl of Derby : then came the dukes of Burgundy and Bour- 
bon, and the lord Charles d'Albret, with many great prelates and 
barons. The meeting was joyous on both sides, and they entered 
Paris in brilliant array. 

An unfortunate accident happened on this occasion, which I will 
relate. A prudent and valiant squire, called Boniface, a native of 
Lombardy, was mounted on a strong courser that had not been well 
broken. When passing through the streets, he rose upon hie hind 
legs, and the squire, checking by the bridle, palled him so hard that 
he fell backward, and threw Boniface with such force on the pave- 
ment, that his skull was fractured. Thus died Boniface, to the great 
regret of many lords, particularly the duke of Orleans, by whom he 
was much esteemed. He had been a favorite with the late lord de 
Coucy, who had brought him from Lombardy to France. 

The procession at length arrived at the h6tel de Saint Pol, where 
the king was waiting : he received very kindly his cousin the earl 
of Derby, who, having been well educated, behaved so agreeably to 
the king, that he was much liked, and, in token of his favor, the 
king gave him his order to wear. The earl accepted it with pleas, 
ure, and returned his thanks. I cannot pretend to say all that 
passed between them, but the meeting seemed to their mutual satis- 
faction. When wine and spices had been served, the c-arl took leave 
of the king, and waited on the queen, who resided in other apart- 
ments of the same palace. He staid there some time, for the queen 
entertained him handsomely. On taking leave, he went to the court 
and mounted his horse, and was escorted to his h6tel by the lords of 
France, where he supped that night with his own people. Such was 
his reception at Paris: there were many grand entertainments made 
to amuse him, and that he might think the less on his banishment 
from his own country, which wa? very displeasing to the French 
lords. [In spite of all their kind endeavors, he at times was very mel- 
ancholy, and not without reason, on being thus separated from his 
family. He was impatient to return, and much vej:ed that for such 
a frivolous cause he should be banished from England, and from his 
four promising sons, and two daughters. The earl frequently dined 
with the king, the duke of Orleans, and other great barons, who did 
everything they could to make hia time pass agreeably.] 

We will now leave the earl of Derby, to speak of the affairs of 
the church, and of the two popes, Benedict of Avignon, and Boni- 
face of Rome. 

CHAPTER XCVIII. 

THE EMPEROR AND THE KINO OF FRANCE PlTtStJE THE PLANS THEY HAD 
SETTLED AT RHEIMS, FOR A UNION OF THE CHCRCH. THE BISHOP OF 
CAMBRAY 13 SENT BY THEM TO THE POPE AT ROME. THE ANS1VER 
THAT IS MADE HIM. 

Yoo have before heard of the meeting which had taken place at 
Rheima between the enip«ror and the king of France, when many 



' secret councils were held, on establishing the union of the church, 
for the present schism was disgraceful. In consequence of the plans 
then formed, Peter d'Ailly, bishop of Cambray, was sent embassador 
to pope Boniface at Rome. The bishop set out, and met the pope 
at Fondi, to whom he delivered his credential letters from the king 
and the emperor. The pope, having examined them, was satisfied 
of their validity, and received the bishop kindly, for he guessed the 
object of his mission. The embassador explained the cause of his 
coming, which the pope attentively listened to, and thus replied : 
" That the answer his propositions required did not only personally 
attach to him, but to all his brother-cardinals, who might aspire to 
the papacy. He would summon a consistory, and, when they had 
fully considered the matter, would give him an answer that should 
be satisfactory." This was, for the present, sufficient for the bishop 
of Cambray, who dined that day at the palace of the pope with some 
of his cardinals, and then, leaving Fondi, went to Rome. 

Shortly after, pope Boniface held a convocation of cardinals at 
Rome ; for he had quitted Fondi, and resided at the Vatican. No 
one was present at this consistory but the pope and cardinals, before 
whom he laid the proposition of the bishop of Cambray, and de- 
manded advice what answer he should make to them. Much dis. 
cussion ensued ; for the cardinals were averse to undo what they had 
done, thinking it would turn out to their disgrace. They said to the 
pope : " Holy father, considering our situation, we think you should 
conceal your real sentiments on this matter : but to encourage the 
hopes of the king of France and those of his creed, you will in your 
answer declare your willingness to comply with whatever the em. 
peror of Germany, the king of Hungary, and the king of England, 
shall advise you ; that the person who resides at Avignon, and styles 
himself pope Benedict, whom the king of France and hia nation 
have acknowledged, must first resign all claims to the papacy ; and 
that then you will cheerfully attend a general council, wherever the 
above-named kings shall appoint, and bring your brother cardinals 
with you." This advice was very agreeable to Boniface, who re- 
plied, in conformity to it, but in more general terms, to the bishop 
of Cambray, who acquitted himself honorably in the business he had 
been sent upon. 

When the Romans heard that the emperor and the king of France 
had written to the pope to resign his dignity, great were the mur- 
muringe throughout the city ; for the Romans were fearful they 
should lose the holy see, which was of infinite consequence to them 
and profit, from the general pardons that were personally sought for, 
and which obliged such multitudes to visit Rome. The jubilee was 
soon to take place, for which they had made great preparations; and 
they were uneasy lest they might have incurred these expenses for 
nothing. The principal inhabitants of Rome waited on the pope, 
and showed him greater love than ever, saying : " Holy father, you 
are the true pope : remain in the inheritance and patrimony of the 
church, which belonged to St. Peter, and let no one advise you to do 
otherwise. Whoever may be against you, we will always continue 
your steady friends, and expend our lives and fortunes in the defence 
of your right." Pope Boniface replied : " My children, be comforted, 
for I will never resign the popedom ; and, whatever the emperor or 
the king of France may do, I will not submit myself to their wills." 
The Romans were satisfied with this answer, and returned to their 
homes. 

The bishop of Cambray took no notice of this, but proceeded in 
the business he had been charged with. I fancy pope Boniface 
kept steady in his answer, that when it should be publicly known 
pope Benedict had resigned the papacy, he would act in such 
manner as should be agreeable to those who had sent him. The 
bishop, not being able to obtain more, departed for Germany, and 
found the emperor at Constance, to whom he delivered the answer 
you have heard. The emperor said, " Bishop, you will carry thii 
to the king of France, our brother and cousin ; and, accordingly as 
he shall act, so will I and the empire ; but, from what I see, he 
must begin first, and when he has deposed his pope, we will depose 
ours." The bishop took leave of the emperor, and set out for Paris, 
where the king and his lords were expecting him. He delivered the 
answer from the pope, and the message from the emperor, which was 
kept secret until the king should assemble a great council of his 
nobles to have their advice on the matter. 



CHAPTER XCIX. 

THE KINS OF FRANCE, IN CONFORMITY TO THE ADVICE OF HIS NOBLE.? 
AND THE UNIVERSITY OF PARIS, SENDS THE BISHOP OF CAMBRAY 
TO POPE BENEDICT AT AVIONON, ON THE StTBJECT OF A UNION OF 
THE CHCRCH, AND ALSO HIS MARSHAL BOUCICAUT THITHER, TO CON- 
STRAIN THE POPE TO OBEDIENCE BY FORCE OF AEMS SHOULD THERE 
BE OCCASION. 

The king of France, in consequence of the answer of pope Boni. 
face, and the message of the emperor, that the pope at Avignon 
must be the first deposed, assembled the nobles and prelates of his 
kingdom at Paris. Prior te this, some of the prelates of France, 
such as the archbishop of Rheims, sir Guy de Roye, the archbishops 
of Rouen and of Sens, the bishops of Paris, Beauvais, and Autun, 
had strongly supported the pope of Avignon, particularly Clement 



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CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &.c. 



who had promoted them to their benefices. These six prelates, 
therefore, by particular orders, were not summoned to this council, 
but others in their room, and the heads of the university of Paris. 
After the bishop of Cambray had fully explained to the assembly the 
object of liis embassy to Rome, what he had done there, the pope's 
answer, and the message from the emperor, for he had returned 
through Germany, they began to discuss the matter, and it was re- 
solved the university should have the preponderating voice. It was 
determined in this council, to the satisfaction of the king, the duke 
of Orleans, their uncles, and all the members of it, that the king of 
France should send his marshal, the lord Boucicaut, to Avignon, to 
prevail on pope Benedict, by negotiation or force, to resign the 
papacy, and submit himself to the determination of the lung and his 
council ; that the church in France should remain neuter as to the 
true pope, until union were restored to it, according to the decrees 
of a general council of prelates and churchmen which was to be in- 
stantly called. 

This resolution seemed good to every one, and was adopted by 
the king of France, and all who had formed the council. The mar- 
shal of France and the bishop of Cambray were ordered to Avignon ; 
and these two lords left Paris soon afterwards, travelling in company 
as far as Lyons, where they separated. The marshal was to remain 
at Lyons until he heard from the bishop, who continued his journey 
to Avignon, to learn what answer the person who styled himself pope 
at Avignon would make to the proposals from the king of France. 
On his arrival at Avignon, he fixed his lodgings in tlie great wood- 
market. Some of the cardinals suspected the cause of his coming, 
since he was sent by the king of France, but they dissembled their 
thoughts until they heard what he had to say, and observed how 
Benedict should answer and conduct himselt'. As sooh as the 
bishop of Cambray had taken some refreshments and changed his 
dress, he waited on the pope in his palace. He made him, when in 
his presence, the proper obeisances, but not so reverently as if he 
and all the world acknowledged him for the true pope, although he 
had given him the bishopric of Cambray, through the recommenda- 
tion of the lords in France. The bishop, being well versed in Latin 
and French, made an elegant harangue, to explain the object of his 
mission from the emperor and the king of France. When the pope 
heard that it was the intention of these two monarchs that he as 
well as pope Boniface should resign their dignities, he frequently 
changed color, and, raising his voice, said : " I have labored hard for 
the good of the church, and have been duly elected pope, yet now 
my resignation is sought ; this I will never consent to as long as I 
live ; and I wish the king of France to know that I shall not pay any 
attention to his regulations, but will keep my name and dignity until 
death." 

" Sire," answered the bishop of Cambray, " I always thought you, 
under reverence, more prudent than I find you really are. Fix a 
day for the meeting of your cardinals, to consult with them on your 
answer ; for, unless they agree with you, your opposition will be in 
vain against them and against the powers of Germany and France." 
Vpon this, two cardinals of his creation, who foresaw that matters 
■would end badly, stepped forward and said, " Holy father, the bishop 
of Cambray advises you well : follow what he says, we entreat you." 
The pope replied, he would do so willingly : the audience was put 
an end to, and the bishop returned to his lodgings, without waiting 
on any of the cardinals. 

On the next morning, the consistory bell was rung, and a con- 
clave holden of all the cardinals then at .\vignon, at the pope's pal- 
ace. The bishop of Cambray discoursed in Latin on the reasons 
why he was come thither, and on the object of those who had sent 
him. When he had finished speaking, he was told they would ma- 
turely consider the business, and give him an answer, but that at 
present he must withdraw. He went elsewhere to amuse himself, 
while Benedict and his cardinals debated his proposals. They were 
for a considerable time in council, and many thought it very hard to 
undo what had been regularly effected ; but the cardinal of Amiens 
said : " My fair sirs, whether we will or not, we must obey the or- 
ders of the emperor of Germany and the king of France, since they 
are now united ; for, without their good pleasure, we cannot exist. 
We might indeed withstand the emperor, if the king of France 
would support us, but, as that is no longer the case, we must submit, 
or he will exclude tis from our benefices, and how then are we to 
live ? In truth, holy father, we have elected you pope, on condition 
that you would exert yourself in the reform of abuses in the church, 
and promote a union, all of which you have strenuously promised to 
do until this day. Answer for yourself, therefore, in a temperate 
manner, that we may praise you, for you must be better acquainted 
with your own mind and courage than we are.'' Many of the car- 
dinals spoke at once, and said : " Holy father, the cardinal of Amiens 
speaks well, and we beg of you to let tis know your intentions." 
Upon this, Benedict replied, " I have always had an earnest desire 
for a union of the church, and have taken great pains to promote it ; 
but since, through the giace of God, you have raised me to the pa- 
pacy, I will never resign it, nor submit myself to any king, duke, or 
count, nor agree to any treaty that shall include my resignation of 
tne popedom." The cardinals now all rose, and there was much 
munnuring : some said he had well spoken, and others the contrar>'. 
Thus was the condave broken up in discord, and many of the car- 



dinals departed to their hbtels without taking leave of the pope 
Those who were in his good graces remained with him. 

When the bishop of Cambray observed the manner in which the 
cardinals left the palace, he knew there had been great disagree- 
ment, and entering the hall of the conclave, advanced up to Bene- 
dict, who was still on his throne, and, without much respect, said : 
*' Sire, give me an answer ; I cannot wait longer ; for your couneil 
is dismissed. You must let me have your final determination on 
the proposals I made you, as I am now about to depart hence.'* 
Pope Benedict, still heated by anger at the speech of the cardinal of 
Amiens, replied: '' Bishop, I have consulted my brother cardinals, 
who have elected me to this dignity, and they agree that every due 
solemnity has been used, such as is usual in such cases. Since, 
therefore, I am pope, and acknowledged as such by all my subjects, 
I will preserve it as long as I live, and will not, though it cost me my 
life, renounce it; for I have never done anything to forfeit the di- 
vine protection. You will tell our son of France that hitherto we 
have considered hint as a good Catholic ; but that, from the bad ad- 
vice he has lately received, he is about to embrace errors which he 
will repent of. I entreat that you would beg of him, from me, not 
to follow any counsels, the result of which may trouble his con- 
science." 

On saying this, Benedict rose from his throne, and retired to liis 
chamber, attended by some of his cardinals. The bishop of Cam- 
bray went to his inn, dined soberly, and then, mounting his horse, 
crossed the Rh6ne, passed through Villeneuve, and lay at Bagnols,* 
which belongs to France. He there heard that the Lord Boucicaut, 
marshal of France, was at St. Andrieu, within nine leagues of Avig- 
non, and thither the bishop went on the following day, and related 
to him all that had passed, with an answer he had received from 
Benedict who styled himself pope, 



CHAPTER C. 

IN CONSEQUENCE OF THE ANSWER OF POFE BENECICT, THE MARSHAL BOtJ. 
CICAirr OBLIGES HIM BY FORCE OF ARMS TO SL-EMIT HIMSELF TO THK 
WILL OF THE KING OF FRANCE RESPECTING A UNION OF THE CHURCH. 

Whe-n tlie marshal of France had heard from the bishop of Cam. 
bray the pope's answer, and that he refused to submit himself to the 
king of France, he said to him, '* Bishop, you may now return to 
France,for you have nothing more to do here; and I will execute what 
I have been charged with by the king, my lords his uncles, and the 
council." The bishop replied, " God's will be done." He remained 
that day in the village, and on the morrow departed, taking his road 
toward Puy in Auvergne. The marshal instantly set clerks and mes- 
sengers to work in summoning the kniglils, squires, and men-at-arms 
in the Viverais, .\uvergne, and from the countries as far as Mont- 
pellier ; for he was commissioned so to do by the king of France. 
He ordered the seneschal of Beaucaire to shut up all the passes to 
Avignon, as well on the Rh6ne as by land, that nothing might enter 
that place, nor be sent thither from the Pont du Saint Esprit ; for he 
was particularly anxious that it should not be supplied witli provisions 
or stores. The summons of the marshal was readily obeyed, by 
some through attachment, but by many in ;he expectation of plunder- 
ing Avignon. Sir Raymond de Touraine came with pleasure to the 
marshal, who was ready to march, in company with the lords de la 
Both, de Tournon, de Monclau, and d'Uzes and others, so numerous, 
that the marshal sent a herald with his defiance to the pope in his 
palace, and to his cardinals in Avignon. 

This was a severe blow to the cardinals and to the inhabitants ; 
for they knew well they could not long eflectually withstand the 
power of the king of France. They called a council of the cardinals 
and principal persons in the town, and, in consequence, waited on 
Benedict, and temperately remonstrated with him, that they were un- 
able and unwilling to support a war against the king of France, for it 
was necessary theyshould carry on their commerce by land and water, 
to live. Benedict, like a madman, replied : " Your city is strong, and 
well provided with stores and provisions. I will send to Genoa and 
elsewhere for men-at-arms, and write to my son the king of Arragon, 
who is the standard-bearer of the church, to come to my assistance, 
which he will do, for he is bound to it by two reasons ; I am liis kins- 
man, and he owes obedience to the pope. Do you depart hence and 
guard your town, and I will defend my palace, for you are alarmed 
at trifles." This was all the answer they could obtain from the pope, 
and the cardinals and townsmen retired to their houses. The pope, 
whom I call Benedict, had, for a long time before laid up in his pal- 
ace great quantities of wines, corn, salted meat, oil, and of every 
necessary store for a fortress. He himself was a bold and determined 
character, not easily dismayed. 

The marshal Boucicaut marched from the town of St. Esprit, and, 
with the consent of the Prince of Orange, passed through Orange 
with his army, and entered the Comtat Venaissin, belenging to the 
Church, which was soon overrun. The men-at-arms crossed the 
bridge at Sorgues,t and were masters of each side of that river. The 
marshal left some men in the town to guard it and defend the passage, 

* BagnoJs— a town in lower Languedoc, three lesgues from the Pom du Saint Esprit, 
and fifty-two from Lyons. 
T The river Sorgues IftUe iu rise from Uie spring at Vauclu=e 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



609 



and oppose the garrison of Noues, tliat iield out for the pope. He 
then fixed his head-quarters at Saint Verain, near Avignon, and his 
army was daily increasing. The city of Avignon was now so com. 
pletely surrounded, that nothing could enter by land or water without 
leave. The seneschal of Beaucaire's quarters were at Villeneuve, 
close la Avignon, though belonging to France, and he, with five 
hundred combatants, guarded that side of the town. The marshal 
of France, with two thousand men-at-arms, was on the opposite side : 
he sent notice to the townsmen, that if they did not open their gates, 
and submit themselves to his will, he would burn and destroy all the 
houses and vineyards as far as the river Durance. This greatly dis- 
mayed the inhabitants of both sexes, who had their inheritances in 
that part of the country, and they called a council, to which they 
admitted the cardinals of Amiens, Poitiers, Neufchateau, and Viviers, 
to have their advice. The townsmen, who were the most interested 
in the marshal's menace, infomied the meeting of their fears lest he 
should execute it, saying it was made by orders from the king of 
France, whom they were not prepared to resist, nor could they do so 
with effect, for he was too near a neighbor ; and that, considering all 
things, it would be much better to submit themselves to the king of 
France than remain obstinate in the support of Benedict, who was 
unable to afford them any assistance. They asked the cardinals if 
they would join thejn. The cardinals said they would. Provisions 
began to be scarce in -\vignon ; besides, their benefices were in 
France, which they would not lose ; and they agreed with the towns- 
men in their treaty with the marshal. The terms of the treaty were, 
that he and his army should be admitted into Avignon, to besiege the 
palace, but that no violence should be done to the cardinals, their de. 
pendents, nor the townsmen. This the marshal, the French lords, 
and captains of the men-at-arms, swore faithfully to observe. When 
this was done the army entered the town, and lodged themselves at 
their ease, for it was large enough, and took off all obstructions on 
the Rh6ne and at the gates, to allow free liberty for the entrance of 
provisions. 

Pope Benedict was much cast down, when he heard that his cardi- 
nals and the townsmen had concluded a treaty with the marshal of 
France, without consulting him. He said he would never surrender, 
Ro long as he had breath, and shut himself up in his palace, which 
is very strong and handsome, and easy to be defended, provided it 
be well stored with provisions. The pope sent off letters by messen- 
gers, before the marshal entered Avignon, to the king of Arragon, 
humbly entreating him to come and succor him in his distress, and 
to send him men-at-arms sufficient to oppose the marshal of France. 
He added, that if he could be extricated from the situation in which 
he was, and conveyed to Arragon, he would establish the holy see at 
Perpignan or at Barcelona. The king of Arragon carefully perused 
these letters, but paid little attention to their contents. He said to 
those near his person: "What! does this priest suppose that I am to 
involve myself in a war with the king of France to support his quar- 
rel? I should indeed be blameworthy, were I to interfere." "Sire," 
replied his knights, " what you say is true : you have no business to 
meddle with such matters ; for you must know that the king of 
France has been ably advised, and has just cause to act as he does. 
Leave the clergy to themselves ; and if they wish for support, they 
must subject themselves to those lords from whose countries they 
receive the amount of their benefices. They have too long held 
them undisturbed, and they ought to feel and be sensible whence 
their wealth arises. The king of France has besides written to en- 
treat that you would agree with him in a neutrality between the two 
popes. Accept his invitation, for the queen, who is his cousin-ger- 
man, has done so; and the greater part of the kingdom and clergy 
are willing to do the same ; for we hold, especially the Catalonians, 
that this opinion is the surest ; otherwise, should the Christian princes 
not unite in the same, there will never be any union in the church, 
from the divisions of these two popes.'' Thus did the king of Arra. 
gon and his lords converse on the subject, while poor Benedict, shut 
tip in his palace, was looking in vain for assistance being sent him 
from Arragon. The marshal of France was in Avignon, and the pa- 
lace, so strictly invested, nothing could enter it, which forced those 
within to live on the provisions they had. Of food there was a suffi- 
ciency for two or three years ; but, as there was a scarcity of fuel to 
dress their victuals, they began to be alarmed at the consequences. 

The king of France held a weekly correspondence with the lord 
Boucicaut, on the state of Benedict ; and the king ordered him not 
to depart until he had completed the business with the pope. He 
therefore increased the guard round the palace, to prevent him issuing 
forth. The conclusion was, that Benedict, finding himself thus con- 
strained, that there was no fuel, and that their provisions were daily 
decreasing, without any assistance coming to his aid, begged for 
mercy, through the mediation of some of his cardinals. The terms 
of the treaty were, that he was not to leave the palace of Avignon 
tintil union should be restored to the church ; that he should be put 
■under the guard of proper persons; and that the cardinals and richest 
citizens of Avignon should be responsible for his appearance, dead 
or alive. This satisfied the marshal. Those cardinals who had 
benefices in France exerted themselves much to conclude this treaty, 
declaring unanimously they would comply with the orders of the king 
of France. Thus ended this business, and the men-at-arms marched 
away from Avignon, every one to his own home. 



CHAPTER CI. 

THE JURSHAL BOtJCICAtJT RETtTRNS TO HUNSART AGAINST THE TURKS. 
THE EARL OF DERBY SENDS TO REQtJIST PERMISSION OF THE DUKE OF 
LANCASTER TO ACCOMPANY BOUCICAUT IN THIS EXPEDITION. THE KINO 
OF ENGLAND IS SOLICITED BY THE KING OF FRANCE TO ENGAGE HIS 
SUBJECTS TO A NEUTHALITV BETWEEN THE TWO POPES, UNTIL A NEW 
ELECTION SHALL TAKE PLACE ; BUT THEY REFUSE COMPLIANCE WITH 
THEIR .-UONARCh's REQUEST. 

After this exploit, the marshal Boucicaut returned to Paris, and 
shortly after made preparations to go to Hungary ; for the king had 
written to the king of France, to his uncles, and to the knights and 
squires of France, that Bajazet was assembling a large army of Turks, 
Arabians, Persians, Tartars, Syrians, and others of his religion. The 
king of Hungary was in consequence desirous of collecting a nume- 
rous force to oppose him, and offer him battle with more advantage 
than the last. 

The earl of Derby, who resided at Paris at the hotel de Clisson, 
near the Temple, was very desirous to go on the expedition to Hun- 
gary, to avoid putting the king of France to further expense ; for he 
received from the French treasury, every week, five hundred golden 
crowns for his expenses, which his people were most punctually paid. 
On the first mention of this expedition, the earl of Derby eagerly 
listened to it ; for he felt himself under great obligations to the king 
of France, and was unwilling to be a charge on him longer. He 
likewise thought that he should gain honor by going to Hungary, and 
that it would make the time of his banishment the sooner pass away. 
He consulted his confidential servants, who advised him to undertake 
it, but first to solicit the consent of his father the duke of Lancaster. 
The earl, in consequence, sent to England the knight nearest his 
person, to learn the pleasure of his father, and how he would advise 
him to act. When the knight, whose name was Dinorth,* arrived 
at London, he heard the duke of Lancaster was at his castle of Hert- 
ford, about twenty miles from London, whither he went, and related 
to him the earl of Derby's wish to join the expedition to Hungary. 
When the duke had heard all he had to say, he was well contented 
with the state of his son, and bade him welcome, adding, that what 
he had said, and the letters he had brought, demanded consideration. 
You will rest yourself here while we deliberate on the subject; and, 
in the mean time, you must see my son's children, to give them news 
of their father, and carry intelligence of them to him, for that he will 
expect from you." » My lord," replied the knight, " what you say 
is true." Thus did he, by desire of the duke, stay some little time 
in England. 

The king of France sent embassadors to Germany, to inform the 
emperor that he had laid hands on Benedict, who for a time had 
styled himself pope. These embassadors were the patriarch of Jeru. 
salem, sir Charles de Hangiers, and others of his knights : they set 
out for Germany, and met the emperor at Sn-asbourg, to whom they 
satisfactorily delivered their message. The emperor and his council 
said they would deliberate on the matter, but would gladly first know 
the determination of the king of England, for which the king of 
France had taken on himself to answer. Upon this, the embassy re- 
turned to France, and reported what you have just read. The king 
of France, to hasten the business, sent a grand embassy to England 
to remonstrate with the king on the present distracted state of the 
church. The king of England would willingly have joined the king 
of France, but he had not his prelates nor his churchmen and subjects 
as much under his command as his father-in-law kept them in France. 
All this he told in confidence to the French embassadors, at the same 
time, promising them to do his utmost to comply with the king of 
France's request. 

The French embassador returned to Paris ; and king Richard, in 
consequence of his wishes to please his father-in-law, summoned d 
meeting of the prelates and clergy of his realm, at his palace of 
Westminster, which is out of the city of London. When they met, 
he eloquently harangued them on the miserable schism in the church, 
and the plan the king of France had adopted, of remaining neuter 
between the two rival popes, according to the advice of the imiver- 
sity of Paris, and other learned clerks. The kings of Scotland, 
Castille, Arragon, and Navarre had followed this example, and all 
Germany, Bohemia, and Italy intended doing the same. He there- 
fore entreated that his kingdom would adopt the like measures. 
When the prelates, who were ignorant why they had been a.ssem- 
blcd, heard this speech, they were greatly astonished, and were silent. 
Several murmured, and said : " Our king is quite a Frenchman : his 
only wish is to disgrace and ruin us, but he shall not succeed. 
What ! does he want us to change our creed ? He may go so far 
that evil will bcfal him. We will do notiiing in this matter, since 
the king of France proposes it. Let him keep to his neutrality, if 
he please, and we will keep our creed. We will never suffer any 
attempt to deprive us of it, unless better reasons can be shown than 
those we have just heard." 

The king, seeing them thus murmur together, made the bishop of 
London, who had laid the proposals of neutrality before them, ask 
what determination were best to be taken. They replied, one by 
one, that the matter was so weighty, great deliberation was requisite 

» "Drngrth." The M3S. have Dii Roch. 6). if not Dymocke. 



610 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &e. 



before any answer could be made. Upon this, the meeting broke 
up, and the clergy who had been assembled retired to their inns in 
the city of London. The citizens, learning from them the cause of 
tlie meeting, and the proposition that the king had made them, were 
greatly angered against him, for in England the belief in the pope of 
Rome was general. They said : " This Richard of Bordeaux will 
ruin everything, if he be suffered to go on. His head is so thoroughly 
French, he cannot disguise it ; but a day may come when he shall 
pay for all without having time to repent, and so shall those who 
have been his advisers. 

Things continued in thi^ state ; and all his solicitations and re- 
monstrances with his clergy to remain neuter obtained not any atten. 
tion. The king of France and his council were dissatisfied that king 
Richard had not instantly determined his country to be neuter, but 
in truth he could not prevail with his clergy to do so ; and shortly 
after there fell out such horrible events that the like are not to be 
found in this whole history, nor in that of any other Christian king, 
except that noble prince Lusignan, king of Cyprus and Jerusalem, 
whom his brother and the Cypriots villainously murdered. 



CHAPTER CII. 

THE ANSWER THE DUKE OF LANCASTER GIVES THE KNIOHT WHO HAD 
BEEN SENT TO HIM BY THE EARL OF DERBY, TO REQUEST HIS PERMIS- 
SION TO JOIN THE EXPEDITION AGAINST THE TURKS. THE DEATH OF 
THE DUKE OF LANCASTER. 

When the chevalier Dinorth, who had been sent by the earl of 
Derby to the duke of Lancaster, had received answers to the letters 
ke had brought, and had visited all the castles of the earl his lord, and 
waited on his four sons and two daughters, who had remained in 
England, he took leave and returned to France. The answer from 
the duke of Lancaster was, that he would not advise his son to go 
into Hungary, but, when tired of France, to visit CastiUe and Portu- 
gal, and amuse himself at the courts of his brothers-in-law and sis. 
ters. The earl of Derby read these letters twice over and mused 
some time on their contents. His knight told him in confidence that 
the duke of Lancaster's physicians and surgeons had assured him 
the duke labored under so dangerous a disease it must soon cause 
his death. 

This information made tho earl give over all thoughts of travelling 
farther. He remained in Paris, at the hbtel de Clisson, which had 
ieen prepared for him and his attendants. He frequently visited the 
king, and the duke of Orleans and their uncles, who entertained him 
handsomely. The earl was so sensible of their attentions, that he 
■aid to the king of France : " My lord, you pay me so much honor 
•nd courtesy, and give me proofs of such aftection, that I know not 
how I shall ever be able to make you any return ; but, if it please 
God that I go back to England, I will not forget them in my attach. 
nient to our queen, your daughter, whom God preserve !" " Many 
thanks, fair cousin," replied the king. It happened, that about 
Christmas.tide, duke John of Lancaster fell dangerously ill of a dis- 
order which ended his life, to the great grief of all his friends. He 
had been some time very low spirited, on account of the banishment 
of his son, whom his nephew king Richard had forced out of Eng. 
land for a very trifling cause, and also for the manner in which the 
kingdom was governed, which, if persevered in, he foresaw must be 
its ruin. The king of England, as it seemed, was little affected by 
his uncle's death, and he was soon forgotten. 

Many of the nobles, but not all, were uneasy the kingdom was so 
weakened by the deaths of the dukes of Lancaster, Gloucester, and 
the earl of Arundel, and that the earl of Derby was banished, who 
ought to be now duke of Lancaster by legal succession. Some said : 
" We shall see what the king will do. It is time that he recal his 
cousin the earl of Derby, and remit his further punishment, though 
there was scarcely any justice in it. It is proper that he return to 
take possession of his lands, and do homage as duke of Lancaster." 
Such speeches were common throughout England, but especially in 
London, where the earl of Derby was a hundred times more beloved 
than king Richard. Notwithstanding these murmurs, and that he 
was spoken to on the subject, as well as his ministers, nothing was 
done : on the contrary, the king showed he was more irritated against 
She earl. In this he was very badly advised ; for if, on the death of 
Jiis uncle, he had sent for the earl of Derby, and said to him : " Fair 
cousin, you are welcome. You are now duke of Lancaster, and, 
mfter us, the greatest personage in the realm : we will, therefore, that 
you remain with us; and we will be governed by your counsels, and 
do nothing without your approbation ;" he would then have continued 
king of England, and avoided the unfortunate end that was awaiting 
him : the cata.strophe was now so near at hand that he could no way 
avoid it, as you shall speedily hear. 



CHAPTER cm. 

THE KING OF ENGLAND MAKES THE KING OF FRANCE ACQUAINTED WITH 
THE DEATH OF THE DtJKE OF LANCASTER, BUT DOES NOT NOTICE IT TO 
THE EARL OF DERBY, THOUGH SON TO THE LATE DUKE. 

The new9 of the death of the duke of Lancaster was soon public 
in France. King Richard wrote an account of it to the lung with a 



sort of joy, but did not notice it to the earl of Derby. The earl, how. 
ever, knew it as soon, if not sooner than the king of France, from 
his people in England. He clothed himself and his attendants in 
deep mourning, as was right, and had his obsequies grandly per- 
formed ; at which were present, the king of France, the duke of 
Orleans, their three uncles, and numbers of the prelates and great 
barons of France, for the earl was much liked by all. The French 
barons visited him often, and some were displeased at and took part 
in his misfortunes : he was an amiable knight, courteous and pleas, 
ant to every one, and it was currently said, the king of England 
was very ill advised not to recal him. To say the truth, if the king 
had wisely considered consequences, he would have done it : affaira 
would not have turned out so miserably as they did. The earl of 
Derby was now, by the death of his father, duke of Lancaster, and 
the most potent baron in England, second to none but the king, and 
by his advice the king should be governed. 

The king and his ministers should not have forgotten that the 
people of England, more particularly the Londoners, had frequently 
risen against the government ; that the king was not popular with 
any rank of men ; and that, during the life of the duke of Glouces- 
ter, he had suffered many vexations, and even personal danger. When 
the citizens of London and the deputies from the great towns waited 
on the king at Eltham, to petition for the abolition of the war taxes, 
their plan was (by the secret advice of the duke of Gloucester and 
other lords,) to seize the king and queen, and choose another in his 
room. King Richard and his queen were to be confined and allowed 
a sufficiency for their maintenance during their lives. The duke of 
Gloucester had requested his nephew, son to the daughter of the 
duke of Clarence, called John earl of March, to take charge of the 
government of England ; but he had excused himself from so doing, 
and the meeting was dismissed in tolerable good humor by the pru. 
dence and temper of the duke of Lancaster, and Richard reigned 
with greater prosperity than before. The king was not unacquainted 
with these designs against him ; and by the wicked counsel of those 
about his person, who gave him to understand the duke of Glouces- 
ter was at the bottom of this plot, under pretence of great affection 
he had him arrested in the night, and carried over to Calais, where 
he was strangled. This caused a great noise in England, and pro- 
posals were made for dethroning the king ; but the duke of Lancas- 
ter, with his usual prudence and wisdom, although the duke of Glou. 
cester was his brother, and he was sorely afflicted by his death, con. 
sidering he could not restore him to life and the consequences that 
might ensue, again appeased these discontents ; and his nephew-, 
king Richard, was more feared than ever. 

The king ought to have remembered all these circumstances, and 
likewise that the earl of Derby was the most popular man in Eng- 
land with every description of men, and should therefore instantly, 
on the death of his father, have recalled hiin. But the king had no 
such inclination : on the contrary, he immediately sent his officers to 
take possession of his lands and seize their rents, declaring, that, 
during his banishment, neither the earl nor his family should receive 
any of his revenues in England. He also, to the great vexation of 
such as were attached to the earl or his children, disposed of several 
estates in the duchy of Lancaster to some of his knights, and to 
whoever asked for them. The English barons greatly blamed him 
for this, and said ; " It is clear the king of England bears no good- 
will to his cousin, the earl of Derby, when he refuses to recal him, 
and suffer him to take possession of his inheritance. He would, 
with his children, be a grand support to the crown, and a staff to 
lean on, but he acts quite contrary, by thus keeping him out of the 
kingdom, in a disagreeable state, and which he would make worse 
if he could. He has taken possession of his lands, and sent hither 
his officers, as if they were legally his own, who treat the tenants 
worse than any in England ; should they complain, during the ab- 
sence of their lord, they are not attended to. It is no sign of affec- 
tion or justice toward the earl of Derby and his children, when he 
thus seizes the inheritance of Lancaster, that descends to them as 
the true heirs of the lady Blanche, daughter of Henry duke of Lan- 
caster, and likewise that from their mother, the daughter of the earl 
of Hereford and Northampton, and constable of England, which he 
is daily distributing piece-meal to any person according to his 
pleasure. This conduct is contrary to reason and justice, and so 
greatly disliked by the good people of England, that things cannot 
longer remain in their present state." 

Such conversations were general among the nobles, prelates, and 
commonalty of England. In like manner, the lords in France, who 
heard of this matter, and were acquainted with the earl of Derby, 
wondered at it, and said : " According to our opinion, this king of 
England has formed too great a hatred against the earl of Derby, 
who is his cousin-german. He is a graceful and courteous knight to 
all who address him. Either the king of England knows some 
things of him that we do not, or he is miserably advised : it is sur- 
prising the king of France, his brother the duke of Orleans, and 
their uncles of Berry, Burgundy, and Bourbon, do not interfere in 
the business, for he is daily with some of them. They would have 
greater weight than any others, and the king of England would do 
more to please them from love to his queen, who is daughter to the 
king of France ; but, as they have not taken any steps in the matter, 
it behooves us to hold our peace." In truth, the king of France and 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &.C. 



61'J 



his family were perfectly well dispoeed toward the earl of Derby, 
whom they greatly respected, and wished always for his company. 
It was considered that he was a widower, likely to marry again, and 
ihat the duke of Berry had a daughter, who though so young, was a 
widow of two husbands : she had been first married to Louis de 
Blois, who had died in his youth, and then to the lord Philip d'Artois, 
count d'Eu, who died in Turkey, as you have read in this history. 
Mary of Berry was not more than twenty.three years old, and a 
marriage between her and the earl of Derby was talked of and nearly 
concluded. 

The duke of Berry knew well that the earl of Derby was the 
greatest heir-apparent in England, as did the king of France, who 
was anxious this match should take place, on account of his daughter 
being queen of England. It was natural to imagine that two such 
ladies, so nearly related, would be agreeable company to each other, 
and that the kingdoms of France and England would enjoy longer 
peace, and be more intimately connected. All this would probably 
have been true, if it could have been accomplished, but king Rich, 
ard and his council broke off all these measures. Whatever mis- 
fortunes fate has decreed cannot be prevented ; they must have 
their couree ; and those that befel king Richard are wonderful indeed 
to think on. He might indeed have avoided them, but what must be 
will be. 

I, John Froissart, author of tliese chronicles, will literally say what, 
in my younger days, I heard at a mansion called Berkhampstead, 
distant from London thirty miles, and which, at the time I am speak- 
ing of, in the year of our Lord 1361, belonged to the prince of Wales, 
father to king Richard. As the prince and princess were about to 
leave England for -4quitaine, to hold their state, the king of England, 
queen Philippa, my mistress, the dukes of Clarence, Lancaster, the 
lord Edmund, who was afterwards earl of Cambridge and duke of 
York, with their children, came to this mansion to visit the prince 
and take leave of him. I was at that time twenty.four years old, 
and oue of the clerks of the chamber to my lady the queen. During 
this visit, as I was seated on a bench, I heard the following conver- 
sation from a knight to some of the ladies of the qseen. He said : 
" There was in that country a book called Brut, which many say 
contains the prophecies of Merlin. According to its contents, nei- 
ther the prince of Wales nor duke of Clarence, thougli sons to king 
Edward, will wear the crown of England, but it will fall to the house 
of Lancaster." When the knight said this, the earl of Derby was 
not born : his birth was seven years after. This prophecy, however, 
was verified, for I have since seen Henry, earl of Derby, king of 
England. 

CHAPTER CIV. 

THE TREATY OF .IIARRIASE BETWEEN THE EAKL OF DEKEY A^D THE 
DAUGHTER OF THE DUKE OF BEKRV IS BROKEN OFF BY THE KING OF 
ENGLAND, THROUGH THE MEANS OF THE EARL OF SALISBURY. 

The moment king Richard learnt that a treaty of marriage was 
going forward, wi *! the approbation of all parties, betsveen the earl 
of Derby and the lady Mary of Berry, he became very thoughtful and 
much displeased thereat. He said to the earl of Salisbury, in whom 
he had great confidence : " My lord, you must make yourself ready 
to go to Paris ; I will give you credential letters to the king our 
father, and to our well-beloved brother and uncles. Tell them to 
beware of forming any alliance or marriage with such a traitor as the 
earl of Derby, who would have betrayed his sovereign : you are per- 
fectly acquainted with the fact: and, with your good understanding, 
net in such wise that I shall be satisfied, and this marriage be put 
aside." The earl of Salisbury replied : " Sire, I shall punctually 
obey all your commands ; but, if this marriage could be broken off 
by any other means than mine, I shall be very thankful to you." 
" Earl of Salisbury," answered the king, " make no e.vcuses ; for I 
■will and entreat that you go thither, and whatever may be the conse- 
quences I will support you through them." " Well, sire," said the 
earl, " since you specially command me, and the matter seems to 
interest you so inuch, I will undertake it, but I go very unwillingly." 
*' Hasten your preparation as much as you can," replied the king, 
" that the treaty of marriage be not too far advanced." 

' The earl of Salisbury was soon ready, and, having had his creden- 
tial letters sealed, he departed from the king, who at the time resided 
with his queen at Leeds-castle. He carried with him private letters 
from the queen to the king and queen of France, and to her brother 
the duke of Orleans, and, hastening his journey, an-ivcd at Dover, 
where, the wind being favorable, he embarked, and landed at Calais. 
He was received by the king's half-brother, the earl of Huntingdon, 
governor of Calais, to whom he told part of his business. He made 
no long stay at Calais, but continued his road through Amiens to 
Paris, and wherever he passed he was well entertained. On his 
arrival at Paris, he lodged at the White Horse, in the square of the 
Grcve.* After he had dressed himself, he waited on the king and 
queen, and delivered his credential letters : when the king of France 
had perused them, he took the earl of Salisbury aside and demanded 
his business. The earl related to him very minutely everything he 
had been charged with by the king of England, and called the earl of 

* Tlie MSS. say, "at the chateau de Fesliis. in the rue du Tiioir." 



Derby a traitor to his natural lord. The king, on hearing this exprea, 
sion, was angered {for he had taken so strong a liking to the earl of 
Derby, that he would not hear anything said in his dispraise,) aad 
gave back the letters to the carl, saying : " Earl of Salisbury, we 
readily believe what you tell us ; but our son of England bears too 
great a hatred to our cousin of Derby, and we wonder he has con- 
tinued it so long, for we think that his court would be better adorned 
if he were near his person, and those who have the most weight in 
his council ought to advise him to recal his cousin." " Very dear 
sire," replied the earl of Salisbury, " I only act as I have been 
ordered," " That is true," said the king : " we are not angry with 
you, for perchance our son may know of these matters more than we 
can : execute the commission you have been charged with." The 
earl then waited on the duke of Berry, and delivered his message 
from king Richard. The duke made no answer, but went to the 
king at the h6tel de Saint Pol, and asked if he had received any 
news from England. The king told him all that had passed between 
him and the earl of Salisbury, and a privy council of the king's 
uncles and principal lords, was summoned on the occasion. They 
said ; " The king of England must fear very much the earl of Derby, 
from circumstances that we are ignorant of, and that have not been 
made public. We ought to be more attached to him than the earl 
of Derby, from his connection with us by marriage ; and, as we have 
been informed, he will be gready displeased if we proceed in the 
marriage of the earl of Derby with the countess d'Eu, we must break 
it off. We have only to conceal what we have heard from England 
until the earl of Salisbury be returned." I 

The king and his council adopted this resolution. When the earl 
of Salisbury had completed the business he had been sent on to 
Paris, he took leave of the king and his lords, and departed. The 
king, however, showed he was more displeased than otherwise at 
the intelligence he had brought, and returned to the earl his creden- 
tial letters, refusing to accept of them, from his partiality to the earl 
of Derby. This last knew of the earl of Salisbury being at Paris, 
but they never saw each other ; and the earl of Salisbuiy returned 
to Calais without speaking to the earl of Derby, and thence to Eng- 
land to report the success of his mission. 

The earl of Derby was much displeased that the earl of Salisbury 
should leave Paris without seeing him, and augured from it nothing 
favorable. His council were of the same opinion, and said to him : 
" My lord, you will soon perceive such things as you little dream of, 
although they are as yet hid from you. The French are a close and 
subtle people : perhaps the king of England and his minions are 
vexed that the king of France and his court show you such honor 
and affection ; perhaps also it may be rumored in England that you 
propose marrying the lady Mary of Berry, and king Richard, to 
whom this intelligence will not be agreeable, has sent over to have 
it broken off: should that be the case, you will speedily hear of it." 
Thus, as the knights and council of the earl of Derby had supposed 
matters were, did they turn out. About a month after the departure 
of the earl of Salisbury, the commissioners from the earl of Derby 
renewed the matter of the marriage with the lady Mary of Berry : 
but those on the part of the duke replied : " Tell my lord of Derby, 
that when he is in the presence of the king and his brother the duke 
of Orleans, he may propose this business himself; for we cannot say 
more on the subject, since it is not agreeable to our employers that 
we longer interfere in it." 

These words were repeated to the earl of Derby, who suspected 
nothing more was meant by it than to hasten the marriage ; for the 
king of France and his lords had shown outwardly as much eager- 
ness for the match as ever. He remembered what had been told 
him, and at a proper opportunity, when the king and his lords were 
togetlier, renewed his proposal of marriage. The duke of Burgundy, 
having been charged with the answer, replied, " Cousin of Derby, 
we cannot think of mariying our cousin to a traitor." The earl in- 
stantly changed color on hearing this expression, and said : " Sir, I 
am in the presence of my lord the king, and must interrupt your 
speech, to answer the expression you have used. I never was nor 
never thought of being a traitor ; and if any one dare to charge me 
with treason, I am ready to answer him now, or at wnatever tune 
it may please the king to appoint." " No, cousin," said the king, 
" I do not believe you will find any man in France that will chal- 
lenge your honor. The expression my uncle has used comes from 
England." The earl of Derby cast himself on his knees, and re. 
plied, " My lord, I willingly believe you : may God prcser\-e all my 
friends, and confound mine enemies !" The king made the earl 
rise, and said : " Earl, be appeased : all this matter will end well ; 
and when you shall be on good terms with every one, we can then 
talk of marriage. But it will be first necessary that you have pos- 
session of your duchy of Lancaster; for it is the custom of France, 
and of many countries on this side the sea, that when a lord marries 
with the consent of his lord paramount, should he have one, he set- 
tles a dower on his wife." Upon this, wine and spices were brought : 
the conversation ended ; and, when the king retired to his closet, 
every one went away. 

The earl of Derby, on his return to the hfttel de Clisson, was bit. 
terly enraged, and not without reason, to be accused of treason, when 
he thought himself one of the most loyal knights in the universe, and 
in the presence too of the king of France, who had shown him eo 



613 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



much aft'ection and courtesy, and that this accusation should have 
oeen brought from England by the earl of Salisbury. His knights 
pacified him as well as they could, by saying : " My lord, whoever 
wishes to live ii? this world, must sometimes suffer trouble. Comfort 
yourself for the present, and bear all things with patience : perhaps 
you will hereafter have it made up in joy and glory. Of all the lords 
on this side of the sea, the king of France loves you the most, and, 
from what we hear and see, he will instantly prevent any insult be. 
ing offered you. You should be thankful to him and his uncles for 
having kept this matter secret during the stay of the earl of Salis. 
bury, and until he was landed in England." " Indeed 1" replied the 
earl : " I should have thought it more loyal to have made the charge 
while he was here, than to have waited so long. I could then have 
been enabled sufficiently to exculpate myself in the presence of the 
king and his lords, so that my innocency would have been apparent ; 
but I must now submit to the disgrace until I shall wipe it off." 
" My lord," answered the knights, " all faults cannot be corrected at 
once : have patience, we hope things will turn out better in England 
than you think. The affection the whole country bear you will very 
soon, if it please God, deliver you from all dangers." Thus did his 
Knights attempt to comfort the earl of Derby, who was more cast 
down than man ever was ; and what they had uttered by chance, 
for consolation, turned out true, as I shall now relate. 

It was known in England that the earl of Salisbury had been sent 
to France with credential letters, and that, on the strength of them, 
he had accused the earl of Derby to the king of France and his 
uncles, as a perjured, false, and wicked traitor, which words had 
greatly angered many of the prelates and barons of the kingdom. 
They said, when among themselves : " The earl of Salisbury has 
done very wrong to carry such a message to France, and make so 
neavy a charge against the most honorable man in the world. The 
day will come when he shall repent of this, and say, ' It weighs 
neavily on me that I ever carried a message to France against the 
earl of Derby.' " The Londoners were exceedingly enraged against 
the king and his ministers for their conduct, and said : " Ah, gallant 
and courteous earl of Derby, how great are the jealousies and ha. 
treds against thee, when, to overwhelm thee with disgrace and vex. 
ation, they charge thee with treason ! It was not enough for the 
king and his minions to force thee out of the kingdom, but they 
must add this charge also; but, by God, all things have an end, and 
their turn may come." " Alas !" cried the people, " what have his 
children done ? when the king seizes their inheritance, which ought 
to be theirs by direct succession from grandfather and father. There 
must be some change in public measures, for wc neither can nor will 
suffer them to go on longer." 



CHAPTER CV. 

KINS RICHAKD OF ENGLAND PROCLAIMS A TOURNAMENT, WHICH IS AT- 
TENDED BY VERY FEW PERSONS. ON SETTING OUT FOR IRELAND HE 
BANISHES THE EARL OF NORTHUMBERLAND AND HIS SON THE KINGDOM. 

Soon after the return of the earl of Salisbury from France to Eng- 
land, king Richard had proclaimed throughout his realm and in 
Scotland, that a grand tournament would be held at Windsor, by 
forty knights and forty squires, clothed in green, with the device of 
a white falcon, against all comers, and that the queen of England, 
well attended by ladies and damsels, would be at this feast. The 
queen was indeed present at the tournament in magnificent array, 
but very few of the barons attended ; the greater part of the knights 
and squires o( England were disgusted with the king, for the banish, 
ment of the earl of Derby, the injuries he was doing the earl's chil- 
dren, the murder of the duke of Gloucester, that had been committed 
in the castle of Calais, the death of the earl of Arundel, whom he 
had beheaded in London, and the perpetual e.\ile of the earl of War. 
wick. None of the kindred of these lords came to the feast, which 
was of course very poorly attended. 

The king, after this tournament, made preparations to go to Ire. 
land. He left his queen, Isabella, and her household at Windsor 
castle, and took the road to Bristol, where he laid in ample purvey- 
ances and stores. He had with him full two thousand lances, knights 
and squires, and ten thousand archers. When the Londoners heard 
he was set out, they began to murmur together and say : " Well ! 
Richard of Bordeaux has taken the road to Bristol for Ireland. It 
will be his destruction : never will he return thence to joy, more than 
his ancestor, king Edward, who governed his realm so foolishly, 
through the counsels of the Despencers, and paid for it. This Rich, 
ard of Bordeaux has confided so long iu weak and wicked counsel, 
lors, that it cannot longer be borne." 

You must know, that although many barons, knights, and squires 
accompanied the king in his expedition to Ireland, they were much 
discontented with him, and did not follow him with a good will. 
When they were together, they conversed, saving, '• Our king gov. 
cms very badly, and too readily believes weak' counsel." This was 
so often and so loudly spoken of throughout the realm, particularly 
by the earl of Northumberland and his son Harry Percy, that the 
king's ministers heard of it and said to the king : " Sire, the earl of 
Northumberland and his son say things that must not be suffered, 
_ for they want to excite your subjects to rise against you. Every 



rebel must be punished, one after another, that the greatest baroaa 
may fear you, and take example." " That is true," replied the king: 
"how shall I act on this occasion ?" "We will tell you, sire : they 
are to join this expedition, but not yet arrived. When they come, 
order them to your presence by the earl of Salisbury or any other 
you please, and then remonstrate with them on the injurious speeches 
they have uttered against you and your ministers. You will hear 
what answer they make, and, as that may be, consider how you 
shall punish them, by imprisonment or otherwise." The king replied, 
" You say well, and what you advise shall be done." 

The earl of Nortliumberland and his son had good friends on this 
expedition, by whom great part of the secret councils of the king 
were revealed : they were strongly advised not to join the armament 
nor appear in the king's presence, for that he was so wroth with them, 
they would at least be severely reprimanded, if not imprisoned. On 
hearing this, they retarded their journey toward Bristol ; for, accord, 
ing to the intelligence sent them, had they come, they would have 
run a risk of their Uvea. The king's ministers, perceiving the ead 
of Northumberland did not arrive, said to him, " See, sire, if we did 
not tell you the truth : neither the earl of Northumberland nor his 
son condescend to serve you, although ordered ; and, if you send 
them a special summons, you will have a confirmation that what we 
have told you is true." The king said, it should be done. Letters 
were signed, sealed, and sent offby a special messenger, containing 
orders for the earl of Northumberland and sir Henry Percy instantly 
to join the king's forces, and perform their duties as they were 
bounden to do. The messenger continued his journey to a very 
handsome castle* of the earl of Northumberland, on the borders of 
Scotland, and delivered his letters. The earl read them attentively, 
and then gave them to his son. 

They determined to entertain the messenger well, and to write to 
the king to excuse themselves, as they were no way prepared, nor 
could they leave their own country, as the king had a sufficiency of 
men for the business he was going upon. The messenger returned 
with his answers and gave them to the king; but they were not 
agreeable to him nor to his ministers, and for this and other charges, 
which were publicly made against the earl of Northumberland and 
his son, they were banished England, never to return until recalled 
by the king. This sentence was published in London, and in all 
the towns of England, to the great astonishment of the citizens, who 
could not conceive why they had thus been so severely punished ; 
for they had always considered the earl of Northumberland and sic 
Henry Percy as two of the most loyal subjects in the realm. Some 
said, when conversing on this matter, that " the ministers of tlie king 
hated them, and would in the end cause their master's destruction. 
It may be that the earl and his son have talked too freely about the 
king's ministers, and his foolish government : and, as truth is not 
always agreeable, these gallant knights suffer for it ; but those who 
have now judged them may hereafter have their turn." 

Such were the conversations of the discontented Londoners, as 
well as of the majority of the English people. The earl and his son 
were connected by blood with the noblest and richest families, who 
were exasperated by their banishment ; and among them his brother, 
sir Thomas Percy, who had done many very great services to the 
crown of England. When the earl heard of his banishment, he sum. 
moned all his friends and relations ; but many were with the king 
and could not attend. On their assembling, he consulted them how 
he should act in the disgrace the king had so undeservedly heaped 
on him ; and it was determined to send to Scotland, to request the 
king would afford the earl and his son an asylum in that country until 
affairs should mend, or the king's anger be pacified. This resolution 
was adopted, and a messenger sent to the king of Scotland to make 
the above request. King Robert, the earl Archibald ^ Douglas, and 
the barons of Scotland, cheerfully complied with it, and returned for 
answer, that the kingdom was ready to receive them ; and, it they 
wanted five or six hundred lances, they would be instantly at their 
service, on hearing from them. This answer was highly pleasing to 
the carl of Northumberland and his kindred; and things remained 
in this state, the earl in his own country among his friends ; for king 
Richard and his advisers had in a short time so much to do, that 
they had no leisure to attend to the earl of Northumberland, iior to 
say to him, " Quit the kingdom, or we will force you." They were 
obliged to give up all thoughts but for their own safety, as you will 
hear in the course of this history. 



CHAPTER CVI. 

THE ENGLISH, AND PARTICULARLY THE LONDONERS, RISE IN FAVOR OF THE 
EARL OF DERBY AGAINST KING RICHARD. 

During the time king Richard was holding his court at Bristol and 
in that neighborhood, there was a general insurrection of the people 
of England. Tlie courts of justice were closed ; at which many of 
the prelates, barons and prudent part of the people, who only wanted 
for peace and to pay what was lawful, were much dejected. A stop 
was put to all traffic, for merchants dared not travel for fear of being 
robbed, and having no courts to apply to for redress. All these thinga 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



6U 



were very prejudicial, and contrary to the usual customs of the coun- 
try.; for in general all people, laborers and tradesmen, lived peace- 
ably, and followed their occupations without hindrance, but it was 
now quite the contrary. When merchants went with their goods 
from one town to another, and had any money in their purses, it was 
taken from them. The farmers' houses were pillaged of grain, and 
their beeves, pigs and sheep carried away, without the owners da. 
ring to say a word. These enormities increased so much, there was 
nothing but complaints heard. The common people said, "Times 
are sadly changed for the worse since the days of king Edward of 
happy memory. Justice was then rigorous in punishing the wicked. 
Then there was no man in England daring enough to take a fowl or 
sheep without paying for them, but now they carry off all things, and 
we must not speak. This cannot go on without the country being 
ruined, and yet no one attempts to check it. We have a good-for- 
nothing king, who only attends to his idle pleasures ; and, as it should 
seem, he cares not how public affairs are managed, so that his incli- 
nations are gratified We must look for a remedy, or our enemies 
and ill-wishers will be rejoiced and laugh at us. King Richard has 
made his brother the earl of Huntingdon, governor of Calais, and 
perchance there may be some underhand treaties going forward to 
surrender it to the French, although it be so necessary and conve- 
nient to England : should this happen no nation will be ever more 
discom'^'ed than the English, and with good reason, for they will 
lose the keys of the entrance to France." These murmurings and 
discontents multiplied ; and the prelates and rich barons came to live 
in London, that they might avoid the troubles and dangers which 
were increasing throughout the kingdom. The families of those 
whom tho king had put to death or banished, were rejoiced, and 
looked out for greater misclriefs as the consequence. 

The citizens of London, who being rich from their trade, are en- 
abled to live in state, and by whom the other parts of England are 
generally governed, foresaw that most dangerous consequences would 
ensue, unless they stepped forward, as they had wisely done formerly 
against king Edward and the Despencers, who had forced queen Isa. 
bella and the prince of Wales out of the kingdom, and wanted to 
destroy them. The Icing had no cause for so doing, but they were 
absent from England three years. When the Londoners perceived 
king Edward so besotted with the Despencers, they provided a remedy 
by sending secretly to queen Isabella information, that if she could col- 
Uct a body of three hundred armed men, and land with them in Eng- 
land, she would find the citizens of London and the majority of the 
nobles and commonalty, ready to join her, and place her on the throne. 
The queen found a friend in sir John of Hainault, lord of Beaumont 
and Chimay, and brother to count William of Hainault, who under- 
took, through affection and pity, to carry her and her son back to Eng- 
land. He exerted himself so much in her service, with knights and 
squires, that he collected a body of four hundred, and landed them 
in England, to the great comfort of the Londoners. The citizens 
joined them, for, without their assistance they would never have ac- 
complished their enterprise. King Edward was made prisoner at 
Bristol, and carried to Berkeley castle, where he died. His advisers 
were all put to death with much cruelty ; and that same day king Ed- 
ward in. was crowned king of England, in the palace of Westminster. 
The Londoners remembered all these circumstances very well ; for 
the children of those days, now become men, had often had them 
told by their lathers, and others read them in the chronicles of those 
times. They therefore said one to another privately : " Our ances- 
tors, in former days, pronded a remedy for the mischiefs that afflicted 
the country, which were not so alarming as at this moment : if this 
wicked king Richard be suffered to rule according to his pleasure, 
■we must all be ruined, and the country destroyed. Ever since he 
began his reign the kingdom has not prospered to the degree in which 
it did before : he shows no signs of being the son of the prince of 
Wales ; for, if he were his son, he would follow his manners, and 
take pleasure in imitating his prowess, instead of idly dallying with 
ladies, and spending his time among them, or putting his confidence 
in those who have neither weight nor sense, but in amassing treasures 
and destroying England. Have not the traitors near his person in- 
famously murdered that valiant duke of Gloucester, because he saw 
clearly public affairs were badly governed, going on from bad to worse, 
and spoke boldly the truth concerning them ? Have they not also 
put to death that gallant knight the earl of Arundel, and banished 
England, without reason, the gentle sir Henry of Lancaster, earl of 
Derby, by whom, and his four promising sons, the kingdom ought 
to be supported ? This cruel conduct is much aggravated ; for, while 
they make the earl suffer many disgusts beyond sea, they have disin- 
herited his children of the estates that devolved to them irom their 
grandmother, the lady Blanche of Lancaster, by dividing and distribu- 
ting them daily to those who are unworthy to possess them. Because 
those two gallant knights, the earl of Northumberland and sir Henry 
Percy, have spoken their luinds on this subject, king Richard has 
also banished them : it is clear there will not soon be any men of 
courage and honesty in the country, and hatreds and discontent are 
now increasing everywhere, so that if a remedy be not sought for, all 
things will fall to ruin. The remedy is in the earl of Derby, who is 
now losing his time in France : him we must send for, and on his 
arrival, appoint him regent of the kingdom, that he may reform all 
abuses, and punish those who have used him so ill, Richard of Bor- 



deaux must be arrested and confined in the tower of London, when 
all his actions will be examined and put into writing, which are suf- 
ficiently numerous, and will prove clearly he is unworthy to govern 
a kingdom and wear a crown : his acts are so infamous, that thejr 
will condemn him." 



i 



CHAPTER CVII. } 

THE AKCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY IS SENT TO FRANCE B7 THE LONDOKSRS, 
AND OTHERS OF THEIR PARTY IN ENGLAND, 10 BEINS BACK THE EAXt 
OF DERBY. 

Such was the language of the Londoners, and of many others 
throughout England ; but, although much was done to excite tha 
people to insurrection, they would never have attempted what they 
did, if the Londoners had not set them the example. The citi. 
zens of London, who, from their power and wealth, lead the rest of 
England, held several secret councils, to which were admitted some 
prelates and knights, when they resolved to send in search of the 
earl of Derby, who was residing at Paris or thereabout, and bring 
him back to England. On his return they were to remonstrate with 
him on the weak government of wicked king Richard, and propose, 
if he would undertake it, to give him the crown, and elect him and 
his heirs kings for ever, on condition that he promised to govern ac- 
cording to ancient usages of the country. They next thought oa 
the most proper person to send on this commission : he must be 
prudent and brave ; for it would be a grand enterprise to seduce the 
earl from France, when the king and his uncles were showing him 
every token of love and courtesy ; and he would not put any belief 
in the simple propositions of a low-born person, nor any letters that 
were sent him, but rather the contrary. In consequence, they en. 
treated the archbishop of Canterbury,* a man of prudence and wis- 
dom, to undertake it, who, for the good of his country, complied with 
the request. He made his preparations for the journey so privately, 
that none knew of his departure but those in the secret. He, with 
six more, embarked on board a vessel on the Thames, and landed at 
Sluys, thence he went to Ardembourg, Ghent, Oudenarde, Ath, CondS 
and Valenciennes, and stopped at the h6tel of the Swan, in the mar- 
ket-place. Having staid there three days to recover himself, he pur- 
sued his journey, not as archbishop of Canterbury, but like a simple 
monk on a pilgrimage, discovering to no one his rank, nor the business 
he was about. He departed from Valenciennes the fourth day, hav- 
ing hired a guide to conduct him to Paris, giving out that he was oa 
a pilgrimage to Saint Maur des Fosses.t He arrived at length where 
the ear of Derby resided, which was, I believe, at the hotel de Vin- 
chester,t near Paris. 

When the earl of Derby first saw the archbishop, his heart rejoieed 
and he recovered his spirits. Those about him were well pleased, 
for they concluded he had brought some important intelligence from 
England. The archbishop, however, did not discover the cause of 
his coming, and, to prevent any suspicions of it, said he was on a pil- 
grimage to Saint Maur des Fosses, which the earl's attendants be- 
lieved and were satisfied. When the archbishop thought it was time 
to make the object of his journey known, he took the earl into a pri- 
vate chamber, and there informed him of the miserable state England 
was in; that violence and desolation ruled in many parts, and that, 
by the king's fault, there was neither law nor justice : that the Lon- 
doners, with some prelates and valiant men, had determined to remedjf 
these evils, and that for this he had been sent by them to say, that 
if the earl would return to England (for he was wasting his time ia 
France) they would make him king : Richard of Bordeaux had done, 
or consented to so many atrocious acts, that the people were indig- 
nant, and resolved to rise against him. " Now is the time or never," 
added the archbishop, " for you to seek your deliverance, and the 
advantage of yourself and children ; for if you do not, no one else 
will for them, since this Richard of Bordeaux is giving away all their 
estates to his minions, or to whoever asks for them. The citizens of 
London, and many other gallant men, are greatly enraged at such 
conduct, and would amend it if they could, though hitherto they have 
been silent. He has filled up the measure of his crimes by the mur- 
der of the duke of Gloucester, the beheading of the earl of Arundel 
without cause, the exile of the earl of Warwick, and your banishment; 
clearly showing his intentions to deprive England of its nobles and 
the support she might have from them, for he has lately banished 
the earl of Northumberland and his son because they talked loo 
freely of him and his ministers. The citizens of London and the 
greater part of the prelates and barons of England entreat you will 
not sleep over this business, but that you will take leave of the king 
of France and the Frcjich, and return home, where you will be joy- 

* Thomas Fitz-alan, son to the earl of Arundel. _ I 

t Saint Maur des Fosses— a town in the Isle of France, diocese of Paris. ' 

X Froissart has said belure, the earl of Derby resided at the hotel de Clisson. near tha 

Temple. This hotel de Vinchester was so called from having been budt by John bishop 

of Winchester. 1204. It belonged, at the period we are now speaking of. to the duke of 

Berry.— Sauval, .intiquUis de Paris. 
There seems a mistake as to the name of the bishop of Winchester. Peter de Rupibux 

was bishop 1204, and died 1238. 
This hotel de Vinchester is pronounced, by corruption. Bicetre. and is now used as ft 

prison, an hospital, and ao asylum for lunatics ; the buddings have been much extendod 

in modern limes. 



614 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &,c. 



fully received, and every promise I have made be punctually fulfilled, 
for the country desires none other than you for their king, so much 
are you beloved and respected." 

When the earl of Derby had heard this speech of the archbishop, 
he did not immediately reply, but, leaning on a window that looked 
into the gardens, mused awiiilc, and having various thouglits in his 
mind, turned to the bishop, and said : " My lord, your speech requires 
much consideration. I would be unwilling to begin an enterprise 
and be forced to leave it unfinished, for I well know, that unless by 
the means you propose, it will bo a long time before I return to Eng. 
land. I am loth to resort to this, for the 
king of France and his nobles have paid 
.me every honor and attention, and will con- 
tinue so to do, as long as I slmll please to "^~ 
live among them. Should I accept of the ^ 
.offers and kind promises which you and my ,s^^ 
good friends the citizens of London make, 
I must subject myself to their will, arrest 
king Richard, and put him to death. For 
this I shall be imiversally blamed, and I 
.would not willingly do so, if any other 
means could be adopted." " My lord," re. 
plied th« archbishop, "I am sent hither 
with every good disposition toward you. 
Call in your council and lay before them 
the propositions I have made : I will also 
explain why I am deputed hiiher, and I do 
not think they will advise you to act other, 
wise than to accept them." "I consent," 
said the earl, "for such matters demand 
great consideration." 

The earl of Derby sent for those knights 
and squires in whom he had the most con- 
fidence, and in their presence desired the 
archbishop to repeat what he had just told 
him ; which being done, he asked their 
advice how he should act. They unani- 
mously answered : " My lord, God has taken 
compassion on you : be careful how you 
refuse such offers, for you will never have 
more advantageous ones mode you. Who. 
ever will examine your blood, will find that 

it descends in a straight line from Saint Edward, king of England. 
Thank your good friends the Londoners for wishing to deliver you 
from e.xile, and for having pity on your children and the kingdom of 
England, which now is sorely troubled. Have you forgotten the many 
wrongs this Richard of Bordeau.K has done you, and who does not dis- 
semble his wishes to add to them daily. When your marriage with the 
lady Mary of Berry was on the point of being concluded, did he not 
send over the earl of Salisbury to break off the match, and to accuse 
you before the king and his vvliole court of being a false and wicked 
traitor ? Such things are unpardonable, and you should rather seek 
for means of revenge. If you will not help yourself, no one will do 
it for you : consider well, therefore, all we have said." 



To shorten the matter, the earl managed his affairs with much dis- 
cretion, and took leave of all the lords who were then at court: on 
his departure, he made very handsome presents to the king's officers, 
for he was bounden so to do ; and to the heralds and minstrels re- 
sident in Paris, and who attended the farewell supper he gave at 
the hotel de Clisson to such of the French knights as chose to par- 
take of it. 

These things done, on the next morning he and his attendants 
mounted their horses and left Paris by the gate of St. James, follow- 
ing the road to Estampes. A knight from Beauce, called sir Guy le 







CHAPTER CVIII. 

THE EARL OF DERBY TAKES LEAVE OF THE KING AND LORDS OF FRANCE 
TO VISIT HIS COUSIN THE DUKE OF BKITTANV. 

The earl of Derby's courage was raised on hearing his council thus 
boldly declare their opinion, and he said ; " I will do whatever you 
idvise, for I have called you together to have your counsel." They 
unanimously answered, " You say well ; and we will advise you 
according to circumstances, to the best of our power." After this, 
they carried on their business so very secretly, that none of the house- 
hold but those immediately concerned knew anything of what was 
going forward. They consulted how they could cross the sea before 
any news of their intention should reach England, and whether to 
travel through Hainault and Holland, and embark at Dordrecht, or to 
go to Brittany under pretence of visiting the duke, sail from one of 
his ports, and land at Plymouth or any other place whither God 
might please to send them. Everything considered, they thought the 
load through Brittany the easiest accomplished : and they advised the 
carl, saying, " My lord, you will take leave of the king of France, 
his brother, and uncles, and thank them warmly for the affection and 
courtesy they have shown you. After this, you will request the king 
to grant you an escort to Brillany, to visit the duke and stay some 
time with him." 

The earl of Derby consented, and came to Paris, where all things 
were prepared for his departure : he waited on the king as usual 
whenever he pleasied, for the doors of the palace were open to him 
at all hours. At this last visit, he talked to the king very ablv, as he 
knew well how to do, as to his future plans, and said he would go 
and amuse himself in Brittany and visit the duke, whom he called 
hie uncle, for he had married a sister to his father, daughter to king 
Edward. The king, not thinking he was plotting mischief, easily 
assented : and the earl, having requested an escort to Brittany, the 
king promised to give instant orders for one to be at his command. 



Karl or DtRD\ txeing lbavk or the Kino and Lord8 of Franxe at Paris. From MSS. of the I5th Century. 



Bavcux, escorted them. They continued their journey to Blois, where 
they remained eight days ; for the earl had sent forward one of his 
knights and a herald, to signify to the duke his intention of visiting 
him, and the circumstance of his being on the road. The duke of 
Brittany was very happy to learn that his nephew, the earl of Derby, 
was coming to see him ; for he was attached to him, and had always 
loved the duke of Lancaster and his other brothers. " Why," said 
the duke to the knight, whose name was sir William de la Perriere, 
" has our nephew stopped on the road, since he intends to visit us, 
and has not come directly hither ?" The knight excused him as well 
as he could ; but the duke said, " It is foolish ; for there is no knight 
whom for these last seven years I should more gladly see in Brittany 
than my fair nephew the earl of Derby. Let him come to us with a 
hearty welcome, and he shall find my country and towns open and 
ready to receive him." The knight was well contented with this 
answer, and set out on his return as speedily as possible. On his 
arrival at Blois, he told the earl and his council the words of the duke 
of Brittany. On the morrow they mounted their horses, and left 
Blois, with the good wishes of the inhabitants, who had been paid 
most liberally for everything they had wanted, and all were contented. 

In company with the earl of Derby was sir Peter de Craon, who 
had been so much harassed by the parliament of Paris in his suit 
with the queen of Naples, that he was in a manner banished from 
France, and all his castles and estates sequestered for payment of 
the one hundred thousand francs he was indebted to the queen, and 
various other heavy sums incidental to the costs and expenses of 
this suit. The earl of Derby journeyed on until he came to Nantes, 
where he met the duke of Brittany, who received liim and his com- 
pany with much joy. Sir Guy le Baveux returned to France, and 
the earl staid with the duke, who entertained him in the best man- 
ner. The archbishop of Canterbury accompanied the earl, but did 
not open himself to any one on the cause of his coming, so that it 
was a perfect secret excepting to the earl and his council. The 
duke, to show his love, spared no expense in entertaining his 
nephew and his attendants, although he knew king Richard was 
very wroth against him, for which he pitied him. 

the earl, noticing the great affection of the duke, b\- the advice 
of his council discovered some parts of his plan, by way of sounding 
him on the subject. He asked his advice how to act in respect to 
his inheritance of the duchy of Lancaster, and others which his 
father had held, and by right of succession had at his dsath devolved 
on him ; but that the king, far from allowing him to have possession 
of them, had banished him from England, and was daily giving 
away the estates of his family to any who asked for them ; that nuin- 
hers of the nobles and prelates were exceedingly discontented with 
the king for this conduct, and that many parts of England were in a 
state of warfare against each other ; that the good people of London 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



615 



had compassion on him, and had given him to understand they 
would cheerfully receive him, if he would return, and bring about a 
reconciliation between him and the king, and recover for him his 
jiheritances. When the duke of Brittany heard this, he replied : 
" Fair nephew, the straightest road is always the best and surest. 
You are in a distressing situation, and ask advice : I therefore 
recommend you to trust to the Londoners : they are powerful, and 
\vill force king Richard, who, I understand, has behaved to you very 
unjustly, to do as they shall please, in conjunction with the prelates 
and nobles who are attached to you in England. I will assist you 
with vessels, men-at-arms, and cross-bows, to convey you over the 
eea, and to defend you against any dangers you may meet with." 
The earl of Derby was very thankful to the duke of Brittany for 
this advice and offer. 

CHAPTER CIX. 

TJIE EAEL OF DERBY SAILS FRO.II BRlTTA.\y TO ENGL.1.ND. HIS 
RECEPTION BY THE CITIZENS OF LONDON. 

TfltJS were all things settled most amicably between the duke of 
Brittany and the earl of Derby, who staid some time with the duke, 
and gave out that he would remain longer ; but, in the mean time, 
his purveyances were preparing at a distant seaport, which I believe 
was Vannes, whither the duke and earl came when all things were 
ready. When the wind was favorable for England, the earl and his 
attendants embarked on board the vessel prepared for him. He was 
to be escorted by three ships full of men-at-arms and cross-bows, as 
far as the coasts of England. The fleet, having weighed anchor, put 
to sea, and the farther they advanced toward England, the more fa- 
vorable was the wind, so that, within two days and as many nights, 
they arrived at Plymouth, where tliey landed, few at a time, and 
entered the town.* The bailiff' of Plymouth, to whom the king had 
intrusted the guard of the town, was astonished to see so many men- 
at-arms and cross-bows ; but the archbishop of Canterbury satisfied 
him, by saying they were men-at-arms whom the duke of Brittany 
had sent for the good of the realm, and to serve the king and coun- 
try. The bailiff's suspicions were lulled ; and the earl so disguised 
himself, that he was not discovered by any of the townsmen, and 
retired to a private chamber, where he remained shut up. The 
archbishop, on their arrival at Plymouth, instandy wrote letters, 
signed and sealed by him, which he dispatched by one of his ser- 
vants to London, to infbrm the citizens of the earl's landing. 

The messenger made such haste, by changing horses in the dif- 
ferent towns he passed through, that he arrived at London by break 
of day on the following morning. He entered the city by London 
bridge gate, which was not shut, and went to the house of the mayor, 
who was in bed ; but, on hearing a messenger was come from the 
archbishop, he leaped out of it, and ordered the man into his cham- 
ber, who gave him the letters from the archbishop. The mayor 
opened and read their contents with pleasure, and instantly dressing 
himself, sent off his servants with the intelligence of the earl of 
Derby's landing, to the houses of those who had been the most ac- 
tive in sending for him. All were rejoiced at the news ; and about 
two hundred of the principal citizens assembled, who held no long 
council, for the case did not require it, but cried out : " Come, let 
us hasten to make ourselves ready, and go and meet our lord of 
Lancaster, since we have invited him hither. The archbishop of 
Canterbury has done well to bring him ; and let the earl's arrival be 
made known to such gallant lords and knights as are desirous to see 
him, and have hint for their sovereign." Many persons were then 
selected to publish this intelligence, and carry it to the barons, 
knights, and squires of their party. Upward of five hundred Lon- 
doners mounted their horses, and were so impatient to see the earl 
of Derby, that they would scarcely wait one for another. 

The earl made no long stay at Plymouth, but on the morrow, 
when the horses were disembarked, mounted them and took the 
road to London. Sir Peter de Craon and the Bretons still accom- 
panied the earl of Derby. The mayor of London and the chief 
citizens were the first who met the earl and the archbishop on the 
road. The meeting was very affectionate on both sides ; and as 
they rode onward, they met more of the Londoners. They lay the 
first night at Guildford, twenty-eight miles from London. On the 
morrow, all the city of London knew that the earl of Derby was 
coming thither, and men, women, children, and clergy, dressed in 
their best clothes, went to meet him, so eager were they to see him. 
The moment he came in sight, they shouted out, " Welcome, long- 
wished-for earl of Derby and duke of Lancaster : may all joy and 
prosperity attend youl"' They said : " that ever since he had left 
England nothing good had befallen it : by him all things would be 
restored, and put on a proper footing ; for we have lived in o wretched 
state by the miserable councils of Richard of Bordeaux, but he is 
most blameable himself ; for a king, to succeed in the good govern- 
ment of his kingdom, should have sense and discretion enough to 
distinguish between good and evil, otherwise he is unfit to wear a 
crown ; but this Richard has, in many respects, acted wrong from 
design, as shall be proved against him." Such were the greetings 
the carl of Derby had on his approach to London. The mayor of 



* This is a mistake: he probably coasted England, and landed at Ravenspum in 
yoikshire, between HuU and firidlin^on. 



London rode by the side of the earl, to the delight of the people, 
who were pleased to see how kindly they were received. The 
mayor said, " See, my lord, how much the people are rejoiced at 
your arrival." " It is very true," replied the earl. As he advanced, 
he bowed his head to the right and left, and noticed all comers with 
kindness. 

In this state they arrived in London, when the earl was escorted 
to his house ; and every one retired to his own until he had dined. 
Then the mayor, the chief magistrates of London, and many barons, 
knights, bishops, abbots, at the time in town, came to see the earl 
and congratulate him. The duchess of Gloucester and her two 
daughters, who were his cousins-german, waited likewise on him ; 
but their brother Humphrey was with the king on his expedition to 
Ireland, more through constraint than love. With these ladies came 
the countess of Arundel and some of her children, as did the lady 
Warwick and many other ladies resident in London. The whole 
town was so rejoiced at the earl's return, that every shop was shut, 
and no more work done than if it had been Easter-day. 



CHAPTER ex. 

THE EARL OF DERBY, NOW DUKE OF LANCASTER, UNDERTAKES THE GOV. 
ERNMENT OF ENSLAND, AND, BY THE AID OF THE LONDONERS, BETER- 
MINES TO SEIZE THE THRONE. HE MARCHES IN ARMS ASAINST KING 
RICHARD AT BRISTOL. 

To bring this matter to a conclusion, it was determined to march 
against the king, whom the citizens of London and other towns 
called by no other title than Richard of Bordeaux : and the lower 
classes had such a hatred to him, as not to be able to speak of him 
but in his dispraise. The Londoners already treated the earl of 
Derby as their king, and had formed resolutions accordingly. The 
earl of Derby engaged to undertake the government of England on 
condition the crown was settled on him and his heirs for ever, which 
the Londoners swore to observe, under their hands and seals, and 
promised that the rest of England should do the same in so solemn 
a manner that there never should be a question concerning it : they 
also promised him assistance in men and money. These obligations 
having been entered into on each side, which did not take much 
time, for they were in haste to free themselves, twelve hundred,* 
well armed and mounted, were ordered to accompany the earl of 
Derby toward Bristol, to make Richard of Bordeaux a prisoner, and 
conduct him to London. When there, he should be legally tried 
before the nobles, prelates, and commons of England, and judged 
according to the proof of the charges laid against him. It was also 
ordered, to avoid slanderous reports, that the men-at-arms and cross, 
bows, who had been lent by the duke of Brittany to the earl, as his 
escort, should be sent back, for they had men sufficient for the pur 
pose they were about. The earl, in consequence, called the Bretons 
before him, thanked them warmly for the services they had ren- 
dered him, and on dieir departure, gave them so much money that 
they were contented. They returned to their vessels at Plymouth, 
and thence sailed to Brittany. 

The earl of Derby was prepared to march to Bristol as command. 
er-in-chief of these Londoners, for he was more interested in the 
matter than any one else, and set out in grand airay. He pressed 
his march as much as he could, and was joined by all the countries 
he passed through. News was carried to the army of king Richard,t 
of the march of the earl of Derby and the Londoners ; but it was 
known to many knights, squires, and archers, before the king ; and 
several heard it who were afraid to tell him. When it became more 
public, there were many murmurings in the army ; and those about 
the person of the king were exceedingly alarmed, for they now saw 
matters were ripe with every mischief and danger to the king and to 
themselves. They knew they had many enemies in the kingdom ; 
and that such as had hitherto kept up fair appearances, now the earl 
of Derby was come back, would turn against them. Thus did it 
happen ; for numbers of knights and squires who had served the 
king in this campaign, dissembled, and quitted him without taking 
leave, or saying they were going away. Some retired to their houses, 
and others went straight to the earl of Derby and joined his army. 
As soon as Humphrey of Gloucester, and Richard of Arundel, son 
to the late earl, knew for certain of the earl of Derby's approach, 
they left the king, and never stopped until they had joined him. 
The earl and his army had passed Oxford, and were then at a town 
called Cirencester : he had great joy in receiving his cousins, and 
asked the state of king Richard, where he was, and how they had 
managed to quit him. They replied, that they had not spoken to 
him of their departure : but the moment they had heard of his march, 
they had mounted their horses, and hastened to offer him their ser- 
vices, and to revenge the loss of their fathers, whom Richard of 
Bordeaux had put to deatli. The earl bade them welcome, and 
said : " We will mutually assist each other. Richard of Bordeaux 
must be carried to London, for so have I jjromised the Londoners, 
and will keep my word, and they are willing to aid me with all their 
power. We have men enough to fight with him ; and, if he wish 
it, we will give hi m battle." ___^ 

* " Twelve hundred."— the MSS. say twelve thousand, wbicli is more probable. 

t Richard was in Ireland when the news arrived.— Ed. 



CIG 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



CHAPTER CXI. 

KINS RICHARD IS INFORMED THAT THE EARL OF DEBBr IS MARCHINO 
AOAIMST HIM WITH A POWERFUL ARMY. HE RETIRES TO FLINT-CASTLE.* 

When matters could not longer be concealed, it was told to king 
Richard : " Sire, take care of yourself: you must have good and 
speedy counsel, for the Londoners have risen with a mighty power, 
and intend to march against you. They have elected the earl of 
Derby, your cousin, their commander, and by his adrice they act ; 
you may be assured that some strong treaties have been entered into 
between them, since he has crossed the sea by their invitation." 
The king was thunderstruck at hearing this, and knew not what 
answer to make ; for his courage forsook him, and he foresaw affairs 
would end badly unless proper steps were immediately taken. Hav- 
ing mused a while, he replied to the knights who had given him 
this information : " Instantly make ready our men-at-arms and 
archers, and issue a special summons throughout the kingdom for 
the assembling of all my vassals, as I will not fly before my subjects." 
" By God," answered the knights, " everything goes on badly, for 
your men are leaving you and running off. You have already lost 
half your army, and the remainder are panic-struck and wavering." 
" What can I do then ?'' asked the king. " We will tell you, sire : 
quit the field, for you cannot hold it longer, and make for one of 
your castles, where you can remain until your brother. Sir John 
Holland, who is enterprising and courageous, and must now have 
heard of the rebellion, come to you : he will, by force or negotia- 
tions, bring your affairs into a different state from that in which they 
are at present. When it is known that he has taken the field, many 
who have fled from you will join him." The king agreed to this 
advice. The earl of Salisbury was not then with him, but in an- 
other part of the country ; and, when he heard that the earl of Derby 
was marching a large army against the king, he judged things would 
turn out badly for Ms master, and for all who had been his advisers. 
He therefore remained quiet, waiting for further intelligence. 

The duke of York had not accompanied the king on this expedi. 
tion : but his son, the earl of Rutland, had been induced to join him, 
for two reasons ; one, in return for the great affection king Richard 
had shown him ; the other, because he was constable of England. 
It was therefore necessary he should attend his king. Other news 
was brought the king, as he supped ; they said, " Sire, you must 
determine how you will act ; for your army is as nothing compared 
(0 the force marching against you, and a combat will be of no avail, 
and appease the malcontents as you have formerly done, by kind 
words and fair promises, and punish them afterward at your leisure. 
There is a castle twelve miles from hence, called Flint, that is tol- 
erably strong : we therefore advise that you fly thither and remain 
shut up as long as you please, or until you hear other news from sir 
John Holland and your friends. We will send to Ireland for succor ; 
and when the king of France, your father-in-law, shall hear of your 
distress, he will assist you." 

King Richard listened to this advice, and thought it good : he se- 
lected such as he wished to accompany him, and ordered the earl 
oif Rutland to remain at Bristol with the remnant of the army, ready 
prepared to advance when they should hear other news, or when 
they should be sufficiently strong to combat their enemies. These 
commands were obeyed ; and the king, attended by his household 
only, departed on the ensuing morning for Flint.castle, which they 
entered without showing any appearance of making war on any one, 
but solely to defend themselves and the place, should they be at- 
lacked.t 

CHAPTER CXII. 

KING RICHARD SURRENDERS HIMSELF TO THE EARL OF DEKEV, TO BE 
CONDUCTED TO LONDON. 

The earl of Derfey and the Londoners had spies who brought them 
daily accounts of the state of the king, which were confirmed by 
knights and squires, who had left his army to join the earl. The 
inteUigence of the king having fled to Flint-castle was soon known 
to him ; and that he had there shut himself up with a few men-at- 
arms, of his household, showing no symptoms of making war, but 
to get out of his difficulties, if possible, by a treaty. The earl was 
advised to march thither, and get possession of his person by force 
or othewise. This was followed ; and, when the army was within 
two miles of Flint, they came to a village, where they halted, and 
the earl refreshed himself with meat and drink. He there resolved 
in his own mind, without consulting others, to march with only two 
hundred horse, leaving the rest behind, and, when near the castle 
wherein the king was, to endeavor, by fair speeches, to enter the 
castle, and cajole the king to come forth and trust to him, who 
would insure him against all perils on his road to London, engaging 
that he should not sufiev any bodily harm, and promising to mediate 
between him and the Londoners, who were greatly enraged against 
him. This plan was approved of by those to whom he mentioned 
it ; but he was told, " My lord, beware of any dissimulation in the 



* It WQS Conway casUe to which Richard retiied. 

t This account of Froiasart is very incorrect, and 1 nCgt to the different English 
chroaicto. 



business : Richard of Bordeaux must be taken dead or alive, with 
all the traitors who have been his advisers, and conducted to the 
Tower of London. Neither the Londoners nor we will hear any. 
thing to the contrary." The earl of Derby replied, " Do not fear : 
what I have proposed shall be executed. If I can by fair words get 
him out of the castle, I will do it ; but if he refuse to listen to me, I 
shall instantly make you acquainted with it. You will advance the 
main army immediately, and we will besiege the castle, and by 
assault have liim dead or alive, for the place is to be taken." 

The Londoners were now satisfied, and the earl left the army with 
two hundred horse. They soon came before the castle, where the 
king was shut up in one of the chambers, much cast down. The 
earl and his men rode to the gate, which was closed, for the case 
required it, and knocked loudly. Those within asked, " Who is 
there ?" The earl replied, " I am Henry of Lancaster, and am come 
to demand from the king my inheritance of the duchy of Lancaster. 
Tell him so from me." " My lord," answered those who heard him, 
" we will cheerfully do it," and instantly ascended to the hall, where 
the king was with those of his knights that had for a long time beea 
his chief counsellors, and related the message, for he was eager to 
hear who had so rudely knocked at the gate : " Sire, it is your cousin 
the earl of Derby, who is come to demand his inheritance from you." 
The king looked at his knights, and asked how he should act. 
" Sire," replied they, " this request is no way improper : you may 
allow him to come into your presence, with only eleven others, and 
hear what he has to say. He is your cousin, and a great lord of the 
country, and can besides, if he please, make up all differences ; for 
he is exceedingly beloved in England, more especially by the Lon- 
doners, who sent for him beyond sea, and are now in rebellion 
against you. You must dissemble until matters be appeased, and 
the earl of Huntingdon, your brother, arrived. It is unfortunate for 
him and you that he is at this moment at Calais ; for there are many 
in England who now rebel against you, that, were he by your side, 
would remain quiet, and not dare take any part. He is married to 
the sister of the earl of Derby, and by his good sense and exertions, 
we hope and suppose he will make peace between you and yout 
people." 

The king consented to this proposal, and saixi, " Go to him ; have 
the gates opened that he and eleven more may enter." Two knights 
then left the king, and, crossing the court of the castle, came to the 
gate, and had the wicket opened. Having passed it, they bowed to 
the earl of Derby and to his knights, addressing them in courteous 
language ; for they felt they had no force to resist them, and that 
they were hated by the Londoners. They wished therefore to accom- 
modate matters by fair speeches and outward appearances. They 
said to the earl, " My lord, what is your pleasure ? The king is at 
mass, and has sent us hither to speak with you." " I will tell you,'' 
answered the earl. " You know that I ought to have possession of 
the duchy of Lancaster : I am come partly on that account, and 
on some other business I wish to speak of to the king." " My lord,''' 
replied they, " you are welcome : the king will see and hear you 
with pleasure, and has told us that you and eleven more may enter 
the castle." The earl said it pleased him ; and he and eleven others 
passed the wicket, which was instantly shut on the others who re- 
mained without. i 

Consider the great risk and danger the earl of Derby ran, for they 
could as easily have slain him, when in the castle (which they should 
have done, right or wrong.) and his companions, as birds in a cage. 
He never thought of the peril lie was in, but went straight forward 
and was conducted to the king. The king, on seeing him, changed 
color, as one who knew he had greatly misconducted himself. The 
earl spoke aloud, without paying any reverence or honor to the kin^, 
and asked him, " Have you broken your fast ?" The king answered, 
" No : it is yet early morn : why do you ask ?" " It is time you 
should breakfast," replied the earl, " for you have a long way to 
ride." " What road ?" said the king. " You must come to Lon- 
don," answered the earl : " and I advise that you eat and drink 
heartily, to perform the journey more gayly." The king was now 
very melancholy, and frightened at these words : he said, " I am not 
as yet hungry, nor have I any desire to eat." The knights, desirous 
to flatter the earl of Derby (perceiving things were taking a serious 
turn,) said, " Sire, have confidence in my lord of Lancaster, your 
cousin, for he can but wish your good." " Well," said the king, " I 
am willing so to do : have the tables covered." 

They hastened to obey these orders ; and the king washed his 
hands, seated himself at table, and was served. They asked the 
earl if he would not be seated, and eat. He said, " no : for that he 
had breakfasted." During the time the king was eating (which was 
not long, for his heart was too much oppressed to eat,) the whole 
country was covered with men-at-arms and archers, who could be 
plainly seen from the windows of the castle. The king, on rising 
from table, perceived them, and asked his cousin the earl who they 
were. He replied, " For the most part Londoners." " And what 
do they want ?" said the king. " They want to take you," answered 
the earl " and carry you to the Tower of London, and there is not 
any means of pacifying them, unless you consent to go." " No '." 
replied the king, who was much frightened at hearing this, for ha 
knew the Londoners hated him, and continued, " cannot you, cousin, 
prevent this ? I would not willingly yield myssif into their hands ; 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



617 



for I am aware they hate me, aad have done so for a long time, 
although I am their sovereign.'" The earl of Derby answered, "I 
see no other way to prevent it, but to surrender yourself to me, and, 
when they know you are my prisoner, they will not do you any 
harm. You must make preparations to be conducted and imprisoned 
in the Tower of London with your attendants." The king, not 
knowing how to act in his distress, and fearing the Londoners would 
put him to (k-ath, yielded himself prisoner to the earl of Derby, 
promising to do whatever he should advise. His knights, squires 
and officers, surrendered in Ijke manner, to avoid greater danger. 
The earl, in the presence of those who had accompanied him, received 
the king and his attendants as his prisoners, and ordered the horses 
to be instantly saddled, brought to the court, and the gates of the 
castle to be thrown open, on which many men-at-arms and archers 
entered it. 

The earl of Derby now issued a proclamation, that no one should 
dare to touch anything in the castle, or lay hands on any servant or 
officer of the king, under pain of being instantly hanged, for that 
every person and thing were under his special protection and guard. 
This was obeyed, for there was not one bold enough to act contrary. 
The earl conducted his cousin, king Richard, down stairs to the 
court of the castle, continuing in close conversation with him, where 
he had his usual state, witheut the smallest change having been 
made in it. While they were saddling the horses, and making 
ready, they talked on different subjects, and were much looked at by 
the Londoners. 

I heard of a singular circumstance that happened, which I must 
mention. King Richard had a grayhouiad called Math,* beautiful 
beyond measure, who would not notice nor follow any one but the 
king. Whenever the king rode abroad, the grayhound was loosed 
by the person who had him in charge, and ran instantly to caress 
him, by placing his two fore. feet on his shoulders. It fell out, that 
as the king and the duke of Lancaster were conversing in the court 
of the castle, their horses being ready for them to mount, the gray- 
hound was untied, but, instead of running as usual to the king, he 
left him, and leaped to the duke of Lancaster's shoulders, paying 
him every court, and caressing him as he was formerly used to caress 
the king. The duke, not acquainted with this grayhound, asked the 
king the meaning of this fondness, saying, " What does this mean ?" 
' Cousin," replied the king, '• it means a great deal for you, and 
very little for me." "How?" said the duke: "pray explain it." 
" I understand it," answered the king, " that this grayhound fondles 
and pays his court to you this day as king of England, which you 
will suiely be, and I shall be deposed, for the natural instinct of the 
dog shows it to him. Keep him, therefore, by your side, for he will 
now leave me, and follow you." The duke of Lancaster treasured 
up what the king had said, and paid attention to the grayhound, who 
would never more follow Richard of Bordeaux, but kept by the side 
of the duke of Lancaster, as was witnessed by thirty thousand men. 



CHAPTER CXIII. 

THE IAD7 DE COUCY IS TAKEN AWAY FROM THE YOUN& QVEEil OF ENG. 
t.AND, AND A NEW HOUSEHOLD APPOINTED FOR HEK. KING I^CHARD IS 
CONFINED IN THE TOWER OF LONDON. 

Having mounted their horses, they departed from Flint-castle,t and 
Henry duke of Lancaster, whom we shall no longer call earl of Derby, 
rode by the king's side, and at times conversed with him. They 
were surrounded by a large body of men-at-arms and archers. Those 
of the king's party advanced by themselves, and the first town they 
lay at was Oxford ;t for the duke of Lancaster avoided all the large 
towns and castles, by keeping in the open country, for fear of insur- 
rections of the people. The duke disbanded a great part of his army, 
saying, " he had enough for the completion of liis business, as the 
king could not now fly nor escape from him. We will carry him and 
his advisers to London, and securely place them in the Tower. They 
are my prisoners, and I can take them anywhere : return, therefore, 
to your homes until you shall again hear from me." All assented to 
this proposal of the duke, who took the direct road to Windsor ; and 
the Londoners, except those he had kept with him, went to their 
homes. Tfce duke of Lancaster, on leaving Windsor, did not fol- 



*The Museum MS9. call tliis gruyhound Blemach,' mine Macli. The grayhound 
seems to have heen a favorke prognosticator in these times ; for. when the armies of the 
two rivals, John of Montfortl and Charles de Blois, were on the point of engaging, the 
lord Charles's grayhound left him and caressed John of Montford, who gained the battle. 

T Con\Tay castle. 

t *' After the king had been carried to the duke of Lancaster at Chester, on the third 
day tne duke departed with his prisoner thence to Nantvvich : the next day to Newcas- 
tle and there tJie earl of Warwick's son met them ; and so journeying forth, the next 
day they came to Stafford, and after they departed to Lichfield, where tJie king thought 
to have escaped, slipping down into a garden, out of a window of a great tower ; but 
he was espied, and brought into the tower again. From Lichlield, the duke went to 
Coventry ; but, before Uiey could come thither, the Welchmcn did them much mischief. 
and slew many of them : and the Englishmen, when they by great chance could take 
any of them, they tied to their horses' tails, and drew them after them through ways full 
of stone?, anil caused them to die miserably. 

"The duke passed from Coventry to Daventry, the next day to Northampton, from 
tbence to Dunstable, and then to Saint Albans. Within five or sLv miles before his 
coming to London, the mayor and the companies in their liveries, with great noise of 
trumpets, met the duke, doing more reverence to him than to the king, rejoicing that 
God had sent them such a prince, that had conquered the realm within one month's 
5pac«." iLC—Stoice's ChrmKlc, by Howe's, pp. SS, 333. 



low the road to Colnbrook, bat that to Shene, and dined with the 
king at Chertsey. King Richard had earnestly requested his cousin 
not to carry him through London, which was the reason they had 
gone this road. 

As soon as the Lomjoners were masters of the king, they sent some 
of the principal citizens to queen Isabella, who resided with the ladjr 
of Coucy at Leeds castle. She was next in rank to the queen ; and 
they addressed her : " Lady, make preparations of departure, for you 
must no longer remain here. Take care on quitting the queen, that 
you show not any tokens of anger at being dismissed ; but say, that 
your husband and daughter have sent for you. This we advise you 
to do, if you regard your life ; for, should you act any way contrary, 
it will be forfeited. You have no need to ask questions, nor make 
inquiries : you shall be conducted to Dover, and embark on board a 
passage-boat to Boulogne." The lady of Coucy, afraid of these 
menaces, and knowing those who made them to be cruel and 
full of hatred, replied, " that in God's name, she would do as they 
wished.'' Preparations were soon made : palfreys and hackneys 
were provided for herself and attendants ; and all the French of both 
sexes set off, escorted as far as Dover, where they were liberally paid, 
according to their degrees. The first tide they embarked on board 
a vessel, with a favorable wind to Boulogne. The household of the 
queen was broken up, and neither French nor English were left with 
her who were attached to king Richard. A new one was formed 
of ladies, damsels, officers, and varlets, who were strictly enjoined 
never to mention the name of king Richard in their conversationa 
with her. 

The duke of Lancaster and his company, on his departure from 
Chertsey, rode to Shene, and, during the night, conducted the king 
and such of his knights and others as they wished to confine, to the 
Tower of London. On the morrow, the Londoners heard the king 
was in the Tower, and were much rejoiced ; but there were many 
murmurings tlxat he had been brought thither privately, and the peo. 
pie were very angry with the duke of Lancaster because he had not 
carried him publicly through the streets in open day, not to do him 
honor, but that they might show their scorn, so much was he hated 
by them. Consider how serious a thing it is when the people rise 
up in arms against their sovereign, more especially such a people as 
the English. In such a 'case, there is no remedy ; for they are the 
worst people in the world, the most obstinate and presumptuous ; and 
of all England the Londoners arc the leaders, for to say the truth, 
they are very powerful in men and in wealth. In the city and neigh- 
borhood, there are twenty-four thousand men, completely armed from 
head to foot, and full thirty thousand arehers. This is a great force, 
and they are bold and courageous ; and the more blood is spilt, the 
greater their courage. 



CHAPTER CXIV. 

THE EARL OF RUTLAND, CONSTABLE OP ENGLAND, HEARING THE KING H4S 
SURRENDERED, DISMISSES HIS MEN-AT-ARMS. FOUR KNIGHTS OF THE 
king's chamber, HAVING BEEN PUT TO DEATH BY THE LONDONERS, HB 
IS ADVISED BI THOSE WHO WERE IMPRISONED WITH HI.M TO KESI8N HIS 
CROWN TO THE DUKE OF LANCASTER. 

We will speak of the earl of Rutland, son to the duke of York, at 
this time constable of England, who had remained at Bristol with 
his brother-in-law the lord de Spencer, and their men. When they 
learnt that the castle the king had retired to was invested, and that 
the king, on his surrendering, was carried to London, they instantly 
foresaw the event, and that it must end badly for king Richard. 
They determined not to stay longer where they were, but dismissing 
their men-at-arms, except such as were attached to their persons, left 
Bristol, and rode to a very handsome seat* the lord de Spencer had 
in Wales, where they remained until they heard other intelligence. 
The duke of York resided at his own castle with his people, and in- 
terfered not in what was passing in the country, nor had done so for 
a long time, but taking all things as they happened, although he was 
very much vexed that there should be such great differences between 
his nephew, the king, and his relations. 

We will now return to king Richard. When the duke of Lancas- 
ter had imprisoned him and those of his council in the Tower, and 
placed sure guards over them, the first thing he did was to recal the 
earl of Warwick from his banishment, and to give him his liberty. 
He next sent to summon the earl of Percy and his son sir Harry 
Percy to attend him, which they did. He then inquired how he 
could lay hands on those four companions who had strangled his 
uncle in the castle of Calais, and at length succeeded in arresting the 
whole four, and would not have taken twenty thousand nobles for 
their deliverance. He had them confined in separate prisons in Lon- 
don. The duke then consulted with his council and the citizens what 
should be done with Richard of Bordeaux, who was confined in the 
great tower of London, wherein king John of France was once im 
prisoned, during the campaign of king Edward in France. It was 
resolved that the king should be deprived of all his state and outward 
marks of royalty, if they wished to act prudently, for the news of his 
arrest would make a great noise throughout Christendom, as they 

* D.Sauvage calls this seat Heulle. My MS. says only a very handsome manor, which 
I suppoie must have been Caerphilly in Glamorganshire. 



618 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



had acknowledged him twenty.two years aa their king, and now held 
him a prisoner. 

They examined the whole acts of his reign, and drew up twenty- 
eight articles against him, with which they came to the Tower, ac- 
companied by the duke of Lancaster, and some knights and squires 
of his council. They entered the king's apartment without speak, 
ing to him, or paying any kind of respect, and read to him these 
charges. He did not deny them, for he know they were true, but 
said that everything he had done was by the advice of his council. 
He was told to name those who had been his principal advisers, which 
he di J, hoping to escape by throwing the blame on thetn, as he had 
formerly done, and they to receive the punishment ; but this was 
not the intention of those Londoners who had confined him. At this 
time they said nothing further, but went away : the duke of Lancas- 
ter to his own house, leaving the mayor and men of law to act as 
they pleased. 

The mayor went to the town-house of London, called the Guildhall, 
wliere justice is administered to the citizens, followed by crowds of 
people, exi^ccting something effective to be done, as indeed there 
was. I will detail what passed. Fir.st, all the articles which had 
been drawn up against the king and read to him, were again read 
aloud, with comments by the person who read them, adding, that the 
king had not denied their truth, but confessed he had done them 
through the advice of four knights of his chamber, by whose coun. 
eels he had put to death the duke of Gloucester, the earl of Arundel, 
and sir Thomas Corbet, and that they had for a long time excited 
him to these acts. Such deeds were unpardonable, and must be pun- 
ished ; for by them and their fellows had the courts of Justice been 
shut at Westminster, and all the other royal courts throughout Eng- 
land, which had caused great mischiefs, and encouraged bands of 
robbers to pillage merchants travelling from town to town, and to 
plunder the houses of farmers. By these means the kingdom of 
England had been almost irrecoverably ruined ; and it was to be 
supposed, from this wanton neglect of England, that Calais or Guis- 
nes, or both, would have been given up to their enemies the French. 
Such speeches as the above made an impressio.ft on the minds of the 
people, so that many of the discontented said, "These things are 
deserving punishment, that others may take example ; and Richard 
of Bordeaux has so much disgraced himself, that he is unworthy of 
wearing a crown, and ought to be deprived of all honors, and con- 
fined to pass his future life on bread and water, and subsist on that 
as he could." Some of the lower classes cried out, "Sir mayor, you 
and your companions, who are the distributors of justice, look that 
it be done ; we insist upon it and spare no man. You sec by what 
you have told us, that the case requires it, and immediately, for they 
liave convicted themselves." 

The mayor and the lawyers retired to the judgment-seat, and the 
four knights were condemned to death. They were sentenced to 
be brought before the apartment of the tower of London, in which 
king Ricliard was confined, that he might see them from the win- 
dows, and thence drawn on sledges by horses through the streets to 
Cheapside, each person separately, and there beheaded, their heads 
affixed to spikes on London-bridge, and their bodies hung on a gib- 
bet, and there left. When this sentence was pronounced, they hast- 
ened to execute it. Everything being prepared, the mayor of Lon- 
don, and the lords who had assisted him in tliLs judgment, set out from 
Guildhall with a large body of people, and came to the tower of Lon. 
don, where they seized the four knights of the king, sir Bernard Bro. 
cas, the lord Marclais, master John Derby, receiver of Lincoln, and 
the lord Stelle, steward of the king's household. They were brought 
into the courl, and each tied to two horses, in the sight of all in the 
Tower, who were eye-witnesses of it as well as the king, who were 
much displeased, and in despair ; for the remainder of the king's 
knights that were with him looked for rimilar treatment, so cruel and 
revengeful did they know the Londoners to be. Without saying a 
word, these four were dragged from the Tower, through the streets 
to Cheapside, and, on a fish-monger's stall, had their heads struck 
off, which were placed over the gate on London-bridge, and their 
bodies hung on a gibbet. After this execution every man retired to 
his home. 

King Richard was much afflicted at finding himself in such danger 
from the citizens, and that his power was completely gone. He saw 
that all England was against him ; and, if he had some few friends 
left, they could not assist him, for his enemies were too numerous. 
Those about him said ; " Sire, we have not, as it seems, any great 
hope of saving our lives. When your cousin of Lancaster prevailed on 
you to yield yourself up to him, he promised that you and twelve of 
your knights should be his own prisoners, and no harm done to them ; 
of these, four have just been put to a disgraceful death ; we must 
expect the same, and will give you our reasons for it. The London- 
ers, who have urged him to do this deed, have made him enter into 
such engagements with them that he cannot act in any other muuiier. 
God will be nmrciful to us if we are sufiered to die here a natural 
death, for to die a disgraceful one makes us shudder." King Rich, 
ard, on hearing them thus talk wept bitterly, wrung his hands, and 
cursed the hour he had been born, when his end was so miserable. 
Those around him pitied his distress, and comforted him as well as 
Ihey were able. One of his knights said : "Sire, you must not be 
too much cast down. We see, as well as you, that this world is noth- 



ing, and that the fickleness of fortune is wonderful, sparing neither 
princes nor poor persons. The king of France, whose daughter yoH 
have married, cannot at this moment assist you, for he is too far off. 
If you can, by di.ssembling, escape from this peril, and save your 
life and ours, you will act well ; and within a year or two, your for 
tune may change.'' 

" What would you have me to do ?" replied the king, " fer there is 
nothing I will not attempt to save us." "Sire, we tell you for a truth, 
that, from every appearance, the Londoners want to crown your 
cousin of Lancaster their king ; and with this intent they sent for 
him from France, and have aided him in all his exploits. Now it is 
impossible, that so long as you shall be alive, this coronation can 
take place without your consent. Suppose, therefore, you were to 
offer your cousin terms, that we might escape the imminent danger 
we are in, and that you send to speak with him on business. On 
his coming, treat him affectionately, and say that you wish to resign 
the crown into his hands, and that he be king : by this means you will 
soften him and appease the citizens. You will earnestly beg that he 
allow you to finish your days here, or elsewhere ; and for us to re- 
main with you, or be separated, or banished abroad for our lives, 
at his pleasure ; for he who losoth his life loseth everything." King 
Richard heard these words with comfort to his heart, and said he 
would act accordingly, for he saw his danger was very great. He 
gave his keepers to understand, he would willingly speak with the 
duke of Lancaster. 

CHAPTER CXV. 

KING RICIIAKB OF ENSLAND KESiGNS BIS CKOW.N AND KINGDOM INTO IBE 
HANDS OF THE DUKE OF LANCASTEB. 

Intelligence was carried to the duke of Lancaster, that Richard 
of Bordeaux had a great desire to speak with him. The duke left 
his house in the evening, entered his barge with his knights, and 
was rowed down the Thames to the Tower, which he entered by a 
postern gate, and went to the apartment of the king. The king 
received him with great kindness, and humbled himself exceedingly 
like to one who perceives he is in a dangerous state. He addressed 
him : "Cousin, I have been considering my situation, which is miser- 
able enough, and I have no longer any tho\ights of wearing my 
crown or governing my people. As God may have my soul, I wish 
I were at this moment dead of a natural death, and the king of France 
had his daughter again ; for we have never enjoyed any great hap 
piness together, nor, since I brought her hither, have I had the love 
my people bore me formerly. Cousin of Lancaster, when I look 
back, I am convinced I have behaved very ill lo you, and to other 
nobles of my blood, for which I cannot expect peace nor pardon. 
All things, therefore, considered,! am willing freely to resign to you the 
crown of England ; and I beg you will accept the resignation as a gift." 

The duke replied, " that it would be necessary the three estates of 
the realm should hear this. I have issued summonses for the assem- 
bling the nobles, prelates, and deputies from the principal towns ; and 
within three days a sufficiency will be collected for you to make 
your resignation in due form. By this act, you will greatly appease 
the hatred of the nation against you. To obviate the mischiefs that 
had arisen from the courts of justice being shut, and which had cre- 
ated an almost universal anarchy, was I sent for from beyond sea. 
The people wanted to crown me, for the common report in the coun- 
try is, that I have a better right to the crown than you have. This 
was told lo our grandfather, king Edward of happy memory, when 
he educated you, and had you acknowledged heir to the throne ; but 
his love was so strong for his son, the prince of Wales, nothing could 
make him alter his purpose, but that you must be king. If you had 
followed the example of the prince, or attended to the advice of his 
counsellors, like a good son, who should be anxious to tread in the 
steps of a father, you might still have been king ; but you have always 
acted so contrary, as to occasion the rumor to be generally believed 
throughout England and elsewhere, that you are not the son of the 
prince of Wales, but of a priest or canon. 

" I have heard several knights, who were of the household of my 
uncle the prince, declare, that he was jealous of the princess's con- 
duct. She was cousin-german to king Edward, who began to dis- 
like her for not having children by his son, since he had, by her 
former marriage with sir Thomas Holland, stood godfather to two 
sons. She knew well how to keep the prince in her chains, having, 
through subtlety, enticed him to marry ; but, fearful of being di- 
vorced by his father, for want of heirs, and that the prince would 
marry again, it was said she got connected with some one, by whom 
she had you and another son, who died in his infancy, and no judg. 
nient can be formed of his character: but you, from your manners 
and mode of acting, so contrary to the gallantry and prowess of the 
prince, are thought to be the son of a priest or canon ; for, at the 
lime of your birth, there were many young and handsome ones in 
the household of the prince at Bordeaux. Such is the report of this 
country, which your conduct has confirmed : for you have ever shown 
grent affection to the French, and an inclination to live on good term 
with them, to the loss and dishonor of England. Because my uncle 
of Gloucester and the earl of Arundel wished you would loyally dc. 
fend the honor of the kingdom, by following the steps of your ances- 
tors, you have treacherously put them to death. 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &. c . 



G19 



" With regard to me, I have taken you under my protection, and 
will guard and preserve your life, through compassion, as long as I 
shall be able. I will likewise entreat the Londoners in your behalf, 
and the heirs of those you have put to death." " Many thanks," 
answered the king : " I have greater confidence in you than in any 
other persoa in England." " You are in the right," replied the 
duke : " for, had I not stepped forward between you and the people, 
they would have seized you, and disgracefully killed you, in return 
for all your wicked acts, which arc the cause of the dangerous state 
you are now in." King Richard heard all this patiently, for he saw 




KlCHARD ii. HESIO.NIKO THE CroWM IMTO THE U.\I«D9 or THE Duge Or LAJ*C\3TlfR. 

Century- 



that neither arguments nor force could avail, and that resignation 
and humility were his only arms. He therefore humbled himself 
exceedingly to the duke, earnestly begging that his life might be 
spared. The duke of Lancaster remained with the king upward of 
two hours, and continued in his conversation to reproach him for all 
the faults he was accused of. He then took leave, reentered his 
barge, and returned to his house, and, on the morrow, renewed his 
orders for the assembly of the three estates of the realm. 

The duke of York, and his son, the earl of Rutland, came to Lon- 
don, as did the earl of Northumberland and his brother, sir Thomas 
Percy, to whom the duke of Lancaster gave a hearty welcome, with 
numbers of prelates, bishops, and abbots. The duke of Lancaster, 
accompanied by a large body of dukes, prelates, earls, barons. 



knights, and principal citizens, rode to the Tower of London, and 

dismounted i.T the court. King Richard was released from his ' led by their wardens clothed in their proper livery, and with ensigns 



CHAPTER CXVI. 

A FARLIAMENT MEETS AT WESTMINSTER, WHEN THE DIJKE OF LAN- 
CASTER IS PUBLICLY ACKNOWLEDGED KING OF ENGLAin). THE GREAT 
MAGNIFICENCE OF HIS COBONATION. 

On a Wednesday, the last day of September 1.399, Henty duke 
of Lancaster held a parliament at Westminster ; at which were as- 
sembled the greater part of the clergy and nobility of England, and 
a sufEcient number of {deputies from the different towns, according 
to their extent and wealth. In this parlia- 
ment, the duke of Lancaster challenged the 
crown of England, and claimed it as his 
own, for three reasons : first, by conquest ; 
secondly, from being the right heir to it; 
and, thirdly, from the pure and free resig- 
nation of it to him, by king Richard, in 
the presence of the prelates, dukes and earls 
in the hall of the Tower of London. These 
three claims being made, he required tho 
parliament to declare their opinion and will. 
Upon this, they unanimously replied, that 
it was their will he should be king, forthoy 
would have no other. He again asked, if 
they were positive in this declaration : and, 
when they said they were, he seated him- 
self on the royal throne. The throne was 
elevated some feet from the floor, with a 
rich canopy of cloth and gold, so that he 
could be seen by all present. On the 
king's taking his seat, the people clapped 
their hands for joy, and held them up, pro- 
mising him fealty and homage. The par- 
liament was then dissolved, and the day of 
coronation appointed for the feast of Saint 
Edward, which fell on a Monday, the 13th 
of October. 

On the Saturday before the coronation, 
the new king went from Westminster to 
the Tower of London, attended by great 
numbers, and those squires who were to be 
knighted watched their arms that night : 
they amounted to forty-six : each squire had 
his chamber and bath, in which he bathed. 
The ensuing day, the duke of Lancaster, 
From MSB. o the 13th after mass, created them knights, and pre- 
sented them with long green coats, with 
straight sleeves lined with minever, after 
the manner of prelates. These knights had 
on their left shoulders a double cord of 
white silk, with white tufts hanging down. The duke of Lan. 
caster left the Tower this Sunday after dinner, on his return to.- 
Westminster : he was bareheaded, and had round his neck the order' 
of the king of France. The prince of Wales, six dukes, six earls, 
eighteen barons, accompanied him ; and there were, of knights and 
other nobility, from eight to nine hundred horse in the procession. 
The duke was dressed in a jacket, after the German fashion, of 
cloth of gold, mounted on a white courser, with a blue garter on his 
left leg. He passed through the streets of London, which were all 
handsomely decorated with tapestries and other rich hangings : 
there were nine fountains in Cheapside, and other streets he passed 
through, which perpetually ran with white and red wines. Ho was 
escorted by prodigious numbers of gentlemen, with their servants ia 
liveries and badges ; and the different companies of London were 



prison, and entered the hall which had been prepared for the occa. 
sion, royally dressed, the sceptre in his hand, and the crown on his 
head, but without supporters on either side. He addressed the com. 
pany as follows: "I have reigned king of England, duke of Aqui- 
taine, and lord of Ireland, about twenty-two years, which royally, 
lordship, sceptre, and crown, I now freely and willingly resign to 
my cousin, Henry of Lancaster, and entreat of him, in the presence 
of you all, to accept this sceptre." He then tendered the sceptre to 
the duke of Lancaster, who took it and gave it to the archbishop of 
Canterbury. King Richard next raised the crown with his two 
hands from his head, and, placing it before him, said, " Henry, fair 
cousin, and duke of Lancaster, I present and give to you this crown, 
with which I was crowned king of England, and all the rights de- 
pendent on it." 

The duke of Lancaster received it, and delivered it over to the 
archbishop of Canterbury, who was at hand to take it. These two 
things being done, and the resignation accepted, the duke of Lancas- 
ter called in a public notary, that an authentication should be drawn 
up of this proceeding, and witnessed by the lords and prelates then 
present. Soon after, the king was conducted to where he had come 
from, and the duke and other lords mounted their horses to return 
home. The two jewels were safely packed up, and given to proper 
guards, to place them in the treasury of Westminster abbey, until 
they should be called for when the parliament were assembled. 



of their trade. The whole cavalcade amounted to six thousand 
horse, which escorted the duke from the Tower to Westminster. ' 
That same night the duke bathed, and on the moiTOw confessed 
himself, as he had geod need to do, and according to liis custom 
heard three masses. The prelates and clergy who had been assem- 
bled then came in a large body in procession from Westminster 
abbey, to conduct the king thither, and returned in the same man- 
ner, the king and his lords following them. The dukes, carls, and 
barons, wore long scarlet robes, with mantles trimmed with ermine, 
and large hoods of the same. The dukes and earls had three bars 
of ermine on the left arm, a quarter of a yard long, or thereabout : 
the barons had but two. All the knights and squires had uniform 
cloaks of scarlet lined with minever. In the procession to the 
church, the duke had borne over his head a rich canopy of blue 
silk, supported on silver staves, with four golden bells that rang at '. 
the comers, by four burgesses of Dover, who claimed it as their 
right. On each side of him were the aword of mercy and the sword 
of justice : the first was borne by the prince of Wales, and the other 
by the earl of Northumberland, constable of England, for the earl of 
Rutland had been dismissed. The earl of Westmoreland, marshal 
of England, carried the sceptre. 

The procession entered the church about nine o'clock ; in the' 
middle of which was a scaffold covered with crimson cloth, and iO 
the centre a royal throne of cloth of gold. When the duke natcred 



620 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



the church, he seated himself on the throne, and was thus in regal 
Btate, except liaving tlie crown on his head. The archbishop of 
Canterbury proclaimed, from the four corners of the scaffold, how 
God had given them a man for their lord and sovereign, and then 
asked the people if they were consenting to liis being consecrated 
and crowned king. They unanimously shouted out, " Ay !" and 
held up their hands, promising fealty and homage. After this, the 
duke descended from his throne, and advanced to the altar to be 
consecrated. This ceremony was performed by two archbishops 
and ten bishops : he was stripped of all his royal state before the 
altar, naked to his shirt, and was then anointed 
and consecrated at six places ; that is to eay, 
on the head, the breast, the tv/o shoulders, be. 
fore and behind, on the back and hands : they 
t}ien placed a bonnet on his head ; and, while 
this was doing, the clergy chanted the litany, 
or the service that is performed to hallow a font. 

The king was now dressed in a churchman's 
clothes like a deacon ; and they put on him 
shoes of crimson velvet, after the manner of a 
prelate. Then they added spurs with a point, 
but no rowel, and the sword of justice was 
drawn, blessed, and deliveied to the king, who 
put it into the scabbard, when the archbishop 
of Canterbury girded it about him. The crown 
of Saint Edward, which is arched over like a 
cross, was next brought and blessed, and placed 
by the archbishop on the king's head. When 
isass was over, the king left tlie church, and re- 
turned to the palace in the same state as before. 
There was in the court.yard a fountain that con. 
stantly ran with white and red wine from various 
mouths. The king went first to his closet, and 
then returned to the Iiall to dinner. 

At the first table sat the king, at the second 
the five great peers of England, at the third 
the principal citizens of London, at the fourth 
the new.created knights, at the fifth all knights 
and squires of honor. The king was served 
by the prince of Wales, who carried the sword 
of mercy, and on the opposite side by the con. 
stable, who bore the sword of justice. At the 
bottom of the table was the earl of Westmoreland with the sceptre. 
There were only at the king's table the two archbishops and seventeen 
bishops. When dinner was half over, a knight of the name of Dymock 
entered the hall completely armed, and mounted on a handsome steed, 
richly barbed with crimson housings. The knight was armed for 
wager of battle, and was preceded by another knight bearing his lance: 
he himself had his drawn sword in one hand, and his naked dagger by 
hie side. The knight presented the king with a written paper, the 
contents of which were, that if any knight or gentleman should dare 
to maintain that king Henry was not a lawful sovereign, he was 
ready to ofTer him combat in the presence of the king, when and 
where he should be pleased to appoint. The king ordered this chal. 
lenge to be proclaimed by heralds in six different parts of the town 
and the hall, to which no answer was made. After king Henry had 
dined, and partaken of wine and spices in the hall, he retired to his 
private apartments, and all tlse company went to their homes. Thus 
passed the coronation day of king Henry, who remained that and 
the ensuing day at the palace of Westminster. The earl of Salis. 
bury could not attend these feasts, for he was in close confinement 
under secure guards ; and the king's ministers, with many of the 
nobles and citizens of London, were anxious that he should be pub- 
licly beheaded in Cheapsidc. They said that he was deserving of 
every punishment, for having carried such a message from Richard 
of Bordeaux to the French king and his court, and publicly proclaim- 
ing king Henry a false and wicked traitor, and that these were un. 
pardonable crimes. The king was naturally good-tempered, and, 
far from inclining to put him to death, took compassion on him, and 
listened to the excuses he made for what he had done, by throwing 
the blame on the four knights who had been beheaded, as he had 
only obeyed their orders. The council and Londoners would not 
hear his excuses, and would have him executed, for they said he had 
deserved it. The earl of Salisbury therefore continued in prison, in 
great danger of his life. 

Sir John Holland, earl of Huntingdon, who was governor of Ca- 
lais, had been duly informed of all that had passed ; how his brother, 
king Richard, had been arrested and carried to the Tower of London, 
where he had been condemned to pass his life, after resigning his 
crown to Henry of Lancaster, who was acknowledged king of Eng- 
land. The carl of Huntingdon, notwithstanding the vexation the state 
of his brother, king Richard, gave him, weighed well the times and 
circumstances, and found that he alone could not pretend to with- 
stand the whole power of England. His countess, sister-german to 
king Henry, told him, on his return from Calais to England, " My 
lord, you must prudently lay aside your anger, and not hastily do 
anything you may repent of, for my lord the king, my brother, can 
Bhow you much kindness. You sec the whole kingdom is in his 
favor, and should you commit yourself by any rash act, you are 



ruined. I advise and entreat you to dissemble your vexation, for 
king Henry is as much your brother as king Richard. Attach your. 
self to him, and you will find him a good and faithful friend ; for 
there has not been any king of England so rich as he is, and he may 
be of the greatest service to you and to yc-ar children." The earl 
of Huntingdon listened to what the countess said, and followed her 
advice. He waited on his brother-in-law, king Henry, paid him 
many respects, and did his homage, promising fealty and service : 
the king received him with much pleasure. The earl, afterwards, 
with the support of other friends, pressed the king ao strongly in 




CoaoNiTiON or Henry IV From MSS. of I61I1 Century. 

favor of the earl of Salisbury, that his excuses were heard and ac- 
cepted : hie mission to France was pardoned, and he regained the 
favor of the king and people. 



CH.\PTER CXVII. 

INTELLISENCE OF THE IMPRISONMENT OF KINS RICHARD IS CARRIED TO 
FRANCE BY THE LADY OF COUCY. KING CHARLES IS Ml,'CH DISFLEASED 
THEREAT. THE DUKE OF BOURBON AITEMPS IN VAIN TO REDUCE BOR. 
DEAUX, AND OTHER TOWNS IN AQUITAINE, TO THE CROWN OF FRANCE. 

The lady of Coucy, on landing at Boulogne, hastened her affaire, 
that she might begin her journey to Paris ; for there were already 
great murmurings in many parts of France at the events which were 
happening in England. Some imperfect intelligence had been car- 
ried of them thither by merchants of Bruges, but when the lady of 
Coucy, who had been attached to queen Isabella, returned, the whole 
truth was known. This lady, on her coming to Paris, went, as waa 
natural, to the hotel of her lord, who had arrived the preceding night. 
News of it was instantly carried to the king of France, who sent 
directly for the lord de Coucy to come and bring him intelligence of 
king Richard and his queen Isabella. On his entering the king's 
chamber, he asked him the state of England. The knight, not da- 
ring to conceal anything, told him the lull particulars he had learnt 
from his wife. The king was much affected at the melancholy ac- 
count he heard, for he knew the English to be determined, and hard 
to appease ; and, although he had been for a considerable time in a 
good state of health, the rage he got into, on learning the events pass- 
ing in England, brought back his frenzy, to the grief of his brother, 
uncles, and barons of France, but they could not prevent it. 

The duke of Burgundy said ; " The marriage of king Richard with 
Isabella was ill advised ; I spoke of it when in agitation, but was not 
attended to. The Londoners never sincerely liked king Richard, 
and all this misery has been hatched by the duke of Gloucester. We 
must learn how the English mean to proceed, and take our measures 
accordingly. Since they have imprisoned their king, they will put 
him to death, (for they never loved him, because he preferred peace 
to war,) and crown the duke of Lancaster. He will be forced to 
enter into such engagements from his obligations to them, that 
whether he will or not, he must act as they shall please. The duke 
of Burgundy added, " that it would be proper to know the inclinations- 
of the inhabitants of Bordeaux ; for king Richard, having been bom 
there, was greatly beloved by them, as well as by those of Dax, Bay. 
onne, and that whole country. It would not be amiss (he said,) 
that the constable, lord Louis de Sancerre, should have notice of 
what was proposed, and that he should advance toward the frontiers 
of Aquitaine, taking with him sir Reginald d'Espagne, Barrois des 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



621 



Barrcs, and other barons and prelates, who knew how to negotiate ; 
that his brother of Berry should go into Foitou, and hover over the 
borders of Saintes, Blaze, and Mirabel, in order that, if those of Bor- 
deaux should be inclined to enter into any treaty, they might be re. 
ceived ; for we must gain them now, or never.*' These propositions 
of the duke of Burgundy were heard attentively, and his advice fol- 
lowed. He understood the matter well, and what ensued proved it. 
The inhabitants of Bordeaux, Da.x and Bayonne, were lost in astonish- 
ment when they heard that their lord, king Richard, had been arrested 
and was confined in the Tower of London, his principal counsellors 
executed, and duke Henry of Lancaster crowned king, and would 
not at first believe that such melancholy events had happened in 
England : but, as the reports were confirmed daily by fresh intelli- 
gence, they were constrained to think them true. The gates of the 
three cities were closed, and no person whatever suffered to go out, 
from the sorrow they were in, more particularly those of Bordeaux, 
for king Richard had been educated among them. They were sin- 
cerely attached to him, and he always received them kindly when 
they waited on him, inclining naturally to comply with every request 
they made him. On first hearing of his misfortune, they said, "Ah, 
Richard, gentle king 1 by God, you are the most honorable man in 
your realm. This mischief has been brewed for you by the Lon. 
doners, who never loved you, and their dislike was still increased by 
yovir alliance with France. This misfortune is too great for us to 
bear. Ah, king Richard ! they have acknowledged you their sove- 
reign two-and-twenty years, and now they imprison you, and will put 
you to death ; for since they have crowned the duke of Lancaster 
king, that consequence must follow." Such were the lamentations 
of the townsmen of Bordeaux, and that whole country ; and they 
continued so long that the seneschal of Bordeaux, a valiant and able 
English knight, determined to send home intelligence of these com- 
plaints in Bordeaux, Dax and Bayonne, and that they were on the 
point of sur-rendering themselves to the king of France. Having 
written and sealed his letters, he gave them to a trusty varlet, whom 
he embarked on board a vessel ; and, having a favorable wind, he 
was landed in Cornwall, and thence pursued his journey to London, 
where king Henry at that time was holding his parliament. These 
letters were addressed generally to the king and citizens of London, 
and being opened and read, the king and his parliament consulted 
on them. The Londoners said, like men no way dismayed, " Those 
of Bordeaux and Bayonne will never turn to the French ; they cannot 
bear them nor suffer their tricks. They are free under us ; but, if 
tlie French govern them, they will be taxed and taxed over again two 
or three times a-year. This they have not been accustomed to, and 
will find it hard to endure. These three cities are besides surrounded 
by the lands of great barons, who are and always have been loyal to 
England, such as the lords de Fommiers, de Mucident, de Duras, de 
Landurae, de Copane, de Rosem, de Langurant, and many other 
barons and knights, who will instantly make war upon them : they 
cannot issue out of their gates without being made prisoners. Not- 
withstanding, therefore, what the seneschal of Bordeaux writes to us, 
we do not fear they will ever turn to the French : let us, however, 
e«nd them some man of valor and prudence, whom they esteem, and 
who has governed them before ; and we recommend sir Thomas 
Percy." What they had advised was done, and sir Thomas Percy 
was entreated by the king and citizens to undertake the voyage and 
the government of that country. Sir Thomas could not refuse, and 
made his preparations. 

It was now about Christmas, when the winds are high, and the 
sea rough : he made, therefore his purveyances in Cornwall, at the 
port nearest to Bordeaux, and his equipment was two hundred men- 
at-arms and four hundred archers. Sir Thomas was accompanied 
by his nephew, Hugh de Hastings, Thomas Colleville, William Lisle, 
John de Grailly, bastard-son to the captal de Buch, William Drayton, 
John d'Anibreticourt, and several others. He had likewise with him 
Robert bishop of London,* and master Richard Rowhall. It was, 
however, the middle of March before they were able to embark. 

Before these lords arrived at Bordeaux, the duke of Bourbon came 
10 the city of Agen, to treat with those of Aquitaine, and made such 
progress that the magistrates of Bordeaux, Dax and Bayonne, were 
deputed to Agen. The duke received them most kindly, and was 
not sparing of fine words and fail- promises; he gave them to under- 
stand, that if they would turn to the French, and submit themselves 
to the obedience of the king of France, they should have granted 
whatever they might ask, and that the engagements they entered into 
should be sealed and recorded to last for ever ; that whenever they 
might call on France, they should be supported to the utmost of its 
power. He made them many other flattering promises ; but they 
replied, they must return to their constituents, and lay before them 
his offers, and consider how to act. They then left Agen and the 
duke of Bourbon, on their return home, where, on their arrival, they 
related all the duke had said ; but his offers came to nothing, for the 
inhabitants of these towns having considered their present situation, 
and that France was vexed by all sort of taxes, and every oppressive 
means to extort money, concluded they should suffer similar vexa- 
tions if they submitted themselves to the French , " It will be, there- 
fore, better for us," they said, "to remain steady to the English, who 
hold us frank and free. If the Ixindoners have deposed king Rich- 



ard, and crowned king Henry, what is it to us ? Wc have still a 
king ; and we understand the bishop of London and sir Thomas 
Percy are on their way hither, who will fully inform us of the truth. 
Wc have more commerce with the English than the French, in wool, 
wines and cloth, and they are naturally more inclined to us. Let us) 
therefore, be cautious how we enter into any treaties of which we 
may hereafter repent." 

Thus were the negotiations of Bordeaux, Dax and Bayonne, with 
the French broken off'. Sir Thomas Percy and the bishop of Lon- 
don arrived safe in the harbor of Bordeaux with their charge of men- 
at-arms and archers, to the great joy of some, and grief of others, 
who were of the party of the king of France. These English lords 
lodged all together at the abbey of Saint Andrew, and, when they 
thought it was time, they remonstrated with the commonalty of Bor- 
deaux on the state of England, and the cause of their coming, with 
such success as they were contented with : Dax and Bayonne were 
also satisfied. These cities and their dependencies remained steady- 
to the English interest, and hard would it have been to have turned 
them to the French. 



' Robert Braybroofc, dean of Sarum and lord chanceilgr. 



CHAPTER C XVII I. 

THE COUMCIL OF FRANCE, BY PERMISSION OF KING HENRY, SENDS OVER 
PERSONS TO VISIT ISABELLA, QUEEN TO RICHARD II. 

The council of France, perceiving the king so greatly affected at 
what had befallen his son-in-law, king Richard, determined to send 
to England some lord of high rank to see and inquire into the situa. 
tion of queen Isabella. The lord Charles d'.-Vlbreth and Charles de 
Hangiers were nominated on this embassay, and made their prepa- 
rations accordingly. On leaving Paris, they rode to Boulogne, where 
they remained, and sent a herald to inlbrm king Henry of their inten. 
tion of coming to England ; for, although there was a truce between 
the kingdoms, they would not venture thither without his assurance 
of safety. King Henry, who had not forgotten the kindness of the 
king of France when an exile, mentioned the matter to his council ; 
and the herald was told, that it was very agreeable to the king and 
council, that his lords and their company should come to England, 
and by the direct road to London, not quitting it without license. 
The French herald returned to tell his lords at Boulogne what he 
had obtained. They were pleased with the answer, since they could 
not obtain more. They immediately embarked themselves and horses 
in two vessels, and, putting to sea, arrived at Dover. On disembark- 
ing and entering the town, they were met by one of the king's knights, 
who had been ordered thither to receive them. Having known him 
when he accompanied the king in his banishment to Paris, they 
were all soon well acquainted. The lord Charles d'Albreth and the 
lord de Hangiers were handsomely lodged in Dover, where they 
staid until their horses were landed. They continued their journey 
through Canterbury to Eltham, and they were splendidly entertained 
in compliment to the king of France, to whom king Henry felt him- 
self under obligations. 

The lord d"-A.lbreth explained to the king the cause of his coming, 
who replied, " You will go to London, and within four days I will 
consult my council, and you shall have an answer to your demands." 
This satisfied them. They dined with the king, and, when it was 
over, remounted their horses and rode to London, attended by the 
knight, who lodged them conveniently in London, and never quitted 
them. The king of England came, as he had said, to his palace of 
Westminster, and the French lords were told of it, and to hold them-. 
selves in readiness to attend him, for they would be summoned. The 
king, having his council with him, and being prepared what answer 
to make, the French lords were introduced. They said, they had 
been sent by the king and queen of France to see the young queen 
of England their daughter. The king answered : " Gentlemen, we 
no way wish to prevent you seeing her ; but you must promise, on 
your oaths, that neither yourselves, nor any of your company, speak 
to her on what has lately passed in England, nor about Richard of 
Bordeaux. Should you do otherwise, you will greatly offend us and 
the country, and put yourselves in peril of your lives." 

The two knights replied, they would not infringe this regulation : 
all they wanted was to see and converse with her, and then they 
would set out on their return. Not long after this, the earl of North- 
umberland carried them to Havering-at-the Bower, where the young 
queen resided. She was attended by the duchess of Ireland, daugh- 
ter to the lord de Coucy, the duchess of Gloucester, her two daugh- 
ters, and other ladies and damsels, as companions. The earl intro- 
duced the two knights to the queen, who conversed some time with 
them, asking questions after her parents, the king and queen of 
France. They kept the promise they had made, by never mention- 
ing the name of king Richard ; and, when they had been with her 
a sufficient time, took leave and returned to London. They made 
no long slay there, but, having packed up their things, and had their 
expenses paid by the king's officers, they rode to Eltham, and dined 
with the king, who presented them with some rich jewels. On taking 
leave, the king parted with them amicably, and said : " Tell those 
who have sent you, that the queen shall never suffer the smallest harm 
or any disturbance, but keep up a state and dignity becoming her 
birth and rank, and enjoy all her rights ; for, young as she ia, she 
ought not to be made acquainted with the changes in this world. "^ 



633 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



The knights were very happy to hear the king speak thus, and then 
departed. They lay tliat night at Dartford, on the morrow at Os. 
pringe, the next at Canterbury, and then at Dover, the king's officers 
paying every expense c-f their journey. Having embarked with a 
favorable wind, they were landed at Boulogne, and thence proceeded 
to the king and queen at Paris, to whom they related what you have 
read. 
We will now leave them, and speak of the affairs of England. 



CHAPTER CXIX. 

THE EARLS OF HUNTINGDON AND SALISBURY, AND SOME OTHERS, HAVING 
FAILED TO .MURDER TREACHEROUSLY KING HENRY OF LANCASTER, RISE 
IN ARMS AGAINST HIM. THEY ARE DEFEATED AND BEHEADED, AND 
THEIR HEADS SENT TO THE KING. 

It was much disputed among the nobles, and in the principal towns, 
whether Richard of Bordeaux was put to death, and nothing more 
was said about him, which was but what he deserved. King Henry 
declared, that in regard to the charges made against him, he much 
pitied him, and would never consent to his death ; that the prison 
wherein he was confined was sufficient punishment ; and that he had 
engaged his word no other harm should bo done him, which promise 
he was resolved to keep. The enemies of king Richard replied : 
" Sire, we see plainly that compassion alone moves you thus to say 
and act, but, in so doing, you are running great risks ; for so long as 
he shall be alive, notwithstanding the outward good-humor and sin. 
cerity with which he resigned to you his crown, and that in general 
you have been acknowledged as king, and received the homage ol 
all, there must remain many attached to him, who still preserve their 
affection, and will instantly rise against you whenever they perceive 
any hopes of delivering him from prison. The king of France also, 
whose daughter he married, is so exasperated at the late events, that 
he would willingly retaliate the first opportunity ; and his power is 
great of itself, and must be increased by his connections in Eng. 
land." King Henry answered : " Until I shall observe anything con- 
trary to the present state affairs, or that the king of France or other 
persons act against me, I will not change my resolution, but firmly 
keep the promise I have made." This was the answer of king 
Henry, for which he narrowly escaped suffering, as you shall pres- 
ently hear. 

The earl of Huntingdon, brother to king Richard, though married 
to the sister of king Henry, could not forget the treatment of the late 
king, any more than the earl of Salisbury. They had a secret meet- 
ing near to Oxford, on the means to deliver Richard of Bordeaux 
from the Tower of London, destroy king Henry, and throw the coun- 
try into confusion. They resolved to proclaim a tournament to be 
holden at Oxford, of twenty knights and squires, and invite the king 
to witness it privately. During the time the king was sitting at din. 
ner they were to slay him, (for they were to be provided with a suf. 
ficiency of men-at-arms for their purpose,) and to dress out in the 
royal robes a priest called Magdalen, who had been of king Rich- 
ard's chapel, and was like him in countenance, and make the people 
to understand that he was delivered from prison, and had resumed 
his state. They were, instantly after the business was completed, 
to send information of it to the king of France, that he might send them 
large succors, under the command of the count de Saint Pol or any 
Other. 

They executed this plan, and proclaimed a grand tournament to be 
holden by twenty knights and as many squires at Oxford, who were 
to be accompanied by many ladies and damsels. They had gained 
to their party the young earl of Kent, nephew to the earl of Hunting- 
don, and the lord de Spencer, one of the most powerful barons in 
England. They expected the aid of the earl of Rutland, because 
king Henry had deprived him of the constableship, but he failed them, 
and some say, that by him their plot was discovered. When all 
things had been settled for this feast, the earl of Huntingdon came to 
Windsor, where the king held his state, and with much flattering, 
like one who, by soft words, thought to deceive, invited, with many 
marks of aftijction, the king to be present at it. Not supposing any 
treason was intended, he readily complied; and the eari of Hunting. 
don, much rejoiced, thanked and left the king. On going away, he 
said to tlie canon de Robersac,* Get thyself ready for our least, and 
I promise thee if tliou come, and we meet in the lists, there shall bo 
a sharp conflict between us." Sir John de Robersac replied : " By 
my faith, my lord, if the kmg come to your feast it is necessary that I 
accompany him." Upon this the earl shook him by the hand, and 
said, " Many thanks," and passed on. Several knights and squires, 
hearing of this tournament, made preparations to attend it, and all 
the armorers in London were fully employed. The king's ministers 
were attentive to every circumstance that was agitated, and they told 
him," Sire, you have no business to go to this tournament, and must 
not think Of it, for we have heard whispers of plots that are very dis- 
pleasing to us, and in a few days we shall learn the whole." The 
king believed what they had said, and did not go to the tournament, 
nor any of his knights, and indeed very few of those who were marked 
for death. 

When the earls of Salisbury, Huntingdon, Kent, and the lord de 



* In the MS8. !ie l; called Robessait aad Robemtait. 



Spencer, found they had failed in their scheme of seizing the king, 
they held a council, and said, " We must go to Windsor and raise 
the country. Wc will dress Magdalen in royal robes, and make him 
ride with us, proclaiming that king Richard has escaped from prison. 
All who see him will believe it true, and the report will gain such 
credit that we shall destroy our enemies." This they executed by 
collecting their whole party, amounting in all to about five hundred 
men, and, placing Magdalen in the centre, dressed in royal state, they 
rode toward Windsor, where king Henry kept his court. God was 
very kind to the king, for he had early intelligence that the earls of 
Huntingdon, Salisbury, the young earl of Kent, and the lord de Spen- 
cer, were advancing toward Windsor, to seize and murder him ; that 
they were in sufficient force to take the castle, and had with them 
Magdalen, one of the priests of the chapel royal to Richard of Bor- 
deaux, dressed up as the late king ; and that they gave it out every, 
where that king Richard had escaped from prison. Many of the 
country people believed it, saying, " We have seen him," mistaking 
him for the king. 

Those who brought the intelligence said to king Henry, " Sire, de- 
part hence instantly, and ride to London, for they will be here in a 
short time." He followed this counsel, and mounting his horse, set 
off with his attendants from Windsor, taking the road to London. 
He had not been long departed, before those who intended to put 
him to death came to Windsor, and entered the castle gate, for there 
were none to oppose them. They searched the apartments of the 
castle, and the houses of the canons, in hopes of finding the king, but 
were disappointed. On their failure, they were much enraged, and 
rode away to Colnbrook, where they lay, and forced many to join 
them by fair or foul means, saying that king Richard was in their 
company, which some believed, but others not. King Henry, doubt. 
ful of the consequences of this conspiracy, hastened to London, and, 
by a roundabout road, entered the Tower. Some sharp words passed 
between him and Richard of Bordeaux ; he told him, " I saved your 
life, and had great difficulty in doing it ; and, in return, you want to 
have me murdered by your brother, and my brother-in-law, and by the 
earls of Salisbury and Kent, your nephew, with the lord de Spencer, 
but, if you have had any hand in this plot, it shall end badly for you." 
Richard denied any knowledge of it, saying, " As God may help me, 
and have compassion on my soul, I never before heard one word of 
this plot. I never looked for any change in my situation, for I am 
perfectly contented with my present state." Nothing more passed. 
The king sent for the mayor of London and his particular friends, to 
whom he related everything he knew or had heard of this conspiracy. 
They were greatly suprised on hearing it, and said, " Sire, you must 
summon your forces, and march instantly against them, before they 
increase more in numbers. We have made you king, and king you 
shall be, in spite of all that envy and discontent may do against you." 
The king lost no time in employing clerks and messengers to write 
and carry letters to the knights of his realm. He wrote himself to 
his constable, the earl of Northumberland, to his marshal, the enrl of 
Westmoreland, and to other great barons in Essex and Lincoln, from 
whom he expected assistance. All who received them made haste 
to join the king. 

The earls of Huntingdon and Salisbury, and their party, determined 
to march to London, for they imagined there must be some of the 
citizens attached to king Richard, who would give thc-ni support. In 
consequence, they left Colnbrook, and advanced to Brentford, seven 
miles from London, where they lay. Not one of the Londoners joined 
them, but shut themselves up in their town. When they saw this, 
they marched away toward Saint Albans, a large town, and there 
staid one day. On the morrow, they went to Berkhampstead. They 
continued marching through diflferent parts, publishing everywhere 
that Magdalen was king Richard, and came to a strong town called 
Soncestre,* which had a bailiff attached to king Henry for the guard 
of the town and defence of the adjacent parts. The three earls and 
lord de Spencer took up their lodgings in Cirencester, and were that 
night left quiet, for the bailifi", being a valiant and prudent man, did 
not think he was strong enough to combat them, and dissembled his 
thoughts as well as he could. 

The next morning the earl of Sjlisbary and lord de Spencer left the 
earl of Huntingdon and his nephew, saying they would advance farther 
into the country to gain friends, and would visit the lord of Berkeley. 
They rode down Severn side, but v\'cre badly advised thus to separate 
for both parties were weakened by it. The earl of Huntingdon re- 
mained in Cirencester, and attempted to tamper with the bailiff and 
townsmen. He tolJ thorn that the Londoners hid delivered king Rich- 
ard out of prison, and w ithin two days he would be there. The baiUff 
having collected a large force, said that not one word was true ; for 
that he had just heard the contrary from king Henry and the citizens 
of London to assure him of the truth, and that he should act conform- 
ably to the orders he had received. The earl of Huntingdon, hearing 
this, changed color from disappointment. Finding he could not gain 
his end, he returned to his lodgings, armed himself, and made his men 
do the same, determining to conquer these ale-drinkers by force, and 
set fire to their town as an example, and to terrify the country. The 
bailiff was not idle in collecting all the men he could ; they amounted, 
archers and all, to two thousand men, which he drew up in the 
market-place, whe n the force of the earls of Huntingdon and Kent 
^~~~~~~'*^" * " SonceBire "—Cirencester, pronounced Ci^eter 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, 

Notwithstanding this inequality, they made tany. The prelates, nobles, and chief 



&c . 



6fl3 



■were not three hundred. Notwithstanding this inequality, they made 
ready to begin the battle, and the archers attacked eacli other, so that 
Bcveral were wounded. The baihff and hi? men, who were very 
numerous, charged the rebels vigorously, without .iipariiig any one, lor 
he had the king's special orders to take the leaders, dead or alive. 
The earl's party were forced to retire within their lodgings ; and the 
hsuse wherein the two earls were, the bailiff's men surrounded and 
conquered. 

Many were killed, and more wounded. The earl of Huntingdon 
defended himself gallantly, like a valiant man-at-arms as he was ; but 




FoNERAi Procession or Richard n. From MSS. of 15th century. 



the numbers against him were too great to withstand ; and he was 
slain fighting, as was the young earl of Kent, who was much lamented 
by several knights in England and other countries. He was young 
and handsome, and had very unwillingly taken part in this conspi- 
racy ; but his uncle and the earl of Salisbury had forced him into it. 
The men of Cirencester, who were wroth against them, cut off their 
heads, and sent them in two panniers, as fish is carried, by a varlct on 
horseback, to rejoice the king and the Londoners. A similar fate 
befel the earl of Salisbur>' and lord de Spencer ; they were made 
prisoners by the knights and squires the king had sent against them, 
who had them beheaded, and sent their heads to London. Great 
numbers of their partisans, and knights and squires who had accom- 
panied them, were executed, after which the country remained in 
peace. 

The king of France, his brother, uncles, and council, learning that 
during Easter of the year 1400, the English had sent men-at-arms 
and archers to Calais, Guisnes, and the neighboring castles, and 
were providing these places with many stores, issued a summons for 
all knights and squires to prepare themselves to march whithersoever 
they might be ordered, and specially provided for the frontier of Bou- 
logne and the sea-shore. 



CHAPTER CXX. 

OS THE DEATH OF JOHN OF MONTFORT, DVKE OF BRITTANY, THE BRE- 
TONS tJNDERTAKE THE WARDSHTP OF THE YOl'NO DUKE, AND TO BE 
FRIENDLY TO FRANCE. THE FRENCH KING, DISTRUSTIN'J THE SENTI- 
5IENTS OF THE NEW REIGN IN ENGLAND, MAKES PROVISION AGAINST ANT 
StJDUEN CHA.VGE. 

At this period, John duke of Brittany departed this life, leaving 
issue two sons and a daughter. The eldest son had been betrothed 
to the second daughter of the king of France : he could not have the 
eldest, as she was married to the king of England, as has been related. 
She had indeed been promised him, and treaties entered into on the 
subject at Tours in Touraine ; but the king was advised to break it 
off, to marry her more nobly and richly in England. Many of the 
Frencn lords, however, said, that it would never turn out well thus to 
break through solemn engagements. On the death of the duke of 
Brittany, it was determined in the council, that the duke of Orleans 
should advance to the borders of Brittany with a body of men-at-arms, 
to confer with the nobles and chiefs of the principal towns of the 
duchy, to learn their intentions respecting the young duke, and to 
demand he should be delivered up to him to carry to the court of 
France. 

The duke of Orleans, in conaequence of this resolution, summoned 
a considerable number of men-at-arms, and marched them to Pon- 
torson, where he halted, and signified his arrival to the barons o Brit- 



tany. The prelates, nobles, and chief magistrates of the great towns, 
assembled at Pontorson, when the duke of Orleans made them the 
above request. They were prepared with an answer, and replied 
ihey would be guardians to their j-oung duke [and educate him in 
their own country until he should be of a proper age ; that then they 
would bring him to France, that he might do his homage to the king, 
as was his duty; that for the due performance of this, they were 
willing to enter into bonds, subjecting themselves to the loss of their, 
lands should they break the engagement.] The duke of Orleans 
finding that he could not gain more, took an obligation from the prin. 
cipal barons, who had their duke in ward, to 
deliver him up to the king of France when 
he should be of a proper ago. These ob- 
ligations being written and sealed, the duko 
of Orleans had them in charge, anu '^ZillTig 
leave of the barons departed from Pontor- 
son, on his return to Paris, and related to the 
king, his brother, all that had passed 
+ It was known in England, that the 
French, by their King's command, had 
strongly reinforced, and re-victualled all the 
towns, castles, and forts in Picardy, and on 
the borders of the Boulonois, and had closed 
the river Somme, so that no merchandise nor 
corn could come to England, nor pass Ab. 
beville. Themcichantsof the two countries, 
who were used freely to visit each, were 
now afraid of doing so ; and those on the 
borders of Calais and Guisnes were ruined, 
although there were not any hostilities com- 
menced, for orders to that effect had not 
been given. The king of England was ad- 
vised by his council to be on lus guard ; for 
the French, they said, were making great 
preparations of ships at Harfleur,and plain- 
ly showed they were inclined for war. The 
count de Saint Pol and the lord Charles d'- 
Albreth were appointed commanders ; and 
it was to be supposed, that if the carls of 
Huntingdon and Salisbury were alive, they 
would have crossed the sea, for they had 
many connections in England. They added, 
" Sire, so long as Richard of Bordeaux lives, the country will never 
have peace." " I believe what you say may be true," replied the 
king ; " but, with regard to me, I will never put him to death. I 
have given him my word, that no bodily barm shall befal him ; and 
I will keep my promise, until it shall appear that he enters into any 
plots against me." " Sire," answered the knights, " his death would be 
more to your advantage than his life ; for, so long as the French 
know he is alive, they will exert themselves to make war against you, 
in the hope of replacing him on the throne, on account of his having 
married the daughter of their king." The king of England made 
no reply, but leaving them in conversation, went to his falconers, and, 
placing a falcon on his wrist, forgot all in feeding him. 



CHAPTER CXXI. 



THE DEATH OF KING RICHARD. THE TRUCES ARE RENEWED AND KEPT 
BETWEEN FRANCE AND ENGLAMD. THE EARL-MARSHAL, WHO HAD BEEN 
BANISHED ENGLAND, DIES AT VENICE. 

It was not long after this that a true report was current in London 
of the death of Richard of Bordeaux. I could not learn the particu- 
lars of it, nor how it happened, the day I wrote these chronicles.* 
Richard of Bordeaux, when dead, was placed on a litter covered with 
black, and a canopy of the same. Four black horses were harnessed 
to it, and two varlets in mourning conducted the litter, followed by 
four knights dressed also in mourning. Thus they left the Tower of 
London, where he had died, and paraded the streets at a foot's pace 
until they came to Cheapside, which is the greatest thoroughfare in 
the city, and there they halted for upward of two hours. More than 
twenty thousand persons, of both sexes, came to see the king, who 
lay in the litter, his head on a black cushion, and his face uncovered. 

Some pitied him, when they saw him in this state, hut others did 
not, saying he had for a long time deserved death. Now consider, 
ye kings, lords, dukes, prelates, and earls, how very changeable the 
fortunes of this world are. This king Richard reigned twenty-two 
years in greaf prosperity, and with much splendor ; tor there never 
was a king of England who expended such sums, by more than one 
hundred thousand florins, as king Richard did in keeping up his state, 
and his household establishments. I, John Froissart, canon and treas- 
urer of Chimay, know it well, for I witnessed and examined it, during 
my residence with him, for a quarter of a year. He made me good 
cheer, because in my youth I had been secretary to king Edward his 
grandfather, and the lady Philippa of Hainault, queen of England. 
When I took my leave of him at Windsor, he presented me, by 
one of his knights called sir John Golofre, a silver gilt goblet, weigh. 

* It ia not to this day ceitain whether he died by voluntary or compulsory slorration, 
or was murdered by Piers £xton.— Ed. 



624 



CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. 



ing full two marcs, filled with one hundred nobles, which were then 
of service to me, and will be so as long as I live. I am bound to pray 
to God for him, and sorry am I to write of his death ; but, as I have 
dictated and augmented this history to the utmost of my power, it 
became necessary to mention it, that what became of Mm might be 
known. 

I saw tv^o strange things in my time, though widely different. I 
was sitting at dinner in the city of Bordeaux when king Richard 
was born : it was on a Wednesday, on the point of ten o'clock At 
that hour sir Richard de Pontchardon, then marshal of Aquitaine, 
came to me and said : " Froissart, write, that it may be remembered, 
my lady the princess is brought to bed of a fine son : he is born on 
Twelfth-day, the son of a king's son, and shall be king himself" 
The gallant knight foretold tlie truth, for he was king of England 
twenty.two years ; but he did not foresee what was to be the con- 
clusion of his life. When king Richard was born, his father was in 
Galicia, which don Pedro had given him to conquer : a curious thing 
happened, on my first going to England, which 1 have much thought 
on since. I was in the service of queen Philippa, and, when she ac- 
companied king Edward and the royal family, to take leave of the 
prince and princess of Wales, at Berkhampstead, on their departure 
for Aquitaine, I heard an ancient knight, in conversation with some 
Jadies, say, " We have a book called Brut,* that declares neither the 
prince of Wales, dukes of Clarence, York, nor Gloucester, will be 
kings of England, but the descendants of the duke of Lancaster. 
Now I, the autlior of this history, say that, considering all things, 
these two knights, sir Richard de Pontchardon, and sir Bartholomew 
Butghersh, in what they said, were both in the right, for all the world 
saw Richard reign for twenty-two years in England, and saw the 
crown then fall to the house of Lancaster. King Henry would never 
have been king, on the conditions you have heard, if his cousin, 
Richard, had treated him in the friendly manner he ought to have 
done. The Londoners took his part for the wrongs the king had 
done him and his children, whom they much compassionated. 

When the funeral car of king Richard had remained in Cheapside 
two hours, it was conducted forward, in the same order as before, 
out of the town. The four knights then mounted their horses, which 
were waiting for them, and continued their journey with the body 
until they came to a village, where there is a royal mansion, called 
Langley, thirty miles from London. There king Richard was in- 
terred : God pardon his sins, and have mercy on his soul ! 

News was spread abroad that king Richard was dead. This had 
been expected some time ; for it was well known he would never 
come out of the Tower alive. His death was concealed from his 
queen, as orders had been given for that purpose, which were pru- 
dently obeyed for a considerable time. All these transactions were 
perfectly well known in France ; and such knights and squires as 
wished for war, looked every moment for orders to attack the fron- 
tiers. The councils, however, of both kingdoms, thought it would 
be for the advantage of the two countries that the truces should be 
renewed, and for this end different negotiators went to the neigh- 
bourhood of Calais. The king of France was not in good health, 
nor ever had been since he heard of the misfortunes of his son-in. 
law, Richard ; and his disorder was greatly increased when he was 
told of his death. 

The duke of Burgundy took the chief government of the realm ; 
he came to Saint Oraer and Bourbourg, where were the duke of 
Bourbon, the lord Charles d'Albreth, sir Charles de Hangiers, sir John 
de Chateaumorant, and such prelates as the patriarch of Jerusalem, 
•he bishops of Paris and Beauvais. On the part of England were 
the earls of Northumberland, Rutland and Devonshire, Sir Henry 

* Tlie romance of Brut by Robert Wall.— Ed. 



Percy, son to the earl of Northumberland, sir Evan Fitzwarren, and 
the bishops of Winchester and Ely. The French proposed having 
the queen of England delivered to them, but the English would not 
listen to it, saying they would gladly have her reside in England oit 
her dower, and that if she had lost her husband, they would provide 
her another, who should be young and handsome, and whom she 
would love. Richard of Bordeaux was too old for her, and the persoa 
they should offer was suitable in every respect, being no other than 
the prince of Wales, eldest son to king Henry. The French would 
not agree to this, for they dared not come to any final conclusion in 
this matter without the consent of the king her father. He was now 
in a very bad state, and much weakened in his constitution, for there 
had not been found any physician who could conquer his disorder. 
The treaty was therefore laid aside, and the subject of the truce can- 
vassed. It was so well conducted, that it was resolved to continue 
it to the original term of thirty years, four of which were already 
gone, and it was now to last for twenty-si.x years. This was put into 
writing, and signed and sealed by those who had fidl powers so to do 
from the two kings. When this was done, they separated, and each 
party returned home. 

I have not mentioned what became of the earl-marshal, by whom 
all these late misfortunes originated, but I will now tell you. He 
was residing in Venice when he first heard that Henry of Lancaster 
was king of England, and king Richard dead, and took this news 
so grievously to heart lliat he fell sick, was put to bed, became fran- 
tic, and died. Such were the misfortunes that befel the greatest lords 
in England. 



CHAPTER CXXII. 

FBANCE TRESERVES A NEUTRALITY BETWEEN THE TOPES OF ROME ANB 
AViaNON. THE ELECTION OF THE EMPEROR ROBERT. 

In the year of grace 1399, pope Benedict, whom the French had 
formerly supported, was deposed, as well likewise the emperor of 
Germany* for his wicked deeds. The electors of the empire, and 
all the great barons of Germany rose against him, and sent him to 
Bohemia, of which country he was king. They elected emperor in 
his stead a valiant and prudent man, called Robert, duke of Hei- 
delberg, who came to Cologne, and was there crowned with the 
crown of Germany ; for those of Aix would not admit him within 
their town, nor the duke of Gueldres submit himself to his obedience, 
which angered him much. The new emperor promised to restore 
union to the church. In the mean time, the king of France nego 
tiated with the Liege men, who were determined for the Roman 
pope, and managed so well, through sir Baldwin do Mont-jardin (who 
governed in part the bishopric of Liege, and was a knight of the 
king's chamber,) that the whole country complied with the desire of 
the French king, and became neuter. > 

The Liege men sent orders to those of their clergy who were at 
Rome, that if they did not return home by a fixed day, they should 
be deprived of their benefices. On hearing this, they all came back, 
to Liege ; and pope Boniface, who lost much by this order, sent a 
legate to Germany to preach to the Liege men, and endeavor to 
make them return to their former creed. The legate dared not ad- 
vance farther than Cologne, but sent his instructions and letters to 
Liege. They read them and told the messenger, " Do not return 
hither again on the business thou art now come upon, unless thou 
shalt wish to be drowned ; for as many messengers as shall be seat 
us, so many will we throw into the Meuse." 



t WencMlaus.— E». 



END OF THE CHRONICr.ES OF Sia JOHN fROISSAET. 



INDEX, 



ABBEVFLLE, Uie town of. taken byihe French furcefi 
under sir Hugh de Chalillon, 179. 
Aberdeen, the bishop of, taken prisoner by the English at 

the lialtle of Nevil's Cross, 86. 
Acherysur Aine, the town of, in Picardy, taken by the 

English under sir Eustace d'Amhreticourt, 127. 
Achievement at arms, between t)ie lord tie lu Rochfou- 

cnolt and sir William de Montferrant, at Bordeaux. 

417. 
Acquigni. The castle of, taken by the lord de la Riviere. 

Acquitaine. the country of conquered from the English 
by the earl of Lisle, 44 ; given to the duke of Lancas- 
ter by Richard 11. and his council. 564. 

ACQuitaiie, the towns of, send embassadors to England 
to remonstrate against the girt made of the duchy to the 
duke of Lancaster, 566; succeeded in the object of 
tlieir remonstrance, 570. 

Additions to the prinied copies of Fruissort's Chronicles, 
Ijom MSS. in the Ilafud library. 94 et seq. ; 218 note ; 
270 et seti. ; 2SS note ; 288 note ; 389 ; 523 ; &40 ; 603. 

Africa, the luwn of. besieged by the duke of Bourbon, 

523 : the siege abandoned, 529. 

Agace, Gobin, conducts the English army under king 
Edward 111. to a ford on the Somme til Blanclietaque. 
previous to the battle of Crecy, 79. 

Agen, the town of, taken by the French army under the 
duke of Anjou,197. 

Aiguillon, the castle of, in Gascony, surrenders to the earl 
of Derby, 69; besieged by the duke of Normandy, 74; 
the siege abandoned by order of the king of France, 
83; taken by the Frencli. under the duke of Anjnu, 
197. 

Aire, the town of. in Artois. besieged by the Flemings in 
the interest of the king of England, 89. 

Albert, sir Terducas d', lakes offence at the conduct of the 
prince of Wales, 160: marries the lady Isabella of 
Bourbon, 171 : complains to the king of France of o 
tax the prince of Wales was about to impose upon 
the land cf himself and other lords of Gascony. ib. ; 
returns to the interest of the prince of Wales, l&l ; re- 
ceiver, the investiture of the lands of Chaumont. 309 ; 
his death, ib. 

Albert, the lord Charles d', obtain?; pennision from Charles 
VI. to quarter Uie iTeurs de lis of France alternately 
with his own nrni?, 505, 

Alencon. tlie earl ol', slain at the battle of Crecy, 82. 

Alen^on, earl Pt-ter d', returns to France from England, 
where he had been as one of the hostages for king 
John, 177. 

Alexandria, ihe town of. in Lombardy, besieged by the 
count d'Armagnac, 533; siege raised, 634. 

Abubarotc, the battie of, between the armies of Spain 
and Portugal, 380. 397. 

Aloise. the ca«tle of, in Auvergne. taken by Amerigot 
Marcel, ^@. 

St. Amand.the town of, taken by the earlof Hainault,46. 

Ambreticoiirt, sir Eustace d*. hospitably receives queen 
Isabella of England, after she had fled from Paris, 17; 
taken prisoner at the bartle of Poitiers. 103 ; re:cued 
byhwown men. 104; defeated and taken prisoner at 
the battle of Nogent-sur-Seine. 121 ; obtains his free- 
dom and tukes several towns in Champagne, 12Si; takes 
the town of Achery-sur-Aine, in Picardy. 127 ; com- 
mits great devastations in Picardy, 129; made prisoner 
and ransomed in Limousin, 202 ; dies at Carentan, in 
Normandy, ib. 

Ambrettcourt, lir John d', appointed embassador to the 
king efCasiille. 449; on his return from Gahcia, goes 
to Paris, to accomphsh a deed of arms. 451. 

Amurat, the Turkish commander, defeated by the Hun- 
garians, 389; invades Hungary a second time. 544. 

Ancbin, Pcfcr d*, takes the town of Orligas, 361 ; sells it 
for 8000 francs. 362. 

Andreehen, sir Arnold d*. captured nt the battle of Poi- 
tiers, 104; advises Henry, king of Castilie, not to ha- 
zard a battle with the prince of Wales, 165; captured 
at the battle of Navaretta. 167. 

Andreghien, the castle of, belongine to the earl of Flan- 
ders, burnt and piUaeed by tlie Whitehoods, under 
John Lyon, 254. 

St. Andrews, the bishop of, taken prisoner at the battle of 
Nevil's Cross. 86. 

Anghein, the lord d'. takes the town of Grammont. in 
Flandcr-., for the eari, 291 ; slain before Ghent, 291. 

Angle, bir Guiscard d*, appointed marshal ofGuienne, 
138 ; travels through France to Acquitaine in disguise, 
173; created a knight of the garter, 207; captured by 
the Spaniards before La Roclielle, 209 ; ransomed, 230 ; 
appointed tutor to Richard the Second. 234; dies in 
London. 262, 289. 

Angouleme. xhe town of. taken by the earl of Derby, 71 ; 
by the duke of Normandy, 74; surrenders a second 
time to the Frencli, 212. 

Anjou,the duke of, left as a hostage for the payment of 
the ransom of John of France, 133 ; breaks his parole, 
139; eunimona his vassals to make war on the prince 
of Wales in Acquitaine, 179; heads an army against 
Guienne, 197 ; breaks up his expedition, 199 ; leads an 
anny into Upper Gascony. 230; takes the town of 
Lourde, ib. ; makes a truce with the duke of Lancas- 
ter, 220 ; takes sereral placei in Upper Gascony, 231 ; 



undertakes an expedition ngainstthe English in the 
Bordeloi3,227; takes the town of Bergerac, 229; takes 
several other phices in Gascony, 230: etseq.; returns 
to Toulouse, 231 ; collects another army against the 
English, 238; makes war on Brittany, 248; receives 
the territories of the queen of Naples asaciftfrom 
pope Clement, 2.50; seizes the jewels of his brother 
king Charles the Fifth. 2R8; seizes the government of 
France as regent during the minority of Charles the 
Sixth, ib, ; makes preparations to march for Naples, 
293 ; sets out for Italy. '^ ; enters Naples. 297 ; dies at 
a castle near Naples, S40 ; takes Malvoisin, 364 ; * be- 
sieges Lourde, but being unable to take the castle, he 
bums the town and retreats, 366. 

Anjou, madame d', queen of Naples, advised, on the 
death of her husband, the duke of Anjou, to solicit 
the pope for possession of Provence, 340; urges lier 
claims to this country, 343; makes her public entry 
into Paris in company with her son Lewis of Anjou, 
king of Sicily, &.C.. 472; institutes a lawsuit in the 
courts of Paris against sir Peter Craon,575; obtains 
judgment against him, 577. 

Aniou, Lewis of son of the duke of Anjou, makes his 
public entry into Paris as king of Sicily, &c., 472; sets 
out from Avignon to Arragon.497; marries the daugh- 
ter of tlie king of Arragon, '^; embarks with his 
young bride for Sicily, ib. 

Anne, of Bohemia, scUi out for England, 295 ; married to 
Richard the Second, ib. ; her denth. 

Annequin. sir Kal.i«-ir. a*, captured by sir Bartholomew 
Burghersh, ISK. 

Apolocue, delivered to the cardinals respecting the pa- 
pacy, by friar John de la Rocbetaillade. 380. 

Appearances, wonderful, in the heavens, seen by the army 
of Philip von Artaveld on the eve of the battle of 
Rosebecque, 319. 

Arilembourg, the town of. taken by the men of Ghent. 
323 ; narrowly escapes being taken a second time by 
them. 346. 

Ardres. the town of in Picardy, attacked ineffectually by 
the Frenrh f()rces. 182; surrenders to the duke of Bur- 
gundy. 225. 

Ardvick, the castle of. iu Picardy. taken by the duke of 
Burgundy, 225. 

Armagnac, the lord of, complains to the king of France 
of a lax the prince of Wales was about to impose 
upon tlie lands of himself and other lords of Gascony, 
171. 

Armagnac. the count d', obtains the remission of sixty 
thousand francs of his ransom of the count de Foix. 
at the intercession of the princess of Wales. 360; en- 
deavors to prevail on the free companies to sell tlieir 
forts, 453; is thwarted by the countde F»ix, 453; leads 
an army into Lombardy agninst the duke of Milan, 
511 ; applies to sir John Hawkwood for his assistance, 
532: besieges Alexandria. 532: his death. 533. 

Armagnac, sir Bernard d', does homage to the king of 
France, 544. 

Arnaut, sir Peter, appointed governor of Lourde, in Gas- 
cony, 361 ; murdered by the count de Foix, 367. 

Arragon, the king of, promises to assist king Henry of 
Castilie against don Pedro, and the prince of Wales, 
157: his death, 415. 

Arras, a conference held there with the view of bringing 
about a peace between the king* of France and Eng- 
land. 48. 

Artaveld, Jacob von, a citizen of Ghent, governs all 
Flanders, 30 ; sends embassadors to Edward the Third, 
to invite him over, 31 : joins the earl of Hainault with 
a large army before Thin-rEvcque. 41 ; attempts to 
disinherit Ihe enrl of Flanders, and to give the coun- 
try to the king of England. 72; murdered at Ghent. 72. 

Artaveld, Philip von, son of the above, appointed jov- 
emnr uf Gheot, 281 ; leads the men of Ghent to ottack 
the earl of Flandera at Bruges, 303; deteais the earl, 
and takes Bruges, 304 ; returns to Ghent in great state, 
306; besieges Oudenarde, 307; writes to the king of 
France to solicit his interference to make peace be- 
tween the country of Flanders and the earl. 309 ; his 
letters treated with contempt, 309; imprisons a mes- 
senger from the king of France. 311 ; his answer to the 
letters he had brought him, ib. ; takes measures to 
guard the passes of the country against the army of 
the king ofFmnce, 312; after the defeat of Peter du 
Bois, collects a force to oppose the king of France in 



♦ It may not be improper to observe here, once for all, 
upon a circumstance which doubtless excites the surprise 
of the reader, that in this instance, as welt as several oth- 
ers in different parti of the Index, events are inserted sub- 
sequently to the account of the death of the agent. This 
has arisen unavoidably from the manner in which Frois- 
sart composed his history, and from new and additional 
information communicated to him many years after he 
had completed the former part of his work, and had men- 
tioned the death of the person to whom such infcruation 
related. But it was considered tlmt it wuuM have been 
a vain and fruitless attempt to rectify this imperfection ; tt 
has, therefore, been deemed advisable to leave things a& 
they were found, and to insert the events selected for the 
Index in the order and rotation in which they appear no- 
ticed by the author hiinielf, 



person, 317 ; defeated and slain at tho battle of Roie- 
becque, 321. 

Artois, lord James d'. captured at the boltle of Poitiers. 
104. 

Artois, lord John d', captured at the battle of Poitiers, 104. 

Artois. lord Philip d'. marries the lody Maryof Beny, 
and is appointed coiiiitnble of France. 559. 

Artois, tlie lord Roliert <i'. beftiends l3nl>ella. queen of Ed- 
ward the Second, after she had been commanded to 
quit France, 16 ; is himself banished by king Philip, 
27; takes refuge in England, and is created earlof 

1, Richmond, 28; sent into Brittany to oid the countes* 
of Montford against the lord Charles of Blois. 61 ; en- 
gages the lord Lewis of Spain at sea, 62; lands in 
Brittany, 62; takes the town of Vannes, 62; is be- 
sieged in it, 62 ; killed, ib. 

Arundel, the eari of, besieged with king Edward the Se- 
cond in Bristol by the queen's forces, 18 ; condemned 
to death and beheaded, 18. 

Arundel, Richard earl of. defeats the Flemish fleet under sir 
John le Bucq,4]9; appointed to the command of a 
naval expedition, 4tj8; lands near la Rochelle. 473; de- 
feats the Rochellersin a skirmish, 474; lands in Nor- 
mandy, and overruns the country. 474; returns to 
Southampton. 491 ; joins the duke of Glocester m faia 
attempts to excite disturbances in England, 594; com- 
mitted to the Tower. COl ; beheaded. 602. 

Arundel, sir John, Jieads an armament against France, 
and lands at Cherbourg, 238 : sent with a force to the 
assistance of the duke of Brittany, 258; perishes at 
sea, 'ib. 

Asai, Guy d', Stewart of Toulouse, endeavors to prevent 
the free companies from entering France, on their re- 
turn from Spain, 158 ; is defeated by tliein before Mon- 
tauban, and made prisoner, 159. 

Assembly, of the lords of England and France, held at 
Amiens, to treat of a peace between the two coun- 
tries, 542; breaks up without having acconiplished the 
object of its meeting. 544. 

Assembly, held at Rheims by the king of France ond the 
emperor of Germany, to consult on measures to put 
an end to the schism in the church. 561. 

Assueton. sir John, a Scots knight, performs a gallant 
deed of arms at Noyun. 198. 

Athenis. the town of taken from the English by the duka 
of Normandy. 74. 

Athens, the duke of, slain at the battle of Poitiers, 105. 

Atiemen, Francis, a citizen of Ghent, surprises the town 
of Oudenarde. 333: defeats a pariy of the French at 
Ardembourg. 343; makes an unsuccessful attempt to 
take Ardembourg. 346 ; murdered at Ghent, 403. 

Attigny, the town of, in Champagne, taken by sir Eustace 
d'Ambreticourt, 122. 

Aubenton, the town of. taken by the eari of Hainault, 39. 

Auberoche. the town of. in Pengord, taken by the earl of 
Derby, 67 ; retaken by the duke of Anjou, 230. 

Aubriot. Hugh, liberated by the insurgents at Paris. 293. 

Audley. sir James, handsomely rewarded by the prince of 
Wales for his conduct at the battle of Poitiers. 106 ; hu 
generosity to his squires, 107 ; his death. 187. 

Audley. sir Peter, makes an ineffectual attempt to take the 
town of Chalons. 187. 

Avesbury, Robert of, his history of the progress of Eld 
ward the Third in Normandy. 78 ; note. 

Aulnay, the town of, in Poitou, taken by the earl of Der 
by,&I. 

Auroy. the castle of in Brittany, taken by the lord Charles 
of Blois, 58 ; taken by the lord John de Montford, 152 ; 
surrenders to the French forces, 226. 

Auray. the battle of, between the lord John de Montford 
and the lord Charles of Blois. 150. 

Austarde. Wantuire, commands a troop of the free com- 
panies at KouHebois. 142. 

Auterme. Roger d", bailitT of Ghent, murdered by the 
Whiteboods. 233. 

Auterme, Oliver d'. revenges himself on the men of Ghent 
fortbe murder of his brother. 260; banished from Flan- 
ders. 261. 

Auxerre, the earl of, slain at the battle of Crecy, 83. 

Au,verTe, the earl of. captured at the battle of Auray. ISO; 
imprisoned on account of his alliance with don Henry 
of Castilie. 169. 

Aymery, sir John, captured by the French, 373 ; slain at 
Sancerre, 373. 



B. 



Bacon, a robber in Languedoe, takes the castle of Co- 
boume, in Liinousin. and does other mischief, 92. 

Bailleul, sir William de, defeated In a skirmish at Pont ^ 
Treswn. 46. 

Bojarct. the sultan, raises a large force to oppose the king 
of Hungary and .Tohn of Burgundy, who had invaded 
Turkey. 581; marches for Nicopoli. 587; defeats tlie 
combined Christian nrmies with great slaughter. 588; 
puts his prisoners, with very few exceptions, to death, 
589 ; disbands his army, 501 ; a singular instance of hu 
justice. 598. 

Ball. John, a refractory priest, excites the people to rebell- 
ion, 283; enters London at their bead, 2S6; taken and 
beheaded, 288. 



626 



INDEX. 



BaioD, the castle of. in ADverene, taken by Amerigot Mar- 

ccl ^8 
Baifleur, the toxvn of. in Normandy, token by Edward the 

BanT!'."si'r Bariois de (with other French knights,) goes 
to the assistance of the king of Cast.lle S9 ; enters 
Corunna to defend it ogainst Uie duke of Lancaster. 
400 : acquires great wealth by destroying the country 
before the English army. 403. , , c 

St Basile, the castle of, in Gascony. taken by the earl ol 
Derby 69 ; retaken by the duke of Aniou. 363. 

Bassere, La. the castle of. taken by the French under sir 
Woller de Passac. 3W. - . . r 

Batefol sir Seguin de. chosen commander of a band ol 
freebooters in Gascony. lU : takes the city of Brioude. 
in Auvergne. 137. , . ■ . i. 

Battle, the noted, between Uurly Bretons and thirty Eng- 
hsh. note, 92. .... 3 , 

Bayeux. the city of. taken by Die French under the lord de 

Bayonne. the town of. besieged by the king of CasliUe, 238 ; 
taken by the dnke of Lancaster. 410. 

Beam. Peter de. his strange dreams. 371. 

Beamois, Perrot le. captain of some free companies, takes 
the town of Montfcrrant. ui Auvergne. by stralagera, 
462 ■ abandons it. and retires to his forts. 4tM ; takes the 
field by order of the duke of Arundel. 473 : overruns 
the country of Berry, 473. 

Beaufort, the cardinal de. elected pope, under the name ol 
Gregory the Eleventh. 202. . , ■ r 

Beaulieu. William de. captured by the English garrison of 
Cherbourg. 248. , 1 . 

Beaumanoir. the lord of endeavors <» ""k^ peace be- 
tween the lord Jolin de Montford and the lord Charles 
of Blois. 130. . „ J ■ 

Beaumont, sir Henry, takes Edward the Second prisoner, 
while endeavoring to escape from Bristol. IS. 

Beaumont-eii-Lnilluis. the town of. taken by the earl of 

BeauvS'tJie country of. invaded by tlie English, under 

Edward the Third. 79. c. „„i. 

Becherel. the town of. in Brittany, besieged by the French 

under the lord de Clissou.SlS; surrenders on terms, 

i^fV— 221 
Bel. John le. his chronicles adopted by Froissart. as the 

foundation of his own. 14. 
Belleperche, the town of, taken by the firee companies in 

ih^hiterestoftbe princ90f Wales. 186; retaken by the 

duke of Bourbon. 196. _ ^ , 

Benedict, pope, elected at Avignon. 563 •, forced to resign 

his dignity, by the king of France and the emperor of 

Germany. 609 ; deposed. 624. 
Benon. the town of. taken by the English under the earl 

of Derby. 84; retaken by sir Bertrand du Gueschn, 

Berferac, the town of. taken by the earl of Derby. 66 ; re- 
taken by the duke of Anjou. 229. ,.,„„„fp„;. 
Berkeley. Thomas, lord of. captured at tlie battle of Poi- 

BetlerUiMown of, taken by the forces of the king of Na- 

BeiryTo'hn'duko of, returns to France f™'" En|'and 
where he had been a hostage for king John. 17' • eol 
ferts his vassals to make war on the prince of Wales 
rlouitaine 179; invades Limousin. 197 ; takes the 
t"wtof Umiges 199; takes the town of St. Severe, 
rsaintonge, 211 ; appointed governor of Languedoc 
m: betrothes his daughter to the son of the count de 
Blois, 342; besieges the castle of Ventadour 401 . en_ 
JeaUrs towinover the duke of Brittany to the French 
interest 46o; proposes to marry the daughter of the 
dutLof i^ncaster, 468 ; having failed, he sends to the 
count de Folic, to demand his ward, the daughter of 
the count de Boulogne, in marriage 489; is married to 
her 493; accompanies the king of France m his visit 
to the pope at Avignon. 498 ; claims the liberation of 
his agent Bethisac, who was under prosecution for 
jnal-administration, 602. ■ .t , j 

Berry, John of. son of the dnke of Berry, ™»"'es the lady 
Mary of France, sister of Charles the Sixth, «5. 

Berry, the duchess of, petitions her husband in behalf of 
■ i the lor.i de la Kiviere, 654 ; supports the lord de la Ri- 
viere in opposition to the duchess of Burgundy, 6ijB. 

Bersat. the town of. taken by the Enelish m 

Berwick, the castle of. taken by Edward the Third 27 
takeA by the Scots, 233; retaken by the earl of ^or- 
thumberland, S33. ,1,. p„,li.l, 

Bessenghen. the fort of. in Gascony, taken by the English 
undersirTlioinasTrivet,243. .ur,i,„„ 

Bete, sir Symon. aciti«:n of Ghent, put to death for hav_ 
jng endeavored to make peace between Uiattown and 
the earl of Flanders. 292. ., ,, rn„™ 

Bethisac John. Ow confidential agent of the duke of Berry 
in Toulouse, tried at Bezieis for mal-adramistration, 
50a , having confessed himself guilty of heresy, &c., he 
is burnt to death, 603. „ . „ 

Bethune, sir Robert de. takes tn. fort ol La Roche Van- 

Blanche'taqu'e, the battle of. between the ting of England 
and sir Godemar du Fay. 79. 

Blancqucfort, Henry de. brother of Uie einvwror of Ger- 
many, forcibly marries Margaret of Huneary. who 
had been betrothed to Louis de Valois. 350. 

Blayes. the town of. besieged by the earl ol Derby. 71. 

BloL the earl of. slain at the battle of Cressy. ffl. 

BoSo'd Charles of. claims the duchy of Brittany. 51 ; 
declared the lawful duke ot Brittany b> the parlia- 
ment of Paris. 61 ; enters Brittany with a large force 
• Lj K. ihe km- of France. 63; conquers several 
assisted by ""» '^'?" m takes his adversary, the earl 
"fT„?f.,, nrisone;^ Uk^ >l* towncf Kenne., 
"J'S^Siocrn^of Montfort .n Hennebon, 



56 ; takes the castle of Auray. 68 ; takes the town of 
Vannes by storm, 68 ; takes tlie town of Carhaix. 59 ; 
obtains possession of the town of Jugon by treachery. 
60 ; enters into a t^uce with the countess of ftlontfort. 
60 ; besieges La Roche d'Errien. 88 ; taken prisoner by 
the forces of the countess, 88 ; sent to England, 93 ; re- 
turns to France, HI ; raises an army to oppose lord 
John de Montfort. 148 ; killed at the battle of Auray, 
151 ; canonized by Urban the Fifth, 151. 
Blois. Guy. countde. returns from England, where he had 
been hostage for king John. 177; joins the king of 
France against England. 196 ; sells the reversion of the 
county of Blois to the duke of Tourame. 641 ; dies 
at Avenues, in llainault. 601. 
Blois, John of, marries the widow of William, count of 

Juliets. 455 ; his death. 455. 
Blois. lord Lewis of. marries the lady Mary of Berry. 465 ; 

dies in llainault. 536. 
Blois. the county of. the reversion of it sold to the duke of 

Touraine. 541. 
Blondeau. sir John, surrenders the castle of Roche-sur- 
yon to the duke of Cambridge, 186 ; put to death in 
consequence, 186. . 

Bodenay. sir Thoobold de. captured at the battle of Poi- 
tiers. 105. ^ , ■ „ 
Bohemia. Charles of Luxumbourg, king of, slam at the 

battle of Crecy, 83. 
Bois. Peter du. a citizen of Ghent, chosen one of the com- 
manders of the Whitehoods in that city. 255 ; nar- 
rowly escapes being put to death. 280 ; besieges Cour- 
tray 280; obtains the appointment of Philip von 
Artaveld to be governor of Ghent. 281 ; deliinds the 
pass ofCommines against the army of tlie king of 
France, 314; defeated, with great slaughter. 316; pre- 
veiiU the town of Bruges from surrendering to tlie 
king of France. 319 ; retreats to Ghent after the defeat 
of Philip von Artaveld. 333; encourages the men of 
Ghent to withstand the army of the king of France. 
323; after a peace being concluded between the duke 
of Burenndv. as heir of Flanders, and the men of 
Ghent, he retires to England, 3S8. 
Ronil'ace IX. elected pope by the cardinals of Rome. 506 ; 
sends a learned friar to the king of France to endeavor 
to goin him over to his interest. 545. 
Bonneval. the castle of. taken by the earl of Derby. 67. 
Bordeaux, the town of. besieged by the French under the 

earl of Lisle. 44. 
Bordeaux, the archbishop of. imprisoned at Barcelona. 

415; liberated. 416. 
Bordes. sir William de. captured by the ganison of Llier- 

Bnlelei'.'^si'r Jolin, of Warrington, captured at Roche Pe- 
rion, 59 ; narrowly escapes being put to death. 60. 

Boucicault. the lord of. taken prisoner at Romorantm by 
the prmce of Wales. 101 ; appointed to the command 
of an expedition ogninst the king of Navarre. 143; 
takes the town of Mantes by stratogem, 143 ; takes the 
town of Meulan, ib. , t^ , 

Boucicaut, sir. the younger, with two other French 
knights, holds a tournament near Calais against all 

Bouc'icantthe'lord. taken prisoner by the Turks at the 
battle of Nicopoli.588; obtains his ransoni, W9; ar- 
rives at Venice. 600; opoointed marslial of France. 
601 • obliges pope Benedict to submit to the emperor 
of Germany and the king of France, 609; sent to 
Hungary against the Turks, ib. 

Boule, John, a citizen of Ghent, appointed one of the ' "P- 
tains of the Whitehoods in Uiat cily, 3oo : put to death 
by the men of Ghent, 277. ..,.., 

Bourbon, lord John de. earl of March, appointed to liie 
command of an army, to go mto Spam against Don 

Bourbon!sir James de. captured by the English at the bat- 
tie of Poitiers. 105 ; sent by the king of Prance to op- 
pose the free companies. 135; completely deleated by 
them at the battle of Brignais. 13b; his death, ib^ 

Bourbon, duke Peter de, slain at the battle of Poi lers, 10a. 

Bourbon duke Louis de, takes the castle of Belleperche 
196 heads an army into Poitou and Limousin. SM , 
takes Monllieu in Saintonge, ib. ; besieges Tadle- 
bonrg. ib. ; takes Verteuil and returns to Pans KO, 
appointed to the command of an army to assist the 
kill, of CastiUe against tlie duke of Lancaster. 418 , 
arrives at Burgos. 451 ; returns to France, ib- : ™ag- 
S ficient" entertained by the count de Foix, 452; ap- 
p^iScommander-in-chief of an expedition agains 
Ba bary,514; embarks at Genoa, ib. ; lands with his 
artiy before the town of Africa, which he besieges 
5^ hU army suffers from the heat and insalubrity of 
the'chmate. 635; abandons the siege and returns to 
France 629; makes an iiicffectual attempt to gain 
oJer th^ towns of Aquitaine. during the imprisotiment 
of king Richard tl,e Second, in the tower.^. 

Bou°chier:sir John, appointed governor ot Ghent, 340; 
retires to England, 358. „ ,. , . .u^ 

Bourdellles. the Town of. taken by the English under the 
duke of CnmbriJge. 185. r„~.l.« 

Ronmezel sir Peter, lord de, sent on an embassy from Uie 
k™g of France to the king of Scotland, 246; arrested 
aJsluys by order of the earl of Flanders, ,b. ; returns 
to Paris. 247. , , „ , o.- 

Boutville. the town of. taken by the French, S4a. 

Bnbant, the duke of. joins the ^^l^^^'tZ'^o^theA^e 
bray 34; purchases thteecastles belonging totbe duke 
of Gueldres.436; appointed chief of the Languefr.de 
ib.; invades the country of Juliers 4o7 ; defeated and 
taken prisoner by the dukes of Juliets and Gueldres. 
4S7 • obtains hu liberty. 457 ; his death. 4o8. 

Brabant, the duchess of. fornts a marriage between the 
chUdren of Burgundy and those of HamQ.ilt. 341^ 
causes the daughter of duke Stephen of Bavaria to be 



brought to France to be married to Charles the 3bcth, 
347; applies to the emperor to interest himself to ob- 
tain the litieration of her husband from the duke of 
Juliets. 457 ; sends embassadors to solicit the assistance 
of France against the duke of Gueldres, 458 ; beiseges 
Grave, 468 ; makes peace with the duke of Gueldres, 488. 
Brabanters, the. besiege Grave. 468; defeated with great 
slaughter at the bridge of Ravestein. 476 ; abandon Uie 
siege of Grave. 476 ; retuse to permit the king of France 
and bis army to inarch through their country. 477. 
Bramber. sir Nicholas, beheaded by order of the duke of 

Gloucester, fcc.. 446. 
Brantome. the town of, taken by sir Bertrand du Gues- 

cliu. 301. 
Brest, the castle of. taken by the earl of Montfort as duk« 
of Brittany. 49; besieged by the French under sir Ber- 
trand du Guesclin.3I7 ; succored by the earl of Salis- 
bury, 217 : besieged by sir Oliver de Clisson, 237 ; b* 
sieged a second time by him, 3&1. 
BreteuiJ, tlie castle of, taken by the king of France. 100 
Breuse. the viscount de. captured by the prince of Wales 

at the battle of Poitiers. 101. 
Brian, sir Guy, defeats a Flemish fleet off the isle of Bas, 

on the coast of Brittany. 205- 
Brignais. the battle of. between lord James of Bourbon 

and the freebooters. 135. 
Brignais. Uie castle of. taken by the freebooting compa- 
nies. 135. 
Brimeu. Uie lord de, taken prisoner by the English near 

Arras, 264. 
Brioude. the town of. taken by sir Seguin Batefol, 137 ; 

surrenders to the French, 375. 
Bristol, besieged by Isabella, queen of Edward the Se- 
cond, to obtain possession of her husband and Uie two 
sir Hugh Spencers, 17 ; surrenders to her forces, 18. 
BriUany, John duke of. his deaUi. 48. 
Brittany, duke of. Vide Montfort, Jolin de. 
Brittany, John of, son of the lord Charles of Blois. obtains 
his ransom, after having been long imprisoned in Eng- 
land. 451 ; marries the daughter of Sir Oliver de Clis 
son, ib. 
Brittany, the lords of. undertake the wardship ofUieir 
young duke, on the death of Ins father John de Mont- 
fort. 6-23. 
Brittany, the duchy of. aibudged to the lord Charles of 

Blois by tlie parliament of Paris. 61. 
Bruce. Robert, king of Scotland, defeats the English un- 
der Edward the Second, nt the battle of Bannock- 
bum. 15 ; sends a defiance to Edward the Third, 19 ; 
invades England. 20 ; his dying request to lord James 
Douglas, 24 ; his death, ib, 
Bruce, David, king of Scotland, dies at Edinburgh, 216. 
Bruges, the town of. enters into an alliance with the men 
of Ghent. 255 ; taken by the men of Ghent. 804 ; its 
gates and walls demolished. 306 ; submits to the mercy 
of the king of France, after the defeat of the men of 
Ghent under Philip von .\rlaveld. 323. 
Brunes, lord Bartholomew de, captured at the battle of 

Poitiers, 105. 
Brux, the town of, taken by Oie English under sir James 

Audlcv. IfS. 
Buch. the captal of, defeats Uie infamous Jacquerie of 
BeauvoisLs, wiUi great slaughter, 113 ; takes Uie town 
of Clermont, in Beauvoisis. 117 ; joins the king of 
Navarre, 142 ; captured at the battle of Cocherel, in 
Normandy, 143 ; makes peace between Uie kings of 
and Navarre, and obtains his liberty. 153 ; prevents the 
town of Linde from being given up to the French, 
197 ; taken by the French at Soubise, 213 ; imprisoned 
in the Temple at Paris, 213 ; his deoUi. 225. 
Buckingham, the earl of. appointed to the command of 
an army to go to the assistance of Uie duke of Brit- 
tany 263 ; arrives at Calais, and marches into France, 
263; burns and despoils the country of Champagne, 
365 : overruns Uie countries of Gatinois and Beauce. 
267 '; crosses the Sarthe wiUi great difficulty. 268; ar- 
rives at Vannes, in Brittany, greatly dissatisfied wiUi 
the conduct of the duke of Brittany, 270; besieges 
Nantes, 371 ; remonstrates with the duke of BritUny 
for not having joined him, 272 ; raises Uie siege of 
Nantes. 273; arrives at Vannes, 273 : returns to Eng- 
land in disgust, 276: suspected of favoring the rebel- 
lion of Wat Tyler and Jack Straw. 381; created 
duke of Gloucester. 414. (For the remaining parUcu- 
lars of this prince, see Gloucestkr. DfKit of.) 
Bucq. sir John de. admiral of Flanders, defeated and cap 
lnre<l by the English fleet under the earl of Arundel, 
419; dies in London. 420. 
Budes. Silvester, mokes war on the Romans on Uie beliaU 

of pope Clement. 349 ; beheaded at Mascon. 350. 
BufBere, Uie lord Pierre de, captured at the battle of Poi- 
tiers, 105. 
Burghersh, sir BarUiolomew, takes the cnsUe of Connicy 

°inChampiignc, 128. . 

Buroundy. Philip duke of, enters into a composiuon with 
"Edward the Third to spare his duchy, in his march 
Uirough France. 129: his death. 137. , j i. „<• 

Burgundy. Plnlip (son of king John ot France) duke of, 
Ts ere 1.100,146; sent against U.e f'^e companies into 
Caux &C..146; takes Uie castle of Miircheville, and 
sevml other paces in Beauce, 147, et ««1-; '"vaj« 
.reat part of the country of Montbelhard 148 ; tak« 
The town of La Charity, ib.; .names the daughter of 
the carl uf Flanders, 183 ; appointed .ojhe commarvl 
of an a.ma.neat againt England, 186; ordered to 
^arch against tlie duke of Lancaster at Calais, 187; 
XsAe"o"vnsof Aidres and Ardvick. W: makes 
™i between the earl of Flnndeis and O^erMnot 
Ghenl 2SI: appointed governor of Picardy. 270: m- 
siiealii Uie king of France to make war on Flandere. 
307 ; sende succors to the earl of Flsnders to oppow 



the bishop of Nonvich. 330 ; obtains the towns of 
Sluys io exchange for the country- of Bethune. 348; 
makes peace u-ith tJie men of Ghent, 356 ; sends forces 
to the assistance of tho ducheas of Bmbant, against 
the duke of GuelUres. 460 ; goes to Blois to meet the 
■ duke of Brittany. 471 ; accompanies the king of France 
in his visit to the pope, at Avignon. 498; ordered to 
return, to his great dissaiisfaction, 499 ; appointed re- 
gent of France durin? the derangement of Charles the 
Sixth, 551; treats sir Oliver deClisson, tlie constable 
of France, harshly, 553; arrests several of the king's 
council, 553. 

Burgundy, John of. son of the duke of Burgundy, ap- 
pointed commander-in-chief of an expedition against 
the Turks, 575 ; crosses the Danube with a large force, 
in company with the kins of Hungary. 578 ; takes by 
storm the town of Comecte. 578; besieges Nicopoli, 
581; defeated by the Turkish army under the sultan 
Bajazet, 5S8 ; taken prisoner, 589 ; obtains his ransom, 
599; returns to France, 601. 

Burley. sir Simon, taken by the French, ISO ; sent to ne- 
gotiate a marriage between Kichard the Second and 
the daughter of Charles ofBohemia. emperor of Ger- 
many, 258; advises the removal of tlie slirine of St. 
Thomas from Canterbury to Dover cattle, by which 
he gives great offence, 412 ; committed to tlie Tower 
by order of the commissioners of accounts, appointed 
to examine into his conduct during his administration, 
441 ; beheaded, 441. 

Burley, sir Richard, son of the above, dies in Castille, 442, 
450. 

c. 

Cadillac, the town of, taken by storm, 231 

Cadsant, the island of, taken by the English, 31. 

Caen, the battle of, 77. 

Caen, the town of, taken by Edward the Tliird, 77. 

Cahors, the town of, turns to the French interest, 181. 

Cahours, Raoul de. defeats the English under sir Thomas 
Daggeworth m Brittany, 97. 

Calais, the battle of. between the English and French for- 
ces. 93. 

Calais, the town of, besieged by Edward the Third, 83; 

surrenders to him, 90. 
.^alverly. sir Hugh, joins tlie prince of Wales in Acqui- 
taine with a large body of the free coniparnes, 180; 
endeavoi-s to dissuade the bishop of Norwit-h from en- 
tering Flanders with the forces under his command, 
327. 

Cambray, the city of, besieged by Edward the Tiiird, 34. 

C'lmbridge, the earl of, sent to the assistance of the prince 
of Wales in Aquitaine, 179; makes war in Perigord, 
&c. 180; takes the town of Bourdeilles, 185; leads a 
body of troops to the relief of Belleperche, 195 ; returns" 
I to England, 2t^2 : appointed to the command of an 
army to go to the assistance of the king of Portugal 
against the king of Castiile, 282; arrives at Lisbon. 
390 ; returns with liis army, dissatisfied with tlie con- 
duct of the king of Portugal. 300, 359 ; created duke 
of York, 414. IForthe remaining paiticularsof this 
prince see York, the duke of^ 

CameroIIes, the castle of, taken by the duke of Burgundy, 
147. 

Cftmpreny.the lord of. captured by the captal of Buch, 
130. 

Candorier, John, "mayor of La Rochelle. obtains posses- 
sion of the castle from the English, by stratagem, 212. 

Canterbury, the archbishop of, sent to Bristol by the duke 
of Gloucester and the Londoner?, on an embassy to 
Richard the Second, 446; conducts him to London, 
446 ; sent to France with an application from the Lon- 
doners to the earl of Derby to return to England, 613 ; 
conducts the earl to London, 615. 

Caponnal, Caponnel de, liberated by exchange, 194. 

Captal, the title explained. 101, note. 

CarciHiart, the fort of, taken by the English under sii 
Thomas Trivet, 243. 

Carentan. the town of, taken by Ed%vard the Third, 76; 
retaken by tiie French under the lord de Coucy, 237. 

Carhaix, the town of, taken by the lord Charles of Blois, 
59. 

Corogne, sir John de, kills James le Gris in a mortal com- 
bat, 415. 

Carquefou, the town of, taken by tlie lord Charles of Blois, 
52. 

Cassel, the battle of, 25. 

Casseres, the town nf, taken by the count de Foix, 362. 

Cassuriel, the castle of, in Auvergne, taken by Amerigot 
Marcel, 248. 

Castillon. the town of, taken by the duke of Anjou, 230. 

Cen'ole, Arnauld de, the arclipriest, collects a body of 
armed men and pillages Provence, Ul ; captured at 
tlie battle of Brignais, 136. 

Chalons, the town of, unsuccessfully attacked by sir Peter 
Audley. 119. 

Chalons, the bishop of. slain at the battle of Poitiers, 105. 

Chandos, sir John, receives the lands of St. Sauveur-le- 
Vicomte as a gift from the king of England, 133 ; ap- 
pointed regent over all the possessions of the king ol 
England in France, 134 ; appointed constable of Gui- 
enne. 138; sent to the assistance of the lord Jolm de 
Montfort in Brittany, 148 ; prevents a peace being con- 
cluded between John de Montfort and tite lord Charles 
of Blois, 150 ; defeats the army of lord Charles at the 
battle of Auray, 151 ; advises llie prince of Wales not 
to persevere in his design of enforcing the fouage or 
hearth-tax, and failing to succeed retires to his country 
seat, 171 ; recalled by the prince, and sent to make war 
on tlie French and Gascon lords, 178 ; takes the town 
of Terrieres, and several others in theTouIuusain, ISO. 
«t seq; appointed seneschal of Poitou. 137; invades 



INDEX. 

and pillages the territories of Anjou and Rochecbouart, 
187 : killed in a skirmish at the bridge of Lussac, 194. 

Chargny, the lord de, slain at the battle of Poitiers, 106. 

Chargny, sir Geoff'ry de. endeavors to gain possession of 
Calais by bribing the governor, sir Amery de Pavie, 
93; defeated by the king of England, 94; embarks for 
Scotland to offer his assistance against England, 338 ; 
returns, and is in great danger from the Zealanders, 

aio. 

Chargny-en-Dormois, the castle of, taken by sir John 

Chandos, 127. 
Charity, La, the town of. in the Nivernois, taken by the 
lord Lewis of Navarre, 147; taken by the duke of Bur- 
gundy, 148; taken a second time by tlie French, 373. 
Charles, emperor of Germany, his death, 258. 
Charles of Bohemia, emperor of Germany, collects a large 
army to make war on the duke of Gueldres in the 
cause of tlie duchess of Brabant, 457 ; receives liis sub- 
mission, 457. 
Charles the Fourth, kine of France, takes measures to as- 
sist his sister Isabella, queen of Edward the Second, 
against her husband and the Spencers, 15 ; is prevailed 
upon by sir Hugh Spencer to break up the expedition 
which he had encouraged his sister to raise in France, 
16; commands her to quit the kingdom, 16 ; hisdeath, 
23. 
Cliarles the Fifth, king of France, crowned at Rheims, 
147 ; makes peace with tlie lord John de Montfr)rt, and 
acknowledges liim lawful duke of Brittany, 153 ; makes 
peace with the king of Navarre, ib.; raises an army to 
make war on Don Pedro, king of Castille, 153 ; is ad- 
vised to declare himself lord paramount of Guienne, 
and to renew the war with England, 174, 175 ; sum- 
monses the prince of Wales to appear before the par- 
liament of Paris to answer the complaints of some 
Gascon lords, 176; makes preparations to renew tlie 
war against the] English, 177 ; gains over several cap- 
tains of the free companies, 178 ; sends his challenge to 
the king of England. 178 ; prepares an armament ibr 
the invasion of England. 186; breaks up the expedi- 
tion in consequence of the arrival of the duke of Lan- 
caster at Calais, ib.; tissembltis a large force, to make 
war on Aquitaine, 196; makes peace with tlie king 
of Navarre, 197 ; enters into an alliance with don 
Henry, king of Castille, 206; makes peoce with tlie 
king of Navarre, 216; sends an army to invade the 
duchy of Brittany, 216; enters into a truce with the 
English, ii22; fits out a lleet for the invasion of Eng- 
land, wliich does considerable mischief, 225; declares 
war against the king of Navarre, 225 ; iustieafes the 
king of Scotland to make war on England, 233; seizes 
the po-'Sessions of the king of Navarre in Normandy, 
236; sends an embassador to the king of Scotland, 346; 
his embassador detained by tlie earl of Flanders, 246; 
orders the earl of Flanders to send the duke of Brittany 
out of his dominions, 247 ; puts himself under obedience 
to Clement as the lawful pope, 249; afflicted with a 
singular disorder, 267; his last words and advice on 
his death-bed, 268 ; dies at Paris, 268. 
Charles the Sbtth, of France, crowned at Rheims, 270; 
sends an army to tlie assistance of the king of Castille, 
294; determines to make war on Flanders in behalf of 
the earl, 307 : on account of a dream, he chooses a fly- 
ing hart for his device, 308 ; endeavors to treat with 
tlie Flemings, 310 ; collects a large force to reduce them 
to obedience, 312; defeats the Flemish army at the 
bridge of Commines, 317 ; receives the submission of 
Ypres and several other places, 318, ct seQ. ; defeats 
the Flemings, under Pliilip von Artaveld, with great 
slaughter. 321 ; enters Courtray, 322; receives the sub- 
mission of Bruges, ib.; returns to France. 323; makes 
his entrance into Paris, 324 ; assembles a lar;^ army to 
oppose the bishop of Norwich in Flanders, 330; takes 
Cassel. 3^; and Bourbourg. 335 ; retums to France, 
ib.; enters into a truce with England, 336; prepares to 
renew the war, ^1 ; marries the lady Isabella, of Bava- 
ria. 348; makes great preparations to invade England, 
403; promises to assist the king of Castille. 404: joms 
his armament at Sluys, 412: puts of his design, and 
disbands his army, 414; makes preparations to assist 
thekingof Castille, 418; prepares another armament 
against England, under sir Oliver do Clisson, 428; fiis 
designs frustrated by the arrest of sir (Oliver by the duke 
of Brittany, 430 ; receives an insulting defiance from 
the duke of Gueldres, 433 ; commands the duke of 
Brittany to restore to sir OHver de Clisson the places 
wliicli he had unjustly taken from him for liis ransom, 
438 : receives a haughty answer from him, 438 ; prom- 
ises to assist the duchess of Brabant against tiie duke 
of Juhers, 459 ; invites the duke of Ireland (who had 
been banished England by the duke of Gloucester and 
his party) to reside in France, 467; prepares an army 
to invade Guelderland, 476: sends embassadors to ex- 
plain his intentions to the emperor of Germany, 477 : 
receives favorable aoswers, 478; enters the duchy of 
Juliers. 487; receives the submission of the duke of 
Gueldres, 488; returns to France, ib.; takes upon him 
self tlie government of France on coming of age, 489 ; 
sends embassadors to the king of CastUle. to reoion- 
strate with him on the marriage of his son, the infanta 
of Spath, with the daughterol'tiie duke of Lancaster, 
489 : enters into a truce with the king of England, 493 ; 
orders the duke of Ireland to quit France, 498 ; visits 
the pope at Avignon, ib.: visits Montpelier, Sec, 499. 
ct seq.; receives the homage of the count de Foi.\ at 
Toulouse, 505 ; travels with great speed from Mont- 
pelier to Paris, for a wager against the duke of Tou- 
raine, ib.; reproves the count d'Ostrevant for accepting 
the order of the Garter from the king of England, 528 ; 
proposes to maicii to Italy to restore the union of the 
church. 530 : receives embassadors from the kijig of 



627, 

England with propositions for a peace. 580; on th« 
death of the count de Foix. sends orobassadors to 
Orthes, to make some arrungements respecting tha 
country, 537 ; meets the duke of Brittany at Tours, to 
make an amicable settlement of the differences be- 
tween them, 539; acknowledges the viscount de Cha- 
teaubon heir and successor to the count de Foix, 540 ; 
agrees to marry his daughter to the son of the duke or 
Brittany, 541 ; receives the commissioners from the 
king of England at Amiens, 542 ; not being able to 
conduct a peace, he enters into a truce for a year, 544 : 
commands the duke of Brittany to deliver up sir Peter 
de Craon, who had fled to Brittany, after attempting 
to assassinate sir OUver de Clisson, 647; after re- 
ceiving the duke's refusal, he leads an army against 
him toward Brittany. 548 ; arrives at Mans, ib.; is 
accosted by a madman in the forest of Mans, who 
orders him to return, 550; becomes deranged, ib.; 
his expedition is in consequence broken up, ib.; re- 
moved to Creit tor the benefit of his health, 551 ■ 
recovers bis senses, 556 ; returns to Paris. 557 ; in great 
danger of losing his life at a masqued dance, ib.; ap- 
points commissioners to negotiate a peace with tii« 
king of England at Leulinghen, 560 ; prolongs tha 
truce with him, 562 ; relapses into his former malady, 
ib.; sends Robert the hermit to England, to assist in 
bringing about a peace between the two countries, 571 ; 
liberates the lord de la Riviere and sir John le Mercier. 
who had been imprisoned by his uncles, during his de- 
rangement, 573; appoints John, son of the duke of 
Burgundy, commander in chief of an expedition 
against the Turks in Hungary, 575; betroths his daugh- 
ter, the lady Isabella, to Richard the Second of Eng- 
land, 577 ; sets out for St. Oraer, to meet the king of 
England, 682 ; has an interview with him at Ardres, 
586; dehvers up his daughter to him, ib.; proposes to 
lead an army into Lombardy against the duke of 
Milan, 587 ; meets the emperor of Germany at Rheims, 
to confer upon the measures to restore the reunion of 
tJie church, 603 ; sends embassadors to pope Boniftce. 
to acquaint him with the resolutions of the assembly 
607 ; sends the same to pope Benedict at Avignon, ib-l 
informed of the imprisonment of Richard the Second 
in the Tower of London, 620; relapses again into his 
derangement, ib.; his council send persons over ta 
^isithis daughter, queen Isabella, during the confine- - 
ment of the king, 621. 

Charles, lord of Navarre, causes the constable of Franca 
to be murdered, 97; obtains the king's pardon, 98. 

Charles, son of the king of Navarre, marries the daughter 
of Henry of Castille. 245. -^ 

Charles, of Spain, earl of Angouleme, appointed consta- 
ble of France, 97 ; murdered by order of Charles oC 
Navarre. 98. 

Charter of peace, between the king of England and tha 
duke of Normandy. 130. 

Cliateau-ceaux, the castle of. taken by the lord Charles al 
Blois, 52. 

Chatel-bon, the viscount de, claims the succession of Foix, 
536; his claim acknowledged by the king of France^ 
&40 ; takes possession of thecountry as his inheritance, 
542 : does homage to the king of France, 556. 

Chatelheraut. the town of, taken by the French, 195. 

Cbatelmorant, sir John de, carries over from England 
truces for three years, signed by king Richard and hia 
allies, 497 ; sent to Turkey, to treat for tlie ransom of 
the duke of Burgundy and the other officers taken at 
the battle of Nicopoli. 590. 

Chatdloii, sir Hugh de, conquers Ponthieu from the Eng^'^ 
lish, 179; captured at 'Abbe ille, 193; escapes from 
England, ^. 

Chaumont, the hermit, taken prisoner at Romorantin by ( 
the prince of Wales. 101. 

Chauvigny, the lord of, taken prisoner by the prince of 
Wales, 101 ; quits the party of the prince of Wales foe 
that of the king of France. 183. 

Chauvigny, the town of, in Poitou, taken by sir BertranJ 
duGueschn,210. 

Cherbourg, the town of, burnt and pillaged by Edward tha 
Third, 76 ; besieged by sir Bertrand du GuescRn, 236. . 

Chimay, the town of, pillaged by the French, 37. 

Civray. the town of, in Poitou, taken by sir Bertrand dti 
Guesclin, 215. 

Civray, tlie battle of, 415 

Clement the Sixth, pope, dies at Avignon, 91. 

Clement the Seventh, pope, elected during the lifetime of 
Urban the Sixth, which causes a schism in the church. 
a49 : is acknowledged by the king of France, &c., ib.; 
goes to Avignon, ib.; presents the duke of Anjou with 
the territories of the queen of Naples, which she liad, 
given up to his disposal, 250; dies ot Avignon, ib. 

Clermont, the town of, in Beauvoisis, taken by the captal 
of Buch. 117. 

Clermont, tiie cardinal of. elected pope, under the name 
of Innocent the Sixth, 97. 

Clermont, lord John, slain at the battle of Poitiers, 101. 

CUsson. the lord of, captured at Vannes. 63; exchanged 
for lord Stafford, 64 ; beheaded at Paris. 64. 

Clisson, sir Oliver de. besieges the town of Becherel, 215 : 
besieges la Roche-sur-Yon, 217; takes tlie town of 
Dinant,259; appointed constable of France. 370; be- 
sieges Brest, 384 ; his fleet dispersed by a storm on his 
voyage to Sluys, to join the armament of the king of 
France, 413; obtains the Uberation of John of Brittanir 
from England and marries him to his daughter, 418 ; 
makes preparatiens to invade England, 428, 429; ar- 
rested by the duke of Brittany at the castle of Ermine, 
430 ; obtains his liberty, 431 ; complains to the king of 
France of the conduct of tlie duke of Brittany, and 
offers to resign his office of constable. 4S3; retires tA 
filontlehery, 433 ; talsea itw towns of St. Blalo aai isw 



628 



INDEX. 



Slatthieu de Fiiie-Potenie, 468; his castles restored to 
Jiim by thediikeof ilnttaiiy,470; waylaid and severely 
wounded by sir Peter de Cruon, 645; on account ot 
his wealth, lie jjicurs the suspicions and liatred of tlie 
dukes of Uerry and Uureuridy, 548 ; treated with great 
harshness by the duke of Burgundy, 6»3; retires from 
J'arig, lb.; summoned to appear before the parliament 
of Paris, 555 ; not answeniiR the summons, he is ban- 
ished the kingdom, ib.; wages a violent war/^ire against 
lliedukeof Brittutiy, 560; makes peace with him, 573. 
Ciisson, sir Walter de, slain at Brest, 50. 
Cobourne. the castle of, in Limousin, taken by a robber 

of the name of Bacon. iU. 
Cocherel, the battle of, in Normandy. 144. 
Combat, the noted, between thirty Bretons and tiiirty 

English. P2. 
Combat between sir Bertrand du Guesclia and sir Nicholas 

Dagworth, at Rennes, 111. 
Combat between sir Aymoii de Pommiers and sir Fouique 
d'Arcliiac, before the king of France at Villeneuve, 
13S. 
Combat, remarkable one at Larre, between tlie garrison of 

Lourde and Tarbe, 365. 
Combat, a mortal, at Paris, betueen sir John de Carogne 

and James le Gris. 415. 
Comecte, the town of. in Turkey, taken by storm by the 
combined Cliristian armies under the king of Hungary 
and John of Burgundy, 678. 
Comfit Box (drageoir) a spice box used in the dessert of 

the great, some account oi it, 504, 7iote. 
Commissionors sent to France, to execute tlie condition of 

the peace between France and England. 134. 
Commissioners appointed to examine into the conduct of 
the managers uf the finances under Richard the Sec- 
ond, 441 ; commit sir Simon Burley to the Tower, 441 ; 
condemn him to death, 441 ; appoint a new council for 
the king, 443. 
Concarneau, the town of, taken by sir Bertrand di Gues- 
clin, Ulb'. ; 

Conierences held at Avignon between the French and 

English to negotiate a pence, 98. 
Conferences held at Leulinghcn for the same piirpose.561. 
Connie, the castle of. taken by the duke of Burgundy, 147. 
Conquet, the castle of, taken by the forces of the lord 
Charles of Blois, 58 ; retaken by su Walter Manney, ib. 
Constance, the lady, daughter of don Pedro, king of Cas- 

tille. married to the duke of Lancaster, 206. 
Convalle. the castle of, taken by the French under sir 

Walter de Passac, 385. 
Copeland. John, captures the king of Scotland at the bat- 
tle of Nevil's Cross, 86; delivers him up to the queen 
of England by order of king Edward, who was at 
Calais, 87. 
Corasse, the lord of, said to have been served by a famiUar 

spirit called Orthon, 383. 
Cormicy, the castle of, taken by sir Baitliolomew Burgh- 

ersh, 128. 
Coucy, the lord de, declines taking any part in the wars 
between the kings of France and England. 198 ; leads 
a large army into Austria. 223; returns without iiaving 
effected anything. 223 ; takes the town of Bayeux. 237 ; 
takes the town of Evreux. 239 ; appointed governor of 
Picardy, 3ij2; appeases the Parisian insurgents, 393; 
endeavors to gain over llie duke of Brittany to the 
French interesi. 469; accompanies the lord Lewis of 
Anjou, king of Sicily, to Arragon, 497 ; refuses to ac- 
cept the office of ronstable of France after the disgrace 
of sir Oliver de Chsson. 559; defeats a large Turkish 
force near Nicnpoli, 581; captured at the battle of 
Nicopoli. 588; dies at Bursay in Turkey, 597. 
Coucy, the lord Raoul de, captured at jMauconsei!. 116. 
Ooulosne sir Robert de, slain in askirmish atTournehem, 



190. 
Council of State, a new one appointed for Richard the 

Second by the commissioners of accounts. 443. 
Courtray, the town of; turns to the interest of the carl of 
Flanders. 278; besieged by the men of Ghent under 
Peter du Bois, 279 ; burnt by order of the king of 
France, 323. 
Coutantin, Uie battle of. between the French and English 
109. * 

Craon, the lord of, taken prison by the prince of Wales at 

Romoraotin, 101. 
Craon, sir Peter de, incurs the displeasure of Uie king of 
France, 535; retires to Brittany, ib. ; w.iylays and°en- 
deavors to assassinate sir Oliver de Ciisson. 545 ; takes 
leftige in Brittany, 547; endeavors to make his peace 
with the king of France, 575 ; prosecuted in the courts 
of Pans by the duchess of Anjou, ib. : judgment beuig 
given against him. be is committed to prison, 577 : ob- 
tains his liberty, ib. : accompanies Henry, earl of Der- 
by, into England, 678. 
Crecy. tiie battle of. 81. 

Creil, the town of, taken by the king of Navarre, 116. 
tromde. preached against tjie Saracens. 29; against the 
f^ebooting companies by pope Innocent the Seventh, 

^'T/v;!!"! ^""'^V^' .^*^^" ^^ ^^'''^'^ the Third, 80 ; re- 
taken by sir Hugh de ChatiUon. 179. 

D. 

DiGGEWORTn, sir Thomas, sent into Brittany to the 
assistance of the countess de IVIontford, 65; taken 
prisoner before La Roche d'Errien, 88; killed in Brit- 
tany, 97. 

Daite, John, a citizen of Calais, his patriotic conduct du- 
ring the siege of that city by Edward the Third. 91. 

jDolJi€ith, the castle of. taken by Edward the Third, 28. 



Damazan, the castle of, taken by the duke of Normandy, 

,74. 

Danimartin, the earl of, slain at the battle of Poitiers, 106. 

Uanipmartin, Uie lord de, resists the dukes of Berry and 

Burgundy in their attempts to break off the marriage 

of his daughter with the son of the lord de la Riviere, 

554. 

Dainme, the town o , taken by tlie men of Ghent, 305, 

347 ; taken by the king of France, 349. 
David the Second, king of Scotland, retires to France, 32; 
enters into an alliance witli king Philip, ib.; re- 
turns to Scotland, 53; assembles an army to invade 
England, ib.; takes tlie town of Durham, 54; besieges 
Wark castle, ib. ; returns to Scotland, 65; invades 
England a second time, &1; defeated and taken pris- 
oner at Nevil's Cross, 85; sent to the tower of London, 
87; hberated by a treaty of peace, 110; comes to Eng- 
land to meet the king of Cyprus, 139; enters into a 
truce with the king of England, 198 ; his death, 216. 
DeatJi, remarkable, of a suldier, who had sacrilegiously 

robbed the church of Ronay, in Champagne, 121. 
Deed of arms, between sir Thomas Harpurgan and sir 

John des Barres, 473. 
Deed of arms, between five English and five French 
knights, before the duke of Lancaster at Bordeaux, 
492. 
Deputations from the different towns of England wait on 
Richard the Second at Windsor to lay their grievances 
before him, and to demand redress. 440 
Derby, the earl of. appointed to tlie command of a large 
army to go into Gascony. 65 ; takes Bergerac and sev- 
eral other places in Gascony, 66, ft scq ; created duke 
of Lancaster, 95. 
Derby, Henry earl of, marries the lady Mary, daughter of 
the earl of Hereford, 271 ; appointed the lieutenant of 
his father, the duke ol' Lancaster, during his absence 
in Spain 399; challenged by the carl-marshal of Eng- 
land in the presence of the king. 603; banished the 
kingdom. 606 ; goes to Paris, 606 ; the people of Eng- 
land rise in his favor. 612 ; receives a request from the 
people of London to return to England, 613 ; arrives 
in London. 615; undertakes the government of Eng- 
land, and dotorminee to eoize tho throne, ib. ; marches 
toward Bristol agauist Richard the Second, ib. ; takes 
hitn prisoner, and conducts him to London, ib. ; 
crowned king of England under the title of Henry the 
Fourth, 619 ; in danger of being murdered by the earls 
of Huntingdon and Salisbury. 622. 
Dervai, the castle of, besieged by sir Bertrand du Guesclin. 

217 ; relieved by sir Robert Knolles. 218. 
Despondc.Dindc, a rich merchant, employed to negotiate 
the ransom of John of Burgundy and his companioi^ 
from the sultan Biijazet,592. 
Destournay, the lord, takes tlie town of Oudenarde by 

stratagem, 340. 
Devereu.x. sir John, lakes the castle of Uzes, in Auver'^ne 

205. 
Dighos, the town of, in Galicia, surrenders to the duke 

of Lancaster's army. 109. 
Dinant. the town of, in Brittany, taken by tlie forces of the 
lord Charles of Blois. 58 ; taken by tlie English under 
Edward the Third, 52 ; surrenders to the lord Charles 
de Monttort. 152 ; taken by sir Bertrand du Guesclin, 
217 ; taken by sir Oliver de Ciisson. 259. 
Dissensions at York between tlie archers of England and 

the Hainaultcrs, 20. 
Dornians, sir William de. preaches the justice of the cause 

of the French king, 181. 
Doublet, Oliver, beheaded at Rouen, 99. 
Douglas, sir Archibald, defeated anil captured by sir 

Thomas Rlusgrave. near Melrose, 234. 
Douglas, lord James, departs for the Holy Land to fulfil 
the request of Robert Bruce the First, 24 : killed in 
Spain, fighting against the Saracens, ib. 
Douglas, lord William, takes the caetle of Edinburgh by 
stratagem, 45 ; taken prisoner at the battle of Nevil's 
Cross. 86, note. 
Douglas, the earl of, invades England with a large force. 
480 ; takes the pennon of sir Henry Percy before New- 
castle. 481 ; slain at tlie battle of Otterbourne, 482. 
Dream, remarkable, of Charles the Sixth of France. 308. 
Drue, the ensile of, taken by the duke of Normandy, 147. 
Duel, at Paris, between James le Oris and John de Ca- 
rogne, 414. 
Dumbarton, the castle of. taken by Edward the Third, 28. 
Dundee, the town of, burnt by Richard the Second. 353. 
Dumferniiine. the town of, destroyed by Richard tlie Se- 
cond, 353. 
Dunkirk, the town of, taken by the bishop of Norwich, 

32.1. 
Duras, the town of, taken by storm by the duke of Aniou. 

231. 
Duras, the lord de, captured by tlie French under the duke 
of Anjou. 229; turns to Uie French interest, but quits 
it afterwjird, ib. 
Durazzo. the lord Charles de, defends the kingdom of Na- 
ples against the pretensions of the duke of Anjou, 296; 
put to death in Hungary, 346. 
Durham, the city of, taken and destroyed by the Scots 
55 ; [This account supposed to be fabulous, ib., note-'] 

E. 

Edinburgh, the town of, taken by Edward the Tliird, 28 ; 
retaken by sir William Douglas. 45; destroyed by 
Richard the Second, 352. 

Edward the First, king of England, his character and suc- 
cesses. 15 : bis singular request on his death-bed, 29. 

Edward the Second, his character, 15 ; an account of hia 
family relations, ib. ; influenced jji his goveninient by 



sir Hugh Spencer, lb. ; shuts himself up hi Bristol 
against tlie queen and her party, 18 : taken prisoner by 
them. ib. ; confined in Berkeley castle, ib.; publicly 
deposed and sentenced by the people uf England to bo 
imprisoned during his life, 19. 
Edward the Third, crowned king of England, 19; receives 
a defianco from Robert Bruce, king of Scotland, ib.; 
leads a large army to oppose the invasion of the Scots, 
21; returns. 23; marries tlie lady Philippa ofllainault, 
24; enters nito a truce with the Scots 24; does hom- 
age to the king of France for the duchy of Guienne, 
26; raises an army to invade Scotland, 23; lakes Ed- 
inburgh and several other place?, ib. ct scq ; returns to 
England, ib. ; takes measures to make war on the king 
of France, 29; solicits the friendship of the Flemings, 
30; passes over to Flanders, and mal;es great alliances 
in the empire, 31 ; appointed vicar- general of the em- 
pire of Germany. 32 : sends his defiance to the king of 
France, 33; besieges Cambray. ib. ; marches into 
France. 34 ; returns to Hainauh, 36 : assumes the arms 
of France. 37; returns to England, ib. ; sails with a 
large armament to Flanders, 43 ; deleats the French at 
sea, and arrives at Ghent. 43; besieges Tuurnay, ib. ; 
returns to England in consequence of a truce being 
entered into, 48; receives the homage of lord John de 
Montfoit for the duchy of Brittany, 51 : assembles an 
army to oppose an invasion of the Scots, 53 ; is ena-* 
moured of the countess of Salisbury, 54 : sends a force 
to the assistance of the lord dc Moatlurt, 56 ; makes 
great feasts out of affection fur the countess of Salis- 
bury, 60 ; sends reinforcements into Brittany, 61 ; heads 
a large army into Brittany. 63 ; besieges the town of 
Vannes, ib. ; besieges and takes several other places, 
ib. et seq. ; enters into a truce with the French, and 
returns to England, 64 ; institutes the order of the gar- 
ter, 65 ; founds the chapel of St. George at Windsor, 
lb.; sends his defiance to the king of France, ^; ap- 
points the earl of Derby to the coinniand of an expe- 
dition into Gascony, ib. ; heads a large army into Nor- 
mandy. 76; takes tlie town of Barfleur, and several 
others, ib. et scq. ; marches toward Paris, destroying 
the country on his way, 78 ; distressed to find a passage- 
over the Somme, 79 ; is conducted to one by a peasant 
named Gobin Agace, ib. ; engages tiis French under 
king Philip, at Crecy, and totally defeats them, 81. et 
SCQ. : besieges the town of Calais, S3 ; solicits the 
friendship of lite Flemings, 87 ; obtains possession of 
Calais, 90; orders six respectable citizens, who. for tlie 
security of the other inhabitants, had generously vol- 
unteered to submit themselves to his pleasure, to be 
put to death. 91 ; is dissuaded from his purpose by the 
queen, ib. ; orders all the old inhabitants of the town 
to be expelled, ib. ; makes his public entry into Ca- 
lais, ib.; enters into a truce with the king of France, ib.; 
the expense o --is establishment at Calnis. 92. no(c • 
fights incognito near Calais, under the banner of sir 
Walter Manny, 93: takes sir Eustace de Ribeaumont 
prisoner. 94 ; presents hmi with a chaplet of pearls in 
honor of his prowess, ib. ; defeats the Spaniards at sea, 
95; leads a large army into France during the impris- 
onment of king John in England, 123; besieges 
Rheims, 126 ; takes the town of Tonnerre, 128; enters 
into a composition with the duke of Burgundy to spare 
his duchy. 129; proceeds toward Varh, liestroying the 
country in Iiis march, ib. ; enters into ti treaty of peace 
with the king of France, 130 ; entertains him at Ca- 
lais, 133; returns to England, ib. ; declines embarking 
in tlie croisadcs, 140 ; receives a defiance from the king 
of France, 178 ; sends reinforcements into Ponthieu, 
fcc, 179; sends to Brabant and Hainault for a»ist- 
ance. 181 ; enters into aUiance with the king of Na- 
varre. 182; sends the duke of Lancaster with a large 
body of men to Calais, 186 ; applies to sir Robert de Na- 
murforhis assistance, ib. ; enters int.-) a truce with the 
Scots. 198 : makes peace with the Fleming', 206 ; pre- 
pares an army to invade France, 207 : sails from South- 
ampton, but is obliged to return on account of contrary 
winds, 213 ; enters into a truce with the French, 222 ; 
dies at Shene. 224. 
Edward, the Black Prince of Wales, his lator at the bat- 
tle of Crecy, 82 ; heads an army into Gascony, 98 ; in- 
vades the county of Berry, 100 ; lake? the town of Ro- 
morantin, 101; defeats and captures the king of France 
at the battle of Poitiers, 105 ; embarks for England 
with his prisoner king John, 110: arrives in London, 
ib. ; accompanies the king of England in an expedi- 
tion against France, 134; sets out for Ayuitaine, 138; 
makes preparations to assist Don Peiiro, king of Cas- 
tillo. 157 ; promises the king of Majorca to assist him 
against the king of Arragon, 160; offends the lord 
d'Albret, ib.; sets out on his expedition into Spnic, 
161; takes the town of Salvatierra, 163; defeats the 
army of Don Henry de Trastainare. king of Castille. 
at the battle of Navarreta, 165 ; takes the town of Na- 
jarra, 167; Fcts out on his return to Aquitaine. dis- 
pleased witii the conduct of Don Pedro, 169; arrives 
with his army at Bordeaux, 170; endeavors to impose 
the fouage, or a hearth-tax, in Aquitaine, 171 ; excites 
the discontent and opposition of many of the lords of 
Gascony. ib. ; summoned to appear before the parlia- 
ment of Paris to answer their complaints. 176 ; his re- 
solute answer to the summons, ib. : prepares to make 
war on France. 177 ; recalls sir John Chandos from his 
retirement, and appoints him to the command of a 
large force against tlie French and Gascon lords, 178; 
receives succor from England under the earls of Cam- 
bridge and Pembroke, 180 ; prepares to oppose the 
dukes of Anjou and Berry. 198 ; takes the town of Li- 
moges by storm. 200; on the death of his eldest son, 
Edward gives uptheduchy of Aquitaine to the care of 
his brother the duke of Lancaster, and returns to Eng- 
land, 203 ; hiB death, 233 ; visits the count d'Armagnac 



INDEX, 



699 



M Tartes, 360 ; visited by the count de Foix, 361 ; ap- 
points sir Peter Arnaut governor of Lourde, ib. 

£Imbam, sir William, commiited to tlie Tower by the 
commissioners of accounts, on a charge of liaving 
sold Bourbourg and Gravelinea to the French, 335. 

English, tlie. tlieir manners in the time of FroiRsart, 3^. 

Entencd, the town of. in Gahcin, surrenders to the duke 
of Lnncasler, -123. 

Esoaiuliture, the castle of, in Hainault, taken and destroy- 
ed. 41. 

Espaign, the bnurj tV, his remarkable strenRth. 366. 

Estampes, the count d'. sent to endeavor to win over the 
dukft of Brittany to the French interest, 463. 

Eu, the earl of, taken prisoner by the English under Ed- 
ward the Third. 77 : beheaded nl Paris. 97. 

Eu. the count de. See Artois. Philip p'. 

ETan, of VVale=;. receives a naval command under the 
king of France, 209 ; defeats the English in the island 
of Guernsey, ib.; sent to Spain to solicit assistance 
from king Henry, ib.: insults tlie earl of Pembroke at 
St. Andero, 209 ; blockades rhe town of La Rochelle, 
312; takes the castle of Soubise, ib.; besieges Mont- 
main-surmer, 231 ; as>;nssinated by John L.imbe. 239. 

Evreux. the county of. subdued for the king of France by 
sir Berlrand du Guesclin. 225. 

Europe, desolated by the plague. 96. 

Eustace de St. Pierre, a citizen of Calais, his patriotic 
conduct during the siege of Uiat town, 91, 



Famine, a great one, in France, 117. 

Faucille, John de, a citizen of Ghent, retires from the town 
after the murder of the bailiflF by the Whitelioods, 
251; dies at Lisle, 2S1. 

Fay, sir Godemar du, defends tlie ford of Blanchetaque 
against Edward the Third and his army, 79 ; defeated 
by the English, ib.; narrowly escapes being put to 
deatli. 83. 

Fellon, sir William, killed in Spain, 164. 

Felton, sir Thomas, captured by the French under the 
du*e of Antou, 229. 

Fenestrages, the lord Broquartde, takes the town of Hans, 
120 : defeated and captured by sir Eustace d'Ambre- 
ticouri. 121. 

Fenlinand, king of Portugal, declares \var against John, 
kmg of (pastille. 382; apphes to England for assistance, 
ib.; takes the field against tiie Spaniards, 299; makes 
peace with thekingofCastille, 300; marries his daugh- 
ter the infanta to him, ib.; marries tiie wife of one of 
h^ kmghts, 393. 

Ferrol, the town of. taken by the king of Portugal, 436. 

Flanders, the origin of the civil wars in, 403, 

Flanders, the nobiUty oi; make war on the men of Ghent, 
38. 

Flanders, llie carl of. slain at the battle of Crecy, 82. 

Fionders. Lewis earl of, betrothed tlirough the constraint 
of the Flemings, to Isabella, daughter of the king of 
England, 87; escapes into France, 88; marries the 
daughter of the duke of Brabant, 94 ; detains an em- 
bassador from the king of France to the king of Scot- 
land, 246; supports the cause of pope ITrban in his 
dominions, against the Clementists, 249 ; endeavors to 
put down tlie Whitelioods, which had been revived at 
Ghent, 253; collects a force to make «'nr on them, 255; 
makes peace with them, 257: comes to Ghent at the 
entreaty of the inhabitants, 259 ; endeavors to prevail 
on them to lay aside the Whitehoods. ib.: causes John 
Pruuiaux to be beheaded, 261 ; goes to Bruges at the 
request of the inhabitants, 276 ; renews the war with 
tlie men of Ghent, ib.; besieges the town. 278 ; defeats 
the men of Ghent under Rassa de Harzelie, and burns 
a body of them in the church of Nevele, 279 ; besieges 
again the town of Ghent, 291 ; defeated by the men of 
Ghent at Bruges. 303: escapes with great difticuhy to 
Lisle, 305; applies to the king of France for assistance, 
312; becomes an object of hatred to the English. 326; 
apidies to the duke of Burgundy for assistance to op- 
pose the bishop of Xorwich. 326 ; dies at St. Omer. 336 ; 
the ceremony of his funeral, 336. 

Fleming?, the, under Colin Uonneauin, defeated at Cassol 
by Philip of Valois, 25. 

Flemings, under Jacob von Arlaveld, promise to assist 
Edward the Third against the king of France, 37 ; re- 
main firm to tlieir alliance, notwithstanding the solici- 
tations of the king of France. 39. 

Flemings, the, under Robert d'Artois, flee in confusion 
from before St. Omer, 48. 

Flemings, the, refuse to disinherit the earl of Flanders. 72 : 
constrain him to be betrothed to the daughter of the 
king of England, 87; besiese the town of Aire, 89: 
defeated by the English oft' the island of Bas. 205 ; 
make peace with the king of England, 206. 

Foi.x, Gaston Pho-bus, count of, bis passion for <fogs, 3 ; 
defeats the infamous Jucquerie of Beauvoisis, with 
great slaughter, at aieaux. 113: visits the prmce of 
Wales at Tarbes, 361; remits, at the entreaty of the 
princess of Wales, sixty thousand francs of the ransom 
of the count d'Armagnac. ib.; takes the to^vn of Cas- 
seres from the .A.rmagnacs, 362 ; his riches and liberality, 
365; murderssir Peter Arnaut. 367. 

FoLx. the count de, obtains Malvoisin from the king of 
France as a gifl, 367; origin of the wars between him 
and the Armagnacs, 368 ; his character and manner of 
life, 369; kills his son and heir Gaston, ib.; his manner 
of keeping the feast of St. Nicholas. 372; rapidly and 
in n secret manner informed of the battle of Aljuba- 
rota. 383; grants permission to the French army to 
pass through his territories, on their way to Castille. 
423: magnificently entertains the duke of Bourbon on 
his return toward France, 451 ; preventa the count d'- 
Aimagnac from succeeding in h« attempt lo purchase 



the forts occupied by tlie free companies, 453 ; marries 
his ward, the daughter of the count of Boulogne, to 
the duke of Berry, 492; docs homage to the king of 
France at Toulouse for the county of Foix, 505 ; his 
death. 53>; and funeral, 537. 

Foix, Evan of, burnt to death at a masked dance in Paris, 
557. 

Fongasse, Laurence, an embassador from Portugal to 
England, relates to the duke of Lancaster the e%'ents 
which had happened in Portugal af^er the departure 
of the earl of Cambridge. 393. 

Fontenay le Cointe, the castle of, taken by sir Bertrand du 
Guesclin. 213. 

St. Forget, the castle of, taken by sirWalterde Pascal. 384. 

Forsath, in Gascony, taken by the earl of Derby, 67. 

Fouage. the nature of tlie tsix so called, 170, vote. 

Friesiand, invaded by the count of Hainault, 584. 

Fvoissart. sir Jolin, his preface to his chronicles, 14 : hi=! 
reasons for visiting the count de Foix, 358 : sets out for 
Beam, in company with sir Espaign du Lyon, who 
informs him of many particulars relative to the wars 
in Guienne, 361 ; arrives at Orlhes, 369 ; becomes ac- 
quainted with the Bustot d*» flfauleon, 372 ; his descrip- 
tion of the manners <>f ilie EngUsh and Gascons in his 
lime. 386: travels to Middleburgh, in Zealand. 391; 
receives information relative to the allairs of Portugal, 
ib.: is informed of the particulars of the arrest of .sir 
Oliver de Clissmi by liieduke of Brittany. 437 ; returns 
to France from Beam, in company with the lord de la 
Riviere and sir Williuin de la Tremouille, 493; goes to 
Holland, 494 ; returns to Paris to witness queen tsa- 
bella's public eiitraiice into that city, 494; visits Eng- 
land in the reign of Richard the Second. 565; pre- 
.lents his book of love poems to the king, 568. 

G. 

Gabgllb, the, a lax upon salt, imposed through France, 
99. 

Galande, the castle of, in Brittany, taken by sir Bertrand 
du Guesclin, 216- 

Gnrliz, Gomez, beheaded by order of don Pedro, 168. 

Gars, tlie abb^ de, beheaded at Amiens, 117. 

Gascons, the, oppose tlie attempt of the prince of Wales 
lo impose a hearth tax on the country, 171. 

Gascons, the, their manners in the time of Froissart, 386. 

Geneva, ilie cardinal de, elected pope during the Ufe-lime 
of Urban the Sixth, 249. 

Genoa, iis state and condition in the timeof Froissart, 387. 

Genoese, the. raise a large army to invade Barbary, 514; 
besiege the town of Africa, 523 ; break up their expe- 
dition. 529. 

Genie, sir Guisebert, a citizen of Ghent, killed for having 
endeavored to make peace between the town and the 
earl of Flanders. 293. 

Genville, the earl of, captured at the battle of Poitiers. 105. 

St. George, the chapel of. at Windsor, founded by Etlward 
the Third, 61. 

Germany, tlie emperor of, attends a great assembly at 
Rhcims. with the king of France, to consult upon 
means to restore the union of tlie church, 603; deposed, 
624. 

Ghent, the town of, besii-ged by the earl of Flanders, 278, 
290. 

Ghent, the men of, put to death Jacob von Artaveld, 72 ; 
revive the custom of the Whitehoods, and elect John 
Lyon their captain. 252 ; apply to the earl oC Flanders 
to preserve their Irancliises, 253; murder Llie bailiff of 
Ghent, 253 ; endeavor lo make their peace with the 
earl, 254 ; enter into alliance with other towns of Flan- 
ders, 255 ; choose new leaders, after the death of John 
Lyon, ib.; enter into alliance with the town of Ypres, 
256; besiege Oudenarde, ib.; maicii to attack the earl 
of Flanders, in Dendrenionde, 257 ; make peace with 
the earl, 257 ; take the town of Oudenarde 260 ; sur- 
render it to the earl's forces, 261 ; destroy the houses of 
the nobility, ib.; put to death John Boule, one of their 
commanders, 277 : take several towns in Flanders, 278 ; 
defeated with great slaughter at Nevele, where several 
hundreds of them are burnt in a church, 279 ; besiege 
Courtray, 280; greatly distressed for provisions, but 
relieved by the men of Liege. 300 ; defeat the earl of 
Flanders at Bruges, 304 ; take the town of Bruges and 
several others, ib. ct ^cq.; besiege Oudenarde, 307 : en- 
deavor to form an alliance with England, 309 ; defeated 
at the pass of Commines. under Pet^r du Bois, 310; 
defeated, under Philip von Artaveld, at the battle of 
Rosebecque. 321 ; endeavor to make peace with the 
earl. 324: take the town of Ardembourg, 325: assist 
the English at the siege of Ypres, 330; defeat a party 
of the French at Ardembourg.343; take Damme, 317 ; 
make peace wilh the duke of Burgundy, the heir of 
Flanders, 356. 

Gloucester, the dnfce of, tfiir the preceding particulars of 
this prince see Buckingham, the earl of,] his crea- 
tion, 414; confederates with the duke of York and 
others against Richard the Second and his council, 439 ; 
defeats the king's forces, under the duke of Ireland, 
near Oxford, 445: thwaris the king in his intentions of 
making peace with the king of France. 534 ; ploU the 
destruction of the king. 593 ; instigates the Londoners 
to petition f<ir a repeal of the war taxes. 594; arrested 
by order of the king, 597 ; put to deatli at Calais, 602. 
Gomegines.the lord of, defeated and taken prisoner on his 
way to join the king of England before Rheims, 127. 
Goodman, James, chosen leader of the infamous Jac- 
querie of Beauvoisis, 112. 
Guy l(v Forest, the castle of. taken by sir Walter Manny, 

59 ; surrenders to sir Bertrand du Guesclin, 217. 
Gramai. the town of. taken by sir John Chandos, 184. 
Graramont, the town of, in Flanders, taken by the lord d'- 
Angheio, 2&U 



Grave, the town of. besieged by tlie Erabanters. 468. ; 

Graveliries, tlie town of, taken by tiie bishop of Norwich. 
337. 

Gravelle, the lord of, beheaded at Rouen. 160. 

Gregory the Eleventh, pope, elected at Avignon. 202; en- 
deavora to make peace between the kings of Franco 
and England, 219 : removes to Rome, 235 ; his death, ib. 

Griffith, a Welshman, commands a troop of the free com- 
panies, and pillogea several places in France, 112. 

Gris, James le, killed in a duel at Paris by sir Jolm de 
Caruene. 414. 

Gueldres, the duke of, promises to assist the king of Eng- 
land against France, 181 ; enters into an aUiance with 
Eiighiiul. 43S, 458; sends an insulting defiance to the 
king of France. 413 ; endeavors to obtain possession of 
three castles belonging to his dnchy. which had been 
sold to the duke of Brabant. 458 ; oblains possession 
ol Grave, 468; defeats the Brubantcrs at the bridge of 
Ravestein. 476 ; makes peace with the king of France 
and the duchess of Brabant, 488; taken prisoner ta 
Prussia, 490; delivered by the Teutonic knights, ib.; 
returns to Prussia to keep his faith with his captuier. 
and obtains his liberty, 491. 

Guerrande. the town of, taken by the forces of the lord 
Charles of Blois, 58. 

Guesclin, sir Bertrand du, chosen commander of the 
French forces in Normandy. 145 : defeats Uie forces of 
the king of Navarre at the ba'ile of Cocherel, 146; 
obtains possession of the castle of RouHeboise, 146 ; 
goes to tlie assistance of the lord Charlce of Blois, 148 
taken prisoner at the battle of Auray, ISC ; ransomed, 
154 : leads an army into Spain, ib.; appointed consta- 
ble of Castille, 155 ; goes to the assistance of Henry ot 
Castille against don Pedro and the prince of Wales, 
161 ; captured at the battle of Navarettu. 1G7 ; obtains 
his ransom, 170 ; joins king Henry before Toledo, 17S ; 
again appointed constable of Spaui. 174 ; joms the 
duke of Anjou in an expedition against tJie prince of 
Wales. 197; invades the viscounty of Limoges, 200; 
takes tlie town of Y'vrier, ib.; appointed constable of 
France. 201 ; defeats tlie forces of sir Robert KnoUes at 
Pontvahn. 202; takes the castle 6f Monmorillon and 
several other places in Poitou,210, etseq.; heads aa 
army against Brittany, 216 ; tafces Uie town of Rciiuea 
and several others, ib., et scg.: sent with a large army 
against the king of Navarre. 225 ; makes war on Brit- 
tany, 248 ; dies at Auvergne. 262 ; the etymology of his 
name. 437 , see also 438, note. 

Guesclin, sir Oliver du, made prisoner by the garrison of 
Cherbourg, 243. 

Guincamp. the town of, taken by sir Bertrand du Cues 
chn, 216. 

Guistelles. the lord de. appeases an msunectlon at Bruges 
against tlic French troops. 414. 

H. 

Hainault, the country of, invaded by the French, 37, 39; 
in danger of being pillaged by the Bretons belongine 
to the army of Charles the Si.vth, of France, 323. 

Hainault, sir John of. offers his assistance to Isabella, 
queen of Edward the Second, 17 ; escorts her to Ettg- 
land, 17 ; assists her at the siege of Bristol, 18 ; assists 
the king of England in the expedition against ih« 
Scots, 19; his territories invaded by the king of France. 
37 ; appointed governor of Hainault during the absence 
of the earl in England, 38; quits the allegiance of 
England for that of France, 73. 

Hainault, W^illiam earl of, father ofPhilippa, queen of 
England, his deatli. 31. 

Hainault, W^illiam earl of, son of the above, sends his de- 
fiance to the king of France, 38; takes the town of 
Aubenton, &c., ib.; visits England, 38; Germany, 41; 
returns to Hainault, 42; assembles a large army to 
raise the siege of Thin-I'Eveque. ib.; burns the town 
of Seclin, &.C. 44; takes the town of St. Amand, 47; 
Utrecht, 73 ; slain in Friesiand, ib. 

Hainault, the count of. raises an array to invade Friesiand, 
5&i ; overruns the country, and disbands his forces. ^6. 

Harcourt, the earl of, beheaded at Rouen, 99. 

Harcourt, the young earl of, makes peace with the duke 
of Normandy. 120. 

Harcourt, sir Godfrey de, banished from France, 72; ac- 
companies the king of England in an expedition inl« 
Normandy, 76 ; created one of the marshals of his 
army, 76 ; defeats a body of men from Amiens on their 
march to join the king of France. 79 ; carries on the 
war in Normandy for tlie king of England, 109 ; de- 
feated and slain at the battle of Coutaiitin, 110. 

Harcourt. sir John, returns to France from England, where 
he had been as a hostage for king John, 177. 

Harlestone, sir William, appointed governor ofCherhourg. 
226; defeats a body of French troops under sir Wil- 
liam de Bourdcs, whom iie captures. W. 

Haisley, William de. a physician of France, cures kiue 
Charles the Sixth of France of his first derangement, 
556; diesatLaon. 556. 

Harzeile, Rasse de, chosen one of the commanders of the 
Whitehoods of Ghent, 255; takes several towns in 
Flanders, 278 ; killed in an engagement with the earl 
of Flanders, 279, 

Harzelles, the lord de. killed at Ghent, 340. 

Haspres, the town of^ burnt by the French, 38. 

Hawkwood, sir John, an English commander, enters into 
the service of Urban the Sixth in Italy, 250. 

Helly. sir James de, taken prisoner by the Turks at the 
batlleof NicopoU, 588; sent to France with inform* 
lion of the defeat of the army of Jolin of Burgundy, 
589 ; obtains his liberty, 591 ; returns to France, 593. 

Hennebon, the town of, in Brittany, taken by the eat! of 
Monlford, as the duke of Brittany, 50 ; beiieged by Uw 



CJO 



lord Charles of Bloii, 66. 89 ; taken by sir Bertrand du 
Guesclin. 317. 

Henry the Fourth, of England, crowned during the life- 
time oC Ricliard the Second, 619. 

HMry de Trastamire, enters CastiJIe with a. large army to 
dethrone liis brother don Pedro, 154 ; acknowledsed 
and crowned king nf Custille by the Spaniards, 155 ; 
takes measures to oppose don Pedro and the prince of 
Wales. 157 ; defeated at tlie battle of Navarretta, 167 ; 
escapes to Arragon. 169 ; makes war on the prince of 
Wales in Aquilaino, 169 ; makes war on don Pedro, 
assisted by the king of Arragon, 172 ; defeats don Pe- 
dro near Montiel, 173 ; putA him to death, 174 ; obtains 
the submission of Caslille, 174; enters into alliance 
with the king of France, 306 ; makes war on the king 
of Navarre, 235 ; concludes a peace with liim, 345 ; his 
death, ib. 

Henry, the infant of Spain, marries the daughter of ih© 
duke of Lancaster, 493 ; crowned king of Custille, 531. 

Henrielle, the castle of. taken by the king of Navarre, 
116. 

Holland, sir John, kills lord Ralph Stafford, 351. 

Hostages, sent to England for king John of France. 450. 

Huet. sir Walter, killed in a skirmish in Brittnny,319. 

Hungary, the king of, applies to the court of France for 
assistance against the sultan Bajazet. 575; crosses the 
Danube with a larse army, accompanied by John of 
Burgundy and his forces, 578 ; takes the town of Co- 
mecte by storm, 579 ; besieges Nicopoli, 581 ; his army 
defeated by Bajazet, 588. 

Huntingdon, the earl of, proclaims a tournament at Ox- 
ford with the view of murdering king Henry, 623 ; slain 
at Cirencester. 623. 

I. 

8t- Iaoo dk Compostklla, the town of, in Galicia, ta- 
ken by the duke of Lancaster, 401. 

Innocent the Sixth, pope, elected at Avignon, 97 ; endea- 
vors to make peace between the kings of France and 
England, and the kings of France and Navarre. 101 ; 
orders a croisade to be preached against Uie free com- 
panies, 136; his death, 137. 

Insurrection in Paris against Charles tlie Suth, 296. 

Lisurrection at Rouen, 293. 

lasurrection, a general, in England, in favor of tlie earl of 
Derby against Richard the Second, 612. 

Interview between the king of Portugal and the duke of 
Lancaster, 407. 

Interview between the kings of France and England at 
Ardres. 586. 

Ireland, the earl of Oxford created duke of, 414 : incurs the 
hatred of the people of England, 439 ; obtains a divorce 
from his wife, tlie lady Philippa, ib., 442; endeavors to 
counteract the measures of the commissioners of ac- 
counts and the new council of state, 442 ; marches from 
Bristol toward London as lieutenant for the king, 444 ; 
defeated near Oxford by the Londoners, under the duke 
of Gloucester, 445; Hies the kingdom, 445; invited to 
France, 467 ; ordered thence, 498. 

Irish, theif manners and mode of warfare, 669. 

Inbella, queen of Edward the Second, declared ineligible 
to the crown of France. 15; incurs the hatred of sir 
Hugh Spencer, 15 ; lays lier grievances before her bro- 
tfcer, Charles tlie Fourth of France, and sohcits his 
advice and assistance, ib.; commanded to quit France, 
16: lands in England with a considerable force, and is 
joined by the English barons, 17 ; takes her husband 
prisoner at Bristol, 17 ; confines him in Berkeley castle. 
18; enters London amid great rejoicings, 18; obtains 
diecoronationof her son Edward the Third, 19; sus- 
pected of being pregnant by sir Roger Mortimer, 25; 
committed to prison by order of the council, ib,; dies 
in London. 138. 

Isabella, daughter of Edward the Third of England, be 
trothed to Lewis earl of Flanders. 87. 

iBflbella, the lady, of Bavaria, married to Ciiarles the 
Sixth of France, 348; mykes her public entry into 
Paris, 494. 

Isabello, daughter of Charles tlie Sixth, betrothed to Ricli- 
ard the Second of England, 577 ; delivered to him by 
king Charles at Ardres, 586; married to him at Calais. 
686. 

J. 

Jacqukrie. the rise of an infamous body of men in Beau- 
voifiis under this appellation, 112; their atrocities, ib.; 
o large number of them destroyed by the king of Na- 
varre. 118; thousands of them slain 4t Meaux by the 
earl of Foix and the capiat of Buch, 113. 

James, king of Cyprus, interests himselfto obtain the hbe- 
ration of John of Burgundy and his companions, who 
were prisoners in Turkey, 597. 

St. Jean d'Angely, the town of, taken by the earl of Derby, 
84; surrenders to the French, 97, 212. 

Jews, the, persecuted through Europe. 96. 

John, son ot'Philhp of Valois. crowned king of France. 
97 ; makes his public entry into Paris, ib.; prevents a 
combat between the duke of Lancaster and the duke 
of Brunswick, 97; takes possession of the lands of the 
kmg of Navarre in Normandy, 98; coins florins of 
gold, which were called tambJfoHvs. ib.; marches an 
army against tlie king of England, 99 ; gives the duchy 
of Normandy to his eldest son, tlieihuiphin of Vienne, 
ib.; arrests tlie king of Navarre. 99 ; niarclica an army 
against the duke of Lancaster. 100 ; cnllecls an army 
to oppose the prince of Wales. 100; defeated and taken 
prisoner at the battle of Poitiers, 105 ; surrenders to the 
prince of Wales. 106; embarked for England. 110; 
ridea through London, ib.; confined in Windsor castle. 
ib.; enters into a treaty with the king of England and 



INDEX. 

the prince of Wales, 122 ; the French council refuse to 
ratify it. ib.; sent to the Tower of London. 124 ; ob- 
tains his liberty, and returns to France, 133 ; magnifi- 
cently entertained at Paris. 134 ; quarrels with the king 
of Navarre, 137; visits tlie pope at Avignon. 137; puts 
on the cross, 138 ; returns to England, 140 ; his death, 
141 ; buried at St. Denis, 143. and note. 

Jolm, don, son of Henry de Trastamare, crowned king of 
Castille, 245 ; makes war on Portugal, 283; takes the 
field against tlie king of Portugal and the earl of Cam- 
bridge, 299 ; makes peace with the king of Portugal, 
309: marries his daughter, 300 ; sends his defiance to 
the new king of Portugal, and raises an army to make 
war on him, 360. 393: besieges Lisbon, 360. 395: applies 
to the king of France for assistance. 360 ; abaiidonsthe 
siege of Lisbon. 377 ; takes the field against the king of 
Portugal. 378: defeated, with great slaughter, at the 
battle of Aljubarota, 380. 397 ; enters into a truce with 
the king of Portugal, 382 ; applies to France for assist- 
ance against the king of Portugal and the duke of 
Lancaster, 4W : grants permission to the duke of Lan- 
caster to ecnd his men into Castilte to recruit their 
lieattli, 449 ; regains possession of Galicia after the de- 
parture of the duke ot Ijancfister. 4GG : sends embas- 
sadors to the duke of Lancaster, to demand his daugh- 
ter for the infant of Spain. 471 ; makes peace with the 
duke, 491 ; marries his son to the lady Catherine of 
Lancaster, 493; his death. 531. 

John, don. grand master of Avis, declared king of Portu 
gal, 300, 360, 393; crowned. 360. 395; sends embassa- 
dors to England to solicit the alliance of Richard tlie 
Second, 360, 375; raises an army to make war on the 
king of Caslille. 378; defeats him at the battle of Al- 
jubarota, 380, 397 ; entei-s into a truce with him. 3fS: 
sends embassadors to solicit the assistance of the duke 
of Lancaster, 392; receives favorable answers, 398; 
writes friendly letters to the duke of Lancaster on his 
arrival in Galicia, 404; has an interview with him, 407 ; 
marries the lady Philippa. daughter of the duke of 
Lancaster, 421 ; takes the field against the king of Cas- 
tille, 434; burns tlio town of Santarem. 435: takes 
Ferrol, 435 ; forms a junction with the duke of Lancas- 
ter at Orense, 447 ; dismisses his army, 450. 

John of Gaunt, earl of Richmond, created duke of Lan- 
caster, 138. 

John, fi-iar, de la Rochtaillade. delivers an apologue before 
the cardinals concerning the papacy, 390. 

Joigny, tlie earl of, captured by the prince of Wales, 101 ; 
taken prisoner at the battle of Auray, 151. 

Joigny, the lord Raoul de, taken prisoner by the prince of 
Wales. 101. 

Joinville, Uie fort of, taken by the free-booting compa- 
nies. 134. 

Jouel, sir John, joins the king of Navarre, 142 ; slain at Ihe 
battle of Cocherel in Normandy, 146. 

Jouy, the count de, burnt to death at a masked dance at 
Paris. 557. 

Jugon, the town of. taken by the lord Ciiarles of Blois 
through treachery, 60; retaken by the lord John de 
Montfort, 153 ; surrenders to sir Bertrand du GuescUn, 
216. 

St. Julien, Louis de, takes the town of Chatelherout. 195. 

Juliers, Wilham count do, made duke of Gueldres, 455. 

Juhers, the duke of. promises assistance o the king of 
England against France, 181 ; defeats the duke of Bra- 
bant with great slaughter, 457 ; makes liis peace with 
the emperor, 457; makes his submission to the king of 
France, 486 ; makes peace between the duke of Guel- 
dres and the king of France, 488. 

K. 

Kent, the eail of, beheaded through the jealousy of sir 
Robert Mortimer, 85. 

Knights Bachelors, the signification of their title, 47 ; note. 

Knights Bannerets, an account of their title and rank. 33 ; 
note. 

Knights of the Garter, the order instituted at Windsor by 
Edward the Third, 64 ; the names of tiie first knights, 
65 ; 7Wte. 

Knights of the Hare, the origin of their title, 36. 

Knights of the Star, the first of tliat order, 97. 

Knolles, sir Robert, commands a troop of free companies 
ill Normandy, 132 ; makes an incursion into Berry and 
Auvergne, 122 ; goes to the assistance of the prince of 
Wales, 183; appointed captain of tlie prince ofWa!e>'s 
companies. 183; summoned to England by king Ed- 
ward, 196; leads an army into Picardy, 198; enters into 
a composition to save the country from being pillaged, 
198 : defeated at Pont Valin by sir Bertrand du Gues- 
clin, 202 ; he retreats into Brittany, ib.; incurs the dis- 
pleasure of the king of England, 305; some account 
of his life. ib. 7wte ; reinstated in his favor, ib.; ap- 
pointed governor of Brittany, 16 ; captures the lord de 
Mauvoisin 268. 

L. 

Lac, Le, the town of taken by the earl of Derby, 67. 

Lamb florins, first coined, 98. 

Lambe, John, assassinates Evan of Wales at Mortmain- 
BUr-mer, 238. 

Lancaster, Thomas, earl of. beheaded through the enmity 
of sir Hugh Spencer, 15. 

Lancaster, Henry, earl of. brother of the former, joins 
the party of queen Isabella against Edward the Se- 
cond and the Spencers, 17. 

Lancaster, the duke of. son of earl tienry, lands in Con- 
tantin to assist Philip of Navarre against the king of 
France, 100 : takes the town of VerneuU, ib. : besieges 
Rennes, 111 ; leadi a large army into Picardy. 123 ; 



persuades the king of England to make peace M'ith 
the duke of Normandy. 130 ; dies of the plague, 131 

Lancaster, John ol Gaunt, duke ot, his creation, 138 ; em- 
barks with a large army for Aquitaine, 160; leads a 
large army into France. 186; returna to England. 193; 
embarks with a large force tor Aquitaine, 197 ; ap- 
pointed governor of Aquitaine, 203; takes Mont Paon. 
204: Marries the lady Constance, daughter of Don Pe- 
dro of Castille. 306; returns to England, ib. ; leads an 
army through France to Bordeaux, 218. et srg. : enten. 
into a truce wiUi the French, and returns to England, 
223; made regent of England, during the minority ef 
Richard the Second. 234; heads an army into Britta- 
ny. 225; besieges St. Malo. 238: abandons tlie siege, 
241; informed of the death of Don Henry, king of 
Caslille, 246: sent to treat with the Scots. 283: makes 
a trace with them, 2S8; refused admission into Berwick 
castle, ib. ; returns to Scotland with the earl of Dong- 
lass, 289; eent for by kins Richard, ib. ; offended with 
the earl of Northumberland, 290 : appeased by the 
king, ib. : obtains an army to make war on Castille, 
399 ; embarks for Portugal, ib. : forces the French to 
raise the blockade of Brest, 400; arrives at Corunna, 
ib. ; takes the town of St. lago de CompostelJa and 
several others in Galicia, 401, ct ye^. ; makes war on 
Arragon, 416; marries his daughter, the lady Philippa, 
to the king of Portugal, 421 : takes the" towns ofEo- 
tenca, &c., 433, et se^. ; suffers greatly from the heat 
of the climate, 447 ; forms a junction with tlie king of 
Portugal, ib.; passes the Duero. ib. ; dispirited by the 
sickness of himself and army. 448; disbands his men, 
448 ; obtains permission from king of Custille for them 
to recruit their health in his towns. 449; quits GaUcia 
and returns to Bayonne, 452, 466; applies to England 
for fresh assistance, 466 ; betrothes his daughter Catha- 
rine to the infanlof Spain, 488; makes peace with the 
kingof Castille, 491; marries his daughter to the infant, 
492; receives the duchy of Aquitaine as a gift from 
king Richard and his council. 564 ; embarks for Aqui- 
taine, 565 ; ordered to return in consequence of the re- 
monstrances of the towns of Aquitaine against the 
king's gift, 570; marries his concubine. 977; offended 
with king Richard for the murder of the duke of Glou- 
cester, 602; makes peace with him, ib. ; his death, 610. 

Lancaster, the duchess of, takes her daughter to t'astille. 
and marries her to the infant. 493 ; finds the bones of 
her father, don Pedro, and Jias them buried at Se- 
ville, ib. 

Langon, the town of, taken by the earl of Derby, 67 ; sur- 
renders to the duke of Aiyou, 221. 

Langu rant, the lord de, captured byth»duke of Anjou. 
22d; turns to the French interest, 229 ; slain nearCar- 
dd lac. 245. 

Launoy, John de, one of the commanders of the men of 
Ghent, slain at the church of Nevele, 279. 

Lauton, sir John, slain before La Rochelle.209. 

Le Clerc. Arnold, one of llie commanders of the men of 
Ghent, defeats a party of the Flemish nobility at On- 
denarde, 280 ; delealed and slain at Bercliero, ib. 

Leon, Ling of Armenia, arrives in France, after losing his 
dominions. 387 ; relieved by the king of France. 389; 
his death, 390. vote ; endeavors to negotiate a peace 
between the kings of France and England 413. 

Leon, sir Herve de, captured before Vannes.63; liberoted 
by king Edward, 65; dies at Paris, ib. 

Letter, from Edward the Black Prince, to the bishop of 
Worcester, after the battle of Poitiers. 108. note. 

Letter, sent by the king of England to Aquitaine. 194. 

Lewis, the lord of Spain, raises the siege ofHennebon, 37; 
takes the town ofDinant, &.e., 58; defeated at Quim- 
perle by sir Walter Manny, ib. ; engages sir Robert 
d'Artois at sea, 61. 

Libourne, the town of. taken by the earl of Derby 67 

Li^ge, the bishop of. endeavors to make peace between 
the earl of Flanders and the bishop of Norwich, 305. 

Lieux, the town of, taken by the eurl of Derby, 67. 

Lignac. sir Helion de, sent to treat with the duke of Lan- 
caster for the marriage of his daughter to the duk« 
oPBerry. 469. 

Lignac, sir William de, seneschal of Saintonge, takea the 
cnstle of Aigle, 844 ; accompanies the duke of Bonr- 
bon to the assistance of Ihe knig of Castille. 418 : ar- 
rives at Burgos, 426. 

Limoges, the town of, surrenders to the duke of Berry, 
199; taken by storm by the prince of Wales, 200. 

Linde, the town of. besieged by the duke ot Anjou, 197: 
delivered by the captal of Buch, ib. 

Linieres, sir Maubrun de, dies at Noya, 133- 

Lionel, earl of Ulster, created duke of Clarence, 138; 
marriei the daughter of the lord Galeas of Milan, 171; 
his death. 174. 

Lisbon, the city of, besieged by the king of Castille, 360. 395. 

Lisle, the earl of, makes war in Gascony for the king of 
France, 44; besieges Auberochc, 67; taken prisoner by 
the earl of Derby. 68. 

St. Lo, the town of, taken by the English under king Ed- 
ward. 77^ 

London, the bishop of, appointed to accompany the duke 
of Lancaster in an expedition against Spain. 326. 

Londoners, tlie. dissatisfied with king Richard and his 
council, apply to the duke of Gloucester to take upon 
him the' government of the realm. 439; wait upon the 
king at Windsor to lay their grievances before him. 
and to demand redress. 440 ; prevail upon the king to 
fix a day to examine inin tlie conduct of those who 
had had the management of the finances, ib. ; defeat 
theduke of Ireland and the king's forces, near Oxford, 
445 : wait upon the king, at tlie insligntion of the duke 
of Gloucester, to demand the repeal of the taxes which 
had been imposed to carry on the w ar with France, 
594; take part with the earl of Derby in his quarrel 
with the eaxl-marshal. 605 ; rise in favor of the earl of 



INDEX, 



631 



Derby against Kichard the Second, 613 ; send tJie arch- 
bishop of Canterbury to France to bring back the earl 
of Derby, ib. 

XjooKueval. sir William de, takes the cattle of Mont Paon, 
203: sarrendera it to the duke of Lancaster. 204. 

lri)rraijie, the dake of, &li;in at the battle of Crecy, 82. 

ijOrris, sa i.auncelot de, mortally wounded at Cherbourg, 
248. 

Louis, de Valois, marries, by procuration, Margaret of 
Hungary, 340. 

Lourde, the garrison of, take several places in France, 361, 
ct seq. 

liOUvnine, sir Nicholas, governor of Abbeville, taken pris- 
oner by sir Hugh de Chatillon, 179. 

Louvier, the town of, taken by the English, under Edward 
the Third, 78. 

Luna, the cardinal de, elected pope at Avignon, under the 
title of Benedict the Eleventh, 563. 

Lusignan, the town of, in Poitou, taken by the earl of 
Derby, 84 ; surrenders to sir Bertrand duGuesclin, 215. 

Lu sign an, Peter de, king of Cyprus, arrives at Avignon, 
138; visits Germany to exhort the emperor to join 
the croisade against the Saracens, 139 ; visits the king 
of Navarre, ib. ; endeavors to prevail on the king of 
England to put on the cross, ib. ; goes to Aquitaine to 
sobcit the prince of Wales to do the same, 140 ; returns 
to Paris, 143 : put to death, 387. 

Lossac, the town and castle of, taken by sir Bertrand du 
Guesclin, 210. 

Luxembourg, sir Peter de, his body said to show miracu- 
lous powers, 459. 

Lozumont, the castle of. in Brittany, taken by sir Bei- 
trand du Guesclin, 216. 

Lyon, John, a citizen of Ghent, revives tlje custom of the 
Whitehoods, 352; instigates the men of Ghent to de- 
mand from the earl of Flanders the preservation of 
their franchises, 253; bums and pillages the castle of 
Andreghien, belonging to the earl, 254 ; dies at Ardem- 
bourg, 255. 

Lron, sir Espaing du, accompanies Froissart to Beam, 
and relates to him many particulars relative to the 
wars inGuienne, &c., 361. 

M. 



St. Mahe, the town of, in Brittany, surrenders to sir Ber- 
trand du Guesclin, 216- 
Maillart, John, a citizen of Paris, prevents the city beins 
betrayed by the provost merchants, 115. 

JVIajorca, James, king of, applies to the prince of Wales 
fur his assistance against the king of Arragon, 159; 
accompanies the prince and don Pedro into Spain, 
162; taken prisoner at Valladobd, by king Henry of 
Castille. 171 ; ransomed by his wife, the queen of Na- 
ples, 206 ; makes war on the king of Arragon, ib. ; dies 
at Val di Soria, ib. 

St. Haixant, the town of, in Poitou, taken by the duke of 
Berry, 213. 

Maleval, sir Louis de, turns to the French interest, 194- 

St. Malo, the town of. surrenders to sir Bertrand du Gues- 
clin, 216; besieged by the duke of Lancaster, 238. 

Malvoisin, the castle of, taken by the duke of Anjou, 364. 

Mandarant, the castle of, taken by the earl of Derby, 67. 

Manners of the English and Gascons in the time of Frois- 
sart, 386. 

Manny, sir Courageou?, left for d'lad at the battle of No- 
gent-sur-Seir,e. 121. 

Manny, sir Giles, killed before Cambray, 37. 

Manny, sir Walter, makes an invasion into France, 33 ; 
sent with an English furce into Brittany, to the assist- 
ance of the countess of Montfort, 56 ; arrives at Hen- 
nebon,57; takes tlie castle of Conquet, 58; defeats the 
lord Lewis of Sptiin. at CJuimperle, ib. ; takes the cas- 
tle of Goy la Foret, 59 ; accompanies the earl of Der- 
by into Gascony, 66 ; finds the sepulchre of his father 
at La Reole, 70 ; defeats the Frencli uniler sir Geoffrey 
de Chargny, before Calais, 93 ; dies in London, 206. 

Mantes, the town of, taken by the French under the lord 
de Boucicaut, 142. 

Marans, the town of, in the RochelloB, taken by sir Ber- 
trand du Guesclin, 33. 

Marcel, Amerigot, takes the castle of Cassuriel and other 
places in Aavergne, 248, et seq. ; takes by surprise the 
castle of Marque!, 334 ; fortifies himself in La Roche 
V'andais, 516 ; besieged by the viscount de Meau.\, 517 ; 
sends to England to solicit the duke of Lancaster for 
assistance, ib. ; during his absence at Perigord, his fort 
surrenders, 520 ; betrayed by a relative, to whom he 
applied tor an asylum, 521 ; beheaded at Paris, 522. 

Marcel, Etienne, provost of the merchants of Paris, kills 
three kniglits in the apartment of the regent. 429; 
builds a wall round Paris, 113 ; killed by John Mail- 
lart, while attempting to betray the city to the English 
and Navarrois, 115. 

March, the earl of, taken prisoner by the English at the 
battle of Nevil'e Crosa, 86 ; appointed constable of the 
English army under Edward the Third, 124. 

Marchiennes, the Monastery of, titken by the Hainaulters, 
47. 

Marcheville, the caitle of, taken by Uie duke of Burgun- 
dy. 147. 

Maret, John de. unjastly executed at Paris, 325. 

Margaret, countess of Hainault, takes possession of the 
country, as her inheritance, after the death of earl 
William, 73. 

Margaret of Hungaiy, married by procuration to Louis de 

V. . Valois, 346 ; forcibly married by Henry de Blancque- 
fort, brother to the emperor of Germany, 350. 

Mjimeit, sir Raymond de, turns to the French interest, 
fiW ; taken prisoner by the English, 202 ; makes his es- 
cope. 303. 



Marquel, the castle of, in Auvergne, taken by Amerigot 

Marcel. 334. 
Marriage, concluded between the children of Burgundy 

and those of Hainault, 342. 
Marshal, the carl, of Eocland, challenges the earl of Der- 
by in the presence of king Richard, 603; banished tlie 
kingdom, 606 ; dies at Venice, 624. 
St. Maubert, tiie fort of, taken by the English under the 

lord Neville, 241. 
Maubue, lord, beheaded at Rouen, 99. 
Mauconseii, the castle of, taken by the king of Navarre, 
116 ; besieged by the duke of Normandy, 116 ; razed to 
the ground, 121. 
Maudurant, Geronnet do, captured by sir John do Bonne- 
lance, 461; taken to Montferrant, ib. ; ransomed, 462; 
gains possession of the town of Montferrant for Peter 
]e Beamois, 463. 
Maul^on, le Bastot de, relates his adventures to Froissart. 

at Orthes. 372. 
Mauny, sir Oliver de, makes the king of Navane prisoner, 

163. 
St. Maur, the abbey of, on the Loire, taken by the English 

under the earl of Pembroke, 191. 
Mauvoisin, lord de, captured by sir Robert Knolles, 268. 
Maxwell, sir John, captures sir Ralph Percy at the battle 

of Otterboum, 482. 
Meaus, the battle of. 113. 
St. Mecaire, the town of, surrenders to the duke of Anjou, 

230. 
Melrose, the abbey of, destroyed by Richard the Second, 

352. 
Melval, lord Louis de, taken prisoner at the battle of Poi- 
tiers, 422. 
Melun, the town of, on the Seine, besieged by the duke of 

Normandy, 437. 
Menstreworth, sir John, with his followers, quits the army 

of sir Robert Knolles, 518; executed in London, 523. 
Blercier, sir John le, one of the ministers of Charles the 
Sixth of France, committed to prison during the re- 
gency of the duke of Burgundy, 553; his property con- 
fiscated, 554 : released from prison, 573. 
Mesciin, the little, captain of some free companies, put to 

death at Luxembourg, 445. 
Meulan, the town of, taken by the French under the lord 

de Boucicaut, 142. 
Milhaud, the castle of, in Rouergue. taken by sir Bertrand 

du Guesclin, 205. 
Mirabeau, the town of. taken by the earl of Derby, SI. 
Miraculous appearances, said to have been seen by the 

Saracens during the siege of Africa, 524. 
Miramont, the castle of, taken by the duke of Normandy, 

73. 
Moissac, the town of, in Quercy, taken by the English 
under sir John Chandos, 1^ ; surrenders to the duke of 
Anjou, 197. 
Moncontour, the castle of, in Poitou, taken by the English 
under lord Thomas Percy, 204; taken by sir Bertrand 
du Guesclin, 210. 
Monmorillon, the castle of, in Poitou, taken by sir Ber- 
trand du Guesclin. 210. 
Monsac, the town of, taken by the duke of Anjou, 220. 
Monstier, lord Peter de, appointed chief of^he croisade 

against the free companies in France, 136. 
Montacute, sir William, created earl of Salisbury, 28. 
Montagu, lord William de, slain at tlie battle of Poitiers, 

105. 
Montauban, battle of, between sir Guy d'Asai and the free 

companies, 159. 
RIontbeliard. the earl of, invades the duchy of Burgundy, 

148. 
Montebourg, the town of, burat and pillaged by the Eng- 
lish under king Edword the Third, 76. 
Montendre, the lord of, captured at the battle of Poitiers, 

106. 
Montferrant. the town of, taken by stratagem by Perrot 

le Beamois, 463. 
Montferrant, the marquis de, leads the free companies into 
Lombardy, 137; conquers several places from the lord 
of Milan, ib. 
Montfort, the earl of, takes measures to secure to himself 
the duchy of Brittany, after the death of his brother, 
48 ; takes tlie town of Brest and several others. 50, et 
seq.; does homage to tne king of England for the 
duchy of Brittany, 51 ; summoned' before the parlia- 
ment of Paris, at the suit of the lord Charles of Blois, 
ib.; captured by the French at Nantes,«52 ; dies in the 
Louvre at Paris, ib.; [See this account corrected, ib., 
note.} 
Montfort, the lord John de, defeats the forces of the lord 
Charles of Blois, at the battle of Aumy, 150; his be- 
havior on seeing the body of his adversary, ■\vlio had 
been slain in the battle, 151 ; takes Auray and other 
places, 152, et seq.; makes peace with the king of 
France, and is acknowledged duke of Brittany, 153; 
marries the daughter of the princess of Wales, ib.; 
applies to England tor assistance against the king of 
France, 214 ; retakes several places in Brittany, 22^ ; 
besieges Quimperle, ib.; disbands his nrmv, and re- 
tires to England, ib.; returns to Brittany,^; solicits 
king Richard for succors, 2^ ; excuses himself to the 
earl of Buckingham, who had come to his assistance, 
fur not meeting him on his march, 269; makes peace 
with the kiug of France. 275; arrests sir Oliver de 
Clisson in the castle of Ermine, and causes the expe- 
dition against England to he given up, 430, liberates 
sir Oliver, 432 ; required by the king of France to ex- 
plain, his conduct toward the constable, and to deliver 
up to him the castle he had taken from him as his ran- 
som, 438; his answer, 438; disregards the overtures 
made by the duke of Eerry to gain him over to the 
French interest, 466 ; enters into an alliance with Eng- 
land, 467 ; with Navarre, ib., re?loi*s the ca5tle? of sir 



Oliver de Clisson, 470 ; goes to Paris at the entreaty of 
the dukes of Beny and Burgundy, 471: make* his 

peace with the king of France, 472; reiuma to Brit- 
tany, 477 ; meets the king of France at Tour» to make 
an amicable settlement of the differences existing be- 
tween them, 539 ; agrees to marry his son to the daugh- 
ter of the kioif of France, and his daughter to John of 
Brittany, 641 ; grants an asylum to sir Peter de Craon 
after his attempt to murder sir Oliver de Olifson, 547 ; 
involves himself in a war with the king of France, ib.; 
wages a destructive war against sir Oliver de ClissoD, 
560; makes peace with him, 673; grunts assistance to 
the earl of Derby to embark for England, 615; his 
death, 623. 

Montfort, the countess de, carries on the war against the 
lord Charles of Blois, after the capture of her husband, 
52; solicits assistance from England, 56; besieged by 
the lord Charles of Biois. in Hennebon, ib.; displays 
great courage in the defence of the town, 56; entere 
into a truce with the lord Charles of Blois, and goes 
to England, 60; returns to Brittany with reinforce- 
ments, under sir Robert d'Artois, 61 ; her forces take 
the lord Charles of Blois prisoner at La Roche d'Er- 
rien, 89. 

Montgis, the castle of, taken by the earl of Derby, C6. 

Monttpl, thR bntflp nf, 173, 

Montlieu. tlie castle of, taken by the duke of Bourbon, 344. 

Montmorency, sir Charles de, taken prisoner at Pont-i- 

Tressin,47. 
Mont-paon, the castle, surrenders to the French under sir 

William de Longueval, 203 ; retaken by the duke of 

Lancaster, 201. 
Montpellier. the towns and lordships of, belonging to the 

king of Navarre, seized by the French, 236. 
Montpezat, the village of, taken by the duke of Aruou, 

197. 
Montpin, the fort of, taken by sir Thomas Trivet, 243. 
Montpouiilant, the town of, taken bytheearl of Derby, 71. 
Montreuil Bonin, the town of, taken by the earl of Derby, 

84. 
Monsegur, the village of, surrenders to the earl ot Derbf, 

69 ; taken by the duke of Anjou, 230. 
Moray, Randolph, earl of, his death, 24. 
Moray, the earl of. taken prisoner by the English before 

Newcastle upon Tyne, 54 ; exchanged for the earl of 

Salisbury, 56. 
Morbeque. Denys de, coptores king John at the battle of 

Poitiers, 106. 
Moron, Castel, taken by the earl of Derby, 71. 
Mortain. the town of, in Normandy, taken by sir Bertrand 

du Guesclin, 226. 
Mortain-sur-Mer, the town of, in Poitou. taken by the earl 

of Derby, 81 ; besieged by Evan of Wales, 231 ; tho 

siege raised by the English, 241. 
Mortemer, the castle of, surrenders to sir Bertrand da 

Guesclin. 215. 
Mortimer, sir Roger, ignominioosly put to death. 25. 
Mouton, a French coin so called, the origin of its appella- 
tion, 109, note. \ 
Mucident, the lord of, killed before Chargny in Dormoif, 

126. 
Mucident, the lord of. taken prisoner by the duke of Anjou, 

229; turns to the French interest, lb.; returns to tha 

English party, 245. 
Muros, the town of. in Galicia, surrenders to the duke of 

Lancaster, 421. 
Murray, the eari of, captured by the English at the battle 

ot Nevil's Cross, 86- 
Musgrave, sir Thomas, defeated and captured by the Scot* 

at Melrose, 234. 

N. 

NAiTARRA.the town of, taken by the prince of Wales, 167. 

Namur, sir Philip de, slain at Dendremonde, 278. 

Namur, sir Robert de, does homage to the king of Eng- 
land, before Calais, 88 ; promises to assist him against 
France, 186 ; joins the English forces, under the duke 
of Lancaster, before Toumehem. 187 ; defeats a party 
of the French in a skirmish, 190. 

Namur, sir William de, gives the town of Sluys to the 
duko of Burgundy, in exchange for the country of 
Bethune, 348. 

Nantes, the town of, taken by the lord Charles of Blois, 
53; besieged by Edward the Thu-d. GS; surrenders to 
*ir Bertrand du Guesclin, 217; besieged by the earl of 
Buckingham, 271. 

Naples. Joan, queen of. surrenders her dominions to pope 
Clement. 250. 

Narbonne, the viscount de, captured by the free compani« 
before Montauban, 159. 

Xaval engagement, before Sluys, between the navies of 
France and Englcnd, 42; between tltt Spaniards and 
the English under king Edward the Third, 95 ; off the 
island of Bas in Brittany, between the English and 
Flemings, 205 ; before La Rorhelle, between the ea:l 
of Pembroke and the Spaniards, 207. 

Navarretta, the battle of, between the prince of Wales 
and don Henry of Castille, 165. 

Navarre. Charles, king of, lands with a large army at 
Cherbourg, 68; arrested by the king of France, 99; 
escapes from the castle of Alleres. 112; makes peace 
with the duke of Normandy, ib.; harangues the Pari- 
sians, ib.; destroys many of the infamouR Jacquerie, 
of Beauvoigi:s,113: declares war against France, 116; 
lakes several towns and fortresses in France, ib.; 
makes peace with the duke of Normandy, 120 ; declares 
war against him, 127; makes war on France, 139; 
makes peace with the king of France. 152 ; enters into 
alliance with don Pedro of Castille, 156 : conducts the 
prince of Wales and don Pedro to Pampeluna, MB; 
enters into au alliance with tht; kins of EnsUnd, IS : 



632 



INDEX, 



makes peace wiUi the kine of France. 196. 216: ap- 
plies to king Richard of England for assistance against 
the king of France. 237; enters into an alliance with 
him in England, ib.; solicits aid from the EngUsh at 
Boideaux, to raise the siege of Pampeluna, 343 ; con- 
cludes a peace with tlie king of Spain, 24o ; his extra- 
ordinary death, 459. 

Navarre, the young king of, goes to Paris, to endeavor to 
gain hack his inheritance of Evreux, 603. 

Kavarre, the lord Lewis of, takes the town of LaCharite, 
147 ; marries the queen of Naples, 153. 

Havarre, Philip of, defends the possessions of his brother 
in Normandy against the king of France. 100: raises 
an army to raise the siege of St. Valery, 118 ; refuses 
to accept the peace which had hcen concluded be- 
tween his brotlier and the duke of Nonnandy, 120. 

li^ecroniancer, a, offers to deUver up the castel del Ovo to 
the duke of Anjou by enchantment, 297 ; beheaded by 
order of tlie earl of Savoy. 297. 

Negotiations, carried on at Billinges respecting a peace 
between the English and the French. 18. 

Nesle, Guy de. defeated and taken prisoner by the Eng- 
hsh in Saintonge, 97; sliiin, ib. 

Nesle, lord William de. slain at the battle of Poitiers. 105. 

Nevele, tiie church of. burnt by the earl of Flanders, with 
several hundreds of the men of Ghent in it» 279. 

Nevil's Cross, the battle of, 86- 

iVeville, the lord, raises the siege of Mortain,240; takes 
St. Maubert, 241; dismissed from his command in 
Northumberland, 279. 

Newtoun. sir John, sent on an embassy to Richard the 
Second from the rebels of Kent, 284. 

Nicopoli, the town of, in Turkey, besieged by tlie king of 
Hungary and John of Burgundy, 575; the siege raised 
by the sultan Bajazet, 587. 

Kiort.thetownof, stormed by the English. 211 ; surrenders 
to sir Bertrand du GuescUn, 215. 

Kogent-sur-Seine, the town of. sold to the bishop of 
Trojes, 121 ; the battle of. ib. 

Normandy, the duchy of, invaded by Edward the Tliird,76. 

JJormnndy, the duke of, invades Hainault, 39; besieges 
Thin-l'Eveque, 41 ; enters Brittany with the lord 
Charles of Blois, 52; leads a large army to oppose the 
king of England in Brittany, 64; enters into a truce 
with him, ib.; leads an army into Gascony to oppose 
the earl of Derby, 73 ; takes the town of Miraumont 
and others, ib., et seg.; marries Jane, countess of Bou- 
logne, 94; appointed regent of France during the im- 
prisonment of king John in England, 110; besieges 
Paris, 114 ; makes peace witii tlie king of Navarre, ib.; 
enters ■Paris. 115 ; lays siege to Melun, 120 ; collects a 
force to drive the English outof Chumpagne. 121; re- 
fuses to ratify the peace concluded between king John 
and the Enghsh. 122 ; declines to accept the challenge 
of the kmg (t( England, 129; endeavors to make peace 
with him, 130; appointed regent on the departure of 
king John for England, 140 ; crowned king of France 
at Rheims. under the title of Charles the Fifth. 146. 

Northumberland, the earl of. takes Berwick castle, 232; 
enters Scotland with a large army, 233; appointed 
lieutenant of Northumberland, &c., 282; enters Scot- 
land with a large force, 338 ; banislied by Richard the 
Second, 612 ; recalled by the earl of Derby. 617. 

Norwich, the bishop of, appointed comraander-in chief of 
a croisade against the Clementists. 326 : enters Flan- 
ders contrary to tlie advice of sir Hugh Calverley, 327 ; 
takes the town of Gravelines and other places, ib.. et 
seg.; besieges Ypres. 330; abandons the siege, and re- 
turns to England, 331; badiv received on his return. 
335. 

Noyon, the bishop of. taken prisoner at Jlauconseil. 116. 

o. 

Olifernk, Agadinquor, an African chief, his conduct at 
the siege of Africa, 524. 

Orchies. the town of, burnt by the earl of Hainault, 44. 

Orenze, the town of, in Galicia. surrenders to the forces of 
the duke of Lancasier, 434. 

Oriflainmt'. the 'sac red "banner so called, displayed by the 

( king of France at the battle of Rosebecque in I-'lan- 
ders. 321. 

Orleans, the duchess of. suspected of causmj the illness of 
the king of France. 593. 

Onhon, a familiar spirit, serves the lord of Corasse, 382. 

Ortinga"!, the town of, taken by Peter d'Anchin. 363. 

Oslrate, Waustre. takes the castle of Roulebois-sur-Seine 
127. 

Ostrevant, the country of. burnt by the garrison of Douay, 
41. 

Optrcvant, the count of, created a knight of the garter. 
538; gives offence to the king of France, ib.; "does 
homage to the king of France lor the county of Ostre- 
vant, 52?; raises an armyto invade Friesland. 583; in- 
vades Friesland,584; disbands his army, 585: invites 
the enri of Derby to Hainault after he had been ban- 
ished from England, 607. 

Otho, sir, of Brunswick, demands his pay from pope Cle- 
ment at Avignon, 390. 

Otteibourne, the battle of. 481, [see also 484. note.] 

oTS^' ^^^ ^""'" ^''' t'esieged by the men of Ghent. 
^,d07; taken by Francis Atremen,333; retaken by 
the lord uestouniay, 340. 

0.\ford, the earl of. t,-iken prisoner in Gascony. 67 : endea- 
vors to dissuade the king ofEnslandftomassLning his 
uncles in their pretensions to the crown of CastiUe. 
359 ; created duke of Ireland, 414. 



PaMFEIUna, the town of . besieged by the kingof Castille. 
Pftiis. the city of, besieged by the duke of Normandy, Hi 



Parisians, the. rebel against Charles the Sixth, 293; ap- 
peased by the lord de Coucy. ib.; fined by the king, 
325. 

Partenay, the lordde, captured at tlie battle of Poitiers, 
106. 

Passac, sir Waher de, takes St. Forget, and several other 
places in the Toulousain, 384; accompanies the duke 
of Bourbon in an expedition into Castille, 419 ; arrivei 
at Burgos, 426. 

St. Patrick's Hole, in Ireland, its singular properties, 565, 
and note 

Paive. sir Amery de, governor of Calais, enters into a 
treaty with sir Geoffry de Chargny to deliver the town 
up to Iiim, 93; prevented by the king of England, ib.; 
taken prisoner by sir Geoffry de Chargny, arid behead- 
ed. 96. 

Peace, concluded between France and England, 130 ; at 
Leulinghen, 562. 

Pedro tlie Fourth, don, king of Castille, summoned to ap- 
pear before pope Urban the Fiftli at Avignon, 154 ; ex- 
communicated, ib,; endeavors to raise a force to op- 
pose his brother don Henry, and the duke of Burgundy, 
154 ; flies to Corunna. ib.; goes to Aquilaine to solicit 
the assistance of Uie prince of Wales, 155; enters 
Spain, accompanied by the prince and a large force, 
161 ; defeats the army of don Henry, 165 ; obtains the 
submission of Castillp. 168; incurs the displeasure of 
the prince of Wales. 169; defeated by don Henry at 
Jlontiel, 173; taken prisoner, 173 ; killed by his broth- 
er, 174. 

Pembroke, the earl of. sent to the assistance of the prince 
of Wales in Aquilaine, 180 ; makes war m Perigord, 
&c., 180 ; invades tlie territories of Anjou, 187 ; returns 
to England. 203; appointed governor of Aquitaine, 
207 ; defeated and taken prisoner by the Spaniards be- 
fore La Rochelle, 209; insulted by Evan of Wales at 
St. Andero, 209 ; obtains Ins ransom, 320 ; dies at Ar- 
ras, ib. 

Pennon, the nature of the military ensiijn so calledi ex- 
plained, 102, note. 

Percy, sir Henry, dies in Castille, 450. 

Percy, sir Henry, appointed commander-in-chief of the for- 
ces 111 Northumberland, 479. 

Percy, sir Ralph, captured at the battle of Otterbourne, 
482. 

Percy, sir Thomas, appointed seneschal of Poitou, 194 : 
takes tlie castle of Montcontour. 204 ; captured by tlie 
French at Soubise, 212 ; resigns his office of steward 
of the household to king Richard the Second. 596 ; ap- 
pointed governor of Aquitaine. 621. 

Perigord, the cardinal de. endeavors to make peace be- 
tween tlie kingof France and the prince of Wales 
previous to the battle of Poitiere, 102; makes peace 
between the duke of Normandy and tlie king of Na- 
varre, 120. 

Perigord, tlie earl of, defeats the highsteward ofRouergue, 
177 ; besieges Reaivdle, 181. 

Perth, the town of, destroyed by Richard tlie Second, 352. 

Peterson. Jolm, admiral of the Flemish fleet, defeated and 
captured by the English off tlie island of Bas. 205. 

St. Phagon, the town of, in Spain, pillaged by some Bre- 
ton Soldiers, 452. 

Philip, lord of Burgundy, killed before Aiguillon, 83. 

Philip of Valois, chosen king of France, to the exclusion 
of Isabella, queen of England, 15, 33 ; makes war on 
the Flemings, ib. ; banishes Robert dWrtois from 
France, 27 ; puts on the cross, 29 ; enters into an alli- 
ance with the king of Scotland, 33; receives a defiance 
from the king of England, 33 ; leads an army to op- 
pflse his forces, 35 ; destroys the territories of sir John of 
Hijinault, 37; invades Flanders, 39; sends forces into 
Scotland to assist the Scots against the English, 45 ; 
assembles a large army to raise the siege of Tournay. 
ib.; enters into a truce with the king of England, 48; 
aseists the lord Charles of Blois to recover the duchy 
of Brittany from the earl of Montfort, 51; assembles 
an army to oppose the earl of Derby in Gascony, 73; 
collects another army to oppose king Edward in Nor- 
mandy, 76 ; defeated at the battle of Crecy, 82 ; col- 
lects a large army to raise the siege of Calais, 89 ; en- 
ters into a truce with the king of England, 91 ; marries 
the Ifjdy Blanche, daughter of Philip, king of Navarre, 
94 ; dies at Nogent-le-Koi. 97. 

Philip, son of king John of France, created du k e of Bur- 
gundy, 146. 

Philippa, daughter of the earl William of Hainault, mar- 
ried to Edward the Third, 24; in the absence of the 
king raises an army to oppose the Scots, 84; defeats 
them at the battle of Nevit's Cross, 85 : receives the 
king of Scotland as lier prisoner at York, 87; her three 
last requests to king Edward, 190 ; her death, ib. 

Philippa, daughter of the /luke of Lancaster, married to 
the king of Portugal, 421. 

Pica^ily, the country of. invaded by king Edward tJie 
Third. 78. 

Pierrepont, the town of. taken by sir Eustace.d'Ambreti- 
court. 129. 

Piquigny, sir John de, delivers the king of Navarre 
from the castle of Alleres, 112; forces the dukeof Noi^ 
mandy to raise the siege of Mauconseil, U6 ; endeavors 
to take the town of Amiens, 117 ; dies at La Herrielle, 
121. 

Plague, the, desolates all Europe. 96, and note. 

Piaisac, Heliot de, governor of BoutviUe, taken by the 
French. 246. 

Poinings, lord, dies in Castille, 450. 

Poitiers, the city of, taken by tlie earl of Derby, 84; sur- 
renders to sir Bertrand du Guesclin, 211. 

Poitiers, tlie battle of, between the king of France and the 
prince of Wales, 103. 

Poitiei-s, sir Charles de, burnt to death at a masked dance 
at Paris, 657. 



Poix, the town of, destroyed by the English under Edward 
the Third, 79. 

St. Pol, the count de. captured by tlie English at Liqu9, 
and sent to England. 221 ; marries the lady Maude] 
daughter of the princess of Wales, 247 ; leads an army 
into Friesland, 584. 

St. Pol, the earl of, slain at the battle of Crecy, 82. 

St. Pol, the to\vn of, besieged by the duke of Lancaster, 
191. 

Pommiers, the lord de, beheaded at Bordeaux for treason, 
227. 

Pampadour, the lord of, captured at llie battle of Poitiers, 
106. 

Pondaire. the town of, taken by the earl of Derby, ^. 

Pons, the lord de. shun at the battle of Poitiers, 105 ; tuma 
to the French interest, 204. 

Pont-au-Demer. the town of, in Normandy, taken by sir 
Bertrand du Guesclin, 226. 

Pont du St. Esprit, tlie town of, taken by the free compl- 
nies. 136. 

Pontevedra, the town of, in Galicia, surrenders to the array 
of the duke of Lancaster, 409. 

Ponthieu, the country of, conquered by the forces under sir 
Hugh de Chatillon, 179. 

Ponthieu, the earl of, captured at the battle of Poitiers, 
105. 

Populace, of England, rebel against king Richard and the 
nobility, 284; enter London and do niucli mischief^ 
285 : dispersed by the king, 286. 

Porcien, the earl of, ransomed, 179. 

Porkers of la Respailie, a set of pillagers so called, commit 
several depredations in Flanders, 343. 

Port St. Marie, taken by Uie duke of Anjou, 197. 

Portboeuf. Peter, governor of Dinant, taken prisoner,,63. 

Portelet, don Juan Ferdinando de, informs Froissart of 
many particulars relative to tlie affairs of Portugal, 
391. 

Poulat, the castle of, in Gascony, taken by the English 
under sir Thomas Trivet, 243. 

Poursuivant d'Amour, the meaning of the title explained, 
179, note. 

Pressigny, sir Reginald de, put to death, 98. 

Preu.x. tlie castle of, taken by the duke of Burgundy, H7. 

Prie, the lord of, captured at the battle of Auray, 161. 

Pruniaux, John, a citizen of Ghent, appointed one of the 
commanders of the Whitehoods in that city, 255; de- 
stroys the walls of Oudenarde, 260 ; banished from Flan- 
ders, 261 ; delivered up to the earl, and beheaded, ib, 

Pulpiron, the castle of, taken by the French under sir Wal- 
ter de Passac, 385. 

Punach, llie town of. taken by the earl of Derby, 67. 



Q. 



Quarrel, between the houses of Brabant and Gueidres 

tJie cause of, explained. 454. 
Queens, three, besieged in the town of Melun-sor- Seine, 

120. 
Quimpercorentin. the town of, in Brittany, taken by sir 

Bertrand du Guesclin, 216. 
Quimperle. the town of, in Brittany, taken by sir Bertrand 

duGuesclui.216: besieged by the duke of Brittany, iB2 

R. 

Raimdaut, Lewis, a captain of the free companies, be- 
headed, 375. 

Ramsay. Alexander, takes the castle of Berwick, 232: 
captured in the castle by the earl of Northumberland, 
233. 

Ravenal. lord Raouel de, captured at Mauconseil. 116. 

Realville, the town of, taken by storm by the earl of Peri- 
gord. 183. 

PvCginald, count of Gueidres, his extravagance, 454 ; mar- 
ries the daughter of Bertaldo of Mechlin, 455; after- 
ward marries Isabella, daughter of Edward the Second 
of England, ib. 

Ren nes, the town of, taken by theearlofMontfort.orduke 
of Brittany, 50 ; surrenders to the lord Charles of Bloii, 
56: besieged by the duke of Lancaster, 111 ; taken by 
sir Bertrand du GuescUn, 216. 

Reole, La, the town of, taken by tlie earl of Derby. 71; 
surrenders to the duke of Anjou, 221. 

Rcyneval, lord Raoul de, defeated by the English and Na- 
varrois, under sir Godfrey de Harcourt, 109. 

Rheims, llie town of, besieged by Edward the Third, 126. 

Ribadavia, tiie town of. taken by storm by the duke or 
Lancaster, 421. 

Ribadeo, count, of Spain, one of tlie ministers of Charles 
the Fourth of France, arrested by the duke of Burgun- 
dy while regent, 553. 

Ribeaumont, sir Eustace de. captured near Calais, 94; re- 
ceives a chaplet of pearls from the king of England, 
in reward for his prowess, 94; slain al the battle of 
Poitiers, 105. 

Ribemmont. sir Galahaut de, mortally wounded in a skir- 
mish with the English, 126. 

Richard, son of the prince of Wales, declared presump- 
tive heir to the tlirone of England, 224 ; crowned king 
of England. 234. 

Richard the Second, placed under the tuition of sir Guis- 
card d' Angle, 234; enters into an alliance with the 
king of Navarre, 237 ; sends an army to the assistance 
of the duke of Brittany, 258; quells the rebellion of 
the populace under Wat Tyler, &c., 386 ; makes a tour 
through several parts of England to punish the insur- 
gents, 289; marries the lady Anne of Bohemia, 295; 
enters into a truce with France, 336 : heads an army 
to oppose the Scots and the admiral of France, 351 ; 
destroys the abbey of Melrose, and several places ia 
Scotland, 353, et scq.; quarrels with his uncles of York 
and Giyucesler, 428 ; e.\cites Uie liisconleiit of the peo- 



INDEX. 



633 



pie of EnglaDiI, ib.; retires to Wales, 429: constrained 
by the people to appoint coiuniissionere to examine 
into accounts of hie confidential ministers, 440 ; retires 
So Bristol, 443; takes measures to counteract the pro- 
■ ' ceedings of the new council, which had been appoint- 
ed for him by the commissioners of accounts, 443 ; 
sends the duke of Ireland, as bis lieutenant, with a 
Jarge army toward London, 444 ; his troops defeated 
near Oxford, 445; returns to London under the con- 
duct of the archbishop of Canterbury, 446; assembles 
f a parhament to receive the homage of his subjects, ib. ; 
, enters into a truce with the king of France. 493 ; holds 
a grand tournament at London, 627 ; endeavors to 
make a peace with France, 530; concludes a peace 
with king Charles, 561 ; presents the dukeof Lancas- 
caster with the duchy of Aqmtaine, 564 ; leads an ar- 
my into Ireland, 564; obtains the submission of four 
Irish kings. 569; seeks to marry the lady Isabella, 
daughter of the king of France, 571 ; recals tlie duke 
of Lancaster from Aquitaine, ib.; has an interview 
with the king of France at Ardres, 585; receives the 
lady Isabella from king Charles in his tent at Ardres, 
586 ; marries lier at Calais, 586 ; becomes unpopular in 
England, 594 ; orders the duke of Gloucester to be ar- 
rested, 597; invests the earl of Rutland with the con- 
stableship of England, 603 ; proclaims a feast to be 
held at Eltliam, 603 : banishes the earl-marshal for life, 
and tlie earl of Derby for si.v year?. 606 : seizes the rev- 
enues of the duchy of Lancaster on the death of the 
duke, 610; breaks off a marriage which was in con- 
templation between the earl of Derby and the daugh- 
ter of the duke of Berry, 611 ; holds a tournament at 
Windsor, which is but thinly attended, 612; banishes 
the earl of Northumberland and his son. 612 ; the peo- I 
pie of England rise in rebellion against Jiira, and in 
favorof tlie earl of Derbj', 613: retires to Flint [Con- 
way] castle. 616 ; surrenders to the earl of Derby, 616 ; 
imprisoned in the Tower of London, 617 ; resigns the 
crown in favor of the earl of Derby, 618: bis death, 
633; his funeral, ib. 
JBJgault, Giles, de Roufiy, presented with the red hat in 

the presence of king John at Paris, 97. 
Eiviere, the lord de la, takes the castle of Aquigni, 147; 
imprisoned by the dukes of Burgundy and Berry dur- 
ing the regency. 554 ; his estates confiscated, ib. ; de- 
livered from prison, 573. 
Bobert, duke of Heidelberg, elected emperor of Germany, 

624. 
Robert, king of Sicily, endeavors to make peace between 

* the kings of France and England. 43. 

Robert, the Hermit, ordered by a vision to interfere in 

bringing about a peace between France and England, 

573; attends the conferences at Leulinghen, ib. ; sent 

to England, 573. 

Robesart. Uie canon de, defeats the Navarrois near Creil, 

118 : turns to the English interest, 179. 
Roche, La, sur-You. the castle of, taken by the duke of 
Cambridge, 186; surrenders to the French under sir 
Oliver de Clisson. 217. 
Koche, La. d'Errien, the town of, taken by sir Thomas 
DaggewortJi, 88 ; besieged by the lord Charles of Biois, 
ib. ; surrenders to sir Bertrand du Gueaclio, 216. 
Kochechouart, the viscount de, captured at the battle of 
.Poitiers. 105 ; imprisoned by the prince of Wales. 183 : 
liberated, 187 ; his lands invaded by sir John Chandos, 
188. 
Rochelle. the town of, blockaded by the Spaniards and 
French under Evan of Wales, 213; turns to the French 
interest, ib. 
Rochemilon. the castle of, taken by the earl of Derby, 69. 
Roche-posay, la, the town of, taken by the French under 

sir John de Bued. 183. 
Rochetaiilade, Johnde. a fanatical cordelier friar, prophe- 
cies, 129 ; dehvers an apologue to the cardinals respect- 
ing the papacy. 390. 
Romorantin, the town of) taken by the prince of Wales. 

101. 
Roquemadour. the town of, taken by sir John Chandos, 

184. 
Rosebecque, the battle of, between the king of France and 

the men of Ghent. 321. 
Rosem, the lord de. captured by the duke of Anjou. 229. 
Roucy. the town of. in Picardy. taken by Robin Scott. 

118; retaken by the archbishop of Rheims, 123. 
Rouelles, the town of. in Galicia, surrenders to the duke 

of Lancaster. 405. 
Rouen, the inhabitants of, rebel against Charles the Sijsth. 



Rouelleboise-sur-Seine, the castle of. taken by Wanstre 

Ostrate, 127 ; delivered up to sir Bertrand du Guesclin 

159. 
Routes, a band of armed men so called, make war on Ar- 

Tagon, 416 ; defeated by Raymond de Bachez, 417. 
Roye. the lord of, defeats and captures the lord of Gome- 

gines, 127. 
Roye. sir Reginald de, with two other knights, holds a 

tournament near Calais against all comers, 509. 
Rue, James de la, executed at Pars for treason, 225. 

s. 

SaiMPI, the lord de. with two other knightj, hold a tour- 
nament near Calais against all comers, 509. 

Bainte*, the town of, surrenders to the French forces, 212. 

gaintonge. the lord de, captured at the battle of Poitiers, 
105. 

Saintr^, lord John de. captured at the battle of toitiers 
1(6. 

Salisbury, the earJ of, taken prisoner by the garrison of 
LiJIe, 39 ; exchanged for the earl of Moray, 56 ; heads 
m expedition into Brittany, 216 ; sent on an embassy 



to France, 293 ; unites with the earl of Huntingdon in 
his plan to murder king Henry, 305 ; beheaded, 306. 

Salisbury, the countess of. defends Wark Castle against 
the Scots, 54 ; resists with great spirit the dishonorable 
overtures of king EJdward, 55. 

Salisbury, sir John, beheaded at O.xford, 446. 

Salle, sir Robert, governor of Norwich, killed by the in- 
surgents in the reign of Richard tlie Second, 287. 

Salvatierra, the town of, surrenders to the army of don 
Pedro and Uie prince of Wales, 163. 

St. Salvin. the abbey of, besieged by the French, 191. 

Sancerre. the lord Lewis de, appointed marshal of France, 
186: defeats the earl of Pembroke at Puirenon, 189; 
visits tlie count de Foix at Orthes, 491 ; made consta- 
ble, 600. 

Santarem, the town of, rebels against Uie king of Castille, 
376; returns to obedience, 379 ; burnt by the king of 
Portugal, 435. 

Sauveterre. the town of, taken by the duke of Anjou, 230. 
St. Sauveur le Vicomte, the castle of, taken by the French, 

Saxony, the duke of, sent by the emperor of Germany into 

England to see the country previous to the marriage 

of the lady Anne, of Bohemia, to Richard the Second 

264. 

Scarcity, a great one in France. 97. 

Schism, occasioned in the church by the election of two 

popes, 249. 
Scots, the. invade England under Robert Bruce, 15 ; their 
character and manners, ib. ; retake many of their for- 
tresses, and penetrate as far as Durham into England, 
44; retake Edinburgh. 45; take Stirbng Castle; 53; 
enter into a truce with the king of England, ib. ; in- 
' vade England under kinc David, ib. ; take tlie town 
of Durham, 54; besiege Wark Castle, ib.; defeated 
by the English at tlie battle of Nevil's Cross, 85 : refuse 
to abide by the truce which had been agreed upon 
Belinge. 339 ; enter England contrary to the orders of 
king Robert, ib. ; invade England with the assistance 
of sir John de Vienne. 350 ; treat tlie admiral with 
much harshness. 352 ; inrade England under the young 
earl of Douglas. 481 ; defeat the English at the battle 
of Otterbourne. 481. 
Scott, Robin, takes the town of Roucy, in Picardy. 118. 
Seaule. tlie town of, taken by the French under sir Wil- 
liam de la Tremouille, 461. 
Seclin, the town of. burnt by the earl of Hainault, 44. 
Segar, John, governor of Nogent, murdered at Troyes. 

122. 
Senerach, the lord de. captured at the battle of Poitiers. 

125. 
Sequainvillc, sir Peter de, beheaded at Rouen. 146. 
Sl Severe, in Saintonge. taken by the duke of Berry, 211, 
Sluys. the town of, taken by the men of Ghent. 305 : 

exchanged for the country of Betliune. 348. 
Souhise. the castle of. taken by the French under Evan of 

Wales, 212. 
Southampton, the town of. pillaged by the French, 34. 
Sow. the use of the military machine so called, 229. 
Spaniards, the, defeated at sea by Edward the Third, 95. 
Spencer, sir Hugh, the elder, besieged with Edward the 

Second in Bristol, 18 ; taken and beheaded, ib. 
Spencer, sir Hugh, the younger, directs the goverrtment of 
Edward the Second, 15 ; causes the earl of Lancaster 
to be beheaded, ib. ; frustrates the endeavors of queen 
Isabella to obtain -assistance in France, 16 ; besieged 
with the king in Bristol by tJie queen's forces, 18; ig- 
uominiously beheaded at Hereford, ib. 
Spencer, the lord de. his death. 225. 
Stafford, lord, captured before Vannes. 63 ; exchanged for 

the lord of Clisson, 64 ; created an earl. 95. 
Stafford, lord Ralph, killed by sir John Holland. 351. 
Standwich. John, puts Wat Tyler to death in Smithfield, 



Star, the order of the, revived by king John of France, 97. 

Stirling Castle, taken by the Scots. 63. 

Straw, Jack, beads the populace of England in the rebel- 
lion against king Richard and the uobility, 285; taken 
and beheaded. 287. 

Stuart, Robert, succeeds to the crown of Scotland on the 
death of David the Second. 216 ; enters into on alli- 
ance with the king of France, 232 ; makes prepara- 
tions to invade England, ib. ; sends to excuse himself 
to the king of England for some inroads which the 
Scots, contrary to his orders, had made into England, 
339; assembles a large army to invade England, with 
the assistance of the admiral of France, 350. 

Sudbury, Simon de, archbishop of Canterbury and chan- 
cellor of England, murdered in the Tower of London 
by Wat Tyler. 2S7. 

Suffolk, the earl of. captured by the governor of Lille, 39. 

Surgeres, the town of. taken by the earl of Derby, 84; 
surrenders to sir Bertrand du Guesclin, 213. 

T. 

Taillebouro, the town of, taken by the English under 
the earl of Derby, 84 ; surrenders to the French, 212 ; 
besieged by the duke of Bourbon. 344. 

Tallies, the nature of the tax so called, explained, 170, 
note. 

Talbot, lord, dies at Ruelles in Spain, 450. 

Tankerville, the earl of, taken prisoner by the EngUsh un- 
der Edward the Third, 78: captured at the battle of 
Poitiers, 185. 

Tarbe, sir Aimery de, killed in a naval engagement before 
la Rochelle, 209. 

Tassegnon, the castle of, in Gascony, taken by sir Thomas 
Trivet, 343. 

Tax on income, ratablished in France, 99. 

Telio, don, brother of Henry, king of Castille, defeats a 
body of EngUsh troops under sir William Felton, 161. 



Terrieres, the town of, taken by sir John Chandos, 181. 
Terlre, Peter du, executed at Paris for treason, 225. 
Tete-noir, Geoffry. obtains possession ofthe castle of Ven- 
tadour, in Auvcrgne, 348; mortally wounded, 490; 
makes his will, 490 ; his death, ib. 
Thilliers, the castle of, taken by king John of France, 100. 
Thin I'Eveque, tlie town of, besieged by the duke of Nor- 
mandy, 41. 
Thouars, the town of, taken by sir Bertrand du Guesclin. 

213. 
Thurie, tlie town and castle of, taken by le Bastot de Mau- 

leon. 374. 
Tibald. doctor Simon, bishop of London, preaches the 

justice of tlie war against France. 181. and note. 
Tilt, at Enten^a, between sir John Holland and sir Regi- 
nald de Roye, 424. 
Tonnerre, tlie town of, taken by Edward the Third, 128. 
Tonniens. the town of, taken by the duke of Normandy. 

74 ; surrenders to the duke of Anjou, 197. 
Tour, the lord de la, slain at the battle of Poitiers, 105. 
Touraine. the duke of, brother of Charles the Sixth of 
France, buys the reversion ofthe county of Blois, 6H ; 
created duke of Orleans, 548. 
Tournament, held atMons. 48 ; given by king Edward the 
Third at London, out of affection for the countess of 
Salisbury, 60 ; held at Vannes before the duke of Brit- 
tiny and the earl of Buckingham. 274; atCambray, 
in honor of the marriage of the children of Burgundy 
with thoseofHainauit, 342; atPans, in honor of queen 
Isabella's pubhc entrance, 496; at Inglevere, near Ca- 
lais, by three French knights against all comers, 509; 
held at London, by order of Richard the Second, o27 ; 
at Windsor, which is badly attended, 581 ; held at Ox- 
ford by the earl of Huntingdon, fitc, 622. 
Tournay, the town of, besieged by Edward the Third, 43. 
Treaty of alliance, entered into at Vilvorde, between the 

countries of Flanders, Brabant, and Hainault, 43. 
Treaty of peace, copy ofthe. between the duke of Bui- 

gundy and the men of Ghent, 352. 
Trelawny, sir Matthew, severely wounded at Rochepe- 

rion. 59 ; taken prisoner, 59 ; rescued from death, ib. 
Tremouille, sir William de la, appointed to command a 
body of men to assist the duchess of Brabant against 
the duke of Gueldres, 460. 
Tressihan, sir Robert, beheaded by order of the duke of 

Gloucester and liis party. 444. 
Trivet, sir Thomas, sent to the assistance of the king of 
Navarre. 243; takes several forts in Gascony, 243, «C 
seq.; marches into Castille, 244; returns to England, 
S46: defeats the French near Arras, 264 ; committed 
to the Tower of London. 335 ; killed by a fall from hif 
horse. 441. 
Truce, between the English and the Scots, 24 ; between 
the French and English. 48 ; bet^veen the English and 
tlie Scots. 53 ; between the lord Charles of Bloia and 
the countess of Montfort. 60 ; for three years, between 
the French and English. 64 ; between France and Eng- 
land, 91: prolonged by order of pope Innocent; 98; 
between France and England. 110 ; between the Eng- 
lish and Scots, 198; between the French and English. 
^9 ; between the English and Scots, 288 ; between the 
French and English with all their allies, 336 ; between 
the kingsof Castille and Portugal, 380 ; between the 
French and English. 493. 556, 560. 
Tyler, Wat, heads the populace of England in their re- 
bellion against king Richard the Second and the no- 
bUity, 284 ; killed in Smithfield, 287. 

u. 

Urban the FirrH. pope, elected at Avignon, 138; 
preaches a croisade against the Saracens, ib., excom- 
municates don Pedro, king of Castille, 154 ; his deulh, 
203. 

Urban tlie Sixth, elected at Rome. 236 : sends a bull to 
England for the destruction of the Clementista, 3aSt 
besieged in Perugia, 390 ; escapes to Rome, ib.; dies at 
Rome, 505. 

Utrecht, the town of, taken by the ear! of Hainault, 73- 

U^, the castle of, in Auvergne. taken by John Devereux» 
205; sunenders to sir Bertrand du Guesclin, ib 

V. 

St. Valerv, tlie castle of, taken by the king of Navarre, 
116; taken by the earl de St. Pol, 118; taken by sir 
Hugh de Chatillon. 179. 
Valois, the lady Joan de, concludes a truce between the 
kings of France and England. 48. 

Vannes, the town of, surrenders to the earl of Montfort as 
duke of Brittany, 50 ; taken by storm by the lord 
Charles of Blois, 58 ; retaken by lord Robert d'Artois, 
63; taken by sir Oliver de Clifson, 63; besieged by the 
English, ib.; taken by sir Bertrand du Guesclin, 217. 

Varennes, John de, resigns all his preferments in the 
church, 563. 

Vauclingen, tlie town of, taken by the duke of Burgimdy. 
225. 

Vauderaont, earl of, captured at the battle of Poitiers, 105. 

Vauflart de la Croix, sir, defeated in a skirmish at Pont & 
Tressin, 45 ; put to death at Liile, 46. 

VauLx, sir Henry de, taken prisoner atCommercy, 138. 

Ventadour, the castle of, in Auvergne, betrayed to Geof- 
frey Tete- noire, 348; besieged by the duke of Berry 
460 ; taken by his forces, 506. 

Verchin, sir Gerard de, mortally wounded in a tourna- 
ment at Mons. 48. t 

Vemeuil, the town of, taken by the duke of Lancaster, 100. 

Verteuil, the town of, taken by the duke of Bourbon, 3S0l 

Vienne, sir John de, governor of Calais, sent prisonertO 
England. 91. 



6^4 



INDEX. 



Vicnne, sir John de, admiral of France, heftds on expe- 
ditioD to Scotland to invade England, 343; badly 
treated by the Scots, 3*5; invades England, accom- 
panied by a Scottish army, 351; returns to France, 
354; sent on an embassy into CastiUe, 489; killed at 
the battle of Nicopoli, 588. 

Vienne, the dauphiii of, invested with the duchy of Nor- 
mandy, 99. 

Yietat, don Alphoiiso, higli admiral of Portugal, sent to 
England to convey the duke of Lancaster and his army 
to Portugal. 399. 

Vigo, the town of, in Gah'cia, surrenders to the array of 
the duke of Lancaster, 4(0. 

Villaines, le begue do, one of the ministers of Charles the 
Sixth, arrested by the duke of Burgundy during ius 
regency, 5&3 ; Uberated, 554. 

Villeclope, the town of, in Gallcta, taken by the duke of 
Laocaster. 406. 

Villefianche, the town of, taken by the earl of Derby, 71 ; 
taken byatorm by the duke of Nonnandy, 73 ; taken 
by sir John Chaodcs, 185. 

ViftCODti, sir Beiieibo de, put to death by bii nephew, 343. 



Viseonti, air Galeaa de, puts sir Beroabo. bis uncle, to 
death. 3^; enters into an alliance with Uie sultan 
Bajazet, 679. 

w. 

WaEE, sir Thomas, defeated by the Gascon lords, 178. 
Walworth, sir Williom, lord mayor of London, assists to 

eecure Wat Tyler in Smithfield, 287. 
Wark castle, belonging to the earl of Salisbury, besieged 

by the Scots, 54. 
Wars. the. between France and England, how caused, 15. 
Warwick, tke earl of, joins the duke of Gloucester in his 

attempts to excite disturbances in England, 594 ; sent 

to the Tower. 601 ; banished to the Isle of Wight, 603 ; 

recalled by the earl of Derby. 617. 
Wersey, lord Robert de, taken prisoner at the battle of 

Nevil's Cross. 86. 
Whitehoods, the custom of wearing them revived at 

Ghent, 253. 
Whitehoods, the, sed *' Ghent, uem op" 
Winceslaiu the 3Uth, emperor, of Germatiy. hii electioo, 



356 ; sends his sister, Anne of Bohemia, to E^laiwl,|a 
bemanied to Richard the Second, 296; dies at Lo^ 
embourg. 336. • 

Wisar.t. James and Peter, their patriotic conduct dadac 
the siege of Calais, 91. ,, 

Wykeham, sir William, appointed bishop of WorOMMC 
and chancellor of England, 177 

y. 

York, the archbishop of, dismissed from hia offiee of 

treasurer by the commissioner of accounts, 44S. 
York, the duke of, his creation, 414 ; confederotea widi tb* 

duke of Gloucester and others against king Kichaid 

and his council, 439. -~~ 
Yprea, the town of, enters into an alliance with the mtt 

of Ghent, 256 ; turns to the earl of Flanders, 378; lor- 

rendere to the king of France, 318; besieged bythft 

Bishop of Norwich, 336. 
Yrier, the town of, in Limoges, taken by sir BertiAii4 da 

Gue^cUn, 300. 



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the " Lives ofthe Queens of England," &c. This work has elicited the warmest ad- 
miration wherever it has been read. The story of tliis unfortunate and beautiful Queen 
is familiar to all. and excites the deepest sympathy. No woman of genius or sentiment 
can fail to be pleased with this pathetic and charming memorial. Price 18,; cents. 

flCEMOIRS OP THE QUEENS OF PRANCE, from the earliest 
ages to the present time. By Mrs. IVirhes Bush. A faithful and interesting history of 
over one hundred nud thirty Queens and Royal Favorites, who have either reigned over 
France, or controlled the destinies of its monarchs. Price 18i cents. 

THE CtmiET. A translaUon of the Scientific Work ofthe celebrated French 
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of tlie splendid Comet of 1843— illustrated with 13 engravings. Price 12* cents. 

MORLBY ERNSTEIN. By G. P. R. James, author of Forest Days, Darn 
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BD'WIN THE PAIR. A new and beautiful tragedy by Henry Taylor, au- 
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FOREST DAYS, A T,\LE OP OLD TIMES, by G. P. R. James. Esq.. 
author ofWorley Einstein." "The Jacquerie," &.c. &c. Thisisdecidedly oneof Mr. 
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LIGHTS AND SHADO^VS OF FACTORY LIFE IN IVEW 
ENGLAND. This is the production of a Factory Girl, employed fur live years in 
the mills ; and it is worthy the title which iu authoress has adopted from thatsoul mov- 
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Factory Lile in New England. Price ISi cents. 

DICKENS'S AMERICAN NOTES FOR GENERAL CIR- 
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aa immense sensation by its remarks upon the men and manners of this country. Price 
hi cents. 



nch^^ 

deW] 

les, Dili : 



iJ^^,^!^^^V^^^ 9,^.7","^ RHINE, the most beamifuUndencl. 
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„f ^'n^'^l"*-, OKANDET, OR TIIE MISER OF SAUMUR, by H. del 
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ilbX™,?! ^^'^^ WORLD PICTORIAL ANNUAL-a splendid wort 
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» T*fi^ WESTERN CAPTIVE, OR THE TIMES OF TECUMgB 
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No*?e*^°?.''Fr"e'l1l7e''™""' """""^ '" ''"'*"• <''^" "' ''">' '"'--''• ^ "" >^l 

or™fi=^^™^-"'-f--^S^r'^ "' '^^ ^ ^ 

chJ;SSS^a^^?"?™-«^'-^«- ByaLady: Illustiat.. with I.^-^ 

PAULINE. A Tale of Normandy. By Alexandre Dumas. Price 1"1 cents ' i 

Pr^Tce^r'^^^^ *"r ^I^E.-A novel by the Coun,..iss of Ble« 
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thoT" die N^il^P' 7'''"!'"'' Cares and Family Joys, byFrederika Bremer, 
12rce,ili ^"^^^""' translated by Mary Howitt ; the ml„ autlior,.ed c<l,„ .;.. 
leb^lfwll\T a^v^"^ **>" ^ ?*^^»A~»-Tl'i^ -"'" ■. 

J3II1 oLiircii 01 a Wife. conLams niuc h glirr nt: inri.Ipnt Rv ];r,A r, , 

Your;";'' ■" tt'"""""'" """ '"■""''= ''<-'>■ Ka'e "e t a Im' a'd- 
Youns ladies in like search, may learn something from her e.xpe ie.M 
gentfemen who are sought, or would be fbmid, may read wi h pS! ^ 




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Literoture. The Ibllowing are Uielilles of the works now in the eotirse of publicaj 
to which ethers will be added as occasion may require : 
THE I,.IFE AWD ADVENTURES OP MARTIIV CHUZZI 
WIT, His Relatives, Friknds an*> Ehehies ; Cnmprising his wills an4 
ways: witli an historical record of what lie did and what lie didn't: showing 
over, who inhevited the family ph\te, who came in for the silver spoons, and ) 
fur the wooden ladles. The whulefuimrng a complete key to thehouseof Cliii;| 
wit. By Ciiarles Dickkns, Estt., author of '* American Notes," *'Baia 
Rudge," " the Cuviosity Shop," '* Nicholas Nickleby." 
TOIVI BtTItiCE 05* *^ OUilS," Forming the second volume of "Our Mej 
By Charles Lever, Esq., author of "Charles O'Walley," "/ack Hioton," 
ie S. D.,OR ACCOUNT OF IRISH HEIRS. Furnished to the pul 

mnnihly. by Sahuel Lover, Accountant for Irish Inheritances. 
WINDSOR CASTLE, an Historical Romance. By Wm. H. Ainsworth, ^ 

thor of "The Miser's Daughter," " Guy Fawkes," "Tower of London," &,c. 
LOITERINtiS OF AR.rHURO'Z.EART. Br Charles Lever. 
author of "Our RIess," " Charles O'Miilley," "Hurry Lunequer " &c. 
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ho will procure and remit five Dollars foi five subscribers. 
it^Three Extra copies will be soot for ten subscribers and £10. 
)^inu J WLN'CHESTER. 30AnDStrGet,New\orl5 



N. 



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JUST PUBIilSHED. 



NEW NOVEL BY THE AUTHORESS OF 

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TRANSLATED BY M ARY HOWITT. 

ThB Proprietors of the New World have the pleasure to announce tlmt they have 
purchased at orbat expense, tlie advance proof-sheeLs of the new Swedish oovel 
by Frkderiea Bremer, translated hy AIary Howitt. entitled 

THE HOME: 

FAMILY CAKES AND FAMILY JOYS. 

It 13 needless to say that this work is by the author of "The NsionBORs," &f which 
we sold an edition of 15,000 copies in a few weeks ; and we have no hesitation of pre- 
dicting for the present work, a sale of 25.000 copies. 

TEKM3.-S^ per hundred; 11 copies tcn$l ; 12t cpnls single. 

Address. J. WINCH ESTER, 30 Ann street. 

J U ST PUBLISH E D , 

An OBIGIE^AL NOVBL—COFY RIGHT SECURED— ENTITLED 

KATE 

IN SEARCH OF A HUSBAND. 

BY A LADY CHRYSALIS. 

This couHterpart to " Ccelebs in search of a Wire," contains much stirring inci- 
dent. By Innil and sea, in city and country, in fasliionable and humble life, Kale 
seek-i a husband— and finds bim. Voung ladies in like search, may learn someihing 
from her experience; and young gentlemen who are sought, or would be found, 
may read wiib profit. 

TERMS.— Ui^ Cfuts single— 11 copies for SI— $8 per liandred. 
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BOOKS FORJJLE PEOPLE. 

LATELY PUBLISHED. 

A VOYAGE eP DISCOVERY TOWARD THE NORTH POLE, performed 
in H. B. M. ships Dorothea and Trent, under the command of Capt. David 
Bucban, R. N., 1318 ; to which is added, a Summary of all the early attempts 
to reach the Tacific by way of the Pole. By Capt F. W. Beecbey, RN., 
F.R.S., one of the Lieutenants of the Expedition. Published by authority of 
the Lords Commissioners of the Adniiraity— This is a very interesting work, 
full of information. Fir^t American edition. Price 12J cents; $8 per hundred. 

THB BIBLE IN SPAIN. By George Borrow. Fifth edition.— The popularity 
of this capital work is shown in the fact, that five editions have been printed by 
DS, and 15,000 copies sold within ihiee months, It is the prize-booli of the 
season. Piice 25 cents ; $18 per hundred. 

THE ZINCALI, or. The Gipsies of .Spain. By the same author, aud equally 
popular. Price 25 cents; $1G per hundred. 

ANCIENT EGVPT. Her Monuments, Hieroglyphics, and History. By G. 
R. Gliddon. With numerous Ulustraiions —The most important original work 
of ihe season. It throws great light upon tlie Bibl**, and should be in the DOS- 
session o( every clergyman in the country. It also effectually refutes Millensm. 
Price 25 cents; $16 per bumlred. 

DR. ARNOLD'S LECTURES ON MODERN HISTORY.— No one can peruse 
these Lecturts without being inspired with a true and ardent love of history 
Price 18^ cents; $12 per hundred. 

FORRY'S METEOROLOGY.— An able and interesiiue work, with 13 engravings 
PrJff' 25 cents. ftl6 pr-r hundred. 
With a great variety of cheap publications. They are cHarfrable with periodical 
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the world, and it continues to maintain that distinction, witliout a rival. Professor Wil- 
son, its editor, (old " Cliristopher North,") is unrivalled as a prose-WTiter and a poet, 
and his contributors are among thefin-t living authorsof Great Britain, 

Blackwood's Magazine contains twice tlie quantity of reading of any American 
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arrival of the English edition, and is sent by the first mails to subscribers in all parts of 
the United States and British America. 

Terms.- TWO DOLLARS per annum, payable in advance. THREE copies will 
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Any Postmaster, or othet person, who will obtain 10 subscribers, and remit $15 there- 
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home, but allow ihem to go about their business as usual. The Proprietor, grateful 
lor the immense success which has attended this invaluable remedy, 

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of the greatest ptiysician this country ever produced, tesiifjes his gratitude by this 
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DAGGERS, General Agent lor the United Stales, to whom all orders should be 
addressed, post-paid. 

A & E N T S, 



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J. Axford, 108 Bow^ery. 

John M. Moore, 187 Hudson slreeL 

OUT OF THE GITY. 
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*' Mrs. Hay-;, 139 Fulton street 

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Troy — Vi^ung ii Hearit, booksellers. 
Columhus. Ga — Stockton Si Clarter, 
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Hartford— S. W. Judd. 
Nein Havfn—TUos. H. Pease. 



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toga streets. 
PhUadelphia—An Agent wanted 
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minsur .';i. 
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near the Post Office. 
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Also, by all respectable Booksellers and Druggists is the United Slates. 
03' Agenis wanted. Letters most be pcst-paid. 



SKTr"- ' ^ 



O'Im 



— I 



o 



THE MOST CELEBRATED HISTORICAL WORK| 

EVERPUBLISHED. ! 






'<] 



NOW IN FRESS, 

AND WILL BE PUBLISHED IN TEN CONSECUTIVE DOUBLE EXTRA NUMBERS OF THE NEW WORLD 

AT TWENTY-FIVE CENTS A NUMBER, OR TWO DOLLARS FOR THE COMPLETE WORK. 

SIR JOHN FROISSAET'S 

CHRONICLES 

OF 

ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, 

AND THE ADJOINING COUNTRIES, 

I THE MOST KARE, VALUABLE, INTEKESTIN& AND CELEBRATED WORK EVER PUBLISHED IN THE WORLD ELEGANTLY PRINTED ON 

I EXTRA SUEPRFINE WHITE PAPER, AND SPENDIDLY ILLUSTRATED WITH OVER 

I ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY ENGRAVINGS, 

I REPRESENTING THE SCENES, COSTUMES, SIE8ES, BATTLES, NAVAL ENGAGEMENTS AND TOURNAMENTS 

I OF THE MIDDLE AGES, ENGRAVED 

li AT A COST OF ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS. 



ill 




^ 



>! Price of t!ie English Edition ^12 — New World Edition only $2, and equal in Typography, Style and Embellisliment=5 
P CS^* T/ie first Number will be ready on the first of June. -C30 



If there were any doubt remaining on the public mind with reeard to the 
complete success of our plan of cheap pulilications, the announcement which 
we now make ought to dispel it, and to convince the skeptical that tlie most 
valuable and enduring productions of English literature may be brought within 
the reacli of the most moderate means. The works of Siu John Froissart 
have been celebrated by poets, historians and novelists, for more than four cen- 
turies. For many years after their first publication they were circulated only 
through the medium of manuscripts, and iliey were deemed presents worthy 
of kings and princes. These manuscripts were frequently embellished with 
illustrations of a gorgeous description. They were done in bright colors on 
the broad margins of'the parchment pages : hence they have been said to be 
zlluminated. Tlie edition which we present is a reprint of tlint which appeared 
m London but three yeai-s since, and which is by far the best and most satis 
factory that has ever been published. It is profusely iliustraled with engrav- 
mgs on wood, fepre-ienti ng scenes, customs, costumes and figures of the olden 
time executed expressly for u-, in the most careful and elegant manner by 
Lo«mg. and at an expense, which nothing short of the most liberal patronage 
can justify. Everything hut the colors and exquisite finish of the ancient illu 
nunations are preserved— there is tlie same fidelity in outline and spirit in exe- 
i culion. Oftentimes a little picture will convey a belter idea of characters and 
\ mcidents forever departed, than the most elaborate narrative. " 
I The language in this edition will be found perfectly modernized, and there- 
I fore easily understood by all readers. In quaintness and simplicity of style, it 
I is almost scriptural. The interest of the story increases greatly as you read ; 
it i*! the very romance of history. From this source, Uie most copious and 
abundant ever discovered, have the best modern novelists and dramatists 
draw n their supplies. The original of many a chivalrous and many a tender 
scene !n Scott, and James, and their contemporaries, will he recognized in the 
^ \\ id pages of "old Froissart." 

In the age of Froissart," says his biographer, " all the world was persnaded 
' that /owe was tlie motive of the most brilliant actions of courage and virtue. 
I Knights made a parade of it in tournaments. Warriors exposed themselves to 
! tlie most perilous combats, to maintain the honor and beauty of their ladies. 



gallantry and tenderness; it is almost always under this form that we see it 
represented in the greater part of those eftorts of the mind which have been 
handed down to us from that period. The ladies blushed not in feeling so 
pure a passion, and the most modest made it the ordinary subject of their 
conversations." 

The Chronicles extend from 1328 to 1400. They comprehend every consider 
able affair, which happened during that period in France, England, Scotland 
Ireland and Flanders, They include also a vast number of particulars rel,\ 
tive to theatfuirs of Rome and Avignon ; of Spain, Germany, Italy; even < ' 
Russia, Hungary, Turkey, Africa — in short, of almost the whole known wor! I 

Froissart has always been deemed by scholars an indispensable pre- requisite 
to the reading and right comprehension of modern history. We covjidentl 
expect that every one who has uhtained Mr. ^lisoii's late admirable kistori 
of Europe wilt become a purchaser of Froissart ; for to Froissart is Alist 
indebted as is the disciple to his master. " I rejoice you have met witli Frois 
sort," wTotethe poetGray to oneof hisfiiends, " he is the Herodotus ofa bar- 
barous age. * * His locomotive disposition, (for Uien there was no other 
way of learning things.) his simple curiosity, his religious credulity were much 
like tboseof the old Grecian.'' 

This great undertaking is completed, and tlie first number, consisting of 64 
pngesand numerous engravings will be issued in the montli ol May, nfiet 
which nine more numbers, similar in sireand einbeliisbment, will appear nl 
intervals of a fortnight. The cost of the ten numbers, if taken as they are 
issued, will be $2.50, but if paid for in advance. S3. Readers both in citj 
and country will do well to pay for the work in advance, and receive the nun 
hers as they successively appear. They can be forwarded to any part of the 
United States at a cost only of newspaper postage. It is suggested to res 
dents in the city that they could not make a more acceptable present to their 
relations and friends in the country than this tieautiful work, which, if sub- 
scribed for here, will be carefully and punctually mailed to any address. Tl e 
'■ Chronicles'* will he printed on the finest and most expensive book-paper 
far superior to that used by American book-publishers in general. This edition 
will solve the doubt whether a book may not be at the same time verp cheap 
and very bedutifid. 




It was then believed tiiat love might be confined to a delicate intercourse of 

TERMS OF PUBLICATION. 

» Froissart's Chronicles " will be issued in Ten Extra Double Numbers of the New Worlp, on a new brevier type, 
and a superfine white paper, every two weeks- the whole illustrated with One Hundred anp Twenty Superb Engrav 
INGS fJi^-Sinslo numbers twenty five cents each; Five copies of each Part for $1— Two Dollars in advance for the 
entire work To Book=;eller9, \gentq and Newsmen, $16 a hundred 

All orders must pnclo==p ea-h postp^ld tnd be ^ddres^ed to J WINCHE'=1TER, Publisher, 30 Ann-street, N Y. 







;^fe^cfeJ^S^*E^^S*^S^>«'*^^i^'^^«^*-^ 



r- 



kJ^^>£«^S^<L^tiU<Ld 



sssssEWLSfeassssssixaiiii 



S^SLa,d«fcii3CKEl^!&,a^ 



!&,a^e'i^/fl:3JEs; 






^''lv\\ 



To be completed in Ten Double Extra Numbers. 



l^'sp^ 



-2^ 










I I j _ \ 






-.^ 



1 u'l £t — It I 1 cr oaK I — u ac lUJ u 1 ^ J c i I t ci 1 )J i t o c iitj 



^5.000 COPIES SOLD 

OF TUE 

lOST EXTRAORDINARY NOVEL OF MODERN TIMES! 

Issued in Extra Numbers of the New IVorU, 

WITHOUT MUTILATION OR ABRIDGMENT. 

NOW READY, 
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TT^ANSLATED from TUE FRENCH, EXP'RESSUY FOR THIS EDITION, 

BY HENRY C. DEMING, ESQ. 
Tliis number coDlaiiissjmc oCihw uiosl iot^ns*-!/ vivid scenes wliich the Kn*lUh 
language is susceptible of porlrayinj;. No inodt'i-n Roninnce can compare wiiK it 
:'or complicated inciiitnt arid inteiTst of detail. The elegant and beautiful tran- 
slation of tliis ediiioii fully sustains (be spirit antl capi'vatJng cliaracier oi the ori- 
ginal, and canuot be equalled. Tlie morality of itjii 

EXTUAOK-DIIVASIY RtJBIANCE 

jg of ihemo't elevating charactrr— breathing aepiritof eialied ient;r:;-nt, di-t'p 
relig^inus feelii-y, and tender i)ailios. 

[jrr Single nambers, 12^ cents. Tlie a-^ual discount to Agents, kc. 

Ad.!i-e^^ J. WiiSlCHIiiaTEU^SO Ann slreel, Kcw-Yuik 



OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 

The Mvsteries or Par:s— A Novel ev Eucen'e Sde. — AJler reading 
o:i!y the isinall portion of this cxlraordinary book, which forms llie first iiutir- 
bi;r of an original iranslalion ii<jw in the progress of pubhcation by Winches- 
ter, of New- York, we can readily account lor llic cnlUiisiasm created by its 
nppe.arance in the city of Pari^. I'hoiigli a tale of moder;i times, it has no- 
ihing in common witti the stories of ilie age. Its scenes, though located in 
ihft Ucarl of ilic old world, are entirely new. Its characters are such ao 
iii'!d)ni SCO the light and rarely figure on lliu page of the novelist. In the 
ih'ai part of his work, liiigene Sue plunges from the ligiit of day and the fre- 
qnented parts of the cily of Paris, into those fearful and dark abtides, where 
wanr, f^llyi and crime hoM their eternal reign, and where the only sem- 
blance of eiijo3'menL is the frightful carnival held by succes:sful vilUiny 
dr.d triumphant vice. Here and tliere arc scattered scenes and characters 
of a diffjretit and higher order, which give liic reader a hint that he is as- 
rending in the scale of society, and that bi*ginning on the lowest round of 
ihi; ladd'^.r, he will finally rise, as the author intimates, to ihe broad level of 
high refinement and civilization. Eugene Sue is a v,-riter of a wonderful 
i:nrig'mation — and is already well-known to fame. Xh*' present work seems 
lo be I'fic crowning effort of his pen. — [Boston Daily Mail. 

The Mvstehies of Paris. — The New World proprietors are publishing 
in numbers a translation of a most popular French story, wilh this title, i)y 
kugene Sue, one laf the best novelists of the day. It is a very interesting 
v.ork, full of thriQing scenes and startling incidchts. In ils description of tlie 
haunts and habits of some of the rufSans who prowl about Paris, it bears a 
sfrong rcscmhiance lo portions of " Oliver Twi.st ;'' and with these " sha- 
dow's *' are mingled the " iiglits" of Parisian life with a truih tQ nature and 
.1 depth of pathos that Dickens has rarely surpassed in his best moods. — 
iAibany Evening .Tournal." , ^ 

The MvsTERiES oF Paris. — Mr. Winchester has issfued the secoild. num- 
ber of this interesting novel, which has produced so much excllLnient in the 
literary world. The author has f,\Iiibiied in tlii:^ work imaginative powers 
oflUc highest order. Scenes of mure terrible and touching interest have nc 
ver been painted. The reader is introduct^d to characters of every grade, 
froai the convict ofthe galleys lo royalty itself; he is led throvigli the gloomy 
labyrinths of vice and wickt-dness, and into the gilded halls and flo^vcry gar- 
d*?n£ uf palaces. Tlie translator has performed his dui3' with gri^at ability. 
The copy has all the spirit of the original. 

'■'' The MvsTERiEs of Paris. " — This is the name of a popular French 
novel, a translation of which is about tu be published in lumibers, at the 
ijffico of the New World. The original is by Eugene Sue, and is one rj" the 
•moU deeply inltreaiing and thrilling wurhs that has been published in many 
years. \Vhen it first appeared as nfeuilleton nf one ofthe Paris journals, it 
produced an inslant and strong sensation, which has gone on increasing witli 
Ihe appearance of each successive number. Sue may be said to have done 
fir Paris, what Dickens in his early works did for London. If the translator, 
who is a gentleman of accomp'ishnients, in this city, Mr. Xlenry C. Deming, 
has succeeded in catching the spirit of the original, the work will be read 
iviili the greatest avidity- We mnst say, fiirtlicr, that il is printed on large 
lype, and on good paper. — [Evening Post. 

TiiE MvsTEP.iFs OF Pauis. — TIlis attractive novel seems destined to as 
great popularity in this country as it enjoys in France. It gives a perfect 
Daguerreotype view of life in Paris in all lis v.irions lights and shades, its 
pcei'.es of gayoty and splendor, of misery aud'vice. The history of literature 
furnishes no parallel to the enthusiasm with which each successive chapter 
v.a^; received by the whole Parisian pubhc. Sue's desi^riplions are won- 
dei fully spirited ; full of nkkvii: in their language and picturesque truth in 
derail. Tiie sjtirit of the original is admirably preserved in this translation, 
which is luadti from the pa?es of the Journal dcs Debfrt-t, where the wuck 
was originally published. J-Ke have never rend a mart thrilling avd exciting 
r-nn-inc>: ; unlike ri^st Frcncl-i novels, its morality is une.\cepllonablc. — [New 
Yo.lt Sun. 

The MvsrERiEs of Paris. — Winchnsfer has i^=:ued the second numhe 
of this exciting work, translated expressly for iht- New World edition from 
ilic pages of the Jtmmal de^ Jjcbats. h is but justice to the translator to 
-:ay, that he has performed his task wilh singular accuracy and spirit. The 
p-^ond number i.-;, if possible, r^.ore dcely interesting than the first, and we 
arj not surprised at the unparaHt^Ied popularity which the work enjoys in i 
'- ■■•■'K'. It is, indeed, a in:ister;n'.-ce of genius.— [True Sun. 



PART ONE NOW READY. 
ANOTHER NOVEL BY EUGENE SUE 1 

PUBLISHED THIS 3IOK1VIKG, 

AT THE NEW WORLD OFFICE; NO. 30 ANN STREET,- 

IN A BEAUTIFUL OCTAVO, 

PART I. OF 

MATILDA; 

OR, THE 

MEMOIES OF A YOUNG WOMAN. 

BY EUGENE SUE, 

AUTHOR OF THE ".1IYSTEEIES OF PARIS." 

TBAWSLATBD BY HENRY W. HERBERT, 
AUTHOR OP "m.ir»udi;ke Wyvil." "Cromwell," "the iROTnsEs," etc. 

This Uomaftce was pronounced, upon ils publication in Paris, to be iLe beti 
whicli had ever been issued from Ihe Frencli iirets. It exiiibils a different order 
ol talent f'ora the "Mysteries," thou^'h equ.illy attractive in thrilling inlere.it. 

Tne concluding ijoriiou will appear bclbre the reauer will have devoured the 
tirst pari. 

Price 25 cents. Sbid by all the Booksellers and Perioilicil Dealers in thecountry. 

Address j. WINCHESTER, SO Ann street. 



IN PRESS, 

AND WILL BE PUBLISHED IN TIIE MO.-«TII OF NOVEJIBEE, COMPLKTE I~ 

O.NE LillGE OCTAVO VOLU.ME, AT NO. 30 ANN STREET, A 

BEAUTIFITL ANO ELEGANT WORK, ENTITLED 

MEXICO 

AS IT WAS AND AS IT IS. 

BY BRANTZ MAYER, 

LATE SECRETARY OF LEGATION TO ME.VICO. 

to be EMBELLISHED WITH ' 

ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY ENGR.WINGS, 

EXECbTEb IN THE MOST FINISHED MANNER, ON WOOD, BY EUTLEB, FROM UBJGIK.'.l. 
DESIGNS AND DRAWINGS BY THE AUTHOR, ILLUSTRATING IHE 

RUINS, ANTIQUITIES, COSTUMES, PLACES, CUSTOIIS. 
AND CURIOSITIES OF THE 

ANCIENT AND MODERN MEXICANS. 



PRIOB TWO DOLLAHS — ELEGANTLY BOUND AND GILT. 

In announcing this work, which has been for sev&ral months is prpparniion 
ilie Fubhsliers need liartlly assure the puttlic, that it is executed with eminent 
dbihly— since, so well known is Mr. Mayrr tlirough<iit the Union, as a genilemaii 
ol "real and varied talent, that his name alone is warrant lor iti higli character ant t 
in;ere^t. That the present work will attract quite as isucli (avoras the Narraiivt-. 
of Mr. J. Li. Siepliens, tliere can be Hodoubt; since the RuUis and Antiquities 
d.''cribed have never lierfioibre been visited or mentioned liy any traveller, and 
will be new as well as surprising' to all classes ol' readrrs. 

It w ill give a complete account of the present Social and Political Condition of 
Mexico; a view of its Ancieci Civilization; a descr piion ol Aniiquiiic.-i in ilia 
Museum nl Mi-X'cOi and oTibe ancient Remains, stve^vn from California to Oiljaca, 
which will be copiously illustrated. It will also furnish a record of the author's 
journeys to Tezcooo, anO through ihc tisrracalicnte ; a full account of the Agricul- 
ture, MrinufACiures, Coinmeice, Resources, Mines, Colrape, and Statistics of 
Mexico; and, added to all this, tl ere will he a complete View of Ihe past and 
present history of the country; and it will he more replete will all iniert-siing iu- 
tbrmationconccrMing Mesico, than any work which has appeared since the days 
of Huhiboldl. 

T^IE EWGRAVIIVGS 

Are morff nunierou.<>, and the sabjfcts more interesting and valuable, than have 
ever he^n given in ^vorks ol a similar nature. Many o( them occupy lull pa^e>, 
and will be printed o n extra tine paper, separately (Vom ib'e text, and compare 
witli any others for fineness ami beauty. These embelUstim c nts arc executed at a 
cost of over twelve hundred dollars ; and, in all respect^ it is ihe intention of 
the I'ablishcr lo isiue a book, which sliall be iIjc most valuaMe and 

ELEGANT HOLIDAY PRESENT 

tliat can be found during the coming season. The (ollnwing notices havf already 
ppeared in the papers, ihouyh no previous arjnouix;emeni has been made by tlie 
publishers, not wishing irt advertise il until its progress wai; such as to authorize uft 
to promise its speedy appeaianfe: 
"Ma. Mayer's Work on Mexico.— Our townsman, Branfz Mayer, Esq., who 
psi-'necl hisappoinimfiil iis Secrt-tary vJ Legation lo I\lcxicn in Apnl h-i-t.has 
incc then been en^'.i^red in preparing a worJl on that counirv, which, we believe 
vill comprise very ioTi details cU ilsMfCinI conditron. nntiqoilies, yifjr'culiure, com- 
merce, and manulacuir-Hs. The bnoU, we learn, will he puhlished about the middle 
of November in New York, ami he illustrated with moie than one hundred and 
fifiv en-ravings. Jii all pnibiihilify. it will be among the mot lasieful works evt-r 
puidijiiied in our conniry. and cam.oi fail, we are confideo!, justly lo attract tir; 
aacntiun ol our ciiiicns."— [Baltiniure f atriot. 



jioiiT^hi'd. fiii'l nervous slyl''; nn<l, as be eo- 
^aviy ftii'i ot.scrvaimu, we leel as»ur»Td his work 
^■.Mi rrtr-«^^_ -. , _^,ou lo Ainfiican Uievaiure. 'f he readeii- of tlie 'New 

WorW havelia-tn^Rie foretaste of U in Uie admirable leiic.-s from Mrxico which 
lie furnished to ihai journal a yrarago. The t-ngravings will be irom drawings 
niaile b-y IninseH"; and the whole mechanical exrcuUoii, we understand, is in be 
jnarked wilh unusual eletrance. Mr. Mayer honored his country, wheu ahroad.in 
■a iliplomalic characler; and we have no doubl ihai bis exertions in ihe rrpub- 
!ic ul" leiiers will b^ niiended wiib a success mobl gratifying lo bis numerous 
iaeiids."— [Nashville poi er. 

" \n iUustratetl work on the Ruins of Mexico is nearly complete for publicalion, 
al tlie presi of Winchester, by Mr. Mayer, whose beauiitul drawings we bad the 
priviic-^e, Mime Hionitis at,'o, toin^pecL li will be in ociavo foim, and doubtless will 
itttraci great aitentioo."— [bemocraiic Review. 

"Mexico— We are about to have an inieresiintj and lii^bly-embellisbed volume 
on Mf xici>, i>v our talt ntud townsman, Branl?, Mayer. Ksq„ late Chargcd'Afl^ires 
to that ^ovL-rtiment. It is lo be pjt.lished in IVew-York, in very superior style. 
Tne talent of investigation of Mr. ftlayer, bas no dotibi enabled lihu to collect a 
variery of lacisand moideois. in relation lo ibe political, social, and moral coiidi- 
i not vet been made known to the American people; 



; work will be sought lor wiib 



lien of iVleiicD. wliicb have 

and we mav therefore anticipate that bis (orlhcomii 

avidity."— [Daiiimore Clipper. 

trr Booksellers, Agents, and Periodical Dealers, are requested to give their 
orders early. A discount ot 25 per cent, to the trade. Address 

J. WINCHESTER, 30 Ann street. 



TRIUMPHA_NT SUCCESS! 

tiO'W RE AB-^ , 

AND FOIt SALE AT THE OFFICE OF THE NEW WOKLD, NC- 30 AN.N ST., 

A»D BY AGENTS AND BOOKSELLERS THROBGHOUT THE 

UNITED STATES, IN 

ONE LARGE AND SPLENDID VOLUME, 

OCTAVO SIZE, ON NEW AKn BEAUTIFUL LONG PRIMER T\'rl>> 

ALISON'S 

HISTORY OF EUROPE 

FKO.U TII£ COMMENCEMENT OT THE 

mEMll HEYOLUTION IN 1739, 

TO THE 

RESTOUATION OF THE BOUSBONS 

IN 1 8 1 5. 

ASRIDGEC for THE USE OP THE GENERAI. F-EADEK, AND ALSO FOR COL- 
LEGES, ACADEMIES, AND OTHER SEJIINAKIES OF LEARNING, 

BY EDWARD S. &OULD, ESQ. 



Sti:ce Ihe issae of the first copies of lliifcK'*eal work, in aclieap and popular form 
A week ago, the demanil bas been so large as to render it impossible lo supplyoue- 
tpniii of the orders received from Booksellers and Agents; and the fiist edition is 
taken up as fust as copies can be obtained from the binder. 

Terms, — Price $1, in French paper covers; Ijound in cloth, $1 25. Orders from 
A^,fnl^ and Bookseller* will be proc&ptly attended, and a liberal discount made. 

Address J. WINCHESTER, 30 Ann sU'eet. 



SIXTH EDITION, 

i; evised and cokeecied bv the .uithor, is now ready a.t no. 30 

Akn-stseet, 

PRICE 3-3 CEJfTS. 

ANCIENT EaYPT; 

l]er illonummtff, £)tcrc9lTi]jljU0. a\\b Cjistorp. 

BY GEORG-E R. GLIDDON, 

LATE V. S. CONSUL AT CAIRO. 

yi-'e are happy to«.'.QOunce a new and revised edition of this curious and instruc* 
I'^e work, on a sutyect ot such interest to tlie world as the His'ory of Ancient 
J'--^'pt,as writtea upon her Monuments. The deaiand bas been b3 large as 10 call 
lursix editions wiiliin seven months. 

In truth, it is a wonderful book— containing' not merely the only represenlaiions 
r.n'1 translations of the once unintelligible symbols and writings of tbe Ancient 
Kq-yptians ever published in America, but presfnts a compendium ot llie entire 
cli^cQperie.s of Champoll:on and others down lo tbe present time, which cannot 
be obtained hi the ori;:;in.il expensive edition^ for less than $2,50ti I It contains 
TWO HUNDRED HIEROGLYPHICS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
t-nihraciiig alphabets, bbowing their combinations, and interpreting their historical 
i,ir{s— dem^n'^tratiug tbe high caliivation, power, and wealth of the Ancient 
K.'vptians, he, fcc. 

IIT Single copie*, 25 cents; $16 a hundred ; five copies by mail for $1. Forsale 
b> Agents and liowksellers tbrooghoul the country. Address 

J. \ViNCHE:sTER, C9 Ann slrdet. 



ONE HUNDRED 

ROT^IANCES OF REAL LIFE 

BT LEIGH HUNT. 

This is a work which will deeply interest all classes. They are no fiction, but 
comprise remarkable tislorical and domestic facts illu-'^trative of human nature. 
The name of the well-known author is a sufficient guaranty lo tbe public lor the 
fiilelity and good taste with which the work has been executed. The ttyle ol 
printing is unescepLionahle, and calculated for old or young eyes. 

frice 2j cents only ; 5 copies by mail for ${. Tlie usual discount to the inde 
Address^ j. \V1NCHKST£R, 30 AHusireel. 



THIRD EDITION. 

MARMADOKE WITIL ; 

OR 

THE MAID'S 'eEYENGE. 

.^ historical Romance. 

BY H. W; HERBERT, ESQ., 

AUTHOR OF "cROMWELL," "THE BROTHERS," ETC., ETC, 

PRICE 37i CENTS— THE USUAL DISCOUNT TO TEE TRADE. 

The popularity of this Romance, by Herbert, is steadily on the increase. The 
?ress of Great Britain are loud in its praise, and rank it among the most talented 
jroduclions of living novelists. We add a few notices, which we find in the latest 
London papers: 

*' A siill belter work than * Oliver Cromwell.* "— [.^thenanm. 

"Tbe production of a man of genius. '—[John Bull. 

THE HOME. 

BY FREDE3IKA BREMER— TRANSLATED BY MARY HOWITT, 
Ti:rm3.— Single copies, 12} cents; tsu copies by mail for $1 ; or $8 a hundred. 

PRESIDENT'S DAUGHTERS, 

AND 

NINA, 

(01 Bcijtul to tije " J3rcsil(ent's JDaugljters/') 

By FREDERIKA BREMER, 

AUTH-'KESS OP "THE NEIGHBORS," "THE HOME," &C., &C., 

TRANSLATED BY MAKY HOWITT, 
Price 12i cents eaacb; §8 per Ijuntired; 10 lor $1. 

L lEB IG'S 

AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY. 

A new and cbeap edition, at tbe unexampled l«\v price of I2V cents. Now is 
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(nr Only 12^ cents; 25 cents (or holb ; $8 per hundred for either. Apply early. 

Address, post-paid or free, J. WINCHESTER, Publisher, SO nn streeu 



DR. 

INFALLIBLE 



RUSH'S 

HEALTH 



PILLS. 




TWELVE AND A HALF CENTS A BOX, 

The proprietor of this invaluable legacy of a great 
man, has for some time failed to present them t» tbe 
public in an advertisement. Tbe reason is a plain 
one. So much has their use given satisfaction, and so 
sirougly have they been recommended one to another, 
Uiat it bas been utterly impossible lo supply the de- 
mand, both here and forcounlry agents. Daring the 
present month, more than two hundred groce, or nearly 

TH RTY THOUSAND BOXES, 

have been sold in this city and vicinity, and supplied 
to Agents throughout the United States, and many 
orders have been on hand weeks be.''ore tbey could be filled. In fact, it needs not 
tbs spirit of prophecy to foretell the day when tbe only Pill in use will be that in- 
vented by the immortal Dr. Be.^wami:; llusn, the greatest physician America ever 
aw. 

THE HEALTH PILLS 

have cured, where cure seemed welt nigh ii::pojsible: tbey Lave restored lo per 
feet health hundreds who bad long langui-sbed on beds of pain; tbey have operaied 
like a charm, when all other medicines failed even to aflbrd relief; tbey have given 
comfort to the afflicted, and hope lo the despairing ; they have removed the ills of 
the yoang, and given back youth lo the aged. Indeed, tbey seem to possess the 
properties ascribed by the alcbymisis of fortaur days to that Elixir, that Soye - 
ttsicN BiLMjibat conqueror of infirmities, to discover which they passed long 
days and weary nights of labor and study. 

SOLD WHOLESALE AND RETAIL, by H. G. DAGGERS, sole Agent for 
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AGENTS. 

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' near ihe Post Office. 

Pittsfield, Mass.— J. H. Brewster. 

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I eral Airenia. 

IToronto, Canada—B. F. Urquhart, 



CAUTION.-GROSS FRAUD! 



The Public are respectlidly warned ihat ■ 
3.1ysteries of Paris."" 



'kely to 



A MUTILATED EDITION 

Of a portion of the celebrated work of Eugene Sue, under this name, has been issued by Ilu.j.w .. i:,^;:i.;- J.iion ii 

the most bald and wretched' imaginable— the dir-.logue is run together in the most inextricable coniusioj)- ouli 

d;isoTace a school-boy. Btift*&is is not all : the edition alluded to io SHABIEFULLY MUTILATED >. In an tsiuuiimtioii (;l cnl 
CDC hundred and tweiity pages of their first part, mere than riiTY AEEiBs.iir.KXG occur amounting to iricre tl-;':. T^yvvv tt^: 
DEED LINES of.lhc original ! A more infamous Imposition was never attentpted to be practiced 
any house pretending to respectability ! And yet they have the hardihood to insert "withoiii abritlgment" upcii tiie title -piigti 
It is probable, from tha frequent insertiofl' of stars in the remainder of the work, th.it at least OKE-TIIIRD of t!i 
original has been omitted in this copy— and'all this is done to. bring the work iiato a compr.^s to enable them to .undersell {he 
World edition. Tiie translation given by us is by a gentleman, whose talents and good la.ste as a writei-, €naUe him to ii 
"race, eleoance, delieaey, and freedom to evetything upon, which his pen is emploj-cd. The Public, who are de.sirous to oblai 
"enuine work by Eugen'c'Su'e,,'m an unrnutilat'ed form, must therefore he careful to orilci the 'New World edition of " The 3Iys 
cf Paris." _ _ __ .' _ 

CARD, BY THE -TRANSLATOR, 

As many of llie- Translator's personal friends have supposed that he v/ould be discouraged from prosecuting iiis.ii'.lors by 
appearance of aiiothei'IV;insl;ifion of the " Mysteries of Paris," he talces this method of iuforining tiienr and the public, that 
wjll not be nttcvr: ! imblication to which he has alluded, from atlemptingvta give a failiifu! version '. I :. 

roaiance. .. ,; -^ ... .. 

He hopes it -will not 1 . .1 into an attempt to disparage a rival work, when he .lays that the gentloi 

presented it to the public, has ilsemed it his duty to expurgate much of the nan-nive portion, and nearly all tlie rctlcctuiiis in tl 
original, upon law, government, and social evils. Tlie Translator of this eduion believes that he owes a higher duly to a geiii 
who writes evidently with an- earnest, elevated, 5Ui4 conscientious aim, than to venture to make .guch omissions. He hopes th 
ihere are a few left in the commonwealth of letters, who turn to the pages of a 'work of such 'a character, with some bightv 
purpose than. to trace the thread of the story. And, as he is convmced that this remarkable production bi Sue is worthy of moj i 
than an ephemeral e.vistence, and will be frequently resorted to after the mere curiosity in the narrative has been in s6me ir.eaau 
"ratified, the Translator of this, edition is determined to persevere in Jiis etTort to act with fidelity in interpreting his author. J ; 
has had, during the whole of his labors, the assistance of Professor Bordenave in all the difficult and idiomatic portions of /j 
work, to whom the limguage of the original is native, •■:•'' -h-.- r.rimsisan additional guaranty of the t'^'-r:.-- -'' •'•: - 'raaslali ' -i 
Nevv-Yokk, October 27th, 1843. 



LATEST NEW AVORKS 

PUBLISHED AT THE OFFICE OF "BOOKS FOll THE 
PEOPLE," 30 ANN STREET, NEW- YORK. 

TIIE SLEEP-RIDEE ; ok, The Old Boy is tpte O.mnibv.^. Ab origi- 
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olEurupe. Tliesceoe U liuj in a Bk a.iwav Omnibus, where se'erjl lumesi 
cltii'.M are inlrailucrd as passenfccis, and undergo a series of advenluren so as- 
lonlsljir);, lliat, if nol siriclly irue. they would be increaii.Je. The reader who 
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Jesuits of the last oenlury. Price 1-J cents. 

MARY AND MARTHA : The Two Fiiiends. A capital Tale by 
Mrs. Ellis, anilioressof the "Women of linjland," 5;c. Price 12} cents. 

FrilEStDE RECOLLECTIONS, ami THE YOONG SCULPTOR, 
rti.ullier woik o( remarkable beauty and excellent inoialleodt-ncy, \vh!::lt should 
be in the hands of every young pecon. Hy Hrs. Ellis. Price iii cents. 

THE PRESIDENT'S DAUGHTERS, by Fretlcrika Bitiiier, trailfe- 
t.i'c'i by Mary HowlU. Published fro.ii the original proof aUeels. Pri«e,12i.et5 

^IMA,a Sequel to tb.o " Presidem-'s D.vucaTCKs," l>y th'e saino^ Prico 



LB D 



J2.J cent*. Of ilicie ifto woiks.over i5,0l>0 t,opies Lave betu sold at il. 
Wurl.l oflice. 

MAR.VUDUKE "VVYVIL; oe. The Mait's Rcvexoe— a 11UUt< 
Uouiance by Heibert, has r.-aghtd lite UnrJ eiiuion. Tlic press of IbidCfK'i 
and Great fiiitnln are lou.1 ill iis praUc, and rank it amcng tlie niosi lal. . 
productions of iiviag rovelinis. Pries a7J cents. Prinitd in trlr^unt booltftj 

MEREDITH, a Novel of the Englisli Aristocracy, by the Cooittess 
Blessin^ion. Very interciiirg-. Price 26 ccnis. 

THE IRISH SKETCH-LOOK, by M. A. Tiimarfh, Esq. ItUislrai 
witL nuiiiercui wood-cuts, trpmdfawlngs nirtik- hy hiii si-lf. The iiios-i huniuic 
and Rrapliic woilt ever "ftriiitn in reliiiiun lo Irelaud, Piii c 67^ cents. 

THE BIBLE IN SPAIN; or, The Jfurneys, Adveniurc?, and rmprisf 
Hients ol an MiisfM.shiuan, in Ids aitentpi to circulatt- llir St-ripiuret in U«P»-ii 
sula. By Georjjt; Borrow. A work that l.as had no cqUdl in popularity for n n 
years, Sevemli edition. Price ii cents. 

THE ZINCALI ; ob, The Gip&if.s of Sp.ms. By the same atttlior, ai 

not infi^ric-r in interest. SixUi editic;n. Price 1 j cents. 
ANCIENT EGYPT, HKR MONUMENTS^ HIEROC:LYJf>KlC 

AND Ulrf rOltV. llluslra'cd with 20O engravings. Ry Gntira*' It Gliddon. 

HioSt valuable work, conlainiatr a C';MnpIete key to ihe ancif/t t.isioiy of Eir> , 

as depicted on tlie Monuineni&and Pyramids. No Biblical sludtntorcleryyn; 

should be without a copy. Price 25 ctuis. 

PHILIP IN SEARCH OF A WIKE, and KATE IN SEARCH 
A U(/SBAJVP— twoof the niost sucreigful Konianfes of ilje sein-on, of wljil 
ov*r 4f>,(i00 copies have bet-n sold in iliiepiuonlti.s. XVe bw now reany lossp;; 
all orvlMS, by mail or ollu-rw iat;. Price J2J ci nis earh. or $3 a btndred. 

Addreas (poai-paUl.) . X WINCUESTEK >t Ann street 



FAMILIAR LETTEJIS ON" CHEMISTRY. 



BY DR. L ! E D I O , 



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